Wow! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I am always especially happy when I get one for this story. You're all lovely!
I've also gained a few new followers and favourites and want to thank you all too!
Warnings: yeah there's some loving between the boys, edited and short here so no worries ;-) Full scene can be found on AO3
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Chapter seven:
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Kallen settled her Guren into its place in the hangar of the Ikaruga with a sigh before powering it down. What a day.
She couldn't believe everything that had happened, what at first should have been a meeting with the new emperor with the goal of finding out what he was playing at, it had evolved into a battle for the world.
But it was over now, Lelouch had once again won and she had fought with him and finally managed to prove herself the better pilot. Even though she hated that Suzaku had chosen to take the easy way out, blowing up the Lancelot at a time where she nearly got hit too. There had been no reason to do that at this point but apparently he had been too far gone and had wanted to take her with him.
While she would mourn him to a degree she didn't regret her actions.
She had won fair and square and it had been his decision to end the fight like that. They all had to accept that and maybe now in death he would find the peace he had not found while alive. Probably since the time he had killed his father. Never would she forget the deadened gaze when he had talked about that. Not that he hadn't shortly followed it by some foolish and idealistic talk about the right way and that what Zero was doing was wrong.
But it was over now and she would remember him the way he had been at Ashford, before the first Black Rebellion. When he still was a nice classmate that had just chosen the wrong path, the one that hadn't told the military about her other identity believing he could change her mind. Everything after that she would never forgive him.
It was Lelouch that would probably mourn him the most. And Nunnally most likely. Gino too had looked quite sad when she recounted her fight with Suzaku. Kaguya and Tohdoh maybe but not many more. It was sad to know how few people Suzaku had had in his life but it was because of his choices that he had lost so much.
She had stayed with the others at the Avalon for as long as she was able and was happy that Lelouch would recover even if she had to leave before he woke.
It had been nice to see Nunnally without protective glass between them and she was happy for her that she had her sight back. That the girl had taken their short time to ask her some questions she hadn't felt secure in asking while she had been a prisoner had surprised her. But she had answered as truthfully as she felt was appropriate.
It had been clear that Lelouchs sister was trying to find her own answers in this mess and she hoped that Lelouch wouldn't hold it against her that she had revealed quite a bit. Better she than he himself, in her opinion. He surely had enough on his plate and she owed it to Nunnally. She had been the one that had made her time as a captive bearable.
Now that she was sure of her loyalty once again she could also remember all the stories she had heard about Lelouch without doubt once again.
She breathed in deeply before opening her cockpit and approaching the people already waiting for her. It was no surprise really, with the way she had suddenly took off. Abandoning her duties and going against orders. But it was the right thing to do, she had believed it then and was certain of it now. Not to mention that until some time ago, the only person that had been allowed to order her around had been Zero.
She highly respected Tohdoh and even Xingke. Ohgi would always be important to her in some ways, but she had never had to follow their orders. She and her team had always stood alone under the single command of Zero and had always fought their own way.
She readied herself for what was to come as she approached the three people waiting for her and made sure to school her face into a calm mask, giving nothing away. She would not let them talk her down about her choices, she would stand by them, sure in her belief that it had been the right one.
It was Kauya that bounded over to her and spoke first, taking away any chance of the others to get the first word it.
"Congratulations on a good fight! We have a meeting of the upper echelon of the Black Knights in a few hours and I would like you to come to my rooms a bit before that. "
"I will be there Lady Kaguya."
"Wonderful! Now I will go back to my duties with the UFN, there are still some details to discuss. I will see you later."
She watched with a smile as the young girl waved at her before turning back and leaving the hangar. It was Tohdoh who spoke next.
"Yes, a good fight. You did yourself and your name proud. Is there anything you can tell us about the new emperor?"
"If your question is directed at any faults, weaknesses and the like I have nothing to say to you."
"It could be important for the future."
"No it isn't. Lelouch is not the enemy here and nothing you say will change my mind about that."
She got a nod and something of a grave look from the old samurai and she just nodded back before moving past him but was stopped by Ohgi.
"You went against orders."
"Your orders you mean. I haven't followed your orders in a long time Ohgi. Our views on certain matters differ highly. I did what I thought was right and nothing you say can change that. Now excuse me, I would like to retire."
With that she left him standing.
Ohgi would always be important to her, but they hadn't been close for quite some time.
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When she arrived at Kaguyas rooms she felt exhausted. She should have taken a nap but her mind wouldn't let her rest and so she had wandered around. Arriving at one point at Zeros rooms that had stayed empty since that day.
Not to say that they hadn't searched it thoroughly for answers but Lelouchs paranoia had made sure that they weren't able to find anything. Only a few knick-knacks, some change in clothes, a few Zero costumes and some of CC's things. Now that she wasn't feeling as angry and disappointed she had decided to take the Cheese-kun plushie from CC with her into her own rooms. Maybe she could get it back to her owner, because as much as she might dislike her behaviour most of the time she knew that the immortal loved the silly thing.
After what happened, being in his rooms had felt differently once again. After Lelouchs perceived betrayal she had hated being there while simultaneously not feeling sure how to feel about ransacking it. This had been the one place where he had been safe to take off his mask, she knew that. Now it just reminded her what was lost and what they had done.
But for now she had other things to do, taking a seat opposite Kaguya and accepting a drink for one.
"Thank you for coming, I'm sure you're quite tired but because of what happened there is a lot to do."
"It's no problem. I wouldn't be able to sleep at the moment, too much thinking."
"Understandable. I too am fighting with too many thoughts at once. Maybe we can help each other with that.
"I'm trying to get to the heart of the matter, or at least as much as we are able to at the moment. I hope you can shed some light on certain matters."
"I will try."
"Kallen, you're one of the few who knew who Zero was and I think one that understood him to a certain degree. As you have chosen to fight with him I know that you also realised that there is more going on that we were meant to see.
"For now the UFN sees him in a positive light, have seen him like that even before. But we had more information and thought that he had betrayed us, that may not be as true as we believed. What I want to know, is what happened at the Ikaruga when Zero's identity was revealed. Emperor Lelouch said something at the meeting that leads me to consider that there is something I don't know. Can you shed some light on that?"
Kallen of course knew what she was talking about. Never would she forget that day, the hurt she had felt when Lelouch proclaimed her as her best pawn in this game he had played. Also, she had heard what he had said to Kaguya before leaving.
She told Kaguya about the happenings on that day from her point of view but included her conclusions about it. That Lelouch had wanted to protect her, Gino's words still on the forefront of her mind.
'Sometimes lies are used to protect'
She had wondered for so long why he had said that she had to live. She couldn't believe that there was such an easy answer to the question she had pondered so long on. Now when she thought back it was all so clear to her and all these observation she shared with Kaguya.
Maybe she should have only told her the facts but she also wanted to talk to someone about her musings.
Only much later she had heard about what happened before at the meeting with Schneizel.
"I can't believe them! What where they thinking going against Zero with no hesitance! With no real proof? Not that I don't think that the matter of geass shouldn't be addressed but just like that? Being ready to execute him after one meeting with Schneizel of all people!"
Kallen watched as the younger girl started pacing around her, quite surprised to see the normally so calm girl this agitated.
"I would have expected better from at least Tohdoh! To just accept whatever our enemy said and working with him! The Prime Minister of Britannia, one of the most dangerous men! Had they completely lost their mind?"
"Sadly I think it was just the last drop that made everything too much. Even I have to admit that Zero should have been more open about some things."
And she could really see that now but Lelouch had always guarded himself thoroughly and even knowing more than the others she had had instances where she hated the way he worked.
"That may be so but we always knew that he was hiding more than the obvious. Really, we all accepted that there was only so much we would accept but overall he never did anything that would really go against his promises. And we all agreed that as long as the freedom of Japan was still part of the goal we would follow him."
That was the first time she heard something like that and apparently it showed on her face.
"We knew that you were closer to him so you were not included in these discussions. Nonetheless I always pointed out that Zero was also working towards more than the freeing of our country. There is a reason why I work so hard for the UFN. It is something I wholeheartedly believe in and it shows more than anything that Zero has always worked towards more. As we knew that he wasn't Japanese it wasn't too surprising but we accepted him because he promised and never really abandoned that promise despite turning his gaze far further than only Japan."
They talked a bit more before making their way to the meeting. Kaguya determined to get the whole truth from the others and Kallen promising to share her thoughts with the others.
Before now she hadn't wanted to talk about it with the others as there were so many other things that were more important so she had held her tongue. But if they were talking about it she would share her disappointment with her comrades about the fact that they had been quite ready to shoot her down too and without letting her defend herself or Zero.
She would enjoy pointing out that it was Zero that saved her life once again, no matter if they wanted to believe her or not. They could hate Lelouch as much as they wanted for all his perceived crimes but they too were no angels.
Killing her because she might be under his geass? That would be something she would never really forgive. The orders she had given for the snipers at the UFN meeting were different as it had been her choice. She would have expected to at least be given a choice.
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Three days after they had come back to Britannia, Nunnally decided to visit her brother.
She had spent the days exploring, enjoying being able to see and trying to find answers to her many questions. As much as she wanted to know everything and get the whole truth from her brother she would not hinder his recovery.
But she wanted to see him, finally somewhat at peace and not willing to stay away from him any longer. She hadn't really felt comfortable with visiting him, not after everything. She had spent some time with him after he woke up and they had embraced for what felt like an eternity before separating and going to their respective rooms to get some sleep. Now she finally felt comfortable with herself once again to face her brother. With that in mind she knocked on his door unannounced.
Which allowed her to see for the first time that yes, her brother had finally found someone. Gino had been reclining back against the armrest of the couch and Lelouch had settled between his legs, comfortable leaning back against the broad chest and just resting after the words in the book he had been reading had started to swim.
Gino stopped the other from sitting up in a rush, knowing that that would not bring him any good with his head still mushy from the injury as well as the medication, but helped him sit up slowly and carefully until he rested back and then readjusted the blanket.
Nunnally could only smile at that interaction before directing her wheelchair nearer to the couch and asking Sayoko to bring them more tea.
Before Lelouch could say anything she started the conversation.
"I will not talk with you about anything heavy I just want to drink tea with you and enjoy some quiet time. And I will not hear any objection from you." Her brother smiled wryly at her before nodding and as soon as Sayoko came back with the tea they did exactly as she wanted.
But sadly it became clear quite quickly that there was nearly no topic that didn't lead to heavy thoughts. Even talking about good memories from Ashford or the antics of Milly brought darker thoughts. She had not even tried to reach out to her friends at Ashford after she came back to Japan and now she knew that they wouldn't even remember her as her father had altered their memories.
One of their happiest times had been there or with Suzaku before the invasion and with everything that had happened since then it was also not something they could enjoy talking about.
In the end she had settled beside him, holding his hand to discern his feelings as she spoke about some of her thoughts about this new Britannia her brother was trying to build. She didn't allow him to talk about his future plans, she only shared her own thoughts about the changes he had enacted.
It was a heavier topic than she had wanted but probably safer and not as emotional as any of the others.
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Gino woke with a start when Lelouch suddenly sat up with a strangled gasp.
He watched as the emperor hunched down, breathing erratically and he sat up and embraced the smaller boy, keeping the touches firm and trying to bring the other back to the present.
Lelouch had suffered from nightmares since coming back from the battle which didn't exactly help his bodily recovery but was most likely important for his emotional and personal recovery.
So much had happened and it seemed like it was now catching up with the young emperor.
"What was it this time?"
He waited patiently to see if the other would answer. He was not always inclined to talk about it and he didn't pressure him. He cherished these moments nonetheless, appreciated the trust the other showed him and was just glad that he could be there for him.
He was a different person here and now. Taking deep breaths and holding unto the arms Gino had settled around him. He seemed so small now when normally he had the ability to seem larger than life. As youngest emperor and before as Zero.
"The meeting with my father, when he took my memories. I dreamed that I was still that altered me while the true me was hidden deep in his mind, trying to break free. Shouting at him truths and warnings without being heard. Not able to change anything..."
For someone so ambitious that must have been one of the worst things to experience and dream about. It was one thing he still couldn't wrap his mind around. How Suzaku had been able to hold the other down and let his most precious memories be taken was something he would never understand.
He had done his fair share of horrible things but knowing how important his sister was and allowing that to be taken from him… He didn't think he could ever hate someone so much that he could condone that.
He let the other settle back into his arms, giving a quick kiss to his neck before tightening his hold.
He would stay awake with him for as long as he needed, talk to him if wanted and just be there for him. Like any other night before.
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A week after the battle Lelouch was finally freed from bedrest but was heavily advised to keep resting more and to take it slowly and carefully.
One of the first things he did was sit down with Nunnally and he shared his whole story with her. Starting as early as his confrontation with his father after their mother was killed all the way to now. It was hard for both of them and they had even shouted at one another at some points.
It had been one of the hardest things to do for him. Years of protecting her warring with the realization that she deserved the whole truth, a truth she also demanded quite fiercely.
For Nunnally it had been quite hard despite all the things she had already managed to discover on her own.
Hard to swallow had been that Clovis had been experimenting on CC, ordering the massacre of Shinjuku that had never been mentioned on the news. The whole sad tale of what happened to Euphy and the truth about the death of Shirley. It was at that point that she lost it and broke down in tears.
Shirley had lost her own father to the actions of Zero, of her brother but had forgiven him everything in the end. Forgave him the manipulation of her memories, understanding that he had done it to protect her and willing to help him until the end.
And what had she done? She had abandoned him, holding it against him that he had lied to her even though she had always known that he hid certain things from her because he wanted to protect her. She had never tried to look deeper, trusting everyone else more than her own memories of her brother.
She came to realise that while she still wanted to know everything she really didn't need it. In her heart she knew that her brother was a good person despite everything else and she had always known that there was a certain darkness in him that he kept hidden from the world. He wasn't all bad, like she told him, the UFN was a good thing.
Maybe Lelouch shouldn't have sheltered her so much and while she held a slight resentment for him for that she also understood why he did it. She decided that that had to be enough. No more lies between them and she would help him built a Britannia they both could be proud of.
She also finally understood why the others were so loyal to her brother, that despite what he had done in the past they followed him whole-heartedly. They all had different reasons but they all saw the same in Lelouch. The ability to lead the world to peace.
That had been enough for Lelouch on his first day. Getting tired more easily and especially after that emotional roller-coaster he didn't do anything more after being freed from bedrest and had happily retired back to his rooms.
But the next day he finally got back to work.
The first thing Lelouch had to do was damage control, as it had gotten out that Suzaku had turned traitor at the end of the battle and he revealed that they had actually been childhood friends who lost themselves after the invasion when he had to go into hiding and that they had never found their easy comradeship again when Lelouch discovered that his friend had actually joined the same army that had torn them apart. He spun a sad tale about Suzaku picking duty over friendship which they had never quite overcome and he couldn't quite understand how his friend had changed so much to actually betray him.
It was all near enough the truth that people believed it and Lelouch knew how to word it to make it work. The only thing that everyone would forever speculate about was the intention behind the betrayal. Was Suzaku loyal to Charles or Schneizel in the end? Or did he have a more personal motivation for it.
He had actually brought the interviewer to tears when he said that despite all he would always remember the friend he had gained after his exile and would therefore give Suzaku a proper burial despite his treason as he had still accomplished much for Britannia be it the one of his father or his own. But Lelouch actually decided to only write one title on the headstone.
'Here lies Suzaku Kururugi. Beloved Knight of Euphemia li Britannia. May he find peace in the afterlife.'
Because until the end, that had been the only motivation behind his actions. To avenge his princess.
The first two days back in office were all filled with cleanup-work and stabilising the empire again, deciding and organising a celebration for the victory and arranging the meeting with the Black Knights.
It would happen in two days and he wasn't sure what to think about it. He understood the need to clear the air as it was important to move forwards but he wasn't too keen to talk about things long past. The future was important and what they should focus on, not the past that couldn't be changed.
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The evening before the meeting he calmly retired for the night, not too worried about the meeting the next day. But Gino seemed to worry a bit.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"
"Not really. While it will most likely be uncomfortable, I'm confident that it will go well."
"Well, I have no doubt that your silver tongue will manage even this."
"hmm?"
"You have this ability to make even the most illogical explanation sound completely reasonable. The way you tweaked the story about Suzaku was a work of art that I still cannot fully get my head around."
"Maybe. One just has to understand human nature and their expectations. From there you have to play to their emotional side while hiding holes in your explanation. Overall it's only a matter of formulation and sounding confident and voicing it in a way that sounds reasonable."
"Easy only for you."
Lelouch set up from his position, laid half on top of the other with his head resting on the chest listening contently to the steady heartbeat. Looking down on the blond he couldn't stop a soft smile. Gino looked completely content laying there with his eyes half closed and discussing his ability to play with people.
When he settled on top of the other he got his full attention.
"You know, I have finally been declared completely healthy. How about I show you another use of my silver tongue?"
Without giving the other a chance to respond he leaned down and instantly started a battle of said body part with the other. He met absolute no resistance and the passion immediately took overhand.
Gino had been quite stubborn that he was not allowed any strenuous activity and that – sadly - had meant nothing more than soft kisses and a lot of, well, cuddling. But now the other had no right to refuse him and he took full advantage of the fact, finally being able to celebrate their victory and survival in a completely different way.
The restraint from the last days snapped quite spectacular and it didn't take long before they were both shirtless and hands roamed frantically over revealed skin. The kiss soon turned messy and uncoordinated before lips were abandoned and skin was attacked.
After days of restraint, it didn't take much before both of them found release.
Lelouch slumped forward against the broad chest underneath and Gino wrapped his arms around the smaller body while they tried to regain their breathing, a satisfied smile appearing on both of them.
Edited scene
"I think I might love you."
There Gino had finally said it and before Lelouch could react he kissed him again, laying all his feelings into it. He didn't need a response from the other. He pulled him into his arms and settled down and when Lelouch opened his mouth he just kissed him silent.
"Sleep."
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Gino took away the awkwardness Lelouch was feeling the next morning by happily bouncing around and he couldn't help but laugh and answer the silly grin the blond threw at him with one of his own. With hat they returned to their normal routine and the moment they stepped out of the rooms they were back to their usual professional behaviour.
There were a few things that had to be taken care of before they left for their meeting with the Black Knights. As a secret meeting was quite difficult to manage the official reason was the course of action pertaining the Damocles and FLEJA. As that was more a military matter than a political it wasn't too far fetched that the Black Knights would handle it.
When they arrived at Horai Island they were met only by a handful of guards and a smiling Kallen waiting for them.
"I'm glad to see for myself that you're alright Kallen and to finally thank you personally for the assistance you gave during the battle."
"Don't mention it. I'm glad to see you well."
And she wholeheartedly meant it.
The days after the battle had been quite difficult. When Kaguya finally got to hear the reason for the cryptic last message of Lelouch about the freeing of an area, Kallen had settled back and enjoyed the show. Because it wasn't every day you saw a small girl like Kaguya scolding veterans, soldiers and men many years her senior. After getting her anger out of the way she then proceeded to explain to them, in detail, what Schneizel had most likely been trying to achieve with this plot.
It would have most likely meant the end of the UFN and the Black Knights. She ended it with telling them, if they were dumb enough to fall to the petty tricks of their enemy and not being able to think about the bigger picture they all didn't deserve to hold such important positions.
Of course that hadn't been the end of it and Xingke had his own things to say, telling them how disappointed he was with them, that they would throw away the UFN just to see Japan free and condemning all the other areas to continued servitude.
It soon got out of hand, with accusation thrown back and forth until finally Tohdoh had enough and brought everything to a stop. He demanded they all behave and concentrate on their duties until the meeting with Lelouch where they would clear everything up with the man who held all the information before throwing suspicions and theories at each other. They wouldn't be able to get anywhere without the man in question himself.
Back at the present she led Lelouch and the others to the meeting room. Lelouch was only accompanied by CC, Jeremiah and Gino while a few soldiers stayed back to guard the Avalon.
He seemed quite at ease while Orange-boy especially was tense and looking around for any attackers. CC of course looked as bored as ever but knowing her as well as she did she detected a certain sharpness in her gaze. Gino on the other hand looked as comfortable as Lelouch.
Arriving at the meeting room Lelouch was not surprised by any of the other participants of this meeting.
Ohgi with Viletta beside him, followed by Tamaki. Then came Tohdoh and Kguya in the center of the table and next to her Xingke and Chiba with Rakshata finishing the line. From what he knew that meant all surviving participants of the meeting with Schneizel were present.
Kallen hesitated before she took her place beside Rakshata and Lelouch settled himself opposite of Kaguya while the others took the seats next to him. He was flanked by Gino and CC while Jeremiah seemed to want to remain standing until Lelouch motioned him next to CC.
He regarded the ones on the opposite calmly waiting to see if they would start the meeting. From their looks he could already guess who would be the most difficult. Ohgi and Viletta were a given and Chiba had never been a fan of Zero in the first place. While the others seemed open enough for a rational discussion only Tohdoh was hard to read and Tamaki really wasn't of any importance.
Not surprisingly Kaguya started.
"First of, thank you for agreeing to this meeting. Why don't we first talk about the official reasoning behind it before we start to get personal."
"A perfect suggestion. But you already know my standpoint, I want the Damocles and all the FLEJA destroyed."
"I agree. I have already discussed it with the UFN and the vote was clearly in favour of this decision. But it has also been brought forward that the counter-meassure to the FLEJA should be further analysed and hopefully perfected before any and all documents pertaining FLEJA are destroyed so that if we missed something we would at least have that."
"Sounds reasonable. On my side I have already discovered that Schneizel has taken every document with him when he went into hiding, guarding it heavily, so they are all actually on the Damocles."
"Perfect than I see no reason to further discuss this."
And that was as far as they got in civilized manner as Ohgi couldn't keep silent any longer.
"How can we trust his word? He could be lying and building FLEJA's as we speak!"
Even though Kaguya clearly wanted to say something Lelouch was faster. "I hate this weapon as much as you do and for the same reasons. I haven't fought as hard as I did against Schneizel just to use it myself. It's a despicable weapon and makes strategy useless. It's only use is to threaten the whole world into peace, that's what it was build for and that's a kind of peace I can't accept."
"You have nerve talking about peace after everything you have done!"
"Enough!" Kaguya stood up and glared Ohgi into silence before continuing. "I understand that emotions are running high but we're all here for a reason and we should all be able to act like the leaders and adults we are, in most cases anyway."
There was quiet murmuring of acceptance running around her side of the table before she settled down again.
"How about we first discuss the reason behind all the animosity?" When Lelouch only got nods and glares as answer he continued.
"Let's make this short and simple. When you all held me at gunpoint after your meeting with Schneizel you were all quite ready to kill Kallen alongside me just because you thought she was under my geass and didn't let us say anything against it. As I was at that point in time quite ready to die I lied to all of you to get Kallen out of the fire. I called you and most importantly Kallen pawns so that I would get her to leave me. And before you ask no, I have not used geass on any of you and can prove it far better than whatever evidence my brother showed you."
That brought another turmoil to the room and he didn't much care to listen close enough to hear what they were all saying. It was actually Kallen that got them all under control, reminding them how the situation was from her point of view and how horrified she had been that they seemed so ready to kill her without giving her a chance to prove them wrong and also mentioned what Lelouch said after she had been far enough away from him.
"How can you prove that you haven't used your geass on us?" Kaguya calmly asked, bless that girl.
"As I don't know how much you really know about my particular geass let me tell you everything." He then proceeded to tell them of the limitations, eye-contact (at which point most of them looked down), a command and only a one time usage per person. He then told them that there were different manifestations, mentioning Rolos and his fathers geass, without revealing names just yet.
"With that it's quite easy to prove that I didn't use it on the Black Knights. One, your ability to actually betray me. Two, and that's something Viletta over there would have been able to tell you if she were so inclined to be truthful, is the fact that there is a memory blank after I used my geass. Kallen, you should have one from the time I approached you in Ashford right before I said that you shouldn't mention anything about Shinjuku."
Everyone instantly looked to the redhead who seemed to think back. "Yeah, now that you mention it that was all quite confusing, it's what made me suspect you."
"It's because I only realised then and there that I can only use it once on a person."
Before anything else could be said Kaguya looked at Viletta and she just glared at Lelouch before nodding.
"I have an additional way of proving it. Jeremiah here, through the experiments done on him, can actually cancel a geass. With your acceptance he would do it right here and now and Kallen and Villetta should then remember what they have forgotten."
Kallen immediately agreed even when Ohgi argued that it could be a trick. The others seemed hesitant so they first used it only on Kallen.
"You only asked me a few questions!"
"Yes, I only wanted to know about you and your motivation before trying to get into contact with you and your group." Kallen then proceeded to tell them exactly which questions he asked and at least Xingke seemed to understand the motivation behind it.
After it was clear that not much else happened, Jeremiah expanded the range to the whole room. When only Viletta suddenly remembered her encounter with him the others seemed to sigh in relief.
Of course it didn't stop there. Katase and Kusakabe were mentioned and of course Euphemia. Kusakabe was the easiest to deal with as his actions weren't approved of by any of them. Katase hit Tohdoh especially hard but he argued the bigger picture and as things were at this point in time they would have all lost if they tried to rescued him, making the rebellion that followed impossible. The revelation that a joke and a miscalculation on his side had caused the massacre of the SAZ through Euphemia was as hollow a reason as it had ever been.
His decision to use that to rally the Japanese was while disapproved at least understood by the more logical thinking people in the room. The fact that he had personally shot his sister was what made them realise that he at least took care of his own mistakes. Last but not least was of course his betrayal during the first Black Rebellion. He shared the truth about that and after he was done silence reigned while everyone tried to work through all the information they had gotten. Kallen was the calmest amongst them, actually knowing most of it.
The next question came again from Ohgi.
"But that all just shows more that you used us from the start and bought our loyalty through false miracles and lies."
"Magic tricks are just that, tricks. In many situations my geass reduced the risks for everyone involved. The rescue mission for Tohdoh for example was free of any use of geass. And really, we all used each other. The four holy swords used the Black Knights to free their leader and Xingke used the Black Knight like we were using the Chinese Federation. I wanted an army that could stand against Britannia and you needed one to free Japan."
That got them all thinking again and the one to break the silence next was actually Tamaki.
"I still don't understand why a Britannian prince would fight against Britannia."
That got him many incredulous looks from both sides as that was one thing they all had worked out to a degree it was Kallen that asked the jackpot-question.
"Didn't you watch the interview he gave? And where were you when we all discussed it?"
"Really one has to wonder how he managed to stay alive until now." And CC was finally fed up with the whole thing, which didn't surprise Lelouch one bit, but he nevertheless shot her a silencing look.
"How about I rehash the whole thing but a bit more detailed?"
When he got nods in return he did just that, but actually said that it was then he decided to destroy Britannia.
"Childish? Yes. But in the end I got what I wanted. I destroyed Britannia, just not quite in the way I had originally intended."
"So you really were still there during the invasion?"
"Suzaku, Nunnally and myself actually were together for quite a while trying to reach a safe place. So yes that was true. I carried Nunnally through the result of the actions of the Britannian army, telling her that the smell was from a garbage dump instead of dead bodies all around us."
That shocked quite a few of them and it was Tohdoh that brought them back to the conversation.
"We did wonder how Suzaku managed to arrive at the main Kururugi house all by himself."
"We separated shortly before that. Not knowing how welcome we would be, I decided to seek aid elsewhere for me and Nunnally."
They all grew silent again.
"What is it you want?"
"That goal has been the same since the start. I wanted to create a kinder and gentler world for Nunnally. And now it just has expanded to other people but the wish is the same.
"That's all I'm willing to say for now. Despite all I am not your enemy and would hope for an alliance in the future. No matter what you decide I will continue to work towards peace, one way or another and hope that you too will look towards the future. The past has happened and we cannot change it. What we can influence is the future and we should all work towards making the world a better place, no matter our personal feelings.
"Kaguya I have another folder for you which I would ask you to discuss in the UFN. I think for now it's probably better to form an alliance between the UFN and Britannia until such a point where Britannia has earned the trust. In there you will find some suggestions to ease the worries of the UFN. Please excuse me."
With that he stood and turned to leave but stopped when CC didn't follow.
"I will stay here and clear some additional matters up." The two of them exchanged a long look before Lelouch shrugged his shoulders and walked out.
As soon as the door closed she levelled a hard glare at each of them.
"You all don't deserve him, I hope you know that. To alleviate the rest of your petty doubts let me tell you what Lelouch originally planned. What he intended to do and sacrifice to bring peace to this undeserving world and each one of you."
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I am sorry to say hat this is the last chapter, only the epilogue left now. This was never meant to be epic and there is not much to do or say anymore. Any loose ends will be wrapped up in the epilogue.
That doesn't mean that I will not revisit this universe in the future, but it will most likely be oneshots of the sexy kind and will only be published at AO3. (If I'm feeling courageous enough)
So we will see each other again at least one more time when I upload the epilogue.
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PLEASE READ!
If you like or have come to like the pairing please help me in giving Lelouch and Gino more love! They deserve it XD
If you have always wanted to write something for those two but didn't know how to go about it, feel free to use this universe! Just tell me so I know it's out there! ^_^
You have an idea for a Lelouch/Gino story? Feel free to share it with me if you don't want to write it, but I can't promise that I will do it.
You want to write a story for them but lack an idea? Also contact me and we might find something together.
But most of all, I would love some help with lemons. I have quite a few ideas for them in this universe but am new to it so I would gladly accept help on that front.
So don't hesitate in contacting me for whatever reason so that we may together spread the love of Lelouch/Gino some more XD