Chapter Two: The Progeny and the Prodigy

Arc One: Child Of War

Opening: "Swaying" - Soraru

Seven Years Later

Reuben Ashford was in trouble. The former Earls' Knights were dead, his Queen was trapped, and his Bishops were a ways away from the action. A sweat dropped down his bald head, stretching down parallel to the spurts of grey hair around his ears. He adjusted his thin frames for the fiftieth time in ten minutes, as he tried and failed to see his way out of his predicament while the news broadcast blared in the background. Something about a runaway truck loaded with poison gas, driven by Elevens. Not that he cared at the moment. He had to-

BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP.

Reuben's body visibly jerked as the man behind him spoke up.

"You're out of time. From now on you'll make a move every twenty seconds."

The noble opposing him smirked smugly and responded "Fine by me.", short circuiting Reuben and sending him into a mental panic. The man on the opposite side of the table seemed amused by this, chuckling as he spat out something he had been chewing into the carpet. Reuben could only despair.

Out of seemingly nowhere, as if the voice of god, came a whooshing sound from behind him, followed by a pair of harsh footsteps, clacking in tandem towards the back of his seat. He turned and saw his salvation in the face of his two brightest students.

"Lelouch! Suzaku! Oh thank heavens!"

Ignoring the dubious look he was receiving from his opponent and the moderator, he stood to make way for Lelouch to sit. The tall, slender teen, standing alongside his more toned Eleven friend shared a look as they entered, which confused Reuben somewhat. Regardless, Lelouch seemed to trust his friend, enough that he had let him into Ashford where he had done quite well. Reuben took a quick peek into Lelouch's eyes, and watched them flit from the board to Suzaku, then back to the board, back to Suzaku, a quick nod, then Lelouch looked down.

"Time?"

Reuben rushed to answer Lelouch's question, rushing out his watch to tell him the current time, but Suzaku, unfussed, beat him to the punch, saying "Eight minutes thirty seconds."

Reuben looked up. That was not what he expected. He meant his record time? How was he to know that? But then he realised; the question wasn't for him. The back and forth looks, were they that in sync? This Suzaku could really keep up with the boy genius?

"Very good. Any thoughts?"

"Mind the King."

"I see. Begin at mark."

Suzaku gave a slight nod, before backing off as Lelouch took the chair. The noble in the far seat looked even more incredulous.

"A student? You have so much time in your hands. Hmmph. You still have only twenty seconds per move, and no consulting your Eleven slave."

Lelouch's face turned to solid stone in a fluid motion that no one missed, least of all Suzaku, who stood back and sighed. Reuben took his cue to back off, as he almost sensed the silent fury oozing from every fiber of the former Princes being. His eyes briefly flitted to the Kururugi heir as the Britannian, sounding as if he was approaching the edge of some otherworldly patience, finally responded "I'll need seven minutes thirty." His hand slid forward, reaching and grabbing the unmoved black King between his thumb and forefinger, raising it to his eyeline.

"Hm? You start with the king?"

Reuben's thoughts echoed that of Lelouch's opponent. It was bizarre, a silly move by any metric, but Lelouch held the piece with a certainty and lack of doubt it almost seemed somewhat rational by simple association with such confident movements. Similarly, Suzaku's reaction was one of apathy, seemingly used to his colleagues' antics on the chess board.

After taking a moment to observe the piece, Lelouch laid it down a place ahead of its initial position, and responded "If the king doesn't lead how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

Reuben's brow screwed at this trick of rhetoric, something observed by the Eleven standing next to him who silently chuckled and whispered to wrest his concerns, saying "It's a thing he does. For him, chess is a living thing he plays on instinct, as if he were a Field Marshal or something."

The comment was made at a whisper, but as Lelouch visibly enraptured himself in the game Reuben couldn't help but enquire further, asking in a hushed tone "So what's the plan?", a question which caused Suzaku to pause, before finding the words to elaborate. "Lelouch can do it by the seat of his pants. Thinking about it, I can eventually connect that isolated Bishop to the Pawn in the middle, guarding the latter with the former and the King. I can also, with a bit of thought, assume he is going for a thrust up the middle to trap the King in his castle. But he just does it as he goes, forming these plans on the fly as these things go along."

Pausing briefly to allow a few moves to pass to prove his theory, Suzaku sighed as both sides began to suffer heavy casualties. "But he'll never listen to my advice on sacrifice. He could get along so much better if he didn't trade so often."

Reuben frowned as he moved his view back towards the board, and watched as Lelouch bullied his way into the midfield, blockading routes with active trades and taxing the nobles reserves in an aggressive war of attrition, all without missing a beat if his face were the judge. Indeed, his posture was far more at home than the increasingly agitated noble, whose eyes seemed to swap between Lelouch and the board as if either was about to become more accommodating the next time he looked. Alas, neither Lelouch's subtly smug smirk, nor the rapidly degrading state of play on the board showed any signs of relenting. Lelouch's sheer relaxation seemed to play in too, presenting his opponent with a confident poker face in a bizarre take on psychological warfare. It would have been funny if it weren't having such a visible effect on the noble.

Reuben saw that Suzaku had noticed too, giving him a nod of confirmation before returning to his usual concentrated look. The narrowed brow and not-quite-pout suited his face quite well, as well as his bolt upright stance like a soldier, his body firm and at constant attention, his motions firm and deliberate added to his air of formality and practise, in contrast to Lelouch's more fluid, natural motions. Reuben wondered how much of this came from their personalities, for while he wasn't familiar with Suzaku, he knew Lelouch for the showman he was, or whether it was due to where they were, given Suzaku's social stature. On the flipside, he was the son of Genbu Kururugi…

"Check"

Lelouch's calm utterance almost allowed the reveal to fly under Reuben's mental radar, but after registering it his vision flew to the board. Lelouch's aggression had paid off, as while his only active pieces were a Bishop, a Rook, two Pawns and the King, but each one was pressing at the opponent, whose team was riddled with vicious attrition from Lelouch's scorched earth policy of aggressive trading.

Suzaku, unsurprised, glanced down as at his watch as Reuben watched play turn over to the Earl sitting opposite, who seemed as puzzled as Reuben was. Lelouch, seemingly smelling blood in the water, continued with "Twenty seconds."

Reuben felt a pang of sympathy for the Earl, then remembered how much money he was going to make off this. That did make him feel a little better.

In any case, Lelouch's opponent retreated his King into his enclave in the back corner, where Lelouch followed like a Lion chasing down a wounded Gazelle across the plains and into a corner, where Lelouch wasted no time siccing his Bishop on the hapless King following a smug declaration of "Checkmate" on the part of Lelouch. Suzaku spoke up as soon as the King fell onto its side, calling "Seven twenty two!"

Lelouch smirked, standing to shake his already somewhat shaken opponent's hand. Thoroughly embarrassed, the noble gave a hasty handshake before moving his head up and down towards Reuben, attempting to plead with him to get the two teens out of his hair. Reuben took his own turn to smirk, before raising his fingers and rubbing them together in the way that indicated getting paid. And so it was the turn of the noble to have his face turn to stone.

One hefty cheque later, Reuben, Lelouch and Suzaku departed down the elevator they entered through, descending to the tune of generic music and a spectacular view of Britannian Tokyo. The sky blue city stretched from the foot of their view to the face of Mt Fuji, a metallic white cityscape seemingly dropped on top of the land by an alien with no concept of aesthetic architecture; a fitting metaphor, when the Ashford head thought further. The glass surface of the CBD cut to an abrupt end just as his eye reached its natural resting place just below the horizon, and as he looked on he saw more traditional cityscape, with towers of firms and homes that stretched a ways to the North West. The ghettos of Shinjuku and Saitama were out of vision, being to the West of the building, and he was glad he was able to look out at the city without confronting that eyesore. Reuben was conflicted on the issue; clearly, the inhabitants were people, and deserved better, but there was nothing that could be done.

As Reuben was alone with his thoughts, and Lelouch and Suzaku possessed some manner of telepathy, the ride to the bottom of the building was a silent one. After a full minute of silence, the elevator hit the ground level, and Reuben hurried out of the enclosed glass space, before turning back to the pair.

"Thank you boys, so much." he smiled, nodding at the pair who were still standing within the glass cuboid. He reached forward with a wad of cash in hand to pass it to Lelouch. "A token of my appreciation."

Lelouch nodded and accepted the money, though Suzaku didn't seem too pleased. Neither teen spoke, and so, feeling a little awkward, took his leave out of the lobby with a "Be back in time for class boys!"

As he walked away, Reuben took one more look at the oddly matched pair, and as he departed the building, he considered the pair in a light he had never considered. He had always pegged Lelouch for an isolated person, content to himself and not the type to let anyone in on his machinations. This connection to the son of Genbu Kururugi was interesting. Certainly, the latter had great intelligence and wisdom. And as he stepped into his waiting car, he smiled as he considered what the pair would do together.

Back in the elevator, Suzaku finally spoke, quipping "Quite a conflict of interest, principal paying off his student." This brought Lelouch into a light chuckle, responding swiftly "Let's keep our personal and professional accounts separate, mm Suzaku? Even more to the point, you know that's not why I'm doing it."

"So why did you take it?"

"'Didn't say I minded some commission. Could come in handy."

"If only if we all were shining paragons of integrity as you were, Lelouch."

"Shut up Suzaku, you puritan."

The pair bantered quietly between each other as they approached the sidecar that they had borrowed off Rivalz, not in too great a shape but fine for their needs of a quick jaunt into the city proper from Ashford Academy. They continued to joke back and forth, however they were both silenced by the sudden collective gasps in the crowd around them, as the pair took a look around, and saw the screen the streets attention was directed at. The announcer's voice, now projected across the entire street, explained to them "We apologize for the delay."

As the monotone announcer read out their lines, Lelouch's brow joined Suzaku's just above the eyes in a furrowed, concerned position. These large scale announcements were rare enough, though of late they were more common.

"Now His Royal Highness Prince Clovis, third prince of Britannia, will address the nation."

Now Lelouch had a proper scowl, something Suzaku did not miss. Granted, Suzaku of all people could appreciate Lelouch's vehement dislike of the Royal Family, but he wondered how open with his emotions he would be with his other friends. It did make him feel somewhat proud, given how lonely he used to be, however he crushed this selfish sentiment quickly as he returned his focus to the screen, mounted to the side of a building, as the famous Patron of the Arts and Governor of the Home Islands took centre stage.

"Do you not see my pain? My heart was ripped from my chest only to be torn apart! The remnants are filled with rage and sadness! However, as ruler of Area 11, I will not tolerate terrorism of any kind! Because the battle we fight is a righteous one, a virtuous battle to protect the well-being of one and all. Now then, everyone! I would like you to join me in observance of the eight who died for justice, in the line of duty." As the TV directed them to a minutes silence, Suzaku became aware that nearly every eyeball on the street had swiveled towards him, drilling holes with a viciousness that made even the normally hardy Honorary Britannian uncomfortable. Certainly, the mental connection between himself and the terrorists had been made. Evidently, Lelouch made it too, as he rushed Suzaku onto the sidecar, himself climbing gracefully into the sidepod, before nodding to Suzaku. The third turn of the key burped the old single cylinder engine into life in a cloud of oil and smoke, revving so low Suzaku could count the bangs of the cylinder going through its two stroke cycle.

"Let's get going." Lelouch hushed concernedly, breaking silence, with a force in his voice that compelled a reluctant Suzaku to pull away from the side of the street. Suzaku knew Lelouch had a protective side, born out of caring for Nunnally that after so many years had extended to Suzaku. Lelouch was extremely protective of his friend, and combined with an attitude that he could take care of everything himself led to him being a bit bossy, however Suzaku had no problem taking the fight back to him. On this occasion, Lelouch's proposition to get out of dodge was probably a good idea, given the glares they were both receiving. Even so, Suzaku felt it was a bit disrespectful to break silence, something the Britannian prince caught on to.

"Its about self satisfaction" Lelouch explained over the grunts and cries of the struggling engine. "In the end, there's nothing to be done. At least not with the pacifist in tow."

Suzaku resisted the urge to chuckle, replying "Lelouch, people have died."

Lelouch didn't respond initially, having an eye towards the screen which had returned to the news broadcast. He seemed to be thinking in a more concentrated manner, as he responded "I'll grant you that, but silence helps no one. I'd rather put my efforts into something practical."

"Furinkazan, Lelouch."

"Asshole."

The pair continued down the road at their slow pace, the sidecars frame rattling about with the vibrations of the petrol motor that dragged the metal chassis and its occupants down the once smooth tarmacked road. It was so brash, loud and uncomfortable that the pair of them completely missed the huge truck hurtling up behind them at speeds that would make Marianne Lamperouge blush until it roared its horn down at their backs into through the lobes of their ears, nearly shattering them with its proximity.

"Gah!" Suzaku cried in surprise, jerking the handlebar to the side to dodge the oncoming rig, neary hurling Lelouch's slender frame straight out of the accompanying pod as the sidecar flew to the side of the road, crumpling the frontal zone as it bounced off the side barrier of the road and came to rest in the centre of the road, allowing its occupants to catch their breath.

The occupants of the truck were nowhere near as fortunate, as the lorry hurtled down the slip road and slammed into the side of the building below the suspended road with a massive crunch as the rear trailer hit against the side of the building and the metal gave way, buckling and warping under the pressure with a loud grinding sound.

Suzaku was the first to respond, leaping out of his seat and sprinting across the road and vaulting the road barrier to go and help without hesitation, sticking the landing on the roof of the trailer with his usual composure and effort. Lelouch, less quickly and far less gracefully, made his way down to the roof of the vehicle, by which time Suzaku had already entered through the roof. He had seen the rear get crushed, and so anyone in the rear would be highest priority, even if there may be no one there. Lelouch panted "Give me a minute here Suzaku..." as he took up the rear, clambering down with the physical sophistication of a goose. Suzaku could only smirk at his friends already disoriented state after only a few seconds of exertion, before he took a proper look at the inside of the truck. It was dark, shineless metallic and grey, with a spherical contraption in the centre. It was very bizarre, almost like something out of eighties sci fi, complete with worn walls and a grungy texture.

"Is everyone alright?"

The call was Suzaku's, always concerned for others when he had not the faintest clue who they were. After a response of deafening and equally worrying silence, he tried again.

"Anyone here?"

Still nothing. Lelouch, coming up behind him, wheezed "Let's check the cab."

Suzaku turned to nod, but before he had the opportunity to, the rigs engine roared into furious life, and the truck accelerated forward, sending both teens flying back onto the floor. Lelouch face planted off the floor before rolling towards the back wall, as Suzaku gripped against the railing to save his forehead. As Lelouch tried to right himself, the entry from the cabin to the rear creaked, indicating it was about to open. Suzaku, now thinking these occupants may not be the most upstanding individuals, scurried out of the way under the container, as Lelouch pulled himself out of view. As the truck roared along, the hatch opened, and several voices roared over the thundering engine.

"Have you forgotten? That's what I'm here for!"

It was a female voice, brash and with a frightening fury. Suzaku creaked his neck to attempt to look at the source, but to no avail.

"Can you enter the subway via the Azabu root?"

The girl again. She likely had a radio connection of some manner to the driver, Suzaku reflected. He couldn't see Lelouch, and was now seriously worried, a sentiment reinforced by her cry of "Because that would mean a blood bath!"

It was all Suzaku could do to not leap out and apprehend the person where she stood, but the motion in conjunction with his positioning made for a terrible angle, and so he lay still, frustrated. It seemed Lelouch had reached the same conclusion, not revealing himself as the woman moved towards the back of the truck. If he guessed correctly, the truck had gone off the hard shoulder down and into the tunnel parallel and just below the road that he had seen as he had jumped down. The engine noise echoed and bounced within a confined space rather than pirouetting out into nothing in the open air. The were now almost certainly either underground or indoors.

As Suzaku tried to get another look, he got a shock, as the distinctive whirring scream of a Frame crying its way into life with a gradual high pitched squeal, sucking the air of the cabin and forcing it through the Yggdrasil drive to cool the superconducting Sakuradite at near the speed of sound, forcing the gases out the back end, sending hot, dry air into the back sending Lelouch and Suzaku into a shrivelling, arid sweat.

"A Knightmare?" Suzaku was barely able to say, before his breath was sucked from his lungs entirely. The raging red titan rose up within the small space, before pushing its way out into the boundless sky, opening the cabin up to the vacuum, returning natural air to the occupants as the Knightmare Frame earned its name, booming out in a flurry of noise and explosive speed unfathomable for a vehicle of its size and visual weight, with a certain majesty that the terrifying machine did not deserve. Suzaku could barely drag himself out in less than a few moments, as the red beast tore thunder out in the sky. The rear doors, each weighing in at the mass of a wall, had been flung open and were now swaying in the trucks wake. Suzaku's mind immediately turned to Lelouch, who had hid in the back of the vehicle, and was in the direct path of the Knightmare as it passed through. He crawled his way to the back, elbow and knee, taking great care to not fall out himself as the truck hurtled down a dark tunnel. He slowly approached the end, butterflies growing in his stomach as he saw no sign of Lelouch. He began to panic, as he looked over the edge into oblivion and saw nothing but the darkness of the tunnel they hurtled through.

"LELOUCH?"

It's actually quite interesting that over the course of the first episode, Rivalz was the source of most of the conversations he and Lelouch had, Lelouch being more than happy to sit quietly. Since I interpret Suzaku as quite quiet himself, it was quite tricky to get them to banter. While they may seem more casual than you may be used to, bear in mind they have been together for years at this point, and unlike Nunnally it is not an asymmetrical relationship. I would assume at this point Lelouch is no longer putting on his "Lamperouge act" like he did with Rivalz and the rest of the student council. You'll note in Episode 6 when Lelouch and Suzaku meet without preconditions, we see them both at their most casual. Extrapolating that over several years, a very casual relationship is very feasible. Of course, none of this matters if I just killed Lelouch. Which I may have done. Muahahaha.

A note on this Chapters title; I couldn't resist that alliteration when I came across it on a TvTropes page, and I crumbled. What I do find interesting is which one is which; Is Lelouch the Progeny for being a prince, with Suzaku a Prodigy for his talent and ability to maintain parity, or is Suzaku the Progeny for being the son of Genbu Kururugi, being naturally Japanese and knows the people, whereas Lelouch had to work and adapt to gain their adulation, hence Prodigy? I don't know, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Next time, on For Hearts And Minds, Chapter 3; A Farewell to Arms. Be safe, and be careful what lorries you get onto. Please rate and review, and I'll see you again soon.

~Eth0