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"Kallen"- Speech
'Lelouch'- Thought/mental communication
"{Die}"- Geass Command
"Halt!"- Loudspeaker
"Roger."- Radio/Walkie-Talkie
Chapter 24: Shirley's Choice
Three Days Later
Lelouch's Room, Ashford Academy
"Dearie me…looks like the JLF is finished for good." Lelouch mused as he read the reports he had been sent, via several dead drops, from Ohgi and Mamoru.
While it was true that over fifty percent of the survivors of the JLF still rallied around the newly promoted General Todoh, thirty percent of the rest had broken away and either hung up their guns or joined the Black Knights.
The remaining twenty percent was what troubled Lelouch more than the rest. These were the JLF members similar to that fool Kusakabe and they had dropped off the map completely, which worried him. Fanatics were very tedious opponents, but desperate fanatics frankly frightened him.
Still, they were only a couple of hundred strong, so their shelf life wasn't much better than that of cows before being butchered. The damage they could do in the meantime, however, couldn't be underestimated.
"I am surprised that General Todoh didn't try and keep more of his men with him." Sayoko opined from her place on the bed. The kunoichi was relaxing after a leisurely lovemaking session with her master, her naked body on display for his pleasure even though he was now dressed and attending his paperwork.
"Todoh-sensei is a wise person; he knows that as with sand, the tighter he tries to grasp them, the more soldiers he will lose." Lelouch replied with a small smile, "He likely gathered all his men and gave a stirring and patriotic speech and offered to allow any to leave if they wanted, but those who remained would be fighting for the sake of Japan, or something along those lines. What's more incredible is that he likely meant every word of it."
"Is he such an impressive man?" the kunoichi asked doubtfully.
"He is." The ex-prince confirmed, "One reason why I am such a good orator is that I can covey the belief in my own words when I speak. It is that which allows me to capture the hearts of my audience. Todoh believes in Japan and that belief also carries over to his words. He is also legendary due to his victory at the Battle of Itsukushima during the invasion, so that added more weight to his words."
Sayoko nodded in understanding. "How have the Britannians been since Narita?"
"The civilians are as blissfully unaware that anything happened, while the military and Area 11 government is more than slightly frazzled." Lelouch chuckled, "The losses in Narita were quite high; more than ten Knights suffocated in their Knightmares before they could get rescued, not including the indomitable General Alec, with sixteen more KIA in combat with either the JLF or the Black Knights. A further twenty have broken limbs or limbs that remove them from the board for a considerable length of time. On the other hand, Jeremiah and Viletta have received commendations for their actions under Euphie's orders."
Standing up, Lelouch moved over to the bed and slid a hand down his lover's body, making her close her eyes in pleasure.
"The Black Knights suffered ten KIA, all in the foot soldier units, with several minor injuries as a result of Katase blowing up half the mountain again." He continued as he continued his ministrations, "The worst mechanical casualty was my own Jinrai Pre-Production Type, to the point we had to return it to Kyoto in order to repair all of the damage Suzaku and Guilford did to it. Kyoto was happy about the captured MVS blade though. Sadly, I think this will be the last time that we suffer such light casualties."
"Wh-why would that be, Goshujin-sama?" Sayoko asked breathlessly.
"Because two of the Knights of Round are due to show up in the next two weeks." Lelouch replied seriously, "Lady Nonette Enneagram and Lady Dorothea Ernst. Both will be troublesome, but Nonette will be especially irksome as she also has a Seventh Generation Knightmare, the Bedivere."
This made the ninja-maid's eyes widen in shock. "Why hasn't it been reported on the battlefield before now?"
"Because there was no one who could even make it move." The raven-haired boy answered, "The Bedivere is the primogenitor unit of the Lancelot; a lot of the same improvements that it possesses were included in the Lancelot, though not all. It was constructed shortly after the Sutherland and Gloucester Knightmare Frames were designed, but they underestimated how stressful on the human body all of the improvements would be, at least that's what the information Jeremiah sent me says. It has been refurbished several times, having its capabilities reduced each time, but no one could make it move…until a Rounds-level Knight tried."
"So…it's more powerful than the Lancelot?" Sayoko asked in concern.
"I have no hard data, but it should surpass the Lancelot in all areas aside from speed and agility by at least half again." Her master replied with a frown, "We'll have to escalate the plans to have the Six Houses support the Black Knights so we can see about getting our hands on more Seventh Generation Knightmares."
"Do they have an-any?" the maid's voice hitched for a moment as Lelouch's hands strayed into very pleasant places indeed.
"The person who designed the Guren Nishiki is Rakshata Chawla, an Indian scientist of nigh unsurpassed skill; I know her type. She'll have several machines tucked away in case she finds someone ready to pilot them." The leader of the Black Knights assured her, "And, in the event that she has none, we'll simply pay her to design and build them for us. If we bankroll her research, we get the Knightmares rather than dealing with the Six Houses as a Middleman between us."
A smirk flitted across his face as the normally composed woman beneath him couldn't concentrate on anything long enough to respond to him anymore. He knew most men would give their right arms to see her like this.
And she was his.
"That's enough serious talk for the moment." He muttered softly, "It's our time right now and when C.C. gets back, let's gang up on her for a change."
A pleased purr from Sayoko changed to a loud moan as the lovemaking resumed. Her last clear thought was that she was glad that Lady Nunnally had been all but kidnapped by Milly Ashford today for a 'girl's day in' with Shirley.
Same Time
Milly's Room, Ashford Family Mansion
"Shirley?" Milly said in concern, "Is something the matter?"
The orangette looked up in surprise from where she was brushing Nunnally's hair. The three girls were wearing sleepwear for some reason; Milly wore quite the daring set that exposed her belly and only covered her groin, leaving her rear end exposed. Shirley wore something more conservative, but still displayed her curves to the world.
Nunnally wore cute pink pyjamas that hid her developing body. Lelouch would throw a fit if Milly tried anything with the innocent Nunnally.
"N-No…nothing's wrong, Milly." Shirley smiled wanly at the blond girl, "I'm still a bit shaken by Dad almost getting pulled into that battle at Narita."
Milly nodded grimly. She and the student council had been informed by Lelouch after he came back from another of his 'investor meetings' about the battle, which had had poor Shirley in hysterics before Lelouch calmed her down by telling her that all non-combatants had been evacuated by Princess Euphemia beforehand.
"Are you sure?" Nunnally asked as she put her hand on the older girl's own.
Shirley's smile became genuine as she replied, "Yes Nunna, I'm sure. I'll be fine after a while."
"Good." The youngest Lamperouge nodded firmly.
"So Shirley, have you decided how to ask Lulu out again yet?" Milly teased, breaking the solemn atmosphere.
"Madam President!" the orangette whined, flushing red.
"C'mon Shirley! You have to ask before someone else does." Milly said as she clenched her fist, "GUTS!"
Both of the other girls winced at her use of the infamous 'GUTS!' spell.
"It can't be easy for Shirley though, Milly." Nunnally pointed out, "She likes Lelouch so much that it makes her faint or something when she tries."
"Uuuuuuu~!" the orangette groaned at the memories Nunnally brought up. The first three times that she tried to ask Lelouch out, she had indeed fainted…in the middle of the school corridor. When it was packed full of students. When everyone was watching her.
"Only at first." Milly corrected the younger girl, "Once she stopped thinking too much about it, she managed to ask him out. It was the timing of the events that she asked him out to that is the problem now."
"Cancelled events, hospital trips and family emergencies…if there is a god, he hates me!" Shirley wailed piteously.
"I am sorry about the hospital trips…" the exiled princess said sadly.
"Wha-? Nononononononono!" Shirley said as she grabbed Nunnally in a hug, "You're not well, Nunna, it isn't your fault and it can't be helped! I don't hold you responsible or at fault at all, so just get that out of your pretty little head! Understood?"
"Yes…" Nunnally said shyly as she wrapped her arms around Shirley's waist and returned the hug. Milly sat back and watched the two girls with a genuine smile. The two of them were close enough to be sisters and loved each other like sisters even.
'Let's face it, with the actual sisters that Nunnally has, Shirley beats them all hands-down.' Milly thought with a snort. Guinevere, Carina and Cornelia were just plain weird by anyone's standards. Just about the closest to a 'normal' sister that she had was Euphemia, and the pinkette was very naïve, or had been seven years ago.
Speaking of which…
"That reminds me; I have a summons myself." Milly said as she grabbed the envelope that she had received earlier that day. It was white and the traditional wax seal had the personal crest of the li Britannia family on it. She pulled the letter from within, written on fine vellum and in an elegant cursive that she had recognised at once.
"Apparently, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia wishes to speak to me, as she has invited me to tea." The Ashford Heiress said with a smirk.
"EHHHHH?!" Shirley gaped at her.
'Why would Big Sister Euphie want to talk to Milly?' Nunnally wondered, 'Could it be because of the Lake Kawaguchi Incident?'
"I'm to go over to see her tomorrow, which means I have to be dolled up to the nines and act all formal until it's just the two of us." The blond girl lamented, "Urgh, I hate all the formal stuff. It's a good thing I told Lelouch that I won't be available tomorrow because of this, otherwise we'd fall behind on the paperwork."
"Shouldn't you be used to it by now?" Shirley asked curiously. Milly had, after all, been raised as the Ashford Heiress.
"I can endure it." Milly corrected her with a put upon expression on her face, "But acting charming, graceful and everything else that goes with being the heiress of the Ashford Family is exhausting and makes me tense. I'll have to het Lelouch to give me a nice backrub after it's all over and done with."
"A b-b-b-b-backrub?! As in a massage?!" Shirley squeaked, her face as red as a tomato. Even Nunnally's cheeks were dusted with light pink at that.
"You'd be surprised how good he is, girls." Milly grinned lecherously, "It's almost exactly like a real massage, heated oil and everything. I leave very satisfied every time. You should try it Shirley…it's almost orgasmic."
That was all the orangette could take. You could almost see the steam venting from her ears as she fainted. Milly, accustomed to this happening, skilfully caught Shirley's unconscious form and settled her down.
"M-Milly…my brother hasn't really given you a massage…has he?" Nunnally asked, her face still pink.
Milly giggled. "Not a real one, but he has relaxed me with a light massage over my clothes before. You really are lucky to have Lelouch as your brother, Nunna."
"I know." The younger girl's smile was positively radiant, "It is a bit troublesome in that he's spoilt me for other boys. It'll be almost impossible to find another man as fine as Lelouch after all."
Milly giggled. "Too right."
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The Next Day
Princess Euphemia's Private Suite, Area 11 Administration Building
"Uwah, this place is positively decadent." Milly said once the escorting chambermaid left the room. She was dressed in a sunflower yellow dress and wore subtle traces of makeup.
Euphie nodded. She wore her favourite pink and white dress rather than the formal clothes of the Sub-Viceroy, seeing as how she was just meeting an old friend informally.
"Yes, it is rather gaudy." She agreed with her old friend/rival, "Brother Clovis was a good painter, but very poor at interior decoration. Tea?"
"Thank you." Milly said automatically as Euphie herself poured and served her tea. Though she had gotten used to Lelouch and Nunnally doing similar things, it was just weird for a Princess to do this kind of thing instead of a maid.
"My personal maid is being punished for letting me go to Lake Kawaguchi." Euphie explained to Milly, "Sister neglected to assign me a new one, so I've been learning how to do this sort of thing. On that subject…"
"I figured that was why you called me here." The Ashford Heiress sighed ruefully.
"What on earth possessed you to volunteer to go with the JLF soldiers?" the pinkette asked coolly, "Had Zero not interfered, it would have been you to be next thrown from the top of the hotel."
"The girl I was protecting was my lover, Euphie." Milly replied softly, having been given permission as children to use the girl's nickname, "I couldn't just sit back and do nothing as she was dragged away."
"Oh…" Euphie's eyes widened in surprise, "So…you…?"
"Like girl and boys? Yes." Milly nodded before having a sip of tea, "This really is quite nice. Good job."
"Thank you." The pinkette smiled before becoming serious again, "I do have to thank you and your grandfather for letting Suzaku Kururugi into your school on such short notice. I'm sure that some of the parents kicked up a fuss."
"It was easy to say back to them, 'Well why don't you say that to his sponsor, Princess Euphemia?'" Milly replied with a slightly smug grin, "It made them shut up and back off in a hurry. Speaking of Suzaku, he hasn't been to Ashford since Narita. Have you any idea where he is?"
"Ah…yes. Yes I do." The Princess sighed. She sipped her own tea and agreed with Milly that it was really quite nice. She looked Milly in the eyes and started to speak.
"How much are you aware of about Suzaku's job?"
"He works for Camelot, Second Prince Schneizel's pet project think-tank." Milly replied promptly. At Euphemia's raised eyebrow, the blond grimaced, "The Ashford Family is currently engaged in negotiations for a marriage between myself and Earl Lloyd Asplund. As such, I know he's in Area 11 and that Suzaku works for an 'eccentric and generous boss' to quote Suzaku himself. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together here."
"True enough." Euphie said, feeling pity for the girl. It was the fate of Nobles and Royals to marry to suit the political intrigue around them rather than for love, but that was just cruel. "I take you into my confidence in telling you that he is the pilot of an experimental Knightmare Frame, the Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame Z-01 Lancelot. He has been since the Shinjuku Incident."
Milly, who had been told this by Lelouch, wasn't surprised but she put a shocked façade anyway to deceive Euphemia. "Really? He made it sound like he was a gofer."
"Suzaku is a modest person by all accounts." The Princess said as she examined her old friend carefully. She couldn't shake the feeling that Millicent Ashford was pulling the wool over her eyes about something. "I noticed during the Battle of Narita that he was almost eager to risk his life. Looking over his past battles in the Lancelot, the same was true then as well, in Shinjuku and Lake Kawaguchi. I sent him to see a psychologist yesterday."
Milly's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Shouldn't he have been sent to one when he joined the army?"
Euphie grimaced this time. "Honorary Britannians are considered a waste of time for psychologists due to how quickly they die on the battlefield."
Milly scowled at that. Ever since Lelouch and Nunnally had been exiled by their father, she had opposed his Social Darwinism policies and everything that came from them, especially the Area and Number Systems. The way they dehumanised the people that Britannia conquered was sickening.
"What did the psychologist say?" she asked after she regained her composure.
"The preliminary analysis, so he tells me, is that Suzaku is showing the classic signs of a Martyr Complex." Euphie sighed, "He is far too willing to perform actions that would place his life in jeopardy and in all likelihood sees his life as insignificant compared to others. Whatever event scarred Suzaku like this was not insignificant. He seeks to punish himself for something that he either perceives that he did or something that he blames himself for causing by not doing something when he thinks he could have. Honestly, what could it be?"
The two girls shared a puzzled expression at that. Suzaku was only seventeen. What could have caused him do develop a Martyr Complex at his age?
An idea struck Milly and she paled. "Euphie…what if he saw his father killing himself?"
"Dear god…!" Euphie swore as she mentally chastised herself for not putting the pieces together sooner. Genbu Kururugi, the last Japanese Prime Minister, had committed seppuku in protest of those who called for a die-hard defence of Japan to the last man. What wasn't known was where he had done so. If Suzaku had seen that from beginning to end…!
"I'll inform the psychologist of that possibility." She said with a shudder, "Hopefully he can mitigate this problem at least somewhat before the next time the Lancelot has to sortie. I doubt he'll have to with the reinforcements from the homeland coming with Lady Enneagram."
"Wait, a Knight of Rounds is coming here? To Area 11?!" Milly's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, but do not spread it around overmuch." Euphie warned her, "Father is…displeased…with Sister for being unable to deal with Zero, so he's sending Lady Enneagram with the newest Knight of Rounds, Lady Dorothea Ernst, to deal with him."
An odd look came over Euphie's face as she spoke. A mixture of frustration and nostalgia.
"What's wrong?" Milly asked.
"It's Zero." Euphie admitted, "When you met him…did he seem familiar to you at all?"
It took every ounce of self-control for Milly to not stammer as she asked, "What do you mean?"
"When I talked with him, and he escorted me to the dingy at Lake Kawaguchi, he seemed…familiar. It was as if I had met him somewhere before." The pinkette said, lost in her thoughts. "It's a funny feeling. The way he acted…the way he spoke…I know him, but I can't place where from!"
'Lelouch…as always, you can't hide yourself from Euphie.' Milly thought with a mental shake of her head. The pinkette had always been good at reading Lelouch, almost like a book, and it looked as if that skill had only been slightly dulled over the last seven years. She subconsciously recognised Lelouch as being someone she knew, even when he was acting in another persona and in disguise.
"Could he be someone from the Imperial Court?" the blond girl suggested casually.
"I wouldn't know; I haven't been back to Pendragon for over five years." Euphie explained with a shake of her head, "Sister was reluctant to leave me there after…after what happened to Lelouch and Nunnally."
The forlorn look on her face was almost heart-breaking to watch. Milly wasn't a soft touch by any means, but the fact that she was attracted to women combined with how beautiful Euphie was and how adorable she looked right now was making her heart beat fast.
'Bad Milly! No seducing princesses!' she scolded herself. She was already planning on inserting herself into Lelouch's three-way relationship with Celesta and Sayoko, so she couldn't be seducing his second-favourite sister before that!
Not to mention Cornelia would kill her if she tried.
"It must be hard for you to be in an Area where you lost three of your siblings." Milly said kindly, diverting attention away from herself, "I know it took me a while to come to terms with it after the invasion."
Euphie looked at her for a moment, her violet eyes measuring Milly for a moment. Should she tell her that there was a chance that Lelouch and Nunnally were alive?
'No. Firstly, Sister has issued a gag order. Secondly, the best allies that Lelouch could have had seven years ago were the Ashfords. He could have hidden with them all this time.' The princess reasoned, 'There's a chance that if I tell her, she'll go and tip him off. If that happens, I might never see him and Nunnally again.'
"It is hard, but I've had seven years to come to terms with Lelouch and Nunnally's disappearance." She said instead, "Big Brother Clovis is a bit more of a shock, but I hadn't seen him in five years. He had…changed, by all accounts, from what I recalled of him."
'Yes…from a painter to a mass-murderer.' Milly thought darkly, having been told the real truth of what happened in the Shinjuku Ghetto by Lelouch.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. When Euphie gave permission to enter, Andreas Dalton entered, as imposing as always.
"Sir Dalton." Milly stood and curtseyed to him, "it has been some time."
"Lady Ashford." The Knight bowed in reply, "You have grown into a beautiful young lady since we last met."
"You flatterer. You must say that to all the ladies." Milly teased. Ordinarily, she would be a lot more formal with a Princess' personal Knight, but Dalton had played with her, Lelouch, Nunnally and Euphie as kinds in the Aries Villa, so a little informality was allowed.
"Only those who deserve it, milady." Dalton replied honestly before turning to Euphemia. "Princess, the Viceroy is insisting on a decision."
"It isn't something to be decided upon in less than a day, Dalton." Euphie replied stiffly.
"What's this? A marriage proposal?" Milly asked, making the pinkette flush crimson.
"NO!" Euphie denied fervently, "Sister…Viceroy Cornelia…wants me to choose my personal Knight of Honour."
"Well, considering she accepted Dalton here when she was fifteen, that's to be expected." Milly said with a frown. Members of the Royal Family of Britannia were traditionally assigned at least one Knight, referred to as a Knight of Honour, when they turned fifteen. The fact that Euphemia didn't have one at the age of sixteen was likely due to Cornelia's mother bear tendencies and the presence of her own Knights.
It wasn't unusual for a particularly charismatic royal, such as Cornelia, to recruit an entire band of Knights, which were then officially promoted to members of the Royal Guard. For those that remained in Britannia, they seldom gained more than one Knight, who commanded the squad of Royal Guard assigned to them by Imperial Security. Clovis hadn't bothered with what he referred to as a 'quaint cultural anachronism' and had merely relied on the Royal Guard. It had been the closest thing to rebellious behaviour the dilettante prince had ever come to.
"Yes, but Sister has compiled files on every single Knight in the whole Area and given me a choice of three!" Euphie pouted, "I will not let her browbeat me into choosing someone who will follow her orders instead of mine."
"Princess…" Dalton said, seeming to be distressed.
"You know that's what this is, Dalton! Every single one is a member of the battalion that Sister brought with her!" the pinkette continued to complain, "There are perfectly good Knights right here in Area 11."
"I know to whom you are referring and there is no chance that the Viceroy will let you choose either of them." Dalton said flatly.
"Err…should I leave if you're going to be discussing private matters?" Milly asked uncomfortably.
"No, Dalton should have known that you were here and that I had asked to not be disturbed during this time." Euphie denied her, giving Dalton a pointed look.
"…Princess Euphemia is correct." The large Knight admitted, "I should not have ignored her orders on a whim. Forgive my rudeness. It was good to see you again, Lady Ashford."
With another bow, he left.
"So which Knights were you talking about?" Milly asked once the door closed behind him.
"Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald and Dame Viletta Nu, formerly of the Purist Faction." Euphie replied, "Lord Jeremiah was once one of Lady Marianne's guards in the Aries Villa. Lady Nu is his most loyal subordinate."
"Oh. Now I know who they are; the former temporary Viceroy and Sub-Viceroy." Milly nodded in recognition, "Why them?"
"Because they actually follow my orders instead of checking in with Sister first." Euphie told her frankly, "You have no idea how rare of a trait that is around here."
"What's up? You used to let Cornelia do as she pleased." The Ashford Heiress asked in concern.
The youngest li Britannia sister sighed. "I don't want to be so wrapped up in cotton wool that I can't breathe, Milly. I can't go into details, but I have managed to make her back off somewhat, but she keeps reflexively protecting me like she used to, and it's becoming irritating. I agreed to select my Knight of Honour because it will mean that Sister will HAVE to withdraw her guards and Knights by tradition and protocol…unless she makes me choose a Knight that defers to her."
Milly had to wince here. She never thought she'd see the li Britannia sisters at odds with one another, but then again seven years ago, she never thought she'd see her best friend/love interest exiled and then vanish during an invasion by his own country.
"Sibling fights can be the worst kind." She warned Euphemia, "I haven't any myself, but I have seen a few in my time."
The pinkette snorted in an unladylike fashion. "Milly, please remember that I am sired by the only survivor of the Emblem of Blood period."
Both girls shuddered at that. The Emblem of Blood had been the bloodiest and most ruthless series of dynastic battles in Britannian history. The then-Emperor, Maximillian the 5th, had died and the three main candidates to the throne had set about eliminating as many of their siblings as was possible…behind the scenes. On the surface, they had been just as saddened by the deaths as anyone. The other members of the royal family old enough had rallied together and stuck back, eliminating two of them.
Then it had gotten worse as it became every prince or princess for themselves. Even those not in the line of succession had been drawn into the line of fire, as candidates sought to torture their opponents before killing them. Then-Prince Charles had narrowly avoided dying with his mother in a bomb attack. It had also been the impetus for him to gather allies and actively become a contender for the throne…at the age of ten.
"Anyway, I know about how sibling squabbles can get out of hand." The pinkette continued after a moment, "Rest assured, I have no intention of letting the relationship between my sister and I deteriorate that much."
"That's good to hear." Milly nodded, "So start filling me in on some of the things you've seen in the last seven years. You can't tell me that you haven't seen anything amazing in half a decade of travelling the world."
Euphie smiled as the topic became lighter. "Well…"
The rest of the visit was full of light hearted chatting about Euphie's travels over the years. By the time the time came for Milly to depart, the girls had enjoyed themselves immensely. As Milly was preparing to leave, Euphie caught the older girl in a hug.
"Make sure you take care of yourself better, Milly." The Princess whispered to her, "Lulu and Nunna wouldn't want you to get hurt, and neither do I. I've lost too many things here. Please don't make me lose you as well."
Milly smiled, touched by the request. "Yes, Your Highness." She answered in mock-military fashion, although her eyes conveyed that she was serious.
"Very good." Euphie said grandly, before giggling. Milly joined her for a moment as they regained their composure and remembered simpler times in Pendragon.
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Later
Shirley Fenette's Dorm Room, Women's Dorms, Ashford Academy
"What should I do…?"
The one speaking this forlorn sentence was the occupier of the room, Shirley. She was sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, eyes locked onto the sheaf of papers that was causing her distress.
She had found it in her father's kitchen the day after the Battle of Narita. Having heard about the battle from Lelouch, she had headed to her family's home immediately after school to see if he was home and unharmed.
He was both, but also asleep and stinking of beer. Joseph Fenette was infamously weak against alcohol, to the point that he reserved the bottles of beer in the fridge for when he was particularly stressed, even though a single one made him sleep like the dead for most of a day and night afterwards.
Tucking him in, she had snuck back down the stairs and started cleaning up the place. With her mother in the Homeland visiting relatives, her father had, as he usually did, neglected to hire a housekeeper while he was away at work, leaving the place to develop quite the layer of dust. Thankfully, there were automatic watering devices on all of the interior plants, installed by the two women of the Fenette household after the last time Joseph had neglected to hire a housekeeper and had let the plants die.
He had been severely scolded for that.
Cleaning the ground floor had been easy, as she had done it time after time growing up before living in the dorms at Ashford. When she had gone into the kitchen, things had taken a turn for the worst. She had discovered these papers sitting in his bag and had read the first page when she picked them up. The contents had turned her stomach, as it had spoken about dissecting and combining the separate brains of two humans into a single brain…all under the supervision of her father.
When she realised that, Shirley had run for the toilet, only just making it before she threw up down the toilet. Once she had finally stopped retching, she had heard the tell-tale sounds of her father stirring upstairs. In a panic, she had hastily stuffed the papers into her school book bag and promptly forgotten about them…until she arrived back at the dorms.
Thankfully, being a member of the Student Council had its fair share of perks, including being assigned a single person room, with an en-suite bathroom to boot. This meant she didn't have to worry about nosey roommates rummaging through her stuff, so she had hidden the papers in her lockable desk drawer and done her best to not think of them.
Needless to say, she had failed miserably.
Milly picking up on her unease she had somehow managed to assuage with a probable reason, but Nunnally was just as sharp as her brother and had told her quietly, when Milly was off getting snacks, that if she wanted to talk, all she had to do was ask.
The orangette smiled fondly. Nunnally was so cute and precious that it was almost too much. She was no slouch in her academics, maintaining the highest grades in her year. She had to be careful around older girls, because a lot of them saw her as being an obstacle to them hooking up with Lelouch.
A frown crossed her face as she allowed her thoughts to get distracted by this tangent. Girls like that had no chance with Lelouch. Nunnally meant the world to him and anyone who wanted him to be with them had to accept that as gospel. She did and all that stood in the way of her asking the Ice Prince of Ashford out was her own indecisiveness and the fact that she was, in truth, a little scared at the possibility of being rejected. She liked being friends with Lelouch and didn't want to make their relationship awkward because she got rejected.
That sparked off a few thoughts as she glanced at the infernal papers again. Lelouch had contacts in the military, didn't he? If she showed them to him, maybe he could use those contacts to find out something about them, maybe have her father removed from that horrible job and the place closed down.
Shirley snorted. Yeah, as if a highschool student could have that kind of pull. Still, even if he couldn't do anything about the job, he might alert someone to the human rights violations being committed. She knew her father was a good man, and that this wasn't the kind of thing he would willingly enter into. He must be getting blackmailed into working for them.
'But…what if Lulu gets in trouble for this…or if Daddy gets in trouble?' she fretted, worrying her lip gently as she thought the problem over, 'Or worse…blackmailers wouldn't be nice about this sort of thing. Gah! I don't know what to do!'
Wringing her hands, the orangette kept going over the problem in her head until her eyes started to cross from thinking in a loop for so long.
"Jeez! I'll think about it tomorrow when I have a clear head!" the girl huffed. It wasn't like her father had realised that the papers were missing; he had assumed that he had misplaced them at his abandoned workplace and had muttered about having to print the data out again as he went for a shower.
That sounded like an excellent idea actually.
Shirley stood up and headed to her bathroom, hoping that the shower would relax her enough that she could make a decision.
Later
Meeting Room, Secret Base of the Six Houses of Kyoto
"What is the current strength of the Japan Liberation Front?" Akira Yoshida asked.
"Currently they have two battalions worth of troops scattered across Honshu and Hokkaido." Kirihara replied gravely, his shoulders slumped slightly, "The rest are with General Todoh, hiding out at his base in the Greater Tokyo area. They have plenty of Knightmares, but morale is low. General Katase's loss hit them harder than they expected."
"That man…hiding the existence of such a dangerous weapons system from us." Osakabe growled, "What was he thinking!? There was a reason we transferred the JLF's science teams away and it was to prevent exactly this sort of device from being built!"
"I suspect that it is a good thing that General Katase deployed it." Kaguya said seriously, "Every single source we have states that the databases were damaged irreparably, meaning that the Britannians, when they eventually dug through to access them, were gnashing their teeth in frustration. The other JLF bases are safe, for the time being anyway, and General Todoh is engaged in restructuring the JLF as we speak in order to compensate for the loss of the soldiers at the Narita Base, as well as those who have either deserted or defected to the Black Knights."
"It was wise of you to insist that Katase evacuate his base." Kirihara said with a nod at the youngest member of the council, "If you had not, the JLF would be completely broken right now. As it is, the breakaway elements that have remained in a cohesive group rather than scattering to the ghettos or joining the Black Knights are more than slightly worrying."
"What have they been doing?" Munakata asked with a frown.
"I don't know. That is why it is so worrying." The leader of the Six Houses replied with a scowl, "The last reports of them indicated they were at the strength of a company, about 200 soldiers all told, plus ten Burai and Burai Kai. They were headed in the direction of Yokohama when they dropped out of sight and haven't been seen since."
"Who was the ranking officer in that group?" Kaguya asked.
"If I recall, it was Major Sentarō Kadzuki." The old oligarch answered after a moment of thought, "He was one of Kusakabe's little clique of officers, but couldn't join in on the Lake Kawaguchi incident due to leading a raid on Kyushu at the time. He kept his head down once he returned and was put in command of that group of soldiers during the evacuation of the Narita Base."
"What sort of man is he?" Osakabe asked gruffly.
"Similar in many ways to Kusakabe, except much smarter." Kirihara mused, "Major Kadzuki is almost zealous about Japan's liberation, but has no concrete plans about how to do so, despite his greater intelligence. He is one to be watched, as there is no telling what he will do now that he has slipped his leash."
The other members of the Six Houses were sombre and thoughtful as they absorbed his words.
"I think General Todoh should be alerted about his AWOL soldiers." Akira put forward after a moment, "He needs to be aware these men might pull something, either towards the Britannians or against their fellow Japanese."
"Surely he wouldn't…!?" Munakata blustered.
"Fanatics are hard to predict, Lord Munakata." Kaguya reminded, "I would also suggest that we reach out to Lord Zero and offer him the full support we offer to the JLF. He has long since proven his worth and we need to show him that."
"We cannot trust a man who keeps his face hidden!" argued Kubouin, "IF we are to trust this man and lend him more than cursory support, we must know his identity!"
"I agree." Kirihara said, much to Kaguya's surprise, "I will meet with the man myself to judge his worthiness…one way or the other."
"I would say that whether he is from the Euro Universe or Britannia, he has earned our support." The only female of the group countered, "Not once has he ever given any indication of betraying us to Britannia or of any selfish acts, aside from when he refused to join the JLF. And even there, you must admit that his reasons are solid ones."
"True, but we will be placing a great deal of trust and responsibility into his hands should we support him." the elder oligarch replied, "I do not understand Zero's motivations, what makes him tick, nor do I know if he has a sponsor from another country. A proper assessment must be made, in person and in a location that is under our control."
"Then I shall accompany you." Kaguya fired back, "If he is to be subjected to an inquisition, he should have someone in his corner."
"Very well." Kirihara sighed, despite the protests of the other House Heads, "But one way or another, he will be unmasked, Kaguya."
'That remains to be seen, Kirihara-dono.' The young girl thought. She disagreed with him on this, for multiple reasons, but the biggest one was that someone as smart as Zero had to have foreseen the Six Houses reaching out to him in the aftermath of the weakening of the JLF to do precisely what was proposed here.
If he was anything at all like she expected him to be, Zero would turn things around in his favour within minutes of the meeting starting. She just hoped that Kirihara knew that too.
The Next Day, After School
Student Council Room, Ashford Academy
"Lulu…can I talk to you?" Shirley asked nervously. She was clutching her book bag tightly, yet held it away from her body as if she were disgusted by its contents.
Lelouch took this in with a barely perceivable frown before clearing his expression and nodded. "Sure. The rest of the council seem to be taking their sweet time arriving today."
"Milly said something about a meeting with the Dean." Shirley volunteered, "Nina has a fever, Rivalz has another make-up test and I have no idea about Suzaku, Kallen or Celesta."
"Kallen's off ill, Celesta has family obligations and Suzaku's got some personal issues to take care of." Lelouch replied. In actuality, Kallen and Celesta were off raiding another Refrain dealer's den as Red Queen and Augur.
"R-Right…" Shirley looked ill herself as she hesitantly withdrew some papers from her bag and offered them to him, "This…this is what I wanted to talk to you about…they belong to my father…you'll understand if you read them."
He noticed the trembling in her hands. She was really worried or afraid about what those papers contained. Taking them from her, he scanned the first page and blanched. Flipping through the papers, he paled even more and he even let out a gasp when he saw a certain crest on the very last page.
"Shirley…are you absolutely certain that these are your father's papers?" he asked her quietly.
"I am." Shirley nodded unhappily.
"Do you recognise this crest?" he pressed her, pointing at it. The crest was of a purple shield atop the Britannian national flag. Surmounting the shield was a crossed sword and sceptre.
"No. I've never seen that one before." The orangette shook her head.
"It's the symbol of the Office of Secret intelligence, who report directly to the Britannian Emperor himself." Lelouch informed her darkly, "That means that this whole project has his approval, if only tacit."
"No way…!" Shirley said in dismay, horror in her eyes, "How could the Emperor allow these things to happen?!"
"'The strong have the right to do whatever they like with the weak.'" Lelouch quoted at her, "That is Emperor Charles zi Britannia's guiding philosophy. From what I've seen, most of the 'test subjects' in these experiments are Numbers; of little interest to the Emperor and thus expendable."
He watched her crestfallen face for a moment. "Does your father know these papers are missing?"
"N-No. He thinks they went missing from his lab in Narita." Shirley replied.
'A lab in Narita?! Right under the noses of the JLF?!' Lelouch thought incredulously, although he had to give credit to whoever chose that location; no one would think of looking in the JLF's own backyard.
'Well, well, General Bartley…so this is where Code R hid away after Kallen's Cell stole C.C. from you.' He mused, 'Shame you've likely moved elsewhere by now, so I'll just have to settle for taking a peek at the remains of your base.'
Turning his attention back to the nervous girl before him, he said, "Shirley…you have a choice to make here; what do you want to do with these papers?"
"I…" Shirley looked miserable, "I wanted to get my father out of this mess he's in, so I was hoping you could pass these papers to your military contacts and have the scheme broken up. But if the Emperor's the one behind it…"
"Not only that, if any document with the OSI crest is scanned and uploaded into Britannian communications systems, the system locks down and a flag is put up on that Area's OSI Office with the IPP and address of the person who tried to do so." Lelouch added, "Not very many people know about it, but it's a crafty little program inside the OS of every computer since Intranets and Internets started being used."
"…oh." Shirley looked depressed, "Lulu, what should I do?"
"If you want to remain safe, burn them." Lelouch said, "If you want these to be used to help…I have contacts in the military, yes, but I also have a few tentative contacts who have contacts in the Black Knights. I could arrange to have these papers delivered to them."
The girl's eyes bulged at this.
"I would, of course, sanitise the document and remove all traces of your father's name beforehand." He continued, "Honestly, this is seriously bad information you've got here. A series of experiments on supposedly dead officers of the Britannian Army and on Elevens, sanctioned by the Emperor of all people…depending on how the information is presented, this could start nationwide riots. It's almost certain that Zero himself will take notice of this information himself."
"B-But…wouldn't that risk you, Lulu?" Shirley asked worriedly, "I mean, the Black Knights did save us at Lake Kawaguchi, but I can't see them being happy at all with the contents of these papers."
"It will be fine, Shirley." Lelouch assured her with a gentle smile, "The Black Knights won't know it's me, as I use couriers and cut-outs to pass the information along. Trust me. There's no risk for me here."
"And…this is the best choice?" she pressed him anxiously.
"It's the best choice and it is also the right choice to make." Lelouch told her firmly.
That decided her. "O-Ok then. Please make sure the Black Knight get this information…and that our names and my fathers are kept out of it."
"You have my word, fair lady." Lelouch assured her with an elegant bow, making her blush like a tomato.
"I-I'd better head back to my dorm…homework…" she stuttered as she tottered out of the room. Lelouch eyed her departing form. He was surprised that she had chosen to come to him with this, but it was a good thing she had. He hadn't been lying about anything to do with the OSI. They would have assassinated Shirley and her family for taking information belonging to the Emperor without a second thought.
Taking out his cell phone, he hit a series of numbers and put the phone to his ear. Waiting until it was picked up, he said, "Jeremiah? Yes, we have a problem here…"
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Next Chapter: Meeting with the Six Houses of Kyoto
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