Chapter Seven
Lelouch opened one eye at the sound of someone moving around. He lifted his head from where he had pushed it against Suzaku's shoulder. For a moment, Lelouch contemplated not getting up, belatedly remembering the situation. He was about to sit upright when he aw that Rolo was just going to crouch at the entrance. Lelouch stared at him for a moment longer before pressing his head back against Suzaku's shoulder. He should have been more worried about people moving and around their sleeping place, but he couldn't be bothered. He was comfortable and warm, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
He reached up to wrap an arm around Suzaku, jerking it back a moment later. There were bound to be cameras and Lelouch wanted to savor what he had for a while without broadcasting it to the world. As a compromise, he shifted so his legs were tangled with Suzaku, the only closeness that he would allow for himself since the cameras wouldn't be able to see the two of them under the blanket. Lelouch would move when he heard Shirley and Rolo started to move around. He sighed, finding a more comfortable position.
He didn't have much time to enjoy the quiet, Lelouch jerking upright when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at Rolo, surprised to see the slightly startled look on Rolo's face. Lelouch pushed Rolo's hand away from him, glancing toward the front of their hideout. "Rolo?"
"Sh." Rolo leaned toward his knife, still staring at the entrance. "I heard something out there, another tribute."
Rolo walked back to the front of their hideaway, leaving Lelouch to wiggle out of his blanket and Suzaku's hold. He joined Rolo by the entrance, the two of them leaning back as two shadows passed, both of them walking right by. Lelouch glanced at Rolo, surprised when the boy ducked out of the entrance. He went to reach for Rolo, only to be motioned back.
Lelouch frowned but settled into place. He trusted Rolo enough to be alright with the younger tribute scouting ahead. And, if Suzaku's exhausted mutters from the night before were to be believed, then Suzaku was pretty sure of Rolo as well. He shifted into a more comfortable position, carefully scanning what little he could see through the grasses that hid them from sight.
There was a chance that the tribute that Rolo had heard was a scout for Luciano and the others, but Lelouch wouldn't push the others to move until he was sure. Nothing would be worse than stumbling right into the middle of the careers.
A muffled groan made him look back, Lelouch shaking his head as Suzaku sat up, still practically asleep. Suzaku stared at him for a moment before inching over to Lelouch's side, using Lelouch's shoulder as a pillow. "You moved."
"I had to."
That made Suzaku frown. "We didn't put up a guard, we didn't need to."
"Rolo is looking for someone. A tribute." Lelouch paused after the clarification, giving Suzaku a push back. "We should be ready to run anyway."
"Shirley is already up and we're already packed." Suzaku moved closer, one arm wrapping around Lelouch's waist. "Give me a few more minutes and I'll be ready. You left too early."
"You need to stop being so dependent." There was no bite in the remark, it was just a statement of fact, one that Suzaku didn't bother to try and refute. Instead, he just pressed his face against Lelouch's neck, breathing deeply. Lelouch shuddered at the feeling of Suzaku's breath against his neck, focusing on the mouth of the dip to make up for his hyper-awareness of Suzaku by his side.
He managed to gather himself together before Rolo came back, Suzaku righting himself long before them. Lelouch smiled and scooted back, allowing Rolo to look in. Rolo glanced back at Shirley, nodding at her before sitting down beside Lelouch. "I followed her for a bit, but I don't think she's with Luciano. Too jumpy and she was moving too fast. I had problems keeping up with her and still being quiet. But I don't think that she'll be a problem for us."
"Then we could ask her to join."
That made Rolo start, Lelouch seeing the look of horror on his face for a split second before Rolo shook his head. "I don't know. It would be harder to take care of more people."
"That's exactly what I want to do." Lelouch leaned forward. "If we refuse to kill each other then they can't move the Games on."
"They can make us."
"We're stronger than that, and smarter." Lelouch tipped his head back toward where he guessed the wall was. "The force field will be stronger there, but it will be easier to short it since the points where it originates can only handle so much of a charge before they overload. After that we find a way to hold our own. They've already given us weapons."
"Talking about your rebellion again?" Lelouch turned to glare at Suzaku for the question. Unfortunately, Suzaku looked completely unrepentant but at least he didn't look annoyed by the fact that Lelouch was pushing for a rebellion.
Lelouch shook his head. "What of it?"
Suzaku opened his mouth to reply, his attention suddenly shifting to something behind Lelouch. Lelouch turned to look, seeing Rolo tense just before he saw the shadow in front of them. He reacted on instinct, rolling to the side to allow Suzaku to rush by. Lelouch bumped up against Shirley, feeling the girl steady him before she reached for her own weapon. Lelouch grabbed his own knife just as he heard a scream from outside.
He and Shirley exchanged a confused glance before pushing through the grasses to help Rolo and Suzaku. Lelouch stepped to the side as Rolo stumbled away from a female tribute, Suzaku still circling her warily. Lelouch leaned forward, stopping himself at the last minute, just before a scream came from behind them.
It was Shirley who responded the fastest, shoving Lelouch to the side so she could move. She braced herself and grabbed their attacker's hands, Lelouch stumbling forward to help her only to have Shirley let out a short laugh. "Sophie?"
"Shirley?" Sophie stepped back quickly, glancing over at where Suzaku and Rolo were staring at the other girl. Sophie sheathed her knife, shaking her head. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you."
"We thought that Luciano had gotten you." The other girl was inching over, Suzaku and Rolo still following her. She paused to give the two of them a disgusted look before crossing her arms over her chest. "And I thought that you intended to stick with us."
Shirley shrugged, looking sheepish. "I got lost after the Cornucopia, but then I found these guys. I think they might be our best bet, they know what they're doing."
"And if they don't?"
"Then we probably do." Shirley shook her head. "Mariel, these guys have a plan to survive instead of just living day to day."
Mariel didn't look too convinced, but at least she wasn't glaring at Suzaku, which was a relief to Lelouch. That Shirley was willing to stick with them instead of her original alliance was something as well. He and Suzaku must have managed to do something right.
Lelouch hid his knife away, stepping up beside Shirley. "Trying us out on a trial basis wouldn't be too disastrous for you two and, if it doesn't work out, we can go our separate ways with no hard feelings."
He was sure that Suzaku wouldn't like the idea, but Lelouch was sure that the girls would appreciate the chance to escape if they wanted to. Lelouch also didn't want to be tied down to anyone that would insist on interfering because they thought that they knew better. He might not have been their first choice for a leader, but he wasn't about to let himself be jerked around because they thought that he was wrong. He still had that much of his princely pride left to him.
Mariel and Sophie were giving his offer some serious thought at least, something that he would have preferred the two to do while they were moving. They hadn't met Luciano yet and their good luck wouldn't last for too much longer.
He ignored the two girls for the time being, turning to his alliance. "We'll need a place for a fire and more fish. I want to try and see if we can smoke meat to have an extra store and not have to stop and hunt everyday."
Rolo nodded and rushed off to do as Lelouch had ordered. Suzaku was slower, giving the two girls and long look before following Rolo. That just left him and Shirley, which significantly lowered the threat and would hopefully encourage them to make up their minds faster. Lelouch was tempted to just let Shirley deal with them, but he was the leader. He couldn't leave when something so important was being decided. It was his own impatience with the matter that was getting in the way.
He managed to hold his tongue long enough for Suzaku and Rolo to return, giving them both a wave before turning to leave. "Last chance."
Mariel and Sophie exchanged a glance before the two of them nodded. Sophie acted as the spokesperson. "You're the better choice and I don't think that any unallied tributes will survive long. The others are already dead."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes as the two girls started after Rolo, Shirley staying close to the two of them. He waited until they had passed him before falling into line. As expected, Suzaku fell into step with him, holding Lelouch's pack out. He raised an eyebrow at Lelouch, sighing. "You have that look."
"The game changed, and not in the way that I had anticipated."
"But you can deal with it, right?"
"Maybe." Lelouch rubbed his forehead. "It's going to be two groups against each other, not what I was working for. It will be harder now, because they may panic and turn on us."
"So make sure that they don't."
"It's not that easy. You make it sound like I just have to speak to them and they'll believe me."
"Words are your thing."
Lelouch chuckled and shook his head. "I'm out of practice and they're all scared kids."
"We're scared kids too. Talk to them on that level, it will probably work better than a speech from a prince anyway. I don't think that would trust a prince at this point."
Lelouch shrugged, not sure that Suzaku was right about what he said. There were always some people who would trust the royalty no matter what the situation was. The truth of the matter was that he did not feel up to giving a speech. He was hungry and tired despite their good luck with food and the uninterrupted sleep they had gotten. He was also the dirtiest he had been in a long while. Overall, Lelouch felt completely beaten down, he wanted nothing more than to find a place to sleep until the Games were over.
He looked up as Suzaku patted his shoulder, giving him a wane smile. Suzaku let his hand linger there for a while before pulling it away, but he didn't step away from Lelouch, the two of them brushing against each other. Lelouch was tempted to grab Suzaku's hand, but he refrained. It was enough that Suzaku was offering some sort of comfort by just being there.
"Hang in there, Lelouch. Just for me if you have to, hang in there."
Lelouch sighed, giving a shrug. There was no way that he could give Suzaku the assurance that he wanted, not when Lelouch himself wasn't sure he could. His plan was working perfectly, but he hadn't counted on the stress. There were four more people to keep safe, four more people that he had to watch out for. And, as much as he hated himself for the thought, four more people that could be used to keep him and Suzaku alive.
He rubbed a hand over his face, only to have Suzaku grab a hold of it. "Just hang in there as long as you can. If you need to, you can lean on me, it's what I'm here for, support."
Lelouch gently pulled away from Suzaku, shaking his head. He was too self-sufficient to just sit back and let someone else take care of something that he knew that he could do. There was also his fear that he wouldn't have anyone to rely on for too long. Besides, if he had been a prince, he would have had to deal with problems like this by himself. He wouldn't even have known Suzaku if that had been the case. Then again, it he had been a prince, Lelouch was sure that he would have ended the Hunger Games long before now.
He pushed away another of Suzaku's attempts to pull him close. "I'm fine. I just need time to figure out what we are going to do today and how we'll split into teams, if we need to."
The look that Suzaku gave him said that Suzaku clearly saw through his lie, but he was relieved that Suzaku didn't push, relieved and a bit scared. So far it was only Suzaku who would tell that he was out of his depth and that was through the experience of knowing Suzaku personally for years. If that was the case, how long would it take the rest of their alliance to figure it out? And then, who would stay behind and who would turn against them?
Nunnally looked over the notes that Schneizel had passed to her that morning, trying to lose herself in them instead of paying attention to what was going on in the studio. What little distinction they offered wasn't much as Nunnally had heard the story from her mother and brother many times. It was just a matter of the amount of details used, and those were enough to make her want to stop reading.
She glanced up at the studio, watching the bustle of the people. It wasn't the studio that handled the Games, but that studio was directly in the pocket of the emperor. Even all of Schneizel's connections couldn't convince them to allow her to speak. To them, Nunnally was just another person trying to tarnish the reputation of the emperor by bringing up things that were better kept quiet. At least that view allowed them access to the competing program.
Nunnally shuffled through her notes, looking over to where Euphemia was helping set things up. She had said that it would look bad if either she or Schneizel appeared with Nunnally immediately, but Nunnally hadn't been able to grasp the political concept behind their reasoning. But at least Euphemia was here with her, which was something of a relief. It was far better than being left on her own to stumble through what she had to do, there was a friendly face instead of expectant looks. The people in the studio didn't care about what she had to say, they just cared about the story that would tear attention away from the Hunger Games, at least for a brief moment.
Euphemia walked over to her, sitting on the edge of the table and reaching down to hold Nunnally's hand. "Everything is ready. When you're ready, we'll start. I'll be in the wings if you need me." Euphemia gave her hand a final squeeze before slipping off the table and stepping behind the camera.
For a moment, Nunnally was tempted to call the entire thing off, but the thought was shaken away quickly. She wouldn't let herself be intimidated, she never had been before. And, if she did give up, then she had wasted a trip to Pendragon. The only thing she had to be worried about was speaking clearly; she had heard this story too many times to mess it up. Nunnally shifted her notes in order as the countdown come before setting them to one side and looking at the camera. Just before the signal came she took a deep breath, deciding not to smile at the last minute. She wanted to be taken seriously, not be seen as another smiling princess.
"Good people of Pendragon, I am Nunnally vi Britannia, daughter of His Majesty Charles zi Britannia and his consort Lady Marianne. I'm sure many of your recognize me from the Reaping in Area 11 when I was called by the name Nunnally Lamperouge. I can assure you that I have introduced myself to you correctly and that, despite rumors to the contrary, I am alive as is my mother. Any rumors that my mother and I died were spread by Lady Marianne to make sure that my father wouldn't attempt to follow our family. I've spent my life in Area 11, hearing that I was a princess but unable to speak out about it out of the fear that the emperor would come and kill us.
"The animosity between my mother and father came about by a single rumor, that my mother had been unfaithful. This rumor came from a trusted source, the emperor's brother. The emperor acted on that information alone and put the man believed to be responsible into the Hunger Games despite the fact that his name had never been drawn. Jeremiah Gottwald died in the Games for being nothing more than a loyal guard to my mother. In the face of this and the fear that the emperor would force her into the Games, my mother fled to Area 11. It wasn't until the news that my mother was dead had spread to the capital, nearly half a year later, that the emperor bothered to look into the accusation.
"The rumors were proven to be false, although nothing was explicitly said. Testimonies from the other guards employed by Marianne and trusted men like Bismarck Waldstein and Gilbert Guilford, both spoke about Jeremiah and Marianne's innocence and proved it. When the time came to question my uncle, the truth came out that he was simply jealous of Marianne and wanted her gone. As a punishment, my father sent his own brother to the Hunger Games despite the fact that he had not been drawn for any Reaping and was far over the age limit.
"While I agree that my uncle deserved the punishment, I will never agree with the punishment of using the Hunger Games to get rid of enemies. It is true that other emperors had used this method, but repetition does not make something right. As I speak, there are two young men, the remains of four brothers, who are in the Games for something their father did and they were not involved with. That is not the action of an emperor, but of a tyrant and it brings me to wonder how long the rest of us will have if the emperor can continue in this manner. It makes me wonder why the Games even exist. They have ceased to remind us of an old rebellion, but to allow the emperor to do was he wants. If that is the case, then why do we stand for it?
"What I am asking for is not a full blown revolution; I don't want more innocent lives to be wasted. I merely ask for a stop to be put to the Games, so we can save those that participate in it right now and prevent any more needless deaths. The people have learned from their attempts at rebellion but haven't had the chance to show it. And, then, maybe the rebellions were a sign to the royal family to listen to the people that they rule.
"I for one firmly ally myself with the people, the same people who have helped me through the years. I will dedicate myself to them for them for the good of all the people. Being a princess is new to me, but being a simple Eleven is not. That is what I promise you, and my word is my law."
Nunnally finally allowed herself a smile at the end, not looking away from the camera until the cameraman nodded to her. Only then did she turn to Euphemia, hoping that the princess would be able to tell her if she had done everything right. To her surprise, Euphemia looked ecstatic. Nunnally pushed away from the desk, Euphemia running over to her.
"That was perfect, Nunnally!" Euphemia threw her arms around Nunnally's neck, Nunnally staring down at her for a moment before Nunnally hugged her back. She heard Euphemia laugh before the princess pulled back. "But you didn't mention anything about Lelouch."
"I told them where they could recognize me from, and it will give Lelouch time to get himself ready for anything that will come for him." Nunnally bit her lip. "I don't think that anyone will believe me right away. That would be too easy."
"What's the matter with that?"
Nunnally gave Euphemia a wane smile. "I've never had anything happen easily to me. Besides you and Schneizel make it sound like it would be difficult."
Euphemia looked sheepish, stepping back from Nunnally. "That is true. Father is very stubborn, extremely so." She levered herself up onto the table again, staring at her hands. "But there's no reason not to be an optimist, not after Schneizel and I declare that we are in support of you and we can start countering the propaganda."
Nunnally nodded, tracing patterns on her armrests. "Have fast do you think that will take?"
"As fast as we can push it. We can't do anything else."
Nunnally nodded, glancing at where the people in the studio prepared her statement for television. She couldn't push much faster, Nunnally was sure of that. She sighed and pushed her hair back behind her ears. Nunnally froze at the sound of loud noises coming from the back of the studio.
She leaned to the side, watching as people ran to the back where another television was showing something that she couldn't see, but she could hear the people from the studio talking.
"I thought we had more time than this."
"They were probably withholding this in case we got something important."
"That's impossible; they didn't go to anyone else. They wouldn't have known about what we have."
"Do you think that we what have will be enough to get us more viewers?"
"Of course. This is typical of the Hunger Games."
"But these Games have been so slow…"
"They don't have a statement from the royal family."
Nunnally glanced at Euphemia before carefully wheeling away from the table. She picked her way across the studio, Euphemia following her. She craned her neck to see the television as she got closer. The people standing by the television stepped away to allow her to see.
At first, Nunnally saw a blur of green and brown before the view came into focus, showing a group of tributes running out of the tall grass to the glittering horn that was the Cornucopia. Nunnally recognized Luciano, the tribute running in front of his alliance. She looked toward to other side of the screen, pressing her hands against her mouth as she recognized the tribute standing against them. "Lelouch!"
Suzaku looked up from where he was settling the last spit into place, shaking his head when he saw Lelouch poking morosely at one of the other spits. Smoking meat would take too long, and it would be easier to just cook what they had caught and distribute it among themselves. With six of them to feed the meat wouldn't get the chance to rot, not if they were going to keep moving around the Cornucopia. Even with the safety that the Cornucopia offered, the effort of hunting for six people was bound to start wearing on those that were the best at hunting, so having meat at the ready would mean one less thing to do during the day.
He sighed and stood up, stretching out his back. Suzaku stepped back from the last small fire, Sophie and Mariel immediately scooting closer and staring at the fish. He sighed, taking a few more steps back to give them distance. He was content to leave the choice of who was in their alliance to Lelouch. He was more concerned about the day to day matters. As it was, he would have been content with Rolo and Shirley. Rolo was starting to warm up to them, Lelouch much faster than Suzaku, but there was some trust there. They had managed to fish together as a team and Rolo had been the one to bring down the lone rabbit they had found today. Shirley was good too, finding places to hide and managing to dig up a few edible roots that had been completely demolished when they had been brought back to the camp. So far the other two additions had done nothing but give them distrusting looks.
Suzaku supposed that Mariel would come in handy when they shorted out the walls, she was from Area 10 and they were well known for their skills with technology. She would also come in handy for scavenging bits from cameras, if they could manage that without a penalty. At least Mariel had more of a purpose that Sophie, but Suzaku was willing to give her a chance. It was the fear that they would stretch their limited resources too fast that kept him skeptical. That and the fact that they had yet to meet with the other alliance that was roaming the arena.
The other alliance was the main worry for Suzaku. They couldn't even put up a guard, the surface of the Cornucopia too hot in the middle of the day for anyone to climb. Suzaku craned his head upward, squinting against the glare of the sun. He was sure that Rolo was peeking around the corner every once and a while, but that wouldn't be enough if they were surrounded. His hand jerked to where his knife was before he could stop himself. The more he thought about their position, the more he disliked it. Even with the tiny fires they were using, there was still smoke and, long grass or not, the smoke was visible.
He walked over to Lelouch, crouching by his friend. "Hey."
"I know. We should move soon." Lelouch glanced around before returning his gaze to the fish on the spit. "I'm sure we can divide up the food on the run again and I want to find a more secure place to sleep. Perhaps we could set more guards up."
"Why?"
"I may not think of it as often as you, but I am aware of how much time is passing." Lelouch sighed and stood up, brushing his pants off. "We've gotten lucky and I want to keep it that way. As things stand, we look like a good group to back. We're surviving."
"But we're not interesting."
"We don't have to be. The tension within Luciano's alliance must be making these Games." Lelouch chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "From what Sophie and Mariel have told us, we can infer that the rest of the remaining tributes are with Luciano, including the two remaining Dalton boys. They have to know that Luciano is under orders to make sure that they die and yet they are with him instead of us. Then there is the fact that Luciano has the strongest tributes with him, save for you, that means some sort of competition, just what the people of Pendragon want to see.'
"They're not killing themselves."
"Not yet."
Suzaku sighed, giving up on convincing Lelouch. He would try again later when Lelouch was so focused on his own plan. The best times for talking seemed to come just as they were waking up and just before they fell asleep, because they were away from the other people in their alliance. Lelouch was probably just trying to make sure that his authority as the leader wasn't challenged, not that Suzaku would want to take leadership away from Lelouch. He felt sorry for everyone that was stuck in the Games, but his priority was Lelouch.
He looked back up at the Cornucopia, getting a glimpse of a flash of light as an aerial camera zoomed past them. Suzaku tried to follow the camera's path, ending up losing it as it moved back into the grass. He shrugged to himself, about to move back to the fires when he caught sight of the camera again, watching it steady itself over something that was lurking in the tall grasses.
Suzaku froze mid-step, still focused on the camera. The people running the Games would have no reason to send a camera to pan over the grass, the people watching the Games would have already gotten panoramic views of the arena to start off the next day of the Games. That left him with two other options, that it was either a dead tribute or a tribute moving toward them, and it couldn't be the former. If another tribute had died, the cannon would have gone off the instant the tracking device registered them as dead and the helicopter would have been sent out from where it was stationed behind the wall. It wouldn't have taken too long before the helicopter was spotted rising over the wall, but there wasn't a sign that it was coming. The camera was far more likely to have spotted a tribute moving their way, which was not good news.
"Rolo!" He pulled out his knife as he shouted for the younger tribute, Suzaku catching sight of Rolo jumping up from where he was sitting at the fire with Shirley. Suzaku smiled as he saw Shirley react buy beginning to push dirt over the fire, stamping out the last burning embers as she collected the fish. He nodded at her, focusing back on the grass, which was beginning to move. He took a step back as Rolo came up beside him. "We're going to try to stay together as much as possible. Engage first to give the others time to run. First one to back off turns to act as front guard."
"Right."
"Suzaku?"
"Not now Lelouch." Suzaku waved a hand behind him, not bothering to look back. Lelouch was smart enough to realize that something was going on and he would be getting ready to run. Suzaku would leave the care of the other members of the alliance to Lelouch. If the tribute got past him and Rolo, it would be up to Lelouch and the girls to defend themselves.
His attention was quickly drawn back to the waving grass. Suzaku glanced up to gage the camera, using it to trace the movements of the tribute as they ran closer. Just before the camera moved from the grass to the open area around the Cornucopia, Suzaku looked back at the grass, bending his knees to lunge forward. He didn't wait to see who the tribute was, rushing forward as soon as they broke out of the grasses.
Suzaku got a glimpse of a frightened face, quickly turning his knife in his hands so the blade was facing down. He reached out to catch one of her wrists, pulling her to a stop. The tribute fought his grip, reaching down to scratch at his hand. "Let me go."
"Calm down. Just tell us what's going on."
She turned to look at him. "They're after me. That's what happening!"
Suzaku let her go, turning to look at Lelouch. Luciano's alliance was coming to the Cornucopia, there was no other group that the tribute could mean by they. He glanced back at the patch of grass that the tribute had run through, swallowing as he began to back up. "Run."
"Why?"
"Don't argue with me!" Against his better judgment, Suzaku spun around to glare at Lelouch. "Not now. Just run!"
Lelouch stared at him for a moment before nodding stiffly. Suzaku allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief at that. For a moment, he had been frightened that Lelouch would continue to try and argue with him. He didn't want to waste time with Lelouch when they could be getting far away from Luciano. He wouldn't even bother staying behind to give them time. Suzaku rested a hand on Rolo's shoulder, giving him a small push in the direction of the rest of their alliance.
"Stick close to another person so you won't be lost on your own. We'll stop when we reach the top of the first hill to see if they're still following. If they are, then we'll-"
Suzaku didn't get the chance to finish the rest of his sentence, the six of them freezing at the shouts that came from all sides. Suzaku exchanged a look with Lelouch, watching as his friend's eyes widened. They were surrounded.
There was a possibility that they could slip between the other tributes, but that would be difficult considering that they didn't know where the other tributes were. He groped for Lelouch's hand, giving it a squeeze once he found it. As much as he cared for Rolo and Shirley, he wasn't going to let the others get Lelouch. "Get ready to run."
There was a moment of silence, Suzaku feeling Lelouch tense through the hold he had on Lelouch's hand. Suzaku just tightened his hold, glancing around and trying to get a glimpse of the camera again, but it had disappeared. He sucked in a quick breath, adjusting the grip on his knife so he could defend himself if he needed to. That was all the time he got before the tributes burst through the grass.
He found himself staring down Monica Kruszewski as she charged out of the grass, Suzaku turning to see where the next tribute was coming from. Bart Dalton was rushing in from the side, the two of them just off enough that there was an opening that they could slip through.
Suzaku darted forward, dodging the spear that Bart inexpertly threw at them. He kept a tight grip on Lelouch's hand as he ran along the side of the Cornucopia, pausing long enough to peer around the side only to jerk back as Luciano swung a sword at them. Suzaku stumbled back a step, pushing Lelouch toward the grass. He would distract Luciano just long enough to keep the tribute from going after Lelouch before leaving. He was not about to get killed so early in the Games.
He ducked the next swing, punching Luciano in the stomach before backing away, nervously circling his opponent. He couldn't risk staying too long. That would get him surrounded by the rest of Luciano's alliance. But he couldn't risk just letting Luciano go either, not without injuring him in some way. Suzaku stopped, shifting his grip on the knife. The next time Luciano swung at him, Suzaku leaned back, letting the sword just miss him. He slashed across the back of Luciano's sword hand, ducking the next wild swing before running away. Behind him, he could hear Luciano screaming in agony, Suzaku allowing himself a smile. He didn't know how deeply he had cut Luciano, but it would be enough to inhibit any more attacks, or he hoped it would.
Suzaku plunged into the grass, sprinting for the hill that would be their meeting place. He was sure that the other tributes in Luciano's alliance wouldn't make a move without their leader; they were too scared for that. After all, with Luciano injured he was the highest ranked tribute in the arena and he was perfectly fit. That had to be enough to give them pause.
He scrambled up the slope of the hill, only slowing down when he was under the shade of the trees. Suzaku leaned over, trying to catch his breath. They would have to keep moving after this and find somewhere to hide, somewhere that the others wouldn't look for them. He reached up to wipe a hand over his forehead, glancing down at his knife and making a face. Suzaku knelt down, carefully wiping the blood off the blade before putting the knife away again, freezing at the sound of someone dropping from a tree.
Suzaku spun around, his hands clenched into fists in the absence of his knife. He only relaxed when he recognized Lelouch carefully walking over, his hands held slightly out to show that he was unarmed. Suzaku chuckled, shaking his head and standing up straight. "It's just me."
"Good." Suzaku looked up in time for Lelouch to punch his shoulder, Suzaku rocking back more out of shock than from the force of the blow. Lelouch immediately stepped back, rubbing his knuckles. "Don't ever do that again, you could have been killed."
"Lelouch-"
"If they had surrounded you, you would have died. And I don't want to hear any of your reasons for staying behind, they aren't important! We function as a group and, if you disappear, then where would we be."
"You have Rolo."
"He isn't the same!"
Suzaku flinched as Lelouch yelled, glancing toward the Cornucopia before grabbing Lelouch's arm. Luciano and the others might still be coming after them. He began to drag Lelouch toward the other side of the hill, ignoring any sputtered protests and the way that Lelouch scratched at his hand. For now, Lelouch would abide by his plans, which centered around all of them getting out of sight for a while.
Lelouch pulled away from him. "What's gong on."
"We're moving, now. The rest of the alliance will be coming any minute." Suzaku began walking. They could disappear into the grass before any of them appeared. He glared up at the tress, watching as the rest of their alliance came out of hiding. "Avoiding confrontation would be better. They'll tear each other apart eventually. We just have to wait."
"It won't happen instantly. Running and hiding will work, but not forever." Lelouch crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll have to confront them sometime."
"Not like we are now. They're a team. We're a group of people."
Lelouch huffed and looked away. Suzaku sighed and reached for Lelouch's shoulder, jerking his arm away as he heard the grass rustle. He stepped up beside Lelouch as someone stumbled out of the grass, recognizing the female tribute from before. Only now she was holding a knife. Suzaku immediately stepped away, holding an arm in front of Lelouch as they moved.
The tribute whimpered and waved the knife. "They said they would kill me if I didn't kill you and I don't want to die."
"No." Suzaku gave Lelouch a shove backward. "I'm sorry, but I won't let you. We need him as much as you do."
The girl sniffled, glancing over her shoulder as if she expected Luciano and the others to come after her. The alliance would have to if they wanted to make sure that the girl did what they wanted. Suzaku titled his head to the side, making a split second decision. He had to get the others out of there without the chance of the girl following them. He would hate himself forever for it, but Lelouch was more important. That was the strategy and the thing that he had to keep telling himself. Lelouch was more important.
He gave Lelouch another shove back, risking a glance back to where the others stood. He made eye contact with Shirley, giving her a nod before lunging forward. "Run!"
Suzaku didn't wait to see if they followed the order, he was sure that all of them had the sense to get away. He charged forward; bring his knife up in time to stab the girl in the heart, shutting his eyes as he did so. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
The girl made a garbled noise, Suzaku not trying to figure out what she said. He pushed the knife further in, wanting to make sure that it was as clean of a kill as possible before backing away. He snatched up the girl's knife and sprinted to the other side of the tress.
"Eleven!" Suzaku turned at the scream, seeing Luciano's alliance charging up the hill. He didn't stay long enough to identify them, taking off again. They could deal with the body of their failed assassin and their injured leader. It would be enough of a delay that Lelouch and the others could get away.
Rolo was waiting for him at the bottom of the hill, waving at him before pointing in one direction. Suzaku nodded, falling in behind Rolo as they jogged through the tall grass, following the trail that the others had made. When they had put enough distance between themselves and Luciano's alliance, they slowed down to a walk. Rolo glanced around nervously before looking back at Suzaku, Suzaku noticing the way his gaze lingered on the knife in his hands.
"Did you…did you kill her?"
"I had to. My way was kinder." He winced as he spoke, feeling worse when Rolo nodded. He had no right to decide her fate like that, but he had chosen it anyway. Nothing would make that right, not even the reasons he kept repeating to himself. Suzaku cleared his throat. "They would have made her suffer for failing."
"Who did she want to kill?"
Suzaku gave him a surprised glance, Rolo's attention already elsewhere. He sighed and followed the younger boy. He hadn't found that out, he had just assumed that she was aiming for Lelouch, but she was just as likely to have been trying to get him too. He was the other tribute with a score of eleven. Either way it was too late to worry about what he had done; he would just have to deal with the consequences.
Rolo lead him down into one of the ravines, the two of them walking halfway down before someone shouted. Both Suzaku and Rolo turned, Suzaku lifting his knife to throw. He relaxed when he saw that it was Shirley, the girl waving down at them before pointing to a specific part of the side of the ravine. Suzaku turned toward the path, smiling when he saw how narrow it was. Even if they were followed, they would be able to hold any of the careers off.
He let Rolo climb up first, keeping an eye on the way they had come into the ravine. He doubted that they would be followed, but Suzaku wanted to be careful. The cave would be useful for shelter and holding off anyone who came from below, but it could also act as a trap. He shook his head and began to climb, trying to calm himself down. It wouldn't do him any good to continue worrying endlessly, he didn't react as well to pressure as well as Lelouch did.
On the last feet to the cave, Suzaku had to turn his attention to scaling the most difficult section. He could hear the girls chattering about them, Shirley the one guiding them up the wall while Mariel and Sophie came up with plans. Suzaku hauled himself up into the small ledge outside the cave, feeling Shirley pat his back before she moved further into the cave.
He sat up, scanning the cave only to find Lelouch hiding in the back corner, far away from the rest of the discussion, which meant that he was sulking. Suzaku shook his head and crawled over, slopping down at Lelouch's side with a sigh.
"I heard the cannon."
Suzaku glanced over at Lelouch, shrugging. "It was the girl with the knife."
"I thought it was you. You told us to run but didn't follow. Until now, I honestly thought that your eagerness to die for me would have calmed down."
"I stayed to be the rear guard."
"Then you should have actually followed us." Lelouch finally looked up at him, obviously angry. "I looked back, Suzaku, and you weren't there. I worry about you just like the rest of them and you more so sometimes. This is your warning. Don't do anything stupid like that. You're an important part of this alliance and we would suffer without you."
Suzaku sighed and rolled his eyes, about to defend himself when Lelouch scooted forward, obviously done with him. Lelouch moved to join the discussion, immediately commanding the attention of the tributes. "We lost four packs and all that was in them along with what food we had caught today so we're going to work harder tomorrow. Considering what happened, no one is to leave without a partner or a weapon. If you can, avoid leaving the group completely. They will try to pick us off, which is harder to do in a group. My focus tomorrow is to build up a food store, but the floor is open to any other suggestions, including future plans."
Mariel raised her hand, jerking it down a moment later. "You said that you would need my help with the wall, but I'm guessing that plan has been put off. But I think that we can use the mines from around the Cornucopia. They're deactivated at the moment, but I can get them working again. Then we could plant them along certain sections of the river banks. The other alliance will need water eventually."
The others were nodding, but Suzaku felt slightly sick at the thought of killing more people. He was more than willing to leave that up to Luciano. But it was a viable strategy and made good use of the skills of their alliance Suzaku sighed and pulled his legs close to his chest, watching as Lelouch go into a deeper conversation with Sophie, Mariel and Rolo over what their plans would be for the future.
He looked up as Shirley came over to sit with him, surprised when she offered him a smile. Shirley leaned back against the wall, shaking her head as she watched the others. "Sometimes, I just feel like I'm the least helpful member of this alliance."
"Not true. You keep calm in bad situations. That's very useful."
"But Lelouch is the one that keeps us all together. Sophie and Mariel stay because they think he's a match for Luciano."
"Yeah, well that's just how Lelouch is useful. You don't panic and that's good. We need someone to keep us all steady."
"For when you are gone?" Suzaku stared her Shirley in shock. She just smiled back at him. "Lelouch gets worried when you leave and for good reasons, you two are best friends, you look after each other. I'm sure if we had more time together, he would feel that way about the rest of us."
Suzaku shrugged, not wanted to commit himself to an answer that wouldn't matter within a matter of days, he was far better with just remaining in reality. Lelouch was the one who enjoyed dabbing in the world of what ifs, Suzaku just managed to make himself miserable when he did it. Suzaku sighed and looked up at the miniature conference. "He cares, just more for your skills than your personalities. As you said, he might come around with time."
"Then we could at least try to get him to recognize us for who we are."
Suzaku glanced at Lelouch. "I think he does, but he doesn't like to recognize it because of the situation."
"Anyone would and I don't blame him." Shirley laughed. "I like him now and I would like to get to know him as well as you do. It's like he's a different person then he is around everyone else, and I like that Lelouch better than the one we see almost all of the time. In any other world, it might have turned out differently."
Suzaku cleared his throat and looked down. He struggled to come up with something but eventually settled for an ineloquent, "Yeah."
Shirley reached over to pat his shoulder standing up in the half crouch that the cave allowed her. "I'll get you and Lelouch something to eat. The rest of us divided up what was left already."
"Hasn't-"
"He wouldn't, not until he was sure that you were coming back."
Suzaku looked over to where Lelouch was holding his council, not sure why he was surprised. Still, Lelouch kept managing to surprise him in the Games. He was surviving far better than Suzaku had imagined and he was almost managing to set up a rebellion within the Games, the alliance he had created out of nothing almost completely loyal to him. Suzaku smiled, not bothering to hide his expression when Lelouch looked over. As expected, Lelouch rolled his eyes and focused completely on the task at hand.
They would be alright, Suzaku was sure of that. It wouldn't take much more than a solid plan and a good night's sleep to set Lelouch to rights. And everything would be fine. Even if he had to bring it about through force instead of peaceful methods, Suzaku would make sure that Lelouch was alright.
Milly stretched as soon as the cut was called, her gaze still lingering on the picture of the girl that had died that day, the only fatality. Meeya Hillmick from Area 12. From what she had heard from Diethard and read on the station's homepage, the people of Pendragon were happy that something had happened. It wasn't the face off that they wanted, but it would come. The people had demanded, and now the confrontation would come. That was the power of the people and the emperor would bow to this one demand.
She sighed and brought her arms down, looking around the nearly deserted studio. Suddenly, she didn't want to stick around to speak to Rivalz no matter how entertaining he was and no matter how much he helped her make it through the day. Right now, she just wanted to go home, to rest and think.
The chair squeaked as Milly pushed it back, Milly giving Rivalz a wave farewell before walking out of the studio. Tomorrow she would find some way to make up for her quick desertion. Rivalz didn't deserve to be left alone to the tyranny of Diethard, especially now that Diethard was getting the show that he wanted.
She waited until she was out in the car park to pull out her cell phone, scrolling through the messages that had been left. There was the usual one from her father, another reminder of another man that she would be encouraged to marry, despite the rejections that Milly had given his other choices and the many times Milly had told her father to back off. There were a few others from friends, including Nina. The one from Nina was probably a plea to hang out now that the Games were running smoothly. From what Milly could gather from the message, Nina wanted to ignore the Games altogether for a while now that it was finally sinking in that people were dying.
That just left the call that had come toward the end of the day from her grandfather. Milly stared at his number before she slipped into her car. She looked at the number until the screen went black, tipping her head back with a sigh. There was no reason for her grandfather to remind her of her duty to the family. She had distanced herself as much as possible from her family, first out of teenaged pique and then to keep them safe when she had taken over the commentary for the Games. That latter reason had been advice from Caesar Flickerman himself, just to keep the wrath of the emperor pointed at her instead of anyone else. To the Ashford family she was unavailable, living the dream that she had cherished since high school. With the call, all of that would be changed in a minute if she chose to do what her grandfather asked.
She should have felt more trepidation over the call she was being asked to make, but she felt nothing but relief. As much as she had relished the challenge that came with the Games she hated having to watch them, they were just a barbaric ritual wrapped up in fancy words and celebrations. Two years in and she was already tired of them. How Caesar had done the job for so long was beyond her.
Milly laughed to herself, looking down at the phone as she flicked it open. There was really no choice considering the facts and her own familiarity with the situation. And then there was the fact that her grandfather had called to ask her to do this. Out of everyone in her family her grandfather was the one that understood her need to stay away and had let her go. On that count alone she owed him this favor.
It took her a moment to find the number, one that she had saved in case she ever needed an in with the royal family. Of course, Diethard was only a fan of the prince when he acted exactly like his father, because that made good news. But Diethard did not speak for the entire station, there were few who believed so whole-heartedly in the emperor.
Milly raised the phone to her ear, listening to it ringing as she waited for the man to pick up. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, sighing when the phone kept ringing, almost missing the soft click of the phone on the other end of the line.
"Hello, Prince-"
"Earl Maldini?"
There was a pause. "Do I have the pleasure of speaking to Miss. Milly Ashford?"
"You do." Milly looked at her watch. "I apologize for the late hour."
"That is no problem. The affairs of the prime minster rarely allow for regular hours. Now, am I correct in assuming that you are calling on the same subject as your grandfather?"
"Yes."
"Good, we could use your expertise later. For now-"
"I want to speak to her."
Kanon didn't seem phased by her interruption. "That will come later. For now all we need you for is help in counteracting what the emperor will put out tomorrow. Neither the prince or myself wants to put you in danger just yet."
"Fine." Milly tried not to sound surly, knowing that Kanon wasn't lying to her. It made sense, but she wanted to do something before more tributes died.
"Contacts in other studios have already agreed to put the information out around the same time. The needed information will be given to you tomorrow morning when you go into work with further instructions."
"Thank you Kanon."
Instead of the customary farewell, Kanon just hung up. Milly stared at the windshield for a moment before shutting the phone. She dropped the phone in one of the cup holders and slipped the keys into the ignition. It wasn't the step that she had hoped for, but it was something and she had gotten a promise of an interview, which was good enough for her.