A/N: Here is chapter 3, where we will see Lelouch begin to learn more about his powers.
In this chapter, we'll cover Lelouch's life at Ashford. It's going to be different than it was in canon, with some other Spider-Man characters being a part of the school, so a lot of world-building.
I do not own Spider-Man or Code Geass. They are works of Marvel and Sunrise.
Growing Pains:
The sunset over the Shinjuku ghetto signaled the end of the massacre. As the Japanese began to make their way quickly out of the ghetto after getting medical treatment, Felicia took a moment to look back at the G1 Command base with a contemplative frown.
What had made Clovis suddenly decide to end the massacre he started? She was confident it wasn't some form of guilt or even pity. It's not in Royal's blood, that much she could tell from all the social events she had to attend due to being a noble child.
So what, or who made him stop?
Felicia's eyes then widened.
Was it him?
"Clovis, for the last time, I am not a ghost! Nor a zombie! Or an alien from a race of shapeshifting invaders!"
"Then how do you explain being here and now?! Or appearing in front of me out of nowhere?!"
"For the first one, it's simple, I survived the invasion you and the royal family launched to kill me and Nunally." Lelouch's voice was full of venom. "As for the second, you can blame your spiders for that. And while we're on that, what were those spiders even for anyway?"
Clovis' shock and awe were replaced with confusion. "The spiders? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me!" Lelouch marched to the throne and lifted Clovis off his throne with ease reeling back a fist. "Tell me right here and now, what did those spiders do to me?!"
SNIKT!
Suddenly, a single razor-sharp blade emerged from Lelouch's wrist. Both Lelouch and Clovis blinked at the blade which popped out of nowhere. Lelouch brought the blade closer to examine it. It was strange, since to his knowledge, spiders didn't have stingers. He wasn't complaining though, more power to him.
"Huh. Interesting." Lelouch said as the blade sank back into his skin.
"How… how did you do that?" Clovis asked, shocked at seeing his once weak brother lift him with ease, and have a blade emerge from his hand.
Lelouch turned back to Clovis with narrowed eyes. "You can thank those spiders for that and more. Now I'll ask again, and I won't repeat myself: What are those spiders that bit me?"
Clovis blinked. "Bit you? You mean, you were bitten but one of the spiders in the canister?"
He pulled Clovis closer so their faces were centimeters apart. "What did I say about repeating myself?"
"But… but that's not possible? You should be dead by now if you were bitten!" Clovis yelled in disbelief.
Lelouch blinked. Dead? He did feel like he was dying when he was first bit. But after taking that nap, he felt better and changed.
"Unless…" Clovis trailed off as he stared at Lelouch in amazement. "That means, it worked? Quickly tell me! What else can you do?!"
Lelouch wasn't going to say anything, but since Clovis seemed to have an idea of what was going on, he might as well inform him, so he can get his answers. "I can do whatever a spider can. I can crawl walls. I have enhanced strength, reflexes, agility, coordination, durability, and balance. A sixth sense that warns me of danger. Some form of camouflage. An advanced healing factor. Bioelectricity. And now apparently stingers."
Clovis looked at Lelouch in dumbfounded silence as he began listing off his many powers. Lelouch was worried for a moment he might've broken Clovis before the latter broke out in a wide, mad grin. "It worked! I can't believe it finally worked! This is incredible! Amazing! Spectacular even! I have to tell Schne-Oof!"
He was cut off as he was thrown back on his throne, roughly. Lelouch trapped him by placing both his hands on the wall beside him, greatly denting it.
"Calm down!" Lelouch growled, causing Clovis to gulp. "I want answers! And you're going to give it to me! Now, what do you mean by 'it worked'?"
Clovis eventually managed to find his voice again, his mad smile returning. "For years, Britannia has been working on improving our military power. One such was using cross-species genetics to give our soldiers the traits of animals to improve their abilities, making our people superior. However, with the introduction of Knightmare frames, that research was put on hold and believed to be unneeded. But then, nearly a decade ago, after Schneizel took over Oscorp, he had restarted research into it, believing that having both superiority in a machine and a human body was the key to Britannia's evolution. For years, we've worked to try and splice various animals with human DNA to improve them. However, none of the trials were successful. The closest we ever got was the work on the spiders, but even then, all of the subjects died after being bitten. So we believed that to be another failure."
He then looked Lelouch directly in the eye. "But here you are, claiming to have been bitten by one of the spiders, yet are still alive! And not only that, you're possessing more power than we could've dreamed of! This is a miracle! With you, we won't have to start over!"
Lelouch absorbed all this information. So that was their purpose. These spiders were just going to be used to further Britannia's conquest. It made him sick, knowing that that was the original purpose of his powers. It was mind-baffling to also know that he was the only survivor of said experiments. He must've been lucky. Which then brought another question to mind.
"Who were they?" He asked in a low voice. Clovis looked confused. "Who were the people you used to test these experiments on?"
"Ah, you don't need to fear Lelouch. We didn't use a lot of Britannians, just some lowly commoners and some Eleven vermin. Nothing you need to worry abo-"
SLAM!
His carefree tone was silenced when Lelouch slammed on the wall next to him again, denting it further.
"Is that all they are to you?!" He roared, making Clovis shake with fear. "Just some livestock meant to be sacrificed or burned! Is that how you see them!? Is that why you had no problem killing the people in the ghetto?! You… you people disgust me! I hate that I have this blood, his blood, running through my veins!"
"But what's the matter, Lelouch?!" Clovis panicked, he'd never seen his brother this angry before. "They're just some Elevens and lowly commoners. They don't compare to us!"
"Is that why you people killed my mother?!" Clovis freeze. "Because she was a commoner! Because she was of lowly birth! Is that also why you tried to kill me and Nunnally, because we were her children!?"
"Lelouch I swear I had nothing to do with the death of your mother! I loved and adored her as much as I did you and Nunnally. I would never try to kill her!"
"Regardless, you will tell me everything you know! And if you dare try to lie, I'll rip you limb from limb! I'll know if you do. I forgot to mention that I'm also able to pick up on whether or not people are lying, thanks to my sixth sense!"
Yeah, that was a total lie.
But Clovis didn't need to know that.
The third Prince was currently trembling as he began to pee his pants in fear. "I don't know! I truly don't know who killed your mother or why! You should ask Cornelia and Schneizel, they would know!"
Cornelia and Schneizel? What did they have anything to do with this? Last he remembered, Cornelia had practically worshipped his mother. So to hear she had something to do with her death was troubling. And Schneizel, what did he have to do with this? He never seemed to have strong emotions toward his mother, neither positive nor negative. He treated her like he treated all the other Emperor's consorts, maybe slightly better since she was Lelouch's mother. So what could he have to do with his mother's death?
Regardless, Lelouch looked into Clovis' eyes to see if he was lying. While it was true he didn't have any ability to detect deceit, his mother, Schneizel, and Aunt May always told him that if you look deep into a person's eyes, you see a window into their soul, and if you look hard enough, you can tell whether or not a person is being honest.
And in Clovis' eyes, he saw a sniveling coward of a man, who was too afraid to get his own hands dirty. But he saw no lies. He was telling the truth.
"I believe you." He said, causing Clovis to smile. "But," The smile faded, "That doesn't mean you're off the hook. You still have to pay for all the people you've killed, both with your experiments and the lives you killed in the ghetto."
Clovis tried to reason with Lelouch but the superpowered teen didn't listen as he lifted Clovis back up and somehow managed to protract the stinger from earlier.
"Please wait Lelouch!" Clovis began begging. "We're brother! We may have different mothers, but we share the same blood!"
"Yes," Lelouch conceded, "his blood. The blood of the man I hate more than anything in this world!"
Clovis began crying and begging for Lelouch to spare him, but it fell on deaf ears as Lelouch prepared to run his brother through.
However, for some reason, he hesitated. Why? Why couldn't he do it? This person may have been his brother, but he's been involved with numberless deaths of innocents, all because he saw them as beneath him. Plus, he's seen Lelouch's face, and knows he's alive and has these powers, so why shouldn't Lelouch kill him?
But he couldn't. He just couldn't. He remembered his childhood with Clovis, all the good and happy moments they shared, being true brothers to each other. Plus, he thought what both Uncle Ben and Aunt May would think of him, killing a man like Clovis, who was begging for his life.
So with a reluctant sigh, he retracted the blade and threw Clovis back on his throne, much to the Prince's astonishment. Clovis then smiled slightly.
"Don't get any ideas!" Lelouch snapped as soon as he saw the smile. "You're not worth dirtying my hands. I don't want your filthy blood all over them." He then smirked. "Besides, there are other ways to pay for what you've done."
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Lelouch said innocently before pulling out a recording device and pressing play. Clovis paled as he heard their whole conversation be played through the device before Lelouch pressed pause. "I'm glad I followed Aunt May's advice to take a recording device with me whenever I go out."
"Lelouch, please you can't do this!" Clovis begged, falling to his knees and bowing to Lelouch. "If any of this gets out, I'll be disinherited, or worse executed! The experiments were conducting are top secret. Not even the Emperor knows about it!"
"Well, maybe you should have thought of all that before you had innocent people kidnapped and experimented on, or ordered the death of everyone in the ghetto." Lelouch spat with disgust evident in his voice. "You royals have so much power at your disposal, but you never use it responsibly. Your kind will always disgust me."
As he saw Clovis wallowing on the floor, Lelouch was contemplating inside. He might've found a way to expose Clovis, but he needed to find a way to keep him quiet about his being alive, and his powers. Maybe he could blackmail him with this information. The easiest way would be to kill him, but again, Lelouch just couldn't do it, not while Clovis was like this, it'd leave a bad taste in his mouth.
Maybe he could–
~ZING
BANG!
"Argh!" Lelouch yelled in pain as he gripped his bleeding shoulder. The bullet pierced his skin and went through. At least he knew he wasn't bulletproof, though not the best time to find out.
He looked behind him and saw the royal guard come into the throne room, the captain's gun smoking.
"Well well. If it isn't the traitor that up and disappeared." The captain said with a snarl. "I don't know how you pulled off that magic trick, but it won't work twice."
Lelouch gritted his teeth in anger as he stared at the man. This was the man who he believed killed Suzaku in cold blood. Now this man. He wouldn't mind getting blood on his hands if it meant ending him.
"He was bitten by one of the spiders," Clovis revealed as he stood back up, his fear gone, now replaced with confidence. "I need him, alive captain. Though after the threats he gave him, it doesn't have to be in perfect condition."
Lelouch looked back toward Clovis as he gritted his teeth in anger at his half-brother. Guess Clovis is nothing more than a snake.
"As you wish your highness." The guard captain said as he put away his gun, pulling out a stun baton to replace it, his men doing the same as they began to surround Lelouch.
This was bad. Lelouch was injured and had to fight off at least half a dozen men, all well-trained. He may have had superhuman abilities that allowed him to total a Knightmare, but he was in a large open space then and fighting one opponent. Here, he was in a small room with barely any room to maneuver in. And given that he was surrounded, and still didn't have a good grasp of his powers yet, he doubted he could just go invisible.
He was trapped in a web, ironic given he's the spider. Looks like he was gonna have to fight his way out of this.
When the first guard attacked, Lelouch managed to dodge and knock him back. That left him open for several others to come in and stun him with their batons. Lelouch went down soon after that. The guards kept up their assault by repeatedly hitting him with their batons along with kicking him.
He ended up dropping the recorder. It slid over to Clovis, who promptly crushed it beneath his boot. The Third Prince looked down at Lelouch, with what appeared to be a false sense of pity. "I'm sorry it had to come to this Lelouch." His tone was laced with that false sincerity. "But don't worry, when I ascend the throne as the great Emperor in Britannia's history, your sacrifice will not be forgotten. To me anyway."
Lelouch growled at his half-brother as he continued to be pummeled. All this pain, all this rage, it was building inside of him. The electricity he felt earlier was once again coursing through his veins, traveling through his body and building at a certain point.
Instinctively, Lelouch tried to keep it contained, but with the pain and anger, he wasn't able to focus. The pressure continued to build more and more, his veins glowed with yellow electricity. Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer.
With a yell, he then let go.
BOOM!
A massive electrical explosion erupted from his body, consuming the whole room and hitting everyone inside. No one was spared.
Collapsing to his knees, Lelouch was breathing large gasps of air, exhausted beyond belief. He looked at his hands, sparks still dancing over them. Guess he learned a new way to use his powers.
He groaned in pain as he tried to move. His body was aching from the beatdown those guards were giving him. At the thought of the guards, he then looked around the room, shocked at what he saw.
The throne room looked as if a small bomb had gone off (which wasn't entirely wrong). There were scorch marks all over the room and the glass for the windows was shattered, the blast doors kept anyone from seeing what happened, but they surely heard that. He would need to get out of here.
He then began to stand, struggling to do so. He then looked over at the bodies and stopped.
The room was littered with the bodies of the guards, and none were moving. Not even making a sound. Lelouch kneeled to the closest one and looked for a pulse. He didn't find any. He moved to another guard and check. No pulse either.
He did this for every occupant in the room before he finally stood over the unmoving body of his half-brother Clovis. The Prince's once white and clean clothes were now covered in burns and ash, and his once handsome face was several burned.
Hesitantly, Lelouch kneeled and checked his pulse. He stayed like that for a long moment, trying to find one. He didn't.
That was when reality came crashing down on him as he looked around the room filled with dead bodies. All by his hand.
He killed them.
He killed them all.
"Oh no."
The Next Day - Ashford Academy
~ZING
Lelouch instinctively reacted to his spider sense going off and in a flash, reached up and grabbed the hand of his would-be attacker.
"Okay, okay, I can see you're not asleep so can you please let go before you crush my hand!"
Lelouch blinked, becoming fully awake, and remembering that he was currently in the Student Council Building, currently working through the student budget. He looked up to see Milly Ashford, the student council president, and one of his oldest friends. In her hand was a rolled-up stack of papers, about to bash him on the head had he not grabbed her hand. He finally let go as Milly began to massage her hand.
"Dang, didn't know you had such a fierce grip," Her lips then formed a teasing smile, "I bet that makes you popular with the ladies, huh Tiger?"
Lelouch rolled his eyes. Same old Milly. Always with that nickname, "Tiger" and those lewd comments. She may look like a supermodel on the surface, but she was nothing more than a dirty old man on the inside.
"And you're becoming even less popular for trying to assault someone just because they look asleep." He fired back.
"Ah serves you right for ditching me the other day!" Rivalz said with a cocky smirk.
"Yeah, what was up with you yesterday? I tried calling but you didn't answer." Shirley asked, worry evident in her tone as she sat next to him.
"Oh, well…" Lelouch rubbed the back of his head. 'Let's see: I tried to help a truck full of terrorists, got bit by a radioactive spider, reunited with and then watched my best friend Suzaku die right in front of me, discovered I had the powers of an arachnid and then some, led a group of terrorists against Britannia, took on a highly advanced Knightmare on my own, forced Clovis to stop the massacre in Shinjuku, then ended up accidentally killing him and the royal guard because I lost control of my powers. Yeah, maybe I should keep all that to myself.'
"Alright enough let's not get sidetracked here, people!" Milly ordered her slav–subordinates! "If we don't come up with a fix for the club activities budget, there won't be any money left at all."
"And if it comes to that point…" Nina, who was working quietly on her computer.
"The Equestrian Club will be mad." Rivalz finished. "We don't want them crashing through the windows on horseback."
As they were discussing this, Lelouch moved to grab another sheet full of finances, when the sheet he just finished stuck to his hand. Lelouch cursed under his breath, it must've been his spider powers. He looked to see the rest of the council was still talking to he quickly tried to separate the paper from his hand, shaking his hand violently, but subtly. But the paper was stuck to it.
He stopped trying when he heard Rivalz's voice. "Better yet, a day after, that way we could give up."
"Good idea, let's do that." Lelouch joked, hoping that his joining the conversation now wouldn't seem too suspicious.
"GUTS!" Milly suddenly shouted.
The entire council winced at her yell. "The guts spell again prez?" Rivalz moaned.
"Yep! And I expect you all to do your lot!" Milly said.
"I highly doubt even magic could help us balance the budget in time." Lelouch dryly remarked, the paper still stuck to his hand.
"It's got me motivated Madaem President!" Shirley said, motivated to continue working.
"Subtle and willing! That's what I like!" Milly exclaimed.
"I train hard in the gymnastics and swim club," Shirley said obliviously.
"That's not what I mean." Shirley looked confused. "You're a ten!" Milly's eyes then narrowed with a haughty smile. "From what I've seen in the girls' bathrooms. You're filling out in all the right places."
"Ho-ho!" Rivalz said as he followed Milly's eyes with his own smirk. Shirley was looking mortified and began to cover herself.
"What are you saying Madem president?!"
RIP!
The student council members stopped their teasing as they all looked at the source of the sound. Lelouch, who had lost his patience with the paper sticking to his hands, ended up ripping the budget report in a fit of rage. He looked like a deer in headlights as all eyes were on him. He let out an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Oops."
Somehow, the council members had finally managed to figure out the budget, even with Lelouch accidentally ripping up one of the reports. They eventually stopped in front of a computer room and saw a bunch of students watching a news report about Shinjuku.
"They used poison gas?"
"Man, that's freaky! Shinjuku's only like 30 minutes away from here."
"Oh my… I saw smoke coming from Shinjuku. You think that might've been the poison gas."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. It seems they went with the cover story of poison gas after all. So many dead, all because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. All because Clovis tried to cover up a mistake.
Clovis.
Suddenly, the memory of his half-brother's burned corpse entered his mind, along with the bodies of the royal guard. Those lifeless eyes, staring at him, telling him it's all his fault. That he's nothing but a murderer. Just like their father.
Lelouch began to look green as he brought a hand up to his mouth to try and keep the contents of his stomach inside him.
"Lulu? What's wrong?" Shirley worriedly asked. He didn't answer her as he turned and sprinted down the hall towards the closest restroom, ignoring the cries of his friends.
Entering the restroom, Lelouch leaned over the closest urinal and poured out the contents of his stomach. This went on for what felt like an eternity, but only a few seconds. When he finished, Lelouch then took several deep breaths to calm himself down.
"This would be where I normally ask if it was the meatloaf or the sweet potatoes, but it's not even lunchtime yet."
Lelouch turned his head to see an elderly man with a mop wearing a janitor's uniform standing at his side. He had white hair, glasses, and a bushy mustache to go along with it.
"Oh, hey Stan." Lelouch greeted the faithful janitor with a smile on his face.
"You okay there Lelouch? You look pale? Almost as if you'd seen a ghost?" Stan asked.
'More like I created a ghost.' Lelouch thought bitterly. "Nah, I'm fine. Must've been something I ate for breakfast. Thanks for worrying."
"No problem true believer!" Stan said with a big smile before giving him a questioning look. "Now, are you gonna let go of that urinal, or have you grown attached?"
Lelouch blinked as he realized he was still holding onto the urinal. He then willed his hands to let go… only to still be holding onto it.
'Dang sticking powers!' Lelouch screamed in his head as he tried to let go. But his hands wouldn't budge.
"You know, I was joking about being attached to the urinal, I didn't know you had," Stan said, surprised.
Lelouch gritted his teeth. "Let! GO!" He shouted as he pulled with all his might!
CRACK
Unfortunately, all that did was pull the lower half of the urinal out of the wall entirely, the broken piece still in Lelouch's hands. Water from the plumbing started spraying out all over Lelouch, getting his clothes and hair wet.
"Well looks like I have more work to do?" Stan muttered before turning to Lelouch. "You're not on drugs are you?"
At that moment, the ripped-out piece of the urinal that was stuck to Lelouch's hands finally fell to the floor, shattering.
Lelouch then slapped a wet hand to his face. "Curse you Parker Luck."
Stan offered to cover for him, thankfully. Adding to the long list of favors Lelouch owed the janitor. He usually wasn't a fan of having debts, but he knew he could trust Stan not to ask him to do anything crazy, unlike Milly. Most of the time he simply asked Lelouch to either cook him a meal or help him with the cleaning.
Lelouch managed to change into a spare uniform, though he was feeling greatly uncomfortable as he walked across the school courtyard. Ever since the spider bit him, his muscles had grown, not so much that he was a total beefcake, but enough to be noticed if one looked hard enough. He nearly fainted when he looked at himself in the mirror this morning.
He had abs. Actual abs! It was crazy!
An unfortunate side effect however was that most of his form-fitting clothes were now too small for him to wear, meaning he'd have to buy new clothes, including a new uniform. Money wasn't a problem, he had a lot saved from his gambling days. But it would take a while for a new uniform to be made for him, and it would raise a lot of eyebrows if anyone found out. So in the meantime, he had to do with this tight clothing.
"Well well, if it isn't the student council Vice President. What are you doing here roaming the halls looking like you just got out of a shower?"
Lelouch froze as he heard the familiar voice. He recognized it from the girl in Shinjuku, but now that she was speaking in that condescending tone, he knew where he had seen her before now. And he groaned internally at the realization. Out of all people, why'd it have to be her?!
Lelouch turned and looked at the girl behind him. She was close to his height, if slightly shorter. Had an athletic build to her body as well as many traits men would find desirable. Silver hair that seemed to glow brighter in the sunlight as it ran past her shoulders. Green eyes, much like a black cat, which perfectly mirrored how she liked to play with her prey, which in this case, was Lelouch.
Most boys who laid eyes on this girl would fall in love with her at first sight. Even some girls. But Lelouch, all he felt was growing irritation as a tick mark formed on his head.
"What does me looking like this have to do with you, Lady Felicia Hardy?" Lelouch asked barely holding in his grimace.
That's right. That girl who had followed his orders in Shinjuku, as well as saved his life, and him saving hers, was none other than Felicia Hardy, the noble girl who consistently got under his nerves at school when she ever bothered to show up!
"Oh, nothing. I just hope you aren't dripping. Wouldn't want to get my new heels wet now would I?" Felicia said, gesturing to her legs as if she was showing off how perfect they were.
The irritation grew.
This is why he couldn't stand her! That condescending attitude, and the fact that she so blatantly pointed out her strong points. She was no different from your typical noble girl, but for some reason, everything she did, was aimed to annoy Lelouch, at least that's how it was to him anyway.
She had barely ever come to school since the whole term started, she had no reason to be absent, it's not like she was sick or anything. But, according to her, nobility didn't need to bother with things like school. At least the other noble students had bothered to come to school, unlike her!
Still, she had some of the highest grades in the class, just behind Lelouch and Nina. She also had a great body, in an athletic sense. Seriously, it wouldn't be so far as to say she could compete in the Olympics and win whatever she signed up for. And her family was one of the wealthiest of the noble houses in all of Area 11. She was the perfect noble.
'So why is she a terrorist?' Lelouch asked himself internally, calming down as he gave the girl a once over. That's right, why was this supposedly perfect noble girl, working with a group of terrorists trying to bring down Britannia?
He could argue with himself and say he saw and heard someone else who looked like her. But no, his mind was too sharp to play tricks like that. It was her, no doubt about it. But why did she do it? Could she be a halfbreed? If so, he didn't notice any particular Japanese features about her.
And then there was her attitude. Was that an act? A mask she wears to hide her true nature? If so, then Lelouch had to admit, begrudgingly, that he was impressed. Not many people can create a facade to hide behind that Lelouch himself can't see past, after all, he did have a lot of experience making masks.
Felicia seemed to notice him looking her over and smirked, much like Milly in her usual she-devil antics. "Well well, has the renowned Ice Prince of Ashford fallen for my charms? I was beginning to think that rumor that you were asexual was true."
If this was all an act, she was very very good at it. So good that a part of Lelouch wanted to wring her neck.
Before he could, however, a voice called out to him from above.
"Yoohoo! Lulu! Felicia!" Both students looked up to see Shirley waving down at them from a window on the second floor. "You know it's time to head over to the chem lab? You better get a move on!"
"Ah crap, it's my turn to set up for class! Dr. Conners will let me have it if I don't hurry!" Lelouch then sprinted to try and make it to the science class, leaving Felicia behind.
As she watched him leave, Felicia let out a tired sigh as she ran a hand down her face. "Man, I hate having to act like such a spoiled rich girl. But it's not like I can pretend to be sick. I mean, look at me, how is anyone gonna believe a body this fit belongs to a sick person?" She began to walk to class, but as she did, she couldn't help but wonder where it was that she's heard Lelouch's voice before.
Lelouch managed to make it to the chem lab and help Dr. Conners set up before class started. Dr. Conners told him it was alright, but Lelouch couldn't help but feel guilty. Chemistry and biology were his two best and favorite subjects, not just because he's always had a fascination with science, but also because of the professor himself.
Doctor Curt Conners. He was from the homeland and had two doctorates in biology and biochemistry. But it wasn't his knowledge that impressed Lelouch, but rather, the teacher's character.
Lelouch was the only one who knew, being the one student who interacted with him most, but Conners was originally a soldier in the war between Britannia and Japan 7 years ago. While Lelouch would normally hate anyone who took part in that terrible war, Conners was different. During the war, he was injured and nursed back to health by a Japanese woman. The two fell in love. But when his squad found him, they ordered him to kill the woman. He refused and ended up killing his entire squad, losing his right arm in the process. After the war ended and Japan was conquered, Conners and his wife went into hiding for several years, where they had a child. Conners eventually found himself at Ashford where the headmaster offered him a position as a teacher.
He accepted, not only to provide for his family but also to continue the research he started before the war broke out. From what the man told Lelouch, he was attempting to splice animal DNA with that of humans. His idea was to use the unique DNA of animals to improve the human body, an example: a lizard's regenerative abilities to allow a human to regrow lost limbs. Lelouch was greatly fascinated by this, because if it was true, maybe this could be used to heal Nunnally's legs. He was even more impressed when Conners was going to offer this miracle to not only Britannians but also Japanese.
This was why Lelouch admired and respected Conners. Even though he was Britannian and could easily use his gifts for his own benefit, he still wants to use them to help those less fortunate. It reminded him that for all the bad trees Britannia had produced, there was still some good fruit left in the orchard. People like Conners, the Ashfords, and of course, Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
But now that class had ended, Lelouch was dreading what was coming next. The bane of his existence. The entity whose sole purpose was to make him suffer.
Gym Class.
Lelouch hated Gym.
Back when he was gambling, a major reason why he did it was to avoid Gym. But now having quit, there was nothing he could do to avoid it.
He was always last place in everything, collapsing just after starting warm up, going to sleep at night feeling as if his body was on fire. It was so humiliating!
These were his thoughts as he was standing with the other reserve members of his team. For class today, the teacher decided on a mock basketball game to help the club train for the finales which were closely approaching. Lelouch was made a reserve member, which he was fine with, less chance of him embarrassing himself.
As the mock game continued, Lelouch looked over to the other side of the gym where he saw Felicia with the other girls, working on their gymnastic skills. As always, Felicia was a cut above the rest.
"What you looking at buddy?" Rivalz said, standing next to him, wearing the same yellow jersey. He followed Lelouch's line of sight and gained a mischievous smirk as he saw what he was staring at. "You got a thing for her, don't you? I mean, you guys argue like cats and dogs, but for some couples that could be seen as flirting."
"Don't delude yourself with such ridiculous thoughts!" Lelouch snapped, still looking at Felicia. The idea of him becoming romantically involved with such a spoiled girl like her. Absurd! "I just think it's weird that she would show up now since she hasn't been here since the whole term started."
Rivalz had to admit, he had a point. "Yeah, I heard some rumors that she went back to the homeland during her absence, or that she was sick. I even heard something about her getting eloped and then breaking off the marriage 5 days later. And those aren't even the craziest."
Lelouch was about to say something when his spider-sense went off. Instinctively ducking, he managed to dodge the stray basketball one of the players knocked away. Unfortunately, doing so caused the ball to collide with Nina, who was busy working on her computer. The impact caused her to drop her computer, breaking it.
Nina stared at the broken computer in distraught. All her work was on that computer. Thankfully she saved it on a thumb drive, but it would take a while to buy a new one.
"Hey, Parker! Can you go grab that for us?!" A loud and obnoxious voice demanded. Lelouch grimaced. If there was someone else who managed to push his buttons as much as Felicia, it would have to be Flash.
Eugene "Flash" Thompson. He was the son of a noble family, as well as the captain of the basketball club. He was a star athlete that was responsible for Ashford to make it to the finals of the basketball tournaments since he joined the academy. But he was incredibly rude and obnoxious in Lelouch's opinion. He was also the main reason Lelouch hated gym. He did whatever he could to try and embarrass Lelouch in front of the student body, mainly because he felt jealous that Lelouch was the most popular guy among the girls in the academy. Lelouch didn't care about such trivial matters, but Flash sure did.
Not wanting to put up with the bully longer than he needed to, he walked over and picked up the basketball. As he held it in his hands, an idea suddenly came to him. An idea that caused an evil smirk to form on his face. 'Well, I want to see more of what I can do, why not find out.'
Lelouch's smirk never left his face as he walked over to the middle of the court, still holding the ball in hand. "Why don't you take it from me?" He challenged with a confident smirk.
Flash and the other players laughed while the rest of the occupants in the gym stopped what they were doing and looked toward Lelouch as if he were crazy. The student council members were no different, Rivalz even muttered, "He's dead," under his breath.
Felicia looked on with an intrigued look in her eyes.
As the two came to the center of the court, Lelouch held the ball out in his right hand. "Come on take it." He challenged.
Flash looked unimpressed and moved to grab it, but Lelouch quickly moved the ball behind him into his other hand. Flash was starting to get annoyed as he moved to grab it again, with Lelouch doing the same thing and holding it far out in his right hand.
Okay, now Flash was getting tired of these games and moved to grab it, but Lelouch jumped up and gave the appearance he just threw it, causing Flash to look away. Lelouch then threw the ball at his back, it rebounding before he caught it.
The whole gym erupted in snickers while the players were repeatedly telling him to just take the ball. Flash then rushed Lelouch, but the latter moved as if he was about to hit Flash, forcing the jock to back off, but it was a feint.
"Come on Flash just take it." Lelouch egged him on. Flash wasn't falling for it. "Alright, then how about this?" He then covered his eyes with his hand, peeking through them, Flash wasn't satisfied. "Alright, what about this?" He then looked away, his hand still covering his eyes while holding the ball out.
Flash hesitated for a moment before he moved to grab the ball. However, he couldn't take it out of Lelouch's hands, it was like it was glued on them. He tried with both hands but the ball wouldn't budge, and neither would Lelouch. The raven-haired boy looked back at the jock with a grin. "Come on take it!" He said in a low whisper, taunting him.
Flash then gave up and began taking several steps back. Lelouch understood his intention as he began to dribble the ball. It seems the whole gym understood his intention as they broke out in whispers and some even made bets.
"We have to stop this!" Shirley suddenly said, moving to intercept them, worried Lelouch would get hurt, but Milly stopped her. The she-devil wasn't sure, but there was something about the way Lelouch was acting, it was like he was confident he wouldn't lose.
"Alright bring it! Come on Parker!" Flash yelled. Lelouch wasted no time as he charged the bully, easily knocking him down before leaping into the air.
Time seemed to slow as everyone looked on in awe as Lelouch was flying, approaching the basket. Lelouch then dunked the ball with all his strength.
CRASH!
Which ended up shattering the glass backboard, shocking everyone in the gym. Lelouch came back to the ground, holding the broken hoop in his hands. As he looked at the object in his hands, he then realized his mistake.
'Oh crap!'
Later that evening - Ashford Clubhouse
"So what's this I hear about you breaking a wall down in the gym." A girl with wavy brown hair, eyes permanently closed shut, and sitting in a wheelchair with a teasing smile on her face.
"I didn't break down a wall. It was just a basketball hoop." Lelouch groaned as he ran a hand down his face. After the incident in the gym, Lelouch was called to the principal's office and given a verbal lashing by Ruben, not that he didn't deserve it. He offered to use the money he had from gambling to pay for the damages, which he accepted.
However, he had to serve detention and help clean up the mess he made. It went so late that he almost didn't make it in time to have dinner with Nunnally.
"I'm really happy, 'cause last night, you scared me when you didn't come home. You didn't even call." Nunnally said, her tone laced with worry.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Lelouch said as he looked down guilty. "I ended up losing my phone trying to help some people, so that's why I couldn't call." He then looked away, embarrassed. 'And then there was that.'
Flashback - Yesterday
Lelouch managed to make it out of the G1 Base without any trouble, thankfully. But even still, he couldn't help the images he saw in his mind.
He killed them. He killed them all, even Clovis. Sure they were beating him and planning to experiment on him, but he had never killed anyone. Not since that night. But this was his own brother. His brother.
At that thought, the bile rose from his stomach and threatened to leave his body. Not wanting to throw up, he then turned his mind to other things. Mainly his powers.
Thanks to his conversation with Clovis, he learned a great deal more. So it was as he thought. His powers did come from that spider. And it allowed him to do everything a spider can, and then some, like go invisible and create a form of bioelectricity, the latter possibly being lethal.
He then shook his head and focused on his powers. He counted all the powers he had, and was surprised when he realized he didn't have webs. He wondered why. Maybe he needed to perform a certain hand gesture, or maybe it came out from someplace else.
He then stopped and took a glance back at his rear. "Please tell me these webs don't come out of my butt?" He pleaded with whatever higher power existed. He then looked back at his hands.
Well, no time like the present. Besides, if he learns how to shoot webs, maybe he could get home before it gets too late. He then approached a building in the ghetto and was about to wall crawl but stopped. He may have been able to use those powers in his fight with the white Knightmare, but he still didn't know how to fully control it, and he didn't want to suddenly fall and break his neck.
So bending his legs, he then lept upward and made it to the roof in a single bound. He looked back over the edge and gave a small laugh. These powers were amazing! He wanted to know everything about these abilities!
He then moved over the edge and looked out toward the ruined ghetto, grimacing as he did. If only he learned how to use these powers soon, maybe so many people wouldn't have died. He shook his head. That's why he was doing this now, to make sure that if and when something like this happened again, he would be ready.
He looked at his right hand, hoping and praying the webs would come out from there. He brought his hand back and shot it forward shouting–
"Go web!"
–And nothing came out.
He looked back at the hand. Was he doing it wrong?
"Fly!" He tried.
Nothing came out.
He tried again.
"Up up and away web!"
Still nothing.
"Shazam!"
Again nothing.
"GO!"
Nope.
"GO!"
Nada.
"Go web! GO!"
Zilch.
He then looked back at his hands, forming a love sign, his middle and ring finger pressing down on the palm while his pointer and pinky finger were outward along with his thumb–
And still, nothing happened.
He let out a sigh. Well, that was embarrassing. Could he not shoot webs? But he was able to do tons of other spider-related stuff and more, so why shouldn't he be able to do that? Did it really have to come out of his butt?
"Only one way to find out." Lelouch relented as he concentrated on his rear, focusing on getting whatever it was that was in there out. He concentrated harder and harder, his face squeezing up as he tried to release what was trapped inside him!
PFFT!
He went stalk white as he heard that noise come distinctly from his rear. Well, the good news is, he now knows he can't shoot any webs.
And he would take what happened here to the grave.
Flashback End
Lelouch was for once glad Nunnally wasn't able to see how mortified his face was. But she seemed to be able to feel his distress. Hoping to cheer him up, she spoke, "Hey, Ms. Sayoko has been teaching me the art of origami. She told me that if you fold a thousand paper cranes, a wish comes true. Is there anything you wish for?"
"No not really." Lelouch lied. There were many things he wished for. That this world would change. That their mother was alive and with them. That he could go back in time and fizz his biggest mistake. The list went on and on, but he didn't want to burden Nunnally so he kept silent and asked. "What about you? What do you wish for?"
"I wish the world were a gentle place!" She said with a smile that always managed to brighten Lelouch's day.
"When the day comes when you're finally able to see, I'm sure that wish will come true."
"Really?" Nunnally's voice was filled with hope.
"I promise," Lelouch said with a smile on the outside, but inside, he was full of nothing but doubt.
They didn't have any family they could turn to, and the Ashfords sheltering them would only last until they graduated, which wasn't that far off. If their identity was exposed, then Rivalz and Shirley would probably abandon them. He didn't want to believe they would do such a thing, but he couldn't risk it. Sooner or later, they would run out of places to hide.
He was taken out of these thoughts when he felt Nunnally grab his hand and wrap her pinky finger around his. At first, Lelouch was afraid he would break her hand, but to his surprise, he didn't.
"This is a Japanese Promise that Sayoko taught me the other day," Nunnally told, then she began to sing. "~Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand nettles if I die. Pinky promise song!~" She finished with a laugh.
Lelouch looked at her in awe before a genuine smile graced his lips. "Well, then I'll need to be careful. I may have to eat a thousand nettles someday."
"That's right! So I better not catch you lying." Nunnally warned playfully.
"Don't worry, I'll never lie." Lelouch said, though he knew at this point it was impossible.
Suddenly, to his surprise, Nunnally started crying. Fearing the worst, Lelouch moved to whip her tears with a napkin.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She managed to croak out as she rubbed her eyes. "It's just… Uncle Ben and Aunt May… I just miss them so much! I wish they were here!"
At that, Lelouch's whole mood dropped instantly. His sister was suffering. And it was all his fault. There were times when he wanted to tell her, confess to her his mistake, and beg for forgiveness… but he couldn't take that chance.
He couldn't have her reject him. If she did, then there would be no point in him living in this world.
So, with great struggle, he managed to swallow his guilt and speak, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Me too…"
After putting Nunnally to bed, Lelouch went to his room and lay on his bed, but he didn't fall asleep. How could he, will all that was on his mind?
He looked toward his hand, staring at it for a long moment. He had power now. Power that was his. Not his father's, not his siblings, his. The question, was, what was he gonna do with this power?
His first thought would be to take the fight to Britannia, but that was ludicrous. Despite having the strength to take on a Knightmare by himself, how could he fight against a nation that controlled a third of the world?
The most likely outcome would be that he would die, leaving Nunnally all alone, which was something he didn't want to have to happen.
But he also couldn't just stand by and watch as Britannia continues its ways. Not when he had the power to do something about it.
"With great power, comes great responsibility," Lelouch muttered.
And then, like a lightning bolt, it hit him.
There was no way he could win a straight-up fight against Britannia, but he didn't have to. He wasn't fighting against the people of Britannia, but rather, against its very ideology. Britannia believed that as long as they were the strongest, they had the right to rule, but if Lelouch, someone who was stronger than even the Britannian Emperor, used his strength not to rule but to serve and protect, then maybe, just maybe, he could inspire other Britannians. He knew that the Empire, despite its ideology, had good people, those like Ben, May, and Conners were proof of that. He just needed to inspire them to do something.
Of course, this wouldn't be a bloodless crusade. He knew he would have to get his hands dirty, that he would need to kill, something his sister wouldn't be proud of. But he had the power to do something, so it was his responsibility to bear whatever burdens come from this mission.
After all, the world only makes sense, if you force it to.
He then smiled as he rose from his bed. "Thanks, Uncle Ben. For giving me the answer." Lelouch said as he moved over to his desk, pulled out a notebook, and turned the lamp on.
He would accept this responsibility, but he couldn't do it as Lelouch Parker or Lelouch vi Britannia. Strong as he was, he wasn't strong enough to protect the people he loved from the whole Britannian Empire.
And besides, people need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy. And he can't do that with either of his identities. A man is just flesh and blood. He can be ignored, he can be destroyed. But as a symbol… as a symbol he can be incorruptible, he can be everlasting. Something fierce, but also kind. Terrifying, but hopeful.
That's what he needed to become.
(Play "This is My Time" By Lecrae)
"Well then, let's get to work." He said as he began sketching.
Over the next several days Lelouch works to learn everything he can about his powers by…
… lifting large pieces of rubble.
…lifting Knightmare scraps.
…sticking to the ceiling of his house while cleaning the tight corners.
… practicing control of his bioelectricity on towels, and burning them.
… hanging upside down while drinking a cup of milk
… then spitting it out.
… researching all he can about spiders.
… building his webshooters.
… They exploding webs all over him before he figured it out.
… testing his stamina.
… learning how to cloak and decloak at will.
… brings his stingers out at will.
… creating costume designs.
… then throwing them away.
… It took a while, but he finally settled on a costume design he thought would be perfect. Now he just needed to make it. Thankfully, he wasn't short on funds.
One day, Felicia stood on the roof of Ashford, having finally found a moment to herself since coming to school. She took the time to call Ohgi.
"So, how's campus life treating you?" He asked over the phone.
"Stifling," Felicia said bluntly. "I was stuck in history class yesterday. I have to act as if I care about anything they say. Maybe I should just head back."
"The army's on high alert right now," Ohgi warned. "Stay there and let things cool off."
"What about the voice?" Felicia purposed. "What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't know and frankly don't care. He's probably dead if what you told me about him taking on that white Knightmare is true."
"But he threw an entire car at the Knightmare, and delivered a kick that managed to knock it down."
Ohgi frowned. It's not that he didn't believe Felicia, but the fact that someone was taking on that monstrous Knightmare alone, and without a Knightmare of their own, and managed to survive, just was too crazy to believe.
But he didn't want to say that to Felicia, so instead, he said, "Look, even if this guy is alive, we don't even know their face or name. So it's not like we can track them down. Besides, I'm sure Naoto would be happy you're back in school."
Felicia's head dipped at the mention of her deceased brother. He always wanted her to be away from the battlefield and have a more peaceful life. But she was always stubborn, wanting to help him out however she could.
"For now, forget about Shinjuku. I'll be in touch." Ohgi said before ending the call.
Felicia let out a sigh as she leaned over the railing at the school before her. She hated this. Having to put on this act of a spoiled girl, made her sick to her stomach.
Felicia then pushed these thoughts out of her mind and focused on the voice. He had saved her, more than once during that massacre, and almost managed to lead them to victory against Britannia, if it wasn't for that white Knightmare. She didn't want to believe he was dead. She knew he had something to do with Clovis calling off that massacre.
But Ohgi did have a point. Felicia had no idea who he was, so it wasn't like she could go find him. All she knew was his voice.
"His voice…" She spoke up realizing something. Lelouch. Now that he thought about it, those two did sound a lot alike. But she shook her head. "There's no way it's him. He's skinner than a twig!" However, Felicia's mind flashed back to the gym several days ago. He did manage to knock that jerk Flash to the ground before breaking the basketball hoop. There was no easy the skinny Vice President of the past could do such a thing. But what if he was hiding his strength?
Felicia whipped her head around the rooftop, piercing green eyes weaving from left to right as she held out a pouch with a concealed knife inside. "Who's there?!" She demanded. "Come out!"
She got no response except the wind blowing across the empty rooftop. But she knew someone was watching her. Who and from where, she didn't know, be she knew they were out there. Or maybe all this time being a terrorist has made her on edge.
Felicia sighed as she put away the pouch. Maybe Ohgi was right. Maybe she should take the time off and cool down a bit. It's not like she would find "the voice" at her school, right?
As she began to walk back into the school, Lelouch, sticking to the walls and hidden from view thanks to his camouflage, let out a breath. Man, that girl was sharp! Even though he was camouflaged, she still felt someone watching her. That meant he had worked more on his stealth, he couldn't just rely on his powers.
When he saw Felicia up here talking with someone on the phone, he figured now would be a time to get some answers about why she was fighting, and to test out more of his powers. So, by sticking to the walls and activating camouflage at the same time, two abilities that required concentration, he climbed up the walls of the school and listened in on her phone call. He learned several things.
About Felicia, she had a brother. A brother who died. Lelouch felt a pang of empathy for the girl who always irritated him when he learned that, which slightly surprised him. Must've been Aunt May's doing. But still, his heart went out to her. He feared that if anything happened to Nunnally, after losing their mother, Ben, and May, he probably wouldn't be able to function again as a human being. He might even just kill himself.
About himself, he learned that he could use two of his powers both of which required concentration, simultaneously. Though whether this would apply to other powers working in tandem remained to be seen. He would need to test that out later.
It also seemed that Felicia was suspicious of him. He would need to try and avert that suspicion somehow. But it's not like he could be in the same room as her as she received a call, with a recording of his voice on the other end, it would be too suspicious if he asked even Sayoko to do it. If only spiders could mind-control people.
So the only option he could think of was to act the fool. Pretend he was still his weak pathetic self, and that his moments of enhanced strength were nothing more than a fluke. But that meant suffering through the same humiliation he had before the spider bite, knowing full well he could easily surpass anyone at this school in terms of physical prowess. But, to protect both him and Nunnally, he had to do it. If he could just remind himself he was doing this to protect them both, he could get through any humiliation. Hopefully.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that his grip on the wall broke and he began to fall. He yelped as he dropped his cloaking and hit the ground with a hard thud! Nearby students looked to see the source of the noise and were surprised when they saw the Vice President on the ground, twitching. Thankfully, he didn't have any broken bones thanks to his enhanced durability and no one saw him fall.
Didn't mean it hurt any less.
'Note to self: Practice using multiple powers closer to the ground.'
Most of his injuries healed before class started, so he was able to get through the lectures with no problem. During class, he took several glances at Felicia.
Now that he knew more about her, he decided that it was best if he kept her close to him. She may be suspicious of him, but as long as he doesn't do anything too outrageous he should be fine. And besides, if he kept her close, but not too close, he could use her to help him connect with the terrorist group. Who knows if the day would come that he would have to raise an army?
But how? Make her his girlfriend? He squashed that thought almost immediately. He blamed Rivalz for the comment he made in the gym a few days ago. While his image of her had improved greatly due to learning who she was, it still wasn't that high for him to consider such an option.
Besides, he already had Nunnally, so there was no need for him to pursue a romantic relationship. Why did that just sound so wrong?
He shook his head, regardless, he still needed to find some way to keep her close to him. As he thought about it more, an idea soon came to him.
Class had ended and Felicia had begun to pack her bags. Her "friends" came up to her and were about to ask her to hang out. She was about to decline when another voice spoke up.
"Felicia Hardy." The girl turned to see Lelouch walking up to her desk. "Come with me please, I need to speak with you in private."
Felicia was surprised that Lelouch wanted to talk with her. She was under the impression that she annoyed him so much that he wanted to avoid her, which she was fine with. So why would he want to talk with her, and alone at that?
Well, it didn't matter the reason. She could take care of herself, all those martial arts lessons she started when she was a toddler proved it. And this could be the perfect time to prove whether or not he was "the voice".
"Lead the way," Felicia said as she stood from her chair and began following him. Students began murmuring as they saw the two hottest students walking down the hall together. Many were wondering if they were finally going out.
Both of them thought the same thing: Absurd!
Eventually, they arrived at the Student Council Clubhouse, standing in a large and spacious ballroom.
"So out with it, why are we here?" Felicia asked, impatient that Lelouch was silent the entire time they were walking.
Lelouch then turned to face her. "Felicia Hardy, would you…"
'If he's here to ask me out I swear I'm gonna kick this jerk's–'
"Like to join the Student Council."
She blinked. "Come again?"
"It's required that every student join a club here at school. You would know this if you had even bothered to show up." She knew that was a jab at her. "And since you haven't been here since the start of the semester, I can assume you haven't joined any clubs."
She wanted to let this jerk have it, even if he wasn't asking her out. Still what he said wasn't wrong. She hadn't joined a club yet, nor had known it was required by the school. "But why the Student Council?"
"Most of the girl's athletic clubs have already gone through their competitions, so there's no point in joining those now. Other clubs are pretty much full, and there's no telling when you would suddenly stop coming to school again." She gritted her teeth. "The Student Council could always use more members, and even if you decide to leave for a long period, we can still manage to stay afloat like we are now without you." Her eye twitched. "Plus with your grades, you should be more than capable of handling any of the finance we do."
She blinked. Did he just compliment her with that last comment?
"So, what do you think? Interested in joining?" He asked.
Before she could answer, they heard a commotion from upstairs.
"I found it!" Shirley's voice came from the top of the stairs. The two looked to see Shirley holding a data chip. "This is it right?!"
"What a relief, you found my research notes," Nina said thankfully as Shirley handed her the card. She was worried after that jerk Flash broke her computer, she would have to start over from scratch again.
"Thank goodness, that was a pain," Rivlaz said.
The doors then opened to reveal Milly, wearing an apron, wheeling in a cart of food. "You found it? Great! I already finished everything. Shall we all dig in?"
"Awesome!" Rivalz's mouth watered as he saw the food, which included several pizza boxes.
"Way to go President!" Shirley cheered.
"Oh, how you all adore me," Milly said, soaking up the praise like a sponge.
"Impeccable timing as always Madame President," Lelouch said with a smile.
"You know me, Tiger. I always aim to please." She said with a smile. "Still I'm impressed with you taking initiative like this. You came up with the idea all on your own without any advice from my grandfather or me. Looks like you take the role of Vice President seriously after all."
"Nah not really." He then pointed to Felicia with a teasing smirk. "With one more set of hands around, it'll make it easier for me to doze off."
"OH! You sly devil you! And here I thought you were finally taking school seriously."
"I think everyone here knows who the real devil is. Or should I say, she-devil?"
Felicia looked at Lelouch as he did this back and forth with Milly. Was this what he was really like? She always thought he was an arrogant Britannian student like all the others. But he had a humorous side to him, as well as a considerate side, considering he thought about the reasons why she should join the Student Council.
"Shirley, could you help me set the table?"
Felicia's eyes turned to the sound of the new, young voice. It was a girl, looking to be about a middle schooler's age, sitting in a mechanical wheelchair. And she was blind.
"Sure thing Nunna." Shirley moved to help the girl.
"Nunnally, what are you doing here?" Lelouch's voice switched from teasing to concern. Why though?
"This is Lelouch's sister, Nunnally," Milly explained. Felicia's eyes widened as she looked between the two. He had a sister who was stuck in a wheelchair, and blind. Wow. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Lelouch was feeling.
Soon enough Nunnally came up and introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, Felicia. I'm Nunnally Parker." The girl said in the most angelic voice anyone could have.
Felicia couldn't stop the genuine smile on her lips. "Thank you. You as well." She then smirked. "But do tell me, how does Lelouch have such an angel as a sister? Was he adopted by any chance?"
The whole council minus Lelouch erupted in laughter. The brother just rolled his eyes.
"Alight! Let's get this party started!" Rivalz said as he pulled out a bottle of alcohol. "With a toast!"
"Is that Champagne?!" Shirley yelled.
"We're a part of the Student Council so we shouldn't," Nina said shyly.
"Oh come on! You guys need to not be so uptight!" Rivalz tried to unscrew the cork, but Shirley tried to stop him.
"Rivalz we're gonna get in trouble!" She cried as she chased after him.
"What's going on?" Nunnally asked innocently as Milly poured her a glass of orange juice.
"Here Lelouch! Catch!" Rivalz then threw the bottle over to Lelouch, which he made appear he just barely caught it. Shirley then moved over to him.
"You're not getting away with this either Lulu!" Shirley said as she tried to take the bottle from him. Lelouch struggled(?) to keep away from her, the cork coming looser. Eventually, it popped off and went flying toward Felicia.
She was prepared to bat it out of the way with a swipe of her hand, but before she could move, the cork was already caught in Lelouch's hands. Everyone blinked at his speed. They didn't even see him move.
"Are you alright?" He asked Felicia. She was too in awe to offer a verbal response, so she nodded. "Good." He said with a smile. However, that smile soon faded when the alcohol that was in the bottle poured all over his head, soaking his uniform and body. When he moved to grab the cork, he held the bottle upright, causing the liquid to shoot straight into the air, and of course, it just had to fall on him.
"What just happened?" Nunnally asked as everyone suddenly went silent.
"Just good ol' Parker Luck Nunnally." Her brother said with a cringy smile and twitching eyebrow. "Good ol' Parker Luck."
"I still smell like booze." Lelouch groaned as he changed into the regular clothes that Sayoko brought him. "And I showered like 5 times!" Maybe he needed something else. He once read somewhere about tomato juice being used to wash out smells. Maybe he could try that.
After changing, he then walked out of the bathroom and saw Felicia standing in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here to walk back with you," Felicia said, looking slightly guilty. It was her fault he ended up covered in booze. But better him than her. She then got a look at his clothes. It was just an orange jacket and a black undershirt with some pants. "I was surprised by how fast that woman, Sayoko was it, grabbed your clothes. Did she go all the way to the boy's dorm?"
"No, I live here," Lelouch revealed casually, to her surprise. "It would be hard for my sister to move with the dorms, so the principal let us stay here in the clubhouse as a favor since they were friends of the family."
"Well, that's nice of them," Felicia said as they walked back to join the others.
"Yeah, without them, we wouldn't have a place to live now." When he saw her look, he decided to explain, he did know about her brother. "Our parents are dead." He revealed much to her shock. "The only relatives we had willing to take us in also died this past year. Any other family couldn't care less about us. It's just me and Nunnally."
Felicia couldn't say anything. This guy might've lost as much as, if not more than her. He lost his immediate family, sounds like his extended family abandoned him, and his sister was blind and crippled. She had to admit, she was surprised he hadn't committed suicide. He was a lot stronger than she gave him credit for, mentally if not physically.
"Well, you're doing a good job." She said, surprising him. He looked at her. "With Nunnally, you're doing a good job, so don't worry too much."
Lelouch was surprised at her words, then smiled. For some reason, the way the light from the outside hit her made her seem almost as mesmerizing as he saw her in the truck when he was hallucinating due to the spider bite. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having Felicia Hardy as a girlfriend. He shook away such a thought.
As they walked, Lelouch began to explain to Felicia the various duties those on the Student Council had to do, including the various wild school events. When Felicia asked what was with some of the events, Lelouch said to blame their crazy president.
As they reentered the clubhouse, they saw the council surrounding a TV.
"Lelouch it's awful!" Nunnally cried.
"What is?" He asked.
"Prince Clovis has been found dead!" Milly said.
"They're saying he was killed," Rivalz said.
Both Lelouch and Felicia looked surprised, however, the former wasn't that surprised. 'Look's like they can't hide it any longer. I'm surprised it took them this long to break the news.'
"Prince Clovis has been taken from us!" Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald said as he stood alongside the Purebloods. "He fought for peace and justice against all Elevens." Lelouch noticed how Felicia's hands clenched in anger. Not that he blamed her. He too was burning with rage but managed to hide it well. "He died a martyr! We must bury our sorrow and carry on his will!"
Soon the broadcast changed to show a newswoman. "We interrupt this broadcast to bring breaking news. The man suspected as the murderer has been captured!" Lelouch raised his eyebrow. Given that he wasn't in chains, they must've gone with a scapegoat. "According to this report, the suspect is an Honorary Britannian."
The image then changed to show a Japanese boy in cuffs. A Japanese boy Lelouch was very familiar with that he couldn't help the surprise on his face.
"What?! No way!" 'It can't be! He died! He died protecting me!'
"Private Suzaku Kururugi. A former Eleven and Honorary Britannian. I repeat Suzaku Kururugi has been arrested for murder."
There were varying degrees of shock on the Student Council's faces. Nina looked terrified of Suzaku, despite him being on screen and in chains. Rivalz, Milly, and Shirley were more surprised that they had already found a suspect. Felicia was shocked to see that a traitor to the Japanese, in her mind, actually killed a royal. Nunnally had tears beginning to form in her eyes. The loss of her brother Clovis was devastating enough, but to hear that it was Suzaku, a beloved friend from 7 years ago who might've done the deed. It was too much!
For Lelouch, he was a hurricane of relief, worry, and most of all guilt. He was relieved to see his old friend alive once again, glad to know he didn't die trying to protect him. However, he was worried as well, the punishment for killing a member of the Royal Family was execution, even more, painful if you weren't Britannian. But most of all, he was feeling a crushing wave of guilt.
This was all his fault. If he didn't kill Clovis, or if he just went back to check and see if Suzaku was alive, then none of this would've happened. All because he was too foolish to control his power back then, and was afraid to see Suzaku's lifeless body. And now Suzaku was going to die for a crime he didn't commit, all because of Lelouch's incompetence and cowardice.
No.
Lelouch's eyes then burned with a fierce determination. He wouldn't just abandon Suzaku to his fate. He wouldn't stand by and do nothing as someone he cared for died when he could do something. Not again. Never again!
He would save Suzaku.
He would stop the Purebloods and their schemes.
He would show Britannia, the world, and his father, what power should truly be used for.
And he would do it as…
A/N: I've been sick this past weekend so I haven't been serving, giving me a lot of time to write. I don't have Covid, but I'm not sure what it is.
Anyway, I hope you found this chapter fun and exciting.
And for Felicia's school facade, I went with the spoiled rich girl who thinks she's too cool for school. Hope you all enjoyed that.
And here is a preview for the next chapter.
His name is Spider-Man:
With Suzaku running out of time, Lelouch will have to use his newfound powers to save his friend. After this day, the world will never be the same.
Stay healthy out there y'all! Remember, you're body is a temple, take care of it!