Disclaimer: I own none of the characters presented in this fiction, except one. All characters aside from Ulrike are the property of Sunrise.

Time is a most fascinating device, a most interesting concept. When you're going through it, it seems torturously slow, but when you're out of it, on the other side, it seems to have been very quick and easy. It's what makes life so unbearable; it's so slow while you're in it, you waste your time doing things you wouldn't do again, given the chance, and when you're through, you marvel at how you haven't done anything you really dreamed of doing, saying, "Where has the time gone?" It's such a miserable paradox.

- Excerpt from a speech given by Oscar Wilde to the Royal Society on his ninety-fifth birthday; The Great Speakers, Vol. XI. Hubbard. Canasta Printers. 1973.

THE STRANGER, THE SAINT, THE HORN, AND THE WORD

Intervallum: Tempus Fugit

(Pause: Time Flies)

Part One - Beginnings

Incipio.

The Voice of Akasha speaks:

The time approaches when all must be revealed… and though we cannot halt its coming, we can prepare you who read this tale by arming you with the knowledge you need to see clearly and judge rightly… Look now, and listen…

Seven years ago. Japan. Outside Tokyo, near Meiji Shrine.


Cornelia looked around, but she didn't see anything.

She only felt.

She felt the stares of the Japanese people, her magenta hair and her pale skin drawing their eyes as if she was some terrible monster invading their homeland.

She felt the weight of responsibility tripled, from one sibling to three, all her charges, and all depending on her to get them out alive.

She felt the horrible emptiness that Empress Marianne had once filled.

Most of all, she felt the weight of her dearest, her most wonderful, her only joy; her sister Euphemia, dozing while she was carried through temple paths on Cornelia's back, safe and secure while she snuggled closer.

And that weight – the knowledge that Euphemia could be killed because of what she had done in Father's presence – pressed down on her like a vise, like the weight of a planet, that she, Cornelia, would not be able to protect her as Marianne had protected all of them in Pendragon, that she, Cornelia, might be forced to live on even if her reason for living was dead.

It didn't just terrify her; it reduced her to a petrifying, paranoid impotence, one composed of clenched teeth and hasty glances, glances that saw Britannian assassins in every shadow and Japanese nationalists behind every corner; her pupils dilated, she scuttled, almost like an insect, from place to place, with Lelouch tailing her at a safe distance, carrying her precious cargo to what might be safety.

A hand touched her shoulder. She inhaled sharply, but she only heard Lelouch's voice saying, into her ear, "Calm down. We'll be okay, Cor. I'm sure you know what you're doing, and I can help, you know. A little, at least."

She looked around, and he caught her eye. His violet eyes looked as calm as hers were not.

"Let's save the worrying until we're out of the open, okay? If you worry too much now, you won't have enough energy for worrying later!"

She half-smiled at this, and slowly began to take his advice. By the time they reached their house, she had remembered her composure, and was as sure as ever when Euphie woke up again.

They all took care to describe the scenery to little Nunnally, especially Euphemia, who loved Nunnally dearly. Her descriptions were perhaps not the most accurate, but they certainly had a lot of heart behind them. Nunnally giggled at Euphemia's exuberance in describing the house they eventually arrived at, and all three smiled at that.

"Hey!"

A boy was walking up the hill, a boy in a… yukata, was it called? He looked mean; angry with the four for… what? Wait… he's Japanese. We're Britannian, very obviously. Hmm. Not good.

"What are you doing h-here?" the boy asked coldly, faltering a little when he caught Cornelia's eye.

Lelouch started to respond angrily, but Cornelia held up a hand, and he stopped. Cornelia slowly turned, and gave the boy (who was around the same age as her brother: ten) the full force of her fifteen-year-old gaze. "We are emissaries of political goodwill sent from Britannia; the Second, Third, and Seventeenth Princesses, along with the Eleventh Prince. We were told that this was where we would be staying. Who are you, and why are you here?"

The boy had quailed under the steel of Cornelia's eye, but sprang back up to his former defiance with the recital of his appellation: "I'm Suzaku, Suzaku Kururugi, only son of the Prime Minister of Japan; I'm here to meet the Britannian delegation! But it doesn't matter what we do, how polite we are; you Britannians are all liars! Liars and cheaters who'll never be worthy to walk on the sacred ground of Japan!"

Lelouch couldn't hold his tongue back any longer. "Oh, so we're all liars and cheaters, are we? Well, I don't think the "sacred ground of Japan" even deserves to be walked on by the Holy Empire of Britannia; we're doing you a huge favor by just being here! You're all savages!"

At that, Kururugi roared in fury; he flew at Lelouch like a lion; Lelouch dropped Nunnally to keep her out of the line of fire. It was soon clear that Kururugi was no novice when it came to fighting. He had Lelouch on the defensive in a couple of seconds.

Cornelia thought, wryly, as Lelouch began to get pummeled in earnest, I should probably teach Lelouch how to fight, because he has no idea what he's doing right now… And sure enough, in less than a minute, Lelouch was on the ground, trying to fight back while still shielding himself from the other boy's snake-fast blows.

"All right, that's enough. Stop hitting my brother, Kururugi, or I'll have to hurt you."

He paid her no attention, and she was in a karate stance in an instant, and had Kururugi on the ground in another instant. Using her superior age and experience against him wasn't exactly fair, but she had given him a warning.

He squirmed under her hold, and looked up at her with defiance, anger, and a hint of… wonder? "You're the only girl that's ever been able to knock me down," he said, a touch admiringly.

"Yes, yes, that's all very well, but you need to stop hitting my brother. All right? I will knock you unconscious the next time you attack one of us, and I suspect that would simply create more trouble for both of us. So would you mind just leaving us alone? We won't bother you if you don't bother – Lelouch," she said, finishing with a warning as her younger brother opened his mouth to fan the flames.

"Okay," Kururugi said agreeably, although she suspected he would be back anyway; his mannerisms bespoke him an only child, and it seemed likely, as the son of the prime minister, that he didn't have many children his own age to play with. It was no matter that he didn't like the newcomers, he would come back.

Urrrg… I'm not a babysitter! I can't look after four children at once!

It looked like she didn't have a choice, but at least Nunnally wouldn't be too much trouble, and might even act as a civilizing force on the others. I guess that's one advantage of Nunnally's blindness… she thought, a little blackly.

There weren't many others, though. Seeing the little girl who had never run out of energy transformed into this quiet and introspective creature was unsettling, and on some levels horrifying. I hope those killers rot in the deepest hell the Lord can throw them into, she thought savagely. No one should have to deal with their mother being killed, being blinded and crippled, and being banished from their nation within a year, let alone a few weeks – and she's only seven!

Oh, I can't deal with this!

But I have to, I suppose.

She allowed herself one sigh as Kururugi's form faded into the trees, and began chivvying her siblings into their new "home".

She didn't notice, but as she shouldered the burden of responsibility for all four, Nunnally began crying silently.

She had felt her sister's anger and resolve.

So much for secret suffering.


Suzaku was very happy as he ran down through the woods to the car that waited for him. Finally, someone who could put up a fight besides Tōdō! That girl was amazing!

He schooled his face to calmness as his guards approached to take him into the car. He was helped into the vehicle, and it began to move smoothly toward the Prime Minister's residence. He sat demurely, not showing any emotion to the guards, as a true child of Japan would (which his father often reminded him of), but his thoughts still flowed on.

Well, that boy was completely worthless, whoever he was… he can't fight at all! And the two other girls, they didn't even try to fight me! What was wrong with that one girl, the one who the boy was carrying? She looked like she was asleep or something. But, wow, I really got destroyed by that big girl! She's so cool! Forget not going back there again, I've gotta see if I can beat her! Maybe I can also make fun of the other boy… he doesn't look like he's good for much else… At least he's a chance to get some of our own back from the Brits.

He dropped it all from his mind, though, when he saw who was coming to receive him. His father.

He quickly took inventory of his appearance in the car window. Nothing out of place. He ran a hand through his hair and over his face. No stains or messy hair. Good.

His father loved him, he knew, but he didn't like his son to appear slovenly.

The car slowed, and halted. A guard opened the door, and he carefully got out, and bowed to his father. His speech turned formal.

"Father. Hello."

"Hello, my son."

His father nodded to the guards, and they stepped into formation around their leader and his son. "So," said Genbu Kururugi, "did you have a good time at the temple with Tōdō? I hear from him that you are progressing well in your studies. Already a high purple belt in karate? Very well done, Suzaku, very well done."

Suzaku beamed at this praise. He had worked very hard to achieve his belt, and he was glad his father appreciated it. "Yes, father. Tōdō said that I could leave early, because I had mastered most of the exercises. Guess what happened next?"

"What happened?"

"I met a boy with three girls! They said they were Britannians, or something like that, but do you know what one of them did, Father? One of them managed to beat me in a fight!"

His father frowned as they entered the doors of the Prime Minister's residence. "The boy managed to beat you? You, a high purple? Was he a black belt, do you think?"

"No, father, it wasn't the boy," corrected Suzaku, somewhat insulted when he remembered the boy's terrible fighting style. "It was one of the girls."

His father's frown deepened, and Suzaku sensed that this had not been well received. "Why don't you come with me into the parlor, and we can discuss it there?" Suzaku bowed again, and his father waved off the guards as the two of them stepped into the spacious parlor. It had a few sofas in the Britannian style, but other than that, nothing foreign intruded here. Woodcut illustrations decorated the walls, with The Great Wave off Kanagawa taking prominence. The floor was tatami under woven rugs; the room could not be described as anything other than distinctly Japanese; not Chinese or Britannian, which was how most nations looked these days, but its own flavor. Enough to stir any Japanese man or woman's heart. Suzaku was happy to see it hadn't changed in the three hours he'd been away from home.

Although, from the way things were going, it might be all Britannian soon.

He quickly turned his attention to his father as Father turned to talk to him.

"Suzaku. Did I hear you right out there? A girl beat you? A Britannian girl?"

"Yes, Father. I was very surprised! Really, only Tōdō is actually a challenge for me in martial arts now, so for her to –"

"Suzaku! You are taking this far too cavalierly! You should have more pride in your Japanese heritage!"

Suzaku shrunk under his father's disapproval. "Did… did I not do well, Father? She was older than me, and very strong. She… she might even be better than Tōdō. I couldn't stand up to her, Father…"

His father growled, and ran a hand through his gray hair. "That's as may be, but next time, please wait to tell me something potentially embarrassing like this until after we are secluded. I do not need you to help the Britannians make us look like bigger fools than they already do…"

"Yes, Father…"

Father relaxed somewhat. "All right, then; be more careful next time."

"Yes, Father."

"So, tell me about these boys and girls." He seemed to be genuinely interested in them, as anyone who could defeat his son in unarmed combat was a remarkable rarity.

"Well, I didn't get a really good look at them, but they had light-colored skin, and weird hair colors. The boy I was talking about and the girl he was carrying just had black and brown hair, but the other two had pink and purple hair. Oh yeah, and all of them had purple eyes… I think. The little brown-haired girl never opened hers, so I couldn't tell."

His father looked surprised. "Oh, then you must have met the four royals who were sent here by their father as a "peace offering". Pah! It's clear he means to sacrifice them. Not that we won't oblige him if he invades; they deserve it, the filthy, stuck-up, elitist pigs…"

Suzaku enthusiastically agreed with this tirade, and the rest of the conversation passed amicably. After about half an hour, Suzaku was sent to bed, with the firm knowledge that he would see his country's revenge acted out on the children.

But just before he fell asleep, a thought occurred to him: They seemed… scared. They played tough, but they were scared. Even the big girl.

This unsettled him; he didn't sleep well that night.

The next morning.

Suzaku awoke suddenly; the light seemed to filter down into his eyes and invade his brain, arresting his dream in which he led the armies of Japan to a glorious victory over the world, and rescued… someone, a girl, whose face he couldn't remember, from Britannia's evil clutches. It had been excellent!

He felt cheerful as he came downstairs, and seeing his father at the breakfast table in like spirits further brightened his mood.

"Good morning, Suzaku! Have you heard the news? The European Union is promising military support if Britannia invades! I managed to get them to put that on the bargaining table in return for an increase on the export quota of Sakruadite. Tensions are beginning to build in the Western Hemisphere, and I think they want to have their hands on as much Sakuradite as possible."

"That's great, Father!"

His father smiled widely. "Yes, it is, isn't it? I hardly needed to raise the quota by more than a thousand kilos; they're easily satisfied. They wanted me to cut the quota to Britannia, though; that's going to have to be approached carefully." His father frowned. "They will not be pleased if I cut their quota any more; they're already on the short end."

"Oh, just cut it, Father! With the EU's help, I'm sure we'll be able to beat any attack that those stinking Brits can throw at us! We have three full battalions of Artemis-class tanks, and six flights of Hephaestus-class bombers! They can't beat that, especially as we know the land better than they do!"

His father did not look pleased. Suzaku shrunk a little in his seat.

"A-am I wrong, Father?"

His father ignored the question. "Suzaku, what is the first rule of warfare? Didn't Tōdō teach them to you?"

Suzaku, red-faced, muttered, "The first rule of warfare is, 'Always assume the enemy has superior firepower.'"

"Correct. Now, what was the problem with your statement?"

Suzaku didn't meet his father's eyes as he answered. "I assumed that we could defeat the Britannians with our own military and the help from the EU."

"Again, correct. Now, let me correct that perception. We are currently on the edge of open warfare. As you know, Britannia relies almost solely on Sakuradite because of its abilities. It has a few mines in its territories, but they are nowhere near enough to satisfy its massive population. Therefore, it must trade with other countries to achieve its needed amounts. We are their largest supplier. If I were to abruptly drop the quota once more, when they already are unhappy about the previous cuts, I guarantee that it will lead to war. We are not strong enough yet to put up a fight, and I have a bad feeling about this project that our spies report on; if they've designed a more reliable Knightmare, we could be in for a great deal of trouble, even if we bring our forces to maximum ebb, which by itself will take several months. We have to tread lightly, Suzaku, and quietly improve our defenses so that giving us forces won't be a losing battle. The EU may not aid us if we are as weak as we are now. So be careful about what you say; you are my son, and I will not have you saying such foolishness around anyone who it would make a difference to. If you say something like this in my hearing again, you will be punished. Am I understood?"

The color had drained from Suzaku's face; he looked close to tears, though of course crying would only increase his father's contempt. He nodded, trying to keep his face even.

"Good. I believe you have a lesson with General Tōdō at the temple again today? See if you can find out more about those four. You may enlighten me later."

His father swept from the room without another word.

A few hours later.


After Cornelia had guided her siblings inside, she had inspected the house in which they were staying. It was a real piece of work; the walls weren't insulated, the roof leaked, the doors wouldn't close all the way, the floors had something growing on them, and the beds' creaking had so scared Euphemia that she insisted on all of them sleeping in one bed. This had made for a rough night for Cornelia; while her siblings could cuddle up to her, she was hemmed in on all sides, and couldn't move without displacing a small body. Her uncomfortable position had not granted her much sleep, and it was with red eyes and many yawns that she greeted the new day. Her siblings looked rested, though, so that was all right. She shanghaied Lelouch into helping her cook breakfast, and although he complained a little, he didn't look too disinclined to help. He had always been indolent in Pendragon, preferring to play games with his sister rather than focus on his studies, or any practical lessons – though of course, his intelligence had not suffered; he did not need to study. Now, however, with an axe over all their heads, he no doubt felt he needed to help.

While they got out the necessaries, Lelouch said, somewhat offhandedly, "Uh, Cor? Would you mind… teaching me how to fight?"

Cornelia grinned as she turned on the burners. "Would you believe, I was thinking the exact same. Yes, Lelouch, I will – I insist – on teaching you to fight. We can't have you losing another fistfight to that Kururugi boy."

Lelouch's face lit up. "Really? You mean it?"

Cornelia smirked. "When we were living in Pendragon, you would have groaned when you heard I was going to give you a lesson, and you would have tried your hardest to avoid it, not ask for it. But being whipped seems to have taught you a lesson, eh?"

"Thanks a ton, Cor." Lelouch grimaced at her, and took the plates to the rickety table.

Cornelia chuckled as she began to fry bacon and eggs. The fastest way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but the fastest way to Lelouch's is through his ego. She laughed aloud at that, causing a returning Lelouch to scowl at her. He stuck out his tongue at her, she returned the favor (not very mature, but she couldn't be perfect), and called upstairs for Euphie, while Lelouch got Nunnally.

Later.

"No, Lelouch… that's not how you throw a punch. Put your first two knuckles out – like this, see? Put your other fist at your waist, ready to punch. No, not like that. Okay, there we go. Now, try again. Better. Keep trying."

She could see that Lelouch was already sweating. He wasn't used to this kind of exertion.

"When will I get to fight someone? All we've been doing is drills…"

Cornelia's mouth twitched. "You wanna fight me?"

Lelouch put up his fists. "Yeah, okay! Sure!"

Cornelia laughed out loud. "Lelouch, you couldn't even hold your own against Kururugi, and I took him down in five seconds! I think you need to practice a little more before I fight you."

Lelouch drooped. "Aw, Cor…"

"You need to master the basics before you start fighting people for real. I had to, same as anyone else. Give me a roundhouse kick, come on."

He obliged, though grudgingly.

They had been working for almost three hours, and Lelouch was exhausted, when Cornelia spotted someone coming through the trees.

"Oh, no. That Kururugi kid's back again… Lelouch, go inside. I don't want you to get into another fight."

"B-but… I can… fight… him now…" said Lelouch, still panting from his exertions.

Cornelia gave him a look, and pointed toward the house; he subsided and headed inside, grumbling.

Cornelia folded her arms and waited for Kururugi to come closer. He walked up, looking a little wary, but also a little excited. She waited for him to speak, and he did so.

"Your little brother really sucks at fighting."

"So did I, when I first started – and so did you, I'm betting."

The boy puffed out his chest. "Actually, I'm a fighting prodigy. Tōdō said so."

Cornelia sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "What are you doing here, Kururugi? Like I said, I'll knock you unconscious if you try to attack us again. If you hate us so much, what's the point in coming here to bother us?"

He gave her a glare. "My father told me to spy on you while I play with you, and give the information to him."

"Well, great job, genius. Now I'll have to tell you all about our secret plan to subvert the Japanese Empire with our zero political status and thousands of nonexistent troops. Ooo, you're such a good spy! Take me! Take me right here!"

He frowned. "What does that mean?"

She sighed again. "Never mind. It was sarcasm."

He shook off her humor, and began, "So…"

"So what?"

"Um… I… uh…" He seemed to be having trouble spitting out what he wanted to say. "Well, I… I kinda would like to play with you guys. I don't have a ton of other people to play with… so I guess you'll have to do for now, until I get some better people to play with…"

Cornelia raised her eyebrows, and said, coolly, "Well, that's a charming way of asking. Ready for your career in diplomacy?" She saw his mouth opening to ask her what she meant, and quickly cut him off, saying, "Never mind, more sarcasm. But seriously, there is no way I'm going to let you play with my siblings if you're going to be as unkind as you were yesterday. Sorry." She turned away.

The strains of anger and disappointment were loud in his voice as he yelled after her, "Fine! I didn't really want to play with any of you anyway! I was just testing how ungracious Britannians could be! Boy, did you fail!"

Cornelia kept walking. She felt bad for the boy – it was difficult to not have anyone to play with who was your age (she had experienced the same in Pendragon), but her siblings had to come first; she didn't want Nunnally to be hurt, and she'd be damned if she let him within a mile of Euphemia with his attitude.

But that didn't stop her from being ashamed that she couldn't deal well with him.

I hate babysitting.


Suzaku sloped away sulkily from the main temple grounds after Cornelia's dismissal. He had never been denied a friend in his life; most people were eager to be friends with him, wanting to get in with the Prime Minister through his son. That never worked, of course; Suzaku wasn't desperate enough to take a toady friend, and it wouldn't affect his father either way; his father didn't pay attention to Suzaku's friends. He had Tōdō as a friend, he was sure he did; Tōdō was too sincere to be a false friend. But this! This time he had been turned down unequivocally, with prejudice, because of the way he had behaved toward the siblings. He had tried to lie to himself, saying he hadn't really wanted their company anyway (just as he had done with Cornelia), but he knew that it was a lie, and that only blackened his foul mood. The feelings of anger, dismay, pride, shame, and oddly, betrayal, were stirred into a nasty mix, and Suzaku felt a low point coming. He hated it when his depression took over; it made him feel weak, and his father certainly thought it made him weak. He had to do something, fast, or he would be miserable for the rest of the day.

A solution occurred. Ha! That's it. I'll follow them around and spy on them like Father asked me too; it'll serve them right for not playing with me. Maybe Father will execute them if they're doing something bad…

He felt, oddly, not very happy at this predicted outcome. In fact, it just made him feel worse. This did not improve his mood.

He set out, muttering darkly, to tail the big girl to the house.


The day passed by slowly, but happily for Cornelia. She and her siblings seemed to have been given a reprieve; no one came to bother them that day. Even through this haze of goodwill, Cornelia retained an unsettling feeling that she was being watched. This made her more than a little jumpy, but eventually Euphemia's persistent questions forced her to stop. After dinner, the four tried to think of something to do. Hide and seek was out of the question; the house was mostly devoid of extraneous furniture. There were no board games in the house, not even a deck of cards, which meant that they were mostly stuck for something to do. Lelouch suggested they play Tag, which was met with enthusiasm from his younger sisters, but less from his elder. She pulled him aside for a moment and whispered in his ear, on which his eyes widened and he quickly retracted his proposal.

Euphemia, although she was a little sulky at not being able to play Tag, suggested, somewhat halfheartedly, that they tell stories. All three of the others were delighted at this; everyone, even Nunnally, could participate fully in this, and they were none of them bad storytellers, although the three younger siblings' stories did tend to feature protagonists that bore a shocking similarity to them (Lelouch more so than Nunnally or Euphemia).

Euphemia, robbed of her sulkiness by her siblings' enthusiasm, demanded to go first because it had been her suggestion; although she looked a little strange when she said it. Although Lelouch was rather eyeing Nunnally, he went along with Cornelia's smiling surrender, and Euphemia began to tell her story.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named… um…"

Lelouch sighed, but Cornelia kept listening. Even though Euphemia's stories were a little self-centered, Cornelia loved listening to them.

"…ummm… Eurellia! Yeah, that's it. And she had an older sister named… uh… Cordelia!"

Predictable. Devoted as she was to her sister, Euphemia could not but include her in the story.

"The sisters lived in a treacherous palace when they were little, but they were looked after by a fairy queen who protected them, and her son and daughter. They were very happy with them. They stayed this way for a long time."

This was beginning to sound familiar. Cornelia looked worriedly at Lelouch and Nunnally. Lelouch's face had gone blank. Nunnally's face was filled with sadness. Euphemia looked a little apprehensive, and looked over at Lelouch for confirmation to go on; although his face remained blank, he nodded.

"Then… the worst possible thing happened. An enemy in the palace murdered the fairy queen. The daughter was crippled, and the son was grieved beyond belief. And the sisters? Cordelia knew –" here she looked toward Cornelia " – that without her protection, the sisters would surely be eaten alive in days. Eurellia was too scared to do anything but cling to her sister's skirts. But when Cordelia's rage and grief finally broke, and she asked in torment, why had the son and daughter been left to die?, Eurellia gathered up her meager courage, and followed the son when he went to face his father. She would add her strength to his; maybe it would help."

Another quick, scared, glance toward Lelouch and Nunnally.

"It failed, and in one swift stroke, all four of the children were sent to a faraway land where their sacrifices would go unheard, and they would die quietly. But – but – Eurellia couldn't have done anything but what she did to help the son. She had no choice! Even though she felt it was her fault…"

Cornelia opened her mouth to stop her. This had gone too far.

Euphemia cut her off before she could start. "But – she wanted to thank the son and daughter – thank them for protecting us, I mean, them, protecting them and loving them, until all was lost. And she wanted to say… that she was… sorry…"

The transparent story fell apart at last as Euphemia broke into tears, quiet, desperate ones. The blankness on Lelouch's face broke, and it gave way to gratitude and pity. He crawled over and gave her a hug. "I don't blame you for any of this, Euphemia; it's most certainly not your fault. I think Father would have banished us whatever you did. The only thing that happened because of it is you and Cornelia were banished as well… that was my fault. I should have stopped you, said I made you say that…"

"No," said Cornelia unexpectedly. "I'm glad that we were all banished together. Yes, we might have been more comfortable and maybe better treated in Pendragon, but I think Euphemia – and myself as well – would rather die with you, rather than begin to die inside as we burned with guilt over your deaths and our failure to take action, and gradually became husks of what we were. No. Though it has had such a vile consequence, if you could not have held back about your mother, Lelouch, then we should be with you. It would be impossible for us to love her as much as you did, but we loved her too." Cornelia's throat seized; she choked back tears at the probing of such a fresh wound.

The uneasiness and apprehension that had been holding them just a little apart from each other dissolved, and they began to console each other. The love and affection was almost tangible. Cornelia felt it all. She was amazed, proud of Euphemia for her courage and eloquence, and sympathized and loved her for her emotion. She felt, in a smaller degree, Lelouch's pain over both Marianne's death and Nunnally's crippled state, and tried to aid him as best she could. She felt Nunnally's overwhelming, overflowing love; fierce and protective (protective? How did she, Cornelia, know that?), like a wall of fire surrounding all of them, but especially her brother. It burned white hot around him, and it was reciprocated. The same seemed to be true for Cornelia and Euphemia.

Wait a minute… how can I see all this? Or am I just imagining it?

I – I must be imagining it…

The odd moment was soon forgotten as she submerged herself in the moment again, and gave herself over entirely to loving her siblings.

It was one of the most perfect moments in her fifteen-year-old life.

She lost herself in love, and had no reason – for a while – to find herself again.


He stood outside the window.

His eyes drank thirstily of the scene, of the bonds between the siblings, and the love that flowed between all of them.

And he wanted it. He desired that love so much he could taste it.

But he couldn't have it. And he knew; he knew that his father would never give it to him.

He felt like crying.

What can I do?

The thought of his father killing them for being Britannian occurred again; only now, he felt not a vague discomfort, but a pressing, paralyzing, terrifying fear that his father would carry out his threat.

Nothing like that should be destroyed. It should be kept.

He realized, as he began to formulate, almost subconsciously, a plan to befriend them, to protect them, that he was now a traitor. But that mattered a great deal less than it had a few minutes ago. All that had seemed important was fading into the background, with the four faces of the royals becoming clearer and clearer.

Just then, the big girl glanced out the window, and saw him. Rage, barely controlled at this interruption by the rude outsider (for he was the outsider here) boiled up in her previously serene features; she suppressed it, and saying, "I'll be back in a moment." to her now worried siblings, who had sensed her fury, she quickly made her way outside.

"Kururugi. What are you doing here? How dare you try and spy on us when we have done nothing deserving of such attentions? Get back to your father at once, and bear this tale back to him: I don't care that he hates us, we have diplomatic immunity as long as Britannia is at peace with –"

Suzaku cut her off. "Excuse me, what's your name?"

She responded, a little disdainfully, "What? Why would I tell you my name when you've been spying on us? Don't your little lackeys already tell you everything about us?"

Suzaku shook his head. "Please, just tell me your name."

She frowned, clearly thrown by this show of decorum. "…It's Cornelia, if you must know. Cornelia li Britannia, Second Princess of Britannia."

"All right. Cornelia." He dropped to one knee. "I'm – I'm sorry I was so rude earlier. Do you think that we could still be friends? I know I haven't done much to deserve it, but… I'm really sorry! I was being unfair and unkind. Will you all forgive me?"

Her mouth dropped open. After a few seconds, she closed it and said, slowly, "Um… well… I'll ask… the rest of them, and see… what they think…" She backed away from Suzaku warily, as if afraid he would rush her at any moment.

He waited, a little anxiously, for her to return, as she entered the house to break the suggestion to her siblings.

Eventually, she emerged with the boy, who was looking sour, trailing her; she was carrying the pink-haired girl, and he the brown-haired.

Cornelia squared her shoulders, and faced him. "Kururugi. After discussing it, we've decided we can't trust you. However," she added, as he felt his face fall, "we are willing to waive that for now if, first, you apologize to all of us here, and second, you make an oath to not simply do us no harm, but to guard our secrets. We can't let you near us otherwise."

She gestured at her siblings. "I brought all of them out because, if you are going to apologize, I think we would all like to hear it. Especially," she smirked a little, "Lelouch here."

The boy – Lelouch – shot her a dirty look, and said, mistrustfully, "I don't believe a word of it, Cor. I think we should just send him off. He won't do us any good if he can avoid it." Cornelia looked a little uncertain at this, and faced Suzaku with an interrogatory gaze.

Suzaku felt his temper bubble to the surface at Lelouch's unalloyed dislike. "You don't trust me, do you? Fine! I'll show you that I'm trustworthy! I'll keep my word once I've given it!"

He stood up, put his right hand over his heart, and took a deep breath.

"I, Suzaku Kururugi, son of the Prime Minister of Japan, staunch enemy of Britannia, do hereby pledge myself to be the guardian of the secrets of Cornelia li Britannia, Lelouch li Britannia – " He broke off, looking as though he was trying to remember something, and asked, after a pause, "Excuse me, what are your siblings' names?"

Cornelia, who looked a little dazed, said, "…Um, their names are Euphemia li Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia… Oh, and Lelouch is Nunnally's direct sister, so his name has a vi in it too."

"Thank you." He resumed. " – The guardian of the secrets of Cornelia li Britannia, Lelouch vi Britannia, Nunnally vi Britannia, and Euphemia li Britannia," – Euphemia jerked a little as he said her name - "for as long as I and they may live. This I swear, by my blood, by Japan, and by my soul, now and forever."

A ringing silence followed these words.

Cornelia and Euphemia were looking at him as though they had never seen him before. Euphemia blushed when he locked gazes with her, and turned her face away. He looked at Nunnally, and she was smiling happily at the conclusion. When he met Cornelia's eyes, though, he had a question in his face.

She nodded.

Lelouch still looked a little reluctant to trust him, but made no objection as Suzaku suggested that they play a game. Euphemia agreed enthusiastically, and Cornelia, looking exasperatedly amused, went along with her sister.

A few weeks passed. As Suzaku kept his oath, and began to build a powerful bond with all of the royals, the tension began to build throughout Japan as it edged closer and closer to open war with Britannia. Suzaku's father had underestimated their desire for Sakuradite; they would do anything for it.

Even risk war with the entire world.

Tempus Fugit – Part One – Beginnings

Persequendum est.

Author's Note: Holy CRAP, that took a long time to write. I'm either getting lazy (hah, I was already lazy) or I'm running out of ideas… I think I'll save most of the author's note for the second part of Tempus Fugit. As always, a great amount of thanks to xchrispx510 for his beta reading, and thanks to you guys for reading.