Meeting Euphie

He is walking next to official buildings in a city that is clean, sparkling. His face is bruised and cut and he can feel he is wounded, mostly bruises but his chest hurts like he has recieved a more serious injury there.

"Look out below!" Suzaku looks up to see a figure falling from above. He reacts quickly, putting out his arms to catch her. A girl with light purple eyes and pink hair blinked up at him.

"Um are you alright?" He asked in shock.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know there was anyone down here!" Suzaku helped her to her feet.

"No I didn't think a lady would be falling from above either." He blinked at her, "Is something the matter?"

The girl frowned a moment before smiling at him, "Yes there is! The truth is you see, I am being chased by some very bad men. Will you help me?"

Of course Suzaku would help her and they left the buildings, going out into the city proper. Suzaku put on a pair of sunglasses and the girl walked beside him happily. "Of I don't believe I've introduced myself... I'm... um... Euphie!"

"Euphie?" He blinked at her.

"Yes!"

"I'm." Suzaku turns to her and she sighed.

"For goodness sake, you're famous you know!" Suzaku doesn't look too happy at his new found infamy. "The son of the late prime minister Kururugi, Private First Class Suzaku Kururugi."

Suzaku looked away, "It was a lie that you were being chased, wasn't it?"

"Meow!" Suzaku looked back at Euphie to see she had moved and was kneeling by a cat, meowing at it. "Meowmeow. Are you hurt meow? Meowmeow." The cat hissed at her. But she meowed at it some more until it nuzzled her hand happily.

Suzaku raised his sunglasses to see better and Euphie picked up the cat and held it out to him. Suzaku reached out to stroke it and it bit his finger, making him wince.

They take the cat and sit down on some steps, Euphie ties a bandage round the injured paw, "Don't you like cats?" She asked Suzaku.

"No I love them," He reached out to pet it and it hissed at him again, baring it's teeth. "But I suppose my love is a bit one sided..."

"Unconditional love is a sign of a gentle soul." Euphie told him, making him blink.

"Euphie? Why did you lie back there?

"Are you curious about me?" The girl teased, Suzaku nodded, "Then you should accompany me a while longer." She grabbed his arm and dragged him off.

They wandered, looking in shop windows, Euphie copying the models and making Suzaku laugh. Despite the ordeal that the last couple of days had been his smiles and laughs came easily, he asked her questions, she was from the mainland, Britannia itself and had been a student.

They spent the best part of the afternoon like that, getting food from street sellers and eating it sat on a wall. They were walking when Euphie spoke, "Can you show me one last place, Suzaku?"

Suzaku span round, his eyes still laughing and made a stylistic bow. "You're wish is my command, my princess!"

"Then let's go to Shinjuku."

Suzaku's eyes widened, the smile gone, he stood up.

"Show me the Shinjuku ghetto, mister Suzaku Kururugi." Euphie had a stubborn look on her face.

So they went, leaving the city and moving to where the battle had taken place. Walls were covered in pictures, with candles, flowers, toys and sweet treats left by them, collective shrines to the dead.

"The shinjuku ghetto was completely destroyed..." Suzaku was telling Euphie, "People were only just starting to return too..." The two stood in respectful silence at the shrine.

"Man these Elevens don't know who they are dealing with!" A voice from not too far away. The two looked around angrily to see two Britanian's in school uniform by a statue taking photos.

A moment later a young man stormed up to them, knocking the camera out of their hands. "Get out of here, you Britannian pigs!" Suzaku looked towards the conflict.

"Wait here." He told Euphie softly before going up to where three Japanese boys were now stood opposite the two Britannians.

"Who do you think you are, damned Eleven!"

"Don't call us Eleven's we're Japanese!"

"What do you mean, you lost the war didn't you?"

The Japanese man looked like he was about to strike out just as Suzaku arrived, "Wait, don't hurt them!"

"Don't get in my way!" The man lashed out, knocking Suzaku's sunglasses off his face. All five stared at him.

"Oh he's..."

"Are you Kururugi Suzaku?"

"The one that did Clovis in?"

Suzaku looked down. Clearly regretting trying to interfere in this fight.

"Naw that was Zero."

The angry Japanese man scoffed, "What does it matter, this guys only a slave, you blather about being an honoury Britannian, you sold your pride, your friends, your soul." Suzaku just looked at him with sad eyes. "And you still have the nerve to call yourself Japanese!"

That seemed to strike a nerve, "No, I!" He stepped forward.

"You Britannian dog!" The man ran forward to hit him, Suzaku shifted his wait, grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. He landed with a thud.

"Please stop this. I am a trained fighter. We're on the same side."

"No we're not, bastard!"

But one of the others, went to grab his friend and the three left, "Damned traitor."

"Suzaku!" Euphie ran up to him, "Are you alright?" Suzaku nodded, though his eyes showed that as a lie.

"No it's not!" One of the Britannian boys was picking up his camera, "You were late!" That to Suzaku, "You're a Britannian aren't you? Why did you let them go? Go kill them! You've probably killed a ton of Elevens before! They're not worth crap! Who do you think you are?"

Suzaku just looked down, but Euphie stepped out from behind him and walked calmly to the student, and slapped him hard over the face, making him drop his precious camera again.

"I will tolerate no further rudeness towards this man!"
The boys disappeared quickly after that, Suzaku sighed. "I just want a world where no one suffers." He says quietly, and then looks round as an explosion sounds from not far off. Smoke rose from behind a building.

"Suzaku!" That was Cecile's voice, as she and Lloyd drove up in a military truck.

"Cecile!"

"It's dangerous here, get in!"

"The purists are fighting among themselves." Lloyd explained. "Let's get out of here." He grinned, "Ah and my condolences on your release, seems like you are stuck with us a while longer."

"Wait!" Suzaku stood up straight, "Isn't this a good chance to gain valuable combat data for Lancelot."

Cecile looked worried but Lloyd grinned, "Oh ho!"

"Suzaku..." That was Euphie. Suzaku turned to her.

"I'm sorry Euphie but this is goodbye. I have to go... The Lancelot will be able to stop them so..."

It didn't take him long to start up Lancelot, which was in the back of the truck and soon he appeared above the battle, stood on a ridge. Just as three Knightmare's raced towards a fourth, spears out. "All hail Britannia!"

Suzaku threw down a slash harken, stopping them in their tracks. "Stop this! Britannian soldiers must not fight among themselves!"

"We do as we please." One of them called back, "No matter who you are, we will kill you for interfering."

"I cannot allow that! I will not permit such a meaningless fight to continue." He drew swords, which glowed purple. "We're all on the same side."

The Knightmare's attacked and the Lancelot leaped from the ledge. It was very clear it was the superior weapon, faster, cutting their attacks. He soon had the upper hand, even against three.

"Do you still intend to fight?" Suzaku asked, landing Lancelot in a defensive stance.

"All Units fall back!"

"Thank you for understanding." Suzaku sounded relieved.

I'll have to use a chaos grenade." The duke continued taking a cylinder from the side of the Knightmare frame.

Inside Lancelot Suzaku's eyes widened in horror. The knightmare threw the grenade... just as Euphie ran onto the battlefield. "Stop this!"

Suzaku reacted almost instantaneously, bringing up a shield and jumping in between Euphie and the grenade that had now started spinning and sending off bolts of energy. Euphie covered her face with her hands as light and bolts flew everywhere.

The grenade burned itself out and fell to the floor.

"All sides lower your swords!" Euphie shouted walking towards the Knightmare frame that had set off the grenade. "I order you in my name. I am the third princess of the Britannian Empire, Euphemia de Britannia!" Suzaku's eyes went as wide as saucers. "I will take full responsibility for this incident." She continued. "Fall back!" The four Knightmare Frames went to one knee.

"I apologise my lady!"

Suzaku had climbed out of Lancelot and ran towards the princess. "Princess!" He stood at attention, "I didn't know. I am so sorry."

Euphie turned to look at him, her eyes sad. "Suzaku, as you have lost your father I have lost my brother, Clovis. Will you lend me your aid, and help me ensure that never again will anyone have to endure such pain?"

Suzaku brought his arm across his chest, bowed his head and went to one knee. "Yes ma'am! Your wish is my command!"