CG - Sukui no Kagi Chapter 1

"I'm not sure what happened…was it all a dream?"

Rain poured down onto the earth as if the world itself was crying for the fallen emperor, as if there was no stopping it, much to a certain witch's dismay. She had been working for what seemed like hours in attempt to dig up the earth. However, try as she may, the dirt only turned into mud and fell back into the hole. This…was getting nowhere. Hn, if only that brat had enough strength to get himself out of the ground. If not for the fact that he had promised her to complete their contract then she wouldn't even be doing this. If not for that, he could lay in that coffin for all eternity, losing his life constantly from lack of oxygen.

"I…died in order to save the world."

"Damn it," came the yell from the green haired witch as yet another pile of mud slid its way down and back into the hole.  This was all too much work. However, just as she was about to give up, the blade of the shovel hit something…something much different than the soft earth she had been digging up. "Finally," she sighed, as she used the shovel to push away the rest of the mud to reveal a rather simple casket. Hn, they hadn't even wasted money giving him a proper burial. Well, that was expected. The people weren't going to bury the demon emperor in something sophisticated such as a cement casket to protect his body.

Either way, the woman had kneeled on the ground, her arm moving down towards the coffin. A slight frown graced her lips not a moment after at the feeling of mud against her skin. "You better appreciate this," she grumbled as she ran her fingers around the casket to find a small crack that would allow her to open it. When it seemed that she wasn't going to be opening it just by that, she pushed herself up to stand once more as she lifted the shovel. Part of her wanted to just slam the metal down on the casket to see if it would break by those means, but in order to prevent any further injury to her partner, she would simply slide the blade into the crack she had found earlier. Using the shaft as a lever, she pushed down…and after many struggles, the lid finally broke free and swung open.

"It feels as if an eternity has passed."

Golden eyes peered down at the teenager lying in the casket. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was actually dead. Whoever had buried him didn't even have the decency to change him out of his bloodstained robes. Well, it wasn't like she actually cared.

She lifted a hand to brush away the bangs that were clinging to her face as she watched the man before her. Debating on whether or not to leave him there until he awoke, her pale lips would turn up into a smirk. It seemed as if she wouldn't have to do either, for the sleeping boy's eyes slowly lidded. A short laugh escaped her she looked down to his confused face.

"Has it been so long that you have forgotten where you are?" she asked, a mocking tone lining her words.

It was then that realization had hit the fallen teenager. Of course he hadn't recognized anything, however. When he had last closed his eyes, the sun was at it's highest point and now, well, seeing as his eyes had to adjust to the darkness, it had set. How long it had been, he wasn't sure. The time wasn't particularly important at the moment. However, it was just a lapse in memory from being asleep, if one could call it that, for so long. He had planned this all out, though now he regretted it. He could feel an unpleasant soreness in his limbs.

His eyes strained slightly in the darkness to look at the woman standing above him. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten me," he stated, giving a cocky smirk.

A scoff came as a reply from the witch. "You have a contact to fulfill. You would still be under the earth if not for that," she said as she held out a hand for Lelouch to take.

A slender hand would lift, then, to grab the witch's, before pulling himself up. Once up, his body would sway slightly, his sore legs not used to the weight just yet. Hn, he must have been in that casket for quite some time if he was aching this badly. Either way, he pulled his hand from the woman's, sure he could keep himself up. Climbing his way out of the hole, he heard a noise that could only be described as impatient. "Hurry it up. The last thing we need is to be arrested for bringing the demon back from the dead."

"Heh…right. I suppose the only thing left to do now is…move on."

"I said that Geass was the power of the kings which would condemn you to a life of solitude," C.C. mused as a smirk crept onto her face. "I think maybe that's not quite correct, right Lelouch?" the woman asked, her tone light and care free as she looked up at the clear sky.  There was no sign that it had even rained the night before. Perhaps it was that the world was crying for the man whom once ruled the world.

"That may be true," a calm voice answered from the front of the cart. "Perhaps it is that I am just an extraordinary person who can defy all laws set forth by a witch." It was getting rather warm in the disguise he was wearing. However, he wouldn't complain. It was only now that he would pull the scarf down from his mouth. There was no one to see him this far out into the country.

A sharp laugh seemed to echo around them before a certain immortal crawled to the front of the cart. "Isn't it I who helped you get this far?" she questioned, mockingly. "Don't get too full of yourself, Lelouch." Reaching over the edge, she grabbed the straw hat from her partners head only to place it on her own, in turn causing him to squint from the sun he had been hiding from.

A smirk came to play on the lips of the boy in question. If not for the fact that he had to continue to steer the horses pulling the cart, he might have turned to look to the witch. "Don't forget that I am the one who saved you countless times from certain disasters," his violet eyes glinting in the sun as he spoke.

"Oh, yes, I must not forget that I was saved from obstacles by a mere human," she sneered sarcastically. She could have gotten past anything even if Lelouch hadn't been there to rescue her. She was immortal after all.

Chuckling, the young man shook his head. That was enough talk about their life before. It was time to start anew…to live in the world he had created.  "You are positive that we will be safe here?" he questioned. Even if it were a safe haven, he was already thinking of disguises and such so as to not be spotted by anyone that might come through.

"You forget," came the reply as the green-haired immortal crawled back to her spot before lying down again, "we have allies here…" Her eyes closed, letting her body relax to the gentle swaying of the cart as it traveled over the dirt road.

"Allies…how strange a word."

In the distance, a certain cyborg and knightmare pilot worked in the hot sun as they harvested oranges, ready to be taken from their leafy home. "It seems that we'll make quite a good amount of money this month," Jeremiah mused. Even if it was directed towards himself, more of a spoken thought, he was slightly disappointed that there had been no response from the former Knight. Then again, he should know by now that trying to get anything resembling a conversation from the young girl was futile unless she wanted to speak about the topic herself.

The two allies, as it were, continued to work in silence for quite some time before the soft noise of movement on the dirt road behind them stirred conversation. "We have company," a soft voice would state as the girl turned to look over her shoulder. She would point over to the cart, then, as it pulled up to the side of their house. This alone had caught the attention of her partner, his own head turning to look to where she had pointed.

"Ah…he has finally come to us," he stated as a small sort of smile played on his lips. Climbing down his ladder, while being careful not to drop any of the fruit he collected, he kept his eyes on the cart, almost as if he didn't believe it to be true. Well, once he was down, he would set his oranges in a basket next to his ladder, not hesitating to turn and head towards the horse-drawn cart thereafter. Anya would follow suit. However, she didn't seem as obsessed with watching the cart as her partner was. She would pull out her camera, though, as she neared the cart, sure she would get something out of this.

The moment he had gotten close enough to the cart, Jeremiah dropped down to one knee as he brought an arm across his chest, his head bowing. "My lord," he breathed, "It is good to see you alive once more." He found it hard to keep the happiness inside of him, not that he would want to anyway. It was a miracle that the emperor before him…ah, no…ex-emperor – was still alive. If not for the fact that he wasn't enveloped in the world of Geass himself, he might not have understood how this was possible. Although, he still viewed it as a wonder. He was given another chance to protect one of Lady Marianne's children.

"Jeremiah," the one in questioned sighed as he set the reigns he has been holding next to him, "I have left that life behind me. There is no need for such formalities," As he spoke, the raven-haired teenager had climbed off the cart to stand before the loyal man who was still bowing.

"He can't," came a simple voice from the side as a click was heard, signaling that a picture of the two had just been captured, "His simple mind can't handle such a thing."

"Just who are you calling stupid?" Jeremiah stood and looked towards the girl with a quizzical look mixed with a slight tinge of anger.  

The pink-haired girl might have said something back if not for the loud thump of luggage being thrown to the ground. Eyes had turned to the noise only to see the green haired immortal jump from the top of the cart, landing by her suitcase. "Not loyal enough to keep civil in front of your lord?" she asked simply, though her sly tone was far from simple.

"Ah…" was all the elder man could get out as he glanced back over to the man in question. It was wrong of him to make such a fool of himself in front of his lord. Another bow would follow, however it wouldn't be as formal as the last, just a bend at the hips would suffice this time. "Shall we go inside for something to eat?" he would ask then, deriving from the subject at hand.

It wasn't until then that Lelouch had begun to feel the pain in his stomach from not eating. Hn…his last meal, he couldn't even remember when it had been. Sometime before the Zero Requiem… And he didn't want to chance stopping for something to eat after being dug from his grave.  A smirk played at his lips for a moment before disappearing just as quickly (he didn't need to be questioned of his thoughts) at the thought of the reactions he would get if he walked into a restaurant requesting dinner. Either way, he had given a nod. "That sounds good."

The four made their way into the house, then. However, one had trailed behind as he took in his new surroundings. This…was certainly going to be quite a different experience than he was used to.  He had lived the life as a common Britannian boy, but never had he thought that he would downgrade as low as a simple commoner farmer. Hn…not that it mattered. He didn't even want to be considered royalty now.

Once they were in, Jeremiah would begin making sandwiches while Anya moved to grab the glasses for their drinks. It wouldn't be long after that that everyone had sat at the table. And once they had, it seemed as if Jeremiah couldn't stop ogling over the young man that sat before him. There was talk of where the two were staying and how their life would be led around the farm. Small talk was made after that, but nothing too important, not in Lelouch's mind anyway. Actually, it almost felt familiar. Almost…like a family, but something was missing.

"Nunnally…I'm sorry."

Morning came much too soon for the young Britannian. He probably wouldn't even be up if not for the fact that he felt movement from the other side of the bed, signaling that his partner had awoken. And, well, it seemed as if there wasn't a belief in curtains on this farm, for the rising sun shone through the bare window, causing the boy to pull the blanket over his head in attempt to block out the intruding light. He didn't wake up for classes…he definitely wasn't getting up for work.

However, that small movement proved to be a mistake for a voice greeted him soon enough. "Good, you're awake," it would say. Mentally sighing, the boy had rolled over before pulling the blanket even higher. He wasn't getting up.

Though that would be another mistake made. This certainly wasn't like him…but he had just woken up to the sunrise, he had an excuse. The bed would shift slightly as his partner crawled back onto the bed, straddling him soon after. "If you don't work, you can't eat," the voice would coax thereafter. It was what she was told anyway.

Annoyed, the teenager had pulled down the blanket, a frown lining his features. It would disappear the moment he had caught sight of what was before him, though. Normally he would ignore the antics of the witch, but waking up to the sight of her naked breasts just about in his face, well, it was just unacceptable. "Clothes. Now," he stated as nonchalantly as he could. Hn, he could feel his cheeks warming up. So much for keeping his cool. Either way, he would do nothing more but stare into the golden eyes of the female above him, attempting to keep the same bored look that he always sported.

"For a man who controlled the world…you are much to innocent," the witch muttered, "Most men would enjoy this sight the moment they awoke." She would shrug it off, then, as she moved away from her warlock, climbing off the bed after.

"I'm not most men, am I?" came the reply, followed by a scoff. By then, he had regained his composure. It was rather pathetic falling under a woman's spell like that. But really…he couldn't fight it, not with his teenage hormones raging.

Golden eyes slid over to look to the teenager still lying in bed. "I suppose not," C.C. mused in response as she finished with her clothes. She had begun to walk out of the room, then, but stopped, a hand set to the cool metal of the door handle.  "We need to talk," she would say, turning her body slightly to look to the teen.

Not liking the tone in his partner's voice, a brow would raise as Lelouch pushed himself up to sit to better look to the woman. She never wanted to talk. "I see no need to speak of anything," he stated in return. It was much too early in the morning and frankly, he could care less about anything at the moment. Unless…that witch had been keeping something from him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked to the one in question. This farm wasn't as safe as she claimed it to be, was it? He knew there had to be something about it. No place could be safe for him after what he had done…when he was supposed to be dead.

"Love," came the simple reply. "You have a contract to keep up."

Hn, of course. That's what the witch had always wanted….to be loved. And what with his speech about forever being her warlock, it would only be natural that the topic would come up again. Mentally cursing himself for ever bringing it up, the teen had fallen back onto the bed. How could he be so careless as to say something so simple that his partner took it out of proportion? But had she really? How he had said it…how he had acted, well, it would bring on the impression that he was willing to love forever. "You cannot hope to receive love where there is no love to give," he stated as he looked up to the ceiling, "My love has long ran out."

"Shirley? No…Nunnally?" the witch asked. She had come back to the bed by then. There had been amusement in her tone, that much Lelouch could pick out, but he would ignore it. There was no need to start something over the mention of his sister and…hn, closing his eyes, he rolled over onto his side.

"Perhaps both."

A small nod was the witch's only response. She knew that it wouldn't be seen, but she didn't seem to care as she climbed back into the bed. "I can live with being loved for a short time, if that is all you can offer," she whispered, slowly pulling the blanket down, off of her partner, as she spoke.

A hand shot down to grab the blanket that was being pulled off of him, as if to keep it up. It seemed to work, for the pulling had stopped. "You're being awfully whimsical, witch," he muttered. She would get like this sometimes…and really, it was annoying. He couldn't provide her with what she wanted. As said, his love had long run out. "Are you so desperate to be loved?" He really shouldn't provoke her, not while she was in this sort of mood, but he couldn't help but be curious as to where this was going to lead.

"I saw how you looked at me," she mused, pulling at the blanket once more. Though, this time she would waste no time pulling it completely off the man before her.

"Don't put your fantasies on me," he grumbled as he turned onto his back once more, a slight frown coming to his lips. And there was mistake number three of the morning. He really shouldn't have turned and opened his eyes; for if he hadn't, he wouldn't have seen that the woman before him had only dressed herself in an oversized t-shirt. His frown deepened. She had been planning this from the beginning.

"Don't try to act innocent, you demon," she murmured. Her hands had traveled, then, to find the edge of his shirt. Of course, the demon in question would resist any attempt that the witch would make to push his shirt up. However, when her lips were against his, he found it hard to do so any longer. It was really a strange feeling. When their lips had met before, he had felt nothing, but now, hn, he couldn't help but return the kiss given.

Mistake number four.

"Just where is this going?" Lelouch had finally asked when the kiss was ended. And unfortunately, he had an idea, well he had a few ideas, but one was more prominent than the others. Especially since his shirt had successfully been unbuttoned during their kiss. Although, the kisses didn't stop there, no…they would continue trailing down his jaw line and to his neck before C.C. had stopped and looked up to the man.

There was something in her eyes he just couldn't place…much different than what he had ever seen. Although, just as with his idea where this was going, he could guess that the look in her eyes was leading to the same thing. "Your innocence is showing," she mused. She would waste no time after that to place another kiss to the younger man's lips. It was more passionate this time, so much so that the man couldn't help but give into her fully.

Which led to mistake number five…and six.

Number six being that the door wasn't locked. Number six being that Lelouch could vaguely hear the click of a camera as he made love to his partner. Number six being that he didn't notice it until the door was closed again.

And for all he knew, number seven would be on it's way.