Chapter 3 – The Beast Within
Rai was secretly beginning to hate blacking out so much.
The silver-haired boy groggily re-entered the waking world, once again feeling the cool sheets of his bed enveloping him and the warm rays of the sun caressing his face. However, he wasn't able to really enjoy these sensations due to his mind working overtime trying to determine what caused his blackout in the first place. In his confused and disoriented state, it took him a bit to realize there was a shadow over him. Looking up, his bleary eyes vaguely recognized the blond hair and blue eyes of the lovely young lady hovering over him, but once again, his distracted mind came up with a rather odd conclusion.
"…If I keep waking up to a beautiful angel like this, I think I'll prefer death…"
The 'angel' laughed, the sound like bells chiming in Rai's ears, "Oh my, if you keep calling me an angel every time you wake up from an episode, I may have to start dressing more the part!"
The familiarity of the voice threw Rai back into reality, and his blue eyes refocused enough for him to recognize Milly Ashford's mischievous smile and playful gaze. Shaking his head to clear the last of the cobwebs, the young man adjusted himself into a sitting position and fixed the blonde president with a gentle gaze, "So…I suppose this means I need to apologize for troubling you again. You really are my guardian angel of a sort."
"To be honest, I should be saying that to you," Milly began, absently brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear, "Yesterday, you saved Nina and I from quite a dangerous situation. I shudder to think what could have become of us if you did not find us when you did."
Rai's face scrunched up a bit in concentration as he tried to recall the events of the previous day. He could remember touring the city with the student council, finding a new restaurant, and then the commotion that followed after Zero's 'rescue' of Suzaku Kururugi. However, the instance after saving the girls from the stampeding mob of frightened citizens was a complete and utter blank. If he wasn't in better control of his emotions, the slowly but steadily growing internal panic that was gnawing away at his guts might have shown on his face. Regardless, he managed a weak smile as he put up a brave front for Milly's sake.
"…It seems I can't remember anything after finding the both of you, but I am glad that I was able to help," the amnesiac boy said softly, "The two of you weren't injured at all? I don't believe I had the chance to ask before…well…"
A soft hand placed on his shoulder stopped the boy from descending into self-reproach at his episode, "We are just fine. You deflected a lot of the crowd away from us and pulled us into an alley to keep out of the way of the stampede."
The blond smiled at Rai's small sigh of relief, though internally she felt conflicted. While it was true that she and Nina had escaped physically unscathed, mentally was a different story. She did not feel the need to alert the silver-haired youth of Nina's relapse back to being more introverted, the poor young girl being traumatized by the mob of people and going so far as to avoid everyone for the rest of the day. Though in the same breath, one could also say that she had begun to develop a VERY unhealthy fascination of the same person that saved her.
"That's a relief. I'm a bit surprised to see that she is not with you now though," Rai questioned. Milly waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, she's just resting off the excitement of yesterday. I'm sure she will want to thank you herself when she wakes up…provided she can overcome her shyness."
Seeing the boy's confused look, Milly giggled, "Nina has been taking a bit of a shine to you as of late, despite not knowing you for long. It is odd for her though, especially given the fact you possess some of the facial features of a Japanese citizen." In her mind, it was best to think of Nina's growing fascination with him as a form of puppy love or a crush. More than once did the blonde haired bombshell see her green haired companion clutching at a picture of Rai sleeping on her cellphone like a lifeline of sorts when she thought she had turned away from everyone else in the room.
What Milly had pointed out was something Rai himself had noticed off hand, but with the shape of his face and eyes, he could definitely pass for being Japanese-born, so most likely he was a half-breed. The young man had resolved to figure out that mystery later on, maybe after some of his other memories returned-
Wait.
"…You said 'Japanese'…" he began haltingly, fixing Milly with a slightly raised eyebrow, "and not 'Eleven'…"
Milly giggled at his statement, but deigned to answer his query nonetheless, "Well, I for one have never been the kind to demean someone because of their blood or their country of origin. Unlike much of the noble class, I do not really agree with the Emperor's dogma of 'Pax Britannia' or the Numbers system. People have a heritage, a culture, an identity all their own. That is something to be respected and cherished, not repressed and outlawed."
Rai froze in slight shock at her words, but after absorbing them more, he could say without a doubt that his respect and admiration for Milly Ashford rose exponentially, "I must admit…that is a much better way of looking at things than I have seen from some of the others I have encountered so far. If only the rest of the world could share that same line of thought as you."
The blonde fought the blush that threatened to tint her cheeks and hid her face with a hand as she giggled again, "Oh my, aren't you the charmer. Flattery will certainly get you places with me, although not for a little while longer I'd think. You're certainly better than Rivalz and his attempts."
Rai chuckled, "I will be sure to keep that in mind. In any case, I think I'm well enough to move around again," he began, but before he could move his feet off the bed to stand, Milly pushed him back down gently.
"Easy there, you should rest more," she cautioned, while secretly admiring the feel of Rai's firm pecs under her hand and feeling his strong heartbeat, "This was your second episode in a week or so and while it may hint that you are getting better, I still take it as a sign that you have a bit of a ways to go before you are one hundred percent." It would have been so easy to fall prey to the moment of weakness that was overcoming her, being so close to him. Yet, she was high-born and thus had moral obligations she had to keep, at least for now.
The amnesiac boy wanted to refute his friend's observations, but he could feel it himself that he wasn't at optimal strength just yet. Sighing, he reluctantly obeyed and leaned back down into the sheets. As he settled in again, he gave Milly a slight smirk, "So, would I be correct to assume that you will be taking the role of my nurse from now on? It seems you are always the one looking after me when I have an episode."
For the second time, the blonde president had to fight a blush, although she wasn't as successful as before since a bit of pink did dust her cheeks. Pausing for a moment, she gathered herself up again and replied, "Hmm…that does sound like a fun idea, and it would give me the chance to put my nursing outfit to good use…but alas, that must wait for another day. Get your rest, Rai, and I'll come back to check on you later."
After ruffling his hair a bit, bringing a blush to Rai's face, Milly walked out of the room. After she closed the door behind her, she leant back against it and let out a sigh of relief, "Goodness…he really has no idea what he is doing to me, does he?"
Her face now a light red, the cunning young woman looked over her shoulder to the door that now separated her from the young man who's kind heart and gentle smile made her feel rather hot under the collar without any effort on his part.
"I'll have to be a little more careful with him," she said to herself, "I don't want to do anything too untoward to him so soon." Though that wasn't to say her dreams that night wouldn't be of the more…adult variety with EVERY untoward thing she wanted to do to him and vice versa coming true.
As she finally got enough strength in her legs to head to the office, Milly took out her phone and began dialing a number, 'I should notify someone to be his guide later in case he requires assistance again…and I know just the person for the job!'
"Hello, Kallen?" Milly greeted through the earpiece, "How are you on this wonderful day? I was just calling with a request for you that I think you might like~"
After waiting for a couple more hours and making sure Milly wasn't coming back for a surprise visit, Rai decided to head off on his own despite her warnings. Getting out of bed, he rummaged through a bag of clothes that the others had helped him purchase during their outing prior to the disaster at the restaurant. Selecting a pair of fashionable looking black jeans, a light blue t-shirt, and a white hooded jacket that ended at his knees, the young man quickly dressed, placed on his new black sneakers and hastily left his room and the dorms in quick succession.
"Please forgive me for being disobedient, Milly," Rai whispered, placing his hands together as if in prayer while facing the very place he just escaped from, "But staying in that room would have given me cabin fever. Besides, this is honestly the best I have felt in a while." It was true, which was surprising considering the last episode he had left him feeling weak and lethargic. At least it gave him a rather…generous view of Kallen in the end.
Making his way off campus, the young man suddenly had a strange feeling. Glancing back at the dorms, he narrowed his eyes in thought and hummed to himself.
'Hmm…why do I get the feeling that I am about to cause misfortune to someone right about now? Ah well, it can't be that important.'
Unbeknownst to him, as soon as he had gone out the door to the dormitories, Kallen had just arrived at his room, and she was not too happy at the prospect of being his guide for the day.
"Stupid Milly…just had to blackmail me into this," the fiery red-head grumbled as she knocked harder than normal on the door, "Rai! Open up! It's me, Kallen! Milly told me to keep an eye on you for the day!" Since he had seen her without the sickly persona on, she had no reason to hide her true self around him so long as she was assured nobody else in the school or city was nearby.
Getting no reply, the young woman sighed in frustration and impatiently walked in, "What the heck are you doing-"
Her words ground to a halt as she realized she was the sole occupant of the room, the silver haired boy being nowhere in sight.
"Oh no…where the hell did he go?" she questioned as she tore through the entire bedroom, peeking into the bathroom and checking every nook and cranny for any sign of the amnesiac young man, "Milly said he'd be right here! Where could he have gone?!"
Kallen's thoughts instantly took a turn for the worse as she contemplated just what could have happened to the boy, 'Oh no…did he run?! Could he possibly be heading to the Britannian military to rat me out?! Wait…no…he promised me…and he doesn't seem like the kind to go back on his promise…Awwww, it doesn't matter what he's doing, he's missing and Milly's gonna KILL me if I don't find him!'
Clutching at her hair in a panic, she ran out of the room, heedless of the fact she had messed up her hair and looked more like the fierce rebel soldier than the sickly, prim Stadtfelt heiress she was disguising herself as at the academy.
Her only concern at the moment was locating her missing charge before her president found out…and made her pay for her grievous error dearly. She had heard the horror stories of what fate befell Lelouch during the dreaded 'cross-dresser ball', which made her shudder at what the demonic witch of a president could do to her.
"Dammit Rai! Where the hell are you?!"
"Hmm…I'm sure it's probably just my imagination," the silver haired youth concluded before taking a taxi into the city proper. He had a little spending stipend from the Dean of the Academy until he was on his feet and financially stable so he could afford to take a solo outing in the bustling metropolis. After getting out near the courthouse in the downtown district, Rai took in his surroundings and picked a random direction to walk in. Despite not recognizing anything around him, the young man found himself feeling at peace. It was a nice, sunny day and the people were milling about like normal. No danger, no threats, no unexpected surprises-
"Excuse me! Look out below!"
'Why do I always speak too soon?'
Quickly raising his head, Rai immediately spotted what appeared to be a pink-haired woman falling from one of the higher floors of the courthouse. Springing into action before he knew it, the silver haired youth jumped towards the girl, catching her several feet above the ground before landing as soft as he could to prevent hurting her.
"I'm so sorry, I had no idea that anyone was down here until after I leapt," the girl apologized, her voice ethereal to Rai's ears, "I didn't hurt you at all, did I?"
"No, not at all," he replied, finding himself slowly being drawn into her bluish-violet gaze, "I should be asking you if you were hurt. As well as what caused you to leap from such a high place without knowing whether or not something was down here to break your fall. You really could have hurt youself."
The girl paused for a moment before offering up a smile, "Well…see the truth is, there are some rather bad people chasing me, and I had to jump in order to get away! In consideration of the circumstances, would you be willing to help me?"
While he sensed something was off regarding the girl's explanation of what happened, for some reason Rai couldn't help but want to lend a hand, almost as if he was attracted to her by some powerful force he could not describe.
'Somehow…I can't seem to say no to this young woman…like she reminds me of someone…but who?'
"I would be happy to assist you however I can, Miss," Rai began as he set the woman on her feet, before realizing he had no idea what her name was. Realizing this, the pink-haired beauty held out her hand, "My name is…Euphie." Her eyes shifted slightly as she gave him her name, but he took that as a sign of nervousness more than anything else.
"Miss Euphie. Forgive my manners, my name is Rai," the silver haired youth took her hand and gently kissed the top of it, earning a slight blush from Euphie, "Well, if people are after you, I suggest we leave the area immediately."
Clasping her hand gently in his own, Rai began to lead her away from the courthouse. All the while Euphie kept glancing at their hands and felt oddly warm, as if the young man's very life force oozed comfort and safety.
'He's so kind…I feel as if I could trust him, even though we've only just met…oh dear, my sister would have such a fit if she knew this.'
Unbeknownst to the two, they had been briefly noticed by Suzaku, who had just left his hearing and been cleared of all charges when they were all 'mysteriously' dropped due to all the evidence being called into question.
'Huh…wonder what's their hurry…'
Before he could dwell on the matter any longer, Suzaku felt someone pulling on his arm. A quick look revealed the culprit to be Cecile, Lloyd's assistant. The enigmatic earl himself was waving to them from a parked knightmare frame transport truck.
"Come along now, Private Kururugi! We have quite a bit of work to be done and unfortunately thanks to your acquittal, you'll be working for me again!"
The honorary britannian wouldn't realize until later on why the man's words sent a chill down his spine. Until then, a forced smile was brought forth as he thought about how these two at least seemed to care about him more so than anybody else he's met aside from his childhood friends.
Having no clue where to go due to how he himself was new to the city, Rai led Euphie on an aimless tour, both of them taking in the sights around them in wonder. However, the pink-haired beauty never stopped smiling due to an amusing peculiarity.
Throughout their sojourn up until that point, Rai had never let go of the young woman's hand. It was funny, as Euphie realized this was the first time a boy outside of her family had ever done such a thing. What made it more amusing is that it didn't even seem to register to the silver haired youth that he was still doing it.
'Normally I would have pointed it out by now, but for some reason I just can't bring myself to do so. Maybe it's because this situation is so much like those romance novels I read,' she thought as they left the shopping district and entered a large park in the area.
"So, where do you wish to head to next milady?" Rai asked, knocking Euphie from her musings, "I think we've seen just about everywhere in the shopping district and unfortunately I do not really know about where the other popular tourist destinations in the city are."
Euphie placed her free hand on her chin in thought as she tried to decide their next destination. Suddenly, she remembered the one place she felt she absolutely had to visit no matter what, "Actually Rai, there is one area that I have to see before I go. Could you take me to Shin-"
"WHAT KINDA CRAP IS THIS YOU ELEVEN PIG?!"
Both teens looked over to see a Japanese souvenir vendor being heckled by four Britannian students, all in uniform. Three of them were flanking their 'leader', looking on smugly as the last member of the group angrily kicked over the vendor's cart of electronic goods, spilling headphones and music players all over the ground.
"Talk about shitty quality," the angry youth blustered before spitting on the downed cart, "Figures you Elevens can't even make a decent set of headphones. Why the hell we even allow you freaks into the city is beyond me."
"P-P-Please…no more! I-I-I gave you your r-refund already!" the frightened vendor pleaded, kneeling down and gathering whatever hadn't broken in the initial fall of the cart. He didn't expect the youth to suddenly kick him in the stomach, driving him back from the cart as he clutched his midsection in pain along with dropping his merchandise once more across the pavement.
"Tch. Somebody ought to teach you how things work around here," the youth sneered before motioning to his friends, "C'mon boys, let's show this loser how we 'welcome' Elevens in this part of town."
Before the boys could move in, they all suddenly found their path impeded by a silver-haired boy with sharp looking blue eyes. One of the main bully's friends took an intimidating step forward, "Hey buddy, move it or lose it!"
"That man has done nothing wrong and yet you attack him solely due to his place of birth," Rai whispered menacingly, "…such disgusting behavior should be beneath you Britannians."
The leader of the group punched his hand menacingly, "Hey loser, this ain't any of your business. Just step aside and maybe we'll let you walk away with all your teeth intact. Maybe."
"Rai!" Euphie called out as she ran over to him. The offending group of students gawked at her as soon as she entered their visual range.
"Duuuude, check her out," one of the other boys whispered to the leader, "Haven't seen her around before…think she's a model?"
The lead bully sniffed, "Worry about the girl later, first we gotta take care of Mr. Random Hero over here and then that shitty Eleven that thought he could sell us that cheap crap of his."
"Can't you just walk away and leave this man alone?" Rai asked, not wanting the confrontation to become physical. While he knew he possessed athletic talents thanks to his earlier feats, he wasn't so sure if martial arts were something else he knew. Given the situation, he really did not want to test that theory.
Unfortunately the choice was taken out of his hands when the lead bully rushed him, his right arm pulled back in preparation for a full-on right hook, "DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU, PRETTY BOY!"
Just before his fist made impact, the boy was shocked when Rai caught the incoming hit with one hand and in one fluid motion, pivoted on his foot and slammed the bully onto the ground over his shoulder.
"Gahhh!" he screamed, spittle flying from his mouth at the impact. Behind them, his crew of friends were frozen in disbelief. None of them expected the leader, who was almost twice Rai's build, to get manhandled so easily.
"I…didn't mean to do that," Rai admitted weakly, letting go of the boy's arm and letting him get back to his feet. That would prove to be a mistake.
"You think you're hot shit?! THAT'S IT! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!" he screamed, infuriated at being embarrassed so easily, "GET 'IM, BOYS!"
The three rushed Rai immediately, ignoring Euphie's pleas to stop. They were all in for a surprise as one by one, the silver-haired youth easily evaded their blows, even going so far as to maneuver one boy to take a punch from the other. When one of them tried to tackle him, Rai jumped over the lunge, and had to suddenly fight the reflex to stomp on the boy's back as he passed under him. The lead bully tried several times to punch him, but Rai dodged every blow with minimal movement, until finally on an outstretched punch, he blocked with one hand, checked the offending arm to the side with the other, and countered with a punch that nearly broke the bully's jaw. Seeing their leader sent back to the ground and not get up this time caused the other three to panic. Though that wasn't the only reason they ran so quickly. No, the reason that they ran was because during the entire fight, the boy never once tried to concentrate on the fight. Instead, he looked lost, confused and embarrassed that he was doing this. It spoke of skills FAR beyond their level.
"We'll remember this, you bastard! Next time, you're dead meat!" one of them threatened as he helped the others gather up their larger friend and ran from the plaza. Rai could only look on in slight confusion, having no idea how he managed to pull off defending himself so well, even going so far as to look at his fists in wonder. Euphie and the vendor were equally shocked, the thought of such a peaceful looking young man possessing the skills to fight off multiple opponents and triumph without any effort involved whatsoever disturbing them deeply.
'I had no idea…I never expected…just who are you, Rai?'
Shaking his head with a sigh, the silver-haired young man walked over to the vendor and helped him to his feet, "Are you going to be alright, sir?"
"I-I think so…probably just a bruised rib or something," the vendor waved off, before smiling at the blue-eyed youth, "Thank you so much for helping me. You really didn't have to such a thing for someone like me…"
"What they were doing was cruel and unfair, and I despise that kind of behavior," Rai replied as he helped sit the man on a bench before going over to his downed cart and placing it back upright, "No one deserves to be persecuted based on their blood, their origin, or any other characteristic that makes them unique. Now let's get this cleaned up and then you can close up for the day and see a doctor."
As he continued to pick up the spilled goods and chat with the vendor, Euphie watched him from afar, a smile on her face as she witnessed his kindness.
The budding warmth she had started to feel in her chest when she first met the kind boy before her grew even more.
Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald found himself thinking quite a bit these days.
After his humiliation at the procession to take Suzaku Kururugi to trial, much had changed for the pureblood knight, and almost none of it for the better. Relieved of his command, placed under suspicion by his peers, and shunned by all but his closest associates, the once prominent soldier had truly fallen from grace.
As he sat in his Sutherland Knightmare frame, patrolling around the outskirts of the Shinjuku Ghetto, the blue haired young man thought back to that moment where it all spun out of control. However, try as he might, he couldn't recall a single detail after the moment he matched his gaze with the terrorist, Zero.
'It's absolutely ludicrous! I had no intent whatsoever to release him, and yet…dammit! Why can I not remember?! This just doesn't make any sense…!'
Try as he might, the young Margrave just couldn't put the pieces together. How one moment he was defying and challenging that upstart terrorist, and the next he's in a prison cell, watching footage of himself ordering his soldiers to release Kururugi, even going so far as to attack his own men to allow Zero and Suzaku to escape.
'Maybe…was I drugged? I didn't feel any different, but maybe that blasted terrorist somehow managed to-'
"Lord Jeremiah! Come in, Lord Jeremiah!"
Jarred from his thoughts by the incoming transmission, the disgraced pureblood picked up his communicator and replied, "What's going on, Villetta? I'm out on patrol in Shinjuku right now hunting for Zero on a tip Kewell gave me and I need to focus-"
"It's a trap! Kewell-"
A loud shriek erupted from the radio, before only static was heard, signaling that his communications had gone out, "What in the world?! Trap? What could she be talking about?"
Before he could muse on the desperate call from Villetta, his knightmare shook violently from an explosion, the sound of several rounds scoring hits on his armor echoing in the cockpit.
"Aargh! What the hell?!"
"Lord Jeremiah Gottwald! The Orange Traitor! Today is the day you fall, for the preservation of the Purists!"
Lifting his head from where he hit his console, Jeremiah glanced at the viewport. He hadn't realized he had gone so far into the Shinjuku ghetto, as he was surrounded by the ruined husks of apartment buildings and shops.
Standing atop the cracked roofs and in the alleys were at least five knightmare frames, their colors and emblems matching those of the same pureblood faction he once controlled. Before him he noticed a familiar blue knightmare with the emblem of the Soresi family on its shoulder, "…Kewell? Kewell Soresi?! What is the meaning of this?!"
Inside the cockpit of his knightmare, Kewell sneered, "This is retribution, Lord Jeremiah. Because of your traitorous actions, you have brought shame to the Purist Faction! Our loyalty has been put to question by the entire Britannian army and we face disbandment all thanks to you!"
Jeremiah was almost beside himself with anger, his face purpling with rage at such blatant disloyalty in the younger man's words, "You dare! How many times to I have to tell you, I can't remember doing ANY of that!"
"Enough with your lies!" Kewell screamed, "We all saw you! The toxicology reports were all negative, so we know you weren't drugged into it! You refuse to explain what "Orange" is and you continue to spout such a whimsical excuse as that…it is clear now that you have been against us all along! You are no longer fit to lead us!"
The Margrave couldn't believe his ears. These men had been his comrades for years, even after his failure to prevent the death of his beloved Lady Marianne. To see them all against him in such a way tore at his heart. Especially Kewell, who he had thought to be his most loyal comrade next to Villetta herself. For him to give false information, to draw him into this deathtrap…'This must be what Caesar felt when he uttered that famous phrase. 'Et tu, Brute?' indeed...except replace Brutus with Kewell.'
"So this is what Villetta was trying to warn me of…dammit!" he quickly reversed his knightmare frame, but before he could get far, three slash harkens crashed into his side, forcing him through the walls of several ruined buildings.
"Don't think you can escape your judgement, traitor!" the screeches of Kewell pierced Jeremiah's ears as he tried to right his Sutherland and move, "Accept the punishment for your crimes with honor!"
'Dammit! I will not let it end like this! Not before I've even had the chance to right my greatest error! Lady Marianne, please give this lowly soldier your strength so I may continue to look for your children! FOR LORD LELOUCH! FOR LADY NUNNALLY!'
With that thought burning in his mind, Jeremiah jumped from the ground and tackled one of the purist faction frames, creating an opening. The other frames quickly pursued, firing several rounds at the fleeing Margrave, some of them hitting unfortunate Elevens who were still in the area trying to avoid the conflict.
"Don't worry about the Eleven trash, just concentrate on brining that traitor down! For the glory of Britannia and the Purist Faction!"
Jeremiah gritted his teeth as he continued to run, "Damn that Kewell…there has to be some way out of this…"
After saying their goodbyes to the vendor, who had gifted them with a few items that he refused to take back, Rai and Euphie continued with their walk further into the ghetto. Seeing the poor state of the area quickly brought down the vibrant young woman's mood, while the tension in the atmosphere unnerved the amnesiac young man. For some reason, something about the place felt familiar to him…and not in a good way.
"I don't think it would be wise to remain here for too long, Miss Euphie," Rai advised quietly, his eyes unconsciously scanning about for any signs of danger, "There is a palpable tension here. Almost as if the deceased are crying out even after death."
"I will not be long," Euphie reassured, gently squeezing his upper arm to put him at ease, "This place…it's horrible, the horrors these people have been forced to suffer. To think I've been blind to all this until now…"
As they continued on, the two passed a makeshift memorial made to honor the lives lost in the Shinjuku massacre. Several pictures were taped onto broken metal beams, with flowers, ribbons, toys and more placed on the ground beneath them. Stepping up to the memorial, Euphie knelt and bowed her head, saying a silent prayer for the dead. Rai stood back and observed, while silently fuming at the meaningless loss of so much life.
'So many innocent people killed…and for what reason? Just because they were different from those who 'rule' them?'
Though as Rai continued to think such thoughts, a grimace found its way onto his lips as he had a sinking feeling that in his past, there was a chance he could have been the same way. He shook his head to throw away such thoughts and put a neutral face on so Euphie didn't have to worry about him on top of the emotional stress she was already feeling.
Slowly rising back to her feet, the pink-haired woman turned and walked back to her 'bodyguard' for the day. Rai could tell that she was trying her best not to cry, the unshed tears glistening in her eyes, "Are you…alright, Miss Euphie?"
Euphie nodded, "Yes…I'll be just fine. This trip was just what I needed," she looked back into the young man's eyes, her own shifting from saddened to determined, "Thank you so much for bringing me here despite the dangers. I don't think I can ever repay you for your kindness."
"There's no need to thank me Miss Euphie, I was happy to be of assistance," Rai replied, dismissing her gratitude with a small wave of his hand. "So I guess this marks the end of our time together?"
Euphie pouted, upset that her time with the silver-haired young man had come to an end. She truly wanted to spend more time with him despite barely knowing him. "Actually…maybe we can still-"
Whatever she meant to say was cut off by the sound of something crashing into the ground only a few blocks away. Rai moved quickly to cover the young woman from the cloud of dust that rushed towards them, wincing as several small rocks hit him in the back. Thankfully they had been far away enough from the area of impact that there was no injury to him save some scuffs on his clothes.
"Miss Euphie, are you alright!?" he asked as the dust began to settle. Euphie shook in his arms from the shock, but was soon able to calm herself down, "Y-Yes, I'm fine. What happened?!"
"I'm not sure," looking down the road, the amnesiac boy spotted what looked to be a downed knightmare frame, pitted with scars from taking gunfire and dented from several slash harken attacks. The frame slowly got back to its feet and rolled off as fast as it could.
"GET BACK HERE, TRAITOR!" Kewell cried out as he and his four cohorts resumed the chase. One of them managed to cut Jeremiah off, "Got you now!"
Seeing the battle begin to unfold, Rai quickly pulled Euphie to her feet and ran from the scene with her in tow. "We have to move, now! If a battle breaks out here we will not survive it!"
Euphie struggled to keep up, her breathing erratic and eyes wide as she glanced back to see the carnage. Jeremiah's Sutherland had just had its escape sealed off, but the desperate soldier thrust his lance forward, piercing the opposing frame's midsection and flinging it away…right at Rai and Euphie. So desperate to get her to the safety that was in front of him, Rai didn't see the danger that was coming from behind. Thankfully, the one he was pulling along WAS aware and that alertness ended up saving them both.
"GET DOWN!" Euphie screamed as she pulled Rai to the ground, the boy's head just barely avoiding being torn off by the flying armor. The frame crashed into another wrecked apartment building, the impact decimating the front of it and knocking loose the walls of the adjacent ruin.
"Damn that bastard! Men! Continue the pursuit! Don't lose sight of the traitor, he has nowhere to hide!" Kewell ordered furiously as he and the remaining three frames dashed off after Lord Gottwald. Back at the ruined area, Euphie coughed some dust out of her lungs as she and Rai got back to their feet, "Are you….alright, Rai?"
Rai shook some of the dust from his hair and graced the young woman with a smile that brought a small blush to her face, "I am ok, thanks to you and your quick reflexes."
Looking around the area, the silver-haired boy grimaced. Most of the buildings had been flattened by Jeremiah's escape, with others being pitted with holes from gunfire. Thankfully, that section of the ghetto was mostly abandoned, so casualties had been kept to a bare minimum.
'So long as we're both still on foot, we won't be able to escape should those knightmare frames return…there has to be a faster way out of here,' Rai mused as the sounds of battle echoed from afar. He suddenly found his eyes pulled towards the downed Sutherland frame that the fleeing Gottwald had taken out. Guided by an unknown sense, Rai quickly ran towards the unit, as Euphie struggled to keep up with him. Reaching the knightmare's foot, the silver-haired boy quickly saw the damage from Jeremiah's lance.
'The lance seems to have missed most of the vital components, which means this Sutherland should still be operational. Movement may be compromised by about 30%, combat capability is also compromised by approximately 40%, however if engagement can be avoided, it should still-'
Euphie stared at Rai worriedly as he climbed the rubble up to where the cockpit should be. Keying in a code on the side that he had quickly noticed someone wrote down next to the controls, the young man stared blankly as the hatch opened and ejected the seat, revealing an unconscious and apparently quite forgetful Purist pilot. He wasn't bleeding anywhere, and his breathing was even, indicating he had simply fallen unconscious from the impact.
"Miss Euphie, I believe we can use this to escape. Please get in," Rai requested, the pink-haired woman being jarred from the shock of seeing him expertly unlock the Sutherland's cockpit and heading over to the boy. With a little assistance from Rai, she was able to reach the top of the rubble pile to the seat, however it was here she noticed a small problem.
"Rai, I don't think both of us can fit in here…this cockpit looks a bit cramped-"
"Just sit in my lap while I pilot. It will be a little inconvenient, but it will ensure that we get out of this alive."
'In…his…lap…' The pink-haired beauty blushed even worse at the suggestion, until the sound of the battle starting to get closer again forced her hand. Waiting for Rai to get into the seat, Euphie carefully sat on top of him before he closed the unit, making sure she was sitting squarely on his legs and not further up on his lap. Moments later, the lights from the monitors came on, along with a warning regarding the damage. Rai entered several commands on the interface, once more getting the code from a note left next to the controls by the impossibly inattentive pilot and the unit slowly began to get back onto its feet, landspinners screeching as they struggled to get a good footing on the ground.
"Rai…how do you know how to operate one of these?" Euphie asked, before gasping at the almost mechanical look that had appeared in the young man's eyes, 'It's as if he's in a trance of some kind…'
"I…am not sure, but I am grateful that I possess this knowledge," the silver-haired boy replied haltingly, as if he himself was in conflict over his newly discovered skill set, "Now we can leave the area without issue."
As he slowly managed to move the Sutherland from the rubble, a large crashing sound echoed from two blocks down. Jeremiah's Sutherland once again slammed through a building, however it was now missing its right arm, lance, and left leg from the knee down. Standing triumphantly over the downed frame, Kewell and the remaining three purists aimed their lances for the killing blow.
"Don't worry Lord Jeremiah, we'll say you died in battle. Your family name will not be disgraced."
"KEWELL! YOU BASTARD, YOU ACTUALLY INTEND TO KILL ME?!" Jeremiah screamed, consumed with rage at his former subordinate's betrayal.
Kewell sneered, "This is the only way we can cleanse the Purists before Princess Cornelia assumes control of this area," the Purist then noticed the damaged Sutherland standing not too far away, "Ah, so you survived. Very good. Come here and help us dispose of this filthy traitor so we can make our report."
Rai and Euphie stood still, one calm while the other glanced over in worry, "Rai…what will they do if they realize it's not their comrade in here, but us?"
The silver haired man paused, as he slowly began weighing their options in his mind, 'Engagement should be avoided here…I don't know if I can operate this thing well enough in a combat situation. But I don't believe I can get far before those units overtake us…'
"Unit 5, respond! Are you unable to assist due to damage?" Kewell asked again before activating the video feed, "Unit 5-wait, who are you?! What are civilians doing inside a Britannian knightmare frame?!"
Turning to two of his subordinates, the new Purist faction leader ordered, "Units 2 and 3, subdue that Sutherland while Unit 4 and I dispose of this man!"
"Yes sir!" the two replied before turning their lances towards Rai and Euphie, their landspinners kicking up a cloud of dust as they charged.
"Rai! They're coming!" Euphie warned. The silver haired boy quickly brought up his own lance in an expert block, preventing the two units from taking out his arms.
'It's unavoidable now…I have to protect Miss Euphie'
Suddenly, a flash passed through the amnesiac's mind, and he heard the echoes of voices in his head.
'…Protect them…Save them…'
'Your power will save the world…will save the ones you love…'
'Test results exceed expectations…combat capabilities are well beyond predicted parameters….'
'Fight….kill….survive…'
Euphie watched in shock as Rai raised his head, his eyes hollow yet filled with a strong determination.
His hands shifted on the controls and the Sutherland suddenly threw the other two units back, catching both pilots by surprise.
"What the hell…how did he manage that?!"
Aiming his own lance at the two aggressors, Rai uttered several words before he struck back.
"Mission Acknowledged. Protect Euphie…destroy ALL threats. Mission…engage!"
"Dammit…first Rai goes missing, and now there's a battle going on in Shinjuku…" Kallen cursed as she piloted her red Sutherland carefully through the ruins of the ghetto. She had gotten a call from Tamaki about a squad of Britannian Sutherlands fighting one of their own while she had been looking all over campus for the missing amnesiac. Forced to abandon her search, the red-haired rebel quickly made her way to the Resistance outpost and boarded her knightmare frame, taking to the streets minutes later. Using her radar and the sound of battle that echoed in the air, Kallen was quickly able to find the enemy frames.
"This is Kallen, I've located the Britannians. Seems like one is damaged on the ground, two of them are about to finish it off," she then glanced over to the others…and gasped in shock at what befell her eyes. Though she felt numb, her fingers clumsily managed to hit the record button on her factosphere.
"Kallen? Is something wrong? What's going on over there?!"
"…Ohgi…you're not gonna believe this…"
"Have you reached the target point yet, Suzaku?" Cecile asked over the communication link as Suzaku forced the Lancelot to move faster through the rubble-ridden streets. After being picked up from the courthouse by Lloyd, the recently acquitted Honorary Britannian had been taken to an abandoned stadium in Shinjuku to run some more tests on the Lancelot. Not too long after their arrival, the sound of battle taking place interrupted the testing. Getting a bad feeling, Suzaku immediately launched, despite the mild and quite insincere protests from the sociopathic scientist.
"I'm approaching it now, so far no signs of conflict," Suzaku answered back, keeping his eyes peeled for the offending units. All around him he could see the signs of battle, from the bullet-ridden buildings to the wild tracks left in the ground from landspinners. Turning another corner, the green-eyed pilot saw a downed Sutherland missing several parts as it was about to be skewered by two other Sutherlands' lances.
"I found them! It looks like the Purist Factions is assassinating one of their own…wait, there's another fight going on not too far away from that one."
Forcing the Lancelot to jump onto one of the sturdier buildings for a better look, Suzaku immediately turned towards the sounds of another fierce battle.
"See anything of interest, Private Kururugi?" Lloyd's disinterested voice filtered over the radio, before Cecile pushed him away from the microphone, "Have you found anything else of note?"
Suzaku focused his attention on the fight between three other Purist faction Sutherlands. Two were ganging up on another of their own, who seemed to be damaged, "Two other frames are about to take on another of their own. The solo frame is damaged-wait, it's charging!"
The honorary britannian's eyes widened in disbelief at what he witnessed next and it was all he could do to remember to link the video feed to his compatriots.
"What the hell-AAAAHHHHH!" the pilot of Unit 2 could only scream as he was skewered on the point of Rai's lance, the weapon passing clean through the cockpit and killing the pilot instantly before the silver-haired boy swung the unit off his weapon into another building, the ruptured generator going critical and exploding in brilliant fashion, ensuring the total destruction of the enemy.
"…Impossible…he just took out Unit 2 like he was a new recruit! How the hell does a civilian do that?!" the pilot of Unit 3 panicked before charging desperately, "DAMN YOU, BASTARD!"
Rai effortlessly deflected the incoming lance with his own before punching the offending unit in its factosphere, effectively blinding it. While Unit 3 tried to get its bearings back, the silver-haired boy quickly used its slash harkens to take out its arms before thrusting his lance into the midsection of the frame.
"Dammit! He got me right in the generator! Lord Kewell, look out!"
The cockpit ejected just as the Sutherland went up in flames as well. The fires cast an ominous shadow on Rai and Euphie's damaged knightmare as it turned to face Kewell and Unit 4.
"…Rai…how did you…" Euphie asked softly, her eyes frightened as she watched Rai decimate the two attacking Sutherlands with calculated ease. Rai said nothing to her as he prepared to attack anyone else that would try to harm Euphie, "Mission update: two enemy units downed. Threat level to Euphie remains high. Continuing mission." He muttered, along with various other status updates that showed up in a continuous stream from the Sutherland itself, which had been pushed far beyond its design limits and was on the verge of a complete breakdown.
"That boy can't be a regular civilian! He must be with the resistance or the terrorists from the other day!" Kewell shrieked in panic as he stood by and watched his men be killed almost effortlessly, "Unit 4! Destroy them!"
"Y-Y-Yes sir!" Unit 4 hesitated for a few moments before charging lance first. Rai's Sutherland charged as well, using the momentum to jump and flip over the desperate lunge. Placing his unit's hand on the lance to position him for the best counterattack, Rai plunged the weapon down right into the cockpit unit of Unit 4. The pilot never saw his death coming until he had already been crushed, his unit crumbling to the ground in a motionless heap.
'How?! HOW?! HE DEFEATED THREE OF MY BEST PILOTS IN MERE MINUTES! Kewell shook with fear as the rogue Sutherland slowly made its way towards him in a slow and methodical 'walk', almost as if it were a predator savoring the kill it wanted most of all. Meanwhile, on the ground, Jeremiah was speechless at the display of combat prowess. The Purist Faction had some of the most elite pilots in the Britannian army. To see a civilian utterly defeat three of them in a span of a few minutes was mind-boggling.
'They never stood a chance…whoever that boy is…he's a monster…'
Kewell's Sutherland reached toward its hip and grabbed a cylindrical device, "Stay back! You monstrous fiend! This is a chaos mine! Either cease your resistance or die!"
Seeing the offending knightmare refuse to stop, the enraged Purist quickly hurled the mine into the air.
Euphie's eyes widened in fear, "Rai! We have to take cover!"
Just before Rai could move, a white blur landed in front of them just as the mine went off. Countless fragments of shrapnel crashed into the emerald-colored Blaze Luminous shields emitted by the Lancelot as it shielded itself and the rogue Sutherland behind it. Despite being only in the testing phases and even threatening to fail a few times, the shield held strong and weathered the assault. Once the mine was depleted, Suzaku lowered his shields before hailing all the other units on his radio, "What is the meaning of this battle?! Aren't you all fellow Britannian soldiers?!"
"What business does the Special Corps have here?!" Kewell demanded, temporarily overcoming his fear by addressing the Honorary Britannian, "Any who interfere will die! That includes you and that inhuman bastard behind you!"
"You can't be serious-OMPH" Suzaku grunted as the Lancelot was pushed out of the way by Rai, the rogue Sutherland charging Kewell. The silver haired boy glared at the unit that dared to try and kill his new friend, "Mission update: Kill the Leader, Protect Euphie. Nothing else matters. Mission…"
"STOP RAI! PLEASE!"
The boy halted just as the tip of his lance scraped against the chest of Kewell's Sutherland. Inside the cockpit, Euphie hugged herself to him, her head pushing into his neck as she fought her tears, "Please…you've done enough…you've kept me safe, you won. So please…please don't fight anymore…I can't…I can't bear to see you like this!"
Hearing the desperation and fear in her voice snapped Rai out of his combat trance. Looking down at the beautiful woman in his lap, the young man was surprised to see tears running down her face.
"Euphie…what happened? What did I…?"
Kewell overheard the exchange through the video, and used the camera to focus on the woman in the boy's lap, "…Euphie…? Wait a minute…that face…"
The realization of who he had almost killed struck him like a lightning bolt, and all color vanished from his face, "P-P-PRINCESS EUPHEMIA?!"
With the danger now past, Rai knelt his Sutherland on the ground before opening the cockpit and carefully exiting with the princess following behind, safely jumping down into his arms once more before reaching the ground. The Lancelot also knelt down as its support truck drove up and parked next to it. Over by Jeremiah's fallen unit, Villetta, who had been rushing from her post to provide support, finally arrived alongside Princess Cornelia and her troops, with a few surrounding Kewell's unit and taking the Purist Faction leader into custody. Villetta hurried over to Jeremiah's fallen knightmare and helped him out of the cockpit, the wounded but still alert man nodding his thanks to his only true loyal subordinate.
Seeing her sister land, Euphemia sighed slightly before looking up at the silver-haired boy standing next to her, "Well…I suppose this is the end of our little adventure together."
She failed to notice the troubled look on Rai's face, "Euphie…what…happened while we were in that frame? I…cannot seem to remember what happened after they started attacking us…"
"What?! You mean you don't remember how you saved us?" The pink-haired princess asked, shocked at how the boy couldn't recall his merciless defense against the purists. As he tried to think back, Rai suddenly collapsed to his knees, holding his head in pain as tears began to run down his eyes.
"Rai! Are you alright?! Rai!" Euphemia knelt down next to him and cradled him in her arms while the boy groaned in pain, "Someone help him, please!"
Suzaku immediately ran over and gently grabbed the tormented young man's shoulders, "Take it easy, we've got you."
Rai was deaf to either of them, his head being assaulted by fragmented memories. He saw himself submerged in a tank of some kind while wires were connected to his brain, followed by images of him in a simulator cockpit training for knightmare frame combat. More and more, the memories assaulted him until they finally ceased. He nearly cracked and was about to scream his lungs out from the phantom pains that were assaulting him when he managed to somehow regain control of his body. Gasping for breath and shaking badly, he took a moment to settle his breathing as time resumed for him after breaking out of that nightmarish vision. When he felt as well as he could manage, the boy released his head and looked up at Euphemia and Suzaku, "…I'm…I'm alright now…"
Suzaku carefully helped the boy to his feet and led him over to the support truck, where he sat him down on a makeshift bench, "Just sit down for a minute and rest a bit. Lloyd and Cecile can take us to a hospital to get you checked up."
Standing on the side, Euphemia watched on with slight worry as Suzaku and Cecile tried to put Rai at ease. She was quickly joined by Lloyd, who seemed rather excited at the moment, "Well, well, it seems you've had quite an outing, Your Highness."
"It was rather…interesting," Euphie replied, before turning to face the young Earl, "May I trouble you by requesting that you look after this young man for me? Just until he's recovered?"
"It would be my pleasure, Princess Euphemia," Lloyd answered with an extravagant bow.
Euphemia returned the bow with a small nod of her head, "I thank you for your assistance."
"Euphemia!"
The pink-haired princess turned to see her older sister Cornelia walking over to her quickly, flanked by two of her personal guard. Seeing the confrontation about to happen, Lloyd quickly made himself scarce, walking over to the seated Rai and Suzaku. The silver-haired boy was currently drinking water from a bottle given to him by the Lancelot pilot, a small towel draped on his neck to wipe his sweat. It didn't escape the brown haired boys' sight either that Rai's hand was still trembling slightly as he drank the water and that his eyes were slightly unfocused as well.
"So how is our dear civilian feeling, hmmm?" the Earl asked. Rai looked up at the man curiously before responding, "I…I feel better now…but I am still rather weak. Again, I apologize for the trouble I might have caused everyone. Though I do confess I don't know what kind of trouble I have caused in the first place."
"Nonsense! I must say, watching your battle through the Lancelot's camera was rather exhilarating!" Lloyd's smile was a little too wide for Suzaku's liking, and he quickly realized where this was going, "As a matter of fact, would you be willing to try something before we take you back to…wherever is it that you're from again after we get a proper doctor to patch you up?"
"…Ashford Academy, sir."
"Right. Hmm…that sounds familiar for some reason…oh well! So what do you say, think you can give us a hand before we return you?"
Seeing no reason to refuse, despite Suzaku's subtle warnings with his hands, Rai nodded, "Of course. It's the least I can do for your help."
Suzaku cringed, 'He has no idea what he just did…'
Meanwhile, unseen by any of the Britannian forces, Kallen's Sutherland raced away from the scene, the girl still in complete disbelief at what she had just seen.
'No way…to think that Rai of all people…THREE knightmare frame kills in only a few minutes! Who the hell is he?!'
The sound of her phone going off tore Kallen from her thoughts. Recognizing the number, she paled a bit before answering, "H-Hello Milly….y-y-yes, I managed to find Rai. He wandered off into the city, but he's in good hands….no I'm not with him, but I promise you he will come back just fine…right…ok, I'll talk to you soon."
The rebel pilot sighed as she hung up, grateful that the president of the student council didn't seem too perturbed at what happened, 'That could've ended a whole lot worse…still…'
Entering a few commands onto the interface, she compiled the recorded feed of Rai's battle while at the same time dialing a different number on her phone, 'He said he wasn't with the Britannians…but his combat ability had to come from somewhere…this seems like something he would probably want to know about.'
The sound of an altered voice filtered through the radio, "What is it, Q1? It must be important if you're calling thru the emergency line…"
"Zero, I think I have something you might want to see…because I'm still having trouble believing it and I actually saw the whole thing happen myself!"
"So he entered our realm for a bit…that's interesting…I didn't think he would be able to access it so soon…"
C.C. gazed up at the ceiling of Lelouch's room with a bored expression, a slice of pizza held limply in her hand as she sat on his bed. The floor near her feet was covered in empty and half-empty pizza boxes while her white jumpsuit was thrown carelessly onto the chair in front of Lelouch's desk, the strange girl opting to lounge in a simple pair of white panties and a bra.
Taking another bite out of her pizza, C.C. continued with her conversation, "You sound impressed, Marianne. I thought you already knew what he was capable of…"
The green-haired girl then smirked as she looked out the window, "Yes…he will definitely start to make things more interesting from now on. I wonder what he'll decide to do once his memories return…"
Getting up for a minute to stretch her legs, the witch let out a gentle laugh, "Hah! I doubt he'll do anything that drastic anytime soon. But yes, whatever he decides to do will more than likely shake things up in this world….Don't worry, I'll look after your children and keep them safe should Rai choose to do something that could harm them. I owe you that much at least…Though I do believe our Forgotten King won't be too much of an issue. Not after how his whole worldview was rattled during his fall from grace."
Finishing the pizza slice, C.C. licked her fingers and savored the lingering taste of melted cheese as she sat back down on the bed, "Oh, Lelouch has been doing just fine. He's so easy to tease though…you don't believe me?"
Rising to a challenge unheard by anyone but her, C.C.s smile grew more mischievous, "Fine then…I think I hear him coming now, so just watch and see for yourself."
As Lelouch's voice grew louder outside in the hallway, the green-haired woman quickly removed her undergarments, and laid herself bare on the bed in a sensual, yet seemingly oblivious pose. The door soon opened and the dark haired young man walked in, occupied with a phone call.
"Send me the feed through the secure line. I'll take a look at it and decide from there. Just make sure you get back in time for us to plan our next move."
Hanging up the phone, Lelouch rubbed his eyes before looking over at the bed, "I see you actually stayed put today-"
The raven-haired boy froze as he took in C.C. casually eating a pizza slice while reading a book on his bed…completely nude. Her white bra and panties were now casually thrown against his laptop, knowing full well he was going to use that first when he came in the room.
"Hello Lelouch. Did you have a good day in school?" the green-haired woman asked disinterestedly, feigning ignorance at the effect her naked body was having on the young man, 'See? Too easy Marianne…too easy.'
The poor boy's face turned red enough to rival the color of Kallen's hair. It was a good thing that his room was soundproof, for what he yelled next would have shaken the entire building if it wasn't.
"DAMMIT YOU WITCH! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"
"What you did was reckless and foolish! You could have gotten yourself killed!"
Within their shared common room in the Viceroy's Palace, located at the center of the Tokyo Settlement, Cornelia looked down at her sister disappointedly as she continued to scold her for her casual visit to Shinjuku, "Honestly, if it hadn't been for that Honorary Britannian pilot and that civilian, who knows what could have happened?!"
"I apologize for causing you so much trouble, sister," Euphemia said softly, her gaze on the ground before she looked up into Cornelia's eyes, "However, I do not apologize for going to Shinjuku. I am tired of being sheltered from the world, and I refuse to remain blind to the plight of these people who have suffered for so long under OUR rule!"
Cornelia sighed in frustration, "First off…you will address me as Viceroy while we are here, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia. Since we're sisters, we must adhere to a stricter protocol. And second, while I understand your passion," she paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing in slight distaste, "…misplaced as I believe it to be…at the same time you must understand your position. We are in enemy territory now, and until these rebels have be brought to heel, you must exercise greater caution."
Euphemia could only nod her assent, "Very well…Viceroy Cornelia. I will be more careful in the future."
The new Governer-General of Area 11 smiled a bit, "That's all I ask. Now then, I'm going to go get a report on these rebels from the headquarters here. I suggest you go get some rest. You've had a rather stressful day."
Cornelia turned to the door and left, her two guards following after hear, leaving Euphemia in the living room alone. Sighing, she sat down on a luxurious-looking red plush chair, lost in her thought about her day with Rai.
'I wonder if he's doing alright,' she mused before looking down at her hand, the same one Rai had held for so long throughout their time together.
'It's strange…how someone can be so warm, calm, and peaceful one moment, and then the next' she frowned as she remembered how Rai suddenly became a vicious killing machine when he defeated those Purist Faction Sutherlands, all in the name of protecting her. Shaking her head, she thought back to the earlier parts of their outing, and the memory of his gentle smile.
She smiled with a blush on her face as she held her hand to her chest, Rai's face firmly planted in her mind.
'I hope we have a chance to meet again, Rai…'
Author's Note - Back again, back again. This one was a little harder to write up, but thankfully me and my beta managed to grind it out. For anyone questioning just how Cornelia was able to get to Shinjuku so fast, all I'll say is this: don't EVER underestimate mama bear when her cut is in danger. Cornelia is far craftier than most, and has her ways of keeping tabs on Euphie...ways that will show up soon.
Rai seems to be unwittingly racking up his count of wooed women. Also seems Lelouch caught whatever bug got Rai, if C.C.'s actions are any indication. Hmm...
I have to give credit where credit is due, having Rai sound like Heero Yuy from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing during that battle was my beta's idea, and I think it worked out pretty well. You're the ultimate judges though, so like, review, CONSTRUCTIVELY critique (remember, all flames will be met with deletion and napalm...fight fire with fire son).
The next few chapters will be focusing more on the secondary characters, mainly Lelouch and the Black Knights gang, but fear not. Rai will have plenty of moments to shine in those chapters too. More developments and romance and slightly lime-y stuff to come next, so stay tuned and don't touch that dial.
Much thanks again to Cloud Link Zero for being an awesome beta and bearing with my long periods of silence...as well as throwing wrenches at my head to get me back to work.
Til next time y'all
Ciph signin' out