Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, CLAMP, or Sunrise. No profits were made from this work of fiction, it was written purely for the enjoyment of the reader.
Summary: Sayoko makes C.C. a pizza in a clever ploy to 'interview' the girl. Ninja-maid vs. Grey Witch, potential girlfriend vs. mother figure, who will win? Who will survive? Will Lelouch want to return to his home ever again?
Dear diary,
My duty is to ensure a high quality of living for the Lamperouge children under the care of the Ashford family, not to snoop into their private business.
I am only a hired maid, after all. The affairs of my master are of no concern to me. That having been stated, my duty also consists of protecting the children from harm. Be the source of the harm environmental or otherwise.
I really should trust my master's judgment when it comes to his sister. He has always taken great care of his sister, even at the cost of his own well being, and he never hesitates to do something to aid her, yet he never acts with a fool's haste.
Still, he is beyond perfection.
A few weeks ago, an acquaintance of his, one of which I was not previously familiar, appeared on our doorstep. Hesitantly, I allowed her into our home. It would have been improper to not welcome a friend of my master's into his home, would it have not? Dutifully, I did my best to make her feel comfortable.
Such a strange girl she was. She refused my offer of tea and food. She spent time with Nunnally 'learning' origami from the girl. Learning. I should say she pretended to learn it. From the expert way in which she folded the cranes, I believe she was generously humoring the girl. Like a fool, I allowed her display of kindness to disarm me of my suspicions.
When Lelouch arrived home he hurriedly rushed her into his room. Teenaged boys and their hormones. The lack of romance in it made me feel a great deal of sympathy for the girl, she probably had convinced herself that Lelouch was the love of her life. Completely unaware that to him she was just the flavor of the week.
Again, it is not my place to govern or judge the actions of my master.
But now, weeks later, she appears around the house often. Often I find her there when I return home with Nunnally from school, other times I catch her out of the corner of my eye wondering around the house as if she were it's mistress. Perhaps Lelouch has finally found a woman that fascinates him in more ways then just the physical?
Nevertheless, no matter how precious she is to my lord and how kind she is to lady Nunnally, I must remain vigilant. She has a certain arrogance about her. It's in her expressions, in her body language and movements. She behaves as if she has the maturity of a woman three times her age and with ten times a much experience! Her ego against Lelouch's… the prospect makes me fear for the well being of Nunnally. Her dear brother and her new friend, if they get into a fight near her, I may never be able to forgive either of them!
Nunnally is so young, and so fragile. She of all people knows the horrors of this world, yet her innocence remains. Innocence. The world needs more of it. The world needs people like Nunnally; they are the true flowers of this world. It needs it's dreamers, it's philosophers, it's idealists, it's foolish day dreamers and it's compassionate victims. I think Lelouch, despite his lack of age, has enough wisdom to realize the importance of Nunnally. If not, he at least feels the powerful effect merely being around her smiling form can have on a person.
However, for all his love and care of his sister, even Lelouch can succumb to the temptations of the heart and become blind to the dangers a serious relationship poses to his family. Of course, I wish nothing but happiness for my master. I hope and pray that he one day finds a nice girl with whom to settle down with and start a family, and it may very well be this C.C.
Yet while I always hope for the best, experience has trained me to expect the worst. I trust Lelouch as much as one could possibly trust the judgment of a hormonal teenaged boy. But C.C., the only girl that's some how managed to capture his eye for far longer than the span of mere days, I know nothing of her. Only fools trust those that they do not know.
In the absence of a mother figure in his life, Lelouch needs someone to teach him about women, about the different types of girls and to protect him from the ones that have only selfish intentions. I will make an effort to know this girl.
I have noticed one thing about this girl in particular. She, like anyone, has a favorite food, pizza. No, it's not just a favorite food, it's more like her only food choice. If we could only know each other under different circumstances, I would ask her what her exercise regimen consists of. But that isn't the point. As care taker of the Lamperouge siblings, one of my talents is cooking. And men aren't the only ones whose hearts can be accessed by way of the stomach.
All things considered, it was a very boring day for C.C. Recent events involving the Black Knights were relatively calm compared to their usual guerilla attacks against the Britannians. Lelouch's school and social life was boring as well, no big events in the near future, no embarrassing situations to speak of, and no gossip.
So she sat there, bored to her wit's end, watching the boy do his homework on his computer. Truthfully, she was glad that his life wasn't in immediate danger at the moment. It would be horribly inconvenient to her and her goals if he had gotten himself killed. Not only would he fail to fulfill their contract, but he would more than likely lead the government to her.
Still, she found the risk acceptable. Once the contract was complete, none of that would matter. Still, there was no reason why she had to endure hours of just sitting in bed all day doing nothing.
"Lelouch," she began, "it's a lovely day outside. You should go do something."
He gave a thoughtful expression as he regarded the view from his window. He couldn't remember the last time the sky was that clear. Had it always been so blue? These past few months had been so busy and intense; he hadn't really stopped to enjoy the small things.
In truth, he hadn't really done so except on rare occasions, ever since the night his mother was murdered. The small things in the world, those little things like a clear day and a blue sky, they all seemed so simple. It was easy to over look and forget them. He remembered in his youth how he would lay on the grass with his brothers and sisters at the villa and just look at the sky.
"Perhaps we could go gambling? That's always exciting." C.C. continued and she moved to get dressed. "You know the unpredictability of it and all."
Lelouch scoffed. "Hardly exciting."
"There's the chance that you'll lose."
"I gamble too much in my free time, and as you said, it's a lovely day." Lelouch said as he shut off his computer. "I think I'll spend it with Nunnally."
"With Nunnally? What will I do? Follow you both around the park? Talk about a lack of excitement."
"You?" He asked surprised. "I'd expect you to stay somewhere a little less public."
"Just what am I supposed to do here all day?"
Lelouch had begun to gather his belongings as he prepared to leave. "I don't know, and I really don't care." He handed her one of his credit cards. "Here, order a pizza or five. Rent a movie and watch it with Sayoko if you're bored. I'm going to spend time with Nunnally."
Emotionlessly, C.C. accepted the card and lay back down on the bed. Well, at least he wasn't risking his life in any way. And though boring, she supposed that sleeping was also a safe way to spend the day.
Sayoko hummed to herself as she cleaned the house. Although she would love to be outside enjoying the sun and the warm weather, she was just as happy making the place comfortable for Lelouch and Nunnally once they returned. He didn't say when they'd be back, but judging from the fact that they wanted to enjoy the day, Sayoko didn't expect him home until twilight.
Of course, aiding Nunnally had always been her pleasure, but now that the girl was away from the house, it was a perfect opportunity to get some cleaning done that she would not have the time for otherwise.
It was during her cleaning of the living that Sayoko first became aware of C.C.'s presence in the house. Again moving like the lazy cat that thought it owned the place, the young woman moved into the living room and plopped herself down on the couch while not even acknowledging her presence. Guest of the house or not, she was just being rude.
Come to think of it, when did the girl arrive? Sayoko was certain that all the doors and windows were sealed. This wasn't the first time this had happened, however. Sayoko often caught the girl many times wondering about the house while Lelouch was absent, patiently awaiting his return. She had long ago concluded that C.C. must be sleeping over on these days, as Sayoko had never noticed her come in the house. The girl had already become Lelouch's concubine.
Now is an excellent opportunity to implement my plan, thought Sayoko. "Good afternoon, miss." She greeted C.C. formally.
"The same to you." Was her only reply as she shifted her legs over the couch cushions and lay on the couch. Such cold indifference!
It was time to break this young girl of her arrogance and remind her to act her age! "Excuse me miss, but I am afraid that we are low on groceries. I was planning on going to the store to buy some, and I would be grateful for any assistance you could offer."
C.C. regarded the woman curiously. "What kind of groceries?"
"Every day things, is all. Such as tomatoes, flour, milk, eggs, I must remember to buy a sack of oranges, oh, and cheese among other things. You see, I thought that I might surprise the Lamperouge siblings with a nice, warm, and freshly baked from scratch pizza." Sayoko drew out the last few details of her dinner plans to ensure she had captured the woman's interest.
The look on C.C.'s face clearly told Sayoko that her plan had worked. Her once sleepy expression was now replaced by a look of total awareness and almost eagerness. "Of course I will help you. What kind of toppings on the pizza?" She attempted to ask offhandedly.
Sayoko smiled warmly. "I suppose you will be joining us for dinner?" C.C. nodded slowly. "Then I will allow you to choose. You will be our guest of honor."
To be continued…
Next chapter: The grocery store, plus we get to find out what Lelouch and Nunnally are up to while Sayoko and C.C. are busy buying food.