Author's Note: Yo. Sorry, for the long gap in chapters, but I have a friend over and I was sharing my computer with him. Catching a small stomach bug didn't help any.
If you haven't paid attention to one of my other stories, I have issued a couple of challenges, which you can find on my profile, but I wish to issue another one, although it has nothing to do with Code Geass.
You see, there are not that many Campione stories. About thirty or so regular ones and perhaps as many crossover stories, so to remedy this, I have decided to issue this challenge.
Create a Campione story.
It can be with Kusanagi Godou as the main character, or your own OC. Hell, even a crossover with other main characters from other stories as the main character.
There are a couple of rules you must keep. Number one is that you cannot use any god that has been named as being slain by a Campione in the Anime or Light Novel.
Number two is no Mary Sue or Gary Stu characters.
Third and finally, do not use the God of the Bible or the Buddha as Heretic Gods as that comes under the heading of impossible or improbable, even for a world which has Heretic Gods and Godslayers.
PM me if you decide to accept.
In the meantime, please read, review and check out my other stories!
Disclaimer: Code Geass isn't mine.
"Kallen"-Speech
'Lelouch'-Thought/mental communication
"{Die}"-Geass Command
"Halt!"-Loudspeaker
"Roger."-Radio/Walkie-Talkie
Chapter 17: Visitor from the Rising Sun
Two Days Later
Student Council Office, Ashford Academy Student Clubhouse
"Hey Pres!" Rivalz called to Milly.
"What is it Rivalz?" she replied as she worked on the budget for the School Festival. Lelouch usually did it, but he was 'resting from the stressful situation' he had been in, so he was unavailable.
"I just remembered that Kallen, Suzaku and Celesta haven't been through the Ashford Academy Student Council Initiation Rite yet." the blue-haired boy said with a grin.
The three named people started to eye Milly warily. The tales that Lelouch had spun for them, as well as the scrapbooks he had shown them to back up his claims, had painted a rather ominous picture of exactly what Milly did to alleviate her boredom.
'I'm going to kill that boy if Milly humiliates me.' was the thought of C.C. as she eyeballed the blond girl. She had been humiliated very few times in her long life and she had no intention of allowing this slip of a girl to do so.
'Please let it not be cross-dressing!' Suzaku prayed silently, but fervently. That had been his greatest fear since Lelouch had told him about the Cross-Dressers Ball. He didn't have anything against people who cross-dressed, far from it, but he had no inclination or desire to cross-dress himself, thank you very much.
Kallen merely glared silently at Milly suspiciously, awaiting what the perverted girl had planned for them this time. When she had returned to the Academy this morning, Milly had fondled her breasts for five minutes before Sayoko had come to her rescue!
"Hmm…Lelouch is resting though." Milly replied as she finished one sheet and turned her attention to the next.
"C'mon, you know he could beat all three of them at the same time." Rivalz wheedled.
The Ashford Heiress considered this for a moment. "OK Rivalz. But only if Lelouch is feeling up to it. You know how Sayoko gets when he isn't feeling a hundred percent."
Rivalz nodded ruefully. The only time Lelouch had been ill, the Japanese maid had gone into a hyper protective state of being and only let Nunnally and Milly near him, albeit reluctantly.
"I'll go and see Sayoko." he announced before trotting off to the Lamperouge part of the building.
"What are you plotting?" C.C. asked Milly bluntly.
"Why Celesta! I am shocked that you would accuse me of plotting something!" Milly replied in a faux-hurt voice, batting her lashes at her as she did so.
"She just knows you too well, Madam President." Shirley muttered.
The rest of the Council, even Nina, nodded in agreement, making Milly pout at being ganged up on.
"Now really!" she huffed, "It was Rivalz who suggested it!"
"What exactly is the Initiation Rite anyway?" Kallen asked suspiciously, "And what does it have to do with Lelouch anyway?"
"I am the Initiation Ritual." Lelouch answered as he strolled into the office, with Sayoko following behind him closely, "Let me guess, she hasn't told you anything about it, has she?"
"Nope." Suzaku replied, "Care to do the honours?"
"If I must." the black-haired boy sighed dramatically as he sat down and crossed his legs comfortably before speaking, "Unlike most of Milly's other schemes, this is really a simple thing. You have to play me in a game of chess and you get assigned positions based on how long you last against me."
"Meaning that our defeat is inevitable?" Kallen asked sourly.
Lelouch shrugged with a small smirk. "You may surprise me, but I have only ever lost a chess match with one person, and I have changed since then, so I am willing to bet I could defeat him too."
"Oh? Who beat you?" Nina asked with a frown as she remembered her own match against Lelouch. She had barely lasted four minutes before she had been checkmated, a humiliating defeat in her book.
"That would be…a secret." Lelouch replied aggravatingly, "Now…who is first?"
As he spoke, Sayoko set up a basic chessboard on the table. It was not a store bought set, but it wasn't of high quality either.
"Those chess pieces look hand carved." Kallen said, gesturing at the chess pieces in question.
"I was bored one day and started to learn how to whittle and carve wood." Lelouch shrugged, "It made life a little more interesting for a while. This is my finished product. I still whittle every now and then, just to keep my hand in."
"Not bad." C.C. admitted as she admired the King piece, "For an amateur."
"I prefer wood or ivory chess pieces and the prices for either as a chess set is ridiculous." Lelouch shrugged, "As to my skill level, it is sufficient that they are clearly distinguishable as to what each piece is and remain upright without aid. Now, who wants to go first?"
"I might as well lose first." Suzaku sighed, "Who gets white?"
"That will be your advantage." Lelouch inclined his head graciously as he offered the slight advantage that the first move to his opponent.
The room was silent as the two moved their pieces, although it was a mere four moves before Suzaku found himself in check/
"Fool's Check? Seriously?" he asked Lelouch, who merely smirked in response.
In another couple of minutes, it was over. Suzaku stared in disbelief as he was placed in checkmate, with most of his pieces out of the way of the Bishop that was used to check his King, as well as the Knight and Castle that prevented him from moving his king out of check.
"Damn." was all he said with a shake of his head, "Well played."
"You need to think more than two moves ahead, Suzaku." Lelouch admonished him, "And you need to think before you react to my moves instead of knee-jerk reactions."
"I'll work on it in my copious free time." Suzaku replied dryly as he stood up to make way for 'Celesta', who examined the board critically.
"Take the Queen off the board." She said firmly.
"A severe handicap, but not an insurmountable one." Lelouch said easily as he removed the most flexible of his pieces, "Do you wish to be white or should I?"
"I need all the advantages I can get against you." she informed the faintly smiling boy.
"As you like it." he replied in amusement.
C.C. lasted a good five minutes before being cornered, although Lelouch still maintained his rather irritating self-assured poise throughout the entire game.
"That is a very, very irritating smile." she told him bluntly.
"First rule of showmanship: always act as if you are in control of the situation, even when you are not." Lelouch shrugged, "Your opponent will be put off guard by it if they're too conscious of it or else will be looking for cunning plans where there are none."
Kallen had been watching the previous two games thoughtfully. Lelouch didn't care about keeping his Queen, the strongest piece, safe. He sacrificed it just as easily as any pawn. In his game with Celesta, he had been down to half of his pieces yet he had still pulled off a victory. He had led the most manoeuvrable pieces, Knights and Bishops, on a merry chase with a few pawns and a Castle.
She knew that she wasn't a strategic thinker, not really, but Kallen could learn from the mistakes of others and plan accordingly. Lelouch would not find her such an easy opponent.
Or so she thought.
"How the hell?" she asked six minutes later, disbelief clear in her voice. She had been totally routed, although she had fought back admirably.
"A very good game, Kallen." Lelouch smiled, not an I'm-being-a-sanctimonious-bastard smile but an I-had-fun smile, "Were it not for the fact that I already hold the office, I'd recommend you for the Vice-Presidency."
"High praise from you Lelouch." Milly commented.
"Only a half-dozen people have lasted that long when I've gone all out on them." Lelouch replied with another smile, "The Nobles don't count, because I deliberately draw the matches out to humiliate them. Most crumble in the first three minutes."
The redhead didn't exactly feel happy that she had only lasted twice that long and resolved to improve her skills at chess so she could eventually beat the raven-haired Britannian.
So she was competitive. Big whoop.
"Oh, Lelouch." Milly looked around at him, "The Dean wants to speak to you sometime today. He said something about helping you with your investor problem that you had."
Lelouch regarded her steadily before nodding. "Let him know I'll be there shortly after classes are out for the day."
Milly nodded silently, and was the only one to note the hard look that had appeared in his eyes for just a fraction of a second when she had mentioned his 'investment problems'.
She just hoped that Lelouch let her grandfather explain what he wanted before the exiled-prince-turned-rebel did something hasty.
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After School
Dean's Office, Ashford Academy
Reuben Ashford watched impassively as Lelouch entered his office, walking as if he was born to rule, as if all around him were his belongings.
The walk of a Prince of Britannia in other words.
The Head of the Ashford Family doubted that Lelouch was conscious that he only reverted to this particular type of walk when he was under a large degree of stress.
"Ah, Lelouch my boy." he said with an easy smile, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me so promptly. How is Nunnally?"
"She's fine." Lelouch replied as he sat down, "Had another fever this morning, but otherwise she's been well."
"These fevers of hers are becoming more frequent." Reuben frowned, "I'll get the Ashford Medical Research Division to do a full check up of her. This constant fever-catching of hers is most worrisome."
Lelouch nodded. "Thank you sir."
The man waved a dismissive hand at that. "Pish-posh., my boy. I care for your sister as well, you know. Matilda, Mister Lamperouge and I are not to be disturbed unless the Viceroy herself demands an audience."
Matilda, his personal assistant, nodded and backed out of the room, closing the doors behind her.
Once she was gone, Reuben flipped several switches on the side of his desk. "There. Now no one can eavesdrop on us while inside this office."
Lelouch relaxed slightly, but locked eyes with him. "Should we get right to the point then?"
"I believe that would be advisable." Reuben replied as he sat back in his chair and regarded Lelouch closely. "You gave Milly the second or third greatest fright of her life when you challenged Cornelia, you know."
Lelouch sighed. "So you know everything I've told her then?"
"That and slightly more than Milly knows." Reuben replied, "For now, let's just say that I am an eccentric old man who pokes his nose into other people's business."
This earned him a snort from Lelouch. "A nosey old man who successfully navigated the murky depths of Imperial Court politics for four decades without mishap."
Reuben hummed innocently. "I may or may not have done that."
"Can we cut to the chase and dispense with the slow and tedious build-up?" Lelouch sighed impatiently, "You know I'm Zero; what are you going to do about it?"
"Why, nothing whatsoever." Reuben said, chuckling as Lelouch blinked at him in mild surprise, "Oh, don't give me that look, Lelouch. My granddaughter is smitten with you, as you well know, and I am reasonably fond of you too, so why does it come as any surprise that I am not turning you in to your third favourite sister?"
The raven-haired boy shifted slightly uncomfortably in his seat. He was, of course, aware of the feelings that Milly held for him, and had known since he had been old enough to notice how attractive she was to him. Still, she was currently dating Nina and he had his hands full, quite literally sometimes, with a seven-hundred year-old immortal and an eager-to-please kunoichi, so he was just going to ignore that aside from his ersatz-grandfather.
"Britannian Nobility would rarely hesitate before using information such as this for their own gain." he replied instead, "And, fall from grace aside; the Ashford Family is still considered Nobility. Actually, it's even more surprising Melisande hasn't tried to go to Cornelia with the information that I am alive herself."
The aforementioned woman's father-in-law smiled thinly. "I 'convinced' her that it was in her best interests not to go against my wishes…if she valued her two most treasured items."
"Her life and liberty?" Lelouch guessed.
"No, her check book and connections." Reuben replied, evidently amused, "She values money and connections over quite a few things and she is short-sighted enough and arrogant enough to dismiss the possibility of being detained or killed in any way, shape or form. With her and Roderick as her gene-donors, it's a miracle that Milly is as savvy and intelligent as she is."
"A mediocre man or not, Roderick is still your son, so there must be some of you in him somewhere." Lelouch pointed out, "As for Melisande, her parents were at least slightly intelligent, if unimaginative."
"True, but a child is greater than the sum of his or her parents. You should know that better than anyone." Reuben pointed out.
Lelouch tilted his head, he silently conceded the point. "To return to the main point, why did you tell me that you are aware of my alter-ego?"
"Because otherwise I couldn't tell you that you have my unofficial cooperation." the man said frankly, "I suspect you plan on overthrowing the current regime in Britannia and I do not want the Ashford Family to suffer the same fate as the rest of the Nobility."
This elicited a raised eyebrow from the former Prince. "You seem certain that I will succeed." he stated curiously.
"With all the effort that you've put into restoring Theta Base and training yourself?" Reuben asked with a small smile, "I have no doubt you'll succeed. Besides, if you fail, the Ashford Family cannot exactly sink very much lower."
A chuckle emerged from Lelouch's throat at the blunt reply.
"Alright, noted." he said, "You bringing up Milly means something is going on with her. Spill it."
"Ah." Reuben sighed heavily, "Melisande is pushing her to marry Earl Asplund. Either that or convince you to reveal yourself and marry you."
"It seems I will have to get Sayoko to, once again, remind Melisande not to aggravate me." Lelouch said frostily, before a part of what Reuben said clicked, "Wait, Earl Asplund? As in Lloyd Asplund?"
"Yes, the inventor and eccentric genius who built the Knightmare known as the Lancelot." Reuben smiled, "I suspect he is only allowing his family to push him into this marriage proposal because he desires the blueprints of the Ganymede, perhaps even some of Marianne's combat data which we kept after her death."
"He sounds very eccentric." Lelouch commented. To marry someone just on the off chance that she would provide access to blueprints and data? Eccentric doesn't even start to cover it.
"He is something of an oddball, but he isn't a bad man." the Head of the Ashford Family observed, "He would be a decent husband to my granddaughter if nothing else."
The man noted one of Lelouch's eyes twitch slightly at that.
"Unless of course you are willing to add her into your bed alongside Miss Crossfield and young Sayoko?" he added, almost as an afterthought, prompting Lelouch to gape at him for a moment.
"And how the hell did you come up with that?!" Lelouch demanded, slightly red-faced as he recalled waking up the previous day sandwiched between both of his ladies and the long day of exploring their bodies that had followed.
"A magician never reveals his secrets, m'boy." Reuben smirked, "So what'll it be?"
Lelouch sighed, forcing himself back into a calm state. "If you didn't know already, Milly is dating Nina Einstein right now."
"Pssh." Reuben scoffed, "She may be dating Nina, but she likes and wants you."
A frown crept across his features as he continued, "When she found out that you were going to fight Cornelia, she was absolutely distraught. It took me half an hour to calm her down. She loves you,Lelouch. Don't break her heart or make her have to make do in a political marriage."
Lelouch was silent for a moment before answering. "As you have already pointed out, I am in a relationship with two girls already. I severely doubt that Milly would either want to share me with other girls or want to intrude into my relationship with them."
Reuben sent an amused look at the exiled prince. "She would probably see the other two as both a challenge and an enticement. She is pansexual, you know."
"Really? I thought she was just bisexual and greedy." Lelouch deadpanned.
"That too." Reuben chuckled before becoming serious once again. "In all seriousness, please consider Milly. She has never asked much of me, but when you and Nunnally turned up outside our estate's gates seven years ago, she begged, literally begged me not to tell the Emperor about you. She was desperate and would have agreed to almost any condition I could have set in order to secure your safety. That is what and who Milly is."
"I can only promise that I will consider it." Lelouch replied, sagging slightly, "Sayoko is going to be insufferable when she finds out about this. She told me others would want to be with me."
"Never argue with female intuition, my boy." Reuben said wisely, "It saves you from looking foolish in the long run."
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Roughly the Same Time
Ersatz Pistol Range, Black Knights Temporary Base, Secret Location
Kaname Ohgi had experienced many things since the defeat of Japan seven years previously. The loss of his beloved teaching job when the old Japanese Government was disbanded, the first few months of life in the Ghettos, losing Naoto and executing the theft of the poison gas were some of the highlights of his life, but by no means the entirety of it.
Currently, he was firing a pistol at paper targets, trying to remember Kallen's advice on how to get the best accuracy per shot. She had always been a natural with pistols, but she had also had the rare gift of being able to explain how she is able to be so good at something.
"Hard at work, Kaname?" Mamoru called as he entered the room.
"Mamoru-san." Ohgi nodded at Kallen's former teacher, "Just trying to get better at the pistol. I'm OK, but Kallen is-"
"-Absolutely incapable of seeing someone muddle along at a basic level of skill." the venerable old man chuckled, "She always was a perfectionist when it came to her martial arts. Doesn't really surprise me that she's like that with other aspects of combat."
Ohgi nodded again. Part of the reason Kallen got so irritated with Tamaki was that the man was lazy. He rarely trained and tried to coast on what natural talent that he had…that is to say, little to none, except when it came to mechanical maintenance. There, he had a natural instinct when it came to fixing machines, even Knightmares.
The new second in command of the Black Knights holstered his weapon, a standard Britannian Army pistol that had been 'liberated' by Zero and been given to him after his cell had accepted him as leader and turned to look at the old man.
"I take it you haven't tracked me down just to talk about your former pupil's mild OCD to do with weaponry?" he asked rhetorically.
Mamoru smiled grimly. "Sadly, no. We just received a communiqué from the JLF."
Ohgi raised an eyebrow. "What do they want with us?"
"Apparently, they wish to send someone to meet with Zero-sama 'as soon as is practicable' to quote them." Mamoru replied.
"This is troublesome." Ohgi frowned, "Zero didn't tell us when we would be contacted next. I'll have to call the number he left for emergencies."
"I'd agree that this counts as an emergency, but isn't your next scheduled call with Zero tomorrow?" Mamoru asked.
"It is but he wanted to be alerted as soon as possible if the JLF contacted us." Ohgi replied, "I think he guessed that they would do so at some point, but I doubt he anticipated it two days after our battle with Cornelia!"
"Likely." Mamoru nodded, "You'd better use the scrambled phone that was set up next to the Communications Room."
Ohgi nodded and bade Mamoru farewell. He had a phone call to make.
With Lelouch, an Hour Later
"Hmmm….sounds like Todoh-sensei is reaching out to me." the black-haired boy mused aloud after he listened to Ohgi's message. He was lying in bed, with C.C. curled up next to him wearing only a dress shirt.
"You did anticipate that the JLF would try to get you on their side at some point." the green-haired immortal pointed out lazily. She was currently basking in the glow of a nice long lovemaking session she had had with Lelouch.
"True." Lelouch acknowledged, "But this is hasty, almost desperate. They should be adopting a wait-and-see approach, not rushing in like a bull in a china shop! This isn't at all like the careful and cautious Kyōshirou Todoh that taught me."
"His superior…what's his name?" C.C. pondered, trying to remember what little Lelouch had told her about the command-rank officers of the JLF.
"General Tatewaki Katase." Lelouch informed her as he stroked her hair, making the immortal purr like a cat, "A solid, if unimaginative, field commander and a solid, if staid, leader. Well respected by his men, but not to the same degree as Todoh-sensei is."
"Right. Him." C.C. nodded, slightly distracted by her paramour's ministrations, "Um…he could be the one behind this sudden move?"
Lelouch rolled this idea back and forth in his mind for a moment before nodding. "Yes, that's likely. Very likely in fact."
"Not just a pretty face." the amber-eyed immortal smirked.
"One of your most attractive points, Celesta." Lelouch said with a fond smile.
"So you're attracted to smart girls, are you?" C.C. purred, "Sayoko fit's the bill…as does Kallen and Milly."
The revolutionary schoolboy frowned at her at this. "And?" he asked his voice wary.
"I merely wish your permission to court them." C.C. said innocently.
"You mean seduce them." Lelouch said flatly, seeing right through her.
"Just to get them ready for when they join us in your bed, Lelouch." the immortal replied.
"Might I ask why you and Sayoko seem hell-bent on gathering women to add to my bed?" Lelouch asked curiously, "I'll admit to being attracted to Kallen, and Milly's grandfather has told me that Milly is actually in love with me, but the fact you two seem to be scheming to present me with a bevy of girls is more than slightly surprising and not a little worrying."
C.C. actually thought about it for a moment. "Well…I can't speak for Sayoko, but there are a couple of reasons I want you to have a small Harem."
"I already have a small harem." Lelouch pointed out dryly, "Two girls are quite a bit much more than most guys have the luck to be with in the first place."
"Two girls are only a threesome." C.C. retorted, "Aside from Sayoko and me, what girls are in your life? Kallen? Milly? Nina?"
"Those are the main ones that aren't Nunnally." Lelouch agreed, "But Nina's an out-and-out lesbian."
"OK, so she's out." C.C. agreed, "But I'm going to seduce her for myself anyway."
"Not until and unless she and Milly break up." Lelouch said sharply, "Milly may love me but she likes Nina and you will not hurt either of them by seducing them as long as they remain a couple. Understood?"
"As you wish." C.C. pouted, "I suppose that leaves as Kallen as the only one I can turn my attentions to. Spoilsport."
"Just watch yourself. Kallen is a natural at martial arts." Lelouch warned, "She'll judo flip you through the window given half a chance."
"I am a blackbelt at Jujutsu." C.C. informed him, "I learned it centuries ago and there's no way that little girl can throw me around. Besides…she'll be too busy moaning to think of throwing me off."
All of this said with a truly lecherous grin on her face.
"Just…try not to reveal your alter-ego while you're wooing her." Lelouch sighed before digging his voice changer out and attaching it to the phone nearby. Tapping away at the number he had memorised, he then put the phone to his ear.
"Ohgi? Yes, I received your message. Here's what you tell the JLF…"
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A Week Later
Kyōshirou Todoh's Base, Unknown Location
"Urabe, Zero's group have sent instructions for when and where you are to meet them." Todoh informed his subordinate.
"I still think we should dictate when and where we meet." Chiba grumbled from her position next to Todoh, "Letting these…amateurs dictate conditions to us like this is demeaning."
"They are also warriors who fight against Britannia, Chiba-kun." Todoh rebuked her firmly, "And they have accomplished twice what we have failed to accomplish…the defeat of a member of the Britannian Royal Family. That requires that we treat them with honour and respect."
"Hai, Colonel." Chiba muttered.
Returning his attention to Urabe, Todoh spoke crisply. "You and your escort are to meet Zero's envoy at an old school in Ikebukuro two days from now. From there, you will be escorted to Zero's main base of operations while in a blacked out vehicle."
"Paranoid." Urabe said approvingly.
"Considering all our sources say that Cornelia is practically baying for Zero's blood, I'd say it's more along the lines of reasonable caution." Todoh replied.
"True enough." Urabe chuckled, "Any limitation on how big the escort can be?"
"Kaname Ohgi, the man who is currently Zero's second in command, requested that no more than five escorts be included with Urabe." Todoh replied, "We'll comply with this because we are in need of most of our troops are needed to install the new weapon emplacements. Urabe, you have first pick of any five soldiers of a lower rank than you do. Have their names sent to me by days end."
"Yessir." Urabe replied.
"Sir, shouldn't we assign watchers to follow Urabe so we can discover Zero's base of operations?" Asahina asked.
"And why, Asahina, would we want to do that?" Todoh asked mildly.
Adjusting his glasses, Asahina blinked in confusion. "So we can spy on him and attempt to find out his true identity." he replied.
"Asahina, are you an idiot?" Urabe asked in disbelief, "What you are suggesting is dishonourable and underhanded, not to mention smacking of how Britannians would act!"
"You dare-!" Asahina snarled in outrage.
"Enough!" Todoh said firmly, "Urabe, do not insult your comrades. Asahina, take some time to meditate on your words today, focussing especially on how they reflect on your personal honour. Understood?"
""Yessir."" both of the men replied back, Asahina more sullen than Urabe.
Once the two men left the room, Todoh sighed in exasperation at how Asahina was letting his dislike -which Todoh was certain stemmed from jealousy- of Zero get the better of his actions.
"Why is it that a single man in a mask that isn't even in my base can cause my most loyal soldiers to go at each others throats?" he grumbled to Chiba.
"Asahina just doesn't trust a person who conceals his identity behind a mask." Chiba replied.
"I can tell at least one thing about him because he wears a mask." Todoh said musingly.
"What's that, Colonel?" Chiba asked.
"He hides his face." Todoh replied, "That implies two things. One, that he is afraid that he will be recognised by someone. And two, that he has someone -or maybe more than one person- that he is afraid to lose if discovered."
Two Days Later
Former Kōzuki Cell Base, Ikebukuro Ghetto
"What a dump." one of the five escorts opined. They were stood in a room on the second floor so they could covertly observe anyone entering the school grounds.
Privately, Urabe had to agree. The entire main school building was dilapidated and crumbling, with the second floor and up being exposed to the elements as a result of what looked like a JSDF fighter having taken most of the roof off after being shot down and crash landing through it.
"Keep your eyes peeled for Zero's emissary, men." Urabe ordered instead of commenting, "We do not want to mess this up. The JLF is counting on us."
"Understood Captain." another of the soldiers replied, "Permission to ask a question sir?"
"You just did, but granted." Urabe said dryly.
"Sir…why are we trying to recruit Zero?" the man asked, his voice and facial expression displaying his confusion for all to see.
"Because we've been ordered to." Urabe replied.
"But…he hasn't asked to join us, according to scuttlebutt anyway." the soldier said in confusion, "So why are we going to him?"
"In case you missed it Fukushima, we haven't had more than one or two recruit's a month for the last six months." one of the others said with an eye-roll, "If we get Zero on board, we'll be inundated with recruits. Get it?"
Fukushima looked as if he was about to retort when he spotted someone entering through the school gate.
"Contact!" he hissed, "One male, wearing a brown jacket!"
Urabe peered out the window. "That's Kaname Ohgi, the second head of the Kōzuki Cell and the current second in command of Zero's group. Looks like we're being honoured here."
"Of course!" one of his troops muttered, "We ARE emissaries of the JLF, after all."
"Keep that attitude contained, soldier." Urabe warned, "If this fails because you were too busy mouthing off to care who you were mouthing off to, I'll let Colonel Todoh deal with you himself."
The man flinched and clamped his jaws shut. No one wanted to be punished by the Colonel directly. The last time that had happened, the man had committed seppuku by way of atonement.
"Now that we all understand one another, let's go meet our escort." Urabe said calmly. He didn't like reminding them about Private Iwanage, but they had to take this seriously.
The six men trooped down to the ground floor and met Kaname Ohgi in the old entrance hall.
"Greetings, Kaname Ohgi." Urabe greeted him, "I am Kōsetsu Urabe, one of Colonel Todoh's Four Holy Swords."
"It is an honour to meet you." Ohgi replied with a small bow, "If you will follow me, I will lead you to the vehicle that we have prepared for you."
He led them to the old gymnasium building, which they hadn't kept under surveillance as it was on the opposite side of the school grounds to the entrance. Inside was a large camper van with blacked-out windows that had obviously belonged to a Britannian Noble at some point.
"Zero has deep pockets." Ohgi said when asked where the vehicle came from, "And he has contacts everywhere…even a few Nobles, although the same ones have just discovered that they are being investigated by Sub-Viceroy Euphemia for Bribery and Corruption charges."
Urabe had to snicker at that. Tricking the greedy fools into doing him under the table favours, only to be investigated by their own princess. A very sneaky move indeed, and thoroughly appropriate.
"I like how Zero thinks." he chuckled, "Men! Board the van so we can get moving!"
Once they were on route, Urabe decided to have a proper talk with Ohgi, who remained in the passenger section.
"I'm curious." he said, "What kind of a man is Zero?"
"He's…mysterious." Ohgi said hesitantly, "Oh, I know the mask aids in that, but he's highly secretive as well. He shares his plans when and where he wants to, although if asked he will tell us his reasoning behind his silence or actions."
"Huh." Urabe said neutrally, "Doesn't it make it somewhat hard to follow him if he's so mysterious?"
"You would think so, but he always explains himself afterwards." Ohgi replied, "And when he explains, the reasons are not only well founded, but very logical as well. He is very charismatic, both in person and via the radio. As for his tactics and strategies, they haven't led us wrong yet."
He then detailed the Battle of Shinjuku as an example and found that he had a captive audience in the six soldiers. He had just finished describing the retreat from the ghetto after the battle when they arrived at the base.
Following Ohgi out of the van, Urabe and his five soldiers were surprised to be greeted by what amounted to a parade of resistance members in a large hanger, all saluting them.
Being a good soldier, Urabe's hand automatically rose to salute in response, which was copied by his escort. The crowd of men and women parted to reveal three masked figures striding towards him.
Zero looked exactly as he did on the TV, the faceless black mask revealing nothing, even as the cloak concealed much about his body language, meaning that he wasn't certain that what little he could grasp of the man's body language wasn't being deliberately broadcast to him.
The two figures on either side of Zero were a study in contrasts. The black-clad one wore the mask of a Han'nya and had the hilt of a sword visible over her -the clothing revealed her gender if nothing else- shoulder, while the white and silver one greatly resembled a European knight as much as his/her counterpart resembled a shinobi.
Even as he mentally catalogued all of this, Urabe led his men towards the three figures, meeting them in the middle of the hanger.
"Captain Kōsetsu Urabe of the Four Holy Swords and the JLF." Zero said as he extended his gloved hand, "It is an honour to meet one of Todoh the Miracle Bringer's direct subordinates."
"As it is an honour to meet one who has struck back against our oppressors as successfully as you have, Zero." Urabe replied as he grasped the masked man's hand and shook it firmly.
"Allow me to introduce two members of my personal organisation." Zero gestured to the two figures behind him, "The lady in black is Aegis and the one in white and silver is Augur. Aegis is my personal guard and Augur is my sounding board for my plans, on the rare occasions that I have trouble deciding on them, as well as someone with a great deal of sound advice and wisdom to dispense as is appropriate."
"A pleasure." Urabe nodded at each of them. The one Zero had named as Aegis was very obviously more than slightly paranoid about her master's safety, as she was rather unsubtly examining each of his soldiers, as well as himself, for any signs that they were planning to attack him.
"Do you require any refreshments?" Zero asked as he led them into the base proper, Aegis and Augur walking ahead of the masked man this time.
"No, thank you." Urabe replied, "We had some field rations and the water in our canteens; it would be rude of us to press upon your own resources."
"I thank you for your courtesy, but you do not have anything to worry about in that regard." Zero assured him, "I have stockpiled enough rations in this base for a year or more that 'fell off the back of a truck' and into my hands. In a completely unrelated matter, several Britannian quartermasters are in prison for embezzlement and misuse of military property."
Urabe grinned. "In which case, I believe we will be happy to accept your hospitality, Zero."
"Excellent. Take your time and we will have our meeting afterwards." Zero said, "If you do not mind, Ohgi, Mamoru Takagahara and my Third-in-Command will also be sitting in with us."
"The Sleeping Dragon of Kantō?" Urabe asked, "It would be an honour."
Zero gestured at a door to one side of the corridor. "The dining room is through this door. My Third-in-Command will come and fetch you in an hour. Enjoy your meal, gentlemen."
Urabe and his men enjoyed the meal for several reasons. First, it was food liberated from their oppressors. Second, it was a traditional Japanese meal of Katsudon, rice and pickled daikon radish, which the men enjoyed very much.
"Gotta say, Zero knows how to treat his guests." Fukushima said once the meal was over, "That was some of the best food I've had since the invasion and this sake!"
Urabe agreed. The rice wine was high quality, even more delicious than what Colonel Todoh served at his meetings. How Zero managed to acquire such high-quality sake was beyond him, but it was an indication of his connections if he was in fact able to lay on a constant supply of the stuff.
A knock on the door alerted him to the fact that an hour had passed by, so it was now time for the actual meeting. He had had to be strict with his men, forbidding them from having more that one small bottle of sake each, so they could keep their wits about them.
That had not made him popular.
"Come in." Urabe called. The door opened to reveal a redheaded girl wearing a vest/shorts combo and a red headband. She nodded politely at Urabe.
"I'm Kallen Kōzuki, Zero's third in command." she introduced herself, "Follow me to the conference room."
"You would be Naoto Kōzuki's sister, I take it?" Urabe enquired, "I had heard a lot of good things about him before his death."
"I am Naoto-nii's sister and I am glad he is remembered." Kallen replied with a soft smile, "Now please, this way."
The Captain of the JLF assessed the halfblood girl as she led them through the base. She was obviously a skilled martial as she moved rather like a sword, both deadly in movement and lethal in execution. He suspected that his own, not inconsiderable, training and experience might be only barely enough to overcome her, but that might not be a sure thing.
Kallen Kōzuki extruded an aura of charismatic confidence that she seemed to be completely unaware of. That, combined with her natural beauty, meant that she drew eyes from men and women as she walked down the corridors.
Urabe mentally added her to the list of people he had to tell Colonel Todoh about. She would already be on that list because of her relation to the founder of her resistance group, but meeting her in person cemented her place on that list.
"Here we are." Kallen said, indicating a door, "I have to fetch Mamoru-sensei, so kindly enter; Zero is already inside, as is Ohgi."
With that, she hurried off.
"Keep your wits about you, men." Urabe warned them, "The honour of the JLF is on us as their representatives. Understood?"
"Hai, Urabe-taicho!" the soldiers replied as one.
"Let's go." he said, opening the door and stepping through.
Inside the room, a large concrete block was being used in lieu of a proper table. Sat at the head of the table was Zero, who was talking with Ohgi, sat to his left.
"…see, Kallen is disliked by Tetsuya's former flunkeys." Ohgi was saying to his masked leader.
"I see indeed." Zero almost growled, "I gave them a chance to shape up or ship out, and it would seem they have chosen to ship out. Have all weapons confiscated from them and have them ready to transport to an isolated location as soon as this meeting is over."
"Right." Ohgi nodded.
Zero turned to Urabe and his men. "Ah. Welcome, gentlemen. I am sorry you had to hear that."
"Personnel problems?" Urabe asked as he sat at the other end of the ersatz table. His men stood behind him at parade rest as they awaited orders.
"A remnant of the dark underbelly of the Yamato Alliance." Zero replied, "A man by the name of Tetsuya was their ringleader before the Battle of Saitama, but he deserted his post and attempted to assassinate me at a crucial phase of the battle. I was able to turn the tables on him however."
"I see." Urabe said neutrally, "What became of this Tetsuya person?"
"During the debate regarding whether the Yamato Alliance would merge with our group, one of his flunkeys let him out of his cell." Ohgi answered with a scowl, "He charged in and shot Zero in the arm. Aegis killed him before he could turn his gun on Kallen. The flunkey exploited a hole in the base's security and escaped."
"Despite this, I was willing to give the former followers of Tetsuya a clean slate." Zero added, "Regrettably, they have spurned my generosity. Constant insubordination, taking Refrain, drunk on duty, picking fights with all and sundry…they have exhausted my patience with them and will have to suffer the consequences."
"Understandable." Urabe said with a nod, "Colonel Todoh has made it clear in the JLF that anyone caught with Refrain is to be punished severely, so you are in accord there."
"And is the Colonel well?" Zero asked, "I have been keeping an ear out for word of him, but he has not gone out on a sortie in quite some time, if the rumour mill is to be believed."
"The Colonel is in excellent health, as always." Urabe replied, "He has many duties to see to as the JLF's Second in Command, so he has not had the leisure of raiding the Britannians in recent years."
"The paperwork is abominable, even for only a hundred-odd men and women." Zero observed, "For a man of action like Colonel Todoh, in an organisation of hundreds, that must be something approaching torture."
Urabe had to grin wryly at that. "Fortunately, the Colonel has years of experience in the Imperial Japanese Army to draw upon when it comes to paperwork, so he manages to get through it."
A knock on the door drew their attention. When Zero called out for whoever it was to come in, Kallen and Mamoru entered.
"Mamoru, this is Captain Urabe of the Four Holy Swords." Zero introduced the two, "Captain Urabe, this is Mamoru Takagahara, the Sleeping Dragon of Kantō."
"Meh. Are they still calling me that?" Mamoru grumbled good-naturedly, "It is good to meet you, Captain."
"Just as it is a pleasure to meet you, Mamoru-san." Urabe replied sincerely, "Your work with the Imperial Dragons Faction four years ago was excellent."
"It was a basic raid against a Britannian Supply Depot." Mamoru snorted, "Hardly worth all the adulation I've been given for it."
"You raided a fully guarded Britannian Depot with fifty men, and escaped, with the supplies you sought, without suffering a single death on your side." Urabe corrected him, "That is more than slightly worthy of praise."
"I would have to agree with Urabe-san here, Mamoru-san." Zero said in slight amusement, "You'll have to walk me through how you accomplished that someday. Today, however, we have business to attend to. Be seated and we can get that out of the way."
Mamoru nodded and he took his seat to Zero's right, with Kallen sitting next to him.
"Now then, Urabe-san." Zero said amicably, "Would you care to elaborate on why one of the Four Holy Swords is being used as a messenger? I'm fairly certain that you have several dozen things you could be doing rather than this."
"True enough." Urabe allowed, "Well, you've been nothing but frank with me, so I will return the favour. Zero, I have been authorised by General Katase and Colonel Todoh to offer you a place in the Japanese Liberation Front, at the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel."
This announcement made Ohgi, Mamoru and Kallen gasp in shock, although Urabe was paying far more attention to Zero's reaction. His body language, mostly hidden by the cloak, was relaxed and wasn't worried.
'He expected this.' Urabe realised, 'He expected the JLF to ask him to join us. I've been underestimating him this entire time!'
From the moment that he and his soldiers had set foot in the base, Zero had been displaying the independence of his command to Urabe, from the initial welcoming salute, to the meal his troops had just eaten. Even discussing his disciplinary problem had demonstrated he considered himself the commanding officer of an army, rather than merely being the leader of a resistance group.
"You don't seem surprised." he observed calmly, although his mind was racing at lightspeed.
"I expected the JLF to make an overture to me at some point." Zero replied quietly, "Although I will admit that I never expected to be approached so soon."
"General Katase was adamant that we approach you sooner, rather than later." Urabe stated neutrally.
"He is afraid that the JLF will become supplanted by my group in the eyes of the Six Houses of Kyoto." Zero stated, "He also wishes to use my recent popularity to revive recruitment into the JLF. Have I summed up the reasons for this generous invitation accurately, or have I missed something?"
"No, I think that you have summed everything up quite succinctly." Urabe replied, "I suppose that the only question now is what your answer is."
"I must regrettably refuse." Zero replied, "Might you be willing to hear my reasons?"
"Colonel Todoh will be interested to hear them." Urabe replied, "I will carry your words to him."
"Very good." Zero tapped the stone surface of the table for a moment before he answered, "First, as you might imagine, I am unwilling to abandon those who I lead now. No real leader would abandon their troops. I am sure that the JLF would accommodate some of them, but I doubt more than a tithe of them would ever be assigned to me in order to prevent me from building up my own cadre of loyal warriors. Colonel Todoh gets away with the Four Holy Swords because there are only four of you."
"A good point." Urabe admitted.
"Secondly," Zero continued, "I have no interest in necromancy."
"…beg pardon?" Urabe asked blankly.
"Japan, as it once was, is dead, Urabe-san." Zero replied bluntly, "Shredded to pieces by the Britannian Invasion, trampled beneath the jackboots of the Britannian Nobility and Royalty for the past seven years and their pride drowned in Refrain. What Japan has lost cannot be regained by defeating Britannia."
The masked man stood up and started to pace as he spoke. "What I envision instead is a new Japan, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the old. Maintaining the proud traditions of the past whilst adapting to new innovations and technologies is one thing that Japan has always done so why then not do it now?
In answer? Because the remnants of the leaders of the Zaibatsu and former Japanese government long to return to the past, to a time that they were still the dealmakers and masters of all they surveyed. That way of governance is partially what led to Japan being conquered in the first place. Hiking the price of Sakuradite, blockading Britannia at the urging of the Chinese Federation…both of these acts were all the justification that Britannia needed to invade Japan, not that they needed any justification in the first place."
Throughout this diatribe, Urabe had noted in a rather clinical fashion that Zero was passionate about this subject. He believed in what he said, which made his oratory skills a dangerous thing. People could, at a subconscious level, feel the belief in a person's words. There had been a man in the EU about twenty, twenty-five years ago who had been a masterful orator and would have taken over an entire member-state of the EU had there not been safeguards in place to stop him.
Zero had that level of skill with his orations. Some might call it demagoguery; some would call it a poor attempt at proper oratory. Whatever you might call it; Zero was a master orator, able to sway people with the strength of his words alone.
"The final reason I will not join the JLF is this, Urabe-san." Zero said as he returned to his seat, "The JLF has long state that its goal is to liberate Japan from Britannian rule, correct?"
"Yes…" Urabe said slowly, with the air of a man stepping blindfolded into a minefield.
"What happens afterwards?" Zero asked, "What plans have you evolved to secure Japan from invasion by the Chinese Federation? Or even the most likely route of being re-invaded by Britannia?"
"I'm only a Captain, so any discussions of that nature are above my pay grade." Urabe said stoically.
"But if there were any in place, you would have been briefed about them, if for nothing else than propaganda to keep morale up." Zero pointed out, "Sort of like 'here's what we're going to do after we kick the Brits out, what do you think lads.' That kind of thing."
"I can see the point." Mamoru put in, "But what are you saying, Zero?"
"That the JLF has ceased to think like an army." Zero replied, "It reacts rather than acts, it makes pointless propaganda broadcasts that are jammed and any raids that are made are so half-hearted that they almost always fail. Seven years of failure has sapped the strength from the JLF and has clouded its vision, preventing them from looking into the future for future threats."
"Why you-!" one of Urabe's soldiers started.
"Enough." Urabe commanded, "Zero is merely speaking the truth as he sees it. No one can be punished for speaking what they to believe the truth and, in all honesty, I can admit that at least some of what Zero says it the truth."
He sighed. "I will take your words back to Colonel Todoh, Zero. I cannot promise they will be appreciated, however."
"The truth seldom is." Zero replied, "The Britannians use systems of surveillance and propaganda to coerce their own citizens' conformity and solicit their submission. What we should always keep in mind however, is that while the cudgel can be used in lieu of words, words will always retain their power and through them, the enunciation of truth."
"Admirable sentiments." Urabe said, "And I wish you the best in maintaining them. My men and I should head back to HQ though."
"I admit that I will not be returning with you, Captain." Zero said as he stood, "But I have considered how to make this less of an insult, as some of your superiors and comrades will think of my refusal to join you, and I have hit upon a solution. Follow me."
Zero led Urabe, his men and Zero's own subordinates through the corridors into yet another Hanger, of which one side was partitioned off with a large curtain.
"Tamaki-san, are my gifts to the JLF ready?" Zero called.
A redheaded man poked his head out to one side of the curtain. "Yep. We just finished the last one five minutes ago, Zero. Should we unveil 'em?"
"By all means." Zero replied with a chuckle. Tamaki pulled his head back in and was heard to be shouting orders to people on the other side.
"Any idea what's going on here?" Mamoru asked Kallen in a whisper.
"Not a clue." she muttered back, "But I think we're about to find out."
The curtain was drawn to one side, revealing five Sutherland Knightmares, painted in the camo-olive green of the Japan Liberation Front. All of the headpieces were similar to those used on the Gloucesters used by Cornelia's Royal Guard, and the large trailer -large enough to carry all of them at once- was currently being loaded with spare parts and ammo.
"My gift to the JLF…five Sutherlands, the very same model used by Cornelia's troops, as well as ammunition, spare parts and weapons. All for the exclusive use of Colonel Todoh and his Four Holy Swords." Zero announced, with a small bow, "Tell the good Colonel that should he or his men ever require aid, he should not hesitate to contact me and he has a standing invitation to join my group whensoever it pleases him."
"This…this is a princely gift, Zero!" Urabe said in shock.
"The Six Houses were kind enough to provide us with forty Burai just the other day, all painted black." Zero replied, amusement obvious in his voice, "While little more than refurbished Glasgow's, they will be useful for basic training and supplementing the Sutherlands we already have. It also means we can afford to give them away far more easily. Besides, we can always steal more Sutherlands from the Britannians. Their security systems are atrocious."
Urabe chuckled before letting out a loud guffaw. "Ahahahaha! I like the way you do things Zero! I do indeed! I will take your gift and words to my leaders and, on a personal note, I must thank you. The Six Houses have been making noises about creating upgraded Burais for the use of the Holy Swords, but these will do nicely instead. A bit of customisation for each different member of the Swords and they'll be perfect. We'll have to examine them for tracking devices and the like first though."
"Have at it." Zero invited him with a gesture, "I wouldn't use such trickery with those who have similar goals to me. Even although I disagree with some of the goals of the JLF, any who would stand against the Britannians are allies of mine, so long as they keep to the righteous path."
Urabe sent his men to examine the Knightmares, while he stood and discussed how many spares, crates of ammo and what weapons were being sent along with the Sutherlands.
Mamoru was grinning at this. In one stroke, Zero was simultaneously asserting his independence, politely rebuffing the invitation of the JLF, sowing the seeds of doubt in Urabe's mind about the future of the JLF, gaining gratitude from Todoh the Miracle Bringer by providing them with Knightmares AND laying a path for Todoh to follow to him once the JLF inevitably fell, as it was bound to do once Cornelia eventually turned her attention to them. It was practically an open secret that the JLF's Main HQ was somewhere in the Narita Mountains.
'He really is incredible.' Mamoru thought, 'I was right to bet on him. Japanese, Britannian or otherwise, he is the one to take up my mantle.'
He had earned his nickname of the Sleeping Dragon of Kantō because he generally left things alone until his wrath was provoked. Then he got down to business.
Mamoru had one other nickname that no one out of the former Imperial Japanese Intelligence Service even knew about…the Shadow Dragon. He could work in the shadows just as easily as in the light of day, and it would seem that Zero was, if anything, even more at ease with the juxtaposed role of light and shadow than Mamoru had ever been.
"Mamoru-sensei?" Kallen asked in concern, "Why are you grinning like that?"
"Hmm? Oh. Just amazed at the younger generation, Kallen-chan." Mamoru replied, "Amazed and proud. I think Zero will do amazing things."
"What are you sounding like an old fart for?" Kallen teased, "You can handle another decade of war if need be. You'll outlive most of us still."
Mamoru chuckled at his former student's confidence in him. "Nothing lasts forever, Kallen-chan, especially on the battlefield. I am an old man who should have retired years ago, but I'll still fight for my country. Remember one thing Kallen-chan; a person's origins -what nationality they are, what rank they were born at- have nothing to do with anything. What matters is the manner in which they have lived their life. Understand?"
"Hai, sensei." Kallen nodded, but a trace of confusion was visible in her eyes.
"You might not understand now, but you will one day." Mamoru told her, "Now, let's get those ten idiots outta here. Zero wants them gone by the end of the day, according to Ohgi."
"Good." Kallen spat, "Those scumbags disgust me."
As he walked off, Kallen in tow, Mamoru was very glad that Kallen never got that angry with him.
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Next Chapter: The Lake Kawaguchi Incident
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