Bakura: "Next chapter will be up on Sunday." You said. "This time, I promise you that it will be up on Sunday." You said. (Scoffs) I told you so.
Oh shut up, Bakura. It's not my fault. I forgot two homework assignments that were due today and...I kinda just forgot after that. Anyway, well, here's the next chapter that I promised to post yesterday. Sorry 'bout that. (Looks at number of reviews for the last chapter) Ten people reviewed the last chapter…
Bakura: you didn't respond to any of them, you know
I responded to one of them...yeah, well, no one asked a question except that one person so I'll just give all of them a simultaneous thank you and shout out.
Thank you to the nine people who reviewed last chapter: harlequin320, Risembool Ranger8, ewerntondragon, DYnoJackal19, FATH1, Shadow-Shinobi666, squeegywing, Determined Savior, Shimmering-Sky, and davycrockett100 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.
Next chapter will be out...well, hopefully within the month. Since I've got the first two arcs finished, I'm going to try and finish the third arc as soon as I can, though I know that's going to be a while because that's when we start getting into the timeline in which we reach the events of canon Season 1 (as I mentioned already, some events will be kept and altered but some will be deleted).
I hope that you enjoy this chapter and...Vivienne...She'll get development in ARC III but, hopefully, I didn't make her that big of a shallow bitch...Well, if I did, all I can say is she does get better in ARC III, or worse. I haven't gotten that far yet so I don't really know...
Bakura: You're rambling, moron. Shut up! (Grabs Blaze and ducts tape her mouth shut) Blaze hopes you enjoy this chapter and reviews are always appreciated, so review, you foolish mortals.
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Update Note 10/21/2016: A reviewer spotted a mistake in terms of use of word, one that, for some odd reason, I didn't notice, despite the word being used as often as it had been in this chapter and the next one. Whoops. Well, those have been fixed.
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. . .
December 25, 2012
Hangar, Frost Manor, Pendragon
Kayden Frost peered at the gray knightmare frame that was positioned at the center of the hangar that lay on the edge of the grounds near Frost Manor. The Glasgow towered above the technicians that were working on it and Kayden smiled a little.
The thirteen-year-old scrambled down from his perch on the railing and made his way toward the stairs that would take him to the hangar's floor. The technicians, already used to Kayden sneaking into the hangar to watch them work, said nothing. They didn't mind that he was there and they didn't mind answering his questions about the knightmares. Unlike his twin Rayne, Kayden didn't get into trouble at all and he was pretty much allowed to roam where he wanted to so long as he didn't get in the way of someone's job.
"Hey there, kid," one of the technicians said. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't be upstairs opening up gifts and spending time with your family?"
Kayden shrugged. Like his parents cared enough to actually get him gifts. Rayne was up there, trying to get their parents attention but Kayden had given up on that already. "I already opened my gifts," he said. It was true; he had already opened the gifts the maids and a few of the technicians had gotten him—the technicians never really got along with Rayne since she was always getting into trouble when she was in the hangar, which was why she was banned from entering the hangar.
"And Mom and Dad are busy so I just came down here. If I'm bothering you, I can leave," Kayden added quietly.
"Nah, we're just running preliminary checks on your sister's knightmare and everything looks like it's running smoothly," the technician said. "You can watch if you want."
"Okay," Kayden said and walked after the technician as he led the way to the knightmare. He made sure to stay out of the way as the technician ran a preliminary check of the systems of the Glasgow before frowning to himself.
"We're going to need to check to see whether we've fixed the problem with the power coupling connecting the Yggdrasil Drive with the main computer but we'll need someone to pilot it in order to check. Can you find Gretchen?" the technician asked.
"She asked not to be disturbed, sir," another technician said.
"What about Matthias and Parker?"
"The same, sir."
The technician frowned.
Kayden was examining the Glasgow before he turned to the technician. "Can I help?" he asked.
"You've never piloted a knightmare before though," the technician said.
"But I know how. You showed me how a couple of years ago," Kayden said. "Not to mention, I've been studying knightmares for a while now and I've read the manual for the Glasgow a few times already. I can do this. Please?"
The technician sighed but nodded. "All right," he said and handed Kayden the activation key.
The silvery-blue haired boy mutely turned around and headed toward the knightmare. He climbed into it and settled into the seat, inserting the activation key and, once the technician told him what it was, entered the activation code.
"All right. Things look good on our end. Let's take it out for a test. Just move around the hangar, move your limbs and remove your rifle for now," the technician said.
"All right," Kayden said and did as he was told, moving fluidly as if he had been piloting knightmares for years.
"Okay, it looks like the power coupling is doing its job of transferring power from the Yggdrasil Drive to the main computer. Let's see if it'll still work on the Slash Harkens. Fire at the railing on the second floor," the technician said and Kayden did as he was told, easily lodging the Slash Harken in between the bars and then angling them to where they slipped out easily when he retracted them.
The technician then told Kayden that the test was over and that he could park the knightmare. Kayden did as he was told and climbed out of his sister's knightmare. He joined the technician who was smiling broadly at him.
"You did a good job. I suspect that if you get some training, you'll be a wonderful knightmare pilot someday," he said.
"Thank you," Kayden said.
. . .
9
Marksmanship and Knightmares
May 9, 2016
Basic Training Camp
Kay would have to admit that he was looking forward to the unit that the recruits would be starting that week. They had arrived at the marksmanship unit in which they would be taught how to take apart and put together their rifles as well as how to use them but they would also be doing knightmare training. Kay had enjoyed piloting ever since he had first sat in the cockpit of his sister's knightmare back in Pendragon almost four years earlier. But first, they would be spending the first half of the week working on marksmanship; Kay wasn't sure how he would do on that part of the unit because he's never handled a rifle or any kind of gun before.
He made his way back toward his bunk after taking a quick shower and getting ready for the day. Tadashi was already up and lacing up his combat boots, having taken a shower before Kay; in the past couple of weeks, Tadashi had finally gotten out of the habit of sleeping in. Lelouch and Suzaku were up and ready to go, talking quietly to each other next to their bunk bed.
"…and Nunnally thought it would be fun and convinced me to go with her," Lelouch was saying when Kay walked within earshot. "We did have a good time, I suppose. I'm not big on art, like Clovis, but Nunnally had a good time, at least."
Suzaku nodded, though his emerald eyes were curious. "So did Clovis recognize you or something?" he asked.
A small grimace marred Lelouch's face. "Or something," he murmured.
"What happened?"
"An assassination attempt gone wrong, basically," Lelouch said. "Some girl decided to try and assassinate Clovis, somehow recognized Nunnally and I, and decided to try and take us out as well." He hesitated and then said, "She managed to separate Nunnally and I and shot at Nunnally and…"
"You put yourself between the bullet and Nunnally, didn't you?" Suzaku said almost as if he was stating a fact. He didn't even sound surprised, though Kay's eyes went wide and Tadashi's jaw dropped.
"You didn't, did you?" Tadashi asked, staring at Lelouch with wide eyes.
Lelouch briefly glanced at him. "Of course I did," he said.
Tadashi seemed about to ask something else but decided against it and closed his mouth as he finished lacing up his combat boots. He stood up and stretched, running a hand through his spiky burnt-orange hair as he yawned.
Rayne jogged over to join them at that moment, muttering under her breath. Kay didn't have to hear what she was saying to know that she was within a breath of hitting someone. He blinked, wondering just who pissed his twin off.
Lila joined them as well and eyed Rayne who was clenching her hand into a fist. "Why are you so upset today?" she asked.
"That little…bitch!" Rayne hissed.
"Who're you talking about?"
"Vivienne!" Rayne growled and Kay blinked in understanding. Vivienne was a self-entitled spoiled brat who thought she could get whatever she wanted without having to work for it because her parents were noble and her arrogance was as large as her ego. Kay hadn't had to work with her personally, that was primarily because she had started basic training late; it was only because her parents managed to pay a very large sum of money that Vivienne was allowed to start training late. It sickened Kay that such a thing actually happened but knew that no system was perfect.
"For one, she would not stop bragging about how she was going to be the best knightmare pilot as soon as we start on that portion of the unit as well as the best recruit at the marksmanship unit. For another, she decided that no one else would ever be able to be as good as her because she had extra training by an actual Knight of the Round. Psh. That is pure bullshit! I called her on her shit and she said that I wouldn't know what she was talking about because I wasn't noble and I was just a kid playing at being a soldier! And I am just as noble as she is! Besides, what does being noble have anything to do with being personally trained by a Knight of the Round? After all, Marianne vi Britannia wasn't a noble and she actually took a few non-nobles under her wing! I said as much and you know what she said? She said, and I quote, 'Marianne was a gold-digging whore who seduced the Emperor just to get what she wanted!" Rayne ranted angrily.
Kay placed a calming hand on Rayne's shoulder and eyed Lelouch warily because the prince's face had gone incredibly dark and his amethyst eyes were burning with fury. Suzaku placed a calming hand on Lelouch's shoulder, though it didn't seem to do much to calm the prince down.
"She…said…what about my mother?" Lelouch said through gritted teeth.
Rayne's arms folded across her chest as she repeated Vivienne's words before she added, "I smacked her for that, knocked her on her ass. That's what she gets for badmouthing the Flash! I should've knocked her teeth out but figured she would just go crying to her daddy. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if she did go crying to her daddy after that smack. Psh, she deserved it," she said flatly.
Lelouch managed to calm down by then, the anger fading and an expressionless mask taking its place, though his eyes showed that he was still upset by Vivienne's slanderous words.
"Can't she get into trouble for saying things like that? I mean, ain't it considered slander?" Tadashi asked.
"It is," Lelouch said darkly.
Rayne huffed. "I wouldn't mind seeing that arrogant bitch get dragged off in handcuffs but I would rather be knocking that smug-ass off her high horse. C'mon, we should get to the training area," she said and led the way out of the barracks.
Though the unit that they were starting on was marksmanship, the first lesson of the day was actually an eight kilometer foot march as part of their drills. Then, their first lesson on marksmanship of the day was how to properly take care of a rifle. When Kay got his hands on the rifle, he paid close attention to the instruction that was given by the instructor, a sergeant named Cloud who, while just as strict as Greene, was nowhere near as discriminatory. He noticed that Suzaku was doing the same thing as was Lelouch and Rayne, though Rayne kept throwing glares at Vivienne. Vivienne, who was a tall, slender pale-purple haired girl, was already getting to work on disassembling and reassembling her rifle without waiting for the instructions to be finished.
They were unlucky enough to get Vivienne in their group since she was also one of those kinds of people who had a tendency of pointing out what someone else was doing wrong. Kay had to admit he was impressed that his twin hadn't broken Vivienne's jaw yet but figured that, even if she was temperamental, Rayne wasn't going to do something that would get her discharged before she even began.
"No, you're supposed to do it this way," Vivienne said in a lecturing tone that a mother would use on a small child as she corrected Tadashi. Tadashi frowned at her and then at the rifle that he was reassembling according to the instructions that he was given.
"That ain't what Sergeant Cloud said," the Honorary Britannian said.
"You're doing it the wrong way," Vivienne scolded.
"But I'm just following the instructions," Tadashi said in puzzlement.
"My way is the right way so you should listen to me. I was taught by a Knight of the Round so I know what I'm talking about," Vivienne said arrogantly.
Rayne gripped her rifle so tightly that Kay was surprised it didn't snap. He reached out a hand and placed it on Rayne's arm, giving her a warning look when she glanced at him.
Vivienne moved on to Lelouch but, before she could say anything, Lelouch gave her a disinterested look. "I don't need your help so don't bother," he said flatly and returned to working on his rifle.
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Vivienne hissed, glaring at him. "I'm the daughter of Lord and Lady Hartford!"
"You're nobility, in other words. Nevertheless, I do not need your help," Lelouch said dismissively.
Vivienne bristled, clearly not used to being brushed off. "Listen here, you little rat. I am a member of the nobility and, therefore, I should be treated with respect," she growled.
"Someone hasn't watched the news recently," Rayne murmured and Kay nodded in agreement, biting his lip and wondering if he should say something before Vivienne dug herself into a hole she couldn't get out of. As it was, Kay knew that Lelouch was still upset about Vivienne's slander toward his mother.
Lelouch paused in what he was doing and turned to gaze at Vivienne, his face expressionless and his eyes like ice. "I only treat people with respect when they have earned it, whether they are noble or not," he said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I do have my own work to complete and you are distracting me. Shouldn't you focus more on your work than on the work of another person?"
Vivienne looked furious. "You do not tell me what to do, you little rat," she snarled.
"I was not. I was simply giving you a suggestion. Whether you choose to listen or not is not my problem," Lelouch said blandly, still sounding incredibly bored and Kay had to marvel at his patience.
"Damn, he must have the patience of a saint," Tadashi whispered to Suzaku.
"There is a reason why he's practically unbeatable when it comes to chess," Suzaku murmured back. Chess was definitely a game that required patience.
"Practically?"
"He told me that only one person has been able to beat him so far."
"Oh."
Vivienne was practically shaking with rage but Lelouch calmly ignored her, his posture relaxed as he went back to his work. She took a step closer to Lelouch. "Hey, do not ignore your betters, you little rat," she hissed.
"It would be rather disrespectful to ignore those who are superior to me. Unfortunately, you do not fall into that category," Lelouch said, still in that bland, bored tone as he continued to work. Kay mused that he probably would have already finished had Vivienne stopped bothering him.
"Should we say something?" Lila asked with a frown. "She is disrupting everyone."
"I say let her keep making an ass of herself," Rayne said with a smirk that suggested she was enjoying this.
"I will be telling my father about this," Vivienne said.
"If you wish," Lelouch said, not sounding concerned at all.
Vivienne turned on her heel and stalked off, back stiff with fury.
"Will she actually tell her father?" Suzaku asked, watching her stalk off with a frown on her face. "And, I've been meaning to ask, how was it that she was able to start training so late?"
"Her parents paid for her to start training late," Kay said softly, returning his attention to his rifle. "And I am sure that she will. She sounds like that kind of person."
Suzaku's frown deepened. "That doesn't sound right," he said. "Why would they allow that?"
"It's the way the system works," Lelouch said.
"It's not right."
"Whoever said anything about it being right?"
. . .
May 10, 2016
Abandoned Building, Shinjuku Ghetto
Kallen peered out of the broken window at the crowd of Britannian soldiers that were in the street, her lips pressed together in a frown as she watched them harass the Japanese, ordering them to tell them where the terrorists were. However, since Naoto's Resistance, which was the only resistance in the Shinjuku Ghetto, hadn't made any significant moves since it was formed, no one knew they were there. She clenched a hand into a fist, wanting nothing more than to help the Japanese out there but a calming hand stopped her from rushing headlong into the situation.
"Calm down, Kallen," Naoto murmured, also watching the scene through the window.
"But we're fighting for them. Why can't we do anything for them now?" Kallen whispered to her brother.
"For one, we're outnumbered," Naoto said. "For another, there is a time to fight and a time to observe. You have to remember that if we attack now, not only do we stand a chance at losing some of our members but all we will be doing is drawing attention to ourselves. We can't act recklessly like the Crimson Sakuras."
Kallen sighed but nodded reluctantly in agreement. Her brother had lost two of his former members to the Crimson Sakuras only for them to get killed when the Crimson Sakuras recklessly attacked a Britannian military base at Osaka and were defeated badly, losing a large number of men and practically all of their weapons and resources.
Still, while she knew that she couldn't do anything, she really wanted to.
"I'm with Kallen on this one though. We should do something," Tamaki muttered, glaring out the window at the Britannians as they continued to harass the poor Japanese people.
Kallen watched the brutality, gritting her teeth and glancing over her shoulder at Naoto who looked sorrowful. The only reason they were there anyway was because Naoto had come to receive a report from one of his spies and Kallen had insisted on going with him, since school was out for the day and she didn't have much homework. At first, he argued against it but, when Kallen pointed out that this was likely the less dangerous thing for her to do, he agreed. It wasn't long after the spy left that this incident happened.
However, Kallen found herself wondering if she should have just stayed at home. She found it difficult to just watch her own people suffer and not do anything about it. Her brother was smart and knew what he was doing but that didn't mean that she liked it.
Suddenly, one of the Britannian soldiers grabbed a tiny girl, who couldn't be older than five or six, and tore her away from her mother. The tiny girl started crying and the soldier sneered at her. "Ah, shut up, ya little brat!" he snapped and slapped the girl with his free hand.
Kallen's hand clenched tighter so that her nails dug into her palm and her eyes flashed with fury. How dare he? She's just a little girl! She thought.
"Please, she didn't do anything wrong. Please, let my daughter go," the mother cried desperately, holding out a hand toward the crying, tiny child.
"Well, then, why don't you tell us about any terrorists here and we'll let her go?" the soldier retorted.
"There are no terrorists here, sir," the mother said. "We've already told you that."
"Yeah, I think you're lying," the soldier said. "After all, you're Eleven and Elevens lie. I guess you don't care about your daughter or else you would tell me the truth."
"I am telling you the truth!" the mother cried, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at her crying little girl.
"Yeah, right." The soldier threw the crying girl to the ground and kicked her hard, which only caused her to start crying louder in pain.
Kallen's teeth were gritting so much now that she wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly cracked.
"We'll kill her if you don't tell us the truth," the soldier said.
"We are," one of the men shouted angrily. "Why can't you see that we are telling you the truth?"
"Don't talk back to me," the soldier spat and fired his gun. The man screamed as the bullet sank into his knee and he clutched at it, attempting to stop the bleeding. He then turned the gun on the little girl and Kallen lost it.
"Kallen, wait!" Naoto hissed quietly but Kallen was already bolting down the stairs, the handgun her brother had given her for the sole reason of protecting herself in her hand. She neared the doorway and pointed her gun at the soldier, who hadn't noticed her, but hesitated.
She has never killed anyone before. She bit her lip, not sure if she could actually do it, if she could actually pull the trigger and end someone's life. Even if that person was a Britannian who was threatening a little girl for no reason, she just didn't know if she could do it.
Her moment of hesitation costed her and one of the soldiers suddenly spotted her. "You there, put the gun down and come out with your hands up," he ordered, his gun trained on her.
Kallen swore, angry with herself for hesitating. If she had just pulled the trigger, she could have gotten out of there in the confusion. Hell, if she hadn't let her temper get the better of her, she wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with.
"I said put the gun down and come out with your hands up!" the Britannian soldier shouted, firing off a warning shot that crashed into the wall of the building. The lead soldier turned toward the commotion while the Japanese gathered in front of him exchanged confused glances.
She gritted her teeth, looking for a way to get out of the predicament she had gotten herself into without getting her brother and her friends involved.
Just then, a gunshot sounded and the soldier that was threatening Kallen fell backwards from the single bullet wound in his forehead.
"Get down," Naoto hissed, grabbing Kallen's arm and jerking out of the way to avoid the barrage of bullets that came from the other soldiers. He crouched by the door, pushing Kallen behind him and holding his still smoking gun in his hand. Tamaki was crouched next to him, his own gun in his hand. Sugiyama and Ohgi had situated themselves on the other side of the door, firing at the soldiers outside.
Naoto fired his gun as well a few times. "Tamaki, get Kallen out of here," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," Tamaki said.
"But what about you?" Kallen protested since, even though the barrage seemed to have taken out a few of the enemy, her brother and her friends were still outnumbered.
"I'll be fine. Now get out of here, now," Naoto said firmly, his eyes fixed on the door.
"C'mon," Tamaki said, grabbing Kallen's arm and half-dragging the red-haired girl toward the back of the abandoned building and to the stairs of the basement that would take them to the underground tunnel they had used to reach that building. They both bolted down the stairs as the firefight started up again behind them and headed toward the secret entrance behind an empty wardrobe.
Once they were in the safety of the tunnel, Kallen pressed her back against the wall, wiping the sweat from her forehead and feeling incredibly guilty. Not only did she let her temper get the better of her but she had also run into a situation in which she was outnumbered, couldn't even take the shot, and put her brother and her friends in danger.
Why couldn't I take the shot?
Why didn't I just listen to Naoto to begin with?
Kallen would never forgive herself if her brother got killed because of her.
"Ya know, that was pretty brave of you," Tamaki noted, glancing at Kallen. "I mean, ya got guts, kid, though I don't think Naoto's gonna be happy with ya."
Kallen sighed, knowing full well that was an understatement.
Her brother was going to be furious with her.
And, true to her thoughts, he was.
"Just what the hell were you thinking?" Naoto demanded, limping over to join Kallen later that day when they got back to their base. He was bleeding from a wound in his calf but that seemed to be the only injury he had. Ohgi was nursing a wound on his arm while Sugiyama seemed to have gotten away with only a glancing blow to his side.
"I couldn't just let that little girl get killed!" Kallen protested.
"And so you decide to let yourself get killed instead?" Naoto demanded, folding his arms across his chest. "You wouldn't have been able to help her if you got yourself killed."
"So I should've just let her die?!"
"What could you have done? Even if you had killed the leader, what's to stop the rest of his men from firing on the civilians, that little girl included, and killing them? Even if they had gone after you, what's to stop them from killing the civilians first?"
"I could've distracted them or something to give the civilians time to get away," Kallen argued, even though she knew that wouldn't have happened because she hesitated.
Naoto shook his head. "You don't get it, Kallen," he said. "You attacking them would only further prove that there are terrorists there and they would likely take that fact out on the civilians. After all, they have already proven that they care little if the civilians are actually telling the truth. All you would have done would prove that they were lying even though they didn't know it. And that would have made things even worse for them."
Kallen blanched because she hadn't thought about that. She had been so focused on saving that little girl's life that she hadn't thought about just how that would look on the civilians that were caught in that mess. "I…hadn't thought about it that way," she said quietly.
Naoto's eyes softened and he limped forward, placing a hand on Kallen's shoulder. "That's one thing that you have to do before you jump into a situation. You have to think things through entirely and consider the consequences of your actions," he said.
Kallen lowered her head. "I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip. Her brother and one of her friends had gotten hurt because of her and the little girl and those civilians had still been killed in that firefight.
"It's all right, Kallen. Just make sure to take this as a lesson and learn from it so you won't repeat the same mistake in the future," Naoto said and limped over to the couch when Inoue, striding toward him with a role of bandages and antiseptic, told him to sit down.
Kallen watched as Inoue worked on her brother and bit her lip. Naoto was right and she would learn from this. She would not make that same mistake in the future.
. . .
May 11, 2016
Barracks, Basic Training Camp
Lelouch watched as his friends went through the marksmanship drills. Today, they were practicing targeting and Lelouch had to admit that both Tadashi and Lila had picked up on targeting very quickly. With some more training, both of them could make pretty good sharpshooters. He filed that way for later as he took his turn; he didn't do that bad of a job himself.
"Not bad shooting, Tadashi, Lila," Rayne was saying when the group gathered in the barracks after their marksmanship drills in which they spent the past several hours practicing firing at targets from different ranges.
"Hey, thanks, pretty lady," Tadashi said brightly.
Rayne gave him a dry look but said nothing.
"We've got knightmare training coming up next," Kay mused, looking vaguely excited. "I'm looking forward to that."
"You would," Rayne said with a smile. She glanced at Lelouch and added, "I wonder how you'll do, Lelouch. Have you ever piloted a knightmare before?"
"Not very much no but…" Lelouch began.
"Of course, you wouldn't be able to pilot, little rat," Vivienne sneered as she walked over to join them.
"Oh, wonderful, it's you," Rayne drawled, clearly not happy by the newcomer who had to rudely interrupted Lelouch.
"Was there something you needed?" Suzaku, always the polite one, asked.
"Nothing from you, Eleven," Vivienne sneered, glaring at Suzaku and then turning to Lelouch and pointing at him. "I want an apology from him."
Lelouch gave her a bored look. "Why should I apologize when I did nothing wrong?" he asked.
"You treated me with disrespect," Vivienne hissed.
"As I already told you, I only treat people with respect when they have earned it and you have done nothing to earn my respect," Lelouch said simply. "Nor are you the Emperor or a member of the Royal Family." Even if, for the Emperor, I force myself to treat him with respect no matter how much I hate him, he thought. As for his family, whether he treated them with respect or not depended entirely on the person.
"I am noble and therefore should be treated with respect, you little rat," Vivienne snarled just as Dimitri walked into earshot.
Dimitri strode forward. "How dare you treat him with such disrespect?" he stated firmly.
"He's not noble; therefore, he doesn't need respect," Vivienne sneered.
Suzaku leaned toward Lelouch. "Are you really going to let this go on, Lelouch?" he murmured.
Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at Suzaku. "I was hoping that she would have figured it out by now. It is not like I'm hiding my identity and everyone knows who I am," he said. He turned toward Dimitri and added, "Dimitri, let me handle this."
Dimitri stepped back and bowed. "Yes, Your Highness," he said.
Vivienne looked startled and then she turned to Lelouch. "Why did he call you that, little commoner rat?" she demanded.
Lelouch stood up and turned to face the lavender-haired girl. "You were right, I am not noble, though I'm not fully a commoner either," he said. "My name is Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire."
Vivienne's jaw dropped. "Y…You're a prince!" she exclaimed.
"Everyone knows that. Where've you been? Hiding under a rock," Rayne sneered and, completely ignoring the glare that Vivienne threw at her, she added, "And he's not just any prince, he's the son of Marianne 'the Flash' vi Britannia, the very Imperial Consort that you were slandering a few days ago."
"Speaking of that," Lelouch added nonchalantly, "slandering an Imperial Consort, even if they are deceased, is a criminal offense. I can have you brought up on charges for such slander against my late mother if I wanted to."
Vivienne paled considerably. "Please, Your Highness, don't do that," she said quickly. "My father will be so disappointed in me if something like that happens."
"Then you should not have spoken such ill about the deceased," Lelouch said coolly, wanting nothing more than to follow through with his implied threat but he knew it would be pointless in the end.
"I'm truly sorry, Your Highness. I should never have said such things about your mother," Vivienne said quickly.
Lelouch studied her, positive that she was only apologizing because she didn't want to tarnish her family's name, but he finally nodded. "I will let it go, this time, Vivienne, but if you slander my mother's name again, I will not be so lenient," he said coolly.
"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you," Vivienne said, bowing and darting off.
"Why'd you just let her go like that?" Rayne protested.
Lelouch turned toward Rayne. "Slander is one of the hardest criminal offenses to prove in court and the testimony of only a couple eyewitnesses would not be enough," he said. While that was true, the main reason why Lelouch let Vivienne get away with it—despite seething inwardly over the callous things she said about his mother—was because he was sure the nobility would dismiss it in an instant. After all, the majority of the nobility as well as a large chunk of his own family didn't care for his mother anyway and likely wouldn't believe, or just wouldn't care, that someone was slandering her name.
He hated it but he knew that was how the corrupted system worked, especially when it came to Britannian nobility and a large chunk of the Royal Family.
"That sucks," Rayne huffed. "Well, I hope that she leaves us alone now."
. . .
May 12, 2016
Knightmare Simulation Chamber, Basic Training Camp
Suzaku had to admit, he was a bit nervous about starting the knightmare training portion of basic training. While he knew that it was necessary in order to graduate, he just had to wonder why it was that he was forced to do it. He was an Honorary Britannian and Honorary Britannians did not become knights; therefore, they could not pilot knightmares. That was just the way the world worked.
It was almost as if they were dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit and then snatching it away before the rabbit could grab it.
Suzaku frowned at the metaphor and pushed it out of his mind as he walked alongside Lelouch and the rest of the friends he had made. Tadashi was talking excitedly about getting behind the controls of a knightmare. Kay was talking quietly about the time when he was allowed inside a knightmare while he was helping out a technician back at Pendragon. Rayne was complaining about not being able to do that while Lila and Dimitri just listened.
Suzaku turned to Lelouch, noting that he seemed deep in thought. "Lelouch, you okay?" he asked.
Lelouch blinked and glanced at him. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he asked.
"You were spacing out there for a moment. You don't do that often, if ever. Were you thinking about your girlfriend or something?"
"I don't have a girlfriend. I was just thinking, that's all."
"About what?"
Lelouch shrugged. "A lot of things," he said but didn't elaborate.
Suzaku studied his friend for a moment but decided to just leave him be.
Greene and Cloud would be overseeing the knightmare training portion and Greene separated the group into two groups; one would be working with him while the other would be working with Cloud. Suzaku noted that all the girls as well as all the Honorary Britannians ended up in Cloud's group. He didn't mind that since Cloud wasn't as discriminatory.
"Listen up," Cloud said, clasping his hands behind him as he stood in front of them. "You will be participating in a knightmare simulation today. Today is merely to test your skills and see what it is that you have to learn. Everyone, get in line and we will begin."
The line went by pretty quickly. Suzaku, somehow, ended up as the last one. As the line moved forward, Suzaku's thoughts drifted. He was in his fifth week of basic training, more than half way done, and, after that, he didn't know. He didn't really care as long as he got the chance to work his way through the ranks and prove himself capable. If he wanted to achieve his goal, he had to do this.
He had to prove that Honorary Britannians could be just as good as Britannians.
He made his way into the stimulation and situated himself, familiarizing himself with the controls and frowned to himself because it didn't look quite as complicated as he thought it would.
"Your task is to take out the enemy, Recruit Kururugi. Begin," Cloud ordered.
"Yes, sir," Suzaku said and scanned the screens in front of him. It was rather easy, a lot easier than he thought it would be; granted, there were some thing that he didn't know how to do but, after fiddling around with the controls, he was able to figure it out for himself. Even though it was only a simulation, it actually felt like he was moving around, firing the weapons of the knightmare, or firing its Slash Harkens.
He completed the simulation well within the allotted time and got out to find Cloud watching him faint surprise in his eyes. "Good job, recruit," Cloud said. "Not many have managed to complete the simulation with zero causalities and as quickly as you had." He gestured for Suzaku to rejoin the rest of his group.
"So how'd you do?" Tadashi asked as Suzaku came to his side.
"Well, Cloud said I did good. What about you?" Suzaku asked.
"Eh, I passed it so I'm happy," Tadashi said.
"I think I did good too," Rayne said.
Lila shrugged. "Well, we'll still be taught what we need to know in order to pilot effectively," she said.
Suzaku nodded in agreement.
. . .
May 13, 2016
Saitama Ghetto, Tokyo Settlement
B.B. wandered through the ghetto with Tara at his side, not even paying attention to the Elevens that were milling around him. He was busy reading the most recently published article about the current situation with the terrorists in Area 11; apparently, the Britannians had discovered a terrorist cell in the Shinjuku Ghetto two days earlier, though the cell had been quick to go to ground as a result.
"They're really cracking down on terrorists, huh?" Tara said, skipping alongside B.B., having already read the article. She had been the one to bring it to him after all, and that article was the reason why he was currently walking through the Saitama Ghetto.
"Yes. No surprise really. Area 11 has always had a higher rate of terrorism than other areas," B.B. said calmly, rolling the newspaper and tucking it into his pants pocket.
"So what're we doing?" asked Tara, casting a sidelong glance at B.B.
"I have someone I need to speak to," B.B. said.
"And why am I with you?"
"I am not leaving you alone in my apartment again."
Tara pouted. "Flooded the kitchen one time and you just can't let it go," she muttered.
B.B. was only irritated by that due to his OCD. However, not only had Tara flooded it but she had also decided to practice with her Geass and use it to move dishes, food, and cookbooks around. Not only did B.B. have to deal with an irritable Tara suffering from a very bad migraine—which was a consequence of using her Geass too many times in one day—but he also spent three hours cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen as a result. Since then, he absolutely refused to leave Tara alone at his apartment again. Knowing his luck, she would end up burning down the place and landing herself in the hospital at the same time.
They entered an alley that was a shortcut to his destination but stopped when a group of three Elevens lurched toward them, carrying bottles in their hands. Their eyes were red, obviously indicating that they were intoxicated, not that their slurred laughter and drunken staggering didn't already reveal that fact.
"Hey, you damn Brit! Ya gotta –hic– lot of nerve comin' near us," the first man slurred as he staggered forward. "And you got yerself a –hic– damn fine girl there. Maybe I'll take her off your hands."
Tara shrank closer to B.B. who pushed her gently behind him, stepping in front of her. "Back off," he said quietly.
The three Elevens laughed and the first man sneered. "Ya don't tell me what to do, ya damn Brit!" He threw his empty bottle at B.B. who didn't so much as flinch as the shards of glass that embedded into his neck and collarbone. The Code would get rid of the injuries soon enough. The drunk Eleven then drew out a knife and growled, "I'm gonna kill ya for what ya did to Japan."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," B.B. said unfazed as Tara stared at him in horror.
She tugged at his arm. "We should run," she whispered, reminding B.B. that she didn't know about the certain gifts he got with the Code.
"We'll be fine, Tara," B.B. said, watching as the Eleven jumped at him, preparing to stab him. B.B. grabbed his wrist swiftly and the red bird-like sigil of Geass lit up his forehead as he dug into the drunk Eleven's mind and yanked to the forefront his darkest and most shocking memory.
With a shriek, the drunk Eleven dropped the knife and fell to the ground, clutching at his head, continuing to scream even as B.B. let him go. His two companions stared in drunken horror and quickly stumbled away, clearly wanting nothing to do with B.B.
"What did you do?" Tara asked, staring at the screaming Eleven.
"Let's just say, I showed him a couple of shocking images," B.B. said and walked past the screaming Eleven. "Let's go. I hope my contact won't be too upset that I'm a little late."
Tara walked after him, glancing over her shoulder at the Eleven and shivering. She then glanced back at B.B. "What about your injuries?" she asked with a frown.
"What injuries?"
"Don't be silly, the ones on your…" Tara broke off when she noticed that the cuts on B.B.'s neck were gone.
"H…How?" Tara said frowning.
"Simply put, I'm immortal," B.B. said as he turned out of the alley and headed toward an empty café.
"What?"
"Exactly as I said." B.B. entered the café and toward the backroom where his contact was located.
His contact stood up. "B.B., you're late and I see you brought company," he said.
"I simply did not want to come home to a burned down apartment," B.B. said. Tara, who was too busy trying to wrap her mind around the fact that B.B. was immortal, said nothing to that. "And I ran into a little…problem that I had to take care of. Do you have any information?"
"Yes. The Liberators have made their move into Area 11. Two cells are hidden here, though I do not know where. I do know that they were the ones who supplied the Crimson Sakuras with their weapons and that, now that another resistance cell has made an appearance in Area 11, they will likely seek to ally themselves with that cell as well," the contact said.
B.B. nodded, pressing his lips together in a thought. "Is that all?" he asked.
"Yes," the contact said.
"All right." B.B. turned and left the backroom with Tara quickly scurrying after him.
Once they were in the café itself, B.B. turned to Tara. "Tara," he said.
"What is it?" Tara asked.
"I have a mission for you…"
. . .
May 14, 2016
Mess Hall, Basic Training Camp
Lelouch had gotten the hang of knightmare piloting quickly and noted that Suzaku and Kay had gotten the hang of piloting very quickly as well. As it was, while Lelouch was watching them take their turns in the stimulation that first day, he noticed that they were almost natural at piloting. That had been a bit of a surprise when it came to Suzaku, since he knew that the Japanese boy had never been in a knightmare before like Kay.
When he asked him how he knew what to do, Suzaku just shrugged and said, "I don't know really. I just played around with the systems until I figured out how to do everything."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. While he knew it was possible to figure the controls of a knightmare by playing around with them, he found it interesting that Suzaku turned out to be rather proficient in piloting. He filed that away for later.
They were now in the mess hall, seated at the table with their trays of food placed in front of them. Kay was talking excitedly about his time in the knightmare stimulation, his midnight eyes bright.
"Gees, Kay, take a breath," Rayne said, amused. "You're gonna end up passing out if you keep talking that fast. You're happy. We get it."
Kay trailed off. "Sorry," he said with a sheepish smile. "I'm just happy that I actually got a chance to pilot, even if it was only a simulation. I've been wanting to do something like that since I got into my sister's knightmare almost four years ago."
"Didn't Gretchen yell at you for like half an hour when she found out about that?" Rayne said.
"I was thirteen and Gretchen treated me like I was six," Kay muttered.
Rayne's lips curled into a sneer. "She always treated us as if we were little kids. I can't stand her!" she said and folded her arms across her chest with a huff.
It was clear to everyone that Rayne did not have that great a relationship with her sister but no one said anything.
"So next week, we have tests for knightmare piloting and marksmanship," said Lila.
"Tests? Oh great," Tadashi groaned.
"Tell me about it," Rayne muttered.
"They agreed on something again," Kay noted in amusement.
Lelouch's lips quirked a bit but he said nothing as he ate.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: well, that was chapter 9
Bakura: no duh
Blaze: (sticks out tongue at Bakura) well, there are only two more chapters in this arc and then we're on to ARC II. And, as it turns out, the princess from Oz the Reflection is only mentioned in ARC II and speaks a little bit but it looks like she won't make an actual appearance until either ARC III or ARC IV. However, the main character from Lost Colors has, officially, entered the story in ARC III (according to prewritten chapters) anyway.
Lelouch: so what's happening next?
Blaze: (glances at notes) A lot so I will simply tell you this. The next chapter is titled The Ultimate Tests and I'll just leave it at that. The next chapter will be up in anywhere from one week to one month, hopefully within the week but I make no promises.
Bakura: yeah, 'cause you suck at keeping promises
Blaze: (pouts sadly)
Suzaku: you made her sad (hands Blaze a slice of chocolate cream pie) there you go
Blaze: (beams happily) thank you, Suzaku! (Takes chocolate cream pie and runs)
Suzaku: …why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret doing that?
Lelouch: because you probably will. Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and, as usual, reviews are much appreciated.
