Although nobody else knew it, the military operation to invade Albion was going to be proclaimed at the school after the summer break ended, approximately at the time the two moons overlapped. Something about the religious omens were brought up on the timing. It had been many decades since the last time the king's troops had insufficient officers in order to organize an expeditionary force. It was decided that in order to do that, aristocrat students were to be assigned as officers. Mr. Colbert and the academy's headmaster Osmand were against this course of action, but Henrietta, the Cardinal, and the Queen's army's generals ignored the objections. The academy was going to be closed down until the end of the war. The bearer of the "Void," the court lady under Henrietta's direct supervision, Louise, was to be given special missions along with her familiar. Louise had sent a carrier owl to her home informing her parents that they were to work directly for the princess in the coming battles. The response she got from home was that it was not allowed. She gave her own response, but Zero didn't get a chance to find out what it said. She'd been upset, so he had left it alone. Soon, all across the country, at the parade grounds and garrisons, many students would be training to become temporary officers. Most of them would be male students who would choose the honor of fighting in the war. Zero couldn't help but wish it wasn't necessary.
It was the Day of The Void. Zero knew that there was another two weeks left of this summer vacation that the students had. It was nice. There hadn't been too much fighting lately, and things seemed to relax. The calm before the storm, he knew, but it was still nice. These kids were going to lose their innocence, but then again that was the world. Even little Alouette had been forced into helping with the cyber elves in the war with Neo Arcadia. Louise had been a bit upset about being left out of the mission for the princess, but she got over it once he explained why. Well, mostly. She still said the box was the stupidest thing she'd ever seen. He looked over at Louise who was reading the prayer book again, while he was sketching a few ideas for placement of a low energy information network that could possibly function outside the school grounds.
Louise was reading another set of pages in the prayerbook that had appeared when they had dealt with the revenant of Prince Wales... A way to annul magic. Such a powerful spell. She smiled as she read the words. Zero had been right all along. She wasn't useless at all. Suddenly a sound knocking could be heard at her door. Looking at Zero who was covered with papers and was in the middle of sketching she sighed. Standing, she went to the door. The person waiting at the door way was none other than..."S-sister! Sister Eleonore," Louise said in panic.
"I'm here to take you home little Louise. Mother and father agree that without any progress, it is time for you to learn how to be a wife. It is time for you to bring honor to your family in some way. Going to war as you plan is not the way. For someone as useless as you to go to war, you'd just die bringing further shame upon our name," She said.
"But sister, I have been making progress!" Louise cried out in protest.
"Oh really? Then why have you not written of it? I'm betting all you can do is make your spells explode as is usual. I would have thought you'd at least know better than to talk back to me," Eleonore said as she brought her horse whip around to hit Louise on top of her head. She hadn't expected the crack, or the shooting pain that ran up her arm.
"Oh, you're the beloved sister then?" Zero asked as he held the young woman's limp wrist. "I have some concerns that I'd like to talk to you about." He realized that with the pulsing of the light in the room, he was probably lit up like a bonfire. Seeing his armored hand he noted that he'd also switched into his armor as well.
"W-who are you?" the blond asked through the pain.
"I am your sisters familiar. I am also someone who is not going to allow any further actions like this to be brought on her. Next time I remove the arm, not just break the bone. Do we understand each other?" Zero asked in a deadly voice.
Louise who was standing in a stupor realized what was happening. "Zero! Let her go! You're hurting her!"
"That is more or less the intention Louise," Zero said without looking back. The eyes of her sister which had been full of superiority now looked like a mouse caught in a snake's embrace. "Now, answer me. Do we understand each other?"
"Who are you, to issue such commands to me?" She asked, her pride towering above her common sense, for the moment. She screamed as she felt the bones and muscles grinding together as the man restraining her gripped even harder.
"I asked a question. Answer it or I'll do that again." Zero said, cold anger evident in his voice.
"Z-zero..." Louise said, as she saw this. She was afraid. She remembered the way he had acted when he had found out...
"I understand." the prideful woman grated out.
"Good. Now that you understand, get the hell out of here. Someone like you is not welcome. Hell, I have doubts about you even being human." Zero said, as he threw the woman bodily out of the door, slamming it.
"Zero!" Louise yelled,"What did you do to my sister?"
"I broke her wrist. Hitting a child like that, especially with a whip? That is not acceptable. Next time I really will take her arm off." Zero said, as he started to gather up the sketches that were thrown about.
Another knock on the door followed a few minutes later. Zero walked over to the door and opened it again. What appeared to be an older version of Louise was standing there with a worried look on her face. Her face was peaceful, and she held her hands in front of herself, giving an air of both refinement as well as a sense of fragility. She blanched at the look she got from the young man at the door.
"Cattleya!" Louise said as she ran up to her, getting between her and Zero, her arms protectively fanned out.
"Louise! I'm so glad you're okay!" she said, hugging her sister from behind. "I had heard the crash and saw Eleonore on the ground. I healed her as I could," She said, interrupted by a coughing attack that brought her to her knees.
"Sister! You shouldn't be using magic! You know you don't have the energy for it!" Louise said, as her sister held her from behind.
"I couldn't help it. Her wrist was shattered... If I hadn't done something with it, she might never have been able to use it again..." She looked up at Zero who's expression had softened.
"She'll learn never to take a whip to a child again." Zero said simply.
"Ah...You... You did it to protect my dear Louise then?" Cattleya asked him.
"Yeah. The moment she brought that whip around to hit Louise is the moment I moved against her." Zero said.
"Ah... So what relationship do you have with my Louise, that you would protect her so? You are... Louise's lover, right?"
"Don't be ridiculous! He's my familiar," Louise cried in embarrassment.
"Your... familiar?" Cattleya asked as she looked at Zero. "A person?" she laughed gently. "Ah, my dear Louise. You never do what anyone expects. But a commoner for a familiar?"
"Actually, Knight-Captain. I am a noble who is directed by the Princess," Zero said with a smirk.
"Indeed? Louise... you summoned a noble...has there been any problems because of this? Has his family made any protests?" she asked, a worried look on her face. When her sister shook her head she sighed with relief. She then looked at Zero,"So you have kept my sister safe?"
Zero shrugged,"Yeah. Nothing much to keep her safe from. She can handle herself well enough."
"Ah, I see..." she said, with some disappointment.
Louise looked at her sister. "Well... He has saved my life three times now. He is just a humble." She looked at Zero then turned back to face her sister and continued,"And like you, he even said... he believes in me."
"Oh? You must tell me more." Cattleya said, her face brightening and a smile coming to her lips.
"Where is your other sister?" Zero interrupted.
"Ah...She...Didn't want to try coming in here again..." Cattleya said quietly.
"Hmm. She's learning already," Zero replied in an indifferent manner.
"Zero..." Louise said with a frown on her face.
"Don't care. Not apologizing. If you want, you can tell your nice sister all about some of the stuff that has happened. Don't forget to show her that slip of paper the princess gave you. I'm sure it will surprise the hell outta her. I'll go get you guys some tea," Zero said as he walked towards the door. As he closed the door behind him he heard a kind voice follow him saying "He seems like such a nice young man... I'm glad you have someone who can protect you when..."
***Break***
Zero was almost back to the room, with some tea and cakes from the kitchen. He hadn't seen that blond woman again, but that was fine with him. He liked the other sister much more. She had some sort of aura around her, and she had been concerned enough for Louise that she had stared him down. While she had hesitated, she didn't look away. He could count on two hands the people left with guts to do that. Juggling the trays he opened the door to Louise's room.
"Ah! Noble familiar, thank you for treating my dear Louise so well. She has taken quite a shine to you. Perhaps I shall yet live to be known as Aunt Cattleya!" she said with a gentle smile on her face.
"Sister!" Louise shouted, covering her face.
"Do not deny it. Life can be too short...Why not be honest?" She said, with a weak smile.
"Well..." Louise said, her face as red as Kirche's hair.
"I'll leave this to you girls. Have fun with your visit." Zero said with a smile as he placed the trays down and started walking away, trying to leave this situation behind before it led to anything too forward. So the happy peaceful sister was trying to push the two of them together, after he'd broken the mean one's wrist. An odd family to be sure. As he was about to open the door, he heard that same cough, followed by the sound of the platters he had just placed hitting the floor, followed by the sound of a body.
"Big sister! Are you all right?" Louise shouted as she moved to Cattleya's prone for. She watched Cattleya with a worried expression. Louise's second elder sister's body was weak. She had never taken more than one step out of La Vallière territory before."Did you call a doctor?"
Cattleya nodded. "I called on the doctor before the trip, and even though he tried to cast powerful 'Water' spells many times, magic is useless against this sickness. Nothing is good for such a body. The touch of water is useless. You should know that."
Zero had moved beside her, and took note of the blood on the side of her mouth and her ragged breathing. "Alright... That's not good." He said as he picked the girl up.
"Zero?" Louise asked suddenly.
"Bleeding from the mouth. That's something that needs to be treated like an emergency situation. We're going to see Roll."
"What?"
"Trust me. She said magic doesn't work. Maybe its time for something else," Zero said as he gently walked out the door, with Louise's sister in his arms.
***Break***
"Roll!" Zero called out as he entered the Lab with Louise walking behind him. "Roll get out here!"
"What's wrong, Zero?" Rock asked.
Louise looked startled as she heard a voice without a body.
"We got a problem. This girl here collapsed after a coughing fit. I can't tell if she was coughing blood or not, but she has some on her mouth," Zero said with a worried look on his face.
"Ah... Yes. I see," Rock said. "Roll isn't here. But she is on school grounds." After a pause Rock continued,"She is alone with the headmaster. Since he knows about everything...Powering data network." The room's lights dimmed for a moment, and Rock's voice declared "Transfer." After a few moments Roll was standing in the middle of the room looking confused.
"Zero? What's going on?" Roll asked, noticeably disoriented from the sudden transport.
"Roll, we got a problem," Zero said seriously, as he explained what had happened.
"Alright..." Roll said, as she moved her left hand to her temple. She looked at the gentle seeming girl who was in Zero's arms. "Okay, I want to know all of the symptoms you have. Got it?"
"I have been sick for a long time. Even if the water mages treated the sickened part of my body with medicine or magic, another part would start to degenerate. Eventually, all of the doctors fail against such a cycle."
"Yes, but symptoms. I need actual symptoms," Roll said gently as she placed a hand on the girls head, gauging her temperature. What she had said didn't bode well.
"Well... When its my chest, I cough blood, and am short of breath... I feel tired and I've lost weight. I experience sweats and fevers at night, and sometimes my heart beats so fast that it feels like it is trying to escape. Sometimes when it gets very bad... my neck swells. It almost feels like I am choking all the time when that happens... "
Roll looked a the girl and sighed with relief. "I see... I'll be right back." She walked into the corner of the lab, and pulled out a large drawer. She took out a box that was perhaps four feet by four feet. As she placed it on the counter effortlessly, she went to the latch mechanism and struggled with it. After a few moments a loud banging sound could be heard as the top popped off.
"What the heck is that Roll?" Zero asked. That thing must have been under some pressure to require that much force to open.
"It was an idea Dr. Light and I had worked on. An emergency medical kit made with a perfect vacuum., to prevent the degradation of medications and equipment that would be needed in an emergency. Unfortunately, no human could open it. There is one more..." She said as she started going through the slightly unorganized contents of the box.
"Seems like a kinda messy way to store them," Zero commented lazily.
"Well, it was organized till I opened it. It has roughly the same vacuum one would find in space. This is one reason we had trouble with the opening mechanism." Roll said. After searching through the box for a few minutes she brought out a needle that was wrapped in a plastic bag, and a small square packet.
"A shot? But you haven't run any tests yet," Zero said bewildered. No matter her knowledge she shouldn't make assumptions about what was wrong, even he knew that much.
"Not a shot. A test actually. Tuberculosis. I need to poke her with the needle, and if there is a reaction, that means that she's got it. If there isn't, that means she doesn't have it."
"Ah..." Zero said.
"What are you two talking about?" Louise demanded. After the shock of Roll's sudden appearance she'd finally caught up to herself.
Roll smiled at her,"Don't worry. I won't do anything to harm your sister. I'm just going to try and help." Roll stepped up to Cattleya,"This is going to pinch, but it needs to be done. With this I can see if this is what is really wrong. And if it is, we can treat it. Alright?"
"You don't have to lie to me. I know I do not have much time left... That is why I'm glad there is someone else who can protect my dear Louise." Cattleya said with a happy smile on her face.
"Yeah well. I wouldn't make any bets on that just yet." Roll said, as she tore open the packet and removed an alcohol pad. After cleaning the area she inserted the needle under the girl's skin, then removed it a few minutes later, placing a piece of sticky plastic over it. "There ya go. I'm going to have to ask you to stay down here with us for the next few days."
"But..." Cattleya started to object.
"Objection rejected!" Roll said strictly. "You're showing some very severe symptoms It would be very irresponsible for me to just let you walk out like this. I will not let you leave until we stabilize you. And I am strong enough to stop you, although Zero gets to play the part of big strong orderly even if I can't."
Cattleya looked at the young girl's eyes, and noted the determination. "You won't let me go will you?"
"Nope. But don't worry. We have some fun things here...Plus, you can even hear Zero sing! He's really got a beautiful voice... Once he gets over himself, anyhow." Roll said with a smile.
"Wait, so he really can sing? He said he was terrible at it! He lied to the princess and myself?" Louise demanded.
"Uh oh. Rock, Transfer!" Zero said with a panicked expression as he tried to give Rock the coordinates for Colbert's lab.
"I'm sorry Zero, I'm afraid I can't do that," Rock said in a monotone voice, followed by a quick laugh. "Unavoidable..."
"You're stuck here. Oh and you're the one who's going to explain to Osmand why I'm no longer in his office... but before that, get me some paper masks for Louise and Cattleya. It's probably not contagious, but best to be safe," Roll said, with that same gentle smile.
***Break***
Three days passed, and while Zero had dealt with the stupid blond sister a few times, he had to admit she actually cared about her sisters with the courage it must have taken to confront him about their whereabouts. She was just totally warped. He also noticed that she didn't have her horse whip with her anymore. At least not visibly anyhow.
Both Louise and Cattelya had been in the Lab since Zero had brought them there. Roll checked every evening before they went to bed, to see if the test was reacting. The skin had an angry red bump on it, which relieved her for some reason. He'd managed to escape another round of karaoke, but it seemed Louise and Cattleya were enjoying it, especially after Cattleya had used a translation spell on himself and Roll in secret. He hadn't known anything was different until he saw the tears rolling down their faces from the performance of the song "Lost" with Roll acting as his chorus. And so he was on his way back to the lab with lunch for the girls.
"Zero, you're back" Roll said as she stood up removing a stethoscope from Cattleya's chest.
"Yeah. Figured you girls could do with some lunch."
"Really. So you weren't avoiding singing for us?" Roll asked with a smirk on her face.
"Well there is that too. But I didn't think I needed to say it. I thought it was obvious enough with the fact I probably left after images when I left." Zero said with a laugh.
"True..." Roll said as she walked back to the box, and took a plastic container. She looked at Zero and quietly added "Well, I'm certain. She has active TB... I'm unsure how she's lived with it for so long,"
"Perhaps their magic kept the symptoms at bay and kept her alive?" Zero asked curiously.
"That's the only thing I can think of... But to be honest, they treated the symptoms not the cause. And it looks like it was a losing battle. I'm just thankful we have this." She held up the cylinder. "Its a rather odd mixture of antibiotics. It was created for post disasters when less common diseases like TB would show up due to lack of sanitation and proper medical care..."
"Yeah... It is amazing how much Dr. Light worked on." Zero replied. He wondered if his creator had ever tried to create things like this. Shaking his head, he knew that wasn't likely.
"Actually... This was my project...Father just did it to humor me." Roll said with a smile, then continued,"Well, lets go give the girls the good news." Roll said, a smile on her face. As she walked up to Cattleya and Lousie who were sitting at a fairly large table that had been relocated down here,
***Break***
"So what you're saying Zero, is that you wish for me to open a room to Louise's older sister so that Roll can monitor her for the time being?" Osmand said as he looked at the familiar in front of him.
"That's right. Roll has managed to diagnose an illness that has been completely resistant to magic, and is going to be treating her. Her family can pay the school for this, and we can see just how effective the methods Roll employs can be. As it stands, with just some of the medications to suppress the symptoms the girl seems healthier than she has in years." Zero said with a smile.
"I suppose you are right. It just seems... Odd..."
"Well you are used to magic. And while magic does some amazing things... it apparently can't do everything. Roll was actually amazed at how long she had been kept alive with this disease active. It should have killed her already..."
"Well, I suppose that I can open a room to her. From what Roll has said she's a dear anyhow. And very pretty as well," he said, with a mischievous grin.
"I'll break your hand if you try," Zero said, returning the grin.
"You and your sister wish to take all the joy out of this old man's life, don't you?" he said as he scowled at the young man standing in front of him.
"Of course. With misery you know you're alive. So we make sure you know it, that way we can be assured our favorite headmaster is alive and well," Zero said with a laugh.
"Of course. Because you care so much about this old man," Osmand said, not able to hold his scowl anymore.
***Break***
Cattleya looked at the cylinder in her hand. Inside were little medicine pieces. Tablets Roll had called them. The other tablets Roll had given her had eased her chest, and stopped her coughing. Her fevers had gone away, and she was happy. She had never quite been this happy before. Roll had told her that the happiness was actually a side effect of the medication. She called it a "Narcotic". She was told if she took these new pills, once a day for four months she would get better. Zero had told her that she was going to be kept here until her recovery was complete. She looked at the young man who was the protector of her sister. Even if they were wrong... She could still be this happy. Louise had finally found someone else who cared for her. Someone else who would shield her from the family far better than she ever could. Cattleya barely noticed the darkness that claimed her as she drifted off to sleep in the bed that was her's now. Her last thought was that she wished her animals were all here.
***Break***
"Familiar," came a sharp voice from behind Zero.
"What do you want," Zero replied as he kept walking.
"Why are you restraining my sister here? The headmaster said that she was not allowed to leave."
"That's correct. She isn't allowed to leave. Its not really a restraint though. She just can't leave until she gets better."
"She isn't going to get better! She's been sick all her life. If you keep her here, she could very well die away from her home, away from her family!" Eleonore said as she grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.
"Honestly, I don't care about your family. She's a sweet kid though, and doesn't deserve to die. If she leaves she could very well die in a short period of time. Here, she's a lot more likely to live. Didn't you notice the fact that she isn't coughing? Or that she's eating more? What about the fact that her fevers are also less pronounced." Zero said as he looked into her eyes.
Eleonore looked away from him for a moment after she released him. "Are you telling the truth? Will she really get better?"
"She should. Roll, one of the physicians here, has diagnosed the illness, and is treating it. She is amazed she's still alive... But its not a fatal illness if treated correctly. Her medical skills are far beyond anything else in this country. If you talk to the headmaster I'm sure you could probably have a room, or at least visit her regularly. But knowing what your family has done to Louise... I'm going to tell you that if you try and remove her from here I will stop you. If you try and restrain Louise from following her choice... I will stop you. I will protect both of them from your family if you give me a reason." Zero said, no anger in his voice.
Eleonore looked at Zero for a few moments then smiled gently,"I suppose you would... I wonder, familiar..."
"Zero." He corrected her.
"Yes... Zero, I've done some asking around about you. Apparently you have been protecting my sister. I must thank you for that. Even though we do not see eye to eye...I still love her. And I discipline her so that she will know her place. It is far better that discipline should come from me than mother."
"Like I'd let anything happen to her. I'm not like her family. If your mother shows up and tries anything like you did, she'll get the same 'warning' you did." Zero said as he turned around and walked off, leaving Eleonore to stare at his back.
***Break***
Zero looked at the ceiling. Louise had fallen asleep a while ago. He thought about all the results he'd gotten from the diagnostics he'd been doing, and the inconsistencies that continued to plague his systems. Tonight was no exception. He wondered when the last time he'd actually had a real in-depth diagnostic done. It had to have been before he was put to sleep... Well, Roll seemed versed in humans as well as reploids, and they had the equipment. Nodding his head, he decided he'd talk to her about it tomorrow.
***Author's notes***
Hmm. Whipping children while is Zero around... Bad idea. Very bad.
While some might not think much of it, nobody, except Cattleya even mentions anything close to believing in Louise. Zero has mentioned it a few times. While its not always been about her talents, but instead about where her heart is... it doesn't really matter. She's the zero of the family, and having someone just simply accept her is a big step. That is the first mistake Saito made in his dealings with her. Not that I blame the guy with how he was treated. Even Cattelya only believed in Louise as her sister. Zero believes in her as Louise, which can mean a great deal more. Our family is expected(although sadly not always the case) to believe in us. Strangers are not.
On Cattleya's illness. I took her symptoms and I did some research as to the symptoms and illnesses that fit it. The only two that really fit were cancer, and this. This more so because of the cough. It never shows her coughing blood, but TB can actually be in places aside from the lungs, which explained why she was weak throughout her body. Why the paper masks? The main reason here, isn't so much Roll's fear of it being contagious, but that often times the thought of doing something can lead to results, even if it is just mental. With the explanation that its doing something, you can convince them that its helpful, causing them to feel more positive about it.
On another note, while we all know just what Zero can do and how bad the wars got on his world, the people he's around now have only seen him fight individually, and while he destroyed most of an army nobody he has met actually saw him do it. And seeing is believing off course.