Lelouch didn't even bother to escort Schneizel and Cornelia back to his plane. He had a renewed focus, an unrestrained and renewed devotion to his cause. Nunnally was fast reaching martyred in his mind, and Suzaku… Lelouch refused to think of him, fully aware of the blind rage that thoughts of his former friend could provoke.
As for Rolo, whose very existence Lelouch had denied mere hours ago, Lelouch didn't spare him a single thought. If he wasn't useful, he wasn't anything to Lelouch.
Kallen walked with him back to his room, mostly quiet, letting him think. Lelouch felt a surprisingly strong wave of affection for her, the only person he'd truly trusted apart from C.C., and currently the closest thing he had to a confidant. "Kallen?"
"Ah, yes, Ze-… Lelouch?" Kallen flushed awkwardly.
"Welcome back." Lelouch smiled and turned to her, inclining his head as he gave the traditional Japanese welcome. "Okeri."
Kallen's flush disappeared, replaced by a brilliant smile. "Tadaima, Lelouch. It's good to be back."
"I'm sure there are others you should see. Ougi was very worried, and Tamaki was very… loud." Kallen looked like she might protest. Lelouch held up a hand, forestalling her. "I'm just going to sleep. There's no reason for you to accompany me."
That flush was back, with a vengeance. "I…"
"Kallen, go enjoy yourself. I promise, you'll be sent off into battle soon enough. Take this opportunity."
Kallen nodded, still flushing for some reason. "Thanks." She hesitated before turning back to Lelouch. "Sleep well. I mean… don't have nightmares or anything."
…because of Nunnally. "I'll try not to," Lelouch said, as reassuringly as he could. "I'm sure that if I make enough noise, C.C. will wake me up."
"Ah, right…" Kallen's mouth twisted slightly. "I hope she… gets better."
Lelouch nodded. "Me too." He watched Kallen walk away, allowing himself the relief of having her back. Then he put her from her mind and walked into his room, tossing his mask and cape aside. Maybe he wouldn't even need the mask anymore. He'd consult with Kaguya regarding that – it wouldn't do to cause internal problems within the Black Knights or the U.F.N. at this sensitive time.
C.C. wasn't waiting for him. Honestly, Lelouch couldn't blame her – he'd been violent and loud with Rolo, far above anything he'd ever shown to C.C. before. He hadn't struck Rolo, but he would have if it had occurred to him. If the boy had done anything but cower in terror from him. Assassin or no, Rolo instinctively knew his place was below Lelouch.
Still, C.C.'s wasn't. Not even as this childish servant girl. Lelouch rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension of meeting with his elder brother and revealing his true self, and decided to explain himself to C.C., at least as much as she would be able to understand. She seemed more compassionate than she had as the acerbic witch he so dearly missed. She would understand about Nunnally's loss, or at least empathize if she didn't.
"C.C.?" Lelouch called, absently tidying the mess he'd made. "C.C., are you here? I just want to talk."
There was no answer. Lelouch wasn't really concerned, he could wait her out.
…or maybe she was asleep. Lelouch's hours were far from regular, and C.C. more or less slept whenever she felt like it. Certainly, the quiet after Kallen had taken him away would have been a good opportunity.
Lelouch tried his room first. More often than not, she'd curl up on his bed, on the edge or even at the foot, without even getting under the sheets. He had no idea why. "C.C.?"
Nothing. He checked the other rooms and, finding them all similarly empty, began to get faintly worried. "C.C.!" The closets, corners, under the command computer and all the desks… nothing, apart from C.C.'s beloved cheese-kun. "C.C., come out right now!"
Still no answer. Lelouch clutched at the stuffed pizza hut mascot and came to the conclusion he should have arrived at minutes ago; C.C. wasn't in his rooms. She'd been forbidden to leave, and had never even considered disobeying since the day she lost her memory. Lelouch would occasionally spend almost a full day away at a time and she would wait him out here, not leaving even for food. But if she wasn't here, that meant that she had either left on her own, or been taken.
Lelouch hoped it was the former. The thought of C.C., in the childlike state she was in, kidnapped, was unbearable.
He grabbed his mask, leaving the cape behind. The point wasn't to intimidate if he found her, but rather to soothe. The thought of not finding C.C. didn't even cross his mind. They were on a ship in the middle of the ocean, for goodness sakes. The only way off was by boat or plane or…
Or Knightmare. C.C. couldn't pilot one, not as she was, but that would hardly stop someone else from taking her. Someone who was a servant of Lelouch's father, someone brought here under the orders of Lelouch's brother.
Lelouch rushed out of the room, pausing only to call the bridge.
"Yes?"
"This is Zero. I need the exact location of the Mordred."
OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO
Anya Alstreim's body smiled at C.C. who returned the smile easily, not even slightly intimidated by the giant Knightmare looming behind her. "Marianne."
"C.C. You're back." Marianne looked pleased, the same way she always did when she got her way. "Honestly, I would have expected better from you than sullen sulking in your own mind."
"I have no idea what came over me."
Marianne shrugged easily. "I have orders to leave with Schneizel. Are you coming along?"
"I assume you're following a slightly different flight path." Marianne's eyes twinkled as she held back a giggle. C.C. sighed. "Just wait a moment? There's something I wanted to bring."
Marianne shrugged. "My orders are to launch in a few minutes. But since I'll be taking off A.W.O.L. to join Charles, I suppose a little procrastination won't matter."
C.C. was just about to turn when the sharp clip of heeled boots, an unmistakably arrogant tread, caught her attention. "Oh dear."
"C.C.!" Lelouch's voice, only slightly muffled by the mask, was filled with exasperated relief. "Where have you been, I…" It was always impressive when Lelouch was struck speechless. The plush toy in his arms completed the image. C.C. simply raised an eyebrow as Lelouch dropped the cheese-kun and drew his gun. "Lady Alstreim."
"Zero!" Marianne very nearly trilled, smiling more brightly than Anya had ever managed. "I was not expecting you."
Lelouch moved slowly, never lowering his gun, as he moved between C.C. and Marianne. "I wish I could say the same. What is your business with my… with C.C.?"
Marianne smirked. "Your C.C.? She was mine long before she was yours." Before Lelouch had the chance to ask about that, C.C. came up behind him and knocked him out. Marianne shook her head. "That'll hurt his feelings when he wakes up."
"Does that matter? Once your plan is complete, he'll understand why it had to be done."
"Our plan," Marianne corrected. "And I've just had the most wonderful idea for a variation! After all, the Mordred's cockpit is certainly large enough to fit three."
C.C. raised an eyebrow. "Is this because he's your son?" When Marianne's smile simply sharpened at that, C.C. sighed. "Such sentimentality."
"Well, naturally. If one is to have a weak point, it would almost certainly be one's children." Marianne reached down and lightly caressed Zero's mask. "It's a pity there's no chance of getting Nunnally there, but…" She looked up, grinning at C.C. "Don't tell, but Lelouch was always my favourite. Delicate and lovely, hiding a truly vicious streak of ambition. Nunnally was always more classically strong, but she never quite managed either Charles's or my cunning."
C.C. didn't disagree. She'd really only known Marianne's children after they'd been broken by the death of their mother.
"So. Kidnapping Zero out from under his army. Pretty flashy, don't you think?" Marianne hoisted Lelouch up, leaving his mask on as she half-carried, half-dragged him to the Mordred. "Not a bad note to end my military career on."
"That's true. There won't be any need for armies or soldiers or knights in your new world."
Marianne smiled over her shoulder. "And there won't be any need for you, C.C. Won't that be nice?"
C.C. nodded and helped Marianne steady Lelouch as they rose to the Mordred's cockpit. It would be nice indeed.
OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO
Suzaku strode into the relaxation area, ignoring Cecile kicking Gino's ass at billiards, and headed straight for Lloyd. "What's the status of the Lancelot?"
"Ah… out of commission? You'd know that as well as anyone." Lloyd didn't seem impressed.
Suzaku shook his head. "No, I meant the Lancelot Albion."
"Albion?" Gino asked.
"It's a Knightmare designed especially for Sir Suzaku Kururugi," Lloyd said, "but I don't feel like giving it to him now."
He was sulking, like a petulant child. Suzaku didn't have time for this. "I could order you to release it to me." Lloyd may have been an Earl, but a Knight of the Rounds had the Emperor's voice on military matters.
"Now I really don't want to."
"Suzaku, maybe after the FLEIA you should take it easy for a bit," Cecile suggested in her typically kind way. Normally that would have worked, but Suzaku wasn't in a mood for kindness.
"The FLEIA was just another weapon. I'm ready to move on to the Albion."
"But–"
Cecile's objection was interrupted by the entrance of Prince Schneizel, followed by his aide and by Princess Cornelia. It was heartening to see that someone had been successful in their efforts, particularly given that they'd gone against Lelouch.
Cecile, Suzaku, and Gino snapped to attention. "At ease," Schneizel said.
Lloyd just waved. "It's been a while, Your Highness!" Cornelia glared at the informality, but she looked tired, her eyes scanning the room. Suzaku wondered what Lelouch had done to her while she was in captivity.
"Where's Guilford?" Cornelia asked suddenly.
"He was caught in the FLEIA's blast radius after launching it. We haven't been able to locate him since," Kanon answered smoothly. Cornelia stood, stunned speechless.
"Alive or dead, he's a hero," Schneizel was fast to reassure her. "He was truly worthy of being your knight."
Suzaku stepped up. "Pardon me, Your Highness, but I fired the FLEIA warhead. It is an achievement that is necessary for me to become the Knight of One."
"Hey, Suzaku…" Gino sounded both chiding and nervous, nothing at all like his normal cheerful self.
"Is this a lie to spare Sir Guilford's reputation?" Suzaku demanded relentlessly.
Cornelia turned her attention fully onto him, and the fire that had been missing from her eyes returned. "What do you mean?"
"Leave it at that, Suzaku," Schneizel warned.
"I can't," Suzaku answered. "I've been too soft up until now. I've put my ideals and aesthetics above my ambition and desires." He approached Prince Schneizel, standing directly in front of him.
Schneizel frowned in a clear warning. "That may be, however…"
"That stops now." Suzaku faced Schneizel with his face set, a warning of his own. "Make me the Knight of One, Your Highness."
Cornelia's eyes were narrowed and arrogant again, the eyes of the warrior princess she'd been. "You're treading dangerously close to insubordination and treason, Kururugi."
"After all," Lloyd added, "only the Emperor has the right to name the Knight of One. What you're suggesting…"
"Very well," Schneizel interrupted. "I accept. I will become Emperor."
The gasps of surprise filled the room. Gino stepped up. "Your Highness, what you're speaking of is…"
"He called this war a 'trivial matter'." Schneizel shook his head. "He's absorbed in his own personal research and abandons his throne. He's lost interest in the world, filled with indifference towards those who struggle to live and fight. Such a man has no right to rule."
Gino hesitated, the words clearly resonating with him. Suzaku took this opportunity. "Your Highness, as a Knight of Rounds, I can arrange to get close the Emperor. Please give me the order to assassinate him."
"Suzaku!"
"If I'm going to be a murderer, Gino, then I'll make it count. All that matters is the outcome."
Schneizel inclined his head, acknowledging Suzaku's determination. "Then I so order you, Suzaku Kururugi, current Knight of Seven. Make Britannia a better place through your actions, and I'll reward you with your own wish."
One of the upsides from this was that Lloyd could no longer withhold the Lancelot Albion from Suzaku. One of the downsides was that Gino, still resistant to Schneizel's coup d'état, was taken prisoner, stripped of his Rounds uniform and held prisoner at Schneizel's leisure. Suzaku would have felt guilty about that, about Gino's punishment for remaining loyal, but he had more important things on his mind.
It took a while, but Suzaku eventually broke through the layers of security protocols and reluctant aides and managed to get the location of the Emperor's destination.
Kamine island.
Suzaku no longer had it in him to be surprised.
OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO
Lelouch woke up face-to-face with C.C. and his with head in a strange girl's lap. Not a stranger's, but definitely a strange girl. Also notable was that he no longer had his mask on.
"A-Anya…" Lelouch groaned as he sat up, uncomfortable with the maternal way she was stroking his hair. "What are you…" He looked around, at the strange but vaguely familiar surroundings. He had the feeling that he'd been there before, but he wasn't sure when or why. The trees of the forest looked familiar, the formations of the rocks around the nearby cave… the series of caves itself…
"Kamine?"
Anya laughed. "Well done. I'm so proud of you, Lelouch."
Lelouch frowned, still quite confused. "You're…" He met C.C.'s emotionless eyes and everything that had happened came back to him. He felt like quite the fool for rushing after C.C. since, with her memories and powers back, she could clearly take care of herself. It had been a purely emotional reaction and, with Nunnally dead, he was supposed to be above that now.
Also, it would appear that she'd betrayed him, if his memories were to be trusted.
He turned away from C.C., and faced Anya. "Are you working under my father's orders?"
Anya shrugged, and Lelouch noticed how much livelier she was than the girl he remembered from Ashford. Then again, he was hardly in a position to criticize others for wearing a different mask in different situations. "That depends on your definition of the word 'orders'. And 'working'. Also 'under'…"
"What are we doing here?" Lelouch asked more directly.
"Waiting for you to wake up," Anya answered with a cheeky grin. "And now we're going to take you inside the cave to meet with Charles. Okay?"
As Anya spoke, her hands tightened on Lelouch's shoulders, and Lelouch realized that this was less an offer and more a command. He was at her mercy, alone and unarmed, with only a treacherous witch as a witness. He still couldn't believe… after everything that had happened, with his Mao and his father and Suzaku and Nunnally that she would actually betray him. Hadn't he cared for her when she'd lost herself? Hadn't he done everything he could to protect her? Hadn't he gone so far as to race after her without even letting his Black Knights know which, in hindsight, was pretty damn stupid.
In fact, Lelouch was convinced that that was what hurt the most. The fact that she'd played him for a fool, possibly this whole time. The betrayal itself was secondary, and only important in that he'd had faith in her pledge that they were allies, partners.
They were nothing to each other in reality. That much was clear now.
Anya's grip shifted from holding Lelouch to almost… soothing him? She was getting weirder and weirder. "You're so tense. Relax, no one wants to hurt you here. We all have your best interests in mind."
Lelouch wrenched himself away, scrambling to his feet. "My best interests? A Knight of Rounds and a treacherous witch? You're part of the same army that tried to kill me and destroy everything I've worked for, and she's made that possible! You've kidnapped me and betrayed me and you killed my sister!"
The sound of Anya's palm slapping Lelouch's cheek with enough force to rock his head back echoed from the surrounding rock.
"Stop throwing a fit over the unfairness of it all and do something, Lelouch. Your father and I are tired of this petulance, as adorable as it was when you first started. We've indulged you enough, I think, and now it's time for you to grow up."
"Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?" Lelouch demanded indignantly, one hand covering his stinging cheek. "Just because you're my father's servant…"
Anya drew her gun, effectively shutting Lelouch up. C.C. reacted for the first time, stepping forward with her hand outstretched towards Anya. "Marianne…"
"I'm willing to shoot you," Anya explained coolly, "but I don't really want to." Lelouch stared at her in disbelief, as if he never would have expected an elite enemy to actually pull a weapon on him. Anya's gaze encompassed both him and C.C. "I just want to make sure we're all on the same page."
Lelouch nodded and slowly held his hands out in front of him. "What do you want?" His couldn't prevent his tone from being resentful and angry, but at least he managed not to snap. He had to make it out of here alive and return to his soldiers and Kallen. Those who had been loyal to him, if for no other reason than because C.C., who'd been far from loyal, wouldn't want him to.
Anya looked pleased with his cooperation. "Nothing much. Just a little family reunion."
OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO
The sun was just setting as the Lancelot Albion landed within sight of the cave Suzaku had been directed to. Schneizel had ordered radio silence on this mission, for the obvious reason that it was technically treason (and regicide, and patricide-by-proxy), but Suzaku quickly set up the Lancelot to send a signal through to the second prince's direct line if anyone other than himself tampered with it.
Better safe than sorry.
It wasn't that Suzaku was afraid. No, he knew full well that, while he might fail or get injured or even go berserk, he couldn't die. Even if he'd had doubts about the power of the geass placed on him before, the incident with the FLEIA had convinced him – he might not be invulnerable, but he was essentially invincible.
No matter what he wanted. Regardless of his personal choice, or the cost that he would have to pay for his own life.
That had pushed him over the edge. He'd lost the last bit of faith that Euphemia had given him, that kernel of hope that Nunnally had nurtured within him. Now they were both gone and he had nothing. Nothing except the realization that faith and hope weren't enough. That sometimes the greater good meant doing something morally wrong. Neither Euphemia nor Nunnally would have approved of what he was doing now. They both would have tried to talk him out of it, and they would have succeeded. But they were gone now, both of them. Because of him and because of Lelouch.
There was a small voice in the back of his mind that suggested that perhaps Lelouch would have approved of this course of action, and understood the motivations behind it. Suzaku ignored it. Lelouch was the last thing he wanted to think about.
But, apparently, Suzaku wasn't going to be given that choice. As he approached the cave, he caught sight of three figures coming from another direction to the same destination. Three easily recognizable figures.
The first thought that crossed Suzaku's mind wasn't why Anya was forcing Lelouch to lead at gunpoint, but why she didn't also have C.C. covered. Then the absurdity of seeing them together like this truly kicked in, just about the same time Anya started waving and Lelouch noticed him.
If looks could kill, Suzaku's geass would have been activated. "What are you doing here?" Lelouch snarled.
"I was wondering the same thing." Suzaku approached carefully. Anya was still the Knight of Six, just as much at the Emperor's service as Gino, and Suzaku was about to become a traitor. "If Zero's been captured…"
Anya chuckled. "Zero doesn't matter anymore. The important thing is that Lelouch is here." She grabbed Lelouch's hand as if she hadn't been pointing a gun at him a second ago and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Suzaku stared as his mind tried to reconcile the action and the fact that this was Anya. "It's nice to see you again, Suzaku, but this is really more of an intimate family thing."
Lelouch, who seemed just as shocked as Suzaku by Anya's irrational actions, managed a rather weak snort. "Family? You and C.C. and that man are about as much family to me as Suzaku is." He glared at Suzaku. "In fact, after today, I feel that my regard for Suzaku has come closer to my regard for the man who fathered me."
Betrayal, rejection, the loss of his mother and sister… Suzaku felt that shot, despite how much he truly loathed Lelouch right now. The fact that everything had been caused by a misunderstanding, that Suzaku had never intended to reject or betray Lelouch, that Nunnally's death could only have happened because of the geass that Lelouch had placed on him… none of that really mattered. As much as Suzaku would have liked to argue, Lelouch had every reason to hate him.
But Suzaku had every reason to hate Lelouch right back. And, yes, there was still a part of him that still cared about Lelouch, the same part that lamented the way Schneizel had used him to find Zero. A part of him that made his throat tighten at Lelouch's cold, angry expression. But mostly, Suzaku remembered Narita, and Shirley, and Euphemia. He remembered waking up from blacking out in the middle of a battle surrounded by dead bodies or destroyed Knightmares, or a giant crater where people, civilians, had been. He remembered being happy, and how Lelouch had taken away everything that made that happiness possible.
So instead of lowering his head at Lelouch's vitriol, Suzaku raised it, sneering. "That's funny. Because the longer this goes on, the more I see your father in you."
Lelouch lunged at him, but Anya caught him and held him back easily. Lelouch still had no idea how to use his body as a weapon, just his words.
It was C.C. who stepped in. "Why doesn't Suzaku come with?"
That was the first time Suzaku had heard her voice in person. It was a nice voice, calm and as musical as a monotone could be. Suzaku instantly hated it.
Lelouch stopped struggling and stared at her. "You're not really suggesting…" Anya reached up and slapped the back of his head.
"Naughty boys don't get a say." She smiled at Suzaku. "Well? We're going to visit Charles. Want to come?"
This was so weird. "I… yes. I would like to speak with the Emperor."
Anya laughed, more richly than Suzaku had expected. "Oh, I bet you would. Does Schneizel have any messages for him, or did he just send you on your own?"
"I asked to come."
Lelouch smiled cruelly. "I'm sure you think it was your idea, don't you?" Suzaku glared but didn't answer, grinding his teeth at Lelouch's dark chuckle. "Still merely a tool, Suzaku."
"And what are you, Lelouch?"
Lelouch shrugged. "Even if this ends in disaster, I'll still have my own free will. I'm not sure you even remember what making your own decisions feels like."
It felt bitter. It felt like resentment and anger and fear. "It feels fine."
"Yes, yes, you're both very manly, can we go now?" Anya asked impatiently. "Honestly, all this posturing will be meaningless in a few hours." She grabbed C.C.'s and Lelouch's hands, beaming almost giddily at Suzaku. "Coming?"
Lelouch clearly didn't want him to. That decided Suzaku. "Of course."
