***Thanks to BlackTyrantValvatorez, 1000 Cherry Blossoms, mcdinh, Republic (four times), Ulrich362, XT3100, northernlion196, Jarjaxle, Matsukaze Tenma, Demons Anarchy of Pride, lifeswordpa, and OBSERVER01, the twelve people who reviewed the previous chapter!***
Guest Review Reply - Republic: Um… I'm glad you like the changes I've been trying to make! And I'm glad you think I'm a good author! Sadly, I've never heard of Stargate SG1, but your fanfic sounds like it has a really awesome premise!
Author's Note Part 1: Well. I had the entirety of this chapter written… then my muses decided that we could incorporate the exact opposite of a plot twist that we already had written out without messing up a few that will happen in the future, so I had to scrap an entire scene and rewrite three of the ones in this story. It'll be obvious what I changed if you just read this chapter.
Oh yeah, and the ending? Prepare for your first real glimpse at the tamest form of evil my muses can dish out. (Unless you've read my other stories—then you know what to expect.)
Heehee…
I don't own Code Geass, but you should totally enjoy this chapter anyways!
Stage 9: Masquerade
"I thought I told you two not to harm Suzaku," Lelouch said, glaring at the two immortals who had proclaimed themselves his accomplices. His Japanese friend was unconscious at their feet, though to the unsuspecting passersby, he appeared to be peacefully asleep.
"B-But I didn't hurt him! I just… hit that one pressure point that knocks people out…" S.S. looked down at her feet, fidgeting uncomfortably under Lelouch's glare. "It's completely painless…"
The black-haired teen snarled, "Yes, but now it will be extremely hard to get his trust. He probably thinks we're no better than terrorists now!"
Z.Z. folded his arms dismissively. With that ever-present smirk on his face, he commented, "You could always just show him your face. Don't you think that would get his trust?"
Show him my face…? Lelouch narrowed his eyes in contemplation. Seven years ago, perhaps that would be an option. Now, though? He's a soldier of Britannia… a soldier who abhors violence, as paradoxical as that is. My trick with the colored gas could easily be seen as that, along with what Z.Z. and S.S. did to bring him here. Not to mention the fact that I killed Clovis. "That isn't an option at this time," he said.
Z.Z. chuckled, "Oh, it's always an option. It just depends on how badly you want your friend's loyalty."
Not bad enough to risk exposing his identity to Suzaku, only for his friend to turn on him and bring his rebellion to an abrupt and untimely close. That much Lelouch was certain of. He couldn't know exactly how much Suzaku's ideals had changed, if they had at all. (And there was that one dream where Suzaku had sold him out to the Emperor in exchange for a position in the Knights of the Round…)
Suzaku groaned, his eyelids twitching.
He slid the mask of Zero back over his head. "You two, get out of here!" Lelouch hissed at Z.Z. and S.S. "I wish to speak to him alone. Go bother someone else, if you have to!"
The blonde man snickered, and made his way out of the ruined building. His sister followed behind, though she kept her gaze on Suzaku until they were out of sight.
The sound of hushed but angry voices were what Suzaku awoke to. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. His back was sore, like he'd been laying on the ground instead of his bed… Which made sense once he realized he was not in his room, and instead was inside the remains of a building. The ceiling no longer existed, chunks of concrete and plaster littering the ground from when it probably collapsed.
Oh. Right. The escort to my court martial… Zero… and those two who grabbed me off of the truck. Is this where they've taken me?
"Hello, Suzaku Kururugi." The masked man—Clovis' murderer—stood over him, a hand outstretched as if to offer him help getting on his feet.
Suzaku reluctantly accepted the help—though only to be courteous; he never wanted to touch the hands of a murderer. "Zero."
Zero threw back his cape, so that his arms would no longer be completely hidden underneath it. It also let Suzaku see that the man didn't have a gun or weapon concealed by the cape, too. "First off, let me apologize for the actions my two subordinates took."
(Suzaku swore he heard someone cry, "We're accomplices! Not subordinates!")
The masked man's head shot in the direction of what Suzaku assumed to be the building's exit, and remained silent for a moment. "…As I was saying… I told them not to harm you at all. For whatever reason, they didn't count casting you into the depths of unconsciousness as 'harmful'."
Ordering them not to harm him at all… that was the same thing that happened at Shinjuku, when he had been forced to give up the Lancelot. Why… Why would Zero want him uninjured? Could he really be…?
No. No, Lelouch can't be Zero. Zero had him captive in Shinjuku… and Lelouch wouldn't lie about that! And… And he definitely wouldn't risk getting caught by Britannia. Not if it meant endangering Nunnally. He refused to acknowledge the hand position that Zero had used when speaking to Jeremiah. One hand position did not equal the masked man's identity. "Why didn't you want me harmed?"
"Because I'd like you to join me, Private Kururugi," Zero replied.
Join a terrorist? Out of the question. "No," Suzaku said immediately. "I would… never join someone like you."
Zero crossed his arms, and his cape re-concealed his body. "And just what is your definition of 'someone like me'?"
"Someone who uses contemptible means to achieve their goals," he replied. "There are no ends that would justify murder, terrorism, kidnapping, putting innocent civilians at risk."
Suzaku… therein lies your naïvety, Zero thought. He laughed. "I see. You denounce my actions, and yet you applaud the actions of the country you serve—actions that are the same as mine, but have no reason?"
The Japanese teenager shook his head. "I don't approve of some of the things that Britannia does, but none of their actions stoop to your level." Outside of war, that is.
Once again, Zero laughed at him. "You truly are a fool, and a blind one at that. Take what happened in the Shinjuku Ghetto several days ago. Do you know why the Britannian Army was there in the first place?"
"Terrorists had stolen a capsule containing poison gas…" Suzaku frowned slightly; he knew the capsule did not actually contain poison gas, but a green-haired woman. "We had to get it back from them before they could cause mass havoc in the Settlement."
It was Zero's turn to shake his head. "You're wrong, Private Kururugi. That was no anti-terrorism strike. It was a full-fledged massacre." He held out a device—a voice recorder able to store several different recordings at the same time. He pressed the first button on it. "Why did you order the attack on the Shinjuku Ghetto?" Zero's voice asked.
"The terrorists had taken the capsule C.C. was locked inside. If they found out what she could do, not only would I be disinherited, but they could have a very potent weapon against Britannia. I couldn't risk anyone finding out about it," the voice of Prince Clovis responded.
Zero pressed another button. "Is that all you have to justify the slaughter of the Japanese people? A failed experiment that never should have existed in the first place being stolen?"
"They were only Elevens. They're nothing more than the ground we walk upon."
Suzaku's face flushed as he stared at the voice recorder. The late prince had ordered a genocide… simply because of that stolen capsule? And… and… that woman—was her name C.C.?—was the victim of experiments that he conducted?
"As you can see, the country you blindly serve has rotted all the way to its core," Zero announced, sliding the recorder back into his pocket. "With this in mind, will you still refuse to join me?"
Under the mask of Zero, Lelouch smirked. His friend looked legitimately torn up about the revelation of Clovis' horrendous actions. Unless he decided to cling to his ideals, Lelouch was certain he had convinced Suzaku to join his side… and he hadn't even told him what his true goals were, nor had he been forced to show his face. Suzaku…
"I…" Suzaku started to speak, but stopped and shut his mouth. His fists were clenched, eyes shut tight. "I… I accept… on three conditions."
…Yes! I can work around those conditions—whatever they might be—just as long as Suzaku is on my side. He was one of my sworn enemies in those dreams… I wonder how much can change because of this… "Well then, what are these conditions?"
"First… you have to swear not to involve innocent civilians anymore. Your stunt with the gas… not to mention kidnapping my friend…" He shook his head. "I just don't want anyone who doesn't deserve it getting hurt."
Lelouch's mouth formed a straight line as his brow furrowed. Sometimes involving civilians was absolutely necessary… He couldn't promise never, but he could limit the number. "I cannot guarantee that, but I can try."
The Japanese teenager nodded slowly. "Okay, then my second condition is that you don't kill anyone. It's… like I said before, nothing justifies murder."
Not even war? You're trying too hard to hold onto your ideals, Suzaku. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the betterment of the world. That was something he could not promise at all, and he did not wish to lie to Suzaku. Instead, he changed the subject by asking, "What is your third condition?"
"The Lancelot. I want you to return it to Lloyd Asplund."
He had been expecting Suzaku to ask him to take off his mask—something he would have done at that point—or maybe publically apologize for his stunt with the gas, or in lieu of showing his face, explain his motivations. This, though? This was not at all what Lelouch had been expecting. "Return… the Lancelot?"
"It's just…" Suzaku scratched the back of his head a little. "Well, to Lloyd, it's like you kidnapped his child. And… well, there's also the fact that I'm the only person who can pilot the Lancelot, thanks to the program it runs on."
Tsk. He didn't want to return the Lancelot, not after all the effort he put into capturing it in the first place. Especially because it would mean giving the Britannians a major advantage. Unless… Suzaku is the only one who can pilot it at the moment. I could use that… I could… A confident smile appeared on his face, though Suzaku wouldn't be able to see it. "I understand. In that case, I know exactly what I'll have you do for me."
"Wait, you'd actually—" Suzaku forced the surprise off of his face, as though he hadn't expected Zero to comply to his demands. "What do you want me to do?"
"How good are you at putting on a charade?"
Kallen wasn't sure how to feel about Zero or his two "accomplices". On one hand, they were able to stage an escape from a military convoy of all things with little more than a few bluffs and whatever the hell they did to make that Pureblood attack her own allies. All Kallen had to do was drive a truck, and all Ohgi had to do was set up a net to catch them during their escape. Then there was what Zero managed to pull off in Shinjuku—he not only helped them fight off the Britannians and capture their experimental seventh-gen Knightmare Frame, but somehow managed to sneak aboard the G-1 and kill the Viceroy. Lastly, she could easily agree with his goal of world peace. An end to all the fighting…
On the other hand, she had no idea who Zero was, and his two accomplices were clearly Britannian. For all she knew, he could be using their group to serve some ulterior motive of his. The trick he pulled with the Pureblood could have been a set-up. Hell, his goal of world peace could even have been a lie.
The redhead held up the note Zero had used to summon her to Tokyo Tower, turning it over in her hands. If Zero really was a student at her school, who could it be? Someone else who was half-Japanese? And if not… how could a full-blooded Brit want to fight against his own country?
Her head snapped up when she heard footsteps and the gasps of several of her friends. Zero was back… and he seemed a lot happier than he had been before. "Kallen Kozuki. Kaname Ohgi. I'd like to speak with you in private."
"H-Huh?" What does he want with the two of us? Kallen thought.
"Me…?" Ohgi stared incredulously at the masked man.
"The two of you trusted me despite not knowing my face, and knowing that my self-proclaimed accomplices are both Britannian. Therefore, I will reward you with my own trust—but you must come with me, first."
His own trust? It has to be… his real identity, right? Kallen nodded to Ohgi, who was looking at her indecisively. "Fine, we're coming," she told Zero.
The masked man led the two out of their hideout, into an abandoned building nearby. When Zero stopped, so did they. He turned around to face them, holding a hand over his mask. "Kallen, Ohgi, your reward for trusting me is that you get to see my face… but first, allow me to tell you a story."
Damn… I really don't want to hear a story, but if it means getting to find out who the hell this guy is…
"Once upon a time, there were two children born into the royal family of the Holy Britannian Empire. Their names were Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia," Zero began, his arms folded beneath his cape.
Those names… I've heard them before… vi Britannia… But Kallen couldn't place it.
"Their mother, Marianne, was the Fifth Imperial Consort, though it was clear to the others that she was the Emperor's favorite. This, of course, appalled them, as Marianne was a commoner by birth and had only found favor in the Emperor's eyes due to her status as a Knight of the Round."
Kallen frowned; just what sort of story was this? A history lesson? She despised history lessons. Especially when it came to how greedy the Britannians were…
"One day, Marianne woke her children up early for breakfast. Nunnally, always a bundle of energy, was easily awoken. Her older brother Lelouch took a bit more time to do so." After this, Zero paused for a moment. It was almost like he was trying to keep himself composed. "Consequently, Lady Marianne and Nunnally were farther down the staircase that led to the dining hall than Lelouch. And that was when… That was when bullets ripped through the windows, killing two guards almost immediately. Lady Marianne… was able to react in time to shield her daughter from the same fate, though she herself was not as lucky." Another pause, and Kallen could actually see Zero's hands trembling. "Lady Marianne was killed on those steps, and the daughter she wished to save suffered almost as horribly. She had still been hit during the gunfire, one bullet severing her spinal cord, and the traumatic experience caused her to go blind. And all the prince could do was watch it all happen…"
How exactly is this story necessary?! All he's telling us is stuff about the royals. Doesn't he know we don't give a crap about them?
"Even to a fool, it was obvious that the attack was an inside job," Zero continued. "But what did Emperor Charles do? He called off the investigation, saying that it was the work of terrorists and they should be done with it. No one dared to contradict their ruler; none save Prince Lelouch, the boy who had to bury his own mother, and now had to care for a blind and crippled younger sister. His reward? For Charles zi Britannia to declare him along with his sister as useless aside from bargaining tools, and ship them off to Japan."
"Oh! That's why those names were familiar!" Ohgi suddenly exclaimed. "I remember… those two were sent to stay with Genbu Kururugi, and were supposedly killed shortly before the invasion."
Kallen almost smacked herself in the forehead—of course!
"Yes, and their deaths were what the Empire used to justify the war. But… what if I told you that was a lie?"
"It wouldn't surprise me," Kallen said. "Britannia isn't exactly known for its honesty."
Zero chuckled. "Then, it won't come as too much a shock to you when I say that I…" He reached up, grabbing his mask. The back part of it retracted into the front, allowing him to remove it like one would remove a normal mask. "…am Lelouch vi Britannia, the prince abandoned by his country and father."
Kallen gasped when she saw his face—the dark amethyst eyes and black hair that framed his face. He was… He was…! "You—you're that guy who collapsed in class the day I went back to Ashford! But… why… how…?"
"For the past seven years, I've been in hiding with my sister Nunnally," Lelouch said. "The country that abandoned the two of us… must be destroyed. In all that time, I have been planning about how to do it. I never would have expected to have the chance to set my plans into motion this early…" He smirked slightly. "I suppose I have you to thank, stealing the 'poison gas' capsule. If you hadn't crashed that truck while trying to avoid that motorcycle, I never would have tried to help, and I never would have been pulled into your fight."
And now he's saying he was on that damn motorcycle? Can this day get any crazier?!
"Hey, speaking of that capsule… what was originally inside of it?" Ohgi asked. "It was empty when we made it there."
"It was a girl," Lelouch replied. "A girl with the power to bestow a very unique gift upon those who formed a contract with her."
"What are you talking about…?" Kallen asked.
Here goes nothing, Lelouch thought as he narrowed his eyes. I'm risking everything by telling them about… "I don't suppose you've ever heard about a power called Geass, have you?"
She watched the exchange from the shadows. Of Suzaku, under orders by Zero to continue to serve in the military as a spy, returning the Lancelot to the man who created it. Lloyd Asplund… his charisma reminded her of something, but she wasn't sure what.
Though, it was nothing compared to what she felt when looking at Suzaku Kururugi. All the time spent watching him from C's World did nothing to ease her déjà vu; in fact, meeting him in person made it come back full-force. She was certain that she knew him… certain that she had met him in person before… certain that she had held his hand… but she was also certain that it couldn't be possible. This incarnation of Suzaku had to be the first one she ever met…
Then why does he make me feel like this…?
S.S. slunk further into the shadows when Suzaku started walking away from the Earl and his violet-haired assistant. She only wanted to talk to Suzaku… no one else could be allowed to see her. If someone did, then… she wasn't sure what Z.Z. would do to them.
Oh, what luck! She smiled when she saw that Suzaku was coming in her direction. She was right in assuming that he would still want to go to his court martial—and he'd have to pass by where she was hidden to get there. Now I can… S.S. stepped out of the shadows, her palms outstretched. He might be Zero's secret ally now, but she didn't want to take the chance of him trying to "disarm" her or something.
The brown-haired teenager stopped, staring at her in surprise. "You… You're the girl who knocked me out."
She looked down as her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "I-I'm sorry about that… I'm really not that good with people." Not unless they're Big Brother… "That's… why I followed you. I wanted to apologize in person."
"You followed me…?"
S.S. realized how bad that sounded right after the words left her mouth. She held up her hands again as the red in her cheeks vanished completely. "I-I didn't… I didn't mean it like that! I'm not a stalker! I swear!"
"I didn't say you were," Suzaku said. "You just surprised me. That's all."
"Oh… good…" the blonde-haired woman sighed. "I'm… really sorry, Suzaku."
"It's fine… um… what's your name?"
"It's S—AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
It felt like someone just took a chainsaw to her brain. She grabbed at it, squeezing her eyes shut, and fell to her knees. All she could focus on was the sound of her own screams… her own screams mixed in with the anguished cries of someone else—she couldn't tell who they belonged to—and the pain…
A voice cut through, distorted, like a vague memory from one's childhood. And two faces—the faces of Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia.
"…first time… seen… face. The… brother… murderer!"
"You've… demon, Lelouch! How can… so cruel…?"
"Yo… everything y… until now… love you!"
"It's unfair… happy… with you…"
Just as soon as it started, the pain vanished. She gasped as her eyes snapped open, her shoulders sagging in relief from the pain. She never wanted to feel that again… never… Wait… Th-This was just like what happened to Z.Z. a few days ago! When he collapsed in that small store… screamed and grabbed at his head…
"Hey… Hey… are you alright…?"
She felt hands gently grabbing her shoulders, and realized that Suzaku was looking at her in concern. She slid out from his grip, smiling softly. "I-I'm fine. I need… to go see my brother now. See you… some other time, Suzaku!"
That went over very well, Lelouch thought, reminiscing over what happened just an hour before. Kallen and Ohgi hadn't flipped out, they hadn't tried to kill him, all they'd done was ask a ton of questions and avoided eye contact. Understandable, of course. And Suzaku is now my informant… Thanks to that, I can see what repercussions my actions have now, and he will be the ace in the hole should I accidentally back myself into a corner trying to fight my own country.
He was back at Ashford. He really had no idea how late it was, but hoped that Sayoko had put Nunnally to bed. She really didn't have to stay up waiting for him to come home from his exploits.
"Lelooooooouch!" Rival's voice pierced the otherwise quiet night. The purple-haired teenager ran across the courtyard, and in the light granted by the streetlight, Lelouch could see the fear in his friend's eyes. "Lelouch, there you are! We've been trying to get a hold of you for like half an hour!"
"My phone was off…" Lelouch said, looking back with curiosity. He wasn't sure what his friend had to be scared about. "Did something happen?"
"Oh, it's horrible! I don't know all the details, but apparently they had to rush her to the hospital—"
"Her"…? No, it couldn't be— "Who was taken to the hospital?"
"—'cause she just stopped breathing and—"
"Dammit Rivalz, who was it?!"
"Nunnally…"
Author's Note Part 2: …I really have nothing to defend myself with…
Instead, I can assure you that there will be a time in the future where Lelouch has a private conversation with Kallen about… well, everything he told her and Ohgi. And I really didn't want him to tell Ohgi, but it had to be done because he and Kallen both helped with the Orange Incident…
And then there's S.S. and Suzaku…
…I really can't defend myself…
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