#clampsecretsanta2014

Kamui Shiro isn’t really sure how it begins, although he can certainly tell you where it starts. He steps onto a train platform in Tokyo, and his aunt is dead. Then Kotori is dead, and then, somehow, Fuma is dead, too. This is where it starts, Kamui knows, that tidal wave of fear, and doubt, and pain. So, so much pain. 

But Kamui scrubs the dishes clean, and rinses the suds so that they pool into the drain. He puts away Arashi’s meal that she prepared for the members of the house to eat, and he wipes down the dinner table. There are cracks in the ceiling, the yellow wallpaper is peeling, and, upstairs, Sorata and Yuzuriha are shouting about one thing or another.

Subaru Sumeragi walks into the kitchen. He is tall, and quiet, and his presence paints pictures of a sakura tree that sleeps for the winter. Subaru grabs a water bottle from the fridge and sits at the table with The Oresteia. The book is ornamented with gold leaf, and the edges are a bit frayed. 

“Is it any good?” Kamui asks as he joins him at the table.

“It can be a bit wordy,” Subaru replies. 

Kamui eventually decides to make tea, and then they are joined by Sorata, who decides to prepare cheese fritters. It’s almost midnight, and Sorata is telling an animated story about his day. Kamui shifts at the table, and his ankle bumps into Subaru’s. Subaru looks up from his book for only a moment, and maybe, just maybe, this is where it all actually begins. 

-

It’s a different night, and Kamui finds Subaru asleep on the couch, with The Iliad draped across his chest. The day had been long, and fruitless, and the rest of the house members have turned in hours before. Kamui picks up an empty glass off of the coffee table and returns it into the kitchen. There are pieces of toast and jam on the counter, along with a small container of plum juice. Kamui is just about to pick up the bottle when he feels Subaru enter the room. 

“You don’t have to keep doing that if you don’t want to.” 

“If I don’t want to do what?” Kamui asks. 

“If you don’t want to, you know - clean, clean up after us, put these things away.”

“But it’s something that has to be done, right?”

“I mean, yeah, but not necessarily by you.” 

Kamui feels a nerve twitching in the back of his temple, and he leaves the kitchen without another word.

-

There’s rice, and vegetables, and a spread of chicken and pork on the table. It’s all for Arashi’s birthday, but Sorata and Yuzuriha are the only two who seem to really be celebrating. Sorata pulls out a bottle of Chenin Blanc and pours half-glasses for everyone. Kamui feels a light brushing against his ankles, and he looks over to a somewhat surprised Subaru. 

“Sorry,” he mutters.

“For what?”

“For… I keep doing that.” And that’s all he says until Sorata declares that it’s time to toast Arashi. 

-

It’s one in the morning, and Kamui walks into the kitchen to find Subaru in the exact spot where he sat at dinner. He holds a copy of The Iliad, and he looks at Kamui with an expression that Kamui can’t pin down. 

“You’re still awake,” Subaru mentions as Kamui makes to sit across from him. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” is the safe answer that Kamui gives. He neglects to point out that Subaru is just as awake as he is. 

Subaru shifts in his chair, and when Kamui thinks that he is going to return to his book, he says, “I want to apologize for what I said to you.”

“What did you say to me?”

“That you didn’t have to clean up after us.” 

“Why are you apologizing?” 

“It’s more that I don’t want you to think that we don’t appreciate you - or appreciate the things that you do to help us.”

“Who is us?”

“Arashi, Sorata, and Yuzuriha.”

“But not you.”

“No, me, too. I mean - we all appreciate you. I know that you never had planned to come here, and that you never planned to stay with us, or any of this.”

“You mean being with the Dragons of Heaven.”

“Right.”

“We can stop right here. You’re apologizing for nothing,” Kamui says, his voice calm, but feeling somewhat testy. He changes the subject. “What are you reading?”

“It’s a book by Homer. A lot of people have read it. I rather like it.” 

“You read a lot of things, I notice.”

“It’s a way to keep my mind clear.”

Kamui doesn’t have anything more to say, and they allow the silence to fill the space. It’s comfortable, and somewhat soothing, Kamui thinks. The wood creaks as Subaru shifts in his chair. The clock gently ticks above the mantle. Kamui finds himself staring at Subaru’s shoulders, and then at Subaru’s hands. An hour goes by, before Subaru closes his book and declares that he’s going to bed. 

-

It’s late. Sorata and Arashi don’t make it home. Kamui stumbles into the house, clutching his forearm. “Subaru,” he calls out, but the house is quiet. 

He stumbles over to the kitchen sink and lets the faucet water run down his arm. The blood dilutes and pools, and his stinging arm requires a few stitches. 

The front door is thrown open and Subaru shouts out Kamui’s name. 

“I’m in here,” he replies, and Subaru rushes to the sink. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Subaru says, almost to himself. “I can stitch it together. Can you press this up against your arm? That’ll stop the bleeding. Good. I’ll be right back.” 

It takes an hour of working on Kamui before Subaru declares that he’s satisfied. The arm, now bandaged is being gently stroked by Subaru. They both sit on the same side of the dinner table. 

“Are you okay,” Subaru asks, and Kamui thinks to himself, what a silly question. 

“It’s been a long day,” he chooses to reply. 

“I shouldn’t have left you and Sorata. Where is everyone?”

“Don’t know.”

The hours tick by. The house is unusually quiet, with just Subaru and Kamui for occupants. Subaru doesn’t let go of Kamui’s arm, but continues to rub small circles into his wrist.

Kamui feels dead inside. He sees Fuma. He feels Fuma - more in his mind, although his arm continue to remind him of the events of the day. Subaru chews his lip and doesn’t let him go. It’s all so overwhelming. 

And then it happens. Subaru meets Kamui’s eyes, and Kamui collapses into Subaru’s arms. 

Subaru lifts up his arms in surprise, and Kamui shifts so that his chest and shoulders are aligned with Subaru’s. Kamui curls his arms around Subaru’s back, and he tucks his head into the crook of Subaru’s neck, and his fingers clutch into the fabric of Subaru’s shirt. Subaru finally lowers his arms around the smaller man, and in this moment, Kamui knows safety. 

-

Kamui eventually joins Subaru to his bedroom, and the two lock into an embrace beneath the bed covers. The rest of the household is still missing. 

“What do we do if they don’t come back?” Kamui asks. 

“We’ll search for them in the morning,” Subaru responds, tucking a hand underneath Kamui’s waist. “If we can’t find them, we’ll just have to plan our next move.” 

“Okay,” Kamui says. “Tomorrow.”

“We’ll worry about that tomorrow.” 

And they both fall asleep. 

-

The next morning, Arashi and Sorata are found in the kitchen. Yuzuriha is curled up into a ball on top of the kitchen counter. Subaru walks over and embraces Arashi.

Kamui sits at the table with the sleeping Yuzuriha while the three talk amongst themselves. They make arrangements. Sorata thinks that they should pick up and leave the house. Yuzuriha stirs in her sleep, and Kamui brushes a lock of hair from her face. 

Kamui realizes for the first time that nothing else matters to him but these people and their safety. He looks over to Subaru, and his face is restrained. Kamui wonders what Subaru is thinking, but doesn’t ask. 

-

He spends the night with Subaru again. He tucks himself into Subaru’s arms, and their bodies relax into a calmer, easier sleep than the night before.

-

Kamui works on the dishes, and Subaru stands behind him to put a cup in the sink. Kamui looks over at Subaru and notes how tall the other man is. Something in Subaru’s eyes shift, and he turns to leave the kitchen.

-

Kamui walks into Subaru’s bedroom, and they begin their new nightly ritual. But right then and there, Kamui knows that something is different. Subaru is so much more gentle with Kamui than he normally is. Kamui doesn’t do anything to affect it. It takes them longer to fall asleep. 

-

Kamui and Subaru walk into in opposite directions down the hallway, and Subaru stops at his bedroom door. 

“You look different,” he says to Kamui. 

“How so?” he responds, somewhat bewildered. 

“You just look… I don’t know, I’m pretty sure there’s a difference.” 

“Do you think that you’ve had something to do with it?”

Kamui smirks at Subaru’s facial expression, and continues to the living room.

-

Neither of them know it, but it’s their last night together. Subaru sits at the edge of the bed, waiting for Kamui to join him, but Kamui doesn’t crawl into the sheets. He stands in front of Subaru, so that Subaru is forced to look up at him. Subaru takes Kamui’s hands and turns them over so that he can see Kamui’s left forearm. 

“It’s looking a lot better,” Subaru says, fingering at the forming scar. “I’ll be able to take the stitches out before long.” 

“You did a fine job, nurse.” Kamui replies. 

And then Subaru does something that Kamui doesn’t expect. He turns Kamui’s hand over and kisses the junction between his thumb and fingers. His lips linger there, and Kamui feels his face begin to flush. 

What a wonderful feeling, Kamui thinks, as he allows Subaru to finally lead him under the covers. Kamui wonders what it would be like to kiss Subaru, but Subaru tucks him under his arms more firmly than he’s ever done. 

Subaru kisses his forehead, and then down the bridge of his nose, and only stops at Kamui’s mouth. He hesitates, his lips ghosting over Kamui’s, but then Kamui pushes himself forward. 

Their kiss is chaste, and it feels so nice that Kamui kisses Subaru again. The next kiss is deeper, and the next deeper still, until the two are so locked into each other that neither know how to make it stop. They don’t want to, and they wonder if they’ll ever have to. 

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  Disclaimer: The World you are about to Enter is Completely fictional. The characters belong to CLAMP or Bandai. Any events or characters resembling real people are purely coincidental… or I am just psychic. :D

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  Of Knights and Princesses

By Tsubame Ongaku

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  From behind his mask, Suzaku watched as the palace staff ran around trying to find Nunnally whom had disappeared yet again. There would be a meeting with the representatives of Japan in two hours and no one seemed to know where she is. No one seemed to notice the quiet calm in the mysterious Zero as he walked down the halls.

There was a lot of screaming and panic. They couldn’t believe how difficult it was to find one girl in a wheelchair.

Suzaku knew that there was only one place she would be. These last few days hadn’t been easy and he easily understood how much stress she must be under.

Their meeting earlier with the Saudi Arabian had not gone well. They still want to push the presence of military power for if there was ever a case for war again. Nunnally had denied their request and stood firm despite their accusations and bringing up her age and inexperience. That meeting had shook her up. Suzaku saw her hands from under the table and they were shaking.  

Before that there was the meeting with the Britannian parliament whom believe that it was time for the former Viceroy of Japan and current Britannian Empress to consider political marriage or at least an engagement. She had only just turned 16 and she believed that there was too much she felt she needed to accomplish before marriage.

Suzaku made sure no one followed him outside.

There was a part of the Britannian Palace that had always been a secret place between Nunnally and her brother. Only recently did the secret become known to Suzaku as well. He found it by accident when he was looking for her.

Now, what was once a place shared between Lelouch and Nunnally became ‘theirs.’

He found her just where he thought she would be. She was still dressed in the formal dress she had worn earlier. She had gotten herself off her wheelchair and was now sitting against a gigantic tree. There would surely be grass stains on her dress later, but she didn’t appear to mind. Her eyes were on a Sakura tree sapling near her with a storybook on her lap. 

She didn’t look very surprised to see him. “It is growing very steadily,” she whispered.

Suzaku nodded but didn’t say anything. 

Nunnally smiled and shook her head. “Suzaku, you can take off the mask here. You are safe to be Suzaku Kururugi when we are alone.”

Suzaku visibly hesitated and slowly removes the mask. He still had a grim look on his face. A year has passed since her brother’s death but not once had she ever seen him smile. Not that she could blame him. She had been finding a hard time smiling from the heart since then as well.

He tucks the helmet under his arm and took a seat beside her as he too began to observe the tree. They planted the tree the day after Lelouch died to remind them of him and of Japan whom had played a crucial part in making his dream a reality. “Even without the mask, I am still Zero,” he answered. “Suzaku Kururugi is dead.”

Nunnally sighed. Not wanting her sorrow to reflect in her eyes, she closed them and leaned against his shoulder. It was a familiar action that Suzaku had seen her do several times with her brother. Now that he was gone, Suzaku felt it was his responsibility to take his place.

“Suzaku is here,” she wanted to say but she didn’t. She knew that he would never accept it.

“What are you reading?” he asked.

She smiled softly and showed him. “It is book of fairytales.” It was her treasure. The book was several inches thick with beautiful illustrations and written both in Braille and ink. “My brother gave it to me a few years ago. He would read it to me every night.”

“It must be odd … finally seeing the drawings for yourself,” Suzaku said. He too couldn’t help thinking how intricately beautiful the illustrations are. Since Nunnally couldn’t see back then, it had been completely unnecessary to be this particular about the art. “You always believed that you’d get her sight back, didn’t you, Lelouch?” he mused.

“Did you say something?”

“No,” he denied. “I was just admiring it.”

Nunnally smiled fondly. “I loved listening to my brother tell me stories. I remember brother would often tell me the stories using names of people we knew.”

“I remember. He told those stories to help you sleep, right?”  

She nods. “He would usually cast me as a princess and himself … a king.” She turns to him and reaches out to touch his cheek. Her touch was warm, so Suzaku couldn’t help closing his eyes and lean against her hand. “Even back then, he would always … always cast you as the knight.”

To her surprise, Suzaku smiled. “Are you sure about that? I can’t imagine him casting me as anything else but the big bad wolf,” he teased, placing a hand on top of hers.

Nunnally smiled back. This was the first time she’d ever heard him make a teasing remark like this for a very long time. She had missed that smile --- even if it isn’t that smile from the heart she was happy with this. “Well, big brother tried once ….”

“What happened?”

She laughed. “It just didn’t seem to fit. The story ended with the wolf and Red Riding Hood helping grandmother with the household chores. After he leads her through the forest of course.” Because the truth was, neither of them could ever imagine Suzaku doing harm on a young girl and a grandmother. Suzaku is a grandparent’s dream grandchild after all. Helpful and kind. “You made a horrible big bad wolf.”

His smile widened into a grin. “I suppose you’re right. Who ended up playing the wolf then?”

“Ms. Milly,” she answered.

Suzaku tried and failed to hold back his laughter. He could actually no one else more fitting for the role --- with the exception of maybe Lloyd. However, Nunnally hadn’t become acquainted with him until recently. Milly would probably even play the role with relish.

Memories of Ashford Academy brought his laughter to a stop. Nunnally didn’t say anything but she understood his silence. The time in Ashford Academy were a few of the happiest days of their lives. Those times were short and nothing could probably bring those days back. “We have some time before the meeting starts … do you want me to tell one of big brother’s stories to you?”

Suzaku knew that it was probably a bad idea to do that when they needed to leave soon, but he saw the pleading look in her eyes and just couldn’t seem to find it in him say no. “Alright. But you will leave with me when it is time to go.”

The young empress’s whole face brightened and she nodded happily. The story she chose was one of her personal favorites because not only did it have a plenty of hilarious moments, it was the story of Cinderella. She closed her eyes and she could almost hear the voice of her brother telling the story again to her.  

“Once upon a time, there was an incredibly cute girl named Cinderella,” she began.

The story you’re about to find is not your typical fairytale. Maybe you will find magic and happily-ever-afters. There is much confusion but our heroine doesn’t suffer. She couldn’t suffer because it would be unthinkable.  

Our heroine, Cinderella is a very cute girl with long curly, light brown hair and purple eyes. She is named thus because she sleeps by the fireplace. Her step mother and stepsiblings making her do so because they were jealous of her cuteness.

“Cinderella, you will ruin your dress and will get a backache.” Unlike the original story, our heroine is dressed in silk and her bed by the fire is made from the softest feathers.

“Euphie, our role here is to be evil stepsisters,” the older stepsibling reminded her.

“But Cornelia-neesan, Nunnally-chan--- I mean Cinderella will hurt herself,” Euphie answered, her whole face the picture of worry.

Cornelia coughed and gave a smile. “Euphie, that is sort of the point … but that is alright. I believe Euphie isn’t capable of being evil at all.”

Cinderella gave Euphie a hug. “I also believe Euphie-neechan is not capable of hurting anyone. Don’t force yourself to become someone you are not. Euphie-neechan can start at her own pace.”

Euphie was touched by their patience and felt terrible about her lack of dedication and participation. She promises to put more effort into her role. The princess took a deep breath and gave her best frown. “Cinderella, the prince is having a ball tonight. If you want to go you have to --- you have to …”

Seeing Euphie struggle to think of a chore, Cornelia continued, “You have to clean all the rooms and … my Knightma--- I mean --- my mare.“

Cinderella was saddened because with so much to do, she might be allowed to go to the ball after all.

The two sisters left feeling confident that they were successful keeping Cinderella from going to the ball. “Nunnally-chan, don’t be afraid to take plenty of rest if you get tired though.”

Poor Cinderella worked diligently. She worked hard washing her sister’s clothes, and accidentally turned a few whites pink and a tore a few satin dresses in the process. She mopped the floors, and broke an antique vase while doing it. With the horses, she was much more gentler though. However, no matter how hard she worked she couldn’t finish all the work in time to finish her dress and go to the ball.

Euphie fought the urge to lend Nunnally a dress from her huge collection but she was determined to play her assigned role of evil sister properly. “You didn’t finish your work in time, Cinderella. You have to stay home now.”

Cornelia nodded. “You will not embarrass our family because by not having the proper attire.”

The terrible sisters left for the ball and Cinderella was left home. She stayed by the cinders and there she wept. With her dirty dress soiled with soot from the cinders, she knew that she had no chance of going to the ball. “I wish I could go to the ball, but I can’t because I have no dress to wear.”

The room began to brighten and a voice boomed, “I will make your wish come true.” Lelouch suddenly stepped out from the shadows. He was dressed in a costume fit for a king.

“Big brother?”

Lelouch shook his head. “I am not your big brother, cute little miss. I am your Fairy Godbrother. Such a cute little girl shouldn’t be allowed to miss such an important party. Behold, with my magic --- big brother will make you the cutest girl at the ball.”

With the snap of his fingers, her dirty dress transformed into one of the prettiest gowns she had ever seen.  “Big brother, this is beautiful! I didn’t know big brother had such good taste in clothing.”

  Lelouch gave a smug grin. Sayoko appeared briefly behind him. “Lelouch-sama, will that be all?” He waved his hand to signal her that she was dismissed and turned his attention back to the smiling girl admiring herself in front of a mirror. “I can finally go to the ball without embarrassing Euphie-neechan and Cornelia-neechan.”

“I am not through yet!” With another wave of his hand, he transformed a pumpkin into a lovely golden coach and a couple of mice into a coachman and a footman. The coachman was less than pleased with his new role. “Oi, Lelouch! You said I would be the prince!” Rivalz shouted.

The footman was much more accepting and gave a polite nod and opened the coach door for her. “I am Xingke, for tonight and tonight only I will make an exception and serve you as my mistress.” Then he threw Lelouch a furious look. “I will take care of you later.”

Cinderella was about to enter the carriage, but Lelouch stopped her one last time. There was still one thing missing. He snapped his fingers again and a pair of glass slippers appeared for her to wear. Just as any girl would be, she was excited to wear them. “But, Cinderella, you must leave the party before the clock strikes midnight. My magic will only last until then and also, I don’t want you to stay up all night because you might get sick.”

Cinderella gave her Fairy Godbrother a fond smile. “I promise, big brother.”

Lelouch touched his sister’s cheek and kissed her forehead. “I will do anything to give you a happy tomorrow.” Before giving her a chance to reply, her Fairy Godbrother disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

“My lady, it is time to leave now,” Xingke whispered respectfully.

Rivalz was still not thrilled, but he sighed and decided to play along with this just this once, especially when he saw Nunnally’s troubled expression. “Come on, Nunna-chan, I’ll take you to the ball.” He was doing this because he liked Nunnally, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do some serious pain to Lelouch later for making him do this.

After that, Nunna--- Cinderella was finally able to get her wish and was able to make it to the ball. Because she was so cute, she was the center of everyone’s attention --- including the handsome prince.

“Are you sure I should be playing this role,” Suzaku mumbled to Lloyd who was playing his father, the king. Suzaku tugged his collar nervously and feeling a lot more nervous than he really should be. 

Lloyd gave his usual knowing smirk and shrugged. “Trust me, there is no one better to play this role than you. Don’t you think so, wifey?”

Cecile forced herself to smile. “Call me that again, Lloyd and I promise you I will cut your head off the moment we’re alone.”

“I don’t understand why Lelouch would cast me as the prince.”

“Because there is no one Lelouch would trust more with his sister’s happiness than you,” Euphie appeared behind him. She watched Nunnally walk into the center of the ballroom. “She is cute, isn’t she?”

Suzaku just blushed but smiled another nervous smile. “Wish me luck.”

Euphie smiled back and answered, “You don’t need it.”

When Suzaku left to play his role, it left Lloyd to be free to speak to Euphie. “Are you just going to let him go? Didn’t you say you love him?”

She nodded. “And I am doing this because I love him.”

When the crowd realized it was their prince trying to make their way towards the pretty new lady, they made way for him. Suzaku stopped in front of her, but with everyone watching them so intently it made him a little nervous. He wasn’t really sure what the most princely thing to do in a situation like this was, but he made a commitment to do this role so he planned to follow it through.

He gave a bow and asked, “Would you like to dance with me, pretty lady.”

Nunnally was just as surprised as he was but she did take his hand and allow him to lead her to a dance. Unfortunately, Cinderella wasn’t very good at dancing and had stepped on the prince’s feet a few times. But the prince didn’t even wince and adjusted his pace for her to follow much easier.

“You are doing well, Nunnally-sama.”

“That is not good, Suzaku-kun,” she reprimanded him with a determined pout. Despite her nervousness, she wanted to finish this story properly. “At this moment, I am Cinderella.”

“I know and I am the prince. I can’t help but feel I am a miscast though. I don’t know the first thing about being a prince.” He wasn’t much of a son to his father the Prime Minister of Japan nor had he been the knight Euphie deserved.

“I don’t think you are doing a bad job now.”

“I’m not?”

 She nodded. “I’ve always thought the normal Suzaku is already very charming.”

He blushed a little at the compliment, but it did make him smile a little. Of course he didn’t think he deserved the compliment but he did feel a little better about the role now and began to actually have a great time.

Cinderella was having a great time as well. This caused her to forget the time. When she finally remembered her Fairy Godbrother’s words it was already nearing midnight. She only had a few minutes to flee before the spell would be broken.

“What is the matter?” the prince asked.

“I must leave,” she replied, turning to leave.

Suzaku already knew what came next, but he decided to play along. “Already? But it is only a little before midnight.”

“Please. Let me go,” she pleaded desperately.

He was impressed by her great acting. “But …”

She wasn’t done with her surprises though. She took him by surprise by giving him a kiss on his lower cheek. He had been taken by so much surprise that he stood there staring at her frozen for several seconds as she escaped.

Lloyd and Cecile saw the whole thing. Lloyd laughed and turned to his queen. “First, Princess Euphie’s infamous confession and this little princess kissed him on the cheek. Are all Britannian princesses this forward?”  

Cinderella rushed down the palace steps and quickly entered her coach, which was already waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. Unfortunately, in her rush she left one of her glass slippers on the steps.

The guards from the palace, under the order of the king tried to stop their coach from leaving. They have tried blocking their exit and having men chase after them. Not that any of them could compete with Rivalz crazy driving skills and Xingke’s abilities --- to make people run away.

But there was no stopping the clock. The moment the clock rang twelve times --- the magic disappeared and Cinderella was left sitting on the pumpkin the Fairy Godbrother had used earlier and her dress was back to the dirty dress she had on earlier. Much to her surprise though, the remaining glass slipper didn’t disappear with everything else.

Cinderella was so happy. She had something to remember the magical night with.

The next day, the prince declared that there would be a search for the girl that he had danced with the night before. The only clue he had was the glass slipper she had left on the steps of the palace, so they decreed that every girl in the kingdom must try the slipper on.

Cinderella’s stepsisters were thrilled. Since it seemed that the prince couldn’t remember what the lady from last night looked like, it seems they might have a chance. They quickly put on their best clothes to get ready for the prince’s arrival.

Still in her rags, Cinderella asked her sisters, “May I stay to greet the prince as well?”

Euphie still hasn’t adjusted well to playing the evil sister, so Cornelia--- being the considerate sister that she is ---- took the lead for her to follow. “You? You would greet the prince in those rags?”

“You will embarrass our family,” Euphie followed. When she saw Nunnally’s heartbroken expression though, she couldn’t keep up the act. “But … but I suppose you can stay. Sister and I will look more beautiful if you stood beside us all dirty.”

Cinderella felt elated. She didn’t think she would ever have an opportunity to meet the prince again. When the prince and his entourage arrived, the sisters and Cinderella were waiting for him. Despite the sisters’ insistence that he should rest from his journey, the prince insisted that they should deviate from the business at hand.

The older sister tried the shoe on first. However, the shoe was much too small for her foot. Next was the younger stepsister. Because of her smaller size and beauty similar to that of the lady from the night before --- they thought she would be the one. To their surprise, the shoe didn’t fit her either.

The entourage was disappointed because they were the last girls in the kingdom. They turned to leave but the prince stopped them. “Why are you leaving? There is still one more girl who hasn’t tried it.”

“But she is just our poor maid, sire. She stayed home last night.”

The prince shook his head. The command was for every lady in the kingdom and it would be unfair to let even one lady be an exception. The king agreed but the rest of the entourage didn’t believe that one maid would make a real difference. They couldn’t believe the poorly dressed maid was the beautiful lady from the last night.

They were in for surprise. When Cinderella tried the shoe, it slid to fit her perfectly. That was not all, she showed them the other slipper that she kept as a souvenir the night before.  The prince walked to Cinderella and took her hand.

Suzaku had on another uncertain smile. “So, what happens now?” he whispered.

Lloyd heard and put on a smile that always sent a chill down Suzaku’s smile because it doesn’t it always meant he was thinking of something not good. “Why, you kiss the princess of course! Doesn’t every fairytale end with a kiss?”

Nunnally and Suzaku looked at each other in panic. The girl looked away shyly because she wasn’t sure if Suzaku would ever agree to do that. She turned to Euphie whom she knew loved Suzaku dearly. To her surprise though, she saw Lelouch beside Euphie with an arm around her waist. Both of them were smiling at her.

The sight of her two beloved siblings together and smiling just made her so happy she cried. “Big brother …”

Her brother replied, but she couldn’t hear his words. She could however read his lips. They read, “Be happy, Nunnally.”

The scene began to fade away and become dark. She didn’t want that and wanted to be with him just a little longer. There were still so many things she wanted to ask him and so many things she wanted to tell him. She begged the dream … not to go.

Nunnally-chan …

She could hear someone calling her name. Was it her big brother? She reaches out into the darkness to find him. The voice continued to call her name. The nearer the voice became --- the less it sounded like her brother’s.

“Nunnally-chan? Nunnally-chan, you need to wake up. It is time you get ready.”

She could hear the voice completely now and she recognized it. It wasn’t her brother’s voice. “Suzaku?”

When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by Suzaku’s smiling face. He hadn’t yet put on his helmet to take on the persona of Zero. “You fell asleep. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you.”

The smile reminded her so much of the Suzaku in her dream that she couldn’t help blushing at the same time she was horrified at herself for falling asleep. “The meeting! Did we miss it?”

He shook his head and told her not to worry. “I took care of it. I told them to move the meeting a few more hours. You are tired and have been working non-stop for the past few days. You deserve a bit of rest.”

Not far away, two figures stood by watching them. Lelouch hadn’t visited Nunnally for a while but he was glad that she seemed to be doing well. Suzaku was taking good care of her --- like he had promised him. He always knew he would. Knowing that, he didn’t have any look of regret on his face. In fact, he looked quite satisfied.

Euphie was the same. “You always meant for this, didn’t you?” Euphie whispered. She too had wanted to see how Suzaku and Nunnally were doing. “Your plan had always been for Suzaku to be Nunnally’s knight in the end.”

Lelouch smiled at her teasingly. “You think too highly of me if you think I was thinking that far ahead.”

The princess pouted and placed her hands on her waist. “You forget, Lulu. I have seen you play games. I know you always think that far ahead.”

They watched his sister and Suzaku leave to return to the palace. “Maybe I have. But unlike what you think, I didn’t always have a plan on how to do it. All I knew is that … I trust no one with more than Suzaku to take care of Nunnally ...”

Euphie became silent and watched Nunnally and Suzaku enter the palace with Lelouch. She knew she should be angry. Lulu took her life --- all to save his own sister. She never had a chance to be with Suzaku. At the same time, after seeing this new world that Lelouch left behind she knew she couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome …

Nunnally felt the sudden inkling that they were being watched. She turned around to look around, but saw no one. “Maybe it was my imagination,” she muttered.

“Did you say something, Nunnally-chan?”

She shook her head. “It is nothing,” she assured him. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Suzaku and nodded to let him know that it was time.