Disclaimer: I own nothing of Code Geass, nor of Guilty Gear, nor to a lesser extent, BlazBlue and Rewrite. I do own this story, and all the inspirations along with it. And of course, the brain where the ideas came from.
"Your Highness, we are almost at the second gateway to the Eleventh Preserve," the mechanical voice informed her as she gazed down through the glass at the blinking lights that made up Area Eleven. Outside, Order Knights on aerial platforms patrolled the air, some shooting glances at the ornate Britannian warship. The Britannians had sent not just their Princess, bringing Knights, Knightmares, arms and supplies on the bigger transport ships that brought up the rear. "After the last Order inspection, we shall expect to land in fifteen minutes."
"Is the rendezvous ready?" Cornelia asked. Behind her, her loyal retainers, the bespectacled Guilford and the scarred Darlton marched up to her side, bringing with them the data she had requested.
"We have informed the Knight of Six, Your Highness," said Guilford. "She...strangely did not want to hold a formal turnover, but Sir Darlton-"
"I already know how the Knight of Six can be," interrupted the Princess, still gazing into the distance. The older, scarred Knight shot a triumphant look at the other. "What news of my brother?"
"They have yet to-"
"If there is yet nothing, then enough," snapped Cornelia. The two didn't balk. "If you've not anything more to say, then I would request you leave me to my thoughts. Put the datapad on the table for now."
"Yes," said Guilford slowly, ignoring the warning looks Darlton was shooting him. "There is something else. The Knight of Six has invoked the Rounds' Right."
At this, Cornelia turned her head briefly, before making a chuckling sound in her throat. "And who is the unlucky man?"
"The Captain of the 7th, one Margrave Jeremiah-"
"Fitting," the Princess remarked, a hint of vindication in her voice, "They did fail my brother in an aspect. Appearances must be kept after all." She expected to hold evaluations on the Brigade to see if they were fit to be the ones under her command.
Then, the Princess and her Knights beheld the "Scar" as intelligence termed it in their reports, which hovered like a large, unsightly halo over the Preserve. Darlton narrowed his eyes, while Cornelia's features became as harsh as marble.
"Anything else...Guilford?"
"Nothing, Your Majesty. Though if you're interested, the magistrates are currently holding a trial to determine some minor infarction during the event-" She already knew of that, for Brother Schneizel had told her that the plaintiff, the head of his own division, had been ordered to merely let the magistrates do their job of inquiry with the Order and to remain neutral in the dispute as much as possible.
He expected the inquiry and arrangements to be over before she arrived, but it seemed Schneizel was thrown off by the dateline.
"Fetch me a viewing pad," ordered Cornelia. She finally turned on her heels crisply to face her Knights. "And begin communication with Intel as soon as possible when we land. I want my brother found!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
)()()()()()()()(
They did not want to meet, some of the others had said. They were still angry, much like she had been before.
Some others were fearful, embracing their human disguises fully as they turned away.
The remaining, ironically the group that had brought Kallen in, were the only ones who actually took the time to hear her out. They were the most understanding, or in the case of Tamaki, curious.
Kaname told her about how he'd not risked contacting Gaia for now, despite communication signals calling him and the rest to a meeting.
They were asked to meet, with Kallen as intermediary between them and Zero, in a secluded park near the Federation-Japanese sector. Only nests of birds and the pond fish would enjoy themselves on that hour, Zero had assured her.
They could no longer make use of the Dead Zones, since Order patrols had been stepped up since the day of the attack.
"What the hell does that guy want to do?" repeated Tamaki, echoing the question for the rest of the group.
)()()()()()()()(
Cecile knew, from many late nights, when the Pudding Earl had to be serious. There were deadlines that had to be met, a mistake somewhere in the construction of a vital part, or a missing factor in the simulator. In those moments, Lloyd would seem to be another man, fueled and possessed by his obsessions, whipping his "minions" into a frenzy.
She saw none of that when he was made to sign the affidavits, the complaint memorandums, and all the other papers that the Earl saw as completely unnecessary. Had Lloyd been serious, he would have relished writing his own complaints, citing this or that claim about the damage the Eleven did to his Lancelot.
As it was, Lloyd had only signed semi-reluctantly in his capacity as head of the Special Division, and then withdrew into the background, following the Prince's orders. Their patron had made it clear that Lloyd should only go along with lodging a complaint to keep up appearances, and then sit back to watch the results, come what may.
The formal hearing was somewhat of a farcical affair: it was held in one of the Order offices (for they hadn't finished getting the moisture out of the Britannian base) composed on one side by the Legion-Masters of Area Eleven whose faces were hidden behind stern, metallic helms, and then surrounded all along the other walls by Knights, armored and unarmored. The only Britannians who were there were him and Cecile, a company of soldiers who had brought Kururugi, and the magistrates who sat to one side like unnecessary ornaments.
Presently, a Legion-Master was standing, asking Kururugi to recount his actions on that day, urging him to leave no fact unspoken.
"This isn't a hearing about your case anymore, I don't think..." Cecile whispered to her superior, who made a crooked grin and shook his head, as if he had come to the same conclusion.
"I'm still wondering how and why the media got involved. This has to be embarrassing the Order, and that boy."
)()()()()()()()(
His presence appeared like dusk, during the twilight hour when the Preserve's weather bubble shifted from afternoon to evening.
It was unmistakable, at least it seemed to them. His presence oozed mastery, even if it came from a Britannian-looking youth who didn't seem older than Kallen.
"What the hell? The guy's just some brat?" Tamaki exclaimed. If it weren't for Kaname's hand on his shoulder, the man would've run up to punch him.
Kallen on the other hand, found something familiar in the youth's features. In particular, his slender build, common in all Britannian youths, reminded her of someone, and she could swear she had seen those cheekbones somewhere...
The upper part of his face was hidden behind a make-shift mask, black and orange in color. He smirked at them, with all the superiority of his people, silver hair waving in the cool evening breeze.
"My greetings to you, friends. Alan Spacer at your service. I am Zero."
)()()()()()()()(
Despite having gone through a similar situation during his evaluation, Suzaku Kururugi was still more than unnerved to be standing in the presence of so many Legion-Masters in a single room. The fact that they were there to publicly interrogate him was second only to the hint of uncertainty that had taken hold of his heart when he tried to see what this would mean for his Knighthood.
"What did you do then, Kururugi?"
"After ensuring the safety of my friend, I..." He looked down at the wooden stand where he stood. It was strange that the Britannian representatives weren't pressing on his theft of the Lancelot. His eyes hardened, then he looked back up towards the panel. "I heard that Zero's outburst, and I thought to help the base at Britannia, after hearing about their situation over the open channel."
"What did you do then, Kururugi?" the Legion-Master repeated.
"I saw the carnage, and I- I-" Suzaku let out a deep breath. "I used the Lancelot's systems to track down Zero's signature." There were gasps all around, including an appreciative hum from behind him.
"And why did you decide in your mind to face a level SS Gear like Zero?" Many more murmurs could be heard, especially on the part of the media men. Zero's ranking had never been made clear, not by any Order representative. To hear it confirmed to be like this was unsettling.
"Justice, my lords," Suzaku proclaimed to the assembly. The cameras focused on his face.
"Justice?" asked another Legion-Master.
"Yes," confirmed Suzaku. "I saw the devastation he'd done, all the destruction he'd caused, all for a simple whim. I am sorry, but I could not bear to see such injustices go unpunished. In that moment I...I hunted for Zero. I longed to pierce his hide with my sword, to strike him down from his ivory tower."
"And what-" the Legion-Master's question was interrupted by an upraised hand, coming from one of the others. Suzaku felt a jolt seize him when he saw the familiar, ornate armor of his sensei.
"I believe the more relevant question needed answered by this august assembly is," rumbled Tohdoh, "Did you find Zero?"
There was an outbreak of whispers and mutters, noise which the assembly could not bring themselves to bring order to. All eyes, and by extension most eyes in the world, were turned to the young, determined face of the boy who was yet to be a Knight.
"Yes." There was a ripple of silence.
"And did you manage to fight Zero?" Tohdoh continued quietly.
Suzaku looked around the assembly, sensing that everyone, even the Legion-Masters was hinging on the next words he would say.
"Yes." Noise exploded, to be swiftly cut at the neck by Tohdoh's overwhelming presence, as he stood from his seat to bellow. "ORDER! I WILL REQUEST ORDER!
"Kururugi Suzaku," Tohdoh continued after a modicum of silence had returned. "Did you manage to defeat Zero?"
"No sir, I did not."
"But you fought him?"
"Yes, sir." The assembly's eyes were surprised at Tohdoh's next action after his answer, as he instantly strode off, boots clanking, down from the panel and pushing past the Knights out of the room. Four other Knights scrambled to follow him through the door. There was another bout of silence.
"Then where is proof?" one Legion-Master blurted out. For an instant, the attention of the gathered people turned to him. "How is the assembly to judge for itself whether or not you did damage the plaintiff's Lancelot through a battle with Zero, rather than using it irresponsibly, as the Empire of Britannia states?"
"I-I don't know," Suzaku faltered, doubt seizing him again. "Perhaps if the Lancelot had recording systems installed then, maybe a recording of my attack could be extracted-"
"Earl Lloyd Asplund," asked the Legion-Master. Behind him there was a startled yelp. "Yes, your excellencies?"
)()()()()()()()(
He had given his demonstration, stopping Tamaki in his tracks when he bounded loose like a rabid dog to attack.
Zero was powerful, they were certain. Even Kallen couldn't suppress the familiar shiver that coursed through her when she acclimated herself to his presence.
"Now that that's out of the way, is there anyone else who'd like to vent their frustrations? I have to warn you, the Federation nightwatch makes their rounds in this area by 7."
"What is it you want with us?" Ohgi, ever the spokesman. Kallen went up to stand beside him, as a bodyguard of sorts.
"I merely request you to listen. I see you are not all of the Gears I had used on that day. Tell me, what did you think of my attack on the Preserve?"
"That you're one ball-busting jackass with big balls. How the hell the Guardians missed you, I wanna know," Tamaki said, rubbing his sore wrist.
"One fact is true of my successful assault on the Preserve: the might of the Gear cannot be matched, when taken to their full, logical potential. You all saw how your powers combined to create that array," he pointed up, "-that still stands to this day. You held off and completely suppressed the defensive efforts of the three powers' armies. And I was able to craft an ars, unnoticed, and unleashed it on the unsuspecting populace. That is the true strength of the Gear."
"So, what, are you going to attack each and every Preserve now? Not like it matters to me, but that's a whole lot of bloodshed. Aren't you going to just antagonize the humans against us Gears more?" asked Ohgi.
"Nothing so crude," replied Zero with a smile. "I believe you must have listened to what I said in my broadcast, about the necessity of proving our strengths. I hope to initiate and accomplish that."
"Declaring war on humans?" remarked Tamaki sarcastically.
"No. The world."
)()()()()()()()(
She could feel Lloyd's surprise oozing through his skin, close as she was to his seat. They hadn't counted on being called to speak before the assembly, thinking that the magistrates would cover for them. With truth ars pingponging around the room, it would be hard for the Earl to tell an outright lie. Cecile only hoped that her superior had the presence of mind to make up a vague statement on the spot.
Officially, the Lancelot's internal systems had been damaged too much for any hope of remaining data.
Truthfully, the recording was being analyzed by whoever their patron had seen fit to pass to.
"Well, I can't say we recovered nothing, Your Honors." was Lloyd's first response, voice bravely finding its confidence.
"Then what did you recover?" demanded the Legion-Master.
"Stuff?" Even if she couldn't see it, Cecile could feel the Earl's nervous smile.
"What stuff, Earl Lloyd Asplund of Britannia?"
"Err... well, I-" The assembly waited expectantly, as Lloyd squirmed under the scrutiny of many eyes. "I- we, that is to say, the Special Division-" He let out a breath.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Even Cecile jolted in her seat, taken aback by the sudden outburst. "The boy's probably lying! We found nothing! The only thing we were able to discover was my poor, dear Lancelot, damaged beyond repair," He's lying again, thought Cecile gloomily. "We found no traces of a recording detailing Kururugi's failed assault, nor any glimpses into Zero's true form or his accomplice Gear. Nothing!" She made an audible sigh.
After sitting back down with a satisfied "Hmph," the assembly turned once more to the question of the authenticity of Suzaku's claim.
"Kururugi Suzaku, do you still stand by the statement that you damaged the Knightmare Frame in a battle with Zero?"
"Yes," came the boy's short reply.
"Then unless you show us proof other than your own testimony, this assembly has no choice but to consider the plaintiff's own claims and open the discussion for the responsibility you have to take."
"But-"
"Zealous and powerful though you claim yourself to be, we are Guardians who bring order to things, first and foremost. That is one of our sacred vows. Violating that would make us lesser men and women. If you were a Knight, you would understand this, and then the sanctions for your irresponsible, impulsive move would have been more severe.
"Do you have anything to say or more proof to give?" The hearing was over, Cecile realized, catching the media techs already packing away their equipment, dispelling the small illumination ars over themselves.
"Yes, I believe I do have something more to say, Your Honors. If you'd have the grace to look this way, I am sure your questions can be accommodated."
)()()()()()()()(
"What the hell do you mean by that? Are you going to destroy the world?" asked Tamaki, who now seemed more of a spokesperson than Kaname. Kallen shot him an irate look, which he did not see.
"In another sense, I wish to declare war on the world that supports the ideal that we, the Gears, are nothing but fodder for the humans. I wish to shatter that particular worldview, and from the pieces craft a new one, where Gears take up their rightful place as members of the world." He stretched out a hand to them. "Don't you wish to be utterly free of the chains as well?"
Most of them recoiled from that hand, Kallen excepted. "Yeah..." Ohgi allowed, "but not to the point of declaring war. We're outcasts, but we can't be rebels."
The outstretched hand clenched shut. "Then answer me this. Is it better then to bow your head to bide the time, hoping against hope that the Order or some other power will find out about your condition, and slap the chains upon you once more? To allow your very existence to hinge upon another's view? When will you embrace our birthright, our potential as a race?
"Do you wish to always live in fear?"
"No!" shouted Kallen, to the surprise of her companions. She was herself shocked of her own outburst, but held her ground as she kept her gaze on the mask. Zero smiled.
"Thank you, my friend," and he beamed at her.
"Say we 'join' you, what are we to do? Become your foot-soldiers while you plan things from behind?" asked Ohgi, who stepped up to take the lead from Kallen once more.
"No, not anymore. If you join me, then you will become true companions - Zero's family. We shall become a group that will seek the road to the world's 'destruction'. Of course, I won't deny we all have to enforce our powers in some way, but you have my promise that I will never command you in the same manner again. I begin the dream, but you shall carry it forth."
All of them were silent, even Zero who waited expectantly for their answers. Kallen herself bit her lip, armies of indecision warring against themselves in her mind and heart.
Zero himself broke it. "But your answer can wait after my next plan. I merely ask you to watch me, and witness how even the might of the Order, and the world, cannot stop the controlled, full power of a Gear." With that, Zero bowed, and in a fluid motion, turned to walk away. His gait was confident, trusting. "Until next we meet."
A single, black feather fluttered to the ground.
)()()()()()()()(
A cloud of murky black appeared in the midst of a group of Knights, who instantly recoiled, drawing their swords. The cloud whirled in place like a cyclone, as sounds of ripping cloth and the smell of concentrated seithr filled the room.
From out of the cloud emerged a globular shape, forming itself into a head, then shoulders. There was the sound of flapping wings, and then a ring, runes dancing on the fierce purple edge, expanded from within. Then, there was a loud poof, followed by a rising geyser of smoke.
And when it dispersed, there stood Zero, the Command Gear.
"Honored Assembly, I am Zero, here to give my testimony of what happened on the day of the attack, when this whelp was foolish enough to challenge me."
Ars rained uselessly around him.
"-If you'll but allow me to speak, of course." Zero waved off the weapons raised against him like harmless flies.
"For I find it troubling that even here, in the most hallowed center of the Order that guards our precious Preserve, secrets and indecision still reign over what seems like such a simple hearing." The Gear walked without pause towards the stand, where Suzaku Kururugi was fighting vainly against his bonds, green eyes blazing at it. The draconic head with the dull, mirror-like face turned to the youth. "I was shocked to learn that doubt should be cast on this brave boy's strength. I simply had to come here to set things straight!"
"Guardians, attack!" ordered one of the Legion-Masters, and the others drew ars and arms to strike the Gear that had appeared in their midst. A few of the civilians were cautiously edging away in barely restrained panic, with the rest plainly rooted to their seats.
"Now, there's no need for that." At this, the black wings that had folded over Zero's front unfurled, and from there a surge of invisible power blasted the nearest Knights who had attacked to the ground. The rest held up shields to defend themselves against the attack.
After moments, the surge settled, and the wings folded themselves back in. Zero expelled a short breath, before turning back to Suzaku. "I admire your moxie, human. To challenge me like that, while I was basking in the fruits of victory took a great, brave heart. More that could be said about the owners of the machine which led you to victory." More assaults came, which seemed to irk the Gear when he gestured and a miasma of darkness erupted from the very walls to restrain him. "-stop that! Take a lesson from this whelp, foolish humans! To even have the chance to attack a fully aware Gear, use your vaunted metal armors!"
Zero's head glanced at Lloyd, who stared at the Gear with some measure of curiosity mixed in the fear. Its head tilted, before Zero swooped like a fleeting shadow towards the nearest camera, causing the woman operating it to shriek.
"Is this recording live? Good, good. It's such a pain to have to hack again."
"Zero!" yelled Suzaku, trembling in his seat.
"Not now, whelp, I've a message to give to the world." Zero stood back, sweeping its wings in front in a grandiose manner.
"Greetings to the world, human and Gear alike! I, as you all well know, am Zero."
)()()()()()()()(
She was certainly not expecting this.
Zero had urged Kallen himself to refrain from watching the broadcast of Kururugi's hearing, into which he claimed he would invade, until he himself had been known to appear.
Because of that, Kallen spent the day of the trial in her room, running her fingers over the black feather.
In the moment that she felt a spike of familiar, cold energy that she knew belonged only to one Gear, Kallen dashed to the screen to turn it on.
Ohgi chose that moment to call her over her cellphone, and as she stared in open-mouthed shock at the display, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of familiarity when she heard Ohgi's words.
"Is that guy for real? Why is he just standing there?"
"Huh?" Kallen tilted her head. No, that wasn't- Something's wrong! She dashed out of her room, sprinting out towards the city, where there were other screens she could peer into.
"How'd Zero manage it?" she hissed into her phone.
"What are you talking about, Kallen?" she could hear the others' awed whistles and whispers on the other end of the line. "I mean, he is a brave one to do this sort of thing, but don't you think it's a bit fool-"
"You mean you don't know?" Kallen's eyes widened to saucer cups when she saw the same scene through the screen of one cafe-goer, who was gesturing excitedly to it.
"No way..." But that's familiar...Isn't this...?
)()()()()()()()(
"Lord Zero!" cried a girl in her room, her cry meshed in a passion which belied her status as Holy Woman of Gaia. "When will you grace us with your presence? Your silence is unbearable, Lord Zero...I wish he could hear me." She sighed.
"Zero? So soon?" Diethard Reid murmured, glancing towards the direction of the Order office outside the window. He was dressing, having already sent the Observer in the direction of the Order office.
"ALERT! ALERT!" Jeremiah Gottwald stood at attention, eyes burnt out from sleepless nights. He watched the diminutive armored Knight interface with her Knightmare, before ordering the hangar be opened.
The doors opened with a resounding crash, and the Knight of Six boosted out with the sound and force of thunder. In the distance, the new Viceroy's airship had just arrived at the base.
On the other side of the Preserve, Tohdoh and his Elite hurried back to the Office they'd just vacated, inside Knightmares they had to retrieve from base.
Something was very, very wrong.
)()()()()()()()(
"I hope you all have not forgotten my challenge to you all. Strength must and shall overcome, but those who take the challenge must take care not to overestimate themselves. As this whelp has proven, no mere high-spec Knightmare, nor sheer will of justice can defeat absolute power.
"For that is the justice of the world. That is my – Zero's - Justice.
"Hear me, my Gear brethren! Treasure this message within the prison of your minds. I will break your chains, but not at the cost of your sanities. You will be freed, but only if you follow the good and rational.
"And to you, humans. The world may will that Justice fell and the Golden One triumphed, but that reality can be made to change. I will vow that change. I shall not embark on the path of slaughter, but on the enlightened path to self-realization, for all Gearkind! To a world where Gear and man can coexist in harmony, a world that is beautiful once more!"
"Zero!" Kururugi's repeated challenge came after Zero's last bow, to which the Gear responded by flipping itself into a wisp of shadow, trailing across the floor, and reform right next to him.
"That challenge does not extend to you, whelp," Zero said quietly. "You indeed have potential, but it will be dangerous for you to continue thus. The world is changing, and it needs warriors with much strength to oppose me."
"I almost had you, you son of a bitch!" roared the youth, expression twisted in rage. "Just you wait, you wait, godamnit, so I can kill you properly! No lackey of yours will save you then, Zero, I swear it! I will be the one to slay you, with these own hands, but with my mouth and teeth if I have to! I swear it!"
"You are rambling," chuckled Zero darkly. "Still, I am giving you good advice. It is a poor man who does not follow advice given freely, and a fool who chooses not to hear it entirely."
"I've heard enough out of your wretched mouth, scum! Don't die before I get to you!"
"Oh? You know, I could just kill you," the words were said with a chilling, silky voice. Suzaku narrowed his eyes, but clamped his mouth shut. "But I'm afraid that goes against my creed. I will only kill those who are worthy to be killed. The strong, the evil."
"And you're not evil, your kind's not evil? Don't give me that bullshit, Gear!"
Zero was about to retort something before it paused, tilting its head at the wall. A moment later, it exploded inward in a shower of rubble.
)()()()()()()()(
At that moment, Tohdoh had also returned, slicing through wall-reinforced stone with Susanooh, questions and fear swarming through his mind. How the hell had Zero managed this?
"Target acquired," a voice said tonelessly on the other side of the room, from the other hole. "Maximum output. Charging. Fire."
"Stop it!" yelled Tohdoh, hurling the precast ars over the assembly. Behind him, the array formed between the four Elites worked to reinforce their superior's spell, as the sable Gekka jumped towards the center. "This is all a part of his plan!"
The purple ars-enhanced Hadron beams collided against the barrier, sending shockwaves throughout his Knightmare and the rest of the room. The barrage ended three seconds later, the shield barely holding under the strength of the Knight of Six.
"Why do you stand against me, Legion-Master?" the voice demanded. "An enemy of Britannia stands."
"Because there is no enemy of Britannia." The stunned assembly followed his Knightmare as it descended back onto the center of the room, right near where Zero and Kururugi were.
"Isn't that so, Zero? You vile monster." Tohdoh raised the Susanooh as if to strike the Gear, but when he brought it down, it came crashing into an obstruction in midair. Immediately afterward, a golden spider-web materialized all around the room, before it shattered, the pieces falling like gold dust onto the shocked crowd. "All but an illusion. You've played everyone here for fools."
At first, the Gear stood in silence, but before long, it gave a short, rumbling chuckle, ascending in volume and malevolence before cackling with full strength. To the crowd, it looked like its body was dissolving into air like black ink in water. Feather-shaped wisps emanated from it.
"Well played, Hero. It is unfortunate that you have discovered the ruse a bit too early. But it matters not. I have given my message." Zero glanced at Kururugi for the last time, before spreading its wings, allowing the black wisps to bleed freely. "You are a worthy adversary, Kyoshiro Tohdoh. Be sure to keep your whelp in line. Until the next battle." And after uttering another last laugh, the body of Zero disappeared, and an unseen weight seemed to lift from everybody's minds.
)()()()()()()()(
The witch was also laughing, albeit a soft, refined, bubbling laugh that quickly faded. "Admit it. You're a sore loser when it comes to your games, baby Gear. "'Unfortunate that you discovered'- pfft, you're pissed the plan didn't go through! I can tell."
"Shut up, woman." muttered Lelouch Lamperouge, stretching his arms and calming his body after that strenuous exercise of magic. "I have shown the message I wanted to give. Convincing Suzaku had to be cut, but that was the reason why I left it for last. It was an emergency scenario I'd accounted for-"
"-but you never thought would actually happen." C.C finished for him, causing the boy to make a dissatisfied sound inside his mouth. The woman smirked, looking away from him towards the rest of the empty room, where a stack of empty pizza boxes, Lelouch's bribe, lay in a corner.
"Will that be enough to convince your new comrades, I wonder?"
"It has to be. Otherwise, I'll just control them." He began casting the transportation ars on the machine.
"Even if you promised them not to?"
"I need subordinates if I have to get any headway into my plan," snapped Lelouch, visibly relaxing after the blue glow of his ars swallowed the machine whole.
"But if you use your Command Gear powers so much, you may no longer be able to hold onto that human disguise."
"That's another condition."
"How many conditions do you have, anyway, baby Gear?" C.C leaned back to lie on the bed, hitching up her skirt below her as she raised her feet to the air. "Surely you must understand that some conditions only become valid when you have willing, free accomp-" A shrill ring interrupted her, coming from the boy's cellphone.
"Kallen?" muttered Lelouch as he stared at the display. "Why would she be-" He pressed receive.
"This is Lelouch."
Grating background noise. Then, "Zero?"
The youth's hand trembled, but he caught himself just in time before he could drop the phone. His tongue felt like lead in his mouth, but he knew he had to speak, he knew he had to-
"Alan Spacer?" Kallen demanded. "Lelouch Lamperouge, are you Zero?" Lelouch held the phone at arms' length, took a deep breath and replied.
"Er... sorry about that- my pardons, Kouzuki, I'm kinda busy with- research and-" he began stomping on the floor, an act which C.C watched with amusment. "-couldn't hear what you said- could you repeat that?"
"I'm asking you if you're Zero!"
"Zero?" Lelouch uttered in feigned shock. "That deranged Gear? Why would you say that outrageous thing, Kouzuki?"
"But... that thing, that was one of your and Nina's invention right? That was your new ars!"
"What thing? What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you watch the news just now, icecube?"
"I- did something happen? I haven't had much time since research started- hold on-"
"I'll ask you later, Lamperouge, face to face. If you really are Zero, then I'll know. Damnit, my thoughts are a mess- later. I'll find the truth out later. You better be ready."
"Ah, wait, Kouzuki-" Lelouch sighed, staring at his cellphone's display. "Damnit, Nina. I knew roping Kallen in was a bad idea." He looked at C.C, who was displaying a contented, superior grin.
"Another unexpected condition?"
"...Shut up."
AN: Writing this into the wee hours of the morning because of insomnia...what a drag. Username's been changed, for anyone who's confused. The account will be flying solo for the first time in its 2 year life.
Thanks for reading!
Merlin Out.