A/N: I hope to have the next chapter out soon, but the number thirteen always makes me nervous.
Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapter and thanks to those who did the poll.
I am glad in a sense that only the choices not involving a harem were chosen, but the reason for some of my choices was the likelihood of such a pairing especially if specific events play out. Even so, I will not pair Ryūko and Satsuki together with Lelouch since that eliminates the purpose of them "competing" for Lelouch…not so much in a literal sense, but it would be cheap.
I did, however, mention the possibility of Lelouch being paired with Satsuki and Nonon because given Nonon's…reverence to Satsuki if certain conditions are met could happen.
But for now, it's still between Ryūko and Satsuki and only one of them will get Lelouch, although I wouldn't have minded pairing Lelouch with both Nonon and Satsuki if just because you don't see Nonon used much in any pairings.
Anyway, let's move on with the chapter as we deal with the aftermath of events last chapter.
Chapter 13
Bridges Burnt
The following day in the aftermath of the fiasco that left portions of Honnōji Academy damaged forcing a closure of the school until repairs could be made. Inside her inner sanctum, Satsuki Kiryūin sat upon her chair with her legs crossed while glaring down at a trembling Nonon Jakuzure who was wearing a simple pink tracksuit to replace the Goku Uniform she had lost at the hands of Ryūko Matoi. The situation was made worse by the fact that in her blind rage of wanting retribution against Zero that she attacked Sanageyama and then unknowingly helped Ryūko kill the Office of Secret Intelligence assassin sent by Britannia, which left the door open for Jakuzure to be punished by the Emperor himself.
Luckily for Jakuzure, the Emperor decided not to punish the young woman for being indirectly responsible for O'Malley's demise, which was a miracle upon itself since such an act warranted an execution. However, he asked Satsuki to ensure Jakuzure would not just walk away with a slap on the wrist.
But more shocking was the fact that the Emperor ordered that no attempt would be made to arrest Ryūko Matoi for her part in the incident as well.
"Jakuzure in light of your foolish actions including attacking your fellow Elite Four member and unwittingly helping Matoi kill the OSI assassin," Satsuki said casting a glance at seething Sanageyama who was understandably furious with Jakuzure for what happened, "you are hereby sentenced to latrine duty until further notice. Your work will be inspected by Gamagōri, and he will expect every latrine in Honnōji Academy to be spotless."
Jakuzure looked to be on the verge of tears having clearly greatly angered the person she respected most enough to given such a shameful punishment for someone of her station. As if on cue to worsen Jakuzure's mood was Gamagōri as he held in his hands a bucket with cleaning supplies including a scrub brush and a pink apron with matching rubber gloves.
"Until further notice?" Inumuta inquired noticing the last part of that sentence.
"Yes," Satsuki replied before pausing for a moment before continuing, "You are lucky Jakuzure the Emperor did not decide to punish you because attacking a member of the OSI alone results in the death penalty, however, I agree the incident shall not be overlooked, and there is your attack on Sanageyama to take into consideration."
"I…I…understand Lady Satsuki," Jakuzure replied meekly while trying to suppress the look of disgust on her face at the thought of cleaning all of the latrines in Honnōji Academy.
"However I will end your punishment once your new Goku Uniform is completed because I'll need you for the Final Stand Exam."
"Isn't the Final Stand Exam usually something the Athletic Committee oversees?" Inumuta asked.
"The purpose is to draw in Lamperouge into taking part."
"Lamperouge," Gamagōri inquired with a curious expression, "why him Lady Satsuki?"
"Inumuta has been investigating his background, but he has found some," Satsuki began, but she allowed the last word to hang in the air for a moment before adding, "inconsistencies that have raised a few red flags. I intend to test him. Someone of his intellect and capabilities should have been able to obtain a Goku Uniform by now, but why he has remained a No-Star all this time lacking any kind of ambition is puzzling and goes against what his records we got from Ashford Academy have revealed."
Satsuki didn't mention that she suspected Lelouch was somehow connected to Zero, but she had no proof of it. Given how he has leaned assistance to Matoi a couple times since her arrival. The chess game they had played was on her mind coupled with her personal encounter with Zero before their battle. Despite no proof, she was certain Lelouch and Zero were somehow connected, or it was possible that Lelouch was Zero.
"So that's why you are changing the requirement of the Final Stand Exam," Sanageyama began, "because he doesn't strike me as the athletic type?"
Initially, the Final Stand Exams was a unique set of exams open to No-Star Students who could engage in tests of strength and combat prowess to earn a One-Star Goku Uniform. Out of many students who would take part the test continued until only four remains, and it would be those four who would win uniforms before joining a club.
"Such a change will probably draw in a larger number of No-Stat Students," Inumuta noted.
"Exactly, that is why I want you to work with Gamagōri, Sanageyama, and Jakuzure to devise questions for the exam. Intelligence and Academics are essential to succeeding in the exam, but we are looking for more than intelligent and knowledgeable students in our victors."
"I understand Lady Satsuki, but what if Lelouch Lamperouge refuses to take part?"
"Then we will investigate him more aggressively, but from our chess match together I am certain such an exam should poise to be no problem for him."
"I see," Inumuta said realizing what Satsuki intended, "you seek to learn more about him through how he responds to certain situations instead of gathering information through the traditional means. Is that your real intention?"
"You are correct," The Viceroy of Area 11 confirmed as her butler handed her a cup of tea, "If Lelouch is indeed Zero or somehow connected to him then he will refuse to take part in the exam furthering our suspicions of him. He'll realize he has no choice but to take part if he is as intelligent as I believe him to be."
Inumuta's eyes narrowed realizing another part of his superior's intentions. "You are trying to put pressure on Lamperouge then?"
"Yes because if he realizes we're on to him, he'll know he will have to be more careful. Coupled with being a One-Star Student, which through the uniform we can track his movements, but realizing we might do so and if he refuses it. He will only give us the means to back him further into a corner." Satsuki said as their observations of Lelouch and how he responds to certain situations will be their method of collecting information on him as Satsuki knew from the way he bested her in their chess game that Lelouch was her equal in intellect.
So if he is Zero then he'll likely know we're suspicious of him and will probably do what Lelouch can to avoid more suspicion cast upon him, but can he keep it up while maintaining his alter-ego. Satsuki reasoned, but even if he wasn't Zero, there was still something suspicious about his background that Satsuki wanted to be investigated regardless.
She recalled the lack of information on Lelouch Lamperouge from beyond seven years ago that didn't explain his familiarity with Suzaku Kururugi, the son of Japan's last Prime Minister whose existence was hidden from the public eye until just before the invasion. He had a background, but Inumuta through careful investigation found certain elements that didn't quite add up.
"We will continue to investigate Lamperouge until a new lead that will lead us to Zero and this new organization he has created if the foe Sanageyama faced was any indication."
"But how did Zero obtain the ability to produce his own uniforms?" Gamagōri inquired as this particular matter was very concerning.
"Inumuta is, of course, investigating that, but Zero has likely covered his tracks, yet a trail could be found," Satsuki said while fully aware that it would take time before any kind of lead could be found, but she was confident Inumuta would find something. "In the meantime, Iori is already working on creating a new Symphony Regalia for Jakuzure."
As if on cue the face of the Sewing Club President appeared on a monitor above Satsuki's head to address the assembled members of the Student Council.
"We are reviewing the footage and data collected during the battle involving Zero, the so-called Black Knight wearing the Kishin Regalia," Shirō Iori said repressing some anger as he mentioned the enemy uniform, "and Ryūko Matoi to locate and identify the problems and weaknesses in the Symphony Regalia. We are also using footage and data collected from previous battles it was involved in to assist us further. I swear on my title as Sewing Club President to create a uniform superior to these knock-offs called Knight Uniforms."
Noticing the determination in Shirō Iori's eyes it was apparent he took the news of Zero having someone who wasn't just capable of producing their own variant of Goku Uniforms, but they dared to call them not only Knight Uniforms but even name their Three-Star Uniforms Three-Rank…obvious copycats in his eyes.
"I will not stand for such an insult from these copycats, and I will prove our Goku Uniforms are superior in every way to theirs!" Iori said as he held up his right hand tightening it into a fist as a sign of determination to not be reduced to the second best tailor.
"Wow, I have never seen you this fired up Iori," Sanageyama complimented.
"The similar naming and copying of the star-level system is a clear insult to me as a tailor, so the Sewing Club will triple their efforts to produce the finest Goku Uniforms." Iori declared proudly as it was clear how much of an insult he saw the Knight Uniforms and their claim that their quality was better than the Goku Uniforms.
"Inumuta continue checking into the transportation reports regarding Life-Fibers and check any signs for unusual activity and discrepancies to follow on, but check any records about anyone Dr. Matoi might have had contact with who could be capable of producing life-fiber infused uniforms," Satsuki ordered while intervening to change the subject to get the meeting back on track. "Continuing checking Lelouch's background, but have members of the Information Club to investigate the Ashford Family to check for any kind of link to Dr. Matoi. Have them investigate physical files and documents the government office has in storage since most electronic files the Japanese Government had didn't survive the war seven years ago."
"Understood Lady Satsuki, but what happens if Lelouch Lamperouge is innocent?"
"If he isn't involved with Zero then continue the investigation regardless," Satsuki replied sharply to the surprise of her followers, "He is hiding something that much is clear, and I want to know what it is."
Elsewhere in the No-Star Slums an inevitable meeting was taking place, but instead, it was one of two meetings Aikurō Mikisugi was expecting. Standing in front of him was a furious Lelouch Lamperouge holding his sword in one hand while the eyes of Reiketsu matched the mood of its wearer.
"If you are wondering why I have created my own organization that uses Life-Fiber Uniforms it's because you can't keep loose cannons like Tsumugu in check." Lelouch began with a look of barely restrained fury.
"I assume Dr. Matoi helped you with that didn't he?" Mikisugi said solemnly, although some in Nudist Beach would have been angry with this, he wasn't surprised.
"He did because he became concerned about the growing division in Nudist Beach," Lelouch answered as he was referring to the choice of the direction the organization was heading in.
Or rather specifically it was the organization was becoming divided on what kind of weapons to produce. One side is controlled by a faction of the organization tied to Kaneo Takarada's faction seeking to develop Dōtonbori Robo as one of their primary weapons instead of using and modifying Knightmare Frames that would have been far more cost-efficient and were actually combat proven. Lelouch wasn't sure what the exact cause was, but he suspected this was from Japanese members of the organization who wanted to avoid anything Britannian and wanted to create their own machines different from Knightmare Frames.
If the weapons were effective, then he wouldn't have objected to it, but what he saw of those weapons were pathetic, to say the least as an average Knightmare Frame would tear apart a Dōtonbori Robo.
"Your organization is wasting precious resources on developing Dōtonbori Robo which are just going to get shredded by the Britannian Army."
"DTR!" Aikurō said with his eyebrow twitching.
"I don't care what you call it," Lelouch snapped, "It's still an instant body-bag with legs as far as I am concerned!" The former prince knew that Aikurō was among the ones who supported the creation of the Dōtonbori Robo or DTR in Aikurō's case, but his reasons for it was different Lelouch suspected, but he didn't want to know what they were.
The only reason I can think is that because he can show off his nudity with it.
"Well, how exactly are you getting the Life-Fibers and the manpower for your own group?" Aikurō said eyeing Lelouch because he knew for someone with trust issues he was likely very picky when it came to followers.
"Professor Matoi worked out an arrangement for us with Kyoto, but now that the existence of my group and their Knight Uniforms has been exposed we have no choice but to find an alternate means of obtaining Life-Fibers now. Furthermore, Satsuki now knows about some of the evolutions my Kamui is capable, so I'll have to revise my plans."
Aikurō became concerned at this fact prompting him to ask, "Just tell me how far you have evolved your Kamui?"
"Enough because I don't have the skill with a sword to match Satsuki and Sanageyama in a straight up battle. So I need to make use of everything else," Lelouch replied with his rage simmering just below the surface. "And I didn't tell you because you would have grown suspicious that my growth was happening too quickly, so I hid it. What happened with Ryūko with Tsumugu's attack on her merely confirmed my fears."
"I see," Aikurō said with a defeated sigh, "so what happens now?"
"I will still help your organization bring down Ragyō Kiryūin, but it will be on my terms and nothing more unless you get your organization under control," Lelouch said before leaving, although Aikurō didn't try to stop him the meeting had gone better than he had thought.
He had frankly been expecting it to end a lot worse than it did all things considered.
However not long after Lelouch left the next person Aikurō had been expecting to pay him a visit arrived, and she made her presence by pointing the scissor blade at him with a furious look upon her face.
"Uh…good morning Ryūko," Aikurō said raising his hands up defensively with a nervous look on his face, "how are you today?"
"Don't play that fucking card with me. You know why I am here don't you?" Ryūko snapped as she looked ready to jump on Aikurō and rip him limb from limb like a livid grizzly bear that had its lunch stolen. "I want to know why that crazy Mohawk bastard attacked me. I know it is about his sister that died during the research to create a Kamui, so why the fuck did you allow him to attack me if you needed me?"
"So you heard that much eh," Aikurō said as he recalled the incident that took the life of Kinue Kinagase during the test that killed her and set Tsumugu's undying hatred of life-fibers, "Look I tried to talk him out of it, but he refused to back down."
"And you did NOTHING else to stop him?"
"I am a lover, not a fighter there was no way I could have stopped Tsumugu," Aikurō exclaimed as his white shirt became undone on its own slipping from his shoulders. Ryūko responded by stabbing her scissor blade into the wall next to his head while she bore an expression that screamed 'I am going to kill you.'
"If you even think about taking those pants off I am going to make a eunuch out of you!" The angered teenage girl warned as her voice with dangerously deep. Even Aikurō flinched as the look of rage upon the young woman's face implied a painful death if so much as one button became undone.
"Ok take it easy…" Aikurō said turning pale at the threat.
"So start talking and tell me the truth."
"I kinda allowed it to happen hoping the experience of fighting Tsumugu would strengthen the bond between you and Senketsu. Not to mention I knew he would be a tough customer and you have been winning a lot of battles too easily, so you were getting cocky."
"Basically you let him attack me to wake my ass up to the fact there are foes tougher than the club presidents?"
"Pretty much, but you and Senketsu did grow stronger at least."
"After the part where that bastard almost killed me." Ryūko snapped as she was finding it more difficult to resist craving up the nudist beach operative before her.
"I was hoping Zero would intervene if things went south, which I knew he would, but you know what happened."
"Yeah, things went really fucking south alright," Ryūko grumbled in anger recalling what happened yesterday with the school closed for at least a week for repairs.
"Well, Zero was just as angry as you were at what happened, so that is one bridge burnt," Aikurō said feeling somewhat depressed.
"And you guys are called Nudist Beach?"
"Yes that is the name of our organization," Aikurō said striking a dramatic pose before announcing, "We are NUDIST BEACH!"
"Oh, you got to be kidding me…I thought that chick wearing that uniform working for Zero was joking." Ryūko deadpanned. "How the hell do you expect people to take you seriously with a name like that?"
"It's our name," Aikurō said shaking off the statement, "but also our purpose is to defeat the Kiryūin Family."
Ryūko stared blankly at the posing Aikurō for a few more minutes before leaving.
"Hey wait!"
"I am so out of here." Ryūko snapped as she left Aikurō's apartment, but as she left, she was beginning to wonder about something she saw on the way to Aikurō's apartment.
What was Lelouch doing here?
Within one of the warehouses along the Toyko Bay near the docks, a meeting was taking place with Van Pelt in the company of two men in black suits meeting with members of a resistance movement. They wore the olive-green uniform of the Japan Liberation Front, a total of ten were in attendance acting as bodyguards for a large set man with a bowl-top haircut.
"So do we have a deal Mr. Hōjō?" Van Pelt inquired as he slid a suitcase across a fold up silver table towards the heavy set Japanese man who was about twenty years old with brown eyes.
"Yeah, and you said this stuff can help us match Satsuki's Goku Uniforms?"
"Yes, but remember to follow the directions for each injection to use it properly." Van Pelt replied with a business-like tone. "You'll be more than powerful enough to handle even Knightmare Frames."
"Really now," Hōjō said with a sinister smile upon his face as he opened the silver suitcase to examine its contents, "I know a friend, Imagawa, who runs a gang in Kyushu who could help us out and maybe I can get an old friend of my dad's who provided these boys right here to help."
"Excellent, so I'll leave the rest to you then?"
"Don't worry we'll do the job and we'll do it well just as long as you uphold your end of our deal to get us more of this stuff," Hōjō said before closing the briefcase.
"There is no need for concern Mr. Hōjō; my employer always honors his promises."
Once the transaction was over, and Hōjō had been given a sufficient supply of what was offered inside the briefcase he had presented him with, Van Pelt got into his limo where he began calling Saihō Harime to report on the success of his transaction on his end. It wasn't long before the blonde-haired young man picked up the phone on his end.
"Bonjour Van Pelt, did everything go well?" Saihō greeted happily knowing who it was.
"Yes, Mr. Hōjō has given me his assurance the job will be completed."
"Good I'll be keeping an eye on the news to see how it will all play out, but in the meantime, I'll be heading to Area 11 to be on hand to tidy up the situation. I want you to make sure the good Dr. Einstein doesn't survive his return to Area 11."
"Understood sir, but I am certain Mr. Hōjō will see to that."
Saihō sighed before saying, "Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups, but regardless of what happens Dr. Einstein needs to die."
Riding a scooter he owned Lelouch was on his way to Ashford Academy to visit his sister since with the school closed for a week he decided to take the opportunity to visit his younger sister to check in on her. His black scooter was traveling along the highway as it left Honnō City, but unknown to Lelouch following in the distance behind him was Ryūko riding a scooter of her own. Hers was pre-owned, having been scammed from the scooter store owner by Mako's father, it was white in color.
Unlike Lelouch, she wasn't wearing a helmet, but holding onto her from behind was Mako.
Ryūko's eyes narrowed as she glared at Lelouch as a thought passed through her mind. What the hell was he doing outside of that perverted bastard's place?
Ryūko couldn't think of any good reason Lelouch should have been there. He was intelligent enough to ace every test and subject on his own which she had seen firsthand, and she was pretty sure he wasn't the type to enjoy Aikurō's little striptease. She couldn't imagine very many people who would, so it led her to one possible conclusion.
Could he be involved with Zero?
It was late afternoon by the time Lelouch arrived at Ashford Academy as he parked his scooter to enter the grounds to visit his sister. Ryūko found a parking space nearby while avoiding Lelouch's line of sight, but he was already heading towards one of the buildings near the center of the school that looked more like a small two-story mansion than your traditional school dorms. Ryūko and Mako quietly made their way across the grassy lawn that made up a good portion of Ashford Academy, which had a friendlier and welcoming atmosphere than Honnōji Academy.
Why the hell did he leave this place behind for Honnōji Academy? Ryūko wondered finding the campus more beautiful, but she was questioning why Lelouch transferred to Satsuki's academy from hell. This only furthered her growing suspicions of the young man.
"Wow, this place has more trees than our school. I wonder what the food is like." Mako thought smelling the air trying to pick up the scent of any food that could be nearby.
"Keep it down Mako do you want some to hear us?"
"Ok, but what do you think Lelouch is doing? I am pretty sure he is just visiting his little sister. He usually leaves the city during the break to visit her."
"Yeah, but there is something I have to know, and I probably won't find out what it is by asking," Ryūko said with determination in her eyes as she was sure Lelouch was hiding something.
Ryūko also recalled the conversation she had with the woman from the Black Knights who told her the decision to allow new members fell to Zero and he would contact her to recruit her, but were it up to her she would let her in without a second thought.
I am sorry Ryūko, but Zero has to make the call. I'll ask him, so maybe in a day or two, you'll get word back.
Then I'll go straight to the leader. Ryūko thought as she closed in on the building Lelouch had entered suspicious that Lelouch was somehow involved with the Black Knights, or he could be Zero himself. Ryūko was doubtful of Lelouch being Zero, but something in the back of her mind told her not to carelessly ignore that possibility since Lelouch had helped her out a couple of times since her arrival at Honnōji Academy.
Then there was the fact Ryūko saw Lelouch leave Mikisugi's place.
As they reached the building Ryūko could hear voices coming from an open window on the second floor before hearing Lelouch's voice along with the voices of two others in the room. The two girls were looking for a way to either scale the wall or climb the trees near said window to find out what was going on inside. Upon seeing Mako atop one of the tree branches momentarily confusing Ryūko as how she got up there without anyone noticing the black-haired girl with a red-highlight decided to just follow suit and make her own way up the tree.
On her third try to scale the tree Ryūko was successful.
"So what are you hoping to find Ryūko?" Mako inquired having somehow scaled the tree unseen in one instant and was sitting on the tree branch next to Ryūko.
"There has been just something I have wanted to look into, and I thought Lelouch might know something about that?" Ryūko admitted, although there was more, the young woman decided against going into too much detail with Mako about Zero at the moment.
"Why don't you just ask him?"
"It's not that easy Mako."
"I didn't say anything," Mako admitted right before both girls realized there was someone behind them.
Slowly looking over their shoulders Ryūko and Mako came face to face with a grinning Japanese woman who was in her early twenties wearing a maid outfit complete with a white hat on her head. She had short brown hair and matching eyes.
"Good evening could I help you?" Sayoko Shinozaki greeted with a sweet smile, but both Ryūko and Mako were wondering how she sneaked up on them without either one noticing.
Despite having not recovered from being surprised by the maid Ryūko managed to say, "Uh…who…are you?"
"I am Sayoko Shinozaki, a maid in service to Lelouch Lamperouge and his sister Nunnally," Sayoko answered before drawing a pair of kunai from the sleeves of her outfit.
"OH COOL…A NINJA MAID!" Mako exclaimed cheerfully with stars in her eyes at the thought of seeing not only a real ninja but also one that doubled as a maid which for whatever reasons known to Mako alone was cool in her book.
"Uh well," Ryūko began with a look of embarrassment upon her face, "there was something I just wanted to talk to Lelouch about and…"
"And why are you hiding in a tree?" Sayoko asked eyeing Ryūko suspiciously causing the younger woman to feel more embarrassed than before, but the situation was worsened by another who had arrived having observed the commotion from afar.
"Hey, Sayoko what is going on up there?"
Ryūko and Mako turned their attention to see a blonde-haired woman with shoulder length hair and blue eyes possessing a buxom figure. She was wearing the Ashford Academy uniform consisting of a Beige jacket with gold trim, a white dress shirt and a black skirt complete with black shoes and a green tie.
"I found some intruders spying on Master Lelouch, but I am convinced they are acquaintances of his Miss Milly," Sayoko replied to Milly Ashford the Student Council President of Ashford Academy.
"Oh, they are," Milly purred with a sly smile on her face, "so what exactly is your relationship with him?"
"Hold on," Ryūko huff angrily with her cheeks turning bright red from embarrassment, "It's nothing like that I swear. I mean Mako and me are friends of Lelouch."
"Then WHY are you hiding in a tree trying to spy on him?" The busty blonde asked with a mischievous grin on her face, "Could you be hoping to get a peek at him changing?"
"ITS NOTHING LIKE THAT!" Ryūko snapped with her face becoming bright red.
"Nothing like what?" Lelouch angrily shouted opening his window to see what was all of the commotion happening outside was about before noticing Ryūko and Mako in a tree across from him. "What are you two doing here?"
"Oh hi Lelouch," Mako said waving happily at the young man, "Ryūko wanted to follow you, so I just tagged along for the ride."
The former prince was hesitant to ask, but he knew he had to ask even though Lelouch knew he would regret it, "And why exactly is she following me?"
Striking a familiar poise, a bright light shined down on Mako as she began another of her soliloquy rants, which no one could stop from happening.
"That is because Ryūko has an unrequited love for you!" Mako declared while somehow, defying the laws of physics again, managed to have a second Mako imitating Ryūko hugging the first Mako who was, of course, intimating Lelouch wearing quick mock-ups of their uniforms. "I mean why else would she follow you all the way from Honnō City unless she must love you right?"
Mako asked as she pretended to be Ryūko riding a scooter before pretending to hide in the tree pulling out a pair of binoculars.
"But…Mako that's," Ryūko said with a trembling voice as her cheeks were a light shade of pink in what would be a vain effort to stop Mako's rant from reaching its peak, but no force on heaven and earth would stop Mako Mankanshoku.
"I mean she must love you enough for wanting to peep on you right?"
"Uh, Mako I really don't think you understand the situation here?" Lelouch said calmly knowing full well that Ryūko following him here wasn't because of any kind of romantic desire, but he also knew nothing he said would stop her, so he focused on addressing Ryūko instead. "So why did you follow me here Ryūko?"
"There was something I wanted to talk to you about, but I am worried you would dodge the question."
"And what would that be?" Lelouch said feigning ignorance, but the young man had a suspicious feeling to what it was.
"Well…uh…not with so many people around. This is something personal I want to stay between us." Ryūko said not feeling conformable about accusing Lelouch of being Zero out in the open, let alone accuse him of being involved with him.
"Alright, but it will have to be after dinner," Lelouch said with a defeated sigh, "so you three might as well come up."
Meanwhile back at Honnōji Academy, but more specifically inside Satsuki's chambers where she and Iori and Inumuta were going over the records of her battle against Zero the previous day. On the wall monitor, there were several different videos of the fight between her and Zero before Jakuzure becoming involved, although tracking the battle in the air was difficult but more than sufficient data had been collected for review and study.
"Flight, Melee, and Long-Range combat capabilities," Iori said in awe reviewing clips of Zero and his Kamui's different transformations to fulfill a combat role depending on the situation, "I had never expected a Kamui capable of adapting and evolving so much."
Satsuki was stoic and silent as Inumuta spoke with Iori.
"Unlike Matoi, Zero has possessed his Kamui for much longer, so he had more time to adjust to it."
"Yes, and it's obvious those who vanished from the No-Stat Slums were no doubt criminals whom Zero used as practice to further the mastery of his Kamui," Iori said in agreement while Satsuki remained silent.
"Still I don't think we have seen everything he is capable of. If his words during his recent fight against Lady Satsuki are to be taken into account as a sign of this likely possibility."
"Then it's likely he has other forms and transformations we haven't seen yet," Iori said finishing Inumuta's sentence while agreeing with him at the same time, "still it's hard to envision what other combat configurations he has created."
"Probably ones to compensate for his lack of combat skill," Inumuta noted as it was clear that in a straight up fight that Satsuki was better at swordsmanship than Zero was.
As Inumuta and Iori continued their discussion, Satsuki was already contemplating her own thoughts regarding Zero.
Zero lacks the fighting skills to match me in a direct confrontation, but unlike Matoi he fights more with his head than with brute strength alone.
But she couldn't deny that in terms of intellect and strategic prowess Zero was her equal if not better.
He was ready with counters for Jakuzure's Goku Uniform, and he quickly implemented the best way to exploit its weaknesses. Just as he used that surprise attack on me to bring me into the skies where he would hold a much more significant advantage against me, but...
At that moment another thought came to mind as a look of realization appeared on her face before Satsuki quickly regained her composure.
Did he…did he somehow know about Junketsu?
Ever since Satsuki had taken Junketsu out of confinement and worn the Kamui the bloodthirsty creature had made every attempt to devour her especially during times when she was weakened forcing her to remove it. Either having worn it most of the day in its inactive form or after a battle to allow her body time to recover from the strain wearing it puts on her. This was especially a problem during a fight where either the longer a battle drags out or if a foe was capable of pushing her back, or both would drastically shorten the time she would be able to wear Junketsu.
Thinking back on the battle now Satsuki realized Zero's entire plan was not only built upon taking her into the sky where he would have the more significant advantage, but she realized that Zero had never aggressively attacked her head on and seemed more intent on drawing the battle out.
The fact that after Jakuzure was grounded that Gino who had saved both her and Jakuzure from falling to their deaths had to take her to her chambers to have Junketsu removed because her control of the Kamui was beginning to slip leaving her unable to pursue Zero or to even go after Ryūko and the intruders.
But how did he know, Satsuki thought as the only ones aware of her difficulty of wearing Junketsu was Iori and his uncle, There was no way that information could have gotten out unless…
Satsuki realized it that it was due to Reiketsu as she recalled observing Matoi speaking to her Kamui, although the idea of a symbiotic relationship with life-fibers was impossible. However, if Matoi was able to commune with her Kamui then who couldn't say that Zero couldn't do the same. It may have seemed impossible, but it was the only explanation close to making sense she find.
Somehow his Kamui noticed the struggle of keeping Junketsu in check and told Zero.
Despite feeling her pride had taken another blow, but this realization caused a smile to appear on her face.
If Matoi and Zero were to join forces they could become unstoppable, but…if he was to join with me instead then, Satsuki thought as the idea of someone as tactical gifted as Zero and possessing a Kamui he was capable of shifting into a wide range of different configurations would be extremely useful for the battles ahead.
Of course, that was one possibility, but the other possibilities Satsuki was already contemplating in her mind were just as favorable as the first.
As the foundations of a plan began forming in Satsuki Kiryūin's mind, she thought about for one last time about Lelouch.
I'll soon find out if there is a connection between you and Zero or if you are Zero.
Back at Ashford Academy, a dinner party was underway, although it was meant to be a bit smaller the arrival of Mako and Ryūko slightly complicated things. However, Mako and Ryūko were both surprised to see Suzaku was present as he had been invited by Lelouch to surprise his little sister with the Japanese boy whom Nunnally had been happy to be around when they were younger and hadn't seen the young man since the war.
"Ryūko and Mako too," Suzaku said upon seeing the two enter, "Did Lelouch invite you two?"
"Not exactly…" Ryūko admitted feeling somewhat guilty for it, but it did nothing to damp her desire to get information out of Lelouch.
Ryūko reasoned it was probably best she did not mention her reasons for seeing Lelouch again, which was due to the fact it made her feel like a peeping tom even though it was not her intention. Still, she was grateful when Suzaku decided to let the matter slide even though he apparently had his own suspicions about Ryūko's unexpected presence.
"Wow, so some of Lelouch's friends will be joining us?" A young fourteen-year-old girl with sandy brown hair said wearing a pink and white school uniform as she entered the living room with Sayoko behind her as her electric wheelchair rolled along.
"Oh, that girl is totally cute," Mako said upon seeing Nunnally Lamperouge parked her wheelchair at the head of the table.
"This is my sister," Lelouch said feeling a little bothered by Mako's comment since he didn't quite feel it was appropriate, but he let it slide, "Her name is Nunnally."
"Wow, you two look really different from one another," Mako said pointing at the apparent differences between the two siblings.
"We do, but we are still related," Lelouch replied with a shrug as he had heard others before Mako say something similar since she began attending Ashford Academy.
It didn't bother Lelouch much, but it was just something he acknowledged that people would notice. He didn't get why people would find it so important, but he shrugged it off deciding to take the differences between them to as a sign of ultimately different in personality he and Nunnally was.
"So Lelouch have you joined any clubs yet?" Nunnally inquired before asking, "Are they part of any clubs?"
"Mako and Ryūko aren't part of any clubs right now, and neither am I."
"That is too bad, but I hope you'll join one soon because I am a little worried about you not being part of one."
"Well, the problem is a lot of the club leaders are," Lelouch began to explain but stopped to consider his next words carefully, "vain let's just say."
"That's putting it way too nicely," Ryūko muttered.
Suzaku didn't argue the point, which is because he even found some of the club presidents far too brutal and self-centered for his own tastes. Even if he decided to follow the laws and regulations of both Area 11 and Japan to seek a way to change the system from within it didn't mean he agreed with everything that went on.
The rest of dinner went well, and as Suzaku, Mako, and Nunnally began talking to one another in the living room, it was then that Ryūko placed her hand on Lelouch's shoulder silently gesturing for him to follow her.
"Is there someplace we can talk…privately?" Ryūko demanded in a serious tone.
"Yes…"
Lelouch led Ryūko to his room where the two would be guaranteed some privacy for a little while as long as Mako was occupied since she might decide to interrupt them. Not to mention it was best that Mako remained unaware of some of the details of the coming conversation.
"So what did you want to talk about?"
"What is your relationship with Mikisugi?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Why the hell would someone like you need to see a guy who seemingly loves to strip himself?" Ryūko asked, but it was clear from the tone of her voice that her patience was already strained to the limit.
Lelouch carefully considered his options and the possible consequences for said possible options before deciding at last.
"We were formerly part of the same organization?" Lelouch said deciding on a more honest approach, which coupled with the fact that if he was careful enough he could begin building trust with Ryūko. At the same time if he tried to step around the issue as Aikurō had been doing he worried her response would cause more trouble and complications than it was worth.
"Organization," Ryūko began before realizing to her shock that Nudist Beach was actually an organization, but then something else Lelouch had said prompted her to ask. "What do you mean formerly part of?"
"Tsumugu attacking you was the final deciding factor for Zero and the Black Knights to break away from Nudist Beach. If Nudist Beach can't keep their own men in check especially nut jobs like Tsumugu, then it's an organization not worth allying with." Lelouch explained before adding. "Although I understand Tsumugu's vendetta against Life-Fibers, he jeopardized everything Nudist Beach and Black Knights had built by attacking you."
"Right that guy calling himself Mr. Bushido told me what happened, but how do you fit into all of this?"
"I have my own reasons I wish to keep private for now, but don't assume it's not because I don't trust you it's because I worry some of the things I might tell you might get out to the wrong people."
"What I am not going to tell Satsuki and her goons anything?" Ryūko said seemingly confused before Lelouch crossed his arms over his chest.
"Its Mako I am worried about."
"Mako?"
"Do you REALLY think she can keep a secret?" The former prince asked raising an eyebrow at Ryūko, but when she seemed uncertain, still Lelouch began to elaborate, "I mean this is the same girl who publically exclaimed how big your breasts were and told people you have been talking to your uniform in the bathroom and other places."
Ryūko's face had a look of a mix of embarrassment and horror, but when she said nothing Lelouch merely crossed his arms over his chest.
"I rest my case…"
"Ok ok," Ryūko said holding up her hands defensively while wishing to change the subject, "So what is your guys deal then?"
"We plan to see the Holy Britannian Empire destroyed along with the REVOCS corporation, but our immediate agenda has liberating Japan from Britannia and avenging your father's death," Lelouch answered.
"Then do you guys know who did it?"
"Zero knows who it is, but he wishes to tell you once you are strong enough to face her."
"Why?!" Ryūko snapped before she asked, "Is it Satsuki?"
"No it wasn't her, but the reason Zero withheld this information from you is because he fears you'll get yourself killed if you go after her now. This foe will take both you and Zero working together to bring her down." Lelouch explained although he wasn't entirely sure he was confident he was certain who the killer was.
"Ryūko,"Senketsu began sagely, "I know what you want to say, but take this as a warning your father's killer is more formidable than Satsuki herself which is why Zero wanted you to master wearing me as soon as possible."
The girl who had wanted to find and punish her father's killer wanted to argue and face him now, but recalling the defeat she received at the hands of Tsumugu caused her to reconsider.
"Alright I'll get stronger and master Senketsu, but I have your word when the time comes to get my dad's killer Zero will bring me in on it?"
"You have my word and the word of Zero."
Following the conclusion of that tense conversation Ryūko and Mako left to return to Honnō City along with Suzaku while Lelouch watched them from the window of his room. Once they were well out of earshot, it was then Reiketsu spoke.
"You didn't tell her about me or the fact that you are Zero?"
Lelouch grinned before he answered, "Well, she didn't ask if I was Zero or not."
A/N: Lelouch being honest with Ryūko and revealing his involvement with the Black Knight is a risky gamble, but he has an excellent chance to build up trust with her which could be useful down the line.
And Zero was right in the regard since Ryūko didn't ask Lelouch if he was Zero too.
Next chapter will have the Honnōji Academy Final Stand Exam, an event that happened only in the Drama CD of the series.
Then we got trouble brewing in Area 11 as other factions are looking to stir up trouble.
