Hey everyone! Hope you've all been doing well, andI was able to get this chapter out much quicker than expected! I hope you all enjoy!
Nothing was said on the rather somber trip back to the Shiitora. Zero may have gained a new ally in Shaurya, but that was it. India was now in chaos. Had it all gone differently, they could have operated under the Federation's nose. With all the commotion, that would now be impossible; the Chinese were sure to crack down on India and directly oversee it. Now the Black Knights had two autocracies to deal with…
However, none of that was what really shook up Lelouch inside. That explosion from the Mordred…had it been any lower, all of the Parliament block would have been wiped out without a trace! Maybe, more than that…and if Britannia was capable of such weapons of mass destruction, this was only a precursor of things to come…
Oghi looked on as the knightmares were received. He nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Todoh's and Tamaki's knightmares, but thankfully the pilots were safe. The Oberon and Guren had a rough time of things as well, but Ohgi was confident of the pilots' well-being. He was prepared ahead of time to welcome the new knightmare; they had to scramble to make room, but thankfully the submarine was large and designed with the intention of gradually expanding their ranks.
Finally, the Gawain was admitted in, Zero riding down the elevator. "Zero." Ohgi saluted. "Whatever happened out there, we're just glad you all made it out alive."
"It was a series of unfortunate events." Zero replied, still betraying no emotion.
He noticed Kallen being helped out; seemed she was bleeding from the head. "We'll get her checked out."Ohgi assured him. "Wouldn't worry though. I learned enough Britannian sayings for women like her. I think…'tough cookie', is the term they use?'"
"She'll pull through."Zero said. "She hasn't failed me yet." Finally, the new guy showed up. He seemed rather nervous and hostile, like a tiger walking through a pack of wolves; a move on either side would result in catastrophe if provoked. "Ohgi, this is Chawla Shaurya."
"Chawla?" Ohgi asked. "But, if he's here…" His face paled. "Oh no. That bad?"
"That bad." Zero sighed. "Ohgi, if you please, take Shaurya to a spare cot and make him as comfortable as possible."
"At once, Zero. Will you need help with anything?"
"I have much to think over." Was his curt reply. "Unless it is an emergency, I do not wish to be disturbed."
"Understood, Zero."
Zero made it to his private quarters, the door shutting behind him. Immediately, Lelouch removed his helmet. "Lights off." With so much happening, he found darkness rather comforting, his mind in turmoil.
Making his way to the king-sized bed, he sat at the edge. While it was true that the events in New Delhi weighed heavily on him, something else troubled him.
He must have just sat there for an hour, as he heard his door swish open. Only two other people had access to his room. "Lights on." CC's voice said.
Lelouch didn't even stir as the room brightened, and Kallen and CC moved forward. Lelouch looked up to see a thick bandage on Kallen's head. "Are you alright?"
"Just a bit of a bruise." Kallen shrugged. "I'll live."
"What's more important, is what we heard you tell Suzaku." CC interrupted. "You remember, don't you?"
Lelouch sighed. Slowly, he sat up straight. "It's complicated…"
Meanwhile, Suzaku and Gino walked into the new airship, the soldiers on all sides saluting them. Suzaku carried a tired Anya on his back, having found her in their room as they were told. They said nothing, though for different reasons.
Gino was more frustrated the mission was an abject failure, for Suzaku it was more personal. First, Lelouch recovered his memories. Yet, he still felt completely different from the Lelouch he once knew. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off. He felt especially ashamed for letting his guard down; he should have considered the possibility of Lelouch learning martial arts, but even then those skills he displayed were amateur at best! Had Suzaku taken him more seriously, he could have held onto him. Then there was their general failure to stop the Black Knights; yes, Zero/Lelouch may have been the deciding factor, but Suzaku desperately hoped to end them right there, or at least send one of them to meet the lord, as the more pious Britannians would say. A foolish hope, perhaps, but as the Knights of the Round that should have been within their grasp! But there was something else…
They reached the sickbay, and Suzaku placed her on the cot, Gino pulling the blanket over her. "Anya…what happened?"
"Someone took my key." Anya answered hoarsely.
Suzaku said nothing, but he couldn't accept this answer. First off, even ill, Anya was a Knight of the Round. She should have been able to handle a random intruder. And her Knightmare was in the same ship as the Lancelot and Tristan. And yet the soldiers just let it happen? This could only mean there was a conspiracy within the empire, and if he was right, it was vast. Beyond anything he had ever seen, or would have thought possible. "Okay then." Suzaku nodded. He got up to leave. If he was right, he would have to trend carefully from now on.
"What now?" Gino asked, sensing something similar.
"For now, you will return to the homeland." Suzaku said. "I'm going to Area 11."
"To see the viceroy?"
Suzaku paused. "Yes. Yes I am. But not just because of our past." Suzaku turned to address Gino. "She may be the key to defeating Zero. I cannot say more, but it is important I see her as soon as possible."
"You think the 2nd Prince will allow it?" Gino asked in earnest. "I understand Princess Nunally may be mature for her age, but I cannot imagine even nobility risking her life, especially after all she had been through."
"To be honest, I would not like it anymore than he probably would. But if there's another way, I'm positive Prince Schneizel will figure it out."
"Makes sense." Gino nodded. Gino stretched his arms, as joints popped. "I'm going to turn in. Seems like the best time after all that's happened,"
"Yes," Suzaku answered. "I agree."
"You don't remember everything?!" Kallen exclaimed.
"I have one memory. I know that Princess Nunally IS my sister." Lelouch sighed. "And that the emperor is indeed my father. However, that is the gist of my memory."
"After everything that's happened, I suppose this is to be expected." CC said. "The emperor's power would have to be a fearsome one, not one easily broken."
"But, now Lelouch understands what he has fought for this past year and a half!" Kallen said. "Right?" She asked as she turned to Lelouch.
"It's not that simple!" Lelouch shook his head. He took a moment to calm himself down. "I have the one memory. That doesn't mean I suddenly feel the love for the princess that I SHOULD have. Or the same grudge against the emperor."
Kallen just looked at him. Sure, she was disappointed that Lelouch had not returned to the Zero that he was before. But, she also felt for him. Up until now, he was going along with the program, simply because he had nowhere else to go, and he was also motivated to act on the late Shirley's behalf. Now he knew he had a past with the empire, but one he was not attached to. Yet, that was even more reason to follow this through to the end…
"I understand hour dilemma." CC interrupted. "But now that there is no denying who and what you were and are. That is all the more reason to move forward." Lelouch sighed, stroking his face.
"You make it sound so easy." He said. "But you're right. I just need a little time."
The two women nodded, and CC got up from the bed. As they walked off, Kallen lingered at the door. "Lelouch. I'm sorry this journey has become all the more difficult. But now that you have a real reason to fight, just know I'll be there at your side through it all." Lelouch nodded in acknowledgement, and Kallen finally exited the door.
"Can't imagine what he's going through…" Kallen sighed.
"Disappointed the Zero you thought you knew isn't back? Again" CC glanced at Kallen.
Kallen stopped to stare her down. "What are you getting at, C2?"
"Your undying loyalty to Zero is an open secret. But you never truly knew the man behind the mask." She said.
The two stared at each other for a good while. "So what of it?" Kallen asked, crossing her arms and looking away. "Back then Zero was an enigma to us all, I didn't expect to receive anything from him. He…he was a means to an end."
"You felt no suspicions of him?"
"Of course I did!" Kallen said. "But even then, I respected him. I really believed that he was performing miracles. I tried rationalizing them, but it was his first miracle, the rescue of Suzaku, that always left me stumped. I couldn't make sense of it!"
"In all fairness, Geass is incomprehensible to those who know nothing of it." CC sighed. "And then you discovered the truth."
"I never expected him to be someone I knew." Kallen said. "The shock was too much. When Suzaku pinned him, he made me doubt. And…and I just crumbled…"
CC nodded silently, thinking back to when she and Kallen found each other…
Being half-britannian was a gift that Kallen was now wishing she had appreciated before. In the past, she could pass as an exotic-looking Britannian. But now, her cover was blown. She was forced to hide out in the ghettos; again a harsh reminder of what she lost.
Yes, she was aware of how the Japanese suffered, and she spent time with both the residents and the rebels. But she never knew what it was truly like to starve, to be cold.
At the end of a mission, she could return to her mansion. She may have hated her step mother, but if it wasn't for the APB on her, she would gladly spend a whole week there. It wasn't just the comfort, here she was in as much danger among whom she had considered her own people as well as the empire. Before, they were desperate, willing to attack each other and turn one another if it meant one more meal. More so now with the empire coming down on the Japanese like never before. Plus, she was a young lady in a bad place. Sure, she still had her martial skills, but contrary to popular belief, that didn't make you invincible. In fact, by itself, it barely made a difference.
Currently, Kallen slept against the wall of an abandoned building. She still had her pilot suit on, but wore a hoodie over her person. A vain attempt to disguise herself, but she had nothing better. She had no where else to go; at best, her step mom would call the cops on her. Assuming they didn't arrest her themselves; it would be an almost worth-while trade-off. Right now she was just trying to process everything that had happened.
She thought back to when she first suspected Lelouch was Zero before he was Zero. The voice, when he told her to forget…all evidence solidly pointed to him, and it was that call that threw her off his trail. She should have known that was a recording! She also should have noted how he was always tired during class…and yet ultimately the reason she couldn't believe it was him was simply because he was a common Britannian student. Even after Zero's revelation that he himself was not Japanese could ever make her consider it! Perhaps his friendship with Suzaku should have clued her in. And when his face was revealed, he still seemed like a different person. It wasn't evil, but it wasn't all good either. And she let him be taken prisoner by Suzaku.
"I saw her go in here!" Kallen went on high alert, hearing the footsteps. Looks like someone sold her out already.
"Thank you." A Britannian officer said. "You are a credit to your number." She heard the footsteps getting faster, Kallen stood and got ready to flee.
"Um, if you don't mind…what about my reward?"
Kallen then heard a shot. "Stupid." She hissed. Ordinary Britannian police got mostly scraps from the military; they would only reward their own.
A flashlight shown on her, almost blinding her. "There she is!" Kallen tossed a sharp rock, knocking the rifle off course. While the light was off her, she pulled out her pistol and fired into someone's leg. Whoever she hit fell over, and she quickly jumped out the open hole. "After her!"
Kallen sprinted through every obstacle. It seemed she would easily outmaneuver them, when a Britannian Police Tank suddenly cut her off. "Freeze!" Kallen rolled to the side at the last second, avoiding the hail of gunfire. One soldier jumped in front of her, but Kallen quickly chopped his neck. The blow was enough to stun him, even in body armor. Others ran in from behind, and Kallen quickly lifted him, throwing him into the crowd.
However, it seemed this would be the end for her. The space was wide, and a whole squad had enough bullets to hit her at least once. At this point, Kallen closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. She then pulled out her purse-knife, charging.
Before the police could fire, someone riding a motorcycle suddenly roared into the night as it flew into the air. The police jumped out of the way as it landed. The rider was covered head to toe in black, including the helmet. However, there was one feature that Kallen immediately recognized: the long, green hair. The cyclists did several wheelies, keeping the police on the ground on their backs, and those in the tanks dared not to fire on their own without the authority of a nobleman.
Kallen didn't need to be told to do anything as the motorcycle wheeled towards her, she hoped into the back and held onto the rider. The motorcycle took off into the might, the pipes letting out a thick cloud of smoke. The police recovered and fired, but failed to hit their targets.
They rode in silence for a good while, nearly reaching the forests of Fuji. "It think this is far enough. Right, C2?"
The cyclist made a hard left near another condemned building before slowing to stop. As she put the kickstand down, CC removed her helmet, flicking her long hair. 'Guess this was a dead giveaway, huh?" She brushed the strands.
"I thought you were dead." Kallen said. "I saw the Gawain go down. That should have killed you."
"I have lived through lots of things that would have killed me were it not for specific circumstances." CC said plainly.
"If you're here, then is Zero-?"
"You saw him, didn't you?" CC interrupted. Kallen could only remain silent as she stared right back at her. "If you hadn't seen under the mask…you wouldn't be out here." Kallen looked away in shame. "Well, I suppose it was inevitable. If Lelouch's face were to be discovered, he would have been relieved that you would be the first to see. That is why he chose you as his Knight of Zero."
Kallen only looked down. "I have so many questions."
"Of course you would." CC then handed her a helmet. "Hop on. I've got a room for us." The two rode into the night…
This part is going to be something of an interlude while I figure out the next chapter. Stay tuned!