Nunnally awoke to the sound of rain. A crackle of lightning brought her to a state of full alertness. Her eyes flashed open to be faced with old cobblestones, slick with rainwater and gleaming like gems in the moonlight. The smell of ozone pushed through her nostrils and tickled her senses. The sound of thunder, much closer and louder than any thunder she had heard in her life, made her panic and attempt to get up. Her legs refused to move, no matter how hard she willed them to. Not even a shudder came from the two appendages. No despair or shock was registered in her mind, however. No response had come from her legs in over a decade. It was stupid to assume that would change now. Another lightning strike came, this time striking the ground not fifty meters from Nunnally, sending shards of cobblestone and mortar to strike her and tear at her skin. The cuts seared her nerves, forcing her upper body to the ground in pain. A third explosion sent Nunnally flying into the ruins of a small building. The smell and taste of ash began to worm its way through her nose and mouth. Stuck in a semi-sitting position, all she could do was stare at the cloudy sky.
Another flash of lightning and the shapes of two titans, possibly mechanical in design, grappled with each other. Tiny flashes of red flitted across the sky, the deep rumblings of explosions reaching Nunnally's ears soon afterwards. The smoke began to encircle her now, clouding vision and causing her to cough. Her chest began to heave, the invisible weight growing heavier every time she tried to draw in air. A ringing sound-no, closer to a beeping sound filled Nunnally's ears as her vision waned from the smoke. The beeping took over more and more of her hearing as Nunnally gasped for breath. Her lungs heaved in one final push and then-
She woke up. The smell of smoke was still in her nostrils, as was the loud, now obnoxious beeping. Nunnally tore open her eyes, and the first thing to fall in her line of sight was…
Kallen desperately trying to put out a flaming pan, upper body wet as she flailed the burning kitchen utensil. Milly ran in with the kitchen fire extinguisher, White foam shot out of the small white cannister, suffocating the fire in short order.
Just a dream, it was just a dream. Nunnally fell back onto the pillow once more. She could feel her hand numbly shaking in fear. It felt so real, every moment, every sensation felt so vivid. She shook off the thin blanket that was placed over her, her whole body shifting so her legs could hang off the edge of the couch seat.
"Oh, you're awake." Milly came over with a pair of crutches. Inside their cramped tenth story loft there were quite a few places that Nunnally's wheelchair couldn't move into, forcing the trio to buy a pair of crutches for Nunnally to move around tighter areas, such as their kitchen island.
"Thanks," Nunnally responded before pulling herself up and moving over to the table. Clad in just a large T-shirt, Nunnally shivered from the draft that came in through the window, the smell of smoke leaving their apartment along with the tension from her dream. Satisfied that the fire had gone out, Kallen chucked the charred pan into the sink before sitting down and gesturing to the other two to sit down as well. Nunnally carefully moved to the chair opposite to Kallen, the brown stained wood emitting a low scraping sound across the tile floor as it moved. There were no carpets, for obvious reasons. Milly sat between the two of them.
"Well, that's the last time I make eggs with a hangover," Kallen snarked before resting her head against the dining table. She raised it again to down another aspirin before addressing the other two again.
"What the hell happened last night?" Kallen said, quietly due to her own headache. "First Nunnally gets taken away, then all of a sudden some weird knightmare shows up to save the day, and then I find you bloodied in the grass, but with no wounds on you whatsoever. Fess up, missy."
"I," Nunnally stuttered to find a good answer. She couldn't just blurt out "Oh, I have some supernatural power that gives me manipulation and a giant mech." "I don't know."
Kallen threw up her hands and leaned back, wincing as her brain smashed against her still-hurting skull. "Why am I not surprised? Why am I not surprised? I don't even know you, Nunnally, you know that? All I know is that you're Lelouch's little sister, and hell, even I'm not 100% sure on that either. You both know who I am, what I did. But I. Still. Know. Nothing. I want answers, guys. From either of you. I don't care. I just want answers."
Nunnally glanced at Milly, who in turn glanced back. A shared hissing breath passed between them. Milly slowly blinked, denoting her sense of surrender to Nunnally. There was no way out of this one, not with their friendship intact.
Milly spoke up first. "Kallen," She looked at the former Student council member with grave seriousness. "What you are about to hear is a secret. One that only me and my grandfather carried for almost seven years now. If you betray this, to anyone, you may get Nunnally killed. Are you listening?"
"Jeez hurry up, what's so important that it could kill her?"
Milly hissed again, mentally preparing herself. Just rip the band-aid off now. "Nunnally Lamperouge does not exist. That name does not and will not appear in any database before 2010."
"What? Then-, huh?" Kallen was unable to articulate, and just looking at Nunnally's downcast, sheepish face was difficult.
"Nunnally Lamperouge does not exist, but-but," Milly glanced back at Nunna one last time, hoping that she would stop this. As much as she wanted to come clean, holding back for 7 years made her cautious, almost too cautions. With an audible exhale she finished, "Nunnally Vi Britannia does."
Kallen just sat there, dumbstruck. For a moment all that was heard in the apartment was the drip-drop of water in the sink and the wind from outside. "Y-you expect me to believe that, that-that Nunnally is a-a,"
"Yes, I am." Nunnally folded her hands together to keep them from shaking. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My full name is Nunnally Vi Britannia, thirteenth princess of the Holy Britannian empire, and formerly 87th in line to the throne."
"I can't believe this, I can't fucking believe this. Oh my god. Why? Why are you living among us? Wait, does-does this mean Lelouch-"
"Yes, Sister is-er-was the third princess, 17th in line."
"Then... then… I was fighting under a Britannian Princess this whole time? What for? Why was she on our side? Was she just using us?" Kallen began to hyperventilate, facing an existential crisis from what had just been revealed.
"She wasn't just using you, Kallen." Nunnally interrupted. "At least that isn't what I think." She went into their past with Kallen, and told everything. Their mother's assassination, their exile to Japan, their abandonment at the hands of their father and seeking refuge with the Ashfords.
"I'm sorry, I just need some time to process this." Kallen focused her eyes on the wood grain of the table.
Nunnally felt her arms go numb. Never had she divulged her past to anyone, but Kallen was a close friend. She could trust her, right?
Her mind went back to the party, to the terrorist attack. Not all was alright in the special zone. Someone needed to keep order, to keep people safe. The fire, the screams, the fear that had been felt, Nunnally could see all of it with her geass. And yet, she couldn't-no, didn't do anything. Not any longer would Nunnally Vi Britannia sit idly while others kept her safe. She lost too many people to that. It was her time to take action.
Of all the impudent things that could have been done by his military advisor, this was by far the worst. Suzaku's phone threatened to crack in two under his grip as he re-read the message for possibly the hundredth time.
Srry, Suzu-chan! Gonna b l8, plane got delayed in storm over Australia. B there tmrw! 3[1]
Never mind that all that she sent was a text, never mind the grammar, never mind the fact that she called him Suzu-CHAN, never mind that she sent him a god damn heart in the text. No he was seething that he had been called up by Cecile almost right after landing back in the Camelot, expecting to be greeted with the sight of his new advisor, and getting a small pink cell phone with a single line of text. Not even ten full words. He paced around in anger, the autumn wind nipping at his cheeks, carrying with it the faintest smell of fallen leaves.
It had taken Suzaku all night, along with several cups of coffee and no less than a fistful of painkillers to once again arrange for Lady Patton's pickup. Being on the phone at 2 AM with the company president of a luxury limo company almost made Suzaku snap. He wanted to take his sidearm and personally go to all the people that he had to talk to in the first place to pick up his advisor, and then hold them at gunpoint to reconsider the date for this evening. It probably would have taken less effort too. He had a new respect for Lelouch, working late at night juggling two lives while hopped up on caffeine. In his exhausted subconscious he could remember the night of Empire Day last year. It stuck in his mind because of the fireworks keeping him up, but he could still remember it, even now.
Even in post-coital exhaustion it was near impossible to sleep for Suzaku. The bright flashes and sharp bangs of fireworks set off by the school combined with the low rumbling of the ones launched from the Viceroy's Palace made it near impossible to close his eyes. Still, he laid there, next to Lelouch. Not ten minutes ago was she holding onto him for dear life, deep within the throes of passion. Now she sat up with her laptop open beside him, quietly working on what seemed to be a latin project from where he was lying. The blue light from her screen cast upon her pale face interrupted by the occasional red, yellow, and green-
No, that wasn't right. He wasn't with Lelouch on Empire Day. That night he and Euphie had gone out into town, incognito. It had ended with a session bound to give Cornelia a stroke at the mere thought. Lelouch HAD offered to spend the holiday together, but he had declined. The slight glint of disappointment in her eyes as he politely refused didn't move his heart at all. She had been useful to him, having someone to stand up for him against some of the less welcoming students had been handy, and having someone he knew around was just as helpful. He was brought back to this world by the sound of a small jet touching down on the private landing pad. Another yawn came over him before he turned around to the honor guard that had come with him.
"Present! ARMS!" He barked out, and every man in the 10 strong line raised their rifles, pointing it 45 degrees upwards and away from their chests. Suzaku sighed. At least the honor guard didn't make fuss about rescheduling. The plane parked far away, and Suzaku couldn't see her be loaded into the black car that was waiting there. It was almost 50 meters away when Suzaku realized how dumb all this was. They were barely half a kilometer from one of Clovis' many estates on the outskirts of Tokyo, and Commander Patton had wanted to meet him out in the airfield. It seemed to Suzaku one of the many adages of nobility was "Pragmatism be damned.".
20 meters now. He walked forward, stiff and formal to meet the black car. He stood at attention until the rear door of the car pulled up next to him. He personally pulled open the door and held out his hand for the lady, expecting a leather army-issue glove to tightly grab his hand.
What he got was something completely different. A dainty white lace glove gently lowered itself into his waiting palm. Porcelain white skin followed soon after, and Suzaku couldn't help but stare at her ensemble as she left the car. A white sundress with lace trim both homogenizing her figure and yet accentuating it. A gold necklace hung around her collarbone, in the shape of a knight's crest, confirmed to Suzaku that she was his advisor. Her raven hair was held back in what was most likely a bun, with a single streak of white pulled forward and braided just to the left of her face. A large (again, white) victorian hat shaded over most of her face, but with their proximity he could still see her face clearly. He almost instantly regretted it. He immediately blanched, his inner face morphing into a mixture of horror and anger.
No.
I saw it.
I saw the body bag. I saw them zip it up, I was there when they incinerated it.
This is impossible.
Suzaku was staring at a ghost. His face was set neutral and welcoming, going through the motions and preordained script he had prepared prior to this day. And yet, on the inside, he was shaking. He could feel his stomach churning, warming up and falling to his feet. Fear. It had been so long since he felt that. They had reached the royal guard when he steeled his will and looked at her again.
In those eyes were a kindness and welcoming he had long since thought was gone, but even as the light within them changed, their amethyst colour didn't.
It was halfway through the car ride when she finally spoke. "I'm sorry for being late, Sir Kururugi. Honestly I was fretting for hours about whether or not you'd be angry at me. Are you? I hope you're not."
Something, something about her voice made Suzaku's heart leap. It shouldn't have. He hated her. She killed Euphie. There was no way that he liked her voice, even if it was someone else in her body. "No, I'm not." He replied, a slight tone of annoyance filtered in. It wasn't something that hadn't gone unnoticed by her. "Sophia" lowered her head, in something similar to sadness or shame. What it was Suzaku couldn't pinpoint with certainty.
His majesty probably erased her memories again. He thought. The Julia Kingsley persona had somehow dissipated during their stay in Europe. He still remembered it, her breaking down and yelling out "Nunnally!". He had hoped that Lelouch never returned. And yet she had, somehow. He inwardly smiled. At least it gave him more to play with. He inwardly frowned at Lelouch again, or this time, Sophia. Twice now she had the blood on her hands washed clean, twice she got a second chance to become the girl she used to be. First with Julia, now with Sophia. How he wished that he could have the same done to him.
Back in the estate Suzaku led Sophia on a tour of the main house. He had arranged for this to be her residence for the time being. It wasn't like the previous owner was around to use it. It was in the gardens that he realized what was actually going on with Sophia.
"The flowers look nice," She said to him, staring out at the arrays of roses and daisies and tulips, resting amongst perfectly trimmed hedges and grass. It hadn't changed at all, even after its master died.
He glanced towards her when she thought he wasn't looking. Within her eyes was a calculated look. It was that look, so similar to the one in Lelouch, that tipped him off. He walked over to her, shooing away the other guards before he acted.
It was simple touch, almost a caress on her shoulder. But the reaction told him everything. Every session between them had started with that action, specifically the ones where he tortured and violated her.
Sophia almost leaped away, turning around with a deadly look in her eyes right at Suzaku, before it faded away at the realization that her guise was blown.
"So, you do remember. Julia." He said in a low voice. Somehow, Julia had changed after recovering Lelouch's memories. Still remaining dominant, she became what could be described as her Zero persona, or what was her true self in Suzaku's mind.
"Yes, I do remember." She said, the cold voice replacing the dulcet tones she used prior. "I remember everything." She shoved him towards a hedge, pinning him to it. The shrubbery poked at him, tangling in his hair and piercing through the knight uniform he wore. But that was the least of his worries. She took off her hat, laying it on a stone ledge nearby.
Clasping his large right hand in her two smaller ones Julia laid it on her chest. "Can you feel that? That loud beating?" Suzaku could feel it. It beat loudly and quickly, as if it wished for freedom from her ribcage. Her breathing was also ragged as well. She smiled at him, a cross between her happy smile and evil smile. "That's for you. A bit of fear, a bit of anger," She pressed up against him, and his arm dropped to his side. Her mouth nipped at his left ear, the sharp sensation triggering both disgust and desire at the same time, "and a little bit of love."
Her eyes glazed with desire, and her hands moved under his shirt, tracing his solid chest. Suzaku fought the heat pooling in his lower stomach, filling his own mind with thoughts of Euphie. But that was put to rest when Julia took his mouth with her own, and his resolve crumbled. I'm sorry, Euphie, he thought as he kissed his lover's killer. It was like two stone pillars crashing into each other. Suzaku wrestled for control in the kiss, their tongues darting and dancing around each other like a pair of hungry dogs, but it was like fighting a storm. He was swept up in Julia's lead. Her tongue plunged into his mouth, tracing out sensitive areas memorized to a fault. He moaned as she dominated his cavern, and again when her fingers began tweaking his nipples.
Suzaku's legs grew weak, and soon he was being supported on Julia's thigh. The sensation on his chest stung, but felt hot at the same time. Julia broke away first, the strand of saliva connecting them remaining for a short second before disappearing almost instantly.
"Do you remember those days Suzaku?" She said continuing the ministrations on his chest. "You, and me. You forcing me on the ground, ripping my clothes off as I screamed for you to stop, beating me senseless and taking me as your own right then and there." She said as if she was reminiscing about a walk on the beach. Suzaku found himself between panic and lust, as he stared into her hooded eyes. "I sure hope you enjoyed it, Suzaku," She said sweetly, moving one hand towards his pants. Suzaku's breathing picked up.
"Because I hated every fucking second of it." Her voice switched tones once again, right as she twisted his nipple, sending shooting pain into Suzaku's chest. He bit down a yell, not wanting to attract the attention of the guards, and instinctively kicked Julia away.
She laughed at him for a moment before turning around and leaving as if nothing happened. Not a wrinkle in her dress or a strand hair on her head was out of place. Suzaku realized that his arms had been frozen at his side the whole time. Julia dusted off her hat and gave him a coy giggle before walking away, leaving him confused, panicked, and aroused all at the same time.
A/N: Does this count as smut? I don't think it does. Someone tell me if it is and I'll put it into another "Unrated Cut" fic.
[1]: Damn it the heart doesn't work. Stupid me, stupid me.
Next Chapter: What is Dead may never Die