rakuen | Biology homework [Open]

Suzaku blinked but realised what had happened quite quickly, it had become a common occurance people triggering lost memories and forgetting them the moment they were told them, seeming to lose concentration and the thread of the conversation.

"Yes, it must be something you have forgotten, when you remember without a memory charm they make you forget again." Then the boy must have known that children in different worlds didn't come from trees, or maybe just some of the children in his world grew on trees and the others were born normally.

Shaking his head, Enki put the book he'd been flipping through down in disgust.

"Yeah, I'd noticed that; I don't remember the taste of peaches, but that's not so bad to rediscover every time." Enki rolled his eyes and was, suddenly, inexplicably, encased in a brief chill, as his thoughts landed on the 'I don't remember who I chose as King of En'. But then it went away and he shook his head mentally. It wasn't as if it mattered. He was the only one here, and it wasn't as if he could be tricked by someone pretending to be the king (... he hoped, what with his horn either sealed, or something else...).

And it wasn't as if it mattered. Neither the king nor Shōryū (who would be annoying about it) was here, or would end up here. (So what was that brief sense of unease and expectation? Nothing, that's what, he was just getting.... he had to admit, lonely.)

"As if the fighting wasn't bad enough..." Enki finally spat, drawing out of his thoughts to refocus on his surroundings. He was just lucky there was no blood.

Suzaku watched as the kid spoke, peaches it was such a strange thing to forget and yet there seemed to be nothing too small, nor too large for people to forget. He knew that Gino had forgotten a lot, including that Suzaku had betrayed him and Euphemia had forgotten the masacre and her own death. Yet they had also forgotten names, or tastes, or how to braid their hair.

He blinked again at Enki's words, "You don't like fighting then?" He was not surprised, he didn't supose many people liked fighting especially in a situation like this where they were being forced to fight their fellow students and not an enemy for a cause.

The mere mention had brought up images of lives lost, of families broken, of pain and needless death and blood. Enki suppressed a shiver.

"No. The things that're counted ain't just numbers or parts of an army... those are people that have to fight, to die, and for what? There must be other solutions than battle," Enki said quietly, face drawn and serious, once again looking much older than what his features otherwise suggested.

The tone of voice didn't suggest naivety, however, rather a stalwart belief (or unbending nature) that there must be another option, that lives were worth more than whatever ideals or purpose those lives were to be sacrificed to.

Not that Enki hadn't had said nature challenged more than a few times, but the nature of kirin being what they were, this couldn't be changed.

Suzaku had never heard such strong belief, such venemance against violence from someone so young, but talking to him it didn't seem like he was only twelve or thirteen. Someone who had seen so much for his age, Suzaku wondered sadly what had happened for him to have such beliefs.

"Sometimes there is no alternative, sometimes all attempts at diplomacy fail and fighting is the only thing left." He had never been as adamanetly against fighting, after all he had joined the army when he was forteen, but he had been against killing civillians, and innocent people. However he hadn't been able to claim to follow that belief anymore after...

After what? His mind had filled with fog again, and he completely lost what he had been thinking. "A world where no one had to fight would be wonderful, but I don't think people would be able to make that happen." Even in the world Lelouch was trying to create Suzaku was sure there would still be fighting. Not the huge all emcomasing war that was ruining the world, and hopefully people would be in a better position to work together to stop wars from getting out of control. But Suzaku did not doubt people would still fight.

Enki looked up with a scowl, but it didn't seem to be directed at Suzaku in a personal way.

"Shōryū... the king..." A pause, frown. That was so annoying, but Enki supposed it didn't matter; he was sure they both had said that, because that's what kings did. Fought and killed. Though Shōryū-- or-- This was frustrating. Shaking his head, Enki redirected his thoughts back to what he had been about to say.

"They both say that too. An' if I didn't do my best making sure to remind them that there are other ways, they... er, the king would probably have destroyed En by now." Of course, that could still happen. Would, most probably, sooner or later happen.

Enki tilted his head as Suzaku looked kind of vague, and then described something that, simply, was what every kirin would strive for. What was supposed to be the result of the kirin and king pair working together, he supposed.
"The king does a lousy job a lot of the time, but there's not been any fighting in En for... a really long time." Then Enki got briefly distracted again, did the king really do such a bad job? Wasn't that Shōryū? Well, they were both lazy jerks, so it was all the same!

Suzaku blinked at the boys words, he couldn't seem to decide who he was talking about but Suzaku sort of understood that he was talking about his King, who he seemed to know personally and someone called Shoryu. The fact that he seemed to know the king, and he said he had to remind him of things. Had Enki been a noble in his world. He was very young to have the kings ear.

But maybe he was a favoured son, perhaps the kings chosen heir. He definatly did not seem to have much respect for this king of his and so that suggested he was very high up in his country.

"Is En where you come from?" No fighting for a very long time, "How long is a really long time?" Enki had seemed to speak like he had seen war, and he looked no older than thirteen and so it can't have been that long a time. Unless there were wars elsewhere that Enki had seen.

"I suppose you could say it is... I mean, I was born on Mt. Hou, but En is my country," Enki said and leaned back a bit, interlacing his fingers behind his head and looking up at the ceiling. It was not nearly as interesting a ceiling as could be found anywhere in Shadowlore Palace.

"Oh, well... Since Atsuyu..." Enki paused to grimace and then frown. He didn't really like thinking about Atsuyu, because that brought thoughts of Kouya... "Well, a few hundred years, thereabouts. Shōryū... er, the king, that is, promised me a green country... where no one would starve. I'm not gonna say he's succeeded, because then he'd stop working for it, but, it's progress," Enki grinned and then had to be privately confused again, because the answer to the promise? Was in Shōryū's voice, but only the king could---

And that train of thought was neatly cut off by memory-loss fog before it was even finished, and Enki simply shifted in his seat and refocused his gaze on Suzaku.

Suzaku nodded slowly at first, but then his eyes widened and he sat up straighter. A few hundred years? So Enki was not as young as he looked, at all. Suzake sat very still through the rest of his speach, so Enki had lived or a very long time, he advised a king from the sound of it and the king had promised him a green country, in return for what? King's didn't make promises for nothing...

Was Enki like CC and VV? Had he granted the king his powers? He knew Enki was from another world, but some things were the same. Suzaku had found lots of people with a Japan in their world and if anything was going to be the same across worlds Suzaki would guess it to be the Code Givers.

"And you gave the king his powers?" In return for a green country? A strange contract from what Suzaku knew of code givers. He scowled as he waited for Enki's answer.

"Huh?" Enki blinked, stared and then laughed. While he was more confused than amused, the laughter also held a slightly sharp edge.

"The only powers I gave him was the responsibility to rule the kingdom... and the immortality to do it for as long as he does it well." Enki paused to grimace, eyes narrowed as he stared at the wall opposite the room behind Suzaku.

"I suppose he does it well enough... for a lazy idiot. And it's not as if I could have chosen to not give it to him." Another pause, this time to look at Suzaku again, a blank look on his face. "The kirin choses the king, an' then the kingdom has to hope the king ain't... like all other kings, who end up destroying the kingdom..." Enki still didn't believe kings and lords were good for the people, but at least his king had, despite his annoying failings, done well enough (up to now at least).

Suzaku blinked again even more confused, but it still sounded like Enki was a code giver, but wait... hadn't he said the king was immortal as well, and the power of responsibilty was a really strange Geass. But in a different world maybe it worked slightly differently.

"Well surely you just pick someone who wont destroy the kingdom..." Suzaku knew that it was not that easy that you couldn't tell if someone would be a good ruler, but surely you could tell someone who would just destroy everything. He had no idea what the word Enki had said meant, Kirin...

Enki resisted the urge to roll his eyes, because, well, Suzaku didn't know how it worked, did he? Enki sighed and pulled his legs up, crossing them at the ankles.

"I only 'chose' the king insofar as I was the one who went up to him and bowed. The Heavens have already decided, the kirin simply confers the will of Heaven to the 'right person'," Enki rolled his eyes again and shook his head, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

"'Course, Shōryū's says all kings have the potential to be great, but that seldom happens... I'm here to chose the king and then try to make sure the people's will is heard, and that he doesn't destroy the kingdom. The king... can do what he wants. The kirin must obey him...." Enki's eyes narrowed, but while there were the usual cynism there, Enki knew (did he? he couldn't even remember who actally was King of En!) that his king hardly ever ordered him to do something he didn't want to do...

Of course, that didn't account for all the times he didn't need to order, because he'd been an asshole and out-maneouvered him!

Suzaku listened with a faint frown on his face. He knew for a fact that CC did not have to obey Lelouch, in fact she usually went out of her way to do the oposite of what Lelouch wanted when it was a matter of little import. The idea that the heavens had decided the right person to rule sounded a little strange to Suzaku but CC said strange things all the time, half the time Suzaku was sure it was to purposfully confuse them.

"Of course kings can do what they want, but surely if they're truly a bad enough ruler that they destroy the kingdom, then you can find someone else to serve? Someone better?"

Enki looked up from where he'd been staring at the floor and shrugged, chin still rested in his hands.

'Course I can. If I survive the sickness that comes to the kirin as a hint the king ain't doing his job, first. And most kings when it comes to that point are too far gone to care about their kirin. Or their people," Enki grimaced and considered that Kei was only just getting on its feet, and Tai... Well, Gyousou seemed capable enough, he supposed. But a general for a king? Enki wasn't sure how well that would work out.

"The sickness only goes away if the king dies or shapes up."

That didn't sound like the Code Giver's. "A sickness?" That didn't sound... well what did he even mean, if his king messed up ruling Enki would fall sick? That definatly was different then Suzaku's world.

"But who decides if they are not doing there job properly?" Surely not the... Kirin... if they got sick after that was decided.

Grimacing, Enki gave another shrug.

"Heaven. The kirin's supposed to look after the well-being of the people, making sure a vocie of mercy and justice is close to the king that he 'must' listen to," Enki paused and lookd back up at Suzaku, an eyebrow raised.

"If the king behaves too harshly, if he kills without reason, takes too much taxes, whatever, Heaven will show its... 'displeasure' by striking the kirin with the sickness... and since the king will die if the kirin does so..." Enki shrugged again.

"But no kirin can make their king behave decently... unlike the king, who could order me to kill," Enki had to pause, gritting his teeth at that thought. Not that... he would, right? He was rathr sure his king wouldn't but... Since he couldn't remember. "And I'd have to do it, one way or another."

Enki did not seem happy and no wonder, Suzaku still did not understand half of what he was saying but it seemed very unfair that if the king made mistakes and was a bad ruler then someone else died for it. By the end Enki looked like he was in pain, upset at even the thought that he could be ordered to kill.

Suzaku moved a little closer he was starting to suspect that Enki's world was a cruel one and when Enki said things like he had to obey his king and his king could order to kill it sounded like he truly had no choice.

Remembering Enki's passionate words of a few moments before about how much he hated death he felt a surge of anger at this king who would force him to fight.

"You really hate killing don't you Enki?"

"Killing goes against what I am. I won't, can't fight... or, eh, defend myself, really. At home I have..." Enki paused, wondering how to describe his shirei... "Bodyguards, I suppose. I only call on 'em if I have to... To protect the king, or myself or... if... he would tell me to kill." Another grimace and then Enki shrugged. His king hadn't really done that, so it was a rather moot point, but the idea that it could happen was enough to always unsettle him.

Patethic, that's what kirin were.

He hadn't really planned on admitting something like his inability to defend himself against violence with violence, but he'd gotten pretty caught up with the discussion.

Suzaku raised another eyebrow. He himself did not like killing, did not like killing innocents that was, had tried his best not to kill those who were not soldiers and on the battle field. At least until...

Until... His mind was rapidly filling with fog and Suzaku felt uneasy, like he had done something horrible but he couldn't remember what it was and in a moment the feeling was gone and he couldn't even remember what had brought it on in the first place.

But from what Enki was saying he couldn't bring himself to fight at all, not even to defend himself. And yet his king still made him fight and now he had been brought here and would be forced to fight again by different people. It was unfair, Suzaku knew very well that the world... worlds he guessed were unfair. "No one should make you fight if you can't..."

Suzaku still did not really understand why exactly Enki could not fight but if he couldn't then he should be protected not forced to fight.

Suzaku shook his head bitterly, the world didn't work that way, none of the worlds did it seemed. People were forced into wars and into conflicts that sometimes they did not wish to fight. "You shouldn't fight if you are truly oposed to it." He said quietly, angry that this king that Enki was talking about would force him to kill, and silently promising himself that he would keep an eye out for him and protect him as much as he could against having to fight.

If Suzaku were Sora he would probably have said it outloud but Suzaku knew that pledges to protect people meant very little. He had failed too many people to believe that words alone would keep this man safe.

Shifting in his position on the table, Enki shrugged and then laced his hands behind his head again, leaning backwards slightly. The sincerity he could feel was warming, really.

"Wasn't planning on it. I... know one of the upgrades to my... 'weapon' is something that'd allow others to wield their own weapon and fight instead of me. But that's... I'm not gonna let other people get hurt just 'cause I can't fight. No one else but me will be punished, anyway," Enki spat, shaking his head.

If the king had been here he could, probably would, order Enki to get the upgrade. But he wasn't. So it didn't matter.

... Why did that thought bring a brief feeling of unsease and ghost-smell of blood? Shaking his head, Enki wondered if he'd just hallucinated it. It was already gone after all.

Suzaku nodded, an upgrade like that was a good one, the fact that someone else could fight instead of Enki but it was still wrong. After all he would still have to be used as a weapon, that would hurt him when he did not want to hurt anyone else. Lelouch always said that only those prepared to shoot should be shot at.

"You shouldn't be punished for not wanting to fight, there are ways around fighting here. If you gain five weapons quickly you grant them the protection and privaleges of not being discards," he said the word with distast, "and you automatically win so you don't have to fight at all." He was sure also that there would be people who would accept Enki as a weapon and never use him if he did not wish his weapon to be used.

Enki hummed and leaned forward, grabbing his ankles instead for a slightly new position.

"I saw that..." Then he rolled his eyes, but a small, lop-sided smile slipped out. "A few of the kids here had a meeting a bit ago, talked about making sure any kid who couldn't fight could get five by having the other kids go to the current child Player. Good enough, I suppose, though I'm hardly a child."

No matter what he looked like. His inital wonder of if you had to grow old to grow up? He didn't consider that to be a truth. Sure, he probably was more childish than anyone who'd lived for 513 years thereabouts would ever be, but he was hardly a child in the full meaning of the word.

"I'll... just hope it'll take a while before I'm chosen I suppose," Enki said with a grimace. It was hard to simply accept this thing. The kidnapping was one thing; he'd been kidnapped before, and wasn't worse treated this time than the last, but the fighting... the forced fighting...

Suzaku nodded, he had not heard about the children having a meeting. He wondered if Huashi and Kotarou or Mei had had anything to do with that. He guessed that Enki would be accepted by them even if he was hundreds of years old because he only looked like a child.

"Hopefully it will be and we will find a way to make sure you don't have to fight." He gave a reasuring smile.

Biology homework [Open]

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