Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 21 here. Last Chapter I'll be uploading this year too.
Yes, as usual, I'll be stopping my writing for December. And for the first half of January as well. Christmas is important, after all.
I am aware that there are a lot of spelling mistakes in the preceding chapters. These will be corrected once I publish thirty chapters (that's thirty actual chapters, not including interludes and 0.5 chapters), so kindly so not point any out. No one is more aware of them than I am.
See you on the other side.
As always, 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 21: A Reason to Fight
A Week Later
Black Knights Mobile Command Base
Lelouch, dressed as Zero, lounged on the seat in the back of the large camper van that was the mobile base of the Black Knights. He was busy perusing reports on the various operations that the Black Knights had been on in the last week.
'I think my little declaration was somewhat more effective than I had anticipated.' he thought as he eyed the stack of applications to join the Black Knights that had flooded in after the resolution to the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel Jacking Incident.
The media had descended upon the former hostages like a pack of ravenous jackals, desperate to get their stories. Reuben had rather forcibly banned the paparazzi from the campus grounds and had called in favours with the TV companies and newspapers to call off the bottom feeders.
Quite how the press had found out Milly had given herself up to the JLF he didn't know, but they had and the Head of the Ashford Family had tired of his granddaughter being stalked on school property.
"Zero?" Kallen asked from her seat in concern, "Is there anything wrong?"
"No." Lelouch replied with a shake of his helmeted head, "Merely contemplating everything that has happened in the last week. How has the reaction at Ashford been?"
He already knew, but had to ask Kallen, as it would seem suspicious if he was all knowing. Ostensibly, that was one reason Kallen went to school more often these days, to report on the attitudes of the children of Area 11's Britannian elite.
"All of them are talking about you, Zero." Kallen replied, her expression warring between frowning and grinning, "Some of the more stupid ones are still calling us terrorists and panicking. The rest are torn between shock at the audacity at us naming ourselves Knights and gratitude for us saving the hostages at the hotel."
"As expected then." Lelouch nodded, "I trust your friends on the Student Council are well? Miss Ashford was rather brave to give herself up like that."
"Milly's been bugged by the press all week." Kallen grimaced, "The Principal's had to ban them from school grounds. Vultures. The Academy Newspaper Club has been almost as bad, but they backed off when we threatened to cut their budget by three-fourths."
And what a stink they had raised about it, yelling about abuse of power and oppressing the free press. He had been tempted to Geass the idiots into submission, but Milly had dirt on almost all of the Newspaper Club, so they had folded like a house of card after that.
'Free press, in Britannia? What a contradiction in terms.' Lelouch scoffed to himself.
"Anyway, how have we been doing on the raids?" Kallen asked.
"So far, very well." the masked man replied, "Thus far, ten Refrain manufacturing and storage plants have been destroyed and the operators either put to flight or dead. Almost all of them were run by major Britannian criminal cartels, with one being run by a group of unscrupulous Japanese criminals."
Kallen's face twisted with a dark scowl as she spat out, "Damn traitors."
"Just so. The JLF and the Six Houses picked them up for punishment however, so I am confident they are receiving their just deserts." Lelouch pacified her. The JLF had also picked up the remaining living members of Kusakabe's troops, as well as the corpses of Kusakabe and his command staff. They hadn't been entirely pleased with the deaths, but honestly, taking a building with only three casualties on the part of the defending force was a cheap price, not counting Kusakabe or his staff.
"On the other hand, we have also raided several black market deals involving food, clothing and medical supplies that were supposed to go to the Ghettos." Lelouch added, "I get the feeling that the criminals are going to be gunning for us, so we'll have to start being careful."
"At least the pinkie princess came in useful." Kallen said with a moue of distaste at praising a Britannian Royal, "She arrested all of the corrupt members of the Knightpolice in the Britannian Tokyo Settlement two days ago."
"Looks like she's following my suggestions." Lelouch commented.
"That was your doing?!" Kallen gasped.
"No, I merely pointed out to her in the letter I sent her during Saitama that the Knightpolice were corrupt and suggested that the next place in Japan that she turn her attention should be the law enforcement agencies such as them." Lelouch replied, "As I was proven right in everything else in the letter I sent her, she has evidently chosen to follow up on my advice."
"You planned this…" Kallen said in awe.
"I merely made an educated guess about Euphemia's likely reaction." he demurred modestly, "That she followed up on it is a bonus. The Knightpolice is only equipped with refurbished Glasgow Knightmare Frames. Our Sutherlands and military-grade weaponry are not what they were designed to oppose, so I believe we could handle them even if the cartels coerced the corrupt Knightpolice into helping them."
"Agreed." Kallen nodded, "People have started calling Euphemia the 'Archenemy of Avarice' because of all her work in getting rid of corruption in the bureaucracy."
"It certainly is a better nickname than Schneizel's nicknames of 'White Prince' and 'Cold-Blooded Strategist' or Castor and Pollux rui Britannia's nickname, 'The Evil Twins.'" Lelouch commented, "I'll wager she'll be treated warily by the members of the Imperial Court if she ever goes there."
"Why?" Kallen asked.
"To the members of the Imperial Court, there is nothing more suspicious than someone who cannot be bought." Lelouch told her, "If you cannot be bought, all sorts of scenarios spring to the mind of a court politician…has someone else already bought you? Why? What's their scheme and agenda? What's their endgame? Does the Emperor know about it? That sort of thing."
"Urgh…my head's spinning." Kallen said with a headshake, "I hate politics."
"When we liberate Japan, you're going to have to get used to them, Kallen." the exiled prince warned her, "Being one of the liberators of Japan will give you a tremendous amount of influence in politics, meaning your opinions will carry weight whether you want them to or not. Politics will be an unfortunate consequence of you being the Ace of the Black Knights."
Kallen flushed at being called the Ace. She was just about the only member who had any natural talent with Knightmares. Mamoru-sensei was good at operating them, but that was a result of practice, not talent. Then the rest of Zero's warning registered with her.
"Great…" she grumbled.
A buzzer went off in Lelouch's helmet and he pressed the button to accept the call.
"Aegis?"
"Hai, Goshujin-sama." Sayoko spoke over the phone he had built into his helmet, "I have the package. Should I deposit it with the others?"
"Yes, they'll be excellent bargaining tools with the Six Houses when it comes to the negotiating table." Lelouch told her, "Once you've dropped it off, return to your usual duties."
"By your command." Sayoko replied before hanging up.
"Was that Aegis reporting in?" Kallen asked.
"Yes. She has been 'acquiring' some useful items for when we supplant the JLF, which shouldn't be too long now." Lelouch replied, "Cornelia wants their heads on a platter for what Kusakabe almost did to her sister."
"They didn't even know she was there though." Kallen objected in puzzlement.
"Cornelia is cursed with an excessive amount of imagination when it comes to the worst case scenario that an incident could have resulted in." Lelouch replied wryly, "The thought that it could have been Euphemia rather than a random businessman plunging off of the Lake Kawaguchi Conference Centre is probably giving her nightmares as we speak."
Kallen huffed. "Considering she's so heartless on the battlefield, it's good that she cares about something off it, I suppose."
"Everyone has something or someone they care about, something to live for…a reason to fight." Lelouch commented, "For Cornelia, Euphemia is that reason. She would bathe in a lake of blood if it meant her younger sister remains unharmed. For her knights, Cornelia herself is a reason to fight."
"So…they aren't so much loyal to Britannia as they are loyal to Cornelia?" Kallen asked.
"In a manner of speaking. Cornelia is loyal to her family, which means that she is loyal to Britannia by default." Was Lelouch's reply, "If that bond didn't exist, then perhaps her knights would only be loyal to her. Well, speaking of theoretical situations is a moot point. I must leave now."
"Oh…" Kallen said in disappointment, "Take care, Zero."
"You as well, Kallen." Lelouch said as the van came to a halt in an underground parking facility, "Remember, the next raid is tomorrow nigh; make sure you get plenty of sleep. You look tired."
"Just a bit." Kallen admitted.
"Lack of sleep is an enemy more insidious than Britannia, Kallen." he said with a mildly chastising tone in his voice, "I want you to get eight hours of sleep before the raid. Understood?"
"Yes, of course." Kallen nodded, flushing in embarrassment, "I've just…been busy recently. Ashford's been plying me with homework since I've been attending more."
"You might ask your friends on the Student Council for help there during school hours." Lelouch suggested, "If you get them to help you under the pretence that you're having trouble with something, they might buy it."
Kallen's face lit up as she heard this. "I'll do that. Thank you, Zero."
Lelouch waved at her and strode out of the camper van. He had to get back to Nunnally.
Same Time
Viceroy's Office, Area 11 Administration Building
Cornelia scowled at the wall as she avoided looking at the missive in front of her…a letter from her father.
The Emperor was not impressed.
"Princess…" Guilford spoke up tentatively, "What has the Emperor decided upon that has you so…displeased?"
A growl rumbled in Cornelia's chest as she locked eyes with her knight. After a moment, she sighed and slumped back into her chair.
"Father is…less than pleased with my performance in Area 11." she said resignedly, "Losing in Saitama was bad enough, but having Zero announce his 'Black Knights' here was the last straw as far as he was concerned. He's decided to dispatch two of the Knights of the Round here to add to the pressure on Zero."
Both Dalton and Guilford stiffened in shock. The twelve members of the Knights of the Round were the Emperor's personal sworn liegemen, answerable only to the sitting Emperor. In the past, before the advent of the Knightmare Frames, they were made up of exceptional commanders, skilled assassins, strong warriors and merciless tacticians. Now, they were all those plus skilled Knightmare pilots. Some of them were well known for their instability, such as Sir Luciano Bradley, the infamous Vampire of Britannia.
Dalton stiffened anew as a horrible thought occurred to him. "Princess, is one of them…Lord Bradley?"
"Thank heavens no." the Viceroy snorted, "Father has sent him to the middle-east to help conquer what will soon become Area 19. It's bound to be a bloodbath with him involved, which is why he isn't being sent here. Even Father knows better than to let that madman near a vital production Area like Area 11."
"Then who is being sent here, Princess?" Guilford asked.
Cornelia sighed. "Lady Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine, and Lady Dorothea Ernst, the Knight of Four."
The Knights of the Round were never more than twelve in number and were nominally coequal; the 'Rank' they received was little more than a way to determine seniority and skill. Only the Knight of One received two special privileges because of attaining his or her rank. First, that Knight became the Emperor's personal Champion and swordsman. Second, the Knight of One was permitted to claim any of the Areas as their own personal fief.
The current Knight of One, Bismarck Waldstein, had not exercised the latter privilege and preferred to work on his skills as a warrior and Knightmare pilot in the Imperial capital of Pendragon.
"Ernst? The replacement for the recently deceased Lord Wallace?" Dalton frowned, "It seems an odd first assignment for an unblooded member of the Rounds."
"She is a very zealous Britannian nationalist." Cornelia replied, "She feels she needs to prove herself as she isn't white."
This was a holdover from the slave trading days in Britannia. If you weren't white, you were basically second-class, regardless of whether you were a born and bred Britannian or one of the Numbers. It was something Cornelia didn't actually care about. If you were Britannian, you were on her side and deserved respect. If you were a Number, you were an enemy at worst and a mistrusted ally at absolute best. It was that simple for her.
"Lady Nonette…will be problematic." Guilford grimaced, "She was Lady Marianne's friend and your teacher in Knightmare combat, princess. She isn't someone easily handled."
"Yes…" Cornelia sighed, "I know. No matter what I say or do, she is someone who rather easily gets under my skin. She knows exactly what buttons to press to get me angry or upset. Just thinking about her is pissing me off!"
"Do you suppose that is one of the reasons His Majesty chose Lady Nonette for this mission?" Dalton asked quietly.
"I don't doubt it, old friend." Cornelia scowled, "Nominally, they will both be under my command, but you know what Knights of the Round are like. I'd bet a thousand pounds that they'll be doing as they please not two minutes after arriving here and citing my failures as a reason to ignore me."
"When will they arrive, Your Highness?" Dalton asked.
"Nonette is currently finishing up an offensive in the Euro Universe under my brother Schneizel, as well as returning to Pendragon for something, so she'll be a month getting here at the earliest." Cornelia replied, "Dorothea Ernst is in Pendragon at the moment, but is getting her personal Knightmare Frame replaced with a personalised Gloucester, at least until her research team can create a Seventh Generation for her, so call it three weeks."
"Lady Nonette doesn't have a personal Knightmare Frame." Dalton protested.
"That is why she's going back to Pendragon." Cornelia grimaced, "Father is allowing her to use the Bedivere."
"That monstrosity?!" Dalton and Guilford gasped as one.
"No one can even make it move!" the bespectacled Knight objected once he recovered.
"No one on the level of a Knight of Rounds was ever asked to try." Cornelia replied, "Nonette has apparently made a bet with my brother that she can move it. If she can, it becomes her personal Knightmare. If not, she owes Schneizel a favour."
"Prince Schneizel shouldn't bet against Lady Nonette." Guilford sighed, "She has a habit of winning such things just to spite her adversary. Should I alert Earl Asplund that he can expect to have a second machine to maintain?"
"Yes." Cornelia nodded with an unwilling smirk on her face, "If Nonette hasn't changed since I last saw her, she'll have that unruly Knightmare under control in less time than it takes Odysseus to take care of Carina and Guinevere during Pendragon's Social season."
Her Knights snorted in amusement. The Crown Prince was so used to those two making a nuisance of themselves that he actually penned in their interruptions and temper tantrums as part of the preparation work.
"To return to the main point, this means we have almost a month before either of the Knights of the Round arrive in Area 11." Cornelia stated, a finger beating an impatient tempo on the surface of her desk, "I want the JLF neutralised before they arrive, so we can focus all our attention on eradicating Zero. Those relics of a bygone era will not be difficult to excise."
"…have you finished all of the paperwork, Princess?" Guilford asked carefully.
The Viceroy's expression soured greatly. "No. I will not be finished for another few days…if Euphie doesn't add more to the pile when I'm not looking…again."
Euphemia had been rather gleefully passing all of her paperwork on to Cornelia for the last week. There was a tentative agreement between the sisters that the younger sister would stop doing that at the end of the week, but Cornelia knew Euphie might go an extra day, just to prove a point.
"Concerned about Princess Euphemia?" Dalton asked softly.
"You know me too well." Cornelia sighed, "It's just…not easy to do as she asked and back off. I've been protecting her for so long that…"
"…that it feels like you're failing in a sworn duty." Dalton finished for her, "Yes, I can imagine that it would. Nevertheless, she was right; it is time and past time that she is treated like an adult. Granted, sixteen isn't usually when one does so, but I imagine that she has been feeling pretty stifled in the last couple of years."
The last couple of years had been when Euphemia had blossomed into a beautiful young woman from being an adorable girl. As such, Cornelia had ramped up her protection to include keeping any males, other than her own Royal Guard and the Glaston Knights, away from her.
"She still loves Lelouch, despite the fact that it's been seven years." Cornelia sighed in resignation, "I had thought that she would get over him eventually, but now that there's a good chance he might still be alive? Not a snowball's chance in hell."
Marriage between half-siblings wasn't unheard of in the Britannian Royal Family. It was rarely done, but had been done several times in the past. Lady Marianne had been considering such a marriage for Lelouch before her death, given how close Lelouch had been to the youngest li Britannia child, as well as the Ashford Heiress.
Those two had been rivals for the attentions of Lelouch, who had been given the moniker of 'The Black Prince' due to his habit of wearing black at all formal functions. The colour had suited him rather well, very striking as she recalled, his appearance at any ball had made Euphie and Millicent discreetly squeal when he hadn't been near them.
Nunnally, who hadn't understood what marriage had entailed at her age, had even argued that as she understood her brother better than anyone did, she was the only person worthy of marrying him.
The expressions on Lelouch, Millicent and Euphie's faces had been priceless and she hadn't been able to resist snapping a photograph to commemorate the occasion. She still had that somewhere.
"That reminds me Princess; the Council needs to be convened." Guilford said as he adjusted his glasses, "In addition, you should decide what to do with Margrave Gottwald and Lady Nu."
"I want to strip them of their ranks and send them to a penal colony for endangering Euphie like they did." Cornelia snapped.
"I've reviewed all of the logs and they did their best to protect her en-route." Dalton replied mildly, "The person who deserves censure in all of this is Sir David Halliberry, the Knight who deliberately obstructed them and left Her Highness an exposed target for over five minutes."
Cornelia's nostrils flared in irritation. "Deal with him as you like." she ordered.
"Understood." Guilford nodded grimly. Both he and Dalton were fond of Euphemia, albeit often exasperated with her antics, so this idiot would find himself in hot water…rather literally, as he would be reduced to a cook in a field kitchen for a year, washing dishes.
"So, to Gottwald and Nu…bah. Fine." Cornelia snorted in disgust, "Euphie would get irritated if I punished them further. Besides, they have to find Lelouch and Nunnally for me, so let them know their house arrest is over. Now, on to what Euphie reported Zero said regarding Camelot…how has your investigation gotten along there?"
"Thus far, Camelot and Army technicians have crawled all over the databases and buildings with a fine toothed comb with nothing to show for it." Dalton replied with a frown, "Earl Asplund has kicked up quite a fuss about the delays this is imposing on his work with the Lancelot."
"He will wait." Cornelia said quellingly, "A breach in security, in the Administration Building, for the second time in three weeks is nothing to be treated lightly. I want to know how Zero is getting his information and snuff it out if we have to replace all of the servers in this building! Am I understood?"
"Yes, Your Highness!" Dalton and Guilford barked out.
"I'd better get back to chipping away at this mini-mountain of paperwork." Cornelia said with a scowl at the large pile of paper forms that loomed over her on one side of the desk, "Carry on."
Once the two Knights were out of the office and the door closed behind them, Guilford felt it safe to mutter to Dalton, "Remind me to never irritate Princess Euphemia; she has the same vindictive streak as her siblings underneath that gentle countenance."
"You realise this only now?" Dalton snorted in amusement.
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
The Next Day
Kaguya's Quarters, Hidden Base of the Six Houses of Kyoto, Unknown Location
"That was a risky gamble you made last week, Kaguya." Taizō Kirihara said as he accepted the hot cup of tea from the girl.
"It was only risky if it failed." the young Head of the Sumeragi Clan replied beatifically, "As it is, I'd call it a safe bet. Hiroyosi was a fool to accept my wager last week. I trust he has been replaced already?"
"With much hair-pulling and gnashing of teeth, yes." Kirihara snorted, "The fool didn't actually have a replacement lined up and refused to appoint one when pushed, so I was called in to choose for him. Young Akira Yoshida will serve well as the Head of the Yoshida…and our ally."
Kaguya smirked. It was little known, even among the Houses of Kyoto, that she and Taizō Kirihara were political allies. He, despite is age, was very open minded about change in a way that the rest of the Clan Heads were not and didn't sneer at Kaguya due to her youth.
He had been her mentor in secret ever since she was a child. Guiding the young girl through the murky political waters in the aftermath of the invasion and the suicide of her grandfather a year later. Masatake Sumeragi had given in to despair upon seeing the state his country had fallen to in the aftermath of the invasion and had shot himself with an antique pistol in his quarters.
And so Kaguya, alone and without guardians, was at the mercy of the other Clan Heads, who had wanted to marry her off to one of their children and render her a trophy wife.
Until Kirihara stepped in, she had been certain that would be her fate, but he had called in enough favours from the other Clan Heads to prevent such a thing from happening. The old man had then sat her down and laid her choices out in front of her. She could be either a puppet or a puppeteer, and he had rather thought that she wanted to be without strings.
She had agreed.
Oh, she knew there was a certain amount of give and take happening between them. She voted the way he wanted her to on occasion and he did the same for her, but for the most part, they were friends.
"Zero has raided yet another accursed Refrain plant." Kirihara informed her with a satisfied grin, "That makes eight in eight days, not to mention the dozen or so black market deals the Black Knights have gatecrashed at almost the same time. While I appreciate it, I do wonder why he is doing such…generous actions."
"He is training his troops." Kaguya replied as she made her own cup of tea, "He is finding those suited for combat and those who are not. In addition to building up considerable goodwill among the populace that is. Not to mention ensuring the poor people in the Ghettos actually get their food and clothing."
"Hmmm…goodwill, you say…" Kirihara mused, "Ah…he's anticipating what will happen after Cornelia destroys the JLF, as she surely will. Kusakabe was a fool and I hope he's enjoying his trip through hell!"
"How well do you think the JLF will acquit themselves?" Kaguya asked curiously.
"Poorly." Kirihara replied sourly, "Even with our new Burai-kai's, they are outmatched in terms of pilot performance. The performance of a Burai is roughly analogous to that of a Glasgow; a Burai-kai is analogous to that of a standard-issue Gloucester. Unfortunately, not only they do not face standard-issue Sutherlands but Victoria-pattern Sutherlands, which may as well be Gloucesters in all but name, but the JLF pilots are inexperienced at Knightmare combat, so not only are the JLF outclassed in terms of pilot ability but numbers and experience as well. I give it a month before Narita is put to the sword and the JLF dead along with it."
"What of Colonel Todoh and his Four Holy Swords? Shouldn't they be a factor?"
"Hah! That scenario is IF Todoh takes to the field!" Kirihara snorted, "He has been kind enough to pass on the modifications to the Victoria-type Sutherlands Zero gifted him to us and the engineers have begun to modify the Burai-kai further. They've decided to call the new models 'Jinrai' rather than the other suggestion of Burai-MK-II, thank heaven."
"So 'Thunderclap' then?" Kaguya nodded, "Sounds good. How many Burai-Kai do the JLF have?"
"Not enough." Kirihara replied with a scowl, "Just about twenty, not including Todoh and the Four Holy Swords. They have plenty of regular Burai though."
"Cornelia has over ninety Knightmares available to her, more if she pulls in the Knightpolice." the Sumeragi Clan Head stated, "That's ignoring the new shipment of Knightmares that arrived two days ago. Even with the Narita Base's gun emplacements, they don't stand a chance."
"Even the Guren Nishiki wouldn't alter the outcome by much." the old man agreed, "As per our promise; I have made arrangements to have it and another shipment of Burai and Burai-kai to be sent to Zero. It will be interesting to see what he does with it."
"He'll give it to the best Knightmare pilot he has." Kaguya told him with a smile, "Either the Sleeping Dragon of Kanto or Kallen Kōzuki."
"He will not use it as his personal Knightmare?" Kirihara asked.
"No; he will give it to the person who will make the best use of it." the girl replied knowingly, "He will likely pilot either a Burai, a Burai-kai or his personalised Sutherland."
"Any reason why you think this?" Kirihara asked knowingly.
"Woman's intuition." she replied promptly, making him bark out a laugh.
"Ha! You never cease to amaze me, Kaguya." the old man chortled, "It makes me wonder how Lelouch would deal with you."
Kaguya's face fell at the mention of her childhood crush. She didn't know what happened to him or his cute sister after the invasion. They had just…vanished, according to her cousin Suzaku. She hopes that they made it out alright, but…
"I'm sure he would manage." she replies after a moment, "I do wish I knew what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally though. How could two children -one of them blind and unable to walk! - possibly evade the soldiers at the camp they were in and vanish into thin air as they seem to have done?"
"Young Lelouch was a genius, if you'll care to recall." Kirihara chuckled, "He watched one game of Shogi and was able to defeat Suzaku, Todoh, you and myself inside of ten moves each."
This particular memory was rather bittersweet for Kaguya, as before that day, no one had ever beaten her at the General's Game aside from Kirihara and her grandfather. Still, it had proved how Lelouch was intellectually superior to every other male she knew and she had fallen for him hard as a result.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked in mild confusion.
"Simply that he could come up with such tactical plans on the spot that would make Nobunaga Oda green with envy." the old man replied as he stood up and replaced his cup, "And, if he is capable of such a feat, formulating a plan to avoid the guards and escape would be quite literal child's play for him."
"So you believe him to be alive?" she asked for confirmation.
"I do not doubt it." the old mogul replied, "He had a reason to live on, his sister. He may not have been born in Japan, but he had the heart of a Samurai. Failure was not an option for him…just like it is not an option for us."
With that, the old man left Kaguya to her thoughts.
"Haaaahhh…" she sighed, "Lelouch…Nunnally…I hope you are both safe..."
Six Days Later
Kallen's Room, Stadtfeld Estate
Kallen woke up slowly, having collapsed atop her bed late last night. She was so exhausted from the constant raids they had been doing for the last two weeks!
She had haphazardly stripped off her resistance outfit as soon as she was in the relative sanctity of her bedroom and hadn't bothered to put anything else on, so she was just wearing a pair of panties. When out of regular clothes, she tried to avoid wearing bras as they never made the damn things right. They were always either too tight or too loose.
The feeling of busting the heads of snobby Brits who were trying to make a profit out of the suffering of her countrymen was absolutely incredible. Just last night, the Black Knights Inner Circle, lead by Zero himself, had stormed a food warehouse and broken up a deal between a corrupt warehouse official and the Britannian Mafia.
A crash from outside, made Kallen jerk her head off her pillow in surprise before she rolled her eyes. That was the sound of shattering pottery, china to be exact, and it was a very common sound around the Stadtfeld Mansion.
"Mother!" she muttered in disgust.
Kallen's birth-mother, Yūko Kōzuki, worked as a maid in the Stadtfeld Estate, having followed Kallen here when she had been formally adopted by the Earl of Stadtfeld, Yūko's old lover and Kallen's father. She was, in a word, utterly useless as a maid. She broke vases, burned food and countless other things that made the other maids hate her.
Not that they really needed an excuse to hate her. Yūko was hated for having the favour of the Earl at one point and even bearing his child. This was especially true for the Earl's wife, Agatha Stadtfeld-neé-Bradford. She positively delighted in tormenting her husband's former mistress…and Kallen did nothing to stop her.
She was disgusted by the craven nature of her mother. Lowering herself to being a plaything of Britannian Nobility was bad enough, but further debasing herself by coming here and enduring the harassment, contempt and hatred of the entire estate for no good reason was just the icing on the cake.
Hurriedly throwing on a lavender dressing gown (her stepmother had clearly been here again), Kallen stepped out to see exactly what she expected; her mother kneeling on the floor next to the banister, one of the wooden posts that supported it broken, and next to that was what had caused the noise…a broken chandelier. Nearby, the foldaway ladder was sprawled on the floor, and Kallen noticed that both of the telescoping connectors that were supposed to prevent this from happening were out of their sockets and there were no nuts to be seen. One of the rungs was broken in half…way too cleanly for it to be an accident.
'Someone sabotaged the ladder so she would get in trouble.' Kallen concluded grimly, 'Moreover, cleaning the chandeliers isn't a job to be done by one person. She's been set up.'
"Oh, Kall- I mean, young miss." Yūko looked up as Kallen looked at her silently, "The ladder seems defective. My apologies."
Kallen could see why her father had been attracted to her mother. Tall for a Japanese woman, with soft brown hair tied back in a ponytail and warm blue eyes, she was still a very beautiful woman.
"Get it cleaned up." Kallen sighed, "I have school soon."
A flicker of surprise and interest appeared in her mother's eyes.
"You…seem to have been going to school a lot recently, miss." Yūko said carefully, "Have you made any friends? Or is there someone who has caught your interest?"
Kallen flushed at this last question, the images of a certain raven-haired boy and her masked leader flashing through her mind as she snapped back, "Th-that's none of your business!"
She stomped back into her room and slammed the door, intending to have a shower to wake herself up fully…and to wonder why Lelouch Lamperouge came to mind at the same time as Zero?
Off to one side, a picture of three people stood next to her bed. Herself as a child, her beloved brother Naoto as a late teenager…and a woman with her face covered by a sticker.
The Next Day
Student Council Room, Ashford Academy
"Suzaku, take any pictures of me like this and I will grind you to dust." Lelouch threatened his friend darkly.
"Not going to be an issue." the Honorary Britannian assured the ex-prince, "I persuaded Madame President not to include any photography of this event. I think that telling off you gave her is still lurking at the back of her mind."
Lelouch, dressed in a ridiculous looking cat suit, snorted in agreement. He had given an epic-level tongue-lashing to Milly and Nina for all the various sins that they had committed during the hotel jacking incident. It had been so effective that the rest of the Student Council had felt wracked with guilt just by hearing it.
Suzaku, also dressed in a cat outfit reached over to try and stroke a stray cat that had wandered in to the Academy the previous day. Milly had immediately adopted it and had intended to call it Lelouch the Second, which her childhood friend had immediately shot down rather firmly.
"OW!" Suzaku winced as the cat sank his teeth into his finger.
"You really should learn your lesson." Lelouch scolded him, "Cats hate you. I've actually lost count of the number of times Arthur here has bitten you, and that's just in the last day."
This had always been a sore point for Suzaku. He was an animal lover, but animals certainly didn't seem to return the feeling. Lelouch had watched in amusement as a child when Suzaku was chased by dogs, crapped on by passing birds, bitten and scratched by cats…the list went on. Just about the only animals that didn't avoid him were fish.
Arthur was what was what Suzaku had decided to call the cat after Milly's suggestion was shot down by Lelouch. It made sense, considering Suzaku worked for Camelot, but Milly complained that it didn't have the same pizzazz as Lelouch the Second.
'My name does not have pizzazz.' Lelouch thought to himself firmly. The very idea was ludicrous. His name was noble and dignified, thank you very much.
He was talking with Suzaku in order to avoid having to look at the female members of the Student Council. All of them, barring Nina, were wearing very scanty catgirl outfits that looked like custom-made swimsuits, complete with tails, kitty boots and paw gloves.
Why the outfits? It was Milly's idea for a welcoming party for Arthur. Lelouch just knew he'd have to rebalance the budget after he discovered how much Milly had splurged on either costume rental or purchasing the costume outright. Maybe they could recoup the money by donating them to the Drama Club and reducing their budget…?
"Kallen's not here." Suzaku observed.
"She'd have a fit at the thought of wearing one of those outfits." Lelouch replied dryly, "Celesta is different as she likes to tease people."
C.C. had delighted in wearing the cat outfits and had taken to flirting with all and sundry, to the point that Rivalz has passed out with a nosebleed and Nina and Shirley were both bright red from the green-haired immortal's efforts.
Milly of course gave as good as she got, much to Nina's displeasure, and had come very close to kissing C.C. but had pulled back at the last moment, although not before Rivalz had fainted. Even Suzaku had had to cover his nose as a trickle of blood emerged from one nostril.
Lelouch, being more used to such things thanks to his nighttime escapades in bed with Sayoko and C.C., had merely ignored the immortal girl's antics.
Just then, the door opened and Kallen walked in. She took one look over the entire room, facepalmed and muttered, "I do NOT wanna know."
Later
Meeting Room, JLF Base, Unknown Location
Todoh looked at his subordinates and sighed. The last two weeks have been horrible for the JLF. Kyoto House had scolded them for allowing Kusakabe to do what he had done and even informed them of something that he was not looking forward to telling three out of his four subordinates.
Then there was the reaction within the JLF itself. Almost a hundred men had left due to Kusakabe's actions and the turn of Japanese public opinion against the JLF. Still others were muttering about doing the same and were even questioning the General's leadership skills.
"Well, I might as well be blunt." he sighed, "Kyoto House has informed us that they plan on giving the Guren Nishiki to the Black Knights."
Naturally, Asahina had to explode at this.
"WHAT?!" he shouted, "What kind of idiocy is this?! Has Kyoto gone mad?!"
"Calm yourself, Asahina." Todoh said quellingly.
"Sir, Asahina has a point." Chiba said with a flinty look in her eyes, "They aren't a resistance group; killing Kusakabe is proof enough of that."
"Oi Oi…he committed suicide, remember?" Urabe objected, "All of his staff did. The only wounds on their bodies were the ones that killed them, so the mortician tells me."
"True, but Zero and his group never prevented Kusakabe from committing seppuku." Senba pointed out.
"That would be dishonourable!" Urabe said, aghast, "Why on earth would you want Zero to sacrifice his honour for the sake of the likes of Kusakabe?!"
"Senba, Urabe; Enough!" Todoh said sternly, "Urabe, do not speak ill of the dead. Senba, Urabe is correct about how dishonourable what you are suggest is. Speak no more of it."
"Yessir." the two men replied.
"Colonel Todoh, if this goes on, the JLF is finished." Senba added.
Todoh sighed. "Yes, it is."
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
The Next Day
Student Council Room, Ashford Academy
"OW!"
Lelouch sighed as Suzaku's cry of pain reverberated around the room yet again. The Honorary Britannian was trying to settle Arthur down and was being repeatedly bitten for his troubles.
"You might want to give up on that before you bleed out, Suzaku." he said dryly.
"I'm fine." the brown-haired boy replied with a wince as he managed to pry the cat's jaws open and release his hand from its captivity, "That reminds me, you really scolded Milly and Nina a lot for what they did during the hotel jacking incident."
"And you cried like a baby." Lelouch retorted. He flicked the page of his magazine closed to look at Suzaku in amusement.
"I was being honestly grateful that they came out of it alright." Suzaku retorted before wincing as Arthur sank his teeth into him yet again.
"It was good that the Black Knights saved them." Lelouch said casually.
This made Suzaku scowl. "If they wanted to catch criminals, they should have become police officers."
"No Japanese person lasts more than a month as a policeman." Lelouch replied with a hint of disgust in his voice, "They are either stabbed in the back by their Britannian 'colleagues' or quit due to harassment. You are in a fortunate position Suzaku; Lloyd Asplund doesn't really care about a person's nationality or race when it comes to his work. Don't force your worldview, built in an ivory tower, on others."
"Lelouch…!" Suzaku said in mild shock. This was the first time Lelouch had spoken to him so harshly. He frowned and said, "I don't think I'm wrong though."
"You are naïve though." Lelouch replied, "To a frankly childish degree."
"Oh? Do enlighten me." Suzaku invited sarcastically.
"You see the world in black and white. " Lelouch stated after a moment, "There is good and there is evil. Right and wrong. No gray areas."
Suzaku nodded. "That's right."
"That is the viewpoint of a child." his friend stated flatly, "There are countless lesser and necessary evils, areas of grey, that are committed by people every single day, lesser evils called lies. Lies are the thread that keeps the fabric of society together. Would you prefer it if I stopped lying about my real surname if you view lying as 'black' and thus evil?"
"No, but-!"
"See? Reality isn't so nice as to supply you with a clear path." Lelouch said with a slight smirk, "Ideally, the world would be as you envision it, everything cut and dried and easy to work through, but it isn't. Thus, your opinion that Britannia, who won the Second Pacific War, is good and the Japanese, who lost but refuse to give up, are evil is wrong."
"They could use the system available to them, like I did." Suzaku tried.
"Most of those who do use Refrain." Lelouch stated with a sigh, "I can see the appeal A drug that allows one to drown in the pleasant memories of the past…for those who drown in despair at what has been done to Japan, it must be a godsend, regardless of the damage it does to one's brain."
Those who use Refrain frequently suffer from psychosis, amnesia and delirium as a result of the drug entering the Central Nervous System. It isn't unusual to find people who have become invalids if they have used it for a considerable length of time.
Suzaku shifted uncomfortably. "Still, as long as progress is made, people like the Black Knights won't be needed eventually." he argued.
"So as long as people try, it's OK?" Lelouch said with a shake of his head, "Trying hard is all very well, but without results, trying hard is just a waste of effort. You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty, Suzaku. That's why I worry about you. Take it from someone who was raised in the heart of Britannia; it isn't worth trying to save. I can't support the homeland that abandoned Nunnally and I, not after what they did to us."
"So you support terrorists?" Suzaku asked incredulously, "After what happened to your mother?!"
The glare that was sent his way told Suzaku that perhaps he had stepped over the line with that comment.
"Those terrorists were home-grown Britannian Terrorists, Suzaku." Lelouch stated with a cold tone in his voice, "Quite probably manipulated by a member of the Imperial Court, who was in turn manipulated by my father."
Suzaku gulped. Lelouch had always suspected that the Emperor had had something to do with the death of his mother. The fact that the 'investigation' into her death only lasted a couple of days, if that, was a big supporting factor in his arguments, but he now sounded dead certain that Charles zi Britannia had a hand in Marianne vi Britannia's assassination.
"Lelouch, you should be careful; walls have ears." he said quietly.
"Not these walls; Sayoko sweeps this room and the Clubhouse very thoroughly for bugs every day." Lelouch replied smugly, "I could hold a meeting of anti-royalists here and the OSI wouldn't know unless someone told them."
"You really are lucky you have Sayoko in your employ." Suzaku chuckled.
"I make my own luck." Lelouch retorted good-naturedly.
Just then, Shirley entered the room. "Oh, is it just you two here?" she asked, "Where's Madame President and everyone?"
"Milly is off delivering something to Kallen, who is off sick today." Lelouch replied, "Rivalz is working on his bike, Nina is in her dorm room doing god knows what and Celesta had a family issue to deal with, so she's off as well."
In matter of fact, she was leading a raid on yet another Refrain storage and distribution centre in one of the Ghettos. So convenient to have dependable subordinates.
"And I have to head back to the Army right now." Suzaku said wryly as he glanced at the clock. He got up and turned to the door, but not before making a 'hurry up' gesture at Shirley before pointing at Lelouch discreetly.
He had agreed to help the orangette confess her feelings to his friend after Milly asked for his help on the matter. Truthfully, he didn't have to be back at Camelot for another couple of hours, but he could just take his time en route.
With that, he left the two alone.
'OK Shirley. You've gotta confess your feelings to Lulu, or at least invite him on a date so you can do that!' the girl told herself firmly. She was determined to do something about it this time. That bad feeling about Lelouch liking someone other than her had grown dramatically recently. Her woman's intuition was tingling with suspicion!
"So how are you, Shirley?" Lelouch asked politely.
"Eh? Oh, I'm fine." she replied in surprise. Usually, Lelouch was more…aloof from people. "Celesta surprised me yesterday with her flirting. Is she…um…"
"A lesbian?" Lelouch finished for her.
She nodded.
"No. From what she has said, she doesn't care if her partner is male or female." the raven-haired boy replied.
"Eh?! She likes boys AND girls?!" Shirley squeaked.
"Yup. Did she make you uncomfortable? I can ask her to not bother you like that if you want?" Lelouch asked in concern.
"I-If it isn't a bother." she replied shyly, "I don't have anything against people who like girls or anything, but I don't…y'know, swing that way."
"Roger that." Lelouch nodded, "I'll let her know to back off you. She was more aiming at Nina anyway."
"Nina? Why her?"
"Nina is a full on lesbian." Lelouch informed her, "She's going out with Milly at the moment, but things are…a bit rough between them right now."
The fact that Milly had seduced Nina wasn't a surprise to Shirley, given Milly's legendary predilection for girls. The dating part was a bit of a shock though.
"Rough? Why?" she asked as that part of Lelouch's explanation registered with her.
"Lake Kawaguchi." Lelouch replied with a sigh, "Nina's kind of blaming Milly for getting the three of you involved, even though there was no way for her to have even guessed that the JLF would do something like that."
"That's not fair!" Shirley protested indignantly, "Madame President couldn't have known!"
Lelouch shrugged. "I know that, you know that and Milly knows that. I'll bet deep down that even Nina knows that, but emotions rarely pay attention to logic and facts. Unless I miss my guess, they'll break up in about a week's time, give or take a couple of days. When that happens, can I count on you to have a sleepover or something with her and Nunnally to cheer her up?"
"Of course." Shirley nodded immediately. Dirty old man tendencies aside, Milly was her friend. Of course she'd comfort her when she's feeling down!
"That's a relief to hear." Lelouch smiled at her warmly, almost making Shirley melt into a puddle of goo in delight.
"I'd better go…I have to get Nunnally's medical report from the hospital." he said then as he glanced at the clock, "If you see Sayoko, tell her I'll be a bit late because I'll need to talk it over with the doctors."
"Is Nuna alright?!" Shirley asked in concern.
"It's these fevers she keeps having." Lelouch replied with a concerned look in his eyes, "Milly's grandfather was kind enough to send her to an Ashford-run hospital. Hopefully the tests will show why they keep cropping up."
With that he left.
Shirley looked after him for a minute before realising…
"Oh no! I forgot to ask him out!"
Later
Food Court, Britannian Tokyo Settlement
"Another Refrain hideout?" Kallen quietly asked over the phone.
"We can't just let these people sell that stuff to our people." Ohgi replied over the phone, "Zero's going to lead the raid himself. He said that there might be some heavy weaponry, so you'll be needed in your Knightmare."
A feral grin flashed across her face before she suppressed it. She was in her Britannian persona, after all. She couldn't afford to break character.
"Got it. I'll be at the usual place." she replied before hanging up.
"Apologise, you Eleven dog!" a sneering, arrogant voice came from her right. Looking over there, she saw a gang of Britannian youths who had too much time on their hands beating up and bullying a Japanese hotdog stand sales assistant.
"Why you…!" Kallen muttered and started forwards.
A hand grabbed her shoulder and she whirled around to see a grave looking Lelouch Lamperouge in school uniform.
"Lelouch?" she said on reflex.
"There are five of them. As much as you'd like to, a sick girl like you couldn't beat one of them, let alone all of them. Right?" he asked knowingly, emphasising the word sick.
'He knows!' she realised in panic, 'He knows that 'Kallen Stadtfeld' is a persona! What do I do?!'
"Allow me." he said with a hard edge to his voice as he moved towards the ruckus.
Kallen was shocked. Was Lelouch…was a Britannian actually going to stop his own countrymen from discriminating against a Japanese person?
"That is more than enough." Lelouch called at the youths as he loosened his top.
"Eeehhhh?" the apparent leader said as he indolently kicked the fallen man again, "Wassis? An Eleven sympathiser? That's no good, lad. We are superior to these animals."
"At the moment, the only thing you are superior to is the gum that is stuck to the bottom of your shoe." Lelouch replied lightly, "Now…kindly get lost."
"Tch. Teach the pretty boy a lesson lads." the leader snarled.
The four flunkeys slowly surrounded Lelouch, cocky looks on their faces. Evidently, they thought a high school student would be a pushover.
"Last chance, gentlemen." Lelouch said calmly, "Leave or I will have to spank you, like the naughty boys that you are."
"Don't screw with us, pretty boy!" one snarled from behind him as he sent a clumsy punch at the back of Lelouch's head. Kallen was about to call out a warning to him when he dodged to the side, grabbed the arm and threw the punk into the leader quicker than she could blink.
"…huh?" was what emerged from her gaping mouth. She recognised that technique! It was an Aikido throw!
"The fuck was that?" one of the punks demanded angrily.
"That's a secret." Lelouch said as he straightened up, "Now are you going to fight or stand there looking silly all day?"
With cries of anger, the other three charged at him.
It wasn't even a fight, Kallen mused as she watched Lelouch go to work. The punks were brawlers, all power and no skill, whereas Lelouch was definitely at the blackbelt level. He dodged all of their strikes with ease and responded with body throws and punches. Eventually, all five punks cowered on the ground in front of him, bloody noses and black eyes very apparent.
"Now then…I take it you five have learned your lesson?" Lelouch asked calmly.
"Damn traitor!" the leader growled.
"Look into my eyes and say that…all of you." the boy said softly.
In a show of stubborn defiance, they all did so, but were frozen by the anger in his eyes. Then a red symbol appeared in his left eye.
"{Never bully people again.}" Lelouch said firmly, "{Now go away and find something better to do with your time.}"
"Alright." the leader said with a frown, "C'mon guys, this ain't worth it."
Grumbling, the five staggered to their feet and tottered off.
"I…thank you for stepping in." the man said weakly, "But I'll probably lose my job because of it."
Lelouch helped him up, pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to the man. "Take this. If you do get fired, call the number on the card. You'll be able to get a job at the Ashford Foundation if you mention that you're recommended by Lelouch Lamperouge."
"Um…wow. Thanks." the man said in surprise, "As thanks, how about a hotdog on the house?"
"One for the lady as well, please." Lelouch gestured at Kallen, who jerked in surprise, "And I insist on paying."
A few minutes later, Kallen was following Lelouch to the nearby park, a steaming hotdog in hand, with all the trimmings.
"This should be isolated enough." Lelouch said at last as they came to a park bench that was quite out of the way, "let's eat before we get down to the serious stuff. I'm starving."
Kallen sat down next to him and started to eat. She kept an eye on him as she did so. Where would a Britannian learn a Japanese martial art? Moreover, why?
Moreover, how had he seen through her façade? And when? She didn't want to have to silence him, if only because Nunnally would be devastated by his loss.
"Well then…" Lelouch said once they had finished their food, "I imagine there are a number of things you wish to ask me…Miss Kōzuki."
She jerked at that, her hand going to her pouch, which had a hidden blade inside it. "How do you know that?!" she hissed at him.
"I research every person that comes in close contact with Nunnally." Lelouch replied seriously, "I know about your family circumstances because, as you were made aware today, Reuben Ashford knew about them. If you were a threat to her, I would have made certain you weren't within ten miles of my sister."
'Oi…he's just like Naoto…overprotective brother much?' she thought absently as she asked harshly, "How did he know?"
"Money." Lelouch replied simply, "It's a fact that, for enough money, anyone will tell anybody anything. Reuben made certain to move your information elsewhere after that. Only he and I can access it, so you don't have to worry about being found out."
This made her relax fractionally, but she still glared at him, "And how did you know I wasn't what I portrayed?"
"You may be unaware of it, but your eyes are very expressive." Lelouch said in amusement, "Whenever you think nobody is looking, frustration wells up, turning them dark blue, rather than light blue as they are when you're happy. Besides, your middle school sports reports in your file as well."
Making a note to destroy those reports, she moved on. "And that Aikido? Who taught you?"
"Sayoko." Lelouch replied, "She's an accredited master at Aikido. Why do you think she's around Nunnally so much? She was first Milly then Nunnally's bodyguard."
This, she realised, made sense. Why else would he have a maid and no bodyguard? He had both in the same damn package!
"Why learn it yourself though?"
"Even Sayoko is only human. She can't be everywhere at once." Lelouch stated, "I learned so she and Nunnally could stop worrying whenever I go out gambling. It's come in handy, I can tell you."
Having been upon the receiving end of at least one of Shirley's rants about Lelouch going out and playing high-stakes chess matches, Kallen would have to bet that it had.
"Why gamble?" she had to know. Both he and Nunnally had their room, board, education and living expenses paid for by the Ashford Foundation, so she couldn't see why he insisted on gambling.
"For after Ashford." Lelouch replied, "I can't go into details, but Nunnally and I will have to…vanish…after we graduate. In order to do that, a sufficient amount of capital is needed, both in order to do so in the first place and for living expenses afterwards. I will not say any more than that on the subject."
Hearing the finality in his voice Kallen decided to move on.
"Why did you help that man?"
"I think you mean 'why did a Britannian help a Japanese citizen', no?" Lelouch asked with a smirk, "The answer is that I despise bullies. People like those five make me sick. They would point at Nunnally and quote Social Darwinism, claiming she should be cast aside as she is useless in their eyes."
His voice turned dark at that last part. "I refuse to abandon my sister. I refuse to let the idiocy of the masses condemn her to a life of being alone because of something that was in no way her fault. And I refuse to be like them any more than I have to be in order to blend in with the wallpaper."
During this tirade, Kallen had to wince at the anger pouring off him. She could see why those five idiots had angered him so much. But…
"Is that the only reason?" she asked, "That you didn't want to be like them?"
"No. No it isn't." Lelouch replied as he calmed down with a sigh, "I lived in Japan with Nunnally before the invasion. I quite liked it and Nunnally did as well. She's started making a thousand origami cranes, you know. Supposedly, if she makes them, a wish of hers will be granted."
"Sayoko?"
"Sayoko." Lelouch confirmed, "The people here didn't judge Nunnally like they did in Britannia. To the Japanese, she wasn't pathetic, she was unfortunate. She wasn't useless, she needed help. She wasn't a pawn, she was a person. I owe a lot to Japan and I guess I help out where I can in order to repay that debt. A drop in the ocean, but…"
He shrugged as if to say 'what can you do?'
Kallen was, in all honesty, shocked. She knew that Britannians were harsh on people who weren't up to the 'superman' ideal that they were supposed to be, be it by disability or defeat, but to discriminate against a blind and crippled girl as sweet and kind as Nunnally made her blood boil.
That Lelouch refused to allow this to happen spoke well for his character. That he also felt a dept to Japan for how well his sister had been treated while it was still a free nation also spoke well of his honour.
"Have…have you ever thought about doing more?" Kallen asked cautiously.
"Like join the Black Knights?" Lelouch asked with a sad look, "I daren't."
"Huh?" Kallen was surprised by this answer.
"I am all Nunnally has." Lelouch explained, "Were I to die, I doubt she would last six months. She would will herself to die. I have been the one constant presence in her life and she loves me to pieces. Without me…"
"Aren't you exaggerating?" Kallen asked with a sinking heart.
Lelouch shook his head. "She told me as much a couple of years ago when I was in a car accident. I just broke a leg, but she was in hysterics about it. She had to be sedated. After she woke up and told me that, I promised her that I wouldn't leave her, no matter what."
Kallen remembered her brother promising something similar.
"You shouldn't make promises that you aren't sure you can keep." she said hoarsely as the memories washed over her. She remembered her brother acting as a rearguard to buy the rest of them time to withdraw. The last she had heard from him was a whisper across the radio…
'Gomen'nasai, Imouto. Yakusoku wa mamorenai.'
'Sorry, little sister. I can't keep my promise.'
Lelouch reached over and wiped the tears that had started to flow from her eyes unbeknownst to her.
"I…when…?" she said wetly as she hastily dug her handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped the rest off.
"Sorry for bringing up bad memories." Lelouch said softly, "I am sorry to leave, but I have to be somewhere for an appointment. Will you be alright?"
"Y-Yes…thanks." Kallen said gruffly. She was so embarrassed at being seen crying by a Britannian. Urgh.
"Good." the raven-haired boy said with a nod, "If you ever want to talk, Kallen, just ask. Keeping sadness inside isn't healthy."
As he walked away, he heard Kallen mutter, "Easy for you to say."
Later that night…
Refrain Manufacturing Plant, Britannian Tokyo Settlement
Kallen piloted her Sutherland through the opening her comrades had shot open in the steel shutter that had blocked the entranceway to the Refrain warehouse.
"A Sutherland!?"
"Gimme a break!"
"Run!"
"Knightmares are amazing." she muttered as the criminals who had been exchanging gunfire with the Black Knights scattered like beaten dogs before her, "Just having one is an overwhelming advantage!"
She had talked over what she had found out about Lelouch with Ohgi, as well as how his promise with Nunnally was an eerie echo of Naoto's with her. This had allowed her to calm down for this mission.
"Kallen, two men with bazookas to your left!" Tamaki called in.
Without even stopping her advance, Kallen swivelled the torso of her Knightmare around and fired a Slash Harken at them, making the two men scatter before they were hit by the anchor, only to be peppered by gunfire from Tamaki and Inoue.
Smashing through the next shutter, she came across a disturbing sight; Japanese people high on Refrain.
"Japan! Japan! Japan!"
"Yes, I'm getting married next month."
"I've been promoted and I'll be heading to Paris next month."
She saw the man who Lelouch had saved that afternoon raving about studying abroad or something and her lip curled in disgust.
"Kallen, it isn't safe to run!"
Upon hearing that on the external microphone she looked around and spotted the figure of Yūko Kōzuki walking across the room waving her hands and utterly locked in a memory of the past.
"Okaa-san?!" Kallen gasped in shock, referring to Yūko as her mother out loud for the first time in years. When she tripped up, Kallen automatically moved her Sutherland's arms to catch her.
A burst of heavy pistol fire destroyed the right arm of her Sutherland just then. Opening the Factsphere sensor, she spotted the blue and white paint of a Knightpolice Glasgow Knightmare.
"Damn mafia and their damn connection!" Kallen cursed. With her mother in hand, she fled. She couldn't fight like this and she couldn't risk putting her mother down or the criminal piloting the refurbished Glasgow might shoot her in spite.
She got unlucky when the pursuing Knightmare shot one of her legs off and she crashed to the ground. Thankfully, her mother was safe.
'Wait, what?!' was her realisation, 'I'm…relieved she's alright?! Why?!'
"Kallen…" Yūko said, standing up and opening her arms wide, "I'll always be here for you, Kallen. Always."
A realisation struck Kallen at that moment. The reason Yūko…no, her mother stayed at the Stadtfeld Estate wasn't out of some misplaced feelings for her ex-lover or because she had submitted to the Britannians…it was to be near Kallen.
"You…for such a reason…!" Kallen choked out before turning the torso around and, holding the Sutherland's body up with one hand, fired both her Slash Harkens and the chest-mounted machine gun at the Knightpolice Knightmare, smashing both arms and destroying the Factsphere sensor, which triggered the auto-eject system.
Hurriedly disembarking from the wrecked Sutherland, she ran over to her mother in time to hear, "Isn't it great, Kallen? You can be a Britannian! No one will bully you and you can make phone calls and travel all you want!"
"Okaa-san!" she threw her arms around her mother for the first time since the invasion and started crying like a child.
Later
Black Knights Mobile Base
"How is she?" Kallen asked Aegis anxiously, who had put Yūko Kōzuki to bed on the upper floor.
"Tired." the Han'nya masked woman replied, "She can't speak or move much thanks to the after-effects of Refrain. On the bright side, thanks to the records we recovered from those scum, she has only been using Refrain for a year, so if we can get her to stop taking any further doses, there will be no long term damage."
The redhead slumped in relief. "Thank god."
"Kallen." Zero spoke up, "I can offer you and your mother some help if you like."
"Zero?" she said in surprise.
"The police know your mother was at the warehouse, so she can't return to the Stadtfeld Estate without being arrested." the masked man said, "But I can provide a place where she will be looked after until she is fully recovered. You would be able to visit her at your discretion, of course."
"What about…"
"She will be watched so she doesn't try to get any Refrain." Zero said firmly, anticipating her question, "I will sit down with her and explain the situation myself. Have no fear of this happening again."
"I…I accept." Kallen said hoarsely, "Thank you, Zero."
"Think nothing of it." he said with a wave of his hand, "Recall what I said last week about a person's reason to fight?"
"Yes?" Kallen replied in confusion. She was feeling…odd. Happy, sad, and confused and…all sorts of feelings were whirling around inside her.
"I think you have just discovered something other than vengeance to fight for." Zero said simply.
"…yes. I think you're right." Kallen said after a moment.
She did. She had a life with her mother to live and fight for. She would beat Britannia out of Japan so she could live with her mother as a family again, like it had been before the invasion.
'I'll make certain of it!' she thought fiercely.
At the same time
Settlement Airport, Britannian Tokyo Settlement
A brown-haired boy with violet eyes stepped off the plane and looked around as he was processed through customs.
'Lelouch vi Britannia, Nunnally vi Britannia and C.C.' he thought as the Geass symbol flashed on his left eye, 'I will eliminate all of you!'
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Next Chapter: The Deadly Dance of the Crimson Lotus
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