And here is the next chapter! (Dodges the fireballs, torches, and knives thrown her way) I'm sorry! I know I said that I'd post this chapter before the end of January but...well...I kinda got distracted
Bakura: naturally
Shut up, Bakura. Anyway, this is chapter 18 where another major OC is introduced (yes, yes, I know. I have a heck of a lot of OCs but I needed them if I wanted to fill the ranks of the Liberators and because there weren't enough canon characters to actually help out with the plot I'm working out) and things happen.
Lelouch: this is a short chapter, isn't it?
Yeah but at least it's an update. It's only 13 pages single spaced and over 6,000 words but it's something. Believe me when I say these short chapters are really nothing compared to the long chapters that are to come.
On a completely unrelated note, I'm working on another CG fic (yes, yes, probably not a good idea considering I already have two in the works [and Divergence is really driving me crazy at the moment] but oh well). Summary's on my profile if you're curious about it.
Suzaku: you still need to thank your reviewers
Oh, right, right. Thanks Suzaku. Well, I would like to thank The Glittery Ninja Espada, ewertondragon, TC9078, SunsetDawn420, Lexor1220, Shadow-Shinobi666, DYnoJackal19, Kami No Raijin, Blacksword Zero, Doommajor, B-Kira, anand891996, OBSERVER01, Scarease, Dadycoool, and Shimmering-Sky for reviewing the last chapter.
Review Reply to Lexor1220: I'm glad that you enjoyed this fic and like my OCs. Things for the purist faction hasn't exactly been explored yet but they won't be eliminated, not completely anyway. Also, Clovis...yeah, that pretty much is a given what will happen because of what happens with C.C. and the Shinjuku incident. Also, the anime won't exactly start yet. It starts in March of 2017 so we still have several months to go, which will be focused on Lelouch gaining his reputation among other things. Thank you for your review.
Anyway, welp, I'm gonna end this author's note before it gets too much longer. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
. . .
. . .
May 29, 2016
Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon, Europia United
The village was quiet, sleeping as it was the middle of the night, but one person remained awake, seated at his desk and scanning the collection of maps, reports, and biographies that lay scattered upon it. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he studied the papers, a frown on his face.
"Just how did he manage it? How did he manage to out-think me?" he murmured to himself as he picked up the report from the only survivor of the destruction of the cell he had sent to take out Prince Schneizel in Cambodia.
He had underestimated Prince Schneizel. There was no doubt about that. Schneizel was going to be a very dangerous opponent for him to overcome but he would come out on top. He had to if he ever wanted to see Britannia fall.
The door to his office opened and a broad-shouldered blonde man walked into the room. "Hello, boss," he greeted the man seated behind the desk.
"Michal," the boss said, putting down the report and rubbing his temples.
"You seem stressed," Michal mused.
"That obvious?" He asked amused as he leaned back in his chair and picked up the mug of coffee that was resting on his desk. Even though it was cold, he still sipped at it.
"Yeah. What happened?"
"Adam's cell was taken out completely, only Rebekah got out of there alive," the boss said.
Michal blinked in shock. "You mean…we actually lost?"
"Yes," the boss growled in irritation. He was extremely sore about that loss. He had thought that he had perfected the strategy to win each and every engagement he and his followers had got into. And yet, somehow, Schneizel had seen through his plan and counteracted it.
It was irritating.
"Well, I'm sure that won't happen next time," Michal said soothingly.
"Hmph, hopefully not. Now then, what brings you here? You should be back in Japan along with Reyes," the boss said.
"I simply came to speak to you about the request that Hozumi Murkami sent regarding resources," Michal replied.
The boss raised an eyebrow. "Why would I sanction giving him resources after he squandered the resources I had given to him last time?" he asked.
"Because he's still of use to us," Michal suggested.
"I have no need for people who can't win simply because they're too reckless and hotheaded to think things through."
"Naora's helping him this time though."
"We can't help every cell and organization that we supply. They need to learn to stand on their own. We can't hold their hand and win their battles for them. We have our own battles to worry about," the boss said flatly.
"I agree but the Crimson Sakuras are the only ones who are willing to actually fight against Britannian forces in Japan. All the others are either too small to make much of a difference or just won't do anything, like the Japan Liberation Front," Michal said. "And we just need them to win the upcoming battle. If they get control of one of the biggest cities in Japan, that'll be a good thing, right?"
"Hmm, I'll think about it," the boss said and put the report he still held in his hand back on his desk. "Have you learned anything new about Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally?"
"Prince Lelouch graduated from basic training Wednesday but we still don't know just where he's going to be placed and we've found nothing about Princess Nunnally. She hasn't made her public debut yet so they're keeping her whereabouts low-key," Michal said.
"Likely to keep her safe and, according to what I found out about the vi Britannia siblings, it's understandable that they would want to keep her safe," the boss mused.
"Sir, why are you so interested in the vi Britannias? I thought you wanted to destroy the Royal Family."
An enigmatic smile crossed the boss's lips but he said nothing.
Instead, he thought about the future.
He also thought about his plans for the formerly exiled prince.
"You may return to Japan now, Michal," the boss said.
"Yes, Unity," Michal said with a salute and left the office.
. . .
18
Aftermath
July 1, 2016
Beach, Island of Olkhon, Europia United
"It really is quite beautiful here," she mused, leaning back with her elbows buried in the sand and her long, golden hair cascading onto the ground. Fourteen years old, Adeline Pelletier was a quiet, anti-social young woman who, after a near tragic event six years earlier that resulted in the scar on her shoulder and a near-death experience, usually kept to herself. When she did leave the house, she could often be found in the hangar, working on or piloting a Lupus.
Unity was seated cross-legged beside her, his gaze fixed on Lake Baikal that stretched out in front of him. "There are many places that are like this that exist in the world," he said with a soft smile, turning light-brown eyes to the golden-haired girl laying next to him, a warm summer wind brushing light-brown locks into his face.
She turned onto her side and peered at him, her blue eyes blinking in confusion. "There are?" she asked.
"Yes and when this war is won, I'll take you to all of them," Unity assured her.
She beamed. "I look forward to that day," she said and turned her gaze to the cloudless blue sky before yawning.
"Have you been sleeping lately?" Unity asked in concern.
She nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Haven't had very many nightmares either so that's good!"
"Yeah, it is." Unity's gaze fixed on the scar and then he looked away, clenching his jaw as he recalled the time when that happened, when his sister had been unfortunate enough to get caught in a fight between terrorists and Britannia and had nearly gotten killed as a result, though Britannia never took responsibility for nearly killing an innocent bystander. Adeline had ended up repressing the entire incident and absolutely refused to talk about it, too scarred emotionally by what had happened, though Unity still didn't know the entire story. However, what he did learn just reinforced his belief in the corruption within Britannia.
That was the first incident that helped Unity decided to create the Liberators; there were many others but that one was the catalyst.
"Sir, sir," a voice called out and Unity glanced up to find Scarlet jogging toward him, her scarlet-colored eyes, from which she got her nickname, filled with uncertainty and a report held in her hands.
"What is it, Scarlet?" Unity asked, pushing himself to his feet while his sister just laid back down, folding her arms behind her head, her eyes still fixed on the sky.
"We've received news from Japan, sir," Scarlet said. "The Crimson Sakuras have been defeated and badly at that. Hozumi Murkami has been captured. Naora was able to escape and she wishes to mount a rescue mission."
Unity pressed his lips together in thought, eyes narrowed. "What happened? How were they defeated? The last thing I heard was that Murkami had succeeded in taking control of the military base and that wasn't even a week ago."
"According to Naora's report, he underestimated the time it would take for Britannia to respond. Not only that but he believed that no one had escaped the military base when the attack took place but someone must have escaped in order to get word to General Andon in the Tokyo Settlement as quickly as they had," Scarlet said.
General Andon. The Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division in Japan was also a huge threat; though Unity's forces haven't yet engaged him, Andon's reputation preceded him. And if Andon led the counterattack against the Crimson Sakuras, Unity wasn't that surprised that they had been defeated. "So General Andon led the counterattack?" he asked.
"No, sir," Scarlet said with a shake of her head. "Naora informed us that Andon was not the one who led the counterattack. It was Prince Lelouch vi Britannia; he has assumed command of the 11th Regiment of the 11th Division in Japan and was the one who successfully took back the Osaka Military Base as well as the city itself. Naora even said that the prince is a, and I quote, 'damn good strategist'."
Unity hummed. "What else do we know about the prince?" he asked.
"Beyond what little we were able to discover with that one battle, nothing much," Scarlet said.
Unity pressed his lips together in thought. "Finding information on this particular member of the Royal Family makes finding a needle in a needle stack in a field of needles look easy," he murmured. It was true; unlike the other members of the Royal Family, whom Unity's hackers had been able to find much information on—starting with their military victories or their political statuses and going from there—they had been able to find virtually nothing about Prince Lelouch from before he rejoined the Royal Family beyond his mother's assassination, his little sister Nunnally being crippled, and him and Nunnally being in Japan before the invasion.
"Why not capture him then?" his sister suggested and Unity glanced toward the golden-haired girl as she rolled onto her side and peered at them. "I mean then you can just ask him what you want to know while studying him. You've always been good at figuring out a person's character simply by studying their body language, or lack thereof in some cases."
Unity pressed his lips together. "I think you're right," he said. "We've been trying to find information on Prince Lelouch through other means and haven't succeeded. Perhaps this might be the only way we can get the information we need on him."
"And then you'll kill him?" Scarlet asked.
Unity shook his head. "Oh no," he said with a cool smile. "Prince Lelouch's history that is public knowledge is…intriguing. I have something more in mind for him once I figure out more about his character and the past that the public doesn't know about."
Scarlet looked confused. "I thought you wanted to destroy the Royal Family," she said.
"When did defeating and destroying become synonyms for each other?" Unity asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I suppose you're right. So what are your orders?" Scarlet asked.
"Contact Naora. Tell her that if she believes that she can succeed, she may mount a rescue mission for Hozumi Murkami and may use men from Michal's cell to do so. However, there is something else that I want her and whoever she takes with her to prioritize above rescuing Murkami."
"Yes, sir. And what else do you want her to do?"
Unity smiled and told her.
"Yes, sir. Also, we've received word from Reyes about the resistance cell that had formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto."
"And?"
"Britannia found out about them and their meeting. Reyes and the two companions he took with him left and it is unclear whether the resistance cell has any survivors or not," Scarlet explained.
Unity frowned. "Reyes is a fool. He should not have left when he had, especially not after offering them the help of the Liberators like I asked him to. Him leaving when they needed help is going to make them less likely to trust us when we approach them again," he murmured.
"What do you need me to do?" Scarlet asked.
"For now, there is nothing we can do. Until we know whether this cell has been destroyed or if there are still survivors who are willing to continue fighting against Britannia, we can't do anything. So, for now, contact Michal and tell him to keep an eye on the Shinjuku Ghetto."
"Understood, sir."
. . .
July 4, 2016
Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse
"…Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'll be returning to the Tokyo Settlement for a while. General Andon has told me that he wishes to inform me, personally, of my next mission and that he is going to be accompanying me. That means that I have to remain in Osaka until he gets here, which could be as much as two weeks," Lelouch's voice said over the phone that Nunnally held to her ear, though she could also hear claps of thunder and the sound of pouring rain in the background.
"I understand, Big Brother," she said with a small, sad smile. She missed her big brother but she understood that he had work to do and couldn't always spend time with her. It made her miss the days when she and her big brother were just regular Ashford Academy students and the only thing that she had to worry about was Lelouch's gambling. She was happy to be reunited with her half-siblings, like Nellie, Euphie, Clovis, and Schneizel, though, there was no doubt about that.
"I'll be sure to call when I can," Lelouch added.
"Okay. How are you?" Nunnally asked.
"I'm fine, Nunnally. We've been focusing on helping the people of Osaka get back on their feet the past couple of…"
"God! I hate the freaking rain!" A shout sounded in the background.
"Once again, you won't melt. You haven't yet anyway. Your Highness, where do you want these?" another voice said.
"Hold on a moment, Nunnally," Lelouch said to Nunnally before adding to that second voice, "Start handing them out to the locals. Suzaku, take Tadashi with you and take these to the manager of the Soaring Phoenix."
"Yes, Your Highness," Suzaku's familiar voice sounded in the background and Nunnally smiled at the sound of that familiar voice.
"I think we're gonna need more hands," the first voice said.
"Jeremiah, Major Nu, Lieutenant Colonel Soresi, help Major Frost and Lieutenant Frost," Lelouch ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness," Jer's familiar voice sounded followed by two others.
A yelp followed by a splash and hysterical laughter sounded in the background. "I don't think that's going to help hand these things out much, Rayne," a third unfamiliar voice said.
"I slipped, you asshole. Yo, moron, help me up and stop laughing!" the first voice, Rayne, called out.
"You should watch your language around His Highness," a fourth unfamiliar voice said.
"Yeah, yeah, Dimitri. It just came out. Sorry, Your Highness," Rayne said.
"Don't worry about it," Lelouch said.
"Oh, before he leaves, can you tell Suzaku I say hi?" Nunnally asked.
"Sure. Suzaku, Nunnally says hi," Lelouch called.
"Tell her I say hello as well and I hope she's doing all right," Suzaku said.
"She can hear you," Lelouch said. "Almost everyone has to shout just to be heard over the thunder and the rain."
"Yeah, I can hear it in the background. It hasn't hit Tokyo yet," Nunnally said.
"I think it's traveling north so it might get there soon," Lelouch said.
"Oh, are you talking to your cute sister?" the third voice said.
Lelouch said nothing but the yelp of fear and the sound of someone bolting suggested that Lelouch wasn't exactly happy with that comment.
"It was a compliment! A compliment!" the third voice cried out in fear.
Nunnally giggled. "Big Brother, are you trying to set that poor boy on fire with your eyes?" she asked.
"It's not working, unfortunately," Lelouch said.
Nunnally laughed. "Big Brother, you're funny," she said with a shake of her head. She looked up when she heard the sound of the door opening and then turned her head. "Hello, who's there?"
"Oh, it's just me," Shirley's voice said. "How are you doing, Nunna?"
"I'm doing good. Hey, you wanna say hi to Big Brother?" Nunnally asked.
"L…Lulu's on the phone?" Shirley stammered out.
"Yeah. Go ahead and say hi to him. Shirley just walked in, Big Brother. I'm handing the phone to her now," Nunnally said and then held out the phone to Shirley before Lelouch could reply.
Shirley swallowed but took the phone. "H…Hey, Lulu," she said and Nunnally heard her pull out a chair before sitting down. While she talked with Lelouch, Nunnally pulled out another piece of origami paper and began working on another paper crane. She mused that she had finally found her hobby, like how Clovis had painting and Lelouch had chess.
A couple of minutes later, Shirley said, "Here, Nunna. Lulu has to go and wanted to say bye to you."
"Oh, thank you," Nunnally said and took the phone. "You have to go now, Big Brother?"
"Yes. I have some things to take care of. I'll call you tonight if I get the chance, okay?" Lelouch's voice said.
"Okay, bye Big Brother, I love you."
"I love you too, Little Sister." Lelouch hung up and Nunnally put the phone back in its receiver before turning to Shirley.
"So what brings you here, Shirley?" she asked.
"Oh, uh, my swim team meeting ended early so I decided to come here early," Shirley said. Nunnally heard her pick up a piece of origami paper. "Can I use this, Nunna?"
"Go ahead," Nunnally said with a friendly smile.
"Thanks, Nunna."
. . .
Konohana Ghetto, Near the Osaka Settlement
The ghettos around the Osaka Settlement were similar to the ghettos around the Tokyo Settlement in that they were in a state of disrepair with decrepit buildings and cracked sidewalks. The few people who were outside in the rain spotted Suzaku and Tadashi as they made their way into the Konohana Ghetto and eyed them with wariness but said nothing. There were a few distrusting, betrayed glances but not as many as Suzaku was expecting to see.
He knew that being an Honorary Britannian was a status that not many Elevens or Britannians generally liked; some Elevens believed Honorary Britannians to be traitors while most Britannians just didn't like having Numbers in the military, or even with a shred of status, period. However, Suzaku's most recent promotion proved to him that he could rise through the ranks like he was trying so hard to do.
"This ghetto doesn't seem nearly as bad as the Shinjuku Ghetto," Tadashi mused as they trudged through the muddy streets with rain still pouring down on them.
"Yeah," Suzaku said and they kept walking.
When they reached the Soaring Phoenix, they dropped off the supplies to the manager and then started to head back to the settlement.
A cry sounded and Suzaku glanced toward it sharply. "Someone's in trouble," he said and darted off.
"Wait, Suzaku!" Tadashi shouted and darted after him as he weaved his way to where he had heard the cry.
He darted into an alley and emerged to find a small, scared Britannian girl of no more than five years of age with an older Eleven boy glaring down at her. "We don't want you here. Now get outta here," the Eleven shouted.
"B…But I don't know where my mommy is," the little girl said, tears of fear in her eyes and a red mark on her face marking where the older boy had hit her. She scrambled to her feet and cringed in terror when the Eleven approached her.
"Hey, leave her alone," Suzaku snapped, hurrying forward and putting himself between the little girl and the Eleven.
"What the…? An Honorary Britannian, you damn traitor," the Eleven spat, glaring. "It's people like you that give us Japanese a bad name. I don't wanna be seen with the likes of you." Without another word, the Eleven turned around and stormed off.
Suzaku relaxed and turned to face the little girl, kneeling down in front of her as she gazed at him with wide eyes. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Suzaku. What's yours?" he asked, his voice gentle and friendly so as to not scare the little girl even more.
"A…Adina," the little girl said.
"It's okay, Adina. You've lost your mommy, right?"
Adina whimpered and nodded.
"Why don't we go speak to a friend of mine and maybe he can find your mommy?" Suzaku suggested.
"R…Really?" Adina asked, gazing at him with large eyes and Suzaku nodded, standing up and holding out a hand to the little girl. "T…Thank you, Mr. Suzaku. Y…You're really nice and helpful, like a knight! Are you a knight, Mr. Suzaku?"
Suzaku chuckled. "Not exactly," he said as the little girl placed her hand in his and he guided him over to join Tadashi who had just caught up with him.
"Man, you really are fast, though not as fast as…who's the girl?" Tadashi asked, peering at the girl who hid behind Suzaku shyly.
"Her name's Adina. She's lost and was being harassed by an Eleven," Suzaku admitted.
"Man, that sucks. Hi Adina, I'm Tadashi," Tadashi greeted the little girl who responded with a shy little "H…hello." "So what're you gonna do with her?"
"I'm taking her into the settlement to see if we can find her parents," Suzaku said.
"Sounds good to me.
. . .
Outside City Hall, Osaka Settlement
"…And we don't know where she is! We've looked everywhere but we can't find her. I'm so worried. What if she was killed? Please, help me find her, Your Highness, please," the hysterical mother of a lost five-year-old girl cried, her eyes filled with tears. She had approached Lelouch with her desperate plea soon after he had finished giving his orders and was about to head back inside.
"Calm down, ma'am, I can have a search team head out to try and find your daughter," Lelouch assured the hysterical mother, blinking rain water out of her eyes. The rain was still coming down hard but Lelouch could still make out the area in front of him. "Do you know where you last saw her?"
"It was near the Konohana Ghetto," the father, who was not nearly as hysterical as the mother but was still worried, said.
Lelouch nodded thoughtfully. "Let me contact a few of my men that I sent into that ghetto. They may have spotted your daughter," he said, handing the hysterical mother the picture that she had given him when she came pleading for him to find her daughter. Lelouch figured she had only asked him because the knightpolice stationed in Osaka were still either critically injured or dead after the Crimson Sakuras had taken over the city. Lelouch mused that he would have to speak to Andon about fixing that later.
He turned on his communicator and connected it to Suzaku's "Warrant Officer, do you copy?" he said.
There was a moment of silence and then a, "Tadashi, watch where you're walking! I copy, Your Highness. What do you need?" sounded.
"We're looking for a missing child, Warrant Officer," Lelouch said and briefly described the child as well as where she had last been seen.
"Hey, that sounds like Adina," Tadashi's voice sounded in the background.
"It does. I think we have the kid with us, Your Highness. We found her in the ghetto when we were heading back after dropping off those supplies," Suzaku said.
"Is your daughter's name Adina?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes, that's her name," the mother said.
"Two of my men have found her. Warrant Officer, go ahead and bring her here," Lelouch said.
"Yes, Your Highness," Suzaku said and fell silent.
Lelouch keyed off the communicator and turned to the parents standing in front of him. "My men will be right here with your daughter," he said.
About five minutes later, Suzaku and Tadashi, with a little five year old on Tadashi's shoulders, came forward. The little girl was giggling. "Faster, faster," she said happily.
"I blame you," Tadashi muttered to Suzaku who was grinning with amusement before he jogged the rest of the way.
Lelouch raised an amused eyebrow. "Dare I ask why you have a five-year-old on your shoulders, Private?" he said.
"She wanted a piggyback ride," Tadashi said simply as the little girl giggled and then her eyes found her parents and lit up with happiness.
"Mommy! Daddy!" She cried, scrambling off Tadashi's shoulders and running over to her parents, throwing her arms around their legs.
"Oh thank God you're all right. We were so worried," the mother said, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around the little girl.
"Thank you for helping our little girl, sir," the father said, turning to Suzaku and Tadashi.
"It was no problem, sir," Tadashi said.
"And thank you, Your Highness, for being willing to help find her," the mother said, lifting her gaze to Lelouch.
Lelouch inclined his head. "You're welcome," he said calmly and watched as the small family walked away. He turned his attention to Suzaku and Tadashi. "How did you find her anyway?"
"Suzaku heard someone cry out and ran off to help," Tadashi said. "Regular knight in shining armor is he."
Lelouch's lips quirked and Suzaku smiled sheepishly.
. . .
July 5, 2016
Meeting Room, Student Council Building
One week had gone by since she lost her brother and Kallen had finally managed to convince herself to go back to school. She had gotten out of going to school by pretending to be sick, not that she really had to fake anything; her stepmother likely didn't care as long as she did nothing that would reflect badly on her and the school already knew about her 'medical condition'.
She had tried to stay strong, like her brother would have wanted her to. She had managed to hold herself together the entire trek away from the Kozuki Resistance's first base and, again, when she said goodbye to her friends and returned to the settlement. However, as soon as she had gotten to her room, she had burst out crying again and ended up crying herself to sleep.
She wouldn't leave her room for the next few days, missing the rest of last week and then Monday of school, and only her maid of a mother would check up on her. She had told her mother about Naoto's death on the second day of her self-imposed isolation and then kicked her mother out of her room. Her resentment for her mother was much worse now that she had lost her brother.
Feeling tears well up in her eyes again, Kallen hastily wiped them away as she walked into the meeting room. She was only there that day because Ohgi had called her and told her that she should try to get back to school; he also told her that they would be holding a small memorial for Naoto on the edge of the ghetto out of the way of everyone that night. She was grateful for the gesture and told him that she would be there that night.
In the meeting room, she noticed that the only one there was Nunnally. "Oh, hello Nunnally. Where's everyone else?" she said, closing the door behind her.
Nunnally turned to face her and smiled. "They're probably running late again. Are you okay, Kallen? You sound sad," she said.
Kallen swallowed and looked down. "I…lost someone close to me…recently," she said softly.
"Oh. I'm so sorry," Nunnally said sadly. "It hurts to lose someone close to you."
How would you know? Kallen thought bitterly. "Yeah," she murmured, taking a seat and glancing toward the table in front of Nunnally, on which was an opened book written in Braille.
"I lost my mother only a week after I turned seven," Nunnally added sadly. "I…don't like thinking about that but..."
"I'm sorry," Kallen said and meant it. Everyone had heard about the assassination of Empress Marianne vi Britannia six years ago. However, it had taken the loss of her own brother and Nunnally telling her about what happened to her mother for her to realize that she wasn't the only one who lost someone she loved.
"It's okay. At least I still have my big brother," Nunnally said, a smile crossing her lips. "He's been taking care of me ever since we came to Area 11."
"He has?"
"Yeah."
Even though her big brother was gone, Kallen decided that she would continue on with the orders Naoto had given her and find out more about Prince Lelouch. It might help the resistance, even if they were scattered at the moment, when they decided to regroup and try again. Because Naoto's dream was not something that Kallen or Ohgi or any member of the Kozuki Resistance were going to give up on.
"Why did you come to Area 11?" Kallen asked. Lelouch had told her, during that party that Clovis had thrown for him after he returned from basic training, that they had been sent to Area 11 as political hostages with the Kururugi family. However, Kallen wondered if Nunnally knew that or not.
"I'm not entirely sure. Big Brother mentioned that it was because we were in danger from the people who killed our mother," Nunnally said. "And that's why he didn't want Brother Clovis to find out that we were here 'cause it might mean that the assassins might come after us next."
That wasn't what Lelouch told me. Hmm, I wonder why Lelouch didn't tell Nunnally what he told me, she thought. But then, I hadn't asked him why he hadn't returned to Pendragon after the invasion so that could be the reason why.
She just didn't know. However, before she could ask any more questions, the door opened and Milly, Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina made their way into the meeting room. Kallen decided that, if she got the chance, she would talk to Nunnally about her brother later.
. . .
Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11
…She seems to be getting more unstable with each passing day that she is unable to find Princess Nunnally…
B.B., who was watching Tara pace the room and scowling in frustration, glanced off to the side so that Tara wouldn't see his lips move. "She's just incredibly frustrated," he said.
…But you don't want Princess Nunnally dead. The only reason you had Tara attack Clovis was to draw the Emperor's attention, get him to realize that there is someone out there who had a vendetta against the Royal Family…
"It didn't exactly work out as I had planned."
…Though it did reveal two more members of the Royal Family that you can go after to get the Emperor's attention…
"The more I think about it, the more I realize I need someone that the Emperor would actually feel something for, someone who is useful to him that he would actually pay attention to if they're taken out. Someone like Cornelia or Schneizel," B.B. murmured.
…I could've told you that…
B.B. glared at the wall irritably. "Then why didn't you?" he asked.
…I forgot…
B.B. resisted the urge to smack his head against the wall. "You'd forget your own head if it wasn't attached," he murmured.
…I don't deny it…
"There must be some way to track Princess Nunnally down," Tara said with a scowl. "But how?!"
"I think you should find something else to focus on since I doubt you'll be able to find the princess. She's not sixteen yet and hasn't been revealed to the public. You'll have a better chance of finding a monkey in a museum."
"Why the hell would a monkey be in a museum?" Tara said bewildered.
…Yes, why would a monkey be in a museum?...
"Shut up," B.B. muttered to Daniel's voice while ignoring Tara's question.
"Well, whatever. I'm gonna find her," Tara said firmly.
"You haven't been doing a good job of that yet," B.B. said dryly.
Tara glared at him but he raised an eyebrow at her as if daring her to object; they both knew it was true. Huffing, Tara folded her arms across her chest and stalked out of the building.
…She has a temper, doesn't she?...
"Perhaps."
. . .
July 10, 2016
City Hall, Osaka Settlement
More than a week had gone by since Lelouch had received orders from Andon to remain in the Osaka Settlement and he had run out of things to do. He had already gone through all the reports of the two battles, helped the citizens of Osaka get back on their feet—as a result, they were starting to resume their every day duties, clearly feeling safe with the 11th Regiment stationed in the city itself—ensured that the causalities were taken care of, received word that a governor and a squad of knightpolice would be sent from Tokyo soon, and had set up his base within City Hall.
"So we're going to be here for, at most, four more days," Jeremiah mused.
"It would appear that way. I'm hoping General Andon will get here sooner," Lelouch said.
Jeremiah nodded. "It must be a big problem if it's taking General Andon this long to solve it," he said. "It's a well-deserved rest, however. You did well on your first mission, Your Highness, though what do you plan on doing with the Crimson Sakuras?"
"For now, they're to remain in detainment at the military base. I am going to ask Major Hendon and the remnants of the 7th Regiment to escort them back to the Tokyo Settlement to stand trial since I doubt I will have the time to do so myself. I get the feeling that the mission that Andon has for me is a big one; why else would he wish to personally accompany me?"
"Good point," Jeremiah said.
"Were you able to get any information out of Murkami?" Jeremiah attempted to get information out of the leader of the Crimson Sakuras when he was captured and again after the battle in Osaka concluded.
"Nothing, Your Highness. He's incredibly stubborn and refuses to say anything. He neither confirmed nor denied the information Major Duncan found about him getting supplied by the Liberators as well," Jeremiah said.
"I very much doubt he's going to reveal much," Lelouch admitted. "These kinds of people are incredibly stubborn."
"I agree," Jeremiah said.
. . .
Tokyo Settlement, Area 11
Grumbling to herself, Tara made her way down the streets of the Tokyo Settlement, her arms folded across her chest. She still wasn't having any luck finding Princess Nunnally and it was really irking her that no one knew anything about the princess. When finding her on her own hadn't worked, she had started asking people but they didn't know where she was either. It was irritating that no one knew just where the princess had disappeared to.
Sighing, Tara lifted her gaze to the sky above, her thoughts drifting to B.B. and him telling her that she should focus on something else because she wasn't getting anywhere with attempting to find Princess Nunnally. But she couldn't give up; she may not be able to get to Prince Lelouch but Princess Nunnally was defenseless and the perfect target to take out.
"…you think we got everything?" a voice said, jolting Tara out of her thoughts. She turned to find an orange-haired girl walking down the street with a shorter dark-green haired girl with glasses walking alongside her; both of them were carrying bags filled with supplies. She moved out of the way to allow the two to walk by her.
"Um, I think so," the shorter girl said quietly. She shifted her grip on the bags and pulled out a list, scanning it. "Yeah, I think we got everything."
"Great. Now we don't have to go back for more," the blue-haired boy that was walking behind the two girls said, carrying twice as many bags as the girls. He walked by her, not noticing the aqua-haired girl was there as he added, "You think Nunnally was able to talk Sayoko into doing an origami booth at the next festival?"
Nunnally? That wasn't a common name, even by Britannian standards. Tara quietly started tailing the group as they walked out of earshot, determined to find out if these people knew where the hidden princess was or not.
"Probably," the orange-haired girl said with a smile. "She really has gotten into origami. I think she has over four hundred of those cranes made by now."
"Yeah, probably," the blue-haired boy agreed, shifting his grip again. "Man, I wish Lelouch was still here. It'd make carrying these supplies so much easier if we had another set of hands."
"Nunna told me that he was still in Osaka when she last spoke to him," the orange-haired girl said. "And it sounds like he's gonna be there for a while. Nunna misses him."
"Well, when ya think about it, those two were rarely this far apart from each other before their royal heritage was revealed," the blue-haired boy admitted.
Tara's eyes gleamed. Jackpot!
"That's true," the orange-haired girl said. "Well, hopefully this dance Milly's planning will cheer her up…Hey, do you get the feeling that we're being followed?"
Tara immediately ducked into the nearest alley, crouching down and peering around the corner to see the orange-haired girl and the dark-green haired girl pause and look around.
"I don't see anyone," the dark-green-haired girl said quietly.
"Mm, guess I'm just imagining things," the orangette said and they continued to walk and Tara heard the orange-haired girl ask the dark-green-haired girl about how she was coming along with her research.
Tara walked after them, keeping her distance and pretending to be looking at the windows of the various shops that she was walking by, her eyes occasionally straying to the trio. When she saw that the trio were heading straight for Ashford Academy, she smirked to herself.
Ashford Academy, so that's where you've been this entire time, Princess Nunnally, she thought with a coolly satisfied grin. Now she just had to figure out a way into the academy and, perhaps, that dance that the orange-haired girl had mentioned could provide her with an opening. She would have to figure out a way to get invited to that dance though; shame she didn't have a Geass that could allow her to order people to do what she wanted.
. . .
Konohana Ghetto, Near the Osaka Settlement
Naora gazed at the settlement through a pair of binoculars, though the shadows created by the setting sun made it hard to see anything, before she put them down and turned to the group that were seated beside her. "Are you sure that the prince is in the City Hall and not in the military base?" she asked.
"We're sure," one of her companions said. Like everyone in the Liberators, her companions had nicknames that they went by to prevent anyone from finding information on them. Naora's was Cherry and the companion that had just spoken to her was Sand. The other members of her eleven-men infiltration team were Storm, Lightning, Rock, Petal, Blade, and the Elemental Squad, so named because their nicknames were the four elements—Fire, Water, Earth, Air—with the leaders named Radiance and Midnight. They were members of the remaining Liberator cell in Japan since Naora had only been able to escape Osaka by herself.
Why they chose nicknames instead of Light and Dark, Naora didn't know, nor did she really care. All it did was make it difficult for people to remember their nicknames.
Speaking of Radiance, she spotted her jogging toward her as she left the stairs she had used to get to the roof on which Naora and Sand were situated. "Cherry," Radiance greeted her as she lied on her belly next to Naora. "Midnight got into City Hall. He's going to be sending you a schematic of the City Hall to help find the best way in and out."
"Good work. Any news on Hozumi's location?" Naora asked.
"Nothing," Radiance said, shaking her head. "But that isn't our priority."
"I know," Naora murmured. Scarlet had told her that Unity wanted her to prioritize the capture of Prince Lelouch above the rescue of Hozumi and, while she didn't want to leave her lover in the hands of Britannia for much longer, she would follow orders. "Do we know where the prince is?"
"Midnight believes he stays within City Hall along with most of his forces who aren't back at the military base. Do you suppose we should use the gas before we go after the prince?"
"It would make things easier in the long run," Sand mused.
"And if we do it quickly and quietly enough, we won't alert his men who are stationed outside of City Hall," Naora agreed. "Also, we've got a sample of Evergreen and its antidote should we need it. Dr. Aimee ran the final tests on it and says that it will be non-lethal towards humans. It'll keep the prince from being able to fight back or bolt if the gas wears off too soon."
"That'll definitely help," Sand said.
"Where's the rest of your squad, Radiance?" Naora asked.
"They'll be ready to move soon enough. I don't think all of us should go in at the same time. It's too large a group," Radiance said.
"All right. Once we have the prince, we'll signal to you." Naora trusted the Elemental Squad to sneak in without getting caught; Radiance chose her men and women fairly well and Naora knew that they were among the stealthiest of the Liberators. She smirked to herself; she was confident that this plan would work.
And once she had Prince Lelouch in her grasp, she would find out where her lover was being held and rescue him as well.
Her plan was foolproof.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: welp, that was chapter 18. We've got two more chapters in Osaka for Lelouch before we move on to our next setting and the sight of the next major event in this arc
Bakura: whatever
Blaze: …why do I keep you around?
Ryou: because you like keeping me around and we're, unfortunately, a packaged deal
Blaze: oh yeah. By the way, where are Lenalee and Allen?
Kanda: the beansprout and Lenalee are probably lost
Allen: (storms into computer room with Crown Clown activated) I was not lost. I was taking care of an asshole that was annoying me
Blaze: which one? Tyki or Cross?
Allen: Cross
Blaze: oh good. Tyki's my second favorite Noah—well, he's tied as my second favorite with Road—so don't harm him. By the way, what did you do to Cross?
Allen: (smirks evilly)
Cross: IDIOT APPRENTICE! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE THIS INSTANT!
Blaze: …I don't want to know
Allen: so who's your favorite Noah if Tyki and Road are tied as your second favorites?
Blaze: Neah. I don't own D Gray man by the way. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was short, and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
