Yay! I'm back with the third chapter of my newest CG fic! I hope that you guys like it.
Anyway, thank you to DynoJackal19, OmegaChrome, Doommajor, ryder77, demedichi, davycrockett100, Ghoul4Ken123, Dadycoool, Shadow-Shinobi666, and DarthMaine for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.
I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
3
Exchanges of Knowledge
Naoto crouched down as best he could behind a pile of rubble and peered over it. Beyond were the screams of the innocent as they were gunned down by Britannia and, unfortunately, the number of soldiers outnumbered the number of resistance fighters that could help. If the resistance fighters tried to help, they'd likely get killed themselves.
"We can't just sit here! They need help," Sugiyama hissed.
"Not to mention, Yoshida's last known location is on the next street over," Minami said.
"We don't even know if he's still alive though," Inoue said, chewing on her lower lip in worry as she also peered over the rubble. She then turned to Naoto who gave her a curious look, one that turned more bewildered when he noticed that Minami and Sugiyama were also looking at him.
It took him a moment before he realized why they were looking at him.
They still viewed him as their leader so they were waiting for orders.
Naoto chewed on his lower lip. "Have you tried contacting Yoshida?" he asked.
"Right before we met up with you, Naoto," Minami said. "That's how we know he's in a building in the street beyond that one." He pointed to the street filled with panicked civilians, spraying bullets, and cold-faced Britannian soldiers.
"Try contacting him again and figure out his new location if he's moved. Inoue,"—Naoto pointed to a tall building next to them that was mostly intact—"go to the roof but stay out of sight as best you can. I need an assessment of the situation from a better vantage point. Sugiyama, for now, stay where you are. I won't be able to do anything until I have a better grasp on the situation."
"Yes sir," Minami, Inoue, and Sugiyama said at once. Inoue, slinging the missile launcher over her shoulder, jumped off the pile of rubble and darted toward the building, using the rubble of the fallen buildings as cover every chance she got. Minami crouched down, pulling his radio to lips as he quickly connected to the frequency Yoshida was using, and Sugiyama crouched down beside him.
Naoto lowered himself down, wincing at the dull ache in his leg, and rested his back against the rubble. He examined the area in front of him; the battle seemed to have drifted further west, closer to where the old subway tunnel was. According to Sugiyama, that was where the battle had originated, which made Naoto wonder why it was moving back to its point of origin.
He also thought about Kallen. So far, they hadn't heard much about where Kallen had ended up and he was worried. He was her big brother, the only member of their family that she had left that she truly cared about, and he had the right to be worried.
Mother, would you have liked that Kallen was fighting to fulfill your final wish just as I am? Naoto thought.
He didn't know. His mother had always been very protective of them while they were growing up, especially since they looked more Britannian than anything and that led to some clashes with the other Japanese following the end of the Second Pacific War. So there was a good chance that she wouldn't be happy that she was fighting nor would she approve; he knew that, while she would have been worried about him fighting, she wouldn't have said anything because he was already twenty-two and had only started fighting back nine months ago.
Kallen only knew about their mother's final wish because he'd told her about it. She'd asked if their mother had said anything before she died and Naoto had decided that Kallen deserved to hear their mother's final words. He was pretty sure those words had been one reason why Kallen had made the decision to fight with him.
"Naoto?"
Naoto turned his attention to Minami who had his radio resting on his lap. "What's the news?" he asked.
"Yoshida just left the sewers. Kallen had distracted the Sutherland that was about to destroy the building he and a bunch of kids were hiding out in. He escorted them through the sewers to a warehouse on the edge of the ghetto and is heading to our location now," Minami reported.
Naoto nodded.
Inoue rejoined them at that moment, panting. "Kallen's locked in a fight with a Sutherland, though she's only operating with one arm and she's being forced to retreat closer to the subway tunnel. The Sutherland she's fighting called in backup and a train is also moving to the station near the west entrance, though I don't know why it was called here."
Naoto nodded. "We'll worry about that later. For now, our best bet will be to regroup with everyone. See if you can get in touch with Kallen and..." he trailed off when Minami's radio crackled again.
Minami brought the radio to his lips. "Yes?" he said.
"Minami, we're rendezvousing by the tracks just north of the west entrance," Ohgi said. "Something's come up."
"What's happened?" Minami asked worriedly.
"It's not bad, Minami. Lone Wolf just called us and told us to rendezvous at the tracks. I think he might have a plan but he hasn't said anything, though, considering he sounded a little shaken, I'm not entirely sure that he does," Ohgi admitted worriedly.
"If that's the case then should we trust him?" Inoue asked.
"We did when we first told him about this plan," Ohgi pointed out.
"And he saved my life," Naoto added, hearing a swift intake of breath across the radio. "But that's a story for another day. Right now, we need to focus on saving the lives of as many of the remaining civilians as possible."
"R...Right," Ohgi said, the shock still in his voice and he broke off. He sounded more confident when he spoke again. "Right, we'll listen to Lone Wolf. He has helped us before and we really don't have anything to lose by listening to him. Meet at the tracks. Erm, if that's fine with you, Naoto."
Naoto chuckled. "You're doing fine commanding this operation, Kaname, so command it. I always knew you were leadership material," he said.
"I'm not you."
"Which is good. I don't think Kallen could bear to have another me running around."
Inoue chuckled. "That's true. She gets frustrated with you and you over-protectiveness as it is. Imagine if there were two of you," she said.
"I'd rather have two Naotos than two Tamakis," Minami said.
"I heard that!" Tamaki shouted over the radio.
Naoto chuckled before growing serious again. "We'll leave as soon as Yoshida joins with us," he said.
The rest of the group around him nodded in agreement.
. . .
Why am I doing this again? Shintaro thought, staring up at the white-and-gold knightmare frame that hovered over him in the heart of the hangar bay. He honestly did not have an answer to that question; while the knightmare frame did look amazing, and Lloyd was clearly very proud of his work, Shintaro was still very confused about why he, of all people, had been chosen to test pilot it, high score on the Qualification notwithstanding.
He decided that it was unlikely that it would ever happen again so he might as well enjoy it for the time being. Besides, he was looking forward to piloting an actual knightmare frame; it had been very fun when he'd done it in the simulation and he was hoping it would be just as fun in an actual one.
"Are you ready, Shintaro?" Croomy asked, startling Shintaro because he hadn't heard her coming and because she'd called him by his given name rather than his last name or by his rank.
"Um, yeah," he said.
"It's okay to be nervous but everything will be all right," Croomy said as she led him over to the stairs connected to the Lancelot. "The cockpit hatch is already open and ready to go. Did you go over the manual?"
"Most of it," Shintaro said, fidgeting a little in the white-and-gold pilot suit he'd been given. It was rather comfortable in terms of how it fit but Shintaro still didn't really feel comfortable in it; he supposed that was because he knew that it was only going to be a one time thing. It was never going to happen again so what was the point of getting comfortable?
"That'll have to do," Croomy said and handed Shintaro a communicator. He took it and fitted it around his ear, turning it on as he did so. "Okay. As of right now, we don't have any orders to launch but you can familiarize yourself with the cockpit's layout while we wait. Lloyd seems convinced that Prince Clovis will let him launch the Lancelot, though I honestly can't say that it'll happen. If it does then at least you'll be ready to go and, if it doesn't, then you'll at least know the layout for when we run a test later."
Shintaro nodded. He honestly didn't know what to make of both Lloyd and Major Croomy; he hadn't really talked with Lloyd since he'd thrown the activation key and manual into his face earlier but Croomy seemed nice enough and didn't look down on him for being an Eleven. That was a plus; never before has Shintaro been treated like a normal human being by a Britannian since he joined the military.
It was oddly refreshing.
Shame it wouldn't last.
Pushing aside those thoughts, Shintaro jogged up the stairs and slipped into the cockpit's chair, pulling the lever that guided his chair into the cockpit. He looked around the darkened cockpit, the activation key resting in his hand, the only source of light coming through the opened hatch but it did little to light up the instruments.
His communicator came to life. "Major Croomy to Private Ihara, do you read?" Croomy's voice sounded.
"Loud and clear, Major Croomy," Shintaro replied.
"Good. The connection's clear. All right. We still have yet to receive any orders, though, considering the battle seems to be in our favor right now, that's not that big of a surprise. However, while we're waiting, I suppose I can go over some things about the Lancelot for you. For one, at the moment, it is not equipped with an ejection mechanism so if you do get launched into battle, please be careful."
Shintaro blinked, stunned that Croomy would actually worry about him. She's probably just worried about the knightmare itself, he thought. He really had changed since seven years ago; he never used to be this pessimistic but, after everything that'd happened, he supposed he changed.
Even Lelouch had changed a bit when they spoke.
Shintaro frowned. He didn't even know what happened to Lelouch or that green-haired girl and he decided to ask and hope that Major Croomy wouldn't get upset that he was asking her something that had nothing to do with what was happening. "Major Croomy?" he said.
"Yes, Private?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course. What is it?"
Shintaro chewed on his lower lip, then said, "Did you...was there anyone else with me when you found me?"
"No, there wasn't. There was a lot of debris but no one else was there. Why?"
"Well, it's just...never mind." Shintaro decided, at the last instant, that he didn't want Croomy to know about Lelouch; there was a chance, however slim, that Croomy might recognize the name. He was not going to blow the exiled prince's secret; Lelouch deserved to remain anonymous and so did Nunnally because that anonymity kept both of them safe.
Shintaro didn't know what would happen if the Empire ever found out that Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia were still alive but, since he knew that Lelouch and Nunnally had been used as political hostages and then had not been extracted from Area 11 when it was invaded, he felt that it would be bad. No. He would keep their secret as best he could; he would try to take it with him to the grave if necessary.
. . .
"How the hell did you manage this?" Suzaku hissed into the radio, staring at the gleaming brand-new knightmares that lined the length of the cargo hold. They were brand-new Sutherlands and, according to Lelouch, they didn't have their transponders activated.
"Let's just say the Royal Guard came in handy," Lelouch said. "So did you contact your rebel friends?"
"They're more my acquaintances than friends but, yeah, I contacted them. Ohgi'll probably get here first but Sugiyama's group shouldn't be far behind unless they ran into some trouble. What about you?"
"I'm going to be guiding the pilot of that red Glasgow to your location soon. She's in trouble since she has the majority of the Purist Faction after her but I've already come up with an escape route that will get her to your location and help her beat her pursuers," Lelouch said and Suzaku smiled a little, knowing full well that Lelouch was in his element at the moment, leading and giving orders. He was a master strategist, there was no denying that, and Suzaku knew that any plan Lelouch thought up was very likely to win.
Suzaku remembered when he and Lelouch had played their first game of chess back at the Kururugi Shrine. Suzaku's parents were gone for the day so it was just him, Lelouch, Nunnally, and Tohdoh, who'd agreed to watch over them. Lelouch had challenged him to a game of chess and Suzaku, determined to beat him, agreed and lost within only six moves. He'd been so frustrated but Tohdoh had been impressed and then asked to play Lelouch and lost to him as well.
"You're a pretty good strategist, Your Highness."
"My brother Schneizel told me that if you can master chess then you can master battle strategies since all battles are really just chess matches on a larger and more consequential scale."
And Lelouch had, indeed, become a master at chess.
Closing the door to the cargo train, as he decided not to ruin the surprise, Suzaku drew the hood of his trenchcoat over his head and leaned against it as he waited for his acquaintances to join him.
It wasn't long before they did.
"Lone Wolf," Ohgi greeted him as he walked over to join Suzaku with Tamaki just behind him. "Sugiyama's group hasn't shown up yet?"
"No but I think they were further out than you," Suzaku replied.
"And Kallen?"
"Don't worry. She'll be fine."
Ohgi frowned at him, brow furrowing. "Well, I hope you can explain that to Naoto when he gets here. He's the overprotective type," he said, having already told Suzaku about Naoto's "return" and Suzaku hadn't let on that he already knew.
Suzaku chuckled. "Believe me, I've dealt with overprotective elder brothers before, one of which is a borderline siscon," he said.
"I can still hear you and I. AM. NOT. A. SISCON!" Lelouch's voice hissed quietly through the radio that Suzaku had tucked into his trenchcoat, turned down so that only he could hear it.
"Ah, one of those kinds of brothers." Tamaki shivered. "I don't think I'd ever wanna meet someone like that."
Suddenly, there was an explosion nearby, sending plumes of smoke out of the west entrance and out of the smoke sped Kallen's one-armed red Glasgow. It skidded to a halt on top of the cargo hold that Suzaku was leaning against before jumping off. A moment later, the cockpit hatch opened and Kallen stood up, panting and wiping the sweat from her brow.
"You okay, Kallen?" Ohgi asked.
"Yeah, that was a tough fight. Thought I was a goner but that mysterious voice helped me out in the end," Kallen said.
"So he contacted you too?" Ohgi said.
"He contacted you?" Kallen asked.
"Not me. He contacted Lone Wolf who relayed his message to me and I relayed it to the others," Ohgi said.
Kallen glanced down at Suzaku and then at the rest of the group. "So what now?" she asked.
"We're waiting for Sugiyama's group to join us. Then...well, I'm not entirely sure actually," Ohgi admitted and turned to Suzaku. "Didn't you say that the voice who talked with you had a plan?"
"He does," Suzaku said with a nod. "He said he'll contact you directly after the rest of your group gets here."
"Right."
A moment later, Sugiyama's group appeared, meandering their way around the debris. Sugiyama was supporting Yoshida, who was limping, but, other than that, they all looked all right, even their newest addition.
The same new addition that caused Kallen to freeze in utter shock from where she was still standing in her cockpit seat.
Suzaku pushed himself off the cargo hold's wall and inclined his head. "It's good to see you up and about, Naoto," he said.
Naoto Kozuki smiled at him. "Would be better if I didn't have to rely on this," he said with a nod at the cane that he was leaning heavily against to avoid putting pressure on his injured leg.
There was the sound of feet hitting the ground and Suzaku didn't bother on turning, already knowing what it was. He was correct for, a moment later, Kallen was darting forward. "Onii-sama!" she screamed, tears streaming out of her bright blue eyes as she practically launched herself at her brother.
Naoto seemed to have been expecting that because he'd braced himself and managed to stay on his feet as his little sister latched onto him, burying her face into his shoulder as she cried. He smiled patiently down at her as he gently rubbed her back, not saying anything, just holding her in a comforting embrace as she sobbed.
"I...I thought...you were dead!" Kallen sobbed.
"I know," Naoto murmured softly as he continued to rub circles into her back. "Shh, daijoubu, imouto-chan, daijoubu."
Suzaku smiled at the reunion.
It wasn't long before Kallen pulled away, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "I don't understand. What happened? Where have you been if you've been alive this entire time?" she asked.
"I'll explain everything later, Kallen," Naoto said, tone and face turning serious in a way that reminded Suzaku a little of Lelouch. He had this odd feeling that Lelouch and Naoto would get along rather well. "For now, we still have to find a way to help the civilians that haven't been killed yet."
Just then Ohgi's radio crackled.
Impeccable timing, Lelouch, Suzaku thought, though he knew that Lelouch had been listening in on that conversation through the radio Suzaku had hidden in his trenchcoat.
Ohgi pulled it out and activated it. "Um, yeah?" he said.
"Are you the leader?" Lelouch's voice, lower than when he spoke to Suzaku, said.
"Um,"—Ohgi turned to look at Naoto who raised an eyebrow at him and gestured to the radio—"Y...yeah, yeah, I am."
"Then I present you with what's inside these cargo holds. If you wish to win then follow my orders and you may use them," Lelouch said calmly.
Ohgi blinked and turned to Naoto who gave him an irritated look. "Kaname, what did I already tell you? This is your mission to command so command it," he said.
"I thought...never mind. Let's, at least, see what this voice gave us to use," Ohgi said.
Kallen darted over to the Glasgow and climbed into the cockpit. Once she was situated in the cockpit, she used her remaining hand to open one of the cargo hold's doors while Tamaki and Sugiyama teamed up to open the other one; the swift intake of utter shock came from everyone as they stared at the gleaming brand-new Sutherlands in front of them.
"Wow," Tamaki said.
"Just where the heck did this voice get all these?" Yoshida said, the bewilderment clear in his voice.
"I'd like to know the answer to that myself," Suzaku said since he didn't know the whole story behind how Lelouch had gotten those knightmares; hell, he still didn't know how Lelouch had gotten all of Clovis's Royal Guard on his side and to follow his every order. Lelouch said that the story would have to wait so Suzaku resolved to ask him when this was all over if he had the chance.
"Suzaku," Lelouch's voice murmured through the private frequency they were using, "I want you to aid in the fight. Pilot one of those Sutherlands if you know how. I need you to help your acquaintances distract Britannia long enough for me to get to Clovis's base. The massacre won't end even if you do turn the tide of the battle but I can force Clovis into ordering a ceasefire and that'll end everything."
Suzaku said nothing in response to Lelouch's words. Instead, he said, "I, personally, wouldn't mind using one of these. I haven't gotten behind a knightmare in three months." He shrugged and added, "And do we really have anything to lose by listening to this voice?"
"True, we don't," Ohgi admitted. "All right. We'll use them. It would give us an edge in this fight, might even help us win it or, at least, distract Britannia long enough for the remaining civilians to get to safety."
"I think that might be all we can do," Inoue said gravelly.
"All right, we'll listen," Ohgi said.
"Good," Lelouch said. "In return, just as I promised your comrade in the Glasgow, I will grant you victory. For now, Women in the Glasgow?"
"Ah, yes?" Kallen said.
"You will remain in that Glasgow. You will be running decoy. How's your energy status?" Lelouch asked.
"About fifteen minutes worth," Kallen replied.
"Then recharge. I will contact all of you again in ten minutes with your next set of orders," Lelouch said and went silent.
"Naoto, you should sit this out," Sugiyama said.
Naoto narrowed his eyes. "No way in hell am I letting Kallen run decoy. I don't give a damn what that voice says. I am not letting Kallen put herself in that much danger," he retorted.
"I can handle it, onii-sama," Kallen insisted from where she was connecting her knightmare to the energy supplier in the cargo hold to recharge. "It's not like this is gonna be the first time I've had to do this."
"That doesn't make me any more inclined to let you go," Naoto said.
"Onii-sama," Kallen groaned. "You know I can fight. I'm a good knightmare pilot. I'll be fine. You don't have to coddle me anymore."
It was clear that Naoto didn't like it, his jaw was clenched but, finally, he sighed. "That voice had better hope that you don't get hurt, imouto-chan," he said darkly.
Suzaku blinked since, once again, Naoto reminded him of Lelouch, except that Naoto could probably kick Lelouch's ass without breaking a sweat. However, they were both just as protective of their little sisters and just as likely to threaten, and carry through with their threats if necessary, anyone who dared harm them.
Yeah, if Kallen doesn't get hurt in this fight, I think Naoto and Lelouch will get along rather well, Suzaku thought.
. . .
Lelouch twirled the black king chess piece in between his fingers, having found it along with the Sutherland that he'd gotten from that member of the Purist Faction after he'd given his set of orders to Clovis's Royal Guard. At the moment, Clovis's Royal Guard had returned to the G1 Base while the silver-haired woman he'd stolen the knightmare from was who knew where. Lelouch resolved to track her down to see the aftereffects of his Geass since that was something that he felt he should know, along with side-effects and time limits, if there were any. He needed to know the limitations, as he already thought about earlier, but he resolved to figure those out later.
For now, he had a battle to win.
He did have to wonder if Clovis had gotten better at chess since the last time they'd played.
He had already given his orders to the Glasgow pilot, Suzaku, and the rest of his rebel acquaintances and was now waiting to see his orders followed through, while also paying attention to just how Clovis moved his forces. So far, the rebels were making very good use of the Sutherlands they'd been given; they were driving the Britannians into corners in some places and destroying the enemy knightmares thoroughly in others.
The screen that Lelouch had in his stolen knightmare also helped because it gave him the positions of every single enemy unit, which helped him to coordinate his temporary allies' attacks.
An opportunity came up in the form of three blue triangle blips that indicated three enemy units—or allies in terms of the Sutherland he was using—were about to enter an area that N1, N2, P1, and P2 were in, albeit separated by a wall that was the only thing standing of a destroyed building. To ensure that no names were intercepted, Lelouch had given everyone a chess designation; the pilot of the Glasgow was Q1, the leader was N1, and so on.
Waiting until the enemy units were in position, Lelouch keyed on his radio. "N1, N2, P1, P2, fire your Slash Harkens at 3 o'clock," he said firmly.
"What the…? Why the hell would we do that?" P1 exclaimed loudly.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes, mentally making sure to keep an eye on that one should he decide to ally himself with these rebels again in the future; the loudmouth seemed like someone who would question orders, which led to Lelouch thinking that he didn't understand that, in a battle, a leader's orders shouldn't be questioned because it could cost lives.
"Do as he said," N1 said firmly.
Now there's someone who understands that concept, Lelouch thought, making a note to keep an eye on the rebel designated N1 as well.
Just as he expected, when N1 and his group fired their Slash Harkens at the wall to the right of where they were positioned, the force was enough to cause the wall to topple to the right and crash directly into the knightmares that were on its other side, forcing enemy pilots to eject.
Lelouch grinned and turned back to the screen, issuing orders left and right to his current allies. As he watched the scene, he also paid attention to the pilot of the red Glasgow and to Suzaku, the latter of whom was piloting one of the new Sutherlands. The woman in the Glasgow was, no doubt, a very skilled pilot, an ace even, and Suzaku was proving himself to be just as much an ace as the woman. Though they fought on opposite ends of the battlefield, with Q1 drawing in the Britannian knightmares just as he told her to, they were clearing house very well.
Two Ace Knightmare Pilots? I definitely have to keep that in mind, Lelouch thought, still twirling the black king chess piece between his fingers as he issued a few more orders, watching as more and more of the enemy were destroyed.
"Well, Clovis, what will you do know?" he whispered, gazing at the screen as he waited to see just what his elder half brother would do know that the odds had been turned against him.
He was surprised when he saw that the encirclement around the G1 Base was breaking up.
He chuckled darkly. "Clovis, Clovis, you've made a fatal error," he murmured and, lifting the radio to his lips, added. "Q1, do you have a map of the area?"
"Yeah, it's an old one though without all the landmarks," the red-haired woman said.
"It'll do." Lelouch then gave her his next set of orders and watched as the woman followed through with them, fulfilling her role as decoy to draw the Britannians to the designated location that he'd told her about and then fleeing, with the rest of her companions that she'd run into, into the underground subway tunnel before turning back, underground, and firing her Slash Harkens at the ceiling of the tunnel.
Just as he had planned, the ground collapsed, sending a spray of debris, stone, and bits of metal flying in all directions as the knightmares were sent tumbling into each other. Some pilots were lucky enough to eject before they were buried but others had not been so lucky.
Lelouch laughed as he realized that his plan had worked. He had successfully managed to keep the tides of the battle in his favor and had created an opening that would allow him to end the fight just as he had planned. "I can do it," he whispered, "I can actually do it! I can beat Britannia."
. . .
Shintaro was skimming through the Lancelot's manual when an excited exclamation caused him to start and throw the manual that Croomy had been kind enough to grab for him into the air. Blushing in embarrassment, despite the fact that no one had seen him since he was still in the cockpit of the knightmare, Shintaro picked up the manual from where it'd landed open and facedown on the console. He closed it and dropped it off to the side as Lloyd's happy voice sounded.
"Get ready, Private Ihara! Prince Clovis has just given us the all clear. My baby's gonna be fighting! Prepare to launch!" Lloyd exclaimed happily.
Shintaro smiled a little and picked up the white-and-gold activation key and inserting it before turning it on. Immediately, all the instruments began to glow; the panel off to the side glowed red, prompting Shintaro to enter the activation code that Croomy had given him. He did so and the light turned green.
He gripped the controls of the Lancelot and took a deep breath. This is it. Don't screw it up, Shin, he told himself as he quickly checked that all of the instruments were working properly and there were no warning signals or nothing was off that wasn't supposed to be. Everything was green and so he shifted the Lancelot into launching position, landspinners landing on the ground behind him.
"ME Boost," he whispered to activate the boost that he would need to successfully launch the knightmare.
"Lancelot, launch!" Croomy shouted.
Shintaro didn't need further prompting as he thrust the controls of the knightmare forward. It shot forward so smoothly that Shintaro forgot for a moment that he was in the cockpit of a giant mecha until they started going over debris. That was a bit rough but not nearly as much as he thought it would be but, then, he's never piloted a knightmare that wasn't in a simulation so he supposed that this could be the way it was for all knightmare pilots.
He forced himself to focus on the matter at hand as he sped rapidly forward. Major Croomy's face appeared on the screen to the right of him. "You are ordered to reinforce the soldiers and engage the terrorists, Private Ihara, and aid in defeating them," she said firmly.
"Oh and don't get a scratch on my precious Lancelot too," Lloyd said, his face appearing in front of Croomy's until she elbowed him sharply in the side, causing him to wince and back off, clutching at his side.
"And, just a reminder, the Lancelot is not outfitted with an ejection mechanism," Croomy added.
"I understand, my Lord," Shintaro said as he fired his Slash Harkens at a nearby building and whipped around a building so swiftly that he probably would have crashed into the building across from the one he'd connected his Slash Harken too had he not pulled back at the last instant. He steadied himself, narrowing his eyes. Okay, so it's a bit more sensitive to movement than I thought it was, he thought as he retracted his Slash Harken and shot down the street.
He spotted the enemies nearby, able to see that it wasn't an ally because it wasn't appearing on the screen depicting his allies' positions. He immediately launched himself at it, Slash Harkens firing at the first stolen Sutherland rapidly, sinking into the factsphere before they both were quickly retracted. Within an instant, they were being fired back at the other Sutherland, sinking into its chest and forcing it backward. Shintaro, retracting both Slash Harkens again, shot forward and rammed the Lancelot directly into the first knightmare, causing it to skid right into a ruined building, before spinning around and firing his Slash Harkens at the damaged second knightmare, pushing it directly into the knightmare he could see coming up behind it.
He jumped back and fired his Slash Harkens into the window of a building and, using it as a grappling hook, swung over the defeated knightmare frames to land on the street beyond them. He overshot a bit and crashed into an empty, collapsed building instead, causing the remaining walls to fall backwards into the streets.
He winced. Whoops, he thought.
"Didn't I say not to get any scratches on my baby?"Lloyd whined.
"Sorry, my lord," Shintaro said with a sheepish smile as he shot away from the building.
"Despite some minor mishaps" Croomy began—"Crashing into a building, in ruins notwithstanding, is not minor," Lloyd shouted in the background—"You're doing very well."
"Thank you, my lord," Shintaro said as he shot down the street, looking for another enemy only to quickly jump back to avoid a Slash Harken that had just come flying at him out of nowhere.
He whirled around to see a Sutherland on the roof of a one story building nearby, jousting lance in one hand as it retracted its Slash Harkens. He licked his lips as he studied his new enemy and he shot forward, firing his Slash Harkens at the enemy as he jerked the controls up so that he could jump onto the same building as the enemy.
The enemy dodged swiftly out of the way, jumping onto the roof of a neighboring building—I didn't even know Sutherlands could maneuver like that, Shintaro thought in amazement but then reminded himself that maneuvering was something that was not determined by the knightmare but by the pilot. That was something that he'd learned during basic training when one of the very few Britannians who didn't look down on him told him that—and pushed that thought out of his mind.
He fired his Slash Harkens at the enemy again but the Sutherland danced out of the way, jumping back to the ground and Shintaro followed suit, only to quickly jerk the controls to guide the Lancelot swiftly out of the way to avoid the two Slash Harkens that flew at him, crisscrossing in midair as they flew. He managed to dodge both of them, though one did nick his arm, much to Lloyd's chagrin.
The Sutherland shot forward, intent on ramming its jousting lance through the Lancelot but Shintaro fired his Slash Harkens at a balcony of a nearby building and jumped into the air to land on the enemy Sutherland and use it as a jumping board to bring himself higher into the air. In midair, he twisted around, retracted his Slash Harkens, and fired both of them down at the enemy Sutherland.
The enemy Sutherland spun around and fired its own Slash Harkens back at the Lancelot; they crashed into each other and were diverted in opposite directions, Shintaro's went through a window while the enemy's got entangled in a nearby balcony.
Retracting his Slash Harkens as he landed on the street, Shintaro decided to take advantage of the enemy's current predicament, stuck as he attempted to disentangle his Slash Harken. He charged forward, intent on ramming him as he had the others earlier.
The enemy yanked its Slash Harken free, taking the whole balcony with him, and Shintaro had to quickly stop his forward charge to avoid getting hit by the railing and stone that were flying in his direction.
That brief distraction also gave the enemy the chance to attack and Shintaro yelped in surprise as the Sutherland, with a swift jump and spin in midair, landed a landspinner into the Lancelot's face, throwing it backwards. Shintaro had no idea how he managed to stay upright after that collision but he was thankful he had.
Damn, this guy's good and that kick kinda reminded me of someone. Nah, it can't be him, Shintaro thought as he prepared to launch his Slash Harkens back at the enemy.
. . .
Suzaku sneezed as he studied the enemy in front of him, jousting lance in one hand and preparing to fire his Slash Harkens. He blinked, wondering just who was talking or thinking about him but pushed the thought out of his mind as he swiftly dodged out of the way of the Slash Harkens the white-and-gold knightmare frame launched at him.
"How are you doing, Lone Wolf?" Ohgi asked worriedly. "You've been fighting that new knightmare frame for a while now."
"It's pretty strong but we're on pretty equal standing at the moment," Suzaku said. "How are things on your end?" He fired his own Slash Harkens back at the enemy and it dodged out of the way a bit awkwardly before firing his own back at Suzaku.
"Good so far," Ohgi said. "We have the enemy distracted and the voice's orders are really turning the tide in our favor. Do you know who this guy is?"
Suzaku thought about whether to tell Ohgi or not but decided that if Lelouch wanted them to know about him then he'd tell them himself. "No, I don't know," he said as he danced to the side to avoid the Slash Harkens of the white-and-gold knightmare in front of him. "But this was a good strategy on his part."
"Yeah. I can't believe we're actually managing to keep Britannia back, even with the inclusion of that new knightmare frame that took out B Squad," Ohgi said.
Suzaku nodded in agreement, despite knowing that Ohgi couldn't see it, and jumped backwards to avoid the Slash Harkens of the enemy. He then danced to the side when the enemy attempted to ram into him, thrusting the jousting lance toward the enemy's unprotected side as he did so. The white-and-gold knightmare frame managed to avoid getting pierced by the lance but it still scratched the knightmare.
The white-and-gold knightmare whirled around to face Suzaku who moved to the center of the street. They remained across from each other, slowly edging in opposite directions as if attempting to find an opening to exploit.
He's a good pilot, despite the few mishaps he's had, Suzaku thought just as his radio crackled to life again; Ohgi had fallen silent a few minutes earlier.
"Suzaku, are you there?" Lelouch's voice asked.
"I'm here," Suzaku said.
"Good. How are you holding up?"
"Well enough. My opponent's pretty good and his knightmare is more advanced than mine but we seem to be on equal ground at the moment. We're both trying to find an opening right now. Why?" Suzaku asked.
"I've just reached the G1 Base and should be able to end this soon. We should meet up somewhere after this whole mess is over since I know you still want answers to your questions. I thought we could discuss that real quick right now since I'm going to be unable to reach you once I leave the Sutherland I'm in," Lelouch said.
Suzaku blinked and thought about it, going over the various places he knew within the Shinjuku Ghetto. "There's an abandoned house at the edge of the ghetto about half a mile west of the station where we separated earlier. We can meet there," he said and briefly gave his best friend instructions to reach the house while keeping an eye on the enemy knightmare in front of him. The pilot was still edging around, clearly still trying to find an opening but Suzaku matched his movements perfectly, trying not to leave an opening for his enemy to exploit.
"All right. I will meet you there in about half an hour. My talk with Clovis shouldn't take too long," Lelouch said and went silent.
Suzaku, wondering just what Lelouch was going to talk with Clovis about other than convincing him to issue the ceasefire, shifted his Sutherland further away from the enemy. They were still across from each other but their positions had shifted to where they were each in front of a building rather than the open street.
The enemy knightmare shot forward first and danced to the right and Suzaku immediately followed its movements, firing his Slash Harkens directly in front of him as he did so, purposely shooting too far right, which worked out well since the white-and-gold knightmare ended up overshooting and gliding right into the path of Suzaku's Slash Harkens. He'd expected that after seeing how the enemy had overshot that jump earlier. He may not be as good at predicting an opponent's moves, like Lelouch, but he wasn't bad at that either; he'd seen the enemy overshoot before and figured it could happen again. The Slash Harkens sank into the knightmare's shoulders but not enough to lodge into them and the knightmare was quick to move backwards to dislodge them before they could cause more damage.
Just then, a message could be heard throughout the entire ghetto and Suzaku lifted his head to listen to it, recognizing Prince Clovis's voice.
"Attention, all forces! Cease fire at once?" Clovis said. "I, Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command you; all forces are ordered to cease fire at once. You are also to cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered; cease fire at once. I shall allow no further fighting."
Suzaku blinked, wondering just what Lelouch did to convince Clovis to issue a ceasefire but resolved to ask when he spoke to him next.
The white-and-gold knightmare frame jerked back, turned around, and immediately headed back for the base. Suzaku let him go, connecting to the rest of the Kozuki Resistance. "How's everything with you?" he asked.
"We're okay," Naoto's voice said. "Everyone but you had to eject and we rendezvoused in a warehouse with the rest of the survivors while you were fighting that new knightmare. Britannia tracked us down but Clovis's ceasefire came just in the nick of time."
"That's good," Suzaku said as he guided his Sutherland toward the edge of the ghetto. "I'll be heading out then. Best of luck to all of you."
"You know that you are still welcomed to join us, Lone Wolf," Naoto pointed out.
Suzaku smiled faintly. "I prefer working alone," he said.
"Is it you prefer working alone or you just haven't found the right resistance to join?"
That had been one question that Naoto had asked Suzaku soon after finding out the truth about Suzaku's identity three months earlier. Though he understood why Suzaku kept his face hidden, he had suggested that Suzaku didn't really want to work alone, he just hadn't found the right resistance to work with and had asked him if he was right. At the time, Suzaku didn't answer him and just said his goodbyes before leaving.
This time, however, Suzaku decided he may as well answer.
Because, while he hadn't wanted to admit it three months ago, Naoto was right.
"I haven't found the right resistance, one with a leader that I can trust. I don't mean to offend you, Naoto, but...my trust is hard to earn," Suzaku said and it was the truth. After losing all of his family, and nearly losing Kaguya—he had been relieved to find out that Kaguya had survived—and then watching his country get torn apart and being nearly killed by his own people because he refused to let them kill Lelouch and Nunnally, he had turned rather cynical and unable to trust virtually anyone. Lelouch, Shintaro, Nunnally, Tohdoh, and Kaguya were probably the only ones in the world that Suzaku did trust and that was only because of the bonds he had with them from before the invasion.
"I can understand that, Lone Wolf," Naoto said. "But, nonetheless, I do thank you for helping me out and for helping out my resistance here today. If you want to help us again someday, you know how to contact me. I'd advise not doing so anytime soon 'cause Kallen looks like she wants to hit something."
Suzaku sweatdropped worriedly as he prepared to power down the Sutherland once he entered an abandoned warehouse at the edge of the ghetto, a few miles north of the house where he was going to meet up with Lelouch. "Did you tell her that I knew all along about you?" he asked.
"What?!" Kallen's voice exclaimed in the background.
"No. She was upset about something else. And you just did," Naoto said. "I was planning on telling her later but too late for that now."
"Lone Wolf knew that you were alive this entire time and he didn't tell us?" Ohgi asked in shock and there was a small hint of betrayal in his voice.
Suzaku winced.
"Don't blame Lone Wolf for this, Kaname," Naoto reassured his companion. "I understood his reasoning and I agreed with it. I'll explain everything later, once we get to a more secure location. I thank you again, Lone Wolf. Keep in touch."
"I'll do my best," Suzaku said and powered down the radio. He tossed it away as he powered down the knightmare and opened up the cockpit hatch. Climbing out of the Sutherland, he jumped to the ground, drawing the hood of his trenchcoat over his head and quickly darted out of the warehouse and into the shadows of the surrounding buildings.
. . .
Lelouch made his way into the abandoned building, his hands stuffed into the pockets of the uniform that he'd stolen earlier, his mind on his conversation with his half-brother Clovis. Clovis had been in shock to discover that Lelouch was alive and, more than that, even had the gall to suggest that they all return to Pendragon together, seeming to have forgotten why Lelouch and Nunnally were in Area 11 to begin with. Nonetheless, when Lelouch had used his Geass on Clovis to find answers to his questions about his mother's assassination—who better to ask than a member of the Royal Family, especially when Lelouch was positive that his family or the nobility were behind it—he discovered that Clovis didn't have anything to do with his mother's death.
However, Cornelia and Schneizel did.
That had been a surprise. Cornelia and Schneizel were two of the few half-siblings that Lelouch truly cared about and to find out that they had something to do with his mother's assassination was a bitter pill to swallow.
Nonetheless, he'd also asked questions about the odd girl who'd given him Geass since he figured that if Clovis would kill a bunch of innocents just to keep that girl a secret then he had to know why she was important. Lelouch had to know if Clovis knew about the girl's Geass-giving power and had found out more than he wanted to know; the girl was immortal and Clovis had been performing experiments on her, on a human. And that if anyone found out about her then Clovis would be disinherited.
After he had released Clovis from his Geass, Lelouch knew that he couldn't just let Clovis get away with the atrocity that he'd committed in the Shinjuku Ghetto, all those innocent lives lost and to hide the existence of a single girl, nor could he condone those experiments. He may not know the green-haired girl but not only did she give her life for him but she also gave him the power that gave him a chance against Britannia.
And experiments on humans was just plain wrong.
Lelouch may have a bit of a skewed moral compass but even he could not condone something like that.
So he'd delivered justice against his half-brother the only way that he could, since he knew that Britannia would just let him off with a slap on the wrist if they did anything at all.
After all, the innocents that Clovis killed were "just Elevens".
But Lelouch was not like that. He didn't believe that the people who died deserved to die just to keep that girl a secret, just to keep Clovis from getting disinherited. That was something Britannia would believe, since the victims weren't full-blooded Britannians, but Lelouch refused to be like that. That was one of the reasons why he hated his birth country.
He paused as he entered the abandoned house and leaned against the wall next to the main door, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths to calm the sudden surge of nausea. He pushed it aside, reminding himself of what he had told Clovis right before pulling the trigger; if he wanted to change the world, he knew he would have to get his hands dirty, he would have to stain them with blood.
Pushing away from the wall, Lelouch wandered over to the living room, taking a seat in the armchair as he waited for his best friend to join him. He didn't know where his best friend had ended up but figured that he was attempting to avoid getting caught by the enemy.
It wasn't clear how much time had gone by before the door opened, allowing in a few steaks of sunlight to chase away the shadows, and the black-shrouded form of Suzaku entered the room. He closed the door behind him and lowered the hood of his trenchcoat as he crossed the floor to join Lelouch in the living room.
"Suzaku," Lelouch greeted him as Suzaku sat down on the couch across from him.
"Lelouch," Suzaku said, watching him with calm, haunted eyes. "I've got a number of questions to ask you."
"I'll answer what I can but I don't want to spend too long here. I've been gone longer than I was supposed to and Nunnally'll be worried. Granted, I think she'll get over it when we get back to the clubhouse," Lelouch said. From the moment that he'd run into his old friend, he knew that he was not going to let Suzaku be on his own again, especially not with Britannia likely to start cracking down on terrorists when news of what happened to Clovis got out.
Suzaku nodded and then frowned. "Wait? 'We'?" he echoed.
"Nunnally will want to see you," Lelouch said with a shrug.
"You want me to go into the heart of the Tokyo Settlement? Are you crazy?" Suzaku said.
"Do I really need to answer that question?"
Suzaku ran a hand over his face in exasperation. "What makes you think I can even do that? And, while I do want to see Nunnally again, it's far too dangerous, for both of us," he said.
"We can discuss that later," Lelouch said finally. "For now, ask your questions and I'll do my best to answer them as I already said."
Suzaku frowned at him but finally nodded. "How were you able to get the Royal Guard, and that Britannian soldier, to do as you ordered?" he said finally. "Even using your real name, you couldn't command such loyalty."
Lelouch smiled a little. "You won't believe me but I'll try to explain," he said and went on to explain what happened between him and the green-haired woman in that odd place and the power that she granted him. When he was done, Suzaku was staring at him in shock and disbelief.
"Your story doesn't make any sense and yet I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't make something like that up, and I doubt the last seven years has changed that, so I'll just suspend my disbelief for now," he said finally. "So you used this mind-control power of yours on Clovis's Royal Guard and on that soldier. Whatever happened to them?"
"I don't know about the soldier but I ordered the Royal Guard to be released from my control, and remember nothing of what happened while they were under my control, the instant that Clovis's body was found," Lelouch said.
"Clovis's body? Lelouch, what did you do?!" Suzaku exclaimed.
Lelouch turned his gaze to the broken window of the building. "What I had to," he said simply. "Clovis would have never been served the justice that he deserved for the atrocity he committed here so I delivered my own justice to him."
. . .
Suzaku was silent for a long moment, taking in the revelation that Lelouch had just revealed. Perhaps he should be outraged at what his best friend did but he couldn't find it in himself to feel that way. He just couldn't. He hated Britannia and he knew that people would die in the quest to liberate Japan and Clovis was, by no means, innocent. He supposed he would have been outraged had Clovis been innocent but he wasn't so Suzaku found that he didn't really care.
Seven years of witnessing the crimes committed by Britannia to the Japanese people, watching families get torn apart as his own had been, siblings lose siblings as he had nearly lost his cousin, friends losing friends as he nearly had with Shin, Lelouch, and Nunnally while they were traveling across the war-torn Japan. Seven years of witnessing that either with the JLF or on his own, his hatred for those responsible, and only those responsible, had only increased.
It wasn't Clovis's death that Suzaku really cared about.
It was the fallout, the consequences, because he knew that there would be consequences.
"Are you prepared to deal with the consequences, Lelouch?" he asked finally.
"I knew the moment I pulled the trigger that there would be consequences, Suzaku. By pulling the trigger, I've set myself on the path that I had been planning on setting out on years ago, the day we separated in the waning days of the invasion."
"Destroying Britannia," Suzaku said quietly.
"Yes," Lelouch said with a nod. "I've been giving the opportunity and I am going to take advantage of it. I will fight against and destroy Britannia and create a better world for Nunnally to live in and I want you to help me do that."
Suzaku started, lips pulling into a frown as he studied his friend but Lelouch was wearing a look that told him that he wasn't kidding. He really intended to fight against his birth country and he wanted Suzaku to help him do it?
Suzaku was already doing that in his own why and was about to tell that to Lelouch, tell him that he worked alone but the words faltered on his lips as he gazed at his best friend, at one of the few people in the world that he truly trusted.
His words to Naoto came back into his mind: I haven't found the right resistance, one with a leader that I can trust…
But he trusted Lelouch.
There was no denying that Lelouch was a natural, charismatic leader and a brilliant strategist and tactician, two traits that made him a very powerful ally to have. He may not have much stamina and he may not be quite as strong as Suzaku was but he made up for that with his intelligence.
The more he thought about it, the more Suzaku realized that if Lelouch was really planning on fighting back against Britannia then he might actually stand a chance at winning.
And Suzaku trusted him.
Yes, there were cons to the offer, one of the most prominent being Lelouch's true identity. If that was ever discovered then it would be disastrous for Lelouch, even more so if the Royal Family and the Emperor find out that he's fighting against his own country. While Suzaku was sure that Lelouch could keep his true identity a secret from those who would use it against him, he still felt uneasy about it.
There was also Nunnally. Suzaku knew that Lelouch would do anything for his little sister and wouldn't dream of putting her in danger; he'd sooner tear off his own arm than put his little sister in danger. And, yet, if he planned on truly fighting back against Britannia, he ran the risk of doing just that.
However, Suzaku also knew that Lelouch had likely taken all of that into consideration, he wasn't stupid enough to think that Lelouch hadn't. The exiled prince wasn't a genius tactician and strategist for nothing; he was always one to think his plans through as thoroughly as he possibly could.
"We have worked together before, Suzaku," Lelouch went on as Suzaku continued to turn over the pros and cons of Lelouch's offer. "We proved during the invasion that we can do anything together so let's prove that to be true again." He stood up and walked over to stand in front of Suzaku as the latter stood up as well. He held out a hand and added, "Work with me to create a better world for Nunnally if nothing else. If we work together, I know that we can do it; we can fight against and destroy Britannia. It will not be easy, I am not deluded enough to think that it would be, but it can be done and we can be the ones to do it. Working together, as equals, we can do it. I believe that we can."
Suzaku smiled at his best friend's words. He always did have a way with words. He stretched out a hand and took Lelouch's in his own. "Then let's make it happen," he said with a grin.
Lelouch smiled back, a genuine smile that he reserved for only a few select people but Suzaku saw a brief gleam of relief in his eyes. He didn't say anything though, just inclined his head as he released Suzaku's hand. "Let's head back to the settlement, Suzaku," he said.
"Wait, you said that we'd discuss that later," Suzaku said with a frown since he hadn't agreed to go back into the settlement. He wasn't about to mingle with Britannians and he didn't want to pose a danger to Lelouch either.
"And we are," Lelouch said. "If we're going to be working together then I would rather not have to search the entire ghetto to find you when we need to speak. Besides, what better place to hide than in plain sight, Lone Wolf."
Suzaku blinked.
Lelouch chuckled. "I heard you being called that by your acquaintances and figured that was your alias since they obviously don't know your true identity," he said.
"Not all of them," Suzaku admitted since Naoto was the only one who knew his true identity. He paused for a moment to think about Lelouch's words, about hiding in plain sight. While he was sure that he would draw attention to himself, it wouldn't be because of his work with the resistances, it would be because of his heritage.
"Are you sure about this though, Lelouch?" he asked finally. "You know that Britannians don't look favorably upon Japanese and that's gonna draw unneeded attention to us if we're seen together."
"Don't worry about that, Suzaku. Let's go."
"I never had a say in this to begin with, did I?"
Lelouch just smirked.
Suzaku sighed. "You're as bossy as you were when we were at the Kururugi Shrine," he huffed.
"I was not bossy. Kaguya was worse." Lelouch paused for a moment as if realizing what he'd just said, then added, "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be," Suzaku assured him. "Kaguya's alive. Tohdoh managed to get her out of the Shrine and to a doctor just in time."
Lelouch let out a short breath and smiled. "That's good. Annoying though she was, she was really nice to Nunnally and I know you cared for her a lot," he said. "But we've lingered too long. Let's head back."
"Still think this is a bad idea," Suzaku muttered but he knew that Lelouch was stubborn, more stubborn than he was though Lelouch still denied that fact. "All right, fine. But don't blame me if this blows up in your face."
And I can only hope that if this blows up in Lelouch's face, it won't have severe repercussions, he thought.
"It'll be fine, Suzaku. I'll handle everything," Lelouch reassured him. "You know I never do anything without a reason or a plan so don't worry so much."
That was true. Lelouch never did anything unless there was a reason behind it and he had a plan, and a few backup plans for the plan.
That eased a little of Suzaku's worries but not all of them.
. . .
Nunnally Lamperouge felt her fingers along the creases of the piece of origami that her maid Sayoko had just handed her. "I feel wings. Is it some kind of bird?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in puzzlement.
"It is, Mistress Nunnally. It's a crane," Sayoko said and Nunnally heard her pick up another piece of paper. "Do you want to hear a story about the origami crane?"
"Sure," Nunnally said, putting the crane down and turning to face the maid, smiling.
"All right. Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a farmer, his wife, and his two young children. The farmer was a good, kind man who worked for a living harvesting crops from his fields and selling them at a local market. He made a decent profit, enough to support himself and his family. However, one day, a harsh winter caused all of his crops to die out and made him unable to grow any crops when spring came. This caused him to fall into a deep despair as he realized that he didn't have enough money to support his family."
"Then, one day, a storm struck and an old woman came to the house seeking shelter. 'I have sought shelter from many others and have been turned away. Please, kind sir, let me stay the night. I have nothing to pay you for it however,' the woman pleaded. The farmer was a compassionate man and, though he and his family had fallen on hard times because of the harsh winter, he agreed to let her stay the night and even gave her a little bit of food to eat."
"'This is all that we have, I am afraid,' the farmer apologized but the woman assured him that it was plenty. So she stayed the night. The following morning, she took her leave; however, before she did, she told the farmer that, as payment for letting her stay the night, she will tell him a little secret."
"'You have fallen on hard times but I am sure it will come to an end. As a reward for your generosity, despite those hard times, I will tell you this: make one thousand origami cranes and you will be granted one wish. I know that you will make the right choice for your wish, good sir. Good day.' Having said what she wanted to say, the old woman left."
"The farmer didn't know whether to believe the old woman's words but he was desperate to find some way to make the money needed to support his family so he got to work making origami cranes. He worked, and worked, and worked for days, for weeks, only pausing to eat what little food he and his family still had left. He gave up some of his shares of the remaining food to his wife and children and focused mostly on making one thousand origami cranes. Finally, at long last, he finished the last one and voiced his wish."
"'I wish for crops and food that I can sell to gain money for my family so that they will not starve and so that I can be able to help others just like I helped that old woman,' was his request. He then put down the final crane and went to bed."
"The following morning, he was woken up by an excited shout from his eldest child, telling him to go outside and see the miracle that had been brought forth over night. Confused, the farmer did as he was told and was amazed by the stretch of crops that stretched as far as the eye could see. All of the crops were ripe and healthy, ready to be picked, and there was more than enough to sell and to keep for himself and his family."
"Overjoyed that his wish had been granted, the farmer, his wife, and his children set about harvesting the crops and selling them on the market. They made much money and, just as he had said in his wish, the farmer helped anyone who sought shelter or a bite of food at his farm. And so he and his family lived the rest of their lives in peace and happiness. The end."
Nunnally beamed. "I'm so happy that nothing bad happened to the farmer and his family and that farmer is so nice to help others out," she said. She reached for the crane again, remembering where she had put it down though she couldn't see it, and picked it up. "So if you make a thousand origami cranes, your wish will come true?"
"That's what that story says, yes," Sayoko said.
Nunnally beamed, turning the crane over in her hands. "Can you teach me how to fold an origami crane?" she asked.
"Very well, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko said.
They were working on that, Sayoko patiently teaching Nunnally how to fold and feel where the folds were supposed to go, when the door opened up.
"Welcome home, Master Lelouch," Sayoko said.
"Big Brother!" Nunnally said happily, turning to where she assumed her brother was standing. She heard a chuckle and, a moment later, she felt her big brother's arms encircle her shoulders. She snuggled close to him briefly before he pulled back.
"What're you doing, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked.
"Sayoko's teaching me how to fold origami cranes," Nunnally said. "She told me a story. Did you know that there's an old tale that says that if you make one thousand origami cranes, your wish will come true?"
"And what is your wish?" Lelouch asked curiously.
Nunnally smiled as she turned around the origami crane she had just finished. "I'd wish for a peaceful, gentler world," she said finally.
"That's a wonderful wish, Little Sister," Lelouch said. "And, while this is not going to be that, I have a surprise for you."
"For me? What kind of surprise?" Nunnally asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.
Lelouch chuckled and, a moment later, Nunnally heard someone approach before a hand gently took hers in it. She gasped because she recognized the hand in an instant. Ever since she'd lost her eye sight almost eight years earlier, she'd learned to rely on touch quite a bit and could always tell the differences between which hand was holding hers. Her big brother's hands were soft and his fingers were long and slender. The hand she was holding now was smooth but rougher than her big brothers and yet there were some distinctions that allowed her to figure out quickly just who's hand she was holding.
"S...Suzaku?" she stammered out in surprise.
"Yes, it's me, Nunnally. It's been a long time," Suzaku's familiar voice said.
"Oh, it's been far too long, Suzaku. I'm so glad that you're all right," Nunnally gasped, releasing Suzaku's hand and reaching out her arms. She felt his arms curl around her and immediately hugged him back, relief flooding through her, replacing the surprise. She hadn't thought that she'd ever see Suzaku again after they'd, along with Shintaro, separated in the last week of the invasion of Area 11 seven years earlier. She'd worried about him but she was so relieved to find out that he was all right.
"This is a great surprise, Lelouch," Nunnally said happily as Suzaku released her. "But what about Shin? Is he okay?"
There was a moment of silence. "I haven't spoken to him in years but I'm sure he's all right, Nunnally," Suzaku said reassuringly.
"Oh I hope so. It would be great to speak with him again too," Nunnally said.
"I'm sure you will," Lelouch said calmly. "Also, Suzaku will be staying here for now on. I've talked with Milly and she's going to pull a few strings with the principal to allow him to attend Ashford Academy."
"That's great news! Then we won't get separated again," Nunnally said with a beaming smile. She paused for a moment as her stomach growled and giggled. "Oh, are we close to dinnertime? I didn't even notice."
"Should I make dinner for the three of you, Master Lelouch?" Sayoko asked.
"No, don't worry about it, Sayoko. I'll handle it," Lelouch said.
"You can cook?" Suzaku echoed. "Because I'm pretty sure Father banned both of us from the kitchen the last time you tried cooking there."
"That was your fault and you know it. I, certainly, wasn't the one who nearly caught the microwave on fire."
"That wasn't my fault. I didn't know you weren't supposed to put foil in the microwave."
"Everyone knew that, moron."
"Real original, no stamina prince."
"Now who's unoriginal, exercise nut."
Nunnally laughed as Lelouch and Suzaku continued to bicker back and forth. It felt like the good times she had at the Kururugi Shrine. They were just missing Shintaro but Nunnally mused that Shintaro would've just been laughing his head off and occasionally chiming in with his own jab at either Suzaku or Lelouch. She smiled sadly, hoping that Shintaro was okay but she was happy that, at least, she'd been reunited with one of the two friends she and her brother had made at the Kururugi Shrine.
. . .
Next Time: The Purist Faction's Scapegoat
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: and there you have it. Shinjuku has come to a close. Suzaku and Lelouch have joined forces. And we get to read the story about the origami cranes (and I completely made that story up by the way)
Lelouch: an interesting chapter
Suzaku: what will happen next?
Blaze: the title of the next chapter gives it away but a lot more than just that happens, especially since next chapter is the unofficial introduction of the he that was mentioned in the last chapter
Suzaku: interesting
Blaze: I will leave it up to the reviewers if they want to try and guess who the he is. I won't tell you if you're right or wrong but I may tell you if you're close to being right if you'd like to try and guess
Lelouch: (hums) I have an idea
Blaze: I wouldn't be surprised if you figured it out. Anyway...by the way, where's Kallen?
Lelouch: I believe she and Naoto are attempting to stop Bakura from blowing up the Viceroy's Palace again
Blaze: good luck
Lelouch: that's what I told them
Blaze: anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. Thank you for reading.