"I can't do this…"

"Yes you can."

"You don't get it; I'm not as smart or beautiful as you. I just can't…"

My sister tried not to laugh, which only made me feel worse, "We're twins. Anything one of us does, the other can as well," She put her hand on my cheek, I looked down meekly. "Celia. You can do this, we'll be in the same classes and I'm sure we'll both be able to make friends. You're not all alone."

I shook my head, "I know that but…I... What if I don't fit in?"

"You will. Don't worry about the 'what ifs.'" She smiled gently and lightly bushed my bangs off to the side.

"There's nothing to fear."

"I know I know I know I know… It's just…"

Sensing my trouble, she leaned in and hugged me softly. I heard her singing a tune, a lullaby from long ago. "Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze, Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze, Va rei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa, Riou rei croa riou ze rei va ze rei…" To be honest, neither of us knew what the lyrics meant, or even what language they were. But the melody never ceased to soothe us. After an aching silence that followed the song, my sister spoke up, "Let's go, I'll be there with you."

I nodded, and we decided to go off to Ashford Academy. We headed off to the school grounds, Uncle Jeremiah in tow, presumably to watch over us. We'd heard from our last visit that the school festival would come soon and decided to see everything in action. C.C. insisted that we both wear our new school uniforms, so that we'd blend in better. I almost laughed when she told me that. How can two girls with green hair blend in? I clung unconsciously to my sister's arm along the way there. By now I think she was used to it, so she didn't say anything.

When we visited the school grounds the other day, I got lost. I searched around for a long time, but couldn't find Jeremiah or C.C. I assumed all the students to be in class, so that saved me from having to explain myself to anyone. Or so I thought. I was around the gymnasium looking, when I spotted a boy with jet black hair about to come up to me. I panicked and ran away, and something about the way he strode up frightened me. Thankfully I ran into my sister and explained what happened. She gave me one of her smiles and calmed me down, just like she did today. I really wish I wasn't so shy, so unsure of myself. Every time I'm with someone new, I freeze up, get self-conscious, and most of the time, I can't handle it. As a result, C.C. is my unofficial spokesperson.

To be honest, my sister depresses me a little. She's always so confident, so sure of herself, and I would think that after all this time together, that maybe some of that would have rubbed off on me. But no; here I am, weak, scared, and powerless. I don't even understand it myself, the reason why I'm so…afraid. It may have something to do with the time before my sister and I were found by the Gottwalds. I shut my eyes. No, I don't want to recall that.

Up until this point we'd been home schooled, but Uncle Jeremiah came up with the idea of sending us both off to a real school. My sister agreed as soon as possible, and I didn't want to remain home without her, so I agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I know the underlying reason why they went along with this idea; it was to try to get me out of my shell. Uncle Jeremiah wanted to improve my people skills, and even if I didn't accept, I bet they'd both coax me into it. While I am unsure of myself, I secretly hope this will work. I want to be stronger, more able to talk with others more than anything.

After a quick walk from the Gottwald estate, we made it to Ashford Academy. The large, daunting gates loomed over us, and I took a step back, a cold shiver running up my spine. But my sister grabbed my hand, gave me a smile, and I willingly walked in with her.

Jeremiah was our caretaker, and his older brother took us in when we were young. Mr. Gottwald was very kind to us, and one of the few people I truly opened up to aside from my sister. He contracted a fatal disease a couple years ago and passed away, and ever since then, Jeremiah became our guardian. I'm glad, because I truly did like the Gottwalds, they're nice people. Mr. Gottwald was the first person who ever felt like a father to me. Not everyone has a heart big enough to take in two orphaned children and act so lovingly toward them. Jeremiah spent a lot of time with us growing up too, and didn't want to see us leave when his brother died. They're both really friendly.

As we passed through the gates I vaguely heard a P.A. system, a voice on it proclaiming, "—and with the next sound, let the festival begin!" We paused as someone yelled out, 'meow', over the P.A. We exchanged confused glances, soon shrugging it off and walking inside. We strolled to the front of the school, past all the stalls as Jeremiah suggested we start from the back and move forward. The both of us agreed and were just about to start when the P.A. sounded again. It was the same bubbly voice from the first broadcast, "Would all members of the student council please go wait outside the student council room, thank you!"

Once again, we exchanged dumbfounded looks before continuing on. Almost immediately however, Jeremiah needed to leave to finalize some paperwork to do with our enrollment, so my sister and I chose to sit at a bench nearby until some stalls opened up. "Ashford truly is a strange place," my sister noted.

I nodded, "Yes, especially that girl on the P.A., the one who did that cat meow. I know we've never been to a school festival before, but I don't think that's how they usually start…"

We sat around and made small talk for a few minutes before I saw something approaching. Immediately I rushed behind a nearby stall. "What's wrong?" She sounded worried.

Shakily, I pointed off down the aisle, to a boy wearing the male student uniform; he had spiky black hair, and deep, piercing violet eyes. "He's…He's the one who saw me the other day…"

"Is that so?" From there, she simply sat in silence, looking at neither me, nor the black haired boy. I made sure to keep myself well hidden, but still able to see what was going on. Despite my sister looking away from him, she kept her peripherals trained on him the entire time, I could tell. When he gave her a strange look from the corner of his eyes, she reacted. C.C. gave him a mocking smirk, immediately making the boy flushed, or somewhat annoyed. After he was gone from sight, I snuck back beside her. "He's nothing special," she remarked.

"What do you mean?" C.C.'s statement sounded…weird.

"It's easy to see what makes him tick. I can read him like a book. He wouldn't do anything to harm you at all."

My sister had a talent for pegging people down to the core of their essences. One look, one conversation, sometimes even just a picture, and she gathers their entire personalities and mannerisms. I don't know how she perfected this art, but it does come in handy. "He looked pretty angry to me…"

My sister sighed, "He's the kind of person that keeps to himself, and loves to run his own show. When others come into the equation, he'll get frustrated, unable to effectively cope. Those types of people typically lead very solitary lives."

I never could figure out how she formed such a sophisticated breakdown. We chatted for a good deal of time afterward, just sitting on that bench before we caught sight of—something. We saw a bunch of people dressed as cats, and smack dab in the middle was that blacked haired boy, struggling against the grip of the two other male cats (erm, cat people), beside him.

The girl leading the precession looked very eccentric, not to mention revealing. I noticed many guys ogling over her, and I have to say, if I was a guy, I would too. The black suit looked skin-tight, accentuating her curves well. Her bust was probably the size of my sister's and mine combined, and medium-long blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight. She truly looked beautif—

"Hello?" My sister poked me.

My heart skipped a beat, blood rushing to my face, "Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

She simply smiled in response, and I figured out what she meant. The group was getting very close and I hadn't even so much as tensed up. My nerves got the better of me, and I rushed behind the bench out of sight. Something about that black haired boy unnerved me.

Several moments later I heard my sister's voice, "They're gone, don't worry," she pulled me up.

"Sorry about that…" I felt my face turn red, feeling embarrassed for hiding when I knew nothing was going to happen. I shifted my gaze to the ground, upset by my weakness. Then my sister used her finger to lift my chin up, giving me a look that read, it's okay. I steeled myself as much as possible, regaining my composure with surprising speed.

My sister gave a slight nod in the direction they trailed off in. I peeked over and couldn't help but smile. The black haired boy was climbing up into a dunk tank, reluctantly. He sat on it with his legs crossed, a gaze of sheer annoyance plastered across his face. We both laughed as he fell in about three times to the other cat people.

After some time my sister spoke up, "Why don't you go up and talk to him?"

I shook my head vigorously, "No. I can't."

"Oh come on, I've known you my whole life, and I know you can do it."

I wouldn't budge, "No. I won't do it." I pouted and turned the other way. I knew when I was in this mode; my sister wouldn't try to make me do it.

"Well, what if I went up to him?" She suggested. I gave a confused glance, "and after I have a conversation with him, you can go and talk to him later."

I considered it, but my sister can talk with anyone easily. I know we're twins, and anything one can do, the other should be able to as well. But the key word in that sentence is 'should.' Knowing her, this would be the most generous offer given today. She really is determined to get me to talk to him. After a suitable silence, I conceded, "…Fine."

She stood up immediately, and moseyed on over. I didn't expect her to move so quickly. With about the same speed, I rushed to a hiding spot where I could spy on them easily. Unfortunately however, it was just out of earshot. I witnessed C.C. talking effortlessly to the boy, causing him some grief judging from his expressions. She then picked up a ball, tossing it easily to the target. C.C. was always the more athletic of the two of us, but that's not to say I'm not athletic myself. I'm a pretty fast runner, and that's about the only physical skill where we're evenly matched. I then spied a brown haired boy, one of the ones who dragged him to the tank, stride up. As quickly as she rolled up to the stand, she vanished, and by the time I looked over, she was sitting back at the bench. I silently moved back.

Not wasting any time, she explained, "His name is Lelouch, and he's one of the student council. Not by choice apparently. He's simple to talk to, don't worry about it."

I didn't quite like how she was making this into a game, but then again, there's not much I can do about it. "Okay…"

"Now you go up to him."

I felt my face light up red, "I-I can't!"

We both looked over and saw him and the chestnut haired boy shift places. My sister read the atmosphere and reconsidered, "Alright, then later we'll seek him out. You will talk to him by the end of the day."

I didn't understand why she was so adamant about this. I know one reason was to break me out of my shell, but her persistence didn't add up right. I also knew she wouldn't give me a straight answer if I asked, so I gave her a look that read: Really?

She didn't feel the need to respond. Lelouch then sat by the chestnut haired boy, and the two conversed for awhile. We concluded that after we prowl around the fairgrounds I'd talk with him. The games and events were all really cheesy, but to me, it added to the charm of the whole thing. I laughed and smiled more than I had in long time. We roamed around for a couple hours, and despite my sister's emotionless face, I could sense her enjoyment.

I noticed occasionally C.C.'s gaze shift off to a girl we passed a couple times. She was one of the few dressed in cat outfits, had bright orange hair tied up into two, neat pigtails. Since the student council was the ones dressed as cats, I guess she probably knows Lelouch. I could've sworn I heard her mumble something as we passed, but I didn't hear it nor did I care. My sister probably made sense of it though.

Surprisingly, we didn't run into Lelouch once. Good for me, since if I couldn't find him; I wouldn't have to talk to him as soon. I looked to the right, and as if the world read my thoughts, I spotted Lelouch with his posse: A girl who looked very regal, almost like royalty, with long flowing pink hair, a small girl with wavy brown hair, and the ruffled chestnut haired boy. The smile he was giving to the small girl was genuine and soft, and it eased my tension a little. Maybe C.C. was right, that he's not so tough after all. After exchanging some glances with my sister, we strode up by the entrance of the school building.

My sister looked to the roof, and I followed her gaze. To my surprise, there was that orange-haired girl we ran into earlier. Lelouch was passing through to the door. My sis grabbed my arm and dragged me behind a pillar, though I'm sure he could see me while walking through. "What are you doing?"

She returned her attention to me, "He's going to meet that girl on the roof." I raised an eyebrow, but let her finish. "Wait here for him to come down. He'll be in more of a state to talk to you then."

I nodded, "Okay…"

"Now then, I'm going to go find Jeremiah, I thought he'd be finished with his business by now. Stay here, because you know what will happen if you leave," She gave me a mischievous look, not quite a grin or a smirk, but not really anything else either.

I sighed, and nodded again.

"Good," she paused, "And Celia…?"

"Yes?" Her tone sounded a little odd.

"…Never mind," She trailed off, leaving me by myself behind the pillar.

I didn't even have time to look before she vanished. C.C. was always good at disappearing and reappearing acts. Half the time I never know where she goes, and when we were younger, I often thought she used portals. I giggled, reminiscing those days, back when Mr. Gottwald took care of us. Back then my sis and I weren't so different from one another. She was always the one who protected the two of us, and I always cowered in the corner while she covered for me. But other than that, we could be mistaken for one another easily. The only one to ever be able to perfectly tell the difference between the two of us was Mr. Gottwald. Constantly we'd get in trouble, hiding from the maids and butlers, and sometimes my sister would take the fall for something I'd done. But it never got passed Mr. Gottwald. Once my sister finished her punishment in my stead, he would always tell her to stop doting on me. But she never listened, and I always thought the lesson to be one never learnt.

I shook my head, trying to move back to the present. I looked up to the roof, seeing Lelouch and that girl up at the top by the railing. Lelouch was leaning on the railing, but I couldn't make out much else. Out of nowhere he yelled, and pulled away from her, though the noise was indistinguishable from the pitter-patter of the festival. I raised an eyebrow again. This Lelouch is a very complex man. I don't know how my sis could read him so easily. I watched the girl wrap herself around him in a hug, and my heart jumped. I…I can't explain why it did that. A cold shiver jolted through me, but I ignored it and kept watching.

My eyes flew wide open, fixed in horror at the scene unfurling. Lelouch was falling off the side of the building. My muscles tensed, and I ran. I felt time slow down, yet the scenery was a blur around me, the noises meshing into one concrete hodgepodge. I rushed over to about where he'd fall, consciously aware of each individual step I made. Left, to right, left to right. From his trajectory I could tell that first he would fall onto the awning, and then roll off to the ground. A loud clang and a terrible crunching noise pierced my thoughts. Lelouch just hit the awning. I raced as fast as I could, and now his body was in sight above. I caught sight of his body en route to the cold hard cement. I barely made it in time, and with one last step, I leaped, threw out my arms and caught him just a couple feet from the ground.

The force of the drop pulled my body down, and I knelt. My first instinct was to ask if he was alright, but my mouth was frozen. I couldn't say anything. I could only stare at him, and the blood seeping out of his temples. His arm dangled from his body at an unnatural angle, and I felt…afraid. After another moment, he groggily opened his eyes, "…C.C…?"

As if I forgot what happened earlier today, I asked absentmindedly, "H-how do you know my sister?"

He smiled; a strange sight among the blood and bruises. The look quickly vanished, "You're the one…" he coughed, "I saw the other day…"

I tried to reply, but no words came to my mouth. Instead I heard him exhale and his body went limp. Another cold shiver surged through me, and that's when I started yelling for help. I fell down further, letting his body rest on the ground while I gripped on to his torso.

I saw the Chestnut haired boy rush up to me, eyes transfixed on the body in my arms, "Lelouch!"

"I-I saw him fall from the roof…" I sniffed, tears forming, "H-he hit the awning there… But I caught him before he hit the ground."

The boy gave an understanding look at me and put a hand on my shoulder, "It's gonna be alright, don't worry."

I heard the click of a cell phone and cocked my head to the side, my sister standing beside me. "I just called an ambulance, they'll be here soon."

The boy regarded her with a confused glance before nodding, "And you two are…?"

She answered for me, "My name is C.C., and this is my sister, Celia."

"My name is Suzaku," He glanced over at the two others rushing past the newly formed crowd. I recognized them as the two from earlier, the pink and brown haired girls. Both had tears brimming from their eyes, staring at Lelouch. Suzaku then ripped up his sleeves suddenly and knelt down next to me, "Let's try to slow down the bleeding." He tied down the ends across Lelouch's head, staining the black sleeves an even deeper shade of black.

"I-is he going to be alright?" I asked. I know I just met him and everything, but still, to have someone die in your arms…

I shuddered.

The orange haired girl rushed up to the scene, followed by the others dressed as cats. I heard her mutter, "Lulu…?" She began to tear up, "T-this is all my fault…" She buried her face in her hands. I felt my gaze soften.

Suzaku's demeanor made a 180, "What do you mean?" When he got no response, he added, "What the hell happened, Shirley?" Still nothing, "Shirley!"

Shirley moved her hands away, startled, but said nothing. She fought back tears, but couldn't stop them.

"Damn it!" He punched the ground, obviously upset at the turn of events.

"Celia," my sis spoke up, "Are you alright?"

I tried to choke out a few words, but a disgruntled cough came out. Instead, I just nodded.

The next couple of minutes felt even more hectic than the insanity I just endured. The EMS came, pried Lelouch from my grip, and in the ensuing chaos, my sister and I slipped away. I saw Suzaku interrogating Shirley and the other two girls trying to comfort her and slow Suzaku. The pandemonium piqued the interest of the entire festival, or so it seemed as everyone rushed forward. But at the moment, all I wanted to do was get away.

My sister held me as we, Jeremiah included, scrambled away from the mess. I don't know when he got there, but I was glad to be going home. I recall Jeremiah asking me if I was alright several times, to which I gave him vague nods and my sister eventually prodded him to stop. The moments all meshed into one, and before I even knew what happened, I home again in my room with C.C.

The big beige walls loomed over us both, light slowly fading from the window. We both sat on separate couches across from a coffee table in the middle of the room. It almost felt like a mirror, except one of us had perfect composure, and the other was about to break down.

We sat in silence for a long time, my arms gripped tightly around my knees. My eyes drifted toward my sleeve, and I finally realized how much blood seeped onto my clothes. How much of Lelouch's blood was on me. I felt like screaming, cowering, or crying even. But I didn't, all I did was stand up, remove my uniform, and put it with the rest of the clothes to be washed. My sister observed all of this without a word. She knew how traumatizing an incident like that could be. We both knew it first-hand.

My muscles finally relaxed, and I felt like collapsing onto the couch. I half expected her to hug me or something, but nothing happened. "I'm going to take a shower," I announced.

My sister waited until I reached the bathroom door before she replied, not even looking at me, "So you talked to him after all."

I shut the door behind me and sunk away into a long, warm shower.

Author's Note

I'm pretty surprised I chugged this out as quickly as I did. I've been out on vacation the past two weeks, and I'm still actually away from home, yet still writing. I like doing stories from mutliple vantage points, and so I'll revolve this one around Lelouch and Celia. They'll be my two main narrators. I was thinking about C.C., but the way I see it, she always has too much on her mind to write into thoughts.

Also, don't expect me to overlap this much in different chapters. I just wanted to give Celia a proper introduction. From here on out any overlapping will be miniscule. I don't want to write two separate stories with the same plot.

And to remedy the fears of those who reviewed, no, this won't be a LuluxShirley story, but I like adding me some drama, so that's what she's there for. :3 I'll try to move the plot along a bit faster now that introductions are done. Enjoy. I may revise the latter half of this chapter eventually, not fully happy with it. This story was proof-read a grand total of 1.5 times.

Also, free cookie to anyone who can figure out what the song was in the beginning with the random lyrics. It is from something, I promise you.