I've got so many ideas and it sucks 'cause I can't write them all at once. :(
Cough.
Ahem, anyway, short beginning author's note and then we can get started on the calm before the storm.
Thank you to harlequin320, LIAism, Shadow-Shinobi666, OBSERVER01, ZeroUnleashed, DYnoJackal19, Blacksword Zero, Stickman6969, chimea629, grievousrommel, Shimmering-Sky, B-Kira, Doommajor, Scarease, and TC9078 for reviewing the last chapter.
And thank you to manjamanja96 for reviewing chapters 10 and 17.
All of you guys are great.
Anyway, I revised Lelouch's reaction in this chapter and, while it's not quite as explosive as many people think it will be, I, personally, think it fits Lelouch in the situation that he is in. The introspection serves, I hope, to illustrate why he is not reacting as explosively as one would expect all things considered. So hopefully I did an okay job.
I hope that you enjoy this chapter and I hope to update this story at least two more times before the end of April. Wish me luck and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
. . .
. . .
December 28, 2014
Aomori, Area 11
Diethard Ried hated the cold. Aomori was caught in the middle of a snowstorm that made walking almost impossible since no one could see where they were going. He was there because he was reporting on a story but, at the moment, nothing was happening and that meant that he was stuck in the cold with virtually nothing to do. He really hated it.
He sighed to himself, his breath coming out of his mouth as he gazed through the window at the whirling snow. He'd come to Aomori to report on the most recent appearance of terrorists and General Andon's response to them, though he mused that it must really suck for Andon's men to be fighting in the middle of winter.
The snowstorm had caused a stalemate, hence why Diethard was stuck in Aomori for the time being. "The things I do for a good story," he murmured.
The only reason why he was even there was because there was no denying that General Andon's exploits made for an interesting story. There was also no denying that General Andon was practically legendary with his military prowess, the fact that he had the creation of two Areas under his belt, and the fact that it was only because of him that the terrorist problem in Area 11 hadn't gone completely out of control proved that. Many reporters would love to be able to document and report on such a prominent figure; Diethard was just lucky enough to have been given that chance.
"Hn, at least I'll have something on Quill when I get back," Diethard mused. His rival in the reporting world, Heather Quill, was back in Pendragon but Diethard had elected to join HiTV in Area 11 since he felt that there would be more stories to report on in the area with the most terrorist activity. And he had certainly found someone that he would enjoy documenting; General Andon was an elusive person and little was known about him but Diethard was determined to weasel out some information about him, even if it was only about the battle itself.
If only the weather would cooperate because General Andon sure wouldn't.
When Diethard had first arrived at Aomori before the battle even began, he had sought out Andon only for the Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division, and current commander of the 2nd Regiment of the division, to tell him that he wasn't going to speak to the press and then had him kicked out of the G1 Base.
So Diethard was really just reporting on the situation based on what he could see from his vantage point. It was a shame he couldn't get closer and it was a shame that the battle was at a stalemate due to the storm now.
"You could try speaking to him now that there's a stalemate," hie assistant suggested.
"Hmm, I suppose I could," Diethard mused. It was worth a shot anyway.
Pulling on a thick jacket and tucking his recorder into his jacket's inner pocket, Diethard left the hotel and slowly began to make his way through the snowstorm. Thankfully, by this point, the snowstorm started to die down to where the blonde Britannian journalist could see where he was going.
The streets were as nearly empty as they had been when the storm began three hours ago and nothing got in his way as he headed toward where the G1 was parked; since he was in an area of the city that Britannia currently controlled and constantly patrolled, he wasn't bothered. The fact that he was as close to the G1 as he was helped.
When he reached the G1, he was honestly surprised to find the general he wanted to interview standing outside in the snow in a thick fur-lined jacket looking over a map laid out on a fold-out table beneath a pavilion laden with snow.
Braving the weather, eh? Diethard mused as he approached. "General!" He called.
Andon looked toward him, his lips pulling into a frown. "I already stated that I wasn't going to speak to the press," he said.
"The people simply want more facts on what is happening," Diethard said. "Not to mention facts on someone as legendary as you. It will just be a brief interview so that the people can get to know the man who is the reason why the terrorist problem in Area 11 hasn't gotten completely out of control," He wasn't sure if stroking the Commander-in-Chief's ego would work but he was willing to give it a try.
The general snorted. "You're persistent, I'll give you that," he said. "Fine, I'll give you a brief interview but that's it."
Diethard grinned. Success, he thought.
. . .
23
Across the Scarred Land
July 17, 2016
Hakodate, Hokkaido, Area 11
Diethard really hadn't expected to get stuck in Hakodate. He had just been following up on a lead about the Liberators that led him to Hokkaido Island the same day that the Liberators took control of it. As a result, the reporter found himself stuck on the island. He had still sought out information with that lead he'd found but hadn't found much, forcing him to give up on the story he'd been pursuing.
Diethard had gone from writing articles in newspapers to broadcast journalism only a year earlier and started working as one of the top broadcast reporters at HiTV soon after he'd started. He soon found out that he enjoyed reporting news on TV more than writing about it. And he was good at it, something that caused his rival Heather Quill to bristle in irritation and jealousy. She was still the premier journalist out there though.
Being stuck in Hakodate meant that Diethard had a front row seat to the battle that occurred the day before and he had to admit he was impressed. It wasn't every day that someone was able to out-think the Liberators after all; even if this wasn't their full force—Diethard had enough connections in the military to be able to determine that only a third of the Liberators' forces on Hokkaido Island were at Hakodate—it was still impressive.
Just who was in charge of that battle?
Diethard had come to Hokkaido Island looking for a story and had lost his chance to gain more information to give to the public about the Liberators. However, it seemed that fortune had decided to drop something else right into his lap. He just had to find out just who had successfully retaken the military base at Hakodate the day before.
He worried that they would be leaving soon though since he had a feeling that the regiment would be heading toward Sapporo next, since that was the Liberators' cell's stronghold at the moment, but he hoped that they would rest first. After all, it was a long journey to Sapporo, for one, and they had finished the rather one-sided battle rather late in the night, for another.
Leaving the hotel he was staying at, Diethard made his way toward where the G1 was parked, noting that the majority of the regiment were milling around even though it was eight in the morning. He was vaguely surprised to find that General Andon was there too standing alongside a familiar black-haired young man dressed and holding himself in a way to suggest he was royalty as he spoke to the familiar form of Margrave Gottwald at his side.
Lelouch vi Britannia, the lost prince of Britannia, Diethard thought. Even though the prince hadn't made an appearance when Prince Clovis had made the announcement of his survival back in March, Diethard had been present at the party Clovis had thrown in which Prince Lelouch was introduced to the nobility. He hadn't had the chance to meet the prince at the time though since he had to leave the party early; really, the only reason he was there was because he was the one who ensured that Clovis always looked good for the camera and helped write his speeches.
Diethard studied the prince curiously before turning his attention to Andon, wondering if Andon had been responsible for the win the day before. It wouldn't surprise him, honestly. He decided he may as well ask and introduce himself to the thought-to-be-dead prince while he was at it.
He made his way across the ground toward the prince and the general, though that caused Gottwald, who was the first to catch sight of him, to narrow his eyes, his hand going for his gun. Noticing the movement, Prince Lelouch and General Andon turned toward him.
"Diethard Ried, I'm surprised to find you here," Andon said neutrally.
"I got stuck here when the Liberators took over the city, General," Diethard said.
"Chasing another story? I hear you went into broadcast journalism recently," Andon said.
"Yes, about a year now," Diethard said and turned to the prince who was watching him with impassively curious amethyst eyes and bowed. "Your Highness, I am Diethard Ried. I work as a broadcast journalist for HiTV. It is an honor to meet you."
"It is nice to meet you as well, Mr. Ried," Prince Lelouch said calmly, inclining his head in greeting.
"What brings you here?" Andon asked.
"I witnessed the battle from yesterday," Diethard said simply. "Though if you were the one who led that battle, I am not surprised by the outcome."
"Hmm, my reputation certainly precedes me," Andon mused. "But it was not me who won yesterday. I am simply here as an observer. Prince Lelouch was the one who won it."
Diethard turned to the prince, raising an eyebrow. "Impressive," he said and meant it. For someone who had just barely returned to the royal family after over six years of living as a commoner and who didn't look like he was a day older than sixteen or seventeen, it was impressive that he would actually win against a fraction of the Liberators' Japanese cell. And if Prince Lelouch could win here, against a third of them, Diethard believed that it was possible for him to win against the rest of the cell's fighting force at Sapporo. After all, while he did not know the prince was behind the win the day before, he had witnessed it, had witnessed how the prince had somehow counteracted the terrorists' plan.
Not only that but, according to Diethard's connection that he'd spoken to after the battle, no one had escaped from the military base and that told the reporter that the terrorists in Sapporo were unaware of Britannia's presence on the island. That gave the prince an advantage.
"Winning against the Liberators is certainly no laughing matter," Diethard added, "even if it wasn't their full fighting force."
Prince Lelouch hummed in agreement. "I find it curious that you knew that when, as far as I know, only the military knew that the Liberators had split up their forces," he said.
"I have my ways," Diethard said simply. "Am I right to assume that you plan on going to Sapporo next?"
"And why would you like to know?"
"Your victory here today tells me that you actually stand a chance at winning against the rest of the Liberators' Eleven cell at Sapporo and I want to witness such an historic win and document it as an actual witness," Diethard said.
Prince Lelouch's eyebrows rose. "Are you truly that confident that I will win at Sapporo?" he asked.
"Are you not?"
The prince chuckled. "I believe I can win and that is enough," he said. "As I once told my brother, believing one can win helps to motivate that person to work hard to win. By your words, I suspect you wish to accompany me to Sapporo." It wasn't a question but Diethard answered anyway.
"If you would permit me to join you, that is," he said.
"Is that such a good idea?" Andon asked with narrowed eyes.
"I don't see why it wouldn't be. The public have the right to know what is happening and, so far, the military has been keeping them in the dark about what has been happening here on Hokkaido. The only people who know are those in the military and the people on Hokkaido."
Prince Lelouch's lips pressed together in thought. "So long as you stay out of the way, you may accompany me. I do not want any civilian causalities on my hands if I can help it," he said.
"Understood, Your Highness," Diethard said, biting his lip to keep from grinning.
"Are you sure about this, Your Highness?" Andon asked.
"Yes," Prince Lelouch said.
Just then, a small silvery-blue haired boy that was drenched from head-to-toe with his hair plastered to his head jogged over to join him and saluted. "Your Highness?" he said.
"What is…? Why are you drenched, Major?" Prince Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Lieutenant Frost saw a snake...it's a long story. We've completed the sweep of the east quadrant as ordered. There are no signs of any terrorists hiding out. The citizens were very cooperative, those that were awake this early anyway, Your Highness," the Major said.
"Good work. Go ahead and take a break, and get dry. We will be heading out soon."
"Understood, Your Highness," the Major said, saluting again.
"I never expected the military to allow a twelve-year-old to join," Diethard mused.
Major Frost's eye twitched. "I'm seventeen," he growled.
"Oh, my bad."
. . .
Abandoned Apartment, Shinjuku Ghetto
...She failed…
"Of course she did. I did send warning after all," B.B. murmured as he typed on his computer, listening to Tara pace back and forth across the floor loudly complaining about her missed chance to kill the princess.
"It was that damn Kallen's fault," Tara raged. "If she hadn't shouted that warning, it would have worked. Damn her! Damn her to hell. And those bodyguards. They were always by the princess and I couldn't get close to her at all 'cause of that. It was almost as if they knew something was wrong. But how? How the hell would they have known that I was going to kill her?"
"You're making assumptions," B.B. said blandly, pulling up a news site on his computer and scanning the articles for anything remotely interesting. So far, nothing popped up other than Prince Lelouch's victory at Osaka. It made the Code Bearer wonder just where the prince had gone.
"How am I making assumptions?" Tara demanded, glaring at him.
He fixed cold amber eyes on her. "First of all, calm down before you wear a hole in the floor. Second of all, she's a princess and everyone knows it. Is it really hard to believe that she would have bodyguards and that her bodyguards would be paranoid? It's not like a prince or princess hasn't been nearly assassinated before."
Tara growled and went back to pacing, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "What should I do know, B.B.?" she asked.
"Lay low. Don't draw attention to yourself. I have no doubt that the Britannians will be looking for you. Also, it might be a good idea to consider just stopping with this and find something else to occupy your time," B.B. said.
"Why should I? That princess is weak and can't fight back. I can easily take her out if only I could get close enough to her."
...She is not a threat for that very reason. You really shouldn't have let her believe that the entire Royal Family was your enemy, Uncle. You should have told her that it's the ones with power that are your enemy, as in those in the military or in politics, not a helpless disabled girl…
"Yes, in hindsight, I probably should have," B.B. murmured.
"Hmm?" Tara glanced at him.
"Nothing. Tara, why are you so determined to kill Princess Nunnally?"
Tara glared. "You know the answer to that already, B.B. She's a member of the Royal Family! If I want revenge, I need to take out the Royal Family. You said as much," she said.
"I believe I said something along the lines of 'cut off the head of the snake and the body dies'."
"But if I can't get to the head then I should hack at the body until I can reach the head."
B.B. sighed. "But what has Princess Nunnally done to you?" he asked.
"...It doesn't matter what she's done! She's a princess. That's enough to justify my actions. You want the entire Royal Family dead too. You said as much," Tara said.
B.B. thought back to his previous conversations with Tara but couldn't recall ever telling Tara that he wanted the entire Royal Family dead. He did want revenge but it wasn't against the entire Royal Family; it was against those who would, unfortunately, get in the way of his goal of reaching the Emperor. That was why his and Tara's goals had been so similar; they were both after the head of the snake but had to hack at the body in order to reach the head. The only difference was that B.B. was only going after those who had power, in both the military or politics, and would thus be a threat to his plans to get revenge on the Emperor. Tara, on the other hand, was just blindly lashing out without pausing to differentiate between someone who was a true threat and someone who was only a perceived—as in, in her eyes—threat.
"I never said that, Tara," he said. He turned his attention to his computer and shut it down before standing up. "You want to take out the head of the snake, Tara, so why go after someone who has nothing to do with the head? Why not go after someone who does instead?"
"Of course she has something to do with the Emperor. She's his daughter!"
B.B.'s lips pressed together tightly. It seemed that was Tara's only argument and, judging by how many times she'd repeated that same excuse, it was clear that she was going to stick by it. "Not all children are like their parents," he said.
"But she's still a threat to my goal."
"How?"
Tara faltered.
"Exactly. You cannot think of a single reason for why Princess Nunnally is a threat. She's just an innocent disabled girl who hasn't done anything to warrant your anger. Didn't you ever wonder why I never approved of your plan for Princess Nunnally?" B.B. didn't bother on waiting for Tara to respond; he would let her think about his words. Hopefully, they would get through to her.
If not then B.B. would just have to be privy to Tara's plans in order to give out warnings.
...It's your own fault…
"Shut up, Daniel," B.B. growled quietly as he walked over to the coat rack, since it was raining outside, and grabbed his coat. "It wasn't entirely my fault. I've been trying to fix that particular mistake but it hasn't worked."
...It's probably because she's like Eva. You gotta be straight up with her or she won't listen to you…
"Yeah, I suppose. I'm heading out. Don't burn down the apartment while I'm gone," B.B. added the last part to Tara before slipping out of the apartment before Tara could respond.
. . .
Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement
Prince Clovis rubbed his head as he read through the report that he had just received from the Department of Investigations that he'd contacted to try and find Nunnally's assassin. They had gotten a hold of all the recordings from the surveillance cameras within the Student Council Clubhouse but, unfortunately, the ballroom was too filled and the person who fired the shot had been quick to use the mass of people to hide themselves.
The red-head that had shouted out that warning had also been interviewed but, unfortunately, hadn't gotten a good look at the assassin. She had only seen the gun being pointed at Nunnally and had called out a warning. The orange-haired girl hadn't been able to give much information either. It seemed that there wasn't much to go on in terms of finding the assassin.
Clovis stayed true to his word to Nunnally though and had sent more guards to ensure his little half-sister's safety. While he had instructed them to not interfere with the daily goings of the school, he did order them to do whatever they must to ensure Nunnally's safety.
Putting down the report, Clovis hummed in thought and he briefly wondered just how Lelouch would react to this and sighed. "I kinda feel sorry for the assassin if Lelouch ever finds out about this, if he doesn't already know," he mused. He knew just as well as anyone of just how protective of Nunnally Lelouch was.
At least she was all right so that was good.
A knock sounded on the door and Clovis glanced toward it. "Come in," he called and Bartley stepped into the room, bowing in greeting. "Ah, General Bartley, have you got the most recent report on the girl?"
It wasn't just Nunnally's assassin that Clovis was focusing on; he was also still attempting to get that green-haired girl to give up the information he knew she knew; the power that she had...if only he could gain it than he could prove himself worthy. He had been studying that girl for so long and yet he hadn't found out anything new beyond how powerful her regenerative abilities were and that she couldn't die through physical means. The tests he had his scientists perform today would determine whether she was immune to poisons.
"None of the most recent tests the scientists have tried on her have worked," Bartley said, looking at the paper he held in his hand. "According to the scientists, her regenerative abilities also gives her an incredible immune system that allows her to process poisons very quickly to the point that they are destroyed before they can affect her, even the fast-acting ones."
Clovis hummed. "Not even the fast-acting ones? Hmm. All right, put that report in with the others," he said.
"Yes, Your Highness," Bartley said with a bow before he turned and left the office.
As the door closed behind him, Clovis sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The girl's incredible and yet so blatantly stubborn. I just wish she would agree to work with me already," he muttered.
His phone rang at that moment and Clovis reached over before picking it up. "Yes?" he said.
"Your Highness, we may have found something," the voice of the head of the Department of Investigations, Detective Gray, said. "A suspicious figure was seen outside of Ashford Academy while the students were entering the school for the dance. We believe he might have been an accomplice of sorts. Miss Stadtfeld said that she was given a warning by a man who claimed to be the uncle of one of the students and told Mr. Storm that she felt it rather suspicious. This man may know the identity of the assassin."
"Then find him," Clovis said.
"Unfortunately, we only have what he looks like and his description isn't matching anyone in our database. We'll keep looking and alert you when we find someone," Gray said.
"You do that," Clovis said.
"Yes, Your Highness."
. . .
East Wing, Student Council Clubhouse
Nina knocked on the door to the East Wing, shifting her grip on the bag that she was carrying in her arms. She really felt bad for Nunnally and had to agree with the rest of the Student Council when they spoke about how they couldn't believe someone would want to kill Nunnally. She didn't know who had done it anymore than anyone else did but she hoped that the police would find the assassin before they tried again.
Now, since it was Sunday and they didn't have school, Nina had decided to check up on Nunnally. The rest of the Student Council haven't seen her all day and they were getting worried so Nina volunteered to go check on her; she was carrying a bag of sweets that Kallen and Shirley had comprised in the hope of cheering Nunnally up.
"Who is it?" a stern feminine voice demanded from the other side.
"It's...um...Nina Einstein from the Student Council. I'm here to see Nunnally," Nina called back, knowing that, since the assassination attempt, Nunnally had a bodyguard with her at all times, even in the East Wing, despite that probably being the safest place for her.
There was a moment of silence, then the door clicked open and a stern-looking black-haired woman stepped aside. "She is in the living room," she said as Nina made her way into the room. She closed the door behind Nina and pointed to the bag. "I will have to check that first."
Knowing she was just being cautious, Nina handed the bag over. "It's just some sweets that Shirley and Kallen got for her," she said as the bodyguard searched through the bag, checking that all the sweets were still sealed in their packaging.
Finally, she handed the bag back and said, "It's safe. Your Highness, you have a guest, a Miss Nina Einstein."
"Thank you, Brianna," Nunnally said and Nina, once again carrying the bag of sweets, walked into the living room where Nunnally seated on her wheelchair, removing the earbuds from the radio that she was listening to.
"Hey, Nunnally," Nina greeted her quietly as she took a seat on the couch. "Shirley and Kallen got these for you. Um, there're some cherry pies in there and brownies and cookies, um, I doubt as good as the ones Lelouch makes but they're still pretty good."
Nunnally smiled softly as she reached into the bag Nina had placed on her lap and pulled out a wrapped cherry pie. "Thank you," she said softly. "And thank Shirley and Kallen for me."
"I will." Nina fell silent for a long moment, then asked hesitantly, "Um, are you okay? I mean..." She trailed off, unsure of just what to say. It wasn't as if she's ever had to deal with this kind of thing before; never before has royalty attended Ashford Academy, and never before has said royal figure actually been a good friend of Nina's before Nina even knew they were royal.
"I'm okay," Nunnally said, turning the cherry pie around in her hands but not opening it yet. "Talking with you, the rest of the Student Council, and Brother Clovis helped a lot. I mean...I doubt I'm gonna just get over it right away, since it did just happen yesterday but...it's over and no one got hurt so..." She trailed off, then added, "Nina, do you think that this assassin tried to kill me just because I'm royalty?"
Nina bit her lip. "While, um, I hate to admit it but...um, I don't see any other reason why they would try to kill you," she said softly.
"Now I know why Big Brother was always so scared about our royal heritage being revealed," Nunnally whispered. She bit her lip and then added, "Nina...how do you think Big Brother's gonna react to this?"
Nina knew that if Lelouch were to find out his little sister had nearly been assassinated, he was going to be furious, to put it mildly, and, frankly, Nina kind of pitied the assassin who tried to kill Nunnally. Hell hath no fury like an overprotective older brother whose little sister was almost killed. "He's not gonna be happy, to put it mildly," she said.
"Yeah, I kinda figured that. I kinda...don't wanna tell him, Nina, because...well...he's got so much on his plate right with his duties to the military and I just...I don't wanna add to that," Nunnally said softly and finally decided to open the cherry pie she was still holding in her hands. "Do you think he already knows?"
"I don't know. It's been day, so um, I guess it's possible," Nina said.
"Mistress Nunnally, you might want to listen to this," Sayoko said as she made her way quickly into the living room, picking up the remote and switching it to a news station before turning up the volume.
Nunnally turned toward the TV and Nina followed suit. When Nina saw the headline on the TV screen, her eyes went wide. How did this happen?
. . .
Lelouch's Office, G1, En Route to Sapporo
Lelouch was seated behind his desk, looking through reports and the information he had on the Liberators. It was early afternoon, a few hours since he and the rest of the 11th Regiment had left Hakodate but, as they were taking it slow to avoid alerting the enemy to their movements, they still had several hours to go. Scattered throughout his office were his Royal Guard, along with Suzaku who was talking with Tadashi nearby. General Andon was also there, seated in an armchair, and watching the last member of the group: Diethard Ried.
"Is it really necessary for you to be here, Mr. Ried?" Andon asked.
Diethard glanced up. "I'm simply here to profile His Highness for the piece. I have no doubt the people are most curious about the formerly lost Eleventh Prince and he has refused, many times, to speak to the public since his return," he said.
"Primarily because I've been too busy to speak to the public," Lelouch said, not taking his eyes off the documents. "And I still am too busy for a proper interview, Mr. Ried. I agreed to answer some of your questions while we're en route to Sapporo and that's it."
"That's fine, that's fine. I have no doubt the people will be satisfied with even a little bit of information about you," Diethard said. "So might I start the questions now?"
Lelouch lifted his head from the report he was reading and was about to respond when Dimitri suddenly gasped. "Your Highness, you have to see this," he said.
"What is it?" Lelouch asked.
Dimitri walked over to the desk and placed the laptop in front of Lelouch who looked at the headline that was on the screen, his eyes widening and his face going white with horror as he read the it.
Princess Nunnally vi Britannia Nearly Killed! Is Ashford Academy As Safe As It Claims?
"Um, Your Highness, are you okay?" Rayne asked concerned.
Lelouch didn't seem to have heard her. The shock and horror on his face had been replaced by dark icy rage. The only thing that was keeping him from leaving and returning to the Tokyo Settlement to hunt down and kill whoever tried to kill his precious little sister was the man seated in the armchair across the room.
When Andon was keeping him under surveillance for the Emperor, Lelouch knew he couldn't do a damn thing.
And he couldn't afford to rush into the battle that was too take place at Sapporo rashly because of the fact that he was under surveillance.
He knew that this was a test. If he failed to defeat the Liberators then the Emperor would likely deem him useless and Nunnally would be in danger.
And Lelouch refused to allow Nunnally to be in danger from that bastard ever again.
That did not mean that he wanted her to be the target of an assassin though. He may not be able to do anything but he had to find someone who could; he had to find someone who would be able to protect Nunnally and, perhaps, attempt to track down whoever tried to kill her.
If anything, he had to find someone to ensure that this didn't happen again.
Especially since he couldn't do a damn thing.
"Nunnally..." Suzaku whispered, eyes wide with horror.
"My princess...how could this be?" Jeremiah exclaimed, staring in utter shock at the screen.
He slammed his fists into the desk in front of him, ignoring the way everyone was looking at him. Everyone shivered at the dark look on his face and the icy rage that glittered in his eyes; it was clear that if the assassin was there right now then he or she would be dead twenty times over.
He kept his thoughts to himself, very much aware of the way Andon was studying him closely. He gave Andon a cool look, forcing the rage to die down and covering his face with apathetic iciness. He forced himself to reach for his phone, deciding that the only thing he really could do now was check on his little sister.
He hated it but, with the Emperor's pet watchdog keeping an eye on him and likely reporting his behavior back to him, he had to do this.
He couldn't afford to be seen as weak and useless in the Emperor's eyes.
He dialed Sayoko's number, noticing the way his Royal Guard were eyeing him warily as if they were expecting him to explode from rage or something. No. He wasn't going to do that. No matter how enraged he was, he didn't explode from it; he simmered within, an icy rage that he was able to keep contained.
And only because releasing it would put Nunnally into even more danger than she was apparently already in.
Sayoko's familiar voice sounded on the other end. "Hello?"
"Sayoko, put Nunnally on the phone now," Lelouch said, managing to keep his anger out of his voice but it did still remain icy.
"Yes, Master Lelouch," Sayoko said and, a moment later, Nunnally's familiar voice sounded over the phone.
"Big Brother?" she said.
"Nunnally, are you all right? What happened?" Lelouch asked, the iciness melting into a warm tone in an instant upon hearing his beloved little sister's voice.
"I'm okay, Big Brother, I'm okay. Kallen warned me and Shirley got me out of the way just in time," Nunnally said and the reassuring tone in her voice helped Lelouch to slowly calm down and his panic began to ease. "You saw the news, didn't you?"
"Yes. I'm relieved you're all right, Nunnally," Lelouch said. "What happened?"
"No one's entirely sure. Brother Clovis called a little while ago and said that they were searching for a potential suspect but, so far, they haven't found any leads. I don't know how the media found out what happened though. Only those in the clubhouse, my bodyguards, Brother Clovis, and the investigators knew about it."
Lelouch's lips pressed together tightly. "I suspect there may have been a leak somewhere. But you're safe, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm safe, Big Brother. Brother Clovis had more security placed around Ashford and I have a bodyguard with me practically at all times. Don't worry about me, Big Brother," Nunnally said reassuringly.
Lelouch didn't want to relax but he forced him to. "Take care of yourself, Nunnally," he said.
"I will. I'll be okay, Big Brother. Don't worry about me," Nunnally repeated firmly before adding quietly, "You're probably very busy so I'll let you go now. Bye, Big Brother, I love you."
"I love you too, Nunnally, and give my thanks to both Shirley and Kallen for helping you out yesterday," Lelouch said.
"I will." There was a click as Nunnally hung up and Lelouch put his phone down.
"Is she all right, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked.
Lelouch nodded. "Though I'm more concerned with how this got leaked into the media. Now everyone knows where Nunnally is located and that was something Clovis and I were trying hard to ensure didn't happen since she hasn't made her public debut yet," he said.
. . .
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Area 11
Michal turned down the volume of the TV he was watching as the news reporter continued to talk about the assassination attempt made against Princess Nunnally the day before. His computer was beeping, indicating that he had an incoming video chat request. Turning his chair to his computer, Michal accepted the request and watched as Unity's image appeared on the screen, though another man was standing beside him. The man was tall with short-cropped blue hair framing his face and nearly-black eyes.
"Nightfall? When did you get back from the Chinese Federation?" he asked curiously.
"Only yesterday," Nightfall said simply, his dark eyes narrowing. "I also just learned about our organization's loss to Prince Schneizel and still wonder why no one"—here, he glared at Unity—"thought to tell me about it earlier."
"As I've already explained to you, Nightfall, there was nothing you could've done," Unity said irritably and then turned his attention to Michal. "But that's not why I contacted you. Have you seen the most recent news report?"
"The one about Princess Nunnally? Yeah, I saw it. It's on every news station. I take it it's reached the EU then," Michal said.
"And likely Pendragon as well," Nightfall said. "Yeah, she nearly got killed. Who the fuck cares? I'd be more interested if they actually succeeded. What's so important about this princess, Unity?"
"She's the little sister of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia," Unity said as if that explained everything, which it didn't.
"You mean, the newest commander of the 11th Regiment who successfully defeated those fools that were part of the Crimson Sakuras, and succeeded in getting a couple of our followers arrested, even if one did end up escaping the Britannians' custody?"
"Yes."
"Why should we care that we now know the location of Princess Nunnally? She's not a threat to our goals," Nightfall said. "Unless you want to try to succeed where that last assassin failed. Now that's fucking stupid. Killing on the battlefield is one thing, and enjoyable at that, killing someone who is not on the battlefield would make you a fucking idiot."
Michal bristled at Nightfall's tone and his words. He always knew that Nightfall was a bit psychotic—perhaps that is an understatement—but to hear him mention how enjoyable it was to kill just made it hit home all the harder.
Unity simply raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think I would do something so stupid? I haven't led the Liberators on a near undefeated streak by being stupid now have I?"
"Tch, and yet you still lost," Nightfall said, sounding smug and Michal had the sudden urge to smack the irritating second in command of the Liberators. There was no denying that he didn't like Nightfall and couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why Unity trusted Nightfall as much as he did. There was just something about Nightfall that rubbed Michal the wrong way, other than his rather psychotic tendencies on the battlefield. Perhaps, it had to do with the fact that Nightfall had been in the Chinese Federation for the past year with little to no contact with the rest of the organization and no one knew just what he was doing there.
"I underestimated Prince Schneizel. It will not happen again," Unity said simply. "Anyway, the point of this meeting was not to discuss what happened in Cambodia. Actually, there are a few points to this meeting. The first was to discuss the recent news involving Princess Nunnally."
"What's so fucking important about her? So what if she's the little sister of the commander of the 11th Regiment," Nightfall said irritably.
Michal glowered at Nightfall, especially since he couldn't disagree with him. "However much I really hate to admit it, I agree with Nightfall. Why is the princess so important?"
"It's not the princess that's important, it's that what happened to her can help us in learning more about her brother," Unity said. "Tell me, Michal, if you found out that your sister was nearly killed while you were away, what would you do?"
"I don't have a sister."
"Fucking moron, he was speaking hypothetically," Nightfall sneered.
The urge to smack Nightfall was quickly turning into the urge to strangle him.
"Well, hypothetically, if my sister was nearly killed while I was away, I would probably just call her to reassure myself that she's all right," Michal said.
"Naturally. However, if you're a protective older brother who would willingly injure someone who hurt your little sister and found out your little sister had nearly been killed, then what would you do?"
Michal frowned and then he remembered. "Ah, you're referring to Cherry's report?" he said since Cherry, also known as Naora though she was spoken of by her nickname during these talks for security reasons, was the woman whom had managed to escape from Britannia's custody at the military base at Osaka a few hours after the 11th Regiment left. She had reported on what happened with Murkami Hozumi, who was still in Britannia's custody.
"Yes. Now answer the question: what would you do?"
Michal pressed his lips together. "I'd probably drop everything and get to my sister's side or actively hunt down the person who tried to kill her and kill him or her myself," he said. He paused and added, "Or both."
"Yes. With that in mind, do you believe Prince Lelouch would do the same thing?"
"Well, from what we've found out about him from Cherry, I'd say so, yeah. Why's that important?"
"Yeah, I'm fucking lost myself," Nightfall said.
Must you cuss so much?
"Prince Lelouch is in charge of the 11th Regiment as we all know; however, one of the spies that I have within the 11th Division has told me that General Andon joined with Prince Lelouch and the 11th Regiment at Osaka. General Andon is in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat in Area 11, as we all know, so it's a safe bet to assume that General Andon will be coming after us now that we've taken control of Hokkaido, yes?"
"Yeah..." Michal was still lost on how that had anything to do with Prince Lelouch.
"Would you get to the fucking point already?" Nightfall said irritably.
"Let me ask you this, if General Andon is in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat in Area 11 and we can safely assume that he will be coming after us now that we've taken control of Hokkaido, why did he join with Prince Lelouch and the 11th Regiment? Also, if it was to use that regiment against us, why did he choose a regiment that was stationed at Osaka who just recently finished two battle back-to-back when there are regiments that are much closer whom haven't been in battle recently?"
Michal frowned. "You know you're right, that is odd. I mean I know, for a fact, that the 4th Regiment and the 6th Regiment are stationed at Hirosaki and Akita respectively. They haven't been in a battle in months, as far as I know anyway, and they're much closer," he said.
"Exactly," Unity said with a nod.
"I'm still not getting the fucking point," Nightfall growled, sounding confused and irritated.
"Yeah, I gotta admit that, while that's intriguing, I don't get the point either," Michal said with a frown.
"General Andon is in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat. He is the one we would assume would come after us because of that and yet he joins Prince Lelouch instead. Prince Lelouch, even though he has two wins under his belt, is still an inexperienced new military commander. He is also the son of the Emperor of a country whose system is based on the idea of the strong devouring the weak, thus it is very likely that the Emperor would want Prince Lelouch to be a strong military commander."
"Gah! Stop beating around the fucking bush already!" Nightfall exclaimed.
Unity let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm getting there, Nightfall. Patience! The point I've been trying to make is what would be a better way of testing whether Prince Lelouch is a strong military commander than to pit him against a cell of a nearly undefeated organization?"
There was a long moment of silence, then: "You don't honestly believe General Andon would have an inexperienced teenaged military commander go against us, do you? That's fucking stupid!" Nightfall exclaimed.
"And yet you're right, Unity, it would be a test of Prince Lelouch's strength as a military commander," Michal said thoughtfully. "Fighting against us can make or break him and his reputation; if he loses than not only would what little a reputation he's managed to gather be destroyed but he would also be seen as weak in the Emperor's eyes; however, if he, somehow, manages to pull off a victory..."
"Not fucking likely," Nightfall snorted.
"...then not only would he, likely, be seen as a strong military commander in the Emperor's eyes but his reputation would also skyrocket," Michal finished, glaring at Nightfall for the interruption.
"Exactly," Unity said with a nod.
"And what does this have to do with what happened to his little sister?" Nightfall asked.
"Simple. It may, and the keyword here is may, make him more prone to mistakes, whether he knows this is a test of sorts or not."
Nightfall started laughing, a creepy laugh that caused Michal to shiver despite himself. "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," he said gleefully, dark eyes alit with satisfaction.
"While I agree that we will have an advantage over Prince Lelouch and may, very well, be able to finally get General Andon out of the way, is it really a good idea to underestimate him?" Michal asked with a frown.
"I don't deny that underestimating Prince Lelouch is not something we can do, especially when we only know so much about what kind of military commander he's like. I and Adam had, unfortunately, done that with Schneizel and we lost. However, while underestimating any child of the Emperor is not something we should do, we do have some things that Prince Lelouch doesn't," Unity said. "We have military experience, for one, and we have Amber who has prevented knowledge of our strategy from being put together, for another."
"A talented hacker could retrieve old versions of the documents," Nightfall said nonchalantly. "Not that I expect the teenaged brat to be able to put two-and-two together even if he did have all the complete reports."
"What should I do?" Michal asked. "Should I keep with with our strategy or should I try something else?"
"Tch, why should we change something that's been working—Schneizel's victory notwithstanding—just because there's a chance that the prince has gotten his hands on unaltered reports?" Nightfall said with a snort.
"I have to agree with Nightfall. Even if he has figured it out, there is no guarantee that he'll be able to counter it," Unity said. "Just continue using our strategy."
"Yes, sir," Michal said.
"By the way, where's Reyes?"
"Attempting to salvage the situation with that resistance that formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto. It's not going well," Michal said.
"What's this? Did Reyes fuck up something?" Nightfall sounded incredibly amused. Nightfall hated Reyes, though Michal didn't know why.
"We were going to recruit a small resistance cell that cropped up in the Shinjuku Ghetto; however, when the Britannian Military discovered the meeting between Reyes and the resistance cell's leader, Reyes abandoned them. As a result, I'm not sure if we'll be able to regain their trust," Unity said.
Nightfall started snickering. "Ahahaha, finally the perfect bastard has fucked up! I never thought I'd live to see the day!" he said with a grin.
Unity sighed but said nothing in response to Nightfall's reaction while Michal continued to wonder why Unity chose Nightfall to be his second in command. He definitely had a few screws loose.
"You should begin assessing and preparing for an assault by the 11th Regiment, Michal. We will be sending the rest of the Lupi as you requested soon," Unity said.
"I will and okay," Michal replied and, after discussing a few more important matters with the leader and deputy of the Liberators, he ended the call and began his preparations.
. . .
Lelouch's Office, G1 Base, Southwest of the Tomakomai Settlement
It was evening. The 11th Regiment were just southwest of the Tomakomai Settlement where Lelouch had called a halt to rest and prepare for the final leg of the journey. As they were drawing nearer to Sapporo, Lelouch wanted to ensure that the Liberators stationed at Sapporo were still unaware of his approach; thus, he sent Stonewell and a small team that he let her create ahead to scout out the rest of the leg of their journey. While he waited for them to return with news on what to expect, he was sorting through the information while contemplating going out and getting some fresh air. The office was starting to get stuffy.
Frankly, however, he was also throwing himself into his work to try to get his mind off Nunnally. He couldn't afford to worry about her with his battle with the Liberators coming up as quickly as it was.
He always kept in mind that he was under surveillance and he could not show weakness. The Emperor already knew that Nunnally was his weakness but if he proved that he could get through this battle, and win this battle, even after finding out about what happened to Nunnally then that would prove that he wasn't weak.
He needed to show his strength to the Emperor in order to keep Nunnally safe. That was all there was to it.
So, unfortunately, that meant that he had no choice but to rely on others to keep Nunnally safe.
He didn't really like it but he didn't have a choice and he knew it.
Scattered throughout his office was his Royal Guard, either talking quietly with each other, reading one of the books that he'd gotten from Tomakomai while on leave—Kay—or flipping through the channels on the television—Tadashi. General Andon was, currently, reporting to the Emperor and Schneizel so he wasn't there.
"Hey, Lelouch, can I ask ya something?" Tadashi asked, causing Lelouch to look up from the report he was reading.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Well, I was gonna ask ya while we were in Aomori but I kinda forgot. Anyway, I was wondering: why didn't ya ask Suzaku to be part of your Royal Guard?" Tadashi asked.
"I've been wondering that myself," Rayne admitted, looking up from the conversation she was having with Lila.
Lelouch blinked at them, surprised. He knew that he told Suzaku that he didn't want knowledge of him choosing Suzaku as his Knight of Honor to become public knowledge but he would've thought that Suzaku would've told his friends at least. After all, Lelouch was sure that they wouldn't tell anyone.
"Yeah, since he did save your life more than once and you're old friends," Tadashi added.
"That is true," Lelouch said. "And there is no denying that I trust him more than anyone, no offense to any of you but we went through too much to not build up a strong bond of trust." He pushed the memories of the invasion out of his mind. He couldn't start thinking about that, star remembering what happened during the invasion, when he already had the assassination attempt made against Nunnally on his mind. He needed to have clear head and needed to think rationally or else he would likely make a fatal mistake, and that was not something he could afford to do in his position. So he focused on answering Tadashi's question and getting his mind off his memories. "I didn't ask Suzaku to join my Royal Guard for precisely that reason."
"Um, what?" Rayne looked as confused as everyone else.
"I trust him more than anyone. That is why, instead of asking him to join my Royal Guard, I chose him to be my Knight of Honor," Lelouch said simply.
There was a long moment of shocked silence. Jeremiah started, whipping his head around to stare at Lelouch like he'd grown a second head, Kay looked up sharply in surprise as did Lila and Dimitri while Rayne's jaw dropped.
The only one who wasn't surprised was Tadashi. "Why're you guys so shocked?" the burnt-orange-haired young man asked in confusion. "What's a Knight of Honor?"
Kay turned to Tadashi, saving his spot in his book and tucking it between his thigh and the armrest. "A Knight of Honor is the personal Knight of a prince or princess, chosen by said prince or princess. They are loyal only to their prince or princess and protect and defend them with their lives if necessary. It is also the second highest honor that a member of the military who's not part of the Royal Family can obtain," he said.
"Whoa," Tadashi said. "That's great! I'm sure Suzaku's proud to be chosen to receive such an honor!"
"He likely is," Rayne said with a nod.
"You cannot tell anyone however," Lelouch said.
"Why not?" Tadashi asked confused.
"Non-Britannians have never been chosen to be a prince or princess's Knight of Honor," Jeremiah explained before Lelouch could while studying the prince as if attempting to figure out why Lelouch had made that decision since Lelouch knew that policy just as well as any Britannian. "While there is no law against it, it is against Britannia's policy of discrimination."
"And, because of this, Suzaku would be in danger should this ever leak out into the public," Lelouch said. "The Britannians aren't going to like my decision, I know this, but they may decide to take it out on him and, as long as he is only an unofficial knight, they could get away with it. That is why I'm only letting those I trust know this in order to keep him safe until the ceremony."
"What's to stop people from harming him after the ceremony?" Tadashi asked.
"It's law," Rayne was the one who responded this time. "An attack on an official Knight of Honor is seen as an attack on their prince or princess and, 'cause of that, it's seen, by law, as high treason against the Royal Family."
Tadashi whistled. "Wow. So, basically speaking, as soon as Suzaku's officially Knighted, he's basically as untouchable as Lelouch is," he said.
"Basically, yes," Lelouch said. He glanced at the reports and frowned to himself. The stuffiness of the room was still present and it didn't seem as if those reports or talking with his Royal Guard were helping him get his mind off his memories or what happened earlier.
He had been contemplating getting some fresh air earlier and decided that he would do that.
He stood up, stretching and his Royal Guard glanced at him. "I'm going to get some fresh air," he said.
"We'll accompany you," Jeremiah said, glancing at the rest of the Royal Guard who stood up as well.
"Fresh air sounds nice anyway. It was getting stuffy in here," Rayne said. "I hope it doesn't rain."
"Five bucks says she jinxed it," Kay murmured to Tadashi who snickered.
"Deal," the Honorary Britannian murmured back.
. . .
Outside, Southwest of the Tomakomai Settlement
"I can't wait to see my baby's true weapons in action," Lloyd said giddily as Suzaku walked into the control room, clad in his white pilot suit and wiping the sweat from his forehead after the tests that Lloyd had him perform. He had to admit that he was also looking forward to seeing just how the MVSs did in actual combat. They seemed like powerful weapons.
"I don't think the Liberators are going to be expecting it," Cecile commented. "That should give His Highness an advantage."
"Oh, my baby being used as a secret weapon. I like it, though, once it's revealed, I hope this means that it'll get to see more action," Lloyd said happily while Suzaku chuckled softly in amusement.
"You can go and get some fresh air if you want, Suzaku. I think we're done for now," Cecile said, glancing at Lloyd who, moving over to the monitors, waved at him to go.
"Um, sure, just give me a call if you need me for anything, Cecile," Suzaku said.
"We will," Cecile said and Suzaku walked out of the mobile base.
He gazed around, noticing he wasn't the only one who was getting some fresh air. The sky was overcast though, and a light sprinkle of rain was falling from the sky. Even with the light rain, there were still many people outside. Lelouch was along with his Royal Guard. Rayne was glaring at the sky while Kay was smirking as Tadashi handed him a bill and Lila was shaking her head in exasperation.
Tadashi looked up and grinned brightly. "Suzaku! Come and join us," he shouted, running across the field to join a startled Suzaku who blinked but followed Tadashi as the burnt-orange-haired young man led him back to join Lelouch and the rest of his Royal Guard.
"Your Highness," Suzaku greeted Lelouch.
"Warrant Officer," Lelouch replied simply.
"By the way, Suzaku, I wanted to congratulate you," Tadashi said, keeping his voice low so that only Suzaku, Lelouch, and the rest of Lelouch's Royal Guard could hear him.
"Congratulate me? On what?" the Lancelot pilot said in confusion.
"On becoming, or soon to be becoming, Lelouch's Knight of Honor," Tadashi said with a bright grin as he smacked a shocked Suzaku on the shoulder. "Congrats again!"
Suzaku just blinked before he turned to Lelouch. "You told them?" he said in surprise.
"I don't see why you didn't," he said. "I never told you that you couldn't tell anyone."
Suzaku bit his lip. That was true. Lelouch had only said that it wasn't a good idea for the public to know before the ceremony. He could have told his friends, except that he supposed he was worried of how they would react. Tadashi seemed to be supporting him but he wasn't sure about the others.
"I gotta say I'm not surprised that Lelouch chose you, Suzaku. Congrats," Rayne said with a smile.
"Yeah, if anyone deserves this honor, it's you," Kay said.
"You have saved his life twice already and he told us that he trusts you more than anyone after all," Lila said.
"If His Highness trusts you then I trust his judgment," Dimitri said simply.
Suzaku smiled a little, more than a little relieved to know that his friends supported his appointment. He had been worried that they wouldn't care for it because he was a Number and Numbers normally didn't get these kinds of promotions. He'd expected them to react the same way any other Britannian likely would have reacted but he supposed that he had jumped to that conclusion based on how most Britannians used to treat him. That wasn't a good thing and he felt a little bad for automatically making that assumption.
He didn't say that thought, deciding to take his worries and his assumptions and burying them. "Thank you," he said softly.
"Your Highness!" A voice called out and Lelouch turned to find Stonewell jogging toward them.
"Yes?" he said as Stonewell came to a stop in front of him and saluted.
"We managed to get to the outskirts of Sapporo and even scouted out the forests lining the road and there are no defenses along the road leading to the city or in the surrounding forests. The city, itself, seems deserted from what we could see but we didn't get close enough to see if it really was. I also found an abandoned military base that we can use as a starting point; it's about two miles from the edge of the city itself," Stonewell reported.
"Good work," Lelouch said and turned to look at Jeremiah, his face set in determination. "Margrave, gather the men. We march on Sapporo in thirty minutes."
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: ugh. Having so many ideas is irritating. Seriously, I have a total of four ideas for Code Geass right now. Why do I always do this? Come up with so many ideas that is.
Bakura: because you're an idiot
Nunnally: I don't think that's a very nice thing to call someone
Bakura: (glares at Nunnally) who the hell cares what you think?
Nunnally: (tears up)
Suzaku, Kallen, Euphie, and Cornelia: he made Nunnally cry...shit! (Bolt for the city closet and disappear inside it)
Lelouch: (bursts into computer room armed with a bazooka, a flaming machete, a bow with poisoned arrows, a freezing chainsaw, and a lightsaber) who the hell made my little sister cry?
Schneizel: Bakura did
Lelouch: (turns weapons on Bakura and glares at him)
Blaze: you made Nunnally cry. You're on your own
Bakura: FUCK! (Takes off running)
Lelouch: (chases after Bakura)
Schneizel: (blinks) when did Lelouch get that much stamina?
Blaze: Kallen, Tohdoh, and Suzaku are training him
Schneizel: I see
Blaze: anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
