Okay, before we start I believe I should clear up the poor wording I adopted at the end of the last chapter. When I said this would be part one of the epilogue, I did not mean the epilogue to this fic. I meant the epilogue to what could be considered R1, and then we'll be edging towards R2 which is where things will become more focused on direct war with Britannia. I won't overrule a sequel to this fic yet, but what I do with such a thing I have no idea, as I can assure you now this fic's ending is a conclusive one.
As for why I felt the need for a Valentines war declaration, I did it simply because I thought it was an ironic thing to do. It was not a reference to Gundam SEED in any way in case anyone thought so, although I suspect Sunrise had the same ironic aspect in mind with SEED's Bloody Valentine wars.
And why, someone has asked, did only Rivalz get the time of day with Lelouch last chapter? Well, I don't really have a good reason. But having Rivalz's short temper (call it OOC if you want, but I figure a close friend being mad when he learns his friend is a prince betraying his country is perfectly reasonable) conflicted by a calmness from Shirley or Milly would have ruined the mood I was trying to set for that scene. I admit it made it seem kind of unrealistic, but I could find no better way to write it. Don't worry, they get their time with Lelouch eventually.
Also, I had the same problem with the battle at the Geass Directorate that you guys mentioned – it was horribly fast paced and sloppy. That was my bad, and I really have no excuse. I was suffering from a lack or resolve for writing when I was pushing my way through that scene, that is all. I appologize for the poor quality, I really do, but once I had it all down I couldn't find a way to remedy the issue when I revised it later.
Now that all that is out of the way, we can try to get going with Chapter 18, Shifting the Pieces.
"General Carares!"
The general looked up from the papers he had been reading, his unkempt auburn hair flying this way and that with the motion. His bushy moustache settled on either side of his lips and seemed to merge with his long streaks of sideburns coming down either side of his face. His lips curled into a deep frown, expressing quite clearly just how displeased he was with being disturbed. "I dismissed you all several hours ago!" he snapped. He pointed down at the papers his left hand held and continued, "Can't you see I'm busy?!"
"But sir!" the soldier tried frantically, eyes wide with what could only be fear.
"... Yes?" Carares sighed as he rubbed at his temple absent-mindedly, his glare softening.
"The Anti-Britannian Front have arrived! Their forces have already captured Fukuoka and Nagasaki, and our forces garrisoned in the Saga and Kumamoto prefectures have taken heavy casualties in the initial conflict!"
Carares had been in the middle of taking a sip from his delicately small tea cup that was subsequently spat out when those words reached his ears, "We took precautions! The bulk of our forces were stationed at Fukuoka and Nagasaki! How?!"
"They sent out a small force of Gun-Ru-like Frames I've never seen before!" The soldier seemed quite shaken by the news, Carares noted with great disdain. As soon as his nerves were under control he continued, "They dealt severe damage before pulling back, and then we were ambushed at Fukuoka by their main force! Both prefectures were surrendered within the first hour of conflict, and unless we act fast the rest of the island will be under their control by the 'morrow."
With a low growl Carares stood, turning on his heel and leaving the room. The soldier was hot on his heels and awaiting orders that never came. When they reached the general's personal quarters the soldier waited patiently as Carares grabbed his phone from the desk in the far corner and dialed a number swiftly, shouting into it after a moment, "Get all troops ready to march within the hour! War has come and found us, boys."
o--o
"Commander, the Saga prefecture has fallen to Hong Gu's Han-Shu Mobile Forces, and they are requesting position to stop marching for some R&R and refueling."
Lelouch was nestled in the skies over the city of Kumamoto, watching with disturbed glee as the Sutherland and Burai below cut a bloody swath through a column of Sutherland from two sides. The remainder were made easy pickings for a shot from Lelouch's Hadron cannons, and then the troops continued on, entering the city where more screeching and explosions were heard for several minutes before yet another report came in stating that the city of Kumamoto had fallen.
Just five hours after their arrival and they had already struck a huge blow to Britannia.
At last he said, "Tell him permission granted, Nagisa," unable to keep the glee out of his voice. He slowly lowered the Gawain toward the city below, opening the hatch to the Gawain's cockpit and tending to the bothersome duty of replacing the battery. As he did so, he said into his headset, "All forces, push the attack and take control of your target, then buckle down! Their main force will be on its way soon."
The generic Edinburgh came to a stop next to the Gawain and Jeremiah climbed out, looking over at his commander with a sad smile, "Are you okay? This battle... is it taxing you?"
Lelouch shook his head, "I'm used to it, Jeremiah. You need not worry for my sake."
"If you insist. I am simply caring for your well-being," Jeremiah replied, the sad smile reversing into a frown.
Lelouch nodded before climbing into the cockpit, returning a moment later with a small briefcase. He opened it to reveal a chess board and all the pieces that he swiftly set on both sides before moving two Pawns and the King forward, "Their King is moving..." he trailed off as he grabbed three Pawns from the white side and slid them forward, followed by the white King. "The stage is set for the final battle in Kyushu. Jeremiah, go tell everyone they have two hours to rest. After that, they are to be in their Frames and ready for combat."
"Two hours, sir?"
"They won't be departing for another hour. After that they'll be here in little over an hour. Once everyone is ready in two hours, let me know."
Jeremiah nodded and retreated to the cockpit of his Edinburgh, pulling away from Lelouch before speeding off altogether. Lelouch smirked as he moved a Knight from it's starting place to a space in front of a Pawn, saying to himself, "Their commander here is inept, moving against us with his main force so carelessly. They outnumber us, but he should realize..." He grabbed the same Knight and moved it again to take an enemy Pawn without moving any of the white pieces, "He should realize that I defy the rules of war."
o--o
"So, Lelouch is attacking Area 11." Charles scowled down at V.V., his usual indifference lost in his displeasure with the young boy. "And you were not aware he was taking such an action until he made it?"
Bowing in a show of humility, V.V. said quietly, "No. It was a simple matter to figure out, naturally, but we were caught off guard by his sudden move."
"So you didn't continue watching him as I asked you to. You lied to me, brother. And now we've lost the Directorate, and Lelouch has the element of surprise. Why must you lie?"
When V.V. said nothing, Charles continued, "Carares is an inept fool. With the element of surprise, Lelouch will have seized Kyushu in a day's time. And what of the ruins?"
"Lelouch would have adjusted his plans to target them if he knew about them. So long as the conflict isn't moved there, our plans will be safe," V.V. responded meekly, standing.
"See to it that Lelouch is kept away from those ruins. I care not what happens to Area 11, so long as those ruins are kept under our control. Make them your new base if you must, but do not allow Lelouch to find it."
With a nod, V.V. said, "Of course. I will take all the necessary precautions." He made to leave but turned to look over his shoulder, adding, "Watching Lelouch is no longer necessary?"
Charles shook his head, "He has taken his fight to the next stage. We need only make sure he doesn't discover more than he needs to."
"And what of C.C.?"
"It seems she's far too attached to the boy. Even if we got her, she wouldn't allow me to do Lelouch's job. She is of no consequence to us any longer."
"Then I shall go," and with that, V.V. left. Charles heaved a sigh as he relaxed into his seat, cradling his head.
"Is letting him run around so freely still wise, Your Majesty?"
Charles smirked toward the shadows where a tall man revealed himself, a similar smirk playing on his lips. His shoulders were as broad as the Emperor's himself and his face was weary with age, a grey goatee serving as a testament to his age. Long purple hair that lost nearly all its brilliance into a dull gray cascaded down the sides of his face and settled on his shoulders, falling over his face and covering his left eyes.
Charles replied with a chuckle, "Let him do as he pleases, Bismarck. His carelessness won't hinder us anymore."
Bismarck laughed in kind, saying, "And what of your son? If V.V. fails he will find the Kaminejima ruins. Is leaving the defense to him wise? Shouldn't you send someone more capable?"
Charles shrugged, "It isn't necessary. But if you so insist, you may go as well."
Bismarck shook his head, bowing low, "If His Majesty says it isn't necessary, then I shall trust your word."
Charles nodded, "In that case, get the vampire for me. I have need of his services."
"For what, if you don't mind me asking, Your Majesty?"
"It seems one of my sons needs to be taught a lesson and be reminded the folly in plotting against the crown."
o--o
"Its the Black Prince! Lord Lelouch has arrived!"
"The Black Prince is here?!"
"Long live Prince Lelouch!"
The people of Kunamoto – a mix of Elevens and Britannians - were ecstatic as soon as they noticed the Gawain. People surrounded the Frame on all sides and cried out to their savior with such enthusiasm that Lelouch wouldn't have been able to imagine were he not seeing it himself. He, a prince of the Britannian empire, was being hailed as a savior. Even if he was leading the army that carried the hope of the Japanese, seeing the people accepting him was leaps and bounds above what he could have imagined.
Lelouch had been safely within the confines of the Gawain plotting out his current strategies – which had been a resounding success thus far – when the people had surrounded the Gawain crying out in complete overwhelming ecstasy. He put his mask on and opened the hatch to his cockpit, climbing out into the throng of the public's cries of joy. He smiled despite the minor annoyance the sheer volume provided, calling down to them simply, "Long live Japan!"
Their cries dissolved into one unified shout of, "Long live Japan!" Lelouch smiled and nodded, remaining silent from then on and allowing them to call out to him. He didn't respond to any of it, leaving them content simply in the presence of their savior. The man who had finally returned to his country – his home, as far as he was concerned – to save it from the empire he swore to defeat.
After a time, with one more cry of, "Long live Japan!" he allowed them to finally disperse and go about their own business.
"Lelouch," Ogi said suddenly through the headset Lelouch had forgotten he still wore. "There is a massive army just over the ridge. At least seventy of them."
"Thank you Ogi. Keep me informed." Lelouch pulled his mask off and sighed contently as he slid down into the Gawain's cockpit, closing the hatch and thrusting his activation key into the large Frame. It hummed to life and he smirked as he read the status reports on its performane; no damage had been sustained despite the amount of fighting it had been involved in. In fact the only mishap it had at all had been a brief shutdown of its cannons after continued use of them had resulted in an overheat.
"Jeremiah," Lelouch called.
Jeremiah responded respectfully, "Yes, sir?"
"The troops have returned, have they not?"
"They have. Shall they be ready to sortie?"
"Yes, see to it please."
"Of course."
"And Jeremiah?" Lelouch's voice softened as he said his loyal servant's name.
"Yes?"
Lelouch smiled – not to himself, although Jeremiah couldn't see the smile, "... Thank you. For everything."
"I'm merely doing the job I swore to do."
"Your job was to protect Nunnally and myself, Jeremiah. You've been a friend when I have few left. Without you, I'd..."
"Sir?"
"No, its nothing." For a reason Lelouch couldn't quite discern, he felt tears stinging his eyes. He blinked furiously, forcing back the bitter laugh that found itself joining him in his melancholy, and said, "Its foolish to say this before a battle, I know, but... Don't die, Jeremiah."
"I wouldn't dream of it," and Lelouch could almost see Jeremiah's proud smirk as he said that.
"I'm glad." Lelouch checked the radar in front of him for several long moments before he nodded to himself, satisfied, "Jeremiah, how many men do we have here?"
"One thousand, and we have one hundred and twelve operational Frames. The soldiers not ready to sortie are aiding in the reconstruction."
"Leave me with thirty. Take the rest and move around to the east side of the ridge. Wait until they've passed by and then attack from the side," Lelouch ordered, lifting the Gawain slowly into the sky. The ground slowly faded away beneath him and, true to Ogi's word, a massive army of Knightmare Frames with a G-1 base trailing behind could be seen in the distance. The numbers looked far more imposing at this moment than in the numbers in reports, Lelouch noted.
"But with only thirty... Are you sure...?" Jeremiah tried, worry evident in his voice.
"I have the Gawain. And once you arrive, the battle will end." And then for good measure, because it always worked, he added, "I haven't let you down before have I?"
Jeremiah sighed, defeated, "Of course you haven't."
"Then see to the preparations I requested."
Jeremiah nodded to himself as he retreated into silence, speeding off toward the center of town where everyone had gathered. Lelouch groaned deeply and cradled his head in his hand, watching the enemy lines intently for any change – with an inept commander, the possibility that they may make a sudden change is always there. His observations were cut short however, when Ogi said, "Our forces have engaged in battle with separate divisions of the enemy main force, Lelouch."
"They are focusing on so many fronts?" Lelouch questioned, chuckling.
"For good reason," Ogi responded grimly. "Todo and Xingke are buckled down in Myazaki and Oita, and they are struggling from two-to-one odds."
Lelouch took the report in stride, "Dispatch Tamaki's unit from the Hogosha and send him to Todo's aid, and tell Suzaku to move to Xingke's aid. Tell them to hold their positions and not to press the attack; Their commander is with the column here at Kunamoto. Once he falls, the rest will be easy pickings."
Lelouch cut Ogi off and urged himself forward, checking his radar from the corner of his eye to confirm that he had his men following close behind. And sure enough there was a large group heading off to the right, well out of the range of the enemy. "Everyone, stand strong here. We need only hold out until Jeremiah makes his move; once he strikes, the rest will fall!"
o--o
Oita was a difficult place to do battle in. Time had turned the region into little more than a mountainous wasteland, to the point that Britannians hadn't bothered to colonize it. In that respect it was an ideal location to hold on to, given its strategical advantages for the defending side and the fact that it was safe from Britannia's corruption of the army's homeland. An ideal home is usually a hard one to defend, and that fact was proving more than true as even Suzaku found himself in trouble.
The newly completed Lancelot Kosui was a blessing on the battlefield – Britannians had already given it the title of the Corrupted Knightmare due to the far more hellish appearance it had compared to the Earl Lloyd's first work. Suzaku wasn't sure whether or not to be insulted by that but his Frame's improvements made it more than capable of taking out anything that targeted it exclusively, so whatever title they gave him mattered not to him.
"Suzaku, Kumamoto has become a bloodbath. We should wrap up here quickly so we can go to Lelouch's aid. I fear his tactics won't turn the tide enough to avoid heavy casualties to his side as well," Xingke said, his own Frame hanging overhead, attacking from time to time as it oversaw the rest of the battle.
Suzaku grunted in acknowledgement, flipping over two Sutherland and taking both out with a single stroke of his MVS. He whipped around and slashed again to take out another before charging backwards, using the momentum to take himself up into the air where he replaced his MVS with the cannon attached to his back, firing down at the Britannian lines with a massive burst of Hadron energy. While not as destructive as the Gawain's Hadron technology it more than did its job, taking out an entire line of eight Sutherland at once. A blast from the Baryon cannon followed, taking out another line of Sutherland before Suzaku descended to the ground, taking out both his MVS and attacking once again.
The battle, despite all their struggling, was a one-sided affair in favor of Xingke and his forces. The plains made for an open-ended massacre while the mountains around them made the battlefield closed off at the same time, restricting their mobility to advancing or retreating. And with the Lancelot pushing the attack from the ground while the Shen-Hu took the attack from the air, the Britannian forces in the area were quickly finding themselves retreating with all haste, taking more and more casualties as they went.
Suzaku took off into the air and moved over to the other side, cutting off their retreat by firmly taking his place in front of them. The retreating Britannian lines came to a sudden halt and both sides took to staring each other down for a few long moments before Suzaku spurred into action, slashing and weaving his way through their lines carelessly, inadvertently resulting in many cases of friendly fire when they tried to hit him and he dodged. The damage done was tremendous in a short amount of time and Xingke's forces coming up from behind finished the rout, leaving the forces remaining a scattered mess as they finally broke free of the mountains and fled in all directions. Many gave up such an endeavor quickly, instead laying down their arms and surrendering.
"Suzaku, we're done here. I'm taking my troops back to the base to rest up. Go to Lelouch's aid for now," Xingke ordered, turning around with his troops and their new captives to retreat back into the mountains. Suzaku nodded to himself and checked his battery – still over two hours, thanks to Xingke giving him a fresh battery before he deployed into that battle. Taking off into the air he quickly plotted out the route that would safely bring him to Lelouch's side, gasping as he saw the situation.
The Britannian lines had been broken in two by what seemed to be the majority of Lelouch's forces attacking from behind, one half attacking those troops while the other half attacked the other group of Lelouch's forces. The main force was putting up a tough fight but the smaller one seemed to be struggling, though he was still too far away to get visual confirmation on the situation.
"What are you doing, Lelouch? You're getting sloppy."
o--o
Lelouch scorched the land below him with the Hadron cannons, careless of what happened to the earth itself. He was beyond any form of restraint – how dare Britannia suggest that his tactics weren't enough to overcome sheer numbers! Okay, so he had been taken by surprise when a sudden dispatch launched over fifty units he had thought were in Oita, adding insult to injury when Jeremiah's attack from behind failed to do more than put a small dent in their forces. Only the Gawain now kept the entire army from collapsing, and Lelouch knew it.
"Jeremiah, break through and join with the main force! A strong defense will be necessary here – I'll watch your back!" After getting the affirmative from Jeremiah, Lelouch charged forward and released yet another stream of destruction from his Hadron cannons along the Britannian lines – he weaved in all directions as he fired, doing damage to all parts of their force without any real rhythm. The damage left small groups of their forces cut off from other groups which allowed Jeremiah to charge through easily enough, flipping over several Sutherland and firing downward, the shot from his rifle exploding on impact much like a shot from a Raikou, scattering in several directions and hitting other Frames. Between that, his second attack using his two MVS and the mass of Sutherland and Burai following behnd him, it wasn't long before he managed to break through.
"Lelouch, we have more forces coming toward you from Myazaki – Todo's forces are close behind." Lelouch payed little attention to Ogi's words, instead being far too preoccupied with taking his bitter rage out on the Britannian forces trying to break through his forces below him. The words only began to really sink in as a massive line of signals appeared on the edge of his radar, showing him the grim reality of the odds he faced.
"How far off is Todo?"
"He should be there shortly."
"Tell him to take his time – he won't be needed."
Lelouch nodded to himself convincingly before descending toward the newcomers, ordering Jeremiah to hold his position. The large front came to a stop as the Gawain blocked the way, standing firmly in place towering over them. As they prepared their rifles to open fire he fired his cannons, sending long streams from side to side, tearing through the Sutherland caught by them. The rest charged forward, trying their best to dodge the long streams as they fought to get around him. With a frustrated groan Lelouch launched himself into the air again, avoiding their attempts to attack him from behind.
Tactics seemed to be a failing factor, much to Lelouch's displeasure, but he was willing to play a different game if that was what they wanted – his oh so destructive Hadron cannons were more than willing to play that game, at any rate. The Britannian forces had pushed their way into his lines unfortunately, but that gave him the opportunity to make a 'best of both worlds' scenario – he came in from behind and unleashed the full extent of his cannons again, destroy any Sutherland not already within his own lines. Soon all that was left were those now stuck inside the enemy formation, and the G-1 base that Lelouch had noticed was trying to flee. Evidently their attempts to overwhelm with sheer numbers hadn't accounted for the possibility of Lelouch adapting.
"Sir, the enemy is trying to retreat, and most of them have surrendered. What shall we do?" Jeremiah's voice broke Lelouch from his thoughts.
"Keep them with us for now. We'll deal with all the prisoners once we're done."
"Yes, Your High... I mean Sir."
o--o
Kyushu became the first official victory in the war between the Empire of China and Britannia. Despite being a chinese army in name the Japanese welcomed us with open arms, expressing their firm desire to see Britannia removed from Japan. Britannians either accepted our rule or escaped the island, and those that remained were in complete support of our occupation. Our victory sparked a wave of rebellions across Japan and Britannia was forced to divide its forces to tend to the many uprisings.
Our own force continued on, liberating the Shikoku region on our march toward Tokyo, where the fate of the entire country would be decided. Despite our successes and growing numbers – in the form of many of the uprising forces joining up with us as we passed through their areas – Britannia continued to fight us with no more than the standing defenses Cornelia had deployed prior to the war's start, leaving the majority of their resources and supplies in the Tokyo Settlement.
The battle for control of the Kyoto area was a fierce one. Attacking from land and sea we overwhelmed the defenses Britannia had placed, but careful placement of siege defense weaponry in the massive fortress made for a rough battle. Victory ended up being a fickle thing as both sides took tremendous losses in their bid for victory. We won in the end and made the former capital of Japan the base of operations in our invasion.
It was the fight after taking Kyoto that was to be a harsh one.
o--o
The Gifu Settlement. A natural fortress as much as a physical fortress, it acted as a false testament to Britannia's ideals. Where Britannia focused on continued evolution, the Gifu Settlement lived in the past as a fortress that carried the belief from many years ago that said, "Control Gifu and you control Japan." Lelouch held this belief closely to his heart as he sat in the command center of the Hogosha, head cradled in his hand as he watched the battle for control of the massive fortress unfold.
The battle – unlike the battle for Kyoto – was a one-sided affair. As strong as the defenses were they were not prepared for attacks from the air, subsequently resulting in a devastating result when Karen and Suzaku attacked from the air, with Todo directing the attack from the ground and Xingke directing a naval attack through the many bays and rivers that connected the Pacific to the Nagara river. Britannia's defenses were overwhelmed and decimated before the growing EoC army, attacked from the three places and leaving their forces in scattered messes throughout the settlement.
"Lelouch," C.C.'s voice broke through the calm in Lelouch's mind as she sat down next to him, more distantly than usual, looking at him with worry written over her face as she looked at the black mask of the partner she'd come to care for. "You're letting your emotions get to you. Relax."
"This war has taken more from me than I expected, C.C.," Lelouch replied, distant. "All I can do now is make sure my sacrifices aren't for nothing – losing isn't an option in this war."
"Is this because your friends have abandoned you?" she asked incredulously, gawking at him.
"No. Well, not that directly." Lelouch sighed, looking at Ogi who was pretending to be engrossed in his work, but was clearly listening. Lelouch continued, "This world has taken everything from me – both my friends and my home – and all I can do is fight on. For me, there is no other option."
"You could try to get your friends to understand," Ogi put in, shrugging. Lelouch glowered at him.
"Tell Suzaku to aim for the government offices; if we take that out, this battle if over."
"... Of course. And Karen?"
Lelouch was glad to no longer be the subject at hand, "Wipe out the power supply in the northeast – their forces will be forced to kneel if they lose that as well."
Many moments passed in silence – C.C. adopted a silent observation of her partner while Lelouch continued to ignore her presence entirely; Ogi relayed orders to the people on the ground quickly before shifting over to another space, reading various things on screens and taking mental notes of what he was seeing before shifting back to his original place, saying a few other things to the people on the receiving end before repeating the process.
Being one of the only people aboard the Hogosha during a large battle was a sad fate indeed.
"Say, Lelouch..." Ogi started randomly, his voice distant. "Weren't Britannia's resources being used almost exclusively by Schneizel?"
Lelouch nodded, "That is right."
"Well there are reinforcements coming from across the Pacific. Visuals are showing five airships of unknown class."
Lelouch walked over to the where Ogi was seated and lowered his head over Ogi's shoulder to get a better look; sure enough, there was visual confirmation of five bleach white ships that appeared to be smaller variations of the Avalon, the night sky hanging behind them and the sea below them. As soon as he'd regained his voice, Lelouch asked the only question he could think of at that moment, "Any estimation on the numbers?"
"None whatsoever."
With a sigh, Lelouch took to assessing the situation closely – the ships were no more than one hundred feet from front to back, with a single long barreled cannon beneath the head, identical to the Avalon. On each wing were countless amounts of missile launchers that appeared to be armed, although that was the extent of their offensive weaponry. A single linear catapult was beneath the right wing.
"Think we should retreat, Lelouch?" Ogi asked, tilting his head to the side to look at his commander from the corner of his eye.
"No," Lelouch said at last, definitively. "C.C., get ready to launch. Ogi, tell Karen to be ready – We'll go hold these ships at bay."
o--o
Dull blue eyes watched the happenings before them with what appeared to be no interest whatsoever. To say these eyes showed any emotion would be a complete lie – these were the eyes of someone who'd been so undone that they no longer showed any care for the world. And such a person was exactly who those eyes belonged to.
The rest of the person's appearance was a direct contrast to those lifeless eyes. Silky blond hair fell on all sides of a well shaped face, curled at the ends in a fashion befitting Britannian nobility, even if the Emperor was one of few in the Imperial Family who still used such a style. A purple robe covered the man from head to toe with a collar covering the neck, giving off a regal appearance that radiated authority to all that stood in the person's presence.
"Your Highness, Gifu is in our sights. Your orders?" A soldier bowed low before the man, hiding his face. His short black hair stuck to his face with sweat and his jaw quivered with fear simply from being in the man's presence. But he wouldn't give him the satisfaction – if there was such a thing in the lifeless leader – of seeing his fear.
In an authoritive tone the man replied, "Deploy all forces immediately. Wipe them all out – friend or foe, I care not."
The soldier nodded meekly and scurried out of the man's presence, shouting over his shoulder, "At once, Prince Clovis!"
"Your Highness," a man with orange hair tinged with flaming red streaks bowed briefly before Clovis, a smirk playing at his lips. A white uniform with golden embroidery covered his entire body, and black gloves covered his hands while black boots similarly covered his feet. "I would like to launch as well."
Clovis nodded at once, "Of course, Luciano. Do not fail me."
Luciano nodded in kind and left the room, leaving Clovis alone in his thoughts. When everyone was gone his indifferent expression was replaced with one of complete disdain as he said to himself, "This is retribution for all you have done, brother. Retribution for the pain you caused me – I will make you pay."
And thus Clovis makes his return, and horribly OOC! What does this mean? Well, naturally I know... but that isn't the point. Anyway, this is shorter than usual, but that is okay I think. As with my Fire Emblem fic the next chapter may be delayed because of school starting next Wednesday – we'll find out how that goes by the end of the week.
