CHAPTER 11:

REUNION

To her credit, Cornelia waited until the various victims of the hostage crisis were debriefed. Lelouch stuck to the cover story that they had considered, that Zero had saved them. And then, sometime afterwards, Cornelia entered, looking particularly frazzled. In a way, Lelouch thought that actually made her look a bit more attractive: Cornelia was naturally beautiful, but while she couldn't be called vain, she did spend quite a bit of time on her appearance, partly to portray the whole 'Goddess of Victory' thing. Britannia, after all, was frequently about appearances. Whereas looking ever so slightly dishevelled actually made her seem more human.

Lelouch, of course, couldn't resist making a cheeky remark. "So…has Guilford proposed yet?"

Cornelia stopped and stared at him. It was a fairly open secret that Guilford, one of Cornelia's personal Knights, had a thing for her, and that Cornelia wanted to reciprocate, but sadly, duty and the strictures of Britannian society made that unlikely, especially with Charles on the throne. True, Charles had married Marianne, but that was the exception rather than the rule. Then, a tired smile crossed Cornelia's lips, and she strode over and hugged him. "Lelouch…" she murmured. She kept embracing him for a time, before breaking it off and peering at him. "Is Nunnally well?"

"Yes, and able to see again," Lelouch said. He didn't know how he'd explain Nunnally's ability to walk, so she was still pretending to be confined to a wheelchair. "Cornelia…you need to keep this secret from the Emperor."

Cornelia nodded. "I figured that out after I saw you. He sent you here as pawns, hostages…he may do so again. It's hard enough trying to keep Euphie out of that mess." She peered at him. "You must hate us, Lelouch."

"…I don't hate you and Euphie, Cornelia. I hate what my father has shaped you into, but…I don't hate you. You two are the only siblings aside from Nunnally that I loved." Lelouch shook his head. "That being said, I had thought Clovis better than what he did. I thought him merely vain, vapid and apathetic to the suffering of the Japanese, not someone who was as cruel as he turned out to be. I nearly got caught up in what he did to Shinjuku. I barely escaped thanks to Suzaku Kururugi helping me out."

"…The Prime Minister's son?" Cornelia asked. "I see. Perhaps I should thank him. But…do you know why Clovis did it?"

"Yes. I accidentally fell into the truck the insurgents were using to transport what they thought was gas. They weren't going to use it, from what I overheard of their chatter, just expose Clovis for breaching chemical weapons treaties, but…the capsule had a girl inside, who claimed she was subject to experimentation. Clovis murdered hundreds of innocent Japanese civilians, all for that girl. And incidentally, I prefer to call them Japanese, not Elevens or Numbers. Before the Emperor invaded, they treated Nunnally and I far better than he ever did."

Cornelia considered this, before nodding. "But what happened during the invasion? I heard that the Elevens executed you."

"…No. A few intended to, though Tohdoh believed me when I said I had no foreknowledge of the invasion. But we were attacked shortly before the invasion began in earnest…by Britannian troops. Someone wanted us dead, to act as martyrs, as a casus belli. Justification for the invasion. Even if the Emperor didn't send them, someone did…and I think it may have been the same people behind my mother's murder." While it was a guess, while discussing this story with CC, she had hinted that this was the truth.

Cornelia pursed her lips, as she began contemplating this information. "Damnation." She turned her gaze back to Lelouch. "Lelouch, listen to me very carefully. Be very careful around those you consider your friends. I think one of them may be Zero. When he and I fought not so long ago, he demanded information from me, about your mother. I think he, or even she, may have been one of the nobles affected by Lady Marianne's murder. I withdrew my security personnel on Lady Marianne's orders, which indicates that her killer was someone she trusted personally. If they found out that you were still alive, they could target you and Nunnally. And you had a close call with the JLF. If they learned who you were and exposed it to the world…and I've got a sneaking suspicion Zero may know who you are. Be careful, just in case that masked malcontent decides to use you and Nunnally against Euphie and I."

Lelouch was never so glad that he had a good poker face as he was now. But then again, considering how genuinely afraid for him she seemed to be, he couldn't laugh or smile at the irony. "Just promise me one thing, Cornelia. I know you have to go after the rebels and terrorists…but please try to not go after Japanese civilians. As I said, they've done more for me than almost anyone back in Pendragon. Japan, even if it's Area 11, has been more of a home to me than Britannia."

"I can't make any promises. My line of work is a bloody one…but I won't target them unnecessarily. Still, after what they did to you and those people, the Japanese Liberation Front will pay in blood, I assure you," Cornelia said. Then, a thought occurred to her. "The girl, the one in the capsule…will she be willing to speak to me?"

"No, she's in hiding. She hinted at a conspiracy that reaches far into Britannian authority before we parted ways." Then, an impish thought occurred to him, a bit of misdirection. "But…I saw her regenerate from a bullet to the head. When Zero and his followers saved us, I saw some shrug off what should have been fatal wounds. Do you think…do you think they could be rogue supersoldiers?"

Cornelia's gasp of horror and (false) realisation told him all he needed to know. He had her. "That would explain…Lelouch, listen to me. This isn't public knowledge, but when we confronted Ainz Ooal Gown outside Saitama, they did show superhuman abilities. They were capable of causing immense damage to Knightmare Frames. We're still trying to figure out the hows and whys. You and Euphie and your classmates had a lucky escape. Zero either didn't recognise your true value, or else he or she did, and thought it better that you be released with the other hostages."

"How did they cause immense damage to Knightmare Frames?" Lelouch asked, playing along. "Infantry, even with anti-tank weaponry, has historically performed badly against Knightmares."

"They had immense physical strength, and one of them seemed to have the ability to project electricity at a level comparable to a lightning bolt, or else some experimental weapon with a similar effect," Cornelia said, shuddering. "And during that battle, somehow, I felt as if the very spectre of Death had come for me. Zero made me feel true fear and despair, and I think it wasn't just the attacks of Ainz Ooal Gown. I think Zero had a means to induce fear and despair…emotional induction. I know, even without that, that if Zero wanted to, then he or she could have killed me with contemptuous ease, even within my Gloucester. Like an ant being squashed by a boot. Lelouch…I need your help to find out who Zero and Ainz Ooal Gown are. If Zero is a member of a family who were affected by Marianne's death, then he or she could be one of the Ashfords. It probably isn't Millicent, unless she can conceal her gender, or she used a body double tonight, but the Ashfords were amongst those who fell from grace thanks to those vultures at court. Maybe one of them or their associates is Zero."

Lelouch nodded, again grateful for his poker face. CC was partly able to conceal her own bust with help from a special enchantment on her costume as Zero. But he also felt a little bad, considering how badly affected Cornelia had been by Aura of Despair I. Cornelia may have been putting a brave face on it, but even the little tells she let through her iron grip on her emotions were blatant. Ruthless though she was, and even a little cruel, Cornelia cared about him and her family. "I'll keep an eye out. But how do I contact you?"

"Ring me on this number," Cornelia said, writing out a phone number on a card and handing it to him. "I assume you have a burner phone."

"Of course."

"I won't be able to answer it all the time, obviously. If need be, leave a voicemail. You know the standard emergency measures, of course." Cornelia pinched the bridge of her nose. "God, I'm tired. Listen, if you meet the girl again, the one you said that Clovis was experimenting on, have her contact us. I can't guarantee protection if there really are elements within our government who condoned what happened to her, or were even involved, but I can promise to try and find those responsible."

"And what next after this?" Lelouch asked.

"As much as I'd like to go after the JLF for their role in this…I need time to find them and arrange an appropriate funeral pyre for them. For now, while I gather intelligence, I will do what my analysts have been suggesting and deal with the Refrain problem," Cornelia said. "The productivity of the Elevens under the influence of Refrain has gone down, and the Chinese Federation seems to be behind it. Those damnable High Eunuchs have moles within our government, trying to sabotage our production of Sakuradite and other resources by having the corrupt profit off Refrain, as well as hoping to incite more civil unrest so that they have an excuse to invade." She placed a hand on his cheek, a surprisingly tender gesture from the Goddess of Victory, though not to those who knew her most intimately. "Lelouch…stay safe. With Zero and Ainz Ooal Gown on the ascendancy, you aren't safe, even if they don't target you. After all, we saw the JLF, or part of it, get inspired by that terrorist to try and kill you, and even if he or she saved you and Euphie this time, he can't forever. And I'd rather not be indebted to him or her."

Lelouch realised he had badly underestimated how much Cornelia had cared about him and Nunnally. What's more, for all her loyalty to their father, she was also willing to consider the possibility that, at the very least, the Emperor was covering for the one responsible for Marianne's death. And while Marianne hadn't been Cornelia's mother, Cornelia looked up to Marianne as another mother and a role model.

He was tempted to use a Geass on her to ensure her loyalty, to ensure what she said about Marianne was the truth…but he didn't want to. He could use the Geass once per person, for one thing, and he wanted to save that for a true emergency. And in truth…for all his anger towards Cornelia's cavalier attitude towards civilians and collateral damage…he didn't hate her. Unlike Clovis, Cornelia had conviction, intelligence, principles (she wouldn't tear down a hospital and build an amusement park in its place with her name attached!), and she actually cared about her family. The main thing that was wrong with her was that she had bought into the propaganda of Britannian superiority. If she knew that he and Nunnally were still alive, her hatred towards the Japanese may be lessened.

"Cornelia…we've stayed under the radar for the past seven years. All I ask is that you help keep it that way. I don't trust the Emperor or anyone close to him."

"And were you ever going to reveal yourself to me, had it not been for what happened tonight?" Cornelia asked.

"…Probably not," Lelouch admitted. "But…can you blame me? All I wanted is for Nunnally to be able to live in peace and happiness. I don't think she would have that in Pendragon."

Cornelia nodded. "That being said…I would feel better if I had someone discreetly keeping an eye on you. Given what happened to Kewell and this 'Orange' thing Zero alluded to, the Purists are a dying breed. I need Margrave Gottwald by my side…but perhaps his second in command, Villetta Nu, can be spared. They have shown their loyalty to Marianne, especially Gottwald."

Lelouch was inwardly jumping for joy, knowing that Cornelia didn't know that Villetta was already his ally, not hers, but he said, uncertainly, "If you're sure…but why were they loyal to her?"

"Gottwald was in charge of security at the Aries Villa that night, and indeed had known her very well. However, when she died, and you and Nunnally were declared dead in Area 11, he joined the Purists, partly to take revenge on the Elevens. He'll be glad to hear that you're alive, though. He's been privately ill at ease about what he got embroiled in in the Purists, as is Nu, if only because of the dirty politics involved." Cornelia shook her head. "I'm still vetting them, to make sure. But…if they can be trusted, I want Nu to be keeping an eye on you, discreetly."

"I already have one bodyguard. She may be Japanese, but she's also loyal, to the death. And Cornelia…make sure there's no leaks."

"I will do my utmost, Lelouch. And I promise you…if I ever find Marianne's murderer, I will deliver them to you first, trussed up like a turkey, along with every tool that OSI would use in their black site interrogations."

"Trust me, my dear sister, I wouldn't need that. I've had the better part of a decade to think of my revenge against whoever did that." Of course, he'd probably send said malfeasant to Demiurge and Neuronist…or maybe Kyouhukou.

He parted ways with Cornelia fairly well. He trusted her enough to keep his identity secret. But there was still work to be done. She was still an enemy, or at least an obstacle, one he needed to be careful around. But she was also his sister, and one of the few outside Ainz Ooal Gown to give a damn about him. Maybe doing this might take the pressure off Ainz Ooal Gown.

It was, admittedly, a gamble. Cornelia may be trustworthy, insomuch as she could be trusted, but what about her staff? Could a leak come out that way?

Still, he needed to play along with this. With any luck, and the right manoeuvres, Cornelia would change from a dangerous enemy into a valuable ally. And as powerful as Ainz Ooal Gown were, Lelouch would be a fool to believe that they were invincible…

CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Lelouch and Cornelia have had a reunion.

Now, I'm not sure how to continue this story exactly. Unlike in canon, Lelouch and the Black Knights/Ainz Ooal Gown will now have no reason to capture Cornelia at Narita, and they'd also have little reason to try and help the JLF, unless it's to absorb them into Ainz Ooal Gown. I've actually got a potential idea, have Lelouch use Gate to get into their underground lair, persuade Katase to join him, and, depending on how things go, all that will be left when Cornelia comes to get them will be a note saying, You snooze, you lose. Hugs and kisses, Zero. That's, admittedly, my best idea so far. Still, I'm gradually running canon Code Geass off the rails.

Incidentally, before I go onto the review-answering, I want you guys to have a look at the latest offering in Quatermass' Compost Heap. It's another possible Code Geass story, with another Lelouch being the reincarnation of a crossover character. But I think this one has a lot of potential, especially as there will only be one other reincarnated character: Kallen. I won't say anything more, only that you should go and have a look.

Review-answering time! Kaiya Azure: Lelouch used Fallen Down partly to get rid of the evidence, partly to scare Cornelia, and partly to, well, work off his anger against Kusakabe. Because nothing says catharsis than what is effectively a magical nuke.

Time Out: The Sneeze is hilarious, hence why I use it. But keep in mind, Geass is still a pretty dangerous ability. I keep reiterating that Geass is basically a World Item.

Reishin Amara: Kars, as in the Pillar Man?

Fall2Glory: While it was done mostly for the hilarity (Tamaki, one of the more flaky Black Knights, turns out to be a loyal NPC, albeit one with ambitions built in), there was also a rationale involved. I had this odd idea of Tamaki being a reincarnated NPC, and I realised, given his great ambition and lowly station (relatively), Eclair Eklair Eklare was a perfect choice.

No numbered annotations this time.