A/N: I just wanted to put in a small warning specifically for this chapter. As we all know this is Code Geass and the Britannian's are often extremely racist to the Japanese population (along with any other foreigners although the focus of Code Geass was in Japan), and as I'm sure most people are aware (although I don't think we're quite as bad as the Britannian's) we're still a rather racist society ourselves (though I'm not going to try and start preaching about stuff right now lol). So I just wanted to put this warning up because I don't want to remind people of anything they might have personally gone through and cause them any discomfort or pain.
Waring: Most of what Jeremiah say (since he holds an unfortunate prejudice against Numbers) do reflect things that have been leveled at Asian, specifically East Asian people. Such as being girly or 'not real men' or woman being docile and submissive. In no way do his thoughts and beliefs reflect my own or the actual truth. This sort of thinking will be continuing throughout the story, though I will try and put warnings up. If you wish to skip that part, it starts the moment Jeremiah appears for the first time (and doesn't continue for to long) and shouldn't affect anything very important in the story (he does pop up further down the page but without a glimpse into his mind). If you do want to know what went on without Jeremiahs own thoughts, please feel free to PM me and I will give you the low down. :)
(On a side and rather embarrassing note, errors have been made. One's that I only just noticed. I have been spelling soldier completely wrong. Somehow, I got it in my head that solider (meaning something more solid) was the right way to spell soldier. Damn my inability to spell! So, I will be going through and fixing these... and any others I might find because I'm sure there are lots lol.)
...
Villetta Nu was not a woman who often let her guard down, so to find herself awakening as if from slumber in an abandoned docking station without her Knightmare was cause for worry. Especially after being visited by a ghost.
After spending almost an hour searching every corner of the secured area for her Knightmare (and possibly a girl that terrifyingly resembled 'Marianne the Flash'), she had all but given up and admitted to someone that she had… misplaced it.
It was her pride though that refused the suggestion to inform someone of her predicament. How would she explain a 7 ton, multi-million-dollar machine simply going missing? Or a dead Empress haunting her? (She had obviously heard one to many speeches from Jeremiah about how great the woman was.)
She made her way to the medical convoy, intending to get someone to check her over for a concussion, or something that would explain the gap in her memory and why she couldn't find her Knightmare. She would get herself checked out, and then she would recheck. Maybe she had missed something?
Lost in her own mind, she walked straight into a ground soldier. She apologized, rather unlike her, and continued on, oblivious to the rather short stature of the guard and the deep purple eyes that followed her.
…
"Attention all forces. Cease fire at once! I Clovis, 3rd Prince of Britannian and Royal Viceroy of Area 11, hereby command you, all forces are ordered to cease fire at once! You will also cease destruction of any buildings or property."
She watched as her brother repeated the words she had told him, with a few additional flairs of his own of course, into the microphone.
"All casualties, whether Britannia or Eleven, shale be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered. Cease fire at once! I shale allow no further fighting!"
He hadn't even changed out of his party attire, still in the same purple robes she had seen him in during his speech. This was all some sort of joke to him, wasn't it? He figured all he had to do was send in the army, order a massacre, and secure the girl, then he could just return to his party as though nothing had happened. As though he hadn't just mindlessly murdered millions. As though he hadn't just executed his favorite sister.
Her finger twitched on the pistol before she relaxed it.
She was mad, but not nearly that mad. She still had use for him after all.
The click of the microphone echoed in the closed room as Clovis finished. "Are you satisfied?" He sneered down at her from his throne. Even with a gun trained on him, he still had snark left in him.
She would give him that. He wasn't begging for his life like a coward. Not yet at least.
"Very," she hummed, approaching the throne. "Well done. Although, I'm sure your used to scripted speeches by now."
He wasn't sure who she was yet, she was sure of that. The helmet made her voice muffled and the uniform made her look like one of his own soldiers, a male soldier as well. At most he probably thought her a terrorist who had found an opening in his blockaded when he attempted to take down the red Knightmare in a single swoop.
Her ordering his Staff Officers to leave must have been a surprise for him though. She had almost been giddy at the look on his face as those loyal to him turned away.
Her brother leaned his chin on one of his white gloved hands. "And what shale we do now?" he asked, sounding bored. She could see the beads of swear across his face though. He was bluffing. "Sing a few lively ballads? Or perhaps a nice game of chess?"
She chuckled, removing her helmet. "That has a familiar ring to it." In the dark, her appearance was still unknown to him, but her voice had to be clear. At least clear enough to hopefully be recognize from their brief conversation. "Do you recall the number of times you've lost to me, Clovis, or have you lost count? Surely if you had you wouldn't have even tried. A foolish mistake on your part."
The whites of Clovis' eyes were clearly visible, even in the dark of the room. Almost all the pieces had fallen into place for him now. "You... It's… It's not possible…"
"It's been a long time, surely brother, but you would never forget the face of your favorite sister, now would you?"
She took a step forward into the light. Even if it had been 8 years since he had last seen her, it would be hard to ignore the familiar features. She did, after all, look just like her mother, and purple eyes were hardly common.
Clovis' eyes were as wide as saucers now, drinking in the sight before him.
She dipped low in a mock curtsy.
"The eldest daughter of the late Consort Marianne vi Britannia, and 3rd Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, Leloucia vi Britannia at your service, brother."
The silence in the room stretched on. She was almost worried that she had given her brother a heart attack. He was clutching his chair rather forcefully, and his face was a shade or two paler. Perhaps seeing a ghost had scared him to death.
That would make her job a lot easier.
"L-Leloucia? But you're-"
"Supposed to be dead?" She smirked up at him. "I've come back from the grave, twice now, brother. And I'm ready to change everything."
She stood up, training the gun back on Clovis.
A dull throb began in her side once more, and she knew the pain pills were wearing off. She willed them to hold out a little longer. They had given her the strength to get here, now she just had to finish things.
"I-I'm overjoyed, Leloucia!" He glanced at the gun and gulped. "They said you died when Japan was brought into the fold. What blessing to have you back! We should depart for the Homeland imminently."
"You tried to murder me, Clovis."
He gave a sort of shrieking laugh, almost like a teakettle over boiling. "N-No! No! I told them not to kill you! I swear, I did! It-it's so hard to find good help these days. Please, I'll see to their execution as soon as we return to the Homeland!"
"So you can use me as a tool of diplomacy? Or are you just trying to buy time so you can find another opportunity to kill me?"
"Please, sister, please!"
Ah, he was begging. She had wondered when he would get to that.
Leloucia snarled, the gun jerking in her hands, causing Clovis to flinch. "You killed my mother, you attempt to kill me, and you think begging will save you?!"
Her brother was shaking in his chair.
"My mother held the tittle of Knight of Honour, but that wasn't good enough for you people! She was a commoner by birth; no doubt the other Imperial Consorts held her in contempt. Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists, I am no fool! You people killed my mother!" She strode forward, shoving the gun against Clovis forehead, only slightly clumsy in her anger and weakened state.
He was nearly in tears. "It wasn't me! I swear to you it wasn't!"
"Then tell me everything you know! The truth cannot be hidden from me any longer!" The power began to build. "By who's hand was she slain!?"
Clovis' demeanor changed in a split second. His crying stopped, his hands dropped, his shoulders slumped until he was completely relaxed as the red encircled his eyes. "… Our brother, 2nd Prince Schneizel and our sister, 2nd Princess Cornelia. They can tell you."
"They did this?!"
Clovis was silent.
She almost put a bullet in his head then and there. The voices in her head were screaming at her to do it. He was useless to her. Just another pawn in the grand scheme of things. Useless.
Leloucia took a deep breath to calm herself and closed her eyes, feeling the power fade. "That's all you know, isn't it?"
"I-I swear it wasn't me!" Clovis nearly screamed as he regained himself, arms flailing about. "I had nothing to do with it!"
"I know."
Had things been different, she might have let that be the end of it.
She could feel the gun shaking as the reality of what was about to happen hit Clovis. He had ordered the slaughter of millions of innocent, almost killed Suzaku and herself, and was planning to drag her and Nunnally back to the Homeland, yet he wasn't prepared to die himself?
"Please, you can't! We may have different mothers but you and I are still blood!"
Yes, they were connected by blood. His blood. And it was His blood she had to atone for.
She fired.
Clovis slumped against his chair, twitching slightly as his body tried to catch up to what had just happened.
She felt numb again, but this time her mind was fully aware of what was happening as she stood over the body of her dead brother, his blood flecked across her cheek and the banner of Britannia behind him. Even in death he made a beautiful masterpiece.
"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."
…
"Suzaku! What was that? Why did you shut down!?"
Suzaku flinched as Cecil began to scold him through the interface system, her normally soft motherly demeanor replaced by an angry mother hen.
"I'm sorry Miss Cecil. I'm, uh, not quite sure what happened..."
Leloucia had told him to lie, tell them that the Lancelot had shut down randomly, or that he had to use the washroom, something believable. He wasn't sure what she expected of him though, seeing as she always told him he was a horrible liar.
Miss Cecil's expression changed back into the motherly expression he was used to. "Are you tired? Is the pain getting to you? We can stop for today if you wish?"
"No! I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you… Please let me continue."
He really didn't like lying to Miss Cecil, but he knew would do it again and again for Leloucia. He wouldn't betray her secrets like that.
Miss Cecil frowned, still looking worried, but sighed and gave in, telling him that next time he was on a mission for them he needed to check in when he wanted to take a break.
His surprise must have been evident, because she smiled and explained that he had exceeded their expectations and they wanted him to stay on as Lancelot's fulltime pilot. So much happiness filled him at that moment that he missed half of Clovis' announcement.
Despite everything that had happened today, despite the guilt he felt at seeing his countrymen dying around him, despite the horror of almost losing Leloucia 3 times today, this really did seem like the day everything changed for him. And maybe, just maybe, things would begin to go right for once.
…
Getting out of the Ghettos was harder than she thought it would be, especially with her bandages now undone and trailing on the ground. Every time the blood soaked fabric caught on the dirt, it tugged at the wound on her side, sending pain arching through her.
She had changed back into her jacket and the lab coat, hoping she could simply slip back into civilization and they would be none the wiser. Suzaku of course would be furious with her. She had promised to wait for him back at the abandoned building he had dropped her off in so he could take her to a proper hospital, but she couldn't rely on Lloyd and the other people who had given Suzaku that strange Knightmare to not be watching and realise who she was. Hopefully she could find him later and apologize, maybe talk with him a bit, take him to Nunnally… take him away from the military and Britannia's clawing hands.
She stumbled, falling against one of the crumbling buildings, dark blotches once again dancing before her vision.
Not this again…
Her legs gave out and she fell.
The last thing she saw before the pain finally overtook her and the world faded, was a Knightmare pilot, face stricken with terror, running towards her.
Not a pilot she recognized, no, that would have been to kind, but one she was almost certain had recognition on his face. She did look like her mother after all, and in the Military, her mother was a legend. It wouldn't take long for them to check her for the purple eyes of Royalty either.
Her luck had, unfortunately, run out.
Although she struggled to stay awake due to this new revelation, to fight back, do something, her injuries would not allow it. The pain pills had done all they could, but she had lost to much blood.
Well, Suzaku was alive at least. And Sayoko would take Nunnally into hiding as soon as she heard the news. If she died here, the world would continue to progress. She, in the end, was not needed.
Still, she would not welcome death with open arms. She would give them hell before she let it or Britannia take her.
…
"Why the hell are we letting the Elevens go?!" Jeremiah demanded of anyone who was close by. "What about the poison gas they've stolen?!"
The unfortunate soldier's he had grabbed could only quake beneath the Margraves anger. "But-But My Lord, it's by order of Prince Clovis himself…"
Argh! What a time for that snivelling excuse for a human being to muck up their operations! They had the terrorists right where they wanted them!
"What about Bartley?" he snapped. Maybe that pig masquerading as a General could talk some sense into that damned Prince. "Get the General Staff on the line!"
"They're not at their posts, Sir!"
Warnings lights were set off in Jeremiah's head.
"Are you telling me Prince Clovis is alone in the Con?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Did none of you consider the Prince might have made that announcement under duress!?"
He didn't give them a chance to explain, rushing off as fast as he could back to the Prince's Royal Convoy. As stupid as Clovis might be, he wasn't about to let yet another Royal die on his watch.
He weaved around groups of shuffling Elevens, Honorary Britannian soldiers and full blooded Britannian soldiers alike in his rush to reach the Con in time. Why did his Unit have to be destroyed so far away? If it wasn't for that damn rouge Unit he'd still have his Sutherland. He could have squished these Elevens beneath its wheels as he charged in to rescue the Prince.
He rounded the corner of a still smoking building, the Prince's Con coming into site, and stopped dead in his tracks, a new sight pushing all previous thoughts from his head.
A doctor seemed to be hobbling away from the safe zone. Normally Jeremiah would have ignored such a think, but this doctor was special. So special in fact that he wasn't even wearing a regulation Britannian uniform.
Jeremiah slowed, a grin spreading across his face.
A terrorist had slipped into their midst's and they hadn't even noticed.
He grabbed his gun from its holster and changed direction, moving instead down an alleyway parallel the one the terrorist took. Jeremiah would catch him by surprise. He had been itching to extract some revenge ever since he had been ejected by that red Glasgow and that other terrorist.
The figure stumbled out of the ally, placing a hand against the wall for support before continuing on. It seemed someone had discovered them already, but had failed to finish the job. And now it was up to him.
Jeremiah continued to stalk them, relishing in the hunt.
The man wouldn't even know what hit him. Or woman, actually. The closer he got the more he realised that this terrorist was not in fact a man as he had first thought, but a woman who had tucked her hair into the back of the lab coat.
He had nothing against woman fighters, two of the best pilots he knew were woman, but an /Eleven/ woman taking to terrorism? Eleven woman were docile, submissive, weak willed. The very notion of one being strong enough to take up arms like this was so absurd he nearly concluded that the terrorist was in fact just a man with long hair and a feminine body, which made a hell of a lot more sense than an Eleven woman terrorist.
The terrorist stumbled again and Jeremiah realised with a jolt as she pitched to the side, her eyes finding his, that she was not in fact Eleven at all, but Britannian. Not only that, but he recognized her.
"Lady Marianne!"
….
Her wake from slumber was much gentler this time. As the haze of medicine pumped into her faded and the immaculately white ceiling came into focus, she wondered for a moment if this was the afterlife.
A persistent, rather annoying noise was filling the room though and Leloucia scowled, shifting slightly on something soft. She could feel the pain, just on the edges of her nerves. Not quite there, but not quite gone either.
Either the afterlife was more painful and annoying than she had expected, or she wasn't dead yet.
She turned her head, the only part of her body that she could move without pain, and found the source of her annoyance. A heart monitor.
Despite everything else, this was what shocked her. She was in a Hospital.
It shouldn't have. She had concluded before the world went dark on her that she would be taken to a Hospital by the Knight who had recognized her. But for some reason, it still did. Maybe it was because she had avoided the military like the plague, concluding them to be the death of her if she was spotted, that she had unconsciously figured she would die as soon as she was recognized, or maybe she had figured she would bleed out long before they could even conclude her identity and should instead be waking up in whatever the afterlife was, if it even existed, or at the very least she expected to wake up chained to the bed and ready for transportation back to her father.
Instead she found herself very much alive and very much in luxury. This was not your average Hospital room, oh no, this was more like a private Hospital wing.
The door to her room creaked open and a teal haired man entered. He was tall, broad shouldered and strong jawed, a rather intimidating looking man. The long cloak of Nobility was draped over his right shoulder, his hair was slicked back, and his stance nervous, like he had dressed up to come and see her.
It didn't take her long to remember who he was. The red wing pinned to his lapel was a dead give away. Maragrave Jeremiah Gottwald.
What was a Pureblood leader doing here?
Long strides delivered him to her bed before she had time to come to a conclusion. She worked to keep the fear from her face as they watched one another, each with a similar amount of wariness.
The next second, he was on his knees, head bowed so low his teal blue locks brushed the floor. A greeting reserved for an Emperor, not an exiled Princess.
"My Lady, you do not know how much my heart sings to have found you alive." His voice was barley above a whisper and trembling as though he was crying. "When I discovered you in the Ghettos I was overcome with joy, though it was short lived when I discovered you were injured."
She could only stare at him in confusion. As a Princess, even an exiled one, she was used to being treated to bows and curtseys, those of lesser stances being force to treat her like she above them, but this was going beyond and above. This man was going so far as to embarrass himself just to show her how much above him she was.
This was not something she expected from a man such as Margrave Jeremiah.
"I beg your forgiveness, My Lady, but I know I don't deserve even that."
Leloucia frowned, clearing her throat before she spoke so that the words wouldn't get stuck. "What for?"
He flinched as though she had shouted at him, and she wondered what had driven this man to be so… fearful of her.
"For failing you, Your Highness, Princess Nunnally and-" He seemed to take a moment to collect himself. "And your mother, the Empress."
Her body went cold.
"I was part of her Royal Guards the night of her assassination and I failed to protect her. I failed her once again when I did not get to you and your sister in time. I thought this land had claimed you and my resolve must have grown dull for I could not find you until today. For that I must be duly punished."
He handed her his gun.
That was when she remembered the man for what he truly was. She hadn't recalled before, passing him off as only the leader of the Purist Faction, but that was to be expected. He just was one of thousands who had guarded her and her family. He had been so insignificant back then.
He had indeed been part of the Royal Guards, and as dedicated as any other to protecting the vi Britannian's and keeping them happy. She and her sisters had nicknamed him Orange after his eyes and the time he picked oranges from a tree for them.
He was probably only more familiar in her mind for that fact alone.
She lay the gun in her lap. "I'm not going to kill you, Orange boy."
He looked up, the shock clear on his face.
"Instead, I will request your help. Even as an exiled Princess, I still retain my right to ask for protection from a Knight. As such, I request of you Jeremiah to give your life to me."
For a moment, the man didn't say anything, lowing his head once again, and Leloucia considered that she might have been wrong. Maybe his plan to ask her to take his execution into her own hands was just a play. He had, after all, only known her as a Princess, and a young one at that. Maybe he didn't think she could do it.
Had she read him wrong?
But it didn't take long for her previous believe to be proven correct, as the man raised a tear stained face to her in what she could only describe as absolute devotion.
"You are most forgiving, My Lady. I swear I will serve as your one true Knight until the day I die." The tears continued to stream down his face, though they never affected his joyous smile. "I will gladly give my life for yours; your every wish, nay, your every whim will be my command. Your word is my law, My Princess."
He bowed his head once more.
The man was rather over the top, but she appreciated his declaration of loyalty. If it was true that was. She would have to test that.
He though, had overstepped himself somewhat.
"Not quiet," she corrected. "I won't make you my Knight until I am sure of your conviction. To live in constant wonder whether today will bring you great honour or death shale be your punishment for failing my mother. Until that point, you shale guard me with your life, but you will not be given such a noble tittle."
The man didn't raise his head, but she could see his shoulders tensing. "Yes, of course, Your Highness."
Silence once again stretched in the room before she broke it with a question she knew needed answered.
"Who else knows of my survival?"
"Not many," Jeremiah admitted, still bent by her bed. "What with the confusion over your brother…" He looked away and she realised he was trying to find a way to tell her what she already knew. That Clovis was dead, and judging from how he was acting, the 'culprit' had yet to be caught.
"Do not lie to me, Orange. I will not take kindly to it."
He raised his head. "My apologizes, My Lady. It is just that your arrival could not have come at a worse time. Your brother, the 3rd Prince, Clovis le Britannia, has been murdered."
It took her a moment to realise he was looking to her for a reaction. She mustered up what she considered a rather good display of shock as her mouth purposely fell open and her eyes widened. It wasn't until the man plucked the box of tissues from the side of her bed and presented them to her, that she realised she had actually begun crying.
It appeared killing her own half brother had left more of an emotional scar on her than she cared to admit.
"We, that is to say, me and the Purist Faction," he continued. "Decided to keep your survival under wraps until we could be sure of your safety and present you properly."
She wiped the tears from her eyes as he spoke, feeling the familiar and welcome surge of anger replace the numbness in her heart. So they planned to use her, was that it? Make the claim as her saviour in a desperate bid for power? They were fools.
"My Lady, what of Princess Nunnally?"
"Dead!" she snapped. The pain the words caused would do well to convince him of the fact, but the very thought of Nunnally being dead drove knives through her heart.
"Another failure on my part." The mans voice quavered. "I'm sorry…"
It took her a moment to sooth her anger. She folded her clenched fists in her lap, trying to hide the trembling in them. "Not your fault, Orange. The Empire was the one who invaded while we were still here."
She watched his shoulders stiffen, orange eyes glancing up at her for only a second before they lowered once again.
"I'm sure your father attempted to-"
"My father did nothing, Orange. Just as he did nothing when my Mother was killed."
Jeremiah remained silent.
"Then, the Emperor is…"
"Yes. My enemy."
Once again silence filled the room. Unlike when she was leading the terrorist, this bet held very few risks for her, but many for him.
Her identity was already revealed; her return to Pendragon and her family was quite possible a death sentence; and, most important of all, no one knew of Nunnallys survival. She, therefor, had nothing left to lose.
He, however, could still loss everything.
Slowly, Jeremiah rose to his feet, orange eyes finding hers and holding them this time. "Then he is my enemy too, My Lady."
A thrill went through her. Jeremiah Gottwald was a powerful man, made that way by the Empire. He had no reason to be treasonous, yet here he was, his life in her hands, swearing himself an enemy to the man who represented his precious Nation. All for her.
A large grin stretched across her face. "Very well then, my first request of you Jeremiah, is a phone."
…..
Sayoko nodded again and again in the dark of the room. "Yes. Yes, I understand. Right away, My Lady." She waited until the other end had hung up before doing so herself, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, and quickly wiped them away, chiding herself for them.
She had a job to do. There was no time to cry for her fallen Lady.
She picked up the phone again and dialled.
"Mistress Milly? It is Sayoko."
"Sayoko? What's up? Is everything alright?"
"I'm afraid not. Lady Leloucia has been captured."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "What? When? How? Where!?"
Sayoko shook her head, even though she knew Mistress Milly could not see her. "I asked her the same, but she informed me that it was to late. Operation Alpha is to go into effect immediately."
Mistress Milly was silent for a long time, so long that Sayoko almost felt the urge to push her to respond. But she knew Mistress Milly would be going through her own storm of emotions right now, and so Sayoko allowed her to grieve, if only for a few seconds more.
"I'll tell Grandfather. We'll keep the Summer House off limits for as long as we can and clean up after you. You just worry about getting Nunna out of here. And tell… tell her I love her, okay?"
"I will, Mistress."
"Sayoko… thank you. For everything."
Pride swelled in Sayoko. "Of course, Mistress Milly."
This time, she wiped tears of happiness as well as sadness from her face as she hung up. She allowed herself only a few seconds to grieve before she began to hurry around the room, pulling her already prepacked emergency bag out from under the bed and throwing in anything else she might need.
The door opened and Sayoko turned to find a wheelchair bound girl enter, a worried look on her sweet face.
"Sayoko?"
She whipped the tears from her cheeks. "Yes, Lady Nunnally?"
"Are you alright, Sayoko?" the small girl asked, wheeling closer. "I thought I heard crying..."
Sayoko moved over to Lady Nunnally so that she did not have to wheel the whole way, and knelt by her side, taking her small hand in her own. "I'm sorry Lady Nunnally, I have terrible news. Lady Leloucia has been caught."
The small girl tensed
"I just talked to her on the phone. I am to initiate Operation Alpha. Do not fear, Lady Nunnally, I will get you to safety."
Lady Nunnally's hand tightened on Sayoko's and a most terror stricken expression filled her face.
"No! I-I can't just leave her! Sayoko, you have to take me to where she is!"
"Lady Nunnally…"
"No! No, I demand you take me to her! Sayoko, I demand it!"
The girl was hysterical, unwilling to leave her dear sister. Sayoko commended such love, but Lady Leloucia's orders had been clear. Lady Nunnally was under no circumstances to be found.
"I apologize for this, Lady Nunnally." She reached up and pressed a pressure point on Lady Nunnally's neck. The small girl slumped in her chair.
Sayoko took the unconscious girl with her as she continued to pack up their belongings, unwilling to let the girl out of her sight now. Lady Leloucia had not been able to say much over the phone for fear it was being tapped, and what she had said was all in code. She had not mentioned one way or another if Sayoko should expect someone to be tracking them down already, most likely alluding to the fact that Lady Leloucia herself did not know.
The doorbell rang and in an instant Sayoko had shred her maids uniform, revealing the tight leotard she wore underneath in lieu of her regular Ninja garb.
She left Lady Nunnally in the corner of the room, as hidden as she could behind the bookshelf and out of view of any of the windows, and quickly took off towards the front of the house as the doorbell rang again. She slipped out the window of the second-floor landing, just above the front door. Moving as quietly as a mouse, she slowly lowered her upper half to see who was at the door, throwing knives at the ready and-
It was Mistress Milly.
Sayoko dropped silently as the girl once again rang the doorbell, even resorting to pounding on the door this time.
"Mistress Milly?"
The girl jumped and spun around, hand to her heart. "Sayoko!"
"What are you doing here, Mistress?" Sayoko asked, stepping forward. Despite the relaxed guises she put on, her hand kept a tight gripe on the knives behind her back.
She absolutely adored Mistress Milly, having taken care of her when she was younger (and far brattier), but Lady Leloucia's orders had been clear. Anyone suspicious or untrustworthy was to be eliminated.
Mistress Milly had said she would talk to her Grandfather about the Summer Home. She had mentioned nothing about showing up at their front door.
"Grandfather's sent me to tell you the car was ready. We-We have it parked out back…"
Sayoko could see how Milly gulped, eyes wide as she watched the hand behind Sayoko's back. She was well aware of how dangerous Sayoko could be, and seemed to be worried that she had found herself on the receiving end.
Sayoko relaxed though. This was all part of the protocol, although according to the plan, Master Ruben was supposed to come and tell them. She supposed she could forgive this small change though.
She bowed. "Thank you, Mistress Milly. We will be along shortly."
"Ah, yes, um… I will see you there then."
Mistress Milly left in quite a hurry after that and Sayoko returned to the upper level floor through the window. She hopped Mistress Milly would forgive her for scaring her. She did not want her last memory of the maid who helped raise her to be a bad one.
The thought sobered Sayoko even further. This was to be her last moments at Ashford Academy and quite possibly the last time she saw Mistress Milly. The girl would try and visit them she was sure, especially for Lady Nunnaly's sake, but would she be allowed and was it a risk any of them were willing to take?
She couldn't dwell on such thoughts though, and quickly moved to grab the bags. Lady Nunnally's safety came first. The quicker they were out of here, the quicker they could put some distance between themselves and anyone who might be after them.
…..
Suzaku had spent almost an hour at their designated spot, waiting for Leloucia to show. When she hadn't arrived in the first 5-minutes, Suzaku had begun to panic, worrying she might have collapsed somewhere. He had calmed himself down enough to wait a bit longer by the time 10-minutes had rolled around, only to once again begin lamenting to himself everything that could have happened to her, and then to once again calm himself by the 15-minute mark.
This pattern continued again and again until before he knew it, it was almost 9 pm.
He then spent the rest of that night searching the Ghetto's for her and practically begging Lloyd and Cecil to check the records for her name or face.
For some reason, his late-night activities must have been considered suspicious (despite all the other soldiers participating in the clean up efforts), because just as the dawn was beginning to roll around, he was arrested.
He found himself in the back of a police car, his protests falling on deaf ears, being transported to not just any old prison, but the militaries state of the art, high security prison.
No one would even tell him what charges they were laying against him.
Now he lay in a windowless cell, arms bound behind his back, in a similar straightjacket to the one the green haired girl had worn (was she why he was being arrested?), unable to tell if it was night or day and hoping desperately that Leloucia somehow found her way out of the Ghettos and to a hospital.
At least one of them had to survive this mess, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let it be him.
…
Milly slammed her hands onto the table. "Alright, listeeeeeeennnnnn up!"
The group cringed. Milly had a voice that didn't need a microphone to magnify, and a personality to match.
She had called an impromptu meeting of the Student Council long after class had ended. It wasn't exactly unheard of for her to call a meeting at strange times, but the urgency of her message had scared them. They hardly needed her to tell them to listen up when they were already sitting in worry.
Leloucia, despite them being in the same house as she and her sister lived in, had not shown up. She hadn't shown up at school either, but that wasn't necessarily uncommon. It wasn't anywhere close to being her birthday, so they had dismissed the possibility that Milly was planning a surprise party and so had excluded her, which meant Leloucia wasn't showing up n her own accord.
They hadn't seen her since she disappeared when out with Rivals, which had been at least three day ago, and no one had heard from her since. It worried them all.
Especially since they could tell that whatever reason Milly had to call them all together was making her anxious as well.
"Where is Lulu?" Sheirly pipped up. "And why did you call this meeting so late?"
"Yeah Prez, this is a rather inconsiderate time, isn't it? I was already in my Pj's when you phoned!" Rivalz added, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"I was working on my project…" Nina whispered, obviously upset about leaving her precious project behind despite her quiet voice.
"Where is Leloucia?"
"Is this another birthday party plan? It's to early Madam President!"
"She wasn't at school today either!"
"You don't think she's missing, do you…?"
"GUTS!"
Everyone cringed.
"Are you trying that guts spell again?" Rivalz questioned, giving the Prez a suspicious look. He stopped trying to kid around though at the look on Milly's face. "What's going on, Prez? Why are you so worked up? Does it have anything to do with Leloucia?"
Milly took a deep breath, looking at each of them in turn. "I'm not exactly sure how to start…"
"The beginning, Madam President," Sheirly said. "What does this have to do with Lulu? Did she get in trouble for gambling?"
Milly shook her head and gave an rather unhappy laugh. "No, nothing like that. I wish she had…"
"Milly!" Sheirly seemed to think her wish was an inappropriate one. The girl had always considered Leloucia's gambling habits one of her worst flaws.
Milly hugged herself, hoping that would somehow keep her together during all of this. "Leloucia's family found her… Or should I say, her real identity finally caught up to her."
"Her family?"
"Real identity?"
"What do you mean they found her? I thought they were dead?"
Milly shook her head again, stronger this time. "That was a lie. A lie to protect her and Nunnally."
"A lie? Why would she lie about something like that?"
"Because she didn't want to go back to her family."
"What? Why? Who's her family?"
"The Imperial Family."
A hush fell over the Student Council room, penetrated by a few whispered 'what?'s.
"She and Nunnally's real name isn't Lamperoue, but vi Britannian."
Once again the room fell silent, and even Milly wasn't sure what to say. She was used to being loud and outrageous, but something like this required tact. She shifted uncomfortably under their stares.
Rival was the first to speak up. "So your saying Leloucia, our Leloucia, is really a Princess? Same with Nunnally?"
"Leloucia vi Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia, yes."
Rivalz looked at her like she was crazy. "No way! Come on Prez, be serious. What would Princess' be doing here?"
"Is this another one of your jokes, Milly?!" Shirley was nearly in hysteria.
"This isn't very funny, Milly…" Nina added.
Milly let out a sigh of defeat, her shoulders slumping, brows drawn together.
"Look, whether you believe me or not, Leloucia needs our help. Sayoko's already moved Nunnally and now we-"
"Moved Nunnally? What do you mean?"
"Where?"
"It will be in the news sooner or later if she isn't…" Milly couldn't finish her sentence, the emotions making the words stick in her throat and tears prick at her eyes.
Leloucia and Nunnally had been as close as sisters to her. To be losing them both in one night, to different fates, she felt like part of her world was crumbling away. They had always thought they would have more time, at least until Leloucia finished school, but now… Now it was all happening too fast for her and she could barely keep up let alone keep her emotions in check.
She straighten back up, hoping she looked stronger than she felt. "You've probably heard of 'Marianna the Flash', correct?"
"Yeah, she was a military legend. She piloted one of the early Knightmare Frames, right? And later got married to the Emperor. A regular old Cinderella story."
"She got assassinated by terrorists though…" Nina added.
Rivalz chuckled, rubbing his head. "Okay, maybe not a Cinderella story, but she was pretty spectacular. My mom had a major girl crush on her. Bought a lot of merchandise just because it had her face on it. She was on every plate I ever ate off back home. But what's that…" Something seemed to dawn on Rivalz as his face paled.
Milly shook her head. "That was Leloucia and Nunnally's mother. From what she's told me, the terrorist story was just a cover. Someone in the Royal Family who was upset about the way the Empress had risen through the ranks decided to get her and her children out of the way. Nunnally was hurt in the attack and losing both her legs and sight."
Shirley clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes wide.
"After that, the Emperor wouldn't so much as give them the time of day. He cast them aside less than a week after their mother was killed and sent them to Area 11 to be political tools. Only a year after that, Britannia invaded and the Princesses were thought killed by angry Elevens. In actuality, they came to live with us, the Ashford family, hiding their identities in case they became targets again. I don't think Leloucia ever forgave her father for what happened. She blames him personally for her mother's death and her sisters crippling."
There was a mix of reactions from the group, ranging from shock and horror to disbelieve and even a few flashes of anger. She wasn't sure though if they were just angry at what had happened to their friend (she hopped it was that one), or if their devotion to the Empire was showing. They were, after all, loyal Britannian's. The Empire was all they knew, and the Emperor was practically a God to them. Just because she had seen the truth about the man, didn't mean they did.
She had come here hopping their love for their friend would triumph everything, but had she been naïve?
"I'm only telling you this because Leloucia wants us to promise her something," she stressed, crossing her fingers in hope that she hadn't just blown Leloucia's plan. "We need to swear never to mention Nunnally ever again."
Once again the group was silent, each mulling in their own thoughts.
Milly was nearly praying at this point. The Student Council were thankfully the only ones to know of Nunnally's existence in the Upper grades, and she trusted them beyond a doubt… Well, maybe not beyond a doubt. She really wished she did, she wished she trusted her friends as much as she said she did, but being born into a world of lies and deceit had trained her to trust no one but herself. Before the Ashford family had been stripped of their tittles, they had trained Milly in the ins and outs of the court and the multiple backstabbing's that went on behind the scenes and in front of an audience. She knew how fickle friendships could be and how easy it was to get duped.
Her friends hadn't grown up in the same environment though. Would they still stab someone, even a close friend, in the back just to get ahead?
Sherily, kind, caring Sheirly, spoke first. "For Leloucia and Nunnally, we'd do anything, right guys?"
Rivalz and Nina glanced at each other for a moment before they nodded. "Right."
Milly let out a sigh of relief, her legs nearly giving out from under her. Oh thank god. She knew she could trust them. She knew their friendship meant more to them than anything. She couldn't hold back her smile.
"Good, then for Leloucia and Nunnallys safety, I as President of the Student Council, command you to never mention Leloucia's sister again! Under threat of punishment from yours truly!" Her smile morphed into a wicked one, one she only used when planning how best to destroy her enemies. Despite Milly's carefree attitude, she was quite adept at devising plans of mass destruction on students who did things she didn't agree with.
That and the story Milly had told them was more than enough to prompt the rest of the Student Council into loud cheers of agreement.
….
"Do you recognize this gun, Suzaku Kururugi?"
Suzaku lifted his head, eyes finding the gun. No, he didn't recognize it, but he doubted that mattered.
They were in the militaries interrogation cell, Suzaku bound and placed on a chair, guards surrounding him, and an imposing man her recognized as the leader of the Purebloods, taking the seat across from him.
"This is the tool that was used to murder His Highness, Prince Clovis and nearly took the life of my Princess."
Suzaku flinched at that, finally showing an emotion besides solemn. His Princess? He only knew of one Princess that had been in the area… Was it possible he meant Leloucia?
"We've verified its based on the markings on the bullet and-"
"Please! The other Princess, what happened to her?"
"You insolent worm!" the man stood, slamming his hand upon the table.
Suzaku fell silent. He knew the look in the mans orange eyes. A look of hatred and disgust. Suzaku was nothing but an Eleven to him, scum of a conquered nation. He would get no sympathy here. It would be better if he kept his mouth shut, but he promised nothing. Not when he was being so unfairly treated.
The man settled once more into his chair, the tension never leaving his shoulders as though he was just waiting for Suzaku to speak out again. "I investigated your background too. You are the only legitimate child of the last Japanese Prime Minister. That's plenty of motive for you."
"There's been some kind of mistake," Suzaku pleaded, shaking his head. He couldn't help himself. He knew the men didn't believe him, but the truth had to prevail. "I've never seen this gun before! I was piloting the ASECC's Knightmare, Lancelot. Ask any of them, they'll tell you!"
One of the guards kicked the chair out from under him and his already injured cheek hit the floor, bursting into pain. Multiple shoes pounded into his body, but he didn't resist.
He was used to the beatings after all. Being an Honorary Britannia in the army didn't afford him many rights, no matter what the law said, and while the right to a fair trial was written in there, it was hardly ever followed. Just another incentive for his people to give up their culture and their pride in the name of false promises.
"Your fingerprints were found on it, don't lie to us, boy. Just admit it already and face the consequences with honour."
He wasn't about to go down without a fight. He was innocent, too many people knew that. The man had nothing.
"I told you, I didn't do it!"
The men around him once again sprang into action, pummelling him until he feared for a moment that he might pass out.
The man stood up then, a smirk on his smug face, and the beating stopped. "That's a pity. If you had, my Princess might have been merciful and killed you without pain."
Suzaku felt the cut's in his lips stretch painfully as he opened his mouth once again. He could taste blood. "Is it Leloucia? Is it Leloucia!?"
The man rounded the table in a furry, delivering a hard kick to Suzaku's face. "How dare you speak my Princess name so freely! Know your place, Eleven!"
He could feel that his nose was broke, more blood dripping into his mouth. Despite the pain though, he relaxed. Leloucia was alive. She was alive.
Suzaku went limp as the beating continued, knowing fully well that was all he could do. Not only was he tied up, but these men were full fledged Britannina and he was nothing but an Honorary Britannian. If he had ever defended himself from a beating, he would have been executed on the spot for his supposedly unprompted attack. He had seen it too many times to not know how this ended.
There was a difference between demanding he be given the same rights as everyone else, and getting himself killed over something stupid.
The beating stopped, and the teal haired man grabbed Suzaku's hair, twisting his face up to look at him.
"I'm sure my Princes will want to see your execution personally," he sneered, before dropping Suzaku and leaving as the beating resumed.
….
Three days had passed since the incident in Shinjuku and so far, there was no signs that the anyone was on to them, just an increase in surveillance and military presence in the Ghettos.
The resistance group had meet up in Ohgi's small apartment in the Setagaya Ghetto's, directly beside Shinjuku, dodging the patrols as best they could. Kallen, who couldn't be with them physically, had been put on speakerphone so she wouldn't miss anything.
"The one who contacted us must have been Kururugi Suzaku. He stopped the slaughter and even killed Prince Clovis!" Inoue was determined that this was what had happened. Ever since the death of Prince Clovis had been announced and Kururugi taken into custody as the culprit, she had been convinced it had been him talking to them. And most of the group agreed with her. "He must have been caught after he called Kallen. That's why he didn't respond when we tried to get a hold of him!"
Oghi had thought the voice had sounded Britannian, and so had Kallen, but the possibility of Kururugi Suzaku leading them was to promising to pass up. Was it possible Kururugi had adopted a Britannian accent to trick them? It wouldn't have been the craziest thing he had done…
"The son of the Japanese Prime Minister… He must have been working his way through the Britannian Military so he could get close to the Viceroy!" Tamaki cheered. He, of course, had been convinced Kururugi was nothing but a traitor when he was first mentioned. He changed his tune pretty quickly though when Inoue started to explain her belief.
"But now he's going to be executed…"
Kallen's voice cut in. "We can't let that happen! He led us to victory and saved the people of the Ghettos. We have to rescue him!"
"But how?" Ohgi asked for not the second time that night. Did he always have to be the voice of reason for this group? Was he the only one who understood how close they had come to dying? If it hadn't been for the voice… "We barely made it out of Shinjuku even with his help. And they'll be on high alert now. There's no way we would every get close to him."
Kallen fell silent. Even if it was true what he had done for them, there was nothing they could do for him. They were just one, small resistance group out of hundreds. And they weren't even that good. Without Natoto or Kururugi, they would have died in Shinjiko, and each and every one of them knew that (excluding possibly Tamaki). What could they do against Britannia without a leader like that?
...
A/N: I tried so hard to understand the Britannian Royal Family system, but I have failed drastically lol. Euphy is the 3rd Princess but is only 16 while Marrybell (who I know isn't code geass anime canon but I'm hoping to involve her in this story later on), who is also 16 (since I believe OZ takes place after Suzaku is made a Knight of the Round), is 88th Princess? So, how many girl children did you have in one year Charles? Unless of course in line for throne means something completely different than whatever the number of your birth is, which is what I thought it was at first but seem to be wrong about... (especially because I believe I heard somewhere that Nunnally is like 12th Princess yet 87th in line for the throne... also what the hell? How is Nunnally, 3 years younger than Marrybell, above her in line for the throne?). Also, there's the case that Lelouch was the 11th Prince which means there are about 8 other Princes that are older than him which I'm going to need to try and figure out... Anyway, the reason for Leloucia being 3rd (as you've probably heard a million times from other writers) is that Euphy is 3rd and since Leloucia is older than her she would take her spot.
Continuing my confused rant, how many kids did Charles have in the 3 years between Lelouch's birth and Nunnally's? 11th vs 87th, like sheesh, that's 70 different kids... I know you're the Emperor and all Charles, but don't you ever get tired? And when do you have time to run a country, attempt to kill god, and sleep with all these women enough to impregnate them? ... Maybe he just uses his Geass on baby's and their moms to make them think they're his kids? Or else maybe his wives have their own affairs off to the side and he just plays along pretending to be their father. Or maybe I just don't understand the system the Britannian's follow like I thin I do lol.
Please... I don't know if I'm just not getting it or what... but I need someone to explain this to me lol.
Also, to sort of not really answer your question Shiranai Atsune, Suzaku's Geass will be- Oh, and unfortunately that's all the time we have tonight folks! Tune in next time where this question and many, many more may or may not be answered in a few hundred chapters or so lol! Good Night!
~Kelpie
Update: Few more spelling mistakes and grammar fixed!