Apricity

Retrouvailles

The sun glared down upon the world on a boiling day such as today. The first day back to school. Students on the school grounds of Ashford Academy felt like sasuages being cooked in a frying pan. Drenching their clothes with their sweat, all the students walked inside of the refreshing academy to see what classes they were going to have this year. 

Lelouch Lamperouge or real name Lelouch Vi Britannia lived on school grounds for convenience. He and his younger sister Nunnally changed their last names so no one would ask any personal questions about their family or concerning any politics. While Lelouch is royalty and could be homeschooled just as his other siblings are, he wanted to be there for Nunnally. After all, she kept insisting to go to a live school with other people that might share her interests. If Lelouch hadn't decided to go to school, everyone in the family would be homeschooled, because his father refused to let Nunnally go to school on her own without anyone to turn to. So of course, being the full older brother of Nunnally, he volunteered to live on school grounds with her. Lelouch and Nunnally had been on school grounds since Lelouch's final year of junior high, which would be 4th grade for Nunnally. Now Lelouch is a sophomore, and Nunnally is a 7th grader now.

-

"Lelouch! We have our classes together come and look!" Rivalz waved Lelouch over to a hallway full of students looking at their homerooms pasted on the wall. Lelouch started speedwalking with Nunnally who was paralyzed from the waist down, and had to be in a wheelchair, over to his friend with blue hair waving him down, until he saw his girlfriend, Shirley Fenette. He froze up with guilt and fear. Of course, it was nothing new. It happened everytime he saw her, because he knew in his heart he never felt any emotions towards her. He loved her as a best friend but he never felt the spark of romance towards her, while Shirley on the other hand was in love with Lelouch. She loved everything about him, his caring side for his sister Nunnally, his smile, his hair, his intelligence, the list could go on and on naming every feature of Lelouch. 

Shirley turned towards Lelouch's direction, and ran towards him, "Lulu and Nunnally, how was your guys' summer vacation?" she smiled hooking her arm with Lelouch's right arm. Lelouch plastered a fake grin on his face, "Oh it was good! We went to the county fair, and Suzaku visited us a few times, sometimes he even went with us to the fair." Shirley nodded, "Suzaku is your childhood best friend you told me about right? The japanese one?" Nunnally turned towards Shirley, "Mhm! We used to do all these little activities all the time before he moved with his father." Lelouch felt a bittersweet twinge in his heart. Suzaku, my best friend. 

-

After reuniting with his friend group, Lelouch took Nunnally to class and went to his homeroom with Rivalz. They sat next to each other and made small talk about their summer vacations, as the teacher gave the same speech of introducing themselves, and setting down rules for the classroom. "So now that I set down the rules for my class, and finished introducing myself," the teacher signaled for someone at the door to come inside, Lelouch was stunned to see who come through the door. "I would like you all to make an impression on our new student," the teacher waved for the student to continue by introducing himself. "Suzaku Kururugi. Nice to meet you all, and I hope we can get along and have a good school year together." Lelouch sat in the third to last row, and he almost got out of his seat just to signal Suzaku down but stopped himself halfway. 

As soon as Suzaku came into the classroom, he looked at the class almost full of students, and almost immediately noticed his best friend, Lelouch. Third to last row near the window. Though, he tried to play it off as if he didn't notice at all, he couldn't help a soft smile on his face. I mean, it was his childhood best friend! In the same homeroom! How could he not be happy? After introducing himself to the class, he started toward the row infront of Lelouch's and looked at him. They stared into each others' eyes for a short moment that felt like eternity to Lelouch, before Suzaku said, "Lelouch." Lelouch smiled filled with so much joy and happiness, "Suzaku." he finally replied for a breathless moment. "Aren't we lucky?" They high-fived then fist pumped each other before Suzaku finally took his seat. It was going to be on hell of a school year.

- 

As soon as they got their breaks, Lelouch introduced Suzaku to his group of friends. "Why didn't you tell me about your cute friend, Lelouch?" Milly wrapped her arm around Lelouch and winked as she joked with him, "I'm glad you think so." Suzaku chuckled at the comment sheepishly, "How long have you known Lulu, Suzaku?" Shirley asked just wanting to know more about Lelouch's past because he always kept to himself for his past. "Mmmmm, since we were both five years old!" He showed his hand to represent the years of age they both had when they first met. Every one of Lelouch's friends were asking Suzaku questions about Lelouch that Lelouch himself would never answer, well except for Nina and Kallen. Lelouch did consider Kallen a friend but she was often shy around new people, while Nina on the otherhand has been dropped from being considered a friend. Lelouch can be around his oddball and quirky friends but Nina was odd in a different way. She had developed a weird obsession for his sister Princess Euphemia, he's not sure what the origins of this obsession are but the fact she was so infatuated with his sister without reason not only creeped him out but pissed him off. Though, he could not confront given Milly was the only one who was aware of his and Nunnally's status.

All day, Suzaku and Lelouch were inseperable. It had only been a month since they had seen each other yet they couldn't be apart for more than five minutes catching up on their lives. Though, neither one knows how they got to the point since they had made so much conversation where Lelouch would finally talk about his personal issue with his dating Shirley. 

Lelouch sighed, "How am I supposed to break up with one of my closest friends?" Suzaku contemplated on what to tell him, "Well, just say the spark its gone, I'm not sure what to tell you." They were in their elective class, Creative Writing, the teacher didn't mind all the talking among all the stuedents in the class seeing as it was their first day back, but the next day will be a different story. "Hmm how about I make a proposition for you, Lelouch?" Suzaku smirked at his brilliant idea. Lelouch raised one eyebrow with confusion, "What is it" he rolled his eyes at the fact Suzaku was smirking at his own idea, "If you don't break up with her then I will tell her you don't love her myself." Lelouch grabbed Suzaku's uniform collar and pulled him closer to his face, "You asshole." he kept his smirk up and Lelouch exhaled deeply. "Ah, fine." he hesitantly agreed to Suzaku's 'proposition'. "You have to do it today or tomorrow the latest."

-

As soon as the bell rang, Lelouch walked and took his time to leave the class, he was going to do it today. Just to get it over with. He walked back and forth and shook his hands free of sweat. He sighed heavily. Finally, he grabbed his backpack and started towards the door. Right outside, was Shirley Fenette waiting for her boyfriend to leave the empty classroom. "What took so long Lulu?" Shirley asked with concern of why he took so long to get out of the classroom, Lelouch started rubbing his thumb and index finger against each other, a habit he had to replace biting his fingernails or peeling his skin whenever he felt stressed or anxious. "I need to talk to you." He huffed out. "Yeah, of course what about?" god, is she really this dense to not know what I mean? he started rubbing his fingers even faster, "Lelouch, calm down. Even if it hurts me I will be here for you." 

His eyes welled up with tears, Shirley was a good person and didn't deserve to have been in a one-sided relationship. "I'm sorry Shirley, but I can't date you anymore. As much as I didn't want to hurt you, you didn't deserve to be lied to. I'm sorry." Instead of a heartbreaking reaction, tears from Shirley, she smiled and punched his shoulder playfully. "Thank you for being honest, Lulu. Now go, I'll see you tomorrow or whenever you want depending on how you feel!" he also smiled because she was still his friend and he walked towards Nunnally classroom to pick her up. When he left, it was then Shirley got to cry without having make Lelouch feel guilty.