Milly leaned against the window in the council room, hugging her arms close to her chest. She looked across the Ashford grounds, and then at her reflection, feeling sober in the quiet.

Her reflection made her wince.

Milly dropped her gaze at once, a bit upset to see the way her thoughts tempered her face – like bungled makeup. Her eyes looked empty of enthusiasm. Her shoulders had hunched together to make mounds. And her forehead? Lines. Like a grandma's. Wasn't she too young to look this old?

She sighed, shut her eyes, and then looked at herself again.

"All right, madam president." She dared herself. "I want to see a smile!" The Milly in the window smiled. Bright eyes, teeth bared. Genuine.

Her spells worked, even on herself. At last, Milly loosened her arms. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

"A little frightening, though," said a low voice. Milly spun to see Lelouch hovering in the doorway.

She hadn't noticed his reflection in the window glass. But there he was – balancing the items she'd asked him to bring to the council room. Milly flushed at his timing. She shouldn't brood now, so close to this meeting.

She wondered if she should make an excuse for her upset expression, but as Lelouch walked into the room, to set the boxes on the table… she recalled that excuses weren't like her.

She said, "I need to ask the council for a favor."

Lelouch lifted one eyebrow, but he didn't try to pry. He opened up the smallest folder from the nearest box that he'd put down. "You ask for favors all the time. You order them, you slave driver. Command is the thing you like most about being our president, and everybody knows it." He said it in a deadpan tone, as if he didn't really care.

But the point was, Lelouch was still here, no matter what he thought of her command. Considering how frequently Lelouch had been missing…. But that was the best thing about Lelouch, wasn't it. He came through when you really needed him. Even if he looked a little worn this morning, he was here. And Milly hadn't even said please when she'd sent out her email.

Milly smiled, and this smile was real.

"You don't deny it?" Lelouch asked. His wry gaze met hers. Then he smirked.

Oh, so that was how it was today?

Milly put on a superior grin and crossed to where he sorted through her boxes. "If I'm a slave driver," she said, "that means I can use items like whips, to keep you in line." She watched Lelouch's violet eyes scanning the contents of the second box.

"The crack of a whip would do you little good. To subdue me, you'd probably need a blindfold."

Milly stared at him for a long time. Then she leaned on the table and laughed.

"Ah, Lelouch!" She wiped her eyes. "Why can't you say things like that around more people? I really need to write that down…."

"It's because nobody else is here that I'll allow myself to say it."

Milly tried to stem her laughter.

Lelouch was saying that he trusted her, enough to banter and use innuendo. Milly knew he'd never joke like that with other girls at school. Their smitten hearts would probably burst at the image of Ashford's handsomest male student so submissive, waiting in a blindfold for their pleasure…. She shouldn't rib him too hard, when he felt secure enough to indulge humor.

But—

"It's too good!" She laughed again. "Blindfolds…."

"Who's getting blindfolded?" Someone else entered.

Lelouch's demeanor changed. Like a mouse sensing a cat, he stiffened, but a flush spread high across his features.

Now who was the smitten one?

"Suzaku," Lelouch murmured.

Milly's laughs came even harder. Lelouch appeared snagged, as Suzaku drew nearer.

She should have known these two would cheer her up.

Suzaku shot Lelouch a confused sideways glance, then said, "Ms. President, I got the giant box you asked for." He put it on the table right beside Lelouch's boxes. Lelouch's hands went fisted, loose, then fisted.

Then Suzaku smiled. It broke all the tension. "How is Nunnally?" he asked Lelouch.

"Hmn? Ah – she's wrapped up in bed with soup and tissue boxes," Lelouch said. Nunnally had caught a cold, Milly recalled. "I thought you weren't coming," Lelouch mumbled on, as Milly watched their interaction puddle back into its normal ease.

Suzaku explained that he'd finagled time off work, even though the army really needed him, because of Zero. Milly's email had sounded important too. He couldn't leave her hanging, even though Zero remained a threat.

Lelouch said, "It's nicer when you're here. At school is where you belong." He asked about whether Suzaku's supervisors had been hard on him when he'd needed to leave.

"Only a little. I'll make up the time. But hey – where is Arthur? I still haven't seen him."

Milly found gratitude swelling her chest. She liked Suzaku. Suzaku was selfless. Perhaps too selfless, too often; he even loved a cat that always bit him. But here…. Here, Milly made sure no one but Arthur could take advantage of Suzaku's kindness. She wasn't sure the military could say as much. But then, that wasn't Milly's place.

She liked Suzaku for the way he changed Lelouch.

As if on cue, Lelouch brushed back his bangs, and leaned near to Suzaku so their shoulders touched. They both un-taped the box. Lelouch relaxed around Suzaku, in an attitude of camaraderie that Milly hadn't seen until Suzaku had come to school.

It was comforting, to know Lelouch opened his heart to someone else besides his sister. So Milly let them talk in murmurs, while they went through Suzaku's box. She quietly ran herself a mental list. Her plan of attack solidified as the three of them worked. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad.

Then Lelouch demanded, "What… what is all this? This is—"

Milly paced around the table. "I'll tell you soon enough. For now, just humor me." She needed to wait for the others to arrive.

Suzaku said, "Ah hah… hah…. God." Lelouch slapped Suzaku's hand away from something.

The others arrived within three or four minutes – Shirley first, who seemed excited to see Suzaku with Lelouch. She stumbled up and clasped Suzaku's hand, expressing excitement with apple-cheeked smiles.

Milly really loved Shirley for getting on well with Suzaku. And as for Shirley's long-time crush on Lelouch… well. It made the girl twice as cute, amusing, and sweet. Milly wished more girls could turn out like Shirley. The world would be a better place.

"Oh, President! You're here too! I brought the scripts in." Shirley said it from between the two good-looking boys.

Milly took a moment to admire the attractive group they made. If she thought about it, she had an appealing student council. Ah, but it was like her to excel in picking students that had talent as well as looks. She couldn't very well be bored every time there were meetings, could she?

Her eyes lingered a bit too long, perhaps, on Lelouch's jaunted hips.

Suzaku asked brightly, "Scripts?"

Lelouch said, "This sounds worse than I had thought," and as Suzaku tripped over a chair leg – reaching to help Shirley spread things out – Arthur darted in and bit him smartly on the ankle.

"Aauggh!"

The spell the three had cast was broken, like a fallen picture frame. Milly pressed a palm against her face, as Shirley and Lelouch flailed and made faces, trying to rescue Suzaku.

"What's with the shouting? Everyone alive?" Rivalz came in, trailing Nina and Kallen.

Milly looked up, with her chin propped on her hand. Kallen? Despite that yesterday she had been too sick to come to school? On a Saturday, the poor girl should be resting.

Which reminded her. Yes, Saturday.

"Why are you all in your school uniforms?"

Suzaku was the first to answer, despite that the cat remained latched to his tendon. "It's the rules on school grounds. Even you followed it."

"What else were we supposed to wear?" asked Rivalz.

"It's the weekend," Milly told them. "No matter. We'll all have to change anyway."

There were a few yelps. Mostly they came from Shirley.

"Change?" Kallen muttered.

Lelouch simply sighed.

It was time to ask them for her favor. Milly made them line up next to the table.

"The theatre club has gotten in a bind." The only sound that broke the quiet was a car passing outside. "They were staging a production that was supposed to be performed tomorrow evening. A one-night-only special in the off-season. You see, their president graduated last year, so their new president was making this their big debut. However, last night, before the final dress rehearsal, more than half of the cast called in sick."

"Excuse for stage fright?" Nina spoke softly.

"No," said Milly, her voice dropping low. Here was where she'd have to gain their sympathy, or the plan would be lost. "Some kind of virus has spread in between them. The lead male lost his voice, thanks to nasal congestion and bronchitis, and the rest of them are running fevers—"

Rivalz groaned. "It's like that time all of us were together for days on end, scrambling to put on that themed dinner. But by the time the dinner came—"

"We couldn't hold it," said Nina in agony, "because we all came down with the stomach flu!"

Shirley nodded, looking shy. "Lelou spread it to everyone."

Lelouch flushed, hard. "I had thought I was better."

Suzaku blinked and looked at all of them, before his wide eyes settled on Lelouch. "You were that sick? That's awful! Did Sayoko—"

Milly clapped her hands to recall focus. "And so," she said, folding her arms across her chest. She understood Suzaku's horror, and recalled the disappointment all of them had faced herself. Catastrophe like that was exactly what she wouldn't wish on someone else. "Their group is small, just like ours was, so they weren't done preparing yet. There are costumes that need finishing. And—"

"Can't the cosplay club help out?" asked Kallen, before Milly could clearly word her favor.

Milly cast Kallen a glance. She wondered if, perhaps, Kallen felt ill again, and would have liked to go home. Kallen quickly dropped her eyes.

More likely, Milly thought, amused, it was that Kallen hated sewing.

"As student council president," Milly ploughed on, "it's my job to help students wherever I can. The theatre club has no finished costumes, and the cosplay club has a weekend event away from here. The script needs last minute tweaking, and there isn't a cast." She removed her arms from where they'd been crossed on her chest. "So I told them we'd perform for them instead."

Silence, as her words sunk in.

"O-on stage?" whimpered Nina first.

Rivalz said, "I'll only do it if there's a good kiss scene, Prez," and at the same time, Suzaku said, "Will it matter that I don't have any experience?"

Lelouch sought out Milly's gaze once they were quiet. "President, this time I think you've gone too far."

As usual, the only one with guts enough to truly speak against her was Lelouch. That was why Lelouch had been named her vice president.

"If the show is tomorrow evening, we only have twenty four hours to memorize the lines – never mind finish all the other work and do the set-up. Have you really thought this through?"

Milly watched Suzaku cringe and drop a hand upon Lelouch's shoulder, as if he could rein in Lelouch's harshness – cool him, to divert a conflict. Milly wondered if Lelouch also feared leaving Nunnally alone, while they were busy.

They all had lives, and things to do. But they'd still come, so there remained a chance that they would help her. Right?

"We'll just have to make it happen," Milly told them. Her lips pursed. She knew Lelouch was more capable than anyone. He'd pull through, wouldn't he? She could hope.

"President," said Shirley, tentative, after no one else had spoken for a while. "How come you felt you had to take this on?" Spring-green eyes peered up at her.

Milly paused a moment, composing her features, remembering her reflection in the window. She called up her happy smile, and spread it on her face like jam. "I have a marriage interview on Sunday night."

She didn't mean to let the smile falter, but a line formed on Lelouch's forehead. She swiftly renewed her efforts. "My parents told me he's a duke. His favorite pastime is the theatre."

Milly was careful this time not to look at any of their faces – although she thought it was a little nice, that Lelouch especially seemed to worry for her. Like he did for Nunnally.

Was that a selfish feeling?

Rivalz said, "President…. So, you're taking on this big task to impress him? A guy you haven't even met? You usually reject all of your suitors."

"It's not to impress him," Milly said. Rivalz toyed with the flap on the cardboard box nearest to him. "I really want to help the theatre club. But also… I thought for once that I—that I wouldn't embarrass my parents." She tried to ignore the unexpected lump inside her throat. "That I would please them, by taking a little interest, and showing a little respect this time around."

Milly didn't mind getting in trouble, if it was for a good cause. But for too long, it seemed – at least recently – she'd been trying her parents' patience, making them frustrated. She'd gone over their line, by declining over and over to visit with the men they chose for her. We want you to be happy, her parents always said. But you will need to choose, and before you graduate. You'll just have to learn that sometimes love develops later, after you get married. Milly didn't want to get engaged to somebody she didn't love. But her parents made her feel guilty, as if she were being frivolous… while the Ashfords worked so hard to maintain the name they carried, and preserved at a hard price. For once, Milly could do something to please the adults around her, couldn't she?

If not, she could at least agree to meet them halfway, just this once – by holding a production her suitor would see, and talking to him afterward. Then her mother and father would lighten up on her. Or so she hoped.

Was it selfish, to use her friends to help relieve her burdens? Milly had grown up so privileged already.

She should be able to solve her own problems. She glanced at Suzaku, who held her gaze with careful, concerned eyes. Did she deserve the silver spoon she'd been handed, when students like Suzaku had to fight for their necessities? Was it such a bad price to pay, indulging marriage interviews, if it also helped another club and meant the council members could spend time together here? She ought to keep personal motive out of it.

Arthur brushed her leg, on his way past as he moved toward the table.

Milly swallowed, thinking next of Lelouch and of Nunnally, coming up against the final threads inside her tangled inner web. Lelouch and Nunnally had tossed away their royal names, and no one pressured them. Milly, if she wanted to, might thrive the same way, couldn't she? Why did Milly's family think it was fine, for Lelouch to throw away his name, but not for Milly to do the same thing?

She caught Lelouch's gaze and held it, already knowing the answer.

It was okay for Lelouch not to acknowledge his own lineage, because Lelouch's life would be in danger if he used his family name.

"Milly."

Lelouch must have seen the guilt twist her expression. That's like him when he's serious, she thought. He couldn't even manage, 'President' in this tight moment, thanks to her.

Milly had to compose herself, to get the council back to status quo. She had no right to make her turmoil the focus of this meeting, or to be jealous. When she looked at Lelouch Lamperouge, it wasn't as if there were really a question about what she would choose, was there.

Lelouch and Nunnally would lose all their protection, if Milly didn't stay around to carry on the Ashford line, after her parents died. The Ashford family was the only reason Lelouch had any protection at all. If Milly became selfish, Lelouch's secret would eventually be discovered. The normal life he'd fought for would be forfeit. And yet….

And yet even knowing that, Lelouch would never ask Milly to marry someone that she didn't choose.

Lelouch would always risk himself, just so Milly could stay happy. For that reason, Milly would risk herself right back, for his protection. Very shortly, Lelouch was just… worth it.

Yes. It was a simple as wanting to protect people she cared about. Milly briefly smoothed her hair. Endangering Lelouch and Nunnally out of selfishness or fright was not acceptable behavior for the council president, the same way it was not acceptable to tease Shirley too much, or ignore Rivalz. These were her friends. She would be strong for them.

"What aren't you saying out loud?" Lelouch pressed. His drop in tone made Suzaku stop trying to play with Arthur.

Milly's stomach fluttered at his voice, but she battened down the hatches on her emotions. Shirley looked concerned now, too, swapping her stare between both of them, nervous.

Time to play her regular part. Milly wouldn't back out on her family duties, and she also wouldn't let this chance to have fun with the council pass her by. Time to forget it all… and simply be the person she already was. There would be time for regrets, decisions, and emotions later, perhaps when she was alone.

Her smile came out small, but it was real. Lelouch breathed out, and then so did Suzaku.

Adorable, she thought. They really were good medicine.

"It's nothing to dwell on right now," Milly said. "These carefree times don't last forever! So, I want us to have fun." Milly hopped off the windowsill, where she'd gone to sit despite herself.

Nina, Rivalz and Kallen had started looking apprehensive again. It made Milly enjoy herself more.

"Wait until you see what the play is," she told them. "There's no one else who could pull this off – except for wildly talented and beautiful students like us." She winked and stuck her finger by her nose.

Rivalz's jaw hung open. "Prez…."

"Get the script, Rivalz," Milly urged, through a grin only she knew the importance and the delicacy of. Rivalz seemed to take heart, when she refused to drop the tenacious expression. He moved, and Milly remembered that despite his personality, she felt a little fond of him as well. All Rivalz ever needed was a round of reassurance, and he shined like the rest of them.

"Here's the master copy, I think." Rivalz had taken the pages from Shirley.

"What is this play called?" Nina inquired.

Milly took the script. She shook it out. She held it up in front of her.

On with the show. Then, in her most dramatic voice—

"Ashford Academy, Crystallized: Moon Healing Magic Will Melt It With Love!"

Lelouch, again, became the daring one. "And what's the plot?" he asked, voice tight.

Milly continued, warming to the words. "'Ashford Academy's theatre club is going about its normal business, when suddenly, its lead actress is captured. The school finds itself threatened by terrible evil! The other actresses of Ashford Academy must fight to save their princess, by relying on the powers of their secret identities as planetary guardians! No one is safe now from the darkness – not even Ashford's handsome and stunning lead actor, who has his own secret, tuxedoed identity. Can the Ashford Scouts win, before it's too late?'"

Silence stretched out. Rivalz said, eventually, "That's very… meta, somehow. Can they do that?"

Nina's eyes glittered. "It's like a crossover!" She shrieked, with her hands clasped tightly together. Milly looked up, grateful that someone showed enthusiasm, even if Nina rarely felt enthused about topics that didn't have to do with science. "A crossover with—!"

"Sailor Moon!" Suzaku's cheeks were dimpled when he said it. Lelouch elbowed him too hard. Suzaku clapped a hand over his ribcage. "Nunnally used to love it. I remember. Lelouch, even you—"

"What's Sailor Moon?"

Shirley asked it, interrupting, turning slowly around to secure some attention. Her brows lightly furrowed. "Lelou? Why are you so red? Someone tell me. President?"

Kallen cleared her throat first, looking genuinely surprised. "It's an old, popular anime from Jap—from Area Eleven." Milly watched Kallen flush a bit when Shirley tilted her head to one side. "I—I only know because my brother always made fun of it. It was a big hit in almost every part of the world. It had a lot of seasons, and they re-made it a few times."

Milly did not miss Kallen's sharp-eyed glance toward their still-squealing, glasses-wearing Nina. Even so, Kallen's body language remained passive.

"Nina," continued Kallen, "I'm surprised you like it. You hate everything that has to do with Elevens."

Milly wished that Kallen wouldn't point it out, when all had started to go well. Suzaku stiffened up a bit when Kallen said it, too. He and Lelouch halted their impromptu teasing session.

Disappointing.

Milly sighed and prepared to mediate. This was what happened when people put other, different people in a group, and expected them to be respectful of each other's fears, morals and opinions. But Milly would take the challenge. Her own thoughts would become buried in the background, as she carefully directed the whole council.

"So what, if it came from Elevens?" replied Nina. Her glasses glinted. Everybody paused, surprised. "I watched the dub, so it didn't feel Eleven. Sailor Moon is the most beautiful girl, so… so even if some reprehensible Eleven made her up…."

Lelouch squeezed Suzaku's arm. Milly caught their brief exchange in time to see Suzaku drop his green eyes to the floor. Her heart broke in half for him. She took one quick step forward to—

"You like girls, isn't that right?" Kallen asked Nina, and Milly went on guard when she picked up the hint of venom in the words.

Milly paused, to assess the situation. If Kallen hadn't been feeling well upon her arrival, it seemed she felt more energetic now. She wouldn't be trying to start little fires if her weak constitution bothered her. Milly would have to toss a bucket of cold water on Kallen too, and not just Nina, if it seemed like Kallen would—

"Well then," finished Kallen, "it was dumb to watch the English dub."

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked Nina, clutching hands close to her chest.

"I see," said Kallen, down her nose. It struck Milly that actually, Kallen was feeling more than energetic. The right word came to her. Superior. Perhaps a Saturday had not been the right day to pull them all together.

People needed breaks from each other, sometimes.

Kallen scoffed. "You still think that Uranus and Neptune were only cousins."

"What are they?" Nina shot, a challenge.

Rivalz stepped between the two, before Milly could get there herself. Milly wanted to hug him.

"Lesbians," Rivalz announced, exasperated. "They were a couple, in the original. That's like, even stuff I know. There's no need to argue about it." Rivalz then shyly looked at Milly.

Milly gave him an approving nod that birthed a grin across his face. Then both of them rolled eyes and shook their heads.

"Lesbians?" Nina sat down in a chair, very hard, while Shirley looked imploringly at Milly. Shirley said, "Lesbians? I don't have to play one, do I? President, please don't squish our boobs again…."

Milly debated about whether she should smirk, and make Shirley begin to whimper. But Kallen had rounded on Shirley then also, for reasons Milly didn't have the time to analyze – because somewhere in the corner, Suzaku was nudging Lelouch in the chest, and it didn't seem as carefree this time around. "But you said," insisted Suzaku, "You said, I remember – you liked that one outfit—"

"Suzaku. Stuff it. It's not okay for you—"

Milly at last made a loud, sharp decision. She yelled, like a cheerleader, "STOP!" with her hands up.

The harsh nature of the command paired with the upbeat style of the shout confused them. Everyone fell silent.

Milly smiled. "I'm glad you're all… passionate… about the subject matter," she told them, "but we don't have time to be opinionated about the show this play has come from."

Lelouch scowled. Suzaku toed the rug, avoiding eye contact. Kallen muttered something rude, for which Rivalz kicked her, and Nina didn't seem to listen.

"It doesn't matter what we think of Sailor Moon. The script is here. We only have to change a little to fit ourselves in, because that's who we're playing. Ourselves. The actors play themselves, until they become Sailor alter-egos. I want to start the casting process. Shirley? You be Sailor Shirley-Moon."

Shirley yelped. Nina twitched in her chair.

"Wh-what?" Shirley stammered out the word. "Is it really okay, to act in something I don't know about? Is Sailor Moon the protagonist? Wh-why am I cast as the leader?"

First Shirley worried her hands together, then she tugged at her skirt, then she pulled at her hair. It was too cute, and Shirley's long hair would be perfect. Milly congratulated herself on her gut-instinct casting, and said, "You can do it." She supposed she had directed that short film in the sixth grade….

Lelouch's voice sounded out, soft, as Shirley began to look like she might wail. "It's all right, Shirley. You'll do fine. You're perfect for the part."

"I am?"

Lelouch brushed an inquiring Arthur off the table, to make room for Shirley to put her copy of the script down and scan it. "All Sailor Moon does is cry, eat, and fall down."

Arthur hit the floor on four feet and strutted away.

"Lelou!" Shirley cried, going a plum purple.

"Ah—" said Lelouch. "I didn't mean that like it sounded!"

"Leloooouu!"

Milly waited out the scolding, wrinkling the master script that she gripped in her hand.

"He meant it like—" Suzaku cut in "—he really, really understands the show—"

"Nina," Milly called, loudly. "You're cast as Nina-Mercury."

Nina said, vaguely, "They're… they're lesbians?"

Milly decided to speak to Kallen privately, once the casting had ended. No one should be allowed to put poor Nina into an orgasmic state – at least when the rest of the council was watching. If a bad joke like that happened to anyone, it ought to be Lelouch. Milly enjoyed making Lelouch uncomfortable.

And Lelouch had sense enough to leave if he became truly… distracted.

"Kallen?" Milly asked, to divert them all again, but carefully. "Which scout would you like to be?" She'd learned it was best to give headstrong people a choice, rather than an order.

Even though Kallen hardly ever came to school, and she looked weak in body, Milly knew enough by now. She liked Kallen, she really did, but that didn't mean she'd let the girl speak or act out whenever the urge consumed her.

Kallen stammered, seeming to recall herself. "Y-you're letting me choose? Then…" She frowned, deliberating with herself. Her voice got stronger again. "Jupiter."

Indeed, a strong choice, Milly reflected. She nodded. "Sailor Kallen-Jupiter. All right. We still need another two scouts."

Rivalz said, "Prez, you're the only girl left."

Milly pretended to give the matter thought. "I am. So, which one of you boys will volunteer for cross-dressing?"

All three of them shouted, "No!" Then Suzaku, as a peace offering, picked up Arthur and said, "He can."

"Oh?"

"He can play Luna. No?"

"Luna? Hmn, no. Insufficient~!" Milly sang it like a pop song. Now true enjoyment bubbled in her chest. Her plans were working swimmingly. "We'll have to look more closely at the roles, and cast based off of actor chemistry. But first…." She rifled through the script. "I think we need to choose Tuxedo Mask."

"Who is that?" asked Shirley, now recovered.

"Your love interest."

"Ehhh?!"

Lelouch sighed.

Milly looked around the room, giving this matter some real thought. Suzaku battled with a wriggling, biting Arthur, who hadn't wanted to be friendly after Lelouch had dumped him off the table. Nina still sat – flushing horribly now – in her chair at the table's end. Her knees were pressed together tightly underneath her skirt. Rivalz stood posturing off in the corner. Lelouch and Kallen hadn't moved, but they each appeared dark enough – perhaps unimpressed enough – to try to kill her.

She doubted for a moment there was a Tuxedo Mask among them.

Hmn. But casting Lelouch as the masked heart-throb would be the obvious choice, wouldn't it? Every girl at Ashford adored him…. And, if they were talking about actor chemistry, Lelouch got along with Shirley quite well. He certainly knew how to make Shirley blush. But it wasn't fair, was it, to do something that might cause Shirley heart attacks of all-too-real passion. What if there were a kiss scene hiding somewhere? Milly hadn't checked the script in full. And what was more….

Milly would never force that situation on Lelouch, no matter how she lived to tease him. If Lelouch kissed a woman, Milly thought, it ought to be his choice, not somebody else's, because of a play.

She wondered briefly if that kind of thinking – the kind that always put the needs of others first – was why she'd been named president, and why she couldn't find a way to stop her marriage interviews. To have her cake and eat it, too.

Milly refocused. Assessed again. There was the matter of how Lelouch would look wearing a mask and cape. Somehow, she doubted the ensemble would appear appealing on Lelouch's figure. The way Leouch was built was too effeminate and slight…. There was also movement across the stage to consider, and the fact that Lelouch almost never went to gym. Lelouch wasn't bad at drama, but in this case, he might not be able to appear limber, swift, and active. He would probably wave his arms too much, while he tossed red roses and made gestures during battle scenes.

Lelouch in a mask and cape. A no go.

For some reason, Milly thought of Zero.

She turned around quite suddenly. "Suzaku," she said, and Suzaku glanced up. Arthur had made his finger bleed. Lelouch was refusing to help bandage it.

"What was the name they called Tuxedo Mask in the original Japanese?" Milly asked him.

Suzaku pronounced it carefully, and slow for her. He said, "Takushiido Kamen."

"Perfect," she said, and Lelouch murmured, "Oh?" Milly said, "Be Tuxedo Kururugi."

Suzaku forgot his bleeding finger, despite that Lelouch had given in and started wrapping it up gently. "Me? But I don't really think…."

"Just do it," Lelouch said, a little bit smug. Milly watched Lelouch's eyes go mischievous behind his bangs, as he concentrated on treating Suzaku's outstretched, wounded finger.

Rivalz pounded Suzaku on the back. "The chicks will dig you, man! Prez, who am I?"

"I'm thinking on that." But in truth, Milly wasn't. She smiled, watching Suzaku brush hands with Lelouch as he took over bandage duty.

"Thanks, Lelouch. I—"

"Be less careless."

Suzaku's smile was pure, summer honey.

Milly's heart beat slightly faster. Yes, she saw what Nunnally and Lelouch always saw in Suzaku. What Milly wished the school could see. Suzaku would make a fine Tuxedo Mask, and all the others might warm up to him. Suzaku possessed more talent than he cared to give away…. Would he have been working for the military otherwise?

Perhaps Milly could even get him to do stunt-work on the stage. The character of Tuxedo Mask was always sweeping in, jumping off railings, and disappearing like fog. At the very least, if her casting choice for Tuxedo Mask didn't go over well… well, Suzaku would have a mask on frequently. Maybe the audience would notice his acting and his nice body first, then forgive him for his ethnicity.

Lelouch noticed Milly eyeing Suzaku. He walked to the window, sweeping back his hair to answer Rivalz's question. Milly leaned back and let Lelouch borrow the limelight.

"It's easy enough to know who you'll be, isn't it?" Lelouch asked. Rivalz gave Lelouch a look. "You can be Venus, the planet of love. You certainly talk on the subject enough."

Rivalz stuck his tongue out at Lelouch. Milly watched as her vice president began to look even more confident.

"That would make me somebody like Malachite or Jadeite, wouldn't it," Lelouch said, clapping a thoughtful hand against his head. "We need to have somebody play the villain who can sound dark when he's speaking. I believe I could act cold and callous quite sufficiently. The matter is just whether such behavior would scare Nunnally, assuming she feels well enough to come and see the play tomorrow."

Kallen rolled her eyes. "You should be Queen Beryl." Lelouch shot her a speechless glare.

Milly flipped more through the script. "The usual villains don't show up in this." The statement cut short the dawning showdown between Lelouch and Kallen. "The villain that Ashford has to go up against is… Let me see. I hadn't checked that yet." She squinted at the text there. "Zero."

"Zero?" Lelouch looked stricken for one instant. His slim hand fell to his side. Then he said, immediately, "Well. I don't want to play that guy."

"Rivalz?" Milly deferred the role to him.

"Zero… hmn. Do I get to lead some rebels? Cackle maniacally? Yeah, I like it."

Lelouch gritted, deep into the hand he brought back up to hide his face, "He doesn't cackle. That's just—"

"Vice president! That leaves Sailor Scouts Venus and Mars." Milly relished the horrified expression that came to light as Lelouch processed the result of their casting decisions.

"I really… I really don't…." Lelouch pivoted, as if hunting for a distraction.

Kallen had buckled down to their task; she stood helping Shirley to dig through the large box full of half-finished costumes. "Here," Kallen was saying, pulling out red, white and blue fabric. "Usagi wears these colors."

Lelouch looked stricken another time.

This distraction wasn't sought. Something had clearly floored him.

"Lelouch?" Milly asked, alarmed.

"Usagi," Lelouch replied.

Kallen heard him. "Serena. Whoever she was in the dub," Kallen snapped. "And 'Darien,' the real name of Tuxedo Mask."

Suzaku paused in scanning his lines, and chuckled hard. "I always forget. They made it Darien, for Mamoru."

"Mamoru?" Lelouch replied. He looked briefly like he might laugh, but the twist on his face remained quite disturbing.

"What's happening to our vice president?" Milly asked Rivalz, from one corner of her mouth. For the first time, she wasn't sure what to make of Lelouch's odd reactions.

Lelouch collapsed into a chair beside Nina, clinging to his forehead for dear life. "I was so young," he said, ignoring all the chatter in the room. "I only had a rudimentary understanding of the Japanese language, so we watched the dub. I saw the Japanese just once or twice…. Her name was Tsukino Usagi. Mamoru. Mamoru. H-horrible, uncreative puns…."

Suzaku dissolved into beautiful laughter. Maybe choking. Hard to say. In any case, Milly decided instantly that she liked seeing Suzaku like that – enjoying himself in their midst.

Point for Lelouch again, at his expense.

"Lelou?" Shirley asked, "Suzaku?" She looked away from the box full of bows.

"Ah." Suzaku wiped his eyes. Milly understood she could relax, if Suzaku was laughing at Lelouch. If it were serious, he'd never do so. "Lelouch is realizing the names, and all their meanings. Tuxedo Mask was Mamoru. That's the Eleven word for 'protect.' Tuxedo Mask was always saving Sailor Moon. And tsuki means 'moon,' and usagi—"

"Don't say it." Lelouch had his eyes shut. "Her long, floppy hair. Just a horrible pun… and you never explained it…."

Shirley went back to asking Kallen about costumes. Suzaku laughed a little more, said Sue Key No Oo Soggy, shrugged, and said, "Just call her Serena."

"I've made up my mind," said Milly a few moments later, once Lelouch lifted his face out of his hands. "You'll be Sailor Lelou-Mars."

"I'll do no such thing," answered Lelouch. He treated Suzaku's nudge with an effeminate and ringing slap.

"Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon have excellent character chemistry. That's why I want it to be you and Shirley. They bicker, but on the inside, they care about each other more than words could ever say."

Shirley turned red, hugging a bow up to her face, and yelling, "Aaagh!"

"Also, I cast you and Shirley like I did because both of you work well beside Suzaku. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are lovers, but Sailor Mars has a crush on Tuxedo Mask's alter ego. You both may have to flirt with him. It's best if in real life you're comfortable with each other."

"S-so it's a love triangle?!" Shirley's face said, What is with this script? I can't!

Suzaku volunteered to calm Shirley down. "It's only a love triangle for a while. Eventually, at least in the old show, Mars lets go of her love, so that Moon, her best friend, can be with who she loves…."

"Love," Milly sighed, turning away from the whole group. She took responsibility at last for her results. "Yes. Then I'll be Sailor Venus, guardian of love, who started out alone as Sailor V. That will complete the cast."

Sailor Venus, the lone ranger of the scouts. It was similar to her life, Milly thought. Eerily so. Before the council, Milly had always been fighting and fighting – her parents' will, and the whole world, alone. It was only because of her friends that she grew stronger, and was able to take charge of them and guide them just like V and Venus did.

And she couldn't deny that she fought hard for love. At least when it came to pairing up her friends. Shirley still looked at Lelouch, blushing cherry, and Milly wished nothing but the best for both of them. Milly knew that if anything happened, Lelouch and Shirley would make a very lovely couple.

Milly's marriage interview popped into her head again. She banished it.

"Let's all read once through the script, before we try adding the theatre club's blocking notes, or finishing all the costumes."

The student council members all sat down around the table. The effect felt like family dinner. Whatever turmoil Milly's directions had prompted, it seemed the student council had resigned itself to yet another of her schemes. They'd answered her emergency email and come in uniform.

They'd work, and Milly loved them for it.

She opened her mouth to begin, but Shirley had already turned to page six.

"What are they yelling?" Shirley read the line. "'Moon Prism Power…?'"

At that, Milly grinned. "Twenty-four hours," she said. "From the top…."

Author Note: This fic is really... not like me. I was surprised it came to mind. But it's been entertaining to pursue! There is another chapter coming.