Sorry for the incredible delay. I haven't been doing great (mind wise) and hit a bit of a slump. Also, I stopped midway and wrote the end to Chapter 6. So I've basically been going back and forth between the two. In fact, Chapter 6 is a bit more thought out then this one, though it came to me on a whim during an 8 hour bus ride.
Let me also say that I put no prior thought into these stories, so if the chapters seem clustered, it's because my brain is clustered. Sorry! :-)
Also, I think I'm going to get a beta. Every time I look over my stories I keep finding mistakes. But since no one's mentioned it, it isn't that bad. Nonetheless, if anyone out there is interested in being the beta for this story or my other one, do let me know!
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Lloyd's eyes flitted over the documents before him, flipping through the pages with such speed that Suzaku wondered if he had even absorbed any of it. Lakshata on the other hand, had several sheets spread out before her and seemed to be reading them all at the same time. Cecile read more slowly and carefully, a hand running straight down the page as she finished each line.
It was 2:15 in the morning. Jeremiah, Villetta, and Sayoko had been dismissed, while C.C. had simply left. The scientists and the other 2 members of the Unholy Trinity remained at that table under the bright light of the lamp. Lelouch sat reclined in his in his chair, watching the trio absently out of the corner of his eyes as he read from a book.
"Incredible." Cecile breathed as she set aside the blueprints for the Shinkirō.
"Not incredible. Brilliant." Lloyd murmured with a smirk as he set down Lancelot Albion's booklet. Lakshata let out a soft giggle, leaned back in her seat and smoked from her pipe. She cocked her head to the side to smile at Lelouch.
"Stepping stones, hmm?" she said. Lelouch smiled calmly from behind his book.
"Mere stepping stones." He answered. Cecile leaned forward and propped her elbows on the table.
"So what exactly do you want us to build?" She asked.
"A new Knightmare for each of us." Suzaku stated.
"And one for Kallen while you're at it." Lelouch murmured from behind his book. The other 4 raised an eyebrow at him.
"Is that wise?" Suzaku asked with a blank stare. The prince gave an absent flick of his wrist as if to shrug. Suzaku closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair, body straight yet relaxed, looking ready to take a nap.
"She'll get it after she's knighted, hmm?" he said quietly. Lelouch nodded in response, a smile flickering on his lips before disappearing. He closed the book and set it down.
"The finished 10th will be the end." He stated. "Phenomenal in ways never before and never again to be seen. I don't care how many…prototypes…you need to build until you're satisfied." He propped his elbows on the table and clasped his fingers together, letting his chin rest on their backs. Violet eyes narrowed as a slow, calm smirk crept upon his lips. Suzaku's face lightened with a small smile of his own.
"If we're going to screw the world over…" Lelouch murmured.
"We may as well do it good." Suzaku finished.
X----------------X----------------X
"TAKE THIS, MOTHERFUCKERRRRRRR!!!" Kallen roared at her opponent as she shoved the arm of the Guren Mk-II straight through the enemy Knightmare. She reeled backed and the pilot ejected himself just in time to miss the machine's explosion.
"YEAH! Way to go Kallen! The next one's mine, okay?!" Tamaki shouted (uselessly) from somewhere on her left.
The red-head grinned with excitement and pride. Things had been going great. Classes were going along nicely, Lakshata had given the Guren a fantastic tune-up and she was a literal whirlwind on the battlefield. Not to mention Zero. Their leader's words had added gallons of fuel to the flame in her heart. "'More than anyone else, I want you to take my words to heart.'" she remembered happily. All she needed right now to make her week complete was a drop in from their residential white knight.
Now, Kallen was a good person (for the most part). She rarely ever beat up or even fought someone who didn't totally have it coming. That said, it should have come as no surprise when the Lancelot came speeding down the path of the forest area she was presently stationed in. Green eyes grew wide in delight before slowly narrowing. "Oh ho ho ho…this is gonna be good…" she thought.
The crimson Knightmare charged the white one, skidding to a halt as it attacked with a low swiping kick. Suzaku barely had time to dodge. Although he had more experience, Kallen's almost haphazard style of attack made it difficult to fight without dealing out too much damage or incurring a lot himself. He reeled back and shot at her several times. When she dodged those with ease, the Honorary Britannian decided to switch up his tactics.
He charged her, shooting several shots at her. Distracted with dodging, she didn't notice the other Knightmare's proximity until it was only a few meters away. Suzaku crouched and spun, getting her with a hard kick to the side. The red-head growled in annoyance, allowing the Knightmare to move to the side with the flow of the attack to lessen the force of the damage.
But stop, she did not. The Guren leaned back on its heels as it skid then propelled itself forward, jumping high into the air as it did so. Kallen twisted her Knightmare and turned it upside down. She extended a hand towards the other frame directly below her, the center of its palm becoming a menacing red.
Suzaku's eyes widened at the action. "Is she planning to blast me from there? At such a close range? …She wouldn't…" Kallen grinned manically from her cockpit. Guren's hand glowed as the shot became fully charged.
Suzaku's pupils contracted in shock. Green eyes became tinged with red as the brunette's mind went into overdrive. The Lancelot's blue shot cannon began charging up at emergency level rates, its arm swinging up to meet the incoming attack.
The area fell silent. For a moment everything and everyone became still. Crimson light met cobalt as the rivals clashed, the immediate sky around them darkening with the black lightning that came forth from their blast. The sheer force of the attacks created a wind so strong that it all but blew the other Knightmares away. The Guren was shot back up into the air and the Lancelot was driven into a newly formed crater in the ground.
Back in the Black Knight's base, everyone stared at the screen in shock. Lakshata's fingers fell lax and her pipe fell from her lips to the ground with a soft clink. Zero slowly lowered himself into his chair, his own fingers shaking minutely.
In the Engineering Corps laboratory, Lloyd could be found staring at the screen in horror, hands gripping the consol that housed the video screen so tightly it dented beneath his fingers. Cecile had fallen to her knees, lips parted in awe.
"Oh dear lord." She whispered.
"MY LANCELOTTTTT!!!"
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"My baby…" Lakshata whimpered. Kallen cringed. They were currently in the hanger of the BK's base. Without words, both sides had simply retreated for the day. As it were, many of the Knightmares were damaged by the backlash of that final attack, not to mention those that had been injured through actual fighting.
Lakshata was the image of melancholy. She weakly lifted a piece that had fallen of Guren's leg. She pressed it onto the machine. For a moment it held, before falling back to the ground and taking several other parts with it. The normally composed woman fell to her knees with a sob. Even C.C. looked concerned. Two of the female knights gently picked the woman up by her arms and led/dragged her away. Kallen watched them go with half lidded eyes, her Guilt-o-meter™ already at 75%.
"Kallen." A voice said from behind her. It was calm, eerily so, lacking emotions of any kind. The red-head paled and tensed, as did everyone else in the vicinity. For once, they were grateful for the mask that hid their leader's face. The ace gulped and bit her lip.
"Yes?" she replied meekly.
"Face me when you speak." He ordered quietly. The girl took a deep breath and slowly turned to face Zero.
"Yes?" She answered again. It took all the energy she had left to focus on his mask. Even then, his posture gave nothing away. Zero's entire form seemed calm, though not in a relaxed way.
"That was reckless." He murmured. "Incredibly so. Look around you…At the damaged you've caused." He said, holding his arms out at his side in a slow, deliberate manner completely lacking the flourish it normally held. Kallen shut her eyes tightly and opened them again allowing her eyes the scan the hanger as ordered. The damage was pretty bad. Very few of their Knightmares had remained in usable condition, let alone unharmed. She bit the inside of her lip hard, eyes shutting closed tightly again as her head dropped in shame. Guilt-o-meter™ at 94%. It couldn't get much worse than this.
"You endangered the lives of you comrades, of Kururugi…of yourself. What would you have had us do if he had survived and you hadn't?" he asked. Her body shook minutely. She could hear to soft clicks of Zero's boot heels echoing as he spoke. They were getting closer with each word. Guilt-o-meter™ at 100%.
They stopped. Kallen's eyes opened slowly to stare down at the long, slender legs clothed in black in her view. Gloved hands cupped her face and her eyes began to overflow with tears. Zero tilted the girl's head up to face him, her tears now running freely. His thumbs gently wiped away the tear streaks as they formed.
"Nevertheless," he murmured as he tilted his head to the side, "Now more than ever…I am completely, utterly, awed by you." Kallen's lips parted, the girl looking completely ready to get down on her knees and beg for forgiveness. She would commit seppuku if she had to. No, she would spend the rest of her life doing community serv…she blinked. And blinked again as the words sank in.
"Awe?" she asked in confusion. Was there some other meaning for the word that she didn't know? Like in another language, perhaps? Zero chuckled softly.
"Well now, no one can say you don't get the job done, hmm?" he said, letting a hand rest comfortingly atop her head.
"And we did promise to strike fear into the hearts of the strong. No doubt they're afraid now." C.C. added with a smirk. Kallen's eyes lit up. Zero's countenance had returned to its relaxed calm state.
"Never be afraid to give it your all. But please, do keep kamikaze attacks to a minimum." He advised. The ace grinned and nodded.
"Of course, sir! Rest assured, next time I'll kick their asses without them." She said with a smirk. She took two steps back and bowed before leaving. She needed to go apologize to Lakshata.
Zero and C.C. remained in the hanger as it quickly emptied out. C.C. cocked her head towards her accomplice.
"This is going to be an issue." She murmured, "It almost makes me want to tell her." The leader let out a soft sigh.
"That's not an option right now. We'll just have to trust Suzaku to keep her at arm's length on his side while we reel her in on ours." He said. The witch wrapped her arms around herself and nodded.
"How are we going to make it up to Lakshata?" She asked. Zero turned his head to stare up at the ceiling.
"I'm banking on the chance that she'll be too busy putting Kallen through the ringer to seek revenge on us for her actions." The witch chuckled.
X----------------X----------------X
"I'm going to murder her." Lloyd growled. He was currently pacing to and fro in front of Lancelot's hollow in the hanger. Cecile stood to the side with Suzaku looking over his newly treated injuries. The brunette had just spent the last 15 minutes staring blankly at a wall while being bandaged. The fact that they were alive was a miracle in itself. "That girl freaking tried to KILL me. I didn't even think it was possible to ACTUALLY see your life flash before your eyes." He thought, massaging his temples.
"Now, Lloyd-" She started.
"No…NO! I'm going to make her wish I had murdered her! And YOU," he barked spinning around to face his own pilot. "Why…didn't…you…DODGE!!" he roared. Both cringed. Suzaku looked away.
"Dodging wouldn't have helped much with that attack. Not to mention the amount of damage it would cause to the area." He said quietly. Lloyd's eyes narrowed predatorily and he stalked over to the brunette and grabbed him by his collar.
"I couldn't give less of…" he started in a growl. The teen closed his eyes and activated his Geass, all but drowning the livid scientist in calm. Lloyd stalled, blinked down at him slowly and let go. He turned around and walked several steps away slowly before stopping.
"Suzaku?" He asked quietly. The Honorary Britannian hummed in acknowledgment. The man looked over his shoulder at his pilot. "I don't know what you just did, but I'd rather you didn't do it again." He murmured, a clear warning beneath his words. Suzaku simply smiled serenely as Cecile watched them with confusion.
"Then don't give me a reason to." He answered. The man's eyelids flittered low and he scoffed, turning away.
"That boy's a bad influence on you." He muttered. The brunette chuckled fondly and grinned.
"Even if he's a good influence on my performance?" Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Brats. At least he had the 10ths to work on…" he thought.
X----------------X----------------X
A violet haired woman sat behind a large desk, eyes scanning documents with increasing irritation. They were summaries of all of the Empire's battles with the Black Knights. None went particularly well, to say the least. Only she and the Eleven boy had given any real results. "Damn that Zero!" she thought. Matching violet eyes narrowed as a scowl contorted her features.
"You face will get stuck that way." Cornelia li Britannia's head shot up, her expression softening at the sight her dear younger sister, Euphemia li Britannia. The Second Princess raised an elegant hand and motioned for the girl to come closer. Euphemia smiled and came to her sister's side. Cornelia turned and placed her hands at either side of her sister's waist and gave a thoughtful hum. The Sub-Viceroy tilted her head in concern. She wasn't getting fat, was she? The elder looked up at her after a while and smirked. To Euphemia's surprise, she was spun and pulled into Cornelia's lap. The pinkette let out a squeak.
"Now, what was that you were saying?" She asked. The girl leaned back against her sister and smiled.
"If you scowl like that for too long, your face will get stuck that way." She said cheerily. The woman tilted her head her to side.
"I see." She murmured. "Well then," She separated her fingers and began poking her sister in various places on her side. Lavender eyes grew wide and Euphemia squirmed, letting out little shocked giggles. "Shouldn't you stop laughing like that? You face will get stuck that way." She continued with calm, as if she weren't presently tickling the breath out of someone.
The younger princess struggled harder, trying with little success to suppress her laughter. She grabbed onto the desk and pulled herself forward with all the strength she had, actually forcing Cornelia up out of her seat. It wasn't long before she was able to turn herself over in the grip and fight back.
"Aneue, Aneue. Come on… you know… you want to." The young princess said between giggles. Cornelia bit her lip and leaned forward her sister, violet hair draping over them, her body shaking with successfully held in laughter.
"Your highness, I…" both women froze and looked up. Guilford stood at the doorway, a clipboard in hand, frozen in slight surprise. Only slight. Were it anyone else, coming in without knocking and seeing two princesses in what could definitely be called a compromising position without any background information on their relationship, an assassination order may very well have been given. But not Guilford, for he knew his princess and her adoration for her pink haired sister well. The corner of his lip lifted in a ghost of a smile but disappeared quickly. Cornelia gave him a blank stare. The position they were in simply hadn't happened.
"Yes? Did you need something?" She asked, not even bothering to get up from where she'd pinned Euphemia to the desk. The pinkette clearly wasn't pleased, looking away with her face red from the awkwardness (for her) and embarrassment of the situation. Guilford closed the door behind him and entered the room, bowing before he placed several packets on the desk.
"Here are the status reports from our men stationed in Kyoto. It seems that the Japan Liberation Front as well as Kyoto Six have decided to join with the Black Knights. There are documents included that will be distributed once you've decided our next course of action." The violet haired woman nodded, picked up the documents and smoothly fell back into her seat. Euphemia stood slowly, back slightly sore from the desk edge, and sighed in relief at being able to not only breathe again, but to leave. Shooting Cornelia a warm smile, she quickly made her exit.
The Viceroy set aside several of the packets, focusing on the on top. She gazed at it blankly before setting it down again. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and folded her arms in her lap.
"They're getting more supporters among the Elevens. If these alliances begin to spread to the other nations, it will be that much harder to crush them." She muttered. "If this keeps up…it won't be long before Aniue decides to step in." she finished as she stared down at the paper, at an image of Zero and Princess Kaguya Sumeragi shaking hand with the 3 groups gathered around. Violet eyes narrowed.
"Supposing he hasn't already." She muttered.
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Okay…that's it for now. Expect the next chapter within the next 2-3 days.
From the first part – Lulu and Suzu's last words. As you can see, I love sex jokes. Don't know why.
There was a little pseudo shojo-ai action in this one. Just because I wanted to introduce them at some point and that seemed like a nice way to do it. I don't know if it seemed OOC, but personally, Cornelia strikes me as the type to be overly affectionate with Euphie in private, the way Lelouch is with Nunnally all the time.
I also had my first battle scene! I hope it was alright. If it wasn't clear, the reason that the damage is so bad is because of the proximity. When blasts are shot from far away, friction and other sciencey stuff in the air lessen the force upon impact. Not only that, shooting large things at the ground tends to do a lot of damage and cause earthquakes and such (like in DBZ when Cell doesn't believe Goku would shoot a blast that strong at the ground – LOTS OF DAMAGE, I can't stress that enough. ^_^).
I also alluded to an earlier chapter where Lloyd comments on Lelouch's affect on Suzaku's performance. Lancelot love high hormone levels. ^_~
FYI, it's been a long time since I watched the show, so the order of the events may be a bit off. Bear with me on that.
Anyway, please read and review!