"I hereby renounce my claim to the throne!" – Regular speaking
'How dare the Emperor abandon Nunnally!' – Regular thinking; Italics not in singular quotations are used for emphasis
"Q-1, strike the left flank now!" – Speaking as heard over radios and other communication devices
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, DIE!" Speech influenced by using Geass
Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.
This is the second of two new chapters.
Chapter 14: Shards of the Heart
(Lake Kawaguchi, Area Eleven – Black Knights' Ship – 10:33 pm – October 1 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Zero walked down a hall on the ship that he had used to provide for the escape of both his Knights and the hostages silently. Things had gone almost exactly as he'd planned, the only things he needed to improvise on were his encounters with those representatives from the other two superpowers and Euphemia. Well, and one other thing.
The masked revolutionary made his way to the door where his unexpected guest was rooming, guarded by one of the few he could trust to obey his commands to the letter. "Hello Nemo, she didn't give you any trouble, did she?" He asked the dark girl, who was leaning up against a door comfortably. Guarding it and its occupant per his orders.
"No trouble at all." Nemo responded, having taken over for Nunnally so that the girl could rest inside their shared consciousness. Nunnally would do far better responding to her brother, but it was exhausting for the girl to keep their bodies merged. Maintaining their form took a lot of energy from the one in charge, but Nunnally had refused to relinquish control until her Onii-sama had succeeded in their mission.
Tonight was the longest they had managed to maintain their shared body and so Nunnally was wiped out, forcing Nemo to take over. Thankfully, they were able to maintain their shared form far longer than they had been able to a few weeks ago. "She stayed in the room without incident, though she did cheer a bit and I heard your speech on her TV through the door." Nemo shot her King a genuine smile filled with pride in the man she had chosen to follow. "Your performance was masterful, My King."
"Thank you, Nemo." Zero grunted quietly, feeling his right arm twinge again. "Please, open the door so that I may speak with my benefactor." He forced his right hand to clench into a fist to regain some feeling in it. Silently, perhaps noticing his pain in the shortness of his response, Nemo opened the door without looking inside. She remained a silent sentinel outside the door while he made his way inside. "Thank you." He murmured as she closed the door behind him. Zero turned his attention to the girl sprawled on the bed in the center of the room, staring at the TV which was turned off now.
"Did you really have to come here Kaguya?" Zero spoke, his voice prompting Kaguya to rise to a sitting position. "Surely you know how much of a risk being here was tonight." Kaguya was always impulsive, but she wasn't one to take unnecessary risks. And yet, his Goddess of Victory had commandeered one of the rooms in this cruise liner for herself before his soldiers had taken it to the back of the hotel. His arm pulsed in pain again, and he growled silently before he walked over to the bed to sit down, he needed to check on his arm. Zero removed his mask with his left hand, taking a breath as he transitioned back into being Lelouch for a moment.
The impulsive teenager simply giggled at his paranoia before replying. "I just wanted to see my future husband work his magic." Kaguya spoke, causing Lelouch to nearly trip as he made his way to sit beside her on the bed. Lelouch's face held an incredulous expression so grand Kaguya wished she had a camera to capture it. A small blush crossed his cheeks and Kaguya guessed her "husband" comment had gotten to him more than she expected.
Her choice of clothing wasn't anything special, but it certainly drew attention. Her ever-present diadem remained upon her head, a pink sleeveless vest over a white t-shirt served as her top while a short red skirt finished her outfit. She had kicked her shoes off somewhere on the floor, leaving her feet bare as she had decided to do without socks or leggings for the night. It was far more revealing than anything the relatively conservative Kirihara would have allowed her to leave home with, but it wasn't the first time she had gone against Kirihara to have herself a little fun.
And teasing Lelouch like this certainly fell under the category of fun for Kaguya.
"Husband?" The revolutionary squeaked, revealing the cause for his reaction, before clearing his throat after regaining his balance. "I'm one hundred percent positive no such ceremony was carried out." He deadpanned as he sat down, trying to regain his composure. Though, by Kaguya's giggles, he figured it was a lost cause at this point. "Why?" He gave in, just wanting to know. "Just… why." His despondent sigh of defeat elicited another snicker from Kaguya before she responded.
"The world has its eyes on you now." Kaguya said with a soft smile as she shifted her position to place herself onto the lap of the man she had fallen for, her legs getting goosebumps as she sat on the armor that was somewhat cold. She cupped his face and stared directly into his eyes. "It's only appropriate that the Goddess of Victory be the public face of the man who can make miracles reality." Miracles were the acts of the divine working their will on the world and Zero had accomplished feats no one believed possible in so little time. Truly, what else could she call the things he had done but miracles? "At least once you free this land from Britannia." She amended, knowing that things would fall apart were her identity discovered before Japan was freed.
Lelouch brushed his left hand through Kaguya's hair, sighing slightly. "You're serious about this, aren't you." It was less a question, more a statement. Still, Lelouch hadn't expected her to pull something like this. "You're far too impulsive." He breathed exasperatedly, letting her pull him in so she could steal another kiss. Though, this time, he tightened his grip on her hair and didn't reign in his instincts.
Kaguya moaned into the kiss as Lelouch pulled her hair, feeling far more passion than she had expected from the usually reticent and cold man she knew. She tried to force him back slightly, by lowering her hands from his face to his chest, but she couldn't push him back. It was too much for her. So, rather than fight it, she groaned as she happily gave only token resistance for the moment until Lelouch pulled back.
"Wow." She breathed heavily with red streaking her face. She licked her lips as she savored the tingling sensation. Her legs weren't the only thing with goosebumps now. Kaguya tried to catch her breath, laying her head against Lelouch's right arm. Her head felt fuzzy after that. Damn was he a good kisser, her face was hot as she tried to regain control over her mental faculties. It was a good kind of heat though, the kind that made her feel like she definitely made the right decision.
Lelouch hissed slightly in pain and winced. "Damn, my arm." It was still bothering him. It was far more sensitive than he'd realized if Kaguya's head simply laying on it caused him pain. If that light pressure was causing him discomfort no wonder he had been having trouble just moving his arm.
"What's wrong?" Kaguya leaned back as her eyes shifted over his arm with a concerned look, her worry overriding any other instinct. "Did Kusakabe hurt you?" She growled, wishing she could have done something to the fool herself.
"No, I think something's wrong with it." He didn't want to tell anyone about his armor's capabilities to enhance his strength so he settled for a truth that revealed nothing. Shifting Kaguya up off his lap carefully, he unzipped his armor down as much as necessary, without taking the top of it off, so he could pull out his arm and examine it. "Yeah, something's definitely wrong with it." He whispered in shock, seeing his arm covered in bright red patches from shoulder to wrist. His arm wasn't entirely red, but there were red blotches of skin on his upper bicep and forearm. And they were much bigger than was probably healthy.
It was almost like the time he burned his arm on a skillet when he got distracted by Milly when he was cooking for one of her festivals.
At least this time it was far less painful, despite the similar appearance of the injury.
Kaguya stood as soon as she realized that Lelouch was in pain, allowing him to unzip his armor and reveal an injury that didn't look good at all. "I'll speak to the guard you left at my door, you turn around so that they don't see your face." Kaguya rushed over to the door, ignoring Lelouch trying to stop her.
"Zero needs medical attention." Kaguya whispered quickly as she cracked the door. "Please get a first aid kit or something." The guard, whose young age surprised her, turned to look at her with wide eyes.
'Kaguya?!' Nemo noticed the identity of the individual she had been guarding with shock. She knew of the girl thanks to Nunnally's memories and from the call Lelouch had made before conducting the operation, but she hadn't expected her to be on this ship tonight of all nights. 'She must be a member of the Six Houses then.' She realized, deducing the fact with ease.
Her reaction to finding out that Zero was hurt however was far more animated as Nunnally awakened within their mind and took over immediately in her worry despite her earlier exhaustion. "What?!" She hissed, barreling through the door, knocking Kaguya to the floor in the process, to break in and check on him as her worry overwhelmed her sense of propriety. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" She spoke quickly, slamming the door behind her before she gasped in shock at the sight of Lelouch's arm. "Oh my God, what happened?" She rushed over and fussed with Lelouch's arm, drawing a hiss from her beloved brother. She turned her red eyes up to him in concern, silently apologizing for causing him pain.
Nothing her Geass had shown her had revealed anything like this happening tonight. Zero wasn't supposed to be injured at all, in any of the lines she had seen.
"It's okay Kaguya." Lelouch spoke, noticing the glare Kaguya was shooting his White Witch from the ground after she was knocked over. "She's already seen my face, I trust her." He'd had no choice but to trust Nemo ever since she revealed her existence beneath Saitama, but she had never given him reason to distrust her despite having learned so many of his secrets. 'All we're missing is C.C. and we could complete the set.' He though wryly, finding it amusing that two of the girls who knew all of his deepest secrets would meet like this.
Only Nunnally couldn't know about this side of him, he didn't want to worry his little sister while he carried out his revolution for the sake of her dream. "We can trust her." Lelouch repeated, ignoring Kaguya's pout. He hadn't wanted to reveal Kaguya's identity to anyone, but in the worst-case scenario he had been prepared to have it revealed to Nemo. This may not have been how he intended it, but at least they were aware of one another now.
Kaguya huffed, brushing the wrinkles out of her clothing as she rose from her position on the floor. "So, she's seen your face before I did." Kaguya pouted slightly as she made her way over to examine the injury beside her guard. "How many others have you revealed yourself too, my husband?" Her voice was sweetly menacing, a combination Lelouch had only known Kaguya to be capable of pulling off.
"Just three others." Lelouch responded, hissing as Nemo brushed her fingers lightly over one of the red patches on his arm again. His pain distracted him from responding further, prompting him to pull his phone out from behind him to contact Sayoko. With his left hand, of course. "Sayoko, please bring a medical kit to the room that has our unexpected guest. Thank you." He spoke quickly, noticing an immediate tension brewing between Kaguya and Nemo.
"Excuse me?" Nunnally growled incredulously at Kaguya. "Your husband?" Oh, she was so not willing to have this argument again. She'd already considered herself the victor in that argument she'd had with Euphie when they were children, Nunnally was not willing to rehash it with Kaguya of all people.
"That's right." Kaguya revealed a cold smile. "My husband." She was staking her claim here, and there was no way she was backing down. "Zero will need me to act as his public face after he is victorious here." She gave Nemo a similar response to the one she had given Lelouch, though it didn't hurt that she did have some feelings for her old friend.
"Kaguya, Nemo. Why?" Lelouch most certainly did not whine pitifully as he held his arm close to his chest to prevent it from moving too much. His armor was half off, the right side of his upper body revealed, so he was cold and tired after all he had done tonight. He was not willing to rehash an argument that felt eerily similar to the argument he had to settle between Nunnally and Euphie when they were children.
Thank God for coin flips being inherently unbiased. It was unfortunate he couldn't use that method here since Kaguya made a solid case for herself when it came to being his public face.
Though he was confused as to why Nemo was so concerned, had he really drawn her in by accident? Then again, it could explain why she served him so devotedly.
Nunnally and Kaguya were glaring daggers at each other, refusing to back down from their claim on the right to be his. "He's My King and I'm his Knight. It's only natural I be the one to take care of him." Nunnally gave her counter argument. Not to mention it was only right she repay him for the years of caring for her since she couldn't care for herself, her Onii-sama deserved nothing less than her complete devotion.
"I'm his Goddess." Kaguya responded, sounding smug as she resisted the urge to headbutt the girl in front of her. "I'm the one who should be taking care of his every need." The teenager fought down a blush, determined to win this argument no matter the personal embarrassment at the thought of doing, well, that, with Lelouch.
She had fantasized a lot before she had known Zero's identity, but those fantasies had taken a decidedly more detailed turn after that night on the pier. Especially in her dreams.
"Why don't we leave it to My King to decide then?" Nunnally suggested, emphasizing her claim confident that, even if Lelouch didn't know it was her, he would still choose her over anyone.
"Yes, lets." Kaguya responded, turning to face the exasperated man at the same time as Nemo. "Well, whose it going to be, Master Zero?" She purred dangerously, confident Lelouch would pick her, if nothing else because of the benefits she could offer him. Love could come later, she just wanted to win right now.
Before Lelouch could respond to either girl. "Zero? It's Kallen, your Shadow sent me over with some medical supplies." Her voice was slightly tired, but that was to be expected after tonight. "May I come in?" She asked politely, waiting for his order.
'Thank God.' Lelouch though, grabbing his helmet and putting it on before speaking. "Come in, Kallen." His voice modulator couldn't hide his relief from the two girls in the room, but his tone was sufficiently muffled by the wood to the point that Kallen had no idea what she was walking in on.
"What's wrong Zero?" Kallen asked as she walked into the room, blinking at the sight of Zero having half of his upper armor off and two girls in the room with him, only one of which she recognized. Her face lit up with a blush. "What's going on here?!" Her voice got high pitched as her imagination went wild. Her blush only got darker as she considered that, perhaps, Zero had hurt himself trying something a little too kinky for his own good. She ignored the flash of jealousy at the thought of not being included in such a thing.
"I was speaking with my benefactor in the Six Houses when I decided to check on my arm which had been bothering me since before my speech." Zero began, quickly trying to cut off any further argument between Kaguya and Nemo by drawing attention to his injury. "Lady Kaguya spoke with Nemo and she came in to check on me while I contacted S-01." He had noticed the reddening of Kallen's face and hoped to head off any further discussion between the other two girls about who was going to be his wife.
The last thing he wanted right now was for Kallen to get involved in that argument.
Kallen's blush faded and she became pale as she caught sight of her leader's arm. "Oh God, what happened?" She asked, making her way to sit beside him on the bed as she unlatched the medical kit. "Your arm looks almost like it's burned." She murmured, taking out the antiseptic and a cotton swab to make sure it didn't get infected. Kallen ignored the hiss from Zero as she dabbed his injury.
She'd had to clean her fair share of wounds, and she'd had her fair share cleaned. But Kallen didn't want to think of her mother right now, preferring to focus on her masked leader.
Once each patch was cleaned, she pulled out some bandages to begin wrapping Zero's arm. And it was at that moment she realized that she was practically mothering him. Kallen felt her heart skip a beat and her blush return with a vengeance. "So… why did you let Euphemia go?" Kallen asked to try and distract herself from the fact that she was cleaning Zero's wound. She was honored that he trusted her this much, but she still couldn't help the feelings of insecurity she got when she thought about the allies he had that she didn't know about.
Ignoring that, she was also curious about why he didn't use Euphemia as a hostage himself if she was that important to Cornelia.
"Because a Devil always keeps his word and I had given my word that I would return Euphemia to her." Lelouch answered, the stinging becoming less irritating as he grew used to it. Both Nemo and Kaguya were whispering a little ways a way and he felt a sense of dread overcome him. He ignored the sense of impending doom, dismissing it as paranoia, and focused on answering Kallen's question. "Besides, I don't have the resources to defend the Black Knights from the warpath Cornelia would go on if I stole Euphemia from her." Cornelia had changed quite a bit, but the one thing he knew that would always remain a constant with his sister was that she would defend and fight for Euphemia to her last breath.
"Does she really care for her sister that much?" Kallen asked as she tied off a bandage on Zero's upper arm, surprised at how much importance the Viceroy would put on a single person. From what she knew of Cornelia, she was a ruthless commander that would and could achieve victory through damn near any means necessary. Zero had mandated the Black Knights familiarize themselves with their enemy commanders, with special emphasis on Cornelia and her Knights of Honor as well as their direct subordinates.
Some of the things that Cornelia had done to achieve victory against the Middle Eastern Federation had shocked Kallen to her core. That campaign had been far more brutal than the Britannian media had portrayed it, as she expected, but she had underestimated just much the media had either misdirected or outright lied about when she learned the truth.
"Euphemia is Cornelia's prized possession." Lelouch answered, not thinking much about his words. 'Just as Nunnally is my own.' There had always been a trend in the Imperial Family of the direct siblings having a much closer bond, but he and Cornelia were on the more extreme ends of the scale. They always had been. "There is no war she would not wage to protect her sister." Just as he would do anything for Nunnally, Cornelia would do anything for Euphemia.
"Prized possession?" His temporary nurse partially quoted him. Kallen started at that strange choice of words, pausing for a moment in her wrapping of Zero's forearm. "You make it sounds like she owns her or something." She tied off the bandage tightly, ensuring her leader's injury would be protected before she allowed him to slip his armor back on.
Lelouch slipped his arm back into the sleeve, appreciating the job Kallen had done on treating his injury as he zipped up his armor. 'She knows her basics well.' He hadn't intended to allow anyone to take care of him, but with Kaguya and Nemo distracted, and him being unable to remove his mask to tie off his own bandage with his teeth, he'd had to rely on Kallen. He genuinely appreciated her caring for him like this.
Lelouch tilted his head at Kallen's statement after he redressed himself, his helmet disguising his confused expression. "Of course Euphemia belongs to Cornelia." He responded logically, not seeing Kallen's problem. "Am I missing something?" He asked, noticing Kallen's eyes narrowing.
Kallen stood up with a huff. "People can't own other people!" She stomped towards the door, angry at Zero for the first time since she began serving him.
"Don't you belong to me, Kallen?" Zero's voice caused Kallen to freeze before she opened the door. "I led you in Shinjuku, saving your life, I've commanded you in battle, brought you into the Black Knights as my Ace." His steps creaked slightly on the floor as he stepped towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around and pressing her against the door. "Don't the lives of all the Black Knights belong to me? You would all likely be dead were it not for me." He pressured her to answer, leaning in with his mask to stare her down.
"Yes." Kallen answered quietly, her head hanging slightly. "All of that is true. But still…" Her voice caught slightly as she realized that Zero had claimed her as his Ace. "Wait, when did you make me your Ace?" Her head shot up, staring into the void like mask of her leader.
"I was planning on telling you later, but I needed to make a point." Zero responded, cupping her chin to force her attention to remain on him. "The members of the Black Knights owe me their lives and as such, they are my responsibility." Kallen's eyes were wide as she was held captive by his words. "Which means that you all belong to me." Zero declared lowly. It was no different from Euphie belonging to Cornelia, at least from his perspective.
He released the redhead and Kallen fell to her knees in shock as she tried to comprehend Zero's thought process. "But." Kallen stuttered. "But…" Her voice was shaking and she couldn't find the words. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally opened it to speak one more time. "I don't understand." She begged as she blinked tears of confusion out of her eyes, staring up at Zero's mask, beseeching him to explain what he meant.
"Eventually, you will." Zero responded before backing off and allowing Kallen the opportunity to open the door. "Until then, think on my words and continue to serve me well as my Ace. You have earned that position with your skills and I expect you to keep them sharp." He turned and made his way back to the bed, his head looking back over his shoulder. "You're dismissed Kallen, you can leave now. I expect you to keep everything you've seen here confidential, I'm sure you understand why." She took the hint and rose from her knees to leave the room, shocked at her glimpse of the mind of the man behind the mask tonight.
Kallen didn't know what to think about Zero, having the pedestal she had placed him on cracked in its foundations after what he had said tonight, but she planned to try and understand him. Like it or not, she was still drawn to him and she wanted to serve him well as his Ace, as he had ordered her. And so Kallen resolved herself as she left the door, to work harder than she ever had before so that she could continue to serve him and perhaps, one day, understand him.
The door clicked shut and Zero removed his mask, sitting on the bed. Lelouch sighed. "Well, that was intriguing." He was still confused by Kallen's problem with what he had said. It had been nothing less than the truth after all. Lelouch held out his right arm to stare at his palm. He clenched his fist, only gritting his teeth in pain slightly. It looked like it really was just a bad burn. 'I better not use the boost from my armor too often.' He deduced easily, having come to that conclusion a while ago.
Sakuradite boosted strength had consequences he had not foreseen, though he probably should have.
"Yeah, you definitely need someone to be your face in public." Nunnally spoke dryly, her conversation with Kaguya having ended a few moments before Kallen almost stormed off. "Kallen's mind isn't quite able to follow you, you can't assume everyone thinks the same way Your Majesty." Still, she had agreed and understood everything Lelouch had said. After all, she knew that he considered her to be his most prized possession as well. Her life had been his since the night she had awakened after their mother was murdered. That was something she had always known, even back then.
The life of Nunnally, whether it be vi Britannia, Lamperouge, or the identity under the alias of Nemo, belonged to Lelouch. Regardless of whether it was under the name of vi Britannia, Lamperouge, or alias of Zero. Nunnally considered that to be a fundamental fact of reality. To her, that was an absolute truth.
"What did she have a problem with?" Lelouch asked curiously, wanting to understand the problem with his words. One of his greatest strengths was his skill in oratory, if there was a flaw in how he said things he needed to correct it.
"Normal people take issue with the concept of belonging to someone." Kaguya chose to respond, having come to an agreement with Nemo during Lelouch and Kallen's conversation. Sharing wasn't out of the question after all. Still, this was more important than telling him their decision. It was the duty of a wife to correct her husband when he was wrong after all. At least Kaguya would be kept busy.
She walked over and sat beside her future husband, Nemo doing the same and sitting on his left side. Kaguya remained silent for a moment as she stared at the floor, trying to come up with a good way to phrase the message she was trying to share.
"When Kallen hears the phrase "possession" in relation to other people she immediately thinks of slavery or an equivalent." Kaguya chose to use a contrasting approach to get her point across. She wasn't entirely sure if that's what Kallen thought, but it seemed to make the most sense based on her negative reaction. "Whereas you think of responsibility and reciprocity. You care for what you consider yours and expect loyalty in turn." The Goddess of Victory looked up to Lelouch's eyes and, as she expected, she saw his understanding.
"I see now." Lelouch spoke carefully. "I shall have to be more careful when speaking with the Black Knights then, if they share similar perspectives." He wondered if this idea of possession of others was something he carried over from being a Prince or if it was something he developed on his own. He hadn't ever really considered this thought process to be anything significant, but now he would have to use such phrases sparingly to avoid driving off his followers by implying he saw them as his slaves.
It was kind of ironic actually, that he had the power to make that a reality and yet it was his words that would make them feel as if they were slaves when they were as free from his Geass as they could be.
"Most people do, Master Zero." Kaguya spoke with her new title for him as she leaned in slightly to cuddle with her future husband. She had only called him that to tease him at first, but she rather liked how it sounded. And how it made her feel. She responded maturely to Nemo's glare under Lelouch's arm, promptly sticking out her tongue in triumph. Her victory turned into a draw however, as Nemo cuddled into Lelouch's other side and returned the favor.
'This agreement may be a little more difficult to maintain than I thought.' Kaguya realized, feeling comfortable as they all relaxed on the bed. They would be docking soon, but there wasn't any reason why they couldn't get a little rest before Zero's Shadow came to alert them it was time to leave. While they were resting on the bed, Kaguya's mind turned to the agreement she had hashed out with Nemo when Lelouch had been speaking with Kallen.
Even Nemo had admitted that Kaguya would probably be the only one who could properly assist Lelouch in the arena of politics and public relations. Her connections made her a valuable asset so their "marriage" would be one of political convenience, despite Kaguya's very real feelings for Lelouch. Nemo had accepted this argument when they were talking, though she had refused to back down saying that her King deserved love not just convenience. And that was when Kaguya mentioned that, while she hoped that Lelouch could one day come to love her, she wasn't necessarily against sharing.
It took a little negotiating, but they eventually come to an agreement. Part of that agreement was that anyone else who wanted to be with Lelouch would have to pass their evaluations before they chose to share him, if he even wanted them in the first place.
Near that point was when Lelouch had gotten a feeling of primal terror, but to his detriment he had dismissed it as mere paranoia. Thus, with the agreement between Nunnally, or as Kaguya knew her, Nemo, and the Goddess of Victory, the Black Devil would face a peril that only one man alive could truly sympathize with.
Though Lelouch would literally rather eat a meal laced with the deadliest poisons known to mankind than go to his father for marriage advice regarding how to manage multiple wives.
(Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven – Ashford Academy Swimming Pool – 12:03 am – October 4 – 2017 a.t.b.)
C.C. watched her contractor from atop the diving board, stretching for a little bit before she took her dive. The Grey Witch felt a sensation akin to fondness for the daring young man she had contracted with almost a month ago after watching his speech Sunday night. His madness was truly beautiful to behold as he began to twist the world to his whims.
It was surprising that she was developing an attachment to him so early, but considering who his mother was perhaps she shouldn't have been surprised. Marianne had always had a talent for digging her way past C.C.'s walls and it seemed that her son, and even her daughter occasionally, had inherited that little trait of the Witch's previous favorite contractor.
"Oh, is that how it is now?" Marianne's voice sounded within C.C.'s mind, causing the Witch to pause in her stretching and clamp down on any errant thoughts she had running through her mind. "You're no fun you know that?" Marianne's voice took on a distinctly pouty sound to it as she stared through C.C.'s eyes to observe her son and her daughter's strange doppelganger. "The least you could do is be closer so I can get a good view of my children." Marianne complained, ignoring the absurdity of complaining about the view from within someone else's mind.
"Well perhaps you should have picked a better time to invade my mind once more, Marianne." C.C. quipped back, wondering why the dead woman had contacted her again. "If you're just here to complain about not seeing your children, get out of my mind." Truly, if Marianne wanted to see her children that badly then she should just come to Ashford herself.
"Now, now." Marianne's voice trembled for only a moment, recalling the memory C.C. had last shared with her. "No need to act rashly. I just wanted to talk to an old friend, that's all." Ignoring C.C.'s incredulous snort, the spirited Empress carried on. "I wanted to talk about my son's speech the other night." Marianne had not expected her son to be so bold and ambitious, but he had made her feel proud as she watched the event through Anya's eyes.
Lelouch truly did have her gift for turning even the most powerful people's heads with his words. Even little Anya had felt some interest in the masked revolutionary when he had spoken, if the sensation of intrigue and slight attraction to the mystery of who was behind the mask Marianne had sensed from within had been accurate.
"Why do you want to talk about that?" C.C. asked, as she prepared to dive. Marianne answered just as her feet left the board, the air whistling through her hair before she splashed into the pool.
"My son is driving the world crazy!" Marianne answered, ignoring the sight of water flooding her vision as C.C. hit the pool. "Why wouldn't I want to talk about that?" A proud laugh echoed in C.C.'s mind from the late Empress, irritating the Witch.
'If you're just going to gush about your son, then get out.' C.C. directed towards Marianne, forcing the spirit of the Empress from her mind. The emerald haired woman took a deep breath as she rose from underwater, floating on her back gently. She kicked softly, letting her arms stay relaxed by her sides as she floated around.
While C.C. was preparing to dive, Lelouch scrolled through the large number of applications people had filed to join the Black Knights, merely skimming through them for the moment as they would be run through Ruben's computer to scan for inconsistencies before he contacted any of them to let them know whether they were accepted and were now on a probationary period or rejected.
Meanwhile, Nemo was kicking her feet in the pool while C.C. jumped from the highest diving board. "When will we be moving out again, My King?" Nemo asked as she ignored the splash of the emerald haired Witch crashing into the still water, having allowed Nunnally to connect with her mind so that her body could rest. Well, that and avoid the cramps that came about around this time of the month. When Nunnally's body wasn't part of their merger it was far less energy intensive for Nemo to be the one in charge of their actions and the sensations from Nunnally's body were far more muted.
Though without Nunnally's body the Mark Nemo was off limits to them as it would be a Knightmare with no pilot, but Nemo doubted that the Academy pool was going to be invaded anytime soon.
"Within the next few days for certain." Lelouch responded, his eyes catching a rare Britannian application. There had been a few others, but this one appeared to have the potential to be useful to him. 'Hm, Diethard Ried.' He would have to speak with Villetta to see if her Purist connections had any information on this man. Zero could use another individual capable of manipulating the minds of the masses, Kaguya could only do so much from the shadows after all.
It had been a few days since Zero's Grand Proclamation, as the media were calling it, so he could likely contact Villetta without it being too suspicious. The last time he had spoken with her was to get an update regarding Saitama, though he hadn't known it would be Saitama at the time, and an update on the deterioration of Orange's political standing. Jeremiah's descent into paranoia was coming along nicely, a suitable revenge for the man who would execute Suzaku merely because of his heritage.
Though he would have liked for Jeremiah's reputation to have been destroyed more thoroughly, because the man had merely remained still rather than actively aided in his escape that first night Orange boy still had some political influence. He had ordered Villetta to appear to support the man while subtly undermining him and report to him if he got anywhere close to discovering Zero's identity so that he could silence him if necessary.
Just because he wanted to torment Jeremiah didn't mean that he would be willing to risk being discovered.
C.C. floated by on her back, enjoying the coolness of the water flowing over her body. "This swimsuit's a little tight." She complained lightly.
"Then don't steal someone else's swimsuit." Lelouch responded in a dry tone, filing away his plan to contact Villetta about Diethard for later. 'Perhaps.' An idea came to him before he filed it away for later. "I'm surprised you didn't purchase one on your shopping spree." Seriously, he had seen the collection she had amassed, she hadn't thought to buy a single swimsuit and yet she chose to purchase a bunch of different styled hats or duplicates. Speaking of things bought a few weeks ago, Nunnally's gift had finally arrived the other day. It was currently hiding in a drawer on his desk, so all he needed to do was box it then wrap it and his birthday gift for her was all set.
He had been very irritated with the jewelry shop that they had taken a full extra week to deliver it to him rather than let him know when it was complete so he could pick it up, but it was all moot once he paid them in full and received the gift in time.
C.C. hummed noncommittally, staring up at the beautiful almost full moon as its silver rays poured over the roof. "What do you plan to do next?" She asked, curious about what her contractor's next move would be. He had brought even more attention to himself and his group with his last stunt than he had when he rescued the Kururugi boy, C.C. was wondering what Lelouch was planning to do to take advantage of that publicity.
Lelouch smirked before answering C.C.'s question. "Currently, I need to identify which of these recruits I can count on and figure out which members of the now defunct Yamato Alliance can be trusted. The next step is to complete some missions that build up the reputation of Zero as a savior of the weak." It would also help him identify who he could count on when he began crafting the leadership positions below Zero. Lelouch stretched his arms out, leaning back slightly as he looked to the sky in contemplation. "But after that, well." He chuckled darkly, his eyes clouding with madness for a moment before clearing. "That depends on Cornelia's reaction and how quickly she manages to track down the JLF." Those relics would soon be obsolete, and with the steadily growing number of groups that were being absorbed into his Knights, he would soon supplant them entirely.
Resistance groups from around Japan had been the greatest source of recruits, Lelouch had noticed. They were rallying around Zero and the Black Knights in an effort to obtain protection from Cornelia and her forces, but he made it clear through the underground channels that, unless they swore loyalty to the Black Knights and upheld the principles of his Order, they were not welcome.
And anyone found to be acting in his name without his authorization would suffer the consequences.
Some, small groups and a few larger ones, had agreed to obey him and his Knights. However, there were others that thought they could still remain independent and survive. That number would decrease as Cornelia hunted down the independent groups until they were either wiped out or forced to join the Black Knights.
'Soon.' Lelouch thought to himself, staring up at the night sky through the roof's opening and contemplating the future. "Regardless of the actions that I take right now, my army will only continue to grow." He finished answering C.C.'s question. "The next move belongs to my dear sister." Lelouch snickered mockingly.
Nemo was smiling as she listened to the conversation between Lelouch and C.C., taking in the beauty of the nearly full moon so that Nunnally could enjoy the sight within her mind. "Do you think that Cornelia has discovered the base of the JLF yet? I mean, she's had access to Kusakabe for a few days now, do you think he broke?" The White Witch asked curiously, wondering at her King's thoughts on the matter. There was no way Cornelia hadn't been torturing the bastard who had nearly gotten her sister killed, regardless of any international conventions, so she was curious how long Lelouch believed the man capable of resisting.
"If he hasn't already given her the location to make her stop, I'd say give it a few more days at most." Lelouch replied to Nemo, continuing his scrolling for the moment before his phone rang. He pulled it out and checked the ID, it turned out to be Ruben. Lelouch closed his laptop and flicked open his phone, holding it to his ear.
"Yes?" He spoke simply, seeing no need to say more to his guardian. "What is it?" It wasn't like Ruben to call this late, even after becoming his advisor.
"It seems that there have been some complications, milord." Ruben sounded tired over the phone. "My son and his wife apparently kept a secret file on the Ashford network that contained all the data on you and your sister's identities as members of the Imperial Family." The older man remained silent, waiting for the outburst he knew was coming.
Lelouch didn't even need to think about his response. "If I ever see them again, I'm going to kill them." No one, and he meant no one, was allowed to jeopardize Nunnally's safety. "I warned them years ago that if they ever tried to use us again I would make them pay." His voice turned to ice, it was the same tone he had used to order the deaths of Clovis' Royal Guard all those weeks ago. "Is that the only reason you called me Ruben? To kill your son and his wife?" He asked softly. If Ruben hadn't told him, his son and daughter-in-law would have remained alive, blissfully unaware of the Devil they crossed.
"Milord," Ruben sounded even more tired than moments ago. "That won't be necessary. The reason I called is that I only discovered the file because it was completely erased from the main servers." A sigh came over the phone. "The data, when erased from the main servers, is always to this computer before it's erased fully for confirmation, it's a precaution I took so that I don't accidentally erase important data, but they can't have known that." Ruben's tone became hopeful, as he tried to sway Lelouch. "I know they made a mistake, but I would appreciate it if you didn't kill Milly's parents, no matter how foolish they are." He hoped that this appeal would sway Lelouch, knowing that the boy cared for Milly even if he didn't care for her parents ever since they tried to force him to marry Milly and return to the homeland so they could regain their noble titles.
It had only been about four years since that incident, but Milly's parents now consciously avoided any area Lelouch was rumored to be whenever they visited the school.
Lelouch remained silent for a minute or so, weighing his response to Ruben carefully this time. So long as the data was gone, perhaps there was no need for his immediate reaction. "Very well, so long as they take no further actions against Nunnally or myself I can allow them to continue living." Ruben had been his and Nunnally's guardian for years and Milly had been their friend for longer, if there truly was no current threat then he could allow them to remain alive. "Do you know if they were the ones who deleted the data?" He asked, needing to know if there was a threat that he needed to handle for Nunnally's sake.
"No, I don't know who deleted the data." Ruben replied, his tone one of frustration. "I can tell which computer deleted the data, but not who did it. There weren't any login credentials registered to the school so I can't track it, I believe that they used a separate computer to hack into the network to try and dig up some dirt on me, but found this instead." Ruben paused for a moment, allowing Lelouch to process the information before delving into one of his theories. "I suspect either those two deleted it for some reason or someone else deleted it, perhaps to protect you and Nunnally or to ensure no one else learns of this information." Those were the best theories he had come up with, though he had only just discovered the information tonight.
Seriously, Ruben had only gone down to update the information in Zero's helmet tonight as he had finally managed to get the information on the Gloucester Knightmare Frame. And now he found out his son and daughter-in-law had violated the privacy of his two charges. He would definitely be talking with them after this.
Perhaps he should follow through with that threat to disown his son and ensure everything went to Milly, she really was his pride and joy these days.
"I see, thank you for the information Ruben." Lelouch would have to keep a closer eye on those who would try to get closer to him and Nunnally now, if someone suddenly tried to become their friend that hadn't before then he would have his first suspect in regards to who discovered their identities. Or, if one of their friends began to treat them differently than they had before, then he would know it was someone he knew that had found out who hadn't known before.
Depending on what happened, it was likely there would be a student death on campus sometime in the future.
"Is there anything else you wish to report?" Lelouch asked, watching C.C. climb out of the pool and begin to dry off.
"Yes, actually. Milly got an invitation to the opening of Clovisland Pool, a precursor to the eventual opening of the entire Clovisland Theme Park, she wants you to go tomorrow. With her and the rest of the Student Council." Ruben started. "I would like you to go and take some time off before you carry out the next operation, even God rested at least once and you're not God Lelouch." Ruben chuckled slightly. "I insist you take a day off and spend time with your sister at the pool." He didn't the poor boy to work himself to death.
"Ruben…" Lelouch felt a strange mixture of fondness and irritation. He didn't appreciate the man treating him like a child, but perhaps he was right. He hadn't spent much time with Nunnally lately, beyond their morning rituals. Even that had been cutting in on his sleep. Perhaps a break wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Very well, I'll go tomorrow." He clicked his phone off, sighing in exhaustion. 'Yeah, a break sounds nice.'
Lelouch couldn't afford to burn himself out.
(Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven – Britannian State Television Studios – 11:09 am – October 5 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Villetta walked beside the disgraced Jeremiah Gottwald with a sense of purpose, though she couldn't for the life of her remember why she had chosen to remain loyal to the former leader of Area Eleven's chapter of the Purist Faction before their collapse. Remaining by the former Margrave's side would only hinder her chances of obtaining true nobility, but she felt an overwhelming need to remain by Jeremiah's side. Had he truly inspired such loyalty in her that, even after his betrayal and failure to prevent Zero from escaping almost a month ago now, she would assist him in any way she could?
Apparently that was the case, Villetta mused silently to herself as she and Jeremiah found themselves in front of the office of the man who had allowed the broadcast of Zero's Grand Proclamation to go through, preparing to seek his assistance in hunting down a lead that Villetta had found herself recalling from Shinjuku the other day. Cautiously, she knocked on the door, hoping the media manipulator wasn't out to lunch early.
"Come in." The voice of Diethard sounded from the inside, prompting the Knight to open the door. When the man with coiffed hair saw the pair enter, a smirk graced his sharp face. "Ah, if it isn't Orange Boy." He said with a snicker. "I'm sorry, but repairing your reputation is beyond even my skills." The man behind the desk turned his attention back to his computer, likely drafting or editing another article.
Jeremiah, not taking the insult well, slammed his hands down on Diethard's desk. "I dare you to call me that again." The former Margrave growled through gritted teeth, causing Ried to pause in his work and stare up at the enraged face of Jeremiah Gottwald.
"Why are you here?" Diethard asked, choosing to sidestep the landmine presented in front of him. "It should be known by now that I've been demoted permanently after the Kawaguchi speech Zero gave was allowed to go through." Truly, he was infuriated that his executives were being so narrow minded about this. Zero was the hottest topic around the world and the station was completely ignoring the opportunity to double or even triple their ratings.
His bitterness with the lack of enthusiasm many of his colleagues held for the modern-day Napoleon were part of the reason why he had sent in that application a few days ago. There was no way he would allow the chance to chronicle an honest to God revolution pass him by, even if his co-workers were willing to do the same.
"Back during the Shinjuku Incident, I ran into someone who may be related to Zero." Villetta answered, pulling Jeremiah back before he could punch their potential ally. "I must have hit my head or something because I didn't recall until a couple days ago, but there was a university student in the Ghetto at the time of the massacre." Villetta narrowed her eyes, irritated that she had failed to remember something that could have been so important to the investigation.
"A university student you say." Diethard felt his interest peaked. Perhaps he could prove his loyalty to the man shaking up the world by assisting in protecting his identity. He finished up the last few edits with one hand before pulling up a search engine. "Do you recall the crest on his uniform?" Villetta must have seen a symbol or something in order to conclude that who she had seen was a university student.
"I'm pretty sure that it was the sigil for the University of the Tokyo Settlement." Villetta answered, watching as Diethard began to look up the university's student list. "He had brown hair and brown eyes, and his face was sharp. Almost like an Eleven's." Villetta rubbed her head slightly, unaware of her eyes flashing with a red ring for a moment. "I think I saw him in an alley after I lost my Knightmare, but I don't remember anything after that." The memory was foggy, almost as if he had knocked the memory of the incident right out of her.
Diethard frowned. "Unfortunately, that description is a little too generic." He pulled up the list of enrolled students and began to compile a list of those that matched the description Villetta had shared. "I'll have to get a list back to you two at a later date." Once again, Jeremiah reacted violently.
The former Margrave threw his arms out exasperatedly. "And just how long do you expect us to wait?!" He shouted, feeling his anger begin to overwhelm him as it often had over the past few weeks. "By the time you help us uncover Zero's identity he could have already killed us all by then!" Jeremiah wanted to hunt down the bastard that had ruined his reputation and rip that goddamn mask of his face before carving the name Orange into his forehead. Only when he repaid the humiliation he had suffered tenfold would he allow Zero to die.
"Well, you'll just have to be patient." Diethard bit out, trying to avoid being attacked by the unstable soldier. Seriously, even covering the opening of the dreadfully named "Clovisland Pool" would have been better than dealing with this. But he had unfortunately been banned from even that assignment as punishment, forcing him to deal with editing his colleague's work like some damn intern.
Diethard hoped that he could abandon this job soon and start covering so much more exciting.
(Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven – Clovisland Pool – 2:03 pm – October 5 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Lelouch pushed Nunnally's wheelchair carefully as he had separated from Milly and the rest of the Student Council, save for Alice. He wasn't exactly pleased, but as he walked around with Nunnally, describing everything around them for Nunnally, he realized that he hadn't been this happy in quite some time. Spending quality time with Nunnally like this, as well as the others, it was… nice.
It was also more pleasant than it would have been a few days ago when he still had the bandages on his arm. It still stung a little, but his right arm was no longer blistering so there was no risk to his identity being revealed to Kallen.
"Hey, is that Suzaku?" Alice asked from her position by his and Nunnally's side, pointing over to a brown-haired man on a pool chair. "Suzaku!" Alice shouted, causing the man to turn to look in their direction, revealing his eyes and thus his identity.
"Lelouch, Nunnally, Alice?" Suzaku took notice of his three friends with a murmur of each of their names. "What are you doing here?" He asked as they came over, his eyes flickering about. The last thing he wanted right now was for his friends to be exposed in a place like this.
"Milly invited us and the rest of the Student Council." Lelouch answered while Alice dipped her feet into the pool nearby. "And what the President says goes." He finished dryly, eliciting an exasperated sigh from Alice and a chuckle from Suzaku while Nunnally giggled.
"You should just give into the madness, Alice." Nunnally joked with her friend, tilting her head in the direction of the blonde girl. She had heard the fifteen-year-old slip her feet into the pool, though she was only kicking the water for the moment as she tried to get used to it. "It's so much easier." She stuck out her tongue playfully, hearing Alice huff in indignation.
Alice crossed her arms over her light blue checkered bikini top, a matching pair to Nunnally's own pink checkered bikini. "Just because I share a name with a character whose known for being mad doesn't mean I'm eager to give into the madness of the President." Alice had heard many Alice in Wonderland jokes over the course of her life and she wasn't eager to live up to the name.
"What's this? My ears are burning." Milly's mischievous voice taunted a few feet away behind Alice. "What's this about the genius of your glorious President, little Alice?" Milly's voice sent a chill down the blonde's spine as she slowly turned around.
"Nothing, nothing at all." Alice managed to only just avoid stuttering. "This trip is one of your best ideas ever Madame President." She hoped she could get back into Milly's good graces by being a good little minion.
"That's what I thought I heard!" Milly's voice perked right back up. Her cheeriness drawing a giggle from Nunnally, who was still by Lelouch and Suzaku who were both talking rather low. "Hey, you two, we're all going to see the Viceroy give a speech commemorating the opening of Clovisland Pool, all attendees need to show up on the double!" With that, the blonde eighteen-year-old who exemplified madness pumped her fist into the air as though she were holding a sword and charged away. "Onwards!" Her voice echoed slightly as she walked off quickly, mindful of the no running signs.
Alice lost her grin as she looked over at Nunnally, feeling concerned over the blind girl and her brother being seen near the Viceroy. She stood from her position, ignoring the dripping water running down her legs as she walked carefully to the girl in the wheelchair. The secret soldier kneeled by Nunnally's side and took her hand. "Are you sure you want to go, Nunnally?" She asked softly. "There's going to be a crowd and I don't want you to get hurt." Well, that and considering what she had learned recently, her concern for her best friend's wellbeing had skyrocketed.
The mission she had been given secretly by Colonel Madd to obtain the plans for the Ganymede so that they could improve their Knightmares and get an edge over Camelot hadn't netted the information as it was impossible for her to access the data from the computer she had used. But what she had discovered was a file revealing Lelouch and Nunnally's identities as the Prince and Princess who had been sent to Japan during the negotiations over how to distribute the plethora of Sakuradite the island nation had in its lands back in 2010. She deleted it almost immediately as soon as she got over her shock.
Alice had made a decision then and there. She would do all that she could to ensure their identities remained a secret because that was clearly their wish if they had refused to return to the Homeland by now. Going to see a commemoration by the Viceroy would put the pair at increased risk of discovery, but she couldn't very well bring that up. So she played off her concern about their identities as her being concerned about Nunnally's safety in a crowd.
Nunnally shook her head, happy that her best friend was concerned for her wellbeing. "It's okay, Alice." Nunnally squeezed the girl's hand softly. "Lelou will protect me, and so will you." A smile graced the blind girl's face. "And I'm sure Suzaku will help as well. Right, Suzaku?" Her head turned as she redirected her attention behind her, having sensed the approach of her brother and their closest friend.
"Of course, Nunnally." Suzaku's voice sounded softly from her side while Lelouch took control of her wheelchair's handles to direct them to the back of the crowd where the rest of the Student Council was waiting for them. "I'll always protect you." A happy laugh escaped Nunnally's lips as she was escorted by her Onii-sama and two closest friends to the rest of their group.
When the future was uncertain or bleak, it was important to have happy memories like the kind that would be made on days like today. Even if she was bitter deep down inside that she couldn't enjoy everything the same way as everyone else.
While Nunnally was concerning herself with the happiness of their friends, Lelouch found himself glaring daggers at Cornelia's form from the back of the crowd. To be so close and yet so far away from being able to use his Geass for answers, it was infuriating. And, unfortunately for him, his anger was apparent to those around him.
Though those around him couldn't exactly see that it was anger he was directing at Cornelia.
"Lulu's staring at the Viceroy really intensely, isn't he?" Shirley noticed the look her crush was shooting the Princess and whispered her observation to Milly. "You don't think…?" Her nervous whisper trailed off slightly, a blush lighting up her face at the thoughts running through her mind.
"Well… he is a red-blooded male." Milly choked out nervously, trying not to laugh. "Even if he doesn't act like it most of the time. It's an understandable reaction when staring at such beauty." Oh God, she was having way too much fun messing with Shirley like this. The girl was just too easy sometimes. She was rather nervous about her upcoming engagement dinner, so she really enjoyed being able to cut loose and forget about it for a while with her friends.
Milly wasn't entirely certain she'd be able to get out of it this time around. She was running out of ways to drive off the suitors without actually hurting them or getting Lulu to humiliate them for her so she would have an excuse as to why she wasn't interested in them any longer.
"No way." Shirley's voice squeaked as a blush colored her cheeks. "Don't joke about that sort of thing Madame President!" Her little outburst almost drew attention, but most everyone was still distracted, either by the Viceroy's beauty or the rather well developed forms of her male guards' bodies. It was a feast for the eyes, regardless of gender or sexuality.
After the commemoration, almost everyone went their separate ways. Suzaku ended up introducing them to Cécile, who was one of his superiors, before he was called off for some training thing or another. Alice spent most of the day with Lelouch and Nunnally, but she had eventually wandered off on her own with Nunnally's blessing.
As things drew to a close, Lelouch found himself helping Nunnally dry herself off. The siblings were alone on one of the empty chairs by the main pool. Nunnally was laying on her stomach so that Lelouch could dry her long hair as the pigtails had come out after Nunnally's first, and only, attempt at the waterslide.
Even if she had Alice holding her so that she would be able to come out alright, it didn't stop the speed the pair were going at from undoing the knots and letting all of her hair fly free.
As Lelouch rang out even more water from Nunnally's hair, he chuckled. "Looks like you'll be needing a haircut soon." He observed, drawing a pout from Nunnally.
"Aw." Nunnally pouted. "I hate getting my hair cut." Even if it was always Lelouch who did it for her, Nunnally wasn't fond of getting her hair cut short.
"I tell you what," Lelouch offered, as he rubbed the towel over Nunnally's legs to dry them off. "How about I only trim it so that it's easier to manage rather than cut it shorter?" Nunnally hadn't had a haircut in quite some time, but he could tell she had grown fond of the length of her hair. He helped Nunnally sit up so he could wrap her in the towel and gave her a smile. "What do you say?" Nunnally's response was exactly as he hoped.
"That sounds great." Nunnally replied with a grin, cocooning herself a little bit in the towel to fight off the chill that was beginning to develop as the day came to an end. A yawn escaped Nunnally's lips, drawing one from Lelouch as well. "Today was fun, wasn't it Onii-sama?" Nunnally whispered as Lelouch picked her up to place her back in wheelchair.
"Yeah, it was." Lelouch responded to his sister with a smile as he began to take them towards the exit. He hadn't expected a day off like this to be enjoyable, but he was glad he got a little break. Kallen had needed one as well considering how she had apparently shouted about the Black Knights in her sleep while they were in class, according to Rivalz.
Everyone who was connected to the war in Area Eleven could sense that dark times were coming. Whether it was Lelouch, Nunnally, Kallen, Suzaku, or Alice, they all knew this even if they were unaware of the others' knowledge or parts in the war, but all of them knew that days like this…
Memories of days like this were to be treasured.
(Kanagawa Ghetto, Area Eleven – Yokohama Port – 9:03 pm – October 11 – 2017 a.t.b.)
C.C. stood next to Lelouch, who was dressed in his armor as she watched him sit on the body of one of the men he'd just killed, the body's neck at an odd angle. She leaned against the window with her arms crossed, allowing her prisoner uniform's sleeves to billow openly. "You're getting better." She snickered quietly as a hiss escaped the masked revolutionary. "You managed to take out three guards this time before you got exhausted and had to resort to Geass." It was almost sad, his stamina was just terrible. If it weren't for his skill compensating for his lack of strength and stamina he would have had to rely on Geass entirely to kill the guards who were stationed on the higher areas of the warehouse the Black Knights were invading.
"Quiet Witch." Lelouch grumbled as he pulled out the flashlight he had clipped to his side, the place he would normally keep a gun. He flicked it on and off a few times, signaling his forces that they could move in.
This was the sixth day of such operations, he had his infiltration techniques down perfectly, but when it came to actually killing the guards without using his power, a weapon, or his armor's enhancement capabilities he was rusty. Tohdoh would kick his ass if he had known how much Lelouch had lost his touch. Chaos rang out at the front entrance of the Refrain den he and his Knights were raiding, alerting him to his forces' success in breaching the warehouse.
C.C. looked out over the railing to all of those who were languishing in the past under the influence of the drug Refrain. Her eyes showed no emotion as she observed people lost in a time when they were about to head off to university or reminiscing about a marriage or having a child. "Why are you conducting these operations, Lelouch?" C.C. asked her accomplice, her tone not revealing any emotion. "Are you trying to save these people from themselves?"
Walking next to her to observe his forces as they breached the backroom and began finishing off the cartel, Lelouch chuckled behind his mask. "My forces grew more than I had honestly expected after my Proclamation." Crossing his arms beneath his cloak, Lelouch continued. "These raids I've been conducting have been to build cohesion amongst my forces since most of the new members are from other groups, I need to give them a common identity as members of the Black Knights and forcing them to fight side by side as they witness one of the greatest plagues their people are suffering from will bind them together as my soldiers." It was also a good way to purge Refrain from the Ghettoes by taking out the distribution channels.
Refrain was a despicable drug, in Lelouch's opinion, and he didn't think highly of those who succumbed to its lure. "It also helps to build my reputation as someone who defends the weak, and those who have succumbed to Refrain are often the weakest of all."
"That doesn't sound like something a knight for justice would say." C.C. taunted as she observed one of the Knightmares involved in the raid begin acting erratically. She narrowed her eyes curiously, noticing it held something in its hand. 'Is that… a woman?' How odd.
Lelouch chuckled as he watched the battle begin to come to an end. "All I need to do is foster the reputation as someone who fights for justice and my people will believe it, it doesn't matter if it's the truth. As far as the Black Knights are concerned, serving Zero and fighting for justice are one and the same." C.C. laughed quietly behind him as he walked down to check in on Kallen, who was cradling the body of a woman and crying.
Belief in a lie was more important than the knowledge of the truth. What an interesting tactic for a man who tried to lie as little as possible. A near silent chuckle escaped her lips as she walked over to a different catwalk to try and eavesdrop a little on the conversation between the redhead and her dear collaborator.
She was glad Lelouch allowed her to come to these operations, her insight into the mind of her accomplice and his subjects had only grown over the past six days.
Nemo had been unavailable for this operation because Lelouch had been adamant she rest after participating in about twelve operations in the past few days. Which was more than half of the operations the Black Knights had conducted, giving C.C. a new respect for both the Doll and Nunnally, who she knew was almost always the dominant personality. And Kallen had been similarly dedicated in her zeal to serve Zero, serving just as much as C.C. had.
They were the only two she knew of who participated in all twenty operations over the past few days, Nemo certainly would have been another but it seemed Lelouch's instinctual need to protect his sister's wellbeing was strong even when he had no idea his sister was by his side.
Ignoring her musings, C.C. watched curiously as she saw Zero place his hand on Kallen's shoulder. 'How… interesting.' C.C. thought with a small smile as she observed Lelouch use Kallen's insecurities to bind her loyalty to him and him alone.
Kallen was lost within herself as she watched her mother mumble incoherently, the Refrain finally running its course through her system as she started to lose consciousness. She didn't know how long she sat their crying as her mother faded farther and farther away, but she was jarred back to reality when she felt a hand grip her shoulder. The low light glinting off the armored gauntlet was all she needed to know their identity. She looked up at the mask of the man she followed frantically, tears spilling from her eyes. "I swear, Zero." She pleaded. "I swear I didn't know my mother was using Refrain!" She hoped he would believe her, she didn't want her mother to suffer any further than she already had. "Please, believe me." She begged desperately.
"I believe you, Kallen." Zero murmured as he took in Kallen's distraught appearance. She didn't have any wounds from her encounter with the Knight Police, but her hair was out of place and her cheeks were blotched red with tears. She had some bags under her eyes, signaling the lack of rest she had been getting during the past six days as he led her on a number of different raids. "Do you understand what I mentioned to you on the ship now?" He asked, attempting to distract her from her sorrow as well as see if she had managed to learn a little more about how he saw the world.
Kallen had not forgotten what her leader had spoken of almost two weeks ago now. She had been thinking them over a lot, unable to understand why Zero of all people thought possession of another person's life wasn't always wrong.
"Your mother, you love her, do you not?" Zero's voice asked low, seeing the internal conflict waging in Kallen's eyes. He squeezed Kallen's shoulder, silencing her before she could respond. "Look at her as she is, right now." Kallen's eyes scanned over her comatose mother and observed her body shaking as it started to go through withdrawal. "Even now, your mother is cherished by you. Her life is in your hands Kallen, just as your life is in mine." Kallen's eyes went wide as they shot up to look at him questioningly. "As my soldier, your life belongs to me." He paused momentarily to allow Kallen to digest what he was saying. "As such I have a responsibility to care for you, and all I expect from you is that you remain loyal to me for as long as you serve me. Are you capable of this, Kallen?"
Kallen gulped as her gaze shifted from her mother to her leader before she realized what she should have known ever since that night on the boat. 'What I want, is a place by Zero's side. I want him to trust me, to confide in me.' And perhaps… more. Kallen hugged her mother tight and rose once Zero's hand was removed from her shoulder. "I promise, Lord Zero." Kallen began as she walked towards the area where the addicts were getting emergency medical attention. "I promise I will serve you faithfully for as long as I live." With that, the redheaded revolutionary left her leader alone in the shadows.
'Excellent.' Lelouch grinned behind his mask, excited that he had managed to share the way he saw the world with Kallen. Things had turned out even better than he expected. Turning to look up, he saw C.C. standing in the rafters before he gestured to a ladder so she could come down so they could speak.
C.C. slowly climbed down the ladder where she was met by her masked accomplice. "Well done." She commented with a grin before he could get a word in edgewise. "I saw what you did, and I must say your skills in manipulation are only improving." Truly, C.C. felt that Lelouch's Geass was most appropriate, because although its foundations lay in his desire for control all it did was add yet another tool to his arsenal of manipulative skills.
She had known many people who were capable of this kind of manipulation, but she had known so few who were willing to go through with it. Most of them allowed their moral code to get in the way, but it was clear Lelouch didn't have that handicap.
Lelouch chuckled behind his mask, having almost forgotten that C.C. knew him as well as Nunnally. "Thank you." He responded to C.C.'s compliment sincerely, before he turned to observe Kallen as she took her mother over to where the other addicts were being gathered.
"These people, even if they get treatment most of them will just fall back into the lure of Refrain." He spoke to C.C. quietly, expressing his honest opinion, wondering what her perspective was. "The lure of the past is too great a temptation for those who have already succumbed to this drug." It was partly why Lelouch had chosen to target this drug's distribution system, this drug was unlike cocaine, heroin, or other drugs that were used by those seeking some sort of high. The way it tempted people by giving them a chance to relive better times, it was particularly targeted towards the Numbers in Britannia's conquered Areas.
"False tears can only hurt others, but false smiles can only hurt yourself." C.C. opined solemnly. "These people sought a happiness they could only find in their pasts and by succumbing to Refrain ensured that no happiness could be taken from their lives in the present or future." A spark of disgust flickered in C.C.'s eyes for a moment before they became sad. "It's honestly pitiful, but it's no surprise that some people just cannot handle reality." C.C. had lived for a long time, and seen many things, including the weaknesses of humanity when it came to looking to the past.
Were there things she wished she could change? Absolutely, but C.C. understood that the past was the past and that it was pointless to wonder what could have been. What C.C. sought was release from an endless present, but never would she seek the past that had tormented her so harshly.
Deciding to switch to a less depressing subject, C.C. asked Lelouch something she was curious about. "I know you realize that Kallen's loyalty to the Black Knights was absolute." She began, drawing the attention of the masked revolutionary. "Why were you so focused on getting her to become loyal to yourself personally?" The immortal asked, curious if it was because of the reasons she suspected.
Lelouch smirked behind his mask, observing Kallen's concentrated efforts to corral the addicts despite their inability to perceive the present with a sense of accomplishment before he answered C.C.'s question. "Were you alive during the reign of Arthur?" He responded to her question with one of his own.
"It's impolite to ask a lady her age." C.C. retorted, a dry grin on her face at yet another attempt by Lelouch to discover just how old she was. "But no, I lived after that time though I am aware of the legends." She admitted, giving Lelouch a little hint to tease him with the knowledge she purposefully kept out of his reach.
Lelouch chuckled lightly. 'The game continues.' He thought before speaking aloud. "Well, regardless, I'm imitating the tactics Arthur used to reunify the Isles of Albion." Feeling in an expository mood, Lelouch decided to elaborate while his Black Knights began coordinating their retreat from the facility per the plans he had distributed before he cleared their path.
"Despite fulfilling the prophecy and pulling the sword from the stone, Arthur was not immediately recognized as King." He began his little history lesson. "He needed to conquer the Knights who had abandoned Britannia after the death of his father, Uther Pendragon, and began forming their own fiefdoms within the Isles. He was forced to conquer the so-called Kingdoms that had sprung up in the wake of the supposed end to the Pendragon line." A dark grin spread across Lelouch's face beneath his mask.
"By absorbing the groups around the Tokyo Settlement into the Black Knights as well as other groups, I have already begun using similar tactics, but I can't do it alone." Here, Lelouch paused and turned to fully face the emerald-haired Witch who had granted him the power to enact his plans so much earlier than he'd hoped. "Just like Arthur, I will need to rely on a powerful, elite fighting force whose loyalty to me and me alone is unquestionable to help me ensure that my right to rule is not seriously questioned. What I have begun creating is my own version of the Knights of the Round." He declared his intentions boldly eliciting a response from C.C. that he did not expect.
C.C. laughed, not loud enough to draw attention to the pair, but enough to be heard by the masked man she followed. It was not mocking, nor was it intended to be cruel. The emerald-haired woman's laugh was one of genuine amusement and pride. 'This is beyond even my expectations.' C.C. thought to herself as she failed to repress her grin as she stared deep into the void that was Zero's mask, knowing that behind it lay the cold eyes of a man who was going to reshape the world. "You have impressed me, not many have had the audacity to attempt something like that." Walking away from her contractor, C.C. spoke one last time before she headed back to Ashford. "If you succeed, I look forward to seeing how you reshape the world. Thank you for letting me join you on these missions, it has been an enjoyable experience." With that final word, C.C. made her way through the dark shadows of the warehouse to her own exit, leaving in her own way while Zero went to join his soldiers as they escorted the addicts outside so that they could hopefully get them treatment.
This mission, like the others, would only serve to increase the legend of Zero, the Knight for Justice.
(Pendragon, Britannia – Imperial Pendragon Estate – 12:57 pm – October 11 – 2017 a.t.b.)
Anya Alstreim, the Knight of Six, was feeling strange as she walked down the path towards the palace in the capital city of Britannia. It was a feeling that she was familiar with and one that, were she more outwardly emotional, would have likely elicited a growl of anger or frustration at having the nagging sense that certain memories were missing within her mind again. Hoping to find some sense of comfort, she pulled out her phone to consult any entries she had made in the past few days as well as any she had made on or around the date of October the eleventh.
The Knight of the Round had a meeting with the Emperor in less than five minutes, but if she didn't find out what was bothering her she might miss something important in the meeting and that was one of the last things she wanted to happen right now. Ignoring the posts she had made in relation to her opinion on Zero, Anya skimmed over other entries to try and find out what she felt like she was forgetting.
A minute before she was going to meet with the Emperor to discuss a potential new assignment, Anya found something odd within her entries that she had made in the past on near the date October eleventh in earlier years. There were only two entries in her journal, one of which was her reaction to the assassination of Lady Marianne at the time. It was far more emotionally charged than her more recent entries, revealing her greater emotional range at that age, but Anya still felt a pulse of sorrow and, for some reason, anger within her heart as she skimmed over her words.
But it hadn't been that entry that garnered the majority of the pink-haired Knight's attention. That distinction belonged to the picture of a dark-haired boy dressed in white holding a rose out for her to take. For some reason, seeing this picture elicited emotions that Anya had thought forgotten, but before she could analyze her feelings any further she heard the herald announce her presence which forced her to place her phone back within the pockets of her uniform.
Anya could consider that picture some other time, for now she needed to learn what kind of new mission the Emperor had for her.
And, as the doors opened to allow her entry into the palace where she could see Princess Marrybell mel Britannia and her personal Knight of Honor, Oldrin Zevon, the crimson rings of Geass flared around Anya's light pink eyes.
This chapter didn't cover everything that happened in the Refrain episode, but anything that wasn't mentioned (like the hot dog vendor scene) can be assumed to have happened if it doesn't contradict anything that has already been changed in this story. Just wanted to share that so that no one will complain about me missing certain scenes.
I just see very little point in rehashing certain scenes from the anime when, overall, nothing in this story would have changed how the characters react in that situation. There are exceptions of course, but I'm not going to copy and transcribe every scene if it has no bearing on this story.
Also, I hope everyone enjoyed the little teaser with Marrybell and Anya at the end. The Knights of War isn't just a pretty title to describe the Black Knights' arc in this story, it means far more than just that. But in order to learn any more, I'm afraid you will have to continue reading.
I'm pretty sure that's everything I wanted to say here. Please review if you enjoyed the new chapters.
King Draconias Over and Out.
