The Chess Match

11

-L/L-

The witch had been right. Did she have premonitions as well as being immortal? He frowned, only to remember that the girl might live at least part time at the school… so she had probably just come from there. Light had arrived back at Ashford Academy just when what seemed like every student was congregating in the Student Council buildings. It was, of course, the hasty yet lavish Suzaku's Promotion to Knighthood Party, sponsored by Nunnally Lamperouge.

As a social function in which someone would undoubtedly spike the punch, Light could not afford to miss the opportunity. Of course, he never touched alcohol himself, but hard drinks meant loose tongues. And he could really use some information, especially if it seemed like the giver had a chance of not even remembering the deed.

The doors were open, and all the small round party tables he had seen neatly displayed before were getting good use. Several tablecloths were already stained with what looked to be orange Fanta. It seemed the party was in full swing already, with nearly a hundred students already crowded into the room, milling around with drinks and slices of pizza and cake. Music poured from somewhere behind them, a soft noise under the roar of many inside voices.

Light realized it was his first truly Britannian party. Ironic that it was for a Japanese boy. Taking a deep breath and setting his face to a pleasant smile, he waded into the mess, getting a drink to have something to hold and look natural—he wasn't planning on drinking it.

It was then that he noticed Kallen's red hair bobbing amongst the crowd. A slight frown creased his brow. What was she doing here already? Granted, he had taken a long route home and held a disturbing conversation with Ryuk and C.C., but hadn't Kallen been busy with Black Knight work? Wasn't that why she couldn't go home with him? (Although, on second thought, it was a very good thing she hadn't walked back with him since he had run into the green-haired witch.)

Smoothing his features into one of a guy sneaking up playfully on his girlfriend, Light did just that. Kallen seemed utterly focused on something else, the line of her body emanating strength that was unusual for her in while wearing her school uniform. Something was up. She was clutching her handbag like it was going to escape if she didn't strangle it first. As she made her way towards the center of the room, she bumped into people without even saying sorry in her diminutive actress voice. This was not simply bad, this was dangerous. Kallen was in the process of blowing her cover sky high.

Which of course, would make Light look utterly untrustworthy and he'd be back before square one.

"Kallen!" he shouted, trying to get her attention. She didn't seem to hear him, and as he hurried toward her, he finally saw what she was so intent on. Her blue eyes never wavered from Suzaku, the boy standing casually in an open circle of well-wishers and friends.

Shit. She meant to kill Suzaku. It was as obvious as it was dumb. How could Kallen be that stupid? She had been cleverly hiding her double life for years, worked her way to be a trusted aide to Zero, and had even impressed Light with her skills. So why was she throwing it all away?

There was no way the mastermind Zero would have ordered this. If Kallen were really so important to the Black Knights, she would not be the one doing the hit on Suzaku; she was too valuable. And a quiet assassination wasn't Zero's style. He was too flashy, too much a propaganda machine, and far too smart to kill someone who was once Japanese.

Not only that, but Light didn't want Suzaku killed. The boy was a hopeful idealist, law-abiding citizen, and even if a bit stupid, it wasn't his fault he was trying to assimilate into the Britannian world as best he could. Weren't they all?

He called Kallen's name again, twisting through the crowd faster. He was gaining on her, realized he would make it in time, and became more careful not to spill his drink. Then she stopped, still yards away from her target.

Lelouch had taken her wrist, startling the girl into stopping. Where had he come from? Light didn't stop moving and arrived on her other side just in time to hear Lelouch speaking.

"Shirley wants your help," the Britiannian was saying. He didn't look away from Kallen, even though Light knew Lelouch would be able to see him in his peripheral vision.

Kallen, however, jerked her arm away. She looked straight back at Lelouch's friendly smile, but her voice was low and had lost the calm that came from her schoolgirl persona, "Sorry, I'm in the middle of something."

Lelouch didn't miss a beat, but he didn't make it sound like an interrogation. Just friendly. "And what would that something be?"

Light took his cue. He put a firm hand around Kallen's arm, just above her elbow. She whipped her head to stare at him, eyes wide until she registered it was Light's face. There was no way Lelouch would have failed to notice Kallen's odd behavior. He smiled over her to Lelouch. "We just wanted to congratulate Suzaku first. I'm sure Kallen wouldn't might helping her friend out afterwards. We only just got here."

"Oh, that's fine. I only just arrived myself," Lelouch replied easily and Light got the distinct impression that Lelouch was acting too. There was a strange hierarchy of it going on here. "Let's all go together."

Light nodded, but he could feel Kallen's muscles were still tense and rigid. She certainly had more muscle than most would give her credit for too. But she needed to control herself. Was Lelouch playing along to simply avoid a scene? Could Kallen tell Lelouch had noticed? Or was he the only one with all the puzzle pieces here? He leaned down to her ear and whispered, knowing it was forgivable only because of their relationship status.

"Don't be so obvious or you'll get us both killed." It was the faintest of whispers into her hair. No one would be able to read his lips even if they had tried. He felt her freeze under his hand.

And then he guided her forward. Lelouch glided along on Kallen's other side. They looked like escorts and Light was even more positive that Lelouch was lending a helping hand of sorts. It hadn't been the neatest of lies, and if anyone could pick up on hidden intents, it was certainly Lelouch. But there was no way he would suspect Kallen of having the motive and capability for murder. That was too far-fetched. What was Lelouch thinking?

Suzaku turned as the three approached, giving them all a bright smile. Lelouch spoke first, a little sheepishly. "Sorry I'm late."

"Not at all," Suzaku returned. He looked like he wanted to give Lelouch a hug, but felt awkward about it in front of so many people. That, and Lelouch didn't seem interested in the gesture. "I'm glad you could make it."

Kallen tried to remove Light's grip on her surreptitiously, but Light didn't let go. She was not allowed to leave now or it would spoil his lie even further. Since he had tied himself to Kallen, she needed to learn how to behave appropriately. He hoped she was bright enough to follow his lead and learn from him. Right now, he could feel her angry heat through one hand.

He gave Suzaku a nod and spoke seriously. "Congratulations, Suzaku. You're giving the rest of us Honorary Britannians hope for the future."

Kallen relaxed suddenly and he could see Lelouch not quite hide a smile. Inside, Light was laughing. Both Kallen and Lelouch must know he was lying through his perfect teeth and yet neither gave him away. He had them wrapped around his fingers, each keeping their secrets from everyone but him. After learning the truth about Lelouch's parentage, Light knew Lelouch wouldn't touch him for fear of any harm reaching Nunnally. And Kallen, well, she trusted Light and just might understand that he had the makings of a much better spy than herself.

Suzaku, for his part, just grinned with a bit of embarrassment. "Thanks, Light.

Kallen nodded, perhaps unable to speak just yet. Light gave her arm a gentle squeeze, then let go. It was just enough encouragement. "Great job, Suzaku," Kallen congratulated, her gentle eyes downcast and voice demure.

Perfect. She was learning.

Suzaku and Lelouch hadn't seemed to notice, the former turning to the latter to speak. "Oh yeah, what was it that you wanted to talk about? You said it was important."

Lelouch looked a bit like he'd been struck by Rivalz's sidecar. "Oh…" he began, then looked down and left, avoiding eye contact, his voice rich with melancholy, "that… doesn't matter anymore."

A thrill went down Light's spine. Where had this gem suddenly come from? That was a lot of emotion for Lelouch to share, so whatever it was, it surely mattered a lot to Lelouch still. Even if Suzaku noticed, he was too polite to say anything. There was still something going on between them that Light hadn't figured out yet. Despite the way Lelouch often treated Suzaku, it was perhaps… an attempt to keep him at arm's length for a reason. Which could only mean they had been much, much closer at another time. But when?

Kallen tugged on his arm, pulling him out of his thoughts. Lelouch was always too intriguing; so many sides. He turned to Kallen. "Light," she said quietly, looking up, "Let's ditch this par—"

"Soo sorry~," a strange voice trilled across the room and everyone hushed in the voice's wake. The surprised students looked towards the inner doorway, at a tall, very thin man in a lab coat. The shy girl from the Student Council, Nina, stood next to him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Together, they looked almost like exotic birds: the man with his stork-like complexion and strange, almost dancing movements and the girl with the presence of mind of a scared ostrich, ready to throw her head into a hole in the ground to hide.

The man continued, his voice echoing with strange high notes like he was permanently stuck in puberty. "We've still got work to do, Suzaku."

Light glanced sideways to see Suzaku's face transform from surprise into resignation. "Oh, right," the boy replied.

"Who's that?" Lelouch asked, without taking his curious eyes off the man.

"My boss," Suzaku answered sheepishly. He seemed embarrassed to admit it, and it was easy to see why, considering the man's demeanor.

Kallen tugged on his arm again and Light decided that if Suzaku was leaving, it was fine for him to disappear as well. He nodded and let Kallen lead him away while the rest of the student body twittered with the strange man's announcement of being not only a count, but also engaged to Milly.

It was just as they were leaving when he heard that Suzaku would be mobilizing to aide Princess Euphemia in greeting another diplomat. And Light couldn't resist taking a long look back over his shoulder, not to the Lancelot pilot, the center of attention, but to the self-exiled prince, the brilliant man blending into the mediocre crowd.

Lelouch's face was alive with dark emotion, some mix of bitter loathing and deep-seated sorrow. He was glaring forward, under his delicate brows, his eyes transfixed by the newly Knighted and his boss. If he didn't know better, Light would have guessed that Lelouch were ready to kill Suzaku himself.

With a smile, Light looked back to Kallen and they fled into the darkening day.

They didn't stop their quick walking until they reached a secluded area of the campus grounds. They entered a white gazebo, morning glories twining around the building, and Kallen immediately sat down, dropping her pretenses. She suddenly looked like she had just awoken from a nightmare. Her breaths came quickly.

Light continued standing and waited a moment for her to calm down. Despite being a terrorist, Kallen didn't act as if she had killed before if this was how she reacted to almost killing someone. She wasn't shaking, which was good, but she didn't seem to be in a solid mental state.

"Kallen," he started gently. She looked up at him and Light couldn't tell whether she was angry or scared. He changed tactics, and crouched down in front of her knees, putting a hand on hers. "Are you alright?"

It seemed to snap her out of it. "Of course I'm alright," she bit off, looking away and taking her hand back. She looked him square in the eye. "Do you have any idea what you were doing?"

Light moved back, standing to give her some space and him some elevation. He looked down, and tried not to let himself scoff overly. "Do you?"

She was furious now, and Light could see she was ready for a fight. All that adrenaline and no place to go. But Light could see his opening; a fight done the right way would lead to new respect for him and she would be more pliable and willing to help him.

"I had been told to do it! By you know who! And you don't even know what I was doing!" Kallen rose to her feet, advancing a step and hissing at Light. "You stopped me from completing my mission, Light!"

"And it's a good thing I did. Who told you to kill Suzaku Kururugi?" His voice was level, telling her he knew exactly what she was up to. "I don't believe it came from our masked friend himself."

"Wha- What? Light, I don't believe you would call into question the- the chain of command. You, why you just got in on it! You don't know what you're talking about," Kallen retorted, but the hint of doubt was in her eyes. Her answer neatly proved that it was not, in fact, Zero who had told her to assassinate Suzaku.

"Tell me, Kallen," Light asked, keeping his voice calm and steady. "You know you can trust me."

"…I- I don't know if I should, Light. It's not about you, it's… I mean, it might be classified or something." The fire was leaving her argument, and Light could tell she was already swayed. Just a little more of a push, something she could put faith in.

"Kallen," he said, using a tone of logic, "if it were classified, they would have made sure to tell you it was classified. Also, I… think very highly of Zero. I doubt he would stoop to assassination. Don't you think so too?"

He could see the pain in her eyes as she nodded. She was clearly at war with herself and wanted desperately to trust him.

"So whoever told you to kill Suzaku was doing it against Zero's orders. You're Zero's ace. If he had wanted you to do it, he would have told you himself."

Kallen suddenly turned and punched a supporting pillar of the gazebo. Light flinched, the act of violence quite sudden. Kallen's voice punctuated the new night air. "That lying shit! I knew there was something awful about him!"

She turned back to Light, a fire burning in her eyes, but this time, it wasn't aimed at him. He wondered if her hand was okay—the wood hadn't shattered at least. "His name is Deithard Reid. He's in charge of security and intelligence."

Light made a face. "His name… is he half Britannian?"

Kallen matched and then raised his disgusted look. "No, he's fully one of them. He used to work for the Governor's propaganda campaign or something. No one really likes him, but Zero thinks he's useful."

Light appeared to consider it for a moment. "Kallen, if you have a way to get in touch with Zero, you should. He needs to know what happened… or, almost happened. If this guy is trying to do things behind Zero's back, then he needs to be stopped."

Kallen nodded, all business and energy. "I don't, but I can call the second-in-command and he can tell Zero." She pulled out her phone, dialed, and then stopped just before pressing 'call.' "Um, Light?"

She was suddenly very pretty and vulnerable. Or maybe it was her vulnerability that made her seem more attractive. A slight blush crept onto her cheeks. He just looked attentively at her.

"Thank you."

-L/L-

Mobilizing to meet someone? Who was important enough to require Euphemia's presence and retinue? And at such a location? Anyone in the royal family would probably come straight to the Tokyo Settlement and meet with Cornelia. Lower class nobles would not be met with such pomp or really, they would not be met at all. So it was likely to be someone in between. A very high ranking noble, perhaps a new Area 11 Governor-in-Training to take over when Cornelia was called away to whatever Area she wanted to crush.

Certainly, Cornelia would never leave Euphemia in charge. That girl had her head in the clouds, living a dream-like existence and believing everyone was bursting with wholesome goodness and happy promise. Euphie was most likely an unknowing, and thus perfect royal puppet, and whoever was coming probably thought it was an honor to be ushered in by the third princess.

He went over a few details in his head while glancing over depth maps and nearby islands. He needed to know what his next chessboard would look like. And where he planned to finally get the checkmate he was so desperately needing.

The door opened, then closed. With no knock and quiet footsteps, Lelouch knew it was C.C. without looking around. There was the soft thud of one boot, followed by the other. The bed springs sounded next, sheets and comforter sliding against each other. Lelouch put a few locations on the map with a marker, giving them Greek letters for names. They didn't need to rush with this plan, except for the initial surprise. Once they controlled the small base, reinforcements would take at least an hour to arrive if they were notified immediately. Since one of their first targets was the radio tower, they might be able to extend that time frame to several hours even. It should be more than enough time to capture his new, prized game piece.

He turned in his swivel chair to face the bed. C.C. was lounging, her long hair over the pillows and Cheese-kun tucked under one arm. She looked at him for a long moment with her yellow eyes, and he sensed that she was gauging his mood.

"I'm fine, get it over with," Lelouch replied to her unspoken question. He glanced at the clock. "We only have twenty minutes before we should head out. I want to know what you learned before that."

There was a long pause, C.C.'s eyes still watching his every move carefully. "Very well," she stated finally, stretching up into a sitting position. "Light knows the monster follows him. They seem to get along well."

Lelouch bit his lip. This was not what he expected. He had convinced C.C. to see if there was a way to learn more about the monster, but he had counted on Light not being aware of its existence. If Light knew it was there and it was truly as hideously ugly as C.C. had made it sound, then… then he was simply an utterly marvelous actor.

"That's not all, Lelouch," C.C. continued, sounding a bit weary. "He calls himself a Death God. His name is Ryuk. If he's telling the truth, Death Gods kill humans to steal the life they have left. He could tell I'm immortal."

Lelouch blinked. This was… this was nearly too much.

He was used to strangeness; if not from the day he was born into the royal family, then surely when he met C.C. for the first time. He had seen people die, some return to life, fought against magic powered by the Geass and used it frequently himself.

But this was different. If there were Death Gods wandering the world, invisible to most mankind, it shifted his entire worldview. He wasn't sure what he believed in—God, the afterlife, Hell?—but he felt like it was okay to put off. There was no way to know until he died anyway, so what was the point in worrying about it? It wouldn't change how he lived his life.

And then it all clicked into place. A network of invisible creatures who could kill anyone they chose, completely undetected. They left no evidence as they could not be tracked. They killed because they had too. This was Kira.

And Light was in on it. He was in deep. He was, in fact, probably in league with them. A part of Kira. That would explain his arrogance and smugness. If he could literally see what others could not, of course Light, the genius from a young age, would believe he was the most important person on the planet. Even his act of being a high schooler—because it was an act just as much as Lelouch's own school life—couldn't hide his superiority complex. Light thought he was the best thing since the wheel had been invented and the only human with the right to judge others alongside the Gods.

While he'd never thought of Light as a killer, the way he had handled Kallen's awkwardly mistaken attempt on Suzaku's life made it clear. Light had not made a scene, not gotten angry, and there was not even the register of surprise that his girlfriend was suddenly intent on murder. He had taken control of the situation nearly as smoothly as Lelouch had, and then proceeded to lie his way through the next five minutes of conversation. All while a Death God was watching him.

A shudder passed through Lelouch. He focused suddenly on C.C., her eyes meeting his with no expression. He needed an answer from her, even though he knew what it must be. "You said they seemed like friends. Did they act like equals? If you were to say one was in control, one held the power, who would that be?"

C.C. looked away and sighed. "You don't need me to tell you. We both know Light would never let anyone else take control. He thinks he's the most superior being on the planet." She turned and looked Lelouch squarely in the eye. "He's even more arrogant than you are."

She said it with a straight face so Lelouch couldn't tell if she were teasing or trying to prove a point. He sighed, suddenly frustrated.

"C.C., I've just let Kira, or the man who controls Kira, meet Nunnally, discover my true identity, and join the Black Knights. What… what do I do?" An overwhelming urge to just stop tugged at him. He looked down and cradled his head in his hands. Kira's power was one he couldn't fight. He couldn't use his Geass on something he couldn't see. He needed to be sure that the Death God would be on his side and not kill him or take the offensive route and kill the creature first, if it were at all possible. And with Light such a threat in every aspect of his life, Lelouch wasn't sure what the safest way to use the Geass on Light would be. Or even what his goal was. To get Light's power as a Kira on his side? To have him forget Lelouch's and Nunnally's real names? To force him to stop killing? To have Light kill himself?

…The last thought was extremely appealing, even it were dark. But then what if the Death God wanted revenge? Lelouch would be powerless against it and everything would be lost. He needed to find the best way to ensure his survival. What didn't Light know?

Ah, yes. The answer was right in front of him. A smile crept over his face and he lifted his head from his hands. Everything would be fine. C.C. looked sideways at him, her brow furrowed. Lelouch just continued to smile, his mind fine-tuning the details. He glanced at the clock; it was time to go.

Grabbing his maps and placing them into his briefcase, Lelouch turned to watch C.C. put on her boots.

"You'll need to stay in my office during the entire mission, you know. We can't have Light seeing you with the Knights." Despite his words of caution, Lelouch felt a ball of excitement erupt in his stomach. He was taking action today, something that would benefit all aspects of his life.

If everything went exactly as planned, he could hope to walk in with one Japanese classmate and leave with another.

-L/L-

L was annoyed.

He didn't like the training workouts and he didn't care for the food. He missed his computer and his favorite chair. He intensely disliked the smell of the locker room. He missed his private, always locked room. He hated the squeaking of the mattress springs on the bunk bed above him. He missed Watari and all the orphan children. He hadn't connected with any of the other recruits (probably because he wasn't trying that hard to do so, but still). He even missed the donuts from the bakery down the street from Wammy's. Staying with the Black Knights was beginning to look like a miscalculation if he ever made mistakes.

There also seemed like there was no room for advancement as long as he continued to give a lackluster performance in the training drills. He could do better, but he had quickly learned that once he did, they'd start handing him real guns and expect him to march onto the battlefield.

And not only was he unfamiliar with marching to the beat of another's drum, the battlefield was not a good place for him. He hadn't actually signed up to help fight the war. He was looking for Kira, and any slip of Zero's mask.

L knew it was risky to reveal his true strength, but he was tired of being there. Nothing would change if he didn't change it himself. It had been nearly a month, and in between workouts, he was still stuck performing small tasks for Tamaki like the majority of the raw recruits. Only a few had been promoted to other positions, all those ones with guns.

It was time for Rue Ryuuzaki to do the same. He needed to catch Zero's attention for doing something clever, and then he would be carefully protected as a strong asset and let in on some more classified information. He had seen that Zero made decisions based on merit—even if some of the lower ranked members used seniority or looks or physical strength—so L simply had to prove his worth. In a way that Zero would notice.

He thought through his list of skills. Strategy would be useful, but it would take a long time to convince anyone he was very good at it. Besides, Zero was known for tactics and even had the famous Toudou for help. Machinery mechanics would also work, but he didn't want to do any heavy lifting and often the mechanics were replacing steel coverings and massive iron bolts. Programming, however, and the linked world of hacking could be very useful. And there was no hard menial labor involved. He might even get his own computer. That line of work might also grant him a higher security clearance faster. If he worked the right angles, he might even be able to get himself in charge of securing the important files himself. So naturally, he would have access to everything.

He smiled his quirky little smile and headed toward the simulation machines. That would likely be a good place to start. Soon, he would be Ryuuzaki the computer whiz and if Zero were smart, he'd 'allow' Ryuuzaki to monitor the database rather than worry that he might hack his way in.

Because now that he'd chosen another aspect to his persona, L found it quite difficult to restrain himself. He could probably sneak in and gain access to Zero's computer. Everyone knew he came and went like the wind… which meant L had no way of knowing when Zero would return and there was always C.C., the yellow-eyed not-what-she-seemed woman. He wasn't sure if she travelled with Zero always or locked herself in his room when he was out.

L sighed. It was best to stick with the plan and work his way up truthfully.

Or, at least as truthfully as a spying detective could. He grinned. This was why he liked his job.

-L/L-

Oh my sweet Lancelot, I posted.

No, really, it's kinda been a long time (in which 'kinda' actually means 'forever,' especially to those of you who have been here since chapter one). Thanks to those of you still faithfully reading after, yes, all these years and also to those newer to the story. Keep those reviews coming as I quit my job and have more free time to read them at my new one, lol. This is also the reason I had time to write this chapter in the first place. (No, I don't write while at work, this new job is only part-time so I can spend more of it being a nerd like I was back in college. Yay. Days off.)

So, pat yourselves on the back for waiting this long and as always, I hope you enjoyed it.

Special thanks to Tobi Tortue who beta-ed this quickly over iChat with me so I could post tonight!