Fair warning folks, Shirley's part of the package. I'll be honest, the only characters of the Code Geass series I didn't like were Mao, and V.V.
9: The Man in the Mask
Margrave Jeremiah was not impressed with the choice in sacrificial lambs that Kewel had chosen. If anything, it pained him to watch the boy being falsely accused in such a manner. Suzaku Kururugi's protests wee easily heard through the one-way glass he stood behind as Kewel and his lackies administered the interrogation thoroughly.
At his side stood Villetta, also watching the farce. "Jeremiah," she said, forgoing his title for once, "I know that the Purists care little for Numbers, but isn't this...?"
Jeremiah nodded, "This is what I strive to keep from the public, Miss Nu." He said somberly, "Truly, I believe Britannians are mighty, but I do not condone such things like this. Kewel is cruel to those he believes inferior, such as yourself at times."
Villetta nodded, having been on the receiving end of one of the man's rants on what a Britannian should be; from the hair on their heads down to the color of their skin. It was a view much like the Euro Britannian Empire believed in at one time before such things died out with the threat of the Homeland looming over their heads. 'Still,' she winced as Kewel slugged Kururugi across the face, and knocked him to the floor, chair and all, 'He's just a boy. Honorary Britannian or not, Kewel should know to show some restraint against someone so young.'
Jeremiah, however, was sick inside as he watched the display. Kewel was as bad as one could get as far as racial values went. Truth be known, Villetta always managed to catch the lighter versions of his rants. On more than one occasion the man had all but demanded she be put in her place, beneath them. 'Or his bed,' Jeremiah growled, remembering some slurred conversations while Kewel and his men were drunk. It had taken all that he had to remain calm. He took a calming breath, "It's time." He said and strode toward the door connecting the rooms.
Steeling his nerves, and contorting his face into a hardened mask, Jeremiah burst through the door, startling Kewel, his men, and the boy on the floor. This was the cold, unforgiving Margave Jeremiah Gottwald, leader of the Purist Faction. "Kewel, I will ask you not to kill our prisoner before his trial." The man said coldly as Villetta filed in behind him, much to the ire of Lord Kewel. Jeremiah saw his frown, "Is there a problem, Soresi?" Kewel stiffened. Jeremiah only used his last name when he was skating on thin ice.
"N-no, Sir!" Kewel saluted, "I'm simply interrogating our prisoner."
Jeremiah bent to pick up the chair Suzaku was chained to, and set it right side up, "As I can clearly see by the half-pint of blood on the floor," he growled, gesturing to the door, "Out. I wish to inform the Private of his situation.
"With all due respect, Sir - "
"I find sentiments that begin with 'with all due respect' tend to mean the exact opposite," the Margrave said as he took a seat opposite of the boy, "Now I believe I ordered you out of the room, did I not?"
"Yes, Sir," Kewel and his men growled, filing out of the room with Villetta closing it behind them, smirking slightly as the orange-haired man scowled at her.
Jeremiah sighed as he laced his fingers together in front of himself, "I believe apologies are in order, Private Kururugi, for your rough treatment, even prisoners deserve better than this, Number or otherwise."
Suzaku looked at him piteously, "Lord Jeremiah, I swear, I didn't kill - "
"I'm well aware that you are not the one that killed the late Prince Clovis," Jeremiah stopped him softly, sighing once more, "No, what I have to say is that I am truly sorry. It is rare that I praise the skills of any Numbers, but after hearing that you rescued his Highness, and piloted that amazing Knightmare against those strange machines, I have a great regret in allowing Kewel to make you our 'Fall'." He said, re-lacing his fingers, "Now, as a Fall, you were chosen, not by me, mind you, to take the blame for Clovis being murdered right under our noses."
"But I- "
"Under any other circumstances," Jeremiah went on, "I would have had you freed immediately. As it happens, Kewel went overboard, and announced your name, race, and status to the press. So I really have no other choice than to role with this."
Suzaku frowned, and slowly nodded, "I see...can I ask a question?"
"You may."
"In the ghetto, I met a friend there," the boy went on, "His name is Lelouch Lamperouge. Could you tell me if he was among the casualties?"
For a moment, the mask the Margrave wore broke as his eyes softened. "That name was not among the dead."
Suzaku smiled a little after hearing that, "What about a girl with lime-green hair?"
"I don't believe I saw anyone of that description within my reports," Jeremiah said, "I would assume both of them made it out in time."
Suzaku nodded, "That's good," he said, "I'm happy just knowing that."
Jeremiah looked slightly confused, "You're a strange one, Private Kururugi. Any other would be screaming for their release, but you seem ready to embrace this hand fate has dealt you." He said, shaking his head, "Still I can do nothing for you, except make sure that your death is a quick one."
With that he rose, and made for the door. As soon as he and Villetta were out, and past Kewel and his men, Jeremiah's mask broke into a snarl. 'I can't take this much longer!' Jeremiah thought angrily, 'Kewel, whatever the young lord has planned, I'll make sure you receive every ounce of credit due!'
=|One Day Later: Ashford Academy|=
"I'm sorry you had to put up with such a lavish affair on your first day back," Lelouch apologized to the young woman beside him, who smiled gently at him as they walked the halls of their school. "but even I have to admit I felt like celebrating."
Kallen gave a slight shake of her head, "It's fine, really," she said, remembering how happy he had looked when she saw him letting Nunnally dance on his toes, "Your sister must have loved every minute of it."
"She really did," Lelouch smiled, "But I'm getting off topic, since you're joining the student council, you'll be able to come and go as you please, and all homework will be forwarded to my office, which will be brought by your home afterwords. You'll have the same access the teachers do to non- personal information about all of Ashford's students, and will be expected to help with school wide events."
"Like the Cultural Festival?"
"And the Cross-Dresser's Ball, the Absolute Silent Part, and Swimsuit Day." Lelouch sighed, seeing a look of disbelief cross the red-head's features.
"What's up with that?" Kallen asked, and the young man nodded.
"Milly has a tendency to go all out when she plans something extravagant." He said, looking uncomfortable, "Two of them aren't so bad, but I detest the Cross-Dresser's Ball."
Kallen looked at the boy for a moment, imagining him in feminine clothing...a snicker escaped her lips, making Lelouch scowl. As they entered the main hall, however, all levity was lost when Lelouch was greeted with a blaring report from the TV. Nina turned to him in tears, "Vice President, it's horrible!" She cried, "Prince Clovis has been murdered!"
Lelouch stiffened, casting a worried glance at Milly. The young woman had a mask of her own as the news seemed to surprise her, and Lelouch relaxed slightly, only to become more worried as his eyes landed on his little sister. The poor girl looked devastated. Other than Cornelia, Nunnally loved all of their siblings, no matter what. Clovis had been fond of her, and she of him, even though he was a blithering idiot at times, he had been good to her during their time at Aries Villa.
Kallen had also gone still as the news reported the death of Britannia's third prince, and eleventh in line for the throne, as well as the Area Eleven Viceroy. 'He did it,' she thought, her frame trembling with an unknown thrill, 'That crazy son of a bitch actually did it!'
Lelouch silently moved to his sister's side as the news broadcast moved to show Suzaku being marched through the streets with an armed guard, getting backhanded across the face as he tried to speak. The exiled prince let out a low growl at his friend's treatment. 'Don't forget this, Suzaku,' he thought as the channel flipped to a commercial. 'This is the true nature of Britannia.'
School passed by in much the same way it normally did. All the while Lelouch was planning on what to do. His meeting with Ohgi and his group was within another day.
He was also due to pick up something that would bring his new persona to life. Then there was the issue of the production line in Theta base. Reuben's key had yet to be used, and there was so much he wanted to know about what it held. Milly was another thing he needed to think about. She had avoided him for the most part of the day, and he felt compelled to find out why. He knew it had much to do with the death of his brother, but felt that something else was bothering her.
"Milly," Lelouch said, catching her on his way to the student council room, "Are you alright?" He asked, taking her by the hand, and gently leading her out of the halls.
For once, the student council room was empty, even Nina was absent, which was odd, given the girl was highly xenophobic, even around other Britannians. She didn't do well around strangers, which was why she normally stuck close to Milly, and Shirley.
"Milly?" He tried again as the girl leaned against the door, her eyes cast down. Lelouch noticed something slipping down her cheek. "Milly, what's wrong?" He reached out and tipped her chin up.
"Lulu," Milly mumbled, "My grandfather...he picked someone...for me to marry."
Lelouch froze, his heart clenching painfully. 'What the hell?!' His mind was running through every thought of how and why Reuben would do something like this. He knew that he and Milly were involved, so why would the man do such a thing?
Milly rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, "What the hell are we supposed to do?" She asked, burrowing her head into his chest, "I don't want this, Lelouch." She sighed when he wrapped his arms around her, "So many times, I've always tried my best to chase off whatever suitor my mother chose for me, but with my grandfather- "
"Hey," Lelouch gave her shoulders a small squeeze, "Don't think too much about it. I'll talk to him, and maybe we can get your mother off your back."
Milly shook her head, smiling up at him, "Not this time," she said, "He said he was going to arrange a meeting with him. Apparently he's rich and successful, my mother's perfect match for me -"
"Who is it?" The young man asked, frowning, his left eye beginning to tingle, ready to Geass the man as soon as he heard a name.
"Kingsley," Milly said, making him flinch, "Julius Kingsley."
Lelouch frowned, "Julius Kingsley?"
Milly nodded, "Yeah, I've never heard of him, but if grandfather knows him, and he has influence, I'm as good as married off."
Lelouch growled, "I'm gonna go talk to Reuben right now." He said, shocking her, and pressed a kiss against her lips. "You just sit tight."
"Lelouch!" Milly reached for him as he moved to unlock the door, "You are not using that eye on my grandfather!"
Lelouch shook his head, "Of course not, I wouldn't do such a thing." He smiled, reaching out to grip her hand gently, "I'm just going to talk to him, that's all, I promise."
With that he started down the hall, making long strides. Reuben Ashford, as it happened was waiting on him as the young man crashed into his office. And for one of those rare moments in his life, Lelouch actually looked flustered. "Reuben!"
"Ah, I was wondering when you would get here," Reuben said pleasantly, "Please, sit down. I'll have some tea prepared."
Lelouch felt his brow twitching, "I didn't come here for tea, Mr. Ashford, I came here because of your granddaughter!"
Reuben chuckled goodnaturedly, "I am well aware of your reasons for coming here in such a fashion." Reuben smiled, twirling his mustache, "But I must ask you, Young Master Kingsley," Lelouch scowled at the man at the use of his alias, "Just what are your intentions toward my darling granddaughter?"
Lelouch's brow was twitching violently now as the exiled prince sat down, "Dishonorable if you must know."
"Oho?" Reuben smirked, "I see that my little Milly has finally gotten what she wanted." He chuckled heartily, smiling wider than ever, "But I must say, I was worried for a while, Lelouch. Milliarde has been hounding the poor girl for months now that she's at that age."
"I'm aware of that," Lelouch scowled, "Are you aware about what's going to happen?"
Reuben frowned, "Are your referring to this war you're about to begin?"
"That and more," Lelouch said, lacing his fingers together in front of him, "Milly wants to help me."
At this, Reuben's face hardened. He was all business now. "Is that so?"
"She was rather adamant about it." Lelouch said, "She has no intention of letting me do this alone, as much as I'd like to keep her out of this."
The elder frowned, "So I see...tell me, was she present at the time of your brother's death?"
"She was," Lelouch admitted, "And I have to admit she handled it very well."
Reuben was quiet for a moment his fingers laced together over his desk. Lelouch felt his Geass beginning to react to his stress levels, but the former prince willed it away. It wouldn't do to break his promise. Intentional or not.
Reuben sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I was hoping that she could remain well out of this situation," he said truthfully, "I'm sure you didn't bring her into this intentionally, but I must ask you to...no, I implore you to keep my little girl safe. Whether or not that she stays off the battle field is a moot point, I assume, since she's finally made her feelings known."
"There was never any other thought in my mind from the moment she strapped that blaster to her hip," Lelouch said, remembering how naturally Milly had handled the Pulse Blaster.
Reuben nodded, "Then I suppose we should get back to the subject at hand," he said, "As you are aware, I have figured out your alias, and even brought said alias up as a potential partner for my little Millicent." Lelouch frowned, "Lelouch, I am trying to help both of you. Milliarde is a rather conniving woman, despite my late son's love for her, after he left us so soon, she has gone on quite the rampage in keeping the family's name above water, so to speak, even going so far as to proverbially pawn off my heir."
"I know," Lelouch sighed.
"Then you can understand why I have done this," Reuben said, sighing, "While I would have rather you proposed to her in a normal fashion, this was the only way for Milliarde to leave the poor dear alone."
"So you would like me to further fabricate my alias of Julius Kingsley?" Lelouch asked, his brow raised.
"I would," Reuben nodded, "And I would have you fabricate a father figure as I have introduced you as Julius Kingsley Junior. Find someone you can trust to do the job, but this needs to be done, for her sake."
Lelouch leaned his arms on his knees, "I have no problem with it...if it's for her."
Reuben sat back with a sigh, "That's all I'll ever ask of you."
=|RoR|=
"Is this shit for real?!" Tamaki yelled loudly as the broadcast cut off, "Did that guy seriously do this?!"
Ohgi groaned at the volume his friend's voice. What was more, it was unbelievable. Prince Clovis was dead, by unknown hands, but dead nonetheless. Just as 'Zero' had said. "They're blaming an Honorary Britannian." Inoue said, leaning against the wall of their hideout, "He could have done it."
Yoshida shook his head, "No, the kid looked like he was roughed up pretty bad." He said, "If I had to guess, the kid's their fall guy. They don't know who killed the prince, so they have to get the people's hopes up in producing a sacrificial lamb."
"Whatever this is," Ohgi sighed, "Zero said that Prince Clovis was going to be killed, and here it is all over the news." He said, gesturing to the TV. "Think about it. That woman said that he was going after him, and look what happened? Clovis is dead. We have machines that are on par with Britannian Knightmares, and there's someone willing to help us if we meet with him...this is it, we're going to the tower tomorrow."
"All of us?" Tamaki asked.
"Yeah, it has to be," Ohgi said, "Kallen will be there, of course, but the rest of us need to be there, too."
Inoue sighed and pushed off the wall, "We should probably arm ourselves," she said, her arms crossed, "He may have helped us before, but there's no guarantee he won't turn on us."
Ohgi nodded in agreement, "I hope it won't come to that." He said truthfully, thinking back to a few nights ago, "Those Z-frames of his are amazing."
=|RoR|=
The Tokyo Observation Deck, or as it was once known, Tokyo Tower, was now a bustling tourist attraction for Britannians that liked to look upon how Japan was before their country enlightened them. Kallen hated it. She checked her watch, "Sixteen hundred hours at this place," she sighed as the time came closer, "Why here of all places?"
Behind her, Ohgi and the others were grouped loosely together, farther away from her so they wouldn't raise any suspicions. Kallen, while half-Japanese, looked more Britannian than she did anything else, what with her hair and eyes so out of place. Ohgi figured that if a group of Japanese were seen tailing after a young Britannian woman, someone would suspect foul play.
Sugiyama nudged him in the shoulder, "Hey, you don't think it was actually Kururugi that called us here, do you?"
Ohgi shrugged, "Hard to say, really." He said, "Anything's possible I guess, but he's locked up, so even a phone call would be next impossible for him given how hard those damned purebloods are on Honorary Britannians."
Tamaki sniffed, "Serves the little traitor right," he said loudly, turning his nose up at the idea of helping the wrongly accused Private, "he made his choice when he bowed his head to the system!"
Inoue elbowed him when a few people turned in their direction, "Tamaki, keep it down! You're gonna get us thrown out!" She snapped as the man rubed his side where she'd hit him.
Kallen rolled her eyes at the loud-mouth of the group before a familiar giggle reached her ears. "He's loud as always, isn't he Q-1?" C.C. asked as she drapped herself over the red-head's shoulders, startling her nearly out of her skin at being sneaked up on by the verdette.
"GAH!" Kallen nearly squealed as she ducked out of the woman's grasp, "Would you stop doing that!?" She roared, but that only made the woman laugh harder, even as people around them stared a little. To anyone, it looked to be a pair of young women acting silly in public as the irate red-head growled at the laughing girl.
"But I love sneaking up on you, Kallen," she smiled, "You go so ballistic."
"What are you even doing here?" Kallen questioned, crossing her arms over her chest as the girl, dressed in a frilly lolita-styled outfit, hat and all, stood across from the group. "I thought we were supposed to meet - "
"Shh," C.C. hushed her with a finger against her lips, "Don't say his name out loud or it'll cause a stir."
"Right," Kallen sighed, "So where is he?"
The woman turned, "Follow me."
=|RoR|=
Kallen felt her unease rising with each passing moment. The people on the train seemed to be taking absolutely no notice of them, even though each and every one of them was Britannian, and her friends were all Japanese, no one was raising their eyes at all. They were all just staring off into space as if hypnotized.
She looked at the green-haired woman standing against the wall of the train, looking out over the ruins of the city below. "What can we expect from this Zero guy, anyway?" She asked, seeing the woman flinch, and look unhappy for a moment.
"I'll tell you what he asked me to tell you before meeting him," she said, sighing, "Don't, under any circumstances, look him directly in the eyes." She said, looking the younger woman in the eyes in all seriousness. "He has a flair for the dramatic, you'll see what I mean, but just remember not to look into his eyes. That's all you need to know for now."
Tamaki scoffed, "Can't you give us more to go on than that?" He asked, his voice bouncing off the walls of the train loudly.
"No." C.C. huffed, "He's going to explain why, so just keep your voice down, or else I'll be piloting your precious wolf instead of you."
Tamaki shut his mouth. No way was he losing his Konig Wolf after all the upgrades it had gone through.
A buzzing noise came from C.C.'s purse, and she pulled out a phone before handing it to Kallen, the Caller ID reading 'ZERO'.
She pressed the speaker button, and answered, "It's me."
"Face forward and look to your right. What do you see?" Zero's mechanized voice said.
Kallen turned to the right as did her small group, seeing the city built upon their home by Britannia, "I see the Britannian city." She said, growling, "It was stolen away from us, and builr on our sacrifices."
"And to the left?"
"I see our city," Kallen answered immediately, "A city of poverty and starvation that remains withered because Britannia keeps sucking it dry."
A chuckle came from the phone in her hand, "I like your answers. Now make your way to the front of the train."
Kallen looked at Ohgi who nodded his agreement, and moved toward the front of the train. This part of the train, unlike the rest of it, was empty. Not a single person was present...or so she thought.
Standing at the end of the long car stood a tall figure wrapped in a black and gold cloak. She could just make out what appeared to be a mask or a helmet over his head, smooth save for three horn-like protrusions, and black just as his cloak was. "Was it you?" She asked loudly, gaining his attention, "Were you the one that saved me from those Knightmares in Shinjuku?"
'Zero' then turned to face them. Kallen stood stock still. Zero was an imposing figure. His body was slim, yet he wore a suit of midnight-black armor*, and a high collar around a rounded mask with an odd golden symbol around the base where the chin would be. All in all, even though she couldn't see his face, she knew this man was not someone to trifle with.
"Wow," Yoshida breathed out, sidling up to Ohgi, "Think this could be a trap?"
Kallen ignored him, and stepped forward, "Well?" She said, "Was it really you? Were you the one that helped us?"
Again, the man was silent, as if sizing them up.
Yoshida growled when the man didn't answer, and shouted, "Hey, we're talking to you, dammit!"
Zero tilted his head slightly, "What did you think of my little tour at the settlement?"
"Tour?" Ohgi questioned.
"I wanted you to fully grasp the difference between the two, the settlement," he flared out his right arm, "And the ghetto." He flared out his left.
Ohgi growled, his face falling, "Yeah, we get it," he said, "There's a big difference between us, and a very harsh one, it's why we resist them!"
Zero let loose a laugh, a sound that chilled them all to their very cores. "You are wrong!" He laughed, "Britannia will never fall to mere terrorism!" He took a step forward, making Kallen step back slightly.
Ohgi, however, held his ground, used to scare tactics. "Fall?"
"Yes," Zero said, "To the Britannians, what you have done is little more than a childish nuisance that can be trampled upon within a moment's notice." His words drove a spike of anger in the man's chest, as well as the others.
Yoshida growled and stepped up beside him, "What was that?" He snappned, raising his fist, "Are you callin' us a bunch of kids?!"
"I do no such thing," Zero intoned to the man, "But I know Britannia. And you must know your enemies in order to bring them down," he flared his arms out once again, "It is not the people, but Britannia itself. It is a war you must wage, but not against the innocent. Take up your sword! Fight for justice!"
Kallen stepped up once again, having had enough of his grand-standing. "Oh, please, that's all so easy for you to say because you're hiding behind that mask of yours!" She shouted angrily, thinking of her mother and what she had done to their family, all because of Britannia, "C.C. told us not to look you in the eyes, but how can we if we can't even see your face!"
"She's right!" Yoshida snapped, "Why can't you show us your face?"
Zero shifted his attention to the two speakers, "I do not wear this mask because I want to, but because I must, for my safety, and your own." He said, lifting a hand to the smooth surface of the mask, "I am a Britannian half-blood, so I know how cruel that part of my people can be."
"So you're hiding from your own people?" Ohgi asked.
"I am not so cowardly as to do that," Zero snapped as a panel opened up on the left side of his mask, revealing a glowing red eye for a brief moment, before it closed once more, "Why I hide my face is to hide this left eye of mine. For within it lies the power of Geass."
"Geass?" Ohgi frowned as the word rolled off of his tongue. "What is that?"
"Geass is my gift, yet it is my curse," the masked man said, "For with this eye, I can command the absolute obedience of whoever meets my gaze. Therefore, I must keep it covered, lest I unintentionally place the same command upon someone close to me. Yourselves included." He said, looking at Ohgi with what could only be sadness, "Power such as this should never be used on friends."
Tamaki scoffed, "You expect us to believe that you can control anyone you look at with that freaky red eye?" He laughed, "Go one, then, hit me with it!"
"Tamaki!" Ohgi snapped, but the damage was done.
Zero stepped forward, the panel sliding back once again, "Very well." His eye glowed red as a strange bird-like symbol appeared, {I command you to stand at attention and name yourself. And kneel before me.}
Before anyone could react, Tamaki stiffened. And knelt to the floor, much to the shock of the others, "My name is Tamaki Shinichiro, My Lord, I am twenty-four years old."
"I release you," Zero said, and the panel slid back, and Tamaki immediately felt confused.
"What the hell?"
Ohgi was horrified, "How did you -?"
"Do you believe me now?" Zero asked, "Even when I do not wear this mask, I wear a patch to cover my left eye."
Ohgi shook his head, "This is a lot to take in," he said, "What do you plan to do, Zero? You say you wish to wage war on behalf of Japan, but I have to ask why? Are you part Japanese?"
Kallen looked at the man on interest as the masked figure nodded, "Indeed. But I am only one quarter Japanese." He said, looking directly at the girl, "Even among living half-bloods, I am a rarity. For you see, while I am half-Britannian, I am also one quarter French, a Euro-Britannian/Japanese half-blood was my mother."
"What happened to her?" Kallen found herself asking.
"Murdered for what she was." He said, "I was nine years old."
Ohgi sighed, "Zero, I believe you," he said, "But we need proof that you can help us."
"I suspected as much," Zero said, nodding at him, "And, if you would help me in doing it, I would free Suzaku Kururugi."
"Why?" Tamaki asked, shaking off the effects of being Geassed, "He's just a traitor."
"I will not allow someone else to suffer for my own deeds," Zero said, "Now...will you help me?"
The man known as Zero has been revealed as he attempts to gain the trust of Ohgi and his friends. To save Suzaku Kururugi, what will the masked prince do?
*(For the design of Lelouch's suit, see the design from Knightmare of Nunally. Totally badass!)
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