(A/N: Wow, it's been a long time hasn't it? Uhhhh, lots of things have happened since the last time I updated so let me just explain. Production of this series is a low priority. My new long runner Fairy Without Wings is going to be my main fanfic what with Soul Chess completed, but I'll return to this fic every so often to update it. I have the notes necessary to complete up through chapter 6. After that's done, I'll be working on other projects as I build the outline necessary for this fic. However, if you'd like to see what I'm up to all the time follow me on twitter at draconichero19 or deviantART at draconichero18. Because of this website's rules and the way it's set up I can't just go posting notes or journals about why I haven't updated so sorry for everyone who wanted moar. The time for talk is over. Let us continue).
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass
Lelouch stood in front of Euphie wondering what he should do. Geass? Run for it? A sucker punch? Well, maybe not that last one- but he had to do something before…
"Lelouch!" Euphie cried, as she ran over to her big brother and gave him a big hug.
Too late.
"It is you, isn't it?" Euphie asked as she poked and prodded at Lelouch's face. She wanted to believe it was him. People said he was dead, but seeing Lelouch right in front of her, there could be no doubt for Euphie. Her older brother was alive, alive and well.
"All right, all right," Lelouch said, trying not to laugh at all the prodding, "It's me. Calm down, Euphemia."
"Oh my gosh, how are you alive? What are you doing here? How did—"
Lelouch calmly put his hand over Euphie's mouth, and rushed her into a nearby empty conference room. He let go of his sister and, scratching his head and sounding somewhat embarrassed, he began to explain.
"You weren't supposed to find out this soon."
"It was supposed to be a surprise?" Euphie asked, confused.
"Um, yes," Lelouch answered, afraid to give details.
"How did you survive? Everyone back home said you were dead."
"The details do not matter," Lelouch said calmly, with a serious look. There was something about him, Euphie noticed. Lelouch appeared to have an uneasiness beneath his calm composure, as if nobody could be trusted, including her. But did that really matter? "The fact of the matter remains is that I am alive."
"But if you were alive, why didn't you try to contact us for help?" Euphie asked. "Lelouch, we love you, we always did."
"I thought Nunnally and I stood alone," Lelouch said solemnly. "We were abandoned and cast out. The bombing was like a symbol of our ties being severed to the family; that's how I chose to look at it. Father didn't care that he went to war with a country where his children were. He then dropped bombs near the very villa he knew they were being kept. And then he fed all of you lies that we were dead. Lies and deceit," he sneered, "the two things upon which the very foundation of Britannia is built."
Euphie shook her head. "I don't know about lies and deceit or anything like that," she said softly, "But I do know that Cornelia tried to save you. When we heard the news that you and Nunnally had died it was a mighty blow to us all. My sister came home, unwilling to talk about the war. She was in tears. For weeks on end she was irritable and irrational. And once that passed, the two of us cried for you. And it wasn't just the two of us affected by your loss. Schneizel had some of his servants make a private grave site for you and Nunnally. We all paid our respects."
"So I was missed. What of it?" Lelouch asked bitterly. "My mother wasn't loved by the people. When she died, the turnout for her burial was abysmal. So I made an impression and left everyone sad? I'm overjoyed." Lelouch said sarcastically. Realizing that he had let his voice rise, almost but not quite shouting, he took a deep breath. He then said, "And yet, not a lot of that matters anymore."
Euphie was the last person he would expect to tell an untruth. He might not have believed Cornelia completely about her trying to save him, really being concerned for him, but hearing it come from Euphie's mouth made it seem... plausible. He lost himself in thought, just briefly, and began wondering if perhaps he should have, or could have done something to remain in Britannia. Would his life have turned out much happier? His mother's death had shattered his outlook on life, made him realize just how little he could take for granted and how cruel his father could be. Still, the best way to have the opportunity to sink a knife in your target was to get as close to them as possible. Maybe there were merits to Cornelia's actions after all. Lelouch of Britannia, the eleventh prince thought and smirked, I suppose I could have done more damage from the inside had I tried, but that is not here or there anymore.
His mind returning to the present, he found that Euphie was hugging him gently, her head upon his shoulder. She wasn't saying anything. She was just giving him a gentle, warm hug for no reason at all, except to perhaps cheer him up. Lelouch smiled inwardly. It was comforting to know that even with all of the bitterness and hatred going on in Britannia, his naïve, selfless, gentle sister Euphemia li Britannia hadn't changed at all.
Raising his arms slowly, Lelouch put them around his sister. He nuzzled his head against Euphie's. He even smiled a little bit. "It's good to see you again," he told her. Lelouch, for the first time in years, felt a kind of joy he'd only otherwise felt around Nunnally, a simple feeling of happiness, that the weight of the world wasn't so heavy after all. It was so strange- he hadn't seen Euphie since he was a child; he didn't know the person she had become at all, they were practically strangers. This reunion was so alien, so overwhelming, emotion flooding his chest, setting his heart afire- and at the same time, here the two of them were, talking to each other like nothing ever happened, like circumstance never had torn them apart. Was this what family was like? Was this what family should be like?
"It's good to see you again too, Lelouch," Euphie said and then leaned up from Lelouch and left her hands on his shoulders as his dropped to his side. "But… how did you even get in the building, let alone on this floor? This place is supposed to be completely closed off to civilians."
"I believe I can answer that."
Lelouch and Euphie both turned. Neither one of them had noticed the door open slightly, and Cornelia now opening it fully. She had been eavesdropping, apparently.
"How did you know we were in here?" Lelouch asked. Cornelia pointed over his head towards the far end of the room. Lelouch looked to where she was pointing, seeing a security camera hanging off the corner of the wall. "Oh."
"I'm surprised you missed that. Normally, you're so observant," Cornelia teased.
Lelouch pointed at Euphie accusatorily and said, "Euphemia made me lose my concentration." His accusation was spoken so quickly and said so childishly that it was almost funny. It was like he and Euphie were an ordinary brother and sister caught with their hands in the cookie jar and Lelouch was blaming Euphie for coming up with the idea while he was the one with crumbs on his face.
Cornelia saw the accusation and resisted the urge to crack a smile. Lelouch's childish reaction was in stark contrast to his usual behavior. It reminded Cornelia of less complicated days in the Ares Villa. Of course, this was no time to going traipsing down memory lane. On top of that, no matter how minor an accusation, Cornelia disliked any slight towards Euphie. As far as she was concerned, Euphie's impulsivity was no excuse for Lelouch's own shortsightedness. He should've known that all conference rooms had at least one security camera.
Raising and eyebrow, Cornelia said with a slight hint of irritation, "Did she now?"
Lelouch simply swallowed, choosing not to retaliate. He suddenly felt ten years younger. It was like he was back in the Ares Villa and Cornelia had caught him misbehaving for the umpteenth time. And worse in this situation was he had tried to blame Euphie, innocent, sweet Euphie, for a choice of action he made entirely of his own volition.
"Cornelia!" Euphie exclaimed, grabbing her sister's hands bouncing up and down excitedly. "Lelouch is alive! Isn't that fantastic?" How she managed to bounce up and down in heels, Lelouch had no idea.
Cornelia put her hands on Euphie's shoulders and held them firmly. "Yes, Euphemia, I know. Calm down. You're going to ruin your shoes like that. Not to mention it's uncourtly behavior for you to get worked up like that." Euphie immediately stopped jumping. "Now then," Cornelia said, removing her hands from her sister, "Lelouch is here because I called him here."
Euphie gasped in surprise. "Oh! Are we finally taking Lelouch home? Oh, that's great! Oh, Lelouch, there's this great restaurant near our villa that I have to show you and—"
"I'm sorry Euphemia, but we're not taking Lelouch home. At least we aren't for a while yet."
Euphie puffed her cheeks and pouted, clearly not happy with these news, "But why not?"
"That's on a need to know basis," Cornelia said firmly, her stance rigid.
Cornelia's professional dismissal only served to needle Euphie further. "Stop treating me like a child!" she protested angrily.
"If that's what it sounded like, then I'm sorry. Allow me to rephrase that," Cornelia responded. "It's absolutely vital for political reasons that a gag order be placed on Lelouch being alive. That means no letters to home, no e-mails, and no public statements. The less you know the better off you are and the less danger you will be in. Is that clear?"
Euphie was still not happy and her irritated groan made that obvious. "I'm royalty, and the sub-viceroy. I'd say I'm in the proper position to be told all the details."
"Euphemia, don't make this any more difficult on me than it already is. And though you may be the sub-viceroy, I am the viceroy, and I am responsible for all of Area Eleven." Cornelia's tone softened a bit as she said, "Eventually, I will fill you in on the details. Look at the positives: Lelouch and Nunnally are alive, and you are free to visit them whenever you want."
This was at least enough to make Euphie smile brightly. "Whenever I want?"
"Whenever you want," Cornelia chuckled inadvertently. She cleared her throat and spoke very professionally. "Lelouch, we need to talk more in my office. Euphie, if you want to be useful, go to the security room and ask that the tape to this room be erased, if you'd be so kind."
"Yes, Viceroy," Euphie said and left the room.
Cornelia then gestured down the hall for Lelouch. "After you."
Upon reaching Cornelia's office, Lelouch stood stolidly while his sister went and sat at her desk after closing the door behind her. "You can have a seat, Lelouch," she told him.
Lelouch pulled up a chair in front of his sister and sat down. The last time he'd been in Cornelia's office Suzaku and CC had also been here, but this time they were alone. It felt a little different now, with just the two of them here.
Still, now was not the time to be thinking of such things. Looking Cornelia square in the eyes, he said, "So what's our next step? Should I broadcast our alliance to all of Japan?" If there was one thing Lelouch loved, it was giving a speech; any chance he had to rally and motivate all who would listen gave him a feeling of euphoria. Of course, even now he felt a little euphoric. For the first time, he could finally bounce ideas off of someone that he considered an equal in political and military understanding. As Zero, Lelouch had to do all the planning himself. He had been surrounded by intellectual inferiors for so long—and he still was, mostly. But with Cornelia at his side, their respective skills and experience could complement each other beautifully. This mad scheme had every chance of working, so long as not too many mistakes were made.
"No, it's too soon," Cornelia told him. "If we broadcast our alliance now we not only put my force at the mercy of the Japanese, but it will also make Britannia wise of my treason. If you want to, you can pre-record your speech for later, but don't broadcast it until I give the go ahead to do so."
"Why pre-record it? Is there a chance this will not be a live broadcast?" Lelouch asked.
"If you have an idea, best to record it now so you don't forget it. Also, there is always a chance we may have to be on the move when that speech needs to be broadcasted. Besides, you seem eager to seize the moment. Feel free to practice to your bed."
"Such sarcasm and jokes are unbecoming of a woman of your stature," Lelouch answered with a smirk. "Still, I understand what you're saying. So if not that, what did you have in mind exactly?"
"Well, I've already exposed you to my troops. Shall we do the reverse?"
Lelouch took a deep breath. "All right, but I'll need some time to prepare all of this. I'll need six hours. No, make it five."
"I'll be in a meeting at that time. Shall we shoot for this Saturday evening close to sundown? I have a huge gap in my schedule."
"Ample and excessive time for me to prepare," Lelouch responded. "Very well."
"And ample time for you to focus on schoolwork," Cornelia criticized harshly. "I understand from the short amount of digging I did that you're getting a free pass despite your lousy grades. Allow me to make myself clear: no sibling of mine will refuse to at least make some effort to get an education. Is that understood?"
"Yes, mother," Lelouch teased.
"Ugh," Cornelia rolled her eyes and smiled, "How did Lady Marianne put up with you?"
"I was a very different person back then, Cornelia," Lelouch responded. And with a much more serious look on his face, he thought, a very different person indeed. With a deep breath, Lelouch then asked, "Do you really think this is all going to work out the way we want it to?"
"Getting cold feet?"
"Hardly, but…it's just…" Lelouch couldn't think of the right words for a moment, "I guess I just never thought of the idea of working with you as such a viable option. That's not to say I don't consider your help to be worthwhile, but it's just…I don't really know if…what I mean to say is…"
"The way you're tripping over yourself, you sound like you're concerned about me," Cornelia said, half-teasing, half-serious.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Lelouch exclaimed outright, eyes closed. He then cleared his throat and back peddled quickly, "Er, rather…as Zero I was absolutely certain that I had everything under control. I was only concerned with liberating Japan and returning home to interrogate father about mother. But you've turned this into a much larger project."
"Oh really? You would leave Japan to Britannia's mercy whilst you ventured off to pursue your own goals? I'm sure your troops would've taken kindly to that betrayal," Cornelia said sarcastically.
"I only did have to look out for myself after all." Lelouch then smiled. "Although that is very like you to be emotionally invested in any soldier you could call an ally." Lelouch knew Cornelia was only putting herself in his shoes when she scolded him. Lelouch knew she did not like suicide runs. Cornelia knew the value of manpower and loyalty, perhaps too much. His smile grew wider as he said arrogantly. "That's why I would've beaten you."
Cornelia laughed, finding Lelouch's statement akin to the punchline of a very corny joke. "Oh really, is that why you failed miserably to defeat me at Saitama and wound up my prisoner?"
"That was a fluke," Lelouch argued, "If I had loyal troops, you would've been begging for mercy."
"Care to prove that?" Cornelia asked, brow furrowing.
"Is that a challenge?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow.
"I do believe we were seven games off from one hundred. You were trailing by three."
"Well then, break out the game board and I'll show you how much better I've become in the last seven years."
Cornelia grinned, "I look forward to it."
Upon being driven back to academy grounds, Lelouch returned to his room in somewhat of a foul mood. Seven games only to tie at an even 50/50 for their 100-game streak. Hopefully commanding rebels would ease his irritation at not being able to ultimately beat his sister.
Upon entering the superfluously fancy—to Lelouch anyway—bedroom he had at the academy, Lelouch retrieved the walkie-talkie he had inconspicuously placed behind his desk. Only he knew it was there, and he could only get at it by grabbing it with a butterfly net he just so happened to keep under his bed. Needlessly complicated? Sure, but the last thing Lelouch wanted was the chance that anyone on campus would know that he was Zero. While it was true that Sayoko was the only one who was allowed to clean his room, it had not stopped Lelouch from finding strange, stalker-like love notes in his room periodically.
Lelouch had no idea what made him so god damn attractive to practically every woman on campus. He was scrawny with no muscle tone whatsoever and his grades left much to be desired. The only thing that Lelouch felt he had going for him was that he was always polite to everyone he met and was student council vice-president. Was that all it took? Lelouch had absolutely no idea. He really didn't understand female psychology. Love was a fickle thing and certainly not a concept he was raised upon. Most marriages in the Britannian nobility were political. Still, Lelouch was still a human being, but simply with inhuman control over his hormones. He had no interest in loveless sex. Only true romance would satisfy him. To Lelouch's knowledge such a woman did not exist in his life.
Of course, at this stage a romance would only complicate matters in the young Britannian's life. And as Lelouch adjusted the frequency on the device he was holding and waited until he got a clear signal, he reminded himself of that. Once Lelouch had a clear signal, he then adjusted it slightly to distort his voice, but still good enough to get a proper signal to and from where his allies were hiding. After the mess in Saitama, Kallen and Ohgi's group was really the only pocket of resistance Lelouch felt he could really trust. A few others were still in contact with him, but it was unlikely they would show unending loyalty. Ohgi's group on the other hand felt the most desperate and least likely to disobey him. If others followed it could be after the union was made public or Zero started gaining more fame. For now, it was best to start small.
Making sure his windows were sealed and door shut and locked, Lelouch spoke as he transmitted miles across Area 11. "This is Zero. Do you copy?" When Lelouch didn't get an answer after a few moments, he asked again, "do you copy?"
"Loud and clear, Zero." It was Ohgi who answered. "What do you need?"
"Remember how I said I was in the middle of forging a great alliance the last time we spoke?"
"I do."
"Good. Then you'll be happy to know it worked, and your group will be the first to be introduced to our new benefactor. On Saturday, gather your whole group and meet me at the edge of the compound towards the evening, approximately 17:00."
"Understood."
"Good. I will expect to see all of you then." Lelouch then slid the frequency of the walkie-talkie to a random frequency, shut the device off, and reached behind his desk to let it lean against the mid-board and the back of the desk. Then, he butted it with the end of the net, to push it too far in for anybody to get it out. Then he slid the net back under his bed. Lelouch then lay down on his bed, exhausted. He stared up at the ceiling. Only the barely audible hum of the light being on gave him any indication that he wasn't deaf or asleep with his eyes open.
Things were turning out very differently from what he had anticipated. He had already been down this thought process before, but he was still mulling over the fact that it had never crossed his mind that he and Cornelia could have been allies, that he didn't even need to use his geass to make her his puppet. Part of him was impressed. Part of him was still in shock.
On top of that, meeting Euphie today hadn't helped matters. Lelouch wasn't in this to rekindle family bonds; he was in this to crush his father and make him pay for treating him, his sister and his mother like garbage. So then why was it that he felt joy in knowing that Cornelia and Euphie cared about him? Why was he starting to feel less like a hollow shell hell-bent on revenge…and more like a normal human?
Saturday couldn't have come sooner for Lelouch. It was pure agony trying to appease Cornelia's request by actually caring about his schoolwork. After only one day, Lelouch then realized why he never bothered to participate in class or pay attention. He had too many thought provoking questions that the professors couldn't answer. Some students would think they were above their teachers. Lelouch was above his teachers. As far as he was concerned, he could take over a philosophy class for a semester and get himself a temporary job. Milly's father would never allow that, though. Not to mention that this would draw unnecessary attention to Lelouch, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Still, because of his smart mouth and unwillingness to let certain matters go, Lelouch had wound up giving himself two extra essays and a detention. After getting the detention slip, Lelouch was half-expecting a phone call from Cornelia telling him she changed her mind about him making the effort to do well in class. So, Lelouch simply went back to old habits of falling asleep and being bored. Still, he at least made the concentrated effort to actually do his schoolwork.
The extra work was a breeze, of course; it was nothing Lelouch couldn't handle. It was, however, incredibly tedious. So, when he checked off Friday on his calendar after waking up, he was rather excited. Everything had already been worked out with Cornelia and the military. At 11:00 he was picked up by Lloyd and Cecile, and driven to base where he was given an extravagant lunch while he waited for Cornelia to finish up her tasks for the day. From there, Cornelia and Lelouch borrowed a military van for just the two of them, driving into Shinjuku without any military personnel or police following them.
Cornelia driving a military van was nothing out of the ordinary. At the very least no one would question her if she demanded to drive one, covert operation or otherwise. The big obstacle was sneaking Lelouch into the back, which was done by having Lloyd load up a metal container into the back that could be opened from the inside and had Lelouch's whole body and the briefcase containing his Zero outfit and a pistol inside it.
Despite the secrecy, neither Darlton nor Guilford was particularly happy about the idea of the Viceroy being mostly by herself without any protection aside from her rifle. They were the only ones within Cornelia's unit, who knew about this operation, and the both of them had tried to persuade her to take at least two guards to defend her. She was heading waist deep into enemy territory without any protection whatsoever. Cornelia simply told them that she had faith in her half-brother to keep her safe. She even made Lelouch promise both men he'd do just that.
Having decided to dress less conspicuously, Cornelia had chosen a simple civilian outfit. She wore a gray t-shirt, matching gray pants and sneakers, and a hat to top it off. This was a covert operation after all, and it would do them no good if the governor of area eleven was recognized. Cornelia drove while Lelouch changed into his Zero outfit; the dark cargo hold of the truck was a suitable place to do so without the world seeing him do it.
Cornelia banged on the back of the van to get Lelouch's attention and then called out, "You all right back there? I know it's not the safest place to be when you're the only one there." At the same time Cornelia would've loved it if her brother had been sitting next to her, but this was no time for family bonding. They had a mission to complete.
Lelouch was still missing a glove and his helmet, but he had plenty of time to finish his disguise. He was sitting down with his back to the wall that connected to the driver and passenger seats. "Yes, I'm fine. You're the one who should be more concerned for their safety. You're a lot less expendable than I am."
"Don't sell yourself short," Cornelia said, "Don't forget the reason we're doing this. We're in this together, Lelouch. Remember that."
"Yes…" Lelouch said with a tired smile.
The light turned green, and they continued to drive down off the main highway towards the ghettos. Cornelia continued to grow nervous. Despite her confidence in the operation, if Lelouch's members turned violent there was nothing stopping them from shooting her, and there was a good chance she could be injured or killed. She was staking a lot of faith in Lelouch, but Cornelia believed it was faith well-founded. She only hoped her heart was not clouding her judgment in this particular case.
The GPS brought Cornelia and Lelouch to their destination. The drive over had taken Cornelia and Lelouch a long time and now the sun was starting to go down. As they pulled up to the compound Lelouch had specified to his sister, Ohgi and the others were armed and ready. They knew a military van when they saw one. They weren't stupid.
"Okay, turn the van around so that I can get out," Lelouch told Cornelia.
"Right."
Cornelia slowly turned the vehicle around, turning the back to face Ohgi, Kallen and everyone else that Lelouch had gathered up. Kallen was, of course, the most nervous and the most on edge about the whole thing. Did she trust Lelouch, trust in Zero? Yes, but now she was starting to wonder if her trust really was well-founded. Zero hadn't mentioned a van and he clearly hadn't been the one driving. That much was obvious. The windshield was darkened upon people looking in, but it was obvious the driver was female.
As the others gripped their guns and weapons, the back of the van opened to reveal Zero, alone and unharmed. Everyone relaxed, and some of them even smiled. A few of them even felt silly that they could've suspected danger.
Zero dropped down from the back of the van onto the ground. "I can tell you all have questions," he said, "so speak."
"Where did you get this?" Ohgi asked.
"I would think that would be obvious. Where exactly does one procure a military van from, exactly?"
"From the military?" Inoue asked, sounding confused.
"Exactly."
"Wait, you stole this?" Minami asked in alarm.
"Stealing is an awfully harsh word," he answered. "Borrowed would be more appropriate in this case. I believe I said I would be unveiling our new benefactor in our cause."
"And this benefactor has some military connection?" Ohgi asked.
"That they do. Upon my capture I was only able to escape by forging a reliable alliance with a member of the Britannian Military." Without turning around, Zero rapped his knuckles against the inside of the door to the van, indicating to the driver to step out. As she shut the door, Zero said to his unit, "I ask that you lower your weapons. Although you will be shocked, this woman means you no harm, I assure you." The mysterious driver did not approach any farther until Zero's request was complied. Everyone put their weapons on the ground.
None of them liked this. It was hard enough believing that Zero had managed to free himself from the Britannian military, but now he had not only forged an alliance with a military official, but he was asking them to lower their guards. If the group wasn't so desperate, all believing they had one foot in the grave since the day they became rebels, they never would've complied with such ridiculousness. While Zero's track record indicated he was trustworthy, no one in the group was reading to take a bullet that was aimed at him for him.
Zero's driver approached the group as he announced, "May I introduce formally to you, Area Eleven's Viceroy and double agent," The driver took off her hat, holding it down by her chest, to reveal her identity at the same time Zero announced it, "Cornelia li Britannia."
"Oh, bullshit!" Tamaki shouted what he figured everyone was thinking as he went to pick up his rifle only to find Zero aiming a weapon at him first.
"Put it down, Tamaki, and listen to me. I know all of you are shocked, some of you confused, but I assure you I'm not playing games. Cornelia, if you please?"
"Right," she said, "All of you already should know who I am: Second Princess of Britannia and Viceroy of Area Eleven, Cornelia li Britannia. I come here of my own volition and decision to cast aside all allegiance I hold with Britannia, for the sake of crushing the empire and starting it anew. If liberating Area Eleven is what is required to reach that goal then I have no problem joining forces with rebels."
"And just why should we believe you?" Kallen demanded to know. "Zero, we should just shoot her right now and rid ourselves of a huge obstacle."
"If we do that it'll only serve to bring Britannia down on our heads, probably all of the Knights of the Round along with them," Zero said sternly. "You are in no condition, and neither am I, to fight this war against the entire might of Britannia. Viceroy Cornelia came here without any weapons or guards. Understand that with her at my side, Britannia will crumble and Area Eleven will be liberated. Civil War will ensue. Whether it happens with you or without you is up to you entirely."
"But…she's the general in-chief of Britannia- for what reason could she possibly…"
"I have my reasons, rebel," Cornelia spoke up, careful not to use the racial slur 'Eleven'. "My position in Britannia makes me the last person to be suspected of treason. I also have the love of my soldiers, many of which would sooner die for me than for their country. I became a soldier because I did not consider myself in a higher standing than those around me. I've merged with the common folk since the age of nine, when I picked up my first gun just like the late Empress Marianne. In doing so I relinquished all ties I had to the throne and firmly requested that I was not given special treatment by my father for my shortcomings in the academy.
"I became a military woman to escape the noble bigotry. It disgusts me the way men in powdered wigs and deep pockets can control a nation by whining about it and signing papers. I'll have none of it. For it is we the people who do the real leg work when politics simply aren't enough. I've never liked the way my country is run. I've always had the intention to give Britannia a complete rework from the ground up. The one who controls the military controls the nation. However, Zero has given me a new way to go about things. Rather than simply crush all opposition to Britannia, I will work with it and tear down my own home using the ranks of my former enemies. As long as Britannia falls to my might, my allies are inconsequential as long as they are loyal."
"That's a pretty speech." Inoue said contemptuously. "But can you back that up? So you want us to believe that you just want to change your country from within. Sorry, but I don't buy it! I want some god damn proof! My sister lost her life because of your people! Prove to us we can trust you! I'll not be fooled by the pretty words of a foreigner!"
"Yeah, prove you're on our side!" Tamaki jeered.
If it wasn't happening within arm's reach, Lelouch would've figured he was seeing things. He watched Cornelia get down on one knee as though she was about to swear allegiance. Cornelia only ever took that stance in front of his father or, before she was in charge of the army, her superiors. For him, her stance alone was more than convincing enough, but would it convince his rebel allies?
With her arm across her body, Cornelia spoke with her eyes closed, "Allow this gesture of mine to show that I consider myself no less above you than any other human being on this Earth. As a mutual ally I am merely a commanding officer of our forces. I am not morally superior, and I am not without sin. Just by showing up here I have thrown myself at your mercy. Through this alliance my will is cowed by your people. I provide a bridge between the desires of the natives of Area Eleven…excuse me, Japan," Cornelia corrected herself immediately in apology, "and it stops unnecessary bloodshed. Your pleas for freedom have been answered and I am its messenger. Rather than continue to bomb your enemy, instead you'll soon be defending your rightful home from being taken over a second time, but this time you will have help. If you put your faith in me and in Zero, I can almost guarantee your country's release from Britannia's shackles."
Kallen was the most speechless out of everybody. Being half-Britannian she understood the bigotry and racism that existed in the nation better than the other Japanese standing at her side. Seeing Cornelia, the proud "Goddess of the Battlefield" as she was known to her country, get down on one knee and swear allegiance to mere rebels, traitors to their sovereign state was eye-opening. For Kallen, she didn't need any more convincing than that. She walked towards Zero.
"H-hey, Kallen!" Tamaki called to her.
Kallen spun on her heel and stood next to Zero with a fist upon her heart. "I stand by Zero and our benefactor! No pure blooded Britannian would do what the Viceroy just did without meaning it. Britannians value their pride above most other things. Furthermore, I trust Zero! No matter our ally, our enemy is still the same! My place is at the side of our leader, in our country's future!"
"Kallen, I understand how you feel, but are you sure it's all right to blindly trust Zero like that?" Ohgi asked.
"Are you unable to trust me, Ohgi? Have I not proven myself to be capable of the impossible before?" Zero asked.
"Trust isn't the issue here, sir. With all due respect, it's a question of believability."
"I thought you said you would fight the good fight regardless of alliance."
"Well yeah, but…"
"I understand that I have a lot of convincing to do," Cornelia spoke up in her defense, "But I aim to prove my words."
"Ohgi, I trust Cornelia," Zero said, "I can't all expect you to blindly accept my words as truth, but for now at least accept them. If they prove to be false you will notice. But in the meantime, note that until their supposed falsehood is proven there will be no more bloodshed and no need for bombings. A total ceasefire is in play. I came before your group because I believed you would be the most tolerant of my decision. If I cannot even garnish the benefit of the doubt from you all, how will I convince the rest of the Japanese that I can lead you all to liberation! Is it that hard to believe that even those high up in Britannia stand against what the nation stands for?"
Ohgi took a deep breath. "We know is Zero is as good as his word so far. But how can we trust that we're not throwing out one tyrant to be lorded over by another." He still was questionable of this whole thing being true, but if this all was real then it was a better blessing that he could have ever prayed for.
"I agree. How do we know you're not just out to score your own kingdom and spite the Emperor?" Inoue emphasized.
"Because this whole thing puts Britannia at the mercy of the Japanese," Cornelia answered, "The liberation of the nation puts your people back in power, leaving my men and myself in the clutches of foreigners. We would be entirely at the mercy of the people we just helped save. Once Area Eleven becomes Japan again, no part of the island is Britannian soil. Whatever you do with us after that happens is entirely up to you." Cornelia took a deep breath. She knew the risks that would be involved of being entirely at the mercy of her soon to be ally. Despite the danger, she trusted Lelouch to keep her and the Britannians currently living here safe. As long as she had him, she had nothing to fear. "And even with that said, I still cast my lot in with the Japanese."
"I still call bullshit!" Tamaki shouted. "We don't even know if that's really Zero! For all we know it could be some guy posing as him ever since he was captured. I'm telling you this whole thing smells foul! Before we go making any alliances we should make sure that that Zero is our Zero!"
"You want proof of my identity? Fair enough. Answer me this then. If I wasn't the man you met before, as you claim, how would I know where to find you and how would I know who all of you are? The Britannians don't even care for the faces and names of you all. I checked. They don't consider you a threat."
"It's true," Cornelia said, nodding. "Even if I wanted to, I could not identify any of you except, for perhaps Duke Stadtfeld's daughter."
"Is that enough for you, Tamaki Shinichiro?" Zero asked.
Tamaki could only surrender in silence.
"Thank you, Cornelia," Zero said, surprising the rebels by his use of first name basis with no titles or honorifics, "You are dismissed."
"I'll wait for you to tell me you're ready to depart then."
As Cornelia got into the van, Zero continued to survey his allies in silence, waiting for them to speak.
It was Kallen who said something first, "Zero…are you sure about this?"
"I've never been more certain of an alliance in my life," he answered. "I understand I'm asking a lot for you to trust what couldn't look to you as a more obvious enemy if you tried, but give it time. Watch the vids and keep your eyes peeled on the papers. Cornelia will prove herself in time. She dislikes the oppressive nature of Britannia as much as any Japanese, of that I can assure you."
"You're on first name basis with the Viceroy?" Ohgi asked.
"While fighting for our cause, her title is meaningless."
"Yeah, but you usually call us by our surnames," Inoue said, "Well…except for Kallen."
"I didn't spend the last week or so deep in Britannia's government building without becoming the Viceroy's ally and confidant. Only the men most loyal to her even know that this is happening."
"And just how did you pull it off? Don't we have a right to know?" Yoshida inquired.
"What would my methods matter when you already know the result?" Zero asked. Yoshida had no comeback.
"Well, we're loyal to you first and foremost sir," Ohgi said, "Orders for now?"
"Just keep a low profile and don't waste ammunition. In time you will see that this is the best thing that could have happened to us. It was by pure chance that I managed to get the Viceroy on our side, but I'm not turning away her aid and neither should you." Zero climbed back into the van. "Now if you'll excuse me."
"Wait, Zero!" Kallen called to him.
"Hmm?" Zero looked back at her.
"Does the Viceroy," Kallen didn't want to ask this question, but part of her was screaming to know the answer, "does she know your identity?"
"Would it bother you heavily if she did?" Zero asked.
"I…"
"There is no man behind this mask, Kallen. There isn't a woman either. I am but an idea, a symbol born from the cries of the weak to counter an injustice. Perhaps one day, though," Zero turned back inside the van, "you might see my face." Zero then slammed the doors behind him and stepped towards the other end of the van. "Drive," He told Cornelia. She started up the van and drove off, leaving Kallen with a sense of longing and jealousy. She was convinced that Cornelia had to know Zero's true identity, but then why not share it with them. Why did he trust Britannia to know who he was, an alliance had more than likely forged in captivity, but he had not trusted the people who uncompromisingly gave their trust without asking for anything in return? Kallen didn't know and it bothered her a great deal.
"Damn, talk about your strange turn of events," Tamaki said, piercing the silence. "Did not expect that."
"Yeah, you and me both," Ohgi responded.
Clenching her fist, Kallen said to her comrades. "I'm going home. I'll…see you guys later."
"Kallen, are you all right?" Inoue asked.
"I'll be fine," Kallen said, despite the strain in her voice indicating otherwise. She then walked off without another word.
In the weeks that followed, Lelouch worked hard to get into contact with the Japanese Liberation Front. Using Cornelia's vast, reliable information network, it was laughably easy compared to how long it would've taken him acting as an independent rebel. It still took some doing. Toes had to be stepped on and elbows had to be bent, but everything remained inconspicuous and discreet. Thanks to Lelouch's intelligence he could make the most of Britannia's information network and with Geass he could shut up anyone he had to talk to on delicate matters.
Scheduling a meeting, on the other hand, under his conditions, circumstances and without drawing suspicion to his benefactor was much more difficult. Still, Lelouch managed to get a video call set up with one of the leaders of the Japanese Liberation Front, Tatewaki Katase. Just getting his loyal rebels together would not be enough. Lelouch and Cornelia both realized the threat of organized resistance regarding the JLF. They either had to be silenced, or made to join their cause. If they wanted to gain the support of the Japanese people, then this was an important step towards doing that. Any and all freedom fighters for Japan had to be united under one banner to prove that, despite means and methods, all the Japanese was after the same thing: the liberation of Japan.
Once the pleasantries were out of the way, business was immediately discussed. With Zero's face—or rather the helmet he wore over it—zoomed in on, Katase sat in a rather comfortable scarlet chair in the underground base of the JLF. The gray-haired general was hunched over his family's katana—passed down from the samurai era—and sat in uniform, his wrinkly eyes firmly focused on the screen in front of him.
"So what's this all about, Zero?" Katase asked haughtily.
"This is a proposition, general," Zero said to him. "You're already familiar with my handiwork, as am I with yours. What you are currently not aware of is that in the time that I have been silent I have forged an alliance with a powerful force, one that would be in your best interest to join with as well."
"And why should we trust you?" Katase asked, condescendingly. "You're not even Japanese. How do we know you have this nation's best interests at heart? Who is this so-called ally of yours anyway?"
"If my word is not good enough, my actions will speak for me." He answered, "As for my ally, they will remain anonymous until you have sworn allegiance to my cause. However, I currently hold the power to liberate Japan, and if you want to reach that same goal your only options are to join me or be seen as an obstacle. Even if you believe you have Japan's best interests at heart, with my network I could brand you a heretic and an extremist."
"Blasphemy. We have the people's trust. You have nothing." As a descendant of the noble samurai, Katase was not about to believe or trust this silver-tongued foreigner that easily—or be intimidated by him. The man had fought hard to keep Britannia from crushing Japan. He still firmly believed that Britannia could have been defeated if the brass hadn't coerced him into surrender.
"Upon what facts do you base the claims that I have nothing and you have everything, general? Last I checked the JLF only had a forty-seven percent approval rating," Zero stated. Katase said nothing. "That's what I thought. However, I understand your hesitation. If you are that concerned about my sincerity then give me two months. In that amount of time if I have not convinced you that I, and my ally, am worthy to join forces with, then feel free to try and destroy me if you can."
Figuring he'd humor Zero's charade, Katase said, "What kind of things can we expect to see in these two months, Zero?"
"Improvements of treatment towards the Japanese, reparations of the ghettos, that sort of thing," Zero answered. "I'm currently taking requests," He said with a bit of smug cheer. "If you have anything miniscule you'd like to see happen, name it and I'll have it worked on."
"Many of our people are sick and ailing…" The resistance leader said slowly. "Could you get healthcare for everybody in the ghettoes?"
"I think that could be arranged," Zero answered.
Katase blinked. He had not expected Zero to have put that so bluntly and without hesitation. Zero had either really found a goose laying golden eggs or this was all a ruse. Katase was banking on the latter until he had hard evidence. "Is that so?"
"Do not take my offer lightly, Katase," Zero said seriously, "If there is anything of small value you want to see done so that I might prove my sincerity, ask it."
Sitting up a little straighter, Katase spoke curtly, "I have two requests."
"Name them."
"First, the healthcare I already mentioned. Second, would it be possible for you to get better working regulations for Elevens working outside the ghettos?" Katase did his best to hide his enthusiasm in asking these questions. With the way Zero was talking he seemed to be promising the land of milk and honey. As much as Katase would've loved to believe Zero at his word, as a man of honor, 20 plus years of soldiery taught him otherwise.
"What are we talking?" Zero inquired, "Higher wages? Better benefits?"
"Something to keep the Britannian rabble from physically harassing them and getting away with it," Katase clarified irately. His anger was not directed at Zero, but rather that the demand for such a thing was so important. The old general was tired of hearing that another hot dog vendor had had mustard squirted in his eye—or something akin to that—and no one had done anything about it.
"That could be rather difficult, but I'll see what I can do."
"As long as you make the effort," Katase replied much more calmly than the irritation he had spoken with when making his request. He knew he couldn't expect too much from Zero, but if Zero could at least try to make good on his word, Katase would accept him as a man of honor and trust.
"Then I shall hopefully hear from you within two months. Good day, general," Zero then ended the phone call.
From within an enclosed room inside the Viceroy Building, Lelouch removed his helmet and leaned back in his chair. Well, Cornelia you've certainly got your work cut out for you. Don't let me down. This is our one and only chance. As he prepared to leave the room, he noted how selfless—though a rather tall order regardless—Katase's demands were. Lelouch expected the deaths of some nobles, or at the very least bombing damage. It was unusual that a paramilitary extremist was so complacent simply asking to improve his people's living conditions. Or maybe he was just testing Zero with small requests to see if he was even capable of producing more.
Lelouch smirked. He knew he'd show Katase that he could pull off anything asked of him. Cornelia was in his pocket. Any political request made could and would be done. Lelouch resisted the urge to laugh at how much easier things were with this alliance set up the way it was. He could not afford to let the simplicity go to his head, lest he get cocky and screw everything up. A man's biggest downfall was often his ego. Lelouch knew he had to keep his in check.
At this same time, Katase finally got up from his seat. He hadn't moved a single centimeter except to sit up straighter since sitting down to talk to Zero. The old general passed by his most trusted comrade, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, as he made to exit the room.
"Sir," Tohdoh saluted, "do you believe that Zero is as worthy an ally as he claims?"
"The soldier in me says that Zero is blowing smoke up our asses," Katase said, never one to be formal with military associates, "but the samurai and the human in me says that I must trust him or at the very least give him a chance to prove himself. If Zero is even half as trustworthy as he claims then I feel we will soon have our country and our pride back. Our honor will be redeemed."
"Shall I make a call to Empress Sumeragi and the Kyoto Group?"
"No, not yet. They will see Zero's actions for themselves if and when he acts. If they call us however, do not turn them away."
"Understood," Tohdoh stated. He then watched his superior in rank walk out of the room. Tohdoh then looked at the large monitor that had, moments ago, projected Zero's image. Zero, he thought, what is it you're really after? Are you really trying to liberate Japan, or is there something more you want from this country?
Within the next month, every citizen of Area 11 noticed an extreme change in how Elevens were treated within the nation. For starters, as per Lelouch's request, Cornelia put out a new regiment, requiring all physicians to see even Eleven patients, and that all citizens would have healthcare, paid for by the state. With the Sakuradite trade, the Britannian national budget, the budget given to govern Area 11 itself, and Cornelia's own family treasury, the income necessary to produce such a thing was so miniscule that it was little more than a blip on the financial radar.
While there was no official name to the services provided by the "Obligated Attentive Medical Administration act" many citizens had begun calling it Britannia-care or Cornelia-care. Controversy of its effectiveness spread like wildfire. Of course, the Elevens were quite pleased with being able to at least get flu shots, knowing that their sovereign state was paying for them.
Reparations to destroy war torn ghettos and cleanse festering portions of it had already gone underway. While no Eleven living in the ghetto was very happy to be given a shower via a hose by a Britannia in a HAZMAT suit while standing mostly naked with their arms up on a wall, it was better than being shot at and it was the first time most of those involved had had a bath in months. Disease rates were slowly lowering and mortality rates of the Elevens were expected to increase over the next ten years. Cornelia also began donating state money to charity organizations for equal rights movements between numbers and pure blood Britannians. It was a charity developed by Honorary Britannians and Cornelia was more than willing to back the cause.
She didn't do this all at once of course, only little by little so as not to make things seem too suspicious, though people did notice. And, of course, there was still plenty of money to build a new opera house and repair a museum that was starting to fall apart that was Britannian built. Building such things, of course, was only to show that Cornelia wasn't all of a sudden putting the numbers first.
Still, for this to take all over the course of one month, a lot of people were in uproar. Many thought the Viceroy had lost her mind. Others thought that she was probably making Area Eleven the most peaceful place to live since, with the numbers appeased, terrorist attacks lowered at an alarming rate. Rumors, of course, spread that Zero had his hands on the reins, but the articles suggesting such things were laughable at best.
Nevertheless, it did not excuse the fact that Cornelia's parliament—the rich men making up 99% of the nobles in Area 11—were not pleased at all with what Cornelia was doing. She was digging into their pockets to help common street rats who—in their minds—weren't worth the effort. Also, history made it perfectly clear where Cornelia stood regarding Britannian/Number relations, but at the same time that was all on the battlefield. Area Eleven was the first time that Cornelia had ever been in office before.
So, here was the famous second princess sitting in a board meeting so utterly pretentious and boring that she had a right mind to cap every one of them in the head and outfit them with cement shoes and then cover it up and say they all died on the same yacht accident.
"Just what is going through your head, Viceroy?" one of the men demanded to know.
"It's called getting the bees to stop stinging by giving them honey," Cornelia answered irritably, "If the Elevens think that Britannia is kinder to it than Zero, willing to give them all but their freedom, they'll be less likely to cast their luck in with a radical like Zero. It's different from my usual tactics I know, but sometimes to bait out a rat you must give it some cheese."
"And what will you do when the treasury runs out?"
"Our nation has enough money to purchase Australia and build a new nation on top of it several times over. I think what you mean to say is that you're worried about your own pockets becoming thinner and quite frankly you all could do with a little thinning, both financially and physically." It was days like these that Cornelia loved her title as second princess. If any of these men thought to talk back to her, they knew to hold their tongues or she could report them to her father and they'd soon be destitute, scraped bare and metaphorically as naked as the day they were born. Not that Cornelia was so childish as to do something like that, but for people like this just the chance of that occurring was more terrifying than death. "Gentlemen," Cornelia continued sternly, "We have already won the war. We have taken everything from Japan that we need for the glory of Britannia. The best way to keep the peace and lower talk of rebellion is to get its native people on our side."
"Bah!" One of the men exclaimed. "We should crack the master's whip and show those filthy Elevens who is in charge. A few excursions into the ghettoes should teach them- animals like those only understand death."
At this, Cornelia drew out her iconic bayonet rifle. Just the fact that she drew a weapon had everyone trembling, but the man she was aiming at was wishing he'd worn brown pants today. Her gun was always loaded with at least one round of ammunition for emergencies and everyone and their grandmother knew it. "If that's how you feel," Cornelia said sternly, "then you wouldn't mind dying yourself now would you?"
"Viceroy, wh-what are you…" the man trembled.
"What? You're the one who said that the master's whip should be cracked to keep rebellion to a minimum."
"B-but- I didn't mean…" the man's voice escaped him and he just gasped in terror.
"You didn't mean what? Need I remind you and everyone else in this room who is in charge? If I follow your logic then shooting you will remind you all that I am in charge. But does anyone want to tell this idiot what that would do to the rest of you?" No one did anything. Every member of parliament was scared stiff, sweating profusely and hoping Cornelia's gun didn't just suddenly go off followed by blood spurting all over their faces. "If now one will answer allow me to explain," Cornelia stated, "What it would do is it would anger all of you and you would swear revenge upon me." Each noble could only conclude that Cornelia was right and only silently agreed to the logic behind her statement. After a moment of silence, everyone breathed easy when Cornelia finally put her gun away. She then leaned over the table, glaring at all of them. "If more murders were what it took to quash rebellion, then Zero would never have appeared in the first place. Only the truly insane employ the same tactics and expect different results. Besides, if we fight their murder with more murder then which side are truly the savage ones?"
"But Viceroy, we have the means to quell rebellion over and over. Why negotiate and appease the enemy? Why not simply crush their rebellion and be done with it."
"For two reasons. One, Zero is a slippery bastard. He managed to get out from me right underneath my grasp. Any man or woman that can do that won't be able to be beaten no matter how many numbers we have without a change of tactic. Second, we are no longer at war here in Area 11. I don't have the forces to simply crush all of the Japanese and then think of the repercussions that would have on other numbers. Furthermore, such an overrun would be a waste of Britannian lives and resources. War isn't pretty, gentlemen, but then again, you were all born with silver spoons in your mouths. You know nothing of how real war is carried out, of the bitter taste of battle. If I could, I'd send you all to the front lines with Prime Minister Schneizel upon the EU warfront to see the horrors of what real combat is all about.
"This is a province of his majesty at the moment. It is not a battleground, and I would like to keep it that way. Just because I can finish wars, it doesn't mean I enjoy starting them. As I already said, your pockets are thick enough, I believe, to take a small draining for the sake of keeping the peace. If you can't handle something like that, then start looking at where your money is going and not what I'm doing with the surplus. Would you rather have wealth with your heads at your feet, or be a little less rich and life to see tomorrow? Because quite frankly I know which one I would pick every single time."
Things were quiet for a short time, as not a single member of the Area 11 parliament wanted to argue Cornelia's point. She'd made a firm argument and she'd made them terrified in the process. Upon that line of logic, one of the men then felt the following question was warranted. After all, Cornelia was starting to act like a madwoman the likes of which no Britannian had ever seen…at least from the perspective of him and the other men currently seated at the table.
"And just who will we lose our heads to?" he asked Cornelia. "The Elevens, or yourself, your highness?"
Cornelia smiled, letting out the most intimidating, diabolical smile her parliament had ever seen. She looked happy—the same way an axe murderer taking pleasure in his work might. "Take your pick," she said. There was a period of silence as everyone swallowed. "Now, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have better things to do than appease your unintelligent concerns." Cornelia then walked out of the room and loudly shut the door behind her.
It took a while for the nobles to finally get over their fears and file out after her. In the elevator, a few of the members discussed how they felt about the Viceroy's attitude.
"She's being weak-minded!" one of them declared.
"Yes! And nothing gives her the right to talk to us that way! How dare she!"
"What do you expect? Viceroy Cornelia hates being talked back to."
"I still think it's suspicious. It's not like Cornelia li Britannia to coddle the enemy like this. It's outside the scope of her usual tactics."
"It's definitely her sister's fault. She's the big softie. I'm sure this will be a one-time thing."
"And what if she isn't? What if she's being manipulated somehow? I say there is a great big figure behind the shadows manipulating our country's great goddess of war."
"Oh gods, not this again, Earl," one of the men said, digging something out of his coat pocket, "Here, have a snickers."
"Why?"
"Because you turn into a conspiracy theorist nut when you're hungry." The old man offered the candy bar to his friend, and asked as he took a bite, "Better?"
"Better! Are we on for cricket tomorrow?"
"Absolutely!"
It didn't take the full two months before the JLF started trying to get into contact with Zero. Their resumed contact occurred two weeks prior to the prescribed date. Katase found that, based on what he had seen, that Zero could not only be trusted, but definitely had a strong pull with the Britannian government. Whatever he had done or was doing it was definitely working.
"I'm glad to hear it," Zero said as Katase gave Zero his approval and willingness to cooperate.
"So about this ally of yours…" Katase began.
"I will reveal my ally to you in due time."
"What? Why not now?" Katase had hoped more than anything that by giving Zero his word of allegiance and trust that Zero would tell him who was backing him.
"Patience, general, there are still things to be done. Rest assured that before we are ready to go to war you will be shown everything."
"War? What in the blue blazes are you talking about?" With the way things were progressing, Katase had been almost certain Zero was planning on settling things without any bloodshed whatsoever.
"We aren't going to get through this diplomatically. My pull can only carry us so far. Besides, Japan declaring its independence will no doubt have major consequences. Britannia will try to put us down again, but this time we will drive them out and crush the empire!"
"Crush Britannia?" Katase's eyes widened. He then shouted, "Are you mad, Zero?" Liberating Japan was one thing, but to crush Britannia with only a force the size of the Japanese islands was quite another. Katase cursed to himself as he realized how Zero had practically suckered him in. No wonder he had appeared so friendly.
"Mad? No I am quite sane. If anything I am ambitious. I am also justice incarnate."
"Justice? Heh, you're a madman," Katase said with a grin. He laughed a little, but it was all nerves. Katase felt he had just doomed the entirety of his people to the will of one fanatic foreigner. He wanted to tell Zero he changed his mind, but as honorable descent of the samurai he could not. Furthermore, Katase feared Zero would crush the JLF if he backed out now. Zero had shown that he had plenty of power, more than Katase could ever hope to wield. Making Zero his enemy was not in his best interest. However, becoming Zero's ally, as it was turning out, was not going to be the greatest of things either. It was more like the lesser of two evils.
"That I may be," Zero said casually. "Of course, now that our factions are allies general, I have a request."
"A request?" Katase raised an eyebrow.
"No matter how much you may trust me, it is apparent to me that you still have extremists in your midst. Once you have thinned out your organization and proven to me that you have nothing, but loyal, level-headed men you and I will meet face to face along with our now mutual benefactor."
"Supposing I do go along with your request…how much time would I have?" Katase asked curiously.
"As much time as you need." Zero said and then closed communications.
Taking off his helmet again, Lelouch let out a deep breath. This whole thing was exhausting. Taking these baby steps had not only him on edge, but also Cornelia. They were taking a humongous risk in what they were doing and if things went south they'd all be executed in Pendragon before they knew what hit them. However, what was more exhausting for Lelouch was the fact that his day wasn't over yet. In all that had happened, there was one person who was still out of the loop about Cornelia knowing he was alive, and today she'd find out. Cornelia had been incredibly busy fighting red tape and getting things together, and Lelouch had been just as busy setting up little gambits and backup plans to prepare for every eventuality he could think of to cover his and Cornelia's tracks and keep their alliance a secret to everyone.
Packing his Zero uniform into his suitcase he went to Cornelia's office. He passed by Euphie who was already dressed down, though still wearing a dress, for the occasion and the two of them waited outside Cornelia's office as Lelouch knocked on the closed door.
"What is it?" The Viceroy called from inside.
"You ready to go?" Lelouch called in.
"Just a minute," Cornelia said.
"Oh I'm so excited," Euphie said, cheerfully. "I haven't been to Ashford Academy myself."
"Well, I'm sure you'll like it. It's a shame everyone knows what you look like. I'd love to have you as a lowerclassman."
"Aww, I'd feel the same having you for an upperclassman, Lelouch," Euphie smiled, bubbly.
Cornelia then opened the door, dressed in her usual dark purplish-red military uniform and white cape.
"You're going in that?" Lelouch asked.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Cornelia scowled.
"Uh, nothing, but…you know…" Lelouch trailed off as Cornelia continued to stare at him. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter in the long run."
Without another word after that, Cornelia, Lelouch and Euphie piled into an official limousine that then drove them to the Ashford Academy campus. Lelouch led them to the student council building, which doubled as his and Nunnally's residence. Upon entering the foyer Euphie looked up in awe.
"Wow, it's so pretty."
"Oh come on, it's nothing compared to the Ares Villa," Lelouch told her. "There is no need to patronize me."
"Still, it is a pleasant environment," Euphie stated.
"It really could be worse," Cornelia said. "Consider yourself lucky."
"Yes, I'm well aware," Lelouch said as he headed up the stairs with his siblings following him, "I was lucky to stumble upon the Ashfords when I did."
"To think I could've found you with ease if I just checked the student roster," Cornelia said, laughing a little. "Not many Lelouchs in this day and age."
Lelouch said nothing and just let Cornelia and Euphie to his and Nunnally's suite. He opened the door to find an empty table. He turned left and walked down the hall to find Nunnally sitting in the sun making paper cranes.
"Oh, is that you, big brother?" she asked. Sayoko was already home, so by process of elimination, it had to be him.
"Yes, I'm home, Nunnally," he replied. "And I have a surprise for you."
Nunnally gasped, "You do? I love surprises."
Lelouch smiled and then waved in his siblings. Nunnally could now hear four extra footsteps. She was confused and at times like this cursed her blindness.
When Cornelia walked in she nearly lost her composure. The last time she'd seen Nunnally the girl was neither blind nor crippled. Lelouch had braced her for the worst, but this was awful.
Euphie, of course, didn't care and went flying over to Nunnally with a big hug. "Nunnally!"
"E-Euphemia?" Nunnally asked, recognizing Euphie by the cheeriness of her voice as her older sister nearly crushed her frail frame with such an abrupt hug.
"That's right," Euphie said as she tried to pick up her little sister only to not have the back muscles for it.
"Oh wow, you've gotten to be a big girl!" Euphie said with a smile. "It's so good to see you again."
"What are you doing here?" Nunnally asked.
"Well, Lelouch invited us to come by," Euphie said.
"Us?" Nunnally asked. She then remembered that there was an extra pair of footsteps that had entered the room with Euphie.
"I-I'm here too, Nunnally," Cornelia said, walking forward.
It took Nunnally a while to realize who was talking to her. Not only had Cornelia spent a lot of time in the military when she was little, but Nunnally only ever really heard her voice on the news. "I-is that you, Cornelia?"
"It is," Cornelia said and walked towards Nunnally and knelt down at her side. She took Nunnally's right hand and brought it up alongside her cheek. Nunnally's hand caressed Cornelia's face and then moved towards her hair; she always wore it in the exact same style. Overwhelmed with emotion, Nunnally started to cry. More than being happy at meeting Suzaku again, she was so happy to the two older sisters she loved the most were at her side.
She gave Cornelia a big hug and Cornelia managed to pick up and cradle Nunnally. She was a lot lighter and smaller than Euphie so Nunnally wasn't heavy for Cornelia to lift at all; not that picking her up would be that much more difficult for a military woman like Cornelia.
"I'm really happy to see you again, Nunnally."
"Did Lelouch tell you we were okay?"
"I found your big brother by chance," Cornelia said. "And I'm so glad I did."
Lelouch watched as Cornelia started crying along with Nunnally. In her tears he saw sincerity and humanity. Whatever doubts Lelouch had left about trusting Cornelia were out the window now- between her actions and her words combined with what was happening now, he had no reason to suspect his sister of doing anything more than what she thought was right.
Lelouch excused himself, and went off to the bathroom, feeling sick and weak and, just as he had done when he watched Clovis' soldiers shoot themselves, he threw up in the sink. He felt absolutely despicable. More than that he felt like crying now too. For the longest time Lelouch had thought that he was all alone in this world with Nunnally. He had every reason to distrust Cornelia from the onset, but having seen her sincerity, Lelouch simply didn't know how to cope. The idea that he could be part of a family of more than two people filled him with feelings he could not describe. Since his mother's death, Lelouch had cursed his Britannian name because apparently it meant nothing. But Cornelia and Euphie were both proving otherwise. Their bonds as siblings could not be broken by their father's lies or their country's bigotry.
To have a family again, to belong again, Lelouch didn't want to admit how positive of a feeling such a thought was giving him. This wasn't about just him and Nunnally anymore. The amount of people that mattered had grown. Lelouch punched his cabinet under the sink that he was now collapsed against. Bitterness and rage had controlled him since his banishment and he had almost turned his anger on someone who cared for him deeply. If fate hadn't intervened would he have put a bullet through Cornelia's head? Would he have continued to resent her despite her feelings? Such a thought made Lelouch dive into the sink again for a second round of vomiting. He then shed tears against the faucet for a few short moments.
Lelouch eventually regained his composure and looked at himself in the mirror, wiping the tears and bits of breakfast from his face. He then took a drink of water to cleanse his throat and the burning sensation in it. He had to remember that he wasn't a little boy crying and begging for his powerful big sister to protect him. He was a young man with a strong ambition. He and Cornelia had the same goal and faced the same enemy. They were siblings with mutual understanding and considerable intelligence. They were partners in crime and they were prepared to go to any lengths to make sure their ambition was seen through.
Taking a deep breath, Lelouch returned to living room, whereupon he invited Nunnally and Cornelia to dinner. Both accepted and afterwards, while Euphie read a story to Nunnally in her room, Lelouch stood up on the balcony leading to the second floor make-shift observatory of his living room and looked out at the sunset through the two-story window.
"Is something wrong?" Cornelia asked as she stood next to him.
"Just having an epiphany, that's all," Lelouch stated.
"About what?"
"I've just been realizing how greatly my plans have changed. I intended to crush you along with the rest of Britannia. You were going to be my greatest enemy, a symbol of Zero's brilliance, but instead you've become my greatest ally," Lelouch put his hand on the window, "And I've started to wonder how it was I could've mistrusted you in the first place and why I didn't try to garnish your trust the moment you came to Area Eleven?"
"It's in the past, Lelouch," Cornelia told him. "Don't worry about it anymore."
"I'm trying, but it'll be hard. I will say this though, if I had any doubts of your dedication to the cause, they're gone now. I trust you, Cornelia," Lelouch said and looked at his sister as she stood off to his right, "Do not let me down."
Cornelia smiled. "You know I won't, Lelouch. We're in this together."
Lelouch knew she meant that. After a brief pause he then asked, "By the way, there was something I've been meaning to ask you."
"And that is?"
"Why did my mother ask you to withdraw? If she knew she was being persecuted, why did she want you to clear out? Please tell me you at least found out that much," Lelouch said.
"No," Cornelia answered after taking a deep breath, "But that doesn't mean I haven't been trying."
"That doesn't make any sense. Why withdraw her own guard?"
"Britannia is full of conspiracies, cover ups and other corrupt acts. It's time someone brought a stop to it. Whatever forced your mother to force me to withdraw will not sway my conviction a second time. I listened to your mother and my compliance lost me her and almost you and Nunnally." Cornelia turned to face Lelouch and put her hands on his shoulders, getting him to face her. "I'll not make that same mistake twice. I am your sister before I am a princess or a soldier, and I will remain at your side till the very end, Lelouch."
Lelouch was quiet for a long time before giving his sister a hug and saying, "I know you will."
Cornelia hugged him back and smiled. "It's all right," Cornelia told him. "You're not alone anymore."
"I know."
Lelouch and Cornelia looked at each other as the sun set on the horizon, leaving them standing in the darkness just staring at each other without saying a word.
It was Cornelia who ended the silence and subsequently her and Lelouch's close proximity to one another. "I should get going," she said. "Visiting's one thing. Staying the night? Ha! The media and the brass would never let me hear the end of it."
"Have a good night, then," Lelouch said as Cornelia walked away. Just as she was almost out of earshot as she made it to the edge of the living room, Lelouch quickly added, "big sister."
Cornelia smiled and went and got Euphie and the two of them got back in the limousine and drove back to the office. Cornelia looked up at the sky on the way back, seeing the North Star high in the sky overhead. Cornelia believed it was shining brighter than normal and, to her, she believed this was a fortune of the outcome of the future ahead. How silly of me to put my faith in something so unquantifiable, Cornelia laughed to herself. She then noticed Euphie slumped against her, fast asleep and breathing through her mouth. But it doesn't matter what fortunes may say. I believe in the facts and I believe that with Lelouch at my side we will prevail and Britannia and my father will crumble.
To be continued…
(A/N: Yeah, a little awkward Lelouch and Cornelia bonding at the end there. I'm really sorry it took this long just to get here and holy crap this is twice as long as I normally write for Fairy Without Wings. So like I said, I will have three more chapters for you all before I go on yet another hiatus to figure out what I'm doing with this. The problem with doing this fanfic is that I know very little about war and tactics, so planning the actual wars are going to be hard. Thankfully this is one of the few fanfics where I actually have help in the form of GreatKingRat a fellow user and my pal on deviantART. He is an awesome Swedish man with an appreciation for good writing. I do all of the writing, he just pulls on my choke chain if I start falling into "writing sins" to make this unserious. And because I need to set the record straight on a lot of people, in other fanfics I am often accused of "writing Lelouch too soft". Well, hopefully this fanfic shows that I can get the character right. And if not…well there's always when I finally get around to writing the reboot of Ultimate Paradox. Anyway, I'm blathering. I'll see you all next time. Ja ne!)