2006-12-24 14:13![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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code_geass
defade.livejournal.com in code_geassTitle: Fate/Rendezvous & Trouble
Word Count: 5,384
Rating: G
Genre: THE RETURN OF THE CRACK
Summary: Some say meetings are precious moments in one's life and often brings hapiness, but to Lelouch, meeting a certain someone in a certain someday only brings trouble. And thus, his organized life is turned upside down.
Disclaimer: CG belongs to Sunrise. Yeesh.
Previous Chapters
Stage 5. Risks For a Dear One
"Lelouch! Hey! Le~louch!"
Lelouch blinked.
"Y-yes?"
Rivalz was staring at him, frowning.
"You were spacing out back there pretty bad, man. Took me five times to get your attention." Rivalz said with a slightly concerned tone, and waved a hand in front of Lelouch's face. "You okay?"
"I-I'm fine." Lelouch stammered. "Just realized I saw this on a website before." He said with much discomfort.
"Hmm? Told ya it's popular!"
Rivalz didn't see through Lelouch's lie. Instead, he looked at his watch and gasped wide-eyed.
"Dang, it's only two minutes before class starts? Come on, Lelouch!"
Even as Rivalz dragged him along the corridor, Lelouch was still thinking about the mysterious disappearances and their connection to his power...Geass.
Why would Geass...? Of all places?
-
"That. Was. So. Boring." Rivalz exclaimed as he walked along the corridor, putting an extra emphasis on every syllable.
"Ah! I nearly fell asleep. I must have done algebra some wrong in my previous life. No way it could hate me like that. My eyes get blurry just when I look at those xs and ys and-."
Rivalz sighed.
"-and Mr. Stevens just has to catch me." Rivalz rubbed his forehead with his hand. "A chalk between the eyebrows really hurts..."
A bullet between the eyebrows probably hurts more. Lelouch thought blankly, but his attention was focused on the newspaper cut in his hands. It was the one Rivalz gave him.
The scientist, Charles Spencer's theory was very abstract. He proposed the idea of two overlapping worlds, and that because isolated places away from urban areas are far away from mankind's inventions, and are more 'original', and therefore - if another world actually exists - had the highest chance of being the place where they overlapped. And the people that had disappeared had for some reason been transported to this other world. His proposal was greatly criticized by fellow scientists, as he didn't have any solid proof to support it, and they thought his theory was way too absurd.
"-and then next week we have a test! Algebra hates me with a passion." Rivalz seemed to muttering to himself.
Lelouch wondered if the scientist's theory was anywhere near the truth. After all, his discovery didn't make the headlines, only a corner on the second page.
"Hey Lelouch, are you listening?"
-
Lelouch sat on a tree outside of the clubhouse.
The tree was fairly high, and although Lelouch didn't have much potential in sports, he does have confidence in his tree-climbing skills. He used to climb trees much more higher with Suzaku, usually because Suzaku insisted for him to tag along while he brought small birds that have fallen from their nests back to where they belonged.
Lelouch frowned as he recalled what had happened today.
Nearly everyone feared or despised Suzaku. Whispers among students were not a bother to him. But there are some that expressed their both their fear and hate in more hostile ways.
Lelouch found Suzaku washing something in a sink behind the main school building. He gradually approached Suzaku with the intention of surprising him, but as Lelouch neared him, the object in Suzaku's hands became visible. Lelouch held back a gasp and quickly drew back. He knew that Suzaku wouldn't want him to see that.
Smeared on Suzaku's torn P.E. shirt, in bold, red letters was a simple but cruel sentence - go back to your ghetto.
They could have done a lot worse...if they hadn't decided to rip a few pieces off it... Lelouch thought ironically.
And during the fifth period, Lelouch saw something even more horrifying.
It was history, and they usually had lots of notes to take during this class.
Suzaku started opening his pencil case, but closed it in a quick movement after he saw...something in it. His eyes showed disgust.
Lelouch was sure he saw a fat, wriggling green tail before Suzaku quickly closed his pencil case. It was furry.
Suzaku didn't take any notes during that period.
Seeing Suzaku in pain made Lelouch feel guilty inside. After all, he was Suzaku's friend, couldn't he have done something about it?
He kept asking himself that question.
Even when he knew that the answer will always be one.
-
He wanted wanted to make Suzaku happy.
Yet there was nothing that could be done.
He felt so powerless.
-
Among all the things he's been worried about, there's still the connection between Geass and the mysterious disappearances. He was truly shocked when he recognized the figure in Rivalz's sketch today. He used to think that the ones who might've known about Geass besides the green-haired girl were the ones who were involved in the investigation, and maybe Clovis himself. For Geass to relate to some popular topic among people these days was unpredicted. That also raises the chances of someone else knowing of the existence of it. Would Charles Spencer, the scientist know about it...?
Lelouch needs to attain more information in order to reach the answer.
-
Cornelia li Britannia stormed furiously into her command room. It was needless to say that she was in a rage and gave nearly everyone around her a glare. She was frustrated and angry. Frustrated at the fact that she couldn't even find a trace of Zero, and angry at her subordinates' incompetence.
"It's been over a month already, and you fools couldn't even find a thing!?" She demanded as she sat down on her chair.
The generals standing in front of her bowed down even more.
"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness, we've tried everything we could-" One of them stammered.
"Everything!? You dare to say 'everything' when you couldn't even find a trace of Zero!?" Cornelia slammed her fist down on the armrest of her chair.
"W-we're very sorry, Your Highness. Please forgive our incompetence." The general seemed to have shrunk one third as he said that. The other generals followed suit and soon, all of them were bowing down silently before Cornelia.
"Hmph." She frowned.
"Princess, please calm down. Here."
It was Gilbert who spoke. He was one of the few people that Cornelia trusted and had always kept by her side. He was now handing Cornelia a cup of herbal tea.
Cornelia took a sip and felt herself calming down a little bit. Her fondness for herbal teas was not a well-known fact.
"Did you find anything over there, Gilford?"
"No, Princess. We've checked every shop in Area 11, but none of them had any records of selling anything that resembled Zero's clothing."
"So that means we're now left without any clues."
"Yes."
Cornelia seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. It'll be quite troublesome from now on since they do not have any more clues concerning Zero, but concerning the fact that Zero is probably a prideful person, there is still a way.
"Then I guess we'll have to lure him out." Cornelia smirked.
Gilbert silently waited.
"Prepare for the destruction of Saitama. We'll attack three days from now." Cornelia declared. She only has to plan it all out like the time when Clovis declared the annihilation of Shinjuku. Zero couldn't possibly ignore a provocation like that.
"Yes, Princess." Gilbert gave a slight bow and left.
Zero...I'll be waiting for you.
-
"Meeeow~"
A cry from above distracted Lelouch. He turned his head.
A small, grey cat was hanging onto a particularly long branch with much difficulty. It nearly slipped and fell, but steadied itself in the last moment. Usually cats are very good at balancing and probably wouldn't end up in a situation like this, but as Lelouch could see, one of the cat's paws was bleeding quite heavily.
Lelouch vaguely wondered how it managed to get itself into such a position in the first place.
It was struggling frantically now, trying to keep itself on the branch. Its desperate struggles were accompanied with equally desperate shrieks.
Lelouch rose and prepared to climb up. He was about two meters below the cat, if he hurried, he might be able to grab hold of it before it went tumbling down. But the higher he climbed, the rougher the stump of the tree became - and with the roughness also came the thickness, small branches were now sticking out everywhere, and many leaves had blocked Lelouch's view of what's ahead, and sometimes he even had to feel his way up particularly leafy parts. He lost sight of the cat every now and then - but he could see that it's still hanging on.
He was finally in level with the cat. The branch it was hanging onto was one that stuck out quite a lot - there were no branches below it to save him if he should ever fall, only hard ground met his eyes, and the branch wasn't that strong either - it looked like it could break anytime. Lelouch had to be very careful - he'll probably live if he fell down ten meters or so, but there's no guarantee that he'll escape unscathed. He might break a leg or an arm, or - in the worst scenario - his own neck, if he was unlucky enough.
Still, despite the dangers that loomed ahead, he wanted to save the cat. He didn't know why. Because of its helplessness? Or because he didn't want to see another life come to an end before his eyes?
He began slowly crawling towards the cat, making sure to crouch very low, so to avoid shaking the branch too much. Little by little, he became closer and closer to the cat, until it was nearly at his arm-length.
The cat finally lost its balance, and, with a final but useless swing of its paw, it started to fall.
Lelouch left behind all his worries and hurried along, trying to close the gap between him and the cat.
Lelouch reached out-
-and managed to catch the cat a split second before it would be too late. He felt relieved, but had no idea why he would care so much for a cat.
He slowly pulled the cat back up, its body was rigid with fear. Gingerly he climbed back with the cat in his left arm. He set it down beside him once he reached a thicker part of the branch. Its fur was that of a deeper shade of gray, pointy ears stuck out from two sides of its round head, and the fur around its right eye seemed was darker than other areas. As a result, its yellow eyes stood out.
The cat turned out to be a quite lively one. Once the initial shock wore off, it immediately started skipping around, with a few energetic "Meow~"s and wagging of tails now and then. It jumped onto Lelouch's shoulders and licked his face. Lelouch gave a slight smile, the cat seemed to take a liking in him.
"Onii-sama?"
Underneath the thick branches, Nanaly was sitting in a wheelchair with a confused and curious expression on her face.
"I thought I could hear some ruffling among the trees, so..." Nanaly's expression lightened up. "Ah! Could onii-sama be saving little birds again?"
The cat on Lelouch's shoulder answered her question with a lazy and stretched "Meow", almost resembling a yawn.
"So it's a kitten this time, onii-sama?" Nanaly let out a small chuckle.
"Y-yes..." Lelouch answered with a sheepish smile. Nanaly made it sound like he did animal-saving as a pastime. He climbed down the tree while gingerly holding the gray cat in his left arm. The cat, with nothing to do, dug its claws playfully into Lelouch's arm. He winced.
"I remember onii-sama used to be really good with cats...remember the last time we picked up a stray cat on the road? Suzaku-san tried to pat its head, instead, it bit him hard and jumped on you. Suzaku-san...I wonder if cats still hate him." Nanaly recalled, smiling.
Lelouch returned the smile. Unlike the confident smiles he wore when he made other nobles drop their jaw during a chess game, or the devilish smiles he gave when he saw the possibility of defeating Britannia, this one was a pleasant and genial smile, filled with warmness for his sister. It was a smile reserved for her. He gently placed the now silent cat on her lap.
Nanaly slowly lifted the cat up and tilted her head, as if studying it.
"Onii-sama, why don't we keep this cat?" She lowered the cat and patted its head. "You really like cats, don't you?"
"Of course."
The Cat Who Was Hanging From The Branches became Arthur - The Cat Who Will Always Keep Lelouch Occupied.
-
"Isn't there a student council meeting today, onii-sama?"
"I don't...feel like it."
Lelouch sipped his tea and tried to ignore Mokona -who was bouncing around the table and has taken a great interest in Lelouch's cup of tea- and Arthur -whose claws dug into his back as it hung there, it really, really hurts. Nanaly was right about cats liking Lelouch. Just maybe too much.
"Was it because of Suzaku-san?"
Lelouch could've sworn that Nanaly possessed omniscience.
His silence had confirmed Nanaly's fear. "Are people still bullying him?" Her tone had made Lelouch want to give her an answer, or at least say something.
"These...it'll...take some time." He muttered.
"Can't you do something about that? You're friends, aren't you?"
"That is..." As he struggled for an answer, Lelouch's eyes traveled and finally landed on his cup of tea. His eyes widened with what he saw.
Apparently, Mokona had decided that "No, today is too cold for Mokona!! Mokona needs a hotspring!" and to Mokona, a teacup filled with hot tea = a hot spring.
Lelouch stood up in surprise.
Arthur fell to the floor with an aggravated "Meow".
Deciding that it's no fun anymore, it made its way towards Lelouch's bedroom, where he kept most of his belongings - including his Zero costume.
His brain still having difficulties to process the scene in front of him, Lelouch didn't even think about what Arthur might do in his bedroom besides taking over his bed.
"Onii...sama?"
-
Lelouch really liked cats. He admired the elegant curve of their bodies, and the sharpness of their eyes. In some other times, if he were to reincarnate, he would've considered being a cat.
But not now.
Now, stuck on the ceiling of the school's tower.
Now, with Mr. Stamina Idiot Suzaku ahead of him, making his way slowly to the bell.
Now, with Arthur on top of the tower, wearing his Zero mask.
It had all started when Mokona jumped into his tea.
When Arthur entered Lelouch's bedroom.
When it accidentally tripped while examining the open suitcase on his table, landing on the floor with the Zero mask on his head.
Still very much appalled by his lost cup of tea - or better to say, why it was lost - Lelouch faced his second great shock of the day. He knew the instant that Arthur paced into the living room with the Zero mask that the day wouldn't be easy.
Chasing Arthur was already a difficult task for someone like him. He fell flat on his face at least twice, tripped over a bush, and nearly ran two laps around the school only to end up like this. Suffice to say, it was all The President's fault, with a capital T and P.
Rivalz, Nina and The President's visit to Lelouch's house a few minutes after he practically flew after Arthur turned into a catastrophe when Nanaly revealed that "Arthur seemed to have taken something precious from onii-sama." and that the precious thing "must be very precious", because "I had never heard onii-sama scream like that."
"Love letter?"
"An embarrassing photo?"
"Self-authored poem book?"
Their imagination only excited The President. It was their Chance of catching Lelouch's weakness, being The President, she'd rather watch Lelouch beat the crap out of Rivalz in chess ten times than letting go of this precious chance. Though why watching Rivalz getting the crap beat out of him was such a bad thing, she had no idea.
She grinned her President Grin, brimming with confidence, and declared.
"We will definitely find the cat before him, definitely!"
Still chasing Arthur through numerous corridors in the main building, The President's announcement turned out to be his third shock in a single day.
Already using Geass on at least five people, Lelouch really didn't need anything else to make his chase even harder than before, thank you very much.
"This is Millay Ashford, the President of the Student Council!"
The President's voice sounded. Lelouch knew that something was wrong. Everything that has to do with The President was wrong in one way or another, and her voice filled with such...enthusiasm only made the situation worse.
"Cat!"
It couldn't be...she couldn't possibly be referring to...?
"Catch the cat running through the school's corridors! Club activities will all be temporarily suspended!! Clubs that helped out would get special service, and the one to catch the cat-"
Lelouch gulped. Arthur jumped out of an open window, Lelouch followed suit, only to land on a puddle of water. He lost balanced and landed on his face for the third time.
"-will get a super special present!! A kiss from one of the student council members!!"
The President's maniacal laughter followed the announcement and echoed through the corridors. Lelouch felt shivers running through his spine, and suddenly clutched himself tightly in a vain attempt to reassure himself.
Shirley Fenette, ace swimmer and president of the Swimming Pool, lost balance and fell off the ten meters high platform and went tumbling down towards the water surface, screaming frantically.
Kallen Stadtfeld, brilliant pilot and terrorist at night and girl with weak body in day, choked on her sandwich. "Student council...? That means...me too!?"
"YES!!" Several heads popped up from the bushes behind her, eyes gleaming with delight.
No way...that's my first kiss! Filled with fear for the safety of her very first kiss, Kallen dispelled all worries for her identity and turbo dashed towards the main building.
Lelouch Vi Britannia - since it had finally come to the time that his real name sounded so frantic that it should be used -, chess genius and rebelling heir, nearly ran headfirst into a pole.
All this happened while The President 'Muahahahaha'd and 'Ahahahahaha'd for about three minutes until she had to stop in order to catch her breath. The President, though, seemed to have entered a state of craziness where inanimate things became animate and urged The President on. She continued, her voice rising at least one octave.
"Cat! Cat!! Cat!!!" It was now becoming a scream.
"Anyone who finds the cat, hand whatever the cat has to me! To me!! To me-" Her voice kept rising a few notches on every syllable until she reached her limit and let out a few coughs. Her voice might've faltered, but her confidence certainly had not. Her eyes regained their maniac gleam in a few seconds, she would've continued to shout into the microphone if not for Nina, who stopped her and said in a tiny voice, "Millay-san, I think you need some water..."
Inside the school, everyone had gone crazy with the thought of kissing a student council member. Every club was using its resources to the point where horses dashed in and out of the building - much to the teachers' dismay - and the garden in the courtyard was vandalized by people wearing aprons and digging into the mud. Kallen cursed Britannians under her breath as she ran through the corridors in a frantic and desperate search for the cat, turning a corner, she bumped into someone.
"Sorry-" Words of a rushed apology escaped her lips before she realized who she bumped into. It was only when she looked up that she registered Shirley.
"Shirley!? What are you doing here, and what are those clothes...?"
Shirley wore barely anything besides her swimsuit, her appearance might've struck Kallen as comical in some other circumstances, but again, 'now' didn't belong to any 'other circumstances'.
"It's our first kiss!" Shirley exclaimed.
Kallen gulped, "...I agree."
-
The President had finally calmed down after three cups of water. She was now gulping down the fourth.
"Does the cat have any special features...?" Nina asked Nanaly.
Nanaly thought for a moment. "Arthur seemed to have a bad leg...its footsteps sounded a bit weird...and it sounded like this..."
She took a breath.
"Meow~~"
The whole school was even more excited.
Lelouch mentally cried in despair.
He was very, very frustrated. He had lost sight of Arthur. And he's exhausted.
And it would NOT be a funny way to have his identity revealed if Arthur was caught by someone else.
-
After a few laps around the courtyard, which had nearly drained his already tired body of all its energy, Lelouch had finally caught sight of Arthur and followed it to the school tower.
Only to meet Suzaku.
"Suzaku!?"
Violet eyes met dark green ones.
"Lelouch...? So you're chasing the cat too-"
"Meeeow~~"
Both Suzaku and Lelouch looked up, Arthur seemed to have rushed up the ten flight of stairs and reached the top of the tower. Suzaku immediately began to climb the first set of stairs, without thought, Lelouch followed him.
"Su-Suzaku! Stop it! Le-leave the cat to me!" Lelouch didn't even have time to catch his breath, Suzaku was already reaching the third set of stairs.
"But the President had told us to catch it!" Suzaku answered cheerfully.
"No- no! I mean it, stop!" Lelouch's tired muscles were aching from all the abuse. His lungs were burning, but Suzaku was still in a perfect condition in which he covered two stairs in one stride. The distance between them widened.
"Leave the heavy work to me! Like when the bird escaped last time!"
Lelouch twitched. "D-don't bring up things from long time ago!"
"Not long at all! It's only been seven years!"
Lelouch didn't know if Suzaku was overly cheerful or stupid.
"L-like always...you...stamina idiot!!"
Suzaku just laughed it off.
Lelouch was huffing and panting when he finally reached the top of the tower. Suzaku was a few steps ahead of him, slowly climbing towards Arthur.
"Don't be afraid."
Below Lelouch gathered nearly every student of Ashford Academy, their eyes were on him.
Ahead of him, Suzaku was nearing Arthur, who was still wearing his mask. His identity could be revealed anytime, and that would be Game Over for him.
Despite the dangerous situation, a thought struck Lelouch.
If I were to let go and let myself slide down the roof...Suzaku would definitely come to save me, and everyone would be watching.
Would that tone down the hostility towards Suzaku? Would watching Suzaku, whom they thought were a murderer and a scary person, save Lelouch, change their views on Suzaku? Besides...it could delay Suzaku from reaching Arthur.
But the risk was too big. What if he fell down from the roof before Suzaku even reached him? Suzaku might be full of stamina and possess a strong body, but would saving Lelouch prove to be too much for him? If Suzaku didn't reach him in time...
"You're friends, aren't you?"
Nanaly's voice echoed in his mind. We're friends.
He made up his mind, closed his eyes and slowly let go.
He could feel his body sliding down the roof, the gasps of the crowd below him. Suzaku turned around and shouted his name, he immediately started sliding towards Lelouch. Suzaku grabbed the windowpane and reached out for Lelouch. He managed to catch Lelouch in the last second. The crowd let out yet another gasp.
In the corner of his eye, Lelouch saw Arthur's head reappearing from beneath the bell. The mask fell off and bounced towards a pole. Arthur gave a sweet, long "Meow" as if nothing had happened at all.
Lelouch felt relieved. At the same time, Suzaku pulled him up.
"You're too careless." Suzaku said worriedly.
"Ah...somehow."
He was utterly exhausted. He didn't even feel like moving. Still, if his plan had worked, he had to wait until he got down to see.
"Suzaku...I've forgotten something, you go down first."
-
Suzaku clutched an angry cat in his arms. It tried to bite him every few seconds.
He walked out into awkward silence. Everyone stared at him, unsure of what to do.
"Thank you! For saving Lulu."
Shirley was the first one who spoke up.
"Yeah, yeah. Pretty good, aren't you, transfer student?"
Rivalz joined in with his comical voice.
"The cat, does it have anything on it?" Millay asked curiously.
"It was wearing something...but I couldn't see clearly, and it fell off sometime in between."
"Where is Lulu?"
"He said he forgot something...told me to go down first."
"That's it!" Millay exclaimed. "Lelouch's 'Embarrassing Secret'!!"
"So that's why..." Lelouch came out from beneath the building.
"Hmph, and I thought we could finally find your weakness..." Millay pouted, clearly disappointed.
"Yeah. Lulu's always pretending to be so cool." Shirley imitated Millay's posture.
"Are you two...friends?" Behind them, Kallen asked.
"But with an Eleven..." Nina's voice shook with fear.
Nanaly, who was in her wheelchair, looked up worriedly.
"No, we're just-" Suzaku quickly tried to deny it.
"We're friends." Much to everyone's surprise, it was Lelouch who spoke. "President, do you think we can let him on the student council? Our school's rules says that everyone has to join at least one club, but..."
Millay, after serious consideration, replied with a defeated expression on her face. "Since it's a favor from the Vice President, I guess I have no choice."
Lelouch smiled. His plan seemed to be working rather well. Shirley was definitely one of the cheeriest girls he had ever known, and Rivalz - as far as he knows - holds nothing against Elevens and is a very casual person. They just need a little push. Nearly everyone else seemed to be easier around Suzaku than they were before.
"Now everything's settled. The two of you, come closer!" Nanaly moved forward in her wheelchair. Lelouch and Suzaku looked at each other and bent down. Nanaly gave both of them a kiss on the cheek.
"Eh?"
"The present Millay-san talked about. Because it's the two of you, I'll have to do it!" Nanaly smiled. "Please bear with me!"
"Let's celebrate!" Rivalz winked and exclaimed. "Of course, the newcomer's gonna pay for it." Everybody laughed.
"Rivalz!" Shirley shouted, but couldn't help but join in the laughter herself. "I'm Shirley, nice to meet you!"
"Ah- I'm Rivalz, nice to meet you too!"
"I'm the President of the student council, Millay Ashford!"
Suzaku looked at the people around him. He never thought he'd make any new friends in such a short period of time. Even if other people still held some hostility towards him, at least the student council is by his side. He felt like he could endure anything.
To Be Continued...
Bonus Stage. The Hunt
The President and granddaughter of the chairman of the school, Millay Ashford is not giving up.
Oh no, of course she won't give up so easily. 'Never give up' was even a part of her motto - which will take about two pages if written out.
Back to the point, hell will freeze over before Millay Ashford will give up on anything she considers 'interesting', and finding Lelouch's weakness certainly belongs to the category 'interesting'. She might've failed with the school chase, but this time, she will succeed. Yes, she will. The plan was simply too splendid.
This time, they had Kururugi Suzaku, best friend and honest guy, by their side.
It had all started with a conversation.
"Hey, hey, you're his best friend, aren't you? Won't you know something about his weakness?" She had asked one day after their meeting, anticipating the answer.
"Uh...not really. Lelouch keeps to himself quite a lot...even as his friend, I really don't know anything much." Suzaku scratched his head.
"Is that so..." She was disappointed. Really, she'd rather watch Rivalz break his leg ten times over than be faced with this inconvenient truth. Again, she didn't know why.
"Ah!" Suzaku suddenly exclaimed.
"Eh? Did you remember something?" She immediately became excited.
"Well...I'm not sure, but...maybe it's Cheese-kun?"
"Cheese...kun?" She pondered. "Isn't that...the Pizza Hut pillow?"
"Y-yes, I would think so."
Her eyes sparkled. Lelouch - the cool, silent Lelouch, with...pft...Cheese-kun? The fluffy, round and yellow pillow? Just the mental image of Lelouch cuddling Cheese-kun was enough to make her smile.
"How about we go for a hunt this Saturday?"
"Eh...?"
"Inside Lelouch's house?"
"Eh!?"
She cackled.
"Of course, you'll have the honor of entering his house!"
No way.
-
"This is Kallen, nothing unusual."
Kallen was frustrated. It was all because of that crazy president that she was stuck here, crouching low in a bush beside the door to Lelouch's house, with twigs in her hair. She does not find it funny. At all. She wondered why the President was so keen on finding Lelouch's weakness anyway, it's not like she'll get a Nobel prize or something for finding it. Yet, her enthusiasm clearly showed that finding his weakness would be twelve times greater than getting a Nobel prize.
She sighed. Lelouch had warned her about the President's weird taste before, but she still couldn't get used to it.
-
Millay cupped her hands around her mouth. It was all she could do from laughing out loud. This is simply perfect. Nanaly was usually asleep at this hour, and Lelouch was having detention with Mr. TreatYaBad. Ah, it's as if Lady Luck smiled upon her and gave her this great chance. She spoke into her phone.
"Rivalz, is Nanaly still asleep?"
"Yes." Came the blurry answer. "Actually, I feel like sleeping too."
"No! Think of our motto!"
"President, it's more like your motto, and actually, thinking about it makes me want to sleep even mor..." Rivalz voice trailed off.
"Hey, hey! Rivalz!"
But no sound came back. Rivalz was fast asleep outside Nanaly's bedroom. His head was sticking out from below the bushes.
-
Suzaku slowly navigated through Lelouch's house, crouching low. The President had warned him to keep a low profile, which is exactly what he did.
Inside, he was having a mental conflict.
On one hand, he doesn't like trespassing into someone's house without their permission, it made him feel guilty inside.
On the other hand, he can't deny that he also wanted to find Lelouch's weakness. Besides, the President had told him so.
He crept into Lelouch's bedroom, and began his search. He opened drawers, lifted up carpets, and gently uttered "Pepperoni Pizza~". It was the President's insistence.
Two pairs of eyes watched him with intensity. One belonging to Arthur, and one to Mokona. Suzaku, in his search, never noticed these two creatures.
As if on a cue, both Arthur and Mokona jumped out of the window. Mokona rode on Arthur as it dashed through the numerous gardens towards the science lab.
-
Lelouch slowly walked away from the science lab. Detention with Mr. TreatYaBad was tiring, and dangerous. Yes, dangerous. His flaring of nostrils really made the science lab a very unpleasant place to be in.
Mokona and Arthur confronted him near the stairs.
"Lulu-chan, someone was trying to kidnap Cheese-kun!"
-
Suzaku scratched his head, confused. He couldn't find Cheese-kun anywhere. He searched under Lelouch's bed, in his wardrobe, and in his drawers. But Cheese-kun was nowhere to be found.
Something on the floor beneath Lelouch's bed caught his eye. It was a crack. His eyes followed the crack, and realized that they formed quite a big square on the ground. Gently, he pushed it with his fingers.
It moved. Suzaku grinned.
Aha, so you hid your Cheese-kun under the floor. As expected from you.
Just as he were about to push open the whole thing, the President's voice could be heard from his phone.
"Suzaku! Find somewhere to hide! Quick-"
Suzaku heard footsteps behind him. He turned around.
Lelouch stood there, with a frown on his face. Mokona and Arthur rested on his shoulders.
"Suzaku, just what are you doing here?"
"Eh...this was, the President had-"
Lelouch sighed. He gave a nod to a snarling Arthur on his shoulder.
Suzaku gulped.
Arthur pounced.
And a scream could be heard.
End
AN: I don't have much to say except I was practically smiling all the way while typing the cat chase.:DDDD And yes, Lulu did sic Arthur on Suzaku in the bonus story. As for what happened to him after Arthur pounced...I'll leave that up to your imagination. But I can say that it's really, really painful.>:DDDD
So now, Lulu not only had the power of Geass and crack, the Order of Black Knights but also a snarling Arthur ready to make living hell for anybody who's on the wrong side of Lulu under his command. And not to mention the hot spring-loving Mokona. And fangirls. Damn that lucky bastard.
Word Count: 5,384
Rating: G
Genre: THE RETURN OF THE CRACK
Summary: Some say meetings are precious moments in one's life and often brings hapiness, but to Lelouch, meeting a certain someone in a certain someday only brings trouble. And thus, his organized life is turned upside down.
Disclaimer: CG belongs to Sunrise. Yeesh.
Previous Chapters
Stage 5. Risks For a Dear One
"Lelouch! Hey! Le~louch!"
Lelouch blinked.
"Y-yes?"
Rivalz was staring at him, frowning.
"You were spacing out back there pretty bad, man. Took me five times to get your attention." Rivalz said with a slightly concerned tone, and waved a hand in front of Lelouch's face. "You okay?"
"I-I'm fine." Lelouch stammered. "Just realized I saw this on a website before." He said with much discomfort.
"Hmm? Told ya it's popular!"
Rivalz didn't see through Lelouch's lie. Instead, he looked at his watch and gasped wide-eyed.
"Dang, it's only two minutes before class starts? Come on, Lelouch!"
Even as Rivalz dragged him along the corridor, Lelouch was still thinking about the mysterious disappearances and their connection to his power...Geass.
Why would Geass...? Of all places?
-
"That. Was. So. Boring." Rivalz exclaimed as he walked along the corridor, putting an extra emphasis on every syllable.
"Ah! I nearly fell asleep. I must have done algebra some wrong in my previous life. No way it could hate me like that. My eyes get blurry just when I look at those xs and ys and-."
Rivalz sighed.
"-and Mr. Stevens just has to catch me." Rivalz rubbed his forehead with his hand. "A chalk between the eyebrows really hurts..."
A bullet between the eyebrows probably hurts more. Lelouch thought blankly, but his attention was focused on the newspaper cut in his hands. It was the one Rivalz gave him.
The scientist, Charles Spencer's theory was very abstract. He proposed the idea of two overlapping worlds, and that because isolated places away from urban areas are far away from mankind's inventions, and are more 'original', and therefore - if another world actually exists - had the highest chance of being the place where they overlapped. And the people that had disappeared had for some reason been transported to this other world. His proposal was greatly criticized by fellow scientists, as he didn't have any solid proof to support it, and they thought his theory was way too absurd.
"-and then next week we have a test! Algebra hates me with a passion." Rivalz seemed to muttering to himself.
Lelouch wondered if the scientist's theory was anywhere near the truth. After all, his discovery didn't make the headlines, only a corner on the second page.
"Hey Lelouch, are you listening?"
-
Lelouch sat on a tree outside of the clubhouse.
The tree was fairly high, and although Lelouch didn't have much potential in sports, he does have confidence in his tree-climbing skills. He used to climb trees much more higher with Suzaku, usually because Suzaku insisted for him to tag along while he brought small birds that have fallen from their nests back to where they belonged.
Lelouch frowned as he recalled what had happened today.
Nearly everyone feared or despised Suzaku. Whispers among students were not a bother to him. But there are some that expressed their both their fear and hate in more hostile ways.
Lelouch found Suzaku washing something in a sink behind the main school building. He gradually approached Suzaku with the intention of surprising him, but as Lelouch neared him, the object in Suzaku's hands became visible. Lelouch held back a gasp and quickly drew back. He knew that Suzaku wouldn't want him to see that.
Smeared on Suzaku's torn P.E. shirt, in bold, red letters was a simple but cruel sentence - go back to your ghetto.
They could have done a lot worse...if they hadn't decided to rip a few pieces off it... Lelouch thought ironically.
And during the fifth period, Lelouch saw something even more horrifying.
It was history, and they usually had lots of notes to take during this class.
Suzaku started opening his pencil case, but closed it in a quick movement after he saw...something in it. His eyes showed disgust.
Lelouch was sure he saw a fat, wriggling green tail before Suzaku quickly closed his pencil case. It was furry.
Suzaku didn't take any notes during that period.
Seeing Suzaku in pain made Lelouch feel guilty inside. After all, he was Suzaku's friend, couldn't he have done something about it?
He kept asking himself that question.
Even when he knew that the answer will always be one.
-
He wanted wanted to make Suzaku happy.
Yet there was nothing that could be done.
He felt so powerless.
-
Among all the things he's been worried about, there's still the connection between Geass and the mysterious disappearances. He was truly shocked when he recognized the figure in Rivalz's sketch today. He used to think that the ones who might've known about Geass besides the green-haired girl were the ones who were involved in the investigation, and maybe Clovis himself. For Geass to relate to some popular topic among people these days was unpredicted. That also raises the chances of someone else knowing of the existence of it. Would Charles Spencer, the scientist know about it...?
Lelouch needs to attain more information in order to reach the answer.
-
Cornelia li Britannia stormed furiously into her command room. It was needless to say that she was in a rage and gave nearly everyone around her a glare. She was frustrated and angry. Frustrated at the fact that she couldn't even find a trace of Zero, and angry at her subordinates' incompetence.
"It's been over a month already, and you fools couldn't even find a thing!?" She demanded as she sat down on her chair.
The generals standing in front of her bowed down even more.
"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness, we've tried everything we could-" One of them stammered.
"Everything!? You dare to say 'everything' when you couldn't even find a trace of Zero!?" Cornelia slammed her fist down on the armrest of her chair.
"W-we're very sorry, Your Highness. Please forgive our incompetence." The general seemed to have shrunk one third as he said that. The other generals followed suit and soon, all of them were bowing down silently before Cornelia.
"Hmph." She frowned.
"Princess, please calm down. Here."
It was Gilbert who spoke. He was one of the few people that Cornelia trusted and had always kept by her side. He was now handing Cornelia a cup of herbal tea.
Cornelia took a sip and felt herself calming down a little bit. Her fondness for herbal teas was not a well-known fact.
"Did you find anything over there, Gilford?"
"No, Princess. We've checked every shop in Area 11, but none of them had any records of selling anything that resembled Zero's clothing."
"So that means we're now left without any clues."
"Yes."
Cornelia seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. It'll be quite troublesome from now on since they do not have any more clues concerning Zero, but concerning the fact that Zero is probably a prideful person, there is still a way.
"Then I guess we'll have to lure him out." Cornelia smirked.
Gilbert silently waited.
"Prepare for the destruction of Saitama. We'll attack three days from now." Cornelia declared. She only has to plan it all out like the time when Clovis declared the annihilation of Shinjuku. Zero couldn't possibly ignore a provocation like that.
"Yes, Princess." Gilbert gave a slight bow and left.
Zero...I'll be waiting for you.
-
"Meeeow~"
A cry from above distracted Lelouch. He turned his head.
A small, grey cat was hanging onto a particularly long branch with much difficulty. It nearly slipped and fell, but steadied itself in the last moment. Usually cats are very good at balancing and probably wouldn't end up in a situation like this, but as Lelouch could see, one of the cat's paws was bleeding quite heavily.
Lelouch vaguely wondered how it managed to get itself into such a position in the first place.
It was struggling frantically now, trying to keep itself on the branch. Its desperate struggles were accompanied with equally desperate shrieks.
Lelouch rose and prepared to climb up. He was about two meters below the cat, if he hurried, he might be able to grab hold of it before it went tumbling down. But the higher he climbed, the rougher the stump of the tree became - and with the roughness also came the thickness, small branches were now sticking out everywhere, and many leaves had blocked Lelouch's view of what's ahead, and sometimes he even had to feel his way up particularly leafy parts. He lost sight of the cat every now and then - but he could see that it's still hanging on.
He was finally in level with the cat. The branch it was hanging onto was one that stuck out quite a lot - there were no branches below it to save him if he should ever fall, only hard ground met his eyes, and the branch wasn't that strong either - it looked like it could break anytime. Lelouch had to be very careful - he'll probably live if he fell down ten meters or so, but there's no guarantee that he'll escape unscathed. He might break a leg or an arm, or - in the worst scenario - his own neck, if he was unlucky enough.
Still, despite the dangers that loomed ahead, he wanted to save the cat. He didn't know why. Because of its helplessness? Or because he didn't want to see another life come to an end before his eyes?
He began slowly crawling towards the cat, making sure to crouch very low, so to avoid shaking the branch too much. Little by little, he became closer and closer to the cat, until it was nearly at his arm-length.
The cat finally lost its balance, and, with a final but useless swing of its paw, it started to fall.
Lelouch left behind all his worries and hurried along, trying to close the gap between him and the cat.
Lelouch reached out-
-and managed to catch the cat a split second before it would be too late. He felt relieved, but had no idea why he would care so much for a cat.
He slowly pulled the cat back up, its body was rigid with fear. Gingerly he climbed back with the cat in his left arm. He set it down beside him once he reached a thicker part of the branch. Its fur was that of a deeper shade of gray, pointy ears stuck out from two sides of its round head, and the fur around its right eye seemed was darker than other areas. As a result, its yellow eyes stood out.
The cat turned out to be a quite lively one. Once the initial shock wore off, it immediately started skipping around, with a few energetic "Meow~"s and wagging of tails now and then. It jumped onto Lelouch's shoulders and licked his face. Lelouch gave a slight smile, the cat seemed to take a liking in him.
"Onii-sama?"
Underneath the thick branches, Nanaly was sitting in a wheelchair with a confused and curious expression on her face.
"I thought I could hear some ruffling among the trees, so..." Nanaly's expression lightened up. "Ah! Could onii-sama be saving little birds again?"
The cat on Lelouch's shoulder answered her question with a lazy and stretched "Meow", almost resembling a yawn.
"So it's a kitten this time, onii-sama?" Nanaly let out a small chuckle.
"Y-yes..." Lelouch answered with a sheepish smile. Nanaly made it sound like he did animal-saving as a pastime. He climbed down the tree while gingerly holding the gray cat in his left arm. The cat, with nothing to do, dug its claws playfully into Lelouch's arm. He winced.
"I remember onii-sama used to be really good with cats...remember the last time we picked up a stray cat on the road? Suzaku-san tried to pat its head, instead, it bit him hard and jumped on you. Suzaku-san...I wonder if cats still hate him." Nanaly recalled, smiling.
Lelouch returned the smile. Unlike the confident smiles he wore when he made other nobles drop their jaw during a chess game, or the devilish smiles he gave when he saw the possibility of defeating Britannia, this one was a pleasant and genial smile, filled with warmness for his sister. It was a smile reserved for her. He gently placed the now silent cat on her lap.
Nanaly slowly lifted the cat up and tilted her head, as if studying it.
"Onii-sama, why don't we keep this cat?" She lowered the cat and patted its head. "You really like cats, don't you?"
"Of course."
The Cat Who Was Hanging From The Branches became Arthur - The Cat Who Will Always Keep Lelouch Occupied.
-
"Isn't there a student council meeting today, onii-sama?"
"I don't...feel like it."
Lelouch sipped his tea and tried to ignore Mokona -who was bouncing around the table and has taken a great interest in Lelouch's cup of tea- and Arthur -whose claws dug into his back as it hung there, it really, really hurts. Nanaly was right about cats liking Lelouch. Just maybe too much.
"Was it because of Suzaku-san?"
Lelouch could've sworn that Nanaly possessed omniscience.
His silence had confirmed Nanaly's fear. "Are people still bullying him?" Her tone had made Lelouch want to give her an answer, or at least say something.
"These...it'll...take some time." He muttered.
"Can't you do something about that? You're friends, aren't you?"
"That is..." As he struggled for an answer, Lelouch's eyes traveled and finally landed on his cup of tea. His eyes widened with what he saw.
Apparently, Mokona had decided that "No, today is too cold for Mokona!! Mokona needs a hotspring!" and to Mokona, a teacup filled with hot tea = a hot spring.
Lelouch stood up in surprise.
Arthur fell to the floor with an aggravated "Meow".
Deciding that it's no fun anymore, it made its way towards Lelouch's bedroom, where he kept most of his belongings - including his Zero costume.
His brain still having difficulties to process the scene in front of him, Lelouch didn't even think about what Arthur might do in his bedroom besides taking over his bed.
"Onii...sama?"
-
Lelouch really liked cats. He admired the elegant curve of their bodies, and the sharpness of their eyes. In some other times, if he were to reincarnate, he would've considered being a cat.
But not now.
Now, stuck on the ceiling of the school's tower.
Now, with Mr. Stamina Idiot Suzaku ahead of him, making his way slowly to the bell.
Now, with Arthur on top of the tower, wearing his Zero mask.
It had all started when Mokona jumped into his tea.
When Arthur entered Lelouch's bedroom.
When it accidentally tripped while examining the open suitcase on his table, landing on the floor with the Zero mask on his head.
Still very much appalled by his lost cup of tea - or better to say, why it was lost - Lelouch faced his second great shock of the day. He knew the instant that Arthur paced into the living room with the Zero mask that the day wouldn't be easy.
Chasing Arthur was already a difficult task for someone like him. He fell flat on his face at least twice, tripped over a bush, and nearly ran two laps around the school only to end up like this. Suffice to say, it was all The President's fault, with a capital T and P.
Rivalz, Nina and The President's visit to Lelouch's house a few minutes after he practically flew after Arthur turned into a catastrophe when Nanaly revealed that "Arthur seemed to have taken something precious from onii-sama." and that the precious thing "must be very precious", because "I had never heard onii-sama scream like that."
"Love letter?"
"An embarrassing photo?"
"Self-authored poem book?"
Their imagination only excited The President. It was their Chance of catching Lelouch's weakness, being The President, she'd rather watch Lelouch beat the crap out of Rivalz in chess ten times than letting go of this precious chance. Though why watching Rivalz getting the crap beat out of him was such a bad thing, she had no idea.
She grinned her President Grin, brimming with confidence, and declared.
"We will definitely find the cat before him, definitely!"
Still chasing Arthur through numerous corridors in the main building, The President's announcement turned out to be his third shock in a single day.
Already using Geass on at least five people, Lelouch really didn't need anything else to make his chase even harder than before, thank you very much.
"This is Millay Ashford, the President of the Student Council!"
The President's voice sounded. Lelouch knew that something was wrong. Everything that has to do with The President was wrong in one way or another, and her voice filled with such...enthusiasm only made the situation worse.
"Cat!"
It couldn't be...she couldn't possibly be referring to...?
"Catch the cat running through the school's corridors! Club activities will all be temporarily suspended!! Clubs that helped out would get special service, and the one to catch the cat-"
Lelouch gulped. Arthur jumped out of an open window, Lelouch followed suit, only to land on a puddle of water. He lost balanced and landed on his face for the third time.
"-will get a super special present!! A kiss from one of the student council members!!"
The President's maniacal laughter followed the announcement and echoed through the corridors. Lelouch felt shivers running through his spine, and suddenly clutched himself tightly in a vain attempt to reassure himself.
Shirley Fenette, ace swimmer and president of the Swimming Pool, lost balance and fell off the ten meters high platform and went tumbling down towards the water surface, screaming frantically.
Kallen Stadtfeld, brilliant pilot and terrorist at night and girl with weak body in day, choked on her sandwich. "Student council...? That means...me too!?"
"YES!!" Several heads popped up from the bushes behind her, eyes gleaming with delight.
No way...that's my first kiss! Filled with fear for the safety of her very first kiss, Kallen dispelled all worries for her identity and turbo dashed towards the main building.
Lelouch Vi Britannia - since it had finally come to the time that his real name sounded so frantic that it should be used -, chess genius and rebelling heir, nearly ran headfirst into a pole.
All this happened while The President 'Muahahahaha'd and 'Ahahahahaha'd for about three minutes until she had to stop in order to catch her breath. The President, though, seemed to have entered a state of craziness where inanimate things became animate and urged The President on. She continued, her voice rising at least one octave.
"Cat! Cat!! Cat!!!" It was now becoming a scream.
"Anyone who finds the cat, hand whatever the cat has to me! To me!! To me-" Her voice kept rising a few notches on every syllable until she reached her limit and let out a few coughs. Her voice might've faltered, but her confidence certainly had not. Her eyes regained their maniac gleam in a few seconds, she would've continued to shout into the microphone if not for Nina, who stopped her and said in a tiny voice, "Millay-san, I think you need some water..."
Inside the school, everyone had gone crazy with the thought of kissing a student council member. Every club was using its resources to the point where horses dashed in and out of the building - much to the teachers' dismay - and the garden in the courtyard was vandalized by people wearing aprons and digging into the mud. Kallen cursed Britannians under her breath as she ran through the corridors in a frantic and desperate search for the cat, turning a corner, she bumped into someone.
"Sorry-" Words of a rushed apology escaped her lips before she realized who she bumped into. It was only when she looked up that she registered Shirley.
"Shirley!? What are you doing here, and what are those clothes...?"
Shirley wore barely anything besides her swimsuit, her appearance might've struck Kallen as comical in some other circumstances, but again, 'now' didn't belong to any 'other circumstances'.
"It's our first kiss!" Shirley exclaimed.
Kallen gulped, "...I agree."
-
The President had finally calmed down after three cups of water. She was now gulping down the fourth.
"Does the cat have any special features...?" Nina asked Nanaly.
Nanaly thought for a moment. "Arthur seemed to have a bad leg...its footsteps sounded a bit weird...and it sounded like this..."
She took a breath.
"Meow~~"
The whole school was even more excited.
Lelouch mentally cried in despair.
He was very, very frustrated. He had lost sight of Arthur. And he's exhausted.
And it would NOT be a funny way to have his identity revealed if Arthur was caught by someone else.
-
After a few laps around the courtyard, which had nearly drained his already tired body of all its energy, Lelouch had finally caught sight of Arthur and followed it to the school tower.
Only to meet Suzaku.
"Suzaku!?"
Violet eyes met dark green ones.
"Lelouch...? So you're chasing the cat too-"
"Meeeow~~"
Both Suzaku and Lelouch looked up, Arthur seemed to have rushed up the ten flight of stairs and reached the top of the tower. Suzaku immediately began to climb the first set of stairs, without thought, Lelouch followed him.
"Su-Suzaku! Stop it! Le-leave the cat to me!" Lelouch didn't even have time to catch his breath, Suzaku was already reaching the third set of stairs.
"But the President had told us to catch it!" Suzaku answered cheerfully.
"No- no! I mean it, stop!" Lelouch's tired muscles were aching from all the abuse. His lungs were burning, but Suzaku was still in a perfect condition in which he covered two stairs in one stride. The distance between them widened.
"Leave the heavy work to me! Like when the bird escaped last time!"
Lelouch twitched. "D-don't bring up things from long time ago!"
"Not long at all! It's only been seven years!"
Lelouch didn't know if Suzaku was overly cheerful or stupid.
"L-like always...you...stamina idiot!!"
Suzaku just laughed it off.
Lelouch was huffing and panting when he finally reached the top of the tower. Suzaku was a few steps ahead of him, slowly climbing towards Arthur.
"Don't be afraid."
Below Lelouch gathered nearly every student of Ashford Academy, their eyes were on him.
Ahead of him, Suzaku was nearing Arthur, who was still wearing his mask. His identity could be revealed anytime, and that would be Game Over for him.
Despite the dangerous situation, a thought struck Lelouch.
If I were to let go and let myself slide down the roof...Suzaku would definitely come to save me, and everyone would be watching.
Would that tone down the hostility towards Suzaku? Would watching Suzaku, whom they thought were a murderer and a scary person, save Lelouch, change their views on Suzaku? Besides...it could delay Suzaku from reaching Arthur.
But the risk was too big. What if he fell down from the roof before Suzaku even reached him? Suzaku might be full of stamina and possess a strong body, but would saving Lelouch prove to be too much for him? If Suzaku didn't reach him in time...
"You're friends, aren't you?"
Nanaly's voice echoed in his mind. We're friends.
He made up his mind, closed his eyes and slowly let go.
He could feel his body sliding down the roof, the gasps of the crowd below him. Suzaku turned around and shouted his name, he immediately started sliding towards Lelouch. Suzaku grabbed the windowpane and reached out for Lelouch. He managed to catch Lelouch in the last second. The crowd let out yet another gasp.
In the corner of his eye, Lelouch saw Arthur's head reappearing from beneath the bell. The mask fell off and bounced towards a pole. Arthur gave a sweet, long "Meow" as if nothing had happened at all.
Lelouch felt relieved. At the same time, Suzaku pulled him up.
"You're too careless." Suzaku said worriedly.
"Ah...somehow."
He was utterly exhausted. He didn't even feel like moving. Still, if his plan had worked, he had to wait until he got down to see.
"Suzaku...I've forgotten something, you go down first."
-
Suzaku clutched an angry cat in his arms. It tried to bite him every few seconds.
He walked out into awkward silence. Everyone stared at him, unsure of what to do.
"Thank you! For saving Lulu."
Shirley was the first one who spoke up.
"Yeah, yeah. Pretty good, aren't you, transfer student?"
Rivalz joined in with his comical voice.
"The cat, does it have anything on it?" Millay asked curiously.
"It was wearing something...but I couldn't see clearly, and it fell off sometime in between."
"Where is Lulu?"
"He said he forgot something...told me to go down first."
"That's it!" Millay exclaimed. "Lelouch's 'Embarrassing Secret'!!"
"So that's why..." Lelouch came out from beneath the building.
"Hmph, and I thought we could finally find your weakness..." Millay pouted, clearly disappointed.
"Yeah. Lulu's always pretending to be so cool." Shirley imitated Millay's posture.
"Are you two...friends?" Behind them, Kallen asked.
"But with an Eleven..." Nina's voice shook with fear.
Nanaly, who was in her wheelchair, looked up worriedly.
"No, we're just-" Suzaku quickly tried to deny it.
"We're friends." Much to everyone's surprise, it was Lelouch who spoke. "President, do you think we can let him on the student council? Our school's rules says that everyone has to join at least one club, but..."
Millay, after serious consideration, replied with a defeated expression on her face. "Since it's a favor from the Vice President, I guess I have no choice."
Lelouch smiled. His plan seemed to be working rather well. Shirley was definitely one of the cheeriest girls he had ever known, and Rivalz - as far as he knows - holds nothing against Elevens and is a very casual person. They just need a little push. Nearly everyone else seemed to be easier around Suzaku than they were before.
"Now everything's settled. The two of you, come closer!" Nanaly moved forward in her wheelchair. Lelouch and Suzaku looked at each other and bent down. Nanaly gave both of them a kiss on the cheek.
"Eh?"
"The present Millay-san talked about. Because it's the two of you, I'll have to do it!" Nanaly smiled. "Please bear with me!"
"Let's celebrate!" Rivalz winked and exclaimed. "Of course, the newcomer's gonna pay for it." Everybody laughed.
"Rivalz!" Shirley shouted, but couldn't help but join in the laughter herself. "I'm Shirley, nice to meet you!"
"Ah- I'm Rivalz, nice to meet you too!"
"I'm the President of the student council, Millay Ashford!"
Suzaku looked at the people around him. He never thought he'd make any new friends in such a short period of time. Even if other people still held some hostility towards him, at least the student council is by his side. He felt like he could endure anything.
To Be Continued...
Bonus Stage. The Hunt
The President and granddaughter of the chairman of the school, Millay Ashford is not giving up.
Oh no, of course she won't give up so easily. 'Never give up' was even a part of her motto - which will take about two pages if written out.
Back to the point, hell will freeze over before Millay Ashford will give up on anything she considers 'interesting', and finding Lelouch's weakness certainly belongs to the category 'interesting'. She might've failed with the school chase, but this time, she will succeed. Yes, she will. The plan was simply too splendid.
This time, they had Kururugi Suzaku, best friend and honest guy, by their side.
It had all started with a conversation.
"Hey, hey, you're his best friend, aren't you? Won't you know something about his weakness?" She had asked one day after their meeting, anticipating the answer.
"Uh...not really. Lelouch keeps to himself quite a lot...even as his friend, I really don't know anything much." Suzaku scratched his head.
"Is that so..." She was disappointed. Really, she'd rather watch Rivalz break his leg ten times over than be faced with this inconvenient truth. Again, she didn't know why.
"Ah!" Suzaku suddenly exclaimed.
"Eh? Did you remember something?" She immediately became excited.
"Well...I'm not sure, but...maybe it's Cheese-kun?"
"Cheese...kun?" She pondered. "Isn't that...the Pizza Hut pillow?"
"Y-yes, I would think so."
Her eyes sparkled. Lelouch - the cool, silent Lelouch, with...pft...Cheese-kun? The fluffy, round and yellow pillow? Just the mental image of Lelouch cuddling Cheese-kun was enough to make her smile.
"How about we go for a hunt this Saturday?"
"Eh...?"
"Inside Lelouch's house?"
"Eh!?"
She cackled.
"Of course, you'll have the honor of entering his house!"
No way.
-
"This is Kallen, nothing unusual."
Kallen was frustrated. It was all because of that crazy president that she was stuck here, crouching low in a bush beside the door to Lelouch's house, with twigs in her hair. She does not find it funny. At all. She wondered why the President was so keen on finding Lelouch's weakness anyway, it's not like she'll get a Nobel prize or something for finding it. Yet, her enthusiasm clearly showed that finding his weakness would be twelve times greater than getting a Nobel prize.
She sighed. Lelouch had warned her about the President's weird taste before, but she still couldn't get used to it.
-
Millay cupped her hands around her mouth. It was all she could do from laughing out loud. This is simply perfect. Nanaly was usually asleep at this hour, and Lelouch was having detention with Mr. TreatYaBad. Ah, it's as if Lady Luck smiled upon her and gave her this great chance. She spoke into her phone.
"Rivalz, is Nanaly still asleep?"
"Yes." Came the blurry answer. "Actually, I feel like sleeping too."
"No! Think of our motto!"
"President, it's more like your motto, and actually, thinking about it makes me want to sleep even mor..." Rivalz voice trailed off.
"Hey, hey! Rivalz!"
But no sound came back. Rivalz was fast asleep outside Nanaly's bedroom. His head was sticking out from below the bushes.
-
Suzaku slowly navigated through Lelouch's house, crouching low. The President had warned him to keep a low profile, which is exactly what he did.
Inside, he was having a mental conflict.
On one hand, he doesn't like trespassing into someone's house without their permission, it made him feel guilty inside.
On the other hand, he can't deny that he also wanted to find Lelouch's weakness. Besides, the President had told him so.
He crept into Lelouch's bedroom, and began his search. He opened drawers, lifted up carpets, and gently uttered "Pepperoni Pizza~". It was the President's insistence.
Two pairs of eyes watched him with intensity. One belonging to Arthur, and one to Mokona. Suzaku, in his search, never noticed these two creatures.
As if on a cue, both Arthur and Mokona jumped out of the window. Mokona rode on Arthur as it dashed through the numerous gardens towards the science lab.
-
Lelouch slowly walked away from the science lab. Detention with Mr. TreatYaBad was tiring, and dangerous. Yes, dangerous. His flaring of nostrils really made the science lab a very unpleasant place to be in.
Mokona and Arthur confronted him near the stairs.
"Lulu-chan, someone was trying to kidnap Cheese-kun!"
-
Suzaku scratched his head, confused. He couldn't find Cheese-kun anywhere. He searched under Lelouch's bed, in his wardrobe, and in his drawers. But Cheese-kun was nowhere to be found.
Something on the floor beneath Lelouch's bed caught his eye. It was a crack. His eyes followed the crack, and realized that they formed quite a big square on the ground. Gently, he pushed it with his fingers.
It moved. Suzaku grinned.
Aha, so you hid your Cheese-kun under the floor. As expected from you.
Just as he were about to push open the whole thing, the President's voice could be heard from his phone.
"Suzaku! Find somewhere to hide! Quick-"
Suzaku heard footsteps behind him. He turned around.
Lelouch stood there, with a frown on his face. Mokona and Arthur rested on his shoulders.
"Suzaku, just what are you doing here?"
"Eh...this was, the President had-"
Lelouch sighed. He gave a nod to a snarling Arthur on his shoulder.
Suzaku gulped.
Arthur pounced.
And a scream could be heard.
End
AN: I don't have much to say except I was practically smiling all the way while typing the cat chase.:DDDD And yes, Lulu did sic Arthur on Suzaku in the bonus story. As for what happened to him after Arthur pounced...I'll leave that up to your imagination. But I can say that it's really, really painful.>:DDDD
So now, Lulu not only had the power of Geass and crack, the Order of Black Knights but also a snarling Arthur ready to make living hell for anybody who's on the wrong side of Lulu under his command. And not to mention the hot spring-loving Mokona. And fangirls. Damn that lucky bastard.
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It's really cute.XD I like it, thanks so much! Kurogane must be so happy now, not having to try getting the manju off his head every few minutes.
Fay must be mourning the loss of a comrade in teasing Kurogane.WE SHALL ALL PH34R THE POWER OF CRACK, WHICH RESIDES IN LULU'S RIGHT EYE. MUAHAHA.