Alright. So as you may or may not have noticed, the previous chapters have all been updated. While there may still be errors in spelling and grammar every once in a while, all around I feel as though the quality of the story has improved significantly. However, this means that the previous chapters have seen some change as far as story elements go.
If you do not go back and at least skim chapters 1-8 as a refresher, it probably will not matter to you too much. However, some scenes have been changed and some scenes have actually been added entirely. The story is NOT completely different and you can simply pick it up from here without review, however I recommend at least skimming due to the changes.
A large thanks to Thanathos for helping me out with this whole thing. If not for him I'm not sure I would ever have managed to finish this little endeavor of mine, and then where would we be?
Disclaimer: Demon of Zero (That'd be me, folks.) does not own Code Geass, Digimon, or anything of any real value. He's pretty much content with that, though.
"A date?" The first one to have gotten over the surprise seemed to be Euphemia. She seemed to be torn between disappointment and interest, lips pursed as she tried to figure out just which of those two feelings were stronger at the moment.
Nina was still sort of in shock, however, and had simply fallen back on the old standby; hide your face in the hood until the embarrassment died down and you could speak without making the situation more humiliating. To everyone else looking on, this gesture merely confirmed the statement that the two of them had been caught returning from a date, and she was embarrassed about the whole situation.
Lelouch was quite glad she hadn't said anything to dispute the claim. He didn't really have any relevant reasons for the two of them to be returning via the fairly secretive entryway they had used. The access tunnels were something they only really used to get on and off campus discreetly... so why in the world would Nina and Lelouch need to use it in order to come back on campus? It wasn't a convenient route to take unless you actually needed to go unnoticed, so if they had just been going out for some outing as friends or co-workers there would be no reason to use the tunnels, right?
Which left very few remaining explanations, the most likely of which being that they were doing something secretive. What that was, Milly wouldn't have known... and that would have been bad. Feeding her false information was better than leaving her to draw her own conclusions. That never ended well. Either she would figure out what you were doing, which in this case was worst case scenario, or she would speculate... which was almost as bad.
Milly herself? She was trying to wrap her head around the idea that Lelouch and Nina had gone on a date. "Like... a romantic date?" Milly asked, just to make this perfectly clear. The entire concept of either of them dating was completely alien to her. "As in the kind that Shirley has been trying to ask you out on for the past couple of years?"
Neither Lelouch nor Nina seemed to have any real interest in relationships whatsoever. Nina just didn't seem to be concerned with the concept as a whole, while Lelouch himself was playful but unwilling to make the commitment of an actual relationship for various reasons. So hearing that either of them had gone out on a date in the first place was startling, hearing that both had done so was more surprising, and hearing that the two of them had been on said dates with one another was completely mind boggling.
"Yes, a romantic date." He replied with a roll of his eyes, before seemingly rethinking his response. "Well. It wasn't anything too romantic, really. We went out to eat." This wasn't a lie. The two of them had stopped in to a fast food place on the way back to Ashford. It just wasn't the only thing, or even the primary thing, that they had been doing. If anything it was just an afterthought since he hadn't eaten since lunch, and Nina hadn't actually gotten around to eating her own lunch.
Lelouch loved when things worked out like that. Lying was fine and good, but misleading someone without a single falsehood was much more amusing.
However, this entire situation wasn't to his liking. He felt rather guilty for dragging Nina into such a humiliating situation, throwing her on the spot like that. Peering over to her, Lelouch couldn't keep the sheepish look off his face.
She'd only just loosened the hood around her face so that she could be seen, although her cheeks were still covered with a rosy blush so the embarrassment was clearly still there. Despite that, she seemed much calmer than she had been only moments before, actually capable of looking somewhere other than down.
Nina cleared her throat, before speaking without looking anyone in the eyes. "Y-yes... i-it was just a s-simple d-d-date..." One hand gently toyed with one of the braids in her hair as she confirmed what Lelouch had said, practically stumbling over the word date. It was around that point that she realized her mistake.
Much like Lelouch, Milly had picked up on Nina's little tells over the years, and playing with her braids was one of them. The most blatant one, for that matter.
She was lying, so that only left two possibilities in Milly's mind. She was either lying about the date being simple, or she was lying about the date having actually happened. It really could have been either one, but Milly was leaning towards it being the latter, and Nina could tell it from the look on her face.
'Those two on a date together is just too unbelievable.' She doubted the possibility of them being involved with one another so much that when Rivalz had spread the rumor of their dating, she hadn't believed him. Knowing both of them for as long as she had, Milly just didn't believe Lelouch would honestly enter a committed relationship with anyone. And he genuinely cared for the feelings of his friends, so there was no way he would lead them on.
And Nina? Milly was surprised she actually thought about boys in the first place. The girl never spoke about boys or relationships in general, nor did she show any signs of interest in any particular person. The idea that of all people she could have feelings for, it would be Lelouch? That wasn't too hard to believe. He was immensely charming and intelligent enough that Nina could probably talk sciencey mumbo-jumbo with him all day. Smart and good looking on that level? Not a common combination. So Nina having feelings for Lelouch was totally within the realm of possibility, it was just odd.
But that led back to Lelouch and his commitment issues. The whole thing just didn't make much sense to her, and she was about to call them on it and figure out what they were really doing for the past several hours since the two of them had disappeared. While she normally wouldn't pry too much into their personal lives, the fact that they had lied about it rather miffed her so she was going to worm the truth out of them if it took her all night.
That was what she had been prepared to do, right up until the moment Nina kissed Lelouch.
After a reunion with Nunnally that had been positively heartwarming, Euphemia had somehow managed to strong-arm Lelouch into showing her his room. Of course he hadn't really wanted to for the simple reason that C.C. shared his living space, but after the racket he'd made on his way to the door the witch would probably have realized that hiding herself would be best.
Where in the world she hid, he had no idea, but she'd managed to keep herself hidden from Anya back when the girl had come to wake him up. So Lelouch assumed that she would be able to find somewhere to hide since he'd given her ample warning.
Thankfully, when they had arrived in his room C.C. was nowhere to be seen. At least something went right on the first try today.
This led to the current situation, with Euphemia casually sitting on his bed as he leaned back in his desk chair.
"So." Euphemia began with a mischievous little smile, kicking her legs back and forth playfully. "Was she a better kisser than me?"
Lelouch replied in the easiest possible manner; the truth. "No, she wasn't. Truthfully? I believe that was her first kiss." He was still immensely surprised that Nina had actually kissed him. Really, that was not what he had expected in the slightest from that little incident.
When Nina had given herself away with that little tell of hers, he'd been prepared to claim the whole incident was a joke to see Milly's reaction and then work something else out from there in an attempt to salvage the floundering control he had over the situation. The only alternative would've been giving Milly definitive proof that they were involved with one another, which wasn't possible considering they simply weren't.
He had been entirely unwilling to take the liberties required to falsify evidence of their romantic involvement. Perhaps if it had been anyone but Nina, he may have considered it... but frankly, Lelouch was still too concerned about her mental state to even think about such a thing. From what he'd gathered, she was showing enough signs of sexual abuse that there was no way he would have taken any action of the sort without her complete consent.
The decision, however, had been taken out of his hands as she had made the move instead. The kiss had been short but sweet, and Nina had quickly left without another word after.
If he had been able to see her face, Lelouch was quite certain the vibrancy of Nina's blush would have put Kallen's hair to shame. That was the single boldest action Nina had ever taken in regards to her interactions with him in any setting.
Euphemia blinked in surprise at that statement, lightly bouncing on the bed as she asked her next question. "You mean you two hadn't kissed before? How long have you been dating?" The princess had decided upon interest rather than disappointment, and it showed in her line of questioning. She was curious about this girl who had apparently won her brother's interest. From her brief interactions with the girl, it was fairly obvious she was the shy type. 'Of course he would have a thing for shy girls...' She huffed mentally. Shy was just about the furthest thing from her own personality.
"Our first date was today." He replied with a slight shrug. "She and I have known one another for years." Ever since he had begun attending Ashford Academy as a student. "We've had to work through the night together several times to sort out various messes that have cropped up, and so the two of us got to know one another better." Which was true. It was thanks to those all nighters that he and Nina had grown close, it was a sort of bonding time for them.
Though it was more of a friendship building bond, rather than anything romantic.
Euphemia pouted, giving him a petulant glare as she muttered. "I should have figured you had a thing for shy girls. Looking back at how you acted around Anya it's all starting to make sense." She lightly beat her fist on the bed, before huffing and crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.
It was now Lelouch's turn to blink in surprise. "... what about how I acted around Anya?" He wondered aloud, confusion evident in his tone. Did he really act any different around Anya compared to his sisters?
Oh, wait. Anya never actively tried to get his attention like Nunnally and Euphie had. So while those two were arguing over who would wed him, he'd usually sat off to the side with Anya and watched the events unfold. Perhaps that was what she was on about? Well, either way it worked to his needs. He hadn't even tried to mislead her on that one, it was all her own thoughts on the matter.
Though Anya was anything but shy after all these years. Really, the word did not suit her at all at this point.
"As if you don't know." It really was unfair just how adorable Euphie looked when she was riled up. Honestly, all he wanted to do when she got like this was come over and hug her because she just looked too damn cute. Her cheeks puffed out, that pretty face of hers scrunched up into her best imitation of a glare, arms crossed in front of her. Lelouch's willpower was being put to the test as he attempted to resist the urge to chuckle and hug her tightly.
Managing, just barely, to hold in his laughter, Lelouch spoke. "No, I really don't know. Is this about how Anya and I sat off to the side when you and Nunnally got into your little spats about who was going to marry me?" Because once again; Anya was not involved in those incidents at all. As such, when he needed to converse with someone about the absurdity of said incidents, she was the prime candidate.
It was especially so when Carine was there, because these arguments were even more absurd when she entered them. If only for the fact that there were now three young girls arguing over who would have his hand in marriage, rather than two, and all of them were related to him.
The adults seemed to find it hilarious. His mother in particular seemed entirely enthused by the whole ordeal, something that he'd simply chalked up to her own mischievous nature. Because honestly, for both he and Nunnally to have been as wild as they were as children, there must have been something in their genes. And Lelouch highly doubted his playful nature or Nunnally's penchant for mischief were qualities passed down from Charles zi Britannia.
Euphemia blushed at being called out on that, before returning to her huffy posture and pretending that she hadn't just had her point shot down. She then promptly stuck her tongue out at him.
This was the straw that broke the camel's back, for Lelouch. He could no longer hold in the chuckles, before standing from his chair and pulling Euphemia into a hug. "I really missed you, you know?" He said as the girl squeaked in surprise from the sudden action.
Her own features melted from the grouchy facade into a warm, loving smile. "At least you knew I was alive, meanie." She joked, poking him in the chest as she leaned into the embrace.
"So sorry for not sending a letter to the palace, marked "For Euphemia's eyes only.", detailing how I had survived the war." Lelouch replied in his own joking tone, basking in the warmth of his sister's embrace.
Of all the people to have found him, Lelouch was glad it had been her. He couldn't be sure how everyone else had changed; Clovis and Cornelia were prime examples of this.
But Euphemia? There was no doubt in his mind that she was just the same as she had been before, only older and perhaps a bit less naive about the matters of the real world. She was pure in a way that Clovis, Cornelia, and Schneizel simply could not be.
Clovis had been knee deep in the world of politics, things like that almost guaranteed a few skeletons in the closet. Shinjuku was a glaring example of that.
Cornelia? She had just tried to purge an entire ghetto in order to lure Zero out of hiding. As though the lives of the civilians in Saitama meant nothing. Lelouch was now immensely thankful for his decision to keep Euphemia from telling her sister about his survival. He wasn't sure he would be able to keep from glaring at Cornelia should he see her right now.
Clovis had ordered a purge as a reaction to an immortal woman with the ability to grant supernatural powers falling into enemy hands. While he in no way approved of the decision or the captivity of the woman in general, Lelouch would at least admit that Clovis fair reason for his massacre. The knowledge and power of someone like C.C. would be a world changing weapon if harnessed properly, and so while he could not forgive his brother, Lelouch at least understood he had his reasons.
However, unlike what he had assured Ohgi the other day, Cornelia was simply impatient. She had wanted results in the quickest, most efficient manner. And so rather than allowing a leak for one of her smaller operations to wipe out terrorism, which risked Zero not showing up, she had instead set up the purge of an entire ghetto in a manner that Zero simply could not ignore.
Media coverage of the event had been heavily censored. The media had been assured that the only ones in Saitama were terrorists or those who collaborated directly with them. As such, the masses saw the entire event as Cornelia li Britannia leading a heroic assault against a bastion of terrorism, only to be challenged by the masked villain Zero and his rag-tag army of terrorists.
As such, the number of people who realized just how utterly horrifying the operation today had been were limited to those who were already standing against her.
Say what you will about Britannian media, but they were damnably good at hiding the truth they were supposed to expose.
His thoughts were cut off by a little sigh coming from Euphemia, who seemed to be thinking fairly hard about something. "Is something on your mind?" Lelouch asked curiously.
"Yes, I do have something on my mind right now..." She mumbled playfully, before looking up into his eyes. "Do you think your girlfriend would be willing to share?" In sharp contrast to her previous tone, this question was asked with the utmost seriousness.
After a moment of stupefied silence, Lelouch realized he had absolutely nothing to say to that.
"Sooooo much paperwork..." Rivalz groaned in annoyance as the Student Council waded once more through the swamp known as paperwork.
The reason for this being, quite simply, that Milly hadn't been entirely truthful about the paperwork having been nearly finished.
Her exact words had been "Most of the paperwork is done." When she had said this, Lelouch had expected her to have meant that they had gone through about eighty percent or more of it. In reality, they had completed nearly sixty percent. Just a little bit over half.
Lelouch was not pleased. At all. However, today the council had made significant progress. As of now, only he and Kallen still had their share of papers to go over. The others were either done or on their last few minutes worth of work.
This was somewhat bizarre because Kallen was usually one of the most diligent, but according to the girl her illness was acting up a bit and it was slowing her down somewhat.
Despite the assurances from Milly that she could take a break or let Lelouch handle the work, something which she hadn't bothered to ask the prince himself about by the way, Kallen just continued slowly making her way through her share of the work.
The vice president of the Student Council had been given the largest pile of paperwork as per the norm. As such, this had left the other members of the council with nothing else to do as they had finished their share.
Shirley, upon finishing her own share of the work, spoke up. "Kallen, I can take half of your stack if you'd like." Really, Shirley was such a sweet girl. If she could help anyone in any way, she would do so. It was a positive trait that one rarely saw in this day and age, though it made the girl come off as somewhat naive.
"No, it's fine." Kallen mumbled gently, smiling back towards the orangette. "I wouldn't feel right if I didn't at least do my share of the workload. It'll just... take me a bit longer." Somewhat more than a bit, actually. The redhead had only finished about half of her own stack of paperwork.
Which was practically a third of the size of Lelouch's own mountain, which he was halfway through as well.
"Eh." Rivalz cut in with a shrug. "I gotta go take care of some stuff for work now that I'm done with this, so I'll catch'ya all later!" With that, he promptly got up and walked out of the room with a wave. It may not be apparent at times, but Rivalz was the only one of them with an actual job. Part time or no, it was an actual job at a rather nice place. The thought was always a little jarring when one considered just how Rivalz normally acted.
Seemingly realizing something important due to his departure, Shirley suddenly gasped. "Oh no! I told Sophie I would go shopping with her today!" Such a sweetheart, but a completely scatterbrained sweetheart. "I've got to go!" And without another word and a hasty wave over her shoulder, Shirley ran out of the room in order to get ready for the promised shopping trip with her roommate.
Said shopping trip would probably end up with her being talked into posing in lingerie for Sophie's amusement, because as mentioned Shirley was incredibly naive and never really seemed to consider said roommate was an open lesbian and was ogling her. Perhaps she was simply too used to Milly's antics to fully realize it, or perhaps she knew but didn't particularly mind since there was no groping involved unlike Milly's own brand of teasing.
The blonde herself shrugged her own shoulders with a dramatic sigh, glancing lazily over the remaining members of the council. "Well. Sorry to join the crowd, but I've got to go finalize the induction to the Student Council for our newest members." She announced, turning on a heel to go do just that.
"Members?" Lelouch asked suspiciously, stopping her for the moment. "As in plural. Who other than Suzaku have you managed to recruit?" While the requirements for joining the student council weren't terribly steep from an academic point of view, the final decision belonged to Milly and she was very picky about just who she let into their little club. While Suzaku had been recommended by him, Milly also just seemed to genuinely like him so that had helped things along.
"Oh, I didn't tell you?" The look on her face did not bode well for Lelouch. It was her devious smile. The one she used whenever she had done something that would annoy him in some fashion or another. "We just so happened to have been sent a rather interesting student recently, you know? Someone who fulfills all the conditions set for membership in the council." And by all conditions, she meant mainly the ones she herself had set forth. This being; entertaining to have around, capable of annoying Lelouch in some fashion or another, and fun to mess with in some way. This particular student lacked in the third department, but she made up for it in spades in the first two.
Lelouch just gave her a deadpan look, before shaking his head. "This is going to end poorly, you know." It wasn't that he didn't want to have Anya around, oh no. But there was one thing about her that was going to be a major headache for him.
Anya, whenever she was around him, had made a habit of getting as close to him as she deemed socially acceptable. This, of course, meant that sitting in his lap was not out of the question, because Anya had no idea what the phrase "socially acceptable" meant. This was going to annoy Shirley immensely, Rivalz would constantly tease him about it, Milly herself was going to intentionally give Anya ideas that the girl with her lacking common sense would take to heart...
Coming up with an explanation for her rather affectionate behavior was going to be annoying. Keeping her from doing things Milly suggested was going to be worse.
Milly herself seemed to realize exactly what kind of issues she was going to be causing, and delighted in it. It had been her own personal decision to keep from informing Lelouch of Anya's enrollment, simply because Milly Ashford had far more information about certain people than anyone would ever have guessed. All of the research on nobles she had done to keep from being wed off had eventually given her a new hobby in the form of finding out anything she could about any nobility she could realistically come to meet. After learning the things she had about Anya Alstreim, Milly could honestly say there was next to no chance for the girl to turn Lelouch in.
Information over the internet was a wonderful resource, so long as you could actually pick out what was true and what wasn't. The Ashford heiress was skilled in this practice, and had been able to put together from her research that Anya seemed somewhat obsessed with a single picture on her phone. And of course, that picture was of none other than Lelouch vi Britannia.
Realistically speaking, there was always the chance that this could have backfired and blown up in her face. However, Milly had known Anya as a child. That knowledge combined with what she had gleaned from her thorough research, which was far more in depth than just her seeming obsession with a picture on her phone, compounded into her certainty that Anya Alstreim was not a threat to the identity of Lelouch vi Britannia.
And lo and behold, she had been correct. Anya and Lelouch had been reunited and Lelouch wasn't frantic about the situation, so her confidence was not misplaced. "It'll be fine, Lelouch. What's the worst that could happen?" Milly was honestly excited to find out.
"I have no idea." Lelouch grouched back at her with a glare. "And that's the most worrisome part."
Another shrug. "Either way, it's gonna happen." She smiled impishly at him. "Now! Off I go." With those final words and a grandiose wave from her, Milly was gone.
This left Lelouch, Nina, and Kallen in the room.
It also caused a rather sudden shift in the atmosphere the very moment the door clicked shut.
Kallen, who had been slouched previously due to her sick act, had straightened her posture and was now glaring rather harshly at the sole remaining male in the room.
"A-ah, K-Kallen..." Nina stuttered out nervously, unknowing that Lelouch himself would be aware of her real personality, and surprised at the sudden shift in demeanor.
Kallen, however, ignored the rather weak protest from the green haired girl. "So Lelouch." She spat out in annoyance, standing from her seat in order to lean over the table threateningly. "Got somethin' you'd like to tell me about?" Her expression at the moment would have been intimidating to just about any normal person she could encounter.
However, Lelouch was far from ordinary. His response was just as even and cool as he ever was. He gently placed a finger on his chin in a feigned gesture of thought, before replying with an innocent smile. "No, I don't believe there is."
With that said, it was time once more to poke the beehive that is Kouzuki Kallen. Playing with fire had no right to be this amusing. Poor Nina didn't seem to quite understand the situation, however, and was nervously chewing on her bottom lip as things appeared to spiral out of control.
And boy did it seem to spiral out of control, as Kallen quickly lunged over the table, strewing paperwork everywhere in the process, to grab Lelouch by his collar. Managing to do so, she began holding her fist back threateningly. "Alright." She growled, cracking the knuckles of her free hand. "I'm gonna ask you some questions now, and if you don't answer them truthfully, without any of your usual little games, I'm gonna knock your damn block off. Got it?"
Kallen was not in the mood for any of his usual shit. Right now, she wanted to know one thing and one thing only. And this fucker was going to tell her, and he was going to be honest about it. If he tried to bullshit her she was going to knock him out, slap him back awake, and repeat the goddamn process until he gave her a straight answer.
Nina was, at this point, close to hyperventilating.
Seeing the rather negative reaction, Lelouch decided that fun time had been prematurely ended. Nina didn't realize just how much of a game this really was to him, and it was best to simply stop playing if she was so uncomfortable with it. Perhaps the girl was legitimately afraid he would be hurt?
Damn, that was unfortunate. And here he had been so excited to start another verbal spar with Kallen. Well, either way, it was best to just get this whole mess settled in the quickest way possible so he could take care of Nina's nervousness. Lelouch supposed that there would be other times to get into it with his favorite redheaded rebel.
"Kallen." He spoke in a dull, almost bored, tone, giving the girl a dry look. "I'm going to ask you to release me now." First and foremost; ask politely.
This did not go over well with the redhead. "Not until I hear what I want to know." She snarled, giving him a slight shake. "I want some goddamn answers Lelouch! I know you're involved in this whole fucking thing, and I want to know just how involved you are." There was just no realistic way for Nina Einstein, a shy Britannian schoolgirl, to have come across Zero. It simply did not make any sense that she could have run into Zero, someone fighting against the nation she called home. Or so she had thought until Zero himself had confirmed his Britannian heritage. After that, a plausible explanation formed in her mind.
The only issue was that the object of her suspicions had already proven his lack of involvement. Unless he'd falsified the evidence himself, and that was a distinct possibility considering how intelligent Zero was, and how crafty Lelouch Lamperouge had proven to be.
So now she was going to get him where he couldn't threaten her with her own knife, couldn't strangle her, and had no element of surprise. She was completely ready for anything this fucker could do. One sudden movement and she would break his nose.
Of course this only applied if he moved towards her, as he proved by leaning back forcefully with the same deadpan look he'd been giving her since her last statement, dragging her along with him as he grabbed her arm. Since he had moved backwards so quickly, the punch she had thrown missed by an inch and served to do nothing more than unbalance her enough to allow him an opportunity to grab said arm.
This left Kallen halfway on the table, one arm in Lelouch's grasp as the boy stood over her with the cold metal of a knife held to her wrist. "Right." He spoke briskly, as though the entire incident hadn't bothered him in the slightest. "So, this worked just about as well as the last time you tried to get rough with me." Seeing her glare up at him, a bright shade of red tinting her cheeks, he could clearly tell she remembered the previous incident. "Anyway. Much like then, I'll let you go now as you seem to realize just how poor of a decision this was." Really, that had been a completely ill-thought out attempt at threatening him. She had been far too impatient if she was looking for openings to take advantage of.
Kallen thought to herself that she should really have expected this guy to have his own weapons on him, even in school. She kept her own knife on her at all times, so why hadn't she considered that he was also likely armed? The girl belatedly realized it had been due to her impatience and anger, which had spurred her into making a very poor choice. 'I really do need to keep my temper in check when dealing with this guy...' If she'd actually thought that one out more, she would've waited for a better opportunity to grab him.
Perhaps the most obnoxious part of this situation was that once again, her life had been in the hands of this guy. The supposed wimpy vice president of the Student Council. He was famous for being a total pretty boy and completely incapable of anything even resembling physical labor, and yet this was the second time he had managed to get an advantage on her.
There was just something about that which pissed her off immensely.
Lelouch released her arm, and Kallen slipped back into her seat with a growl. Now that he knew she was looking for an opening, there was no way she would get one. That only left talking, and Kallen wasn't really certain she liked talking to Lelouch Lamperouge.
Said boy was now twirling the knife around his finger. It was clearly made for throwing, which was very bad considering there was no way a guy like Lelouch would be carrying those for self defense if he wasn't completely confident in using them. So in addition to being quick to react, he could throw knives too. Whatever level of proficiency he had in that particular skill was unknown to her as of now, but that just left her worrying over how hard it would be for him to nail her with one of those damn things.
"So, I assume you're still accusing me of being Zero despite the little heart-to-heart we had in the showers, yes?" And at that point any worry she had over the unknown skill he'd implied having was gone. Now she was torn between humiliation and anger and neither of those things allowed too much room for worries of that sort.
"Shut the hell up about that you pervert!" She shouted, slamming a fist on the table and disorganizing the paperwork even more. "Every goddamn time I get you alone for five fucking minutes, you bring that up!" The bastard was doing it to provoke this reaction, and so she'd gotten used to ignoring those little shots, but now it was different because Nina was there and she heard it this time.
Nina herself was confused, and blushing from the implications of Lelouch's last statement. This entire situation had shifted so many times that her head was spinning. First it had been completely normal when everyone else had been there, but once they left Kallen had immediately become aggressive towards Lelouch... who had then turned the tables on her thoroughly, before the room descended back into some sort of civility. "W-what... is g-going on?" She mumbled to herself, holding her head with her hands. This was just too confusing for her.
Kallen spoke up, still glaring balefully at Lelouch. "I want to know whether or not he's Zero. And I want the fucking truth Lelouch! I know you could have faked that call from before to throw me off, so don't try and bring that up either. ANY of that, you hear me?" Especially the parts where she had been naked. Bringing those parts up was going to get him killed.
"Oh, is that all?" Lelouch replied playfully. "You could have just asked, you know? Instead of trying to threaten me again?" He honestly preferred it this way, though. Perhaps there was something wrong with him, but this was the most fun he'd had all day.
"Lelouch..." At this point Kallen was practically snarling, hands clenching and unclenching as she tried her very best to keep from lunging over the table and pummeling him. "Enough of the fucking games. Are you or are you not?" This was pissing her off more than holding an hour long conversation with Tamaki. There was not a single person Kallen had met who had the ability to annoy her as much as this guy.
Lelouch shrugged, as though this wasn't a big deal. "That depends on just how much you want to know."
"I want to know everything damnit!" She shouted at him, raising from her chair. "So drop the fucking games, and just fucking tell me you bastard!"
Once more, the atmosphere of the room changed. Lelouch, who had been smiling and playing around, was now deadly serious. "Do you really mean that Kallen?" His voice was cold and sharp as the knife he'd threatened her with earlier. "Rest assured, if you want to know everything... I will gladly tell you, but I cannot guarantee you will like what I have to say."
Kallen was not the kind of person to hesitate. "I want to know everything." She repeated her earlier statement in a much firmer, solemn tone. Whatever he was going to tell them, it was clear that this was no longer playtime for him. Kallen knew him well enough that when he got like this, it was completely serious. This was the Lelouch she could actually put up with.
Rather than continue addressing her, Lelouch turned to the silent Nina with a small, gentle smile. "Much of what I have to say will be old news to you, Nina, however I do still have some secrets I've kept hidden. This is as much your decision as it is Kallen's, I feel both of you deserve to know if you intend to continue on your paths. However..." He paused, looking over the two of them. "Some things I will tell you could shake the foundations of your beliefs, you know? I can't guarantee you'll accept what I have to say, but rest assured I will tell no lies nor will I mislead you with partial truths. Everything I will tell you, should you wish to know, is the real, entire, uncensored truth. With that in mind, even knowing these things, do the two of you still wish to know everything?" It was time to take the largest risk he had ever taken in regards to his future.
Even when he had stood before Charles zi Britannia and renounced his claim to the throne paled in comparison to this. Lelouch honestly intended to let them know everything about his motivations, about his means, about the events that had created the persona of Zero. When he had said everything, he truly meant everything. C.C., Geass, the merging of digimon and human, his heritage, the murder of his mother, the survival after the war, the incident in Shinjuku... each and every secret he had kept, Lelouch intended to reveal to these two right here and now.
Seeing the pair of nods, one firm and one gentle, Lelouch sighed and threw all of his cards on the table. "To answer your earlier question, Kallen... yes. I am Zero, the man who intends to topple Britannia and liberate those who are oppressed. You might be asking yourself "Why in the world would some random student be willing to fight his own nation?", correct?" Without allowing a response, Lelouch continued. "But I did say I would tell you everything, did I not?" And with that, he launched into an explanation of events, straight from the very beginning.
"Lamperouge is my mother's maiden name, and it was not the name I received at birth. For the first ten years of my life, I was known as Lelouch vi Britannia."
"You've made some very strange decisions recently, you know." C.C. noted dryly from his bed, after being informed of the incident in the council room.
This boy was so utterly confusing. She had expected that someone who had led a life like his would be cold, callous, secretive, and selfish, with a soft spot only for his little sister. He'd been sent to live in exile after an incident that had kill his mother and crippled his sister, effectively being thrown away like trash by his father. That should have left some significant mental scars, but aside from the lingering anger there seemed to be nothing to support that idea.
After that, the life he'd built for himself in Japan had been ruined by the same people who had thrown him there in the first place, and he'd been forced to trudge through a warzone with nothing but the clothes on his back, alongside the previously mentioned little sister and their friend. Said little sister was crippled and needed to be carried throughout it all.
And finally, he'd then lived in hiding for seven years. Living in a constant fear of being exposed by one single wrong move, and being forced back into the political warzone that was Britannian nobility.
So really, with a tragic history like that C.C. felt she was justified for expecting someone much more distant and detached.
It made much more sense than the enigma slouching in the desk chair before her.
"Yes, I have haven't I?" Lelouch replied with a sigh, before listing said decisions. "First with Anya, I revealed Keramon. I suppose this could be forgiven as the entire school was in danger, however it was a painful decision to make either way..." He'd potentially revealed one of his trump cards to Britannia. The possibility of Anya's partner learning the full digivolution line of Keramon from Suzaku's partner was fairly high. At that point Anya would know of his identity as Zero, and that would be yet another mess for him to deal with. "And now today, having given away all of my secrets at once..."
Nina and Kallen now knew everything. From his heritage to his motivations, and even his power.
Explaining Geass to them had been incredibly troublesome, as neither of the girls had believed it at first. He really didn't have any way to prove it to them either as he was entirely unwilling to use his power on Nina.
Telling Kallen that he'd already used it on her, and that the power only worked once on any given person, had mixed results. She had believed him after being shown the Geass itself, after all human eyes don't just suddenly glow or contain bizarre symbols. However, she had then proceeded to try and pummel him for using the power on her at any point until he had fully explained the circumstances and the command itself.
All while dodging her attacks on his person, for that matter.
Nina hadn't really thought he was lying in the first place; she trusted him too much to think he would lie about something so serious. However, it had just been such an unbelievable concept to her. It completely spit on scientific knowledge and common logic. People couldn't do the things he'd described, causing the complete subjugation of another human's will with nothing but a glance. But, eventually, she reasoned that if it came down to believing common logic or Lelouch, that she would believe him.
It was honestly one of the most flattering things he'd heard in a long while, that she had such complete trust in him.
"Do you believe it was really necessary to let them both know all that you told them?" C.C. asked curiously, lying on her stomach with her legs lightly kicking behind her. "If you had wanted to foster trust would it not have been good enough to let the redhead know your identity?" Just letting her know he was Zero should have given him a firm base of trust from Kallen, which could easily be built upon. And yet, he had gone and told the girl all about his Geass, about his heritage, and about her.
The immortal was torn between being miffed at him for revealing her existence, and being amused by the reactions the two girls had given upon being introduced to her. As per the norm, she had been wearing nothing but one of Lelouch's shirts, which had led to all sorts of amusing little accusations and misconceptions until they had gone on their way.
Though some of those accusations may be relevant sooner or later. She'd been considering making her move for a while now.
"I don't think it was necessary, really." Lelouch replied. "Rather, I feel like... I wanted to put my trust in someone." Secrets became a great burden after a while. The easiest way to lessen that burden would be to share it, and so he had. If he'd kept all of these things to himself, Lelouch was concerned it would come back to bite him one day far down the road.
Of course, this particular method also had it's fair share of risks. It risked fracturing the organization he was building before it even got off the ground, rather than long after. If Kallen couldn't be trusted with his secrets, it could destroy all trust in Zero from everyone else. If the entirety of the rebels under his command learned of his power to bend the wills of humans, so powerful that he could force a trained soldier to commit suicide with a smile, then there would be mass panic and hysteria among their ranks.
In short, his options were to keep secrets and risk losing the trust of his followers later on down the line, reveal himself to all of them and risk destroying everything before it got off the ground, or reveal everything to one of the most influential members of the group and risk them exposing him to the rest of the group.
Out of them all, the third was the only one with any real plausible benefit. Keeping his secrets up until he was forced to reveal them would not garner any benefit for him, while the risk involved in the second option was too high for the slim chance of gaining the complete trust of each and every person in the group.
Whereas the final option, allowing Kallen to learn of everything, gave him the trust of an influential individual who could assure the others in the group of his trustworthiness if it was ever called into question. However, it risked exposure as well. The risk was not high, but it was there.
A soft sigh came from C.C. as she considered his response. "You really are nothing like I expected, Lelouch." And that in and of itself was interesting. Even if it was starting to seem like this boy wouldn't be the one to grant her wish, she was content to simply remain by his side until the end. For the first time in a long time, C.C. went to sleep each night genuinely looking forward to the next day.
The immortal witch met his curious glance with a coy smile, before the boy simply rolled his eyes and continued to lounge about in his chair, idly petting the small form of Tsumemon.
Lelouch vi Britannia was the most interesting accomplice C.C. had taken in many, many years.
"It's good to see you again Suzaku!" A brightly smiling Kaguya spoke, sitting seiza across the table from her cousin.
A visit from Suzaku was very rare. While the two of them weren't feuding, the rest of the family had practically disowned him.
That was something that angered her a great deal. Family was family, no matter what choices they made in life. Suzaku was still her beloved cousin and there was no way that was going to change any time soon. He was far too kind to deserve the cold treatment he received, and so Kaguya refused to give it to him.
Kururugi Suzaku was always welcome with her, even if the two of them were on different sides of a war.
The boy in question smiled back at her, a genuinely warm smile that he hadn't gotten the chance to use often until lately. "You too, Kaguya. Have you been doing well?" Suzaku regretted being unable to visit her more often, but his station in the military had made doing so far too difficult for it to be any sort of regular thing. Being able to visit her on her birthday the last year was almost entirely luck, but the unadulterated joy she'd been radiating that day was unmistakable.
His new position, however, was much more lenient. Lloyd was not a very organized man, and as such schedules could change at the drop of a hat. When he'd asked for a day off, the man had been entirely willing to give it to him.
Or maybe that had something to do with Cecile pulling on his ear when he'd commented about "parts taking the day off."
Kaguya neglected to mention the most recent interesting event in her life as she answered his question. "Yes, I'm doing quite well for myself here. And you?"
"I'm moving up in the world, that's for sure." Suzaku replied with a laugh. "After the whole fiasco with Zero on the bridge, I ended up with a special branch of the military. Engineering corps." He made sure to neglect mentioning just whom he was working under, or the bulk of what he did. Kaguya would understand that there were just some things he couldn't tell her. "But the best part of this is that my schedule is going to be less cluttered, so I can drop by more often."
There was just something heartwarming about making Kaguya smile. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was the only family member of his he actually spoke to, and the only one who accepted his decision to join the military. Suzaku knew that she didn't agree with his decisions, but that just made it all the more special to him that it hadn't changed how she treated him.
"I'm glad to hear that, Suzaku." She really had been wanting to see him more often, especially after all that happened after the assassination of Prince Clovis. Kaguya had been terrified that night as he was paraded down that street, the thought that her cousin was going to be killed for something she knew he'd had no part in was horrible.
The Sumeragi heiress knew for a fact that Suzaku wouldn't have killed a prince. As much as she disapproved of his decision to join the Britannian military, she knew that it was done with no ulterior motive other than to help as many people as he could, regardless of race. It would have been admirable if he'd chosen any other organization to do it in.
But Kaguya knew there was no dissuading him from his course. Suzaku had always been stubborn to a fault, there was simply no chance anything she said to him would sway his decision. So she simply made it clear that she didn't agree, but would accept his choice.
He would always be welcome with her, no matter what mistakes he'd made, because Suzaku was still family. And family meant that no one got left behind.
Suddenly, Suzaku's expression changed. It was nothing malevolent, just that he seemed more serious now. "Kaguya, I've got something I need to tell you, but I'm not going to say a word if there are people listening in on our conversation."
She blinked. Did Suzaku honestly believe that she would have people monitoring these little chats of theirs? That was just one step away from insulting. If it wasn't for the recent string of events likely stressing him out, Kaguya would've had something snappy to say about that. "There's never anyone listening in on these private conversations, Suzaku. Do you think I distrust you enough that I'd have people watching over me when you're around?" As if she would even need bodyguards or anything of the sort when he was around.
Suzaku was practically worth her entire entourage.
It wasn't surprise that flooded his face, but relief. "I'm really happy to hear that." There had always been a lingering doubt that she really didn't like him as much as she'd claimed, that she didn't trust him. Hearing that those minor doubts were unfounded was one of the best things someone could have told him. Someone as weighed down with doubts as he was could always stand to have some removed.
"So, what were you going to tell me? I'm curious now." Very curious. That was the most serious look he'd ever had in one of their visits. When he spoke again, Kaguya quickly realized just why he'd become so serious all of a sudden.
"Lelouch and Nunnaly are alive." Keeping a secret was important, Suzaku knew, but Kaguya had absolutely adored the two of them. After their separation, Suzaku hadn't known what became of them, but things seemed grim. That had seriously hurt Kaguya, and even now he suspected that his cousin never quite got over it.
Knowing what he did now, Suzaku just could not keep this from her. He didn't know if Lelouch would understand or agree with his decisions, or if he would be angry with him for this, but there was no way he could hide something like this from Kaguya. After how well she had treated him throughout the years, despite the path he'd taken, how could he keep the knowledge that two of her favorite people were alive from her?
"W-what!?" Kaguya's eyes widened, her expression shifting to disbelief. They were alive? After all these years the two of them had survived? She and Suzaku had resources to fall back on, her more than him. But those two had lost just about everything when they'd been sent to Japan, so how had they managed to survive all this time? "You're completely sure?" The thought that he was lying never once crossed her mind, only that he could have been mistaken.
"I've talked to both of them, Kaguya. They're both alive and well." He frowned for a moment, before sighing. "But I can't just tell you where they are. The two of them are in hiding, and I've already given up one secret Lelouch asked me to keep. I told you because you deserved to know they were alive just as much as I did, but any more and I don't know if I could forgive myself." He'd broken a promise to his best friend already by doing this, but for Kaguya he would bear that guilt.
Her face fell somewhat, and Suzaku felt like someone had punched him in the gut, before she shook her head and smiled gently. "That's fine." She assured him earnestly. "Lelouch will already be mad at you for just this once you tell him." And there was no way her cousin was going to keep this from him, because Suzaku couldn't keep secrets to save his own life. If it was someone else at stake, he could probably take a secret with him to the grave and no one would be the wiser, but his own personal secrets almost never stayed secret for long. The only reason he had told her about Lelouch and Nunnally was because he knew she wouldn't be a danger to them at all.
Suzaku gulped. "I'm honestly scared he's going to kill me." He joked, making the motion of cutting his own throat accompanied by sound effects.
Making Kaguya smile was heartwarming, but making her laugh was even more so.
While Suzaku couldn't lie to save his life, Kaguya was much better at it than him. She hadn't been dishonest when she'd told him that she never had people monitoring their conversations.
However, this time there was someone listening in. It wasn't for anyone's safety or anything of the sort; the listener just happened to be too close not to hear the conversation.
"So that was your cousin, then?" A small voice called out from under the covers of her futon after the boy in question had left.
The speaker was a small creature shaped like a ball. The only distinctive feature other than their pale blue coloration would be the antenna atop their head, surrounded by smaller antenna. The larger one stuck directly up, whereas the smaller surrounded it and were more outward facing. If anything, the peculiar antenna resembled the effect of a drop of water splashing into a pool.
Kaguya couldn't help but think Moonmon was one of the most adorable things she had ever seen. "Yes, that was him. I was really surprised that he would drop by today, but it's a pleasant surprise." She was quite pleased to hear that her cousin would be dropping by more often. His previous schedule, from back when he was a private, was positively brutal. It was unfairly so as a matter of fact, but Kaguya was certain that Suzaku knew that.
She really did not understand his decision to join the Britannian military. If he had wanted so badly to save lives, then that was the last place to go. Britannia's military was not meant to protect; they were meant to conquer. There was simply no explanation for why he felt he could save lives within an organization built upon ruining them.
But, once again, she would accept his decisions. "I hope his new position keeps him out of combat." Kaguya mumbled worriedly.
Moonmon frowned. "I don't believe he was entirely truthful about his position." Seeing the curious glance from her benefactor, Moonmon explained further. "I've lived a long life, filled with a variety of different experiences. Many times, there have been those who sought to hide something without telling a lie. To do so, they would tell nothing but the truth... and yet, never the whole truth." These types were both the good and the bad. Sometimes the truth would be hidden for the sake of someone's wellbeing, and others it would be concealed to further their own agenda. She didn't believe that this boy was one of the latter, he seemed far too genuine for that.
"So, do you believe he will be involved in the fighting?" That was the most important question to Kaguya. Zero's arrival and the events that followed it had given everyone a start, and now many of them were wondering just what they needed to do. Should they reach out to this mysterious masked man, who had succeeded three times over whereas their own attempts were fruitless? Or should they simply try harder, as Britannia appeared to be slipping?
Many of the smaller organizations under Kyoto had learned the hard way that Zero's success was in no way due to Britannia's weakening.
"Truthfully, Kaguya, I've no idea whether or not your cousin's new position is intended for combat." Moonmon replied, pausing as she returned to her Rookie form, Lunamon. "However, something about him simply radiates a will to battle." That boy, Kururugi Suzaku, was a natural born warrior. Someone like that, Lunamon knew, needed to fight for something. It was simple an ingrained trait that demanded they improve themselves, face and overcome challenges that deterred others.
He reminded her of Apollomon. Lunamon was uncertain about her feelings on that realization, however.
There had been a time when she and Apollomon had been friends and comrades. It was a time long since passed, after the war that had torn their very species asunder. Now the two of them were all that remained.
Apollomon seemed convinced that she had intended for the war to begin, but that was far from the truth. Lunamon knew what had originally sparked the conflict that had spanned a century, however she had no part in it. The settlement that had been destroyed, which had kicked off the war, was just as beneficial to her nation as it was to his.
A third party was in play even from the beginning, but she had no evidence. And so, her old friend now sought her demise.
Either he would delete her, she would delete him, or both of them would be deleted in the conflict. To him, there was no longer any chance of reconciliation. No future existed in which they would make peace.
Lunamon was cut from her depressing thoughts as Kaguya spoke once more. "I don't want him to die." She mumbled sadly, before continuing. "But we've both chosen very different paths. He's off chasing a dream that makes no sense, to bring change from inside of Britannia for peace between everyone." Britannia would not be changed from the inside by the machinations of a Number. There was simply no system in place that would allow for Suzaku to greatly change Britannia as a whole.
If he wanted to advance in Britannia, he needed to follow their rules. If he wanted to change Britannia, he needed to break their rules.
"And I'm on the complete opposite side of the spectrum." Kaguya herself was a member of the Six Houses of Kyoto. The organization responsible for the continued funding and technological advancement of the rebel groups of Japan, the reason that the rebellion had remained so strong for so long. Under the guise of cooperation with Britannia, they had secured funds to further their own goals and free their nation.
This placed Kaguya quite firmly against her cousin in this war. She didn't like it in the slightest.
"If it helps ease your mind..." Lunamon spoke up gently, with a small smile. "I do not believe someone with such a powerful feeling about them would die easily, even in the midst of combat. Something about that boy simply radiates strength." As she had previously noted, that boy reminded her greatly of Apollomon.
The two of them would get along famously, she was certain.
Kaguya couldn't help but smile as well, giving a small nod. "Yes, you're right about that." Suzaku had always been strong, almost unnaturally so. Even as a child, he could stand on par with grown men easily. Only Tohdoh or another martial artist of his level could manhandle Suzaku, anyone on a level below that would be challenged or defeated. Her smile grew even further as she thought over the second piece of good news her cousin had delivered.
"They're alive..." For a moment, Kaguya felt as though she was going to cry. One of the most difficult things in her life had been realizing that she would never see Nunnally or Lelouch again. But now, knowing they were alive after so many years... nothing else could compare to the sheer joy she felt at that moment. This was the best news anyone had given her in seven years.
Seeing the concern on her newest friend's face, Kaguya gleefully elaborated. "The people Suzaku mentioned, Lelouch and Nunnally, were two of my oldest friends. I'd thought they were killed years ago during the war. But they're alive, and... I'm at a loss for words. I can't really describe just how happy I am right now because of it." She absolutely had to see them. But Suzaku had already made it clear that he wouldn't tell her just where the two of them were, and that was fine. She couldn't ask him to break a promise, and that he'd been willing to do so in the first place for her was something that left her grateful. Knowing now that they were alive, Kaguya wouldn't want to live another day thinking they were dead. The difference was simply immeasurable, as though a horrible weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
However, that did not mean that Kaguya herself would not be able to figure out where the two of them were. In truth, knowing that they were alive was enough information for her.
Where in the world would a crippled little girl and a young boy gather the resources to survive for seven years, without returning to their homeland? After a few moments of actual consideration, the answer made itself apparent.
Ashford Academy, one of the premier educational facilities in Area Eleven, and the school her darling cousin had recently been shanghaied into attending. Run by the Ashford family, who had lost most of their standing in Britannia after the death of Marianne vi Britannia.
Marianne vi Britannia just so happening to be the mother of Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia.
The pieces all fell into place.
"Ahem." Lunamon made a small cough to get the girl's attention. "Your... Lelouch, was it?" Pausing for an answer, Lunamon continued as the girl gave a curious nod. "Would he happen to have black hair, and violet eyes?" Seeing her benefactor's eyes widen in surprise, the digimon gestured for her to sit down. "I believe I've seen this friend of yours before... a very interesting sighting, if I say so myself." Immensely so considering the circumstances surrounding it.
Because if this Lelouch was the same boy she had come across, then Lunamon owed him her life.
Kaguya settled down on one of the cushions nearby, gazing at Lunamon with rapt interest. "I'm very curious to hear how you've come across Lelouch, if the only places you've been in this world are Shinjuku and my home."
Realistically speaking, there was only one place that Lunamon could have seen Lelouch. Kaguya was quite certain there was no point where he had been wandering about her home, and so that left only Shinjuku.
Which boded the question; what in the world could Lelouch have been doing in Shinjuku?
Today had not been a good day for her. First, she had been forced to deal with a conflict in an outlying territory or risk it spreading like wildfire into her own lands.
After a long, painful discussion with the two leaders of the smaller territories, a resolution had been worked out without violence. Chalk one up to the good guys. Yay.
Following that trying event, Dianamon had attempted to make her way back to her home to take a rest. The entire situation had been exhausting mentally, as she simply had no idea why violence had been needed in the first place to resolve that little conflict. After the two leaders of the smaller territories had actually shut up for ten minutes, she had been able to easily construct a method to resolve their petty issues with one another.
Of course, as though her day hadn't already been enough of a pain, she came across the absolute last person she had wanted to see. Close to the border as she had been at that time, it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume she could come across an Empire digimon, or a patrolling squad.
But it had just been her bad luck that of all the possible candidates for a random encounter, she'd ended up with Apollomon. And as per the norm, he was very angry with her.
This led to a very long and drawn out fight that left a few maps needing to be redrawn. By the end of it, however, it was clear that she had lost.
There could have been any number of reasons for her defeat there, but all that mattered was that Apollomon had managed to gain a massive advantage. While she hadn't been defeated quite yet, it was simply a matter of time at that point.
Apparently someone else felt her luck was simply too awful that day, and offered a chance at salvation; all of a sudden, she found herself and Apollomon hurtling through a bizarre tunnel of some sort of energy. Wherever this thing had come from, it's effects were obvious. Both Apollomon and herself found their forms weakening, slowly degenerating from Mega level down to Champion.
Dianamon had tried to fight the final degeneration, that which would leave her as Lunamon, but simply was not able to do so with her already faltering strength. Apollomon had succeeded in this endeavor.
After what seemed like an eternity, she had found herself in an unfamiliar environment. Large, dilapidated buildings dominated the skyline, rubble littered the pockmarked streets. A city. One that had seen conflict, judging by the state of the buildings themselves. No natural decay would destroy things in quite this way, there was simply something unnatural about the destruction. Lunamon further affirmed that thought as she spotted bullet holes in the walls.
Bullets weren't something many digimon had. Only certain species actually utilized firearms, and not all of those species used bullets for ammunition. That meant that she had either stumbled into a conflict between a bunch of Commandramon, or she had fallen into the human world.
Her musings had been cut off at the time by a furious snarl.
Instincts forced Lunamon into hiding before her mind even caught up. It was thanks to this that she was unseen as the berserk form of Firamon appeared.
Unseen, but not unnoticed. Firamon had managed to detect her, and promptly destroyed her hiding place.
For around ten minutes, Lunamon managed to evade the berserk champion. This was not without it's damages. By the time these ten minutes were up, she had been struck many times, and at this point she could barely walk.
Once again hidden behind rubble, Lunamon reaffirmed to herself that today had not been a good day. She lie hidden beneath the shattered remains of a small building, stones hiding her form from sight. Thankfully her hunter was no longer capable of conscious thought, else he would have realized just what kind of mistake it was to throw around so much fire.
Firamon was incapable of detecting her scent through the all encompassing stench of burning rock. It was only a matter of time, however, before he stumbled upon her final hiding place just outside of the fog that had engulfed their battlefield.
But for a second time that day, it seemed as though someone agreed that her luck was simply too awful.
She heard a voice. "It's been about ten minutes since you first felt the field, let's hope whatever popped up wasn't too dangerous to it's surroundings..." If they were concerned about damages to the rundown city, they wouldn't need to worry much. Other than the immediate area being bathed in flames, no real lasting damage had been done. Good thing this hadn't been a forest.
"Shit. Keramon, now is the time." Lunamon had managed to peek out just in time to see the speaker, a human boy with dark hair and violet eyes, hold up a digivice.
A human with one of the ancient artifacts, the true digivice. And their partner was a Keramon. A species long since thought extinct, but there was one right before her. The two of them hadn't noticed the small figure of Lunamon, however, and so she had simply retreated back to her hiding place. But the Rookie cleared a small area of the rubble quietly, managing to make herself a tiny little viewpoint.
"Digivolution."
They both disappeared. The human and the digimon both disappeared in a flash of light, before a single figure emerged.
Infermon. A terrifying Ultimate level digimon, some of which had the strength to match Megas. However, this one seemed weaker. It didn't appear to be an ultimate at all.
In the long life she had lived, Dianamon had become adept at reading the relative strength of an individual. This Infermon simply lacked the intimidating presence of an Ultimate digimon, it felt more like a Champion. A very powerful Champion, however.
Certainly enough to handle the berserk Firamon she had been avoiding.
After a few minutes, it appeared as though her intuition was correct. She no longer felt the dangerous aura of Firamon, though she was certain he had not been deleted.
No battle to the death with that fool would end so quickly in his defeat. His mind had likely returned to him and he'd made an escape to gather his wits.
Flashing light caught her attention, drawing her gaze once more to the digimon and human pair. "For one of those Olympians, this Firamon wasn't terribly strong."
Lunamon agreed. The berserk state he'd been in had hampered his combat capabilities significantly. Had she actually been able to reach Champion at the moment it would have been no issue to defeat her so called nemesis.
The Keramon went on to explain just how such a sorry excuse for a Champion had actually been a powerful Mega, but Lunamon was simply too distracted to catch all of what he said.
There was a living, breathing Keramon not twenty feet from her. That was simply a novelty she couldn't get over. Unless the human world had become a secret refuge for that particular line of digimon, it was quite likely she was looking at the last Keramon in existence.
A creature like her, and like her old friend. Someone who was alone in the world.
Alone, yet not alone. This Keramon had a partner, one of the Digidestined.
Not much was truly known about the Digidestined Prophecy. It was simply accepted that the humans dubbed as Digidestined could take their partner digimon to new heights of power, and bring about change the likes of which neither world had seen.
Up until this point, Lunamon had been skeptical of their existence. But things simply meshed too well for her to deny it any further.
One thing she had caught from the Keramon's dialogue, however. A name.
Lelouch.
Lunamon took a small breath after the conclusion of her story, having relived the memories quite vividly within her own mind.
That day, she had come closer to deletion than ever before.
"At any rate." She spoke, seeing her benefactor's face light up in realization. "You know just what this implies, correct?"
Lunamon herself had seen Lelouch, this old friend of Kaguya's. Said friend had a digital partner, which was surprising enough. However, that digital partner came from a species that had been hunted to extinction, or so it had been assumed. And the most recent news of conflict, the failed purge of Saitama, it had been made clear that Zero had intervened to save the rebels.
That same battle became the debut of the mysterious digimon that had taken their side, standing against Britannia. But for Lunamon, there was no mystery to that digimon's identity. It was an Infermon.
Just like the digimon that had unwittingly saved her life in Shinjuku, the one who had been partnered with that boy. Lelouch.
Kaguya blinked briefly as the thoughts settled in her mind.
After a full minute of blank faced thought, a smile broke out on Kaguya's face.
Soon, the smile widened until the grin threatened to split her face. And then she began giggling.
"Oh, I just love that boy!" Kaguya shouted gleefully, falling back onto her futon in her fits of laughter. "I knew he was the right one!"
She'd never really gotten over that crush on the pretty foreigner. After seven years to grow, Kaguya was certain he would be even more attractive. He'd always been such a treat to be around, as well. Between the sarcastic wit, the plainly visible intellect, and the adorable way he melted around his little sister, Lelouch vi Britannia had quickly become one of Kaguya's favorite people.
Excluding family, Kaguya could plainly say that Lelouch had been the person she liked the most. Nunnally trailed right behind him.
And now Lelouch had gone and become Zero, the man who had killed a prince in retribution for a massacre. The man who had saved her cousin from being executed for the act of killing said prince, and the same man who had gone on to prevent another massacre, risking his life to do so.
Lunamon, for her part, was only somewhat surprised by the rather sudden fits her new friend had been put into.
Honestly, what kind of ridiculous coincidence was it that someone from her benefactor's childhood would go on to become not only a Digidestined, but the partner to one of the rarest digimon in existence... and also end up as a masked freedom fighter supporting her conquered homeland?
The odds of these events were just plain astronomical.
It really was beginning to seem like the most unlikely events were becoming commonplace.
AN:
Right. So I covered just about everything I felt I had to up at the top, but I figure this is a good place to say hi.
So. Yeah. Hi.
Anyway. This chapter has been a whole buncha' talking, amirite? Next chapter is gonna have more action, and we're moving towards one of the plot points of the Code Geass canon.
And hoo boy is that one going to be fun. Really, that party is going to be sick when I actually get around to writing it.
... in case anyone hasn't caught on, it's going to be the debut of the Black Knights. And I've got plans, oh yeah do I have plans.
So! If there's any spelling errors and whatnot in this chapter I suppose I'll try to fix them, but I ain't too concerned. There shouldn't be too many.
I hope.