Be My Knight
folder
+. to F › Code Geass
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
8,116
Reviews:
10
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+. to F › Code Geass
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
8,116
Reviews:
10
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Code Geass, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Good Enough
Be My Knight
A Code Geass fan fiction story
Written by Archangel
Edited by Comixgal
Chapter 8 – Good Enough
{Author’s Note: This chapter is dedicated to Crimson Omen. I hope you’ve been getting your nostalgia fix from my stories! The music suggestion for this chapter is “Mercy Me” by Alkaline Trio. Further notes at the end. Enjoy, and please provide feedback! RATE and/or REVIEW, please!}
“WERE YOU BORN STUPID, OR DID THE ARMY MAKE YOU THAT WAY?”
Sir Suzaku Kururugi cringed in his hospital bed, instinctively trying to shield himself. The danger he now faced was the wrath of the short, plump surgeon who had pieced his battered body back together a fortnight ago.
“Kururugi, what in God’s good name were you thinking?” she raged. “It took me eight hours to patch that lung of yours, and then you go and have *sex* before it’s fully healed! It’s a miracle you’re even alive!” The doctor put her face less than an inch from Suzaku’s. “I will *not* see my hard work wasted by a couple of horny kids, Royal Family or not! No more strenuous activity until I *personally* tell you otherwise. Got it, Major?”
Suzaku nodded meekly. “Yes, doctor.”
“Good.” Dr. Whitaker glanced over the electronic displays above the bed, made a note on Suzaku’s chart, and swept out of the room.
Suzaku let out a long sigh. At least she didn’t notice the disconnected diazepam drip, he thought to himself. This way I can atone a little bit while I heal. He closed his eyes, surrendering his consciousness to the pain that pulsed through his injured frame.
*****
[Six hours later]
Princess Euphemia Li Britannia marveled at the difference eight hours of sleep could make. Suzaku had finally convinced her to go home to the palace in the wake of their… encounter early that morning. A hot shower, a good day’s rest, and a change of clothes—plus the afterglow—had done wonders for the Princess. Her mind was clearer and she felt several years younger.
Unfortunately, her good mood was not to last.
“Sub-Viceroy, I am very disappointed in you.” Cornelia Li Britannia was exiting St. Luke’s Military Hospital as her younger sister Euphemia was entering. “Nearly killing your own knight is rather frowned upon, you know.”
Euphie’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“The doctor says he’s lucky to be alive after your mutual stunt this morning,” Cornelia replied coldly as she passed. “I would have thought you’d be more concerned about his health than your libido.”
Somewhat stunned, Euphie kept walking into the hospital. A minute ago she couldn’t wait to see Suzaku again. Now she was scared that he’d be mad at her too. As it turned out, Euphie’s second scolding of the day would come from a different source.
“There you are!”
Euphie turned to see Dr. Whitaker stomping down the corridor like a squat little thundercloud. “Never in all my years of medical practice have I witnessed such irresponsible behavior! From a member of the Royal Family, no less!”
The Princess found herself backed against the wall as the good doctor railed at her. Even Lord Guilford, still acting as Euphie’s bodyguard, was loath to intervene and thereby risk the surgeon’s wrath. After a few minutes Dr. Whitaker ran down and stormed off. A very shaken Euphie continued slowly down the hallway to Suzaku’s room.
She knocked quietly. No reply. A louder knock. Still nothing. “Suzaku? It’s me. May I come in?” Silence.
Euphie looked back at Guilford. He brushed past her and opened the door slightly, sticking his head inside. Euphemia heard a small noise of confusion. Guilford withdrew his head. “Are you sure this is the right room, Your Highness?”
“Positive,” Euphie replied, running her eyes over the number on the door. 203; this was definitely the right room. She reached out and opened the door, stepping into the room.
The covers on the bed were flipped neatly aside, and a withdrawn IV line fed a small puddle on the floor. There was sign neither of a struggle nor of her knight.
“Shall I send out an alert?”
Euphie shook her head. “No. He wouldn’t go far, and he obviously hasn’t been kidnapped.”
“He may have been. He was sedated, after all.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
Guilford looked at Euphie in astonishment. “But…” he sighed. “As you say, Your Highness. Then where is he?”
The Princess crossed her arms, lost in thought for a minute. “I know where he is,” she told Guilford. “Come on.”
Euphemia and Guilford emerged from the rear of the hospital building. Like many such institutions, St. Luke’s had a park adjoining it for the use of patients and staff. The Princess and her temporary bodyguard walked its paths, looking intently for Suzaku.
*****
“Penny for them?” Euphie asked Suzaku five minutes later as she sat down beside him. He was perched on a ledge overlooking a small pond, staring blankly out over the water. Euphie was surprised when Suzaku didn’t react to her presence or her question. He didn’t so much as twitch. The Princess turned her head and gave Lord Guilford a look. He nodded and withdrew, giving the couple privacy. Euphie took Suzaku’s limp hand in hers and squeezed it. “Talk to me.”
“What about?” Suzaku murmured dully.
Euphie sighed. “Why you’re so depressed, for starters.”
“Oh, I nearly killed myself again this morning,” Suzaku replied at a more normal volume. “And I’m just wondering how I’m supposed to take care of you if I can’t even take care of myself.”
“That was my fault, not yours,” Euphie protested. “And I’m so sorry, love. I… just didn’t think.”
Suzaku shook his head. “I could feel what kind of shape my lung was in, but I made love to you anyway. I should have said no.”
“Oh, you…” Euphie laughed quietly. “You know, y—”
“What do you think of your father?”
The question took Euphie by surprise. “Not very much,” she replied honestly. “He’s cold as ice, and treats everyone around him like objects. Even his own children. He doesn’t have any sense of morality.” Euphie clearly could have gone on, but she didn’t. “Why?” she asked her boyfriend.
“I never knew my father,” Suzaku answered. “I mean, I knew him but… we never really spent time together.”
Euphie leaned against Suzaku, resting her head on his shoulder.
“It wasn’t that he didn’t want to,” he went on, “but my father was always so busy with his work. There wasn’t much time left for me and my mother. She never seemed to mind, so I learned not to, either. But I never got to know him. I still don’t truly know what he believed, how he thought, why he lived the way he did.”
“And the invasion denied you that chance?”
“More than that. I confronted Father after his decree. We had an argument. I… I…”
“You couldn’t prevent him from committing suicide,” Euphie whispered.
“No,” Suzaku replied. “I killed him.”
The simple statement made the Princess jerk away from her lover so she could look at him. “What?!”
“I murdered my own father,” Suzaku replied, his voice shaking. “I stabbed him right in the heart.”
Euphie realized that Suzaku hadn’t looked at her once since she sat down. “But… everyone said that—”
“Oh yes. The official story, that he committed suicide. What else could they say under the circumstances?” Suzaku asked bitterly. “The point is that I never paid for what I did. I murdered my own father, handed my country and my people over to Britannia, and got off free and clear. And when I was old enough, I joined the Britannian Army to… I don’t know… to try to bring some good out of what I’d done. I thought that maybe, by working within the system, I could make Britannia a better place.” He sighed. “But I was just kidding myself. No matter what I do, I’m still nothing but a murderer. I’m no use to you or anyone. Even your sister said as much.”
“Cornelia? When did she—”
“Oh, an hour or so ago. Debriefing,” Suzaku answered absently. “You should find someone else, Princess Euphemia,” he continued. “I’m not worthy to be your knight. Or your lover.”
“Do you really mean that?” Euphie whispered.
Suzaku nodded.
“Ohhh… you idiot!”
Princess Euphemia Li Britannia planted her hand in the small of Suzaku’s back and shoved with all her might, sending him tumbling into the pond below. He came up sputtering, looking up at the ledge where Her Highness was straightening to her full height.
“Sir Suzaku Kururugi,” Euphemia told her rather bedraggled knight, “Never again say that you aren’t good enough for me.” She had slipped seamlessly into the pose, face and voice of a Britannian princess, regal and commanding. “I chose you as my knight and as my lover. *I* say you are more than good enough for me. That means you *are.* Do I make myself clear?”
Suzaku nodded automatically. Euphie’s manner had triggered his military conditioning, and every word she said was being recorded precisely by his mind.
“Good. Now, then. Sir Suzaku Kururugi,” she told him formally, “I order you to go back to your hospital room and get better! You will not see me again until you are released, so you will therefore concentrate all your energies on healing. You will comply fully and immediately with all medical orders, including those regarding pain medication. Any questions?”
Suzaku shook his head.
“Very well.” Euphie turned and disappeared down the path with an amused Guilford in tow.
Suzaku Kururugi, RBASC, hauled himself out of the pond, straightened to military attention, and saluted her retreating form. He then turned and made his sodden way back to the hospital.
{More Author’s Note: I honestly think this is a valid treatment for unwarranted emo-ness. Getting pushed into a lake by a gorgeous gal would have done wonders for my disposition back when I was going through my big depressive phase. ;)
Dr. Whitaker’s name is a tribute to Faye Whitaker of the wonderful webcomic “Questionable Content.”
The number 203 has absolutely no significance whatsoever. I just smacked my numpad. ^_^
I shouldn’t have to explain this but I will, just in case: “Penny for them?” is a short version of the old expression “Penny for your thoughts?”.
I’ve taken the liberty of expanding a bit of Euphie and Suzaku’s relationships with their fathers. We haven’t heard many specifics in the show to this point. As I write, all of R1 has been broadcast in English. I know nothing about R2’s content yet. If anything in R2 contradicts what I’ve written, I apologize in advance.
“RBASC” stands for “Royal Britannian Army Special Corps.” I’ve just taken a stab in the dark at the formal name of the unit. If anybody knows its canonical full name, please let me know.
See you next week! Same Angel time, same Angel channel!}
A Code Geass fan fiction story
Written by Archangel
Edited by Comixgal
Chapter 8 – Good Enough
{Author’s Note: This chapter is dedicated to Crimson Omen. I hope you’ve been getting your nostalgia fix from my stories! The music suggestion for this chapter is “Mercy Me” by Alkaline Trio. Further notes at the end. Enjoy, and please provide feedback! RATE and/or REVIEW, please!}
“WERE YOU BORN STUPID, OR DID THE ARMY MAKE YOU THAT WAY?”
Sir Suzaku Kururugi cringed in his hospital bed, instinctively trying to shield himself. The danger he now faced was the wrath of the short, plump surgeon who had pieced his battered body back together a fortnight ago.
“Kururugi, what in God’s good name were you thinking?” she raged. “It took me eight hours to patch that lung of yours, and then you go and have *sex* before it’s fully healed! It’s a miracle you’re even alive!” The doctor put her face less than an inch from Suzaku’s. “I will *not* see my hard work wasted by a couple of horny kids, Royal Family or not! No more strenuous activity until I *personally* tell you otherwise. Got it, Major?”
Suzaku nodded meekly. “Yes, doctor.”
“Good.” Dr. Whitaker glanced over the electronic displays above the bed, made a note on Suzaku’s chart, and swept out of the room.
Suzaku let out a long sigh. At least she didn’t notice the disconnected diazepam drip, he thought to himself. This way I can atone a little bit while I heal. He closed his eyes, surrendering his consciousness to the pain that pulsed through his injured frame.
*****
[Six hours later]
Princess Euphemia Li Britannia marveled at the difference eight hours of sleep could make. Suzaku had finally convinced her to go home to the palace in the wake of their… encounter early that morning. A hot shower, a good day’s rest, and a change of clothes—plus the afterglow—had done wonders for the Princess. Her mind was clearer and she felt several years younger.
Unfortunately, her good mood was not to last.
“Sub-Viceroy, I am very disappointed in you.” Cornelia Li Britannia was exiting St. Luke’s Military Hospital as her younger sister Euphemia was entering. “Nearly killing your own knight is rather frowned upon, you know.”
Euphie’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“The doctor says he’s lucky to be alive after your mutual stunt this morning,” Cornelia replied coldly as she passed. “I would have thought you’d be more concerned about his health than your libido.”
Somewhat stunned, Euphie kept walking into the hospital. A minute ago she couldn’t wait to see Suzaku again. Now she was scared that he’d be mad at her too. As it turned out, Euphie’s second scolding of the day would come from a different source.
“There you are!”
Euphie turned to see Dr. Whitaker stomping down the corridor like a squat little thundercloud. “Never in all my years of medical practice have I witnessed such irresponsible behavior! From a member of the Royal Family, no less!”
The Princess found herself backed against the wall as the good doctor railed at her. Even Lord Guilford, still acting as Euphie’s bodyguard, was loath to intervene and thereby risk the surgeon’s wrath. After a few minutes Dr. Whitaker ran down and stormed off. A very shaken Euphie continued slowly down the hallway to Suzaku’s room.
She knocked quietly. No reply. A louder knock. Still nothing. “Suzaku? It’s me. May I come in?” Silence.
Euphie looked back at Guilford. He brushed past her and opened the door slightly, sticking his head inside. Euphemia heard a small noise of confusion. Guilford withdrew his head. “Are you sure this is the right room, Your Highness?”
“Positive,” Euphie replied, running her eyes over the number on the door. 203; this was definitely the right room. She reached out and opened the door, stepping into the room.
The covers on the bed were flipped neatly aside, and a withdrawn IV line fed a small puddle on the floor. There was sign neither of a struggle nor of her knight.
“Shall I send out an alert?”
Euphie shook her head. “No. He wouldn’t go far, and he obviously hasn’t been kidnapped.”
“He may have been. He was sedated, after all.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
Guilford looked at Euphie in astonishment. “But…” he sighed. “As you say, Your Highness. Then where is he?”
The Princess crossed her arms, lost in thought for a minute. “I know where he is,” she told Guilford. “Come on.”
Euphemia and Guilford emerged from the rear of the hospital building. Like many such institutions, St. Luke’s had a park adjoining it for the use of patients and staff. The Princess and her temporary bodyguard walked its paths, looking intently for Suzaku.
*****
“Penny for them?” Euphie asked Suzaku five minutes later as she sat down beside him. He was perched on a ledge overlooking a small pond, staring blankly out over the water. Euphie was surprised when Suzaku didn’t react to her presence or her question. He didn’t so much as twitch. The Princess turned her head and gave Lord Guilford a look. He nodded and withdrew, giving the couple privacy. Euphie took Suzaku’s limp hand in hers and squeezed it. “Talk to me.”
“What about?” Suzaku murmured dully.
Euphie sighed. “Why you’re so depressed, for starters.”
“Oh, I nearly killed myself again this morning,” Suzaku replied at a more normal volume. “And I’m just wondering how I’m supposed to take care of you if I can’t even take care of myself.”
“That was my fault, not yours,” Euphie protested. “And I’m so sorry, love. I… just didn’t think.”
Suzaku shook his head. “I could feel what kind of shape my lung was in, but I made love to you anyway. I should have said no.”
“Oh, you…” Euphie laughed quietly. “You know, y—”
“What do you think of your father?”
The question took Euphie by surprise. “Not very much,” she replied honestly. “He’s cold as ice, and treats everyone around him like objects. Even his own children. He doesn’t have any sense of morality.” Euphie clearly could have gone on, but she didn’t. “Why?” she asked her boyfriend.
“I never knew my father,” Suzaku answered. “I mean, I knew him but… we never really spent time together.”
Euphie leaned against Suzaku, resting her head on his shoulder.
“It wasn’t that he didn’t want to,” he went on, “but my father was always so busy with his work. There wasn’t much time left for me and my mother. She never seemed to mind, so I learned not to, either. But I never got to know him. I still don’t truly know what he believed, how he thought, why he lived the way he did.”
“And the invasion denied you that chance?”
“More than that. I confronted Father after his decree. We had an argument. I… I…”
“You couldn’t prevent him from committing suicide,” Euphie whispered.
“No,” Suzaku replied. “I killed him.”
The simple statement made the Princess jerk away from her lover so she could look at him. “What?!”
“I murdered my own father,” Suzaku replied, his voice shaking. “I stabbed him right in the heart.”
Euphie realized that Suzaku hadn’t looked at her once since she sat down. “But… everyone said that—”
“Oh yes. The official story, that he committed suicide. What else could they say under the circumstances?” Suzaku asked bitterly. “The point is that I never paid for what I did. I murdered my own father, handed my country and my people over to Britannia, and got off free and clear. And when I was old enough, I joined the Britannian Army to… I don’t know… to try to bring some good out of what I’d done. I thought that maybe, by working within the system, I could make Britannia a better place.” He sighed. “But I was just kidding myself. No matter what I do, I’m still nothing but a murderer. I’m no use to you or anyone. Even your sister said as much.”
“Cornelia? When did she—”
“Oh, an hour or so ago. Debriefing,” Suzaku answered absently. “You should find someone else, Princess Euphemia,” he continued. “I’m not worthy to be your knight. Or your lover.”
“Do you really mean that?” Euphie whispered.
Suzaku nodded.
“Ohhh… you idiot!”
Princess Euphemia Li Britannia planted her hand in the small of Suzaku’s back and shoved with all her might, sending him tumbling into the pond below. He came up sputtering, looking up at the ledge where Her Highness was straightening to her full height.
“Sir Suzaku Kururugi,” Euphemia told her rather bedraggled knight, “Never again say that you aren’t good enough for me.” She had slipped seamlessly into the pose, face and voice of a Britannian princess, regal and commanding. “I chose you as my knight and as my lover. *I* say you are more than good enough for me. That means you *are.* Do I make myself clear?”
Suzaku nodded automatically. Euphie’s manner had triggered his military conditioning, and every word she said was being recorded precisely by his mind.
“Good. Now, then. Sir Suzaku Kururugi,” she told him formally, “I order you to go back to your hospital room and get better! You will not see me again until you are released, so you will therefore concentrate all your energies on healing. You will comply fully and immediately with all medical orders, including those regarding pain medication. Any questions?”
Suzaku shook his head.
“Very well.” Euphie turned and disappeared down the path with an amused Guilford in tow.
Suzaku Kururugi, RBASC, hauled himself out of the pond, straightened to military attention, and saluted her retreating form. He then turned and made his sodden way back to the hospital.
{More Author’s Note: I honestly think this is a valid treatment for unwarranted emo-ness. Getting pushed into a lake by a gorgeous gal would have done wonders for my disposition back when I was going through my big depressive phase. ;)
Dr. Whitaker’s name is a tribute to Faye Whitaker of the wonderful webcomic “Questionable Content.”
The number 203 has absolutely no significance whatsoever. I just smacked my numpad. ^_^
I shouldn’t have to explain this but I will, just in case: “Penny for them?” is a short version of the old expression “Penny for your thoughts?”.
I’ve taken the liberty of expanding a bit of Euphie and Suzaku’s relationships with their fathers. We haven’t heard many specifics in the show to this point. As I write, all of R1 has been broadcast in English. I know nothing about R2’s content yet. If anything in R2 contradicts what I’ve written, I apologize in advance.
“RBASC” stands for “Royal Britannian Army Special Corps.” I’ve just taken a stab in the dark at the formal name of the unit. If anybody knows its canonical full name, please let me know.
See you next week! Same Angel time, same Angel channel!}