Episode 9
The King Makes a Move…So Does the Queen
Part 2
A black and completely empty space. A stark silence, and his eyes were covered by a blindfold. He saw nothing. He heard nothing…It was peaceful.
'What is this?', he questioned it. His hands were held out as he walked forward.
"Where am I?", he asked. His question echoed throughout the space.
"Don't worry my child. You don't need to know...I will handle it."
A voice came from all directions and broke the silence. He turned his head all around him but he still couldn't see anything. He despised it.
"Mother…stop lying to me."
A chain shut tightly around his ankle.
"How can I trust you when you failed to protect Nunnally, your precious little sister?"
"I…I-" he failed to form a response. The guilt he still felt choked him. He couldn't do anything…
"But still, Nunnally told me to fight!"
He pulled off his blindfold with a vengeance. The voice spoke again,
"And now, you failed to protect her."
A frail girl appeared in front of him. Her lime green hair and golden eyes looked dull just like the first time he met her.
He reached out to touch her. But the chain tugged his ankle with force and brought him to the ground. *Bam*, he fell to the floor and was dragged helplessly into the abyss.
He watched helplessly as a tear fell down her cheeks.
Lelouch bolted out of his bed abruptly. His chest moved up and down quickly as he gasped for air. Slowly, he wiped his eyes of the tears that fell down during his nightmare. It was now 1am and he could not fall asleep because of the nightmares that tormented him.
He moved the white sheets off of him, got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. Moonlight shined through his living room windows and illuminated his apartment.
He stood there, mesmerized by it.
C.C nostalgically gazed at the chain that was wrapped around her ankle. It was 1am and she had just awoken from a nightmare. Even though it was a different room than before, it still held the same terrible feeling. Of being captured. No freedom. No identity. Just a slave waiting for them to make use of her.
With a sigh, she looked out of the window that overlooked a beautiful lake. The moon illuminated her room beautifully.
'Nature always seems so calm and beautiful even in terrible situations like this.'
She let the light from the moon shine over her.
9am Saturday The Green Apartments
*Ding dong*
Lelouch pressed the doorbell to his friends' apartment. Alongside him was detective Nagisa, captain Ryoga and commander Shogo. They had all just arrived at the apartment complex that was only 5 minutes away from Ashford University.
*Ding dong*
He rang the doorbell again until finally a few clumsy footsteps could be heard from the other side. The door unlocked and out popped curly brown hair and tired green eyes. It was his best friend Suzaku who looked extremely exhausted. His raspy morning voice spoke,
"Hey. I didn't know you were coming so early Lelouch", he rubbed his eyes, "...uhhh and who are they?", he asked, noticing the strange people behind Lelouch.
"I'll tell you when we get inside okay." Lelouch said as tried to enter however, Suzaku quickly came to his senses and blocked the door.
"Actually Lelouch, right now is not a good time. Can you come back later?"
"Why? I called you yesterday and you said it was fine."
"Well that was before!...uhh nevermind...and besides you didn't tell me you were bringing guests."
Lelouch looked at Suzaku suspiciously. His best friend was acting as if he was hiding a dead body inside his apartment...Perhaps he had gotten tired of Rivalz's slobbish behavior. Either way, he needed to use their apartment as a hideout. Having the detectives go to his apartment, where there are tons of security cameras and gossiping neighbors would reveal everything. Suzaku and Rivalz's humble apartment complex was perfect.
'Suzaku overreacts all the time. I'll just sort this out very quickly.', he thought as he turned to the squad and spoke,
"Can you give us a moment?" he asked and the squad agreed whilst he forced himself inside the apartment and shut the door. He tried to make his way to the living room but Suzaku used his full strength to hold him back. Suzaku then dejectedly spoke,
"Don't get too mad at her okay Lelouch?"
Lelouch furrowed his brows as Suzaku let him go and allowed him to enter the living room. He immediately sighed at the sight before him. How and why was she even here?
"When did she come here and did she drink? She always loses control when she drinks."
Suzaku scratched his hair.
"...Well she was already drunk when she got here last night."
Lelouch walked over to the brown couch. Sprawled over it was his pink haired step sister, Euphemia. On the ground in front of the couch was Rivalz who was also knocked out. Suzaku continued to talk,
"She was extremely upset…she kept yelling at me and asking me to hurry up about something…I don't even think she realizes that she came here."
Lelouch rolled his eyes. 'One day you'll figure it out.' he thought before he spoke,
"Why is Rivalz drunk?"
"I was going to drop her back to the dorms to make sure she was safe, but Rivalz decided to entertain her. They wouldn't stop drinking and giggling about something…I was really curious but every time I came over they would stop talking!"
Lelouch thought about a solution as he desperately needed to use their apartment.
"Let's move her to your room for now.", he suggested.
"Wait Lelouch! What if she gets the wrong idea when she wakes up?"
Lelouch stifled his laughter at his oblivious friend.
"I don't think she'd hate it…", he said it quickly but Suzaku caught it. "What? Do you want to move her Rivalz's room then?" he asked and Suzaku adamantly disagreed.
"Will you move Rivalz?", Suzaku asked Lelouch.
Instead, he kicked Rivalz so that he would wake up. 'I am not carrying you.', he thought as Rivalz groaned. Slowly, he was able to get to his room with Lelouch's commands. Whilst he let the squad inside the apartment, Suzaku lifted Euphemia off of the couch and carried her to his room.
An awkward encounter awaited him whenever she woke up.
"Edgar encountered a serious problem whilst looking for her. He is laying low for now, but will continue later.", Jerimiah said to a boy who sat on the opposite side of the dining table in Edgar's apartment. He had arrived only a few moments ago to collect any of Edgar's belongings that would lead the police to them. He continued to speak whilst the boy listened,
"If anyone comes here to look for him simply inform them that he no longer lives here and you are the new tenant. Do not worry, I have talked it over with the landlord so there should be no problem…If anything goes wrong you will not speak…if you do then your efforts to save her will be wasted. Understood?"
The boy nodded. He had a worried expression whilst he spoke,
"Then….who will look for her whilst he is gone?...Didn't you see the news? Cristian is in Japan right now…I have to go find her!"
"You know you can't do that. If you are captured as well you won't be able to save her. Edgar and I will protect you. Leave it to us, we will find her for sure.", he reassured the boy who twiddled his thumbs nervously.
"Please find her.", he said as Jerimiah left the apartment.
After becoming acquainted with one another, Lelouch and the squad were deep into conversation regarding C.C. Commander Shogo was in the midst of explaining the evidence they found at Ashford University yesterday,
"I've written down the times she was spotted on CCTV around campus. She left the dorm at 8:51 am to head to her 9am class in the arts building. For the rest of the day she went to the cafeteria, library and other classes. The last time she was spotted on camera was near the student learning center at 3:12pm. She did not return to the dorm or exit the campus."
"Well did she disappear out of thin air commander?!", interjected captain Ryoga. The commander shook his head in disagreement.
"About that…we were informed by the head security officer that some security cameras had been broken for quite some time but they received no replacement even after request. These are cameras around the administration building and parking garage…It was also hard for us to determine where she was heading after leaving the student center."
The squad looked dejected, but Lelouch's was deducting every word as he knew for a fact where she was heading. He decided to let the commander finish his report whilst he thought,
"We also inspected her dorm…but weren't able to find anything."
The commander's expression was a little suspicious at the end of his statement, 'What is he hiding?', Lelouch thought. Nevertheless, his suspicions as it related to the security footage was confirmed. He opened C.C's laptop and logged onto her email. He opened the email he read yesterday and showed it to the squad.
"This is an email C.C received from the vice president's office earlier that day. She was summoned by the vice president to discuss the matter of her suspension from school."
The squad was intrigued. They read the email carefully as Lelouch continued,
"C.C sent me this text message at 5:45pm, saying that she went to work because of an emergency…The wording of the text and the reason is strange. I tried to ask her co-worker about it but she refused to tell me the truth.", Lelouch took out his phone and showed the message C.C had sent.
The squad went into deep thought about the arising evidence. Detective Nagisa spoke,
"We can't arrest anyone yet with this circumstantial evidence."
Her team nodded in agreement.
"Our best shot is getting her co-worker to tell the truth…and also it would help if we found any footage recorded on car security cameras near the administration building. Detective Uragiri and I will investigate the administration office as well as her work place."
"No.", Lelouch replied. The squad looked at him as if he had a better idea. Lelouch crossed his leg and relayed his thoughts,
"If we do that it'll take us another month to find her…instead, let's throw out a bait."
"Bait?", asked captain Ryoga.
"Edgar Rossi will be our bait.", he said and the squad looked at him with a confused expression. Lelouch sighed,
'What have they investigated?', he thought as he went on to explain who Edgar was,
"Edgar is an acting member of the cult-
"Edgar Rossi?...his name did not come up in the list of people involved with the cult. What are you basing your information on Lelouch?", asked captain Ryoga as he interrupted Lelouch.
Now Lelouch was confused…maybe Edgar's connection was able to clear his affiliation. He then answered the captain's question,
"This is all according to what C.C has written in her account. She has written profiles on the people involved in the cult in Italy. Everyone she has encountered is in here…do you recognize these names?", he asked.
The squad scanned the document on C.C's laptop. Captain Ryoga spoke,
"All of these people were arrested in Italy…the only person we have information about on this list is Cristian…Edgar's connection must have been enough to clear him of any relation. Commissioner Tohdoh has some suspicion of the powerful persons involved but there is not concrete evidence against them…Is there any useful information on this Edgar person?", he asked.
Lelouch nodded.
"Edgar holds relations with my mother. He works under her secretary at the moment…According to C.C, he acted as an errand boy for the cult and was always there during meetings and 'ceremonies'. She was able to overhear a conversation between him and the cult's leader Cristian. He only participates in the cult because of his father. So basically, Edgar is a chaebol taking care of his father's dirty laundry on the side. She concluded that his father is an important sponsor for the club as Edgar came all the way to Japan to continue his role as the errand boy."
They all frowned at the complicated information. Detective Nagisa spoke,
"Did she know who he was working under?", she asked.
"No.", Lelouch replied. "She only knew the members that would participate in the 'ceremonies' or visit the mansion where she was held captive…I believe that Edgar is working under my mother and her secretary whilst in Japan…I first met him 2 years ago."
"…when the cult was busted, they flew him and Cristian to Japan to plan for their next meeting.", spoke commander Shogo.
Captain Ryoga grimaced,
"They came to our territory, thinking it would be easy to get away with their crimes. It makes me sick how money and power can wipe away history just like that…So Lelouch, what do you suggest we do?"
Lelouch smirked. Finally, they were taking him more seriously. He would lead this investigation successfully,
"With this account from C.C, it should be enough to put out an arrest warrant for Edgar. Certainly, mother will scramble to either hide him or betray him, either way…if we catch a small fish, we can lure out the sharks."
"Are you sure this will work? What if he turns himself in as a sacrifice?", asked detective Nagisa.
"Edgar is not loyal to the cult. We just need to catch him…If we catch him, he will talk."
The squad agreed with Lelouch. And so, for the next few minutes they confirmed their next course of action. They would release an arrest warrant for Edgar along with a video asking for the publics' assistance.
As the squad left, Lelouch returned to the living room and slouched himself on the couch. He combed his hair back and closed his eyes tightly. He did not get enough sleep last night and the coffee he drank this morning was wearing off.
Suzaku noticed this and approached him with another cup of coffee to help his exhausted state.
"Will you be okay Lelouch? You look terrible. What about class tomorrow?", he asked.
Lelouch sighed and took the cup from him.
"…I don't care…Just as long as she is alive and free…then I can be okay."
"What about your channel and your socials? People will worry if you suddenly go on hiatus."
A headache started to overcome him. So much was weighing on his shoulders. There was no telling when he would pass out from the stress. Nevertheless…he answered Suzaku's question,
"This is nothing Suzaku…Zero? Lelouch vi Brittania?...I can do it all. I can be whatever as long as I can save those who matter the most to me."
4 Days Later
'An arrest warrant has been put out for Edgar Rossi, a suspected member of the geass cult…..Police Commissioner Kyoshiro Tohdoh, along with his investigation team has released this message to the public,
"I request that all citizens of Japan cooperate in this investigation. If you have seen this man please report it to our headquarters immediately…."
'Further investigation by the police reveals the man to be an Italian chaebol…The police has refused to give further information on the suspect's family due to complications in the investigation….An anonymous person aiding in the investigation has relayed this message to the victim who is suspected of being kidnapped by Edgar Rossi. The police has distorted the voice for safety reasons'
"...Before I met you, I was dead…Living in a world full of lies…I will find you and give you freedom so please….please hold on longer….I love you Camellia~"
'The anonymous person's emotions have been felt by the nation. Many have begun to get involved in the case and speculate the identities of the victim and anonymous person.'
It was the radio report she heard yesterday from Cristian's radio. He left the radio in her room during his first visit since she was kidnapped. The radio was stuck on a gospel station that annoyed her because it reminded her of him. Just as she was about to pull the plug, an emergency report about Edgar had come in. She listened intently, and at the final message, she began to tear up.
Although his voice was distorted, she still recognized his words. His voice sounded so pained. She hated putting him through so much stress,
'He's working so hard, whilst I'm sitting here waiting for my demise…No! I need to make a move.' she thought just as the door knob to her room started to rattle.
She knew it was him…it was all too familiar. He entered the room and locked the door behind him before making his way over to the bed.
"They told me to stay here for a while…it actually worked out well for us. Don't you agree?", he asked.
'What can I do to help them?', she thought.
"No one's here besides us right now Camellia. My heart is racing just looking at you. You look much better like this. Dressed in white just like an angel. Don't you think so?"
He continued to ramble on by himself, getting more annoyed as she refused to acknowledge him.
"Don't you want to go outside and get some fresh air? It's a beautiful day Camellia….You're making this harder for yourself you know?"
'No one is here so I can fight him…but I'm still chained down.'
He squeezed her chin with his right hand, forcing her to look directly into his blue eyes.
"Maybe I should start with something you're interested in. It seems you've outgrown the flowers...hmm how about Mao. Don't you want to know where he is or how he's been?"
He saw her eyes waver as he mentioned her long lost friend. He continued,
"I mean…the poor boy has been looking everywhere to find you…I know where he is. If you want me to tell you then…smile for me."
Her expression softened. His heart began to race when she looked down shyly.
'I'll give your manipulation game a try Edgar', she thought as she conditioned herself. She looked up at him meekly.
"Can you unlock the chain first?…then we can play and you can tell me.", she said softly which made his heart almost stop. He smirked.
"Let's play first, then I'll let you out and tell you everything."
He then proceeded to place kisses on her neck and then her face. C.C tried her best to not recoil as he disgustingly touched her. So instead of expressing her true feelings, she thought of what would get him to unlock the chains.
"…Am I not your pure, precious angel?", she asked.
"Yes. You are, now that you're back with me and away from that devilish boy."
Ignoring his comment about Lelouch, she leaned forward, placed her hands on his shoulders and whispered in his right ear, "Well then, if you want me to be even more pure for you…you should unlock these ugly chains right?"
He became infatuated with her angelic voice and scent. Unconsciously he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. Instead of unlocking the chain right away, he dangled it in front of her,
"What more can my angel do?", he asked, not giving up his manipulative traits one bit.
C.C cursed herself a million times at what she was about to do.
'I will never forgive myself…and I will never be able to face Lelouch at all, but if I have to lose my dignity to end this then so be it. To hell with it!', she thought as she moved closer to Edgar.
His eyes widened in shock as her lips touched his. It made her insides crawl but to him, it was as if he was peaking at heaven. As she pulled away, he made his way to her ankle to unlock the rusty chain around it.
'One down.', she thought as his hand trailed grossly up her legs.
"Where is Mao?", she asked as she pushed him down onto the bed. She sat beside him and caressed his red hair to coerce him to speak.
He stared up, mesmerized by her green hair and golden eyes that shown magnificently underneath the sunlight.
"…Mao, he's somewhere you wouldn't expect…Why don't you take a guess?", he asked.
'I don't have any time to play your stupid games bastard.', she thought as she leaned closer to him and kissed him once more. This time he kissed back aggressively. She quickly pulled away before he could flip her over.
"Tell me…you know I was always bad at your guessing games."
He was completely gone. Infatuated with her, he wanted to go further, so he revealed more so that she would delve more,
"But today, you seem to be enjoying my game. Oh I love it so much Camellia…okay I'll tell you…Mao is…..at my apartment."
C.C was completely shocked. She kept herself calm as she spoke,
"Where is your apartment?", she asked and Edgar laughed.
"Do you want to see it?...or do you want to see him?", he asked as his hand gripped her wrist tightly. He was jealous of her worrying about another man besides him.
"I want to see where my Edgar lives."
"…Is my angel lying?", he asked.
C.C leaned down, but instead of kissing his lips, she kissed his ear, eliciting a gross moan from him. His hand gripped her waist as he spoke,
"…My apartment is in Tokyo…", he then continued to tell her the rest of the address as she prodded around him like a cat.
"Is that so?...then, should we go?", she asked and he smirked.
"I'd be in so much trouble if I took my angel out of her cage…when this is all over let's go. For now, let's play a rougher game like what we promised…the ritual will be hard later but you'll do it for me right?" he asked as his hand tugged at her panties.
C.C's delicate expression dropped and she glared fiercely at him. Before he could react, her fist connected with his nose. He screeched and grabbed for it as blood dripped down but she didn't stop there.
Again and again, she landed more blows. With force, he pushed her off of him and onto the floor. C.C quickly got up as he stumbled off of the bed and towards her.
"BITCH! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER WENT EASY ON YOU. YOU WITCH!", he screamed angrily as he bounded towards her. It was scary, how easily his mood changed when she didn't obey him.
C.C readied herself in an offensive stance. Whirling her body around, she landed a high kick to his temple. The power behind her kick knocked him unconscious. 'So easy', she thought as he fell to the floor with a thump before her.
"I'm not the same naïve and powerless little girl as I was back then Edgar", she said as she kneeled down to his body. She continued, "As a matter of fact, you've been trailing me for so long. Have you forgotten that I have a black belt in taekwondo?…ah well, how unfortunate you disgusting bastard.", she spat the words at him as she searched his body for his car keys.
"You always were an idiot…riding off the coattails of your father, just playing around and not taking anything seriously…your end is here dumbass."
After finding his keys in his pants pocket, she headed downstairs to look for something she could tie him up with. Whilst searching the garage, she was able to find a roll of duct tape.
Heading back upstairs, she tied his arms together and then dragged his body downstairs, into the garage and then into the backseat of his car.
She went back inside to find the clothes she came in but to no avail. She figured they were burned for being 'impure'. She grimaced as she had to find her way out of wherever this safe house was and drive to Tokyo with no shoes or decent clothes.
"Maybe the bum has some money on him.", she said sarcastically as she got into the car. Starting the engine, she drove out of the garage and away from the safe house.
'Let's end this for good Lelouch~'