The Forbidden City of Greed was far larger than the Palaces that had come before it, but like most Palaces, its destruction radiated out from from its core. It reminded Lelouch of something that he had heard once in his physics class. Before he awoke to his Persona he didn't usually pay much attention in class, but the reactions of several of his classmates upon hearing it had been enough to make him clearly recall the example. If the sun were to suddenly collapse and stop shining, it would take eight minutes for anyone on Earth to even realize that the sun was gone, because it would take that long for the last light emitted by the sun before its destruction to reach Earth. Likewise, those areas of the Palace most distant from the Treasure would be the last to feel its removal since they were still receiving the last waves of the Distortion that it had emitted.
Unlike that scenario, the Palace's collapse propagated outward at a speed far less than that of light, though to his chagrin, Lelouch couldn't say exactly how fast it was. As much as he hated such imprecision in his plans, he had no opportunities to study the phenomenon. Whenever it occurred, the Black Knights, and now the Irregulars, were far too busy running for their lives, pursued by an advancing wall of destruction.
The Glinda Knights were still ahead of them, or so he had to assume. Somehow, Marrybell's band of Persona-users had given them the slip, and were now nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they had their own infiltration route, but Lelouch couldn't waste time searching for them. Besides, he doubted that Marrybell, who had demonstrated a keen tactical acumen in their chess matches, and who must have already destroyed at least two Palaces back in Pendragon, would be so careless to let herself get caught in the collapse. With any luck, she'd be contacting him on KnightWatch before the night was over.
Lelouch could see the literal light at the end of the tunnel; Gao Hai's secret escape route out of the Palace had proved invaluable when precious seconds could make the difference between life and death. If he had been back in the real world, his legs would have almost certainly given out long ago, even with Sayoko's training, but empowered by his Persona, he continued to dash forward. Putting on a last burst of speed, he left the tunnel and the ruins of the Forbidden City of Greed behind him.
xXx
The Black Knights and Irregulars materialized back in the alleyway near the Consulate, exactly where they had entered the Metaverse. A quick check of the MetNav would confirm that the Palace had-
"Princess Euphemia!" an all-too familiar voice called out. "And... Lelouch!" the voice gasped.
Everyone turned around to see the source of the voice, but Lelouch already knew who it was: Suzaku Kururugi.
Damn! Ever since he had found out that Suzaku was a Persona-user, Lelouch had recognized that there as a chance that his old friend would discover him in the Metaverse. But he hadn't expected to be caught like this again. It could have been ruinous for the Black Knights when Shirley had discovered them leaving the Metaverse. Even though she hadn't turned them in, that knowledge had been the final straw leading to the formation of her Palace, and had ultimately necessitated rescuing her from Medjed and her Shadow. But for Suzaku to now be the one to catch them... It was just too soon!
"Not just you, Lelouch," Suzaku frowned. "Almost all of the Student Council is here... and Nunnally too. Then again, she is an honorary member of the Student Council..."
"Suzaku, there's an explanation for all of this!" Lelouch started frantically.
"I know there is," Suzaku replied, not buying any of it. "I just saw all of you emerge from thin air... or should I say, the Metaverse?"
Was that why Suzaku had let Euphy go, so that he could follow her and discover the identities of the Black Knights without dirtying his own hands? Still, no matter how obvious it must be to Suzaku, Lelouch refused to say anything that would confirm the knight's suspicions beyond all doubts. In this moment, he couldn't assume that Suzaku was the same friend that he had always known, lest he...
Lelouch noticed Kallen tensing next to him, prepared to attack Suzaku should he make any sudden moves, or should her leader order her to do so. The others on the Student Council didn't seem as eager to fight, but they regarded Suzaku warily. The dismayed, flustered look on Shirley's face couldn't be seen as anything but an admission of guilt. Then again, his own panicked reaction had probably been worse.
The Irregulars were far less restrained in the hostility that they showed Suzaku. They didn't have to reconcile feelings of friendship toward Suzaku with the threat that he now posed to them, and Lelouch knew that they would kill to protect each other. Alice seemed particularly ready to fight, and it was likely only Nunnally's hesitation that held her back.
As for Xingke, his hand had immediately gone to his sword, though it was not yet drawn, ready to cut Suzaku down should he say or do anything that might threaten the Empress. That being said, Xingke was also a professional, and had not survived working under Gao Hai by being incautious. Even now, Xingke was appraising Suzaku, and waiting for him to make the first move.
Suzaku held up his hands, but kept his eyes fixed on Lelouch. "I don't want to fight you, Nunnally, or the others." He sighed. "Even if I did, I'm not so naive to believe that I could take all of you on at once." Suzaku shook his head. "We've both been lying to each other for all of this time."
"You were lying to us first," Lelouch thought bitterly. "To all of the members of the Student Council."
But Lelouch knew that, had his friends not stumbled across the Metaverse, he would still be lying to all of them about what he was doing after school. Milly had gotten pulled in with them purely by accident, and if not for that she may have never become a Black Knight. He had kept on lying about it, to both Shirley and his own sister, for months. But they both became Persona-users, and even Nina had ended up as one of their targets and then one of their collaborators. Of the Student Council's original members as of the start of that year, only Rivalz was still in the dark. But in any case, it would be useless to argue with Suzaku right now about which of them was more of a hypocrite.
"Let's talk, Lelouch," Suzaku said slowly. "I know a place where we won't be overheard. Do you know about Mementos?"
What was Suzaku playing at? Shirley had reported that Suzaku's Persona was at least as powerful as Kallen's, and he had managed to drive off the Black Mask, or at least pressure the assassin into making a tactical withdrawal, but he doubted that Suzaku would be so foolish to try to fight them in Mementos. After all, the Black Knights and Irregulars outnumbered him thirteen to one.
But what if the whole thing was another sort of trap? If they met with Suzaku and then let him go, he could turn them in at any time. In any case, the whole situation stank of Schneizel's work. The Second Prince was still Suzaku's direct superior. It would be all to easy for Schneizel to orchestrate the situation that they now found themselves in, if he suspected that Euphy might be a Black Knight. Schneizel wouldn't even necessarily have to order Suzaku to follow Euphy. The Second Prince was a master at reading people and anticipating their actions, making them dance to his tune without even realizing it.
Whether or not Suzaku was knowingly here according to Schneizel's plans, they would have to go underground! Not just with Nunnally and Sayoko, per the contingency plans that he long maintained for such a desperate occasion, but for the other Black Knights as well. They would be in just as much danger, and he couldn't leave them behind after all they had been through together. But wait... then there were the other Irregulars! Nunnally wouldn't willingly abandon them either! What would they-
"Lelouch," a gentle voice said on the side opposite of Kallen. Euphy was there, her blue-violet eyes earnestly pleading with him. "Shouldn't we at least listen to what he has to say? I don't think he means us harm. Wasn't he your best friend before the war?"
Lelouch looked at Euphemia incredulously for a moment. She may have become a Black Knight, and even consented to stealing Gao Hai's heart in the end, but was she still so idealistic, so naive not to see the threat that Suzaku now posed to them?
Yet cynical as he was, Euphy always had a way of appealing to the softer side of his nature, and Lelouch quickly felt cracks forming in his resistance to the idea. A part of him truly did want to accept Suzaku's offer to talk, in spite of the risks. Hardheaded as Suzaku could be, just maybe there was a chance that his first real friend could come around to his way of thinking. The very few members of the royal family that he actually liked didn't count.
In any case, Euphy certainly thought that it was possible, and if Suzaku were to join them, Lelouch was sure that there would be nothing that the Black Knights could not accomplish. But-
"Euphy's right, big brother," Nunnally said, her eyes firmly meeting his own. "Suzaku's safeguarded the secret of our lineage ever since he came to Ashford Academy. He could have turned us in at any time, but he didn't. I know this isn't quite the same thing, but can't we trust him one more time? Besides," she added sweetly, "by letting Euphy join us, hasn't he already made his choice?"
First Euphemia, and now his little sister? Together, that was practically cheating! But he was also surprised by just how devious Nunnally was. Without saying what they they had been doing in the Metaverse, or carrying any malice or hostility in her voice, she had just subtly threatened Suzaku with the consequences of his actions.
The Black Knights were traitors to Britannia, and the Irregulars were fugitives from an illegal program that Britannia had officially disavowed, even while surreptitiously continuing its research into Cognitive Psience. By letting Euphemia join them to steal Gao Hai's heart, he had made himself an accessory to the Black Knights' crimes. It would be extremely difficult for Suzaku to turn them in without being forced to admit his own complicity in compromising Britannia's most important diplomatic deal in history.
Moreover, Cornelia's wrath would be terrible to behold if she were to learn that Suzaku had only discovered the Black Knights' identities because he had abrogated his own duty to protect her beloved little sister. After all, Suzaku had not only knowingly allowed Euphemia to enter a situation where her life would be in mortal danger, he had actively aided her in doing so.
In other words, Suzaku's future held either disgrace and probable execution for the crimes he had already committed against Britannia, or further collaboration with the Black Knights, until whatever Britannia might do to him was rendered irrelevant. Even if Suzaku were to walk away right now, and never did anything to assist the Black Knights again, Britannia would not forgive him if they had discovered what he had done. If the order came from the Emperor himself, not even Schneizel would be able to protect Suzaku. And whether he was caught or not, Suzaku would always have to live with the knowledge that he had compromised his supposed principles by letting Euphemia go.
Suzaku stiffened as he heard Nunnally's words. He knew that she was right.
"You know, Lelouch, you're a bad influence on Nunnally sometimes," Suzaku sighed.
Glancing around to gauge the other Black Knight's opinions, Lelouch saw Shirley nodding. After a moment's consideration, Leila joined her. While countless people trying to take advantage of her after her parents' deaths should have left Leila as an embittered cynic, she clearly retained a degree of idealism, such that she wanted to believe in the best in people. Perhaps that was another way in which she was a "romantic", and a kindred spirit to Shirley. But Leila's idealism was still tempered by pragmatism, and Lelouch knew that she would not carelessly advise him to speak to Suzaku.
Slowly, Lelouch nodded. "Very well, Suzaku. We'll hear you out. If nothing else, it's the least I can do, for old times' sake."
xXx
They arrived at the uppermost floor of Mementos without incident. Suzaku was surprised to see Nunnally walking on her own two legs, and for her hair to immediately change its color to blonde, but he quickly recovered.
"I'd start by saying that I've never approved of the Black Knights' methods," Suzaku began. He was now in his own Metaverse attire, and just as Shirley had reported, the outfit very closely resembled the dress uniform that he had worn while serving as the Knight assigned to Princess Euphemia at the masquerade. Suzaku wore a white vest, trimmed in gold, over a light violet undershirt, and had black military boots that contrasted the white of his dress pants. But most striking of all was his mask, shaped like the face of the mythological Vermillion Bird that was his namesake.
"But you already know that," Suzaku continued. "What I will say instead is that I've suspected you were part of the Black Knights for a long time, Lelouch. That your clothing has changed as well proves at the very least that you and the others are all Persona-users. That Nunnally is able to walk at all here is only further proof in her case. Only the powerful Cognition of a Persona-user would allow her to regain the use of her legs in this world. I know for one that I'm capable of far more here in the Metaverse than I am in the real world."
Indeed, confirming that they were all Persona-users was inevitable, given that they were meeting in Mementos, but Suzaku had guessed as much anyway. "For how long have you suspected us?" Lelouch asked warily.
"Ever since you stole Coach Nu's heart," Suzaku replied. "You certainly had the motive to do so, and I see now that you had the means as well. Why else do you think that Rolo has taken such an interest in you? Everyone knows that the Black Knights' first change of heart occurred at Ashford Academy, and naturally he considers the members of the Student Council to be the prime suspects in his investigation."
Lelouch nodded. "That's a reasonable deduction. I had surmised that was why they sent a detective to Ashford as well."
Suzaku frowned. "Everyone knew that you didn't like Coach Nu, Lelouch. Not only did she force you to do laps, heaven forbid, but she abused Shirley, tried to have Kallen and myself expelled, and I'd suppose she was blackmailing the Headmaster as well." He sighed. "I can understand why you did it, Lelouch, but given all of that, how could I not suspect you?"
"But you didn't tell anyone," Lelouch pressed.
"I didn't have proof back then," Suzaku replied. "In any case, I thought I could persuade you to turn away from that path."
"You could have taken care of Coach Nu yourself, you know," Lelouch said. "I'm guessing you've been a Persona-user at least since you came to Ashford Academy. Somehow, you awakened to your power, and Prince Schneizel, or some other noble working under him, took notice, and arranged for your transfer. If you had, then there may never have been any Black Knights. So why didn't you?"
"Besides the fact that I don't approve of brainwashing people? I simply didn't know back then one could change someone's heart through the Metaverse." He turned to Euphemia. "Princess Euphemia, do you remember when we first met?"
Euphemia looked slightly uncomfortable at being addressed by her real name in the Metaverse, as it was a breach of the rules that the Black Knights had established among themselves. But Suzaku couldn't be faulted for not knowing their codenames. Only "Zero" was public knowledge, and Lelouch could already see that Euphy wasn't going hold it against Suzaku.
"Yes," she said softly. "You caught me when I was sneaking out of the Government Bureau, but instead of taking me back, you offered to be my guide around the city. And you said... that you worked in a special research division reporting to Prince Schneizel. That division was researching Cognitive Psience, wasn't it?"
Suzaku nodded. "Prince Schneizel had become aware of the existence of the Metaverse, and wanted to be able to study it, but he had no means of entering it himself. I was recruited to explore the Metaverse, report back on my findings to him, and to protect him - and other members of the Royal Family - from those who might use the Metaverse as a weapon. Even back then, Prince Schneizel suspected that the mental shutdowns were connected to the Metaverse. But there was so much that we didn't know. I was basically going in there blind."
"That's so dangerous!" Shirley gasped.
"I know that we've been putting ourselves into danger by coming here," Nunnally frowned, "but to do so by yourself... that's..."
Her words trailed off, but Lelouch knew exactly what his little sister meant to say. "Suicidal."
Suzaku shook his head. "Maybe so, but there I was, an Honorary Britannian, being given a chance to work within the system and actually make a difference. That doesn't come by every-"
"You think Britannia is actually going to let you change anything?!" Kallen snapped. "People like you make me sick! Not only have you thrown away your pride as a Japanese, but you're helping those who have occupied our homeland, turned it into 'Area 11', and oppressed our people! And when it's all done, they'll just throw you away, like another 'Eleven'. Don't think for a moment that they consider you to be a Britannian, Knight or not!"
Suzaku was taken aback. "Kallen! You... You're not at all like this at school!"
"I'm a lot of things, but weak, meek 'Kallen Stadtfeld' certainly isn't going into the Metaverse in her condition, and you know it. So why should I bother keeping up the pretense? This is who I really am, like it or not!"
"I can see that," Suzaku frowned. "But tell me this, Kallen, Lelouch,... any of you on the Student Council... You're really okay with using the Metaverse to control people? I mean, that's what it is... I called it brainwashing earlier, but that's not really accurate, is it? Brainwashing implies that you gradually break the subject down so that you can make them accept new beliefs. But there's nothing gradual about a change of heart. It's more like outright mind control!"
Kallen looked like she wanted to rip into Suzaku again, but Lelouch raised a hand, signaling that she should let Suzaku speak. As for Xingke, he hadn't said a word since they arrived in Mementos, but was listening intently.
Suzaku's voice softened. "Maybe you felt that you didn't have any other options for dealing with Coach Nu, or now Gao Hai." He hung his head. "You can almost justify it in some cases... I even helped you change Gao Hai's heart, if only indirectly, he was that bad. But where does it end? Where do you draw the line as to whose hearts you change? Do you just keep acting as judge and jury, completely unaccountable to anyone else? Or maybe the people will become so dependent on you always being there to change the hearts of other criminals that they'll stop trying to make things better on their own. Did you ever think of that?"
"I don't deny that the Black Knights use the Metaverse to manipulate their targets," Lelouch replied. "But mind control?" He laughed. "If they had such a power, Area 11's colonial government would have collapsed within a matter of weeks, with Britannia itself soon to follow. No, stealing someone's heart simply removes their corrupt desires, and their ability to rationalize away their past crimes with them. Getting them to confess may have been the goal, but none of them were in the end forced to do so. They chose to do so themselves, as their best way to atone for what they had done."
"A choice made under duress is hardly a choice at all!" Suzaku shot back.
"And Britannia doesn't use propaganda to brainwash people into following its Social Darwinist ideology? What about how it uses its military to instill fear throughout conquered nations through shows of force? Isn't that placing entire populations under duress, giving them the 'choice' to obey Britannia or to die? Which is the greater evil? And what would you prefer? That the Black Knights target a few individuals and change their hearts in the Metaverse, causing them no harm other than feeling much-deserved guilt for their crimes? Or that they use the Metaverse to murder their enemies? Or perhaps the Black Knights could lead a violent uprising in the real world, and put far more lives at risk?"
"You're going to cause one in the Chinese Federation, so don't you start trying to skirt responsibility for it, Lelouch!"
"Of course," Lelouch admitted. "That was the plan from the start. But we didn't put in motion anything that the people of the Chinese Federation weren't nearly ready to do themselves, after suffering for so long under the rule of the High Eunuchs." He nodded toward Xingke. "Dragon here was planning to overthrow them to restore authority to the Empress and bring relief to his people long before we ever appeared on the scene."
Under his mask, Xingke nodded slightly.
"I see that you're no longer trying to deny it, Lelouch," Suzaku said, remaining focused on him.
"What point would there be in doing so?" Lelouch replied. "We've seen each other's masks now." He glanced over his shoulder at Euphemia. "She says that I should try being honest with you. I'm willing to give that a try, if you do the same, Suzaku."
Suzaku sighed. "I knew it... But it wasn't just you..." He turned to Shirley. "I saw you in the Palace while I was rescuing Princess Euphemia. I'd recognize that hair of yours anywhere, Shirley. I had worried that you had gotten yourself involved when you disappeared right around the time that Medjed challenged the Black Knights. But when I saw both you and Princess Euphemia dressed in clothes like those out of some tokusatsu show, I knew then that the two of you were Persona-users, and almost certainly part of the Black Knights as well."
"Tokusatsu?" Shirley asked in confusion.
"You wouldn't be familiar with the term," Kallen said. "Think of superhero cartoons, but live-action. They had lots of special effects, and over-the-top costumes. Often, the heroes would need to transform to use their powers, changing their clothes in the process, just like how we do we we come into the Metaverse. They'd usually have some catchphrase they'd shout while doing so. 'Henshin!' was a common one. It means 'transform'. Though really, it was a way for them to mask the stuntmen in the action scenes. I watched them from time to time myself." She scowled, and cast an accusatory glare toward Suzaku. "But of course, Britannia banned them along with most other forms of Japanese culture."
Suzaku wisely chose not to respond to Kallen, as he was more likely to anger her by doing so than anything else. Instead, he continued speaking to Shirley.
"Even knowing that you had somehow gotten mixed up in that business with Medjed, I had a hard time believing that it was really you at first, Shirley. I had thought that with what happened to your father-"
"They didn't kill my father!" Shirley said quickly. "The Black Mask- I mean, the guy who kidnapped her!" she continued, pointing at Euphemia. "He's the one who murdered him! You don't still think that the Black Knights are responsible, do you, Suzaku?"
Suzaku shook his head. "I once did, Shirley, but not anymore. I saw how much your father's death hurt you. But then I realized that you'd never willingly work with the Black Knights if you believed that they had really been his murderers."
Shirley shifted uncomfortably. Lelouch knew why. He remembered Shadow Shirley's words. "As devastated as I was by my father's death, it doesn't matter if I can have you." She would have helped him even if he was her father's murderer. No, she had done so, attempting to murder her own Shadow to protect him, even before she accepted the truth that someone else had killed her father. Had Shirley not been able to come to terms with that side of herself, her guilt would have destroyed her. But Suzaku didn't need to know that, not now.
"Still," Suzaku continued, not seeming to notice her discomfort, "you're one of the last members of the Student Council who I would have expected to become a Black Knight. You're really on board with everything that they've been doing? Even causing an uprising in the Chinese Federation? You never wanted to hurt anyone, Shirley."
"I still don't," Shirley replied softly, casting her eyes down. "But this was the only way that we could help all of those people."
"It really is the most humane way we could go about it, Suzaku," Lelouch cut in. "Think about it. When Gao Hai confesses to so flagrantly selling out the people of the Chinese Federation and all of his other crimes, I wouldn't be surprised if a good chunk of the High Eunuch's military forces defect. Most of them are ordinary people too, and will be none too happy with him and the other High Eunuchs. Yes, some will remain loyal to the High Eunuchs, but the death toll among civilians in the ensuing revolution will be far lower than it otherwise would be."
Suzaku scowled. "As always, it's just about the results for you, Lelouch. You're talking about people's lives there!"
"Ideals mean little if you throw your life away uselessly chasing them," Lelouch smirked. "So why shouldn't I put the results first and foremost? To act otherwise is the height of naïveté. But don't think that I'm completely heartless, Suzaku. Do you think that Shirley, Nunnally, Euphemia and the others would simply stand by me and let me commit atrocities?" He laughed.
"That's not something you should joke about, Lelouch!"
"I mean it though," Lelouch said reflectively. "I may be a demon, but they can still appeal to the better angels of my nature. If I didn't have them at my side... I would have lost my way long ago."
He meant it.
"Lelouch..." Suzaku murmured. "You've changed. When you first came to Kururugi Shrine... you didn't trust anyone besides your sister. We didn't even like each other at first. Even at Ashford Academy, I saw that you had made friends, but you never opened up with your secrets to anyone else there but Milly, and that was only because she already knew. But now... they're your partners in crime..." He frowned. "Both figuratively and literally..."
"And what are you going to do about it?" Kallen cut in. "Turn us in to your Britannian masters? As if we'll-"
"Suzaku..." Nunnally said imploringly, staring into his green eyes with her beautiful violet ones. "Are you really going to turn us in? After everything we've been through..." She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "I know you're better than that, Suzaku."
Lelouch glanced down at his sister. Nunnally continued to astonish him with just how manipulative she really was. There of course had been hints of it, such as how Nunnally used to make herself sick when she wanted more attention from him, and he had come to accept that Nunnally was far more independent than he had once given her credit for. But it was startling to see how easily Nunnally could conjure up the image of innocence, even as she was wearing the outfit that symbolized her rebellion. And that was just on the surface. Nunnally herself was in control at the moment, as her violet eyes attested, but underneath lurked Nemo, her Shadow, a bloodthirsty sadist where her enemies were concerned.
In that moment, Lelouch realized that Nunnally could be just as much of a consummate liar as he was, perhaps even more so because of how vulnerable she outwardly appeared to be. Still, Suzaku wasn't quite so credulous that he'd just fall for Nunnally's best puppy dog eyes, would he?
But it wasn't just Nunnally. Euphy followed up on her previous maneuver, tag teaming with his little sister to get her way. Even now, she was leaning in slightly toward Suzaku, and asking him why he agreed to become a Knight in the first place. But Lelouch knew that Euphy's tactic had only worked on him because he had a soft spot for her, a fact that she was also well aware of. For her to use such a tactic on Suzaku...
Did that mean that Euphy thought Suzaku had a soft spot for her as well, one that she could exploit?
No, that wasn't Euphy's style. She had become a liar by necessity to conceal her activities as a member of the Black Knights from Cornelia and Schneizel, but Lelouch knew lying and manipulating others didn't come as naturally to Euphy as it did to him, or apparently Nunnally for that matter.
Euphy was no stranger to political games. Cornelia may have tried to shelter her younger sister as best she could, but Euphy had still grown up around the Imperial Court at Pendragon, and even now she handled the day to day niceties of managing the domestic affairs of Area 11 that Cornelia couldn't be bothered with. That required a certain amount of decorum, even as she was forced to deal with people who would use all manners of half-truths and flattery to advance their own special interests within the Area. And as the most visible public face of the colonial administration, Euphy was expected to attend countless functions, avoid straying too far from current Imperial policy, and smile for the masses. She had to constantly wear the mask of the Sub-Viceroy. But in spite of that, Euphy all too often wore her heart on her sleeve, letting her her true self shine through.
Yet that was Euphy's greatest weapon, wasn't it? Lies were the norm in Britannia, whether it was at the Imperial Court, or simply in one's daily life, walking around the Tokyo Settlement. To be confronted with honesty was disarming. Paired with Euphy's personality, charming in its warmth and vitality, and her beauty, which would naturally captivate hearts without any intention on her part, it was a combination that was hard to resist.
Of course, if Euphy really was being straightforward with Suzaku... that would mean that she really was interested in what he had to say. No, it was more than that. If Suzaku had developed a soft spot for Euphy... then had she developed one for Suzaku as well?
Once, Lelouch would have seen Suzaku as a good match for his most cherished sisters, be that Nunnally or Euphy, someone whom he could count upon to protect them. He could see why Euphy might be drawn to Suzaku, especially after he had helped save her life. But who could tell exactly where Suzaku's loyalties lay now? Any relationship between them would be fraught with peril, especially if it were to compromise her judgment. Perhaps it already had.
"I wanted to be able to help people," he heard Suzaku reply, bringing his mind back to the moment.
Kallen looked like to was ready to scoff at that, but Euphemia ignored her.
"I need your help, Suzaku," Euphemia said earnestly. "The first time that we met, I told you that bad guys were chasing me," she said, casting her eyes downward. "But now, there really is someone after me." She shook her head. "No, it's not just me, Suzaku." She raised her head and firmly made eye contact with him again. "I agree with Shirley... the same man who kidnapped me, the Black Mask is almost certainly the same man who killed her father. And you couldn't have known this, Suzaku, but the Black Mask tried to kill Nunnally and her friends, deeper down in Mementos." Euphemia frowned. "When I think of how close we all came to losing her, I-"
Euphemia choked up, and Lelouch knew for certain now it wasn't an act.
Nunnally nodded grimly, now completely serious herself. "We were no match for his power," she murmured. "We were lucky to escape at all, let alone all alive."
"Now that you mention it," Suzaku said, "I recognize your friend, Alice, but I don't think I've seen the other girls with you before, Nunnally."
"You've got a problem with that?" Dalque piped up, only for Sancia to sternly grasp her by the shoulder.
Lucretia glanced at Nunnally, clearly seeking permission to speak. Nunnally nodded in affirmation.
"The four of us... Are survivors... of Prince Clovis's secret project... Code-R," Lucretia whispered. "Please... don't ask what they did to us there... It's too horrible..."
"And my father carried out all of those awful experiments on Britannia's orders..." Shirley began.
"Wait, your father worked on Code-R?!" Suzaku asked in shock.
To her credit, Shirley didn't shrink away from that truth. "He didn't just work on it," she said miserably. "He was one of its project leaders." She shook her head. "Nothing can excuse what my father or Prince Clovis did, but Britannia has been continuing that terrible research, Suzaku. You said it yourself... Prince Schneizel is pursuing the study of Cognitive Psience, and we think it might even go up to the Emperor! That's why they had to kill Prince Clovis and my father! They didn't want the truth of what they were doing getting out!" Her composure was breaking down now, sobs punctuating her words. "They'll try to kill you too, Suzaku, as soon as they think you're no longer useful to them!"
Lelouch reached out an arm around Shirley's back to calm her. He didn't know if Suzaku would read into it and infer that he was in a relationship with Shirley as well, or if he would simply assume that it was a comforting gesture between friends on the Student Council. But in any case, Lelouch didn't care what Suzaku thought of his love life right now. Being there for Shirley when she needed it was more important to him.
Feeling his touch, Shirley took several deep breaths. "My dad wasn't the good man that I thought he was, but he was still the best father that I could have asked for. He was always kind to me, and taught me to help others. Even if it means that we would have been on different sides had he lived, that's why I'm sure he'd understand. I can't let anyone else get hurt by his research, or by the man who killed him. We have to bring the Black Mask to justice!"
"Shirley, no one's saying that his killer shouldn't be brought to justice, but don't let yourself be blinded by vengeance," Suzaku said sadly. "You'll just be left dark regret and deep emptiness that has nowhere to go."
Shirley shook her head again. "I already know what that feels like, Suzaku. I was once was blinded by my need for revenge, and I was drowning in it. A part of me even tried to kill the person I love more than anything else when I thought that he was responsible for my father's death... I willfully turned my eyes from the truth. But not anymore! I joined the Black Knights so that I could grasp the truth with my own hands, and actually do something to make a difference in this world! And it's the only way I can ever do anything to atone for my father's sins."
"Shirley, you don't need to-" Suzaku interjected, taken aback by her outpouring of emotion. Lelouch also knew that while Suzaku may have found his relationship with Shirley ambiguous before, his old friend couldn't possibly miss the significance of her words now. Thankfully, Suzaku chose not to comment upon it for the time being.
"If I... if we don't, then who will?" Shirley asked. "The police will never catch the Black Mask on their own, not when he can just escape into the Metaverse as easily as he did at the consulate."
"As far as we can tell, the Black Mask doesn't leave any evidence behind in the real world to connect him to the murders he's committed in the Metaverse," Lelouch added. He frowned. "And since we compromised the consulate's security system for our own infiltration, the authorities don't have any surviving video evidence of when he kidnapped Princess Euphemia either, unless someone else happened to be recording the scene at the time."
"We had no way of knowing that he would show up," Leila said softly. "But it doesn't change the fact that the Black Mask can perpetrate crimes almost completely undetected. And I doubt that a few seconds of footage would have been enough to definitively identify him, especially when his face was concealed from the start."
Shirley nodded. "Only other Persona-users can stop him! That's why we could really use your help, Suzaku! I saw you fight! You're already just as strong as the strongest among us!"
"My Persona is powerful, Shirley, but really, that guy's Persona is in a class of its own. I wouldn't beat him in a one-on-one fight if it was just my Lancelot versus his... I think he called it Loki? It came down to my training, and more than a little luck."
Lelouch knew that Suzaku didn't simply mean military training. Back at the Kururugi Shrine, Suzaku had trained daily under Tohdoh, and he had plenty of raw, physical talent even before that.
Suzaku shook his head. "Besides, he couldn't go all out in his fight against me because he had to restrain Princess Euphemia. But I think he may have finally decided to cut his losses when he saw you, Shirley," Suzaku continued. "He probably assumed you were bringing backup with you, and that he was about to be surrounded by more Persona-users than he could deal with."
"He saw me?" Shirley gasped.
"I don't know for sure," Suzaku admitted. "But it's the best explanation that I can think of. If I did, there's no reason to assume that he didn't as well."
"Back to the point, that's even more reason for us to work together!" Euphemia cried. "You told me yourself that you wanted us to work together, and that you could achieve so much more if you had someone backing you up!"
"I didn't mean as part of the Black Knights."
"Then why else are you here?" Lelouch asked.
Suzaku didn't have an answer for them.
"If the Black Mask isn't stopped, he'll just kill more people. And there's no way that Britannia will ever agree to stop the research that Shirley's father was working on. They'll just push it out of the public eye, as they did when they had the Black Mask kill Clovis." He paused. "But it's not just the Black Mask either. There's another assassin using the Metaverse on the behalf of Britannia, one clad entirely in black armor. We encountered this 'Black Armor' underneath Ashford Academy, right after Medjed had kidnapped my little sister."
Suzaku stiffened.
"Black Armor doesn't seem to be working directly with the Black Mask, and he even let us go, but that doesn't mean we can count him as a friend. He made very clear that he's an executioner for Britannia. Yes, he offered some self-serving rationalization that he only kills the "truly guilty", but who is more guilty: Britannia, or those that the Black Knights have targeted?"
Not giving Suzaku a chance to interrupt, Lelouch laughed derisively. "You know why we targeted Villetta, Suzaku. Clovis' victims may not wish to speak about the horrors they endured at his hands, but just the glimpse we saw of them in his Palace was absolutely sickening. The Black King was among the worst of parasites. He was an insatiable predator without a shred of honor, who was nonetheless protected from the authorities by his money, which he used to buy off the police. And Medjed..." he snarled. "Medjed was nothing more than a delusional, rabid dog who had to be put down."
"You killed him?" Suzaku asked.
"I would have, but someone else did first," Lelouch replied, to which Alice nodded in agreement. "Medjed was an exception though. As a rule, the Black Knights do not kill unless we have no other options. That was one of the first and most important rules that we set for ourselves from the start."
"I see..." Suzaku murmured.
"And Gao Hai was so obviously corrupt that even you saw the need for his heart to be changed. But you still clung to an oath to serve Britannia, one that you had already betrayed, one that would keep chaining you down and preventing you from changing anything or helping anyone in a way that actually matters, while we did the dirty work, necessary as it was. Our means may not be just, Suzaku, and evil will always remain, no matter how many hearts the Black Knights change, but at least we admit to our own sins. And we are ready to face whatever consequences there may be for them. That is the path we have freely chosen for ourselves."
"Can you say the same, Suzaku?" Lelouch continued. "Is the law and doing things in the 'right' way so important to you that you would willingly remain a slave to Britannia? Or more to the point, are you willing to let the Black Mask do whatever he wants? As should be perfectly clear to you, there's no way that you'll be able to bring him to justice within the confines of the law."
Suzaku clenched a fist, his hands trembling.
"Join us, Suzaku," Lelouch said, outstretching his hand. "We've had our disagreements in the past, but truth be told, I couldn't care less about those. And while I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want your power, don't think that's the only reason why I want you to join us, or even the most important one. It's not. We're friends, Suzaku. We all are, all irreplaceable to each other. That's something more precious than anything else, and a power all on it own, far greater than the sum of its parts. If we stand as one, nothing, not even the gods themselves would be able to stop us, as we create a kinder and gentler world together!"
Suzaku stared at him, yet seemed to be at war with himself.
"Suzaku..." Euphemia whispered.
"Some people would say that you're absolutely insane right about now, Lelouch," Suzaku finally spoke up.
"Of course they would. When would a handful of teenagers, with a single professional soldier and a cat among them, taking on not just one, but two empires, ever be considered sane by most people?"
"I ag- wait, what was that last part?"
"Did you honestly not notice that I've been here the whole time?" Arthur asked.
"Wait, who said that?" Suzaku said, looking around.
"Down here!" Arthur replied impatiently.
Suzaku looked down. "Arthur? You can talk? And you're a Black Knight too?!"
"Obviously," Arthur replied. "You should see the look on your face, Suzaku! But yeah, I'm a Black Knight, and I was the first out of any of them to have a Persona. Though it wasn't really the Black Knights until he came along," he said, glancing up at Lelouch. "But that's another long story."
"In any case," Lelouch continued, "We've already done what most would consider impossible... and as you know, the Metaverse doesn't work according to the same rules as reality, so standard definitions of what's insane or not don't quite hold up here, Suzaku. Do you disagree?"
Suzaku sighed. "I still find it hard to agree with the notion that we should only consider the ends, and not the means to get there, Lelouch."
"But?" Lelouch asked, a wicked grin spreading on his face.
"The assassin who you call the Black Mask... men like him have no principles! He's a menace, not just to Britannians, but to all of the people in the Tokyo Settlement. In spite of my worst fears, you've shown that you've at least managed to hold onto some principles, Lelouch. No. As much as you're ever the cynic, you've somehow emerged as more of an idealist than you ever were before, if such a contradiction even makes sense. And you've got almost the entire Student Council with you too... I can't fight all of them, and I never had any intention to in the first place."
Suzaku glanced over to Euphemia. "And Princess Euphemia will never be safe until the Black Mask is brought to justice. I admit, I may have betrayed my oath to Britannia, but my oath to protect her is one that I still take with the utmost seriousness. The same goes for Nunnally. You know I'd always look after her for you, Lelouch. But if she could be abducted by Medjed, then the Black Mask could do so just as easily. I can't let that happen." He turned. "And you, Shirley. I once swore that I would bring the Black Knights to justice for the crime of killing your father. But they didn't. The Black Mask did. So I won't rest until I fulfill the spirit of that promise, and bring the real killer to justice."
"Umm... does that mean... that you're joining us, Suzaku?" Shirley asked. "In the Black Knights, I mean..."
"Don't think that I want to destroy Britannia like Lelouch does," Suzaku replied. "I still think that it can be reformed from within. There are good people within it still, who are willing to make changes for the better."
"And you wouldn't mean Princess Euphemia now, would you?" Milly grinned, a knowing look on her her face.
"Huh?" Suzaku and Euphemia said in unison, taken off guard by Milly's unexpected interruption.
"That's besides the point!" Suzaku said quickly, giving Lelouch the distinct impression that his old friend was blushing underneath the vermillion bird mask. Euphy certainly was - her mask covered much less of her face. "The point is, I'm not joining to be part of a revolution. That's not who I am. This will only be a temporary arrangement. I'll work with you only for so long as it takes us to apprehend the Black Mask. That's our common interest. And it's the best way to keep those people I care about safe."
Suzaku paused. "But tell me one more thing, Lelouch, before I commit to this course. I assume you vote on your targets. Is it majority rule? Or does it have to be unanimous?"
"It's always been by a unanimous decision," Lelouch replied.
"Good," Suzaku said. "Then count me in. Nunnally, Shirley, Euphy, and the others seem to have been doing a good job at keeping your worst impulses in check, Lelouch, but then again, they let you try to topple the Chinese Federation, with who knows what consequences that will bring. If I'm officially a member of the Black Knights, by your own rules, you won't be able to do anything crazy unless I also approve of it."
"Wait, Zero!" Kallen started in a panic. "Are you really going to let him join us after he said that?! There's no way we'll be able to overthrow Britannia's rule if he's just going to veto any target we might choose! He'll neuter the Black Knights!"
"I never said that," Suzaku replied. "I'll admit, there is some good that you can do with the power to change hearts, and there may be cases where any other reasonable options have been exhausted. As much as I still think you need to consider the means by which you achieve your ends, clearly they aren't the only consideration either." He turned back to Lelouch. "You came clean with me, so I need to be honest with myself too: I would have never let Princess Euphemia rejoin you if I truly believed that the end in doing so was worthless, unjust as the means may have been. So I'll defer to the judgment of those I trust, and I'll only vote down your targets if I feel that you're clearly in the wrong."
"Your idea of what's a reasonable and ours are very different things," Kallen grumbled.
"It's better that Suzaku be with us than with our enemies," Lelouch replied. "Very, well, Suzaku." He made a dramatic flourish. "Welcome to the Black Knights! I am Zero! The others go by Tama, Queen, Diamond, Bishop, Noire, Dame, and Dragon whenever we're in the Metaverse," he said, pointing to each of his teammates in turn.
"You didn't mention Nunnally or her friends at all," Suzaku said.
"Oh, we're not part of the Black Knights at all, Suzaku," Nunnally said cheerfully. "The five of us are the Irregulars. We've just teamed up with the Black Knights recently. You can call me 'Nemo' while we're in here. May I introduce you to Speed, Order, Land, and Power?"
"I see..." Suzaku murmured. "I guess there are more surprises every day..."
Lelouch fought back a smirk. Suzaku only had a vote in his Metaverse operations now, not his sister's. The Irregulars could continue to operate unhindered. But of course, they would remain coordinated with the Black Knights, for their respective leaders were always in touch with each other.
"I guess I'll need a codename too, won't I?" Suzaku asked after a moment. "It's almost like those games we used to play back at the Kururugi Shrine, Le- I mean, Zero. But none of this is a game at all."
"I know! Crow!" Dalque shouted out. "His mask is like a bird. A crow's a bird!"
Alice gave her an incredulous look. "Crows are black, Power, not red."
"Umm... he's joining the Black Knights, isn't he?" Dalque said after a moment. "So it still fits!"
Alice shook her head. "Now you're just grasping at straws."
"If I may," Euphemia said softly, "I have a suggestion."
"What is it, Noire?" Lelouch asked.
"Knight," Euphemia said clearly.
"That's funny, Noire," Lelouch smirked. "I was just about to propose the same code name for him as well." He turned to Suzaku. "Do you have any objections?"
Suzaku shook his head.
"Very well, it's decided," Lelouch grinned, feeling the power of the Justice Arcana grow within him.
"Welcome to the team, Knight!" Milly shouted, pulling Suzaku into a sudden hug that he seemed quite overwhelmed by.
"Diamond!" Euphemia gasped, sounding scandalized. "Let go of him this this instant! It barely looks like he can breathe in there!"
"Aw, I'm just being friendly," Diamond pouted. "Besides, almost all of my best friends are in the Black Knights now. Isn't that a cause for celebration?"
"I'm happy that Su- um, Knight's joined us too," Shirley said, "but you really need to work on respecting other people's personal space sometimes."
"I can see that," Xingke said. He turned to Suzaku. "You strike me as having your own strong sense of honor. I hope you prove worthy of that assessment."
Suzaku held firm under Xingke's gaze without flinching.
"I'm watching you too, Knight," Kallen said.
"Watch, yes," Leila said, "But there's no point in making him feel unwelcome, Queen."
"I've always liked Knight," Arthur said.
"Biting my hand, you mean," Suzaku grimaced.
"I can't help it! It's like catnip!"
"Um... I guess that I'm not going to have to worry about sneaking out of the Government Bureau for a while, am I?" Euphemia asked Suzaku.
"As long as we're working together to find that Black Mask, Princess- Noire?" Suzaku said, fumbling to correct himself.
Euphemia laughed lightly. "You don't have to use my title here, Knight. I don't even mind if you dispense with it back in the real world, when others aren't around. My title doesn't really mean that much to me, and it shouldn't to you, either. I'm just Noire here in the Metaverse, and Euphy when I'm not."
"As you wish, Noire," Suzaku replied, though his voice and manner still remained deferential.
Euphemia shook her head. "You're just silly sometimes, Knight."
Lelouch shook his head. Euphemia could be just as silly and impulsive at times too. But she had helped secure Suzaku's cooperation, for the time being, and that was what mattered. While it imposed certain restrictions on the Black Knights' activities, it also opened new opportunities for them, opportunities he would be sure to exploit to the fullest.
And then, he still had to make contact with his other rebellious half-sister, Princess Marrybell mel Britannia.
It was turning out to be a most eventful evening.
A/N:
There was a longer delay between chapters than I'd like, but here it is, and thanks for everyone who's been following so far. The story now has over 400 follows and favorites!
Originally, I would have liked to get to Lelouch communicating with Marrybell in this chapter. However, it was important to fully develop the scene with Suzaku, and by the time it finished the chapter already seemed too long for another scene with Marrybell. Rest assured that Lelouch and Marrybell will interact with each other in the next chapter, and there should be more confidant developments as well as the Black Knights await the outcome of Gao Hai's change of heart.
As for Suzaku's Persona, Lancelot is resistant to both physical and gun skills, but weak to Curse spells. Canonically, the Knightmare Frame Lancelot is capable of taking great amounts of punishment, thanks to its armor and built-in Blaze Luminous shielding, which enabled it to withstand the shrapnel of a Chaos Mine as early as episode 5. Those familiar with Code Geass will be able to infer why his weakness is Curse, one that he shares with Shirley.
Stat-wise, Lancelot is at least as strong as Guren Jigoku overall, but the balance of their stats is different. Lancelot trades some of the magical power that Guren Jigoku has for additional physical strength, and also trades luck for greater endurance. Lancelot specializes in heavy physical and gun skills as its primary sources of damage (the canonical Lancelot was armed with a Maser Vibration Sword and a VARIS rifle as its main weapons), but also has access to non-elemental Almighty spells (such as Megidola). Lancelot has no innate healing abilities but is capable of casting shields (Tetrakarn, Makarakarn) to temporarily reflect incoming attacks and making it capable of briefly covering its own weakness.
See you next time, and once again, thanks for reading!