Sup everyone, here is the newest chapter, sorry for the late upload but I had a very busy two months. But now that it's summer I'll try to update even faster. But remember guys, no matter how slow the updates come they will never stop. I WILL FINISH THIS STORY.
Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. Hope you like the chapter.
"I want to get out of here." the Tianzi said with a grim calmness. She was blankly staring at the leaving transport, bathing in the sunset's light. Her thoughts known to no one.
She stood on one of the luxurious balconies of the Forbidden City. Her long, silky hair was being blown away by the merciless wind, revealing her expressionless, yet beautiful face. Her long white dress wailed in sync with the wind, merging with her equally snow white hair, making the two indistinguishable from one another.
She was cold and wrathful, yet also delicate and beautiful, she was a snow storm.
"I want to go with him."
Xingke, who had been standing beside the Empress with hands clasped behind his back and the serious aura that he was well known for, answered.
"You've gotten far."
"Not far enough."
Xingke gave a sidelong gaze at the Empress, who stood unfazed against the ravaging wind.
"The Eunuchs are dead." he simply stated
"And yet I'm still standing here, watching him leave for the third time."
"You are no longer a puppet." Xingke argued sternly.
"You're right. I'm a prisoner."
Xingke started forming a retort, but slowly closed his mouth, knowing that the Empress was right. If the Traditionalists had their way, she would never leave the Forbidden City.
"I'm lonely."
"The Prince would never desert yo-"
"The Prince is not here right now." She brusquely cut him off. A drop of anger and bitterness in her voice, but not directed at the prince, yet her voice remained leveled
Xingke blinked a couple of times, looking at her with worry.
The thinly veiled cynicism that had taken hold of the girl left him uneasy. This was not like the Tianzi at all…
What had happened?
0o0o0o0o0o0
The prince's violet eyes were narrowed in utter concentration, while a deep frown possessed the rest of his face. His posture was straight and rigid, giving no hint of the injuries he had received, although, without a doubt, were causing him tremendous discomfort and an acute pain.
Lelouch's eyes were glued to the flickering screen of a TV on the corner of the airborne transport. He was in such a deep state of thought that the empty glass that he continuously brought to his lips went unnoticed. His frown went deeper, something was bothering the prince.
"My Lord, do you wish for me to refill your beverage?" asked Jeremiah from the corner of the room.
Lelouch startled, although his composure didn't show it, shifted his attention to the empty glass. "Please do." he said, handing the glass to the awaiting knight, who received it and with a quick bow left the room.
"What is Schneizel planning?" Lelouch asked himself, putting his hands beneath his chin. His eyes rapidly moved from left to right, analyzing the situation, trying to find a suitable answer.
He turned his eyes towards the TV, where the reporter was repeating what she had said just a few minutes again. "Prince Schneizel has announced that a meeting will be held between him and the members of the known terrorist organization, Kyoto. For those who are unaware, they are known for supporting and funding various terrorist groups in Area 11, although they are known for not directly interfering. The purpose of this meeting is unknown, but already numerous nobles had stood up in protest and outrage has spread among the paramilitary groups at the Prime Minister's bold decision." finished the reporter with an enviable poker face.
Lelouch brought his hands to his head and started to pull on the dark strands of hair in frustration "What are you really after, brother? Angering the nobles? Brewing animosity with paramilitary groups? This goes completely against your plans and recent pro-nobility reforms and policies to strengthen your hold on the Empire…"
He slammed his elbows on the table "What has changed for you to make such a radical change?" Lelouch muttered under his breath
This development had also brought a matter that had been bothering him while he recovered in the Forbidden City to light.
What had happened to Kaguya?
Truth be told, he had expected a visit from the energetic Japanese girl, and was at a loss when she didn't show up.
At the time, he had made the assumption that she slipped away unnoticed among the chaos. It was the logical conclusion. After all, enemies of Kyoto were about to make themselves at home. However, that didn't stop a nagging feeling from settling itself on the back of his head, telling him that there was more to it than it appeared on the surface.
This nagging feeling had proven itself correct, making Lelouch curse himself for not following his instincts.
It was obvious what had happened now, Schneizel had gotten to Kaguya. What he intended to do with her, Lelouch couldn't tell, and that drove him insane.
"Your drink, my Lord." said Jeremiah, now back in the room and handing him a glass with lemonade.
"Thank you, Jeremiah. Now contact the Avalon and the Prime Minister. I need to speak with my brother." Lelouch calmly ordered with a regained composure.
Jeremiah bowed "At once, my Lord." he replied, swiftly walking away to follow his orders.
Lelouch finished calming down while the call connected with the Avalon, his brother's flagship. After a few moments, were the only thing that could be heard where the monotonous beeps from the call connecting and the turbulence that slightly shook the transport, the face of Britannia's Prime Minister with his signature charming smile and a cup of wine appeared on the screen in front of Lelouch.
"Ah, dear brother, I see your fondness for non-alcoholic drinks has only increased. You are aware that you are the laughing stock of the Royal family for that reason?" Schneizel noted while his eyes drifted to the lemonade Lelouch held.
"Let them laugh." Lelouch stated "When they're half drunk and I strip of them of anything but their life in a game of wits, I'll be the one laughing." He said while taking a sip from his lemonade with pride.
Schneizel's smile widened "I'm glad to see you are as prudent as ever, young brother, just don't let that deprive you from the many joys of life. Now, to what do I owe the pleasant surprise of your call?"
"Let's skip the pleasantries, brother. I assume Kaguya is onboard the Avalon. I wish to speak to her." Lelouch demanded.
"You saw the news." Schneizel said matter-of-factly "Very well, I'll give you some privacy." he agreed with a wink that made Lelouch uncomfortable. Something, that as a good older brother, Schneizel thrived in.
The connection cut and after a few seconds of static, Kaguya's smiling face appeared. "You're worried about me?" she asked with a girly voice specially made to tease Lelouch. Before Lelouch could utter a single word, Kaguya brought a finger to her lips and said "then again, we kissed, so it's logical you would be worried about your future bride."
Lelouch wanted nothing but to strangle the girl. With a hand rubbing his right temple, he continued "Listen to me, Kaguya, this is serious. What did he promise you?" he emphasized the last words.
Kaguya, with small disappointment written over her face, turned serious. "He told me there was a way to stop the bloodshed and suffering of the Japanese."
Lelouch nodded and stared off into space for a few seconds "Just be careful, Schneizel is a tricky one."
Kaguya waved it off "I know, I know, I'm not as stupid as to think he is doing this for free. He has an agenda, but if I have a chance of saving my people, I'll take it." she said with unshakable determination.
"Very well, I understand." Lelouch replied.
Kaguya gave him a smile "I'm glad you do."
"Just one last thing. Kaguya, take care. I mean it." Lelouch simply said before hanging up, leaving a blushing Japanese girl on the other side of the world.
0o0o0o0o0o0
It was a normal day in the Forbidden City, or as normal as it could get after a Coup d'état. The Tianzi was in the conference room, bringing righteous retribution upon the different papers she had to sign, with a vicious gleam in her eyes.
Xingke, clueless as to what was happening to the young girl, decided to stay clear of the ticked off Empress, or at least that was what he had decided three days ago. Now, he didn't know how to deal with the sudden wave of wrath that had taken the Tianzi over.
Xiangling, on the other side, had a slight idea of what was going on.
"Here is the paper to integrate the Black Knights into the provisional army, my Empress." Xingke said cautiously, handing her the official form.
The Tianzi swiftly took it and gave it an extensive scan, before moving her head left to right in resignation. "I won't sign this, the Black Knights need to be a unit loyal to me outside the official institutions, that way we can guarantee their loyalty." The Tianzi explained while she moved on to sign other papers.
"Lelouch's idea, I presume." Xingke said without thinking.
Xiangling tensed up as a shudder went up her spine. The Tianzi blew the lid whenever someone mentioned the young prince, and astonishingly enough, Xingke hadn't noticed.
She stopped writing.
Xingke had committed a grave mistake.
"No, the idea was mine, Xingke. Tell me, do you think I don't have what it takes to rule my country without Lelouch's interference? Do you think me that weak of a ruler? Have your loyalties shifted?" The Tianzi spat at him venomously, her eyes glaring murder.
Xingke winced slightly, startled by her reaction. He quickly brought his head down and started to apologize "I'm sorry, my Empress, I didn't mean it like that. I beg for forgiveness."
The Tianzi, realizing she lost control, quickly looked down and tried to calm herself. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, settling her rapidly beating heart.
"I apologize, Xingke, I knew you didn't mean it like that." She began with an apologetic tone "It's just that before Lelouch left, he told me I was like his little sister, and I'm so happy about that, but not as happy as I expected. I don't know why, and it so frustrating." she blurted out, then quickly clamped her mouth shut as she realized she let out too much and started pouting.
Xianglin instantly realized what was happening and bowed her head, smiling.
However, Xingke, the hardened war veteran that he was, didn't connect the dots and missed the entire point. He and Lelouch had more in common in terms of what they both thought, perhaps that's why they got along so well. Cut out from the same cloth, perhaps?
He brought a hand to his chin and submerged himself into deep thought. He was met by Xiangling's incredulous expression, who thought what was happening was clearer than day.
After a few moments Xingke spoke up "I've got nothing."
"That's because you are an idiot." Xiangling said, sighing "Now out you go." She ordered.
"Wait, Why!?" protested Xingke with indignation.
Xianglin quickly grabbed him and forcefully pushed him out, even as he wailed his arms in protest and resistance to no avail, as he was thrown out of the room.
"The Empress and I need some privacy." She simply stated before closing the door with an audible bang in front of Xingke's face. He simply stood in front of the door with his eyes as wide as plates, before sitting in front of the door with a loud huff.
After locking the door, Xiangling turned to face the empress, whose eyes were filled with amazement and wonder. "That was mean." she observed shyly.
Xiangling just waved it off "He'll be fine, a temper tantrum is all he will actually do." she walked near the Empress. Xianglin's eyes turned serious as she asked "Now tell me what happened in extreme detail."
The Tianzi jumped and a noticeable blush tinted her face. "Everything?" she gingerly asked while covering her reddened face with her dress. "But it's embarrassing!" she argued on a louder voice while bringing the second arm to cover her face in a more erratic manner.
"It is imperative you tell me everything so I can make a proper analysis." explained Xianglin, leaving no room for discussion.
"Well… at first I wanted to spend some time alone with him, so I went to visit him in the infirmary." The Tianzi started. Her voice suddenly took a turn for the worse, sounding more annoyed "But that brother of his was there, and he just wouldn't leave." she begrudgingly continued.
A very deep frown suddenly appeared on her beautiful face "Honestly, if he is coming to visit, the least he could do is spend some time with me instead of that annoying brother of his." she complained with a cute pout.
All the while Xiangling was watching with a quirked eyebrow, her theory getting proven by the second.
"Then we talked… and he didn't notice the perfume." when the last words got out, the expression on her face made it clear that she didn't intend to voice that last part. Xiangling didn't pay mind to it, it wasn't what she was looking for.
"And then…" the Tianzi's expression suddenly turned somber "He said that I was like a little sister to him." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Without noticing it, the young girl brought her hand to her chest, clenching her fist.
"And I felt so happy, but at the same time, something felt off, wrong. I don't know how to explain it, it was as if something important was missing." The Tianzi started explaining.
She looked down, her earlier blush completely gone.
"I didn't feel as happy as I thought I would."
Xiangling was startled by the sudden movement from the Tianzi, who quickly rose her head to stare into the older woman's eyes. She saw despair in that look, and her heart couldn't help but cringe at such a heartbreaking scene.
"And I don't know why I'm feeling like this." The Tianzi quickly spoke "I've wanted to be his little sister for as long as I can remember, and now that he has acknowledged me as such, I…" her voice started to crack "I feel as if I don't want it." she finished, her voice wavering as if she was afraid to utter those words.
Xianglin knew what was happening, it was as clear as day. However she could not tell the Empress.
"I don't think it's anything you should worry about." Xianglin said with a bit of difficulty.
"Really, do you know what's happening?" the Tianzi asked, hope filling her eyes.
She couldn't reveal to the Tianzi that she was in love.
"You are only feeling a bit of disappointment because he got injured right after he got here and spent a lot of time asleep, so you couldn't spend a lot of time with him." Xianglin lied.
"So that's it? It's just a bit of disappointment? Nothing else? Really?" The Tianzi quickly asked, her relief almost palpable.
Right now, the Tianzi needed to reform a government and deal with many politicians out for their own gain. She needed to be focused, and couldn't afford distractions, therefore, she couldn't tell her the truth.
"I'm sure of it." Xianglin deceived the empress.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Have you made sure Lady Sumeragi didn't reveal anything from the plan to Lelouch? Schneizel asked his aide.
"She didn't say a word." Kanon replied.
"Excellent." Schneizel commented
"Do you think he will oppose the plan?" asked Kannon curiously.
"Not necessarily." Schneizel explained with a carefree tone "However, his knowledge of the plan will bring about its failure…" he continued with a more serious tone than before.
He took a few steps around his office before continuing "The tricky and yet exhilarating thing about it is that it's just like a human emotion. Exercise too much control over it and you'll have a completely opposite result to the one you seek. Exercise too little, and the result will waver, fragment and get off the beaten path"
"But isn't centralizing the army exercising too much control?" replied Kanon.
Schneizel gave a booming laugh "No, my dear Kanon, that is preparation, prevention against the social classes and groups that will hinder our progress now that we have the Chinese Federation as allies. The conservative nobility and nationalist extremists will only hurt the operation on the grand scheme of things, and prevention against Lelouch…"
He turned to Kanon "Understand this, The Chinese Federation are not Britannia's allies, they are Lelouch's. This situation has equipped Lelouch with incredible power. The Empress adores my younger brother, and if he were to go to war, or rise up in revolution, she would doubtlessly jump into the fray to support him. That is why I want to maximize the amount of troops loyal to the Britannian Government, and not paramilitary groups that may aid him in their quest for power."
"You believe the Prince will rise up in rebellion?" Kanon said, a tinge of awe filling his voice.
"No." Schneizel firmly said "But I'm not the one to leave it up to chance."
He turned around towards the map that was sprawled over his desk and began to examine it with care. "But as I've said, this is but a mere preventive measure to assure the success of my grand plan…" He grabbed a black king from a nearby chess board and set on the map, China to be more specific.
"I'll use Lelouch to annex the Chinese federation, and I'll do it without firing a single shot."
Hope this chapter didn't feel much like a filler, since it practically is. The real shit comes next chap!
Please review and tell me what you think, I want to know what you guys want and what you like so I can focus on those parts more and make it more enjoyable for you guys. If you want more jealous Lihua scenes tell me and I'll put them in, if you want more clueless Lelouch tell me and I'll write it and so on.
Hope you like the story, and wait for next chap... shit's going to go down.