A/N: Here is the new chapter as promised. Thank you to squeegywing, Matsukaze Tenma, SunsetDawn420 for the reviews on chapter 6. Enjoy this new everyone.
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, Ichirō Ōkouchi does.
...
Euphemia was watching Sayoko hand Nunnally a small ball of a multitude of light blue, royal blue, and white paper five-petal flowers.
"Oh my goodness," Nunnally's thin fingers glided over the elaborate designs.
"It's beautiful, Sayako," Euphemia smiled.
"What is it?" Nunnally questioned.
"It's called a Kusudama," Sayoko explained. "In ancient times, they were used for incense and potpourri. But in more recent times they were used as decorations and gifts. The word Kusudama actually stems from the Japanese words kusuri, meaning medicine, and tama, meaning ball."
"So the word Kusudama roughly translates as a medicine ball?" Euphemia asked.
Sayoko nodded.
"That's very interesting," the former royal smiled.
"It is," her sister agreed, still holding the ball. "Is this an advanced form of origami?"
"The flowers are," Sayoko smiled. "Then you can fold them together to make the ball, although some prefer to glue them together to make it more secure."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Oh, that must be Cornelia," Euphemia stood up.
"Allow me, Lady Euphemia," Sayoko said, hurrying to the door and opening it to reveal a young woman in her twenties with long, purple hair and purple-blue eyes. She wore a maroon skirt and blazer and a white blouse.
"Sister!" Euphemia squealed, hugging her.
"Hello, Euphie," Cornelia replied with a soft smile. "Normally, I would remind you to address me as Vice-Principal, however as school hours are long since over, I'm once again just your sister."
Euphemia laughed.
"You always did insist on following a strict protocol," she said, pretending to pout.
"Well, I have to set an example," Cornelia reminded her. "I'm not supposed to play favorites, especially when my brother and sisters attend the very school I happen to work in."
"That makes sense," Euphemia replied. "After all, it wouldn't be fair to give us special treatment just because we're your siblings."
"Exactly," her older sister nodded.
"Lelouch isn't home yet, but he promised we'd all have dinner together tonight," the pink-haired teen said, taking Cornelia's hand and leading her into the room.
"Nunna, we have a visitor!" she chirped.
"A visitor?" Nunnally's head raised slightly. "Who is it?"
"Hello, Nunnally," Cornelia said, placing her hand on one of Nunnally's.
"Cornelia," Nunnally smiled. "It's been a while."
"It has," the purple-haired woman sighed. "I've just been so busy."
"I understand," Nunnally nodded. "Being the Vice-Principal must be a very stressful job."
"Not as much as you might think," her older sister admitted. "The only real stress from the job is dealing with Milly and all of her crazy festival ideas. Honestly, my week is mainly organizing that mountain of paperwork consisting of nothing more than her ideas for the events and club budget plans for this month alone."
"Milly just likes to have fun," Euphemia shrugged.
"Maybe, but it's a lot of work too," Cornelia pointed out.
...
"We're going forward with the next phase of the plan," Clovis said. "I had wondered if this particular phase could have been avoided, but obviously that's no longer an option."
"But, your Highness-" Bartley stammered.
"Dead or alive, I want that girl found!" Clovis ordered. "Even if we have to level this place to find her!"
"Your Highness!" Bartley exclaimed. "Don't you-"
"Bartley," the viceroy interrupted, a cold smile on his face. "You know there was a particular reason I wanted to come to Area 11, don't you? You were made aware of that reason some time ago, were you not?"
"Well I...yes, of course, but I-"
"I came to try to make this place a suitable resting place for my brother and sisters," the blond prince said. "I wanted to settle this diplomatically. But now, I see that these defiant Elevens will not cooperate and so they must learn to accept the consequences."
He then turned to his troops.
"I, Clovis la Britannia, Viceroy of Area Eleven and Third Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, order you to destroy Shinjuku Ghetto. Level it! Civilians, rebel forces, kill them all!"
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers saluted.
...
"I wish Lelouch would stop disappearing after classes," Euphemia sighed. "He does this several times a week now."
'He's probably off gambling again,' Cornelia grumbled to herself.
Cornelia did love Lelouch, after all he was her younger brother. But she wished that he would stop sneaking off and gambling. She had heard Shirley Fenette complaining about his annoying habit several times. Of course it did not strike the former princess odd, considering it was as obvious as the sky was blue that Shirley was in love with Lelouch.
"I still want to wait and have dinner together," Nunnally said. "It'll be nice to have dinner as a family again."
Cornelia smiled and nodded despite knowing her youngest sister could not see.
"Yes, you're right," she said. "So, I suppose the three of us can catch up while we wait for Lelouch."
...
Clovis would have said he felt some regret as his soldiers and their Knightmare Frames tore through the Shinjuku Ghetto, killing men, women, children, and the elderly as they attempted in vain to flee for their lives. But he did not.
'How many of these numbers sat idly by and allowed my brother and sisters to die?" the question repeated itself in his mind. He and Schneizel and Cornelia had made the plan all those years ago to take Lelouch, Euphemia, and Nunnally to Japan to avoid any harm coming to them. And yet it had been there that it had happened.
No, he felt nothing. He figured this was only justice for his lost siblings. Ever since their deaths when Japan had been brought under Britannian rule, his hatred for the Elevens had grown stronger. Any pity or remorse was quickly overrun by anger and hatred. He would make them pay. All of them.
"If anyone in the homeland questions this, just tell them it's a planned urban renewal project," Clovis instructed Bartley. "No one will press further."
Bartley nodded.
...
"Milly was planning on doing a new festival sometime in the next few days," Euphemia informed Cornelia.
Cornelia rolled her eyes.
"I know," she said. "She brought the plans by my office this morning. She already has everything planned out, her only issue is she can't think of what the festival will be celebrating."
"She'll think of something," Euphemia replied. "She always does."
...
At first it had seemed that the Britannian troops would win, despite the impressive fight the rebels put up, especially after the Lancelot had been deployed.
Clovis had been pleased, until he heard a gun cock and turned to see a soldier clad in armor, pointing a gun at him.
"Who are you?" the prince demanded. "How did you get in here?"
"I will answer your questions presently," the soldier replied, still pointing the gun at him. "But first, you will order a ceasefire."
"And what if I refuse?" Clovis asked, refusing to show fear, despite knowing that the man standing before him might not hesitate to send a bullet through his skull.
"Ah, stubborn as always," the man chuckled. "Nonetheless, if you want your questions answered and you wish to walk away from this, you will order a ceasefire."
...
"Attention all forces!" Clovis's voice rang out through the ghetto. "Cease fire at once! I, Prince Clovis order you to cease fire! I also order no further destruction of any buildings or property and all casualties be they Britannian or Eleven are to be treated without prejudice! In the name of Clovis La Britannia, you are so ordered! Cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!"
Clovis let out an irritated sigh.
"There, are you satisfied?"
"Indeed I am. Well done," said the mysterious man when the broadcast had ended.
"What now?" Clovis asked. "I suppose round of songs? Or, oh I know, a game of chess?"
"Despite the sarcasm, that second offer does have a familiar ring to it," said the man, now removing his helmet, though his indentity and his face were still obscured by the shadows.
Clovis still looked as annoyed as he had before.
"Don't you recall?" the soldier asked, tossing his helmet aside. "As children the two of us played chess many times. Of course, I always won."
"What?"
"Have you forgotten so much in such a short time? The Aries Villa?"
"Spare me this trivial nonsense," Clovis snapped. "Who the hell are you?"
"So you have forgotten," the man walked closer. "It's been some time...Big brother."
Clovis gasped as the intruder's face came into view.
"The eldest son of the late Empress Marianne and seventeenth in line for the Imperial Throne, Lelouch vi Britannia, at your service."
...
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So, how was it? Let me know.
The next chapter will be out on Friday, November 20th.
