(Ichigo: Two chapters in five days! Hopefully we can make it three in ten!
Aki: We won't keep you long, so sit back and enjoy!)
Disclaimer: Same as last time, we don't own Code Geass...we wish we did though.
After the Second Pacific war, Lelouch never expected to see Suzaku Kururugi again. He certainly didn't expect to meet him this way: in an abandoned subway tunnel with the Eleven being a member of the Britannian army and him a student who had just gotten into something way over his head.
He also didn't expect such strong bonds to form that day. He had hoped his and Suzaku's bond would still be as strong as ever...
What he didn't expect was Suzaku to form new bonds, and depend on someone else-two people, even- to the point he was no longer needed...
Then again, Nii-sa-Lelouch was wrong about a lot of things...
Note written by ??. Original document donated by Charlotte Hanson on October 15th, 2020 a.t.b.
Chapter 2: A Pheonix Faces South with Hope in It's Eyes and a Secret in It's Heart
Back in elementary school the teachers always said to have a back-up plan in case of emergencies such as fires and if a burglar happens to break into your house. Always have alternative exits and stuff like that.
Stuck in the back of a large transport the only available exits were: A) through the back door which the goods are loaded in and out, B) through either the passenger or the driver's door located in the cab in the front behind another door or C) back up through the hole which, in this case, the victims fell in through.
Options A and B were out since the back door didn't have a release mechanism located nearby, only in the cab did it have one. B is also out because not only do they have to get through a locked door, it's doubtful the driver and/or the passenger are simply gunna let them crawl over their lap(s) and out the door.
And C was out because...well...
There was no ladder inside.
Which meant Marina was right.
But she wasn't gloating about it, and that's what had Lelouch worried.
It meant the situation was more serious then it seemed, and there was a more pressing matter...
So Lelouch stopped his thorough-almost-OCD inspection of the walls, and turned towards Marina to find her staring at a large, tulip bulb shaped contraption that was occupying approximately half the available space.
"Do you know what that is, Marina?"
The look of terror in her eyes was all he needed to see to know exactly what and who they were dealing with. Thus when Marina suddenly leapt into a dark corner, and the door to the cabin slid open, and a ray of light entered the cabin accompanied by footfalls, Lelouch pulled Aurora behind the device and tried to make himself as small as possible.
"You can get into the ghetto through the subway," a young woman said as she shed her jacket revealing a skin-tight red-and-brownish beige ensemble and advanced towards a small stepladder that lead to something hidden in the dark.
"Kallen," a man's voice was coming out of the walkie-talkie, "Let's use it!" he said.
"That would mean a massacre!"
"Y-Yeah, you're right..."
A moment later the back door opened, and a red Glasgow exited to combat the Sutherland and the helicopters in pursuit of the truck. Before any of the three teenagers could reach the door, it slid shut in their faces.
They were trapped once again.
It was even darker now, and bumpy.
Very, very bumpy.
It was quiet, and eerie. No one had said anything for awhile, not since the truck entered the old subway system.
"My cellphone's not connecting," Lelouch's deep voice cut through the gloom suddenly as he stared at the non-functioning mobile device.
"Mine neither," Marina said
"Me three," Aurora said.
Silence fell once again.
"Yes, I know..." Lelouch murmured as his hand closed over the hand-held radio that was in the pocket of the jacket the red-haired girl left behind. "I don't know where the army is but we can look at the terrorist's transmitter...Marina, you know the frequency the army uses, right?"
Marina made a small "hmm" sound which was apparently an affirmative answer since she took the device from him and began adjusting the dials as best as she could in near complete darkness.
Silence fell for the third time, intermittent only by the occasional buzz of soft static from the radio.
"Ah! I forgot!"
The two girls exchanged looks. "Forgot what?"
"About Rivalz,"
"Ah...!"
"God, they just took off somewhere without me!" Rivalz wallowed in misery as he pushed his damaged motorcycle along the road in the direction of Ashford Private Academy, "I hate you, Lelouch! You and your stupid harem!!"
!!
"Poor Rivalz!" Aurora covered her mouth in horror.
"Guess we owe him an apology," Marina stopped fiddling with the radio, "Guess I should buy him some candy or something."
"Just give him a kiss," Lelouch suggested with a playful grin that was mostly hidden by the darkness, "Much cheaper, and it'd make him much happier."
Marina hissed. "You...!!"
"I-Is that all it takes to make a guy happy?"
"Men are simple creatures," Lelouch said sagely, flicking his dark bangs out of his eyes.
Marina raised an eyebrow. "Including you?"
"I'm not your average man,"
"You're right," Lelouch stared at the back of her head. "You look more like a girl then a guy who's turning eighteen this December."
Lelouch felt blood rise into his neck and his anoyance rose with it. "Hey-!"
Lelouch's comeback-guaranteed to be brilliant, or so the fangirls would say-was cut drastically short when there was a loud crash and the truck shook violently sending Lelouch falling off his crate and onto the floor, Aurora tumbling forward-her fall only broken by her hands-and Marina backwards into the crate she had been sitting against.
"An obstacle?!" Lelouch murmured in a harsh whisper as he look towards the direction of the disturbance.
"Forget about that!" Marina cried as she shoved Lelouch and Aurora deeper into the shadows as an unnoticed door in the side of the truck slide open and a thin stream of light streaming from the ceiling illuminated the contents of the truck.
However, Lelouch returned back to the illuminated section of the truck and began to examine the now clearly visible object. "If we can just get to the surface..."
Marina stiffened as her keen ears picked up the sound of running footsteps and a quick glance showed a Britannian soldier fast approaching. "LULU! WATCH IT!"
Startled, Lelouch spun around just in time to block the incoming spinning kick with his forearms, however the force of the attack sent him crashing to the floor where he was soon pinned down by his neck.
There was a soft hiss as the soldier removed the gas mask and then said "Don't kill anymore!" words that peaked Marina's interest. Because of her family, having been in the military "buisness"(as her father called it) she had met a lot of soldiers and she had yet to meet one that would seem more likely to reason with someone rather then snap their neck. 'Still...' she thought as she pushed Aurora behind her back. 'That doesn't mean he won't...'
"Wait!" Lelouch protested, deep voice laced with a trill of fear, "I'm not-we're not-"
"Poison gas? Don't play dumb!" the soldier jumped back as Lelouch swung his long legs trying to catch the soldier in the stomach or side with a foot.
"Britannia made that poison gas, didn't it?" Lelouch hissed through his teeth as he stood and stepped into the light,"You don't want anymore deaths? Then destroy the Britannian Empire!"
"…Lelouch?"
The three students stared at the soldier as he uttered Lelouch's name and removed his helmet. "It's me," the soldier said, "Suzaku."
They all stared. Behind all the gear was a boy of there age-an Eleven even. Behind all the gear was a boy with thick, wavy brown hair, lightly tanned skin and brillant verdant eyes that shown with a mix of relief and happiness that his smile wasn't able to capture.
Aurora was relieved-there was something about this boy, this Suzaku, that was comforting. Marina was relieved but also felt an indescribable feeling stirring in the pit of her stomach. Dread, maybe? Lelouch, on the other hand, was even more tense.
Suzaku? Kururugi Suzaku? The same Suzaku who punched him in the stomach when they first met, would always take him on impossible hikes, and laugh boisterously when Lelouch would only go a few dozen meters before complaining about his feet or that the path was too difficult, and who, eventually, take pity on him and carry him back to the temple on his back? That Suzaku?!
"Suzaku? You...you became a Britannian soldier?" Lelouch said breathlessly shaking is head in disbelief, "No, it can't be! What the-"
Suddenly a burst of brilliant multicoloured light issued from the sphrical object, and along with the rainbow-coloured light show soft hisses were heard as locks opened. Lelouch barely had time to wonder what was going on before Suzaku knocked him to the ground and a gas mask covered his face. Out of the corner of his eye he could barely make out Marina pushing Aurora to the ground as well, the sleeve of her blazer covering Aurora's mouth. It was a poor substitute for a gas mask, but it was the thought that counts.
Fortunately it turned out gas masks were unnecessary since in a brilliant burst of white light the capsule opened to reveal a teenage girl with long, bright green hair dressed in the uniform of Britannian prisoners.
"It's not poison gas?"
No one said anything. It was fairly obvious that this girl wasn't poison gas. Either that or the girl was a delusion induced by the gas slowly causing their brains to cease functioning.
"A girl?"
Lelouch almost rolled his eyes. It appeared that both Suzaku and Marina had the habit of stating the blatantly obvious.
!!
"Does this look like poison gas, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked as he supported the dazed girl against his body as he began undoing the straps that held the collar of the full-body suit over the girls mouth.
It had been a few minutes since they had discovered the girl inside the capsule. Once everyone's hearts had stopped pounding a million miles a minute they had hauled the girl out of the truck and settled her on the ground.
"But in the briefing they said..." Suzaku muttered as he unzipped the zippers that were binding the pant legs of the suit together.
Marina thought about making a snappish comment along the lines of "You were obviously lied too" when flood lights suddenly illuminated the area causing her and the others-except for Suzaku who had his back to them-to squint.
"Damn monkey," spat a tall man dressed in a red uniform and a matching hat, "Even a genuine Britannian isn't permitted to touch that!"
"But I was told it was poisonous gas!" the honourary Britannian protested as he ran over to where his superior and fellow soldiers were standing.
"You have no right to question us!" the man growled.
Lelouch swallowed, his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down in his throat as sweat began to trickle down the bag of his neck, dampening his ink-black hair. 'This is bad,' he thought. 'This is poisonous indeed. It would be the deadliest poison to Suzaku's superiors if this were this to become known...not even the ranks of Marina's family can get us out of this...'
"But I recognize your valour, and will give you another chance," the man continued as he extracted a gun from behind his back and held the silver and black weapon out to the young soldier, "Use this to kill the terrorists."
For the fourth time in an hour, silence rang.
Only it now buzzed with palatable fear.
"They're not!" the young soldier turned his gaze from the weapon to the tense and scared faces of the students behind him. "They're just civilians that got caught up in all this. It's a misunderstanding-"
"HOW DARE YOU!?" the four teenagers cringed. Apparently Plan the First was a no go. "You swore allegiance to Britannia! I am giving you an order!"
"W-Wait a minute...!" Marina weakly protested; the blood was draining from her face. This wasn't good. This was...this was bad! They were going to die! There's no way a honorary Britannian would not obey a direct order with the threat of being sent back-jobless and penniless- to the ghettos where he would be confronted by his fellow Japanese and branded as a traitor and ostracized. There was no way-!!
"I cannot,"
Brown eyes widened to the point they were in danger of popping out of her skull. What did he say?
"What did you say!?"
Great. The gorilla can read minds.
"I cannot. I will not. I will not kill civilians. I will not shoot them."
Marina was stunned. This guy went against all conventions. "You...?"
"Then die,"the man said calmly as he pressed the muzzle of the gun against a small unprotected section of Suzaku's suit,
He pulled the trigger, the sound of the bullet firing, the sound of a body hitting ground, the sound of screams, of Suzaku's name, filled the air. An order was given. It was cut off by the truck exploding.
And through the bellowing clouds of smoke, the three living teenagers and the mysterious girl made their escape.