Nothing Left - Ch.11

Author's Note: Hmm. I got 6 reviews for the last chapter, and 14-15 on each of the two before that. I find i'm getting loads of story alerts and favorites from people who don't leave a review. Please do not bother to do story alert or favorites if you don't leave a review. Reviews help me write faster. Really.

P.S: I messed up on something. I made Viletta's personal thoughts on being an enemy to Lelouch when she was an ally. So, starting from now, she's not his enemy. Oops.

P.S.S: The reason I don't incorporate too many romantic 'moments' is cause i'm trying to stay true to the show and make the characters seem more real. Don't worry, i'll fix that.

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Ashford Academy, Lelouch's room. Three Days Later. 9:00 A.M.

Lelouch finished signing the military registration papers and put them in the envelope. Everything was set. He'd be going to the Britannian military the following year, leaving behind Ashford. Unfortunately, that meant he had to find a new place to hide Kallen as well. Despite his mounting emotional stress, it seemed things were going a little better in regard to his "plan". More and more Japanese were becoming Honorary Britannians, (therefore putting themselves out of harm's way), Suzaku was communicating evenly with him, and Schneizel's death was being covered up.

Of course, Schneizel's death being covered up was just another tactic the government used to temporarily avoid trouble. Lelouch had already suspected that the pompous aristocrat who had organized Schneizel's security would look to cover his own ass by releasing an official statement saying that Schneizel had died of natural causes. That way, the government would be forced to stick to that story and be unable to punish him, lest they be caught in a lie. The reason it was good that Schneizel's death was being covered up was that if word got out that he'd been assassinated by a single Japanese woman, Elevens and Honorary Britannians alike would revolt, resulting in a probable massacre for them. What would have been even better though was if Schneizel had never been killed in the first place. Schneizel was cold and ruthless in war, but serene and compassionate in morals and ethics. Perhaps Lelouch even could have gotten special attention from Schneizel when he joined the military, being "family" and all. In an unrelated matter, there was also a setback that wouldn't come into play until the death of Charles Di Britannia...that the crown prince of Britannia would have to be Odysseus U Britannia.

Though Odysseus had already been first-in-line for the throne, many people expected that Second Prince Schneizel would be chosen in the Emperor's will or by a decision by the hierarchy. Odysseus Britannia could easily be described as the polar opposite of both Schneizel and Lelouch. He was undecisive, incapable, nervous, inept, cowardly, and every other thing that a leader shouldn't be. There was still a chance that First Princess, Guinevere Britannia, would be Empress, but having a woman instead of a man as emperor...that didn't suit well with some of the younger (50-60) members in government.

Lelouch cracked his fingers together and starting sending the online application. It wasn't really required to send both an online and written application, but it was all he could do to distract himself. He hadn't told Kallen, but his mind still craved Refrain, even after all the weeks he'd sworn off of it. Suspicious that the drug had gotten stronger, Lelouch had tried to find more information from the ghetto and eventually geassed the information out of a dealer found on the streets. He revealed that Britannia was making anonymous shipments of ingredients close to the ghetto area on purpose, for Elevens to steal them and start producing Refrain. The dealer further revealed he had found this out when he overheard his boss speaking to a plain-clothes Britannian, probably a disguised agent. That information might have proved useful later, so he further instructed the dealer to get any piece of evidence he could and bring it to Lelouch the following day, and the man had turned up with a picture of an official looking Britannian person carrying a box of the plant ingredient of Refrain. Lelouch had no idea how a lowly drug dealer could have gotten such a beautiful shot, but it didn't matter.

The strenghtening of the Refrain was only just another problem, both for Lelouch and the Elevens, but it was a serious one. Lelouch was sure that none of the Elevens would try quitting as he did, and the Elevens took more than just a handful of injections.

'Should Kallen know about what's happening to me?'

His fingers paused on the keyboard, why was it that his mind kept turning to Kallen? Telling her would only worry her, and she didn't need any more grief. Right now she was laying down on the couch, mindlessly watching T.V, barely able to move her arms or legs. The only thing he had done to help Kallen was asking the doctors to make up for the ridiculous amount of money they'd been getting by giving her an artifical eye, and she didn't even know about it.

Though a simple invention, it could match the original eye perfectly, and show pixelated images of the world. The device had been redone many times over, and the blur that came with seeing computer pixels as colors faded. That way, it became very expensive, and therefore out of reach from the Elevens. The eye still wasn't perfect, and Lelouch hadn't gotten a pair for Nunally because he pointed out that it would still keep getting perfected.

The doctor's bill was unbelievable, and Lelouch would have been outraged if he hadn't purposely payed them that amount. Lelouch's money had all but been depleted. It didn't really matter though. The Britannian field applications (tactician's) school didn't require any money to join in the beginner's course, and if the student was exceptional, it remained free. If any problems were to arise, and Lelouch would need money to continue his course, he always had his Geass. It was funny, if not ironic, that Schneizel had been the one to organize the whole tactician 'academy' system.

He finished the application, (which was much faster than he finished his thoughts) and sent it. Now, there was nothing to do but go into the main room and watch Kallen, and feel that horrible pang of guilt that ran through him when he looked at the almost-corpse.

"Damn!"

Lelouch didn't even realize he had swore out loud. He'd just done it again. He was supposed to be thinking about the Refrain problem, the money issues, finishing Ashford as the top student, reconciling Suzaku, remembering Knightmare frame designs and prominent Britannian tactics he'd learned in his youth...and all he could think about was Kallen. Was she still in pain? Would she look better when her bones were healed and eye replaced? Would...

...she ever forgive him?

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Former Order of the Black Knights H.Q. 11:30 P.M

"What if he's planning on using these later?"

"He should've told us then."

"Toudou, this is insane."

Toudou looked up from the Burai he was hijacking,"And the chances that Zero's peace method would work aren't?!"

Shogo was slightly taken aback. Nagisa's death had had an adverse effect on Toudou, making him lose his usual demeanor. Almost like he went inwardly insane. He was planning on taking a Burai with a float system and flying to the Chinese Federation, to do Kami knows what.

"Toudou, I was more skeptical than you when I heard this "plan", but Kururugi is now in Zero's pocket. His interference actually made it so Zero could save him from death, so now-"

"Suzaku suspects Zero for ordering the assassination on Schneizel."

"Still, even without Kururugi in the picture, i'm sure Zero had something up his sleeve."

"Well, it doesn't matter."

Shogo paused on the hacking code he was using,"Why the hell does it NOT matter? Because Nagisa's de-"

"Shogo!"

"Nagisa's DEAD. You will not change that. She is DEAD."

Toudou swore and brutally punched the hacking codes into place on the Burai's computer. The dusty Burai suddenly came to life and automatically leveled its gun. In a few moments, Shogo's did the same.

"Toudou, how do you plan on ruining the Chinese Federation's slow forging alliance with Britannia? The Eunuch Generals are untouchable, and the Forbidden City is an impassable wall, and that happens to be where the business is going on. What's worse is all we got are Burai!"

"Shogo, you can come, or you can stay. Either way, i'm going."

"You know I swore to stay by your side until the new Japan."

Toudou shut the cockpit's hatch and put in the code that opened the underground passageway the Burai used to emerge from the hangar. His Burai automatically descended into the passageway. Shogo silently swore to himself and followed.

"Nagisa...why'd you have to go and fuck up?"

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The Sword of Akasha Shrine, 12:00 A.M

"Charles."

The Holy Emperor of Britannia glanced at his partner before continuing to watch the clouds. Even though it was dark in Britannia, the Shrine was covered in the same glow it always had. Charles often mused that the place was timeless.

"What is it, older brother?"

"Lelouch. He has stopped fighting."

"For now. He will continue soon enough. Why does it bother you? I thought this 'game' bored you."

V.V got the closest thing to an apprehensive look on his face that he could muster before speaking again.

"So, you know that Schneizel's death was not Lelouch's doing?"

"Of course. He would never make such a risky move as to send a lone woman to defeat Schneizel. He is...waiting for something."

"You do not even care for Schneizel's death?"

"One less person to succeed my throne before I can complete our pact. I might've done it later on anyway."

"Just like you did with Marianne?"

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Ashford Academy, Lelouch's room, 4:00 P.M

Kallen got up and stretched her arms. Some of the feeling was coming back to her fingers, and, thankfully, the few burnt patches on her hair were finally regrowing. She'd almost been afraid that the hair had lost its will to grow. Her legs had been undamaged, but getting up wasn't worth stretching because of her heavily fractured ribs. She settled back on the couch, where she'd been for days on end. The mirror was still a hard thing to look at, but before long, the scars would be the only thing that remained. Unfortunately, the scars were very deep, despite the stitches, and left gaping scratches all over her face, the smallest about an inch wide.

The air had gotten extremely thick ever since Kallen had been injured. Rolo would say nothing when she was in the same room as him, mostly because he was afraid that whatever he said might ignite into an emotional situation, upsetting Lelouch. C.C was starting to watch her very carefully, as if it was her fault Suzaku had nearly blown up Lelouch, (even though it sort of was). Lelouch averted his eyes every time they were within close proximity, she couldn't help but think it was because he was disgusted, even though she knew that it was guilt.

What if...Lelouch had continued to be Zero? There would never have been a suicidal operation at the warehouse. Lelouch was a born genius, he would surely come out on top in the end.

One thing was for sure, the tension would give sooner or later, and Kallen would be on the recieving end of it.

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I really apologize for making this chapter the most unimportant useless-beating-around-the-bush chapter in the story, but I just wanted to get an update out.