Horai Island
Two weeks had passed since the Black Knights had exiled themselves from Japan. Right now, they were settling into Horai island, supplied by the Chinese Federation(Xingke to be exact).
Minami, Sugiyama, Asahina, and Tamaki were working on things and discussing the matters at hand.
"Man, the Federation's laying a lot of recognition on us." Minami said.
"There was that whole bit with Sawasaki, too. Think they're pro-Japanese?" Sugiyama asked.
"The High Eunuchs, you mean?" Asahina inquired.
"Asahina! Don't you know? The High Eunuchs may be guys but they got no jewels down below." Tamaki joked
"That's enough. You'll get us in trouble for saying stuff like that." Minami reprimanded.
"Aw, chill out!" Tamaki said.
Soon enough, they heard music playing.
They looked saw Joseph jump across the buildings, holding a huge box of supplies over his head, with just one hand. Dancing along the way.
That shit is mine
I don't wanna see that ass online (Yeah)
Stop making it so easy to find (Yep)
"Hey! Be careful you nimrod! There could be stuff we need in there!" Tamaki said in annoyance.
Joseph saluted to him and continued to hop along the buildings and deliver the supplies where it needed to be.
"Still amazes me the amount of strength he has." Asahina said in mild awe.
Soon enough, Ohgi had approached them.
"Hey, I need a hand off-loading the knightmares." Ohgi said.
"What? They're here already?" Asahina asked in surprise. "Something's gotta be going on behind the scenes for India to be giving us this much cooperation." He said.
"No, I think it's that they're serious. They want their independence from the Chinese Federation as well." Tamaki said solemnly.
"Rakshata mentioned that, too." Asahina said.
...
Meanwhile, Zero and Kallen were discussing things with Diethard.
"We finished picking out staff leader candidates. Should we assign them to the Ikaruga for now?" Diethard asked.
"Yes. That leaves us with the municipal leaders." Zero told him.
"Correct. Let's work with the intelligent section and get that setup. Now then, if you'll excuse me." Diethard said as he went on his way.
"Are you sure that we can depend on Diethard? I still don't trust him after that crap he pulled with Joseph." Kallen said with distaste.
"Maybe not, but he's easy to read." Lelouch said as he closed the blinds and took of his helmet. "In that man's mind he's trying to turn Zero into a symbol for god. Going from there you can guess what actions he'll take. Besides he has a useful talent for manipulating information." He told her.
Kallen still didn't like it, but didn't say anything.
...
Meanwhile, Naomi was cooking lunch with Chiba, Urabe, and a couple of other Black Knights. Rakshata was lounging on a couch while Tohdoh was looking at the manual for their newly acquired ship, the Ikaruga.
"All right. That just about does it. That only leaves the combat carrier. You're installing the Gawain's system onto the Ikaruga, aren't you?" Tohdoh asked Rakshata.
"I used the same on Shinkiro, too. The Gawain's main body was so damaged when we salvaged it from the sea." Rakshata told him.
"And what about the unit that sank with it?" Urabe asked.
"The one being called the Knight Gigafortress?" Tohdoh inquired.
"I tried to find out myself however…" Rakshata started to say but then a certain prince came jumping onto a crane before swinging around on its cable like a burlesque dancer.
It's all mine, all mine (All mine)
That just for me (Ooh)
I don't wanna see it in a tweet (In a tweet)
Posted up for everyone to see (E'vryone to see)
"WOOOO!" Joseph cheered as he swung back and forth.
"Well he's been enjoying himself since we set sail." Rakshata said with an amused smile.
"Yes, he's certainly been lively." Tohdoh said with his own smirk as he thought how Joseph would often try to spend time with him despite how busy they were.
Chiba looked down in jealously but didn't say anything.
"Joseph! Time for lunch!" Naomi shouted up to as she came out with some food.
"Okie-Dokie!" Joseph cheered as he swung towards them and jumped down, doing a front flip in the process.
He landed in front of Naomi, who laughed in joy.
"Show-off..." Chiba muttered under her breath.
...
"You seriously wanna take down the Chinese Federation's capital?" Kallen asked.
"In such a way that we won't be viewed as invaders. If we overthrow the Luoyang, we clear a lot of conditions for defeating Britannia." Lelouch explained.
"Hmmm..." Kallen hummed in agreement, looking at him in some sort of way, confusing Lelouch.
"What is it?" Lelouch asked.
"Nothing. I'm just glad you're okay now." She said with a small smile.
Lelouch returned the smile. "I don't know about that. But I'm getting there. No small part in thanks to you, Shirley, Rolo and Joseph." He said with a thankful tone.
"She'll be okay without you there, right?" Kallen couldn't help but ask.
"You don't have to worry, both Sayoko and Rolo are there to protect her." Lelouch reassured. "...Tell me something, Kallen. When this is over, will you then return to Ashford?" He asked curiously, surprising her
"Honestly, I probably would. I miss the Student Council, despite how crazy Milly could be sometimes." Kallen said with reminiscence.
"Like how she teased you about liking Joseph?" Lelouch asked with a teasing smirk.
"Ah!" Kallen blurted with red blush.
"Would you ask him to come with you?" He asked.
"Uh...well..I...you know you got a lot nerve asking this stuff when you were oblivious to how Shirley felt about you!" Kallen said angrily, avoiding the question her face getting redder.
"True. But once you get a taste of it, you start to see the signs." Lelouch said, not letting up at all. "Besides, it seems your mother already approves of him." He gestured to the window.
Kallen looked out the window and saw Joseph and her mother happily chatting away as they ate lunch.
She thought about the conversation they had the week before.
...
(Flashback)
"It's shocking. This whole time, there was prince and princess that I was serving this whole time, right under my nose." Naomi said in amazement.
"Imagine my surprise when I found out." Kallen agreed.
"Oh, I wish we could have told your stepmother. Imagine the look on her face!" Naomi said with a wicked grin.
"Kaa-san! So devious!" Kallen laughed, along with her mother.
"So if Nunnally is Viceroy now, where exactly is her brother Lelouch?" Naomi asked curiously.
Kallen winced a bit as she didn't like lying to her mother more than she already did, but considering the situation...
"I'm not sure, I think I heard he was still back in Pendragon. Probably recovering from an injury he sustained during the Black Rebellion." Kallen told her.
"Oh, poor boy. I hope he recovers. The two siblings must miss each other so much." Naomi said sadly.
"You have no idea..." Kallen thought to herself as he remembered the state Lelouch was in when they found him with the refrain injector in his hand.
"So you, that C.C. girl, and Joseph stayed together in hiding?" Naomi asked.
"Yeah. But I can tell you right now though, C.C. is the worse roommate ever." Kallen said with annoyance.
"Wha! Naw, Seaweed awesome!" Joseph cheered as he came up to them, making Naomi chuckle while Kallen rolled her eyes.
"Hello, dear. I hope you were on your best behavior with my daughter." Naomi teased.
"Moooom!" Kallen groaned in embarrassment.
"Grade-A Student! And lots of fun! Played games, music listening, shared beds!" Joseph proclaimed.
"Joe!" Kallen exclaimed, making a cutting gesture to her neck.
"'Shared beds?'" Naomi asked, making sure she heard that right.
"Yep-per-rooni! Offered floor sleeping but Kal Pal insist sleep toge-" Before Joseph could finish, his mouth was clamped shut by Kallen's hand.
"Stop talking!" Kallen whispered, embarrassed to high levels.
"My goodness, I had no idea you two were at that stage in your relationship already." Naomi said with surprise but also with acceptance.
"WE'RE NOT! HE ALWAYS SLEPT OVER THE COVERS! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'RELATIONSHIP!?'" Kallen exclaimed with her face as red as a tomato.
"Baby pictures..." Naomi said with a twinkle in her eye.
Kallen groaned miserably, declaring this the worse day of her life. While Joseph looked at them with a curious eye
(Flashback End)
...
"Tabasco?" A voice belonging to C.C. asked, startling Kallen and Lelouch. She was currently eating a slice of pizza with her cheese-kun in her arm.
"How long have you been there?" Lelouch asked curiously.
"It needs Tabasco, but all we have is hot sesame oil. What should I do?" C.C. asked.
"...I wouldn't know." Was all Lelouch could think to say.
"I wouldn't neither." Kallen said.
"By the way, you're more obvious about the moron than Shirley is about Lelouch. Honestly though, I still don't know what you see in him." C.C. teased.
"C.C.!" Kallen groaned, making Lelouch chuckle.
Suddenly, Kaguya's voice came through the intercom.
"Master Zero! Please come to the Ikaruga, hurry! We've got trouble!" Kaguya said in a worried tone.
...
Ikaruga
"What!? A political marriage?" Lelouch asked in shock, his mask back on.
He along with Kallen, Joseph, C.C., Tohdoh, Urabe, Kaguya, Rakshata, Diethard, Ohgi, Tamaki, Minami, Sugiyama, Asahina, and Chiba were currently meeting in the Ikaruga.
"Yes. I received an invitation to the wedding through the Sumeragi Conglomerate. The bride to be is the empress, icon of the Chinese Federation. I'm her good friend and she wants me to attend." Kaguya told him.
"And the groom is to be the first prince of Britannia. That one they call Odysseus." Tohdoh said.
That made Joseph perk up.
"Ozzy? Big bro Ozzy marrying?!" Joseph asked in shock before breaking out into a huge grin. "Alright! Congrats bro!" Joseph said with glee as he clapped his hands in excitement.
Kallen tried to temper his feelings. "No, no, Joe. This isn't-"
"If get married, that means...NEW SISTER! YES!" Joseph said ecstatically as he stood on the control panel and cheered. "BIGGER FAMILY, BABY! HAHA!"
Then Kaguya tried to explain things. "Joseph, you don't understand, the empress is only-"
"Find wedding gift!" Joseph declared as he jumped from the control panel and headed out the doors.
"Joe, wait!" Kallen tried to say, but it was too late. Leading her to sigh tiredly and place her palm over her face.
"Well at least he's happy about it." Rakshata stated with a smirk.
"Does he seriously not know how old the Empress is?" Tamaki said with annoyance.
"It's fine. We'll explain it to him later." Zero said.
"It's too soon to activate the plan we've setup. I didn't expect that the High Eunuchs would do something like this." Diethard said.
"No. This is a Britannian plot." Zero told him.
"What do we do under the circumstance?" Ohgi asked.
"The worst possible situation." Zero said. "Damn it. And I was hoping to negotiate with Xingke and the Empress before they had a chance to! That mediocre man couldn't have acted so quickly. No, this is..." Lelouch thought to himself angrily.
"Oh, why worry about it? It's not as if we were involved Britannia anymore?" Tamaki said.
"What!?" Kallen said in surprise.
"We've been kicked out! Have you forgotten?" Tamaki said cheerfully.
"But they haven't exonerated us of our crimes, have they Tamaki?" Urabe said with annoyance. "With this political marriage, the Chinese Federation might have just found an excuse to attack us." He explained.
"And what then!? The Black Knights are wrapped up and given as a wedding present?" Tamaki asked incredulously, finally understanding the situation.
"Actually, that's an apt way to put it." Kaguya said in surprise.
"You're sure developing a useless ability there." C.C. said blankly.
"We're in big trouble here! We're in no position to sit around and make jokes!" Tamaki said angrily.
"Which is why…" Rakshata started to say.
"We are discussing the matter at this moment." Ohgi said in annoyance that he had to bring Tamaki up to speed.
"Zero, the one behind this…" Diethard started to say
"Yes, there's another person. The one who overnight made this fiendish move in order to reverse their embittered relationship with the Chinese Federation." Zero said as he thought about Schneizel. Zero then stood up from his chair. "Kaguya, I assume there's going to be a reception of sorts to 'celebrate' this union?" He asked.
"Oh, um, yes Zero. I was invited to that as well." Kaguya said in confusion.
"I see, then I believe we have a banquet to crash." Zero said with a smirk inside his mask.
What none of them realize though was Joseph walked right back in when he said that.
"'Crash' banquet, eh? Hmmmm..." Joseph thought to himself.
And then a smirk appeared on his face as an idea came to him.
...
Chinese Federation Airlines
Schneizel stepped off the plane with his assistant, Kanon, right behind him.
The High Eunuchs were waiting for him in anticipation. Xingke stood at not too far distance.
"They would dare barter away the Empress to the Britannians?" Xingke asked himself.
...
Luoyang
The Vermilion Forbidden City
Reception Banquet
Suzaku looked at the Empress Tianzi from afar, she was shaking from fright and probably overwhelmed from everything that was happening. Next to her was the Crown Prince, Odysseus El Britannia sipping on a glass of wine, obviously just going with the flow of what was happening. He knew it was Prince Schneizel who thought all of this to get the Chinese Federation's alliance.
Many Britannian nobles came for the special occasion between the two. Obviously to make themselves look good for the royal family of course.
Milly was also here, formally invited by Lloyd as he was technically her "fiancé". But she was clearly enjoying herself just as much as he was.
He couldn't help but feel bad as he remembered what he let the emperor do almost a year ago. She probably saw Nunnally on the news without realizing who she was, she and the rest of the Student Council were like that because of him.
"Tell me, did the Empress willingly consent to this marriage?" Suzaku couldn't help but ask to get his mind off things.
"That's what they said so we can only take their word for it. Besides this arrangement may be the path to peace." Cecile told him, referring to the High Eunuchs.
Suzaku narrowed his eyes over to the High Eunuchs, he spoke less than five words to them and already found them about as deplorable as Lelouch. They clearly only cared about their own agenda and were willing to sell out their leader and people if it meant a slightly higher pedestal than before.
But Cecile had a point, with this arrangement, it could mean a step closer to peace.
"True enough." Was all Suzaku could say.
"Tonight, let's just be good guests and enjoy ourselves." Cecile suggested kindly.
"Suzaku, look! I've found it! This is that charred newt stuff you told me about, isn't it? So how do I eat it?" Gino asked as he brought over a dragon sculpture made from potato.
"That's a decoration made out of food." Suzaku told him quizzaically.
"Decoration? But didn't I see you eat a bird like this earlier in the reception?" Gino asked Cecile.
"Do you mean the Chinese phoenix?" Suzaku asked as he looked over to Cecile.
"Oh, that's what it was, huh? I thought it was meat but it was really carrot…" Before Cecile could continue she heard what sounded like a camera click.
She turned and saw it Anya looking at her phone.
"Excuse me, Lord Alstreim, are you accessing your emails here in the reception hall?" Cecile asked.
"No, I'm memorizing something." Anya told her simply, still looking at her phone.
"Oh, that's a diary?" Cecile asked in surprise.
"Well then you're recording not memorizing." Lloyd said as he went over to Milly.
"Um, Lloyd, I have a serious question to ask you. Am I still your fiance or not?" Milly asked in a bit of an impatient tone.
"Uh, we didn't call it off, did we?" Lloyd asked awkwardly.
"This is a rare picture. I figured you'd skip the celebration party and just attend the ceremony tomorrow." Kanon said in a pleasant tone as he approached the two.
"Occasionally Suzaku gets angry with me and says that I ought behave like a betrothed man. And this young woman right here is the issue." Lloyd said as he gestured to Milly.
"It's pleasure to meet you. My name is Milly Ashford." Milly curtsied.
"Pleasure is mine. I'm dumbfounded to find Lloyd showing interests in anything human." Kanon said.
"Yeah, I must be growing up." Lloyd said awkwardly. "Allow me to introduce Earl Kanon Maldini, Prince Schneizel's aide-de-camp." He said.
"Public and private." Kanon said with a smirk.
"Huh?" Milly said in confusion before a slight pink blush appeared on her face, realizing what he meant.
"I'm kidding. It's so happens the prince has a preference for unusual things, which includes myself." Kanon joked.
Milly looked at him dumbstruck. "Did I just get 'Millied'?!"
...
Ikaruga
Meanwhile, in a barren area a few miles away from the Forbidden City, a few Black Knights were talking amongst themselves.
"Was it really a good idea to just send Kallen with Zero and Kaguya?" Asahina couldn't help but ask.
"Eh, what ya worried about? Kallen can take care of them, she is Zero's ace after all." Tamaki said.
"I agree, Kallen's more than capable to protect them." Ohgi insisted.
"Honestly, I rather she be here to babysit the moron prince." Chiba said dismissively.
Urabe realized something at that.
"Wait...where is Joseph?" Urabe asked.
The group looked around, realizing they haven't seen him in awhile.
"Hmmm, now that I think about it, he disappeared just a little bit before Zero left with Kallen and Kaguya." Rakshata said from her relaxed position on the couch.
It was then everyone's face turned into dread.
"Oh crap..." Tamaki said with pain in his voice as he rubbed his face in stress.
"I'm calling Zero..." Ohgi said tiredly.
...
"Announcing the arrival of the Prime Minister of the Holy Britannian Empire, second Prince Schneizel." One of the Chinese Federation guards announced.
Schneizel came up the stairs with someone no one was expecting.
"It can't be…Nina!?" Milly said in shock.
And indeed it was, she had long pink dress on, her green hair was down with flowers in it, and she traded her glasses for contacts for the occasion.
"My, I never thought my younger brother would keep the company of just one particular woman." Odysseus said to Tianzi, who just muttered in agreement.
Nina could hear the nobles chatter about her as she made her way across the hall.
"Who is that girl?"
"Isn't she the chief of Invogue?"
"Yes. The prince's research team."
"She's awfully young."
"A girl like that should know her place."
This was disheartening for Nina as she was already nervous about coming to an event with the Prime Minister of Britannia, but having people gossip about her just made it worse.
"Be strong. Joseph never took other people's gossip to heart." Schneizel reassured her.
That seemed to do the trick as Nina straighten herself up. "Right." She said simply.
They made their way over to the three Knights of the Round, who were currently kneeling in respect to the Prince.
"It's been a while, Your Highness. The Emperor has commanded that we accept orders from you while in this land." Gino said in a professional manner.
"Three Knights of the Round at court. How splendid!" Schneizel said kindly. "Although…"
"What, sir?" Gino asked in confusion
"This is a celebration. Relax a bit and have some-"
*CRASH*
And before he could finish his sentence, the ceiling suddenly caved with something falling between them.
"WHOA!" Gino said in shock.
"AH!" Nina screamed in fright.
"What the Hell?!" Milly asked in surprise.
"Your highness, Nina! Get behind me!" Suzaku said quickly as he instantly sprung into action and shielded them.
Gino and Anya did the same, ready to take action against whatever came through the ceiling.
However, the "what" was actually a "who". For after the dust settled, they recognized the dopey smile on his face.
"Huh?!" Suzaku said flabbergasted.
He then lifted his legs in the air and jumped back onto his feet. He looked around and saw he was in the right place. Good thing he used his ghost powers to find the right building.
"Crash! Successful!" Joseph proclaimed as he raised his fists in the air in victory.
"Joe?!" Milly said in shock.
The rest of the guests were just as confused and shocked by the sudden turn of events.
"Joseph? Where did he come from?" Odysseus asked in bewilderment.
Tianzi was also shook by the sudden turn of events.
"Prince Joseph?" Cecile said in surprise.
"Well that's one way to make an entrance." Lloyd said in amusement.
"Joseph?" Schneizel said, just as surprised as everyone else, a rarity in his case.
Joseph looked at him after he dusted himself off.
"Hey! Big bro Schnitzel!" Joseph said happily as he came over to give Schneizel as hug.
Only for Nina to clamp her arms around his waist.
"Prince Joseph! You're here! You're really here!" Nina said joyfully as tears sprouted from her eyes, happy to be reunited with her prince.
"Hey Neat!" Joseph said excitedly, happy to see his friend again as he hugged her just as tightly as she did.
Nina's hearted fluttered at being called by the nickname her prince gave her.
Suddenly, Chinese Federation guards came up and surrounded Joseph and Nina.
"Seize the former prince at once!" A short High Eunuch ordered.
"Hold on!" Odysseus said, wanting to intervene.
"No please! Don't take him!" Nina said in fear as she hugged the confused Joseph even tighter.
"Please, let's all calm down for a moment." Schneizel said to defuse the situation as he approached Joseph. "Joseph, my dear brother, it's good to see you." He said with a smile.
"Sames!" Joseph said with a thumbs up.
"But I have to ask, why are you here? And how did you get here for that matter?" Schneizel asked curiously.
"Duh! Big bro getting married! Gotta come!" Joseph cheered. "See soon as heard!" He said excitedly.
"I see. And I'm guessing Zero is the one who told you about this?" Schneizel asked with intrigue. "Is he also here?"
"On the way!" Joseph said happily. Shocking the people around them.
"Zero's coming here?" Suzaku thought with shock.
"Zero...the man who took my prince away..." Nina thought viciously.
"Interesting..." Schneizel thought as a smile appeared on his face. "Well then, I see no reason Joseph can't enjoy the festivities here." He said happily.
"But sir! He's a Black Knight! He caused property damaged!" The short High Eunuch said angrily as he pointed to the hole in the ceiling. "And he just said Zero was on his way here! We should come with a way to capture him!" He insisted.
"Today is a day of celebration, is it not? If my brother wishes to join us, I'm happy to have him here." Schneizel waved off before turning his attention to Joseph. "As for Zero, is he the only one coming?" He asked curiously.
"Him, Kagu-ya, and Kal Pal." Joseph responded as he counted it off with his fingers.
"Kaguya?" Suzaku asked in shock.
"Kallen's coming?!" Milly asked in surprise.
"What?!" Nina thought angrily.
While she made amends with Kallen about her feelings for Joseph, learning she was a Black Knight made her wonder if she had a hand in corrupting her prince into joining them.
"If that's the case, Zero obviously didn't come to disrupt anything, especially if Lady Kaguya is joining him. I say this will let me properly evaluate our enemy." Schneizel said quietly to the short High Eunuch.
The short High Eunuch thought about it before looking at the soldiers.
"If that is the wish of the Prime Minister of Britannia then…withdraw!" He ordered and the soldiers dispatched.
"Milly, my billy!" Joseph cheered as he let go of Nina and went over and gave Milly a big hug.
"It's good to see you, Joe!" Milly said happily despite barely being able to breath.
"Missed you!" Joseph said as he put her down.
"Same here. The entire student council feels the same way. Especially Shirley." Milly said
"Well duh! Is new little sis!" Joseph said excitedly.
"Of course." Milly said with a smile.
"New little sister?" Schneizel thought with intrigue.
"Lloyd, Cece! Get here!" Joseph said as he brought them into a hug.
"Always a pleasure, your highness." Lloyd said with a smirk.
"Glad to see you're doing okay." Cecile said happily.
"Miss your food!" Joseph said wistfully.
"Oh, your highness! If I had known you were coming, I would have brought you some of my chocolate-blended deviled-eggs!" Cecile said gratefully.
"Next time!" Joseph said excitedly.
"Absolutely!" Cecile agreed.
Everyone else listening on the other grimaced at such a food, even Schneizel inwardly wondered how on Earth a person could even think making something like that was edible.
Lloyd just came to the conclusion that Joseph's taste buds were just as insane as his half-mind was.
"Uh, Joseph. Allow me to introduce you to my personal aide, Kanon Maldini." Schneizel said as he gestured to Kanon.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, your highness." Kanon said with a respectful tone as he stuck his hand out for Joseph to shake.
"Same!" Joseph said happily as he shook Kanon's hand. "Nice boyfriend, Schniz!" He said to his brother.
That got a double take from Kanon and two raised eyebrows from Schneizel.
"Oh, no, no, no! We're not-we aren't together. I simply work for him." Kanon explained quickly as a small blush appeared on his face.
"It's true, Joseph. Our feelings are simply...professional." Schneizel explained more calmly.
"Ah, taking slowly. Totally get." Joseph said in understanding.
Milly had to quickly cover her mouth so laughter wouldn't escape. Gino looked he was barely holding it in himself, Anya was still blank about it, Suzaku scratched his head in stress, Lloyd howled with laughter while Cecile stood by him in embarrassment, and Nina just looked on in perplexity.
"Joseph, it's not-" Schneizel tried to explain but Joseph was already on the way to greet the next person in his sights.
"Gino! My man!" Joseph greeted warmly as he held his hand up for him.
"Prince Joseph! Finally get to meet you in the flesh!" Gino said excitedly as gladly gave Joseph his hand and held it in a manly grip. "So is that the walkman I heard you carry around all the time?" He asked with intrigue as he saw the walkman clipped onto Joseph's pants.
"Yep! Mom's, then mine! Her gift." Joseph said as he took the walkman into his hand.
"What kind of music do you got?" Gino asked.
"All kinds! Any kinds!" Joseph said proudly.
"Kanye?"
"Yep"
"Rolling Stones?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Queen? Beach Boys?"
"Yep-yep!"
"Garth Brooks?"
"Don't insult." Joseph said with blank face.
"Just testing you." Gino said with a smirk. "Okay, on three. Name the most underrated band that no one has ever heard off. One, two, three!"
"Neutral Milk Hotel!" They both said at the same time and both their smiles grew wider at that. "I like him!" They both said again as they pointed at each other while looking at their friends.
"Good lord, they're like long lost twins..." Suzaku thought with dread.
Suddenly Joseph heard a camera click and saw Anya looking at her phone.
"Recorded..." Anya said with her blank expression.
"Annie!" Joseph greeted as he went over to her.
"Huh?" Anya said as she looked up and was too late to prepare for the bear hug he gave her.
"So tiny!" Joseph said with glee as he shook her left to right.
While Anya could hardly breath and was getting a bit motion sick, she was surprised by the man's warmth and openness. Gino and Suzaku were both friendly to her, but never on this level.
After he let her go, he quickly snatched the phone out of her hands.
"Taking photos? Awesome! Love selfies!" Joseph said excitedly and at a quick pace. He then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in next to his cheek at a quick pace. "Cheese!" He said with a huge smile and took a picture with the phone. Anya barely had time to react to any of it.
He then let go of her and gave back her phone. "Here you go. Now, WHERE GROOM!" He asked loudly to get his older brother's attention.
"Right over here, Joseph!" Odysseus said as he waved at his younger brother with a warm smile.
"Ozzy!" Joseph said excitedly as he went over to Odysseus, leaving a very confused and flustered Anya.
"Uh..." Was all Anya could say.
"I believe you just got a taste of the 'Joseph' treatment." Suzaku said with a chuckle. "You get used to it." He continued with a sympathetic tone.
The Nobles, of course, chattered among themselves:
"Ugh, what an utter waste of a Britannian."
"Or a human being for that matter."
"At least now he's officially on the enemy's side and we no longer have to deal we him."
"Yes, our soldiers can finally finish the job that was started on Fukuoka Base."
"Did you see the footage of that retard's brains being spattered from before?"
"I swear, it was one of the best things I've ever witnessed."
Hearing these comments made Nina's blood boil. How dare they mock her prince?! And she was literally two seconds away from ripping someone's eyes out if Schneizel hadn't put his hand on her shoulder.
"Calm yourself, Nina. Remember, Joseph never took it to heart, neither should you." Schneizel gently advised.
Nina took a deep breath at that and calmed down. "Apologies..."
Milly decided to intervene as well.
"Nina, how about you and me go outside and catch up? It's been awhile since we've seen each other." Milly suggested.
While Nina wanted to stick close to her prince, she knew she needed to get away from the Nobility here. Otherwise, she was likely to kill someone.
"Sure." She said simply.
Meanwhile, Joseph brought his older brother into a tight hug, lifting him off the ground with no effort at all.
"Ozzy!" Joseph cheered with joy.
"I'm glad to see you in health, J-Joseph." Odysseus said under tight breath.
"Lookie you!" Joseph started to say as he set Odysseus down. "Getting hitch! Haha!" He teased as he playfully punched his brother in the chest.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later..." Odysseus said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.
"No tell earlier? WTF bro?!" Joseph said feeling a bit offended.
"Well, it was kind of, last minute..." Odysseus tried to explain.
"Zing immediate! Love at finest!" Joseph cheered. "Alright! Where new sister!" He asked excitedly.
"Oh, right here." Odysseus told him, gesturing to Empress Tianzi.
Joseph looked in that direction but didn't see anyone. He saw a girl but that was it. He turned his head back and forth before looking back at Odysseus.
"Where?" He asked obliviously, to which Odysseus looked at him in confusion.
"Um...right here." Odysseus said as he once again gesturing to Tianzi sitting in her seat.
Joseph instead looked behind the throne she was sitting on and saw nothing. He looked back to Odysseus and smirked at him. "She hiding?" Joseph asked playfully, liking the sound of his new sister already.
"Joseph. This is her, my bride." Odysseus said as he put his pointed his hand right at Tianzi. Who looked at Joseph with a hint of fear but also curiosity at his behavior.
And at that moment, Joseph could hear a record scratch from inside his head.
...
...
...
...
"...Huh?" Was all Joseph could say as he did a double take to his brother.
Odysseus had to gulp a bit at that. "This is Empress Tianzi. We are to be wed tomorrow." He explained calmly.
Joseph looked Tianzi, then back at Odysseus, then at Tianzi, then at Odysseus again. And his face slowly turned to horror.
"Oh god...OH GOD! NO! BRO, YOU PEDO?!" Joseph yelled in disgust.
That definitely caught everyone's attention.
"WHAT?! No! Nonononono! Joseph, it's not like that!" Odysseus frantically tried to explain.
"UGAH! NO! WHY! NOT YOU BRO! CHILDREN?! NO! AH!" Joseph screamed into his hand as he shook his head by these turn of events.
"Joseph, please-"
"EVERYONE OUT! WEDDING CANCELED! THIS NOT RIGHT!" Joseph proclaimed to all the guests there, who looked at him in bewilderment.
"Joseph, listen, it's not what-" Odysseus tried to explain before receiving a very dark look from Joseph.
"You..." Joseph said with huge disdain in his voice. He went to a table, grabbed a bottle of wine and broke the bottom part with his hand. "You Sicko..." He said as he raised the jagged end of the bottle and came towards Odysseus, fully intending to cut his thing off.
Odysseus' eyes grew wide in fear.
"Wait! Waitwaitwaitwaitwait..." He tried to tell his brother as he back away in fear, but he clearly wasn't listening.
It was then Schneizel came in between them. "Joseph, please! Calm down!" He told him quickly.
"Consequences, bro!" Joseph told him as he still looked at Odysseus with vengeance in his eye.
"Joseph. This is a necessary wedding." Schneizel told him.
To which Joseph grabbed him by the collar and brought the broken bottle to his neck. "Agree with this!?" He asked intensely.
"Prince Schneizel!" Kanon said in worry.
"Joseph, stop!" Suzaku said as he ran over to the two with some guards.
But Schneizel raised his hand, gesturing them to stand back.
It was clear he needed to choose his next words very carefully.
"What this is...is simply a political marriage." Schneizel said calmly and slowly.
Joseph quirked an eyebrow up at this but didn't put his guard down. "Politics?" He asked.
"Yes. By having the Chinese Federation's Empress and Crown Prince of Britannia wed, an alliance can be form between the two government." Schneizel continued to explain.
"With this alliance, peace can come to the people of the Chinese Federation." A High Eunuch with glasses told him with his uncharacteristic high voice.
"And as Empress, she just wants to help her people, isn't that right?" Another High Eunuch, who was large in size, asked Tianzi. Who looked on in confusion and fear.
Joseph thought about what they were saying. "...So no romance?" He asked solemnly.
"None whatsoever. It's simply a way for the fighting to stop." Odysseus told him calmly.
"So that's why Lelouch is coming. It's a rescue mission! Still, I have to be sure..." Joseph thought to himself before turning to Tianzi.
"You okay?" He asked the Empress gently?
For the Empress, she wasn't sure what to say.
Here was a strange man who came crashing through the ceiling to simply attend her banquet, who also turns out to be the brother of the man she's marrying. He's friendly one minute and all of sudden becomes scary when learning of the situation. It was all a lot to take in for Tianzi.
And yet...
When he looks at her, she can see genuine concern in his eyes, she can hear the worry in his voice. She didn't know much about this man, but she can see he really cares about her well-being.
But being the Empress, while she still had a lot to learn about how things worked, the people's well-being were her concern as well.
"I-I'm fine, sir. I-It's as they say, I'm doing this for my people." Tianzi stuttered a bit, but still calmly.
Joseph could see she was putting up a strong front.
"Poor kid. Looks only to be around 12 or 13 and already has to be responsible for an entire country. Well, thankfully Admiral Zero's coming to the rescue!" Joseph thought determinedly.
"...Okay then." Joseph said casually as he let go of Schneizel and dropped the broken bottle.
That calmed everyone down and got the guards to stand down.
"But watching you, Focker." Joseph said intensely with a De Niro impression as he pointed two fingers from his eyes to Odysseus.
Odysseus just nodded fast in understanding.
Joseph then turned to the crowd.
"A-OK, PEOPLE! THEM NOT HAVING SEX!" He proclaimed.
Odysseus groaned in embarrassment as he covered his face with his hand, Schneizel took a deep breath in tiredness.
"Meet new sis?" Joseph asked as he turned back to the two and pointed at Tianzi.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, her highness is already flustered enough." The High Eunuch with the glasses said.
"No, please! He should get to know new family. Go right ahead." Odysseus said quickly, still a bit worried Joseph might kill him.
"Coolio!" Joseph said happily as he crouched down to his knees to be at eye level with Tianzi. "Hi. Joseph Du Britannia." He greeted the Empress gently as he smiled and stuck his hand out for her to shake.
In that moment, the Empress couldn't help but be reminded of Xingke. The same warm smile, the same calming presence, she could see in his eyes the good nature this man had.
So she gave a smile in return and took his hand into hers.
"Tianzi." She replied kindly.
"Tianzi? Hmmm...Tia it is!" Joseph declared the new nickname for his new friend.
Tianzi looked at him surprise. "I never had a nickname."
"Never had snails!" Joseph said proudly as he pointed at himself.
Tianzi couldn't help but giggle, she was beginning to like her new friend.
"Oh! Forgot!" Joseph said in remembrance as he took something out of his coat and took out a small bottle. "Wedding gift!" He said as he gave it to her.
She looked at it with confusion. "What is it?" She asked.
"Bubbles!" Joseph told her excitedly.
"You were going to give my fiancé bubbles as a wedding gift?" Odysseus asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Who not love bubbles?" Joseph asked his brother as if it was obvious. "Wait, never bubbled before?" He asked Tianzi in surprise.
"There's a lot I'm still unfamiliar with. I've never been anywhere outside the palace." Tianzi said sadly.
"Young and sheltered. A bad combo. Not to worry, we'll fix that later." Joseph thought encouragingly. "Here. Like this." He said as she gently took the bottle from her and demonstrated.
He unscrewed the cap off, took the wand that was inside and dipped it a few times before taking it out. He blew through the hole on the wand and came out a medium sized bubble.
Tianzi looked at it with awe and curiosity, never seeing anything like it before. She slowly brought her finger up to touch it and it popped, making her squeak in surprise.
Joseph chuckled and handed it back to her.
"Try." He simply said.
Tianzi did what he did and blew out several bubbles at a time, making her giggle in delight.
"Freaking bubbles!" Joseph proclaimed excitedly, making the Empress laugh even more.
...
Meanwhile in a secret location, Xingke, Xianglin, and a few soldiers loyal to him were gathered together.
"A secret agreement has already been setup between Prince Schneizel and High Eunuchs. When she's married they'll cede our territory to them. He'll then grant the High Eunuchs titles of Britannian nobility." Xianglin explained.
"Nobility. They would sell off their country for that?" Xingke said bitterly.
"And our people?" A soldier said angrily as he slammed his hand onto the table in front of them.
"Death to the High Eunuchs!" Another soldier declared.
"We've gotta stop this wedding even if it means putting our plan into action early!" Another said said.
"But if we stage a coup, Britannia's going to declare war." Xianglin told them.
"Either way. Ensure peace, or we do not." Xingke said as he thought about he first met the Empress.
...
(Flashback)
2012
An 18 year old Xingke is slammed into the groundby a soldier who serves Tianzi named Hong Gu.
"But Your Majesty, this man broke a law by trying to save the life of an inmate's." Hong Gu told the seven year old Empress.
"Yes, but…I get brought medicine when I'm sick and the person who brings it isn't punished." Tianzi told him innocently.
"There's no comparing that prisoner with you, Your Majesty." Hong Gu told her.
"Don't argue. The banquet will be starting soon. Do as Her Majesty commands." A High Eunuch ordered Hong Gu.
"But if he's taken to face the law, he'll be executed." Hong Gu said.
"But that's wrong! That's wrong! He was doing something good so he shouldn't die because of it!" Tianzi insisted.
And it was at that moment, Xingke swore to protect this girl with every fiber of his being.
...
"Officer school?" The young Tianzi asked.
"Yes. That's how I will use the life that you spared. I wish to protect you in anyway I can." Xingke told her.
"I would like to go, too. To the outside." Tianzi said as she looked towards the balcony
"Outside?" Xingke asked in confusion.
"Outside of the Forbidden City. To school or maybe the sea. Where we can find all kinds of hot yummy foods and lots of friends to make." Tianzi told him excitedly.
"Yes, very well. One day if you still wish, I will take you away from here, Your Majesty." Xingke told her.
"Really?" Tianzi asked in shock.
"It's my way of thanking you for sparing my life." Xingke said as he kneeled down and held his pinkie out to her, she looked at it with curiosity. "This is how we make promises outside the city. An everlasting promise." He told her gently.
She raised her own pinkie, they interlocked it and had their thumbs touch.
"For all time." Tianzi said with a small smile.
(Flashback End)
...
"Either I protect Your Majesty or I allow an alliance to ensure peace..." Xingke thought, conflicted.
...
"You bit him on the butt?!" Tianzi asked in shock.
"Yep-per-rooni! No fight moves then, so animal instincts instead! Woof!" Joseph explained as he told her about he stood up against his brother, Cassius.
"But it sounds so unsanitary." Tianzi said in concern.
"Not matter, Tia. Protecting family. And family most important." Joseph told her determinedly.
Tianzi looked at him awe-inspired as she thought about Xingke.
Odysseus couldn't help but bitterly chuckle at that, considering he was about to have his manhood cut off by said family.
"Well at least they're getting along." Odysseus said quietly. "At any rate I'm certainly glad this arrangement all worked out. I'm no good at fighting." He said with relief.
"Your Highness, will the Emperor be attending the wedding?" The large High Eunuch asked.
"He informed me at the banquet back in the homeland that he would attend." Odysseus told him.
"Presenting Miss Kaguya Sumeragi, the representative of the Sumeragi Conglomerate!" A Chinese Federation Soldier yelled out.
"Yes! They're here!" Joseph said excitedly while Tianzi gasped in joy.
It was then Kaguya came up the stairs with Zero and Kallen.
"Kaguya..." Suzaku said quietly.
"And there's Zero." Kanon said with scrutiny.
"That red head with him. Isn't she the Guren pilot?" Gino asked as he gazed at Kallen.
"I believe the former Prince Joseph referred to her as 'Kal Pal'." Anya said in monotone.
"Well, well, well. Looks who's arrived." Schneizel said with a bit of tease in his voice.
"Schneizel! So you are the puppet master behind all this." Lelouch thought venomously.
"Hey, Admiral Zero!" Joseph shouted as he waved over to them.
"Oh, Joe..." Kallen said as she sighed tiredly.
"So much for the element of surprise." Kaguya said disappointedly.
...
Milly and Nina stood on the balcony, looking at the stars.
"You're nearly ready to graduate, aren't you?" Nina asked.
"I suppose I should finish, huh?" Milly said a bit stressed. "But I'm happy for you. You seem to be doing well for yourself. Frankly I'm relieved." She said gladly.
"You, relieved?" Nina asked with a raised eyebrow.
"If anything happens you can come to me for advice." Milly told her happily.
"Just stop that." Nina said blankly, surprising Milly. "Milly, you're my friend and I like you. I really do. However I hate people who have no depth to them." She continued. "Prince Joseph didn't abandon me. Instead of running away, he risked his own life to save mine. He was the only one who helped me." She said.
"And I'll help you too, of course." Milly encouraged.
"Will you stop spouting pity for me!" Nina said angrily. "You are always playing around as a campus queen! And you hide behind Ashford as if it's a shield! It's the same with your engagement to Professor Lloyd! You always look down on me, acting like some self-appointed guardian while you swim in your own hypocrisy! I've changed! It's time you acknowledge that!" She shouted with rage before leaving in a huff.
"Nina..." Milly tried to say, not sure what she did to bring this on.
...
"Kaguya..." Tianzi said in worry for her friend as she saw Schneizel approach them.
Suddenly she felt a hand pat the top of her head, that hand belonging to Joseph.
"No worry. Admiral Zero got this." Joseph reassured her.
Tianzi looked at him unsure, but did feel a bit better.
"Glad to officially make your acquaintance, Zero." Schneizel greeted politely.
"Prince Schneizel, I'm guessing by the lack of security surrounding us, Joseph told you we were coming." Zero asked rhetorically.
"Yes, he did say you would be making an appearance." Schneizel told him as Suzaku came in front to guard him, Gino and Anya doing the same.
"As watchful as ever, I see." Lelouch thought bitterly at Suzaku before looking up at the hole on the ceiling.
"I'm guessing that's where he came in." Zero stated rather than asked.
"I think we both know at this point that Joseph has never been subtle with his entrances." Schneizel said with a smirk.
"Suzaku Kururugi, do you remember me? We're cousins you and I." Kaguya greeted Suzaku in a friendly matter.
Truthfully, she didn't hate her cousin like a lot of the Japanese did. If anything, she felt quite sorry for him. She knew about what really happened between him and his father 8 years ago and knew the burden he carried. She believed that him serving Britannia was his way of repenting for actions all those years ago. But she knew just how pigheaded he could be as well, and he needed a good kick in the head to learn that his way of seeing things were wrong.
"Of course I do." Suzaku said politely.
"We're the last remaining survivors of the six houses of Kyoto, aren't we?" Kaguya asked him.
"Taizo Kirihara and the others supported terrorists. Nothing could've stayed their executions." Suzaku told her.
"But this is different. Cousin, did you forget that master Zero once saved your life? Do you plan to execute someone you owe your life to?" Kaguya asked as if it was obvious.
"There's no comparison." Suzaku said stubbornly.
"Oh, how sad! It's a good thing we are not able to kill anybody merely with the words we say." Kaguya said a bit too sweetly.
"Prince Schneizel. Would you care for a game of chess?" Zero suddenly asked.
"Chess?" Schneizel asked with an intrigued smile.
"If I win I'd like to have Sir Kururugi." Zero said, surprising Suzaku.
"What?" Kallen asked in shock. Joseph also looked in intrigue.
"I want to give him to you, Lady Kaguya." Zero said.
"Oh, that would be absolutely marvelous present!" Kaguya said excited.
"Enjoy your anticipation of it." Zero told her. "If I can get Suzaku out of here I can use my Geass on all the others. A checkmate that would turn everything around." Lelouch thought with a smirk.
"I'll agree to your terms. However if you lose I want you to give Joseph to us." Schneizel told him.
This shocked the people around, Joseph was more curious though.
"Hold on! What are you playing at here?!" Kallen asked angrily as she approached Schneizel.
"Ah, you must be the Guren pilot I heard about. Joseph's 'Kal Pal', correct?" Schneizel asked with a teasing smile.
"It's Kallen. And what's it to you?" Kallen asked, unamused.
"How dare you! That's the Prime Minister you're talking to!" Kanon said angrily.
"Please, there's no need to quarrel." Schneizel reassured him. "It seems like a fair bet doesn't it? If Zero has a chance to retrieve Kururugi, can't I have a chance to take back my brother?" He asked kindly.
"Take him back to what exactly? A lion's den where the head of the pack is the Emperor, just so he can be executed?" Zero asked with scrutiny.
"While I appreciate your concern, I can assure you that I just want to keep Joseph safe. Can you honestly guarantee the same thing?" Schneizel asked.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes at Schneizel as he knew he wasn't wrong. He didn't want to give up his brother, but he also knew just how reckless he could be.
But then again, it's not like he couldn't break free later on. In this case, it would be a win/win situation either way. Still, he had to be sure.
"Joseph. Do you agree with this wager?" Zero called out to the dimwit.
Joseph thought about it and weighed the pros and cons of the situation.
"If Lelouch wins, we can get Suzaku back and we wouldn't have to worry about fighting him in the future. We might even be able to convince him that Lelouch isn't a bad guy! And Lelouch is best chess player out there. Besides me, of course." Joseph thought smugly as he remembered how he beat Lelouch twice when they were kids. "And even if he does lose, I'll just break out and run my way back to the Black Knights. A win/win situation either way." He concluded, having made up his mind. "Abso-toda-lutely! Full confidence, Admiral Zero!" He told him without a doubt.
"Alright, then we are agreed." Zero told him, making Kallen look at him in shock, before looking back at Joseph in concern, who simply gave a thumbs up.
"What a fine evening of entertainment this is turned into." Schneizel said pleasantly.
...
The game was set up and Zero and Schneizel came at each other, no holds barred.
Joseph, Odysseus, Tianzi, Kaguya, and the High Eunuchs were in another room. Watching the match from a video monitor.
"Surely we don't have to watch from a separate room away from the show…" Odysseus started to say.
"He's playing a terrorist. Something could happen, sir." The large High Eunuch told him.
"That's ridiculous. It's my husband who's going to win!" Kaguya said without a doubt.
"I understand how you feel Miss Sumeragi, but I can't imagine anyone but my brother Schneizel winning this game." Odysseus told her kindly.
"Ah, ah, ah." Joseph spoke up as he wagged his finger towards his brother. "No underrate Admiral Zero, bro." He told him smugly before bending down towards Tianzi. "Superheroes always step ahead." He told her as he pointed to his head and gave her wink, making Tianzi giggle.
...
Back in the main room with Zero and Schneizel still competing, Anya was looking at Kallen through her camera.
"This is the Ace of the Black Knights. Pilot of the Guren." Anya said.
"Yeah, the one from before. She's a lot prettier than her wanted poster. That's my kinda woman!" Gino said as he smirked over at Kallen and gave her a small salute.
Kallen saw this and just scoffed while giving him a look that says, "Yeah right."
"Ouch. Shot down cold." Gino said as he rubbed the back of his head. Suzaku just sighed at his friend's behavior.
Zero and Schneizel continued to move their pieces around.
"He is good. His Highness is losing." Kanon said quietly, a bit impressed by Zero.
After a few more minutes, Lelouch could see the shift on the board.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to turn the tables on me so quickly." Zero said, mildly impressed. "My brother was and still is a master of this game. He's the only person I could never beat. However that was eight years ago." Lelouch thought confidently.
Zero then lifted his King up.
"It's your king." Schneizel said in surprise.
"If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow." Zero told him as he moved his knight forward.
Schneizel mentally raised an eyebrow at that. "Where have I heard that before..." He wondered to himself. "Impressive strategy. In fact, I'll do the same." He said as he moved his own king forward, surprising Lelouch.
What none of them saw was Nina entering back into the room.
...
"I'm on the edge of my seat wondering who will win this now." Odysseus said, now fully immersed into the game.
"Well, they're evenly matched." Kaguya agreed.
"Come on, Lelouch. You got this." Joseph thought to himself.
...
Eventually the Kings met each other on the board.
"So you can't advance any further, can you?" Zero asked rhetorically.
"We'll get into a threefold repetition at this rate." Schneizel said with disappointment in his voice.
"It wasn't my intention but shall we declare this a draw?" Zero asked.
"I think not. You would do well not underestimate the white king, my friend." Schneizel said with a mystery bravado in his tone as he lifted up his king...
"You wouldn't!" Zero said.
...and moved it right on the block in front of Zero's king.
"Checkmate." Schneizel said.
"But that means if Zero moves his king forward…" Kanon started to say.
"…then he'll capture…" Kallen continued.
"…Prince Schneizel's king." Suzaku concluded.
...
"Oh that's too big of a joke!" Odysseus said aghast.
"He's deliberately losing the game?" Kaguya said in surprise.
"Joseph, what's going on?" Tianzi asked quietly, not really following.
"Not sure, Tia. Investigate!" Joseph declared as he went his way back out to the main room.
...
"Damn. He must be trying to get a read on me. If I take his king, I may be giving into his intent, coming off as too arrogant. But if I don't, it might make me look like coward. Schneizel! How dare you!" Lelouch thought angrily of the predicament he found himself in.
And before he could think upon it more.
He saw a certain green-haired girl run towards him with a knife in her hand.
Only to be stopped by Suzaku of all people!
Kallen came by Zero's side to guard him.
"ZERO! PRINCE JOSEPH WILL BE RELEASED FROM YOUR CONTROL!" Nina shouted with crazy rage.
Zero got up from his seat and backed away. Schneizel did the same with Kanon guarding him.
"Stop it, Nina! Drop the knife!" Suzaku told her as she struggled in his grip.
"Why are you stopping me? You're Joseph's friend aren't you!? You were the Knight of Honour to his sister, Princess Euphemia!" Nina told him as tears ran down her eyes.
Suzaku froze at that. "That's right. Then why…"
"You're just an Eleven after all…" Nina said with disgust before getting out of his grip and swinging the knife at Zero again.
She didn't even have her eyes open as she felt the impact, she smiled in glee.
"Yes...it's done..." Nina said, finally at ease.
But when she looked up, she saw it wasn't Zero she stabbed.
It was a certain dimwit prince in his shoulder. Who was looking at her with a very stern look.
Nina blinked in horror, realizing what she had done.
"Joseph!" Kallen said in worry.
"Oh God...Joseph! I'm so sorry! I was trying-" Before Nina could get another word in, Joseph bent down towards her at a quick pace, scaring her a bit.
"Neat! What you doing!" Joseph said incredulously before pulling the knife out of his shoulder with ease, shocking many of the people there. "So knifes cool, Neat!? Playing with knifes, cool!? He asked with a strict teacher voice as Nina looked down in shame. "...Well it is!" He told her with the same stern voice, confusing her and the rest of the people there, wondering where he was going with this.
"Gotta be pro though. Like Deadpool or Samurai Jack!" He lectured intensely. "Not sloppy like: 'Oh lookie me! Mr. Cool here! LALALALA!" He mocked as he swung the knife around in a crazed fashion, making the people around him back away for their own safety.
"Joe, would you be careful!" Kallen said in annoyance.
Joseph then threw the knife at a wall, causing many Nobles to frantically dodge it. Including one whose toupee got hit by the knife and stuck onto the wall. It was then Milly came back into the room too.
"What up, Neat? Why acting all psycho?" Joseph asked curiously.
"Because I'm trying to rescue you, Joseph! Zero's manipulating you! I don't understand why you're helping him!" Nina said frantically before looking over Kallen and got really angry. "It's you, isn't it, Kallen! You said you'd sleep with him, DIDN'T YOU!?" She asked venomously.
A lot of the guest gasped at that.
"Nina!" Milly said in shock.
"Excuse me?!" Kallen asked angrily, ready to crack Nina right in the jaw, even if they are friends.
"Whooooa! Whooa! Girls! No cat fight!" Joseph said as he got in between them. "What this about?" He asked, wanting to get to the bottom of it.
"Don't you see, Joseph?! She's just using you! She only cares about what she wants! When I just want to make you happy! Because I love you!" Nina told him with a crazed smile.
People were definitely paying attention now and starting to get weirded out.
"Oh God, Nina, please stop..." Milly whispered.
Joseph just looked at her in confusion. "...What about Kallen?" He asked as he pointed to her, who had to resist the urge to facepalm.
"THERE IS NOTHING BETWEEN ME AND KALLEN!" Nina shouted with rage. "That date was for you! I wanted to show you my true feelings that day!" She continued as she took his hand into hers and fell to her knees. "Joseph Du Britannia. Ever since you rescued me at the hotel, I can't stop loving you! You're a knight in shining armor and I am your faithful princess!" She basically pleaded as the Nobles started to look at her with disgust, Schneizel looked on with pity, and the rest just felt very uncomfortable. Joseph just looked on blankly.
"We can be so happy together! I'll do whatever you ask of me! You call and I shall answer only to you! Please! Just stop-"
*CHOP*
Before Nina could finish her rant, she received a HARD karate chop to the head by Joseph, who continued to stare on blankly.
She then let go of Joseph and plopped to the floor, knocked out.
Everyone stared in stunned silence by what just happened.
"Jo...Joe!" Milly called out as she looked back forth between Joseph and the sleeping Nina. "Wha-Why did you do that?!" She asked in shocked disbelief.
"Mom says, 'Bitches acting crazy, knock bitch out.'" Joseph said casually, making everyone look at him with WTF expressions.
He then grabbed a cushion from the chair Schneizel was sitting in and put it under Nina's head.
"Night, night, Neat." He said with his dopey smile as he patted her on the head. "Take care of her?" He asked Gino who approached them.
"We...we got her." Was Gino could think to say as he was still very confused by what just happened.
Odysseus, Kaguya, Tianzi, and the High Eunuchs came back into the room at that moment.
"Uh...hi, Kallen. Good to see you." Milly said awkwardly as she waved at her.
"You too, Milly." Kallen said with an awkward grin.
"YOU!" Joseph said suddenly as he turned and pointed his finger at Suzaku, startling him and others around.
He then marched over to the confused Suzaku, stopped a few inches away from him, and stared intensely at him.
This went on for a few seconds before the confused Suzaku started to say, "Uh..."
To which Joseph took his face into his hands and gave him a big, messy, Bug Bunny-style KISS.
Everybody's jaws dropped at that. Especially Kallen, who went very red in the face.
Tianzi was more confused about it than anything, the High Eunuchs were fanning themselves, Lelouch felt a migraine come on in as he eye twitched in anger, Kanon let a quiet "Oh my...", Anya took a snapshot and said, "Recorded.", and Schneizel managed to just raise an eyebrow.
"I'm definitely not regretting coming out tonight." Lloyd said with a smirk, to which a blushing Cecile smacked him in the back of the head.
Joseph then pulled away the now traumatized Suzaku and looked at him with a huge smile.
"TRAINING BUDDY! STILL THERE! YES! HAHA!" Joseph shouted with joy as he pulled Suzaku into a tight hug and spun all around the room in glee.
The people watching how no idea what to make of this. Even Schneizel looked at Zero to figure out what was going on, and all he could do was shrug in response.
"Was worried! But nope! Still inside! Boo-yah!" Joseph said excitedly as he shook Suzaku back and forth before throwing him into the chair Zero was sitting in.
Suzaku, on his part, could only lay sprawled on the chair as his mind turned to reset itself.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Joseph cheered as he nut pumped.
Zero quietly approached him as he continued his nut pumping. "Uh, Joseph. I think it's time for us to go." He told him quietly as he grasped his shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, okie-dokie." Joseph said in realization before going over to Tianzi. "Bye Tia, nice meeting." He said happily as he held hand out for her to shake.
"Uh, y-yes. You too, new big brother." Tianzi said with a small smile as she took his hand.
"Aw, come here!" Joseph said with joy as he brought Tianzi into a tight hug, but not too tight as he didn't want to break her bones.
Tianzi was surprised by the hug but accepted it with small tears in her eyes, feeling touched by the man's compassion.
After he let her go, he looked at Odysseus with a stern look and said, "No touchy!" with a wagging finger.
"O-Of course." Odysseus said as he held hands up in surrender.
"Alright! Celebration music!" Joseph declared as he put a tape into his walkman and pressed play.
Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Let's celebrate!
Joseph danced his way out of the room, even jumping in the air and clicking his feet together in glee. Leaving a bewildered party behind.
"Kaguya, please follow him to make sure he doesn't cause any more scenes." Zero said tiredly.
"Of course, Master Zero." Kaguya said in equal tiredness as she left to go after Joseph. Tianzi watched from a distance with a wistful look.
"Kaguya..." Tianzi said sadly.
"Well, our wedding present has arrived of its own accord. My, this worked out wonderfully." The High Eunuch with the glasses said smugly.
"You're giving them Kaguya, too?" Tianzi said with shock.
"Put that girl out of your mind. Her crimes warrant the death penalty." The High Eunuch with the glasses continued.
"No, you can't. That's wrong. This isn't Britannia!" Tianzi tried to tell them.
"Your Majesty, the Black Knights are the ones who killed Gao Hai. Please don't get involved. Just leave the politics to us. Isn't that what you've always done? Let us handle things our way." The large High Eunuch told her.
"But..." Tianzi tried to interject before Odysseus gently touch her shoulder.
"Have no fear." He reassured her.
"That's right. I'm marrying this man tomorrow. And once we're married I'll be leaving the Forbidden City with him. I will go to Britannia as a hostage. Never dreamed this was how I would finally reach the outside. It would be my first, and last time. I won't be able to return here again, will I?" Tianzi felt to herself, feeling disheartened. This is all she was, a useless puppet.
Meanwhile, Lelouch glanced over at Gino who bridal carried the sleeping Nina.
"I'm sorry, Nina. But I can't turn back now." Lelouch thought with regret.
"Well, this was certainly the most interesting party I've been to." Schneizel said with amusement before turning to Suzaku, who was still recovering on the chair. "Are you alright, Sir Kururugi?" He asked.
"Let me get back to you?" Suzaku said, still processing.
"I'd like to remind you not to attend the ceremony tomorrow. Otherwise, a game of chess won't save you next time." Schneizel warned Zero.
...
When they got back to the Ikaruga, Joseph, Kallen, C.C., and Lelouch went into a private room.
"What! The Hell! Was that?!" Kallen asked angrily.
"What?" Joseph asked, confused by the anger.
"What do you mean, 'What?!' First, you literally crash through the ceiling of the banquet, ruining our element of surprise! Then you let yourself get stabbed, then you knock Nina out during her breakdown, and THEN you kiss Suzaku out of nowhere! Could you please explain to us what the Hell was going through your head when you did all those things!?" Kallen asked as she continued to blow her fuse.
"What's wrong, Kallen? Jealous of Suzaku?" C.C. teased.
"YOU BE QUIET!" Kallen yelled, definitely not in the mood.
"I also would like an explanation for tonight, Joseph. You're lucky Schneizel was willing to let you be a guest while you were there." Lelouch said with his mask off.
"Wedding for big bro, little bro! Had to come! Besides, said 'crash banquet', so did!" Joseph said proudly.
"I didn't mean literally..." Lelouch said as he rubbed his eyes in tiredness.
"Anywho. Kissed Suzaku because still good guy!" Joseph said happily.
"What are you talking about?" Lelouch asked.
"Saved you bro! Stopped Nina! No hesitate!" Joseph said excitedly.
"Did he? That's definitely unexpected." C.C. commented.
"Knew the good still there!" Joseph cheered as he did a little dance.
"I suppose...but why though? After what I did to Euphemia?" Lelouch couldn't help but ask.
"Well duh! Still your friend!" Joseph told him as if it was obvious.
Lelouch could only look at him incredulously. "Friend? He's not even sure I'm Zero!" Lelouch told him dismissively.
"Ah. But suspects." Joseph told him with a smirk "Could of let die. But didn't. Cares for you. Cares for Japan. That settles it. Gotta mend friendship!" Joseph declared to him.
Both Lelouch and Kallen stare at him agape.
"Mend our friendship?! Joe! He dragged me to the Emperor and had my memories changed! And let he him do the same to our friends in the Student Council! To Shirley!" Lelouch said angrily.
"Made mistake." Joseph waved off. "What is forwardness without forgiveness." He said as if he was reading a fortune cookie. "So no argue! Gotta mend it!" He instructed.
"But Joe-"
"AAAHHH!" Joseph screamed in a Kramer-like manner, scaring Lelouch and Kallen and just confusing C.C. He stuck his finger out and pointed it right on Lelouch's nose.
"Mend it."
Lelouch stared at him with a thin lips before sighing in defeat, as he knew he wasn't going to be able to change his brother's mind. And what if he was right? Suzaku could have easily let Nina kill him, thus ending the rebellion and finally letting him get his revenge for Euphemia.
But he didn't. He stopped her, even though he had every reason not to. Maybe that good was still inside him, and he just needed to dig it out.
"So why did you knock out Nina?" Kallen asked.
"Like mom said, 'bitches-" Joseph started to explain.
"You don't have to repeat it." Kallen said with gritted teeth, really wanting to smack him.
"Saw Neat acting weird, so stopped it." Joseph told her.
"And you couldn't just take her out of the room?" Kallen asked with annoyance.
"That take too long. Knocking out much faster." Joseph told her casually as he showed his karate chop.
Kallen just sighed in frustration, before realizing she had to ask something else.
"So when she said she loved you...what did you think of that?" Kallen asked trepidatiously.
Lelouch and C.C. looked at Joseph, wondering what his response would be.
Joseph put his hand to his bearded chin and put on his thinking cap. He let out a "hmmmm..." while he was at it.
"Don't know. Seen love-love. Lelouch and new little sis great example. Never encountered self though." Joseph said quizzically. "But Neat...that real love? Or Fatal Attraction Syndrome?" He asked.
"Fatal what now?" C.C. asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Fatal Attraction Syndrome! Not real love, just possessive. Textbook stalker flick!" Joseph happily explained.
"And...that doesn't concern you at all?" Lelouch asked in perplexity by his brother's casual response to the fact that his friend is pining after him like a lunatic.
"Nah. Once rebellion over, get Neat proper help!" He said gladly.
"So...you don't know anyone you might...'love-love'..." Kallen asked quietly.
"Not sure. Never explored. One day maybe." Joseph told her with his dopey smile.
And Kallen couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Lelouch and C.C. could see that as well.
"I see...well, I'm tired, I'm going to bed." Kallen said as she faked fatigue.
"Night, Kal Pal!" Joseph said with a hug, to which Kallen simply patted his arm before leaving the room. "Kal Pal always hard working. Needs sleeping pills." He suggested.
"More like Cupid's arrow." C.C. muttered.
"Shut it, witch." Lelouch muttered back.
"By the by. What of Tia? Gonna save right?" Joseph asked in concern for his new friend.
"Yes, but not in the way you think. You see, I got intel from Diethard that Xingke plans on staging a coup tomorrow at the wedding." Lelouch told him.
"Perfect! Team up and rescue together!" Joseph said excitedly.
"That won't be the case. We're actually going to have to kidnap her." Lelouch said solemnly.
"What?! Why?! You and Xingke both good guys! Team up much easier!" Joseph said as he looked at him shock.
"Right now, our 'alliance' is on a thread of string as it is. We can't guarantee Xingke will still help us once he rescue the Empress. We have to take her with us to convince him and the Chinese Federation to truly side with the Black Knights." Lelouch told her.
"But just kid! Gonna freak out!" Joseph told him.
"Which is why we'll have Kaguya to help us. I wish there was a better option but there isn't. I'm sorry Joseph, but that's final. You trusted me with my plans before, trust me now." Lelouch told him.
Joseph stared at him for a moment, before sighing. "Fine..." Joseph whined like a little kid. "You superhero."
Lelouch nodded and put his mask back on and left with C.C., leaving Joseph with his thoughts.
He didn't know much about that Xingke guy, but he could see that Empress deserved better than what was about to happen to her.
So he would follow the plan, but not without adding a few tune ups of course.
...
Unknown
In the middle of the desert, V.V. sat upon a rock with his face resting on his hands as he looked on boredly.
"Yes. If Zero's true objective turns out to be here we are in trouble." V.V. said to his guest.
"Is that why you've made preparations for me?" The guest asked as he sipped on some wine.
"It is." V.V. told him.
"Thank you very much. Once I'm properly adjusted C.C. and Lelouch will be no match for me. Your expectations of Jeremiah Gottwald will be more than satisfied. I promise you!" Jeremiah said proudly.
...
The Next Day
Wedding Ceremony
The wedding was starting to begin, Tianzi was handed to Odysseus.
Schneizel, Kanon, Suzaku, Lloyd, Cecile were in the front seats while Milly and Nina were more towards the back. And Kaguya and Kallen were up on a balcony, watching from above.
While she knew what was coming, Kallen couldn't help but think about what Joseph said to her: "Not sure. Never explored. One day maybe."
Kallen looked down sadly. "So all this time...the time we spent together...he never..."
"Kallen, are you alright?" Kaguya asked in concern.
"Huh? Oh, yes Lady Kaguya. Sorry." Kallen reassured, putting the matter in the back of her mind.
Meanwhile, Nina and Milly awkwardly sat next to each other. Not sure what to say.
"...Nina...I..." Milly started to say.
"I'm sorry, Milly." Nina said quietly.
"Huh?!" Milly said in surprise.
"What I said last night wasn't fair to you. You've been nothing but a good friend to me all this time, always protecting me and I spat it back at you like it was nothing." Nina said with an empty voice.
"Nina, it's okay." Milly told her softly.
"No it isn't. The truth is, I didn't like the person I was back at Ashford, always frail, always relying on my friends to help me. I wanted to show people last night that I could stand on my own, that I wasn't some invalid." Nina said as she started to tear up. "Instead I made a mad fool of out myself in front of everyone, including Joseph. So much so that he had to knock me out so I wouldn't dig myself into a bigger hole than before. God, he must hate me." Nina said as tears ran down her eyes.
"Don't say that, of course Joseph doesn't hate you." Milly said as she hugged her friend. "I mean, I think he could have chose a much better way of getting you out of it. But I'm sure he meant well. And I am proud of you Nina. I mean you're working for the Prime Minister himself, that's amazing!" She told her encouragingly.
"R-Really?" Nina asked in surprise as she wiped her tears.
"Absolutely. I wish could brag about something like that, I mean you weren't wrong yesterday. I have hidden behind Ashford and I've let my engagement to Lloyd be because I think a part of me is afraid to really go out to the real world. Being at the academy, I feel so normal, I don't have to be afraid there, and yet I feel like I'm stuck. I honestly don't know what to do." Milly said with downcast look.
"But Milly, you're one of the best people I know. You're kind, passionate, and a great leader. Those festivals you always had us do were so well organized and fun that only you could have made it so. I know I said some awful things last night, but I was right about one thing, you are the campus queen and you can easily bring that to wherever you go next!" Nina told her determinedly.
Milly looked at her in surprise before smiling and bringing her friend into a hug.
"Thanks Nina. And hey, I'm always to help. There's nothing wrong with getting some once in awhile." Milly told her.
"Yes. I suppose you're right." Nina said in a thankful tone. "By the way, did anything interesting happen after I was knocked out?" She asked curiously.
Milly froze at that, thinking back to how Joseph kissed Suzaku out of nowhere.
"Uh..."
And before she could answer, she heard the doors burst open. She and everyone else looked behind her and saw Xingke with a group of soldiers.
"We ask this question, by the voice of heaven, the roar of the land, and the hearts of the people: How does this marriage represent the will of the Chinese Federation?!" Xingke asked angrily as he took out his sword.
...
Ashford Academy
Student Council Meeting Room
"What the! Terrorists!?" Rivalz asked in disbelief.
"No, it's a coup d'etat!" Rolo said in surprise.
"Is Lelouch part of this?" Shirley thought in concern.
...
Forbidden City
Wedding Ceremony
"Xingke, have you lost your mind?" The large High Eunuch asked incrediously.
"Be silent, Zhao Hao! In the name of my fellow country men I challenge the legality of this wedding!" Xingke declared as he charged down the hall.
Guards ran towards him but he fought them back with ease.
"It's strange. As much as I pray to save my starving people I can only think about Her Majesty's welfare." Xingke thought to himself.
"Cut off the broadcast!" The short High Eunuch ordered.
...
Ashford Academy
Student Council Meeting Room
"This is a terrible situ…" Before the reporter could continue, the broadcast became fuzzy.
"Oh, no! What about Milly and Nina!?" Rivalz shouted in fear.
...
Forbidden City
Wedding Ceremony
"Lady Kaguya, let's get out of here." Kallen told her as they departed.
"Come on, Nina." Milly said as she took Nina's hand and got her away from the danger.
"Let's go!" Cecile told Suzaku.
"All right." He replied, knowing where he needed to go.
"Seize him! We can't let anything happen to the Britannians. Otherwise it'll be disastrous!" The High Eunuch with glasses said as Xingke continued to fight back against guards.
"Traitor! You think the Empress belongs to you and no other!" A Chinese Fedration guard said.
"That's right. I have no idea what my action is in accordance with Her Majesty's wishes. She may not even have the faintest memory of what occurred six years ago. But no matter…I made an everlasting promise to Her Majesty in return for sparing my life! A vow I sworn in my heart! I must…I must save the Empress! I will take her to the outside world!" Xingke proclaimed as he slashed his swords against the guards.
"Xingke!" Tianzi shouted, holding up her pinkie to him.
This shocked Xingke as he remembered that night.
"She does. She remembers! In my heart, there is no more doubt!" Xingke thought proudly as he ran towards the prince
"Xingke!" Tianzi shouted with her arms out, ready to embrace him.
Only for a certain masked individual to come up behind her, stopping Xingke in his tracks.
"Forgive me, Empress..." Zero whispered to the now confused Tianzi. "I appreciate this, Xingke. You've made it so much easier for me to make my move." Zero said smugly.
"Oh, that man, too?" The large High Eunuch asked in fear.
"Zero, my warning fell on deaf ears." Schneizel said in disappointment.
"Zero, what is the meaning of this? I thought the Black Knights owed us for what we did for them in Area Eleven." Xingke asked angrily.
"Which is why I'm ruining this wedding. Exactly as you people wanted. The only thing is I'm taking the bride with me!" Zero told him.
"Xingke!" Tianzi shouted in fear.
"You Majesty! You filth-"
*HONK*
Before he could continue, a loud noise ruptured the ears of the people inside the church, so much so that they had to cover their ears.
It was coming from the entrance and it looked to be an airhorn. It was in the hand of one Joseph Du Britannia, who had a megaphone in his other hand.
"WEDDING CANCELED, PEOPLE!" Joseph shouted through the megaphone.
To Be Continued...
...
And thus, Joseph goes of the rails again!
This time, he literally crashes into a banquet and accuses his older brother of sick things!
Perhaps he should have paid more attention to the politics of the situation, but that kind of stuff is boring anyway.
Instead he makes a new friend out of the Empress and knocks out a crazed Nina, concluding it to be "Fatal Attraction Syndrome". At least he was trying to help.
And hey! There just may be hope for Suzaku after all!
As with Kallen, were her feelings put into the wrong place? I guess we'll find out!
And thus, we will be coming upon 40 chapters next time! And trust me when I say, there's going to be some wild things happening! And I look forward for all of you to read it!
Until then, comment tell me what you think!
P.S. Some people have been asking me about a new chapter for Code Squarepants and I might write one after chapter 40. But like I said, this is my primary story so don't expect a chapter from that as often as this one.