Disclaimer: I don't think I'm smart enough to come up with Code Geass. So, no, I don't own any of it T.T
A/N: This is my first attempt to write Fan fiction with Code Geass as its center. I'll try my best. This is Suzaku x Lelouch fiction. You've been warned. You don't like it? Please press the back button. Another thing; this may contain spoilers of Code Geass R1 & R2. Many variables will be changed. However, the characters will stay in character as much as possible. I hope you enjoy it, I know I am; I've forgotten the joy of writing something new. Now I know why I was so addicted to writing.
Moving on to—
Chapter One: Prince of Ashford Academy
We will do it together!
If life was all about catching up to others' dreams and surpassing them, then he supposed he shouldn't be so surprised that he's so disinterested. Days passed by, and there was no sense of accomplishment, no goal in the horizon, if you will. Oh, he had a goal in the past; it was simply to get away. It was an easy goal, especially with the level of his intelligence and connections, so why didn't he act on his perfect plans? Because if he did act on that sole desire, those he held dear will suffer the consequences.
With things going as they were, he wouldn't be surprised if his escape route would be natural death, but he couldn't wait for that either. His enemy was focused on him, and he couldn't afford to let his attention wander, or all would be for nothing.
Killing him seemed to be the only solution.
But could he do it? Did he dare? Wouldn't that make them sad? Should he be the only sacrifice? Could he ever be free? Or would they go down, together?
That last thought always left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Is this seat free?"
For a second, he considered ignoring the voice, but only for a second; the voice was unfamiliar, yes, but it warm and pleasant, as if he had just dipped in a very hot bath. He turned his head slightly, and caught sight of emerald green eyes looking straight at him. He cleared his throat, and chose to say quite pleasantly, "It is free,"
The other teenager grinned broadly, and sat down next to him, instead of across the table as he had anticipated. He forced back a blink; the emerald-eyed teenager seemed to be the type to act impulsively.
He was beginning to regret the decision of acknowledging the stranger.
"Wow, Lelouch! Are my eyes deceiving me, or are you actually eating?!"
Lelouch suppressed a sigh, and turned to the owner of the boisterous voice. He was already familiar with her ways, of course; Milly Ashford, the President of the School Council, was as crazy as they come, her blonde hair bouncing, along with sapphire eyes gleaming with mischief. When that look was directed toward him, Lelouch could hardly be blamed if he squeaked and ran. But as he was neither a girl, nor an athlete, he was forced to stay where he was, watching as the source of doom in this school became closer. He could see Shirley (Redhead with olive eyes), and Rivalz (With blue eyes, and hair of the same shade) behind the President, but he didn't hold his breath; he knew that while they were both his classmates, they were also members of the Student council, and they would be behind Milly in whatever she decides, otherwise, her wrath would be directed towards them.
"Is your new friend the cause of this miracle?"
Lelouch couldn't help blinking this time – New friend? When?
"What's your name?" Milly continued enthusiastically.
Lelouch only then noticed that her gaze was directed to the emerald-eyed boy. He supposed he couldn't blame her; the boy was sitting next to him after all.
"Suzaku Kururugi, at your service," the now dubbed Kururugi smiled.
"He joined our class today," Shirley added, "He's the new transfer student!"
Joined today? Lelouch wasn't surprised that he didn't remember; after all he had surreptitiously slept through the first three periods. He was slightly disturbed all though; he should have been more alert. Lelouch sighed mentally; he shouldn't be that surprised, as yesterday was the hardest day of the month.
"Ah!" Milly was almost twinkling by now, always a bad sign, "the Special Student!"
Lelouch noticed Kururugi's cheeks reddening slightly with obvious embarrassment. So . . . he's naïve and impulsive? What a charming combination, Lelouch thought sarcastically.
"Special student?" Shirley asked slowly, as if tasting the words. "Is there such thing?"
"Well, it's not that common," Milly admitted, and Lelouch noticed with amusement that she had gone into the famous acting-as-if-the-subject-of-her-conversation-was-not-there mode, which in turn meant that the torture-Lelouch routine had been evaded. Not for long, he knew, but enough to grant him the chance to finish his meal in peace. "His last name is Kururugi, and, as you know, this Academy is especially built for Britannian Students, especially those who are wealthy and could afford being in this school. Suzaku is Japanese, so that means he's a typical Studious Commoner; the entrance exams are so difficult," Milly turned to acknowledge Kururugi, beaming, "Right?"
Lelouch kept his eyes fixed on his plate, but he felt slightly annoyed by Milly's attitude, which followed the typical Britannian thyme. Even though the Academy was built on Japanese grounds, the Academy's education, and rules were identical to her peers in the Britannian Empire.
So the students here carried a variation of 'holier than thou' attitude, especially since they didn't have to deal with Japanese. The Academy itself was within a settlement that contained only Britannian citizens. The Shops, the companies, even the police were all Britannian. They even had their representatives in the most important branches of the government. No one was sure how it happened, but suddenly, there was an alien county within the country, and the Japanese Government made no move to stop it, or to eliminate it; there was no need to anger the Britannian Empire, was there? It wasn't like the Japanese were not allowed to live there, but why would a sane Japanese go to live within that county, where 99% were Britannians? The 1% was actually the Japanese handling the manual labor, ranging from maids to construction builders.
So Suzaku Kururugi's existence among them was unexpected, and on some level, unwelcome to most. After all, Lelouch thought darkly, those brats would act as if Kururugi's existence would disturb their lives.
He wasn't sure what made him do it, but he had lifted his head from the plate that was still half full, feeling suddenly as though he couldn't eat anymore. He looked straight at Milly, who was still talking.
"You must be a genius to win a Scholarship! I mean, really, disregarding Britannian candidates to accept a Japanese candidate? Never happened before! And—what is it, Lelouch?"
"Don't you feel that he is a good candidate to join us? He's special, isn't he?" Lelouch suggested casually.
Kururugi, who was looking slightly relieved when Milly had shifted her attention, looked stressed again at Lelouch's words.
"Join?" Kururugi sounded really nervous . . . smart guy, not so naïve then, Lelouch revaluated, "What—"
"Lelouch, I can't believe I haven't thought of that! I was right to make you Vice President!" Milly looked downright evil when she turned to look at Kururugi, "My, my, Suzaku, managing to catch Lelouch's attention from the first day?" Kururugi opened his mouth, to protest probably, Lelouch thought with amusement, "Special indeed! From now on, you are the newest member of the Student Council! Consider it an honor!"
Maybe he did it so that Milly would shift her torture, ahem, special treatment to Kururugi?
But Lelouch never fancied himself as someone content to live in denial. He had helped Kururugi to spare him going through loneliness, at least through the first term, until people accepted him; most Britannians believed Japanese to be uncultured barbaric crowd. As if to reinforce his thoughts, he suddenly noticed Nina hiding behind Shirley.
The question was why did he help him?
Lelouch quickly shrugged it off; it didn't cost him anything, and it wouldn't in the future.
How wrong he was.
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"So you are the prince of Ashford Academy?"
To his credit, Lelouch had not jumped. He merely pretended to continue reading the paragraph of a rather interesting theory about the interpersonal relations between humans. He had always been interested in the motivations that lay behind the people's emotions, actions, and thoughts, all elements that contradicted themselves more often than not. He didn't like the theory that Freud presented; it almost as if he had been solely molded by the circumstances of his Childhood, and that was not a cheerful thought. The Cognitive School sounded more logical, except that—
Suddenly a hand landed on his should and he tensed involuntarily.
He couldn't control the glare that he shot the offender, but as it accomplished the immediate goal, he wasn't sorry at all; the heat of his glare seemed enough to make Kururugi retract his hand, as if it was burned. However, Kururugi smiled friendly, and that more than anything managed to tick Lelouch off.
"Just making sure that you weren't sleeping," Kururugi offered as though it was an adequate explanation.
"I was reading," Lelouch answered rather coldly. He couldn't let Kururugi get away with it after all; the thought of the guy touching him again made him cringe.
"Your head was down, and I have been told that you are an expert in the art of sleeping without being detected," Kururugi seemed totally unfazed by his coldness.
"I'd appreciate it if you don't do that again," Lelouch's tone was frosty, making it clear to Kururugi that he didn't, and would not tolerate it if it was repeated.
To his immense annoyance, though he did not show it, Kururugi continued as if Lelouch had not said a thing. "How come people call you the Prince of Ashford Academy?" he asked curiously.
It had been a week since Kururugi had joined their Academy, so Lelouch was not surprised that he had already learned of that nickname. The question, however, unnerved him slightly.
"It's not like I dubbed myself with that name," Lelouch said, his voice flat with disinterest.
To his horror, Kururugi sat down next to him. "Yes, but it's not a usual nickname. I have heard that you're also dubbed the Black King, as you are the official Master of Chess in this school. Say, are you Royalty, or something?"
That confirmed it. Kururugi's curiosity was unnatural, and Lelouch was instantly on guard, though he remained in his previous position—relaxed on the coach, and his right hand holding his book. He acknowledged Kururugi with a glance, but he only said, "Of course, isn't it obvious?"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeh?!" Kururugi jumped to his feet, his right hand near his left waist, before letting it drop quickly.
Lelouch snorted, "I can't believe you actually fell for that, Kururugi, have you forgotten what my surname is? It is Lamperouge, for future reference," Kururugi had insisted on calling him by his first name, "And why would a prince be here according to you?" Lelouch added his voice deliberately amused.
Kururugi blinked at him, and then sighed heavily. "You are not funny,"
"I wasn't trying to be. You made a fool of yourself with your own handy work," Lelouch deadpanned, going back to his book.
"Shut up! And stop calling me Kururugi! It's Suzaku, remember?"
Lelouch ignored him rather effectively, and tried to focus on his book, but he couldn't, his heart still racing.
He knew that there was no way that Kururugi's armed, but the reaction was pure instinct. And he was looking for a Prince.
It didn't take a genius that he had to be extra careful from now on, if that was even possible.
T.B.C
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A/N: So, what do you think? I have spent the day writing this, and plot is growing in my mind. I know things don't look cheerful between our favorite couple, but what can I say? I – like many other Authors – love to make things difficult for one Suzaku Kururugi. Or maybe I'm alone in that? I have read a lot of fan fiction insisting on torturing Lelouch T.T
Please tell me what you think.
Take care.
La Luna Negra Out.