2008-10-14 18:53![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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code_geass
inulovinkit.livejournal.com in code_geassOnward to chapter 3!
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: LelouchxC.C., SuzaEuphie, (implied) Suzalulu
summary: So, what would have happened if Suzaku had received the Geass in Stage 1 instead of Lelouch? MOAR ANGST, is what!
Chapter 1 here.
'Kallen' is 'Karen' in this chapter because I think the terrorists would have referred to her by her birthname. IMO, 'Kallen' just isn't Japanese enough.
Also, this chapter is dedicated to that Luluko I met at Anime USA, because she told me to hurry up on this chapter because she liked my fanfic. :3 Thanks for the encouragement!
“I’m impressed.”
“By what, Witch?”
“The fact that you seem so calm after all of this.”
Lelouch glared and looked up from his laptop, where he was scouring all news sites for reports of Clovis’s murder. “So…calm?”
“Uhmm,” C.C. nodded, unable to say the words over the mouthful of pizza. Swallowing, she said, “That you’re so calm after it. Your first murder.”
She better not have noticed that his heart skipped a single beat. “Of course I’m calm,” he told her, turning away. “If I am to destroy Britannia in the future, then I will have to be merciless.”
“Merciless?” she mocked. “Any human that can take a life and feel nothing is mad…or not human at all.”
“Well, then maybe I am mad, Witch.” He went back to typing at his laptop. “And shouldn’t you be worried then? Living off the hospitality of a mad man.”
C.C. couldn’t help but smirk at that. “If you are not sane, Lelouch, then I am the same. You can’t help dispose of a body and not feel anything if you are sane…but then again, I am also not human.”
“Hmph. Everyone is insane to some extent,” Lelouch told her, casually flicking through more articles. “Everyone has to be a little mad to willingly live in a world like this.”
“I was right,” C.C. chuckled to herself, grabbing another slice of pizza. “You are much more interesting than the other one.”
“Is that why you’re still hanging around?”
“Well, that, and I did help you last night. I guess that makes us accomplices.”
“I suppose so, Witch. Tsk,” he muttered, annoyed, turning off the computer. “There’s nothing here.”
“You only killed Clovis last night. These things take time.”
“Still, I have to know what Britannia makes of it in order to better plan my next move. In any case,” he stood up. “There’s nothing more I can do now. I might as well go report to the Student Council.”
“Going to class for once?”
“Hmph. I went to class a lot more before you showed up, Witch.” And with that, Lelouch left the room, door sliding behind him.
The second Lelouch was back in the hallway and the door had completely shut, he stepped back to lean up against the wall.
He touched his forehead. Sweat. His heart still pounded. Though he tried to remain calm—no, she didn’t catch on, did she? He was perfect! Perfect, but…
Blood. He could still see it—still smell it. Clovis’s blood—all over the gun, all over the car, all over him…
Lelouch could take it no more, and ran for the bathroom, clutching a hand to his mouth. When he had finished—pale and shaking—dim violet eyes looking back into the mirror, narrowing sharply.
I can’t be like this…I can’t let this weakness get to me. It is as I told C.C.—I must be cold and merciless, without feeling. Without that, I cannot defeat Britannia.
I must crush all weakness and cast it aside. If I don’t…
Little did he know that C.C. peeked her head outside the door, and heard him retching before. “Thought so,” she had muttered to herself, before going back into his room.
“Still such a little boy,” she continued to muse. “He tries to act tough and big, but in the end, he is still the soft kid he once was.”
It was then that C.C. turned, as if someone invisible had spoken to her. “Ridiculous. I’m not trying to protect him in the least. It’s just annoying keeping track of two Geass recipients, that’s all.”
Lelouch…how dare he… Suzaku thought to himself, as he walked through the settlement.
How could have Lelouch demanded such a thing? How could he have just expected Suzaku to go along with his plan like a good little subordinate? Did Lelouch think that he was that easily swayed?
Somehow, though, Suzaku already knew the answer. It’s this…Calloused fingers reached up to touch the accursed eyelid. If it wasn’t for this…would Lelouch have asked me that abruptly?
Was that all Lelouch thought of their friendship? Was he only useful to him because of this power he had? If he didn’t possess it, would Lelouch have bothered?
Is that all I am to you, Lelouch? Just a pawn in some game you’re playing?
If that was the case, then after Lelouch’s outburst—he could still hear the words “You traitor, Kururugi!” ringing in his head—he would want nothing to do with him.
Suzaku had denied him and his great vision. Therefore, if all Lelouch wanted was someone useful to him, then there was no reason for them to ever speak again.
Fine, if that’s what he wants, Suzaku decided grudgingly. Then I won’t bother him.
Suzaku continued walking down the busy streets, barely noticing the Britannians rushing all around him. He had seen this same sight many times before. This was the world he lived in after all—a Japan ruled by Britannians. Though e called himself Honorary Britannian, he knew he didn’t fit in with them.
Pure blooded Britannians wanted nothing to do with an Eleven who had switched sides, after all. If they found out about his Honorary status, then he was treated like nothing more than a dog. A little better than how Britannians treated Elevens, he admitted—they treated them like dirt.
The people of his homeland—his people, though he threw them away—were forced to live in squalor, unless they gave up their citizenship; their pride—and bowed to Britannia, the ‘cruel barbarians’ that had succeeded in making Japan—proud Japan—their puppet state.
Lelouch had told him that he ‘served a country that wasn’t worth him’ and that was true—oh, was that true, Suzaku had seen with his own eyes—but what choice did he have?
Britannia needed to be changed. Something needed to be done. And he would do it. He already sacrificed his pride—he would sacrifice much more when he had the chance to finally do what he dreamed.
Yes, Kururugi Suzaku would be the selfless martyr—he would sacrifice everything he had for this one chance to change it and save Japan from this madness. Even if he was hated for it all the while—as long as people saw in the end what he was trying to do; and as long as he had made a difference—that was enough.
After all, you couldn’t change the world without sacrificing something. And Suzaku would sacrifice himself.
As Suzaku continued walking, he had noticed a few soldiers following him. Talking a small glance back, he noticed that they weren’t soldiers from the Honorary Britannian regiment that he was in—they were the ones that served the Purists.
The Purists—the ones that believed the Britannian army should only be composed of Britannians. So then, why would they care about him?
Knowing leading them on for longer would do no good, Suzaku stopped, turning back to face them. “What is it you people want with me?” he demanded, perhaps more harshly than he should have for a superior. “I’m off duty right now.”
From behind the two soldiers came another—an important looking Britannian officer. “Are you Kururugi Suzaku, the Honorary Britannian in the regiment composed of former Elevens?”
“I am.” What did they want? Suzaku didn’t particularly want to do anything for anyone right now.
“Then I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.” The two soldiers leveled their guns right at him.
“Wait…what for?” Suzaku didn’t even bother to speak formally to his superior now.
And, glaring back at him, the officer told him, “You, Kururugi Suzaku, are wanted on suspicion of murdering Prince Clovis!”
“Hey, did you hear? Prince Clovis was murdered!”
“Murdered? Our own Viceroy of Area 11? But how?”
“They say it was done by some Honorary Britannian.”
“Oh yeah, I heard about that…some Honorary Britannian who was the son of the former Japanese Prime Minister…”
“Yeah, that Kururugi Suzaku…”
“Damnit!” Lelouch slammed his fist into the wall the second he was back inside the clubhouse, after having to put up with that all day.
How could this have happened? They had left no evidence to be found! Clovis’s death was supposed to be a great mystery—a blow to the Britannians! Instead, they decided to set someone up to take the fall.
And they had chosen Suzaku! Of all people they had to choose, it had to be him!
This was the true side of Britannia; plain as day. Cold, calculating—always blaming someone else except for themselves—treating others like dirt!
This was why Britannia had to be destroyed! If this was how they were going to do business—
“You should have expected something like this,” C.C. told him with narrowed eyes as he slumped against the computer chair in his bedroom, having confirmed the news. “Of course they would need someone to take the fall, or let the people lose all faith in them.”
“But it wasn’t supposed to be him!”
“Once again, you’re nothing but a whiny little boy,” she narrowed her eyes. “But calm down. There’s got to be something you can do, right?”
Lelouch thought for a long moment. “Maybe there is…but it would be difficult…and I cannot do it alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” C.C. told him, her voice strangely assuring. “I will help you.”
“You’ll help me, Witch?” Lelouch asked skeptically.
“Of course,” she told him. “I have a contract with that boy. I cannot allow him to die. Besides, you said it yourself, didn’t you?” she smirked back. “We are accomplices.”
“Well, maybe that’s true,” Lelouch smirked back. “However, we need more than just two people…In order to pull this off, and do it right—I’d need a whole group…a group dedicated to the goal of destroying Britannia—
“And? Where will you find that?”
Once again, Lelouch was lost in thought. But then he remembered something…something he had found out a few months ago. At the time, he didn’t care—it didn’t directly affect him anyway. But now…
A smile slowly grew. Yes, that would do. It would do nicely.
“Sayoko,” Lelouch asked that night at dinner. “Might I have a word with you?”
The Japanese maid stared. “Of—of course, Lelouch-sama.”
“Onii-sama?” Nunnally asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing, Nunally.” Lelouch told him. “There’s just something I want to ask Sayoko. About her housekeeping and such, it’s nothing.”
“Allright, but don’t take too long doing it, Onii-sama, I still have to tell you about what happened today.”
“Of course.” And with that, Lelouch led Sayoko out into the hall.
“Tell me the truth, Lelouch-sama,” the maid demanded. “There is something wrong, isn’t there?”
“Just something I want to confirm, that’s all,” Lelouch told her. “I found this carelessly left between two couch cushion some time ago.” He held a slip of paper up to her—on it was several numbers, and a name, written in Japanese. The name read “Kaname Ougi”.
Sayoko suddenly spoke up, “Oh…Lelouch-sama, that’s nothing—just an old acquaintance—”
“I was curious, so I decided to look up this ‘Kaname Ougi’. And I discovered something interesting.” Lelouch suddenly switched to Japanese, in case someone could hear. “This man states he works in a company in the ghetto, but funny—this company hasn’t existed since before the war ten years ago. Also—he was known to be a great friend of Kouzuki Naoto—a known terrorist who was killed several months earlier. And that only leaves one conclusion—Kaname Ougi is a terrorist.”
The maid was very good at keeping her cover, Lelouch would give her that. “Oh my…I did not—he was just an old friend, so I would have never thought—I’ll be more careful in the future, I promise.”
“That’s not all of it, Sayoko,” Lelouch continued. “I happened to notice something strange as well—all the nights that there were terrorist attacks in the settlement, you were mysteriously missing at some point during that day—as if you had to rendezvous with someone, or had a certain meeting to attend, I don’t know. But how you knew your way around the Shinjuku ghetto the other day proves it. Sayoko—you yourself are involved with these terrorists, aren’t you?”
Sayoko now jerked back, the façade lost as she half reached for the kunai Lelouch knew she kept on her at all times. Yes, now she felt threatened. Those who were threatened were so easy to manipulate. “Are you—are you attempting to blackmail me, Lelouch-sama?”
“Ah, not at all…It’s just interesting to learn that our faithful Sayoko of all these years is actually a terrorist—”
At that moment, Sayoko grabbed his hand, holding him back as she drew one of the kunai, glaring hard. Lelouch was neither surprised nor worried. But she won’t kill me right away. After all, she is one of the most loyal people I have ever met—though she worked with the terrorists, she never once thought of harming me or Nunnally—this will be a piece of cake.
“Sayoko, I was not telling you these things in a threat, but merely as a way of confirming it.”
“Confirming it?” she repeated, skeptical.
“Yes. You know how much I despise Britannia, Sayoko, and yet I never had a chance to fully express my hatred. Perhaps I was thinking of joining these terrorists you serve.”
“J—joining us?” she stammered in disbelief.
“Why? Would having a Britannian on the team be a problem?”
“Well, it’s just—I never thought—Lelouch-sama, are you sure?”
“As sure as I ever was. Now tell me, is it possible?”
“Well, yes…I could introduce you—”
“Good. I’d like to be ‘introduced’ tomorrow, if you don’t mind—I have something planned that will make them trust me. Though I will be hiding my face because I know if they knew who I really was, it would be a problem.”
Sayoko was still too stunned to argue. “Well…yes…that would be…”
“Allright, give me a time for tomorrow, and I will show up. Thank you for it, Sayoko.” With that, he walked away, leaving the maid standing in the hallway.
She still won’t fully trust me…that is why it must be done in this way. In order for the terrorists to trust someone like me—someone who must hide their name and face—I will have to create a miracle.
Lelouch found his bedroom once more. Though I have no power within myself to create that miracle.
The hours of the night ticked by as Lelouch continued on his task. In order for this scheme to work, he would have to have an air of regalia. People always trust first impressions, after all. The cape was finished—now it was time for the main outfit. The mask he had custom-made—he would pick it up tomorrow morning.
The one who made it would have to forget all about it afterwards—It was a good thing he had C.C. on his side then, or he would have had to resort to killing the man to erase all evidence.
“Tell me something, Witch,” Lelouch asked her as he continued at his work.
“If it’s about you gaining the power of the Geass, then the answer is—”
“Not about that,” he spoke up at once. “Tell me about Suzaku’s geass.”
“His?”
“Yes. Everything you know about it. How it works—everything.”
C.C. thought a moment. “From what I can figure, his geass is only transmitted through direct eye contact—when he focuses his eye on a person, and then thinks a strong thought—a thought that he must believe is true—then that person will also come to believe that ‘truth’. That’s all I can figure, anyway.”
“He only needs to think it? He doesn’t need to speak this thought out loud?”
“Hmm…I don’t know about that one.”
“I see…so his weaknesses might be that he can only transmit thoughts he believe to be true, and direct eye contact…it doesn’t work if it is reflected in a mirror, either, since he was able to show me the geass the other night and I wasn’t affected...And since the thoughts he transmits affects your entire being, it’s not a one time thing.”
“Seems you have this all figured out. What for, I wonder?”
Lelouch sighed. “At this moment, Suzaku is not for me. Despite all this, he still wishes to serve Britannia. If he—If he ever ends up against me, then it is good to know all the weaknesses of your enemy.”
Lelouch then pricked his finger upon the needle, but didn’t allow himself to flinch. If he was to fight Suzaku, then he could not allow any weakness to show.
C.C. merely sighed, at that, and then rolled over in the bed to fall asleep.
“What is the meaning of this, Sayoko?” a small, yet fiery red-haired girl asked as they met in a dark corner of the ghetto. “I thought no new members were to be admitted without the permission of Ougi—”
“Quiet down, Karen,” said Ougi, as he turned back to the maid. “Are you sure of him?”
“He says he wants to join,” she told him. “He says he will give us a reason to trust him, and then there will be no more doubt.”
“Trust him? How can we trust someone we don’t even know—“
“That is because I will make you trust me,” came a voice from behind, speaking perfect Japanese. Turning, the terrorists saw someone come out of the darkness. The person was dressed in a strange manner—a full cape, and a dark mask, that covered their entire head. “I will show you a miracle, and then perhaps you will be willing to accept my membership.”
“A miracle?” the one called Tamaki laughed. “Right. Miracles don’t exist these days, mask-boy. By the way, what’s with the getup?”
“There would be trouble if some saw my face. After all, dead men are supposed to stay dead.”
“Dead?” the one called ‘Karen’s eyes lit up. “Have I…seen you somewhere before?”
“Hmm…” Come to think of it, that girl did look familiar, if only vaguely. “I can’t recall.”
The light faded. “Oh…”
“Still, what does that matter to us?” the leader, Ougi, told him. “If you’re around us—”
“If some of you saw my face, then I’m sure you wouldn’t trust me at all. But it isn’t faces you should trust in, but deeds. And I will give you a reason, tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow? What’s—”
“The trial of Kururugi Suzaku,” he told him. “Kururugi Suzaku will be taken to his trial that night—and a crowd of Britannian onlookers will all be cheering. There—in front of everyone—I will rescue Kururugi Suzaku.”
Karen was skeptical. “You will rescue him in front of everyone? That’s impossible! With security—”
“I said I will create a miracle. Now, will any of you help me? I need someone very capable of piloting a Knightmare Frame—that will be our getaway.”
There was silence from the terrorists for a long time. Of course there was—he was asking them to partake in a risky operation from a person who they had no faith in at all. Finally, Karen spoke up, “I’ll do it.”
“What? Karen—”
“I’m the best Knightmare pilot in the resistance!” she spoke back. “Besides—this man says he will show us a miracle. And if that’s true, I want to see the miracle for myself, with my own eyes.”
“I’m glad to have your assistance then, Karen-san.”
She turned sharply back to the man in the mask. “Kouzuki. Kouzuki Karen, to you. And don’t get me wrong, whoever you are. I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you. However, if you can create miracles, then I want to see what lies behind them—be it money or just plain influence. But you may trust me on this; if you betray us, then I will kill you.”
“I don’t doubt it. But you realize if I break my word, then I am dead as well. I have no reason to betray you.”
“Really? And why is that?”
“You’ll see soon enough,” he told them vaguely. “For now, I need your assistance if our operation is to continue smoothly. For all of those not participating, could you help me by constructing this,” he handed them the blueprints. “This will ensure that the Britannians don’t shoot us on sight.”
“Hmm…you’ve thought this all out…”
“Ougi, don’t trust him! He’s an outsider, you know—”
“Be quiet, Tamaki.”
Karen’s eyes narrowed. “One more thing. How can you expect us to trust you when you haven’t even told us your name?”
“Ah, forgive me. My name is…Zero.”
“Zero?” gasped several as the mask man on top of the oncoming car revealed himself.
Suzaku as well wondered who this man was, and what were they thinking interrupting this. He had already resigned himself to his fate—no one would come and save him now, not when he was the perfect scapegoat for all this. Even though he knew he did not kill Prince Clovis…maybe the truth would come out eventually. He would be made a martyr—and perhaps give physical evidence to aid Japan’s cause.
Even if this was to be his end, maybe in death he could do some good. That’s all he cared about.
So why was this man interrupting this if everyone else had decided that he was guilty by default?
The one called Zero presented Lord Jeremiah with a reason not to fire at once—the poison gas capsule from Shinjuku.
But Suzaku knew the truth. There was nothing in that capsule, was there? That was it—he was using a bluff to try to convince them not to fire at once! A dirty tactic, and what did he hope to achieve from it? So they wouldn’t fire at once, but once they had their hands on that capsule they wouldn’t think twice about it, would they?
“I’d like to propose an exchange, Jeremiah,” Zero told him. “I’ll give you this…if you give me Kururugi.”
Even Suzaku physically gasped out loud. What? Someone was bothering to…No…who would bother to lift a finger to save him? Even if he was innocent, who would care enough to try to save Kururugi Suzaku from his inevitable fate? Britannians didn’t give one shit about him, and the Japanese—well, he had thrown away his country, hadn’t he?
But…if someone had to save him, the only nationality they could be was Japanese, wasn’t it? He was an Eleven to the Britannians. Perhaps to some Japanese, he was still one of them.
Suzaku wanted to say something—anything—talk to this man and find out what his reasons were. Why would someone bother to save him? Why did this Zero care at all? He wanted so desperately to know—pity they had equipped him with a collar that shocked him if he tried to talk.
Zero…I have to know…
“We can’t just hand Kururugi over to you!” Lord Jeremiah yelled back. “This man is under arrest for suspicion of killing Prince Clovis!”
“No, you’re wrong, Jeremiah,” Zero seemed to laugh slightly as he said it. “The one that killed Prince Clovis…was I!”
What? Suzaku could hardly believe it. Was it…was it true? Did Zero really kill Prince Clovis? So why would he go all this way to admit it and try to save him in the process? Wouldn’t it be better if he just tried to get away?
He didn’t understand. Maybe he never would. But if he had a chance to talk to Zero, maybe he would find out. No one ever gave a damn about him—not even his old friend—so what right did this Zero have—
“You are insane!” Jeremiah gasped, leveling his gun at Zero. “I won’t let you have your way—!” He signaled for the Sutherlands to fire, but once again, Zero had a plan.
“Are you sure you want to do this? There are many things I know about you, Lord Jeremiah. Many things, especially about that, Orange.”
A collective gasp was heard all around. “Orange? What is that? Something that Lord Jeremiah would want to cover up?”
“What are you—” he gasped, but Zero cut him off.
“If you kill me or Kururugi Suzaku, then you will regret it. I will expose the truth of it all, Orange. Will your precious Pureblood Faction support you then?”
“I don’t—”
“Now then, about the exchange,” Zero signaled for the truck they had gotten somewhere to move closer. “You do realize that if it hadn’t been Kururugi Suzaku, any other Eleven would have suffered.” Zero looked right at Suzaku. “Yes…someone else who was innocent would have been sacrificed instead of him.”
Green eyes widened. Zero…he…no…it isn’t…
“Besides, we have just concluded that Kururugi Suzaku is innocent, have we not? You wouldn’t want to be keeping someone whom you know is rightfully innocent under custody, would you? The Britannians around you are in danger here, so it would be in your best interests if you believed it was right to let us all go.”
Now Suzaku understood. Lelouch…it really is you…Only Lelouch could have known to give him that hint.
So that was his plan. He wanted Suzaku to use his geass to get them all released! But…that was wrong! Damn him, Lelouch! He wanted him to use the thing he hated in order to save himself! How dare he—
Zero was waiting. All waited for the inevitable.
Anger boiled up in Suzaku as he weighed his options. Lelouch, did you really kill Prince Clovis? Or is it a bluff again? Why are you bothering to try to save me, I didn’t ask for—
But there were innocents here. If he didn’t…they would all suffer…And Lelouch—Zero—he wanted to ask him; he wanted to know why…
Gritting his teeth, Suzaku thought one last time, Damn you, Lelouch…I’ll never forgive you for this!
And that was when he started coughing.
“What? Is there something wrong with the prisoner?” Jeremiah asked, turning towards Suzaku. “Did that Zero do something to him?”
And then the geass activated.
We are all innocent in this, and we deserve to be set free, right now.
It only took a second for the geass to take effect. “I see…so all of them really are innocent…”
Viletta, another pilot behind him gasped, “Jeremiah, what is the meaning of this?”
“We’ve captured the wrong person!” he proclaimed. “And he should be set free, at this very instant!”
“Lord Jeremiah—!”
But he did not listen to her. He could not, with the geass fully activated. Suzaku found himself released and free to walk to Zero, despite protests from the crowd.
Meeting up with him, Suzaku’s eyes narrowed and he muttered, “Lelou—” That was as far as he got before the shock collar activated again.
“Don’t worry about it, we’ll talk later,” he muttered back, just as C.C.—green hair rolled up under a hat to hide her identity—came out of the truck that had been driven.
“I just saw the signal,” she told him, and Lelouch nodded.
“It’s time.” With that he pressed a single button, and gas (poison gas?) streamed out of the capsule.
“Hey—!” But Suzaku had not time to protest as Zero grabbed him and they headed towards their escape—jumping off the bridge they had been on. A tarp had been set up, and there they were met with a girl named Karen and her Knightmare, clearing the way back to the ghetto for them.
It wasn’t until they had all safely escaped and were truly alone that Lelouch removed Suzaku’s shock collar, and with good reason.
“What the Hell was that all about, Lelouch?” Suzaku roared at him in Japanese. “I never asked you for—”
“Idiot, I wasn’t about to let you die for something you didn’t do!” Lelouch yelled back, removing his Zero mask now that they were safe in the back of a truck C.C. had stolen to get them back to Ashford.
“I didn’t do…? So, did you really kill Prince Clovis, Lelouch?” Lelouch said nothing. “Answer me, damnit!”
Sighing, he admitted, “Yes, I did kill Prince Clovis…His Highness decided to pay a visit to Ashford, and he found out about me and Nunnally. If I hadn’t—”
“So what, you’re secret was out? And that’s all it was for you to decide to—You’re—You’re sick, Lelouch!”
“If I hadn’t killed him, then Nunnally and I would surely be shipped off to different parts of the empire by now! Besides—in the moment that I did kill him, I didn’t mean to do it—the gun went off by accident, before I could find out the most important piece of information!”
“Oh, so an accidental killing makes it all better? You’re still a murderer!”
“Yes I am, Suzaku. A murderer that just saved your life!”
“Who saved my life, Lelouch? I was the one that had to use my curse! Damnit, I didn’t ask to be saved, Lelouch! I didn’t want to use this power again, and yet you made me—”
“Don’t you get it, Suzaku!” Lelouch roared, slamming his fist against the inside of the truck. “I didn’t want to see you die! If I had a choice, I would do it over again, and again, and again! It doesn’t matter what happened to you, Suzaku, you’re still my best friend from seven years ago!”
That caused Suzaku to stop. After before…he thought Lelouch had hated him…that all Lelouch had intended was for Suzaku to be his pawn in a little game of war, but… “So you saved me…even though I said I wouldn’t help you—”
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter even if you want to walk away right now and be my enemy, Suzaku. I still would have saved you, because you’re my friend.”
Was he lying? Was he telling the truth? Suzaku didn’t know but…even still, those words moved him. He was a hated Honorary Britannian. The Britannians treated him like dirt and the Japanese hated him for throwing away his nation. Everyone looked down and despised Suzaku Kururugi, and yet…
Suzaku sighed. “Lelouch, I’ve been thinking…about what you said before.”
“Hmm?”
“I understand that Britannia is rotten. I know if it hadn’t been me, there would have been another innocent in my place. The Japanese are persecuted in their homeland…and it makes me sick. I don’t…I don’t want to live in it and not do anything.”
Violet eyes lightened up. “So…you’ll…”
“I’m not going to be joining any rebellion, Lelouch,” Suzaku told him straight. “But I know what I wish to achieve…I can’t do it on my own. So I have a proposal for you. If I rescue an important person—achieve great military victories and the like, I will gain promotion, Honorary Britannian or not. Since you now are connected to the terrorists, what if you were to use them to help me—have set ups that help me gain some actual attention from the military.”
“What? Betray the terrorists to you—”
“Not like that. Have them kidnap an important person, I come rushing in, save them, and let your terrorists get away to fight another day. Even so, in rescuing that person—I will have achieved what I needed. Once I get high enough, then it will be simpler to do such tasks, but right now, at the bottom.”
Lelouch weighed his options. “So we’ll be working together—me in making these set-ups and you in letting the terrorists go at the last minute to use them again. You’d be fooling the Britannian Army, and I’d be fooling the terrorists. We’d both be betraying the world—”
“But by your logic, don’t the ends justify the means? No one will die if we do this right. I will be saving lives rather than taking them. And once I become Knight of One and take Japan in—everything will be better for the Japanese, and you and Nunnally will have a safe place to live. Everything we both want will be achieved.”
It was a long moment Lelouch thought. He hated the thought before of having to fight Suzaku—having his best friend as his greatest enemy and yet…his pride smarted at the thought of working under Suzaku…no true rebellion, just a set up to allow Suzaku to shine! He wanted so badly to overthrow Britannia, to cut out the canker that poisoned the world, and yet he would be helping Britannia in the end! He hated that thought, he wanted nothing to do with the plan, and yet…
The thought of fighting Suzaku pulled at his heart even worse. If Suzaku wasn’t his friend, then Suzaku was determined to be his enemy. And that was…
There was no other choice.
Smiling, Lelouch extended a hand to Suzaku. “Together, Suzaku, we can achieve anything.”
Suzaku took it, smile on his face as well. “Even if the entire world is against us—we will be able to do it.”
“Hmm…so this ‘Zero’ was the one that interrupted the transfer of Kururugi Suzaku?” she asked, violet eyes narrowing at the video footage.
“Yes, Your Highness. We know nothing about this person—only that he had a certain interest in freeing Kururugi Suzaku—”
“Well, learn more about him. Learn everything you can before I arrive in Area 11. I won’t have a known terrorist running around on my watch!”
“Yes, Your Highness Cornelia.”
Turning away, Cornelia looked at the person standing behind her. “You hear that, Euphie? I will be going to Area 11 soon. You will join me a week after I arrive.”
The pink haired Euphie nodded. “Of course, Onee-sama. Have a safe trip.”
Cornelia smiled. “And to you as well. But remember, Euphie, once you arrive in Area 11, things will be more dangerous. You can’t trust any of the Elevens—stay around Britannian only areas. Do I make myself clear?”
“Of course, Onee-sama. I won’t disobey you.”
“Well then, I hope Zero hears the news of my arrival the second I come. I wish to challenge him at once, because mark my words—Cornelia li Britannia won’t let a known terrorist walk free!”
Chapter 4 here.
Zero!Lelouch and Suzaku working together was the whole REASON I wanted to do this fanfic in the first place. :3 But don't worry, the trainwreck will explode into a billion pieces soon enough.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: LelouchxC.C., SuzaEuphie, (implied) Suzalulu
summary: So, what would have happened if Suzaku had received the Geass in Stage 1 instead of Lelouch? MOAR ANGST, is what!
Chapter 1 here.
'Kallen' is 'Karen' in this chapter because I think the terrorists would have referred to her by her birthname. IMO, 'Kallen' just isn't Japanese enough.
Also, this chapter is dedicated to that Luluko I met at Anime USA, because she told me to hurry up on this chapter because she liked my fanfic. :3 Thanks for the encouragement!
“I’m impressed.”
“By what, Witch?”
“The fact that you seem so calm after all of this.”
Lelouch glared and looked up from his laptop, where he was scouring all news sites for reports of Clovis’s murder. “So…calm?”
“Uhmm,” C.C. nodded, unable to say the words over the mouthful of pizza. Swallowing, she said, “That you’re so calm after it. Your first murder.”
She better not have noticed that his heart skipped a single beat. “Of course I’m calm,” he told her, turning away. “If I am to destroy Britannia in the future, then I will have to be merciless.”
“Merciless?” she mocked. “Any human that can take a life and feel nothing is mad…or not human at all.”
“Well, then maybe I am mad, Witch.” He went back to typing at his laptop. “And shouldn’t you be worried then? Living off the hospitality of a mad man.”
C.C. couldn’t help but smirk at that. “If you are not sane, Lelouch, then I am the same. You can’t help dispose of a body and not feel anything if you are sane…but then again, I am also not human.”
“Hmph. Everyone is insane to some extent,” Lelouch told her, casually flicking through more articles. “Everyone has to be a little mad to willingly live in a world like this.”
“I was right,” C.C. chuckled to herself, grabbing another slice of pizza. “You are much more interesting than the other one.”
“Is that why you’re still hanging around?”
“Well, that, and I did help you last night. I guess that makes us accomplices.”
“I suppose so, Witch. Tsk,” he muttered, annoyed, turning off the computer. “There’s nothing here.”
“You only killed Clovis last night. These things take time.”
“Still, I have to know what Britannia makes of it in order to better plan my next move. In any case,” he stood up. “There’s nothing more I can do now. I might as well go report to the Student Council.”
“Going to class for once?”
“Hmph. I went to class a lot more before you showed up, Witch.” And with that, Lelouch left the room, door sliding behind him.
The second Lelouch was back in the hallway and the door had completely shut, he stepped back to lean up against the wall.
He touched his forehead. Sweat. His heart still pounded. Though he tried to remain calm—no, she didn’t catch on, did she? He was perfect! Perfect, but…
Blood. He could still see it—still smell it. Clovis’s blood—all over the gun, all over the car, all over him…
Lelouch could take it no more, and ran for the bathroom, clutching a hand to his mouth. When he had finished—pale and shaking—dim violet eyes looking back into the mirror, narrowing sharply.
I can’t be like this…I can’t let this weakness get to me. It is as I told C.C.—I must be cold and merciless, without feeling. Without that, I cannot defeat Britannia.
I must crush all weakness and cast it aside. If I don’t…
Little did he know that C.C. peeked her head outside the door, and heard him retching before. “Thought so,” she had muttered to herself, before going back into his room.
“Still such a little boy,” she continued to muse. “He tries to act tough and big, but in the end, he is still the soft kid he once was.”
It was then that C.C. turned, as if someone invisible had spoken to her. “Ridiculous. I’m not trying to protect him in the least. It’s just annoying keeping track of two Geass recipients, that’s all.”
Lelouch…how dare he… Suzaku thought to himself, as he walked through the settlement.
How could have Lelouch demanded such a thing? How could he have just expected Suzaku to go along with his plan like a good little subordinate? Did Lelouch think that he was that easily swayed?
Somehow, though, Suzaku already knew the answer. It’s this…Calloused fingers reached up to touch the accursed eyelid. If it wasn’t for this…would Lelouch have asked me that abruptly?
Was that all Lelouch thought of their friendship? Was he only useful to him because of this power he had? If he didn’t possess it, would Lelouch have bothered?
Is that all I am to you, Lelouch? Just a pawn in some game you’re playing?
If that was the case, then after Lelouch’s outburst—he could still hear the words “You traitor, Kururugi!” ringing in his head—he would want nothing to do with him.
Suzaku had denied him and his great vision. Therefore, if all Lelouch wanted was someone useful to him, then there was no reason for them to ever speak again.
Fine, if that’s what he wants, Suzaku decided grudgingly. Then I won’t bother him.
Suzaku continued walking down the busy streets, barely noticing the Britannians rushing all around him. He had seen this same sight many times before. This was the world he lived in after all—a Japan ruled by Britannians. Though e called himself Honorary Britannian, he knew he didn’t fit in with them.
Pure blooded Britannians wanted nothing to do with an Eleven who had switched sides, after all. If they found out about his Honorary status, then he was treated like nothing more than a dog. A little better than how Britannians treated Elevens, he admitted—they treated them like dirt.
The people of his homeland—his people, though he threw them away—were forced to live in squalor, unless they gave up their citizenship; their pride—and bowed to Britannia, the ‘cruel barbarians’ that had succeeded in making Japan—proud Japan—their puppet state.
Lelouch had told him that he ‘served a country that wasn’t worth him’ and that was true—oh, was that true, Suzaku had seen with his own eyes—but what choice did he have?
Britannia needed to be changed. Something needed to be done. And he would do it. He already sacrificed his pride—he would sacrifice much more when he had the chance to finally do what he dreamed.
Yes, Kururugi Suzaku would be the selfless martyr—he would sacrifice everything he had for this one chance to change it and save Japan from this madness. Even if he was hated for it all the while—as long as people saw in the end what he was trying to do; and as long as he had made a difference—that was enough.
After all, you couldn’t change the world without sacrificing something. And Suzaku would sacrifice himself.
As Suzaku continued walking, he had noticed a few soldiers following him. Talking a small glance back, he noticed that they weren’t soldiers from the Honorary Britannian regiment that he was in—they were the ones that served the Purists.
The Purists—the ones that believed the Britannian army should only be composed of Britannians. So then, why would they care about him?
Knowing leading them on for longer would do no good, Suzaku stopped, turning back to face them. “What is it you people want with me?” he demanded, perhaps more harshly than he should have for a superior. “I’m off duty right now.”
From behind the two soldiers came another—an important looking Britannian officer. “Are you Kururugi Suzaku, the Honorary Britannian in the regiment composed of former Elevens?”
“I am.” What did they want? Suzaku didn’t particularly want to do anything for anyone right now.
“Then I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.” The two soldiers leveled their guns right at him.
“Wait…what for?” Suzaku didn’t even bother to speak formally to his superior now.
And, glaring back at him, the officer told him, “You, Kururugi Suzaku, are wanted on suspicion of murdering Prince Clovis!”
“Hey, did you hear? Prince Clovis was murdered!”
“Murdered? Our own Viceroy of Area 11? But how?”
“They say it was done by some Honorary Britannian.”
“Oh yeah, I heard about that…some Honorary Britannian who was the son of the former Japanese Prime Minister…”
“Yeah, that Kururugi Suzaku…”
“Damnit!” Lelouch slammed his fist into the wall the second he was back inside the clubhouse, after having to put up with that all day.
How could this have happened? They had left no evidence to be found! Clovis’s death was supposed to be a great mystery—a blow to the Britannians! Instead, they decided to set someone up to take the fall.
And they had chosen Suzaku! Of all people they had to choose, it had to be him!
This was the true side of Britannia; plain as day. Cold, calculating—always blaming someone else except for themselves—treating others like dirt!
This was why Britannia had to be destroyed! If this was how they were going to do business—
“You should have expected something like this,” C.C. told him with narrowed eyes as he slumped against the computer chair in his bedroom, having confirmed the news. “Of course they would need someone to take the fall, or let the people lose all faith in them.”
“But it wasn’t supposed to be him!”
“Once again, you’re nothing but a whiny little boy,” she narrowed her eyes. “But calm down. There’s got to be something you can do, right?”
Lelouch thought for a long moment. “Maybe there is…but it would be difficult…and I cannot do it alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” C.C. told him, her voice strangely assuring. “I will help you.”
“You’ll help me, Witch?” Lelouch asked skeptically.
“Of course,” she told him. “I have a contract with that boy. I cannot allow him to die. Besides, you said it yourself, didn’t you?” she smirked back. “We are accomplices.”
“Well, maybe that’s true,” Lelouch smirked back. “However, we need more than just two people…In order to pull this off, and do it right—I’d need a whole group…a group dedicated to the goal of destroying Britannia—
“And? Where will you find that?”
Once again, Lelouch was lost in thought. But then he remembered something…something he had found out a few months ago. At the time, he didn’t care—it didn’t directly affect him anyway. But now…
A smile slowly grew. Yes, that would do. It would do nicely.
“Sayoko,” Lelouch asked that night at dinner. “Might I have a word with you?”
The Japanese maid stared. “Of—of course, Lelouch-sama.”
“Onii-sama?” Nunnally asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing, Nunally.” Lelouch told him. “There’s just something I want to ask Sayoko. About her housekeeping and such, it’s nothing.”
“Allright, but don’t take too long doing it, Onii-sama, I still have to tell you about what happened today.”
“Of course.” And with that, Lelouch led Sayoko out into the hall.
“Tell me the truth, Lelouch-sama,” the maid demanded. “There is something wrong, isn’t there?”
“Just something I want to confirm, that’s all,” Lelouch told her. “I found this carelessly left between two couch cushion some time ago.” He held a slip of paper up to her—on it was several numbers, and a name, written in Japanese. The name read “Kaname Ougi”.
Sayoko suddenly spoke up, “Oh…Lelouch-sama, that’s nothing—just an old acquaintance—”
“I was curious, so I decided to look up this ‘Kaname Ougi’. And I discovered something interesting.” Lelouch suddenly switched to Japanese, in case someone could hear. “This man states he works in a company in the ghetto, but funny—this company hasn’t existed since before the war ten years ago. Also—he was known to be a great friend of Kouzuki Naoto—a known terrorist who was killed several months earlier. And that only leaves one conclusion—Kaname Ougi is a terrorist.”
The maid was very good at keeping her cover, Lelouch would give her that. “Oh my…I did not—he was just an old friend, so I would have never thought—I’ll be more careful in the future, I promise.”
“That’s not all of it, Sayoko,” Lelouch continued. “I happened to notice something strange as well—all the nights that there were terrorist attacks in the settlement, you were mysteriously missing at some point during that day—as if you had to rendezvous with someone, or had a certain meeting to attend, I don’t know. But how you knew your way around the Shinjuku ghetto the other day proves it. Sayoko—you yourself are involved with these terrorists, aren’t you?”
Sayoko now jerked back, the façade lost as she half reached for the kunai Lelouch knew she kept on her at all times. Yes, now she felt threatened. Those who were threatened were so easy to manipulate. “Are you—are you attempting to blackmail me, Lelouch-sama?”
“Ah, not at all…It’s just interesting to learn that our faithful Sayoko of all these years is actually a terrorist—”
At that moment, Sayoko grabbed his hand, holding him back as she drew one of the kunai, glaring hard. Lelouch was neither surprised nor worried. But she won’t kill me right away. After all, she is one of the most loyal people I have ever met—though she worked with the terrorists, she never once thought of harming me or Nunnally—this will be a piece of cake.
“Sayoko, I was not telling you these things in a threat, but merely as a way of confirming it.”
“Confirming it?” she repeated, skeptical.
“Yes. You know how much I despise Britannia, Sayoko, and yet I never had a chance to fully express my hatred. Perhaps I was thinking of joining these terrorists you serve.”
“J—joining us?” she stammered in disbelief.
“Why? Would having a Britannian on the team be a problem?”
“Well, it’s just—I never thought—Lelouch-sama, are you sure?”
“As sure as I ever was. Now tell me, is it possible?”
“Well, yes…I could introduce you—”
“Good. I’d like to be ‘introduced’ tomorrow, if you don’t mind—I have something planned that will make them trust me. Though I will be hiding my face because I know if they knew who I really was, it would be a problem.”
Sayoko was still too stunned to argue. “Well…yes…that would be…”
“Allright, give me a time for tomorrow, and I will show up. Thank you for it, Sayoko.” With that, he walked away, leaving the maid standing in the hallway.
She still won’t fully trust me…that is why it must be done in this way. In order for the terrorists to trust someone like me—someone who must hide their name and face—I will have to create a miracle.
Lelouch found his bedroom once more. Though I have no power within myself to create that miracle.
The hours of the night ticked by as Lelouch continued on his task. In order for this scheme to work, he would have to have an air of regalia. People always trust first impressions, after all. The cape was finished—now it was time for the main outfit. The mask he had custom-made—he would pick it up tomorrow morning.
The one who made it would have to forget all about it afterwards—It was a good thing he had C.C. on his side then, or he would have had to resort to killing the man to erase all evidence.
“Tell me something, Witch,” Lelouch asked her as he continued at his work.
“If it’s about you gaining the power of the Geass, then the answer is—”
“Not about that,” he spoke up at once. “Tell me about Suzaku’s geass.”
“His?”
“Yes. Everything you know about it. How it works—everything.”
C.C. thought a moment. “From what I can figure, his geass is only transmitted through direct eye contact—when he focuses his eye on a person, and then thinks a strong thought—a thought that he must believe is true—then that person will also come to believe that ‘truth’. That’s all I can figure, anyway.”
“He only needs to think it? He doesn’t need to speak this thought out loud?”
“Hmm…I don’t know about that one.”
“I see…so his weaknesses might be that he can only transmit thoughts he believe to be true, and direct eye contact…it doesn’t work if it is reflected in a mirror, either, since he was able to show me the geass the other night and I wasn’t affected...And since the thoughts he transmits affects your entire being, it’s not a one time thing.”
“Seems you have this all figured out. What for, I wonder?”
Lelouch sighed. “At this moment, Suzaku is not for me. Despite all this, he still wishes to serve Britannia. If he—If he ever ends up against me, then it is good to know all the weaknesses of your enemy.”
Lelouch then pricked his finger upon the needle, but didn’t allow himself to flinch. If he was to fight Suzaku, then he could not allow any weakness to show.
C.C. merely sighed, at that, and then rolled over in the bed to fall asleep.
“What is the meaning of this, Sayoko?” a small, yet fiery red-haired girl asked as they met in a dark corner of the ghetto. “I thought no new members were to be admitted without the permission of Ougi—”
“Quiet down, Karen,” said Ougi, as he turned back to the maid. “Are you sure of him?”
“He says he wants to join,” she told him. “He says he will give us a reason to trust him, and then there will be no more doubt.”
“Trust him? How can we trust someone we don’t even know—“
“That is because I will make you trust me,” came a voice from behind, speaking perfect Japanese. Turning, the terrorists saw someone come out of the darkness. The person was dressed in a strange manner—a full cape, and a dark mask, that covered their entire head. “I will show you a miracle, and then perhaps you will be willing to accept my membership.”
“A miracle?” the one called Tamaki laughed. “Right. Miracles don’t exist these days, mask-boy. By the way, what’s with the getup?”
“There would be trouble if some saw my face. After all, dead men are supposed to stay dead.”
“Dead?” the one called ‘Karen’s eyes lit up. “Have I…seen you somewhere before?”
“Hmm…” Come to think of it, that girl did look familiar, if only vaguely. “I can’t recall.”
The light faded. “Oh…”
“Still, what does that matter to us?” the leader, Ougi, told him. “If you’re around us—”
“If some of you saw my face, then I’m sure you wouldn’t trust me at all. But it isn’t faces you should trust in, but deeds. And I will give you a reason, tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow? What’s—”
“The trial of Kururugi Suzaku,” he told him. “Kururugi Suzaku will be taken to his trial that night—and a crowd of Britannian onlookers will all be cheering. There—in front of everyone—I will rescue Kururugi Suzaku.”
Karen was skeptical. “You will rescue him in front of everyone? That’s impossible! With security—”
“I said I will create a miracle. Now, will any of you help me? I need someone very capable of piloting a Knightmare Frame—that will be our getaway.”
There was silence from the terrorists for a long time. Of course there was—he was asking them to partake in a risky operation from a person who they had no faith in at all. Finally, Karen spoke up, “I’ll do it.”
“What? Karen—”
“I’m the best Knightmare pilot in the resistance!” she spoke back. “Besides—this man says he will show us a miracle. And if that’s true, I want to see the miracle for myself, with my own eyes.”
“I’m glad to have your assistance then, Karen-san.”
She turned sharply back to the man in the mask. “Kouzuki. Kouzuki Karen, to you. And don’t get me wrong, whoever you are. I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you. However, if you can create miracles, then I want to see what lies behind them—be it money or just plain influence. But you may trust me on this; if you betray us, then I will kill you.”
“I don’t doubt it. But you realize if I break my word, then I am dead as well. I have no reason to betray you.”
“Really? And why is that?”
“You’ll see soon enough,” he told them vaguely. “For now, I need your assistance if our operation is to continue smoothly. For all of those not participating, could you help me by constructing this,” he handed them the blueprints. “This will ensure that the Britannians don’t shoot us on sight.”
“Hmm…you’ve thought this all out…”
“Ougi, don’t trust him! He’s an outsider, you know—”
“Be quiet, Tamaki.”
Karen’s eyes narrowed. “One more thing. How can you expect us to trust you when you haven’t even told us your name?”
“Ah, forgive me. My name is…Zero.”
“Zero?” gasped several as the mask man on top of the oncoming car revealed himself.
Suzaku as well wondered who this man was, and what were they thinking interrupting this. He had already resigned himself to his fate—no one would come and save him now, not when he was the perfect scapegoat for all this. Even though he knew he did not kill Prince Clovis…maybe the truth would come out eventually. He would be made a martyr—and perhaps give physical evidence to aid Japan’s cause.
Even if this was to be his end, maybe in death he could do some good. That’s all he cared about.
So why was this man interrupting this if everyone else had decided that he was guilty by default?
The one called Zero presented Lord Jeremiah with a reason not to fire at once—the poison gas capsule from Shinjuku.
But Suzaku knew the truth. There was nothing in that capsule, was there? That was it—he was using a bluff to try to convince them not to fire at once! A dirty tactic, and what did he hope to achieve from it? So they wouldn’t fire at once, but once they had their hands on that capsule they wouldn’t think twice about it, would they?
“I’d like to propose an exchange, Jeremiah,” Zero told him. “I’ll give you this…if you give me Kururugi.”
Even Suzaku physically gasped out loud. What? Someone was bothering to…No…who would bother to lift a finger to save him? Even if he was innocent, who would care enough to try to save Kururugi Suzaku from his inevitable fate? Britannians didn’t give one shit about him, and the Japanese—well, he had thrown away his country, hadn’t he?
But…if someone had to save him, the only nationality they could be was Japanese, wasn’t it? He was an Eleven to the Britannians. Perhaps to some Japanese, he was still one of them.
Suzaku wanted to say something—anything—talk to this man and find out what his reasons were. Why would someone bother to save him? Why did this Zero care at all? He wanted so desperately to know—pity they had equipped him with a collar that shocked him if he tried to talk.
Zero…I have to know…
“We can’t just hand Kururugi over to you!” Lord Jeremiah yelled back. “This man is under arrest for suspicion of killing Prince Clovis!”
“No, you’re wrong, Jeremiah,” Zero seemed to laugh slightly as he said it. “The one that killed Prince Clovis…was I!”
What? Suzaku could hardly believe it. Was it…was it true? Did Zero really kill Prince Clovis? So why would he go all this way to admit it and try to save him in the process? Wouldn’t it be better if he just tried to get away?
He didn’t understand. Maybe he never would. But if he had a chance to talk to Zero, maybe he would find out. No one ever gave a damn about him—not even his old friend—so what right did this Zero have—
“You are insane!” Jeremiah gasped, leveling his gun at Zero. “I won’t let you have your way—!” He signaled for the Sutherlands to fire, but once again, Zero had a plan.
“Are you sure you want to do this? There are many things I know about you, Lord Jeremiah. Many things, especially about that, Orange.”
A collective gasp was heard all around. “Orange? What is that? Something that Lord Jeremiah would want to cover up?”
“What are you—” he gasped, but Zero cut him off.
“If you kill me or Kururugi Suzaku, then you will regret it. I will expose the truth of it all, Orange. Will your precious Pureblood Faction support you then?”
“I don’t—”
“Now then, about the exchange,” Zero signaled for the truck they had gotten somewhere to move closer. “You do realize that if it hadn’t been Kururugi Suzaku, any other Eleven would have suffered.” Zero looked right at Suzaku. “Yes…someone else who was innocent would have been sacrificed instead of him.”
Green eyes widened. Zero…he…no…it isn’t…
“Besides, we have just concluded that Kururugi Suzaku is innocent, have we not? You wouldn’t want to be keeping someone whom you know is rightfully innocent under custody, would you? The Britannians around you are in danger here, so it would be in your best interests if you believed it was right to let us all go.”
Now Suzaku understood. Lelouch…it really is you…Only Lelouch could have known to give him that hint.
So that was his plan. He wanted Suzaku to use his geass to get them all released! But…that was wrong! Damn him, Lelouch! He wanted him to use the thing he hated in order to save himself! How dare he—
Zero was waiting. All waited for the inevitable.
Anger boiled up in Suzaku as he weighed his options. Lelouch, did you really kill Prince Clovis? Or is it a bluff again? Why are you bothering to try to save me, I didn’t ask for—
But there were innocents here. If he didn’t…they would all suffer…And Lelouch—Zero—he wanted to ask him; he wanted to know why…
Gritting his teeth, Suzaku thought one last time, Damn you, Lelouch…I’ll never forgive you for this!
And that was when he started coughing.
“What? Is there something wrong with the prisoner?” Jeremiah asked, turning towards Suzaku. “Did that Zero do something to him?”
And then the geass activated.
We are all innocent in this, and we deserve to be set free, right now.
It only took a second for the geass to take effect. “I see…so all of them really are innocent…”
Viletta, another pilot behind him gasped, “Jeremiah, what is the meaning of this?”
“We’ve captured the wrong person!” he proclaimed. “And he should be set free, at this very instant!”
“Lord Jeremiah—!”
But he did not listen to her. He could not, with the geass fully activated. Suzaku found himself released and free to walk to Zero, despite protests from the crowd.
Meeting up with him, Suzaku’s eyes narrowed and he muttered, “Lelou—” That was as far as he got before the shock collar activated again.
“Don’t worry about it, we’ll talk later,” he muttered back, just as C.C.—green hair rolled up under a hat to hide her identity—came out of the truck that had been driven.
“I just saw the signal,” she told him, and Lelouch nodded.
“It’s time.” With that he pressed a single button, and gas (poison gas?) streamed out of the capsule.
“Hey—!” But Suzaku had not time to protest as Zero grabbed him and they headed towards their escape—jumping off the bridge they had been on. A tarp had been set up, and there they were met with a girl named Karen and her Knightmare, clearing the way back to the ghetto for them.
It wasn’t until they had all safely escaped and were truly alone that Lelouch removed Suzaku’s shock collar, and with good reason.
“What the Hell was that all about, Lelouch?” Suzaku roared at him in Japanese. “I never asked you for—”
“Idiot, I wasn’t about to let you die for something you didn’t do!” Lelouch yelled back, removing his Zero mask now that they were safe in the back of a truck C.C. had stolen to get them back to Ashford.
“I didn’t do…? So, did you really kill Prince Clovis, Lelouch?” Lelouch said nothing. “Answer me, damnit!”
Sighing, he admitted, “Yes, I did kill Prince Clovis…His Highness decided to pay a visit to Ashford, and he found out about me and Nunnally. If I hadn’t—”
“So what, you’re secret was out? And that’s all it was for you to decide to—You’re—You’re sick, Lelouch!”
“If I hadn’t killed him, then Nunnally and I would surely be shipped off to different parts of the empire by now! Besides—in the moment that I did kill him, I didn’t mean to do it—the gun went off by accident, before I could find out the most important piece of information!”
“Oh, so an accidental killing makes it all better? You’re still a murderer!”
“Yes I am, Suzaku. A murderer that just saved your life!”
“Who saved my life, Lelouch? I was the one that had to use my curse! Damnit, I didn’t ask to be saved, Lelouch! I didn’t want to use this power again, and yet you made me—”
“Don’t you get it, Suzaku!” Lelouch roared, slamming his fist against the inside of the truck. “I didn’t want to see you die! If I had a choice, I would do it over again, and again, and again! It doesn’t matter what happened to you, Suzaku, you’re still my best friend from seven years ago!”
That caused Suzaku to stop. After before…he thought Lelouch had hated him…that all Lelouch had intended was for Suzaku to be his pawn in a little game of war, but… “So you saved me…even though I said I wouldn’t help you—”
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter even if you want to walk away right now and be my enemy, Suzaku. I still would have saved you, because you’re my friend.”
Was he lying? Was he telling the truth? Suzaku didn’t know but…even still, those words moved him. He was a hated Honorary Britannian. The Britannians treated him like dirt and the Japanese hated him for throwing away his nation. Everyone looked down and despised Suzaku Kururugi, and yet…
Suzaku sighed. “Lelouch, I’ve been thinking…about what you said before.”
“Hmm?”
“I understand that Britannia is rotten. I know if it hadn’t been me, there would have been another innocent in my place. The Japanese are persecuted in their homeland…and it makes me sick. I don’t…I don’t want to live in it and not do anything.”
Violet eyes lightened up. “So…you’ll…”
“I’m not going to be joining any rebellion, Lelouch,” Suzaku told him straight. “But I know what I wish to achieve…I can’t do it on my own. So I have a proposal for you. If I rescue an important person—achieve great military victories and the like, I will gain promotion, Honorary Britannian or not. Since you now are connected to the terrorists, what if you were to use them to help me—have set ups that help me gain some actual attention from the military.”
“What? Betray the terrorists to you—”
“Not like that. Have them kidnap an important person, I come rushing in, save them, and let your terrorists get away to fight another day. Even so, in rescuing that person—I will have achieved what I needed. Once I get high enough, then it will be simpler to do such tasks, but right now, at the bottom.”
Lelouch weighed his options. “So we’ll be working together—me in making these set-ups and you in letting the terrorists go at the last minute to use them again. You’d be fooling the Britannian Army, and I’d be fooling the terrorists. We’d both be betraying the world—”
“But by your logic, don’t the ends justify the means? No one will die if we do this right. I will be saving lives rather than taking them. And once I become Knight of One and take Japan in—everything will be better for the Japanese, and you and Nunnally will have a safe place to live. Everything we both want will be achieved.”
It was a long moment Lelouch thought. He hated the thought before of having to fight Suzaku—having his best friend as his greatest enemy and yet…his pride smarted at the thought of working under Suzaku…no true rebellion, just a set up to allow Suzaku to shine! He wanted so badly to overthrow Britannia, to cut out the canker that poisoned the world, and yet he would be helping Britannia in the end! He hated that thought, he wanted nothing to do with the plan, and yet…
The thought of fighting Suzaku pulled at his heart even worse. If Suzaku wasn’t his friend, then Suzaku was determined to be his enemy. And that was…
There was no other choice.
Smiling, Lelouch extended a hand to Suzaku. “Together, Suzaku, we can achieve anything.”
Suzaku took it, smile on his face as well. “Even if the entire world is against us—we will be able to do it.”
“Hmm…so this ‘Zero’ was the one that interrupted the transfer of Kururugi Suzaku?” she asked, violet eyes narrowing at the video footage.
“Yes, Your Highness. We know nothing about this person—only that he had a certain interest in freeing Kururugi Suzaku—”
“Well, learn more about him. Learn everything you can before I arrive in Area 11. I won’t have a known terrorist running around on my watch!”
“Yes, Your Highness Cornelia.”
Turning away, Cornelia looked at the person standing behind her. “You hear that, Euphie? I will be going to Area 11 soon. You will join me a week after I arrive.”
The pink haired Euphie nodded. “Of course, Onee-sama. Have a safe trip.”
Cornelia smiled. “And to you as well. But remember, Euphie, once you arrive in Area 11, things will be more dangerous. You can’t trust any of the Elevens—stay around Britannian only areas. Do I make myself clear?”
“Of course, Onee-sama. I won’t disobey you.”
“Well then, I hope Zero hears the news of my arrival the second I come. I wish to challenge him at once, because mark my words—Cornelia li Britannia won’t let a known terrorist walk free!”
Chapter 4 here.
Zero!Lelouch and Suzaku working together was the whole REASON I wanted to do this fanfic in the first place. :3 But don't worry, the trainwreck will explode into a billion pieces soon enough.
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to Lelouch, ahemonly because of his Geass to Lelouch, and so on, and so on... Still. "At this moment, Suzaku is not for me." *_________________________________________* (note: the line represents the fangirl voice that I shouldn't let out in front of my family)Now, for the proper comment. I think I'd love it more if you're not rushing the scene and gave the characters more feelings, and thoughts. But the scene before the Cornelia one is just PERFECT. I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THEY SHOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE POWER OF THE RAGING STORM. Yeah, seriously. THat scene is PERFECT.
Write more! XD
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This chapter was almost 6K words. D:
I love making them work together like this. You know it'll all end angsty, but it'll be good while it lasts. :D
And was this good Suzalulu for you? :3
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Lelouch can't be not angsty. Fluff and humors are not going to last. He's just have that factors in him. (and I'm not talking about Suzaku here... Ah, you ANGSTzaku! >___________<)
You know, if this goes by my SuzaLulu standard, then I'll have to say, "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE, please?" But since it's in general, "Yeah, it's goooood! *nods nods* But I want MORE! ;___;" XD
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I would have read this earlier, but I was out the whole day.I think I'd love it more if you're not rushing the scene and gave the characters more feelings, and thoughts.
Agreed~ I don't think I really 'felt' Karen or any of the terrorists' presence much - but other than that, it was a good chapter. The Suzaku-Lulu fighting makes me ;__; though. Best friends shouldn't be fighting
except in Code Geass."But remember, Euphie, once you arrive in Area 11, things will be more dangerous. You can’t trust any of the Elevens—stay around Britannian only areas. Do I make myself clear?”
D; Oh noez, t3h Suzaku x Euphemia-sm!
IT'S A FORBIDDEN RELATIONSHIP.8D I'll be waiting for the next chapter.(no subject)
If it's not working I'll go back to normal 3rd person I guess, but since the story DOES focus on Lulu and Suzaku (maybe Suzaku a bit more than Lulu) the other characters are going to get painted out a bit.