"People of the Empire!" Heads turned as I slowly paused in mid-step on the sidewalk, my silver eyes trailing up towards the large television screen in the middle of the market area. Everyone stopped to stare up in wonder and awe as Prince Clove's handsome face filled the screen. His long wavy blonde hair had been brushed back nicely, tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck, and his stunning blue eyes stared out at the people he couldn't see in mock horror and pain. He was a really good actor, and I often enjoyed hearing his renowned speeches.
"My heart is torn in two!" The camera blinked and suddenly the screen was filled with the latest terrorist attack. A building slowly crumbling under the weight of itself as a single bomb exploded somewhere inside it. Everyone reacted like any sane person would. Gasping, clutching their hearts and chests, holding the children just a little bit tighter, trying to look away, but just too drawn to the sight of the destruction.
"And filled with sorrow and anger!" Prince Clovis continued, his face blinking back into it's rightful place. I felt a smile tugging as I watched his blonde brows come together in mock agony. I wanted to clap for him, but knew it wasn't appropriate. "Some 'Elevens' resist the Empire and practice terrorism,"
I watched as he suddenly switched to anger, trying to keep everyone on their toes I guess. I clutched the bag in my hand a little bit tighter. I hated how everyone assumed it was always the Elevens causing all the danger and destruction. I think the Britannian's have done a well enough job themselves too. "But as the viceroy of this 'Area 11,' I will not give in to terrorists!"
A slight ripple of cheers washed through the crowd, and I glanced around, noticing a sleek well kept together young man sitting in the passenger side of Rivalz's little moped. Lelouch Lamperouge. How elegant of him to be off skipping school yet again. Did the poor boy have nothing better to do? Though I couldn't really be talking, I was, in more ways the one, skipping school too. I tore my eyes away before he noticed me and stared back up at the pristine young Viceroy.
"Why? Because this is the fight for justice! And to protect everyone's happiness!" I scoffed under my breath, a little more than thankful no one heard. Protecting happiness? How can you protect something that doesn't even exists in the first place? I gritted my teeth as people started to cheer and sing praises to the ever so popular Prince Clovis. Just because he talked about protecting happiness, doesn't mean he was actually doing much to make that statement a reality.
"Please join me in mourning the 8 people who died in the fight for justice!" Everyone stood still and silent for a second before slowly moving on. Prince Clovis smiled triumphantly before the camera blinked off him and on to a commercial for something. Lelouch slowly putted by, his face buried deep in a book, completely oblivious to everyone around him. Typical Lelouch. Rivalz noticed me standing there, and waved, slowing down against the curb to talk to me.
"Hey there Momo! What are you doing out of school?" I smiled as I walked over, slowly straightening my school skirt out against my pale legs.
"I could ask you the same thing Rivalz!" I held up my bag as he flushed, still grinning. "I went to grab a refill on my medicine. I was just heading back now." I pointed towards the school, a huge yellow colored building you could just see over the edge of a hill.
"Oh! How are you feeling by the way? Has your illness gotten any better?" I smiled sweetly, he was always one to worry. I guess that's why everyone loved him so much.
"I've been feeling pretty good. I'm still here, aren't I?" He laughed lightly and then revved up the moped.
"Well I hope you get to feeling better soon Momo! I'd hate for anything to happen! See you at school!" I nodded and leaned in towards Lelouch who happened to realize I was there and slowly set his book in his lap.
"Nice seeing you again Lelouch. Bye bye boys!" I waved and smiled until they were long out of sight and then let my hand fall limply to my side. Pretending to be a bubbly frail girl was hard work, and the fact that it was a huge lie made it that much harder.
I stared to walk back to school, holding the back with my medicine in it. That part wasn't fake. I did take medicine. But not because I was ill or sick or anything. I was an Honorary Britannian solider, and Lloyd often prescribed me pills to help with my healing since I get banged up a lot. But that was another thing I kept hidden from everyone else.
Glancing up at the screen, I saw my Father's face flashing bright, another Ad on how you should buy whatever he was selling at the moment. That was the real reason why I couldn't tell anyone about me being a soldier. I sighed as I started to speed up my walking, trying to get back to school as soon as possible! And really before anyone noticed I'd been missing.
*~*~*~*~*
"Momo! Your all flushed! Are you alright?!" Mimi screamed in my ear and I smiled sweetly at my best friend. She grabbed my arm, almost like she was trying to keep me standing if I should fall, but then got distracted with keeping her long curly lavender purple hair out of her face.
"I'm fine! I just had to hurry back before I missed anything." I held up my bag to show her and she suddenly remembered why I had left.
"Oh god! You didn't run did you?" Shirley asked, sounding truly concerned. She was always so nice, but she was as love struck over Lelouch Lamperouge as poor Mimi was.
"A little. But I was fine with it. I stopped when I couldn't take it anymore." I happened to glance over at Millie to catch her wink. I flushed up, my throat becoming tight. Sometimes, just the way Millie acted, I could swear she knew ever single deep dark secret that I'd hidden for years. And she was the type of big nose gossip queen to find all those secrets too.
"Well maybe we should get you in the meeting room, so you can sit down and take it easy." I was about to protest when a shy looking girl with pink hair suddenly bumped into Lelouch. We all stopped talking and stared as he caught her in the cradle of his arm, helping her back to her feet. I swore I might of heard a swooning sigh come from either Shirley or Mimi. It was hard to tell between the two.
"Whoa there, are you alright?" He asked as her dark teal eyes drifted up to meet Lelouch's bright amethyst ones. I couldn't remember seeing her around, and by the looks on both Shirely and Mimi's faces, they hadn't either.
"Yes. I'm sorry." She mumbled softly, and then slowly made her way over to two of her worried and consoling friends.
"How unusual. It's Kallen Stadtfeld. She's beautiful, intelligent, and the daughter of the affluent Stadtfeld Family. She's sickly and hasn't come to school since this semester started." Rivalz educated us as Lelouch's wide eyes trailed after the pretty girl as she walked off down the hall, and I knew Mimi was going to explode that on me later.
"Hey! Stadtfeld? Momo, didn't you say something about your Father hating that family or something?" I turned towards Mimi to see her wide matching silver eyes staring at me in confusion.
"Yeah, that's the family. My Dad only hates her family because they are always stealing ideas from my Dad. When really, he's just not that original." Everyone laughed at that, and I smiled a little. I was always the one that appeared to by shy in the group, supposedly the only sickly girl here. I guess not anymore.
"Hey! That's kind of weird! Kallen and Momo both have pink hair and are really ill!" Rivalz smiled and everyone shook their heads at him.
"What?" Innocent as always, and clueless too.
"You dork! You just now noticed that?!" Mimi leaned over, thumping him right in the middle of his head, right where his dark blue bangs swished out.
"Hey! Leave me alone!" He shouted back and that's when I noticed Millie staring at me for a beat too long.
"Is something wrong Miss. President?" I asked and she jumped a little, almost as if being cause in a day dream. I smiled and she laughed at herself.
"I was just wondering, why Kallen was out of school, while you were here all through you illness." I shrugged, my hands gripping the bag handles a little too tight.
"Maybe I'm stronger than her? Who knows." She nodded, mulling it over as she turned to walk down towards the pent house where we'd have our meetings at. That was till we heard a commotion behind us.
"THE TEXTBOOKS ARE WRONG!" A boy shouted loud enough for us to stop and listen to him. "THEY DO NOT ACCURATELY DEPICT JAPAN'S HISTORY! IT IS COVERED UP WITH BRITANNIA'S LIES!"
"Oh no! Here they go again, that's why the school should just end this Co-Ed thing. It's really nothing but a huge problem." Rivalz started to complain as the angry protesting student reached out and grabbed him by the arm. The girls gasped as I took a step forward, Mimi doing the same. She was all about her friend Rivalz, and if he meant a lot to my best friend, then I'd defiantly stand up for him too.
"What did you say? You know the school originally belonged to the Japanese! It's you Britannian's that need to get out!" The crowd behind him cheered in agreement as the kid snapped his arm back, getting ready to punch poor Rivalz in the face.
"NO!" I screamed as I started to go up, but Mimi grabbed my arm stopping me. Oh yeah. . .I was supposed to be sick. I cringed as I got ready for the blow I knew was coming, but another hand snapped out, catching and twisting the boys wrist behind his back.
"Stop it. You shouldn't resort to violence." My eyes widened as I watched the boy with wavy brown hair let the angry protesting kids arm go, his forest green eyes drifting up to meet Rivalz scared grey ones. Mimi ran over to meet him, and make sure he was okay as he complained about being scared he'd almost lost his life. I stood still, my hand slipping and letting my bag drop to the ground as the boy was then attacked by the mob of angry students.
"YOU'RE ALSO JAPANESE!" One boy shouted as he started to run towards the brown haired guy.
"You're just a dog who surrendered to Britannia!" Another screamed, pointing an accusing finger. I gasped, thinking it was me he was pointing at, at first, but then I saw it was the boy.
The boy reached out one hand, his legs automatically spreading in defensive stance. He caught and twisted the one kids punch painfully behind his back, and smacked the other kids hand away with just a twitch of his wrist. He was a solider. I knew those moves, I had to practice them.
"Please don't resort to violence." He repeated himself, his green eyes almost looking sad. They slowly got themselves together as he let the kid go.
"Damn it! You're a shame to the Japanese." I bit my lip, my eyes staring holes into the boy. Mimi reached out and touched my arm, but I didn't look at her. This guy, I wanted to know his name. While the others silently comforted Rivalz I watched as the boy turned stiffly away, his movements looking so forced and uncomfortable.
"SUZAKU!" Suzaku. . .that was his name? I watched Lelouch race after the boy, feeling my cheeks flush when Mimi pointed out I was staring, and then I quickly got down on my knees and started to pick up my pill bottles. Mimi bent down to help me, giggling at how air headed I could be.
"I wonder how Lelouch knows that Eleven?" She asked, but her words sounded forced, like she already knew the answer. I reached out, taking a bottle from her and smiling softly.
"I don't know, he is pretty popular." She nodded in agreement, letting the conversation drop as Millie ordered us into the meeting room, getting rather impatient. I glanced back real quick at where Lelouch and that boy. . .Suzaku, disappeared too.
I really wanted to know that guy.
Bad.