CROWN OF THORNS

CHAPTER 2

ACT 1: THE LISTENER

C.C. and I came upon the gates of Ashford Academy. The property was massive, sporting several dorms, staff buildings, and lecture halls. Compared to the rest of Japan, hell, even the Britannian settlement, it was a marvel to behold. Of course, the "privilege" to enroll in this private institution wasn't extended to Japanese youths. Oh well, but it was to be expected of Britannia, even the Ashfords I respected so. While Milly herself wasn't racist at all, her family couldn't afford to have their already ruined reputation be tainted any more. Of course, there was no rule that dictated non-Britannians weren't allowed to enroll, but the cost of even one semester was too much for anyone else, even some Britannians.

"This is Ashford Academy, huh?" C.C. muttered as we walked up the stairs to the expansive property, "It's as 'grand' as I figured out it would be, fitting to shelter a Prince of the Empire."

I rolled my eyes at the remark, deciding to let it slide. No use arguing with that woman. I grasped her hand and briskly walked over to the Student Council building. "H-Hey!" she exclaimed in surprise.

I pulled the woman into a small janitor's closet near the building "Listen, you should try not to be seen. Some complications may arise if they see you and I around, understood?" I whispered into her ear, careful not to be heard. I could not afford to be seen with this woman, especially by Milly or some fangirl who would let the news spread like wildfire and needlessly cause more trouble for me.

The woman seemed not to fully grasp my situation and instead laughed it off. "You know, this is an incredibly compromising situation," C.C. laughed, completely ignoring me.

I grimaced, barely resisting the urge to cover my face with my hands. Yeah, I'm sure she understands.

"Don't worry, though. I know how to play hide and seek," she amended at seeing my expression.

"This is not a game," I seethed in answer, pressing both hands at either side of her, trapping her. This woman was slowly getting on my nerves. How could she not understand just how much harm could come both my and her way? Did she really wish to be found out so badly?

Clearly unfazed by my anger, she looked up at me calmly and raised a hand. I looked at her in alarm, finding nothing in those cold brimstone eyes. I half expected her to slap me, but to my surprise, she merely rested her hand atop my head and patted it a few times patronizingly before chuckling softly at the confused expression that adorned my face in that moment. "I'm serious, Lelouch. Don't worry about me, I'd been hiding for almost half my life and that brat Clovis found me by accident."

At the mention of Clovis I felt my lips form a grin on their own, nearly splitting my face in two. I couldn't help myself, really. I've never really loved Clovis; or any other fellow Royal family member for that matter. Only Nunnally and Euphemia had that honor. Killing him was such a pleasurable experience, unlike anything I've ever felt. I felt shivers running down my spine at the memory. "I take it you're pleased that I killed him?"

Her lips curved upwards. "Very much so," she said in the deepest amount of contempt possible.

Just in that moment, I could've sworn I'd heard something outside the closet resembling a stifled gasp. I swore under my breath, and judging by the look on C.C.'s face, she heard it too, but was less alarmed. I removed my hands from their place above her head, and just as I was about to exit the closet and make some excuse to whomever was listening, C.C. stopped me, grabbing my arm.

I looked at her in question at her antics, but she merely pressed something on my palm. Looking down, I realized it was a knife.

"You know what to do." she said, "It's too much of a risk to just let them walk away. Kill them now and solve the problem immediately."

I was no stranger to murder, but I was still reluctant to kill someone innocent. Clovis and those guardsmen, even those terrorists I'd sacrificed were no more than criminals, but this person was probably just a simple student returning home from long hours of study in the library. Maybe it was even someone I knew, one of my friends. I frowned and removed the knife from my palm and shoved it at C.C. "I'd rather not. I'll just geass them instead." I whispered softly, so the person, who was probably still listening, would not hear me.

C.C. merely held out the knife for me to take again. "Some people are naturally able to resist Geass. They're rare, yes - but it's a risk you cannot take."

I was still troubled, and it would seem C.C. saw it too as she wrapped her hands around my neck, causing me to stiffen in alarm. Ghosting her warm breath across my cheek, she came to rest at my ear, her breath now warming my outer ear. "Of course, while it may be unpleasant to kill someone just for overhearing, remember that your fellow students are Britannians. If you don't do anything, I won't be surprised to find the police at the Academy, searching for you. You wouldn't want your rebellion to end before it even started, no?"

I swallowed hard. She had a point. The person I had to kill was probably just a brainless Britannian commoner, bowing to the Crown and behaving like an obedient dog, who would play a big part in my demise for a pat on the head. They were probably racist and of no use for society. Yes, I'd be doing everyone a favor by eliminating them.

C.C smiled victoriously and handed me the knife. She pressed the faintest of kisses on my cheek. "I'll be waiting," she whispered against my cheek before pulling away.

Nodding, I opened the door of the closet and stepped onto the dim light, tightly clutching the knife.

ACT 2: Lady Ashford

To my surprise, the hallway was deserted as I came out of the closet. Letting the door close with a soft 'thump', I scanned my surroundings carefully, straining my ears to hear even the faintest intake of breath.

It was then I heard a most familiar voice call out my name. "Ooh, Lelouch!" The vixen by the name of Milly Asford called out. I swore, cursing my luck and quickly hiding the knife.

"Ah, Milly." I greeted with a small smile, "How nice to see you here."

Milly smiled a small smile of her own, clearly not buying my act. "I was just about to come to you! I have to take some pillows and pajamas for your sister, the poor girl had forgotten them." She explained, eyeing the closet. "By the way, what are you doing here? It's a bit late, don't you think?"

I resisted the urge to chew at my lower lip. It was a bad habit of mine Milly could easily recognize, and which would be enough of an answer for her, as I did that only when thinking of a perfect little lie to tell that would work on most people.

Milly was unlike most people, though, so I decided to tell a bit of truth. I sighed. "You know about my little gambling addiction?" I asked, pretending to be reluctant to tell her.

"Little is an understatement, Lelouch." The blonde said with a shake of the head.

I did not take it to heart as she was clearly smiling. Good, I thought, she was buying it. Continuing with my act, I pretended to sound even more defeated. "Well, my opponent was actually a challenge and I almost lost due to underestimating him, which made our game take longer than it should've. The victory was mine in the end, as always, but with the traffic, I was forced to come late. You know how much I hate worrying Nunnally." That last part was true, at least.

She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "If that's the case, why did you come out of the closet? Don't tell me you've decided to pop your cherry in such a place?" She winked playfully at me.

"Oh, you know," I waved it off uncaringly, "I was looking for the janitor – there was a spill near the entrance and I did not want your grandfather to see that."

She eyed me with the eyes of a lion watching her prey. "As much as I appreciate your concern for Ashford, Lelouch, I still find it unlikely. The janitor leaves at 7 P.M., and it's 8 P.M. now."

"Ah," I smiled sheepishly, but sweating inside. "Is that so? I must've forgotten."

"But since I believe you would've told me if it was of any importance, I'll let it slide." Milly said, lightly tapping me on the cheek, "Now, why don't you get to your suite? I already have Nunnally's things."

Having said that, she left me alone in the hallway, singing a silly tune all the while.

I let out a breath of relief. That was close, way too close for my taste, but the important thing was that Milly was finally out of the way.

The next thing on my mind was to check whether Sayoko had retired for the night or not. It was actually well past the time she was supposed to retire, but I never knew it with that woman. She had a habit of staying with us the entire night, despite our protest. At first, I guess, it was because of the motherly instincts my sister's nightmares had triggered, but those had long stopped, thankfully.

I double-checked the pocket where the knife was hidden in, and headed for my suite, careful to avoid making noise.

Arriving at my destination after a few minutes, I slowly opened the door and called out for Sayoko, but silence was all that greeted me.

Even though I was pleased with this new development, my ever-growing paranoia was not yet satisfied, at least not completely. With slowness and carefulness that would put even ninjas to shame, I inspected every corner of the suite.

Thankfully, the only thing out of place was the steak on the dinner table Sayoko had prepared for me. When I touched it, it was still warm, meaning that Sayoko had left relatively soon.

Pleased with the outcome of my inspection, I left the suite in search for C.C.

In the few moments that I had spent roaming the suite, twilight had overtaken the outside world, and the halls of the Student Council building had gone dark. After a few minutes of walking, I reached the closet where I left the woman. If she left the closet, I swear I may just commit a second murder today. Ha, the day's earlier even feel like a distant memory, or a fading dream, now that I've returned to the comfort of the Britannan Settlement. I may well wake up any moment and forget any of this ever happened. No, of course I wouldn't forget. This dream would be burned into my mind as I etched it into reality someday. Only revenge could bind in such a way and make me aware of just how mad I am, but who said it was a bad thing? Madness was a tool unlike any other, capable of turning even doves into deadly scavengers, and the most pristine of men into monsters.

To my ire, I found the woman outside the closet, once again eating a slice of pizza. I bared my teeth in annoyance, swallowing the threat that wanted to spew from my lips and merely took her by the hand, yanking her away from the scene. As always, she was indifferent, not even responding or apologizing for her reckless actions.

ACT 3: AN ALLY LIKE NO OTHER

I only let go of the woman's hand when we arrived, only to make sure there was nobody else behind us. When I came back, the witch was walking through the suite, occasionally nodding in approval.

Narrowing my eyes at her inspection, I crossed my hands over my chest and waited for her to speak. It would seem this woman was not entirely sane as well.

"Pretty nice place you've got here, Your Highness," she said with a small, sarcastic bow, clearly trying to make me angry, at which she succeeded, to my shame. I responded to her remark like an enraged bull chasing the matador, but I could not help it. The woman was behaving like she wanted to get me caught and then killed!

I could feel my nostrils flare as I rushed over to her to cover her mouth. "Two things here, girl. One, try to speak as little as possible right now. There's at least one person in this suite, and she may or may not be asleep as of right now. Explaining your presence to her sounds extremely irksome at present, so I'd prefer to avoid it. Second, don't mention my royal blood to anyone, and I do mean ANYONE. A banished prince stands little chance of survival if the entire world knows exactly where he is. Now, if you would please try not to get me killed, that would be much appreciated."

The vitriol came from my mouth at a cheetah's pace, though as silently as I could possibly speak, but still loud enough for only C.C. to hear. After C.C. nodded in agreement, I removed my hand from her mouth, which I'm surprised had gone unmarked by her teeth.

"Fine, fine, no need to get so aggressive," she whispered, rolling her eyes at my behaviour, however, that moment passed as she got serious. "Is there any place here where we may have a bit more privacy?"

"My room," I answer after a bit of thinking. The living room was out of the question since it was relatively close to Sayoko's room, Bathroom would be rather awkward, and my room was only close to Nunnally who was absent. "The other's room is on the opposite side of the suite, so I suppose we should go unheard there."

"Lead on."

This was the first time I'd brought a girl to my room who was not Milly or Nunnally. I hadn't expected the occasion to be on terms such as revolution, but I suppose variety is the spice of life after all.

Once in the room, I immediately retired to the chair next to my bed. Of course, C.C. nonchalantly made herself at home within seconds, and laid down on my bed, kicking off her shoes in the process.

"So, what do you think of what happened today, Lelouch?" C.C. asked me, with interest coloring her tone for the first time this evening.

What the hell does she mean by that?

"What do you want me to say?" I responded.

"You know, how you absolutely adore the power I gave you, and how you'll use it to make the world yours. You know, the usual," the witch said, now with her usual uncaring tone.

"You must be speaking from experience." I commented wryly.

"All of my contractors have said just that to me. Of course, none of them succeeded. Why should you be any different? After all, you're just a boy with nothing to cling to except that prestigious name of his."

I have to appreciate a good attempt to unnerve me.

"I suppose there is one difference between those people and I," I replied coolly.

"And what would that be?"

"Ambition."

"Oh, we have a meliorist! And here I thought you'd say something that would interest me. You can't change the world with work alone, now can you?"

"If you're so skeptical, why did you give me Geass? Me, out of everyone in Shinjuku?"

She laughed for a moment. "I had a feeling about you, Lelouch. I could tell you had something others didn't. Whether it be ambition, as you call it, or something else, I know you have at least some worth to me."

I was taken aback by her last bit. I was of some worth to her? She gave me this power. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

"Well, that and another thing as well. You're a surprisingly good leader, kid. Then again, those sorry excuses for 'fighters' would probably listen to anyone, given the predicament they were in," the emerald-haired woman chuckled sinisterly.

She was right, I could not hope to deny it. So I swallowed any retort I had in mind.

"Still, a victory is a victory, I guess, though it'll take a bit more than that little display of luck and trickery to impress me," she continued.

"Oh, forgive me Sun Tzu," I snarled.

It hasn't even been a full day and she and I have done nothing but bickered. This partnership can't end well.

"Admittedly, it was fun watching the pawns of both sides march so willingly to their deaths. That so many Japanese people would throw their lives away for little more than a dream of a dead country amuses me," she smirked.

Her brimstone eyes were more cruel than anything I had ever seen.

C.C. suddenly glared at something behind me. Following her gaze, I saw she was looking at my closet. What? Did she want to make a joke about me having cross dressing tendencies or something?

"I know you're in that closet. Come out."

To my surprise, the door of the closet suddenly opened and Sayoko slowly emerged from the shadows, her eyes glued to the witch's figure.

I blinked in surprise, praying it was all just an illusion.

I chuckled at my absolutely horrid luck. Of course something like this would happen. It took us only a few minutes to be found out, which must set a record somewhere.

"I apologize for eavesdropping, Master Lelouch," Sayoko said, appearing to be calm and collected despite being caught." But I just couldn't help myself. You were horribly late, and I was curious, but did not want to press the issue originally, opting to clean your closet instead. I couldn't just come out and instead stayed inside."

Ah, that explains it. Sayoko was the type of person who would cook and clean when distressed.

In the half-moment that it took for me to turn my head to read C.C.'s expression, Sayoko, with inhuman speed, had already sprinted over to us and set upon my newest associate. Too startled to even move, I could only watch as Sayoko expertly and deliberately plunged her knife into C.C.'s lower neck.

The witch did not even flinch, but merely gazed at the knife with disinterest, grabbing it by the blade and taking it out, causing blood to drench my bedsheets.

Sayoko froze for a moment, now equally as horrified as I, which was enough for the witch to kick her off her.

"You're ripping my clothes, so I'd prefer if you'd stop" C.C. said as streaks of blood emerged from her lips.

Sayoko's eyes were wide, as she was wrought with terror. Though who could blame her? I was equally taken aback.

After a moment of the most awkward silence imaginable, I decided to chime in. "Sayoko, could you please take these bedsheets to the wash? They're ruined."

"Y-yes Master Lelouch," she said, her voice still shaking.

After Sayoko had left, I decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Are you… okay?"

"Perfectly fine."

"Let me see your wound," I said, my mind wandering back to her being shot in the ghetto.

Sure enough, when I set my eyes upon where she was stabbed, the wound appeared to be healing itself. Seeing flesh stitch itself back together was actually more unnerving than watching it being ripped apart.

"My full title is C.C., The Immortal Witch," she muttered as she turned to gaze at my look of disbelief.

Later, when we were all sitting at the desk in the kitchen, with Sayoko and C.C. as far away from each other as possible, I decided to ask Sayoko to join me instead of simply geassing her. While my morals were questionable at best, I still had a debt to Sayoko for taking care of my little sister all these years.

C.C. was eating pizza, as usual, while Sayoko and I settled for her traditional apple pie.

It took me around twenty minutes to explain the events of the day to Sayoko, who was clearly disturbed at how little Britannia cared for its citizens, but never interrupted me.

She was silent for a few awkward minutes as I finished my tale, likely processing the information and considering her options.

Suddenly, she cleared her throat, causing me to shift my attention to the woman as she nervously played with her slice of pie. "Master," she began softly, "What you've done is something I shall always be indebted to you for. My fellow Japanese have given you nothing but trouble all these years and you still refused to let Britannians wipe them out, going as far as to kill your own step brother. I cannot say I'm perfectly pleased with you choosing to fight, but I beg of you to let me serve you and help you in your revolution. Feel free to use me as you will."

"Sayoko, you sprinted over to C.C. faster than I even knew someone could move, and stabbed her perfectly between her neck and shoulder. If it weren't for her 'circumstances' she'd have died within seconds. That said, it's evident that you're no ordinary maid," I said to her.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding meekly. "Well, I guess you could say I'm a few things. I'm trained in the arts of an assassin, ninja, and spy."

I nearly choked on my pie. "What?!"

"That's why the Ashfords assigned me to you, Lelouch vi Britannia. I double as a maid and protector to you."

At this point, even the witch had an eyebrow raised. "You keep interesting company." she commented.

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