Chapter Two – Past vs. Present
Lelouch rushed through the large sliding doors as a blast of warm air hit him, small hands coming up to rub the goose bumps from his upper arms. Violet orbs went wide as they scanned the interior; never would the boy have guessed that the man who had saved him was a scientist. More men in white lab coats busied themselves along the many long tables strewn about the main room. The ebony haired youth followed behind as the dark eyed man placed his belongings on the nearest table, amongst the test tubes and beakers already there. Lelouch stopped, staring at the covered cage with interest, curious to know what was being hidden. As if he'd been heard, the cage shifted and a small black paw reached out from under the fabric. Amethyst pools brightened with fascination, a slim arm already extending toward the cage.
A large hand grabbed his wrist before Lelouch could get very far, "I wouldn't if I were you boy. It's a feral beast," The younger could only stare as he pulled out of the man's grip, "My name is Dr. Hyogo, you'll do well to remember it. Come, you may rest in the back room."
Lelouch was led deeper into the building, passing by closed doors until they reached an open one at the end of the hall. The dark haired boy ventured in first, violet eyes taking everything in. They narrowed almost instantly at the lack of anything in the room and he turned just in time to see the devious grin plastered on the doctor's face. The door was then slammed shut with a loud clang, the lock sliding into place right after.
Pulled from his shock, Lelouch charged the door, his small fists pounding at the thick metal, "Hey! What are you doing? Let me out!"
Even through the solid door, he could hear chuckling, "Don't worry boy, I'll make sure you earn your keep." With that he left, footsteps echoing off the walls.
"Stop! Come back! Don't leave me in here!" He continued to slam against the bulky steel until his body was exhausted. Crossing the tiny cell like room, Lelouch collapsed to the floor, sliding his back down the far wall. Tears leaked from lavender spheres as the boy buried his face in his knees, and slowly but surely cried himself to sleep.
0o0o0
"… And where is he now?"
"Asleep in the bedroom, My Lord."
"I see. I think it would be best if the boy was returned to the recovery team. The scientists will take excellent care of him."
Emerald eyes widened slightly, "No, you can't-" Suzaku snapped his mouth shut before he could finish.
A light chuckling was heard through the monitor, "And why ever not?"
The Knight bowed, "Forgive my outburst. It's just I don't believe he'll go back to a lab. The last one he was in, they tortured him, painful experiments, starved him to keep him compliant, the list goes on. He's still a human being; he deserves a chance at life! I mean he was ten when they started and…" The brunette trailed off, bowing a little deeper. He hadn't meant to raise his voice at the Second Prince.
Indigo orbs sparkled with amusement, "You really are quite passionate, Suzaku. Tell me, what do you plan to do with him if I allow him to stay."
"Well, I haven't really thought about it…"
"You're a Knight of the Round; you have other duties besides the Lancelot. Do you plan to just leave the boy in your room?" Schneizel smirked at the horrified look on the curly haired Knight's face.
"Of course not! He could… accompany me to school. I'm friends with the principal's granddaughter, I'm sure they would allow it."
There was a light 'humming' from the monitor as the Second Prince debated, leaving Suzaku to wait anxiously. After a few tense moments, the sound stopped, "I suppose I could allow it. It would be good for the boy, I'm sure."
A smile appeared on the brunette's face, hidden behind his hair as he bowed deeply, "Thank you, My Lord."
"Oh and Suzaku, do take care of him. I would hate to find I misplaced my trust."
"Yes, My Lord. I swear it." The Knight of Seven vanished as the screen went blank; Schneizel continued to smirk at the dark monitor.
"Are you sure that was a good idea? Wouldn't he be better off here?"
The Second Prince turned in his chair, finally addressing the other occupant of the room, "Why Kanon, don't you trust our dear Sir Kururugi?"
"It's not that. I just thought the boy was more valuable then to be left in the hands of a Knight." The pink haired man shook his head as he spoke.
Loud laughter caused blue eyes to focus on the blonde royal, "There are no better hands then those of Sir Suzaku Kururugi, the Knight of Seven. He has proven his worth, besides, no one would look for him in the Settlement." Kanon could only nod before Schneizel was on his feet and heading out the door.
0o0o0
The dark haired child jerked awake at the sound of the door creaking open, a small hand rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. A blonde haired man, certainly not Dr. Hyogo, stood in the doorway, a wide smirk on his face as he tossed a tray of what looked like half eaten food on the floor, landing in front of Lelouch.
The youth glared at the meal and jumping to his feet, kicked the tray back towards the other, "What is this? Why have you locked me in here? Release me right now!"
The elder only laughed, "You better eat up kid. You're gonna need your strength, though it seems you already have a lot of spunk." With that he turned and left the room, locking the door behind him.
Lelouch huffed, turning angry violet spheres on his supposed 'meal' and with another glare at the door, dropped to the floor, sniffed a piece of bread before tearing off a large bite. Despite everything, he was too hungry not to eat what was given to him, even if it was someone else's leftovers.
It was about thirty minutes later when someone returned to the room. When it turned out to be Dr. Hyogo, Lelouch couldn't stop himself from running up to the man and giving him a swift boot in the shin. It was a bad idea of course and he was rewarded with a sharp smack to the face that sent him flying to the floor.
Dark eyes glared down into lavender, "You ungrateful little bastard." Lelouch was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and dragged, screaming from the room.
0o0o0
Suzaku flopped down onto the couch; his head leaning on the back, speaking with Schneizel had always been stressful. He draped an arm over his eyes, this time though seemed more so than usual and the brunette wasn't sure if the Second Prince was being difficult on purpose or was this boy more important than he was being led to believe.
Seven years, those people took seven years from Lelouch, altering him and changing his life forever and it left the brunette feeling sick at the thought. How could anyone be so cruel as to do that to someone, let alone a child? It made Suzaku wonder about the teen's family, it was clear to see he was Britannian, so how did a child of Britannia end up in an Eleven laboratory?
After a few minutes of contemplation, Suzaku got up and shuffled into the bedroom. He lived in a one bedroom apartment in a military complex, just like Gino and the other Knights of the Round who resided in the Tokyo Settlement. Thinking back on it now, the emerald eyed male had jumped the gun when he'd said he would take the boy in, only realizing this once he had gotten Lelouch home. Considering that the couch he owned didn't even pull out, there was nowhere for the teen to sleep but in his bed, leaving Suzaku himself to sleep on the small couch.
The dark haired half breed had had a thorough search of the apartment, sniffing every nook and cranny before finding the queen sized bed and deciding to have a nap. Suzaku had wanted to get the boy washed, in some new clothes and fed before sleeping on his clean sheets but Lelouch was, most likely, exhausted and it couldn't be helped.
The brunette took a seat on the edge of the bed, jade spheres tracing the lithe body curled into a tight ball. Bare legs were pulled close to his chest, his arms bent and crossed at the wrist, his head lying in the crook of one arm. During his sleep the large shirt had ridden up and Suzaku was glad to find a pair of black bikini briefs covering the boy's lower regions. His furry black ears were relaxed; turning a bit in the direction any sounds were made. The long silky tail was wrapped over a bare thigh, ending just on the male's side, the tip twitching periodically with his dreams.
He couldn't move; he was strapped down, ankles, thighs, wrists, chest and even his head. The cold metal of the table seeped into his clothes, chilling him to the bone. He struggled violently even knowing it was a pointless waste of energy, but terrified, the adrenaline coursed through his veins and fueled his desperate attempts.
A large bright light blinded violet eyes and he was forced to squint, leaving him unable to really see what was going on around him. There was chuckling next to his ear, a menacing voice letting him know that 'it wouldn't hurt too much.' Then a sharp prick to the base of his neck and what felt like molten lava flowing into his system. The burning feeling didn't last long as it settled into a warm numb that covered his entire body, leaving him very much aware but completely immobile.
He realized then, when the glint from a metal tool, a razor sharp metal tool, passed under the spot light shining on his body, what these people planned to do to him. His mind screamed hysterically to get away, to escape, to just move but only his piecing lavender pools darted to and fro.
Suzaku found that the position looked quite uncomfortable but he wasn't half cat so he couldn't really say for sure. He had decided heading in, that he would wake the teen, feed him and get him cleaned up tonight instead of leaving it until morning. He figured the dark haired male would feel a hundred times better and be grateful even though he was obviously exhausted. The brown haired Knight reached a hand out, gently shaking the boy's shoulder but when that didn't rouse him; he pulled Lelouch by said shoulder until green eyes could see his sleeping face.
He, thankfully, couldn't feel his body being sliced open but that didn't mean he couldn't see the bloodied scalpel as it was placed back on the tray just out of sight. He knew his breathing was erratic, close to hyperventilating but when a drop of blood, his blood, landed on his cheek, he went into autopilot. His body thrashed uncontrollably, saucer sized violet orbs glancing in every direction, hoping to find a way out.
Instead of seeing a peacefully slumbering face, he found it was contorted in agony. Dull lavender appeared suddenly from behind closed lids and before Suzaku could even think to move, a clawed hand whipped out, dragging sharpened nails down his cheek, a feral hiss filling the silence of the room. The Honorary Britannian was motionless; too shocked to even bring a hand up to inspect the bleeding wounds though he could feel the red liquid running slowly down his neck. Jade spheres watched the recognition return to dark violet and when those eyes caught sight of the blood; they went wide before the half feline scrambled backwards, falling off the bed and curling up in the nearest corner.
Suzaku wasn't sure what to think at first, his new 'roommate' had just attacked him, but looking at the trembling figure trying to blend in with the wall, told him he was missing a piece of the puzzle. Coming out of his shocked paralysis, the Knight brushed his fingers carefully over the fairly deep gashes in his cheek before calmly following the teen to the floor.
"…Lelouch." The brunette's voice was quiet and even.
He wanted to reach out to the boy and comfort him but had to remember that he was also part animal and a cornered animal was a dangerous animal. Lelouch didn't acknowledge his presence, not even a glance. Pale arms were held over the dark haired boy's head, obviously trying to protect himself from a beating that wasn't coming. Ever so gently, Suzaku took hold of the male's wrists, moving the resisting arms away, so jade orbs could see his face.
A soft smile crossed the curly haired teen's features, his hold on the other loosening until he was sure he could let go without fear that the boy would either run or attack. His tanned hand brushed ebony strands from lavender eyes, Lelouch flinching in response. Suzaku frowned mentally, not wanting to scare the smaller male with it, how could he still not be trusted after everything he'd done so far? Then again, the brunette didn't know the extent of the abuse and needed to be patient with him. Weaving his fingers gently through the soft but dirty locks, Suzaku slowly coaxed the other teen away from the wall.
Keeping his voice hushed, he murmured soothing reassurances and when the black haired boy's trembling stopped was when he spoke again, "Are you alright now? Did you have a nightmare? I'm sorry I scared you."
Dark violet regarded him, nodding once then blinking slowly, tilted his head to the side, "Ku."
The feel of drying blood on his skin drew his attention and Suzaku grimaced at the thought, turning to reach into his bedside table. All thought stopped when he felt something that could only be described as warm, wet, roughness running along the gashes in his cheek. Jade spheres glanced over just as Lelouch's tongue peeked out for another swipe and the curly haired male realized he was trying to clean the wounds.
With a gentle smile, the green eyed Knight pulled away from the touch, "How about you let me take care of it?"
Suzaku climbed to his feet, making sure the ebony haired teen was following before heading to the bathroom. On the way out, he grabbed a pair of swim trunks for himself and some clean clothes for Lelouch, figuring while they were in there; he might as well give the hybrid a bath.
0o0o0
Both males exited the bathroom sopping wet; a large towel was wrapped tightly around Lelouch's form while a smaller one was draped over his head. Suzaku was no better off; the swim suit he had worn was leaving a trail of water all the way to his room, the towel he had used was just as soaked as the rest of him. The clothes he had originally brought in for the boy to wear, had somehow ended up in the tub with him and the brunette hadn't even thought to bring in clothes for himself, so now he was dripping water through his apartment to grab new clothes for the two of them.
It hadn't occurred to Suzaku beforehand that the feline part of Lelouch was more prominent then his human side or the fact that cats hated water, with a passion it seemed. Meaning there was a struggling match between the two and only once both boys were drenched did the ebony haired teen calm down enough to wash. The tub had to be refilled before they could start, since most of the water was now a giant puddle on the linoleum and again for the rinse. The dirt and grime removed from the half breed's skin was disgusting and quite disturbing, had the male not had a bath in the seven years of captivity?
Once Suzaku had them both dried and dressed, he led the other into the kitchen, wondering what in the world does someone feed a human hybrid. Searching through the fridge and cupboards, he finally decided on some tuna, something both sides of Lelouch could like. Pushing the violet eyed male into a chair at the table, the brunette got to work and quickly had a tuna sandwich and glass of water placed in front of the boy. Sitting across from Lelouch, emerald spheres watched intently as his meal was sniffed and poked before being brought to a fanged mouth and devoured like he hadn't eaten in months, and knowing what the other had been through, Suzaku wouldn't have been at all surprised.
"Was it good?" Suzaku smiled as his question was rewarded with an approving mewl.
The feline hybrid jumped from his seat, leaving the glass of water untouched and headed toward the living room. The curly haired Knight gathered the dishes and left them in the sink to be cleaned later. It was late and both he and his new roommate needed sleep. When he reached the main room, Suzaku found Lelouch curled on the couch fast asleep and instead of waking the boy to move him, just draped the blanket from the back of the couch over the sleeping figure. With a small smile and one last look at the ebony haired teen, the brunette made his way to bed, knowing exactly what kind of day awaited them tomorrow.
Finally chapter two... sorry to everyone who waited patiently for this and thanks for continuing to read and support my story.
Criticism is always welcome. Reviews make me smile :)