Hello everybody, I'm back again, after a long hiatus. Unfortunately, I've looked over the old version of Atonement, and decided that I wanted to redo what I had already done before moving on with the plot from there. I am sincerely sorry to my previous readers, but I hope that my writing skill has improved slightly. I welcome all feedback, although constructive criticism is preferred as I wish to continue improving my writing. Sorry again, but it's good to be back!
I do not own Code Geass, its characters or its storyline.
***
The campus was large for one in an Area, but certainly not as much so as back in Brittania, with its expansive vistas and green fields. The outer grounds of Ashford academy were still very well groomed, likely by poorly paid Elevens. He didn't care a great deal; he was simply attending the school for now. He didn't have to get used to it.
The halls were a spotless white as well, with large arches emulating Britannian architecture flawlessly. Scanning the plaques next to the doors, he quickly found the classroom he was looking for, room 115. He glanced at his watch, noticing that he was already incredibly late, so instead of knocking he just opened the door and stepped into the room. He muttered a quick "Sorry" and tried his best to look flustered. "This is our new student," The teacher, a refined looking Britannian man in his late forties ushered him in front of the class. The teacher looked down at his papers quickly, running his finger down across a list of names. "John Rathers. From mainland Britannia I assume?" John nodded, examining the class.
There were roughly two dozen students, an assortment of men and women. He could only spot one that didn't look entirely like a Britannian; a meek, bored looking red-haired girl in the third row. "Why don't you sit in the back there, beside Lelouch?" John stiffened, his eyes darting towards the back of the classroom where a black-haired student leaned against the window, not paying attention to the class. John calmly walked to the back of the class, examining the person he had been sent to sit beside. "Lelouch, was it?" He asked politely, extending his hand as he took his seat. Lelouch lazily turned to face him, his distinctive purple eyes shining in the afternoon light. "That's right. You're John, correct?" Lelouch gave his hand a light shake. John noticed that his grip was quite delicate, similar to that of a person that had never really worked. Lelouch looked him in the eye, a slightly confused look on his face. "Have we met before?" John broke eye contact, pulling his bag up onto the desk. "No, I don't think so."
The student sitting across from him leaned onto his desk casually, his hair a dark shock of blue. "There's no point getting your books out now, bud. The class is over already!" John hadn't noticed that when he came into the class, the students had already been packing their books. He must have lingered in the hallway longer than he had thought. "That's a good point. I'm John by the way, and you?" "He's Rivalz, a friend of mine." Lelouch responded for him; Rivalz was off talking to an orange-haired girl walking towards them. "Hey Lelouch! And you're John, right?" The newcomer asked, taking a vacant chair in front of them. "Yes, and you?" John asked. "I'm Shirley, great to meet you!" John nodded, then noticed they had formed a little sort of circle. "I'm sorry, am I intruding on you guys?" Lelouch started to say something but was interrupted by Rivalz. "Not really, we're just all on our way to Student Council. Speaking of which, have you joined any councils yet?"
They all stood up and gathered their bags, talking as they weaved through the desks. "No, I just arrived today. Any suggestions?" Shirley, who had been talking with Lelouch rather intently turned to talk to him. "Well, we're always looking for people in the student council. What do you think, Lelouch?" Lelouch shrugged. "You'd have to ask Milly, she's the boss, not me."
They came into the hall, the lunch traffic having subsided a little, as they had lingered in the classroom for a bit. "Milly? What's her last name?" John asked.
"Milly Ashford. She's the daughter of the man that owns the place." Rivalz answered. John nodded slowly, noting the name. He would have to speak with her later.
"So anyway, let's have lunch, huh? I'm starving!"
***
Lelouch sat watching the replay of the debut of his new organization, the Black Knights on the large television set in the wall of the trailer. His new compatriots, Kallen, Tamaki and Ougi, sat beside him, admiring it as well. Ougi ran his hand through his messy brown hair, easing back into the couch. "It was an amazing debut to be sure, but are you sure it wasn't too soon? I mean, we aren't even sure if we can handle the new flow of recruits.." Lelouch stood, his cape flaring majestically behind him. "Do not worry. Justice will prevail. This is merely the beginning of a more grand plan to be set in motion." Tamaki laughed drunkenly as he took another swig from the celebratory beer he was holding. "Don't worry so much, Ougi! Our great leader Zero will lead the way to victory!" Lelouch grinned under his mask; to have gained support so quickly was excellent. The plan had exceeded in all expectations. "Regardless, now that we are open to the public, we need to start working towards improving our reputation…"
***
Kallen walked slowly, replaying Zero's words in her head. Could what he said be true? All this talk about justice, was it real? She shook her head, breathing the cool night air in. It wouldn't do to worry so much about it right now. She had to get home and get to sleep; she had been losing sleep recently due to her work with the Black Knights. She yawned, and the strap of the case carrying her uniform fell to the ground, spilling it's contents across the cement of the sidewalk. She hastily kneeled and stuffed the distinctive clothing back into the bag, making sure that no one was around, and hurried on home.
***
The night had been relatively uneventful, though the information he had gathered just now had been well worth the wait. He packed up his observation equipment into his pack and moved off, another silhouette in the night.