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Warning: OOC characters, grammar/ spelling mistakes

Chapter 2: To Plan for Tomorrow

The week passed by like a blur for someone as busy as Lelouch. The first thing he did was of course to plan how to address the situation, thus the three objectives that should be done before they depart to Japan was made. The first was to pack the belongings that they might need during their stay in Japan; second was to tell and make his beloved siblings understand their father's decision. And last but not the least was to say goodbyes to their few 'precious' half-siblings.

The first task was not as hard as he thought it would be. Packing for Rolo and Nunnally's things as well as his few meagre possessions only took him a day and a half and yet he didn't even feel as exhausted as he should be once that was taken care of.

For the second task, he thought that he would be using up most of his energy in telling Rolo and Nunnally their situation. He knew that Nunnally would understand if he told her their father's reason for doing such thing was not an act of hatred but of love for them; so he'll have no problem telling her. The only problem was telling Rolo. Even with him clarifying things in order for Rolo to understand that their father did such a thing for their safety less their fate ended up like their mother's, he predicted that it would still be hard for his brother to understand and accept it.

The day after their father visited Nunnally, he decided to tell his siblings that their father ordered them to go to Japan. He thought that there would be screaming and shouting from Rolo, who would no doubt would curse their father to death; remembering how Rolo hated their father with a passion having an abandonment issue and all. He also envisioned Nunnally crying and him pleading for his siblings to stop fighting.

On the day he decided to tell his siblings, he remembered how he mentally prepared himself for the arguments that he knew would come. He also prepared different speeches for different situation that may arise. He even prepared himself from the tantrum and hurtful words that might be said by his baby brother. He knew that after their talk, Rolo would hate him for a long, long time, knowing that Rolo could hold grudges for long periods of time. Yes, it would take a long time, Lelouch predicted, maybe until they returned back to Pendragon. And that made him sigh for he always hated it whenever Rolo gives him a cold shoulder.

After informing his siblings, he expected something akin to a ''bomb" to take place. What he didn't expect though was for Rolo to calmly listen and at the end of it, hugged him and said that he understands and that he was very thankful for having a big brother like him who was caring and kind. True, he prepared himself but his preparation proved to be unnecessary for what transpired that day, shocked him. He never knew that Rolo could be so mature especially for a kid who throws tantrums for every little thing that goes wrong.

After that, Lelouch thought that the rest would be easy.

Saying goodbye was hard but could be dealt with after all it's not as if they'll never see each other again. They'll only be gone until their father found the ones who were responsible for his mother's death and Nunnally's current situation, Lelouch thought.

But he was proven wrong once again when his few "precious" half-siblings namely, Euphemia, Cornelia, Clovis and Schneizel were far more stubborn than he thought they would be. He didn't think that saying goodbyes to them would take up so much time, effort, and energy that it took until an hour before their departure to Japan, for the others to let them be.

He really did trust his father's judgement that is why he just could not for the life of him understand why Cornelia, Schneizel and Clovis started protesting for the vi Britannia siblings' sake. He even caught them planning something behind his back even if he vehemently told his half-siblings that he wholeheartedly agrees with their father's decision to send them to Japan.

He's thankful of course because he knew that they really cared what happened to them unlike his other half-siblings who couldn't care less what happened to them. They might even celebrate their father's decision for it would mean three other competitors to the throne will be out of the competition without them even lifting a finger! What a cynical view of life, Lelouch thought with a chuckle

"What's so funny big brother?" Rolo asked curiously wondering what made his precious big brother smile which if he were honest to himself was not really rare considering what their bastard of a father did to Lelouch a week ago.

If Nunnally didn't tell him what happened, he would have screamed at his big brother on how he could just accept it like that, on how he betrayed their trust, on how he hated and despised him for allowing their father to do such thing. And in return, Lelouch would be depressed even if he would definitely try his best not to show it to them.

"Nothing Rolo, I just remembered something funny." Lelouch replied with a yawn then after a few minutes of silence, he added, "Why don't you rest for a while like what Nunnaly's doing? The plane won't be landing anytime soon; you might as well sleep."

"Maybe later, I'm not yet tired."

"You're sure about that?" Lelouch asked albeit unsurely.

"Don't worry, I'm not really tired and if I did feel tired, I promise I'll take a nap."

"Alright, I trust you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me up. Okay?"

"Yes big brother. Go to sleep. I know you're tired especially with you dealing with them an hour or so ago."

The only response that Rolo got is a light snore from Lelouch. It would seem that his brother used up all his energy in dealing with their half-siblings and he couldn't really blame them for hounding Lelouch. From what he has heard, his brother announced to the whole court that he denounced his claim to the throne after which their father responded by banishing the vi Britannias to Japan as a punishment of Lelouch's insolence. Then a little while later, he's acting as if nothing's wrong with what happened! It is as if Lelouch didn't mind at all! What's worse is Lelouch acting very differently. If he didn't know what really happened, he would have thought that Lelouch reverted back to how he was before their mother died because of trauma.

True, Lelouch acted how he was before their mother died. He's really the same older brother who is very protective, kind, caring and naïve of the evils of the world. But there is one subtle difference that people won't notice if they're not looking for it: Lelouch's loyalty to their father is unwavering.

Rolo knew that his older brother saw their father as just that. He's loyal yes but not to the extent he is now. He also never admired their father before. To Lelouch their father is just a man who visited them once in a while and not someone who would be seen as their hero or idol.

There was also a fact that should never be forgotten and that is Lelouch's behavioural change after their mother died. To others, this change is not obvious. In fact, they would never have noticed that something has changed. But to those who knew him very well, it was quite obvious. For a lack of better word, Lelouch became cold. His warm joyful smiles changed into cold calculation smirks. He even has this 'couldn't care less attitude' air around him when dealing with other people excluding Rolo and Nunnally.

Lelouch's changing personality obviously made everyone suspicious. Something must have happened between the announcement of their banishment and their father's visit. And that suspicion made his older brother's last few days dealing with their half-siblings very difficult.

It was a good thing then that Nunnally told him about Lelouch's situation. If Nunnally never told him what happened, he would not have understood why his older brother is acting that way, instead he would have thought his brother suffered from multiple personality disorder. He might even do something hurtful to his older brother that he would later on regret. Maybe it was godsend that their older brother decided to wait for a day before telling them about Japan for it took the whole day for Nunnally to make him understand the gravity of the situation.

He remembered that it took all of his will power to not raise hell when he found out the reason of his brother's change of personality. It also shocked him to the core when he found his ever mischievous and innocent twin act so cold and calculating. But what shocked him the most was his twin, who never liked seeing anyone hurt, started talking about wanting to destroy their father, the emperor and all those who have wronged them. Blind and crippled she may be, she is still a force to be reckoned with. She is a princess of Britannia after all.

And just like that, Rolo decided to hell with it. If this is treason then so be it, for he too wanted to extract vengeance to the person responsible to the immediate changes his precious siblings have undergone. And as their first order of business, both he and Nunnally decided to keep their older brother in the dark. He would contradict them yet they could not fault him. This would always be an unending cycle and they could not afford the arguments that would follow so the best decision is to keep Lelouch in the dark. But that does not mean they would leave their older brother to his own devices.

Plans were crossed and accepted and by the end of the day, both Nunnally and he had come to a decision. They decided that their number one priority is to protect Lelouch just as he had protected them from all those who have wished them harm in the past. Besides, for their sakes, Lelouch is better of being innocent as long as he live for that innocence is what they'll want to preserve. Both he and Nunnally lost their innocent child-like mind when their father betrayed them in the worst way. And they would never wish for someone to experience this betrayal especially to the only family they have left.

Of course, aside from Lelouch they both decided not to tell anyone of this after he told Nunnally of his theory. Their mother's murder was not a work of terrorists but of an inside job. It's obvious that a lot of people hated their mother so it does not surprise them that someone that holds power must have ordered this. And that means no one could be trusted even the few half-siblings they have that does not despise them. After all, everyone is a suspect until someone is proven guilty.

"We will be landing in Tokyo shortly, your highness," the captain of the plane told Rolo who was the only one awake at the moment.

Rolo gave a nod indicating that he understood. Once the captain was out of his sight, he turned his attention in waking up his siblings. After that he announced that they will be arriving shortly and an advice to should freshen up before they meet the Kururugis.

And as the plane landed, the sight that greeted the three siblings is not beautiful as they thought it would be like what the brochures' pictures depicted nor is it ugly as what some of their half-siblings said about Japan. It was quite normal, an understatement of what they expected to see but nonetheless, it is a refreshing sight and that gave Rolo hope that maybe their stay here would be a blessing in disguise for they are now beyond their father's grasps. What the emperor did with his older brother would be the last thing that they would suffer under the emperor's rule, Rolo vowed.

Self-edit version 2: 05-04-15