Disclaimer: I own nothing from Code Geass
A/N : Thanks for the review
-Pendragon- Place
(Sometimes later) Time Skip/flashback
Beta read by Desodus
Code Geass: The Phantom of Britannia
Chapter 7: Results
At the end of day, after the media released the news, there was absolute chaos. Calling it chaos was a mere understatement; riots happened in the ghettos and settlements of Area 11. The police were virtually helpless, unable to do anything until the military took over; the police now held no real power. The police in Area 11 were now no more than a public figure and it was only a matter of time before they be replace by soldiers.
On the Britannian side, many voiced their anger at how the JLF would have used the poison gas on them, and for the loss of Prince Clovis. The people also voiced their support to Prince Lelouch, who openly declared war to stop the JLF and other terrorist groups. Solidifying Lelouch's standing in Area 11. Also, forcing the nobles that hate Lelouch to stay low, the support from the people of Area 11 and of the death of Clovis. The destruction of the Purist Faction was also one of the reasons. Now, the Tokyo Settlement is occupied by soldiers loyal to Lelouch. The other, because one of the more foolish nobles tried to opposed Lelouch by spreading information that the death of prince Clovis was not in fact, by the JLF, but by Lelouch. The people did not seem like these slanderous claims, as soon as word got out, a mob of people went to the said noble`s mansion and started to cause trouble. The police just arrived when the mansion was engulfed by flames and the noble had the living tar beaten out of him. Lelouch threw the man into jail after he received medical treatment and liquidated all of the noble`s possessions. That sent a clear message to other nobles who 'disagreed' with Lelouch that he held all the power in Area 11 until the new viceroy arrived.
On the Eleven's side, they were now divided, those supporting Lelouch, and those agreeing with the JLF. The one who supported JLF voiced their praise for killing a member of the royal family, something that no other faction in Japan or in the world had ever achieved. The same could not be said for those who were Honorary Britannians, or those who lived in Shizuoka under prince Lelouch. For one, they were afraid that prince Lelouch would take back what he gave to them as a petty revenge for the death of his brother. However, prince Lelouch assured them that he would not blame everyone for the sins of a few. This greatly relieved them and respect for prince Lelouch grew. Lelouch also said to them that if the JLF had decided to explode the poison gas in the Shinjuku Ghetto not only would they have killed every Britannian there, but also the Elevens that lived in Shinjuku as well. Lelouch also took the survivors of the Shinjuku Ghetto to Shizuoka, and told them he greatly regretted the death of the Japanese in Shinjuku. The reason that happened was because the terrorists blended in with the Japanese there, Clovis could not distinguish which ones were the terrorist. These revelations greatly angered them, making their respect for the JLF go down.
Lelouch also built a monument for Shinjuku in respect for the lives that perished, regardless if they were Japanese or Britannian. This action greatly moved the hearts of the Japanese that lived in Shinjuku, no one has ever cared enough.
Even so, because of that event, people would find knightmare frames or soldiers patrolling around the settlement or ghetto regularly. At first, people would feel nervous, but after a few days, they started to see this as a normal occurrence. The attacks from the JLF and other terrorist factions became bolder, and it was not weird to hear the sounds of explosions, guns or knightmare frames passing by. However, the targets of the terrorist attacks were mostly directed to the nobles and particularly to the nobles who opposed Lelouch.
And that brought us to this situation.
-Tokyo Settlement-
-Noble's Mansion-
"LIKE I TOLD YOU, PRINCE LELOUCH IS THE ONE BEHIND ALL OF THIS!" Screamed the noble to his fellow, both inside his study room.
"I know that, but there's no proof" the other sighed, the two have been discussing about the death of all of the recent nobles.
"Furthermore, we have no power against him until the new viceroy comes" He added, trying to make his friend see the situation they are in.
"It would be too late, just yesterday, Lord Wells was found dead, they say it was a terrorist attack, but we know better" the other man paused, looking to the picture of the deceased Lord Wells. "It was prince Lelouch"
"And like I said; there's no proof, it could have been the terrorists" the second man reasoned to his friend.
"Don't you find it weird that all the nobles who sided with prince Clovis are being found dead, one by one and those who support prince Lelouch are still unharmed?" the first man countered, looking at his friend who stayed silent.
The two just stay silent until….
"DHUAR!" a loud explosion alerted them and immediately, five bodyguards stationed outside entered the room with guns drawn.
"What happened!" The first noble yelled in fright.
"We don't know sir. Communication to outside has been cut off" One of the bodyguards reported.
"It's the terrorists" The other noble said in realization.
"Don't joke, there's no way that the terrorists could enter. It must be…." However, before the noble could finish, a bullet pierced his skull.
"A sniper!" Another bodyguard yelled as he proceeded to tackle the other noble, but suddenly fell to the floor, courtesy of the bullet in his head.
"Shit! They got Jack!" Cursed one of the bodyguards. "We gotta get out of here!"
With that, they escorted the remaining noble out of the room and into the corridor.
"Ugh! Why are you stopping!" The noble yelled as the bodyguard in front him stop making him bump to the bodyguard.
"Please stay behind sir" The bodyguard said making his fellow bodyguard moved the noble behind them.
At the end of the corridor was someone wearing a black jumpsuit with a white phantom mask, by looks of it, and of the long silver hair, it was a woman. In her hand was a Japanese katana. Although there was some kind of device in the handle that produced red light.
"Put your weapon down!" The bodyguard yelled as he pointed his gun at the woman, the others following his action.
The woman does not answer, but starts to walk at first, before suddenly dashing at them. Looking at that the bodyguard started to open fire at her. However suddenly something weird happened. A sphere of red light appears surrounded the woman, stopping the bullet.
"What the hell…." One of the bodyguard said but the woman already in front of them.
Without a moment of hesitation the woman slash the bodyguard head before moving back avoiding shoot from the other three.
"Shit! It`s not working!" Cursed the bodyguard as they see the red sphere stopping their bullet again.
"If gun don't work how about this!" One of them discard the gun and bring out combat knives before dashing to the woman.
The woman just stood still, letting the man attack with his knives. To the man's surprise the red sphere engaged, the knives bounced off every time they connected. The man lost his balance for a second, and that was all the time the woman needed to slice him in half. However, there was another man behind the one that she just sliced, making a split-second decision, she pierced through the man's chest. To her surprise, the dying man grabbed her wrist, holding her in a death-grip.
"Now!" The man yelled hoarsely as life began to leave him.
"Die!" The last remaining bodyguard yelled as he dashed at the woman with combat knives in hand, trying to stab her chest.
However, before he could succeed in stabbing the woman, a gun shout could be heard, and the next thing that happened was him to fall on to the floor with a bullet in his head.
"What?" The man with the sword through him gasped, looking horrified as he saw a blond woman with the same outfit and mask and a gun in her hands before finally expiring.
"Thanks" the woman with sword said as the woman with the gun came to her.
"No problem" She said as she looked at the noble who was now on the floor wetting himself.
"Wh..who are you?" The noble asked, his voice wavering as he weakly pointed at the two.
The two women glanced at each other before taking off their masks.
"Wh..what!" The noble yelled in surprise, recognizing the faces of Eva Angeline and Monica Kruszewski.
"For you and your friend's crime against prince Lelouch" Eva stated simply as she pointed her sword at the noble.
"You must die" Monica finished as she pointed her gun at the noble before shooting him in the head.
"I will contact prince Lelouch that we are finished here" Monica said as she pulled out a communicator. Meanwhile, Eva took a Japanese flag from her pocket and let it cover the noble. Then, using her sword, she wrote on the wall, saying 'Long live the JLF' and 'Nippon Banzai'.
- Shizuoka Ghetto -
- Lelouch's Office -
Lelouch let out a small smile as he received Monica's call. Looks like another pesky noble has fallen.
The death of Clovis allowed his plans to move faster than he had planned before. He had originally planned to kill the nobles in more subtle ways, like by accident or something, but with all that had happened, Lelouch can now kill them more freely and at the same time, blame the JLF for it. It was like killing two birds with one stone. The truth was, the JLF were only responsible for the bomb and only a handful of noble attacks, also some minor skirmishes with the military force that patrolled in the ghetto. Lelouch was responsible for most of the attacks on the nobles and of the destruction of the facilities that they owned. Furthermore, with the JLF's help, he got rid of the remains of the Purist Faction and of the soldiers still loyal to Clovis by sending them to the most dangerous area that the JLF occupied. The people also thanked him for what he was doing, not knowing the true reason behind it. In all, this exceed even his expectations.
Thinking about it made Lelouch's smile grow larger.
The JLF still did not realize that they were already dancing in his palm. Lelouch could destroy the JLF right now, but he chose not to, because they still serve some purpose to him. However, Lelouch was disappointed at Tohdoh, he who was treading this situation carefully, too careful for Lelouch's taste. Lelouch expected him to be more aggressive, but in the end, it does not matter.
Taking the phone, Lelouch dialed the number of his agent in the JLF.
"It`s me. It is already done, proceed to Phase 2 now" Lelouch said simply and then hung up, not bothering to hear the reply.
However, there were something he must do first. All the nobles that he killed until now were only the small fries. It will be a lot harder to kill the smarter and more powerful ones, for he must kill them all at the same time to avoid them running from Area 11. Furthermore, they will be much more cautious with all their allies dead. Lelouch must create a condition that would allow him to kill them all in one sweep, but he will ponder about this later. There were other problems; Naoto's friends and the new viceroy.
Thinking back, he remembered his meeting after Naoto tried to recruit his friends.
(Flashback)
"So you failed?" Lelouch asked looking at a nervous Naoto standing in his office with a bruise evident on his face. "And by the looks of your face, it didn't go too well"
"Yes" Naoto said dejectedly, he promised Lelouch he would recruit his friends.
"They won't join me?" At Lelouch's question Naoto just nodded his head.
"I see, can you tell me what happened?" Lelouch asked, trying to get a clear picture of the incident.
Naoto start to told Lelouch what happened when he arrive at Ohgi house.
(Flashback)
-Shinjuku Ghetto-
-Japanese resistance cell House-
"Ohgi, it`s me" Naoto said into the intercom outside of Ohgi's house, immediately the sound of locks and chains being pulled back.
"Naoto, you're alive! It`s…." Ohgi yelled happily but become silent when he see what Naoto wearing, the Britannia army uniform.
"Come quickly!" Ohgi suddenly pulled Naoto in, thinking that he had escaped by disguising himself.
"Is everyone here?" Naoto asked as Ohgi locked the door again.
"Yes, but there is something that we must tell you" Ohgi said after he put back the lock looking ashamed, "Kallen is captured"
Naoto just smiled and placed a hand on Ohgi's shoulder. "Don't worry about her. She's safe"
Ohgi just stared at Naoto in confusion before he realized something. "Ah, you must have saved her when you escaped from the Britannians"
Naoto flinched at that.
"You, you could say that" Naoto said as he became slightly uncomfortable. "Anyway, where are the others?"
Ohgi lead Naoto to another room. Upon opening the door, the occupants; Inoue, Yoshitaka Minami, Kento Sugiyama, Shinichirō Tamaki, and Yoshida were all surprised when they saw Naoto. They rushed over to him, asking if he was alright or what had happened when he was captured. They also told about Kallen, but Ohgi assured them that they had escaped together. However, none of them realized how uncomfortable Naoto was when they talked about Shinjuku and the poison gas, it did not help how boastful Tamaki was about it.
"Listen, I have something to tell you guys" Naoto said suddenly drawing the attention to him.
"Come on I just arrived at the part where I kicked some Brit ass" Tamaki whined, but became silent when he saw how serious Naoto was.
The room was suddenly tense; they knew what Naoto would say to them was something important. They also could not help but have an uneasy feeling about it, especially Ohgi, he had a feeling something bad was about to happen.
"I did.." Naoto start, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't escaped from jail as you all thought"
"Come on dude, then how can you be here?" Tamaki asked jokingly. "It`s not like you join the Brits or something" Naoto flinched at the jest.
At this, everyone finally realized that something was wrong.
"It's not… right?" Tamaki asked, unsure when Naoto remained silent.
"Yes, I joined the Britannians" Naoto answered, the rest of the room was speechless.
"Hahaha, that's a really bad joke, Naoto" Tamaki laughed weakly, but that laugh died when they saw that Naoto was seriously.
"Naoto, that's not true, right?" Inoue asked fearfully as her hands began to shake, but Naoto remained silent, the truth was right there.
"Na..Naoto, did you joined because of Kallen?" Ohgi asked, clearly not believing that their leader joined with their enemy of his own will, they must have forced him, they must be holding Kallen hostage.
"If so, you can relax, the JLF finally acknowledged us and have extended an invitation to join them. We can save Kallen" Ohgi said, surprising Naoto for a moment.
The others just stayed silent, looking intently at Naoto, studying him. They too had a hard time believing it.
"No, I chose to join them" Naoto said, Inoue broke out in tears and Tamaki suddenly punched him.
"How…How could you!" Tamaki yelled as Naoto nursed his cheek. "You were the one who gathered us to fight Britannia!"
"Calm down, Tamaki!" Ohgi yelled, making Tamaki back down.
"Naoto, you don't need to lie" Ohgi said as he desperately tried to believe that Naoto was lying to them.
"No, that's the truth" Naoto stated, making Ohgi feel betrayed.
"Naoto are you out of your mind! Are you betraying our dream!" Ohgi yelled, trying to open his friend's eyes, "If you join them, do you think that Kallen will be happy!"
"Kallen is the same with me, she has already joined with Britannia" This left everyone in the room speechless, for Kallen, one of the most outspoken of them to change sides.
"Naoto please don't do this, it's still not too late. You and Kallen could get out and the JLF would protect us" Inoue pleaded, trying to sway Naoto.
"We already pledged our alliance to Prince Lelouch" Naoto said as he looked at Ohgi and then to everyone else, "He's also giving the same chance for you guys to join him"
"No in hell will I join the Brits!" Tamaki yelled, the same sentiment shared with the others, minus Ohgi and Inoue who was crying.
"Naoto" Ohgi said, his body was shaking as he tried to hold himself. "Please tell me the real reason why you joined them"
Naoto felt conflicted, he could not tell them. It would make them feel guilty about what happened in Shinjuku. He could not let his friends bear that sin, it was enough just for he and Kallen to bear it.
"Prince Lelouch is different from the others, look at Shizuoka. With him, we could make a better place…" However, before Naoto could continue, Ohgi punched him, the others were speechless.
"Naoto, I know you better that anyone else. You wouldn't join him if that's the only reason" Ohgi said as he looked down, not looking at Naoto. "If you don't want to tell us, then just leave"
"Ohgi please, I will tell you later, but…." Naoto pleaded, but Tamaki punched him.
"We won't join the Brits!" Tamaki yelled as the others nodded their heads.
"Inoue….?" Ohgi called out.
"If you want go with Naoto, I wouldn't stop you" Ohgi said to the heart broken Inoue, he knew of the feelings she had for Naoto.
Inoue just shook her head. "No, the man I love is no more"
This revelation shocked Naoto, he had not known of her feelings towards him.
"I loved you and your ideals, but now, I'm not sure" Inoue said before running out the room.
"Leave now, Naoto" Ohgi ordered, glaring at Naoto. "Before I make you"
Now looked dejectedly at Ohgi, he had hoped that Ohgi would come with him. But that was only a hope, a foolish hope on his part. Naoto then left them; his heart torn apart from the guilt.
(Flashback End)
"I see" Lelouch said simply,
"That was a noble thing to do. For not wanting to burden others. But sometimes, that kind of kindness could be a cruel thing for others" Naoto flinched at Lelouch's words.
"If you told them the truth, they would have followed you without a doubt. But the truth is, after all, not always a good thing, sometimes the truth is cruel as well. It could liberate you or…" for some reason, Lelouch remembered the reason why his mother died. "Burden you, after all, the burden of the truth is heavy"
"That's why I didn't tell them" Naoto said, he just could not do it, it must be his fault alone.
"Then it is safe to assume that they will join the JLF" At this, Naoto slumped, he knew that sooner or later, he will fight his friends.
"I will leave them to you" Naoto just looked at Lelouch in confusion. "You can still convince them, can't you?"
"Yes" Naoto answered, he will do that, no, he must do it for his friends.
(Flashback End)
Lelouch tapped his finger in thought. Sometimes Naoto made him think about his former self, to take the burden all by himself and to learn the truth. Lelouch just shook his head to make that train of thought disappear. Now he must wait for Luciano to contact him about the new viceroy.
"beep beep"
'Speak of the devil' Lelouch thought as he accepted the communication.
"Hey, Prince!" Luciano greeted as his face appeared on the monitor.
"Hello Luciano, so who's the new viceroy?" Lelouch asked, ignoring the rude behavior of Luciano.
"Ah, straight to the point are you?" Luciano snickered at Lelouch. "Well, you won't believe it but there's a lot of ruckus just to appoint the new viceroy of Area 11"
Lelouch raised one eyebrow, after all there was no way that such a ruckus would be made just to only appointing a viceroy.
"You should have seen it, hahhaha" Luciano laughed as he remembered something funny.
"Just tell me who is it" Lelouch sighed at Luciano behavior.
"Okay, okay, at first, it was Guinevere and Carine" Luciano told Lelouch, who just looked confused.
"At first?"
"Yeah, but Schneizel suggested Cornelia and Euphemia. You should have seen how they bickered around because of that" Lelouch frowned, it seems that Schneizel was up to something.
"But you know what was more hilarious about it?" Luciano asked, clearly amused. "Cornelia refused!"
Now Luciano was not making sense to Lelouch. "So at the end, who was the new viceroy?"
"Now, now, just let me finish" Luciano said as he wagged a finger. "It all started when…."
(Flashback)
-Pendragon-
-Meeting Room-
It was after Clovis funeral that the Emperor and the Royal Family were right now in Pendragon with the Knights of the Rounds to guard as they held a meeting to decide the new viceroy of Area 11.
"So anyone want to be the new viceroy of Area 11?" The emperor asked, clearly not caring who took the position.
"I nominate myself and Carine, Your Majesty" Guinevere said, gesturing to herself and Carine beside her.
"I see, then…." However, before the Emperor finished, Schneizel decided to interrupt.
"Pardon me Your Majesty, but I nominate Cornelia and Euphemia"
This off course made Guinevere and Carine glare at him and Cornelia who just finished conquering Middle East to look surprised.
"I see, then tell me why" The Emperor ordered as it was rare for Schneizel to nominate someone else.
"The reason is simple Your Majesty, because Area 11 is now in chaos and the only one that could quell it would be Cornelia and Euphemia" Schneizel explained, then looked at Guinevere and Carine, "And no hard feelings, but I doubt Guinevere and Carine could do it"
"You are forgetting that Lelouch is already in Area 11, so that will be not a problem" Guinevere countered, clearly offended at Schneizel's remark, "And with us, he can focus more on destroying them, after all, I am well versed in managing a government"
Guinevere then looked at Cornelia and Euphemia. "And I doubt that Cornelia and Euphemia have that kind of skill"
"But, with Cornelia, the progress would be much faster" Schneizel countered, smiling at Guinevere. "After all, she has already proven herself that she's capable"
"Are you saying that Lelouch can't do it?" Carine snapped at Schneizel.
"No, I'm not say that" Schneizel smiled as he shook his head.
"Pardon me, but are you all forgetting my opinion?" Cornelia asked, annoyed as they continued arguing with each other without her input.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Cornelia" Schneizel said as he smiled sweetly at her.
Too bad for Schneizel, Cornelia was pass her crush on him. So the smile that usually made her blushing had no effect on her anymore.
"I refuse" Cornelia answered, shocking Schneizel, he had not expected this. Guinevere and Carine just smirked in victory.
"But Cornelia…." Schneizel started, but Cornelia cut him off.
"Like I said, I have no intention to become a viceroy, or bring Euphemia into an area in a state of rebellion" Cornelia said in a tone of finality.
"I see, but how about just Euphemia herself? After all, it's fair to ask for her opinion too, isn't?" With that, their attention focused on Euphemia.
"I will go to Area 11" Euphemia said, to the surprise of Cornelia, Guinevere and Carine, but making Schneizel smile.
"Are you out of your mind, Euphy?" Cornelia asked, the entire reason why she refused Schneizel was because Euphemia would go with her. Cornelia could not want to bring her sister to an Area that was in just turmoil.
"Area 11 right now is in the midst of chaos and there's a terrorist capable of killing Clovis!" Cornelia reasoned, but was met with a stubborn look from Euphemia.
"That's why I should go to Area 11" Euphemia answered, before looking at Schneizel. "And brother Schneizel was the one who said that I could solve that problem"
At this, Cornelia glared at Schneizel. She should have known that Schneizel was the one behind this.
"Yes, I believe that Euphy could be a moderator between the Elevens and the Britannian in Area 11" Schneizel reasoned, but Cornelia was not convinced.
"Hah! You think that such a weak will would work?" Carine sneered, disgusted at Schneizel and Euphemia. "The way Lelouch is handling things right now is the right way; use the military to crush and obliterate the terrorists!"
Euphemia glared at Carine, she did not like the way Lelouch handled things like that. However, this sentiment was not shared by the others, except for Schneizel and the deceased Clovis who, like her, saw that such conflict could be solved by a more peaceful way. This also the reason she doesn't like Carine who like war and violence.
Cornelia just sighed as she looked at Euphemia, this was one of the reasons why her relationship with Lelouch was so distant. Cornelia loved her sister, but sometimes Euphemia could be naïve, naïve enough for Schneizel to abuse. Euphemia still did not know how the world worked, with her always in the palace shielded from the cruelty that the world had.
"I agree with Carine, we Britannians are strong and don't need to use such passive ways" Guinevere said as she looked to the emperor, "And I think you will agree with that, Your Majesty"
The emperor just stayed silent at their exchange, but he knew if he does not do something now, things would get out of hand. He cannot afford that right now, not when he is so close to his goal. If he lets this continue, no doubt Britannia will eventually be torn into two parts; those who support Lelouch and those who support Schneizel, with him in the middle of it. But on the inside, he was proud at Lelouch's way of handling things, reminded himself when he was young.
However, to the Emperor's surprise, it was Odysseus who stopped them.
"Ma…ma… please calm down, we won't achieve anything if we argue like this"
The others stayed silent at that. Odysseus may be known as the 'Mediocre Prince', but sometimes he was the most level headed person in the Royal Family, making him the mediator between Lelouch and Schneizel.
"We are here to discuss who will be the new viceroy, not to argue at the way we handle things" Odysseus reminded them of the purpose of the meeting.
"Just like you said" Schneizel said with a smile at Odysseus who nodded in stratification.
"I have come to my decision" The Emperor said, making them all look at him. "You bring a good point, Schneizel"
"So, I have decided that Cornelia and Euphemia be sent to Area 11 immediately" The emperor ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty" All of them answered, the Emperor decided to leave them as the meeting was finished, the others followed, leaving only Carine, Guinevere, Schneizel, Cornelia, Euphemia, and Luciano.
Luciano stayed to see what will happen; after all, he did need to report it to Lelouch. He wanted to make an input about this too, but the Rounds do not have that privilege, they could only stand and watch the meeting.
"I hope you're happy with this, because I think Lelouch won't" Carine said to Euphemia with such venom, Cornelia narrowed her eyes.
"Carine, behave yourself" Guinevere said, scowling at her. "Schneizel, I don't know what you are planning, but you better pray that it doesn't bite you in the butt"
With that Guinevere and Carine leave them before send a glare to Schneizel and Euphemia.
"Euphi, let's go we have things to do before going to Area 11" Cornelia said as she too go out, sending a glare to Schneizel.
"Ah yes…." Euphemia said followed her sister, knowing that she would chewed her later for what happened.
"My, my, you're making Princess Cornelia angry, Your Highness" Luciano remarked once it was only them two in the room.
"Luciano" Schneizel said, looking at the blood thirsty knight. "Why are you still here?"
"Just looking at the drama you made" Luciano said, grinning at Schneizel who remained smiling at him.
"Oh, I see, but please be careful, because the balance of power will soon be gone" Schneizel said cryptically, Luciano's smirk faltered for a second.
"Oh, what balance?" Luciano asked, feigning innocence.
"Nothing, but be careful of who you serve" Schneizel stared at Luciano, sizing up his reaction.
To Schneizel's disappointment, Luciano face remained its usual sadistic smirk. "Oh, are you trying something against the Emperor?"
"No, now please excuse me" Schneizel leaving Luciano alone but before stopping him.
"You know we the Rounds are loyal to the Emperor and it is within our right to stop harm to him" Luciano told Schneizel who stopped with his back facing Luciano.
"Yes, the Rounds are, but how about yourself or perhaps, who do you think as Emperor?" With that, Schneizel left Luciano alone, but if he were to look back, he would see Luciano frowning at him. After all, there was some truth in Schneizel's words.
"I can't wait for it to begin" Luciano whispered to no one.
(Flashback End)
"And that's all folks" Luciano said as he brandished his arms to Lelouch over the screen.
"So Schneizel has started to move" Lelouch mused as he should have known that his brother, Schneizel would not remain quiet.
"Yeah, I think he knows about my allegiance, but still doesn't have any proof" Luciano said suddenly in a serious tone. "This will put me under constant surveillance from Schneizel"
Lelouch nodded at Luciano's words. With Schneizel's eyes on him, Luciano could not move freely like before. "Yes, it's safe to assume that Schneizel knows where you and Monica stand. How about the other Rounds?"
"Yeah, Bismarck and Dorothea will without doubt side with the Emperor. Gino, Nonette, and Anya are wild cards because we don't know where they stand. They could support the Emperor or Schneizel" Luciano told Lelouch before remembering something. "Also, there are some disturbing rumors"
"Rumors?"
"That there will be new candidates to the Knight of the Rounds" At this information, Lelouch frowned as a new variable came into play.
"I don't know how many, but it's safe to assume that there would be around three new Rounds. The first is the emperor himself recommended, the second by prince Schneizel for the third is still unknown" Luciano informed Lelouch as he too doesn't like this.
"Three? That many? " Lelouch asked, looking very disturbed by this. "Do you have any information about them?"
Luciano just shook his head. "None, the information is closely guarded. I only found out by chance"
Lelouch sighed, there was always something that disturbed his plans. For once, could not his plans go on smoothly without a hitch?
"Just search for it Luciano, sooner or later we will know, but remain careful" Lelouch ordered.
"Yes, I will inform you if I get more leads" with that, Luciano closed the communication link.
"Cornelia, and Euphemia" Lelouch whispered as he stared outside in deep thought. "What are you planning, Schneizel? What do you wish to achieve by sending them here?"
"Could it be….?" Lelouch trailed off before he shook his head. "For now, let's see where all of this goes"
-Kyōto House-
Kaguya and Taizo now are pondering what has happened lately. The two remained silent in deep thought inside the tea ceremony room.
"What do you think we should do, Kaguya?" Taizo asked, as he does not know what to think. "Should we support the JLF more? With their achievements lately, that should be what we do"
"Perhaps" Kaguya said as she sipped her tea, "But the whole situation remains suspicious"
"Suspicious?" Taizo asked, confused as to what Kaguya meant.
"Yes, it could be Lelouch who is behind the attacks" Taizo looked shocked at this, the prince himself as the one attacking his fellow Britannians.
"Don't you think it's strange for the JLF to suddenly become this aggressive?" Kaguya asked, Taizo remembered how the JLF did things in the past.
"Now that you mention it, that is strange" Kaguya nodded at Taizo. After all, she does not believe in the slightest that the JLF are capable of doing all of that suddenly.
"Even though, send them the Burais and that new knightmare" Kaguya said as she looked at Taizo. "After all, we must reward them"
"Reward?" Taizo asked as he does not understand what Kaguya was thinking.
"Yes" Kaguya just smiled. The reason she does that was not because of the JLF's achievement, but to prove that her views about Lelouch are right. Lelouch will be the one who will change Japan, no, the world. He will bring chaos wherever he went and stand tall at the top of the world. She was sure of it.
"If you say so, Kaguya. But what should we do about prince Lelouch?" Taizo asked, unclear as to their next move.
"We will still support Lelouch" Kaguya said as she looked to Lelouch's picture in the room. "After all, the dawn of the new age is drawing near and it will benefit if we side with Lelouch"
"Isn't that right, Sayoko?" Kaguya asked suddenly, alerting Taizo as a woman with ninja clothing appeared from the shadows.
"Yes, Kaguya-sama" Sayoko said as she handed a piece of paper to Kaguya.
"Sayoko, where have you been?" Taizo asked, he had not see her lately. Sayoko after all, was Kaguya's personal maid and ninja.
"I have been investigating about something under Kaguya-sama's order" Sayoko answered, looking at Kaguya who was reading the report before smiling widely.
"I see, it seems that the decision to spy on the JLF and on Lelouch were good ideas" Kaguya said as she put the report down.
"You are spying on the JLF and Lelouch?" Taizo asked, surprised. "I understand if it`s Lelouch, but the JLF too? And since when?"
Kaguya just gave a mysterious smile to Taizo. "Since Lelouch came here, call it a woman's intuition"
This answer made Taizo speechless.
"Do you know that Senba has met prince Lelouch before, and in person?" This piece of information seemed to shock Taizo.
"Also there are suspicions on Senba's loyalty"
Taizo was disturbed about this.
"Are you sure, Kaguya?" Taizo asked, but Kaguya just looked at Sayoko and nodded her head.
Sayoko then proceeded to bring out a recorder and play it.
"Senba, could you stay? I have something to talk to you about" said Tohdoh's voice.
"What do you want to talk about, Tohdoh?" asked Senba's voice.
"Do you respect him, Senba?" asked Tohdoh.
"Yes. I greatly respect him, even if he is the enemy that we must face. He has the characters that this old samurai searches for in his lord. I only regret that I was not born a Britannian or he was not born Japanese, then I would have been able to serve him" answered Senba.
"But rest assured, my opinion doesn't change anything at all." Said Senba.
"I see, I know how you feel, Senba; to serve a capable lord is a samurai's greatest wish" said Tohdoh.
"I understand" Said Senba.
"If you must pick between us and him, who would you side with?" asked Tohdoh.
"…. You don't have to ask that, the answer is clear" answered Senba.
(Pause as Senba walks away)
"Asahina, you can come out now" said Tohdoh.
"As expected from Tohdoh, you knew I was here." said Asahina.
"Of course, because I didn't see you leave the room. How do you think about that, Asahina?" said Tohdoh.
"Tohdoh, could it be that…?" asked Asahina.
"No, he cannot be the traitor" answered Tohdoh.
"But judging by his reaction…." said Asahina.
"I know, but if word was spread that one of the Holy Swords is a traitor, what do you think will happen?" said Tohdoh voice
"And there's still is no proof that he's a traitor. For now, it's best to up our security and increase surveillance" said Tohdoh.
The recording ended there.
Taizo just stayed silent, thinking before asking Kaguya "From where did you get this?"
"Sayoko was in the same meeting room with them and recorded this" Kaguya answered. Taizo looked at Sayoko who nodded her head in agreement.
"This is very disturbing" Taizo said finally. "If this true then…." Taizo did not finish as he shivered at the possibility.
"Yes, Lelouch has a spy in the JLF and that person is most likely Senba" Kaguya answered, she too was shocked at first when she heard this.
"We should tell them about this!" Taizo said as he proceeded to call the JLF.
"Stop" Kaguya ordered, stopping Taizo. "Nothing good will come out of this"
"But we must…" Taizo said again, but Kaguya cut him off. "Just let Tohdoh and others solve this problem"
Taizo just sighed in defeat.
"If we carelessly act, things will turn bad. For now, let's see what will happen" Kaguya told Taizo as she looked back at Sayoko. "Continue to spy on them"
With that, Sayoko walked back into the shadows and disappeared.
"I hope you know what you are doing, Kaguya" Taizo said, his tone foreboding, "The future looks grim for us"
"No one knows what the future holds for us, Taizo. And it's not that grim looking" Kaguya said, surprising Taizo at how confident she was.
"How could you be so confident?" Taizo asked curiously.
"Just trust my womanly intuition, Taizo" Kaguya answered, Taizo palmed his face.
'Lelouch, what do you plan to do next?' Kaguya thought, feeling giddy, anticipating what kind of things that Lelouch will do.
-Narita-
-Japan Liberation Front Base-
Tohdoh looked frustrated at the report of the recent attack on the noble's mansion in the Tokyo Settlement. He knew that it was not done by the JLF, in fact, almost all of the attacks on the nobles were not done by them. Tohdoh was sure that prince Lelouch was the one behind them. Unfortunately, the other thought differently, except for Asahina. Kusakabe, that fool had the gall to claim that he was the one who planned Clovis' death and the successful noble attacks as well. They are falling directly into prince Lelouch's trap because of the fool. The JLF right now are too cocky because of the recent successes and sooner or later, this arrogance will be their downfall.
It does not help that Kusakabe broadcasted live that he was the one who planned Clovis' murder. The results are that many Japanese civilians view them no better than terrorists who use any means necessary. It is true that moral is high, but their reputation is falling. Before, many Japanese civilians would have shielded them in their homes if the Britannians came close to capturing them. However, now many would not even answer the door. Things looked grim if this continued, and with Kusakabe gaining more power inside the JLF too. Furthermore, Kusakabe recruited the people who fought in Shinjuku to solidify his standing. The people from Shinjuku think that the one who commanded them was Kusakabe, but Tohdoh knew that Kusakabe did not have that kind of skill. In fact, only one person that he knew of had it, and that was prince Lelouch. This little bit of information did nothing to calm him; the massacre in Shinjuku, there was something more about it then what prince Lelouch said.
But Kusakabe was always the first to know about the attacks, even before the Britannians announced it. That is why many people including Katase believe in him. The only conclusion Tohdoh could come up with is that prince Lelouch is cooperating with Kusakabe, but that did not make sense, Tohdoh is sure that prince Lelouch would shoot Kusakabe first before cooperating with him and vice versa. This left him with the option that someone was cooperating with Lelouch and using Kusakabe. But the question that plagued Tohdoh was who.
Tohdoh does not want to believe it, but the only suspect in the JLF right now is Senba. He already told Urabe, Asahina, and Chiba to keep their eyes on him. However, soon enough, he regretted his decision to tell Chiba; he should have only told Urabe and Asahina. Chiba's reaction to this information, for the lack better word, was overprotective. She told Tohdoh that he should tell Katase about this right now because she does not want him to endanger himself. Because who knows when Senba will stab him in the back?
Chiba herself went as far as saying that she would report this to Katase that if there were the slightest evidence that indicated Senba's involvement with prince Lelouch. Tohdoh stopped her by telling Chiba to report to him first, but Chiba was sometimes too stubborn when things involved him.
The good news is that Kyoto is still supporting them and willing to send new knightmares to them. Because after what had happened, Tohdoh was not sure if Kyoto still supported them or not.
"Tohdoh!" Asahina yelled suddenly as he entered the room.
"What happened, Asahina?" Tohdoh asked as he looked up to the panicking Asahina.
"You have to come!" Without ado, Asahina left and Tohdoh followed. Tohdoh had an uneasy feeling about this.
When they entered the meeting room, Tohdoh was surprised. In the middle of the room was Senba who had been tied up. There was also Katase, Kusakabe, Urabe, Chiba and two other soldiers waiting inside.
"What happened here?" Tohdoh asked, Asahina look down in shame.
"Chiba found a log of communication from Senba's quarter to Shizuoka more precisely, to Lelouch's office" At Asahina's answer, Tohdoh froze, "I tried to stop her, but…"
"Tohdoh, please tell me the reason why you didn't inform us about this?" Katase asked, his tone full of disappointment.
"For one of the Holy Swords to be a Britannian spy, how disgusting!" Kusakabe interjected, looking at Tohdoh, "And you dare to withhold this information!"
"Forgive me, but this was for your own good" Chiba said as she looked at Tohdoh.
"…" Urabe remained silent, not knowing what to say.
"General, please let me explain" Senba pleaded, "I`m innocent, someone set me up!"
"Silence! You traitor!" Kusakabe cried as he backhanded Senba in the face, making him fall to the floor.
"Stop this!" Tohdoh yelled angrily as he saw what Kusakabe had done.
"Huh! You still want to protect this traitor?" Kusakabe asked Tohdoh, looking at Senba in disgust.
"Please calm down you two" Katase said as he looked between Kusakabe and Tohdoh. "Tohdoh, please tell me why you didn't inform us"
"My apologies, but there is no proof about it and I cannot accuse someone without out a doubt. Particularly if it is a member of Holy Swords. It will make a scandal that would drop our moral" Tohdoh explained, Katase nodded in understanding.
"You are lying!" Kusakabe accused. "General, this proves that Tohdoh isn't fit to command anymore"
"What are you saying!" Chiba cried angrily at Kusakabe.
"Lt. Chiba, It's was good for you to inform us, but Tohdoh withheld important information from us" Kusakabe said before he sneered at Tohdoh. "Who knows what kind information Senba has leaked. Information that crucial to the JLF could lead to the death of our soldiers"
"I did no such thing!" Senba yelled desperately.
"Humph! It's fortunate that my plan to kill Clovis was kept secret from you all. If not, I doubt it would have worked" Tohdoh felt a strong urge to punch Kusakabe right now.
"Kusakabe gave us a valid point, Tohdoh" Katase said dejectedly as he looked at Senba. "It's a pity. I expect something more from one of the Holy Swords"
"Take him away!" Katase ordered and the two soldiers dragged Senba out of the room to a holding cell.
"General, what will happen to Senba?" Tohdoh asked, worried about Senba's fate.
"We must execute him and make an example of him!" Kusakabe demanded, Tohdoh's blood boiled.
"No, we will hold him for the time being. It won't do if we executed one of the four Holy Swords now" Katase answered.
"Still, this problem will cost you, Tohdoh" Katase said as he looked directly at Tohdoh. "Because of this, I demoted you from second in command"
"Yes, General" Tohdoh answered, accepting his punishment.
"Kusakabe will replace you" Tohdoh was speechless; the JLF will be sure to fall under his 'leadership'.
"But general…" Tohdoh started, but Katase cut him off. "This is already my final decision, Tohdoh, with Kuskabe's achievements lately he deserves it"
Tohdoh just gritted his teeth at this.
"It`s an honor, general" Kusakabe said as he smirked at Tohdoh.
"Good, I expect things from you, Kusakabe" Katase said as he left.
"Look who's laughing at the end, Tohdoh. HAHAHHA… " Kusakabe laughed as he too left the room .
Tohdoh remained silent, making the others worry about him.
"Are you alright, Tohdoh?" Asahina asked, as soon as he said that, Tohdoh unsheathed his katana and threw it at the wall, it sank several inches in.
"Tohdoh…." Asahina trailed off, clearly surprised that the cool headed Tohdoh acted like this.
"Chiba" Tohdoh called, his voice ominous, making her swallow her saliva.
"Yes To…." Chiba trailed off by Tohdoh's murderous glare.
"Why did you do that?" Tohdoh asked, his tone low and dangerous.
"I thought…." Chiba started, but Tohdoh cut her off. "That it was the right thing to do? Didn't you think about the consequences?"
Chiba avoided Tohdoh's eyes in shame. Tohdoh took a deep breath, it was no good to lose control.
"I`m sorry, Chiba" Tohdoh said, finally in control of his emotions. "But things will go bad from here on"
"Huh?" Chiba looked confused.
"What do you mean, Tohdoh?" Urabe asked, looking at Tohdoh.
"It means that Senba wasn't the spy" Asahina revealed, Tohdoh nodded at him. "The spy that works for prince Lelouch won't do such an amateurish mistake"
"Yes, this was all part of prince Lelouch's plan and we fell spectacularly for it" Tohdoh said, looking at Chiba as she finally saw the big picture. In her rush, she forgot to think about a few important details.
"Now it will be a lot harder to find the real spy" Asahina said, looking thoughtful. "We won't have any clues for except that log that anyone could have easily placed there"
"This is bad" Urabe summarized, but Asahina let out a small chuckle.
"Huhu, this is beyond bad"
Tohdoh could not help but to agree with Asahina.
- Shizuoka Ghetto -
- Lelouch's Mansion-
"I see, good work" Lelouch said as he turned off his cellphone and looked to the garden from the room he was in. Relaxing himself in the chair, Lelouch thought about the call from his agent in the JLF, with this, his agent can move more freely and with zero suspicions.
"You seem happy" C.C said suddenly as she entered the room.
"Ah, C.C, you finally grace me with your presence" Lelouch said sarcastically, C.C only stayed inside her room and had him deliver pizza to her.
"Humph, I was just bored" C.C said as she sat in front of Lelouch.
"Bored? Are you finally bored of pizza?" Lelouch asked, he was met with C.C's scandalous look. "Yeah right, but could you wear the clothes that I gave you?"
Looking at C.C, Lelouch could not help but to sigh, he had bought her several outfits, but she still wore her prison garb.
"Maybe later" C.C said off handedly. "But don't you want to make a contract with me?"
"You are persistent, man don't like women who are persistent" Lelouch said as he stared at C.C seriously.
"And you are stubborn, women don't like men who are stubborn" C.C countered just as seriously at Lelouch.
"…."
"…."
The two let out small smiles to each other after a while.
"But seriously, you should stop eating pizza and eat some other foods" Lelouch said, he remembered the chef that was crying to him to make him stop making pizza. "Even the chef who makes the pizza feels sick from all the pizza he made for you. He said that with all the pizza you ordered, he can make it now with his eyes closed"
"Not my problem" C.C answered, making Lelouch smile, he found the whole thing amusing.
"Yeah, you eat pizza more than anyone in this country, and still have that slim figure" Lelouch remarked, looking at the slender body of C.C.
C.C, herself became speechless and hugged herself as she became aware at where Lelouch was looking.
"Oh, I didn't think someone like you would be bothered by this" Lelouch said smirking, C.C glared at him.
"I was just surprised at how easily you admitted that" C.C replied.
"Still, this is a perfect chance" Lelouch admitted as he brought out several photos. "You are have been everywhere, haven't you?"
The pictures show C.C in different places across the world and during different time periods. There were photos that showed her in Germany, Britannia, China, etc and every one of them was in a different era.
"You could say that" C.C answered as she looked at the pictures.
"Yes, that's why I wanted to ask you something" Lelouch said, C.C's attention left from the photos.
"If you want to ask about gea…." C.C started, but Lelouch cut her off. "No, I don't want to ask about that"
'yet' Lelouch add silently to himself.
"Then what do you want to ask?" C.C asked, she expected Lelouch to ask her about geass.
"A simple question" Lelouch started, looking directly into C.C's eyes.
"You have lived a long time, correct?" A nod from C.C.
"You have seen and met many people?" Another nod.
"You have seen the rise and the fall of countries, civilizations and leaders?" Another nod.
"You have witnessed important events that changed the world?" Another nod.
"You have seen how the world is changed?" Another nod.
"Then I want to ask you" Lelouch paused for a moment. "What does the world look like from your eyes?"
C.C was definitely caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, how do you view this world?" Lelouch elaborated, looking softly at C.C.
"Why do you ask that, Lelouch?" C.C asked, feeling curious, no one had ever asked her about it.
Lelouch closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.
"People always think that immortality is a blessing" Lelouch started as he looked at C.C who smiled sadly.
"But it's also a curse" C.C gave a small nod at this.
"I don't know what it's like, but I think you know it better than me" Lelouch just smiled at C.C who was lost in thought.
"To live for eternity, until the end of time, the pain, the solitude, the loneliness, the void…. " Lelouch trailed off as he saw different emotions flashed through C.C's usually blank eyes.
"Until finally, you forgot everything but still continue to live, regardless if you wish for death" C.C's eyes suddenly widen and snapped to Lelouch.
"You…." C.C said still shocked, "How did you..?"
Lelouch let out a small smile. "It's simple if you think about it. What does an immortal really want, particularly if she is the one that has lived far too long?"
C.C stayed silent at this, for the first time, someone had guessed what she wished for.
"So I wonder, how does the world look like to you?" Lelouch asked as he closed his eyes.
"It is without color" C.C said suddenly, making Lelouch open his eyes, she smiled a bitter smile to Lelouch. "This world has no color"
"No color?" Lelouch repeated.
"Yes, as if it whole surface was gray" C.C answered as she stood up and walked to the window to look outside. "I have been living far too long"
"To the point that I even forgot what era I was born and that nothing catches my interest anymore" Her voice was solemn as she continued to look outside.
"I see" Lelouch said as he stood up and walked to stand behind C.C.
"Lelouch could I ask you something?" C.C asked as she suddenly turned around.
"Yes" Lelouch answered, the two staring into each other's eyes.
"Do you know why the snow is white?" C.C's tone was flat, but Lelouch could see the emotion behind her eyes.
"Why?" Lelouch asked, feeling that C.C was not asking him for an answer.
"It's because it have forgotten its own color" C.C smiled sadly at him.
"I don't think so" Lelouch said softly as he caressed C.C's face. "I think it's white because it remains pure and has its own light, making it shine regardless of what happens"
"But C.C, do you know why the night sky is black?" Lelouch asked suddenly.
"No, why?" C.C whispered as she remained under Lelouch's touch.
"It's because it has too many colors" C.C looked amused at Lelouch's answer, because he basically said the same thing she did.
"But the truth is, its own light was stolen away and becomes black" Lelouch said as he stop caressing her.
"The snow can exist in day or night…." Lelouch trailed off as he walked towards the door. C.C remained where she was, watching Lelouch.
"But the night can only remain in the night" Lelouch said with his back to C.C.
"For it will never see the light of day like the snow can" Lelouch looked at C.C over his shoulder.
"The night can only wait for the day to come and erase it"
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