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Chapter Four:

"When actually, Father, are we going to get rid of this freak?" Kanon's powder-blue eyes roamed over Suzaku lying motionless to the parlor's carpet. "He's so... filthy," the older son said, jerking up the edge of Suzaku's chin with a buckled boot and wrinkling his nose. "Just look at the state of him."

"I suppose that you have a point, my son..." Charles nodded, also taking the opportunity to examine the heavy damage he had done to his nephew from the fireplace mantle, "I am becoming weary of his sad excuse of an existence... perhaps it would be more practical to do away with him while the time is appropriate..."

Bradley's eyes suddenly rounded out in anger as his eyes sought something familiar-looking on Suzaku's person. "Look, Father!" He spat out, digging into one of the boy's ragged pockets and exposing the golden-and-silver-filigreed envelope from within, "The bastard stole one of our invitations!"

"I did not!" Suzaku yelled back at him, finding the strength in his sullied honor to heave himself into a sitting position, cupping his bleeding left eye, "It's mine!"

"What a lie!" The orange-haired man hissed poisonously, "Why the hell would you have one to begin with, you little shit? No one knows you even exist!"

"I said it's mine!"

"Mark my words, boy," His stepfather's face darkened to a foul purplish as he thrust a finger at the fallen boy, "one more despicable word from your vile mouth and you will wish you were ever born."

Bradley starting laughing, braying like a wild animal, when Suzaku's mouth visibly shut at those words — and aimed a kick for the brunet's head. Twisting his body quickly, the swing missed wide. Suzaku sprung to his feet and bolted for the front doorway of the estate — jostling an exceedingly shocked Kanon aside as he did so — and continued for the woods off the grounds.

Charles grabbed Bradley's shoulder as he moved to pursue the injured boy, "Leave him. He has nowhere to go. We have other business to attend to."

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He heard no footsteps behind him for a good while. No furious calls of a return from his step-family.

Suzaku didn't really know where he was running to... but he couldn't go back now.

His treasure... underneath the fireplace's stone...

He halted at a clearing, nearest a fork in a dirt path, and slammed a fist against the sign embellished "Acre Woods". His body sweated copiously and hurt like he had made a round trip from scaling up from the deepest pits of Hell. Suzaku knew— if anything, he had to go back for what he had left behind.

When?— he couldn't be sure.

Before he could think on it for longer, the brush nearest him parted to reveal someone from behind it. Someone walking intently towards him. A petite-looking girl dressed in a puffed-up, goldenrod-colored bear suit with a sewn-in red tee shirt. She held in her arms a stuffed tiger, and clicked at her fingertips a hot-pink-and-white PS2 diary. Suzaku could vaguely make out those details with his good eye... and wondered if he really was awake...

She spoke up with a very informative tone to him, "Click your heels three times."

Suzaku stared.

Blankly.

"Click your heels three times," the petite girl with the stuffed animal repeated.

He did so. Cautiously.

And that's when the world exploded into a heavy cloud of sparkle and pedal-shaped turbofetti.

Emerging from it was a floating, cross-dressing, muscular man with very coiffed, bright blond hair. With heavy eyeliner and several braids tied with dark green ribbons trailing off his shoulders — he also had on a muslin close-fitting, demi-riding coat (a cadmium-green hue) over a stomacher (with a big, floppy, white ribbon in the front). His legs were concealed by an ankle-length, full-flared skirt (black, hemmed linen) and a petticoat.

To make everything ridiculous look more so, there were wings on his back — semi-transparent and a shade darker than the blond of his hair.

But Suzaku couldn't make out all of those fancy and unreasonably complicated features about the other gentleman so well... seeing as how there was a great amount of filmy blood in his one eye. The girl held up her diary to the newcomer, clicking away at the built-in camera.

"Who summoned me? Was it YOU?" The fairy-man gave Suzaku a surprisingly chilling glare before directing it to the girl. "I specifically asked you to NOT tell strangers willy-nilly about how to get in contact with me! That's it—NO—I'm serious this time Anya—"

Anya said dully, "It's him, Gino."

"Him? Him wh—?" Gino exclaimed, then looking back at the boy with a new, appreciative clarity. "Oh! Him! Why did you say something to me first? It's about time!" The blond man landed to the clearing's grass, his yellowish wings fluttering promptly before flattening to his back out-of-sight.

He gasped spectacularly, grasping Suzaku's cut face lightly with both of his masculine hands, "Oh, just look at this poor handsome face! This cannot be tolerated!" Gino reached behind him to hold up a wand (long as well as ludicrously sparkly and green), mumbled some kind of gibberish under his breath, and gave Suzaku a smart rap on the nose with it. After this was finished, he led Suzaku to a small brook to the side of the clearing. Suzaku's reflection back to him was healed of all the bruising and the wounds. Tentatively, Suzaku wiped his eye to find no bloody residue come back.

Through the water's reflection, Gino said, grinning, "Sometimes even I'm impressed with myself."

"Thank you... but... what do you want with me? How do you know me?"

"I'm your Fairy Godmother, silly! Here to make all of your dreams come true!" The fairy-man tapped the tip of his wand against his cheek shrewdly. "You were directed here, weren't you?"

"...Yes, actually." Suzaku remembered Miss Witch mentioning something about woods...

"Then everything is settled!" Gino chuckled. "There is no need for you to worry anymore. Though the story did not explain very well how you managed to make it here precisely where you needed to be— (Humph, came a small, disembodied voice from nowhere particular. Everyone's a damn critic.)— you are in fact here where you need to be anyway!"

Inescapably confused, Suzaku decided to ask anyway, "You are my Fairy Godmother?"

"Of course! Since you are the hero—erm, heroine—erm, whatever of the story, you will need my help. How do you think you are going to get into that big, important ball looking as you are?" Gino snorted, giving him a critical once-over, fanning himself with Suzaku's invitation (that now magically returned).

Anya inserted her opinion from the background of their conversation, "...Blue."

At this, the blond man let out an overexcited laugh.

"Brilliant! Oh my dear Anya! Why did I think of it?" With another crazed-sounding laugh, Gino smacked Suzaku on the top of his head with his wand.

And then the world exploded again.

Only then coming back into view into it with a horrified, cross-dressing boy clutching at the skirts of his extravagant ball gown. Pinned to Suzaku's head was a long, cork-screw, brown wig fastened with sapphires. The gown itself was a rich blue color with double-ruffles, sacks of damask to the body and train, gold cord and tassels, and with a sky-blue laced standing frill to the décolletage.

...He was a walking, freaking, fairytale princess.

But the really important part to all of that Suzaku was caring about at the moment — was how damn heavy the entire thing was on his body! He was astonished that he could remain on his feet. In the distance, a camera clicked.

Suzaku lifted the skirts momentarily to see what was pinching his feet so terribly. Trapping his feet was strangely pointy, opaque slipper-shoes.

"What are these made of?"

"Acrylic." At that not helpful answer, the Japanese boy did not press the matter — but pleaded in a small, tortured voice to be changed back to his original form.

"I know I am supposed to be dressing for a masquerade... and that I am disguising myself from anyone who would suspect me not to be a noble or not Japanese... but can I at least wear something that goes with my mask?" Suzaku showed him the copper brocade and green mask with a hopeful expression.

With a dramatic sigh, Gino smacked him on the head again. Harder. Suzaku held back the grimace.

This time, Suzaku looked in the brook's reflection to see himself in a double-breasted dark suit with a cream, damasked satin waistcoat underneath and white, tucked-in cravat. As he placed on his mask, Gino added wistfully, "I like the little green and gold trimmings in the round cuffs myself."

"They are nice," Suzaku agreed, and then looked back down at his feet. "...what about the slippers?"

"The slippers stay." Gino's face completely removed itself of any joking intentions. As Suzaku stiffened up, the fairy-man's smile surfaced back. "Don't give me that look! They will be necessary for later." He hung over Suzaku's shoulder. "You look delicious. Your pretty little Prince Charming wont be able to resist you."

"I don't really care if I look...delicious or anything..."

Suzaku frowned, slowly peeling away from Gino's arms. "I know I'm second-guessing myself but what if one of my stepbrothers finds out it's me?"

"It's your wish, isn't it? To change the policies of both opposing countries so that they may live peacefully side-by-side?" Gino asked, his bright blue eyes narrowing seriously. "If we were all slaves to our what-ifs and but-nots then no one would be able to reach their dreams."

At this kernel of wisdom, Suzaku nodded, smiling. "I guess you're right."

"But of course I am. Now, you have until midnight tonight—which is approximately three hours from now—before that little ole spell I put over you breaks and you are easily noticed. Now about your pumpkin..." Gino said, turning to Anya regardfully. There was a long staring contest between them.

"...Anya... my dear, dear companion...?"

She blinked slowly.

"...what in the devil's name are you wearing?"

"Cosplay."

Another moment of silence. Gino arched a blond eyebrow. "I see. Well, it has been deemed unnecessary for the time being. I have something better." With a flourish of his wand, she was no longer in the bear suit but in a red schoolgirl uniform, her cotton-candy hair in twin pigtails.

And towering over her was one of the biggest structures Suzaku had ever seen — a giant, white robot mecha.

...Not that Suzaku would know what they were in the alternative universe.

"So when your pumpkin returns to you at the stroke of midnight." The fairy-man paused, glancing at the girl and the robot, "both of them— your disguise shall fail."

"...they are... both the pumpkin?" Suzaku pointed as Anya waved in acknowledgment, climbing into the Lancelot with a bored expression on her face.

...Not that Suzaku would know what it was called.

"I don't know what's going on anymore..." he mumbled to himself.

Gino shoved him in the right direction, chirping over the roar of the engines, "Have a safe journey~! Be sure to buckle in because I'm not sure if Anya knows how to pilot this thing~!"

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TBC...

I failed at the monthly update. T_T I'm really sorry. I swore to myself that BEFORE THE FIRST OF MARCH I needed this chapter up. This was mostly silliness but the next chapter... not so much. DRAMA. WHO IS EXCITED! Plus... Suzaku and Lelouch have been apart for too long... this cannot stay like this. Everyone wants boy love. -nods- You guys have no idea how ecstatic I am to hear that this is being so well received. I'd like to thank my reference book for all the costume ideas. -hugs it- Bu most importantly... to thank my VERY PATIENT AND WONDROUS AND GLORIOUS readers for putting up with me. You deserve all my love. Really. If I could come through this screen to hug you I would.