Here we are at a brand new story. This one is a sequel to my previous story, Code Vein in Another World. A new set of OCs, a new setting, and a new story. This takes place years after the events of the last story, so our new MC, Yukitsuki, will already be in her teens. This one will not be a crossover since I didn't have many elements Skeleton Knight in Another World, and there will be even less in this one, so it's just with Code Vein or just miscellaneous since Fuyumi is still in this story. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this new story of mine. I do not own Code Vein. They belong to Bandai Namco. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 1. Enjoy.
Chapter 1: A Rising Snow
It's been several years since the conflict that became known as the "Imperial Monster War" occurred. With the Gravlon Empire having lost the war and the Theodosia Conclave suffering extensive losses in the conflict, tensions between other countries have died down. There were plenty of scars left by that conflict, but most of them have healed by this point. Among the stories told about the conflict are the stories of the hero who ended it, Fuyumi Kusanagi. The female warrior from a distant land that came to Anatolia, became engaged to several women, and fought in the conflict for her new home. How she uncovered the true culprit behind the conflict and took the empire's chancellor down. After that, Anatolia and the empire began operating on friendlier terms. Meanwhile, its alliance with the Dragon Alliance remains strong. Since the marriage between Fuyumi and the Dragon princess, Hikaru, exchange of culture and goods between the two nations has been steadily growing, showing that the Alliance is pulling back on their old isolationist policies.
Her head wife, Emilia, succeeded her father as the new Duchess of Crystalglove City, and manages the government affairs in place of her wife. Fuyumi, meanwhile, continues to perform missions given to her by the king. Or at least, the new king. The crown prince, Mikhail, succeeded his father, Gaius Anatolia, and became the new king. He had also married the daughter of another duke of the kingdom as his queen. Meanwhile, Hikaru's brother, Kagero, succeeded their father and became the new emperor for the Dragon Alliance. A few other changes in command and leadership have occurred during this time period. General Philine Hawke became the new Empress of the Gravlon Empire after the former emperor abdicated the throne to her. It took time, but they were able to repair the damage the chancellor did to his mind. After he learned of what transpired, the former emperor felt he was no longer fit to rule. Some spoke out against her, but she quickly stamped them out to ensure no more conflicts would occur. She has since worked to mend relations with the other nations. Meanwhile, as far as Fuyumi's family, Hikaru continues to aid her brother in her homeland, stopping by Crystalglove to visit her mate often enough. Iris would go on to become a royal knight, dedicating her life to protecting the royal family. Anelia continues to study magic, becoming a renowned mage in the kingdom. Elane works as a mediator between the humans and her people to build a more positive relationship between the two species after the events of the war. May Fanchone continued to serve the Crystalglove family and became the head maid while occasionally keeping Fuyumi company in her bed. Finally, Yukio continues her work in the entertainment district in the Alliance, stopping by Crystalglove to visit Fuyumi's family. She got busier when she was able to expand her business to the kingdom and even plans to expand the empire someday, but that's for later down the road.
However, the biggest change was when Fuyumi was on an assignment for the king in the north of the country when she happened upon the discovery of a lifetime.
...Flashback begins...
"Where is your family?" Fuyumi asks when she happens upon a young girl in a city.
"I don't... have one..." the girl, whose hair is black as night but with white undertones and eyes like the ocean itself.
"What's your name?" Fuyumi asks.
"I don't... have one... I don't... know where they are," the girl says.
Her clothes are tattered and she looks like she hasn't eaten in a while. Her eyes can barely shed tears at this point.
Fuyumi smiles and kneels before the girl, "Well, how about this? Would you like to come live with me?"
"Live... with you?" the girl asks.
"Yes... if you'd like," Fuyumi holds out her hand.
"Who... are you?" the girl asks.
"Well, if you want... you can call me Mother," Fuyumi says.
A moment later, the girl reaches out and accepts her hand.
...Flashback ends...
Fuyumi would bring the girl back with her and would formally adopt her as her and Emilia's child. Since they were both women, they couldn't have children the normal way. There were plenty of noble families that were against their idea, saying that Emilia could have a child with one of their sons and Fuyumi would be accepted as one of the parents, but Emilia shot down the idea. The only person she would ever allow into her bed was Fuyumi and no one else. It helped that Fuyumi was the country's hero and had the support of the royal family of Anatolia and the imperial family of the Dragon Alliance. They couldn't oppose them for long. As for the girl, it seemed she had no memory of her past or her origins. Not even her own name. As such, Fuyumi gave her a name. Based on her white and black hair, Fuyumi decided on a name... Yukitsuki, which means "snow moon".
...
Years would pass since that fateful day. In the backyard of the Crystalglove estate, a young woman stands before a set of wooden targets set up across from her. She stands in a white buttoned-up shirt with shorts and short boots for training. Not exactly ladylike, but a dress would be unsuited for what she's doing at the moment. The girl's waist length hair, black on top and white undertones, blows in the wind. She raises her hands towards the target.
"Flow through me..." the girl mutters. Seconds later, several arrows made of ice form in mid-air , aimed at the targets. "...Ice Arrow!" she casts a spell and the arrows fly out and hit their targets, destroying them.
"Well done, Milady," a maid with brown hair in a bun says as she provides the girl a towel.
"Thank you," the girl accepts the towel, showing a very stoic expression.
"I see you've improved, Yukitsuki," the girl turns to the new voice.
In walks a beautiful woman with long blue hair, wearing a luxurious dress of white and blue. Emilia Ikenia von Crystalglove, her mother. She has grown older since the war, but time has not made her any less beautiful. If anything, the air of maturity around her only adds to it. Behind her stands May Fanchone in her maid outfit, though she's since cut her hair short into a bob cut these days.
"Mother, thank you," Yukitsuki bows her head.
"Oh, if only you could improve on your ability to be more expressive as well. I'm sure you'd be a lot cuter that way. No matter. Hurry and clean up. I need to speak with you in my study," Emilia says.
"Yes, Mother," Yukitsuki replies.
She does as she's asked and soon finds herself sitting across from her mother in her study. The room has several papers and books on the desk, showing how busy the Duchess of a large territory is.
"Now then, as I'm sure you're aware, the new term for the Royal Academy will be starting soon. The school is where the children of noble houses learn matters of politics, history, magic, combat, arithmetic, and other matters. You will be attending as a first-year. Do you understand?" Emilia explains.
"Yes. I understand, Mother," Yukitsuki replies.
"Yuki, I want you to be extra aware. You are my daughter, the daughter of a duchy. But, because my blood does not run through your veins, there will be difficult challenges ahead of you. Noble children can be immature and foolish, as your mothers and I have experienced firsthand. There will be those among your classmates who will ridicule and ostracize you. However, you must not give in to their taunts. I want you to rise above their immaturity and show them why you are worthy of being there. Of being a member of the Crystalglove family. We trained you so you could defend yourself and you are an intelligent young lady. I know you have the talent and determination to overcome them," Emilia says.
For the past few years, Yukitsuki has gone through extensive training as a member of a noble family. Thankfully, she absorbed everything they gave her pretty well like a sponge. Her magic training is one such aspect. Though she can only use ice magic, she has a high compatibility with it. Her mothers, Fuyumi and Anelia, trained her well. While she could not use blood gifts, Fuyumi's 'magic', without incantations, or has the rare ability to use multiple elemental magic types, she trained hard to earn one key advantage over most other mages: speed incantations. Essentially, she learned to make shorter incantations to activate her spells. The incantations can vary depending on the magic type and the person wielding it, but it can still take time to activate a spell. That time period left them vulnerable. Yukitsuki learned to cut that time in half without weakening the strength of her magic. This would help her in the magic classes at the academy. Fuyumi and Iris then taught her how to wield a sword. Students at the academy also studied in combat. As future nobles of their houses, there may come a time where they must enter the battlefield to defend their homeland or just their territory. They must learn to defend themselves.
Yukitsuki may not be quite as adept with a sword as her mothers, but their training was fierce. She got banged up on more than one occasion, but it was worth it. As such, she was quite competent. Elane, who Yukitsuki saw as an aunt, taught her how to use a bow. However, she didn't mesh well with that too much, much to Elane's chagrin, so she stopped that. Emilia and her mother, Eleonora, focused on training her in etiquette, dance, and music as well as politics. To help prepare her as Emilia's successor. Finally, Hikaru and Yukio taught her other lessons. Lessons not involved in diplomacy or combat, but the lessons a lady would need. To wield her beauty and charm as a weapon. She had the beauty part down for the most part, but the charm part... required further work. Yukitsuki was never very expressive. She wasn't cold or hot-tempered, but she wasn't outgoing either. But they clung to the hope that Yukitsuki would fix that in time... hopefully.
"I will not fail our house, Mother," Yukitsuki replies.
Emilia sighs, "That was as the duchess. This is as your mother. I want you to learn all you can at the academy, but I also want you to enjoy yourself as well. You only get a few school years in your life. Make the most of them. Make friends and find things that interest you. I know it won't be easy, but I know you will be alright. You have your family here and our full support," Emilia is more relaxed now.
"I know I'll be alright, Mother. It if wasn't for Mother Fuyumi and all of you, I don't know what would've happened to me. I was blessed by coming here. I am happy," Yukitsuki shows a small smile, one of the rare occasions she shows some emotion.
Emilia smiles, "I always love it when you smile... Also, if you happen to meet some special while there, that would be nice. But, there would be a lot of hoops to jump through because of how nobles can be, so do be careful. You're a beautiful young lady, so there may be a few individuals who might try to woo you. Do be careful of those types as they usually have ulterior motives,"
"Uh... Okay," Yukitsuki was not well-versed when it came to romance, despite having several mothers and three aunts who are together.
The rest of the conversation is about more school planning. After it's finished, Yukitsuki takes her leave, leaving Emilia and May behind.
"Milady, if I may, are you sure Lady Yukitsuki will be alright? Nobles can be quite vile at times, as we both well know," May inquires.
"I am aware. I never said I'd send her there without taking precautions. I guess I am a bit protective of my precious daughter after all," Emilia sits behind her desk and gets a letter together. After writing what she needs, she seals it in an envelope and hands it to May. "See to it that this reaches Hikaru with all due haste,"
"At once, Milady," May takes the letter, bows her head, and leaves the room.
Emilia turns to look out her window, "I do hope I'm just being overprotective, but I know life is unfair at times,"
...
Meanwhile, in the Dragon Alliance, the morning sun rises into the sky. The sun's rays cascade across a lovely garden out in the imperial palace. In a nice gazebo, two women enjoy treats and pleasant conversation. One, a beautiful woman with fiery red hair, a very well-endowed chest, and an oriental dress that clings nicely to her figure; a red reptilian tail behind her back. The other, a woman with short white hair, a pair of fox ears and four tails to match in a white kimono. Hikaru, the Dragon Princess and mate to Fuyumi, and Yukio, the lady who rules the entertainment district in the imperial capital and one of Fuyumi's mistresses. While Hikaru looks practically the same as ever, being a dragon who can lives for thousands of years, Yukio has aged more. While Beast kind may live a little longer than humans, they don't live nearly as long as dragons or elves. The two women are having a peaceful morning, free from the aches and pains that come with ruling a nation or managing a business.
"I heard things are going smoothly for the most part in the kingdom. I figured there would be nobles there who would not like your work entering their territory. Or competitors looking to mess with your business," Hikaru states, sipping her sake.
"Despite what some says about being 'noble' or 'role models' there are plenty who are in need of some entertainment. No matter what form that entertainment may take. And as for competition, they think they can pull one over on me, but they're dead wrong. I'm sure it won't be long before I run them out of business. Besides, the revenue my business bring in for the kingdom certainly help smooth things over," Yukio replies, drinking her own.
"I don't suppose Fuyumi has partaken any of the special delicacies you have to offer?" Hikaru jokes.
"Oh Heavens, no. She's quite loyal. Besides, the pleasure of sharing a bed with her... I prefer to save that honor for myself," Yukio giggles.
"That reminds me. I heard Yukitsuki will be starting school soon. I hope she'll be okay. Children can be cruel little monsters sometimes," Yukari looks out into the sky.
"Well, she had all of us to teach her. I'm sure she'll be fine," Yukio replies, trying to ease her concerns.
Hikaru sighs, "I certainly hope so,"
...
In the capital of Anatolia, Raynolia, King Mikhail is working on some paperwork in his office when a knock comes to his door.
"Princess Iris has come per your request along with her servants, Your Majesty," a male voice rings out.
"Enter," King Mikhail says.
The door opens and in walks an older Princess Iris Margerette Anatolia. Her hair is a vibrant green and her eyes are like green gemstones. Wearing a dress and a tiara to go with it, she walks with her two servants in tow. One is a maid to the royal family, the other is an older Iris von Mirage, though now she goes by Iris von Kusanagi at this point. While Fuyumi married into Emilia's family and took on her family name, Iris wanted to take on Fuyumi's family name and changed it to Kusanagi upon their marriage. Some thought it strange to have a knight who bears the same first name as the princess as her bodyguard, but Iris proved herself a capable warrior. Plus, having a female knight to guard her would put the princess more at ease. She cut her hair a long time ago, but it has since grown back to the point it reaches just past her shoulders. Her armor has changed and is fancier than normal, as befits a knight assigned to protect the royal family. She still wields her sword that has seen many battles with her though.
"You summoned for me, brother," Princess Iris curtsies before the king.
"Yes, thank you for coming. I wanted to ask if your preparations for the Royal Academy are complete," Mikhail asks.
"Yes, brother. I am all ready for my first-year. I'm looking forward to it," Princess Iris says, smiling.
"Good, but do be vigilant. There will be plenty of noble sons looking to get close to you and to the royal family. Some will no doubt be more persistent than others. Many would love to have a connection with us through a marriage with you," Mikhail explains.
"I am aware, brother, but I will be fine. I'm sure you'll have people inside the academy to look out for me, correct," Princess Iris gives him a knowing look.
"Why, whatever could you mean? Even the king doesn't have that kind of power," Mikhail plays it off.
"Very well. Let this little game continue," his sister replies, used to her brother acting as such when she figures him out.
"By the way, Ser Iris, I heard your daughter will be enrolling as well. I trust you're both excited and nervous as well?" Mikhail turns to the female knight.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Though, I suppose I'm more of the latter than the former," Iris notes.
"I would love to meet your daughter. It would be nice to have some friends while in school," Princess Iris claps her hands.
"You are too kind, Your Highness. But yes, I do hope Yukitsuki can make some friends in the academy during her time there. It would make things easier for her," Iris says.
"I'm sure she'll be alright. She's the daughter of our kingdom's hero after all," Mikhail notes.
...
Some time passes by, and the new school year is nearly upon them. In her home, Hikaru receives a letter from Emilia. After reading over its contents, she looks out a window.
"You two, come forth" she calls out to no one in particular.
A moment later, two figures appear, though their forms are covered by the shadows in the room.
"You called for us, Your Highness," two female voices call out.
"I have an assignment for the both of you. One of the utmost importance," Hikaru says.
And that's the chapter. A new story begins in a new era in Fuyumi's world. We'll see her from time to time, but again, this story focuses on Yukitsuki. Anyway, what kind of challenges and people will Yukitsuki meet at the Royal Academy? Until then, please Read and Review.