Chapter Eight: Found You At Last
Suzaku carefully rolled out of bed, stretching as soon as he untangled himself from the covers. He winced at the cramp in his back from spending the entire night curled tightly around Lelouch. Despite the pain, he was in a good mood.
What he had thought was a one night stand was turning into something more like a relationship. Suzaku was sure that they were doing this backwards, starting to get to know each other after that first fumbling attempt at sex. Whenever Milly gave them time off from the relentless study sessions Suzaku and Lelouch would collapse against each other, which often led to sex. It wasn't until the afterglow that they had time to talk, and Lelouch would usually be muttering stories sleepily.
It was the first time in ten years that Suzaku could remember being content, even close to happy.
He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping Lelouch, shaking his head as he watched Lelouch gather the blankets closer to him. Lelouch was an unrepentant blanket hog, wrapping himself up in them even when Suzaku was with him in bed. As soon as Suzaku was up, Lelouch would gather the rest of the covers around him and continue to sleep.
Suzaku chuckled quietly to himself, stopping himself when Lelouch flipped over. He walked over to the closet, pulling out his uniform and starting to get dressed. Lelouch would be asleep for a while longer; he was the type of person who remained asleep for as long as possible before getting up and dragging himself around the room. Unlike Suzaku, who was awake instantly, Lelouch was slow to wake up.
He paused with one arm in the sleeve, staring at the bed. It had only been three days since they had pushed their friendship into a relationship and he was memorizing Lelouch's sleep habits. He blushed and finished pulling on the shirt, his fingers fumbling with the buttons. They were doing this all wrong and it was probably too fast, but Suzaku wouldn't have it any other way.
He smiled fondly to himself, finishing pulling on his uniform and beginning to straighten it out. Usually he would just find one of his high collared shirts and wander down to the kitchens to find the two of them breakfast, Lelouch would have been up by the time he had gotten back. But today was a special day. Today they would finally get their proof of who Lelouch was. After breakfast Princess Euphemia would be coming to interview Lelouch and, while he would be relegated to his usual position against the wall. It was an occasion that called for his formal uniform instead of jeans and whatever clean shirt he could find.
Suzaku turned toward the mirror on one of the closet doors, tugging his collar up to cover up the tattoo completely. He knew that Lelouch didn't care about it, but Euphemia still stared at it with fear, at least for a single moment.
A muffled sound from the bed made him turn around, Suzaku chuckling at the bleary look that Lelouch gave him. He was sure that Lelouch was glaring at him, by the way that Lelouch clutched his pile of blankets and his messed up hair. Suzaku shook his head and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. "Morning."
Suzaku assumed that the response his got was something along the lines of "Morning" as well, but he couldn't tell. He leaned over, gently pulling Lelouch's hand out from under the covers and holding it. Lelouch gave a weak tug before snuggling back into bed, Suzaku leaning over him. "No. No going back to sleep. Princess Euphemia will be arriving soon, and we can't be late for that."
That got Lelouch to sit up, Lelouch staring at him and seeming to realize that he was in full uniform. He pulled at Suzaku's sleeve, finally resting his hand on the sleeve. "You're in uniform."
"Yeah." Suzaku pulled back, staring down at the grey coat that he was wearing, carefully picking off a piece of lint. "It's an important day."
Lelouch sat up in bed, staring at Suzaku. Suzaku looked down at himself, not sure what Lelouch saw that made him gape like that. It was just the standard uniform for Marianne's guard, a grey jacket with gold trimming and black segments on the sleeves. There was a red sash that ran from his right shoulder to his left hip, the only bright color on the outfit. He stood up, pulling on the bottom of the jacket and glancing down at his grey pants.
He looked back up as Lelouch slid out of bed, not sure what to make of the frown on Lelouch's face. He jerked backward when Lelouch reached for the collar, just stopping himself from grabbing Lelouch's arm. Lelouch pulled the collar down far enough to see the tattoo. Lelouch sighed and let go of the collar, gently straightening it out. "Hm…impressive."
"Glad you think so." Suzaku gave him a little shove back to the doorway between their rooms. They had managed to end up in his room the night before. "But we still have to get you dressed and fed before meeting with the princess. I hope you remember those manners that Milly has drilled into your head."
"I don't think that I could." Lelouch smirked. "Milly would make my life miserable if I insulted a Britannian princess."
Lelouch shuffled off into his room, Suzaku busying himself with making the bed. He had to kick one of the sheets out from under the bed, wincing at the obvious stains on it. If Milly hadn't suspected what the two of them were up to before, she would have evidence now. Suzaku was sure that Milly got all of her gossip from the servants of the Ashford family. He gave the sheet a disgusted look; it wouldn't be long now before the news was all over the estate.
He pulled the blankets back up the bed, smoothing them down. Suzaku fluffed the pillows, setting them upright. Hopefully when the maid came through to put the rooms to right they would glance at the bed and leave it be. Suzaku was sure that he could sneak the soiled sheet into the laundry later on.
He stood up, staring at the bed to judge his handiwork. Suzaku turned away, jumping when he saw that Lelouch was standing in the doorway, playing with the gold trim on the jacket that had been found for him. Suzaku went to smile at Lelouch, worried when Lelouch didn't smile back. In fact, Lelouch refused to meet his gaze, instead looking everywhere but at Suzaku.
When he finally did look up Lelouch didn't look nervous or happy, he just looked serious. Suzaku was tempted to walk across the room and hug him, but he was sure that Lelouch wouldn't appreciate it. This was the look that Lelouch got when he contemplated Suzaku's tattoo or when he was trying to remember something that Milly had taught him. It was better to just wait for Lelouch to speak then try to make him talk about what he was thinking about.
Lelouch dropped his hand from the coat, looking up at Suzaku again. "What will happen after this?"
"Uh, that will just depend on what happens at the interview."
"That's not what I meant." Lelouch stared at him before shaking his head. Lelouch licked his lips, gesturing at the space between them before pulling his arm back so it pressed against his stomach. "What happens to us after this?"
Suzaku was distracted by the use of 'us', surprised how good it felt to be referred to like that. It felt good to finally belong somewhere, to be labeled with something that had pleasant connotations instead of bad ones.
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus when Lelouch frowned at him, knowing that Lelouch was impatient for his answer. The problem was that Suzaku didn't have one. He had spent the last three days just believing that what they had was a one night stand and then enjoying it too much to think about the future. That was his usual failing, thinking too much about the present to look to the future.
He rubbed the back of his neck, offering Lelouch a sheepish smile. It was another bad move on his part because Lelouch pushed away from the doorway, looking completely angry.
Lelouch stepped completely into Suzaku's room. "I want an answer Suzaku. What will you do if I'm not the lost prince?"
Suzaku stared at Lelouch. Even if he had gotten over the fact that that this Lelouch wasn't the same as the Lelouch he had known eight years ago, he had never really contemplated what would happen after the interview. There was still some part of him that believed that everything would go off without a hitch and everything would fall into place after that. But he had been through enough to know that the chances of that happening were slim to none. He should have been thinking about that question before now, especially since they hadn't addressed it after their first night of fumbling. Lelouch probably believed that Suzaku had just said it to sleep with him.
He glanced up at Lelouch, not surprised to see the glare directed at him. He was taking too long with this question, but he wanted to think it over so it came out right. This was important, too important for Suzaku to mess up like he had messed up the rest of his life thus far.
He cleared his throat and met Lelouch's gaze, careful to keep his voice steady. "I promised Prince Lelouch that I would return something of his and I don't think I would be able to refuse if they offered me the position of his personal knight."
"I see."
Suzaku flinched at the terse remark, rushing over to grab Lelouch's arm before he left. Lelouch glanced back at him and pointedly tried to pull his arm away, Suzaku refusing to release it. Suzaku waited until Lelouch had stopped struggling before continuing, carefully letting go of Lelouch when it looked like he was calm. "But I have every intention of seeing how far this will go."
"You want to carry on a relationship and be a personal knight to a prince?"
"I owe my friend that much and I owe you a chance to see this through to the end." Suzaku took a step back, really wanting to sit down. But sitting down would break his eye contact with Lelouch and it would be taken as a retreat. Besides, what Suzaku really wanted to do was to sit down and slump, but he was wearing his uniform. He could slump in civilian clothes, but it was impossible for him to slump while in uniform, that had been drilled into him during his basic training. He swallowed, forcing himself to meet Lelouch's gaze instead of finding somewhere else to stare. "This is too new to make decisions like this."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "You do know what being a personal knight entails. You're essentially giving them your life."
"I know." Suzaku kept himself from raising his voice. "I know what it means; I was going to be his knight before all of this happened."
"Then you should know better than to offer this."
Suzaku glared at Lelouch, barely keeping his temper in check. He didn't want an argument, not this early in their relationship. What they had was shaky and mostly based on sexual attraction. That wouldn't be enough to last them through a fight. And then there was the issue of his own stubbornness, something that rarely reared its head. He wanted to keep his old dream and this budding relationship. Even with everything that he had been through, he was still the little boy who didn't want to give up anything that he had wanted and worked for.
And then there was the fear that he would blurt something else out. The first time had been an accident. Everyone could guess that he was suicidal, but no one could know for sure, because it would just worry them. But he had told Lelouch. He couldn't imagine getting a good reaction from Lelouch when he confessed how selfish he really was. He just wanted everything to come together his way, with his prince and a chance at something with Lelouch.
He pulled back his shoulders. "I'm not willing to let this go yet, Lelouch."
Lelouch sighed and shook his head, Suzaku watching the motion and suddenly becoming desperate to make Lelouch understand. "I can't give him up, Lelouch, I've been looking for him my entire life and I just can't let him go again. It would be like demanding you to forget everything you've remembered since you had woken up in the orphanage."
That made Lelouch recoil, Suzaku relaxing at the moment of understanding that he glimpsed on Lelouch's face. He had made Lelouch understand, meaning that it was time to retreat. That was one thing that he was sure that he had the advantage over Lelouch in, he was slightly more willing to step back and accommodate. The stubbornness in Lelouch wouldn't allow him to retreat unless there was no other option.
He took a step forward, reaching out to touch Lelouch's shoulder. "I probably won't be promoted immediately. The prince would have to settle in here, be introduced to the royal family and figure out his place with the family before he could even accept a knight, especially if he needs a certain family's political support. Besides, eight years is a long time to not see each other, we'd have to trust each other again. The most important thing between a knight and his prince is trust."
It wasn't too much of an explanation and Suzaku was sure that it wasn't enough to completely convince Lelouch. But Lelouch relaxed anyway, leaning slightly into Suzaku's touch. Suzaku wasn't sure whether his willingness to compromise or the fact that he had been ready to put Lelouch above his prince had convinced Lelouch. He fervently hoped that it wasn't the latter. From the first moment that he had met Prince Lelouch he had been groomed to place the safety of the prince above his own. His time as a guard had only reinforced that idea. Suzaku was sure that his mindset of royalty first would eventually become a problem, but that would give him time to see if what he had with Lelouch could work out.
He was aware that he had been staring Lelouch far too long, offering Lelouch a smile as a response to the confused look that was shot his way. He let his hand drop from Lelouch's shoulder, gesturing towards the door. "Come on, let's get you fed. I don't think that facing Princess Euphemia with an empty stomach is a good idea."
"It could have been worse. Cornelia could have been the one to do the interview." Lelouch smirked, stepping around Suzaku to get to the door.
"Don't think that she'll take it easy on you."
"I wasn't, but I have no reason to be nervous. I have all of the training that most of the other people did and they managed just fine." Lelouch paused, turning around to fix the collar on Suzaku's jacket. Suzaku let him, trying his best not to look surprised as Lelouch reached around to cradle the back of his neck when he was done. "Besides, I'll have you there as support."
"Of course."
Lelouch nodded, letting his hand slide away. "Then I'm all set."
He turned and walked out of the room before Suzaku could respond, the guard still frozen in the act of reaching for him. Suzaku flinched and pulled back his hand. He had intended to let Lelouch know that he was rooting for him, that he believed that Lelouch was their best chance. That was the closest he could get to full support now, he couldn't bring himself to say that Lelouch was the lost prince anymore, not without evidence.
Suzaku sighed and stuck his hangs into his pockets, curling the fingers of his right hand, expecting to find the pin. He started when they closed around nothing. Suzaku rushed to his bag. It was the first time in a while that he had actively sought out the pin for comfort; he had been trying to break himself of that habit. Now he felt like he needed it, something to keep him distracted while Lelouch spoke to Euphemia, something for luck.
He pulled the pin out from the bag, carefully unwrapping it from the shirt that protected it. Suzaku allowed himself a moment to look it over, brushing a finger over the delicate white wings. He stood up slowly, tucking the pin into his pocket and wrapping his fingers around it. Feeling steadier, Suzaku left the room to follow Lelouch down into the dinning room.
It was hard not to play with the chain around his neck. Euphemia wasn't even there and he was already reaching for his coping mechanism. But that wouldn't be princely and, just for now, he had to play the role of the prince. Focusing on that thought was easier than trying to avoid looking back to where Suzaku stood against the wall or not meeting Kallen's gaze. It was far easier to sit upright in his chair and taken on a bored look.
Lelouch let his gaze drop to his feet, suddenly feeling displaced. He had avoided looking in mirrors as he had gotten dressed or looking at the fine clothes that he had been given. Just seeing Suzaku in his official guard uniform had been enough to make him uneasy. It had just taken a simple change of clothes to dismiss the Suzaku that he had come to know and replace him with Suzaku, the royal guard. It had been enough to make him doubt everything and finally demand an answer to the question that had been bothering him since the first night they had slept together.
The answer hadn't made him feel any better. Suzaku would still put Prince Lelouch over him. But the fact that Suzaku was willing to compromise and try to stay in his life had been a bit of a relief. Lelouch was sure that, if it came down to a choice between him and the prince, he would lose. That didn't mean that he couldn't make the most of the relationship, but it was a little disheartening.
He sighed and closed his eyes. He might as well get used to the idea that he was going to lose Suzaku. Even if he was somehow related to the Britannian royal family, he doubted that Prince Lelouch would allow an illegitimate son to keep his name and his knight.
Lelouch tightened his grip on his armrest, forcing himself to calm down a moment later. For now the lost prince was not a problem, and it would just make his life more difficult if he stressed out over something that might not even happen. Until he had a proper grasp of the situation, Lelouch would have to wait.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The thing to concentrate on was the interview, on playing the part. Some part of him balked at the idea, but Lelouch ignored it. He wasn't Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, he wasn't all fine manners and a royal pedigree. He was just Lelouch Lamperouge from Japan, more likely to spout out a scything witticism than a charming remark. There would always be a part of him that was more used to wearing worn clothes than elaborate outfits. There was always a part of him that would need to act.
Lelouch opened his eyes as he heard the door open, standing up and bowing as Gino escorted Princess Euphemia into the sitting room. He waited until Euphemia was seated before sitting down himself, not sure if he should risk giving her a smile or just to wait for her first question.
Euphemia just laughed softly. "You know, you look so much like my brother when you do that, especially dressed up like that."
Lelouch blinked in confusion, not knowing what she was referring to. To hide his confusion, he looked down at the black and gold coat he was wearing. He resisted the urge to pull the cravat looser; feeling like it was chocking him. "I would have thought was more in His Majesty's style instead of mine."
"Lelouch was always trying to imitate Schneizel." Euphemia laughed, leaning back in her chair. "As much as he hated being younger and constantly beaten by him, Lelouch still tried to imitate him."
That had been Schneizel; elegant clothes, kind words and grand gestures that all but hid a not so sincere smile.
He looked away as Euphemia sighed, about to try and start the conversation when she cleared her throat. "I'm sure you'll feel better just getting started as fast as possible. So, we'll begin with the basics. You were born…"
"On December 5, 1999 at the Aries Villa." He hesitated, torn between just reciting the answers that he head learned and adding a bit of elaboration to his answers. There was a chance that the latter would be more likely to convince her. Lelouch tipped his head to the side. "It snowed early that year."
"I've heard that." Euphemia smiled kindly, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hand. "So, what were your favorite things to do?"
"Read, play chess…" Lelouch felt himself smile. "Play with Nunnally."
"Nunnally?"
"My sister." The answer came easily, Lelouch barely realizing that the interview had turned into more of a conversation. "Before she was born I mostly tried to play chess, but after she was born I spent a lot of time playing with her."
"You must have resented her for taking up your mother's attention."
Lelouch recoiled before he had properly processed the emotion. He tried not to show his shock on his face, settling for just watching Euphemia carefully. The interview had quickly gone beyond what he had prepared for. He narrowed his eyes, catching the partial smile that Euphemia gave to him.
She knew what she was doing them. This deliberate planning was something that he had never expected of Euphemia. He had always seen her as the naïve and cheerful princess. Then again, she was Cornelia's sister; she would have something cunning about her. Perhaps he had been wrong to fear Cornelia more, Euphemia was obviously the master at throwing people off, all while keeping her smiling public image. What made her more dangerous was that she knew what she was doing and that she was careful not to abuse this cunning.
Lelouch smiled and leaned forward, silently accepting her challenge. "I could never be jealous of Nunnally. It's impossible."
"Well there must have been someone you were jealous of."
Lelouch tired not to show how relieved he was that she was moving back to the things he knew. "Schneizel. He always beat me at chess."
Euphemia laughed, Lelouch finding himself relaxing. She had issued a challenge and he had met it without a problem. As long as he kept himself ready for more challenges it would be an easy interview.
She stuck close to the usual questions that Milly had quizzed him on, moving through his childhood in Pendragon and then in Japan. Euphemia skipped over the events of the massacres, going to the specifics of his life. She ran through his favorite foods and pastimes with a short tangent into some of his favorite games outside of chess before moving on to what he had done in Japan
"You catch zarigani like this."
"What?"
A confused glance. "Zarigani? Um…I guess you would call them crayfish." Laughter. "I thought you knew Japanese."
"I know real words, the words you use in conversation."
"That is a real word and we are using it in a conversation."
Annoyance and embarrassment. "So, how do you catch zarigani?"
"Easy. You tie a string to the back leg of a frog."
"Lair."
"I'm not." Laughter. "That's how you do it."
"Prove it."
Lelouch started out of his thoughts, looking up at Euphemia in the silence. He was sure that he hadn't missed a question, Euphemia had kept quiet after the questions about his time in Japan with Suzaku, and she had only stuck to the questions that Milly had drilled him on.
He tensed as Euphemia sighed. He caught himself reaching for the chain of the locket, forcing himself to grip the armrest instead.
The motion caught Euphemia's attention, the princess shaking her head and sitting up straight. "You've done well so far, all exactly as rote."
"Ah." Lelouch cleared his throat. "So now you intend to have me answer questions that only the prince could answer." He didn't wait for her to nod, looking over at Gino. "Have you seen the results of the DNA test?"
"No, and I won't until we are through here."
Lelouch hummed to himself, trying to relax. Here was where he would start to struggle; he only knew the direct answers. These would require knowledge of the family and he only knew them only from what he had seen on the news. He shifted in his seat so he could see Suzaku out of the corner of his eye. Just seeing the guard was enough to steady him. There was something reassuring in the fact that Suzaku had thought that he could be Prince Lelouch, none of the others had managed to get that much to his knowledge. Lelouch swallowed and nodded. "Go ahead."
Euphemia smoothed her hands over her skirt. "Alright then. I'd like to start with your mother. What did you think of her?"
Lelouch stared at her before looking away. "I…I loved her." The look that Euphemia gave him said that she expected that.
Lelouch bit his lip. Of course she wouldn't believe it, anyone could have said that. The problem was that he didn't have the emotion behind it to be convincing, but he had no memory of his mother, just the general feeling of being safe.
He slumped back in his seat. "I'm sure that I would love her, no matter what she did."
"Even after she had another child?"
"Nunnally could have never been a bad thing." He could only remember the smiling princess from the news, always smiling despite everything that had happened to her. She had always been in the background and had never spoken, but she was the darling of the world, second only to the crown prince of Britannia.
But that wasn't quite the right answer, it was still rote. His only choice was to act the part, to put something into his answers to convince Euphemia. He glanced over at Suzaku, about to revise his answer when Euphemia spoke up again.
"There's actually only one thing that I really want to know. You can ignore the other questions if you want to." She waved her hand dismissively, Lelouch glancing up at her face. Euphemia looked nervous, Lelouch not sure how to take that. She had looked nervous the entire time, but this was different, this was putting him on edge. He tried to fight down his flight instinct as Euphemia continued. "I wanted to try and avoid the topic for as long as possible, it's not a fond memory for many of us. But I can't just leave this one out." She took a deep breath. "On the night of the massacre, what happened? What happened after you left the ballroom?"
Lelouch felt his mouth go dry. No one knew what had happened to the living members of the royal family between the time of the first gun shots were fired and when they arrived at the airstrip safely. Only those that had died had gotten their paths traced out, the rest was a mystery to the public.
He glanced over at Suzaku, not sure that it was the right thing to do. Suzaku wouldn't be able to tell him the answer. Lelouch closed his eyes, trying to dredge up what he remembered from the history books.
"We went to get Nunnally. She had been sent to bed about an hour before with you and Karine." Lelouch let his hands slide off the armrests. "I was happy, because I was getting to stay up late for once. I felt important…"
He trailed off, swallowing before forcing himself back onto topic. "We ran as soon as they shot Father. Mother was faster than I was, so I didn't get there until she had already woken Nunnally. It didn't take that long, but people were already running through the hallways. Mother woke Nunnally up and we were going to leave."
Lelouch clenched his hands, opening his eyes and immediately looking at the floor. He was repeating himself, he knew that much. He fought to urge to glance at Suzaku, to see if he was telling the story right. Suzaku wouldn't have told him even if he did know; this was something he was expected to do on his own.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. There was something important about the room, the fact that it had been Nunnally's room. His mother had always insisted on that room when they were at Aries Villa. It was the same reason that she had pushed for the same room for Nunnally every time they had been at the Imperial Palace, beyond trying to keep a sense of normalcy for a young girl. This was an important reason, because those had been his rooms once. The reason was so obvious, but he kept missing it. All he could remember was that they were specially made to protect the royal heirs. His mother must have shown him how to use the safety feature, but he couldn't remember how to use it now. He had never had to use it.
But he was letting himself get distracted. The important thing was what had happened that night. He partially remembered running up the stairs and charging into Nunnally's room. But his mother had already…
Lelouch looked up, meeting Euphemia's gaze, speaking quickly so he wouldn't lose the memory. "There was a door, in the wall. Mother had opened it before I had gotten there and she was getting ready to take us out through there." He reached up to play with the chain around his neck, not realizing what he was doing. "We left through that passage."
There was something more, something that he couldn't quite remember. Lelouch stared down at his hand, closing his fingers around nothing. It was something important, something so very important that he was ashamed that he had forgotten. Lelouch let his fingers relax, finally taking in the princess' expression.
Euphemia was staring at him with wide eyes and a barely noticeable tremble. It didn't take long for her to recover. She shifted in her chair, looking at him. "And that's all?"
It wouldn't be in his benefit to add more things that he couldn't be sure of. It was a good bet that Suzaku had been there, but Lelouch just couldn't remember. He slumped in his seat with a sigh, expected the next difficult question.
To his surprise, Euphemia stood up. He scrambled to his feet, bowing when Euphemia turned to leave the room. He was about to thank her for her time, but she was already being escorted from the room by Gino. Lelouch turned to look at Kallen, surprised to see her rushing after Gino and Euphemia. He sunk into his chair, staring at the door as it slammed shut behind the three of them. Lelouch shook his head, reaching up to play with the chain.
It was obvious that he had failed. He had gotten all of the usual questions right, but he was sure that he had failed on the one important one. What he had managed to get out was a combination of what he knew of history and his own nightmares and he wasn't even sure if he had come close to what really happened. Just because it had felt right at the time didn't make it true.
He glanced over at Suzaku, taking in the guard's look of shock before standing up. They would come and find him when he was needed. At the moment, he didn't have the patience to stomach the accusing glares that would be sent his way despite the fact that he had warned them that he remembered nothing of his life before he had gone into the orphanage. For now, he would meet their disappointment in silence and wait for the final verdict. Lelouch looked back at Suzaku, sighing when the guard continued to stare at him. Even with Suzaku's earlier promise to stay with him, Lelouch doubted that Suzaku would be able to face him tonight. What they had was just for convenience, and Lelouch had to accept that. Hopefully he could manage to fix whatever they had so they could be friends again, Lelouch wanted at least.
Lelouch slipped from the room, turning in the opposition direction from where the voices were coming from. Since they seemed to be coming from the library his refuge would have to be his room, at least until they came to tell him the results. He sighed and pulled the locket completely out from under his shirt, fumbling with the cravat a moment later. He would keep the coat and the slacks for now, it wouldn't do to remove all aspects of the prince he was trying to play immediately. Besides, he wanted to linger a little longer in the fantasy that he had a place here.
A family and a loyal knight, Lelouch chuckled aloud at that thought. That was something that most people only dreamed of. He certainly hadn't but, given the chance to have it, Lelouch regretted that he had never really gotten the chance to enjoy being a prince. But, then again, he had always been too practical to let himself get lost in what ifs.
It was better this way. All he had to do was convince himself of that.
Kallen was relieved to see that Milly had already set up tea in the library. Euphemia had looked like she had been ready to faint before she entered the room, and here was Milly kneeling on the ground and offering the princess a cup of tea to hold all while the two knights stood by, completely useless. Kallen exchanged a look with Gino before kneeling by Euphemia's side, waiting to here the princess speak.
It took a few minutes and a generous gulp of tea before Euphemia was ready, but her hands were still shaking. She looked up at the three of them and smiled. "I commend you on your work. I might have been able to convince Nunnally on those first questions alone. He was so much like Lelouch."
"There wasn't much teaching to be done." Milly sighed and stood up. "Just reviewing. For a kid from an orphanage, he had a surprisingly good grasp of court etiquette."
Euphemia nodded, staring into the bottom of her cup. "He did. Gino." The blond knight snapped to attention at the sound of his name. "Go get the results. I think I'm ready to see them now."
Gino bowed and walked over to the desk on the other side of the room. Kallen watched him go, jumping when Euphemia touched her shoulder.
The princess smiled apologetically. "What is your opinion of him now?"
Kallen hesitated, glancing between Milly and Euphemia. She doubted that Euphemia would ask her for the sake of changing her own views; this was Euphemia genuinely wanting to know. Kallen bit her lip, thinking over the question.
She had never been completely sure about the boy that they had found. Sure he was a good physical match for what Lelouch could have grown up to look like and he was the right age, but there had to be more than that. She had been willing to take Suzaku's word for it, but she had always looked upon his approval with suspicion. Suzaku would do anything to get Lelouch back and he was getting more desperate as the years went on. In the end, the most compelling evidence was in the way the boy acted in combination with Suzaku's reactions. Kallen had seen moments of unconscious action by the boy that had almost made her believe that he was a prince.
Kallen stood up, carefully meeting Euphemia's gaze. "I…I do believe that he's the prince, but not the one that everyone is expecting."
Euphemia nodded, leaning forward to set her cup down. "Yes, that was something that I forgot as well. But he would have changed; he's been away from us for a long time. And yet," she laughed, "I don't think the essential Lelouch has changed at all. It's just a matter of finding it again."
"So I take it that you think he's the real thing, princess?" Gino ambled back over, the unopened envelope that contained the results of the DNA test in his hand.
"He answered every question and they were all right. Even," Euphemia's smile wavered a bit, "even the one about how they escaped. It was exactly what I've heard from Marianne and Nunnally."
"But he didn't include Suzaku."
"He did, Kallen. He looked at him. If you watched, you could see him thinking about it. And Suzaku knows."
Kallen recalled the shocked look on Suzaku's face as she had left the room and the way that he had been staring at Lelouch. It was as good of an explanation as any. "I'm sure if we had been able to show Lelouch something from the Aries Villa, he would have remembered more."
"We might not have to. Those things will come back to him in time. Now," Euphemia held up the envelope, "I got my answer from Kallen and you already have my answer. What about the two of you?"
Milly gave an enthusiastic yes while Gino just nodded, Kallen holding Gino's gaze for a moment longer. They already knew what Suzaku would say. She was sure that Suzaku would have been in the room with them if he hadn't been so thoroughly shocked by what Lelouch had said. He was probably off on his own, digesting the information. She would seek him out later with the answer.
Kallen took a deep breath and nodded at Euphemia, fighting the urge to fidget as the princess opened the envelope. She wasn't scared of the result; neither Gino nor herself would get in trouble for completely their mission. It was what the result would trigger that worried her. She found herself trying to relax. Running right to Suzaku wouldn't do them any good, especially since Suzaku wasn't here to hear the results.
She jumped at Euphemia's gasp, lunging forward to catch the papers as they fluttered out of Euphemia's hand. Kallen scrambled to flip the papers around, skimming over the first page of pictures that meant nothing to her before turning to the letter. She didn't get a chance to read it at first, Euphemia dropping out of the chair and hugging her.
"You found him. You actually found him!"
Kallen glanced at the princess before turning her attention back to the results and reading the letter. She nearly dropped the papers themselves as she read that their Lelouch was a perfect match to the DNA record of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. Wordlessly, she handed the papers to Milly, staring down at Euphemia.
She had never imagined that this could have happened. She had always thought that Lelouch's whereabouts would be unknown for the rest of her life. The best case scenario she had allowed herself to imagine was that they would find a body, never that they would find the prince himself. She had just resigned herself to failure and slowly watching Suzaku drift away.
There was a whoop from Gino, Kallen yelping as she was pulled into a hug. She struggled to get away, glancing around the room for a means to escape. Milly was all smiles and Euphemia looked like she was about to cry. Kallen smiled to herself, wrapping her arms around Gino's neck. "You should thank me; I was the one who convinced him to come with us."
She expected one of Gino's attempts to flirt with her, but got a gentle kiss on the lips. She pulled away, blushing and startled. A quick glance showed that Gino was smiling softly at her. Kallen turned away, trying to ignore the way her blush got darker. She was used to Gino's playful flirting, not his full genuine affection. Kallen bit back a girlish giggle, shooting Gino a slightly annoyed look before turning to look at Euphemia.
The princess got to her feet, clearing her throat. "Gino, I'll need you to escort me back to Windsor. Kallen, I'll leave telling Lelouch and Suzaku to you. Be ready to hear from Nunnally about seeing him."
Kallen bowed and turned to walk out of the room. She intended to find Lelouch first so she could practice on him. She wasn't sure that she was ready to handle Suzaku if she told him the wrong way.
Finding Lelouch was easy enough, there were only a few places that he frequented. Since they had taken the library it was likely that he was in his room. She climbed the grand staircase, waving at Gino and Euphemia as they strode to the door. She didn't envy Euphemia; she had the hard job of convincing Nunnally to see Lelouch now.
Kallen shook her head, jogging up the rest of the stairs and halfway down the hallway before she forced herself to slow down. She took the time to straighten out her uniform before walking up to Lelouch's room and knocking on the door.
It took him a moment to answer, Lelouch opening the door and peering out, almost like he expected to be kicked out at any minute.
Kallen sighed and pushed the door completely open. "You've upheld your end of the deal."
"Yes, I acted the part of a prince." Lelouch glanced at her before gesturing into his room. "Should I pack up and get ready to be shipped back to Tokyo?"
"No." That stopped him dead in his tracks. "Euphemia said that you convinced her and the test says that you're a perfect match for the prince."
Lelouch held out his hand, Kallen shaking her head. "They went with Euphemia. We need those to get you an audience with Lady Marianne."
"Then excuse me for not believing you immediately. I think I'll wait until I see the papers myself."
Kallen shrugged, trying to hide her annoyance at his quick denial. "Suit yourself. But just remember that you are a prince when you meet Lady Marianne, remember that you are her son and try not to insult her." She went to take a step backward, pausing when she remembered something that was sure to make him think the news over. "You won't have to compete with yourself anymore."
"What?"
Kallen smiled, she had him. She could tell that from the way that he was standing straight and tensed. She leaned against the doorframe. "Suzaku is intensely loyal to the royal family; they're the ones who offered him a place after his father died in the massacre. They're the ones that saved his life. And they're the ones that he will put in front of everything."
"I know that."
"But you're the one he wants, even without your official title. He likes you for who you are now. As a prince, you no longer have to worry about being pushed aside for duty. Isn't that enough for you to being to accept that you're Prince Lelouch vi Britannia?"
Lelouch sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I still want to see the papers."
"And you will." Kallen tipped her head to the side. "I wouldn't lie."
"I…" Lelouch cleared his throat, looking away from her. "I trust you. It's the circumstances that I don't. It seems too easy."
Kallen shrugged. "Sometimes you get lucky."
"Indeed." Lelouch glanced back into the room. "Then I will see this through to the end as per our deal. And…thank you for doing this."
Kallen smiled. "It was a mutually beneficial agreement. I'm just glad that it worked out. It would have been embarrassing to admit that we really had no plan for you if this had failed."
Lelouch laughed and walked back into the room, Kallen letting him go. She had to find Suzaku now, and she wasn't sure how to break the news to him. She was sure that she would have to sit him down in a locked room. However she did it Gino's calming presence probably would have helped.
She turned around, freezing when she saw Suzaku standing at the end of the hall. She wasn't sure what expression that she had on her face, but it made Suzaku slump. He gave her a sharp nod and went to walk away.
Kallen cursed under her breath, stepping forward and getting ready to shout for him, only to be interrupted by Lelouch.
"Suzaku."
Suzaku stopped at the command, hesitating before turning and walking down the hallway toward Lelouch's room. He gave Kallen a quick glance as he passed, Kallen tempted to reassure him that things would be fine, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead of speaking, she followed him to Lelouch's door.
She lingered in the doorway as Suzaku crossed the room, coming to a stop in front of Lelouch. Lelouch was sitting on the edge of his bed, legs crossed and looking every inch a prince. Kallen backed away from the door, fighting the urge to listen in. It looked like a private conversation.
Kallen huffed, about to turn away when Suzaku dropped into the formal bow between a knight and royalty. She blinked, her eyes widening as Lelouch slid from the bed to wrap his arms around Suzaku. Kallen looked away when Lelouch leaned in to kiss Suzaku, quickly walking down the hall.
She had gotten out of telling Suzaku about Lelouch, something that she was thankful for. Although, the confirmation that they had been together before the announcement was something that she hadn't needed to see. At least everything had worked out for the best, Kallen wouldn't have wanted to have to deal with the fall out or what would have happened when Suzaku had tried to balance his prince and this Lelouch. Some part of her was sure that Lelouch would have lost Suzaku rather quickly if that series of events had come to pass.
Kallen breathed a sigh of relief, walking quickly down the hall. She would leave Lelouch and Suzaku to their business and find Milly. While it wasn't quite the time to celebrate, they would at least congratulate themselves for making it this far.
Euphemia smiled at Rolo as she walked into Nunnally's room, the guard giving her a measured nod. She turned her attention to Nunnally, surprised to see her half sister sitting by the window and looking down on the grounds. Euphemia walked up behind her and peered over her shoulder.
Marianne was on the grounds with a book, Jeremiah hovering behind her. Marianne wasn't completely focused on the book, her head titled back to speak to Jeremiah. It was the happiest that Euphemia had seen Marianne in a long while. Since they had gotten to Windsor, Cornelia had spent most of her time with Marianne, but now she was nowhere to be seen. She was probably out with Guilford or finalizing plans for their wedding now that it was definitely being held in Pendragon. And Marianne almost looked normal again, like how Euphemia remembered from her childhood.
She looked down when Nunnally touched her hand. Euphemia smiled and took her hand as she sat down. "Shouldn't you be out there yourself? It's a beautiful day."
"Well, I was waiting for you. It seemed like a good day to run through the maze. But you weren't in your rooms when I looked for you." Nunnally laughed and sat up. 'Where were you this morning?"
"I was over at the Ashfords at the request of Gino and Kallen."
"They seem to be over there a lot." Nunnally her head to the side. "I thought that they would spend time with Suzaku since he's been given leave."
Euphemia bit her lip. "He's over there a lot too, for a good reason."
"Really? I thought that Suzaku would do something else on his leave." Nunnally sighed. "I actually expected him to be out looking for Lelouch again. How did he take the news that the searches have been called off?"
"I don't think anyone has told him. He's been working on a new project recently." Euphemia winced, glancing outside before shaking her head.
She could just tell Nunnally what they had found, but she was sure that Nunnally would not like that her orders had been ignored. Nunnally was just looking out for her mother and herself, it was a perfectly justifiable action. But to pull out her discovery now would mean that Nunnally would sulk all day over it, and that would be a full day ruined. But it was mean that Lelouch was sitting around for another day and Lelouch was more important than a day of fun with Nunnally.
Euphemia swallowed and straightened her skirt. "Nunnally, I have a favor to ask of you." She waited for Nunnally to turn and look at her, fighting the urge to keep track of where Rolo was. She was a member of the royal family, so Rolo wouldn't hurt her, she was sure of that. But he was very attached to Nunnally and he wouldn't make her life easy if she upset Nunnally.
Euphemia cleared her throat. "They found something." At Nunnally's blank stare, Euphemia rushed on. "When you called to give them new orders, they had already found someone."
Nunnally's eyes widened. "Euphy, no."
"I checked him, Nunnally. I did every question in the usual interview and some that weren't. Milly was the one who taught him the basic manners, but even said that it was more like reviewing. Gino and Kallen watched him the entire time and agree with me. Even Suzaku-"
"Euphy!" She jumped as Nunnally raised her voice, Nunnally looking as shocked as Euphemia felt. Nunnally stared at Euphemia for a long moment before shaking her head. "I won't punish any of them; they were just trying to help. And I'm not disappointed in you, Euphy. I just want you to understand that we can't…not anymore."
"Nunnally, I swear to you that he is Lelouch!"
"So have others."
"I have proof." Euphemia went to pull out the papers, dropping them when Nunnally turned away from the window.
"Euphy no is the only answer you will get! Mother and I agreed that we don't want to do this anymore, it hurts too much. Imagine if this had happened to Cornelia."
Euphemia felt a chill go down her spine. "I would do anything to get her back."
"And what if none of it worked?" Nunnally slumped. "What if nothing worked and you had to watch your mother blame herself for not keeping a better hold on Lelouch? What if you kept blaming yourself because, if you had been more awake or more able to take care of yourself, this never would have happened? Because that's what I have to live with everyday, the thought that I may have killed my brother. It may be selfish, but I don't want to keep remembering that. I want to be able to think of Lelouch and not feel guilty."
Euphemia stared at Nunnally, biting back her plea. Nunnally could be just as stubborn and Marianne, sometimes more so. Euphemia didn't doubt that she could eventually wear Nunnally down, but it didn't make sense to just wait, especially with Lelouch just miles away.
She sighed, staring down at the papers. "I want to respect your wishes, Nunnally, but I can't just let this go."
"And I can't give in on this."
Euphemia sighed and stood up. The only thing to do now was to leave Nunnally to her thoughts. She wouldn't change her mind today, but Euphemia could wait for the next attempt tomorrow. In the meantime Euphemia would attempt to entertain herself, perhaps by walking in the maze; it was a pleasant enough day. She would leave Marianne to her book and Cornelia to whatever her sister had found to do. Maybe, if she really could find nothing to do, she would call Schneizel and inquire about the divorce arrangements were going and talk to the crown prince. Talking with Simon always cheered her up.
She paused at the door, turning to gesture to Rolo. Nervously, the guard left Nunnally's side, bowing to Euphemia. "My lady."
Euphemia held out the papers. "These will be in my room on my desk. You have permission to get them and only under the orders that they will be looked at and not destroyed. Nothing anyone says is to come above this order."
Rolo glanced back at Nunnally, obviously torn. Technically, Rolo was a guard to the royal family and had to obey her orders. But he was also a part of Marianne's personal guard and specifically assigned to Nunnally. Not only that, but he had been taken in and trained by Marianne, he had never interacted with any other members of the royal family for long periods of time. Euphemia felt sorry for him, she really did, but the matter of Lelouch's identity was too important just to let slip away.
He finally nodded, Euphemia releasing him to rush back to Nunnally's side. She was sure that Nunnally wouldn't punish him for the orders, but Rolo certainly be at war with himself. It was a deplorable, underhand tactic for her to use, but she couldn't think of any other way to be sure that Nunnally would take her seriously.
Euphemia looked at Nunnally, trying to see if any impression had already been made, only to be disappointed. She was in for a long struggle and she would hate every minute. Euphemia knew how to handle diplomatic situations and all the strategies that she could use, but she preferred to be nice. She hoped that she could show through example that violence was not needed, just a willing ear and some understanding. When she had to use other tactics she felt like she had sullied her good name.
She shivered, opening the door and walking out of the room. She would put the papers on her desk and then lose herself in the maze and try not to think about Lelouch and all the problems that went with him.