Prologue
Lelouch of the Revolution
Eight years, eight years since the destruction that had befallen his new home. Lelouch Lamperouge, Eleventh son of the Britannian Emperor, Charles Zi Britania, sits next to his best friend Rivalz Cardemonde in the side car of the boys Britannian style motorbike. While the boy drives them towards their destination in Demelza tower, where a high-stakes game of Chess is currently on hold for them, Lelouch thinks back on the different events that have built his life into what it now is.
He thinks of the crippled sister he has at home in Ashford Academy, Nunnally, and how he has had to take care of her with the aid of their Maid, Sayako. He thinks of the many training sessions he has had with said maid on how to wield a blade, and more importantly, how to use it correctly. He reminisces on how often, or sparingly, he has won against said maid in any sort of practical lesson concerning said knives. He smiles, almost blissfully, when he thinks of the different moments that have helped calm his inner rage.
Taking Nunnally to the park to visit and play with the children there. How she always glows when she hears the laughter of children enjoying her stories and jokes. Lelouch smiles when he remembers the student ball, where he danced the night away with the sickly Kallen Stadtfeld. He remembers how she smiled and laughed when he took her aside and told her a few innocuous stories about the student council, and a few of the other students.
Memories like these are what have dulled the throbbing pain that is Lelouch Vi Britannia, and turned him into the mild-mannered man that is Lelouch Lamperouge, brother to Nunnally Lamperouge, Vice-Presedent of the Ashford Student Council, and leading student in almost all fields of study, save poetry, calligraphy, and sports.
[First Person]
"What should I expect Rivalz?" I ask. My friend shoots me an appraising eye, a slight smile on his lips as he responds. We round one of the thousands of bends on Japan's long Highways and are treated to a view of the many highrises that dot Japan's central cities.
"Oh, just the normal crap, really. Noble guy tried to rough up our Go-to man with a game of Chess," Rivalz chuckles.
"Oh?" I quirk a brow at his choice in words.
"Yeah, apparently the Noble prick put it in as an escape clause in some contract our guy had signed with him over some merchandise deal … Now that its going south, for the Noble prick that is, he wants out. So, our guy's called you in so that he can keep the money the Noble dude payed him, and give us a hefty profit from the wager said prick placed on the game. Basically, we have our guy playing an idiot who has no idea what he's doing with his money," Rivalz chuckles madly, almost turning into a hysterical laugh. I shake my head and ponder what it is that gets these nobles so eager to spend their money so frivolously.
"So, its a rescue mission then?" I ask. I smile at him, though apparently it comes off as more of a wry grin as he laughs at me. "What?" I shoot him a dubious look and shift so my body faces him somewhat.
"Oh, nothing, just how you think I don't know you enjoy this type of thing. I know you love beating the Nobles out of their 'hard earned money', but I know you just love to humiliate them when they try to brow beat one of our guys," Rivalz laugh's boisterously at this, because apparently, my face is priceless.
I just shake my head and grumble absently at his words. I know he's right, because I do enjoy fleecing the Nobles of their money, and hell, I love breaking heads when it comes to my allies, but for my ambitions to be put in such simple terms is kind of demeaning. At least, if you ask me that is.
Several minutes later into our drive, and my meandering thoughts having traveled to that place that holds my many Chess related puns, I hear Rivalz's voice blare in my ear.
"WE'RE HERE!" he shouts in my ear. I can almost feel the shock wave that is his voice bounce about inside my cranium. Taking a moment to stop the shaking, I look to our left and, voila, there is the nineteen story tall monster that is Demelza Lanes, our Go-to man's Bowling Alley slash high brow Bar. It caters to Numbers and Britannians in equal fashion, though that was a recent allotment by their Go-To man on suggestion by my own suggestion. Granted, that suggestion is pry what brought us here today.
"Top floor?" I ask. Redundant as it is, I always ask what floor we are going to, because I didn't ask one time, and we somehow wound up on the roof… instead of the top floor. Don't ask, not even Rivalz knows how we got there, because we took the elevator, and there was no roof entrance for it… and yeah, just don't ask.
"Yeah, Nineteenth floor, as if we'd go anywhere else," Rivalz spat sarcastically. He had almost as much reason to dislike the Britannians as I did. Rivalz reason to hate the britannians are short and simple, yet not so dissimilar to my own. His family, his father and sister, had bartered away his Mother and Younger Brother to the Britannian special forces when the army had invaded Japan; this was so that they could gain a simple seat on the Britannian Parliament here in Japan. Since his family had betrayed those he loved most, he had begun to simply dislike the Britannians for that simple fact alone. But, when Rivalz had received news that his Mother and Brother had been summarily executed for 'Crimes against the Britannian Empire' he had changed his dislike to full on hatred for his home country.
As Rivalz and I walk up to the front door, we are greeted by a pair of guards. Both are Elevens, and both work for our Guy. Looking at them, I can only imagine what they think they are wearing is intimidating, but to dress themselves in Khaki pants and white polo shirts, with simple bandolier style vest holsters is not what I would ever call intimidating. I sigh and shake my head at their attempt at intimidation. I know they are ours, but truthfully, they should try harder.
"Are you Mr Kars' associates?" Guard number one asks.
"Yeah, I'm Rivalz," my friend points to himself, "And this is Lelouch," He hooks a thumb over his shoulder in my general direction. Both guards nod and bow to us, as both obviously knowing who we are to Mr Kars'.
"Mr Kars is awaiting you in the top floor lobby, we have been ordered to escort you. Is there anything we can take up there for you sirs?"
"Nah, we're good, but thanks guys!" Rivalz smiles winningly at them and folds his hands behind his head. Chuckling at his disarming nature, I follow him in. Stopping at the door I turn around. Looking at both of them, I see that they are both still bowed over; both of them have this hilariously stunned look on their faces. I almost smile at their state of incomprehension, but take pity on them and call after them.
"Are you going to stand there like idiots, or are you going to follow us?" I ask, more than a bit amused at their reaction to my friend. They hop to and spin around. Both shoot me with this hilariously professional look before they salute me in unison.
"Yes sir!" They both shouted and ran after us. Laughing, I step out of their way and follow them the rest of the way in.
"This is going to be quite amusing … isn't it," I muse to myself with a chuckle at my companion's antics.
"So, this is the boy that was to be your substitute Thomas?" A man in red and white, golden stitched, finery states with such pomposity that even his guards flinch slightly at hearing his voice. I almost blanch at how stupid he has made himself sound just in that one sentence, but I keep my composure.
"AH, Mr Kars, how is the family?" I smile genially at our friend. Mr Kars is a very elderly man, I have personally put his age at mid seventies to early eighties, and have made it a rule not to ask his age. His head is full of gray hair, and his eyes are clouded with cataracts, but his intelligence is not to be questioned. He is one of the few people on this earth that I would not want to have to argue against. His logic is usually sound and backed by enough facts to stop the proverbial tide, his only loss is that his mind is not a sharp as it once had been. One of the reasons I trust him is his disdain for the Britannian way of life, as he himself has been on the receiving end of many a 'handsy' search by our nations illustrious military men and women.
"They are well Master Lelouch, Master Rivalz!" Mr Kars greets us exuberantly. "And how is school my lads, your grades are still the highest in the school, yes?" He asks me, a knowing smile ghosting his lips as he does.
"As always, an astute assumption Mr Kars. You would be correct, I have indeed kept the position, and my friend has become the tenth best rated member in our grade, so I think I have done well to tutor him when we have time," I smile at him, warmth actually reaching my eyes when I do so because of the legitimate concern he has shown us throughout the last four years.
"That's good to hear Tom!" Rivalz laughs boyishly. He slings an arm around Mr Kars' neck and pulls him in for a sidelong embrace. The older gentleman obliges and returns the gesture, much to my own personal amusement.
"Are we here to make nice, or play chess!" The noble growls from his seat; apparently he has had enough of our small talk.
"If you think this a waste of time sir, then maybe you can just leave Mr Kars' money here, where it belongs, and go about your business?" I retort coldly. I can feel my eyes loose their warmth, and the subtle rage I usually keep locked within my heart begins to leak out. Rivalz, I notice, becomes a bit on edge with my now ridged stance. Mr Kars' seems to not realize what sort of standoff he is now in the middle of, but seems to get that there is more going on than physically perceivable in his advanced age.
"Fine, boy, sit down and let us finish this farce!" The noble snarls, spittle flying from his mouth as he does so. I scowl at his disgusting manners and mentally ready myself to destroy him, utterly, in our game. "The runs are now only in twenty second intervals; lets see you play with such a short turn limit!" The Noble huffs.
"How long until we have to get back to campus Rivalz, and still make it back on time?" I ask my friend. I settle into my seat while I let him preform the calculations in his head. I already know that it should be roughly twenty minutes, but he has a better head for math than I do when it comes to time, distance, and speed conversions.
"About twenty-three minutes if things get out of hand, but I'd have to push it to the limit," Rivalz mutters under his breath for me. I smile, deviously so, at least that's what I hope.
"Then you best drive safe, Rivalz, this will only take a few minutes," I grin viciously as I see how elegantly our friend Kars has set up the board for me. I look at my opponent, and take note of his slightly fear stricken face. He has obviously heard everything Rivals and I have said to each other.
"Do you know something interesting Mr Noble…," I ask him randomly as I twirl the king in my fingers.
"What is that boy," He growls back.
"If you want you forces to win, you should always expect to do first what you want them to do… In other words, if the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" I ask him right as I slam my king down a space ahead of where it once was. A vicious smile creeps across my face as he begins to realize how very wrong it was to try and weasel out of his contract with my friend.
"That, was rather impressive Lelouch, eight minutes thirty-seven second… That's one hell of a record!" Rivalz laughs maliciously as we walk out the front doors. The noble had, apparently to mine and Rivalz' surprises, put up a three to one odd on the winner of the Chess match. And, with myself being the winner, I had won us a massive bonus. Three million Britannian pounds a piece, on top of the three hundred thousand we had already agreed upon with Kars was more than either of us had bargained for. I have won sizable amounts from Nobles in the past, several hundreds of thousands a pop at times, but to win over three million in one go, after splitting it three ways with my compatriots, was nigh unheard of.
"Well, I think it is a blessing that Mr Kars can just have the money wired to our accounts, right Lelouch?" Rivalz quips as he slips his helmet on. He clasps his into place and tosses my helmet under hand to me. I catch it easily enough and slip it on, along with the driving goggles sitting inside.
"Yes, it is a god send that we set that up with him before hand… I dare not think of what we would be doing right now trying to carry six million and a half Pounds with us back to the Academy," Both of us shiver at the thought of facing off against Milly and being caught with so much money in hand.
"Well, I think we should-" I stop as one of the massive flat screens stationed around Area 11, or old Japan, switches over from the news to a broadcast of the Royal Consulate in central Tokyo.
"We now bring you Prince Clovis, Third Son in line to the Throne of our illustrious Kingdom!" An announcer voice boomed from the massive speakers on either side of the screen.
"As your Prince, I would like us all to take a moment and think on what has happened here today," Clovis, my one time brother, and now Tyrannical Ruler of Area 11, pauses as he reads off from some teleprompter. "A small group of Radical Elevens have not just sabotaged a Government Building today, but have caused the deaths of over twenty Britannian Citizens in the process of trying to obtain a newly minted Knightmare blueprint. They have once again put themselves at odds with our Glorious Britannia. They have spat on our hospitality, and aid. I will not let this latest transgression go on without justice being served!" Clovis, my idiotic brother, also the Viceroy of Japan … Or area 11 if you wish to call it, is now making a bigger fool of himself than I thought he could possibly do on his own.
As Rivalz and I walk up to our bike, I fish out a few Pounds and slip them into the bill feeder on the side of the parking meeter. Rivalz readies the bike and fishes out our helmets and goggles. I look around briefly and notice all the people that are actually going along with Clovis' little sham of a "moment of silence". I'm actually a little disgusted, looking at these people; none of them pry even know what it is to feel the loss of a parent, or sibling. I narrow my eyes in disgust and look away with a stab of sorrow plucking at my heart. Suzaku, my best friend, one of the last people I have ever considered family … I don't know if he's alive, or if he is dead, I pray against the former often, and hope for the later almost daily.
Rivalz catches my look and shoots me a questioning quick of his brows.
"What's with the look, buddy?" He asks me. I can see his concern for me almost as plain as day; and it is that very concern that has let me seek his friendship for the last four years in earnest. He doesn't care where someone if from, as long as they don't belittle others or himself.
"I just don't get these people. They think being so self serving when it comes to others that have been killed will make a difference!" I sigh. A sense of resignation overtakes me for but a moment before I clear my mind and look at Rivalz in earnest. "Why aren't you…?" I tilt my head in the direction of the rest of the people being sheep.
"I'd be embarrassed for myself if I ever did anything like that," He states simply, as if it is clear as day; which, from my point of view, it is. I chuckle languidly and ease my helmet onto my head.
"Ah, the simplicity of un-hindered perspective!" I laugh as he shoots me a dangerous look. He doesn't look mad or putout, but more mischievous and gleeful. I shoot him a look of dis-interested interest; it makes me look 'Aloof' as Rivalz likes to call me oft-times.
"Don't even go there Lelouch, we both know how angsty you can get!" Rivalz chuckles evilly at me, and I want to punch him in the face. I can tell my cheeks are red, both out of embarrassment and halfhearted anger.
"I do not get angsty! I get impassioned!" I declare dramatically with a hand pressing against my chest. He simply laughs at my bravado and flashes me a sharp grin. I sigh and just climb into the side car. I know when I've been had by my, usually not so, clever friend.
Rivalz grins and guns the accelerator for a second, just long enough, and hard enough, to send me careening back into my seat. I shoot him a deadpan look, one that conveys just how not okay I was with his 'prank'.
"Not cool Rivalz…."
"You know you would have done the same," He smirks back in challenge. I sigh and huff my indignation at him, but hide the slow smile, that I can feel just starting to pull at my lips, from him. He laughs and guns the accelerator. With just a second of forewarning, which I got from the look in his eyes, I was just, just, able to keep myself from getting whiplash.
We blaze out of the parking lot and down the road towards the freeways.
Riding along the serpentine highways of Area 11, I lazily think on how beautiful the day has been thus far. We have out played a Noble, again, taken in the sights, worked on our story for Milly so that she doesn't castrate us when we get back, and fondly thought of ways we would like to burn Britannia to the ground. I think thusly on a simple problem that has been plaguing me for almost a year now, should I, or should I not, tell Rivalz my relation to the Britannian Throne.
He has been one of my staunchest supporters, right up there next to Milly and the rest of the Ashford Family, my little sister Nunnally and Sayoko Shinozaki, our maid being my highest and most loyal supporters. It is a struggle not to inform him of who he has actually befriended, to just keep on lying to him is one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Coming around a bend onto one of the few straightaways, I sigh and look behind us. Seeing a massive truck is not what I would call relaxing, especially when it's less than ten feet behind us.
With a blare of its horn, Rivalz yanks us out of its way and on to the shoulder of the highway. Instead of barrling on past us, it hooks a hard left and goes off a ramp leading to a construction site.
"Um, we didn't cause that did we?" Rivalz asks me as we get off the bike and look for the semi. Looking out farther than I would expect it should have gone, we see catch it just as it smashes into the side of the very building that is under construction. Sighing I look at Rivalz.
"Do you think we'd be able to help them?"
"Yeah … I mean sure, we could, but we need to get back to the School. Milly's going to kill us a it is!" Rivalz sighs as he shows me his watch. It reads 12:23 BST. I groan and rub at my temples. Obviously, we somehow miscalculated our time somewhere along the way.
"Shit, well, I guess it can't be helped," I trail off as we both hear a very bad, very bad, screaching noise come from behind us. Turning around slowly, we see the problem. Our ride has now been turned into read pizza… In other words, its been run over by a very angry Truck Driver. Rivalz and I both shoot him incredulous looks, to which he flips us off and unceremoniously runs over the bike and goes on down the road.
"That … Is bullshit," I comment abstractly. We both eye the remains of our ride, once a beautiful blue and white bike that once held many a good memory for us both, now a smear of oil, gas, and torn metal.
"Whelp, looks like we're helping the broken down idiots…," Rivalz cracks sarcastically. He makes a snap one eighty and marches off towards the crashed Semi. This is just ridiculous. I sigh and march after him. I quickly match his pace as we make way towards the Semi.
"You know, this is some seriously sketchy-" I stop when we both catch the sound of the roof unlatching and rolling back. Waiting a moment to see if anything, or one, comes out, we quickly decide that it's just the latch giving away and the door springing open on its own after the crash.
"Lets check that out. You climb up and get situated to help lower me in, and I'll be right behind you," I tell Rivalz. He nods at me and quickly clambers up the side rail. After the crash it now hangs low and off to the side like a ladder. Once Rivalz is at the top, I quickly follow him up.
The reason behind us scaling the side of this thing is because the doors for the driver side and passenger side are completely blocked off by a good portion of the buildings supplies and equipment falling and blocking the doors. Now, standing on top of the crash, I look to Rivalz.
"Alright, just lower me in carefully and I'll look for something, maybe a step ladder, that we can use to get you down here safely. Then we can get these people out and to a hospital."