(A/N: I want to apologize again for the delays, especially since you all only have this chapter and the next to savor before I go on indefinite hiatus when this is probably the best damn thing I've written out of all my fanfics. Yes that includes Fairy Without Wings and Soul Chess. I'm damn proud of this fanfic because of all the attention it gets. And yet this is the only good series I have without a fanfic rec. This world has no justice! Ah whatever, most of you aren't even reading this and I'm being a killjoy to the suspense. Onward! To victory and sweet, sweet drama and once again many thanks to my beta Greatkingrat88 for all the hard work he does for the series).
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass
Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center
On board Cornelia's Mobile Military Base
1am
From out of the fire and into the frying pan he had gone; dealing with terrorists seemed petty compared to the fury of his elder sister. Cornelia had just rescued him from being grilled with questions by Milly about his relationship with Euphie to being grilled with questions by her about—without actually saying it—Geass.
Cornelia had a mountain of evidence—all of it circumstantial at best—to suspect Lelouch of having inhuman luck, possibly some sort of skill, that she was demanding to know how he pulled off otherwise impossible feats.
Too much had gone too neatly, too smoothly, and Cornelia was past her suspension of disbelief. Not even Schneizel, under the same conditions, could've pulled off the string of incidents—Clovis' Murder, Suzaku's rescue, and the Hotel Jacking incident—Lelouch had accomplished, especially not as seamlessly. Something was up, and she wanted to know what. She had one more card to play, but she was saving that one until Lelouch played a predictable hand.
"I," Lelouch began to try and explain with an elaborate lie, but came up short- this was nothing he was prepared for, mentally or practically. Instead he went with, "have no idea what you're getting at."
This- unfortunately for him- was exactly what Cornelia was expecting him to say. "Don't get coy with me. I still have the recording of our conversation when I first captured you."
Lelouch eyes widened in surprise and vanished just as quickly when he figured this had to be a bluff. There was no way Cornelia was that prepared. Even if she produced a tape of some kind, there was no guarantee she was actually telling the truth or even knew what had transpired.
"I had recorded the conversation on the off chance you were some sort of look-alike," Cornelia said to him. "I didn't erase it even after we joined forces, on the off chance there was a chance I couldn't trust you. However, as I reviewed the tape recently with all the other events piling up I found myself saying something in particular that I don't quite remember saying. The rest of the conversation is clear in my mind. Lelouch, I would never, under any circumstances come forward of being against Britannia that soon to you, especially if I had a right mind some of my men might be listening even inside a soundproof room.
"I thought it rather strange, in hindsight, how quickly you decided to join me, to take my word at face value when you had no reason to trust me under the circumstances. Only now do I see the pieces falling into place. So, Lelouch, let's have it," Cornelia said and then aimed her gun at Lelouch and held her hand over the button that would unlock the doors, "Let's see you force your way out of this room."
"What the hell are you playing at?"
"With all that I've accumulated, I'm under the impression that you can somehow manipulate people: Jeremiah, Clovis' men, and myself. Who knows," Cornelia said and then scowled, "perhaps you've already used it on Euphemia."
"I-I haven't," Lelouch tried to speak firmly, but the shock of the accusation made that difficult. "I-I wouldn't…"
"You have two options before you, Lelouch: either tell me the truth, or force your way out of this room. You can either trust me, as I assume you have up until now, or you end your alliance by manipulating me, taking your secret to your grave. The choice is yours."
"You'd hold your little brother at gunpoint?" Lelouch said. She had to be bluffing...
"I think a grazing shot would be more believable for someone who managed to hold themselves up in a bathroom against terrorists."
"You really are a witch," Lelouch scowled.
"I get that a lot," Cornelia said with a wicked grin, the kind that invoked the image of an axe murderer more than anything else.
"Is this how far you would go to get answers?" Lelouch shouted.
"Yes, let the terrorist preach to me about extreme measures. I'd love to hear this," Cornelia said sarcastically.
Lelouch remained silent for a little bit, staring down the barrel of Cornelia's rifle. He knew full well he couldn't use his geass under the circumstances- and if he tried to make dive for it, Cornelia's military training would have him on the floor with broken bones before he could even say "Death to Britannia!"
"Is it really that hard to trust me?" When Cornelia asked the question she almost sounded heartbroken. "I thought we were through this already, Lelouch. I thought we really had become allies. Now, when we've already made so much progress, you suddenly have doubts. And I suddenly have to question if you've been sincere, standing at my side. I'm your sister before I am anything else, Lelouch! The least you owe me is your trust! I haven't turned you over! I haven't spoken a word to any of our family about you, even Schneizel. I'm risking everything for you! So why can't you trust me?"
"Because I can't!" Lelouch shouted back, staring at the ground. "It's not that simple! For seven years…for seven years it was just Nunnally and me. I had no future. I felt as if I had no past. I couldn't rely on anyone." He looked at Cornelia. "I had to be strong, for Nunnally's sake. You…have no idea what I had to go through."
"Then make me understand!" Cornelia exclaimed. "I want to help you, Lelouch! You're my little brother, whom I love. I've trusted you throughout all of this, so start trusting me! Until you explain to me how it is you're so unwilling to trust me, you won't have me being anything but scornful that you've been lying to me this whole time. I thought we were a team. I thought you trusted me from the very start, no matter how strange it seemed." There were no words before Cornelia said, staring at the ground, gun lowered, "Please, Lelouch. Let me help you."
"You want to me let you help me? Very well! Shall we talk about my being homeless for four years in a row? Or should we talk about the fact that all you found of me was a chess piece? Maybe we should discuss how you've had seven years to uncover the truth about my mother and you haven't found anything worth a damn!"
"Homeless?" Cornelia asked. She had no excuses for the latter two, but the first statement caught her attention.
"Yes, homeless. After the bombs were dropped I had nowhere to be for four years until I found the Ashfords. I was ten years old with a blind and crippled sister to look after. Too young for a job, and there was no orphanage worth living at."
"Maybe you set your standards a little high."
"Or maybe no one wanted to properly take care of a blind and crippled seven-year-old!" Lelouch shouted.
"I can't imagine that…"
"What? Can't imagine what? That people would be so cruel? Even when you were a soldier-in-training, you had everything handed to you on a silver platter. You don't know what it means to have everything stripped away from you! There were winter nights that I didn't think Nunnally and I would even survive! There were days when I thought of committing double suicide because I was so miserable, because everything was so damn miserable! The ghettos would eat me alive, and no one on the streets would pay attention to a little Britannian boy and his sister! We survived on scraps, on garbage and leftovers! I've seen the absolute worst of the world, Cornelia! Everyone I thought I could trust either betrayed me or tried to use me as slave labor! So yes, tell me why I should trust you when I've very little reason to trust anyone anymore!"
Cornelia was speechless. She had no words for Lelouch. She could tell he had suffered greatly. Still…
"Not trusting me is one thing, manipulating me is entirely another. You didn't have to get my hopes up, that you really did trust me! If you were feeling like this, all along, then you should have said something!"
"And what? You expect me to believe that you wouldn't have blown up at me, like you are now?"
"I do! At no point did you say to me 'I want to trust you, but I'm having trouble'. You don't think I'd help you? Or do you not want to trust me at all? This whole time, have you just been trying to manipulate me for your own ends, using me as just another one of your pawns?"
Lelouch remained silent, avoiding eye contact. His mute response was all Cornelia needed to hear to waltz over and slap him hard across the face. Lelouch barely reacted, and, feeling furious, she slapped him again across the other cheek. She then put her hands on Lelouch's shoulders.
"Look at me," she said sternly. When Lelouch didn't budge she shook him. "Look! At! Me!" Lelouch did so. He could see the pain and anger reflected in Cornelia's eyes. "I cannot fathom how damaged you are from the trauma you experienced. However, I thought you knew by this point that even if you didn't trust me, I trust you. Or was that all part of your plan, that I'd follow your lead like a lost puppy, and you could take advantage of it?" Lelouch remained silent still, so Cornelia continued. "I can understand not wanting to be betrayed, but after all that I've told you, after all I've done, don't you think I deserve the benefit of the doubt. Haven't I done enough…to earn your trust?"
Lelouch stared at the ground. He was trembling, his voice shaking. He never wanted things to come to this. He felt so fragile right now, so exposed. He wanted to ignore Cornelia's words, but having to look at her, with her gripping his shoulders, made that impossible. His teeth ground against each other as Lelouch inhaled awkwardly. After more silence, he then squeaked out, "…I'm scared."
Cornelia was confused. "You're…scared?"
Lelouch's fists tightened. "How do I know," he swallowed, "how do I know that I won't be betrayed this time? How do I know that this trust is for real?"
Cornelia looked at Lelouch much more sympathetically. "If I mean anything to you, Lelouch, if my words mean anything to you, then listen to me very carefully." Cornelia lifted her hands from Lelouch's shoulders to his cheeks. She made it so that he was looking her right in the eye, tears at the corners of her eyes. "I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose. You're my little brother, and the firstborn of my childhood hero. Not knowing if you'll be betrayed, looking over your shoulder to make sure no one will stab you in the back, such thoughts make us human. If you're afraid of being stabbed in the back, then take comfort in knowing that I'm covering it. If you're afraid I'll betray you, remember that we once had a bond and you were the one who let it break. I've always thought highly of you, little brother, and I want to be looked upon by you the same way you did when you were a child. Is it too hard to let me be the person I used to be to you? Or has cynicism really soured our relationship that much? If it's too hard to do alone tell me and I'll do all I can to make it right because that's what siblings are for."
Lelouch was at a loss for words. "I…I don't know. I…I haven't…"
"You can. Let it out, Lelouch. Let me share it with you, those seven years of pain."
Lelouch tensed up. He didn't want to. He didn't want to lose emotional control in front of another human being. No one was allowed to see his innermost self. No one was allowed to see the ten-year-old boy trapped in a seventeen-year-old body. No one was allowed to see one of the few remaining parts of his soul that wasn't faked or angry, not even Nunnally. So why, at this very moment, was he slowly ceasing to care about keeping his walls raised?
Lelouch looked at Cornelia before staring at the ground as tears rolled onto her thumbs as they remained upon his cheeks. Cornelia wrapped her arms around Lelouch, pulling him into her embrace, letting him cry. She stroked his hair and spoke soothing words to him. The siblings were already over the hurdle of Lelouch's murder of Clovis; this had nothing to do with that. This had to do with trust, and as it stood, Cornelia realized that she needed to work much harder for Lelouch to actually believe in her.
She had been a fool to think that she could just waltz back into his life and everything would be okay. She should have known better and yet seeing him just made her feel so happy. It was too late to call off their charade, but now, at least, they could hopefully join forces with a full pact of trust between them.
When Lelouch finished crying, he still didn't let go of Cornelia, preferring to remain in her embrace. Cornelia let him. Even though there were no more tears, she could tell Lelouch felt very exposed and needed her physical support right now until he felt well enough to stand on his own.
"Can you talk more coherently now?" Cornelia asked.
"Yes."
"Good. Will you trust me now?"
"Yes," Lelouch nodded, trying not to relapse into tears.
Cornelia tightened her hug momentarily. "I can't do this without you. You can't do this without me. So I need you to believe in me, do you understand? I know it's asking a lot from you, but I swear to you that you won't regret this at all."
"It's alright," Lelouch sniffed. "It really is, sister… thank you." And, like that, Lelouch dropped all pretense and inhibitions. With this, he was ready to put his life in his sister's hands. Her warm embrace, kind words and stern disposition on the matter made it clear for her sincerity. A small part of him still thought he was being foolish, but the rest of him didn't care. He wanted to trust Cornelia, and now he was no longer afraid to. Seven years of suffering were not going to go away in an instant, but Lelouch was confident that if he placed his heart in Cornelia's hands, it would not be crushed.
He left Cornelia's embrace and stood apart from her, standing tall. "So, about what you were asking me about. Nothing leaves this room, yes?"
"You have my word."
"That's all I need."
Lelouch took another deep breath and finally met Cornelia eye to eye. "The truth is I can't use my power to manipulate you a second time. It only works once on any given person. CC gave it to me when we first met. It's called a Geass. My power allows me to compel any person within a two-hundred seventy meter radius to do anything I ask of them. I used it to not only sneak on board Clovis' base to confront him, but also to shake him down for information. And you're right. I did use it on you. I had to make sure you were being sincere when we first met. And, as you've proven, up until now I wasn't trusting you one-hundred percent, but that's over now.
"There is still a wall around me that will not be broken so easily. The abandonment and the pain I felt these last seven years will not vanish as easily as you might wish," he paused and then said, "as easily as we both might wish. And, also, because it can be used on both allies and enemies alike, I didn't want to tell you about it. I thought you wouldn't trust me once you learned about it."
"What I just heard? Was that the truth?"
"Unless you want me to recant every use of my geass, then yes."
Cornelia took a deep breath. "Well, it does explain a lot. I trust you enough that I will take you at your word. However, armed with this information, be prepared to use it at my discretion. If you don't…well you know what will happen if I find out you're still lying to me."
"I understand."
"One question though, since it sounds like this ability is akin to hypnosis. Can you manipulate people to do anything, against their will even?"
"My first action had me force a bunch of soldiers to shoot themselves. They did so without hesitation. They were the soldiers Clovis used to rescue that "poison gas". I don't think I have to tell you at this point that the poison gas Clovis was after was actually CC."
"You did what?" Cornelia was troubled by this revelation. She had the forensic evidence regarding the deaths of a lot of soldiers during the incident with Clovis suggesting mass suicide and for the life of her she couldn't understand why.
"Exactly as I said."
"And you don't have a problem with that?"
"Well, for one, it was self-defense."
Cornelia gave Lelouch a stern look.
Lelouch replied without hesitating. "Despite my stalwart posture at the moment, being a killer at such young age has weighed on my conscience if that's what you're worried about. I'm not that emotionally damaged yet."
"Well, that's a relief," Cornelia said sounding half-serious and half-sarcastic.
"On the subject of what happened, why did you choose to let CC walk free?"
"I came to the conclusion that if Clovis was after her, the emperor might be too. It's true that the Viceroy Palace is the safest place for her. However, if one of her previous captors tries to snatch her up again, letting her wander around might draw them out. I have men stationed all over Area 11." Cornelia folded her arms and spoke with incredibly self-assurance, "No suspicious character will get within three yards of her under my watchful eye."
"You can be certain of this?"
"There's a military phrase that goes: a battleship is safe in harbor, but that's not what it was made for. Besides, she tends to get restless being cooped up indoors. As long as I keep an eye on her we're both getting something out of it. I have faith in my own soldiers to keep her out of enemy hands."
Lelouch smiled. "She's driving you crazy, isn't she?"
"She's constantly leaving pizza grease wherever she pleases and constantly waltzes into parts of the palace she's not allowed. And if I keep her on a strict leash she starts bothering me while I'm doing work on my computer."
Lelouch smirked, having nothing but sympathy for his sister. However, he couldn't help but jest. "Well better her in your hair than mine."
Cornelia raised an eyebrow, indicating she wanted Lelouch to elaborate.
"Let's just say that if I have to sleep on the couch one more time, I'm treating her as less like a guest and more like a house pet. After all, she does nothing except eat, sleep, and beg for attention."
Cornelia couldn't help, but cock a smile. It was clear she was doing her best not to laugh. When she looked serious again, she said, "When this weekend is over, I want you to pay a visit to my office."
"What for?"
"If your power can only be used once on any given person, I'm going to have you use it on Euphemia."
Lelouch blinked, confused. For a doting sister, this seemed out of character. "Um… why?"
"To prevent you from using it on her later, of course."
"I thought this whole thing was about trust."
"Based on my findings, it's impossible for the person being influenced to know they're under your influence and they don't remember it at all. If it can also be against the victim's will, I can think of a few scenarios in which you might be…inclined to use it on her."
"So now you're not the one trusting me?" Lelouch asked.
"This isn't about trust," Cornelia said sternly, throwing her arm out to the side, fingertips pointing to the ceiling. "When it comes to Euphemia, I am strict. If you waste it on Euphemia now, then, even by complete accident—say for instance she's within your radius when cast a mass hypnosis—she won't be affected later. I will not allow an accident of an unstable power to cause my sister's death! Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good. You are dismissed then."
"Before I go, I have a question," Lelouch said.
"Oh?"
"…would you really have shot me?"
Cornelia smiled as she held her gun back up and opened the firing chamber, showing the empty gun to Lelouch. Lelouch's mouth hung open a little in surprise. "I could never shoot you. Not now, not ever. Like I said, you're my brother and I love you." She closed the chamber and holstered the weapon. "Besides, I wasted all of the bullets clearing the convention center."
"You didn't go in your Gloucester?"
"It wouldn't fit through the front door," Cornelia remarked.
That's her only reason for not using it, Lelouch thought to himself, slightly terrified that the only thing stopping Cornelia from completely annihilating her enemies was the inability to enter a door.
"At any rate, get some rest and I'll talk to you in person soon. We need to set up another call with Katase about this."
"I agree. We need to know if there are any more factions like Kusakabe's. We'll plan on what to do based on his answer."
"Agreed. Well then, sorry to just throw you back to the wolves," Cornelia said with a smirk.
"Can't you just discreetly escort me to the limo?" Lelouch asked.
As Lelouch walked back towards the bench he had been at before, he noticed a strange absence of Milly, Shirley and Nina. He was understandably confused.
Before he could question it, Euphie noticed his approach. "Oh, Lelouch, you're back."
"Y-yeah," he stuttered. "U-um, wh-where are…?"
"Oh, you mean you're friends. Don't worry, I handled it."
"You…what?" That's it. My life at Ashford is over. Pack your bags, Lamperouge, you're moving.
"I told them I was lying to you, because being a princess makes it hard for me to make friends."
"You…huh?" As the sentence penetrated to Lelouch's brain, he realized how ingenious of a story it was. "And…Milly bought that?"
"Well, she had tons of questions at first, but," Euphie smiled warmly, "Yes, I convinced her. Don't you trust me, big brother?"
Trust. There was that word again. Lelouch had expected to come back to the situation and find himself in hotter water than he had left it. However, it seemed, Euphie had solved the problem in his absence for him. Lelouch smiled and then just started laughing uncontrollably. It was a miserable insincere laugh that he didn't know if he was laughing or crying. Cornelia saying that she could trust him was one thing. Euphie actually proving it was entirely another.
"Lelouch, are you okay?" Euphie asked. Lelouch shook his head. Euphie frowned and gave her brother a hug. "How about now?" Euphie's response was Lelouch hugging her back.
"I'll always have you at my side from now on…won't I? Cornelia too."
"Yes," Euphie smiled. "You have us. We're your family."
"Y-yes," Lelouch answered, hugging his sister tighter. With that the last lingering doubts in his mind vanished. He could trust his family. Cornelia and Euphie were a part of his family again. Blood ties alone didn't make siblings. Siblings were defined by the people who stood beside you in a crisis, helping you every step of the way and always being there even when friends and neighbors could not be. The li Britannia siblings had proven that they were family to Lelouch and Nunnally. He could begin to trust them doubtlessly.
The next morning, Lelouch awoke in the hotel bed by the window. The sun was already peeking through the blinds, but it was clear that it had barely reached over the horizon. Given the time of year, it couldn't be later than seven in the morning, Lelouch figured. As he tried to turn over to check, he found that to be impossible. Something firm was lying against his back. As Lelouch became fully aware of his surroundings he felt a slight pressure on his chest. CC or Euphie had crawled into bed with him. He could feel their head against the back of his shoulder.
Since he was too much of a gentleman to wake his bed mate, Lelouch tried to figure out who was sleeping with him just from their hands. The moment he glanced down at the nails of the woman in his bed, he instantly knew it was Euphie; CC didn't take quite so much care of her fingernails.
Lelouch sighed with relief. Better his sister than his accomplice. If it were CC, she would undoubtedly be doing it on purpose just to mess with him. After what happened last night, Lelouch rationalized that Euphie felt it necessary to use him as a security blanket. Regardless of how brave she might have acted for his friends, in front of the entirety of convention goers, she was definitely shaken up by what had happened.
Speaking of last night, Lelouch began to play its events in his head. Not his brilliant and fabulous defeat of the JLF, but of his conversation with Cornelia. He had revealed himself raw to her, shown her the side of him that not even Nunnally had seen…in a manner of speaking. Lelouch tried to mentally backpedal from the incident, figuring he was just caught up in the moment or something. However, he stopped. What was the point now? Cornelia knew everything she could about him that was relevant to the situation at hand. She was protecting him, and last night had proven she would bend if it meant helping him. Even if it meant saving him, the old Cornelia would not have relied on Japanese to save her little brother. She would've found another way. She had plenty of ways and Lelouch knew it. Yet she had let him dictate the plan. She let him have his moment in the spotlight.
She trusted him. Lelouch realized that if he really wanted to end this alliance, he had just as much ability to do so as she did. Her guard was down. And as he stopped and thought about it, his was too.
Yes, he could trust his family. He wanted to trust his family. He was starting to speculate if he should have less hasty with Clovis. Could he have talked Clovis out of being an idiot and to join forces with him? Lelouch then remembered the sight of his murder of Clovis, and suddenly he was overcome with nausea. He immediately sprang from the bed and rushed for the bathroom.
CC was awake and she heard Lelouch dry heaving into the sink. She got up and entered the bathroom and stood next to him. She rubbed his shoulder.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
Lelouch glanced up to see her reflection in the mirror. "Did I," he coughed, "wake you?"
"I was already up. Something the matter?"
"Just…remembering what happened with Clovis."
"I thought you were over that."
"So did I," Lelouch answered. He felt CC rub his back a little bit to soothe it. "What are you doing?"
"Just because I tease you, doesn't mean I don't care," she said. "Besides," she put down the toilet seat and then sat down on it. "You and I have things to talk about. The door, if you please."
"Are you finally going to answer some questions?" Lelouch said. CC did not respond. Lelouch then shut the door as she had requested.
He flicked on the light since otherwise he and CC would be in the bathroom in total darkness. Having nowhere else to sit, Lelouch leaned against the sink.
"So, talk," he said.
"Is it nice to have your family back?"
"Hmm?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow. When CC didn't add anything further, he looked up at the ceiling and said, "Well… I guess it is. I mean… I spent so long being so angry at everything and everyone- and I still am- and I never stopped to think what having a family would be like..." Lelouch could have gone into the details about his conversation with Cornelia last night, but he decided to give CC the short version. Maybe his little rampage against Britannia was fueled by how they had kicked him out. Of course, he didn't want to just go back to the empire like nothing had changed, but he realized that his siblings were only so much in his way. The one thing that had to change was the leadership and system of the empire. To that effect, a silver tongue could go a long way. And, now, he had the military backing him. But for now, Lelouch pushed such thoughts aside for later.
"What was it like, when you were a child, to belong to a family, to be… innocent?" CC asked. In truth, while she had lived amidst his family and friends in secret, she didn't really know what it was like to actually belong to the family.
"It was a simpler time. It was a life free of worry. The only problem was my inability to beat Schneizel at chess. Cornelia was around from time to time, especially after she became head of my mother's guard. I remember one time when she asked me, when I grew up, if I would stand at her side and help her make Britannia better." Lelouch laughed. "These days I thought she was joking, but after yesterday, I can see she's trying to remain true to her word."
There was dead silence in the bathroom before CC spoke. "I envy you."
Lelouch turned his head to look at CC. He wasn't sure he had heard her correctly and was sort of hoping she'd say it a second time. She envied him. Why? He knew asking might be fruitless given her track record so he just waited for her to speak.
"Does it feel nice to have people who care about you?"
"Are you saying no one's ever cared about you before?" Lelouch asked.
"Well…not exactly. However…I've never seen someone decide that they suddenly want to belong after choosing to remain isolated for so long."
"CC, if you want to talk about yourself, I'm willing to listen."
CC considered Lelouch's proposal for a moment. But good gods, where should she start? There were so many horrific life events she had gone through before she was fifteen that it was impossible to pick just one. There were other things CC could talk to Lelouch about besides her origins.A vision of when she found Marianne sobbing in front of the burnt remains of her home flashed in her mind. She considered telling Lelouch about that, but that would ruin everything.
So, skipping Lelouch's proposal, CC then decided to talk about something else. "I noticed you didn't talk about the first four years after the war with your sister. You were very defensive."
Lelouch scowled. "I don't want to talk about it." Even though he'd briefly touched upon such things with Cornelia, those years were a part of Lelouch's life that was dead and buried. Not to CC, not to a therapist. He would share that part of his life with no one.
"Are you sure?"
"If you don't want to tell me about your past, then there's no reason for me to share mine," Lelouch said. "Is there anything else?"
"Actually," CC said with a smirk. "Tell me, how was it?"
Lelouch's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don't try to tell me you've forgotten. Your fist kiss, how was it?"
The incident flashed in Lelouch's mind. "Oh…" he trailed off, "…that."
"Yes," CC smirked wider, "That."
Lelouch covered his mouth with his hand. Oh great, she had to bring that up. Now he was started to feel weird. He had only done it to shut her up and now this was the second time the memory was haunting him.
"I'm just going to tell you straight out that you're a terrible kisser. Learn to aim with your tongue better," CC teased.
Less awkward. Lelouch scowled. "Shut up. I only did it to shut you up."
"Would you do it again?"
And back to being awkward. "I…"
Oh this was just too much fun. "It's okay if you don't want to. I mean, if you just wanted to hide the truth about you being—"
"I am not gay!"
"Voice down. Your sister is sleeping."
"I am not gay," Lelouch said in a loud whisper.
"Could have fooled me."
"I'm not going to kiss you again," Lelouch said.
CC turned her head away from Lelouch. "Oh, it'll take more than that to dig you out of the grave this time."
"Wait, why am I even trying to justify myself to you?"
"Because for some reason, you seem to care what the people close to you think about you."
Lelouch growled.
CC laughed inwardly. Lelouch was dancing like a puppet on her strings, and it was hilarious. However, as CC realized the juncture the two of them were at, her mind drifted back to the conversation. When she had taken care of Mao, the boy had fallen head over heels for her. It had ruined their relationship. CC couldn't bring herself to curse Mao with her code, but she couldn't bring herself to stay either.
However, things felt… different with Lelouch. The young Britannian prince seemed to care about her in a way she wanted to be cared about, the kindness she had never been shown by others. Mao had worshipped the ground she walked on. With Lelouch, while the two butted heads, he put up with her teasing, he fed her regularly and he gave her free reign to do as she pleased. For all his complaining, he didn't chain her up to his bed post and force her to eat dog food. Perhaps it was because of the way he was raised, but he hadn't even made the threat to treat her badly.
Even amongst nobility, CC's behavior was grounds to be conditioned to behave. And now she was imagining Lelouch actually doing that; tying her to the bedpost and telling her what a bad girl she had been, and egads, why was she doing that to herself? Lelouch was definitely an interesting person, to her, certainly. A person that…
CC shook her head furiously. No. Absolutely not. She didn't care about him like that. Not for a second. He was the means to an end. Her end. That's all he was.
"You okay?" Lelouch asked. CC had just shaken her head out of nowhere. He wanted to know what was up.
"I'm fine," CC answered in her usual deadpan tone.
Lelouch put a hand on CC's shoulder. "Don't feel as though there's something you can't tell me. I count you amongst the people I care about."
Did he honestly just say that?
"I know it's weird, but…I feel like I've known you all my life. It's as though you've always been there in the shadows or something."
If only he knew how true that was. Unable to simply leave things at that, CC spoke up and turned to face Lelouch. "Lelouch," she paused as she stared up at him. Well, now what? CC swallowed. "Might you indulge me on something?"
"What's that?"
"Would you kiss me again?"
Lelouch blinked.
"Not as before. Let's…surmise that for a moment…I was someone you loved. You're good at acting. Act as though… I really were your lover."
Lelouch was decisively confused. "Why?"
"Please."
"Politeness from you? Are you feeling all right?"
CC frowned. "Don't spoil the mood. …or are you really that much of a prude?"
"I am not. Just…give me a moment."
CC was surprised when Lelouch shut the lights off. Definitely a good move, in her mind. Lelouch waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness and then he swallowed. He put up every mental barricade he could, telling himself this was just an act. He was…just helping CC with something. Lelouch began by putting his hands on CC's shoulders. He then slowly slid his arms around her as he lowered his head towards her lips.
The two kissed as though they really were a pair of lovers. Passion secreted through the joining of their mouths, despite it only being an act. It was CC who eventually pushed Lelouch back when she had enough. She stared at the ground. Her arms were fully extended, palms flat on Lelouch's chest. She then lifted her head up, looking as unreadable as ever.
"Well?" Lelouch asked.
"You're still inexperienced," CC told him.
"Well, excuse me. That was only my second kiss," Lelouch huffed.
"That said, the girl you eventually choose to be your bride will be lucky, I'm sure," CC said and walked towards the door, only stopping parallel to Lelouch. "Thank you for caring about me." She said it so quietly, Lelouch almost didn't hear her. And before he could say anything else, CC had left the bathroom.
As CC crawled back into bed, she figured that the incident in the car wouldn't bother Lelouch any longer with the way she had handled that. It didn't matter. Lelouch had to grow up, after all. And, hopefully, this incident would keep him from being so averse to women. And, if nothing else, Lelouch was always welcome to practice on her.
A week later, things had gone back to normal in Area Eleven… as normal as they could be, with a rebellion brewing behind the scenes. After press conference upon press conference about the hotel jacking and the Black Knights, Cornelia was finally back in the rut of her duties as Viceroy. Boring, monotonous, paper filled duties.
Taking her lunch break, Cornelia met with Euphie in her office as always. For her sister, it was the best part of her day, since she could spend time with Cornelia without any emotional barriers between them. She could talk to Cornelia about anything.
"You know," Euphie said as she poured Cornelia a cup of tea, "We should really have lunch with Lelouch and Nunnally one of these days."
"Lelouch has school and his studies, Euphemia. But…perhaps one of these days we can have a meal like normal siblings. That, I promise you." It then dawned on Cornelia the opportunity before her. "However, speaking of Lelouch, I am going to require his presence today. You're required to sit in on our discussion this time."
"What? Really?" Euphie asked, surprised.
"Yes," Cornelia said bluntly as she picked up her tea cup and sipped it. "It's important that you're there."
"Okay!" Euphie said with naïve cheer. Cornelia sighed. What on Earth am I going to have him do?
After school that day, Lelouch was approached by Suzaku.
"What is it?"
"I have orders to bring you to the Viceroy building again," Suzaku said.
Lelouch sighed. "Again? People are going to think weird things about us if you keep escorting me into a military van."
Suzaku remained serious so Lelouch changed his tone to also being serious. "Lelouch, are you and the Viceroy really—"
"This is hardly the place to talk about such things. We can wait for the van to arrive."
While en route to the viceroy building, Suzaku picked up where the conversation left off. "So, as I was trying to say, are you really going through with this?"
"We've come too far to stop now."
"Then what the hell was that at the hotel?"
"Just because we're aligned does not mean the people can know. Not yet, anyway."
"So what? Are you two going to try killing each other next and 'pretend' to let soldiers die?"
"Nothing so elaborate. Besides, that would never work. No, I think our next move is to continue building our image in the eyes of the Japanese. More importantly, are you still on board?"
"I…I still have a bad taste in my mouth about all of this."
"And why's that? Do you still feel that Britannia morally superior? Tell me Suzaku, what have we done that's so horrible? Cornelia's done everything legally for us to reach this point. She's jumped through many hoops and we've had a few hurdles, but we've padded it all out. So tell me, besides a PR nightmare with our own people, what exactly have we done wrong?"
Suzaku sighed in surrender.
"I thought so."
Suzaku thought about everything for a moment. It was true that while Lelouch was a rebel, he was working together with the government to turn things around. Suzaku would rather things didn't have to come to a civil war, but he wasn't so naïve to think that things could be resolved with the Japanese and Britannia shaking hands and calling it a day. Still, this civil war was going to bleed the country dry and Japan was going to get caught in the middle of it. However, they certainly stood a better chance than they did seven years ago, given a large chunk of Britannia's military would be backing them up this time. And, if he stopped and thought about it, if Cornelia was approving of using Lelouch's actions for her own ends, that technically made Lelouch's group similar to a black ops squadron.
"Do you really think you can tie the knot with the JLF bloodlessly?" he asked Lelouch.
"If all goes according to plan, this nation will be able to stand up united beyond racial boundaries," Lelouch said. "And I'm going to need you then more than ever to pull it off."
"What? Why?"
"You're the prime minister's son. Having your approval will affect the cause greatly. Suzaku, you may not have chosen Zero, but in the end it seems you will have no choice."
"So you would have me at your side?"
"I will need a personal guard after all. Someone like you would be fitting at my side."
Rather than say something reassuring like "It shall be done", Suzaku instead had a bigger question on his mind. "What will you do when you succeed? When Britannia lays defeated, what will you do?"
"I'll rebuild it from the ground up brick by brick until it's standing again."
"For the better, like we promised?"
"Absolutely."
Now Suzaku felt reassured. "Then…if you really do pull this off. If you really will bring Japan its freedom, if you will do what you can without the ends justifying the means, you will have my aid."
"Just don't back out on a whim," Lelouch said, and smirked.
Upon arriving at the viceroy building, Lelouch used the key card he was given to grant him access to the top floor, where Cornelia's office was located. He walked along the hall for a while until he got to her door, and knocked.
Cornelia answered it promptly through a telescreen. "Good, you're here," She gestured for him to come inside. Euphie was already waiting patiently on a chair.
"What have you told her thus far?" Lelouch asked.
"Nothing yet. I wasn't sure how you wanted to approach it," Cornelia said.
Lelouch looked across the room at Euphie. How should he approach the situation? 'Hey, sis, I'm going to hypnotize you now'? Yeah, that would go over real well... Taking a deep breath, Lelouch pulled up a chair next to his younger sister. "Euphemia," he said. "Cornelia and I are working on an important experiment and we'd like you to help us test it."
"Of course! Anything I can do to help!" Euphie exclaimed happily.
Well that was easier than I thought, Lelouch said to himself.
"Right then," Cornelia said and approached Lelouch and whispered in his ear. "Just interrogate her with a single question."
"Anything?" Lelouch whispered back.
"I'll let you decide- but decide carefully," Cornelia said dryly.
"R-right, got it."
Cornelia stood up straight and Lelouch looked back at Euphie after he and Cornelia nodded at each other. He activated his geass, and it sprang into her mind, from his eye to hers, instantly taking effect. "All right, Euphemia, answer me truthfully, are you still a virgin?"
Cornelia felt every muscle in her body tighten up. Under the influence, Euphemia was forced to tell the truth. If the answer was anything other than yes, she felt she might have a heart attack.
"Well, yes, but I do masturbate sometimes," Euphemia answered with the same sweetness as always.
Lelouch could feel the murderous glare being sent at him by his older sister. It was like a shadow of pure malevolence was bearing down on him. Lelouch was almost certain Cornelia's eyes were glowing with rage and she had darkly colored flames roaring around her.
"Th-thank you, Euphemia. I… uh… didn't need to know that last part," Lelouch said. The geass soon wore off, but it felt like an eternity under Cornelia's gaze.
When Euphie came out of her trance, the first thing she saw was Cornelia looking at Lelouch with the kind of ill intent that she usually only reserved for Guinevere.
"Is something the matter?" Euphie asked.
"Sister, would… you excuse us a moment?" Lelouch said sheepishly.
Not protesting, Euphie made herself scarce, and closed the door. It wasn't long before Cornelia came and got her, opening the door for her to get back inside. She saw Lelouch, sitting as he was before, but now with a big red mark on the right side of his face.
"Oh my gosh! Lelouch, what happened?" Euphie gasped.
"Cornelia and I have agreed not to talk about it. Ever."
"But…"
"No."
Cornelia put her hand on Euphemia's back. "Just ignore it, Euphemia," she told her. "Now then, Lelouch," she said to him, "I want to talk about—" The ringing of Cornelia's office phone cut her off. "Oh, hold on a moment," Cornelia said as she picked up the device. "Yes?"
"Princess Cornelia, your brother, Prince Schneizel, just walked in through the front door of the palace."
"Guilford, if this is a joke, it isn't very funny," Cornelia snapped.
"It's true, your highness. He's heading up the elevator now. I would've let you know he was arriving sooner, but—"
Cornelia slammed the phone onto the receiver. "Lelouch," she said without turning around, "go to my room, go into the closet and don't come out until I give an all clear."
"Umm, what is—"
"Do it!" Cornelia shouted. "I don't have time to explain."
Lelouch simply nodded to Cornelia and closed the door to her bedroom behind him. No sooner had he shut the door that Schneizel came waltzing down the hallway and rapped on the very open door to Cornelia's office. "Well now, isn't this a surprise? I wasn't aware you had an open door policy, Cornelia."
"Schneizel!" Euphie ran over to him and gave him a big hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was in the area. I thought I'd stop by. I couldn't very well fly over Japan from the EU without paying a visit to two of my favorite siblings, now could I?"
"An emergency landing, then?"
"'Emergency' carries with it such a harsh and tense implication, sister," Schneizel exasperated. "I like to think of it as a spontaneous decision," he said clasping his hands together gently.
"Well it's great to see you," Euphie said. "Shall we do an early supper?"
"Oh, but of course. And if it's not too much trouble Cornelia, would you mind terribly if I stayed for a little while? Airspace east of here is supposed to be stormy for the next several days. Furthermore, I'd rather spend my time when I have nothing of great importance to do in person amongst family."
"We'd be honored to have you," Cornelia replied. She had no choice, but to accept. Turning him down would be incredibly suspicious.
"Splendid," Schneizel said, "I'll stay for two whole weeks, then."
Well it could have been worse. It could have been a whole month.
"Shall we be off then?"
"Actually," Cornelia said with a small smile, "I'll meet you two shortly. I have something I intended to take care of before having my last meal of the day."
"Oh, but of course," Schneizel said. "Euphemia, lead the way, if you would."
"Of course, dear brother," Euphie bowed and led Schneizel by the hand towards her and Cornelia's private dining hall.
When Cornelia was certain Schneizel was long gone, she closed the door to her office and locked it. She then waltzed into her bedroom and locked that from the inside too. She then looked over to the closet. "Lelouch, it's safe."
Lelouch strolled slowly out of Cornelia's walk-in closet, and stood in the middle of her office bedroom by the foot of her bed. "What exactly is going on?"
"Schneizel is here. From the sound of things, he doesn't suspect much, though. He came here spontaneously—"
"So he says."
"Yes, I would be inclined to agree there."
"What should I do?"
"Stay here until he leaves the building. If he asks to see the security cameras before I can inconspicuously get you out of here, there's going to be trouble if you're spotted or seen in replays."
"And do what, exactly?"
"Nothing whatsoever. Just do nothing. It's the safest course of action."
Lelouch took a deep breath. "Understood."
"Don't even sit on my bed. Just…go back in my closet. That's probably the safest place for you at the moment. Just try not to knock anything off of a hanger."
"And how long am I going to be expected to sit around and do nothing?"
"About an hour or more, knowing Schneizel," Cornelia answered. "You should know that much."
Lelouch sighed in frustration. "Well, this certainly puts a wrench in everything. We can't exactly meet with the JLF and the Kyoto group with him here." The big meeting to discuss Japan's independence had not yet been finalized; if Lelouch was expected to do all of the planning, it could come become messy. Furthermore, they couldn't risk Schneizel following Cornelia to the meeting under the guise of being a "good-natured little brother looking out for his big sister."
"I agree, so if nothing else, do what you do best and think up a strategy for how we're going to deal Schneizel."
Lelouch nodded. "I can do that."
"Good. See you in at least an hour."
Years of military discipline had steeled Cornelia's nerves; it was something she felt grateful for at this very moment. Although she was calm on the outside, on the inside she felt like a glass frame dangling over concrete by a piece of string.
"So, Cornelia," Schneizel began, "You've been awfully nice to the Japanese as of late. I thought you would've riddled the entire populace full of holes by now. Ever since your massacre at Saitama your approach…changed." Cornelia said nothing, trying to come up with an excuse or an answer. Thankfully Schneizel continued; possibly unthankfully if he took her silence as her answer. The man was impossible to read. "So, what exactly did happen at Saitama? Your report indicated that Zero showed, but you were very vague on details. What exactly happened?"
"Bastard got away from me at the last second, that's what. I got him caught in a lineup disguised as one of my troops. He then used a decoy to draw my fire and escaped before I could find him."
"So it was just a bit of bad luck, then?"
"I do not believe in luck. We nearly succeeded, but I failed."
"Sincere as always, sister," Schneizel said with a smile. "So then, can you also explain why you're being so nice to the numbers lately, Cornelia? Sure, what you've done has stolen Zero's thunder in favor of making you look like a rather considerate ruler to the Japanese. To an outside perspective, one would call you genius. However, I know you personally, Cornelia. This isn't you. If something is wrong I'd like to know about it."
Cornelia again answered with silence.
"Is it that you can't tell me or is it that you won't?"
More silence.
Euphemia wanted to speak up and help Cornelia, but she was afraid to. Not because Schneizel intimidated her, but because she was afraid she'd say something stupid. Cornelia had made it clear to her that the situation with Lelouch was a delicate matter and should not be alluded to no matter what. However, she eventually did find something to say.
"Schneizel," she said, sounding slightly depressed. "Cornelia has been working really hard to deal with the situation with Zero. I might be to blame. I have been very adamant about not trying to solve things with violence."
The moment Euphie said this, Cornelia realized the out she had. She'd hate herself later for putting the blame on Euphie, but right now she didn't have very many options. "It's true," Cornelia said. "Euphie is convinced that if we coddle the Japanese, Zero will have no choice except to vanish entirely. I'm…trying to make her happy."
Schneizel smiled. "You'll have to forgive me if I find that explanation a little too convenient, Cornelia, when your sister's opinions have hardly mattered to your politics before."
"Oh but I've been very pushy this time," Euphie said, realizing the escape route she'd created for Cornelia. "Right, sister?"
"Indeed," Cornelia said taking a sip of tea. When she put down her teacup she said, "Harshness is called for upon the battlefield, Schneizel, but I am also a governor now. I cannot rule my people with a sword. Swords are for conquest and not for stewardship."
Schneizel was not convinced. When he had first landed in Area 11, he had done so to make sure everything was all right. He'd heard that Cornelia had come close to cornering Zero, but not only was he still at large, but she was doing things very uncharacteristic of her. While she was certainly getting better results using honey than vinegar, that wasn't the Cornelia he knew. And much like Cornelia's gut was telling her Schneizel was suspicious of her, Schneizel's gut was telling him Euphemia was not the guilty party in the current circumstance. Fortunately for Cornelia, Schneizel was a man who believed in hard facts and did not trust his gut feelings nearly as much as she did. Still, he at least respected their opinions. Furthermore, he had no reason to go digging for said evidence without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.
"Cornelia, I hope you don't mind, and I apologize if you feel it an invasion of your privacy, but, I'd like to watch you at work. If you're so keen on taking the pen over the sword, perhaps I can offer some pointers. Surely you wouldn't turn away free help?"
"Of course not," Cornelia said with the best forced smile she could muster. Lelouch you better have thought something up. I'm counting on you.
Schneizel simply smiled and then quickly changed topics to his escapades in the EU.
Once the meal was concluded, Cornelia escorted Schneizel out of the Viceroy Palace, as he had, fortunately, booked temporary residency elsewhere. Once he was long gone, Cornelia did a paranoid bug sweep of the building. She wasn't sure if Schneizel had started to hone in on her, but better safe than sorry.
Thankfully, it turned out, that Schneizel hadn't tried to sneak recording devices around the palace, nor had Kanon made any request of sensitive information during the course of the meal. Cornelia was relieved to find this out.
"Beg your pardon, your highness," Guilford spoke up after Cornelia's relieved sigh, "But just what are you so afraid Schneizel will find?"
The effect of geass made it impossible for Guilford or Darlton to remember that the facility was protecting one, Lelouch vi Britannia, or that Cornelia had teamed up with Zero. They knew Cornelia was amassing a massive revolution against their sovereign nation, but they couldn't remember all of the details.
"Something that you will understand when the time is right," Cornelia answered her knight. "For the time being, I would request that if Schneizel comes back here when I am not present you lobby him until my return. He is to be kept under careful watch. Considering our intentions we can count ourselves executed if Schneizel finds out about our plans."
"Understood," Guilford nodded.
"It will be hard to fool someone like Prince Schneizel," Darlton then added. "If you don't take him out of the picture soon, such a revolution will render itself impossible."
"I'm already working on it," Cornelia responded and then dismissed the both of them. She then returned to her bedroom, where she found Lelouch in her closet as she had asked. The sun had set by now, so here she was with unkempt hair from the stress-induced sweat, staring at her brother, sitting on the floor of her closet in total darkness. She hadn't bothered to turn the light to her bedroom on.
"Please tell me you've thought of something about what we should do with Schneizel," she said. "He doesn't suspect anything now, but give him time and he'll have unraveled our entire scheme before we know what hit us."
"I…I know."
"I don't like the sound of that pause."
"Because the only airtight plan I've come up with is still risky at best."
"Tell me them then; perhaps I can make it not so risky. And please come out of the closet. Things are safe now." Cornelia gave Lelouch her hand and helped him to his feet. The two siblings then sat on the foot of Cornelia's bed to discuss things.
"What I had in mind involved getting Schneizel and a good portion of parliament in the same place at once. It would have to be some sort of social event that would be at a private location, guarded by soldiers of your choosing. You would, of course, be in attendance. Then, at an appropriate time, my troops would storm the building and we would capture everyone. I'd then release you and we'd show Schneizel just who he's dealing with."
"How is that risky?"
"Convincing your parliament, for one. They absolutely hate you by now with all you've done to coddle the Japanese. Also, you throwing random parties isn't exactly characteristic of you. That's something your mother was mostly known for. Furthermore, if Schneizel is already concerned he might smell something's up and take measures to ensure to ensure his getting out of our grasp and we'll have lost our one and only chance to deal with him. Lastly, if we're not at a private location, securing the place will be a problem while still trying to remain discreet."
"Why not Stadfeld Manor?" Cornelia asked.
Lelouch looked at her with surprise.
"I confirmed it shortly after the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel Jacking. If we were to somehow be able to get on the Stadfeld manor grounds, we'd have the perfect location."
"That's not a bad idea, actually. However, we'd need a reason for you to be attending."
Cornelia smirked. "Count Stadfeld conveniently happens to run a casino frequented by one of my parliament members. If Kallen could convince her father about extending an invitation towards my colleague, the rest of parliament and some other nobility, we might have a chance."
"What about discretion? Something like this is going to attract quite a lot of attention."
"I'll make up a story about chemical weapons forcing parliament and the house to be quarantined. At the very least, such a thing will buy us time."
"Which is exactly what we need," Lelouch responded. "Keep an eye on our guest of honor. Knowing Britannian nobles, he'll have no choice except to at the very least talk about the invitation. Once he has, he'll probably mention turning it down, giving the selfishness of Britannian upper-upper crust. Then it's up to you to circumvent that and turn it into an opportunity to restore public image."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Are you alright, by the way? You seem a bit shaken up."
"Lelouch, our cover was almost completely blown in a matter of seconds. I think I have an excuse to be a little out of breath. Now wait here while I get you an overcoat, a hat and a pair of sunglasses so we can get you out of the building."
Convincing Kallen to go through with the idea of betraying her parents was fairly simple given the half-Britannian girl had no love for her Britannian lifestyle. Convincing her father was almost just as easy once Kallen gave the best prissy noblewoman's act she could muster without throwing up internally. And, of course, her stepmother was all over the idea of inviting parliament to the house for a big party.
Lelouch's predictions about the parliament member's reactions were spot-on. And, trying to be the caring brother he was purporting himself to be, Schneizel accepted Cornelia's invitation to come along without hesitation.
Euphie would be spared from the events since, well, someone had to handle the tough political decisions while everyone else goofed off.
What wasn't so simple was Cornelia needing to address her entire loyal faction of her military for this coup. In the barracks of the Viceroy Palace, Cornelia met with her troops exactly as she had done when she and Lelouch made their grandiose speeches that they would be moving against Britannia. In order so that she might address all of them, Suzaku was assigned to security detail outside the door. Not everyone was too keen on letting an honorary Britannian take the most basic security measure, but no one was in a position to argue with Cornelia.
Suzaku had long since made up his mind that he was going to stand on Cornelia's side for better or for worse. He really hoped he wasn't making the worst decision of his life. The only thing keeping him from having too many doubts was Euphie's support in the endeavor. Aside from that, he just had to hope Lelouch and Cornelia knew what they were doing.
Meanwhile, inside the locked assembly hall, Cornelia addressed her troops. "My fellow soldiers," she began, "the time has come to finally take action! By the end of this month we will finally be making our march against the emperor. I ask now, to all of you, where is your loyalty? Do you side with me or with the emperor? I ask now that you show me where your loyalty is. Step forward now, if you can choose my leadership over loyalty to your country!"
All of the soldiers in the room took one giant step forward. Each and every one of them was ready to fight for Cornelia to the bitter end, even if it meant treason. Jeremiah Gottwald especially was raring for action. Britannia meant nothing without a proper leader upon it and Charles had tried his patience. He believed in Cornelia's regime and what she was attempting to do. She had all of the undying loyalty he could give.
Kewell Soresi of the purist faction was even more than welcome to give Cornelia his life. Since the start of this regime, he'd managed to get his family out of Britannia and to Area Eleven where he believed it to be safer. His sister, Marika, was even standing in the room right now. She had joined the military because of Cornelia in the same vein of how Cornelia had joined it because of Marianne. She and her best friend, Liliana Vergamon, had even transferred out of the Valkyrie Squadron under Knight of Ten, Luciano Bradley, upon learning they would have the opportunity to work under their idol, The Goddess of the Battlefield, Cornelia li Britannia. Neither one of them had any trouble taking a stand for whatever their idol believed to be in their country's best interest.
Viletta Nu as well stood firmly, glaring like a soldier, ready to be given orders. Unlike Jeremiah and Kewell, she was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth and she had no family to speak of back in the home country. However, through hard work alone her talents had been recognized and Cornelia personally had Viletta transferred into her command shortly after Cornelia made Brigadier General. Viletta had no family back in the home country and no land to care for. Being a soldier was all that Viletta had in life. When Cornelia transferred her into her brigade and then had Viletta not only apply for commissioned officer training, but then ranked her as one, Viletta had never felt so grateful. For that she could never betray Cornelia, not for any reason.
Darlton and his sons stood proudly at the front. The old general had always hoped that the day would come when Cornelia would eventually see the empire for what it was. When the former general-in-chief was killed by Cornelia's own hand for treason, Darlton was originally elected by the other generals, including Cornelia, to take the position. Darlton declined in favor of Cornelia. Despite her royal privilege that had helped her climb the military ladder in a mere decade, Cornelia was more than capable of leading in spite of Darlton's years of experience. Cornelia was hesitant herself in her capabilities, but Darlton was convinced of her skills. He had seen her grow from the time when she was just a little girl. He was very proud of her as if she were his daughter.
And, of course, Guilford, Cornelia's Knight, was unable to give the woman he vowed to protect anything other than loyalty. If this was Cornelia's choice of action then it was up to him to help her see it through.
"We have reached the point of no return. Together, we shall usher in a new era for our country!"
"All hail the Confederacy!" Jeremiah shouted.
"All hail Cornelia!" Marika and Liliana shouted simultaneously. The two lines were then repeated by the entirety of Cornelia's troops in triumph. Cornelia smiled. This was it. Everything was in line. Now all that mattered was the execution.
The party at Stadfeld manor was about what one could expect. Schneizel, Cornelia, Area Eleven's attending parliament, Mr. and Mrs. Stadfeld, Kallen and other noble guests were all gathered around a large table with a buffet spread laid out for all of them. Kallen was wearing a flower adorned bangle that had a one way radio hidden in it; Zero had had it prepared for her. With it, and the hidden microphones Zero had had Kallen install throughout the manor, the party could be heard out in the garden where the Black Knights were lying in wait, downright ignored by Cornelia's soldiers as being "hostile units".
Cornelia couldn't tell if Schneizel didn't suspect a thing. She'd know if he somehow managed to weasel his way out of being captured that she'd been found out. For the time being he seemed placated. Nothing in his gaze or his manner of speech suggested that he was on his guard.
"I must thank you again, Miss Stadfeld, for inviting us all here," one of the parliament members said. "You are quite the courtly lady, to know how to respect your elders."
"Oh, but of course," Kallen said with a tired smile. "I'm just so glad I wasn't feeling sick today. It would have pained me to have to call things off." Ugh, gag me.
"Sick? Why would you be sick?" Another member asked.
"Oh, Kallen has had a frail constitution for years now," her father said. "Ever since my son passed away I think the trauma caused some sort of reaction in her."
"Oh how awful. How did he die?"
"Shot in the ghetto by some terrorists, from what I hear from Kallen. I wasn't there, so I don't know."
"It was awful," Kallen added. "I'd really rather not talk about it."
Cornelia looked towards Guilford who was standing by the entrance to the dining hall. He nodded to her, sending the message that Zero and the Black Knights were in position.
"Then let's change the subject," Cornelia said. "Miss Stadfeld, how are you faring in your studies?"
"Oh, quite well. I'm actually working on a speech for my public speaking class about patriotism."
"Oh, I'd love to hear some if you've memorized any," Cornelia said.
"Um, sure," Kallen stood up. She cleared her throat and began to speak. "For Britannia, the sole purpose is to conquer the inferior nations under our banner. Our sovereign nation is the one true nation of the world. The sooner the world understands that, the less blood that can be shed. However, our nation has its fair share of problems and so, to that I say," Kallen held up her wrist by her mouth and shouted, "All hail the Confederacy! All hail Zero!"
It happened so fast that no one had any time to react at all. Immediately the guns of all the soldiers in the dining hall were aimed at the patrons at the dining room table. The Black Knights came bursting through the windows like commandos because doors were for people who lacked an appreciation for the dramatic. Immediately all of the members of parliament, Schneizel, Cornelia and the Stadfelds were tied up and bound to the chairs.
Zero then waltzed in through the front door without having to break it down or blow it up. It was opened for him by a pair of Britannian soldiers.
The members of parliament looked horrified, some sick to their stomachs. Schneizel was shocked by Zero's appearance as well, but he didn't show it. The man remained as unreadable as ever to those around him.
"How unfortunate of you to let your guard down, Prime Minister. Just because your hostess is a Britannian girl, you believed yourselves to be safe." Zero then began walking around clockwise towards Schneizel and Cornelia. "I'm a bit disappointed that it was this easy."
Kallen's father was speechless at the implication that their daughter was teamed up with Zero; he couldn't believe that the entire party was a ruse for reasons he couldn't even fathom. Kallen's stepmother was shocked, but to a much lesser extent given she was a little more aware of Kallen's remaining pride in her Japanese heritage.
"Do you really think yourself so clever, Zero? You're attempting to hold hostage more than fifty Area Eleven noblemen and women including myself, the chief-general of Britannia's army, and at least a dozen parliament members. Do you really think you could corner us this easily?"
"All of you? By myself? Hardly," Zero said as he passed behind Schneizel. "However, it helps if you have a man on the inside. Or in my case," Schneizel was surprised when Cornelia was now not only standing, but pointing her gun in his face, "a woman."
Everyone save Schneizel, who remained unfazed, was in stunned silence. "Well now, I can't say I didn't at least suspect this. But tell me Cornelia, for what reason have you betrayed your country?"
"Betrayed my country? As I always have, I have Britannia's best interests in mind, dearest brother. Perhaps you've heard this one before: a country without a king is a country still, but king without countrymen rules naught but hills. This isn't treason, Schneizel. It's an uprising. Britannia has been too prosperous for too long at the expense of all others, and it's high time the policies of this nation were changed from the ground up. But of course, you and I will have a long time to chat about that later. For now, I want these idiots locked up!" Cornelia ordered to her troops. "Careful not to hurt the Stadfelds, but feel free to be a little rough with the members of parliament! Don't worry about the prince," Cornelia gave Schneizel a demonic smile. "Zero and I will be taking care of him personally."
To be continued…
(A/N: Ho-ly Shit! Yup, things are finally coming to a head. Next chapter will involve Japan actually declaring its independence and everything leading up to the start of the Britannian Civil War. The ending scene of that chapter will also contain a scene that you, the fans, will be able to vote on and it WILL affect the remainder of the series. That's right, you get to vote on a pivotal point in the story. What point is that? Well you'll just have to wait now, won't you? I also appreciate the dozen plus of you already that have voted on my pairings poll. If you haven't done so already do so now. The poll won't be up once I post chapter 7, replaced with the poll I was just talking about, but it will return once chapter 8 gets posted. Right now I don't know if I might split what I have for 7 into chapters 7 and 8, but if I don't split it, be prepared for a VERY long chapter as well as a Batman reference. Japan's freedom is nigh. All Hail the Confederacy of Britannia! All hail Cornelia! Ja ne!)