Hey, everyone! Wow, it has been so long since I've wrote a fic but then this came into my mind and would not leave. Anyway, hope you all like it.
Warnings: Some OOC ness
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass: Akito the Exiled
Lt. Col. Leila Malcal sighed as she turned the key and opened the door to her room. There was a party tonight, another celebration. For what? No one really knew. It was just another way to get aristocrat's together to drink and flirt.
"All they know how to do is party." She said, talking to herself. She slowly walked into her bedroom, and noticed something lying on her bed. It was a dark blue kimono with orange hibiscus flowers speckled throughout it. Next to it was a blue, ornate hairpiece. It was the same shade of blue as the kimono and it had strings of silver beads falling from it. A letter was attached to it. She picked up the letter and read it aloud.
"Surprise. Your fiancé, Ioan." She read to herself in disgust. "This must have been what he was talking about." She thought back to earlier that day.
Leila stood outside of the headquarters and watched as people passed by. She was waiting for Lt. Akito Hyuga to come by and pick her up. He was on bodyguard patrol again, and he had promised to meet her at the headquarters at 12:00. Ever since their last trip to Paris, she couldn't stop thinking of him. There was something about him. "Akito." She whispered.
"Hello, Leila, dear." A man's voice spoke. "How is my bride to be?"
Leila knew that voice anywhere. She turned and saw her adoptive brother/fiancé Ioan Malcal. He was carrying a drink in his hand. He put it up towards her face. It smelled like sake, Japanese rice wine. "Care for some?" He asked her smugly.
"No." Leila replied coldly as she knocked it away from her face.
He laughed. "I thought that you liked Eleven culture." He said as he bent down next to her ear. "Or maybe you just like Elevens." He whispered. "Elevens like that little lieutenant." Leila felt herself getting angry as he said those words and she roughly pushed him away from her face.
"They are Japanese, not Elevens." She stated firmly. "And you have no right to disrespect them."
"Well, when one of them is messing around with my fiancé, then I have the right to do as I please." He said as he grabbed her arm. "If you're going to be anyone's whore, it will be mine." He squeezed her arm harder. "Listen to me, you little whore, you will not ruin my reputation because you want to play around with the Elevens."
She grunted in pain as the grip got tighter. She tried to push him away, but he threw her to the ground. She gasped as she hit the concrete.
"Commander!" Another familiar voice shouted. Leila looked up and saw Lt. Hyuga coming towards them. At the sight of Akito, Ioan became scared.
"Here." He said as he threw down a plastic card. "Take this to the hotel across the street from the palace. There is a party tonight and you better be there, but don't expect to come in those rags. I have a little surprise for you in your room." He then ran off in the other direction.
"Typical." She stated, knowing that this was another attempt to mock her respect for the Japanese. A knock came on the door.
"Open the door!" A voice yelled. "Now, Leila."
Leila walked over to the door and threw it open. Standing in the doorway was Ioan. He was dressed in a black tux with two women on his arms. Both were dressed in long blue dresses with the backs cut out of them, and Leila could tell they were already intoxicated.
"What do you want?" She asked angrily.
"I want you to get ready for the party and meet me over there." He said. "And make sure to wear that surprise I got you. Oh and don't forget the hairpiece too." He stroked her hair, and she cringed.
"Don't touch me." She said as she knocked his hand away.
"Now, now. Be a good little mistress and get ready." He said and he turned and walked away.
Leila stood there and watched as he left. She hated him. Hated him with all her heart.
"Shall I erase it for you?" A familiar voice said.
Leila jumped at the thought of it. Akito had said those words to her. He had a demonic smile on his face when he said it. It still gave her chills when she saw it. She shook it out of her head and walked back into the room.
She went back into her bedroom and examined the kimono. Even though she wanted to wear her uniform, it was a really pretty kimono and it was silk, pure silk. The sleeves were long and flowed down. She didn't want to give in to Johann's stupid requests, but if she didn't wear it, he would say she was ashamed of the Japanese. So she would wear it proudly and show him that his mockery would not break her. Besides, it would be a shame to let such a beautiful kimono go to waste.
"What would it hurt to wear it for a night?" She said as she ran her hand over it. She undressed and slipped into the kimono. As she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but think how beautiful it looked. It fit her well. She noticed a sash. It was her obi, but it needed to be tied. Even though she hated to admit it, she didn't know how to tie it, but she was not going down there without it. But who would know how to do this?
"Akito." She said. Then she ran over to the phone and began dialing.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Lt. Hyuga." Leila said as she greeted the man standing at the door. "Please come in."
Akito walked in to the room and looked around. "Thank you for coming." Leila said as she closed the door.
Akito turned around and noticed was her attire. She couldn't tell if it was a look of disgust or a look of interest. "You can skip the pleasantries. You commanded me to come so I came. Why do you need me, Commander?" He finally asked, his eyes still locked on her.
She felt his stare and blushed. "I need some help with this." She said as she grabbed the obi.
"The mighty commander can't tie a bow." He stated. "Europeans are so helpless."
Leila became flushed with embarrassment. She turned around in order to hide her red face from Akito.
It was then when she felt Akito grab a hold of the obi. She stood completely still as he worked on it. Silence fell over the room. Neither of them made a sound as Akito finished his work. Leila felt him let it go and then she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
"I'm done, Commander." Akito said. His face was right next to Leila's. She felt her blush come back so she ran over to the mirror. She turned and looked at it. The obi was tied into a giant orange bow. It was so perfect that it looked like it had come out of a painting.
"Wow, it looks so pretty." Leila said in awe. "Where did you learn how to do this, Lt. Hyuga?"
Akito didn't answer. He just stood in silence as he became lost in his own memories.
"Is everything alright, Lt. Hyuga?" She asked with concern. She walked over and grabbed his arm and asked him again.
"My mother." He finally replied. "I learned this from my mother."
Leila was taken aback by this. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry that I brought it up."
She let him go and went to grab her hairpiece. She stuck it in the back of her hair and proceeded to the door. However, before she could leave a hand grabbed her elbow and spun her around. She came face to face with Akito. He stared into her eyes, and his hand reached up and grabbed her hairpiece.
"You have it on wrong." He said as he adjusted it. He grabbed it and pinned it on the front of the left side of her hair.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She replied.
Akito finished fixing the hairpiece and then he put his hand in his pockets and stood there. Leila felt kind of disappointed. She was sure that it was going to play out like in the movies. He was going to run his hand through her hair, they would slowly move closer, their lips would touch, and they would kiss.
"Stop it, Leila. Stop it." She whispered to herself.
"Well, I need to be going, Commander. I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he went to the door. He grabbed the handle and was about to walk out when Leila grabbed his hand.
"What is it, Commander?" He asked.
"Lt. Hyuga…I-" She began.
"Leila!" a voice shrieked. The door opened and Captain Anna Clement walked in. She was dressed in a black long-sleeved satin dress and her hair was flowing around her. "Le-" She stopped when she saw Akito.
"Oh, my. I am sorry." She said, flustered. She kept staring at Akito and Leila and their interlocked hand. Akito noticed, dropped Leila's hand and placed both of his back in his pockets. "Umm… Ioan was demanding that you come over immediately. He sent me here to get you."
"I'll be over there in a bit." Leila replied.
"Well, he was very adamant about you coming now." Anna said. She looked at Akito. "However, if there are more pressing matters here, I will be going."
"Well, ye-" Leila began but she was interrupted by Akito.
"No, I was just leaving, and the Commander must be going too." Akito replied. "She can't miss a party." He looked back at Leila and then to Anna and left.
Leila watched as he left and she felt a twinge of anger. She cared for Akito, possibly even had romantic feelings for him, yet he refused to acknowledge Leila as more than his European military commander. He never called her "Leila", never wanted to have a conversation with her, and thought that she was like all the other Europeans, even though she was not.
"Leila, is everything alright?" Anna asked. Leila broke her thoughts and came back to reality.
"Of course." She replied. "Let's go." Leila and Anna walked down the hall and to the elevator. As the door opened, a couple got off and headed in the direction of the rooms. Leila and Anna hopped on. As the door closed, silence fell over them.
"So, umm, Leila." Anna started.
"Yes, what is it Anna?" Leila replied. She knew that it was going to be something about Akito.
"Well, I was wondering why Lt. Hyuga was in your room. I mean I know it is none of my business, but you are my friend and we've told each other everything since we were kids and I don't want you to keep a secret from me and-"Anna stopped as she ran out of breath.
"Anna!" She yelled in shock. "I would never keep a secret from you. I promise that nothing is going on between me and Lt. Hyuga." She turn and let Anna see her obi. "He was helping me tie this."
Anna looked in awe at the work. "Wow, it is beautiful. I can't believe that Lt. Hyuga did that."
The elevator chimed and the door swung open. They made their way through the lobby and across the street over to the palace.
People were everywhere, most of them aristocrats. They were dressed in their finest clothes with the finest alcohol and the finest music. And Leila watched as they all turned and looked at her when she walked in. There were a mixture of looks, some good and then some bad. She felt very nervous, but she held her head high and proudly walked into the party.
"Leila!" screamed a cheery voice. "Leila! Over here!" Leila looked and saw her other adoptive brothers, Daniel and Stephan. She walked over towards them with many pairs of eyes following. They gave her a hug.
"Leila, you look incredible." said Daniel. "But, uh, what is this?" He asked examining the kimono.
"Well, it's a Jap-" She began.
"It's an Eleven's dress." said Ioan as he walked up to them. "I thought that Leila might like it considering her interest in Elevens." He laughed.
"They are Japanese! Not Elevens!" She yelled as she glared at him. Ioan's face grew dark.
"That is the second time you disrespected me today." He said as he grabbed her and pulled her in front of him. "It will not happen a third time."
"Let me go!" She yelled as she fought to get away from him.
"Ioan, please let her go." Stephan chimed in. "Please, brother."
"No, she is my property and I'll do as I please." He said. He pulled her closer and spun her around. He grabbed her hairpiece and threw it on the ground and stomped on it. "You want to be an Eleven then maybe should look like one." He said as he grabbed one of her sleeves and ripped it. Then he saw her obi. "My, my. Look at this pretty piece." He said.
"No, stop it." She cried out, trying to fight against him. "Stop it!" She then heard it rip and Ioan threw her towards Anna.
"Where's your boyfriend at now?" He taunted. "Where is that Eleven now?"
Leila felt weak as Anna caught her. She could hear the roaring laughter and the piercing stares of the other party guests. She felt the anger and the embarrassment come over her. She clenched her fist and was ready to fight Ioan when Anna grabbed her.
"Leila, let's just go." Anna pleaded. "Let's just go back."
Leila looked at the fear in her best friends eyes and knew it was a bad idea to stay. Anna interlocked their arms, and they walked back over to the hotel together. As Leila walked into her room, she felt so stupid. Why hadn't she just worn her military uniform like last time? Why didn't she just leave the kimono here? Why didn't she just realize that it was all a big joke?
"Akito." She finally said. It all made her think of Akito. That was why she did it. She couldn't keep Akito out of her mind. The dark blue kimono reminded her of his hair, the orange flowers and obi reminded her of the drink he gave her last time they were in Paris, and the hairpiece reminded her of the sky that was speckled with stars when they were on the balcony.
She walked into the bedroom and threw off the tattered clothes. She rummaged through her suitcase and found her favorite nightgown. It was a long, sheer pink nightgown. She slipped it on and grabbed a copy of Guilbert's Essays of Tactics. She laid down on the bed and began reading. A few minutes later a knock came on the door. Leila just kept on reading. The knock came again. Again Leila ignored it.
"Commander." The voice on the other side of the door spoke.
Leila recognized Akito's voice and got up and answered the door.
"Sorry to interrupt you." He said, looking at her dress. She realized that Akito could see through her nightgown. She became flustered as she grabbed a blanket to cover herself.
"Umm, no, you're not interrupting." She said. "I was just reading." She held up her book.
"Well, Captain Clement said to come and see you." He replied. "She said you were not okay."
'Thanks, Anna.' Leila thought. "Well, I am doing alright." She stated. "There is nothing to worry about here. I was just going to bed."
"Well, I guess I should go then." He said as he got up and headed for the door. He stopped and turned around. "My offer still stands you know."
Leila became confused. "What offer?" She asked.
"If you don't like it, I will erase it for you."
Well, thanks for reading! Hope you liked it and please review. Also, I am considering writing another chapter from Akito's pov. Any thoughts?