Hello everyone, as I said before this story is being put on the express lane, so expect more quick chapters like this throughout the summer! Anyway, before I get into the chapter, allow me to thank each and every one of you for voting. Like I said before, the polls close with the release of this chapter (of course, if you have a recommendation, you can still tell me in a review. After all, it's not like I'm going to dive into this stuff immediately.) so now we can get started on the meat of this story.
As for the results, I've decided to keep that secret. After all, what would be the fun in romance if all of you already know who Allen's going to end up with (or maybe there won't be any romance at all! It seriously just depends on the voting results) however, for those of you who really want to find out who won, the review section vote totals are quite close to the final results. So, with that out of the way, I'm going to close off this introduction.
So please, pull up a chair, grab some tea, and let's get on with the show!
Disclaimer: I don't own CG or -man, all rights go to their respective owners.
Chapter 10: Butterfly
For the first time since they started their assault on Cornelia's transport, the sound of gunfire finally stopped. With their objective achieved, Zero ordered a hasty retreat from the battlefield. However, their operation wasn't over yet. "Inoue, do you think the radar is busted?" Kallen asked her comrade as she, and the rest of the Black Knights, hurried towards the northern end of the forest. Just a few minutes ago, their radar picked up a large body of signals. All from comrades that they thought were either dead, or too injured to move. Plus, to make matters worse, they were also picking up an equal amount of enemy signals sat right next to their comrades. "This entire situation is bizarre..." Kallen mumbled as she held down her knightmare's accelerator.
"This is the first time I've heard Zero so shocked." Tamaki's voice said over their shaky intercom system. His knightmare had been hit by quite a few Britannian ambushes, and his communication systems were damaged. "Do you really think it's that surprising that our comrades made it out?" Kallen sighed, this was one of those situations where she didn't know what to think. Their leader's mind was complex, so, in situations like these, it really was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Until I see their bodies, I refuse to believe they're dead." Kallen said as her lips curled into a frown. Somebody in this team had to be the optimist, however, that didn't mean she actually meant what she said. In reality, she was almost certain that they were rushing towards a pile of corpses. However, until they got there, none of them knew exactly what they'd find.
"Tohdoh, how's our back flank?" She heard Zero say over the intercom, his voice gaining a subtle edge to it.
"It's clear for now. The Britannians are probably holding back and waiting to see what we find." In a situation like this, where neither side knew what they were walking into, choosing to wait was often a successful strategy. Even if their soldiers lives were on the line, Cornelia wouldn't dare risk a frontal assault. Especially when none of them knew if said soldiers were alive or dead. Basically, they were holding back and waiting for them to prod the hornets nest.
"Damn cowards, if there's even a chance that their comrades are alive they should be rushing to take advantage of it." Sugiyama quipped in as they neared the source of the multiple signals. "Ah hell..." the man said as Kallen heard him start to cough and wheeze, "everyone close your air vents, this area is full of smoke." Immediately after he said that, Kallen instantly pressed a large button on the leftmost side of her dashboard, completely sealing off her cabin.
"I probably only have an hour's worth of oxygen before I have to reopen the hatch..." Kallen thought as her eyebrows narrowed, luckily, she was certain that they wouldn't be here that long. The wildfire which had started only forty minutes ago had spread to their nearby surroundings, covering every living thing in a thick blanket of flame. "How in the world did they escape from that?" For their missing soldiers to have made it from the center of a blazing forest all the way to here was incredible. No... it wasn't incredible... it was simply inhuman. "With their gear, they couldn't have made it this far, not through a fire that dense." They would've been burned to ashes halfway through. "Unless an angel came down and carried them, I can't think of anyway they could've made it out." And, of course, angels didn't exist. So how did these injured soldiers make it all the way here, far on the other side of the forest? Sadly, she wouldn't get her answer that day. As, for now, all of her focus was spent on locating her missing comrades.
"Where in God's name are they?" Tamaki said as he thoroughly looked over their surroundings. "All I see are trees and bushes." The area they were in might've been mountainous, but thanks to their knightmares, they were easily high enough to be able to survey each and every hill. However, no matter how hard they looked, none of them could locate their missing comrades, or their transmitters.
"According to their signals, I should be right on top of them..." Tohdoh said as he stared at his radar. "Zero, do you think the Britannians are messing with our radar?" He asked the Black Knights' leader.
"No, if they were, we'd know. Plus, I've had Rakshata prepare multiple backups in case they tried to pull something like that." Unless the Britannians came up with some new type of jamming technology, their radars should've been accurate. However, at the moment, it appeared that they were leading them to a dead end. "But that's impossible..." Lelouch thought as he scratched his chin. "If we can't see them, that means that the signals are either coming from above us, which would've been obvious, or, they're coming from below..." The second he finished that line of thought, Lelouch's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "That's it!" He said as he snapped his fingers and turned on his intercom. "Tohdoh! Kallen! The signals must be coming from a nearby cave!" Lelouch said, complete with a smug grin. "This area has multiple cave systems, but none of them are very large. However, there is one cave capable of holding a large group of people..." he mumbled as he brought up a geological map of the area on his knightmare's display, "...and it's right beneath us!"
"They're in a cave?" Tamaki said, clearly confused, as he knightmare slowly looked at the ground. Suddenly, he gasped, and turned his knightmare around to survey the small hill they were all standing on. With Lelouch's information, he was able to find an entrance to said cave in just a few minutes. "Hey guys, come check this out, I think I might've found it!" As he yelled into his intercom, Tamaki opened the door to his cockpit, and jumped down to the ground.
"Tamaki!" Inoue and Sugiyama both yelped as, they too, got out of their cockpits to stop the man. Even though the operation was technically over, they were still surrounded by Britannians. If any of them weren't in their knightmares when the bullets started flying, their bodies would be ripped to shreds.
"Stop, you'll get yourself killed!" Kallen joined in as she immediately swerved her Guren in front of her comrades, if the Britannians open fired, she'd act as a shield. However, amidst all this chaos, Tamaki remained silent. Instead, he simply stood in front of the cave's entrance, absent-mindedly staring into its gaping abyss.
"Dumbass... what did you do that for?" Sugiyama said as he jogged up to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was going to scold him for his idiocy, however, when he saw what Tamaki was looking at, all he could do was stare with his mouth hung open. "Zero, you might want to come and see this." Sugiyama whispered into his transmitter as he walked into the cave, causing both Lelouch and Kallen to raise a confused eyebrow.
"Sugiyama too? What's gotten into them?" Lelouch wondered as he ordered the rest of the soldiers to form a perimeter. Now, if the Britannians tried anything, they'd have enough time to rush back to their knightmares. As he slipped on his mask and got out of his knightmare, Lelouch frowned as he tried to think what could've shocked Tamaki and Sugiyama so much. Kallen, who by this point was also very curious, slipped on her helmet and joined Zero near the front of the cave.
"Zero, Tamaki, Sugiyama, what's wrong?" She started as she walked up to the three men, it was then that she finally saw what they were all looking at. "Holy..." she was at a loss for words.
"I guess now we know why there were all those Britannian signals." Sugiyama said as he walked deeper into the cave, which was filled to the brim with their sleeping comrades, and enemies. As carefully as he could possibly be, he took out a flashlight and shone it on the nearest person, who, if his uniform was anything to go by, was one of their newest recruits. "He's alive..." Sugiyama mumbled as he pressed his fingers against the recruit's neck, checking for a pulse. Immediately after that, he went to the next person and checked their vitals. "This one's also perfectly fine, what the hell?" Normally, he'd be unbelievably happy to find his comrades alive and well, however, this situation was simply too bizarre.
"All of their suits emergency air bags have been triggered, and most of them appear to have suffered serious burns." Inoue mumbled as she inspected one of the Britannians sleeping captains. In total, there were about two hundred people lying peacefully in this cave, and all of their suits had suffered major damage. Some of their recruits uniforms had been reduced to mere cinders, however, they themselves were perfectly fine.
"One of the supporting rods must've broken off and ran this guy through..." Sugiyama mumbled as he picked up a small iron rod, which had been cut in half, that was lying next to one of the unconscious soldiers. Said soldier's suit had been torn to shreds, however, there was a very noticeable entrance and exit hole on either side of the man's uniform. It was obvious that someone had removed the rod, but, much to Sugiyama's bewilderment, there was no wound. Hell, there wasn't a single scratch on the man's body!
"This is definitely unnatural..." Lelouch thought as he inspected some of the Britannians. Just like the others, none of them were injured in the slightest. Now, at this point, he'd normally just chalk all of this up to unbelievable luck. After all, it was technically possible to make it out of the battle unscathed. However, resting upon one of the Britannian soldiers was something that made him want to dig deeper. "This sergeant has had stitches recently..." Lelouch mumbled as he waved for Kallen and the others to come and take a look. Once they were all standing next to him, he pulled up the soldier's sleeve for them to get a better look. "These are standard hospital sutures, field medics don't carry them. Before he got deployed, this sergeant must've injured his arm somehow, to the point that he required medical attention. Such a wound would've left a scar, or, at least, some discoloration in the affected flesh. However..." as he spoke, Lelouch reached down and lightly tugged at one of the stiches, instantly causing the entire weave to unravel.
"That's not normal..." Tamaki said, his eyes wide. The bottom part of the sutures had been completely removed, leaving only the top half resting above the man's flesh. There weren't any holes that were typical when removing such serious stitches, heck, from where they were standing, it seemed as if the man's bicep had simply healed itself.
"Maybe his wound healed before he was deployed?" Inoue suggested, but Lelouch shook his head. If that was the case, then the loose sutures would've fallen out during the battle. The only way they could've rested perfectly on the surface of his skin like that was if his wound was healed without removing the sutures. Which, of course, was impossible.
"Did we have anybody stationed in this area?" Lelouch asked them. "If we're lucky, somebody might've seen whoever did this." These soldiers weren't healed by ghosts, after all. "Judging by the sheer amount of bodies moved, the people responsible had to be a large group with motorized vehicles." The instant those words left Lelouch's mouth, Tamaki took out his transmitter and phoned their main base.
"Hey, this is Tamaki..." the man started as he slowly started to pace through the cave, "...yeah, Zero thinks something might've happened. Did you guys catch any unknown groups on the main radar?" His question was a simple one, however, after a few minutes, it was obvious that it wasn't one they had an answer for. "Tch…" he grumbled as he put his transmitter back in his pocket. "We had guys stationed at every road that led to this forest, if a large group like that came in, we'd know." When Lelouch heard that, he frowned and closed his eyes. The soldiers miraculous recovery aside, they were completely in the dark on who helped them. After a few minutes of thinking, the leader of the Black Knights sighed, and got up. At the moment, he didn't have enough information to draw any conclusions. No... what he needed to worry about now was getting these people to safety.
"Inoue, call Rakshata and have her send in a few transport helicopters. And make sure they're flying the fire department's colors. We don't want them getting shot down, after all." Once these men and women were out of this forest, he could finally end this stressful operation.
"What do you want to do with the Britannians?" Kallen asked him as she stared at some of the soldiers in disgust. After Inoue made the call, Lelouch got up, and answered her question.
"Just leave them here. Even if we wanted to take them hostage, we don't have enough space to house this many prisoners." Obviously, killing them was also off the table. They were supposed to be knights for equality and justice, not bringers of death. With his orders given, Kallen and the others nodded, and quickly set about completing their individual tasks. One by one, they climbed out of the cave, until Lelouch was the only one left. After checking to make sure that they were gone, Lelouch walked over to one of the Britannians, and forced the soldier's eyes open.
"Ugh... what is it?" The woman started, her voice still groggy from sleep. However, that grogginess quickly vanished when she realized who had woken her up. "Z-Zero?!" She yelped as she scrambled to ready her weapon. However, before she could grab it, Lelouch activated his geass.
"Tell me, what happened here? Who saved you? And what did they do?" If the woman knew anything, his geass would force her to divulge the information. Sadly, after giving his command, all she did was confusedly stare at him. "Hmm, so you don't know anything? Dammit... that's just great." Judging by her reaction, that probably meant that, whoever brought these soldiers here, did so while the soldiers were unconscious. Which meant that he wouldn't be getting any information from them, even if he used his geass. With that option now gone, Lelouch sighed, took out his pistol, and knocked the woman out. "I guess I'll just have to find out the old fashioned way..." he started as he walked out of the cave and stared up at the moon. For some reason, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was running in circles. "If there is a God, he must really love watching me dance." A new unknown piece had appeared on the board, and he didn't like that, not one bit.
Allen
Allen yawned as he heard his alarm start to ring and hopped off of the couch. Sunlight was pouring in from the balcony windows, illuminating the entire room in a pleasant yellow hue. "What a beautiful morning." He thought as he walked over to the dining room table, where he had a clean change of clothes waiting for him. After putting on his outfit, Allen scratched the back of his neck, headed into the kitchen, and started making his and Ikuko's breakfast for the day. Without even thinking about it, he scooped up his television's remote, which was resting on the kitchen's countertop, and turned it on. "So its finally made it to the media..." he thought as he watched the morning news start to play out.
"Just last night, Princess Cornelia's escort was assaulted by the Black Knights. According to military officials, and recent statements made by the terrorist cell, the purpose of the attack is believed to be related to the sakuradite fuel the Princess's escort was carrying. However, during the assault, the Britannian military was able to push back the terrorists, taking minimal casualties." Allen sighed as he picked up a nearby tea kettle and filled it full of water, unless he missed some people, there should've been no casualties whatsoever.
"I guess, as far as propaganda goes, saying that nobody died in a major conflict would still sound pretty suspicious." He also noticed that the media refrained from mentioning the Black Knights' casualties, but then again, that didn't surprise him. With a sigh, he got out a skillet and coated the bottom in a thin layer of butter. After that, he took the skillet and placed it on the stovetop, carefully watching the butter to tell him when he had reached the proper temperature. As he watched, he lifted up his arm and yawned into his hand. "That little excursion last night was tiring..." he thought as he took out some bacon and bell peppers from his refrigerator. The second he finished healing all of the injured soldiers, he rushed out of the forest and headed back to his apartment. Thankfully, nobody saw him, so he made a clean escape. Ikuko, of course, was still asleep by the time he got back. So, after cleaning up the blood he had spilled, he quietly cleaned himself off, and went straight to bed. "I wonder, has my blood always been that dark?" Since he didn't want to wake up Ikuko, he was forced to clean his little mess up in the dark. However, even though the room was pitch black, he could've sworn that something was wrong with his blood. "Eh whatever, I was probably just seeing things." Allen shrugged as he placed a few strips of diced bacon into the skillet. While they cooked, he got out another larger skillet, put it on the stovetop, and cracked some eggs into it. As the bacon crackled and popped, he got out a pair of plates and utensils and placed them on the dinner table. A few minutes later, the food was ready to be served. After dousing his meal with the contents of one of his nutrition pills, he walked over to the main bedroom, and knocked on the door. "Ikuko, are you dressed?" He said as he leaned up against the wall.
"Yeah, you can come in." She said, her voice positively brimming with cheer. Curious to find out why she was so happy, Allen smiled and opened the door. However, when he saw what the girl was doing, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"You're studying at this hour?" Allen asked her as he watched the girl pour over one of the beginner books he had given her. On the bedside table was a small pile of many similar books, all of them having bookmarks jutting out of their pages. Allen had no doubt in his mind that Ikuko had marked the tougher sections of each book, planning on coming back to them later. As he walked over and sat down next to her on the bed, he reached up and lightly tousled the girl's hair. "I'm happy that you're reading, but I'm sorry to say that you'll have to stop. C'mon, breakfast is ready."
"Okay~!" Ikuko said as she climbed out of bed and headed into the kitchen. As she did so, Allen smiled and looked up at the ceiling. It had only been a few days since Ikuko started living with him, but already she was making unbelievable progress. Her previously-malnourished body had completely rejuvenated to a healthier state, no doubt thanks to the nutrition supplements he had been giving her, and now she looked just like a normal schoolgirl, happy and full of life.
"She really does remind me of me..." Allen thought as he walked into the kitchen and watched Ikuko start to dig in. He chuckled when he noticed that the girl had hidden a book in her lap, and was carefully reading each page in between bites. "She's definitely a faster learner than I was." When he was at this stage, Mana had to practically force him to read anything. "Such excellent study ethics deserve a reward." Allen thought as he walked over to the fridge and checked the calendar. "Hmm..." he started with a smile, "it's the weekend now, so I guess I have the day off." The concept of time off was still kind of weird for him. When he was working as an exorcist, he spent every waking moment devoted to his assignments. "I guess I should just let her decide, she, more than anyone, deserves to have some fun." He thought as he turned to the girl in question and sat down at the table. "So, Ikuko, is there anything you want to do today?" When he asked that question, Ikuko just looked up at him and raised a confused eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" She mumbled as her eyes darted nervously back to her book. The concept of fun must've been foreign to her as well. When he realized that, Allen frowned and looked up at the ceiling.
"Yet another similarity between you and I..." he thought as he turned back to the girl and smiled. "As it happens, I don't have class today, and with how much you've been studying, I think that you deserve a break." For a brief second after he made his recommendation, Ikuko's eyes lit up like the night sky, however, they instantly darkened, and lost their shine.
"Do you mean you want us to go somewhere? As in... outside?" She mumbled as she nervously started to shake. When he realized what was happening, Allen instantly got up and placed a hand on Ikuko's shoulder, calming the girl down. With how much progress she was making, it was easy to forget that this was still the same girl who was repeatedly beaten by Britannians and left to fend for herself. Her fear of strangers was more than justified, in fact, it was engrained into her very being. If he truly wanted to help her, he'd have to slowly peel that fear away, just like how Mana did for himself back in the day.
"If you just want to spend your time here, I completely understand. However, if you want to go somewhere, I'm offering to take you. Don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way." Obviously, they wouldn't be going anywhere with a lot of Britannians. For this process to truly begin, they'd have to start small, and work up from there. After a few minutes of thought, Ikuko finally looked back up at him, and broke the silence.
"You won't be mad at me, no matter where I choose to go?" She asked him. When she said that, Allen laughed, crouched down, and hugged her.
"There's nothing you can do that'll make me mad at you, Ikuko. I'll take you wherever you decide to go today, and that's a promise." What sort of gentleman would he be if he couldn't even do that much? His words seemed to work, as after he said them, Ikuko's mood noticeably improved.
"Do you mind if I think about it for a few minutes?" Ikuko mumbled as she nibbled on her bacon. Once again, Allen grinned, and nodded his head. With that, he walked back over to the other side of the table, and sat down. Over the course of their conversation, his food had gotten cold, but he didn't mind. Instead, he just started to eat, and turned his focus back to the daily news. The anchor was talking about the Black Knights' leader, Zero, and the public statement the terrorist cell made that morning. "The Black Knights..." Allen thought as he took a sip from his boiling hot tea. "I wonder, what are you all planning?" Whatever it was, he was certain that it wouldn't be good. "I've got a feeling that this town is going to get a lot more dangerous within the next few weeks." There was no doubt in his mind that he'd be hearing more about Zero, and the man's comrades, over the course of his stay in this city. "I'll need to make sure that Ikuko stays safe." He mumbled as he turned his focus back to the aforementioned girl, who was now simply reading away without a care in the world. "I promise, no matter what happens, I'll stay by your side." That was the path he had chosen, the one he was determined to keep above all else. He'd be a guiding light for those in need, but, for Ikuko, he'd be a shield. An unwavering protector. "Heh, I guess I really am taking after you, aren't I?" Allen mumbled as he stared out the balcony window at the cityscape below, "Mana."
The stench of the city Allen had grown accustomed to was now little more than a distant memory. As the train he and Ikuko were in rumbled and churned, he pursed his lips and looked out of the window. "Out of all of the places she could've picked, why did it have to be here?" Just outside the window, numerous falling buildings and piles of rubble dotted the landscape. Ikuko, who was sitting next to him, was just silently taking it all in. "Well, on the bright side, there aren't many Britannians here..." since the train they were on was heading for the slums, besides themselves, there were no other passengers on the train. According to the conductor, there'd usually be a couple of people returning home from work at this hour. However, thanks to the Black Knights most recent attack, everyone in the slums was trying to keep a low profile. Like a child prodding a bees nest, the Britannians had been agitated, and none of them wanted to risk exposing themselves to their wrath. "To think this was the place she once called home." He had heard stories about how bad it was, but actually seeing the sheer amount of destruction was shocking. None of the buildings were completely intact, and all of the towns consisted of nothing but small, shoddily-built houses, and a couple of fishing boats.
"We're nearly there!" Ikuko said as she hopped out of her seat. Allen had to admit, he was shocked by how excited the girl was. He could only imagine what could've gotten her so worked up.
"Now arriving at Batafurai Station, attention all passengers, please make sure you have all belongings or bags on your person when exiting the train, and please, mind the gap." The conductor's voice said as the train slowly came to a halt. Without a moment's delay, Ikuko hopped out of her seat and put on a large sun hat he had bought for her a few days ago.
"Come on Mr. Walker! We're nearly there!" She said as she hurried out of the train, Allen not far behind. The second he got off of the train, Allen heard a high-pitched cawing noise coming from the rafters above. There must've been a family of birds roosting somewhere. As the two of them made their way through the dilapidated platform, Allen frowned and clutched his chest.
"What in the world?" He thought as he felt his heart start beat like a drum, for some reason, he was getting excited. "Is it the change in atmosphere? Or maybe the location?" Allen mumbled as he surveyed the destruction which plagued the landscape. For reasons he couldn't understand, he saw a carnal beauty in the destroyed buildings that he hadn't noticed before. The joy he felt by simply seeing the rubble was almost too much to describe. In fact, it made him want to smile.
"Mr. Walker, are you coming?" Ikuko asked him as she hurried out of the station, too busy worrying about their destination to notice Allen's sudden change. While her back was turned, Allen lifted a hand up to his face and smiled. However, this grin was far from normal. In fact, it was monstrous. The ends of his lips curled all the way back to his earlobes. And his eyes momentarily became as black as night, so much so that they seemed to peer into the deepest depths of the human heart. Of course, since Allen wasn't looking into a mirror, he had no way of realizing this. At the moment, he thought he was just experiencing a sudden jolt of joy. When, in reality, it was something far more sinister. He only snapped out of this monstrous trance when Ikuko came rushing back into the station, clearly frustrated by how long he was taking. "Come on slowpoke!" She whined as she tugged at one of his sleeves.
"Whoops, sorry about that!" He mumbled as he embarrassingly scratched the back of his head. "I got sidetracked for a second there." Still without a clue in the world, Allen grinned and hurried after Ikuko. All the while completely unaware of the fact that the tiled ground he once stood upon had been reduced to a pile of dust. After a light breeze blew through the station, the particles were swept up by the wind, floating through the main lobby until finally landing upon a small nest hidden in the rafters above. The birds mother, who was unlucky enough to inhale some of the stray particles, started to hack and wheeze, gasping for life until its body finally went limp. After a few moments, the mother's body slowly started to crumble. Until, like the tiles below, only dust remained.
Author's Note
Bum! Bum! Buuuuum! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Cause I freaking loved writing it! For the first time in this story, Allen has visited the Japanese slums and is starting to see the true side of Britannia! I hope you guys enjoyed how I made it come across, cause I thought you'd all enjoy it! Anyways, if you can't tell, this is where this story really begins. All this has really been before now is just reintroducing the characters and getting everything setup for the main storyline, but now that we're here, I can finally start churning these bad boys out. So, I hope you all will enjoy it!
On the voting side of things, thank you all so much for all of your votes! I really, really, find them useful! Now, for the important part: Even though voting is over, that does not mean you can stop giving me recommendations. If you all have a good idea for this story, leave it for me in a review! Trust me, I read (and love) each and every single one, so if you leave a recommendation, it's very likely that I'll add it in later in the story. But, like I said, that's up to you guys.
P.S. More reviews is more good, it tells me that people are reading the story so, if you all want more chapters in this story sooner, leave this story a review and a rating!
Anyways, that's all for me, I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of your day (or night, depending on where you are) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!
Chapter 11: Laugh