R.R.
The wait is over!
Chapter 10: The Third
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It was impossible.
And yet, every passing moment she thought about it, the idea made more and more sense. Almost to the point that she felt like hitting herself for not considering it before. Perhaps, had she not been too ashamed to stick around after his death, she might have caught on. She might have even been able to see him, to find out what happened to him. But as the image of his face-the same smug grin, and his brilliant amethyst eyes burned into her mind; she knew with absolute certainty, that it was him.
Lelouch was alive.
Her black king, her precious warlock, whom she never truly cared for until she lost him. Now he was here. He was alive and right in front of her. Yet she knew now more then ever he was out of reach. At first, she had immediately ordered her subordinates to double their efforts to track down R.R., that was of course her reaction. But now that she had the time to truly think of it, she finally came to the grim conclusion that she lost him yet again.
If it wasn't for the fact that he disappeared for an entire century, that she lost contact with him, not even knowing he was alive; it would be the fact that he never found her. All this time she blamed herself for lelouch's fate, knowing full well she was without a doubt the reason he ultimately died for the sake of a peace she knew would never last. And perhaps...he did too.
Did lelouch blame her? Did he spend one hundred and seven years an immortal being in a loathsome hatred for her because of it? She remembered the time he once claimed he was grateful to her, grateful for the opportunity-the gift, to enact his revenge, and forge the world he always wanted. Maybe he was smiling in death, but she knew herself, it isn't a joyous feeling you feel when you first wake up.
So was what she doing even worth anything at all? Her plan, her mission she claimed to be for Lelouch even meaningful at all? So close. She was so close to beginning what would have been the ultimate memorial doubled as a very real solution to a dissolving peace. She really thought it was the right thing to do. But now, after all this time, did she now realize, it was for nothing?
"Mom?"
C.C. halted her train of thought, and looked up at the concerned girl who had likely been watching her the past few minutes. "What is it, Nora?"
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To say things were chaotic would be an understatement. Aleina wasn't exactly certain of the reason why R.R. officially established himself an enemy to the UFN, and in such a public way like that.
Even still, the results were very apparent. The UFN for one thing we're in a complete uproar, what was once just a single enigmatic factor soon became a full scale side of the war all on its own. The Shinkiro itself was more than capable of being considered an army of one, and an army that held no boundaries nor allies was a huge aspect that changed everything. Now it wasn't just a war of two sides, things were a lot more complicated. And everything about R.R. was still shrouded in a mystery that was just who he is. Just as Marellia was currently being bombarded for information and answers by the entire UFN council, Aleina realized there may be a few who knew of her personal connection to R.R. And some of them may come to her for answers as well. Although she wasn't sure how well she could hold out in that kind of interrogation, it wouldn't be too hard to tell them to just go away.
Speaking of interrogating, Marellia was doing surprising well. She still held true to the fact that she was not connected to him, but of course, there were those who wanted more then just that.
"Tell us Marellia, when exactly did you meet R.R.?" Gideon asked calmly, attempting to cool the heated demands others were throwing out.
The older princess let out a puff of breath, taking on the change of tone. "I believe I have mentioned it before, but he first came to me to inform me of the existence of the Phoenix Order's airship. He gave evidence of having infiltrated the ship during the attack on Tokyo, very reliable I should add."
The group nodded, some recalling the first time this was said. Marellia contunued. "It was while I was coming to that conclusion that Pendragon was invaded, and as you all know, he asked to take control of the city defences. Admittedly, I'm not sure why I decided to allow it, I suppose something about his demeanor, that the few of you who have met him would know; just exudes confidence . Almost as if he knows exactly the outcome before anyone even knows what's going on."
Aleina raised an eyebrow, amused at how Marellia seemed to be praising somebody she hadn't shown much appreciation for before. But she believed she knew the reason why Marellia was doing it.
"I guess the reason I'm saying that," Marellia began to explain. "Is simply that this 'R.R.', is not a simple person to be underestimated. It isn't his tactical mind that won Pendragon, nor his connections and skill that fielded the Shinkiro Conquest. The reason he is more dangerous then the Phoenix Order is because he has declared himself an enemy. And someone as intellegent as he, would only do that if they thoroughly believed they had the ability to contest with two individual armies. Because R.R. knows...exactly, what he is doing."
Admittedly, she wasn't exactly certain what Marellia was trying to do anymore. To her, it would have been better to downplay R.R.'s ability to lead the UFN to underestimate him. Or in the least, focus their attention on the Phoenix Order instead. Whatever the reason why she should make him out to be a bigger threat, Aleina had yet to find out.
Eventually her gaze wandered over to that of the four newcomers Gideon introduced as Knights of the Round. Their faces ranged anywhere between carefree to deathly stares that made her shiver. Aleina then realized that they would be her direct opponents. The thought made her shiver yet again as the weight of going up against them came to mind. One of them, the black haired man called Ryan, happened to glance at her. The unsettling look forced her to quickly shift her gaze, and her eyes darted around the room until they rested on yet another person watching her: her brother Daedalus. He stared at her with a piercing gaze that seemed neither hostile nor friendly. It was as if he could see right through her just by looking at her, as if she couldn't hide anything. Aleina involuntarily swallowed as Daedalus slowly rose, his eyes still on her until he finally turned away and walked out of the room, unnoticed by everyone else. It was then that she recalled the time he had seen R.R. With Aleina.
She practically shot up, earning a glance from Marellia, who stood beside her. Aleina looked down, attempting to divert attention from herself as she scooted past the other seated officials and squeezed out of the room.
Once outside the council room, Aleina hurried along the hallways toward where she hoped Daedalus might have gone. She came to a stop as she turned a corner, to not look suspicious should she actually run into him now. As casually as possible, she turned the corner just in time to watch her brother's black coat fall out of sight down another hallway. She continued her pursuit, in a sort of speed walk to catch up. Coming into the hallway Daedalus descended, she jumped as she came face to face with his analytical eyes that were already waiting for her.
"D-daedalus." She stuttered, taking half a step back.
"Aliena." Her brother greeted, no sense of friendship in his tone.
"I...I was meaning to talk to you, I..." Aleina mumbled.
"I see." Daedalus answered, half interrupting her as she muttered to herself. "I was needing to speak to you as well."
"You do?" Aleina asked, surprised. Although she knew full well why.
"About R.R. I do recall once seeing you with him. You don't happen to...have a connection, do you?" His sapphire eyes once again piercing into her, a glimpse of something else inside them just on the surface.
"Of course not. At least, not like that." She answered defensively. Daedalus continued to look at her without speaking.
"I think he was just trying to use me for some reason. If-if you want to know the details, maybe you could learn something?"
Daedalus remained silent a moment, looking at her with those eyes. "I see."
He tugged at his collar, finally breaking his gaze. "That's all I wanted to know."
He began to turn and leave, and Aleina made a split decsion. "W-wait!" She called out.
Her brother stopped, glancing back. It was all she needed. "I want you to answer my questions." She commanded, Geass burning in her eye.
Daedalus suddenly became slack, his tightly knit posture loosened. "Of course."
"What so you know?" She started.
"About what?" Daedalus asked to clarify.
"Me." She put a hand on her chest.
"l am not certain, but I believe you are connected to R.R. Personally, I have a hunch you are the Shinkiro's co-pilot."
Alena blinked, surprised. "Why?"
"You are in my opinion, capable. You may not have connections or ambition, but you still have ability. I recall as much from our childhood." Daedalus spoke.
"What are you going to do about it?" Aleina asked.
"About what?"
Aleina groaned. "Your suspicions."
"I will use my knowledge to my benefit."
Aleina frowned. What does that mean? "You won't tell Gideon?" She wondered.
"l do not trust Gideon. He is an enemy." Daedalus declared.
"You know what Gideon is planning?" Aleina asked, hopeful she could somehow use him as an ally.
"l do." Daedalus answered. "I intend to stop him."
"How?"
"With an army."
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"Lelouch?"
C.C. sighed. "Yes, that's his name."
"Like, the demon emperor?" Nora asked.
"Exactly the same."
Nora frowned. Having been told her mother actually knew who R.R. is, piqued her curiosity. But... "You don't mean...it's the same..."
"R.R. is Lelouch vi Britannia."
Nora took a step back, clearly overwhelmed. "Whoa. H-how?"
C.C. took in a breath, actually nervous to be talking about it. Memories of times long, long ago began to resurface. More than just her sorrow, but everything else. "Lelouch... Lelouch was the last person I ever gave Geass."
Nora cocked her head. "But if you gave him Geass, how does he have a code?"
"I would only guess he somehow obtained the one his father had." C.C. offered, still not certain herself.
"His father...emperor Charles?!" Nora exclaimed.
"There's...a lot about that time you, and a lot of other people never knew. That's exactly how it was supposed to be." C.C. explained.
"So if you gave the demon emperor-"
"His name is Lelouch." C.C. interrupted vehemently. "Don't call him that. Especially not you."
Nora blinked, confused. "Well, if you gave him Geass, does that mean he used it to become the emperor?"
"Yes, but that's not really what he did. Or at least, what he was trying to do."
C.C. looked down, trying to find the strength to tell her daughter one of the most important things to have ever happened in her unnaturally long life. "There is a story you don't know. Something that's been hidden from the whole world almost flawlessly."
She looked at Nora, seeing her try to understand what she meant. "I don't remember Lelouch as the demon emperor, I remembered him as a man who gave everything he had to unify the world under one banner he created."
Nora frowned, already lost.
"Of course, none of that makes sense until I tell you what he really did with my Geass."
Nora's curiosity began to show, and the nervousness C.C. felt was oddly replaced with excitement. She was excited to tell someone just who lelouch really was.
"How he created Zero."
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Marellia slowly walked down the metal staircase leading to the expansive underground warehouse that housed the Shinkiro Conquest, and the two who were sitting next to it.
She looked beyond the black knightmare to see what looked like another frame under construction. Various people were furiously scrambling over it to put it together.
Marellia came to the bottom of the stairs, and approached the long haired man she came to find she could never understand. "I did what you asked. I'm fairly certain the UFN consider you more dangerous than the Phoenix Order."
R.R. hopped up from his chair, while Edmond continued to stare absorbed in his computer beside him. "My thanks Marellia. I think we have Gideon adequately handled for now."
"Can I ask just why you wanted me to say those things?" Marellia questioned. "As well as why you just broadcasted to the entire world who you are."
"Momentarily. First...where's Aleina?" R.R. asked.
"She left half way through the meeting. I'm not sure why. Marellia answered, watching R.R. put a hand to his chin. "She looked frantic, I might add."
"She'll be here shortly I believe. Edmond." The man in question looked up from his computer with a dull expression.
"You did call Stadtfeld here right?" Lelouch asked in confirmation.
Edmond nodded, then immediately returned to his work.
"Well then, we'll just wait for that. Then we can-"
"R.R.!"
Lelouch looked up to see yet another princess making her way toward him. "Ah, Aleina, I've been wondering when you would show up. Good timing."
Aleina shortly reached her contractor, coming face to face with him. "I need to talk to you." She glanced at Marellia. "In private."
Lelouch also looked over to where the older princess stood. And knowing the reason Aleina wanted a private conversation, waved to her. "Can you give us a minute?"
Marellia gave him a look. "For what?"
"You heard her. Private." He emphasized the word, shooing her with his hand.
Marellia rolled her eyes, then wandered over to the second knightmare she noticed coming in.
Lelouch then turned toward Aleina. "What is it?"
"During the council, I happened to notice that Daedalus was staring at me for some reason, and I realized he saw me with you once." Aleina began, speaking quickly.
Lelouch nodded, understanding her apparent nervousness even now.
"I followed him out of the room, and talked to him. He asked me if I knew anything, and I said no of course. But after that he just started to leave."
Lelouch frowned. "What does that matter? Why did you need privacy?"
"Cause I used Geass on him right after, just let me finish." Aleina argued. "I asked him what he knew, and it looks like he's fighting against Gideon too."
He nodded, putting a hand to his chin. "Is it possible to enlist his help then?"
Aleina shook her head. "I don't know. Because right after he said he has an army."
"An army?!" Lelouch exclaimed. "Well, that's certainly an interesting development." He rubbed the back of his head, thinking a moment. "Did he say anything else?"
"No." Aleina answered. "That's all I could get from him."
Lelouch furrowed his brow, trying to decide how to deal with this. It was...frustrating to think that a third group may be entering the fray. Even if they held the same views as he did, it wouldn't work well for what he was planning. And unfortunately, he wasn't going to compromise.
He heard footsteps from yet another person, and looked around to see Isaac had made his way down here as well. "Isaac! Glad to see you made it."
The red headed boy kept walking forward, his eyes affixed on the enormous Shinkiro, and ultimately falling on the half constructed Senchineru beyond it.
"Wonderful isn't it?" Edmond said, finally getting up as someone of interest came.
"It's so big!" Isaac commented on the kneeling pieces of the Senchineru, from which Marellia was approaching to see what was going on. "Who's this?" The princess asked, seeing the young kid for the first time.
Isaac scrambled into a bow upon seeing the princess, which caused Marellia to raise an eyebrow. "Y-your highness! It's an honor!" He spouted.
Lelouch stepped between them, with Marellia looking to him for an explanation.
"This is Isaac Stadtfeld. I found him with the Pendragon defense forces. His skill in a knightmare is considerable." Lelouch explained.
Seeing that all of his companions had arrived, he put his hands together in a clap. "Well, seeing as you're all here, let's say we get some things in order." His posture suddenly changed, revealing that more imposing nature signalling something serious. "I'm certain you want to know what it is I'm doing."
Alina, Marellia and Isaac each nodded, and Lelouch continued. "The world is left in a state of confusion because I have claimed to be a peacekeeper. To them, the UFN are the 'good guys.' They are backed by the world's ambitions and fight against our brilliantly designed foes. That's how Gideon planned it after all. After a few matches however, they may begin to feel torn, primarily depending on if we show superiority on the battlefield, and seem like a more capable force then the UFN.
"Still, earning their trust is only the first part. Edmond and I are beginning to work on a...project of sorts, a weapon to surpass FLEIJA warheads. With it, we will secure our dominece over the UFN and the Phoenix Order. And at last, reveal our true nature as a threat to the entire world."
This earned a response from his companions, each reacting to the absurd idea.
"What do you mean a threat?!" Marellia spoke, with similar thoughts on the other's minds.
"My plan is to become a tyrannical threat looming over the entire world. Then once everyone's fear and hatred are focused on me, and they don't even remember the conflict before, Gideon will make a heroic sacrifice to kill me, and die in the process."
The group gasped in response to the punch line. "You're going to die?" Isaac distressed.
"Are you sure? How do you even know if it will work?" Marellia asked, equally concerned by the steep requirements of the solution."
"Because it has been done before."
A new voice caused everyone to turn to see a old man sporting a golden eye piece approach them.
"Prime minister Gottwald." Marellia greeted the man. "I suppose I was right to believe you were involved as well."
The aged cyborg came to stand beside his liege, earning an awed stare from the red head who came to meet yet another powerful figure of Britannia. "Indeed, I have been acquainted with R.R. for quiet some time now. In fact it was the two of us who came to recognize the necessity for such a drastic plan."
"What do you mean by before?" Aleina asked from the other side of their circle.
"Just think about the details of R.R's plan. What does it remind you of?" Jeremiah told the group.
The three of them all tried to remember something that sounded familiar, unable to think of something.
"The demon emperor." Isaac half guessed.
Marellia shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous."
"No, he's right." R.R corrected her.
"What?!" She exclaimed.
"The circumstances behind the death of Lelouch vi Britannia are greatly altered from what really happened." Jeremiah began to explain. "Namely how he staged his own death."
Aleina's eyes went wide. "He...what?"
"The entire scenario was arranged to usher in an era of peace following his death. Much in the very same way R.R. Wishes to resolve this conflict now."
Marellia rubbed her forehead, overwhelmed by the revelation. "There's no way that was orchestrated. That doesn't even make sense."
Jeremiah looked at R.R., almost as if asking permission, before continuing. "The plan known as the Zero Requiem was brought to fruition by Lelouch and his knight Suzaku Kururugi. The goal was to gather the entirety of the world's hatred upon himself, uniting them under one tyrannical rule. Then, once everything was complete, and nothing else stood in his way, all that was left was to die. And all the world's anger was erased. The world could move on working together; using the unity Lelouch brought them to create the era peace we have enjoyed up until now."
They all remained silent, taking in the enormous revelation that literally changed everything they knew. The world they lived was built around the death of Lelouch vi Britannia, yet it was just now they realized exactly how.
"But, do you really need to die?" Marellia asked.
Lelouch exchanged glances with his loyal knight, a smirk on his lips. "Oh, I'm not worried about that at all."
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Much later that night, Isaac finally made his way back home, or at least to go pick some things up. Apparently, the Senchineru was far enough along that Mr. Calvaire wanted him there full time. As such, Isaac found that he would be staying with R.R. at their facility until it was completed.
He stepped out of the car R.R. drove him over with, and after checking that no one was around, waved for R.R. to accompany him inside to help with his things. It was really unfortunate that every one of his allies were people you shouldn't exactly be seen with in public.
Immediately upon exiting the car, Lelouch felt something strange. It wasn't something he could describe past what the few experiences he had linked to a code. Like when he first received his Geass. A surreal feeling of a supernatural kind he could only guess was the effect of his code.
He kept his eyes open as Isaac unlocked the door and stepped inside, following him into the small hallway. Deciding not to be seen by Isaac's sister, he opted to stay by the door. He waited a moment while the boy went in to grab some things.
Until he heard him scream.
Instinctively, Lelouch rushed through the hall and into the kitchen, where he saw just why Isaac screamed. He saw the young girl he identified as Isaac's sister lying on the ground, an effectively made incision across her neck pooring fresh blood onto the floor.
Isaac dropped in horror, scooping Annie into his arms. Lelouch himself felt a sense of dread as similar memories rushed through his mind. He hit himself, trying to shake it off. Glancing around, he saw the open window with curtains blowing in the wind. He rushed past Isaac, scrambling through the window and into the dark alleys. To his surprise, he found a shadowy figure at the end of the alley, their silhouette illuminated by the glow of the streets.
Lelouch approached the figure, seeing what looked like a grin upon his face.
"Who are you?!" Lelouch demanded.
The man grinned even wider, looking like a demon. "So it looks like you did come, how nice."
"Answer me!" Lelouch shouted.
"You can call me Z.Z."
Lelouch froze. Hearing the name, that only meant one thing. A third. "What do you want?"
Z.Z. laughed. "All I'm doing is disrupting the mental state of your new pilot. I can't have you messing with my plans can I?"
He began to back away, turning from him.
"Lelouch."
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Let me make a deal with you all. I will post the next chapter of R.R. within one week of receiving fifty reviews to this story. There's enough of you that I think that's fair enough. But two words, or "cool story bro." Don't count. Put some effort into it.
I'll let you all know how it's progressing in my bio.