0000~CC~0000
His anger was unfounded: unfair.
To C.C.'s mind at least - Lelouch seemed assured in his righteous rage. He hung from the Gurren Racer's door, both hands bracing the entry as if to physically bar her from its insides. Perhaps he would, if she tried to return to her seat; right now, the witch would not put it past him.
The racer had brought them to the end of land, where ocean kissed beach; and again, they had made a clean get-away: only thanks to Kallen's Geass. For without it, only the White Witch would have stood any chance against Zero-in-Combat-Suit. Suzaku had been wiping the floor with Kallen in her Racer; her warlock had been about to be tossed off a building. The demon faction had been about to be dealt with.
C.C. had almost thought it would come to that: her against the new Zero.
But then Kallen had used her Geass's power and every man, woman and child within hearing had run. What a wonderful, useful power her new contract held.
Her warlock was unappreciative of it all:
"Do you know, after so many times of getting stabbed in the back, you'd think I'd learned my lesson?" Lelouch was fuming; practically frothing at the mouth, but he managed it with a cynical laugh: "I am such an idiot."
Sadly, cringing turned out to be one of the emotions C.C. still hadn't re-mastered. She opted for an arched eyebrow instead: "Lelouch, I didn't…"
"Don't!" he barked, "Don't bother. Just leave. Get lost." Took one deep, angry breath: "Go away and never come back."
From her spot in the pilot seat, Kallen gasped. "Lelouch, that's not fair, I'm as much to blame…"
"Then go with her. I don't care."
He was not thinking straight; surely. And he wasn't looking at either of them; her warlock had made up his mind. It was unfair, but: "Don't bother, Kallen."
An old witch knew when it was time to cut her losses. "Stay with him. I'll go."
The ace pilot looked like she wanted to object, but C.C. did not give her the chance; quickly, she turned from the beach, and walked into the adjourning woods. "Goodbye you two. And good luck. I'm sure you'll find me when you need me."
Lelouch snorted; but Kallen made a sound of understanding.
With that, C.C. walked away from the only happiness she had known for over a hundred years.
00000~N~00000
Tohdoh sighed, bent forward on one of the folding-chairs that had been brought up to the master-bedroom, regarding the taller of his two uninvited guests as he absent-mindedly turned a gun around in his hands. Flanked at his sides, copying his expression of distrust, were Xingke and President Tamaki.
Nunnally tried to answer his frown with an unassuming smile, but Suzaku could of course not go for a disarming expression himself. The black Zero-mask always just looked imposing.
Xingke, Tohdoh and Tamaki had in the room for a while when Suzaku had returned from his chase after Lelouch. It had frustrated Nunnally to no end, as she had not found anyone willing to carry her up the flight of stairs after Tamaki had taken her back down. This while she knew the three men were plotting their quest in here; readying a war against her big brother.
Likely, the three men had just wanted to guard the scene of the crime themselves - at least until all the guests had been sent home. But when people went somewhere to talk that excluded her by merit that you had to be able to walk to get to the place… Nunnally could not help but feel personally slighted.
So Nunnally had had to wait, wiggling her toes in a fit of determination. As if exercising extra now, would grant her the use of her legs and the ability to climb the stairs before the meeting was over. Forced by happenstance to plan her next move more carefully, she at least had thought to call her elder sister at the hotel she had been staying for a while now.
Nunnally needed Cornelia here for what she had planned, though her request to Schneizel to bring the warrior maiden back to Japan had even confused Schneizel at first:
'I would have thought you would be happy to have her out of your hair, little sister.' The Emperor had confessed.
'I was.' Nunnally had admitted. 'But if we are to confess, I think all parties wronged should be there; that way, their anger can cancel each other out, and all bad blood can be removed at once.'
Schneizel had studied her a moment, before a slow smile had spread out on his face: 'more like you have need of a woman's touch - or, in our dear sister's case, fist - to act out on the bottled anger and clear the table for everyone.'
Well, at least Schneizel had assured her no-one else was likely to figure out Nunnally's devious little plots. And so she would continue as planned. Nunnally affixed her stare on Tohdoh's weapon with new determination.
"The gun that fake Zero used." The general said, following the girl-ambassador's line of sight to the fire-arm in his hands. "Well, C.C.'s, obviously." Turning it around, he showed the clip, "it is carrying blanks."
Nunnally nodded, wondering half-heartedly if the old general understood what her brother had meant to achieve: he had staged his own death so painstakingly obvious this time- used a fake Zero so blatantly, even the media was bound to pick up on this. To his baby sister, the ploy was clear: if this death was a fake, then perhaps the others had been faked too.
Lelouch could make good use of the rumor of him being the devil returned from the grave, but he would not want to cause civil panic. The implication that Zero could be any other pretender also clung to his charade; hardly a favorable suggestion, but Nunnally would make good use of this and finally free her dear Suzaku.
With a sigh, Tohdoh dumped the gun on the bed, upon the cover sheet.
Something started buzzing under the sheet, and the old Samurai turned beet-red. He jumped up and fumbled with the sheets, trying to turn off the offending sex-toy without actually letting any of the assorted gizmos out from under the cover and into his guests' sights.
Nunnally took the moment of confused embarrassment to throw her dear Suzaku an appraising glance. He had tensed the moment she had whispered 'this is it' in his ear when he had been carrying her up the stairs. But he seemed as relaxed as ever now; he took the sudden pace in schedule well, especially considering his reaction when she had first divulged her plan:
"I can't do this." Suzaku had persisted, pacing the room with a look akin to a man on his way to the gallows. "This is counter to everything we agreed. Everything I agreed to."
Nunnally had needed to pull out all the stops that time: "You're unsettled because you'll be breaking your word to Lelouch? Are we still talking about my brother here? The one you keep killing every time you set eyes on him because he has yet to say a single thing to you that does not turn out to be a lie?"
"That's exactly my problem." Suzaku admitted, with heartfelt vehemence. "If I do this, I really will have sunk to his level. Besides, the requiem..."
The girl-ambassador decided not to get into a discussion on how to rate the relative evils of lying and murder: "The Requiem will be fine and perhaps better protected after this. As for my dear brother…" -If Nunnally's tone held a drip of sarcasm here, it was only an act.
"You are right: we will be using his favorite poison: we take an unfortunate circumstance and turn it to our favor. But!" And here she went for that open, honest expression she hoped she had not yet lost.
"The only slander we can do to my brother is discrediting the smear-campaign he runs against himself. More importantly, we will be telling the truth."
Suzaku really couldn't deny that; but still, he had doubted. In the end, Nunnally had opted to ask the same question, over and over:
"Is it really fair, to let the criminal choose his own punishment?"
Against her perseverance, not even Zero stood a chance. And so then here they were: putting out the dirty laundry for this select view.
Nunnally had convinced Suzaku that these people would hold such truth close, if only because of the certainty that this truth would completely destabilize the world-peace all had been striving for so hard. Though they might all prefer differently, out of sheer spite. Well, if those dagger-glances they shot poor Suzaku were any indication.
Then, the door burst open to reveal her older sister, Cornelia, and Nunnally had to clear her throat to overrule the angry murmurs of the three men.
"My sister is here at my behest." She admitted. "Because I feel she is as entitled to the truth as the three of you."
With a nod, she turned to Zero. He did not even falter: a turn of the head, followed by a hissing noise as the helmet released from his mask. Then the face-plate fell into his hands and Nunnally watched four sets of wide eyes freeze to stare into Kururugi Suzaku's calm greens.
0000~L~0000
What had been the men come to throw him off the roof were back through the emergency door and down the already. Lelouch was right on their heels - and that was just so wrong in so many ways…
Stop, stop, STOP!
And yet another command reverberated within his very being, answering Kallen's BACK OFF with a loud, clear: danger, get away!
She's on your side, weakling! He told his panicking body. Besides, if you go down these stairs, you'll just have to run up them again once your mob remembers they were about to lynch you.
That did it, finally, and Lelouch forced his trembling legs to turn around and take him out to the roof's ledge once again. The scene had changed dramatically: Suzaku-In-Suit was on a distant rooftop, speeding away from them. But more impressive were to citizens: out of every house and building they came, running at break-neck speeds: some in pajamas, some in night-shifts, and a few unlucky nude-sleepers wearing nothing at all. Amongst them, now a minority, were the party guests, also running for their lives. A kaleidoscope of people, of every type and kind, yet all were united in their one single purpose:
Get away from the source of that command even if it killed them.
As for Lelouch, his fear was replaced by anger now; cold, hard anger.
Geass.
Oh, C.C. had done it now: she had cursed Kallen, the same way he had been cursed. Taken away her life, her humanity, her dreams. And his dear ace did not even know it yet.
Lelouch had not really minded when C.C. had cursed him: the half-life he lived in hiding had hardly been worth the trouble and even that would have been over if not for the Geass-power she had granted him.
This time, however, Lelouch could not forgive.
His vixen pilot, however, did not even see the problem. She grumbled in her seat, throwing the occasional glare over her shoulder to where he sat. it didn't work, of course. Lelouch didn't do guilt trips; but Kallen didn't seem to fully appreciate that: "When you're done sulking, can we turn 'round and pickup C.C. now?"
"Kallen." He admonished, hoping to opt a promise from her by the sheer power of his voice: "You must never use your Geass again. Promise me."
She just laughed, empty and angry: "What, jealous I have more power then you, Lelouch? You disappoint me, my King."
He shook his head at her, speaking solemnly: "The more you use it, the sooner it will go wild. When that happens, you will not be able to speak at another person, without them running in fear of you. Would you want that, Kallen?"
She made a sarcastic noise: "So? I'll just live on the sub and only talk to you and C.C.; no effect."
"Oh, no, Kallen." He explained. "Your Geass works on me fine. I shall be running from you with the rest of them."
That, at least, seemed to sober her. "But... how is that-?"
"-Possible? I am not a Code-bearer, as of yet, Kallen." His father, Charles, still held that dubious honor. "It is… difficult to explain." At least it was without getting into the whole 'My father is still alive as an invisible specter, and I suspect he has been peeping on you during your showers' thing.
Kallen sat thinking on that, blinking at her displays with empty eyes. Good. At least he had impressed on her what fate awaited her.
When he felt she should have come to terms with the consequences, Lelouch opted to distract her; he did not mean to depress her, just make her understand. "You are off course." he noted.
She turned to look at him, then frowned at her displays. "No I am not."
"Yes we are. I cannot recognize the lay of the land from our outward journey. We did not pass these islands getting there."
She studied the displays a little longer this time, and compared her readings with the view outside. Then, she banked to take the racer down. "Something's wrong." Then, more panicky: "Something is very wrong!"
"So we need to land?" Lelouch asked.
"That's just it." Kallen started wresting the controls.
"I didn't initiate a landing."
NOTE: it may have come to all of your attention that my update schedule for has gone down. This is due to the fact that I have, for the time, set Fire Hazard (Avatar TLA) as my primary fic. It's not quite catching on yet, but I enjoy writing it so much, I simply cannot help myself. I would recommend trying it for those that are enjoying gambit. It is, at least in style of humor, Gambit's direct descendant.
I am not quitting Gambit, of course. There's only like 10 chapters until we are done—or at least until we reach the 'Court Case' time-line. And hey, there's still a lot of fun to be had. Next week: Charles is BACK and up to no good!