Lawli: Hey everyone, hope you had an awesome holiday season! I know I did! I didn't get the CLAMP artbook (-cries-) but I did get a lot of other nice stuff, and I hope all you guys got some of the stuff you wanted as well. I had fun time at Mizucon right after Christmas, even though I went for only a day; got a lot of pictures and met a bunch of Code Geass cosplayers.. so it was a good day! If anyone cares, I have a few pictures posted on my DeviantArt account (the link to which you can find in my profile, I'm pretty sure it's my homepage) featuring Kitty!Lelouch, Kitty!Suzaku, and me as Kitty!Rolo. Hehe.
-w- easyenough asked if this was going to be a long fic or a short fic. I figured I would just let everyone know in my AN's that I have absolutely no idea. I'm kind of making this fic up as I go along, to be honest. I'm not planning for it to be TOO long, but it will definitely be at least 10 chapters.
THANKS TO... Loki lee, eMi to mAo 374, 2stupid, xxxCodeTsubasa, J Plash, Serena the Hikari of Love, UnratedCrimsonBlood, Stoic-Genius, -w- easyenough, poobaoger, 6-The-Cloaked-Nocturne-9, Suffocated Entity, Trishmeister, L Lexuran, Kay, mochiusagi, SnowLion no Miko... FOR REVIEWING!
Without further ado, here's chapter 4!
The Charlatans of Circumstance
Chapter Four
Suzaku arrived home later than usual. The owner of one of the shops he ran errands for had made him make an extra few deliveries after store hours. The promise of several more dollars in his pocket was enough for Suzaku to agree to the task, though leaving Kaguya at home by herself so long did worry him.
"Kaguya," he called, stepping inside the flat and closing the door softly behind him. "Tadaima. I'm home." When in the safety of their house, he almost always spoke to her in Japanese.
"We're in the bedroom," Kaguya replied in English, causing Suzaku to blink.
...We?
After removing his shoes and placing them neatly on the mat beside the door, Suzaku made the short trek to the bedroom. The door was ajar and Suzaku could hear Kaguya speaking to someone.
"...He always works late," she was saying, and while she didn't sound upset about this Suzaku couldn't help but feel guilty.
Pushing the door the rest of the way open, Suzaku asked, "we have visitors?"
Indeed there were two people in the room – one of them obviously Kaguya, and the other a woman who also seemed very familiar.
Greenish-blonde hair, apathetic gold eyes... It was hard to forget a woman so different.
"You..."
C.C., his mind supplied, when Suzaku found himself on the brink of drawing a blank; an odd name to match her odd appearance.
"I'm flattered you remember me."
Suzaku didn't know what to say or do with himself. He would suggest making tea, but Kaguya must have done that already, judging by the two empty cups on the floor. "Um," he began lamely, shifting his weight to his right foot. "Thank you... for yesterday."
C.C. tilted her head to the side, clearly confused – or at least pretending to be. "Yesterday?" she replied.
Suzaku licked his lips, looking away from her. "Yeah, you know... for helping me." He hoped he wouldn't have to remind her of the pick-pocketing incident; Kaguya still didn't know anything about it and Suzaku intended to keep it that way.
"Oh," C.C. said. "Was that what I did?" She shrugged, as if not even realizing she'd let him go free without punishment. Suzaku gaped, speechless. C.C. paid him no attention. "Anyways, I didn't come here to listen to you thank me. There's something important I need to discuss with you, Suzaku Kururugi."
"W-with me?"
What on earth could she possibly wish to discuss with him? Maybe Suzaku had gotten it all wrong, and C.C. was actually there to punish him. The thought was a bit far-fetched; C.C. was a woman, Suzaku could easily overpower her if he so wished. Not that he ever would. Suzaku wasn't fond of violence to begin with, and couldn't think of any situation where he would willingly act violently toward a woman.
He deserved it, after all.
"...in private, Kururugi?"
Hearing his name, Suzaku jumped. "What?" he asked, flushing in embarrassment over having spaced out like that.
C.C. smirked and repeated, "can we talk in private?"
"Oh." Nervously, Suzaku laughed. He glanced in Kaguya's direction to find her nodding. "Of course," he said after a moment, retrieving the empty teacups before leading C.C. to the main room of the flat. "I'm afraid we won't have much privacy," he informed her as he set the cups in the kitchen sink.
C.C. took a seat at the small wooden table, and Suzaku joined her shortly afterward. "We can whisper," she said, her golden eyes locking on his face, studying his features.
Anxious under the heat if her gaze, Suzaku scratched the back of his neck and coughed loudly – hoping the sound would make C.C. stop her obvious staring.
It didn't.
"Look, um... if this is about last night—"
"You have a lovely bone structure," C.C. interrupted, making Suzaku choke on his own saliva.
"W-what?"
C.C. raised an eyebrow, finding his reaction humorous, no doubt. "I said, you have a lovely bone structure."
"I-I know what you said!" Suzaku sputtered, cheeks red. "But what does that have to do with... with anything?" Why would C.C. say such a thing – why was she even thinking about his bone structure, of all things?
"It has everything to do with what I wish to speak to you about." Noticing his lost expression, she elaborated. "You see," she said, setting an elbow on the table and gesturing toward Suzaku, "if you don't have the right build, this could never work out."
This..? This what?
C.C. smiled and stood up, motioning for Suzaku to do the same. Hesitantly Suzaku complied, the legs of the chair screeching in protest against the floor as he rose to his feet. He eyed C.C. warily as she began to circle him predatorily.
"A little tall," she commented to herself, taking hold of Suzaku's arm and extending it. Curiosity alone kept Suzaku from obeying his guy instinct to pull away. She pushed the sleeve of his shirt up, taking in the muscles of his arm and making a sound of disapproval. "We'll definitely have to keep clothing long-sleeved."
"U-uh – hey!" Suzaku gasped as C.C. began lifting his shirt up. A hot blush spread across his cheeks as he gazed at her incredulously. "What are you doing?"
C.C. sighed in exasperation. "As I've said, if you don't have the right build then this –"
Suzaku cut her off this time, his arms flailing as he cried, "this – what on earth is this?"
C.C. wasn't listening to him. "What are your measurements, Kururugi? I'm doubtful any of your clothing wont have to be custom made, but it's worth a look. You may be able to squeeze into one of the girl's –"
"Stop!" Suzaku demanded, stepping back once he spotted her reaching for his shirt again. He held tightly onto the hem of his top to block her from raising it. Swallowing, he lowered his voice, not wanting Kaguya to overhear this embarrassing discussion (knowing that she most likely was eavesdropping and already heard the entire thing). "Can you please tell me what's going on? Why you need my... my measurements?"
C.C. stared at him blankly. "For your clothing, obviously. You can't expect to wear those," she pointed at his faded jeans and yellow top, "as Lelouch's fiancée."
This was a dream. A very, very strange dream. Either that, or she had some kind of mental disease. Whichever the case, things were getting out of hand and Suzaku was becoming frustrated.
"Fiancée? What are you talking about – who is Lelouch?" Unlike C.C., Suzaku couldn't put a face to this name, familiar though it sounded.
"You don't remember?" C.C. returned to the table. "You should, you only robbed him last night."
Suzaku called to mind the image of a skinny young man, doubled over from the exertion of running to catch a thief.
...That weakling?
"I don't think..."
"Lelouch was kind enough to let you off with just a warning. However, now he finds himself in need of a favor. Since you are, in a way, indebted to him, you have no room to refuse, Suzaku Kururugi."
Suzaku's emerald eyes were wide, shining with disbelief. Was this supposed to be a joke? "I'm not going to marry the man!" he replied, cheeks flaming. "That's not even... that's not even legal!"
C.C. chuckled. "Who said anything about marriage?"
"But..." Suzaku's voice trailed off. He glanced in C.C.'s direction, completely confused,
Seating herself once more, C.C. crossed her legs and curled a strand of hair around her index finger. "You see, Kururugi, Lelouch's mother is a woman who would love nothing more than to see her son married. For years she's tried playing matchmaker for him."
To Suzaku, this didn't sound like an entirely bad thing.
"However," C.C. continued, "Lelouch has absolutely no desire to be wed. So in order to get his mother to stop her attempts at finding him a wife, he has decided to pretend that he is already engaged."
Suzaku was afraid to ask what he had to do with this plan. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach already told him the answer.
"...So what do you need me for?"
"I would have thought that was obvious."
Suzaku paled. "Why me? I... I'm a man! Shouldn't he... shouldn't he ask a girl to do it?"
C.C. shook her head. "No, that would never work. Lelouch doesn't wish to have a woman play the part; he's afraid she will only fall in love with him."
"Arrogant." Suzaku couldn't help it. The word slipped past his lips before he had the chance to stop it.
Again that smirk appeared on C.C.'s face. "Yes, I suppose he is. You're going to have to put up with it."
Averting his gaze to the floor, Suzaku spoke quietly. "And what if I..."
"Refuse?" she finished the sentence for him, laughing softly. "You can't. After all, you do owe him. And there is also the subject of payment."
At this, Suzaku's eyes lit up. "Payment?"
"Lelouch is willing to give you three hundred pounds per week, should you agree to act as his fiancé."
Three hundred pounds... per week?
But he would have to dress like a woman. Act like a woman, like... like another man's fiancé. That meant behaving affectionately in public; holding hands, embracing, possibly even kissing. The idea alone was mortifying.
Three hundred pounds...
Three hundred pounds per week...
"Well?"
C.C. waited for an answer, though it was obvious what Suzaku would say. He couldn't decline; she already made that clear. And with the payment he'd be receiving, Suzaku wasn't even sure he wanted to decline the offer.
"If I do this," he said at length, "what will happen to Kaguya? Where will she stay?" Suzaku couldn't possibly leave her at the house by herself. She was almost sixteen, but she was ill and Suzaku didn't trust the neighborhood.
Contemplating this new dilemma for a moment, C.C. shrugged dismissively. "Take her with you, if you like. I have no problem with it. Does this mean you agree, though?"
Suzaku nodded eagerly.
"So... when did this happen?"
Their guests had long since left – all of them wishing Lelouch congratulations (the women doing so begrudgingly) on their way out – and Lelouch spent the first fifteen minutes afterward applauding himself for conjuring up such a brilliant plan.
The confrontation by his mother was expected, and honestly came a bit later than Lelouch predicted. His mother was furious, no doubt, that her rational son would do something so completely rash and unpredictable – and behind her back, no less.
A pleasant smile crossed Lelouch's face as he strode through the parlor alongside Marianne. "In Spain," he replied, beginning the story of how he met his lover – one which he'd formulated and memorized hours ago. "Barcelona, to be exact. We ran into each other – quite literally, I'll add – not long after my arrival. She was chasing after a cat."
It wasn't too far a stretch from the truth. Suzaku had run into him – he'd just been after Lelouch's change purse instead of an animal.
He laughed fondly, as if recalling a wonderful memory.
Marianne's brow arched in silent question. "Chasing a cat?" she repeated, obviously not finding that the most dignified thing for a woman to be doing.
"Yes, she's tremendously fond of animals. Cats especially."
"I see. And...?" Marianne prompted.
Lelouch settled onto the white leather sofa, crossing one leg over the other. "I tried to help her catch it, but in the end it eluded us." This would not be hard for his mother to believe, as anyone who knew Lelouch knew of how he tremendously lacked stamina. "Afterwards, I walked her back to her hotel. She was staying close by, a block or so away from me. The next morning we saw each other again, and enjoyed a late breakfast together. We got along fabulously, and ended up spending as much time together as possible."
It was as generic a story as possible, which made Lelouch think it all the more believable.
Marianne eyed him suspiciously, and Lelouch prided himself for not even flinching as she searched him for some trace of a lie. His story was flawless, as were his acting skills; no matter how hard she looked, Marianne would never find even a semblance of the story's falsity on him.
Sighing quietly, Marianne joined him on the sofa. "I can't believe you never felt the need to tell me, darling. I'm so disappointed."
"I thought it would be a nice surprise. I know how long you've waited to see me with the right woman, mother, and I didn't want to tell you until you could indeed see me with that woman."
Lelouch waited. It took a moment, but Marianne caught on to the real meaning behind his words rather quickly.
"She's coming here?" she gasped, violet eyes sparkling, her reaction on which Lelouch could not clearly discern as happiness or distress. "When?"
"Three days."
Lawli: No crossdressing Suzaku in this chapter. Sorry. But next chapter, I promise... ;3
As always, feedback would be appreciated! See you next chapter (which is already half written~)!