~The MadHatter Atelier~

Fiction: The Other Side of the Mirror

2008-12-07T21:25:09Z

TITLE → The Other Side of the Mirror
AUTHOR → little_pierrot
RATING → PG
SUMMARY → Luluko has always felt overshadowed by Euphie's beauty. Euphie decides to prove to Luluko that she's just as beautiful if not more. (Contest 4 entry).
PAIRING → None
WARNINGS → None.
Notes → Currently I'm under the weather, so I hope I didn't mess up the prompt. Also, I'm the queen of entering my part a few hours before the contest ends <3 yay~. Oh, and yes, the Lacus thingy was totally intended.

During their childhood, Luluko always felt like Euphemia overshadowed her in everything. It started when, during a casual conversation between Cornelia, Schneizel and herself, Cornelia mentioned that it was their father who named her little sister. She then got worked up and went on talking about how His Majesty doted on Euphie when he goes to visit.

That conversation left her remembering the few times that her father had been doting to her… which were very, very scarce. He seemed to prefer Nunnally in a way; that wasn’t a fact that kept her awaked at night because her little sister was lovable (Luluko knows that she’s also weak when it comes to anything relating to her younger sister), but she had been hearing stuff from the other nobles for some time. About her and the fact that ‘she wasn’t what he expected her to be’. Mixing that with the news Euphemia was his favorite… it unsettled her.

Still, Euphie was very nice with them. She always came to the Aries Palace to play and when their other siblings, like Carine or Pollux, started to gang up against them, degrading them about their mother and her lack of noble status before marrying the Emperor, she was the first to stand up and defend them. Even if she felt a jealous of her sister, what mattered was that she cared for her and Nunnally. So she came to the conclusion that those insecure and malicious feelings should stay bottled inside.

--

After Marianne’s murder and the Emperor’s choice to send Nunnally and her to Japan as “exchange” students, Luluko became very bitter. Especially towards Euphemia.

She never told anyone; not Nunnally, because she didn’t want to make her feel even worse, and not even Suzaku when they became friends. She just thought that it was unfair they way their father was treating them. If Euphemia’s mother had died instead of hers, the Emperor would’ve come personally to console poor Euphie’s feelings. He wouldn’t have sent her away from her other siblings and everything she knows under the excuse of being and “exchange student”.

That was why she never answered Euphemia’s letters when they arrived; she felt that if she wrote to her and told her about how she truly was feeling, she’ll get into trouble. And she couldn’t afford that, not with Nunnally in that state. The sooner she left Japan, the better.

--

Then the war erupted, and she had to fake their deaths with the Ashford’s help. The opportunity to answer at least one of her letters, or even see her again, was lost.

Right then she felt childish and robbed. This was something she was going to regret for the rest of her life. She was sure of it.

--

Seventeen year old Luluko Lamperouge was one of the ‘it’ girls of Ashford Academy. She was pretty; her long, black and shiny hair and exotic violet eyes gave her some sort of allure that people weren’t powerful enough to ignore. Her figure wasn’t that filled out like Shirley’s or Milly’s, but her cunning knowledge and charming personality gave her quite an edge in the social atmosphere.

Though, having Euphemia running around Ashford campus using a wig to conceal her real identity (she really needs to talk to Suzaku about giving in to her “innocent” ploys) was rather… unpleasant.

At first it was like a dream come true; she was finally was going to apologize for her childish behavior from 8 years ago. But now it was like Euphemia was taking her place: doing things for other students, helping the Council with Milly’s next big activity, and just being her lovable and cute self.

It didn’t matter that Luluko was the Vice-President, or that Lacus girl (the name she took to enlist in Ashford) was a new student and there for not qualify to be doing all those things she had been asked. It was starting to get on her nerves the many times she had to hear “Oh, that Lacus girl is so cute”, “Don’t worry, we can do that. You just go and do something easier” and “It’s not a problem if you don’t know, you’re new after all!”

The thing is that she was starting to feel like a 10 year old again. Because, if it had been her, she was sure people would just say “But I was counting on that, Luluko”, “I’m surprised you couldn’t finish that. What a problem” and “You were in charge of this!” It was the situation with her father, and her general life, all over again. Euphemia, just for being her, was getting everything and everybody loved her. And, on the other hand, she had to work hard and sacrifice herself to get at least noticed.

But things went over board when, while having tea with Nunnally the afternoon before the festival, her younger sister couldn’t stop talking about returning with Euphemia to Britannia. It took a lot of internal strength to not throw her cup to wall and just leave the room. Or later, when she had to control herself to not try to slap her disguised sister and shout at her to go back home and never to return or contact them again.

Nobody notices how tensed was Luluko, only Euphemia. And when they had some alone time, the pink haired princess decided to have a talk with her sister.

“It’s something bothering you, Luluko?” She inquired while they both were organizing the fliers that were going to be passed in the gates tonight.

“No.” It had sounded false and childish, but she didn’t care anymore.

“Well, there’s something bothering me. It has been for a few years now…” Euphemia started chewing her lower lip, waiting for her sister to take interest in what she wanted to say. To her dismay, Luluko remained painfully uninterested. “I had always… I was wondering if you… hated me…”

“I… excuse me?” The black haired girl turned her head slightly in Euphie’s direction.

“It’s just that… when you left Britannia. You were mad… I mean, of course you were supposed to be mad, with what happened to Empress Marianne.” She sighed. “It felt like you were mad at me.”

They shared a few minutes of silence were Luluko finished putting the fliers in order, her serious expression never changing. “I was… I am mad at you.” She finally answered in a quiet tone.

“Why?”

“Because… because it wasn’t fair!” She shouted, slamming her hands in the Student Council’s meeting table. “It wasn’t fair that you got to have the better life because you had a noble mother! Or our father preferred you over me since you… you were the cute one, or lively one, or whatever the reason he dotted over you!”

Luluko looked at her with angry eyes, her voice raw. “That you got to live a quiet and peaceful life back at home with out other siblings, while I had to fend for Nunnally and myself in a faraway country where they hated us! That I had to learn to be an adult when I was 10 while you still played with your dolls in your garden… And now, because you are like this… so lovely and nice… you can come here, the place I call home, the place I feel safe… to be perfect and take things away from me… Again.”

Even though Euphemia was shedding silent tears, Luluko didn’t stop her hurting words or demeanor. She was shaking slightly when she finished. “I won’t let you. So go home and leave Nunnally and me alone.”

Instead of replying or doing anything else, Euphemia stood up from her chair and hugged her sister. “I know that saying I’m sorry is not going to make things better; it’s not going to make your mother come back, heal Nunnally or erase all the awful things you must have seen and lived during the war.” The 3rd Princess hiccupped a little, still holding Luluko who wasn’t corresponding her embrace. “But I’m sorry you felt I was getting all the attention and I’m sorry now if you think I’m stealing your life. I just… I missed you, Lulu. I was miserable when I thought that you had died. Because you… you where the only one who treated me like a person back then.”

Euphemia felt how her sister tensed in her arms again. “For you I was your sister, you treated me nicely when it was time for loving gestures and told me off when I made a mistake. I was not someone who needed to be kept in the dark, or treated like bad things could break me…. I felt lonely when you left and devastated when they told us you had died. It was never the same, our sibling were never the same, not even with me.” Now Luluko started to shudder and sniff loudly, trying to resist the tears that surely were clouding her eyesight. “I… I always wanted to be treated like you, actually. You say I was the most loved one, but you were loved too and on top of that our other siblings respected you and your skills and your maturity… They saw things in you that they ignored in me, or that back then I lacked…”

Finally, the black haired girl hugged her back and let her tears flow freely. She was letting out all that resentment that was clouding her heart. Both girls stood alone in the Student Council Room exchanging ‘sorry’s and ‘forgive me’s to one another, coming to terms with each other and finally getting some inner peace.

Euphemia didn’t stay for the Festival, saying that she needed to fix and urgent trip to Britannia because she got news of her mother become ill. During the ride home, she smiled to herself while looking at some papers that were resting now in her lap that read “Zero’s Pardon”. Cornelia had been against her resigning to her noble title; she had told him it was for the best for the people they loved. And now she believed in it even more.

FIN

Closing notes: I’m actually feeling bad for Euphie now that I know (now that we all now) what’ll happen next… *is shot*.

Hoy no fue mi día...

2008-12-06T04:03:17Z

Me siento mal, hoy tenía final de Estadística II y no me fue tan bien como hubiera querido.

Lo curioso es que no fue por no haber estudiado, al contrario, me sabía todo lo que había salido. Pero eran procedimientos muy complejos y largos, teníamos que trabajar con decimales... y bueno, no me dio el tiempo para hacer el examen completo.

De hecho, nadie lo hizo completo.

Pero igual, me siento mal. Muy mal. Y odio a mi profesora, fue muy injusta con nosotros. Sé que lo hizo a propósito porque en el parcial de hace unas semanas todos lo aprobamos con excelentes calificaciones y (de verdad no me quería creer esto) a ella no le gusta que todos aprueben su materia. Le encanta reprobar.

Ah, tengo que levantarme el ánimo con algo.

little_pierrot @ 2008-10-16T23:49:00

2008-10-17T03:53:06Z

TITLE → Punishment for the Empress.
AUTHOR → little_pierrot
RATING → PG 13
SUMMARY → It’s been said that people‘s wrong doings tend to weight more than their good deeds. As Zero, she gave them hope; as Empress, she had freed them from Britannia’s ruling. But, as a Geass wielder, she had to die.
PAIRING → A little bit of SuzakuxLuluko, with some CC+Luluko friendship on the side.
WARNINGS → Death, some angst, not beta’ed. Nunnally is dead. Also, for this to work, the tyrant Empress and the Damocles issue never happened here. Inspired by Anne Boleyn’s death scene on the TV series “The Tudors”.

After three months, her last day on Earth had finally come. She had been preparing herself for this outcome; since the Black Knights turned their back on her after discovering her true identity and joining Schneizel. Maybe it was since Nunnally died during the FLEIJA thanks to her stubbornness. Or maybe the idea came to her mind when she had to kill Euphie. Or after the death of Shirley’s father? Searching in her memory for a reason to accept her destiny kept pushing her back in time, examining her actions, and came to the conclusion that she was a being born to die in this way. There were no memories foreshadowing a good, happy ending.

Luluko vi Britannia looked out of her bedroom window to the crowd standing outside the gate. She was too important to be kept in a cell like a common criminal. No, UFN had kept her in a small palace they built where the FLEIJA activated over Tokyo. At first she wanted to know who had the idea, but then she decided to stay in the dark. Opposite to popular believe among the Black Knights who knew about her, she did care for them. Kallen was a good friend and Toudou was the father figure she always wanted to have thanks to that time spent at the Kururugi Shrine when she first arrived to Japan. The other members of the first resistance group were noble and kind people who deserved to enjoy their lives in their independent land.

Up until a couple of days, her brother Schneizel had come to visit her in here. It pained him to see what was going to happen to his little sister, but there wasn’t much he could do to spare her life. On one of their conversations he told her that even with Kaguya’s support, the motion was overruled. Of course, the secret of Zero wasn’t revealed to the other leaders of the world, but the general animosity towards Britannia was too much to handle. Li Xingke was one of the few who knew about the whole issue and since the Chinese Federation held the majority of the votes thanks to its vast population, there really was no way out.

Luluko noticed that the matter was too painful for Schneizel and asked him to not be present in her execution. She even told him to go abroad. It was funny that they had spent years apart; that he knew all the things she did and still had it in his heart to try to look after her.

Cornelia came to see her once. She came to ask the truth about Euphemia’s death. Luluko could have lied, could have told her it was just a plan. But she had done it before and it seemed that her sister didn’t believe her words. Instead, she told her what really happened. The former Empress of Britannia saw how painful it was for Cornelia to hear it was just an accident. That those words she said to her beloved Euphemia with her Geass activated were meant to be a cruel joke and not an order to fulfill.

When she heard it all, she was on her feet in less than a second and left the room. Cornelia didn’t cry that often, but then she had tears in her eyes that she refused to shed. She never came back after that.

Luluko didn’t hear her guard knocking the door or even entering the room. The man cleared his throat to get her attention. The black haired girl turned her head in surprise.

“I… you have a visitor. Do you wish to receive him?” He was a Britannian soldier, and it was difficult for him not to address the former Empress with respect.

“Yes, let him in.” She said and walked to the little furniture she had in her room to receive guest. The guard almost bowed, but still pulled a short nod. Luluko heard him say to her visitor to come in. She was already seated in an armchair when Kururugi Suzaku walked in. The guard closed the door behind him to give them some privacy.

Luluko was shocked to see him, but didn’t let the fact show in her face. He was the last person she wanted to see today. Instead, she looked at him directly from her sit. Both her hands were on top of her lap and were lightly shaking. “Suzaku.”

He didn’t move or say anything at first. He was just looking at her with a guarded expression. But for Luluko, who knew him since he was a little naïve boy, it was a sad expression. Suzaku’s face was meant to always look kind and smiling, not like this. She had to blink a few times to stop tears from forming.

She masked her actions by grinning. “I didn’t expect you to come. Not today of all days.” She said, trying to make her voice sound happy. “Would you like to take a sit?” Luluko gestured towards a nearby couch.

He took a seat on another armchair, right next to Luluko.

“Jeremiah is living in Australia, and he’s still following your order to stay there.” He came here to talk; he wanted to talk to her. But it was very hard trying to start a conversation; he couldn’t just start with a ‘how are you?’ any more. So it was best to cut to the chase. “He refused to join the new Britannian government. His family is displeased, but he said he doesn’t care. Sayoko is living with him as well, and they took Anya under their wing. I haven’t seen CC since you got caught.”

“I see. Glad to hear it.” Jeremiah’s destiny was another thing she was regretful. He belonged in the army; he was a loyal and capable soldier. But she had cursed him too with her power.

“Are you going to keep this charade of being happy, Lulu?” The girl’s eyes widened for a moment. It has been a long time since Suzaku had called her by that nickname.

“What else do I have? I’m not going to weep, I got myself into this and I accept the consequences.” She responded, looking to her side.

“I’m not going to say that I understand what you’re going thru. I’ve been forgiven for supporting you. They think I did all that due to your Geass.” Suzaku’s voice was serious; it almost seemed like a father’s voice trying to discipline their child without resorting to shouts or mean comments. “And even though I hated most of the things you did, I now understand them and… and I don’t want you to die like this, so alone.”

Luluko didn’t move or speak for several minutes, and Suzaku gave her the time he knew she needed to round up her thoughts.

“It’s true when they say that when you’re close to dying, you get to reminiscence about your life.” She said softly. “Every single action, every single plan from a year ago, from ten years ago, I remember them perfectly. But… I don’t remember the last time I was happy. I mean, truly happy. It makes all my actions seem really pointless now, doesn’t it?”

“I remember.” He said and took her shaking hand in his. “It was for a brief moment, though. It was the day of the School Festival. I was in the Student Council Room and you came in to tell me that I was the one chosen to maneuver the Ganymede to prepare the giant pizza. You came close and hugged me. I remember your hair smelled nice, like some kind of flower. And then you stood up on your tip-toes and gave me a light peck on the lips. Milly came into the room to take you away and you told me before leaving that I must be on time for the fireworks tonight with our friends.”

Silence fell again between the two, Luluko was still looking away.

“Lavender.”

“What?”

“My hair smelled like Lavender. That’s my favorite conditioner.” And then tears started to slide across her face and Suzaku took her in his arms and held her. He caressed her back in a soothing matter to calm her.

“You know? I’m living in Australia as well. The Japanese don’t want me here, and I’m fine with it.”

“You are?”

“Yes, because I have somebody. It’s a girl I met years ago. She’s really nice, but a little hot-headed.”

Luluko calmed herself and sighed. “That girl could have been me…”

“Yes, it could have been you.” He murmured over her head. “I’m staying with you today. I wasn’t planning to, but I will.”

Luluko broke the embrace and looked at him in the eye. “What about your girlfriend?”

“She’ll understand. Besides, I told her I might be late.”

“Thank you.”

~º~º~

The guard came in and told them it was time. Suzaku left her to get ready, promising he would be close by.

Now she was walking to the little platform they prepared for her on the front gardens. There were more people than this morning gathered outside the gate. Most of them came out of curiosity; another part was there to see the former Empress of the Demonic Empire die. And then there were some who looked saddened for her.

True to his word, Suzaku was standing inside the premises of the palace. Looking serene and calming for Luluko’s sake. His face said ‘It’s going to be fine. It won’t hurt, I promise.’ In any other circumstance she would have laugh, but right now, she believed that lie.

One of her guardians came close to strap her to the pole. She held her hand up and said to him. “Please, I request a moment before you prepare me. I need to speak to the audience.”

The guard nodded and stepped back, “Madam…”

Luluko walked to the edge of the platform and looked over the crowd. The people who were reunited there started to fall silent.

The former Empress of Britannia took several deep breaths, preparing herself to speak and forcing her voice to sound as confident as always.

“Good, free people. I have come here to die... according to the law and must yield myself to the will of your leaders. The bringers of Justice.”

The crowd cheered a little.

She then proceeded once the noises stopped. “And if in my life and ruling I ever did offend your leader’s grace, then surely with my death I do now atone.” The young girl took another breath, out of the corner of her eye she saw Suzaku nod his head. “I wish, and beseech you all to follow and support your kind rulers.” Sounds of agreement were heard from the public. For them, the Empress sentence seemed harsh and unfair now. She knew this because it was reflected in their sad eyes and faces. But they didn’t know about the Geass and the sinful things she had done with it. It was better this way, to die in a confusing matter and then be forgotten. “Your suffering leaders, who are the best sovereigns you can ever imagine, who have always treated their people so well. There for I submit to death with a good will, humbly asking pardon from everyone. If anyone should take up my case… I ask them only to judge it kindly.”

The people were silent; Luluko’s violet eyes swept over the multitude one more time to assure them her words were the truth. She then turned around and headed towards the guard in charge of strapping her to her execution pole. The man was shaking and his face was covered in sweat. Luluko graced his gloved hand lightly with her palm “Please, don’t be like this. And thanks for worrying.” She whispered. The guard nodded and averted his eyes while doing his job.

Once he was finished, the man stepped back. From her right, the noble that was in charge of the execution gestured to a group of five men, armed with rifles, to take their places in the platform in front of her. The noble came closer to Luluko and when he was at her earshot, said. “Your Majesty, forgive me for what I must do.”

“Gladly.” She answered. He then extended his left hand, which was holding a blindfold to cover her eyes. “No, I don’t need it.” He looked surprised by her courage and accepted her will.

“Thus I take my leave of the world,” She started once more. “And of you, I heartily desire all of you to work to keep this new achieved peace and make it last for years to come.”

The man took his place to the side, motioning the guards to start the procedure. Luluko looked once more towards Suzaku. His expression was still neutral, but his green eyes were shining bright because of the tears. Her eyes were full of tears as well, but none the less she gave him a shaking smile.

The five men aimed their firearms at her, waiting for the signal.

And then something above them all exploded. Luluko looked up and saw bright fireworks adorning the clear sky. The noble took the opportunity…

Luluko didn’t hear him shout the order. She felt the shots in her body like little burning stones going thru her. But for her it ended as soon as it started.

The public murmured among themselves, some of them with tears in their eyes. Suzaku himself was shedding them none stop, looking now at the covered in blood body of the girl he loved. The corpse hanged in the pole like a ragged doll and he didn’t have the heart to keep looking.

He walked away and turned on the next corner, not minding if he would get lost. He just wanted to walk away. And behind the corner he saw CC with empty boxes of fireworks at her feet.

And she was crying as well.

END

The hospital room was simple and white. The only thing making noises were the machines and Suzaku’s attempts to keep on living. But it wasn’t going to work; he was too old and too sick to achieve that.

“I’m sorry, Kaguya-sama. But we didn’t know who to call. He doesn’t have any family or spouse and this is something someone close should decide…” The doctor explained to the old woman.

“I understand. My cousin never got married, he’s quite alone.” She said, looking at the frail old man fighting for his life. “Yes, it would be kinder to him if we just unplugged him.”

The doctor nodded and went to turn off the machines that were giving him the oxygen and made his heart beat.

“I… I’m sorry.” Said one of the nurses, bowing her head. She had long black hair and fair skin. “But… do you think I could say goodbye?”

The voice of the woman seemed familiar, but she couldn’t remember from who it was. “You were the one who took care of him, right?”

“Yes. I’m an orphan just like him… we became really close. He’s like my grandfather…” It was funny, but it was like she was determined to hide her face from Kaguya.

“Then it’s fine, you can say goodbye.”

The nurse came close to the bed and bended over Suzaku so he could see her face. Golden eyes looked into his green ones with a mix of sadness and caring. The woman whispered into his hear. “Tell her I say hi.”

Shortly after, the machines were turned off and Kururugi Suzaku was no longer part of this world.

~º~º~

It was a sunny day. Suzaku reached the door and opened. “I’m back. Sorry I’m late.” He said, smiling to the woman dressed in white that was waiting him with open arms.

“Welcome back.” She said, and her smile reached her violet eyes.

TRUE END

Code Geass R2 24

2008-09-22T01:53:28Z

Algunas cuantas quejas del epi 24 D: no leer si no quieren ser spoileados o lo que sea.

En realidad sólo voy a quejarme de dos personajes, no voy a criticar la serie porque a pesar de que la trama ha tenido más agujeros que un queso, yo de perdedora la sigo viendo. No soy una hipócrita.

En primer lugar, Kallen: No es mi personaje favorito, como ya lo podrán saber. Pero en la primera temporada sentía cierto respeto hacia ella. Era la chica fuerte que estaba luchando por la libertad de su país y que algún día esperaba poder vivir en paz con su madre. Repito, no tenía ningún tipo de problema con ella... hasta que los guionistas comenzaron a indicar una admiración (entiendase como capricho) hacia Zero. En cierto modo era comprensible, Zero era... por falta de palabras elocuentes... fantástico. No me agradó que recurrieran a ese cliché, pero ni modo. Lo que sí me gustó fue que cuando descubrió que Lelouch= Zero en el final de la primera temporada, Kallen lucía devastada. La Kallen de la escuela veía a Lulu como un potencial amigo, uno muy bueno quizás... como a todos los del Consejo Estudiantil, osea "Wow, ellos son muy simpáticos a pesar de ser Britannios... probablemente no todos sean malvados".

Pero llega la segunda temporada y lo que más le preocupa a Kallen es la confusión de Zero y Lelouch, ¿a quién amo de verdad? Y eso me ha hecho rabiar...

Mujer, estabas enamorada de un espejismo (Zero) y no conoces al verdadero Lelouch, ¿y aún así te auto-engañas sólo porque es bueno contigo? Lelouch también la aprecia, pero creo que él la veía igual que yo: una chica que haría lo necesario para lograr sus metas. Era una amiga. No sé por qué Kallen no vio el gran error en todo esto, las pocas cosas que descubrió de Lelouch las supo por medio de C.C, no porque él tomó un par de horas en la Embajada de la Federación China para decirle: "Bueno, Kallen, mi vida no ha sido fácil a pesar de que soy un Principe de Britannia y asdf..."

Pasamos por ese momento en que Kallen le cae encima y a Lulu se le ocurre decirle que quiere vuelvan juntos a Ashford. Sí, esta fue una escena puesta a propósito para saciar las ganas del público que apoya el KallenxLulu... PERO... yo lo vi de otra forma. Hace mucho lei en el Ship Manifesto de Suzaku x Lelouch una descripción muy acertada de su personalidad; decía algo así: "Lelouch es alguien que vive en el pasado porque no logra superarlo" y estoy completamente de acuerdo con eso. Si no es así, ¿por qué se esforzaba tanto en proteger a Suzaku en la primera temporada, incluso cuando se enteró que él era el piloto del Lancelot que le arruinaba los planes? Lelouch todavía creía en esa amistad del pasado, cuando vivió esa temporada con Suzaku y era feliz (ay, eso sonó gay xD pero ustedes captan... creo).

Igual es con la Academia Ashford, ahí también vivió momentos felices. Más cuando Suzaku apareció y Kallen bajó un poco sus defensas. Para alguien como Lulu, que casi no pudo vivir con su familia momentos felices, las personas de Ashford son como su familia.

En fin, dejando eso de lado, creí que cuando estuvo charlando con Nunnally sobre Lelouch y Naoto, Kallen había comprendido una parte esencial de la personalidad de su amado: Lelouch le miente a sus seres queridos para no herirlos. Durante el episodio de la traición, Kallen y Lulu llegan al hangar donde Ougi y compañía les están apuntando con armas, dispuestos a dispararles y cuando ella le pregunta sus motivos y él le dice que "blabla, ustedes eran mis peones y esto fue un juego", ¡ella se lo cree! Admito que tuve esperanzas cuando él le dijo que debía 'vivir' y ella se volteó, pero un par de episodios más tardes me hizo ver que se le voló por la cabeza.

Demonios, Kallen, de ser un personaje que respetaba pasaste a ser uno de los personajes que deseo que muera (aunque es poco probable).

D: Y no, esto no es un rant de una fan del LuluxCC, aunque me agrada y mi pareja preferida era el LuluxShirley, necesitaba sacarme eso del pecho.

El otro personaje es Diethard.

He visto que se ha comentado mucho su muerte en /a/, pero creo que soy una de las pocas que le dio lástima. Y es que Diethard no estaba de parte de nadie con respecto a la moral; no le importaba Britannia y tampoco la independencia de Japón. Diethard estaba metido en todo esto por su deseo de fama... y esto es algo que Sunrise no elaboró porque así de fail son ellos y dudo que sea mencionado en el material extra (picture dramas, sound episodes, mangas, novelas, etc).

Desde la primera temporada Diethard me pareció el periodista que anciaba que su nombre pasara a la historia por haber documentado algún cambio drástico en el mundo. Al surgir Zero, vio la oportunidad y decidió tomarla y fuimos testigo de como exprimió la oportunidad. Pero que hiciera esto no significaba que fuera fiel a Zero.

Por eso no fue una sorpresa ver que se cambiara al bando de Schneizel una vez que Lelouch fue desenmascarado (y si lo notan, Diethard estaba comenzando a dudar de Zero cuando éste comenzó a impulsar más sus planes por cuestiones morales que por fría lógica).

Además, al Schneizel tener el Fleija y su plan con el Damocles, sintió que no todo se había perdido y que todavía tenía la oportunidad de documentar algo extraordinario. Es por eso que cuando Lulu "vence" a Schneizel en el episodio 24, no ve salida e incluso le disparan, Diethard pide que usen el Geass sobre él. ¿Por qué? Porque en su últimos momentos supo que no había completado su sueño y así como se descubrieron las víctimas pasadas del Geass de Lelouch, él también tendría la oportunidad de ser mencionado en los anaqueles de la historia de alguna forma. Pero no, para su mala suerte Lelouch no le dio ese privilegio y a Diethard le tocó morir sin gloria, como un peón más. En verdad bastante lamentable.

En fin *toma aire* ya me siento un poco mejor <3

En otras noticias, mi hermano volvió de su trabajo en el interior. Estaba, todaví, ayudando a los damnificados de la tormenta Hannah. x_x Tenemos tan malos sistemas de drenaje que con dos gotas ya esto parece una piscina. El pobre regresó bastante flaco ;_; necesitará unos días de descanso para reponerse y terminar el tercer cap de su fic >_< que ya quiero leer!! Pero soy una buena hermanita =3 ~~No como Nunnally xD~~

Y cuando termine Orgullo y Prejuicio va a comenzar el rewrite de R2 que estaba planeando *x* y estoy muy emocionada con una de los OC (Original Character) que va a usar. Wiii~

Bueno, no más. Me ha llegado algo de inspiración y voy a escribir un nuevo fic de Luluko >:D FUCK YES, I LOVE LULUKO!!

little_pierrot @ 2008-09-16T15:23:00

2008-09-16T19:40:54Z

TITLE → For Whom the Princess Smiles
AUTHOR → little_pierrot
RATING → PG
SUMMARY → Even though its a difficult time, Princess Luluko must make a stand to defend the other family she loves as her own, and Carline's celebration is the perfect occasion.
PAIRING → Luluko + Milly (friendship)
WARNINGS → Unbeta'ed and an Utena theme (D: if you have seen the series, you might recognize the episode).

It was a sunny and warm Friday morning, but Milly Ashford’s mood didn’t reflect the day’s weather. The normally exuberant girl was sitting alone in the Student Council room with a depressed look in her blue eyes. In front of her was an envelope with the Royal Britannian Crest and in her hands she was holding a letter from her father; the writing was messy, like it was written in a hurry.

The doors to the room were opened and her friend Luluko vi Britannia came in holding a pack of papers; no doubt of her assignments as the Student Council Vice-President. The black haired girl greeted Milly with a little smile and a nod, and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. The door was closed by Luluko’s personal bodyguard, Jeremiah Gottwald. The man chose to stand guard a few steps away from the table where his protégée was working.

Even though the Ashford Academy was a safe compound, homing most of the heirs from noble families, the fact that a Britannian Princess and possible successor to the throne of the Empire, was part of the student body required the constant vigilance of her knights. It was also because a few months ago Empress Marianne, Luluko and Nunnally’s mother, was murdered under suspicious circumstances that up until today weren’t clarified.

“Milly? Are you listening?” The voice of her friend interrupted her train of thought.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I was asking you if you received a letter from your parents. You don’t look so good.”

“Well, sort of.” The blonde answered, and then sighed heavily.

The Princess frowned a little and then said. “Leave us, Jeremiah. I need to talk something in private with Miss Ashford.”

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. But I can’t leave your side…” Said the Knight, sounding remorseful.

“Please, you can ask for the guards to stand outside near the windows and you can stay in the hallway near the door.” Her violet eyes went a little wider; her expression seemed cute and innocent, and Jeremiah didn’t have it in him to deny her wishes. He never was.

“As you please, Your Highness.” Saluted the guard, then he took out from one of the pockets of his uniform a communicator. He ordered the other guards in the school yard to move near the windows of the Student Council room; once they were all in position, Jeremiah left them alone to talk.

“Spill.”

“It’s nothing, really…”

“Spill it.” Ordered the Princess in a commanding voice.

Milly lifted the envelope with the Royal Crest that was resting on top of the table and in front of her.

“Oh, you got an invitation to Carline’s birthday party.” Said the black haired girl.

“No, I got tickets to Princess Carline birthday party. Two tickets.” The Student Council President let the envelope fall again on top of the table, the look in her eyes clearly said that the tickets weren’t the ones that got her on this mood.

On the other hand Luluko’s expression was of mild shock. “Tickets? But surely…”

“They’re mocking my family and our fallen status. We just got this so that if someone from our family showed up, they could laugh at us. And if we don’t show up, we’ll still be the laughing stock of the Britannian nobility.”

At this, the Princess felt part guilty for the situation. Before the death of her mother, the Ashfords were one of the few families in court who didn’t approve for a war with the EU. Empress Marianne, on the other hand, was pushing for it quite fervently. The situation escalated to the point where Earl Ashford, Milly’s grandfather, decided not to produce the weapons that were needed for the affair.

Then the Empress was brutally murdered, and the rumors that were whispered among the nobles of the court were that the Ashford family, enraged by Marianne’s attitude, ordered the assassination of the Royal Consort. After all, they were the ones who helped her get in that position in the first place.

But those were filthy lies, and both Luluko and Nunnally knew that they weren’t capable of doing such a thing. The Ashfords were like their family; Milly was like a sister and Earl Ruben was like the grandfather they never got to meet. Marianne’s death was a huge blow to the head of the Ashford family, he loved her like a precious daughter, and when the rumors started, he resigned to the family’s titles. It was the honorable thing to do.

The Princess knew all this, but her grief she didn’t had the time to tend to the situation. She was busy trying to pick up the pieces and become a role model to her young sister, who was in a difficult stage of her life and the absence of a mother was deadly in this circles. It was only a couple of weeks ago that she had returned to Ashford.

“And…” Now Milly waved the piece of paper she was holding. “The tickets were sent to my grandfather first, but he threw them away. You know how prideful he is. And even though my grandfather doesn’t want to, my father thinks that I should go.”

“Why?” In her head the idea seemed ridiculous and could only cause more harm than good.

“He thinks that we should show ourselves like nothing has happened. But me… going and sharing with those horrible people…” The blonde’s voice was at the verge of cracking. Her parents were putting a lot of pressure on her.

“I wasn’t going to go either. I don’t like sharing with the people of the court… mother didn’t like herself. Father said that it was fine if I excused myself from going, but now…” Luluko got to her feet and recollected her papers. “I think I have a reason.”

“But…”

“No buts. You’re going, I’m going and we’re going to have a nice time. Meet me there at eight.”

And with that, she left the room and made a hand signal to Jeremiah to follow here.

~º~

“Jeremiah, I need you to do something. I’m going to Carline’s birthday tomorrow.” Said the Princess while walking down the school hall with her Knight.

“I understand. I’m going to call Aries Palace and have the maids ready with the dresses and…”

“No, not the dresses. No. I’m thinking more like…”

The Knight almost tripped with his own feet when he heard the wishes of the Princess. He didn’t know if he should laugh or cry.

~º~

The Ballroom of the Aurora Palace was heavy and richly adorned with white drapes that fell from the ceiling, crystal chandeliers and ice sculptures. The word was it that Carline herself choose the decorations.

Milly felt out of place; just a few of her schoolmates came by to say hello. They were all too scared to interact with her because of the “stigma”. And even though Third Princess Euphemia, and Second and Third Princes Schneizel and Clovis greeted her, the poison filled murmurs didn’t stop. It was like they enjoyed the fact that she was hearing them.

The room fell silent and the lights moved to show the spot on top of the stairs were Princess Carline, dressed in a frilly white gown that looked bigger than her petit form, was standing next to her father, Emperor Charles di Britannia.

The trumpets started to play and both father and daughter came down the stairs. The little red-haired girl looked radiant, happy that for once she was the center of attention; the Emperor looked quite neutral, like he was there just to fulfill his part and then leave the premises to attend more pressing matters.

Once they were on the center of the room, the musicians started to play the waltz. It was meant for only the Emperor and his daughter, so the guests were standing around the dance floor. The Emperor was a tall and empowering man, so it was kind of a surprise to see him move so gracefully on the dance floor. The young Ashford had to suppress a laugh.

The people took the time to leave the subject of Milly Ashford presence for a while and comment on how pretty Carline was, how the party was a success and other trivial observations. The blonde wished that the waltz would last as long as she was here.

Milly looked over at one of the clocks that were un the Ballroom, it was eight pass ten and Luluko wasn’t anywhere to be found. Maybe she decided not to come at the last minute, not that she was going to say it was something bad, her friend was passing thru difficult times and it did give her the excuse to leave early.

The music stopped and then changed, the crowd started to move to the dance floor and the conversations began once more. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Emperor walk away from Carline to greet a group of foreign gentlemen; Carline was surrounded by a group of giggling girls and then they started to point at Milly, whisper and giggle some more.

The Ashford heiress took a deep breath and approached one of the tables; a couple of feet away from her was Princess Euphemia, who had seen what her sister and her friends did, and was looking displeased. Next to her was her older sister Princess Cornelia, no doubt saying under her breath to stay calm and let it be.

“I heard that her parents tried to engage her to Earl Asplund…”

“That creepy science professor?”

“Yes, and that even him rejected the proposal.”

“Well, that’s reaching rock bottom.”

She couldn’t stand it anymore; it was a nice time to leave. She just needed a little more of strength to leave with her head up high and…

“Oh my…”

“Your Highness, isn’t that… your sister?”

The murmurs became louder, Milly tried to look among of the crowd which sister were they talking about. It was then when the girl felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and she turned around.

“I am not going to say ‘sorry for my lateness’ because you do know how much I love to make and entrance.” In front her was her friend clad in what she imagine was a female knight uniform. Her mother’s knight uniform. She looked elegant and at the same time quite feminine and powerful.

“I… its fine.” It was all that she managed to say.

Luluko made a little bow and then extended her right hand. “I was wondering if I could have the honor to be your dancing partner for tonight.”

Milly knew that the whole crowd was watching them, and she didn’t need to turn around to see the shocked expression on Carline’s and her friends faces. For the first time that evening, and maybe since yesterday, the young Ashford heiress smiled radiantly and extending her own hand she accepted the invitation. “Of course, it would be my pleasure.”

Both girls walked to the center of the dance floor, the guests cleared the way and unconsciously were creating a path for them. The music started again, this time it wasn’t the conventional waltz dance by Carline, this one had a modern and vibrant beat. The girls got the dance floor for themselves, and they took advantage of it by walking and twirling all over the place like flowers flowing in the wind.

“What are you doing?” Milly finally asked, though she didn’t sound angry or scared.

“What I should have done months ago. Prove to everybody that I still trust you and your family, and shutting their mouths once and for all.”

“You shouldn’t have…”

“I won’t hear a word of it.” Said the Princess. “I am Empress Marianne’s daughter and the Ashford’s is the family that I wish to keep contact, and they…” She motioned with her head to the nobles. “Can’t criticize me for my choice… Well, they can but then their titles would be in danger.”

Once again the music came to a halt and a warm applause filled the room. Carline was crying on her mother’s shoulder shrieking something about ‘They didn’t applaud me!’, but her wails were drowned by the guests. Euphemia was one of the applauding people, smiling broadly at both girls; when Luluko turned her head she saw Schneizel and Clovis raise their glasses and she was sure she saw her father smile proudly at her before leaving the Ballroom.

That night the evil rumors and murmurs stopped, Princess Luluko and her friend Milly Ashford dominated the dance floor during the course of the celebration and the next day a letter of apology, signed by the Emperor himself was sent to the Ashford family.

THE END

I'm sorry for the lateness and all of the possible mistakes in the writing. My mother tongue is not english so it was kind of hard writing this. Add rl, problems (mainly black-outs) and the fact that epistretes wrote a JeremiahxLuluko (great story, btw, loved it very much), the pairing I was doing originally, so I had to start over x_x

Anyway, enough ranting, hope you enjoyed ^^

Code Geass: "Only the Good Die Young"

2008-07-28T18:58:04Z

Title: Only the Good Die Young
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Shirley, a little bit of Rolo/Light LelouchxShirley
Notes: Spoilers for episode 13, some grammar mistakes (I think) and maybe a little OOC-ness? As you can see I'm new to lj, so... yeah.

The lively mall was now surrounded by an eerily silence. The lights were no longer on; by an electrical malfunction to help or trap the terrorist inside the facility or another more sinister reason, Shirley wasn't quite sure. On her right hand she was gripping the gun she took from a policeman when she darted inside the building to look for Lelouch. Her mind was in a whirlwind, she didn't know why she took the weapon with her but in that moment it seemed like the obvious thing to do.

The sound produced by her steps echoed in the lonely hallways; from time to time they raised little clouds of dust off the floor. She knew she was putting herself at risk, but the idea of finding and being held captive (or worst) by the terrorist wasn't going to make her turn around and leave. Besides, Lelouch was, is, Zero, and just like that time at school during the Black Rebellion she was certain that he wouldn't hurt her.

Today she had reached a conclusion after recovering her memories in a mysterious and drastic way. Seeing the face of the person she loved with a pained expression and hearing his distressed voice telling her that he didn't want to lose important people in his life anymore was powerful enough to maker her believe in the boy's hidden kindness.

"Papa, believing and forgiving the person who caused you death makes me a bad person?" Was the thought that from time to time invaded her mind, but surprisingly it didn't scare her. Her logic told her it was something horrible, but her heart was pointing the contrary. Isn't the heart wiser in this kind of situations?

The orange haired girl stopped in her tracks and sighed deeply. Lelouch, the boy she had always loved and admired, the boy who had always made a point about keeping his life private, was alone. He was Zero, he commanded a powerful terrorist group, but he was still alone. And deep down she knew he was unhappy as well. Why he needed to do this was one thing Shirley wanted to ask him, but above all things she wanted to let him that he wasn't on his own, tell him she wanted to work with him and that she would try to make him happy. Even Suzaku, who was Lelouch's best friend, was giving him the cold shoulder. She might not know what happened between them, but she's certain that Suzaku was out to take revenge against the black haired boy.

Suddenly she saw someone moving near the stairs and decided to check. Whe she got close, the young girl wasn't able to see anybody there but something was telling her to go up the stairway, but the sound of another pair of footsteps halted her.

"Rolo!"

"Shirley... what are you doing here?" He asked, a little taken aback by her presence. Then his eyes fell in the gun she was clutching on her right hand.

"I'm... looking for Lelouch." Answered truthfully. "I... Rolo, I want to ask you something. Do you love Lelouch?"

"Of course I do." He shot back rather fiercely, but the sudden outbreak of feeling didn't make him lose his tense stand or the distrust he was feeling. "He's my brother, he's everything to me."

"Good, because I love him too. And I want to help him..." The expression on the face of the younger Lamperouge became a little dark when she said those words, but Shirley didn't notice it. "I want to make him happy and want him to be together with Nunnally again." A little too late Shirley noticed the look on Rolo's face and that something red was shinning on the boy's right eye.

In that moment her messy thoughts jumped to gear: She mentioned Nunnally... she was Lelouch's younger sister... there were only two Lamperouge siblings and Rolo wasn't one of them. He boy that was standing in front of her came from nowhere. And it was like a mask falling off the charade she was living up to that point.

Shirley felt that time stopped against her will. Like, for a few instants, she had gone blind even tough she was still seeing the frozen image of Rolo in front of her eyes. When she came back, she was falling backwards; she also felt a horrible pain in her abdomen, and how the warmness of her body was leaving her system and that something liquid was soaking her and her clothes.

The girl noticed that she wasn't holding the gun she had anymore; when her eyesight focused on the figure standing over her, she saw it was Rolo and that the honey haired boy was holding the weapon in his hand with a handkerchief. His face was blank, but she wanted to think she could image what was going on inside his mind right now.

Rolo got on his knee to return the gun to Shirley's hand and saw her smile weakly. "I'm not special... I'm not the top of my class. I-I don't know how to shoot correctly. I have a fine physical condition, but can't fight even if I try. I don't have what it takes to be a fighter." Her voice was losing strength but her words were filled with irony. "I couldn't have been useful to him... even if I tried."

The breath of the young boy got caught in his throat and the idea that he just committed a huge mistake fell over him like a ton of bricks. "I trust you; when you said you loved him, I sensed that you mean it... Please, don't let him be alone... help him... help him to be happy again." Tears were falling from her eyes and rolling down her cheek; Rolo closed his eyes and finished plating the gun on Shirley's hand. But instead of letting the hand go, he clutched it for a moment.

"I p-promise." He whispered to her; he sounded like the boy he was at Ashford Academy, like the boy he desperately wanted to be.

"Leave... someone is coming."

And while Rolo escaped using the stairs, Shirley Fenette wished with the last amount of strength in her that the person who ended up finding her holding to life would be Lelouch. It was not meant to be a cruel joke, but she needed to tell him that he was forgiven, that against all odds she still loved him and that if she was born again in this world, she would love him again.

It was a selfish wish, but destiny owned it to her.

End

Comments and critics are appreciated. And if someone can point me to a batch of Rolo icons, I would be very grateful <3