Chapter One – First Meeting

"We attack on my mark."

The radio buzzed with static before coming to life, "Yes, My Lord." The many voices echoed at once.

The brunette sighed from within the cockpit of his Knightmare, a hand moving to rub the bridge of his nose. He didn't see why an Eleven lab was anything the Britannians needed to worry about. What were these scientists researching that was so important anyway?

He was brought out of his thoughts with a lone beep from his monitor, signaling it was time. Reaching out, he flipped a switch, the static clearing from his radio, "Attention, ground forces will attack in waves. Squadron B will take point. Scientists, research and specimens are to be unharmed. Weapons are not to be fired unless target is armed. The Mordred, the Tristan and the Lancelot have the perimeter, nothing leaves the facility."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Squadron B, advance." Just as the radio cut out, the monitor on his right flickered to life, revealing a blonde with a cocky smile, "What is it, Gino?"

"Is all this really necessary? Do they need three Knights of the Round plus ground troops to take out a small enemy lab? Is whatever they're researching in there really that important?"

Suzaku heaved another sigh, "I have no idea but these orders came straight from His Highness, the Prince." Pressing a button off to the side, a second monitor flashed, a young pink haired girl sat looking bored on the other side, "Anya, stay in the Mordred. Be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Gino and I are going to walk the perimeter."

"Understood." Even as the words were spoken and the screen went black, Suzaku could hear the blonde's voice from the other monitor.

"We are?"

"Get out of the Knightmare, Gino."

"Yeah, yeah… you really-" The brunette closed the channel, rolling his vivid emerald eyes as he shut down his own Knightmare, the Lancelot, plucking the key from its slot and listening to the hatch hiss open while his chair slid him free.

Now on the ground, Suzaku watched as the Knight of Three came bounding toward him and once in range, draped an arm around the brunette's shoulders, "Hey Suzaku." Gino spoke cheerfully.

With a fresh sigh and roll of the eyes, the Knight of Seven shrugged the arm from his shoulder, "We're on duty Gino, you should be a little more professional."

"And you really need to relax. You know what will help? A pet."

"I already have a pet. Remember Arthur, my cat."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a dog. You really need a pet dog." Gino continued as if he was never spoken to in the first place, his arm returning to its position around Suzaku's neck.

"I'm a Knight of the Round, Gino. When exactly will I have time to care for a dog?" The question was waved off by the hand dangling from his shoulder. With a huff, the green eyed male picked up his pace causing the arm to fall from his body and the blonde to stop moving his mouth and start moving his legs.

0o0o0

The ground troops took control of the lab with little resistance. The scientists had guns but were quickly disarmed with only a few minor injuries to both sides. After the short fire fight, all Elevens were taken into custody and removed from the lab. That left the soldiers to sort through the rooms, matching the numbers on each specimen to their files before transporting them from the building, being careful not to break the ones encased in glass.

Squadron B's Captain Waye scanned the room, keeping a close eye on the rest of the men as they worked tediously through the mountain of folders. Not feeling the need to help as he passed through the main lab and down a small hallway, turning left and entering what appeared to be the operating room. Brown orbs looked around in disgust; it was obvious to all that the room hadn't been cleaned in quite a long time. Blood was everywhere, caked on the walls and dried pools under the metal table in the center of the room. A tray of tools sat beside the table and a glance at the instruments showed that they were far from being sterile. The Britannian soldier was convinced that cleanliness wasn't their top priority, leaving him to wonder about the accuracy of their research.

"Captain!"

Pulled from his musing, Waye turned to face the soldier that had stopped in the doorway, "Is there a problem?"

"Captain Sir, you need to come see this." The soldier was young and seemed anxious, urgency in his voice.

A nod was the response before the young man headed back the way he came with his superior following closely. Instead of retracing their steps back to the main part of the lab, Waye was lead further down the corridor and into a small room at the end of the hall. A quick survey of his surroundings found the room to be empty with the exception of a pile of blankets in the far corner. A thick chain was hanging from the wall above the heap and as the elder of the two moved to take a closer look, he realized the blankets were trembling slightly. At first he thought it to be a scientist trying to hide from the military but the lump was too small to be a grown man, also that wouldn't explain the chain, meaning someone or something else was trying to avoid capture. Taking a few long strides brought the Captain right to the edge of the mound, a deep breath and in one swift movement, ripped the blanket off whatever was shivering.

A teenage boy? He was dragged here for a child? He glanced back at the soldier standing by the entrance, looking very relieved to know what was buried in the pile. Waye's dark eyes rolled slightly as he turned his attention back to the boy. He was curled into a ball, facing the wall; a bit of short black hair was all one could see of his head. The chain hanging from the wall was indeed connected to the teen through a large shackle around his neck. As far as the Captain could tell he was wearing nothing but an oversized cement grey shirt, draping down to mid-thigh, no shoes covered his feet and it didn't look like the boy had been out of the lab in years, his skin an almost ghostly white. The only odd thing he noticed was something black coiled around the boy's thigh.

After taking another moment to observe the youth, Waye hunched over, grabbing a hold of the dark locks and yanking the teen into a kneeling position. A startled gasp was heard over the hiss of pain and the Captain couldn't stop his eyes from widening at the sight. On the side of the boy's head, where human ears should have been were a pair of furry, pointed, black cat ears.

"What the hell is this?" Waye yelled gazing at the shocked soldier, who had backed himself into the doorway.

"I-I don't know Sir. We waited for you to remove the blanket Sir."

The brown eyed man gave a grunt of distaste, attention back on the boy, "Explain yourself. Did those scientists do this to you?" His disgust was barely kept in check though his anger could be felt through the demanding tone. When the boy refused to speak or even acknowledge his presence, the hand that wasn't fisted in the other's hair, reached out and took him by the chin, forcing pools of slit lavender to focus on him.

Even before the Captain could repeat himself, he was snatching his hand to his chest, just narrowly avoiding the razor sharp teeth that tried to puncture his flesh. Growling lowly, Waye let the back of his hand connect harshly with a pale cheek before throwing him to the floor. The elder got to his feet, unhooking the chain from the wall and holding it tightly with both hands, jerked the teen forward.

"Get up, freak." Was the command as he yanked again, causing the one on the other end to hit the floor hard. Waye didn't wait as he began to drag the boy across the room. The young soldier practically ran down the hall as his superior made his way toward him.

By the time Squadron B's captain reached the main room, every soldier there had been told of the creature held in the back of the lab. Waye chuckled a bit as he listened to the whispers going on between the men, making him out to be some sort of invincible man who wrestled monsters, though he wasn't about to correct them. Coffee brown orbs peered over his shoulder, revealing that the freak of a child had managed to get to his feet but a firm tug on the chain had him stumbling to his knees.

After making his way through the sliding doors leading outside, Captain Waye took a refreshing breath unable to stand the putrid smell of the lab. He turned to face what he now assumed was a specimen and gave a violent jerk on the chain, sending the dark haired boy roughly to the ground, laughing as his boot connected with the male's exposed abdomen. A gasp of pain left the younger's lips as he began struggling for breath.

A group of soldiers slowly gathered around the two. More whispering was heard through the growing crowd before someone shouted, "Way to go Captain! Show that freak whose boss!" Cheers went up as Waye crouched down over the teen; fisting his hand deep into black tresses and pulling harshly, lifted the boy's head so his face was visible. The Squadron leader couldn't make out any of the comments directed at the other but the words 'freak' and 'creature' were most popular. A broad smile crossed his lips as the jeers continued.

0o0o0

Somehow Suzaku had managed to drag Gino around the entire perimeter without losing it on the blonde. The nonstop talk was really starting to get to him, telling the other multiply times to shut up and focus on their job. But despite the many attempts, Gino refused to listen and was now on the brunette's last nerve. If it hadn't been for the commotion just around the last corner, Suzaku was sure he would have beaten his fellow Knight of the Round to a bloody pulp.

Suzaku stopped abruptly when he saw the large crowd of Britannian soldiers, a frown darkening his features as he realized it wasn't an attack of some sort. Both Knights made their way into the group, a hush falling on the soldiers that were pushed aside and by the time they made it to the center of the mass of bodies, the silence was deafening.

Captain Waye jumped to his feet, bowing slightly in respect. The boy on the ground beside him inched himself as far away as the chain would allow, curling back into a ball. Jade eyes watched the one on the ground before redirecting their focus.

"What is the meaning of this Captain?" His tone was calm despite the anger growing in him.

"Sir Kururugi, Sir Weinberg, this specimen tried to attack us and force was neces-"

"Bullshit." Waye flinched, bowing a little deeper. Suzaku glared as he violently removed the chain from the man's hand.

Gino nodded from his position off to the side, "It is hard to believe that he," The blonde gestured to the curled form, "would try to attack anything, let alone a soldier. He's just a boy after all."

"But My Lord, he's a specimen, a freak of nature those scientists created."

Gino only shook his head as he saw Suzaku's hands fist angrily, "Enough! I don't care what they did to him, he's still human! Now all of you get back to work!" The crowd was gone in an instant, leaving both Knights and the Captain alone, "The order was all specimens were to be unharmed, what part of that didn't you understand?"

"But I-I…"

The blonde moved to his fellow Knight's side, placing a calming hand on his shoulder, "Get back to work, Captain. Your lack of control is going on your record, just be thankful that we don't report this to His Highness." The man bowed, thanking them profusely before taking off toward the building.

"Why did you do that Gino? That bastard deserved much worse," Suzaku glanced from Gino to the cowering form still on the ground before dropping to one knee, "I mean look at him, he's terrified."

The brunette slowly reached a hand out, gently laying it on the other's back. The boy flinched violently, whipping his head around, looking ready to defend himself. A thin trail of blood dribbled from his lip, gathering in the dip of his chin before falling like a tear to the ground. Suzaku's shock at finding a split lip and growing bruise on the male's cheek paling in comparison to what else he saw, but well… cat ears on a human will do that, before finally twisting his hand palm up then holding it back out. Dark violet eyes observed the hand and for a moment neither moved. The tanned hand then began to inch closer, painfully slow at first but when the other didn't attempt anything, he continued a little faster. Suzaku finally reached the teen's head, weaving his fingers through the dark colored locks. The strands of hair were dirty and greasy, obviously not having been washed in some time but he trekked around until his fingers met soft fur, brushing them all the way to the tip. Green eyes widened when the head tilted into his touch and unable to find it within himself to deny the boy this simple gesture, ran his fingers down to the base of the ear, digging them gently into the velvety fur, just as he would do for his own cat. Suzaku could feel it in his hand before the sound reached his ears and he smiled slightly at the knowledge.

It took Gino a while before he realized the noise was coming from the unknown teen, "Is he… purring?"

Chocolate curls bounced with the nod, "Yup. I think he likes it."

The small smile fell when emerald orbs noticed the blood trickling down from under the shackle. He hadn't thought to get a good look at the boy until now. The end of the chain was left in a pile on the ground between them with the heavy looking metal band digging into his neck. His only piece of clothing seemed to be the large t-shirt hanging loosely over his body, a pale shoulder sticking out of the collar. The light colored skin was marred with gashes from the obvious mistreatment; almost every exposed spot was at least an irritated red if not bleeding. The dark haired boy sat with his butt on the ground, legs bent at the knee and pressed together so shins touched thighs. Two pale hands placed on the ground between his legs, supported his torso as he leaned into the touch. A long furry black tail poked out from under the shirt and wrapped across his thighs, the tip flicking back and forth. The boy's eyes were closed as he rubbed the side of his head against the fingers scratching behind his ear.

While keeping his fingers buried in the dark fur, the other hand moved up to the lock of the shackle and eyed it a moment before glancing over to his blonde friend, "Hey Gino, find something to get this thing off his neck."

"I'm on it!" He grinned brightly, taking off towards his Knightmare.

"Bring a med pack too!" Suzaku called receiving a thumbs up in reply. In the silence that followed, the brunette realized that he was alone with the boy and maybe now would be a good time to try and get some information, "I'm sorry if that man hurt you, it wasn't our intention. My name is Suzaku Kururugi, by the way. What's yours?"

Violet spheres regarded him curiously, head tilting slightly in the opposite direction of the petting. Vivid jade stared back, waiting and after a few seconds grew confused. Did he not understand? This boy could talk right?

Pointing a finger to his chest, he tried again, "My name is Suzaku. Su-za-ku. Do you understand?"

The young male blinked twice, brows furrowing as a look of concentration crossed his features. There seemed to be a brief inner struggle with lips moving but nothing coming out before pools of amethyst brightened, lighting up his whole face and a single word escaping.

At first the brunette didn't get it, an intelligent, "Huh?" being his only response.

The ebony haired teen just smiled, repeating the word like a mantra, "Ku… Ku… Ku, Ku, Ku, Ku, Ku!"

Suzaku mirrored the boy's expression, understanding dawning on him but it faded quickly as other thoughts entered his mind. Was this the extent of his speaking ability? Could he not process the human language properly? What in the world did those people do to him? His mind raced as more questions flooded in; leaving no room for the answers he was looking for.

While lost in thought, the hand that was supposed to be scratching slowed to a stop and dropped from its position behind the other's ear. Whimpers left the violet eyed boy's mouth at the loss and shifting closer, reached out, scooping up the hand and then nuzzled it against his own cheek. The Knight of Seven jumped, a dark blush racing over a tan nose as wide green spheres stared.

Gino decided to return at that moment, observing in utter glee, the sight of coloring on the other's cheeks. He did well to stifle the laughter bubbling up before clearing his throat, blue eyes watched as Suzaku nearly leapt to his feet, startling the boy next to him. The blonde sniggered, earning a glare from the other Knight. He forced his giggles back as he dropped down next to the two on the ground, "I brought the stuff. The only things I could find for that collar was a blow torch and this," He held out what looked to be a lock pick kit, "I can pick the lock if you want, real easy actually." Gino grinned, reaching out to grab the lock securing the shackle around the teen's neck but stumbled back as sharp little teeth attempted to latch onto his arm.

"It might be better if I did that," The brunette offered, holding his hand out for the necessary tools which he received immediately. The blue eyed nobleman nodded as Suzaku quickly set to work. He had never picked a lock before but it didn't take long until he had the hang of it and with a click, popped the lock open, "There." He swiftly removed the shackle, dropping it between himself and Gino, who picked it up curiously.

Suzaku looked the wounds over, gauging the severity of them and breathed in relief when he saw that they weren't as bad as they could be. Once the shackle was gone, pale hands immediately wrapped around the freed neck, rubbing tenderly at the darkly bruised skin. The only cuts were where neck met shoulder and they were recent, meaning the Captain was the one to cause the bleeding. The brunette growled slightly at the thought before noticing the boy was trying to use his hands and tongue to clean his wounds.

Suzaku gently moved the hands to the other's lap, "Here, let me clean those properly." He smiled softly, flipping the lid open on the med pack. Taking out a white cloth and the disinfectant, he sprayed a liberal amount over the fabric then dabbed it on each cut. The ebony haired teen hissed in pain as he tried to squirm away. With a quiet voice, the Knight of Seven kept the other calm long enough to place bandages over the deeper ones.

Suzaku was about to open his mouth to speak when his arm was smacked and the so called collar shoved under his nose, "Hey, check this out." Gino, who had been unusually quiet for the whole process so far, said loudly. The green eyed male glanced down at the offending piece of metal, spotting a small tag attached just behind where the lock was. Before he could read what the tag said, the shackle was pulled away.

"It's a number, probably his file," The blonde had leapt up and was already heading for the entrance of the lab, "You stay there. I'll find his file." With a final wave, he was out of sight.

It didn't take long before Gino returned, a folder held open in his hands and a disturbed look on his face. He dropped down beside the brunette, legs crossed and blue spheres scanning the paper, "Man, I knew I hated doctors for a reason. They're twisted people."

"Give me that." Suzaku yanked the file out of the other's hand, flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for. Curious lavender pools watched from across the way and leaning forward slightly, he sniffed at the worn papers as the brown haired male 'hmmed' lightly, lifting his eyes to meet those of violet, allowing a tiny smile to cross his features, "Lelouch… It says your name is Lelouch."

A sound of approval, almost a meow, left the boy's throat and for some reason caused one Gino Weinberg to laugh, "Well at least he knows his name!" Suzaku could only frown, though it went unnoticed as the blonde continued to talk, "So what do you plan to do with him now? He is considered a specimen. Are you going to hand him over to the recovery team?"

At that thought, chocolate brows furrowed deeper, "No. I'll talk to Prince Schneizel. I'll make sure he won't be subjected to any more research."

"If he's not going to the lab then where is he going?"

"Umm…" Suzaku paused, where was Lelouch going to go? Who other than a scientist would want to be anywhere near him? "I guess…" He glanced up, vivid jade met pleading amethyst and his mind was made up, "I'll take him home with me."


Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review. It makes me smile, knowing people like my story. And so, chapter one... I hope it's not too bad, I can't write fight scenes especially when you add in giant robots, explaining the rushed crappiness.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and any comments are thoroughly loved :)