'Absolute faith can make a person blind,
Absolute justice makes him merciless,
Absolute perseverance might make him headstrong,
But absolute love surely makes him kind, compassionate
And forgiving.
He not only heals himself from the above faults
But touches the lives of others and makes them whole.
After all, there will never be too much love
For from it, all good and beautiful things are born.'
It was 5th December 1999 atb. In a non-descriptive hospital, a young boy was born into the vi Britannia household. As the nurse brought the child to his mother Marianne, he was all wrapped up in a white cloth crying his lungs out.
"Congratulations, Mrs. vi Britannia, you have given birth to a healthy young boy." The nurse said in a soft warm tone.
"Thank you" was all that the relieved mother said.
As she took her little one, she rocked him gently in her arms to calm him down. It worked, as the baby felt the protective and loving aura of his mother. The little boy finally opened his eyes to look at her. What she saw were a wonderful pair of amethyst staring adoringly and questioningly at her
'Are you my mummy?' he seemed to ask.
She chuckled at the thought of him speaking so and gently tickled him. What came out was a joyous squeal from the infant. As this little game went on for a few minutes, he successfully managed to free his right arm from the tightly wound cloth. He then tried to grab his mother`s finger, which she allowed and started to still. On seeing his eyes close, she realized it was time to feed him. After all, who would want their most precious to be hungry?
As she was humming him to sleep after feeding-while he snuggled closer towards her for warmth-the door to her room opened to reveal Sayako, her Japanese maid and Jeremiah Gottwald, the butler of the house. She gestured them to keep quiet as they proceeded to her bedside. Even though they were domestic help, Marianne always made them feel like a part of the family-much to the disgust of her husband.
"His looks just like you, my lady." Sayako said as she took him in her arms. It was indeed beautiful scene to see the little raven headed boy resting peacefully. She just nodded her head with an affectionate look on her face. Gently, Sayako gave him back to his mother after a while. Jeremiah walked up to the infant, gazed at his calm demeanor and blessed him on his forehead.
"May he grow to be kind and strong man. Compassionate and loving just like his mother." He said softly.
"Thank you Jeremiah. It means a lot that you two took the time to see me." Marianne said warmly.
"Of course, why wouldn`t we come. Someone has to introduce young master into the house other than Master Charles and you." The maid said happily.
"If I may ask, my lady. Why are you here? And where is Master Charles?"
The butler asked careful to keep the venom from seeping into his tone.
Marianne sighed softly at that "He is on a business trip in France. He said to carry on our son`s baptism without him as would not be home for three months." she ignored the other question though.
The two of them felt anger for their employer for being so carefree of his family. Did he not care to see his first born child? Was money really worth over family? Despite the righteous anger coursing in their veins, they didn`t pursue the matter so as to not disturb the infant.
"Sayako, Jeremiah. Can I ask you of a favour?"
"Anything, my lady." They answered in unison.
"Would you two like to be Lelouch`s godparents?"
They were both shocked for a moment. Their mistress was bestowing them with such an honour?
"My lady, I… I think you should ask someone else." Sayako said hurriedly.
"Besides, we are lowly servants. Young master certainly deserves better. And also, why that name?" Jeremiah completed.
"I liked the sound of it. It has a certain uniqueness to it." She just regarded them warmly. "I have no one in my family that I can turn to. I do not trust my friends as they all have eyes the family fortune. You two are the only people I trust completely. So please, just say yes."
Both of them were stroke with awe and wonder at their lady`s faith in them. How could anyone refuse her?
"…Very well" Jeremiah was the first to reply "I will go and talk to the parish priest to schedule the baptism. Sayako, assist the mistress in my absence." She nodded in reply.
As he left the room, he turned around and bowed to his lady "Thank you so much, my lady. You do not know how happy it makes us." Tears started flowing as he said this.
"Hush Jeremiah. You don` t need to thank me. Now chin up, weren`t you running some errand?" she said with a giggle.
"Yes, of course. I shall return soon" wiping his tears, he made his way to the local parish.
Marianne once more looked at her child and couldn`t contain the gush of love of her heart. Gently, she kissed his forehead and handed him to Sayako to put him in his cradle.
"Welcome home, Lelouch."
It was nightfall on a certain day in the month of May 2003 atb. In the vi Britannia house. Young Lelouch had 'ticked' of his father and was slapped for it. Blood had streamed down lips and he was immediately rushed away by Sayako and his mother. He was later given dinner in his room and was tucked into bed. Lelouch-who couldn`t get sleep-felt bad for angering his father and was now standing outside his parent`s room to apologize. He however refrained from entering the room as he heard his parent`s screaming and shouting. Terrified though curious (as any child that age) he tried to listen in to what they were saying. He felt like it was all his fault.
Just as he was about to push the door open, he was lifted up from there.
"Master Lelouch, what are you doing here at this hour?" she asked him in a gentle tone.
"I was going to say sorry to daddy." He said with sadness in his eyes.
"Your father is busy, Master Lelouch. Now go to bed or he will really get mad at you." She said to sadly and carried him over to his chambers.
"Was daddy mad now with mommy because of me?" Lelouch asked as she put him to sleep.
"Sleep now. Do not worry about what those things now." She said as she tapped him to sleep. Sadness filled her at the sight of the boy. Little did he know that he was not at fault but of his father.
The next day the newspaper headlines was of Charles vi Britannia, having a business empire spanning the continents was finally deciding to marry his childhood sweet heart after falling out with his previous wife. They even did an excellent job of trying to tarnish Marianne`s name.
It was on that same day at dawn, 4-year old Lelouch and his pregnant mother were left at a bus stand to carry on with life with no one to care for them.
"Mama, where are we going?" he asked innocently, tears still filled his eyes for what happened in the house this morning.
Marianne looked down at him with a grief stricken face, though she held up her strong image for him "We will be going somewhere, dear. It is a surprise." She tried to sound cheerful.
He stayed silent for some time "Mommy, why did daddy leave us here?"
At once, her features darkened and she snapped at the boy "DON`T EVER TAKE THAT MAN`S NAME, YOU HEAR ME?"
Frightened at his mother`s outburst at him Lelouch fell down and cowered in the corner. He curled himself up like a ball and started whimpering and apologizing to his mother while crying softly. Marianne heart broke at the sight. The boy was just as traumatized as her if not more. It was not his fault for what happened. She reached out to her little one and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"I`m… (Hic)…sorry….(hic)…Mo..(Hic)…." He cried on in her embrace.
"Shh… be quiet, Okay? It`s not your fault." she stroked his back in a while trying to contain her own tears. What had they done to deserve this?
"But… (Hic)…"
"Don`t worry. No matter what happens, we will see it through the end. I will never leave you alone." And he cried harder at that and she let him. Let him empty all his sadness while comforting him. When he sobbing nearly stopped, she let go of him and tried to neaten up his face.
"Now wipe your face with this hanky. Later, I will get you something special, okay?"
The boy nodded his head with a small smile gracing his face. The suffering, anger and sadness that was within her, disappeared at once on seeing that small smile. In their stead warmth, joy and…she dare say…happiness filled her, despite their situation. This handsome, innocent face was the sole reason her to live with that demon. It gave her the strength to face each day, no matter what it contained. She had initially thought of killing herself due to the months of torture, but she lived on her life to the fullest she could for the sake of her son.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when Lelouch tugged at her. When she turned her attention to him, she noticed him pointing somewhere. Looking in the direction her son was pointing, she found Jeremiah sitting in a black S-class and Sayako walking towards them.
"Sayako, what are you doing here?"
The maid just bowed before her "Jeremiah-san and I have left our job. Since, we worked the full term of our contract, we were given allowed to take something for ourselves." She said pointing towards the car. "More importantly, we have come to take our home."
"But… I will be imposing on you two."
Sayako took Marianne`s hand in her own. "You have always been kind and gracious to us. Besides…" she looked into her eyes "… we are family, aren`t we and didn`t I say 'our' home?"
Tears welled in Marianne`s eyes once again at this "No fair, you cannot use that on me…" and she leaned onto Sayako`s shoulder just for a while, to calm herself down. Lelouch not knowing what was happening, wrapped his hands around his mother`s and the maid`s legs and buried his face there.
Finally, she pulled away, a smile gracing her face. "Fine, you win."
An ecstatic Sayako let out a cry of joy and proceeded to pick up her mistress`s baggage. Marianne carried her son and sat in the back seat of the car. Lelouch insisted on seating in the front seat. As soon as the baggage was loaded, they hit the road.
"So, what happened when I was dropped off at the bus-stop?"
"Well, quite a lot, my lady." Sayako threw a knowing smile towards Jeremiah, who was entertaining Lelouch up front.
"Jerry, is there something I am not supposed to know?" She asked suspiciously.
Sayako let out a small laugh, while the person in question just sighed.
"You should give mommy an answer." Little Lelouch said with a completely serious face "Mommy said it is not good to keep people waiting." He looked quite cute too.
He spluttered at that, much to the full blown amusement of the ladies.
"I'm sorry, young master. I will make sure no to repeat it." He played along and ruffled his hair. Lelouch made a small sound of content and sunk back in his seat.
"Well, my lady. You see, are contract with our employer technically got over last week. We were just happened to formally apply it today." he said with a mere shrug as if it explained everything.
"And the car? Did you steal it?"
"No. By the terms of the contract, we could ask for one thing we wanted the most. This happened to be lying in the garage, neglected compared to its other peers."
Marianne eyed him warily at that. "What is the matter, my lady?"
"I cannot believe you just said that to justify this."
"Say what you must" he shrugged "You are not moving around the city with no proper mode of transportation. You must remain discreet just in case. Public transport is too risky. Besides, when master Lelouch starts schooling, he needs to be on time for classes."
"So, you decided to get a $150,000 dollar car as my transportation? That is anything but discreet." She shrieked
"With all due, respect" He countered "You are still the one we serve and young master over there is our godchild. It is only natural we want the best. Besides, from the outside the car is discreet. It exudes 'subtle authority'."
"….you know, I appreciate all that and I think you should work in the Rolls Royce showroom. People like you would be in high demand."
"Thank you, I aim to please." He added cheekily.
Marianne let out an exasperated sigh and sunk in the seats.
As they travelled in silence, they pulled over on the outskirts in front of a medium sized two story house. It was in a cozy little neighborhood and had ample garden space in front. All in all, it was 'homey'.
"It`s beautiful, Mommy." Lelouch said with a bit of excitement and turned to the butler "Jerry-san, do you live here?"
"Indeed, master Lelouch. From now on you will live here to."
The boy`s eye sparkled with happiness at that and asked the elder to show around, much to his pleasure.
"Now Jeramiah-san will preen about like a peacock."
"Sayako, I never knew you had this sort of place in your possession."
The Japanese turned towards her and answered "Last night after I caught young master trying to eavesdrop your conversation and tucked him in bed, your lawyer was discussing about some settlement which included accommodation with Charles. On informing him, Jeremiah here, went about and snooped to find the papers. Turns out, you were to get this place, Charles off course didn`t want you to know about it."
"Lelouch heard the fight!" she exclaimed.
"Please don`t get angry with him. Young master thought Charles was angry due to something he had done. He couldn`t sleep well because of that and came over to apologize."
"That demon doesn`t deserve my son." She said venomously.
"That` true, my lady. Well after some drinks with the said lawyer, we finally got hold of the papers we came to inspect the house and make it comfortable for the two of you to live in during the night. We had planned to directly to shuttle both of you here in the morning, but due to the housework involved we were delayed. We went back, handed in are resignations, traded up with this car-much to the garage in charge`s shock- and headed out to search for the two of you. You know the rest after that."
The two of them settled into a comfortable silence as they looked around the neighborhood.
"Lelouch didn`t deserve all the pain he underwent." Marianne said sadly "All that boy ever wants is those around him to smile. He is so looking forward to see his siblings." She gently stroked her stomach where two children were currently growing up. "My poor children deserve much better than this cruelty."
"That is now the past, my lady." The maid reassured her "You have a long future ahead of you. You have wonderful kids, you have us. You never will be alone in this. Besides…" she turned to face the scene in front of her. "….young master will be an excellent elder brother."
"That he will, that he will…"
They were brought out of their reverie when the pair approached them.
"What are you waiting for, mommy? Come in" and the lithe raven headed boy pulled his mother past the gates which Jeremiah opened.
"Welcome, my lady and young master, to the house of Lamperouge" he said with flourish as both he and Sayako bowed to add to the dramatic effect.
All of Marianne`s gratitude was expressed when Lelouch hugged the legs of the butler and maid who were standing together to welcome them.
"Thank you" came the sweet, innocent and musical voice which warmed the hearts of all those who heard it.
Thus began the new life of young Lelouch Lamperouge, son of a regular working women Marianne Lamperouge (erstwhile wife of Charles vi Britannia)
Across the road, a young brunette girl saw the activity from the safe confines of the roadside foliage. Child-like anger flashed in her emerald eyes as she witnessed her favorite haunt being taken over by some outsiders. She was roughly as old as the raven head out there. May be she could be fri….
No she could not think like that. She would avenge this invasion on her…um….what was the word? ...terri …um….oity? ... Ugh! Whatever the word. So she ran along as quietly as possible so that no one could see her, to do the only thing she knew which would help her….
….she went to complain to her mother, of course! The greatest weapon ever known, which destroyed all harm that could fall on a 3 and a half year old.
Meanwhile, as the girl was rustling under the bush
"Looks like a friendly neighborhood detective has come to investigate." Marianne said lightly. She was trying very hard not to laugh at the scene and also not turning to the bush.
Sayako turned around just in time to see the culprit run away. She chuckled at that "Master Lelouch will finally get to have friends. This house is sure to get lively."
"Oh Sayako, just call him Lelouch, there is no need for honorifics to be used…"
"Oka-sannnn….." came the distressed cry in the Kururugi household.
The mother who was currently preparing for supper came rushing out from the kitchen to see if her daughter was hurt.
"What is it Suzaku? Are you hurt or something?" she asked worriedly.
"No Oka-san, something even badder has come." The girl said with a serious face.
Letting out a breath she was holding, she sat on the dining chairs- not bothering to correct her daughter- and listened to the great tale of distress.
"So you see, you have got to shoo them to go away." She ended with complete seriousness.
The elder women laughed at it and ruffled her daughters short curls
"Suzaku, you must not say such thing to someone who has come to live there. Who knows, they may still allow you to play there if you are a good girl." She said lightly.
"But there is a scary looking boy there!"
"Hmm. Tell me about him." She said, amusement evident in her voice.
"He has black hair, looks very thin and looks like a ghost." She said to describe the 'monster'.
She just hummed at that and stood up "Tell you what, wash your hands and dust of your clothes. After I finish making food for my angel, we will go down and see into this little discovery of yours.
Suzaku smiled triumphantly at that. They would all be scared and leave her playground alone, for her mommy was going to see them.
An hour later, a grumpy Suzaku was standing outside the Lamperouge house with her mother, who had brought a tray of various Japanese delicacies as well as some of her famed cookies with her. When she protested by throwing a tantrum, her mother scolded her by telling her to be nice to them. Worse, she was even giving them her favorite cookies! That was it, if her mother wouldn`t chase them away she would scare them out herself.
As soon as the door was opened, Suzaku jumped in and started hissing and tried to claw everything around her. The adults were taken by surprise, with the elder Kururugi glaring at her. Marianne however merely giggled at that.
"My, you are a bundle of energy." She ruffled the tresses affectionately. Suzaku, one loved attention, smiled contently. Only to realize what she was doing and put a cute pouty face.
"Sorry about my daughter`s behavior. My name`s Rin Kururugi. We live next door. You all have been working hard all day, so I thought I could relieve you from your work with this." She held the tray and it was accepted graciously.
"Thank you so much, dear. My name is Marianne Lamperouge. But why are we talking here in the porch, please do come in."
She held the door open for them to enter and called for Sayako to tidy up the living room. There were boxes everywhere, Suzaku noted. Maybe she could play with them if she asked. After all, that auntie who let them in seemed quite nice to.
"Please forgive me of the mess in the house." So gestured to sit the in the only free couch while she sat in a chair.
"There`s nothing to apologize. You have just moved in. it is only natural for it to be in this state."
"Well, true enough. Thanks to Sayako here and Jeremiah who is working upstairs, it is so much less of a hassle." She smiled at that and then her attention was diverted to a fidgety little girl.
"Hello, you did not tell me who you are." She addressed gently.
"My...um…my name is Suzaku Kururugi." She was too nervous to talk any more.
"So this was the little detective who was spying on us, um?" Marianne teased. The girl in question`s face became red with embarrassment and buried it in her mother`s lap.
"Hmm… she is quite a curious cat. She even described a 'scary little boy' with you." Rin played along.
"Oka-san!" She screeched in full blush.
Marianne giggled at the thought of her son being scary. "My boy isn`t that scary. Would you like to meet him?"
She just nodded. She wanted to meet this boy and investigate what he was.
On hearing his mother call, Lelouch came running down the staircase nearly tumbling at the base making the ladies laugh a bit at his antics.
"You called me mommy?" he asked in all seriousness, too cute.
"Lelouch, where are your manners? Didn`t you see we have some guest?"
The little boy scanned the room and his eyes widened when he saw two unfamiliar people in the room. Being the foolish boy he was, he went up to them
"Nice meeting you auntie, my names Lelouch vi…" he caught himself before he went further "…Lelouch Lamperouge."
"Aren`t you going to so hello, to the little girl over there?"
He gulped at his mother`s suggestion and nodded nervously. Truthfully, he never had mingled with children his age, hence he didn`t know what to do. But he had to obey his mommy for he was a good boy! Sheepishly, he turned towards the girl and held out his hand.
"Hello, nice meeting yo-"
He was cut off when she swatted away his hand and started poking at him. His eyes, nose and ears, no facial feature was left…unpoked. Lelouch felt he was getting somewhere until he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. The little girl had kicked him in the stomach. The kick was quite hard, but nothing compared to his mother`s thrashing. Still, he fell onto the ground shocked at what happened.
"Suzaku! You bad girl, why did you do that?" Rin snapped only to find her weeping in her lap muttering
"I don't like him." And she continued to cry harder.
"Lelouch, go upstairs and help Uncle Jeremiah around." She said in a gentle voice, helping him up.
He quietly nodded and apologized for what he did.
"You have done nothing wrong, dear. I apologize for my Suzaku. Take some cookies and run along." Rin said regretfully. Lelouch brightened just a tiny weeny bit at that, thanked her and disappeared inside.
Suzaku currently was still filling an ocean with her tears, Marianne gestured Rin to take her to the front porch and calm her down. The two ladies spent the next 15 minutes to calm her down and were currently taking a breather as Suzaku slept over Rin`s shoulder.
"I'm so sorry of what happened just now. Suzaku hasn`t got any friends and hence may not know how to interact with children her age."
"it`s okay. Don`t feel bad about. My Lelouch is the same case. Only he didn`t have as dramatic a reaction as this little one." She smiled and stroked the sleeping little girl`s head.
"Back then, your son stumbled while introducing himself…." Rin said with a hint of suspicion.
Marianne just sighed "Let`s take her indoors at put her on the couch, I might as well tell you what happened."
Marianne then opened up to her. She told of how she was forced to marry Charles, how he had multiple affairs, everything. Rin was a sensible person and not the gossip type. She also seemed trustworthy, which Marianne valued above most things.
"That`s quite ….tragic. How will you take care of yourself in this condition?" Rin asked, quite shaken on knowing the truth.
She smiled at the others show of concern "Don`t worry, Sayako and Jeremiah insist to help in anything possible. Besides…" she gently rubbed her stomach "…I am due in October. There is still time for that. " then she looked cheekily at the other one "I also had a bank account created and deposited… quite a bit of money. It will keep us afloat for now."
"You know" Rin said clasping her hand "If you have any trouble, we are only a phone call away. I think I can even look after little Lelouch if you need to go for appointments."
"Thank you. You don`t how much that means to me."
"Not a problem" Rin looked at the clock "Well, I better get going. Suzaku`s father will be home soon."
Marianne saw them to gate and waved them goodbye. Truly, maybe life would be easier with all these wonderful people around her.
Suzaku couldn`t stand humiliation. She had sneaked out again to play. Though her adventures were limited to three house blocks, she was now the target of bullying by this bunch of girls of around 6-7 years from another locality. She tried to punch and bite to get away from them, but to no avail. Just when they were about to pull her hair once again, a loud frantic barking could be heard from around the corner. It was becoming louder and louder prompting the frightened kids to abandon their amusement. Suzaku curled herself ready to be attacked by the bad dog, only to hear barking stop and heavy panting. When she dare look up, she saw the raven haired boy whom she beat up a week ago, standing there, looking very tired holding a tape recorder.
"Are…are you okay?" he asked between his breaths.
"Yeah" she said with a small voice.
She felt a small hand try and inspect her "No." He said with a frown "You got a boo-boo on your legs."
Putting his puny arms under her knees and other around her back, (too much TV!) he tried to lift her up bridal style…..
…..only to fail miserably.
"Can you walk?" he asked hesitantly.
Suzaku just nodded at that, as she was helped up by the raven headed boy. She put her around his shoulders so as to gain support and started limping towards his house. The entire journey 6 minutes was spent in silence. On seeing the kids at the front gate, Sayako quickly left her chores, hoisted Suzaku up and took her inside. She placed her on the sofa carefully and went to bring the first aid kit.
When they were alone, Suzaku found to courage to speak "how?"
Understanding what she meant "I was playing in the garden when I heard some sound." He said in his sing song voice "When I invesiti-um… invest… a… went to see, I saw you. You needed help, so…um…I help."
"The word you were searching was 'investigate' and the sentence was 'I wanted to help you', Lelouch." Sayako said as she entered with the kit and started tending her wounds.
"Um… thank you, Auntie." The boy said, clearly embarrassed at his mistake.
When the wound was cleaned and the dressing done, Sayako patted her and told her that she would inform her mother. Suzaku felt afraid of what her mother would do. Maybe scold her or beat her…?
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw Lelouch giving her a candy bar. "Take it." He said though not looking at her.
She accepted it and played with it for some time. This boy whom she had beaten had helped her. Clearly, she felt bad for what she did to him. So she looked towards him and tried to think of a way to make up with him.
"Can you be my friend?" she blurted out suddenly.
The boy was clearly taken aback at this. After a moment or two he replied "I don`t have any friends." He said sadly and turned his face away. As if it were a reason not to befriend him.
Since he was seated quite close to her, she tugged at his sleeve and looked at him in the eye "I want to be your friend." She said with a charming grin.
The boy- who looked happy yet somehow bit hesitant- nodded his head "You did not tell me your name."
"My name is Suzaku Kururugi." She still had that smile on her face.
"My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. Pleaswd to meet you." A small smile crept on his face.
And thus started a friendship that did indeed, stand the test of time.
It was the 25th of October 2003, Lelouch was spending the last 2 days in the Kururugi household, which was practically a second home to him as his was to Suzaku. Over the course of the 4 months, they had become virtually inseparable with each having sleepovers nearly twice a week. They loved Lelouch for being the 'ideal' child as Genbu Kururugi said as Marianne loved Suzaku for being 'a bundle of joy and happiness.' Besides, both kids were not a hassle together and were always stuck in their own world.
This time however, he was staying because his mother was admitted in the hospital. When he worriedly asked what the matter was, Sayako smiled at him and said it was a surprise. Not that it reduced any worries.
"Lelouch, eat up your soup or it will get cold." Rin said, seeing him stare at his soup while paddling his spoon in it. Suzaku though small, knew her best friend was in distress. She too couldn`t finish her bowl.
Rin sighed and pulled the boy in a light hug. Lelouch leaned towards her, seeking more comfort. "Auntie, when can I see mommy?" he asked
"Soon, dear. Mommy wasn`t feeling well, so she went to see the doctor. Also, she will bring something special for you because you have been a good boy."
"Really?" he asked, eyes twinkling with hope.
"Yes, now eat up your soup or mommy will be angry for not eating properly."
"And then, we can go to my room and play." Suzaku beamed brightly. She wanted him to make him happy again. Lelouch nodded his head and the 2 resumed eating. Soon, it became 'who could finish the bowl the fastest' competition.
"Okay you two, don`t choke on your food." Rin shouted from her station.
A collective 'hai' was heard, followed by a round of giggles. She was going to sit down on the sofa after, to take a break, when the phone rang. It was from her husband. After she kept it down, she quickly made way the where the kids were having a 'spoon fight'.
"Quickly come with me you two, we are going to the hospital." She said excitedly.
"What happened, Oka-san?" asked a confused Suzaku which was mirrored by Lelouch.
She turned around, smile widening and said "Lelouch`s mommy want`s you both to come to see the surprise."
They both were chatting away in the back seat as to what the surprise could be "maybe it`s toy!" Suzaku suddenly exclaimed. Lelouch just bunched his eyebrows into his thinking position "mommy wouldn`t do that. She got me one last week." Then his face lit up "maybe it is a swe-pishi-al one."
"You mean 'special' Lelouch." Genbu corrected with an amused voice. Said boy blushed lightly much to Suzaku delight as she laughed at the sight. From there on it became a game of 'who knew the most words.' Which had everyone, even the stoic Genbu laughing.
When they entered Marianne`s room, the two were greeted with a gurgling like sound coming from the bed. When they approached closer, Lelouch`s mother showed him who she was carrying in her arms
"Say hello to your baby sister, Lelouch." She said quietly. The two of them looked in awe at the baby in his mother arms.
"You also have a baby brother too!" she said to brake him out of his little bubble. At that, Sayako came over to show the other infant. They both has same light brown colored hair and maybe same colored eyes too! He thought excitedly. Anyone who saw him now would say Christmas came early for him.
"They're so pretty!" Suzaku exclaimed.
Lelouch put out his arms towards his mother. Knowing what he meant she patted him on the head "Not now, you can carry them when they are a bit bigger." His face fell a bit but not for long. As the maids took the other baby in her hands after putting the boy in the cradle- who was getting a lot of attention from a certain 4 year old- she wrapped her arms around the eldest son, and enquired about how her little one was doing at his friend`s house. Ever the obedient boy, he gave a full report to her filled with wonder and mystique. She laughed along with him as he recounted some of their funny adventures 'in the tunnels of Suzaku`s room.'
"Are you happy, Lelouch?" She asked finally
The normally reserved boy beamed a full happy smile towards his mother, which he never did. "Very much mommy! Thank you so much for this surprise!"
Jeremiah came up to them and lifted the boy up-which filled the room with laughter- "Congratulations, Lelouch. You are now a big brother!"
Joyous laughter rang out the room despite the babies crying due to the noise. It would seem the Lamperouge family along with the Kururugi`s were finally complete.
Four years past from that day. Lelouch and Suzaku were in the same elementary school as they both had insisted on it. Lelouch proved to be among top students in academics and praised for his intelligence and behavior, but was little above average in physical education. Suzaku was the opposite. Since she started attending a dojo to learn self-defense due to constant bullying, she was outstanding in sports and also praised for her sportsmanship. Sometimes, Lelouch was at the receiving end of her strength. She however was slightly below average in academics which Lelouch tried to improve by 'helping' her. Rolo and Nunnally, the twins were now in pre-school and were considered as all-rounders in the making.
Marianne visited Rin in somewhere in the month of February, after dropping the kids to school and the pre-school (Despite Jerry insisting he drop them all, but…). This was unusual as she was working the general manager at a local bank. (…was relegated to chauffeuring the manager)
"Marianne this is a surprise. Do you want something to eat?" Something was wrong, her normally bubbly self was not there.
"No, it`s alright I came to tell you something." she said a bit sadly.
"Okay, come in. I will at least bring you tea." Rin insisted clearly worried at her change in behavior.
When there were comfortable on the sofa and had taken their cups, the conversation started. Mid-way, a tea cup fell down and Rin`s face showed the horror.
"It can`t be true." She whispered.
"It is. I met the doctor yesterday after a long overdue check-up, and he said I have somehow reached the intermediate stage. There is hardly any time left."
"How long?" Rin asked softly
"2 years max." and she broke down into quiet sobs. Rin came to her side and comforted her the best she could.
"Rin, could you do me a favor?" Marianne asked after she calmed down.
"Anything for you. Just ask" she tried to sound positive but was failing badly.
"When the time comes, just look out for my kids."
"Don`t say such things." She reprimanded her despite the tears to welling in their eyes.
That afternoon, Rin and Genbu were called over to the Lamperouge house to discuss the matter along with Lelouch`s godparents. The kids were yet to return from school. After a heated and passionate discussion which left Genbu quite distressed, it was decided not to tell the kids anything. Sayako and Jeremiah will be their chief guardians. If anything happened to them, the Kururugi`s would take them under their wing. Still, they would provide any help needed to the children.
For some reason in the 3rd grade, Suzaku started avoiding Lelouch in campus as well as when they were alone at home. Rin tried asking what the matter was, but the stubborn girl just wouldn`t talk. Fed up, her father decided she would open up when the time was ripe. On the other side, Lelouch was getting a dressing down every day for doing something to displease Suzaku. Though, he wondered what the actual reason.
They had reached school, with Suzaku giving the twins her usual good bye kiss on their foreheads and ran off. Lelouch just signed and dropped them to their class and proceeded to his. At least, she still doted over Rolo and Nunnally so it wasn`t his fault per se.
"Hey, Lelouch!" came a cheery voice which ended with an arm slung on his shoulders.
"Gino, you should stop that. I will one day topple down with your weight."
"To bad, then I will be the one to pick you up." He grinned.
That grin painfully reminded him of Suzaku. How he wished things were back to normal.
"louch?... Lelouch!" Gino screamed, startling him from his thoughts
"What?" he snapped.
"I was asking if you did your homework. You don`t have to be mad at me." Gino frowned.
"Sorry, I was just thinking of about what surprise mom put in my lunch box."
"I presume it will be a nasty surprise" Gino prodded on. The blonde was known for his carefree and optimistic attitude, sometimes could be insightful like and old grandmother. Anyway, Lelouch shrugged him off and entered class. He proceeded to take his place next to Suzaku`s, who happened to disappear until it was class time for the past week. He sighed at that as he greeted his Rivalz, Shirley and Kallen.
Classes continued as usual, but Suzaku was avoiding all forms of contact towards Lelouch. He even tried to joke about how weak he was (swallowing his pride to see her at least smile) during a free period, which didn`t earn the desired results. He was so frustrated at this
That does it! Lelouch Lamperouge would get to the bottom of the mystery of the Grumpy Suzaku!
When the bell rang for interval and she was out at lightning speed. Lelouch just sighed at that and told his friends he wouldn`t be eating with them. He ignored their groans and went to hunt for his dear friend.
After 15 minutes of searching, he found her sitting alone behind the shed which stored the lawn machine and stuff.
"There you are Suzaku" he said cheerfully as he sat on the ground next to her.
"Lelouch what do you want?" she said with little fright and anger in her voice, as she scooted away.
"Geez… can`t I eat my tiffin with my best friend. Mommy made some sandwiches, you can have some if you want" he offered still being cheerful. Inside he was worried at this behavior.
When she didn`t take it "Your loss, it was your favorite one too." He hoped that was enough to tempt her and started digging in with one eye on her.
She couldn`t bear it
'She always sticks on that Lamperouge.'
The sneers directed towards her
'maybe she thinks she`s his girlfriend'
'She trying to stick with darling Lamperouge to gain his attention'
This was the reason she didn`t have many friends and she didn`t want him to be dragged into it. Though they both pets among their teachers, Lelouch was placed on a high throne while she was given a cold shoulder…
…since she was an 'outsider'
Lelouch tried valiantly to defend her. He even nearly beat up a guy despite his poor strength. He always stood by her, which made the rumors more hateful towards her.
All this manifested as anger towards him. Why was he trying to act friendly? Didn`t he hear of the things they said? She dearly loved his twin siblings but could no longer bear being close to him. They were even planning on hurting him! The best thing would be avoid him, even if it hurt.
She quickly got up from her, dusted her skirts and walked away briskly.
"Suzaku" the shout came from behind.
She ignored him
"Suzaku!" it became louder.
Finally she felt two thin arms clamping her arms in place and preventing her from walking any further. Lelouch, knowing his poor strength knew this way he could hold her down much longer and try and get her to talk.
"Lelouch, let me go." she said in a low voice.
"Not until you tell me what I did to make you behave like this. I want to still be friends with you!" he screamed.
"Let me go." she said a little harsher. It hurt her to speak to him like this. But…
"Never, you said we would be friends forever."
That made a fuse blow in her head. She needed to release her frustration and she found her target.
Lelouch
She roughly broke away from him, kneed him in the stomach punched in the same place and slapped him. Hard. The next moment, Lelouch fell on the ground to his side, hands cradling his stomach and rosy rivers flowing from his lips. He was not completely flat, but damage was done.
It took her only a millisecond later for Suzaku to realize what she did to him. She was such an idiot. She had meant to keep him away from harm and she was the one to inflict it on him. He looked horrible, completely unlike his prince charming image he held in. Slowly, she crouched on the ground
"Lelouch…" her voice was trembling as she reached tried to reach out and repair the damage…
All she got was a pair of eyes, smoldering with anger and a low baritone.
"Leave me alone." Came the low command. But it had been inflicted.
She flinched at how cold it was and recoiled back.
"But…" she was interrupted as picked himself up and started to walk away. Too shocked at what to do, she just stood there, with streams freely flowing down.
Lelouch stopped at some distance and turned his face slightly. "I will go see the nurse to fix up my wounds." His voice was sad "You can eat those sandwiches. They were specially made for you and you haven`t eaten anything." Finally he turned to meet her gaze "I'm sorry." It was filled with regret and if possible, even more sadness and he limped away.
All Suzaku could do was cry out her heart as she ate the snack he had brought for her. Despite everything, he stilled cared for her and she acted like what he used to call her, an idiot.
That did it, she would try and mend the friendship she had broken. As she resolutely made way to class, her heart sank at the sight.
He was not there
Gino told her, he left for home due to the injuries he got from falling down the staircase.
Suzaku went home and buried her face her face in her mother`s stomach and cried.
"Suzaku, now what happened dear?" she asked as she put the magazine she was reading away.
Through her sobs, she told her mother everything. All the mean things that happened in school and she did to Lelouch today.
"Now, he may not want to be my friend." She sniffed.
"Suzaku, do you see this ring" she said gently as the girl`s attention shifted the said object sitting proudly on her mother`s finger.
"It is the wedding ring that your father gave me. What do you think about it?"
She continued while removing the ring the ring for her daughter`s closer inspection.
The ring was indeed a beauty. It was of pure gold and had a beautiful rose bloom on it. Overall it was simple yet elegant.
"It is very pretty, Oka-san." She said and handed it back.
As she took it back, Rin placed the ring such that the bloom was on the top.
"Did you know, that the ring had a diamond nestled in that flower bloom?"
She stared open mouthed as to why her mother was telling her this.
"Where did you lose it?"
Rin chuckled at that "Just some time before you were born, but that`s not the point." She faced her directly and said "Friendships are like this ring, Suzaku. They have 2 parts, those whom you have grown up with and the new friends. The new friends are the diamond. When they come, you all get excited and bubbly, just like how the diamond shines in the light. We of course still don`t know their real character. It can be fake or real just like a diamond. We however tend to forget about the gold holding it up. Old friendships are the gold on which new ones are built. The ring is still there if the diamond gets lost, but it is lost forever if you lose the gold even if you have a diamond. Do you understand?"
Through her watery eyes, she nodded and hugged her mother for showing her a mistake.
"Now, now. Just a small talk makes you cry even more. No wonder Lelouch calls you an emotional idiot."
"Oka-san!"
They were now at Lelouch`s door with Suzaku fidgeting like she was to give a speech. The door opened and revealed a rather annoyed Marianne whose face did a 180 degree on seeing her guest.
"Come in sweetie pie, I was actually going to come over to your place, but no matter."
As they made themselves comfortable in the couch as some snacks were served. The typical Suzaku would have started grazing on it by now, but not today.
"What happened to my little energy pack, aren`t you feeling well?" she asked worriedly and placed her hand on her forehead.
"Um… no auntie, I actually wanted to meet Lelouch." She squirmed at the attention she got.
A vain marred the lady`s calm face "Is that so? One moment, I will just call him down." She walked to the staircase of the house and….
"LELOUCH LAMPEROUGE! IF YOU DON`T WISH TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES AND SEE YOUR SIBLINGS ONCE AGAIN, COME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"
…the house literally shook in its foundations, scaring Suzaku. Rin swore there was an earthquake around the neighborhood.
Said raven head shot down the stairs like a bullet and was before his mother in the blink of an eye despite his bandages. Currently he was talking something to fast for any to understand. Marianne rubbed her temples and gestured him to stop.
"Don`t tell me that, tell that to Suzaku." She pointed towards the said girl.
He whipped his head in the direction indicated and ran towards the girl who did the same. They were at the centre of the room where they both met and bowed their heads together.
"I`m sorry for what I did to you. I acted like a complete idiot today. Please still be my friend." They said in unison.
They looked up at each other and blinked. Lelouch was the first to break the silence.
"Um…."
"….why are you apologizing?" Suzaku completed.
"Rin care to tell me what happened?" asked a thoroughly confused Marianne.
"You won`t believe if I told you…." Taking a cup of tea, she started the tale of two cities having a boy and a girl. It was dramatically narrated to say at least.
"So, some girls are trying to act mean towards my angel?" Marianne said with a dark aura surrounding her. Suzaku sweat dropped.
"Yeah and my foolish daughter beat up my frail darling thinking it would fix everything." Lelouch had to struggle out of the tighter- than-usual-bear hug. Seeing him go purple, she reluctantly let go.
"Once again, I am sorry for what I did to you today and how I acted." She said once again bowing in front of the raven. As soon as she said that the same pair of arms that caught her that morning pulled her into a hug. Earlier, it was shaky and scared, now they just felt….warm. she also noticed her blouse getting wet with a certain someone`s tears.
"Thank you for still being my friend. Promise me you won`t do something like that." Lelouch said as he pulled away and gave his trademark smile of happiness. Suzaku took his little finger and crossed it with hers
"I promise." And she gave her thousand watt grin.
When they were done they suddenly heard some funny noises, looking towards the couch they found their mothers crying into their handkerchiefs.
"Our children have grown up so fast, Rin" Marianne wailed.
"I know. It was like only yesterday they would come to us for everything. Now look, they are already pledging to each other like married couples." Rin cried into her friend`s shoulder.
"Mother!" came the unified scream of embarrassment.
"Suzaku, let`s go." Lelouch pulled her in to play with Nunnally and Rolo. (and save themselves from further teasing).
As they walked towards their destination, Lelouch turned around suddenly.
"Suzaku, who were those girls who were picking on you."
"There was some boys who said pretty mean things to you also."
"Forget them" he shrugged "are you going to spill the beans?"
"Are you going to threaten them?" She frowned.
"Oh why would I do that? You know that I`m so weak that I couldn`t harm a fly!" He stated in an eerie tone that was a mismatch to that charming smile. She had a bad feeling on what Lelouch was planning.
Let it be noted that Lelouch`s tongue could turn could turn garbage into diamonds and cut the same diamonds into subatomic divisions with ease. Couple that up with Gino being a sweet talking wrestler.
The next day, as Suzaku entered she noticed all the girls in the class along with half the boys who teased her, where kneeling on the ground begging for her forgiveness and mercy. When she recovered from her shock, she noticed and extremely smug Lelouch and Gino- their clothes were bit out of place- waving at her from the back of the class. She smiled and joined up with them.
The same scene repeated at break time. The group was not as big as the morning one, but they were all begging forgiveness and mercy from Lelouch. Behind a certain brunette was seen 'accidently' stepping on them as she made her way to sit next to her best friend.
It was Lelouch`s birthday today. Since the party was over, Suzaku was supposed to sleep over much to the delight of the twins. As they raced to help their mother,
Lelouch was allowed to take his gifts to his room and open them. Then he had to see who sent it to him and thank them the next day. He didn`t like to do it but he was told to 'Be thankful for every little gift you get.'
"There, now that does It." the 10 year old Lelouch exclaimed, putting the last gift in his room. He turned towards Suzaku who was helping him in his task
"Do you want to sleep? I can unwrap them tomorrow." They always shared the bed since they became friends.
She just shook her head "No, today is your day. I can wait." She then went up to him and smacked him on the head.
"Oww. What was that for?"
"For being weak, thus making me do most of the lifting and for going to use me to arrange your gifts like a robot." She smiled. He had a terrific system of arranging his toys.
"The last I checked, we had only one exercise nut in the house whom I can tolerate." He smirked which ended up into a wrestling match. Within 3 minutes it was over, with Suzaku pinning down Lelouch.
"I win." She said triumphantly.
"Because I let you win" he pouted.
That earned him an assault of tickles "okay… Ha-ha… you… ha….won …..ha-ha….stop it." He gasped in between his attacks.
"Shhh! be quiet you two. It is 10 o`clock." Came the voice from the doorway.
There was the usual 'yes' followed by the customary round of giggles. No matter how many times they did it, neither parent got fed-up with it.
Lelouch had finished opening his gifts and had catalogued them in his cupboard in specific spots. "that`s that. Come let`s go to bed, I`m beat." He said, stifling a yawn.
"Hey, that`s not fair! You did not open my gift." Suzaku cried from her spot in the bed. When she changed, he had no idea.
"Wasn`t your gift that gold embossed pen?" he asked in mild confusion.
"Well….um ….yeah. but that was daddy`s gift. I and Oka-san got you an extra special one, so here it is." She beamed as she hadn`t over said gift.
Lelouch didn't` t have the heart to point out the correct the mistake in the sentence. But once unwrapped, he was left speechless in a good way.
"You… you…"
She put her hand on his shoulder "You always told me you wanted a knightmare. I told Oka-san how you ranted about wanting one. So she decided to buy this along with Oba-san`s 'big boy' gift."
"And it is my favorite one, The Shinkiro!" he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Being close for so long that such things were normal among the two. Right now he was inspecting it, forgetting he needed to go to bed.
"You know, I was going to ask Santa Claus to get it for me." He put it down carefully on the table and flopped in bed next to her.
"That means I`m your Santa Claus then." Suzaku squealed in complete delight.
Lelouch couldn`t help but agree. He would wait to give her the Lancelot Albion -he bought from his pocket money, saving for 10 months- in the morning though ( he planned to give her on Christmas) and see if the roles were mutual.
Meanwhile, Marianne collapsed in her room after seeing all the kids to sleep. Sayako and Jeremiah had come to her aid and to persuade her to visit the doctor for another Check-up. Despite her many excuses they finally convinced her to do it for the children.
The condition worsened from there on. She had passed in the middle of the hall until she was found by an utterly terrified Rolo around the month of March, 2010 atb. She was then rushed to the hospital for what was to be her last checkup.
Marianne Lamperouge had entered the final stage of lung cancer. Her lungs were about to give way and she was to be in hospital till the end of her days. The treatments could not cure the ailment and would only ease her as she approached the fated day.
When all the elders (Sayako, Jeremiah, Rin and Genbu) divided themselves to tell Rolo and Nunnally first. Since they were young and could be pacified somehow. Finally after much crying, they (sadly) came too terms that their mommy will be an angel and look after them from heaven. They were told for now to keep her happy by being good children.
The biggest challenge was…. who would break the news to Lelouch? Of all the siblings, he was the one who was most attached to mother. They decided all of them would do it together to control the boy from doing anything hasty. Suzaku would look after the twins while they did damage control.
First there was laughter of denial, telling them it was a joke. This was followed by realization and accusing all of them for not taking proper care of his mother. Finally, the stage they were all frightened of self-blame set in. It was heart wrenching the now delirious boy listing out possible reasons of annoying his mother. Now frantically wanting to make amends, he got up and ran around to find his mother. Close behind was the frantic crowd of adults trying to catch him and calm him down. Fear of loss however, gave the boy enhanced abilities to dodge, punch and run away from his captors. Finally he banged open the door to the twins bedroom.
"Rolo, Nunnally have you seen where mommy is?" he all but shouted at them.
The little group flinched at that. He looked like a total mess. Hair in all directions, bruises marring his handsome face, clothes torn and tattered in the confusion and the crazed look in his eyes. It hurt Suzaku to see him like this. She was still grieving from the news of her beloved auntie no longer being there. Right now however, she was scared at what Lelouch could do.
"Mommy is in hospital, big brother. Soon she will be an angel and look after us." Nunnally tried to soothe him.
"No…No…NO…ALL ARE LIES. YOU ALL ARE LYING." He kept screaming to the top of his lungs as he put his hands to cover his ears and move in any direction.
"Lelouch…calm down… look…" Suzaku tried to calm him down by trying to catch him from behind as he had done to her. Alas, as I said fear of loss and enhanced his senses, resulting in him to resort to violence. No sooner he was caught, he lifted her of the ground and started ramming her into wall. It lasted only once, as he gave an almighty ram, she loosened her grip within that instant and fell to the ground. The twins were petrified and ran towards their fallen 'big sister'
"Lelouch…." He heard his mother`s soothing voice.
"Mommy?" he said silently and urgently trying to search for her. He then saw her standing below the window.
"Come down, honey. Don`t worry, I will catch you."
Lelouch smiled at that and opened the window. Stupid everyone. His mommy was fine and wa-
The next moment, he was yanked back to reality and slapped hard on the face.
"Get a grip on yourself, master Lelouch. Don`t you see what you are doing?" Jeremiah grieve stricken face came into his view. All of a sudden, everything came crashing down. He saw the damage he had done, the injuries sustained by his dear friend, the worried look on all the adults and the fright of his siblings.
It was too much for the 10 year old who sustained so much since a baby. Time seemed to stop as he sobbed out into Jeremiah`s shoulder and he felt comforted when he snuggled closer towards Suzaku and clutched onto her hands as he fell asleep in the 'safe' confines of his second home.
Two months passed and Lelouch became the pillar behind which all the younger ones stood. He visited his mother daily with all the siblings and insisted to stay the night through. he made it his personal mission to take care of her and keep her happy. Under Sayako`s guidance, he even started cooking simple dishes for her to eat and not remain hungry. Marianne ate all the things her little angel made for her even if it were tad inedible.
He was alone talking to his mother one day telling what happened in school, of how he was had finally topped his entire division, of Suzaku winning the sports events she took part in. She listened intently it all this when she suddenly told him to sit next to her.
He crawled up to his mother and clutched unto her hand like a lifeline.
"Lelouch" she said in a gentle voice "can you promise me something?"
"Anything mommy!"
She ruffled her hand in his ebony hair. He was indeed a handsome boy. Maybe a line of girl`s would be there just to go out with him in high school, she mused.
"Promise me to look after your siblings…" she then rubbed his back as a sob racked through his body as he tried to control his tears "…Do whatever you love with passion, just follow your heart, don`t stop making friends…" she lifted up his chin so she could look once more in those beautiful eyes that held love for nearly everyone "….and forgive and forget. No matter what the other person has done to hurt you, forgive and forget, okay?"
He buried his face into his mother`s and cried for what would be the last time he would be with his mommy.
"I will miss you, mommy!" he whispered.
"I will always be there, just look into the sky from where I shall shine down on you as the brightest star." She said quoting a scene from their favorite movie. The duo remained like this for a long time and before long had fallen asleep.
The next day, Marianne Lamperouge was declared dead. She had died peacefully in sleep with her son next to her. The funeral was held jointly by the Lamperouge`s and the Kururugi`s an only those close to her attended it as well as some of Lelouch`s classmates. Rin and Genbu jointly gave the eulogy to someone who was family to them. The twins and Suzaku huddled round a surprisingly strong Lelouch, who held his nerves in this times of crisis. As his siblings cried, he remained the pillar of strength for to them to lean.
They reached at around 8.00pm. Nunnally and Rolo had cried themselves to sleep and were carried into their room, Jeremiah would be keeping an eye on them. Sayako who was currently in charge to look after Lelouch. As she helped him change, she beaconed to him
"Lelouch, do you wish to talk about anything?"
He just looked at his feet "Auntie, I feel helpless." He started "I don`t know what to do. Mommy told me to look after Nunnally and Rolo, told me to follow my heart. But… I just do not know what to do." He was now clutching the bed sheets.
It eased when he felt a gentle touch "You don`t have to face your trouble alone. You have us, Auntie Rin, Uncle Genbu and Suzaku. All of us will be there to help you." Then she looked at him kindly "For now though, you may let it all out. In Japan they say "a strong person is not one who doesn`t cry, but a person who knows when to cry."
He sniffled a bit hugged her around her waist "Thank you, but I think I cried enough for now." He said much to her surprise.
"Could you help me sleep? I still feel like I want mommy." He pleaded.
She tucked him in bed and gently patted him to sleep, feeling proud that her charge was growing up despite all the trials which seemed to wash over them.
If the previous trials were waves, what came next was a Tsunami. Charles zi (changed from vi) Britannia came to the Lamperouge house the following week, citing it as a condolence visit. All the kids were huddled to the Kururugi house while the Rin and Genbu came to assist the caretakers. As expected, the richest man in Britannia did not come alone, for his reasons were never straight-forward. He was accompanied by Bismarck Waldstein, the best lawyer the country had to offer, Dorathea Ernst personal financial advisor and Schnitzel el Britannia- a son who was kept secret until Charles divorced Marianne- vice president to the Great Britannia group of companies. They had come to take custody of the vi Britannia siblings much to other`s horror. Documents were thrown back and forth, accusations filled the air and finally a little talk on 'rewards' was offered along with a 'bundle' as a sample. The bundle was promptly burned as an act of defiance. It was finally decided, the case of custody would be taken to court. As a parting short, they produced forged papers freezing the account Marianne left for her children. This effectively meant that they had nothing to live off from.
In these tense times, Lelouch- aware of the situation- kept answering national level scholarship examinations and Olympiads along with Suzaku, who would come along as a 'good luck' charm, so to speak. The results would mostly be regional topper and the highest he got was entering top 5000 with in the national level with a rank of 2586. This along with some money lent from Genbu gave them around $35,000 in three months. Jeremiah new found job`s salary was entirely getting used up in the court cases.
The attempts to get the siblings were not always clear cut. Once, a school peon caught attempting to take the twins by using Chloroform. This was prevented when the high school PE teacher-who happened to pass by at that moment- knocked the perpetrator out of his senses and revived them. From there on, they were always escorted to and from their class by a screaming big brother who even didn`t allow teachers enter the class for the rest of that day. The next target was Lelouch. He nearly missed being run over by a wayward car that happened to break the school gate and aimed at him twice before hitting a light post. Both times he was saved by Suzaku, who pushed him out of the way and then carried out of harm's way. The driver was pronounced dead on the spot.
Clearly they were not safe in the neighborhood anymore. Drastic measures had to be taken. The solution was to have them as far away as possible from the mayhem and keep their going away hushed.
It was decided to enroll the Ashford academy. It was among the premier institutions in the state renowned for its inter-disciplinary training. More importantly, it had 24 hours security service directly supervised by the government. Also, the headmaster was a personal friend of Marianne. On hearing what was going on from both Genbu and Jeremiah, he agreed to board the children in the campus together in the clubhouse and not in separate dormitories. They would be allowed a full time maid owing to their age. This would only happen for the next academic year, which they reluctantly agreed to.
The beginning of the next academic year was a bittersweet one, for all the adults wanted to keep the kids close with them. But, circumstances demanded otherwise and also their kids were growing up. Sayako was allowed to stay with them on campus due to her qualifications as a maid. Heartfelt goodbyes were said to each other. Soon, the black S-class glided down the road ignorant to the silent tears shed by everyone and hastened in its duty to drop its passengers safely to their new home till they were 18 years old.
As the years went by, a new absolute theorem in laws of the universe was established and proved! In Ashford. If anyone so much as look at the Lamperouge twins in the wrong way or even accidently hurt them a typhoon would hit the entire campus and specifically the culprits in the form of two demonic individuals whose name are already known. They would be lucky to see the next day.
Likewise, since the students were still the racist kind, there was a postulate doing rounds also. If anyone spoke against the presence of a certain Japanese brunette, mysterious phenomena were known to happen to them. Symptoms varied depression to extreme case self-deprecation to even bizarre torture methods which the subject never forget. A common factor in all these phenomena was an ominous shadow was seen along furious pair of amethyst eyes.
It was their first year in middle school of the academy and it was sport week. Chaos reigned supreme as the juniors tried to get their things in order and ready. Trying to bring order in this was a Lelouch Lamperouge, class representative of the first years class 1-A and house commander of their 'gold' house- which valued intellect and sport. He was sorting through various events, assigning specific task and following up on them.
"Lelouch, can you get is the football team ready yet?"
"They left for play around 10 minutes ago, can you check the sports room?" he said with a gracious smile.
"Lamperouge, are the drinks out yet?" yelled their PE teacher.
"On pitch, sir. I have assigned 10 students to help in its distribution since our house are volunteers today."
Said teacher gave out a smile as he was about to leave "I say, you may be hopeless on the field but you know how to organize event like you planned it way ahead. Keep out the good Work!"
Lelouch thanked and flopped on a chair as soon as said man turned his back.
"Looks like someone caught the short end of the stick." Came a cheery voice.
On opening his eyes, he saw Suzaku-deputy commander of 'gold house' -standing there with a bottle of cool water in her hand.
Lelouch took it graciously and gulped it down inn one go.
"And he is as thirsty as a camel too." She continued
He just gave her a small glare "Well, try working your way with 70 mules and you get the picture."
Suzaku merely chuckled at and swiped him on the head. "That`s for equating me to a mule."
"Oh! How could I equate thee to a lowly mule? Thou art the fairest steed to ever grace this land." he smirked when she blushed a bit.
Coming back to business "Anyway, could you keep track of all the on field events and see the respective teams are there for their events? I will be doing much of the back scene work." He held out a list.
"Hmm… depends, will you come see the 200m sprint?" she asked innocently.
Lelouch just rolled his eyes "When have I ever missed your races, idiot? Now hurry up and get moving." They both got up from their places and were about to leave.
"Aren`t you going to wish me luck?" she smiled already knowing the reply of the retreating figure.
He just flicked his hand "I need to wish the other congrats on getting 2nd place."
"Lamperouge, over here!" gestured one of his classmates as he entered the track. He had just finished his responsibilities and handed them over to a supervising teacher so as to enjoy the day.
"Thank you, is the 200m sprint starting now or later?"
"Their warming up right now." He pointed to where the athletes were.
Lelouch excused himself and went to said location. There he noticed a slightly disappointed brunette.
"Oi, is the competition so bad that you are wondering if it is worth your time?" he said quietly so only the person intended to hear it heard. Suzaku perked up from and jogged towards her friend.
"You came." She grinned her signature thousand watt smile. He had to cover his face.
"Of course idiot, now stop smiling like that. Why wouldn`t I come, so that you wouldn`t get you customary chocolate bar." He teased.
She just glared at him. When she was about to say something…
"Isn`t that the 'prince of equality'? Sneered one of the female athletes.
"Hmm… doesn`t have good taste and neither a good constitution, does he? I think my one punch could keep him in bed for a month" Said the other.
Lelouch just shrugged them of and was going to wish Suzaku of when he noticed something. A blazing aura surrounded the said brunette.
"Suzaku, just… go easy on them, okay?"
"Don`t worry, Lelouch." She said in a bubbly tone to him while still maintaining that aura. How does one do that? God help their poor souls.
Needless to say, a new legend was born of the 'fire princess'. One who would burn and smoke out all of her opponents with the slightest mercy, if anyone dare cross
paths with a certain raven head.
"Seriously, a 4 second victory margin?" Lelouch said as he gave her the chocolate to calm down in the locker.
"So? They insulted you Lelouch!" he had to turn away a bit "they called you all sort of mean things. I can`t stand there while you did your best for me in elementary school. May be I should have punched them…"
"Suzaku…" he sighed midway through her rant.
"Lelouch!" the PE teacher`s voice was heard in the doorway.
"Yes sir?" the two respectfully jogged up to him.
"A representative of your 1st years gold house has withdrawn from the chess tournament. Get your act quickly! I will stall them for 10 minutes."
"Understood sir, you can actually give my name for the event." Lelouch said calmly.
"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.
"Definitely, I have a general grasp of the game." He said simply.
"All right, get yourself ready and head to the auditorium."
"Hey, I you sure you can hold out against all those other opponents?" Suzaku asked worriedly "3 national champions are among them."
"Don`t worry, that`s makes it all the more exciting. I like a good challenge" he smiled as they entered the venue. He turned around to directly face the other, 'bro' fisted with each other "Wish me luck" and he went into the arena. Suzaku made her way into the front row of a crowded hall.
Lelouch breezed through all his opponents. Each of his game lasted 45 minutes or less. Suzaku was captivated as to how he could predict the opponent`s moves and how they all fell waste in front of his intelligence. She was pretty intrigued in his first few moves which put his king on to the board. She may not know much, but she knew it was not normal judging from the reactions in the room. His toughest game was the semi-final, against one of the national champions as it moved back and forth. After 30 excruciating minutes he emerged victorious. His opponent, known for his mannerism congratulated him heartily on his victory. With this, Lelouch Lamperouge, the dark horse was in the final.
He had a word with the coach, who was ecstatic of his performance and then made his way to where Suzaku was.
"I knew you were good but not that good."
He just shrugged it off "it`s pretty logical actually, an idiot like you wouldn`t understand." He smirked.
"Oi, don`t get cocky or else I will not allow you to see Rolo and Nunnally." She scowled darkly in response to the insult. Earning a same reply in kind.
"My, is this little the girlfriend of my opponent?" came a smooth voice from behind. It was the current national champion, known for mind games and dirty play.
"Oh was I interrupting something? If it isn`t the 'fire princess' herself. I must say, you must be an exception to those inferior Japs." He laughed as he ran his hand in his hair "any way, I will never lose to a Jap-sick lover kid." And he walked away.
Suzaku shrugged it off and was going to wish him luck when she paled at the sight. The entire room`s temperature had hit below freezing point. On Lelouch`s face was that wicked smile that promised eternal torment. She sweat-dropped at the sight. Even the opponent paled a bit.
"Lelouch, take it easy, okay?" she had to save that guy, even if he had insulted her.
"With pleasure" he said with all the warmth directed towards her and went to meet his adversary.
If the today the masses were afraid of 'fire princess' Suzaku, they were downright quaking and running away from the 'ice prince' Lelouch. He was literally toying with him. The game was over in 10 minutes.
"And the winner is-"
"I refuse, I wasn`t ready okay? He took me by surprise' the boy protested.
The crowd booed and Suzaku was about to jump over and punch him until she froze again at the icy voice.
"Very well, I will play you 3 more times." He said with an even more wicked smile. Seriously, since when did her Lelouch become this…. this….
…frightening and cold hearted?
She thanked her lucky stars he never was like this to her and vowed to keep him in check. Otherwise, Ashford academy would turn into a graveyard.
The second match was over in 9 minutes.
The third, 6minutes.
The fourth, 7 moves (1min 30 sec)
The opponent was shattered and scarred for the rest of his existence here. Lelouch, on the other hand brightly hopped to the podium, praised all his previous opponents,
insulted his last one.
'I don`t understand why a certain insect thinks of himself as a majestic lion. Surely he will and must be crushed into insignificance.'
Quoting those famous words.
He got of the podium, signaled his buddy to join with him and left the room for a 'home party' where he would cook dinner for them all.
The room still remains cold as proof of the event.
Thus, the legend of 'Zero', the evil side of Lelouch, which was held on par with the universal theorem of Lamperouge was born. It was the greatest legend to ever to be rung in the pantheons of Ashford`s history and remained ever since.
'Never cross the line between Lelouch and Suzaku. Else, the Fire princess will seem tame in front of the ice emperor, Zero"
-In my area, elders not known or related to you are referred to as 'uncle' and 'auntie' as a sign of respect and familiarity.
-Suzaku is a girl in case you didn`t notice.
-The beginning part is written like how a child would. I did my best to potrey it
and most importantly
Happy birthday Lelouch!
Read and review and most of all...
Enjoy!