Chapter 19
"CC, wake up, a voice said from the darkness. "Come on, you will have plenty of time to rest later."
The green-haired girl's eyes fluttered open only to quickly shut again from the intense sunlight. Waiting a moment, she once again opened her eyes to see a blurred figure crouched over her. Slowly her eyes adjusted and the details the face became more distinct.
"Good, you're finally up," Lelouch said calmly as he stood, grabbing his mask as he did. "I thought you would be unconscious all day."
CC started to sit up and Lelouch, being the gentleman he was, offered her his hand. Accepting the gesture, she was quickly helped up to a standing position beside him. Brushing the sand off her outfit, CC took a moment to look around at her surroundings.
They were both standing on a beach, the sand bleached white by the tropical sun. In both directions, for as far as she could see, there was nothing but scattered pieces of driftwood and the startling blue waters of the ocean. Overhead a lone gull flew in lazy circles in a search for food.
Behind them she could see the edge of a tropical forest teeming with various flowering plants. The air was alive with the sound of birds chirping, occasionally punctuated by the buzzing of insects.
A light breeze from offshore blew through her green tresses, carrying with it the tangy salt air that mixed with the scents of the forest to create a strangely pleasant aroma. The overall effect was almost enough for her to overlook the ancient but still dangerous secrets buried deep below its rocky surface. Almost. It seemed a shame for such a seemingly peaceful island to be doomed to becoming a battlefield but if that was what had to happen for her to accomplish her mission, so be it.
CC looked over at Lelouch. He seemed to be examining the area as well, although it was likely for more practical reasons, such as figuring out where they were, rather than just enjoying the beauty of nature. She remained silent, simply enjoying the slight breeze until Lelouch had finished surveying the immediate surroundings.
Lelouch turned to meet her patient gaze. "It would appear that we aren't too far from Shikine Island. Its likely we are just on one of the neighboring islands."
His accomplice smirked. "Oh, did you figure that all out on your own Lelouch?" she taunted before turning serious, cutting off any witty retort he was sure to be preparing. "Yes, that does seem to be the case. We may as well see if there is a way to contact the submarine.
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah…" he trailed off as a thought hit him. "By the way, I don't suppose this was your doing, right?"
She pretended to consider his question. "No, as far as I know my code had nothing to do with this," she half-lied. "Although I would not be surprised if it was connected somehow." That part at least wasn't a lie.
He merely shrugged, dismissing the thought for now; they had more important things to worry about at the moment. With the sun bearing down on them, it was becoming a little too warm for the teen so he raised his hands up to his neck and started to remove the unnecessary cloak. Sighing in relief from the already slightly cooling effect it had, he draped the cloth over his left arm that already held the iconic mask of Zero.
He gave her a pointed look. "If you like, I can carry that for you," he offered, motioning towards her own cape with his free hand. "No need to risk fatigue from overheating."
CC just smiled as she also removed the inconvenient article, bundled it up, and tossed it at him. The ebony haired teen grunted in annoyance as it landed atop his head, obscuring his face and vision. He quickly tore it off and threw it over his own, glaring at the now chuckling immortal.
"If you are done playing games, witch, I suggest we start looking for shelter and finding a way off this island."
Her laughter slowly died down, replaced instead by a smirk. "Has anyone ever told you that you have no sense of humor?"
Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Yes, you point that out every chance you get," he reminded her. "How I manage to put up with your constant taunting is beyond me."
With that said, he brushed past her and began walking down the beach towards a large cluster of rocks in the distance. CC decided to remain where she stood and take in the peaceful scenery for a moment longer. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, a small smile spreading across her lips as she inhaled the scents of the island. The breeze once again picked up slightly and blew through her hair, causing it to flutter in the gentle wind.
When he noticed that she hadn't yet fallen in step behind him, Lelouch looked over his shoulder and gave her a questioning look. He raised his eyebrow and stopped walking when he noticed what his accomplice was doing. He couldn't help but think that there was something about how at peace she seemed right then that made her seem just like any other girl, and a beautiful one at that. But of course she wasn't normal, he had to remind himself. The same laws that burdened others no longer applied to her and, perhaps more importantly, she was his partner and the one person he could confide in. It didn't take long for her to notice his obvious staring though as she gave him a sidelong glance, locking eyes with him immediately.
Lelouch coughed slightly and turned his gaze away from her before walking off again. Her smile slowly changed into a smirk at once again successfully making the teen nervous. As the distance between them increased, CC took off after him at a brisk pace. She quickly caught up to him and slowed her speed to match his, neither saying anything as they made their way towards the rocks.
It took several minutes for them to finally reach the boulders that now stood as high as their shoulders. The surface of the rock was smooth from the constant breaking of the waves against the small rocky peninsula, the spray making it slick. As there was no way around the obstacle short of wading through the water or walking through the forest, it was decided that they would carefully climb over it.
Because CC was the more physically capable of the two, she climbed up first, with only minor help from the teen below her. Once she had reached the top, she bent down and helped pull Lelouch up, with her doing much of the work; it took them two tries.
Neither said a word as they started to cautiously make their way across the slippery surface. The quiet did not extend to both parties however, as CC soon found out.
"CC," Abraham began, with a slight pause. "We may have a slight issue with that plan you had…"
CC sighed. You mean besides the fact that we still had to resort to being sent here?
Silence, then: "Yeah… well anyway, it involves that princess, Euphemia I think her name was. I'm not really sure how but she made it past your little perimeter and… well, I had to send her here with you."
The news surprised her enough that CC lost her footing and slipped, falling right over the edge and into the water below, her ankle hitting the edge as she did so. Lelouch heard the splash and turned around just in time to see her hit the water. With a startled cry of "CC!" he quickly made his way over to the edge and peered down at the now wet and annoyed immortal.
"Are you okay?" he asked cautiously.
She glared up at him. "No, I am most certainly not. I fell into the cold water Lelouch." As she tried to get up she winced and promptly fell down into the shallow water. "And now I'm pretty sure I broke my ankle on the rocks."
Lelouch seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Understood, hold there while I work my way down to you."
CC just rolled her eyes as the teen disappeared from sight for a moment as he looked for the easiest way down. She heard him approach before she actually saw him make his way around the rocks. He had removed his shoes and rolled up his pant legs to avoid getting as wet as his accomplice. He stumbled once or twice from a rouge wave but otherwise had little trouble in getting to her. When he finally reached the soaking wet girl, he bent over and picked her up bridal style, to which she immediately began protesting.
"Lelouch, its just a broken ankle, it will heal in a few minutes. There is no need for you to carry me like this," she said, her face slightly flushed as she felt his arm brush against her side. "I'll be fine walking with some help—"
Lelouch looked down at her with a serious expression. "I wont hear anymore complaints CC. I'm aware of your capabilities but putting pressure of it will just make the healing time longer than necessary," he reasoned out. "Besides, we don't know what is out here and I will need you to be fully healed should any issues arise."
"Fine, do what you wish. But what about these clothes?" she asked, indicating her still dripping wet attire. "I would prefer to not have to walk around in these until they dry out on their own."
The raven-haired teen chuckled. "We can take care of that all in good time. Once we find shelter we can gather some firewood to dry them off. Until then, just relax and let me handle it, alright?"
CC sighed and turned her head away, reluctantly accepting the ebony haired teen's logic. She did have to admit that it wasn't all that bad though having Lelouch carry her in such a way, even if her ego was bruised a bit from needing him to do so in the first place while still wet from her fall. She couldn't help but wonder how he was able to lift her like this on several occasions yet still retain such a poor stamina in any other physically demanding task.
Before she could come to any sort of explanation for this, Lelouch came to a sudden stop. She looked up at Lelouch to ask him why they had stopped when he pointed ahead of them. Shifting her focus forward, all she could see was another large boulder in the middle of the beach, blocking a large part of their path to either side of it and making it so that traveling as they were impossible.
Lelouch turned downward. "You up for walking from here?"
CC moved her ankle around and, feeling no more pain, nodded to Lelouch to put her down. With a sigh of relief he quickly but gently set her down on her feet, grateful to be free of his charge, who had started to become increasingly burdensome over the last few minutes. CC was also glad to be back on her own two feet rather than being carried like some useless damsel in distress. She handed Lelouch his mask and the capes, which he had her hold when he was carrying her.
"After you," CC said, smirking as she added. "Ladies and children first."
"Oh how gracious of you," he said sarcastically as he resumed walking towards the narrow path. "I thought witches were supposed to melt away when they came into contact with water."
Her smirk didn't waver for a moment. "Perhaps I did and now I'm just haunting you."
"I find that very unlikely," he retorted. "A ghost doesn't weigh as much as you do. Maybe it's time to go easy on the pizza, before you get fat."
"I do not get fat, Lelouch." she huffed. "Maybe it is time for you to go to a gym."
"I don't think… put your mask back on, now." He said quietly as he did the same.
CC did as she was asked and drew her pistol at the same moment he did. Both of them moved as close to the side of the rock as possible. At first CC was unsure of what made him suddenly go into self-preservation mode. It didn't take long however for her to hear a voice calling out from somewhere on the other side of their cover. They exchanged knowing nods and switched places so that CC was now the lead person to act as a guard for him, should the person turned out to be hostile. Lelouch held up a gloved hand and counted down from three with his fingers.
When the final finger fell they both leapt into action, dashing around their cover and training their weapons on the figure, who had it's back turned to them at the moment. Just as they were beginning to apply the pressure required to discharge their guns, the pair simultaneously saw a brief flash of pink as the person turned around in surprise. CC relaxed her grip on the pistol while Lelouch just looked on in disbelief at who he saw standing before him.
"Oh, it's you Zero," Euphemia, her clothes just as wet as CC's, said with a relief that one might not expect from a princess coming face to face with her country's biggest criminal. "Or is it Lelouch that I'm speaking to right now?"
Lelouch chuckled as he reached up to remove his mask. "Sometimes it is difficult to tell, Euphie. Tell me, when did you know it was me?"
The princess shook her head. "I didn't know it was you until now, not really at least. I had my suspicions during the hotel jacking but still…"
"I see," he replied. "Well I was never able to pull one over on you, was I?"
Her smile grew as she started to walk up to the pair. "Nope," she confirmed before turning her attention to CC. "I am curious though Lelouch, who is she?"
"You can call me CC," the immortal replied as she removed her own mask. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Euphemia li Britannia."
Euphie giggled. "Just call me Euphie, everybody does. Hey Lelouch, is CC your girlfriend? She's really pretty."
Despite all of the times that the two have heard this, they both nearly choked at hearing the pinkette ask that question.
"N-no, of course she isn't Euphie, where did you get that idea from?" Lelouch stammered out, his cheeks heating up. She is right about CC being… Wait, what am I thinking?!
"L-Lelouch is right, we aren't like t-that, we are just partners." The blush didn't make her argument convincing.
"Ah, but you two look so good together," Euphemia pouted. "I guess the rumors about you two were wrong after all."
Both of them nodded quickly. "Yeah, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. You haven't changed a bit Euphie, still as gullible as ever."
"I am not!" she cried defensively. "You're just as mean you were when we were kids."
CC smirked at this bit of knowledge. "Yes, Lelouch does lack manners with women, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, there was this one time when we were kids that he—"
Lelouch, sensing that things were definitely turning against him, spoke out. "Aren't you two cold? Perhaps now would be a good time for you to dry your clothes."
The two girls looked down at their wet attire like they had forgotten about it until now. Lelouch silently thanked his good fortune at avoiding having any of his misadventures during his time as a young prince being revealed to CC; he had dodged the proverbial landmine.
"Very well, I will go gather some firewood," he said. "You two remain here until I return."
After handing CC their cloaks and masks, the ebony haired teen walked off to begin his task. It took nearly thirty minutes for him to gather enough driftwood and fallen foliage at the edge of the tree line to build a decent sized fire. By the time he arrived back at their encampment with an armful of the materials he had gathered, both CC end Euphemia had removed most of their clothing and draped Zero and Infinity's cloaks over their bodies.
Lelouch wisely focused all of his attention on starting the fire and not on the scantily clad girls behind him. It was all for the best, he told himself, seeing as one was his half-sister and the other was an immortal witch who had no qualms with making his life difficult. Occasionally he could hear Euphie giggle at something CC said and each time he mentally cringed as he imagined what sort of trouble she was getting him in this time.
After several hit-and-miss attempts, he managed to spark a flame that quickly grew into a respectable sized fire. With an accomplished smirk on his face, he turned around to let the girls know. In his moment of triumph however, he had forgotten the main reason why it was necessary for him to build such a fire in the first place, namely his two female companions who wore nothing but their underwear and the capes.
Euphemia's face immediately turned a bright pink not too far off from her hair's color. "L-Lelouch!" she exclaimed while trying to cover herself more. "L-look away!"
CC's reaction was slightly different. While she was still blushing, albeit less intensely than the pinkette, she was also glaring at the teen with a look that did not bode well for him.
"Lelouch, I realize you are a growing boy, but if you don't stop peeping like a pervert right now, there will be consequences," she said in a voice devoid of emotion. "Is that understood?"
Lelouch waved his arms defensively. "No, you've got it all wrong CC, I wasn't trying to peep. And I am most certainly not a—" he was cut off from his defense as he was struck by his mask. "Ow! What was that for?!"
CC looked at him annoyed. "I don't see you turning around, pervert."
Just as he was about to once again protest his innocence, CC picked up her own mask in preparation to throw it at him. Seeing it was useless in trying to persuade them it was an accident, and not wishing to be struck in the head again, Lelouch covered his eyes and began making his way around the large boulder. When he was safely on his side of the makeshift partition, he slid down the smooth side of the stone's face and made himself as comfortable as he could in the sand.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Lelouch quickly put the incident in the back of his mind and instead focused on several questions that had been bothering him lately. The biggest one he had, and probably most central to his others, involved CC. More specifically, he wondered how she seemed to be so knowledgeable about certain events, as shown by her apparent lack of surprise at Suzaku being revealed as the Lancelot's pilot or anything else that happened for that matter. And then there was the feeling that she knew more about him and what was happening than she was saying.
Of course he had no definitive proof to base these assumptions on, just his instincts saying that something did not quite add up. He racked his brain trying to come up with some explanation for how she might have acquired this knowledge but had little luck.
Perhaps she was involved in the Royal court before having her 'abilities' discovered? He thought, immediately dismissing the idea as soon as it came. No, I would have recognized her, even back then. Could it be that she somehow saw into my mind when our contract was made? Maybe, but that still doesn't—
"Hey, Lelouch?" Euphie called out from behind him, interrupting his thoughts. "Can I ask you something personal?"
He thought about it for a moment before answering. "It's about why I never contacted you, why I allowed everyone to believe that Nunally and I were dead, right?"
"Yeah," she said sadly. "We were so sad when we heard that you had most likely been killed in the invasion, even Cornelia was worried…"
"I'm sorry that I put you through that," he apologized sincerely. "But that man left me no other options. If it were discovered that we had survived, Nunally would have just been used as another pawn in his games, they all would have. I couldn't allow that, I will not allow it."
There was a moment of silence as she digested this information. "You really must hate us, don't you Lelouch? That's why you became Zero isn't it? To protect Nunally."
"No, I could never bring myself hate you Euphie. But I can also never forgive father for what he has done," he said, his words filled with loathing. "He is the reason I became Zero. I must put a stop to him to put an end to his tyranny and to create a gentler world for Nunally."
There was another pause before she responded, this time with a tinge of hope. "Can't we just go back to the way things were before Lelouch? Just you, me, and Nunally together and having fun?"
It was his turn to pause now. There was nothing he would have liked more than to be able to return to normalcy, to put all of this bloodshed behind him and just enjoy life again. But it was far too late for that, he had altered far too many lives in his quest so far and he was not about to let it all go to waste.
No, he thought bitterly. The past is dead and there is nothing that anyone can do about it.
"I would have liked nothing more than to be able to do that Euphie, but I have already started down this path and to turn back now would betray those who lost their lives so far."
Lelouch closed his eyes in remembrance and tilted his head back, sighing deeply before continuing.
"The Britannian soldiers, the Japanese, Clovis, my mother, all of them have paid the ultimate price for Charles zi Britannia's ambitions as well as my own. I refuse to allow them to have died in vain, that is why I cannot and will not alter my course."
This only ends when one of us is dead, he added in his head. Only then can they rest in peace. Until then…
On the opposite side, Euphemia was barely able to contain her tears. She just stared at the sandy ground as she tried to absorb Lelouch's words. She had figured that he held some resentment towards the Royal family but not once did it occur to her that he would change so drastically. There was hardly any of the old Lelouch that she had known as a child in the tall, dark haired teen that she was speaking to now.
Poor girl, CC reflected. She just found out that one of her closest siblings, whom she had thought was dead, is alive but so drastically different from the one she lost.
"Yes, that is true but perhaps it is for the best."
You may be right about that. It is unfortunate that she had to learn all of this in such a short amount of time though.
"The girl had too many illusions, that's why she became Princess Massacre—"
That is not going to happen again, not if I can help it.
"Very well, I will be going now, it seems I have guests to deal with," he said half amusedly. "You know how to contact me."
With the connection severed, CC turned to face the disillusioned princess beside her. She gave the girl a nudge, earning a nervous smile in return.
"Why don't you tell me more stories of Lelouch as a child?" she asked with a smirk, loudly enough for said teen to hear.
This, Lelouch thought grimly, is not good.
The mess hall of the Black Knight submarine was absolutely silent, the only sound being a pinging noise coming from somewhere outside the full. A full minute passed as they sat there, nobody moving a muscle or even so much as breathing heavily, in fear of being detected by whatever enemy vessel was searching for them. Slowly the noise died down as the source receded into the distance. They all let out a collective sigh of relief when the intercom announced that the enemy's flying carrier had left the area.
Ohgi scratched his head thoughtfully. "A flying battleship, who would have thought that was even possible."
"Yeah, I was hoping to be the one to perfect a float system," Rakshata said disappointedly. "Darn that Earl of Pudding for beating me to it.
The ponytailed newsman turned traitor cleared his throat, gaining most of the gathered Knights' attention, save Todoh and Rakshata. The former was busy meditating on the small stage where Lelouch and CC had introduced everyone's roles several days ago. And the later was busy typing furiously at a computer, no doubt working on figuring out how her rival had accomplished the Avalon's flight systems so quickly.
"Can we get back to the matter I brought up earlier? We cannot—"
"Absolutely not!" Kallen yelled angrily. "There is nothing to talk about! We are not abandoning them!"
Diethard sighed in frustration. "But you don't even have any proof that they are alive," he pointed out. "We need to consider the safety of this vessel and its crew first and foremost. We will do nobody any good if we are killed or captured."
Tamaki slammed his fists on the table. "Listen here you, my buddy Zero is alive and I aint leaving without him. So you can just shove it right up your—"
"That is enough, all of you," Todoh said quietly, his eyes still closed. "We will remain here as Infinity requested. They still have 36 hours to contact us before the deadline is up."
Diethard opened his mouth to say something but was cut off with a deadly glare from Kallen. Instead he collected himself and left the room with as much of his ego intact as he could. Tamaki grinned and started going off about the nerve of 'that guy' while Kallen just sighed in relief.
I hope you guys know what you are doing; I don't know what we're going to do without Zero and Infinity.
"Are you sure you don't need help Lelouch?" Euphemia asked concernedly. "That looks like hard work."
The raven-haired teen grunted from exertion. "Yes, this isn't a job for a princess… Don't worry, my plan is foolproof."
Just as he said that the branch he was using as a shovel splintered and then snapped all together. Sighing in irritation, he looked from the broken tool to the pitfall trap he was working on and back to the branch. He straightened out and wiped the sweat from his brow, produced by a combination of the manual labor and the hot tropical morning sun. He heard some giggling and snickering coming from behind him. When he turned around to face the girls he saw Euphemia covering her mouth in a failing attempt to suppress her laughter while CC made no such efforts, openly mocking him.
He sent a glare at the green haired girl that could have frozen water. "Why don't you look for some fruits or do something useful?"
CC smirked. "Oh, so you admit that this wasn't your best idea?"
"I have said nothing of the sort," he retorted defensively. "The plan was good, I merely did not have the correct tools to properly execute it."
"Of course it was, Lulu."She said condescendingly. "I'm sure that it would have worked just fine if you were capable of doing it."
Euphemia jumped in to stop what she perceived to be a heated argument. "I'll go look for something to eat then," she said cheerfully. "CC, would you mind helping me?"
The immortal shrugged. "Sure, we can let Lelouch play survival expert while we get breakfast."
The aforementioned teen just turned his back to the girls and started looking for a more suitable branch, his determination to prove CC wrong and to catch food with his trap renewed. He was still testing the durability of one of several larger limbs when the girls started off down the small game trail they had followed in from the beach earlier. As they walked further down the path, the sounds of dirt scraping against something could be heard from the small clearing, signaling Lelouch's resumed efforts to dig his pit.
The fire crackled and roared, the flames occasionally reaching up and licking the small piece of meat, searing its surface. After a few more minutes of allowing the food to properly cook, Lelouch withdrew the stick from the flames and placed their meal on a large leaf along with some of the berries and fruits that Euphemia had found. With a satisfied smirk on his face he took out a small pocketknife from its hiding place within a concealed pocket of his cape and began cutting off pieces of meat, placing it on several smaller leaves.
It's a good thing Kallen insisted that I begin carry one of these, he reflected with a chuckle as he recalled the redhead forcing the blade into his hands one day. I suppose I will have to remember to thank her later.
The food dished distributed and put on the makeshift dishes, Lelouch passed each of the girls one before grabbing the last for himself. He eyed the unappealing meat nervously for a moment before taking a tentative bite. To his pleasant surprise it actually tasted pretty good. When he first found the young boar in his pitfall trap, he was unsure of whether or not it was suitable to eat but he was glad to have been wrong for once.
Apparently the girls shared his sentiments as they also began eating their shares happily. CC ate hers hungrily right off the bone while Euphie went at hers in a far more refined, even girly manner, daintily picking off a small piece at a time. CC noticed Lelouch looking at her with a satisfied smirk so she stopped eating and matched his gaze with one of her own.
"Can I help you with something Lelouch?" she asked monotonously. "Or are you merely enjoying the view?"
"No, I'm just watching a witch stuff her face," he retorted with a grin. "And I do not believe you have admitted that my trap worked."
CC took another bite of her food. "No, I didn't."
Euphemia laid a hand on Lelouch's shoulder. "I think you did a great job Lelouch, the food tastes great too," she said with a smile.
"Thank you Euphie, at least one person is able to express appreciation," he said with a glare aimed in CC's direction.
As the trio ate their meal, the conversation shifted to more friendly and benign subjects. It was unanimously agreed upon that any talk of Zero, the rebellion, or politics in general would be off limits for the rest of their time on the island. Most of the time was spent simply catching up on what had been going on in their lives for the past decade. Since he knew that CC wouldn't have much that she could say, Lelouch slowly shifted the topic to what had been happening with the student council. It quickly became apparent however that Euphie seemed especially interested in three subjects in particular: Suzaku, school, and Lelouch and CC.
They had a good enough time talking about the first two subjects, especially Lelouch, who decided it would be fun to tease his half-sister about her obvious crush on his friend. A madly blushing Euphemia who stumbled over her answers and seemed just generally flustered constantly rewarded each and every one of his efforts. He slowly grew bored of this so he ceased his little game, much to her relief. Whether she purposefully meant to or, as the other two suspected, whether it was completely innocent curiosity, the princess got her payback.
It was now Lelouch and even occasionally CC's turn to become defensive as she started to ask all about their supposed relationship. How had they met? How close were they? What was with the strange mark on her head and on their masks? Did they signify something some sort of strong bond between them? When was he going to ask her out? After they had denied all these in an only slightly embarrassed way, she went for the big one: had they kissed?
To say that the immortal and her accomplice were shocked would be an understatement. They just stared at her silently, mouths agape for several seconds as they tried to determine if they had heard her correctly; they had.
"What?!" both of them cried out simultaneously.
"E-Euphie, how could you even think that?!" Lelouch asked indignantly. "Of course nothing like that has happened! What kind of person do you think I am?"
The pink haired girl waved her hands in front of her defensively. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I just thought you two looked really good together and seemed to really have fun with each other."
"I see…" CC muttered quietly.
"Right… that's fine I suppose. Just do not get so carried away next time, all right?"
Euphie nodded. "Okay, I'll try not to. But don't you think that you also got carried away?"
"Yes, I do seem to recall you enjoyed doing the same thing Lelouch." CC confirmed for her.
"That is true but I believe I have already apologized for that," he retorted as he stood up. "Anyway, if everyone is done eating, we should begin searching for the source of those lights that I saw last night. Depending on who it is we can figure out how to handle them. Either way, I'm afraid our time together will come to an end Euphie"
Both girls agreed and rose to their feet, CC collecting the masks while Euphemia grabbed the cloaks they had used as blankets last night. After Lelouch put out the small fire, they started walking in the direction of the path that they had used earlier this morning that led deeper into the island interior. They walked on in silence for nearly fifteen minutes before the foliage started to thin out and the path widened enough for them to walk side by side. Suddenly the trees ended and they came into a clearing just beyond a large cluster of shrubs.
They stopped and ducked down behind the bushes when they noticed a lone figure standing on a large stone square in the clearing, his back turned to them. The sound of rustling leaves startled the sandy haired figure, making him spin around and draw his pistol. Euphemia let out a surprised gasp upon recognizing her knight, Suzaku Kururugi.
She tried to stand up and let him know she was there but Lelouch's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. He gave a nod to CC and the both replaced their masks on their heads and put their cloaks back on. Once they had once again assumed their masked personas, they both drew pistols, much to the pink haired girl's surprise and worry. As she was opening her mouth to question their actions, Lelouch answered her as of yet unspoken question.
"Don't worry, we aren't going to hurt him," he reassured her. "Just follow my lead and everything will turn out fine."
"Okay, I trust you."
"Good, now CC why don't we greet our friend?"
The immortal sighed. "Always one for the theatrics, aren't you?"
Lelouch said nothing as he stood, gently pulling his half-sister up with him. CC followed his example and also rose from her crouched position. The sudden appearance of the trio greatly surprised Suzaku, who quickly raised his gun at the masked figure of Zero. Just as he was about to speak, he realized three things simultaneously. One, Euphemia was held in front of Zero like a human shield. Two, both figures had their own identical pistols out. Three, that Zero had his trained on the princess while infinity held hers steadily on him.
"What is the meaning of this Zero, Infinity?" he asked finally. "too cowardly to face me without a hostage?
Lelouch chuckled darkly. "What is the matter White Knight? Do my methods displease you?"
"I suppose that is unfortunate then," CC continued monotonously. "I suggest you drop your weapon before you do something you will regret. You have to the count of three to surrender."
"One," Lelouch said calmly.
The Japanese teen's gun started shaking slightly as he weighed his options. One look in his eyes told Lelouch that he was torn between his duty as a Britannian soldier and his attachment to Euphemia.
"Two."
Suzaku removed his left hand from the pistol's grip and threw both hands up in the air, the pistol dangling from just his index finger. "Fine, you got what you wanted. Now let her go, take me as your prisoner instead."
"Oh?" Lelouch said amusedly. "I don't seem to recall ever saying that I would let anyone go. Infinity, relieve the Sir Knight of his weapon."
CC said nothing as she slowly approached Suzaku, never shifting her aim from his in case he tried to be a hero. She stopped about ten feet away from him and pointed at the ground
"Don't try anything and slowly place your gun on the ground," she instructed, waiting until he had done so to continue. "Good, now kick it towards me."
Just as he did so, the ground below them began to shake violently. The sudden feeling of falling overcame them as the ancient Geass sigil chiseled into the platform began to glow a deep blood red. Lelouch let go of Euphemia, who quickly ran to Suzaku's side as they continued to descend down into the earth. CC quickly scooped up the surrendered pistol and hurried back over to Lelouch's side.
It was just in time too as they floor they stood on cleared the lower edge of the shaft and revealed the large chamber that held one of the many thought elevators. They were blinded for a moment as they high-powered beams of the Britannian's excavation teams' lights hit their eyes. Slowly the details of their new and unexpected surroundings emerged just as their falling motion came to a jarring halt.
The chamber was filled with startled scientists and soldiers who stared at the new arrivals as if they were alien invaders, which was not as far off considering the circumstances. Behind them was a pair of manned Sutherlands carrying crates, their weapons dangling uselessly at their hips. Lelouch's focus quickly found its way to a group of three people off to the side near a massive black knightmare, the type of which he could not make out. The first he quickly recognized as Suzaku's boss, an Earl Lloyd Asplund if he remembered right. Next was an overweight Britannian general who he did not recognize that looked as if he might collapse from a heart attack. It was the last person whoever that brought his blood to a boil.
"Schneizel…" the raven haired teen growled murderously. "A shame I cannot settle things now, brother. Revenge will have to wait for another time."
CC moved closer to her accomplice. "Lelouch, you see that knightmare correct?" she whispered, waiting for his slight nod. "I want you to make your way to it and try to see if you can get it going. Wait until I start shooting, understood?"
"Yeah, good luck CC, I'll be counting on you."
She gave a small laugh. "That's nothing new Lelouch. Don't worry about me, just focus on getting that thing ready for a quick escape," she said before she quickly raised both pistols and began firing into the crowd of soldiers. "Go!"
The raven-haired teen sprung into action, quickly dashing off in the direction of the knightmare, occasionally letting off a stray shot to provide extra cover. The soldiers quickly formed a semi circle in front of Suzaku and Euphemia before opening fire at CC, who returned fire at them unflinchingly. Five of the men fell before she heard the Gawain powering up.
CC fired the last rounds from her weapons and took off towards the familiar form of the Gawain, the bullets flying all around her. As she was climbing up the left arm of it, she felt a jolting impact hammer into her right shoulder blade, making her stumble and finally fall into the open cockpit. The hatch was quickly closed after her as Lelouch send the bulky machine forward, slamming into the two Sutherlands, who were now reaching for their weapons, and knocked the backwards.
He continued his rapid escape from the chamber towards the light at the end of the long tunnel entrance. Just as it looked like they would make it without any further confrontations, three additional knightmares appeared with their weapons at the ready.
CC immediately found the controls for the weapons and pressed the fire controls. There was a slight delay as the unfinished hadron cannons charged up but only seconds later the entire corridor was filled with innumerable beams of red light shot our from the twin weapons. When the dust and energy had settled there was no trace of the three enemy pilots that had occupied the exit moments ago. The Gawain shot out into the open and Lelouch immediately saw the cliff fast approaching.
He looked down at the controls with a smirk. "Interesting…" he muttered with interest. "CC hold on, it would seem this knightmare has another useful feature."
As he entered the commands to activate the float system CC rolled her eyes. She knew she should act surprised to be in a knightmare that could fly but she just could not bring herself to fake it. She had after-all flown several of them and seen countless others use them quite regularly in the past so it was little surprise as to why she found no amusement in it.
"Just take us home Lelouch," she said as she removed her mask. "I just got shot protecting you again and I need a bath and a pizza, in that order."
Her accomplice chuckled as he removed his own mask. "As you wish, your highness."
Author note: hey, so sorry that it took this long. I know I said I would be getting out two by now because of break but I lost what I had halfway through and was forced to restart. Add to the fact that I was irritated beyond belief at this loss and lost motivation for a couple days and now you know why I was slow. Do not worry though, I have learned my lesson and will now be backing up all files offsite as well to prevent such an issue from arising again. oh and some of you may have noticed the new cover art for the story. i would like to thank TheGlaceonFanatic, one of the authors working with me on another story in the SAO fandom, for his amazing work.
Now for the chapter. As most of you hopefully noticed (not that it was hard to I guess), Kallen was not transported to the island so nobody outside of the Black Knights knows of her involvement yet. I hope this was a good chapter, it was… difficult. Let me know how I did with a review or pm, I always need more to go on to improve my writing. And know that I have some big plans in the making now that should finally break me free of this cannon heavy plot that I am growing to dislike, as are others. If anybody has ideas that they would like to see my try to pursue, let me know in a pm and I will see how it looks. I should be back in about a month, hopefully less but school is back so I doubt it.