Chapter Two: Far Away, Long Ago
Lelouch adjusted the backpack on his shoulder, glancing around the park before settling on a nearby bench. He sighed and tipped his head back, staring up at the sky.
He had been promised that someone would meet him here, someone who would either take him home or take him to a place where he could work. Lelouch's hands clenched on the straps of his backpack at the thought. Wasn't it enough that he had lived in an orphanage for his entire life? Why did he have to be shuffled off into the world without a second thought?
He sat up to stare out into the park, fiddling with one of the straps of the backpack to keep his hands busy. While his memory wasn't the most reliable, he did know that he had spent at least ten years at an orphanage, a run down place where he was shuffled forward every weekend in the dim hope that he would be adopted. Lelouch had known he was doomed when he had turned ten and no one had showed up. It was the weekend after his tenth birthday that the woman in charge had started reminding him that he would either be adopted, or she would find someone who would put him to work.
Lelouch could list off all of his faults and failures now because of that speech. He was too quiet, too morose and, when he did speak, too arrogant. People didn't like a child that corrected them. He was too skinny, not remotely healthy enough. What parent would want to adopt a child who looked like they would fall apart when the wind blew too hard? What place would hire him? He was too picky. The list went on and on.
He rolled his eyes, reaching for the locket that hung around his neck. As always, he had done nothing to change any of that. To be honest, he was afraid to change anything about himself. He couldn't remember anything from before he came to the orphanage and that had been when he was eight. Eight years of his life were missing and the only thing he had to remember it by was the locket.
Lelouch cradled the little heart shaped locket in his hands. It was white, with gold outlining the shape of the heart on both sides. In the center were four hearts arranged in a four leaf clover pattern, also on both sides. The locket was strung around his neck on a golden chain. It was completely unsuitable for a boy, but it was the only thing that was actually his. The backpack had been given to him, along with the change of clothes and other necessities in the hopes that he wouldn't come back to the orphanage.
Lelouch scoffed, gently turning the locket over. Like he would ever want to go back there. The other children had been nice, he had liked them. The problem was that they had all gone away while he had stayed behind, watching as others had been brought in to begin the cycle over. The people who had run the orphanage, however, were a bit too sharp with him for his own tastes. Their most common complaint had been accusing him of acting like a prince. He hadn't done that because he was named after one, it was just what felt right.
He rubbed his forehead, carefully opening the locket. He felt himself relax as he listened to the music; the song had always calmed him before. It was just what he needed at the moment, something to calm him down. If he was calm, then he could think about what he had to do next.
First of all, he had to meet up with the person that the orphanage said had expressed an interest in hiring him, which was why he was in the park in the first place. Apparently, the meeting had been arranged here, and his prospective employer already knew what he looked like. It annoyed him that the orphanage had just done this without his permission, but they were having enough trouble as it was with their sudden influx of children.
Lelouch blamed that on the Britannian nobles that were returning to Japan. Now that they felt safe enough, they were bringing their families, which often included their older children. Loosing Britannian nobles into a population considered new and exotic led to affairs, which led to unwanted children who ended up in the orphanages; most of whom got named after one of the dead members of the royal family. Lelouch had known three kids named Clovis and five named Charles growing up. When he had left, there had been three arrivals with his name, but all young enough to have their name changed without a problem.
He sighed and shook his head, leaning backward and staring up at the sky. If he failed to impress his future employer or just failed at the job that he was supposed to do then he would have to resort to the list of contacts that the orphanage had given to him. All of them were people who were always looking for workers and would help him settle into life outside of the orphanage.
After that he would be on his own, something that Lelouch was looking forward to. He appreciated all of the help that the people in the orphanage had given to him, but he wanted nothing more than to be in charge of his own life. With eight years of his life missing, he valued control, being able to control what he did and remembered.
He looked down at the locket before snapping it shut and tucking it back under his shirt. A glance at his watch showed that the person he was supposed to be meeting was late, which meant that he was in his rights to leave. But there was no where that he could go. Lelouch slumped on the bench, clutching at the backpack. He was just out on his own in Tokyo, waiting in a park for some strange person who only called themselves C.C.
Lelouch waited five minutes more before pushing himself off of the bench and slinging the backpack over his back. He couldn't force himself to sit there any longer; he didn't want to get stuck in a job that would have him going nowhere. And, since he was in Tokyo, this could be his one afternoon to actually see some of the city before he allowed himself to fall back into the drudgery of everyday life.
He smirked to himself as he strolled out of the park, in no hurry to go anywhere. There wasn't any particular place that he wanted to go, so he just walked, letting his feet take him somewhere. Usually he wouldn't do this, usually he was cautious, but it was his last day of freedom.
Lelouch stepped to the side to allow a large group to go past, surprised when someone grabbed his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and twisted out of the grip, stumbling away from the person who had grabbed him. He got a glimpse of an old man before he stumbled to a stop, unable to move back any further. Instead, he was jostled along with the rest of the crowd, Lelouch flinching when he was pushed up beside the old man again.
The man didn't attempt to grab him again, but he kept looking over in Lelouch's direction. Lelouch shivered and gripped the straps of his backpack tighter, looking for a place to get out of the rush of people and hide for a bit.
He found it quickly, a side path that everyone seemed to ignore. Lelouch looked at the overgrown weed and trees, making a face before deciding to take it, anything to get away from that man. He ducked onto the path, walking quickly until he was sure that he wasn't being followed. He didn't know why that man had grabbed him, but he didn't want to stay to find out. Lelouch shuddered and glanced up the path, vaguely curious as to what was up there.
He got a glimpse of a building through the trees, Lelouch tilting his head to the side before he edged forward. He would just see what it was, just to satisfy his need to know and categorize it. If it wasn't anything interesting, he would leave and settle down to actually find a place where he could stay. If it was something interesting, a few moments of exploration wouldn't hurt. It would at least keep him away from that man who had been shooting him strange looks.
Lelouch began to edge down the path, having to pick his way over the uneven pavement and push through the tall grass, quickly becoming annoyed with how hard it was to move. If there was a building back here, and it was as big as he guessed it was, why would anyone just leave a path like this to get overgrown? It was completely illogical. He growled as he pushed he was through one particularly tricky patch, stumbling when he finally got free.
He brushed off his pants, adjusting his backpack before looking up at the building. His mouth dropped open, Lelouch quickly snapping it shut. There was no real reason to be in awe, it was just an old building, Britannian in origin from the look of the architecture. But it was strange that this building would just be boarded up and left to fall apart when it could be used as a museum or a tourist attraction. Britannia would have offered the building to the Japanese government for one of those things, he knew that much. Britannia had been trying to get rid of anything that would remind the countries that they had once ruled that they had been there, probably because the royal family didn't want to be attacked again.
Unless this was the famed Aries Villa, then Japan wouldn't want to touch the place.
Lelouch was sure that was the explanation. Japan was embarrassed at its violent seizure of self governance from the Britannian Empire, since they had been working on a peaceful transfer. The Japanese government wanted to erase their former officials that had shamed them by attacking the Britannian royal family and wanted to hide the place where it had happened. It would explain the overgrown trail and the boarded up windows well enough.
He edged forward a few steps more. His curiosity was sated for the time being, so he could return to searching out those people. Then again, he could always use an hour of his time to explore the villa.
Lelouch shook his head. The impulse to explore didn't make any sense. The sun would be setting in a few hours and he needed to have gotten himself settled by then. Instead he was considering walking into an old building that could be nothing more than a death trap. Then again, he had never felt so comfortable with any building before. He reached up to clutch at the locket under his shirt for a moment before coming to a decision. If there was anything that could trigger a memory, even a fragment of one, then he would risk it. He had spent too much time trying to trigger his memories to pass this chance up.
He adjusted his backpack and walked towards the front of the villa, having to pick his way carefully to the front. Lelouch climbed the stairs to the entry way, glad that it was stone. He didn't have to worry about testing the boards to see if they had rotted. Lelouch swallowed and stared at the boarded up door, noticing that it didn't quite hang right on its hinges. At least he would have a way in if he could get past the boards.
Lelouch reached up, systematically nudging the planks to see if they would give, surprised when more than half of them moved easily at his touch. He looked over his shoulder before pulling two boards out, moving a few of the others away so he could slip through the hole he had made and press his shoulder against the door.
It took a moment of pushing before the door opened inward, Lelouch wincing at the groan that it gave. He threw a quick look over his shoulder, checking for anyone even though he knew no one had followed him there. Most of his view was blocked by the trees. Lelouch frowned before throwing all of his weight against the door. It finally gave, opening just wide enough for Lelouch to slip through.
He stumbled out into the entrance hall, Lelouch turning in a slow circle as the stared. The place was wrecked; fabrics trailing down the hall and broken pieces of junk littering the sides of the hall. Lelouch assumed that it had come from the panic of that night, the Britannians wanting to carry something away of value only to have to drop it. He shook his head and began to walk up the hall, fighting against the ridiculous urge to carefully inch his way along. There was no one here; no one had been here for ten years.
Lelouch straightened his shoulders and strode down the hall, forcing himself to ignore the paintings that all hung precariously on the walls. He wanted to ignore feeling that people were staring at him, especially when half of the people depicted were dead. But even ignoring that the villa was creepy. It was completely silent, a foreign notion to him since he had been raised in a noisy orphanage.
The hallway led straight to an intersection, Lelouch pausing in the middle and looking down the hall on either side. The one to his left took a turn that took it out of his line of sight, Lelouch having to lean back just to see a few inches around the corner. To his right, the hallway continued in a straight line before branching off again, intersecting with another hallway in front of two ornate doors.
He stared at the doors for a moment before taking a cautious step forward. Lelouch wasn't really looking forward to getting himself lost in the villa, not when anyone could come in and sneak up on him. He wasn't stupid enough to think that this place was just left alone, there had to be a few people desperate enough to search for something to take back as a trinket or to sell. He didn't want to be seen as a rival to them.
Lelouch glanced around one last time before walking over to the doors. He pushed one open, stepping out onto a staircase that led down to an enormous ballroom. Lelouch swallowed, letting his hand slide from the door as he slowly made his way down the staircase, staring at the dust covered floor.
He paused on the large landing, staring at the faded red carpet for a moment before walking forward again, stepping around a certain spot on the carpet that had managed to hold its original color.
A gunshot and a man falling forward, sprawling over the stairs and bleeding on the carpet. And then screams, lots of screaming and someone grabbing onto him and pulling him away.
Lelouch leaned on the railing and shook his head. It was a snatch of memory and even then it was nothing that he could actively qualify as his own. He could have just gotten that from a television broadcast, or his parents could have been murdered. It could have been anything, which was why those little snatches were the most annoying.
He clutched at his locket as he made his way down the stairs, staring at the ballroom. There was nothing here that interested him; he didn't even know why he had come here instead of checking out another section of the house. It was just a big empty room.
He stepped down from the last step onto the floor itself, sticking one hand in his pocket as he looked around. There weren't any doors on this level, and all the windows were sealed. Lelouch shook his head and turned back around, intending to go back up and look through the rest of this floor when something caught his eye.
Towards the back of the ballroom, under the overhang that the landing made was a collection of chairs. Only a few of them were still completely intact, the rest were strewn around the corner, lying in pieces in small piles. But, without the chairs out of the way, it was easy to see the carving in the wood of the wall.
Lelouch slipped under the overhang, staring at the carving in the wall. He reached out to run his fingers over the design, picking out the animals that made it up; a dog, a horse, a deer, a few birds. Then, further along, an antelope, a dragon, an elephant, a unicorn. He froze with his hand over a strange combination of animals.
"It's a chimera, it an animal that the Greeks made up. See, its part lion, part snake and part goat."
"And what's that?"
"A phoenix."
"I remember. It's called…"
Lelouch shook his head, turning around to stare out into the ballroom. He stumbled back into one of the broken chairs at the sound of laughter. He didn't believe in ghosts, it was just a stupid superstition. So this had to be one of the instances his mind played tricks on him. Lelouch gave his head another shake before walking out onto the floor of the ballroom, glancing around as he chased after different sounds.
There was the faint sound of an orchestra playing music. There was the faint shuffle of feet over the floor. There was a clang as a tray was lifted and another put in his place. A swish of skirts, the low rumble of a man's laughter and the high pitched squeals from children.
Lelouch turned, looking up towards where he had come in. Now, lost somewhere in between a world of phantom images and reality, he could almost see how the ballroom had looked; the huge windows letting in showing the night sky and reflecting the light from the chandeliers. People moving in complex patterns over the floor to the beat of the waltz that was being played. The red carpet was back to its original rich color, resting over the wood that made up the rest of the stairs. His gaze skipped over the portrait of the royal family to the landing, a smile crossing his face. There was someone standing there, someone leaning against the railing and…
He was here. After spending the first part of the evening looking for him, he was here. They would all be so happy and his first dance would be taken, but there would be others and time to talk. But that didn't matter because he was here and it suddenly wasn't so lonely.
Lelouch was debating on waving the person down, it wasn't right just to leave him here waiting. There were ladies that they had to dance with, half forgotten things that they had to talk over and something very, very important that he could no longer remember.
He was about to take a step forward when a shout jolted him back to the present. "Hey!"
Lelouch started backward, blinking rapidly as he waited for the person on the landing to disappear. When he didn't, Lelouch muttered a curse before turning and running. There had to be a way out of here that didn't involve turning back towards the stairs. Maybe if he could tear down some of the boards over the windows, he could escape and make his way back to the front of the villa and away from his place before the person caught up with him.
The sound of footsteps made him turn his head. A red headed woman was chasing him, followed by the man that had stood on the landing, and both of them were gaining. Lelouch swore under his breath and slowed down. He wouldn't have the time to escape, so it would probably be best just to attempt to bluff his way out. Maybe they would understand that he had just gotten lost, that he had been looking for someone, or that he had been dared to come into the villa.
He put on a smile, turning around and raising his hands above his head. "Hey, I can explain."
"Go ahead." The woman stopped in front of him, Lelouch watching her warily. She looked like a soldier, from the way that she held herself to the way that she reached down to her hip, like she was looking for a gun that she didn't have. Lelouch watched as her hand jerked back up before he looked up at her face, watching the woman narrow her eyes. "And you better make this good. This villa is not open to the public."
Lelouch couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. "Then why are you here?"
The woman gave a choked laugh before reaching inside of her jacket and pulling out a wallet. She opened it, holding it out to Lelouch so he could stare at the identification card tucked inside. "I'm a knight of Lady Marianne. I have every right to be here."
He raised an eyebrow before looking over at the man who had rushed up behind the woman. This one seemed even more dangerous than the woman. At first glance, Lelouch would have thought that he was just an ordinary person, but the second glance showed him the way that the man moved, precisely and collected like no motion was wasted. And there was a difference in the way that he stood, slumped slightly at first, but slowly returning to the proper parade rest. So this one was a soldier too.
Lelouch jerked his head towards the man. "What about him?"
The woman didn't even glance back. "He's here under Lady Marianne's orders as well, which just leaves you. Now, you said you had a good explanation for why you are here and I bet I can figure it out. I bet you have five kids at home and a wife expecting a sixth."
"What?"
"Everyone knows that there's money to be made from the stuff that you can find here. The Britannians are gone, but people haven't forgotten the mystique of the royal family."
"No." Lelouch shook his head, leaning over to choke back a laugh before straightening up again. "I wouldn't try that excuse. I just got lost and found myself here."
The woman stared at him before shaking her head. "You should have stuck to the story I gave you, because I don't believe that one at all."
"Kallen. Kallen, wait." The man grabbed at her arm, Lelouch watching as the man pulled her away. He raised an eyebrow at the look that the man shot at him. "Just wait."
"He's trespassing. I thought you would be more sensitive to this." The woman, Kallen, shook her head. "Especially after everything."
"Just let me look at him, Kallen."
"Why?" The suspicion in Kallen's voice matched Lelouch's own. He didn't remember seeing this man, aside from when he had stupidly walked out of his cover. Lelouch ducked his head, trying to hide his embarrassment. He had waved at the guy without even realizing that he had done it. He could always tell them that he suffered from memory loss, but that had never actually worked for him before, people always assumed that it was an excuse.
The man didn't answer; he just walked over to Lelouch and grabbed his arm. For a moment, Lelouch was tempted to struggle, but he stopped when he was pulled forward. Lelouch tensed as the man stared down at him, forcing himself not to tremble. He did pull a little on the arm that the man held. "Let me go."
The hold on his arm tightened for a moment before the man let go and stormed back across the ballroom. Lelouch glared after him, reaching up to rub his skin. He glanced at Kallen, surprised to see her immediately rush after the man. He expected that she would stay and attempt to drag him out of the villa, especially after all the effort she had given to running after him.
Lelouch let his arm drop to his side, watching the two climb the stairs and stop at the first landing. From his position, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could see them gesturing. In any case they were both distracted, which meant that this was a perfect time to escape. Lelouch glanced at the boarded up windows, shaking his head. If he tried to escape, they would hear him and probably drag him away again. His only way out was past them and Lelouch didn't think that he could sneak past a knight and a soldier.
He sighed and walked back towards the stairs. Maybe one of them would wave him on if he just apologized and promised to leave. Lelouch forced back his disgust at the idea of backing down so easily. Even if it wasn't his fault, it was obvious enough that this house was off limits to the public. He shook his head, walking up the stairs.
He paused where the two were, surprised that they hadn't noticed him. It was too good of a chance just to leave. Lelouch turned to make his way back to where the door was when he caught a bit of their conversation.
"They look exactly the same."
"So? I knew a boy in my elementary school that looked exactly like you. That doesn't mean anything."
Lelouch paused, looking over his shoulder at the two. To his surprise, Kallen seemed to be winning the argument, the man shrinking back.
"I know you want to find him, Suzaku. But you can't just drag every person that looks like him into Marianne. Do you want to be associated with those con men?"
"I would never do that!"
"Then you have to be sure that this is him. Are you sure?"
Suzaku glanced up at him, Lelouch shocked by the absolutely broken look on his face. "I can't, not right now."
"There you go." Kallen crossed her arms over her chest, tipping her head back to look at the portrait on the wall. Lelouch followed her gaze, frowning when he realized that he was at the wrong angle to look at the portrait. Against his better judgment, he began to walk back down the stairs so he could see it more clearly.
"But you have to admit that they look alike."
"I'm not saying they don't." Lelouch froze at the glare that Kallen shot him, relaxing as soon as she looked away. "All I'm saying is that it's not the only evidence that we're looking for."
Lelouch didn't hear Suzaku's reply; he was too busy staring up at the portrait. He recognized two of the people there, it was impossible not to. Everyone knew Emperor Charles zi Britannia and his common born wife, Marianne vi Britannia. Everyone had been shocked when the emperor had been killed, because everyone had thought that he was safe. Marianne was a different story; Marianne was every little girl's dream come true, a normal woman who had become a princess. Although that wasn't exactly true, people still loved her for her accomplishments, and pitied her for the loss of her son.
His eyes jumped to the princess that was sitting in the chair in front of her mother, smiling fondly at the little girl with the blonde hair. Lelouch took a step forward, tipping his head back so he could see her better. He didn't think he had ever seen Princess Nunnally so young; he was used to seeing her from the pictures of her with her mother, a tough young woman.
Lelouch resisted the urge to reach up and touch her, directing his attention to the last person in the picture only to take a step back. It was like looking at himself. He was a little more angular and his hair cut was differently, but those could be explained away by age. The facial structure was nearly identical, and then there were the eyes, the same purple that had once belonged exclusively to the royal family until one emperor had spread it to the rest of the population through his bastard children.
He took another step back, stumbling when Suzaku grabbed onto his shoulder. He turned to look at the man, not sure how to react when Suzaku smiled down at him. "See?"
"See what?"
Suzaku looked back down at him expectantly, Lelouch having to look away. He carefully pushed himself out of Suzaku's hold, glancing up at the portrait again. He was still in shock that he looked so much like the lost prince, but it didn't matter. Lelouch shook his head, raising his shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know. He looks a lot like me, but that doesn't mean anything, it could just be coincidence."
He bit his lip, debating on what he should say next. "But…I'm not sure. I don't remember about eight years of my life. I don't even know my real name. The orphanage just called me Lelouch, because they hadn't named a kid that yet."
"But-"
"The orphanages are filled with Britannian kids named after the dead members of the royal family." Lelouch turned to look at Suzaku. "It doesn't mean anything. And I can't remember anything. So I can't help you."
He turned to walk away, making it half way up the stairs before Kallen caught up to him. He gave her a sideways glance before ignoring her. She was probably just there to make sure that he left the villa and didn't come back. Lelouch had no intentions of returning, not when he had been teased by bits of his memory there and definitely not when he would have to stare at pictures of a dead prince who looked exactly like him. Now he was motivated enough to find one of those places that the orphanage had recommended and just disappear.
They walked out of the ballroom, Lelouch getting a few steps ahead before Kallen put a hand on his shoulder, putting more pressure on him when he went to walk away. "You know, you could get in trouble looking like that."
"Thanks for the warning." He pulled his shoulder out of her grip, turning around to face her. "I'll do my best to avoid everyone. But I don't think that anyone will take me in."
Kallen shrugged. "If they're desperate enough. Do you know the reward for finding that prince?"
"No, and I'd rather not know. I don't want to know how much I'm worth."
Kallen raised an eyebrow before nodding, going to turn away. "Good luck then."
Lelouch took a few steps, aware that she was still looking at him. He gritted his teeth and turned around, glaring at her. "What do you want?"
That got a laugh from her, Kallen leaning back against the wall. "To see if you'll actually go out there and risk being drugged."
"I hardly think people would do that."
"Really? When all they have to do is feed you a few lines? You already act enough like a prince."
"So what?" Lelouch snapped, already frustrated with the way this woman was keeping him from leaving.
His anger got a smile. "So, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have a reason. We're the official search group for Prince Lelouch, the ones that actually know what Marianne is looking for."
"Get to the point."
That only made her smile broader, Lelouch tempted to just walk away right then. But Kallen straightened up; apparently ready to actually talk to him instead of tease. "I've never seen Prince Lelouch myself, aside from all the pictures from when he was little. I never knew him, but Suzaku did. And I've never seen Suzaku react to a person like he's reacted to you."
"How can you be sure?"
"Do you think we can just walk around a country without being noticed? Fakes are thrown our way all the time. I trust Suzaku on this; he's the only sure thing we have. So, I'm willing to give you a chance."
Lelouch shifted the backpack on his back, pretending to think it over. He wouldn't actually consider anything until he had more information. "And what if I'm not what you're looking for?"
"Then we'll just drop you back here and you'll have lost maybe a week of your life. But you'd probably be a celebrity, the only person that Marianne's knights have picked up."
He played with the strap of his backpack. It would give him a chance to get out of drudge work for the rest of his life and it would neatly avoid a problem that he had never anticipated. If there were others looking for someone that looked enough like Prince Lelouch, then it would be safer for him to stick close to people who could protect him. And there was nothing that he would lose for the endeavor. He was on his own at this point anyway. Lelouch gave Kallen a long look before shrugging; he had to have more time to think this out, to go beyond what it would mean for him tomorrow.
Kallen seemed to anticipate this, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. She quickly wrote something before passing it on to him. "That's where we're staying, if you change your mind. Now, do me a favor and disappear before I get Suzaku out here. It's going to be hard enough to convince him to leave now that he knows you exist."
He nodded and slipped down another corridor, listening as Kallen shouted back into the ballroom. Lelouch didn't even bother to linger to try and eavesdrop; he walked down the corridor until he couldn't hear the shouting. Only then did he allow himself to fall back against the wall, his hand clenching around the address.
His best bet was to just take the chance, it was better than just living out the rest of his life being bored. But there was a part of him that was scared. He would be entrusting his life to these people that he didn't know, these people who would just let him assume that he was Prince Lelouch.
There was a danger there too.
If he allowed himself to think that he was the prince and then was proven to be a liar it would be like losing his memories all over again, he would have no purpose, no life.
Lelouch swallowed and pressed his head back into the wall, muffling a groan. He was trapped either way he looked at it. It was just a matter of taking the course that would leave the least amount of damage. But, if he just decided to work all of his life, he would be bored and without his memories. If he went with Kallen he would at least have a short time where he could believe that he had a past, that he was actually someone instead of just another Britannian orphan.
That just led him back to his trust issue. He was sure that Kallen was being sincere; he didn't think she could fake that kind of confidence. But having a grasp of her basic personality and trusting her were two different things.
It was Suzaku that disturbed him the most. He had only met the man and he already trusted him a fraction. Lelouch shut his eyes and tried to pin point it on some real evidence, maybe on the way that he was honest and open with his eyes. But there was nothing, just the nagging feeling that Lelouch should trust him, just because he had waved at him.
No. Lelouch frowned, that wasn't the entire reason. He trusted Suzaku because of the feeling that he had been waiting for Suzaku.
Lelouch nearly laughed at that idea. He trusted someone on a half remembered memory, one that he wasn't even sure was real. But, then again, Kallen had said that Suzaku had known Prince Lelouch, so maybe Suzaku could be the one to fill in some of the gaps in his memory. And that was useful enough to tip the scales in favor of going with them.
He unclenched his fist, staring at the crumpled paper and taking a deep breath.
Nunnally watched her mother carefully, taking in the way one hand curled over the edge of the desk while the other wasn't visible. Marianne's left hand was probably gripping the armrest of the chair in its usual death grip as she soaked in every moment that she had with Lelouch.
Except this wasn't Lelouch.
Nunnally looked back at the man who was standing in the middle of the room, still on a long tirade in an attempt to answer a simple question. She would never completely understand why her mother continued to allow these imposters in. Of course she knew that Marianne was still looking for her son, Nunnally never went a day without looking for Lelouch either. A man that looked about the right age with black hair would always catch her attention, never mind the logic that Lelouch could have changed drastically in the ten years that he had been missing. She just wanted her brother back at any cost, save for one.
These repeated failures were hurting her mother. Despite the advice that both Euphemia and Milly offered Marianne, her mother kept asking to see the imposters that came in the hopes that they could claim the reward money and live like a prince for the rest of their lives. Surprisingly, many of them were good, but they all failed eventually and that would break Marianne's heart. They had been looking for Lelouch for ten years, and it seemed no one would find him.
Nunnally had almost come to the point of begging her mother to give up a few times, just to make sure that Marianne wouldn't be hurt anymore. She was hurt by the imposters, but her memories of her brother were faded, replaced by the confusion and fear of the night that her father had been killed. It wasn't the best defense, but at least it stopped her from being depressed by another failure.
Another glance at Marianne had Nunnally standing up, annoyed when the impersonator didn't stop his rambling. She took a deep breath before cutting him off. "And Schneizel was the only one that could beat you at chess because Clovis was never good at strategy." Nunnally glared at the man, slightly surprised when he dared to glare back. She straightened up, gesturing at the door. "You are dismissed."
The man glanced at Marianne, like he was waiting for a signal from her. Nunnally narrowed her eyes at that. Marianne might be the one offering the reward money, but she had just as much power as the rest of her siblings. Nunnally repeated her dismissive gesture, watching as the man slunk away. She could trust that the rest of the staff would lead him out the door.
When she was sure that he was gone, Nunnally walked over to Marianne, gently prying her hand away from her desk. "Mother?"
"Nunnally…why..."
"It wasn't him, Mother." Nunnally winced at the pleading look that Marianne gave her. Of course Marianne wanted to believe that it was Lelouch, she still blamed herself for not pulling him into the car sooner. Nunnally had listened to all of the variations of Marianne's explanations for why Lelouch wasn't with them, and they all came down to that it was her fault, her failure as a mother.
Nunnally sighed and wrapped her arms around Marianne, not liking the way that her mother trembled. "We both know that it wasn't him, mother. He was giving the standard answer verbatim." She felt Marianne clutch at her arm, Nunnally closing her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"We'll find him next time."
She tensed at that, looking down at her mother's head. If she had her way, there wouldn't be a next time. As much as she hated to say it, she didn't want to look anymore, not if it was hurting them this badly. Marianne had gone from the strong knight and soldier of the guard's stories to a tormented woman, all because she had lost a child.
Nunnally stroked her mother's hair before pressing a kiss on the top of her head, not saying anything. She didn't have to.
Marianne gave a choked sigh before nodding slowly. "There's still a team out looking for him."
"We'll call them back."
"Alright…but what about Suzaku? He won't stop, not even if I ordered him."
Nunnally nodded, humming to herself. There was really nothing either of them could do about Suzaku; he would keep searching no matter what. Even if they came out and agreed officially with the statement from the emperor that Lelouch was dead, Suzaku wouldn't give up. Lelouch's loss was going to haunt Suzaku for the rest of his life.
Nunnally had seen how he and Euphemia had danced around each other for that one year that Euphemia had stayed with them, but Suzaku hadn't let it grow into anything. Any time Marianne asked for volunteers to go chasing after rumors of Lelouch, Suzaku would be the first up. He would be gone for months at a time, and Nunnally would have to watch Euphemia realize that she would never be able to actually have all of Suzaku to herself. It was why Euphemia had left after a year and hadn't come back.
There were times that Nunnally wished that she could just leave like Euphemia, she didn't want to sit and watch the people that she loved most slowly kill themselves.
She pulled away from Marianne, smiling at her mother. "I'll think of something."
Nunnally watched her mother carefully, about to stammer out some plan to continue searching for Lelouch when Marianne reached forward, gently tipping the picture of Lelouch down onto her desk. Nunnally stared at the back of the frame before taking a step back, feeling slightly sick. She had just wanted to stop her mother from tormenting herself, not to make Marianne stop completely.
She watched as Marianne got up from her desk, eagerly accepting the hug that her mother pulled her into. Even wrapped up in her mother's arms, she couldn't stop staring at the picture that Marianne had put face down on the desk.
Marianne was the first to pull away from the hug, walking to the office door and calling for Jeremiah. Knowing her mother, Marianne was probably going to go for a long ride or a long walk, anything that would keep her attention from the decision that she had just made. Nunnally winced, glancing back at the picture before quickly walking out of the office. If that was the final decision then she would stick with it. Maybe it was time to let Lelouch go.
Kallen slammed her shoulder into the door to their hotel room, smiling when it finally swung open. She tossed the key onto the table, slipping off her jacket and tossing it onto the bed. Kallen ignored the sound of singing coming from the bathroom, flopping onto the bed and wrestling off her shoes before collapsing back.
The singing abruptly stopped, Kallen lifting her head from the bed to see Gino leaning out of the bathroom, rubbing a towel against his head. "I thought you said you were bringing Suzaku back."
"I am. He's grabbing food."
"Kallen…"
"Don't 'Kallen' me." She huffed and propped herself up on her elbows. "He volunteered."
The towel dropped out of Gino's hands. "He volunteered? What's got him in a good mood?"
Kallen just grinned, earning a pout from Gino. The blond picked up his towel and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the door open. "Fine, don't tell me. You know I'll just ask Suzaku, right?"
"I know. But you two need more bonding time anyway."
"We've bonded plenty. I could list off the times you left us stranded with no idea where we were going."
"You had a map."
Gino walked out of the bathroom, a towel on his head and his shirt unbuttoned. "I was trained to be a knight, which means I will spend most of my time standing to one side and looking dashing. I was not trained to read maps."
"Stubborn noble."
Gino just laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair, letting her catch his wrist. She glared at him before letting his wrist go, breaking out into a smile as soon as he stepped away. They had been like this for as long as she could remember.
At first, Gino had annoyed her because he was from a noble family and had goofed off most of the time. It had taken her a while, and Suzaku talking to her about it multiple times, for her to finally accept that Gino wasn't looking down at them, he was always annoyingly happy. Better yet, he seemed to be a steadying influence on Suzaku where she couldn't be. Gino actually had the patience to try and talk him out of his funks while Kallen was always tempted to strangle Suzaku and just be done with it.
She shoved his hand away as he tried to ruffle her hair again, scooting out of the way so he could collapse back on the bed with a long sigh. Kallen looked over her shoulder, hesitating before reaching out to run her fingers up his side. Gino jerked, twisting in an attempt to get away from her as he laughed. "No! Kallen don't! Have mercy!"
"That's what I thought." She flicked her fingers against his side before scooting away; biting her lip to keep from laughing as Gino nearly tumbled from the bed.
He recovered quickly enough, hauling himself back towards the center of the bed while carefully guarding his sides from her. "Now, what is this about Suzaku?"
Kallen raised one shoulder in a shrug. "He's in a good mood for once. Can't we leave it at that?"
"Yes, but why. I know him well enough to know that Suzaku being in a good mood is something that doesn't happen often and not without a reason."
Kallen's smile wavered. She dropped her gaze to the covers, picking at it as she went over the encounter at the Aries Villa in her head. Gino had just sent her after Suzaku so they could start looking again. Instead, she had ending up calling Gino and ordering him to head back to the hotel. With that order and the knowledge that Suzaku was in a good mood for once, he was bound to be curious, and she owed Gino that explanation, just in case.
She pulled her knees to her chest. "Suzaku thinks we've found him."
"What?" The bed moved as Gino sat up, Kallen not bothering to turn back to face him. She just nodded.
"When I went to get Suzaku at the villa, there was this guy there. I meant to chase him away, but Suzaku insisted that he was Lelouch."
"Do you think he is?"
"I don't know." Kallen sighed, turning sideways and falling onto the bed. "I just don't know anymore. Normally, I'd trust Suzaku with something like this, but you've seen how he is. Then again, he's the only one who would have the best chance of finding Lelouch."
"And?"
"I asked the guy to come along. What else could I do? If we didn't pick him up, then someone else would have and Suzaku seemed so sure…"
"So what's the problem?"
"The problem?" Kallen rolled into her back. "Gino we could be wrong. Have you thought of that? We could be walking right back to Lady Marianne with another imposter."
"Then we test to make sure." Gino rolled his eyes, propping himself on one elbow. "Listen, we get him to agree to a DNA test or," Gino waved a hand, "something like that and, while it's cooking, we bring him to Marianne. We introduce him with the warning that the firm evidence is coming soon and sit back and see if we've managed to do our job."
"And what if we mess up?"
"Then we mess up."
"Gino!" She rolled over, pinning him to the bed and glaring down at him. "I'm being serious. What if we mess up?"
"Lady Marianne won't hold it against us." Gino frowned, lifting one hand to rest it against her shoulder. "We'll have to watch Suzaku carefully after that though."
"Yeah." Kallen let out a breathless laugh, ducking her head. She couldn't even imagine what Suzaku would try to do if he was faced with that kind of failure. She sighed, glancing up as Gino patted her shoulder, probably about to offer some reassurance when the door to the room opened, revealing a confused Suzaku.
"You guys could have left the sign for me."
Kallen snorted, rolling off Gino and making sure to knee him in the side. "We weren't doing anything."
Suzaku shook his head, dropping the bags on the desk and walking over to the other bed. "That doesn't look like not doing anything."
Kallen glared at him, but Gino was the one to respond. "Well aren't you in a good mood. Did anything happen to you today?"
Suzaku just grinned at the two of them, but his hand noticeably strayed into his pocket. It jerked back as someone knocked on the door, Suzaku shooting them a confused glance before he walked over to the door. Kallen reached down for her back, Gino stopping her halfway through the move with a shake of his head. It was probably nothing too horrible, maybe a message that they had just missed.
She forced herself to relax as the door swung open, surprised to see the guy from the villa standing there. And, from the way Suzaku stumbled back, he was surprised too.
The man glanced at Suzaku, staring at him for a moment before turning his attention to Kallen. He carefully remained outside of the door. "I thought about what you said."
"And?" The question escaped her before she could look at Suzaku. But, when she did, he looked shocked. She forced herself to look away from him, watching as the man shifted his weight.
"I decided that you were right. I'd be better off taking my chances with you."
"I knew you were smart." Kallen stood up, gesturing for the man to come in. She had to cross the room to shut the door behind him, Suzaku still leaning against the wall and staring at the man with wide eyes. Kallen shook her head and patted his shoulder, surprised when he didn't react. She pulled away, giving Suzaku a worried look before turning her attention to their guest. "But I thought that you would wait longer."
The man chuckled. "I didn't like the stares that I was getting." He sat down on the chair, glancing around the room. "So, you promised me a chance to try my luck. What exactly will that entail?"
Kallen looked over at Gino, surprised when he motioned for her to go on. Apparently, he was with her on this, which only left Suzaku. At the moment, Suzaku was still too much in shock to do anything. Kallen cleared her throat, motioning for Gino to move. "Well, most of the effort will be answering questions about yourself." Her eyes narrowed as he paled, but the man just nodded. "But we'll be doing a DNA test, just to be sure."
"And the deal still stands? If I'm not him, I'm not punished."
Kallen nodded and stuck out her hand. The man stared at it for a while before reaching out and taking it. She frowned at the lose grip, tightening her own and giving his hand a good shake before pulling away. She had to fight back the laugh that threatened to come out as she saw him gently rubbing his hand. She turned her attention to the food that Suzaku had brought; sorting it out as she listened to Gino make the arrangements for their flight back to London.