Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass. I do own the plot. (Also, many thanks for the reviews! You keep reviewing, I'll keep updating!)
Chapter Three: Meeting the H.A.W.W.
Another sigh passed his lips as he tugged for the umpteenth time at the collar of his new outfit. To say that Suzaku disliked the tall collar to his new uniform jacket was like saying Slayers weren't doing any real harm to the way the world worked; you really should try checking your facts because you were only touching the tip of the iceberg. He thought the outfit was charming in its black fabric with golden embroidery to help make the uniform more distinguished but Suzaku had found that though the fabric was breathable and durable, he was not big about things that were so snug around his neck. There was very little space between his chin and the long turtleneck and he disliked the way the fabric brushed his neck whenever he moved. "You look absolutely somber," Cici commented with a tone a little too smug in his opinion.
"It's better than being dead, at least," He stated with faked enthusiasm. Cici blinked, golden eyes gleaming in surprise at the now bemused jade spheres regarding her. She glared at him, turned, and began doing a back stroke in the air.
"Touché. You win this round, mutt," She stated before calmly diving through the floor and to some other room of the house. Suzaku released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. There was something about the female ghost, other than the fact she was a dead mental patient, that bothered Suzaku. He was almost afraid that she had another reason for sticking around. The door opened and Lelouch poked his head in, dark purple orbs shifting around and locking on him. He also wore the evil uniform but seemed unfazed by the constricting collar.
"You ready?" He asked calmly. A quick nod from the curled mop of brown curls and they headed downstairs. Nunnally waited below, seated calmly in her wheelchair and smiling at them in that innocent way of hers. Suzaku, despite being confused about why Lelouch took care of her, found her naïve outlook to be adorable. She was not yet marred with war or death or the things that he knew stained both he and his Partner, her brother. Perhaps she knew of these tragedies and just tried to look at the glass as half full.
"Nervous for your first day, Suzaku?" She asked in a tone laced with happiness and concern. She looked at him with those big, curious eyes and he smiled at her warmly. It was the kind of smile that had the girl's in the pack tripping over themselves, for whatever reason. She smiled back, seeming a bit more relaxed by his response. She nodded and used the buttons of her chair to head out the door, Lelouch close after her.
They escorted Nunnally to her classroom before beginning the tread back to the other side of campus to their own. "I'm going to introduce you to a few important friends of mine. They've been helping werewolves find their Partners and aiding in my search for employment," Lelouch stated calmly, waving with a half hearted smile to a few people that addressed him. Suzaku looked around and saw quite a few people were looking at him with mixed reactions. Some looked curious, others frightened, plus the occasional scornful glance or something a bit more like some scandal was occurring. He shifted his gaze back to keeping pace with Lelouch instead of focusing on all the people watching them. Though that did raise a few more flashing red lights in Suzaku's mind.
Suzaku was used to a condensed pack of his kin, of people just like him, and the fact school involved more than a handful of students sent his panic drive nearly to the edge. He felt slightly claustrophobic, despite the large green field they were cutting through, with all the eyes on them. Lelouch kept his usual mask of indifference in place, most likely used to this kind of attention, and seemed unaware of the struggle deep within his associate. Suzaku's instinct as a wolf was screaming to shed these damned binding clothes, be free of the accursed itchy collar, and run free and wild, like he did not too long ago with Yosuke and Takashi. His wolf logic, however, demanded that should he shift he stay close to Lelouch, as it was his duty to help look out for the young human. And above all that Suzaku's barely stable self control argued that he stay a human and tough it out through the day. He was so lost in his thought that the conflicted little wolf boy didn't hear Lelouch calling at him to stop and walked… right in to the fountain in the center of the concrete path students travelled on.
Lelouch winced and covered his face with his hand, peeking out between to fingers to look at the now soaked and stunned Suzaku. In seconds the nearby crowd was sent in to cackling and giggles, all pointing or looking at the brunette in the pond. Suzaku looked around frantically, eyes turning darker with his alarm and fear. Knowing that Suzaku would either freak out and lash out at someone or be so emotionally unstable he'd never want to return to this God awful place, Lelouch stepped in cleverly. He held out one hand, looking at Suzaku with a small smirk in place. "Come on, rookie," He stated in a teasing tone for all to hear, "I told you not to take a dip in the fountain until your second day." The kids laughed a bit more at this before a whistle being blown frightened them all. They swerved around as one, turning toward the noise. 'Took you long enough, Milly.' He thought in slight aggravation as he hoisted the soaked teen from the cool, clear waters.
A smirk turned up rose colored lips as hands dropped to the person's hips. She walked through the crowd, whistle dangling from her neck and swaying with her moves, as she approached the two boy's before her. Suzaku shook his head in his usual dog-like manner, ignoring the low hiss of disapproval Lelouch released as he was sprinkled with the dew drops, before looking over at the new presence curiously. He paid no mind to the black skirt, goldenrod top, or forest green tie with gold embroidery work because Suzaku already knew it was the girl's uniform. He blinked a bit, watching as her long honey colored locks followed and bounced gently with the slightest turn of her head, watched her smirk fade to a frown of curiosity, and watched her stormy blue-grey eyes swirl on Lelouch with question and a small bit of arrogance. "Good morning, Madam President," Lelouch stated calmly, bowing like a polite young gentleman to her. This didn't seem to please her because she leaned back just a small bit.
"Is this our special little guest?" She asked evenly, reaching over and hooking Suzaku's chin between her thumb and index finger. He let out a small huff of surprise as she tilted her head down, up, left and right. She nodded a bit before grinning impishly at the duo. "Well then let's get him set up and introduce him to the others. Plus we ca get him to change in to a dry spare uniform we have in the Stuco Room." She stated with a smile before turning and pointing the way she came. Lelouch sighed softly as he began treading after her, not even waiting for Suzaku to scramble after him.
…
The Student Council room was not the prim, proper and tidy room Suzaku had been expecting. Instead every person in the room was decked out in what appeared to be woodland creature costumes in various hues and a few fake trees, shrubs, and a green rug furnished the room. "What's all this for?" Suzaku asked slowly, indicating the room with his index finger. Milly giggled and lightly poked him in the nose, a smile lighting up her face.
"Why, it's a party to celebrate your arrival, young wolf," She hummed merrily. Suzaku's eyes widened and he jumped back. He gave Lelouch a panicked look, eyes glazing with paranoia and fear. No one else was supposed to know he was a werewolf! Lelouch scoffed a bit, walking over to the long meeting table and setting down both he and Suzaku's book bags. He sat down, seeing quite relaxed, and simply began reading a book he pulled from his bag.
Lelouch glanced up at Suzaku calmly before glancing back at his book. "Don't worry, Suzaku, the Student Council isn't just a bunch of kids the other students like. We're hand-picked by the school's head mistress because of our abilities and knowledge," He explained with a wave of his hand. He then turned the page and looked up, seeing the now confused gleam marking Suzaku's face. "Well, for example, you and I are Partners meaning we're a blessed human and a werewolf. I might as well introduce you to everyone." He stated as he stood. He gestured to the perky blonde who had found them at the fountain. "This is our President, Milly Ashford. I'm sure you've heard of the Ashford family, correct?" Suzaku stared at the giggling blond with shock.
The Ashford family was a well-known family in the world Suzaku came from. The Ashford's had purchased all the wild lands around and were letting the mythic creatures people didn't know existed live there to avoid extinction. He had heard that only one Ashford was left, due to the Slayers trying to get control of the land. "You're the last Ashford?" He asked in sheer surprise. Milly smiled in a sorrowful way and nodded before suddenly perking right back up.
Lelouch indicated a girl with light red, almost orange, hair with bright golden eyes. They were a little lighter than Cici's. She wore a pair of rabbit ears in a snowy white hue and a furry bunny suit that clung to her form, accenting her curves. It came with furry white rabbit paw gloves and little boots of a rabbits back legs. Suzaku assumed she had a bushy little white tail as well but didn't want to seem rude or perverted by checking. "This is Shirley Fenette. She's one of the few humans who believes in the creatures of shadow. She also has the ability to read minds," He stated calmly.
She giggled a little bit as she smiled at Suzaku and offered her hand. "Shirley Fenette, at your service! And, yes, I do have a little bunny tail," She hummed happily, shaking Suzaku's hand as he gawked at her in surprise. She nodded again. "It does come in handy a lot."
"Next is Rivalz Cardemonde. His family is the largest supplier of Ghost Slayer equipment in the world," Lelouch continued, gesturing to a boy in a black bear suit. He grinned lightly, rubbing that back of his head with a furry black paw. He had onyx spheres with a glint of dark blue in them. They were alive with happiness, making them a little bit brighter. He had, strangely enough, navy blue colored hair that fringed down and out a bit, as if he often wore a hat or something like that.
He removed the hand from behind his head and patted Suzaku's shoulder in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Kururugi," He beamed cheerfully. Suzaku smiled back and nodded his head. It was then he spotted someone sneaking out of the room. He saw the wisp of a dusty brown tail and then nothing was left.
"Don't worry; that was just Nina. She's super shy and easily frightened," Shirley addressed with a reassuring grin. Suzaku nodded as another person entered, clad in a fire engine red fox suit. The outfit was like Shirley's, form fitting and furry, but the tips of the ears and tail were pure white. Her strange red-pink hair fell to her chin, grazing the flesh a little bit because of the positioning of the headband with the ears attached. The girl's pale blue eyes narrowed dangerously at Lelouch, for reasons unknown. "Oh! Kallen, it's not Lulu's fault! It was Milly's idea to dress up for Suzaku's welcoming party!" She chirped quickly, her tone a mix between chiding and worried for the aloof male's health.
A smug grin turned up Lelouch's lips, looking at the enraged vixen. "You make for a cute furry, Kallen. Don't let Cici see you like that," When Kallen's face turned the same shade as her costume Lelouch smirked victoriously, turning back to his book. "And that, Suzaku, is Kallen Stadfeld. She has the ability to temporarily turn herself in to a ghost, which can be both a blessing and a curse for the rest of us."
"How so?" Suzaku asked curiously, his interest earned by this ability. She could turn herself in to a ghost? That was something Suzaku had never heard of, even in the legends of his people. It was something completely foreign and unbelievable to the young wolf prince.
"The slightest bump to my head causes me to be forced from my body," Kallen clipped flatly, taking a seat at the large meeting table across from the raven haired teen enthralled with his book. She glared at him so harshly that Suzaku actually felt a small shiver run up his spine. "And when I get out of my body I have to stay out for a minimum of fifteen minutes. So the other members of the Student Council have to cover for me so no one checks my pulse and finds it to be non existent." Suzaku nodded in understanding, making a mental note to mention this to his pack some time in the future.
Milly slipped over and began walking in circles around Suzaku, looking at him from head to toe while he watched, before placing a hand on her chin and meeting his gaze. "You claim to be a werewolf but is there any way you can prove it?" She asked suspiciously. He blinked a few times before nodding slightly. She smiled brightly. "Prove it then." And then… All Hell broke loose.
…
Onyx tinted eyes shifted back toward the room just exited. The person cringed, reaching in to the small pocket of her uniform for her phone. 'To think a werewolf would honestly come here….' She trailed fearfully, hands shaking as she tried to skim through her contacts to the proper one. Her eyes softened, shifting to a longing gaze rather than a frightened one. He moved her forest green braid over her shoulder and held the phone up to her ear, awaiting the soft and caring voice of the other person.
"Has he arrived as planned, Nina?" The sounds of that voice made Nina hold back a contented sigh. Oh how she loved this other woman! She swallowed hard.
"Yes, he has. Suzaku Kururugi has arrived as planned," She managed to force out through the fog present in her mind. She could just envision the beauty on the other end of the phone. She saw the large, gorgeous purple spheres that never held hate or rage toward the shy girl. She saw the long, flowing carnation hued locks that followed after her like a silky cape. She could see those pale pink lips that looked just so soft, saw the pale skin that looked just oh so soft.
"Very good, Nina. Keep us posted as often as you can," And with that the line went dead. Nina smiled to herself, knowing this little development was a good thing. Yes, she'd be stuck dealing with a disgusting werewolf but his presence gave her the rights to call every day. And for that simple fact Nina would gladly deal with this complete buffoon, this unworthy thing.
…
"Prove it then," And then… All Hell broke loose.
Lelouch made a mental note to give Suzaku a lesson in both proper etiquette and ignoring Milly's taunts. Since it was apparent, considering Suzaku's reactions to everything in the last two days, the werewolves were not teaching their children these two crucial points. He pondered over this and if he should stop what was best described as controlled chaos.
Suzaku had begun undressing, gladly tossing his jack on to the table. His long sleeved button up under shirt joined it soon enough. Rivalz was laughing while Kallen, who had been leaning back in her seat, toppled over and was thrown form her body, releasing swears. Shirley let out a shrill shriek as Suzaku's fingers went for the fly of his black uniform pants. "Sto-!" It was then Milly clamped a hand over the other girl's mouth, a devilish smirk turning up her lips.
"No! No! This is the best show ever!" She laughed manically. It was do or die, in Lelouch's opinion. He leaned over and smacked the brown haired male over the back of the head with his book. A small, pained cry came from Suzaku as he fell to his knees and gripped his now throbbing head. He looked up at Lelouch with large jade orbs of confusion. His chest was exposed, letting Lelouch get a better view of the tanned skin and muscles adorning his Partner's frame. The button and zipper of his pants were undone, leaving his green boxers visible.
"Bad dog. What did I tell you about undressing in public?" He asked in slight annoyance, as if Suzaku was a child. Suzaku blinked and then looked up at him.
"You told me to keep my clothes on unless I was in a small area by myself," He stated with a nod, repeating Lelouch's brief explanation. Suddenly the fact he had actually had to have said conversation with the young wolf made the amethyst eyed male feel very silly. However, despite his view of the whole thing, he did not want another incident like when he first met Suzaku or, even worse, what had happened the previous day while shopping for clothes. His stomach fell and a knot formed in his throat when he remembered that had happened in the second situation. Lelouch gave Suzaku, who was staring at him impatiently, a nod. With that simple motion indicating he'd been heard Suzaku calmly slipped back in to his uniform, grumbling a bit when he slipped that damned jacket back on.
Milly glared at Lelouch, earning his attention. "Kill joy," She stated flatly. He merely gave a small, innocent smile before reopening his book and losing himself in it.
…
Needless to say, by the end of the day Suzaku was exhausted. His head hurt from all the complicated, complex things he had to remember, his hand hurt from having to write so many meticulous notes, and he felt like he needed a nice long nap. If only Todo and the others had prepared him for this! He trudged behind Lelouch slowly, looking at the tiled floors, as they headed toward the Stuco room. "How do you deal with school? It's so boring!" He whined softly. A soft chuckle came from his comrade.
"I think you'll feel better once you see what we're doing next," He stated with a bit of joy in his voice. Green eyes shimmered in confusion and hope at the thought of doing something that was actually pleasurable. Lelouch opened the door and they entered. Only Milly was inside, sitting at the meeting table with a small notebook in hand. She perked up when they entered and smirked.
"Okay, boys, you have an appointment today," She began as Lelouch walked across the room and pulled out a moving black curtain. It was set in a rather spacious hemisphere shape, a thick black curtain hanging from it like a shower curtain. Lelouch set it up against a wall and looked at Suzaku. Getting the idea Suzaku headed in and began disrobing, tossing his clothes over the side for Lelouch. Said human caught them and neatly folded them, setting the neat stack on the meeting table.
"Who is our client this time?" He asked calmly, sitting on the table as they waited on Suzaku. They could hear the cracking, snapping, and popping of Suzaku's bones and muscles as he changed but neither was bothered by it. Milly quickly scribbled something else down as Suzaku walked out, shaking his head and shivering to adjust his new fur coat.
"Miss Cecile Croomy came in claiming that every evening right before she leaves she goes to lock the room up only to find all the desks have been tossed around sloppily and sometimes there's blood on the floor," Milly explained calmly as Kallen, Shirley and Rivalz came back in. She turned to them. "Well?" She asked curiously.
Shirley looked at the other two before stepping forward a bit. "There is definitely something hiding in that classroom. The only problem is that it's too well hidden and I can't lock on to it's thoughts," She explained worriedly. Milly and Lelouch exchanged glances before looking back at her. "The only things I can't get in tune with are dragons and griffins for some reason. It could be either of those but I don't think it's safe for Lulu to go."
Lelouch let out a soft sigh, walking over to the small closet and pulling out his quiver and bow. "I'll be fine, Shirley," He began while putting on his Ghost Slayer gear, "since I have my powers and Suzaku will be with me." Said wolf felt warmth blossom in his chest knowing that Lelouch had this much faith in him. Violet orbs looked at him and a small smile turned up the owner's lips. "Now, let's go see what's going on with this peculiar presence." With that the duo walked out, the soft clicking of Suzaku's mails rapping against the tile the only sound.
Stormy blue eyes shifted to the red haired mind reader now looking at the ground sadly. Milly knew that, like most of the other girl's on campus, Shirley was madly in love with the mysterious raven haired man sitting as Vice President of both the Student Council and the H.A.W.W.'s teen chapter. Shirley glanced over at Milly with teary eyes, knowing exactly what the girl was thinking. An apologetic look came to the older woman's eyes before she gently draped her arms over the other. "I'm sorry, Shirley," She whispered softly.
…
On the first floor of the Science building they found Miss Cecile worrying her pink lower lip to the point a small trail of crimson dripped down to her chin. Lelouch readjusted his quiver as she ran over, silvery blue eyes alive with hope and gratitude at their arrival. Her midnight blue hair was neat and teased her shoulders. She gently ran her fingers through the short locks nervously as Lelouch took a peek through the small window on the classroom door.
As Milly had said the desks were launched in various places and blood was splattered everywhere. It was like a crime scene and Lelouch felt his stomach lurch a bit; there was blood on the desks, a rather large puddle of it in the center of the room, and large splatters all over the walls and chalkboard. Suzaku let out a short bark, awarded with the humans' attention. "It smells like a griffin," He announced, walking closer and nudging the door with his muzzle. Lelouch knelt down and rested a hand on his Partner's furry head, his fingers gently massaging.
"Are you sure?" He whispered lowly, making sure the confused teacher couldn't hear them. He glanced at her to see she was fiddling nervously with the edge of her long sleeved blouse and worrying her lips again, ignoring the stream of red that began flowing again.
"A flock of griffins used to come by every winter and stay with us in the pack. Master Todo and the others trained us all to memorize this smell," He explained, eyes hardening with his resolve. The smell of man-made air pollution, soft dirt at the bottom of streams, the faint musk of the forest and the aroma of rabbit blood were far too familiar to be mistaken as anything else for Suzaku's well trained nose. Lelouch nodded and looked at the older woman calmly.
"Just go to the teacher's lounge and we'll be done before you get ready to lock up," He stated with a small smile. She nodded, eyes still gleaming with concern at leaving a student to handle this, before walking off a bit faster than was normal. Lelouch dropped the kind appearance once she was gone and looked down at Suzaku. "Are griffins typically hostile?" He asked, slipping his bow down his arm and pulling an arrow out.
Suzaku turned his attention back to the door, hopping back on to his hind legs and peering in to the room. "Considering the amount of blood on the floor I doubt that even if the griffin is feeling a bit testy we'll have anything to worry about. It's either fading fast or gone now," He stated softly, sorrowing creeping in at the concept of the mighty creatures demise. Lelouch nodded but kept his gear close at hand, just in case. He then turned the knob and pushed the door open, allowing Suzaku entry.
His nose twitched and he reared back, a revolting scent crawling in to his nose. Suzaku fell to his belly, clamping a paw over his muzzle and closing his eyes tightly. "Oh, dear God," Lelouch hacked out, quickly pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and placing it over tightly his nose and mouth with his hand. A low whine came from the wolf and Lelouch leaned down, setting his bow and arrow aside to pull the second handkerchief, the one brought with his comrade, out of his pocket. He gently shoved Suzaku's large paw out of the way and, before the other could push it back in to place, pressed the soft cloth to the other's nose. He waited until Suzaku opened his eyes halfway, seeming to be taking deep breaths to remove the unpleasant aroma from his senses, before relaxing a bit in his crouched position beside the large wolf.
Suzaku breathed in deeply. The preliminary hints of lavender, violets and roses soothed his burning nostrils of the stomach churning scent previously inhaled. Cinnamon, honey, nutmeg and paprika followed next, helping to calm him down and regain his sense of duty. Sage and hickory, both such homey smells to him, reminded him that what he was doing was to benefit werewolves the world over and letting a smell such as this weaken him gave his pride a good kick to jump back in place. And then the salt of sweat and blood, both belonging to his Partner, reminded him that this creature might harm Lelouch. Guarding Lelouch was the whole reason for Suzaku's existence! He growled lowly, fir tinted eyes glinting with his newly restored determination. "Let's get in there and get this over with," He stated sternly, his haunches coming up while Lelouch watched in surprise.
For a moment he battled with indecision. Lelouch wasn't sure if Suzaku was really as sturdy with that smell floating about in the air around them. If he a human with nothing more than a heightened spiritual sense, could be so unnerved by the aroma how would his wolf Partner, who had both a heightened spiritual sense and keener sense of smell and sight and hearing, stay on his four legs? He took a deep breath before pulling the handkerchief back and replacing it in his pocket. He saw the other wince before releasing a loud snarl and charging in. He followed closely behind, grabbing his discarded bow and arrow.
The smell was coming from the supply closet on the other side of the room, beside the window. Suzaku darted over and sniffed, ignoring how badly his nose stung and burned or how his eyes welled with bitter tears. Lelouch, keeping the cloth to his own face, made quick work of the window. In a second Suzaku stuck his head out and took in lungful after painfully soothing lungful of fresh air. The smell of nature caused him to let out a small sigh. He heard the click of the closet followed by Lelouch letting out an audible gasp. "Suzaku, come here," He stated softly, voice filled with sadness and pity. Curious as to the sudden mood change, said male pushed himself off the windowsill with his front limbs and walked over, trying to pretend the smell was gone. He froze and completely forgot the pain the smell caused him.
There, in the supply closet, was a female griffin. She was coated in blood, eyes glazed as she was fading from life rapidly. She had a few arrows in her wings and multiple gashes on her sides and legs. Her white fur was dyed red with her own blood. Curled against her, releasing soft whining noises, was a baby griffin in a shade similar to ash. It was uninjured and seemed well tended. "Suzaku," Lelouch began slowly. His eyes softened as he looked at the sad wolf, ears and tail both down in a stance of defeat.
"The blood was because she was sneaking off to get him food," He whispered, watching as the mother tried to get up to defend her infant from them. He saw the panicked, frightened look in the child's icy blue eyes. He had seen that same gleam years ago, when Yosuke was by his dying mother's side. He stepped forward slowly, making sure to be cautious and slow. "We'll take care of him. You don't have to worry anymore. Your baby will be safe. I promise." He cooed soothingly. She watched, her black eyes untrusting, before looking down at the shaking ball pressed against her. She was weighing the pros and cons of keeping him here with her. She then looked at him and gave a barely visible nod, dark eyes pleading. Being as gentle as possible Suzaku lifted the small body in his mouth, lifting him up and away from his dying mother.
The little griffin squirmed and cried, trying to get away from the werewolf and back to his mother's side. Alas, he was only as big as a month old puppy and was easy to keep a hold of. Suzaku handed him over to Lelouch, who gently cradled him and tried to calm him down. The mother rested back down, her eye lids dropping over her eyes. The team of Ghost Slayers watched as her body turned in to a plume of white smoke and floated out the window, drifting almost carelessly with the slight breeze. The revolting smell of raw flesh, blood, and scorn dissipated, replaced with a more sweet smell of sunflowers and lilies.
…
"Madam President, you can't be serious!" Shirley cried in surprised. Lelouch raised a skeptical brow, Rivalz gawked with a slacked jaw, Kallen gave a weirded out expression and Suzaku only glanced up from his position lying on the floor. He lifted his head for a moment and then, far too tired and depressed to care about the conversation, closed his eyes and returned his head to his paws. Milly looked around in confusion, seeming a bit annoyed about the groups reactions.
"I don't see why you're all reacting like this! Vladimir needs a family and he really is quite adorable," She argued calmly, snuggling the furry baby griffin in her arms. Though Lelouch had been unsuccessful at lulling the tiny griffin to calming down Milly had taken the small fellow and managed to hum him in to comfort. Lelouch bit back a laugh, Kallen struck her face with her hand, Suzaku let out a drawn out sigh and Rivalz and Shirley looked horrified.
"Don't give it a name! We're not keeping that thing!" Rivalz cried indignantly, pointing at the now curious looking creature accusingly. Milly rolled her eyes and went back to fondling over the small boy while he released delighted little cries. Shirley and Rivalz continued to try talking some sense in to the older woman while Kallen and Lelouch exchanged glances. It was then the dark haired male stood. He nudged Suzaku with his foot, who only glanced up with one open eye.
"Go ahead and change back. We're heading home," He explained calmly. Releasing another sigh Suzaku forced himself up and headed back behind the black curtain. Lelouch tossed his clothes over the side in their neat little stack. He packed up their things while he waited. Shirley and Rivalz stopped their fretting when they heard the cracking of bones. They, along with Kallen, watched for a few minutes until Suzaku stepped out, fully clothed and looking quite somber. They then returned to their task of trying to persuade their leader to not keep the strange mythical beast she was treating like an infant. And with that Lelouch and Suzaku headed out toward their humble abode on the other side of campus.
…
Puce hued orbs shifted toward the mop of curly brown hair walking beside him. "What's wrong?" He asked calmly. Sorrowful green met concerned violet. Again Suzaku sighed, closing his eyes, before opening them and staring at the path they were taking.
"I was just thinking about my friend Yosuke. His mom died when we were young because of Slayers. This just reminded me about him and now I wonder how he's doing," He stated slowly, his gaze shifting toward the sky. It was a beautiful mixture of different tints of pink, orange, blue and purple, all flowing and swirling around one another elegantly. "He's never been very smart or good with people that didn't agree with him. If he and his Partner don't agree on things… I just worry how it'll end." Lelouch scoffed lightly, causing Suzaku to look at him curiously.
"You should be more concerned about yourself. If you ever want to do the things preordained in your destiny you need to keep your eye on your own situation and me. Above all else," He stated sternly while stepping right in front of the other and halting his walk, "your main concern is protecting me, as my main concern is protecting you. All we have left now in this war against the Slayers is each other. We need to build out trust and strengthen our team work. If you'd rather fret over some bumbling idiot you used to associate with than just walk away now. I won't waste my time on those who look only toward the past." Suzaku was stunned at Lelouch's cold tone, the way his eyes turned nearly black with his obvious rage. He then turned and began walking away, leaving Suzaku to think.
It took a moment before Suzaku quickly jogged back to his side. For some reason, Lelouch's words reminded him of something Todo had once told them. "For now you focus on your friends and this pack. But someday you'll have more important things to do and looking back on precious memories will be something trivial to slow you down. Never look back once you're gone, and if you do than I have failed in teaching you how to be respectable wolves," Long ago, when he first heard it, Suzaku hadn't understood the meaning of the words. But now, as he walked with his Partner, he felt that maybe he understood them just a little better.
END
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