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.
The Altar's interior was silent, the usual glamor and glow of its lights shut down. Today was not a Gathering day for the Imperial siblings, yet Second Prince Schneizel found himself taking up the one sole platform that drifted lazily through the darkness like a forlorn lifeboat in the middle of the ocean.
But he was not wholly alone; many screens before him gave him a limited omniscience; enabling him to grasp the Eye's powers without being on the Throne.
Presently, the Prince was communicating with his most trusted aide, Kanon, who was speaking urgently over the entire Atlantic on the developments of the Empire's latest push. (and about which he'd been given several strong letters from the EU's representatives)
"...During the last round of fighting, lord, they brought in their 'rooks', I believe it was said to belong to the Rhineblest Tower. Several skirmishes were fought near the shore, and Britannia's finest tried again and again to storm the rook, but in the end the Vice-Admiral called off the assault and initiated the barrier over the fleet."
"He is still committed to this course of action." It was a statement, not a question. The Prince broke off eye contact to look at two other screens displaying data concerning the fleet. "With reinforcements on the way, Landhearth and Balest will have a greater impetus to 'get stuck in'."
"House Hawkskin and the other involved circles are very influential on the crew, my lord. Their morale is phenomenal."
"And with the reinforcements, they will be drunk with it." Schneizel noticed the flashing sign of another transmission about to come. "We shall continue in fifteen minutes, Kanon. The Lithespun archmage is calling."
"Yes, my lord."
He waved the screen aside as he moved to accept the transmission. "Good greetings, archmage."
"Your Majesty," the frowning woman bowed from the screen. "An honor. How may the Lithespun serve?"
"How is my brother?"
"Prince Clovis has received the best the circle had to offer – but I humbly apologize in stating that we have failed. The curse within him festers, and thankfully does not grow, but it is too much an unknown ars for us to handle. No secret art nor grimoire in our possession can divine the cure. We are sorry." She bowed.
Not entirely unexpected. "We thank you for your help in any case, archmage. Lithespun shall ever be remembered for its efforts by the Throne. That is all." When the transmission ended, the Prince sent the prepared memo requesting services to two more circles. Best to up it by one – Clovis could expire in the time spent scouring the entire circle for the cure. And it was accepted fact that the rest of the mage assemblies knew about the Prince's condition – and of how many had already failed to diagnose it. The question they wrestled with was which circle would be called next?
After preparing some more memos, he scanned through the Altar's database. His eyes widened ever so slightly when a piece of news filtered in. Halfway through his analysis, the fifteen minutes were up.
"Ashford has filed for an Audience, possibly with concerns for their own prototype. Because of it, I will be unavailable for the rest of today and the next. Next, I've confirmed that the Duke of Plainsbury has given its assurance that the Hawkskin family will face an intrigue within the week. I'm rather hoping it happens before the Vice-Admiral's next assault. Now Kanon, would you mind letting both of them know about my strong views on the matter? Include the names of the Siblings on the list I'll be sending you."
"At your service, my lord."
"Very good, that will be all for this moment. I thank you, Kanon." His chief aide's face disappeared, replaced by another screen which was overlaid by another. The Prince allowed himself a sigh. It was fortunate that in the advent of Zero, the EU's chief towers were still preoccupied enough with internal debate that they seemed not to pay too much attention to an obvious Britannian probe. Minor, seemingly half-hearted defenses, and only just now came a solid appearance of their mobile artillery platform. Perhaps the disaster of Malta was still a fresh reminder in their minds, and they believed that the Empire's power was yet broken? It rankled pride, but admittedly, the Hawkskin family's attempt to have their chief heir glorified in the Eye of the Throne was ill-timed – and what was worse, ill-planned.
Something for the analysts to think on. In the meantime-
"Good greetings to you sister. How goes your stewardship in Area Eleven?"
)()()()()()()()(
The Order base was in a state of heightened operation when Tohdoh, two of his Elites and three squads of Knights arrived at Narita. The Legion-Master in charge of the Branch quickly intercepted his colleague as the Preserve Knights set about their assigned duties, joining the assembly of Knights on standby. The two took aerial platforms (a necessity with the lack of established roads in the colony) towards the Sumeragi manse, from where the Zero signature had transmitted.
"The alert ended ten minutes after its surge. It was around that time that the company sent our base a distress transmission; well, we were already there when it had gotten to the comm-base." Their metallic cloaks of office rippled behind them.
"Extensive damage to two floors of one of their buildings, the mages have finished analysis of the magical residue – well, it's powerful, which does kind of fit Zero. No signs of forced entry, and the servants swore (and verified by truth ars) that they hadn't seen nor heard anything until the explosion. Seithr bomb remnants in the lower floors. No extensive physical damage. At the same time, nothing seems to have been reported missing nor taken, nor were any personnel injured. I'm guessing Zero just wanted to be flashy." All of it Tohdoh had learned two days back during the hectic hours of the immediate aftermath of the incident. In fact, there was no particular need for him to be here in Narita personally.
But he'd issued a request of the other Legion-Masters, and they did not deliberate long in approving it.
Narita after all, was one of the first-ever colonies he'd helped take back from mutant-gangs in a not so faraway youth. Back when he'd been but a Brother, butting heads with Genbu and a few other newly-anointed Knights, and still enamored with the prospect of somehow reviving a facet of his nation's soul.
Narita and the other colonies that were established later were not truly of the Japanese as he wanted to believe, becoming Order bases all the same. True, there was little interference from the Powers excepted when permission was granted, but strict Order policy discouraged them from reaching or sending major forces beyond the main Preserve. And so, in a way, they were symbols of what was lost. It was why several Japanese families, old but still retaining some form of nobility, requested civilian stewardship of the colonies.
Tohdoh could count their names on his and his Elites' hands, but only a scant few truly established themselves as major families, becoming financial conglomerates under the umbrella of "Area Eleven" – which was officially under the ultimate authority of the Guardians. The Kururugi had been one, before the last trained heir had thrown it all away to enter the Order. With his death, the family's legacy was truly extinguished, unless Suzaku got the idea himself to re-establish the clan.
Another, the stewards of Narita, were the Sumeragis, which were more than a bit connected to the Kururugis. Unlike the Kururugi, the Sumeragi fought tooth and nail for the restoration of their grandeur, leveraging their status as part of an endangered race to perpetuate the goals of their group. So far, its values were preserved in the present head, the secretive but effective Sumeragi Kaguya - who was incidentally Suzaku's cousin.
The estate's guards let them in without delay, their shining armor and the color of their cloaks brooking no opposition. Tohdoh looked up at the construction crew that had been quickly called in and who were no apparently halfway done. Trust the Sumeragi, especially that well-bred Kaguya, to have things done as quickly as possible.
Several construction Knightmares rumbled past as the two went up to join the Knights on watch in the estate. Their spot afforded a view of the entire estate, including the rest of the colony beyond the walls.
"So I heard your new apprentice has already caused a few tremors," the other Legion-Master started as banter. "It'll be good to inject new zest into our brothers and sisters still fighting the long fight in the Zones. But did you really assign a demerit to him?"
"It had to be done," Tohdoh stated flatly. "No compromise."
"Of course," the other said politely. As if sensing that pursuing the thread would only cause more awkwardness, he signaled to a Knight who handed him a datapad. "Would you care for the operations report, Brother?"
Tohdoh turned his helmeted head slightly. "There is no reason to assume I am suspecting the Brothers and Sisters here of indolence. What brought this on?"
"The Knights are concerned, and I am too. Other Legion-Masters, especially ones as famous as you, aren't known to visit the colonies without something like a disaster or an emergency."
He gestured to the construction crew hard at work. "And you don't consider this an emergency?"
"It was, until it honestly wasn't, Brother. We've had it all under control."
"So I see," replied Tohdoh, voice clipped. "Indeed, there's nothing alarming about it."
The other Legion-Master sighed behind his helm. Looking about, he nodded at Tohdoh, and the latter turned on his heel as the former saluted to the Knights and then followed. They made the long, but quick ride back to the base, and then on to the Legion-Master's office.
"We have been receiving special intelligence-" Tohdoh began, calm as ice.
"From whom? I've received no-"
"Let's just assume it's from one of the Powers."
"It's Britannian, isn't it."
Tohdoh did not answer, instead clearing his throat and continuing, "It is unvalidated, but the others have become rightfully concerned. I apologize for casting doubt on your abilities, and the those of our brothers and sisters, but the frequent, consistent reports naturally lead to one conclusion."
"So you're saying we've been compromised?" said the other indignantly.
"You would know if we've reached that conclusion." Tohdoh's voice was hard steel now. "As it is, we've only suspicions, but I can assure you that I have not come here for the purpose of investigation." He sighed. "I was merely...concerned. Zero is not something to underestimate."
"And here I thought we were in for an Inquisition."
"An Inquisition..." Tohdoh repeated the word, as if tasting a pill he knew was bitter.
The reports Tohdoh alluded to, and to which the Legion-Master reacted so strongly about claimed that there had been sightings by Britannian intelligence of mage-sinisters and other fugitives from justice congregating in select colonies. Narita was one hotspot, and it naturally had alarm signs among the Preserve Knights, who were already fighting through records of corruption and inconsistencies under their jurisdiction.
No Knight was to be lax in their vigilance, after all. Not unless there were certain related factors, factors which would lead to grave accusations and then onto a great, scandalous uproar.
For to cast doubt on a sacred anointed Knight was a claim that brooked no trifles or flippancies. Knights were fully investigated and sometimes re-educated or honorably
"unarmored" if they proved wanting before and during their duties. But for a Knight to completely step over the proverbial edge and perform acts unbecoming of their vows was a repulsive notion. They were traitors to everything the Order stood for, and thus had to face an Inquisition, if it were justified. On the other hand, wrongfully accusing was just the same as spitting on the entire Order. The Power to which they belonged to would receive complaints, receiving lower standing and lesser priority for community projects that needed approval from the Order.
Inquisitions were always a terrible mess. The Preserve upon which it would occur would be drastically affected, and would take a long time to return to stability after the people's faiths were shaken by revelations. Many Inquisitions were immediately followed by slaver attacks, Gear outbreaks and Gaia grandstandings.
An Inquisition at this point, as one Legion-Master put delicately during a meeting, would thoroughly play into Zero's hands.
And a Preserve that devolved into anarchy, Tohdoh thought on the airship ride back, was not something he wanted to see. Not the Eleventh. Over his dead body.
)()()()()()()()(
A storm of apologies whipped through Gaia's ranks in the tumultuous hours that followed Zero's invasion. As special liaison and exclusive gentleman-bodyguard to the Holy Woman of Gaia herself, he was himself lost in it as he too submitted his heartfelt self-recriminating apologies to the Exalted One, who was rightly affronted by the events that had nearly jeopardized the Far-East Gaia's existence.
"We beg clemency, great Exalted One, we do, we beg thy mercy, thy infinite mercy..." In her dark, temporary quarters, some of the Holy Woman's servitors pleaded their case, blubbering futilely on the ground. Their entreaties fell on the unsympathetic barricade of her Exalted One's curtains.
From his spot, he watched the rest of the immobilized assembly glower and sulk, as if defying the presence behind the new, no less extravagant curtains. Fools.
The Holy Woman's silence was palpable. It was itself the final verdict.
As one they fell, though they reached the cold, slimy room far below in different times, separated by the breath of milliseconds.
They would die in different times – in groups and in singles. Little Orochi was a picky eater, much like his mistress.
He bent knee, turning his masked face to the floor. He and the Holy Woman were alone in the quarters once more, and he gave his own supplication.
"My lady?" He asked. She had not given an indication of hearing him. "If I have failed thee, then I beg leave to die."
"No... that will not be necessary, noble servant," she then replied in a detached, dreamy voice. "It was destined thus, and I do not fault the old ones for keeping you away. Lord Zero is capricious, you see, and I would have been deeply grieved if he had consumed you with him in his righteous outrage."
"You are all-wise, my lady." Shit, he shouldn't be feeling relieved because his honorable suicide was turned down. He felt his mistress shift on the other side. On the day appointed for the first meeting with Zero, he had been sent to investigate some members who'd been entertaining strong differences of opinion over the Holy Woman's administration. How ironic for the true deviants to have been right there in her quarters, defiling the hallowed ground with their heresy! They'd gone so far as to bemsirch his mistress' name. Well, it didn't matter now. They were now Little Orochi's food for thought.
"And as the fates willed it, I was able to meet Lord Zero in the flesh. Servant," she said sharply. "I shall not have you entertain thoughts of vengeance. He has not assaulted me in any way, and his touch was gentle and helpful. Lord Zero has treated me with respect. I trust you to do the same."
He felt strained. "You... favor him, my lady?"
"I have promised him my body, mind and soul. He has not asked for my heart," he could almost feel the demure smile cross her face. "But in time, I may ask for his."
"There are..." he said, feeling flushed inside his mask. "...concerns that our vaults are being unsealed, and that the archives are being unlocked after a long time. Is all that...for Zero?"
"Yes," she answered simply. "Courtship involves gifts, does it not? I intend to show him my favor through the gifts. And it is not wholly for myself, do not worry. Gaia will be much uplifted and the old ones will be very pleased by Lord Zero's future actions."
He bowed deeper, unable to say anything in the face of that kind of conviction. "You are all-wise, my lady," he repeated. "Your union shall be a blessing to Gaia."
"I shall not speak of unions yet, dear Servant." Was that a giggle? An honest-to-goodness giggle, coming from his mistress? "A union between beings of like minds supersedes any notion of a union between races. But I find myself not averse to the latter." The words sounded ominous, even for him: a certified, specially-trained gentleman assassin with forty assassinations and seventy-five (seventy-six counting Diethard Reid's surveillance) infiltrations under his belt.
)()()()()()()()(
"... managed to successfully divert them all. Only the die-hard circles are left with their vitriol now, and they are far behind on the Audience schedule, right after shipping concerns by the Carpson Family."
"The favor is very much appreciated, brother," Cornelia said on the screen.
"No need to thank me, please Cornelia. There is indeed little to gain from splitting hairs over Euphie's decisions. I see nothing objectionable from her will to... what was it? To rejuvenate Japan."
"You mean to say you approve of her brother?" his sister asked, surprised.
"Certainly. To an extent, such public gestures from our High Druid will give the Empire a much needed boost in reputation. And if she is successful, then the circles won't have anything more to say to Father about her. I thought you would be pleased, sister. Isn't it good that you can keep an eye on Euphie?"
"Well... I am glad, but part of me protests, and another part wants to give her a good spanking." Cornelia hesitated over her words, lowering her gaze. "Ever since Zero's more recent sighting, the op-sit of the Preserve's been escalated. I'm sure that thing will be more frequent in his appearances in the future. I am very much concerned that somehow, chance will ensnare Euphie in that wretch's plans."
"All the more reason to step up with your ongoing project, dear sister." He favored her with an encouraging smile. "While friction with the EU from the Landhearth incident will be a hard obstacle, I see no objection for their people at the Preserve, including the Federation of course, to agree to your plan. So long as the Order is informed and apprised, and in addition they will be able to mediate any potential bumps the others might wish to raise."
"Brother." At the sound of the Sacred Order, Cornelia frowned and her voice turned clipped and furtive. "I've been reading the reports from Intel about the Order. I'm sure you'll find out the bigger details-"
"That they've been compromised?"
"Did you already know about it?"
He nodded, not elaborating. "And is that why you're hesitant to talk to them now?"
"Yes." Cornelia was not Britannia's valkyrie for nothing.
Schneizel gestured with his hand. "As your brother, I can only support you in your beliefs. However, as Second Prince I would advise you to disregard that intel for now in order to push through with the project. We are technically autonomous in our own districts in the Preserve, but the Order will not be pleased to learn you went behind their back to pursue some scheme. They will see it as threatening. No. Play your hand, play it right. You may enact secret countermeasures within the district, but do not initiate operations without their consent, sister.
"You especially cannot afford to be complacent in your own preparations, assuming my hypothesis is true." In the unlikely event that Zero would reveal himself or be exposed, the notion that he was Britannian might be proven, leading to some unforeseen backlash..
Cornelia was pensive, her eyes looking beyond. Schneizel knew that his sister was considering his words carefully. Although the Valkyrie was known to ride on her emotions well, logical calculation was still an essential part of her consciousness.
"Very well. I will take your suggestions to heart, brother."
Schneizel relaxed in his seat. "With that, I bid you success on your plan sister. And please give my regards to Euphie."
"Oh, speaking of that girl-" said Cornelia. She seemed to be looking at something in the room above the screen, to which the camera couldn't see. There were whispers of voices, and he could swear there was a big possibility of their owners being his sister's personal knights. "You'll have to excuse me brother. It seems an... honored patronage has ... liberated herself from her bodyguards. Come, Guilford! Darlton, inform-" The connection was then cut.
"...Throne watch and bless you, sister..." He waved the black screen away.
)()()()()()()()(
They announced rainshowers for today.
From dawn to dusk, the Eleventh Preserve would be blanketed in intermittent barrages of purified water, impacting against stone, steel and skin and flowing down in murky rivulets through the streets and then down into the places underneath, where the water would be collected, cleaned and stored in massive vats, ready to be unleashed on the next rain day.
Suzaku thus spent his now-weekly shift on barrier guard duty enduring the simulated wind and tiny torrents of water over his armor. Well, enduring was too strong a word. He was...inconvenienced by the rain because of many things. One, it dampened his enthusiasm for doing the duties that were required of him as a Knight. The rainy sky was a grey, depressing sight for one such as him to continue watching as he stood at attention under it all.
Secondly, his specialty element became a double-edge in this kind of environment. An unnecessary liability should combat arise.
It was midday, when the next wave of rain was still being primed by the custodians of the Preserve, that Suzaku spied familiar shapes from his spot on the first entry gate. Most carried open umbrellas dripping with stray droplets of water, with two wearing raincoats that swayed in the wet breeze. Each carried a different expression on their face: he saw Lelouch, looking damp and displeased, Milly wearing the smile that would never end, a grim-faced Kallen whose hair was plastered to her head sharing an umbrella with Nina, who squinted through the fog of her glasses, and finally Shirley, wearing the aforementioned raincoat and was the only one who grinned just as widely and openly as the Prez.
"Heya, Sir Kururugi. How's work?" greeted Milly when they approached. He was really grateful to the Ashfords for going out of their way to modify his personal schedule for him. Being an Honorary Britannian, he could technically repay the favor by promising service to their Family, but the Order came first.
Lelouch was understandably foul of temper as he handed the thing they had come for over. Inside a moderately-sized basket was his lunchbox together with some materials and grimoires from the classes that he missed.
"Thanks, Lelouch – everyone." That they would go all the way from Ashford to here, in the cold rain, spoke volumes of Milly's influence. His friend snorted irritably as he walked away, staring with open displeasure at the dome's sky.
"Only doing our part to honor the guy who'll be protecting our Preserve." Milly cheerily responded.
"Where's Rivalz?" Suzaku said as he set the basket aside.
"He's had his leave of absence extended for some reason. Ah well, more work for him later on I guess." Shirley was strangely pirouetting as the first hint of the second barrage came down. "So tell us before we go, Suzaku," Milly asked in a low, excited voice. "Did you really arrest a dangerous mage-sinister all by yourself?"
"You know I can't tell people, Prez," he replied politely. It was a basic Order policy.
"Aw come on, just a glimpse, a teeny tiny hint, you could turn your head an inch to the left for yes, right for no. Pleeeease," she begged, eyes twinkling in mirth.
"I- well-" He turned his head and caught Lelouch glancing at him. "I can't say it's not a complete lie, but I can say it's not the truth, either."
"Hmph. Fine. I know the whole truth anyway." From her tone, Milly seemed dismissive, as if she really knew the truth full well and was disappointed of Suzaku's denial. The bad mood did not last long. "Shirley, if you keep on doing that, some kind citizen's going to turn you into the psych ward," she then gently admonished the still spinning girl, who instantly stopped, blushing.
"Sh-shut up, can't you let me enjoy this for a bit? I-I- Er-" The flush-faced girl, her face luridly awash in a glinting dampness that seemed like water or sweat, glanced at Lelouch before pouting. "Rainy days don't come this often, you know."
"As well they should." Lelouch finally spoke aloud, voice cracking. Suzaku turned to him.
"Hey Lelouch, I'm sorry to ask again, but - have you got the answer...?" His friend shrugged, easily noticing the looks the others shot him.
"Not now, Suzaku. I've a theorem to isolate and schoolwork to catch up on (since I haven't been given special privileges like you), and until things are stabilized in the Preserve, I don't think I can give a definite answer yet. I mean, who knows: Zero might just come waltzing in, raising all hell as before and we'll all be running for our lives." He saw Kallen, her back to the rest of them, stomp her feet noisily on the water patches.
"Then I'll wait," Suzaku said simply with a smile. Lelouch grunted dismissively, walking over to pat him on the shoulder before leaving with the rest of the council after they'd said their goodbyes.
Duty changed when the rain came pouring down next, and by that time, Suzaku went on to his scheduled post next to the communication post, a relatively sheltered part separated from the road by a tall, moss-covered wall. Suzaku ate lunch and relieved himself to the cacophony of the artificially induced shower. Hearing its monotony made him sleepy, but it was a temptation he did not give in easily to.
The afternoon began with little incident, Suzaku watching his brethren wave in and out Order vehicles and vehicles bearing some special pass through the barrier, listening to the truckloads of Knightmares and food rumble by in the supply skyway above, and smelling the green scent of the moss.
There was an incident when all Knights were called to the outside, and Suzaku was about to step forward and arrest the frightened-looking driver of the transport before the comm post admitted the clerical error while the Order escort arrived just in time - late. He was the first to apologize to the man, gesturing for him to continue on and bidding him a safe journey through the Zones.
The rain was just about to die down when he saw a curious sight right before his eyes. The moss-covered wall literally caved inward toward him, and he stepped back, hands reaching for his handgun in practiced motion before a girl materialized before him, popping out of the protruding moss with an audible sound.
The slender, drenched girl, wearing a lopsided, riot Britannian helmet and a bulletproof jacket worn loosely over tight-fitting clothes that looked suspiciously like pajamas, blinked rapidly at him before smiling. "Hello."
Suzaku blinked back, noticing the stray strand of pink hair that wriggled free and dripped free water down and the girl's bare feet before he murmured, "Can I...help you?"
)()()()()()()()(
The clubroom was unusually dark. Kallen looked around warily, suspecting a trap from the President. When she took one step, a laconic, velvety voice spoke from the shadows, "Do you need something, Kouzuki?"
Her pupils screamed at the sudden return of the light, and her mouth was about to do the same were it not for a little voice in her head, murmuring "control, control" in the same voice as the one who'd just spoken. Lamperouge lay on a cot (conjured, she saw), looking at her irritably through unspectacled eyes.
"No, I mean – isn't there a meeting today, Lamperouge?" The boy sighed, kicking off the makeshift cover that lay on him and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Milly called it off, and it's understandable you didn't know about it, because it's right there on the table." Kallen blinked, and did see the small scribbled note right there on the wooden surface.
"Huh. Well that's fine then. But what are you doing here, Lamperouge?"
"If it weren't quite obvious to you, I'm sleeping. Or trying to. People, ordinary people do that sometimes when they're tired and require much rest, Kouzuki, now go, shoo. I bid you good day." With a creak of the cot, Lamperouge lay back down.
"No need to snap at me, ice-butt," said Kallen, more than a bit annoyed at the guy's tone. And here she was, thinking on her growing admiration for the Gear who was not afraid of anything and could get things done. If he and the boy staring blankly at the ceiling before her were really one and the same (why couldn't she be certain), she didn't know which she would throttle first.
As it was, she settled on a tactical retreat, backing away towards the door. Right before she could cross the threshold, however, Lamperouge spoke again. "Oh, you've got a message, by the way. It's on the memo stand. Some guy named the 'little flame'... I would offer a conjecture but that wouldn't be approp- You know what, go get it and leave Kouzuki. I'm very much tired."
Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the content of the message on the small paper memo. Her eyes instantly swiveled to the boy on his back. Unbelievable. "Alright then, Lamperouge," she said out loud. "Sleep tight, and don't get caught."
"I have permission to sleep here, Kouzuki," he snapped. And he said nothing more.
)()()()()()()()(
It all came down to Zero.
A single Gear, self-aware and incomprehensibly powerful.
All the intricate weaves and patterns of the world, the tesselating skeins of circumstance, cold intent and raw impulse coming together in a swirling pool that was called the present history, all of it was now held in formidable palm of he who in two months caused a great tremor in the world's face.
He should be rightfully repulsed, as Imperial heir. But instead, he found himself fascinated.
Zero unmistakably was a force of chaos. No matter his intentions, his mere existence alone was the volcano rising out of the still, ordered waters, upsetting the seas and tearing a pustule on its blue face. The Order, which had never fought the Black Beast, nor the active Gears under Justice, would face its first true trial.
His Father, his Empire would not be left unaffected. Would Zero cause a greater catastrophe of Gears ravaging Great Pendragon itself, this time unable to be stopped even by the Power of the Emperors? Would Zero become like the Order's Founder, establishing for himself an independent power of Gears? There were many secrets left on the Book of Life and Death to be uncovered by even the most studious of mages. Zero was hardly a speck on its pages, but if left unchecked he would devour the whole book by himself.
Or Zero would remain a footnote, killed anonymously by the Guild of Assassins, captured by the Gaia zealots or murdered by some mage-sinister. Anti-climactic, but not outside the realm of possibility.
It all would come down to Zero.
)()()()()()()()(
They stood in stunned silence, he the armored Knight, she, the oddly dressed girl.
It was the girl who spoke again, "Um... is this the way to Japan?"
Suzaku couldn't resist stuttering on his answer, his mind knowing full well the appropriate answer, but distracted by the completely innocent way that the question had been asked, as if there stood a child who truly did not know.
"...Yeah, this is Japan- I mean no! I- sorry- I mean, this and everything else here, the place where we're standing, is Japan." Had he answered right? The girl stared at him contemplatively. He was uncomfortably aware of their close proximity, as she looked up at the impassive face of his helmet.
"I see... but this place doesn't feel like Japan at all! It feels too much like home..."
"Home? Er..where do you live, miss...?" Politeness and conciseness belonged to the proper attitude of Knights. From the looks of it, he was sure she was Britannian.
"Euphie." Her smile widened. "I am Euphie. That is my name. What is yours, mister armor?"
Forgetting himself, he replied quickly, "Kururugi Suzaku- er that's just Suzaku-"
"Oh, are you Japanese then?" When he nodded instantly, she continued, "Then do you know where Japan is?"
He breathed out in small exasperation. "This is Japan, as I've said, miss. Or officially, the Eleventh Sacred Preserve of Humanity – Area Eleven." He decided to go for the official tact. "And what is your business here at the border gate, Miss... Euphie?"
"I'm on the way to finding Japan- oh!" Her eyes lit up, and she looked behind her warily like a frightened doe. He honestly didn't know what to do in this sort of situation as a Knight – if he were not no duty, he would have led her to any of the administrative offices in the Britannian district, like returning a lost child. "I'm terribly sorry, mister armor Suzaku. I'm sure our paths will meet again! Earth favor you!" And with that, he gaped at the way the moss literally came alive to swallow the girl, and when he stepped forward in alarm, her body had utterly disappeared within the bulge. A second later, the bulge itself receded into the wall.
He felt all over the wall desperately, thinking the girl had been consumed by some bizarre Ars. He cursed his low Ars sense, and held a wild, dangerous thought of going to find the Lancelot to help him with that...
"All Knights, to the post, please. I repeat, all Knights report to the post." He hesitated, staring anxiously at the wall, before biting the inside of his mouth and hurrying to the post.
"The Britannians have sent us a public watch call," said the Knight in charge. She held up the picture of a regal-looking woman, whose long pink tresses were very familiar. "It is an important personage, or so we've heard. Although the chances of her coming towards the barrier are small, we're still to keep an eye out. That is all."
Through the end of his shift, Suzaku stared at the wall in wonder, thinking on his singular experience of meeting the girl who emerged from the moss. And he had the equally odd feeling that her words would ring true, and that their paths would cross again.
)()()()()()()()(
"I've got it all figured out, just now."
"What?" she demanded of the phone. She stood in the deserted hallway of the Academy's research rooms, following Zero's instructions to the letter. "Is this another recording, Zero? I just left-" Yourself, she wanted to say, but she didn't want to play the game of denial just now. It was probably the rain. Or Lamperouge. Or both – it wouldn't surprise her. "-never mind. Please go on."
"-everyone's been wondering at your lack of control, and personally I don't think it's a bad thing, but it got me thinking very very hard, and-" Great, even Zero was jumping on Tamaki's bandwagon. She knew she could do it, despite the stupid control exercises Ohgi had proposed and Zero's constant drills. She was just lacking that "something". She needed to acquire that something.
"-and a way soon found itself into my mind. It's incidentally a hypothesis I've been meaning to test – you see, Kallen, it takes a certain amount of control to best the beast within, even though I hesitate to truly call it a beast for the Gears are better than that- but I digress, focus, Kallen, focus is the thing I'm currently lacking, and the thing that you lack. Focus takes time to start, takes time to kick in, to focus at the right time, but, well I'll get right on it-
"There is only one known surefire way to test an individual's concentration, an invention that dates back to the Dark era, a construction so tuned to the use and manipulation of magic that it seems impossible to believe that it was designed for any other reason. And that is what-"
She breathed out once, then twice, and a third time for measure. "WHAT are you talking about, Zero?" Even though it was a recording, she felt that she had to say that. Couldn't the Gear have waited until the next meeting to talk to her about this? "Get to the point."
"-Knightmares, Kallen. A Knightmare may be able to solve your problem. Theoretically, it should boost-" Knightmare? Of course, she knew she could sync well with any Knightmare, as evidenced by her commendable rates (still below the record highs held by Suzaku and the Prez), but only in her human form. And last she heard, Gears couldn't use Knightmares, or rather, it wasn't built for them. Heck, if she believed the legends, they were made specifically to combat her people.
"-I know what you're thinking, how on earth is a Gear supposed to fit inside or maybe sync with a Knightmare in the first place, well that's where you an I come in, Kallen, and also our new friends at Gaia, who will most likely have their own Knightmares that we can test, this is it, Kallen, this is the true first step on the road to destruction-"
The redhead couldn't help but be mesmerized at the madness that seeped in from the phone, as the words came in that she felt only belonged to the ramblings of crackpots and crazies. Her, as a Gear, syncing with a Knightmare? Disregarding the stupid pun, that would be a nightmare to behold.
And that was why she was afraid. Again.
"-We prove it, Kallen. We have a duty to do so. Gear and Knightmare, combined, the construct fueling the creature's magical might. I would like to see the force that seeks to stop that unholy union!" The loathsome chill that crept up from her feet wrought tremors in her, coming in undulating waves. It was all crazy – Zero had joined the cuckoo nest. But then-
)()()()()()()()(
Far away, inside a barely furnished apartment, a short, lithe woman stared at the recording device her promised had left. She knew that laugh. She recognized that naked craving for power.
"You wish to prove his theory then?" she murmured over the almost-fanatical laugh that came from the speakers. "In a way, it already has." And on that thought, she had the last laugh.
AN: Is the site having problems? I couldn't log on for two days, and what was once just a mere "Secret Movement" chapter has become its own unique one.
Always wondered if Lamperouge was Marianne's family name. I don't recall it being explicitly mentioned in the show.
Thanks for reading!
Merlin Out.