Chapter eight, this one will break the 100k word marker for this story so let's take a moment of silence for that. I'm an author who's never managed to get this far in a story before, so this really is something of a landmark for me.
Bah. Enough of that. On to the show!
I do not own Code Geass. Nor do I ever intend to, because frankly... well, that sounds like a lot of work.
C.C.: Demon... have you seen Cheese-kun? I can't seem to find him.
Demon: *Blinks.* No, no I haven't. Have you asked Lelouch?
C.C.: Yes, but he hasn't seen him either. I'm worried. What if he's cold?
Demon: Well then I'll be sure to carry a blanket around in case I find him.
*C.C. walks away, Lelouch casually saunters up.*
Lelouch: Hey.
Demon: You know she'll figure it out eventually.
Lelouch: Yes, but not before I can pin the blame on Tamaki.
After Lelouch had left, C.C. had sighed, leaned back onto the bed, and began to reevaluate the situation.
C.C. had not wanted to form a contract and have her contractor get attached to her. She was going to come off as a cold and indifferent woman who Lelouch would have been fine with killing when the time came.
But then he had actually thanked her, and he had been warm to her. He had been genuinely kind. That hadn't been according to her plans. It had been jarring. And it didn't seem to fit.
It wasn't like Mao, who she had practically raised from his childhood. Mao adored her because she was his mother figure and the only person who's thoughts he couldn't hear. It was a given that he would thank her, show her affection, and so on. He relied on her, she had become his entire world.
That was not the case with Lelouch. He could have been just as cold to her as she intended to be to him seeing as how she was just some random girl who had barged into his home, made herself at home in his bed, stolen his credit card to buy pizza, and all around made a nuisance of herself. But he didn't. Rather than greeting her indifference with his own, he had actually tried to be kind to her.
He wasn't the first to be kind to her, for sure. She had charmed many of her contractors for various reasons, sometimes out of necessity. But those were all people who she had gone out of her way to seduce or otherwise charm so that they would be kind to her.
Lelouch had gone out of his way to be kind to her. And that was new. It was interesting.
She liked it, to be quite honest. So rather than coming off as the aloof witch who was out of touch with the world, C.C. had decided to be herself.
Not like with Mao, when she had been a loving mother figure who was always there for him and would act like he was the most important thing in the world to her. That had been...
It wouldn't be right to call that an act, really. There was a part of her who had actually loved Mao like her own child, because she couldn't have children of her own and had always, on some level, wanted to. That part, however, was not in charge of her decisions.
Which was made horribly clear by the fact that she had left him.
"I hate feeling guilty." C.C. muttered to herself, rolling onto her stomach and cuddling one of Lelouch's pillows. "It reminds me that I'm still human."
Humans were not meant to live as long as she had, or suffer through the things she had and survive with the memories ready to haunt her sleep. And yet here she was, painfully human and even more painfully aware of this fact because she kept feeling her guilt gnawing at her, alongside other emotions altering her decisions.
She couldn't have stayed with Mao. He was a lost cause, there was no chance he would be able to grant her wish. She had known this for such a long time, perhaps even the first time he had looked upon her with those adoring eyes of his as a child. But she had stayed with him, cherished him and became his entire world.
C.C. knew, every moment she spent with Mao, that he was growing more and more dependent on her. She could have stopped it, should have stopped it... but she hadn't because she let her feelings get in the way.
And here she was, doing the same thing again. At the rate things were going, C.C. didn't think Lelouch would be willing to kill her and grant her wish. So once again, he was not the contractor who would finally end her life and grant her deepest desire.
"Even so." C.C. began, nuzzling closer to the soft pillow. "He is interesting. Even if he won't grant my wish, he'll at least keep me entertained." She smiled softly, closing her eyes and allowing her mind to wander off as she drifted off to sleep.
Strangely enough, C.C. didn't have many nightmares when she slept in Lelouch's bed.
If anything, that was one good reason to stick around. It had been ages since C.C. had slept this well and she was certainly enjoying it.
Just before she finally dozed off, C.C. allowed herself a small smirk.
Sleeping was always more fun naked and wrapped in the arms of a lover, she recalled.
Lelouch would do well in that role, and who knew? With the kind of charm he had, Lelouch could probably talk a pretty girl into a threesome. The green haired one who'd learned of his identity as Zero would be adorable in that kind of situation.
That would be fun.
After escaping Cornelia at Saitama, Lelouch, Keramon, Nina, and Dokunemon had relocated themselves to an old warehouse on the outskirts of the Settlement.
With their location secured, Lelouch removed his mask. "Thank you for the save, Nina. I thought it was over for me." He'd been in the worst possible situation, there. Outgunned and without an executable plan for escape or victory. He'd felt powerless there at the end, and it was all because he'd been an idiot and allowed GeoGreymon to free Sealsdramon.
Damn it, he should have known that was GeoGreymon's intent. Looking back on it, that was blatantly obvious.
Seeing him reveal his face, Nina pulled her hood down and gave him a small smile. "If you hadn't suggested I watch the news, I wouldn't h-have been there. I-I'm just glad I saw you fighting. A-and if it wasn't for Dokunemon, I wouldn't have been able to do anything." The green haired girl knelt down to pet her partner's head, much to said partner's pleasure.
"You're not givin' yourself enough credit, Nina. I can only reach Champion because of you, you know." Dokunemon reminded her, the little worm quite comfortable with being petted.
In response, Nina just blushed a bit.
"Say, how'd you guess that Lelouch was actually in the fight and that it wasn't just me?" Keramon questioned, scratching his head lightly. Lelouch perked up at this too, curious about it himself.
"I... uhm... well, I just guessed. S-since Dokunemon and I can do that, I thought maybe you two could too. It made sense..." She looked up from her own partner's head, glancing up at the blue jellyfish. "And even so, if you and Lelouch have the same kind of bond that Dokunemon and I have... l-losing you would have been awful for him."
The blue Digimon grinned. "Wow, Lelouch, she's really lookin' out for you. Could it be that Shirley's got some competition?" The blue Digimon teased with a knowing tone.
Nina's face turned scarlet at the insinuation, and she seemed to shrink into her baggy clothing as though it would hide her embarrassment. "I-I, uhm... you see... I j-just care about him! He's m-my friend so..."
Dokunemon shook his head. 'She's got it bad.' He noted to himself, looking over the assembled people. So that was Zero? And he had a partner, a very unique one at that.
Keramon weren't even supposed to exist anymore. After the main attack on their original homestead, the Empire had put out bounties on any and all members of the Keramon line.
Keramon and the Black Digimon lines, such as Black Agumon, Black Gabumon, and any other "corrupted" Digimon were top priorities for extermination. They'd been hunted to the point where the chances of meeting one were once in a lifetime. Even in the lands of the Seven, there were skilled Empire assassins hunting down these priority targets.
He knew that much, at least. It had been big news when the Seven had originally found one of these assassins, but there wasn't much to do about it since the Empire was already practically at war with them. Couldn't really threaten aggression with people who were already aggressive, nor could they negotiate anything at all for those same reasons. In the end, all the Seven had been able to do was hand the assassin over to Lucemon, who's subject had been the one targeted.
Lucemon, of course, took that as an insult. And as the Demon Lord of Pride, it was unwise to insult him. Needless to say, no one envied the captured Digimon.
Dokunemon didn't actually know why Keramon line Digimon were set so high on the Empire's priority list. The Black lines he could understand, since they were essentially corrupted versions of Digimon that the Empire generally employed. Agumon, Gabumon, Guilmon, and so forth. It was something of a slap to their face to see alternate versions of some of their main soldiers based entirely on being dark in nature. Not to mention the fact that the Mega levels of those Digimon were generally more powerful than the normal ones.
There had once been tales of a Black Guilmon digivolving into a monster known as Chaos Megidramon, as opposed to the normal Chaos Gallantmon... and that was a horrifying concept. Megidramon itself was practically a legend, equal in power to Azulongmon of the Sovereign, or Magnadramon of the Empire. It's location was unknown to anyone at the time of his departure from the Digital World, though everyone was aware of his existence.
At any rate, Black line Digimon were more powerful as a rule, though more inclined to violence or aggressive behavior. Megidramon was the epitome of violence and aggressive behavior, even moreso than Daemon of the Seven. A BLACK version of that, further emphasizing those two character traits that had made Megidramon, a being of legendary strength, such a threat to the world as a whole?
Terrifying. Absolutely and utterly terrifying. So, he could see why the Empire would be hunting them, on the off chance they could turn into some sort of monster like that. It was wrong, of course, to hunt them down just for what they were, but he could understand why they were targeted. But back on topic, Keramon. The were basically gone now, denied their chance to be reborn as a Digi Egg. The Empire had developed ways to actually destroy data, when it was normally either absorbed or simply relocated to certain areas to become a Digi Egg. They made good use of this method, whatever it was, by permanently deleting any Digimon on their blacklist.
To see one of those blacklisted digimon, partnered with a human at that? Seriously interesting. This wasn't just "once in a lifetime", oh no, this was a once ever kind of thing. That a Digimon from a nearly extinct species would become the Digidestined partner of a human rebelling against a nation eerily similar to that which had hunted them to the point of near extinction... it was just too perfect.
"Now, now, Keramon." Lelouch chided, smiling gently at Nina as he did so. "You shouldn't tease the person who just saved our sorry asses. She might leave us to our fate next time." He joked.
However, despite him intending it as a joke, that statement reminded Nina of the life changing decision she intended to make. "That won't happen, Lelouch. F-from now on, I'll s-support you." Frowning a bit, she clarified her statement. "Support Zero, I mean."
Lelouch blinked, before a slight frown settled upon his lips. "Nina... you know what you're saying right? That you'll willingly betray your country, fighting alongside a wanted man, possibly being injured or killed along the way?" He shook his head, continuing on. "I can't ask you to do that for me." He'd chosen this path for himself, for his own reasons. If he was correct, Nina was just looking out for him.
In response, Nina gave him an unflinching stare. "You are that wanted man, Lelouch. You're already facing the possibility of death or injury, today is proof of that. I c-can help you." She wanted to help him.
"It's not that you can't help me, Nina. You saved my life today, you're highly intelligent, and you've managed to befriend a Digimon. Looking at this logically, I should be pleased at your offer." Despite saying this, his frown persisted. It had seemed he was correct about her motivations. "But I can't look at it logically because of who you are, and how close you are to me. I care about you too much not to take this into consideration." By "this", of course, he meant the fact that Nina was just an ordinary student who had no reason to fight in a war.
Nina's brow furrowed, and she gave him a curious look. "T-take what into consideration?" She questioned, wondering just what he meant by that.
Feeling older than he was, Lelouch allowed himself a long, drawn out sigh. "You don't have a reason to fight them." From the tone he used while saying "them", it was quite clear he meant Britannia. "Britannia hasn't wronged you in any way. Up until yesterday, Nina, you were just an average schoolgirl from Britannia. Why would you fight against your own country?"
Much to Lelouch's surprise, Nina practically growled out her own reply. "Y-you're right. Britannia hasn't done anything t-to me. But that's the reason right there, isn't it? J-just because I'm Britannian, I'm above their abuse? It's w-wrong isn't it? Treating people the way we have, just because they're not Britannian... it's unfair! We don't realize, or don't care, about the fact that we're making these people hate us unconditionally!" Nina paused, clenching her hands into tight fists. "The worst part is that if it wasn't for the Numbers, B-Britannians would turn on eachother."
Once more, Lelouch was surprised by Nina. "Heh, so you've pieced that together too?" And really, it wasn't too hard to realize that the Britannian philosophy, the strong rule over the weak, would cause major issues in their society if not for the Numbers readily available to serve as the "weak".
Britannian philosophy basically intended for every Britannian to become a bully towards those beneath them, while simultaneously encouraging goodwill to one's fellow Britannian's. After all, bullies didn't bully one another, they grouped together to bully others.
But without readily available "little guys" to mess with, the bullies would then turn towards the weakest in their group. And again, and again, and again, until the entire group collapsed.
Suffice to say, Britannian philosophy would need to be changed since he intended to do away with the numbers system.
Even though Nina seemed quite motivated at the moment, what with the sheer wrongness of Britannia's ideals, he had to be absolutely certain that she wanted this. Lelouch could never forgive himself for placing his friend in danger like this if it wasn't exactly what they wanted. "I'll be extremely clear here, Nina." He began, his serious tone easily drawing her full attention. "If you choose to fight alongside me, you may die. I cannot stress this enough, there may come a point where you're overwhelmed and killed. I cannot guarantee your safety, no matter how hard I will try to do just that." Another sigh. "I don't want you to fight in this war for me, Nina. If you're going to stain your hands with something like this, it will have to be for your ideas, your beliefs. Know that if you intend to oppose Britannia, you will be directly responsible for the deaths of Britannian soldiers. Can you do that? Can you bring yourself to kill another human being for your beliefs? If you can, then I'll welcome you with open arms."
That was the main thing he had to make clear, even more so than the danger to her own health. He would do absolutely everything in his power to keep her safe, and she was already quite capable at the moment, which meant the one major concern was her conviction here.
Lelouch could easily order the deaths of Britannian soldiers. He knew that they had chosen their path, both to be a soldier and to serve the rotten nation of Britannia, and so he felt little to no guilt over ordering their deaths on an open battle field.
But, then, he had seen firsthand the cruelties inflicted on the Japanese by Britannian soldiers. He'd seen the fire, corpses, and rubble all for himself.
Lelouch had experienced war.
Nina had not. She was a student, one who's mother had been taken by the very same people who Lelouch was intending to free for that matter.
She shivered for a moment, picturing Kuwagamon crushing a Sutherland against the ground, it's pilot being unable to eject. Very briefly, Nina felt sick.
It was one thing to imagine killing someone, but it was another thing to do so while having the means and motivation to do the deed.
In the end, Nina's reply was simple. "Soldiers knew they could die in battle when they enlisted." And it was true. Anyone who enlisted in the military knew full well just what they were risking.
With that said, Lelouch shook his head in exasperation, though the small smirk on his lips somewhat ruined the gesture. "I suppose I can't convince you to rethink your decision, Nina?" As much as he would love to have her on his side, considering that was a second Champion level digimon, Lelouch would honestly prefer Nina to remain in her much safer role as a student.
"No." She replied immediately, dashing that hope. "I've got too many r-reasons to fight, now that I know I c-can." Aside from her care for Lelouch, Nina truly did feel Britannia was wrong. And so she would trust Lelouch to build something better in it's place, one day.
Before Dokunemon had entered her life, she hadn't given the state of the world much thought. She couldn't do much to change the world at the time, so why bother thinking too heavily on it?
But that had all changed when the Goburimon attacked. With this power, she had the ability to change the world. So she thought about it. And she came to the conclusion that the world was rotten. From Britannia all the way to the EU and China, corruption ran rampant. Something had to be done.
Freeing Japan, eventually defeating and reestablishing Britannia, and then moving on to the rest of the world... it was certainly a tall order, but if they could accomplish that, then they could do anything.
The green haired girl let out a squeak as her crush suddenly wrapped her up in a hug, much to the amusement of their respective partners. "Then I'll just thank you again, this time for standing by me." Lelouch whispered, the smile evident in his voice.
It really wasn't fair, Nina realized, how easy it was to fall in love with Lelouch. If he had this effect on other women, either she'd have serious competition or he'd end up building himself a harem.
"PYRO GRENADE!" He roared, twisting his head back to fire off the purple sphere of destructive energy at his pursuer.
After a moment, he heard a short explosion and the snapping a tree branches, confirming that his attack had been dodged. Mere moments later, he leaped into the air to avoid the return fire.
The earth where he had just been exploded as an orange blast of energy slammed into it, forcing up a cloud of dust and blowing him forward from the force of it's impact.
However, he had intended for that to happen, and so he landed harmlessly on his feet and continued running at full speed.
"Hand of FATE!" The chasing Angemon announced, launching yet another orange blast of power from his hand. He'd been doing it constantly since spotting his prey, attempting to clip him and slow him down, or land a direct hit to cause major damage.
But in doing so, he'd likely been exhausting himself, expecting an easy fight once he caught up to his Rookie level targets.
"Obsidian Storm." Came a menacing whisper, sounding as though it had been delivered by the very wind. Many would have been startled by the sudden call, but he knew the voice well.
After all, they had been friends since their hatching.
Given his familiarity with the voice, he simply continued on unhindered as a vicious hail of black diamonds shot past him and reached their target, the pursuing Angemon.
Due to his tunnel vision on the more visible of his quarry, the Celestial Digimon found himself taking a direct hit from the storm of sharpened diamonds. "Ahhg!" He cried, as they dug into his skin.
His cry had been the signal for the running Digimon to return and attack once more, aiming to finish him then and there. "PYRO GRENADE!"
This time, it was a direct hit, slamming into Angemon with all the destructive force of it's namesake. But that wasn't the end of it, as the former prey turned into the predator.
"ROCK! CRUSHER!"
That was the last thing the Angemon heard, as a pair of reptilian claws slammed into his skull at high speed, easily deleting the heavily fatigued Champion.
Neither he nor his partner made to absorb the data, allowing it to drift harmlessly off. They both knew that Angemon would be reborn from a Digi Egg in the Primary District of the Celestial Empire.
Just as they had, once upon a time.
The destroyer of Angemon sighed, briefly, as he recalled his fond experiences as a Baby and In-Training Digimon so long ago. Oh how things had changed, with the two of them now being hunted by the Empire they had once served.
Their perspective on life had shifted, drastically, after that mission gone horribly awry. Respectful glances from their underlings had turned to sneers of disgust, once friendly faces had shifted into glares promising deletion without rebirth.
A horrible fate, denied your chance to be reborn.
Even to be absorbed by your adversary wasn't such a cruel fate, as you would still find yourself reborn, though lacking your memories. For that was what their Data was, rather than just their power. It contained their experiences and memories, their knowledge and opinions.
His oldest friend blurred into existence beside him, speaking in her eternally collected tone. "Reminiscing?" She asked, having heard his sigh and seeing his downtrodden stance.
"Yes, I can't help but remember the days when Angemon were friendlies rather than potential executioners." He responded, turning his gaze onto her.
Even at first glance, one could tell that this was not a normal Renamon. The yellow fur that the species was often known for was replaced with a midnight black, which stood out against the white that had remained unchanged. Rather than remaining black and fading into the midnight fur, the accents upon her thighs and just beneath her eyes had shifted into a brilliant gold color, eerily similar to the yellows her fur had once been but still inherently different.
The bracers upon her arms had remained unchanged, something he knew she took solace in, being the same purple she had always bore.
Her eyes had also kept their original coloring, retaining the light blue he had always remembered. It was comforting that he could look into her eyes and still see something so familiar, when they had both changed so much.
"I'm finding it easier to see them as the enemy, considering just how quick they were to do the same to us." She replied bitterly, clenching her paws into what could pass for a fist.
"Perhaps you've got a point." He admitted sullenly, looking over his own changes now.
At one point, he had been a Guilmon. And then he had digivolved further and further, reaching the form of Wargrowlmon. Being an Ultimate level Digimon, he and his partner Taomon had been of some standing in the Celestial Army.
But all that had changed along with them. Now, rather than the powerful ultimate of crimson and silver, there was a much weaker black reptile.
Gone was the crimson hide that often identified a Guilmon, replaced with more of the inky blank. Rather than fading away in the mixture of black, his own markings had become the shocking crimson he had loved so much. He was happy, at least, that the color he had grown to love had not left him entirely.
Yet.
Moving on, he had remained mostly unchanged. His underbelly had remained white, and his amber eyes had not changed either. Even if he had gone through some major shifts in coloration, he could still look into his own two eyes and be at peace.
It was hard to believe that they had both been normal at one point, looking over themselves now. Just why had this happened to them?
If only they hadn't been given that damn mission. Someone else could be out here running from their former allies, scampering about and constantly looking over their shoulders.
But at the same time, he didn't know how well anyone else would fare in this situation. For the moment, he and Renamon seemed to be doing well enough.
Further considerations would have to be put off, the duo decided, as they had company. "HAND OF FATE!"
When the smoke cleared, Black Guilmon and Black Renamon had already put major distance between the newest arrival and themselves.
And so, under what little moonlight shone through the canopy, the chase continued on.
"I'm tellin' you, it's weird. I keep havin' this dream and it's creepin' me out!" Tamaki complained, looking over towards Ohgi as the former teacher sat at his makeshift desk, messing around with his phone.
He was mostly ignoring Tamaki for the moment, because he was worried about Zero.
All he'd heard thus far was that Infermon was saved by another Digimon. And that was it. Zero had yet to contact them.
Was it wrong to be worried in this situation? What if Cornelia had found that secret tunnel and managed to ambush Zero on his escape?
But at the same time, he was nervous about the prospect of calling Zero. If he didn't pick up, Ohgi was pretty sure he'd become even more of a nervous wreck.
And on top of that, he had to worry about the residents of Saitama, who had been relocated to Shinjuku.
Yeah. Shinjuku. Their base of operations.
Honestly, Shinjuku wasn't in that bad of a condition after the purge. The buildings were mostly intact, for a ghetto that is.
The main reason for the leaving of the locals had been due to the horrible memories the survivors had to carry with them. Thankfully the former residents of Saitama were just too happy to be alive for any of that to matter to them.
But now he had the entirety of the Yamato Alliance in their base of operations. It still amazed him how Zero had actually managed to get every single person out of Saitama. That really was nothing short of a miracle.
Despite that, however, now Ohgi had to take the Yamato Alliance into account. Which was just a whole heap of problems.
They were larger than his own group, by a large margin. Which meant that it would be hard to keep them in line if they got it in their heads to do something.
Ohgi was honestly hoping that they would be willing to join up with Zero and his own group. Having seen Zero perform these miracles three times, he was really beginning to feel like the masked man could be the key to liberating Japan. With just their small group he had turned the tides of Shinjuku with ease, with only himself and Kallen he had rescued Kururugi Suzaku from a certain death.
And with the Yamato Alliance, he had averted another ghetto's purging and managed to get everyone, even the combatants, out alive. What would he be able to accomplish with the entirety of the Yamato Alliance, their group, and the intellect he possessed?
Needless to say, the thought of that really brought Ohgi's hopes up.
Enough so that he dialed Zero's number on his phone without realizing it, and was now awaiting the mask man's answer.
The man let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding when the familiar voice of the masked man came from the other end. "Ohgi? Everything went according to plan?"
Relief coursed through him as he realized that their leader was perfectly alright. "Yeah. Everyone got out, they're holed up here in Shinjuku right now." Thank Kami. Zero was well, that was the best news he could have hear right then.
A brief pause followed, though he heard Zero hum for a moment. "What of the Yamato Alliance? Are they causing any trouble, or are they still settling in?" And it seemed Zero was equally aware of the risk of bringing the Yamato Alliance into their turf.
"They're quiet for the moment, though Yamato himself has stopped by to ask for a meeting with you at your earliest convenience." Ohgi replied, lightly bopping Tamaki on the head as the red-head had invaded his personal space in order to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"Tell him I said hi!" Tamaki whispered enthusiastically, still making himself a nuisance.
And despite the fact that this conversation was supposed to be serious, Ohgi Kaname found himself laughing at the sheer immaturity of his friend. Something Zero seemed amused by if his own chuckles were any indication.
"Tell Tamaki I said hello, too." Zero began humorously, cutting off the chuckling. "And tell Yamato-san that I will be able to meet with him later tonight. Also, round up your group Ohgi. We're going to be having a meeting of our own, regarding a new ally we've gained."
That certainly caught his attention. "You mean, the other Digimon..?" He muttered, feelings his eyes widen at the implication.
"Yes. Kuwagamon's partner will be joining our cause."
Tamaki heard that part too, his expression matching Ohgi's after a moment.
Two. They had TWO Champion level Digimon on their side. In addition to that, with any luck they would gain the support of the Yamato Alliance one way or another, and certainly the revelation that they possessed two digital monsters would go a long way in securing their aid, which meant that their humble little resistance group was moving up in the world.
Hell, even WITHOUT the Yamato Alliance's support they would be in the big leagues automatically just having two champion strength Digimon. Two champions could probably take on the JLF and have a fair shot at victory, especially considering one of them could fly and the other could move faster than any land based vehicle Ohgi had come across.
Zero had hung up, and Ohgi finally snapped out of his daze. "Tamaki, go round up the others. I'm pretty sure Kallen and Inoue were talking about something or another outside a little while ago, so they ought to be nearby."
The redhead gave a smarmy salute before heading off to locate the remainder of the Kouzuki Group, a large grin stretched across his face.
Ohgi couldn't blame him, things were seriously looking up for them after all.
With that uplifting thought in mind, Ohgi Kaname went off to find Yamato Izumi, leader of the Yamato Alliance, to give him the good news that Zero was alive, well, and wanted to meet with him in a less dire situation than their previous.
It was gonna be a good day.
So, Tamaki had wandered outside of the warehouse that served as their group's base of operations. All according to plan so far, considering he immediately spotted Inoue and Kallen idly chatting with one another only a few feet away.
And so, without bothering to consider the fact that he would be butting into the middle of their conversation, Tamaki sauntered on over to them with his shit eating grin in place.
"Inoue, Kallen!" He announced, making his presence known. Seeing them both stop talking to turn their gazes to him, Kallen's being more than a little harsh, he continued. "Zero's gonna be meetin' up with us later on, Ohgi's got me gatherin' everyone else up."
Inoue blinked, before giving a small nod. "Actually, it's fine. I'll go get everyone else. Kento told me where they were going." Without waiting for his reply, Inoue dashed off.
Leaving only Tamaki and an annoyed Kallen.
The redheaded girl sighed, clearly frustrated that her conversation partner was gone. "As happy as I am that Zero's alive and well, I had just gotten around to telling Inoue about something."
Tamaki, now without anything to do, shrugged. "Hey, I'm here. You could talk to me." He offered.
Kallen gave him a sideways look. "Fine. If you laugh I'll throw you off a building though, got it?"
Knowing that she'd likely do no more than slug him if he laughed, Tamaki threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Sure, sure. I'd been meanin' to take up sky diving, so it's all good."
His response made the younger girl glare at him for a moment, though his dopey grin made her relent. "I've been having weird dreams recently."
Normally, Tamaki would have looked for some sort of joke to crack, consequences be damned. It was kind of what he did. However, that sounded really familiar to him.
And for what seemed like the first time ever, to Kallen, Tamaki remained silent and motioned for her to continue her story. "Basically, I feel like I'm looking through someone else's eyes as they start exploring a cave or something."
Alarm bells were going off for Tamaki right now, considering that he was having that exact scenario run through his head every night. That couldn't be a coincidence, right? For him it had started the day of the Shinjuku purge.
"It began happening right around when we stole the gas, that night was the first time I had the dream." Yeah, no way that was a coincidence. Somethin' freaky was going on.
Kallen continued, unaware of Tamaki's thoughts. "I just walk alongside someone else for a while, but I never get a really good look at who they are. After a few minutes of walking we find this big wall with all kinds of markings and stuff on it. The other person with me steps up to the wall and does something to it, and it flashes all kinds of bright colors."
His brow furrowed. In his dreams, he had been the one who stepped up to the wall and pressed his hand against it. But Kallen's dream had her watching someone else doing it.
If that wasn't proof that their dreams were connected somehow, then Tamaki would put on a tutu and dance ballet.
Tamaki did not know anything about ballet.
Just as Kallen was about to continue, the other redhead interrupted her. "And then some funky lookin' little pink thing shows up, screeches at the top of it's lungs, and the dream ends. Right?"
Her eyes shot wide, as she tried to comprehend what he had just said. "H-how would you know that?" She hadn't told anyone about this yet. He was the first person to know.
And apparently he knew more than she figured he would.
"Cuz' I've been havin' that dream too." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "'Course, mine's a lil' different. In my dream, I'm the one who messes with the wall."
Kallen frowned. "That's creepy." What the hell kind of weird fantasy crap was that?
"I know, right?" He replied with a grin. "I was tryin' to tell Ohgi about it but he was ignorin' me. The ass." With that said, Tamaki realized something. "Oh hey, Inoue's probably found the other guys by now. Let's head into the hideout, yeah?"
"Wow, you're being the responsible one. That's even creepier." Kallen noted, sauntering off towards the hideout in question.
Tamaki growled, before doing the same.
They'd really have to talk more about these weird dreams, though. With all the crap going down recently it could mean anything.
Soon enough, all of them had gathered in the warehouse that served as their base of operations.
The building was pretty empty, aside from a ragged looking couch, a coffee table, and Ohgi's desk. It was also rather large, enough that they could all mill about the area without being cramped at all.
Hell, they could probably fit another twenty people in the building and still have plenty of space. It was a warehouse, after all.
But for the moment there were only nine people to worry about.
Yoshida and Minami were both leaning up against the nearest wall, Tamaki, Sugiyama and Inoue had taken the couch, Ohgi and Kallen were standing in front of the masked man himself as said man stood beside a mystery figure, who was wearing a hood and keeping their face hidden.
Aside from these nine humans, there were also two Digimon loitering about.
Keramon, who all the resistance fighters were familiar with, was casually coiled around Zero's shoulders. As though to mimic him, the green worm digimon had situated itself on the mystery figure's shoulders, reminiscent of a boa.
Zero and his mysterious ally had been the last to arrive, and their arrival had cut off any idle chatter that the freedom fighters were having beforehand.
Thus, it was quiet. A sort of tense silence, as many of the resistance cell members were somewhat wary of the newcomer.
The silence was broken by Zero. "It's good to see that everyone is alright, and that the evacuation went off without a hitch." He began, nodding towards them appreciatively. "If it wasn't for your efforts, many innocent civilians would have been killed during the purge itself or the battle that resulted."
Ohgi replied first, acting as the speaker for the group. "We may have gotten the civilians out, but if not for you there's no way we'd have been in a position to do so." And it was true. He'd contacted them before the purge had been announced over the news, well before it in fact. If not for that, they would never have been able to save those people.
A couple mutters of agreement came from the rebels, before one of them spoke up. "Look, Zero, I don't want to be rude, but we're all a bit anxious about the person you've brought with you." This came from Yoshida, who continued quickly. "While we know they're the one who saved you earlier, we don't know of their intentions." Or their face. That went without saying, because really if he was willing to trust a masked man with his life what was another unknown face?
The hooded figure seemed to flinch at their mention, almost looking as though they were trying to hide behind Zero. It was certainly a strange reaction, considering this person had a Digimon with them and had supposedly saved their leader from death.
It was also somewhat humorous, the sight of someone shyly ducking behind said leader while said man stood calmly, as though it was perfectly normal. "She's an ally. Care to introduce yourself, or shall I?"
Beneath her hood, Nina took a deep breath. This was probably going to be the hardest part.
Originally, Lelouch had intended to give her an alias similar to his own and a disguise to match. However, Nina had shot that idea down. She didn't want to be "another Zero" for a multitude of reasons, the most logical being the fact that having a "second Zero" in the form of whatever alias they came up with would diminish the original's appeal.
Zero was flashy, theatrical, new, and above all else he was unique. Never before had anyone done what Zero had and was doing. That is to say, fighting against Britannia successfully.
He was a miracle maker. Adding another "mysterious masked terrorist" into the mix would take attention away from Zero, which wasn't quite good. He was supposed to be a rallying point for others to flock to and so far he was doing just that. Everyone would be unified behind him and he would lead them towards victory.
While it wasn't going to make the entire thing fall apart if they were to throw in another masked rebel with some alias or another, Nina had other reasons for wanting to be known to these people as who she was.
With that in mind, she removed herself from Zero's shadow and stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, she reached up to her hood and slowly began to pull it off of her head.
"My name is Nina Einstein." She began, pausing for a moment as they all gasped at her Britannian features and name. "And this is Dokunemon." Her hand moved to pet her partner, as he turned to regard the gathered resistance members.
She gave them all a small smile, trying extremely hard to keep herself calm, as she finished her introduction. "We look forward to working with you."
The assorted rebels all had their own reactions to her.
Tamaki's eyes were bugged out, his jaw dropped, and he was stammering something incoherent. But, really, how the hell was he supposed to take this? Getting help from a Brit was the absolute LAST thing he expected. Never let it be said that Tamaki was a racist, but he had a healthy dislike for Brits. Considering all he'd been put through by them, it wouldn't be fair to judge him for being a bit shorter fused when it came to Brits. That didn't mean he hated all of them out of principle, though. Only recently had he actually met a Britannian who hadn't proven to be an asshole in the first five minutes of meeting them, and that was some kid who he hadn't interacted with at all.
Considering this, it was just a little hard for him to understand that a girl who looked to be Kallen's age was going to be one of their allies against Britannia.
Inoue, Sugiyama, and Yoshida were all just giving her surprised looks. They hadn't been expecting that, for sure, but it wasn't bad. Kallen was a half Britannian, and she was one of their closest friends and allies. And like Zero had said before, it wasn't the people of Britannia that they were fighting. It was the ideals. With that in mind, it was perfectly possible that a Britannian was also against those ideals. If anything, having a Britannian on their side meant they were more than just terrorists to Britannians. That in and of itself was a major step forward.
Minami seemed completely unphased to anyone looking at him, with only a raised eyebrow showing that he knew what was going on. But, then, that was Minami for you.
Ohgi just blinked a few times, as though he was seeing things, before allowing himself a small shrug.
So she was Britannian, who cared? Zero vouched for her and that was all that really mattered here.
And then there was Kallen's reaction.
This one was the one that Lelouch had been wanting to see most, which the wide grin beneath his mask attested to.
The redhead did not disappoint. "N-Nina..?" Kallen wondered aloud, her eyes comically wide as she stared in unrestrained confusion at the green haired girl.
It was about that point that Lelouch realized something even more hilarious.
He'd forgotten to tell Nina that Kallen was with them, and it seemed as though she had been too nervous to notice her until now.
Nina confirmed this theory a moment later as she gasped. "Kallen!?" She squeaked, taking a step back. She turned to look towards Zero, who simply continued looking over the situation stoically.
And yes, he WAS smiling like a maniac beneath his mask. No one else needed to know that, though.
Unfortunately, Lelouch realized, this meant Kallen would probably piece together his identity. He'd known from the start that Nina showing herself as... well... herself, would have consequences.
But really, it was probably for the best that at least one of them knew who he was under his mask. It'd help foster a bit of trust.
And speaking of trust, he decided it was about time to show the assembled rebels some trust of his own. "Before the two of you have your reunion." He gestured towards Nina and Kallen, both of whom were too shocked by the other's presence to reply, before continuing. "I feel now is a good time to tell you all. I'm not Japanese."
His words sent another wave of surprise through the rebels, but it washed over quickly. Perhaps they'd begun considering that possibility once he introduced Nina to them? Hm. Either way, this admission would both foster trust between them and help integrate Nina into their group. Hopefully.
"In fact, I'm a Britannian myself. That is one of the reasons I originally approached you with this mask and alias." He continued on, allowing this to sink in to their minds. "If any of you have issues with working alongside Britannians, please say so now."
No one said anything. Hell, even Tamaki was quiet. That was new.
"So, what's next, you gonna tell us that you're a noble?" It couldn't last. Tamaki opened his mouth. "I mean, I don't think I'd even be surprised after all this." Really, today was just one surprise after another for him. First the purge, then the stopping of the purge, then revelation that another digimon was on their side, followed by the thing with the dreams, and finally ending off with the knowledge that both Zero and their new ally were Britannians. With all that, Tamaki really would not have been surprised.
It was a good thing Nina was so out of it, or she might have given something away. As it was Lelouch's grin beneath his mask was almost painfully large. "No, I'm afraid I'm not some Earl or Duke if that's what you're wondering."
It wasn't a lie, really, Keramon noted as he began to snicker.
The redhead snorted. "Bah, damn. You really let me down there, Zero." He was certainly taking this well.
"Sorry to disappoint." It took a massive force of will to keep from laughing at the sheer irony of this conversation.
After concluding their meeting, Zero went off to meet with Yamato Izumi. This left Nina in the warehouse with her new allies, none of whom seemed hostile to her thankfully. Wary, perhaps, but not overtly hostile.
Right now she was in a corner of the building, speaking with Kallen.
"I-I didn't know you were... well... here." Nina noted, toying with one of her braids. Goodness was this a strange conversation to be having.
Kallen snorted. "You think you were surprised? Imagine how I felt when the quietest, shiest girl I know shows up at Zero's side and says 'We look forward to working with you.'"
Nina giggled. "I suppose y-you have a point." She glanced over towards Dokunemon, who was coiled up and napping peacefully. "If it wasn't for him, I would be dead right now." The girl admitted quietly.
"What?" Kallen muttered, shocked by the sudden declaration. "Oh, you mean... during the Mass Breach? Right, that big red bug was your partner wasn't it?" She knew that it was, now, but being told that one of your acquaintances had nearly died kinda threw her for a loop.
The green haired girl nodded, still fiddling with her braid. "One of the Goburimon found it's way inside the building, and nearly killed me. Dokunemon saved me." Really, Nina wasn't quite sure what had made her decide to tell this story, but after a few seconds Nina decided what she wanted to say. "It was around that time that I actually stopped and thought about the world." Seeing she had Kallen's full attention, Nina continued speaking. "All of a sudden, I had the power to do things. But I hadn't ever thought of what I would do if I had that power before I had it."
Nina wasn't the kind of person to think about doing things she couldn't accomplish. That's not to say that she didn't think far into the future or anything, but she had never considered changing the political climate of the world because it was far outside of her reach, considering she was just a high school student working on a potentially world-changing project that would make Sakuradite outdated. If she could get it to work, that is.
"So, when you met Dokunemon you started to think about changing the world?" Kallen wondered. On some level she could understand that, since she had felt something similar when she had first begun to pilot that old Glasgow and completely outperformed Tamaki, who had been their best pilot at the time. It'd really put the world into perspective for her, that she could honestly do something.
The bespectacled girl gave a small nod, making it look like there was more to the story but she didn't really want to get into it. That was fine with Kallen, though. She understood that some things were just too personal to get into with people you didn't know well.
"It's kind of funny, Kallen." Nina said, looking around the warehouse. "I really never imagined I would be where I am today. I was just a normal student not even a week ago, and suddenly I'm deciding to fight a war against Britannia." It was so strange how things could change so quickly, but Nina was firm in her belief that this was the right decision.
Kallen shrugged. "It's been a long time since I was in that position, Nina. Now I feel more at home in a cockpit than I do in a classroom." Piloting a Knightmare was honestly the most liberating thing Kallen could think of. Being in control of a machine like that, and knowing that all of the power behind it could be used to further your dreams and ambitions was just a euphoric feeling for her.
Nina gave a small smile. "I hope I'll feel that comfortable with this one day, too." This was what she wanted to do, of that she was sure. But at the same time it was just such a large shift in her life. And being back in the ghettos, even if surrounded by friendly faces, was taking it's toll on her nerves for sure.
She was thankful that these people weren't hateful of her out of principle, though only Kallen and Ohgi had bothered to speak with her. Ohgi had been quite brief, but that was more because he was going to escort Zero to the Yamato Alliance's current hideout to meet with their leader. Hopefully the others would come to accept her, but if not then at least she had Kallen, Dokunemon, Lelouch, and Keramon.
"Hey." A voice called out, interrupting her thoughts. Looking up, Nina saw the other redhead of the group. Seeing he had her attention, the man continued with what he had to say. "Look, I'll be the first to admit I don't like the Brits for what they put our people through."
The man must have noticed her minute flinch, because he quickly continued in a reassuring tone. "But that doesn't mean I hate all of you!" Nina relaxed a bit, which made him sigh in relief. "I'm not good with talkin' to people. I'll keep it simple so I don't say somethin' stupid. Everyone here lost parts of their life to the Brits, everything from family to prized possessions. Even so, we're not bad people and we're not going to try and make you feel unwelcome here just cuz of your race."
With his piece said, the man held out his hand. "Name's Tamaki Shinichiro, it's nice ta meet you."
Nina accepted the offered hand with a small, nervous smile. "I'm Nina Einstein, and the feeling is mutual."
Tamaki grinned widely. "Great!" His grin was wiped off his face as Kallen knocked him upside the head. "Ow! What the hell was that for, Kallen!?" He shouted, turning to glare balefully at her.
"You were getting all rational and sappy. It was weird. You're supposed to be the loud, vulgar and belligerent one." Kallen replied cheekily, unphased by the glare.
Said belligerent just gave her a dry look. "I lost a game of jan-ken. No one wanted to come over because it'd be awkward as hell to butt into whatever conversation you were havin', but no one wanted to come up to her when she was alone because they didn't wanna freak her out." The girl seemed really, really skittish. No one wanted to startle her too badly, however, as she was both a new ally against Britannia, and also had a digimon that could turn into a giant, scary bug.
That admittance made Nina smile a bit, though no one saw it since Tamaki and Kallen were trading insults back and forth now.
It really was funny how similar this situation was to being the new girl in school, and it was somewhat endearing that a bunch of so-called terrorists could be so... normal.
And then Kallen slugged Tamaki in the jaw.
Oh dear. Maybe a little less than normal. After Tamaki wandered off nursing his smarting face, Kallen turned back to Nina with an expression that made her quite nervous. "Say, Nina, I'd actually like to talk to you about just how you came about meeting Zero." The sickeningly sweet tone she spoke with did not match the rather intimidating expression on her face. "See," The redhead continued, ignoring the rather fearful look on Nina's face, "I've got some suspicions regarding our glorious leader's identity that I think you can help me clear up..."
Nina had only one thing to reply to this statement with. "Eep!" She tightened the hood and hid herself inside of it, as though that would prevent the line of questioning Kallen would be barraging her with.
In another warehouse, only about a ten minute walk away from the one where he had left Nina, Lelouch was looking over the leader of the Yamato Alliance.
Yamato Izumi was a tall man with long, black hair. The top of his head was covered by a bandanna, and a pair of glasses sat on his face. His clothes were about what one could expect from a man who'd been living in one of the rougher ghettos, being old and faded but still well taken care of.
He wore a plain grey shirt, covered by a long trench coat, and a pair of jeans tucked into combat boots. Even so, despite his rather plain appearance, Lelouch could tell at first glance that this man was a leader.
His stance was calm, his gaze calculating, and it was clear he had seen combat.
Yamato spoke first. "I'd like to thank you for your part in getting everyone out of Saitama." The opening statement was simply an acknowledgment of his contributions. Typical.
Beneath his mask, Lelouch smiled a bit. He really was glad that everyone had gotten out, after all. After walking through the site of a massacre as a child, he was quite content to prevent events like that from happening whenever he could. "If you were in my position, you would have done the same. What Britannia attempted today was a crime against humanity and I couldn't sit by and watch it happen." There was simply no way he would allow that to happen when he had the power to do something about it.
The long haired man nodded, having gotten the response he wanted. "Zero, I'll just say this as simply as I can. What do you intend to do?" Rather than beating around the bush and playing the game of politics, Izumi was getting straight to the point. There was simply no need for him to play games with someone like Zero.
Yamato Izumi knew for a fact that he would not win such a game.
Lelouch allowed himself a chuckle. That was the best question he could have hoped for. "I will keep my reply simple as well, then. I intend to free Japan from Britannia."
"And what makes you so sure you can do what others have been failing at for seven years?" Yamato asked, giving the figure of Zero an appraising look.
"Because I know where and when to strike." Zero replied simply. And truly, he did. His upbringing as a Britannian had given him insight on the society that would be immensely useful in his campaign against them.
Once again, Yamato Izumi nodded. "My final question, Zero, is this. What are your allies to you? Men and women seeking their freedom, or pawns to be used for your own purposes?"
And once again, Lelouch smiled beneath his mask. "They are men and women who have a dream, Yamato-san. They dream of seeing their homeland freed from the clutches of a tyrannical empire. I wish to help them reach that dream. And I want to help them stay alive to see their dream realized." And in turn, they would help him realize his own dream.
To obliterate Britannia and raise it anew.
After a moment, Yamato smiled. "Alright then. As leader of the Yamato Alliance, I offer you our full support and cooperation. My men and I are yours to command."
And just like that, the forces Zero commanded went from nine to fifty nine, including himself. "I am grateful for your support. For the moment, Ohgi Kaname is the only one who can contact me directly." He gestured over to the man, who nodded in response. "Should anything arise that you feel require's my attention, refer to him. Also, as of now there is no formal command structure in place. Something will need to be done about that, but it will have to wait. For the moment I must take my leave."
With that said, Zero turned to do just that. But before leaving, he had one last thing to say. "Please refrain from acting without my consent for now. While I trust your capabilities as a leader, I would like to keep some semblance of order. Rest assured, we will have another opportunity to act soon." He made a brief statement in order to placate Izumi, however Lelouch believed that the man wasn't one to require such pleasantries.
Much like Ohgi Kaname, Yamato Izumi had entrusted his dreams to Zero.
Lelouch would not disappoint.
"You should have told me Kallen was with you!" Nina muttered as she and Lelouch made their way back into Ashford via the tunnel system they had both used to leave. "She's not stupid, how am I supposed to explain how I even got into contact with Zero? She asked earlier and I only just avoided incriminating you, and she knows I was lying or hiding the truth from her! I can tell!" Nina was quite frantic about this. Not even a day had passed and she had already caused trouble for Lelouch.
Lelouch shrugged, glancing over towards the girl as they reached the elevator. "Worst case scenario she learns I'm Zero. Best case scenario she forgets all about it. To be quite honest, I'm fine with either at this point. My admission of being a Britannian, along with your introduction, will make some things go more smoothly later on. While it may have alerted Kallen to my identity, that's a risk that I'm willing to take." In reality he had completely planned this, and was quite certain he would be confronted by Kallen again before too long.
The bespectacled girl looked skeptical, before deciding that he had the situation under control. It was Lelouch, after all, he wouldn't do something like that without thinking it through.
"The only issue I'm concerned with now would be dealing with the questions Nunnally will surely have, considering I left with a hastily thought up excuse and have been gone for several hours." He sighed. That would be painful to deal with, for sure. He'd have to either dodge the subject entirely, or lie to his little sister.
Or, perhaps he would tell a half truth. Yes, that would work. He could tell her it was a matter related to their safety and she would leave it at that, because she trusted him.
Granted, it would be excruciatingly painful to abuse the trust his little sister had in him, but it was a necessary evil in this case. She couldn't learn of his activities as Zero. He had no doubt she wouldn't approve, being the peaceful soul she was, and learning that all of this was for her sake at heart... he was afraid of what that knowledge would result in.
So for now he would abuse her trust, and shower her with his usual love and affection to ease away the guilt of doing so.
Nina must have noticed his turmoil, because she placed a hand on his shoulder in a show of support. "I'm sure you'll figure something out, Lelouch." Though she may have mistaken the source of his turmoil, since it seemed like she thought he was worried Nunnally would be able to worm a confession of evil deeds from him.
... Well, if she was trying to then yes, Nunnally probably could do just that. Thankfully she was a sweetheart and would likely leave it after he assured her everything was fine and gave his half-truth explanation.
Suddenly, his phone rang. Plucking the device from his pocket, Lelouch flipped it's top up and read off the name that appeared. "Hm, it's Milly." With that said, he answered the phone.
"Hey! Lelouch..." Lelouch frowned. That was her "mischievous" voice. That couldn't be good. The last time he had heard that tone was when she had spread the rumor that he and Rivalz were working as undercover agents for a secret organization, which had continued to circulate for the next few months before finally dying out. And thank goodness for that. "You remember how you told a certain someone that they could visit you?"
Nope. Not good at all, then. "Yes..." He replied, knowing exactly who this certain someone was. "I take it she decided to come today, then?" Of course she did. Perhaps that was why Cornelia had launched her offensive on this day specifically, then?
If Cornelia wanted to hide just what kind of atrocious deed she would be committing, then a day when Euphemia was out wandering the settlement would be the perfect opportunity.
Lelouch was actually very, very angry and disappointed in the tactics his sister had used today. Immensely so. He would be getting her back somehow for this, simply because what she had done today was just plain wrong.
"Yes. And she's here. Right now." Well, that wasn't too bad honestly. He'd just meet with her, probably watch her reunion with his little sister, and then bid her farewell after an hour or so. "And, well, she's been here for an hour or so. Since I couldn't find you and nobody knew where you were, I may have let it slip that there were underground access tunnels that you used to make your way off campus discretely, and I might have given her the location of said tunnel's entrance..."
His eyes widened. No way. No, she wouldn't have...
... she would have. He knew she would have. Good grief. This was going to be interesting, to say the very least...
It was about that time that the elevator's door opened and revealed the figure of his sister, Euphemia li Britannia, standing alongside Milly who was giving him a cheeky smile. "And we could possibly have been waiting here for... Nina? What are you doing here?" She trailed off, whatever she had intended to say lost as she caught sight of the green haired girl sharing the elevator with him.
This left Lelouch in a rather awkward position, as you may be able to guess. His oldest friend and the half-sister he had adored the most had both just caught him returning from an undisclosed location with Nina in tow. Thankfully both Tsumemon and Budmon had been hidden inside of his duffle bag.
The reason they were both in his bag would be because Nina hadn't taken along anything to hide Budmon in, being in such a rush to reach the ghetto.
Seeing that the situation could become quite volatile if left alone, Lelouch acted first.
Throwing up a sheepish smile, Lelouch rubbed the back of his head in an equally sheepish manner. "We were on a date." That would at least throw any heavy suspicions off of them. However, it did leave them with an interesting problem. He'd surprised everyone there with that "admission" and now would have to roll with it.
Of all the surprised reactions that comment brought, Lelouch was quite certain Nina's was the loudest.
And that's that chapter. So, some stuff goin' on. I introduced what will eventually come to be a major villain in this chapter, though it may not be what anyone's expecting and it'll be waaaaay on down the line.
Nina's "officially" with the Black Knights, who'll be making their debut as an organization soon. Euphemia's finally come by for her visit (Bet some of you thought I'd forgotten her, eh?) and has caught Lelouch arriving in secret with Nina.
You can bet the results of his last line will be hilarious.