"So you were defeated, and quite thoroughly I might add." A rumbling voice from the doorway caught Cornelia's attention. Her face twisted in irritation, or at least as far as the bandages and swelling would allow.
"Brother Noah, What reason brings the shining knight of Britannia to my area?" her tone was harsh and glare respectable considering her condition.
"I came to attend my sister's funeral, but it seems that is no longer necessary."
"My funeral?!" Her shout echoed along the hospital halls met only by silence. Wincing she fell back onto the bed casting a glare that would make any man shiver but the one before her. "Do you have so little confidence in my abilities?"
"On the contrary dear sister it was not that I doubted your abilities, I just believed Zero's to be superior to your own." He cut of her retort with a lopsided smile " And it seems that my estimate was correct. Well things could have been far worse."
"Worse? How could things be worse?! Zero has turned me into walking symbol of his strength just like he planed!"
"Things could be worse." His fingers gently traced the intricate design that ran the length of the mask that covered the left side of his face. " You could have ended up dead, or worse with a face like mine." The lopsided smile still on his face he finished tracing the thin scar that shot out from under the mask across the bridge of his nose ending at his jaw. "Besides what makes you think Zero planed this? What makes you believe that it wasn't just a whim on his part?"
"He told me so." Leaning back into the bed she brought her hand to her face. The sensation of his hand still lingered. She had never felt more helpless than at that moment. "That bastard told me I was going to carry his message with every step that I take."
"What was his message?" Noah's voice was far softer than it had been. It was clear to him he was treading upon a sensitive subject. She couldn't help but allow her lips to twitch into a small smile; Noah had not earned the name Shining knight for nothing.
" I have no need to kill you for you are already dead to the world. Whenever some one sees you they shall see me, and they shall know there exists one who can defeat Britannia." She paused; his next words were what wounded her pride the most for they were true. . "You shall be the herald of my strength, every step you take shall be forever in my shadow. Your strength exists only to glorify my own. The era of the invincible empire has come to an end princess, and it is you who brought it to an end."
"My what a complex message! How did you remember such a longwinded speech?!" Laughter lived in Noah's words holding her sorrow at bay.
"He was a lot like father." Noah's laughter left him, comparing anyone to father was a serious matter and mentioning that was all it took to have his undivided attention. From the look in his eye it was possible the rest of the world had ceased to exist for him.
"How was this fool anything like the Emperor?" His eye was harder then steel and his voice echoed with hidden rage.
"He has fathers pride, he openly mocks his enemies as he crushes them with overwhelming strength. From his tactics he rivals father in intelligence as well, I fear he may even be a match for brother schniezle. Yet the way he is most like father is his presence. I was afraid of him before he even spoke; all he had to do was stand there to make me feel fear."
"I see" Balancing on the back legs of his chair Noah stared at the ceiling, searching for the answers to his questions. "This makes him a far more dangerous opponent then I thought."
"How so? "
"If what you say is true then zero controls something far more dangerous then the flow of battlefield, He controls the morale of all who stand upon it."
"Morale is a powerful force I'll admit that, but to say it is more important then the flow of battle if foolish. More importantly to say zero controls the morale is giving him far more power then he truly has."
"Never underestimate morale sister, even you have seen its effects on the battlefield first hand. But it has always been you who has controlled it, striking fear into the hearts of the enemy or steeling the resolve of your own forces. But in any future engagements Zero shall hold that power. You shall be the herald of my strength arrogant as his is, he is not wrong. Your men will be afraid just as you were and those that follow him know he has already beaten you."
"What you say is irritatingly true brother so can we shift this conversation to something else?" He consented with a reassuring smile.
"Of course sister, as you wish." Hiding her smile she watched him twist his face in mock thought, massaging his temple with his off hand as he often did when playing the fool for Lelouch and Nunnally so long ago. "I see this still makes you smile after all these years."
"What makes me smile Noah is someone as smart as you pretending to think so hard; but since you you mention it, it has been a few years since we last met face to face."
"It's been two years since we last met, three years since I've seen Euphy. Now I have one very important question after all this time." He paused long enough for her to raise an eyebrow before leaping to his feet and striking a pose. "How do I look?" Cornelia smiled inside, it was an old game with them. Noah was in his own way trying to remind her words can strike an enemy just as well as a sword.
Cornelia looked at him carefully searching for an opening. In war of words Noah had always held an advantage and since he was giving her an opening this time she would have to land her strike carefully.
Casting an appraising eye his direction she examined him for weak points. In the years they had been apart he had changed little if at all. He still carried him self with pride. His body just as fit as it had been before. His raven hair still hung past his shoulders in that unkempt way it always had. The uniform was the same as always, cut in the style of the rounds which he once aspired to join prior to the imperial family taking him in as one of their own. There was only one opening which she could exploit, she just had to maneuver him the right way.
"You look the same brother."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Before she could land her strike on his ego Noah was tackled by a flash of pink that knocked the wind from him.
"Noah nii-sama!" Shocked Noah stared at the mass of pink hanging from his neck. It took hims a full 3 seconds to process what had happened and identify who the mass of pink was. With a laugh he lifted the princess into a crushing bear hug that left her feet dangling a foot above the floor.
"Euphy! Its been far to long!" Dropping the girl back to the ground he stepped back to give the girl a appraising look. "You're growing into a beautiful young woman. It brings great joy to my heart to see you doing so well." Euphemia looked up at the man with a thoughtful expression that would melt anyones heart.
"Your hair still looks like a wet dog" Staggering backwards Noah clutched at his chest as if he had been shot. The chair groaned as his weight came crashing down shoulders sagging as he sulked.
"Euphy! How can you be so cruel?!" Laughing she hugged him from behind. Finally looking around the room she noticed something.
"Huh? Onee-sama wheres Guilford? I thought he would be here."
"He was" She smiled at the thought. He had walked in wearing his uniform over his bandages insisting he was fine and that the doctors had already cleared him for active duty. "I had the nurses drag him back to his own room shortly before you two arrived, and since Euphy brought up the matter of Knights when did you choose one Noah?" Glancing at the soldier that stood at the doorway.
"Knight?" Turning to follow her gaze Noah's eyes rested on the soldier "Oh Curtis! He's not my knight. Considering what happened to you my men felt I should no go anywhere without an escort. Since then they have taken it upon themselves to organize a security watch on their own time." With a grim smile he added something unexpected. "But since your defeat I'll admit I considered taking a knight my self."
"Eh?! Nii-sama considered taking a knight? Is Zero really that dangerous?" Noah and Cornelia could only offer her worried stares.
"Euphy, Noah is right to worry, and since we are on the topic its about time you should choose a knight as well."
"Ah yes! That is one of the reasons I came here today. Curtis! Bring me that folder!" Shouting to the soldier in the hallway before passing it to Cornelia. "This folder contains a list of soldiers I considered taking as a knight, but I would feel better if one of these were tasked to protect Euphy instead."
"If they were good enough for you they should be fine to protect Euphy. Wait.. there nothing but combat records and performance scores here, why is there no information about who they are?"
"These are not all nobles, some are commoners. I believe that in this situation the abilities are far more important then breeding."
"Very well, when it comes to protecting Euphy from Zero I'll yield this point." Flipping through the files she stopped when one caught her eye. "This one, His abilities far exceed the others and his battle record is impressive. Knightmare abilities seem acceptable as well. Euphy any of these would be acceptable but this one shall make the best knight, but the choice is still yours."
"Number 7? I wonder what he is like?"
"Euphy I have a more detailed file if you would like to read it to help your decision."
"Could I meet him first before I make my decision?" The question made him smile.
"Of course Euphy, If he is to be your knight you should at least like the man. By the way that was the one I was considering" Standing Noah offered his arm. "Lets go arrange a meeting shall we?" Hesitating Euphemia looked to her sister for permission.
"Go Euphy, this is an important matter. Noah make sure he is acceptable for the post." With that said Cornelia leaned back in her bed with a sigh and watched them walk away.
Lelouch froze at the door way to his office, his inner circle following at his heel. Inside his own base this was the last thing he could possibly expect.
"You've been busy boy" The soft voice came from the green haired woman sitting behind his desk, the light from the computer monitor highlighting her features. Leaning back in his chair she rested her legs on the desk. "You know for some one with such a flair for the dramatic" spinning the monitor around to show the leaked footage from his week old battle with Cornelia "you are annoyingly difficult to find." Suddenly Lelouch felt the familiar sensation of Ohgi looking over his shoulder.
"Zero what is it? Why did you stop?"
"Ohgi this meeting will be postponed, it seems an important matter has come up that requires my attention." His remark only triggered a sarcastic remark from the rooms' occupant.
"Oh you're canceling a meeting for my sake, well I suppose that is to be expected since I am your promised person."
"Wait this chick is Zero's woman? I got to see this!" Tamaki's desperate lunge around the others was stopped short as Zero stepped into his path.
"She is not my woman"
"Well who is she then?" He had expected the comment to come from Tamaki or Charlotte, thank god she wasn't here, but not from Kallen.
"That is what I intend to find out." Without another word he stepped into the office and slammed the door in their faces. Refusing to yield to the woman he sat on the sofa that sat to one side of the office not the chair in front of the desk. The action had the intended result of forcing the woman to change her position to face him.
"Are you sure you want to claim such a petty victory boy?"
"A victory is a victory petty or not. Now to..."
"Are you sure it's your victory?" The remark forced to raise a questioning eyebrow beneath his mask. Watching her spin the chair his direction he wondered how it had not been his victory no matter how minor it was. A moment later the answer was made apparent as she curled her legs against her chest and kept spinning. It was such a tiny act of defiance that was made all the more irritating when she did nothing more then stare at him with her golden eyes, the rest of her face hidden by her legs. "take off that mask, I already know your face"
"Very well." Yielding to her request he removed the mask placing it on the couch beside him. "As I was about to ask.."
"Do you like it?" Her interruption drew a small twitch of annoyance that did not go unnoticed. "The power I gave you."
"So it was you that gave it to me. In that case I am in your debt, it has sped up my timetable significantly."
"Sped up? How so? Because from what I have seen of your actions thus far you haven't used much at all in your current actions." A dark laugh filled the room drawing a questioning look from the woman, the first new expression since the conversation had begun.
"I have little need to use it in combat, I'm not foolish enough to put my self in a situation that I forced to use it. The troops I've assembled are of sufficient quality that they alone are what I need to achieve my goals."
"If you have so little use for it then why did you say it sped up timetable?"
"That's simple," Leaning forward he made sure he had the woman undivided attention before he continued. "Logistics, in the last few weeks I've made more progress building my army then I have in the previous seven years. The funding for the troops, the weapons we now wield, the Knightmares, even this very base were provided thanks to this geass you have provided me."
"Geass?"
"That's what you called it when we made our contract if I remember correctly."
"It is" She eyed him carefully as if to measure his abilities. "Are you sure you are acting wisely with your power, There are limitations."
" I am well aware of the limitations of my power, after Shinjuku I tested them extensively to astern its specifications. Despite it's flaws it is a very effective tool which you have given me."
"As I thought, you are an interesting man"
"I'll take you opinion under advisement but now for a more important topic. Who are you?"
"CC"
"Thats not what I meant and you know it. You should"
"Be dead?"
"That is a topic for an other time, but once again I'm forced to ask the question who are you?" The question seemed to serve no purpose beyond amusing the woman for she simply turned to look over her shoulder.
"I told you I'm CC" Her tone made it clear to him she would speak no further on the subject. That in it self was irritating, but the way she spoke to him was so condescending; as if she were lecturing a child infuriated him. He could have her dragged out back and shot, not that it would do any good, it would at least make him feel better.
"What are you going to do now? The army is after you." Searching the room he listened half-heartedly, most of his attention was focused on locating the source of familiar scent.
"Only a portion of it, and a small one at that. It was made even smaller because of your actions." Only some small part at the back of his mind heard her, much less understood them. The box she had just placed on his desk held his full attention.
"Please tell me you didn't have a pizza delivered here." Had he not been terrified about the possibility of losing his base he would have found the look she gave him attractive.
"How foolish do you think I am? Of course I didn't, I had it delivered to your home."
"My home!? What the hell were you doing there?"
"Your bed is quite comfortable, did you know that?" Meeting his eyes she licked a dash of pizza sauce from her finger in a way that could only be described as seductive. His face burned as lewd thoughts filled his head which appeared to be exactly what she was waiting for. "Oh my, what sort of dirty thoughts are you thinking? After all you'll be sleeping on the floor."
"Why would I be sleeping on the floor?"
"It's common sense for a gentleman to give up the bed for a lady" She had look on her face like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Taking a deep breath he readied to launch into a tirade only to stopped as an empty pizza box struck him in the chest. Shocked he picked the box up and stared at it. Perhaps for the first time in his life he found himself unable to think, though thankfully she made sure it was short lived "another"
"Get your own! I am not your delivery boy!"
"Then send the stupid one" Anger forced him to his feet, one hand clenched the box and the other hovered over his sidearm. Yet all she did was stare at him with the same look of indifference she had before. Box in hand he stormed out of the room sliding the mask in place, best he leave the room before he did something he would regret. A few paces out the door he nearly plowed into Kallen.
"So who is she?" Staring at the worried red head next to him he struggled to find the appropriate words to describe the woman. Before he could find a satisfactory response CC stuck her head out the door.
"I want pepperoni this time"
Turning he stared at the woman who had just trigged a death grip on his sidearm. How dare she mock him in front of his troops. At the edge of his vision he saw Tamaki attempting to hide his smile and doing so poorly.
"Heh, sounds like Zero's woman got him whipped"
The rage boiled in his veins and just as he was about to lose control it happened, a moment of perfect clarity. The tension flowed away like water. The sudden change in posture caused Kallen to take a nervous step back, she had been around him long enough to realize what it meant; he had a plan. With an unseen smile his whipped the box into Tamaki's face.
"She is not my woman. She is an asset for an other operation I'm currently working on." Smiling he thought about the chaos he was about to create. "Her code is Witch, make sure you call her that since she will be in charge of you for the time being."
The look on Tamaki's face alone made it worth it and the best was yet to come. Walking away with Kallen at his side he quickened his pace when he heard Tamaki kick the door open.
"That was cruel Lelouch, no matter what she did she didn't deserve to have Tamaki sicked on her." Stopping he tilted his head to listen for what he knew was coming. Almost on cue Tamaki's voice echoed through the base.
"What the hell did you just say?!"
Finding themselves a suitable distance from the others he pulled the mask off to throw an evil smile to the redhead next to him. He noted the small smile on her own face before sitting down to look at the night sky.
"Trust me, those two deserve each other." Taking her own seat next to him Kallen gave him a questioning look.
"You know they are going to make you pay for this"
"Tamaki wouldn't dare, CC is an other matter. But that is something for an other time."
"CC?"
"That was the name she gave me. An obvious fake, but I feel she can be trusted"
"More then me?" Looking at her he carefully chose his words.
"Thus far I have told her nothing. Everything she knows about me and the order she figured out on her own, if you take it in that regard I trust you far more then her."
"Then whats this operation your planing? Does it even really exist?" Lelouch could see the expectation in her eyes as she leaned forward waiting for him to explain.
"I don't know what the operation is she has yet to give me the specifics."
"Why would she know but not you?"
" She agreed to help me and in return I would grant her wish. That is the deal we made."
"Why would you make a deal like that?"
"It doesn't really matter, I already agreed to her terms and the help she has given has been invaluable."
"Is that all you are going to say about her?"
"There is nothing more to say, this is only the second time I've met the woman. You know now all that I know." He could see she didn't believe him. Sighing he slipped the mask back in place. "Come on, we still have a meeting to get to, not mention school tomorrow." The comment drew a wince from the woman.
"Don't remind me" Then she looked at him with a expression he couldn't quite place. "What are you hiding? I know everything else, what could be worse then being a prince?" Thats when he did something he figured he would regret he gave her an answer.
"Kallen, pray that you never find out."
All right people I've got some questions for you
What do you think of Noah? At least considering what I have revealed about him so far, because I've yet to introduce his personal Knightmare or his sister. Now that I think about it I haven't touched his back story yet, some of that will come in the next chapter along with his Knightmare.
How's the quality this time? Because personally I feel this chapter is lacking somewhat, at the very least I feel could have done better.
Did this ch go to slow or did I try to cram to much into it? I just feel that I dragged the conversations out to long and tried to cover to many topics.
