. Euphemia let out a sigh as she looked around once more at the lush gardens spread out before her. A short while ago she'd heard the news of Clovis' death, it had been a shock and it had made her very sad. Clovis had had the same charisma as Schneizel but had always been so much more, expressive she supposed was the right word. If time were to stand still and nothing changed she imaged Schneizel would be quite happy. Gabriella had taken it worst of all, locking herself away in her room and screaming for days. When she had finally been led out she had looked pale and gaunt, black rings around her sunken listless eyes.
It reminded her of when Lady Marianne had died, the look on Lelouche's face when he'd heard Nunnally would never walk or see again. The hatred and frustration as he'd stormed off to demand an audience with their father. Of all her brothers Euphie had liked Clovis and Lelouche the most and now she had lost them both. Tears sprung to her eyes and she felt sure she would cry. She jumped when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned.
The servant bowed, "Pardon the intrusion my lady, but you've been requested in the burgundy hall, Princess Cornelia has returned from Area 18 and wishes to speak with you."
Euphie's face brightened, "Sister," she exclaimed as she got to her feet, "thank-you for delivering the message, would you tell her I'll be there shortly."
The servant bowed again, "Yes you're highness."
She watched the servant walk towards the main house and decided she'd walk the longer route through the gardens to clear her head.
---Burgundy Hall---
Cornelia sat back in one of the comfortable chairs, a set of refreshments set out on the table in front of her and the chair opposite her empty. The servant had returned with Euphie's message over ten minutes ago and Cornelia didn't like to be kept waiting. Even by her darling younger sister. But it was to be expected, Euphie's heart was bigger than most and the news of Clovis' death had been painful for her. Damned Zero, she was glad she had been re-assigned to Area 11, she would relish the chance to drive Zero into the open and take her revenge.
The door opened and Euphemia stepped through, Guilford holding the door open for her. Euphie gave him a small smile and polite nod as she turned to walk towards her sister. Guilford pulled the door shut behind her, bowing his head to his princess as their eyes met.
Cornelia shifted her gaze back to Euphie as her younger sister sat opposite her and pulled a cup towards her. "Tea sister?" Euphie asked.
"Please," Cornelia replied.
"I hear you conquered Saudi Arabia, I mean Area 18," Euphie corrected herself, her lips turned down in a slight frown.
"You don't approve do you," Cornelia asked but it was more of a statement than a question. Euphie didn't answer, merely handed her sister a cup of tea, then sat back.
"But I assume you've come here to tell me more than that," Euphie said.
"Area 11 has been left without a governor and I've been appointed Viceroy, you are to come with me," Cornelia explained.
"I what? But sister my degree!"
"It is by orders of the Emperor Euphie," Cornelia effectively cut of Euphie's protests. Cornelia tell that Euphemia wasn't happy but there was little she could do. Their father felt that Euphie needed to gain experience of the real world instead of locking herself up in education.
"So I can be another political tool like Lelouche and Nunnally?" Euphemia demanded, her lilac eyes blazing as she faced her sister across the table.
"Euphemia!" The use of her full name made the younger of the two quail and she fell silent. "Be careful what you say sister, lesser comments than that have been taken for treason."
Euphemia's grip clenched so hard around her cup she thought she might break it. She knew why her sister was on edge, Zero; the man who killed Clovis. She loved her father and she loved Britannia but she couldn't love the number system. People were people no matter where they lived or who ruled, no one deserved to have their identity taken from them. In a way she empathised with the numbers, they were designated by their number to a certain level in life, that was their station and that was where they would stay. She, a princess of the royal Britannian blood line was expected to do as much. To show favour for pureblood, well bred Britannians and no other, to show her loyalty to the crown by oppressing the weak and those that couldn't fend for themselves against the superior technology of the Knightmare Frame.
"Euphie?" Cornelia ventured.
"I will come sister and I am happy to be able to accompany you," Euphemia replied but her heart did not match her words.
Cornelia nodded, a fitting answer even if it didn't fit with Euphie. It was like Euphie was a circle and Area 11 was an oval hole, she'd just about fit if you pushed right but there would be gaps to fill.
---Ashford Academy---
Classes were over for the day and Suzaku had asked Cecile to come for him later than usual, he'd promised Nunnally that he would have dinner with her. Walking towards the east wing he knocked. Sayoko opened the door and led him inside to where Nunnally sat at the dining table, squares of coloured paper surrounding her and a multitude of paper cranes.
"Good evening Nunnally," Suzaku said as he pulled out a chair beside her and reached out his hand for hers.
"Oh Suzaku," a smile tugged at her lips and she reached out her own hand, his moving to grip hers. He felt her relax under his touch and smiled a little. He couldn't replace Lelouche but he would take care of Nunnally.
"What are you doing?" Suzaku asked picking up a purple crane and examining. It was messily folded and he noted that most of them were.
"Sayoko-san taught me how to make paper cranes, it's a Japanese art isn't it Suzaku? Origami," Nunnally said as she drew her hand from his to continue folding the crane she'd been working on when he entered.
"Yes that's right." Suzaku counted the number, seventeen in all, she'd been at this a while.
"Sayoko-san also said that if you fold one thousand you get to make a wish." Nunnally's voice trailed off as she finished that sentence and Suzaku knew instinctively what Nunnally would wish for.
"What would you wish for?" he asked.
She smiled faintly, "If I told you Suzaku, it wouldn't come true." Her voice was subdued but Suzaku admired the trickle of hope laced within it. A single mismatched glittering thread in the dull, fraying tapestry of life. He smiled.
"Would you like me to help?"
"No," she replied firmly, "I have to make them myself. But what about you're day Suzaku?"
"I joined the student council," he replied, "it's required that everyone join a club."
"Onii-san was on the council," Nunnally said quietly and Suzaku winced. Did she think he was trying to replace Lelouche? Should he join a different club, had he upset her? "I'm glad you have, onii-san would never say it but he enjoyed it. I'm sure you'll have fun too Suzaku."
It unnerved Suzaku how much her approval lightened the tight feeling in his chest. He wondered if what he was doing wasn't for Nunnally's sake at all but his own. Visiting her every afternoon after school, dining with her, talking with her and going out of his way to make her smile. Making himself late for work, feeling overly full and sick being unable to refuse Cecile's cooking even after eating a full meal, gossiping about his classmates just to have something to tell. Was he attempting to punish himself, making his own life harder to justify feeling miserable when she didn't.
A hand cupped his cheek and his head snapped up, his eyes focussing on her face. "Thank-you Suzaku."
"W-what for?" he stammered, he blushed and felt embarrassed but if she noticed she didn't say. Nunnally always had been strangely empathetic.
"For being such a good friend," she leaned forward and kissed his cheek and his face flamed. He leaned back and swallowed hard, making an incoherent noise that sounded vaguely like 'it's okay'. She giggled. "Still so shy Suzaku?"
That tight feeling that had begun to clench around his heart again left at the sound of her laugh. His pulse picked up. It frightened him.
He checked his watch. He'd barely been here ten minutes. "I should go Nunnally, I've been here ages and Cecile will be expecting me."
"Oh..." she sounded disappointed, "time flies I suppose. Well you can't be late Suzaku, will you come by tomorrow?"
"If I can," he replied. He brushed his fingers over hers by way of a farewell and left quickly. It was half an hour before he'd arranged with Cecile to pick him up. He began walking towards the town. He could get the bus.
---Imperial Suite, The Duchess Hotel---
Euphemia sat on the edge of her four poster bed and looked around dejectedly at her lavish surroundings. It was almost too glamorous. Cornelia had left some time before, official Viceroy duties she supposed and two guards had been stationed outside the door in case any terrorists saw her as a prime target. But then she supposed that maybe the guards were her sister's way of keeping Euphie in as opposed to keeping unwanted visitors out.
Sighing Euphie pushed herself to her feet and walked towards the window. She did have a beautiful view of the city. The sunlight glistened off the water in the river, people bustled past below, mothers and children, groups of friends, men in suits and a collection of brightly coloured vendor's stalls arranged in a row selling assortments of food and other delightful treats.
Gazing down she pondered her odds if she jumped. No doubt it would result in several broken bones, being three floors up and all. Turning away from the window she twirled around causing her skirt to flair and fell back onto her bed, the sheets billowing slightly about her. Wait...the sheets! Three layers of Egyptian cotton sheets below the duvet. Perfect! Stripping the bed hurriedly she tied to the sheets together and fashioned herself a rope. Attaching it to one of the posters of the bed, it being the sturdiest piece of furniture in the room, she tossed the rest of the sheets from the open window.
She looked out again, no one had noticed the sheets hanging from the window as far as she could see. Hoisting herself up onto the sill she swung her legs out, grabbed a hold of the sheets and began to shimmy down. What she didn't realise was that the sheeting only reached the first floor.
---Suzaku---
Suzaku walked past the high rise buildings of the settlement, sparring vague glances at the vendors calling out their wears but not really interested.
"Look out below!"
Suzaku's gaze snapped upwards, just in time to be enveloped in a billowing white...skirt? He gave a yelp of surprise and collapsed to the ground with a weight on top of his chest.
"Oh I'm sorry," the thing on top of him said, "I didn't see you till after I'd leaped."
"Uh," Suzaku blinked. There was a girl, straddling him, long pink hair falling her over shoulders and twirled into two buns either side of her head. "It's okay," he trailed off, "but...would you mind?"
"Oh," she flushed and quickly stood up. The couple of people who were looking at them curiously went on with their business, seeing as nothing interesting was going to happen. Having not yet made her formal debut Euphie supposed most didn't recognise the third princess of Britannia. She fidgeted, nervously as the boy she had landed on got to his feet. He was a handsome, tanned young man with brown curly hair and dress in a smart black uniform trimmed with gold. A schoolboy.
"I'm so sorry for landing on you like that please excuse me," Euphie said clasping her hands and bowing slightly. She turned to go.
"Wait," the boy grabbed her wrist and she twisted around to look at him "I don't often have girls fall on me out of the sky, any particular reason why?"
Euphie's eyes darted up at the sheets billowing out of her once window, then cast a furtive look about her before looking back at the emerald eyed boy. "The truth is," she leaned forward conspiratorially, "bad people are chasing me and they locked me in that room," she pointed. "Please, won't you help me escape?"
The boy looked genuinely shocked and for a moment looked ready to refuse, then his eyes met hers again and he swallowed. "Yes, of course."
He took her aside to a stand and bought her a pair of dark sunglasses and a hat. She giggled and gathered up her hair, tucking it neatly into an oversized purple beret until only two streams of pink fell over her shoulders to her waist, curling into jagged ringlets. The beret hung at a jaunty angle and she examined herself in the mirror of the vendors stall as she slipped the dark glasses over her eyes and giggled again.
He took her wrist and lead her away from the busy street to a well kept park area. His face seemed oddly familiar and it wasn't for a moment that she recognised him.
"We haven't introduced ourselves," Euphie said brightly, "my name is Euphie."
He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off, "Don't tell me, I already know who you are, Private Suzaku Kururugi son of late Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi."
Suzaku grew suspicious and paused mid-stride, "You lied before," he accused without turning, "there's no one chasing you at all is there-"
He might have been going to say something more but the sight of Euphie knelt down before an injured cat, meowing at it and receiving what might have been mistaken for genuine replies from said aforementioned feline, stopped him mid-sentence. He looked at her in bewilderment as she picked the cat up under its forelimbs and presented it to him. He blinked at it for a moment then reached to stroke it. And yelped when the blasted cat sunk its teeth into his finger. Euphie laughed.
They walked and talked for the entire afternoon, Euphie latching into his arm and asking him to take her to monuments, art galleries, snack stands of things she'd never tried. Suzaku blushed and answered her many questions as best he could and had to stop himself admiring her when she wasn't looking. She was very beautiful and her dress was very flattering, tight to the waist and flaring at the hips. He found himself relaxing around her in a way he only did with Nunnally these days and for one blissful afternoon forgot everything that worried him.
"Suzaku would you take me to one more place please?" Euphie asked.
He smiled and placed one arm behind his back and his other across his chest in the typical Britannian salute and bowed. "Anywhere you wish my lady."
"Please escort me to the Shinjuku ghetto."
Suzaku froze and looked up at her, hoping he hadn't heard her right. Her features were firm and there was no doubt she had meant what she said. He swallowed hard to combat the lump rising in his throat at the thought of returning to the place where he'd lost Lelouche. Where he'd failed to protect his friend. Where he'd let Nunnally down so badly and couldn't even bring himself to tell her he'd been there. How could he even face her?
"Euphie I..."
"Please Suzaku," she begged quietly; taking her hands in his, "I need to see it."
He couldn't seem to refuse her. So he had taken her and he'd stood before a memorial chipped, cracked, broken and weathered by the two battles it had seen and found himself pouring himself out to her. His dream to avenge his father by changing Britannia for the better even if he didn't know how. He'd frozen in shock when she had wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her cheek against the back off his shoulder.
"Thank-you," was all he could say.
She'd smiled.
"I've seen enough Suzaku, would you escort me back please?"
"Of course my lady," he gave her a nod and offered her arm to her. She took it and smiled at him as they walked through the remains of the ghetto. Passed the collapsed buildings, pillars and pipes shoved into the ground, vertically aligned and bedecked with tokens of loved ones in an imitation of a formal graveyard. Euphie's eyes darkened, Suzaku frowned and quickened his pace.
They arrived back in the settlement to find Lloyd and Cecile parked on the roadside with Lancelot's mobile unit. Suzaku wondered how long they'd been following him. "Would you like a ride home Suzaku?" Cecile asked smiling, "you're friend can come too if she likes."
"Could we drop Euphie off outside The Duchess Hotel?" Suzaku asked.
"Of course," Cecile replied.
"Thank-you for your kindness," Euphie said as she climbed in. She blinked as she recognised the man in the driver's seat. Lloyd Asplund. She'd seen him before with her brother Schneizel discussing 'Avalon' in the home land. So this is where he'd disappeared off to. She glanced furtively at Suzaku who was talking with Cecile. She hadn't told him she was royalty, it was hard to find genuine people from her position and she'd enjoyed his company immensely, honorary Britannian or otherwise. She glanced back at Lloyd who she could see was smirking too himself and if he did recognise her he didn't seem to be about to acknowledge that fact.
She smiled at him through the rear view mirror as way of thanks and relaxed back into her seat easing into a conversation with Suzaku.
Cecile raised an eyebrow as she saw the smile the pink haired girl sent Lloyd and the knowing smirk on her employers face made her itch with curiosity. Her interest however was pulled to the young pair in the back seats. It was the most she'd heard out of Suzaku for a while now and she was glad but she wondered as to the identity of the purple eyed stranger and how she had met Suzaku. She wasn't wearing the Ashford uniform so she wasn't a student or if she was had she changed especially for the occasion. Had this been a date?
They dropped Euphie off outside the hotel. She'd kissed Suzaku's cheek before she left though and he could only blush and touch the place where her lips had met his skin as Lloyd drove him home. Two kisses in one day and on opposing cheeks. This was not normal.
Review Responses:
JWM – Ah but that is entirely why there is no prologue. You don't know where Lelouche is, Suzaku doesn't know where Lelouche is so you empathise. The Nunnally x Suzaku is one-sided just to let you know and will change later as each moves on respectively.
Velshard – Glad you like, as I've already informed you there won't be any Lelouche x Suzaku, this story has those two listed as the primary and secondary characters because it revolves around them and how their relationship would change. Hope you enjoy this chapter too
MisterSP – XD
KingsJester – You really think so? Honestly I beamed all day because of your review *hug*
2stupid – We shall see
Well no sign of Lelouche and no mention of the Black Knights in this chapter but we get see that Euphie wasn't all too happy to be coming to Area 11. Now the changes begin to show as Euphie joins Ashford Academy but will Suzaku be able to keep Nunnally and Euphie separate to keep Nunnally safe?
