Track #7: King and Queen
EXO-CBX
The restless buzzing energy of the crowd is so contagious which creates a chain reaction to anyone who passes by the public plaza. Placards and flags of support are being carried and lifted by some of the jovial audience while whistles and hoots are can be heard occasionally to sustain the excitement in the air. The news said that it would be one of the hottest days of the year today yet the public ignore the glaring sun above them and instead soak in the sun rays like tall blooming sunflowers.
Everyone is celebratory. Everyone is optimistic.
And it's all because of him.
He really did it.
Suzaku stands on his tiptoes to have a better view of the stage. Some of the VIPs have arrived like Senator Guilford and his wife Cornelia. Senator Gottwald is also already seated beside Governor Nu while Mayor Ashford has claimed her seat with Senator Fenette.
Meanwhile, occupying one of the seats in the middle front row is newly-elected Vice President Schneizel la Britannia. Poised and proper, the large man exudes the aura of sophistication and brilliance.
On the left side of the stage, the family members are still trying to find their places. He sees Nunnally and Euphy in their pretty dresses and waves at them but he is not noticed. Well, it is really hard for them to spot him in the middle of a crowd as large as this. He must have been like a speck of dust surrounded by sand.
After fifteen more minutes of wait, a feminine voice echoes from the speakers getting everyone's attention. "Announcing the arrival of the new President of the Republic of Britannia, His Excellency Lelouch Lamperouge."
Weird but the first thing that catches Suzaku's attention is how shiny his black shoes are. So shiny and polished he bets he will see his reflection on the surface. He cannot help but reminisce those times when he would spare his friend a pair of school shoes because the ones he owned were ruined from being overused or it became too small for him. They were poor back then. That was the starting point.
As soon as the new president is in full view of the public, Suzaku sighs in relief, realizing that this is actually happening. His friend really did win the elections and is now the most powerful man in the country. Lelouch, who was a skinny teenage boy with no existing athletic muscle in his body yet gifted with a brilliant and smart brain that he used to graduate as Summa Cum Laude in Philosophy garnering the highest grade their university ever had is now the president of the country.
The loud cheers of the crowd rival the emcee's voice that it is almost lost in the noise when the she announces another name. But Suzaku hears it very clearly and he is certain that his friend does, too. Even from afar, he can see how the president's eyes lit up and quickly searched for the owner of the name. How his hand quickly sought for a smaller one to hold and the way his lips slowly tilted up in pride and awe.
"With him is Britannia's First Lady, Mrs. Cecilia Corabelle-Lamperouge!"
The husband and wife look at each other before facing the crowd and wave at them.
Who would have thought, Suzaku ponders, who would have thought that they would actually reach this incredible height together. A princess and a pauper, now the king and queen, or more likely the new president and first lady.
Just thinking about all of the circumstances and challenges they had to face in order to survive the dirty and complicated world of politics makes Suzaku think that he had watched the highest-rating TV drama.
Lelouch, as much as he is intelligent, is also quite an emotional man ever since they were children. He would always seek fairness in each matter. He would passionately fight for what he believed was right for the greater population and stubbornly appeal if he witnessed inequality and discrimination. And he still would, which fueled him to run for presidency months ago after witnessing how the incumbent leader corrupted the government and took away several rights of the public.
Ah what a difficult, challenging, sometimes frustrating, and almost heartbreaking journey it had been.
At first, there was the lack of funds to finance the campaign. Cecilia's rich family could have easily helped them what with their ownership of the highest-rated first class chain of hotels worldwide, if only her parents didn't disown her for marrying a nobody at the young age of 18 after being arranged to marry the son of one of their business partners.
Suzaku chuckles. Ah, that is another drama to be reminisced some other time, but damn, that was so emotionally stressful even for him who was just watching from the sidelines.
So the campaign team tried its best to minimize the expense but at the same time maximize the audience reach of their advocacies. Social Media was a great help to disseminate to a larger and wider audience the battle cry of their candidate but it was not enough. They needed to go out, to physically and emotionally mingle with the public, to touch not only their minds but also their hearts and principles yet they couldn't even travel that far from the headquarters.
So they were very much surprised when one day, Cecilia suddenly brought out a check amounting to 500 million dollars and announced that they were the campaign funds.
It was like a thorn was removed from their throats but he remembered Lelouch being silent throughout the whole time.
That night, it came to Suzaku's knowledge that the money came from Cecilia's parents after she proposed a deal with them which Lelouch didn't disclose but greatly upset his friend causing a huge fight between the couple (but not as huge as the later one) and for Lelouch to almost return the money and withdraw from candidacy. Fortunately, they settled on a mutual understanding on how to handle the situation.
Then, there were the destabilization attempts from their rival group through spreading fake and harmful news about Lelouch which fortunately didn't work because by that time, Lelouch had established loyal and solid supporters who took to their own means to disprove the allegations. Furthermore, Lelouch's clean, white background and charitable endeavors also contributed in disputing their claims. Despite not having any political background, the man had dedicated himself in charitable causes he and his wife founded – causes supporting victims of abuse, discrimination and trafficking, and advocating for peace and equality. And these charities are known throughout the worldwide web and even acknowledged by human rights organizations. With his outstanding reputation, the destabilization attempts immediately failed and died down, and given the fact that the rival's candidate was known to be a corrupt and arrogant politician, the attempts' credibility was questioned from the very beginning.
But still, Suzaku shakes his head upon remembering, still the rumors that they spread were very malicious and disrespectful, not only to Lelouch but also to Cecilia. There was one which talked about a possible affair between his friend and one of the charity workers because his wife couldn't give him a child. It was quickly shut down, killed and buried six-feet under the ground.
As Vice President la Britannia delivers his speech first, Suzaku checks if the First Couple is comfortable in their seats. The hot weather is a bit bearable and thankfully, the breeze is blowing bringing cool and refreshing air, but with their present attires, they must feel hot and bothered.
The First Lady begins wiping the sweat on her forehead. Suzaku looks for the usherettes that should be assisting them but when he returns his gaze to the couple, the President is already wiping her forehead for her. He also dabs the tissue on her cheeks and nose earning him a giggle which Lelouch returns with a fond smile.
Look how inlove they are. Suzaku cannot help but smile at the pleasant sight before him. Finally, they look relieved and relaxed after all the stress they underwent throughout the whole journey. Despite the eyebags, Lelouch's eyes shine with so much gratitude and amazement with traces of disbelief still lingering in his purple irises. Cecilia's pale skin had returned its natural blush and it looks like she's eating well these past days. The pleasant aura that surrounds them could've fooled anyone that they had it easy. That they walked into this election with grace and certainty Lelouch would win. Who would have thought that this whole event could have been the reason for their divorce?
No one.
Only Suzaku knows that divorce almost became an option for them.
He can clearly remember when he got the phone call from a miserable Lelouch midnight of June 8. Distraught, desperate and lost, their candidate who was known for his resilience and brilliance, told him in a devastated voice that his wife threatened to divorce him if he wouldn't back out from the elections.
Shocked, Suzaku had actually expected that an argument would emerge again between them after what had happened, what he didn't expect though was how far Cecilia would go just to make him back out.
They had come so far. Majority of the public was on their side. The chance of him winning was at 80%. They were winning the polls. They just couldn't throw all of the hard efforts everyone in the team had invested and given - the sleepless nights, their sacrifices to spend less time with their own families in order to plan strategies to gain the public's approval - just for him to back out at the last minute.
But Suzaku understood Cecilia's threat. It was a threat of a loving wife recklessly thrown in the air when just two days prior, her husband's car was ambushed by unknown heavily-armed men killing the driver and injuring her beloved on the shoulder and arm. It was a threat made out of unfathomable fright and desperation to keep him alive. To not lose him in this dirty war.
They had been receiving death threats prior the incident which caused them to increase the security yet still, one had almost succeeded to stop not only his run, but also his heartbeat.
Suzaku had advised his friend to not make any rash decision – that he didn't need to decide now when the two of them were overcome by extreme emotions. Decisions that they would regret later. Instead, he told Lelouch to give his wife time to calm herself and organize her thoughts, and for him to use this time to think of everything the two of them had survived to fight for their relationship. From the whirlwind romance during their teenage years which made Cecilia rebel against her controlling parents, causing them to disown her and remove her inheritance, to the early marriage during college with only Suzaku, Nunnally and Euphy as witnesses. He asked Lelouch to remember the struggle of having one meal a day, yet telling Suzaku that he was contented as long as he was with her. Of how Lelouch vowed to graduate no matter what and prove not only to her parents but also to those who doubted that he was worthy of the estranged princess's heart. That someday, he would make her redeem her throne and be the queen.
In return, Suzaku also made Lelouch remember how Cecilia sacrificed her college education for him to graduate first, saying that she already took advanced courses as her excuse when Lelouch resisted the idea. How the girl back then, who never touched a single cleaning material in her life, worked almost ten hours a day as a dishwasher and janitress in different diners in order to pay for their expenses.
It might be harsh and cruel of Suzaku, but he also reminded Lelouch of that dark time in their lives when they discovered that Cecilia could never conceive a child. They cried, developed insecurities, fought over the simplest things, even slept at different rooms for several nights due to the loneliness and loss that were eating them away.
But they got through it.
Suzaku made Lelouch remember their challenging yet incredible love but his friend also reminded him of the deal Cecilia made to her parents. Whatever it was, it must have been really bad that Lelouch would even risk their relationship in order for him to win. The deal had something to do with the results of the elections, that Suzaku was sure of.
But they don't have to worry about that now, do they?
Loud boisterous shouts fill the plaza as the emcee finally announces that the president is going to deliver his message. Hopeful smiles, supportive cheers, and welcoming words are being directed to Lelouch's way who is now standing by the podium.
Do you see this, Lelouch? Do you see their compassion and belief in you? You did it, goddamn you, you really freaking did it. Suzaku is going to be hysterical. Good Lord, his friend is the president of the country. The most powerful man on their land. This is unbelievable.
"I will not be here if not for one person who stood by my side from the very start, who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, who shed light and hope when I thought I am at a dead end and there's no way around, the one who taught me that love and kindness build the strongest foundations of humanity. She is my strength, my conscience, my light and direction. So let me express my sincerest, deepest, and most reverent gratitude to my lovely wife, Cecilia." Lelouch glances at her and continues, "My heart is always yours."
The crowd goes wild.
Lelouch then proceeds to enumerate more names who had greatly contributed, helped and played a vital role during the campaign period. Suzaku follows his voice, monitoring if he had skipped or forgotten anyone. When he hears the last name, Suzaku exhales for that was a really long list of thank you's.
"And of course..."
Confused, Suzaku scrunches his forehead. This is not on the script. Lelouch didn't inform him of any last minute change in his speech.
"... there is another person who was with me in this journey. My human shadow for wherever I went, he was always there albeit a few steps back. An adviser, a voice of reason, a best friend since childhood. Let me thank Suzaku Kururugi for his unwavering support not only to me, but also to my family and team. Without him, his practical intelligence, and his morality, the campaign won't be successful. He is the best campaign manager a candidate could ever have, and the best best friend a person could ever ask for."
And among the thousands of people, Lelouch, his best friend, finds him and gives him a grateful nod. Good Lord, Lelouch, are you trying to make him cry?
The man continues to deliver his message emphasizing his platforms and plans that his administration will be focusing on, but Suzaku is not hearing any of it. He had memorized his speech anyway, so for now the campaign manager basks in this unreal and amazing victory. Because... Because he had doubted him, too, hadn't he? No one expected a child of poverty to grow up to be the president of a country including him. As much as he supported Lelouch during this race, he was anxious at first if his friend was making the right decision in entering politics. He could imagine the heavy responsibilities, duties and accountabilities that would weigh on his shoulders for several years. But during that fateful midnight when he opened his apartment's door and found the couple with firmly determined eyes on the other side, asking him if he could assume the role of campaign manager, Suzaku realized that they were incredibly serious about it, just like how they were serious about getting married years ago, when they also knocked on his door to ask him to be their witness. They always work together. Those two, they are the strongest together.
So he said yes.
And now they are here.