AN:
Alan Wake: I don't see why Clara should humiliate Orpheus, they're both victims of their upbringings.
Guest: I do have a question about Orpheus' Geass. What's the time limit for it to be considered 'in a row'? Because I'm gonna be playing around with that idea in the future.
DarkDremora: The pink promise will be brought up in the future, there just hasn't been a time for it to reappear yet. As for Kallen getting a commanding position in the future, honestly? I can only see one instance where she would be needed in such a situation, and while I will have her play chess with Lelouch once or twice on-screen, I'm not gonna move her to an all-important command role. She's too important as an ace to have to worry about commanding a team.
Samurai Seven: It's inevitable for them to team up.
Chapter 89: Girl Trouble
2 hours later.
"Kally, where have you been?" Maya asked as the red head took a seat next to her.
"I went with Naoto to the food car." she responded while turning to Clara, "Have you two been getting along?"
"Like two peas in a pod." the pink-haired girl playfully bumped shoulders with her friend, "Say… how much longer until we get to Agra?"
"Probably about… 14 hours?"
"14!? What are we going to do until then?"
"How about…" Maya leaned in with a smirk, "Gossip?"
"There's nothing to gossip about." Kallen answered abruptly.
"Oh, I'm sure there is. Such as… Nagisa and Tohdoh. What's up with them?"
"Ooh. I'm interested too." Clara elevated herself off the cushion by sitting on her leg, "So are they… dating or something?"
The red head sighed, "It's no secret that Nagisa's into Tohdoh. But… she just can't express it."
"Seriously? With how she is normally, I half expected her to barge in and demand a relationship with him." the former assassin teased as Tamaki walked by.
"You could say that he's her one weakness." the girls giggled as Naoto took a seat across the aisle.
"Why don't we play match-makers then?" Clara suggested.
"Match-makers?" Kallen and Maya tilted their heads, while the former's brother couldn't help but eavesdrop.
"Yeah. Why don't we get them together?"
"That… actually sounds like fun!" the Disel proclaimed with a beaming smile, "But… where are they?"
The girls turned to Naoto, who quickly looked away, avoiding confrontation, "Naoto…" his sister called, "Where's Tohdoh?"
He sighed, before asking, "Why do you want to know?"
"We're trying to get Nagisa and Tohdoh together, duh." Clara explained simply.
This caused him to roll his eyes, "I'm not aiding in your little… escapade. Go find him yourself."
"What!? But that'll take all day!"
"We're on a train. Do you really think they can hide for that long?"
"Oh come on. Just help us!"
Naoto turned to his sister, who gave him a sickeningly sweet smile just like her friends, "Why are you in on this?"
"What? Who doesn't like a little romance in their life?" she responded with a smile.
"Fine. He's in the Tea car."
"Tea car?" the girls questioned, "That doesn't exist."
"Yes it does. Tamaki just went to it."
"Then show me!" Clara demanded, "Because why haven't I heard of such a thing!?"
"Naoto…" Kallen observed the car's occupants with a blank stare, "This is literally just the lounge car."
"Yeah, but they serve tea here."
"That doesn't make it a tea car."
"They don't serve tea in the dining cart."
"Are you even hearing yourself?" Kallen narrowed her eyes, "It's the lounge car. Not the tea car."
Naoto shrugged, "Meh. Call it what you will. I'm out of here."
"Not so fast." Clara grabbed his arm, "You can't go back now. We need your help."
"Help with what? Tohdoh and Nagisa is right there." he pointed at a pair of seats, where the aforementioned duo were seated, gazing upon the landscape, "I've done my part."
"No way. We need to separate them." Maya held his other arm, "We'll get Nagisa away. In the meantime, you need to keep Tohdoh busy."
"I never agreed to such a thing."
"Oh come on. Just do it." Kallen pleaded just as Lelouch entered the car. Of course, he paid the group no mind while scooting past them, "Could've at least said hello." the red head couldn't help but give her boyfriend a side-eye. Even though she knew he was trying to hide, she still felt a sense of longing.
"Just do it, or we'll make a scene." Clara whispered, "And you know he won't like that."
"Seriously? You're gonna pull that card?" Naoto responded, "He's not an idiot." "Why can't you just play along?"
"Because…" he sighed, "You know what? Fine. I'll help. Just don't be disappointed by the outcome."
Naoto approached the duo, passing Tamaki, Senba, Urabe, and Asahina in the process, "Um… Tohdoh. Could I speak with you?"
"Naoto? I didn't expect you to join me today." the miracle worker moved to stand, only to be stopped by the Kozuki.
"No, we can talk here. Just…" he turned to Nagisa, "I'd like to speak with him alone."
She nodded, "Very well. I'll-"
"Hang out with us." Maya pounced on the opportunity, grabbing the woman by the arm, dragging her away.
Just as Nagisa was about to protest, Clara jumped in, "We've got a lot we want to talk about! Let's go to the dining car!"
Kallen was about to follow, only to slightly jump as she felt a sharp pain in her side. She turned her head to confront the culprit, coming face-to-face with Lelouch, "Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to bump into you." he gave her a sly smile before heading toward the caboose.
The red head rolled her eyes while heading into the dining car, taking a seat across from Nagisa, as Clara blocked the woman in, "Let's cut to the chase. We know about your… feelings for Tohdoh."
Nagisa rolled her eyes and tried to push past the pink-haired girl, "I don't have time for something so childish."
"Aw… are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?" Maya chimed in, "Don't you want to get into a relationship with him?"
The Holy Sword blushed upon hearing the suggestion, "D-don't say that out loud! Don't you have any shame?"
"The only shame here…" Clara jammed her finger into the woman's chest, "Is not confessing until it's too late!" "Why are you so concerned with me anyway!? Don't you girls have anything better to do?"
"Nope."
"Nah."
"Not really."
Nagisa sighed in frustration, "You're not gonna tell anyone else, right?"
"Of course not." Clara responded with a smile, "Now, let's start brainstorming."
"What will you be having, Naoto?" Tohdoh asked as he looked over the menu.
"I don't know… maybe a Chai Tea?"
In the background, a Chinese man turned his head upon hearing those words, but they paid him no mind, "So, what is it you wanted to talk about? Training?"
"Ah… it's just… uh…" Just as Naoto was about to finish his sentence, a waiter came over, "Could I have one Chai Tea?" Once again, the Chinese man gave him a side-eye, this time they noticed, but didn't acknowledge his gaze, "Anyway, I was wondering what you thought about…" he cleared his throat, "Love…" the Kozuki turned his head in disgust, "Ugh. I sound like a schoolgirl."
Tohdoh raised an eyebrow, "Why would you bring up such a topic?"
"I was just wondering. After all, haven't you given it much thought?"
"Of course, I was young once." the Miracle worker looked out the window, "But… the time for that has passed. What's important now, is the freedom of Japan. Once that's done, I'll think about settling down." he turned to Naoto, "Though, with how Zero is, I know our fight won't end at just Japan."
"Can't disagree there." the Kozuki mumbled just as his drink arrived, "How are things with the Holy Swords?"
"Well… you already know about Nagisa. But, the rest are getting along just fine." he pointed at Tamaki, "They seem to be getting especially along with him."
"Yo! Asahina!" Tamaki put an arm around the bespectacled man, "Why are you so uptight? Don't you know, we're practically on vacation!?"
"Keep your voice down, please." he responded while looking around, "And we're not on vacation."
"Jeez. It's okay to let-loose once in a while." Urabe added, "We're all manly men here."
"To reiterate-"
Senba laughed heartily at the exchange, cutting Asahina off, "Don't mind him. He's just not used to dealing with more than one Urabe at a time."
Tamaki and Urabe stared down the bespectacled man with devious intent, "I wouldn't say they're that similar." Naoto mumbled while turning to Tohdoh.
The miracle worker shrugged, "Regardless, the Holy Swords are doing fine."
In the background, the Chinese man finished his drink, and prepared to confront the two, as Naoto asks, "So… what are you looking in a woman?"
"This again?" Tohdoh raised an eyebrow, "Why are you so concerned with that now?"
Thankfully, the Kozuki didn't have to answer such a question, as their eavesdropper interjected, "Um… you wouldn't happen to be… Kyoshiro Tohdoh, right?" The two turned to him with hostile eyes, to which he responded, "Whoa. Calm down. I'm not here to hurt you." he took a seat in the vacant one by Naoto, "I'm actually a huge fan. What you did in Japan, it was… marvelous."
The Japanese men looked at each other with confusion, before turning back to their uninvited guest, "Mind telling us your name?"
"Oh, right." he pulled out a notebook containing his… business card? "My name, is Zi Dien. I'm a Mercenary working for Peace Mark."
"Peace Mark?" Naoto took the card, looking over it suspiciously, "Quite friendly, aren't you? Or are you just looking for a job?"
"Well… you might not know it, but we've probably indirectly worked together in the past through the Kyoto Group."
"Uh huh…" the Kozuki side-eyed Tohdoh, before saying, "We're not taking applications right now… sorry…"
"Oh… it appears I might've come off too strong." the man took the card, returning it to the notebook, "We'll be working close together in the future."
"We will?" Tohdoh asked as a waitress passed with a drink, "How can you be so confident?"
"I'm suspecting Zero hasn't told you?" Dien watched as Orpheus followed the waitress, "Peace Mark and the Black Knights will be conducting joint operations in the future."
"And… when was this decided?" Tohdoh asked with narrowed eyes.
"About… a few days ago? I didn't believe it at first, since the Black Knights 'died', but now that I see you in the flesh…" the man leaned back, "How'd you do it?"
"We… don't wanna talk about it." the Miracle worker turned to Naoto, "Why wasn't I informed of this?"
"Hey, I didn't know either. It's like-" the Kozuki gasped, "Oh wait. No-yeah. I remember. Zero briefly brought it up, then… I… cut him off…" he cleared his throat, "Anyway…"
"Wait. Why did you cut him off? What was so important-"
"So, Dien." Naoto ignored Tohdoh's questions, "What do you know about our future operations?"
"Nothing. All I know, is that we'll be teaming up in the future indefinitely."
"I see…" in the background, the girls reentered the car with a blushing Nagisa, "If you don't mind… could you leave us alone? We really don't wanna be seen together."
"Oh… of course." before the man left, he turned to Naoto, "By the way… what's your name?"
"I'm Naoto."
"Naoto… I'll remember that. It was nice meeting you."
Finally, they were left alone as Dien headed past the girls toward the caboose, "Anyway… I think I'll get going too."
"Not so fast, Naoto." Tohdoh grabbed the man by his arm, "I've got some questions."
"L-like what?" he asked while taking a seat as the girls attempted to eavesdrop in the background.
"Firstly, Zero. You said you cut him off, right? Why? What was so important that you had to do such a thing?"
"Ah… well… it's kind of… embarrassing…"
"Just say it. I won't judge."
Naoto eyed his sister in the corner, and leaned forward with a whisper, "It's about Kallen's birthday…"
"Birthday?" Tohdoh nearly blurted out, if not for the Kozuki stopping him at the last second.
"Shh. Don't say it so loud."
The Miracle worker sighed, "I see… when exactly is this… event taking place?"
"The 29th."
"I see. Well, I'll be sure to wish her a happy birthday. Onto the next issue; you asked what I was looking for in a woman. Why are you so concerned about that now?"
"It's nothing. Just a… stupid little hypothetical."
Tohdoh nodded, "Hm… well, as I said before, I'm not really in the market for love currently. However… if I had to say…" Nagisa leaned in, eager to hear the man's response, "She'd have to have an unshakable personality. Other than that, her looks don't matter."
"I have a chance." the woman thought while clenching her armrest.
Though, that's when Tamaki opened his big mouth, "Oh come on. You can't be serious." he walked over to the Miracle Worker, accompanied by Urabe, "You have to have some kind of preference."
"I haven't really thought about it…" "Don't be so shy." Urabe coerced his leader, "How about this… boobs or butt?"
"Um… I don't think this is that important…" Tohdoh mumbled.
Naoto turned to his right, only to see a furious Nagisa approaching, signalling for him to get out of there, unbeknownst to Tamaki and Urabe. "Hey, punks!" she shouted while grabbing them by the hair, "Leave Tohdoh alone!"
"W-wait!" the men pleaded simultaneously as she slammed their heads together.
She tossed them aside, before taking a seat next to Tohdoh, "How was your talk with the girls?"
The woman blushed while looking away, "Um… it was alright…"
"Really? If you don't mind me asking… what was it about?"
Nagisa shook her head, "It wasn't anything important." she moved a strand of hair back, as if trying to get his attention. Upon realizing he wasn't going to comment, she cleared her throat, "So… do you notice anything different about me?"
The miracle worker took a closer look, noticing a light shade of pink, "Did you… put on makeup?"
"Y-Yes. How does it look?"
"It suits you. There's nothing wrong with a woman trying to make herself feel pretty." he looked out the window humbly, "I'm sure you'll make your future husband happy someday, Nagisa."
Maya and Clara groaned while getting up from their seats, startling Todhoh, "Clueless…"
"Idiot…"
Kallen got up and followed them out the door, mouthing the words, "Good luck."
"Say… Nagisa…" the Miracle worker called, "Naoto came in earlier asking me about my type… do you know anything about that?"
"Me? N-not at all."
"Really? It seemed like an odd question, especially considering the fact that I know he's still mourning over Naomi Inoue's death." he called over the waiter and ordered drinks for the both of them, shocking the woman, as she was the one who always did the ordering.
"Did he… memorize my order?"
"Regardless, do you think I should speak with him later? Perhaps he came to me for advice, yet the conversation strangely ended up about my preferences."
"Oh… maybe you should."
"What about you?" he shockingly asked, "What are you looking for in a partner?"
"M-me? I don't know… someone… dependable?"
Tohdoh nodded, "I see. Well, I hope you find someone like that in the future."
With that, the conversation abruptly ended, with Nagisa feeling utterly confused, as if there was supposed to be more. Though, she didn't want to push the matter, instead opting to sit in comfortable silence with the Miracle Worker.
The Caboose.
"Oh boy. It sure is strange meeting another Britannian on this train." Orpheus stated just as Lelouch collected his drink from the waitress, "Mind if I take a seat?" he pointed at the spot across from the boy.
"Ugh. Why can't people just leave me alone?" the Prince put on a fake smile, "Sorry, but I'm not really looking for company right now…"
"Awe. Don't be like that." regardless, the blond took his seat, "Say… what's your name?"
"Don't tell me you're one of those Britannians…" Lelouch pulled up his tablet, avoiding eye contact, "I'm Alan Spacer."
"Alan Spacer? Are you from a noble family?"
"You could say that."
"Wow. You know… I'm from a noble family myself."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah." despite the conversation being as dry as the Sahara desert, the blond continued, "I'm actually here to do business with one of our head backers, how about you?"
"Mostly the same." "Is that so?" Orpheus leaned back, "What are your thoughts on the Black Knights?"
This made Lelouch look up, "I believe they were a group of reckless marauders who deserved to get put down."
"That's odd… especially considering how friendly you were with one back there." upon seeing the boy taking him seriously, the blond pressed on, "You know? The red head. That was quite the intimate touch you gave her… and the fact that you went out of your way to 'bump into her'-"
"It was an accident." Lelouch responded cautiously.
However, Orpheus ignored him, "Though… she looks more Britannian than Japanese, then again, it wouldn't be the first Britannian the Black Knights have accepted into their ranks. Of course… I'm sure those members don't have anything to do with you, so I won't pry too much."
"Like I said, it was just an accident." the Prince reiterated with more force, "And are you suggesting the Black Knights are still alive? Do you even have any proof of such a thing?"
"The existence of Kyoshiro Tohdoh is more than enough proof." the blond answered in a serious tone, "Now… that leaves me with a question; why are you back here? It can't be because you're Britannian, so it must be something else…"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Why do you have to be so stubborn, Alan?" Orpheus leaned back in frustration as Mario listened in, "And by the way, I know about that conversation you and the red head had a few hours earlier. It was… interesting to say the least." Lelouch tensed up, ready to instantly kill him at a given notice, "Ah… from your reaction, it seems I've struck a nerve. Relax, I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I don't care about anything the Black Knights are up to. We'll be working together anyway. I just wanted to know why you're staying so far from the main group."
"Fine. I have a few connections within the Black Knights. My family is a head backer, after all."
"I don't believe you." Orpheus cut him off, "You've lied to me twice. First about your intentions, and second about the red head. So, why should I believe anything you have to say?"
"Actually, I've lied to you once." Lelouch responded, "When I told you my intentions, I vaguely answered 'mostly the same', to your lie." he placed a hand on his briefcase, "I was telling the truth, as I've reiterated my statement." "Reiterating statements means nothing."
"Neither does questions from a liar."
"Cheeky." Orpheus mumbled, "Why don't we just be honest from here on-"
"Who are you?"
The two stared at each other in silence, "That doesn't concern you."
"Certainly confident for someone who approached me first…" Lelouch readied his Geass, only for a Chinese man to interject.
"Oz, you wouldn't believe who I-" upon laying eyes on the boys, Dien stopped, "Oh. I didn't know you were busy with-"
"It's fine." Orpheus stood up, "I was done here anyway." he gave one last look at Lelouch, "Hopefully I'll see you in the future, 'Alan Spacer'. And please, feel free to visit me in the dining car from time-to-time, I'd enjoy the company."
Once the two left, Rolo and Mario sat across from Lelouch, "That sure was tense. Want us to take care of him?"
"No. I just want to know your opinion, Rolo."
"Is that an order?" the boy asked with a curious gaze.
"Not at all. The reason I handed you over to Clara, was so that you could give us information willingly. However, upon listening to your conversation with Mario, it's clear that'll never happen."
"Oh? So what? You've got a heart now?"
"If you don't want to answer the question, that's fine. But… I can see in your eyes you have something to say about that boy."
Rolo scoffed while taking a seat, "What? You think a few sweet words from your subordinates is enough to get me to talk?"
"Not exactly, but I see it's having an effect on you." the Prince leaned forward, "It's odd, having people care for your well-being, isn't it?"
"What do you know? You have no idea what it's like… not belonging… feeling like a failure, even though you've done so much."
Lelouch nodded, "I hear you, Rolo. I truly do. Because… we're similar; me and you."
"Similar? How?"
"After my sister and I were tossed aside by our father, I felt disconnected from reality, only tethered to this realm by her smile. For years, I wandered aimlessly through life, searching for a purpose, and I found it through this." he gestured to the room, "The Black Knights."
"What does this have to do with me?" Rolo asked, still not convinced.
"Because… it's here, where I believe you too can find your purpose." the Prince extended his hand with a charismatic smile, "So please, allow us to give you purpose beyond 'Rolo the Geass Assassin'. Here, you can be an individual, not a tool for the Geass Order, or even for me." he leaned back, "I can see it in your eyes. You yearn for the same freedom Clara's sought for. Sure, it's damaged, but it's there." he leaned forth once more, extending his hand, "What do you say?"
Rolo hesitated at first, simply gazing upon Lelouch's hand as it stayed there for but a moment, before slowly retreating. In response, he lunged forth, taking it in his own, "Wait…" he mumbled, "I… I want to find my purpose, too."
Lelouch nodded, "You've made the right choice."
Mario watched the entire exchange with a curious eye kept on Zero's expression, "It's kind of scary. I can't tell if he's being genuine… or if he's simply manipulating Rolo. Sure, I want to believe it's real, but the way he's acting-no. Why should I care? Lelouch is getting the job done, and from what I can tell, it's working. Though, why didn't he do this earlier? Is it because he lacked information on Rolo? No. That can't be it, either. He could've just forced Rolo to cough everything up. So… there has to be something else, right?"
"That boy… he's Orpheus?" Lelouch asked for confirmation.
"Correct. I don't think he's seen me… otherwise he'd surely have confronted me."
"What about Clara? Do you think he's seen her?" "Given how careless she can be… I don't doubt it."
"And his Geass?"
"It allows him to take on the form of anyone he wishes for five minutes." Rolo answered without hesitation, his eyes never glowing red once. This was his choice. He was actively choosing to aid Lelouch, "He can only do it twice in a row, then he has to wait an entire hour to use it again."
Mario watched with mild amusement as the former assassin explained the strengths and weaknesses of the blond's Geass, "Jeez… he sure turned talkative."
"So, what do you suggest we do?" the Prince asked while keeping track of the information on his tablet.
"Perhaps… we could kill him." "No way." Mario shot down Rolo's suggestion, "Way too bloody. It'd draw attention. Why don't you Geass him first, then find out what he wants. Clearly, he's not our enemy, in fact, he's not even an enemy of the Black Knights. He ran away from the Order, so we might have a common enemy there."
"Exactly what I was thinking." Lelouch responded, "Though, with things like that, there may be no need to Geass him in the first place, other than to force him to forget my face, of course."
"That seems like a waste. Even if he knows your face, there's nothing he can do."
"Decent point." Zero sighed while leaning back in his seat, "Now that I think about it… we're about to have a meeting with Peace Mark."
"Peace Mark?"
"They're a Mercenary Group." Rolo informed, "They mostly take part in anti-Britannian operations. Been a real thorn in their side for a while, considering how wide-spread they are."
"Have you ever faced them before?" "I might've killed a few of their officials a long time ago, but I don't remember their names."
"Regardless." Lelouch brought the conversation back, "Orpheus mentioned that we'd be working together, so there's a decent chance that he's a part of Peace Mark."
"Not really much to go off of. Do you have any names?"
"Just their mark…" the Prince opened an image of the Peace Mark logo on his tablet, "This is what they'll show me to confirm who they are."
Rolo nodded, "That's it."
"So, what's the plan?" Mario asked while checking the door, only to find it still closed.
Lelouch turned to his briefcase with a plan already forming in his mind, "I'll need Naoto for this one."
AN: Yeah, Lelouch could just take any information he wants from Rolo, but it's apart of the issue that he had with Geassing Rolo in the first place that's preventing such a thing from happening.
Also, considering Naoto's knowledge of Peace Mark now, you can imagine how fast this issue is going to be resolved.
Also also, I had orignally planned a joke with the 'Chai Tea', but ended up using as a way for Dien to draw his attention to Tohdoh.
This train ride's probably going to end at a maximum of three more chapters, because I do want to get to the birthday. I'm also running out of chapter titles for this.