Chapter Twenty-One
April 10, 2018
Lelouch forced himself to keep his hands by his side. He wouldn't make any last minute adjustments to Suzaku's outfit, even if the way that Suzaku insisted on keeping that belt slung over his hips was driving him crazy. Lelouch shook his head, turning around to face the mirror and deal with his own appearance. He hadn't worn his official robes as emperor for a while now, not since before Suzaku had been injured. After that, there hadn't really been much of a point. At least not until today.
Lelouch smiled as he put his hat on, nudging the green gem that dangled from one corner off to the side. Today he was going remind the people that the emperor was a real person, something that he should have done before now. But he had never had a suitable reason for it. Thankfully, the Chinese Federation had cooperated and finished collapsing on itself just days before, so it was the perfect time for an announcement.
He smirked, turning back to look at Suzaku, watching as his knight carefully straightened out the flaps of fabric on the front of the cape, smoothing them down. Suzaku glanced up at Lelouch, giving him a shaky smile. "It's a bit elaborate."
"Imposing."
"That too."
"It has to be. The trick is to distract them with your clothes so that they don't notice what you are doing until it is too late."
Suzaku nodded slowly, reaching back to resettle the hood on his back. He still looked uncomfortable with his new outfit, but Lelouch was sure that the discomfort would disappear. Besides, Suzaku couldn't be seen walking around wearing the Knight of Seven's official cape, not when the Knights of the Round had been disbanded. The white suit and black shirt were simple enough, but Lelouch wanted Suzaku to be noticeably different from Gino and Anya at first glance.
For a while he had toyed with the idea of removing the white suit altogether and just having Suzaku wear the cape he had on now with the black shirt of the knights with black pants. It was different enough, and a good contrast to his own white robes. But he wanted something to make sure that people knew that Suzaku was his.
Then he had remembered that Suzaku's flight suit was nonexistent at this point. It had been torn and stained from the incident with the Percival. Suzaku had been conducting the test runs in the Lancelot Albion in jeans and a t-shirt. So Lelouch had leapt on the chance that had been given to him. He had ordered a new flight suit made, one that would not only match his own attire but provide Suzaku with the support he needed for his ribs and collarbone.
The body of the suit was slightly padded, an extra measure in case Suzaku was bounced around the cockpit more than usual. His ribs were completely healed now, but Lelouch wasn't going to take his chances.
The double collar was another line of protection, the outer collar stiff and raised slightly away from his neck, with more padding there so there was at least another layer before anything would hit Suzaku's skin directly.
The only failure of the flight suit was that Lelouch had been unable to do anything about Suzaku's injured shoulder. Part of the reason for designing Suzaku's flight suit had been to make it as different as possible from the standard ones that were given out, something that was impressive and spoke clearly of Suzaku's skill without needing Suzaku to speak. Or that had been his intention when he had ignored the usual convention to have the shoulders of the suit padded out as well. Instead, he had chosen to go with fabric that was partially see through. It would brag that Suzaku didn't need the usual safety features of the flight suits because he was good enough to avoid getting it danger. It was subtle, but it would serve its purpose.
But it also exposed the scar on Suzaku's left shoulder, the puckered mark where the tip of the Percival's lance had gone through. Lelouch reached out to touch the scar, Suzaku pausing in his tiny adjustments of his outfit to let Lelouch touch. Lelouch smiled and continued brushing his fingers over the spot. With the way that the collar was built, it would have been impossible to have something over Suzaku's shoulders, not without taking away the stiffness that the first collar needed to have. Out of all of Suzaku's injuries, the one of his side and chest were deemed the worst.
Lelouch let his hand drop, surprised when Suzaku caught it. The knight kissed the back of Lelouch's hand, running the tips of two fingers down Lelouch's palm. Lelouch shivered and yanked his hand back. "Stop it."
Suzaku just grinned at him, reaching up to settle the cape back into place. "Well, we look silly."
"We match."
"And we look silly."
Lelouch shook his head, reaching over to give Suzaku a light shove, not protesting when Suzaku grabbed his hand again. They were both doing this because they were nervous, once this started there was no turning back. He wouldn't ask Suzaku he if wanted to pull out again, it would be an insult now, implying that Lelouch didn't trust him. And Lelouch did trust him, more than he should with what little information he had on Suzaku. But it was the knowledge that, once he started down this path, there wouldn't be any more chances to drag his time with Suzaku out longer. After this, it was the two of them rushing towards the end.
It wasn't the time to develop an attachment to Suzaku, not after Suzaku said that he would be leaving as soon as they were done here. It was embarrassing how much happier Suzaku's simple promise that he would come to visit Lelouch and Nunnally later made him. There were too many things that could go wrong between now and then, so it shouldn't even be his priority, but it always was. Despite all of his best efforts, he had managed to…
"Lelouch?" He jumped as Suzaku gently tipped his head up, the knight smiling at him before leaning forward for a kiss. "Ready?"
Lelouch stared at him before turning around, trying to control the blush that was rising to his cheeks. Now was not the time to be thinking about this. He was about to announce that he was going to, essentially, staring tearing apart the world and all he could think about was how much he didn't want Suzaku to leave.
He shook his head, glancing back at the mirror to be sure that he was ready, carefully pushing his hair back into place. Lelouch ignored Suzaku's badly muffled laugh, not bothering to glare at his knight. Instead, he just sighed, turning to face where the people had gathered to hear his announcement. In there would be reporters and former nobles who still didn't quite believe that their noble status was gone for good. It was the appropriate audience for what he was about to say, they would react the best. As for the reactions of the world, he would just have to wait and see what the internet and his spy network dug up.
"Let's go, Suzaku."
"Yes, your majesty."
Lelouch tried to fight back the smile that came with that, walking out into the open and watching out of the corner of his eye as the people in the room quickly bowed. He smirked at that, increasingly aware of Suzaku's presence just a few steps behind him, wishing he could turn around to watch Suzaku. Mentally, he noted that he would have to watch this broadcast later just for their performance and decide what to tweak.
He pushed those thoughts out of his mind. Later, he would deal with all of that later. Right now, he had an empire to address.
Lelouch stopped just off center of the stage, ignoring the podium that had been set up for him. This way, the crowd had to turn slightly to face him. Lelouch gestured Suzaku closer with a twitch of his fingers, staring at the crowd.
"People of Britannia, you have probably heard the reports and read that the Chinese Federation has fallen and I have come to tell you that it is fact. One of our greatest enemies has fallen to pieces and I was the one to do it." There were gasps and mutters, Lelouch smirking. This was too easy. "In order to stamp out the rampant terrorist activities in Area 11, it was necessary to remove all of the terrorists would be allies. That was why the Chinese Federation had to be removed, along with all of the others that had sympathized with them."
There were mutters exchanged in the crowd, Lelouch watching with delight as they all came to the same conclusion. He was talking about Princess Euphemia. Here and now he was admitting that it had been an assassination instead of murder and that everything that he had told them before was a lie.
"The Chinese Federation was ruled by fat old men who cared only for what they could gain. By aiding the terrorists, they hoped to steal Area 11 away from Britannia. They have been plotting after what is rightfully ours for years. Only a foolish old man would let them live like that."
The muttering was back, Lelouch catching the name of his father bandied about. Charles zi Britannia had done his best to keep the Chinese Federation and the EU quiet if not their allies. Of course, Britannia had never had time for allies before, it was too busy taking what it wanted instead of going through the usual diplomatic routes.
"And, to quell any rumors that may have started, I have no intention of creating more Britannian held Areas from the former countries of the Chinese Federation. Why bother taking what we already have?" Technically that was a lie, but no one knew that. "This is the true strength of Britannia. We don't need an army to tear down a superpower, we can just use words and it will fall to its knees. This is the fate for those who oppose us. Fighting will get those terrorists nowhere. They were just a pleasant diversion for the time, but their novelty has worn out. So, this is my decree, the terrorist group known as the Black Knights will disband immediately and stop all communications with their allies in the EU or I will truly go to war against them. I have no intention of giving back this country to stupid old men."
Lelouch stepped to the side, gesturing Suzaku to come and stand beside him, glorying in the gasps from the crowd. They all recognized Suzaku from his knighting and when Princess Euphemia had been viceroy. They all knew him as the Eleven who had dared to work his way through the system. He was obviously nothing special and obviously a spy, but he was being rewarded for it.
"This is an example of what the Numbers should be, loyal to their empire and their emperor. Isn't that right, Suzaku?"
"Yes, my lord."
Lelouch smiled as he reached out to brush a finger along Suzaku's jaw line, their gazes meeting for a moment before Lelouch looked away. He couldn't get himself too lost in the act. It was all based on hints, little hints that he would give out to the crowd so they could gather evidence that they would never deny. Let them believe that he had killed his half sister. Let them believe that he had brought down the Chinese Federation because he was bored. Let them believe that he was promoting Suzaku because the Eleven had slept his way through the ranks. He would never confirm or deny any of it.
"Suzaku Kururugi is my personal knight, since I have learned that I can no longer trust my nobles. But I feel that they have been punished accordingly." Lelouch glanced out at the crowd, watching the former aristocracy there shift nervously. "A knighthood is a place that should be gained by skill and not by title, and a position should be gained the same way. Britannia no longer has any use for the people who use their family name alone. This is the new Britannia, not the slow and lumbering beast that was my father's Britannia. This Britannia will crush all of her foes and rise as the strongest nation in the world."
The cheers were slow in coming, Lelouch watching as the people really processed what he was saying as they began to clap. They probably didn't understand all he had said, but they would soon enough. They were cheering and clapping now because it was what you did when the emperor spoke to you. Soon enough they would be cursing his name.
While he was searching for the Black Knights, he would begin to start passing laws that would serve to further limit what little power the aristocracy had, placing that power firmly in the hands of the people. The foundation would be well settled by the time of his faked death and well before he had to face the Black Knights.
The resistance movement had fallen for his bait, they had gone after the Chinese Federation in the hopes of winning allies. They had managed to gain India's support, but Lelouch suspected that they had already had that in a smaller form. The other countries were too fragmented to actually help. Which just left the Black Knights with a fearful EU and exhausted soldiers, not something that he would have to watch out for. It would give him time to search for the Black Knight's headquarters. And, if that failed, he would just bring the battle to him. He would leave an opening for them to attack and wait for them to realize it was too late.
Lelouch turned to walk away, Suzaku right behind him. As he walked, he could hear the clapping slowly stop, replaced with mutters from the former aristocracy. Lelouch was tempted to stay behind and hear what they were saying, but he would find out soon enough, there were some of his loyal guards in the room who would report to him what was said. Suzaku was no longer someone that he could put into a room and trust to be ignored, but that was a risk that he had decided to take when he had put Suzaku into this position.
He slowed once they were out of sight of the crowd, turning so Suzaku could walk up beside him. "Well done."
"Thanks." Suzaku looked nervous and uncomfortable. "And that's it?"
"For now." Lelouch pulled his hat off to push his hair back into place before setting his hat on his head again. "We'll wait to see what their reaction is and decide how fast to move on that front. As for the Black Knights, we'll start searching them out now. Destroying them before they are ready to attack would be ideal, but they have managed to hide from us so far."
"And the EU?"
"It's pointless to try and destroy it, it's already fragmented."
"I meant about their allies." Lelouch raised an eyebrow as Suzaku blushed and looked to the side. "Cut their supply lines to their allies and they won't be able to move as fast. And, if the EU thinks that you'll come in then they'll withdraw support."
Lelouch chuckled, reaching out to touch Suzaku's cheek. "Very good, my knight. I knew there was a reason I kept you around."
"I'm nice to look at."
"There's the second one." Lelouch allowed his smirk to soften into a real smile, the change in expression seeming to encourage Suzaku to step towards him. "Thank you."
"I agreed to help you."
"And for that I thank you." Lelouch buried his hand in Suzaku's curls, letting them stand close together for a long moment before pulling away. "We still have things to do."
"Of course, your majesty."
"Not when we're alone." Lelouch surprised himself with his outburst. Suzaku was staring wide eyed at him, a look of complete surprise on his face. Lelouch cleared his throat, turning towards the mirror in the room so he wouldn't actually have to look at Suzaku. "When we're alone, use my name, Suzaku. I believe we're past all this your majesty," he waved his hand as he searched for the word, "nonsense."
Suzaku chuckled, giving a little bow at the waist before walking off, probably to continue running tests on the Lancelot Albion. According to the report from Cecile, there were a few more adjustments to make, mostly to keep Lloyd happy. Other than that, the Lancelot Albion was ready for battle whenever he wanted it. If his plans went the way he wanted them to, the Albion's maiden voyage wouldn't be as much as a battle as a capture. If at all possible, he wanted to take the terrorist's command center instead of having a long, drawn out battle.
Lelouch tipped his head to the side, watching as Suzaku walked away. He caught glimpses of the knight's black boots as the cape billowed out, congratulating himself on such a good design. He would have fun stripping the entire outfit off of Suzaku tonight.
Cornelia stared numbly at the screen, ignoring the shouts of outrage from the others around her. What Lelouch was saying didn't matter, it was what he wasn't saying that was more important.
What he was telling the Black Knights right now was that they had fallen for his trap. Instead of building up their forces as he had been doing, they had gone off to fight a war, a useless war that had only secured them what they already had. Cornelia clenched her hand into a fist, staring down at the table. While their losses had been low, nothing above what would usually make up a small Knightmare squadron, they had taken losses, where Lelouch had just resupplied his army. And their losses were always more devastating, because it meant the loss of a soldier and a weapon, both of which they had a small supply of.
She thought she had been annoying Lelouch or at least throwing him off by taking the bait. Some part of her must have thought that he would decided to go after them to attempt to save the Chinese Federation. After all, the two countries were allies, albeit uneasy ones. Instead Lelouch had taken the time that they had given him to rebuild and now he had come back to brag about it. He was bragging to the world how he could destroy countries easily, and that he had been playing with the terrorists for his own amusement before.
Cornelia's stomach sank as she realized that he was right. If he had managed to get the battle completely on his terms, then they would have been dead at Narita. They had just been lucky all of his time, lucky that they had put Lelouch into a position that had forced Euphy to bargain for his life. Lucky that they hadn't fallen apart completely when their former leaders had been gunned down. Lucky that he had let them escape without following them. And they had foolishly thought that it was just the war going their way.
She leaned back in her seat, no longer paying attention to the broadcast.
Did Schneizel know what was really going on? Was he humoring them just because they were the most willing group that he could find? He hadn't given any hint that he really know what was going on, but he and Lelouch were alike about that, they would hide their true intentions for as long as it suited them. Cornelia hoped that Schneizel had been as caught off guard as they were by this, that was the only hope for their pride. She wasn't up for his gentle scolding, although part of her wanted to blame him for not seeing this and warning them about it.
Wasn't he their ally? Wasn't he the one who knew Lelouch better than any of them? Wasn't he the only one who could really predict Lelouch's twisted strategies? If he really wanted to prove himself, the he would actually help instead of agreeing with all of her plans. Cornelia may have not spent as much time with him as Lelouch had, but she could tell when Schneizel was withholding something. Of course, what he wasn't telling her might not be important, it might be about what he was doing or who he had lost when Lelouch had tried to force Schneizel into agreeing with him, but at least she could tell.
Still, it was the one thing that bothered her, the fact that Schneizel continued to not tell her everything that she needed to know. He insisted on keeping his own projects a secret, but she needed to know about what weapon he was working on to incorporate it into battle. Even if it was as simple as point and shoot, she needed to know how destructive it was, what it was the most effective on and the ways that it could be stopped. They were planning a war here, not trying to outdo each other. It wasn't as if the winner would get much in the end, just the pleasure of having to face Lelouch alone. Hadn't Schneizel learned that their old ways of dealing with each other wouldn't work anymore?
She sighed and reached up to push her hair away from her face, aware that the motion was drawing everyone's attention to her. She was especially aware of Kallen's glare. Cornelia looked up from the table, meeting the pilot's gaze before nodding slowly. "Our grace period is over."
It was surprising how much that simple statement relaxed them, although that was probably because they were all thinking it. Cornelia shifted in her chair, making sure to meet Tohdoh's gaze. The bulk of the planning would be resting on them. There were a few others around this table that would be useful, but the rest were completely self-centered, they wanted the glory of being the one to bring down Britannia. She forced herself not to show her anger, they would realize just what they were getting into soon enough.
"We made a mistake." There was a bark of laughter from Kallen, Cornelia choosing to ignore it. "Obviously Lelouch was far ahead of us when we made our move. What we're lacking now is the confirmation from the countries that we've just helped that they can't return the favor, because they're too broken and Britannia is too big."
"The cowards."
Cornelia smiled at the quiet mutter from Kallen, secretly agreeing with the Eleven. If those countries truly wanted to be free of the Chinese Federation and Britannia, they would focus on getting rid of the problem instead of hiding it. She was sure that Lelouch could probably rebuild the Chinese Federation as easily as he had taken it down.
"Our focus needs to be on getting the remaining Knightmare Frames battle ready and finding pilots for them. Since Schneizel is not willing to speak about the weapon he promised us, we must plan the bulk of the battle like it didn't exist."
"We're still going to fight him? That's suicide."
"It's suicide if we don't." Cornelia stood up. "We've been lucky so far, because we've gotten to chose the battlefields. What happens when that doesn't happen? What happens when Lelouch gets the upper hand? Or can you even imagine it? We've lost all our other battles, but those has been when Lelouch wasn't on even footing with us."
The muttering around the table quieted down, Cornelia straightening up and glaring at all of them. "We can't expect him to bring the battle to us, that would be suicide. So, we plan the battle, looking for places that will give us the advantage." She was silent for a moment. "Someone should check up on those old subway tunnels."
"Lelouch already knows about them."
"I am aware of that."
"But he can't guard all of them." Tohdoh spoke up, giving Cornelia a nod. "We might not be strong enough for battles, but those are escape routes. Find the extent of them and you have our range."
Cornelia nodded slowly, tapping her fingers against the table. "Lelouch has been focusing on getting his Knightmares airborne, something that we haven't managed. But that won't be too much use in the forest or the city itself. If they did descend to fire on us in the streets, we could pick them off from all sides. In the forest, they wouldn't be able to touch us. Our choices are limited here, but not impossible."
"I say we attack the city." Cornelia looked at the man who had spoken.
"There are Japanese in Tokyo!" Ohgi was on his feet now, looking at the man in shock. "We can't attack and put all of those people in danger."
"Lelouch wouldn't let us do that."
Cornelia laughed, shaking her head. "After an announcement like that? I doubt it. He finally admitted that he ordered Euphemia's death." She was glad that her voice didn't crack over her sister's name. Cornelia ignored the tightness in her throat, forcing herself to press on. "I don't think he would care if we destroyed the whole city, he would just twist it to his advantage. But, even with that, we can't forget the advantage that we'd have there, even if there are people on our side there."
Ohgi stared at her before sitting down, rubbing his forehead. "We'll have to think about this."
"I agree completely." Cornelia forced herself to smile. "We can't rush into this."
"We'll have to warn them." Ohgi looked up at her, Cornelia not arguing. If Ohgi wanted to try and get people out of the way, he was welcome to. It might provide more recruits and it would also cut into Lelouch's support base. There was only so much that people would take before they struck out against a ruler.
"We have the time to. To rush into battle this minute would be foolish. But we have to be cautious, Lelouch will be looking for us now."
"What if he already knows where we are?"
Cornelia turned to look at the speaker. "He doesn't. I know this because he hasn't killed us all yet."
That made the group quiet down. Cornelia glanced over at Kallen before stepping away from the table. She was going to look over what little information that they had and the maps of the surrounding areas. Hopefully she could begin to structure a battle plan.
There was a chance that Schneizel would call today, just to be sure that they were taking steps to avoid being found, but Cornelia doubted it. He would probably call tomorrow or the day after, after seeing that Lelouch's claims wouldn't be affecting him yet. And that was why this alliance was barely working, Schneizel was too busy looking out for himself. There had to be some effort put into helping them or they would both just crumble when Lelouch turned his full attention to them. Hadn't Schneizel learned that from the deaths of their other siblings?
Cornelia sighed, walking down the corridor to the room where the maps were kept. She hoped that Tohdoh would join her later, it was always better to speak to a native about the terrain. She hadn't gotten the chance to get as familiar with Area 11 as she had had on her other campaigns. For this one, she had spent most of her time in hiding, hoping that Lelouch would remain sufficiently distracted.
That was their only hope now, that Lelouch would continue to be distracted from what they were doing. He could turn his full attention to them now that the Chinese Federation had been taken care of, which was a bad thing for them. Their hiding spot, while comfy enough, was also too close to the Tokyo Settlement for comfort.
She opened the door to the room, staring at all of the maps with a sigh. They would know where to find her if Schneizel called. For now, figuring out all the places they could lure Lelouch into battle was more important than what Schneizel could offer them.
Schneizel stared at the blank screen with a smirk on his face, leaning his hand against his cheek. So this was Lelouch's opening move? Typical. The king was leading. All he had to do was find a way to counter it, although the knight was an interesting touch. After the rebellion by the Rounds, Schneizel would have thought that Lelouch wouldn't have bothered to put someone into that place, especially after the rumors that the Knights of the Round had managed to badly injure his favorite.
It was petty of him to be disappointed by the fact that Lelouch's favorite was still very much alive, and completely unharmed from what he could see. Maybe the rumors had been created by Lelouch to give him some breathing room after the Rounds rebelled. Although, Schneizel didn't think that Lelouch would have kept himself from government work for this long if that were true.
But it was still annoying to watch Lelouch flaunting what he had, as if to make Schneizel more aware of what he didn't.
Schneizel stood up from his chair, walking calmly from his room. It couldn't matter to him, because it wouldn't last. There were times when he had considered trying to save his half brother or turn his knight to their side, but those plans wouldn't work. With what he had seen today, Lelouch had a knight that was completely loyal to him and was completely unrepentant about what he had done. Schneizel would have liked to be able to just lock Lelouch away somewhere, but the people wouldn't have let that happen in the end. It was easier to just end their misery now.
And if he decided to take out the knight while Lelouch was watching, it was because the man was the more dangerous one out of the two. It wasn't revenge for what Lelouch had done to him.
It would be in their best interests to start moving what they could to Area 11, while the former Chinese Federation was still in a state of chaos. It would be hard to determine whether the troops and Knightmares were being sent to another part of the former superpower or to Area 11, at least for the Britannians. The Damocles would be the last thing to go, but the structure was almost completely ready. It wouldn't hurt to hurry along production, now that they were sure that the most difficult parts had been managed.
He would have to send Clara Einstein and her daughter ahead, she was the only one that knew enough about the F.L.E.I.J.A. to instruct people on the handling of it. They would have their usual team, but there were soldiers to be educated about it and the commanders to talk to. He knew that Cornelia would want to know everything she could about the weapon before it was used. Schneizel made a mental note to tell his team to remind her that they wanted to be on the good side of the people. If they fired the F.L.E.I.J.A. in a populated area, it would make them seem as bad as Lelouch.
Schneizel sighed. He knew Cornelia would not immediately jump to that conclusion, but his half sister was still hurting from the death of her men and Euphy's murder, especially now that Lelouch had admitted that he had ordered it. Schneizel wasn't sure if he believed Lelouch, he remembered how close Euphy had been to Lelouch and Nunnally before their exile. But then that was the problem, he couldn't depend on what Lelouch was before his exile in Japan. Living there among people who had hated him and surviving month long war that Britannia had fought with the country had changed him completely.
He did know one thing, there would be no more talk of trying to get Nunnally. It would be better if they focused all of their attention on Lelouch. Nunnally could always be saved later and a few inconvenient falsehoods told to her. There was really no difference in telling her that Lelouch had died of his wounds in battle before they could get him back to her and telling her that they had killed him on the battlefield. Both explanations would upset her, and both explanations were equally as true.
But it had come to the point where Lelouch could no longer be left alive, which was distressing enough. Schneizel had hoped that he would be able to keep the rest of his siblings alive, just to be able to have them around. It was distressing to suddenly lose something that one had a lot of so quickly.
There were other plans to be made to, like if they failed.
Cornelia wouldn't think of it, and neither would the Black Knights. They were all either confident in their skills or forcing themselves not to think of that situation; which meant that it was another job that was left to him.
Schneizel closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the beginnings of a headache stirring. He couldn't blame them for this, it was important to remain positive when having to face Lelouch, but it was annoying that he was the one actually thinking ahead. He rubbed his forehead, relieved when the stirrings of the headache went away.
They would have to rely on assassins then, and probably some drawn from the ranks of the Black Knights. They wouldn't need to be professional, just efficient and quick. It would be their last resort if failure did happen. The group would be given orders for a specific time to attack and to be ready at all times. The lives of the leaders didn't matter in this case, in fact it would help if the leaders of the resistance died before the assassins struck, but Schneizel wasn't going to force the others to see it his way. The others probably valued their lives more than he did.
The assassin plan could be saved until later to be fully worked out. Now he had to figure out just how much support he could promise his half sister and organize for their movement to Area 11. Clara and Nina would be sent over first with their scientists and a small escort, he knew that for certain. But he would have to wait for the others until Cornelia told him when they expected to attack. Still, the sooner the better, just in case Lelouch outmaneuvered them, which is what Schneizel suspected his little brother was doing now.
If that was truly the case, then he should try to contact Cornelia now instead of waiting for later. But, knowing his half sister, she was probably already trying to come up with a plan using what forces she had. Schneizel smiled at that. Cornelia's confidence was a wonderful to have, especially with her being so determined. He supposed that was the right way to react to losing someone close, wanting revenge instead of just putting them aside and forgetting about them. Still, to each their own.
He would give Cornelia time to come up with her battle plans, time to calm down from the information that had been given to her by Lelouch. That way he could guarantee a civil conversation between the two of them, even if the Elevens who ran the Black Knights insisted on worrying over things they could not change and information that they already knew. In that time, he would tell Clara about her new assignment and tell her to get ready.
Schneizel paused outside of the lab, tipping his head to the side as he thought something over. He would tell Cornelia to attempt to get Lelouch's new knight, but only if she was sure they could without giving up what advantages they had. But it was a novel idea, to make Lelouch watch them destroy his favorite. He and Cornelia would have to come to an agreement about how to do it, if the knight should be shot and left to bleed out or if he should be ripped apart like Euphy had been. While shooting would be the most efficient method, Schneizel had to concede that ripping the knight apart would be more fun to watch, and it would be ironic, using the murder's own method against himself.
He chuckled and stepped into the lab, banishing that thought. He would discuss it with Cornelia once they had a sound strategy.
May 27, 2011
Suzaku stretched as he stood on the scaffolding, turning slightly to stare into the Lancelot Albion. Somehow, Lloyd had designed to give the pilot less room than the original. Suzaku shook his head and lowered his arms, it was probably for the best though, less of a target to hit. He rolled his left shoulder, his muscles protesting the move. Other than his shoulder, which bugged him randomly when it stiffened up, he was back in fighting condition.
Or so said everyone. And even that didn't stop Lelouch from giving him those worried glances when Lloyd kept him late or those moments of panic when he had rolled farther away than usual in his sleep.
It was strange how the world could see the confident emperor when he could only see the teenager who was afraid of losing the people who were closest to them.
Suzaku walked down to where Cecile was sitting, the woman comparing the data from the simulation that they had just run to the data from the actual test of the float system that they had carried out two days ago. From the smile on her face, Suzaku guessed that the results were good or at least tolerable enough to show to Lloyd. He had been called out twice now only to be sent back in because something had interfered or the computer had crashed.
He settled down in the seat beside her, Cecile glancing at him before returning to her work. Suzaku took the moment to shut his eyes, reaching for the cloak that he had draped over the chair before he had gone into the Lancelot. It was a lot colder out here than it was in the Lancelot, and he was only wearing his flight suit. Suzaku stood up briefly to wrap the cloak around him before flopping back down in the seat, closing his eyes again.
He was sleeping better now. The nightmares had stopped occurring every night, probably because he was no longer panicking over the situation. They were too far into Lelouch's plan to turn back now and he had resigned himself to what was going to happen. His fear of losing Lelouch was warring with his sudden bouts of homesickness. Now that he was close to the end of his time here, Suzaku was looking forward to his normal life. Going to school was much easier than facing the Black Knights on the battlefield and he missed his friends on the student council.
But he was going to miss Lelouch. Suzaku's stomach rolled at that thought, Suzaku gripping the edges of his cloak tightly. Lelouch was the only person that he had met so far that he had been remotely interested in. It was silly of him to think that Lelouch was the end of all romantic things in his life, but it was hard to think of someone other than Lelouch. He had gotten used to Lelouch, all of Lelouch's insecurities and quirks.
Suzaku opened his eyes and stared at the blank computer screen in front of him. He didn't really remember what it felt like to sleep alone in a bed anymore, he had gotten used to holding Lelouch until they both fell asleep and then waking up to Lelouch pressed up against him. There were more little adjustments that he would have to make when he got back to his time, and there would be no one to talk to about it; Lloyd wouldn't understand and Cecile would be sympathetic, but truly understanding.
He sighed, looking up abruptly as Cecile stopped typing. She looked over at him, Suzaku smiling to try and stop her from worrying. His smile faltered as Cecile turned completely towards him. "Suzaku, are you homesick?"
Suzaku was relieved that she hadn't figured him out, chuckling as he looked up at her. "Just a bit." He adjusted the cloak over his shoulders. "It's weird because you and Lloyd are here and I still miss the two of you."
"Lloyd changed?"
"Not by much. I'm more of his second assistant at home than his test subject." Suzaku raised one shoulder in s shrug. "It's just that all of the right people are here, but not all of, well...them."
Cecile picked at the sleeve of her jacket. "Are you going to miss anyone here?"
"Of course. I'll miss Gino, Anya, Nunnally and Le-" Suzaku's voice cracked over the name. He blushed and looked away. "Lelouch."
He could see Cecile smirking out of the corner of his eye. Suzaku ducked his head further, clearing his throat. "Yeah, definitely going to miss Lelouch."
"I thought you might." Cecile turned back to her computer. "But I'm sure I won't stop you from finding him when you get back."
"I can't." The words were out before Suzaku had even thought about them. He glanced up at Cecile, fumbling for an excuse. "I'm still in school. We don't have a break for a while. Even then, he's going to be eighteen years older than I am. I doubt that you would like me dating a thirty-seven year old man."
"I don't know. If it made you happy."
"Thanks Miss. Cecile." He smiled, standing up. It wasn't too late in the day, but he still wanted to go and find Lelouch. The emperor might have something planned for the two of them. If there wasn't, then Suzaku would enjoy time spent in his presence. There was nothing else to do.
He turned around, stopping when he saw Gino beaming up at him. Suzaku chuckled and leaned on the railing. "Trying to sneak up on me Gino?"
"Of course not." The blond knight laughed. "I was waiting to see if you could actually move in all of that. It looks heavy."
"It's actually very comfortable."
"You would say that." Gino crossed his arms over his chest, the smile still on his face. "Well Mr. Personal Knight of the Emperor, do you have time to speak to your old friend?"
Suzaku glanced at Cecile, the woman giving him a gently shooing gesture. He suspected that Lloyd would want him to stick around, probably to help with simulations for new parts that the scientist wanted to add or to stand by while Lloyd poked and prodded at the time machine. Knowing Lloyd, the scientist would keep him long past dinner, an experience he didn't want to repeat. Leaving now would be his best option.
"I do. Although I think that the emperor will want me at dinner."
"Good, because that's when I'm on duty." Gino winced and lowered his voice. "Anya has been having her incidents again."
"Really?"
"Yeah, Nunnally has given her some time off starting tonight." Gino wrapped his arm around Suzaku's shoulders as he came down from the computer platform. "I think it's the stress. She gets into a stressful position, goes to bed and wakes up not remembering a whole day. I would freak out if I were her, and probably more often, but she handles it well."
"Why don't you ask her to be moved somewhere else?"
"Because she's still a noble. Her family isn't as wealthy or wasn't as important as mine, but they are…were a noble family. There would be no end of complaining if they found that their daughter was shipped off."
Suzaku rolled his eyes, focusing on the walk back to the administrative building. He wasn't going to be going out onto the street in these clothes and Gino was also in his knight uniform. They were probably just going to go to the break room and play pool, it was what they were doing more often these days, especially since Suzaku couldn't go out in public without being shouted at. The Japanese hated him now almost as much as the Britannians, he was a traitor to them.
He stared at the ground for most of the journey to the building, listening to Gino chattering on about what was going on that he was missing out on. He smiled to himself once as Gino started to rate some of the women guards, shaking his head at the blond's antics. Gino was just trying to distract him right now, at least until they were somewhere where no one would bother them.
Suzaku led the way into the building and down the halls, Gino stepping back behind him. He would only allow Gino to touch him when they were alone or with people who knew the plan, which was harder that it looked. Gino was always hanging off of him.
They slipped into the empty room, Gino immediately heading for one of the chairs and flopping down in it. Suzaku leaned against the pool table enjoying the chance to stand for a while after being cramped in the Lancelot's cockpit.
He glanced over at Gino as the knight moved from where he was splayed out over the chair, finally sitting up. "How's the new Knightmare treating you?"
Suzaku just smiled, Gino laughing at that. "Should have known. Lloyd is good with those things, far better than the mechanics we have back at Pendragon, even if he is a bit eccentric."
"You get used to him."
"It's amazing the people you get used to." Suzaku tensed at the grin that Gino was giving him. It usually meant that Gino was up to no good.
Suzaku tried to remember anything that would make Gino give him that look, his stomach twisting as the blond stood up from his chair.
"Our emperor for example." Suzaku slumped, refusing to meet Gino's eyes. That did nothing but encourage Gino. "So it isn't just a thing!"
"Just a thing?"
"A one time thing." Suzaku blushed, quickly reaching back and pulling up the hood of his cloak to hide it. He heard Gino laugh again, rolling his shoulders forward to try and make himself smaller. "Oh man, you mean it's serious."
"Possibly." Suzaku sighed and reluctantly pushed the hood back, still not looking at Gino. "Look it's complicated and I don't want to talk about it."
"Fine." Gino waved a hand. "I just want to know if it's a perk of the job or something else, because I'm pretty sure there are some beautiful princesses in the EU who would love to have a knight in their-Ow."
Suzaku grinned at Gino, pulling his hand back after the ineffectual punch. "Watch yourself, Gino. You don't want to be accused of treason, do you?"
Gino grumbled and crossed his hands over his chest, obviously fighting a smile. Suzaku shook his head and leaned back on the table. "This is all you're getting. It's not a perk, it's something we agreed on. And none of this is allowed to leave this room."
"Of course. Like I'd tell the world you were with the emperor. That would be like signing you death warrant now. But I might be too late on that one." Suzaku turned to face Gino, confused by the way his friend was suddenly sober. Gino sighed, reaching out to pat Suzaku's shoulder. "Be careful, they already hate you for being with him."
"I know that."
"I wouldn't be surprised if they-"
"I know Gino. I knew it from the moment I agreed. Lelouch asked me before if I was willing to do this and I am." Suzaku ducked his head. "I have nothing to lose."
Gino snorted but said nothing, Suzaku glad that his friend didn't remind him of everything that he had here. He was already hyper aware of the people he had met here that he would have to leave, Lelouch was just the foremost in his mind. There was Gino, Nunnally, Anya, and even Jeremiah, as much as the man hated that he was an Eleven. And he would miss these versions of Lloyd and Cecile, where Lloyd was just a little more carefree and Cecile didn't seem so exhausted.
But he was already in too deep. He could have stopped Lelouch before, but he had waited too long, he had realized his mistake too late. Lelouch couldn't keep the throne now, which meant that Suzaku couldn't stay. Even if he could have stayed he wasn't sure, because then there were his friends back at Ashford.
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, jumping when Gino placed a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"
"Yeah." Suzaku gave a nervous laugh. "Just stress. Lots of it."
"Don't forget to take breaks. Working yourself to death won't solve anything."
Suzaku chuckled. "Tell that to Lloyd."
"Nah. It wouldn't get through." Gino sighed and leaned back against the table. "Well, you're lucky, you can always ask Lelouch to help you de-stress."
Suzaku blushed again, grumbling under his breath and turning his back on Gino. He heard the blond laugh. "This is just too easy, Suzaku."
"You…" Suzaku shook his head, trying to hide his smile. "I have duties to attend to, Sir Weinberg."
"Yeah, I probably do too." Gino sighed and leaned over to push the eight ball with his finger. "It's sad that we didn't get in our game of pool. I was feeling lucky today."
"Not lucky enough."
"You're only leading by one game."
"Tonight it would have been two." Suzaku laughed as Gino faked a pout, the blond recovering a moment later to bound over to Suzaku and sling an arm over his shoulders.
"Try not to get yourself into trouble, I'm not in any position to pull you out."
"Right. Same goes for you."
"Don't I know it. You probably have the power to send me somewhere obscure." Gino rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, Suzaku lingering for a moment more.
He missed having the time to go out with Gino and Anya. Seeing the city where he had grown up had been calming to him during those early months where he didn't know what he was really doing. It had been a reminder that, while everything else was strange, he was still home. Now all he could see were the closest buildings and, if he was standing on the roof, the tops of them. It wasn't the same as walking out into the city, but at least he was still here. Suzaku didn't know what he would have done if he had been forced to go somewhere else for this entire time.
Suzaku sighed and straightened out his cloak, carefully making sure that his face was blank. He couldn't be seen as tired or excited, it would give too much away. Lelouch was counting on him, and he would not fail this. He swallowed and stepped out into the hall, hoping that he wouldn't meet anyone, he wasn't in the mood today, not with the reminders of what was coming.
June 12, 2018
Kallen leaned on the chair in front of her as the screen flickered to black. She glanced around at the other pilots that had been invited to the meeting, just to make a show of force. They had all been asked to stand in the back of the room while their leaders went through and called the strongest countries from the former Chinese Federation in the hopes of getting more allies.
But the answers had all been the same, they were too weak to help them. They could lend technical support, but nothing more. They were all too busy trying to rebuild and watching China warily.
Kallen gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to punch something. They had fallen for Lelouch's trap. He had wanted them to try for more allies, but he had given them such a small time frame to work in that none of their allies would be ready to help them in time. They were still relying on Schneizel, who hadn't even called to contact them as a whole. Cornelia and Tohdoh had talked to the Britannian price.
She looked up at the sigh from Ohgi, straightening up to rest a hand on his shoulder. Ohgi glanced at her and nodded, silently thanking her for the support. Kallen would have smiled, but she couldn't quite manage the expression at the moment, not when they were going to have to face the Britannian army on their own. Even with the small amount of casualties from their efforts in the Chinese Federation, it was not enough.
Cornelia turned around to look at them, Kallen waiting for her to dismiss the pilots. They were usually filled in on the battle plans in the few days before battle, just so it was fresh in their head and there was less time to leak the information. She was surprised when Cornelia starting speaking like they weren't there.
"I fear that we're on our own."
"But Schneizel-"
"Has promised support." Cornelia glared at the man. "But hasn't specified how much. When he spoke to Tohdoh and I, he said that he would be sending over his weapon and the woman who invented it. So he's keeping that part of his promise."
Cornelia was frowning, Kallen staring at her. There had to be a reason for her to look like that, and that reason probably wouldn't be shared. Kallen shook her head, pushing her headband back into place as it slipped. "There's something else."
Cornelia glanced up at her in surprise, Kallen watching as the princess' hands clenched into fists. "He promised a fortress later in the month. But we need the fortress to fire the weapon."
Ohgi tensed beside her. "So he's making sure that we can't turn on him or move before he's ready."
Cornelia nodded slowly. "He's got us trapped, but that's only if we use his weapon. Tohdoh and I have worked out a strategy that would have us victorious if not the victor of the battle."
Kallen held back her laughter. She didn't get how you could not win a battle and consider it victorious. Even at Narita, she had felt that they had lost, even when it had been the JLF who had managed to force Britannia into surrender.
Tohdoh was leaning forward now, tapping at the table with a finger. "If Schneizel does not help us as promised then we won't engage Lelouch's troops. We'll use the abandoned subway tunnels to destroy as many of his troops as we can before pulling out. We'll regroup afterward and decide what to do from there."
There were shouts of surprise from the pilots, Kallen watching them. She was the only one out of the group who had actually gone to the Chinese Federation, the rest had been in training or had volunteered. It looked like the leaders had just chosen the pilots at random or by who was closest, so none of the more experienced pilots had made it in. She narrowed her eyes and looked around the table. What had made them do that? Were some of their leaders trying to push for them to make a decisive victory even with their disadvantage?
She gave the younger pilots a glare, shaking her head. They were too inexperienced to realize what they were calling for. With their size and their equipment, raids were better than full out attacks. The JLF had been the only group able to pull off those kind of attacks, but they had been effectively wiped out at Narita and then at their first attempt to retake Tokyo.
Kallen looked up to meet Tohdoh's gaze, giving him a nod. She would agree with him, he knew more about what he was doing than she did at the moment. She would save her arguments for the battlefield, for the times when she saw an opening that he couldn't. There at least she would be justified.
She leaned over again, lounging against the back of the chair as she waited for the pilots to be quiet, closing her eyes. She didn't really like Tohdoh's plan either, more for the fact that it would be long and drawn out. Kallen wasn't ready to give up the idea of freedom yet, nor was she tired of fighting. She was just tired of losing people that she had gotten close to. It hadn't gotten better over the years, it had possibly gotten worse as the list got longer. But it wasn't long enough to make her want to stop fighting for their freedom. In a way, she just wanted to win for once.
Kallen opened her eyes as the pilots finally fell silent, surprised to see that Ohgi had stood up. "I think it's a good plan, considering our resources. There's no way we can attack Tokyo head on without losing too many people. And then how are we going to hold it."
"Take the emperor himself!"
Kallen straightened up again. "The emperor isn't very well liked now. I doubt that Britannia would want to ransom him back. And then what? Lelouch still has enough power to command the loyalty of those close to him. Do you want to face his knight?"
"Yeah, and prove that I can beat him. The rest of you aren't trying hard enough. He's a traitor to Japan and-"
"Enough Tamaki." Ohgi glared at the man, flopping back down into his chair. "We're not going to risk what we have for the sake of proving something. This isn't the time for that. I agree with Kallen, it's a good plan and the only one that won't get all of us killed."
Tamaki huffed but didn't say anything else, much to Kallen's relief. Secretly, she agreed with him. It would be easier just to snatch back what was there, and it would get rid of the depression that had fallen over all of them after all of their failures. She hated the side of her that was telling her to be reasonable, to not waste this chance to accomplish Naoto's dream on some foolish showing off.
Although Tamaki did have a good idea. If they just took someone close to the emperor, not the emperor himself, they would force Lelouch to do what they wanted. They had tried for Nunnally once, but she was too far away from the battlefield and their move had been too obvious. But what about his knight?
From the broadcasts that Lelouch did and the reports from their spies, he and Kururugi were close, suspiciously close. There was no concrete evidence to show that they were anything more than emperor and knight, but there was evidence that Lelouch's absence had been because of Kururugi's injuries. If his knight was taken or badly injured, would Lelouch call off the battle? Kururugi was easier to catch than Nunnally, they just had to surround him, eventually his Knightmare would run out of energy or he would make a mistake.
After that it was up to their leaders. She was sure that they could threaten Lelouch into a position where he would give up Japan. With the Chinese Federation gone, they didn't have to worry about another superpower breathing down their necks, and Britannia would be taken care of as long as they kept Kururugi alive.
It was a good plan, but not a great one. Still, it guaranteed some sort of accomplishment, which was what the soldiers wanted anyway.
Kallen tuned out the rest of the arguments at the table, just watching their leaders. They would all agree with Tohdoh and Cornelia's plan in the end, because it was the only plan that made sense. There would be a few who came up with showy plans of their own, but would meet with resistance when they tried to sell them to the soldiers. Cornelia and Tohdoh had the soldiers firmly in the palms of their hands, which meant the raid plan would go through anyway.
She stood up as the group began to file out of the room, quickly edging her way through the initial rush out the door to find Ohgi. He was easy enough to spot, and Kallen reached out to grab his sleeve. Ohgi didn't turn to look at her, but the slight tip of his head told her enough. She let go and allowed herself to drift towards one of the deserted halls. Ohgi wouldn't talk with her in front of the others, just in case some of the pilots got crazy ideas.
She didn't have to wait for long, Ohgi slipping into the hallway and leaning back against the wall. Kallen watched as he smothered a yawn before rubbing his eyes. "Tired?"
"A couple of late nights. Nothing to worry about."
"I think we're all having those." Kallen crossed her arms, shaking her head. "But you're going to get trouble from that group."
"I've noticed. It's all for their glory and the glory of Japan. Sounds like us when we just started out."
Kallen sighed. "That's still us."
"Yes, but we're more careful about it." Ohgi tipped his head back so he was staring at the ceiling. "I think Tohdoh will be able to keep them in line. And most of them have never actually fought against Britannia before. I'm betting that they'll be frightened when the time comes."
"Speaking of that, I'm thinking about our plan."
"Kallen…"
"No, I'm not going to tell you to change it. Just ask Cornelia and Tohdoh if they would consider getting Lelouch's knight." Ohgi froze, staring at her with wide eyes. Kallen cleared her throat. "We've heard rumors from the capital and we have proof that Kururugi was injured while the emperor did nothing. Obviously, there's something there. Nunnally is too well protected to capture, we've tried it before. What I'm saying is that we appear to go after Nunnally, and then Kururugi will come for us. As long as we outnumber him we can take him, and the emperor will do anything to get him back alive. He'll even give us Japan."
"And then what, we'll be stuck with him."
"Not if Lelouch continues to piss off his people. Once they kill him, we'll just kill Kururugi. He is a traitor."
"Or someone just trying to survive."
"Ohgi, he's giving the Japanese people hope about something that they can't accomplish. Lelouch will never let them climb the ranks like he did. The only reason Kururugi got there was because he slept his way there."
Ohgi shifted. "We don't know that for sure."
"Well, I do. First, Euphemia and then, somehow, Lelouch. It's perfectly clear from the way they are around each other."
"You might be reading too far into it Kallen."
"I know what I see."
Ohgi raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. But you'll have to be the one to bring it up to them. Tohdoh respects you for your skills and Cornelia thinks highly of you…or as highly as she can. If you were the one to bring this information to them, they would consider it more seriously than if it came from me. I'm just here to handle the staff, not the pilots."
"Fine."
"Remember that they'll only consider it as a last attempt."
Kallen paused, her hand on the wall. "I know that. And I mean it as that. It would be more effort than it's really worth, but it would be something. And we need a victory, a clear victory or we might start having deserters."
Ohgi looked shocked at the news, but nodded. Kallen relaxed at that, at least he understood their worries. If people started deserting, then they wouldn't be able to attack Tokyo, and they would be at Schneizel's mercy, something that she very much doubted anyone wanted. But when the choice was between someone who could bring them a victory and another retreat, Kallen knew that they were going to chose Schneizel. She had heard the whispered conversations herself.
She nodded at Ohgi and walked back into the main hall, glancing around before heading to the room where the maps were kept. She would start there and search through the building for Tohdoh. As much as Cornelia valued her, Kallen was sure that the Britannian princess only thought she was useful on the battlefield.
Kallen gritted her teeth. That was another thing they would have to decide on, what to do about Cornelia after they had won. She was sure that Tohdoh and Ohgi knew that they weren't just going to be left alone, the sakuradite that Japan had was too important for Britannia to just give up. Cornelia was already there with them, they could always just hold her hostage. But Kallen doubted that Schneizel would attempt to rescue her, he hadn't helped his other siblings when they were in danger.
She clenched her hands into fists, staring at the floor. Stupid Britannian royals. They were so focused on claiming that damn throne that they forgot about their family. They didn't seem to care when they lost one and it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that they didn't bother to notice the loss of one sibling when Kallen was still struggling with the loss of her brother. How come they didn't get to notice?
She looked up abruptly at the sound of voices, stepping to the side of the hall to let the group by. Kallen waited until they were gone before reaching up to wipe her tears away. She could think about Naoto later. Right now her job was to find Tohdoh and finish the fight that her brother had started.
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