Hiya! Well, here's chapter three. I can almost guarantee that if I had an update schedule, this'd be at least a month late. Without further adieu, here's chapter three! It covers the SAZ arc of Code Geass, and I won't be universe hopping until at least next chapter unless this ends up being 3000 words long. I write the notes before the chapter, BTW.
Once Euphemia had gone back to the government complex, Lelouch had practically dragged Rolf into a different room, where CC was waiting.
"Friend of yours?" CC asked teasingly.
"Kallen claims he's a family friend. She was lying." Lelouch sighed, then turned to Rolf.
"Judging from your clothes, you're from that strange place Euphie and I ended up in, what was it, oh yes. You're from Tellius, aren't you?" Lelouch asked, while checking to make sure Nunally was asleep. Because she couldn't see, his sister had developed an almost superhuman sense of hearing. And Lelouch didn't want his little sister to know about his little escapade, especially since it had been as Zero.
"Uh-huh." Rolf gave the tiniest of nods.
"Well, there's a spare room over there. You'd better get some sleep if you're going to survive Milly's school festival tomorrow. Oh, and borrow one of the extra uniforms. I have a place where you can hide your bow and arrows." Lelouch stated, motioning to a door that was almost invisible. Rolf warily pushed on the alleged door, and indeed the door, which was seemingly a wall segment, swung into a small, plain room. There was a bed on one wall, and a closet with one Ashford academy boys' uniform on the other. Rolf threw his bow and quiver onto the ground and collapsed onto the bed. So I'm really in Kallen and Suzaku's world…, Rolf thought, I wonder if Mist is here, too. Rolf fell asleep pretty fast. CC looked into the room.
"Stupid 'collective human unconsciousness', can't you do anything right with all those thought elevators and what have you?" The immortal 'teen' sighed.
~Next day~
"Up and at 'em, 'Mozart'." Lelouch laughed as he went to wake Rolf up, still amused that Kallen couldn't come up with a better fake name for the small, green-haired boy. Thinking on it he looked a little like CC, down to the gold flecks in his pale yellow-green eyes. Rolf groaned and rubbed his eyes.
"Boyd I don't wanna spar, come back when Ike's done beating Mia up…" Rolf wasn't fully awake yet, and only after a good five minutes did he realize it wasn't his youngest older half brother that was waking him up.
"Come on, before I need to get CC to dump some water on your head. It'd make her happy, but I doubt you'd have the same reaction." Lelouch laughed. Rolf jumped to his feet; even if Lelouch was kidding, Rolf didn't want to risk it. Mist had done that to him if he slept in. It had not been pleasant in the least. Nor had been the minor case of influenza that had followed.
Later, out in the schoolyard where the festival was taking place, Edward and Leonardo were walking around and looking at all the things they'd never see on Tellius. Leonardo was making sure to stick close to Guilford and Cornelia, who Euphie had explained his situation to, but not Edward. Edward was running all over the place, and even if someone had taken it upon themselves to keep a close eye on him… well, as they say on Tellius, nobody's faster of foot than a cheerful myrmidon, except maybe a true blade. (Ok, fine, that's not really a saying, I just made it up. But you have to admit it's kinda true.)
"Edward, be careful or you'll crash into someone!" Leonardo laughed. The warning came too late though, and he crashed anyways into Suzaku, Cecile, and Mist who were looking at a fish tank.
"Are you ok? Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Edward said, as he helped the trio to their feet.
"Yeah." Mist replied. She hadn't really been paying attention either- after all, Cecile had asked her to start school at that place the next Monday. Mist had accepted, of course, but even with all Suzaku had told her the place felt strange.
"Suzaku! It's time for the big event now!" Milly called.
"Ok, I'll be right over! Mist, Cecile, you should see this. If it actually succeeds, it'll be awesome." Suzaku ran off in Milly's direction. Moments later, Milly announced that Suzaku would pilot the old Knightmare frame Ganymede and make a giant pizza. Cornelia, as Leonardo noted, flew into a rage at Marianne vi Britannia's memory being disrespected so. Leonardo and Guilford had to all but hold her back to stop the second princess from marching up to Milly and demanding that she stop. Grudgingly, Cornelia didn't on the basis that her appearance would cause a riot, especially with all the media people who were covering the event.
Euphie and Lelouch were sitting together eating normal sized pizza and chatting. Euphie had a hat and sunglasses on, so if nobody was looking for her, nobody would notice she was in fact, a Britannian princess. So she could freely talk to her long lost older brother. But that changed, and all too quickly. A passing student bumped into her, making her hat and glasses fall off. It took no time at all for students to notice the third princess. The crowd of visitors and high/middle school students fell into a mass panic of excitement. Not knowing what to do, Euphie called some reporters over and, on their live television video, made an announcement she had wanted to first run by Cornelia. Hopefully the viceroy wouldn't be angry with her teenaged sister's independent decision.
"Attention, everyone! I would like to take this opportunity to announce my decision to open the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan, where any and all Elevens will be referred to by their true name again. It will be located in the Mount Fuji area and the ceremony to open it will take place tomorrow, on this coming Sunday!" Euphemia announced. This way, Lelouch can stop being Zero and we'll go back to the way things were., Euphie thought. Lelouch had gone to hide behind a tree the second she had called media attention.
~At the Government complex, later that day~
"Euphie I cannot believe you did that without consulting me first! As the Viceroy and as your sister, I am very displeased with you!" Cornelia almost shouted; she was at her wit's end with her little sister. First insisting to go to the festival, and now this! How much worse could this day get?
"But sister, I can't take it back now even if I wanted to! Besides, this means that we can go back to the way things were with Lelouch and Nunally and not need to worry about terrorists!" Euphie protested. Cornelia looked about ready to scream.
"Lelouch and Nunally are gone from this world, don't remind me of them. I failed them, and Lady Marianne, miserably."
"Viceroy, if I may? Though Princess Euphemia was wrong not to ask permission, from what I understand of your politics Euphemia has a good point. If certain things are restored while maintaining your control, peace will surely follow." Leonardo stated.
"I suppose you are right. But Euphemia, don't do anything like that again until the time comes when you are Viceroy. I'm still displeased that you'd not talk this over with your only true sister." Cornelia sighed and gave in. She glared daggers at her younger sister and the two Dawn Brigade members. She instructed Edward to get someone to build a stage for the ceremony, before going off to her apartment. After Cornelia and Guilford had left and were a safe distance away, the three teens sighed in relief.
"That went a whole lot better than I had expected." Edward said, cowering a little as a remnant of Cornelia's glare.
"It's thanks to Leonardo. He managed to convince Cornelia to ease up a bunch." Euphie laughed.
"That was her easing up? I'd hate to see her really angry then." Leonardo shrunk back.
"You should get some rest Euphie, you'll need it for tomorrow."
"Thanks, Leonardo. I'll do that."
~Next day, before the SAZ opening ceremony~
Kallen and Rolf were in the Black Knights' mobile base. Kallen had explained to him about the Black Knights, and they were ready to leap into action if Euphie had been lying. Zero had gone into the SAZ, as had the majority of the Black Knights. Still, if worse came to worse and the project went awry, there were enough of them to save the citizens. Though Kallen severely doubted Rolf's ability to do anything effective with a bow against the Britannians, the green haired archer had his bow and a metaphorical ton of arrows at the ready.
Meanwhile, Lelouch/Zero had accidentally Geass'd Euphie into ordering a massacre of the Japanese people gathered at the Zone. Mentally cursing his carelessness, Lelouch ran to the Black Knights base and proclaimed the idea a trap to lure out the Black Knights. Kallen and Rolf were among the first to run towards the fray. Rolf within a few minutes proved the usefulness of his bow by causing an enemy Knightmare to explode through an arrow to its engine. Its pilot ejected, but that hardly mattered. He soon did the same to two more, and jammed the gun of a third.
"Euphie… This is my fault. I'm sorry." Lelouch shot Euphemia. In an hour or less, the princess would die. As the battle raged on, the princess was airlifted to a medical bay.
~Medical area~
Suzaku stood next to Euphie, who was slowly bleeding to death. Neither spoke, but Suzaku was crying, as was Euphie. Euphie, having been under the influence of Geass, could not remember her actions.
"Was… was it a success, Suzaku?" Euphie murmured, almost unable to speak. Suzaku didn't know what to say, as Mist walked into the room.
"Suzaku, what happened?" Mist asked, in shock. She took her Ashera staff out of her bag, and instinctively prepared to cast. Suzaku didn't answer. Euphie began to close her eyes, the life visibly fading from them.
"Don't leave yet. Please hold on for just a few more seconds." Mist said as she placed one hand on top of the staff's red crystal and positioned it over the princess. The room filled with a soft blue light. When the light receded, Euphie was still bleeding a bit, but she seemed revitalized. If one hadn't known she had been close to death a few seconds before, it would seem that she had merely gotten a small cut.
"It's a miracle! How did you do that?" Suzaku asked incredulously.
"Well, I'm not as good at healing as Rhys or Elincia, but the others agreed that the staff given to us by Palmeni was mine by birthright, as it was my mother's a long time ago." Mist smiled.
"That's right, I had forgotten you're from a magical world." Suzaku said.
"We'll still need someone to bandage Euphie's wounds, though. My staff heals and takes away sickness, but it doesn't seal wounds." Mist completely ignored Suzaku and called a doctor over.
"Suzaku, you still haven't answered my question. Did the SAZ succeed?" Euphie asked. Before Suzaku could say anything, the doctor pointed to a television screen.
"See for yourself, Massacre Princess." The doctor replied in a tone filled with contempt.
"No! What happened? Someone, please get me a line so I can stop this!" Euphie's cries were ignored by the doctor. Suzaku noticed a banging on the door. Nonetheless, the princess' questions were answered by the narrator of the news program.
"Here, one more time with a different staff. After this you'll be totally OK, I promise." Mist, seeing that the doctor was angry to a degree that he wouldn't help, put the Ashera staff in her backpack and took out the smaller Mend staff. It was more of a wand, really. She gripped its steel handle in one hand, put the other on the deep blue crystal, and once again the room filled with light. This time, Euphemia's wounds were completely sealed. Afterwards, the three teens looked at the news, which showed the riotous civilians outside that very medical complex calling for the third princess' blood. Edward and Leonardo burst into the room as the doctor left it.
"Why did you order that massacre?" Edward practically shouted, though he was out of breath from sneaking around and climbing up the wall and through a window.
"I did this? I don't remember doing any such thing. I was talking to Zero, and then…"
Leonardo and Edward didn't understand.
"You were under the power of Geass, then, no?" A boy in the corner, who had previously gone unnoticed, asked rhetorically. Everyone in the room gave him blank looks.
"Geass. It's a power that manifests differently in anyone fortunate enough to receive it through a contract with an immortal. Zero's is the power of kings. Evidently he used it to control the princess there. In case you had wondered, I'm VV. And I, for one, am leaving before they break down the doors with intent to kill." VV smirked and left the room. Nobody could explain it, but there was an air of truth to his explanation.
"He's right. We should pretend that the princess is dead, for her safety. Because of Cornelia's somewhat nonexistent acting skills, not even she must know that Euphemia yet lives." Leonardo said. Suzaku began to protest , but Euphie cut him off.
"I agree. Is there any place I could hide?" Euphie asked.
"There's this little house in the Ashford gardens, if that's alright. For your safety if you wish to continue your studies at Ashford, you'll have to pretend to be in our year." Suzaku replied.
"But we'll need to change the way you look so you won't be so recognizable." Mist pointed out. The others nodded.
"We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to get out of here alive." Edward said.
"Actually, if she has a fairly potent staff, I have an idea for that." Leonardo said, explaining his idea. Euphie would need to reopen her wounds, which she agreed to do for the plan. Once she was put in the coffin, which would according to tradition not be opened, they would take her out before the lid was nailed on and Mist would heal her. It was a good plan. And it worked, though with a little difficulty. Namely that the rioters protested against her getting a coffin.
~Government Morgue~
Carefully and quietly, posing as burial staff, Edward and Mist walked into the room where Euphie was waiting. Edward pried off the coffin lid, careful not to make too much noise. Mist raised the Ashera staff, this time covering as much of the gem as possible with her hand to avoid making too bright a light. She held her breath as the small but still bright light receded, hoping she hadn't failed. Sure enough, Euphie sat up, like nothing had happened. She climbed out of the coffin, and Mist sealed her injuries with the Mend staff. Edward replaced the lid and did what they had supposedly come for, namely he nailed the lid on. He passed a bottle of black hair dye and bright blue contact lenses to the princess, who put the disguise elements on along with a long jacket from Mist's backpack. The three of them then exited the complex; the mission had been a success.
~The next day, at Ashford Academy~
"Class, we have five new students joining us today. Why not introduce yourselves?" The teacher asked rhetorically, signaling to Leonardo to start.
"Hi, I'm Leonardo Cerylon. I hope our time as classmates will be educational." Leonardo drawled, putting up the detached front that Suzaku had assigned him for a fake personality. He wasn't sure about why he needed a fake persona, and he hoped that his fake last name wasn't too unbelievable; he had made it up on the spot.
"I'm Amelia Iesen. It's nice to meet you all." Euphemia said, making up a name for herself.
"My name is Mist Redglaive. I hope we can all be friends." Mist smiled cheerfully.
"I am Rolf Mozart, and I'm nervous…" Rolf squeaked. Kallen sighed at her seat in the back of the class.
"Edward li Britannia, at your service." Edward said half jokingly, glad that Cornelia had provided him with a last name and even went to the trouble of clearing it with the Emperor. It'd been ok since Edward was an orphan, and had natural speed and a knack with machinery, and so Euphemia and Cornelia's mother and father had adopted him during his time in that universe. He hadn't paid attention to the fact that the name would ring alarm bells. He would sorely regret that in a few moments.
The class became chaotic in a mere few seconds. The teacher couldn't calm the students down with her voice alone, so she resorted to using a bell, but that didn't work either. She sent Leonardo to get a megaphone, but in the interim before he returned the class was a loud mess. Edward had enough.
"Oh for goodness sake, EVERYBODY BE QUIET!" Edward screamed. Everyone looked at him, then sat in their seats and shut their mouths. Leonardo ran in, panting.
"I got the megaphone you wanted." Leonardo panted. The entire class burst into laughter. The teacher assigned the new students their seats, then wrote on the board, 'Multi Universe Black Hole Theory Diagram'.
"Now, who can draw a diagram for me?" The teacher asked. Mist tentatively raised her hand, glad she had crammed the info from all of those science textbooks into her brain.
"Only one of you? Well, that is disappointing. Your work in class today is now going to be a test. You each need to draw a diagram now. I'll leave you to it. And no sneaking out for chess, Mr. Lamperouge and Mr. Cardemonde!"
~After School~
"So, have you decided what club to join yet?" Milly asked the new students.
"Archery!" Leonardo and Rolf both said at the same time.
"I dunno. Is there a medical studies club?" Mist asked. Milly shook her head.
"I'm going to join fencing." Edward replied excitedly.
"Hmm… I like gardening, I guess." Euphemia said.
"Looks like most of you have your plans pretty well thought out. But Mist, you work with Suzaku and Lloyd, right?" Milly asked. Mist nodded.
"Then your time constraints would be about the same. You should join Student Council, that way your time needs can be met!" Milly stated, in an advertiser type of tone. Mist nodded.
~In the student council meeting room~
Shirley idly flicked to different news channels on the TV. She, along with the other SC members, was bored. Suddenly all the news programs changed to an image of Zero.
"I am Zero! Along with Kyoshiro Todou and Kaguya Sumeragi, I am here to announce the creation of the USJ, the United States of Japan!" Zero said quite plainly before the screen switched to the normal programming.
"Does this mean…?" Mist asked Suzaku.
"Probably. We should get going before Lloyd comes to pick us up."
"Ok."
~Camelot project lab~
"I have some good news for you, Mist! The Knightmare design you gave me has been built. As have two of the mass productions, though those are still in the testing phase." Cecile said warmly, handing Mist a pink and blue Knightmare key and pointing to a knightmare. It was small, as knightmares go, and it had a system that meant Mist could heal from inside to cockpit. It could fly, and its had slash harkens that, by pumping electricity through the cord in an insulated harken chamber and passing the electrified harken through a spray of flammable liquid in the tube, had flaming slash harkens on both wrists. It also had a Hadron lance. The mass production units were the same, only they were white and blue and they didn't have the magic system or the expensive Hadron lance, and they had four harkens, though only one was a flame harken. Mist could hardly believe it.
"What do you want to call it?" Cecile asked.
"I'll call it the Z03 Igraine."
"And the mass productions?"
"Hmm... How about, Astolat?"
~A few days later~
Riots had been occurring all over Area 11. The Black Knights had intense support from many people. The foundation blocks of the outer perimeter of the Tokyo settlement had been destroyed, taking many Britannian troops and likely even Cornelia with them. And perhaps most importantly, the Black Knights had taken Ashford Academy as their base. Kallen and Rolf had revealed their identities to the student council, and Zero promised them that they will not be harmed.
"Kallen! The Lancelot and an unidentified Knightmare have joined the battle! They've destroyed the Raikou and at least twenty Burais!" Ohgi burst into the room. Kallen rushed to the Guren and went to confront Suzaku.
The Lancelot was flying, but the Guren wasn't. That was easily fixed though, when Kallen used her slash harkens to launch up the side of a building. She grabbed the Lancelot's left arm and used the Guren's Radiation Surge weapon. However Suzaku ejected that arm and used his VARIS gun to destroy the Guren's right arm.
"Where is Zero? I need to end this!" Suzaku asked Kallen.
"I won't tell you." Kallen stated resolutely. Suzaku pointed the VARIS gun at her to try and get her to answer.
"Suzaku, no! Kallen's in there. What are you thinking?" Mist yelled at Suzaku from the cockpit of the Nimue. Zero challenged Suzaku to a duel to settle things between them. Suzaku chased Zero's Gawain frame to Ashford, where Zero aimed his slash harkens at the student council to enrage Suzaku. Knowing of the deadly Hadron cannons of the Gawain, Suzaku landed the Lancelot. Rolf pushed a button as part of Zero's plan, and it triggered a ring of Gefjun Disturbers to deactivate the Lancelot.
Zero flew to the Viceroy's palace, with Rolf and CC in the back of the Gawain. Luckily Rolf had been small enough to fit behind the back seat. Zero fired the Gawain's Hadron Cannon to destroy the aerial Britannian reinforcements and landed in the garden. They were then attacked by Cornelia's Gloucester. She almost manages to deal a fatal strike with her lance, but General Dalton, under the influence of Geass, pierces her frame with his lance. Thanking him in word only, Zero fired the Hadron cannon at Dalton. As Zero is about to question Cornelia about Lady Marianne's death, CC interrupts.
"Lelouch, Nunally has been kidnapped. She's on Kamine Island." CC stated. Startled, Lelouch takes off in the Gawain and headed for Kamine Island. Little did he know that Edward and Leonardo are holding onto the Gawain's legs…
Meanwhile, Mist had destroyed the Gefjun Disturbers and along with Suzaku was about to take off in pursuit of Zero, whose Knightmare they had seen flying overhead to Kamine. Euphemia discreetly grabbed on to one of the Lancelot's legs, while Kallen grabbed the Nimue's.
~Kamine Island, inside a cave~
Lelouch had left his Zero mask with CC, and along with Rolf was searching the cave to see where Nunally might be. He didn't expect Leonard o, Suzaku, Mist, Edward, and "Amelia" to come running in.
"Zero! You are under arrest! Turn around slowly." Suzaku ordered, and as Lelouch did so he noted the small crowd gathered at the cave entrance.
"Lelouch? You, you're Zero? How can that be?" Kallen asked, falling to her knees. Suzaku pointed a gun at the formerly masked leader. He debated pulling the trigger when a large, red, glowing Geass symbol appeared beneath their feet.
That's all, folks! Or at least all for today. Please review if you have time. Thanks for reading! And WAHOO! This is my longest chapter yet!