The named rang loudly over the townspeople staring up at the screen in shock. An Honorary Britannian was the one who was being blamed with killing their precious Viceroy. A good, honest Honorary Britannian, one I know would never do something like this. I can't say it didn't shock me that they would pin this on him or any other Eleven, but it still shocked me to the core.
I watched two men violently push Suzaku Kururgi into a building and my heart wrenched, wanting nothing more for him to start laughing and saying it was some kind of joke. How could he be blamed for something like this and how can people actually believe it. Suzaku was nothing but a helpful citizen and he was in the fucking military for crying out loud. What would he gain for killing the viceroy?
I hadn't even realize that I had dropped to my knees until I felt the dull ache that shot up my knees. I couldn't hold back the sobs that were escaping my chest. Momo fell down next to me and I glanced over mumbling at her to promise me that wasn't him and that they just spelled his name wrong or something. Anything, but just don't let that be Suzaku. I was supposed to introduce them to each other and it was supposed to bloom into something beautiful and they were supposed to fall in love and be happy, but now. With what happened, none of that was going to be possible, unless the real killer stood up and took the rightful blame.
And if he didn't.
He was nothing more than a damn coward.
My eyes slinked over to Momo, who was lying on the ground, blood slowly starting to slip from her nose. Her eyes were rolling around wildly and it was easy to see she was slowly starting to loose consciousness. I grabbed her quickly into my arms, trying to elevate her up so the blood would have an easy flow out of her nose. The momentary thought of Suzaku and his immoral arrest slipped from my mind for a moment.
"Come on Momo, stay with me." I said quietly, pulling a handkerchief out of her bag, knowing she always carried one for times like this. I held it up to her nose and hoped it would help slow the bleeding. I was starting to get worried about her. She seemed to be having nosebleeds more often and I was starting to notice it seemed to be when ever Suzaku was round or mentioned. Did he make her nervous? She always got nosebleeds when she got nervous, stressed or scared.
I glanced around, looking for someone to help me career her to a hospital or something, but everyone was too engrossed in the large TV above our head. I glanced back at it and wish I hadn't. There was just a large picture of Suzaku, looking at the camera, his green eyes wide, scared and, confused. I looked away from the big screen and looked around at the crowd, finally getting someone's attention and then the attention went from the TV to Momo and I.
But I made a silent vow to myself as someone dialed 911 on their cell phone and screamed at me not to move, not like I was planning on it.
I was going to save Suzaku, if it was the last thing I do!
* * *
"Mimi?" I rose my head up from my math homework and was shock to see Kallen Stadfeld standing in front of me. She had on her sick act, her hair falling loose around her pale face and she was hunched over, acting shy. Something Momo did often, when she was in large crowds.
"Yes? All you feeling alright Kallen?" I placed my pencil on my desk and Kallen shook her head no a soft smile gracing her pale lips. She held out her hand to the chair in front of me and inclined her head to it. I nodded with a smile and she pulled out the chair and sat in front of me. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
She shook her head, glancing at the two idiots that are constantly following her around. She smiled and waved at them and they returned, but not before giving me a warning glance. Once she was turned back around in her seat, her face instantly changed. Her once soft eyes were now blazing with fire and her sweet smile, dropped from her face and twisted into a harsh grimace. My eyes widened and then I gulped. Was she mad at me? Did I do something wrong the night I helped her and her little crew of bandits destroy that statue? Was she going to tell everyone my secret?
"Kallen….are you….you're not going…..please!!" I blubbered idiotically and she rolled her eyes and gave the slightest shake of her head.
"Shut up you brat!" Kallen hissed and I snapped my mouth shut and sat timidly in front of the girl who had my life in her hands. "Don't react to anything I say or we both are done for. Understand." I laughed and nodded as if she said something funny. Kallen gave a slight twitch of her lips and giggled softly also.
"Listen, you remember the other night?" She went on, not waiting for my answer. "Well, someone helped me out that night when the Student Self Governing Group came out of no where with guns. He calls himself Zero and he wants to help us. But he needs our help. Our support. Are you interested?" Kallen stared at me hard, trying to read my thoughts threw my eyes.
Zero? What kind of person calls themselves Zero? Is it because he has no power so that he thought it would be right to call him Zero? If we did work for him, would he change his name to one? Two? Three and so forth as he got more powerful. Or was Zero just his favorite number? Why did he help us and why was he there that night? I hope he didn't see my face. I had it covered with a mask, one that held in all my curls, but I didn't know how well it was. It was last minute thing.
"Hello? Mimi! Are you in or not?" Kallen's fierce whisper brought me out of my thoughts quickly and looked at her hard. "He wants to save that kid Suzaku. He's the real one that killed Clovis. He doesn't want someone to be blamed for what he did."
My mood instantly changed, my eyes looking straight into Kallen's. "He's the reason Suzaku is locked away right now?" Kallen nodded her head lightly, a mask of confusion clouding her pretty face. "Tell me when and where."
Kallen smiled and stood up. "Remember where I found you that day in the ghetto? Meet me there and if you're going to wear that stupid mask thing, I suspect you do so." I nodded my head, my hands curling into fists. She smiled at me, taking on her sickly look again, looking tired and weary. "Thank you for helping Mimi. I'll see you later." She took the few short steps away and it wasn't long till the two idiots swarmed her and started babbling to her about nothing probably.
I closed my notebook, not even bothering to finish the rest of my math homework and shoved it into my little book bag and then my math book followed. I stood up quickly and threw the bag over my shoulders and quickly left the classroom, ignoring the calls of my name coming from the teacher.
School could wait for the moment.
I had more important things planned.
I was going to save Suzaku.
* * *
My mind wasted with thoughts of what was to be expected and what was going to happen. The man, Zero, had a plan that he promised was going to work and no one was going to get hurt and Suzaku was promised to be freed. I was suspicious of his true motives. It just didn't make sense to me why, a random stranger would be willingly to risk his life and these people that were willingly to work for him to free one man. A man who had given up his citizenship as an Eleven and surrendered to Britannia in the eyes of most of us. It just didn't add up to me.
It didn't matter though. Suzaku was going to be free and get out. He was going to live and not have this on his head anymore. I shouldn't question something good and was going to help me, even if he didn't actually know it. If he succeeded tonight in what he had planned, I was forever going to be in his debt.
I wasn't going to lie, I didn't understand his planning, I came in a day late on it, but I don't think anyone else did either. But they put faith into this masked man and were happily doing what he said without question. I couldn't actually say anything about them. I was too, but I had more of a reason. I was trying to save my best friend. I didn't know everyone else's reasoning and I really didn't talk to them. I was doing my best to keep my identity a secret and I was afraid that my voice would give me away, but my face was hidden safely behind my mask, so I didn't have to worry about that.
The job I had been assigned was to help make a complete replica of this giant sphere thing that Zero, had found. He was sure that this fake thing, would make the military give up Suzaku and prove his incident. I wasn't sure how, but Kallen was completely faithful and put her trust in him. So I guess I would too, I had no choice. The project was just about finished, well they had the shape done and now they were just sticking the papers to the frame, giving it the right color to match the blue prints. I had no problem doing this and actually ended up doing it alone, because no one else really knew what they were doing. I did. I was use to doing little arts and craft things here and there for Millie when she had a stupid activity planned, and that was more than what it was supposed to be in my opinion.
I had just put the last piece of paper to the sphere thing (I really wish I knew what it was) when the door to the warehouse opened loudly. Everyone's eyes shot to the front, scared that it would end up being some military personnel, ready to take us all away, but it wasn't, it was Zero.
Kallen rushed to the door and started to talk to him, too quiet for any of us to hear. Then he started to walk away from her and towards everyone standing there. His face was hidden by a mask. He stopped a few feet in front of us, his eyes probably scanning everyone here, then it looked as if he was staring at the small masterpiece. He didn't say anything to anyone, just nodded to Kallen and walked back out. My eyes followed after him as Kallen started barking out orders.
And then it all started.
* * *
I was riding inside the truck with our little creation. My job was to make sure that Kallen's driving didn't destroy it in anyway. It had to look perfect and just right and not like it was just a piece of artwork. It had to look real.
I wasn't the only one riding on the inside of the truck. Zero was also there, but he hadn't said one word to me. He stared at the wall of the truck, standing right in front of the sphere.
I stood next to it, under the sheet they had covering, inspecting it every now and then after all the little bumps we drove over. The silence was starting to kill me and I had a question that had been nagging at me since I had entered the truck with him, but I couldn't get the courage to ask him.
I lifted the sheet up just enough so I could climb out. Zero didn't react to my movement. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at him. He was tall and skinny, his face covered by a mask. It was an oval shape, the front a glassy giant eye piece and a few spikes on the back of his head. I guess he felt my stare on him and because his masked face finally turned to me.
"Why aren't you watching the gas container?" His voice didn't sound human, but robotic and it was obvious then, that I noticed he was had a voice changer in his mask. His mask stayed turned in my direction and it was starting to freak me out. It was scary looking. It resembled a giant eye that just seemed to bore into your soul and see into your very soul.
I took a deep breath and shrugged my shoulders and just stared right back at him. I wanted to ask my question, but was afraid to. I may have had my face hidden, but I didn't think into it as much as he did obviously. I didn't have a voice changer and I didn't want my voice to give me away.
"Well, I think you should go back and do your job. If this whole operation is ruined because of you an innocent man will die and do you really want to have that on your shoulders?" His words struck home and images of Suzaku being executed flashed through my head.
"Why are you doing this? Why is clearing this one hated Eleven's name so important to you?" The words escaped my mouth before I had a chance to stop them. He was silent for a minute and I think he was staring at me, well that's how it felt like with that giant glassy mask of his eye.
"He's being blamed for something I did. No one has a right to die for something they didn't do and Britannia has to know that someone is ready to revolt against them. And that is exactly what I want to do."
I nodded slowly, understanding what he was saying. He wasn't a coward, but how did he have faith that he was going to escape free and not be taken for his crime and if Suzaku wasn't blamed for the whole thing, would he be making an announcement that he was the one who did it? Or would he stay hidden and keep it silent that he was the one who did it? Who was this guy and what were his true motives?
"If you want to revolt against Britannia and have them know that you were the one who killed Prince Clovis, why do you hide behind a mask and not let your face be known to everyone?"
"I'm guessing it's the same reason you don't show yours." I could hear the smirk in his voice and it was then that Kallen's voice sounded threw the wall of the truck.
"Get ready! We're here." "I believe you should check on it and make sure it's still presentable." I nodded and quickly dove under the sheet and checked on the sphere. Everything was still in tip top shape. It was then the car came to a screeching stop and I heard the screams coming from outside the truck. I heard the wall break of the truck open and Lord Jeremiah's voice whining about something.
And then I heard Zero.
"I AM ZERO!"
