I really am on a roll: Three chapters in three days. Albeit this one is a bit short and you'll have to wait till the weekend for the next, but still I feel like I just can't stop writing (as well as not being able to stop listening to 'The Man Who Would Be King' (Iron Maiden) and Shinigami World A & B (Death Note OST I & II)). And as sad as it is, the holiday is over. School and narcissistic classmates here I come!

Chapter 12: Welcome to the Jungle

The road to the Narita airstrip was pretty much covered with jungle. After the famous Battle of Narita over 300 years ago between the Black Knights and Britannia the whole landslide area had been planted with flowers as a mass memorial. However, flowers grow after some time and so the once beautiful memorial had turned into a sweltering rainforest. Even the old forest of oaks and birch had been taken over by the growing families of beech and cedar that swamped the mountains and covered it with a beautiful mist. But that was perfect if you were trying to avoid detection from an empire that controlled half the world.

Lucia struggled to sleep as the SUV hit another pothole. The sun was coming up in the east and they had been driving all night without a chance for a rest. Bumpy roads, the exhaustion after adrenaline and worry for what had happened at the warehouse kept everyone awake.

Lucia tried to distract her thoughts from where R.R. might be to where they were going. Apparently a makeshift airstrip had been built three centuries ago in the mountains to fly in all the seeds for the memorial garden. After the mass plantation it was realised that the airstrip was in an excellent strategic position and so two hangers and a small control tower were built. But the encroaching forest and world peace meant the military strip had to be decommissioned. A couple of hundred years ago Jeremiah found it and started to resurrect the old base as well as rediscovering the tunnel systems once used by the Japan Liberation Front. Now it was a backup base, with half of it underground with a traditional Japanese house built in the shadows of the tallest mountain for the top officers.

But, as usual, her thoughts wondered. First she thought back to the battle at the warehouse and wondered how the Britannians had arrived so quickly. Had an officer heard the shots and called for help? Had a worker hidden away and contacted backup? Or was there a traitor…?

She tried not to think hard about that and so her mind wondered back (as it always did) to Raven. She looked at him in the rear-view mirror. He had somehow gotten asleep but still managed to look as glum as he always did. She smiled, wondering how he could dream so easily with all that was going on. Something was up with him and she swore she would find out what it was as soon as she had gone to bed for twelve hours. But thinking about warm beds didn't help much and so her mind wondered to R.R..

The last bit of news she had heard was that Jeremiah had found him alive and well and they were heading to the mountains later. Unfortunately Fiona's legs had been shattered by the Havoc's attack. It wasn't likely she would walk again. But R.R. seemed to be in an almost worse state. Shinto and Minato were already spreading rumours about R.R. hallucinating. There was even talk about him being on Refrain. Lucia hoped that wasn't the case. She had seen people hooked on that stuff until death from overdose. R.R. seemed smarter than that and hoped the Miyogi brothers were just spreading dissention to gain attention. She doubted that Jeremiah would stand for that.

"About ten minutes till we get there," Roy yawned beside her.

Lucia looked at Roy. He was utterly loyal to Empress Lilia and even seemed to have feelings for her. He was an excellent fighter but didn't seem to contain the brains of R.R. or Raven and if there was ever a traitor in the rebellion, he would be the last possible person it could be.

Minato, who was staring wearingly out the window, seemed a lot less trustworthy. He and his brother were as thick as thieves and were probably thieves in every literal sense. Apparently, missing equipment was always under the brother's protection when it disappeared. Add to the fact that they were still smarting over Jeremiah's decision to make R.R. his second-in-command and these two (or one of them at least) could be traitors.

I must be really tired, thought Lucia, If I'm believing in traitors. No-one would dare betray this rebellion.

She looked at Raven again and smiled.

No-one.

When they arrived at the shrubbery-filled airstrip, a figure awaited them. Lucia smiled as she got out the truck.

"Commander Jeremiah," proclaimed Lucia, "How did you get here before us?"

Jeremiah smiled as the jeeps unloaded their passengers, "We had an emergency teleportation pad at one of the safe houses; we set a bomb, relocated to Damocles and then relocated here before it even went off.

Lucia smiled with sudden realisation, "Is R.R. here?" she asked cheerfully.

She thought she saw a flash of anxiety in Jeremiah's eyes.

"Yes," he said, "But a high-speed chase, an explosion and two teleportations is enough to knock the wind out of anybody; he's sleeping at the moment."

"Lucky him," grumbled Lucia.

"Where's Fiona?" asked Jeremiah

"Oh!" gasped Lucia, "We need to get her to the infirmary quickly!"

Meanwhile, under the shadow of the mountain, in the large old-fashioned Japanese house, behind sliding doors and cedar wood, R.R. was as awake as can be. He lay on the king-sized bed, curled up like a baby. He was totally alone in the room.

"A gentleman would sleep on the floor."

He put his hands over his head.

"How idealistic."

He started to sob.

"If you have a reason for living, then you have to kill me."

"No…" moaned R.R., "You're in my head! You've said this all before!"

He opened his eyes.

She lay beside him.

"Why do you deny my existence?" she asked.

"I saw you die in front of me. You gave me your curse of eternal life."

She smiled guiltily, "Living forever with your death in my mind was the worst fate I could imagine. I was selfish."

R.R. wept. The Daemon cried while the Witch looked on with pitying eyes.

"You are dead!" cried R.R. "Why do you torment me?"

She looked at him, her eyes so deep and beautiful.

"You are dead!" R.R. cried again, "You are not real! Your body is aboard Damocles!"

"Are you sure?" she asked, smiling with sin, "If I'm not real, then who's to say that I'm aboard Damocles?"

R.R. looked at her then, a long deep look into someone that could not possibly be there, yet had the eyes of a 700 year-old woman.

"Please…" he muttered, "Go away…"

She got off the bed and walked to the sliding door, but turned her head around once more.

"Lelouch."

"…C.C."

"Welcome to the Jungle. If you're not tough enough to survive then you'll never get out."

The sliding door never moved. But twenty minutes later, when R.R. waved his hand over his other arm for a communication, she was gone.

"Benny?"

"Wha… hey… um, who is this?" came a sleepy voice at the other end.

"This is R.R."

"Oh shi-" came the now rushed voice, "Um, uh, Second-in-Command R.R.! How may I help you?"

"Benny, I need a favour, no two favours."

"TWO!" cried Benny in his exasperatingly dramatic voice, "You still owe me a pudding!"

R.R. didn't have time for this, "Listen! I'd rather only you and I knew about this."

"Oh… you mean Jeremiah, Roy and the rest aren't to know?"

"Precisely."

"Hmm… I'm listening."

Benny can be serious when he wants to, thought R.R.

"Are you still on the Damocles?"

"Well yesssss of course I am!"

"Well then listen closely…"

"You leaving yet Colonel?" asked General Natsume.

"No sir, it looks like I'm going to be pulling an all-nighter to track down Uesugi," replied Shimada.

The general and his second-in-command worked closely together. They'd been through three wars together, including the conquest of Japan and they had always had each other's backs. Having a brash, arrogant asshole like Lycris in their command centre had pulled them closer together in the mission to stamp out the rebels. Brothers in arms against idiots in charge.

"Good luck with that," the General said as he left the large room to return home.

Shimada continued tapping away for another five minutes before checking that there were no bugs in the room and that everyone else had gone home. He then activated his NCLRC and typed in a number unknown to anyone else in the world.

"Passcode Required," came the automated voice on the other side.

"Less than one," replied Colonel Shimada.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in Pendragon someone received an anonymous bluetooth call.

There was silence.

"Uh…" Shimada began, "Zero?

"Yes?" came the reply from the Emperor's right-hand man.

"This is Colonel Shimada, I've located the rebel base," he said with enthusiasm, "It is located in the Narita Mountains, a forgotten airstrip and a cave system."

"Yes…?"

"Well, uh," Shimada was momentarily caught off-guard, "Should I tell the General?"

"You can if you want to," said Zero, "But the Emperor and I already knew about the rebel base."

"You did?" Shimada responded, quite shocked.

"Yes, because we have an informant in their ranks."

"Code-Name Raven sir?"

"No. Someone much better."

Shimada was shocked: How much did the Emperor know about these rebels? Why did he even care?

Zero continued, "We have also identified every member of the rebellion and know each of their ranks."

Shimada gasped.

"And right now we have assassins heading there to wipe out everyone."

Raven sat on his bed, drinking orange juice.

What should I do! He shouted inside himself, Should I betray everyone? Should I fight with the rebels? Lucia…

Damn! If everyone was handed in, they might spare her… but she would never look at me again. If I continue fighting with the rebels, then they'd eventually be crushed. Britannia is unstoppable.

Run away with her? R.R. is like a father to her. Would she give up on the rebels just to come with me? What is she even fighting for?

What am I fighting for?

Money?

Respect?

Love…?

He threw the carton at the wall in frustration. He couldn't think of a way out.

If R.R. was dead… then Lucia would have no reason to be in the rebellion. Besides me.

He put his hands in his head. What am I thinking? That I would betray the rebellion for my own gain… well I'm doing it already... NO! I will not kill anyone involved!

But one day you'll have to make that choice.

He only noticed that someone was outside his door when there was a knock.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Me," came Lucia's voice.

"Come in."

The door slid open and Raven gasped.

She wore a plain Yukata robe with a traditional Japanese hairstyle, her hair held up by an ogi-bira kanzashi. Her fingers were covered with rings which were studded with jewels. She saw his expression and grinned. She twirled around proudly, "Whaddaya think?" she beamed, "I just found all this lying around the place!" she pointed at her jewels, "I think these are pretty fake but they're still beautiful…"

"Beautiful…" said Raven whimsically, still staring at her.

She smiled and looked at him. He felt his heart go to his throat as she sat beside him.

"What's the matter?" she asked him, "You looked worried at the warehouse."

"I…" Raven remembered Lycris' warning and his threat, "It's nothing."

"Liar."

"It was the nervousness of the battle."

"Double-liar. You never get nervous."

"I… a month ago… you said… you loved me."

She stared hard at him, barely able to breathe, "Yes?"

"Well I…" but before he could finish she placed a finger on his lips.

"Save it for a more dramatic moment," she whispered. And she kissed him.

When she pulled her head away she had to laugh at his expression. He looked like a rabbit caught in the high-beams. Positively spellbound.

He struggled to find words, "I, um, well that… was… um…"

"I hadn't finished yet," she smirked, and almost leapt at him in her eagerness.

Meanwhile at the bottom of the mountain, at the end of the jungle, a pitch-black SUV crawled as close as it dared to the edge of the forest. It didn't have any headlights on. It didn't need them as the occupants eyes could see in the dark much easier than they could see in the light.

Four men got out. Each was a disciple of the formidable Ninjutsu "Ninja" school of martial arts and they had killed at least 20 men, each. They were invisible in the dark and only the moonlight reflecting off their assortment of blades and sharp weapons gave any indication someone was there. But all such weapons were hidden in sheaths, pockets and spring-loaded launchers under their arms.

"Weasel, stay here and wait two hours. Then light the forest up."

"Understood Crane."

"Hyena, Grid, let's go."

"Understood Crane."

"Remember guys, no-one leaves these mountains alive."

And like the coming night, three shadows crept into the jungle as silent as mist.

And, unknown to them, a woman with golden eyes and green hair watched every move they made.

Ooooh, cliff-hanger much? I'll try on making each chapter at least 2,300 words now. Until next time!

(P.S. Note on the title: I've just found out that Guns'n'Roses released a song called 'Welcome to the Jungle"! I had no idea! I just named it after an excellent Fight Night Champion trophy… I'm blabbing, so good-night!).