Note: The cover image, along with the two series that this story was based on, belong to their respective owners.
Reginald Panzer was more than just excited, he was ecstatic. He had been waiting to get a taste of action for months! He joined the military to finally get a chance at climbing the social ladder in Britannia. Commoners never got shit when it came to opportunities. Minimum wage, or military. That was really all you got. But in the military, if you did well enough you had a chance to improve your standing. And when you spent the majority of your childhood watching nobles party their nights away, and all the speeches about how positions like those were only for those who were strong enough to take that power for yourself, you eventually got to the point where you would start to believe it. So, with your options being living in poverty, or fighting for a spot in the nobility, you fought. Reginald being Reginald obviously did at least.
Originally, he wanted to join the KMF armor division, but apparently one had to have a degree in engineering in order to be able to maintain one's personal unit. But still, doing things the old fashioned way wasn't too bad either, especially when you had the opportunity Reginald and his squad mates had.
He didn't know what the Vi Brittanians did, and honestly? With what they were offering for their heads, it didn't matter. The strong survived, it's what the Emperor said, it's what the nobles said, and it's what generals like the famous master of the arms Patton said. And they had the wealth to prove it. So when you and your squad got noble titles and plots of land for killing two unarmed kids that were ten and younger, you took the offer without question.
So here he was, in the suburbs on the outskirts of Tokyo making his way through one of the trashed buildings that could have been a convenience store or could have been a candy store. Didn't matter now since the fifty first air division had dropped a bomb on it. Boxes with kanji and colorful pictures all over them were scattered all over the floor with pieces concrete accompanied by chunks of splintered wood from crumbling walls and demolished roof.
He walked down one of the only isles left standing and scanned the far wall for movement. The group had decided to move separately to cover more ground on their way to the Kururugi household. so Reginald was alone and didn't want to have to worry about being caught with his pants down so to speak so he decided that only having to worry about what was directly in front of him, and what was directly behind him was his best bet. Apparently, he was wrong as he watched in horror when a grenade was tossed over the wooden wrack to his left and landed directly at his feet.
"Oh shit," was all that Arno heard before the wrack exploded into splinters.
"One down," the assassin whispered as he melted back into the shadows behind a large chunk of wall off to the right of the front door.
He wasted no time moving to the exit and opening the door. Once outside, he looked to his immediate right and found a steel pipe going from the ground all the way up to the roof of the two-story building. Scaling it quickly, Arno made sure to stay as close to the edge as possible so as to make sure that what was left of the roof didn't give in under the extra weight. Quickly activating his Eagle vision, he located the second target in the building next door. He ran to the next building and promptly hopped across the small gap between the two structures. Arno chalked it up to pure luck when he found that this building had been spared by the bombings that had occurred moments ago. The roof was mostly barren though, save for a small door leading to a stairwell that lead all the way to the first floor. Reactivating his Eagle Vision, his prey lit up in bright red on the second floor.
Unfortunately, his vision didn't tell him much else so he would have to stay alert in case there was something that he hadn't caught. Moving down the steps, he knelt down and made sure to make virtually no noise as he exited the stairwell into a small hallway. The guard appeared to be about two doors down on the left. He obviously wasn't as cautious as his comrade had been. Arno watched as the silhouette of the guard rested the gun on his shoulder and began to rummage through something Arno couldn't see with his sixth sense.
"Amateur," Arno muttered as he made his way to the opened door. He peered in and found the idiot looking through a jewelry cabinet at the far end of the room. He moved behind the man and placed the palm of his right hand at the base of his skull. The hidden blade on his wrist quietly entered the man's spine, killing him in seconds and then returned to its sheath a moment later.
Before the body had even hit the floor, Arno was moving to the door. "Two down," Arno said to himself as he turned to the right and returned to the stairwell. "These bozos are easier to take than I thought."
He made his way back to the roof and looked out across the street to see where the last two had gone. He took note of his third victim making their way down the sidewalk with what looked to be a shotgun at the ready. "Fat lot of good that will do you," Arno said as he pulled out a pistol and smoothly placed a bullet in the man's head. He then returned the weapon to its hidden holster and moved to the side of the building he was standing on.
Unfortunately, as he prepared to make his way to the ground, a loud shot rang out through the air. Instinctively dropping to his stomach near the edge of the roof, Arno activated his Eagle vision and found that the last target was currently running down the street in the direction of the Kururugi residence as quickly as his feet would take him. "Throwing caution to the wind are we?" Arno called out as he scrambled to his feet in hot pursuit.
The trooper chose not to respond as he sprinted to the house. He stumbled on rubble, and other debris all along his rout. Meanwhile, Arno hopped from roof to roof in quick succession with much less difficulty. Just as the man had reached the front door, Arno dropped from the roof of the neighboring building with his pistol redrawn. The soldier, one hand on the door, and his rifle lowered, stared at Arno. His face was obscured by a large grey gas mask, so Arno couldn't see the man's face, but he could already tell the guy was on the verge of pissing himself when his hands shakily moved to raise the gun in Arno's direction.
"You haven't got a chance in hell of hitting me, and you know it." Arno growled at the trooper as he watched the rifle shake all over the place. Arno smirked as his opponent slowly walked backwards in fear at the challenge.
"They were supposed to be unguarded," the goon called out in a shaky voice.
"They're guarded," Arno said as he raised the pistol and ended the man with a single shot.
To be quite frank, Lelouch Vi Britannia was utterly and completely terrified. Nunnally was crying beside him in her wheelchair as they sat in the corner of a dark room filled with shattered pots, and broken furniture. Suzaku was kneeling in front of the young princess and trying to calm her down and Lelouch sat making up escape plans in case Arno didn't come back. Lelouch liked the butler, but he wouldn't put it past anyone with a brain to realize that staying with Lelouch and Nunnally was like painting a giant target on their back. They were tools for their father to use at his leisure, and the fact that the house had been bombed well before foot troops moved into the city could only mean one thing: Charles didn't need bargaining chips anymore. He needed a symbol for the people; he needed martyrs.
Lelouch could see it now, "The death of Lelouch and Nunnally Vi Britannia cannot be ignored! We will have our vengeance!"
He gave out a small laugh, which sounded more like a sob, and stared at the door. The trio had heard a gunshot not long ago, and it was loud. He knew it wouldn't be long before either Arno returned, or the children died inside a burning building. In reality, Lelouch didn't plan on them surviving this. He knew that even if they had run for it immediately after Arno left, the chances of survival were slim to none. And so, Lelouch simply sat waiting for his fate to be decided for him again, just like he always did. What his father said was so painfully true when Lelouch thought about where he was right now. He was dead. No matter how he looked at his existence he had done nothing but sit and play around with either his siblings, or play chess. Everything of importance had never been in his hands, not once. And now? It probably never would. Not once had he ever truly been alive. He was just a lifeless puppet to be done with as he pleased.
It was probably why he sympathized with reformists. He and his sister were the weakest links of the strongest family in Britannia. They were looked down on, and ultimately treated like pawns. Judged by the nobility, and even their own father as less than people. Even more so thanks to their mother originally being a commoner before she was recognized by Charles for her capability as a soldier. If Lelouch had it his way, the entire government would have been turned on its head, but with his father on the throne, it would never happen. Now, his adopted home was destroyed, and the closest thing he ever had to a loving father figure was either scared off or dead. The people of Japan would be essentially enslaved, and the Vi Britannia line would be shot by some desperate commoner who was willing to do anything to make it into the nobility.(even if they were probably going to get shot so they couldn't tell anyone how they had even become a noble so quickly in the first place.)
The three heard the sound of footsteps hitting the hallway floor outside and all immediately became completely silent as they stopped directly in front of the door.
"Oh prince charming!" Arno called as if the world wasn't ending right outside, "how fares the beautiful Rapunzel and her knight and shining Armor?"
Lelouch just stared at the man in utter shock. "You came back?" He asked, ignoring the man's question.
"What kind of Butler would leave his master in a situation like this?" Arno replied, acting as if the question had physically wounded him.
"One that want's to live!" Lelouch cried out, rising to his feet and stomping over to the man. "Nunnally and I are doomed! You have no obligation to protect us, and even if you succeed you won't get paid anyway!"
"I didn't protect you for money dear prince," Arno said, putting on a face of determination that Lelouch had never seen. "I protected you because I care about your wellbeing. Even if the royalty and nobility are a bunch of bloodthirsty snakes, there are still people who have basic human beliefs. Leaving children to be murdered is something I will not allow."
"No," Lelouch said, his anger rising, "there's more. There's always more."
Arno looked at the boy for a moment while Nunnally and Suzaku watched the exchange from the corner. He seemed to reach a decision about something and then lowered himself to one knee so his eyes were level with Lelouch's own.
"I have not been completely honest with you my boy," Arno began. Lelouch was about to speak when he raised his hand for silence and then continued. "I am not a butler, and I am not doing this because it's my job. I have been following you and your sister because you are the only hope this world has at becoming a better place. Unlike all the other members of the Royal family, you two aren't obsessed with power. You understand how it feels to be weak, to be powerless. And that is exactly the kind of people who deserve to rule, those who can relate to their subjects. There was once a man who said that the people do not serve the king, the king serves the people and I believe that you will become a man that can serve the people."
Lelouch thought about what Arno had said. He looked so very serious, but even Lelouch could play a part. He was young, but he was by no means gullible. Still, he hadn't killed him yet, and he had plenty opportunities to do so. Not to mention, he was the closest thing to a parent he had left. Besides, Arno was the best hope that the children had, and that was enough for now. Before they did anything though, he had some questions for his protector.
"If you're not a butler, then who are you?" The child asked, but it wasn't Arno who answered.
"He is a child in a man's body," came a deep voice from the doorway. The children all tensed on instinct, but Arno simply sighed.
"You know just how to ruin the moment don't you?" Arno said, turning to face the man who Lelouch and the other kids had never met. "Where were you while I was taking out those paratroopers anyway?"
"Consider it payback for duck taping an air horn to the bottom of my computer chair." He replied triumphantly. "And to answer your question, I was avoiding the panicking masses outside." Arno simply groaned and turned to the kids.
"What my colleague meant to say before," Arno began, glaring at his companion a moment before returning his gaze to the three, "was that we are what remains of an organization dedicated to bringing about peace and freedom through covert means."
"We have operated for hundreds of years in the shadows trying to protect the world from tyrants like your father." Connor continued after Arno finished his statement. "Long ago, our influence stretched all throughout the world, working towards someday realizing our dreams for a better world."
The three children listened as the two explained the goals of their organization, but two questions remained, "so what was this group called, and what were the two of you to it?" Lelouch asked, almost impatiently.
The two adults looked at each other for a minute before the mystery man who had come in second stepped forward. "We were known as the Assassin's Brotherhood," he began, "I am Master Assassin Connor Kenway."
"And I'm Master Assassin Arno Dorian." Arno said, puffing out his chest, as if he were an action hero.
Lelouch stared at the two silently for a moment as his mind attempted to understand just what the hell kind of joke the two were pulling; assassins acting as the personal guards of two royal family members? Apparently Nunnally was having the same problem of understanding what the two meant when they said they were assassins. "So… you're here to kill us after all?" She asked, obviously confused.
Arno just smiled and knelt before the little girl. "No my sweet Rapunzel, it's just a name," he said fondly as he brushed a stray hair from her face. "We do far more than assassinations. For now, we simply want to aid you in your time of need."
"Listen, I understand we still have plenty to explain," Connor called out as he turned towards the door, "but there's still a war outside, and we aren't exactly safe in the middle of a battlefield."
They were right. Lelouch knew they were right, and no matter how he looked at it they were their best chance of survival, assassins or not. "You're right," he agreed, "let's get out of here."
It hadn't taken the group long to get out on the road. And the black hummer that the Assassin's had brought was fairly spacious. Even with all of the equipment that had been placed in the back didn't really bother the children. Not physically anyway. The trunk had been filled with crates filled with ammo and, at least, twenty rifles accompanied by smaller fire arms and to finish it off; two identical missile launchers with several missiles for each. The most bizarre part of it all was that it was packed so perfectly that it all fit neatly behind the back seat.
Suzaku for his part, had been so caught up with the new information about Arno and Connor along with all of the other excitement that he had almost completely forgotten about his father. It may seem horrible, but the way things were playing out made it very hard to stop and really dwell on anything that had happened thus far. He was only ten, and he had gotten bombarded with things he couldn't possibly comprehend almost immediately after murdering his own father out of fear for the lives of his two best friends.
But now, with the group away from the majority of the fighting thanks to Connor's little "detours" off of the roads (and through some of the smaller buildings) it was all starting to really get to him. He hadn't started crying over the death, but he was certainly morning. He simply stared blankly at the back of the seat in front of him and allowed his mind to wander. He could still see it, every horrid detail, and he could hardly stand it. He was watching the blade all over again as it slid into his father's flesh. It moved painfully slow as it sank deeper, and deeper… He did that. He killed his own father and-
"Suzaku?" Arno called from the front seat, breaking him from his thoughts. "Are you okay?"
The boy jumped as he looked up to the mirror in the top center of the front windshield to find concerned green eyes looking at him. It was obvious that Arno already knew what the boy had been thinking about. But he couldn't talk about it here, not in front of everyone else. If he could help it, he would ensure that no one else ever knew. The fact that he had murdered his own father, his own flesh and blood. Only Arno could know that he had committed such a sin.
"Yeah," the child replied timidly, "I'm fine."
He could tell that Arno didn't buy it. The man wasn't stupid. But he also seemed to understand the fact that Suzaku would rather wait until later to talk about the incident. "Okay," was all he said.
They continued the ride in silence for a while longer, passing fields of rice and small farm houses as they went. But then, Connor slowed down as they approached something that the children couldn't see from the back seats.
"Oh no," Connor said under his breath.
"They're monsters," Arno growled. Where Connor seemed almost resigned, Arno looked as if he were about to smash the dashboard in with his fist. Lelouch didn't like it, and he really didn't like the fact that he was starting to smell something burning.
"What happened?" He asked, but the two didn't respond. They were too caught up with staring at whatever was outside the car. "What happened?" He asked again, his patience wearing thin"
"Nothing," Arno muttered. It was a lie, an obvious lie. They were trying to shelter him, keep him in the dark, as if his innocence hadn't already been shattered after he was cast out by his own father to be killed. Well, if they wouldn't tell him, he would find out.
Lelouch tore open the door and hopped out before Connor or Arno could stop him. As soon as his feet hit the dirt he ran to the front of the car to find that he should have allowed them to shelter him. What laid before him was a small grouping of wooden buildings built in the traditional Japanese style. Once upon a time they probably looked beautiful, and the residence were probably kind hearted and polite. But now it wasn't like that. Now there were bullet holes scattered all across the buildings. Half of the structures had been set aflame along with the surrounding plant life.
And while that alone was enough to make Lelouch's heart clench, what made his blood boil and his hands form into fists of barely contained rage was the bodies. Not just the men, but women and children's corpses were scattered about the landscape. They hadn't even been moved after they were gunned down in their homes, and on a street that they had probably walked on almost every day of their lives. The blood of the dead pooled about their bodies, slowly turning a slight shade of brown as it mixed with the dirt and dried.
Yet, even with all of the dead laid out before him, what Lelouch's eyes had focused on the most was the face of a single child. A child Nunnally's age laying on her back only two feet in front of the young prince. Her eyes remained wide open, staring to the sky. They had already begun to dry and turn a milky white but Lelouch could still just make out the brown ring around the iris. Her mouth was barely parted with blood coming from its corner and tickled all the way down to the ground where it mixed with the rest of the reddish sludge beneath her.
By this time Suzaku, who had followed after his best friend, had moved to stand beside the enraged royal and saw the same little girl. But were Lelouch had grown furious, Suzaku only felt defeated. "Lelouch," Suzaku began, but was cut off by his friend.
"I swear to you Suzaku," the boy said, "I swear that one day, I will destroy Britannia!"
"And how will you do that?" Arno asked from behind the two. Lelouch turned to him and found an expression of anger much like his own. But that look did nothing to deflate him.
"I'll build an army," he said.
"Or," Arno countered, "you could build a brotherhood."
A moment passed between the two as what the Assassin said slowly sank in before he came to a decision. "Why Arno, what a brilliant idea." Lelouch finally said, his face contorting into a predatory grin.
"Well then brothers," Arno began, adopting a vicious grin of his own, "I welcome you with open arms."
A/N: So, what do you think? Was the induction of Lelouch into the brotherhood good, or did it seem poorly written? Suzaku will obviously have a problem with the whole idea, but it's going to be a good source of tension as the story progresses, trust me. Also, we're going to have another time skip, and this one's going to be a bit of a jump. I hope that it seems believable so far, but honestly tell me if you guys have a problem with anything that has happened so far. Finally, huge shout out to wilji1090 for reviewing this after I basically went to his story and advertised myself to him. So, to return the favor I just want to say that he has a story going right now by the name of Code Geass: Olympus which is absolutely amazing so go check it out! Thanks for reading, and please review!