Disclaimer: I have never claimed, and will never claim, to owning Code Geass.
Stage 03: The False Classmate
- Part 2 -
Last time on The Truth Hurts More:
Suddenly, Nunnally turned her face to stare at the door. Sayoko blinked in confusion and asked, "Lady Nunnally?"
The door slid open and Lelouch walked through the doorway, apologizing, "I'm sorry I'm so late."
"Hi, Lelouch," Nunnally greeted cheerfully. "Welcome home."
"Holy damn," Gino whistled, chuckling. "How did Her Majesty know the former Demon Emperor was coming? Could the empress hear his footsteps, or something? Not to mention the fact that Her Majesty knew she was holding a bird just by touching it…"
Now on The Truth Hurts More:
"Yes, welcome home, my lord," Sayoko said.
"No place like it, Sayoko. Right, Nunnally?"
Milly's composed demeanor shattered completely. "What am I seeing?" she hissed, her eyes darting around rapidly. In a rush, she whirled around to face Rivalz, demanding, "What is this, Rivalz? How could they have lived together all this time? Where's Rolo!?"
Rivalz just shook his head, words stuck in his throat.
"Nina?" Milly begged.
I'm sorry, Milly, Nina thought, flinching as she kept her eyes focused forward, refusing to glance at Milly, because she knew that if she gave in to the temptation, she'd break and spill everything she knew. I'm sorry, Rivalz. I can't imagine what it would be like to have my memories taken away from me.
"Nina!" the former president yelled, her voice cracking.
Nina adamantly ignored her.
"Nina... no," Milly gasped, voice flat from her shock. "No," she said again, in denial as she shook her head rapidly. "This—this is impossible! W-What about Rolo?" Her voice was hitched in almost panic, and Kallen spared her a pitiful, sympathetic glance.
Rivalz agreed with a hurried nod. "With all due respect, Your Majesty," he hastened to say, just barely remembering to nod reverently at the empress. "But how? I-I don't understand; I don't remember you being there."
Nunnally's eyebrows furrowed into a knitted frown. She said nothing, but Zero noticed the way her knuckles whitened as her grip on her wheelchair tightened. Zero saw the pain in her eyes and looked away regretfully.
"Milly, Rivalz," Kallen said quietly. She glanced around, saw everyone else's unease, and sighed. "Your memories… they're not what you think of them to be. I told you about Geass, remember?"
"What do you mean, Kallen? How can something so simple as 'a power' do something like this?" Milly demanded, eyes wide. "Why aren't you surprised? What's happening?"
"Milly…" the redhead murmured, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry. Rolo was never there. He was never Lelouch's brother in the first place."
"That can't be," Rivalz argued. He laughed, almost hysterically, and Kallen grimaced. "This is hilarious, Milly," he gasped. "Rolo, not Lelouch's brother?" When Milly said nothing, Rivalz frowned and looked around himself. He noticed the tense silence and bit his lip, asking tentatively, "This is a joke, right?"
"…you'll see, Rivalz," Kallen said finally, sighing. What could she do, after all? Geass was permanent. That was the truth she had been taught.
"We should act," Jeremiah said quietly to Sayoko, growling. For just the briefest moment, one of his eyes flashed a shimmering blue, and the shape of a crane taking flight emblazoned itself onto his pupil. The color died and the air darkened. "They should regain their memories."
"I know," Sayoko said, and Jeremiah noticed with a start that her gaze was focused on Milly Ashford. He saw a trace of regret in her eyes and sighed; he remembered that she had served the Ashfords, once upon a time. "But we just talked about this; we cannot—you know that. Lelouch wanted them clueless for a reason. He wanted them happy with the way their lives are, right now, unaware of the truth."
"But they won't be clueless after a while, regardless of whether or not we act," he pressed. "This video—whatever this is—it's showing them everything. No details are spared. Undoubtedly, they will know of the truth soon. Why shouldn't we help them?"
"It's not what he wanted, Jeremiah," Sayoko said warningly. "Until we know more about this, we will keep our silence as he decreed. It is he we are ultimately loyal to, not a group of schoolchildren."
"Even if you used to call one of them master?" he asked softly.
She winced. "Yes," she said eventually, her voice firm and cold. "Lelouch has earned more than our loyalty. We mustn't go against his orders."
"Sayoko..."
"Jeremiah!" she hissed. He stopped cold at the fury in her voice and eyes. "Don't you think I want to act? But if you will not, then I have to be the one who remembers what we did everything for. Zero Requiem was for peace. I refuse to let you endanger our lord's plan by acting out of sentimentality. Truth, as we've been shown, only disrupts the balance, which our lord created and which we seek to preserve."
"Our lord's plan never included this show," Jeremiah pointed out. He stared at the face of her wrath and backed down, amending, "Very well. We will remain neutral, for now. But keep in mind, Sayoko—they were His Majesty's friends."
"No one can know of the reality of Geass," Sayoko reminded him. "Not even his friends."
Jeremiah said nothing, his eyes still fixated on the Geassed pair whom he knew Lelouch had trusted, even if only a little bit. And Sayoko knew what he wanted to say, because she was thinking of it too (you say that now, but when all is revealed and Geass is no longer a secret only we are privy to, what can you argue?) but he remained silent, and for that she was grateful.
From the start, Lelouch was never meant to be her charge, she mused. It had always been the Ashford family she served, and when they'd assigned her to a pair of Britannian children—royalty, she had thought with disgust at the time—she had never meant to get attached. It was supposed to be an easy task, and she was supposed to hate it.
But Lelouch and Nunnally had never been the representation of royalty she imagined she would hate. They had never been the embodiment of everything that made her resent Britannia. They had only been two children—siblings—who'd lost their mother in a world that never comforted them.
I'm sorry, Milly, Sayoko thought resolutely. But I promised him. If nothing else, I swore that I would never betray the path of the Zero Requiem.
When she noticed that he still seemed unconvinced, staring at Milly and Rivalz, she sighed and reasoned, unaware of C.C.'s presence in the auditorium and the part she played in all of this, "Besides, we can call C.C. and ask her about whether or not we should cancel the Geass on them when there's another break. She should know what to do, more than us. She was his queen, after all."
"...Fine," he exhaled. "We'll wait."
"Our memories should belong to us," Anya whispered from beside them, and Sayoko glanced at the pink-haired girl with a start. Sayoko's resolve wavered and her gaze softened. "But they never seem to, do they?"
No response answered her, and at the end it was her own broken laughter that she heard echo in the deep recesses of her mind. In that sense, there is no force crueler than Geass, even if it is being used for the greater good. Geass took away their memories, and it took away mine. But Geass is also the reason that Emperor Lelouch reached the decision he did, and for that, we, too, have to make our choices.
Lelouch had died for a world that resented him, Anya reminded herself. For that, she chose to respect his sacrifice, even if everyone else would spit upon his name. He had died for a world that called him a monster and celebrated his demise as one would a tyrant's death.
She was corrupted by Geass, too, Jeremiah reminded himself. She knows, perhaps even better than Sayoko and I do, what it means to be cursed by its power. And yet she has accepted this—she has accepted Lelouch, who wields Geass more confidently than he wields anything else.
He remembered, too—he remembered why he'd agreed to the twisted plan that was Zero Requiem. And he wasn't proud of it, but there was nothing he could do about it, now that the time had come and gone. All there was left to do was remember.
"You must swear, Jeremiah Gottwald."
After he'd revealed his identity and relation to Marianne vi Britannia—his undying admiration for her—Lelouch had learned to accept and trust him. But now, hearing his full name on his lord's tongue—injected with a hint of regality, a hint of authority that none could deny—Jeremiah swallowed doubtfully. He wanted to serve—that was all he wanted. And yet… "How can I?" he whispered.
Lelouch glared at him, and Jeremiah's stomach sank. "Zero Requiem will be seen through, regardless of whether or not you wish for it to happen. The only choice you have is whether you would prefer watching it happen from the prisoners' row, or from my side, as my knight."
It was clear that Lelouch was determined. But he'd sworn—he'd sworn—to both mother and son, that he would protect Lelouch vi Britannia.
"The world needs this peace, Jeremiah," Lelouch said, and his voice softened slightly, enough to make Jeremiah start. "You know this as well as I do."
"…I do, Your Majesty."
"You do, what?" Lelouch asked insistently.
"I know the world does, Your Majesty."
"Then will you remain by my side, as my knight?" Lelouch asked, so quietly Jeremiah wondered if he was a different person altogether. The Lelouch he knew was not uncertain, not afraid—the Lelouch he knew was fearsome, stern, steadfast and confident. It made Jeremiah swallow. "Will you aid me in seeing a new world be brought to light?"
He didn't want to. He wanted Lelouch to live on. He wanted Britannia and all of Lelouch's enemies to see—to see and to understand—that Lelouch was the ruler the world needed. He wanted everyone to realize Lelouch's greatness, as he had. Instead, Lelouch wanted to shoulder the world's hatred and parade around as a tyrant cloaked in the blood of the innocent.
"Jeremiah Gottwald," Lelouch prompted.
Jeremiah squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to face his lord and stare him in the eye. He hated what it had all come to. But he knew his choice. He knew what he had to do, as Lelouch's knight. No matter what it brought them to, or what the path led them to, he'd promised his loyalty.
"I will, Your Majesty," Jeremiah whispered, his voice ragged and hoarse, and his throat felt sore, as though it had betrayed him. He regretted his answer the moment he said it, but he knew there was no going back.
Not with Lelouch vi Britannia.
"Good," Lelouch said, and he sounded satisfied. Jeremiah would never be satisfied, not with how his loyalty had turned out. "You will serve."
"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, more because Lelouch needed people loyal to him, and more because he needed his own loyalty—he was nothing and no one without the loyalty his entire life was built upon, after all—than anything else. And though it shamed him to see what he was agreeing to, he knew that a life where he abandoned the loyalty he'd relied on all this time would drive him over the edge.
"Rise, my knight," Lelouch ordered. "We will show the world a new stage."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
"And our actions will give birth to a new peace."
Jeremiah had to wonder if Lelouch was only saying this because he needed to reassure himself, and not Jeremiah. "They will, Your Majesty."
Lelouch exhaled a breath so broken that Jeremiah despised the world for what it had done to Lelouch. And then he remembered that he was consenting to the new emperor's plan, his Zero Requiem, and he resented himself for it, too.
"The world will be destroyed in the process, but all things must come to ruin before they can be rebuilt, anew."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He had known from the second Lelouch vi Britannia had told him of his plans, weaving tales of insanity and deceit from a web of carnage, that he would grow to regret it. Still, he had promised to go along with the Zero Requiem, because knew that Lelouch would have gone through with it without him, if nothing else.
Even now, he wished for nothing more than to have been able to convince Lelouch to choose another path. But he hadn't been able to. And it was too late for him to disagree with it, anymore.
He stared at Milly Ashford and Rivalz Cardemonde, imagining their reactions if he deigned to step forward and clear them of Geass's stain. He imagined their guilt. He imagined their grief. He imagined the blue that would envelop them, as it had enveloped so many others before them.
"You will serve," his lord had ordered, in a voice that brooked no argument.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he had vowed.
He'd made his choice a long time ago.
"Let's continue watching, shall we?" Nunnally asked, and though her voice was quiet, no one missed the danger simmering beneath the surface. When they glanced up at her, all they saw was a smile that hid her anger, at the existence of Geass and its hand in erasing her from the memories of her friends, as her nails bit into her palm. Milly… Rivalz…
"As you know full well," the voice of Bartley Asprius began, "the project was a complete failure." The audience could all see a number of computers lining a table and straitjackets hanging from the wall as the view panned to show the area. "Therefore, this research division is being gutted." Bartley stood in front of a group of white-coated scientists, who all murmured at his words.
"Yes, but—" one of them protested.
Bartley cut him off, "I've set up a place in Narita for you. Move everything out there. While we may have no memory of it, the fact is the other staff officers and I left Prince Clovis alone. I'm going to be called out on the carpet for this, back at home," he muttered fearfully. "When that happens… if His Majesty learns this experiment's gone on without his knowledge… I—"
"Understood, sir. We'll start prepping immediately," another said.
Kallen turned pale with horror as she saw the number of 'gas canisters' and files in the division. She saw pictures of C.C. as the witch was experimented on; she saw the witch sitting on a chair with wires strewn all around her, and she turned around nauseously.
Bartley… C.C. hissed inwardly, recalling the experiments done on her. A picture of her in her past as she fled from a battlefield was displayed on the screen and she smiled joylessly.
"Miss Sayoko was just teaching me about the art of origami," Nunnaly recounted. "Fold a piece of paper the right way, and you can make birds, boats, almost anything!" She raised a spoon to her mouth as she talked excitedly to her older brother, who sat near her at their dining table. A trickle of soup dripped down her chin.
"Easy there," her brother said with a fond smile as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the soup away. "You don't have to tell me everything at once, you know. It's not like I'm going anywhere."
"Yeah, you're right," Nunnally said, smiling. "Thank you."
His own smile widened. "You're very welcome," he chuckled.
"How adorable," Rakshata cooed. "In the end, they were siblings, first and foremost. Before Zero, before the Viceroy of Area 11, they were just brothers and sisters."
Nunnally bit her lip, listening to Rakshata speak. Your perception is spot-on, Ms. Chawla. We were just siblings, she thought. I wish we could have stayed that way.
Suzaku frowned, acutely aware of the way Nunnally sat up straighter in her wheelchair, tense. I guess I never thought of it that way. When I found out that you were Zero, Lelouch, that's all I could focus on. I never thought of why you did it, and why it was necessary for you. I just concentrated on your mask.
She giggled. "I'm so happy. Because last night, you scared me a little."
His eyes widened. "Did I…?" He looked away, trailing off. "Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind, is all."
"Hey," Nunnally prodded, and he turned to look at her. She was holding the same paper crane Sayoko had given to her earlier. "They say, if you fold a thousand of these cranes, your wish will come true." She tilted her head. "So if there's anything at all that you've been wishing for…"
"No, not really," he laughed. "What about you?" he asked earnestly.
She hummed thoughtfully, considering his question. "I wish the world was a gentler place," she answered.
"When the day finally comes that you can see again, I'm sure that it will be," he vowed.
"Really?"
"I promise." The truth is, there are very few paths our future can take. The Ashford family's sheltering us, for now, but how long can that last? If our identity is exposed, even Rivalz, Shirley, and the others, will abandon us. We'll end up political tools, or a casualty of royal ambition. I have to build a world where Nunnally can at least find happiness.
Nunnally turned away, her teeth gritted. I wanted us to be happy, she thought, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she tried to smile and blink back tears. But it seems that all I was, was a burden to you. You tried so hard… and at the end, I betrayed you. She scowled. I never cared about the secret of our identity. If it meant living together with you, no matter the dangers, I would have done anything.
"Political tools," Kaguya murmured to herself. Next to her, shaking, Tianzi jerked and turned to listen. Kaguya shook her head and bit her lip. "That much, I can understand." You really did just want the best for Nunnally, didn't you? You were so worried for her that you suspected that your own friends would turn against you… You chained Nunnally up in the end, despite your original intentions—but with everything that we've already seen, was that an illusion you crafted, too? Because how else can it be explained? You wanted her happy. You wanted revenge for your mother's death. Why would you betray Zero, your own creation, and claim Britannia?
"But regardless of that, they were his friends, weren't they?" Tianzi whimpered. "They were his friends..."
Kaguya frowned. Maybe he had every right to distrust them. I declared myself his wife, and yet I betrayed him, too. She ran her hand through her hair roughly, her eyes drinking in the solemn glare on Lelouch's face. So much that we believed in—that we hated you for—was a lie. We saw that you didn't use your Geass on Kallen to twist her loyalty, despite our suspicions. Does that mean that choosing to join you ultimately my decision, too? Did you really... not Geass me, as I believed?
"Lelouch…" Nina murmured, oblivious to the way some members of the audience turned to stare at her for the familiar way she referred to him as, despite his continued status as the feared Demon Emperor even in death. Even if it ended up with you killing Princess Euphemia, you started out with the best of intentions. All you wanted was a peaceful world for your sister; one where she would never be judged. It's a goal I admire. And I'm glad I had the chance to work with you, and see you as you were when you dropped your facade as the 'Demon Emperor' outside of the public eye. I may never forgive Zero for killing the daughter of his enemy, but... perhaps I'll be able to forgive you, Lelouch, for killing a sister you loved.
"Was he that afraid about it all?" Rivalz wondered. He frowned, upset. "Even when we were friends, he thought we'd betray him if we found out about the truth."
"I guess he was never satisfied with the way things were," Milly whispered. "I don't remember knowing that he was a prince from the beginning, but if he said my family sheltered him, then I suppose that was taken away from me, too."
"Was he wrong?" Nina asked Rivalz as she pointedly ignored Milly's words and the sting that came with them. "We did abandon him. Even if he became the 'Demon Emperor', we should have tried harder. We were supposed to be his friends, after all."
Rivalz jaw dropped. He wanted to argue, to prove her wrong, but he had nothing to say. "Not at first," he finally whispered. "I... I was confused. I tried to get through to him." I wanted answers. But you're right. We stopped trying. Eventually, we believed the media and saw him as a monster. And that's basically the same thing.
He was drawn out of his thoughts when Nunnally gently eased open his open and linked his pinkie finger with hers. "Sayoko taught me the other day," she explained. "It's called a Japanese promise."
She shook their hands as she sang, "Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I lie. Pinkie promise song!"
He stared at her, puzzled, for a few more seconds before he grinned. "Well, that's scary. I might have to eat a thousand needles, someday!"
"That's right," she said triumphantly. "So I better not catch you telling lies, okay?"
"Don't you worry. I'll never lie, I swear." His gaze darkened. Not to you, anyway.
"Huh, I guess there was a point where he was still innocent," Chiba said. "Or as innocent as the Demon Emperor can be, anyway. At the very least, it shows he cared. About one person."
"I remember them as children," Todoh said. "He was always protective of her, even from the start. He doted on her. Loved her more than anything."
"Then how do you explain the fact that he chained her up and threw her in with his other prisoners?" Chiba challenged, crossing her arms defiantly.
But no one, not even her, could deny the truth that they saw, at this point. They all glanced at Empress Nunnally, and found her staring at the screen, wide-eyed and distressed. None of them could blame her.
I told him that he was a demon, she thought, covering her mouth with her hand in shame and regret. She wiped away her tears. I told him I hated him. And now I see that he did everything for me... while I turned my back on him, the first chance I got.
This is the only weapon I have, Lelouch thought as he stared at the Geass in his eyes through his reflection in the rippling water. And I don't even know how to use it.
"Lelouch!" one of his teachers called out, walking by. "Class will be starting any minute, you know.
"Oh, yes, sir!" He saw the chance pass by him and demanded, his Geass flaring, "Um, sir? What are the topics going to be for the essays on your next exam?"
"The Humiliation of Edinburgh, the transfer of the capital, and north and south war topics," the teacher answered dispassionately, eyes red-rimmed as he paused in front of Lelouch.
So… I haven't lost the power, then.
The teacher regained consciousness.
"Sir?" Lelouch asked politely, feeling his Geass come to life again. "What exactly are the topics going to be for the essays on your next exam?"
This time, the teacher tossed Lelouch an irritated glance as he walked on. "Right, very funny," he said sarcastically. "Maybe you should try studying, huh? Just apply yourself; you'll do fine!"
"Yes, sir!" he called out after him. As I suspected. I can only use it on a person once.
So that's how he figured out the limitation of one use per person, Sayoko thought admiringly.
Meanwhile, Kallen was in the middle of calling Ohgi. "So, how's campus life treating you?" Ohgi asked.
"Stifling," Kallen answered. "I was stuck in history class, yesterday. Look, maybe I should just head back."
"The army's on a high alert right now," Ohgi replied into the phone. "Stay there. Let things cool off."
"But—what about the voice on the radio?" she argued.
"We can't go looking for a voice," Ohgi said. He looked backwards at a picture he had framed, one of three teenagers; two with red hair, and one with black. "Besides, Naoto would be happy to see you back in school."
"So, that's your brother, Kallen?" Nunnally asked gently. She smiled a little, remembering her own brother. "You two look just like each other," she said, laughing shakily. I looked nothing like Lelouch. I have nothing to remember him by. Not even the purple of his eyes. And I can't even mourn him without being judged. Maybe this will change that.
Kallen looked back at the empress, nodding shortly. "We did look alike," she reminisced. "He always wanted me to go to school. He said it was a chance most people with Japanese blood would never get again, and that I was lucky to have that opportunity. He was... protective. All the time." She glanced around herself, almost warily, and then her smile twisted and she said, tentatively, "Actually, he's a bit like Lelouch."
Most of the people sitting around her jolted, startled at her mention of the Demon Emperor. Ohgi, who had smiled painfully when she first started talking about her brother, stared at her disappointedly, and Villetta turned away with a snarl, clutching her skirt as she stiffened. Cornelia glowered, and Chiba hissed out something that sounded a little like you must be blind.
Kallen flinched and bit her lip, but she kept her eyes fixated on Nunnally, as if she'd expected the response. Nunnally, after a moment, nodded jerkily and agreed, "Yes. My brother was always too protective."
Kallen smiled again, more sadly this time, and she turned back around to watch the screen.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Nunnally offered. "He sounds like a great man; I wish I could have met him."
I'm sorry for your loss, too, Kallen thought, recalling the vision of Nunnally weeping over the bleeding body of her brother, but she didn't dare say it aloud, well aware of her fellow audience members. "He was," she said instead. Like your brother, he believed in peace. He didn't want to fight a senseless war to revive the old Japan—he, like Lelouch, wanted a new Japan.
Kallen harrumphed.
"Forget about Shinjuku, for now," he advised. "I'll be in touch."
Shinjuku… she thought. I guess he's right, but—
She gasped as an image of the student with purple eyes reappeared in her mind. "Don't tell anyone about Shinjuku," he'd said. No… it couldn't have been his voice, she denied.
Later on, in class, Kallen watched Lelouch through a mirror in her pencil case as he recited a passage of text aloud, standing. It… could be… no. I can't remember well enough to be sure.
"Good," the teacher said when he paused. "That will do."
He sat down, and his eyes darted to find her mirror as the teacher began to lecture. She shut the pencil case.
His jaw set. All I did was simply mention Shinjuku, but…
If he knows who I really am, then… Kallen thought.
He kept his gaze focused on the front. At the first opportunity…
Kallen stared at him out of the corner of her eye. I need to take care of him, she decided, blue eyes steely with resolve.
"The coincidence is almost creepy," Gino remarked through his snickering. He watched in amusement as their thoughts seemed to coincide with each other.
"Oh, shut up, Gino," Kallen groaned. "You're embarrassing yourself."
"No, seriously," he protested. "It's like you guys were thinking along the same line of thought!" Like some kind of movie, he finished silently, but he knew Kallen would react unkindly if he voiced his thought. Because though it was played like a movie, it wasn't. It was their lives—Lelouch's.
A group of Sutherlands were escorting a heavily plated, tank-like vehicle down the street. Inside, Bartley sat beside white, marble coffin—Prince Clovis's. "And the research center?" he asked into the radio.
"Transferred tonight, our last night," came the prompt answer.
"All right, then," he answered tiredly, head bowed and resting in his hands. "I pray you forgive me, Your Highness."
"I always thought it was strange that Bartley, of all people, betrayed Prince Clovis," Villetta murmured to Ohgi. "He was loyal to a fault—always has been. Some of us soldiers thought of him as a fanatic. But it wasn't a concern, because his devotion to the prince was always established. So when word got out that Prince Clovis was shot, left alone in the con by General Bartley and the others—I don't think I ever really believed it. It was too unlike him."
"That's what Geass does," Ohgi scoffed. Even if they had evidence that Lelouch hadn't Geassed their ace, his opinion on it hadn't changed. "It forces you to do things you'd normally never do."
Back in Ashford, the bell rung for lunch. A group of girls surrounded Kallen, inviting her out for tea.
Shirley approached Lelouch. "Hey, Lulu," she started cheerily. "You coming along?"
"Sorry, maybe some other time," he said, and before she could say anything else, he walked off, bag in hand.
Kallen was in the middle of a conversation with the other four girls when Lelouch walked up to them. "You think that you could spare a minute?" he asked Kallen. "I need to talk to you."
Shirley's mouth fell open and she gasped, exclaiming in shock, "Huh?"
The girls surrounding Kallen similarly mumbled, but Kallen only pushed herself off her seat and said indifferently, "Sure. I was wondering when you were gonna ask."
Shirley and the other students yelped in shock and squealed louder at her wording.
Seeing it happen all over again, Kallen winced. They were entirely too bothersome, she snorted. And Shirley always had the most outrageous suspicions… she trailed off, thinking of her dead friend. She'd never understood the circumstance surrounding Shirley's death. She would have never committed suicide. She's probably one of the people least likely to.
Shirley… Milly thought, blinking back tears. You were always so innocent. When you and Lelouch started pretending that you were strangers, I didn't know what to think... and then you died. They said it was suicide, but I can't believe that. I won't. I hope Lelouch knew you loved him, before... before everything.
Out in the streets, the Sutherlands were fighting. One of the Knightmares was shot in its face and it crashed to the ground. "I hope you can see how determined we are, now!" Jeremiah shouted at Bartley from the cockpit of his Sutherland. He controlled the Knightmare to rip apart the roof of Bartley's transport.
"What!?" Bartley shouted, shocked. "I've already told you!"
"That you don't remember?" Jeremiah asked angrily. "You still cling to that ridiculous excuse?" His pilot's seat slid out of the Knightmare, and he glared at the general.
Bartley spluttered. "Just ask the others! They'll testify that—"
"Ducking the blame?" Jeremiah sneered. "You're pathetic! You shan't remain at His Royal Highness's side another minute!"
"Funny how things work out, huh?" Guilford said with a cruel laugh. He directed a smirk at Jeremiah. "You say that to him now, but you chose that very same excuse to fall back on, yourself! But you have nowhere to escape, now. We'll find out what you're hiding from us. We'll all see."
Jeremiah sighed and looked away, rolling his eyes. "Yes," he said offhandedly. "You will find out." Are you such a fool that you refuse to realize what should be obvious, by now? Not that it matters, he reminded himself. It may have started out because of Geass, but I am with my lord of my own accord, now.
"I didn't even know that this room existed," Kallen commented.
"It's the clubhouse for the Student Council," Lelouch explained. "They built it as a ballroom for various special occasions."
"And we won't be disturbed inside here?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Just then, as if in direct contradiction to his reassurance, the familiar voice of Shirley shouted, "Here it is! I found it!" She was holding up a data chip. "Look! This is it, right?"
Nina approached her. "What a relief, you found our lab data."
"Good, my ass is killing me," Rivalz complained.
"Were you able to find it?" Milly asked as she walked, rolling in a tray with a spread of assorted dishes. "I finished up on my end! Should we dig in?"
"Oh, wow!" Rivalz awed, leaning over the railing.
"Way to go, Milly," Shirley cheered.
"You adore me, I know," Milly grinned, setting out the plates.
"Um, what is all of this?" Lelouch asked.
Milly looked at him in surprise. "Lelouch, don't you know? I thought that's why you brought her. We're inducting Kallen into the Student Council." Kallen muttered in confusion. "It was my grandfather's idea, actually."
"The principal's?" Lelouch said.
"He thought it best. With her poor health, she'd have a hard time with regular club activities," Milly explained. "Oh, I'm Milly, the president of the council. A pleasure to meet you."
Despite still looking confused, Kallen bowed. "Oh, thank you. The pleasure's all mine."
The other three ran down the stairs to meet them. "I'm Rivalz, the secretary. If there's anything you need help with, I'm your man!" he introduced, gesturing at himself.
"Hi, I'm Shirley, and I'm a member of the swim club!" she said excitedly. "Welcome!"
"Um, hi there, my name's Nina," the mousy girl said shyly.
"It's… nice to meet all of you."
Nunnally wheeled herself into the room, carrying two boxes and a plate of desserts on her lap. "Shirley, I'm sorry, but do you think you could set this on the table for me?"
Milly's fist slammed onto the armrest of her seat. "The Geass is this powerful?" she asked, the name feeling foreign and unfamiliar on her tongue. "It can… 'rewrite' our memories to this extent? I remember this happening… but it was never with Nu—the empress."
"Shirley, do you think you could lend a hand and help me set this out?" Rolo asked bashfully. He noticed his brother standing amongst the group and smiled pleasantly. "Oh, hi, Lelouch."
"Sure, thanks, Rolo," Shirley said with a laugh.
"This is Lelouch's brother," she introduced to Kallen.
Milly gritted her teeth and twisted the velvety fabric of the chair beneath her fingers. It's so hard to believe that all of my memories are lies, she thought. I remember saying that to her! I remember those words leaving my mouth as if it was yesterday. How could something like Geass be real?
"Oh, sure, thanks, Nana!" Shirley said, running to help her.
"Nunnally," Lelouch exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Kallen watched curiously.
"This is Lelouch's sister," Milly said, as if sensing her questions.
"I'm still in the middle school group, so I can't be on the council yet."
"That's all right, you're an honorary member in our book!" Rivalz said, walking toward her.
"Hello, there," Nunnally greeted, nodding in her direction despite her blindness. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kallen."
"Thank you, you as well," Kallen returned warmly, smiling sincerely.
Back then, it surprised me to see a Britannian who was suffering, Kallen remembered. I never thought that anyone who was full-blooded Britannian could ever feel our pain. But then I saw Nunnally, who was both blinded and paralyzed. It was odd. I thought, how?
She watched wistfully as the scene played out with Rivalz bringing in a bottle of champagne. She remembered this, too. And though she'd been annoyed when it happened, she broke out laughing when she saw the liquor soaking her. Happier times, she thought, before we were all separated; before Shirley died, and Milly graduated, and things became so bad and the battle between Britannia and the Black Knights took up more and more of my time. Things used to be so easy.
The screen showed the view inside a restroom, panning up to reveal the figure of a woman showering, covered only by a curtain.
Kallen's expression faltered. Her lips pulled into a furious scowl. "WHAT?" she screamed indignantly, jumping to her feet. "Why is it showing this!?"
"K-Kallen…" Ohgi started.
"Oh, I don't think so," Tamaki muttered, groaning and dropping his head into his hands. Kallen was Naoto's sister. He'd known her since the beginning, since before days of war. There was no way he would take advantage of this opportunity.
"Shut up!" she shot out, turning away in embarrassment. "And close your eyes," she added as an afterthought. She sought out Gino and glared at him. She snarled, "That means you, too!"
She screeched when she saw her bare legs, and then her back as the 'camera' moved and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh, hell no!" she roared, glaring at Gino and Rivalz until they dutifully obeyed and looked away.
This is why I hate Britannians… Kallen thought as she showered. She heard a knock on the door and swiveled around, opening the curtain slightly.
"It's Lelouch," came the answer from the other side. "I brought you a change of clothes."
"You can come in," she allowed. "I've drawn the curtain already."
The door opened and he walked in. His eyes widened when he saw her figure, even through the curtain, and he looked away in embarrassment. "Uh… Sorry about this," he said, eyes pointedly averted. "I know they can be a little over the top."
At least he looked away, she reasoned to herself, flustered—she hadn't really expected him to not look away, because she remembered him as a gentleman, but she was glad for the reassurance. I still can't believe it's showing this, she complained inwardly.
"That's okay," she said. "Nothing wrong with cutting loose every once in a while, you know?"
"These are some of my clothes," he said as he laid them down in the basket. "Hope that's okay."
"It's cool, don't worry about it. That was fast. You went all the way to the boy's dorm?"
"Of course not," Milly giggled. Despite the insanity and despair swarming in her eyes, she seemed to remember herself and, though she remained sitting, she drew herself up taller and grinned, putting on a composed face. "Even though my memory seems to be failing me most of the time—God, I didn't think this would be happening until at least a decade—I do remember that he was never the athletic type." She waggled her eyebrows and smirked jokingly.
Kallen smiled back at Milly, her chest tightening painfully. I never thought of your cheer as anything but real, but I guess some of it must be forced. In that sense, you're stronger than anyone I know, Milly. The way you can act fine when you're not, the way you can gather yourself and pretend to be above it all—it's admirable, really. She pushed away the thoughts and agreed, "Yes, that's true. He left that to Suzaku." She didn't miss the way Zero faltered slightly, his masked head turning subtly toward them as he caught the tail-end of their conversation.
"Actually, I live here," Lelouch said. "It'd be pretty hard for my sister to live off in the dorms. The principal of the school lets us stay here as a favor."
"I see."
"Anyway," he said, and her head snapped up and she stared at the curtain, almost alarmed.
"Hey, wait!" she called out. She slipped out a hand through the curtain. "Can you hand me that pouch over there?"
"Sure," he agreed, grabbing the pink pouch and walking to her. He turned his face to the other side so he wouldn't see her and held out the pouch.
Her hand grabbed his wrist, and the pouch fell from his grasp and onto the floor.
"My, my, Kallen," Milly cooed, and Kallen gaped at her. "Who knew?" This is probably in relation to the whole Shinjuku thing and your suspicion of him as the "voice", but as me, I cannot simply let this opportunity go by!
She opened her mouth to protest, but found herself unable to conjure up the words and she closed her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief.
He hissed and turned to glance at her reflexively, eyes widening. Finally, he smirked. "You really are a live wire, aren't you?"
"Were you the one in Shinjuku?" she demanded, refusing to respond to his jibe.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Don't play dumb!" she hissed scornfully, and his eyes narrowed. "You brought up Shinjuku the other day. Why?"
"Why do you ask?" he countered. "Is there something wrong with Shinjuku?"
"Don't answer my question with another question! 'Yes' or 'no'—that's all I wanna hear out of you." Slowly, she bent down and grabbed her pouch, and she lifted it to his wrist, revealing the blade of a knife.
"I did not expect that," Gino commented, eyebrows hiked up on his forehead. "This is beginning to look more and more like a ninja show!"
"Sometimes, I have no idea how your mind works, Gino," Kallen said in a quiet voice, laced with venom.
Gino winced. Maybe not, but who doesn't want to pretend that things are better than they actually are in a situation like this?
The blade glinted. The tension, however, snapped when the phone on the wall began to ring. She gritted her teeth in frustration.
"If I don't answer it, someone will come," Lelouch said, moving slightly so he could reach the phone. "Is that okay?"
He picked it up and returned to his previous position. "Hello? Ashford Academy Student Council," he said into the receiver with practiced ease. He grunted. "No…" The knife neared his wrist. "This is…"
"It's for you," Lelouch explained. He offered the phone to her. "He says he knows you."
She stared at it distrustfully, but she lowered the knife regardless and cautiously reached for the phone. She stared at it warily for a moment before she placed it against her ear and asked, "Hello?"
"Glad you're still alive, Q1."
"Eh?" Rivalz wondered, unable to stop himself. "A recording, then?" he guessed, eyes still pointed away from the screen. "Seems like something he'd do." You were always too smart for your own good, he thought to himself, smiling wryly. If only you were smart enough to escape your own execution, huh, Lelouch?
"Huh," Kallen said, dumbfounded. "Yeah, I guess so." I never thought of that. I suppose there is a reason you were Lelouch's closest friend, aside from perhaps Suzaku… until he betrayed Lelouch.
Her reaction was instantaneous. She gasped and her eyes darted to glance back at Lelouch, enlarging when she saw that he was still there, mouth unmoving. Was I wrong…?
"1600 hours, the day after tomorrow. The observation deck at Tokyo Tower. Come alone."
Her heartbeat thundered loudly. "Who are you!?" she yelled into the phone, voice raising despite herself. "How did you arrange that ceasefire order?"
There was no answer. She glowered and yanked on the phone in outrage, unaware that she was pulling the curtain as well. "Hey! Don't hang up!"
"So that's how the 'voice' contacted you," Ohgi said. "When you told us he managed to reach you in school—that he called you through a school phone, even—it sounded impossible. Because how would he have known where to call you on which phone, and when? But since Lelouch was there, I guess it makes more sense. If there is one thing I have to admit to, it is his genius. He may be an evil one, but he was a genius."
"Yes," Kallen answered quietly. "Shirley may argue that he never applies himself, and while that may be true in regards to school, he did apply himself as Zero. He was always smart."
"That's Lelouch," Rivalz said proudly. "Smarter than he ever let on. I saw it whenever he played chess. It was like watching something far beyond me at work. I didn't understand what he was doing, of course, but he always won."
"Not always."
They all startled. Between themselves, they exchanged wary, confused glances before finally, Kallen spoke up, "What do you mean, Your Highness?" None of them had expected Cornelia to join in and add to their conversation.
Cornelia smiled bitterly. "He was never able to beat Schneizel. He could defeat all the rest of us, but not Schneizel. The last game they played, he lost after two hours. It was the first time I saw him scream after a match. Then his mother died, Nunnally was shot, and I never saw him again."
"That's not entirely true, Your Highness," Lloyd sang. He grinned gleefully. "After all, he did win against Schneizel in their very last battle, didn't he?"
"What are you talking about?" Cornelia asked indignantly.
Lloyd smiled mysteriously. "The battle of Damocles."
Her eyes widened and she stood from her seat, reacting on reflex, but by then Nunnally had grown both tired and afraid of their conversation—afraid of what else Lloyd would bring up—and she'd pressed 'play' again.
"Did you say 'ceasefire'?" Lelouch asked, breaking her haze of anger. "Sounds like you keep dangerous company."
"Oh… um…" she trailed off, trying to make up an excuse as her voice instinctively returned to its sickly feign. "That was…"
"Let me guess," he interjected. "You're talking about a game? Something online?"
"Oh," she blinked and smiled in relief. "Yeah, you got me. 'Cause, you know, I've been shut up in my house so long…" Her hand released his.
"That's what I was warning you about when I told you not to bring up Shinjuku," he said, rubbing his wrist halfheartedly. "Seriously, some guys will try to share you footage of what happened that day, and it's pretty damn grim. By the way… you know I can see you, right?"
She sputtered in realization, glancing between them and at the curtain that no longer separated them. She shrieked and ducked, covering herself.
Milly choked with obnoxious laughter. "Is this the beginning of your love story?" she teased, but a part of her mind strayed from the conversation at hand and returned to the earnest, trusting eyes of her old friend. Shirley...
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kallen denied, knuckles digging into her thighs as she kept her expression as neutral as she could, despite the pink of her cheeks.
"I won't tell anyone," he reassured as he walked out. "See you later."
"I was wrong," she whispered to herself.
"Glad to see you're alive, Q1." Sayoko played back the recording, her eyes rimmed with the familiar red of Geass. She blinked and looked around herself in confusion when it faded from her eyes.
"So that's what he ordered me to do," she mused, nodding to herself. She had always been right to choose Lelouch. From day one, when he'd glared at her and held Nunnally's hand tightly—protectively—she'd known. "I gave my loyalty to him willingly, too," she said, more for the satisfaction of saying it aloud to those like Ohgi and Villetta and Chiba than for anything else.
Jeremiah gripped her arm tightly, and together they watched as Lelouch and Kallen walked through the hallways, conversing normally as high school students would. "He should have gotten more time as a student," he remarked.
"And to think students hate schools," Sayoko teased.
Some of the others, such as Cornelia and Chiba, balked at hearing mention of some of Milly's more outrageous parties, but Sayoko didn't even bat an eye, more than used to it. Lloyd, listening to Lelouch list off the names, smiled at her. "'Crossdressers' Ball'? How brilliant!" he commented cheerfully. "Your creative mind would have made for a great wife," he said playfully, and Milly rolled her eyes at him.
"Hey!" Rivalz snarked. "Watch it!" He glared at Lloyd.
Milly squirmed in her seat and nudged Rivalz sharply, hissing at him to be quiet.
"Lelouch, it's awful!" Nunnally exclaimed when they returned.
"Prince Clovis has been found dead," Milly said.
"They're saying he was killed!" Rivalz explained.
Both Lelouch's and Kallen's eyes widened, but for different reasons. They watched TV screen warily and listened as Jeremiah rambled on, reciting his speech for the dead prince.
Jeremiah, listening to himself, snorted. "'He fought for peace and justice,'" he repeated the words of himself onscreen and laughed in disbelief. "I said, to the world, that 'he died a martyr'! God, I used to believe that."
"Well, we both know who did actually fight for peace and justice, and who did die a martyr—though he was an unsung martyr," Sayoko said beside him.
He nodded. "The original 'Knight of Justice' himself," he said with a small smile. "The man whose name was traded around as if it was a crime to say it."
Sayoko shook her head and sighed.
"We interrupt this program with breaking news! The man suspected as the murderer has been captured!"
The members of the Student Council, including Nunnally and the newly inducted Kallen, all reacted to this with shock.
"According to this report," the newscaster continued, "the suspect is an Honorary Britannian."
A recording was pulled up, showing a man with curly, brown hair and emerald eyes dressed in a straitjacket.
Lelouch faltered. "What the?"
"Private Suzaku Kururugi. A former Eleven and Honorary Britannian."
Lelouch stared on in wide-eyed horror as he watched his childhood friend dragged by a pair of helmeted soldiers.
"The look on his face," Cornelia said softly as the screen blacked out. "He was angry. I recognize that look. It's real. He never intended for that to happen… this is proof that he felt—or he used to, anyway."
Suzaku turned away uncomfortably. Is Cornelia right, Lelouch? Did you really care, even though you told me that you rescued me only to make your debut as Zero? But, even to him, it was undeniable. The expression on Lelouch's face wasn't just anger—it was fear.
A/N: I apologize for OOC-ness and everything (and also, I have no idea what I was thinking about writing Jeremiah's flashback scene at the beginning of Part 2, but since there isn't actually a scene showing that... and, well, it's always interested me so) but, anyway, hope you guys enjoy. Feel free to review or PM me if you have any questions or comments or anything.
