Next stop: Utopia Academy

[utopiamods]

You're falling, and you can't remember why. It's a sickening feeling that makes your insides lurch; the darkness and the vertigo combine, and all you can think of is a story you heard once, somewhere.

-I remember now. It's a simple story that everyone knows. A legend of a Princess, the Demon Lord who kidnapped her, and the Knight who fought to save her.

The Demon Lord had kidnapped the Princess countless times, but every time the Knight bested his challenges and rescued the Princess.

No matter what tricks and ploys the Demon Lord used, the Knight would always triumph in the end. This was because--

The world tilts on its axis one last time, and the dream slips from your mind as easily as it arrived. A new voice intrudes on your sleep.

"Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. This tramline terminates here; all change. Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. All change."

Sunlight streams through the windows of the long carriage, making the seats almost uncomfortably warm beneath its sleeping passengers. The air is muggy and thick, the atmosphere relaxing. Almost too relaxing; the warmth and the silence make it difficult to immediately muster any kind of reaction or thought. Your nausea settles, slowly. The last of the dream fades.

"We have arrived at Utopia. Repeat, we have arrived at Utopia Academy. Could all passengers please leave the tram, as it is terminating here."

Comments

[tenwholeryou]

But she had yellow hair. He squinted up at her. Maybe she had foreigner blood?

"- I'm not a little boy," he added, automatically. "You're rude, you know! Not telling me your name."

[myownfuture]

"You're hardly an adult," she shot back. But he had a point. Grumping a little and folding her arms over her chest, she replied, "Reiko Date. Second year high school."

She turned back to the conductor. "You still haven't answered me! How did I get on this train?"

[utopiamods]

"I'd hope you got onto this tram from an earlier platform, Ms Date," the conductor chuckled at her own joke, "I have your ticket stub right here."

[veepofchess]

Lelouch was also listening, eyes closed, assessing the situation. Whether they'd woken at the same time or not, they both had the same concerns. Lelouch thought back to what he remembered. Had something gone wrong in his bid to become emperor? Had one of the other Princes reacted in a way he hadn't anticipated? That seemed impossible. He'd calculated exactly how to get every single Prince that stood between him and the throne out of his path.

He took a moment to consider who this was, exactly, on top of him. It definitely was not C.C., and Suzaku was rather lighter than this. "Get off," he snipped, only a slight bit of drowsy huskiness in his voice. His contacts were firmly in place, so there was no concern of a misfire of the Geass. He gave Gino a steely glare. What could have possibly gone so very wrong?

[myownfuture]

"Let me see it," she said almost as soon as the conductor had finished speaking. "I couldn't have, I was just in the middle of Exaclan! I was just--"

--jumping in front of Sora to protect her from Shoujou's blow, and then...

She reached up instinctively to rub the back of her neck where she'd been pierced. That had really happened, hadn't it...?

[trollofthree]

Very interesting. Gino turned his head to the side to hide a brief, wolfish smile, then opened his eyes and made a show of sitting up. One hand, however, remained attached to Lelouch's shoulder. Loose, but very much there. No point taking chances. He couldn't remember why he should be suspicious of Lelouch, which was bad enough, but the feeling was there. He stretched now that he wasn't draped, and smiled again, brightly this time.

"Sorry, sorry."

[utopiamods]

"Of course." With a faint smile, she opened her till and flicked through a pile of tickets.

"Ah, here we are. Date, Reiko. One-way from Utopia Academy to Utopia Academy."

[myownfuture]

Reiko tore the ticket out of the woman's hand, wrenching her arm so suddenly that it might have just hit Kotarou, and stared at the little slip of paper in disbelief. That's what it said, all right. "What?!"

[veepofchess]

Lelouch sat up after Gino had. He slid down the bench a bit, to get out from under the Knight's handhold. He adjusted the front of his clothing to lie properly. He recognized the design, it was what he'd had planned for his royal livery once he'd gained the throne. But it was barely ready to be produced yet. Why was he wearing it now? There were too many questions. He wanted some answers.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, sounding slightly ruffled, though his stony demeanor clearly meant business. He had a war to finish, and here he was, waking up on a strange train with a highly effective member of the opposing force.

[tenwholeryou]

"Ahh!" Kotarou ducked just fast enough that her arm only clipped the side of his face, but he was too preoccupied staring at the other ticket in the conductor's hand. What did it say? He could make out his own name, and the name of the town they'd been staying in...

"One-way?!"

[myownfuture]

"You really aren't going to tell us anything else, are you? You... you..." Reiko fumbled for an appropriate word.

Maybe she couldn't. Maybe she was living in despair, in fear of what Iwahijiri would do to her if she went against their wishes. "I see..."

[trollofthree]

"Dunno," He kept his voice light and friendly, even as his hand on Lelouch's shoulder tightened and he searched the tramcar for anyone he recognised. If he'd been compromised, maybe someone else would know what they were meant to do. He couldn't remember any orders... "Maybe it's terrorists."

[utopiamods]

"We will be arriving soon," she added. "I'm sure there'll be someone at the academy who can answer your questions. If you could please take your seats again?"

[allurprincess]

In the process, and not likely to fully wake up for a good minute after that. Sora yawned and settled herself further into the seat, head resting against the window. Already in the uniform everyone else had folded in their bags, she seemed to match the setting just a tad more than those in their own clothing.

"Five more minutes," she muttered, muffled by the glass half of her face was pressed against.

[tenwholeryou]

That was a 'don't ask anything else' line. He recognised it from Nanashi, but he was less willing to shout at this person than he would be at his friend. So, he stuck close to Reiko's side, scowling at the other passengers.

"What did it mean, one-way?"

[willbeurprincess]

Koharu's eyes opened slowly, the dream just fading from her mind. Utopia Academy, it was where...where she was from right? She sat up suddenly, blinking widely.

Where was Sora a-and...the. Rest of them. She struggled to remember what Yuki or anyone else looked like but it slid away. Not important, what was important was why was she on a train and why couldn't she remember what happened in between.

"Strange..."

[trollofthree]

"Isn't it just?"

The voice came from behind her, as Gino twisted around to face the next bank of seats. With the hand not holding another boy within reach, he was rifling through a bag. A familiar-looking blazer was already out and unfolded on his lap. "Oh, is that the uniform? You got changed fast!"

[willbeurprincess]

She responded before her mind caught up, smoothing down the blazer carefully, "It's our school's uniform--"

But her head snapped up and her hands curled in her lap. A male. Her expression fixed into a determined little look and she sat up straighter.

"I don't think I've met you before." Which means she does not know if you are on the side of girls or not.

[trollofthree]

Oh, someone who was already at the school. How lucky. She didn't look too happy, though. Gino shifted his smile up a gear in response to her look, a little sheepish.

"Ah, right. I'm the Knight of Three, but you can call me Gino." He tilted his head and looked her over, before offering his free hand for her to shake over the backs of their seats. "And you are..?"

[willbeurprincess]

It wouldn't do to be impolite, but... She had a moment of panicked indecision, she didn't have to shake his hand, but he's a Knight?--oh it would be ok. She shook it very quickly, dropping her hands back in her lap.

"Izaki Koharu. You're a Knight?" Her voice lilted up in vague confusion.

[princesspowerful]

Molly shot up as the memory of the story of the Demon Lord filled her mind, "I'll save the-!" she cut herself short when she realized she didn't know where she was. A train?

We have arrived at Utopia Academy.

"Aww man, you mean I need to go to school?!"

[trollofthree]

"Uh-huh. One of them." He looked around again, taking in the faces of those around them. "And this is still Area 11, right?"

[isur2ndprincess]

Utopia Academy? When did she leave the Academy that made her need to come back? Did she fail at finding the ultimate weapon for Sora and get sent to the hospital? She checked over her body, she seemed okay, no more damage than usual.

"Sora? Koharu?" She looked around at the other people on the train but no one looked familiar. Are they new students? "Anyone?"

[willbeurprincess]

"Area 11?" She glanced around, uncertain, "I don't think so, this is Utopia Academy. Or it will be." She glanced around herself, "What sort of Knight is a Knight of Three?" Sora would want to know either way.

[isur2ndprincess]

She didn't recognize Koharu but her mind was telling her that a boy interacting with a girl was a very bad thing, especially since the girl was wearing the school uniform.

Yuki stood up and walked over to where Koharu was and sat next to her, "Don't bother her, you'll need to deal with Sora if you do," she shoots a look at Gino.