Note: The cover image, along with the two series that of which this story is based on belong to their respective owners. Also, words like THIS are a character's inner thoughts.
"Oh Prince charming!" Came the sickeningly sweet voice of the bane of Lelouch Vi Britannia's mornings for the past six months: Arno Dorian. The young prince groaned as he slowly turned over within the covers of his bed. "You know I'm not going to give up." The bastard called again as he made his way across the room to…
Oh no. Lelouch thought, already knowing exactly what the son of a bitch was planning.
With a loud swish, the sliding door of the small traditional Japanese room opened to reveal the blinding light of early morning.
"I will burn you alive."Lelouch groaned as he tossed himself over to face the other wall.
"Oh don't be such a sour puss my dear prince," Arno replied cheerfully as he made his way over to the bed located at the center of the room. "I have already prepared your morning meal, and your friend Suzaku has today off from his traditional training. He wanted to show you and the beautiful princess something."
"Really?" Lelouch asked, feigning interest, "Well… In that case… Get out."
Arno sighed as he watched the child throw the covers over his head, obscuring him from view. "Must you fight me every morning? We get along so well when you're fully awake, why oh why are you so hateful to your loving butler when his only hope is to ensure that his master wakes up in time for his daily appointments?"
"Because," The child replied in a muffled voice, "unlike my beloved butler, I hate mornings. So if you would be so kind as to comply with my request, I would very much appreciate the gesture."
"Very well," Arno replied, his voice filled with fake disappointment, "I suppose I shall return the chess board to the cupboard." He made certain to give out an exasperated sigh as he began to make a loud trudge towards the door. It didn't take more than two steps before he received the response he knew would be coming.
"Wait!" Lelouch cried out, jumping into a sitting position.
"Yes?" Arno grinned as he remained facing the door so as to hide the victorious expression. He had learned early on that a game of chess was like a drug to the boy. He loved the game almost as much as his sister. Only a day after he became the boy's servant, the child had asked if he knew how to play and almost cried tears of joy at the news. Apparently the Kururugi family had no clue how to play the game, and Nunnally, being blind, had no hope to put up a fight either. But as luck would have it, Arno had been quite the opponent for the child. Now, he could say jump and the prince would reply how high. It helped immensely when the child was especially uncooperative, mostly in the mornings.
"A full game?" Lelouch probed, he hated when he couldn't complete a game, and it nagged at him for hours until he could finally return to the board. Arno suspected that chess was something of a way for him to feel like he had real control, something the boy never had as a prince so far behind in a power struggle for the throne. It made Arno sick, the idea that America had been replaced with a tyrannical monarchy where the royal family slit one another's throats for the ability to control the most powerful country in the world.
"Of course." Arno answered, spinning around and giving his most theatrical bow. "I will be awaiting your arrival my prince."
Lelouch looked at Arno, and saw the playful smile that adorned his rugged, slightly weathered face. He wore his shoulder length brown hair back in a neat ponytail, and his three piece suit with golden trim and complimenting gold tie were perfectly ironed. His shoes were a shiny black with no tarnishes to be seen, and the fanciful white gloves upon his hands completed the look. He gazed into Arno's green eyes that shined with a devious glint and smiled from ear to ear. "I'll be right there!"
As the child hopped from the bed, throwing the sheets to the other end of the room in his haste, Arno gave a small chuckle and made his way out into the hallway, his feet making a small click with each step on the polished wooden floor. He walked down to the small room the two would be using while eating the morning meal, and sat at the small table that had been made of fine oak which was stained a dark chocolate brown.
As he did so, Arno checked to make certain that he had not forgotten anything that the two would need for their meal. Originally, Arno had eaten his meals at home well before coming to see to Lelouch's needs each morning. However, after being offered a place at the table by the child one morning when his stomach growled, it soon became a daily routine thanks to the boy's admittance of much preferring the more relaxed situation.
"Plates? Check. Silverware? Check. Food? Check. Tea? Check. Chessboard and pieces? Check." Arno muttered as he looked over the meal he had prepared and placed on the fanciful plates that the Kururugis had provided, along with western style eating utensils (always a good thing when you had never used chopsticks in all twenty eight years of your life). After looking at the impressive display of sunny side up eggs, accompanied by crisp toast and bacon; he gazed at the beautiful chess set that had been prepared off to the side. The board had been made from a beautiful piece of mahogany wood, and the pieces had been crafted from ebony pieces for black, and ivory pieces for white. He had purchased the set only days after his first clash with Lelouch in the game. He figured that if they were going to be facing off with the game of kings, then why not play on a board fit for a king? Besides, the Joyous expression that Lelouch made when he had first seen the set made it completely worth it.
"Speak of the devil," Arno said smiling as he heard the telltale sound of feet hitting the hallway floor getting closer and closer.
"I call black!" Lelouch bellowed with childish glee as he entered the room and dropped into a sitting position on the other side of the table. He wore an all-black silk outfit with a perfectly white blouse sticking out from beneath a black over coat. His lower half was covered by dress pants much like Arno's own with matching shoes as the finishing touch.
"Who am I to deny such a proud commander the right to choose his troops?" Arno asked in the best rendition of Napoleon he could do. Being around the general for years had allowed Arno to gain the ability to impersonate the man. While it was originally just a way for Arno to get under the prideful bastards skin, it served as a very good way to entertain Lelouch and his friends when they played.
"Ah," Lelouch began, taking up a commanding tone of his own, "But in war, one must exploit every opportunity one has."
"Perhaps," Arno replied, returning to his normally playful and charming tone, "so, why not tell me how Nunnally is? I'm certain that a loving elder brother such as yourself made certain to keep her safe after I had retired for the day."
"She's fine," Lelouch answered after finishing a bite of eggs, "I told her a bedtime story before I sent her to sleep."
"Ah," Arno said, smiling happily at the boy's loving tendencies, "How nice of you your highness. I apologize that I didn't have the chance to stay until your bed time last night."
"It's okay," Lelouch answered as he smiled back at Arno, "besides, I always love spending time with her. I could never be upset about taking care of her."
After the small exchange, the two focused on their meals as they sat in a comfortable silence. The two would need plenty to talk about throughout their game of chess. In all likelihood, it would last at least two hours before either would be decided as the winner. Their talks usually fell on interesting subjects too, which was always a plus. In fact, Arno had learned a great deal about the young boy's many beliefs which always seemed to be the exact opposite of what his father proclaimed. Instead of supporting the tyrannical style of rule that his father used, the boy believed that the people of his country deserved better. And what's more? The boy was well on his way to being capable of realizing his ideals. Even at the young age of ten, He was extremely well versed in the politics of his home country, so much so that Arno often had to stop Lelouch in the middle of conversations and ask him to explain some of the complex topics that the boy seemed to understand as if they were the most simple of subjects.
It only showed just how important protecting the child would be. He was most likely the only real hope of stopping the oppressive and controlling government that the rest of the royal family seemed so intent on using. It seemed as if every moment that Arno spent in the young prince's presence only made it clearer that keeping him safe was of the utmost importance.
But of course, they were a long way from being perfectly safe. After losing track of the children around a year ago at the airport, Arno and Connor had immediately begun to look for clues as to where, and more importantly when, they were. After multiple days of aimlessly walking around Tokyo, a town that the two had originally believed had been made by magic on a count of their lack of knowledge about the advancements in technology, they had happened upon a man who caught Arno ranting in French about their lack of basic necessities such as food and shelter. As luck would have it, the man was actually an ambassador from the European Union. Naturally, the man took the two assassins to their embassy building in order to receive help. Finally among people who spoke their languages, the two had learned a great deal. Especially after they learned about the internet. The memory of having all the knowledge in the world right at his fingertips for the first time brought a devilish grin to Arno's face (and the memory of a terrified one on Connor's)
While their first objective was making use of the internet to understand just where they ended up, the two had then begun a long and grueling search on how to make themselves blend into modern society. Forging fake identifications, as well as diplomas and family records using less then legal means, the two managed to integrate themselves into the modern world, while also getting a bead on their two charges. Arno, using his knowledge of western society, and natural charm, managed to land himself a job as Lelouch's personal butler while Connor focused on creating contacts for the two of them to use in case of emergency. The two had been doing quite well really, after about a year of preparing, the two had enough fire power to arm a full platoon of soldiers, and a heavy duty hummer for transportation to boot.
Unfortunately, even with all the progress the two had made, they were still far from ready to do much more than keep the children safe. It didn't make it easier that they had recently added the young Suzaku Kururugi to the list of youths now under the protection of the two master assassins. And to top it all off was the fact that, from what Connor had collected from a reformist sympathizer in Britannia, the emperor was moving his army in preparation for war. The intended target was obvious though, a mysterious resource called Sakuradite, which Britannia used in the creation in the majority of its modern equipment, was found here in Japan. Knowing his luck, Arno expected the hammer to drop any moment, especially with the completion of Britannia's knew toy: The Knightmare Frame, or KMF for short. The damned things were monsters, and no one had any way to stop them.
As Arno began to ponder ways to bolster the ranks of the essentially non-existent brotherhood in order to have a chance of making it through the highly likely event of Japan falling under the control of Britannia, he felt his phone ring in his pocket. Pulling out the device and placing it to his ear he answered with a courteous "hello" only to hear the words that spelled out the realization of every fear that Arno had just been imagining.
"Britannia made their move." Connor said making Arno freeze. "It's begun."
Arno's reaction was really what one would expect in the situation. He had immediately canceled his chess match with Lelouch and sent him to retrieve his sister while Arno himself went to find Suzaku. The boy had befriended Lelouch several months prior to Arno's arrival as the boy's servant, and it seemed as though the two were almost perfect companions. While one was strong and brave, the other was clever and confidant. They were everything the other lacked, and it made them nearly unstoppable whenever the two decided to cause mischief. Arno himself had been caught in the line of fire during one of their little plans and as a result, ended up with neon pink hair for almost two months. He cared for Lelouch like the son he never had, but the little shit was downright evil when he wanted to be.
Breaking into a full sprint towards the office of Genbu Kururugi, Suzaku's father, the man passed room after room in a blur until he began to hear what sounded like shouting. Stopping in order to hear the voice better, Arno immediately squatted down and began to move as silently towards the source as possible when he realized just what the subject matter of the conversation was.
"Damn those Britannian fucks to hell!" Came the hoarse voice of Genbu Kururugi. The man had obviously been shouting for a while, and as he spoke, his rage only seemed to intensify. "They send me the two remaining children in the Vi Britannia line in exchange for trade rights for Sakuradite only to invade us a year later! You'll pay dammit! Do you hear me Charles!? You'll pay in blood you Darwinist son of a bitch!"
"Father please!" Arno heard Suzaku beg with his father as the man could be heard rummaging through what sounded like cabinets.
"Silence Suzaku!" Genbu screeched at the child, eliciting a small yelp from the boy. "I'll kill those little monsters that he gave me! I'll make him watch his own blood ooze from his children's throats, and then? Then we'll fight tooth and nail for every inch of Japanese soil!"
Arno had reached the door that lead into the office where Genbu resided and activated his Eagle Vision to see…
"No!" Arno yelled as he burst into the room trying to stop the inevitable. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as Arno saw every detail of the tragic event playing out right before his eyes. Suzaku, at the age of ten years old, with a look of pure fear upon his face, had planted a ceremonial blade in his own father's back. Blood slowly began to stain the protruding blade a deep crimson red as Genbu stood perfectly still, his face displaying his pure disbelief at what his own son had done to him. As a dark splotch began to appear around the wound, Genbu turned to stare directly into his son's eyes. The child shook uncontrollably as he watched his father crumple into a heap on the ground.
He remand completely silent as he fell to his knees before the dead man he had called father. Arno, knowing that the boy was probably near the breaking point of his sanity, immediately went to him. "Suzaku! Suzaku look at me!" Arno pleaded as he wrapped the boy within his arms and looked into his trembling eyes.
"He, he was going to hurt Nunnally and Lelouch." Suzaku mumbled in a quiet, unbelieving voice. "I c- I couldn't-"
"Shhh," Arno said, patting the boy's head, "listen to me Suzaku, I know that you're very scared right now, and I know that you panicked and only did what you thought was right. But we need to go. This place, it isn't safe."
"But- but my fath-" Suzaku began, tears finally beginning to fill his eyes as the reality of what had happened finally began to set in.
"Suzaku!" Arno whispered forcefully into his ear, "If you stay here then when the Britannians come you'll die!"
Suzaku looked at the man, his eyes wide and leaking tears and said exactly what he felt. "I deserve to die."
Arno's jaw clenched as he realized just how bad the incident had harmed the child, so much so that he most likely would never be the same. For now though, he had to make sure he lived. They could assess his mental state later. He had to convince him to follow him. So he said the only thing that came to mind. "What about Lelouch? What about Nunnally? What will I tell them? That you wanted to die? Don't give me that! You won't be able to help them if you die, you'll only hurt them! Do you want to hurt them!? Do you!?"
Suzaku seemed to react to that, Arno could see the boy's inner determination flare as he imagined the grief his death would cause his friends. "You're right… I need to survive, I- I can't cause them pain."
"Yes! Exactly!" Arno agreed full heartedly as he rose to his feet and began to drag the child along by the hand. "Come quickly now, we need to go!"
The two turned and began to run back in the direction that Arno had come from, hearing as sirens began to sound in the distance. Damn! They got here already? Arno thought angrily as the two reached the small room that Arno and Lelouch had been sitting in enjoying a peaceful morning only thirty minutes ago. As the two waited impatiently in the room for Nunnally and Lelouch, and Arno began to hear the distant sound of explosions coming from the direction of downtown Tokyo,
Come on! We need to get out front so we can get moving as soon as Connor gets here! Arno mentally cried as the explosions gradually grew louder and louder.
Just as the first bomb connected with the far side of the old house, Lelouch turned the corner into the room pushing Nunnally in her wheelchair, still wearing her frilly white night gown. They looked utterly terrified, but safe.
"Come on! We're moving." Arno commanded sternly as he replaced Lelouch behind the Wheelchair and immediately headed for the front of the building with the two boys in tow. The small group ran as fast as possible as the world around them seemed to fall apart. Rooms and walls turned to splinters, and the sound of smashing glass could be heard all throughout the house as they reached the front of the building. then, when they headed down the steps, they looked on in sheer horror while surrounding landscape became a perfect representation of the deepest pits of hell. Massive craters were strewn across the property and the house was set ablaze in several places. The surrounding neighborhood fared no better, the street was a cracked mess while houses collapsed from the destructive onslaught. People ran in all directions screaming bloody murder, and cars collided all along the two lane road. As if to complete the nightmare, the trees that had been planted beside the sidewalk, once filled with lush green leaves,were all now nothing more than giant torches.
The smell of burning, and smoke filled Arno's nostrils as he looked from left to right for any sign of Connor, but the massive crowds of people obstructed his view. He growled to himself as the only thing he could do was stand and wait for his ally's arrival.
While the bombs continued to fall all around them, the children all began to cry from terror and despair as Arno continued to watch for the large black Hummer that Arno and Connor had procured for just this kind of situation. After several more minutes of continued bombing from their areal attackers, the explosions stopped abruptly. Normally, this would be good, But Arno knew better than to simply assume that their plight was over.
He looked to the sky and saw the massive formation of bombers slowly flying away in the air. They had completed their pass and seemed to be turning to leave as Anti-Aircraft shells exploded all around them. No, something's off. They wouldn't just do one pass and leave, there's something else, something like- Before Arno could complete the thought, his suspicions were confirmed as he saw some of the large carrier planes begin to drop something other than bombs: land units.
A wide assortment of Knightmares and foot troops began to descend towards the ground all around Tokyo like fallen angels descending to the surface to wreak hellish punishment upon the Japanese. "Something like that." Arno growled under his breath just as he saw a squad of four footmen land around the corner from the house.
"Kids! Get inside, and stay hidden." Arno commanded as he pulled out two silenced sub machine guns from somewhere beneath the coat of his suit. The children, already scared and knowing that anywhere was safer than out in the open, scrambled back into the house and disappeared into the first room that they came across.
"Now," Arno said as he began marching down the street in the direction of the Britannian troopers that landed a block away. "Let's see what happens when the mouse falls into the eagle's nest."
A/N: Ohhhh shit! Arno is about to kick some Britannian ass! But not this time, because I wanted a cliff hanger. Sue me. Anyway, how do you think I handled the time skip? I wanted to get straight into the part where Arno and Connor started to really take the kids under their wing. Next chapter we get Connor back, and the group is gonna make their escape from the Britannians, as always, thanks for reading, and please… REVIEW!