Chapter 12: In Search of the North Star

Alternate Chapter Title: Hear the Dogs Howl

The first rule of winter warfare is to not engage in winter warfare. The advantage will always lie with the entrenched army and if one has adequate supply chains, it would be best to wait for the snow to thaw. Victory will in the end be granted to whichever side has better logistics and shelter. Unfortunately, when combining winter warfare with insurgency groups, Britannia is left at a great military disadvantage.

Snow and ice provides a unique challenge for warfare. Freezing temperatures limit equipment use and cause weapons to jam and renders many explosives useless. Additionally, many soldiers suffer from blindness and hallucinations brought on by a never ending white landscape. It is all too common, even with a compass, for troops to become disorientated. To make matters worse, fresh soldiers often do not recognize symptoms of dehydration and sunburn which leads to various fatalities in addition to frostbite...

—On Winter Warfare by Lelouch Lamperouge (2016)

Glenshire Woods, Near Fort Necessity, Pennsylvania

It took Lelouch and his squad a solid two hours to arrive at the supply station: a small little shack lined with shelves and barely any room to turn around. By then, they had been cold, hungry, and utterly exhausted. To Lelouch, it was obvious that they would never be able to return to base within the allotted time if they continued at the same rate. Snow shoes would help, but something even more drastic would have to change.

Alex squeezed past Lelouch and opened a small bucket. "Got some bread here. So we're not gonna starve or anything."

"That's good," mumbled Lelouch as he looked at the supplies. There were the snowshoes and sleeping bags as expected. Enough for two squadrons, which raised a worrisome question. Did the supply stations not have enough supplies for every squad? He frowned and glanced at the wooden shelves. "How do you guys feel about cheating?"

Frederick, standing outside of the shack, looked at him suspiciously. "There are no rules, but it isn't like there's anything to cheat with. Unless you've managed to smuggle a phone here and want to call a ride?"

Scowling, Roy pulled him out of the shed. "Now you stupid French bargain knock off, listen here. I'm not going to let you mar my service record with any freaking shenanigans that you may think off. We're doing this properly and by the books. It's my family's honor that is at stake although it's obvious that yours has none. Probably think you're all important as a bastard born brat, but it just means," Roy's hot stinking breath hit him in the face, "that your family is honorless scum."

"For the sake of your own health, I suggest you never repeat that." Lelouch might not be on speaking terms with his family, but he refused to have anyone slander them and by extension Nunnally.

"And what are you gonna do? You're too weak to even climb up a rope." He smirked. "Gonna hit me? I'm so scared."

Lelouch pushed down a vicious grin. It would be incredibly satisfying to finally open a letter from his mother and share the slanderous insults with her. Roy and his family burn. His mother was not the forgiving sort. Nobody would ever trace it back to Lelouch, but that meant relying on his parents. He would never forgive them.

"No. It's just a warning. If you ever insult my sister again, I'll make sure that your life is absolutely miserable. But don't worry, I won't kill you, that would be too easy, barely a challenge." He locked eyes with Roy and refused to look away.

"Relax guys," said Frederick and his hands settled on both of their shoulders. "No insulting another. No death threats or whatever that was. Let's hear Lelouch's idea and then we'll strap on some snowshoes and stop wasting daylight."

Lelouch stepped back and composed himself. "We can take the wooden shelves and use the rope to construct a sled. Then we don't need to carry everything ourselves and, if it's big enough, we can take turns resting on the sled, so we can walk for longer. Otherwise, even with the snow shoes, we'll be lucky to arrive back at camp on time."

Frederick nodded and shouted, "Hey Edgar! You said you saw some matches right?"

Confused, Lelouch took a small step back to let the apparent experts talk.

Edgar, from within the shack, shouted, "Yeah Fred! There aren't a lot, so we'll have to make sure we get it right the first time if you want a fire for the night. Also got some trash bags here. Give me a sec to grab everything."

Edgar stepped outside with long planks under his arm and dragging a full trash bag behind him. He lay down the planks and grabbed a piece of rope and tied them together firmly, with Frederick stepping in to help. Alex made a small sound of comprehension and scurried off, returning with small pine tree branches and holding them up proudly. Roy, Leouch, and Henry stared at them in befuddlement.

Clapping his hands, Edgar stepped back. "Well we've got a sled, and some fire starters. Alex, why don't you take the first ride. You can peel the wood so it's somewhat dry for this evening. I'll lead again." He glanced at Roy for confirmation and a big grin split his face. "Oh, you sweet naive city kids. But don't worry, we'll save you."

Ashford Academy, Area 11

Nunnally held her cane tightly as she waited for Milly to skip out of the library. Since their brief stay at the labs, Nunnally had barely any time to catch up with the older girl, but now she had the perfect opportunity to integrate Milly within the school and give Allie the chance to see that not all nobles were evil. She crossed her fingers as she heard Milly's voice, but then frowned, she wasn't skipping. Milly always skipped, but instead, her feet almost dragged, as if she was dour.

"Lady Ashford," she called out.

Milly stopped. "Nunnally? What are you doing?" She hurried over and pulled her against the stone wall. "Grandpa said we're supposed to act like we don't know each other. Because you're trying to hide as a commoner?"

Bristling under her chastising, Nunnally said, "Why do you think I called you Lady Ashford?"

"You don't understand. Grandpa is totally paranoid about your safety. He has three redundant camera systems. He's going to be so mad at me."

Nunnally frowned. "You're... like an older sister to me and Lelouch. And there's nothing stopping us from becoming friends publicly. You love making friends."

"But,"

"We can make a council. A party council. Then we have an excuse to meet and no one will blink an eye. We'll plan big parties and then you can be happy again."

"How did you? You can't even see me."

Nunnally sniffed. "You weren't skipping. You skip everywhere. Now enough about that. We need new recruits for our student party council. Allie is going to complain, but we're grabbing her because she's my best friend and I need my sister and best friend to get along. Just don't let Sally join."

"Like I would let her. She is so annoying. Just because we're both nobility, she thinks we should be friends. I don't like suck ups. But if we're going to do this, we're going to do it properly. That means budgeting, getting people excited, attaining all the supplies, and I'll oversee everything," said Milly, getting louder and more excited. Finishing, she pulled Nunnally into an enthusiastic hug. "This is going to be awesome!"

Thinking out loud, Nunnally said, "I can balance the budget and Allie can help me, but her sister writes for the local newspaper, so I'm sure she could handle public relations, you can be the school's President, but I don't know anyone who knows enough to go shopping for all the fancy stuff you'll want."

Milly stepped back and tapped her foot, deep in thought, then said, "We have a new student enrolling next week, Rizel Donoso or something. Not quite sure, but his family runs a large law firm in Britannia. I guess I'll interview for the role of secretary when he arrives." Grabbing Nunnally's arm gently, "Now you mentioned a new best friend. I've got to meet her."

"You will, just be patient for a little while," Nunnally promised. She would introduce her best friend and Milly to each other slowly. It wouldn't do for Allie to be scared away.

Glenshire Woods, Near Fort Necessity, Pennsylvania

Lelouch stripped the bark from the branch with the pocket knife. The makeshift sled had turned out to be a brilliant idea although their detour had cost them dearly. The closest supply shack with proper food had been empty, raided by the previous squadrons that had arrived. Not willing to let their journey be a complete waste, they had used the shelves to construct an additional sled which Frederick was currently using to sleep on.

Despite the minor hiccup and their empty stomachs, they were making good progress and the sun was still high in the sky. They had even found fresh tracks from other squads although Edgar believed they were heading in the wrong direction. Hopefully, Edgar was right, because otherwise, Lelouch and his squad were heading in the wrong direction. Still, Edgar had found two shacks already, so Lelouch conceded that the boy probably knew what he was doing.

Alex finished a hushed conversation with Edgar and fell back to walk besides the sled, "You could talk less fancy ya know. The Drill Sergeant always gets mad when ya do."

"It's my accent," Lelouch huffed. "It doesn't change overnight and I've talked like this for ages."

"Really? How d'ya know all that stuff. Like laws, first aid and such? Your really lucky."

"My mother insisted that I learned first aid," said Lelouch and he looked up at the tall fir trees. He had made sure to learn as much as he could after the attempted assassination. It was a useful skill. "And for the other stuff, I just read."

Alex looked at him with a mix of longing and jealousy, before he tore his eyes down and kicked up some snow. "Lucky. You had some tutors teach ya?"

"I used to memorize all the stories my mother read to me and then, well, the letters just began making sense. I barely remember a time when I couldn't read. I taught my sister as well, although she never wanted to sit still long enough to actually learn." Not until after the loss of her sight, where she and Lelocuh would spend hours together, fingers traversing small raised dots on a page and trying to decipher the secret code.

Lelouch paused, and glanced at Alex, little pieces of a puzzle falling into place. Softly, he said, "You don't know how to read."

"No," Alex looked away, "Of course I can read... I'm not a baby. I'm just... really slow. It's not that important. Only rich folks need ta read."

Lelouch frowned. "What about a trade? You tell me why you joined the army and I'll teach you how to read?"

"That doesn't seem quite fair," Alex stared at him suspiciously. "What are ya getting out of it?"

"A favor."

"A favor?"

"I know most of my squadron hates me. They'll never help me if I need it. I help you now, and one day, when I need it, you'll help me as well," Lelouch explained. Of course Alex didn't need to know that Lelouch would never rely on someone else to solve his problems. Favors were tricky things after all and a debt of obligation was never a binding promise. Especially when one had something to gain.

"Fine. The coppers got to me. Didn't do much, but must've pissed someone off. Gotta pay'm back through labor and I know ta never get in one of those contracts, ind—, ind— well something. Ya know what I mean?"

Indenture. A contract where a person exchanged goods or debts for human labor. To Lelouch, he did not see much of a difference between such a contract and enlisting. Both had minimum time to serve, offered pay, and severely restricted one's freedoms. Both were a form of slavery, just to different masters. Lelouch set the mostly dry stick aside and grabbed another to peel. "Why the military?"

"Like ya said on the first day," said Alex, not a trace of a smile on his face, "we serve the Emperor now. We're his men and an attack on us is an attack on him. But with a contract, you gotta trust them. No copper is eva gonna listen ta ya complain." A shudder ran down Alex's spin, all too visible. "It's safe out here. Safe from her. She canna do anything now."

Feeling as if he had intruded on an intensely private moment, Lelouch looked away. Wasn't he also in the military for his own safety? To pay off the debt that he owed and finally be free? Whoever would have thought that a prince and a lying, thieving, street rat would ever have something in common. A dark chuckle escaped him.

Lelouch scattered some snow on the wooden beam and traced out the letter "A." The sled jerked as Roy failed to notice a protruding rock. Lelouch focused on his new student. "Your lessons begin now."

Shinjuku, Tokyo, Area 11

Tohdoh hated the new Tokyo. Britannia's rebuilding efforts were well under way, but the iconic and distinctive buildings were slowly fading away as sharp and imperial silhouettes rose to replace them. But he may have been able to swallow such sacrilege, if it weren't for how his fellow country men who would trudge through the streets and smile at the Britannians as they haggled over goods. Did they have no pride?

"General, you sure this is the place?" asked the newly promoted Lieutenant General Iki for valiant service at the Battle of Narita.

General wasn't a title Tphdoh felt he deserved, but with General Katase dead and no one else to call the shots, his men had thrust the title upon him. To them it was an honor. To Tohdoh, it was a reminder. Japan was gone. "Don't call me that in public. And yes."

Tohdoh knelt down on the freshly paved street and stared at the small shrine. Various little tokens, delicately placed, riddled the shrine. At first glance, it could have been mistaken for trash. But with the war having taken everything, people made do to mourn the dead or safely guide loved ones home. His heart thundered as he methodically searched the small shrine. There, at long last, on a freshly cut twig, was a pink envelope. Nagisa was alive. Ko was alive. Suzaku was alive.

His hands trembled as he grabbed the envelope and saw the small address written inside. Lieutenant General Iki said nothing as Tohdoh stood up and glanced at the street signs, written in English of course. The soldier understood. And that was enough for Tohdoh.

The small apartment building peppered with holes and looking vaguely skewed did nothing to dampen Tohdoh's excitement as he arrived. He could hear the faint sound of a small child wailing. It was familiar. A faint of spice hung in the air and his stomach growled. He stepped inside the building and followed his beautiful, sweet, and precious son's cries.

Beneath his feet, the stairs creaked and groaned joyously. It was the victory cry for his return.

A small head poked out of the door and familiar brown eyes widened as they caught sight of him. She pulled back. "Suzaku, hold Ko for a minute will you. No! Not like that. And don't give him that."

Ko let out a piercing scream.

"Yes I know you think they're pretty. But you're allergic to them. And Suzaku! Stop letting him grab the pine cone!"

The door opened and he drank in her beautiful disorganized brown hair and shadowed grey eyes. Despite the weary lines and patched clothes, she looked like a goddess. He stepped forward, leaving Lieutenant General Iki standing awkwardly at the edge of the stairs. His legs shook. "Nagisa. I'm home."

A small cry of happiness and his wife flung herself forward and borrowed her head into his neck. "Kyoshiro. You're alive."

He hugged her and inhaled the wooden scent mixed with the faint dash of cinnamon. She was alive. Tears threatened to leak out of his eyes. He pressed a chaste kiss on top of her head. "I missed you."

Nagisa took a step back and looked up at him, before wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. Surprised, but pleased, he pushed forward, his hand running down her back. It had been too long. How he had missed his beautiful wife.

"Tohdoh-sensei?"

He froze and stepped back. His student, holding his little son, stood in the doorway. "Hello Suzaku-kun. It's good to see you."

Lieutenant General Iki coughed to draw his attention. "I have a cousin I want to check on. I will see you tomorrow General." He winked. "Have fun."

"Very well." Tohdoh turned back to his family and plucked little Ko from Suzaku's arms. "Look who's back. It's your Daddy."

Ko's face scrunched and he turned to look at Nagisa. Then he looked back at Tohdoh and began to cry.

"Shh," Tohdoh whispered and tried to rock the baby. "It's just Daddy. Don't you recognize me?"

Ko cried louder.

"Please Ko?"

Nagisa sighed and gently lifted their son out of his arms. Once safe in his mother's arms, Ko immediately fell silent. She smiled up at him and patted his arms. "He just needs to get used to you again. Why don't you come inside?"

"Oba-san, I was going to head out the market?"

Tohdoh caught the slight furrow in her eyebrows indicating she wasn't pleased, yet she pleasantly said, "Be sure to be back in time for dinner Suzaku."

"I will!" He looked at them both before sprinting over to Tohdoh and giving a tight hug. "I'm happy you're alright. See you later."

Then he was off, leaping down the stairs two at a time. The ground shook.

Tohdoh let himself be lead into the small barren apartment. A few homely touches were added in the corner from little origami cranes and small carved wooden cats. A calligraphy brush and a faded receipt lay on the table. It was nothing like their old quarters. It was nothing like Japan. But it was home.

Walking carefully through the room and inspecting the worn futons and blankets, he asked, "So where is Suzaku going?"

Tightly, she said, "I don't know."

"You're upset with him. Why?"

Frowning, she set Ko down on the futon, and straightened her skirt. "He doesn't tell me. But he always comes back with food and I know that it's too expensive for what he says he's paying for it. And while he helps around the compound, there's no way the spare change he earns is enough."

"You think it's crime?" He thought Suzaku would have known better, but the invasion had changed everyone. A young impressionable kid like Suzaku could easily be swayed to violence, especially against Britannia. "I'll talk to him. It's dangerous."

Nagisa grabbed his hand and shook her head. "Suzaku has too much of a respect for the law. His father raised him right you know." She dropped his hand and looked out of the window. "We need the money. I shouldn't have said anything."

Realization dawned on him slowly as he watched her hunched shoulders. Suzaku would follow the law. And without crime, there was only one way to obtain money legally. Furiously, he stepped beside her and stared into her face. "He's lowering himself to those Britannians?"

Her eyes were wide. Fearful. And Tohdoh took a step back with a deep calming breath. Massaging his temple, he said, "Forgive me Nagisa. This isn't fair to you."

She looked back out the window. "It used to be so busy here. There was a club around the corner where I went clubbing with some friends in high school. But now, there are only beggars that wander the street and invaders. There's nothing left of us. I guess, even though I hate it, Suzaku understands that. And can I begrudge him for doing what it takes to survive? So Ko survives?"

"We're still here Nagisa. There's still hope." He wrapped his arms around her and took comfort in her warm presence as the cold wind tugged on their clothes. "We'll liberate Japan. It won't always be like this."

"How can you say that Kyoshiro? We've got nothing." She pointed her hand out of the window at the crumbling high rise a couple blocks away. "The Brits are everywhere. Our army is dead. General Katase is dead. They took his head. Didn't have the decency to even burn his body, the bastards. And if we do anything, they'll just use their knightmares. We have nothing."

He rubbed her back gently and leaned in closer. "I'm still alive. I've got a couple thousand men and soldiers hiding in Narita. Training. And we salvaged the knightmares the Brits left behind. Soon, we'll have our own. But in the meanwhile, our numbers will continue to grow."

She shook her head. "And then what? How are you going to free Japan when they've begun to nest and multiply? And when they bring their army down on our heads? And raze our lands once more? Or have you forgotten Kagoshima?"

Tohdoh pulled away. He had known people stationed along the coast in preparation for the attack. It had caught them by complete surprise and now, they were all dead. But like he had a duty to his family, he had a duty to Japan and the men who had placed their trust in him. "We'll build our strength for a few years. Learn how Britannia will act. But there is no reason to fight honorably when the enemy has none. Britannia used our own people as shields, so we'll use theirs as well. We won't be like a tsunami, crashing and obliterating them. Instead we'll be the steady trickle of water seeping deep into a rock, hidden, until we split it from the inside."

Weary eyes stared at him and begged for complete honesty. "Will you succeed?"

Yes. Maybe in a decade. Or maybe when he was dead and his son took up the fight. But eventually, they would succeed. Water could not be stopped. "The sun will rise on Japan once more Nagisa."

Nagisa closed her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What about us? Ko and Suzaku?"

His heart sank. If it hadn't been for Ko, she would have joined him. He knew she would follow him, but her son, was of course a priority. Ideally, he should leave her. Let her be safe when the news eventually reached Britannia that Kyoshiro Tohdoh was leading a resistance movement. But he wanted to be selfish so badly.

Staring at the floor, he said, "If you want. I can travel between here and Narita. I'll drop by every couple months. I'll be there for you, Ko, and Suzaku."

There was no mercy in her gaze. "And what do you want Kyoshiro Tohdoh?"

"It doesn't matter what I want. I have a duty, an obligation, to my men." He looked up: unapologetic. "If you think it's best, I'll leave. Burn every picture I have. No one will ever know we're married and you'll be safe. Ko and Suzaku will be safe."

Ko gurgled as he rolled off the futon and Nagisa sighed. Not responding, she picked Ko up and hugged him. "You don't even know your daddy."

Tohdoh winced. He had been gone for so long. He should have returned sooner.

"We promised to always do right for Ko." Nagisa slowly shifted Ko into his arms. Her eyes looked at him with love. "Ko needs a father. You're not going off on your own."

Ko grabbed his finger firmly and Tohdoh couldn't suppress the small smile as his son stared at him with wide, curious eyes. He glanced back at Nagisa who stood resolutely and blurted, "I love you... But I have a duty to Japan. I'll visit as often as I can."

Pushing a finger against his lips, she leaned in closer and said, "You misunderstand. I vowed to defend Japan too. I will help you."

His beautiful delightful goddess. What had he done to deserve her? "Why?"

She leaned against his chest. "Because I'm afraid Tohdoh. Of death too, but what will follow, more. I'm afraid of you being snatched away and seeing your limp body fall to the ground. I'm afraid of Suzaku following honeyed promises into the lion's den. And I'm afraid of Ko growing old and never knowing a world of freedom. I'm afraid that he will believe the Britannians to be superior. And when that happens, we will have truly lost."

"We'll fight together as husband and wife. A family." He looked down at Ko whose eyes were beginning to droop. Whispering into her ear, "Do you think we should put him to bed? He looks like he's going to nod off any second."

Nagisa smiled softly and gently placed him back on the futon. Ko blinked wearily and closed his eyes. "He loves to crawl you know. It's such a hassle keeping an eye on him. Got all of your energy."

Tohdoh leaned against his wife as they observed Ko falling asleep. "Did he say mama yet?"

"Not yet. Maybe have some competition now."

"Never," Tohdoh massaged her shoulders. "He hardly knows me. You should relax. Let me prep dinner today."

Glenshire Woods, Near Fort Necessity, Pennsylvania

Lelouch leaned forward as he dragged the sled up the small hill. Edgar snored faintly as he slept on the sled besides Alex. Faint light from their makeshift torches danced through the forest and cast long flickering shadows. The darkness hungered for them, but they continued. If they wanted to be back on time, they would not be able to sleep through the night. Instead, they took turns and constantly marched forward.

The wind whispered and wolves howled in the distance. In the shadows, he could see small creatures moving and occasionally something larger. The thought of yellow eyes reflecting the light of the fire terrified him. A battle between him and a wolf, would result in one clear loser: Lelouch. The rifles were equipped with blanks, useless in a fight, but perhaps enough to scare off any hungry wildlife?

Frederick groaned as his torch sputtered out in a sudden swift breeze. "Why can't we just make camp?"

"You want to tell Roy why we didn't get any food at the next supply station? Because if we don't make up the lost time, that's what will happen."

Frederick shook his head and the snow crunched as he walked past Roy and Henry sleeping on his sled. Leaning down, he struck a match and re-lit the torch. "No. The wind is getting stronger too. How much further till the supply station?"

Letting go of the rope, Lelouch sat down beneath the torch and pulled out the map. Everything looked the same and he didn't have Edgar's skill or experience with reading maps. The small dot labeled as the supply center stared at him mockingly.

"Lelouch?"

They were probably not lost, simply because Lelouch had been checking the compass diligently to make sure they were heading in a straight line. That didn't sound like a reassuring answer, so Lelouch stared back at the map, searching for a clue. They were heading uphill and the forest was beginning to thin. The map held its secrets.

Relenting, he finally said, "Not entirely sure."

Frederick cursed quietly and trudged over to snatch the map out his hands. "You're absolutely hopeless. And somehow you can do the math to figure out where we are, but reading a simply bloody map, is beyond you."

"My apologies."

Frederick rubbed his eyes. "No. I shouldn't have snapped. It's just like the bastard to throw us out here with no training. Not like anyone taught us this. You'd think he wants us dead." He lay the map flat on the ground and stared at the faint moon, partially obscured by the clouds. "Why does it have to be so bloody dark. Can't see shit. What's the time Lelouch?"

"Yeah? Three in the morning." Lelouch looked at Frederick's finger pointing at their last known location.

"It's about seven miles from where we started to the next station. And if we traveled in a straight line... Well do your magic!"

Deciding to ignore Frederick's ignorance, Lelouch pondered how fast they had been traveling. Their shift had started shortly after midnight and they had traveled at a relatively steady pace. "Frederick. I need you to pull the sled forward, like you normally do."

Frederick shook his head, but decided to humor him. The sled began to move and Frederick grunted as he slowly moved forward. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi... Seventeen Mississippi. "You just gonna watch me Toothpick, or do some actual magic."

Just once, he had shown them something they didn't grasp. And now, he was expected to produce similar results on the fly, despite the conditions not being the same at all. It was baffling. "One to two miles left."

"You were closer the last time," said Frderick and Lelouch could feel the heat of his glare.

"Last time we were in a bus. On a road… with a speed limit. That was easy."

Skeptical, Frederick said, "Sure. Doesn't make any sense how you did it the first time."

Brushing his gloved hand against his nose, Lelouch groaned, "Forget it."

Perhaps Reuben hadn't dumped all the tax returns and monetary assets on his desk for no reason. Frederick wasn't an idiot, but without a proper education or necessary training, what was simple math to Lelouch, could very well be mind blowing to Frederick. It also raised a more worrying concern about Britannia. If the majority of commoners had similar numeracy skill, it boded ill for Britannia's ability to innovate. Ashford Academy might not just be an opportunity, but a bandage on a gushing wound.

Troubled, Lelouch put more effort into dragging the sled. He shouldn't care. Britannia had destroyed Japan. His mother had been willing to kill Suzaku for being Japanese. His father had no concept of mercy. They should all burn. But...

Rick.

Gwen.

Allie.

Did they deserve the suffering that would follow from Britannia's destruction?

Paris, E.U.

The room swayed around Marianne and she could feel the walls creeping in closer. She should call for Bismark who was standing dutifully outside her door, ready to burst in if there was any indication of trouble like two days ago when a serving boy had attempted to assassinate her. Of course the E.U. profusely apologized and claimed that he had been acting on his own volition. That perhaps he was friends with one of the refugees. Did they think she was an idiot?

Massaging her head, Marianne waited for the room to still. Guiding the wheel chair next to her bed, she lowered the arm rest and slowly pushed her body out of the wheel chair and into the bed. Charles would be upset that she ignored her health. On the other hand, he shouldn't have left her in the E.U. for almost half a year. She was dying to get home and Lelouch was still not answering her letters.

Her eyes traced the wobbling lines on the paneled ceiling. She felt so weak and sick. Surely, taking a moment to close her eyes and imagine what it would be like to be fully healthy again, wouldn't hurt. Just a moment. To think back to when everything had been right. When V.V. hadn't acted rashly out of jealousy. When Lelouch and Nunnally trusted her and loved her.

Everything precious had slipped through her fingers like water: impossible to catch or reclaim. V.V. had destroyed it all and he would one day pay. But for now, she would let him think he was safe; that he was forgiven because he was Charles's brother. He still had his Code: his immortality. And, loathe as she was to admit it, he was a crucial part of the Empire, but that wouldn't last forever. Not with Charles steadily working to reduce his influence so their entire intelligence department would not collapse when they finally found a way to circumvent his Code.

Her eyes felt heavy and she struggled to keep them open. Sleep.

Anya's wide and frightened eyes had signified the end of what had been her life.

She closed her eyes against her will. Maybe, she could rest for a minute?

Dreams were always precious and tempting with forgotten sensations. It had been too long since she had felt grass beneath her feet or the thrill of a spar. In a dream, she could relive those precious moments. Sometimes Lelouch would be there too with Nunnally. His face was always young. Sometimes, she dreamed of another faceless boy joining them. Those were the nightmares as he would drag her precious children to their death.

But today, she didn't have time for the comfort of sleep. She had to wake up. And so, she forced her eyes, through sheer willpower to open.

The ceiling greeted her with beautiful depictions of unicorns. Her heart sped up. Had she been kidnapped despite Bismark standing at her door? Feigning sleep, Marianne listened carefully for her captors.

Someone strode into the room and bright light hit her eyes. "Ya got to get up m'lady. Your mother is waiting for you. Do ya need help getting dressed today?"

Marianne's eyes snapped open and stared at the young trembling maid. Raising her hand in front of her, Marianne stared at it in horror. It was tiny. A child's hand. She grabbed a strand of hair and stared at it. Her hair was brown, but it wasn't it. It was pink. What had happened?

Ignoring the concerned cries of the maid, Marianne stumbled out of the bed, once again made for a child, to the small mirror. Marianne didn't look back at her. Instead, she saw the frightened redish hazel eyes of Anya Alstreim. She had used her Geass. It should be impossible. There had been no eye contact and Anya was halfway around the world.

"I need a phone," she squeaked and even her voice sounded foreign to her ears. Her Geass was never used on children. It felt wrong and the brief hour when she had cast herself into Anya's body upon that fateful night, had scarred her plenty.

"Yes m'lady." The maid scurried away.

Marianne pressed her palm against the mirror and focused on calming her breathing. She could work out what happened. How her Geass had evolved. Repeated use was supposed to make it stronger, so maybe that was why she was now in Anya's body? But she barely used it in comparison to Charles. There was nothing to indicate it would become a runaway Geass.

The maid returned and pressed a small cellphone into her hands. Marianne took it and glared at the maid until she took the hint and vanished. Flipping the phone open, she began to dial Charles's emergency number. He would know what to do.

The phone rang and she almost cried when Charles asked, "Hello?"

"Charles, it's Marianne." Her voice broke and she bit back a sob. This should not be happening.

Coldly, he cut through her muffled sobs, "Is this some sort of prank? Who are you?"

Of course he wouldn't recognize her voice. She sounded like Anya. Forcing herself to calm down, she shared her authorization code, "Golf. Mike. Bravo. One-eight-nine-six."

The silence on the other end was deafening and she fidgeted as she waited for him to reply. Did he not believe her? Then, finally, "Marianne? You're supposed to be in Paris. Bismark says he is right outside of your door. Where are you?"

He believed her. She leaned against the wall in relief, suddenly feeling limp. "I'm having a little trouble with C.C.'s gift... I think I may be in a coma. Or dreaming... this could be one of those really weird dreams."

Something clicked on the other end of the line. "Bismark says he is trying to wake you up. It seems... you're right. Explain."

He wasn't her husband in this moment. He was her commander demanding her to report and she happily let herself latch onto the conditioned response. "I retired to my rooms around midnight. I was feeling extremely tired, but still had work to do, so I decided to take a moment to rest. I fell asleep despite my best efforts and tried to force myself to wake up... Then I was in Anya Alstreim's body."

"Alstreim?"

"She was the first person I ever used my Geass on. You know, that night." Maybe she had misunderstood her Geass. Just before she had fallen asleep, she had been reminiscing. "I may have triggered this event since the last thing I remember before falling asleep was... her eyes."

"Marianne," he said and his voice was soft again. The voice of the man she loved. "You are using your Geass. You need to turn it off.

"I can't," she cried. The familiar weight in her mind with using Geass wasn't there.

The door clicked open and an elderly woman barged in and stared at her in disgust. "Anya! What are you doing on the phone! You were supposed to get ready, not bother some random person."

Marianne stepped back, her heart pounding, and clutching the phone like a lifeline. She couldn't give it up. Anya's mother didn't care and snagged it from her hands, easily overpowering her weak childish arms. She snapped it shut. Marianne stared at the woman in disbelief. She had just hung up on the Emperor. Unwittingly, but no one did that.

"What are you staring around for? Move it," Anya's mother hissed.

Of all the possible bullshit!

Worldbuilding Thoughts:

-The platoons are divided into six squadrons.

-The wiki says Japan was conquered in the Second Pacific War, but that implies there was a First Pacific War. I guess this would be where Japan transitioned to a democracy (and maybe why India is part of China?), but there is no information regarding the First Pacific War on the wiki.

-While the show had Cornelia come into Area 11 with guns blazing, that wouldn't be an effective strategy against Zero, who is basically leading an insurgency group. Somehow, Britannia hasn't learned how to effectively deal with rebellions without killing everyone off.

Author's Note:

Thank you x1tears1X on FFN for your help with this chapter. If anyone else wants to beta, just ask? :)

This was the makeup chapter 2 out of 2. Next update is on Wednesday, as normal. I also updated the summary, which I hope better reflects the story and its trajectory. Thoughts?