Pendragon
The royal family was sitting together in a living room when Schneizel came in.
"What's the situation on Joseph's condition?" Odysseus asked with concern.
"Unfortunately, Cornelia tells me there has been no change, but they're remaining optimistic." Schneizel told his siblings sadly.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and the retard will die in his sleep." Carine said snidely while chewing on her crumpet.
"Carine, please, you mustn't say that! We should wish him well and hope he makes a quick recovery." Odysseus told her, Carine just rolled her eyes.
"Cassius didn't seem too heartbroken about it." Carine said offhandedly, remembering the all nighter he pulled when he heard the news.
"Yes, well, he never really forgave Joseph after the 'incident'." Odysseus said awkwardly.
While they were talking, Guinevere had other things on her mind.
...
(Flashback)
An 18 year old Guinevere sat in an empty room, her eyes red from tears running down her face. Her mother had rimmed her out for embarrassing her in front of the Ambassador of Area 5, apparently she hadn't made herself "pretty enough" for him and now it's unlikely he'll give her any future loans.
It wasn't her fault she didn't want to appease to a pervert, she hated coming to these parties anyway! Why did she always have to endure such awful people!?
Suddenly she heard the door open and quickly wiped away her tears. She looked up and saw it was her seven year old half-brother, Joseph, who had his signature dopey smile on. Her mood turned sour at that moment.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party?" Guinevere muttered.
Joseph simply made a fart noise with his mouth, Guinevere rolled her eyes at that.
"Figures, I guess even a dimwit like you has no tolerance for these things." Guinevere said with bored tone.
Joseph approached her and frowned when he saw her recently cried-out eyes.
"Sad?" Joseph asked simply, Guinevere glared at him.
"Of course not! I'm just blistered with rage that I have to deal with inappropriate men all the time! Especially ones that my own mother always tries to pick me off too!" Guinevere raged, before going quiet. "Besides, according to her, who would want an 'ugly pig' like me?" She said in a low voice, her hair hiding her in face in fear that tears might show up again.
After a moment, she felt arms wrap around her waist. She looked down and saw Joseph looking up at her with a happy smile.
"Very beautiful!" Joseph cheered.
Guinevere looked at him in surprise, she hadn't expected to hear that tonight. Especially from him.
Before she could say anything, Lady Rebecca came into the room.
"There you are! Always wanting to explore, huh? You curious little monkey." Rebecca said with joy as she scooped up her son into a hug.
"Funky monkey!" Joseph cheered while imitating a monkey with his arms, making Rebecca laugh and Guinevere give a small smirk.
"You walked out of there in a hurry after talking to that pig of an ambassador. Sorry you had to deal with that." Rebecca said sympathetically.
"It's fine. All part of being royalty I guess. I'm surprised you and your son even came tonight, I thought you hated parties." Guinevere commented.
"Well, between you and me, I came with ulterior motives." Rebecca said slyly with a wicked grin, making Guinevere a bit disturbed.
Before she could ask, she suddenly heard groans of disgust.
"Uggah, what the Hell!?" Someone said.
"What is that awful stench?!" Another asked.
"It's coming from the buffet table!" Another shouted.
Rebecca gave a wink to the shocked Guinevere.
"Come on, Joe. How about we continue the rest of the night with some 80s action films?" Rebecca asked sweetly.
"The 'Choppa'!" Joseph cheered with a thick Austrian accent.
"Alright!" Rebecca equally cheered.
As Guinevere watched them leave, she honestly felt a bit better that night.
(Flashback End)
...
Guinevere let a simple chuckle out.
"What?" Carine asked in a confused manner.
"Nothing." Guinevere said quietly.
...
Joseph had found himself in a pickle.
One moment, he was in Narita, having an argument then reconciliation with his big sister. The next, he was suddenly hit with a tidal wave of images, cosmos, and very revealing secrets!
Suzaku killing his own father when he was kid. Man, what a mind-blower that was! That explained the changed personality that differed from the one he had when he was a kid. Poor guy, having to live with that guilt and all that regret. He would make sure to talk to him.
There was also that word that rung through his mind.
Ragnarok.
What was it? What did it mean? He didn't know. But it stuck to the back of his head like a piece of gum on a shoe. But that would be something he would think about later when he got out of here, where ever here was.
Which lead to Joseph's current situation.
Right now, he was floating in the air, surrounded by an abyss of darkness that had no view of ending anytime soon. Not only that, he was somehow talking in complete sentences. Out of everything, that was definitely the weirdest thing for him at the moment.
"Peter piper picked a pail of pickle peppers...how much could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?" Joseph said, trying out his new found voice. "Huh. Really does feel different when you're able to get all the words out of there." He said with acknowledgment. "But enough about that, time to figure out where I am and how to get out of here!" He said to himself in determination.
He looked around, hoping to find any clues about his whereabouts. But nope, it was just more darkness.
"Hello! Anybody here?!" Joseph shouted out to the abyss, seeing if maybe anybody else might be here with him. "Hello! Someone!? Olly-Olly-Oxenfree!" He shouted once more, still nothing. "Okay, seriously, this ain't funny guys! Come on!" Joseph shouted to the abyss, a bit annoyed now.
For a moment, he thought he heard the faint sound of Nunnally. He looked around to see if she was here, but nothing and no one showed up. He just shrugged his shoulders, thinking he imagined it.
"Oh well, guess I won't get anywhere just floating here." Joseph said to himself as he pushed himself forward towards the endless void.
For awhile, he looked around, seeing if there was a light at the end of the tunnel, literally. He called out a few more times, hoping someone would hear him, but still nothing.
"I wonder if I somehow got trapped in another dimension, like something from Futurama! That be awesome if I had more to do around here." Joseph said excitedly before deflating at that last statement. "Man, I really wish I could play some music right now." He said sadly, looking at the empty the space on his pants that would normally have his walkman on there, but for some reason, had disappeared.
Along with all his other possessions including his tapes and his tree bark.
"Could really use some funk in such a dunky place." Joseph muttered.
Suddenly, he heard a beat come out of nowhere.
Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yeah
"Whoa! I never been able to do that before! Whenever I shouted at the sky to play me a song, I usually get an angry busybody telling me to shut up." Joseph commented to himself. "Hmmm...what if this is just all a dream? And I just need to wake myself up!" He concluded excitedly.
He slapped himself in the face, nothing changed. He slapped himself back and forth a couple of times, still nothing.
"Okay, not a dream. (Sighs) Come on Joe, use that half-dead brain of yours and think!" Joseph told himself with motivation.
He thought for a moment, hoping something would pop in his head.
And as it seems, something did.
"Music off!" He shouted up towards the abyss.
And just like that, it did. Joseph scratched his head in thought.
"Weird, it functions like a dream. Perhaps this Nightmare on Elm Street scenario is connected to my mind in some spiritual way." Joseph theorized. "And when it comes to spiritual situations, they call for spiritual techniques...Lightbulb!" Joseph shouted excitedly, knowing now he should do.
He crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and began meditating.
"Now breathe in and out, repeat that action. Let your mind clear of any thoughts and listen to the sounds around you. The wind that rustle the leaves, the birds that chirp as they fly by, take it all in as you let your energy flow through you."
Those words from his Sensei flowed through Joseph's head as he concentrated and focused his energy on one thing. Getting the heck out of here.
Suddenly, that surge of electricity he felt back at Narita went through his whole body! He felt something pull him forward at a fast pace. He was soon met with pulses of soaring energy around him, he swiped right past Jupiter and came about a white blinding light.
He had to close his eyes just because of how bright it was.
...
When he opened them again, he saw he wasn't surrounded by darkness anymore. He was in fact, in a room.
"Alright, I'm back!" Joseph cheered.
"Are you there, Joe?" He heard Euphemia ask from behind him, getting him excited.
"Eup!" He said happily as he turned around to greet his sister. Only to make a shocking discovery.
What he saw was Euphemia standing over his unconscious body, holding his hand, while he was laying in a hospital bed. Cornelia was to the side, watching. He looked down his feet and saw he was still floating.
Curious, he got closer to Euphemia and himself. He stick a finger out and pointed towards her head. Only for it to phase right through her, Joseph was astonished.
"Oh my god! I'm a ghost! Ha! Man, this day is full of surprises!" Joseph said excitedly.
He got a look at his face and made a shocking discovery.
His beard had been severely trimmed down and was now just a thin goatee that connected to a mustache!
"My beard! The thickness is gone! My puffiness! What the Hell, Corn?!" Joseph barked in annoyance and anger.
He knew Cornelia didn't like his beard, but to cut it while he was sleeping!? That was just low.
Before he could carry on with his complaining, he noticed Euphemia still staring at his sleeping form.
"If you can hear me, squeeze my hand..." Euphemia said quietly.
He could see the hopeful look on his sister's face, and not being one wanting to disappoint, he decided to return to his body.
Only to suddenly meet face-first with an invisible barrier.
"What the?" Joseph said confused.
He knocked on the invisible force, wondering what was going on. He tried to push his way through, even moving his legs for full measure. Sort of how a cartoon character tries to move forward on ice, only they have no friction to do so. The same was happening for Joseph's situation.
He then moved a few feet away and charged at it.
*SMACK*
Only to give himself a headache. Euphemia and Cornelia were both unfazed by this.
"Oh come on! Am I really in a 'Charmed' situation?! I swear, that show had too much cheese, even for me." Joseph complained to himself.
"...Come on, Joe... Just squeeze." He heard Euphemia say.
"Euphie, I don't think that's going to work." Cornelia told her sadly.
"We have to try. You heard the doctor, he may be in a coma, but he's still conscious somehow." Euphemia insisted.
"Wait...COMA?! What the hell did I miss?!" Joseph exclaimed in confusion.
"He also said he can't draw to any conclusions based on his findings, I don't know what's going on with Joseph, but I doubt talking to him will work." Cornelia said dejectedly and Euphemia couldn't help but frown angrily at that.
"Of course you would say that." Euphemia said with scrutiny.
This surprised Joseph and Cornelia, both by her statement and her tone.
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?!" Cornelia asked appalled by what Euphemia said.
"I mean that ever since we were kids, you always had to be the spoils-sport of things. You never try to be optimistic." Euphemia argued.
"What the Hell am I suppose to do?! Wave my hands in the air, dance around like an elf and say everything will work out in the end?! You can't get by in life with that logic, Euphemia!" Cornelia argued back.
"Joseph did just fine following that law, and maybe if you just had been more supportive-" Euphemia didn't finish her statement, afraid to say something she would really regret.
Joseph looked on at that rising argument in surprise, he never seen them argue like this before, not even back in Pendragon. Cornelia on her end, looked at her sister with judgment.
"What?" Cornelia asked. Euphemia looked away. "...Go ahead...finish that statement...you blame me for him leaving, don't you?" She asked with subtle anger, but Joseph could detect a hint of sadness as well, the same kind of sadness his father often tries hide in his speeches.
"I didn't say that." Euphemia said quietly, regretting she even brought it up.
"Don't! I can see it in your face! You think I wanted him to leave!? I thought it was another one of his idiotic ploys that he would have dropped after a day or two! I didn't think he would actually go through with it!" Cornelia argued angrily.
"Oh, and the etiquette classes you forced him to take had nothing to do with it!?" Euphemia asked with just as much fury.
"I was trying to get him to grow up! If he kept up with his childish antics, the world would have ate him alive. And considering the journey he's had, it already did!" Cornelia reasoned.
"At least he was happy! You tried to take that away from him! You tried to make him a person he wasn't! And looking back, I can see why he left when he did! Because while you weren't the main cause of him going away, you were definitely a factor in it, Cornelia!" Euphemia shouted.
A dead silence took its course in the room after that.
Both Joseph and Cornelia looked at Euphemia in shock by her statement, they had no idea she felt like this or she could explode like that. Even Euphemia herself was surprised by her sudden outburst.
"That's not true, Cornelia had nothing to do with me leaving...did she?" Joseph asked himself, feeling conflicted.
When he left Pendragon all those years ago, he did it to feel like himself again. But what if Cornelia was an unknowing factor into his departure, it just had never crossed his mind before.
Let's face it, he wanted to get FAR away from those classes as soon as possible.
He looked back at his sisters, Cornelia had her head down. Her hair covering her face, making it unclear what her emotions were.
"Maybe you're right." Cornelia said quietly.
Now it was Euphemia's turn to look shocked, as well as Joseph. They never heard their sister admit defeat like that before.
She took a seat in a chair next to Joseph's body. She had a look on her face that carried a heavy burden.
"Before Lady Rebecca died, she asked me to be there for Joseph when he really needed it. I took that upon myself to make sure not to coddle him or enable him, I wanted him to grow strong and be seen as worthy in the eyes of the empire. I thought that if I were to get him to mature, he could truly thrive in this world. But as soon as I realized that he was never going to come back, I knew that not only did I fail him, I failed the woman who put her trust in me, the woman who showed me more love and kindness than even our own mother. And I told myself I would never make another mistake like that again! ...But then Lady Marianne was killed, and so were Lelouch and Nunnally." Cornelia said as tears started to build up in her eyes.
"I keep asking myself: 'What am I doing wrong?!' Because it seems no matter what choice I make..." Cornelia said with a shaky voice as she gripped Joseph's hand. "...I keep failing those around me. (Looks at Euphemia) Even you." She concluded as tears ran down her cheeks.
Euphemia couldn't take it anymore, she rushed into her sister and embraced her tightly as tears of her own rolled down her cheeks.
"You haven't! You've taken care of me all these years, you've protected me! What happened back then wasn't your fault and I never should have implied that it was! Aunt Rebecca loved you with all her heart and she would never blame you for Joseph's choices, same goes for him! Please forgive me sister!" Euphemia begged as she sobbed into Cornelia's chest, who wrapped around her and wept with her, still gripping Joseph's hand,
Meanwhile, Joseph just looked on in shock and sorrow.
"...Oh God..." Is all he could say.
He didn't think there would be repercussions for his leaving that day. Aunt Marianne being killed and his siblings being sent to Japan by their father may have been something out of his hands, but the fact that he left this burden on his sister's mind all these years, made him realize that maybe he truly had been selfish that day.
"I definitely owe some apologies when I wake up." Joseph said quietly, he then looked at his hand that was being gripped by Cornelia. "For now though, maybe I can give something else." He thought to himself as an idea hatched inside his head.
He reached his left hand out towards the barrier, his left because that was the physical one Cornelia was gripping. He laid his palm flat against it, took a deep breath and started to focus his spiritual energy again.
"Please...just a little movement, that's all I ask." He said quietly as he concentrated that energy into his left hand.
After what seem liked forever, something happened.
Cornelia looked up in surprise as she felt it. Euphemia looked at her in confusion.
"What is it?" Euphemia asked.
"Look." Cornelia said in shock.
Euphemia turned her head in Cornelia's direction and her eyes widen in shock, but also joy.
Joseph's hand was gripping Cornelia's!
"H-he...he's holding your hand. He's really holding it!" Euphemia cheered in joy!
Cornelia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she looked in disbelief, but also smiled of joy.
"He's in there, sister! He's still in there!" Euphemia cheered with happy tears in her eyes as she went over and kissed Joseph repeatedly on his head and cheeks.
"Unbelievable..." Cornelia said with the same disbelief but now with growing excitement she hadn't felt in a long time!
Joseph, on his end, was doing his own cheering.
"YES! ALRIGHT! GO PSYCHIC POWERS! I'M 10% BACK! OR WHATEVER THE PERCENTAGE IS FOR THE HAND ON THE ENTIRE BODY!" He exclaimed as he did a celebration dance.
As he finished, he saw his sisters(more-so Euphemia) talk to his body about their day, how things have been going since he's been in his coma. He smiled at their new optimism.
"I swear Cornelia, I'll make it up to you somehow..." Joseph thought to himself. "In the meantime, I'm going to test out these ghost powers and see how everyone else is doing." Joseph told himself as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
He stuck one arm out and pulled one arm in, and flew himself through the walls of the medical facility. Like a superhero!
"I! AM! SUPER COAT MAN! HAHAHA!" Joseph cheered as he fazed out if the building and flew up towards the sky!
He always dreamed of being able to do something like this, and the fact it was now a dream come true, made it all the more sweeter.
While he wished he could feel the wind rushing through his hair, it didn't deter from the experience.
"Alright, onward to Ashford Academy! Meep-Meep!" Joseph said as he imitated a Road Runner and launched himself in the direction of the school.
...
The next couple of days flew by for Joseph.
He learned that his friends, along with Lelouch and Nunnally were aware of his condition but were being optimistic about his return, and they even made him a card wishing him well. Man, he was so lucky to have made such awesome friends! Nina, however, seemed particularly disheveled by the news, almost in a clingy type of way, Joseph wasn't sure why.
And he was overjoyed when he saw Shirley ask Lelouch out on a date! One more step to her being his new little sister!
While he wasn't observing, he spent his time trying ways to get back into his body. Once in awhile, he made his foot twitch or his nose wrinkle, and of course his hand gripped his sisters' whenever they were there. But beyond that, nothing. It left Joseph between a rock and a hard place, wondering what else he could do.
And while his sisters were happy to see improvements in Joseph's condition, they knew they had to get back to their duties of being Viceroy and Sub-Viceroy. As such, Joseph overheard a certain operation going on where she and her troops planned to killed the remainders of the JLF. Knowing that, Joseph was sure Lelouch had his own scheme up his sleeve as Zero.
He was even able to give Kallen a little pick-me-up speech considering what happened at Narita and that landslide. Turned out there was a lot of causalities in that town and Joseph and Shirley's father were the only survivors. Joseph felt bad about that, but if he learned anything from superhero lore, you can't save everyone, no matter how hard you tried.
But hey, Shirley's father made it out of there okay, so he'll take the win.
The battle that night was amazing to watch, and he didn't have to worry about his sister nagging him about not being able to observe. He got scared for a moment when Lelouch was knocked unconscious due to his battle with Suzaku and the woman whose knightmare Lelouch took back in Shinjuku was there and almost unmasked him. Thankfully, a ponytail-haired pretty guy stopped her and even burned the documents containing Lelouch's identity. That definitely earned him some "good guy" points from Joseph's perspective, he would make sure to thank this guy in person for protecting his brother when he got the chance.
That morning though, everything took an unexpected direction.
It started off pretty simple at first, Suzaku told them that Euphemia was allowing them to visit. This news excited Joseph, for this could be the chance he could finally wake and up and surprise all his friends. Nunnally asked if she could go to but Joseph already knew the answer to that would be, considering exposure of their survival would lead them back to their dad.
Then Rivalz asked a question that Joseph was also curious about.
"By the way, have any of seen Shirley today?" Rivalz asked.
"No, I tried texting her, but she hasn't responded." Milly said.
Joseph found that odd, before his coma, he was coming here almost everyday for the last couple of weeks and he never seen Shirley be absent before.
He saw Lelouch look at his phone.
"Oh, this is her right now." Lelouch told them.
"Hmm, hope she's okay." Joseph thought to himself as he floated over to Lelouch's side.
"Shirley?" Lelouch asked.
However, a few seconds later, Lelouch's eyes widen in surprise and fear. This definitely caught Joseph's attention, wondering what was up, he brought his ear close to the receiver to hear Shirley on the other line.
Except this voice didn't belong to Shirley.
"I'm assuming you're with your student council right now, Mr. Vice President. So how about you draw yourself away them, unless of course you want me to put a bullet into the pretty head of your crush." The mysterious voice threatened with a snakelike voice. "Oh and make sure not to tip off that father-killer friend of yours, no need to have any backup with you." The voice continued in a smug tone.
"Who the hell is that?! And why is he calling on Shirley's phone?! ...Oh yeah, and how does he know about Suzaku killing his father?!" Joseph exclaimed.
Lelouch put on a fake smile and reassured his friends that Shirley had asked him to find a place for them to spend together tonight on their date. Once he left, he turned dead serious.
"Who are you?(Good question! Joseph thought) What have you done with Shirley?(An even better question!)" Lelouch asked quietly but intensely.
"Ah, ah, ah. Temper, temper. You just do what I say and your girlfriend lives." The voice said slyly
"I haven't even met this guy and already, I wanna smack him!" Joseph muttered angrily.
"What do you want?" Lelouch asked.
"Let's just say you're letting a certain someone stay with you at the moment, I would like it if you brought her along." The voice told him.
"C.C.? He knows her?" Joseph asked curiously.
When they got to Lelouch's room and put this guy on speaker for C.C. to hear, she sprung off Lelouch's bed like no tomorrow.
"Mao!?" C.C. said in actual surprise.
"Yep, definitely knows him." Joseph said, surprised by C.C.'s action. She always seemed so bored with everything. So seeing her like this definitely meant bad news. "Mao, huh? ...Yep, definitely the name of a self-centered douchebag." Joseph concluded.
...
Subway
During the train ride to the location Shirley and Mao were, C.C. explained that Mao had a geass and its function was being able to read minds, a geass that she herself gave him.
"Darn it C.C., I know you're suppose to be the old and wise Jedi Master that's only suppose to give confusing riddles to help their Padawan succeed but this would have been a very helpful tip to know about!" Joseph argued angrily.
He also knew that if this guy could read minds, he would be a very bad supervillain for Lelouch to go up against.
He had to help him! He had to get back into his body!
But first he would find out where this meeting was going to take place!
...
Shinjuku Ghettos
They finally arrived at the location and Joseph was surprised to see it was the abandoned building where Lelouch got his superpower. But then he realized it made sense. After all, the best way to defeat a superhero was to mess with his psyche.
When they finally met face to face, or face to open space in Joseph's situation, he couldn't help but take notice of Mao's outfit.
"Geez, when was the last time this guy when to Comic Con? 30 years ago?" Joseph asked.
And then he saw Shirley tied up, looking scared out of her wits.
"Don't worry new little sis, we'll get you out of this." Joseph said in determination.
"Well, if it isn't Casanova! I'm glad you can both make it. Especially you C.C., your mind is so quiet. It's the only one I can't read." Mao said happily.
"That's right, dude! Which means Lelouch has you at an advantage!" Joseph cheered cockily.
C.C. stepped in front of Lelouch.
"Mao, I-"
*BANG*
C.C. fell down dead.
"Or maybe not." Joseph said deflated.
Shirley let out a muffled scream as she just witness a "murder" right in front of her.
As shocked as Lelouch was, he managed to catching her limp form before it hit the ground.
"C.C.!" Lelouch yelled.
"Please forgive me C.C. But I can't have you give this thief an unfair advantage because of your gift. I'm sorry, so sorry!" Mao frantically said apologetically.
"DAMN YOU!" Lelouch said with hatred.
"There's that temper again. We don't want the game to end this early do we?" Mao asked in a mocking way as he turned the gun to Shirley, who was crying her eyes out.
"Alright, that's it! I was going to wait a bit to see how this confrontation was going to play out, but I'm not taking any chances with this guy! Keep him distracted Lelouch, I'll be back soon!" Joseph said, forgetting Lelouch couldn't hear him, as he flew out of the building and back to the Viceroy Palace.
He then focused his energy on his physical body to wake back up. But once again, he only found himself only able to twitch an eye or crunch his toes.
No longer amused, he closed his eyes and really concentrated
"Come on body! This is no time for games! I need you to finally wake up! Our brother, our new sister, and the Jedi Master need our help!
So please!
Just!
WAKE UP!" He yelled as he suddenly saw the Phoenix charge right at him and was engulfed in red light.
...
Viceroy Palace
Medical Facility
"A car?!" Euphemia exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah! He's showing off one of his dances to us and running around with all this energy! And as soon he steps onto the crosswalk, this car SLAMS right into him, breaks the windshield, and comes down onto the street like a ragdoll!" Rivalz exclaimed as he recounted their first meeting with Joseph.
"Oh my God!" Euphemia said worriedly about her brother's condition.
"And then like five seconds later, he's springs back up like it didn't even happen!" Rivalz concluded, still amazed by what happened then.
"It was freaky, to say the least." Suzaku added with a chuckle.
"I don't know what your brother's secret is, but I'm telling you right now, he is a superhuman!" Rivalz exclaimed excitedly.
Euphemia and Cornelia both stared in shock by this revelation, Euphemia knew her brother was tough but not that tough! Cornelia was also wondering just what the Hell her brother did in his spare time to build up that durability, she also felt malice and swore she would get her hands on this driver.
"Um, may I ask something Princess Euphemia?" Kallen asked in her sickly tone.
"Please, call me Euphie." Euphemia said kindly. Making Cornelia roll her eyes a bit, she knew she was trying to be friendly but it was still good to make sure people gave their respect when it was due.
"Um, Euphie, I was just wondering. When we met Joseph, he only had 37 cents on him. I know seven years can be a long time, but didn't he have a trust fund of sorts because of his heritage?" Kallen asked curiously.
Euphemia mood turned sad while Cornelia's turned to bitterness.
"Unfortunately, when Lady Rebecca passed, the emperor decided to wipe away all her assets. Deeming them unnecessary to the Britannian Empire." Cornelia said in a soured tone.
"Joseph was left with nothing." Euphemia said sadly, before looking at his coat and walkman. "Well, nothing except the important values." She said with a smile.
"He did that to his own child?" Kallen asked with shock.
"Aunt Rebecca was probably father's least favorite consort. It was his way of getting revenge on her." Euphemia said with her eyes down in sadness.
Kallen's hatred for the emperor increased ten times that day, she was glad she was with a group that was going to get him off his high throne.
Euphemia couldn't help but notice that one of their friends wasn't here, a Shirley Fenette. That frustrated her a bit, because she wanted ask her some certain questions after Joseph brought up that whole "father-in-law" title to Shirley's father, and she never actually got to ask Mr. Fenette about that since she put all her focus on Joseph's condition instead.
Something that also caught her interest was the card Joseph's friends made for him. One of the messages was a simple "See you soon." with no name attached to it, but Euphemia felt like she seen the handwriting before, a long time ago.
While they were chatting, nobody seemed to notice Nina get close to Joseph. And how she started to lower her head towards his, sweating a bit as she did.
"Just one tiny, little..." Nina thought in anticipation.
"I was hoping to meet your friend, Shirley, as well. What kept her from coming today?" Euphemia asked.
"Oh well, she uh..." Suzaku tried to explain, wondering how not to put Lelouch in the conversation. That is until Rivalz started to blurt out:
"She's going on a date with our friend, Le-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
That was the sound of a screaming Joseph as he shot straight up from the hospital bed, wide-eyed and alert. Shocking the others and making them scream as well.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Milly screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Kallen screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Rivalz screamed
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nina screamed as she fell out of her chair.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Euphemia and Suzaku screamed as they held on tightly to each other.
"WHAT THE FFFFUCKKKKK!" Cornelia shouted as even herself backed away in surprise and shock.
Joseph's yelling finally died down, as did the rest of the group's screams a few seconds later. They caught their breaths and stared at the now awake Joseph in shock. Joseph himself look around for a few seconds, and then at his own body before smiling.
"Cool, awake!" Joseph cheered, but then realized something. "Oh, regular talk again." Joseph said casually.
"...J-Joe?" Milly called out in trepidation, but also hope that what she was she seeing was real.
He then turned to them and smiled widely.
"Hey! Guys visited! Awesome-Possum!" Joseph cheered again.
Euphemia, knowing now this was real, started to smile tearfully.
"J-Joseph..." Euphemia said happily as she went over to give him a hug.
"OH GOD! ALMOST FORGOT!" Joseph practically shrieked, making Euphemia and everyone backpedal in surprise.
"F-forgot what!?" Nina stuttered fearfully as she got back up.
"NO TIME! GOTTA GO!" Joseph yelled as jumped out of the bed in a flash. Not realizing he ripped off the IV bag that was connected to his veins out of his skin, making the group wince.
"COAT! WHERE COAT!" Joseph yelled as he looked frantically around for his coat, which he found on a hanger next to the bed. He grabbed his coat and tore it off the hanger, sending it flying across the room and into the wall, almost hitting Rivalz in the head if he hadn't ducked.
"Dude!" Rivalz yelled in shock.
"WALKMAN?!" He yelled looking for his walkman, which he found on a small table by the bed. "PANTS!?" He yelled as he looked through drawers and found a pair of sweatpants that he clumsily put on.
Kallen tried to intervene.
"Hey! Hey! Calm down, Joseph! Tell us-"
"SHOES?! ...NAH, SCREW SHOES! NOW ONWARD!" Joseph shouted as he pointed at the wall.
Cornelia tried to approached her him to get a handle of the situation.
"Now wait just a minute, what is going-" She didn't get to finish as she suddenly pulled in by a wide-eyed Joseph.
"NO TIIIIIMMMMMMEEEEE!" He shouted as he shook her back and forth and then flinging her onto the hospital bed, breaking the metal legs. Leaving a very frazzled and confused Cornelia lying there. "LATERS!" He shouted to his family and friends as he saluted goodbye and ran towards the wall.
*CRASH!*
To which he then broke through, along with five more layers of wall as he finally made it outside of the palace.
The Student Council and the sisters just stared in shock and confusion at the holes Joseph had made, trying to decipher what the Hell just happened.
"Well...um...at least he...seems fine...physically." Was all Suzaku could muster up to say with an awkward smile.
...
Joseph ran, ran like never before, he had to get back to Lelouch, Shirley, and C.C.!
But then he realized something.
"...Ah, dang it! I should have kept track which way I was going!" Joseph thought angrily.
...
30 minutes later
Shinjuku Ghettos
"Away from them, yooooooou Bitch..." Joseph in a very unhappy tone.
The group stared in shock that Joseph, out of all people, just burst through a wall and was confronting Mao!
"J-Joe?" Shirley said in shock.
"No worry new little sis! Super Coat Man! To Rescue!" Joseph exclaimed heroically as he put his hands on chest and puffed it out.
"Well this was certainly unexpected." C.C. muttered as she struggled to sit back up.
"Hang in there, Jedi Master!" Joseph told her determinedly.
C.C. just rolled her eyes, already wishing he was back in a coma.
"How the hell are you here?! You're suppose to be in a coma!" Mao yelled angrily.
"Superpowers, bitch!" Joseph said mockingly as he waved his fingers in front of his face.
"Looks like a wedge has come between your plans, huh Mao? If you know about my brother, I'm sure you already figured out geass doesn't affect him!" Lelouch thought with a grin.
Only to have a foot stomp his back, making him grunt in pain.
"Shut up! I still have the upper hand here, I'm the one with a gun!" Mao said with angrily.
"Hey! Let little bro go!" Joseph demanded angrily, starting to move forward towards them.
"Ah, ah, ah. Wouldn't want any accidents do we?" Mao said mockingly as he pointed the gun at Lelouch's head. Joseph stared at him menacingly.
"Let go or else!" Joseph said with gritted teeth.
"Or else what? You'll do a little dance for me?" Mao joked evilly.
Joseph squinted his eyes.
"Know what? ...Yes!" Joseph exclaimed as he grabbed his walkman and held it up high for everyone to see.
"Wait, what?" Everyone thought in confusion.
Joseph smiled wickedly.
"Hit it!" He said as he snapped his fingers and hit the play button.
The sound of latin music started to play.
And he starts to dance, waving his arms around and kicks his legs up in a cuban dance.
The people there stared at him with WTF on their faces. Lelouch and Shirley look at each other, wide eyed, wondering what the hell was going on.
They call me Cuban Pete
I'm the king of the Rumba beat
When I play the maracas I go
Chic-chic-ky-boom
Chic-chic-ky-boom
(He lip-syncs to the lyrics and pretends he's shaking maracas. He shakes his booty at them at "Chic-chic-ky-boom Chic-chic-ky-boom")
Mao stares completely dumbfounded by what he was seeing.
"What are you doing?" Mao muttered.
He tried to read Lelouch's and Shirley's mind to see if this was some sort of plan of his but they were just as lost as he was.
Yes sir, I'm Cuban Pete
I'm the craze of my native street
When I start to dance everything goes
Chic-chic-ky-boom
Chic-chic-ky-boom
(He continues to dance with the beat of the music and pretends to throw the maracas)
"Well...it's official...he's finally lost his mind." C.C. deadpanned in her head.
The senioritas they sing
And they swing with "terampero"
It's very nice! So full of spice!
(Joseph dances over to C.C. and lowers down to tip his 'hat' to her and winks)
So if you like the beat
Take a lesson from Cuban Pete
And I'll teach you to
Chic-chic-ky-boom
Chic-chic-ky-boom
Chic-chic-ky-boom
(As Shirley watched him dance, she noticed he was strutting his way towards her, it was then she remembered what happened in that film with the magical mask she watched when she was a kid. He waved his fingers at the end)
"He's a really modest guy. Although he's the hottest guy In Havana, in Havana." Shirley sung along with the lyrics, nervously smiling as she did so.
"What the-What are you doing?!" Mao shouted in exasperation as all Shirley's mind was saying to herself was: "Just go along with it."
Si, senorita I know
That you would like a Chic-ky-boom-chick
(Joseph sweeps past Mao before he even realizes it and picks up Shirley, bridal style, and continues to dance with her in tow.)
Joseph then starts to the do the "cha-cha-cha" dance with Shirley in his arms, smiling nervously and moving her shoulders to the beat as she still had no idea what to make of this.
"ENOUGH! WHAT! ARE! YOU! DOING?!" Mao shouted in rage as he pointed his gun at them, having enough of the buffoonery in front of him.
"Distracting you! Butt-munch!" Joseph exclaimed happily as he shook his body side to side.
Mao's eyes widen and before he could do anything else, he was suddenly pushed to the ground by C.C., whose wounds had recovered.
Joseph quickly put down Shirley and rushed over to Mao.
Mao started to get up and aimed his gun, only for his hand to be gripped by Joseph and turned 180° the other way. Mao screamed in pain at that, to which then Joseph kicked his shin, breaking it in half, putting Mao in even more excruciating pain as he fell to the ground.
Joseph leered over him, his mood turned from playful to deadly serious.
"Wa-wait! Just wa-" Mao tried to beg before his mouth was gripped by Joseph, his nails digging into his jaw.
Joseph brought him in close. Mao's pupils shrank as he stared into the empty, demented eyes of the dimwit.
"Flash Gordon called...wants clothes back..." Joseph said with a whisper.
Mao just stared in confusion.
"What the he-"
Mao never got to finish that thought as he was suddenly thrown out of the building, crashing through the ceiling and being sent miles into the air.
...
Tokyo Settlement
A man drove along the highway, minding his own business. He made sure not to be a hassle to anyone, which made his life easier and simpler. He wasn't sure why he didn't want to hassle anyone anymore, but he didn't question it. He just kept driving. No matter how hungry or tired he was. He just. Kept. Driving.
*SPLAT*
Something suddenly impacted on the driver's windshield, and it splattered all over like a bucket of organs and blood.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" The driver high-pitched shrieked as he lost control of his car and crashed into a low-barring wall.
...
Shinjuku Ghettos
"Annnnnnddddd stay out!" Joseph declared as he pointed to the hole he made that Mao launched through.
Lelouch, Shirley, and C.C. didn't say anything, they just looked on with their mouths wide open and eyes showing off all their whites, in awe of the abilities Joseph had.
"Joseph...just how powerful are you?" Lelouch asked himself.
He was suddenly pulled into a tight hug by Joseph, his dead serious demeanor completely gone.
"Little bro! Thank Zeus!" Joseph cried in relief as he swung his brother back and forth. "A-OK?!" He asked as he pulled him back and looked him over.
"I'm fine, Joe." Lelouch told him, trying to put him at ease.
"You sure?" Joseph asked.
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Yes!" Lelouch emphasized.
"Just making sure." Joseph said as he pulled Lelouch into another hug, gentler this time.
"(Sighs) I'm okay, we all are, thanks to you." Lelouch told him as he returned the hug, actually feeling grateful for once that his brother had intervened.
Joseph then went over to Shirley, whose bindings were untied by C.C., and swooped her off her feet as he hugged her and spun her around.
"New little sis!" Joseph said happily, glad she was okay.
"Joe! I didn't expect us to meet again this way, but I'm sure glad we did!" Shirley said happily as she returned the hug, tears forming in her eyes.
"And Jedi Master!" Joseph cheered as put down Shirley and pulled C.C. into her own tight hug.
"Long time, no see." C.C. muttered as she struggled for breath. "I must say, that was pretty clever of you to distract Mao with your dancing, he was so focused on you that he didn't even notice me or read Lelouch's mind." C.C. said in a surprised tone when Joseph put her down.
"Psssh, old trick in book." Joseph said offhandedly.
"I seriously doubt that." C.C. said in a deadpan tone.
"Lelouch!" Shirley exclaimed as she ran over to him and embraced him tightly.
"Shirley." Lelouch said quietly as he embraced her back. "I'm so sorry for what that psycho did. You never should have been apart of this." Lelouch told her quietly.
Shirley looked up at him.
"Lelouch, is what that man said true? Are you really Zero?" Shirley asked quietly.
Lelouch winced as he realized just how much Shirley witnessed and heard today. From his identity revealed to C.C. coming back to life, he felt like he didn't have much of a choice of what he had to do next.
"...I'm sorry Shirley." Lelouch said regretfully as he activated his geass.
"No!" Joseph yelled as he smacked Lelouch in his geass eye, making him back away from a confused and bewildered Shirley.
"OW! Joseph, what are you doing?!" Lelouch asked angrily as held his hand over his eye.
"No memory erasing! Cliche, bro, cliche!" Joseph said in a bossy tone.
"What the Hell am I suppose to do?" Lelouch asked in annoyance, remembering the downside to Joseph's interventions.
"Fill in! Girlfriend finds out, superhero tells all!" Joseph explained, making Shirley blush madly.
"She's not-" Lelouch tried to reason with Joseph, but he just grabbed him by the shoulders to gather his full attention.
"Deserves knowing, very trusting. Come on bro, your Mary Jane, your Lois Lane, your Peggy Carter, your Pepper Potts...!" Joseph reasoned excitedly.
"Joe..." Lelouch said, trying to get his brother's attention.
"...Your Betty Ross, your Jane Foster, your Iris West, your Vanessa-"
"Joseph! I get it." Lelouch called out to him.
Joseph then made it his way over to Shirley and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Give trust, get trust. Come on, coooome oooon, cooooommeee oooooonnn." Joseph egged on happily with Shirley in tow, smiling awkwardly as she had no idea what was going on.
Lelouch looked at them for a moment, he then looked at C.C. who just shrugged her shoulders, and just sighed after awhile.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?" Lelouch asked himself.
"Alright!" Joseph cheered in a faux-deep voice, making Shirley giggle.
"I believe you have your own explaining to do as well, Joseph. From the looks of it, you came right out of bed." C.C. commented.
"Yeah! How know?" Joseph asked obliviously.
C.C. just stared at him with half-closed eyes. He looked down and realized his appearance.
"Oh, right." Joseph said with his dopey smile.
"And if you just came out of your coma, how did you even know we were here?" Lelouch asked as he approached Joseph.
Joseph smiled wide, knowing he had quite a story for them.
...
Harbor
Ohgi stood near the docks where their botched rescue attempt occurred last night, his mind still conflicted.
"Zero…You weren't yourself yesterday. Why do I have this feeling?" Ohgi said to himself.
However, when he looked down, he noticed something in the rocks. He got a closer look and saw it was a woman, a woman with blood on her!
"Are you all right?" Ohgi asked with concern as he immediately went down and got her out of there. "Talk to me, hey, come on." He said, seeing if she was dead. Her groaning answered his question. "You're alive." Ohgi said with relief
"So...it's you...Zero!" The silver-haired woman muttered weakly before slipping into unconsciousness, making Ohgi's eyes widen with surprise.
...
Toyko Settlement
With a little help from Lelouch's geass and Joseph's jumping abilities, the three of them made their way out of the ghettos and back into the settlement on top of a tall building, the building because Joseph thought it they should be extra careful when talking about "secret things." It was then Lelouch told Shirley everything. His past, the mission to destroy Britannia, the power he acquired from C.C., and how it all led him to becoming Zero, or "Captain Zero" from Joseph's perspective.
Joseph, on his end, told them what he experienced when he fell into his coma. The place he went to, the fact that he was able to do astral projection or "became a ghost" as he put it, and how it lead up to him being able to help the his brother, Shirley, and C.C.
"Grabbed coat, walkman, pants!" Joseph explained as he pointed at his coat, his walkman, and his sweatpants "Ran through walls!" Then he ran around in circles while making a bursting noise to emphasize he burst through the walls "Running, running, running, found you guys! Stared at supervillain dead in eye, said "Away from them, yoooooouuuu-"
"We were there for the last part, remember?" C.C. said with a bored tone.
"Oh yeah." Joseph said with his dopey smile.
Lelouch was astonished by what his brother told him, the fact that Joseph saw the same visions he did when he first got his geass just raised more questions about his connection to the power. The astral projection was an interesting phenomenon though, could be very useful later on for his rebellion.
Shirley on the hand, was just trying to comprehend everything she had heard just now.
One, her prince charming was an actual prince! Two, he gained what was basically a superpower called Geass from this "C.C." woman that was apparently immortal after nearly dying in a war zone. And three, he was the masked rebel leader, Zero, of the Black Knights! Not only that, Kallen was one of the members, as she apparently was faking her illness to fight alongside him, even though she had no idea he was Zero!
When he gave his backstory of how his mother was murdered by Britannians and the assassination was what left Nunnally blind and crippled, tears instantly fell down her eyes. It was horrible that those two had to endure such a traumatic moment in their lives, the fact that Nunnally was still able to smile and be the caring person she is today made Shirley love her all the more.
And when she was told what the Emperor's response was to the assassination, her blood started to boil. The fact that he called his wife's death "old news" and his own daughter "a weakling" was cruel, but then exiling his children to a foreign country all because his son demanded answers was downright despicable! How anyone could ever support a man like that, she could not understand.
And their time in Japan before the colonization explained their friendship to Suzaku, and the war-torn area they must have seen certainly gave credit to Lelouch's hatred for his own country and his reasonings for becoming Zero.
After all the revelations, she could only think of one question at the moment.
"So, 'little bro' is not just a nickname? You're really Joseph's brother?" Shirley asked.
"Um, yes?" Lelouch said, surprised that was her first response.
"Ya-huh." Joseph said happily.
Shirley looked back and forth at them for a moment.
"Huh. When I look at it, I can really see the similarities. Same jawline, same eyes." Shirley commented with a smile.
"Hell yeah! Identical twins!" Joseph cheered as he wrapped his arm around Lelouch's shoulders, pulled him in next to his cheek, and pointed at his face and Lelouch's.
"Barely." Lelouch said with a chuckle, making Shirley giggle at the exchange.
"Joseph, before you slipped into unconsciousness back in Narita, was there anything you saw out of the ordinary?" C.C. asked, wanting to know about Joseph's situation.
"Hmmm...well, planets aligned, nun praying(making C.C.'s eyes lift up in surprise), kids with symbols..." Joseph listed casually. "Suzaku doing...stuff..." Joseph said awkwardly as he didn't want to reveal Suzaku's tragic past like that.
"You saw him killing his father didn't you?" Lelouch asked sadly, surprising Joseph and shocking Shirley.
"What?!" Shirley asked, not sure how many more revelations she could handle.
"I'll explain later..." Lelouch told her gently, knowing she already had a lot to deal with today.
"You know?" Joseph asked curiously.
"Yeah, I know because I saw the same things you did. The visions were cause by C.C. when she sent trigger images to Suzaku trying to save me back in Narita. ...Joseph, it's because of us that you were put into a coma in the first place. I'm...I'm so sorry." Lelouch said as he put his head down in shame.
"Hey, all good. Didn't know." Joseph said as he pulled Lelouch into a hug. "But how?" He asked.
"We believe you have some sort of connection to geass, one that your mother had a hand in when she looked for that so-called 'cure' for you." C.C. told him.
"Really? ...Awesome! Superhero too!" Joseph said ecstatically. "Super Coat Man for real-sies!" He said heroically as he puffed out his chest with his hands on his sides.
Lelouch and Shirley laughed, C.C. just rolled her eyes.
"I am curious though, did Lady Rebecca ever actually share details with you on what this 'cure' was and how she found it?" Lelouch asked, trying to understand the phenomenon.
Joseph thought about it, putting his hand on his chin.
"...Nope, never asked." Joseph said casually.
"You were never curious?" Lelouch asked confused.
"Nope, didn't care. Was alive because mom made so, all that mattered." Joseph said with his dopey smile, happy that not only did his mother keep him alive, she gave him a superpower as well.
Seeing how Lelouch wasn't going to get any answers this way, he decided to drop it for now. He went over to Shirley.
"I owe you an apologize as well, Shirley. Not just for what Mao did, but the fact that your father almost died because of my actions, I could have planned the operation better and gotten civilians out if I needed to. Instead, I let my pride get the better of me and many innocent people died because of it, your father and my brother almost being one of them. I don't know if I can ever make up for it." Lelouch said solemnly.
"Oh, Lulu. I know you didn't mean for any of that to happen, the fact that you feel guilty about it but also knowing that you're doing all this so Nunnally can live and thrive in a better world proves that you're a good person. I meant what I said back in that warehouse, I forgive you, truly." Shirley said kindly as she hugged a surprised Lelouch.
After a moment, Lelouch returned the hug.
"You're too good for this world, Shirley." Lelouch said with a smile, making Shirley blush.
"(Sighs lovingly) Young love..." Joseph said romantically as he watched the two of them while pulling C.C. into a cheek-to-cheek hug, making her sigh with annoyance.
"Besides, you have Super Coat Man to help you in situations like that." Shirley said cheekily as she gestured to Joseph.
"Oh Yeah! Captain Zero and Super Coat Man to rescue!" Joseph said enthusiastically as he made a pose like he was flying. Making Shirley and Lelouch chuckle.
To which then, Shirley came over to Joseph and gave him a tight hug.
"Thank you so much for saving my father, new big brother!" Shirley said with a huge smile. Confusing Lelouch and exciting Joseph.
"Fuhgeddaboudit, new little sis!" Joseph said in a faux Italian accent as he patted her on the head.
"Am I missing something?" Lelouch asked, very confused by what was going on.
"So dense, little bro." Joseph commented, making Shirley giggle.
"He always is." C.C. agreed in her neutral tone, annoying Lelouch.
"Welp, gotta get back. Eup likely worried, Corn likely angry." Joseph told them as he started to stretch his legs out.
"Okay, but keep what you experienced while you were in a coma a secret for now. We don't need Cornelia to think you finally lost it." Lelouch advised him.
"Psssh, always been lost." Joseph said proudly, making Lelouch deadpan at him.
"Will we see you at Ashford tomorrow?" Shirley asked.
"Abso-Toda-lutely! But no tell, surprise." Joseph told them excitedly.
"Of course." Shirley said happily.
"Laters!" Joseph said as he ran towards the edge of the building.
Making Lelouch realize something.
"Wait! Could you get us-" Lelouch didn't get to ask his question as Joseph was already jumping from building to building, letting out cheers as he did so. "...down from here, first?" Lelouch finished with a mutter. "I love him, but he can be so absentminded sometimes." He said to Shirley tiredly, making her giggle.
Shirley then approached C.C.
"C.C., you gave Mao's his geass as well, correct?" Shirley asked.
"Yes." C.C. said simply.
"Can I ask why he turned out the way he did?" Shirley asked.
C.C. stayed quiet for a moment, just staring at the city below her.
"Mao was only seven years old when I made my contract with him. He was an orphan who'd never known the love of the parent. He couldn't read or write and knew nothing of good and evil. When I gave the geass power to Mao, it isolated him. In his mind, I became his only friend and his lover, though I was still a perfect stranger. I'm the only one he even thought of as human. I was Mao's entire world. I'm afraid the same might happen to you. One thing I learned in this life is that if you don't want to lose someone, you should keep them at a distance." C.C. said with a touch of sadness.
After a moment, Shirley surprisingly came up to her and gave her a hug from behind.
"So many people you had to let go of...I can't imagine how lonely that must have been..." Shirley said with understanding.
C.C. looked back in surprise, not expecting her reaction.
"C.C., listen to me. I won't let Geass destroy me. I will conquer its power and bend it to my will, and use it to change the world. I'll fulfill your desire and my own. Then I will complete the contract that he couldn't achieve. So please…" Lelouch told her gently.
Shirley smiled, reminded why she fell in love with him.
...Tell me. Are you two trying to comfort me? Pity me?" C.C. asked in a neutral tone.
"Sometimes it's okay to be comforted, it's what makes us human." Shirley said kindly, surprising C.C.
"Call it a contract. This time, it's from me to you." Lelouch said with a smile as he held his hand out to her.
"...Very well then. I accept your contract." C.C. said with her own smile as she shook his hand.
"So...how exactly are we going to get down?" Shirley asked awkwardly.
...
Viceroy Palace
"You're telling me that you can't find one man in a long, black overcoat, sweatpants, and scars on his chest! The how damn Area knows who he is, surely someone spotted him!" Cornelia seethed at the soldier in front of her told her they haven't found her brother yet.
His friends had gone home since then, as confused as they were about the whole scenario. Euphemia promised she would send word to Suzaku when they saw him again.
"Your highness, you have to understand, his appearance matches a lot of the elevens in the ghettos and he could be anywhere at this point." The said with sweat pouring down his face.
"I don't care if he's on the damn moon! I want him found and I want him brought back here now!" Cornelia ordered him with rage.
"Who?" Joseph asked from behind her.
"You!" Cornelia shouted at him, before realizing who was talking to her. "Wha-Joseph?!" She said in bewilderment as she turned around to face him.
"Joe!" Euphemia shouted with joy as she ran into her brother's arms and gave him a tight hug.
"Hey, Eup!" Joseph said happily as he spun her around a bit.
"Thank goodness you're back, and awake!" Euphemia said happily with tears in her eyes as Joseph put her down.
"Yep-per-rooni. Can't keep down!" Joseph cheered as he pounded his chest, making Euphemia laugh.
Then they noticed the look of scrutiny in Cornelia's eyes and they both stood there awkwardly.
"Hey Corn..." Joseph said awkwardly.
"Corn?" The soldier asked. To which Cornelia looked at him with soul-piercing eyes, making him run away in fear. She turned back to Joseph.
"Joseph...can you explain why when you woke up, you left in a panicked state, throwing me on your hospital bed, and breaking through six layers of wall to God knows where?" Cornelia asked in a calm voice.
"...go to bathroom." Joseph finally said after a long pause.
Euphemia and Cornelia stared at him for a moment or two. For Euphemia, it was bewilderment, for Cornelia, it was calculating.
"The bathroom...all that...just so you could use...the bathroom." Cornelia asked slowly, trying to understand the madness of it all.
"Yep, had to really go..." Was all Joseph said in a simple tone, and before Cornelia could say anything else, Joseph held his hand up to stop her. "Before lecture...sorry. Not for walls, but leaving Pendragon." He said solemnly, surprising Euphemia and Cornelia.
"Start of journey, didn't think of siblings. The feelings, the mental hurt over years, didn't see. Very selfish, so sorry, didn't deserve." Joseph told them with sadness in his voice.
"Joe..." Euphemia said quietly, not expecting to hear this.
Surprisingly, Cornelia just sighed.
"Well, to be fair, I think I owe you an apology for that time as well." Cornelia said, this time surprising Joseph and Euphemia. "I admit, I was probably harder on you than I needed to be when I decided to put you in those etiquette classes. I thought if I could shape you in the image that the Emperor would approve of, people would no longer see you as a joke, as The Dimwitted Prince. But now I realize, I would have also had taken away the very thing that made you who you are, and that itself is unforgivable." Cornelia told him in a gentle tone.
She walked up to him and pulled him into a gentle embrace.
"You drive me up the walls sometimes, but I'm just glad you're up and about, being your usual self again." Cornelia said with a smile.
The surprise in Joseph's face turned to glee and he returned the embrace.
"Me too." He said simply. Euphemia watched the display with happy tears in her eyes. "Group hug!" Joseph cheered, pulling Euphemia into the embrace, making her and Cornelia laugh.
"Next time though, if you have to go to bathroom so badly, just ask where the nearest restroom is, instead of running off like a madman." Cornelia lectured in a tired tone.
"No prob! However, explain this!" Joseph asked with scrutiny as he pointed at his trimmed beard, confusing his sister.
"What?" Cornelia asked, not understanding.
"Shaved beard! All puffiness, gone! Not cool!" Joseph told her in an annoyed tone.
"Oh please, you looked like a mixture of a hippie and a lumberjack! You should be thanking me!" Cornelia said in disbelief. "The only reason I didn't shave the whole thing off is because Euphie wouldn't allow it." She told him.
"Best sister ever!" Joseph said with a thumbs up to Euphemia, making her giggle.
"Seems things are finally going back to normal." Euphemia said happily.
Glad to have her brother back and glad to have this day end on a good note.
To be Continued
...
And thus, my second longest chapter. Now this was one, I really looked forward to writing as I wanted to incorporate Joseph's dance strategy(for those wondering, just imagine Joseph dancing the same way Jim Carrey did when himself did the "Cuban Pete" sequence in The Mask, because that's where he got the idea from, that and Guardians of the Galaxy), as well as Shirley finding out about Lelouch's past and his secret identity, and of course Joseph's time in astral projection, which will play an essential part later in the story. Also, like I said, I wanted to be quick and done with the Mao arc, so don't expect the guy to come back, he is 100% DEAD. Next couple of chapters will incorporate canon, but they will have original material with Joseph as I want to stretch his time with his family and friends before we get to the real meat of the show. Anyway, hope you liked the confrontation, comment and tell me what you think.
P.S. In case it wasn't clarified enough, the driver is suppose to be the guy who hit Joseph with his car and then Lelouch geassed him to drive away and never be a hassle to anyone ever again from chapter 7.