Japanese Coast
Inoue looked out at the land ahead of her with a pair of binoculars.
"We used to have trouble getting even a single motorcycle. Now we have a submarine." Inoue said with awe. "The military district of India will be in big trouble if the Britannians ever find out. How'd she do it?" She wondered as she thought about the genius scientist.
...
Submarine
All the Black Knights stood at attention as they listened to Zero give his presentation.
"Now then, due to our recent reorganization, a few changes have been made." Zero began. "Our new chief of military affairs will be Kyoshiro Tohdoh." He said officially.
That got a enthusiastic response from the Knights, especially the Four Holy Swords.
"Taking charge of all intelligence, espionage, and public relation matters, Diethard Reid." Zero continued.
That got a more mixed response, to say the least.
"This Britannian pretty boy?!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Not to mention, he's a media type." Urabe also commented.
"Zero, I'm not a racist, but what's your reasoning for placing one of them in such a sensitive position?" Chiba asked, not realizing the contradiction of her question.
"Reason? And what of me, I ask you?" Zero asked with scrutiny. Getting the Black Knights to shut up. "I'm not Japanese either. You all know this. What matters is the ability to produce results. Who you are and where you're from are of little consequence." Zero proclaimed.
A lot of the Black Knights looked at him in awe after that.
"Alright, alright, already!" Tamaki said, giving in to the reasoning.
"My deputy commander will be Kaname Ohgi." Zero continued. The original Kozuki group smiled at that.
"Who, me?" Ohgi said with surprise.
"You object?" Zero asked.
"Uh, no." Ohgi said, still a bit unsure.
"Well, you were our leader to begin with, weren't you?" Sugiyama told him with encouragement.
"A newbie can't take that job, right?" Minami said as well.
"And for research and development, Rakshata." Zero continued.
"Who else?" Rakshata asked with a smile, knowing how rhetorical it was.
"Captain of the Zero Squad: Kallen Kozuki." Zero continued.
"The Zero Squad?" Kallen asked.
"An elite guard under my direct command. Think of yourselves as my personal force." Zero told her.
"An elite guard…" Kallen said, happy to know how important she was in the Black Knights. "Zero." She said with a smile.
"Captain of the First Squad will be Shogo Asahina. Second Squad: Ryouga Senba. Third Squad: Kizuna Kagesaki. And Tamaki will lead the Second Special Forces. That is all." Zero concluded as he showed each squad on the screen in front of him.
"I'm the man!" Tamaki cheered.
However, Kallen noticed something.
"There's no position for C.C.?" Kallen thought as she looked at C.C., who just twirled her hair.
"Zero, may I add something?" Diethard spoke up.
"Hmm?" Zero said, intrigued.
"There's one issue that still needs to be dealt with." Diethard said.
...
The Viceroy Palace
"Who cares if he's an honorary Britannian? Knighting an Eleven is just..." A noble said with scrutiny.
"And broadcasting it live." Another noble offered.
"How'd he ever win her favor, I wonder."
"Well, even a princess has needs, right?"
All the nobles snickered at that. Suzaku could hear them too, but he paid them no mind. He wore a white jacket and pants, along with a purple vest and a sword but his waist. He continued to make his way towards Euphemia, with his head held up high.
...
Ashford Academy
Meanwhile, practically everyone at the school was watching the event unfold live on television.
"Are they kidding?!" The student with headband complained.
"No, this can't be happening!" The student with the ponytail complained.
"They're making him a major, an Eleven!" Another student complained.
Nina heard them from the sidelines, honestly feeling a bit bad for Suzaku.
"If both Joseph and Princess Euphemia like him, shouldn't that be enough?" Nina thought to herself.
...
The Viceroy Palace
Suzaku kneeled before Euphemia, who stood over him with a firm but graceful stance.
"Suzaku Kururugi. Wilt thou upon this day pledge thy fealty to Britannia and stand as a Knight of the Crown?" Euphemia asked solemnly.
"Yes, Your Highness." Suzaku said with equal solemn.
"Dost thou wish to abandon thyself and be sword and shield for the sake of the greater good?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
...
Ashford Academy
As Nunnally listens to the broadcast, she reaches out to both Sayoko and Naomi who grasp her hands proudly.
Suzaku takes out his sword and offers the handle to Euphemia, who takes it with pride.
"I, Euphemia li Britannia, do hereby dub thee Sir Suzaku Kururugi." Euphemia said as she knighted Suzaku.
...
ASEEC
Cecile and a few other engineers were watching the broadcast.
"So whose payroll is he on now?" Someone asked.
"I believe Lloyd's already working on that." Cecile told them.
"You mean…with him?" Another asked.
"Yes, well, it's not like I've ever met him, of course." Cecile explained.
...
Viceroy Palace
Euphemia waved her hand towards the crowd and Suzaku stood up and faced them.
Nothing but silence, no noble dared to applaud the Eleven.
That is, until a certain set of footsteps came rushing towards him and brought him into a bear hug.
"YEAH! ALRIGHT TRAINING BUDDY! WOOHOO!" Joseph cheered as he spun Suzaku around, who was starting to get nauseous.
Euphemia couldn't help but giggle in amusement. The nobles, not so much. The only thing on their minds were, "Utter buffoon...", and "Disgrace to the crown...".
Joseph put Suzaku down and started to clap loudly.
"Encore! Encore! Yeah! Suzaku! Suzaku!" Joseph cheered and chanted as he continued clapping.
Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle as he himself started to clap for Suzaku. Followed by Darlton, and soon the whole hall of nobility as they saw they better get with the program if they didn't want to have royalty or the Britannian General on their ass.
"This guy!" Joseph cheered as he rung his arm around Suzaku's shoulders and pointed at him. Suzaku in turn just laughed awkwardly.
...
Black Knights Base
The Black Knights, which included Zero, Kallen, Ohgi, Tohdoh, Chiba, Asahina, Urabe, Senba, Tamaki, Diethard, and Rakshata, gathered around.
"Suzaku Kururugi. He's become a focal point among Elevens who are Britannian supporters. I recommend he be assassinated." Diethard proposed.
A lot of people look at him in surprise, especially Kallen.
"Assassinate him?" Zero asked calmly, though inwardly a bit annoyed he had to deal with this issue again.
"He may be right. You've been the focus of the resistance movement. The servile masses lack such a hero." Rakshata said in a factual sense.
"People aren't moved by ideology alone, but the Britannians will hold this boy up as a symbol. I think that taking him out would be the smartest decision right now." Diethard suggested.
"Agreed, the sooner we're done with him, the better." Chiba said.
"Yeah! It would be one less pain in the ass to deal with." Tamaki said.
"I object." Tohdoh spoke up, surprising the others. "The Japanese would be revolted by such a cowardly act." He said stoically.
"Yeah, and the Black Knights are not in the business of killing the defenseless, either!" Ohgi said angrily.
"That's right! It's unjustified and it's not what we stand for!" Kallen said with equal anger. "What do you want us to do? Get him when he's alone and kill him straight out?" She asked furiously.
"Calm down. I'm merely suggesting we minimize our risk in the most efficient way possible. But it's Zero's call, of course." Diethard said calmly.
"It's as I said before, we would just legitimized people's claims that we are terrorists." Zero declared, putting an end to the discussion.
"Alright, geez." Tamaki said with a pout.
"Very well. Then I would like to bring up another topic, regarding Prince Joseph Du Britannia." Diethard said.
"(Sighs) Look, you don't have to worry about him causing us trouble. I'm going to tell him to lay off." Kallen said tiredly.
"Actually, I'm proposing the opposite. If anything, his presence here is exactly what we need." Diethard said with a smirk.
The group, even Lelouch under his mask, looked at him with surprise.
"Hold on! Are you saying you want that moron to join The Black Knights?!" Tamaki asked in disbelief.
"Not just join, I think we should make a public spectacle of it."
Now most of the group was looking at Diethard like he grew a second head. Tohdoh gave him a curious look, and Rakshata just arched up an eyebrow.
"...Dude, is this because he kissed you?" Tamaki asked.
Everyone "UGHED" at Tamaki's question. Diethard just sighed and rolled his eyes.
"I mean if you swing that way, fine, no judgment here. I just don't get what you would see in the guy. I'm still trying to figure out why Kallen likes him." Tamaki said, who received a slap in the head from an annoyed and blushing Kallen.
"He literally wore a clown costume to a rescue operation! Why the Hell would we want him anywhere near us?!" Chiba asked with aggravation.
"You have my curiosity, Diethard. What brought this on?" Zero said, intrigued.
"Let me show you something." Diethard began as he brought out his laptop. "I ran over the footage of both you and Joseph, and made a compile of statistics." He continued.
He turned his laptop towards the group, the screen had charts of different kinds. He had them focus on a bar graph.
"This bar represents the amount of people who watched Zero's speech the night of the Kawaguchi hotel-jacking." Diethard explained.
The bar showed that over 10 million people saw the broadcast that night.
"And this bar represents the amount of people who watched the viral video, 'Eat That Horse.'" Diethard continued.
And surprisingly enough, it should that Joseph wasn't that far behind as the video had over 7 million viewers.
"And this is the amount of people who have watched videos of him during the rescue operation and discussed it immensely." Diethard continued.
Statistics showed that views had racked up to 20 Million Viewers, with a discussion of every 1 to 5 people. Which, when being compared to Zero's 50 Million Views and with a discussion of every 1 to 2 people, was pretty outstanding.
"It's safe to say that the people love watching The Dimwit Prince." Diethard said with a smirk.
"Yeah, because he's acts like a buffoon and people are getting a laugh out of it. He's basically just the Fail of the Week." Urabe commented.
"Don't be so sure. I managed to hack into some of the news stations in the Area and found some interesting footage from interviews they decided not to broadcast." Diethard said as he typed into his computer.
"What if it turned out The Dimwit Prince was helping the Elevens simply for their benefit? How would you feel?" A News Reporter asked a Britannian civilian.
"I guess I would cheer him on, honestly." The civilian said.
This surprised the group.
"That prince is a weirdo for sure, but it seems like he has a good heart. If he has a soft spotfor Elevens, maybe they're not as bad as we thought they were." Another Britannian civilian said.
"Idon't care ifthe guy suddenly decides to rampage through the Nation's capital, if he keeps giving me laughs like the other day, I'll follow him to his death!" Another said with a laugh.
Kallen at first looked in shock at these interviews, but then a smile formed on her face. She honestly thought Joseph's involvement was hindering The Black Knights' revolution, but these reactions prove otherwise.
"...Wow, definitely didn't expect that." Ohgi said flabbergasted.
"There's even more after that. It's clear our perception of Prince Joseph has been skewed and perhaps a bit biased because of his condition. However, he's been gaining us more supporters than we've ever realized. With him officially as a Black Knight, we could gain more supporters than we ever imagined." Diethard said in a calculating manner.
"Having a Prince of Britannia on our side would definitely help publicity wise, even if he is hated by the nobility." Rakshata commented.
"Yeah, and he almost got the Viceroy to surrender to us back in Narita. Maybe it's not a bad idea." Sugiyama added optimistically.
"Argh, he be annoying to have around, but if it means sticking it to the Emperor, I guess why not." Tamaki relented.
Tohdoh didn't say thing anything, but he thought everything that was being said.
"Excellent, then Zero I suggest-" Diethard started off before being interrupted.
"Hold on a minute!" Kallen spoke up, getting people's attention. "Look, I'm not against the idea of him joining us. But we also have to consider his side of things." She said.
"What ya mean? You said so yourself that he's our biggest fan." Tamaki argued.
"I know, but we also need to remember that the only reason he wanted his sister to surrender that day in Narita was to protect her, that was his first priority." Kallen argued back in a calm manner. "If we ask him to join us, we're basically asking him to fight against his family, a family he has told me he loves time and time again." She said a bit sadly.
"She's right. Can we really ask him to put that kind of burden on his shoulders?" Tohdoh asked in his stoic posture.
"He had no problem rescuing you, right?" Tamaki asked.
"Rescuing your teacher against Britannian soldiers and fighting your sister head-on are two different situations." Rakshata commented in her relaxed tone.
"Geez lady! It's back and forth with you. Whose side are you on!?" Tamaki asked in annoyance.
"I have no personal stake in this, so I'm just making observations." Rakshata said with a smirk.
"What do you think about all this Zero?" Ohgi asked as the Black Knights turned their attention on him.
Lelouch stayed quiet for a moment. To be honest, he had no intention of having his brother join The Black Knights. He knew Joseph meant well, but having him here felt like it would just be more trouble than he needed. However, he couldn't deny the publicity he was giving them despite not even realizing it, more supporters meant a bigger organization to grow. But would he be able to fight against Cornelia , Euphemia, and Suzaku if he had to?
"You all give a decent argument. In the end, it's Joseph choice. If he ever decides to ask us to join and knows for sure what it entails on giving up, I see no reason he can't a Black Knight." Zero declared. "But he must come to us first, we will not force or compel him to join us." He concluded in a firm tone, relieving Kallen.
"Understood." Diethard agreed. Tohdoh nodded his head, Chiba just grunted in disappointment that it was even considered.
...
"Would you really be okay with Joseph joining the Black Knights full time?" C.C. asked from the couch.
"As I said before, it would have to be his own choice, and only if he knows how far he has to go if he does." Lelouch told her.
"Do you think he could?" C.C. asked. After all, this was the same guy who actually loved the Emperor.
"...I don't know." Lelouch said honestly.
"What about Kururugi? There's always your Geass?" C.C. continued.
"Drop it." Lelouch said.
"Is it because he's your friend, or is it pride?" C.C. asked.
"…All of it." Lelouch eventually said.
"You might have to kill him, otherwise." C.C. told him.
Lelouch just sat there with conflicted thoughts.
...
Viceroy Palace
"You haven't said anything about it yet." Euphemia commented to her sister through the laptop.
"Appointing a knight is a privilege of royalty — it's out of my hands, even as Viceroy." Cornelia said, even though her tone indicated she didn't approve of the choice.
"Don't you see? Suzaku Kururugi is an honorary Britannian, and he's proved himself more than worthy of knighthood." Euphemia reasoned. "Sister, even you have to–"
"It's Viceroy." Cornelia interrupted sternly, making Euphemia arch her eyebrows in annoyance.
"Viceroy, even you must know that he's deserving." Euphemia said.
"Despite Kururugi's achievements and his friendship with Joseph, discrimination against the Numbers is our national policy." Cornelia told her.
"Then maybe it's time that be changed!" Euphemia exclaimed. Making Cornelia now arch her eyebrows in annoyance.
"Oh, is it now, Sub-Viceroy? Well, when you become empress, feel free to do so!" Cornelia said aggravated, Euphemia just breathed in frustration. "Speaking of Joseph, where is he?" She asked.
"He's at the congratulatory party that's being held for Suzaku at Ashford Academy." Euphemia said.
"Damn it, Euphiema. I told you he's forbidden from the leaving the Palace!" Cornelia said angrily.
"He's not going to do anything drastic if that's what you're worried about. He's with Suzaku and Cecile, who are going to keep an eye on him." Euphemia reassured.
"Oh, you mean nothing as drastic as say, something like, dressing up as a clown, breaking into a Britannian prison, both betraying AND humiliating our entire nation just because he can't take NO for an answer!" Cornelia said, obviously still peeved by the whole situation.
"Now Viceroy, there is no proof that was Joseph." Euphemia said politely, though inwardly she was getting a laugh out of seeing Cornelia annoyed by it.
"Oh come off it, Sub-Viceroy! We both know he did it! And I'm going to reprimand him as much when I get back!" Cornelia declared before shutting off communications.
"(Sighs) Oh Joe, you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into." Euphemia said tiredly but also with concern for her brother.
...
Unknown
Charles stared at the abyss in front of him.
"Construction of the Thought Elevator is proceeding as scheduled...Yes, I understand." Charles said.
A hooded figure walked up to him and whispered in his ear.
"What? Schneizel?" Emperor asked.
"Yes, Majesty. Your orders?" The hooded figure asked.
"You needn't interfere. If he is that sure of himself, let him challenge me." Charles said with a smirk, after the figure took his leave, he went back to his conversation. "...Yes, I've seen the footage Victor. He's an idiot and a mockery to the crown, that's already been established for quite awhile...As always, you're too paranoid big brother, he's merely a half-braindead child in the middle of an adult's game." He continued with not a worried bone in his body.
...
Ashford Academy
"Okay guys, time to raise a glass to Kururugi here!" Rival cheered as he poured glasses of non-alcoholic champagne before pouring one for Suzaku. "Valued member of the student council and a knight of the realm! Now let's get this party started, huh?" Rivalz exclaimed.
"Congratulations!" The student council and the rest of the students of Ashford Academy cheered as they raised their glasses in celebration.
"Noogie, noogie, noogie..." Joseph said as he gave Suzaku another boogie, making the council and Cecile chuckle.
"Alright, alright. Thanks Joseph." Suzaku said as he chuckled at Joseph's antics.
"You have Nunnally to thank for all of this." Milly said.
"I'm sure you're tired of the celebrations. If you don't mind, we wanna honor you too!" Nunnally told him sweetly.
"Not at all! It's really kind of you." Suzaku reassured.
"I'm so happy to see so many care for you, Suzaku." Cecile said happily as she patted Suzaku's shoulder.
"Thanks Cecile." Suzaku said.
"Nice job, Nunne!" Joseph exclaimed as he ruffled Nunnally's hair.
"Thank you, Joe." Nunnally chuckled.
They didn't realize it, but Kallen was looking at them with a rather curious eye. In fact, ever since Joseph came out of his coma, she took more of a keen interest in what exactly Joseph's relationship was with Lelouch and Nunnally.
"Oh hey, Kallen! Can you help me and Naomi set out more pizza?" Shirley asked as she and Naomi carried a tray of pizza.
"Huh? O-oh, sure." Kallen said, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Everything okay, dear?" Naomi asked with concern.
"Of course, just thinking is all." Kallen reassured.
"Hey Prez, where's Nina?" Rivalz asked.
"I told her to be here." Milly said.
...
Student Council Room
Nina was fixed on her computer screen as she typed away her equations and hypothesizes.
"Just a few more algorithms and I'll be able to join my Prince at the party." Nina thought to herself in anticipation.
"Good afternoon" Lloyd greeted as he came into the room, halting Nina's thought process.
"Have you seen Maj. Kururugi? They said I could find him here." Lloyd asked before noticing the equation on Nina's laptop. "Hmm? Oooh! Looks like you're working on some fun stuff!" Lloyd exclaimed excitedly.
"You know what it is?" Nina asked in surprise.
"Oh, I can tell uranium isotope when I see one." Lloyd told her casually.
"Wow, you know your stuff! And if you can get that uranium to absorb active neutrons, then it should split into high-speed neutrons and atomic nuclei. The problem is you need to fuel the reaction with U-235, which only makes up 0.7 percent of all natural uranium. So even if we came up with some means of induce fission, we'd never have enough raw materials. That's why..." Nina went off on a scientific rant about her findings while Lloyd just stared at them with keen interest.
...
"Now that Suzaku is Princess Euphemia's knight, what do you plan to do?" Shirley asked Lelouch from a secluded spot they went to away from the others, Joseph also was engaged in the conversation.
"Still working on a plan." Lelouch said.
"Bro, this good! Now he Eup's knight. Begin path on light side." Joseph said encouragingly.
"It's not that simple, Joe." Lelouch told him.
Before Lelouch could go on, Suzaku walked up to them.
"Hey, what are you guys hiding for?" Suzaku asked curiously.
"Making wedding date!" Joseph cheered as he pulled Lelouch and Shirley into a hug.
"Come on, Joe. We're not there yet." Lelouch said with a nervous chuckle, getting a laugh out of Shirley and Suzaku.
"Anyway, I'm sorry we haven't been able to talk before. I got held up." Suzaku said apologetically.
"No problem! I'm just happy you could be here." Lelouch said gladly.
"Congrats again, Suzaku." Shirley said happily.
"Thank you, Shirley." Suzaku said with a smile.
"...Still, are you sure it's what you want to do?" Shirley asked with concern, surprising Lelouch and Suzaku and peaking Joseph's curiosity.
"What do you mean, Shirley?" Suzaku asked, not sure what brought this on.
"It's just, I've seen the way you're treated by some of the students here just because you're Japanese. I'm worried being the Princess's knight will make it worse for you." Shirley said with concern, trying to, in someway, keep him from being Lelouch's enemy.
"I appreciate the concern, Shirley. But there's no need to worry, I'm going to be fine." Suzaku said reassuringly.
Shirley wasn't convinced but she didn't push.
"Hey, what did you want to talk about? You've said it was kind of important, right?" Suzaku asked Lelouch.
"Oh…yeah…Just forget it." Lelouch said defeatedly, knowing asking Suzaku to look after Nunnally was out of the question.
"Huh?" Suzaku said confused, but didn't get the chance to push the subject as he heard the voice of a familiar scientist.
"Bad news, Suzaku! You just got even more work to do, I'm afraid." Lloyd said as he entered the room with Nina.
"Oh, right…" Suzaku said in remembrance.
"Hi, Lloyd!" Joseph yelled as he waved at him.
"You both know him?" Lelouch asked surprised.
"He is my boss." Suzaku told him.
"Makes badass robots!" Joseph said excitedly, that got Lelouch's attention.
"So he's the creator of the white knightmare." Lelouch deduced.
"Lloyd, is something wrong?" Milly asked awkwardly.
"Oh, do you guys know each other?" Nina asked curiously.
"We are to be married." Lloyd answered casually.
That definitely took the room by surprise. Joseph's eyes and smile widen in excitement.
"Isn't that right, honey bunch?" Lloyd asked in a somewhat flirtatious mood.
"Uh…yeah…" Milly said awkwardly.
"Milly's engaged!?" Shirley asked in shock.
"Secret's out." Suzaku said tiredly.
"So you knew?" Lelouch asked.
"Mm-hmm." Was all Suzaku said.
Joseph rushed his way over to Milly and pulled her into a tight bear hug.
"Milly my Billy! Congrats!" Joseph said gleefully.
"T-thanks, Joe." Milly said with strangled breath.
"Now around badass robots all time! Haha!" Joseph said with enthusiasm as he put Milly down.
"Uh...yeah." Was all Milly could say, not sure if that was suppose to be a positive for her situation.
"Lloyd! Lucky dog!" Joseph said happily as he put Lloyd in a chokehold and gave him a noogie.
"I'm well aware, your Highness. Thank you." Lloyd said as he tried to breathe.
"Call, Best Man!" Joseph proclaimed as he pointed as himself. Making Lloyd and Milly(awkwardly for her matter) chuckle.
"Ah, hello Joseph." Nina said with a nervous blush.
"Hey Neat." Joseph waved casually, not knowing he made Nina's heart flutter.
"He gave me a nickname!" Nina thought excitedly, trying her best not to pass out right then and there.
"Whoa! Whoa! What's going on here?! Who is this guy?" Rivalz asked as he came over in a panic.
"Earl Asplund." Milly told him.
"EARL?!" Rivalz said aghast, before regaining himself. "It's an honor, your lordship." Rivalz said politely "Now, what did you say your relationship was again?" He asked nervously.
"She and I are betrothed." Lloyd told him.
"NOOOOO!" Rivalz shrieked.
"There, there, Rivalz. Fish multiple!" Joseph said reassuringly as he patted Rivalz on the shoulder.
"Can't you ever say anything that makes sense!?" Rivalz asked half-angrily and half-sadly as he collapsed to the ground in a fetal position.
"I take it he has feelings for Milly?" Cecile asked as she approached the group with Suzaku.
"Yep-yep." Joseph said, patting a sobbing Rivalz on the head.
"So, do I have military duties then?" Suzaku asked.
"Yes, an important someone and others are arriving by boat. We're off to meet him. Along with the Lancelot and Princess Euphemia, naturally." Lloyd told him.
This got Lelouch and Shirley's attention, Shirley could see the determined look at his face.
"Lelouch?" Shirley asked.
"I may have just found my solution." Lelouch said quietly.
...
Coast of Shikine Island
"Why Shikine Island? The Tokyo Settlement would've been a lot safer." Suzaku asked as he watched the ships arrive on the island.
"Yes, I'm curious about that myself." Cecile said.
"Wha–?! You're saying you don't know either?" Suzaku asked flabbergasted.
"Ditto." Lloyd said casually.
"You still shouldn't have said anything. After all, your loose lips got our plans leaked onto the internet." Cecile complained.
"That girl was so charming, though. I couldn't resist." Lloyd reasoned.
...
"This sucks! Why me on boring trip!?" Joseph complained to Euphemia as they were both in their own private room on the ship.
"I'm sorry, Joe. But Cornelia wants to me to keep an eye on you until she can talk to you about the whole 'clown' incident." Euphemia told him sympathetically.
"Arrgh. Corn so unfair.' Joseph said as he crossed his arms and put on a pouty face, making Euphemia giggle a bit before getting serious.
"Joseph, just between you and me, tell me the truth. Were you the clown that night?" Euphemia asked.
Joseph looked at her surprise.
"She saw right through my disguise?! How?! I played the role of a psychopathic, no-shits giving clown to a Tee!" Joseph thought to himself in shock as he turned his back to Euphemia. "Now normally one is suppose to keep their alter-ego a secret, however, the secret can be shared if you trust someone to keep the secret and continue being secretive about it. Or if they find out/figure out by themselves. Eup fits both those categories, so...why not?!" Joseph thought to himself excitedly
Euphemia on her end, was starting to get really confused and somewhat worried as she watched Joseph she stare off into space while making a difference expression once in awhile. Suddenly, he turned back to her and started slow clapping with a smug grin on his face.
"Very clever, little sis." Joseph said as if he solved the final clue of a murder mystery, making Euphemia sigh tiredly.
"Why did you do that? You know that's going to paint a target on your back!" Euphemia with worry and a bit of anger in her voice.
"Don't care. Sensei deserved saving!" Joseph said in determination.
"Joseph. If hard proof ever gets out about your identity that night, I don't know if me or Cornelia will be able to protect you." Euphemia said with a cautious tone.
"Then deal with. No worry about. Taking care of self for years!" Joseph said reassuringly, Euphemia just looked down sadly.
"...It's just that...it hasn't been too long since you came back into our lives...I don't want to lose you again." Euphemia said quietly as tears started to sprout from her eyes.
Joseph saw this and solemn look took over his face, he kneeled down in front of her and took her chin into his fingers so she would look at him.
"Hey. You won't. Staying put." Joseph told her with a sweet smile, making her smile too. "Besides, can't separate Mr. Man!" Joseph declared as he stood up and puffed out his chest with his hands at his waist like a superhero.
"And Lady Ladington!" Euphemia herself declared as she stood up and got into the same stance as Joseph.
"Up top!" Joseph said as he raised his hand for a high-five, which Euphemia gladly gave him.
It was the superhero duo team they came up with when they were kids. They would use it whenever they played pranks on their siblings or just felt like running around and acting like superheroes.
"Still, I'm surprised Zero even let you take part of the operation dressed that way." Euphemia said.
"Well, same mission! Cool guy. You like him." Joseph told her happily.
"...Would I?" Euphemia said to herself with a thoughtful look.
...
Submarine
Zero stood in front of his fellow Black Knights as he showed screenshots of Shikine Island.
"Princess Euphemia is going to that island to meet a noble from their homeland. Her knight Suzaku Kururugi will be accompanying her. That far out at sea, the enemy's strength will be limited. It is a golden opportunity. Our objective is the capture of the Lancelot and Suzaku Kururugi. Once we've won the battle, I want Kururugi taken safely into custody." Zero said.
There was some voices of surprise, Kallen on her end was relieved while Tohdoh stayed neutral.
"So, what happens after we got him?" Tamaki asked.
"Don't worry. Just leave that to me." Zero said.
...
Diethard sat in his room, replaying the footage of Joseph's clown antics from the rescue operation. A smirk growing on his face.
...
Shikine Island Beaches
Euphemia and her group walked up to the soldiers waiting for her.
"Arrival time's right on schedule. We've prepared a room for both of you back at headquarters if you care to wait there." A soldier told her.
"Is it safe to assume that the ship is docking here?" Euphemia asked
"Yes, that hasn't changed." The soldier said.
"This will do fine then." Euphemia told him.
"Very well, I'll just arrange for an escort." The soldier said before he suddenly heard static coming from his comms. "Huh?" He said in confusion.
...
Shikine Britannian Military Base
Explosions occurred around the base.
"Terrorists? But how did they get here?!" Lt. Colonel Fayer said as he witnessed the attack happen.
The Four Holy Swords and the Guren made their way into the base.
"First Squad, continue advancing! Zero Squad, I want you covering them from their flank!" Tohdoh ordered.
"Filthy Elevens!" A Britannian soldier shouted from his knightmare, trying to hit the incoming knightmare. Only to get a full hit of Kallen's Radiant Wave Surger, blowing him up.
"She sure packs a punch, huh?" Asahina said, impressed.
Zero watched from a distance.
"Impressive. It's no wonder Tohdoh held off the Britannians once before without a single Knightmare. Now I only have to wait for Euphemia to receive word of our visit." Lelouch said to himself.
...
Shikine Island Beaches
"Headquarters appears to be under some sort of attack!" The Britannian Soldier told them.
"Huh?" Euphemia said in surprise.
"Cool!" Joseph said in excitement, happy this trip wasn't going to be boring after all. However, he noticed everyone looked at him questionably. "...What?" He simply asked.
"We'll withdraw to the settlement. Can you arrange an escort unit for his and her highness?" Cecile asked, getting back to the subject at hand.
"It's too risky to leave right now. They're jamming us with some kind of wide-range interference." The soldier told her.
"You're both going to be fine. Don't worry, Princess Euphemia and Prince Joseph. I won't let any harm come to you two." Suzaku said in a professional manner.
"No, Suzaku, you should help these men fend off the attack." Euphemia told him, Suzaku looked at her in surprise while Joseph nodded his head excitedly.
"But Sub-Viceroy, he is an honorary Britannian! This attack is most certainly The Black Knights. What if he turns the Lancelot against us?!" The soldier asked with scrutiny.
"Hey! No insult friend/Eup's knight, mister!" Joseph said angrily as he poked his finger into the soldier's chest repeatedly.
"Uh, forgive me, your highness. I didn't mean to…" The soldier said with a scared tone, realizing he just indirectly insulted not one but two royals.
"Ah, na, na, na, na." Joseph mocked with his tongue sticking out before pushing the soldier away with his butt. "Tool." He said, giving the guy the middle finger while walking back to the group.
Lloyd had to hold back his laughter at that, Cecile pinched his arm to keep him calm.
"Kururugi, demonstrate your valor for us today so that we may finally silence all these naysayers." Euphemia said in a serious manner.
"Yeah, kick ass time! To Lancelot!" Joseph cheered as he began to make way to the knightmare storage, wanting to get an up-close look of the battle, and to make sure Suzaku doesn't mistakenly kill Lelouch or his friends.
Suddenly, he felt a tug on his coat and saw it was Euphemia holding on to it, with a stern look on her face.
"You're staying here, Joseph." Euphemia said in the same voice and tone that Cornelia used when she ordered Joseph to do something.
"Awwwww, but wanna watch!" Joseph complained.
"Joseph, please." Euphemia said tiredly, as she didn't want another incident like Narita.
"(Sighs in annoyance) Fine." Joseph said with a pout.
"Sorry, your highness. Perhaps next time." Lloyd told him sympathetically, receiving a slap in the head from Cecile.
"Kick ass, training buddy." Joseph encouraged as he punched Suzaku on the shoulder.
"Right!" Suzaku said, determined. Taking those words of encouragement to heart.
...
Shikine Britannian Military Base
"I'll finish the job!" Tamaki said excitedly as he was able to take on the Sutherlands, only to have his knightmare's head ripped off, forcing him to eject. The one who did so was the Lancelot.
Suzaku saw a figure on a mountain top and zoomed in to see who it was, already having a feeling to the culprit.
"Zero, there you are." Suzaku said as he narrowed his eyes.
"That's right, Suzaku! Come!" Lelouch thought to himself.
"Confirming target. All units, assume formation three and fall back. Do not fire on the target! I repeat: do not fire!" Tohdoh ordered as he drove his knightmare backwards, leading Suzaku to their trap.
...
"Yes, thanks to the Special Corps. Wha–? But that would mean…! Yes, Your Highness!" Fayer said to the person on the phone.
...
Meanwhile, said person hung up the phone and waited patiently for his ship to arrive at the island.
...
Suzaku chased Zero into a pit.
"He's not equipped for that sand he jumped into. Could he be drawing me into a setup… using himself as bait?" Suzaku thought to himself. "Fine then!" Suzaku declared, not caring as he dove down the pit and confronted Zero.
"Zero! I got you…!" Suzaku yelled.
"…right where…!" Zero yelled.
"…I want you." Rakshata said with a smile as she pushed a button to activate the machine.
Suddenly, several green pods that formed a circle around the pit activated, causing a shockwave of some sort and crashing both the Lancelot's controls and Zero's knghtmare as well.
"What the–?! It's frozen?!" Suzaku in surprise as he tried to use the controls, none of which worked. "No good!"
"We need to talk, Kururugi! I suggest you come out!" Zero said as he stood outside his knightmare. "Your secondary system should still be functioning. You'll be treated as a prisoner under international law. Of course, If you don't care to talk, we could just gun you down." He said as the other Black Knights surrounded the pit.
...
"I don't care! Tell Suzaku to abandon the unit! What could possibly be wrong with it? How come it won't move?!" Euphemia asked in worry, Joseph looked concern too.
"Something's happened to the Sakuradite that's powering Suzaku's Lancelot! Somebody's interfering with it!" Cecile told her.
"A Gefjun Disturber." Lloyd said with a bit of grimace in his voice.
"You mean!?" Cecile said with fear.
"But they're actually using it as a jamming mechanism. I thought it was only theoretical… What a fool I am. It really is you, Rakshata?" Lloyd said.
"Paralysis device...awesome!" Joseph said, glad to know Rakshata was still making cool inventions.
"Joseph! Suzaku is trapped and surrounded by the Black Knights because of that device, remember!?" Euphemia said with fear in her voice but also exasperation.
"...oh yeaaaahhhhhh..." Joseph said, remembering the negative to this situation. Making Euphemia and Cecile sigh tiredly at him.
...
"I'll get straight to the point, Suzaku Kururugi: I want you to join me." Zero told him as he kept trained on him, making sure he didn't try anything. Suzaku narrowed his eyes at him.
"Is that a threat? Well, you can forget it! I already told you. Results gained through contemptible means are worthless to me!" Suzaku told him angrily.
"So, you wouldn't describe the peace we have now as worthless?" Zero asked, surprising Suzaku. "If Japan had resisted to its very last breath seven years ago, what do you think would've happened? The Chinese and the E.U. would've stepped in and split Japan in three. They'd be fighting even now. Our current peace is the result of Japan's immediate and unconditional surrender." He told him.
"That's right, and I've been fighting to preserve my father's peace ever since it began!" Suzaku insisted
"You're wrong. Prime Minister Kururugi, elected by the people, didn't choose surrender. That decision was selfishly made by his killer." Zero told him, making Suzaku's eyes widen in surprise.
"With the government thrown into chaos, surrender became the only logical choice. The will of the people was stolen from them… by a lone criminal pursuing his own selfish agenda!" Zero said, making Suzaku grit his teeth.
"By even so, I cannot hold a grudge against this man." He said gently, shocking Suzaku. "For that day, he may have robbed the Japanese people of their choice, he still gave them a fighting chance today, and for that I thank him." He concluded as he remembered the words from Shirley, Suzaku looked at him flabbergasted.
...
"Can you hear them at all?" Euphemia asked.
"There's too much static on the mic!" Cecile told her.
...
"How on Earth do you know all that…?" Suzaku said quietly.
"I understand the burden you've carried all these years, Suzaku. But there's only one way for you to atone now." Zero said as he came over to Suzaku's side, who gave him a questionable look. "Present the Japanese people with the choice they weren't able to make then. The path they were robbed of seven years ago! Fighting Britannia!" He declared.
"Fighting them? That again?" Suzaku asked angrily as he narrowed his eyes at Zero.
"It's an option worth exploring. I know you truly do care for the Japanese people, don't you think it's time they know it too?" Zero asked.
Suzaku looked at him in surprise, he did expect this from Zero at all. Before he had more time to think about it, he heard a voice come from his comms.
"Do you read me? Maj. Kururugi! Please respond!" Fayer asked.
"May I?" Suzaku asked.
"As you wish." Zero complied.
"This is Lt. Colonel Fayer, commander here on Shikine Island! We're launching surface-to-surface missiles against the terrorists! Maj. Kururugi, your orders are to keep Zero there!" Fayer ordered, Lelouch happened to hear all of it.
"They're giving him up to die!" Lelouch said in shock.
Suddenly, Suzaku grabbed his hand holding the gun and twisted it around back. He snatched the gun out of Zero's hand and pointed it at his head.
"K–Kururugi, what are you–?!" Zero asked as he struggled in Suzaku's grip.
"I can't approve of your methods! All I can do right now is this!" Suzaku said as he dragged Zero towards the Lancelot.
Kallen looked at this action in shock and anger.
"Damn it, Suzaku!" Kallen said, about to charge the Guren into the pit.
"Don't move! The field will affect you too!" Tohdoh warned her.
"But Zero!" Kallen tried to reason.
...
A knightmare approached Princess Euphemia's group
"We're assigning Portman here to escort them. Prince Joseph and the Sub-Viceroy should be taken out of the–"
"Wait!" Euphemia shouted.
"You're going to destroy the Lancelot?!" Lloyd shouted in shock.
"Kururugi is holding Zero there. This is our chance to kill him!" The Britannian soldier told them.
"And whose idea was this?! Maj. Kururugi is my personal knight!" Euphemia shouted in anger.
"And training buddy!" Joseph added in angrily.
"It was a para-level one order. It can only be countermanded by the consensus of at least three ranking generals or the viceroy herself, I'm afraid." The Britannian soldier told them.
"Well, I think of order?!" Joseph asked angrily "...Think it awful and no care for, sir!" Joseph stated with angry politeness.
"Who exactly issued this order, Captain?! Get me a line to them immediately!" Euphemia demanded.
"Para-level one order, your Highnesses." Was all the Britannian soldier said.
"Damn! I thought being civil would work for a moment there! I can't let this happen, both Suzaku and Lelouch will die if I don't do anything." Joseph thought to himself in determination, he knew what he had to do.
"Fine, get Suzaku self!" Joseph declared as he pointed at himself, shocking the group there.
"What?!" Euphemia shouted in shock.
"Prince Joseph, plea-" The Britannian soldier tried to stop him, only to receive a fist to face by Joseph, resulting in a broken nose and some blown-out teeth.
"HOLD ON! COMING!" Joseph shouted as he sprinted to where Suzaku and Lelouch were.
"Joseph, wait!" Euphemia yelled to him, but knew it was already too late. "He's right though, Suzaku can't die! Not now! If Joseph's doing something, so will I!" She thought to herself in equal determination. "Out of my way!" She shouted as she ran past the soldiers and got onto the cable that connected
"Sub-Viceroy!" Another Britannian soldier exclaimed.
"Contact the base! Tell them there's a chance me and my brother will be caught in the attack! See if they'll initiate their launch then!" Euphemia told them as the cable lifted her into the knightmare.
"Please, stop this! Think what you're doing!" Another Britannian tried to reason.
"But they'll stop with the prince and princess out there…" Cecile said.
"I'm not sure they will, unfortunately." Lloyd said with grimace in his tone.
...
The missiles were starting to approach the pit.
"Incoming missiles, confirmed!" Chiba said.
"Damn!" Tohdoh said with dread in his voice.
Kallen had enough of this, she was going in.
"Hold on, I'm coming!" She said in determination, only for the Guren to freeze once she was inside the pit. "Damn it!" She exclaimed.
"You're gonna die here as well! You don't have a problem with that?!" Zero exclaimed in anger by the foolhardy actions of Suzaku.
Suzaku just looked at him with conflicted feelings.
"Your sacrifice isn't in vain, Major. We are about to put an end to the most dangerous criminal our homeland has ever known! They'll speak of your bravery for generations to come!" Fayer said through the Lancelot's comms.
"SHUT UP!" Lelouch shouted, hitting the Lancelot's controls. Sick and tired of these people trying to brainwash his friend!
"All Knightmares, target on those missiles and throw up a barrage! Empty your guns if you have to!" Tohdoh ordered as he and all the other knightmares shot at the incoming missiles.
Kallen on her end, climbed out of her knightmare.
"Suzaku, let Zero go!" She shouted in determination. "It's me! Suzaku, it's Kallen Stadtfeld from the student council! Look at me!" She shouted with fear in her voice, hoping to make it to them in time.
...
Joseph on his end, was running top speed to get to Lelouch and Suzaku.
"Don't worry Suzaku and little bro, I'm coming!" Joseph thought to himself to determination.
"Joseph!" He heard Euphemia shout through a speaker.
He looked behind him and saw a Knightmare right on his tail.
"Eup?" Joseph asked in surprise.
Euphemia looked in surprise that her brother was actually keeping up with the knightmare! She reached the knightmare's hand out towards him.
"Get on, Mr. Man!" Euphemia told him, Joseph smirked and did just that.
"Thanks, Lady Ladington!" Joseph shouted with a thumbs up.
Euphemia nodded from inside the knightmare and looked in determination.
"Suzaku, don''t give up!" She thought to herself.
...
"A soldier must always follow his orders!" Suzaku told Zero.
"Humph! How do you feel about this?! Who have you become that has made it easier than following your own heart!" Zero asked.
"You're wrong! I have rules that I made and need to live by!" Suzaku tried to counter, he and Zero then noticed a large shadow zooming over the pit. As did everyone else that was close by.
It was a large ship that hovered right above the pit.
"They completed a float system? Well, I'm outdone." Rakshata said, so impressed that she took her pipe out of her mouth.
...
Euphemia and Joseph finally made it to the pit and saw the ship that was there.
"Whoa..." Joseph quietly said in amazement.
"That's…Schneizel's Avalon!" Euphie said in shock. This surprised Joseph as he spoke out in a confused tone.
"...Schnitzel?"
...
Avalon
Schneizel looked down at the pit and waved his arm, signifying for the Avalon to fire.
...
Zero could see the ship's turret coming out and aiming right towards them.
"Dammit, Suzaku, do something! You're going to die!" Zero tried to reason.
"Better that than breaking the rules!" Suzaku countered.
"You stubborn fool!" Lelouch said heatedly, the left eye compartment of his mask unlocking.
Suzaku looked on in confusion.
...
Euphie and Joseph ran to try and help Suzaku(and Zero in Joseph's case)
...
Kallen ran closer and closer to the Lancelot.
...
And suddenly, there was was red everywhere.
...
Unknown
A kid, from appearance alone looked no older than 11 or 12, smiled evilly as he looked at he great beyond in front of him.
...
To Be Continued...
This one was pretty cut and dry, followed canon pretty closely this time around. However, I wanted to show just how impactful Joseph's involvement was with The Black Knights, hence the extended meeting scene with Diethard(who might have found another muse besides Zero) and the rest. As to those who may be confused why Joseph was so surprised when Euphemia figured out he was Clowno Funzo, it's because he himself believed he was truly method acting to being a different personality, not realizing how close it was to his own. As for the argument between him and Suzaku from the last chapter, Suzaku never outwardly said he thought Joseph was the clown. Therefore, Joseph doesn't think Suzaku knows he's Clowno Funzo, he was just trying to defend himself without giving away his alter ego. That's the beauty of Joseph's mind, sometimes he's insightful of what's going on and sometimes...not so much. Anyway, next chapter is one I've been looking forward to writing, see you all next time. Enjoy the read and tell me what you think.