Well, I'm updating a total of three stories today (and have sent the newest chapter of a fourth story I plan on updating to my beta-reader) so that's cool.
I also start school a week from Monday so updates are going to start being slow but I'll still attempt to keep a, somewhat, regular schedule.
Bakura: yeah, right
Lelouch: honestly, I have to agree with Bakura here
(Glares at Bakura and Lelouch) ahem, anyway, thank you to HufflepuffKat, ewertondragon, Shadow-Shinobi666, Otaku-Nation666, Shimmering-Sky, Determined Savior, squeegywing, and davycrockett100 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.
Here is chapter 7, where we get more on Lila's backstory and so on. I hope that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
EDIT: Forgot to include the translation from the scene with Reyes.
. . .
. . .
June 28, 2015
Moore Manor, Tokyo Settlement
The book lay open on her desk, filled with medical jargon, scenarios, and real-life case studies, and Lila Moore's head was starting to hurt as she attempted to make sense of what she was reading. Her parents had gotten her that book, telling her that if she was going to become a doctor, she should know all that there is to know about what being a doctor entails. They said that she would learn more when she goes to college but that it never hurt to get a head start.
Sighing, Lila closed the book and got to her feet, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get very far in that book with the headache that was beginning to form in her head. Standing up, she stretched and walked out of her room.
"Lady Lila, it's almost lunchtime, would you like something to eat?" Lila's maid, Beth, said.
"Sure, thanks Beth," Lila said and followed Beth as the maid led the way into the kitchen. Her parents weren't home, for which Lila was grateful.
She sat down at the island and accepted the glass of orange juice that Beth handed her, sipping at it as she reached for a remote, turning the television in the kitchen on. While Beth began working on lunch, Lila was watching a news report that had just come on.
"...A cell of the terrorist organization known as the Liberators have struck again. In a shocking turn of events, the 3rd Division stationed in Area 3 and under the command of Princes Castor and Pollux rui Britannia has been decimated. According to our sources, only Prince Castor and Prince Pollux's personal Knightmare frames and a handful of others managed to escape unscathed. The Liberators' attack was organized as a series of guerilla attacks…" The news reporter was saying.
Lila tuned out the rest of the report and turned to Beth. "Hey, Beth?" she said.
"Yes, Lady Lila?" Beth said, stirring the potatoes that she was cooking and glancing over her shoulder at Lila.
"What are guerilla attacks?" Lila asked curiously. She knew Beth would know since Beth had an older brother who was part of the military.
Beth paused for a moment. "Why do you want to know?" she asked.
"Well, it seems like a really effective strategy and I'm just wondering why it's so effective," Lila said with a shrug.
Beth sighed and turned toward her. "You know your parents don't like your interest in the military," she said.
"It's just an interest, Beth. Gaining more knowledge is something that should be encouraged, right?" Lila asked.
"I suppose so. Guerilla attacks are when an army attacks another, retreats to regroup, and then attacks again and the process is repeated until the enemy is defeated," Beth said.
"Hmm, why doesn't everyone do this then?"
"It doesn't always work. Sometimes, the enemy is too strong and takes you out before you can retreat, other times, they stop you from retreating," Beth said. "But then, no strategy is completely full proof. All strategies have weaknesses that the enemy can exploit in order to gain the advantage or retreat and regroup themselves. It depends simply on the situation. Terrain also plays a role."
"I read about that. If you attack an enemy who is used to the terrain then they can use that terrain to their advantage because they know it well," Lila said.
"Exactly," Beth said, scooping some potatoes onto a plate and started preparing a sandwich to go with it.
Lila sighed, turning her gaze to the television screen. "I wish I could be out there," she murmured. "I wish I could be part of the military."
"Your parents know what's best for you."
"But it's my life. I should get to decide what to do with it and if I don't want to become a doctor than I shouldn't have to," Lila muttered bitterly.
"Your parents just want to keep you safe, Lady Lila."
"They don't even let me leave the house without five bodyguards. Five! What person out there needs five bodyguards? And it's not like I'm allowed to leave the house that often anyway." She scowled to herself. "When I turn sixteen, I'm gonna join the military. I don't care what Mom and Dad have to say about it."
Beth looked at her, a small frown on her face. "Your parents will never agree," she said.
"I don't care. I'm still gonna do it," Lila said determinably.
. . .
7
Guerilla Exercises
April 25, 2016
Outskirts of Basic Training Camp
The first day of the third week of basic training started out with a five kilometer foot march from the camp. Lila was doing pretty well on it, able to keep the pace alongside Rayne easily and control her breathing so that she wouldn't run out of breath quickly. It wasn't as if this was the first time she had done something like this before she started basic training; she had gone hiking in the mountains of Japan even before she made the decision to join the military.
Lila loved hiking and she loved nature. That was why she always hiked in the mountains whenever she was able to actually leave her parents' house. Her bodyguards, all five of them, always went with her but they never tried to stop her from hiking, even though her parents didn't want her to hike the steep trails that she usually hiked. They told her it was because they understood that she just wanted some time to herself doing something that she loved.
Lila really did like her bodyguards, even if she still didn't understand why her parents insisted on her having five of them. I mean, really? I doubt even royalty has that many bodyguards, she thought. At that, she glanced over her shoulder at the only member of the royal family that was there, noting in amusement that Lelouch was actually managing to stay near the rear of the main body of recruits. He had definitely developed his stamina in the past two weeks, though he was nowhere near on the same level as Suzaku and Kay, both of whom were far outpacing the majority of the recruits.
I wonder if he has any bodyguards. Not likely considering he was just found and returned to the Royal Family less than a month ago, Lila mused and pushed the thought of her mind as she refocused her attention on what was in front of her. The last thing she wanted to do was run into someone; she didn't want to do anything to bring Greene's ire down on her.
Her lips twitched into a scowl as she thought about her Drill Sergeant. She hated him and his sexist views. He had made it no secret that he thought Lila, Rayne, and the other female recruits didn't belong there and Lila could still remember how he had actually drawn attention to her fear of heights the week before.
He hadn't done that with any of the other recruits who were showing the same symptoms that she was.
Speaking of her fear of heights, Lila supposed it was rather ironic that she feared heights and yet enjoyed hiking in the mountains. How does that work out? Well, I suppose it's 'cause I always choose trails that are never close to the edge so I never really see how high up I am, she thought.
"Who do you think is gonna get there first?" Rayne asked, glancing at Lila.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Lila asked. Normally, Lila wouldn't be talking while training, since she felt that it was unprofessional to talk about personal things and things that had nothing to do with what they were doing while working, but she made an exception for this march. Simply because everyone was doing it, talking quietly with each other as they moved and it wasn't against the rules.
Rayne gestured toward the head of the body of recruits. "Between Suzaku and Kay. Who do you think will finish this march first?"
Lila thought about it for a moment. "I think Suzaku. Kay's fast but I think Suzaku's faster," she said.
"Personally, I think my brother's going to get there before Suzaku," Rayne said.
"I think they're gonna get there at the exact same time," Tadashi said, appearing between them without warning and Lila stumbled but managed to remain on her feet, giving Tadashi an irritated look.
"I wouldn't be surprised by that either," Rayne admitted.
"So how are ya pretty ladies doing?" Tadashi asked.
Lila gave him a dry look. Honestly, she couldn't fathom how someone like Tadashi could actually make it that far in basic training without getting kicked out due to his lack of professionalism. The fact that he nearly slept in the entire first week and was constantly acting like a flirtatious goofball made Lila wonder whether he was even taking this seriously.
"We're fine," Rayne said.
"That's good," Tadashi said as he easily marched between the two girls. "I have to admit, I've never done something like this before, though I have gone hiking before. I mean, the foot marches we do every morning during our drills are never this long."
"Before I started this training, I never have either. What about you, Lila?" Rayne asked, glancing at Lila.
"I've gone hiking before, when my parents would let me out of the house," Lila murmured.
"Yeah, I did too with my parents," Tadashi murmured, his cheerfulness fading to be replaced by a deep-seated sadness for a moment. It cleared up a few moments later and he added, "But, I hear we're doing more unarmed combat later today. I hope I'm paired with Suzaku again 'cause I wanna try out that move that he taught me."
Lila glanced at Tadashi, hearing that grief in the Japanese boy's voiced and wondering what happened but she decided that it wasn't any of her business.
. . .
April 26, 2016
Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy
Jeremiah followed the blonde woman Milly as she led the way through the ballroom. "Thank you for showing me the way," he said to the Ashford heiress. The Ashfords may not be nobility anymore after their fallout when Lady Marianne was assassinated but they had been one of Marianne's biggest supporters. And they had been one of the ones who helped take care of Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally while they were in Japan.
Jeremiah owed them for that.
He had been surprised, but happy, when Clovis had come to him asking him if he would be willing to act as Princess Nunnally's bodyguard during a school bake sale that the student council was holding Saturday. He had agreed readily enough and asked if he could visit Princess Nunnally to tell her himself. He wanted to see her; he hadn't gotten a chance to visit the princess since she and Prince Lelouch had come back to Area 11.
He hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to and beg forgiveness from Prince Lelouch before the prince had gone off to basic training. Jeremiah was planning on rectifying that matter as soon as the prince got back. For now, he would apologize to Princess Nunnally; she deserved an apology for his inability to find and protect them just as much as Prince Lelouch did.
I wonder if she will even remember me, Jeremiah thought. He remembered Princess Nunnally when she was very young; she was a ball of hyperactive energy and had taken to calling him Jer because she couldn't pronounce his full name when she was little and it had stuck.
"Oh, you're welcome," Milly said and cast a sidelong glance at him. "I feel I've seen you before."
"It's possible. I remember seeing you a few times when the Ashfords visited Lady Marianne at Aries Villa. I was one of her guards," Jeremiah said.
"Oh, right, I remember now. Nunnally called you Jer and Lelouch always creamed you in chess," Milly said with a giggle.
"Ah, yes, I was not very proficient in chess," Jeremiah said.
"When it came to playing against Lelouch, I don't think anyone was, except his brother Schneizel," Milly said thoughtfully as she led the way up the stairs and down the hallway to a door and knocked on it. "Nunnally? It's Milly. Someone's here who wants to see you."
"Okay. Go ahead and let them in," Nunnally's voice sounded through the door and Milly, with a respectful incline of her head toward Jeremiah, left while Jeremiah opened the door. He made his way into a homely dining room in which the smell of baking bread permeated; he spotted his princess seated at the dining room table, running her fingers over a book in braille in front of her.
She lifted her head and tilted her head to the side. "Hello," she said politely.
"Hello, Your Highness," Jeremiah said. "I'm not sure if you'll remember me but I'm Jeremiah Gottwald."
Nunnally was silent for a moment and then her face brightened. "Jer!" She said happily and stretched out a hand toward him. "I remember you. What are you doing here?"
"Prince Clovis asked me to be your bodyguard for that bake sale that you wanted to take part in this Saturday and I accepted but requested that I be the one to tell you," Jeremiah said and moved to Nunnally's side, kneeling down and taking the hand gently.
"Why?" she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
Jeremiah swallowed. "It's mostly because I wanted to personally apologize to you," he said.
"Apologize? For what?"
"For not protecting you, your brother, or your mother."
Nunnally smiled sadly and gently squeezed the turquoise-haired man's hand. "It wasn't your fault," she assured him.
Jeremiah would always blame himself for not being able to protect Lady Marianne or her children, despite the fact that Cornelia had ordered him and the rest of Lady Marianne's royal guard to leave her for the night.
"And thank you for agreeing to be my bodyguard, Jer," Nunnally added, changing the subject slightly.
"It's my honor, princess," Jeremiah said.
. . .
Office of the Prime Minister, Pendragon
Schneizel el Britannia studied the reports that lay scattered on his desk, his lips pulled in a frown. As he had told his father weeks earlier, the Liberators were a big threat but it would seem that they were gradually getting to be a bigger threat than he had originally thought. His spies in the areas had managed to unearth the possible location of a few more Liberator cells in Areas 2, 4, and 6.
They're a lot more spread out than I had originally thought and yet where is their main body? And just how are they managing to defeat almost everyone who attempts to fight against them? Schneizel scanned the reports of the previous battles against the Liberators. The terrorist organization had first come into the picture when Schneizel was sixteen years old and they had succeeded in destroying an embassy on Britannia's border with the Europia United. It was that incident that suggested that they were an EU-based terrorist organization.
However, Schneizel was baffled by how they managed to infiltrate eight areas without anyone knowing it. It took a lot to baffle the Prime Minister of Britannia and yet this terrorist organization did just that. He pressed his lips together as he picked up another report that detailed the battle and aftermath in Area 3 the year before that his half siblings Castor and Pollux had lost.
An unexplained bombing and then guerilla attacks. It's similar to what was reported three months ago when Cornelia was forced to retreat after a battle with another cell of the Liberators in the EU and again when Marrybell and the Glinda Knights had to retreat as well last month. And yet I feel I'm missing something. Why didn't Cornelia or Marrybell prepare for the inevitable guerilla attacks when the bombing occurred? It wasn't as if this was the first time that they had struck with that tactic. Of course, it is possible that the timing took them by surprise, Schneizel thought, putting that report down and picking up the one about Marrybell mel Britannia's fight against the Liberators and then the one with Cornelia's fight against them. He compared them, noting that while Cornelia's approach was much more straightforward—an all-out frontal assault—Marrybell had thought about surrounding them and attacking from all directions.
And yet they were still defeated and by the same tactic.
It was confusing that the same tactic could be used multiple times against multiple strategies and multiple enemies and still garner the same results.
Schneizel had the odd feeling that he was missing something.
He looked up as the door opened and his assistant, Kanon, walked into the room, holding a steaming mug of coffee. "I thought you might need this, my Lord," Kanon said, placing the mug on a coaster on Schneizel's desk.
He nodded his thanks, lifted the mug to his lips, and sipped at the liquid.
"You seem stressed," Kanon noted.
"More puzzled," Schneizel said, putting the mug down.
"Perhaps I may be of some help, my Lord," Kanon said, walking around the Prime Minister's desk and peering at the papers.
"Perhaps. I'm looking for a potential reason as to why no one has been able to defeat these Liberator cells despite the fact that the Liberators have been using the same tactic each time they attack," Schneizel said.
"Did they know that when they engaged the Liberators, my Lord?" Kanon asked.
"They should. In order to be an effective military leader, one of the first things that you learn is to always know your enemy," Schneizel said. "I suppose it is possible that they did not know but Castor and Pollux did engage the Liberators again after their defeat last year and they still lost." Castor and Pollux may not be military geniuses but they weren't idiots either and always took to heart the idea of knowing one's enemy. To think that they would still get defeated even though they knew the Liberators' tactic, and by that same tactic, was mind-boggling.
Just what was significant about the Liberators' tactic that even someone who knows what to expect can't defeat them, despite them using the same exact tactic? Schneizel thought with a frown.
"That is puzzling," Kanon mused thoughtfully.
"Indeed." Schneizel put the mug down and went back to scanning the report, looking for something that could answer the many questions in his mind. He did notice one thing that he kept in mind; the report seemed to be lacking some information, such as what actually happened in the attack that actually won the battle for the Liberators.
These Liberators were a dangerous group, he knew, though they hadn't yet made a move against Pendragon. They were striking out at outposts and embassies and at the Britannian forces within the areas. Schneizel suspected that they may be building their forces or their confidence and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
But if they were able to infiltrate eight areas as well as keep attacking embassies and outposts along the border, their numbers were as large as these attacks suggested, and they had the resources needed to wage battle, then why haven't they attacked Pendragon yet?
Something must be stopping them from attacking but what? Schneizel wondered silently, taking another drink of his coffee.
. . .
April 27, 2016
Underground Base, Gifu Settlement
The tunnels interlaced the area beneath the Gifu Settlement. It was like a labyrinth with many smaller tunnels jutting out of the main tunnel down which he walked. The tunnel was dark with only a spear of light cutting through it from the flashlight he held in front of him. His cloak brushed the ground, kicking up dust as, even though the tunnels were constantly occupied, a thin layer of dust covered everything.
He kept his free hand over his mouth to keep the dust out of his mouth as he walked, moving swiftly and quietly like a cat. His dark-blonde bangs fell over his eyes and he pushed them aside as he rounded a corner and neared a door. Lowering the flashlight, he stepped up to the door and knocked twice, paused, and then knocked three times before stepping back. There was a moment of silence, then a slot in the door opened.
"Password?" the man on the other side of the door asked in Russian.
"Freedom is worth fighting for," he stated calmly in Japanese.
There was a grunt on the other side before the slot closed. There was a click and the door swung open. He walked into the room and the tall, slender Russian man closed the door behind him and then gestured for the door behind him.
"Our leader has returned to the main base but his second is here and willing to speak to you," he said, switching to a heavily accented Japanese.
"Thank you," he replied and walked past the guard and into the room beyond. The room was arranged like a conference room with a large oval table surrounded by chairs that looked like they would break if someone sat on them. There was only one person in the room; a tall, broad-shouldered young man with spiky brown hair that fell to the base of his neck and pale-brown eyes hidden by a set of rectangular glasses. His gaze was fixed on the screen of the laptop in front of him but, when he heard the door closed, he lifted his head.
"Ah, Murkami Hozumi, welcome," he greeted the newcomer easily in Japanese, though he had a Spanish accent.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Mr. Reyes," Hozumi Murkami said.
"Please, call me Alejandro, or Ale as everyone calls me," Reyes said and gestured toward the seat next to him. "Please, take a seat."
Hozumi walked over to the indicated seat and sat down, glancing at the laptop that Reyes was looking at. The second in command pressed a key on the keyboard, shutting the screen off and pushed it away before turning to Hozumi.
"Now, what can I do for you and the Crimson Sakuras, Murkami-san," he asked calmly.
Hozumi turned his gaze away from the laptop, figuring it wasn't any of his business. "We are running short on supplies and weapons and I came to request help from you. I would have come sooner but you were already gone," he replied.
Reyes hummed. "What did you do with the resources we have already given you? Surely you have not gone through them already? Those kinds of weapons do not come cheaply, you know."
"Our forces were devastated by an attack by General Andon at the end of February, forcing us to go into hiding. We weren't able to take much with us when we retreated back to our hidden base to regroup and recuperate, not that we had much to take with us," Hozumi said.
"General Andon has been a thorn in your side for a while but he is not infallible. He is getting up in his years, even if he is a strong enemy. Granted, he would never defeat us," Reyes mused.
Arrogant bastard. "Will you help us? Perhaps you can lend us some of those prototypes you've been using in your attacks?" Hozumi suggested.
Reyes laughed. "Even if I wanted to lend you those weapons, which I don't since you haven't proven yourself worthy of them yet, I would need the okay from the boss back in our main headquarters. He is the one in charge after all. On that note, I will need to contact him for approval to give you more resources."
Hozumi frowned. "How long?" he asked.
"Anywhere from one week to two months."
Hozumi gritted his teeth together. "You gave us our last batch of resources sooner than that," he said.
"The second time always takes longer than the first time. It is difficult for the boss to keep two cells stocked with resources without anyone noticing without adding a third organization into the mix," Reyes said with a shrug.
"Why do you have two cells in Japan of all places? I would have thought you would have two cells in a bigger area, like Mexico or South America," Hozumi asked.
"It is mostly for the Sakuradite," the second in command said. His phone rang at that moment and he pulled it out and flipped it open. "Hola?" There was a moment of silence, then: "Si. Tengo la información aquí pero tengo un huésped en el momento." Another moment of silence and a sigh. "Bueno. Se illama Hokumi Murkami, el líder de la carmesí Sakuras." Yet another moment of silence. "Si. Él quiere más recursos." Yet another moment of silence, then: "Ellos fueron destruidos en su última batalla. No, le dije que me pondría en contacto con el jefe. Si. Bueno. ¡Hasta luego!" (1)
Reyes closed the phone and slipped it away, turning his attention back to Hozumi and switching back to Japanese. "Like I already said, I will contact the boss for your resources. But first, tell me, do you know anything about the newly rediscovered prince, Lelouch vi Britannia?"
Hozumi frowned. The name sounded familiar but he couldn't pinpoint where he had heard that name before, other than on the radio when the news of the thought-to-be dead prince being found alive had been released. "No, why do you ask?" he said.
Reyes pulled his laptop close to him again and turned the screen back on. "I was simply curious if you knew anything. I've been trying to dig up some information on Lelouch vi Britannia beyond what everyone else knows but, so far, I haven't been able to find much. I found out that he has a little sister named Nunnally, his mother was assassinated by terrorists six years ago, and he came to Japan during the Sakuradite Crisis but that's it. Hmm, makes me wonder why he didn't return to Pendragon when the invasion began."
Hozumi peered at the screen and got a good look at the prince. He narrowed his eyes because, looking at the picture of the young black-haired Imperial Prince with his intelligent amethyst eyes, he recognized him. "I do know him," he murmured.
"Oh?" Reyes glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I never knew he was a prince nor did I ever get his name but I did run into him during the war when I was helping to fight back against the Britannian invaders. The only thing that really stood out was that he was willing hanging out, for lack of a better term, with a Japanese boy and said Japanese boy actually defended him and his little sister," Hozumi said, sneering a bit as he thought about the Japanese boy, the boy who looked like Genbu Kururugi and Hozumi figured that boy had to be his son. Why he would associate with Britannians is beyond me, he thought.
"And do you know who this Japanese boy is?" Reyes asked.
"I didn't confirm it but I believe he is the son of Genbu Kururugi," Hozumi said.
"Oh? Now that is interesting. The son of the former Prime Minister defending two members of the Royal Family? Interesting. I will look up information on Genbu Kururugi's son. It may come in handy."
"Why are you looking up information on Lelouch vi Britannia anyway?" Hozumi asked curiously.
"One of the first things you need to know about fighting a war against an enemy, especially one as large as Britannia: you must know your enemy before you can even think about defeating them. The Royal Family is the enemy and, thus, we Liberators must know all we can about them if we want to stand a chance at defeating them."
"I suppose that is true."
Reyes typed something on his laptop, saved it, and closed it before turning to Hozumi. "I will contact the boss as soon as possible to get you more resources but, as I said, it is unlikely you will get them in less than three weeks."
Hozumi didn't like it because that meant that the Crimson Sakuras couldn't do anything for the next three weeks, at the least, but he had little choice in the matter. The Liberators were the only major terrorist organization, as they were about ten times larger than the Japan Liberation Front, that willing supplied small organizations.
Speaking of their size, Hozumi had to know. "Considering how you haven't lost a single engagement with the Royal Family and considering the size of your organization, why haven't you struck at Pendragon yet when you can probably overrun it completely with sheer numbers if you wanted to?" he asked.
Reyes gave him an enigmatic smile. "Who said that was our objective?" he asked.
"But you just said…"
"Defeating the Royal Family and lashing out at Pendragon are two completely different things. You may leave now," Reyes said and, picking up his laptop, headed toward the door behind him. "I will contact you at a later date." Without another word, the second in command of the Liberators' Japanese cells left the room, leaving a puzzled Hozumi Murkami behind.
. . .
April 29, 2016
Basic Training Camp
Dear Big Brother,
When I said I wanted to see Suzaku, I didn't mean for you to drag him to see me kicking and screaming but Milly found it funny. She doesn't think you could do that, especially when I told her that Suzaku exercised a lot more than you ever did while we were staying at the Kururugi Shrine. Either way, please tell him that I'm looking forward to seeing him again.
I'm having fun here. Since the student council ran into a financial crisis, so to speak, Milly decided to hold a bake sale this Saturday to raise money for the school. I've already agreed to help but, before you worry, I've already asked Brother Clovis and he let one of his men act as my bodyguard. You'll never guess who it is? It's Jer.
"Jer?" Suzaku echoed from where he was reading the letter over Lelouch's shoulder.
Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at Suzaku and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know it's illegal to read another person's mail? And she's talking about Jeremiah Gottwald," he said.
"It's got a message for me. That's the only reason I'm reading it. And isn't Jeremiah Gottwald the head of the Purist Faction?"
"We already passed that part. And, yes he is, but, before that, I remember him as part of my mother's Royal Guard before she was killed. I always did wonder what happened to him," Lelouch mused thoughtfully and went back to reading the letter to himself. Suzaku stood up and walked over to sit by Tadashi and started talking to him while Kay was reading his book and Rayne was seated cross-legged between the two bunkbeds, chatting with Lila who seemed just as comfortable as Rayne was.
Jer came and spoke to me personally, telling me that Clovis asked him to be my bodyguard for this Saturday and he agreed. He also apologized. He blames himself for what happened to Mother, even though it wasn't his fault.
Lelouch paused at that letter, his thoughts on Jeremiah's apology to his sister and he found himself thinking about just where the Royal Guard was when his mother was assassinated. They should have been there to protect her. That's their job. Why weren't they? Lelouch made a mental note to question Jeremiah Gottwald as soon as he got back to the Tokyo Settlement and went back to the letter.
I finished my project for my art class, the one who's due date was postponed. I decided to do it on origami and asked Sayoko to teach me how to make origami cranes. Did you know that there's an old legend that states that if you make a thousand cranes, your wish will be granted? I didn't but I found it interesting so I decided to do my project on that legend. I had fun with it. I made a couple of cranes for you and Suzaku too. I'm not entirely sure what I want to wish for though.
It's getting late so I better finish this letter up. Write back as soon as you can, Big Brother. I love you.
Nunnally
"So how's your sister doing?" Tadashi asked as Lelouch folded the letter up and put it back into its envelope.
"She's doing fine," Lelouch said and turned to Suzaku. "Suzaku, do you know about an old Eleven legend about making a thousand origami cranes and your wish will come true?"
Suzaku blinked but nodded. "Yeah, it's a pretty common tale, though I'm not entirely sure where it came from. I don't remember most of it, only that the person who made a thousand cranes ended up having their wish granted," he said.
"Hmm."
"It's just a story though, huh? I mean, that kind of thing doesn't happen in real life…does it?" Tadashi wondered.
"No," Lila said simply. "Things like magic and the supernatural do not exist in the real world. There is simply no proof."
"Not only that," Kay put in, looking up from his book. "It also depends on how you perceive magic. For example, people in ancient times would see technology as magical simply because they would not be able to explain it. That's usually what magic is, something that no one else can explain."
"I, personally, don't believe in anything supernatural. It's just something you'd find in a fiction story," Lila said.
"Like in one of those Shakespeare books Kay likes to read?" Rayne asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
"There are plenty of supernatural elements in Shakespeare's plays," Kay said.
Lelouch nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, anyway, it would be nice if it was real," Tadashi said thoughtfully.
Lelouch agreed, though he knew that it wasn't. Like Lila said, it was just a story and stories weren't true.
. . .
April 30, 2016
The final task for the week was something that the Drill Sergeant called guerilla exercises in which the recruits would divide into squads and practice guerilla attacks so that they would understand what they were and how to fight against them. Lelouch ended up with the same squad that he always ended up with, which included the friends he had made over the course of the past couple of weeks as well as Dimitri, Nathan Storm, and Erin Light. The latter two of whom didn't look too happy to be in a group with Honorary Britannians, though Erin seemed exceptionally happy at finding out he was part of the group. He did hear Rayne mutter something about being thankful that Vivienne wasn't on their squad. He had heard about Vivienne and couldn't help but agree. Vivienne was one of those types of people that Lelouch disliked the most; the spoiled ones who thought that they didn't need to do anything, or thought that they were better at everything than everyone else, because they were noble. She was also a late-starter, starting only a few days ago, who only got in because her parents paid for her to get in. That kind of thing sickened Lelouch and reminded him of just how corrupt the system was; the strong devouring the weak, the rich devouring the poor, the nobility devouring the commoners, it was all the same.
"Oh, Your Highness, you're part of this group too?" Erin asked, moving to Lelouch's side as he walked over to join the squad. "I am so happy to have someone as intelligent as you on our squad."
"Suck-up!" Rayne coughed.
Tadashi snickered.
"Your mother was a legend," Erin went on, "and I'm sure that you're going to be just as great as her! No, I think you're gonna be better than your mother ever was." She continued to issue those kinds of compliments and Lelouch was starting to develop a twitch in his left eye.
That was another thing that he hated about being part of the royal family again; the suck-ups. Thankfully, due to Lelouch's mother being a commoner and thus having quite a number of enemies, there weren't many members of nobility that actually sucked up to his family. But when he did run into someone who did, it was downright annoying.
Thankfully, Greene decided to show up at that moment and started the exercise before Erin's sugary downpour of compliments could snap Lelouch's straining patience.
Erin fell silent—"finally," Rayne muttered—as Greene ordered the squads to get into position and prepare to start the exercises. Lelouch was already scanning the area, his lips pressed together in thought as he studied the 'base' that they would be attacking. The stimulation was that Greene had called in some members of the army to act like the enemy forces and make the exercises seem more real-like. The weapons that were used were loaded with rubber bullets to mimic the feel of real bullets as closely as possible.
The exercise wasn't that hard. They were just tasked with showing that they understood what guerilla fighting was all about—it was essentially attacking, retreating to regroup, attacking again, and so on—while trying to avoid getting hit.
Lelouch, somehow, found himself drafted into the position of leader of his squad. Erin stated it was because he was a prince and that was what prince's did. Lelouch didn't mind that much; he preferred these kinds of roles anyway. Being a commander meant that he was the one in charge of the strategies and leading his troops into battle and Lelouch was very good at coming up with strategies.
For a guerilla attack, one would think that an actual strategy wasn't needed but Lelouch wasn't one of those. While Lelouch knew that, given the conditions that were presented to him, there was little chance of any variables being introduced, that didn't mean that such a thing would happen in actual combat. One must always keep in mind variables.
For now, though, having his men focus on striking at the weak points of the makeshift 'hideout' for the 'enemy' and then falling back and then repeating the process was a good enough plan. He did order his squad to rotate though, retreating in one direction and then attacking from another; this way, he kept the enemy guessing the entire time from which direction they would attack.
When Greene called a halt to the exercise, he glanced at Lelouch and inclined his head. "Impressive," he said and dismissed them back to their barracks.
"That was a well-thought out plan of yours, Your Highness," Dimitri said, falling into step beside Lelouch.
"Thank you," Lelouch said.
"I knew it. You really are better than Marianne," Erin said with a smile as she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously at Lelouch and giggled. The prince resisted the urge to cringe. How the hell did I get a fangirl in the military of all places? He thought incredulously.
. . .
Outside Grocery Story, Tokyo Settlement
"I hate this. I really, really, really hate this!" Kallen growled to herself before plastering on a fake smile as she held the sign for the bake sale above her head. That, in itself, wasn't the problem with the job that Milly had given her—holding a sign over her head seemed easy enough—however, the problem came in the outfit that Milly insisted Kallen wear.
She was dressed like a maid with an apron dotted with cookies around her waist. However, her outfit did cause quite a few guys to ogle her as they walked past into the grocery store, often leading to them walking into the door rather than through them. While that was amusing, Kallen still felt humiliated and cursed Milly for forcing her to do this, and Naoto for forcing her to go back to school.
If Naoto sees me now, he's gonna have a heartattack if he doesn't try to kill every guy who stares at me first, Kallen thought as she forced herself to call out cheerfully, "Bake sale!" and waved the sign again.
Milly was dressed the same way as was Shirley and Nina while Rivalz was, luckily enough, able to get out of wearing anything degrading.
Nunnally, whose guard—Jeremiah Gottwald—was leaning against the wall behind her, was cheerfully waving at the crowd and asking them to help out.
Everyone knew about Nunnally's status as a princess and quite a few of the people who had bought the baked goods had only stopped simply because they wanted to meet the thought-to-be-dead princess. Nunnally was as much a sweetheart as always, always kind and polite to everyone who greeted her and always with a genuine smile on her face.
It was getting harder and harder for Kallen to imagine her as the daughter of the Emperor.
And it was getting harder for Kallen to see her as the enemy. She just couldn't fathom a sweetheart like Nunnally as being her enemy. She had told Naoto about what she had learned about the vi Britannia siblings and he had told her to just leave them alone for the time being. As expected, Naoto wasn't about to attack members of the royal family directly.
"Besides, neither Princess Nunnally nor Prince Lelouch have done anything to warrant our anger. Yes, they are members of the Royal Family but, as we should know better than anyone, you can't judge someone based on who their parents are."
Naoto was right and Kallen knew it. She would be a hypocrite if she judged Nunnally and Lelouch based on who their father was when she, herself, wanted no one to judge her based on who her own parents were. Her father, who divorced his Japanese wife and married that pureblood Britannian harlot, and then left Kallen alone with said harlot while he was away, for months at a time sometimes, at Pendragon. And then there was her mother, her pathetic excuse for a mother who was a maid for the harlot and treated horribly simply because she could not let go of her love for the man who left her.
She sighed to herself and decided that she would listen to her brother for now. She pushed the thoughts of the vi Britannia siblings out of her mind as she called out again to a couple of newcomers.
"We're making some good money," Rivalz commented, glancing at Nina. "How much have we raised so far, Nina?"
"Um, about 377 pounds," Nina said after counting the money for the third time.
"Damn," Rivalz whistled.
"Keep up the good work, you guys," Milly said with a grin. "We've almost got the amount we need to solve our financial crisis! Now everyone put a smile on and let's get some more customers in. Kallen, why don't you and Shirley switch out so you can rest? You're starting to look a little pale."
Kallen was thankful that she had decided to adopt the sickly girl façade when she was at school. It gave her an excuse to no longer parade herself in an attempt to draw in customers. She lowered her arms and, thanking Milly meekly, handed the poster to Shirley and took the seat behind the table next to Nunnally.
"Are you having fun, Kallen?" Nunnally asked, turning her face toward Kallen.
"A little," Kallen said.
"That's good. Here, have a cookie. Sayoko baked these and they're really good," Nunnally said, holding out a cookie from one of the open packets that she had grabbed earlier. They had all sampled the baked goods before and while they were selling them; it helped keep their energy up and, considering they had been there for three hours already, that was a good thing.
The red-haired girl took the cookie and bit into it, surprised by how chocolatey the cookie was. She always did like chocolate. "These are good," she said.
"Aren't they? Big Brother makes 'em like this all the time too and I think Sayoko's finally figured out Big Brother's secret," Nunnally said with a giggle.
"I still find it hard to believe that Lelouch bakes," Rivalz mused.
"Maybe you can ask him to bake you something when he gets back, Shirley, you know, since he's gonna be your boyfriend and all," Milly teased, glancing at Shirley who went red.
"He's not…I mean…he can't be…he wouldn't…uh…" the orangette stammered out.
"May we buy something?" A small family had come up to the table and saved Shirley from having to finish her response to Milly's words; a mother, a father, and two small children.
"Certainly," Milly said with a beaming smile. "We've got a lot of things up for sale. We've got cookies, brownies…"She listed everything that was on the table and gestured to each one in turn before naming off the prices as soon as the mother asked them.
"We'll go with four brownies, please," the mother said.
"Sure thing," Milly said and named the price while Kallen placed the four wrapped brownies into a paper bag and handed it to Nina. The mother walked over to join Nina and handed her the money before accepting the paper bag.
"Thank you," she said.
"Thank you," Nunnally said with a bright smile. "I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day."
"I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day as well, Your Highness," the mother said with a slight bow before she, her husband, and their children walked away.
Nunnally tilted her head toward where Gottwald was still leaning against the wall. "Do you want a cookie or a brownie or something, Jer?" she asked. This was the third time she had asked the purist leader if he wanted something to eat. The other times he had refused but, this time, he seemed to have gotten hungry enough because he agreed and accepted the cookie Nunnally handed him.
"I think we're almost done here," Milly said. "We've practically gotten the amount that we were trying for and we're almost out of items to sell anyway."
Kallen felt more than a little relieved.
. . .
Naoto Kozuki's Apartment, Shinjuku Ghetto
Naoto Kozuki, a tall, red-haired boy with blue eyes and a red headband wrapped around his forehead, was relaxing on his couch, flipping through the channels on his television set. So far, he hadn't really been doing much, especially not with the resistance since there was nothing to do at the moment. He was still waiting for any news that could provide him the opportunity to strike but Naoto wasn't reckless and wasn't going to take action until he had all the facts.
He wasn't going to be like the Crimson Sakuras.
Unlike the other terrorist groups in Japan, such as the Yamato Alliance, the Blood of the Samurai, and the biggest organization in Japan known as the Japan Liberation Front, the Crimson Sakuras were reckless. They had jumped headfirst into a battle against the Britannians at Osaka and had been defeated so badly that not only did they lose all the resources they were, somehow, able to amass in such a short time but they also lost many of their men. Two of the men that had been lost had been former members of the resistance cell that Naoto founded six months earlier.
"Hey, Naoto," Shinchiro Tamaki said, flopping down onto the couch beside Naoto. "Whatcha doing?"
"Watching TV," Naoto said dryly, though with a faint smile on his face.
"Oh, anything interesting on?"
"No. What are you doing here, Tamaki? I thought you were helping Sugiyama and Yoshida organize the supplies today," Naoto said.
"Oh, right, Sugiyama told me to tell you that we're running low on ammunition for our guns and we are still missing some parts to make that Glasgow we managed to salvage functional again," Tamaki said.
"Which parts?" Naoto asked as, in his mind, he went through the contacts he had made since he created his resistance cell until he found the person who could supply him the parts he needed.
Tamaki began searching through his jacket before he pulled out a piece of paper. "Yoshida wrote 'em down since he figured I'd forget 'em," he said, handing the paper to Naoto who scanned the list of parts, noting that there weren't as many as he thought there were.
"I know just the person to contact for these parts," he said, stuffing the paper into his pocket.
The door to the apartment opened and Naoto glanced up, frowning as his little sister Kallen swiftly slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She was carrying a bag in her hands. "What are you doing here, Kallen?" he asked.
"Can't I visit my big brother?" Kallen asked as she walked over to an armchair and sat down, placing the bag on the table. "Don't worry. I made sure I wasn't being followed or anything like that. Hi, Tamaki."
Tamaki waved at her in response.
"Still," Naoto said, still frowning.
Kallen huffed. "I know how to take care of myself," she muttered and then gestured to the table. "We had a bake sale today for school and Milly said that I could take whatever we didn't sell. I thought you might like 'em so I brought 'em with me."
"What'd ya bring?" Tamaki asked.
"Brownies, cookies, mini apple pies, mini peach pies, and a couple of strawberry stuffed pastries," Kallen said.
Tamaki's mouth was watering and he darted toward the bag, immediately searching through it.
"Don't eat 'em all, Tamaki. That's for everyone," Kallen added.
"I ain't gonna eat 'em all," Tamaki huffed, pulling out a wrapped mini apple pie and, after opening it, bit into it. "Damn, this is good! Naoto, you've gotta try one of these."
"You know I'm not that big a fan of sweets," Naoto said dryly.
"But you're gonna love these. C'mon, just try it," Tamaki said and dug into the bag before pulling out a wrapped mini peach pie and tossed it at Naoto whose hand, reflexively, shot out to grab it before it hit his face.
He huffed but, nonetheless, opened the pastry and bit into it. He chewed for a moment, surprised by how much he liked it. Hmm, for once, Tamaki was right, he mused as he took another bite of the mini pie. "Okay, I'll admit, these are good," he said. "Who made them?"
"A maid that works for Princess Nunnally and Prince Lelouch," Kallen said. "So, have you found anything out, Big Brother? Do we have any upcoming missions?"
"You don't have anything to do other than return to school on Monday," Naoto said sternly, lowering the pie and ignoring the scowl Kallen threw at him. "As for me, I have someone I need to contact to get some needed parts so I'll probably be leaving for Osaka Monday morning."
"I can go with you and help," Kallen said immediately.
Naoto shook his head. "It's just ordering parts, Kallen, nothing more and, besides, you just barely started school again a few weeks ago. I don't want you to get behind. I'll be taking Ohgi with me so I'll be fine."
"But I wanna help," Kallen insisted.
Naoto smiled a little, his face softening. He knew that his little sister wanted to help out more with the resistance but Naoto was hesitant about letting her. He just wanted to keep her safe and protected and he felt that Ashford Academy would do that. He knew that Kallen wasn't happy there, or rather with living under the same roof as their stepmother, but she was safe. And she seemed to be making friends at Ashford so that was something that she hadn't had before she started going to the academy.
"I know you do, Kallen, but you'll be safer at Ashford," Naoto said out loud and, after a moment's thought, he added, "How about this? Next weekend, if I manage to get all the parts needed and get it working, I'll let you have a go in the Glasgow that we managed to salvage a couple of weeks ago."
Kallen brightened up immediately. She had taken a liking to knightmare piloting ever since she first saw it in action on the television and she stated that she always wanted to pilot one. "All right, deal," she said.
. . .
(1) Translation from Spanish (via Google Translate): Yes. I have the information here but I have a guest at the moment. Okay. His name is Hokumi Murkami, the leader of the Crimson Sakuras. Yes. He wants more resources. They were destroyed in his last battle. No, I told him I would contact the boss. Yes. Okay. See you later.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: and that was chapter 7
Lelouch: cool
Suzaku: so what will happen next?
Blaze: you gotta wait and see!
Bakura: (deadpans) you just don't want to go through all your files to find the chapter and remind yourself of what happens
Blaze: …shut up. So the next chapter will come out, hopefully, before the 22nd, which is when I go back to school, but I make no promises
Bakura: yeah, she'll probably get distracted by a third Code Geass story or with working on the sequel to Divergence
Blaze: eh, either or, really. Anyway, reviews…
-Boom-
Blaze: ...are much appreciated. All right, who blew up Luciano Bradley this time?
Lelouch: this time, it was Kallen
Kallen: (glares at Lelouch) you suck
Lelouch: why? Blaze'll probably kiss you since she hates Luciano Bradley
Blaze: I don't swing that way so I'll settle for this (hands Kallen a triple-decker chocolate cream pie)
Kallen: (grins and takes chocolate cream pie) awesome
Bakura: (reaches out to steal the chocolate cream pie)
Kallen: (throws a chaos mine at Bakura and takes off)
Bakura: oh fuck! (Gets blown up by chaos mine)
Blaze: (sighs and pulls out the Numeron Code to bring Bakura back to life) first time that's happened
Bakura: (once he's back to life) note to self: make sure Kallen does not have weapons on her when I steal from her...or wait until she's asleep
Blaze: (sighs) anyway, yeah, I already said what I needed to say. Thanks for reading!
