[Round 3, Rest Day] And They Said: Let There Be No Light.

[utopiamods]

Characters: ALL
Format: ANY
This log is: OPEN
Location: ALL OF CAMPUS
Summary: In a flash of lightning and the deafening roll of thunder, the power goes out across Utopia Academy.

It's early in the morning when it happens, about six o'clock. The clouds were gathering gradually through the night, the rain only getting heavier from the near-constant downpour during the previous week. Lightning crackles across the sky, the water around the academy is violent and the waves are high. And in a particularly loud clap of thunder, what lights were still on go out and the academy is plunged into darkness.

Comments

[veepofchess]

Lelouch groaned and wiped the smear of blood off of his face. He looked back at Suzaku, obviously enraged, but beaten for now. His chest heaved as he caught his breath. He never could take a punch outside of that helmet.

[earlofpudding]

Adskhngbmgd don't look at him like that, Suzaku.

"You really haven't thought this all the way through," Lloyd continued to protest up until the blonde pilot and the ex-emperor arrived. At that point, the whining and complaining stopped and his mood swung right back around to that of good cheer.

"Gino! How good to see you again!"

Because he hadn't really seen the knight since he's spent most of the time holed up in a lab. Nonetheless, it was someone who didn't want to order him onto a boat to die. That was always nice to have around.

[swordofzero]

Lelouch had tried to Geass Gino? What on earth had happened, all he had been doing was fetching Kallen and Nunnally, how had the situation got so out of hand that he had had to Geass Gino.

It obviously hadn't worked, Gino must have been too fast, Suzaku shook his head and glared at Lloyd again before moving over to Lelouch and Gino.

"Get out Gino," he bent down to try and lift Lelouch to his feet, "Go away," he glared at the other knight. He was so angry he wanted to lash out, but that would be wrong, that would be doing exactly what he was angry at Gino for doing to Lelouch.

Not to mention he didn't want to hit Gino, not unless the other knight started something.

[trollofthree]

"Man, it's like you've never done a hostage exchange before." Gino had leant down to help Lloyd up even as Suzaku had gone for Lelouch, rightly assuming that the guy being covered in mud and his own blood meant he wasn't here voluntarily. "You can keep your false emperor, and I get my engineer back. No one gets hurt."

A pause, "Except for you and Lelouch, if you're planning to go out in that..."

[veepofchess]

Lelouch could stand fine, but accepted Suzaku's help anyway. He still didn't speak, but glared at Gino. He had one hand on his nose to try to staunch the bleeding. His split lip seemed less of a concern.

[earlofpudding]

Well, in all honesty, the blood and the start of a bruise spreading across his nose are really all Lloyd's own fault. He'd made a complete mess out of trying to stop Suzaku. Anyway! He gladly accepted the hand up. "I have no qualms with this deal!"

He stepped back to make sure he was safely behind Gino before he added, "Though I still would like to point out that your chances of getting anywhere in that..." He gestured towards the little boat that their plan hinged upon. "Are slim."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku glared at Lloyd again as he helped Lelouch to his feet. He didn't like Gino's offer, after all he didn't want to leave Lloyd behind but Gino was probably right, there was not much chance of them actually escaping and he did not think that Lloyd could swim.

He looked at Lelouch who was still glarring a Gino he realised the emperor probably couldn't swim either. Despite the fact swimming was taught in Ashford, it was probably one of the lessons Lelouch found excuses to skip.

"Fine," he saw no other way, and if Lloyd didn't want to come, well he would just stay here while they escaped.

[trollofthree]

"And that's that." There was no way Gino's expression was anything but self-satisfied. He would, maybe, have given Suzaku some advice in any other situation, something like 'if you go out in this storm, you'll drown for sure', but he was still fairly ticked off by Lelouch.

In general.

The attempt at destroying his free will didn't particularly help, either.

"Dunno why you want to go back to a place where you're both dead, but that's not my decision."

[veepofchess]

But Lelouch's plan didn't involve immediately returning home. And it won't without Nunnally. There had to be something outside of this island.

He ignored Gino, and turned to the docks. He was content to let the Knight leave and move on from that entire abhorrent situation. He raised a hand to his nose again to wipe away more of the blood.

[earlofpudding]

There wasn't much else that Lloyd could contribute here. If they weren't going to heed the warnings, that was that. He would just linger back behind Gino for now, making sure to keep that pilot between himself and the other two teens.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded and watched as Lloyd and Gino left. He felt a little guilty about escaping without Sora and others who he had met here. But Lelouch's plan didn't include them and anyways, Suzaku looked out onto the rough stormy lake. It was probably better for them to stay safe and dry, he could always come back for them if they managed to get out.

"Ready then?"

[veepofchess]

Lelouch didn't even watch them leave. He started toward one of the small boats as it danced on its line beside the dock. He crouched to reach over and grab the edge of it. His first try missed, he caught it in the second, and was rewarded with a spray of seawater as a wave was squeezed between the two wooden surfaces. He sucked in a breath at the sting of it.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku followed taking a breath as the rain lashed at his face and thunder clanged overhead. This was... not going to go well. He was pretty sure that Lelouch couldn't swim... But he sighed and knelt down where Lelouch was to grab the boat while Lelouch got in.

"You did learn how to swim, right?" He asked, trying to keep his tone light.

[veepofchess]

"I had a match," he replied simply. And by that, Suzaku would know it was one of his infamous chess matches against the nobles that he periodically engaged in for pocket money. Before everything started, anyway.

He was sure Suzaku was more capable of keeping it secure than he was, so he climbed in. He crouched again to keep his center of gravity low. He then held onto the post it was tied to, waiting for Suzaku to join him.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku inwardly groaned, he should have known. Once Lelouch was safely in the boat he stepped across, keeping low and trying to ignore the wind and the rain and the thunder. He found the oars, and looked back to Lelouch. "Totally sure about this?" Though the question was mostly rheotrical, they had gotten this far after all, and he didn't bother waiting for an answer before he pushes off from the side.

[veepofchess]

Lelouch's answer came when he untied the mooring rope and reeled it in. He sat on the cross-bar, and pushed his hair out of his face again. This had to work.

[swordofzero]

From the off it was difficult, the wind was pushing them one way and the lake seemed to be surging to shore, not helped by the rain. Gritting his teeth Suzaku held tightly to the oars and he began to row.

It was a fight, Suzaku was no stranger to fights, no strange to physical work but this was as if the water itself was trying to fight him. It was not a human who he could understand, it was just water and wind and him trying to row in a steady time, trying not to spin round in circles. Trying to keep them upright.

The further away from shore they got the harder it became. They were tossed from side to side and Suzaku fought to stay in his seat, he had no idea how Lelouch, who was lighter than him was managing.

[veepofchess]

Lelouch had moved down into the actual bottom of the boat after he was nearly tossed out. "Go around to the bridge!" he yelled over the waves and thunder. That bridge had to be built at the narrowest point between this island and the nearest landmass. How near was hard to tell. But it also made for an excellent landmark.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku barely heard Lelouch over the howling wind and beating rain. He was soaked, he might as well be in the lake, he gasped for breaths that were stolen by the wind, felt like he was drowning with all the water in his eyes and mouth. He nodded, "Alright," he shouted hoping that Lelouch could either see or hear him and know he had heard.

He squinted through the rain, the only light coming from the flashes of lightning that lit up the sky. He managed to turn the boat slightly so it was in the vague direction of the bridge and started rowing.

A loud bang, the loudest clap of thunder yet, Suzaku thought the storm must be right on top of them. The rain lashed down and as the sky lit up once again Suzaku's eyes widened as he saw a wave coming towards him, water moved by the wind coming towards their tiny boat. "Lelouch!" Suzaku shouted out a warning.

[veepofchess]

Lelouch braced himself for it, but the beating they were taking was too much. He didn't have a lot of energy to hold on to the boat when that wave came. It hit him as hard as it would if it were a wall, and he was summarily tossed out into the water. He let out a shout, and tried to grab at Suzaku. But into the water he went.

He should have been in gym that day.

[swordofzero]

Suzaku saw Lelouch near him and tried to reach out, but the boat was pulled from under him and the oars were dragged from his hands and he found himself in the water the cold hitting him like a knife. He fought against the swirling waves, breaking the surface with a gasp. The rain seemed to want batter him back into the water but he kept his head above the waves, treading water looking for Lelouch.

"Lelouch!" His voice was whipped away by the wind, scattered as soon as it left his mouth. Fighting down terror he kept looking. He spotted something in the water and began to swim towards it, hoping it was Lelouch.

[veepofchess]

Lelouch didn't describe himself as terrified often, usually when his adrenaline spiked and when he was staring down the business end of a gun, his mind kicked into a highly organized gear, and he was able to do what it took to manage the situation.

But this was different. He was taking on nature, or something created to very closely resemble it. And he was losing. He struggled to find the surface, kicking his legs below him and his arms over his head. He wasn't sure if his hands were breaking the surface or not. Between the rain and waves, he didn't know if he was feeling the wind or not. But he knew Suzaku would find him. So he kept kicking.

[swordofzero]

It was as if the lake itself was on a mission to keep him from reaching the shape that he thought was Lelouch. Everytime he got near a wave bashed him aside. He was exhausted within moments but he could not give up, and so he pushed harder.

It seemed to take hours but Suzaku knew that that was just his tiredness talking, he finally got close enough to see that the figure was Lelouch. He swam closer, struggling to keep his head above water.

Soon he was close enough to reach out and try and grab his friend.

[veepofchess]

A hand closed around his, and he pulled up hard to get above the surface again. He heaved a massive gasp of breath as he came up out of the water. He held on to Suzaku's hand with all he could, and reached with his other arm to grab onto his shoulder. He was mostly flailing blind, his hair had stuck back to his face again. But he didn't have the strength to get himself to safety, and the boat was nowhere in sight. He'd have to leave this to Suzaku.

[swordofzero]

It took a while to adjust to Lelouch's weight, since the first time Lelouch grabbed his shoulder they both went under again. Not letting go of the emperor's arm lest he lose him in the buffeting waves once again Suzaku broke the surface and took a breath. He helped Lelouch grab his shoulder's and keeping both their heads above water looked around. The boat was no where to be seen, for the time being Suzaku started to swim for shore, they could always grab another boat and try again.