Be My Knight

Be My Knight
A Code Geass fan fiction story
Written by Archangel
Edited by Comixgal

Chapter 5 – Mini-Golf

{Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Mimi. The suggested music for this chapter is "Roses Are Red" by Aqua. Further notes at the end. Enjoy, and please provide feedback! RATE and/or REVIEW, please!}


Suzaku's first considered action of the day was to bring his arm up to shield his eyes. Morning sunlight streamed through the high bay windows of the bedroom. On the one hand, it hurt his head. On the other hand, it highlighted the happy smile on the face of Princess Euphemia Li Britannia as she lay next to him. Suzaku smiled as well as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

The feel of her warm skin brought a flood of jumbled memories rushing into Suzaku's mind. Last night... wow. Even after last time, he never would have expected Euphie to be quite so energetic. Details were fuzzy, but Suzaku recalled wondering exactly how thick the walls were on three separate occasions. "It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for," he murmured with a smile.

Suzaku tried to sit up in Euphie’s large bed and fell back onto the pillow with a soft groan. She had also exhausted his stamina, which was really saying something. Suzaku had always been something of an exercise fanatic. He would have to increase his regimen if this was going to continue. And it would, of course. Suzaku could face the thought of his own death far more readily than the though of losing Euphie. As Milly would probably say, he had it bad.

He made another effort to sit up and succeeded this time. Okay, good. He next tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed. That worked too. However, when Suzaku tried to stand up, a small hand caught his upper arm and held him back.

"Where do you think you're going, handsome?" came a sleepy voice from behind him.

Suzaku turned with a loving smile, looking down at his lady. "I have to go before they come to wake you up," he told Euphie gently. He reached out and ran a finger just under her jaw.

Euphie gave a cute little shiver and let her violet eyes roam lazily up and down Suzaku's nearly naked body. "Aww, don't I get one more before you leave?"

Suzaku laughed. "You are going to be the death of me, little angel. I'm still worn out from last night."

"Maybe you should exercise more," Euphie shot back with a mock-pout.

"I run five miles every day!" Suzaku protested with a boyish grin. "Looks like I'll have to up it to seven or eight, though." He gently slipped out of Euphie's grasp, then stood up and began to put on his rumpled dress uniform.

As he gave up on the bowtie and dropped it into his jacket pocket, he looked over to see Euphie gliding towards him across the thick carpet. Her white silk nightgown swirled delightfully around her body, and the rising sun created a halo behind her head. She was one pair of wings away from being a real angel. "I wish you didn't have to go," she told him sincerely.

Suzaku couldn't help licking his lips as he reached out to give her a big hug. "I'll see you this afternoon, remember?" he replied, planting a kiss upon her fuchsia hair.

"Oh, right! Our date! I'd forgotten all about it."

"Please, Your Highness. It's an incognito inspection tour," Suzaku told her with a grin. "I'm to escort you as you gauge the mood of the citizenry and see how the entertainment and restaurant industries are faring."

"Ah yes, silly me. And exactly what facilities will I be inspecting, Sir Suzaku?" she asked with an impish smile.

"That, my love, is a surprise." They kissed passionately. "Make sure you wear a jacket," Suzaku told her with a wink as he reluctantly pulled away. "I'll see you at fourteen-hundred."

He vanished behind one of the hangings that lined the wall.

*****

Soldiers are nothing if not punctual, as Suzaku proved by pulling up to the front steps of Thames Palace at precisely 1400 hours. Waiting for him was a perfectly ordinary-looking teenage girl who was rather surprised to see her date arrive on a motorcycle. Suzaku grinned behind his white helmet as he flipped the kickstand out and shut off the engine.

“Hi, Euphie!” he said cheerfully, flipping up the opaque visor. “Ready to go?” He was relieved to see that she’d done as he asked and worn a denim jacket over her top. Wouldn’t do to give the Sub-Viceroy windburn, girlfriend or not.

For her part, Euphemia couldn’t help giggling as she bounced down the marble steps and took his hand. “Are you sure this thing can carry both of us?”

Suzaku started laughing. “This, my love, is an Essex military motorcycle. It’s designed to carry a sidecar, two armored troopers, and a heavy weapon.” He patted the handlebar affectionately. “I think we’ll be okay. Here, you’ll need this.” Suzaku flipped open the cargo box fastened astride the rear wheel and pulled out a visored helmet identical to his.

Euphie took the helmet with slight trepidation and managed to put it on without dislodging her bound hair. Suzaku had to help her buckle the chin strap properly. “So, how do I look?” she asked coyly, giving a little pirouette.

Suzaku made a show of looking her up and down carefully. “Beautiful,” he replied with a smile and mounted the bike again. “Hop on.”

With some trepidation Euphie straddled the motorcycle, feeling it vibrate powerfully beneath her as Suzaku started the engine. Good thing I decided not to wear a skirt, she thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around her lover’s waist.

“All set?” Suzaku asked loudly over the roar of the engine.

“I think so!” Euphie replied.

Suzaku reached back and flipped her visor closed, then did the same to his own. He flipped up the kickstand, twisted something on the handlebar, and they were off.

Euphie let out a little yelp at the sudden acceleration. Her feet scrabbled against the side of the bike until they found purchase on the foot pegs. Euphie nearly fell off as Suzaku made a sharp turn out of the palace gates; she survived by clamping her legs tightly against the chassis and by hanging onto Suzaku for dear life.

The shaken princess and her knight sped up the road towards the highway.

*****

Ten minutes later, Euphie found herself laughing with delight as Suzaku dodged nimbly around a lumbering semi. Even protected by her clothing and helmet she could feel the wind buffeting them forcefully as they cruised along.

As her fear of falling off abated, Euphemia had been surprised to find it replaced by a feeling of pure exhilaration. Suzaku proved to be an expert driver, weaving them through the busy traffic with a deft touch. Euphie couldn’t see the speedometer but she was sure they were going well over the posted speed limit. In fact, she was positive that Suzaku was pushing the bike for all it was worth.

Boys! Euphie thought. They always need to show off. Not that she minded—she was having fun watching the world flash by. It was different on the bike than it was in a car; everything seemed so close and immediate.

The journey was shorter than Euphie expected. After about half an hour of travel, Suzaku pulled into a commercial neighborhood near the industrial section of Tokyo. Euphie knew of the area but had never been there before; it wasn’t really part of either the ghettos or the settlement. Both Britannian and Eleven kids came here to have fun away from their parents’ watchful eyes. The merchants and the police did a good job of keeping undesirable elements out, leaving a remarkably safe little district with just enough wildness to excite teenagers. For obscure reasons, the area was known simply as The Strip.

Suzaku stopped the bike in a weather-beaten parking lot full of weather-beaten vehicles. This was definitely a teenage hangout. Suzaku dismounted gracefully and caught Euphie's arm as she tried to do the same. She would have fallen otherwise; the bike was fun, but it had thrown her inner ears completely out of alignment.

After regaining her balance, Euphie removed her helmet and handed it to her boyfriend, who stashed both in the cargo box. She took his hand, looking around curiously. "So, where are we?"

Her knight pointed to the sign over the entrance, which proudly proclaimed 'Tokyo Bay Mini-Golf.'

Euphie turned to look at Suzaku curiously. "I know what golf is, but what's mini-golf?"

Suzaku turned to her in surprise. "You've never been mini-golfing? Boy, you've been missing out on a lot of fun stuff." He gave her a kindly smile as they passed within.

One payment, two putters, and two golf balls later Euphie found herself looking with some trepidation down a strip of green astroturf. The problem was the large mechanical samurai straddling the fake grass; his sword swung back and forth like a pendulum across the opening.

After just staring for a moment, Euphie determinedly set her ball down on the little rubber mat and took hold of her stick. She wasn't going to let some big lunk intimidate her! She lined up her swing, and—

"Sweetie?"

"Yes?"

"You're holding the wrong end."

"Oh." Euphie looked back at Suzaku. He was grinning mightily, but managing not to laugh. "But this looks like a handhold, and..." she trailed off, blushing.

Suzaku stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Never held a golf club, have you?"

Euphie shook her head. "It's an old man's game."

Suzaku finally broke down and laughed. A lot. "I can't argue with that," he told her through tears of mirth, "but mini-golf is a kids' game." His hand found hers and gave it a loving squeeze. "Here, let me show you."

He guided her hands to the *real* grip of the putter and showed her how to hold it properly. Euphie smiled as he deliberately pressed closer than he needed to, wrapping his arms around from behind to teach her how to swing.

"Hey, cut it out," Suzaku told her with a laugh as she rubbed back against him. "I'm trying to teach you."

Euphie turned and looked up at him with big soulful puppy-dog eyes.

Suzaku blushed, then leaned down and kissed her neck. “There. Happy?” He kissed her again on the temple for good measure.

The princess giggled. “Very.” With Suzaku’s guidance, she carefully lined up her putter and hit the ball cleanly. It rolled straight and true down the fairway and bounced off the large swinging katana. Euphie made a little noise of protest. “How am I supposed to get it past that thing?”

“Look carefully, hon. There’s a two point five second opening each time the blade reaches an apogee of its swing. The trick is to time your shot so that it slips through the gap.” He paused and let Euphie study the timing for a few swings, stepping back from their embrace to let her stand on her own. “Your shot was straight on. You just need to do the exact same thing with proper timing.”

Euphie furrowed her brow, adjusted her feet slightly, and swung once more. The ball passed cleanly by the sword, between the Samurai’s legs, and dropped neatly into the hole at the far end. She laughed and jumped up and down. “I did it!”

Suzaku smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Nice shot, babe! Must be beginner’s luck.”

That comment earned him a swat on the arm as he dropped his own ball onto the mat. “Well, then show me how it’s done, Mr. Expert!” Euphie challenged him with an impish smile, stepping out of his way and crossing her arms.

It took Suzaku three shots to get past the samurai and two more to sink his ball. By the time he finished, Euphie was giggling uncontrollably. “Oh hush,” he murmured with a sheepish grin.

Euphemia stood on tiptoe and kissed Suzaku on the cheek. “My hero,” she told him teasingly.

*****

The next sixteen holes seemed to pass quickly, although the couple didn’t rush in any way. As it transpired, Euphie’s dead aim on the first hole was a fluke. She was, to put it mildly, terrible at the game. Not that Suzaku was going to tease her about it; he wasn’t much better. Nonetheless, the two teenagers enjoyed themselves immensely. Aside from being able to spend time with each other, Euphie relished being a normal girl for a little while.

Suzaku would have done the same, except he was working as well as playing. Every few seconds his eyes made a thorough sweep of their surroundings, scanning for anything that might signal danger to his beautiful charge. Euphie didn’t seem to know he was doing it, and Suzaku wasn’t about to tell. The last thing he wanted was to worry her. Besides, he wasn’t concerned. Keeping an eye on things was just part of his job.

All too soon they found themselves at the 18th hole. A straight strip of ‘grass’ led to a shallow jump into what was basically a ski-ball target at the end. It was divided into concentric circles, each designed to catch a golf ball and channel it into a hole and thence to a collection bin. A large sign to the side promised a free game for four to anybody who could hit the center of the target.

“You go first.”

Suzaku shrugged. “Alrighty.” He lined up his shot and swung deliberately. The ball hit the middle ring hard, traveling nearly to its apex before falling down into the hole. “Oh well,” he commented ruefully. “Your turn, Euphie.”

Euphie knew she’d miss. Nevertheless, she was determined to try. She carefully lined up her feet and club as Suzaku had taught her. She made a few practice swings to find the amount of force she wanted to use. She dropped her ball on the mat, drew her putter back, and hit the ball.

It dropped neatly into the center ring.

A buzzer went off. An employee stuck his head out of the front booth. “It’s been six months since somebody nailed it! Congrats, Miss!”

Suzaku’s mouth fell open. He looked over to see Euphie wearing an identical expression of shock. They stared at each other for a moment, then beamed at one another. Suzaku came over and hugged her. “Nice shot, sweetheart.”

Euphie hugged back. “I guess we’ll have to come back some time.”

Suzaku nodded. “C’mon, I think this calls for a celebration! I know a great place down the block.”

The Sub-Viceroy slipped her arm through his as they returned their clubs and collected her free-game certificate. “Lead the way, love.”


{More Author's Note: Yes, Suzaku and Euphie got together again between the last chapter and this one. No, I am not going to write it out. We saw their first time, and that's enough. They deserve their privacy from now on.

For the record, I have no idea if they have mini-golf in Japan or in Britain.

Many thanks to my wonderful alpha readers: AnimeFreak859, Blubutterfly, Deanithiro, and JG!

I know this chapter is a week late, and I apologize. I was moving last weekend.}