The Black Queen
So...Cathunt. Again.
Why the heck did Milly want that cat so much again? I'd forgotten.
I could have most likely easily caught the thing. Pulled what Suzaku had at the belltower, provided I wasn't trapped trying to pretend to be sick and useless. But I had cornered the cat at the stairwell with Shirley at one point. I figured maybe the cat would end up there on it's own if I went there. And I wouldn't have to deal with Shirley railing me about if I wanted to kiss Lelouch or not.
Not that I haven't already, mind you.
Sure enough, the cat did show up. Went straight under that table like before.
Wearing Zero's mask.
Ah. So that's what the big deal was. Milly must have known it was something important to Lelouch. She just didn't know it was this. Alright then.
Step one: catch the cat.
Step two: hide the mask.
Step three: think of a good way to mess with Lelouch
So...I did end up catching Arthur. Threw my jacket over him, actually. Wrestled the mask off and quickly hid it in the drawer of the desk the crippled cat had been hiding under.
And then I had the dumbest idea ever.
The Perverted She-Devil
Ooooh. Kallen found the cat! I wonder who our cute little sickly redhead is gonna kiss? Hmmm…
Better question is what that cat has! It's gotta be some good dirt on my little Prince Lulu! I am going to enjoy making him….blush?
Okay...I was not expecting that.
My, my, Lulu. You're growing up so quick.
The Black King
Damn. Kallen found the cat. Well...it doesn't have the mask on, at least. Maybe she didn't see it.
But...why is there a bra around it's neck?
...Oh shit.
The Black Queen
I handed the cat off to Milly outside in the courtyard, torn between flushing a deep red and laughing hysterically at the mixture of shock, interest, and an absolutely evil hint of giddiness to her. "Oh my, Lulu. I wanted to get some dirt on you but...this?" The blonde asked when Lelouch joined the group; a mass of students including Suzaku, all the student council members, and a lot of random students who I never did catch the name of.
"Uh...I...Uh…" I did giggle at that as the former Emperor...future Emperor? Current revolutionary? Stood gobsmacked trying to figure out, I assume, first, what he was seeing, second, where the hell his mask was, and third, how the hell to answer.
Worth it.
Also, bonus points; Suzaku doesn't get his trust from all the students.
"So...Kallen. Who are you going to kiss?"
Ah, I forgot Milly would still enforce that. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Right?
I sauntered my way over to Lelouch, half turning to Milly. "Who do you think? It is my bra on that cat." I declared, looping my arms over Lelouch's shoulders and stealing his lips in a passionate kiss.
God, what the hell is wrong with me?
Thud.
Hm? Did someone just faint?
Thud.
I groaned in annoyance against Lelouch's frozen lips and turned to look over my shoulder. Blinking at the limp and twitching forms of Rivalz and Shirley, accompanied by one absolutely gobsmacked Millicent Ashford.
I couldn't help it, I giggled.
The Black King
I...She...It…What is going on?!
The Perverted She-Devil
Oh, this is rich. Kallen, I like you. We are going to be great friends.
You and Shirley, not so much.
But you and me? Oh we are going to rule this school and mess with Lulu.
Just you wait.
The Black Queen
God, how I wanted to laugh my ass off right now. I got to kiss my king, I got to mess with him, and I didn't even have to lie!
I swear, everybody had gotten over their shock and already asked their questions before his brain even rebooted enough for him to start thinking of an explanation for what just happened. I wanted to hear it, I really did. But even the almighty Lelouch vi Britannia seemed to be stuck in a processing loop, his mouth opening to say something and then closing.
"What, I'm not allowed to kiss my boyfriend?" I asked after a minute of people staring. Deciding to give him an out. And an excuse for sneaking off campus to go be Zero. I gave him a look that said to just 'go with it'. Before realizing he may not understand that look yet.
He didn't know I knew he was Zero yet.
Which would be rectified here in a few minutes.
The Perverted She-Devil
It's official. I love this girl.
The Black Queen
Eventually, I took Lelouch's arm and tugged him off towards the building I had come from. "Speaking of which, I think me and him have a discussion to have about how my bra ended up on a cat. We'll see you later."
I led him with little protest back to the desk where I'd caught Arthur, and began humming to myself when I opened the drawer to retrieve his mask.
"So...now that all those theatrics covering your ass are taken care of...care to explain?" I asked, turning to him and presenting the mask.
The Black King
I...wait...okay Lelouch. Deep breaths. Get back up to speed. What is going on?
Theatrics? Covering my ass? Explain what?
I looked down.
At the reflection of myself in my Zero Mask.
And then I looked back up at Kallen, who held a raised eyebrow and a small smirk of victory.
God fucking dammit.
The Black Queen
"So...what exactly makes a long-lost Prince, posing as a schoolboy, decide to start a revolution against his home country?" I asked with a feigned sense of curiosity. It was a rhetorical question, I already knew the answer. But I needed him to know that I knew, that I wasn't going to fall for any of his attempts at excuses, and I expected him to tell the truth.
Helps to demand the truth when you already know what the truth is.
"Now, Lelouch." I continued while he still stared at me with horror. "I know you know I'm not who I pretend to be here. And I know you're not who you pretend to be. So let's just drop the pretenses. I told you your secret is safe with me, I didn't just mean your royalty." I offered softly, grabbing his wrist with me free hand, nearly giggling again at how stiff it was, and it was twitching, but I tugged it out between us and placed his mask in his hand.
"So why don't you make keeping that secret easier on both of us, and keep this thing in a safer place. Yes?"
The Black King
Shit. Shit. Fuck. Dammit. Shit.
How does she know?!
Scratch that. That's rather obvious. Mask. Cat.
And apparently she's really observant.
Crap. I can't geass her, I already did.
And she can easily kill me before I could do anything to her.
How am I going to…
She giggled. Again. "You're not even listening to me, are you? I just sacrificed my bra to the demon queen of Ashford to cover your ass and you still think I'm going to turn on you?"
...Alright, I'm listening.
She took my hand again, tracing the lines in my palm absently while I swallowed nervously and met her eyes, finding…
...Absolute devotion and a fierce passion that I had thought she only felt for freeing Japan.
I need tylenol. Or alcohol. Or both.
The White Knight
So, Kallen found the cat this time. Odd. I guess considering how radically I've changed I can't expect everything else around me to stay the same. This means I'm not on the student council yet. Although, seeing the look on Lelouch's face when Kallen glomped all over him was so worth it.
I must have landed in an alternate universe where Kallen liked Lelouch ahead of time. Or fell for him quicker, not sure. Maybe they'd always been this close? I know how he felt about her. His last request to me was to look after his sister and Kallen while he was gone.
All of this was going through my head while I glared at the newest object of my hatred in an otherwise painfully dull state funeral for Clovis la Britannia. Charles. All of this was his fault. He'd raised Schneizel to be a conniving bastard. He'd let V.V. get away with killing Lelouch's mother. He'd exiled Lelouch and Nunnally. He'd wiped Lelouch's memories and he'd turned me against my best friend with the promise of the power to save my country.
He's going to die. Make no mistake of that. I just have to figure out how to do it, considering that if Kamine island is even the same, everything after that is going to change.
At this point, I don't even know if Euphemia is going to name me her knight anymore. Hopefully she does, that'll give me enough swing to start this coup. But I'm not the same gentle, naive idiot I was that she fell in love with last time.
I can't afford to be. That had gotten her and Lelouch both killed.
Next up; Cornelia and Saitama.
Time for Lelouch to find out he has an ally.
The Orange Knight
From: Orenji
To: Zero
My Lord, Princess Cornelia is ordering the 73rd Royal Knightmare Regiment to surround Saitama ghetto. I believe she is planning an attack that would replicate the conditions of the attack on Shinjuku in hopes of drawing you out.
I trust you to do well with this information
Your ally,
Shinozaki Orenji
I sat back in my chair and hit send on the email. Troop movements apparently were a surprising tell of what was going on in this Area, and even the lowest Private had access to them.
I do wonder why the Kururugi boy asked me to use the alias 'Shinozaki Orenji', but oh well. If the Elevens were the only ones loyal to my Lord, then I will switch bodies and be a damn Eleven if I have to.
I owe it to him.