First things first, you may not be...too satisfied with what ends up happening to Tara. She will get her just desserts, just not yet. (Dodges flaming projectiles, Kylo Ren's lightsaber from Adamantium-Soldier74,and other various types of weapons that can do serious harm to the body) I'm sorry! But it's necessary for the plot, and for Kallen's, Adeline's, Lelouch's, and Nunnally's character arcs! (Gets hit in the face with a machete) That's it! Bakura! Finish up this note. I'm going back into hiding! (Runs off to go back into hiding)
Bakura: tch, foolish mortal author. Anyway, Blaze would like to say that this is a short chapter, in comparison with recent ones, and a lot happens in it. Suzaku! You finish up. I'm bored already (walks off to steal something)
Suzaku: (sweatdrops) anyway, so, in this chapter, we get a look into C.C.'s perspective in the pre-chapter, some character development/explanation for Adeline, a rather heart-wrenchingly sad introspection with Nunnally that makes you want to hug her, a very important scene with B.B. that is integral to the plot, and...I think that's it (glances at summary of chapter) Yup, that's it
Kallen: we still have to thank the reviewers. So thank you to NyxUzumaki13, Blackheads, ShinichiKudoOwnsMySoul, Shadow-Shinobi666, Stickman6969, demedichi, Guest, agarfinkel, Kitsune Ametheyst Destiny, DarthMaine, OBSERVER01, Blacksword Zero, Doommajor, Adamantium-Soldier74, blackmambauk, Shadow At Midnight, DYnoJackal19, Ghoul4Ken123, DigiXBot, Anand891996, B-Kira, Scarease, MOR the Divine Being, and Shimmering Sky for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great.
Suzaku: Blaze hopes that you enjoy this chapter. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
. . .
. . .
August 10, 2013
Edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11
C.C. hadn't expected to end up in this situation.
She'd just been wandering the Shinjuku Ghetto, trying to find a good place to sneak into the Tokyo Settlement to check on Marianne's children, when she'd been, unintentionally, caught in the middle of a firefight between a group of Elevens and Clovis's Royal Guard. She wasn't the only one; the Elevens and the Royal Guard were just firing at each other, not carrying about the ricocheting bullets.
One of those bullets hit C.C. and threw her off her feet. She crashed to the ground, feeling blood leak out of the wound and her Code activating. The fact that she felt unconsciousness reaching out to her told her that the bullet had hit something vital; the Code always tossed her unconscious when she was hit with a fatal wound.
"Damn it! We were tying to avoid civilian causalities."
"Let's just blame it on the Elevens..."
That was all C.C. heard before darkness claimed her.
She woke up some time later. She wasn't sure of how much time had passed by but, considering she could still hear Clovis's Royal Guard talking nearby, along with Clovis himself, she figured it hadn't been for very long. She gritted her teeth as her eyes fluttered open, hoping that she could get away before they noticed that she was alive.
No such luck.
"Wait, she's moving?"
"What?! Her heart was hit. She was dead. She didn't have a pulse!"
C.C. tried to fake being dead but it didn't work as she felt someone come to her side and feel her neck.
"She's got a pulse!"
"How is that possible?"
"What the…? Your Highness, you have to see this! Her wound...it's gone! There isn't even a scar!"
"What?!"
C.C. felt someone prod the area around where she'd been shot and cracked her golden eyes open, noticing that Clovis la Britannia, along with his Royal Guard, were gathered around her, staring at her with wide eyes.
She gritted her teeth and turned her head, looking for a way to generate an opening.
"This is amazing! She actually regenerated! Just think of the possibilities if we could harness that ability."
"What do we do, Your Highness?"
C.C. didn't give the prince a chance to answer as she launched herself at the nearest Royal Guard, grabbing his face and activating her Code, diving into his mind and yanking the man's worst memories to the forefronts.
The man fell to the ground, screaming, and C.C. darted over the fallen Royal Guard and bolted away from them.
"After her!" Clovis shouted. "Sedate her if you have to but I want her now!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" The rest of his Royal Guard shouted and chased after the green-haired woman.
C.C. managed to get a good mile away from the Royal Guard before they caught her by splitting their forces and surrounding her in an alley by blocking both entrances. Curling her lip, C.C. was about to use her Code on another member of the Guard to generate another opening when she felt a sharp prick in her neck.
Eyes widening and then dilating, C.C. slumped to the ground, eyes fluttering closed as the sedative surged through her veins, her Code activating and driving her unconscious as it attempted to purge the sedative from her system.
. . .
31
The Code Bearer's Decision
March 6, 2017
Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse
Lelouch was so furious at the moment that he was pretty sure they would need a new word to describe how he was feeling. He hadn't expected much to happen when he'd arrived at the Student Council Clubhouse and he certainly hadn't expected to see Adeline and Tara trying to kill each other while screaming at each other. And he certainly hadn't expected the things that Tara had admitted during the fight.
He'd been there ever since Tara had shouted about how she was tired of everyone getting in her way and that the "princess should've fucking died in that fucking museum!" Those were her exact words and Lelouch had been furious and probably would have launched himself at Tara had Jeremiah and Suzaku not been quick to grab him with the latter insisting that Adeline seemed to be handling the matter.
And it was true. Adeline was furious on Nunnally's behalf, even though, according to Adeline herself, Britannia had destroyed her home. She still defended Nunnally and a lot of the things that she shouted at Tara had resonated with Lelouch strongly.
No child should be blamed for the crimes of her father!
Soldiers walk onto the battlefield knowing that they may die and I respect that, that's their decision, but that doesn't mean innocent people who've never seen the battlefield deserve to die!
Her brother chose to fight for Britannia! That was his decision and I respect it because I find it very honorable to fight for one's country!
Even though Lelouch fought for his country unwillingly, it was clear that Adeline respected people in the military. And it was also clear that she strongly supported the idea that innocents shouldn't die, which was something that Lelouch agreed upon.
And she'd fought to protect Nunnally. That was something that Lelouch was not going to forget anytime soon.
"Adeline," he said as he strode forward, having slipped out of Suzaku's and Jeremiah's grip earlier. "Where's Nunnally?"
"The meeting room," Adeline said. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I couldn't save her bodyguard and I nearly didn't get there in time but..."
"It doesn't matter," Lelouch interrupted. "All that matters is you did get there in time. Suzaku, please go get Nunnally."
"Yes, my prince," Suzaku said and darted off around him and toward the meeting room. He came out a few minutes later, carrying a crying Nunnally in his arms. Lelouch's eyes softened and he darted to his Knight's side and gently took Nunnally into his arms.
"Big Brother!" Nunnally cried and threw her arms around Lelouch's neck, burying her face into it. "I don't...why did...I didn't..."
"Shh, shh," Lelouch whispered, rubbing Nunnally's back. "It's over. It's over. Shh. It's okay. You're safe. You're safe."
Nunnally kept on crying and clinging to him and he kept on stroking her back, softly reassuring her that everything was okay. Suzaku hesitated but then stretched out a hand and placed in on Nunnally's shoulder, clearly trying to help and Nunnally, removing one arm from around Lelouch's neck, immediately took Suzaku's hand in hers. She kept on crying though but Lelouch's reassurances and holding Suzaku's hand seemed to start calming her.
Before long, the sandy-brown haired princess cried herself to sleep against her big brother. Lelouch, stroking her hair, turned to Jeremiah and the rest of his Royal Guard, his face cold. "Rayne!"
"Yes, Your Highness?" Rayne said as she slipped to Jeremiah's side.
"Go find Milly and tell her and the rest of the student council that they are not to enter the Clubhouse until further notice. I will explain everything to her later," Lelouch ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness," Rayne said with a salute and darted out of the clubhouse.
"Suzaku?" Lelouch said, turning to Suzaku.
"Yes, my prince?" Suzaku asked.
"What of Briana?"
Suzaku shook his head. "She's dead," he said softly.
Lelouch's lips pressed together tightly in a thin line. "Kay, contact 911 and get them here now," he said.
"Yes, Your Highness," Kay said and darted off to fulfill his order.
Naturally, giving orders was calming him down, even though he was still burning with fury and the only thing that was stopping him from putting a bullet through Tara's head was that he wanted answers. He wanted to know: why did she try to kill Nunnally? Why did she come after Clovis in the museum? What is that strange power of hers? Who is she working for? Was she responsible for the first attempt on Nunnally's life?
He wanted answers to all of his questions and he was going to get them one way or another.
"Jeremiah?" he called.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Jeremiah said, moving to Lelouch's side.
Lelouch turned to him and gently held Nunnally out toward him. Jeremiah looked startled but, nonetheless, carefully took her into his arms. The princess, still fast asleep, snuggled close to Jeremiah, burying her face into his chest as she clung to him.
"Take her to the Viceroy's Palace. She will be safe there. If she wakes up, tell her that I will be along shortly. I think she'll be more comfortable with someone that she knows well with her. Don't tell Clovis about what's happened here. I'll tell him myself," Lelouch said. "I'm entrusting Nunnally to you, Jeremiah."
Jeremiah straightened, his eyes blazing with determination. "I shall not betray your trust, Your Highness. No harm shall come to Princess Nunnally for as long as I breathe," he stated in a voice that left no doubt to his conviction. Without another word, he turned and, after giving Tara a vicious glare that promised retribution for this, he strode out of the clubhouse.
Once Jeremiah and Nunnally were out of sight, Lelouch turned to face Tara, gazing at her with icy eyes. Adeline still had the aqua-haired girl pinned to the ground. Tara was snarling out curses, glaring at Lelouch who gave her a hatred-filled look.
"You are lucky, Tara," he said coolly, "lucky that I want answers. That is the only reason why you are still alive."
"Well, I ain't telling you nothing, you bastard," Tara snarled. "So go ahead and kill me 'cause I'm not telling you anything."
Lelouch's face remained cold and hard with hatred. "Don't tempt me, Tara," he snarled. "I will kill you but not without answers." He wanted to kill her but he wanted to ensure that nothing like this happened again and the only way to do that would be to get the answers he sought.
About twenty minutes later, members of the Black Knights along with a medical staff appeared; the latter group went immediately to retrieve Briana's body while the former group went straight to Tara.
Adeline let go of Tara as the Black Knights' grabbed her, handcuffed her hands behind her back, and dragged out of the clubhouse. Once they were gone, Lelouch turned his attention to Adeline and walked over to join the golden-haired young woman.
"You saved my sister's life, Adeline," he said. "I thank you."
"There's no need for thanks, Your Highness," Adeline said with a bow. "I like Nunnally. She's my friend and I wasn't going to let something happen to her."
"Nonetheless, I do owe you," Lelouch said. There was no denying that. This woman had saved his little sister's life, the life of one of the few people in the world that Lelouch truly loved. She deserved something in return.
Adeline's lips pressed together as she straightened up. "There's one thing that you can give me, Your Highness," she said.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?" he asked.
"I want to join your Royal Guard."
Pure silence.
That was the reaction of Lelouch's entire Royal Guard, and his Knight, who stared at Adeline as if she'd grown a second head.
Lelouch was shocked himself, startled that Adeline would request something like that. A Prince's Royal Guard was a prestigious position given only to those that the prince trusts and never to someone who was not part of the military.
"I'm afraid that's not something I can do," Lelouch said finally. "Only members of the military can become part of any member of the Royal Family's royal guard."
Adeline chewed on her lower lip. "Then let me join the Black Knights," she said. "I know how to pilot a knightmare frame. I can fight."
Lelouch studied the golden-haired young woman, his mind turning cogs as he thought about what to do, and about Adeline's first request. "Normally, a regiment doesn't allow someone to join unless they've completed basic military training," he said.
"But..."
"However, in return for saving my little sister's life, I'll make you a deal; defeat my Knight in a one-on-one fight and I will allow you to join the Black Knights."
Adeline glanced at Suzaku who looked just as surprised by Lelouch's suggestion as she did. "And if I fail?" she asked uncertainly.
"You will be given the option to take Briana's place as Nunnally's bodyguard until she is old enough to choose her own Knight of Honor."
Adeline's lips thinned as she thought about it before she nodded, her jaw clenched in determination. "I'll do it," she said.
Lelouch inclined his head and turned around. "Come to the Viceroy's Palace in two hours, Adeline Pelletier. I'll tell the guards to let you in when you arrive. For now, let my medical staff take a look at your injuries," he said and strode off without another word, Suzaku quickly darting after him.
"Lelouch, what are you thinking?" he hissed quietly as he fell into step beside Lelouch.
"I'm thinking there's something more at play here than I have knowledge of and I want to know why. Adeline saved Nunnally's life and I want to know why the first thing she would request would be to join my Royal Guard."
"You want to spy on her," Suzaku realized. "By having her as either part of the Black Knights or as Nunnally's bodyguard, you'd get to keep an eye on her."
"Yes. She's not a danger, at least not to Nunnally, and she already attends school with Nunnally anyway so having her be Nunnally's bodyguard wouldn't be that big of a step up. And if she joins the Black Knights, if she's as good a knightmare pilot as she says she is then she'll be a valuable asset," Lelouch said simply.
Suzaku frowned at that. "Either way, you get what you want because you'll still be able to keep an eye on her," he said.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean you need to hold back, Suzaku. I also want to see just what skills she has and if she can stand against, or even beat, you," Lelouch said, scanning the area until he spotted Rayne talking with the Student Council, the newest member being a silver-haired boy that Lelouch has never seen before. That must be Rai, he thought as he walked over to join the Student Council.
"Lelouch? What's going on?" Milly asked concerned when Lelouch joined them.
"Nunnally was nearly assassinated again," Lelouch said.
"What?" The majority of the Student Council exclaimed while the silverette Rai just blinked, glancing at them.
"What happened, Lulu?" Shirley asked, biting her lip, worry in her eyes. "Is she okay?"
"Yes. She's fine, thanks to Adeline," Lelouch said. "She caught the assassin who admitted to, also, being the one who shot at Nunnally at the museum and I believe she may have been responsible for the first assassination attempt."
"Who?" Rivalz asked while Kallen looked down.
"Tara Archer," Lelouch said coolly.
"What? Tara? She tried to kill Nunna? You said that you suspected but I..." Shirley trailed off, her hands going to her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.
"Her? I mean, we suspected it was a student but her?" Rivalz said in shock.
Kallen bit her lip, then said, "I never trusted her but for her to do something like this?" Her voice was dark at the beginning but she managed to mask it with meek confusion by the end, though Lelouch had noticed and wondered just what Tara had done to cause her facade to slip around Kallen.
"Well, I'm glad that Adeline was there," Milly said.
"Yeah, so am I," Shirley said. "Where's Nunna now?"
"I have my Royal Guard Captain taking her to the Viceroy's Palace. She'll probably remain there while we secure things here to ensure that this doesn't happen a third time," Lelouch said.
"Can...Can we see her?"
"For now, I think she needs some time to get over what happened but, perhaps, tomorrow," the Demon Prince replied.
"Yeah, I guess that's to be expected."
"So do you think we should put off introducing you to my newest minion 'till later?" Milly asked.
Lelouch nodded. "Yes, that would be best. I have to return to the Viceroy's Palace anyway to comfort Nunnally and talk with Tara," he said, his voice darkening considerably.
"Right. Okay, Lelouch, we'll see you later. And...send our greetings to Nunnally. Tell her that we'll try to see her tomorrow," Milly said.
Lelouch nodded. "Rayne, go gather the rest of my Royal Guard," he ordered.
The bluenette, who had been silent during the entire exchange between Lelouch and the Student Council, saluted. "Yes, sir," she stated and jogged off.
. . .
Rooftop, Main Building, Ashford Academy
Adeline, after getting her arm bandaged, left the clubhouse and immediately found herself on the roof of the main building, leaning against the railing and watching as Prince Lelouch and his entourage left the academy. Her phone was pressed against her ear, ringing as she attempted to contact her brother. She had to tell him about the prince's offer and see what he had to say about it.
She knew that she had probably been a bit too rash in asking to join the prince's Royal Guard but she knew that if she wanted to find out if the prince could, actually, be the ally that her brother thought he was then she would need to be closer to him. She'd gotten a bit more from Nunnally and the Student Council but she also hadn't been able to speak to the prince because he didn't visit quite as often as she thought he would. Then again, he was probably really busy with his duties as both Sub-Viceroy and the one in charge of all terrorist threats in Japan.
And, of course, he did have Nightfall after his head.
Adeline's jaw clenched. Nightfall. She hated him. She hated that the sadistic psychopath had, successfully, divided her big brother's organization in half, nearly causing it to completely unravel. It was only because of their reluctant agreement to provide a united front to the public, despite disagreeing on a lot of things recently in private, that things hadn't completely gone out of control.
Bu that also meant that Prince Lelouch likely thought all of the Liberators were after his head, when it was only a small portion of it. Even if half of the Liberators agreed with Nightfall's assessment on what should be done with the Demon Prince, only a small portion of that half were actually willing to attempt to kill the prince themselves.
But it wasn't as if Adeline could tell him anything. She couldn't afford to weaken the Liberators by revealing that they were divided, especially not when Prince Lelouch was such a dangerous enemy, and a powerful one at the moment as well. She couldn't risk destroying what her big brother was trying so hard to achieve; she couldn't do that to her big brother.
"Adi?" Unity's voice broke Adeline out of her thoughts.
"Big Brother, I have something to report," she whispered.
"What is it?"
Adeline quickly explained what occurred in the Student Council Clubhouse and, while she was a bit embarrassed by her rash request, she told him about it as well.
"You...asked him...directly...to be part of...his Royal Guard?" Unity said slowly in a tone that suggested he couldn't believe she had been so stupid, or maybe that was just Adeline's interpretation of his tone.
"I know, I know. It was a rash and stupid request. I only said it 'cause I was getting frustrated. He doesn't visit Ashford as often as we thought he would and I haven't really learned much from Nunnally or the Student Council. I thought that if I wanted to get more information on him then I would need to get close to him so I thought of the first thing that came to mind," she said.
"And what did he say?" It was clear Unity doubted that Prince Lelouch would agree.
"He told me that only those who were part of the military could be chosen to join a royal's royal guard so I asked to join his Black Knights instead. I mean, I know I haven't exactly gone through actual military training but I know how to pilot," Adeline said, adding the last part hastily since she had the feeling Unity would've pointed something like that out.
"That's...a bit less rash but not by much. I have no doubt that he won't let you join for that very reason, that you haven't gone through actual military training," Unity said.
"But he did," Adeline said.
"...What?" Unity sounded confused and Adeline couldn't help but giggle. It wasn't every day that she confused her big brother.
"Well," she admitted as she recalled the prince's conditions. "He said that I had to beat his Knight in a one-on-one fight. If I win, I can join the Black Knights, if I lose then I get the option of being Princess Nunnally's new bodyguard."
Unity hummed. "It seems to me that he wants to keep an eye on you," he said. "Both of those options would allow him to do just that. However, both of those options would also allow you to keep an eye on him as well, more so if you're part of the Black Knights."
"Yeah. And I'm also going up against his Knight, who's been trained in one-on-one fighting," Adeline said. She was a little nervous but she was also determined; she knew that she didn't have the same kind of training that Suzaku Kururugi had but she definitely had some. She felt that she would be able to win against the Demon Prince's Knight.
"Don't get too overconfident, Adi," Unity chided her. "That's one thing that, I know, you still haven't completely overcome whenever you fight."
"I can do it," Adeline said in determination.
"Then I wish you the best of luck. Either way, contact me once it's determined where you're going," Unity said.
"Yes, Big Brother."
. . .
Princess Nunnally's Bedroom, Viceroy's Palace
Nunnally, with a cry, jolted out of her sleep and trembled, her shaking hands gripping the blankets that had been tucked around her. The darkness didn't make it any better but Nunnally knew that it was pointless to wish for light. She was blind and nothing was going to change that, even if it made the nightmare that had jolted her out of her sleep all the more real.
She whimpered as the memory of hearing her big brother get shot melded with the memory of what happened in the clubhouse's meeting room. Tears appeared in her eyes and she wiped them away as she trembled, terror still gripping at her.
While Tara may have been mean to her a few times, she'd liked her and treated her nicely like she treated everyone. But then Tara had killed Briana and then tried to kill her….And, of course, Nunnally was also very upset by the fact that Tara had been the one who shot her big brother. It was so long ago that it happened but Nunnally remembered it vividly as if it had only happened a few days ago.
Her big brother had been willing to do that for her, to take a bullet that was meant for her; she knew that he only did it because he loved her but she felt so worthless because she couldn't do anything to defend herself. She knew that it wasn't her fault but that didn't stop her from feeling kernels of helplessness, kernels that made her feel more than a little sad. She didn't want to lose her big brother, she loved him more than anyone and she would be crushed if anything happened to him. But, with how she couldn't even begin to take care of herself and with assassins trying to kill her a lot recently, she knew that she was only being a burden. She was adding on to her big brother's already heavily laden plate.
And she hated it.
She hated being a helpless burden because that was all she was.
The incident in the Student Council's meeting room had been the final straw that broke the camel's back, had been the final shove that revealed to Nunnally the truth.
You worthless bitch…
Tara's words echoed in Nunnally's head and she tightened her grip on the sheets. That word: worthless. Looking back at everything her big brother had ever done for her, she was starting to think that Tara was right. She remembered Lelouch carrying her during the invasion of Japan, taking care of her arm when she'd been shot, him and Suzaku taking turns to keep watch while she slept. And, recently, she recalled him nearly sacrificing his life for her.
And it wasn't just Lelouch and Suzaku who'd done so much for her.
Kallen had been the one to warn her about the first assassination attempt and Shirley was the one that got her out of the line of fire.
Adeline was the one who fought off Tara, even getting injured in the process.
And Nunnally? She was just there, helpless to do anything.
Worthless…
The door to her room opened and Nunnally turned her face toward it. "Who's there?" she called softly.
"Relax, I mean you no harm," a soft voice said and Nunnally frowned because she didn't recognize it.
"W...Who are you?" she stammered out, not really believing the stranger wasn't going to harm her, not after what happened in the meeting room.
She heard the person approach and then she was surprised when she felt a gentle hand rest on her forehead. She felt warmth going through her and the blackness that she'd become accustomed to light up briefly with red light before fading.
"I'm here to throw a little wrench in someone's plan," the voice murmured and Nunnally gasped as a gate seemed to open up and memories entered her mind. The most prominent memory was the one of her father's cold purple eyes, one eye lit up by a glowing red bird-like sigil, and then the blackness that soon followed.
She gasped and jerked her head back, one hand going to her head. "W...What did you do?" she stammered out in fear.
"I have undone what your father did to you. Open your eyes, Princess Nunnally," the voice murmured.
"Why?" Nunnally said in confusion. She knew that she wouldn't be able to see...wait...why did she believe that? She could see just fine, right? She hadn't been born blind so why was she keeping her eyes closed?
With that in mind, for the first time in seven years, Nunnally vi Britannia opened her eyes.
. . .
B.B. watched with a small smile on his face as he slipped to the side as the princess opened her eyes, revealing bluish-purple orbs to the world. The only reason B.B. was even there was because he'd been keeping tabs on Tara ever since the aqua-haired girl went her own way and discovered what Tara had tried to do to Princess Nunnally. So he'd decided to check on the princess for himself and, perhaps, offer her a way of protecting herself, since he knew that she wasn't exactly capable of protecting herself because she was blind and crippled.
However, when he'd found her—after much searching and having to use his power to throw the guard unconscious, which was another power he'd discovered he had a long time ago—he was surprised to discover that Geass had been used on her.
Like any Code Bearer, B.B. could sense when Geass was used on another person. This was one of the many powers that came from having a Code and being continuously connected with the World of C. Just as he would know when Geass was handed out, he would also know if Geass was used on another person.
And he could also reverse a Geass used on another person for reasons.
It had been a rash decision on B.B.'s part and he knew it. He mused that he would've thought that he'd learned his lesson after the disaster with Tara but it didn't appear that he had.
The princess continued to look around, bluish-purple orbs large as she took in her entire room. She reached for the lamp and turned it on, narrowing her eyes as they adjusted to the bright light and then blinking them again.
"It's so...clear..." she whispered. "I...I can see!" The joy in her voice reminded B.B. a little of how Eva used to get whenever she got to do something that she loved, or got what she wanted for Christmas or her birthday. A sad smile crossed his lips but he said nothing as he watched the sandy-brown haired princess continue to take in her surroundings with her recently restored eyesight.
She finally turned her gaze to him. "Why?" she said. "Why'd you do this?"
"As I said before, to throw a little wrench into someone's plan," B.B. said because that had been part of the reason. He had no doubt that in granting Princess Nunnally her eyesight back, the eyesight her own father made her believe she'd lost, would have repercussions but, frankly, he was glad that he had. He wasn't about to pass up the chance to piss off Emperor Charles without him even knowing it.
"That's not a reason," Nunnally said with a frown.
"Perhaps not but that's all I will tell you." B.B. tilted his head to the side when he heard the sound of feet outside. "Someone's coming."
Nunnally turned her gaze to the doors to her room and then to B.B., biting her lip. "You didn't hurt me," she said. "You could've but you didn't."
"Why would I? You're innocent, Your Highness, and I don't harm the innocent."
The door swung open at that moment and B.B., musing that he probably should've left while he had the chance, suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a spinkick that sent him flying into the wall. A moment later, he was pinned to the ground with a certain brunet Knight of Honor holding him down. He managed to lift his head slightly to watch as the Demon Prince, his face a mask of icy fury, stride into the room with a scowling Jeremiah Gottwald, holding his head and glaring at B.B., at his side.
"Big Brother!" Nunnally called. "Big Brother! I can see! I can see!"
And, just like that, the icy mask vanished to be replaced by utter shock as Prince Lelouch's head whipped around to stare at his little sister. Even Kururugi jolted and lifted his head to stare at the sandy-brown haired princess.
B.B. smiled. The look on their faces was priceless and made getting hit with a spinkick and knocked into the wall well worth staying around.
. . .
"Big Brother! I can see! I can see!"
Lelouch jerked his gaze away from the golden-blonde haired young man to stare at Nunnally but, sure enough, those bluish-purple eyes that he hadn't seen for seven years were gazing at him with pure joy glowing in their depths. She held out her arms. "I can see, Big Brother," she cried and the sheer joy in her eyes echoed in her voice.
Lelouch jolted out of his shock and swiftly moved to his little sister's side, gathering her into his arms, feeling her arms curl around him as she cried out tears of joy. He felt his own tears starting to fall at the miracle that he was witnessing. His little sister could see again. He still couldn't believe it and yet, he couldn't deny it.
"You can see," he whispered, pulling back and gazing into his little sister's eyes.
Nunnally smiled at him, her eyes were bright as she studied him, her eyes scanning his face as if attempting to memorize his features. "You've grown rather handsome, Big Brother. No wonder Shirley loves you," she said.
Lelouch sputtered, cheeks going red and Nunnally started laughing before she buried her face into his chest. His cheeks still red, Lelouch looked down at Nunnally and gently stroked her hair, still quietly amazed by this miracle. He'd come in here expecting to have to comfort his little sister and, while he was sure he might still have to do that once her joy at being able to see again died down, he never expected for his little sister to suddenly regain her sight.
He didn't understand it. Something was up and he had an odd feeling the golden-haired man that Suzaku had pinned had the answers that he needed.
He turned his gaze to the young man that Suzaku had pinned to the ground. "Let him up, Suzaku," he said.
Suzaku frowned but nodded and, releasing the golden-blonde-haired young man, stood up, one hand on his gun as if prepared to use it should the man prove to be a threat. The man just dusted himself off, rubbing his jaw, his amber eyes alit with amusement.
"Well, I certainly wish I had a camera. The expression on your face was well-worth getting kicked in the face by your Knight, Your Highness," he said.
Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "Who are you? And what are you doing in my little sister's room?"
"I am B.B. and I came here because I wished to check on Princess Nunnally," the man said. He paused, his eyes taking on a doubtful look and then quiet regret entered his amber gaze. "And I wish to apologize to both of you as well."
Nunnally lifted her face off Lelouch's chest and turned to gaze at B.B., a small frown on her lips. "Apologize? For what?" she asked.
"For what Tara has done."
Silence.
Lelouch's face darkened considerably. "You knew?" he said quietly, shattering the silence, just barely able to keep his rage at bay only because of his little sister's presence. "You knew what Tara was going to do? And you did nothing?" The last words were hissed out as he gave B.B. a glare that was a reason why he'd earned the moniker of Demon Prince.
The golden-blonde-haired young man wasn't fazed though. "I can explain everything but, perhaps, it would be best if we spoke in a different location," he said.
Lelouch's jaw clenched. "Jeremiah, take him to my office. Make sure he does not leave. Send half of my Royal Guard to keep an eye on him," he said firmly.
"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated with a fist over the heart before he walked over to B.B., grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room, not seeming to care if he was hurting him or not. Rayne, Kay, and Dimitri went with him while Tadashi and Lila slipped into the room and took up positions on either side of the door.
"Big Brother?" Nunnally said and Lelouch, quickly schooling his expression into a mask to hide his burning anger, turned to look at his little sister. She gazed at him, one hand stretching out to gently stroke Lelouch's cheek; he leaned into the touch, feeling his anger melt away just a little.
"He did a good thing, Big Brother. He gave me my sight back," Nunnally said, smiling up at him before frowning. "But when he did that, he also made me remember something. Big Brother, I think...I don't know how...but I think Father is the one who made me blind."
"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked in confusion.
"I dunno how to explain it," Nunnally said with a frown. "But I remember him looking at me and then I suddenly believed I couldn't see and I just..." She shook her head, causing light brown hair to fly into her face. "I'm being silly." She sounded sad as she said that.
Lelouch gently stroke his little sister's hair. "If you say that happened, Nunnally, then I believe you," he said because this was his little sister and he would always believe her, especially over something like this.
Nunnally bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she said softly.
"What for?"
"For...for being a worthless burden."
The urge to kill Tara raged within Lelouch again but he shoved it aside as he gently rubbed his little sister's back. "You aren't a burden, Nunnally, and you aren't worthless either. If that's what Tara told you then she's lying."
"But I am," Nunnally whimpered. "I can't do anything! I'm just so helpless all the time and I keep creating so much more work for you, Big Brother. I just...someone has tried to kill me three times! The first time, I nearly lost you. The second time, it was because of Kallen and Shirley that I survived. And this time, it was because of Adeline that I survived. Every single time someone's tried to kill me, someone else has protected me and I wasn't able to do a single thing to help!" Tears spilled out of Nunnally's as she started sobbing.
Lelouch bit his lip as he hugged his little sister, trying to comfort her as she cried but at a lost of what to say, for once. He hadn't realized that Nunnally had been as badly affected as she had by what happened and he felt like kicking himself because he should have. He should've known that Nunnally would've been badly affected by nearly getting killed three times but he'd been so busy lately and he felt horrible that he wasn't able to notice that his little sister was on the verge of a breakdown.
"I'm the one who should be sorry, Nunnally," he said softly, stroking her hair. "I should've done something to ensure that this didn't happen. I should've done something to help you deal with this but..."
"No!" Nunnally cried suddenly, jerking backwards out of Lelouch's arms and staring at him with tears still streaming out of her eyes. He, startled by the sudden movement and the sudden shout, let go.
"It's not your fault. I didn't...didn't tell you how I was really feeling because...because I just didn't want to burden you even more than you already were, so I kept it from everyone. I think...I think I was even denying it myself," Nunnally whispered. "This...This shouldn't be your burden to bear, Big Brother. You have so much to do as it is. I...I didn't want to add to that."
Lelouch felt his heart clench as he gazed at his distressed little sister and he stretched out a hand, gently brushing her hair out of her face. "Nunnally, you could never be a burden to me," he said softly. "You should've told me. If not me, you should've talked with someone, at least. Any member of the Student Council would've listened to you, Nunnally."
Nunnally sobbed. "I just...I didn't want to burden them either," she whimpered and started crying again, leaning forward and burying her face into Lelouch's chest.
He gently held her, not saying nothing, just letting his little sister cry and get it all out. Oh Nunnally, he thought sadly. Have you really been hiding these feelings since that day in the museum? Why didn't you tell me? And why didn't I notice myself?
. . .
Suzaku watched the entire scene, feeling his own heart clench as he listened to Nunnally's words. Do you really think you're a burden? He thought as he watched the princess cry, clinging on to her brother as Lelouch silently stroked her back, his eyes questioning and there were even traces of guilt in their amethyst depths. Suzaku knew that he was probably feeling horrible because he wasn't able to notice just how Nunnally was really feeling himself.
Suzaku certainly hadn't during the time he'd talked with Nunnally after basic training or, again, when they got back from Hokkaido Island. She was just as good as Lelouch was at keeping up a mask, the Knight of Honor realized, but, in the presence of her brother in the wake of this recent assassination attempt, it was clear that mask had shattered.
"Aw, poor girl," Tadashi said quietly, trying not to ruin the moment between the two siblings.
"Yeah, must've been hard for her," Lila said softly, a look of sympathy in her light-brown eyes.
Suzaku continued to watch Nunnally cry against her big brother before making the decision to try and comfort her again as he had in the meeting room. He didn't know if it would help but he didn't like seeing Nunnally cry; it reminded him of her crying when she'd been shot during the invasion or when they had to part ways and she was afraid that Suzaku wouldn't get to safety.
He moved around the bed and, sitting down beside Nunnally, gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She continued to sob but she did reach up a hand and take Suzaku's hand in hers, squeezing it to show that she appreciated the gesture.
He squeezed her hand in response but said nothing.
"Shh," Lelouch whispered, stroking Nunnally's back. "It's okay, everything's okay now. Shh."
Nunnally continued to sob and it wasn't long before she cried herself to sleep for the second time that day.
Lelouch gently lowered Nunnally to the bed and Suzaku stood up as Lelouch draped Nunnally's blanket over her, tucking her in, a quietly loving smile on his face. He pressed his lips to Nunnally's forehead and pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes.
"You will never be a burden to me, Nunnally," he whispered again even though he knew his little sister couldn't hear him. "And I will protect you. I won't let something like this happen again."
He was silent for a long moment and then straightened up. "Lila," he said softly.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Lila said, stepping forward.
"Stay here with Nunnally. Contact me immediately if she wakes up."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Tadashi, guard the doors. No one is to come in or out unless it is Prince Clovis. Anyone else, clear it with me before you let them through. I will not let this happen a fourth time."
"Sure thing, Lelouch," Tadashi said and slipped out the door.
"Suzaku, let's go," Lelouch said and led the way out of Nunnally's room. Suzaku quickly fell into step alongside him.
. . .
Lelouch's Office, Viceroy's Palace
Lelouch and Suzaku made their way into Lelouch's office where B.B. was seated on an armchair. Rayne and Kay stood on either side of the door while Jeremiah was standing right behind B.B., keeping an eye on him as if expecting him to bolt. He was no longer holding his head as he had been when Lelouch had arrived at his little sister's bedroom.
B.B. stood up. "Your Highness," he greeted him with a slight bow.
"Let's skip the pleasantries, B.B. I want answers and I want them now. How do you know Tara Archer? And how did you know that she was going to do this?" Lelouch said coolly.
B.B. inclined his head. "I was the one who sent her after Clovis," he said. "She was never supposed to go after you. Hell, I didn't even know you two were alive either. She just saw you, recognized you, and decided to take matters into her own hands. She saw Princess Nunnally as the easiest target because she couldn't fight back, something I didn't approve of. You have my respect for being willing to jump in front of a bullet to save her, though. Not many out there would do that, even for a sibling."
Lelouch remained silent, observing B.B. with cold eyes. "Why did you send her after Clovis to begin with?" he asked.
"To send a message," B.B. said. "Clovis is the Viceroy of Area 11, thus he is important enough that if he were to die, I had no doubt the Emperor would take notice. And that was what I wanted."
"You wanted the Emperor to take notice?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Prince Lelouch, terrorists and the Numbers are not the only ones who harbor hatred and a grudge toward your father," B.B. said coolly. "I have hated him ever since before he took the throne, him and his bastard brother."
Brother? Wait, he doesn't look a day over twenty-five, how the hell was he alive when the Emperor took the throne?
"As you can guess, I also knew that Tara was going to go after your little sister. She was, indeed, responsible for the assassination attempt on your little sister during that dance last year," B.B. went on, changing the subject before Lelouch could question him. "I tried to talk her out of it because it is not innocent people that I wanted to go after, it is the Royal Family and, specifically, those who are in high enough positions that if they died then the Emperor would take notice. I never wanted Princess Nunnally to be targeted but she refused to listen to me, which I admit was my fault. I should've been clearer to her when I told her that it wasn't just the Emperor who was in charge of Britannia."
"This third assassination attempt had come a bit out of the blue. I only knew about it because, even though Tara had cut all ties with me after I refused to accept her newest plan to kill Princess Nunnally, I started to keep an eye on her. I knew that she would try again and, unlike last time where I was able to get warning to Miss Stadtfeld, this time, I couldn't because I didn't know when it would happen or where."
B.B. continued to gaze at Lelouch with expressionless eyes. "I truly did come to just visit Princess Nunnally and assure that she was all right as well as apologize to both her and you for what Tara has done. Even though she was the one who pulled the trigger, so to speak, I was the one who caused her to head down this path."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "Were you the one who gave Nunnally her sight back?" he asked.
"Yes."
"How?"
"I simply reversed what was already done to her," B.B. said with a shrug.
"How?"
"That is something that I will not tell you," B.B. said. "I've already made too many rash decisions recently and I am not about to make another one by giving you information you are not ready to have."
Lelouch's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with fury. "Not ready? What exactly do you mean by that?" he demanded.
"I shall say nothing more, Your Highness," B.B. said with a cool smirk and he gave a dramatic bow. "Now, if you shall excuse me, I will be leaving."
"Not just yet. You're not done answering my questions," Lelouch said firmly.
"Ah but I am not going to speak any more. Good day, Your Highness," B.B. said and grabbed Jeremiah's arm. A red glow erupted from his forehead, illuminating the quiet smirk on his face and Jeremiah stiffened before collapsing on the ground.
Suzaku darted forward as B.B. released the turquoise-haired young man but the golden-blonde-haired young man was faster, darting toward the window and throwing himself through it. Suzaku darted to the window, swearing loudly. "He landed on the roof," he called back.
Lelouch swore and darted to his desk, pulling out his communicator and immediately connecting to the Black Knights. "This is Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. A dangerous suspect has escaped custody. I want him brought to me alive!" Lelouch said, giving out a brief description of the person before adding, "Search the entire city if you have to, leave the civilians alone though, but find him."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Everyone that Lelouch had connected to stated at once.
Sinking into his chair behind his desk, Lelouch waved a hand toward Jeremiah, who was groaning and struggling to sit up. "Someone, see to Jeremiah," he said, resting his head on his hand, jaw clenched. He didn't know what B.B. had done to his little sister and it irritated him that B.B. knew quite a bit but was refusing to tell Lelouch anything. And what the hell did he mean by he wasn't ready to have the information?
While Lelouch did have the answers to the questions that had been swimming around in his mind, now he had a whole new set of questions that he didn't have answers to.
And he still had to contact Clovis. He pulled his phone out and called his elder half-brother's phone but was a bit surprised when Bartley picked up. "Hello?" he said.
' "General Bartley, I wish to speak with Clovis. Is he there?" Lelouch asked.
"Ah, he is occupied at the moment, Your Highness. I will tell him that you called and have him call you back as soon as he can," Bartley said.
Lelouch frowned. "Very well. Have him call me when he's done," he said finally.
"Yes, Your Highness," Bartley said and hung up.
Lelouch gazed at the phone for a long moment, his lips pressed together. Why do I have this odd feeling Clovis is keeping something from me? He thought.
. . .
Somewhere, Tokyo Settlement
...Well, that went...pretty much how I thought it would go…
"Shut up, Daniel," B.B. muttered, peering around the corner as members of the Black Knights darted past, looking around for any sign of him. He had figured that the prince would send his regiment out to find him once he got out of that office, through leaping through a window in spite of not wanting to do that earlier—Daniel still found that amusing—but now that left him in a dilemma.
How, exactly, was he supposed to get out of the Tokyo Settlement without getting caught?
B.B. wasn't kidding when he said that the prince wasn't ready to know about the Code or about Geass. He couldn't tell him because if the prince knew about Geass or the Code then it could get back to the Emperor and his bastard brother. And then they would both know that B.B. was actively working to thwart their plans. He'd already made two rash decisions in terms of choosing someone like Tara as his contractor and giving Nunnally her sight back. The first decision had been entirely to draw the Emperor's attention but Tara became so obsessed with killing Nunnally that B.B.'s plan to draw the Emperor's attention using her had fallen through. The second decision was primarily to throw a wrench into the Emperor's and his bastard brother's plan, well that and as a way of apologizing to Nunnally for Tara's actions.
Well, in all honesty, it was more the latter than the former, and because by reversing the Geass command Emperor Charles used on Nunnally, it would likely piss off the Emperor and B.B. did certainly enjoy pissing off the Emperor.
That was, supposing, he even noticed. As far as B.B. knew, no Geass user knew if their Geass command was, somehow, reversed after it was given so the Emperor probably wouldn't know until he saw Nunnally seeing.
He waited until the Black Knights had rounded the corner before, drawing the hood of his jacket over his head, darted across the street and into another alley. He ran down it and began making his way toward the Shinjuku Ghetto, using the shadows to the best of his ability. He knew that his only shot was to get out of the settlement before the city was placed on complete lockdown, which could happen.
He skidded to a halt when he nearly ran into three Black Knights and swiftly darted back the way he'd come.
"Hey, that was him!"
"After him."
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Don't you dare laugh, Daniel! B.B. shouted in his head as he rounded another corner, panting as he struggled to get ahead of the Black Knights that were chasing after him. Thankfully, they weren't firing their weapons so B.B. assumed that they'd been told to bring him in alive, not that he could die but the last thing he wanted was for them to learn about that.
It didn't help that Daniel had completely ignored him and was snickering in the back of his head.
B.B. swore that Daniel refused to allow himself to be absorbed by the World of C after he died because he wanted to annoy B.B. for the rest of eternity.
He finally reached the edge of the settlement and darted into the Shinjuku Ghetto. Thankfully, there weren't very many people outside so he was able to get through the first part of the ghetto with no difficulty. Rounding a corner, he darted toward the less used area of the ghetto. He glanced over his shoulder, hearing the Black Knights questioning some of the civilians that were out in the streets, and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he'd lost them.
Then he ran into someone.
With a yelp, both he and the indigo-haired woman he'd run into were sent tumbling to the ground.
"Sorry," B.B. said lifting his head.
"Get. Off," the woman growled, her brown eyes flashing.
"Ah, right." B.B. quickly scrambled off the young woman and stood up, holding out a hand. She watched him warily but accepted the hand and pulled herself to her feet. "Sorry again. I didn't see you there."
"What're you running from?" the woman asked.
B.B. didn't answer when he heard a noise behind him. He grabbed the woman and darted into the alley, pulling them both out of sight as the three Black Knights—damn, they're persistent—entered the street.
"Doesn't look like he's here either," one of them said.
"There's someone. Let's ask him," another said and walked over to join one of the civilians who was standing in front of two small children. The indigo-haired woman clenched her hand into a fist as if expecting something bad to happen.
But it didn't. "Excuse me, Mr.? Have you seen a young man run past here? He's tall with golden-blonde hair. He is a suspect in a recent case in the settlement and considered dangerous," the soldier said to the Japanese man.
"N...No, I haven't seen no one," the young man said, looking terrified as if expecting the soldier to shoot him. "Please, don't hurt me or my children."
"Prince Lelouch has ordered us to leave all civilians alone. We only want the suspect," the soldier said reassuringly.
The Japanese man eyed him warily, clearly not believing him for a second but, when the three soldiers walked away without another word, he relaxed.
"Daddy, isn't Prince Lelouch the Demon Prince everyone's talking about?" one of the children asked.
"Yes, he is," the man said.
"Then why didn't he hurt us? If he's a demon, I mean, I thought demons were scary who always hurt people," the kid said in confusion.
"That's what I thought as well. I think...the media might be painting Prince Lelouch in a light that's not entirely true," the Japanese man murmured and placed his hands on the upper backs of his children. "Come, let's get going."
"Okay, Daddy," the two children chirped and the three hurried off down the street.
"Why is the Demon Prince after you?" the indigo-haired woman asked, frowning at B.B. as he relaxed against the wall.
"Long story short, his little sister was nearly killed, I happened to know the person who did it but I refused to answer quite a bit of his questions," B.B. said and stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."
A click sounded and B.B. felt the barrel of a gun press against his side. He paused and cast a sidelong glance at the woman who had a radio pressed against her lips. "Ohgi, I have someone here that we might be able to use to fulfill our end of our deal with Unity," she said.
"How in the…? You know what, never mind. I'm on my way," another voice sounded over the radio.
B.B. frowned. Unity. Why does that code name sound familiar? He thought. He pushed the thought away and contemplated escaping; he could knock the woman out just as he had Gottwald but he was curious now. Curious about who Unity was, why that name sounded familiar, and what this deal was.
So he decided to just let the indigo-haired woman guide him away from the alley to a spot where they met up with a bushy-black-haired young man, a blue-haired man, and a brown-haired man.
"Who's this guy?" the brunette asked, gesturing a gun at B.B.
"I don't know his name but I do know that Prince Lelouch, himself, is after him," the indigo-haired woman said. "We might be able to use him to lure Prince Lelouch to us."
"It's a risk," the black-haired man said.
"I know that but we need to do something. Thanks to Naoto's spy, we've pretty much figured out our end of our bargain with Michal and this might be our only shot to fulfill our end of the bargain with Unity," the indigo-haired woman pointed out.
The black-haired man sighed. "Good point. All right, fine. We'll take him with us but we need to focus on getting a confirmation from Naoto's spy about what it is Clovis is doing," he said.
"Agreed."
B.B. felt his arms being pulled around his back and felt the snap of handcuffs but he didn't fight because his curiosity was piqued. While the name Unity was one that he didn't recognize, he did recognize Michal's; that was the name of the leader of the Liberator cell that was defeated at Sapporo.
This is getting to be interesting, he mused silently as he was guided away behind the group deeper into the Shinjuku Ghetto.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Suzaku: Blaze is still I hiding so Kallen and I are doing his
Kallen: is Lelouch still leading the Anti-Blaze Brigade?
Suzaku: (raises an eyebrow) do you honestly have to ask that question?
Kallen: good point
Shirley: Anti-Blaze Brigade?
Suzaku: it's a brigade that has been in the making since Blaze warned her readers about the dreaded chapter thirty
Shirley: I see
Suzaku: anyway, Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter, in spite of how short it was, and reviews, as always, are appreciated.
