I usually start with some non-sensible ranting regarding the chapter, but I feel the need to address the issue at hand that Tyrchon presented. Yes I realize the last chapter seemed somewhat incomplete, but that was, while avoidable, would have been troublesome, what with it being the premise to future events and all. And as for the transition between chapters 5 and 6, I realize that it was rather poor, but there was nothing to do about that either really. Nothing I intended to do last chapter, anyway, with it being focused primarily on Lelouch and Suzaku. This chapter will be including more from Britannia's side, with Narita being close by, and Nunnally's side is going to slowly be merged with that as time goes on. Certainly not this chapter, but there will be a chapter coming up soon that will be at least somewhat Nunnally-centric. I say somewhat due to my glaringly obvious inability to write Nunnally to any great degree of success, coupled with my general dislike of Nunnally (don't ask why I dislike her, because I don't know). But don't worry, it will come.
This one, however, as I said, will be Narita preparations and Lelouch-centric otherwise. Like every other chapter, I realize, but that will change soon. And on a totally unrelated note, I extend a very huge apology to all the Suzaku haters that are reading this, because I can tell you now that there will be no room for Suzaku hatred anytime soon. Or at all, depending on your point of view.
--
"Sister, you've been working for hours. Take a break," Euphemia tried soothingly, not threatened by the subsequent glare she received from her sister. It had been her hope that they could resume some form of normality, and that they could finally have some R&R after all the long nights Cornelia had been spending as of late. But clearly, Cornelia would have none of that.
"We only got free of press demanding knowledge of the situation within the last few hours, so I don't have time for rest," Cornelia said quietly, ignoring her younger sister's latest attempt at relieving her of work. "With my plans in the Narita mountains, and recent events... Besides, all of that just too coincidental."
"What was?" Euphemia asked, innocently bewildered. If she was disheartened by her sister's expected reply, she didn't show it in the slightest.
"The attack on the Viceroy's Palace. It was planned somehow, I know it."
"What do you mean? Weren't they just terrorists Zero refused?" Euphemia asked, tilting her head to the side questioningly.
"That's exactly what they were. But I think he refused them knowing they'd try to prove themselves, and used them to play hero," Cornelia replied, collapsing over her desk and groaning.
"You're saying he wasted so many lives just to make himself look good?!" Euphemia cried, a tinge of uncharacteristic anger lacing her words.
"That's the thing," Cornelia started, lifting herself off the desk and tapping her fingers to some random beat along it's length. "None of them died. Not one. And when we investigated the wreckage of Knightmare Frames, they were all gone. Something like that is no coincidence..."
"So what do you think happened?" Euphemia asked, once again lost in the complexity of the issue. Not that such a thing was very difficult, seeing as she had zero knowledge of matters of war. She'd failed to receive that gene from her father, just as Nunnally and Guinevere had, it seemed.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Zero wouldn't have saved them, because if such knowledge went public all that he sought to gain from this would be lost..." Cornelia groaned once again, utterly defeated by the matter. She pressed a button on the comm system on her desk, running her free hand through her hair and gripping at it out of raw frustration, "Tell Third Prince Clovis to come here at once."
o--o
"Lelouch, look out! You're burning that!" Milly scolded as she followed the black smoke drifting out from the kitchen, promptly hitting Lelouch over the head with the small cookbook in her hand. But he didn't move. And if she wasn't so close she could feel his light breathing, she'd have suspected he'd stopped breathing, too. "...Lelouch?" she asked slowly, almost afraid.
"It's nothing," Lelouch shot back quickly, not moving. But for how little his body was moving, his mind was racing that much faster. He had to be here, he reasoned, helping them. The simple answer was that his goals should come above everything else, and he was satisfied with that. So what was with the nagging feeling that he was doing the wrong thing? It was something he had never felt before, and he didn't like it's debut one bit.
"You're burning the food, Lelouch. It's something," Milly retorted, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis. Lelouch didn't take any notice of the action, of course.
"Milly, do you know what it's like? To hide who you are from everyone?" Lelouch asked suddenly, turning to face her.
"What kind of question is that? And pay attention to the food, would you? It's still burning!" Milly retorted, making past him to frantically save the food.
"Answer the question."
"You won't have to hide yourself for much longer, will you? All of Area 11 already know who you are. Soon everyone else will know who you are, too. It's a miracle Shirley hasn't been all over you for it!" Milly chuckled slightly at her own joke, but quickly took note of the fact that Lelouch wasn't in a laughing mood.
"I still have a lot to hide," was all he said, turning to leave the kitchen. "As you can see, I'm in no condition to cook. You take my place here, and I'll worry about entertainment out there."
"Huh? W-wait, Lelouch...!" but he was already gone. Lelouch made his way toward the seats arranged for the student council members, ignoring the angry cries Milly was giving off from the kitchen, and took a seat next to Rivalz. Nunnally was seated nearby in her wheelchair, engaged in a discussion of some sort with friends from her own class. She paused long enough to cheerfully say hello to Lelouch, who kindly returned the gesture. Nunnally seemed oblivious to his sour mood.
"Weren't you cooking? Milly scold you or something?" Rivalz chuckled, patting Lelouch on the shoulder. "She's a tough one, isn't she? I don't know how you put up with it for so long, man!"
"It's not that," Lelouch replied, glancing at Rivalz from the corner of his eye.
"Jeez, why all the brooding, man? Did someone you know get kidnapped or something? Lighten up..." he chuckled the entire way through, stopping only when he noticed Lelouch glaring intently at him now. "...Did I say something wrong?"
"No, nothing," Lelouch replied nonchalantly, turning his head away. "It's nothing like that," he added, slightly quieter.
"What are you two talking about?" Shirley asked, closing in on the two. "Sorry I'm late. Got held up by some friends from the swimming club," she took a seat on Lelouch's other side, folding her hands together in her lap, fidgeting ever so slightly. "Say, Lelouch..." she started timidly, blushing furiously.
"What is it?" he replied sharply, earning him a smack to the arm from Rivalz. "I mean... What do you need, Shirley?"
"Do you... well..." she tried, unable to muster the courage to finish. "Would you... like to dance? I mean, not if you don't want to of course... and just as friends, but..."
"Of course, Shirley."
"...What?" Shirley turned toward him, mouth agape. Lelouch, as hard as it was for him to do so, managed to smile.
"Each of us has to dance at least once tonight, right? I'd be glad to dance with you," he snatched her left hand abruptly, pulling her with him to her feet. He guided her to the center of the dance floor, guiding her quickly into a complex variation of a waltz that had Shirley fighting to keep up with him. The thought hadn't occurred in her mind that he would be the least bit capable at dancing, but she quickly found it to be that she was the inferior of the two.
"Lelouch..." Shirley started, staring down at her feet both out of embarrassment and to focus more on keeping up with the swift and elegant movements of her dance partner. "Why did you never tell us? That you were a prince, I mean," she asked, her voice sounding slightly hurt.
"Shirley," she looked up timidly, trying to avoid the studying eyes staring at her. "I am not Lelouch Vi Britannia, okay? I am Lelouch Lamperouge."
"What do you mean?" she asked, thoroughly confused by the statement.
"I was exiled from Britannia seven years ago. As a political hostage to Japan, who's worth was lost when Britannia invaded. I may still hold my father's name, but I am not his son," he explained, slowing his movements to a simple slow dance as the music changed from the slightly upbeat orchestral music that had been playing previously to a slow violin melody, accompanied by the occasional addition of piano. "The Lelouch you have known for the past seven years hasn't changed, Shirley."
And yet another lie, he told himself sadly. Worse yet, that one came off without a second thought. When had it become so easy for him to tell a lie? He didn't like the revelation one bit.
"That's a lie," Shirley started, her voice distant and slightly cold. "If you haven't changed, than why are you so distant now? You used to always be there. But now, you're so far away I can barely reach you anymore!" she cried quietly, collapsing her head against his chest. "What happened to you, Lelouch?"
'I made a deal with the devil,' is what he wanted to say. But he thought better of saying such a thing to the infinitely curious person in his arms. "What would you say if I told you I was Zero?" he asked, his voice carrying a tinge of amusement so as to throw off her suspicions.
"I'd call you an idiot. Zero is your family's mortal enemy now, Lelouch," Shirley replied, chuckling slightly. "Please be serious, Lelouch," Lelouch closed his eyes, biting his lip to suppress the urge to cry out in frustration. This act gave him a moment to take in that statement, and something clicked into his mind.
"You're right, Shirley. I'm sorry," he said sadly, pulling away. He managed a small smile when she looked at him questioningly, "Tell the President I wasn't feeling well. Goodbye, Shirley," she didn't need to know just how serious he was. Not yet, anyway, he told himself as he made his way out of the ballroom, once again ignoring the frustrated cries from a woman.
As soon as he was away from any prying ears, he pulled out his cell phone. "I suppose I should call Ogi... He can get a message through to everyone to meet," he decided, finding Ogi's number in his list of speed dials.
"Zero?" Ogi's startled voice asked.
"Tell everyone to meet tomorrow. Same time as mentioned during our last meeting," Lelouch said quickly.
"What's going on? Weren't we not meeting for some time yet?"
"Cornelia is making her move. We need to make our's, Ogi. It's time we got serious."
o--o
Suzaku sat at a long table between Cecile and Lloyd, in a daze and almost completely unaware of the meeting going on around him. What if Lelouch was right? What if fighting for Britannia was the wrong answer? Could he so easily turn over and start again, fighting for his own people? Would they even accept him? Well, he didn't need to tell them that he had been serving Britannia. "It's too confusing..." he muttered to himself, resting his head on the table. "I can't do it, Lelouch..."
"Is there something you would like to share with us, Private Kururugi?" Clovis asked from his place beside his sister. Euphemia was on the other side of Cornelia, chuckling lightly to herself.
"A-ah... no, Your Highness."
"Good," Cornelia started, glancing up for the first time from the desk. "Then we can continue with this meeting. We shall be heading a massive operation to suppress the Japanese Liberation Front in the Narita mountains. Is there anything anyone would like to say?"
"I would," Jeremiah started. 'Lelouch is Zero... Somehow, he knows this is coming. And he'll exploit it,' he thought grimly to himself. inadvertently beginning yet another internal war of loyalties - between his loyalty to Britannia, and his loyalty to Lelouch and his family. But being loyal to Lelouch now meant turning against Britannia, and he couldn't do that. And so, his decision - no matter how painful it was - made, he spoke, "Zero will be there. We can count on that. We should plan for the possibility."
"This plan is being kept top secret. Such caution is not necessary, Jeremiah," Cornelia interjected, tapping the heels of her boots against the plush carpet beneath her. "Besides, even if he were to show, the Black Knights are nothing to the full force of Britannia's military. We could fight both, though my point still stands that he will not be there."
"Remember the Viceroy's Palace incident, Your Highness. Zero is very well informed, and Saitama has proved he surpasses many in Britannia in terms of tactical might. He also has that red Knightmare Frame. He must not be underestimated," Jeremiah explained quickly. "Besides, while the reasons are unclear, there is also the matter of Duke Henry's flight. I'm willing to wager a bet that he is in league with Zero. And a man like him would have means of making things like this known."
The room fell silent as everyone pondered over the point added to the issue. Finally, after minutes of silence, it was Suzaku that spoke, "Allow the Lancelot to join the front lines. Even if the Black Knights were to appear, I can delay them long enough for our real target to be taken out," and that was when the silence created from pondering became a silence created from complete disbelief. Not that Suzaku had expected any less.
"Letting an Honorary Britannian join the frontlines?! Unthinkable!" Kewell cried, halfway out of his seat before one of Jeremiah's rather powerful hands crashed down on his shoulder, pushing him into his seat again.
"I agree with Private Kururugi, sister," Clovis started, ignoring the subsequent glare from Kewell, who didn't seem to particularly care for rank or social standing at that moment - ironic as it was. "The Lancelot has proved itself to be the best our military has to offer at this time and, while only a child, Private Kururugi has proved to be effective with it. To waste such a powerful weapon because of social standing may very well be what keeps us from triumphing over the Black Knights."
"Very well then. Private Kururugi Suzaku, you will be working under my personal command, and will be acting on the front lines. Is that clear, everyone?" when Cornelia heard no retort - be it due to fear of her wrath or otherwise - she smiled. "Good. We begin as soon as preparations have been made. Dismissed."
o--o
"The Narita mountain range? But Zero, how do we make a stand from there?" Karen asked curiously, eyes wide with wonder. Beside her stood Ogi, who was in much the same state of shock, and behind them and around them were the rest of the Black Knights. Lelouch walked toward them, ignoring the repeated noise of his feet against the metal floor beneath him, smiling widely behind his mask. It was fake, of course, but he could at the very least try to convince himself otherwise, couldn't he?
He really couldn't, he admitted, but he adamantly refused to accept the fact that the loss of someone - that witch, no less - was tearing at him so badly. They were nothing more than pawns in a selfish scheme full of dreams of grandeur and change, he so badly wanted to say. But losing his pawns was more painful than he'd accounted for. And in this case, it didn't seem that hiding away his emotions behind a mask would work.
"You need not worry about that, Karen," Lelouch replied, casting away such thoughts as he came to a stop. "Kaguya, has the Kyoto House begun work on the project I requested?"
"They have, Zero," Kaguya chirped happily, skipping out from the crowd of Black Knights to emerge by Tamaki's side, much to the former's chagrin. "Most of your requests were being tested before you asked, so it should be ready in time for this operation..." she mused, tapping her index finger to her chin in thought. "But Karen already has the Guren Nishiki. Do you have another ace in mind, Zero?"
"And what of the report I requested regarding the JLF's Knightmare Frame stock?" he asked, ignoring her question entirely.
"Completed. They have far less Frames, but they have enough to field a force half the size of our own," Kaguya replied. "But Britannia would overwhelm them, would they not?"
"Todo Kyoshiro and the Shisei-ken are there. They won't go down without a fight," Lelouch off-handedly replied. "Now then, see to the repairs of the Frames," he added, dodging around them and making for the room this particular mobile base had reserved for him. Each one had such a room, but this mobile base served as his own in his mind. He settled into the chair at the far end of the room, groaning as he relieved himself of the mask over his head. "This truly is tiresome sometimes..."
"I'm sure it is, Lelouch," Lelouch promptly gasped and, searching quickly for the source, came upon a man standing by the door. He had impossible to read green eyes along with unkempt gray hair not that much unlike Lelouch's own, with a slight smirk on his face. "Wondering who I am?" he asked, brows furrowing in amusement.
"A little," Lelouch admitted, casting aside his mask as he studied the mysterious man - which was a stretch, as the man seemed no older than Lelouch - in front of him. "My identity is a seldom known fact, after all."
"And yet, not all that hard to figure out if the person in question can accept the fact that you are Zero. I'm sure you are aware of the fact that your father is aware of your identity, and that Schneizel at least suspects it."
"Just who are you?" Lelouch asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Someone like you. Another who suffers from this curse we call Geass."
Lelouch quietly gasped to himself. "How do you know I have Geass?"
"Mao told me it was a possibility. Turns out it's true."
"...Mao? The one... who has C.C.?!" Lelouch nearly cried, up with a start.
"That's the one! He expects me to keep you neutralized with my Geass, but I have a score to settle with V.V. for giving this power to me. So consider me an ally."
"I'll help you settle the score when C.C. is safe. And you said Mao knows of Geass. Does he have one too?" Lelouch asked, grabbing his mask and pulling it over his head.
"Indeed he does. But he told me not to divulge information regarding what he can do with it. And I have my own code of honor."
"Very well," the two made their way through the mobile base, and Lelouch quickly took note of the fact that the members of the Order were ignoring the man's presence. Lelouch was questioned once or twice, but he just shook his head and refused to answer. They didn't seem too surprised by such a thing. "You have the Power of Absolute Obedience too...?" he asked as soon as they were free of the mobile base, piqued slightly.
"So that's your Geass, huh? Quite the useful tool for a revolutionary."
Lelouch said no more on the matter. He didn't need a complete stranger - one he couldn't trust in the least, he added - to know much. "So, what can I call you?" he asked curiously.
"My name is Rai."
--
Absolutely hated that last bit, I must say. But I'll digress, because the rest was at least moderately acceptable in my books. Sorry for the bit of Lulu/Shirley fluff there, but I couldn't resist. Not particularly a fan of the pairing, but it seemed to fit well. And sorry again, but mainly to the really Lulu/Shirley fans as I have no intentions of pursuing such a pairing.
And I'll say now that I will not be adding any other characters to the Code Geass storyline that were exclusive to material beyond the anime. Polux and Castor got a mention, but that's all, and Rai will be serving more of a secondary character purpose for the most part. But he's an interesting character, and his backstory went well with what Mao is capable of. You'll see what I mean next chapter.
Bye bye!
