Thank you: Invader Designia! I give you the next chapter of Tribulation has no Tourniquet! ^-^ Whoo!
So much pain...my entire body hurts...where am I?
Isabella's head throbbed and she felt as if someone was carrying her.
What happened? Why do I feel like I'm floating? Lelouch...where are you?
Isabella couldn't move her body and her hands and feet felt as if they were bound together.
What the...where am I?
She opened her eyes and saw her hands were tied together by gauze and her ankles were bound together by gauze as well. She was being carried bridal style through a huge, elegant castle she did not recognize and panic consumed her.
"What the--?! Where am I?!"
"The palace of King Charlres Di Britannia," was the answer and Isabella looked up at Suzaku, who didn't meet her eyes.
"Suzaku...how could you be so...?! You traitor! Where is Lelouch?!"
"That is none of your concern. What happenes to that person from here on out doesn't affect you," Suzaku snapped coldly. Isabella felt her body tense and she resisted hitting him in the side of the face. He'd drop her if she did.
"What the hell happened to you?! You're fighting for power hungry dictators that abuse all of thier people!" Isabella shrieked at him and he met her eyes with a cold stare.
"And you're fighting for a terrorist that is hopeless and will only betray the world the way it betrayed him. I know Lelouch better than anyone and that--"
"YOU IDIOT! To hell you know Lelouch better than anyone!"
"What, and you know him better than me? Did you know he is a Britannian prince?!"
"As a matter of fact I did you dumbass!"
"Then put two and two together Isabella. If he gains anymore power then he'll only abuse it and become the thing he hates the most!"
"He's fighting against Britannia! He's trying to spread world peace and end the tryanny but you're too stupid to see that. If you would just get out of the way everything would be--"
"His exsistance as well as yours are mistakes!" Suzaku snapped and Isabella gasped inaudibly. "In the end, with you two together, you both will abuse your powers and turn your backs on the world the same way it did to both of you. You both have killed so many innocent people--"
"The people I killed directly I had a legit reason for. They were my enemy and I used them for the information I needed. Nunnally was kidnapped and I had no idea where she was or if she was still alive. I know killing people is wrong and I don't like doing it but you can't be in a war without getting blood on your hands. I'm no innocent little girl but I don't regret killing the ones I did."
"You should."
"Look you, you're an honorary Britannian and you operate the friggin' Lancelot! Don't go preaching to me and accussing me of murder when your hands are more bloodstained than mine!"
"At least I didn't get my best friend murdered. You pulled Shirley into all of this and you're the one responsible for her death," Suzaku hissed at her and Isabella froze.
"W-what?"
"If you had avoided being in the war to begin with she might still be here but you let your own feelings blind you and remain oblivious of the consequences. You were there when she died and did you even think of calling a doctor?"
"She was almost dead by the time I got to her! She wouldn't have survived even if I did call for help!" Isabella cried, the images of Shirley's torn, bloody body flashing through her mind.
The sea of crimson...the sound of the gun being fired at her...I wanted to save her...I wanted to save her! No...not Shirley...
"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME!" Isabella yelled at him and they came to a ballroom, or what Isabella assumed to be a ballroom.
"You're just a mindless murderer now. You've killed your brother."
"He killed my parents, Scotty and Shirley. Don't defend him!"
"Even so, you have the blood of a Britannian general on your hands."
"Then kill me for it. I know the punishment for harming and killing a Britannian general," Isabella snarled at him and Suzaku made a light noise.
They exited the ballroom...or whatever it was...and entered a dimly lit room where a large man with curls stacked on each other that fell to his shoulders sat on a throne. Isabella narrowed her eyes and Suzaku sat her on a hard wooden chair, taking another cloth and tying it around her middle.
"I'm bound around the hands and ankles. Do you think I can hop away or something?" Isabella growled at him but he ignored her.
Imbecile.
"It's been a while since I've seen you, Isabella," King Charles started and then looked over at Suzaku. "Cover her eyes."
Suzaku knotted a cloth around her eyes and Isabella heard the cock of a gun.
You wouldn't be able to use your Geass anyway. You're tied up. C.C. voice whispered in Isabella's mind and she mentally replied.
"I wasn't going to anyway. There's nothing I'd be able to do unless I killed Suzaku and I wouldn't be able to do that?"
You were able to kill your own brother who also betrayed you.
"Even though I hate defending him right now, Suzaku is doing his job. Besides, I killed a Britannian general and the punishment for that is death."
I am not going to allow them to kill you.
"How do you plan on stopping them? You may be immortal but--"
Don't underestimate me Isabella. Just hang in there and do what they say, alright?
"Fine. Don't get yourself murdered."
Who are you talking to?
Isabella smirked and C.C. left her mind.
"Any last words, Isabella?" Charles asked and Isabella could feel Suzaku pointing his pistol at her.
"You won't be able to hurt me, Suzaku, I saved you once," Isabella started and Suzaku opened his mouth then closed it, Charles watching him intently. "Remember when you first found out I was a Black Knight? You couldn't arrest me because you loved me too much. You accuse me of doing impulsive things and letting my emotions blind me, but you're just being hypocritical because you do the exact same thing. You're choices are made entierly by feelings...what you feel is what you do...and as for the death of Shirely..." Isabella raised her head, sensing where Suzaku was standing, "I do not hold myself responsible for it. I've grieved over her because she was the only one besides Kallen and Lelouch to ever remain by my side through anything. She's the truest friend I've ever had and if it were possible, I would go back to that day and put myself in Shirley's place so she could be alive today."
Suzaku's gun shook violently in his hand as Isabella held her posture in a proud manner.
"I wanted to join Zero's rebellion therefore I will remain loyal to him. I will die a Black Knight," she told him nobely and Charles puffed out his chest.
"Kururugi, don't shoot," he ordered and the young Knight lowered his gun. "Uncover her left eye. The right one is the one that contains the Geass."
Suzaku did as he was ordered and Isabella's left eye was uncovered.
"You're the one that has caused all of this," Isabella snapped when she saw the king, "your twisted ways ruined my brother and robbed my parents of their lives. You ruined Japan...raping it of its culture and freedom...you make me sick."
"I am not concered with what a low life like you thinks of me," Charles chuckled darkly and Isabella's green eye shone demonically.
"You've made a traitor out of someone Lelouch and I trust the most."
"Now that you speak of Lelouch, where is he, Kururugi?"
"I could only get her," Suzaku answered and Charles clicked his tounge, annoyed.
"Fine then, I want you to go find him and once you do, exterminate him."
Isabella felt her heart stop.
"Suzaku you can't! Oh my God...you cannot follow that!"
Suzaku again ignored her and bowed deeply.
"Yes, your majesty."
"SUZAKU! YOU CAN'T! DON'T LISTEN TO HIS SICK WAYS! SUZAKU!"
The brunette left and Isabella felt her throat go dry as Charles forced her gaze up at him, both of his eyes shining with the Geass symbol.
"As for you," he started and Isabella felt tears drenching her face.
"No, don't hurt Lelou! Kill me! Don't hurt Lelouch! You can't kill him! He's your son for Christ's sake!"
"Forget," Charles ordered.
"Not Lelouch! Don't hurt him! You can't kill him! Please don't kill him!"
"Forget about Lelouch and everything you two have done," Charles said and Isabella sqeezed her eye shut.
"I WON'T DO IT!"
Charles forcefully opened her eye again and Isabella screamed.
"Forget your love for him...forget fighting with him...forget the memories you two have had. You no longer know Lelouch."
"Lelouch!"
The Geass activated and in an instant, Isabella's most precious memories were erased from her mind.
***
Geass is an extremely power gift or curse to have. It can tamper with memories and make you forget the one you love the most...
Lelouch ran through the halls with C.C., searching for Isabella.
...however...it can't make you completly forget.
"Lelouch," the immortal stopped and Lelouch followed her gaze where an unconcious Isabella was laying on the ground.
There are two things that overpower a Geass though...
Lelouch rushed to her side, Charles gone from view, and knelt down beside her. He picked her up, her head resting onto his shoulder.
...death...
C.C. touched the girl's hand and closed her gold eyes.
"She's under Geass power."
"What happened to her?!" Lelouch demanded and C.C. sighed heavily.
"From what I am getting, her memories have been erased."
"Which memories?!"
C.C. inhaled deeply again, avoiding Lelouch's desperate eyes.
"The ones that she has shared with you. When she wakes up, she won't remember who you are."
...and the most powerful emotion one can feel...
Lelouch's heart skipped a beat and he stared disbelievingly at C.C.
"Please tell me that's a joke..."
"I wish I could," C.C. said, "come one, we need to get her out of here."
Lelouch said nothing, his words gone as he held Isabella in his arms and swiftly followed C.C. out of the castle.
...Love.
The two warriors reached Zero's ship and Lelouch laid Isabella comfortably down on a cozy couch. They took off, Lelouch not leaving Isabella's side, his fingers caressing her face.
"Just a ray of hope for you, Lelouch," C.C. broke the silence after a few, long minutes, "the loss of memory isn't permanent."
Lelouch smiled faintly and the memory of the last kiss he had with Isabella flash through his memory.
"Then, we'll all just have to wait. Until she remembers, we'll protect her from a far."
"I don't mind that. I'm rather attatched to her," C.C. admitted and Lelouch leaned forward, kissing the sleeping, unreponsive lips tenderly before sitting beside C.C.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, she's one heck of a friend. Not to mention she buys me pizza all the time. I've gotten many Cheese-kuns because of her...which makes me very happy."
"You're going to miss that aren't you?" Lelouch teased half heartedly and C.C. smiled.
"Very much, but what I think I'll miss the most is the constant, random bickering between her and Tamaki."
"Oh...yeah...I wonder what he's going to do when he finds out...Isabella is his buddy," Lelouch said and clenched his fists, "I wish she had never ran into Michael. I know it wasn't her fault at all but still..."
"We couldn't avoid this from happening, Lelouch. It was fate," C.C. told him and his leaned his head against his fist.
"This is when Isabella would say 'Fate's a bitch at times'."
C.C. felt another smile spread across her face and hit the autopilot button.
"Like I said, the power is only temporary. Everything will be alright."
Lelouch closed his eyes and sighed, calming himself.
Even if it seems impossible, Geass power can be beaten whether it's defeater be death or love.
I didn't make this cheesey did I? Well, like C.C. said, the memory loss is temporary...so...yeah. Next update will be soon...probably tomorrow. XD Review cause LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA/LAMPEROUGE ORDERS YOU TO! -Zero's sexy laugh- XD Seriously, review.