Cruel. The world, and everyone on it. Cruel. Everything. Their cheers, reverberating in her ears. Cruel. His blade swishing through the air, droplets of red staining the blue podium. Cruel. The liquid's distinctly metallic scent, invading her nostrils. Cruel. The air careening off His blade as he took another theatrical swing. The sound of her own pitiful cry as she stared uncomprehendingly at the scene before her. The cruelest of the cruel. Everyone. Everyone but him.
He didn't deserve this fate. This was all her fault. He was far too kind, not a shred of malice in him. He couldn't do wrong, even if he wanted to. He would stop the world if she wanted him to, was this really a stretch? To do all of this because of one off-hand comment she made once about how the world was to horrible, and how it should be a gentler place. She didn't expect him to pay any mind to it, after it was out of her mouth she didn't. He didn't need the burden of granting his blind and crippled sister's wish. She didn't want him to, especially if he had to go this far in order to do it.
I'm all alone. The thought came to her as she touched his face. Some phrases exited her mouth, she wasn't really aware of what she was saying. Now I have no one. From a very young age, he had been her primary care giver, and really her only family. She had a very large immediate family, half-siblings galore, but he had been her one true sibling, and later, her... she hesitated to say parent, but that was really what he was, though she never saw him that way. She was just her big brother, too kind for his own good.
He really started as her care giver when she was six, after the attack. They called it a well planned terrorist attack, but it never sounded like Big Brother believed it, so neither did she. A majority of her father's other wives and their children didn't like her or her brother, especially since 'The Commoner's Children' were still considered to be inline for the throne. It was a minor controversy, when her father, the former emperor, decided to take a commoner as one of his brides. But she wasn't really a commoner, as she had gained knighthood through the military. That was one of the reasons that it seemed unbelievable that it was a terrorist attack that took her away. It wasn't uncommon for brides of the emperor to kill off each other and their offspring, in order to get their own children closer in line to the throne.
She'd been there, when Mama was killed. She didn't remember much, a combination of being six at the time, and shock blocking the memories along with the use of her eyes away, but she distinctly remembered a flurry of bullets and some kind of weight being thrown on her, and then nothing until she woke up inside the sterile smell of the hospital. She had reached a hand up to probe whatever it was sticking from her throat, and then the voices started.
"Hey, I think she's awake!" a kind sounding man. A hand reached and smoothed her hand back down to her side.
Another voice, this time a young woman's. "It's alright Princess, sweetie. We'll get the breathing tube out soon, little pinch, deep breath." the woman had instructed, releasing her hand to a bunch of tinnier ones, though not as small as her own. She deducted pretty quickly that there were two children in the room with her. There was a pinch in her throat, then she felt the burden of having to breath for herself.
"H-hey, could-d you turn on a light?" her own tiny voice, and a sharp intake of air from her bedside. "It's really dark in here, and I can't see a thing." one of the hand sets released, and she felt a pressure by her head. Instinctively she turned to look at whoever it was.
"Y-you can't see?" her big brother's voice this time.
"Lelouch!" she smiled happily. "Big Brother, why is it so dark? Its a hospital, shouldn't it be light?"
"Nunnally?" another, older voice from the corner.
"Cornelia!" her older half-sister had just started military training, how could she be here? "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in training?"
"I came to see you, Dearie." was the almost twenty-year-old's reply. "How do you feel? Anything hurt?" a comforting hand on the forehead accompanied those worried words.
"I feel fine." she smiled, still unaware of the numbness from the waist down. "Now could you please turn on a light? It's so dark."
"Princess Cornelia?" the first man to speak questioned. "May I speak to you outside?"
"Huh." followed by footsteps was the only reply to the man's query.
"Guess who else is here?" the last pair of hands lingering on her own tightened as the youngest child besides herself spoke.
"Euphy!" Nunnally smiled as she recognized the sibling closest in age to her self's voice. "Now all I need is for a light to be on and this'll be just perfect!"
"But Nanna," Euphy sounded worried. "All the lights in here are on."
"Th-then why cant I see?" Nunnally had the worst feeling.
A door opened, and she felt her older sister drape herself across the bed, enveloping the young child in a hug. "The doctor say he believes you've been blinded from the psychological stress, as well as paralyzed from the waist-" Cornelia was suddenly puled away, a smaller body occupying the space where she had been.
"No! Nunnally, you're gonna be fine, I know it! It'll take a few days to clear..." his voice trailed off as he realized the stupidity of what he'd said and done, lying to his now crippled sister, and pushing his oldest sister out of the way. He'd get in trouble. "Sorry, Cornelia." he hung his head in shame.
"For what?" Cornelia sounded shocked at his apology. "Why apologize for being shocked at such shocking news? Toughen up! You'll get nowhere if you're to terrified of me to try and protect little Nunnally!"
"B-blind?" Euphy asked. "Y-you mean Nanna won't be able to play anymore?" a tear slid down Nunnally's cheek as she realized the same thing.
"She'll still be able to play." Cornelia soothed, patting her younger sister's pink hair. A hand wiped the tear from Nunnally's cheek, she couldn't tell who it was though. "Just in a different way." the young woman continued.
Nunnally smiled at the thought. Life would just be a little different for a while as she got used to her new predicament, but nothing major. "Yep, I'll be able to play again in no time!" another thought crossed her mind. "Big Brother? When is Mama gonna come in here? Or is she already in here, just trying to mess with me?" Mama loved to play jokes like that.
"Nunnally," Lelouch started, sounding sad. "Mama's dead." he sounded chocked at the end, presumably crying.
"Mama's...dead?" tears leaked out of her eyes. "For real? Please! Tell me this is a joke!" in the distance a loud beeping began. "She cant be dead... she cant..."
"Nunnally... Lady Marianne she died in a well-organized terrorist attack, the same one that injured you." Cornelia explained. "Her funeral was yesterday."
"It was hard to get Big Brother Lulu out of your room to go. He was so indecisive! One minute he wanted to go, the next he wanted to stay here, in case you woke up. Eventually he settled with bringing a moniter with a live feed from in here with him, along with a webcam so you could watch if you woke." Euphy explained. "It was sweet."
"Mama's... dead?" the child repeated once more, tears flowing from her eyes, the beeping more insistant. "She is, isn't she?" now she was sobbing, heart beating fast.
"Highnesses." the young woman from earlier spoke. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're worrying Princess Nunnally, and exelarating her heartbeat, which could slow her recovery-."
"No!" Lelouch screamed and gripped the side of her bed, Euphy began to cry as she squeezed her barely younger half-sister's hand. "I won't leave Nunnally!"
"Nunnally!" Euphy cried as the hand she was gripping was raised off the bed, and eventually released. "Bye-bye." more muffled sobs. Cornelia's purple suit was probably soaked at this point, the shoulder especially as she carried her young sister away from her younger sister's bedside.
"Lelouch! Do as the doctor says and leave, it'll hurt Nanna's health if you try to stay and you're too big for me to carry. I'm sure you also would not like everyone to see me carrying you through Pendragon." Cornelia scolded her younger brother.
"B-but! No! I won't leave Nunnally!" there was a tug from the side of the bed. "No! Don't make me leave!" the tugging become more insistant, and Cornelia's footsteps could be heard walking away and out carrying Euphy's muffled tears with her.
"Big Brother!" Nunnally lunged her chest forward, momentum swinging her to an upright position. Then she noticed-her legs didn't work. She could feel doctors tugging on her arms, her shoulders, but they weren't forcing her down, or pushing as hard as they could, as they would a normal patient. The little girl was Nunnally vi Brittania, 4th princess and it was pretty clear what she wanted.
Thanks to the temper tantrum he had thrown, her big brother was able to stay in the same room as her, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They offered a bed for him, but he refused, settling for a fluffy pillow placed at his sister's feet, and at one point had to be hooked up to an I.V., because he refused to leave the room, even to eat or drink. After she expressed her worry that he was going to hurt himself worrying about her and how sad she'd be if that happened, he gained his appetite back with a vengance, and she was happy. She was not well enough to go to Mama's memorial service several days after she woke, but she and Lelouch had been able to watch on the T.V. together, all alone in that room. She got better, and was finally able to return home, to Aries Villa, but only for a short time.
When she got home, that was probably the hardest, but at the same time, it was really fun, seeing all her siblings so flustered at her predicament. On her first day back from the hospital, she and Lelouch were greeted with a large group of their siblings there for a surprise party, organized by Euphy(mainly with Cornelia's help). Clovis was there, her usually trickster-ish big brother turned into a big softie. That didn't stop him from challenging Lelouch at chess, though, thinking probably because he was out of practice he could beat his little brother at the strategy game. He was wrong. That of course led her even older brother, Schneizel to chalenge Leloush to a match which he won. Euphy was there, along with Cornelia as well as, as she later learned, Anya Alstreim, who had gone to Aries Villa in order to learn ediquite from Lady Marianne. Apparently the girl was lurking in the shadows, but could occasionally be seen smiling proudly at her or Lelouch.
After the party was over, then the troubles began. Aries Villa was a three story building, and none of it was wheel chair accesable. So the only way for her to go up or down stairs was to have someone carry her, and she didn't want to burden anyone with the task, though a couple times she fell asleep on the couch and woke up in her bed on the third floor. Whenever she absolutely had to go somewhere on another floor of the house. Lelouch offered to carry her, and that was the start of her reliance on him.
At first Nunnally cried a lot, and no one could blame her, she was a little kid who had just lost her mother, vision, and use of her legs. At one point, when Lelouch noticed she was holding in tears, he told her just to get it all out, and that it would only hurt more later if she didn't. So she did. For what felt like hours she sat undisturbed on her bed next to him, bawling.
When she was done she leaned back, smiling. "Big Brother is so strong!" she declared happily. "All this has happened, and I haven't seen him cry once. Or~ did you just let it out already!" she wiped her tears and grabbed a book, having picked up braille easily, it was her favorite thing to do during those boring days.
He had laughed when she called him strong, and joked around a little bit, but later that week she had reached up to touch his face when he was telling her goodnight, and she felt his face slick with tears. He had been holding it in, just so that she could be happy. She felt horrible for doing that to him. Absolutely horrible.
Then they were shipped off the the prime minister of Japan's house, the Kururugi household, and her world took another violent turn. She had to get used to speaking a foreign language with very different grammar concepts than her own, she had to deal with pretty much being sold to Japan by her father, she had to deal with missing her family... there was a lot to deal with. Lelouch also had a lot of stress on his shoulders. He was raised to be against the Japanese, so he was wary of going into their care, and mostly of her going into their care. The natives also weren't to fond of them, being Britts. But Lelouch made a real friend there, Prime Minister Kururugi's son, Suzaku Kururugi. Nunnally was happy, at home in Pendragon, Big Brother didn't have a single friend to his name, not counting Euphy who to him was a precious little sister. It was a nice change of pace, and she loved it so very much. Of course, the universe just couldn't let her be happy, so the Brittanian air raids began.
When they were in Japan, after the air raids from Brittania started, Lelouch and Suzaku were constantly sticking their necks out for her sake, and she was just a freeloader. The two barely ten-year-olds carrying her through an active war zone. She constantly dropped hints about how they should just leave her somewhere, but every hint was met with an uproar that basically meant: we wont leave you to die. She felt honored, but awful that they were going through so much extra trouble for her sake.
Eventually they split up, her and Lelouch to take refuge with the Ashfords, a family that had a daughter Lelouch's age that they were sure would offer them refuge while keeping their heritege a secret, and Suzaku to go to another family estate of his to look for a surviving family member. All three knew they would never see each other again. She and Big Brother made it too the Ashford's, and were welcomed with open arms. Milly- their daughter Lelouch's age- wanted a little sister, and pampered Nunnally like a princess, even before knowing their heritage. Nunnally was happy, living with the Ashfords, and when the war ended and Japan-now Area 11- was conquered she felt a pang of sadness for the beautiful country, but glad the fighting and deaths were over. She always felt a pang of sadness though over the boy she considered her other brother who was most likely dead.
But then he wasn't. He went to Ashford Academy, her and Lelouch's school that the family they were staying with owned. Her world was complete.
Then the terrorist attacks by various Japanese resistance groups got more serious, and Lelouch started growing further from her. She was selfish, she knew, but she wanted him and his kindness all too himself. During the black rebellion her uncle, V.V., picked her up, and she reclaimed her spot as a member of the royal family. Zero, the leader of the rebellion, apparently disappeared during the decisive battle, and the Black Knights were crushed, many Elevens killed in the days after, a saddening amount. Nunnally pleaded until she was given the cursed position as Viceroy of Area 11, so that she could recreate the special zone Euphy had died to create.
Then... Suzaku, now the Knight of Seven, called her, and gave the phone to Lelouch, and she was happy, she had been worried he'd died. But, he said the weirdest things. First he was saying that he loved her and she'd have to play along, then he was saying he didn't know who she was. Then Zero came back and the whole mess with the Black Rebellion started over again, but this time they succeeded. Nunnally wasn't sad to loose the Area, she was glad the people had gained independence. Then, at Pendragon... the Emperor died, and Lelouch appeared, claiming he had killed him... and so started the reign of The Demon Emperor Lelouch.
But now, she knew that everything he had done was for her, for her dream of a peaceful world. The Zero Requiem. The plan Lelouch had hatched to get all the hate in the world focused on himself so then whenever someone would kill him, all the hate would disappear. He didn't have too.
"Yes, I have... destroyed the world...and created...a...new." his weak and trembling lips moved, speaking quiet words. His eyes closed, and he exhaled.
Yes, Big Brother. Nunnally looked at him, to shocked to move her lips. You destroyed this horrible world, and created a new, better world. She saw his chest's stuttering rise and fall halt. If she wanted to say it, it was now or never. "Oh! Big Brother, I love you!" she hugged him close, not minding the vile liquid staining her clothes, her hair, her face. She screamed, and sobbed over him, in return for the blood staining her shirt, she stained his with tears. Though she was wailing quite loudly, she could still hear them in the streets, cheering her brother's murderer on.
"Zero! Zero!" they cried. "Zero! Zero!"
"The Demon Lelouch is dead!" oh, Big Sister. How little loyalty to your kid brother. Cornelia ran down the stairs of the building she was hiding in, her followers close behind, they set about freeing his prisoners, some of which she would probably recognize when they spoke. Her older sister's shouts brought tears to her eyes. She wailed even louder.
She was getting tired. They were still partying, celebrating her brother's death, and she was still wailing. Her tears would never dry up, never ever. She used her hands, and dragged her body over closer to her brother's, the chains used to bind her clanking the whole way. She lifted up his arms, and curled up under it, cuddling into him like she did when she was really little. Already she was so stained with blood that a bit more caused her no worry. The sun was hanging low in the sky. "Goodnight, Big Brother."
The tears flowed double time, and her heart was pounding. She could still hear the sounds of the party. Then a slightly familiar voice stood out. "O-okay. I'll be back in a second. I'm gonna go see if I... can find Nina!" Nina was a name she recognized, but it was also very common.
"Nunnally?" the voice was closer now. It was definitely familiar. She knew that voice. She turner and looked up at a young man... no, it was a teenager. An older teenager, but a teenager nonetheless. He had his blue-blue?-hair parted perfectly in the middle, the ends flying up, trying to defy gravity as best it could. He wrapped a hand around her, and hugged her, though he was a bit wary of the blood. She could feel his hands that had managed to wrap all the way around her body, and gripped her
shoulders. Those hands... she recognized them. And that voice, definetly familiar. And she had an idea of who it was.
"R-Rivalz?" she asked, trying to confirm if this was her brother's best friend-other than Suzaku- and a fellow member of the Ashford Academy student council. Apparently his family had moved back to the homeland when things got hairy.
"I'm so sorry," his voice trembled as he spoke. A voice called out from the fray of people trying to get a word in with Zero, with her brother's killer. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she hugged Rivalz, who she finally got to see. The tears started flowing even harder.
"Rivalz!" the voice was clearer now. It was a woman, probably Rivalz's mom.
"Geez," the boy in question reached a hand up to his neck. "I'm gonna have to explain later why I didn't come." he patted Nunnally on the head, and she could see just how sad he was, but hiding it for her sake. "Your eyes are pretty." he said out of the blue, so akwardly, he was probably trying to distract her from her brother's... form... right beside her. "Big and purple, just like Lelouch's..." he trailed off, and the top of her head was becoming moist. He was grieving too, but hiding it much better than she was.
"Go." her voice was rough and quivering. "Back there. To your loved ones. I want to be alone... I just want it to be me and Big Brother."
Rivalz nodded, knowing that was the best thing he could and should do. "See you around." he ran back into the mess of bodies, looking sadder than he had been when he left it. She cried as she saw his retreating form, but she really wanted nothing more than to be alone. Just her and her older brother. She wiped her hands across her eyes. More tears came to replace the ones she discarded.
Who knows how long they cheered on her brother's murderer, looks piercing her back the whole time. Some were sad, mournfully looking over to the small child who had just lost the only living relative that really care for her, and yet were still to afraid to give their condolences. She felt the steely glares of those who thought she was crazy for crying over that madman's, that murderer's body.
But he wasn't a madman, nor was he a murderer. He was her big brother, to kind for his own good.
Nunally touched her head down onto her brother's, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. He was going far, far away, where she'd never see him again. He was going to where Mother, and Father, and Euphemia, and Suzaku, and too many of her friends were. He was going far beyond her reach and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Nothing she did could bring him back, nothing would let her see his kind smile, or hear his kind voice, or feel his gentle hands tucking her under the covers, giving her a kiss on the cheek whether he knew she was awake or not. Nothing would get her big brother back.
In what world was this fair? In what world was it okay to steal little girl's families out from under them? But she surely should have learned long ago that the world was not fair. But she could be happy in the unfair world. She could be happy, with her brother and friends. Yes they were living in hiding, leaching off the good will of others, but they were happy. But now-!
She chocked off another sob as black began to invade her vision. Maybe it was the exhaustion getting to her. Maybe she had dehydrated herself with the sheer amount of tears. Maybe she was going to visit with Brother, and Suzaku and the others.
No matter the cause or end result, she slipped into black.
A/N:So... I don't own it. In case you didn't figure that out.
This was a story I just had to write, even though I was crying part of the time during writing. Also, I learned to always reread your work before posting. At one point I had forgotten a 'r' in 'shirt'... that would have been disasterous!
What do you think? Please tell me, I want to know your thoughts, even flames.
Peace!