August 14th. Special Administrated Zone of Japan. Tokyo.
Despite everything that happened to the city, it was still able to overcome all obstacles, be it the Black Rebellion, numerous Knightmare skirmishes, or the explosion of F.L.E.I.J.A. itself. Tokyo survived it all, but not without its casualties. However, none of it meant that the capital of the zone couldn't be rebuilt. People, both Britannians and Japanese would fix the city every time something happened to it. Life didn't end just because of one tragedy.
The same could be said about its people. Citizens were tough and quite persistent to continue their normal life. Unfortunately, it also applied to the criminal world of Tokyo.
Some might wonder how criminal activity could have been possible in the city that was in the heart of the most troublesome area/zone in the empire. However, the conflict between the Black Knights and Britannia did give some people an opportunity to profit through illegal means. Of course, both superpowers took action against the underworld. Before the Black Rebellion, the Black Knights committed numerous raids against drug dealers and their sponsors, while former Princess Cornelia cracked down on nobility that allowed and assisted the said dealers.
Cornelia's policies were mostly abandoned by the next viceroy but returned with the appointment of Princess Nunnally as the ruler of the area, but a small princess couldn't create the same effect as the Witch of Britannia. The Black Knights had some issues without a leader and were more focused on different matters, such as fighting Britannia. All of it provided an opportunity for criminals across the city to rebuild their businesses. Of course, after F.L.E.I.J.A. and with both Britannians and the Federation in Tokyo, the underworld had to decrease some of its more daring activities, such as the spread of Refrain. Neither of the superpowers looked kindly towards the drug business, making any business related to it being punishable by firing squad by both sides.
But of course, there were always those who were ready to take a risk.
"Are you sure it was this guy?" The boss of a small gang asked one of his underlings as he checked the photo.
"Yup, this kid took everything." The henchman nodded. The entire gang was hiding inside the empty warehouse. "No idea what brat is going to do with it. He hasn't ratted us out to the police yet."
"Do you think he will try to sell it himself?"
Their boss disagreed. "How will he do it? He has no connection or organization to back him up."
"...Maybe he IS using it himself?" someone suggested.
Perhaps, this stuff was in demand for a reason. The kid will die from an overdose, but it didn't matter to them. However, they needed to take back their goods before this brat got rid of them.
"Do we know where he is?" The boss asked.
"Look at his uniform. I know this place, we'll be on his tail and wait while he's alone somewhere where we can take him out. Sounds good, boss?"
"Sounds good." The middle-aged Japanese man in a black suit grinned as he tossed away the photo with the thief who dared to steal their goods. They will make him pay for it.
As the photo fell on the ground, one could see that the thief had blue hair and was dressed in an Ashford Academy uniform.
Ashford Academy.
'There is something nostalgic about sleeping here again.' Even if his damn witch made him sleep on the floor. Said witch was currently taking a shower, while her warlock was lost in his thoughts.
Lelouch stared at the window outside his room, observing how OSI agents were checking the entire academy for additional security measures. They were disguised as academy staff, but their emperor still found their actions a little unnecessary.
'Still, it was Jeremiah and Sayoko who demanded additional security.' His bodyguards/guardians demanded their master be guarded at every moment. It didn't help the latest attack on Pendragon, but at least Lelouch wasn't there otherwise they would have raised the fuss. Their wish to protect him was welcome, but Lelouch thought that inside his old home he should be safe.
'Neither Schneizel nor Black Knights would suspect me to hide here.' With Sayoko acting as a temporary replacement for Lelouch, the Emperor could hide right next to the Black Knights and plan out his next move. 'I need to start acting today. Although it will be a little hard to move with so many OSI agents following my every move… perhaps it will be better if I moved without them, as long as both Jeremiah and Sayoko don't learn about it.'
"Lelouch?" He heard the voice of his childhood friend and turned towards the source of the voice. Milly opened the door and looked inside. "Hey, Lelouch, do you have a moment?"
"Good morning to you too, Milly." Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Didn't even bother to knock. What if I was with someone?"
She snorted. "Yeah? Like who?"
"My, surely someone with your profession would have heard about all those rumours surrounding my love life." a small smirk formed on his face when Milly waved away in denial.
"Pfft, as if our Lelouch will turn out to be some kind of womanizer as those rumours claim. Lulu, I can believe you to be Zero and every dark secret about the royal family, but there is no way in-"
However, Milly went silent when the shower door was opened to reveal the half-naked beauty. C.C stood there, nude from head to toe, the only piece of clothes that covered her was Lelouch's white shirt that was too big for her.
"Lelouch, we ran out of shampoo." His witch said nonchalantly before glancing at Milly. "Do you have any to spare?"
Milly had seen the green-haired girl before. The press and the internet wouldn't stop speculating about her relationships with the Emperor, especially after the banquet at Pendragon. However, Milly always thought - or rather hoped - that it was just someone brave enough to tease Lulu in public.
"Milly, this is C.C, my partner." his childhood blinked.
"Partner in what?" She asked, still unable to process the situation.
"In everything." C.C simply said before repeating her previous question. "So do you have any shampoo or do we need to show you a proof first? I won't mind some morning fun, you are welcome to join."
The blonde reporter froze, unable to formulate a sentence.
"I-you-argh-?!" Her eyes turned to Lelouch. "What?!"
"Ignore C.C. She is only half-serious. Plus, I have work, C.C. You will have to wait until tonight." Milly nodded before hearing the last part as her face turned scarlet. "Huh, never expected it would be so easy to embarrass you, Milly."
"And I never expected you to act like a playboy, Lelouch!"
Her friend let out a short laugh while his lover silently moved towards the bed and took the pizza box lain there.
"Well, there was that one day when I had to attend dozens of dates." Even if it was Sayoko's fault in the first place.
"That doesn't count. I knew that you weren't serious about any of the girls back then, but now?"
Milly motioned towards C.C who was lying on the bed, Lelouch shirt was covering only her upper body, leaving everything else for the eyes of the two Britannians. Milly didn't know what was scarier. How carefree Lelouch was around a half-naked woman or the fact that she enjoyed the view. She turned away with a blushing face, ashamed that she was eyeing her friend's supposed lover.
Milly was always ready to tease her friends but never expected some of her jokes to become reality. She knew them too well, especially Lelouch who showed little attraction to people who weren't his friends or siblings… Although taking into account the fact that her memories were changed, maybe there are some aspects of the Emperor she either forgot about or misunderstood. What was the saying? Always look out for the quiet ones? Wait, no that was about academy security. Point is, their Lelouch did hide many aspects of his life. Having a relationship with this woman shouldn't be as crazy as other things he said yesterday.
"If you react like this towards me alone, I'm curious what you will think about other girls," C.C said between bites, still more focused on her pizza but not missing a moment to mess with Milly.
Milly felt a shiver run down her spine. "What girls?"
Her blue eyes didn't leave Lelouch's.
"His little harem," C.C said while Lelouch decided to ignore how his childhood friend was about to choke from sudden news. "You met Leila right?"
"Wait, her? But she is - I-what, Lelouch?!"
"As I said, just ignore C.C." Lelouch waved away, still finding it funny how Milly was losing her mind over the idea of him having a relationship with multiple women. 'Poor Rivalz might have a heart attack if he hears it. That would be fun to see.'
Was it the influence of his witch? Lelouch was confident she played a major role in corrupting him. But it was a nice and fresh feeling to be the one who was on offence while Milly failed to defend herself from such simple teasing.
"I-I will just try to stop thinking about it for now… But you will explain yourself, Lelouch!" Milly pointed her finger at him. "If you actually have multiple girlfriends, I must know everything!"
He blinked. "Do you want to write news about it?"
"Of course not! I just need to know everything that happened while you were away, Lelouch." Milly turned away. "So much happened in the last few months and not everything was good for our student council." Lelouch could agree. His old group of friends was divided, some of them on different sides of the conflict. "And with Nina… she hasn't said anything to us ever since she appeared here and it turns out she was hiding so much. I'm tired of other people hiding the truth from me. I just want to hear about the good moments you experienced while you were away… And that's why I must know everything about how you actually managed to date several girls at once, Lelouch! You won't run away from this explanation, mister!"
"It was mainly us who had to make the first move." C.C was referring to his lovers as 'us' while pulling out a second pizza box. "Lelouch can be quite dense when he doesn't want to acknowledge obvious signals. Cinder had to pin him against the wall the first time. Then she pinned him against the bed and took Lelouch by-"
"Ok! That's enough, C.C!" Lelouch quickly moved between two girls, the red colour on his face. The last thing he needed for Milly to gain was the ammunition to use against him in the future. Her knowing he had lovers was fine, Milly knowing what exactly went in the bedroom wasn't fine. His face went pale when he saw Milly pull out a notebook as she started writing. "Milly? You said you wouldn't write anything about it."
"I said that about everything else you did. But I'm sure many people across the empire will be more than interested to hear about the sex life of the famous Emperor Lelouch." She smirked when Lelouch started to tremble. "This will finally confirm some of the crazy theories about who bonks the White Emperor."
"So far it is me, D.S. and Cinder-"
"Shut up, C.C!"
"Please continue!" Milly happily said. "Why so gloomy, Lulu? Please remind me who had no issue showing off one of his girlfriends just a moment ago?" Her expression turned into a devilish smile. "I'm sure your dear subjects and enemies will love to hear about the sexual exploits of His Majesty. Who knows? Maybe it will sway some troublemakers to join your side, eh?"
Lelouch wanted to say anything to stop Milly but paused when he remembered who he was dealing with. Sometimes she was scarier than any enemy he faced. Maybe Lelouch should give up her position in the security council? Milly will surely find a way to blackmail anyone with any embarrassing stuff she could find.
"I-I will just go and look for Rivalz," Lelouch said in a defeated tone while marching towards the door.
"Please take a photo of his face when you brag about your harem." Milly said happily before turning towards C.C. "So are there any embarrassing facts about Lelouch that you can share?"
"Did you know he owns a giant golden statue of himself?"
Milly's eyes went wide while her hand didn't stop writing. At the moment she was no different from a crazy fanfiction writer who was writing about their absurd noncanonical relationships. All the while the target of said writings was trying to leave the room as fast as possible.
'Never thought I will have to use OSI for this, but I will censor whatever this woman will publish. Responsibilities be damned!'
The United States of Japan. Horai Island.
'You know what to do, Kallen.'
The Scarlet Dragon thought to herself as she made her way inside the European barracks. It was the usual day on Horai Island, with people doing their everyday business. That being military drills, a checkup of fresh KMFs and weaponry, joint training between Europeans and Japanese and just preparing for any potential conflict. The part about the training between Black Knights and W-0 was more interesting to her.
Ever since W-0 took shelter there, both sides were eager to learn more from each other. Black Knights provided resources and their experience from fighting Britannia while the European remnants shared their data and experimental tech. Everyone knew that if another war against the empire broke out, they would be ready to fight Britannia and Lelouch.
'No, not if but when. Everyone here is determined that Lelouch will attack first.' Kallen wanted to prove them wrong, but at the same time, she didn't care about it too much. Because, if Lelouch actually went through with it, she would assist him in whatever path he chooses. 'I want the Black Knights to fall back in line and remind them who is our leader, but if it won't work I won't hesitate to fight them for Lelouch's sake.'
No more hesitation, not when it comes to Lelouch.
However, it didn't mean Kallen desired to spill the blood of her countrymen, at least, not all of them anyway. As long as they joined Lelouch's cause, they were fine in her books. Traitors won't be tolerated anymore, that included the original core of the Order of Black Knights.
'Speaking about them…' Kallen moved between the W-0 barracks, looking for someone. Her search stopped when she found two people standing near the KMFs weaponry. "Hey you two, I'm looking for someone."
Ashley and Ryo turned towards Kallen with surprised expressions that quickly changed into smiles. The European redhead spoke with a carefree tone.
"The famous Guren pilot visiting us? To what do we owe such honour, my lady?" Ashley made a little bow as he tried to remember the little he learned from etiquette lessons back in Euro-Britannia. His male companion gave him a dry look. "It will be my pleasure to-"
Kallen just ignored his attempt to flirt. "I'm looking for Shinichirō Tamaki. He was supposed to meet me near your barracks."
"Oh, the loud guy?" Ryo blinked while Ashley looked defeated. "He's been here for an hour now, he is in the canteen. He was telling the guys about his adventures when the Black Knights were just formed."
"Can you show me where he is?"
Ryo nodded. "Yup, follow me."
She went after the Japanese pilot of W-0, which up until now Kallen didn't interact with them too much. She was focused on her own business, visiting her mom and making sure Guilford wouldn't blow his cover. The latter shouldn't be too hard since the knight of honour was staying with W-0 for now. His position among the Black Knights was fabricated and thankfully no one so far raised any fuss over it.
'Speaking about Guilford.' Once three of them entered the canteen, Kallen soon found the knight in hiding and the person she was looking for.
"So here we are on that damn mountain. JLF was crying for help and of course, we have come to rescue their sorry asses. Zero placed those things around the mountain before it exploded and covered the Brits in the rubble. Took out the majority of them, but some of those fuckers survived and decided to attack us."
"And what happened next?" Like the rest of them, Yukiya was interested. Hearing the story from an original member of the Black Knights was enough to gain the attention of everyone in the room.
Except for one Britannian knight who was trying his hardest to ignore how Tamaki spoke about the rather devastating defeat of his princess. Kallen felt sorry for Guilford, hearing about how your loss is celebrated on another side must be confusing and a little irritating.
'Especially since it was his princess' first major defeat.'
"They weren't a challenge to us. Attacked us and we kicked their asses. I also punched the Orange guy right in the face!" Tamaki proudly claimed to the W-0 personnel who were sitting around him, listening to his own version of what happened. "The bastard was lucky he got out alive. If it wasn't for that annoying Lancelot, I would have-"
"You would do what, Tamaki?" The man in question froze when he heard the familiar voice. Tamaki slowly raised his head before his face went pale when he saw Kallen giving him a deadpan expression. Members of W-0 looked at her with sparkling eyes, excited about seeing the famous Slayer of Brits. "If I remember correctly, I was the one who fought and took out Gottwald."
"Ah! Kallen, well you see-agh-I just thought it was Orange! Yeah, all those purebloods bastards were piloting similar Knightmares, maybe I just mistook him."
"Sure, Tamaki, sure." The older Japanese rebel winced before looking around. "I hope you weren't going around and taking my position in your stories."
Tamaki started to sweat, but one of the Europeans, Rene, decided to save him. "Hey, how about we hear the story from the Red Lotus herself? I'm sure everyone will love to hear it."
"Y-yeah, Kallen, tell them about how you kicked Knights of the Round when we tried to take that viceroy girl." Tamaki quickly nodded, hoping to change the topic from himself.
"Oh! I heard Guren had to change its arsenal and get a float system mid-battle!" One of W-0 spoke with excitement.
"Is it true you were kicking Britannian asses even in an old Glasgow?"
"I heard she didn't finish high school," Guilford commented.
"Wait, you guys went to school?" Ryo asked as Guilford looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
"I heard that Scarlet Dragon toyed with the Vampire of Britannia before burning him alive," Yukiya remembered reading the internet posts about the second battle of Tokyo.
Ayano's eyes went wide. "No way! Do you mean that bastard who liked killing his own people? Ha! Serves him right! Nice job."
"Is it true that you fought White Death multiple times and defeated him?" Even the usually stoic Akito heard about her achievements.
"Defeated? Please, our Kallen destroyed that Kururugi boy! He was lucky he had-" Tamaki proudly spoke before remembering the later part of that fight. "Oh, the bastard was done for, he's just lucky he survived."
'Shame Tokyo wasn't so lucky.' Not to mention millions who died. The conversation stopped for a second as everyone felt a little awkward to continue after Tamaki was reminded of that exposition.
"Well, some of those stories are true," Kallen commented, a little embarrassed that her old fights were so popular among people. "I fought Britannians, doesn't matter if it was just purebloods or Knights of the Round. I just did what was necessary, nothing else."
Fighting was her duty and the only way Kallen knew how to make a difference. She didn't enjoy it the same way Bradley did, but at the same time, the ace of the Order wasn't ashamed of what she did. Kallen was fighting for her people and free Japan, she didn't see anything wrong with admitting she killed people if it meant protecting her home. Although, now it was a little complicated.
'No, it isn't complicated at all. I'm not going to fight Lelouch again. I will make sure the Black Knights return to being under his command no matter what. Right now we might be apart but it is temporary, it is fixable.'
"Yeah yeah, she kicked the butts of some old knights. Everyone knows that." Ashley reminded them."But what about the current ones? Heard you met the Second Knight back in Moscow while we were packing our stuff and running. That bitch, Cinder Fall."
The moment Kallen heard that name, her mood changed. The memories about the battle returned and with them the memory of what the Second told her. Cinder Fall knew about Lelouch's secrets and was someone he genuinely cared about. Kallen knew why she was furious whenever she had to think about that night again. However, she also had a talk with Lelouch, even if it was a short one, which made that night less terrible.
"I fought her alright," Kallen clicked her tongue as a shadow was cast over her face. "She knows how to fight but doesn't know when to shut up. Maybe next time I'll shut her up for good."
'Lelouch prioritized her over me that night. I know we were on different sides and everything, but seriously? What did he see in her?' The anger over how fast Lelouch was able to trust someone and reveal his secrets was the main reason Kallen was furious at Cinder. Anger which turned to jealousy as she realized the fact that Lelouch chose another Queen.
Ashley swallowed and looked around for support, but his friends didn't know how to continue this topic. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say now. Even Tamaki looked silent, having no idea what to say to Kallen.
"Uh… nice to know the Red Lotus doesn't shy away from a fight." Ryo swallowed a lump in his throat. "Always nice to see the fire in a warrior, right guys?"
It would appear Ashley brought up a less than pleasing memory. His second in command made sure their leader understood it as he hit Ashley in the shoulder.
"Ahhh, you wanted to see this Tamaki, right?" Ashley asked as he pointed at the second member of the Black Knights. "Here he is."
"Oh right!" Tamaki jumped from his seat. "You said to meet you here."
"Yes, we need to talk, but not here." She didn't W-0 to know anything about Lelouch. "Now just follow me, Tamaki."
Kallen motioned towards the door before leaving. Tamaki quickly moved after her, with Guilford leaving his food and joining them. And so the pilots of W-0 were sitting alone, not knowing what to do.
"Ten pounds on the Scarlet Dragon beating the shit out of the Second Knight." Jan offered the bet.
Ryo gave him a deadpan look. "Dude, for real?"
"Twenty pounds they will make out." The bald Kuzan who was seeing the future script spoke. Everyone gave him a concerned look. "What? Some guy predicted it years ago in the comments section."
"So why did you want to see me? And who is this guy?"
Tamaki pointed at Guilford who was standing behind them. The three of them were hiding from the others to make sure no one else would hear their conversation. Kallen didn't want anyone, especially the other Black Knights to hear it. Thankfully, her countrymen didn't visit the European barracks at this time of the day.
"Hi, I'm Roger Craig Smith-"
"He's Guilford." Kallen cut him off, there was no need to hide from Tamaki, few will believe him anyway.
Tamaki and Guilford stared at each other for a moment when 'Smith' slowly waved with an awkward smile. Tamaki looked at him with wide eyes before trying to pull out his gun but was stopped by Kallen.
"Drop it, Tamaki. He isn't our enemy."
"This fucker wanted to execute me and others!" Tamaki shouted as he pointed at him."Why is he here?! I thought he died back in Tokyo."
"I was in a coma. As for my reason for being here, it is simple. It is because Zero used this Geass power on me." The moment he said it, Tamaki froze.
"Huh?"
"That's true. Do you remember how during the Second Battle of Tokyo that the Spear of the Empire suddenly decided to join our ranks out of nowhere?" Kallen remembered that Tamaki also was there in the city, fighting brits. "Well, haven't you ever wondered why he did it?"
Tamaki scratched his head. "I mean, after that shit show that happened when everyone returned to Ikaruga I was more focused on other things… you know… Zero business."
"Yeah, I remember it very well." Kallen looked down. "The worst decision everyone ever made." including herself. "But that's why Guilford is here and why we need him to help us. With him, we can prove Lelouch's innocence."
"Wait, what?!"
Kallen pointed at Guilford. "Before the last battle, Lelouch used Geass on him and made him follow his every command."
Guilford nodded. "I was ordered to see my princess whenever Zero made a specific gesture. That's why I was fighting my own countrymen." He looked away with shame. "I will kill for my princess, but to be tricked like this is difficult to accept."
"So wait, Boss made Four Eyes see him as that Cornelia bitch?" Kallen had to stop Guilford who clenched his fist. "But how did he survive the F.L.E.I.J.A. thing?"
"My eternal loyalty/pure luck." Guilford and Kallen spoke in unison.
Kallen shook her head. "That doesn't matter, Tamaki! What is important is that we have a person who was under the influence of Lelouch's Geass and can use it to prove that he didn't use it on the Black Knights."
"But how?"
"The brilliant minds of W-0 had the technology to nullify the effect of that cursed power. It can be used on the rest of the Order to see if they were under Zero's influence." Guilford started. "I agreed to assist Major Kozuki as long as it meant I would be free from the doubts of my mind. She kept her word, even if she hid away a few details." He sent a silent glare towards Kallen.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Kallen sounded a little guilty. "I knew more than I told you, but I needed to be sure it was his Geass before telling everything. But since everything is fixed, it's fine right?" She gave Guilford a weak smile.
"While it wasn't foolish to not share some information with a former enemy, I still feel cheated. Although, now when I get my answer I'm content to ignore that moment, as long as I won't be used again."
Tamaki raised his hand. "Wait ok, so we have this tech that gets rid of this Geas and it works. But why are you still here?" He eyed Guilford. "No one wants to see the knight of that woman here, a lot of people want to get back at you for what you dear princess did to us."
"They're welcome to try. I'm not planning to die without permission of Her Highness." Guilford said proudly while Tamaki looked at him with little disgust.
"Fucking simp." He muttered.
"We're getting off-topic." Their attention returned to Kallen. "Guilford is here because he has nowhere else to go, plus when we fix the situation with Lelouch, we might try to deal with the Cornelia issue. She's working with Schneizel, but our knight in shining armour here is sure she doesn't want to do whatever the second prince is planning."
"Princess Cordelia and Zero were at odds, but I'm absolutely confident Her Highness would never accept the actions of prince Schneizel. Her Highness can be cruel but she would never risk using her sibling the way the former prime minister is doing."
Tamaki didn't trust him yet. "Yeah? And it means you won't stab us in the back? I heard about Britannian honour bullshit, but I don't trust you."
"Your distrust is justified. However, I have my honour as her knight. I won't fall to such a level. Besides, helping Major Kozuki is the only way I can assist Princess Cornelia. Her Highness is many things, but she doesn't have the heart for dirty political tricks like what the former prime minister is using. I don't trust Schneizel with my liege's life and therefore cannot support his side. Helping to change the leadership of Black Knights and forging the truth with Lelouch vi Britannia might be the only route where Her Highness will be fine."
"Yeah? And if your dear princess will decide to continue fighting us? What's then?" Tamaki asked while Kallen couldn't help but wonder as well.
'Guilford is an honourable person, but his loyalty lies within a different person. So far we have worked together. But we both knew for the fact that we will fight for our respective leaders.' Kallen didn't want to see herself fighting him in the future.
Guilford shook his head. "Everything I'm doing is for the sake of her highness."
"Forget about it, Tamaki. He won't backstab us. Even if he wanted to, Guilford would do it the honourable way." Kallen looked at him. "I expect someone like him to announce it before challenging us in the duel."
"You would be correct, Major Kozuki. For helping me this much, I owe you an honourable duel." Guilford was fully intended to uphold this promise if his princess commanded such from him.
Tamaki thought about what he had heard so far. "So we have some kind of machine to prove Boss didn't make us into his slaves and this guy to back it up. My last question is, what do you need me for? Like, I'm not an egghead and I don't understand anything with tech or this Geass thing. All I know is what that prick Schneizel told us. Plus… I'll admit, I'm not the most charming guy in this group. You could have gone to Tohdoh or Li Xingke. Maybe even the Sumeragi girl. Why me?"
Kallen had to admit, it was a good question. Why Tamaki? Simple, of all the Black Knights he was the most devastated by what happened with Lelouch. Sure, both Kallen and Kaguya weren't the same after the Black Knights betrayal, but Tamaki's reaction was the most obvious. He wouldn't come out of his room or Knightmare, he would just sit there and try to convince himself it wasn't true. Compared to the others, Tamaki wanted Zero back the most even before Kallen even started to question herself.
'Ironic. The guy who was questioning Zero the most when Order was just created, ended up being the one who trusted him the most.' Sure, Tamaki was among those who pointed their guns at her and Lelouch back on that day, but even then Kallen saw how Tamaki was shaking. 'Maybe he would have shot if Ohgi demanded him to, but Tamaki wouldn't have shot Zero by his own choice.'
"Because you want everything to return to the good old days, right? When Lelouch was with us, we were fighting Britannia together. You don't like what's going on right now. Do you, Tamaki?"
Tamaki looked away, a frown on his face. Kallen touched a nerve.
"Answer me, Tamaki!"
"Well of course I want it! Back then everything was simple, Zero would command us what to do and we would kick Britannains out of Japan. But now everything went to shit. Ohgi and Minami barely talk with me. Minami is too focused on work while Ohgi spends all his time with that bitch who shot him… It feels like Tohdoh and the Xingke guy are the ones who call shots now. Everyone is paranoid, always blaming everything on Boss for whatever shit happened after we tried to kill him… I'm sick of it. He saved us and made us into real badasses who can show everyone what real knights look like, and we just stabbed him in the back. Fuck-"
"Tamaki.'"
"What?"
"You're crying."
Tamaki touched his face and felt the wetness. He quickly turned away from them and wiped his tears away, the last thing he wanted was for some Britannian knight to see him crying like a girl.
"It's ok, I was the same when I realised what we did to him." Kallen placed a hand on his shoulder.
She didn't know if she could have acted on her own if it weren't for Sayoko's words back in the hospital. Such a small thing, simply questioning herself, but it was enough to make Kallen doubt the actions of her colleagues and the lies of her leader who told them only to protect her.
"...Even if he was a prince, even if he was a teenager with some kind of magical power, we should have listened to him. Not trusting some Britannian bitch from the secret police and that blonde fucker Schnitzel." Tamaki said as he stopped crying, he did not turn around though. "Even if Zero was hiding something from us, we should have given him a chance to speak out without pointing guns at him and you. That shit was wrong."
For her to see the folly of their actions, Kallen had to be threatened by the deadly overzealous maid. Meanwhile, Tamaki was feeling like this without anyone pointing out to him how wrong their actions were. They believed in an enemy leader who could have provided them false evidence and they took it without questions. However, Kallen knew she betrayed Lelouch on that day. Now she needed to fix the mess they caused, that she caused.
Kallen weakly smiled. "I know, and I'm happy you think the same. So, will you help me to prove Lelouch didn't use Geass on the Black Knights and that we aren't his puppets?"
"...I want Boss back, but I'm still clueless about this hypnosis thing he has or anything else. If it means proving to everyone we fucked up on that day, I'm on board." Tamaki nodded. "But how do you want to do it? The others hate his guts right now. And no offence, but you and I aren't the most important people here. We can't just order people around like Tohdoh can."
"You're right. That's why I want to start small. We can't just go and announce it to everyone. The others will think we're under Lelouch's Geass and kill us for sure." Tamaki winced, not liking the idea of his old friends gunning him down without second thought. "So we tell the truth to the Black Knights who will listen to us. You were the first who came to mind."
"Aww… thanks, Kallen." Tamaki happily smiled while Kallen coughed offhandedly. She decided to tell him the truth first because compared to everyone else he was the least dangerous person among the Order. Even if Tamaki decided to hand her over to Ohgi and the others, no one would believe him. She was ready to destroy the evidence and Guilford agreed to assist her. Despite hiding some truth from him, the knight still felt indebted to her and would help for time being.
"But even with him, we still need to gain more support," Guilford commented. "Is there anyone else who can help us?"
"Kaguya." Kallen knew that the young chairwoman felt like her in some way, but convincing her would be problematic. Kaguya wasn't there when they betrayed Lelouch and doesn't know anything about Geass beyond what the Order told her. Maybe if she can prove to Kaguya that Lelouch never used Geass on them, she would be willing to listen to them. Not to mention, Kaguya would see the potential to improve the relationship between Britannian and the Federation. Kallen didn't know how two nations would achieve peace, but she was sure it would go easier if both factions cooperated willingly.
"We can tell it to Rakshata." Tamaki offered. "I mean, she is smart right? If we show her this tech to prove Boss didn't mess with our brains she will understand it, right? Like, she's a scientist, she should be able to understand all this hypno-brain stuff."
"That's actually a good point." Kallen blinked, surprised by his effective suggestion. Rakshata cared mainly about Knightmares, but Kallen heard that she was also good at neurobiology. From what Anna and the Randle couple said to her Geass was affecting the brain and changing it. Surely if Rakshata saw their data from using their tech on Kallen and Guilford, the Indian genius would listen to them.
"So the chairman of the Federation and the head of the Black Knights' research and development team who might hear us out. Not bad so far." Guilford spoke.
"Don't forget Kallen and me, Four-Eyes!" Tamaki yelled. "Sure, I'm not some kind of military genius but I can be useful too." He turned to Kallen. "I was in charge of looking after the new recruits, making sure they were fine here. They'll listen to me if we tell them that Zero was betrayed by everyone else. Plus I have my own squad and I know those assholes will back me up if needed."
Kallen grimaced. Starting the fight among Black Knights wasn't something she wanted, but Q1 was ready to go on any length to achieve her goal. The Order of Black Knights killing each other wasn't the best path, but one she was ready to choose.
'Besides, they pointed guns against our leader and we betrayed Lelouch. The civil war will be a consequence of our own idiocy.'
Guilford narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you so eager to turn against your allies? And you didn't even ask us to show you a proof. For all you know we could be lying."
"Buzz off," Tamaki barked at him. "I wasn't happy with what happened but didn't know what to do. Everyone is just happy to turn on Boss, sell him out and just continue life like it wasn't a big deal. It sickens me! Plus, if Kallen says Boss is innocent then I trust her."
Kallen looked at him with wide eyes, a surprise was clear by her expression. "Wait, what?"
"Yup, I mean you're probably the hardest person to get along with. If you trust Boss to the point you're sure he didn't do anything wrong, I believe it." Tamaki smirked. "If you care about him so much that you'd turn on everyone else, I'd know you aren't bluffing. Plus, Oghi and the others kind of started to act just as bad as the Brits. Talking about how they expect Boss to attack us and prepare for war when everyone is sick of it. I heard the new guys whisper to each other. Without Zero and with Tokyo being destroyed no one wants to fight right now. Everyone is tired."
Morale in their ranks wasn't too high, mainly among Japanese soldiers. Zero was a messiah in their eyes and to lose their leader after the worst defeat was devastating. The units from the other Federations countries fared a little better at this matter, but many of them lacked the experience the main army had. Not to mention, not everyone was happy with following Xingke. Tohdoh was a hero, but the Chinese commander was a controversial figure. Mainly because of bad blood between China and Japan. Without fighting Britannia every day, old grudges started to emerge. Kaguya and others tried to make sure everything was ok, but without Zero's charisma, convincing everyone to fight the common enemy was difficult.
Kallen wanted to groan, they were supposed to be better than the likes of purebloods. Black Knights shouldn't be having such issues. Not to mention, Chiba fueling the shit storm of hostilities between their Japanese soldiers and the Brittanian counterparts wasn't helping at all.
'Chiba always hated Britannians. With Zero being Britannian and Diethard gone, she is doing everything to make sure our Japanese Black Knights will despise Britannians and their Emperor. She won't listen to me no matter what, then again I wasn't counting on her joining my side.' Chiba was the most likely enemy and Kallen wouldn't hesitate to take her down, but it raised another question. How to deal with Tohdoh? He won't allow harm to his direct subordinate and last Holy Sword. Kallen wasn't even sure if the old general would join them. Worst case scenario she would have to fight him, which will surely split the Order in two.
Then there was the issue with how to convince everyone else to follow Lelouch. Some might join Lelouch if the truth of him being Zero was revealed, but that will create new problems. Surely Lelouch won't be happy if his own subjects learned about his past as a masked revolutionary and Britannian's most dangerous enemy. Especially now when Nunnally complicated things for her big brother. On the other hand, with Lelouch and Black Knights working together they can fix everything peacefully and avoid any war between the two nations.
'So many problems I don't know the solution for.' There was a bloody option of using force and making sure everyone will obey Lelouch, but Kallen wanted to avoid it. Still, the redhead will need to have people who will fight on her side. Maybe Tamaki was right to remind her about the recruits. A quick take over of the Order might be the most dangerous but quickest way out of this mess. 'The consequences be damned! Black Knights must return to their right path and it doesn't matter if we will have to fight each other to achieve it. Right now every wrong step will destroy everything the Order was created for, I won't allow it!'
Maybe someone would call her insane for thinking like this, but Kallen was tired of it all. She was a soldier who followed orders and right now her leader was absent, betrayed by everyone, herself included. As far as Kallen cared the Black Knights weren't the same without the person who created them. None of the current leaders followed the principles Lelouch wanted for the Order to uphold. They were changing from protectors of justice and becoming similar to the same people they wanted to defeat.
"...If it means fixing the Order and reuniting with Lelouch, then I don't care if we will have to kill our own people," Kallen said slowly. Both men gave her a worried look. "We can't call ourselves the warriors of justice if all we did was sell out our leader and fail to achieve any meaningful peace without him. So I don't care how much blood it will take, we will make sure the Black Knights won't stray away from their purpose and leader anymore."
Guilford and Tamaki looked at each other, thinking how they should respond to it. What Kallen was suggesting was basically the start of schism in the Order. The Britannian knight was first to speak.
"I know that you're doing it out of loyalty to your lord. Even if I personally disagree with his views and methods, I will acknowledge your feelings. Not to mention, I must help you as you helped me regain confidence in my own loyalty towards my lady. Besides, if you manage to avoid a war between Britannia and the Federation I should have an easier time finding and reuniting with Her Highness."
"Thank you, Guilford. I won't forget this. What about you, Tamaki?"
The loud man in question spread his arms at the sides. "Come on, Kallen. I said I want Boss back and I'll help you. Sure, I don't want to start dropping our own people, but I want to beat some sense into Oghi and the rest. Would be nice to avoid an actual fight, but if there's nothing else we can do-" Tamaki's eyes hardened. "I won't hesitate."
Kallen didn't know if she could call someone like Ohgi her friend, but at the same time, she didn't want to end his life. Kick him for trusting some OSI agent who sleeps with him maybe. However, as long as everyone will believe their evidence that Lelouch didn't use Geass on them and will start working with him, Kallen would be satisfied for now. There was also the matter of Lelouch himself. Kallen didn't know what exactly he was planning or how she should try to contact him again. However, she had one method.
Kallen pulled out her phone and found the number Lelouch used.
She didn't tell anyone about it. She knew Lelouch won't just leave behind his old device, the mastermind that he was, Zero would always save it for the possible plans in the future… Maybe he thought about calling her too. Kallen wanted to press the button and call him but stopped herself. No, not right now.
"... Ok, we have a plan and know who might understand us." Kaguya and Rakshata. "But I also want you to make sure we will have some soldiers on our side if needed, Tamaki." Her brother's old friend nodded. "Good, for now, we will keep a low profile, I will try to speak with Kaguya first, see how she will react. But right now… I need to visit someone in Tokyo."
Guilford nodded. "I will continue my stay here, among the Europeans."
Tamaki stared at him with a weird look, before Guilford called him out for it.
"Actually, you can come with me. I-I mean, my guys are a little green and could use training from a pro." Tamaki suddenly offered. "I remember you being one annoying bastard to deal with. So, maybe you can train the recruits?"
"Will it not raise suspicion?" Someone might recognize him as the former enemy.
"Nah, don't worry about it. I know people here, they won't say anything as long as you're with me. So, what are you thinking?"
Guilford thought about it before nodding. "I could use combat training as well. I spent enough time lying on the bed in a coma and need to strengthen my body."
While the two of them were discussing their new potential partnership, Kallen reminded them to stay silent about their secret plan for the coup. When everything was talked over again, the redhead girl made her way towards the exit. However, her thoughts were still focused on the matter of contacting her leader. It wasn't so easy for Kallen to just call Lelouch and ask him to help install him as the leader of Black Knights again. There were many things the two of them needed to discuss, but the red lotus didn't know how to even start a conversation.
'Maybe she will give me advice on how to speak with Lelouch. Mom should be better at this than me.'
And so Kallen went to her mother.
Tokyo.
Lelouch had to admit that he did miss driving with Rivalz like in the old days. Back when they would sneak out of the academy to gamble in the city and defeat overconfident nobles. Compared to what happened after Lelouch met his witch, that time can be considered quite peaceful and enjoyable to an extent. However, life didn't stop and things changed.
That included Rivalz's life too.
"Can you repeat where you got this car or driving license? I thought you could only drive a moped." Right now both the Emperor and his old gambling partner were in a Honda Civic that Rivalz somehow managed to get while Lelouch was away.
"Oh, this beauty? Won the tournament!" Rivalz glanced at his buddy while driving at high speed. "I also got my license two months ago. I've been planning to get one for a while now since I was 17."
The minimum age to get a full driving license in Britannia was 17, although it varied among colonies. Considering how his friend was driving pretty recklessly and without looking at the sides too much, Lelouch thought it might be a good idea to increase age just in case.
'Wait, Rivalz is already 18.' Maybe the issue was Rivalz's driving skill. He was driving like it was a race. "What tournament?"
"The Racing Tournament. Didn't you know Tokyo had those?" Lelouch gave him a blank stare. "Oh, sorry with all this Zero and emperor business you were probably too busy. Not so long ago people started racing in the city. Since you were away and I couldn't go gambling without you, I decided to give it a shot. Turns out I'm really good at it! Who could have guessed?!"
"Not me," Lelouch said with a worried expression. Were these races legal? Should he do something about it? It was his empire after all.
Rivalz remembered something that made him smile proudly. "I even raced against Black Knights! In fact, they were regular members there."
"Wait, what?!"
"Yup, your guys know how to drive. They also had the best music!" Did it happen while Lelouch was still Zero or even before Black Rebellion? Why didn't he hear anything about it?!
"But what about the car?"
"Like I said, I won it. Used to drive my parent's car before. One day, some guy offered a bet to me, the winner gets the car of the loser. He sucked at racing and I easily won. Took his car and have been driving it ever since."
"...Huh." His life was pretty exciting after all. What else did Rivalz do while Lelouch was away?
Lelouch looked outside. Tokyo was still recovering after the last battle, progress was made but not everything was completely fixed. With the city divided into parts, there was a high presence of Knightmares on both sides. The Emperor was surprised by how calm civilians were around the battle machines that were flying in the sky. Vincent Wards and Gareths were on standby while Black Knights Akatsukis stood on the opposite side of the city.
The white emperor knew about the presence of the Black Knight in the city, he wanted them to be there. It would be easier to find his old followers when they were in his city.
'My city. My Japan. My empire.' Lelouch was Emperor for some time now but the understanding that the nation he tried to liberate from Britannia two times was now his still felt surreal. However, he shouldn't allow himself to forget his current goals and plans regarding his former Order. 'The Black Knights surely built a base of operation in Tokyo. Maybe I will find her there.'
Lelouch always knew there was a high possibility to meet Kallen again. He was planning to deal with the Black Knights and it was obvious she would be part of whatever happened. Their last meeting in Moscow wasn't perfect. The White Emperor wasn't even sure about his stance on Red Lotus, but he knew he cared about Kallen and didn't want to fight her. Ideally, talking with Kallen outside the Order would be the better option. He can try to talk with her, maybe manage to convince her to not fight him.
'Whenever I think about Kallen again, I feel strange… I miss her.'
"Hey, Lelouch," Rivalz called him out. "I was wondering what you were actually doing in Japan again?"
"As I said, I returned to see you guys again. That includes talking with Nina."
"Yeah yeah, I get it. But you also came because of the Black Knights right?" Lelouch stared at him, the monarch didn't say anything while Rivalz signed. "Ok, fine you don't need to tell me about your plans. Knowing you it's something insane, but please stay safe."
"Hoh? Why are you so worried all of a sudden? Rivalz, you were always calm when we went to gamble with aristocrats, no matter how dangerous they were."
"Back then, old nobles were assholes, but they wouldn't kill us. Now you're dealing with the people who followed you." The boy's face became unusually serious. "I can't imagine what it must be like being an enemy of your old friends, but you have the entire Order of Black Knights to worry about. All of it is so weird. You're the Emperor and Zero. Just wow."
"You took the news pretty well yesterday." Or at least better than Lelouch expected.
"I mean, I couldn't believe it when I heard it for the first time. Thought that maybe I would wake up and it was just a dream, but a day passed. It still feels super weird to be sitting next to the Emperor himself."
"Heh, don't worry about it, Rivalz," Lelouch said as he glanced outside again. "I'm still the same person you knew. I will admit I was hiding many things from you, but it doesn't change anything between us. At least I don't want to change anything. I'm happy with our friendship the way it is. I always valued our small adventures in the city, without you it wouldn't be the same."
"Aww, stop Lelouch. You're making me blush." Rivalz turned away, unable to hide the giant grin. "By the way, where are we driving?"
"The local hospital. I need to meet with someone there. It should be somewhere around the amusement park."
"Clovisland? Oh, man! There is always a traffic jam at this time of the day. Wait, couldn't you order your servants to drive you there?" Rivalz blinked. "Wait, Lelouch, do you know how to drive yourself?"
His friend shook his head. "No, why would I? I always used public transport or had someone drive me to my destination. There was no need for me to learn how to drive."
"Are you for real?!" Rivalz looked at him with wide eyes. "I saw the news, you can pilot Knightmare but cannot drive a car? Come on buddy, everyone has a driving license these days. Even Milly has one."
Lelouch clicked his tongue, a little embarrassed. "W-well, as Emperor I have a busy schedule and cannot afford to spend time on something so trivial. Not to mention, I can just order someone to drive me."
Did it sound privileged? Doesn't matter! Lelouch was perfectly fine without knowing how to drive. There was nothing wrong with it, right? Many people didn't know it either. It was absolutely normal!
'Right?'
"Mhm, sure thing buddy." Lelouch didn't like the smug expression on his face, it felt like it was mocking him! "It means you can order those guys to drive you?"
"What do you mean?"
Rivalz pointed out to the side. There were several black cars forming a protective circle around them. The most likely suspects were OSI agents/his bodyguards. Lelouch blinked. How hadn't he noticed it before?
'But I made sure no one would disturb us. I was sure none of them would follow me outside the academy.' Lelouch knew his way around the academy and how to sneak out without anyone seeing him. 'Even my own secret service shouldn't be able to find me unless I want it...Wait, were they tracking me?!'
Lelouch checked himself, looking for any hidden devices but couldn't find anything. Of course, OSI wouldn't use something obvious, unless… The White Emperor pulled out his imperial crest. A small emblem of Geass, a proof of his position as the monarch he carried in case he would need to immediately access anything he needed when someone would dare to doubt his authority. He examined it carefully, looking for any detail, this should be it.
'I cannot have OSI following my tail.' They would draw attention, even if they were in disguise. Worse, if something happens the secret service will call for reinforcements. With so many Knightmares in the city, it might cause an accident and Lelouch didn't need that. 'Either Jeremiah or Sayoko ordered this. Who am I kidding? They both made sure OSI won't leave me for even a moment. This will complicate my talk with James. I need to get rid of them.'
"Rivalz, change of plan. Make a quick turn and try to escape our escort. Then leave me somewhere nearby. I will walk to the hospital on my own while you will drive around the city, trying to distract them. "Although it was a long way to his destination. Lelouch hated it, but he didn't have a choice.
"Wait, what? Aren't those guys working for you? Can't you just ask them to leave us?"
Lelouch shook his head. "That won't happen. When it comes to my security, some of my followers can get overprotective."
Especially if it was an overzealous cyborg knight or maid ninja.
"Ok, fine. But you're paying for gas!" Rivalz demanded.
Lelouch nodded. He would buy his friend a new car if it meant he can get away from the clingy secret service. After all, he didn't need additional guests in the hospital. Minutes later, Rivalz found an opportunity to get away from their pursuers and change the direction, driving through the defence perimeter OSI made and leaving them behind. Not wasting a time, the blue-haired driver took a quick turn and left Lelouch among buildings. The raven-haired young man made sure to leave behind his crest.
'Perfect. Can't have others ruin my small talk with the Stadtfeld patriarch.' Cinder did say that James Stadtfeld was visiting his wife in the hospital and Lelouch it was a good time to have a private talk with them.
And so Lelouch went to meet Kallen's parents.
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Hehe.
Editor: Kingpin Lunamaria.