Well, here is the long awaited (glances at last update date) October 25th? Huh, I thought more time had passed by. So I guess not as long awaited as I thought. Eh, whatever. Considering I've been busy with school, watching anime (I just finished binge-watching Noragami and am in the process of watching Noragami Aragoto, -man, and Kekkai Sensen), and writing my own original stories, I'm honestly surprised I'm updating in less than a month.
Bakura: I believe everyone is. Aren't you planning on updating a story you last updated in January and another story that you haven't updated since March of 2014?
Well, for the first story you mentioned, I'm about a quarter of the way through the chapter, while, for the second story, I'm still stuck on how to continue it so...yeah, I might update those stories before Christmas...keyword: might
Bakura: that's usually the case when it comes to you, foolish mortal
Oh shut up, Bakura. Anyway...
Thank you to ewertondragon, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Darrenshan1234, OBSERVER01, davycrockett100, DYnoJackal19, MasterDangel, F.C.C.S, Shimmering-Sky, B-Kira, Trife, god of all, Doommajor, Scarease, and Shadow-Shinobi666 for reviewing the last chapter and thank you to Td03 for reviewing Chapter 3.
I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
. . .
. . .
August 10, 2012
Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement
Jeremiah Gottwald made his way down the corridor of the Tokyo Military Base, looking around at the various soldiers that were gathered around him who saluted him as he walked by. He had just been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 11th Regiment, the regiment he had become a part of when he transferred to Area 11 a year following its formation, and everyone knew who he was.
Today, he was going to observe a few new recruits who were to join the 11th Regiment. Though he wasn't the one in charge of the regiment, Brigadier General Stromberg had insisted that all of his high-ranked officers be present.
He joined Stromberg, the aging gray-haired commander of the 11th Regiment, along with one of his old buddies from the Imperial Military Academy who had been transferred to Area 11 only a couple of months ago.
"'Bout time you showed up, Jeremiah," Major Kewell Soresi said with a teasing smirk. He was a tall man with short light-brown hair and blue eyes.
"I happen to be on time, Kewell," Jeremiah retorted.
They both fell silent at the stern glare from Stromberg. Stromberg stepped forward as the newest additions to the 11th Regiment came forward and Jeremiah scanned them as Stromberg began to speak. His eyes landed on a familiar dark-skinned woman with long silver hair in a tight ponytail.
"Kewell, is that who I think it is?" he whispered to his friend, gesturing to the silverette.
Kewell followed his gaze and his eyes softened just a fraction but he nodded. "I'm sure it is. Looks like Villetta got transferred to Area 11 too," he said.
A soldier came running into the hall where the soldiers were gathered and saluted. "Sir, terrorists have struck in the Saitama Ghetto. Prince Clovis and General Andon have asked you and the 11th Regiment to handle the matter."
"Very well. Listen up," Stromberg said, directing his attention to the newcomers. "We do not have time for you to adjust or get acquainted just yet. We have a fight ahead of us. Get ready to depart for battle in fifteen minutes. Dismissed!"
"Yes, sir!" The newcomers all said at once.
As they moved to get their gear in order, Jeremiah made his way through the crowd toward the silverette with Kewell just behind him. "Well, I didn't expect to see you here, Villetta," he said.
Villetta Nu turned and smiled in greeting. "I was expecting you to be here, Jeremiah, but I wasn't expecting Kewell," she said. She and Kewell were the only ones that knew of Jeremiah requesting a transfer to Area 11 following Empress Marianne's assassination but Villetta was the only one who knew why.
"I got transferred here a couple of months ago," Kewell said. "I was going to tell you but it happened quickly and I forgot once I got here."
"It's okay," Villetta said. "I certainly wasn't expecting to actually fight as soon as I got here though."
"Terrorists are always very active on the anniversary of the start of the invasion," Jeremiah admitted. "They attacked last year on this day too."
"I see."
Jeremiah, Kewell, and Villetta finished getting ready and gathered with the rest of the soldiers as Stromberg strode in front of them.
"Our task is simple. Take out the terrorist that cropped up in the Saitama Ghetto. Further orders will be given once we reach the point of insertion. Let's head out," Stromberg said.
"Sir, yes, sir!"
. . .
13
The 11th Regiment
June 17, 2016
Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement
Jeremiah made his way down the corridor of the Viceroy's Palace, heading for Prince Clovis's office, his thoughts on the news that had been given to the entire 11th Regiment earlier that day. Apparently, Brigadier General Stromberg was retiring and the regiment was to get a new commanding officer on Monday. However, no one knew who the new commander was or, if they did, they weren't telling anyone.
Jeremiah doubted it was that latter reason. Due to his position as leader of the Purist Faction and second in command to Stromberg, he should know who was to take Stromberg's place. All he knew was that the person had to be pretty important and high-ranking because, otherwise, as Stromberg's second in command, Jeremiah would have been given command.
Just who is taking Stromberg's place? He wondered silently.
He reached Prince Clovis's office and knocked on the door.
"Enter," Prince Clovis's voice called and Jeremiah stepped into the office, freezing momentarily when he saw that the prince wasn't alone.
Prince Lelouch, who was seated in front of Prince Clovis's desk, cast a sidelong glance at him as Jeremiah forced himself to unfreeze and step deeper into the room.
"Ah, Margrave Gottwald, welcome," Prince Clovis greeted Jeremiah. "Please, take a seat."
"I did not realize you had a meeting, Clovis. Should I leave?" Prince Lelouch asked calmly, though Jeremiah could feel the prince's amethyst eyes studying him as he took a seat next to him.
"No, no, you can stay if you wish," Prince Clovis said. "Besides, we need to finalize the plans for your welcome ball tomorrow."
Prince Lelouch grimaced. "I was really hoping you'd forget about that," he said.
"Of course I'm not going to forget, Lelouch," Clovis said with a grin. "It'll definitely help you out. Like I said, this is the perfect opportunity to expose you to the social world of the nobility. It will be fun."
"Yes, fun," Lelouch said and Jeremiah could hear the thick sarcasm in his prince's voice.
He blinked at the thought. This wasn't the first time that Jeremiah had referred to Prince Lelouch as 'his prince' in his thoughts but he knew the reason. His first loyalty was to Empress Marianne and the vi Britannia family so, naturally, his true loyalties were to Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally, thus was the reason why he referred to Prince Lelouch as such. Granted, he wasn't going to say that out loud; he had sworn to serve Prince Clovis, even if he wasn't a member of Clovis's Royal Guard or his personal regiment, the 1st Regiment.
Granted, if he had the choice, he would naturally choose to serve Prince Lelouch.
He pushed the thought out of his mind and tuned back into the conversation.
"…didn't get the chance to do this when I first told everyone that you were alive so I'm doing it now," Prince Clovis was saying. "Saturday's the best day to do it since that is always a good day for these kinds of things. Plus, you're going back to the military base Monday, aren't you?"
"Yes. Schneizel already informed me of my assigned post," Lelouch said.
"So what post is that?" Prince Clovis asked curiously.
"I've been given the rank of Colonel as well as command of the 11th Regiment," Lelouch said.
Jeremiah's head snapped toward Lelouch in shock. So Prince Lelouch is the one that's replacing Stromberg? Well, I certainly understand why I didn't get the position when Stromberg retired. Royals were considered of higher rank than everyone, even though they were still subjected to the chain of command, but when they were given command of a regiment then they only followed orders from whoever was in charge of the division the regiment was part of or someone of higher rank than the Commander-in-Chief of the division.
"I see," Clovis said with a nod. "Then I suspect it's a good thing that you remained here for my meeting with Margrave Gottwald. You should hear this as well."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"The terrorist threat is growing," Clovis said. "General Andon has decided to place the 11th Regiment in charge of any engagements with terrorists in and around Central and Southern Area 11 while he handles things in the north with the other regiments. The 1st Regiment has been ordered to remain in the Tokyo Settlement to handle any terrorist matters that rise up here though."
"I understand," Jeremiah said while Lelouch seemed deep in thought.
"I want you to help Lelouch out, Margrave. You have experience whereas my brother is still very new to the military scene and I believe he can benefit from your advice," Clovis said.
"I understand. I will help him to the best of my ability," Jeremiah said.
"You do realize I'm still in the room, right?" Lelouch asked casually.
"Oh, we didn't forget about you, Lelouch," Clovis said. "That's all I wanted to discuss with you, Margrave. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said and stood up.
"Margrave."
The turquoise-haired young man turned to find Lelouch's amethyst eyes fixed on him.
"Don't go far. I want to speak to you in private," he said.
Jeremiah swallowed at the cold look in his prince's eyes but bowed. "I will wait outside until you are done, Your Highness," he said and left the office. He wondered just what Prince Lelouch wanted to speak to him about but he had a strong feeling he already knew the answer to that.
About fifteen minutes later, Prince Lelouch left the office, gesturing for Jeremiah to follow him and led the way away from the office. They walked in silence down the corridors of the Viceroy's Palace until they reached another office. Lelouch led the way inside, saying, "Brigadier General Stromberg told me that I could use his office now that I was in charge of his regiment. Take a seat, Margrave. There are some things that I need to know."
Jeremiah sat down on an armchair. "What is it you wish to know, Your Highness?" he asked.
"First of all, I would like to thank you for guarding Nunnally during that bake sale that Ashford Academy was holding," Lelouch said, turning to face the Margrave.
"It was no trouble, Your Highness. It was nice seeing Princess Nunnally again," Jeremiah said.
"I thought I recognized you when I saw you that day in Clovis's office before I left for basic training," Lelouch mused, narrowing his eyes. "That is the second reason why I asked to speak to you. I want to ask about my mother's death."
Jeremiah cringed as his suspicions were proven correct. He got to his feet and knelt down in front of his prince, crossing his fist over his heart. "I do deeply apologize, Your Highness, and humbly ask your forgiveness for failing to protect your mother, you, and your sister."
"What happened that day, Margrave?" Lelouch asked.
"We were asked to withdraw from the Aries Villa by Princess Cornelia," Jeremiah said.
Lelouch frowned. "It makes no sense. Why would she tell you to withdraw?" he asked.
"It wasn't unheard for Empress Marianne to ask for her guard to withdraw, Your Highness. She valued her privacy and usually asked this when she was meeting with someone she knew she could trust," Jeremiah said.
Lelouch's eyes narrowed as realization filled them. "She wasn't killed by terrorists," he murmured. "There is no way that terrorists could get close enough to actually kill her, especially with the amount of security around the Aries Villa and Mother did have a lot of enemies since the majority of the other Imperial Consorts as well as the nobility held her in contempt because of the status she received even though she was born a commoner."
"You think someone of the nobility killed her?" Jeremiah echoed, surprised.
"I believe so. The clues seem to be pointing at that but the bigger question is who? And why did they make it look like a terrorist attack, despite that not being logically possible?"
"It makes sense, Your Highness."
Lelouch pulled himself from his thoughts and turned his gaze to Jeremiah. "You have no need to apologize, Margrave. You were simply following orders," he said.
"I still ask your forgiveness, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.
Lelouch seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Where do your loyalties truly lie, Margrave?"
"With you and your family, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated without preamble.
"Then prove that to me and I will forgive you."
It seemed simple enough and Jeremiah was determined to do just as his prince had commanded of him. He would prove that he was loyal to Prince Lelouch because he was; his loyalty was reserved for the vi Britannia family. "I shall, Your Highness."
"Good, you're dismissed."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah bowed his head again before standing up and walking out of the office.
. . .
That went better than I thought it would. It would seem I have another powerful ally to add to my list of allies, Lelouch mused silently as he moved over to sit behind his desk and scanning the paperwork that he would have to submit soon to ensure the transfer for his comrades from basic training went smoothly.
He mused that there was probably going to be a backlash by members of the 11th Regiment, specifically since the Purist Faction was part of it, when they find out that he had personally transferred two Honorary Britannians to the regiment. However, he hoped that once they saw Tadashi and Suzaku in action, they would understand why he chose to transfer them.
He would also have to try and get Suzaku behind an actual knightmare to see if his score in the stimulation really did show how well he would do in real-life.
As if on cue, his phone began to ring. He picked it up. "This is Prince Lelouch," he said into it.
"Ah, Your Highness, this is Earl Lloyd Asplund, head of the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps, are you busy?" An energetic and happy voice sounded on the other end.
"Not at the moment, Earl Asplund, how may I help you?" Lelouch asked, knowing that the earl was on the list of Schneizel's allies that were now his allies.
"I heard that you got a high score on the Knightmare Qualification during basic training and I believe you might be the perfect fit for my nearly finished Lancelot," Apslund said excitedly.
"And why do you think that?" Lelouch asked.
"Because I theorize that the sync rate that would allow my Lancelot to move is correlated with the proficiency score that a knightmare pilot must obtain in order to be allowed to pilot a knightmare during basic training, meaning the higher the proficiency score a pilot obtains, the more likely they will be able to move my Lancelot. And since your score is a 96, I feel you could be the perfect test pilot."
Lelouch decided against wondering just how Asplund got his Knightmare Qualification score and thought about his words. If Asplund's theory was correct then Lelouch would be able to move this Lancelot but so could someone else, someone with the highest score on the Knightmare Qualification out of all the recruits he graduated with.
Well, I did say I needed to find a way to get Suzaku in a knightmare to test my own theory, he thought but another question entered his mind.
"What, exactly, is the Lancelot?" he asked.
"Why, simply put, it is the prototype of the first ever seventh generation knightmare frame, of course," Asplund said.
Seventh generation knightmare frame?
"So, will you come and try it out?" Asplund asked.
"How about this, Earl Apslund?" Lelouch said. "After I have taken command of the 11th Regiment and get everything settled on my end, I'll bring by a better test pilot, someone who scored a perfect score on the Knightmare Qualification. I believe he may be the perfect test pilot for your Lancelot."
"Ohh, someone who scored a perfect score? Not many have actually done that. Okay, you've got yourself a deal, Your Highness. Say, a week from Monday?"
"Agreed," Lelouch said.
"Great! I'll see you then, Your Highness," Apslund said eagerly and hung up without another word.
. . .
June 18, 2016
Ballroom, Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement
Kallen hated going to these kinds of things.
Her bitch of a stepmother and her father, who just so happened to come back to Area 11 in time for the welcome ball that Prince Clovis was holding for Prince Lelouch, had dragged her to said welcoming ball. She was now forced to stand, in a form-fitting red dress that went to her ankles but was slit to her knees and red heels, amidst a crowd of nobles and try very hard to keep her façade up.
She hadn't wanted to go and knew that she could have played her fake sickness to its fullest to get out of going but she had decided to go for one reason.
She wanted to get closer to Prince Lelouch and find out more about him as per her brother's instructions.
She looked around, sipping at the glass of champagne that she had grabbed, watching as Prince Clovis basically paraded a patiently impassive Prince Lelouch around the various nobles that were gathered. Princess Nunnally hadn't come but Kallen's father had said that was because she hadn't made her public debut yet.
Clovis finally reached the Stadtfelds. "And this is Lord and Lady Stadtfeld," Clovis said.
"A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Lady Stadtfeld said in that sweet suck-up tone that made Kallen want to gag and the curtesy that she did only intensified that feeling.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Stadtfeld, Lord Stadtfeld, hello, Kallen," Prince Lelouch said, turning to face the red-headed half-Britannian.
"You two know each other?" Clovis echoed.
"She goes to school with my sister," Lelouch said and held out a hand. "Might I have this dance, my Lady?"
Perfect. Not only would dancing with the prince allow her to get close to him and maybe get him talking but it would also get her away from her bitch of a stepmother. "Of course, Your Highness," Kallen said with a bow and placed her hand in his. He guided her onto the dancefloor as a soft, slow song began to play.
Prince Lelouch shifted his hands so that they were resting on her lower back while she wrapped her arms around his neck and they danced slowly to the music. Kallen thought quickly about what to ask and finally decided on a simple question. "Why did you ask me to dance?" she asked.
"Honestly, because you looked about as bored as I feel and I thought it'd give you something to do," the prince admitted.
Kallen had been bored, though she had also been looking for an excuse to get close to the prince and, she mused, it was rather coincidental that the prince would give her the very excuse she was looking for. She went over everything she already knew about Lelouch and decided to start her questioning from there.
"You mentioned a few days ago that you and Suzaku Kururugi have been friends since before the invasion. How did that happen?" Kallen asked. It didn't take much effort for her to sound genuinely confused and curious because she was. She didn't know how the prince could know a Japanese boy from before the invasion.
"We met when Nunnally and I came to Area 11 when it was still Japan," Lelouch said. It didn't really answer her question.
"Why were you in Area 11 before the invasion to begin with?" Kallen asked, hating that she had to call Japan by that name that Britannia had given it when they won the war.
Lelouch seemed to stiffen but relaxed a moment later, though his face did darken considerably. "The Emperor decided that he needed a bargaining chip during the Sakuradite Crisis and so sent Nunnally and I to the Kururugis as political hostages until the invasion," he said.
Who would do that to their own children? Kallen thought with an inward frown as the prince spun her across the dancefloor. She was about to ask Lelouch another question, this time about why they hadn't gone back to Pendragon when the invasion began, but stopped. That look that crossed Lelouch's face suggested that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to continue that line of questioning so she searched for something else to ask.
"How long have you known the members of the Student Council?" she asked. This seems like a safe enough question to ask, she thought.
"I've known Milly since before Nunnally and I left Pendragon but I only met Nina, Rivalz, and Shirley in my first year at Ashford," Lelouch said.
So he hasn't known them for that long and yet is still good friends with them? Not to mention he's friends with a Japanese boy, even if said boy is an Honorary Britannina, Kallen mused thoughtfully. Prince Lelouch was an enigma and Kallen mused that it was rather difficult to figure him out with what little information she was able to get.
After the dance, the prince guided her back over to join the bitch and her father. Clovis was still chatting with them but they had been joined by an older gentleman with graying hair and a green-haired man who looked to be in his late fifties.
"Ah, Lelouch, glad you could rejoin us. I have two more people to introduce to you, though I suspect you've already met one of them," Clovis said while Kallen's bitch of a stepmother and her father walked away.
"Indeed I have. It is good to see you again, Brigadier General Stromberg," Lelouch said to the graying older gentleman as he released Kallen. She shifted out of the way, making as if to leave but stayed close enough so that she could hear, just in case they let loose something that could be important.
"You as well, Your Highness," Stromberg said.
"This is General Seth Andon, Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division," Clovis said.
"So you are the General Andon one of my comrades spoke very highly of during basic training. Your reputation precedes you," Lelouch said.
"I simply have done my duty," Andon said with a respectful incline of his head. "And have many years of experience. If you are ever in need of advice, you are welcome to ask me."
"I will keep that in mind, General." Lelouch's face was impassive but Kallen could tell that Andon's words, no matter how kindly they were spoken, was a jab at the prince's lack of experience. However, Lelouch didn't betray that he was affected by that, even though she had no doubt he had figured that out just as she had. He wasn't stupid, far from it according to Nina, after all.
She studied Lelouch and wondered, briefly, on what he would be doing now. It was obvious he was being stationed in the Tokyo Settlement but she had no idea just what he would be doing. It was a safe bet that it would have something to do with the terrorists and she resolved to tell Naoto about Lelouch as soon as she figured out just where he was going to be placed.
She got her answer a moment later.
"I am curious to know something, Your Highness. Will Margrave Gottwald maintain his position? He was my second in command when I was in command of the 11th Regiment," Stromberg said.
"He will remain as such under my command," Lelouch said.
"Good. He is dependable and a strong soldier," Stromberg said.
"Well, I think that's enough military talk for today," Clovis said. "Come, Lelouch, there's another family that I want to introduce you to. Actually, a couple more." He placed a hand Lelouch's shoulder and guided the prince away from the two military commanders.
Kallen shifted into the throng of people, heading toward a table to get another glass of champagne, deciding that she had gathered enough information for the time being. She would tell Naoto the next time she was in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Prince Lelouch was a variable because they knew next to nothing about him or how decent of a military commander he was going to be.
. . .
Lila sighed as she swirled her glass of water around, bored out of her mind. When the welcome ball for Prince Lelouch had been announced to all the noble families in the Tokyo Settlement, her parents had been quick to agree to go and they decided to drag her with them.
"Lila, hello," a familiar voice said and Lila turned to find Dimitri coming to her side, a glass of champagne in his hands. "I did not take you for the kind of person who attended these things."
"I'm not, usually, but Mother and Father decided to come and they insisted I come with them," Lila said. Well, I suppose it's a step up from being confined to the manor and not allowed to leave without five bodyguards, she thought. "What brings you here?"
"The same reason, mostly," Dimitri said and nodded toward where a couple was standing with a wineglass in their hands; the man looked like a taller version of Dimitri while the woman was Dimitri's height with dark-green hair. "Prince Clovis likes to hold a lot of parties and balls but this is the first one Mother and Father have been to in a while. I only came because I didn't want to stay at home and do nothing for a couple of hours."
"I understand that feeling," Lila admitted, sipping at her water. That single statement, minus the 'a couple of hours' describes my childhood almost perfectly, she thought but pushed the thought away. Her joining the military had given her the freedom that she wanted and her father supporting her decision had just made it better.
Her mother and father joined her at that moment and Dimitri, excusing himself, made his way over to join his parents. "Who was that?" Caleb asked, narrowing his eyes at the tall olive-green haired young man.
"He's just a friend I made during basic training, Father," Lila said.
"Hmm. Hello, Your Highness," Caleb said, adding the last part and bowing when he spotted Prince Clovis walking over to join them with Lelouch walking alongside him.
"Lord Moore, good to see you. This is my brother, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. Lelouch, this is Lord Caleb and Lady Lucy Moore," Clovis said.
"It's nice to meet you," Lelouch said with an undercurrent of exasperation that suggested he had gotten tired of these greetings. Lila suspected that he had; she had seen him being introduced to noble after noble since the ball began and that was almost two hours ago.
"You as well, Your Highness," Lucy said with a bow.
"This is my daughter, Lila," Caleb said, placing a hand on Lila's shoulder and ushering her forward.
"We've met," Lelouch said with a faint smile. "Hello, Lila, it's good to see you again."
"You as well, Lelouch," Lila said.
"How do you know each other?" Lucy asked in confusion.
"We met at basic training," Lila said.
"I see." Lucy looked away at the reminder of just what Lila decided to do with her life. She was obviously still not happy about her decision but, at least, she wasn't trying to talk Lila out of it.
Caleb studied Lelouch with his lips pressed together and Lila sighed inwardly. It was a good thing that Lelouch was a prince and her father couldn't really do anything. He always got this way whenever Lila met boys ever since she turned sixteen. Granted, that wasn't often and only when they were visited by noble families and Lila was introduced to the sons of the noblemen. That was just another aspect in which he was overprotective of her but she supposed that all fathers were like that with their daughters.
Clovis and Lelouch moved on to the next family as another song started to play, one that caused Lucy to perk up. "This is my favorite song," she said.
"Then would you care for a dance?" Caleb asked, holding out a hand to his wife.
Lucy smiled and nodded, taking his hand and he guided her onto the dancefloor.
Lila wandered over to the table to refill her glass of water but bumped into someone on accident. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said immediately, stepping back.
"It's all right," the young man that Lila had bumped into said. "I wasn't watching where I was going either." He was tall and looked to be in his late teens, possibly early twenties, with short-cropped dark-blue hair and green eyes. He looked familiar but Lila couldn't place where she had seen him before.
"I'm sorry but you look familiar. Have we met before?" Lila asked.
"I doubt it. My sister and I were just reassigned to Area 11 recently. I'm Parker Frost," the boy said.
Frost… "I'm Lila Moore. Are you related to Rayne and Kay Frost?" Lila asked.
"You know my brother and sister?" Parker asked, looking shocked, though Lila now knew why Parker looked familiar; he looked a lot like Rayne and Kay. "They're here? They've been in Area 11 this entire time?"
Lila blinked in confusion. "Yeah, I know them. We attended basic training together," she said.
"Basic training? So they joined the military? Hn, I always knew Kayden would join the military. He always was a quick learner and a damn good knightmare pilot," Parker mused. "But I'm shocked that they're here of all places. Do you know where they are?" He sounded hopeful but Lila shook her head.
"I haven't seen them since graduation," she said. "But what do you mean by 'they've been in Area 11 this entire time?'?"
Parker seemed to shift uncomfortably, one hand going to the back of his neck. "Ah, well, they…kind of ran away a year ago," he said.
Lila's eyes went wide. That was something she hadn't known. She knew, just by how Rayne reacted whenever something having to do with her parents or her family was brought up and by the fact that Kay never read that letter he received from Pendragon, that something had happened between the twins and their family. But she never expected that they had run away from home.
"I wonder if Matthias knew all along that they were here. He did say that he had written to Kayden a few times but never said where they were," Parker murmured under his breath, though Lila still heard him, before adding, in a louder voice, "Well, perhaps they'll be assigned to the same regiment as me and Gretchen."
"Maybe. We won't know where we're going to be assigned until Monday," Lila said.
"Hmm, that's when my regiment is going to discover who our new commander is too. Odd coincidence," Parker mused and shook his head. "I'd better go find my sister. She…can't hold her liquor and I do not want to be the one to drag her drunk ass back to the base. It was nice meeting you, Lady Moore, and if you see Kayden and Rayne, tell them that I send my greetings."
"I will," Lila said and watched as Parker disappeared into the throng of nobles.
. . .
June 19, 2016
Kozuki Resistance Base, Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11
"So he's going to be the new commander of the 11th Regiment?" Naoto asked after listening to Kallen's report on Prince Lelouch. The siblings were standing in the center of the main room of the resistance's base with the rest of the members, including Tara, standing around them. Kallen was steadfastly ignoring the aqua-haired girl as she had been since she first arrived; she hadn't liked when Tara first joined and it was clear that, in the last month, those feelings hadn't changed.
"He said so himself," Kallen replied. "Though it's unclear of what he's going to be doing."
"Considering the terrorist threat, he's probably going to be in charge of eradicating the terrorists, including you guys. I say he should be taken out before he gets the chance to become a threat," Tara said, standing up. "I could sneak into the settlement and take him out for ya."
"No one's taking out anyone," Naoto said sternly. "I am not about to sanction the assassination of a prince. For one, it will not benefit us in the long run and, for another, all it would do is draw Britannia's wrath down on Japan. I do not want to be responsible for starting another bloody war as bad as the Second Pacific War."
Naoto may not have experienced, firsthand, how bad the Second Pacific War had been when Japan was invaded by Britannia but he had seen what happened on television. He had seen the atrocities committed by Britannia. At the time, he hadn't understood why Britannia was doing that; later, he learned it was because of the Sakuradite mines. However, he was sure that Britannia would not take the assassination of one of their princes lightly and the results could, very well, be just as if not worse than the Second Pacific War.
"Do you really think Britannia would launch a war over the death of one of their princes?" Tamaki asked.
"I don't want to take the chance that they will," Naoto said with a shake of his head. "Besides, we still don't know, for sure, if he's going to be a threat or not since we don't know what his orders are. For now, we'll leave the prince alone and focus, more, on gathering more information and resources. One of my spies may have come up with a lead on something that's under development by Prince Clovis's scientists. They haven't gotten close enough to really figure out what it is but they're still seeking that information."
"Just how do you find these spies that can actually infiltrate such places?" Tara wondered.
Naoto said nothing because the spy that had infiltrated Clovis's forces as far as he had, to the point that he was actually able to spy on the scientists that worked under Clovis personally, was a Britannian. He knew that, considering the general sentiment of resentment toward Britannians shared by the majority of the members of his resistance, it wouldn't be a good idea for them to know just who was attempting to supply him such classified information.
"So what now? Just focus on resources for the time being?" Yoshida asked.
"Yeah," Naoto said with a nod. "It'd be best to stock up as much as we can now so that we won't run the risk of running out of ammo or supplies at a critical moment. Inoue, Yoshida, one of my contacts in Nagoya has contacted me telling me that they were willing to supply the grenades and missiles needed for the grenade and missile launchers we've acquired. I want you two to go and retrieve them."
"Can I go with? I'm bored and want something to do," Tara said.
Naoto still didn't trust Tara so he thought about another thing to have her do. She did say that she could slip into the settlement unnoticed because she looked Britannian. "No. I have another mission for you," he said.
"Oh? What's that?"
"I have another contact who's going to be arriving at the docks in the Tokyo Settlement in a couple of hours. You and Kallen will go and meet him and escort him to this secure location," Naoto said, writing down the location that he wanted to take the contact, since he didn't trust this new contact enough to bring him back to his actual base.
He held out the paper to Kallen who took it. She looked half-eager to finally get something to do to help out with the resistance and half-annoyed that she would have to do it with Tara.
Tara just shrugged. "I guess that's not too bad and Kallen and I'll be able to get by without being noticed," she said.
"We're heading out, Naoto," Inoue said. "We'll be back by tomorrow."
"Be careful," Naoto said.
"We will," Yoshida said and the two of them left the base.
"So what time's this contact of yours gonna be here?" Tara asked.
"Noon at the earliest so you should be there by then," Naoto said.
"Great. Let's go then, Kallen!" Tara said cheerfully and left the base.
Kallen glared at Naoto. "Why, of all people, did I have to get stuck with her?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"She's been helpful since she joined, Kallen."
"I still don't like that she forced her way into the resistance, Big Brother. I don't trust her and I'm afraid something bad's gonna happen, especially if she decides to go back on her side of the bargain and tell Britannia where you are."
"I know, Kallen, but everything will be all right," Naoto assured his sister softly. He had decided to take precautions soon after Tara had blackmailed her way into the resistance. Not only did he have a secondary base that only those he explicitly trusted knew about but he also ensured that any resources and equipment they got were stashed in a place that only he and Ohgi knew about. He also knew of various places throughout the Shinjuku Ghetto that one could hide in to avoid detection. If worse came to worse then, at least, Naoto and his friends would be able to go to ground and wait until the storm subsides.
He was sure that one small resistance cell wasn't nearly as important as other bigger resistance cells, especially those that were more active than his was, like the Crimson Sakuras, the Blood of the Samurai, and the Yamato Alliance, or were just a larger threat, like the Japan Liberation Front or the Liberators themselves. Britannia wouldn't waste too much time seeking Naoto's Resistance out if worse came to worse. Of that he was positive.
Kallen's eyes softened. "I just…I don't want to lose you or anyone else," she said.
Naoto's eyes softened and he gently drew his little sister into a hug. "I know," he said. "Now, you'd better go if you want to get to the docks on time."
Kallen nodded. "We'll be back soon," she said and left the base.
"You didn't tell her," Ohgi said quietly, coming to Naoto's side as the rest of the resistance members wandered away.
Naoto cast a sidelong glance at Ohgi. "I didn't want to run the risk of Tara eavesdropping. Considering she's already blackmailed us once, I would not put it past her to try and find enough information to blackmail us again to get what she wants," he said.
Ohgi nodded. "That was a good idea," he admitted. "By the way, who's the contact that Kallen and Tara are meeting?"
"He didn't give me his full name. He just said to call him Reyes."
. . .
Unknown Location, Area 11
"Why them?" A soft voice asked in Russian, coming up behind him as he gazed out the large window at the landscape that lay beyond. He had just informed her of his decision to recruit a small cell that had just cropped up in the Shinjuku Ghetto in Central Japan. "They're a small cell and they only just barely made their presence known before going to ground again."
"That's why these are simply negotiations to help them out. I chose them because of their proximity to the Tokyo Settlement," he replied in the same language, turning to face the tall, blonde woman standing behind him. "Besides, the boss wants us to try and recruit the smaller resistances for now."
"I see. What about Murkami?"
"What about him?"
"Reyes sent in that request that Murkami made for more supplies and weapons almost two months ago."
"I'm still attempting to convince the boss to let Murkami and the Crimson Sakuras have another chance. It's slow going. You know how the boss is when it comes to granting second chances."
"That's true."
"Not to mention he's still extremely shocked by the loss of the cell in Cambodia."
"Yes, that took us all by surprise. Prince Schneizel is a formidable enemy."
"And holds a lot of power. He is the second most powerful person in the entire Empire after all, being Prime Minster as well as the prince that is likely to take the throne after Emperor Charles, even though he isn't the Heir Apparent," he said. "But the boss is keeping an eye on Prince Schneizel for now. So have you discovered anything more on Prince Lelouch?"
The blonde woman took the change of subject in stride as she opened up the folder he hadn't realized she was carrying around. "From the spies we've managed to slip into the Tokyo Settlement have said, he's recently graduated from basic training but nothing beyond that. The last report I received was that they're trying to get into the military base itself to see what will happen with Prince Lelouch now."
"And the princess?"
"Nothing. She hasn't made her public debut yet so the royal family and Viceroy Clovis seem to be keeping her location a closely-held secret."
"I see. Very well. Keep me updated on any information regarding the vi Britannias. What of Clovis? Have you found anything new about him?"
"No, sir."
"All right. Have the spies keep an eye on him as well."
"Yes, sir."
. . .
June 20, 2016
Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11
Suzaku and Tadashi made their way down the corridor toward the hall in which the regiment they had been assigned to was meeting. Tadashi was happily talking about what he did the past four days and Suzaku listened patiently. He, himself, hadn't done much after he'd visited Nunnally and been introduced to the Student Council. He mostly spent his time at the military base or at the small one bedroom apartment he was renting with what little money he managed to save up over the years.
"…and then Dad made us clean up the entire kitchen. It sucked but I certainly had a blast," Tadashi was saying. "So how was your break, Suzaku?"
"Fine. I got to visit Princess Nunnally and that's pretty much it," Suzaku said.
"Oh, you got to visit Princess Nunnally? Lucky that you get to meet two princesses," Tadashi mused. "And lucky you are never on the receiving end of one of Lelouch's death glares."
Suzaku chuckled. "We met when we were ten years old. Those glares never really affected me back then. He doesn't glare at me now, like he does everyone else who so much as breathes in Nunnally's direction, because we grew to trust each other for many reasons," he said and didn't elaborate, not wanting to think about the invasion.
"I wonder if Lelouch might be a siscon?" Tadashi said.
. . .
In another part of the military base, as he was preparing to go greet his soldiers while talking with Nunnally on the phone, Lelouch sneezed.
Nunnally giggled. "I think someone's talking about you behind your back, Big Brother," she said.
"Probably," Lelouch agreed.
. . .
Suzaku laughed. "I wouldn't say that to his face," he said.
Tadashi chuckled. "Yeah, I value my life too much to do something stupid like that," he said. "Oh, looks like we're here. I still can't believe we're not getting placed in an all Honorary Britannian regiment like Lila said we probably would be."
That had been news to both Suzaku and Tadashi. When they had arrived at the military base to get their assigned regiments, the Major in charge of delivering the assignments had told them that they were extremely lucky because someone of a high rank personally transferred them to another higher-ranked regiment. It made Suzaku wonder just who had done that for him and Tadashi.
"I wonder who had us transferred and why," Tadashi said. "I mean, I ain't complaining or nothing like that but it's still curious, right?"
"Yeah, it is," Suzaku said.
The two of them entered the meeting hall that was already nearly filled with the members of the regiment milling around, chatting with old friends or making new acquaintances. Almost everyone looked as if they were a couple of years older than Suzaku at least.
"Hey, look over there," Tadashi said, pointing and Suzaku followed where he was indicating to find the familiar pale-blue haired form of Rayne chatting with her brother nearby. "Hey! Rayne!" Tadashi darted across the meeting hall toward Rayne and caused quite a few members of the regiment to turn to him.
Suzaku, feeling embarrassed for his burnt-orange-haired friend, slowly followed him, feeling very self-conscious under the glares of the majority of the regiment as he walked. He heard them talk to each other and they didn't even bother on keeping their voices down.
"What are those two Elevens doing here?"
"Shouldn't they be with all the other expendables?"
"Worthless Elevens probably got lost."
Suzaku ignored all of these racial slurs that were directed at him and Tadashi. He was used to it; while he may not have had to suffer through hearing those slurs during basic training, thanks to Lelouch's presence, he had dealt with them during the time before he had enlisted.
He joined Tadashi who was happily greeting Rayne and Kay. "…guess we really did end up in the same regiment," Tadashi was saying.
"I'm a bit surprised," Lila's familiar voice said and Suzaku turned to find the blonde girl walking over to join them. She was followed by Dimitri who looked just as surprised as Lila looked when he caught sight of them. "Usually, Honorary Britannians are placed in an all Honorary Britannian regiment."
"Yeah, that's where we thought we were going," Tadashi admitted. "But when we arrived at the base, the Major in charge of handing out the regiment assignments said that someone personally transferred both of us to this regiment. But we ain't got a clue who did it."
"Odd," Lila said.
"Ah, it doesn't matter. I'm just glad that I get to be in the same regiment as almost all of my friends. I just wish Lelouch was part of this regiment too," Rayne said.
"I believe His Highness will probably be placed in a higher-ranked regiment due to his royal status," Dimitri said.
"That's actually very likely," Kay said.
"Rayne! Kay!" A shout sounded and Rayne's face twisted into a scowl as two people jogged over to join the small group. The first, the one who called out to them, was a tall Britannian woman that looked very similar to Rayne, except that her hair was darker and she was much more muscular. She also had on the military uniform that signified her as a Lieutenant Colonel. The second was a slightly shorter Britannian man that also looked very similar to Rayne and Kay, except that his eyes were green. His military uniform signified him as a Major.
"So you have been assigned to the 11th Regiment," the tall woman said as she came to a stop by them and smiled. "I'm glad."
"Yeah, I'm also jumping for joy," Rayne growled sarcastically, the venom in her voice took Suzaku by surprise.
The tall woman seemed to flinch at that.
The man frowned at Rayne's tone. "Rayne, why are you so hostile toward Gretchen? She and I have been worried sick about you and Kayden for the past year," he said.
Rayne scoffed. "Bullshit," she spat, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the man.
"I didn't know you were in the military too, Parker," Kay said quietly. "Where's Matthias?"
"He's in the military too but in the Research and Technology Development Department. He's still in Pendragon," the woman, Gretchen, said.
"Ah, I'm lost. Could someone please introduce us?" Tadashi asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"The bitch is Gretchen. The bastard is Parker," Rayne said.
Kay sighed as he cast a sidelong glance at the still fuming Rayne before elaborating. "Gretchen is our eldest sister and Parker is our second eldest brother," he said.
"Rayne doesn't seem to get along with them," Tadashi said.
"It's…complicated," Kay said. "And I don't want to talk about it."
"Maybe we should talk about it," Parker suggested. "It might help to clear things up and we can start patching up our relationship."
"I don't want to talk to you period," Rayne growled, glaring at Gretchen and Parker, and then moving out of earshot.
"Perhaps another time," Kay said and moved over to Rayne's side, placing a hand on her shoulder and talking softly to her in an attempt to calm her down.
Gretchen and Parker exchanged glances but, apparently, decided that it wouldn't help if they tried to push the matter at the moment. They turned and walked away, heading over to join a group of soldiers standing nearby. It was only after they had gotten out of earshot that Rayne and Kay rejoined the group, Rayne looking considerably calmer.
"I'm just going to deal with them, Rayne. If you want to request a transfer to another regiment, I'm sure whoever's in charge won't mind granting your request," Kay said.
"No," Rayne said with a sigh. "I would rather be on a regiment with people I know than one where I won't know anyone. I can deal with them."
The tension was still almost tangible in the air but Lila decided to break it. "Speaking of who's in charge, I wonder who that is," she said.
"The last thing I heard was that the commander of the 11th Regiment had retired so it has a new commander now but if anyone knows who it is, they haven't said anything," Dimitri said.
"Though it does look like we're on the same regiment as the Purist Faction," Lila said and gestured toward a small group of soldiers standing near the head of the body of soldiers that made up the regiment. Suzaku recognized the one with turquoise-colored hair as Jeremiah Gottwald, the leader of the Purist Faction. "They might make things difficult for Suzaku and Tadashi."
Suzaku knew that was true. The Purist Faction were made up of pureblood Britannians who believed in Britannian superiority, especially if one was of noble birth, and they looked down on and were actively discriminatory against anyone who wasn't a pureblood Britannian. It was even worse for the person if they were an Eleven.
"Let's hope the new commander is, at least, an Honorary Britannian-sympathizer then," Tadashi said.
"Where's the new commander? We were told to be here at two o'clock and it's two now," Dimitri said.
As if on cue, Jeremiah turned to the regiment. "Attention!" he called sharply.
Suzaku and the rest of his friends quickly darted forward to stand in line and at attention with the rest of the regiment.
"Thank you, Margave Gottwald," an almost bored but very recognizable voice said and Suzaku had to keep his jaw from dropping as the new commander of the 11th Regiment made his way to stand in front of the crowd.
Lelouch?
. . .
Lelouch is the new commander of the 11th Regiment? Kay thought in shock as he stared at the prince as he came to a stop in front of the gathered soldiers. He was dressed in a gold-accented black tunic that went to his waist and black pants tucked into black combat boots; his overcoat was black and embroidered with gold and with dark-purple lining that went to his waist with a gold-embroidered black cape resting around his shoulders. His head was held high and his amethyst eyes scanned the group that stood before him.
"I am Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia and seventeenth in line for the throne. I am also the new commander of the 11th Regiment," he began. "As your leader, I expect you to adhere to the rules of common decency. I will not allow any acts of prejudice or discrimination against anyone, whether they be pureblooded Britannians, commoners, or Numbers. If we are to be a strong fighting force, we must not have that kind of infighting for that shall only weaken us."
"I know many of you will not like that there are some Honorary Britannians as members of this regiment and many of you may think that this is a mistake. I assure you that it is not; I, personally, saw that these two Honorary Britannians were transferred to this regiment."
Kay saw Suzaku's eyes flash with surprise and then worry while Tadashi's jaw had literally dropped.
"I did so because they have skills that deserve a recognition that they would not have received, and great potential they would have never fully realized, in a lower-ranked regiment. I am not someone who will simply turn aside someone with great skills and great potential just because of something that is beyond their control."
Lelouch continued to watch the soldiers with unreadable eyes as he gestured broadly to them and went on, "You are here because you desire to fight to protect Britannia, to protect your family, your friends, and anyone else who is in need of protection. I am just like you. I also fight to protect the ones that I love. I am your leader and I will strive to be the leader that you can all come to respect. Respect is not given, it is earned; just as I will strive to earn your respect so shall I expect you all to strive to earn mine."
He raised his hand. "The 11th Regiment shall, henceforth, also be known as the Black Knights for, just like knights, we shall fight to defend those who cannot defend themselves, no matter who they may be. We will protect those who are in need of protection and"—He clenched his hand into a fist—"we will fight those who seek to sow chaos and tragedy in our society. We shall do this because we have the right to fight for the future of ourselves, our friends, and our family!"
Kay stared in awe at Lelouch, at the passion with which he spoke, at the sheer charisma that exuded off him as he spoke. It was obvious that he was a natural leader and his charisma seemed to have affected everyone because everyone had been struck deeply by Lelouch's speech, especially the latter half of it.
I never knew he was that charismatic, he mused.
Once the commotion had calmed down, Lelouch began speaking again. "That is all I have to say. You are all dismissed," he said.
"Yes, Your Highness!" The majority of the regiment said at once, saluted, and began to file out of the room.
"Whoa, I never knew he was that charismatic," Tadashi said.
"He's a natural leader," Lila mused. "We all saw that whenever he took charge of those teamwork exercises we had to do during basic training."
"Yeah but that's not the same as actually taking control of an entire regiment."
"He did well," Dimitri said with a nod.
"I kinda like the name he gave the 11th Regiment. The Black Knights. It sounds so mysterious," Rayne said.
"I'm glad you approve, Rayne," Lelouch's voice sounded behind them and the group jumped and whirled around. They hadn't heard the prince join them and Kay noticed that the meeting hall was empty save for them.
"Why didn't you tell us that you'd gotten command of the 11th Regiment?" Rayne asked.
"I wanted to surprise you," Lelouch said with a shrug and a faint smirk.
"Ya certainly did," Tadashi said. "Especially when ya dropped that bombshell 'bout personally transferring Suzaku and me to this regiment."
Suzaku was studying Lelouch with narrowed eyes. "Why did you do that, Lelouch?" he asked.
"Suzaku, both you and Tadashi have a lot of potential and neither of you would have realized your full potential if you were forced to remain in a low-ranked regiment. You both have the skills and the motivation to be just as good as everyone else in this regiment and I was not about to let you waste it just because of your heritage," Lelouch said calmly.
"So it had nothing to do with us being your friends?" Tadashi asked.
"That would be favoritism and that is something that I cannot show in my position," Lelouch said and said nothing more on the subject.
Kay studied him, wondering exactly what he meant by that, but said nothing since it was clear that Lelouch was not going to elaborate.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: welp, I got this up before December so that's good. Also, Lelouch's speech...did you know I spent a good three days trying to come up with it and have it fit Lelouch's personality? Yup. Took that long but I still rather like it.
Bakura: how long before the next update?
Blaze: …I, honestly, have no clue. Maybe before Christmas but I've got a treat for my readers!
Bakura: what sort of treat?
Blaze: sneak peeks of upcoming chapters! Well, mostly just quotes taken directly from future chapters (up until chapter 35, which is where I am in prewritten chapters, and one quote per chapter but not all chapters will be previewed [since that would be 22 quotes and, frankly, that's just too many]. They will be in chronological order though.)
Bakura: …
Blaze: yeah, I can just see you're bursting with excitement so let's get to it!
. . .
"Because the only reason that you're even here is because you're holding something over our head and could easily turn us over to Britannia! Why the hell would we trust someone who holds that kind of power over us?"
. . .
"And you have proven yourself a capable pilot and a strong fighter. You've earned this. I am promoting you to Warrant Officer."
. . .
"The boss wants the prince. When we find them, kill the boy and take the prince. Find them now."
. . .
"You saved my life again. I swear that's becoming a bad habit of yours."
. . .
"Nunnally, look out!"
. . .
"If that's the case then we can crush the 11th Regiment easily. There's no way such an inexperienced teenager, who's also emotionally compromised, can defeat us! And, while we're at it, we can take out General Andon! Finally, we can get that thorn in our side out of the way."
. . .
"Your father would be so ashamed of you serving the country that destroyed yours."
. . .
"You're either just too stubborn or to blind, and I'm willing to bet it's the latter, to see it for yourself. Just go and spend time with her, Lelouch, and I'm sure you'll open your eyes to what you truly feel."
. . .
"I...I don't remember anything. Just that name."
. . .
"It's not your fault. I didn't...didn't tell you how I was really feeling because...because I just didn't want to burden you even more than you already were, so I kept it from everyone. I think...I think I was even denying it myself."
. . .
"I desire to change the world, to ensure that there will come a time when what happened here will never happen again, and in order to do that, I understand that I will have to get my hands dirty."
. . .
"Lelouch, is that the same girl from Shinjuku or am I hallucinating?"
. . .
Blaze: and that's that! I chose the most interesting quotes I could find that won't reveal the more important plot points in the coming chapters. I probably won't do this again but I thought "ah, what the hell?" It might up the suspense of what's coming up! At least, that's what I'm hoping. There's a reason why I chose to include random quotes rather than giving a short summary of the next chapter, or upcoming chapters or anything like that. Quotes are pretty vague, in my opinion, and yet speak volumes at the same time. Plus, most of the time, they don't make sense without context and…
Bakura: GAH, WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?! Ra, how much candy have you had today? And which asshole am I going to have to kill for giving you that much candy?
Blaze: (thinks) twenty bags of Skittles [I don't own these] and it was either Roger [I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V either] or Luciano, I don't remember which
Bakura: (pulls out his set of knives) I will just kill both of them then (goes to kill Roger and Luciano)
Roger and Luciano: (gulps and takes off running)
Suzaku: (sigh) well, anyway, Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter, and the little sneak previews of upcoming chapters. The next chapter will, hopefully, be up before Christmas but she makes no promises. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and thank you for reading.
