This fic smooths out a lot of canon and does some timeline fudging. At the end of the day, I wanted to explore a more prepared rebellion, while also shipping Lelouch and Kaguya. That's the fic.
At the end of the day, if Lelouch weighed his life against the safety and comfort of his sister, Nunnally won. It wasn't even a contest. Her safety was satisfaction enough. Of course, he would have preferred to have had a more active role in protecting his sister, but such a thing was currently beyond him.
He caught the attention of some soldiers who were tracking them, playing the part of a distraction, and thankfully, he didn't get perforated. Instead- perhaps worse- he was recognized.
Lelouch could see his own reflection on the floor. The Imperial Palace- the one in Japan, that was- had been one of the first targets seized by Britannian forces, and had become a temporary base of operations until something more proper could be set up.
The floor was polished to a sheen. Lelouch vaguely wondered how much blood had been spilled in this very room. Had the Japanese emperor and his lady suffered the fate that Lelouch and Nunnally narrowly escaped?
He was snapped out of his reverie by a soldier's call. Lelouch rose to his feet, stood tall, and entered the office of the Viceroy.
Clovis struck a regal figure, at least before he swept Lelouch up in an embrace. "We found you…" he murmured.
Lelouch didn't respond.
"And Nunnally?" He whispered. "You're certain?"
"She's gone." Lelouch didn't have to fake the emotion. His sister wasn't dead, but they had to be separated. For her sake.
For a few moments, Clovis' grip tightened painfully around Lelouch before he was released. Lelouch took a seat in an overly plush chair and took in the room as Clovis sat silently.
There was a bit of Western flavor to the room, the result of Japan's headlong rush into the modern era, but the walls were still graced with traditional Japanese art. Scenes of gardens against backdrops of gold…
"Do you like them?" Clovis asked his tone anything but conversational. Lelouch nodded, and Clovis sighed. "I can't imagine why, after…" He shook his head.
"It's fitting, I suppose, since you'll be staying here. Father's orders."
A mandate from the Emperor, who knew he was alive. Wonderful. Considering that Lelouch wasn't currently in a mass grave somewhere, some use must have been found for him.
As if reading his mind, Clovis spoke. "You've been betrothed."
He had some vague memory of his bride-to-be. He also knew that Kaguya was going to be married to Suzaku… but Britannia amended those plans. They couldn't have their collaborators getting too comfortable.
Of course, that wouldn't happen for quite a while, considering that both parties needed to be of proper age.
And luckily, Lelouch would have something to distract himself until he was married: a military education. More than he already had, at least.
Maybe, if he stayed a perfectly obedient little dog for the Emperor, he could get an appointment as commander of some of the garrisons. There was a lot of potential in that job…
A bit too much, to be honest.
News of Lelouch's survival spread, of course. The Prince's Miracle, they said.
Among the common people of Britannia, the news was joyful. The deliverance of any of the Commoner Empress' children from death was sweet succor, relief from the tragedy that so plagued her line.
Unfortunately, the young prince would be staying in Japan, but it was gratifying to know he was in the care of an occupying army and not just some political hostage.
Of course, this turn of events only soured the Japanese perception of him. Not only was he an occupier, but he was also a survivor of the conflict that had so thoroughly destroyed Japan and breathing proof of the perfidy that started the war.
The tabloids… well, you can imagine the tabloids.
For the upper crust of Britannian society, they looked down their noses at him for as long as the news was fashionable. Then he faded into comfortable obscurity.
And a certain Jeremiah Gottwald only became more anxious to travel to Japan.
It shouldn't have struck him like it did. Jeremiah Gottwald was a man grown, and Lelouch was a child. Still, the look Lelouch gave him smote his heart.
Lelouch recognized him, remembered his small role in the security of the Aries Villa, and remembered that when the moment came Jeremiah fell painfully short.
"Your highness…" he choked out, struggling to find anything to say. How could he apologize?
"Jeremiah," his lord's expression was grave, his eyes fiercely judgemental. "You've returned to me. My mother's leal guard."
Loyal, not that he was there when it mattered, of course.
"I came as soon as I heard, your highness. I was already in Japan. Looking for you." Jeremiah had the tact to not bring up Nunnally. His highness seemed to be handling it well- or he had buried the grief deep- and Jeremiah wasn't sure that was a subject he wanted to broach. Not now.
"Chasing me all the way to Japan, after my mother's death…?" Jeremiah gulped. The implication… the implication was not good.
Jeremiah sputtered. "I have evidence, your highness. Files! The fruits of my investigation into your mother's death."
It spilled from his lips endlessly, every loose end and roadblock in his investigation, the political players who must have pulled strings to cover up the truth. Jeremiah knelt there, babbling like he was in a confessional, sin and failure and blood pouring out.
And Lelouch watched on as Jeremiah prayed for absolution. Eventually, the words ran out, and Jeremiah sat there, painfully quiet, awaiting a verdict.
Jeremiah could have wept when Lelouch suggested penance: "Prove yourself, Jeremiah. Never fail me again."
While Lelouch couldn't trust the man fully, his utility was evident. (Lelouch was more cheered by the idea of someone loyal to him and Nunnally than he might admit.) Then Jeremiah suggested an exercise routine, and Lelouch seemed to reconsider the whole 'prove yourself' thing.
It didn't take long for Jeremiah to begin proving himself. He appointed himself as a guard, whether on foot or in a Knightmare.
The first attempt, the one that really stuck with Lelouch, was during a motorcade through Tokyo, observing the city to get a better grasp on the great defensive plans being drafted. After all, Lelouch might need to hold them one day.
In the midst of this construction, with vast pits being filled with rebar and concrete, the car stopped and Lelouch observed. The planned locations of tunnels and piping were clearly marked, the channels which would hold Tokyo's livelihood-
Suddenly, the window in front of him shattered into a spiderweb of cracks, and on instinct, Lelouch ducked for the floor of the car. The wheels squealed and the car began to move, Lelouch catching a glimpse of a Knightmare's fluid motion and the terrible cough of its gun.
When the car next came to a stop, Jeremiah leapt from his Knightmare- the one that had, presumably, turned the assassin into a fine spray- and rushed to his side.
Lelouch tried not to shiver as he glanced at the damaged window. It was quite fortunate the assassin hadn't possessed anything heavier.
Of course, such an incident absolutely filled the papers, leading to Lelouch receiving a letter:
My dearest betrothed, (Laying it on a little thick, wasn't she?)
I was mortified to hear of the recent attempt on your life. They say you escaped unharmed, but you must forgive me for worrying.
If that was not enough, you are to join the military soon- I'll worry myself half to death before we even get married. I would very much prefer not to become a widow, so I must request that you not get yourself killed.
And please, do write me back. Otherwise, I'd be so dreadfully lonely…
Your betrothed,
Sumeragi Kaguya
Lelouch reached for paper and a pen. He would have to put due diligence into his marriage. Did he think a word of what Kaguya sent him was genuine? No. But he resolved to write her regardless.
His Japanese calligraphy wasn't quite up to snuff, but he'd give it a try…
Training has been difficult: I am afraid I don't have the constitution for marches, despite the fervent belief of my aid, Jeremiah, and he insists on longer essays every day. That's not to say the practice isn't fruitful, of course.
The rifle your house sent me, while very beautiful, is too heavy for me. I'm grateful for it anyways, even if it seems fated to be a display piece- cherry with mother-of-pearl inlays aren't fit for the battlefield, I'm afraid.
…
I'm certain Jeremiah means well, although I must admit I wouldn't mind a switch. Staying inside all day, studying economics… I'm going to go crazy, being cooped up like this.
A lady's exercise should be more than just dance!
The injustice of my situation aside, I'm glad you liked the rifle. The government made a large order for rifles & sabers for officers who served during the invasion- I pulled some strings to make sure you got one of the nicer ones.
Perhaps it would be a good thing if the rifle stayed unused- it's just a showpiece.
…
It seems unfortunate, though. A rifle is built to fire, is it not? Perhaps it's sentimental, but it seems a shame to leave such a fine weapon unused, even at the range. Although I suppose a world where no rifles are needed would be best.
Jeremiah said it kicks like a mule. I imagine it would knock me over. Perhaps it's too much for me to handle.
…
Too much for you to handle yet. I have faith in you.
Are you being trained in Knightmare operation? They've redefined warfare, or so I've heard. We're looking into producing some. Parts, maybe.
…
Knightmares are fascinating, and much of my study was devoted to their tactical and strategic use. They handle in a way that is hard to describe. More power than a tank, without a crew or all the tactical limitations. Frankly, it feels a little unfair. We've already got a crop of pilots with massively swollen heads.
Of course, I would never be confident in a Knightmare built by those I didn't trust…
There might have been something almost romantic about it, in a sort of antiquated, courtly way. There was something sappy and idealistic about falling in love through letters… Lelouch may have been an idealist, but he was no fool.
However, a meeting between Lelouch and his bride-to-be could not be delayed forever, although her business obligations, his military training, and tutoring for both parties delayed their meeting.
(It was a few years after the occupation, actually. It took a while for the Sumeragis to really hit their stride, economically speaking. The marriage would have probably been called off if they had gone bankrupt, so there was no reason to really pursue it until the Sumeragis proved themselves an asset.)
The meeting was in occupied (and thoroughly rebuilt) Tokyo, of course, the typical Britannian machismo stuff. All negotiations were on their terms.
Clovis had nearly driven Lelouch mad in the process of getting ready. There was the usual fretting over his clothes, his hair, etc. Something to be suffered through… certainly not the most awkward part, though.
The tailors were adjusting his hems, and Clovis had brought Lelouch to the side. Lelouch braced himself for a speech about how to impress women or some such. What he got was worse.
Clovis' hand settled on his shoulder. "Lelouch. Now that you're to meet your betrothed, there's something we need to talk about. You… you do know where babies come from, yes?"
"Yes." Lelouch groaned. He didn't have to fake his exasperation.
"Good. Good." Clovis sighed in relief, evidently glad that he could avoid that minefield. With that, he plunged into something he was more comfortable with: advice for wooing women.
They were years away from the wedding, but the prospect of… well, the production of heirs was already a little uncomfortable.
Lelouch had seen unpleasant things during the fall of Japan, had seen what occupying soldiers did to civilians, especially women.
He told himself he wouldn't be like that, some savage brute… Britannia had already hurt the poor girl enough.
The meeting was at some high-class restaurant serving traditional Britannian fare; better that than the farce some Britannian chefs attempted to pass off as 'indigenous cuisine'.
This one was Britannia through and through, though. Paintings of Britannian military history- the Fall of Mexico, the Battle of the Little Colorado, Washington's death at Brandywine, even the Opening of Japan- graced red walls with dark wooden trim, and Lelouch suspected much of the appeal was that it felt like (appropriately high class) dining in the homeland.
With the entire place booked, it took them almost no time at all to find them, positioned in a handsome room with a breathtaking view of the glimmering lights of Tokyo. Well, Britannian Tokyo.
Kaguya looked as if she has undergone the same process of preparation that Lelouch had. A fashionable dress in Britannian style, carefully tamed hair, and a beatific smile that Lelouch didn't buy for a second.
Of course, he recognized her from back at the shrine, and it seemed she did too, the way her eyes widened. "Demon…" she mumbled in Japanese. One of the adults alongside her shot her a glare that could curdle milk.
Lelouch laughed. "Was my first impression that bad?"
"You- the forest! The shrine!"
"Yes," Lelouch deadpanned, "me."
Clovis cleared his throat, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Could I bother you for a translation, dear brother?"
He regaled his brother with the tale of his first encounter with Kaguya, and Clovis burst into properly genteel laughter. The Japanese delegation looked appropriately embarrassed, and Clovis rushed them to their seats.
With remarkable haste, they were all seated and drinks were properly dispensed. Lelouch and Kaguya sipped at club sodas as Clovis had a manservant pour glasses of red wine. ("A very classic Napa valley vintage, if you've heard of it. Personally, I have a liking for wines grown a little further north…")
Thankfully, this was mostly Clovis' affair, and Lelouch really just had to pay proper attention and nod when appropriate. Well, it wasn't like Lelouch could screw it up too badly- no one was under the illusion the Japanese had a choice- but he still needed to play the part. He needed to be useful.
Lelouch and Kaguya both paid close attention as matters of politics and economy were discussed. She would be bringing no small dowry to the table after all: her share of the Kyoto assets, while damaged by the war, was not insignificant. Her trousseau would be in the form of (surviving) textile mills. Still, the whole business felt grossly transactional. Perhaps that was the point. They were Numbers now.
The culture being imposed on them was alien and strange. There were large things, but there were also smaller ones. Lelouch had to whisper into Kaguya's ear, reminding her of the proper way to handle the many utensils dispensed during a high-class Britannian meal.
Clovis chuckled. "You'll make a proper lady of her yet, Lelouch!" A proper, Britannian lady…
Lelouch hoped not.
Lelouch wanted to know more about his fiancee. That, he thought, was not too strange a thing, although he had some more specific questions in mind.
There were rumors about Kyoto. Rumors that could be- or perhaps had to be- dismissed due to their economic utility, but very interesting ones nevertheless. Rumors that Lelouch's contacts in the ghettos (not to mention Area 11's own domestic intelligence) caught wind of. They were almost certainly abetting Eleven terror in some form or the other.
If Lelouch played his cards right, Kaguya would be very useful. Marrying into (heavily taxed) money was nice enough, but knowing that she probably sympathized with his grander ambitions? Wonderful.
However, he wanted confirmation first, and it wasn't exactly the sort of conversation you could have in public… or while chaperoned. Of course, proper behavior had to be guaranteed before the betrothal.
Thankfully, Lelouch had managed to wheedle some concessions out of Jeremiah. Honestly, his knight was a little too anxious to see Lelouch and Kaguya getting along, so he was happy to turn a blind eye. Admittedly, that was with an expectation of them fooling around, not plotting.
While no Pendragon, a fair palace complex had sprung up in Tokyo, complete with all the luxuries a despot could ever want. Clovis was fond of the pool for reasons which were rather evident, but Lelouch staged his conversation in the library.
Heavy wooden shelves turned the broad, multi-leveled room into a maze, occasionally broken up by terminals where you could tap into ARPANET and get whatever you needed from archives all across the empire.
In a quiet corner, Lelouch feigned interest in tomes of anthropology that already seemed to be gathering dust, while Kaguya flicked through a handsome tome on political science.
"I've heard some interesting rumors recently."
"Oh?" Kaguya mused. "What of?"
"They're about you."
"I'd hope they're flattering, then."
"Quite flattering. You have many friends, I've heard."
"Cultivating friendships is a talent," Kaguya smirked. "You could stand to improve it."
"I should, but until then, I'll need your help, won't I?"
"A relationship is give and take, my dear. What can you give me?" Kaguya tilted her head questioningly.
"Oh, but you're so generous to all your friends! It's enough to make a man quite jealous."
Kaguya laughed. "Jealous of whom?"
"Your friends in Shinjuku and Saitama, of course."
"... Economic aid. You should know how hard life in the ghettos is, yes?" Yes, he did. It was exactly the sort of thing that caused terrorists Britannia needed to mop up.
"And arming them for pointless deaths is better?"
"Pointless-" Kaguya hissed, her face flush with color for a moment before she took a long inhale. "Yes. Pointless. You must forgive me, your highness…"
"Well, if you want to avoid pointless deaths, I'd tell your friends in Osaka to stop making so much noise. They are drawing too much attention."
Kaguya's eyes widened minutely. "I'll… I'll let them know."
"Good. It would be a shame if they all died out."
"They're your enemy." Kaguya should have said our, but she was off balance. He couldn't really be…
"The enemy of my enemy… well, they just don't know it yet."
After her shock wore off, her eyes narrowed. "You want to use them." She hissed.
Lelouch shrugged. "So do you. You've sold them on a Japan that will never be again."
He stared at her with those terrible violet eyes. "Help me. Help me destroy Britannia, and I swear to you that a new Japan will rise like a phoenix from the ashes."
A phoenix… she knew, with grim certainty, that taking this offer would condemn Japanese people- her people- to death at the hands of this foreign prince. Her fiance.
But if they did nothing… would they simply fade away, crushed under an empire's mass until they were nothing more than the Numbers assigned to them. A death of the culture.
And they could lose. They could definitely lose. That would be the end of it all. Japan would be lost. But for some reason, she felt reassured by the spite that burned in Lelouch's eyes, so passionate she couldn't imagine faking it. He was someone who would get the job done. She could feel it.
Kaguya took his hand. A deal with the devil, as the Britannians might have put it.
(She had trouble falling asleep that night, afraid that Britannian goons would arrive at any moment. They never came, thank goodness. It wasn't enough to really establish faith in him… but what an ally he'd make. As if to prove the point, the Britannians stomped around in Osaka right when Lelouch said they would. The smarter terrorists did pull out.)
Jeremiah couldn't help but grin a little as Lelouch and Kaguya- his lord's lady-to-be, wasn't that thought- chattered to each other. Jeremiah had… thoughts about the marriage, but his duty was to Lelouch, and if she pleased Lelouch…
Marriages like these didn't always work out, but Jeremiah wanted to hope. She wasn't the ideal match, but the same could be (begrudgingly) said for his lord. Both had fallen from height, both knew impotence and loss…
It was, he thought, a tragedy that the two had to grow up so fast, but perhaps that commonality would smooth out some of the marriage's kinks.
And if Jeremiah could speed their relationship along a bit by turning a blind eye… well, that was, in a sense, his duty, which was to his lord's happiness. If that happiness came from whispering sweet nothings and as they hands…
(Those sweet nothings involved treason, as all good flirting should.)
The announcement was not immediate, of course. They crept a few years closer to the day before the news was made public. Lelouch was already something of a public figure by this point, not quite a man grown yet the very image of a dashing officer… although not an eligible bachelor, as they would soon discover.
For the Japanese, most had the news broken by Clovis himself, speaking over video. "My dear subjects, I have joyful tidings for you all…."
It wasn't exactly the greatest news, unless one was in the habit of fellating the Britannian boot. The symbolism… Well, it was easy to draw parallels between this marriage and Britannia forcing itself into Japanese life in every sense.
(Suzaku was glad both of them were alright, of course, although he wept for the both of them, caught up in the cogs of a machine beyond their control. A machine he had to change.)
Lelouch and Kaguya simply grit their teeth- they knew it was coming, but now the whole world knew. They needed to act accordingly. It gave them a reason to work together publicly, and with that, they could both take much bigger steps.
Britannian opinion was a bit brighter, although it depended on their prior conception of Lelouch. Among those who opposed him, the less intelligent found it quite amusing- the more intelligent worried. Sakuradite was big business, and if Lamperouge could cow his wife, he would be exceedingly dangerous. Even if he couldn't, if they got along well, if they became allies- and marriage could serve to cement powerful alliances- he'd be there. A threat.
For the common man, the news of a royal wedding was always interesting, especially in regard to Lelouch, whose lower birth had already won him more sympathy. Plus there was all that tragic prince backstory, which really raked up the sympathy. Any Britannian moving to Area Eleven in hopes of greener pastures had the prince's name on their lips.
Nunnally heard the news and frowned. Her poor brother. This was exactly the sort of thing he wanted to save her from. (That was why it was alright. That made their separation alright. It did. She just had to keep on telling herself that.)
It was clear to almost everyone that the Prince and his betrothed were in bed together. Not in that sense, not yet at least, but as collaborators. Even without their impending marriage, there would have been a reason. She and her fellow Kyoto houses kept Area Eleven's economy running, and provided material for much of the army's weaponry. With Lelouch as an officer devoted to protecting said industries, there was good reason to cooperate.
Were they engaging in a bit of graft? A smidgen of corruption? Of course, but who didn't? Lelouch's frequent requests for better logistical pathways for his men benefitted his fiancee's business, just as she lined her pockets with the benefits of providing an army.
(Rumors said that Clovis turned a blind eye- or more of one- to such things out of love for his poor, tragic sibling. And maybe, just maybe, he thought Lelouch and Kaguya were cute together.)
It was Lelouch and Kaguya who presented a scheme to employ Eleven laborers en masse for public works projects- projects that kept Elevens fed and their days filled with productive work. Nothing more than Lelouch acting with rational self-interest. A better country (and economy) for his bride-to-be and less unrest to solve himself.
Of course, terror wasn't a solved problem just because of lowered unemployment. Sure, it gave people another option, but the country had its own share of die-hards, ones that he couldn't uproot, not completely. They were too useful in the long term.
In the short term? They were a bit of a nuisance when bridges and roads were being built. Most of them weren't quite stupid enough to start shooting up their own people for having the gall to take a paying job, but they were willing to sabotage. So much sabotage.
A few very publicized crackdowns on bad apples (read: rebels who were too far gone or those who didn't play nice with Kyoto) did help a little. That and Kaguya's work.
She played a dangerous game. She had to convince the Kyoto houses to calm down without looking like Lelouch had her… ahem, bent over the barrel. Even then, she could feel the gaps between them beginning to widen, but she had sway regardless, as her power only waxed with time.
Kaguya's logic eventually came to this: Britannia wasn't going to be forced out of Japan by what were essentially bee-stings. By themselves, they stood no chance… but if they marshaled their strength, waited for the right moment, and pushed as Britannia stood, teetering, on the precipice?
Maybe. Patience, Kaguya said, was the order of the day. Grating as it was, they had to wait to seize their opportunity, wait until their red sun could rise once again. (Or until the Sumeragis could clamber to the top of the pile.)
They both had their parts to play, and to play them best a rehearsal was necessary. Thankfully, they had the resources to get all the help they could need for such a goal.
At first, it was just a matter of reviewing how to behave in public, things like the performance of speeches. Fortunately, Lelouch and Kaguya did start with some sense of decorum and how to behave in public… Apparently, Lelouch was 'too hammy' or some such. Poppycock. (Kaguya's giggling fits just showed she didn't understand the art.)
Eventually, Lelouch grew tired of defending his completely reasonable sense of showmanship from these bores, and shooed the coach from the room, leaving just him, Kaguya, and Jeremiah- their chaperone. He wasn't informed of the full depth of their plans just yet, but he was useful…
"Jeremiah, have you courted a woman before?"
After a moment of surprise due to that apparent non-sequitur, Jeremiah answered. "Yes, your highness. A few times during my martial education." Nothing had come of such relations, of course, but it was another small thing- one of so many- that his prince was denied.
Lelouch didn't particularly like outsourcing something like this, but he like to think he was self-aware, self-aware enough to realize that his understanding of healthy relationships was probably… not great. And if he didn't know, it was best to ask: "And what was it like?"
Jeremiah had his fair share of surprises over his military career. The revolution that was the Knightmare, Lady Marianne's death, Lelouch's miraculous survival… yet somehow, recounting the time he swapped spit with a baronet's daughter to his liege was one of the most unexpected. (He would have almost preferred Lelouch and Kaguya pawing all over each other compared to this.)
Of course, Jeremiah- the responsible adult in the room- reminded them that it was perfectly fine for them to go at their pace, and there was no need to rush into things, definitely not before the wedding.
"If I may ask, your highness… what brought this about?"
Lelouch looked to Kaguya. "We've been talking." Jeremiah had a feeling scheming was probably a more apt description.
"About?" Jeremiah asked, feeling he probably wouldn't like the answer.
"We're going to pretend to be in love!" Kaguya chirped, a grin on her face.
Jeremiah turned to his lord, who nodded. "Our plans are best served by being perceived as madly in love. So… we need to practice."
It wouldn't be the proper, composed thing to do, being all mad for each other in pubic… but if it was part of Lelouch's plans that was all there was to it. Although sometimes, Jeremiah would wonder if Lelouch wanted it to be more than just an act. Jeremiah could count the number of people who truly loved that boy on his fingers, and the number who were currently alive would only take a single hand.
Having their first kiss with Lelouch's fanatically loyal bodyguard peering over their shoulders wasn't that great of a prospect, admittedly.
It wasn't that great of a prospect altogether, honestly. Lelouch knew kissing was a thing sufficiently affectionate couples did, so they had to do it and it had to look natural. If they didn't look enraptured, if their love was anything less than horribly cloying… well, Britannia wouldn't mind as long as the business interests were fine, but Lelouch wanted to appear positively moonstruck, crippled by foolish affection.
Still, if Kaguya were to suffer due to this charade…. "You're sure?" Lelouch whispered.
"Positive." Kaguya nodded, "It will be fun, won't it?" It was supposed to be, as Lelouch understood it.
Lelouch leaned in slowly, but before he could execute, Kaguya rolled her eyes and yanked him in. Their teeth clacked together painfully for a moment, and Lelouch cringed. His lips were pressed against hers, his hands awkwardly limp at his side.
Eventually, Kaguya pulled away. "Could… could you actually try next time? Don't just sit there."
Lelouelch nodded and did try next time, although he was more than happy to let her take the reins. (It was a subversion that Lelouch was the one who had to lie back and think of Britannia, that he would admit…)
Thankfully, Kaguya was good-humored about it all. She could be quite kind when she wished to be, and while the invasion had hardened her, there was a gentle soul there. Quite a bit like Nunnally, actually. They were roughly the same age, actually…
And that thought suddenly made this whole thing feel ten times grosser. He pulled back.
"Lelouch?"
"Sorry. Just… thinking of my sister."
"Nunnally? I'm sorry, Lelouch." Kaguya embraced him, her head against his chest.
For a moment, Lelouch peeked at Jeremiah, and his resolve wavered. If he was to be fully transparent with his fiancee, he'd have to tell her about Nunnally eventually.
He lowered his head, close enough to whisper to her, close enough to tell her the truth without Jeremiah overhearing- although if anyone deserved to hear that news, it was him- but the words stopped up in his throat.
Sharing the truth about Nunnally… well, Lelouch had barely done it with anybody. The Ashfords and Sayoko, basically. It was his biggest secret and telling Kaguya felt like a massive step, far greater than the pretend kissing they just did.
Memo sent on encrypted channels inside the Tokyo Settlement:
It seems, to me, that something more should be done, but we do need them, in some form. Ideally, they'd be at each other's throats, undercutting each other every step of the way.
Unfortunately, that's not the case. They've proved damnably cohesive, despite our efforts. Their love of country would almost be commendable, were it not misdirected.
Most of their internal animosity is directed toward the mutt and his bitch. While I am loath to help the pair, every trade deal they cut alienates them further from the others.
If divide and conquer doesn't work, the matter is as simple as seeding those divisions.
The machine beat a constant rhythm, the spikes sinking deep into the wood. Daiki was glad for it- before Kyoto sent them the hydraulic machines, they had to hammer spikes in the old-fashioned way, with spike maul and muscle.
Ideally, if all went well, this rail line would cart iron by the ton to manufactories in Kyoto. From there, if it didn't get fed to the Britannian military, it came back to them.
For what little it was worth, the work didn't feel as gross as Sakuradite did. He was aware that he was still working for the Britannians, but at the very least he wasn't actively involved in the defacing of Mount Fuji.
Otherwise, the work was good. Three meals a deal would have been enough to draw workers, but money to send home as well? Unbelievable. The caveat, he supposed, were the Britannian overseers, who exuded genteel condescension at best, and who were practically begging for a sledgehammer at worst. Behind all of them was the threat of military force, of course.
A group of Knightmares appeared on the crest of a nearby hill, and instinctually, he froze. But there was no hail of fire, no screaming lead. Instead, they orbited a single heavily armored vehicle.
From what he had heard about Clovis, he was far too busy chasing women to care about infrastructure, much less any of it outside of Tokyo. Meaning it might be…
vi Britannia.
The rumors said that many of the revitalization projects were his idea. One hell of a dower, Daiki would admit…
As vi Britannia left the car, Daiki was struck by how small he was. Well, he was a teen still, but such a slight build didn't really give the look of a conqueror. Turning, the prince helped a girl out of the car. His fiancee, the lady Kaguya. Gah, she was a slight little thing. Probably a few years his junior?
While still far outside of Daiki's price range, their clothes were simple. Practical. He supposed the two were investigating their investments.
At first, they talked with the foreman, who was practically slobbering over the prince's shoes. Daiki was vindicated to see that the two shared in his disgust towards that particular slimeball.
Eventually, despite the foreman's best efforts, they extricated themselves from his charter and approached the workers. Of course, their bodyguards loomed behind them, clearly armed and clearly impatient with their charges.
With a shrug, he got back to work. The foreman would still be a hard-ass once vi Britannia left, after all. They hammered more spikes until a voice interrupted them.
"Are we interrupting something? We have no wish to interrupt your work, but we'd be pleased if you could spare a moment." Daiki turned to face the prince and his lady- and the bodyguards looming behind them, all muscle and glowering.
Their Japanese was a bit formal and old-timey, but nothing impossible to understand.
"No, no, you're not interrupting a thing, your majesties!" He turned to his coworkers and hissed. "Stop! Stop the hammer!"
The machine came to a stop, and Lelouch smiled. "It's your highness, actually. His Majesty is my father."
Daiki nodded, and Kaguya spoke. "Is everything alright? We've heard reports about the working conditions, but I wanted to see myself."
They paid rapt attention, and Daiki suddenly felt like a tour guide. This is the machine that hammers the railroad spikes, these are the rails themselves, those are the guys who clear the land ahead of us… They walked, hand-in-hand, quietly whispering through it all, and Daiki would have almost felt offended had he not been trained to fear catching Britannian attention.
They asked him questions: was he being fed, was he getting proper sleep, was everything properly hygienic… he painted a slightly rosy picture, but they did appear to consider some of his feedback. Maybe. Obviously, his critiques weren't too sharp.
vi Britannia gave a winning smile. "We're pleased to hear things are going so well. You have my thanks for rebuilding my fiancee's country." His fiancee's country…?
Kaguya leaned in and caught vi Britannia in a kiss. "Not in public," he chided her without an ounce of gall. They both laughed.
The Knightmares suddenly moved again, and Daiki hit the deck. Looking up, he saw vi Britannia and Miss Sumeragi being clutched to the Knightmare's broad, metal chests. vi Britannia squawked something- "Jeremiah"?- before they were spirited away.
Later that night, he would huddle with his fellows around a radio and cringe when he heard that one of the heads of the Kyoto houses had been assassinated. The details were all up in the air, but reports said the murderer was Japanese.
Over the next few days, the Houses started bickering, or so the rumors said. Compared to their previous status as a united front, it was like wild dogs going at each other. Would it be unpatriotic of Daiki to hope that vi Britannia came out on top? He was helping to pay Daiki's bills, after all.
The excuse was cooperation with the Ashfords. While not the major industrial force they had been once, they had their own little set-up in Japan. And checking in on weapons production was excuse enough… (He even did overlook some of the designs, although that was never the purpose.)
He felt his eyes water, and he didn't even bother to stem the flow.
"Nunnally."
"Lelouch!"
He embraced his sister, shocked by how she had changed. "I missed you." His cheek brushed hers.
"I missed you too." She giggled, before her tone shifted to faux anger, "And when were you going to tell me you're getting married?"
"Things came up." Lelouch chuckled.
"What's she like? Are you getting along?"
"She's… good. Someone I could imagine spending my life with."
Nunnally knew that was a better lot than so many others in the same situation got… but he deserved better. She said as much.
"And we don't always get what we deserve." Lelouch shrugged. "How has school been, by the way?"
She recognized the blatant change in subject but didn't linger over it. His life was already stressful enough. So she prattled on about school, about the advanced classes she had tested into- but not too advanced, never enough to earn the Viceregal scholarship- about her friends, about the Braille note someone had left for her recently, her hopes to maybe become a psychologist or teacher ("Someone who will help others!")…
Lelouch was- again- struck by the fact that Nunnally was the same age as his fiancee. Nunnally would be a woman, by the legal definition, just two months after Lelouch's marriage.
If she wasn't hidden away like this, she could have been married off, forever in the grimy paws of some pervert-
Lelouch inhaled deeply, trying to reign in his temper. No one would be touching his little sister if he had anything to say about it. (Sayoko already did background checks on any boy brave enough to approach his little sister, thankfully. That woman was a wonder.)
"Lelouch?" Right. Anyone could have heard him suck in air like that.
"Sorry, Nunnally…" he ruffled her hair, "You've just grown so much."
She smiled at him. "But you'll always be my big brother."
Guh. Did she do that on purpose?
Returning to his 'home' in the Viceregal palace, Lelouch wondered. Kaguya's parents had died in the invasion of Japan, as far as he knew, leading to her sudden ascension to power. Still, she was someone's daughter, even if those someones lay, unidentified, in charnel pits.
He felt the need for a scalding hot shower.
As they got older, their conspiring grew more productive and byzantine, to hide their gains in miles of red tape. It also gave them a lot more excuses for shipping things around. Those explosives? Oh, just for some mining work, you know?
Admittedly, there was some mining work that actually needed to be done. You could lay a lot of blame at Britannia's feet, but they were damned good at getting Sakuradite- and other ores- out of the ground, and they were happy to see anything that could provide for the defense of fortress Eleven pulled out of the earth.
Not to mention how the two exploited Lelouch's eventual influence over the Area's defense. The things they could get away with for fear of the Chinese, the weapon caches and fortifications built….
Unfortunately, not all of those forts could be staffed by their yes-men, but Lelouch had been pushing quite hard for increasing Eleven recruitment. At the moment, he couldn't get them in Knightmares, but he (and the Ashfords) invested hard into anti-Knightmare infantry weapons.
Lelouch and Kaguya had long since given up writing letters. Their old-timey charm couldn't be suffered when the pair were sending so much information back and forth, enough to fill papers by the ream, so they used digital means instead.
Perhaps that was fortunate because as they got older their in-person meetings were only more policed, for fears of propriety. (Lelouch couldn't fathom why Britannia felt the need to care, for her honor or his.)
He tried to mimic some of her excitement for the big day but was honestly just left wondering where she got it from. She was obviously the injured party in this whole mess, the one who would have every reason to abhor him… yet she was the one who smiled through it all, who sent cheerful reminders about how many days remained until they were finally wedded at the end of their emails.
It was… sweet. Even if they cooperated in damn near everything now, Lelouch would admit he missed her presence. Not necessarily the act they had to put on in public, but the quiet, reassuring presence of an ally. A friend.
(Whenever he got too sappy, he'd tell himself off. She didn't come to him freely, even if their relationship was bilateral and productive. Britannia had her at gunpoint- they played their parts for fear of it, waiting for when they could be freed.)
(Even if he had come to value her, come to care, even if she seemed to reciprocate, their relationship was eternally stained.)
There were a number of things about the wedding that were set in stone. The date, of course, was one, basically as soon as Kaguya was of age for such a thing.
Cornelia cleared her schedule well in advance. Well, as much as she could, considering how war could just break out somewhere. Euphemia tagged along but would have probably tried to go even if Cornelia couldn't. Schneizel had similar hopes but was probably going to be busy 'negotiating' with whoever bribed their way into the EU's presidency- the wedding landed just after their elections. None of their many other siblings really cared.
Planning had begun almost as soon as it was announced. The setting, of course, would be the Viceregal palace, and Clovis had plans to make the reception a party to be remembered. It was his little brother's wedding, after all.
Then there was the matter of the ceremony itself. It would, of course, be in traditional Britannian fashion. As traditional as they could get it, actually.
(Perhaps some part of it was them attempting to show up an isolated island nation whose storied pomp and proud dynastic tradition rivaled their own.)
For all that Britannian religion felt like a hollowed-out puppet, it was, for Britannia, still better than the primitive superstitions of a backwater island. The nobility derived some pleasure from jesting about the shamed prince in a wedding kimono, but they would not suffer anything less than a proper, Britannian wedding.
Britannia did not bend. It did not kowtow to the desires of their lessers. Britannia imposed. Britannia dominated.
There were probably other things he could be doing, instead of tuning in to this… drivel. But he found himself watching anyways.
Proper Britannian citizens did care about the royal family, after all, and that was what Suzaku was trying to be. Showing interest in the rich lives of their country's finest, watching their weddings…
Suzaku's train of thought soared off the rails as Kaguya appeared. She was a vision, even in Britannian wedding garb. Waves of white and silver contrasted against black hair, green eyes complemented by small touches of gold and abundant pearls. Vaguely, he thought that dress might have been worth twenty times his yearly salary, at least.
Lelouch looked the part of the gentleman officer. It wasn't quite the uniform a man of his rank was supposed to wear- Suzaku had become painfully familiar with the intricacies of Britannian military fashion- but some minor changes could be made for the sake of looks.
He wore a flower- a chrysanthemum, brilliant red, the same sort that filled Kaguya's bouquet, the splash of red against her bridal white painfully nostalgic- but the other side of Lelouch's chest was graced with medals. Medals for his crackdowns on Japanese terrorists, mainly; for a moment, Suzaku thought he saw an Invasion of Japan ribbon, but that felt almost too cruel.
There was a dramatic zoom-in, probably to catch Lelouch's reaction to his bride-to-be. Suzaku couldn't guess what was going on behind those vivid violet eyes. Did he want this?
What followed was- he presumed- a fairly typical royal wedding, with the usual pomp and circumstance such a ceremony required. She was walked down the aisle by one of the surviving Kyoto heads if memory served. He didn't particularly like the symbolism of Kaguya being given away, like some sort of object…
A quick cut to the audience in the pews. Nobles in their finest attire, sure, but alongside them were soldiers and captains, the firstfruits of Lelouch's work in the military, their dress uniforms immaculate. It felt, to Suzaku, like a naked display of military force. He spent a moment or two trying to recall names before a woman with beautiful pink hair caught his glance. She was paying rapt attention.
Back to Lelouch and Kaguya. Vows. Through it all, Lelouch had this suave little smirk… Kaguya stayed smiling through it all as if she wasn't getting married at gunpoint. Knightmare-point?
They kissed, Lelouch's face obscured by Kaguya's dark hair and the silky, translucent veil. Suzaku turned off the television and got to work cleaning his rifle.
Nunnally couldn't actually watch the wedding, but she listened with rapt attention as Milly described the day.
Honestly, it was a little hard for her to imagine Lelouch married. They were… well, Nunnally remembered hearing about binary star systems in class once. Two stars, not really orbiting each other, but instead spiraling eternally around a central point.
Maybe they were like that. Neither of them orbiting the other but rather both trapped together. At least, they used to be more like that. Lelouch had a wife now. Not that her brother didn't deserve one- he did!- but Nunnally couldn't help but feel upset for her brother.
His own feelings on the marriage so rarely leaked through in their communications. Tiny scrips of Braille buried in mountains of Ashford paperwork, always reminding her that he loved her, that nothing more than unfortunate circumstances kept them apart, etc. All comments on the personality or mannerisms of his bride were secondary.
(She knew it was genuine, and she knew their correspondence had to be lowkey, but she wanted something more than the same platitudes! She knew, knew her brother loved her like she knew the sun rose in the east! She wanted to know about this- this interloper in her brother's life. Not a kind thing to think, she knew, but Lelouch's absence gnawed at her.)
Sometimes she tried to imagine how he looked as he wrote the letters. Did he take the time to do it all manually? She liked to imagine that he took the time to sit down with a slate and stylus.
Milly chattered about Lelouch and Kaguya, their flamboyant dress and smiles, and the commentators babbled about the match, about how the two might feel, about Lelouch's deliverance from the jaws of death.
Nunnally smiled a little. None of them- the commentators, the crowds, even Kaguya- knew Lelouch like she did. She had that at least.
Partners. They were more than just partners in a conspiracy now. They were lawfully wedded, arm in arm and surrounded by crowds. He leaned in close and whispered, "Happy belated birthday."
"You remembered!" She laughed as if the date was a coincidence. "At least it will be easy to remember our anniversary, yes?"
He nodded.
Kaguya's smile grew sharp. "Now come on- you've got to introduce me to your family!"
"Most of my siblings didn't accept the invitation."
"But the good ones did, right? Come on!" She dragged him forward.
The reception had bloomed into quite the affair. Lelouch had proven himself useful enough for people to be interested in schmoozing him, which would have attracted guests on its own without Clovis showing up. If the Viceroy was going, how could you not?
Lelouch smiled and thanked crowds of well-wishers who had probably laughed at his fall from grace all those years ago. Thankfully, they were spooked by Cornelia's approach.
"Cornelia! Euphemia!" The former hugged him so tightly that Lelouch began to worry for his ribs. Euphemia didn't have the same strength, but she certainly had spirit.
"When we heard that you survived, we wanted to come, we really did!" Euphemia reassured him, holding his hand tightly. "Cornelia was just so busy, you know?"
"I can imagine." Lelouch certainly had experience with the delights of the Britannian military.
"Oh, we were so surprised to hear you were getting married! I was quite sorry to hear it, you know…"
"Really?" Lelouch knew what she meant- she would want him to be happy, want him to marry whoever he pleased- but the way she said it…
Cornelia grinned, "I remember a certain someone swearing that she'd be the one to marry Lelouch…"
"Cornelia! That's not what I meant!" Euphemia had turned a fascinating scarlet before she swiftly attempted to change the subject, "Although I suppose Ms. Kaguya was the dark horse who won in the end?"
"Lucky me." Kaguya chose this moment to slide in, and she and Euphemia began to talk back and forth. His wife's grin was positively lupine, and Lelouch had a sinking feeling she wanted embarrassing childhood stories to counter Lelouch's retelling of the Oni incident…
"I've heard a little about your exploits, Lelouch." That was a Cornelia, a look of pride on her face. Lelouch would admit it felt good.
"My exploits? What about yours? I mean, the Siege of Tehran…?"
Lelouch got to savor a family reunion with people he cared about alongside dinner, and that certainly helped brighten the day. (Lelouch did try to guide the conversation away from Kaguya though… Cornelia was his sister, but Lelouch had a suspicion about her real feelings towards his wife.)
Lelouch and Kaguya both tamped down their emotions when nobles came up and gave them gifts. Not all of the gifts were bad, but Lelouch marveled at how anyone could think looted Japanese artifacts were appropriate. A lot of it felt like blatant showing off by the nobility, so Lelouch suffered through it.
The dance was enjoyable enough, he supposed. Both Lelouch and Kaguya had the steps hammered into their heads until they could do them forwards and backward, so they didn't embarrass themselves. Lelouch had a dance or two with his sisters, while Kaguya got a single dance with Clovis before he went to dance the night away. (Not at all surprisingly, no one else asked Kaguya for a dance. Lelouch played his part, of course.)
Once it was socially acceptable, they took their leave of the celebrations, with only a few heartfelt goodbyes for his siblings. Clovis seemed happy to be the star of this particular bash, so Lelouch let him have it. While neither Lelouch nor Kaguya were drunk, they were both tired as they slipped to their room. (It was more of a suite, in the heart of the Viceregal complex.)
"Was it everything you dreamt of?" Lelouch asked, a ghost of a smile on his face.
"Close enough."
There were a thousand reasons it wasn't perfect, Lelouch knew. No parents to walk her down the aisle, a wedding in foreign style, a spouse she never picked… unfortunately, Lelouch could only fix some of those.
"If you'd like, we could have a Japanese-style ceremony later," Lelouch suggested. "Something private." It would be good PR upon reveal day, but that wasn't why he suggested it.
"I'd like that very much."
Soon enough, they had closed the door behind them, leaving the two of them alone in the largest bedroom. Kaguya smiled.
At first, she tried to slide her dress off herself, but it was some dreadful contraption that required a small team to don. So Lelouch helped take it off, his hands brushing against her shoulders. She laughed.
Kaguya had been quite clear when it came to what she hoped for, and Lelouch hadn't objected to the idea in principle. They were… something more than co-conspirators now, and he wanted to express that, wanted to pay Kaguya back. So he went along.
She was guiding- or perhaps dragging him- through what followed kissing. It was healthy. Natural. It was how people were born, how Lelouch was conceived, on one of a hundred brides the Emperor didn't give a damn about-
"Lelouch?" Kaguya had stopped, concern evident on her face.
"I'm sorry." He tried to school himself. Kaguya wanted this. He kissed her, trying to put passion he didn't really feel into it. He was supposed to find this exhilarating, not awkward and gross…
Unfortunately, it seemed that he was a little lacking in excitement, despite their efforts. "Lelouch…"
"It's not you-" he tried to start.
"It's fine." Was it really? "If you're uncomfortable, I shouldn't push you." Kaguya was accommodating. Far too accommodating.
"If you wouldn't mind… hold me, at least?"
Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her. She cooed appreciatively, and Lelouch fought a sudden urge to take a long shower.
Unfortunately, they wouldn't get the pleasure of a honeymoon. Oh, Lelouch was sure that Clovis would have arranged something if he had asked, Okinawa or Hokkaido or wherever, but Lelouch was always under scrutiny. He and his beloved wife were to pour everything into Britannia.
He awoke early. He had to, what with his profession. Kaguya still slept next to him, a little smile on her face as she dreamt. He supposed they'd best get used to this, even if he was… incapable.
Calling for a maidservant, he requested breakfast for two and the papers. She quickly nodded her head and practically dashed away. He snuck in a quick shower before the arrival of breakfast and the papers.
His marriage received top billing in just about every paper published in Area Eleven and even made it into some of the mainland papers. Lots of glossy pictures of himself and Kaguya, alongside the finest fashions of the wedding. (It would be nice, he thought, to swiftly slide under the radar, hiding under useless prattle about fashion. In that regard, it seemed the consensus was that his wife held her own, fashion-wise.)
Some of the papers were the grossest tabloids imaginable, suitable for little more than tinder… and seeing what the public was being fed. "Freedom of the press" had not taken root in Britannia the same way it had in Europe. If this trite was published, it was because someone wanted it published, or at least permitted it. No one was stupid enough to insult the royal person of the prince or his sisters, but the crassest rumors imaginable were already starting to spread about his wife. (He wouldn't lie to himself and pretend this was just out of defending her reputation or anything, as she wasn't the most important person in his life- Nunnally- but an insult to Kaguya still evoked his ire.) There was some damned censor who let it through.
Well, there was one source of news beyond Britannia's ability to censor. The JLF had their own rag and broadcasted the occasional piece of news over the radio when not playing old patriotic songs or the like.
Lelouch, of course, had all the broadcasts recorded. So far, they hadn't managed to triangulate the source, thanks to the hard work of the enemy's technicians.
It was a damned shame that the JLF had sunk their claws into skilled Japanese radio operators. They were probably some experts still eking out a living in the ghettos, but they'd have to be found and reacquainted with equipment…
"You're planning something." Kaguya mused.
"I am?"
"You've got that look about you. What is it now?"
"How would you like to go into publishing?"
She sighed, but there was a faint smile on her lips. "Is that your idea of a honeymoon?"
They took efforts to make sure that no one would think Lelouch had fingers in this particular pie. Their paper should not look like the occupation government's press organ.
At the same time, Kaguya did not wish to dilute her power over the press by splitting up control with the other Kyoto houses. Fortunately, pretending to get along with the houses was a bit less of a concern now. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and sucking up to Britannia was simply making allies with the biggest dog.
The newly dubbed Sumeragi Press was, of course, devoted to the proper spread of their overlord's ideas. So they started with proper fare: On the Origin of Species; The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex; Principles of Biology….
Shock of all shocks, the handsome hardcovers didn't sell well. It was simply out of the Japanese price range, you see. Simple paperback study guides for the tests one needed to take to become an Honorary Britannian were far more popular.
Unfortunately, they were largely forced to publish in English or romaji, and even the most innocuous Japanese folk tales were combed over carefully for any hint of sedition. Still, Kaguya fought to be the major Japanese voice, going to great efforts to make sure that she published things that were useful to the people (and that painted her in a good light, of course).
Meanwhile, Lelouch quietly researched something a bit more… inflammatory. There were many interesting records about Britannian conquests hidden from the public eye.
He could not look overzealous, especially when digging through those files only the Imperial Family could access. Carefully, oh so carefully, he gave the impression of a devoted scholar of military history. Every third or fifth article had some nugget, some piece of history better left hidden…
They went into a file on a computer not connected to any outside network.
On a happier note, they had their Japanese-style wedding. Secret, of course, but the photographs were locked away safely as well, waiting for the day that they might be put to use.
Suzaku's big break came from Kaguya and Lelouch. They recognized his name in one of the lists of Honorary Britannians with exemplary performance, and after a meeting to affirm that yes, it really was him, Suzaku's position had changed significantly. How fortunate was he, that he was so trusted by a Britannian prince and his lady?
Jeremiah complained, of course, and Suzaku felt that he still hadn't proved himself in the man's eyes- not that he cared that much. After all, it was Lelouch and Kaguya who trusted him, and it was them who signed the checks. The pay for being a personal guard was good, and it got the two of them back into Suzaku's life, let him get closer to them than almost anyone else in the area.
He picked up on their tics, and how they relieved the stress which was piled up on them. Lelouch would throw himself into business. Relieving stress by removing future causes of stress, Suzaku guessed?
(On his absolute worst days, he'd schedule very low-key visits to the Ashford complex. Did he go there to play with their newest toys? Or maybe not. Lelouch didn't seem like the sort of man who'd spend his dead sister's birthday playing around with Knightmares. Commiserating, then.)
Kaguya's free time was devoted to Japan, and she fought to preserve every piece of the old culture she could. This included notebooks by both her and Suzaku, buying up art, and getting in touch with the scattered miko and shinshoku who knew the land's spiritual traditions.
In addition to a human death toll that she had compiled, she had collected a list of literature and other cultural artifacts she believed forever lost to the flames of war. She was hunting the Three Sacred Treasures doggedly, hoping against hope…
That was all well and good as long as she didn't shout it from the rooftops. She didn't, of course, but she was more than happy to shoehorn it into their private life.
Kaguya had never struck Suzaku as the sort of woman who would demurely settle into married life, although she seemed to like some of the trappings. All the fun of being sappy newlyweds with other people doing the housework. Lelouch had to suspect it was the maids who made those bento boxes, but he never mentioned it.
They were affectionate in a way that Suzaku found quite uncomfortable, especially when they did it in public. Both were very free with affection, but Suzaku knew they were doing it to show off. Lelouch didn't initiate nearly as often in the privacy of his own home, it was almost always Kaguya.
Whenever circumstances allowed, they shared rooms. Suzaku had understood, on an intellectual level, that they did as married couples were wont to do. Still, his face flushed the first few times Kaguya would wink, shut the door, and loudly lock it.
Suzaku would lean against the wall, listening to water rushing in the pipes, and wonder how two people could possibly need to take that many showers in a single night. His face would heat as his perception of his childhood friends shifted massively.
Gossiping was below him, but at some point, he started to wonder. Were there fertility issues involved, maybe? There were certain expectations about these marriages, and Suzaku was fairly sure they weren't using birth control….
Lelouch was occasionally forced to work strange hours, being called out of bed or from other projects to handle military concerns. Officially, he was one of the biggest military leaders on the entire island, and that wasn't even mentioning what soft influence he had accrued, with help from Kaguya. When military actions happened, Lelouch was one of the first to know.
So he stormed in when Clovis seemed to be in the initial steps of bumbling a military operation. The Viceroy squawked, "Lelouch! What a surprise-"
"What are you doing?"
"Recovering experimental poison gas stolen by Eleven terrorists."
"Experimental gas…" Lelouch mused, "I've never heard of such a thing. Who's developing it?"
"My own researchers," Clovis reassured him.
"And you never thought to inform me?" What sort of fool would develop a weapon without asking his premier general? Well, Clovis could be quite a fool outside of his wheelhouse of schmoozing and herding the nobility, so it was possible… but Lelouch had a bad feeling. Why?
Why develop gas weapons now, when the Knightmare was the king of the battlefield? To kill swarms of conscripts? To kill rebels? Kaguya's own people? The first two options implied a woeful misunderstanding of martial affairs- the Chinese were slow to adopt the Knightmare, but they had many of them, which were certainly equipped with air filters- and the last implied a cavalier disregard for his subjects' lives. For his sister-in-law's people.
"Clovis," Lelouch hissed, pulling his brother to the side. "Tell me the truth. I'm not throwing away my men to clean up your mess unless I know what they'll be getting themselves into."
"Just poison gas-"
"If you're going to lie to me-"
"A project." Clovis sighed, "Experimentation."
Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "Experimentation." Clovis nodded, and Lelouch sighed. "I'll clean this up for you- but don't you dare pull a stunt like this again."
If Clovis harbored plans- intentional or not- to kill Lelouch's rebellion in the cradle, Lelouch would liberate his brother of the Viceregal title… one way or the other.
Getting the 'gas' back was almost comedically easy. The rebels only had one outdated Knightmare. The bigger problem was instituting military patrols and curfews in the ghettos- Lelouch was painfully aware of how much every hamfisted pacification attempt would set him back.
Still, with the place on lockdown, there was time to investigate Clovis' dirty little secret. Of course, only Lelouch, Jeremiah, and a few particularly loyal guards would be present when it was cracked open. Carefully, carefully, knowing full well that experiments that Clovis wanted to hide couldn't be pleasant. Some of his braver guards cracked the container open in another room…
There was an exclamation of shock before a verdict of "Safe!" Hesitantly, Lelouch approached, not entirely sure if he wanted to know what mess his brother had made this time.
This particular mess was an attractive green-haired woman in a straitjacket. For a single moment, Lelouch wondered if this was some bizarre bondage thing, before remembering the far more rational explanation: she was a human experiment. A human experiment that rose up and looked around at them with intelligent amber eyes before lunging at Lelouch.
She was perforated, but she got in a glancing touch, little more than brushing her hand against his face.
Jeremiah just barely managed to catch Lelouch, preventing him from cracking his skull against the floor. Panicked, he felt for a pulse. Not now, not after all this.
Thankfully, blood still coursed through his prince's veins, although the pulse was far too high. His eyes moved rapidly under closed lids.
"God above!" The cough of a gunshot. Jeremiah snapped around, to see one of the other guards pointing his weapon at the slumping form of the human experiment. Who had just gotten up after being shot.
Unbelievably, the wounds began to knit themselves closed. "Don't fire." Jeremiah hissed.
When the woman awoke again, Jeremiah yanked her up by her straitjacket. "What did you do?"
She grinned, far too confident for a woman surrounded by hostile soldiers. "I made a deal." Jeremiah's grip on the straitjacket was vicelike, and he tightened it further as he-
"Let her go, Jeremiah." Shocked, Jeremiah released the woman, who slumped to the floor, and turned to his prince, who held his hand over his eye. Light sensitivity? Blindness, like his poor sister?
Lowering his hand, Lelouch revealed a sigil on his eye, one that glowed red in the dim light. "She's more than fulfilled her end of the bargain."
One of their wedding gifts had been an estate some ways out from Tokyo proper. There was never much reason to use it, but it, along with various Sumeragi properties, gave them places to discuss sensitive subjects or otherwise avoid prying eyes in the main settlement.
So a meeting at one of these places set off all sorts of alarm bells. Was there some complication in the plan?
Kaguya made some excuses for the various meetings and socials she'd have to miss and high-tailed it for the outskirts of the city. The sense of foreboding only got worse as she saw Jeremiah's Knightmare sitting outside the house, kneeling like a knight before their lord.
The inside of the house was comfortably nostalgic, with tatami and paper walls. They could faintly hear an argument. And Kaguya rushed in that direction.
Lelouch had his back to her and was talking to a green-haired woman in a surprisingly fetching straitjacket. Was that what he…?
He turned, and Kaguya looked into an eye that glowed crimson over the violet. "What-"
"This is Geass. A power without equal."
"Tell me everything."
Barring a few interjections from this C.C. character, Lelouch did. He had been gifted a remarkable power, one that Kaguya could scarcely believe, even with a demonstration. It certainly helped their schedule, even if there was some unknown cost they would have to pay to the woman at the end.
Lelouch excused himself, it being a rather tiring day, but Kaguya didn't follow yet. She sat across from C.C. and began to plead her case.
"Please, give me your power. The same power you gave my husband." She could have done a lot of diplomatic beating around the bush, but those cutting amber eyes seemed to see right through her.
"Why should I?"
"Insurance. Whatever you want from Lelouch, I can help provide. We can protect each other until then. Anything in Japan that you might need, I can get to you."
"Money isn't it." She sneered. "But yes, I suppose it would increase the odds… You young lovers are insufferable, you know that?"
"I'll keep on being insufferable until I get what I want."
C.C. smirked. "That's not a game you want to play, girl."
"But I will play it regardless."
C.C. stared at her for a moment before stepping closer, holding out a beckoning hand. "You might just work. Your wish, then?"
Kaguya stared into those amber eyes and took her hand. "Give me the power to protect what is mine, no matter the cost!"
Any awkward questions from Clovis about where C.C. ended up were resolved with one simple sentence: "I command you, be eternally loyal to me!"
Lelouch put his Geass through its paces as much as he dared, but Kaguya had issues. It wasn't that she didn't understand it, more that she had to be very careful when practicing with it.
It made the various social events she attended a touch more difficult. She hated those high society wives and their idle chatter, those business tycoons and their swollen heads. And that was just the problem. If her anger got the best of her…
Constant, unceasing composure was the only solution unless she wanted socialities to start dropping like flies from sudden brain failure. That or causing major brain damage- although Kaguya couldn't see how she could cause more damage to some of those empty-headed little-
Easy. Easy. Even minor feelings of irritation towards someone could cause splitting headaches. Her saving grace was that it caused no harm towards people she felt positive towards- for good and for ill.
(Her capacity was terrible, in the awe-inspiring sense of the word. She had practiced on some death row inmates, who she could bring herself to despise quite easily. The one who lost the will to eat and drink was unfortunate… although probably surpassed by the one whose autonomic nervous system shut down. The body simply didn't tell the heart to beat, and that was that.)
"Lelouch… would it be strange to say I hate this power?"
"Not at all."
"But you-"
"It's a power that makes people obedient to my every whim, Kaguya. It's a thousand times worse than my father's imperial authority. I can impose my will on anyone. It's disgusting."
"But you keep on using it."
"Yes. Because it's the lesser evil. The price that must be paid for Britannia's destruction."
She gulped. "The price that must be paid…?"
Lelouch looked at her. "If you don't want to use your power, don't. You've already done more than enough for me. For my dream."
As if destroying Britannia wasn't her dream as well…
There was also the matter of C.C.- they didn't want her just traipsing around, of course, but she needed to be somewhere secure, somewhere where she could be provided for, somewhere private.
And while they knew the truth that they were providing patronage for their own superpowered witch, it was easy to imagine what pieces the public might put together. A private estate, a woman of exceptional beauty and eclectic taste…
"Every self-respecting warlord has a mistress, you know." Kaguya mused.
"And I am no warlord. I am your loyal husband."
"Yes. But we'll need another cover story for her if we don't go for the obvious," she hummed to herself for a moment, contemplating. "An artist you're patronizing, maybe?"
That terrible, doleful eye could shift men's hearts in ways bribes simply couldn't. It was a fruitful ability, although there was a definite place for Kaguya's own discriminate violence.
It had some interesting applications in social situations- crippling the part of the brain that ruled over inhibitions and self-preservation had led to the destruction of quite a few social lives. She could interrogate as surely as Lelouch could, although through different means.
So they sunk their hooks deeper and deeper into Area Eleven. The other Kyoto houses kowtowed to them now, courtesy of a very fruitful dinner Lelouch attended, and no Britannian could resist Kaguya's charms- or complete destruction of their rational self-interest.
Kaguya's ability was inherently destructive, although with time she could use it with the accuracy of a chisel. Sometimes, though, you needed a hammer, to shatter the foundation wholly.
Despite all the planning Lelouch and Kaguya had done in advance, the days leading up to and immediately following the coup were some of the busiest in their lives.
The day itself was not remarkable for anything other than one of Prince Clovis' exceptional parties. The invitations were thick and fast, and anyone who was anyone would be there.
At the same time, the military moved for a "series of synchronized crackdowns on the perfidious Eleven terrorists." Of course, by the time the day was over, anyone too loyal to the old Britannia either found themselves facing large mobs of worryingly well-equipped Japanese terrorists alone… or they caught bullets from their attached Eleven battalions.
At the party… well, why would anyone refuse to look the Prince and his wife in the eyes? It would be rude, after all.
With the nobility safely stored away for ransom, there was the matter of taking the city. To start with, he exploited Britannian reverence for authority. If it came from the Viceroy's mouth, then there had to be some logical reason behind the curfew and lockdown of the city.
Eleven units and Lelouch's own loyalists rushed through the streets, seizing areas of vital importance. Lelouch made absolutely sure to send his own Britannian soldiers- who wouldn't feel the need to enact vengeance of any sort against the occupiers- to seize the Ashford Academy. (Sayoko had been warned in advance, of course.)
The element of surprise proved vicious- they swept over Tokyo like a storm, seizing upon the decapitated command structure and casting it down. The city would be Lelouch's own private police state, beholden to no law but his own- in contrast to the constitution Kaguya had drafted for the rest of Japan.
(They'd had long debates about what was to become of the Tokyo settlement, whether the more amenable Britannians might deserve citizenship. Their conclusion was to see how they reacted.)
Unfortunately, Lelouch was hearing some unpleasant news about holdouts up in Hokkaido, so he'd have to go and deal with that, but for now his focus was finishing the job and lopping off the snakehead.
Some of the most critical assets they seized were the communications equipment. That was where the real fun began. A call to action for the rebels, telling them to join the new Japanese state- if they hadn't already gotten the message from Kyoto… but that wasn't the only thing they would be broadcasting. Lelouch had something very inflammatory prepared.
When Cornelia saw Euphemia sitting in front of the television, transfixed and horrified, her stomach plunged.
"Euphemia?"
Her sister stared at the screen, deathly quiet, tears in her eyes.
"Euphemia?"
What had she watched? Cornelia's treacherous mind filled in the blanks. The propaganda the EU spewed about her or the sorts of footage Cornelia had taken great lengths to keep hidden from her sister's eyes.
Cornelia restarted the video and sat next to Euphemia, wrapping an arm around her feeling some small measure of relief when she wasn't rebuked.
On the screen, Lelouch walked up to a podium, dressed in military finery.
"Some say that the truth does not need defending. It, like a lion, will fend for itself. How true that is is itself debatable, but one thing is certain: unfortunate truths are more powerful than any Knightmare."
"And I bring unfortunate truths before you today. The doings of this Empire of Britannia."
No. He wouldn't. He wouldn't. He had a wife to worry about, a high position, and some of the respect that he had been denied in the court…
But he also had access to a lot of things best kept secret.
Well, they weren't secret any longer. A laundry list of war crimes, flagrant violations of the rules of war, production of weapons banned by treaty… Subterfuge and 'diplomatic incidents' which were actually false flags, assassinations and sabotage, and deaths by the score.
So many pictures from the Japanese occupation. Emperor, Empress, and their suckling babe all murdered. Trenches full of Japanese dead, representatives lined up and shot in the Diet building, shrines sacked and history burned.
All the dirt of the past few decades dug up and proudly displayed on video, spread so broadly that even Euphemia, as isolated as she was, could get ahold of it.
"For these and for every Britannian crime hidden in the shadows, for the countless dead under my father's bootheel, I rebuke his Britannia!"
Lelouch's eyes burned with the same fire they had when he confronted the Emperor all those years ago, and Cornelia suddenly knew that fire had never burnt out. Lelouch hid it, nurtured it…
"But his wanton destruction was not total." Lelouch stepped to the side and Kaguya appeared, her expression sharp and eyes determined. "My wife, Sumeragi Kaguya, can claim descent from one of the imperial family's cadet branches. Making her- and her issue- rightful sovereigns of all Japan." He bent in deference to the girl- who was three years his junior.
(Unknown to Cornelia, the claim was quite shaky. Traditionally, the emperorship was strictly patrilineal. But it was either this or two millennia and change of symbolically powerful history going down the drain.)
The Sumeragi girl prattled on for a bit about how she was confident her people, in time, would have risen up to restore their own sovereignty, she had just wished to hasten the matter, etc.
Cornelia clutched her sister a little tighter.
The Leak (it deserved that capitalization) was no small operation. Lelouch had rehearsed that speech dozens of times (in both English and Japanese, mind) and had compiled and trimmed years of military reports into one damning package, easy to consume and quite damning.
He cherrypicked, just a little. Britannia had a ton of war crimes, sure, but Lelouch picked those he could sell best. For Britannians at home, there were reminders of the injustices Britannia was more than happy to visit upon its own citizens, to remind them they were never truly safe. For foreign audiences, he focused on the indignities suffered in a Britannian invasion- a little hamfisted, sure, but "this is what will happen to you if you don't help" was a powerful message.
Oh and that wasn't even counting all the confidential military intelligence he leaked. The EU and Chinese Federation were doubtlessly marveling at the designs of Britannia's current and upcoming Knightmares. The notes about their weaknesses and design flaws helped too.
The Eunuchs were so grateful they were open to negotiating Japan's entrance to the Chinese Federation. Lelouch and Kaguya packed their bags.
(It was too damned easy.)
PALACE COUP
During the Empress' state visit to China, a coup broke out in the imperial palace. Both she and the Chinese Empress are in perfect health, fortunately.
Recent communiques seem to hint that the Eunuchs, who made up much of the Chinese bureaucracy have been brought to heel. The Chinese Empress has sworn to come to Japan's aid in the fight against Britannia, alongside more general economic aid.
Of course, any talk of an alliance between Britannia and the Federation is now little more than hot air.
They knew the Eunuchs, perfidious dogs that they were, would try something. Unfortunately for them, in their pride, they got close enough for eye contact. It sure was a shame that the ringleader of their dastardly scheme to undermine the Chinese Empress had died of a sudden seizure. The rest had sudden changes of heart.
The Tianzi was, overall, an amenable host, although she didn't quite have the august presence expected of an Empress yet. She received them and made some hamfisted comments about Asian fellowship and a united front against Britannia… Hiding under another empire's skirts wasn't the greatest look, but a corrupt oligarchy was a lot easier to Geass than a democracy.
Kaguya became quite fond of her fellow Empress and swiftly took the girl under her wing to teach her some of the delicate art of politics. (Kaguya liked the girl, she really did- it was nice to have a friend who could understand her, understand the stress that came with power- but would she shamelessly exploit any debt of gratitude to get Japan the autonomy it deserved? Absolutely. She would never suffer the indignity of being just some Chinese province.)
Lelouch's wheelhouse was warfare, of course, so he discussed the matter of their common defense… at least, until he was cornered by one of the Chinese. A… Xingke, he believed?
"What did you do?"
"I spoke with the Eunuchs before one of them tragically passed."
"And their sudden change in heart?"
"Who can say? A reminder of one's own mortality can change a man."
"Not like that." Xingke said, eyes narrowed. "Those leeches would never change. Never. You did something."
Lelouch smiled, and a for a moment his eye glowed red. "There are terrible powers in this world, you know." Xingke backed up, his eyes wide.
"What…?"
Lelouch turned away from him, 'admiring' a piece of art on one of the walls. "I can promise you we won't come for your Empress- but if you're worried, tell her to avoid eye contact."
His eyes glossed over, and Lelouch froze. This… this was the runaway Geass, was it not? He found himself rushing alongside Xingke, weaving around a Eunuch who was bent double with a crippling headache…
Kaguya and Lelouch had to excuse themselves. They were having the most dreadful headaches and eye pain. Maybe too much time spent staring at screens? They dimmed the lights in their sumptuous suite and shared in their misery, afraid to even look at another human.
"Isn't that funny," Kaguya sighed mirthlessly, "Our Geasses both go wild at the same time."
"It's a sign of overuse. I'm sorry for egging you on, Kaguya-"
She embraced him. "Don't you dare. I chose to use that power. I chose to accompany you on this lonely path."
He smiled at her. At the very least, the Power of Kings did not leave him completely alone. Cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her, his hands settling near her waist.
"Do you think we'll manage this?" She mumbled into his shoulder.
Suddenly conscious of what a misplaced word might do, Lelouch clutched a little tighter and stared into the dark. "We will survive this. I'm certain."
(The next morning, the Empress was afraid to look them in the eyes. Kaguya still hoped to write her.)
Despite… the incident, Chinese military aid came, the state throwing itself into the war. It wasn't quite as strong as Britannia… but Britannia was facing other problems now, with their Sakuradite supply crippled. To get it back, they'd have to beat the Chinese navy- admittedly, possible- and then invade Fortress Japan… on extremely limited Sakuradite, fighting Knightmares all the way.
Of course, now really wasn't the time to start hoarding the stuff, so they sold to everyone but Britannia. China, their new benefactors (and potential federal overseers) got the lion's share, giving them the military oomph they needed to keep Britannia on the far side of the ocean. The remainder went to the Europeans and the scrappy remnants of the Middle Eastern Federation.
Those first few months were good, when they knew the weaknesses of the enemy Knightmares and the Britannians were still shocked by the sudden lack of Sakuradite. Without that glut, they faced a series of strategic defeats in Europe and Northern Africa- they began to hunker down, of course, executing defensive operations with their limited remaining supply…
Already, their scientists raced to find substitutes, the whole of the Americas being prospected for any additional lodes… but the cracks were beginning to show, strict Sakuradute rationing making the Empire creak, just a tiny bit, at the seams. The day wasn't won… but the tide had turned.
By most accounts, the Empress and her husband were down with something during this time- she still delivered speeches over television, but she no longer presided over the diet unless her presence was absolutely necessary, and even then would occasionally use obfuscation, screens and curtains to hide her august presence. (A bit of a swollen head for such a new Empress, some muttered…)
Lamperouge still served as a general, racing around to fortify weak spots or handle skirmishes, but he also became less fond of the public eye. Rumors said it was for fear of assassination by radicals. (Despite his efforts, there were certain die-hards who abhorred him to the grave.)
It was something of a running joke that one of their most famed aides- the Kururugi boy, the son of the old prime minister- was their Shogun. His was no tent government- he genuinely did what the Empress requested of him- but the joke still stood as long as Kururugi was forced to play the part of an intermediary.
Lelouch Lamperouge had influence. He pulled on the strings of the world's politicians, his eye had unified the old world in an ironclad alliance against Britannia, their Darwinist poison forever condemned to the Americas. Of the officers and generals planning an invasion of the Britannian homeland, he was the foremost.
Their cause for war was, of course, the liberation of the Numbers from the cruel indignity of Britannian rule and the end of that odious tyranny… but there was also talk of what to do once the war was won. What to do with a people whose scorn for republicanism was part of their national character?
Among Lelouch's officers, some of them were turncoats. Britannian military talents who he managed to win over with charisma, arguments against Britannian ideology, or both. Still, those men remembered the homeland, and wanted to see it brought into its proper place among the community of nations… and who better to guide the ship of state during that tumultuous time than the famed Traitor Prince? Unfortunately, the idea spread, first to more royalist elements in their broad anti-Britannia coalitions, then to moderates who wanted a means of occupying Britannia that would actually work…
Lelouch had been happy to help Kaguya, happy to scheme and manipulate and give orders because he knew Britannia's destruction was the end. The good that he committed evils for. Ruling Britannia, even as an occupying dictator dragging them kicking and screaming into the modern, civilized world, was unpleasant to imagine. But it was the bitter pill he would have to swallow to make the perfect world.
So he drafted speeches, discussed potential occupation zones, and explained the makeup of the Britannian court. He nodded along. Perhaps, at the end of all this, when his father was finally deposed, he could suggest a slight renaming. Britannia would no longer cover the whole of the Americas- perhaps it could be devolved into a kingdom or several kingdoms?
Some part of him didn't want to come to Kaguya's bed as Emperor of Britannia.
It might have made them equals in title… but it would make him feel foul. Well, more foul.
(They were equals in Geass, anyways, sharing in the same loneliness that came from being at the summit. C.C. said that V.V.'s Code was floating around as well, so if they pleased, they could be equals in that manner as well.)
Somehow this became almost 15K words, 41 pages. It wasn't supposed to be this big to start with, I swear.
This story idea came to me while contemplating a Lelouch-Kaguya arranged marriage, pre-Zero. My first idea- perhaps called 'Triumph of the Doves' or 'Nesting Doves' would have made it a diplomatic marriage. However, I couldn't engineer a scenario where the doves- that is, peaceful Britannians, if such a people existed- could force Japan to terms without war. Well maybe I could have, but this was easier…
It also keeps my brain from frying contemplating dominoes.
There were also some basic theming and motifs in this one. I'm not nearly as well-read as I wish so I don't know if "colonization as male violence" is common, but it seems quite obvious. But it's my basic bitch theming, so I'm proud of it.
As for Kaguya's Geass, I was originally planning something more like CC's- affection or making people more amenable. But then I wanted to shake it up a little, so Kaguya is the one with barely restrained violent power. Lelouch will order you to kill yourself- Kaguya can just fry your brain like an egg. The diplomat with martial power, and the strategist with more diplomatic power.
For a woman whose country was invaded by overwhelming power, wouldn't a possible response be wanting power for her own defense? At least that's my thought. It also leads to more contrasts: Lelouch, who wants control and gets it by robbing others of autonomy vs Kaguya, who would prefer peaceful means but whose power inherently deals in violence. Blah, blah symbolism.
