Ashford Academy
4:50 AM
Wednesday
Cornelia awoke from her stupor with a start, sitting up and examining her surroundings. She was in a four post bed with blue blankets draped across her. The bedroom was wide, fully outfitted with mirrors, dressers, carpets, rugs, a private bathroom, basically everything that wasn't necessary for life. A digital clock sat next to her; 4:50 AM
She sighed and laid back down again. One of Lelouch's rooms…. I'm at Ashford Academy.
She dimly recalled last night, meeting Nunnally, and then all retiring to separate bedrooms. Cornelia was wary at first, but Lelouch had demonstrated his extensive security by hunting down the poor sycamore in the backyard with automatic turrets.
And then she'd fallen asleep. She'd always been a heavy sleeper, but tonight, a loud thump had startled her rest. It had come from directly down the hall, and Cornelia had rushed to her sister's room, only to wake a rather irritable Euphemia from sleep.
But… honestly. I swear the sound originated from Euphemia's room.
She shook her head and stood up, finding it impossible to go back to sleep. With a grimace, she put on the jeans and purple shirt that C.C. had gotten for her.
Why anyone would prefer clothes like these over something with flexibility and movement? Honestly, there's no way I could fight at peak efficiency in these.
She opened the door and made her way down to the main living room. She was very conscious that Ashford Academy was a school, but once again, Lelouch has assured her that all the entrances and exits were covered and locked.
"Morning, Cornelia." She jumped a bit at the voice, relaxing only when she saw the speaker.
"Good morning to you to, Lelouch." The boy was sitting on an armchair, briefly looking up from his laptop. His hair was combed back and clothes unwrinkled, despite the early morning.
She stumbled the last few stairs and into the couch, laying down lengthwise. "So why the hell are you up so early, dressed this nicely? You got school or something?"
"I only get about three hours of sleep every night. Running a revolution, maintaining my day identity, it all takes time and effort." He answered, simply. "And no. I'm calling in sick for school today."
"Uh-huh." Cornelia continued to stare at the grey patterned ceiling. Besides Lelouch's small movements, the room was still. It took her a second to realize the absence of the ever vigilant ninja maid.
"Where's Sayoko? She's been on you tail every moment since you've come back to Ashford."
His eyes flicked off of his work. "She went to the early morning market, to purchase some ingredients for breakfast. I told her I could make breakfast, but she insisted on going out of her way to cook up something special for you two."
She nodded as she digested this information. Her countenance flickered to sadness.
"Why…. does she not hate us?" Cornelia asked, still not turning to look at Lelouch. "After everything, EVERYTHING, that Britannia, no, THAT I did, how can she still treat me, like a…."
The clicking stopped.
"….. human?" Cornelia breathed. She turned, finding Lelouch intensely staring at her.
"Cornelia. She treats you the way she does, BECAUSE you're human. Because we're all human." He turned his attention back to his computer. "And like any normal human, you make mistakes. The important focus, is how you live as a result of these mistakes."
He leaned back. "Have you learned from errors? Have you become a better person, because of them? If you, Cornelia, were the exact same Cornelia of a couple days ago, before your faults came to light, Sayoko would kill you in a second."
"But you're not the same Cornelia, just as Euphemia is not the same Euphemia. You have both changed, and Sayoko recognizes it. That is why, she treats you the way she does."
Cornelia nodded solemnly, recalling Zero's words from yesterday. "It took those deaths and more, for her to realize her mistake."
The cost of understanding…. a million times to high.
She gripped the couch tighter. But, if Lelouch says is true, then it's what comes next that truly matters.
"….. and the fact that she has someone stronger to beat u- I mean spar with, does help." Cornelia's eyes twitched as she whipped a cushion from the couch and hurtled it at her brother.
"IDIOT! If you think you can sell me out, just to get a pass from honing your combat skills, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"
Lelouch looked up, alarmed. "N-now hold on a second, sis, I've got-"
Cornelia sprung like a tiger, sitting on the couch one instant, five feet from the ground and hurtling towards Lelouch like meteor a second later.
"YOU NEED THE TRAINING MORE THAN ME!" She shouted, before completely bearing down on him.
The laptop dropped to the ground in a clatter as Cornelia had Lelouch facedown on the rug in a blink. She held one arm behind his back as she pinned the rest of his limbs.
"Cornelia, I can't brea-mpghai" She pushed his head into the carpet, smothering his words. "Frankly, I sometimes regret learning you were Zero. I thought my opponent could offer at least SOME physical ability."
"MMGHPH!"
"Fine." She said, getting off of Lelouch's body and allowing him to breathe again. She took her seat back on the couch, ignoring his death gaze.
"But seriously, Lelouch, you need the exercise. Your lack of endurance and strength is going to kill you someday."
"I DON'T NEED TO HEAR IT!" He stated authoritatively. "I already get enough of this from Mr. Ashford. And he's already making me get an HOUR OF EXERCISE AFTERSCHOOL!"
"Well good for him. It can only do you good." He grumbled at that statement, talking a bit about 'Geassing everyone at the gym' before replacing his laptop on his lap.
Cornelia just smiled, back in her position of laying down on the couch. Small things like this, tiny gestures of close familiarity, were the thing she missed most from Lelouch and Nunnally. Besides Euphemia, she felt alienated from nearly everyone else in the Imperial family, mother and father included.
And the world thinks that we have everything, just because we're royalty. She gave a small laugh at the thought.
Gradually, the sun began to rise, slowly tipping over the horizon and scattering rays of gold across the room from the open window. Her eyes began to droop, as the morning's momentary insomnia began to fade under the safe presence of her brother.
Above Tokyo Settlement
4:00 PM
A deep hum filled the air as a goliath construct overtook the sky above the Tokyo settlement. The ship was massively rectangular in its form, two mid-sized wings protruding from its sides. Giant plates of white armor meshed together, leading up the front to the glassed command deck. Arrays of mounted gun ran down the sides of the ship in a grid format. However, even more fearsome was its stacked armory. Missiles and ancillary of every nature, all capable of being armed individually within the minute. A black emblazed word indicated its name, the Minotaur.
The Minotaur had made its debut in the E.U. conflict. In a straight on combat, it easily smashed a swathe through enemy forces. However, more mobile enemy units quickly learned how to circumnavigate the beast. It was later dispatched to handle the rebellion in Area 13, and then to Area 5.
To say the least, it had an impressive combat record.
But the ship was outdated. Bloated steel lines ran across the seams of the steel plates, an indication of the capacious maintenance the ship had repeatedly undergone. The bullets fitted into the guns were the generic anti-armor rounds, the only ammo capable of being feed into the manually commanded turrets, while the missiles could easily be blocked by a blaze luminous shield. The Minotaur had been one of the first leaps in massive avian technology and was thusly equipped with the Levitation Device, the grandfather of the Float System. It was now considered clunky and inefficient by current standards.
Despite the fact that it should have been decomissioned years ago, it still flew. A feat of no small credit due to Anya Alstreim, the Knight of 6. Rather than dismantling the ship, she had adopted it as her personnel consort, cruising at a slow speed from continent to continent, whenever traveling to a new location.
It annoyed the hell out of the rest of the Knights, besides Gino, but then again, Anya wasn't one to care.
She currently resided on the command deck of the giant hulk, overseeing the operation of the ship. Twenty technicians sat before separate monitors, each responsible for the control of a separate system.
She slouched over as she watched the ship began its final descent. The command point, in her opinion, could ALWAYS do with more comfortable seating arrangements. She could very well be laying in her bed, awaiting landfall, but she always got a certain thrill whenever in charge of such a large vessel.
She stiffened slightly as a positive presence appeared behind her.
"Ready to get your PARTY on, Anya?" Gino appeared to her left, slinging an arm around her shoulders. He grinned cockily at her.
Of course. She drawled. He's got to be dressed so blatantly…
He was wearing no shirt, and swim trunks. A pair of cheap, star shaped sunglasses hung over his face. His other hand was occupied with a pile of beach towels.
She shrugged assuredly. "Dull, very dull. What you do with your free time is up to you. Keep in mind that you're still going to be held responsible for your duties."
"Ah come ON!" He shouted theatrically, wheeling backwards for effect. "We're going to JAPAN! Beaches, babes, and fun! We've been stuck fighting the E.U. for MONTHS NOW! You need to relax some more. After all, why else would you come to this rock?"
"To pay my respects to Nonnette, the recently deceased Knight of 6."
"Oh, like you REALLY mean that. Honestly, any of the other Knights were willing to go, but somehow you perked up first to volunteer." He flicked his shades upwards, staring straight down at her with blue eyes. "I'm still trying to figure out that part."
Anya paused for a second. In truth, she had next to no idea why she had decided to go. Nonnette had been an acquaintance level friend at best. But there she'd been, raising her hand and enthusiastically declaring, "I WANT TO GO, SEND ME, SEND ME, SEND ME!"
Anya inwardly groaned into her palm, belaying her usual indifference. God, did I look like a fool back there.
She then looked back at Gino. "But I don't recall you having to come."
"Have you not JUST been listening to me? Fighting the E.U.! Nothing but work, work, work, work, work. Besides, it's not like I'd abandon my bud on a whim! I've also got some business in Japan to touch up on."
He turned backwards, making his way back to his room. "Anyway, I need to finish checking some stuff from my room. Call me when we land!" There was a slight beep of a door opening and closing, followed by silence.
Anya waited a moment before breathing out. Sometimes, talking to him can be such a chore.
She immediately reasserted her cold demeanor.
"How long until we land?"
"Five minutes, Captain!" A voice called from the front. Anya nodded curtly. She took out her phone and breezed through some important reports regarding Japan.
Sakuradite resources, installation of the "Number" System, the Britannian Invasion, and…
Her finger paused at the picture of a certain Britannian Prince, smiling happily as he played in the fields of the Ares Villa.
"Possibly, something interesting." She muttered.
An hour later, Anya was sitting at an elongated table in the mess hall of the Viceroy's palace, staring down what looked like exquisitely colored goop. Apparently, even months after his death, Clovis's very interesting habits were still aloof.
She was alone at the table. Gino had long since vanished, going "exploring" in the grand city, no doubt making a fool of himself. But as much as she hated to admit it, she had no other friends besides him, and the fact DID bother her.
Occasionally.
Currently, the entire building was in disarray from the death of their Viceroy. The office cubicles were completely void, as the workforce still waited for further instruction. The few who did seem to be doing work were performing it hesitantly, looking over their shoulders constantly. Others were simply running amok looking busy.
She'd questioned a senior officer why the Viceroy's palace had been thrust into such disarray. He gave one panicked look at her stature, rank, demeanor, and formally collapsed on the ground.
Incredible… and sad. She thought. All of this disorganization over one Viceroy? Impressive loyalty.
But then again, the mark of a good machine is if it works, no matter what pieces are missing.
She prodded the unfortunate lump on her plate, considering her options carefully.
And this was the most edible looking plate they serve here…. she thought miserably.
Her fork punctured the meat, swooping it to her mouth. The initial taste was salty, followed by a flourish of dim bitterness. There was a small crunch as some inner compartment was breached, spilling out a thick liquid that was exactly like-
Wasabi!
She spit the food out, instantaneously, as the red hot burning enveloped her taste buds. She stood up, affronted by the plate.
"Who, in their right mind, puts chunks of WASABI in ICE CREAM!" She spat, with emotion that one would not usually associate with the introverted girl. The entirety of the office froze to gawk at the outburst from the Knight of 6.
With a flick, she turned around and made way to the exit, intent on finding dinner elsewhere. She briskly bypassed the outer guard and outside.
"Wait! Ms. Alstreim!" Anya didn't bother to slow or turn at the voice. "Procedures state that I can't allow you to go into the city unaccompanied!" The rising sound of an approaching set of feet continued.
Anya closed her eyes and counted down from ten.
With a quick flash, she jumped back and connected with a kick to the chest. The man gasped quickly and was sent sprawling on the grass, clutching his sides.
She was on him in a second, a foot pressing his face to the mud.
"Listen." Her voice was of a monotone caliber, a tone the unfortunate guard found even more terrifying. "I'm going to walk out of here, and come back in a couple of hours. I will not need bodyguards, I will not need surveillance, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
The guard could only nod in agreement.
"Good, I'm glad we had this discussion." She then took off her Rounds coat and set it over the guard. "Deliver this to my room."
And with that, Anya Alstreim blended among the moving crowds, quickly disappearing from view.
Ashford Academy
9:00 PM
Cornelia glared at Lelouch with a triumphant grin. Her hand sent three garrisons of soldiers gunning for his capitol, instantly turning the tide against his reign.
The man had instantaneously taken control. Strategic feints and advances had slowly chipped away at their power, while only strengthening his own. With his last move, he had amassed a giant fortress of troops, gathered around claimed countries.
It certainly didn't help that he held all the bonuses, boosting his defensive ability by an additional 50%. Almost unsurpassable. Almost invincible.
But not quite.
"Ha! How about THAT Lelouch!" She smirked. At great cost to her own forces, she had managed to break down the defenses surrounding North and South America. Won't be able to monopolize those soldiers anymore!
For the most part, his mask of indifference never slipped at the loss of his singular advantage. But Cornelia could swear she saw him begin to sweat on the side.
She rested backwards on her seat, nodding curtly to C.C., Nunnally, and Euphemia. The had all been hesitant about playing the game at all, but Nunnally had stated that if they narrated the battles, she could follow along easily enough. Which she did, never missing a beat or opportunity because of her disability. A tactical mind obviously shared with her brother.
With an open flourish, the three revealed their aces, fifteen recruitment points in total, a small sum considering that it involved all three of them. But Lelouch had effectively reduced their ability to draw recruitment cards by minimizing conflicts.
Making engagements that only he could win at.
Each took their turn independently, drafting soldiers and taking advantage of the spearfront Cornelia had lead. By the conclusion, the board had been entirely reshuffled in alternating colors of blue, yellow, red, and green. The last vestiges of black were confined entirely to Australia, and a singular splotch in Russai.
"I believe, Lelouch, that this is CHECKMATE." C.C. replied curtly, letting a small grin leak to her face. He didn't reply, except for a short narrowing of eyes. The four allies jumped up in the air, hugging each other happily.
"You LOSE Lelouch! Admit it-"
"We just beat Zero, the master tactician-"
"I believe, you owe us-"
"No card up our sleeve this-"
The four voices blended together, all yelling with glee at the still figure. He mumbled something, a comment lost in the cacophony.
"What's that?" Euphemia mocked, leaning in close with a good natured grin. "Say that again, please?"
He stood up abruptly. "I said, SHUT UP!" The partying of the four females ended quickly at his exclamation. He waited until he had their full attention, affixing them with a singular stare before continuing.
"The game isn't over until someone loses. Do well to remember that." He sat down again, but in a completely reversed mood from before. His body posture was lax, smiling slyly as he reclined in his chair.
"Now, Euphemia, I'd like you to announce the draft cards on my side of the table." Euphemia gave him a quick loser that had "sore loser" written all over it, before, quickly flipping the cards that he had, until recently, kept confidential.
They all gasped. Each one of the cards were of a double star, indicating a small total of twenty recruitment points. The ability to draft twenty or so new troops.
"WHAT? Lelouch, how the HELL did you get so many double cards!" Cornelia demanded with a frustrated exclamation.
"All's fair in war." With a small grin, he placed a significant amount of Japan, while the other troops went into his patched network of control over the rest of Asia.
Shit. We're in trouble. Conrleia glowered. We channeled all our forces to break North America, while leaving nothing to guard our back.
But then again, we've still conquered at least two thirds of the board…..!
"Nunnally I'll attack China with three troops. Euphemia, I'll attack Siberia with two troops. Cornelia, I'll be-" And so on his rampage continued, until the shadows of the "Lelouchian Empire" extended outwards to all of Asia, sneaking small tendrils into all other continents.
C.C. took the die in a clenched fist and rolled them. A "2" and a "1", negligible towards Lelouch's "5" and "6". She leapt up onto the table.
"Godammit Lelouch! You're cheating somehow!" His response was to shrug innocently.
"C.C,, lease calm down." Nunnally stated, comfortably. "The CCEN (Cornelia.C. .Nunnally) still controls two thirds of the world. As good as Nii-san is, he can't compare to our drafting power!"
He smiled, like a shark. "You would be positively correct in that fact. And if you were all playing with a single color, I'd have quit a long time ago. But that's not the case." He pointed to their recently conquered countries, as well as the continents he had managed to place troops into. "You imagine that your alliance is strength, when it is actually weakness! Look at your countries, what do you see?"
He stopped for a second, to allow them to look.
"I see nothing less than an un-unified front, a massive clump of alternating loyalties. And because of that, not one continent is under a singular control. "His last sentence was drowning in justified arrogance. "Therefore, none of you get continent troop bonuses."
"Yeah, so what?" Euphemia asked.
"So, I now control all of Asia, as well as Australia. You don't have any bordering countries with significant troop numbers, and it'll take at least a single turn to relocate. And, in a turn, I'll have drafted a combined force of 30 troops! While you can only draft 12 combined!" He laughed triumphantly. "CHECKMATE indeed!"
The four others slumped in disappointment, with alternating grumbles and crossed arms.
"So you risked your capitol, all on the slim chance that we'd take the bait?" Cornelia asked incredulously. If it was possible, Lelouc's grin only expanded.
"Absolutely. If the king does not lead, how can he expect his-"
"Oh HELL NO!" Euphemia jumped to the table, knocking the Risk board to the ground and scattering the pieces. "YOU'RE NOT SAYING THAT AGAIN!"
With a feral cry, she leapt forward, grabbing Lelouch and wrestling him to the ground.
It was not much of a fight. If the present company had any lesser indication of Lelouch's physical prowess, they would have looked away from the conflict in shame. As it went, there was no surprise in when the innocent looking princess had Lelouch pinned in under five seconds. After twenty additional seconds, he stopped his attempts to get out of the hold.
….. why the heck do I keep getting beaten by girls today. He wondered dimly.
"Now, Lelouch. I think it's rather unfair how you keep winning at these games." Euphemia stated, sweetly. "You're going to go out, and buy candy for all of us. Right? She suddenly leaned in closer. "RIIGHHHT?"
He scoffed. "Yeah right. That wasn't the bet, we stated that if I won-"
"Going to buy us candy, RIIIGGHT?" Lelouch stopped speaking as he observed his present company. All four girls were sitting around him in a circle, leaning in menacingly. Cornelia casually got up and flicked the top tip of his nose.
"Let me tell you, when I was in the military, they used all sorts of punishments to toughen us up. Can you guess the name of one of them?" He didn't answer.
"It was called…" Lelouch's eyes widened in recognition.
These were the four people in the world that he loved the most, C.C. included.
These were the four people in the world that he feared the most, Nunnally included.
Damn. There's… there's no way out of this!
He sighed and stopped his struggling, looking up with defeated eyes. "Fine. I'll get the candy, but you guys owe me."
Euphemia nodded contently, letting her arms slacken as Lelouch moved out of the hold.
"Well, at least it's nice weather, Nii-san-"
CRACKOOM! A fearsome bolt of lightning slashed the sky in two. There was the small patter or coming rain, followed closely by a wicked downpour as the storm hit its stride.
Lelouch stared out the door, at the night and the pouring rain, then quickly back to the four devil women.
He grabbed a coat and departed quickly.
To say the least, Anya Alstreim was not enjoying her time out. She hadn't given it a second thought, exiting the Viceroy's Palace with deploring haste.
With not a cent, not an item, not even her Knight of the Rounds coat to accompany her.
All she had on was her standard attire that she wore beneath her coat, a black shirt and white shorts that optimized free movement. Despite her neutrality on everything life concerning, she started to hate the way the cloth clung to her form in the dense rain.
A sudden hooded figure brushed past her in a breeze, shoving her lightly out of the way. Behind her was a familiar looking shirtless, bond, loud knight.
"DAMMIT! WAIT UP DUDE! I JUST WANT TO TALK!" Gino yelled fiercely, barely keeping up with the figure. He was unaware of her presence as he passed her. The two vanished in the afternoon downpour.
She exhaled melodramatically, cocking her head towards the falling sound of footsteps.
"What was that about?" She mused out loud. Another thought occurred to her. "Should I …have asked for directions?"
She shrugged uncaringly a second later, and continued her walk forward, intent on taking cover in a nearby convenience store. The smallest of sounds from the shadows made her pause.
Looks like….something interesting. Anya thought, analyzing the faint figure in the darkness.
A hand shot out from the alley. It bent forward, clamping pudgy fingers around Anya's mouth. The other hand dragged her into the alley.
The man was Japanese, muttering quietly under his breath. He was wearing a large brown trench coat that sagged with filled pockets. The voice and form of his face suggested someone at least thirty years old. A left hand held a phone to his ear, the other pinning her to the wall of the alley.
"…high nobility, I'm thinking. Yeah, I'll see you at the rendezvous." With a click, he shut the flip phone and let it drop into his pocket, turning his full attention back to her.
"Name." He said. Low and commanding. "Status and parents."
"….What?"
"Tell me your name, parents, and status. What are you? A Margrave? A Duke? " He spat out each word with scornful hate, pressing his arm harder against her frame. She barely winced at the increased pressure, still watching the man with obvious bewilderment.
He smirked, misreading her expression. "That's right, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOBILITY. Yeah, I've been tailing you for a while. And let me say, only clueless nobility don't know how to-"
Anya slashed above his eyes with a horizontal cut of her hands. He screamed once and leaped back, releasing her from his grip. The flow of blood was stemmed by his hand.
The sudden pain obfuscated his vision, making him act reflexively out of anger.
And not focus on, for instance, WHY THIS GIRL WAS ABLE TO PERFORM A BLACK BELT LEVEL MOVE.
"Oh man, you're in for some serious shit now, girl!" His hands were balled into fists at his side, trembling slightly in the rain. She lightly reassessed the presumed age of the man.
Must be around twenty or twenty one.
"Boring. Very boring. I thought you'd try to kill me, at the very least. But you're not. Just a kidnapper." Her tone was flat, though showing a tinge of disappointment.
"You…. you, YOU!" He sputtered, lunging forward and grabbing Anya by the throat. "BRITANNIAN SCUM!"
She frowned slightly. His hands, choking her neck, were grasping all the wrong points. Nevertheless, she could feel her air supply depleting rapidly.
Ah well. Not interesting after all….
Before she could act, a voice of steel called out from the front of the ally.
"LET HER GO!"
Lelouch had been returning from the nearby convenience store, twin bags of bursting candy slung over each shoulder. His breath was labored from the long walk and sleight weight.
The night was a denser sort of dark, a moonless condition illuminated faintly by occasional streetlights. A light wind grazed the trees. Occasional strangers walked across barren streets.
Why am I getting candy? I'M not the one who lost the bet! He fumed. The rain that was continuously hailing from the heavens did nothing to improve his mood.
Lelouch tilted his head to the sound of approaching footsteps.
A cloaked figure barged into Lelouch, shoving him into a nearby wall. Lelouch looked up in mild annoyance, catching a faint glimmer of identity through the hood.
"…. Suzaku?" Lelouch called. The figure froze momentarily, before drastically increasing their speed and vanishing in the distance.
Another person appeared behind, a blond male without a shirt and wearing swim trunks. "-WAIT UP DUDE! I JUST WANT TO TALK!" Lelouch unceremoniously stuck out a leg, tripping up the chaser. The man tumbled to the ground, skidding several feet across the slick asphalt before finally coming to a rest.
"Idiot." The blond scathed at Lelouch, before continuing the pursuit.
Lelouch shook his head as the figures became lost from sight. The expression Suzaku wore, marring his normally jovial features, prominently stayed in his mind.
Suzaku was in pain, and immensely so. It was an expression Lelouch had only seen one other time, when Suzaku's father, Genbu Kururugi, had died.
But of course he was in pain, as it was no little known fact that Euphemia was awfully close to her knight.
Maybe something to be exploited. He thought. If I can get Euphemia to talk to him…
Mid scheming, Lelouch's thought process was interrupted by the sight of a pink haired figure being hauled into the alley.
Fuck.
SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY IN THE HOUSE!
He dropped his bags to the ground, sprinting to the dark behind the building. He paused a second to let his eyes adjust to the dark.
And there they were, a Japanese man, holding Euphemia in a chokehold.
"LET HER GO!" He shouted. He flared his Geass as the man turned around to look at him. The man stopped his movements, caught in his power.
So many things to do to this man…. He thought darkly, before sighing despondingly. But…. he's Japanese. It doesn't excuse his actions, not even close, but his life has most likely ben nothing but hardships.
"GO HOME AND FORGET OF TONIGHT." The man blinked twice before turning on his heel and walking out of the darkened alley.
After he left, Lelouch turned back towards the victim. "Hey, Euphemia, are you-"
It wasn't Euphemia.
The person standing before him was shorter, and held herself with an air of cool confidence completely alien to the Princess he knew. She was wearing nothing but a short shirt and shorts that clung to her body in the rain.
But more disconcerting was her demeanor. Completely placid of known emotion. Her body posture was offhand, despite the fact that she had just escaped from a life threatening scenario. She turned her head towards Lelouch.
A look of recognition flashing before her expression.
Oh, hell. Lelouch thought.
The girl took a reluctant forward, eyes not moving from his face. "Lelouch…. Lelouch vi Britannia?"
From there, his evening only continued to decline.
Anya, had finally found something interesting.
Lelouch vi Britannia, before her in the flesh, of that there was no doubt. The similar posture, identical shape of cheekbones, the same striking eyes, they were all notable features that belonged in singular to the not-so-dead Prince of Britannia.
But, the feeling she had, it was more than that. She should've been skeptical, at the very least, at the idea that she had coincidentally run headfirst into someone of his caliber, on the FIRST night she had EVER spent in this country. Nevertheless, some hidden recess in her mind instantly threw the switch, removing all doubts that the man standing in front of her WAS the latent prince of Britannia.
And the fact that her words were obviously having an impact on him. He'd gone completely still, like a dear caught in the headlights.
…or like an enemy Glascow stuck in front of the Mordred. She thought. Lelouch sudden twisted around, regaining his confident posture. His features manipulated into a look of confusion.
And just like that, he puts his mask back on. Anya observed.
"Who? I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. You must still be in shock from-" Anya marched straight towards Lelouch, striking the upside of his head and grabbing him comically by his collar.
She brought his shocked face within three inches of her own.
"Lelouch vi Britannia. Seventeenth prince of Britannia. Mother, Marianne vi Britannia, assassinated by an unknown assailant on February 8th, 2010 of the imperial calendar. Sister, Nunnally vi Britannia, blinded and crippled in the attack. Exiled to Japan after confronting the Emperor." She stopped for a breath.
"Assumed dead in the aftermath of the Japan Invasion."
She stopped there, both knight and prince remaining motionless in stagnant observance. Lelouch's eyes had narrowed, focusing intensely on her gaze.
He coughed a bit and hardened his tone. "I don't know who you are, or how you've come across this information. But now, OBEY ALL OF MY ORDERS!"
Anya's eyes flicked upwards with vague surprise as a red gleam appeared in purple eyes. The light expanded outwards, increasing in size and density as flowed forward and-
Lelouch watched with sure confidence as the orders touched her eyes. Underneath though, his mind was spilling with questions.
HOW does this girl know who I am? Where did she come from? WHO IS-
"Interesting lightshow, prince Lelouch. The trick was better the first time, though." Lelouch's body went rigged at the flat voice.
His eyes instantly went back to the girl .The Geass appeared to have no effect on her, no tell-tale concentric rings surrounding her irises, no drop in stance and voice.
I keep track of everyone that I've used Geass on, and this girl is DEFFINITLEY not one of them!
"Why…. WHY are you unaffected by my Geass?" He asked, voice panicked now. If she had immunity, it could very well be she'd been sent SPECIFICALLY to deal with a Geass user.
He squirmed against her hold, to no effect. The strength of a soldier. She's caught me… she's identified me, and if I'm turned in, I'll lead them straight to Nunnally!
Anya, in truth, had no idea why Lelouch had sudden decided this moment to begin flailing about madly. She watched with an amused expression as he strained against her arms, now pinning his body head first against the wall.
Oh, I suppose I need to know WHY a prince of Britannia would be hiding out…Anya thought.
She momentarily released her grip. "Prince Lelouch, why-"
Lelouch snapped an elbow into her stomach, driving out the air from her body in surprise. She'd already assessed his physical abilities to be well below average, but had underestimated the feral desperation in his eyes.
She collided with the back wall as her query jumped the corner. She immediately straightened to pursue..
Oh no, I'm not losing you. Not when things are finally getting interesting.
Lelouch sprinted down the empty street, jarring trash cans and other objects in his haste. Despite his adrenaline filled movements, he could still see the pink haired girl behind him, quickly gaining.
"Dammit! Why can't my enemies ever be out of shape!" He rounded the street corner, running through a pack of Britannian schoolboys.
"Subdue the girl chasing me!" He growled once. The group automatically shifted to a dreamlike state.
3….2…1….
The girl flew around the corner. Before she could react, the punches began to fly as the pack completely surrounded their target.
"Nice." Lelouch said, taking a right and completely ducking out of sight. He continued his pace for another three blocks, only slowing to a walk when he was sure that he'd lost her.
"Who… who was that girl?" He panted. He walked a wide birth around the Tokyo Settlement, cautiously making sure that he had lost her before returning to Ashford.
If was midnight when he finally returned to the school grounds.
Anya peered at Lelouch from the rooftop of a nearby building, watching as he quickly entered the open doorway.
"The Ashford Academy. Run by the Ashford Family, known supporters of Lady Marianne." She deftly considered the building before her.
"Interesting." She said once, before vanishing in the black.
A/N: Good MONDAY one and all!
Taking in your thoughts, and my own plan to what I wanted this story to look like, the pairing will most likely be Lelouch x C.C.. I think Anya x Lelouch could've been interesting, but frankly, I couldn't figure out a way to run with the idea.
There was some reviews that disclosed how Euphemia's reaction was too severe, because of her character and how she is portrayed in the series. Honestly, I think that's an even larger motivation to the way she acts out. I mean, Euphemia's considered one of the most innocent, caring character in the entire series. When Euphemia is finally confronted with the horrible outcome of the SAZ, AND the fact she's indirectly to blame, I imagined that she'd be an inch from snapping.
Oh, and my misspelling of Sayoko as Sayoto... well, I've been watching a lot of Higurashi no naku koro ni lately :D
And yes, I understand that Risk doesn't quite work that way in real life.