Confident that she was far enough away from any military personnel to risk breaking radio silence, Aurora snagged the vintage hand-held resting in one of the cupholders as she motored along the ragged streets. The ghosts of Harlesden were poking their heads out from their dens, interested and wary of a vehicle moving so fast. When she glanced over at Bannock, who had ended up folding his incredibly long limbs awkwardly and resting his head on Suzaku's knee, his ears perked, his liquid brown eyes connecting with hers like they were seeing her soul. Damn dog, she thought to herself with a reluctant smile as she hailed Kendra. Silly thing was crazier than a two-headed hen, but he did love her more than life itself. He'd proven that a long time ago. When Kendra responded, Aurora settled into the old code they had established when they'd first arrived in London, paranoid teenagers who had everything to hide and nothing to prove.
"Hey, Kendra, I found a hurt dog while I was out. I think I'll call him Stanley, over," she said quickly, the name the indication of an injured human under code, not a real dog. Aurora could hear the whistled steam of the doctor's sigh.
"You know I don't have room for any more strays. Over."
"I know. But you're going to want to help this one. I think he's got a hell of a pedigree. Who knows, his owner might be rich enough to get us a reward. Over."
A reward had nothing to do with it – Aurora was warning Kendra that their potential patient was someone well known.
"What's wrong with him? Over," she finally asked after letting the radio squawk for a few moments.
"His shoulder and front leg are totally jacked up – I think he might have been hit by a car. Or shot. Back leg's a little mangled. He almost drowned when he fell into the Bones pool. Damn if that wasn't a project getting him out. Over."
"Jesus, Aurora. My O.R. is a joke. How bad is it? Over."
Aurora glanced over at the translucent paleness of Suzaku's skin, the red haze rapidly spreading along her rushed bandages. His head bounced limply as she shot over a break in the road that was practically a ditch.
"Pretty fuckin' bad," Aurora murmured in return.
Kendra muttered something under her breath as she waited for the younger woman to say "over." It sounded vaguely like "goddamn idiot pain in the ass," but Aurora chose to ignore it with a crooked smile. Suddenly remembering, she said "Over," as an afterthought.
"Who hurt him? Poachers? Over."
Their code for scum squirming in from other parts of the city to get a piece of the shattered action. They usually slunk away after a while, disappointed with the lack of the good shit. Refrain, or worse. Older, uglier, dirtier drugs that used to flood the streets. Now their waves of corruption were little better than a memory, only the twisted corpses of used needles melted by explosions left as a reminder. Little twisted bones that had dug into the concrete of the gutters, fragments of humanity at its worst.
"Nah. Hunters. With big, expensive guns. Over."
No one would hunt a dog in this part of town, but that was part of the brilliance of their code. On one hand, it was perfectly believable; on the other, it was completely ridiculous. So to whoever was tuning in, the challenge was deciphering which part was the truth. When, in fact, nothing but the details mattered.
"Christ," Kendra growled. Since she didn't say "over," and was much more conscientious about it than Aurora, the blonde waited. She could hear the rattling of Kendra prepping her hodge-podge O.R. in the background. "How far out are you? Over."
"Under ten minutes away. Over."
"Are you and Ban OK? Over."
Aurora smiled as the first hints of stars started to break out into the sky, delicate drops of light that seemed fragile against the frame of ruins.
"He's peachy. That swim to get Stanley out was a bitch, and I'll be cold for another fucking week. But otherwise, I'm fine. Over." Taking a turn a little fast, she calculated that the jeep was only five minutes away from the clinic, tops.
"Hypothermia? Over," Kendra asked.
Aurora knew she didn't need to clarify who she was asking about. She had warned the doctor to give her time to prep for surgery, and get her mind focused on her patient. Soon enough, Aurora would be just a vehicle to ensure Suzaku's arrival, nothing more. At least until the surgery was over.
"Probably. Lots of blood loss, more broken bones than I want to guess at, and possible damage from near-drowning. He's a mess, Kendra. You always did like puzzles. Over," she said cheerfully, her tires squealing a little as she shot around an intersection, the traffic light still hanging by a thread above the street. It hadn't changed colors in years.
"Yeah, but broken meat puzzles can mess with a girl's game. Over."
Aurora chuckled at Kendra's dark joke, typical of her attitude but completely contradictory to her personal code.
"You'll have your chance. I'm coming up to the back. Be ready to help – he's heavy as hell. Over and out."
Already tossing the radio back into its home in the console, she didn't even hear Kendra's "over and out" as she wrestled the jeep into a tight, hot turn it had no business making. Coming to a stop that not even the generous would have labeled smooth practically on top of Kendra's toes, Aurora leapt over the back of the car, her longs legs doing her credit as she landed like a ballerina and ripped open the passenger door. Ban jumped out like a sprinter at the gun when Aurora gave him the command, long, gangly legs dancing as the two women muscled the successor of Zero out of the car.
Physically, they couldn't have been any more different. One was tall and willowy, her hair the color of honey and blue eyes starred with silver that saw into the soul. The other had the explosive curves and dark, spiraling curls of a gypsy, brown eyes flecked with gold blade keen behind small glasses. But they both bore the burden of illegitimacy and persecution like oxen, spines of steel and stomachs of iron behind soft skin and lovely bone structure. They were no one to trifle with, and neither had yet seen a quarter of a century.
Speaking in the short hand of familiarity – mostly grunts and jerks of the head – the two women managed to get Suzaku inside quickly and unnoticed. Hauling him to the second floor was no pleasure cruise, but they got it done in less than two minutes. Knowing he was barred from the O.R., Ban paced in the hallway, anxious and adorable. Kendra allowed Aurora to help her arrange Suzaku on the operation table, going over him in a quick inspection with her magic doctor vision that told her more information than the blonde layman could hope to relay. Nodding once sharply, she shooed Aurora out, turning back to Suzaku and ripping his pants off in a maneuver Aurora was fairly certain she'd honed on her husband Chandler. Shocked and hysterical, Kendra had to physically shove her snickering friend out the door, shutting it in her face like a melodrama.
The crack of wood against wood abruptly halted her laughing, and Aurora stood for a moment, her feet glued to the spotted but clean floor. When a warm pressure bloomed against her leg, she looked down to see Ban leaning against her, his head tipped up and his ears half-cocked. Kneeling down, she scrubbed his ears and neck, Ban tipping his big head into the pressure with a contented grunt.
"And now," she said with a sigh. "We wait."
Never one to wait sitting still, Aurora trotted back downstairs, trying to keep her mind off Stanley as she unloaded the jeep. By the time she was washing the blood off the seats and changing her clothes into something warm and not blood-stained after a quick, scalding shower, she had accepted the fact that she would throw up if she ate anything. Nerves were not normally an issue for her, but the idea that Kendra was currently tearing Suzaku apart and stitching him back together made her stomach want to fly out of her mouth and do a tap dance. As she plopped down on the ratty couch in one of the back rooms, one foot tapping out a violent beat while Ban hopped up and settled next to her legs, Aurora tipped her head up and glared at the ceiling. Since she was still cold despite her shower and warm, ratty sweater, she burrowed under one of her blankets, a giant fleecy monstrosity of stone gray that held heat like another layer of fat. Before long, and completely by accident, she fell asleep.
Aurora woke up when someone sat on her leg. Already snarling like a hyena as her eyes slitted open, she was surprised to find Ban, her usual suspect, conveniently squashed between her legs and the back of the couch. Kendra was the one currently crushing her right leg.
"What bones are in your calf?" Aurora growled.
Absently rubbing at the headache pounding in her temples, Kendra didn't look up.
"Tibia and fibula," she said quietly, folding a piece of gum into her mouth in order to expunge the last of the tension.
"Yeah, well, you're breaking mine. Mind getting off?"
When she didn't move, Aurora bucked her off, the aggressive ripple of muscle shocking coming from such a slim frame. Plopping down on the cushion awkwardly, Kendra winced with a crooked grin as Aurora whipped the blanket off and scooted up a little. Ban remained buried under the blanket, the only thing visible the tip of his black nose.
Forcing herself out of her usual post-sleep funk, Aurora pulled her hair free from the mangled tail she had slept in, scraping it back into a clean ponytail. Once finished, her hair rained down between her shoulder blades, the ends brushing against the sofa arm. In direct contrast, Kendra pulled her hair from the ponytail she'd tamed it into during surgery, running fingers along her scalp to relieve the pressure as her rioting waves bounced free. As the doctor continued to hold her silence, Aurora eventually prompted her.
"Is he dead?"
Glancing over at her friend before freeing Bannock from his cocoon, Kendra shook her head as she stroked her fingertips over the incredibly soft fur on Ban's skull.
"No, he's not dead."
Since she didn't elaborate, Aurora sighed.
"Walk me through it, Kendra dear."
Her lack of response to the blonde's playful tone warned Aurora that whatever it was, it wasn't good. Even if Suzaku wasn't dead, he might still wish he was.
"Multiple gunshot wounds. The nasty one through his shoulder cracked the scapula and fractured the clavicle. Luckily, the bullet caught the edges of the bones instead of blowing through them like a rock through glass. The muscle around the bullet's path was turned to hamburger, but I just had to fish out a few bone fragments from the shoulder blade and wire together his collarbone so it doesn't snap the first time he lifts his arm." Kendra swiped a hand over her tired eyes, and wished vaguely for a cigarette. She didn't smoke. She never had. When Aurora pressed a glass of bad wine into her hand, she smiled with a sigh as her friend dropped down next to her.
"The second one caught him square in the middle of his left humurus. Talk about hamburger. If anymore of his muscles had been severed, his arm would have just fallen off. It's like the bone exploded. He might, might, mind you, regain full use of his arm since I had that brace and screw set that I've been hauling around practically since med school. He'll already be in a sling for months just from the clavicle injury, but with this… He's going to need major physical therapy to keep his entire upper left side from atrophying."
Aurora had known Kendra long enough to know that the last thing she would say she wanted right now was physical contact. So when the blonde rubbed a hand over her tense shoulder, Kendra couldn't help the snort. Only Chan and Aurora touched her when she didn't want to be touched – maybe that was why she loved them so much.
"The last one on his calf was pretty shallow – cut through a couple layers of muscle, but shouldn't impede him too much once he's all healed up. The guy racked up quite the count of stitches. Did you see him experience any major blunt trauma?" Finding her throat dry, Kendra swallowed a sip of the sour wine.
"You mean besides falling through about five floors of the Bones and me performing CPR to keep him from drowning? Nothing that I know of."
Too exhausted to reprimand or laugh at Aurora's humor, she nodded.
"That makes sense. Massive rib fractures, and only luck keeps him from having a nasty case of flail chest. His sternum was cracked, although I don't know if that's from the fall or your
CPR. Spot on job, by the way. You were pretty hard on him, but from what I could see, the brain damage should be minimal." Rubbing her cramping hands on her knees, Kendra leaned back, forgetting about the large dog sitting behind her. He just lifted his head, then dropped it back down as he seamlessly went back to sleep.
"He's got some pretty bad tendon injuries in his right wrist and ankles. I can't be sure yet whether or not they're breaks until I get him into London for some x-rays."
She didn't see Aurora shake her head slightly.
"The guy's bruised like he's been painted. I'm guessing he's got some pulmonary contusions – lung bruises," she clarified at Aurora's raised brow, "but, again, I won't know until we get him x-rayed. It's weird, though. With all of his other extensive blunt force injuries, I would have thought for sure his skull would be cracked open like a melon. But his head's relatively untouched."
Hurriedly chugging a gulp of water from the bottle she had snagged when she'd gotten Kendra her hard-earned wine, Aurora breathed deeply once.
"That's because he was wearing Zero's mask when this all happened."
For a second, Kendra wasn't sure what happened; either her tired brain was just making shit up, or had fried the message her ears had picked up.
"What?" she managed, croaking a little.
Aurora ran a hand over her hair then down the long tail, sighing heavily.
"He was in Zero's get-up, the whole nine yards. I don't think he is Zero, but…"
"Oh, my God, are you telling me I just performed surgery on Zero? The Zero?!"
"I said I didn't think it was him," Aurora quickly interjected. "Don't you recognize the man you stitched up?"
Kendra's brows furrowed.
"Well, I guess you were spending a lot of time in Ireland with Chandler when most of that crap went down. Your cottage doesn't have TV, does it?"
The doctor mutely shook her head, staring into her wine like it held the answers to the universe.
"That poor bastard upstairs is Suzaku Kururugi."
He had so many titles, it was hard to pick just one. But Aurora saw that she didn't need to clarify – Kendra knew the name. Her dark eyes went wide with recognition and shock.
"Shit, you're right."
"So riddle me this. How the hell did he," she nodded towards the ceiling, "end up with Zero's shit when the entire world saw the broadcast of Zero rescuing Suzaku from a rigged court martial? Besides the fact that the last time I checked, the Knight of Zero was dead and buried."
Kendra shook her head, too wiped out to even begin to formulate an answer. All she could do was think of more questions.
"Even if he is Zero, who would have the balls to hunt down the most untouchable human in the entire world?"
"The usual punk-ass suspects. Britannian soldiers."
"You're joking."
"Not this time, sunshine. That stupid insignia was on every one of their shoulders. And they moved like soldiers – unified, trained, and fucking fearless."
Kendra's groggy mind ground to life, her eyes searching the middle distance behind the thin lenses of her wire-rimmed glasses.
"Only Nunnally could possibly have the clout to order his covert execution and have it followed through."
Aurora nodded – she may be exhausted after surgery, but Kendra's brain was still sharp as a buck knife. The doctor finally looked up from her wineglass, looking into Aurora's blue steel eyes.
"But she wouldn't do that. Would she?"
Aurora didn't hesitate.
"No, I don't think she would. Which means someone's messing with her very fragile regime right now, and her most staunch protector and supporter almost got ripped apart for his troubles."
Kendra started shaking her head, stopping Aurora's quickly heating fervor.
"You can't get involved in this, Rora. I know you're used to being the one with all the answers, all the exit-strategies, but you've got a price on your head in at least seven different countries. You go back into the fold, and they'll cut you down before you make the first phone call."
Aurora knew she was right, knew that Kendra was concerned for her life. But it grated to let such a thing go, especially when it threatened Nunnally. Swallowing old habits back, old habits that burned bitter anyway, Aurora shook her head with an edgy smile.
"Don't worry, Kendra. I left that life behind for a reason. It's bad for my health, and my head. I have no intention of fixing anyone's life, ever again. Not when it almost cost me my own. But the question is, what do we do with him?" Again, she nodded to the ceiling. It was almost like Suzaku's name was too heavy for the air of the room.
"From what you said, I'd bet the government agencies have been alerted that Zero needs to be taken down quietly. Britannia's probably working itself into a lather, and if they wanted it announced to the public, well. A, no one would listen, and B, we'd have heard about it by now."
At Aurora's raised brows, Kendra tapped her left ear, the angle of her head concealing the ear bud.
"I've been listening to the bandwidths since you contacted me. There's been no word about a hunt for Zero, or even any reason to think the world's view of him has changed. Do you think maybe the soldiers thought he was an imposter, and killed him for it? He might even be an imposter."
Aurora's fingers started tapping against the arm of the sofa desperately in need of re-covering, a dynamic internal rhythm that manifested when the impressive gears in her head started to turn at a high speed.
"There have been imposters before, and they've been dealt with gently. Everyone wants to be a hero. But hunting him, especially him, down like a dog just because he swirled on a black cape? I don't know. Dammit," she growled, suddenly growing angry. "I don't know anything! And it's starting to fuckin' piss me off!"
The long fingers dancing over the sofa arm had curled into a fist, but were quickly smoothed out as she regained a façade of control.
"We can't risk taking him into London or to another clinic. If a peep gets out, they'll swarm on this place like a pack of pissed off bees, and probably take us out for conspiring. So," she murmured as she calmed, "We keep him here. We hide him until he's well, and then get him the fuck back to Britannia. I don't want him hanging around here too long, and I'm worried what will happen to Nunnally if he really is Zero and she's left defenseless without him."
Kendra sighed.
"I'm about to burst your bubble," she warned.
Aurora shrugged with a good-natured, crooked smile.
"Don't you always?"
"First off, don't let your sympathies get involved because he might be Nunnally's protector. He could very well not be, and then we've saddled ourselves with an injured man who could easily be our death sentence for a lie. Secondly, it could take up to three months for his major injuries to heal. That's just for his bones to re-knit. With his other injuries, he could be out of commission from six months upwards of a year, if you figure in physical therapy to get him running up in top form so it's like nothing happened. If he really is Zero, how the hell are they going to explain a year long absence from the man who hasn't left Nunnally's side for more than two weeks since she took the throne? Not to mention, how are we supposed to hide someone for that length of time? I can't close down my clinic for this, Aurora."
The blonde raised her hand.
"I would never ask you to, Kendra."
"Thanks for that. But I'm not done. You ready for the kicker? The former Knight of the Round and personal Knight to Princess Euphemia is addicted to heroin."
Aurora blinked once.
Twice.
The silence reigned with a heavy hand, the only sounds the two humans and dog breathing. Faintly, the beep of the machines attached to Suzaku upstairs echoed down the stairs. Kendra hadn't expected to feel guilty telling Aurora. She hadn't known what she expected, but certainly not this. Not this intense look of shock and disappointment and pain. Dammit, she should have known that Aurora still harbored soft feelings for everyone from the old days. By extension, she had attached herself to the landmine of a human being upstairs. As her friend, it killed Kendra inside to see it.
"What? How… No, wait," she said, holding up a hand to stop her own words. "I trust your judgment. You know a hell of a lot more about this than I do. What do you suggest?"
"I don't know. I obviously don't have any heroin, or any replacement drugs to help with withdrawal. I can keep him sedated for now, but at some point, he's going to come out of the haze, and it's going to hit him like a freight train. It can get pretty rough. Not to mention dealing with the psychological damage that instigated the addiction in the first place." Kendra shook her head.
"I don't have the manpower to watch over an addict going through withdrawal. But I can't abandon him in good conscience, either. I am a doctor." It was almost like she was grudgingly reminding herself.
"What's going to happen to him?"
Kendra didn't like the breathy fear deep down in Aurora's tone.
"Besides the physical stuff, which can last anywhere from a couple of days to a week, we're probably going to see a suicide attempt from him. Depression is going to manifest fast and hard, and if this were any other scenario, I'd demand that he'd go into serious therapy. As it is, well… It's hard to say what the severity of his withdrawal will be. He's young, which makes the addiction that much more deep. But, if I had to guess, I'd say he's only been doing it for about six months. His body is holding up well, but it won't for much longer."
The women subsided into silence, their impressive minds and wills struggling to find a solution to the situation that wouldn't compromise their moral codes. For Aurora, it had once been a common quandary, and one she was used to facing. Kendra, however, wasn't quite as accustomed to playing such a dangerous game.
"Is the cottage empty?" Aurora said suddenly, referring to Chandler's family home in Ireland. It was often used as a refuge, as Ireland had been practically untouched for fifty years.
"Yes," Kendra said slowly, her eyes plastered on Aurora. "No. No, Aurora," she demanded as she realized what her friend was planning. "No way am I going to let you deal with him alone!"
"Well," Aurora said, standing with a windy sigh as Ban abandoned his position behind Kendra and leapt after his mistress. "That's what I'm going to do. Now, you can either help me, or you can ignore it. But my mind's made up. It's the best scenario for everyone involved. It'll be fine," she breezily soothed with a wave of her hand.
Kendra shot to her feet, following Aurora into the kitchen as she refilled her water bottle.
"Absolutely not, Rora! I'm not going to abandon you with one of the most dangerous men in the world, who happens to be going through heroin withdrawal!"
"I can take care of him, Kendra, and myself. You seem to have forgotten who you're dealing with," she added with a teasing grin.
Kendra didn't think it was funny.
"Outsmarting nobles and wealthy scumbags is one thing; this is entirely another. If he goes ballistic, he could tear you apart, and there will be no one with you to stop him."
Both of them remembered the musculature of their patient – his strength was nothing to trifle with.
"But he won't."
"You don't know that, Aurora."
She was silent for a moment.
"Actually, I think I do," she said, very quietly. For a moment, she was utterly still, before shaking herself and smiling over at Kendra. "So what do you say? Can I take me and Stanley on a little rejuvenating vacation to the cottage?"
Kendra was worried. Intensely worried. Suzaku Kururugi had been dangerous when healthy – now he'd taken his mind and body as close to the brink as he could and still survive. Who knew what kind of threat he posed now, and what damage he could wreak if pushed over any edge. And the only one facing down that damaged potential for destruction was her best friend, alone and painfully hopeful. She sighed heavily.
"Bannock goes with you – no discussion."
Aurora shrugged agreeably as she leaned back against the counter.
"Of course. The last time he saw Ireland, he was a puppy. I'm sure he misses it."
Kendra pressed fingers to her temple, and wished childishly, and desperately, that her husband would come home.
"You'll want to leave as soon as possible. The more settled he is when those impressive surgery drugs wear off, the better. I'm not sure how you're going to get him through the checkpoints, though."
Aurora smiled, and Kendra recognized the sly edge that spoke of old contacts and debts not yet paid.
"Don't worry about the checkpoints. I'll handle it. Just get me the keys to the cottage, and I'll handle the rest." As Aurora turned to walk away, Kendra caught her arm.
"Promise me something, Aurora."
She nodded.
"Please, be careful."
Aurora opened her mouth to give a flippant yes when Kendra squeezed her arm.
"Please."
Closing her mouth, Aurora brought her hand to Kendra's shoulder before pulling her into a hug.
"I will," she murmured before releasing her friend and walking out of the room without a backward glance.
Looking at her watch, Kendra squeezed her eyes shut, counting down the seconds until Chandler came back.
Pulling out her phone, Aurora called one of the members of the immigration services. Like all of the countless contacts and phone numbers filed away in her brain, she knew the number by heart.
"Hey, Frank. Yeah, it's Rory. I'm good, I'm good. Listen, Frank. You remember that favor you owe me? Well, I'm about to put you back in the black."
When she hung up the phone ten minutes later, safe passage had been booked for one Riley Seven and her brother, Sampson from the ferry out of Holyhead into Dublin. It would take just over three hours, where she would pick up a car in Dublin to drive them out to Galway County.
As she mounted the stairs, Aurora's mind quickly and meticulously ticked off the salient points of their departure. She had a myriad of passports to choose from, and Frank had procured her one for Suzaku. Since she had proven Frank innocent of a murder charge and gotten him back home to his two little girls, it was really the least he could do. He'd said as much over the phone.
The cottage was kept stocked by a local couple who didn't ask questions and were always available to help. She'd have to pick up some dog food on the way, though – Aurora didn't think the O'Tooles had planned on a visitor of the canine persuasion. She'd keep her packing light, and purchase whatever she and Suzaku needed in Galway. Aurora supposed that technically she would be considered a billionaire, if her funds weren't protected in deep black-out bank accounts across the globe. Regardless, she and Suzaku would want for nothing while they were in Ireland.
Pausing by the door to the OR, she silently eased it open as she leaned against the jamb. Kendra had put Suzaku on a ventilator – probably a good idea, considering the abuse his lungs had gone through. And since he'd already danced with death and a coma today, it was wise not to take any chances. An IV was riding the back of his hand like a clear beetle, giving instead of taking.
She could hardly tell the difference between the white bandages and his white skin. His closed eyes were shadowed by long lashes and deep bruises. His hair seemed the only healthy point of color – everything else was the angry red haloing stitches or the dense blur of bruising. His eyelids and fingertips twitched restlessly, probably drugged too deeply to get out of the dream.
Time to get out of the dream, Aurora thought to herself. And back to reality, no matter how much it sucked. Moving silently into the OR, the beep of the machines reminding the air that the man's heart still beat, she stopped by his bed. Tugging up the blanket a little, she brushed back the hair from his forehead, frowning a little at the way Suzaku's brow furrowed, an expression not of anger, but of pain.
"I've got questions," she murmured to the air. "And I think you're the only one with the answers. So you've got to get out of there, and you've got to let it go. Maybe, after, we can both move on." She left the OR as quietly as she entered it, the click of the door doing little to dim the mechanical metronome marking his heart.
Ban was waiting, sitting in the hall with a slightly tilted head. Satisfied that they were going to bed, he trotted ahead of her to her bedroom, settling on his bed while he waited to join her on the big one. But before she brushed her teeth and dropped under the warm comforter, she had one last phone call to make. Unpacking one of the dozen burner phones she kept on hand, Aurora again dialed by memory.
"Mmm-yello?"
"Lloyd? It's Rory."
There was a loud bang, a muffled curse, several seconds of desperate scuffling, and the dim assurance to someone that everything was fine. When Asplund finally spoke again, he sounded winded, and slightly panicked.
"Rory! I – It's, uh, it's good… What do you want?"
Smiling a little viciously as she sat on her bed, the moonlight beaming in through the window turning her hair sterling instead of golden, she tapped her fingers against her mouth.
"Wow, Lloyd. Maybe I just wanted to say hello."
"You never just want to say hello," he returned cynically. He did have a point.
"Fair enough. Listen-"
"You need a favor." His voice was flat, and uncharacteristically resigned.
"Maybe. You still owe me, Lloyd."
"As you never cease to remind me."
"Your debt is rather extensive. I nearly got myself killed cleaning up your mess. You do enjoy practicing science with all the newest and snazziest toys, don't you?"
"Yes," he moaned.
"Then listen. Don't worry, this won't compromise even your warped code. I want you to tell me everything you know about Suzaku Kururugi."
There was a distinct moment of silence on the other end before the earl spoke.
"Why on earth would you want to know about Suzaku?"
Aurora sighed.
"Why did you get the Lancelot, Lloyd?"
He heaved a gigantic breath.
"Because of you," he said reluctantly, like a child reciting a boring lesson.
"No," she corrected. "Because of my discretion. Now why would I tell you the specifics of something when that breaches the very practice that got you the funding you almost ruined yourself for?"
"Because you're insane," he returned, utterly serious.
Aurora just laughed.
"Oh, undoubtedly. But that's not what I called to talk to you about. Tell me about the Lancelot's pilot. When's the first time you saw him?"
"In a hospital bed. He'd just been shot in the back by a Britannian commanding officer for disobeying direct orders. His father's pocket watch saved his life, but not his ribs. It was strange, seeing someone of such strength vulnerable and broken."
Since she could distinctly relate, Aurora didn't comment. Lying back on the bed slowly, she listened as Lloyd told her a story, of lines drawn and broken, of promises kept and shattered. Of a man's desperate search for justice, and being forced to settle for revenge. Of how codes could be destroyed, and remade into the resolve that could topple an empire. Of how friends could become enemies, and how so many, many lives had been lost.
It struck Aurora how perceptive Lloyd was about Suzaku, a trait he normally reserved for his machines. It dawned on her that the earl had been as fond of his pilot as he allowed himself to be with any person, and had watched Suzaku's descent into power and loss with genuine concern. When he spoke of Euphemia, her life and death and the scars it had left behind, Aurora refused to admit that she wept.
"And then he died. Took us months to rebuild the Lancelot, and we have yet to find a pilot that can connect with Bors the way Suzaku did with the Lancelot. And we had to rename the damn thing since, well, Cecille demanded that we retire the Lancelot with his death." He sighed. "I hope he's not causing so much trouble, wherever he is."
Aurora smiled – that was the closet Lloyd Asplund would ever come to wishing someone peace.
"I'm sure you're right."
"I usually am," Lloyd returned with a heavy dose of snark, as per his usual.
Aurora just hummed noncommittally.
"One last thing, Lloyd."
He groaned like a dying bear with a cold.
"I want you to send me Suzaku's file – the original one. One line of black-out, and I'm telling Cecille about the jelly incident." She could practically see Lloyd narrowing his eyes behind the sheen of his glasses.
"You wouldn't dare," he hissed.
"Wouldn't I?" she said sweetly.
"Fine," he said finally. "Are we done, Rory?"
"For now," she said with a grin as she hung up the phone. Standing slowly, she opened her window, turning her face to the cool night air as she thought over everything Lloyd had told her. She'd known some of it, more than the public, but not nearly enough. Hopefully, with the addition of Suzaku's Britannian military file, she would have enough to stand a chance against his past. Cursing herself as the echo of Euphemia's laughter skipped through her head and slapped cold hands at her heart, she drew back and heaved the phone through the window. It smacked against the roof of the building across the street, fragments pattering against the dirt as they rained down.
After getting ready for bed, Aurora slid under the covers, patting the comforter. It was all the invitation Ban needed. As he nested down by her legs, she ruffled his ears before cuddling his head, letting her tears soak his coat.
"It's almost too much, Ban. I don't know if I have enough to help him, let alone save him. Is this just sentiment, or fate? Does it even matter now?"
The dog licked her salty cheeks, his version of a determined demand to go to sleep. With tears still drying on her skin, she lay back, and drifted away, the moonlight lying across her outstretched hand like a silver blanket.
Only been working on this chapter forever. My life in relation to writing has been put through a hurricane, so I'm being pretty cautious when it comes to creativity at the moment. Since I had at least half this chapter written and the rest planned out pretty thoroughly, I figured this would be a safe bet. Lloyd was very fun, and I like Aurora being a snot to a snot.
Hope you like it!
Love, Tango