Challenge: CC/Suzaku - devotion, blade, ash, 700 words or less
There is ash in the air, there is blood in his mouth, and guilt is slowly eating him alive.
The flames licking the sky and belching smoke into the atmosphere have dissipated slightly, the reckless fury with which they had burned finally being systematically quelled by the efforts of the fire fighters that had arrived on scene just moments ago.
Nunnally is uninjured, the pure luck of her driver having taken a wrong turn and ending up on the wrong side of the building when the bomb went off a near miraculous coincidence no one dares question.
However, she insisted on exiting her secure vehicle and seeing the wreckage for herself, ordering most of her guard to help clear away the rubble and search for survivors. Despite their many protests, she'd sent them off with a look of utter impatience, leaving herself with only Zero behind her, squeezing the life out of his sword hilt and keeping his composure only by gnawing through his bottom lip like an untrained rookie for the first time in ages.
The Queen's car had been late heading to the meeting hall, but her advisor's hadn't, for once arriving on time, and the worry on Nunnally's face would have been doubly apparent if anyone could see beyond Zero's mask.
CC is here, somewhere, in this rubble, and he can't go find her because he is the last guard left to look after Nunnally.
CC is here, and he shouldn't be thinking about her at all, should only be concerned with the fact that the Queen is out in the open and the bombers could be out and ready to make another attempt on her life.
He is thinking about that, but distantly, as if it's an odd math problem to be solved instead of the matter of his monarch's safety.
Nunnally should be his main concern here, but she isn't, because she's alive and unharmed right in front of him, while CC is possibly buried under a metric ton of concrete.
The elation that abruptly lifts his heart to soaring at the sight of familiar shining green hair is quickly reined in by the six men following after the Witch, three in uniform and three wearing loose jumpsuits.
"I found our little attempted assassins, Your Highness," CC drawls in that careless tone that only she can get away with using in the presence of royalty, nodding to the guards that force the criminals to kneel.
Zero steps to the front, ever the guardian, and a slim hand grabs his wrist.
He turns immediately to his Queen, rising fury dissipating almost instantly.
"Spare them," says Nunnally in a whisper. She is gentle and kind-hearted, soft in a way her brother never was; too soft for the war-torn world she'd been born into, the same world that had so callously stolen every glimmer of light in Suzaku Kururugi's life.
"Kill them," says CC, an ocean of calm amidst a tumult of frenzied activity; fierce, ethereal, primal, too much like Lelouch for this peaceful regime which has taken shape in the wake of his death. In all the months since the wars ended and the winners were decided, she hasn't looked more alive, more entertained than she does right now, smirking menacingly at the cowardly men who had attempted to murder the sister of her first and dearest friend.
Zero glances between the two, a pale but steady Queen and a steel-spine Witch, both covered in soot, and looks back at the men who had come so close to taking away the two people Lelouch had loved most in this world, had nearly killed the little sister Lelouch had given literally everything for.
There is ash in the air, there is blood in his mouth, and perhaps there should be guilt for his split loyalty, but as he levels his blade in front of him, he finds he doesn't much care.
Nunnally grimaces acceptance, trusting her Knight to make the right decision.
CC smiles approval, all teeth and not a little glee at the stunned faces in front of them.
Lelouch's devotion had belonged to one.
Suzaku thinks he wouldn't mind if he splits his between two.
A/N: This kinda sucks but I managed to fit the requirement and finish on time so what the hell. Super Big Thank You to Val-Creative for the challenge! My writing would be nothing without them!
~Persephone