Kyugan: I always cry at weddings! *Ducks as layzar flies overhead*
Odin: *Pimpslaps ki blast back where it came from* Fufufufu
Lelouch: *Still lechter restrained, face down on floor* Little help!
Kyugan: After Cake...and to those of you wondering what took so long for this *Inuboy86* I blame my mortality.
Warning: The following chapter contains copious amounts of nookie
Female Riders: WOOHOO!
Lelouch: *Whimpers*
For those of you averse to watching, reading, or knowing such content exists, you might wanna skip the final half of this chapter altogether.
Lelouch: But...this chapter's over 4,000 words long...
Chapter 24: Recuperation.
'Is that…Nick?' Milly wondered, the Ashford Heir's eyes widening in disbelief as she gaped, along with the gathered onlookers, as the face of the man known as Zero was finally revealed to the public 'It can't be…Nick Carter is Zero?'
"Nicky?" Gino stammered, the Knight of Three gaping at the teen he'd befriended at Suzaku's welcoming party in shock, even as shocked whispers broke out amongst the other party guests "What the…is this a joke? You can't be…"
"Lelouch?" Nina whispered, the former Xenophobe's eyes widening with shocked disbelief as she stared up at the grim faced features of the man she'd just stabbed "But…why're you…you can't be-!"
"What's wrong?" Zero asked, his tone inquisitive, despite Kallen fussing at him to cover his face again, warding the redhead off with a gentle push "Is it so surprising that the enemy of Britannia be as human as you are?"
"What're you talking about?!" Gino exclaimed, the Knight of Three waving one gloved hand to the side as he stared into the teen's mismatched eyes in disbelief "C'mon Nick, A jokes a joke but this is too much-!"
"All this time…" Nina stammered, the poor girl sinking to the floor, her face lined with paranoia and betrayal as she gripped the side of her head with white knuckled fingers "All of them…lying to me…making a fool of me…"
"Nina…"Milly uttered, the Ashford Heir looking on in concern from a silent Lloyd's side, stepping forward to help the girl, only to flinch as the distraught girl rushing off in tears, the crowd parting before her "Nina!"
"It can't be…" Schniezel muttered, the 2nd prince's features lined with undiluted shock, unconcerned with the departure of his escort, as he gazed at the face of his opponent, a dumbstruck Canon at his side "Lelouch…is that really you?"
"My name is Zero." The Tekkaman countered, turning to look the befuddled Prime Minister in the eye with his mismatched pair, his features lined with defiance "I don't know anyone by that name."
"Lelouch…what're you saying…?" Schniezel asked, his features furrowing in a confused frown as he stepped forward, despite Canon's protests "What are you doing here? Why didn't you return to the homeland with Nunnally?"
"Where the Viceroy of Japan goes is none of my concern." Zero countered, his eyes hardening as he glared at the approaching prince "And the only reason I would ever set foot on Britannian soil is to make good on my threat to your father's life."
"Viceroy?" Schniezel repeated, his eyes widening once again at the formality of the Tekkaman's tone regarding his blind sibling, only to narrow as understanding slowly dawned "Lelouch…Don't tell me you…?"
"Lelouch?" a voice called out, the pair turning slightly to espy Odysseus eu Britannia walking towards them, his face a mask of wonderment, having apparently abandoned his bride-to-be to see the Tekkaman with his own eyes, a concerned Kaguya at his side "By God in Heaven! It is you!"
"Odysseus!" Schniezel warned, the 2nd Prince's eyes halting his elder brother in tracks, the Crown Prince looking up at him in confusion "Lelouch…Zero…" he corrected at the Tekkaman's scowl "Tell me…does the name Marianne mean anything to you?"
"Not to my knowledge." Zero countered, Odysseus' eyes widening, even as Schneizel's narrowed grimly at the teen's words, Kaguya hugging the injured Tekkaman around his waist, looking up at him in concern "But then again, I don't believe I've met many Britannian Noblewomen."
"Haven't met-?!" Odysseus stammered, his eyes wide with shock as he stepped forwards, only to be blocked by Kallen and Suzaku "What are you talking about? You can't mean to say you've forgotten your own-?!"
"Brother." Schniezel warned, placing a hand on the crown prince's shoulder, his eyes never leaving Zero's as he spoke "I see…I apologize for the inconvenience Zero, now if you'd excuse me it seems my brother and I have much to discuss." He inclined his head towards Kallen and Kaguya "Ladies, I believe it would be best if you tended to his wound in private…"
"Yes…" Kaguya agreed, a small frown adorning the Goddess of Victory's face as she inclined her head towards the 2nd and Crown Princes of the Empire "Please excuse us…Prince Schniezel, Prince Odysseus."
"Zero." Schniezel called out, the Tekkaman pausing, looking over his shoulder as he allowed Kallen to help him walk away, the redhead having replaced his mask despite his protests that it was no longer necessary "Perhaps we can speak again, at the wedding tomorrow?"
Zero said nothing, the two former opponents staring at one another in muted silence, before the Tekkaman nodded, the slightest inclination of his masked head, before allowing Kallen to escort him out of the silent reception hall and into the night.
Ikaruga...
"Zero was stabbed?!" Ohgi gaped, the Co-Commander of the Black Knights looking on in shock as the Tekkaman sat up on a medical table, allowing Rakshata's medical team to strip him of his upper clothing "What happened?!"
"He was assaulted by a member of Prince Schneizel's research team." Kaguya explained, looking on from the other side of the glass as her husband was made to lie down as the doctors examined him "Kallen and Suzaku intervened, but Zero-sama deliberately let himself be stabbed."
"He…just let her stab him?" Tamaki repeated, the Volatile redhead looking a little green at the very idea as he turned to regard the prone form of the Tekkaman on the table "What is he? A masochist?"
"Kaguya-sama…" Todoh muttered, the former Colonel's features solemn as he watched the doctors go to work on the admittedly shallow wound that the tekkaman had sustained "Was Zero trying to make a point?"
"I believe so." Kaguya agreed, the emerald eyed Kyoto princess looking on with a concerned expression as the medics went to work on the man she loved "He then unmasked himself before them all."
"He what?!" Tamaki yelped, the volatile redhead gaping at the Black Knight's Goddess of Victory in understandable alarm "Whoa hold on there," he demanded "you mean now everyone knows what he looks like?!"
"What does it matter?" Chiba muttered offhandedly, earning looks of shock, confusion, and disbelief from some of the other onlookers "After all, if Zero himself doesn't remember who he is, who's to say showing his face will mean anything to Britannia?"
"More than you know…" Todoh muttered, the female sword blinking at her commanding officer as his features hardened in a concerned scowl 'Of all the people to see his face…it had to be members of the Britannian Royal Family...and THOSE two to boot…'
Avalon, Schniezel's private quarters...
"What is the meaning of this Schniezel?" Odysseus demanded, the Crown Prince imposing himself before his brother's chair "That was Lelouch wasn't it? Why did Father tell us he'd died? Why didn't he accompany Nunnally back to the homeland?"
"I don't know." Schniezel muttered, the Prime Minister's features solemn, his elegant hand cupping his chin as he recalled his shock at the Tekkaman's face "Father seemed quite determined that Nunnally not be informed of his 'death' as well…I had thought he was merely sheltering her…"
"Well father does care in his own way…" Odysseus muttered, his features calming somewhat, though the brothers shared a look at his words.
Mild mannered and mediocre he might be, but the first son of Charles zi Britannia was not a fool. He knew all to well how cruel his sire could be, his reduction of the Ashford's, a loyal, noble family had been a prime example, not to mention the man's exiling of Nunnally and Lelouch in the first place.
So naturally, neither brother believed for one second that their father was sheltering Nunnally from the truth for entirely selfless reasons. "You don't suppose he KNOWS about this, do you?" Odysseus asked hesitantly, looking up at his younger brother in concern "That Lelouch is Zero?"
"I wouldn't put it past him." Schniezel murmured, his features withdrawn, marred by a frown as he contemplated his father's motives "Though why he hasn't stepped in directly, much less revealed his identity to the world…"
"Not that that's going to be much of an issue…" Odysseus noted offhandedly, his own features turning grim as he spoke "There were enough people in that hall that I have little doubt there'll be a picture in the papers come dawn."
"Perhaps not." Schniezel countered, looking up from his musings as he spoke "First of all, there are no recording devices permitted within the reception hall, a tradition I at first thought primitive, but it has done us a boon." He nodded "Second, only we were close enough to speak with him face to face, and other than your outburst, I don't believe his name was mentioned."
"You mean to cover this up?" Odysseus asked, blinking at his younger, brilliant brother in abject confusion "I mean, I'm concerned about Lelouch as well, something's obviously wrong with the lad if he cannot remember his own mother…"
"And there, Odysseus lies the mystery." Schniezel opined, clasping his hands together before him, tapping his index fingers together "Just what has happened to Lelouch…why has father kept his identity a secret from the world?" he smiled to himself "It's all so very…unusual."
Odysseus frowned but held his silence, knowing all to well how his brother got around anything he deemed 'unusual'.
Ikaruga, medical bay...
"You're very lucky, Zero." Rakshata noted, the Indian scientist smiling at the Tekkaman as he sat up on the medical bed, his chest wrapped in bandages, the woman gesturing to a medical screen with her pipe "Any deeper and the knife could have punctured a vessel."
"Yeah…" Zero muttered, the Tekkaman smirking up at the tall, blonde Indian woman with his mismatched eyes, rotating his shoulder experimentally, only to flinch as his chest muscles pulled at the sudden movement "Really lucky."
"Not only that." Rakshata mused, changing the screen to display two differing pictures of the entry wound, taken mere minutes after one another "But you seem to be healing at an accelerated rate. The wound should be completely gone by tomorrow." Her eyes danced as she smiled at the Tekkaman "Whatever was done to your body is truly something to behold."
"Thanks for the compliment." The Tekkaman muttered, a little unnerved by the look in the older woman's eyes as she shut off the monitor with the bowl of her pipe "Still, it's not like I planned to get stabbed."
"If it were any other man they'd be dead by now." Rakshata pointed out, smiling obscurely down at the Tekkaman, her pipe in hand, before nodding her head to the man's Tekka-crystal, which rested at his side "Of course, that might have had something to do with your rapid recovery."
Zero picked up his crystal, his mismatched eyes running over the lines of the purple gem, almost reverently, feeling a small thrill rush up his body as he held it. He never felt right being separated from the gem, and it always seemed to find its way to him when he needed it. Now it appeared yet another aspect of its powers was to aid in the recovery of it's owner.
"Truly a remarkable specimen." Rakshata noted, her arms crossed, her pipe help like a pointed between her fingers "I analyzed it while you were at the party, but it doesn't seem to give off any strange readings." She smiled, intrigued "It's just a normal gem, though not one indigenous to any earth stone."
Zero said nothing, only to look up at the door to the med-bay opened, a concerned Kallen stepping into the room, pulling up short as she caught sight of the two.
"I'll leave you two alone." Rakshata noted, smiling coyly at the duo, causing Kallen's face to heat up at the insinuation as the older woman sashayed out of the room "Take care now, Doctor's orders!"
After Rakshata leaves...
"I thought she was just in charge of maintaining the Knightmares…" Zero noted offhandedly, smirking up at Kallen as the door closed behind the scientist "It turns out she's quite experienced in a number of fields."
"Y-yeah…" Kallen agreed, the rehdeaded pilot of the Gurren turning to face the Tekkaman briefly, her eyes trailing down to his bound chest, only to look away with a guilty flush "Are…are you alright?"
"A night's rest and I'll be cleared for leave," Zero replied, watching the redhead from his spot on the bed, patting his chest for emphasis "Rakshata says whatever made me like this amped up my healing too, I can hardly feel the wound now."
"Why…" Kallen asked, cutting the Tekkaman off mid-sentence, her eyes locked on the floor, unable to look at him "Why'd you let Nina Stab you like that? You could have dodged, you could have let me stop her…why?"
"To prove a point." Zero replied, placing a hand to his wound, grimacing slightly at the memory of metal piercing his flesh "I let her know just how dirty the act of killing is…and opened her eyes to her own inability to do so."
"But still!" Kallen insisted, putting a hand to her chest as she gazed at the Tekkaman in concern, her eyes red with unshed tears "What if she'd killed you? What if she hadn't stabbed you there? Tekkaman or whatever you call yourself, outside your armor, you're just as human as the rest of us!"
"And that's exactly the point I had to make." Zero stated, cutting the redhead off, an almost whimsical smile on his face "Not only to the Britannians…but to myself…for all my power, I'm just one man…I bleed and can be injured, just as easily as they can." He snorted wistfully "They can't portray me as a mindless machine…or a monster anymore."
"Zero…" Kallen whispered, looking at the Tekkaman in concern, a hand reaching out to him uncertainly, only to land on his cheek, forcing him to look up at her "You're…not a monster." She insisted, her eyes gazing into the Tekkaman's mismatched pair "Nobody here believes that for a second…You've been a source of hope to the Black Knights since their founding…you've given us all so much to hope for, even when there were those who doubted you."
Needless to say, the pilot of the Gurren included herself in that statement, recalling her suspicion, and anger, how she and Zero had been reunited after the Rebellion, how she'd drawn a weapon, only for him to disarm her, and then entrust her with his back, as he always had.
"Even if you don't remember who you once were…you're still Zero." Kallen insisted, surprising herself with her own words as she rambled on "And I…that is we…will follow you for as long as you'll have us…" she trembled slightly, her eyes turning once again to his bandaged chest wound "So don't go taking on everything by yourself…let us share the pain…"
Zero's hand came up, the redhead blinking as she lifted her gaze to the Tekkaman's face, noting the solemn, grateful expression in those mismatched eyes, even as he wiped her tears away with his thumb.
"Thank you…Kallen." He offered, the sincerity and gratitude in his tone shocking the Gurren Pilot, as she gaped at him in surprise "For everything."
Slowly, almost hesitantly, the Tekkaman leant in, Kallen's eyes widening as she parted her lips slightly, as if to protest, only to close her eyes as they made contact, her hand coming up to the Tekkaman's head, holding him in place as he made to pull back.
Almost hesitantly, her tongue brushed against his lips, the Tekkaman's eyes widening ever so slightly, before he allowed her entry, his own tongue clashing with her own as he gripped the back of her head, the two of them holding tight to one another, as if afraid to let the other go.
They parted for air, only to resume the contact, one of Kallen's hands coming down to trail along the contours of the Tekkaman's back, even as one of Zero's did the same to her through the fabric of her uniform, slowly coming to rest on her ass.
Starting slightly at the contact, the redhead moaned as the Tekkaman's nimble, yet firm fingers began to rub against her, the sound muffled by their dueling tongues as she reached out to tug at the waistline of his pants, undoing the clasp of his belt.
Zero's free hand came up, cupping one of the redhead's breasts through her uniform, earning a soft moan from the Gurren pilot as she leant into his touch, the Tekkaman's fingers finding the clasps of her shirt and undoing them, one by one.
Kallen pushed forwards, pushing the Tekkaman slowly onto the medical bed, her shirt hanging open, her breasts confined only by her bra as she continued to kiss him, her hands slowly tugging down on the waist of his pants, even as Zero's other hand got to work on her own.
Outside the medical bay...
"Rakshata-san?" Ohgi wondered, the former schoolteacher blinking as he espied the blonde Indian leaning against the door to the infirmary, a smug smile on her face as she smoked her pipe "Is something wrong?"
"Just making sure that Zero isn't disturbed." The Gurren's 'parent' replied cryptically, Ohgi blinking in confusion at the coy smile the woman sent his way "Three's a crowd after all."
Ohgi blinked, wondering what on earth the woman was talking about, before shrugging offhandedly and making his way down the hall, at a slightly faster pace than when he arrived, eager to put some distance between himself and the woman's unnerving smile.
And back again...
Kallen gasped, the redhead sitting on Zero's lap, holding the Tekkaman's face to her chest, where he was slowly working her breasts over, one hand massaging, while his mouth worked the other over earnestly, switching between the two to give them equal attention.
The two of them had rid themselves of their outer clothes some time ago, the cool air of the medical bay only adding to the sensitivity that the redhead felt, the contrast between the mild chill, and Zero's warmth, driving her up the wall.
She whimpered as Zero pulled back, holding his head in place, only for him to move her hands, slowly lifting the Redhead off his lap, placing her gently on her back, positioning himself between her legs, pulling her damp panties, the only article of clothing she retained besides her bandana, aside, his fingers trailing against her sex, causing her to shudder in delight.
"Kallen." The Tekkaman spoke up, looking down at the redhead as he pulled his hand back, dripping with her juices "Are you sure you want this?"
Kallen's reply was to gaze up at him, her eyes, normally filled with determination, resolve, and a little anger, pleading, desperate, and longing as she reached out to him with her arms.
Nodding once, Zero moved forward, positioning himself so that he was at her entrance, the redhead's arms wrapping around his neck as he slowly entered her, not wishing to hurt the girl, though it was agonizingly hard to resist the tightness that was enveloping him.
Kallen gasped, jumping slightly as she felt something inside her nudge, knowing instinctively what it was, only to tighten her embrace on Zero as he pulled back out of concern "Go ahead…" she whispered, bracing herself as she spoke "I'm ready…"
Zero nodded, readjusting himself carefully, before thrusting forwards, Kallen letting out a sharp cry as her hymen tore, her fingers digging into the Tekkaman's flesh as the pain washed over her, her eyes clenched tight as tears formed in the corners.
She was dimly away of Zero's arms around her, patting her back, and then the Tekkaman was moving, slowly, gently, pulling back, only to ease forwards again, the pain in her nether-regions slowly giving way to an indescribable feeling.
"Zero…" she choked, her fingers, which moments before had left scratches on the Tekkaman's back, now gripping him desperately to her, wanting to keep him there with her for as long as she could "Please…"
The Tekkaman leant in, seizing her mouth in a gentle kiss, his hips never halting as he returned her embrace, one hand coming up to hold her neck, the other at her side, holding them together as he began to pick up the pace, Kallen slowly growing aware of a preassure in her stomach, like something was building up inside her.
She gasped as she came, her back arching even Zero continued to pump into her, her cry of release joined by Zero's, his own orgasm following shortly after, the Tekkaman pulling her up into a sitting position, holding her to his chest with one arm, the other at the back of her neck as she embraced him.
Panting slightly, the two sat there, Kallen embracing her friend, comrade, and now lover, as she felt him discharge several more times within, some part of her mind idly wondering if today was a safe day, but too caught up in the moment to car, as she basked in the afterglow of their coupling.
"Kallen…" Zero spoke up, his voice hoarse, though he seemed to be recovering faster from their union, if the hardness between the redhead's thighs was any indication "Thank you…"
Kallen smiled, embracing the teen, no, the man that she had vowed to follow, her head resting on his shoulder as she ran one hand down his back, the other reaching up to play with his ebony locks.
"No…" she countered, her own voice husky as she savored the feeling of their being together, placing a small, chaste kiss on his neck "Thank you…Zero."
She giggled, Zero blinking in confusion at the sound, turning round to look at the redhead as she hugged him close, her breasts pressing against his bandaged chest. "It's funny…" she muttered, shaking her head slightly "I was always so against Kaguya's referring to me and C.C as your 'harem'… I wonder how she'd react to this?"
In a dark room lit by many monitor screens...
Inside the security room of the Ikaruga, a certain Kyoto princess was gazing at the screen that displayed the medical bay with an approving, satisfied smile on her face, a certain immortal witch at her side.
"Are you certain you don't wish to join them?" Kaguya asked, making a note to thank Rakshata from keeping anyone from barging in on the duo. It wouldn't do for Zero-sama to get cock blocked because some idiot had dropped a canister on their foot after all.
"Not this time." C.C assured her, the green haired woman's features neutral, though she would admit to being irked that she hadn't claimed Zero's first time for herself "There'll be others though…" her eyes danced mischievously "oh yes…"
"I should hope so." Kaguya agreed, beaming up at the screen as her beloved Zero-sama began to move once again, Kallen's face a mask of ecstasy as she held their lover close "I'd hate for my beloved to be…inexperienced, when it comes time for our own coupling."
And somewhere out there, wandering in the afterlife, the ghost of Taizo Kirihara reared his head back and laughed his wrinkled old arse off.
There I gave you sick freaks your lemon scene, hope you enjoy it!
Odin: Cause he certainly did.
Kyugan: Methinks Kallen liked it more.
Kabuto-Kallen: Hey wait a minute-!
Female Riders: *All round on Kabuto-Kallen* BIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!
Marianya-Decade: *Doing the grandbaby dance with Charles-Geist* GRANDBABIES!
Charles-Geist: THAT'S MY BOY!
Lelouch: And now I accept the sweet embrace of death...