Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, if I did we'd have seen Nunnally tear Mao a new one verbally
Author's note: This fic is a side story to "Prince or Zero?" if you haven't read that, I'd highly recommend you do so because I'm not giving a crash course here. The events in this fic occur in about 5 days worth of time, from Kaguya's surrendering to Lelouch to when she discovers the Zero Mask….damn I forgot how many days it was, this could be a bit tougher than I thought it would be.
It was late at night, and Lelouch Vi Britannia had fallen asleep on his couch in his mansion, where no one would ever guess that the Governor and Prince of Area Eleven really lived. Instead of atop the Government Headquarters in it's palace like most would assume. "Nii-sama," his little sister, Nunnally Vi Britannia, said to herself as she rolled up to the couch with a blanket on her lap. She faced his direction, with her ever-closed eyes, instinctively sensing where he was. She slowly placed the blanket on top of him, being careful not to awaken him. Afterwards she carefully felt for where he had placed his laptop today, and slowly closed it, a soft smile on her face the entire time. After she was done, she slowly rolled out of the room, once again careful not to awaken him. Entering the main hall while closing the door behind her, she stopped afterwards and asked, "What are you doing awake still Kaguya-chan?"
The young heiress of the Sumeragi clan gasped from, "…you're amazing Nunnally, you always know when people are around," the girl said, surprised that she had been discovered so easily, "I couldn't sleep and I heard you."
Nunnally laughed lightly, "I couldn't sleep either, I've always had trouble sleeping when Onii-sama isn't home," she admitted, slowly rolling away from the door, "Tell me, Kaguya, you said you turned yourself in fully expecting to be executed for promoting what we Britannians see as terrorism correct?"
Kaguya, a little surprised Nunnally asked such a question took a moment to answer, "Yes I did."
"What do you think of Onii-sama then, now that you've seen what he's really like? Instead of the imperious genius prince of Britannia that he allowed himself to be seen as?" Nunnally asked in all seriousness, turning her head towards Kaguya, once again surprising the other young girl with how accurately she could feel where people were.
"…I don't know. He seems so much like he was in the past, that melancholic expression he wears when he doesn't think anybody is looking is exactly like it was seven years ago. But, he's also changed, a sharp tongue, a mind that seems to encompass everything he sees, understanding it all with clarity beyond his years. He seems like a monster now," Kaguya admitted, guiltily.
"You're right, he has become a monster, Onii-sama has so much on his shoulders now. He won't allow himself to be human," Nunnally said with a light smile, "With the hopes of an entire people for a better tomorrow, with the desire to know a truth hidden from him, and with a desire to change the world. He stopped being a human, because he thinks a mere human couldn't shoulder those burdens."
Kaguya looked at Nunnally, surprised she was saying such things, "Shouldn't you stop him? I mean, if that's how he really is, then…"
"His heart is a fragile thing, balanced on the edge of madness and heroism," Nunnally said, "There are few people he can trust absolutely. I may be the only one right now, because I'm the only one who doesn't wake him up when he's fallen asleep on the couch at night Yet he doesn't want to tell me a lot of the things he is doing, I can tell he's hiding things from me, to protect me from whatever it is he's doing." Nunnally said, "He needs people to trust him. Even if he tells me nothing, even if no one else will trust him, I'll be there to trust him."
Kaguya smiled, "You do this every night don't you? Tuck him in when he's thinking you've gone to sleep a long time ago?"
Nunnally just kept smiling in response and then said, "Please keep this from him, I don't want him worrying about it. It's better if he continues seeing me only as his dear little oblivious sister, if he knew how much I know, it'd only place more of a burden on his shoulders."
"Alright I won't say anything, but…I don't know, I mean, I don't see why he does the things he does," Kaguya said, concerned about her surrender to him earlier.
"I don't either, but when I listen to him sleep so soundly, I know he can't be doing something evil," Nunnally said with a strong conviction, "I need to go to bed Kaguya-chan, I have school tomorrow after all. I'll see you tomorrow, good night."
"Ah, good night," Kaguya said, still taken back. After Nunnally had left she smiled and commented, "You can tell that they're related, that intensity and conviction." Kaguya began heading back to the room she had been given, walking in without further incident. From a corner watching her were a pair of golden amber eyes, C.C.'s eyes, she smirked and then went back to her own room.
The next day, Kaguya thought she'd be the first up considering she had gotten up at the crack of dawn. Walking out of her room after getting dressed she was surprised to find the manor in full activity, being cleaned by the live in maids and butlers. What she was even more surprised to learn that the team was made up of both Britannian and Japanese, and that a Japanese woman was apparently leading the entire operation. Kaguya recognized the woman from when she had been brought here, standing besides Nunnally, a kind looking woman with a hidden sort of strength. Seeing Kaguya the woman smiled and walked over, "Good morning Sumeragi-san, you're up early," the woman said in flawless Teineigo Japanese, and then said, "I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself properly yesterday, I'm Shinozaki Sayoko."
Kaguya bowed her head and said, "A pleasure to meet you, do take good care of me. I'm a bit surprised everybody is awake so early."
"A servant must always awaken before their master, both Nunnally-sama and Lelouch-sama awaken early, Nunnally-sama for school and Lelouch-sama to begin his work as governor of Japan. Thus we must awaken first in order to do our part," Sayoko explained never dropping her use of Teineigo, "We didn't awaken you did we?"
"Oh no, I usually wake up this early," Kaguya said shaking her head.
"That is good. I have work to do still but breakfast is already being prepared in the kitchen, please do not mind Cecelia-san," Sayoko said which caught Kaguya's attention, "Ah yes, you likely did not meet her yesterday. She is being kept here under what are probably similar circumstances as yourself. Though, she has made herself considerably at home."
Kaguya bowed again to Sayoko and then walked down the stairs towards the kitchen, walking in, she saw C.C. sitting at a counter and eating a pizza, a whole one by the looks of things considering the was a fresh and half eaten one right in front of her. Kaguya was dumbfounded at this scene, quickly composing herself she said, "Good morning, Cecelia-san?" Kaguya said switching to English now.
"Yes that's right," C.C. answered, her full concentration on the pizza in front of her, "Kaguya Sumeragi."
"So…um are you here for…" Kaguya began to ask, trying to make small talk with C.C., who was fairly intimidating when you were the newcomer.
"I'm an important ally that knows a secret he wants well guarded," C.C. answered, not letting Kaguya finish her question, "He naturally wanted me close by. Plus there are other reasons that are included in that secret." C.C. slowly got up, and with a light smirk on her face, a superior and timeless look to her eyes, "Information is power as the old saying goes, but information is also dangerous. Especially in Britannia," the picked up a bag and began to walk towards the door, "You're either cunning enough to use information, or stupid enough to be killed by it."
With that C.C. walked off, "…what a, dangerous woman."
And that's where' I'll end this chapter. Considering this is only a side-story fic I'm not too concerned about making the chapters the usual length. This fic is probably the first of maybe about four side stories I'm going to tell from Prince or Zero. I'm thinking this fic will go on for about nine to ten chapters at most, maybe longer. More likely it'll be 3-5 chapters. Well without further ado, onto the questions…
Well a bit more ado, to those of you just tuning in, I ask questions of my readers to help promote them to review and to gather information on things I feel are important (I know very well my grammar and spelling could be better, like I publicly admit in my profile, I only upload rough drafts). Now without further ado…
1) What do you think of this side story?
2) Nunnally knows a good deal more than I implied in Prince or Zero, do you think that's in character and do you like it
3) We'll see a lot more C.C. in this fic than we did in Prince or Zero, looking forward to that?
And that's all, now press that review button before C.C. teases you.
Ciao for now
Tis has been a chapter from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos