I'm back everyone! Here is the first chapter of Happiness is the Illusion the sequel to Broken Love and Betrayal Abound. I have been working religiously on it lately and have finally deemed this chapter worthy of being posted. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to post, but I have been working on this and several other stories as much as my free time allows.
This story will be rated M for foul language.
Enjoy everyone!
The whole evening had been a blur, but now that she was in a sea of pain it barely registered. The pain had been gradual at first with spaces in between. She had been able to breathe through the shocks without any sort of worry. She drank lots of water and even ate ice chips to help cool down her overheated body. Suzaku was attentive to her needs and took care of her while the pain began to increase.
But now, the pain was immense. It was like she had been shot, stabbed, and burned all at the same time and she could barely contain her agony. Lulu screamed as another shot of pain wracked through her body. Every nerve ending was oversensitive and she felt as if her whole body was being split in half. She could hardly hear the doctors in the room with her let alone Suzaku. She could only focus on the pain because it seemed the drugs they had pumped into her system were not enough to drown out the torture.
Her black hair was pulled out of her face, but loose strands were sticking to her skin from the amount of sweat she seemed to be producing. Her hands hurt from grasping at the side of the hospital bed and Suzaku's hand. He winced at the tightness and tried to soothe here with words, but it wasn't working. She couldn't hear him. All she could hear were her own screams and the blood pulsing in her ears. She didn't even care that she was squeezing the life out of Suzaku's hand. This whole mess was his fault anyway. She would skin him alive if she had to before she went through this amount of pain again.
"Princess, I can see the baby's head. You need to push, okay?" the bald doctor instructed. Lulu nodded her head vigorously because she was thrilled to be almost done. She felt as if she had been pushing the supposed "bundle of joy" out of her damn womb for hours. Hell, it probably had been hours for all Lulu knew at the moment. "Push!"
Lulu put everything she had into the last push. She wanted it to be over so that she could rest. She was exhausted and her body hurt. Suddenly, the pain lessened to a dull throb and the weight she had been carrying for the last nine months was gone.
Suzaku left her for a moment to cut the umbilical cord, but once that was done he was back at her side. He was smiling, but he looked as tired as she felt. His normally tan skin was flushed and he had dark bags under his eyes. His emerald eyes, however, were shining with pride.
Lulu let out a sigh of relief. She had successfully delivered the baby with no complications, but she couldn't hear the child crying. Wasn't it supposed to be crying? Internally, Lulu was terrified that the baby hadn't made it. She was afraid that she had failed Suzaku.
A loud wail filled the room.
Lulu let out the breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding. The baby was alive. She felt Suzaku move a sweaty strand of hair from her forehead and kiss her. She smiled at the gesture and gently squeezed his hand to let him know she was okay and happy. All the ire she had for the man during the delivery had faded. The love of her life now had a son and they could be proper family.
"You did great, Lulu," he whispered.
"Mr. Kururugi, would you like to hold your daughter?" the nurse asked.
She shouldn't have been as surprised as she was at the news that she had given birth to a daughter. Lulu and Suzaku had both decided that knowing the gender of their child wasn't important, but she had hoped for a son. Lulu admitted quietly to herself that she wanted to cry, but she closed her eyes to keep the tears at bay. She had given birth to a daughter. She had given Suzaku a daughter, not a son. He had been so excited that there was a possibility of a boy. Suzaku had also expressed the excitement at having a girl as well, but Lulu just assumed he wanted a boy. Every father wanted a son. She hadn't wanted to disappoint him.
"No," Suzaku replied, "Lulu should hold her first."
Lulu opened her eyes and looked up at her husband. He hadn't sounded mad or upset that he had a daughter. His voice was full of joy and his face stated the same. A rush of relief flowed through her just knowing that he was happy. He smiled down at her again and released her hand. He stood and she recognized that he was going to help her sit up so that she could hold their baby. Lulu moved slowly and carefully so that the dull throb in her body wouldn't increase. When she was situated the nurse leaned over and handed the newborn to her.
The little human was wrapped up in a pink fleece blanket with a pink hat. She had a bit of brunette hair peeking out from under the hat that looked like it wanted to curl. Lulu chuckled and looked up at Suzaku.
"She is going to have curly hair just like you," Lulu observed.
Suzaku chuckled, "Yes, that seems to be a Kururugi family trait."
Lulu smiled and kissed the top of the baby's head. Her little girl sneezed and opened her eyes just a little, but it was enough to see that she would have eyes just like her mother, a vibrant amethyst.
"She has your eyes, Lulu," Suzaku stated.
"Jewel tone eyes are a Britannia family trait," Lulu replied. "She will, hopefully, bridge the gap between the Britannians and the Japanese."
"You mean Elevens, Lulu," Suzaku corrected.
Lulu looked up at him and he spared a glance at the doctors and nurses still present. Lulu followed his gaze to the others and raised an eyebrow at them. They were all giving the Britannian princess a cautionary glance. They all knew that Suzaku was an Eleven, but he was also a Knight of Round, more specifically the Knight of Seven. He had earned his place among the Britannians and the three medical professionals looking at him like he was the spawn of the Devil himself.
Mixed blood families happened, but were highly uncommon within Pendragon itself. The fact that a once Honorary Britannian Eleven turned Knight had married the Eleventh Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire had shocked the entire world. No one in the royal family had expected Emperor Charles zi Britannia to allow such a disadvantageous match, but he had. The wedding had been announced just days after the capture of Zero, the Black Knights rebel leader, by said Knight Kururugi. Many attributed Zero's capture as to why the Emperor would allow a lowly Eleven to marry into the royal family.
Lulu was about to order the doctors to clear the room so that she could have a moment with her family, but the doctor approached with a serious look on his face. Lulu held her tongue and waited for what the man would say.
"What is the child's name to be, milady?" the doctor asked.
Lulu looked up at Suzaku and waited to see if he wanted to name their child anything specific. He shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. She had divulged to him what she wanted their child's name to be whether it be a boy or a girl. Lulu looked back down at her daughter and smiled.
"Rhiannon Euphemia Kururugi," Lulu stated.
"Are you sure you wish to give your child the name of the Murderer Princess and your husband's last name instead of the prestigious last name of the royal family?" the doctor asked shocked.
Suzaku tensed at her sister's unofficial title. While it was true that Euphemia had seemed to lose all reason and manically killed hundreds of Japanese during the time of the Special Administrative Zone; she had still been a royal. This man had no right to speak of her as he did and especially not in front of Suzaku. Not to mention, he seemed to think that Lulu wanted her daughter to only belong to Britannia. Lulu's daughter belonged to her and Suzaku. No one else. Lulu took her husband's hand and then glared at the doctor for making him relive a terrible moment from his past and degrading him.
"My sister Princess Euphemia was a kind and wonderful woman. Something happened that caused her to act the way she did before her untimely death. I always looked up to her and will be blessing my child by giving her my sister's name," Lulu stated. "My husband was once her knight and it is to honor the memory of her that I do this. My husband has also spent many years in dedication to the royal family and as he is my husband my daughter will take his last name. You have no right to dissuade me from my choice."
The doctor nodded and said nothing as a nurse wrote it down. The whole room knew that one negative word from Princess Lelouchia and they would all lose their jobs. Lulu wasn't a favorite of the crown, but she was influential enough to cause a stir if she felt in necessary. No one insulted her family without paying a price. She was, after all, her father's daughter. No one spoke as the nurse checked the spelling of all three names before returning to her spot in the corner.
The doctor cleared his throat again before speaking. "And the godparents of your child?"
"Earl Lloyd Asplund and Cécile Croomy," Suzaku answered easily.
The doctor looked at Lulu for confirmation and she nodded. She had agreed that the two had done much for Suzaku during his time in the army. They had been parents to him and when the two soon-to-be parents asked Lloyd and Cécile to be their child's godparents the two had agreed instantly.
"I am only asking as a formality, Princess Lelouchia, but there is no one in your prominent family you would like to make your child's godparents."
Lulu was starting to get frustrated with the doctor. She was sure that he would be reporting back to her father as was custom, but it was slightly irritating. It was like she was constantly under surveillance and it aggravated her a great deal. It wasn't that she had a distaste for her father, but she sometimes found herself disagreeing with his approach to particular matters. He would ask for her opinion and then pretend like she had never even spoke. So that was why Lulu never said anything unless asked, but this was one thing she would not budge on.
If things had gone differently, Clovis and Euphemia would have been her daughter's godparents. Suzaku had even agreed that the two royals would have been perfect for the role. However, seeing as they had both been murdered by Zero there was no one else Lulu trusted with her child's welfare. She didn't want her daughter to be used as a political tool like she had been as a child. Although, she had to admit that being sent to Japan had had its perks because that was where she had met Suzaku. Lulu turned her attention back to the matter at hand.
"No, there is not," she answered coldly.
The doctor nodded again, the nurse wrote them down, checked the spelling, and then everyone except the parents and newborn were left alone with the child. Lulu let out a sigh and squeezed Suzaku's hand so that he would look at her.
"I don't care about what everyone is going to think. We made these decisions as a couple. I will stand by them till the end because I love you."
Suzaku leaned down and captured her lips. The kiss was chaste, sweet, and filled with so much love that Lulu almost melted. Almost, because Rhiannon decided that was the moment to cry and demand to be fed. Suzaku pulled away and they both chuckled.
"Nothing is going to be the same, Lulu," Suzaku commented as Lulu undid her hospital gown and brought the baby close to her breast. "She is going to make everything so different."
Rhiannon started to suck and Lulu turned her focus to Suzaku. "She is going to make everything better than it was before. She is our miracle."
They sat in relative silence as Rhiannon ate and Lulu couldn't stop staring at their perfect little angel. She felt happier than she had in the last few months. She had been so distant towards Suzaku, but he had stuck by her and comforted her when she needed it. Especially, when she was extremely emotional no matter the situation.
"I love you, Lulu," Suzaku declared breaking the silence. Lulu took her eyes from Rhiannon and focused back on Suzaku. "I never want you to doubt that."
"Suzaku, I have no reason to doubt your love for me. You defied the odds in order to marry me, did you not?" Lulu pointed out. Suzaku said nothing so she continued. "You captured Zero as proof of your love for me. You single-handedly saved the world from a maniac. You are my hero."
The happiness in Suzaku's eyes seemed to fade as she spoke. This occurred a lot when he looked at her. She couldn't figure out why, but she knew that every time Zero was brought up in conversation he seemed to look at her as if the rebel leaders very name would cause her to hate him.
Before she could ask him what was wrong there was a small knock at the door. Suzaku gave her a tight smile and a small blanket to cover her nude breast before getting up to answer the door. He opened the door, but blocked Lulu's view so that she wouldn't see who it was that came to visit them. After a moment of speaking with said visitor Suzaku stepped aside and Lulu meet light rose eyes.
Lulu smiled as she waved the visitor in. Suzaku stepped aside as the younger male stepped into the room. His light brunette hair was a little messy like he had been running his hands through it constantly in worry. His eyes were shining with happiness, but his usually pale skin was just a smidgeon paler. He walked to her side and rested a hand on her thigh.
"I'm okay, Rolo. Everything went perfectly," Lulu reassured. She knew how worried her younger brother had been when he had watched her wheeled into the delivery room. Suzaku had forbade him from being present and Lulu knew Rolo had been hurt by her husband's words. "You look awful though."
Rolo chuckled quietly. "I was worried for you, big sister. I was worried for the baby. No one would give me much information on what was going on."
Lulu nodded in understanding. Suzaku had already told her that he had kept her brother sated with as little information as possible. Rolo had always had a weak disposition when it came to medical things and life or death situations. Suzaku had done it to keep him from getting ill because Lulu wouldn't have been able to give birth and worry about her sick sibling.
"Well as you can see, Rolo, I am just fine. Rhiannon is healthy and eating at the moment, but when she finishes you can hold her if you like," Lulu stated.
Rolo flushed and waved his hands in front of his face. "I couldn't, big sister. I don't…"
"Would it help if Suzaku held her first?" Lulu questioned. A thought struck her then. "Come to think of it Suzaku hasn't gotten to hold her yet."
"Let Suzaku hold her, sister. He is her father after all," Rolo stated.
Lulu nodded and the room fell silent as Rhiannon fed. It was several long moments before Rhiannon finished. The infant yawned and closed her eyes. Lulu redid her gown and removed the blanket before looking at Suzaku.
Emerald met violet and Lulu handed Rhiannon over to her husband. He took her gently and held her close while supporting her head. Lulu smiled at the perfect picture. She had always know that Suzaku would be a great father. It was in this moment that Lulu was the happiest she had ever been.
"She's so tiny," Suzaku breathed.
Lulu nodded, "She will grow quickly and if she is anything like you, Suzaku, she will be a handful."
Suzaku chuckled in reply. Lulu smiled before looking at her brother. She noticed that he looked upset. He was looking at Suzaku and the baby as if they had killed someone. Lulu didn't understand it, but she knew that he might feel displaced by the new arrival. He had been Lulu's whole world for as long as they could both remember and Rhiannon would now take Lulu's attention away from him.
"You are an uncle now, Rolo. She will be looking up to you as she grows," Lulu stated. Rolo looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I want you to watch over her and protect her, okay?"
Rolo looked to Suzaku holding the baby and then back to her. He nodded and Lulu beckoned him closer. Rolo moved forward and she took his hand in hers. Lulu then looked at Suzaku and he understood that she wanted him closer as well. He sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled at her.
Lulu touched his arm and she felt an overwhelming feeling of joy. She was happy and content with what she had. There was nothing in the world that could compare to having her family around her.
"You three are the most important things in my life. You are my family and nothing makes me happier than knowing that I have you."
Well, there it is! First chapter completed! Please review and comment. I love hearing from you! ~BlainexKurtxLovex