Episode 9

The King Makes a Move

Part 1

Loneliness.

He couldn't help but the quietness and emptiness of his apartment with her now gone. In fact, she was gone for only five days but it felt like an eternity. His apartment had always been empty but this was the first time he's ever felt lonely inside of it. It was so cold that even raising the temperature on the thermostat would not take the feeling away. He had only ever felt this lonely when Nunnally was recovering in the hospital. But even then he could visit her every day and see her face and know that she wasn't in danger.

Walking over to the living room, he plopped down heavily on the couch they had cuddled on only a few days before. Never did he notice how spacious it was without her.

His hands gripped the ends of the couch as he tried to hold in his pain. His heart ached every second he thought of what could have happened to her. Nevertheless, it was no time to cry or lose himself. Scrunching his eyes closed and taking a deep breathe in and then releasing; he came back to his senses.

It was time to fight!

Just a day after C.C went missing, their professors and the faculty were informed of her willing expulsion. The only reasoning for it was because of her unruly behavior at the banquet. When he asked his mother (who would have most likely been in charge of the decision) she insisted that C.C moved back to Italy to continue her career. It was an obvious lie that would never convince him as C.C never once spoke about moving, especially during a hectic time like this. Therefore, he needed to find the truth and not the lies his mother and the school spread.

These past few days he was able to gather some clues about the cult from online articles published in the United Republic of Europia. The articles showed records of the cult's secret operation dating back to 1999, meaning that the cult had been active for 18 years before being discovered in 2017; two years ago. The cult's goal was to obtain an ancient power known as 'Geass', which could give humans immeasurable power and grant immortality. After investigating a suspicious orphanage that constantly denied applications for adoption, the Europia police were able to uncover the cult with the help of Britannia's special investigation unit. Everyone on sight the day that the cult was busted was arrested, however, the leader Cristian Leonardo was able to escape from the country the day of his sentencing. Currently, the location of the youngest of the three orphans is known.

On a Japanese news website he found a clip of an interview with police commissioner Kyoshiro Tohdoh. His team was currently searching for the whereabouts of the other orphans since it would be difficult to find Cristian Leonardo because of the suspected high-class individuals backing him up.

He bit his thumbs and went deep into his thoughts to figure out what would be the best course of action.

'That's it!' He thought as he looked at C.C's laptop which was currently resting on his coffee table. He retrieved it a day ago and was able to unlock it since she told him her password and where she stored all of her information in case she went missing.

'She knew this would happen…I should have-'

He shook the negative thoughts out of his mind and continued to think rationally.

With the information about each member she encountered along with her personal account of what happened, he would be able to aid the police in their investigation. He balled his fists tightly as he glanced at her personal account. The account cut him deeper than a knife. Taking another deep breath, he picked up his phone from the coffee table.

He called a number and waited patiently for someone to answer. After a few rings he received an answer,

"Tokyo metropolitan police department, what's your emergency?"

"I would like to report a missing person."

"Okay sir. What's their name and can you please describe how they looked or what they were wearing before they went missing?"

"Her name is Camellia Cambareri and she is a victim of the Geass cult."

The officer was shocked to hear the name. All week they had been receiving calls claiming to know the victims. None of the calls would ever state the name of the victim which made them know it was a prank call. The man on the phone immediately asked Lelouch to wait as he contacted the commissioner.

The police officer left his desk in a hurry after not receiving an answer from the commissioner's office phone.

11am Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department:

The police officer who received the phone call from Lelouch barged into the commissioner's office to relay the information. The commissioner along with his team (whom he was currently holding a meeting with) looked towards the officer.

"Commissioner Kyoshiro, I believe we've found someone who knows the victim Camellia Cambareri. He's on the phone as we speak."

"Are you certain?" asked Kyoshiro to which the officer nodded firmly.

"He knew the victim's full name and appearance which has never been stated in the news. I believe we can find something.", replied the officer. Kyoshiro immediately left his team and headed out to the front desk with the officer.

His team, which consisted of Detectives Uragiri Saito and Nagisa Chiba; Captain of the Second Squad, Ryoga Senba; Captain of the Fourth Squad Kosetsu Urabe; and finally, Commander of Forensics, Shogo Asahina; were all relieved (besides one of the detectives) to have family made a breakthrough in the case they had been investigating for the entire month.

"Finally something we can work with! That bastard Cristian, I can't wait to put him and that wretched cult behind bars." said detective Nagisa as she leaned back on the couch and took a sip of coffee.

"The sooner the better…isn't that right detective Uragiri?", added Captain Ryoga, staring intently at his subordinate whom was sweating bullets as they spoke. The detective was shocked by being called upon. He quickly nodded and agreed with his respected captain. Soon, Tohdoh returned to the room. He was grateful as the attention was averted away from him.

Tohdoh entered the room and stood at the front to inform his team. He had a stern expression plastered on his face. It caused them to worry but listen carefully to what he was about to say. He spoke,

"…The person we're about to be dealing with is an extremely important figure…", he placed his hands in the pockets of his navy blue suit and walked to his desk. Their eyes followed him as he stood behind his desk. "Because of the status of this informant, I will only be sharing his identity with you and not the international forces for now.", his team looked intrigued. Who exactly is this person? The captain continued, "Some of us has worked together for over 5 years now, therefore I trust that information about the informant will NOT be leaked out of this circle. Is that understood?", he asked.

"Yes!", they all agreed in unison. Tohdoh then continued,

"The identity of the informant is Lelouch vi Britannia, son of the former Prime Minister of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia. As you know, his family is residing in Japan because of their affiliation with Ashford University, a school opened when Japan signed a peace treaty with Britannia.", his team was shocked and confused.

"What does the son of that prestigious family have to do with this case?", asked captain Kosetsu. Tohdoh answered,

"It seems that the victim is his girlfriend. She is a sophomore at Ashford University."

"Commissioner, how can you trust his words so easily?!", asked detective Uragiri. The commissioner then took his phone out of his pocket and searched YouTube for a video entitled 'My Girlfriend' uploaded by a channel named Zero. He then faced the phone towards them. As soon as they saw C.C's bright lime green hair, their suspicions were eased.

"What kind of commissioner would I be if I didn't confirm the informant's credibility? I asked him for proof over the phone and he told me to look for this video…apparently he's a famous beauty 'guru'.", he said. A light bulb was struck in detective Nagisa's head. She clapped her hands and pointed at captain Ryoga.

"Right! Captain Ryoga. I believe I saw him once when your daughter visited. She was glued to her phone, watching him put on makeup.", captain Ryoga was still confused, as were the rest of the team members. YouTube, and even the beauty community, was not widely known by adults their age. She rolled her eyes at his lack of attention to his daughter's personal interests. She continued to talk as she processed more information.

"Ashford University? Didn't detective Uragiri investigate the university and ruled that there was no such student in attendance?" she asked, bringing the attention back to the man who didn't want it. He balled his fist tightly to stop his shaking.

"…I-I believe I made a mistake. Please forgive me.", he begged as his team grumbled over his incompetence.

"Hey bastard! This is an important case you know. Do your job properly or leave!", complained captain Kosetsu. Detective Uragiri bowed deeply as his superior continued to scold him. Before the situation could escalate any further, Tohdoh intervened by stomping his feet on the ground to get their attention.

"This is no time to fight!", with his commanding voice, they stopped and paid attention as he gave out orders. "Detective Nagisa, you will meet with Lelouch in an hour at a safe location where he will not be spotted. His safety and protection will be under captain Ryoga's squad…The rest of you will go to Ashford University and properly search her dorm as well as CCTV footage for any useful information. Detective Uragiri, make sure you do your job properly this time. Understood?"

"Yes Commissioner!"

1pm Karaoke Doki

Lelouch sat alone in a karaoke room in Tokyo city. He wore a black cap and clothes to conceal his identity. Patiently, he waited for the detective to arrive. Even till now his brain was rattling, trying to determine his next move,

'I can't trust my mother, or the higher-ups at school. Somehow, I have a bad feeling that they are all connected to Edward. Even though C.C never mentioned mother, I find Edward's relation to my family to be suspicious. Edward…he was always following behind mother and her secretary…Now that I recall they would often have private discussions.'

The information was starting to overwhelm him,

'At this moment I have no power to face them. I need resources.'

He looked at the door just as the detective entered the room. He stood up to greet her as she showed him her police badge. They then sat back down on the leather chair to start their discussion. The detective spoke first,

"I guess I'll start. I'm detective Nagisa", she held out her hand and he shook it. "I am Lelouch vi Britannia", he replied.

"Yes, you're quiet well known for being a diplomat's son…and on top of that a famous YouTuber…You have quit the resume Lelouch."

Lelouch found her banter to be rather unnecessary. He wanted to get to the main point of their meeting quickly. The detective took notice of this and apologized. A more serious mood then took over the small karaoke room.

"Alright, since it seems you don't want to waste time, I'll get right to it. As you should know, Camellia is a victim of the Geass cult that was busted two years ago", Lelouch nodded as she recapped C.C's arrival to Japan. "We've only been able to track her via her entry into the country. Other than that, her name has not appeared anywhere else. No documentation…nothing. Looking for her has been a hassle."

"That's because she hasn't been using her full name. Rather, she's been going by 'C.C'. Only on her application to the university has she used her full name…Why weren't you able to get a hold of that record?", he asked. He had a suspicion that his mother or Edward blocked the information from being discovered so that the police would not be able to find C.C.

"About that…it seems our detective made a mistake during his investigation."

Lelouch frowned.

"So, Lelouch. You contacted us. What information do you have and where is Camellia?", she asked.

"...She was abducted 5 days ago. I know they won't kill her, but I can't imagine how much she is suffering-", at the thought his heart began to pain him but he held himself together, "Before I tell you the information I have on who abducted her; I need confirmation that you and your team will fully cooperate under my plans and follow my directions to save C.C."

Detective Nagisa was taken aback by his commanding nature. She attributed it to him being the son of one the most influential leaders. It was interesting, however she was not about to concede to a kid younger than her. She was a detective. To have him address her so casually irritated her.

"Listen here kid. I know you come from a family of big egos but right now I am your senior. Just tell us the information and we'll be sure to find her and solve this case okay?"

Lelouch was becoming annoyed. All his life, he sat back and allowed the corruption of his mother to fly over his head. This time he would take the lead no matter what! Taking a deep breathe in, he looked back at the detective with a determined gaze.

"No detective. You need the information I have.", he held up C.C's laptop that he brought with him. "Another thing, the people involved in this case, I know them very well. Without me, you will be stuck picking your brains for another month whilst she suffers in their hands."

Detective Nagisa rolled her eyes at his stubbornness.

"Do you even know what kind of people we're dealing with? This matter is beyond your expertise and it's our duty to protect all citizens from danger! Imagine what your mother and father would do if they found out our government put their son in danger? Our relations with Britannia has just gotten better so let's think rationally Lelouch."

He shook his head at the detectives' words. 'You won't listen? Then I'll throw a stronger punch detective.'

"…My mother", his gaze pierced the detective. He continued, "my mother is involved in this."

The detectives eyes widened in surprise at his confession.

"What? What nonsense are you spewing?!", she retorted.

"This is now a matter I cannot ignore detective. So please cooperate with me.", he requested.

The detective bit her nails nervously. Soon she begrudgingly agreed. They both shook hands. At that moment, a worker entered the room to inform them that they had five minutes left in their session.

"For now, we need to find a better place to meet. I'll inform the commissioner.", said the detective as Lelouch pondered.

"I have a place."

As soon as he was dismissed from the meeting, he scurried his way to the restroom in the police station. He headed straight for the sink to splash water on his face in order to calm his racing heart. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he started to question what he had become. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he turned it on to be met by a picture of a little girl (who looked to be about 12 years old) who held a bright smile on her face. The little girl's head was wrapped with bandages and she wore a pink hospital night gown. His heart was calmed by her smile.

At that moment, a message popped up on his screen from 'red'. It read, "Let's meet". He clutched his fists tightly before leaving the restroom. On his way out he encountered captain Ryoga.

"Don't do anything that'll disappoint Takumi, Saito.", was his short advice as he locked eyes with detective Uragiri. The detective gave him a pained expression as if he was crying out for help.

"..I, w-would never captain.", he answered now lowering his head and his voice. Captain Ryoga then placed his hand on the troubled detective's shoulder.

"I trust you Saito. I hope you trust us and rely on us more...Urabe and Asahina are waiting for you outside."

Detective Uragiri gazed lifelessly at captain Ryoga as he walked away. Was it not too late to confess everything and ask for their help? The message from 'red' lingered in his mind. He needed the money, but he hated having to betray his closest friends who have been there for him ever since he joined the squad 2 years ago.

With his mind full of turmoil, he headed to his team who was waiting for him outside in the police van.

As the squad exited their van in front of the administration building, they were immediately greeted by the school's head security officer as well as a member of the board (who was there in place of the head director, Ruben Ashford. The security officer immediately questioned their purpose for wanting to investigate the school. They complied as Commander Asahina explained that they were looking for Camellia Cambareri, a student involved in the confidential case they were investigating.

"We received a report that she has been missing for five days, therefore we are here to search her dorm room and review any security footage from five days ago. We ask for your cooperation in this investigation."

The member of the board frowned and immediately retorted at the 'false' claim.

"I believe you officers are misunderstanding something. Camellia was expelled from school and decided to return to Italy. There is no need to disrupt our campus for this matter."

"We have received substantial evidence that proves she has not left the country.", the commander replied.

"Well…do you have a warrant to search? You can't just burst in here without followi-

Annoyed at the man's stubbornness, Captain Kosestu pulled out the warrant they obtained before leaving. The board member kissed his teeth and begrudgingly instructed the head security officer to show them to the security facility where they could review the security footage.

As they headed to the facility, Detective Uragiri's phone rang. His eyes widened and his heart stopped once he looked at the caller id on the screen. His team asked him if something was wrong. "Hopefully its nothing.", he replied as he answered the call. A woman spoke,

"Mr. Uragiri?...This is urgent, Takumi has gone into shock. She will need surgery immediately but she's adamantly refusing….we can't start without your consent."

His hands trembled as the nurse spoke to him. His eyes shut tightly as he spoke,

"Start it immediately!" he yelled, which surprised his team. "…It doesn't matter the price, save my daughter." He breathed heavily as the nurse agreed and hung up the phone.

Commander Shogo spoke urgently. "Is it Takumi?...You can leave now, we'll handle the rest okay detective."

Detective Uragiri looked at his team with an apologetic gaze. This call confirmed the path he would have to take…and there was no more turning back…

Quickly, he called a taxi and went to the hospital.

Lady Marianne sat on a red armchair in a mansion that was extremely far away from any city in Japan. She sipped on a glass of red wine as Edgar and Jerimiah entered the room. She looked at a clock above a marble fireplace which held the time 9:35pm.

"I've been here long enough Jerimiah. Say what you need so that we can leave immediately.", she demanded.

"Of course.", he answered as he and Edgar each took a seat on chairs in front of her.

"Edgar has received important information regarding the investigations from the Japanese police.", he started and she swirled her glass in boredom.

"Is this not something that you can handle? You know I hate incompetent men."

"Then I shall get to the point Lady Marianne…Lelouch has come forward to the police with information about C.C."

*crash*, was the sound of her wine glass hitting the white tiled floor.

"…Why has Lelouch…all over a girl?", Lady Marianne furrowed her brows in annoyance. "No matter, there is no way he knows where or who we are."

"What if she has told him about us?", asked Edgar. He had a feeling that his actions the night of the banquet could have exposed his identity to Lelouch. However, he didn't want to reveal this as it would put him in a lot of trouble.

Lady Marianne asked angrily. "How would he know about us Edgar?"

"…Camellia is his girlfriend-", his fists bawled as he said it, "She must have told Lelouch about me since we met at the banquet. She only knew the identity of the members in Italy, meaning she couldn't have told him about you or Sir Jerimiah."

Lady Marianne and Jerimiah nodded. She spoke,

"I will take care of my son. But for now you should lie low here. If you are caught by the police our plans will be set back even further. Jerimiah you will secure any evidence in his Tokyo residence just in case the police decides to search it."

He agreed. Soon she got up from her seat and was about to leave when a man with blonde hair and golden eyes approached her. He handed her a book and then spoke,

"Send this to him.", he said before disappearing into a different room.

"I am not your messenger Cristian.", she retorted as she left the mansion along with Jerimiah. Before entering the car, she gazed at the bright full moon that illuminated the forest around them.

"Lelouch…are you going to challenge your mother?"

Part 2 next~