Author's Note: Finals are done, I'm finally back home, everything is awesome! After a long struggle, I managed to finish the seventh chapter to Virtues of the Heart, sometime on my flight, somewhere between Colorado and Wisconsin. I hate to say it, but this chapter is going to be a bit dull. The real excitement is yet to come, and I have to build up to it somehow.
With Winter Break now upon me, I think I'll be able to put out chapters a bit more frequently than before, but it still probably won't be more than a chapter every two weeks or so. Book Two is getting closer and closer to its conclusion, and I actually want to finish it as quickly as possible so that I can start work on the final book and conclusion.
For now, that seems to be it! I hope you enjoy the newest chapter to the Colors of My Soul series.
If you can, I would love it if you could leave me a review or send me a PM with any feedback you may have. And, as always, thank you for reading!
~TabiNoTochuu
Book 2
Chapter 7 - Ultimatum
I pushed my way through the crowd of people, not even noticing their mutters of disapproval as I forced my way toward the tables of the dining area. I all but collapsed into a chair and covered my face with a hand as I tried to calm my mind. Calm down, Lelouch... Losing it here will do me no good and it'll won't help me win Cera back from that man.
"... Onii-chan... I'm sorry."
I glanced up and saw Euphy and Suzaku standing there, both with extremely worried expressions on their faces. I smiled slightly to try and reassure them, but I could tell that they did not believe me. "... This seems bad, but there's something else hidden here. Do you remember in his little speech where he told us that, 'Anyone who opposes my decision will have to prove that they can win both the heart of my daughter and my approval'?"
They both nodded, not seeing my point. I continued, somewhat more composed than I had been earlier. "I believe that her father is, in an indirect and irrevocable way, offering me a challenge. I had already met him before, and it felt like he liked me, but he refused to accept me because I was just another commoner."
"What are you going to do, Lelouch? You know that we'll support you through this. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me."
I smiled gratefully at Suzaku. "Thank you. I may need that help sooner than you may think. I'll think of something, and I'll put it into effect before this month's up."
Just then, I was almost knocked off my seat as someone practically tackled me. I calmly regained my balance and looked down into the tearful face of C.C. Although it would have been better had I not seen her right now, at the same time, her presence gave me a new found strength and determination to succeed in my endeavors. "Cera... please don't cry in front of me. Gather your strength, and trust in me. I'll find a way to get us through this. Even if it takes every second of my time for the next month, I'll get your father to accept me. I promise."
In response, she only hugged me to herself tighter. Between sobs, she tried to talk, but it was so broken up that I couldn't understand exactly what she was trying to say to me. However, the meaning behind her words was immediately clear to me. "Don't worry. I promise that I'll succeed. Promise me that even if your father orders you to stay away from me that you'll wait for me."
She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath to try and compose herself and nodded with a smile on her face. "I p-promise. Even if it takes you forever, I promise to wait for you."
Just then, I felt someone step forward, close to me, and I looked up into the face of C.C.'s father. Though his face was neutral, I could tell his eyes held a degree of sadness. Instantly, I didn't forgave him for what he had done, as he had probably had to do it to keep face. I slowly stood up and stared into his eyes. In a loud voice, so that everyone around me could hear, I spoke. "Sir, I recall that you said that anyone who wishes to oppose your decision of your daughter's marriage can do so after winning her heart and your approval. Am I correct in my assumption that the offer still stands?"
He inclined his head slightly. "Of course. This offer is open to anyone, as long as they can complete the challenge that I set for them and win my daughter's heart."
I nodded and looked around. A large crowd had gathered, and now was the perfect time for me to make my announcement. "Then I challenge your decision. I do not believe this... Mao... is the right person for your daughter. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge, and I will do what should be impossible for someone of my standing. Though it may not seem so, I am a commoner. However, I will do what no commoner can do and win both your approval as well as the heart of your daughter."
The look in his eyes instantly changed to respect when he saw my unbreakable will. "What do you propose to do?"
I took a deep breath and grinned. "In one month, I will rise from being a commoner to being a member of the aristocracy. Using my own intelligence and nothing else, I will turn what little I have now into a good-sized fortune."
He laughed loudly. "An interesting challenge. You are indeed an unique man, Mr. Lamperouge. Very well. I accept the terms of this challenge. In one month, you must have made enough to be considered a member of the aristocracy. And since if you were to succeed, you would eventually go on to run the Ciel Corporation, you must prove that you have earned the same as what I have in this bank account." He took a napkin and wrote a figure on it.
My eyes bulged slightly at the number on the napkin. Though it may not seem like much to these people, the amount listed was enough to keep my sisters and I living in luxury for the rest of our lives, with enough left over for another three generations. At the bottom, he wrote out a series of numbers and letters and put a small key on the side. He winked at me and then turned to leave. "I wish you luck, Mr. Lamperouge. If you do manage to pull this off, then you will have made history as the only person to have made the sum of 850 million yen in a period of one month as a commoner."
-oOo-oOo-oOo-
30 minutes later, Lamperouge Residence
"Lelouch... I know that you said that you would complete the challenge set forth by C.C.'s father, but don't you think his challenge is too impossible?! There's no way that you can possibly make 850 million yen in just a month! I know you're smart, and you probably have some sort of plan in mind, but the time you have to accomplish this is completely insane!"
I held up a hand to stop Suzaku's arguments. I had already anticipated that he would put up an argument. "Suzaku... I know you don't think that this is possible, but you're right. I do have a plan to see this through, as long as I have your help."
He gritted his teeth and walked around the room. "Lelouch, you know that I want to help you in anyway that I can. I'm your friend, and I want to see you with C.C. as much as you want to be with her. However, I don't see any way for you to get through this."
I opened my mouth to respond, when there was a sudden knock on the door. Everyone looked up in surprise. I got up and walked to the door and looked through the window before I unlocked the door to let in a red-eyed C.C., still in the dress from this evening. She stared at me for a few seconds before she collapsed into my arms. "H-Hey! Pull yourself together!"
The others heard my yell and, with their help, we managed to carry C.C. into the living room and laid her on the couch. Her breathing was shallow and quick, and even from a distance, I could tell that she was burning up. "Euphy... get me a bowl of water and some clean towels. Suzaku, I need you to get some medicine from the bathroom, go into the medicine cabinet, and its the bottle on the second tier, fourth from the left."
They rushed off to get the respective items I requested while I sat next to the bed and kept a firm grip on C.C.'s hand. "... You idiot... you were in such a rush to come here that you overexerted yourself, didn't you?" I laughed slightly. "But then again, that's just like you."
Euphy came with the water and the towels, and I quickly soaked one in the cool water and gently laid it on C.C.'s forehead. She stirred slightly, but did not open her eyes. When Suzaku rushed over with the medicine, I slipped a spoonful of the medicine through her lips and dripped a little water into her mouth to help the medicine go down. "She'll be fine. She must have been under a lot of stress this evening, so it's not too surprising to see this happen." I turned to Suzaku. "Go home, Suzaku. You've done more than enough for today. I'll call you tomorrow so that we can meet and discuss my plan."
He sighed and held up his hands in defeat. "I got it. In that case, I'll see you tomorrow, Lelouch... I do hope that you have something amazing in store."
"You know me, if my first plan doesn't succeed, I'll have three more to use as backups."
With a wave, Suzaku opened the door and left, leaving just me and Euphy in the living room with C.C. "Euphy, you should go to bed too. You're going to catch a cold in those clothes, and you've seen your own share of excitement today."
"What about C.C., onii-chan? She can't spend the night on the couch..."
I carefully picked C.C. up in my arms and walked toward my room. "I'll let her sleep in my bed tonight. I'm not so cold-hearted that I'd make a sick girl sleep on the floor."
-oOo-oOo-oOo-
I opened the door to my room and laid her on my bed. Crap... now that I think about it, she can't sleep in those clothes either... they're probably dirty and sleeping in a dress can't be comfortable, no matter how you look at it. I gulped and shook C.C.'s shoulder. "Hey... you need to change into pajamas, otherwise you won't be able to sleep well. Or you'll wake up with a rash or something. C'mon... wake up for just a little bit, then I promise you can go back to sleep."
She made a small noise and opened her eyes. "Le...louch... I don't have any strength left in me... My body feels like it's on fire..."
"It's because you overexerted yourself in getting here. That, along with the fact that its pretty cold tonight caused you to come down with a cold..."
She blushed all of a sudden. "Can... Can y-you... um... c-c-c-change my clothes for me?"
"W-What?! T-There's no w-w-way I can do that! Just hurry up and get up and do it yourself."
She pouted and turned her head away from me. "And here I thought you cared about me... besides, its not like this is the most embarrassing thing we've done."
"It is!"
She thought for a second before her face fell. "Oh... you're right. But still, it's only to help me change. There's nothing to be afraid of, right?"
My face as red as it could be, I raised my hands in utter defeat. "Alright, Alright. I'll do it... Just... p-promise me that you're not using this for something else."
She smiled innocently at me. "What do you mean, Lelouch?"
"Never mind! Now, sit up... We'll start with the shirt." I picked up the t-shirt I had gotten from Euphy and laid it out on the bed. "U-Um... H-How do I g-g-get the dress off?"
"T-There's a zipper on the back..."
I carefully undid the zipper and began to pull the dress off her body. With the current situation, I couldn't help but feel even more embarrassed as I continued to take off the dress. Once it was almost off her body, I closed my eyes and held out the pajama top for her to stick her head and arms into. With that, it was easier for me to continue, though I couldn't help but still feel more than a little awkward.
With my eyes still more or less closed, I helped her into the pants and helped her adjust herself on my bed before I pulled the covers up to her neck. "Take it easy for a bit. You shouldn't strain yourself so much." I walked to the door and turned off the lights. "I'll come check up on you in a bit. Let me know if you need anything, alright?"
She nodded and closed her eyes. "... Thanks, Lelouch."
-oOo-oOo-oOo-
I let out a sigh as I stepped out of the bathroom. As I walked through the living room, I felt a slight breeze blow through my still-wet hair. I noticed that the door to the patio was slightly open. On the edge of the patio, I could see a person sitting, bundled up in a bunch of blankets. I quietly opened the sliding door and sat down next to her. "You'll get even worse if you stay outside in this cold weather."
C.C. jumped slightly at my sudden appearance. However, she turned back to stare out at the dark night sky. I tapped her shoulder and she opened the blankets enough for me to cover myself with them as well. "What are you thinking about?"
"Why does it feel like the world doesn't want us to be together? Ever since we've met, nothing has gone the way we've wanted them to go." She laid her head on my shoulder and continued to stare off into the distance. "It's as if we are being punished for something... We are closer than anything else, yet we can't seem to be together."
She laughed bitterly as tears rolled down her cheeks. I was alarmed to see this degree of distress from her, but I decided to stay silent until she calmed down. I put my arm around her and held her close while she cried on my shoulder. After a few minutes, her breathing slowed and she slumped against me. "Come on, Cera... Let's go back inside."
I helped her to her feet and we slowly walked inside. I closed the sliding door to make sure the freezing cold wind would not make it into the house. Back in my room, I helped her back into the bed and sat down on the edge and held her hand. "... Your fever is going up again... You shouldn't have gone outside..."
She smiled gently. "I'm sorry... It's just that... seeing the stars, especially on a clear night like this, really helps me calm down and lets me think through things without looking over details."
I stroked her hair and brushed it away from her face. "I see... Well, next time, pick a day and time when you aren't sick, and when it's not so cold out."
For a few minutes, there was no sound in the room except for the buzzing of the lights and the sound of wind outside. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand grasp mine. "Lelouch... I was thinking about something, and I want to tell you about it." She turned and looked out the window with a half smile on her face. "I want us to go to the top of that mountain over there and go stargazing together."
"That's not too hard of a request. We can go tomorrow night if your fever goes down."
She shook her head. "That's not what I meant... I want us to go there after this is over, together."
My face turned slightly red as I grasped her meaning. However, I smiled and held her in my arms. "Alright then. I promise." I looked over her shoulder at the stars outside my window. "When this is all over, I promise that I'll take you stargazing there."
She closed her eyes and with a final smile, laid her head against the pillow. Within moments, her breathing had evened out as sleep took its hold on her. I stayed up for a few minutes longer before I planted a kiss on her forehead and laid back. Within seconds, my eyelids closed.
-oOo-oOo-oOo-
I groaned as I felt a tap on my forehead. I cracked open my eyes and stared at the glowing display on the alarm clock near my face. It took me a few seconds to fully understand what the numbers meant. "Cera... It's four in the morning... Why did you wake me up at this time?"
I shifted my body in order to face her. She looked just as sleepy as I did, but her face was tense and filled with worry. "What's wrong?"
She sat up in the bed and stared out of the window at the still dark world outside. "Lelouch... This might sound absolutely crazy, but I have a request to make right now." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "T-Take me stargazing now, please."
I stared at her for a moment before I laid back and sighed. "Are you serious? It's four in the morning! The stars are about to be gone for all we know... And anyways, why now? We could have gone tomorrow."
She shook her head. "I d-don't know... It just feels like something terrible is going to happen soon that may prevent us from doing so in the future... I don't know why I think this, but I also don't think I'm wrong."
I pushed myself upright and gathered her up in my arms. "Don't worry about it. Nothing bad is going to happen, alright? I'm here with you. Let's just go back to sleep. I promise that I will take you stargazing, just not tonight. As soon as all this is over, we can go anywhere in the world to see the stars."
She seemed unconvinced, but she lied down again and closed her eyes. "Maybe you're right... Perhaps I'm just overly worried these few days."
Just as I laid back and prepared to go back to sleep, my eyes happened to focus on the starry night. At that moment, a single shooting star raced across that specific patch of sky. However, it was unlike any other shooting star I had ever seen before. Not only was it significantly longer and larger, but it was also a light red in color. I just had enough time to wonder what such a comet meant before I fell asleep once more.
-oOo-oOo-oOo-
Sunlight filtered in through my blinds as the first rays of the sun hit the house. I groaned as one particularly intense beam hit me directly in the eyes. "... Perfect... Cera... it's time to get up..."
There was no answer from behind me, and I sighed, assuming that she was still fast asleep. "Hey, it's time to get up. Come on, now. Don't be so lazy and get-" I turned around to see her half of the bed empty. "... up?"
I flung the covers off of myself and jumped out of bed. "Cera? Are you in the bathroom?"
There was no answer, and I headed downstairs, prepared for the worst. Just as I hit the bottom step, there was a noise from the kitchen akin to a hand grenade going off in a box. Just then, black smoke started to pour out of the kitchen. I raced inside to find C.C., frantically running around the kitchen, trying to get the smoke out, which seemed to be coming from the oven.
"W-What are you doing?! Quick, open a window!"
At the sound of my voice, she jumped in surprise and dropped the pot of water she was holding, completely drenching herself and further adding to the mess in the kitchen. I ran in and opened all the windows I could and took whatever was in the oven outside. After a few minutes, the smoke had more or less circulated out of the room, and I was able to breathe again.
I grabbed a towel and began to wipe the floor when C.C. ran towards me and flung her arms around me. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!"
I gave a small sigh, but once I saw her tearful face, there was nothing I could do but forgive her. "What were you trying to do there? From what I could see and smell, it looked like you were creating a new biological weapon to use in combat."
She wiped her eyes and punched me lightly. "D-Don't make fun of me... I was thinking that you would like it if... I made you breakfast and served it to you in bed..."
Her face was bright crimson as she said this, and I almost laughed at the innocent nature of what she had been doing. Well, to be honest, the pan of... stuff outside looked somewhat like food, and I couldn't say I didn't appreciate her efforts. "What were you trying to make?"
C.C.'s face reddened even further as her voice grew softer. "A... A p-p-p-pizza."
"Was this your first time cooking?"
She nodded shamefully and hung her head in front of me, completely embarrassed. "I t-t-tried to follow the instructions on the internet... I don't know why it did something like that..."
I took a look at the oven, which had been turned up to the highest possible heat setting. "What temperature did the recipe tell you to set the oven for?"
She looked up, surprised. "Eh? Um... Three hundred degrees, if I remember correctly."
"Then why is the oven set for six hundred degrees?"
I almost laughed at the bewildered face she made when I asked her this. "B-But... if I was supposed to set it to three hundred... wouldn't setting it to six hundred make it finish twice as fast?"
This time, I couldn't stop the laughter that had built up inside of me all this time. I laughed harder than I ever had before, so much that it hurt. Every time I was about to stop, the look on her face set me off once more. After some time, I finally managed to stop laughing and looked over at C.C. She had an expression on her face that seemed to be half confused and half offended. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It seems like I'm going to have to teach you all about cooking before your next attempt. How about this? You can help me make breakfast, and I'll teach you what I can in that time."
Her face brightened up and she nodded enthusiastically before she jumped to her feet. For the next couple of hours, I set to work making breakfast for me, C.C., my sisters, and Suzaku, who should be arriving sometime in the early afternoon. For someone who had no idea how to cook, C.C. was a fast learner, and she was soon able to take in enough to be able to make the omelets.
We set the table and brought out the food just as Suzaku arrived. I called Euphy and Nunally downstairs and sat at the end of the table. After some initial greetings, we began breakfast.
"Lelouch... I'm still curious as to what your plan is. I still don't see how you can possibly make that much money in a month. Your time is already dwindling, and all odds are against you."
I turned to Suzaku and smiled. "Perfect timing. Since everybody is here right now, I can tell you all about my plan."
I looked around the table and grinned confidently before I continued. "It's not exactly simple, but it will almost certainly work. I call it..."
"Zero Requiem."
Chapter 7 - Ultimatum
