Chapter 24 - Poor Fade!

"Robin… is so dead."Fade whispered while glaring at the floor. Seeing as she was one of the leaders, she wasn't informed on who would be on her squad. She knew it was Robin's way of picking on her… He would pay for this. She stood awkwardly next to Lelouch, who hasn't stopped staring at her since he walked into her room. He didn't say anything, but he never looked away.

"Kei-Chan..." Lelouch whispered, making her breath hitch in her throat. All the memories she made with him came flooding back to her along with the pain of remembering. It was no secret that she had loved him… she loved him very much. However, he broke her heart. He lied to her. He was always a good liar, but she never thought he would actually lie to her.

The memories of all those lonely nights, locked away in her room crying her eyes out, filled her head. The phone call she received that day will forever stay in her memory.

Flashback:

Fade was giggling with Crystal about something Ryuzaki had done as they sat in Crystal's room. They heard knocking at the door.

"Who is it?" Crystal asked, not really paying attention.

"Inuyasha."

"Get lost." Crystal joked, causing both girls to break out in a fit of laughter at the hanyou's expense.

"Haha. There's a phone call for Fade." He answered, and immediately the girls could tell something was wrong. His voice was different from his usual prideful, gruff tone. It was lower, sadder; full of pity.

Fade and Crystal exchanged glanced before Fade rose to her feet and headed towards the door. She opened it and was slightly taken aback by the expression on his face. His amber eyes were filled with pain, the honey orbs like warm liquid. His lips were pulled down into a frown and his ears even seemed to flatten against his head. Fade placed her hand on his cheek.

"Hey… we were only kidding… you okay?" She whispered, worry in her voice. All joking aside, he was one of her closest friends. For him to be acting like this was unlike him; it worried her.

He said nothing but shook his head. His clawed hand covered her own.

"..Just go take the call." He whispered and withdrawals. Crystal, who was standing in her doorway, raised an eyebrow at the hanyou's behavior and approached him after Fade had walked down the hall and towards the Tower's phone.

"What's going on?" She whispered to him. Inuyasha shook his head.

"You will find out soon enough…"

Fade picked up the receiver and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked, curious of who had called her and why Inuyasha was acting so strange.

"…Is this Hatake Keira?" It was a male's voice, one that sounded familiar, yet she couldn't identify the person.

"Yes. May I ask who is calling?"

"Kururugi Suzaku." Her mouth opened in an 'o' shape as recognition filled her. She was her boyfriend's childhood friend and his "frenemie". She never really talked with Suzaku… so why was he calling her now?

"Ahh. Suzaku. What's up?" She asked casually, yet formally, for he was the knight of Princess Nunnally.

"It's about Lelouch." His voice seemed strained, tired; full of pain and regret.

Her heart skipped a beat and her breath hitched in her throat.

"L-Lelouch?" She whispered her lover's name, fear welling up inside her.

"He… he died, yesterday." He explained, his voice cracking at the word "died".

Time seemed to stop for the young girl as she processed this new information. It was silent on the other end and then he seemed to exhale heavily.

"I killed him." Suzaku confessed. A tear fell from her large, shocked brown eyes.

Lelouch… was dead?

Suzaku killed him?

He's dead…

He's gone…

Forever?

Fade's grip on the phone loosened, and the receiver fell to the ground, bouncing slightly as it hit the navy blue carpet.

"Miss Hatake?" Suzaku's voice was barely audiable from the receiver. Fade fell to her knees, her expression still that of shock and disbelief.

I'll never… see Lelouch again?

It was then that her whole body began to shake with sobs. She didn't know how long she sat there, on the floor of the hallway, but she never moved. Someone had found her and carried her to her room, but she couldn't see who it was. She was to lost in herself to pay any attention. She vaguely remembered their soft voice calling out to her in an attempt to comfort her.

End of Flashback.

Fade shook her head. She would not let that happen again.

"Hey, f*cktards." Flame announced as she swung the door open and made herself at home. Slightly annoyed, yet relieved at the same time, Fade greeted her comrade with her middle finger. Flame exchanged glances between the two in front of her before raising her eyebrow in suspicion.

"You two weren't doing the 'hinkidy-dinkidy', were you?" Flame deadpanned, causing Fade and Lelouch to blush madly.

"No. We weren't. There's no way we would." Fade objected, refusing to look either of them in the eye. Flame chuckled.

"That's good… Especially since it could've been the butler who walked in on you; not me. Haha. I wonder where he is? I'm sure he'd love this." Flame teased the younger girl, who glared back at her in response.

"Sebastian is probably with Ciel, greeting their new team leader."

"Then why isn't he here?"

Fade's eyes widened.

No… Robin isn't that cruel, right? He wouldn't seriously make her lead team made up of a love triangle… right?

xXxXxXx

Meanwhile, Robin laughed hysterically at his own evil plot.

xXxXxXxXx

Ohhh yes, that little twerp was going to get it good.

Fade sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Sebastian is on this team as well…?"

"I believe I am." Sebastian's voice scared the hell out of Fade, who had jumped (literally) ten feet in the air and landed on her butt. She blushed and pointed dramatically at him.

"Where'd you come from!"

"Hell."

Flame was the only one who laughed. Fade was too busy drowning in her own sorrow at the predicament she now found herself in.

"This…" Fade began while glancing from Sebastian (who was currently glaring at Lelouch) over to Lelouch (who was currently glaring at Sebastian). The tension was thick. "…Is balls."

Fade dropped her head into her hands as Flame chuckled.

"Yep. Big, hairy, sweaty balls." Flame said while smiling cheerfully as she patted her friend on the back.