Hubris: Normalcy
Disclaimer: I don't own the Code Geass Characters so please don't sue me for borrowing them.
She woke her head throbbing slightly as she opened her eyes trying to remember why she'd woken in the first place. She blinked turning her head to see the digital clock resting on her bedside dresser. It's only 4 o'clock in the morning. Lelouch yawned as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Slender arms snaked around her waist surprising her somewhat as she pulled the sheets up to see a ruffled head of light brown hair resting next to her. A smile lit her face as she stared down at the sleeping figure curled up beside her. It didn't surprise her in the least to see her younger brother lying next to her in bed, he'd been doing it for as long as she could remember and it didn't look like he'd ever stop.
"Rolo, shouldn't you be sleeping in your own room?" She laughed placing a hand on his head. Rolo murmured a protest as he curled in closer to her and she sighed rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, "Okay, but only for tonight. You really need to sleep in your own bed every now and then instead of sneaking into mine all the time."
"But sis -," Rolo yawned as he snuggled closer rubbing his face against her side, "I like sleeping here. It's warmer." He turned sleepy eyes upwards to peer at her face, "Why are you awake? Another nightmare?"
She smiled down at him as she laid her hand atop his head, "No . . ." She looked at the clock again. Why am I awake? The nameless terrors that found her waking in the middle of the night were generally always the answer but this time around -. Lelouch frowned as she leaned back running her fingers through her long black locks. I'll need to get them trimmed before I start growing split-ends. The idle thought seemed somewhat out of place and she squashed that odd feeling of disorientation that accompanied it. As if there should have been something more to worry about – something she couldn't quite fit her mind around.
Lelouch shook her head rubbing at the ache in her temples as she forced herself to lie back down on the bed wrapping her arms around Rolo in a tender hug.
"It's nothing little brother . . . let's just go back to sleep." She kissed the top of his forehead as she let her eyes slide close. She didn't see the intense look in her brother's eyes, or note the way his body seemed to grow cold in her arms before sleep recaptured her mind.
He watched the rise and fall of her chest, mesmerized by the sight of how easily this woman had fallen back to sleep. Once he was certain she was truly asleep, Rolo slid out of the bed and out the door without making a sound. Tense he moved through the dark and empty hallways until he reached his room. Inside he pressed a key on the computer and instantly the system responded, the three monitors flickered to life with surprising clarity. From here he could see Lelouch's sleeping form, the bathroom, as well as the front entrance. It was an easy set up, a necessary precaution against the coming storm. Nothing could appear out of place, not a single thing could be taken for granted in the security of the Empire of Britannia.
"If she shows any signs of remembering who she really is – even the smallest inkling of the truth, you are to kill her without hesitation."
The memory of those words kept him vigilant, kept him from feeling even the smallest sense of happiness in this new 'life' he'd been given. Everything had been left to his discretion, should he even suspect that she had regained her true self then he would not hesitate to kill her. The sound of his cell phone ringing brought him out of his thoughts as he turned his face from the screen. His cell rested on the table to his right and he recognized the number blinking on the screen. Sighing, Rolo lifted the phone taking a moment to stare at the heart shaped charm dangling from it as he did.
"Yes." He replied bringing the phone to his ear.
"Rolo, is Lelouch still in bed?" The voice on the other end sounded strained as if resisting the urge to say more. He recognized the person as soon as she spoke; Villetta Nu was no stranger to the dangers of the girl known only to her as Lelouch. Rolo's eyes briefly scanned the screens to see Lelouch asleep still in her room.
"Yes."
A sigh, one of mixed relief and aggravation that he couldn't quite understand.
"What's wrong?" He asked feeling for the first time that unquenchable anxiety coursing through him.
"Turn on the news, it's being broadcast on every station so it doesn't matter which channel you put it on." Villetta's voice was once more strained almost angry as she spoke.
Rolo's fingers flashed across the keyboard until a separate screen popped up beside the surveillance of the bathroom. He almost dropped the phone in his panic even as his eyes darted from the image on the screen back to Lelouch. He'd left the mute button on unwilling to listen to the drivel that was certainly being spoken over the broadcast. But that didn't stop his eyes from seeing what he was seeing. Clad all in black with that unmistakably shaped helmet, was none other than Zero.
That can't be – she's asleep in her bed. Rolo's eyes narrowed dangerously as he moved, pulling the gun he hid in his room as he left. He slipped back into Lelouch's room cautiously aware of the shadows haunting every available corner of her room. He could still hear her easy breathing, could see the slight rise and fall of the sheets beneath which she lay. No – whoever that Zero was on the broadcast, it was most certainly not Lelouch. An imposter? He wondered, as he stood at Lelouch's bedside his gun aimed at the back of her head.
Focused on Lelouch – Rolo hardly even heard Villetta's words until she had repeated herself a few times.
" – of Rounds is heading back to Area Eleven even now." Her voice sounded worried, and with good reason. She was most likely going to face another humiliating demotion worse than the one she currently suffered at the moment.
"What?" Rolo replied still only half listening to her.
"Are you listening? I just told you that they're sending a Knight of Rounds here to assess the situation regarding Lelouch! If they even suspect that Lelouch has her memories – they're going to execute her on the spot. No trial, no explanation – we'll all be demoted or worse." Villetta hissed.
Rolo couldn't care less about the demotion; it meant nothing to someone like him whose only reason for living was to ensure the death of his targets. Only one thing stood out among Villetta's worries – the Knight of Rounds. As an unspoken rule there were only a few Knight of Rounds who knew the truth of Lelouch's imprisonment. Well, if he were being honest with himself – there were only two men who knew who Lelouch really was. And of those two only one would care enough to return to Area Eleven just to execute a possible threat.
Rolo's eyes narrowed at the mere thought of him returning, even knowing his reason for returning did nothing to soothe his boiling irritation. In her sleep, Lelouch drifted from one dreamless nightmare to the next unaware of the turmoil writhing through Rolo's mind.
Lelouch sighed as she pushed the pile of papers away from her and lay her head against the cool tabletop. She wanted nothing more than to leave but she'd let her work pile up again, or rather – her eyes coasted towards the carefree smile on the President's face with a slight irritation, Milly didn't seem to notice Lelouch's sigh as she continued to riffle through her own personal pile of paper. As usual, Milly had left everything to the last minute, all the necessary work they'd needed to do with the clubs – the financials were a mess, Lelouch did not admire Rivalz's job at that moment. She on the other hand had to deal with the constant flow of excess work Milly had left until today. She sighed, turning her head to stare out the large windows. Outside everything looked normal, it looked quiet and peaceful. Even the sky seemed peaceful with the sunlight streaming in through white clouds.
Even still there was tension in the air, that unspeakable tension that had come in the middle of the night pervaded the entire campus. It felt like everyone was walking on eggshells after the mid-morning broadcast announcing the return of the Black Knights and their enigmatic leader Zero. Zero, who was supposed to have been dead. Zero, the masked man who had only a year ago held her friends hostage as his failed takeover had been thwarted.
The door opened suddenly and a rush of excitement flowed in. Lelouch barely had time to register who it was before she was pulled into a rush of excited energy. Shirley laughed as she rushed from one council member to the next a tightly bound rush of joy and happiness. Lelouch watched feeling her exhaustion settle in even more at the sight of Shirley's boundless energy. She sat back down to watch the show as Shirley pulled Rivalz and Milly from their seats and hugged each of them.
"Shirley? What's got you so excited?" Milly laughed taking some solace in the presence of such excitement, anything to escape the monotony of papers waiting for her. Lelouch sighed as she pulled another pile towards her and began riffling through them she only half-listened to Shirley's words.
"Milly! Rivalz! I just heard from the teachers that Suzaku's coming back!"
Their joy was so evident as the three of them smiled in unison all of them cheering at the unexpected news. Lelouch watched it with some curiosity before she finally cleared her throat to draw their attention back to her.
"Ummm . . . I know this sounds awkward and all but . . . who's Suzaku?"
