[fic]Will to Live

[vikki.livejournal.com]

This fic is an expansion on a thought that hit me at 1000 mph before work.

Title: Will to Live
by vikki
Characters: Lelouche, Suzaku
Summary: There are consequencses to Lelouche's actions. Spoilers for eps 18-20.



"Suzaku, live!" Lelouche commanded, and Suzaku obeyed.

It's nearly 60 years since everything. Euphemia has passed away; Lelouche is an old man. Suzaku lies before him, his breathing labored, tubes leading in and out of his arms and nose and under his hospital gown. He is white, so white, his hair gone, his skin stretched over frail bone.

Cancer, the doctors had said. Nothing we can do. They had given Suzaku six months to live.

It's been five years.

"Lelouche," Suzaku murmurs. His lips barely move, and his crusted eyes slit open. Lelouche leans forward. He has been there for all of it, from beginning to end. Suzaku is his best friend. "Lelouche, let me die." His hand twitches in supplication.

Lelouche bears it wearily, taking Suzaku's hand. There is nothing he can do. He's tried everything. When he turned up the morphine drip lethally, Suzaku merely slipped into a coma and emerged more ill than before. He is not to be recessitated, but his heart gamely beats on. No matter what he wishes, Suzaku will not die, and Lelouche can do nothing.

The Geass only works once on a person.

Suzaku's irises are red-rimmed twenty-four hours a day. And he will live through everything, until there is nothing left.

fin

dialogue

in all seriousness, I wonder about the Geass. Take the girl that Lelouche has ordered to make scratches on a particular wall every day. What would happen if, for some reason, she were unable to obey? She can never leave the vicinity of that school, because she must obey the Geass. Say she took a trip for a week? Would the Geass compell her to come back to the school every day, come hell or high water, and make the mark?

So far it appears that the Geass can compell people to do everything in their physical power to obey - Jeremiah is an example. So ... anyway. Thoughts are appreciated.

Comments

[vikki.livejournal.com]

So I'm not sure he could physically fight off cancer, but it is something to ponder nonetheless.

It's less that I think Suzaku could physically fight off cancer forever, although I admit the fic gives that impression. Eventually, since it's clearly a losing battle, multiple organ failure *will* occur and Suzaku will die.

But it's been said that people with a determination to live survive cancer far more often than people who give up. There's a high mental quotient in health, IMHO - supported by studies with placebos and such. Take, for example, people who want to lower their cholesterol. In studies, people given a placebo but believing they were lowering their cholesterol still managed to drop it an average of 6%.

I guess what I'm saying is that if Suzaku had the compulsion to live, even horrible diseases would probably string him out far longer than it would the average person. It's a pretty awful thing to do to a person.