Chapter Eight
"I'm sure that all citizens of Britannia are aware of the announcement made late yesterday, and it grieves me that I have to speak out in response. As your emperor, I hoped to see more loyalty in my people and more trust in the government. Everything that has been released before now has been true. The only true thing that girl spoke of was the unfounded rumor that Lady Marianne had been unfaithful. Jeremiah Gottwald was accused and he was executed suitably. Under further investigation, the rumor was revealed to be nothing more than a malicious scheme and the original instigator was punished. This reversal of thought was well broad cast.
"Everything else was a lie. It is likely that Lady Marianne reached Area 11 as she was unable to be called back to the capital, but it is unlikely that she could have given birth to a daughter as she died thirteen years go. The eleventh prince, if he was still alive at that point, has been lost to the empire for so long it would be better to declare him dead than encourage a search for him. The tribute in the Games from Area 11 was only allowed to participate because he volunteered for his crippled sister and he is no different from the rest of the population of Area 11.
"The girl who made the announcement is nothing more than a liar, trying to stir up resentment where there should be none. It is because people are swayed by revolutionaries like her that the Hunger Games continue. The Games were started because the Areas decided to rebel, even after the protection that Britannia had offered them in the chaos after the war. The Games are a reminder of who protects the Areas and how sacrifices must be made for the good of the many. They won't stop until the Areas prove themselves completely loyal to the crown. By the way that so many instantly believed what this girl had said, despite her lack of correct information, are the reasons that the Games continue.
"If you want to blame someone for the status of your area, look to them. If you want to look to someone to blame for the deaths of your siblings and children, look to them. I promise that, when the doubt ceases, the Games will cease as well.
"Give no more attention to this girl and her lies. Focus on the Games instead. I assure you that they are about to become interesting."
Suzaku woke up earlier than the rest of the alliance, lifting his head from the bundled up jacket that had served as his pillow. He looked over at Lelouch, a bit disappointed that Lelouch hadn't come back to his side, but it looked like the group who had been working on future plans had fallen asleep in a tangle. From his vantage point, Suzaku could see that Rolo had commandeered Lelouch's arm as a pillow.
He ignored the twinges of jealousy that their position brought, it was completely unfounded. It was warm in a group and they had been working on what they had to do next. Lelouch was pouring his heart and soul into their little group, so the least Suzaku could do was make sure that Lelouch had everything that he needed.
Suzaku edged around the group to go to the mouth of the cave. They hadn't posted a guard despite their best intentions. He guessed that the security that was brought about by the placement of the cave had saved them this time. Suzaku shook his head and drew his knees to his chest. He would let them sleep for now, hopefully that would give Luciano and the others time to move away from the Cornucopia. That would be the assumption that Suzaku would work under, that they were all going back to the Cornucopia, at least until Lelouch told him the plan.
The sound of trickling water made Suzaku look up from the ground. He frowned, leaning out of the cave. He and Rolo hadn't passed any source of water on their way in, and any source of water he would be able to hear from the mouth of the cave would have been visible. He shifted, trying to see where the sound was coming from, getting worried when he couldn't find the source. Suzaku gritted his teeth, staring down at the bottom of the ravine only to pull himself back quickly.
The floor of the ravine was covered in water.
From what Suzaku could tell, it wasn't rising, but it was there, like it had been drained from somewhere else. He looked back at the top of the ravine to see if it was pouring in from the top. He was sure that he would have heard a sound but he wanted to check every possibility. The appearance of the water was just too strange to ignore, even if it just turned out to be a glitch in the systems running the Games.
Suzaku stepped out of the cave, twisting to see the top of the ravine from the new angle. They could run through the ravine, but Suzaku wasn't sure if it would be their best plan. The water could rise at any moment. Alternatively, the route to the top of the ravine would be difficult, but it would get them to higher ground faster. He would just have to get the alliance moving as fast as possible.
He slipped back into the cave, making for where their two packs were. Suzaku began to rifle through them, smiling when he found a length of rope. A rope would help the people who had problems climbing and would act as a guide and what bit of safety they could get. Suzaku turned back to go to the entrance, only to come to an abrupt stop, staring at Sophie.
"Where do you think you're going with that?"
He jerked his head toward the entrance of the cave. "Getting us out of here."
Sophie frowned but rushed to the front of the cave. Suzaku followed at a slower pace, able to tell when she spotted the water. He came to stand beside her, turning to look at the upper part of the ravine. "They must have gotten bored with us, so they're setting up a disaster."
"Why haven't they set it off?"
"It won't be fun that way. They have to make sure that it will really make the Games exciting."
Sophie made a face but swung out into the open. She turned to Suzaku, gesturing for the rope. "You wake the others. I'll set this up. If what you say is true, then we don't have much time."
Suzaku nodded, not bothering to watch Sophie secure the rope. He crawled back into the cave, hesitating for a moment before going to wake Shirley first. They needed Shirley's calm in a situation like this. She would keep them all together while he spoke with Lelouch.
"Shirley." She woke up at the shake of her shoulder, Suzaku immediately backing away to give her space. "Wake the others and distribute what supplies we have left. Keep them calm."
She nodded and turned to wake Mariel. Suzaku let her work, going over to Lelouch. He stepped around Rolo, kneeling by Lelouch's side. "Lelouch. Lelouch wake up."
Lelouch jerked upright, Rolo yelping as he was shoved away. Lelouch reached up for Suzaku, nearly grabbing his shoulders before he woke up completely and pulled away. Lelouch cleared his throat, Suzaku catching a blush on his face before Lelouch put on his usual annoyed face. "What?"
"We need to go."
"We will. Give me time to talk with them."
"Things have changed, Lelouch. We're leaving and going to higher ground now." Lelouch's eyes widened slightly, Suzaku taking that as understanding. He patted Lelouch's shoulder before pulling away and walking to the front of the cave.
The water had risen, not a dangerous amount, but enough to worry him. He craned his neck, catching sigh of the rope that dangled down. Suzaku searched for Sophie, worrying that she had gotten attacked. He relaxed a moment later when she peered over the edge and waved them up. Suzaku waved back before looking into the cave. "First one, come on."
He was surprised when Shirley stepped up and gave him a smile. "Help me up."
Suzaku boosted her up, waiting just long enough to see her get halfway up before calling for the next person. It was risky to push them so quickly, but he was suddenly very aware of the sound of lapping water. As few quick glanced showed that it wasn't moving quickly, but that didn't stop him from feeling jumpy.
Rolo was the next one up, followed closely by Mariel. Suzaku watched their progress carefully, jumping when Lelouch grabbed onto his arm. A glance back showed that the water level had suddenly risen drastically. Suzaku cursed under his breath before cupping his hand in preparation to boost Lelouch up. "Come on."
Lelouch jumped up, bracing himself against Suzaku for a moment before reaching for the end of the rope. Suzaku watched, ready to catch Lelouch if he fell. He sighed when Lelouch started to settle into a rhythm in his climbing. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for Lelouch to get halfway up, exhaling quickly before jumping for the rope.
He almost missed his jump, Suzaku wincing as he scraped his hands on the rocks. He gritted his teeth and started climbing, easily catching up to Lelouch and staying behind him until they pulled themselves over the edge of the ravine and onto flat ground. Lelouch immediately rolled onto his back, panting for breath and Suzaku coiled up the rope. He glanced around the group, making sure that everyone was present before handing the rope off to Mariel to put in the pack she was carrying.
"Well, we survived." Lelouch pushed himself up from the ground, steadying himself against Suzaku. "They were too slow in flooding the low areas. But to think that they would give us that much of a warning…"
Lelouch jerked away from Suzaku, turning to look across the ravine. Suzaku turned with him, expecting to see the other tributes. Instead there was nothing, just a faint rumbling sound. Suzaku tipped his head to the side, trying to hear it better, only to have Lelouch step in front of him.
"Get to higher ground."
Suzaku turned to run without questioning the order, pausing only long enough to make sure that the rest of the alliance was following him. He hadn't needed to look, everyone was following as fast as they could, the distant rumbling louder now. Suzaku glanced over his other shoulder to see Lelouch lagging behind. He dropped back to run beside Lelouch, waving Rolo on ahead. He would keep pace with Lelouch. He wasn't sure what was coming, but he didn't want to be the first to make it to high ground and then learn that Lelouch had been left behind.
The two of them tore through the grass, not bothering to follow a known path, trying to take the shortest route to the nearest hill. They could just see where Shirley and Sophie plunged through the grass in front of them. In barely seen glimpses, Suzaku could see the rest of the group, sometimes losing even that as Lelouch took an alternate route to get around some of the more difficult changes in the landscape. Always behind them was the sound of roaring.
Their panicked run seemed to take much longer than any other trip across the plains. Suzaku was sure that they were doubling back on their path, although he was unable to confirm the thought because the grass was pushed back wherever they ran and after spending three days trying to avoid anything past the first hill, Suzaku wasn't familiar with the landscape. He was only sure of where they were when they reached a bit of flat ground without anything to block their path, a sure sign that they were coming up on a hill. By then, water was beginning to lap at their ankles, making running difficult. But, from the ominous sound of rumbling, there would be worse to come.
Suzaku stumbled running up the hill, looking up as Lelouch grabbed onto his arm and pulled. He flipped his hand over in an open invitation that Lelouch immediately took. Suzaku slid his fingers between Lelouch's, enjoying the contact as they clambered up to the top of the hill where the others were waiting. To his disappointment, Lelouch released his hand to go over to their alliance.
Suzaku opened and closed his hand over nothing, turning slowly in place. He was almost willing to be that the slow leak in the ravine they had camped in had been a mistake. None of the other tributes would have gotten the same warning, just the sound of rumbling at the water that was flowing over the plains. Suzaku frowned and turned to look up at the nearest tree, not waiting for a signal from Lelouch to start climbing.
Before peering through the leaves, Suzaku braced himself on the branches, feeling the tree sway. He remained in a crouch until the movement of the tree had stopped; only daring to peer out then.
He found himself staring at a plain of water, only a few stalks remaining above the surface. All of the landscape they had known over the past few days was completely swallowed by the rising water. But even that was worrying. For a disaster to bring more excitement to the Games it couldn't be slow, it had to be flashy and fast.
A roar from the arena surprised Suzaku. He scrambled to get his balance as he rocked backward, grabbing onto whatever branches of the tree he could reach. He double checked his hold on the tree before looking out at the arena.
A wave of water rushed down from where the pile of rocks had once been, sweeping quickly across the arena toward him. Suzaku tightened his grip on the tree, leaning back as the wave came toward him.
It happened too fast for Suzaku to call out a warning. Instead he just clung to the tree and closed his eyes, listening to the rush of water. They were safe on the high ground, he knew that much. There was no higher ground than the hills. The thought wasn't quite enough to calm his racing heart as he listened to the water crashing against the sides of the hill, convinced that he would be swept away at any moment. Suzaku ducked his head, shivering as he waited for the sound to die down. The sound continued, the cacophony added to by the sound of the cannon going off twice. Suzaku opened his eyes and pushed himself back above the leaves. Two tributes were already dead in the disaster and more would follow. There were enough hills for everyone, but there was only one this close to the Cornucopia so their group might be in for a fight.
Reluctantly, he climbed down from the tree. He wasn't able to see anything useful with the flood still going on. They were blind until the people running the Games pulled the water back. Suzaku dropped to the ground, relieved that the alliance had stayed together. He put on a smile and walked over, shrugging in response to Lelouch's glance. "It's a flood. I can't see anything or anyone. As long as we're on the hill we'll be safe."
"Which leaves us to dig into emergency supplies."
"Well, the fish aren't confined to the streams alone and won't be for a long time." Suzaku tipped his head toward the side of the hill. "It won't split us up and we could use the chance to fill what canteens we have."
Lelouch nodded, the rest of their group heading off to the edge of the hill. Suzaku went to follow, freezing as he felt a hand on his arm. Suzaku turned his head, glancing down at the hand on his arm before looking back up at Lelouch. As an answer for his actions, Lelouch simply held up his right hand, Suzaku's eyes widening at the blood that was smeared across Lelouch's palm.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Am I…" Lelouch let go of him. "I'm not. This is from where I grabbed your hand."
Suzaku blinked and looked down at his hands. He remembered scraping them as he had climbed out of the ravine, but he couldn't remember any pain from climbing the tree. Then again, he had been completely focused on finding out if they were safe. He stared at the cuts, noting a few were still bleeding sluggishly, but nothing too life threatening. Suzaku chuckled and wiped his hands on his pants. "I'll be fine, Lelouch. It's nothing to worry about"
Lelouch made an obvious effort not to speak, grabbing Suzaku again and pulling him down to the edge of the hill. Suzaku allowed himself to be pulled along, even to the point where Lelouch shoved his hands into the water. He gave Lelouch a long look before acquiescing to Lelouch's demand and washing the blood and grime off of his hands. Lelouch watched over him the entire time, even when Suzaku splashed further out to help Rolo catch fish as a bunch were washed their way, most of them newly dead.
He stumbled out of the flooded area when they had caught enough, Shirley and the others already eating the first catch as they cooked the others. From the size of their haul, it looked like they would be able to have a bit leftover, which meant they would have a supply of extra food. The extra would come in handy if another disaster happened and luck was not with them.
It was amazing how much relief he felt just from realizing that they would have enough food. In Area 11 they hadn't been the richest family, but they had never been close to the poverty that some of the other families struggled in. He had felt secure, although part of the feeling had come from the fact that he had been hunting in a place that was familiar with him and he had felt confident in his ability to catch game. Now, completely out of his element, just the sight of food was enough to calm him.
Suzaku found a space by the small fire between Lelouch and Shirley, flicking water at Lelouch until his friend slapped his arm. Suzaku just grinned, hearing the others around the fire laugh as Lelouch pouted. It was worth it for the barely there smile that Lelouch gave him. Suzaku settled back, letting his hand rest just a bit too close to Lelouch's. Maybe Lelouch would take the hint and let their hands rest on each other, but it was more likely that Lelouch would continue to remain oblivious but close. And that would be just fine.
He looked around the circle at the rest of their group, watching as they talked among themselves. It was obvious that Shirley and Rolo seemed the most at ease, but Mariel was starting to look relaxed. Even Sophie had stopped staring at everyone like she expected someone to try and kill her at any minute. Their alliance wasn't perfect, but it was working, and Suzaku was sure that it completely lacked the stresses that were in Luciano's alliance. That was one thing to their advantage.
He sighed, closing his eyes and enjoying the sunlight. For a first disaster, it was not as bad as he thought. He expected more panic and more loss of life, but they had gotten out quickly because of an error. He just hoped that their luck would hold. There would be other disasters. It was just a matter of time before they tried to spice up the Games, especially if Lelouch continued to use his avoidance strategy.
Suzaku opened his eyes, going to shift positions when the cannon fired. He sat up, staring at the sky to see where the helicopter would appear. The flood was over from what he could tell. The only other thing that Suzaku could think of was that tributes had gotten into a scuffle over a portion of high ground. Then it was a matter of figuring out where they were.
The steady whir of the helicopter grew louder but did not go over their heads, which meant that tribute that had been killed was just on the other side of the hill. Suzaku turned to look at the other side of the hill, feeling his stomach drop. They were close, wherever they were. They could have been there the entire time and he hadn't noticed.
Suzaku got to his feet, noticing the immediate change to watchfulness and getting ready for action. It was a surprising shift, especially when the focus was on him. It was flattering that they trusted him so much, but it was also a larger responsibility. Suddenly, instead of just being in charge of Lelouch's safety he was in charge of the safety of the whole group. He shifted his stance, dropping into a crouch as he waited for something to happen, trying to come up with a plan. Retreat was hardly an option, especially with the arena still flooded. There was a possibility that they could all swim to another hill, but that would present a better chance for them to get killed. The only out recourse that he could think of was to climb the trees and let themselves get stuck there until Luciano's alliance got bored or to stand and fight.
The decision was taken out of his hands when the alliance came into view. Monica was the one to spot them, the girl grabbing onto Luciano's arm and pointing. Lelouch stepped in front of Lelouch as Luciano headed their way, the tribute smiling and raising a badly bandaged hand. "Looks like I'll get to pay you back for this, Eleven."
Suzaku was tempted to call Luciano over, but that was something that he could do when he was alone. He shook his head and took a step back, listening to the other alliance laugh.
"Well, look at that. The top scoring tribute is a coward. Who knew?"
Suzaku glanced back at Lelouch, surprised to see that his friend looked angry. The insult wasn't worth anything, especially since being a coward wouldn't goad him into acting, he was smarter than that. Lelouch had taught him to be smarter than that. He tipped his head to the side. "Lelouch?"
"We can't avoid them, not this time. But we can't afford to get into a full battle. They've trained for this. Injure where you can and drive them back."
Suzaku nodded, pulling out his knife. He trusted that the others would follow and listen when orders were given. He reached back with his free hand to touch Lelouch's arm before stepping forward. The movement brought another laugh from the tributes, Luciano waving them back.
"You got me by surprise last time, Eleven. You won't be so lucky this time."
Suzaku shrugged as an answer, settling into a crouch when something flashed by his shoulder. Suzaku looked back to see Shirley stumbling back, obviously just coming back from throwing something. He looked back at Luciano as the tribute screamed and clutched at his arm. Suzaku smiled and adjusted his stance, keeping a careful eye on the others. None of them looked like they were going to attack. Suzaku smiled and charged forward, rushing toward the group while they were completely off guard.
Nonette was the only one who reacted, ducking around Bart Dalton and getting in between Suzaku and Luciano. Suzaku reeled back to avoid a slash by a knife. He dodged to the side, reaching out to grab her wrist only to miss. Suzaku cursed and retreated, drawing Nonette away from the rest of the group. If they drew them apart, then they would have a better chance of winning.
Suzaku ducked another blow, managing to grab onto Nonette's wrist, the one that was not holding the knife. He pulled her close, attempting to switch the grip only to have Nonette strike at him. He shouted as the knife dug into his arm, Suzaku trying to jerk away only to be pulled in close.
The pressure that Nonette was putting on the knife disappeared as someone collided into Nonette. Suzaku took the chance to pull the knife out of his arm, staring at Lelouch as he stood up, amazed that Lelouch had chosen to come into the battle.
Lelouch rolled his shoulder, turning the motion into a shrug. "You looked like you needed the help."
Suzaku gave a breathy chuckle, watching Nonette carefully as she got to her feet. He smiled when he felt Lelouch press against his back, trying to calm his own panic. They would need every person they had to repulse Luciano and the other tributes, which meant Lelouch had to fight. And there were far worse places for Lelouch to be than by his side.
The sensation of fighting beside Suzaku was strange. He had been around when Suzaku had fought back in Area 11, but had always been on the sidelines and watching with disgust. Then again, the fights had been nothing more that perceived slights that Lelouch could have settled himself. Then there were the barely remembered fights from their childhood when he and Suzaku had fought each other and he had been arrogant enough to believe that he would win because he was royalty.
To fight alongside with Suzaku was something else entirely. For one, he didn't get to see Suzaku move, aside from quick glimpses. He had always appreciated the show of Suzaku's skill and restraint in fights. Now he was peripherally aware of his friend, just a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and a brush against his side. Lelouch didn't really have the time to focus on Suzaku either, his attention quickly taken up by David Dalton.
He supposed that he should have felt bad about fighting David since the young man had no choice but to stay with Luciano or he would be killed early on, but all he cared about was staying alive. The fact that he didn't quite know how to handle a knife didn't help at all. Suzaku was in no position to help him, so Lelouch was on his own. Lelouch looked over his shoulder to see how Suzaku was doing. He barely got a glimpse before he had to look back, just in time to see Bart Dalton shoot an arrow toward him.
Lelouch tried to duck out of the way, hissing when he felt the arrow scratch his cheek. He raised a hand of his face staring at the blood on his fingers in shock. He had seen other people hurt and bleeding, but it had never been him. He took a step back, completely forgetting about David. He had always known that there was a possibility that he would die, but he had been too focused on Suzaku to really think about what could happen to him. Now it was so obvious that he was embarrassed that he had never entertained the thought. What kind of a strategist was he if he had never even thought of that eventuality? Lelouch dropped his hand to his side, taking another step back. What is something happened to him, what would happen to the rest of the alliance?
"Lelouch!" He jumped at the sound of his name, looking up as David charged at him. Lelouch stumbled backward, barely ducking David's wild swing. Lelouch swallowed and wiped his fingers off on his pants. He wouldn't be able to go off in thought like that, there wasn't time. Lelouch adjusted his grip on the knife, taking a deep breath before dropping into his best imitation of Suzaku's fighting stance as he waited for David to make his next move.
As expected, David charged him again, probably trying to get Lelouch to retreat. Lelouch stood his ground, lashing out as David passed him. He smiled at the cut that he made. It was a small cut and not something that would actually stop David, but it was enough of a confidence burst for him. Lelouch spun on his heel, taking the chance to stab his knife into David's shoulder.
David screamed and twisted to try and pull the knife out. Lelouch circled the tribute, lunging in to pull the knife out. Knife securely in hand, Lelouch backed up until he bumped into someone. He looked over his shoulder, smirking when he saw that it was Suzaku. He rolled his shoulder back, just enough to brush against Suzaku in reassurance.
Lelouch went to step forward, only to be grabbed by Suzaku and pulled back. When he turned to frown at Suzaku, his friend just shook his head. "Go to Shirley and Sophie."
"What?"
"They need help, Lelouch. I'm fine here."
"Suzaku-"
"I have a plan. We can't keep this up forever."
Lelouch gave him a glare to show his displeasure but followed Suzaku's orders. The two girls have him a thankful look before concentrating on the battle. Lelouch acted as a guard for their back, cursing as he watched Bart dart and weave through the trees as he fired arrows. Thankfully, Bart wasn't a skilled archer, but he was good enough to be an annoyance. Lelouch wouldn't do more than force Bart to keep moving, hoping that it would be enough to help the others.
It was enough, apparently, because they were slowly gaining ground on the other alliance. From his new position, Lelouch could see that they were forcing the others down the hill. Lelouch didn't know how they were managing it, they were just a small group that were together to try not to be killed immediately. And yet they were defeating the favorites for the Games. He was amazed that they were still alive at this point, although he could guess that they were doing better than them on the survival front, but that wasn't enough of a reason of their success.
Lelouch was brushed out of the way as Bart ran past him, Lelouch turning to try and slash at Bart only to stumble back. Luciano was calling for a retreat. Suzaku, Rolo and Mariel were pushing them right into the water. Lelouch swallowed and walked up to stand by Suzaku, watching the other tributes carefully. He tensed when Luciano looked his way before the tribute laughed.
"Alright, we'll let you guys off this time, we already had our fun. We'll get you next time, we can't have the Games getting too boring now can we?" Luciano chuckled, looking over them before pointing to Suzaku. "And I think that I'll try and get you. Then again, we might make a good finale, right Eleven?"
Suzaku didn't say anything, but he did tense. Luciano just laughed and gave a mocking wave before wading out further into the water. Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief. They were going to another hill, which was a good distance away. Luciano would be leaving them alone for a while, which was just what they needed. Lelouch kept watch until the other alliance was far enough away.
He looked over at Suzaku, expecting his friend to be happy about the victory. Instead, Suzaku looked furious. Lelouch reached out to touch Suzaku's arm, pulling away when Suzaku stepped back.
"They're playing with us."
"Suzaku, can't we just-"
"No. We haven't won, Lelouch. It wasn't a victory, it was a draw."
"Then take that, Suzaku."
"That wasn't what I expected to hear from you." Suzaku turned to stare at him, Suzaku slumping a moment later. Suzaku shook his head and reached out for Lelouch, stopping short of touching Lelouch's face. "Come on, let's get cleaned up. We can take advantage of this. We'll fish again later and make a feast."
Lelouch was tempted to snap at Suzaku, but he sighed and let Suzaku go ahead. The others looked just as exhausted. Lelouch waved his hand, relieved when the others acted on Suzaku's order. He stuck close to his friend as they walked over to where the water met the hill, kneeling on the ground. Lelouch stared at the water, jumping when something wet touched his face.
He looked over, surprised to see Suzaku dabbing at his face with a torn off bit of sleeve. Lelouch's first reaction was to shout at him for doing that. There would be worse times that they would need bandages, not for a small cut that he could easily take care of later. Lelouch turned his head away, hearing Suzaku laugh before the cold sensation of water against his cheek vanished.
"You did better than I expected."
Lelouch snorted and rolled his eyes. "Just because I'm not freakishly strong like you doesn't mean that I don't know how to fight."
"I know. I just forget sometimes."
"You'd better remember." The words came out softer than he had intended. "I can take care of myself, Suzaku. I had before I met you."
Neither of them had to say that it had been a different world entirely. Life in the palace had been tough, but not like this, not when Lelouch had lived in Pendragon.
He sighed and sat back on his heels, watching as others cleaned themselves off. Out of all of them, Sophie had the worst injuries, but those came in the form of many cuts. Then again, she had been in the thick of things. It could have been far worse. The others just had smaller cuts or scrapes, far less than what Lelouch had expected. Lelouch smiled to himself and stood up, drawing the attention of his alliance as he did so. Suzaku had been the one to lead them into battle, so now it was his turn to bring them back to calm.
He wiped his palms on his pants, putting on the most sincere smile he could manage at the moment. "That went far better than expected and it bought us the rest of the day. Thank you."
"They'll come back." Rolo glanced at Lelouch before wrapping his arms around himself. "We didn't stop them, we didn't even kill one."
"We didn't have to, all we had to do was prove that we're too difficult to just attack and expect and easy victory. We also managed to stave off another disaster. That is something. Take these little moments, there won't be more." Lelouch glanced over at Suzaku, noticing that his friend was smiling. He rolled his eyes at Suzaku and turned to look back at the rest of the alliance. It hurt his pride to have to scale back his plans, but he was still sure that they would work. "What we have to do is focus on getting out now. No more playing their game. And we'll start tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
Lelouch didn't catch who had spoke out in surprise, but it didn't matter. "Yes. We can't afford to just wait them out, we know that now. What would you prefer, more disaster or a chance to get all of us out alive?"
They didn't answer, they just looked at the ground. Lelouch took that to mean that they were thinking it over, and he would allow them the time to think. He was coming off the adrenalin rush from the fight and was suddenly exhausted. He sighed and sat down on the ground, not even bothering to get look up when Suzaku knelt beside him. Lelouch stared at the ground and gave his orders. "Set up a guard for the night and make sure to rotate. Tell them to watch for Luciano and to watch the water. We lost our rope so we'll all have to sleep on the ground tonight."
"Alright." The reply was almost whispered. For a moment, Lelouch was tempted to lean back into Suzaku, just for the familiar feeling of security, but he couldn't allow himself to. It wasn't fair to depend on Suzaku so much. He felt Suzaku's hand rest briefly on his head before Suzaku was walking away. "Rest, Lelouch. I can take care of things for a while."
It was only because Lelouch was exhausted, both by the fight and the sudden weight of what they would have to do. He pulled his knees to his chest and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Tomorrow they would eat and then make their way back to the Cornucopia, if the water had receded. From there they would gather what weapons they could before taking on the wall. Lelouch would plan out the attack afterward. He couldn't bring himself to think too far ahead, not when so many things could go wrong. Instead, he just listened to the sound of the others preparing the camp and let his mind go blank.
"Recording in five, four, three, two…what?"
Milly looked up at the interruption of her cue, the speech she was preparing about how well the Games had gone suddenly disappearing. It was on. She grabbed a fistful of her skirt under her desk and turned her attention to the television. The program that she had snuck into the studio was running.
She exchanged a glance with Rivalz as Diethard stormed away, shouting for someone to turn it off. No one made a move to do so. Most of them had been informed by the head of the channel and Milly to do nothing and just let it run. Everyone in the studio would have done anything in order to annoy Diethard, no matter what it was about. Milly almost wanted the others to know about what the broadcast was about, but she could name at least three people on the verge of alcoholism because of what their job entailed. Still, this was an important political matter, something that could change anything.
Milly spun around in her chair, raising an eyebrow at Rivalz, smiling at the amused look at his face. Of course, watching Diethard panic was amusing in its own way. She sighed and focused on the broadcast again, leaning her cheek against her hand.
"By now, I am sure that you have all heard the announcement mad by Princess Nunnally. I can assure you that her claims are valid." Milly looked up at the screen as silence came over the broadcast, watching the proof of Nunnally's lineage scrolled past on the screen, listening to the mutters from around the studio. Unlike the announcement from the emperor, Schneizel was providing all the evidence that they wanted, something that made her sit up straight. She had never thought too much about the political connotations, but the announcement showed that he supported Nunnally's campaign. Milly pushed her chair further away from the desk to get a better view of the broadcast.
"The fact that the empire denied these claims is something that I find appalling. Once again, the emperor has made a statement without looking into the matter. It took no longer than half an hour for me to find the proper information. Lady Marianne is alive and well, as she has been for thirteen years, under the protection of Prince Clovis.
"There are many things in this country that the emperor knows nothing about. Since I took the position of prime minister, the emperor has only taken interest in two things, the Hunger Games and expeditions to find mystical artifacts. Few if any of the legislation that has been focused on domestic affairs has been handled by the emperor, save what manipulations he needs to get people who have angered him into the Games, not that the act was ever hidden. It has been like that for the Games since Charles zi Britannia took the throne.
"For the sake of the people and Britannia, I refuse to continue on in this manner. While others may fear speaking out, I do not. Without the Games, there would be no need to fear. The other countries of the world have recovered and moved on from the disastrous war that put us in this state, yet we remain stagnant and we will continue to do so for as long as Charles rules as emperor. Is that the best for Britannia, to remain stagnant and tied to a past that consists of a yearly slaughter? I think not. The Games are best set aside; there is no one alive that believes in the rebellion that started the Games.
"This is full endorsement for Princess Nunnally's case, with full knowledge of what that means. Surely my commitment will be enough to encourage others. It is a prince's job to lead the people in the end. I can only believe the people will follow, as that is their job. There is only one way out of this situation and I believe that moving forward is better than remaining behind the times."
The broadcast flickered before it was shut off, Milly starting. She hadn't expected the message to run to the end, but at least everything important had been said. Now there would only be the backlash from the announcement. Milly looked down at the desk. There would be unrest over all of this, she was sure of it, but the Games would still go on. The Games would go on until only one tribute was left. Milly believed in the cause, but she didn't believe that they would be able to move fast enough, especially with the resistance that the emperor would put up.
She sighed and sunk back into her chair, listening to Diethard yell at the people gathered around the television screens. They would get organized soon enough and continue with their announcements like nothing had happened. Milly flipped through the slides again, trying her best not to look too depressed, she didn't want Diethard to yell at her too.
From Area 7 Yoshitaka Miniami. From Area 8, Ichijiku Hinata. From Area 10, Shogo Asahina.
Only three, which wasn't too bad considering the disaster. Two had drowned and one had been killed before the struggle between the two alliances. Milly had been sure that there would have been major casualties from the fight. Then again, there were other plans that she wasn't privy to, the ones that the tributes were making, and she was willing to be that Lelouch had a few good plans. Luciano was probably just thinking about whom to kill next or something mundane. Lelouch was sure to have something, something that would get his alliance out alive. Milly sighed and leaned forward, her fingers sliding onto the screen. "Bring them out alive, Lelouch. Please."
She swallowed and looked up, clearing her throat when Rivalz gave her a smile. She gave him a nod, a reassurance that she would be alright. If there was a chance that the Games could be stopped, then she would be alright.