Reviews are rather scarce...I'm so sad. :'( I accept anonymous you know. -sigh- Well thank you very much Savage Kill for favoriting and reviewing!! :D
"Well that's a pretty crazy experience, Isabella. Zero just came up and started talking to you?" Ami instituted two days later as the three of them washed the mountain of grimy dishes.
"Yeah, it was as if he knew me or something. He knew my name and everything," the teen replied and handed a China plate to Scotty to put away.
"Wow, I don't know whether to be amazed or just plain freaked out," Ami breathed and used her shoulder to push back a lock of straight, blond hair.
"I'm both to be honest. I mean, considering Zero is like, my idol, and then he just randomly saves me from the destruction. What I can't figure out though is why; I'm supposed to be just another commoner to him, right?"
"Maybe he does know you and is secretly in love with you," Scotty gave Isabella a playful push on the shoulder and she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah right. The guy is probably like, twenty years older than me."
"His voice doesn't sound like it. He sounds rather young to me when he makes those speeches on T.V.," Ami handed a cup to Isabella to dry while voicing her observation at the same time.
"Even so, regardless of age, he knows me somehow," the ebony haired teen affirmed, her face showing obvious confusion and deep thought, and Lady Albern strutted into the kitchen.
"Scotty," she squawked and he turned to her, "go get the mail and you two," she glared over at Ami and Isabella, "finish cooking the food for my husband's chess game today. Remember he's playing with a few friends."
"Yes my lady," Ami bowed and Scotty followed his master out of the kitchen to the front door.
"Isn't someone challenging Lord Albern today?" Ami asked and Isabella shrugged, not really caring, as she rinsed off and dried the last of the dishes.
"I don't know, I would assume. I heard something going around earlier this week about some kid coming here today to challenge him, but I don't know," she replied, showing nothing but boredom towards the subject and walked over to the refrigerator to pull out the kuzumochi.(A/N Kuzumochi is a traditional Japanese cool dessert the is starch powder made from kuzu or the kudzu plant root. They're basically just chewy cakes. I'm gonna try them out once...they sound good. By the way I found the recipe from kuzumochi on .com)
Ami dropped the topic, opened the oven and waved her hand around the hot air before reaching in with a red oven mitt to pull out the fresh honey butter toast.
"Well, we have kuzumochi, honey butter toast with vanilla ice cream, onigiri, rice crackers, sushi rolls and pocky. Do you think this will be good for right now?" Ami asked and Isabella nodded.
"For now, if they want anything else I'll just toss some more kuzumochi in and make more onigiri. You can go relax or something, I got this handled," Isabella told Ami and the blond scoffed.
"And leave you here all by yourself with all these drunk, high Britannians? I don't think so," Ami laughed and there was a door slam.
"Just warning you ladies the nobles are all here," Scotty murmured to the two friends as he tossed the white envelopes onto the counter just as Lady Albern scuttled in.
"Alright you three, get it all together and act like you're more than happy to serve them hand and foot. And you," she whipped around to Isabella, "one smart remark out of your mouth and I will throw you out into the street!"
That's better than listen to you and your stupid husband crow at everyone like you own the universe you old hag! Isabella wanted to shout but bowed instead.
"Yes ma'am," she gnarred through gritted teeth and Scotty had to turn in his back to the noble in order to keep Lady Albern from seeing his look of pure amusement.
Two Hours Later...
"If I get slapped on the butt by that bastard's perverted friends one more time, I might flip them over the table," Ami hissed as she dumped a load of dirty dishes into the sink and Isabella sighed as she rubbed her cracking hands dry on a yellow dish towel.
"I'll take over serving duty and give your butt a break from being slapped," Isabella said and picked up the tray full of fresh food.
"Thanks so much Isabella," Ami smiled relieved and her best friend winked.
"No problem! That's what friend's are for!" she laughed and then pushed the doors open to walk into the elegant dining room.
The lavish room was ornamented in jade and gold, the table made of the finest wood and silk curtains draped like lavender waterfalls to the marble floor. The nobles and Lord Albern were dressed in exquisite suits made of the most expensive silks and decorated with gold buttons and pins. Isabella felt very out of place in her ratty, black t-shirt, beat up jeans, pigtails and sneakers that were half a size too small, even so, she delivered the tray of food to them without a word.
"Yet again, I win!" Lord Albern boasted and grabbed a bag of gold from his friend.
"What?! Impossible!" his companion looked desperately at the board and then slumped back in his chair.
Lord Albern gave a hyena-like laugh and inspected his new bag of money.
"Any more challengers here? I have someone else coming in ten minutes, so why not?"
There were no takers and Isabella turned her back to them before rolling her eyes in disgust.
Morons, she thought, annoyed, and headed back to the kitchen.
"We've got another ten minutes before the next contestant comes," Isabella informed her friend and leaned against the sink.
"Alright, let's make some more kuzumochi, just for us," Ami said mischievously and Isabella smiled.
"Yeah really, I'm starving," she said and the two girls were able to make the snack just as the doorbell rang.
"Well, until either one of us gets called," Isabella said before biting into the cool treat.
"ISABELLA GET OUT HERE WITH FOOD FOR MY GUEST!" Lord Albern bellowed as if on cue and Isabella shoved the rest of her treat into her mouth, waves of despair hanging over her head.
"It was good while it lasted," she exhaled as she swallowed, "I'll be right back."
Isabella supported the tray now full of sushi and onigiri with her left hand to the great table and set it down in front of the guest.
"Here you are sir," she said to the dark haired man and set the tray down.
"Thank you, miss," he lifted his head off of his hand and met her eyes.
Isabella's heart skipped a beat as she stared back at the violet eyes and dark brown hair hanging in them.
No way...! He's...here?!
"HEY! Get back to the kitchen!" Lord Albern spat and Isabella snapped back to her senses.
"I'm sorry!" she spazzed and bowed then scurried back to the kitchen.
"Hey, what did I miss?" Scotty asked as he returned from the yard work he had been forced to do for the third time that week and saw Isabella wide eyed, leaning against the counter.
"Isabella?" Ami asked and her expression was very worried.
"It's--him! It's Lelouch, it's him! He's alive...he's in perfect health...it's him Ami-chan! It's Lelouch!" the teen gasped and Ami's face lit up.
"That's great Isabella! That's so wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" Ami hugged her friend and the two girls started to make more onigiri and pocky.
"I--I'll try to talk to him--Lelouch--!"
"Excuse me but can someone please tell me who 'Lelouch' is?" Scotty asked, totally lost.
"Lelouch is a childhood friend of mine and he was taken by the Britannians along with my brother. My parents are dead and I thought Lelouch was as well," Isabella explained and Scotty had a look of empathy on his face.
"Oh, well, in that case, awesome!" Scotty's face broke into a huge grin and then his voice dropped into a whisper.
"Do you like him or something? Ten years...childhood friend...is there some romance...?"
"WHAT?! What are you talking about, of course not!" Isabella exclaimed and her two friends shrugged simultaneously.
"Whatever you say, Isabella," Scotty teased and the girl blushed furiously.
"Well--I'm just going to you know, take this out to them," Isabella muttered and took a deep breath before entering the room once more.
Her arms shook slightly as she carefully approached Lelouch's side and placed the tray down in front of him.
"Would you like any refreshments, sir?" Isabella asked him and he removed his chin off of his hand.
"I'd love some, thank you," Lelouch replied and smiled.
"Hey, pay attention to the game," Lord Albern instructed and Lelouch turned his violet eyes back to him.
"My Lord, before I make my next move, can I change my prize?"
Lord Albern studied his opponent with piggy eyes and shot a dirty look at Isabella.
"What is it?"
"If I win, I want this girl to walk out of here with me," Lelouch said and Isabella gripped onto the back of his chair to keep herself from falling over.
"What?!" both the noble and the servant cried in exasperation.
"As my prize, I want this girl to be handed over to me," Lelouch repeated and Lord Albern pondered this for a moment.
"She's a hard worker, and of valuable blood. Strong, but not the brightest and always a problem, well whatever, yeah, you can take her if you really want her. Use her for whatever you want, I don't give a damn. Let's just continue the game alright?"
"Thank you," Lelouch said and smiled up at Isabella tenderly as she turned redder than a strawberry before scuttling back into the kitchen.
Two More Hours Later...
"I'm so nervous, and don't you two think you're a little overconfident? The game hasn't even ended yet and you've already got my suitcase packed," Isabella turned her bright green eyes over to the battered, old, brown suitcase that was pretty much bursting at the seams with her bulky clothes and pictures she had kept in tact for the past seven years.
"We grabbed your scrapbook too," Ami said as Scotty carefully flipped through the yellowing pages that were worn away at the edges.
"So this is you and Lelouch?" he asked and a palm-sized photograph of ten year old Isabella and Lelouch side by side, hand in hand, both smiling in the bright sunlight.
"Yeah, that's Lelou-chan," Isabella chirped and picked up the fallen photo of just Lelouch wearing Isabella's favorite, red baseball cap and giving her a thumbs up at he smiled widely.
"I take it you love photography," Ami said and Isabella nodded.
"It's my favorite past time," she beamed and Scotty turned the page to see a tall, black haired man with extremely handsome features and a blond woman standing next to him, their arms around each others waist.
"Who are they?" Scotty asked.
"My parents," Isabella told him and slowly took the scrap book away. "I'm sorry, but this is getting to me a bit. Can we look at this later?"
"If you're here later--" Scotty started but was interrupted by a sudden clattering sound.
"IMPOSSIBLE! YOU'RE A CHEAT! A CHEAT I TELL YOU!" Lord Albern bellowed and Isabella rushed into the room to see her master towering over Lelouch who twirled the white king between his long fingers.
"Well, I had you in check mate. I won fairly, now then that's settled, where's the young lady I get to collect?"
Lord Albern scowled as his noble friends looked from the scattered chess pieces to Lelouch to Isabella, who looked ready to pass out. Ami and Scotty stood behind her, both of them holding a hand behind her back to support her.
"You won--?" Isabella gasped, ecstatic.
"Yes, I did. Now, do you need to get anything before we leave? I believe the deal was you come with me if I won," Lelouch said to her and she nodded.
"Y-yes, right in here!" Isabella dashed into the kitchen and grabbed her battered suitcase and scrap book, Ami following her.
"Congratulations, Isabella," the blond said kindly and Isabella stopped.
"Ami--"
"You deserve it Isabella, you have earned it."
"I'll free you and Scotty too, Ami, I promise I will," Isabella vowed and ran to her friend before locking her arms around her.
"Don't worry though, Scotty and I will be alright, we'll write often, okay?" Ami said and smiled warmly, "I'll walk you outside then leave you to Lelouch. If he gives you any grief let me know and I'll come running with my spatula and frying pan, we clear?"
Isabella laughed as she walked back out into the elegant room for the final time.
"You," she said to Scotty and gave him a warm hug, "take care of Ami for me will you?"
"Of course! Have fun now, we'll keep in touch," Scotty promised and out his arm around Ami's shoulders.
Isabella smiled at them and then Lelouch came up behind her.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes," she said and looked over at the nobles.
"Well, good bye," she said and Lord Albern scoffed.
"Just take her and get outta my sight," he barked and Isabella gave Ami and Scotty one last hug before following Lelouch out the mansion's doors into the bright sunlight.
Neither of them spoke a syllable until they had reached the gates and started out on the sidewalk.
"I was actually very relieved you didn't argue about coming with me," Lelouch told her as he remained a few paces ahead.
"What do you mean? You bargained my freedom from that place. Anywhere is better than that house," Isabella said and her friend chuckled softly.
"I guess so, and I'm glad you're happy. Now, do you actually know who I am?" Lelouch turned around, his brown hair swaying above his violet eyes and Isabella smiled widely at him.
"You haven't changed at all, Lelouch," Isabella told him and he pouted.
"I was half expecting you to call me 'Lelou-chan' like when--well whatever, that was years ago. Anyway, how are you, Isabella?"
She didn't know why, but Isabella suddenly felt a rush of feelings race through her body as she studied the gorgeous boy in front of her.
"I actually thought that--I didn't know you were still alive. I thought you were dead!" Isabella exclaimed and dropped her suitcase before letting Lelouch take a step towards her, "I thought you were dead and then seven years later you just show up and win me the freedom I've been dreaming of since that night! How do think I feel?!"
"Isabella, I'm sorry that I--I should have--but I thought you were dead too," Lelouch admitted to her and the green eyes widened.
"Then how did you find me?"
"I didn't do that intentionally but I'm sure glad I challenged that noble. Who knew I'd get my best friend back too," he said and his fingertips touched her face lightly.
"Lelouch--" Isabella started then put her hands on the sides of his face, "Lelouch."
Her eyes closed and her head tilted slightly as her face got closer and closer to his. Lelouch's hand was over hers as Isabella's carefully parted lips neighbored his, her cool, sweet breath caressing his lips. Her heart pounded as she pressed her body against to him airily and then her lips greeted his. Isabella felt her body go pleasantly numb as Lelouch wrapped his arms around her waist securely and pulled her body into him, the ebony hair tickling his fingers and her cloying, soft lips kissing his. Isabella felt tears well up in her eyes as she pulled away a tiny bit and then kissed him again, not wanting the moment to end.
"Isa...Bella..." Lelouch breathed through her lips and she pulled back, her hands now on his chest.
She kept her eyes on his and felt his arms around her. There was a pause and then Isabella turned the brightest shade of red Lelouch had ever seen.
"I am so sorry! I don't know what I was thinking...I didn't--I mean--I'm sorry Lelouch! I guess I wasn't thinking clearly...Lelouch--I'm sorry!" Isabella spazzed and he shrugged.
"It's alright," was all he could say and let go of her before picking up her suitcase for her.
"Thank you," Isabella said as Lelouch handed her luggage back to her.
"Are you ready to start a new life now?" Lelouch asked and held out his hand as if it were to officially seal Isabella's freedom.
"You bet!" she smiled widely and gave Lelouch's hand a shake.
He beamed back at her and then started walking away again, Isabella beside him, ready to begin the new chapter of her life.
Fluffy cuteness!! :D I'd like 3 reviews before next update, alright? It would be greatly appreciated. I am attempting to make this as interesting as possible...if you have any ideas then let me know!! :D (I'll give you the credit I promise!!) Bye for now!! :D