Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:08:37 GMT

AFTER THE FIRST TIME IN AGES! I bring you a fic~ It's been a while :D

Title: Untitled
Series: Tales of Vesperia
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Pairings: NONE 8Db
Warnings: Yuri is a pottymouth. :<
Summary: Yuri and Flynn join the knights, but Yuri doesn't exactly see the glory...
Notes: UHHHH the end is really rushed I'll fix it and there are lots of typos I think. Word count 4844

It was raining the day the Imperial knights opened recruitment. The air was abuzz all over the capital as many young men from every corner of the world arrived in hopes of one day reaching the upper ranks and achieving glory and fame. What boy of able age didn't wish for this? And in the absence of an emperor, it gave the slightest glimmer of hope of one day possibly ruling over the Empire, though the chances were slim.

Flynn Scifo, a youth of the lower quarter, and just old enough to enlist, was up early. He had been waiting over an hour for his friends to wake up, as they had promised to join together. They were not in for the glory or the fame--they knew the Empire and the Knights were not as cracked out as they were made to be, and saw the corruption everywhere. Both being born with a strong sense of justice, they vowed to one day join the ranks and fix the corrupted Empire.

Today was that day. They had both just turned eighteen and couldn't wait to achieve their dream, Flynn a little more so. He had eaten a hearty breakfast, cleaned himself up, and was now just waiting for his friend.

"Yuri, Yuri, wake up," he leaned over his sleeping friend and shook him violently on the shoulder. "We have to go to the castle soon." Yuri murmured something and rolled over. Flynn gave a sigh and attempted one last time. "Yuri!"

Yuri Lowell, Flynn's childhood friend, gave a loud sound in protest. Slowly, he sat up and looked at the other boy groggily. "Okay. I'm up." He fumbled around on his dresser and grabbed a comb, beginning to brush his hair out. The puppy at the foot of his bed suddenly lifted his head, sensing his owner was finally up. As he began to wag his tail, Yuri shot a glance in his direction. "No, Repede," he said "You can't come." He placed the comb back on his dresser and hopped out of bed. "Okay! I'm ready."

"You can't go like that," Flynn scolded. When going to the capital, one had to look proper. They were going to see upper officials, after all, and Yuri's almost pajama-like look was not suitable.

"Why not?" Yuri responded, smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt. "They'll be giving us a uniform, anyway. May as well bring some PJs with me." He knelt beside the dog and gave him a pat on the head. "Take good care of Hanks for me, will ya?"

Flynn sighed. Yuri did have a point, but it was still ridiculous. "Fine. Let's go."

Together they made their way outside and the people of the lower quarter were waiting by the fountain for them. As they made their way up the slope, the people cheered and waved, in hopes of perhaps one of their boys finally giving them the attention they needed.

Zaphias was much more crowded than usual. The streets were filled with foreign faces--those from the desert to the west, the ports to the north... All these men had dreams no different from Flynn and Yuri's. There was a stream of people heading up the long stairs to the royal quarter and the two friends joined in.

There was some sort of a jumbled line outside the castle doors, which had been opened--a rarity. Yuri and Flynn joined and it wasn't before long when they were at the front. A tall, lanky knight stood there and the two gave their names, and were granted permission to enter. As they entered, Flynn began to scan the crowds, taking in the sight of all the people would perhaps work with him one day. He frownded, though, as he noted a common trend.

"Yuri," he whispered. "Look."

"Look where?" Yuri scanned the grounds.

"Everyone has short hair," Flynn stated. "Why didn't you cut yours?"

"Because I'm a poor kid from the lower quarter and I can't afford scissors," Yuri retorted. "Now leave my hair alone."

"Fine, fine."

Order was finally called and all the future knights were amde to stand in orderly rows--the two from the lower quarter stood together at the front. This was the day they had dreamed of for so long, and they were finally going to be able to carry out their justice.

In front of the massive group stood three semi-important looking knights: A short, pudgy one, the tall skinny one who took their names at the door, and one with a funny moustache. The last of these knights stood between the other two and looked on at the group in front of him. "Good day, men!" Everyone's attention was finally on him. "I am so very glad to have you all join us today, to join the glory that is of the Imperial knights. I am Lieutenant Leblanc, and from today on I will be your supervisor in your training. These men are my assistants, Adecor," the skinny one, "and Boccos," the fat one. "We ask that you show your utmpost respect to all your upper officers at all times, and disrespect will at no exception be tolerated. Now, before we give you your uniforms, I would like to go over a few rules. The first of these rules is--"

"My, what an interesting bunch we have this time." Leblanc's speech was suddenly cut off when a man appeared at the far door. He had long, white hair, a special armor on him, and had an air of importance and stature around him. He moved towards the crowd in an elegant manner and held his head high as his glance swept the room.

"C-Commandant Alexei!" Leblanc, Adecor, and Boccos suddenly stood at attention. Alexei gave the three men a passing nod and began to slowly walk in front of the group, giving every man in the front row a stare so intense as to leave him temporarily paralyzed. He passed in front of Yuri and Flynn. Flynn nodded politely and Yuri's eyes quickly darted away. When he was far enough down the row, Yuri leaned to Flynn and whispered harshly, "See, he's got long hair too." Flynn elbowed him.

When Alexei was finished, he gave yet another nod to Leblanc and left the room. Leblanc relaxed his stance and fixed his gaze once again on the group of new recruits. "That was Commandant Alexei, and his presence here today was an incredible honor. He is a great man, and everyone should strive to be like him one day.

"Now, as I was saying..."

The list of rules was far from few. The newly recruited knights were to follow each and every one, and failure to do so would result in immediate expulsion. Leblanc emphasized, that out of every rule, the most important one was that no knight of trainee status was to ever interaact with either the prince or princess, and should anyone see them in the hallway, they were to stand at attention until they have left the room. The rookies must always show respect to the upper officers and always should follow commands, no exceptions. During the first five months of training, all must remain within training grounds, and must not stray from the Knights' quarters or wander the castle freely. The purpose of the knights is to protect the well-being of the people at all costs and when carrying out missions, this is to remember at all times. among all the miscellaneous rules, these were likely the most important and often repeated and stressed.

Leblanc dismissed everyone to their assigned quarters after the orientation of sorts. not surprisingly Flynn and Yuri were grouped together, along with a few other boys their age. They spent their idle time before lunch chatting, discussing their plans and dreams for their future in the knights. Some wanted fame, some to please or help their family, some because there simply was nothing else for them to do, and only Yuri and Flynn were the ones with such an ambitious dream.

The dining hall for the Imperial Knights would be called impressive, even though that clearly would be an understatement. The floors were nicely polished as were the tables that xtended from one end of the massive room to the other. Brightly lit chandeliers hung from the cieling and the delicious smell of mabo curry wafted from the kitchen. In a semi-orderly fashion, the new recruits filed in and retrieved their food and sat down with the others in their room. The food was not bad.

After lunch all were herded into another large room down the hall, where they were to be fitted for their uniforms. Names were called only a handful at a time, and some people cheered as many people of all looks emerged appearing nobler, more respectful than before. Those with uniform were then sent back to their quarters with their clothes to await further instructions.

It took quite some time for Flynn's name to finally be called. Some may argue that it was worth the wait--as he emerged, the room fell silent and many turned their heads. As a boy of the lower quarter, he looked nothing special and often overlooked by many. However, he wore the knights' uniform with pride and dignity, and the way he walked attracted the attention of many. Had there been any women in the room, there would have been giggles.

Obviously oblivious to the reaction he created, he walked straight towards Yuri, who sat on the opposite side of the room. "They want me to send you in, now," he informed his friend. "I'll see you back in the room." And with that, he left.

Yuri's transformation was less impressive--the uniform was a bit big on his skinny body, and his long hair had to be put up into a ponytail since he refused to cut it. No one quite paid any attention as he walked across the room and back out into the hall, though he swore he had heard snickers.

"Yuri!" Flynn exclaimed with pleasant surprise as his friend entered their room. He turned full to greet his friend and looked him up and down. "You look... different."

"You mean I look like an idiot," Yuri replied without a beat, throwing his stuff on his bunk opposite to Flynn's. "It's not really my style."

"That's not what I meant," Flynn made an attempt to make his friend feel better. "I'm sure the look will grow on you soon."

"Uh huh."

It wasn't long before they were called to be grouped into training units, depending on years of experience, fighting style, and so on. It came to no one's surprise when Yuri and Flynn were placed together yet again, since they both had grown up teaching themselves and each other the sword. Along with their first sword they also received their first, simple bodhi blastia--one that fit simply around the wrist like a bracelet. The man who gave out the blastia noted that as they rose in rank, the blastia would be less general and become more personalized to one's body and style.

Dinner was served and everyone retreated into their rooms.

The weeks that followed were full of rigorous training, from sunrise to sunset. All of those who aspired for the top did their best, tried their hardest at anything serious training had thrown at them. There was everything from all-day-no-breaks swordsmanship training to sit-down geography and politics classes. Yuri slowly found himself building muscle to fill a little more of his uniform, and worked to the best of his abilities. However, Flynn continued to shine and constantly gained the attention of higher officials and his knight-mates; Yuri was not just a little bit jealous.

But in all situations, there were those who failed to follow the rules and pay attention. These were the ones who were excused from the knights--the earliest one being about one week after admittance. As time passed since then a few more were caught doing what they were not supposed to be doing, and were quickly sent away. This sent a clear message to all those in training that those who did not abide by the rules were to be punished.

After about a month since they had joined the knights, Yuri and Flynn had made their own friends. While they still spent a great deal of time with each other, they did devote some time to their new buddies. There was one night that was no exception to this. After dinner, the knights were allowed to do as they did please within the rules and within reason, unless there was a duty call (which there rarely was). Yuri had stayed behind in the dining hall with his friends while Flynn retreated back to the room. He spent this time tidying up his space and his armor, and writing a letter to Hanks and other miscellaneous things. And when he had finished, he noticed that it was nearing curfew and Yuri had not returned yet. Flynn made the decision to go retrieve his friend.

He made his way towards the dining hall and all he could hear was loud laughter, one voice of whose he could immediately distinguish as Yuri's. Was he really still up this late? Unlike him. Flynn slowly entered the hall and peeked, seeing Yuri and his friends grouped at one far end of a table, playing cards and a few bottles scattered around them.

"Yuri," Flynn called, but Yuri seemed to be paying no attention to him. Timidly he made his way toward the merry group; he was about to tap Yuri on the shoulder when he noticed...

"Yuri!" he suddenly exclaimed, catching the attention of the small group of people, and leaning over to grab the glass his friend had been drinking out of. "Why were you drinking?!"

At this point any other chatter had died down--they were all focused on the situation developing before them. Yuri slowly turned in his chair and looked up at Flynn. "Why does that matter to you?" he spat back. "I'll do what I want."

Flynn gave a frustrated sigh. "I thought you were better than this. You're not even old enough to drink!"

"I'm old enough to know what I can and can't do," Yuri argued, snatching his glass back and taking a chug just to spite Flynn. "Who died and made you boss around here, anyway? I was just socializing."

"Yes, but--"

"It's almost curfew." Yuri stood up, not breaking steady eye contact with Flynn. "Let's go." His friends also rose, and together they exited the dining hall, leaving Flynn standing, dumbstruck, behind. Yuri, drinking? This certainly wasn't his childhood friend he had grown up with. The Yuri he knew was above this--he knew the rules and wanted to follow them, enforce them. He only had two more years before he was allowed to legally drink; why couldn't he wait? It couldn't be the influence of the training, it must be the people he had decided to hang out with. Wasn't his judgment better than this? Flynn clenched his fist and gave a heavy sigh. What had happened the friend he knew?

Needless to say, the days that followed were awkward between them. They barely talked, and if they were close enough to one another, the air would become heavy with tension. It was only the beginning of something they had failed to notice in all their time they had spent beforehand: Their differences.

Their training continued and their missions moved from in-castle work to things about the capital, such as finding a lost pet or retrieving a burglar. They were simple, yet allowed the knights-in-training to get a feel of actual work and helping the citizens. Yuri was on such a mission with Flynn one day when he spotted something he did not like. There was a man who seemed to be of a very high rank standing between a nobleman and a woman of the lower quarter (who Yuri recognized right away). The lady seemed to be very distressed and the nobleman angry. The high-ranking man stood with his back facing Yuri and seemed to be trying to quell an arguement between them. Frowning, Yuri inched closer.

Flynn caught on that his friend was not paying attention to their mission at hand. "Yuri, what are you doing?" Yuri held up his hand to silence the other and pointed to the arguement. He couldn't quite hear what was going on but watched intently. After a while of debate, the man in the middle finally handed the nobleman what looked to be money, and the lady broke down in hysterics. What was all that about? He figured this was no time to pry, especially since they were on a job, and quickly turned and left with Flynn.

It was only a few days later when news came in about Captain Cumore being in town again. Everyone was abuzz--he was known not only for his work, but for his rather interesting looks. All doubts about this were dismissed when he showed up in the Knights' quarters to greet the newbies. No one was able to get over his choice of clothing and, well, makeup. He encouraged all to keep working hard and perhaps one day they will reach his status, complete with all the fame and honor. If anything, it only made Yuri think he was fishier.

Their three month anniversary of being a knight was quickly approaching. Training, classes, and missions continued in a sort of steady routine, which made all very anxious for the end of their fifth month to finally arrive, when they would at last be assigned to a division, hopefully under Captain Schwann, who was rumored to be the best. What aspiring knight wouldn't want to be placed under the number one knight?

As this time continued Yuri couldn't help but notice things around Zaphias that seemed a bit out of place for the knights to be doing. Shouldn't all citizens be treated fairly? Then how come it seemed that the nobles seemed to get it all? Sometimes people in obvious trouble would be ignored entirely. Why was this happening, even though it clearly wasn't supposed to be?

Flynn and Yuri had the honor of guarding a certain door in the castle one day after training. It was one of the few doors in the building that required all day surveillance, and placing such an important thing under them meant that they were doing well. They were to make sure no one of improper status was to enter, and fight only if they feel threatened.

It was at late night when the two heard footsteps nearing them. Who would come to such an isolated place in the middle of the night? They regained their posture and were sort of relieved when it was only Captain Cumore. They immediately stood at attention.

"Good evening, Captain," Flynn greeted. Yuri remained silent.

"Hello, boys," Cumore replied, sending uncomfortable chills down Yuri's spine. He hated the way this man spoke--it creeped him out. Without another word, Cumore slipped into the door. A while passed in silence with the two still standing at attention when the Captain finally emerged, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Consider this an order," the gaudy Captain began. "You saw nothing."

"Yes sir." They both saluted him as he sauntered back down the hallway. But there was something suspicious about this, Yuri could feel it, and he shot a glance at Flynn, who looked very confused right back at him.

Two other knights finally appeared to replace them for the midnight shift. Yuri and Flynn returned to their room.

By morning, Zaphias was in an uproar. The two boys from the lower quarter were just as confused as everyone else when they were called to an emergency meeting. Lieutenant Leblanc and his two men seemed incredibly distressed, enough to cause agitation in those who did not know what was going on.

"Men, this is an emergency situation!" Leblanc began. "The barrier blastia has been tampered with, and Zaphias is without a barrier! Monsters threaten to enter the city and most of the regular troops are out of town! This is not training--this is a real situation. Everyone will be assigned a job and everyone must do their job properly."

The hundreds of trainees were immediately put to work. Some were to stay at the castle, many were to guard the city and fight off any monster that dared approach, a few were selected to hunt down a culprit or culprits, and some were sent to Aspio to retrieve a mage who could fix the blastia. Of all the things that had to happen during training, it had to be the worst possible situation.

However, Yuri, Flynn, and the two other knights who guarded that door last night were called forth to Leblanc. "Were you men manning the door that lead to the private quarter to the control panel of the blastia last night?"

"Yes sir."

"Did any of you see anyone enter or exit while on duty?"

"No sir." Yuri and Flynn exchanged glances.

"Hmm. Dismissed. Yuri Lowell, Flynn Scifo, go to the city to fight off the monsters."

A salute. "Yes sir."

To say that monsters were threatening to attack the city was a mistake--they already were. There were clearly enough men to take out the weaker monsters that lived by the city, but the numbers were overwhelming and two extra pairs of hands did not hurt at all. All the citizens had retreated into their homes, or further into the middle of the city. The only thing Yuri could think about was how much of an unfair advantage that left the people in the lower quarter, who resided at the edge of the city probably with no knights to protect them. But orders were orders, and he couldn't leave his spot.

Hours passed until they were all recalled, exhausted. They were once again put in orderly rows, and in front of the group stood two men, a woman, and a child no older than Flynn and Yuri. Cumore stood behind them, a wicked smile plastered on his face. "These villains were caught and charged with tampering with the barrier. I would like to thank you all for assisting me in finding these criminals so we can give them the punishment they need."

"But sir," one of the two men said in protest. "We did not do it! I beg of you! Please, do not kill us!"

Yuri quickly put two and two together, and could not help but frown at what was going on. Cumore was the man that went into that room, wasn't he? Yuri hadn't seen these four people in his life, and they definitely did not enter that room. What was Cumore going to get out of getting rid of innocent people?

This wasn't right.

The poor boy was in a daze for the rest of the day. He wanted very badly to report the Captain but it would be against orders, and going against orders given to you, especially by someone of such a high ranking would definitely lead to a lot of trouble. Not feeling up to training today, he proclaimed himself sick and stayed in the room for the day, thinking.

Of all things to ruin the image of the knights, it was this. Yuri knew full well that the Imperial Knights weren't all what they said to be, but this? What had happened was pure injustice, when he knew that the front the knights put on was for justice. But isn't this why he and Flynn had vowed to join in the first place--to fix the wrongs from the inside out?

It didn't matter in the end if he got booted or not, he had to tell. Slowly he made his way to the door and was just about to open it when he heard two voices on the other side, one which clearly belonged to Cumore and the other, Leblanc.

"...fantastic. He also believes he will be giving you a raise." It was Leblanc.

"Oh, oh, really, I don't think that's necessary. I was just doing my job."

A laugh. "Don't tell that to me, tell that to the Commandant. He says he'll add five thousand extra gald to your paycheck for your feat. Good enough for you?"

"That Commandant is just too much," another laugh. "But really, I do appreciate it and I will take it with pride."

"I'm glad you were in town when you were, you know where to find criminals like the back of your hand..."

The voices disappeared down the hall. Yuri backed away from the door in slight disbelief, and slammed the nearby wall with his fist. Cumore is not getting punished, but paid more?! Ridiculous. He knew that only he and Flynn knew the truth. Flynn was too much of a goody two shoes to say anything, so it was up to Yuri to get this man punished.

"Damnit."

He waited until after dinner for Flynn to return, and almost immediately confronted him with the situation at hand. "Cumore got a raise."

There was silence for a moment when the other finally responded, "And?"

"And? What do you mean, and?" Yuri tried to yell without being too loud. "Don't you see how unfair this is? Cumore was the one who tampered with the blastia, he's the one who put the city in danger, not those two men, that lady, and... and that child!" He went up to his friend and shook him violently, trying to grasp his attention. "Cumore killed those people, and who knows how much got damaged in the monster attack, all for a goddamn raise!"

Flynn gave a heavy sigh. "I know," he replied calmly. "But we're powerless in this situation, Yuri," he tried to remind him. "We were given orders specifically by Cumore himself not to say anything."

"I know, I know," Yuri stepped back and covered his face with one hand in frustration. "He's not going to get punished, and he deserves to. Damnit, I'd do it myself if I had to."

"Yuri, we have no right to interfere in this situation," Flynn replied, turning towards his friend fully. "This is just one example of why we have to do our best to reach the top, where we can punish people like that. We have to do our best, okay?"

There was a silence as Yuri thought over the words Flynn had just said. And ever since the drinking incident two months ago, he was shown once again how differently they thought. He couldn't stand it. The scowl on his face grew darker. Killing innocents for money--how much dirtier can you get? He made up his mind. "No."

It was silent between them for the rest of the night, and early the next morning, Flynn woke up to find Yuri's bed empty, his drawers empty, and the walls where he hung pictures bare. Confused and rather alarmed he sat up and immediately poked his head out the door and into the hallway to see if Yuri was to be found.

In fact, Yuri had long gone when Flynn had finally awoken. He had packed his things, changed into his normal clothes and had made his way down to Leblanc's office. Without a word, he approached the Lieutenant and placed his sword and uniform on the table. "Yuri Lowell," Leblanc said with a hint of confusion in his voice. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I quit." Yuri stated, without missing a beat. "Sorry Leblanc, but I don't think the knights are my thing." And without another word he turned, and exited the room. And just to his luck, he ran into the person he least wanted to see--Flynn.

"Yuri, what's going on?" he asked in a slight panic. "Where are all your things?"

"I'm going back to the lower quarter," Yuri replied, not stopping. "I can't stand it here."

Flynn had thought that would have been the last he ever would see of Yuri, but was wrong as only a few weeks passed when he saw Yuri being taken in for jail under arrest. Much to his surprise, it was for threatening to murder a tax collector. What had gotten into him? But even though he thought it would be the only time, Yuri came back again and again, all for different reasons yet they were justified, as Flynn could see them but could do nothing due to his low ranking. Yuri's name became well known among the knights as a prime troublemaker and was quickly on the bad side of all the higher ups. And every time they saw each other, the words they exchanged became less and less, until all that was left was a quick nod in each other's direction.

Yuri never regretted his actions. Had that been the normal in the knights, he couldn't stand the thought of having to simply stand by and watch as injustices were performed. He couldn't wait for years after years to right what had been wrong, and there was only one solution for him--take justice in his own hands. It threw him quickly onto the bad side of all the knights who favored him in the past, but that did not bother him. What did, though, was that whenever he saw Flynn, it just reassured him of one fact: They were different from the beginning, and from this point onward they were to walk separate paths, away from each other.

Products of a dysfunctional mind

ART

Nyahahaha...