The True Elites

Chapter 1-4: The Tyrant

Suzaku's POV

It was currently half-past three in the afternoon, and I was standing in a corridor observing a room from a moderate distance away. The room in question was the classroom for Class 1-C, and the events unfolding through the window certainly betrayed my expectations. I had pictured ordinary high-school classrooms as having a somewhat relaxed yet upstanding atmosphere. Perhaps it was just Class C in particular or maybe all classes at this 'special school,' were like this, but this was nothing like what I'd expected.

The raven-haired boy leaning against the wall next to me seemed to hold a similar opinion. His name was Lelouch vi Britannia or, as he goes by now, Lelouch Lamperouge. I first met him seven years ago and, while we didn't get along very well at first, we quickly became close with each other. The two of us, along with Lelouch's little sister Nunnally, share a great number of blissful childhood memories.

We were eventually seperated and lost contact due to circumstances out of our control, and I'd thought I'd never see Lelouch again - that's why I was very surprised when I walked into the Class E classroom and saw him sitting there, looking as apathetic toward the world as ever. We quickly ended up bickering after our reunion, which was nostalgic to say the least.

Thinking about how I would be spending the next three years here at this school with him, I couldn't help but crack a smile. I'd been through thick and thin with Lelouch, after all. Having someone like that that you can trust with anything, it was impossible to not be happy.

"What are you smiling at? We're on a mission here, you know."

Lelouch scolded me in a hushed tone, but this only made me grin further.

"Sorry, I was just reminiscing about seven years ago. It's crazy to think that we were reunited at this school by pure chance, isn't it?" I said in a low voice.

We spoke quietly so that no one could hear the actual contents of our conversation if they happened to pass nearby. To be honest, I didn't fully understand why it was so imperative for Class E to gain intel on the other classes without being discovered; I'd understood from the two conversations our class has had so far that this school was by no means ordinary, but these advanced schemes were well beyond my understanding. Lelouch, on the other hand, looks to be thriving in this environment and actually seems like he's enjoying himself, at least somewhat.

"Yeah. I sure was surprised when you walked through the door. I had to do a double take." Lelouch chuckled.

There was a short lull in our conversation, so I decided to ask him the question I had been wondering for the past day.

"What made you decide to enroll here, Lelouch?"

"Well, just the fact that it was renowned for being great, I guess. I must say, it's surpassed my expectations though. The living standard is very luxurious for a high-school student and I actually feel like this school might just give me something to put my all into - a goal that I can work towards with everything I've got."

"I see. It's definitely strange seeing you, who was always apathetic towards mundane life, looking like you're enjoying yourself."

Lelouch laughed quietly, but then started talking with a twinge of melancholy.

"Originally, I applied to this school and got accepted. I almost decided not to come at the last minute though."

"Really? Why's that?" I asked.

"Nunnally would most likely never get accepted into this prestigious school. Normally it wouldn't be that big a problem if we attended different schools, but when I learned this school had strict policies forbidding students from leaving campus or contacting the outside world I instantly dropped my plans of enrolling here. I only ended up coming in the end because Nunnally was so insistent that I should do what I want to do and stop worrying about her. She said it would be much more painful to her if I couldn't follow my ambitions because of her than if she couldn't see me for three years."