2008-10-27 21:00![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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code_geass
inulovinkit.livejournal.com in code_geassThis took FOREVERRR to write...Damn you Final Fantasy and your addictiveness. D<
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.
Also: Relevant.
“You can’t be serious, Lelouch.”
“Why not? It should be simple enough for you. Just follow your instincts and—”
“Not for me! You can’t be serious! Do you know what you’re implying is high treason?”
“Nothing more than I’ve done before. Besides, the focus of the operation is to get results, not to go for what’s better in case we fail, Suzaku.”
“But capturing Princess Cornelia? Don’t you think that—”
“Keep your voice down, Suzaku. Sayoko is downstairs, but she’ll hear you if you shout like that.”
“Hmph.” Suzaku slumped down into Lelouch’s computer chair. “I know the objective of this plan, Lelouch, but I think you’re going overboard. You’re pushing your little band of terrorists too far—”
Lelouch smirked back, “If anything, I’m pushing them too little. They keep wanting to simply kill Britannians and military representatives like they used to. I’m keeping them from it because the public with sympathize with us better if we show we are honest criminals who fight for justice.”
“ ‘Honest’ criminals can still get the death penalty for treason, Lelouch,” Suzaku rolled his eyes. “But you’re right—it does help that they’re not trying to kill anyone. It’s better for the public—”
“And you’re conscience too?” Violet eyes darted to him.
Green ones glared back. “My ‘conscience’ has nothing to do with it. You said it yourself—Japan can’t be saved by purely honest methods.”
“Indeed,” Lelouch seemed to brighten up. “Then this plan is much better than our last.” He pointed to the map on the table before him. “The terrorists received information that Princess Cornelia plans to block off the Saitama ghetto in three days, in order to draw Zero and the Black Knights—”
“Black Knights?”
“It’s the name for the terrorists,” Lelouch continued to smile to himself. “I figured we needed something noble to get our message out.”
“Ironic, isn’t it? Terrorists calling themselves ‘knights’…”
“They are knights. Knights for justice.”
“ ‘Justice’ being purely metaphorical.”
Lelouch stared back. “Why, you don’t agree? With the Black Knights around—”
“Lelouch, I’m not kidding myself, and neither should you. You know the real reason the Black Knights are running around fighting Britannian oppressors. Don’t dramatize it more than you have to.”
Lelouch wanted to argue—to defend his point somehow, but he knew Suzaku wouldn’t understand. Suzaku barely agreed to any of his plans, only going along with them in the end because he knew it was the only way.
“Anyway, back to the plan—I figure Cornelia will set up a wall of defense somewhere around here—” he pointed upon the map to show him. “The Black Knights and I will show up around here, but secretly I will send a force dressed in Britannian uniforms to penetrate here. Your unit should be—”
“Here,” Suzaku pointed. “We’re told we’re supposed to keep any terrorists from escaping.”
“But you know Suzaku, in reality you will be—”
“I know. We will be eliminating the Elevens instead.”
“Good. So once our force comes in and captures Cornelia, you send me the signal. I will weaken the defenses and you break in. Since I will order to be alone with Cornelia, it will be easy for you to break in and save her—make sure to shoot at me to make yourself seem more the hero, you know—the Black Knights will retreat, you will get your reward, and then start your way up on the military ladder, and all will be well.”
Suzaku thought a moment. “You sure this is going to work? It’s not going to be a failure like your last—”
“That one would have worked had the Britannains not brought in reinforcements at the last minute!” Lelouch glared, remembering the bitter defeat he felt last time he was humiliated by Cornelia. That operation certainly did nothing to help Suzaku, or himself—the Honorary Britannain unit wasn’t even dispatched for the mission!
“Besides, I have countermeasures for all variables. As long as you stick to the plan, Suzaku, everything will work out. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Easy for you to say,” Suzaku stood up, blue coat flapping behind him. “You’re not the one putting their entire reputation on the line here. If they find out that I—”
“But they won’t,” Lelouch assured him. “And if they do, you have your Geass to fix things, right?”
Suzaku tensed; eyes widening in shock and then narrowing again. “I guess…but—”br>
“You don’t want to use it,” Lelouch smirked, “I know. Besides,” he stood up to smile at him. “I’ll play my part and then it’s your turn to be center stage. I won’t let you down, Suzaku. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Suzaku smiled back, “Ever since seven years ago.”
“And we’ll be friends to the end,” Lelouch finished off, but the smile soon faded. “Now, about that other matter…I talked to Kaichou, and she’s split on it, but if I keep at it…”
“Lelouch!” Millay sighed, rolling her eyes. “You never give up, do you?”
“You said yourself you’d ask your grandfather!” he cornered her in the hallway. “And well? What did he say? Is he for it or not?”
The president looked away. “He wasn’t too sure either, Lelouch. It something that hasn’t been done in the history of Asford. Letting an Eleven—”
“Honorary Britannian.”
“Whatever. Letting an Honorary Britannain into our school isn’t something that can be done easily—”
“He has all the necessary paperwork,” Lelouch piped up. “He’s got his recommendation from ‘A Britannian of good standing’—”
“Meaning you.”
“Does it matter? Anyway, all that’s the problem is his tuition—he’s got the money to pay for the first three months, and after not too long, he’ll probably have the rest of the year covered—”
“Grandfather doesn’t like that.”
“But does it matter?” Lelouch continued to beg. “Think of what your Grandfather would be doing! Ashford would be the first school in the settlement to give equal status to Britannians and Honorary Britannians, wouldn’t that be a wonderful—”
“Oh, enough already!” Millay brushed him off. “Honestly, Lelouch, I can tell you want your friend in the Academy, but things are a little harder than that. I can’t just tell my Grandfather that a friend of mine wants to help his friend get into school and then suddenly—”
“Still, what did he say, Kaichou? Is he in, or—”
“Fine! So impatient,” she huffed. “Grandfather said…that it might be interesting to try. However, if he doesn’t keep his grades up or can’t afford to pay anymore, than he’s—”
But Lelouch was no longer listening. The second she had given him the news, he ran off to phone Suzaku. “Thanks, Kaichou! See you later then—”
“I won’t forget this, Lelouch! You’re filing reports for me for a month for this!” Millay yelled back at him, but he no longer heard her. He was already off to his room to call Suzaku at once.
It was all over school the day before it happened—an Eleven would be joining them at Ashford Academy. An Eleven who was suspected of the murder of Prince Clovis, for one, too. Rumors flew all over school of why exactly this development was taking place—some said Ashford was trying to get more money from the government and this was the only way to do it—others said old man Ashford was showing his true colors or off his rocker—others said it was something done by the government in order to try to show progress to counter the support of the Black Knights.
However, it eventually got out—it was in actually Lelouch Lamperouge who suggested it. Why? Well, no one knew that. But since it was the vice president that had asked that the thing be done—well, what could they do? The vice president was too popular for many to speak out against it.
Though even with the vice president supporting him, Lelouch knew things would not be easy for Suzaku at the academy.
“I told you, they’re all staring at me, Lelouch.”
“They stare at every new kid.”
“Oh come on. Do they really stare like that at every new kid? I’m getting glares—”
“You’re in the military, you should be used to that.”
“Well, maybe it would help if you didn’t insist upon speaking Japanese to me in front of them,” Suzaku turned round to narrow his eyes at him. “It’s like you’re choosing me over them, in their eyes.”
Lelouch’s eyebrows raised. “And if I am?”
Suzaku stared. “You…”
“Besides,” Lelouch, turned away, flipping through the newspaper once more. “I already told some that we were friends when I first came to Japan, so to them we’re nothing more than old friends. There’s no reason for them to suspect anything.”
“They’ll start to suspect something when they notice I’m over at the clubhouse with you all time.” Now Suzaku began to glare back at him. “And the fact that we’re always whispering to each other in Japanese…not to mention the secret sign language you insist on using as well…we already have a secret language, so they’re going to suspect we have a bigger type of secret—”
Lelouch was relatively unphased. He didn’t even look back at Suzaku from his desk as he continued to scan the newspaper for reports on the Black Knights before class started. “Well, if they begin to notice that we’re together all the time and you always come over to my house, then the only thing they’ll start suspecting is that perhaps we are…ah… ‘a little more than friends’—”
“Knock it off, Lelouch,” muttered Suzaku, not amused. “Still, how do you stand it? Having everyone around you talk about Zero and the Black Knights and just sit there with a straight face? I feel like if I look someone in the eye too long, they’ll know—”
“If you give reason for people to suspect, then they will,” he answered simply. “If you don’t, then they don’t. Besides,” violet eyes glanced back towards him. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a deep, dark secret that you’ve had to hide from someone. Surely you know the feeling.”
For a brief moment Suzaku tensed, but it lasted for only a second when he looked away. “Y-yeah…I know what you mean.”
Lelouch folded the newspaper up and shoved it back in his bag, having found nothing. “Besides, you don’t have to worry, Suzaku. You have your geass to protect you, if need be. I’m the one who should be worrying…”
I’m the one here who’s risking everything for absolutely nothing…yes you have no reason at all to worry, Suzaku…
Lelouch had expected more from Suzaku—perhaps Suzaku to go on yet another rant at how terrible the power of geass was—but instead, he found Suzaku staring in the opposite direction, dumbfounded. It appeared the thing he was staring at was very female as well.
“It’s…it’s her!” Suzaku whispered under his breath to Lelouch.
“Yeah, I know,” he muttered back, making sure to keep his voice down. Even though they were both speaking Japanese, someone in this room would understand. “Kallen Stadtfeld. She’s the daughter of a rich Britannian family. But…she looked familiar to me too. A little trip to the student council filing room sorted everything out.”
“Sorted what out?”
“While she is Britannian…she is also Japanese. A half-blood. Her mother was Japanese. And her brother…was none other than Kouzuki Naoto.”
“So, she really is…”
“Yeah, the terrorist from that time. Kouzuki Karen.”
Lelouch thought he saw Kallen pause for a second upon hearing that name. But, she seemed to decide it was impossible a second later. Oh, if only she knew…
“But…why? Why does she do it?” Suzaku thought a moment. “If she is half-Britannian, then why doesn’t she have loyalty to Britannia? Why does she fight with terrorists? She has a peaceful life and a good home…why does she even bother when it’s better to just accept the fortune you have?”
Lelouch couldn’t help it. His fingers slightly clenched at Suzaku’s musings. Suzaku…you who threw away your own country…you just don’t understand at all!
But he kept a straight face. After all, he didn’t want to give Suzaku a reason to suspect… “Everyone has their own reasons. Don’t you have yours?”
Suzaku’s eyes looked away. “Yeah…”
Finally, the day had come. The day of Cornelia’s blockade around the Saitama ghetto. Early that morning, Lelouch and Suzaku had gotten together to discuss the final plan. Everything was set in stone. The foundations had been laid.
Nothing could go wrong.
Even before the surrounding of Saitama ghetto, the Black Knights had managed to smuggle themselves in. It was Cornelia’s folly that she didn’t think to close off the subway systems until later.
But even amongst the Black Knights, there were questions.
“Zero, are you sure about this?” Karen—or ‘Kallen’ as Lelouch knew her now, though he still called her by her birth name to not cast suspicion—asked. “It’s a bigger operation than we’ve done before.”
“I have to agree with Karen,” Ougi piped up. “And trying to capture Cornelia herself—it could be taken the wrong way by many, seeing us as just terrorists instead of the ‘knights for justice’ like you called us—”
“We’ve already proven ourselves,” Zero assured them. “We proved ourselves to the world when we fought against those crimes in the city, be they done by Japanese, or Eleven. We also got our message out there when we saved those Britannians in that hostage situation, did we not?”
“That’s true…”
“Besides, Cornelia is our greatest bargaining chip if we want to reclaim Japan. Don’t worry; I’ve planned for every possibility—so long as the Britannians stick to their main formation, there is no way we can lose.”
Though Zero proclaimed this in a proud voice, beneath that stifling helmet, Lelouch knew the sickening truth. There would be no victory for them. This would only be a grand defeat. Cornelia was not his to capture, only Suzaku’s to protect. Oh, how he wished he had planned this all on his own—Cornelia was his last chance, if he wanted to learn who killed his mother. If Clovis had known something, than certainly Cornelia would know—she was in Lady Marianne’s inner circle.
Oh, if only—this plan was too perfect! If only he hadn’t planned it with Suzaku, then he could have captured Cornelia, learned that information, and possibly reclaimed Japan as his power base all in one step!
Instead, he was to be humiliated by one simple soldier. A simple soldier who wasn’t even smart enough to come up with his own plan, but had to have everything carved out for him! Oh, if it hadn’t been for Suzaku wanting to save Japan, if it hadn’t been for Lelouch not wanting to fight with Suzaku…
If Suzaku hadn’t been given the geass…if Lelouch had been given it instead—!
“Zero?” Karen called for him, breaking Lelouch out of his rage. “The Britannian force is moving.
He looked up to see the planes circling overhead the grey skies of the ghetto. “Yes. It’s time.”
It was just as Lelouch had predicted. Right on time, Cornelia began the bombardment. Cannons fired, knightmares were deployed, and soldiers continued to march on as explosions mixed with screams filled the air. This was the same as what happened in Shinjuku, everyone knew it.
This wasn’t a blockade. This was an extermination.
As his comrades marched forth to glory, Suzaku hung back, hiding amongst ruined buildings, feeling sick to his stomach. He knew why he had been brought here, and yet he still couldn’t believe that the Britannian army under Cornelia was the same.
They don’t care about controlling terrorists! Just exterminating Elevens!
The screams continued to rise in the air, and then he smelled the pungent smoke—everything was to be destroyed and burned.
Why? Why does Britannia do this? Why fight for a country that will willingly—
Suzaku faintly remembered Lelouch’s words to him before, Britannia is not worthy of your service!
“If you want to stop the violence, then why don’t you destroy Britannia?”
Britannia was wrong. It was all wrong. But…
Rebellion is wrong, too.
Suzaku knew it. The only true option was to stick to his original plan—change Britannia from the inside. Only that way could he guarantee that no one else would die. Yes, that was what he had to do, it was the only way!
But still…was working with terrorists the right way of doing it? It was the only way, but…could there be another way? If anyone ever found out that Kururugi Suzaku lowered himself to working with terrorists—
And if anyone found out that Lelouch was Zero and he was Zero’s best friend—
“Suzaku,” came the voice over the small transmitter. Suzaku nearly jumped when he heard it. It was Lelouch.
“Are you there?” asked Lelouch again.
“Lelouch—!” Suzaku muttered into the communicator. “Anyone could be around me—”
“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Lelouch said in his usual carefree tone. “I’ve already hacked into the main database. It’s got markers for all of you. No one is close enough to hear you now. You did well to get to the Point A immediately.”
Green eyes narrowed—Suzaku didn’t want Lelouch congratulating him like he was one of his terrorists! “Lelouch, don’t make small talk now. Just tell me when it’s time.”
“Fine, fine…” Lelouch still acted as if this was nothing more than a picnic, not a serious operation where one of them could be killed or caught! Was this how he acted as Zero? Like an overconfident smug bastard? How could anyone keep faith in such a leader?
“We’ve begun our operation now,” Lelouch continued. “You’ll probably hear that the Black Knights are here soon. After that, Zero will move in. If we’re lucky, then Cornelia will be captured within ten minutes of that.”
“You’re pushing your luck, Lelouch.”
“Maybe,” he chuckled to himself. “But with you at my side, Suzaku, I can do anything.”
“I’m—I’m not at your side for this, Lelouch!” Suzaku yelled into the communicator, but Lelouch had already cut the link.
Suzaku cursed, shoving the communicator back as he stood in the designated spot, waiting. That was all he could do now—wait for the signal when the grand façade would begin. He knew he should be excited now—he would rescue Her Highness Cornelia and become a hero, or at least, a hero within private circles. Finally, he would start on the path he had chosen for himself—
Yet it was a lie. It was all a lie. And what worth came of good that was created by lies?
The noises of the battle came closer as Suzaku watched from the shadows of a dilapidated building. He heard the official communications from the command center, but did not listen to them—what did they matter, anyway?
Looking out to the battlefield, he could see the Black Knight’s knightmares advancing. Those refurbished Glasgow types—ah, what were they called, Burai or something? It didn’t matter much, but Suzaku had always had an interest in knightmares even when they had been the invention of the enemy. Suprisingly, the Burai were nearly on par with the Britannian’s Sutherlands, even though the Sutherlands were of a higher class of knightmare. The Japanese must have excellent pilots then, to be nearly equal to the Britannians—
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion in midair. Suzaku looked up and saw something he hadn’t expected to see.
A slash harken from a knightmare that had been destroyed had swung upward in the impact—and managed to hit a plane passing over. A plane marked with the Britannian flag and nothing else—a civilian plane.
Forgetting his orders from Lelouch, Suzaku ran from his hiding spot, frozen as he watched the plane begin to smoke—and fall from the sky.
Innocent civilians are in there! They have nothing to do with this!
In that moment, Suzaku could have cared less about the mission he had to save Cornelia. He didn’t give a damn about his orders from the command center. Watching the plane descend as one of its wings caught on fire, Suzaku ran—dodging bullets and combating knightmares, hardly noticing them in his panic—praying it wasn’t too late.
His heart nearly skipped a beat as he saw the plane fall past his line of sight, and the sickening crash he heard seconds later. For a brief moment he stopped, and then collected his resolve. Someone! Someone in there still has to be alive!
He took off again, hearing the transmitter from Lelouch signal him again. “Suzaku! Hey, Suzaku, what are you doing? The operation is—”
Suzaku shut it off before Lelouch could finish.
Passing over a ruined tank, Suzaku found the plane still intact, but beginning to burn. If anyone was still in there—
No!
Suzaku pressed his gas mask to his face. He wasn’t going to leave unless he was certain!
Now he heard shouts over the main channel. He heard a few call his name, wondering what he was doing as well. He didn’t answer, and frankly, he didn’t care, either. He could be court martialed for insubordination later. Right now, someone needed saving!
The door still opened, though it broke off the hinges when Suzaku opened it up. Smoke was everywhere, slowly filling up the passenger compartment of the plane.
“Hello!” he called, voice muffled by the mask. “Is anyone here?”
No one answered.
Eyes squinting to see through the smoke, Suzaku continued to look around, seeing overturned table, splintered chairs, broken glass…He turned a corner, and suddenly had to hold in his nausea.
And people. Innocents, lying next to the front exit, all in a tangled heap.
As Suzaku knelt down to check their vitals, he could see the marks on the door—like claw marks—humans desperate to survive.
His hands shook as he checked every one. Nothing.
Fingers shaking, Suzaku stood up, ready to check the front of the plane. But the second he touched the door and felt the immense heat, he heard there was no point.
No one was alive. They had all died…just because of this battle!
If they hadn’t been passing over at that time—No, if the Black Knights hadn’t chosen to defend Saitama—If Cornelia hadn’t chosen to have a battle here—If the Britannians never came to Japan—They wouldn’t have died!
It all led back to Britannia.
Was…was Lelouch right after all? Did everything—all those deaths before and all the deaths now—lead back to Britannia? If that was true—then what the hell was he fighting for?
Fingers clenched, Suzaku turned to exit the plane—when he heard a sharp noise. He turned to see the back of the plane—and saw something moving.
Without a thought, Suzaku ran towards it—something was trapped under an overturned seat—no, something was using it for protection. He turned it over and saw something—vaguely human. It was a girl’s shape, and she lay on the floor, face and upper body covered by a blanket to block out the smoke. Suzaku tore off the blanket at once.
Beneath the blanket was a girl—a girl dressed in plain clothes, but there was something about her—be it her soft face or long, curled pink hair—that seemed regal. As he turned her over, Suzaku could see she appeared to be sleeping, but something gave him hope—she wore a small breathing mask over her face. In her hands she clutched an oxygen tank.
He looked up. Instead of running to try to claw open the exit like everyone else had done. The girl had run to the back of the plane to the emergency supplies. Then she had covered herself for protection. Smart.
The gauge on the tank just reached Empty as he watched. His heart leapt in his chest. That meant—
Yes. She was still alive.
It was as if something had possessed him. Without another thought, Suzaku took a deep breath, then pressed his own mask to the girl’s face. He picked her up in his arms, and ran to the door, the open air never feeling so wonderful once he was outside. He only carried the girl only a few meters before he fell to his knees, clutching her to his chest.
The plane behind them soon burst into flames. And all Suzaku could do was keep the girl in his arms and watch it burn—he couldn’t carry her into a battlefield like this. And the smoke had done something to the communicator he had from the army.
He would have to wait.
Suzaku removed his helmet, as he looked down at the girl he held. Yes, she was pretty—but what was she doing on a flight to Area 11 at a time like this? Britannia knew of the dangers in Area 11 now, so who would want to come here when the Black Knights were running rampant? She looked young—maybe she was a student? A daughter of some businessman in the settlement?
Whoever she was, she wasn’t an ordinary girl. Everyone else in that plane had leapt into a panic after the crash, but she kept her head and was able to keep herself alive long enough to be rescued.
Heh, funny. He had started out the day deciding he would rescue Cornelia in order to get his promotion, but instead he had rescued this girl instead. She was likely a nobody—just another Britannian—but doing this one thing of good, this deed without an ulterior motive gave him more satisfaction that a hundred set ups planned out for him.
It was a little longer when Suzaku finally felt the girl stirring once more. Her eyes slowly opened—a light violet, a bit like Lelouch’s—and she looked up at him with a soft look on her face.
“You…?” she asked, confused.
Remembering his manners, Suzaku spoke, “I—um—Private Kururugi at your service, ma’am.”
“Private…? You’re in the army?”
He nodded. “That’s right. Don’t worry about it. You’re safe now.”
“Safe…?” And then she seemed to remember as worry flooded her face. “You mean…? The plane—!”
He didn’t want to tell her that if she turned her head a little more, she could still see it’s smoldering remains. “Yes, you’re allright. I got you out.”
“Me? You mean that—everyone else—!”
Suzaku said nothing. And that was enough for her, as she briefly closed her eyes, probably sending up a small prayer to whatever god or gods the Britannians worshipped.
When she opened her eyes once more, she looked around to see the ruined buildings that towered overhead. “So this…is Area 11. I expected something…different.”
“You’re in the ghetto right now,” Suzaku told her. “That was where the plane crashed, anyway. Once the battle is over and the army comes to collect you, you’ll see the settlement and the nicer side of Area 11.”
“Nicer?”
“Yeah,” Suzaku didn’t know why he was cheerfully talking like this in the middle of a battle, but for some strange reason, he enjoyed it. “The settlement is nice. Very clean and modern and peaceful—not like this.”
“But that is where the Britannians live…” she seemed to be thinking about something. “And this…this is where the Japanese live, right?”
She called them Japanese? He had never heard a Britannian—save Lelouch and Nunnally, of course—refer to them like that. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Then this…I guess this is the real Area 11.”
“Real?” Well, maybe it was, but why did she figure that? To her, the settlement should be just as real.
“Isn’t it more real for you?” Now she looked directly back at him, with questioning eyes. “After all, aren’t you Japanese?”
Suzaku stared. “How did you…?” Well, maybe he did speak with a bit of an accent… And his name was probably a giveaway. Sighing, he said, “It’s all real to me. No matter what it looks like, Area 11 is my home.”
A smile broke out on the girl’s face—how could she smile at a time like this? “Then maybe one day you could show me around—Suzaku Kururugi.”
He stared at her. “Wait—you—”
“Your name was all over the news, a while back,” she explained, trying to sit up but then deciding against it. “So I knew who you were.”
Suzaku said nothing. She had probably heard of it back in Britannia—about how he was accused of killing Prince Clovis. Some still believed it. Did she? Even if she did, she didn’t act like she cared at all…
“That’s not fair,” he told her, avoiding the question he wanted to ask. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
She smiled again. “You can call me Euphie.”
“Euphie…” Hmm…had he heard a similar name before?
“I want to know something, Suzaku Kururugi,” she told him, her face serious once more. “You are Japanese, and were accused of killing Prince Clovis. Why are you in the Britannian army, then? Why did you save me?”
Why am I in the Britannian army? He didn’t have an answer to that. But he did have an answer to her second question. “Because I wanted to.”
That caused her to smile. “Then you’re a good person, Suzaku Kururugi.”
He stared at her, bewildered. A good person? No I’m not…if she knew the things I’ve done…what I’m trying to do now…if she knew, she wouldn’t…
“Euphie…”
“You there!” A voice cried out. Suzaku looked up—soldiers from the Britannian army had come. Seemed like the battle was over. “On your feet this instant! You are hereby charged with insubordination!”
Suzaku stared at them. Didn’t they see the girl in his arms? That came first. “Get medical help for her!” he told them. “Then I will answer for these charges—”
“A civilian doesn’t matter in these—”
“A Britannian civilian?” he demanded, glaring back at them. How could they not care about a single life, be it Japanese or Britannian?
Euphie glanced back towards the soldier’s a commanding look on her face. When both of them saw her, they stumbled back—surely mouth agape underneath their helmets. “My god…can it be?”
Huh? What was going on here?
The charge of insubordination was all forgotten. “Um…we will call for medical help for the…civilian…” they spoke, turning away to call on their communicators.
Good thing Suzaku had enough sense to hide his transmitter from Lelouch underneath some rubble when no one was looking, because soon the crash site was filled to the brim with soldiers and medical staff.
A few medics checked up on Euphie and Suzaku, while officers stood by, ready to take him away once the check up was over.
And then a particular knightmare swung into the clearing and the person who jumped out of it was—Cornelia?!
“Euphie!” she cried, running towards the pink-haired girl. “Thank God!” she hugged her to her chest. “When I saw the plane go down I thought—”
“I’m allright, Onee-sama,” Euphie answered, having forgotten everything else for a moment.
Suzaku continued to stare at the scene. “ ‘Onee-sama’ She is…Euphie…is…”
Cornelia turned back to face him, eyes narrowed. “What, you didn’t know? ‘Euphie’ is Euphiemia li Britannia to you, boy.”
Euphiemia li Britannia…Euphie is…a Britannian princess?! Why didn’t she tell me?
She was Cornelia’s little sister…but also…that meant she was Lelouch’s half-sister as well…And it had been one of the knightmares under his command that had shot down the plane…if he learned of this—no, if Euphie had died, would he have cared? He did say he hated the entire Britannian royal family after all.
But…Euphie was…
Cornelia turned sharply, waving towards the officers. “Take him away; this Eleven is charged with insubordination.”
“But Onee-sama!” Suzaku was glad that Euphie, at least, stood up for him even now.
“He broke a military rule, Euphie,” Cornelia told her sternly. “And he will be punished for it.”
Though Suzaku didn’t resist, it warmed his heart to hear Euphie continue to argue with her sister as he was pulled away.
Euphie, thank you, I understand now…
I don’t fight for Britannia. I fight for the innocents like you.
“Insubordination or now, he did save my life, Onee-sama,” Euphie spoke to her sister as she lay in a bed in the medical station. “If it hadn’t been for his insubordination—”
“You don’t think I know that?” Cornelia shot out. “But he is an Eleven, Euphie. We have to make an example—”
“Instead of an example for a minor charge, why not reward him for his efforts? That way he would be a hero to Britannians and Elevens—a symbol for his people. Maybe then you could help turn the tide against the support for the Black Knights.”
Cornelia raised an eyebrow. “You ask me to give him a promotion so he can be of use to us in helping counter support for the Black Knights?”
Euphie shook her head. “I ask you because I believe the man who saved my life deserves a reward, that is all.”
Cornelia thought a long moment. “Very well. I will drop his insubordination charge since if it hadn’t been for that, he wouldn’t have been able to save you.”
“Onee-sama…”
After a long sigh, she continued, “And I know something he could do. Count Asplund has been asking for someone to pilot some new knightmare model he’s invented. It would be a research and development job—not to be deployed in regular combat. Then he could have his promotion for the public, but be out of the way in military affairs. That will have to do.”
Euphie nodded. “That’s fine, Onee-sama. Thank you.”
Cornelia smiled, taking her younger sister’s hand. “Only because you asked for it, Euphie. Now get some rest. You have to completely recover before you can take your post in the settlement.”
Euphie nodded as her sister left her, and turned off the light. Rolling over in the small bed, Euphie smiled to herself. A knight…so Suzaku Kururugi will be made a knight…
That’s enough…as a knight, then it wouldn’t be unusual if I were to call on him…
There’s still some things I want to know about you, Suzaku Kururugi.
Chapter 5 here.
There. Implied SuzaLulu and SuzaEuphie. I hope you're happy.
Next chapter will be out sooner, I promise.
And I need a new Suzaku icon. D<
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.
Also: Relevant.
“You can’t be serious, Lelouch.”
“Why not? It should be simple enough for you. Just follow your instincts and—”
“Not for me! You can’t be serious! Do you know what you’re implying is high treason?”
“Nothing more than I’ve done before. Besides, the focus of the operation is to get results, not to go for what’s better in case we fail, Suzaku.”
“But capturing Princess Cornelia? Don’t you think that—”
“Keep your voice down, Suzaku. Sayoko is downstairs, but she’ll hear you if you shout like that.”
“Hmph.” Suzaku slumped down into Lelouch’s computer chair. “I know the objective of this plan, Lelouch, but I think you’re going overboard. You’re pushing your little band of terrorists too far—”
Lelouch smirked back, “If anything, I’m pushing them too little. They keep wanting to simply kill Britannians and military representatives like they used to. I’m keeping them from it because the public with sympathize with us better if we show we are honest criminals who fight for justice.”
“ ‘Honest’ criminals can still get the death penalty for treason, Lelouch,” Suzaku rolled his eyes. “But you’re right—it does help that they’re not trying to kill anyone. It’s better for the public—”
“And you’re conscience too?” Violet eyes darted to him.
Green ones glared back. “My ‘conscience’ has nothing to do with it. You said it yourself—Japan can’t be saved by purely honest methods.”
“Indeed,” Lelouch seemed to brighten up. “Then this plan is much better than our last.” He pointed to the map on the table before him. “The terrorists received information that Princess Cornelia plans to block off the Saitama ghetto in three days, in order to draw Zero and the Black Knights—”
“Black Knights?”
“It’s the name for the terrorists,” Lelouch continued to smile to himself. “I figured we needed something noble to get our message out.”
“Ironic, isn’t it? Terrorists calling themselves ‘knights’…”
“They are knights. Knights for justice.”
“ ‘Justice’ being purely metaphorical.”
Lelouch stared back. “Why, you don’t agree? With the Black Knights around—”
“Lelouch, I’m not kidding myself, and neither should you. You know the real reason the Black Knights are running around fighting Britannian oppressors. Don’t dramatize it more than you have to.”
Lelouch wanted to argue—to defend his point somehow, but he knew Suzaku wouldn’t understand. Suzaku barely agreed to any of his plans, only going along with them in the end because he knew it was the only way.
“Anyway, back to the plan—I figure Cornelia will set up a wall of defense somewhere around here—” he pointed upon the map to show him. “The Black Knights and I will show up around here, but secretly I will send a force dressed in Britannian uniforms to penetrate here. Your unit should be—”
“Here,” Suzaku pointed. “We’re told we’re supposed to keep any terrorists from escaping.”
“But you know Suzaku, in reality you will be—”
“I know. We will be eliminating the Elevens instead.”
“Good. So once our force comes in and captures Cornelia, you send me the signal. I will weaken the defenses and you break in. Since I will order to be alone with Cornelia, it will be easy for you to break in and save her—make sure to shoot at me to make yourself seem more the hero, you know—the Black Knights will retreat, you will get your reward, and then start your way up on the military ladder, and all will be well.”
Suzaku thought a moment. “You sure this is going to work? It’s not going to be a failure like your last—”
“That one would have worked had the Britannains not brought in reinforcements at the last minute!” Lelouch glared, remembering the bitter defeat he felt last time he was humiliated by Cornelia. That operation certainly did nothing to help Suzaku, or himself—the Honorary Britannain unit wasn’t even dispatched for the mission!
“Besides, I have countermeasures for all variables. As long as you stick to the plan, Suzaku, everything will work out. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Easy for you to say,” Suzaku stood up, blue coat flapping behind him. “You’re not the one putting their entire reputation on the line here. If they find out that I—”
“But they won’t,” Lelouch assured him. “And if they do, you have your Geass to fix things, right?”
Suzaku tensed; eyes widening in shock and then narrowing again. “I guess…but—”br>
“You don’t want to use it,” Lelouch smirked, “I know. Besides,” he stood up to smile at him. “I’ll play my part and then it’s your turn to be center stage. I won’t let you down, Suzaku. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Suzaku smiled back, “Ever since seven years ago.”
“And we’ll be friends to the end,” Lelouch finished off, but the smile soon faded. “Now, about that other matter…I talked to Kaichou, and she’s split on it, but if I keep at it…”
“Lelouch!” Millay sighed, rolling her eyes. “You never give up, do you?”
“You said yourself you’d ask your grandfather!” he cornered her in the hallway. “And well? What did he say? Is he for it or not?”
The president looked away. “He wasn’t too sure either, Lelouch. It something that hasn’t been done in the history of Asford. Letting an Eleven—”
“Honorary Britannian.”
“Whatever. Letting an Honorary Britannain into our school isn’t something that can be done easily—”
“He has all the necessary paperwork,” Lelouch piped up. “He’s got his recommendation from ‘A Britannian of good standing’—”
“Meaning you.”
“Does it matter? Anyway, all that’s the problem is his tuition—he’s got the money to pay for the first three months, and after not too long, he’ll probably have the rest of the year covered—”
“Grandfather doesn’t like that.”
“But does it matter?” Lelouch continued to beg. “Think of what your Grandfather would be doing! Ashford would be the first school in the settlement to give equal status to Britannians and Honorary Britannians, wouldn’t that be a wonderful—”
“Oh, enough already!” Millay brushed him off. “Honestly, Lelouch, I can tell you want your friend in the Academy, but things are a little harder than that. I can’t just tell my Grandfather that a friend of mine wants to help his friend get into school and then suddenly—”
“Still, what did he say, Kaichou? Is he in, or—”
“Fine! So impatient,” she huffed. “Grandfather said…that it might be interesting to try. However, if he doesn’t keep his grades up or can’t afford to pay anymore, than he’s—”
But Lelouch was no longer listening. The second she had given him the news, he ran off to phone Suzaku. “Thanks, Kaichou! See you later then—”
“I won’t forget this, Lelouch! You’re filing reports for me for a month for this!” Millay yelled back at him, but he no longer heard her. He was already off to his room to call Suzaku at once.
It was all over school the day before it happened—an Eleven would be joining them at Ashford Academy. An Eleven who was suspected of the murder of Prince Clovis, for one, too. Rumors flew all over school of why exactly this development was taking place—some said Ashford was trying to get more money from the government and this was the only way to do it—others said old man Ashford was showing his true colors or off his rocker—others said it was something done by the government in order to try to show progress to counter the support of the Black Knights.
However, it eventually got out—it was in actually Lelouch Lamperouge who suggested it. Why? Well, no one knew that. But since it was the vice president that had asked that the thing be done—well, what could they do? The vice president was too popular for many to speak out against it.
Though even with the vice president supporting him, Lelouch knew things would not be easy for Suzaku at the academy.
“I told you, they’re all staring at me, Lelouch.”
“They stare at every new kid.”
“Oh come on. Do they really stare like that at every new kid? I’m getting glares—”
“You’re in the military, you should be used to that.”
“Well, maybe it would help if you didn’t insist upon speaking Japanese to me in front of them,” Suzaku turned round to narrow his eyes at him. “It’s like you’re choosing me over them, in their eyes.”
Lelouch’s eyebrows raised. “And if I am?”
Suzaku stared. “You…”
“Besides,” Lelouch, turned away, flipping through the newspaper once more. “I already told some that we were friends when I first came to Japan, so to them we’re nothing more than old friends. There’s no reason for them to suspect anything.”
“They’ll start to suspect something when they notice I’m over at the clubhouse with you all time.” Now Suzaku began to glare back at him. “And the fact that we’re always whispering to each other in Japanese…not to mention the secret sign language you insist on using as well…we already have a secret language, so they’re going to suspect we have a bigger type of secret—”
Lelouch was relatively unphased. He didn’t even look back at Suzaku from his desk as he continued to scan the newspaper for reports on the Black Knights before class started. “Well, if they begin to notice that we’re together all the time and you always come over to my house, then the only thing they’ll start suspecting is that perhaps we are…ah… ‘a little more than friends’—”
“Knock it off, Lelouch,” muttered Suzaku, not amused. “Still, how do you stand it? Having everyone around you talk about Zero and the Black Knights and just sit there with a straight face? I feel like if I look someone in the eye too long, they’ll know—”
“If you give reason for people to suspect, then they will,” he answered simply. “If you don’t, then they don’t. Besides,” violet eyes glanced back towards him. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a deep, dark secret that you’ve had to hide from someone. Surely you know the feeling.”
For a brief moment Suzaku tensed, but it lasted for only a second when he looked away. “Y-yeah…I know what you mean.”
Lelouch folded the newspaper up and shoved it back in his bag, having found nothing. “Besides, you don’t have to worry, Suzaku. You have your geass to protect you, if need be. I’m the one who should be worrying…”
I’m the one here who’s risking everything for absolutely nothing…yes you have no reason at all to worry, Suzaku…
Lelouch had expected more from Suzaku—perhaps Suzaku to go on yet another rant at how terrible the power of geass was—but instead, he found Suzaku staring in the opposite direction, dumbfounded. It appeared the thing he was staring at was very female as well.
“It’s…it’s her!” Suzaku whispered under his breath to Lelouch.
“Yeah, I know,” he muttered back, making sure to keep his voice down. Even though they were both speaking Japanese, someone in this room would understand. “Kallen Stadtfeld. She’s the daughter of a rich Britannian family. But…she looked familiar to me too. A little trip to the student council filing room sorted everything out.”
“Sorted what out?”
“While she is Britannian…she is also Japanese. A half-blood. Her mother was Japanese. And her brother…was none other than Kouzuki Naoto.”
“So, she really is…”
“Yeah, the terrorist from that time. Kouzuki Karen.”
Lelouch thought he saw Kallen pause for a second upon hearing that name. But, she seemed to decide it was impossible a second later. Oh, if only she knew…
“But…why? Why does she do it?” Suzaku thought a moment. “If she is half-Britannian, then why doesn’t she have loyalty to Britannia? Why does she fight with terrorists? She has a peaceful life and a good home…why does she even bother when it’s better to just accept the fortune you have?”
Lelouch couldn’t help it. His fingers slightly clenched at Suzaku’s musings. Suzaku…you who threw away your own country…you just don’t understand at all!
But he kept a straight face. After all, he didn’t want to give Suzaku a reason to suspect… “Everyone has their own reasons. Don’t you have yours?”
Suzaku’s eyes looked away. “Yeah…”
Finally, the day had come. The day of Cornelia’s blockade around the Saitama ghetto. Early that morning, Lelouch and Suzaku had gotten together to discuss the final plan. Everything was set in stone. The foundations had been laid.
Nothing could go wrong.
Even before the surrounding of Saitama ghetto, the Black Knights had managed to smuggle themselves in. It was Cornelia’s folly that she didn’t think to close off the subway systems until later.
But even amongst the Black Knights, there were questions.
“Zero, are you sure about this?” Karen—or ‘Kallen’ as Lelouch knew her now, though he still called her by her birth name to not cast suspicion—asked. “It’s a bigger operation than we’ve done before.”
“I have to agree with Karen,” Ougi piped up. “And trying to capture Cornelia herself—it could be taken the wrong way by many, seeing us as just terrorists instead of the ‘knights for justice’ like you called us—”
“We’ve already proven ourselves,” Zero assured them. “We proved ourselves to the world when we fought against those crimes in the city, be they done by Japanese, or Eleven. We also got our message out there when we saved those Britannians in that hostage situation, did we not?”
“That’s true…”
“Besides, Cornelia is our greatest bargaining chip if we want to reclaim Japan. Don’t worry; I’ve planned for every possibility—so long as the Britannians stick to their main formation, there is no way we can lose.”
Though Zero proclaimed this in a proud voice, beneath that stifling helmet, Lelouch knew the sickening truth. There would be no victory for them. This would only be a grand defeat. Cornelia was not his to capture, only Suzaku’s to protect. Oh, how he wished he had planned this all on his own—Cornelia was his last chance, if he wanted to learn who killed his mother. If Clovis had known something, than certainly Cornelia would know—she was in Lady Marianne’s inner circle.
Oh, if only—this plan was too perfect! If only he hadn’t planned it with Suzaku, then he could have captured Cornelia, learned that information, and possibly reclaimed Japan as his power base all in one step!
Instead, he was to be humiliated by one simple soldier. A simple soldier who wasn’t even smart enough to come up with his own plan, but had to have everything carved out for him! Oh, if it hadn’t been for Suzaku wanting to save Japan, if it hadn’t been for Lelouch not wanting to fight with Suzaku…
If Suzaku hadn’t been given the geass…if Lelouch had been given it instead—!
“Zero?” Karen called for him, breaking Lelouch out of his rage. “The Britannian force is moving.
He looked up to see the planes circling overhead the grey skies of the ghetto. “Yes. It’s time.”
It was just as Lelouch had predicted. Right on time, Cornelia began the bombardment. Cannons fired, knightmares were deployed, and soldiers continued to march on as explosions mixed with screams filled the air. This was the same as what happened in Shinjuku, everyone knew it.
This wasn’t a blockade. This was an extermination.
As his comrades marched forth to glory, Suzaku hung back, hiding amongst ruined buildings, feeling sick to his stomach. He knew why he had been brought here, and yet he still couldn’t believe that the Britannian army under Cornelia was the same.
They don’t care about controlling terrorists! Just exterminating Elevens!
The screams continued to rise in the air, and then he smelled the pungent smoke—everything was to be destroyed and burned.
Why? Why does Britannia do this? Why fight for a country that will willingly—
Suzaku faintly remembered Lelouch’s words to him before, Britannia is not worthy of your service!
“If you want to stop the violence, then why don’t you destroy Britannia?”
Britannia was wrong. It was all wrong. But…
Rebellion is wrong, too.
Suzaku knew it. The only true option was to stick to his original plan—change Britannia from the inside. Only that way could he guarantee that no one else would die. Yes, that was what he had to do, it was the only way!
But still…was working with terrorists the right way of doing it? It was the only way, but…could there be another way? If anyone ever found out that Kururugi Suzaku lowered himself to working with terrorists—
And if anyone found out that Lelouch was Zero and he was Zero’s best friend—
“Suzaku,” came the voice over the small transmitter. Suzaku nearly jumped when he heard it. It was Lelouch.
“Are you there?” asked Lelouch again.
“Lelouch—!” Suzaku muttered into the communicator. “Anyone could be around me—”
“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Lelouch said in his usual carefree tone. “I’ve already hacked into the main database. It’s got markers for all of you. No one is close enough to hear you now. You did well to get to the Point A immediately.”
Green eyes narrowed—Suzaku didn’t want Lelouch congratulating him like he was one of his terrorists! “Lelouch, don’t make small talk now. Just tell me when it’s time.”
“Fine, fine…” Lelouch still acted as if this was nothing more than a picnic, not a serious operation where one of them could be killed or caught! Was this how he acted as Zero? Like an overconfident smug bastard? How could anyone keep faith in such a leader?
“We’ve begun our operation now,” Lelouch continued. “You’ll probably hear that the Black Knights are here soon. After that, Zero will move in. If we’re lucky, then Cornelia will be captured within ten minutes of that.”
“You’re pushing your luck, Lelouch.”
“Maybe,” he chuckled to himself. “But with you at my side, Suzaku, I can do anything.”
“I’m—I’m not at your side for this, Lelouch!” Suzaku yelled into the communicator, but Lelouch had already cut the link.
Suzaku cursed, shoving the communicator back as he stood in the designated spot, waiting. That was all he could do now—wait for the signal when the grand façade would begin. He knew he should be excited now—he would rescue Her Highness Cornelia and become a hero, or at least, a hero within private circles. Finally, he would start on the path he had chosen for himself—
Yet it was a lie. It was all a lie. And what worth came of good that was created by lies?
The noises of the battle came closer as Suzaku watched from the shadows of a dilapidated building. He heard the official communications from the command center, but did not listen to them—what did they matter, anyway?
Looking out to the battlefield, he could see the Black Knight’s knightmares advancing. Those refurbished Glasgow types—ah, what were they called, Burai or something? It didn’t matter much, but Suzaku had always had an interest in knightmares even when they had been the invention of the enemy. Suprisingly, the Burai were nearly on par with the Britannian’s Sutherlands, even though the Sutherlands were of a higher class of knightmare. The Japanese must have excellent pilots then, to be nearly equal to the Britannians—
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion in midair. Suzaku looked up and saw something he hadn’t expected to see.
A slash harken from a knightmare that had been destroyed had swung upward in the impact—and managed to hit a plane passing over. A plane marked with the Britannian flag and nothing else—a civilian plane.
Forgetting his orders from Lelouch, Suzaku ran from his hiding spot, frozen as he watched the plane begin to smoke—and fall from the sky.
Innocent civilians are in there! They have nothing to do with this!
In that moment, Suzaku could have cared less about the mission he had to save Cornelia. He didn’t give a damn about his orders from the command center. Watching the plane descend as one of its wings caught on fire, Suzaku ran—dodging bullets and combating knightmares, hardly noticing them in his panic—praying it wasn’t too late.
His heart nearly skipped a beat as he saw the plane fall past his line of sight, and the sickening crash he heard seconds later. For a brief moment he stopped, and then collected his resolve. Someone! Someone in there still has to be alive!
He took off again, hearing the transmitter from Lelouch signal him again. “Suzaku! Hey, Suzaku, what are you doing? The operation is—”
Suzaku shut it off before Lelouch could finish.
Passing over a ruined tank, Suzaku found the plane still intact, but beginning to burn. If anyone was still in there—
No!
Suzaku pressed his gas mask to his face. He wasn’t going to leave unless he was certain!
Now he heard shouts over the main channel. He heard a few call his name, wondering what he was doing as well. He didn’t answer, and frankly, he didn’t care, either. He could be court martialed for insubordination later. Right now, someone needed saving!
The door still opened, though it broke off the hinges when Suzaku opened it up. Smoke was everywhere, slowly filling up the passenger compartment of the plane.
“Hello!” he called, voice muffled by the mask. “Is anyone here?”
No one answered.
Eyes squinting to see through the smoke, Suzaku continued to look around, seeing overturned table, splintered chairs, broken glass…He turned a corner, and suddenly had to hold in his nausea.
And people. Innocents, lying next to the front exit, all in a tangled heap.
As Suzaku knelt down to check their vitals, he could see the marks on the door—like claw marks—humans desperate to survive.
His hands shook as he checked every one. Nothing.
Fingers shaking, Suzaku stood up, ready to check the front of the plane. But the second he touched the door and felt the immense heat, he heard there was no point.
No one was alive. They had all died…just because of this battle!
If they hadn’t been passing over at that time—No, if the Black Knights hadn’t chosen to defend Saitama—If Cornelia hadn’t chosen to have a battle here—If the Britannians never came to Japan—They wouldn’t have died!
It all led back to Britannia.
Was…was Lelouch right after all? Did everything—all those deaths before and all the deaths now—lead back to Britannia? If that was true—then what the hell was he fighting for?
Fingers clenched, Suzaku turned to exit the plane—when he heard a sharp noise. He turned to see the back of the plane—and saw something moving.
Without a thought, Suzaku ran towards it—something was trapped under an overturned seat—no, something was using it for protection. He turned it over and saw something—vaguely human. It was a girl’s shape, and she lay on the floor, face and upper body covered by a blanket to block out the smoke. Suzaku tore off the blanket at once.
Beneath the blanket was a girl—a girl dressed in plain clothes, but there was something about her—be it her soft face or long, curled pink hair—that seemed regal. As he turned her over, Suzaku could see she appeared to be sleeping, but something gave him hope—she wore a small breathing mask over her face. In her hands she clutched an oxygen tank.
He looked up. Instead of running to try to claw open the exit like everyone else had done. The girl had run to the back of the plane to the emergency supplies. Then she had covered herself for protection. Smart.
The gauge on the tank just reached Empty as he watched. His heart leapt in his chest. That meant—
Yes. She was still alive.
It was as if something had possessed him. Without another thought, Suzaku took a deep breath, then pressed his own mask to the girl’s face. He picked her up in his arms, and ran to the door, the open air never feeling so wonderful once he was outside. He only carried the girl only a few meters before he fell to his knees, clutching her to his chest.
The plane behind them soon burst into flames. And all Suzaku could do was keep the girl in his arms and watch it burn—he couldn’t carry her into a battlefield like this. And the smoke had done something to the communicator he had from the army.
He would have to wait.
Suzaku removed his helmet, as he looked down at the girl he held. Yes, she was pretty—but what was she doing on a flight to Area 11 at a time like this? Britannia knew of the dangers in Area 11 now, so who would want to come here when the Black Knights were running rampant? She looked young—maybe she was a student? A daughter of some businessman in the settlement?
Whoever she was, she wasn’t an ordinary girl. Everyone else in that plane had leapt into a panic after the crash, but she kept her head and was able to keep herself alive long enough to be rescued.
Heh, funny. He had started out the day deciding he would rescue Cornelia in order to get his promotion, but instead he had rescued this girl instead. She was likely a nobody—just another Britannian—but doing this one thing of good, this deed without an ulterior motive gave him more satisfaction that a hundred set ups planned out for him.
It was a little longer when Suzaku finally felt the girl stirring once more. Her eyes slowly opened—a light violet, a bit like Lelouch’s—and she looked up at him with a soft look on her face.
“You…?” she asked, confused.
Remembering his manners, Suzaku spoke, “I—um—Private Kururugi at your service, ma’am.”
“Private…? You’re in the army?”
He nodded. “That’s right. Don’t worry about it. You’re safe now.”
“Safe…?” And then she seemed to remember as worry flooded her face. “You mean…? The plane—!”
He didn’t want to tell her that if she turned her head a little more, she could still see it’s smoldering remains. “Yes, you’re allright. I got you out.”
“Me? You mean that—everyone else—!”
Suzaku said nothing. And that was enough for her, as she briefly closed her eyes, probably sending up a small prayer to whatever god or gods the Britannians worshipped.
When she opened her eyes once more, she looked around to see the ruined buildings that towered overhead. “So this…is Area 11. I expected something…different.”
“You’re in the ghetto right now,” Suzaku told her. “That was where the plane crashed, anyway. Once the battle is over and the army comes to collect you, you’ll see the settlement and the nicer side of Area 11.”
“Nicer?”
“Yeah,” Suzaku didn’t know why he was cheerfully talking like this in the middle of a battle, but for some strange reason, he enjoyed it. “The settlement is nice. Very clean and modern and peaceful—not like this.”
“But that is where the Britannians live…” she seemed to be thinking about something. “And this…this is where the Japanese live, right?”
She called them Japanese? He had never heard a Britannian—save Lelouch and Nunnally, of course—refer to them like that. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Then this…I guess this is the real Area 11.”
“Real?” Well, maybe it was, but why did she figure that? To her, the settlement should be just as real.
“Isn’t it more real for you?” Now she looked directly back at him, with questioning eyes. “After all, aren’t you Japanese?”
Suzaku stared. “How did you…?” Well, maybe he did speak with a bit of an accent… And his name was probably a giveaway. Sighing, he said, “It’s all real to me. No matter what it looks like, Area 11 is my home.”
A smile broke out on the girl’s face—how could she smile at a time like this? “Then maybe one day you could show me around—Suzaku Kururugi.”
He stared at her. “Wait—you—”
“Your name was all over the news, a while back,” she explained, trying to sit up but then deciding against it. “So I knew who you were.”
Suzaku said nothing. She had probably heard of it back in Britannia—about how he was accused of killing Prince Clovis. Some still believed it. Did she? Even if she did, she didn’t act like she cared at all…
“That’s not fair,” he told her, avoiding the question he wanted to ask. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
She smiled again. “You can call me Euphie.”
“Euphie…” Hmm…had he heard a similar name before?
“I want to know something, Suzaku Kururugi,” she told him, her face serious once more. “You are Japanese, and were accused of killing Prince Clovis. Why are you in the Britannian army, then? Why did you save me?”
Why am I in the Britannian army? He didn’t have an answer to that. But he did have an answer to her second question. “Because I wanted to.”
That caused her to smile. “Then you’re a good person, Suzaku Kururugi.”
He stared at her, bewildered. A good person? No I’m not…if she knew the things I’ve done…what I’m trying to do now…if she knew, she wouldn’t…
“Euphie…”
“You there!” A voice cried out. Suzaku looked up—soldiers from the Britannian army had come. Seemed like the battle was over. “On your feet this instant! You are hereby charged with insubordination!”
Suzaku stared at them. Didn’t they see the girl in his arms? That came first. “Get medical help for her!” he told them. “Then I will answer for these charges—”
“A civilian doesn’t matter in these—”
“A Britannian civilian?” he demanded, glaring back at them. How could they not care about a single life, be it Japanese or Britannian?
Euphie glanced back towards the soldier’s a commanding look on her face. When both of them saw her, they stumbled back—surely mouth agape underneath their helmets. “My god…can it be?”
Huh? What was going on here?
The charge of insubordination was all forgotten. “Um…we will call for medical help for the…civilian…” they spoke, turning away to call on their communicators.
Good thing Suzaku had enough sense to hide his transmitter from Lelouch underneath some rubble when no one was looking, because soon the crash site was filled to the brim with soldiers and medical staff.
A few medics checked up on Euphie and Suzaku, while officers stood by, ready to take him away once the check up was over.
And then a particular knightmare swung into the clearing and the person who jumped out of it was—Cornelia?!
“Euphie!” she cried, running towards the pink-haired girl. “Thank God!” she hugged her to her chest. “When I saw the plane go down I thought—”
“I’m allright, Onee-sama,” Euphie answered, having forgotten everything else for a moment.
Suzaku continued to stare at the scene. “ ‘Onee-sama’ She is…Euphie…is…”
Cornelia turned back to face him, eyes narrowed. “What, you didn’t know? ‘Euphie’ is Euphiemia li Britannia to you, boy.”
Euphiemia li Britannia…Euphie is…a Britannian princess?! Why didn’t she tell me?
She was Cornelia’s little sister…but also…that meant she was Lelouch’s half-sister as well…And it had been one of the knightmares under his command that had shot down the plane…if he learned of this—no, if Euphie had died, would he have cared? He did say he hated the entire Britannian royal family after all.
But…Euphie was…
Cornelia turned sharply, waving towards the officers. “Take him away; this Eleven is charged with insubordination.”
“But Onee-sama!” Suzaku was glad that Euphie, at least, stood up for him even now.
“He broke a military rule, Euphie,” Cornelia told her sternly. “And he will be punished for it.”
Though Suzaku didn’t resist, it warmed his heart to hear Euphie continue to argue with her sister as he was pulled away.
Euphie, thank you, I understand now…
I don’t fight for Britannia. I fight for the innocents like you.
“Insubordination or now, he did save my life, Onee-sama,” Euphie spoke to her sister as she lay in a bed in the medical station. “If it hadn’t been for his insubordination—”
“You don’t think I know that?” Cornelia shot out. “But he is an Eleven, Euphie. We have to make an example—”
“Instead of an example for a minor charge, why not reward him for his efforts? That way he would be a hero to Britannians and Elevens—a symbol for his people. Maybe then you could help turn the tide against the support for the Black Knights.”
Cornelia raised an eyebrow. “You ask me to give him a promotion so he can be of use to us in helping counter support for the Black Knights?”
Euphie shook her head. “I ask you because I believe the man who saved my life deserves a reward, that is all.”
Cornelia thought a long moment. “Very well. I will drop his insubordination charge since if it hadn’t been for that, he wouldn’t have been able to save you.”
“Onee-sama…”
After a long sigh, she continued, “And I know something he could do. Count Asplund has been asking for someone to pilot some new knightmare model he’s invented. It would be a research and development job—not to be deployed in regular combat. Then he could have his promotion for the public, but be out of the way in military affairs. That will have to do.”
Euphie nodded. “That’s fine, Onee-sama. Thank you.”
Cornelia smiled, taking her younger sister’s hand. “Only because you asked for it, Euphie. Now get some rest. You have to completely recover before you can take your post in the settlement.”
Euphie nodded as her sister left her, and turned off the light. Rolling over in the small bed, Euphie smiled to herself. A knight…so Suzaku Kururugi will be made a knight…
That’s enough…as a knight, then it wouldn’t be unusual if I were to call on him…
There’s still some things I want to know about you, Suzaku Kururugi.
Chapter 5 here.
There. Implied SuzaLulu and SuzaEuphie. I hope you're happy.
Next chapter will be out sooner, I promise.
And I need a new Suzaku icon. D<
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