Yeah. Another Code Geass fanfiction. Yay.
Disclaimer: I own none of the Code Geass characters or anything from it.
I had a hard time calling these chess pieces, because I get the knight and bishop mixed up, and I always called the knight, the horse shaped chess piece, a unicorn. Is it just me? Yes? Okay.
So, this story makes no sense if you don't read this, so I suggest you do
Suzaku isn't here to save Nunnally, in the chess game thingy. Yeah. That's really all I have to say.
Lelouch has to win this. He just has to. Sweat beads the side of his head, though there's air conditioning in this polished building. It's hard to think of seven things at once. He slides his pawn forward. Mao chuckles.
"Ah, nice try, but..." Lelouch stiffens as Mao claims a knight that Lelouch left unattended when he moved the pawn, hoping that he can end this quickly. "I can still dig deep into your brain and figure out which thought is really true," Mao chuckles in a sinister manner. He mockingly taps one of his slender, crooked fingers against the side of his head. "Why don't you think harder?" Mao grins, flashing his teeth teeth. Lelouch is horrified to allow a cry of strangled terror to exit his mouth. Mao laughs. "Your thoughts are truly entertaining!" Mao chuckles.
"What do you want?" Lelouch flinches from the clank that sounds as Mao sets the pawn onto one side of the scale, that already has a collection of chess pieces from Lelouch's side. No. He cannot be losing! Mao peers at Lelouch, the top of his enchanting scarlet retinas over the top of his glossy, orchid band that's there to obscure his gleaming ruby eyes. "It's me you want! Not Nunnally!" Lelouch clenches his free fist, and with his other trembling hand, he pinches the crown of the king, and slowly, moves it to the left.
I can't win, I can't win, Horror dawns on Lelouch's face as he comes to realization. I can't move Nunnally without setting off the bomb, but...it's going to go off anyways...should I try and get her out?
"Aw, do you want to die with your sister, hand in hand?" Mao interrupts Lelouch's thoughts. "How sweet!" Mao cackles, and he instinctively clasps his hands together repeatedly, and Lelouch is unable to concentrate from the loud claps Mao emits. Lelouch grinds his teeth together, refusing to respond to any of Mao's taunts. There's really nothing he can do, but to wish, no, pray, for a miracle. Something, something that'd save Nunnally. "And," Mao continues even though Lelouch actually thought he was done with his mockery. "To answer your question, it's because you took away my C.C., and so I take away your precious Nunnally," Mao's voice strains when it reaches C.C.'s name. Then, a crazy idea enters Lelouch's brain. He's going to lose. It's inevitable. And once...once his king and bishop hits the pile of glossy playing pieces on the metal scale, the bomb will detonate, and...a sick image causes Lelouch to lose focus: Nunnally's charred wheelchair, melted into goop, with her entrails encased in the hot iron. Copper and crimson liquid will create a huge puddle in the depression the bomb's explosion would've made, so that Nunnally's literally inside her own well of what pumps through her body. Her limbs would've ripped off her body when the bomb goes off, randomly tossed aside like doll parts. Lelouch's breath hitches in his throat, and he's unable to continue. This crazy idea better work.
"Ah, what a lovely image," Mao compliments. "And trust me, your idea won't carry out, you'll never accomplish that before I decide to put two chess pieces onto the scale." Mao points out. Lelouch curses his mind and Mao. They both overthink, but his brain is the on that always puts everything into detail, so he'd understand the situation. He does right now: if you lose, Nunnally will end up dead. Mao also explained that. Again, Lelouch allows a line of nasty words for Mao. It's very simple. His brain didn't need to form various descriptions of the picture he drawn in his head to explain, 'don't fail'.
He's ready to retch up bile onto the chess board. Will that prevent Mao from going on? Probably not. "I won't." Mao confirms. Thanks, thanks Mao, Lelouch grumbles inwardly. "You're welcome." Mao taps the tips of his gloved fingers together, waiting patiently for Lelouch's turn. "Oh, and," Mao grabs the body of his bishop, and places it on the scale with the rest of his ebony players. Lelouch even considers grabbing the king and run, but all Mao has to do is just place is hand on his end of the scale, and the bomb will still fulminate. His previous crazy idea is too stupid to even consider. Well, there's one last thing to do.
"Please." And that is to plead. "Please, you can take me, you can do whatever, but just please don't hurt Nunnally," Lelouch begs, his heart chopping against his chest, his brain foggy from overwork and pressure, and his vision starting to blur from tears that leak over his bottom eyelids, and start to stream down his cheek. "Just give Nunnally back, I beg of you!" Lelouch ends in a volume barely above a whisper. Mao stares at him, his face passive, almost thoughtful, and Lelouch's hope starts to rise...
"Well," Mao shifts uncomfortably. "Nope," the smile returns onto his pale, angled visage, and Lelouch can't breath. He coughs, struggling to inhale properly as Mao grabs the king. "Sorry." For some reason, that apology does not seem sincere as he's about to bomb his sister into a million pieces.
"No, please!" Again, the ludicrous plan his brain formed from earlier resurfaces in his mind. And to Lelouch's surprise that allows him to actually respire a breath of air fluidly without hacking or choking on it from panic, Mao hesitates, before setting the king back down on the board. "Please...don't," Lelouch wheezes, his violet eyes watching the bony fingers wrapped around the slender chess figure.
"You know, I actually want to see what you can accomplish with your ridiculous idea. And there's a high percent chance that you'll end up dying with your precious sister, I'll give you two minutes to get there." Mao smirks. "And if you decide to get help, well, doesn't matter. It's not like you'll have time anyways." Mao beings to clap his two hands together. "Now, go carry out your pitiful strategy," Mao gestures. "Your two minutes start now."
Lelouch kicks off running. He bolts out the doors. He needs to get to Nunnally. He needs to get back downstairs. He skids into the school hallways, and a couple kids yell at him in indignation as he accidentally slams them against the school lockers or shove them out of the way. Their cries don't reach Lelouch, as he already skirts towards the opening doors of the elevator, and before they close, he slides into the transportation machine.
"Oh, hello Lelouch," Lelouch turns at the sound of a familiar voice. Shirley smiles politely at him. To think, that before he erased every memory they had together, she'd freak out over being alone in an elevator with him. Of course, Mao just had to mess with Shirley. First C.C., then Shirley, and now...Nunnally. Lelouch's heart contracts at the thought of his little sister not being able to live another day after today. He imagines Mao smiling at his thoughts. He scowls inwardly, but plasters on a weak smile for Shirley, who's staring at him, confusion scribbled across her face, her head inclined at an angle to express her curiosity.
"Hi Shirley," Lelouch mutters, breathless. He punches the button that instructs the elevator to take him to the basement.
"You're not supposed to go there," Shirley knots her lips, her jade eyes narrowing.
"I..." Well, he is the prince of Britannia, yes, a disowned prince, but he probably has more authority than Shirley. Shirley's expression automatically changes.
"Are you okay?" Shirley asks, caution and concern seeping into her voice.
"Oh, yeah," Lelouch clenches his fist, waiting. Two minutes is not a long time. Shirley exits the elevator, waving, yet frowning, either out of worry or disapproval that he's going into an area restricted from students, and Lelouch doesn't response, he just quickly closes the elevator. He doesn't have time to waste, he can always wave goodbye to Shirley. Nunnally...he might not. As the elevator descends, it causes Lelouch's sick stomach to churn even more. He's going to throw up from all the pressure, Lelouch can feel it. He swallows the lump of bile, and as it slides back down his throat, it leaves behind a burn that remains in his throat, reminding him that it'll probably come back. The elevator shudders to a halt.
"Nunnally!" Lelouch shouts before the door fully opens. Once the gap between the two elevator doors are wide enough for Lelouch to slip through, he snakes out, and runs to Nunnally, sitting on an elevated stage, in her wheelchair, staring ahead, confusion covering her features. "Nunnally," Lelouch repeats. Who is he kidding? There's no way he can make this work. Mao is probably agreeing with him. Anger causes his blood to boil, flushing across his features. If Nunnally dies then Lelouch swears he'll murder that physcopathic freak with childish and cowardly tactics.
"Ah, Oni-chan!" Happiness replaces the fear on Nunnally's fair visage. Lelouch's heart clenches. She doesn't know that she'll die. She doesn't know that it's going to be all over within perhaps seconds. "Where am I?"
"Nunnally, now's not the time to explain," Lelouch responds.
C.C., please, Lelouch repeats those two words continuously in his head, until they jumble up together after he echoes those words too fast.
It almost worked. Almost. Rather than escaping happily with Nunnally, Lelouch is crumpled against the wall, with possibly half of his bones crushed into talc when he was flung through the air from the momentum from the blow against the walls, and covered in Nunnally's remains. He's dying slowly in silence. Mao probably knows this too, as he hadn't appeared, and it's been an hour already. He coughs up another concoction of blood and saliva. It hurts to breath. Most likely his rib cage shattered somewhere upon impact. His head feels as though it's stuffed with tissue paper. His muscles and legs refuse to function. He's paralyzed, sitting there, dying.
Lelouch is unable to comprehend it. His brain won't allow it. He's unable to produce tears. Stuck in shock, Lelouch remains collapsed on his side, with his back to the wall. From what he's able to see, a huge scarlet smear gliding inconsistently across the floor, blotching Lelouch's clothes in the copper fluid. The wheelchair toppled to its side, skidding off the elevated platform. It's just a lump of twisted, charred metal, with flesh and limbs melded into the glop of metal.
Lelouch sees all this.
But he doesn't accept this. He's gone now. Disappeared the same way Nunnally did the moment the bomb detonate in midair. Lelouch remains mute. Yes, he wants to scream, cry, and shout in pain, and he's ready to throw up his lunch. But he can't. It'd hurt too much. He can't even muster enough energy to retch up the bile that's lodged in his throat. His broken, splintered bone cry out in agony, wanting him to relief the pain by constantly screaming, but he can't. Because that'd mean he has to accept that bomb hovering above the petite, crippled girl just went off.
C.C. was too late. She expected that much. She could've saved Lelouch and Nunnally. But something caused her to hesitate. She did love Mao. Did she love Mao more than Lelouch? C.C. chose not to answer that question. But she didn't have the heart to kill him. Rather, she just decapitated him by firing two bullets, one for each knee, letting him sink onto his numbing legs and his small puddle of blood. However, for him to whip off his glasses and throw them on the scales was unexpected. The moment the visor whacks the scale, the muffled noise of an explosion rattles C.C. She failed. As simple as that. She was sure that Lelouch expected C.C. to do something. She did. She just didn't do the right thing. And she regrets that.
The only thing she could do for the boy she failed was to sit right next to him, as he dies, without saying a word to her. Yet, those dulling, hollow orchid eyes stare back up at her, clenching her heart together with guilt. So maybe she would rather have Lelouch with her than Mao. She just realized that at the wrong time.
She can't beg for forgiveness from the boy. After all, rather than saving him and his sister, she foolishly allowed her feelings of reluctance and hope that Mao would feel humanity intervene with what's expected of her. C.C. doesn't try and fool herself into thinking that it would've been merciless to kill Mao. Killing people is wrong, she's sure of that. However, murdering a murderer is probably less of a sin than the first. Who is she to judge, though?
When the heart of the boy halts, when the last bit of blood exits through his mouth, and when the pain should've disappeared by then, C.C. slowly heaves herself onto her feet, and leaves the empty room. However, before she does, she rummages through Lelouch's pockets, and pulls her hands out with his cellphone in her palm. Great, now she's desecrating his corpse. Of course, she wouldn't have used such a harsh word, if she wasn't the cause of his death. After all, he was always so intent on making sure Mao didn't claim her as his own, and she repays him...with this...
She leaves the area. Within a couple hours, if nobody finds them, she'll call someone. She'd rather not, as they'd wonder who called from Lelouch's phone, though.
"Where are they?" Milly grumbles. "I know Lelouch tends to skip class and go out gambling, but not Nunnally!" The blonde fumes.
"Oh...Lelouch gambling without me?" Rivalz wails, as though that's the most important thing. "He's been so distant lately," Rivalz sighs sadly.
"Maybe Lelouch decided to bring Nunnally out to play?" Kallen suggests. Milly considers Kallen's words. That's possible, as Lelouch often spoils and fondles Nunnally. She's basically the main reason why Lelouch bothers to attend school, Milly suspects. "I mean, Nunnally mentioned how he's not hanging out with her as often, so maybe he's trying to make it up." The shy student proclaims.
"Make's sense," Rivalz agrees brightly, clearly glad to find an explanation for Lelouch's disappearance that doesn't mean dropping Rivalz as a gambling partner. Though Lelouch does bring up multiple times that he goes gambling, more often than usual, but without Rivalz. Milly rolls her eyes at the fact that Rivalz continues to deny that Lelouch doesn't consider him as his partner in crime anymore.
"I remember Lelouch going down to the basement," Shirley informs. "I told him he shouldn't go there, but I'm pretty sure he did anyways."
"Aw, your Dear Lulu going off again," Rivalz snickers. Shirley doesn't flush red, rather she just stares at Rivalz oddly. Milly sighs, they really have to make up. Preferably with a kiss.
"Of course, Lelouch, going to places he's not supposed to go," Milly rages. Lelouch should've known better than just openly head down the stairs. Yes, he's technically related to the royal family, Britannia, but it's not like he can use that as an excuse for any students. Of course, he'd still get off free of any consequence, but he shouldn't abuse his power like that. If he had to go, couldn't he just do it discreetly at the least.
Suzaku mutters something. Milly rounds at him, and is satisfied to see him cringe as she glowers down at him with her narrowed misty blue eyes. "Didn't catch that, why don't you repeat it?" Milly recommends, spitting her advice at Suzaku. She's too coiled up right now to care that she's basically taking her anger out at her innocent helper.
Suzaku clears his throat, and stumbles over his words before fluidly saying, "Well, I didn't think you'd care that much. I mean, Lelouch tends to do these things according to you guys, so I thought that you would've gotten used to it," Suzaku points out.
"Exactly!" Milly slams her hands onto her desk in front of Suzaku, and his chair screeches against the floor as he leans backwards, nearly causing the chair to topple over. A startled expression is on his face. Milly inwardly smirks at that. Oh, how she loves to traumatize her friends. "He acts as though he doesn't care anymore, he hasn't came to one meeting within the past month." Milly exclaims loudly, and Nina even yelps at her shouted proclamation. "I swear I'll kick him off this team." Milly mutters. "And where is Nun-"
"Hey, Shirley," Rivalz intervenes Milly's rant. "How come you're not worried at all?" Milly actually drops her entire speech she planned to bellow out in her head, as she engages with Rivalz's question. "Ah, you're still playing your stupid game?" Rivalz scoffs.
Shirley sighs aloud. "No! I am not!" Shirley snaps. "How can me and Lelouch be in an argument that resulted to us not speaking, when I just met him?" Milly cocks an eyebrow. Oh, she's good. She didn't even use 'Lulu' instead of Lelouch, Milly takes a mental note of that. "And how can I have a crush on a guy that I never met, I don't believe in love at first sight," Shirley says, her face flushed, not from embarrassment, but probably because she said those two sentences in one entire breath. Milly raises her other eyebrow. Oh, she's really good. After all, it's been a couple weeks. "And to be honest, Lelouch seems so cold-hearted and distant," Shirley breathes. Milly recoils at that, and Rivalz actually squeaks something unintelligent. Nina peers at Lelouch over her wire rimmed glasses. Even Kallen inhales sharply, so fast that it almost sounds like a hiccup. "He seems so arrogant, he always puts himself on a high level above everyone else, and he doesn't even try hard in school!"
"Wow." Milly stares, wide-eyed at Shirley. Oh. She's really good. "Shirley, you and Lelouch were best friends, even better friends than him and Rivalz," Milly explains. Okay, these two have to make up. Preferably with a kiss.
"Hey!" Rivalz interjects, and Milly spares a glare of disdain before fixating her attention on Shirley.
Shirley also seems to have her focus on Milly, her cheekbones highlighted pink from blurting out everything at once, and her chest heaving heavily. She must be really annoyed by her and Lelouch not talking. Something bad must've really happened. "Everyone knew that you had a crush on Lelouch." Milly scoffs. Shirley stares at her, and for a moment, a flash of uncertainty surfaces in Milly's mind. Shirley would never take things so far. She wouldn't be able to live without talking to Lelouch. "You always understood him," Milly starts out. "And at first you were just like this, but you got interested him for some reason." Milly continues.
"You told me before," Suzaku intervenes. "You said that one day, you saw Lelouch and Rivalz going to school, and there was this argument between an elderly couple and someone else, and according to you, their cars crashed. Then you said that Lelouch just stepped up, and with a straight face, just set everything right and probably did something funny, because you said that he didn't do it to make his friends laugh. And so you were curious," Suzaku pauses there, before continuing with something else. "You really seemed to like him," he adds lamely at the end.
"What happened between you two?" Milly asks. Shirley doesn't answer. And before anyone can say anything, a warble causes most of them to jump. "Oh, it's just me," Milly mouths an apology as she retrieves her phone out of her skirt pocket. Her anger is immediately reignited as she stares at the caller I.D. Lelouch Lamperouge. "LELOUCH!" Milly bellows into the phone after accepting the call. "WHERE ARE YOU?" She feels the eyes of her fellow members on her. "I AM SO-"
"This isn't Lelouch." Milly chokes on her own words that she was about to yell out.
"Wait, how'd you get his phone?" Milly doesn't recognize the monotone, feminine voice on the other end. "Who are you?"
"I am a friend of Lelouch vi Britannia," Milly swallows her anger, fear replacing it. This girl on the other end of the call, knows Lelouch's actual name. But...if it's a friend, why would she discuss this topic over the phone? What if the government intercepts it, there's probably a chance that they listen to teenager's phone calls every once in a while. Milly pretends that what she just thought wasn't that ridiculous as it is. Why would they eavesdrop on such a specific conversation anyways, Milly tells herself that she's just being paranoid. "Lelouch and Nunnally are in the basement. Please give them what they deserve. You'll find this other man, pretty soon, either dead from blood loss, or he is gone. His name is Mao, he has a criminal record. He's the one responsible for everything." Then, just like that, the phone conversation ended, leaving Milly with the phone attached to her ear, listening to the repeated beep, signaling the end of a call.
"I think we should go to the basement." Milly advises to her colleagues, and they're all staring at her curiously.
Just shut. Up.
None of them really recovered from the previous day. How could they? Kallen automatically figured something was wrong, when the metallic scent tickled her nostrils. She hates blood. She hates it even more now. She thought she seen it all. That she saw too much blood and gore already throughout her life. But she never seen the blood of a friend. She used to hate these people as much as she hated blood, especially Lelouch, that irritating, self-confident brat. Now, she's willing to trade anything to get him and his sister back.
"Oh I can't believe he's dead," The blonde, Sophie, sniffs from beside her. Kallen's ready to slice her tongue out. Sophie wasn't even close with Lelouch to begin with, she just had a crush on him, that's all. Kallen doesn't tear her eyes from the two headstones planted underneath the tall willow tree with the gnarled bark and knotted branches. She gnaws the skin off her bottom lip, drawing blood as she bites down hard enough, and tears form in her eyes from the pain. Not the physical pain from her lip. But the mental pain from the two holes in her heart that will not heal, along with the third one from her deceased brother. The whole school was let out after news got out, it's basically all over the news. And it's only been a couple hours, less than a day, since the police found it. Probably because Zero and his gang took a break for the whole week, and reporters like Riet were dying for a scoop. Some say that Zero was part of it. Kallen calls BS on that, and has pretty solid proof: they weren't there. The police also never found the man that Milly claimed existed, Meow or whatever. They said that they do know a criminal that has the same name, though.
For the whole and rest of the week, there's no school. However, most of the school just regrouped. Some people actually mourned over Nunnally. But not over Lelouch as much. The majority of them just came here to meet up with their friends, using the two's deaths as excuses to their parents to leave the house. And that makes Kallen ready to hop into her Knightmare, and blast the damn heads of the damn Chinese. [I'm Chinese ;-;]. It sickens her how nobody actually pays genuine respect to these two, who's been brutally murdered somehow. Some of the daring students, mostly the jocks, even want to go down to the basement to see the mess. Maybe even take pictures. Disgusting creatures. Only about on third of the whole school population actually visited their graves solemnly. Perhaps it's because of Lelouch's well known sardonic attitude that caused many to dislike or hate him. Maybe it's just because Lelouch never really set out to make friends. But...still...they deserved something more than this. At that, tears begin to overflow her eyes, and with her long bangs, she obscures her visage behind it, hoping that it'll mask her expression and tears, so she lowers her head. At that, a tear drop that's been cleaning onto the side of her nose dangles, before plopping, dampening a small spot of Nunnally's grave.
She can't wait for Zero to call her in. No doubt Meow is probably Chinese, she hopes she'll encounter him one day. Then she can wring the life out of him with her bare damn hands.
Shirley is completely confused and bewildered. Everyone claims that Lelouch was her best friend, someone she was most interested in. Yet she doesn't recall a single memory of them together, she's quite sure that the first time she met him was outside of a building. She doesn't have any recollection of why exactly she was there, or what she was doing, but that doesn't really matter.
What matters right now, are the two marble headstones. Shirley waits for Kallen to leave. She just wants to have some alone time with them. Once Kallen stalks off with her head bent, Shirley skirts up to the two headstones. One of them even has a flower on it. Of course it's Nunnally's. "Oh Nunnally," Shirley murmurs. "I wonder what they buried of you anyways," Shirley adds. "Not to be offensive," Shirley quickly says. But seriously, from what she saw below, most likely the biggest piece they could find is her wheelchair. Is the coffin just empty? "You had so much ahead of you. But wherever you are now, I hope you're happy, with Lelouch." Shirley whispers. She then stiffens. Nunnally. Nunnally is Lelouch's younger sister, she still remembers from two years ago, pushing Nunnally's wheelchair while going for a stroll, and how she giggled when the vanilla ice cream started to melt, and it dripped over her chin. How come she would know Nunnally, but not Lelouch?
"Hey, uh...Lulu..." For some reason, just by using that name, it sounds so right on her lips, as though she spent forever using that name, and over the course of the years, it perfected and sounds absolutely wonderful when she said so. "I don't think we met before. But, I just want to say, I never got to know you that much," Shirley admits. And for some reason, that thought saddens her, as though something stirring inside her gut, an emotion, wants her to get to know him more. Curiosity. That startles her. Didn't Suzaku, Milly, and just about everyone else claim that's the reason why she met him in the first place? "I'm sorry I didn't. They all said that you were always so happy and nice around me. Is that why you're always sullen?" Shirley starts to talk to the headstone. "There are times, when I catch you looking at me. Is it because you do know those memories that I don't have?" By now, Shirley's ready to hug the slab of glossy marble and make it cleaner with her tears. And she still doesn't know why.
"You know, I said once, I don't believe in love at first sight. I still don't. But I feel like...if I ever talked to you, I would still feel the same sensation as one would from loving someone at first sight."
Milly can't get that image out of her head. The one color that stood out in that dim, dull room, is red. Crimson red. Nunnally always overshadowed her brother, but Lelouch never minded that. And she still did, even in death. With the vivid scarlet blood, it outshone the limp corpse hiding in the shadows. Milly didn't even know Lelouch was there, until Shirley pointed it out. Crusty blood stains Lelouch's mouth, and when Rivalz tried to drag him from out of the darkness, cracks and snaps from brittle bones causes him to drop the body entirely. Lelouch's legs were jerked in an odd angle, and his arms bent in another way. The oddest thing Milly found, was his eyes. Hollow. Dead. Lifeless. Staring at back at her. Nina eventually fainted in the room, and Shirley could've crumbled the whole building with her ear-piercing shriek that is clearly stronger than the bomb itself. It was definitely a bomb, Nina had pointed out before collapsing, her skin ashen and her frail figure quivering. The wires dangling from the ceiling, and besides, what else could cause blood to go streaking three miles from its actual body? Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but Milly really wished everything else was. She doubts Lelouch would even make it if he was alive, from the bomb's radiation.
"Lelouch, I really wish the best for you. And I know your hard life," Milly's voice cracks between her private speech. "Especially after being banished and stuff." She turns to Nunnally's grave, with her head lowers, and her blonde hair dangles in front of her vision as she bends her head and her bangs that were tucked behind her ear simply just slid into her field of vision. "Nunnally, I...I don't know what to say to you. I just want you back. I want both of you back. Nunnally, you were always the kindest, nicest, most grateful girl ever, you didn't deserve to die." Give them what they deserve, Milly recalls the words from the mysterious caller from yesterday. The police questioned her about this, but Milly had no answers. She didn't recognize the monotone voice of the caller. But, give them what they deserve is what she said. Well. They deserve to be alive. And Milly simply doesn't have the power to do that.
"Oh Nunnally," Suzaku had vomited when they entered the basement, and he just couldn't keep in his lunch the moment Rivalz tried to pull Lelouch out, and resulted to them finding out that basically the majority of his bones have snapped. It's clear to say that his death was painful, but probably short. Then again, Lelouch isn't the type to die so quickly, he fights. But...with the knowledge that his sister is dead, may change that statement. "You didn't deserve this," Suzaku twists his lips, pursing them. He swears. He'll find Mao, and put him behind bars, if he doesn't end up killing that bastard. His spine stiffens at the thought of Mao. He heard of him, a dangerous criminal, known to be a physcopath and possibly a sociopath as well.
His childhood friends. Gone. Nunnally is like a little sister to him. Lelouch is like a little brother to him. And Suzaku just lost both of his younger siblings in a painful, gory death. His built frame starts to tremble. He blinks away the hot tears. He stands next to Rivalz, and Rivalz's expression remains passive. Even blank, and dare Suzaku say...peaceful? No, he must feel sorry for them. Suzaku concentrates on the dead bodies six-feet underground, in front of his feet.
Worst part is...there was nothing left of Nunnally to bury. Even Nunnally's organs, heart, entrails, was embedded in her melted iron wheelchair. Just underneath here, is a wooden coffin. And they definitely couldn't bury blood, even though it was everywhere in the basement. Suzaku shivers at the thought. Who's going to clean up the mess below anyways? If it's just going to be their school janitor, well, he pities him then. This whole school only has two janitors in total, they're definitely going to have to hire a professional cleaning crew. Suzaku slowly shakes his head to himself. He has to stop overthinking. But he can't help but think, what got Lelouch into this position? How did Nunnally even end up down there? Why did Mao want Nunnally so bad? Or did he want Lelouch? All these questions, unanswered. Suzaku wishes he was there. To understand everything, he wants to know what really happened. After all, why would a physcotic killer go after two specific kids?
Rivalz knows it's awful. But he doesn't feel bad about his friends dying. But it's probably because they're released of their suffering. If they did make it out alive, well, Lelouch at least, he'd be crippled for life, and have probably multiple and endless physical and mental health problems. And...Rivalz knows that if Nunnally didn't make it, Lelouch wouldn't have wanted too either. So maybe this is for the better. Lelouch and Nunnally, together, wherever they are. However, that horrific image of Nunnally's gnarled wheelchair smeared red, caused Rivalz's heart to skip a beat. It didn't make him sad. Just horrified, after all, who wants to die that way? Nunnally was a sweet, sage girl, who could've had huge things ahead of her, despite her inability to walk or see. She could've became great things, she might've even been able to work in the castle if she's smart enough.
Suzaku is besides Rivalz, staring at the grave. The two male students stand side-by-side, either wishing for the best, or grieving for their deceased friends. Rivalz isn't sure what to think about this, honestly. Even Arthur sensed something wrong. Or maybe that's just because Rivalz tracked in blood all over the school. The janitor is going to have a lot of cleaning.
Nina isn't sure what to think, in complete honesty. She was never close with Lelouch in the first place, but Nunnally, though they weren't the best of friends, always talked with her, listened patiently, and cooperated with whatever Nina timidly ordered her to do. And Nina has to think her for it. Nina always left the school with a happy smile because of her words. Nunnally has that same effect Euphemia had on her, Nina realized. Both listen, are kind, and enthusiastic about the smallest things.
For Lelouch, he is still her classmate. And he's never troubled her in any way, and she did get used to his presence after a while, yet she never really communicated with him, as he would always have Shirley, or even now, lately, he's been talking with Suzaku or Kallen. Nina sighs. She does regret not getting to know Lelouch personally. She doesn't remember most of their small adventure down in the basement. She collapsed, losing conscious, the moment her eyes landed on the blood that seeped into her sneakers. The supple fabric of her shoes are now stiff like cardboard, and she ended up tossing them away. She doesn't want anything with Nunnally's blood on it.
"The news is all about two dead children," Euphemia pouts. Cornelia shrugs in response. "They showed this scary picture of blood everywhere," Euphemia grimaces. Cornelia sighs, and she sits upright on the plush couch. Her magenta hair clings to the couch's fabric from static.
"Euphie, there are going to be many things like this," Cornelia warns. Her sister nods glumly.
"I know that, it's just that I wished the kids didn't die. They even showed a corpse of the brother of the dead sister, and it looked so much like Lelouch," Euphemia claims. Now Cornelia's interested in the stupid news. At first she didn't want to listen to it, as most reporters twist and the story for it to be more dramatic. "I know, the last time I saw Lelouch was a long, long time ago, but he had the black hair and purple eyes. But this boy's eyes are so...sunken in," Euphemia struggles with her last words.
"Whatever happened to Lelouch?" Cornelia asks curiously. Schneizel stated that Lelouch and their blind, crippled younger sister Nunnally, were disowned and banished. Father said that they were sent off to America. He was probably joking. But back then at a young age, Cornelia never thought their father ever uttered a sarcastic statement. Well, I was wrong about that, Cornelia muses.
"Schneizel said they were sent somewhere. He didn't know where, though." Euphemia answers. The news report continues to roll. "Oh, in the morning, right after this part, they show you the body, look!" Okay, now something's wrong. Euphemia isn't the type to get excited over a corpse.
"This is the body of the boy found in the basement," The female reporter exclaims into her microphone. A blown up, enlarged image takes up the whole screen, before sliding to the corner, shrinking in size. Cornelia gasps. The boy does have the same features as Lelouch. Of course, Lelouch didn't leave with twenty broken bones, but the dark ebony hair and purple eyes does tick something in the back of her brain. She pulls out a mental image of a younger Lelouch buried inside of her mind from years ago, and tries to compare it. It doesn't exactly work, as she doesn't actually have a real vision or image of Lelouch now.
"Lelouch Lamperouge and his sister Nunnally, both former students of Ashford Academy, met a horrible fate-" Cornelia slams the pause button of the television's remote. She stares at Euphemia.
"You didn't tell me about their names!" Cornelia gasps. Euphemia's eyes were attached on the screen, at the image of the broken boy.
"I...the news just got out today, so I didn't really check up on it this morning, I just saw the photo while surfing channels," Euphemia wheezes. Oh no. That tone always indicates she's about to cry. "Is it really..."
"Marianne's maiden name was Marianne Lamperouge, [unconfirmed]" Cornelia begins to connect the dots. "And Lelouch wouldn't have a reason to change his last name, it is quite common, right? "This was at Ashford academy, and they always supported having someone outside of nobility like Marianne to be in command, so they would've gladly taken him in. And then there's Nunnally, it's not exactly a coincidence," Cornelia's words taken an uneasy voice. Her stomach starts to churn. Is this really Lelouch? The boy found dead in the basement?
"Now, here's an image of Nunnally, with Lelouch found dead next to her. We advise all viewers with a weak mind to not look." Cornelia turns to Euphemia, her eyes still planted firmly on the picture.
"Maybe you shouldn't see this," Cornelia advises cautiously. Tears causes Euphemia's eyes to sparkle.
"No, I have to!" Euphemia hisses. Well, it's just probably just a corpse, nothing wrong with that.
And I'll leave it at that. I don't plan on making this any longer, honestly. But I'll consider it.