Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to Code: Geass or Naruto.
"Lelouch, are you serious about waging war on Britannia? The entire Britannian Empire?"
Lelouch turned and looked at Naruto as he put his costume away. They had just returned home and Lelouch was still annoyed over Suzaku's decision that put a major dent in his plans. Naruto himself believed that Suzaku was an idiot who ignored all the wrongs and cruelty Britannia was doing and even contradicted himself for looking down Zero's methods despite the fact that in war both sides did everything they could to win, even so called dishonorable tactics. There was no good or honor or what was right in war, just the side that manages to win.
Just about everyone who fights in a war could be considered evil, even himself.
"After what you have just witnessed you still have doubts?" Lelouch asked, wondering what was on Naruto's mind.
"There is something I believe C.C. should tell you." Naruto closed his eyes.
" You know why Nunnally was blind, don't you? " Naruto asked when he and C.C. entered the room they would be using in Lelouch and Nunnally's home.
"Hm, I guess you can catch on pretty quick when you want to." C.C. answered, not surprised by Naruto's question.
"Cera." Naruto looked at her. "If my Rinnegan can see someone affected by Geass the same goes for you and you knew about Lelouch and his sister before we arrived in Shinjuku. I haven't asked you about anything from your past but if there is something I or Lelouch should know if we're going to war with a third of the world I'd like to know now than later."
C.C. frowned as she led Naruto onto the roof. "All right. Since you were so truthful with me when we met I suppose the same should go for me."
Naruto led Lelouch to the dining room where they saw C.C. folding origami with Nunnally.
"Welcome back, Lelouch. I see you've decided to eat out tonight since you still have crumbs on the corner of your mouth." C.C. said with a smirk as Lelouch's right eye twitched.
Nunnally giggled. "You shouldn't eat so fast. Food sticks to your face. But I think you were right to hurry back. Our new friend Tsunade has been waiting hours for you and Mr. Naruto to come back."
"Just Naruto please." Naruto smiled.
"Nunnally I need to have a talk with Naruto and Tsunade regarding their stay here." Lelouch said, wondering what Naruto wanted to speak to him about.
C.C. shrugged. "Well, no time like the present. I'm sure Nunnally and I could have some more fun later."
"That would be nice." Nunnally yawned. "Good night to you all. I'm going to bed."
"I'll tuck you in." Lelouch smiled. "Naruto, Tsunade, could you wait in my room?"
"There is more to those two than meets the eye, Master Lelouch."
Lelouch froze when Sayoko spoke to him after he closed the door to Nunnally's room. He needed an excuse and fast. He would probably have to use his Geass on her if she got too suspicious.
"What makes you say that?" Lelouch slowly asked.
"They both seem familiar with combat and they have a look in their eyes that tell they are much more than they appear." Sayoko answered.
"And how can you tell?"
Sayoko was a silent for a second. "I saw the same look in soldiers who carried themselves when talking about war. The same look you have, My Lord."
Lelouch's eyes widened. She knew?
"I noticed you having that look the day after Shinjuku." Sayoko explained.
Lelouch quickly said. "Don't worry Sayoko; they will not endanger me or Nunnally."
"Especially since I would never harm a little girl."
Sayoko and Lelouch turned around and saw Naruto leaning against the wall. "Perhaps you should sit in as well, Sayoko-san."
C.C. was sitting on Lelouch's bed as the door opened. "Finally. You know how bored I was getting?"
"Sorry. We got sidetracked." Naruto answered as he leaned against the wall.
"Now that we are here perhaps we can begin." Sayoko spoke, looking between both of her master's guests.
"And she is?" C.C. asked, eyeing the maid calmly.
"Sayoko Shinozaki, 37th successor to the Shinozaki School of Martial Arts and maid of Lelouch Lamperouge and Nunnally Lamperouge." Sayoko answered with a wary look at both newcomers. "Who are you and why are you here?"
"Perhaps Lelouch should start?" Naruto gestured. "She's obviously figured out you've been up to something so your better of telling her now."
Lelouch sighed and began explaining what had happened that day on Shinjuku, attaining his Geass, killing Clovis to stop the massacre, becoming Zero and rescuing Suzaku.
"… And after Suzaku refused to join us we came back here." Lelouch finished.
"Change Britannia from within." C.C. echoed Suzaku's words. "Men with more charisma, strength, and intelligence than him have tried and failed."
"What's worse is that he believes he can do through the right methods." Naruto closed his eyes. "In his mind if the results are done through 'contemptible means' are worthless. This coming from the man who is a soldier?"
C.C. snorted. "He'll either be dead or wises up to the fact that he cannot change Britannia the way he is."
Sayoko had remained silent that whole time, only narrowing her eyes when she heard Lelouch was almost killed by Britannian soldiers. "My Lord, does this mean you intend to wage war against your father?"
"I do." Lelouch nodded.
"Is it because you seek revenge?"
"… I admit it is part of the reason. A motive based purely based on revenge is not a valid reason for risking my life. I plan to do it because I know that Nunnally and I will always be in danger of being discovered and taken back to be used by that man ." Lelouch said the last word with hate in his voice. "I will not let him endanger Nunnally's future again."
"And do you plan to use this power, your Geass?" Sayoko asked.
"I do. To not use such ability would be foolish. But I was planning to rebel without Geass anyways, this only allowed me accelerate my timeline. I seek to use it to fight Britannia!" Lelouch declared with complete commitment in his voice.
Sayoko remained silent for a moment. ""I have only one last question, My Lord. Can you win?"
"… I cannot guarantee victory with absolute certainty, Sayoko, as there are too many unknown factors and variables at this time… But I promise you I will do everything in my power to emerge victorious."
Naruto and C.C. watched as Sayoko remained silent for a moment before walking over to Lelouch and kneeling before him.
"Sayoko?"
"If that is your answer, Master, than I ask you my lord to allow me to aid you in this mission. Will you allow me to stand by your side?"
Lelouch was silent with shock for a moment before smiling. "Then I, Lelouch Lamperouge, formerly Lelouch Vi Britannia accept your aid from this day forward. You will not regret it."
Sayoko beamed as she stood up. "Arigatou, Lelouch-sama."
"Now then, Sayoko, the first order I have for you is keeping Nunnally safe and in the dark of what I plan to do as Zero." Lelouch said.
Sayoko frowned. "Is that wise, My Lord?"
"I know how you feel and I would tell Nunnally myself, however I know Nunnally would never agree with my methods or my plans. She dislikes violence, believing it should only be used in self defence and her moral views would attract unwanted attention." Lelouch explained with a hint of sadness on his face at having to lie to his little sister. "She is happy with living in this house with her loving brother but she doesn't realize that unless something is done about the Emperor we will always be in danger. That is why I can't allow her to know for as long as possible."
"… Very well." Sayoko nodded her head.
"Now then, Naruto." Lelouch turned to the two onlookers. "There is something you wanted to tell me?"
"There is something you should know concerning both your family and Geass." Naruto answered.
"Which is?"
"That your father has a Geass as well." C.C. answered.
After telling Naruto about her time with the Imperial Court, including Charles's plan Naruto immediately suggested telling Lelouch, reasoning that leaving him in the dark was a bad idea. C.C. agreed but only to telling Lelouch most of the truth, believing the rest should be kept secret for now and Naruto reluctantly agreed when she explained her reasons.
Lelouch's eyes widened as he shouted. "Wh-WHAT?!"
"Yes. Charles zi Britannia is in possession of a Geass, one that he is able to control perfectly." C.C. nodded.
"Did you give it to him?" Lelouch asked sharply with narrowed eyes. "And is it anything like mine or yours?"
"No. That was done through a close confidant of his named V.V. And no Geass is the same as the others. Yours is the power of Absolute Obedience, able to command anyone to do anything you tell them through eye contact. Charles's Geass is the Power of Memory Manipulation, allowing him to alter, suppress, or change the memories of anyone and he doesn't need eye contact to do it. He can even suppress a person's Geass by making them forget they have one and it can work on the same person more than once." C.C. explained.
Lelouch's eyes widened when he considered the implications of what could happen if the Emperor ever used his Geass on him. That would mean facing him was out of the question, unless he had some way to block it.
"You should also know that the more you rely on your Geass the stronger it will become and the more difficult it will be for you to deactivate. Eventually it will become too strong and will remain permanently active. You should also know that should you start to experience mental instability your Geass will activate on its own, causing what we call a 'runaway Geass'. Beware when using this power, Lelouch." C.C. continued calmly.
Lelouch and Sayoko's eyes widened, especially Lelouch's when he realized the danger of his Geass going active without him knowing.
"Is there a way to stop it?" Sayoko asked.
"The only way to ensure everyone's safety is everyone wearing reflective glasses, using lenses, or even an eye patch to cover your eye." C.C. answered with a nod.
"So, I will have to wear lenses over my left eye." Lelouch frowned.
"Both of your eyes eventually. When your Geass becomes strong enough it will activate in your right eye as well." C.C. replied. "It takes years of practising to learn how to fully control your Geass when it's fully evolved before you can deactivate it at will."
"Does anyone else in the Imperial Court have a Geass?" Lelouch immediately asked, wanting to know about any potential threats.
"Yes. The Knight of the One, Bismark Waldstein and a secret order of Geass users set up by Charles and V.V. to study and produce Geass users that answer only to the Emperor and carry out secret missions for him. I used to be part of that group but I defected seven years ago so my information is outdated but I know that there is a total of fifty Geass users with only a few of them being available for missions since most of them are children." C.C. nodded.
"And what is Bismark's Geass?" Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "And will any of them come after us?"
"I doubt they will send anyone after us soon since the military is currently in chaos from the death of Clovis and the Pure Blood's humiliation. As for Bismark, he claims his Geass can see the future, but in reality it allows him to see the trajectories of all of his opponents, instantly knowing their moves a few seconds in advance and instantly know how to counter them. The Power of Reading Trajectory."
'Sounds like the Byakugan without the 360 degree vision or the white eyes.' Naruto thought.
"The only person to ever defeat this Geass was Marianne vi Britannia, the Flash." C.C. continued.
'The Flash huh?' Naruto thought with an ironic smile.
Lelouch's eyes widened as dinner plates. "My mother defeated this power?"
"She did." C.C. nodded, remembering her conversation with Naruto.
"So Lelouch's mother could transfer her soul into anyone she chose through eye contact?" Naruto asked and when C.C. nodded he sighed. "Great. Another Orochimaru wannabee. So they're making this plan to somehow kill the Gods of this world using something called the Sword of Akasha and Thought Elevators to make all of humanity one being? Sounds too much like Madara wanted to do."
"The thought is essentially the same but they will need two Codes and since my Code was absorbed by our contract Charles and Marianne will need to find another Code bearer." C.C. answered.
Naruto frowned. "Did you ever plan on telling Lelouch about this?"
"Not at first, if I hadn't met you I would have used Lelouch as a way to take my Code so I could finally die but I know keeping the both of you in the dark would be bad, especially if the Geass Directorate finds about you, Naruto. However I do not think we should tell Lelouch about his mother's Geass since he could never accept that his mother abandoned him and his sister like their father or that she has a Geass as well that she used to cheat death. I'll consider telling him when he's ready." C.C. calmly replied. "I don't need him as much as I would have if it had not been for you, Naruto but at the same time I recognize that Lelouch needs to mentally mature, especially now that he has a Geass."
"Fine, I'll give you that. Still, there is the matter of this Ragnarok and the fact that Marianne can speak to you." Naruto pointed out.
"Don't worry. I severed my connection with her." C.C. answered.
"Really? When?" Naruto asked.
"When I realized what she, Charles, and V.V. would do if they learned of your existence." C.C. smiled. "If they realized what kind of power you had they along with the Knights of the Round would swarm Japan before Lelouch can assemble a proper rebellion. They might know you have a contract with me and figure out that Lelouch has a Geass by now but they won't know about what you really are."
"That's nice to know." Naruto sighed in relief. "You had me worried for a second, Cera."
"What have I told you about using my name outside of bed?" C.C. asked with an irate look.
"It's your name and despite the fact that you believe you've severed your humanity I don't believe that. Plus, you're kind of human now once you think about it." Naruto smirked. "There's nothing wrong with using your name once in a while."
"Fine, but only use it when no one is around us." C.C. relented while thinking. 'Annoying soft hearted idiot.'
"So, if you don't have a Code anymore does that mean that they can't go forward with their plan?" Naruto asked, getting back on topic.
"I do not know if there are more Codes out there and I do not know who the bearers are but they are not likely involved with the Order." C.C. answered.
"Good to know but that means they'll be looking for them when they realize you don't have your Code anymore." Naruto pointed out.
"It'll take time since we all have centuries of experience blending in." C.C. smirked. "Charles and V.V. will be distracted looking for another Code Bearer if they ever realize my Code was absorbed by the Rinnegan."
"Bismark keeps his left eye sewed shut at all times and the only time he ever used it was against your mother and he still lost. He was the Knight of Five when Marianne defeated him which earned her the rank of Knight of Two." C.C. continued.
"And this V.V. person?" Lelouch asked.
"He looks like a ten year old boy but he is actually fifty years old. That's because he has a Code like I did that allows him to grant people Geass." C.C. answered, scowling at the memory of that brat. "He and Charles captured me and handed me over to Clovis and Bartley to be experimented on when I refused to help them."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"So you were captured by them and that's why Clovis thought you were in that tank. But why was there a duplicate of you in that tank when we first met?" Lelouch remembered how they met.
"Luckily I had help." C.C. glanced at Naruto with a smile. "We escaped and we've been planning to take down Britannia ever since."
"And those other powers you used? Is that the result of Geass?" Lelouch asked, wondering about all their other abilities. "Your eyes, they changed several times before. They showed the Geass symbol but at the same time the sclera and irises turned purple with six rings expanding from the pupil… like ripples in a pond. Is it an advanced form of Geass? It's what cured Nunnally's blindness isn't it?"
"Nope to the former but yes to the latter. That comes from me and an ancestor of mine." Naruto smirked as he and C.C. showed both their Rinnegan. "Originally C.C. tried to form a contract with me but what she didn't count on was that these eyes are just as powerful as Geass, actually they might be stronger. When she forged a contract with me to give me Geass that power merged with her Code and led to her gaining the same eyes as me through the Power of Absolute Harmony and Unity. So we both have Geass, the Power of the King, and the Rinnegan, the Eyes of God."
'Rinnegan.' Sayoko and Lelouch repeated in their heads.
The name literally meant Eye of Samsara as they both knew Japanese language.
"The best reason I can think of what happened is that because a person who carries a Geass Code is immortal with eternal youth and complete regeneration and someone who has the Rinnegan has power over life and death, both are similar powers when you think about it. Allowing a person to live for a very long time that can even grant powers to other people and they both reacted to each other when C.C. tried to give me a Geass because they were so similar." Naruto started.
"And when I did the Rinnegan's nature reacted to our connection and I guess the powers sort of merged together. The Code that kept me alive for centuries was absorbed by the Rinnegan but because of its nature I gained its power while retaining all the abilities that my Code granted me, except for the Absolute Immortality." C.C. smiled at the reminder that she was no longer helpless or alone. "I can still grant people a Geass but now I can also grant four more people the Rinnegan."
"Why is that?" Lelouch asked, fascinated by what he was hearing.
"The Rinnegan has a special power called the Six Paths that allow for different special abilities unique to each path along with the ability to manipulate the elements or as you saw from when we teleported, even manipulate space and time to cover long distances and even make copies of ourselves from you saw in Shinjuku. C.C. already gave one person the Rinnegan, thus giving them one special power while we both converted our Knightmares to use the same eyes as well." Naruto answered.
"Those eyes…" Lelouch thought it over. "Your Knightmares had the same eyes!"
"And one of the benefits we share vision with our Knightmares and anyone we grant the Rinnegan to. I also discovered it can cure people of injuries and illnesses, like your sister." C.C. explained with a smirk.
"Can this Rinnegan be granted to me?" Lelouch asked, his mind racing with ideas and possibilities.
Having eyes that can share vision would be a major benefit to him and his plans and the powers he had seen would allow him to stay one step ahead of his enemies.
"Sorry, but C.C. can only grant a Geass or the Rinnegan to anyone willing, not both. Any attempt to grant you the Rinnegan would kill you." Naruto shook his head.
Lelouch frowned but even if he couldn't have the same eyes they would still be valuable. "So then, why grant me a Geass?"
"One reason would be is that we both know we can't take on Britannia alone. Another reason would be even if I have a contract with Naruto I can still grant other people a Geass so as long as they grant me a wish." C.C. answered.
"And what is your wish?"
"I don't know. I'll decide when I know it." C.C. shrugged. "And I'm here to help because Naruto aims to destroy Britannia like you and I will not allow my contractors to die."
She and Naruto shared a small smile which Lelouch noticed and wondered what their contract was.
"If I may ask," Sayoko spoke up, earning everyone's attention. "Would it be possible for me to obtain a Geass or this Rinnegan?"
That question surprised all three of them as they stared at the maid in surprise.
"Sayoko?!" Lelouch choked out.
"It makes sense, My Lord. Your father and an unknown number of servants of his possess Geass that are no doubt as powerful as yours. You would need something to counter that and I believe I can help." Sayoko explained.
Lelouch admitted she had a point but it was actually not up to him. He looked at Naruto and C.C. who starred the maid in thought.
"C.C? Naruto?" Lelouch asked, wondering what their answer would be.
"You do realize that once you gain a Geass or the Rinnegan you cannot take your choice back. You have no way of knowing what your Geass would be and you would be sharing your vision with the rest of us." Naruto pointed out.
"I am willing to accept the risks."
"Why?" C.C. frowned. "Neither of them are free and it must be granted through a trade in services. What would you be willing to give up?"
"I think we already know." Naruto smiled, earning their attention. "You want to protect Lelouch and Nunnally and you're willing to risk anything to protect them."
This was something Naruto could respect as anyone will risk their lives to protect those closest to their hearts was the kind of person that the world always needed.
"Yes." Sayoko nodded.
C.C. did something that no one in the room, not even Naruto, expected her to do.
She laughed. "It's not every day I see someone with so much devotion! I wonder what Lulu here did to earn this much loyalty!"
Lelouch frowned at the nickname that Shirley and Euphimia liked to use but said nothing as C.C. calmed down.
"All right, I will grant you one of the two powers. And since you're not only a maid but a skilled ninja I believe the Rinnegan will be more suitable for you but be warned you will feel unimaginable pain." C.C. warned as she stood up and walked up to Sayoko.
"I am ready. What must I do?" Sayoko asked.
"Simply allow me to touch your eyes." C.C. held out her finger touched Sayoko's eyes.
Naruto quickly drew seals on the walls and the door as this happened.
"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked.
"Like C.C. said this will hurt and she will scream. These seals will keep the room soundproof so your sister or everyone else on campus won't hear." Naruto said as he stood behind Sayoko and grabbed her shoulders to hold her down.
The Geass symbol glowed around the pupils of C.C.'s Rinnegan and instantly Sayoko let out a scream that lasted for a moment before she managed to grit her teeth, trying to deal with the pain. It took over five minutes for it to end. On one hand Lelouch was fascinated by how someone is granted this power but on the other hand he didn't like have to listen to sound of the woman who taken care of him and Nunnally since they were kids in pain.
"It's done." C.C. lowered her fingers five minutes later.
"Sayoko?" Lelouch knelt down in front of her as Naruto released her, allowing her to fall down onto her knees.
Sayoko lifted her head up to face him and slowly opened her eyes. Lelouch's eyes widened when her eyes stared back at his.
He saw those eyes, the Rinnegan staring back at him.
"I'm okay, Master. I'm okay." Sayoko whispered with a small smile.
"So you gave her the Rinnegan?" Rakshata said, smirking down at the image of C.C. and Naruto on her laptop. "That explains the new vision I got."
" Well, we're letting you know ahead of time. " C.C. answered, not really caring. " Naruto will be training Sayoko in how to use her chakra and new eyes since I went through the trouble of giving her the Rinnegan in the first place. "
" Yeah, yeah. " Naruto rolled his eyes. " Anyways, Rakshata-san, we're calling about the white nightmare we fought in Shinjuku. "
Rakshata grinned. "The one you beautifully defeated and showed that annoying Earl of Pudding who's the best in the world?"
" Huh? "
"There is only one man who can make something this advanced, Lloyd Asplund. An Earl of Britannia and head of the research division Camelot. He's the only one who could have designed a Knightmare this advanced." Rakshata explained. "Evidently he's managed to create a shield that absorbed excess energy and circles it through the entire Frame. The shield is made of microscopic particles moving at near light speed but the shields do not simply project themselves out, otherwise they wouldn't have the shield shape. The particles were projected in a very specific angle held by an electromagnetic field which pulls them back in. Essentially the particles are 'retrieved' and their momentum is recycled into energy that charges the entire frame, enabling all systems to operate at 100% efficiency."
" Impressive for just using Core Luminous. " C.C commented while Naruto nodded, pretending to understand all the science talk going over his head.
"It's nothing against my children. That shield had a flaw and you proved it when you overloaded it in the fight." Rakshata smirked victoriously. "An attack with the right amount of energy and when too much is absorbed it overloads. Lloyd will have to do a lot better than that if he wants to put even a scratch on my children."
" So it's just a massive overpowered toy. " C.C. smirked. " Good to know. "
"So, what is the next plan? Or is the newly famous Zero making the plans?" Rakshata asked.
" For now we're laying low and letting Zero's fame sit in. According to Lelouch the Pure Bloods are humiliated and the military is in chaos. "
"And a new Viceroy is on the way." Rakshata commented. "They won't let an Area flourish without someone to take control for very long."
" Guess we'll have to wait and see who it is. " Naruto sighed. " But we might end up contacting you for equipment and supplies since Zero will need all that to turn a bunch of ragtag terrorists into a battle hardened army. "
"Well then, I guess I better get to work." Rakshata grinned eagerly. "I have a few ideas on what could help out."
" Good. Now I'm going to bed and Naruto is coming too. I have had a long day and he is going to help me unwind. " C.C. said as she cut the connection with Naruto chuckling.
Rakshata quickly deactivated her Rinnegan since she didn't need those images in her head. She wouldn't be able to work and concentrate if she had.
'Still though, I wonder if any books Naruto makes will be inspired by him and C.C.' She couldn't help but wonder.
Naruto awoke the second the sun shined down on him through his window and when he awoke the first thing he saw was green hair covering his face. The person yawned as she turned her head and looked up at him.
"Good morning." C.C. smiled as the sun lit up her beautiful face.
"Morning." Naruto smiled back as he leaned down and gave her quick kiss. "I take you've slept well."
C.C. smiled as she sat up, making no attempts to cover herself and allowed Naruto a perfect view. "I had some great dreams."
"I can imagine." Naruto commented as he sat up and C.C. wrapped her arms around him. "Looking for something."
"Yes." C.C. said as she pulled his lips to her and kept them together for five whole minutes.
They both had experience in holding their breath for a very long time. C.C. particularly enjoyed the contact, having been so disconnected from the world and humanity for so long. She had been so aloof and distant from the world that she had no longer believed she had the capacity to love anyone or anything. Sure she made acquaintances now and then, but she had long ago shut her heart off from truly caring.
At least until the blond man stealing her breath came into her life. Someone who gave her strength, gave her hope, gave her life back to her. Before she had nothing to live for, except to find someone to transfer her Code to so she could finally die. Her Code was gone; absorbed by a new power that allowed her body to be mortal despite the fact she would still live a long life.
But now she something to be happy about and hope for a future.
She remembered back to when she first gained her Geass and lost it, gaining the power of immortality. She wanted to die because she was alone, because she had no one or anything to live for. Now she had someone who could grant her wish.
Her wish to be loved.
'I wondered if my Code would allow me to have children but I never found any reason to try until now.' C.C. thought. 'Even if it's been eight centuries since my last period.'
"You're in a good mood today." Naruto said once they pulled away.
He never imagined he'd be in a relationship like this, despite his crush on Sakura or Hinata's crush on him. He pushed that all to the back of his mind during the battle with Obito and Madara and when he tried to stop Madara he resigned himself to the fact that he would die, not knowing he came into a completely new world. He was sad at first, who wouldn't be if they found out they would never see their friends and home again but perhaps the cycle of hate started with his ancestors would end now that he was in a different world with no chance of the battle continuing. And it was nice to have someone with him; it was a welcome feeling after all the battles and wars.
He stood up and walked over to get his school uniform.
"I am." C.C. said as she stood up, still nude as she walked over to the bathroom. "I happen to be in a very good mood today."
"Do you plan on moving? We wouldn't want to be late." Naruto asked.
"You mustn't rush a woman, Naruto. We have to prepare ourselves for the day, to make ourselves look beautiful for the commoners." C.C. answered as the shower came on.
"You talk like your royalty." Naruto smirked as he put his pants on.
"All women believe themselves to be royalty, even the modest ones." C.C. smirked. "And it helps that we can get men and even other woman to do anything we want. Like this. Shower. Now."
"I just got dressed." Naruto complained but smiled.
"Now."
Naruto rolled his eyes as he walked into the bathroom, closing the door. 'Ero-sennin would be dancing in his grave if he could see me now.'
"Case Number 107: Private Suzaku Kururugi, Area Eleven Military Force. In the murder of his Highness Prince Clovis, you are no longer a suspect and are hereby set free due to lack of evidence." The judge banged his gavel.
The courtroom wasn't filled with much people to begin with and was completely emptied as soon as the judge dismissed his case. No defence lawyer, no prosecutor, just the judge waiting for him and dismissing his case before leaving quickly.
"Out of the way please!" A voice shouted.
Suzaku stopped and looked above, spotting a girl falling to the ground. 'What the-?!'
"Look out below!" The girl shouted as Suzaku dropped his bag and caught her with both arms.
She was very light as Suzaku realized as he managed to hold her up without any difficulty.
"Are you all right?" Suzaku asked as he set her down.
He took in her appearance, noticing her long pink hair and violet eyes that made him instinctively think 'beautiful' in his mind and at the same time wonder if he had seen her before.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware anyone was down here when I leapt." The girl said hurriedly.
"Well don't worry. I wasn't expecting a girl to come falling out of the sky and into my arms anyway." Suzaku shrugged off her apology.
The girl seemed to be staring at him for some reason. "Oh my."
Suzaku didn't realize that she instantly recognized him as the man who was accused of murdering Prince Clovis.
"Is something wrong?" Suzaku asked, wondering why she was staring.
The last thing he needed was to be accused of assaulting someone and end up arrested again.
"Oh. Yes there is something wrong. The truth is the bad guys are chasing me, so considering the circumstances could you help me? Please?" The girl asked.
Suzaku looked at her and then back up the window she had jumped out of. He knew something was off with her story but she was still Britannian while he was an honorary Britannian. Plus he couldn't say no to that pretty face of hers but he quickly squashed that thought as he nodded and led her away. He quickly put on sunglasses to hide his identity since many Britannians would still harbor feelings of suspicion and resentment for him.
"We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? My name is…." She turned away for a second before finishing. "Euphie."
"Euphie?" Suzaku asked.
"Yes, Euphie."
Suzaku decided to introduce himself. "My name is-"
"Don't tell me. Cause I already know it. You're a celebrity, Son of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, Private Suzaku Kururugi." The girl cut him off.
Suzaku quickly looked around before speaking. "You lied before. There's no one chasing you, right?"
When she didn't answer Suzaku turned back to see she was a few feet away now, talking to a pair of cats with of them having an injured paw.
"Meow, meow, meow. Aw, does the kitty's paw hurt? Oh!" Both cats hissed at her but Euphie still reached out to it. "Meow, meow, meow."
The instant she touched the cat's head it seemingly changed its mind and allowed her to pet it. The second cat stared before accepting the girl's other hand.
"Meow. Meow." Euphie smiled as she picked up the cats.
She held out the them for Suzaku to pet but the cat obviously didn't like him as the second he tried the first one bit down on his finger.
"Oh my!" Euphie gasped.
Suzaku tried to pull his finger back but the cat seemed to determined not to let go. It took a moment for Suzaku to pull his finger free. The second cat seemed to purr at seeing Suzaku flinch.
"Are you okay, Suzaku?" Euphie asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. See, no blood?" Suzaku held up his finger.
"We should bandage it just in case and fix this little guy's paw." The cats meowed and snuggled into Euphie arms with both of them purring. "Aw, so cute."
"How do you think that one cat got hurt anyways?" Suzaku said as they started walking again.
"Arthur says he had a bad landing, right Arthur?" Euphie asked.
The cat seemed to understand as it answered with a meow.
"Arthur?"
"Uh uh. That's his name." Euphie answered like it was obvious. "And the other cat's name is Merlin."
Suzaku smiled and had to keep himself from laughing. "Did he introduce himself?"
"No. But Arthur's his name, all the same." Euphie answered with a humorous smile.
They finally reached the store where Suzaku bandaged his finger while Euphie bandaged Arthur's paw who just sat and waited for her to finish.
"Do you have trouble with cats?" Euphie asked as she finished.
"I like them just fine." Suzaku tried to pet Arthur again but cat once again hissed at him. "The attraction isn't mutual however."
"I think unrequited love is the mark of a kind person."
The second Euphie was done both of the cats took off running down the street.
"Aw, the kitties ran away." Euphie said sadly.
In a nearby ally the cats stopped and the second one began to change with its black fur becoming blue with a flaming pattern and its eyes changed with one remaining yellow but the other turning green. As if that was not enough the cat's single tail split into two. The cat Euphie had named Arthur did not seem to care as he just sat and stared at the other cat's new appearance and meowed.
"I know, I know. A deal's a deal." The flaming cat said with a sigh. "I'll find you a place where you can get plenty of fish."
Arthur meowed happily.
'A new world with strange new things, including a cat that seems to know what I am. Kurama will be annoyed when I show him cats are smarter than foxes. The cat thought. 'But seriously, Merlin? Can't she tell what a cat's gender is?'
Lelouch sat down on the bench and looked through the newspaper reports on Suzaku, looking to see if the official statement on him being innocent was released yet. He thought over what he had learned last night and realized that even with his Geass he was remarkably unprepared for his war against Britannia, especially since his father, the Knight of the One, and fifty others had Geass as well.
'If I am going to fight against Britannia I'll need an army with me. Naruto and C.C.'s powers will greatly help but I'll need more.'
Lelouch was shaken from his thoughts as a shadow fell over him and when he looked up he saw the blue eyes and red hair of only one person who had those traits.
"Lelouch, could you do me a favor?" Kallen asked.
"Sure, what is it?" Lelouch asked, putting the paper he was reading away.
"Yesterday I got a phone call from someone" Kallen explained.
"Call?" Lelouch asked, wondering if she was suspicious again.
Didn't he manage convince her he wasn't Zero?
"It was after Rivalz spilled champagne on me," Kallen said with a blush on her face. "I got a call when I was in the bathroom."
Lelouch managed to keep himself from smirking. "Yeah?"
"I want to contact that person again. Can you find out what the caller ID was?"
Lelouch suppressed the urge to sigh in relief. "Sorry but it was a school call. Our phones don't have caller ID and the principal is the only one who can access the call history. Not even Milly has access to those records."
Kallen didn't seem shocked or saddened. "I see. Thanks anyways."
"No problem." Lelouch looked behind her and noticed Naruto leaning against a tree as he and C.C. made out.
Kallen looked to where he was looking. "They sure like doing that, don't they?"
"Yes." Lelouch sighed.
C.C. pulled away from Naruto and smirked over at Lelouch. "Oh, hello Lelouch. Are you in the middle of asking Kallen out?"
Lelouch and Kallen's eyes widened as they sputtered. "Wh-what?!"
"I seem to recall how cute you said Kallen looked the other day." Naruto commented.
Kallen blushed as Lelouch's eyebrow twitched.
"In fact, Rivalz even went and suggested to the Student Council that you and Kallen got it on." C.C. continued, putting a finger to her chin.
"WHAT?!" Both of them shouted at once.
"Don't look at us. We're only saying what we heard." Naruto shrugged.
"I BARELY EVEN KNOW LELOUCH! WHY WOULD DO THAT TO SOMEONE I DON'T EVEN KNOW!" Kallen shouted, her sickly persona slipping for a second.
'Wow. She could be a long lost Uzumaki somehow lost through dimensions.' Naruto thought, seeing similarities between Kallen and the infamous Uzumaki temper that many of the women, including his own mother were famous for.
Lelouch had to step back, afraid Kallen would turn her wrath on him. "Uh, Naruto, Tsunade, you two asked me to show you some of the clubs, right?"
"Oh right. Thank you for remembering, Lelouch." C.C complimented sweetly, so sweet that Lelouch had to gag as he dragged them away.
"Are you trying to draw attention to yourselves?" Lelouch asked when they made it to the roof. "The military is looking for both of you and you keep on drawing attention to yourselves."
"Relax. The military won't be looking for us in the middle of their 'Orange' problems and preparing for the new Viceroy." C.C. retorted as she walked over the railing. "Hm? What is she doing?"
Down below a girl was drawing on the nearby wall with a piece of chalk.
"She's doing it again?" Lelouch walked over the railing.
"Again?" C.C. asked.
"Did you use your Geass on her?" Naruto asked, frowning in distaste.
"She's going to be marking that wall everyday because I used my Geass to make her do it." Lelouch answered. "I need to know the specs of my weapon and if what you said before about my father and an unknown number of people under his command having Geass is true I need to understand this power. That still doesn't answer my question."
"Trust us; we both have experience moving without being seen. By the way, what made you come up with that Orange idea? The military's going nuts and the rebels reacting to it is not helping." Naruto commented, ignoring the distaste at Lelouch controlling a student.
"Both were part of my plan. As for Orange that was random. It's just something I made up. But the more they look and find nothing the darker their suspicions about what it might be will become." Lelouch answered before frowning. "You have one of those… Shadow Clones training Sayoko?"
"Yep. My Shadow Clone is working with Sayoko on how to use her Rinnegan and control her chakra. I also have one disguised as her so Nunnally won't know she's gone." Naruto nodded. "Turns out Sayoko inherited the power of the Animal Path."
"The path that summons animals." Lelouch said, remembering powers of the Six Paths that Naruto had told him about.
"Appropriate for her, huh? With the Animal Path she can see everything the animals see, making it easier to track her targets or keep a better eye on you and Nunnally." Naruto pointed out with a smirk.
Lelouch nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's a very valuable ability. It could be used to perform long range reconnaissance against multiple targets."
"Plus dealing with us as students is easier than us sitting in your room all day." C.C. remarked, leaning against the railing and looking out over the courtyard.
Lelouch had to admit C.C. had a point.
"Now then…" Naruto turned around as a cat with flaming blue fur and to Lelouch's surprise two tails landed on the railing behind him. "I see you made it, Matatabi."
Lelouch was further surprised until it spoke. "Thank you for waiting, Naruto-sama."
"What in the…" Lelouch stepped back as he looked at the cat.
"Matatabi was keeping tabs on your friend for us." Naruto explained.
"Really?" Lelouch asked, surprised and a little eager to know what happened to his friend.
"Yes. He was acquitted of all charges and released an hour ago." Matatabi nodded. "He's currently leading a girl to Shinjuku."
"At least he was acquitted." Lelouch sighed. "After all this time I never thought he'd retain his foolish naïve attitude but he is still as stubborn as ever."
"I noticed that and something else." Naruto replied. "When Suzaku left I felt feelings of shame and regret. He feels hollow, like he has done something horrible and believes he was never punished for it. It's almost like he's… resigned himself to suffer and die. Can you think of anything that might have happened to him to make him feel like that?"
Lelouch looked at Naruto as he thought it over. "Resigned himself to suffer and die? Hmm… I know that his father committed suicide when Britannia invaded and that threw the entire command structure into disarray. Perhaps that is the trauma."
"A parent committing suicide?" Naruto frowned. "That's not what I sensed. He thinks he's done something horrible, something that he believes cannot be redeemed."
"Perhaps there is more to him and what truly happened to his father than you think." C.C. suggested.
"You believe he killed his father? Ridiculous. Suzaku is too honorable to do such a thing." Lelouch refused to hear this.
"Fine. It doesn't matter at this point." Naruto gave up. "Actually we should start looking in who to recruit. We'll need not just more recruits but we'll also need equipment, medic officers on standby and a base. That group that helped rescue Kururugi is just one group."
"I plan to look into it." Lelouch replied. "In the meantime we'll have to keep a low profile for now. I'll let you know when I find something for a base."
"Good, then in the meantime we should start setting up a proper funding for the rebels." Naruto smiled.
"Hm?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Funding?"
"While the military is in disarray we can use the time to steal some equipment and get our hands on a large amount of money that we'll need to finance this rebellion." Naruto explained.
"And what did you have in mind?" Lelouch asked, interested in what Naruto was thinking.
"Two words: Shadow Clones."
"So this is your replacement? A couple of students?" A man in his late fifties laughed as Lelouch walked in, followed by Naruto and C.C.
"So, another nobleman? I hope this one actually presents a challenge." Lelouch said as he walked towards the chess table and looked at the nervous old man that was around the same age as his opponent who had been waiting for Lelouch. "You remember our deal?"
"Yes, I remember." The man nodded wearily.
"And you are?" The rude nobleman asked as Lelouch sat down on a fancy seat.
"Lelouch Lamperouge." Lelouch answered as he picked up a king piece.
"I don't know if you've noticed, boy but it's impossible for you to win." The man sneered at the foolish boy who chose to be his opponent's substitute. "Starting with the king is a foolish mistake."
"Hm, ten minutes. That's all it will take." Lelouch said as he made his first move.
( Seven minutes and fifty five seconds later )
"That was hilarious!" Naruto laughed as the trio exited the building, laughing at the look on the man's face after Lelouch said checkmate.
"There isn't a noble in the entire settlement that can play a decent game of chess." Lelouch said as he pocketed all the money he had won into the bag.
"Nothing new as nobles are often born with more money than brains." C.C. commented with a smirk as she too enjoyed the look on both of their faces as Lelouch easily won.
"Seeing how much time has been spent playing these nobles and all the money won I must admit I'm envious of your Shadow Clone ability. With three clones you created disguised as us we don't have to worry about being missed or worry about Shirley calling me if she suspects I'm gambling again." Lelouch remarked. "But unfortunately I can only play a couple of these nobles a week or else they'll stop allowing me to play."
"Then we find another way." Naruto smirked deviously. "Know any good casinos?"
"As a matter of fact I do." Lelouch couldn't help but smirk along with C.C.
It turned out that Lelouch was talking about the largest casino in the settlement which was no surprise to his two companions as they knew Lelouch usually gambled a lot to come up with money for himself and Nunnally.
"All right, by splitting the money we each have over 15,000 pounds worth of chips so I suggest you both spend it wisely. If an attendant comes and asks you to leave you do it, do not argue with them." Lelouch said as he split the cast between the three of them in the lobby.
"Trust me, Lelouch, I've been to my share of casinos and even put a few out of business. I know how to play." Naruto replied.
"All right." Lelouch nodded. "Meet back here in four hours and exchange the chips you get for cash."
With that said the three split up, each choosing what games they would play. Naruto chose to play cards, already experienced with playing poker while Lelouch took the coin slot machines and C.C. chose to play a few dice games. A lot of gamblers went home crying that day over their lost money while three students walked out with victorious smiles on their faces.
Naruto had won over 4 900,000 pounds while Lelouch had won 4 500,000 pounds and C.C. won 3 107,000 pounds.
"I see what you mean in funding the rebels." Lelouch smirked in satisfaction. "I'll be keeping 500,000 for myself and Nunnally but once we set up a way to budget the money."
"Then you'll like the next part of our plan. I hear that a lot ruckus is going on with the Purists for the whole Orange thing. Seriously, Orange?" Naruto remarked.
"I made it up off the top of my head." Lelouch answered, not bothering to defend himself.
"What Naruto is trying to say is that we can use this as a chance to gather information and equipment." C.C. spoke up.
Lelouch was silent but he considered it for a second and nodded. "I agree. But how will we get past all the security? Do you have another special power that you have yet to show?"
"As a matter of fact, yes." Naruto smirked dangerously.
Jeremiah Gottwald knew he was in trouble and might end up in prison because of this whole 'Orange' investigation. Already he knew of rumors between nobility and soldiers that declared him a traitor for releasing Kururugi and letting Zero escape. And the worst part was that he couldn't remember anything about Orange or helping Zero escape, the same man who murdered Prince Clovis. If he didn't do something soon he'd be disgraced and thrown in jail.
Then he got a call about Zero being spotted in the Shinjuku Ghetto and was now rushing down the street in his Sutherland. "You are certain the information is accurate? Zero has been spotted in Sector 4 of the Ghetto?"
" Yes. Lord Kewel contacted me. "
"Very well, set up a cordon around Shinjuku Sector 4 immediately." Jeremiah replied with a determined frown.
"Yes sir. Cordoning Sector 4." The officer leaned back with a grin. "Well Lord Kewl, the ball is in your court now."
His celebration was ended as he felt a sword touching the back of his head.
"I was hoping to speak to Lord Jeremiah but I can see you're busy." Villetta Nu stated coldly.
The Viceroy's Palace was surprisingly spacious, even the Viceroy Clovis was dead and his replacement had yet to arrive. It served as the primary base of operations of Area Eleven's military operations and civilian life style. Due to the death of Clovis and the humiliation of the Purists, the Palace was on complete lock down with no appointments scheduled until after the new Viceroy arrives and cleans up the mess that had been created.
"This is crazy." Lelouch whispered as the three walked past the multiple guards and nobles as they explored the palace.
"We'll only get caught if you're too loud." Naruto whispered back.
The reason why they have been caught is because Naruto and C.C. had used a Camouflage Jutsu to hide themselves and Lelouch who had to touch Naruto's shoulder to remain hidden. They walked through Central Control Office, making sure to not bump into the numerous guards and nobles that occupied the place.
"There are too many. We can't get anything with all of these people here." Lelouch grunted.
Naruto spotted an office with the name Jeremiah labelled on it and directed C.C. and Lelouch to it, making sure no one was watching as the three slipped into his office and quickly closed the door while remaining quiet.
"Suckers." Naruto chuckled sinisterly.
Lelouch spotted the computer on Jeremiah's desk and turned it on. "I think I can hack this. Keep an eye on the door. He left the computer and didn't bother to turn it off. He must have been really anxious to get down to Shinjuku." He took out a USB and connected it to the computer. "Since Orange boy didn't turn off his computer or close off his files nothing on this computer is encrypted. I can download all available information on Britannia's military bases, equipment, and personnel including communication and security codes."
"Thus making it easier for us to take down Britannia here and liberate Japan." C.C. surmised as Lelouch downloaded the information. "You can even use the information here to gather allies from the E.U. or the Chinese Federation."
"One step at a time." Lelouch said as he disconnected the USB from the computer. "Time to go."
"Then I should I leave a few gifts for the military." Naruto grinned as he made a hand sign and in a puff of smoke what looked like a butterfly appeared in his hands. "A friend to keep an eye on things for us."
Lelouch nodded as he and C.C. put their hands on Naruto's outstretched hand. When they did that they all vanished in a flash of yellow light.
Suzaku could only look on grimly at the wasteland Shinjuku had been reduced to. He didn't know why Euphie wanted to come here but despite his warnings she insisted on coming here.
"The Shinjuku Ghetto, ruined again. The residences were just starting to return." Suzaku said.
All those people, all those men, woman, and children, dead because a few refused to let the system work and try to change things for the better.
"Man, they didn't use RG on the Elevens. I figured they wouldn't."
"Hey, those are marks from hummer rounds! Get a clear shot of it."
Despite Suzaku not approving of Elevens fighting Britannia, didn't he like to see his peoples' suffering as the amusement for a bunch of stuck-up Britannians either. However, he knew that he was an Honorary Britannian and that he could do nothing to stop them. It all just made his resolve stronger. Beside him, Euphie was having similar thoughts. Unfortunately, not everyone shared their thoughts.
A trio of Elevens decided that they had to punish the students for their tourism into the ghettos. One of them, a loud-mouthed man with reddish-brown hair ran right up to them and knocked a camera out of one of the student's hands
"Get outta here you Britannian bastards!"
The students seemed too scared to do anything and Suzaku knew how this would end. Not willing to let more unnecessary blood be shed, Suzaku dropped his bags and spoke clearly to Euphie.
"Stay here!" He then ran up to where the fighting was about to begin.
"How dare a lowly Eleven speak to us like…"
"Don't call me an Eleven!" the loud-mouth shouted. "I'm Japanese!"
"Wrong," The other student sneered. "You seem to forget you people lost. You're nothing but a beaten dog."
"You racist pig!" the man shouted back, ignoring his own hypocrisy.
"Stop, please, no violence!" Suzaku ran up the hill and tried to grab the shouting man.
"Stay outta this!" he shouted back, taking a swipe.
He only succeeded in knocking Suzaku's sunglasses off, exposing his face. "You… are you, Suzaku Kururugi?"
"The guy who killed Clovis?"
"No you idiot, Zero's the one who killed him."
Suzaku looked away, sad that even his own people didn't trust him.
But the man that had been shouting wasn't finished. "Tsk, this guy's nothing more than a slave. Big deal, you're an Honorary Britannian. Nobody cares. You sold your pride, your people, your soul, and yet you call yourself Japanese!"
"No, you're wrong…"
"I am NOT wrong you stinking Britannian lap dog!"
The man moved to punch Suzaku but he was ready. Using the training given to him by Tohdoh-sensei and the Britannian military, Suzaku planted his feet, grabbed the man's outstretched wrist, and gripped the collar of his shirt. Using the man's own forward momentum, Suzaku flipped him over and onto his back in half a second, shocking the other Elevens and the Britannians. However, that single move wasn't enough for the man as he quickly stood up and got ready to fight again.
"Stop please. I warn you, I've been trained in military combat, don't make me fight my own people."
"Like Hell we're you're people!"
"Come on Tamaki," one of the other Elevens said, "just let it go."
He and the third Eleven began walking away. The loud-mouth grunted, but without the backup of his buddies, reluctantly left, but not before muttering 'lousy traitor' just loud enough for Suzaku to hear.
"Suzaku?" Euphie asked, appearing with his bag. "Are you O.K.?"
"Yeah."
"Well I'm not O.K." the student with the camera whined. "Just look at my Prime G, and my LX4."
"Why did you wait?" his friend shouted. "Damn it, some Honorary citizen you are."
"Why'd you let 'em go, you should've killed them. What's a few dead Elevens to a guy like you? Who do you thinks' taken care of you all these years anyway?"
Euphie, having enough, marched right up to the student and did something that surprised Suzaku and both the students, she slapped him. Stunned, the student dropped his camera, breaking it further.
"I will not allow you to insult this man any further you oaf!" Euphie shouted back, sounding completely different which surprised everyone.
Class along the whole day flew by very quickly for some reason but no one was complaining as Lelouch sat at his desk, looking at his laptop while C.C. sat on his bed, snacking on pizza while Naruto sat cross legged on the floor with a bowl of hot ramen. Scattered before them were magazines and newspapers featuring Zero.
Lelouch sat down at his desk, looking at his laptop. "To use my Geass, I need to have eye contact with the subject. Transparent objects, like eyeglasses present no problem. The effective range is 270 meters and as you already know the subject has no memory of events before, during, or after the power is used. I think this is due to damage caused by the Geass interfering with the brain of the subject. Also if the signal is optical I can reflect it."
"Just a few days and you've figured out a lot." Naruto commented, seeing Lelouch's intellect was similar to Nara Shikamaru.
"In light of what you have told me, I have to gain every advantage I need. If my own Geass has a weakness than logically so does my father. And then there is the fact that my enemy is an empire controlling a third of the planet." Lelouch walked over to the window. "There's no such thing as being too careful. What about you two? Don't you know anything about your Rinnegan?"
That was an interesting question.
Naruto and C.C. had worked hard to familiarize themselves with their Rinnegan, intent on discovering every power that their eyes now possessed. They discovered they could use the Six Paths technique, use any elemental ninjutsu and sub-element like the Rinnegan was rumored to use but they both knew the fusion of C.C.'s Code and Naruto's heritage had possibly had a few differences. Naruto's Unity Geass allowed anyone affected to be linked to Naruto's conscious and feel his emotions. C.C. shared this power through their link and they found they still had much to learn about their new powers.
Naruto now understood why the original Sage of the Six Paths was hailed as a god considering how powerful his eyes were in the hands of Nagato, Obito, and Madara.
"Charles has perfect control over his Geass and I have yet to figure out if it has a weakness aside from having a Code or the Rinnegan to block it." C.C. pointed out, changing the subject. "He is not just the Emperor of Britannia he is Britannia, the power that controls a third of the world."
Lelouch looked out the window, seeing Nunnally with Sayoko, or rather the Shadow Clone disguised as her. "Is it good to be strong?"
"Is it bad to be weak?" Suzaku looked down at the rubble that littered the place around him. "Back when I was ten, the world seemed to be such a terribly sad place, without any hope at all."
"Starvation."
"Disease."
"Filth."
"Decay."
"Racism."
"Constant war and terrorism."
"Life in a never ending cycle of hate."
"Rats running in a wheel."
"The cycle must be broken. Somebody has to do it." Lelouch and Suzaku said at the same time.
"How idealistic." C.C. glanced at Naruto who seemed to be staring more intently at Lelouch.
"I'm not that arrogant. And so-" Lelouch replied.
"No one should lose more of the people they love. At least, a world without war." Suzaku continued.
"How would you do it?" Euphie/C.C. asked.
"It's simple." Lelouch knocked down the king piece on his chess board. "When someone wins, the fighting will end."
"Someone?" C.C asked.
Naruto scoffed. "Are you so sure of that?"
Lelouch looked over at Naruto who had been silent. "And how do you think it will end?"
"Britannia conquered Japan eight years ago and the Japanese continue to fight, hating Britannia for the invasion, their defeat, humiliation, starvation, and suffering with every fiber of their being. Even if you manage to liberate Japan or strike down the Emperor you will be the focus of Britannia's rage for defeating them, shattering their image of superiority. The cycle of hatred does not end when one side wins a war, it is simply passed down the next generation who then rise up to conquer their enemies for revenge, their own belief in superiority, resources, and any other kind of reason they can think of." Naruto explained. "If you wish to end the hate you must do more than defeat your enemy. You must find a way to change them, to understand them."
"Change them? Understand them?" Lelouch asked, not understanding entirely what Naruto was saying. "How is understanding my enemy going to change them?"
"What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause? To use their own knowledge against them?" C.C. rhetorically asked.
"Everyone has their own reasons to fight and it is those reasons that will drive them to do the worst things imaginable in name of either revenge, loyalty, love of fighting, and even peace. Understand these people and what motivates them and you'll have more allies than just Japanese terrorists." Naruto stated.
"And how would I do that?" Lelouch asked.
"That's not a question that you can just ask and expect an answer. Become a leader by understanding your subordinates first, and then look to others who fight for whatever reason they have before deciding if they are an enemy… or someone who you might end up relying on in the future." Naruto went back to eating his ramen, leaving Lelouch to contemplate his words.
Lelouch turned back to the laptop and brought up the comm channel for Villetta's Sutherland as he wondered what was going on in the Shinjuku Ghetto.
"I don't know how you'd do it, but if I stopped trying, then my father's death will be in vain." Suzaku looked down at the clock that had belonged to his father.
"The Prime Minister's death?" Euphie asked.
"My father died because the war demanded his sacrifice!" Suzaku gripped the watch tightly in his grip.
"Suzaku, you and I bear a similar pain. You lost your father just I have lost my brother-"
An explosion rang the ghetto, earning everyone's attention.
"What in the world?" Euphie asked before Suzaku grabbed her hand and started pulling her away to get her out of the ghetto.
They both didn't get far before a large truck pulled up in front of them and a familiar woman revealed herself when she opened the door. "Suzaku! It's dangerous out here! Get inside now!"
"What's going on?" Suzaku asked.
"The Purebloods are having another silly little squabble so we better get out of here." Lloyd revealed himself in the passenger seat with his usual smirk when he saw Suzaku. "Oh and by the way, what a shame about your acquittal. Seems you'll be working for me again."
"Wait a second! Is the Lancelot repaired?" Suzaku asked.
"Well, yes." Cecile answered, confused.
Lloyd grinned. "And what are you planning, dear Suzaku?"
"This would be a good chance to gather data and test out the Lancelot to make sure it's fully functional." Suzaku explained.
Lloyd didn't answer but his grin widened with childish glee in his eyes.
"Suzaku." Euphie started.
"Sorry, Euphie but we have to say goodbye." Suzaku said to her before turning back to Lloyd. "I think the Lancelot can stop them… I need to do this… I must!"
Lloyd giggled excitingly as he flipped a switch on the dashboard and the back of the truck opened up to reveal the Lancelot which Suzaku ran up to and jumped into the cockpit.
'So that's the Lancelot.' Euphie thought. 'It really does look like a knight.'
Jeremiah Gottwald growled within the cockpit of his Knightmare. He had come looking for Zero and he ended up ambushed by his own comrades. Now one of the attacking Knightmares was down and a second was heavily damaged, but the other two were still fully working while his had sustained heavy damage.
"This is Gottwald! All of you stand down!" Jeremiah shouted. "Whoever is behind this insubordination I demand you show yourself!"
" Who else but a true Britannian of course ?" A familiar voice asked. " Jeremiah, you're going to pay for letting Prince Clovis's murderer go free! "
"Kewell you bastard!" Jeremiah called out. "There was no sighting of Zero here. You just fed me that story to lure me out!"
" Your cowardice will not stand ." Kewell answered. " We shall wipe this stain before Princess Cornella takes up her post here. We will be pure once more! "
"I am no coward! You surround me and use tricks and lies and you call this honest combat!?" Jeremiah demanded furiously.
" More lies. All hail Britannia !"
With those last words, Kewell and his remaining two men rushed forward in a Y-formation, their lances ready to skewer him. Jeremiah was a man who could brush off comments and insults, especially since he had to deal with rumors of him as a traitor and his new 'Orange' title. But he would not stand by and let these fools kill him. Timing his moves carefully, Jeremiah reminded Kewell just why he was an elite pilot.
With some quick manoeuvring, Jeremiah avoided two of the lances and struck the already damaged Knightmare with his left Stun Tonfa. The hit further damaged the Knightmare enough that the pilot was forced to eject, but it cost Jeremiah. The third lance struck his right arm and he had to detach it or risk exploding along with it. This left him completely defenceless.
" Don't worry Jeremiah, you're family's name won't be disgraced by this. We'll just tell the Princess that you were lost in battle. Now die ."Before Kewell's lance could pierce his Knightmare, a Slash Harken suddenly appeared and cut him off.
The three pilots turned to see the white Knightmare Lancelot retract the Harken. 'At last, I thought he'd never get here. Thankfully Lloyd managed to repair it but he won't be happy I took it out without telling him.'
" Stop please, you're all Britannian soldiers! There's no need for this senseless fighting !"
" The Special Corp should stay out of this !" Kewell shouted back at Kururugi. " Interlopers will die along with Orange! "
" No! I won't allow this !" The Lancelot drew its Maser Vibration Swords in a show of force, but Kewell would not back down.
He fired his own Slash Harkens at the Knightmare but they were quickly beaten down by the advanced swords. He then tried to use his lance but that too was cut by the swords, leaving Kewell without a weapon.
'Private Kururugi?' Jeremiah thought, shocked that the same Eleven he accused of killing Clovis had just saved his life.
The last Knightmare rushed into, lance ready. Jeremiah saw that Kururugi couldn't protect him and he knew that he couldn't avoid this attack. He was going to die right here. 'My Lady, please forgive me for failing to protect you and your children!'
However, before the lance struck, another Pureblood Knightmare appeared and crashed into the attacking one. The pilot was forced to eject and the new Knightmare took up a defensive position in front of Jeremiah.
"Villetta!"
" Lord Jeremiah. " Villetta spoke through the speakers.
"Villetta, you have my thanks."
Villetta nodded and looked over at the Lancelot. " Isn't that -"
"I'm aware of who's piloting it, Villetta." Jeremiah said, smirking at the irony of being saved by someone he tried to have killed.
Kewell knew he was beaten. His entire squad been taken out, and Jeremiah was now backed up by not only Villetta Nu, but the advance weapon Lancelot. There was no way he could take them all on, especially since he had only one weapon left, but he had to try.
" Jeremiah, this isn't the end ." A hatch opened on the side of Kewell's Knightmare and a cylinder popped out. " I'm using a Chaos Mine !"
The three other pilots were shocked that the rebellious lord was still fighting and that he would use such a weapon.
"No! Stop now!"
"What?" Suzaku recognized that voice, it was Euphie's.
Turning, he saw the pinkette running out into the arena where the battle was taking place, right in the danger zone of the mine.
"Princess Euphemia!"Jeremiah recognized his prince's sister right away. 'What is she doing here?!'
" Now die, Orange scum! "
As quickly as he could, he rushed his Knightmare to protect the princess, but he knew that he wouldn't make it in time; his Knightmare was too badly damaged. Suzaku didn't even think. He crossed the Lancelot's arms and quickly activated the Blaze Luminous shielding, not even knowing if it would protect them from the shrapnel or not. The shield easily deflected the fire away, but Suzaku had to struggle to keep the shields in place as the force the mine was giving off threatened to knock them away.
A quick look at his energy readings showed that the Blaze Luminous was eating through his available power. If the attack kept up, he wouldn't be able to keep the shields on for more than a few seconds. If that happened, they would all die. While Kururugi was blocking the shrapnel, Jeremiah reached the princess and grabbed her with his only working arm and turned his Knightmare to better protect her until the mine finished.
" Lord Jeremiah !"
"I'm alright Villetta." Checking behind him, Jeremiah saw that the mine was spent and that the Lancelot's shields were down. Looking back at the princess, he saw that she was unharmed and smiling up at him.
"Please, Sir Knight, put me down. The rest of you, lower your weapons!" As soon as she was down on the ground, she walked straight to the center of the arena so that they all could see her. "I am Euphemia li Britannia of the Empire and the Third Princess of the Royal Family! I am taking charge here, so all forces fall back!"
"Euphie?" Suzaku was shocked.
Euphie was a princess of Britannia? She was Lelouch's sister!? He had spent the whole day with a princess of the Empire and didn't even know it!
"Euphy?" Lelouch muttered in shock and wonder as he heard the voice of one of his favourite and closest half sibling. "So you are here. Then that must mean that the new Viceroy is…"
"I heard what you did today, Euphemia. You shouldn't be so reckless."
Euphemia watched as her older sister stopped before her and the line of assembled men waiting to greet her. "I know, sister. Forgive me but-"
"You will address me as Viceroy, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia." The woman interrupted. "Because we're sisters we need to follow a strict protocol."
"Yes, I understand." Euphemia nodded.
"Now then," The woman looked over to the man standing next to her. "Vice-Minister, give me your report."
"Yes, My Lady." The man saluted. "The first order of business is a welcome feast in your honour, followed by a formal addressing-"
That was all he got before he found himself with a gun pointed at his head by the woman. Euphie gasped when she saw the gun.
"Sloppy. Senile. Corrupt." The woman said quietly but everyone could hear the anger and disgust in her voice. "Where is Zero?! I want the enemy of the Empire caught! Get Zero!"
Viceroy Cornelia li Britannia had arrived and she was out for blood.