Work Text
September 4th, 2018 a.t.b.
Airspace over Tokyo Settlement
Black Knights flagship Ikaruga, Zero's Quarters
Nunnally is dead.
It was the one thought that filled his head, even as he screamed at the abomination that had dared to impose on her place. The stupid little wretch had had one job and he hadn't even tried! And now she was…
Nunnally is dead…
Lelouch collapsed in on himself, dropping onto the couch of his elaborate quarters on the Ikaruga. How could he have miscalculated so drastically? He'd known about Suzaku's command to live, how dangerous it could make him. Why hadn't he listened?! That idiot didn't know how to lie to save his life, if he said he was carrying a dangerous weapon he meant it.
That's right. He can't lie.
And another reason to blame himself landed on his head. The Kururugi shrine. Of course Suzaku hadn't told Schneizel to follow him! He was too honourable for that, which meant that the entire ambush had been the work of his scheming older brother and no one else. Why had he jumped to conclusions? Had there been a part of him that subconsciously wanted Suzaku to betray him? Either way it had resulted in their possible collaboration falling apart and now Lelouch was left with the ugly results.I wonder how he's taking it. Not that Lelouch didn't have his suspicions, Nunnally had been like a surrogate sister to the Japanese boy and now at his hands she was little more than dust in the wind. First Euphie, and now Nunnally. We certainly have a habit of getting our most beloved ones killed, don't we?"Master?" The timid voice that was familiar yet still so foreign to his ears barely brushed his attention. The next bit though… "Please take off your clothes."Any other day he would have stared at her with the highest level of incredulity, it was about the only thing about this strange girl kneeling beside him that was anything like C.C. As he was though, Lelouch barely had the energy to look up at the big wide eyes that were attentively fixed on him."Are you hurting somewhere?" She asked him, head cocked "If it's somewhere you can't reach then I can help." She followed this up by holding up a box of plasters, an uncertain little smile hidden behind it.Such innocence on that face. If it was anyone else, even Todoh's fangirl Chiba, Lelouch might have let out a little laugh. But seeing it on C.C. just made him want to weep. It wasn't right, she wasn't right. The woman whose contract he'd sworn to uphold was gone, replaced by this little ghost from the past.How easy it would be to place all the blame on her, how simple it would be to lash out. He'd seen her memories in that corridor, seen where she'd come from, so Lelouch knew for a fact that she was used to such treatment. Every frustration, all the bloodshed – innocent and otherwise – it all stemmed from that day in the Shinjuku ghetto when he just had to be better than the rest of the herd. The damned Geass that let him control everyone with a glance had come from that day when their paths crossed.The same Geass he'd used so clumsily on Suzaku on Shikinejima, that cursed order that had compelled him to use that new weapon. It had come from her. So why not blame her?Because it's not her fault. The tired thought reached him and he acknowledged it for the truth it was. She merely offered him the power, it was he who had accepted and used it the way he had. Never mind the implications of adding himself to the list of people who had abused this poor girl, something that sickened him even further. Besides, it was because of him she was even like this, he had no right to accuse her of any fault.So conceding, he dipped his head again in acknowledgement. "Yes…it's somewhere I can't reach."Maybe his voice got through to her because, just for a moment, her gaze left him and a small sad expression flitted across her pale alabaster features. A moment later however C.C.'s attention was back on him, one of her hands tugging at his. "Then I should help you, Master."Help me? Lelouch let out a small sardonic laugh. Yes, that's all you've ever done for me isn't it? And look where it got you.He was about to voice those exact thoughts when a voice beyond his quarters. "Zero? Are you there? Can I come in?"Kallen Kozuki. His most useful soldier. And right now the last person Lelouch wanted to deal with. Her being here meant the Black Knights wanted something from him when right now he just wanted everyone to fuck off. His ire was raised further when C.C. immediately let go of his hand and darted away to hide behind the foremost stacks of his library. So far, she was the only one who wasn't pushing him to do something more strenuous than breathing even if that was a result of memory loss, for now he'd take that – he'd take anything to make this gaping chasm in his chest feel a little bit smaller.Before he could call her back, the doors slid open to admit Kallen into his quarters. She was still in her red pilot suit doing her best to look all business, as if a giant pink orb of light hadn't just disintegrated half the Tokyo Settlement. Unfortunately for her Lelouch knew her too well to be fooled by the act, what they'd seen had rattled her to the bone and she was doing whatever she could to not think about it."Ohgi asked me to bring you to warehouse four." Kallen told him, trying her best to keep herself professional despite the horror she'd just witnessed and the way she could still see Lelouch was dealing with.Ohgi asked? That was almost funny, as if that man could ever string a thought together for himself. But it was odd that he'd want a word with him in a warehouse of all places, the bridge would be more fitting wouldn't it?"Why there?" He asked more to himself really, his damned analytical mind chugging back on regardless of his broken heart.She just shrugged in reply, "Dunno, I didn't really get the details."If she was honest, Kallen hadn't wanted to bring anything like this to their leader's attention. Never mind that decimation outside, on a personal level she knew exactly what Lelouch was going through and sure as hell didn't want to make his day any more trying. If she could she'd have let him take some time to himself, but his duties as Zero couldn't be ignored.That took a back bencher though when C.C., innocent as she now was, stuck her head round the corner to take in the strange new woman. Who was she? Why was she speaking to Master so informally?
Wait, could she be…?
But if she was then what would happen to her? If Master didn't need her anymore then there was only one way this would end. Fear took over and she pulled herself out even further to call out to him. "Master? Please take off your clothes. I'll do the best I can, I promise."She could still be useful, she could still help him, he didn't need to throw her out right away. He was the kindest master she'd ever had.Her request though, meek as it was, was worded in just the right way to draw the absolute wrong conclusion from Lelouch's favourite subordinate.Master?! That was one word Kallen had never thought she'd hear out of that damned verdette's mouth. C.C. had been more than a bit promiscuous during their ten months on the run after the First Black Rebellion but this… hang on, have they just been…?!Bemusement turned to anger, and she focused a furious glare on the two of them. "What the hell have you two been doing in here?! While I've been rotting in a cell-!"That was as far as she got before Lelouch burst out into uncontrollable laughter. It had started as a broken little snicker, hearing things out of his Witch that were so wrong it was funny, then it turned into a little chuckle at the idea of her of all people propositioning him in such a way. And finally, when Kallen was getting into her tirade he found himself unable to hold back and let out a loud wide-eyed mournful cackle, his head falling forwards to be caught in his hands.This only had the knock-on effect of making the redhead in question even angrier and she was all set to give him a good thrashing, superior be damned, when she noticed that his laughing fit was something she'd seen – or rather heard – once before. After the mission to rescue Todoh from the firing squad when they'd discovered Suzaku of all people was the pilot of the Lancelot, Zero had let out much the same laugh from within the confines of his Burai. It was a terrible sound, one that didn't convey any level of triumph or heartiness. It was a laugh designed to mock the self and curse the world, designed to cover up the fury he felt towards fate for the position they'd been put in… a laugh that was made to hide the miserable stream of tears at his lot in life.Not so well this time though. The muffled laughter only lasted a few seconds longer before they gave way to great heaves that then burst into loud sobs as Japan's Man of Miracles broke down completely.For a while the two women just stared at him, one in shock and the other in confusion mixed with fear. Kallen had thought she knew just how bad Lelouch could get when she saw him seconds away from dosing himself with Refrain but this… this was a hundred times worse. A mute squeak ahead caught her attention and she looked up again to see C.C. slightly ducking away again, what the hell was going on with her? Since when did Pizza Girl hide from anyone?
Just how much have I missed?
The only one who could tell her that though was imploding right now so all she could do was sit by him and watch worriedly as he rode it out, one loud wail at a time. After what felt like hours, the sobs turned to moans, and finally to a bout of pitiful sniffling until at last Lelouch took a deep breath and finally raised his red, tear streaked head to face his concerned Q-1."I'm sorry." He muttered, his voice not carrying even an ounce of strength. "That was…"Pathetic is what it was and they both damn well knew it. Kallen however considered everything that had happened, including C.C.'s odd behaviour on top of what had happened to Nunnally and decided, just this once, to let him off. But that didn't mean she didn't want answers."What happened to her?" She asked as gently as she could."She lost her memory." He answered bluntly, turning away from her and returning to his silent vigil on the floor, "We were on a mission and… it was my fault… screwed it all up again and she had to get me out of it."What followed was a short recounting of the raid on the Geass Directorate along with what happened in the Thought Elevator, somehow still remembering to edit out the bit where the Emperor was now immortal and that C.C. had been around for at least seven hundred years. For Kallen it was a hell of a tale and one that reason was telling her couldn't possibly be real. The idea that C.C., the bane of obedience, had once been an abused little girl was just alien. But one glance at the quivering wide-eyed girl still hiding behind the stacks and staring fearfully at her was all the evidence she needed."And there's no way to bring her back?" She asked once he was finished.He just shook his head. "I don't think it's amnesia in the sense we're familiar with. She's aware of who she is, it's everything else that's not clicking. As far as I can tell the behaviour she's expressing is exactly as she was before she got her Geass.""If it's Geass related, can't you just command her to remember?"That suggestion got her a very angry glare that had her almost jumping out of her seat at the sight of it. Of all times for him to grow a conscience about it though. On the other hand, at least there were some people he wasn't willing to use it on. Still what other option did they have?Then another, hopefully less vitriol-inspiring idea hit her. "Well, what if we just took her to another of those Thought Elevator things? If you found one then there could be another, maybe we could find a way to fix her there."That idea actually got some consideration and, for the first time since she'd walked in, a glimmer of hope out of Lelouch's eyes. The idea wasn't a bad one, in fact unless he missed his guess he knew exactly where to go looking for one. But there was a problem."Zero can't exactly go gallivanting off on his own." He reminded her glumly, "Wouldn't do for the Black Knights to lose their boss even for one measly little day, now would it?"Her reaction… was not what Lelouch expected. "Oh please," Kallen snorted, offering him a small dry smirk, "after today I doubt anyone's going to want to do any serious fighting, so I think even Zero can afford to take some shore leave. If you're that worried about it stick Xingke in charge for a bit, Kami knows it'll make the Chinese happy."That… could work actually. Xingke was a competent leader, both on the strategy board and on the field of battle in a Knightmare. He could easily keep an eye on things for at least a couple of days. As he thought about it, the idea became more and more solid and before he knew it Lelouch was on his feet plotting it out in his head. It could work, it could really, really work!"Kallen," he said, turning to face her. "I could bloody kiss you right now."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Kallen, I could bloody kiss you right now.""Wh-what?!" The unexpected declaration had her sitting up straight, staring at him, her face flushing read. "H-hey, don't get the wrong idea! I just wanna get you back to normal! Look at you! You're a wreck! The real C.C. would kick your ass for acting like this and you know it!"She would, Lelouch found himself agreeing with a smile, she really would.Suddenly things didn't seem so bleak, suddenly everything was vivid and alive again. He had a chance to set things right for his Witch and he had his Queen to thank for it. Now all he had to do was get Kaguya on the line and they could be on their way to Kaminejima in just a few minutes!"Um…e-excuse me. Master?" The timid voice of the girl in question stopped his thought process short and he turned his attention to her. She was standing, just beyond the stacks now, observing him warily but also inquisitively. "Are you going somewhere again? Do you need me to fetch you anything?"His bright grin that hadn't wavered since Kallen's brilliant suggestion eased to a soft smile and he nodded. "Yes, we'll be going on vacation in a little while.""We?" She parroted, her gaze glancing past him to focus on the slightly scary lady who was watching her now too. "Does…does this mean I have to…l-leave?"Leave? What's she talking about? And why is she always looking at Kallen like…oh. Suddenly it hit him exactly what had C.C. so apprehensive. In her time, women were little more than disposable toys, more so in Europe than the Mother Isles* but it was hardly equal footing there either (they blamed the French for that, naturally). And now Kallen had arrived, brash and informal with him, something so casual today would have sounded warning bells in C.C.'s poor terrified mind. Realising his mistake, Lelouch made the short way over to his Witch and crooked a finger under her chin. Pushing ever so gently, he raised her head up so she was looking him in the eye."Cera," he would allow himself to break their unspoken rule about using her real name considering their circumstances, "you will never have to leave me if that is what you want. Stay by my side as long as you wish, and not a moment longer."The widening of her yellow eyes, combined with the doe-like expression almost brought him to tears again. But C.C. saved him from that by tearing up herself and smiling. She was unable to hold his gaze once he let her go but her response was impossible to miss."Thank you, Master. Thank you so much. I'll be good to you, I'll do whatever it takes to please you, Master. Anything."Anything? Just what had those long dead bastards done to her to think like that? Probably better he didn't know so he just moved on."I was actually hoping you could come with us." He continued, trying his best not to cringe at the hopeful hitch that incited in her. "Kallen and I would be more than happy for you to join us. Isn't that right Kallen?""Huh?" Kallen had drifted off a bit at the sight of C.C. acting so grateful about anything so Lelouch's words caught her off guard until she spotted the doubtful look on the verdette's face as well as the look on his own that shouted 'play along!' "Right! Yes, of course we'd like you to come with us. It wouldn't be a vacation without you."Not the most reassuring way she could've said it, but I've done more with less before. Turning back to C.C. he gave her a reassuring smile and gently ushered her towards the wardrobe – well her wardrobe really, the only things he kept here were spares of his Zero costume. "There you see? Now why don't you find something suitable to wear and we'll get going shortly.""Th-these?" She asked him as he pulled the wardrobe open for her, displaying all the clothes she'd bought with his money. "But, Master! I couldn't! Aren't these… well… I mean. Aren't these…?" Her gaze passed back apprehensively over to Kallen again.This time though she caught it and shot them a wry smirk. "Yeah, don't flatter me. He never gets me anything.""I beg your pardon!" He spoke up in offence, his own smile quite ruining it however. "I seem to recall a very excited young woman fawning over a certain Knightmare Frame.""Oh yeah, guns, bullets and super fighting robots." She retorted, rolling her eyes at him. "Just what every girl dreams off, you are the king of romance. Forgive me for ever thinking otherwise.""Such insubordination." Lelouch muttered, "Is this how the famed Ace of the Black Knights talks to Zero?""No." She shot back, remembering the last time they'd talked about this. "Just to the ass who wears his mask.""Master doesn't resemble a donkey." That came so out of left field that they both turned to stare at C.C. who had been silently watching the byplay with some confusion. Was this some strange courting ritual that she unaware of? Oh, but now they were staring at her and she was in trouble. Thinking quick she ducked away into the wardrobe to do as Master had instructed to find something to wear.As she got on with that, the remaining two just continued to look at her completely befuddled before turning to each other. Such a response should have them both laughing if it had come from someone like Tamaki (or Rivalz), but to laugh at her for saying it just felt wrong. As such, Kallen hid her response behind a cough and Lelouch pulled his balaclava back over his mouth to muffle his own."So," Kallen started after they'd had a moment, "her name's Cera huh?""I'd rather you didn't go spreading that around." He told her, serious again. "I shouldn't even have said it in front of you. Hell, I'm not supposed to know it either, I overheard her whispering it after she saved me at Narita."So, he does respect people's privacy. That was a really encouraging thought now that she considered it. His remaining quiet about his identity was one thing but to protect someone else's… that spoke more about him than Kallen had honestly let herself think about before. He's known about my mixed heritage even longer, but he never called me on it, never made me seem less for it. Has… has he been protecting me as well all this time?For some reason that sent a warm tingling through her chest as she regarded the thin young man before her, his own gaze focused on something only he could see. Probably thinking of the hundreds of ways this little trip of theirs could go wrong and planning for every single one of them. And then he'd screw it up at the last second and need either her or C.C. to bail him out again…"What's that smile for?"Huh? Was she smiling? She had to be for Lelouch to ask her that, that analytic stare of his trying to work out what could turn her face like that. Well tough, if he was so smart he'd just have to figure it out for himself. As such she just shook her head and leaned against the nearest wall.Why do I feel like Milly just walked over my grave? Lelouch had long since determined that if a woman as dangerous as Milly Ashford smiled at him like that then he was in very deep trouble. Unfortunately, Kallen was far more dangerous than his old tormentor could ever hope to be so seeing that smile on her face… maybe he ought to consider writing a Will."Excuse me…Master?" Saved by the innocent. Whatever torture Kallen was thinking up for him it would hopefully be forgotten in whatever crazy ensemble C.C. had put together. Turning relieved eyes back to the wardrobe, Lelouch made to inspect what mad look a naïve 13th century child in a woman's body could concoct from today's fashion…and froze. C.C., seeing his fixed gaze, ducked her head down and tugged at the sleeves. "I know it's not very immaculate, but it's quite warm. Will this be all right?"But…why? That was the only thing on Lelouch's mind as he continued to stare at her choice of clothes. Of all the outfits she'd pilfered and shoved into that wardrobe she chose her old prisoner's straightjacket over them? Did she even realise the significance of that outfit?"Er…Cera?" Damn it felt weird calling her that. "Are you sure you want to wear that?" Kallen had spent enough time in one of those to never see one again but C.C. had kept hers? Where had she even been hiding that thing?C.C. however didn't see the problem – or rather she didn't see that particular problem. "Oh, is this too plain? Should I get something with more colour? I can get one of the more revealing ones out if you'd like, Miss. Would Master prefer it if I chose the-?""Cera." Lelouch's sharp tone silenced her in a second and her attention immediately darted over to him, head dipped submissively. He would have cringed had his attention not been more focused on her clothing choice. "Why did you choose that… outfit?"His questioning sent off automatic warnings in C.C.'s mind, manifesting in fearful quivering and unconsciously stepping away from the two. "I-I can go and change if it offends you, M-Master. I'll be good, j-just tell me what to wear.""That is not what I said, Cera. Do not presume to know my mind." Gods he hated talking to her like that, Lelouch was aware that Kallen was also staring at him in shock over his terse words after his previous gentleness, but the way she was now this was the only way to assure a direct answer. "I asked why you chose that ensemble, no more or less.""I…well I…" Oh she was in so much trouble now. Master was offended with her, that was never good. Why did she think this was such a good idea? Stupid little girl, how dare she think she knew his thoughts? What did she say now? Did she tell the truth? Master always seemed to appreciate when she was honest with him, surely he would understand… but what if that just made him angrier? Would he throw her out? No, no, he said he wouldn't do that! He wouldn't get rid of her, he promised!Oh God she was crying, she could feel the tears beginning to build. Stupid girl! Crying wasn't allowed! Crying meant you weren't working, if you weren't working you got flogged, if flogging didn't work you were out. Do. Not. Cry!"Lelouch!" The sharp voice of the woman in red accosting Master had her looking up in surprise. At some point she had crossed the room and was now between them, glaring heatedly at Master. What did she think she was doing?! No one spoke like that to the Master, oh she was in so much trouble!Kallen, being a woman of the modern era however, was far from concerned with what was proper in the thirteenth century and more so with the fact that the unflappable C.C. was quivering and damn near bursting into tears. And that triggered something in her that had her wrapping an arm around the girl and shooting daggers at the cause of her discomfort. "Back off. What does it really matter why she chose it? She's dressed in what she wants to wear and that's it. Isn't that enough?"For a moment Lelouch was shocked at Kallen's audacity to speak to him in such a way. He could count on one hand the number of times she'd talked to him like that in both campaigns and usually it was because he damn well deserved it but this… he hadn't expected her ire to be sparked on bloody fashion! He was just about to put that into words when his gaze caught the wide-eyed, tear-filled yellow orbs of his Witch. She was staring at Kallen worriedly but also with amazement, it was likely she'd never conceived of a woman talking to a man in such a manner and to see it for herself… Her eyes suddenly slipped to look at him and to Lelouch's shame she shrank behind the redhead.And just like that, Lelouch felt rotten. He'd promised himself to not behave like the people who had abused her in the past and now here he was, about to dictate to her what he felt was proper attire. That it was enough to get Kallen to push him back should tell him all he needed.Suitably cowed, he let out a simple sigh and nodded contritely. "Of course. You're absolutely right, Kallen." That seemed to be enough for her as her fierce expression eased up, though she didn't let go of C.C. who remained partially behind her. Idiot. I've gone and done it again."Cera…" Uttering her name got her attention, though she kept herself as small a target as he slowly stepped past Kallen to stand before her. She probably expected him to punish her as any 'good' Master should. Quelling the anger he felt at that, he spoke gently, "I apologise, Cera. It was wrong of me to question your choice. If you want to wear that then you can wear it."Stunned was too small a word to describe the look on C.C.'s face at hearing those words from Master. He…apologised? No one had ever apologised for a thing they'd done, and Master had no reason at all to do so. Master was right. Master was always right. That was the first thing she'd learned. So why was Master apologising?No, stupid girl! Her common sense kicked in with a vengeance. Don't question it. Master is letting you wear these clothes, don't you dare give him a reason to go back on it! Just be grateful and move on!"Th-thank you, Master." She did as her survival instincts demanded. "I'll try not to cause any more trouble."Not exactly what either of them had wanted to hear out of her. For a moment Lelouch was lost as to what else he could do to prove he wasn't angry with her but, as he cast his gaze away for a brief second, his gaze suddenly fell on a fallen object by the wardrobe that had been left there and forgotten. Stepping away from C.C. for the briefest of moments, Lelouch picked the large yellow plush toy up off the floor and returned to her."Here." He presented it to her. "This is Cheese-kun, a lazy do-nothing who likes nothing more than to be hugged as tightly as possible." Risking a small smile as he noticed her gaze look up at her old snuggle companion, Lelouch went on, "I can't cuddle him as hard as he deserves so I was wondering if you would like to hold on to him for me?"Now C.C. really wasn't sure what to do. Gifts weren't given to her, they should be going to the Red Woman who was watching them. Master shouldn't be doing this! Although the yellow cushion-like thing did look friendly, with that silly little grin on its face… She shouldn't take it, she knew she shouldn't… and yet, neither Master nor the Red Woman were stopping her. In fact, the Red Woman was nodding encouragingly at her to do so. And so, ever so tentatively, C.C. wrapped one arm around the yellow thing – Cheese-kun, Master had called it – and pulled it close.So soft… without thinking of it, she wrapped her other arm around it and gave Cheese-kun as mighty a hug as she could manage. So warm… her face disappeared behind a see of yellow and for a moment C.C. forgot herself, a trembling smile that couldn't hold her tears in check bloomed over her face. This… was this what it felt like…?Unable to hide her gratitude any more, she lifted her face back up to look at Master and felt a strange tugging in her chest at the concerned expression that met her gaze. He… he really valued her… she was useful to him…"Thank you, Master." She told him, hugging Cheese-kun even harder and smiling at him behind watery eyes. "I'll treasure him."Such a warm moment almost made Kallen feel like an interloper, not helped by the relieved smile Lelouch was sending C.C.'s way. However, the interaction just further proved that this wasn't their C.C. Sure she was well-mannered, polite, and far more considerate but there was no confidence, no strength, no certainty that made her the queen bitch that she couldn't stand half the time. But damn if Kallen couldn't deny she found herself missing her. It was an opinion she noted that Lelouch shared when he glanced her way (and damn, when was it that she could actually read him?), the concerned look that said the same thing she was thinking: We've got to get her back to normal.Therefore, Lelouch wasted no further time. Turning away from C.C. he picked up his mask from the table and grabbed his cloak off the floor where it had been discarded. A quick dusting off later he had it back wrapped around his shoulders and the balaclava back over his lower face. "Very well then, shall we be off?"His suggestion was met with an affirmative grin from Kallen and she ushered C.C. along, "You just stay by me, okay?"The verdette gave her a quivering nod and fell in line behind her. Meanwhile, unnoticed by either woman, Lelouch gave his Queen a soft smile of gratitude as he slipped his mask back on. Taking care of C.C. had been a task he couldn't entrust to anyone else, too many questions that he either didn't want to answer or didn't even have an answer for. He'd been resigned to this silent post, this responsibility that only he could undertake. But then Kallen had come back and in the short span of time he'd found a confidante, someone he could trust to help them both.They filed out together, the corridors thankfully empty of personnel as they made their way to the lift. The fastest way to get all of this over with would be to take a small jet but considering the situation it would be safer to take a Knightmare. The Shinkiro could fit him and C.C. and Kallen could back them up with her new Guren if anything happened. Considering what it had done to Luciano Bradley, the Knight of Ten, in under a minute, Lelouch didn't foresee any trouble. He couldn't help but smirk though, Rakshata must be fuming at the improvements made to her 'child' by someone other than her. But damn what a welcome back present.And now that he was properly thinking about her return Lelouch suddenly realised, due to the course of the last few minutes, he'd failed in a simple matter."Kallen," his altered voice caught her attention from where she was keeping an eye on the awestruck C.C. "it's good to have you back. I'm sorry it took us so long to get you out."And I'm sorry it's just me who got out. She thought but didn't say, his breakdown still echoing in her mind and the reason behind it still smiling right before her eyes. Stopping in front of the elevator doors, waiting for it to arrive, she thought over her time stuck in the Viceroy's Palace and all that had happened. The interrogations, the taunting, the… unusual conversation with the Knight of Three… and all the talks with the Viceroy herself. Not the little wallflower she remembered, that was for sure."Lelouch…" Kallen really wasn't certain whether she ought to bring it up… but he at least deserved to know how she'd been before everything happened, "while I was a prisoner, I happened to talk to Nunnally. She stood up for me during the interrogations, even saved me from that bastard Bradley."At the utterance of her name Lelouch had tensed, damn he wasn't ready to talk about that… but the more Kallen said about what his little sister had done for his Queen, the more he found himself unwillingly smiling. And standing up to Bradley, of all people… despite it all he couldn't feel a touch of pride. "That sounds like her. Always looking after her friends."Must run in the family. She couldn't help thinking fondly as the elevator doors opened and, with a little assurance to C.C., the trio stepped in. As the doors closed and the descent to the Knightmare deck began, Kallen glanced over at him and went on. "Look, I know this is the worst time to talk about it but… I know what you're going through."Behind the mask, Lelouch's gaze turned sharp and it was only C.C.'s presence that curbed his tongue… and in doing so it gave him a moment to actually consider how Kallen could dare say she knew his pain. The resulting thought process brought him to the obvious conclusion. "Your brother.""Yeah." She nodded, a sad smile taking over her expression as Naoto flooded her mind. "When he died, I was a mess. I was angry at the world and everyone in it. I did things, stupid things. Things that you'd have expected of Tamaki.""That I find hard to believe.""It's the truth." She insisted, "Fighting Britannia was about the only thing I had that didn't end in unnecessary property damage." A memory suddenly struck her, and she let out an unconscious laugh. "Actually, the way I got into Naoto's old group was by running off with their sole Glasgow and going for a joyride through Shinjuku and nearly totalled it. Oghi was furious.""What changed?" He found himself asking. Lelouch knew precious little about Naoto Statfeld, only that he had been the leader of the Kozuki cell until his death and that Kallen had adored him. If so how did she cope with the chasm of misery his death had brought her? Even when Euphie died he'd never felt so empty… so how?Frowning, Kallen thought over her answer for a moment before replying. "It didn't, not really. That angry girl's still in here, screaming at the world… but now I have something to focus all that rage at, a drive that I didn't have before." Turning to face him she concluded, "I'm a Knight for Justice. Someone who will make sure that no one else will ever feel like this again…I'm just…sorry I couldn't do that for you."A Knight for Justice? That old song and dance? For a moment Lelouch wanted to make some snide remark about that ideal. Since when had anything he'd ever done been in the name of justice? All he'd wanted was to create a dream world for his sister to live in and his father's head on a pike and damn the methods to get him there. And now Kallen was telling him she actually believed in all that crap?What held him off though was the sincerity she held in her eyes as she told him this, that drive she spoke of reflected in those sapphire orbs that had thrown so many different emotions his way. He was the source of that strength? Impossible. And yet…The elevator came to a halt but for a moment no one moved, not even C.C. who had been quietly observing the two before her. Even when the doors opened they didn't budge. Something had just passed between them, Lelouch was sure of it, but for the life of him he couldn't place what this strange thing was.And then the moment passed as Kallen realised just what she had said and the way Lelouch was still looking at her through his mask. Feeling her face starting to flush she turned away and focused on C.C. again. "Anyway, come on Cera. We'll just talk to Oghi and then be on our way. Honestly why he wants to talk to us in a warehouse is just dumb, granted this is the same guy who didn't realise the secret goldmine of robbing department stores but seriously!""Kallen." Lelouch's voice cut through her attempts to calm her embarrassment, though the gloved hand that grabbed her own as he followed the two women out of the elevator into warehouse 4 sort of ruined it. He didn't know where this was coming from, but if she was serious about that knight business, if she truly believed in those ideals, then she deserved to know the rest. "When we've got C.C. back to normal, there's something I need to…"His request was suddenly interrupted though as half a dozen spotlights suddenly flicked on, temporarily blinding him even with his mask on. When his vision cleared however the vision that greeted him was as disheartening as it was confusing. Immediately ahead was a squad of Akatsukis aiming their rifles at the three of them, and above on the gantry stood most of the Black Knights' command staff and Tamaki also pointing weapons at them.Wh-what is this?! Shock and anger shot through Kallen as she stared up at her friends all of whom were keeping their sights keenly trained on their heads. What's going on?"Surrender Zero!" Todoh spoke for them, glaring fiercely down at the masked man."How dare you try to run a con-game on us!?" Chiba threw in, sounding and looking even angrier than her superior/crush.What are they talking about? Lelouch desperately tried to think of what they could be referring to, even as he firmly planted C.C. behind him. There were only a few possibilities for that kind of language and phrasing, and they all lead to one possibility… but they couldn't have found out!Ohgi, of all people, disabused him of that notion. "We know all about your Geass!"They do know?! How?! His theorising however was again cut off as another figure stepped out from behind the Knightmares, camera recording as he threw in his own declaration. "Zero, the renowned hero, died in battle before he could triumph. But his gallant life and daring deeds will continue to live on in myth and legend."Why that rotten little-! Lelouch had been aware of this particular snake in his garden but had suffered him for his usefulness. A mistake that was coming back to bite him as he continued to recite his final story. "Is that the script you've written for me Diethard?""Actually, I wanted to film your brilliant campaign and glorious victory over Britannia." The reporter replied, unmoved at his former commander's outrage, "But I'm afraid that show's been permanently cancelled."Note to self: If I get out of this, murder him first. That low humour only lasted a second before the severity of the situation returned to him. The Black Knights knew about Geass and whether they knew it or not had cornered him in one of the situations where that power wasn't worth a thing. What do I do? Knightmares are beyond my reach but Ohgi and the others are defenceless. If I could use my Geass secretly, maybe turn Todoh… But that didn't erase the problem of the Knightmares themselves, dammit!While he was trying to figure a way out, the turncoats continue to air their grievances with him."Everybody trusted you Zero!" Minami shouted down at him."Inoue and Yoshida sacrificed their lives for you!" Sugiyama threw in, grief at the loss of his friends colouring his tone. "Was it all a game?! Some sick joke?! Their deaths meant nothing to you, didn't they? That's why you abandoned us to Britannia!""Wait a minute!" Kallen shouted out, putting herself between them and Lelouch. What the hell were they saying, accusing him of this? "This is all one-sided! Look at how far we've come because of Zero! At least let him answer!""You're in the way Kallen!" Tamaki yelled back in response, his aim not once shaking. "You wanna die along with Zero? Don't tell me he used that Geese thing on you too!"Used it on…? They think Lelouch used his Geass on us to follow him?! That was where this was coming from? What bastard fed them such a line? As if he would ever stoop to doing such a thing like that! They'd followed him because the believed in him, because he'd brought them so far. Hell, they'd even created a whole new global power under his direction! They were worth more to him than that… weren't they?Behind her, Lelouch continued to calculate the situation. Kallen's just one person, put her in a Knightmare and she'd wipe them all out hands down. But we have to get her to a Knightmare, in which time that squad ahead of us will have mowed us all down never mind them up top. A nudge at his back reminded him of C.C. hidden behind his cloak. If this was the real C.C. she could probably feed them a bunch of shock images like she did to Suzaku at Narita. But she isn't… And that reminder also came with another thought, one that he should've had weeks ago. What if she doesn't have her Code anymore? What if that's why she can't remember a thing? If they shoot her they'll kill her just as dead as any other human being!The sudden shake in her conviction gave Kallen pause and, in that moment, the same question she'd been asking herself after every one of her talks with Nunnally reared its head again. What were the Black Knights to Lelouch? Just looking at Nunnally told her all Kallen needed to know why he was willing to fight Britannia and talking to her would make it a necessity of any decent human being… but where did the Black Knights fit into it? Where did she fit into it?The shame she felt of letting it get to this however didn't stop her asking though. Dropping her head low so no one could see her words she whispered to him. "Lelouch, I need an answer. I have to know, what am I to you? Am I just another soldier, or am I…?"Her trailing off however didn't hide the extent of the question, from either of them. Damn it, girl! Why are you doing this now of all times?! But the question had been asked and now she waited for an answer. "If I could stay with you I would…if I can help you escape I will…so please, just…"Stay with me? How? The numbers are too great. Help me escape? You'll be dead within seconds! That outcome was unacceptable for reasons Lelouch was unclear over just yet. Dammit, they were so close. They were just one warehouse away from the nearest Knightmare dock, if they could just make it…! Whoever planned this had to have known that though, had to have accounted for all exit strategies and set things up accordingly. Such a work of art… it could only be…Schneizel! Lelouch's gaze rocketed upwards to glare up above and behind his rebelling subordinates to a figure just visible behind the spotlights, his pale gaze watching with an air of indifference. As if this was just another day on the job. You've made your move and now you're calling check? And why not? Even if he didn't know the full spec of Lelouch's Geass, the Black Knights had been swayed. He probably even had a plan if, by some miracle, he really did get out of this mess alive. This really was it… There's no way out for me. It's over…checkmate…But that still left him with two problems, one with her back to him and the other pressing into his own back."Please, answer me Lelouch!" Kallen hadn't meant to beg, but he'd been silent far too long. If he had anything to say, even if it was to tell her to get her head on straight and focus on the matter at hand, now was the time to say it. Oghi and the others weren't going to wait forever. Please say something, anything! Just don't… Kallen caught her breath as the thought crossed her mind, just don't say goodbye.However, she might have preferred that to the answer she actually got. Out of the blue, Lelouch started to laugh. That laugh quickly elevated to what could only be described as a maniacal cackle that surprised even Kallen enough to turn around and look at him in askance. From behind him, C.C. looked up at her Master, equally confused. Why was he laughing at all this? There was nothing funny about what was happening here.And at last the Demon spoke."Fools!" Lelouch cried out to them, reaching up and pulling off Zero's mask to reveal his face to them all. With his face finally uncovered, he looked beyond Kallen to the traitors above, treating them all to his most sinister of grins. "You've finally figured it out! With some help, I see."He glanced over at his brother for the briefest of seconds before returning his look to them. "How does it feel to be played like little puppets on a string?" He asked them all, chuckling further as Chiba in particular grew even more irate. "Welcome to Britannian politics, children, where everyone is a piece on the board and your feelings don't matter!"Ignoring the additional fury that his words sparked in the stooges he turned his grinning visage now to Kallen who was staring at him in pure horror. "Lelouch…no…"'Please forgive me.' Was what he wanted to say to her, but this final act had to play out this way… it was the only way… As such, he maintained his spiteful smirk as he addressed his Queen. "My commendations to you though, Miss Statfeld. Never have I met a more gullible individual in my life and we're acquainted with Shinichiro Tamaki. The perfect toy to play the greatest game this world has ever seen!"No…you don't mean that…you can't mean that! Each word dug into Kallen like a blunt knife, tearing at her insides as Lelouch continued to batter her. That couldn't be all she was to him, what about everything they had just been talking about in his room? Had that all just been a game as well?Before she could demand this of him though, another more fearful voice spoke up from behind him."Master, why are you saying these things to her?" C.C. was staring fearfully at Master's back. She didn't know these other people who were threatening him, but why was he being so cruel to the Red Woman? They were each other's companions…weren't they?But her words caught his attention and he turned his sneering visage to her. "Oh yes. I forgot about you."With as much spite in his actions as there had been in that one sentence, Lelouch tossed C.C. at Kallen who had to stumble to remain upright at the sudden weight addition. He however just stared at the pair of them with all the disdain of a Pureblooded Britannian Nobleman. "Consider her my gift to you, Kallen. A reward for being such a good pawn. I have no further need for so useless a servant.""M-Master?" C.C. whimpered, both at the rough treatment and his words. He couldn't mean what he was saying. He said she could stay, that he wouldn't throw her away. He'd promised, he'd promised she wouldn't have to go away! "Why?"But he was already ignoring her and grinning up at his firing squad.Meanwhile, Kallen just held onto C.C. looking anywhere but at Lelouch. He meant it. That was all she was, a pawn. A toy to be played with and then thrown away much as he had just done to the still amnesiac verdette.She'd wanted to know…and now she did.Damn tears wouldn't stop running."I see." She finally said, taking hold of C.C. and turning her back on him pulling her along, doing everything she could not to reveal the break in her voice. "Goodbye, Lelouch."As firmly as she could she walked away from him, leaving her heart in pieces on the floor.And that takes care of that. Lelouch thought to himself, his defiant smirk hiding the pit of hate that had opened inside himself. All it took was breaking her faith in you and destroying all the trust you built up with C.C. but you did it, well done Lelouch."Get ready!" Todoh yelled to the others and they all cocked their rifles.Well Suzaku, looks like I bite the bullet first after all. He might have let out a small sarcastic chuckle at that, not that he cared anymore. We've done all manner of things to each other these last two years, but I do hope you make Knight of One.Would it hurt? Probably. Strange that he would think something so stupid at the end but there it was. Would it be quick? He could only hope so. The way he'd shot Euphie…he should have been cleaner, one bullet in the heart would have done it but the way he had done it, she must have bled out over thirty minutes – an hour tops. No wonder Suzaku wanted him dead if that's how she went. Well, I'd say I'll say Hi to her when I get there but I don't think demons go to Heaven. I'll leave her to you then Shirley, look after her and… a tiny tear almost slipped free, but he caught it at the last second; he would not cry here, dammit, not with Schneizel watching. Nunnally…I am so sorry…for everything.She had always been the stronger one. You didn't see her making deals with witches to achieve some ridiculous ideal world, no she just came along and did it herself.It seems, though, that I am destined to be surrounded by strong women. He found himself thinking happily as he let himself look upon his Witch and his Queen one last time, the emotion somewhat marring itself as he considered the state both were currently in. And it also seems I'm destined to break those same women.With them he could have toppled Britannia. With them he could have ruled the world. With them…he could have gone to Death with a true smile and not this charade mask.But they were about to walk the Earth without him in those broken states and, in this cruel world that trampled on the weak, acting like that would most certainly get them killed… and that he would not allow. Not them. Never them."Cera…Kallen…" His voice was a mere whisper, but these words were for only them so fuck the rest of the world. "You have to live."Maybe they heard him…maybe they didn't…but as last words went, Lelouch didn't think they were too bad. And with that, he let his eyes drop closed and awaited the hail of bullets that would take his life.Except they had heard him. C.C. in particular suddenly came about at her Master's words stopping Kallen as well, not that she'd been going anywhere when that entreaty reached her ears. Once again, she was confused. What was he doing? What did he mean by that?The time for questions ended though as Todoh called out to the traitors again. "Take aim!"At the sound of the six up above getting ready to kill her Master, something within C.C. suddenly broke free. Some strange recklessness that she couldn't recall ever feeling for anyone before urged her to move, to do something! Without conscious thought she started tugging against Kallen's grip on her arm until she was all but straining her limb as she tried to pull free."Cera!" Kallen couldn't help the name slip loose as the verdette continued to try to pull free, "Stop it!""No!" She shouted back at the Red Woman, for once all her conditioning going mute in the face of this strange need to save Master. "They're going to kill him! They can't kill him! I won't let them!"Above, her struggles didn't go unnoticed as Chiba glanced down at her. "Sir?"Her single-word query was all he needed, and he momentarily turned his gaze away from his target to look at the girl pulling free of Kozuki's hold. "If she tries anything, we'll deal with her next. For now, focus on Lelouch."His order was gospel and Chiba focused back on the bastard in front of her.But C.C. was having none of it. "No! Don't do it! Leave him alone!"And then it happened. Whether out of shock at the sudden resurrection of C.C.'s wilfulness or merely out of some unconscious desire to do something to help Lelouch regardless of all he'd just said, Kallen couldn't be sure. All she knew was that one second she'd had a hold of C.C. and one second later she didn't and the girl was rushing back towards him at all speed.It's impossible to know just what, if anything, she thought that she could do in this moment. Years later even Lelouch and Kallen, looking back, wouldn't have an answer as to why she did what she did. Whatever it was that sent her hurtling towards Lelouch though, it set the course for everything that came afterwards."FIRE!" Yelled Todoh, just as C.C. got between them and Lelouch."HE MUSTN'T DIE!""C.C.!""NO!"It feels like hail. C.C. found herself thinking as sixty rounds of anti-personnel ammunition punctured her spread-out body. But even at its worst, hail had never hit her body this hard. When they hit her arms, it was all she could do not to scream as her bones broke, when they hit her legs it took every ounce she had left not to collapse, and when they hit her chest she coughed up blood as her lungs were ripped to shreds.She wanted to fall down, to curl up and let the pain flow out as she always did when she took her punishments, but if she did then Master would surely die. That couldn't happen, she wouldn't let it happen. Her life was nothing compared to Master's. He'd shown her kindness, protected her, valued her. Such a person did not deserve to be killed like this.Oh…a piece of yellow fabric passed her gaze as the loud noises finally stopped. That's right, she'd been holding Cheese-kun when she ran back to Master… and now he was in little yellow pieces all over the floor. Master's…not going…to be happy…about that…Maybe she should just lie down for a minute…"C.C.!" Lelouch cried again, clutching her as she fell back onto him. She felt warm against his chest…too warm to simply have been heated by the room... No…please no! A raised hand confirmed it though, stained red."Gods…" Kallen was struck solid, horror-filled eyes staring at the riddled mess that had been C.C.'s favourite play toy besides her or Lelouch. The yellow stained with red though dragged her eyes to the equally ruined shape that was C.C. herself as the man whose life she'd just saved dropped down to his knees with her, his face now an open book of equal parts terror and denial. "Please no…""Idiot!" Lelouch yelled at her, his voice choking as he stared at the state of his accomplice. "Why did you do that?! Didn't you just hear a word I said?!"Strangely, C.C. felt no fear in the face of his anger. Maybe it was because she'd succeeded at something for once, or maybe it was because she felt strangely warm right now, but for whatever reason she just felt happy to see his face. "I'm sorry, Master…I'm...not a...good servant.""As if I didn't know that." He couldn't help replying, tears falling as he begged her Code to kick in and save her. She couldn't go now. Not like this! "You're lazy. You always do things your way. You never let me go without getting the last word in. You've caused me more problems than Suzaku ever could…and you think you can just go?!"She wasn't sure what he was talking about, but whoever this Suzaku person was sounded like someone Master should probably avoid if he was as troublesome as her. But that was alright, he'd be safe now wouldn't he? The Red Woman…Kallen…yes, she would look after Master better than a silly little slave girl ever could.But it had been nice…while it lasted…"Master…?"Why did she sound so weak? That wasn't C.C. That wasn't C.C. at all. How dare she talk like that! But for all that, Lelouch just whispered back "I'm here.""I'm so tired…sorry…but I think I...just want to...sleep for a while…would you…allow that?"Sleep? But if she closed her eyes, she would… no."NO!" Lelouch suddenly was straddling her body and staring right into her eyes. Ripping his contact lens out his Geass flared to life and he yelled right in her face, "Live! I order you to live!"The crane to flight, as it always did every time he used it. It travelled to it's destined point, her weakening yellow eyes… and immediately bounced off. There wasn't even a blip of the red ring around her irises.No…no…NO! This wasn't happening again! It wasn't! It couldn't!"LIVE!" Nothing. "LIVE!" Still nothing. "DAMMIT, STOP BEING STUBBORN FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE AND LIVE!"Every time nothing. And behind him, the Black Knights watched unmoved. Zero, their con of a leader…humbled.All save Kallen as she edged back towards him. "Lelouch? Is she…?""STAY AWAY FROM HER!" He suddenly snapped around, glaring at her with his Geass on full display and she froze stone cold at the desperate anguish he fixed her with. Uncaring of her reaction to his demand, Lelouch turned back around and yelled at C.C. again. "LIVE! LIVE! PLEASE, LIVE!"And then the yells gave way to broken whimpers as he continually begged her "Please live…please…""Master…" Her whisper caught his attention and she smiled as he looked at her in askance, that kind questioning look, begging to know what he could do for her. That look he gave her that made her… "Is this…how it feels?""H-how what feels?" He asked brokenly at his clearly failed attempt to save her. Why? Why couldn't he do just one goddamned thing right?! Why not for someone like her? Someone he…"Is this…what it…" Her voice was less than the faintest whisper now, all her strength ebbed away, but she still fought to keep her eyes open. These were her last moments, what else would she want to look at but him? "What…it…feels like…to be…loved?"Loved…at the utterance of the word Lelouch's mind shut down. In its place a reel of events played before him, voices he knew along with some he'd forgotten all talking over each other. People he knew, friends he cherished, family he adored…"…but honestly I love you more than anyone, big brother.""Lelouch, I've lost too much. Precious friends and the love of a woman no one can ever replace.""No matter how many times I'm reborn…I'll keep falling in love with you Lulu.""The Geass I manifested was to make people love me…because deep in my heart…I wanted to be loved by someone."And then his mind snapped back on…too late…her golden eyes that had mocked him at every turn, that had caused him so much grief, lead to so much mischief…the light in them had gone out…and she was still staring at him with that adoring look. C.C. - Cera, Ceceniah, his Witch - was gone."What about me?" He whispered. "Where's my love? Why are you always so selfish?"Behind him Kallen slumped to her knees, the finality of the situation hitting her at last. C.C. was dead…the alpha witch bitch pizza girl was dead… But…but we were gonna fix her…we just needed to get out for a minute…we were going to tell Xingke and everything…On the gantry though, feelings were less sympathetic. The members of the Kozuki group just watched Lelouch with contempt, whilst Todoh maintained his unshaken vigil. If the girl wanted to die for him let her, they'd be sending him to join her soon enough. Chiba however made the mistake to vocalise her satisfaction with the situation. "Good riddance. One whore bitch down, one fake commander to go."Her words, spoken too loudly, travelled down to the floor below. First reaching Kallen's ears and sparking something furious in her which brought her back to her feet… but that was nothing when they reached Lelouch. At the utterance of the words of the single remaining member of the Four Holy Swords, all manner of going down quietly died.With a snarl he turned back to face them, these treacherous dogs who thought themselves his better. How dare they claim the moral high ground?! How dare they call him a traitor?! And HOW DARE THEY INSULT C.C?! His enraged glare, amplified by his unveiled Geass, had the six above him suddenly feel a collective shiver run down their spines and above, where he'd observed the drama without comment, even Schneizel raised an eyebrow.It only took a moment for Kallen to cotton on to the others' discomfort and she too soon saw the same unnerving fury painted on Lelouch's features. Where was the smug con-artist from a moment ago? Where was the shattered boy from mere seconds ago? This wasn't either of those things…had C.C. really meant that much to him? But then what was all that before?Lelouch however was not up for answering questions anymore. He wasn't up for anything anymore. All he wanted was to show these so-called knights for justice just how badly they had fucked up."So…" his first utterance didn't even sound like him, more the gurgling that preceded the roar of a raging beast "you say you know about Geass…"Despite himself he felt a sickly grin start to work its way up his face as the Black Knights suddenly retrained their weapons on his head. As if he gave a damn about those little things. Death would take him today but, as C.C. had just demonstrated, that didn't mean he had to go to Hell alone. "Well then, allow me to show you just how much you don't know. For example, the full distance of effect.""Todoh!" Oghi, strangely enough, suddenly took charge, "He's going to use it again! We have to stop him now!""No, wait!" His words shook Kallen into action and she rushed back towards Lelouch, "You don't have to do this!"
Oh, Kallen dear, I am far past the point of caring.
"Not to worry, my Queen." He told her, still in that sickly tone. "My Geass can only effect a person once. Which," he continued, the smile dropping away as his murderous intent returned itself on his targets "is one more time than I need to deal with you kasu!"His choices of curses notwithstanding, under the threat of an incoming Geass attack the Black Knights suddenly rediscovered their spines. "Take aim!" Todoh called out again."Now then Lelouch vi Britannia commands you!""WAIT!""All of you! DIE!""FIRE!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"DIE!""FIRE!"At the utterance of both time stood still… and not the metaphorical version either where thoughts and actions slow to a crawl. From the perspective of all the involved parties within Warehouse 4, time had suddenly come to a stop as Rolo's Geass took effect.Then, just as suddenly as it stopped, everything started moving again. The Black Knights' rifles fired and Lelouch's own unique counter rushed forth to meet them. However both bounced off the black Knightmare that, to them, suddenly appeared out of thin air.What? It was the question everyone asked, betrayer and betrayed alike."Big Brother!" The unexpected saviour called out over the Shinkiro's comms, "Are you alright?""Rolo?!" What the hell was he doing in there?!There was no time for questions though as Todoh immediately called down to the assembled Akatsukis to open fire on Lelouch's unexpected protector. The squad moved to obey, arm-mounted cannons targeting the Knightmare – they may have been outfitted for anti-infantry, but they'd still bring it down with enough peppering. Unfortunately for them there was no defence for a Geass with a target in mind.Rolo didn't know why the Black Knights had suddenly betrayed Lelouch and frankly he didn't care. They had chosen to attack his big brother and for that he hated them. Protective desires mixed with anger on Lelouch's behalf drove his actions and he activated his Geass again freezing everyone in place, the Akatsuki squad taking aim, Todoh and the other traitors issuing commands, Kallen turned back to them in mid-protest and even Lelouch himself with that stupid stunned look on his face.And now the little assassin let all hell break loose. Taking a deep breath as the strain on his heart intensified, Rolo activated the Hadron blasters and fired two point-blank shots at the enemy machines. Big Brother had wanted them to die and so his little brother would deliver.Time started up again and everyone was shaken when the front three Knightmares suddenly exploded, rocking everyone back. Kallen, who was nearest, was thrown backwards so that she was right underneath the Shinkiro…all Rolo had to do was step on her and another of Lelouch's problems would be dealt with."Stop it Rolo!" Lelouch's yell however caught his attention in time and he turned to look at his big brother who was knelt beside C.C.'s body.This opened a quandary. The most effective way to escape would be to kill all these pathetic things and blow up the ship, but if Lelouch didn't want him to do that the chances of success were much less. For a moment Rolo was unsure of what to do, if he couldn't kill them how could he protect Lelouch?And then the idea struck him. Without waiting for permission Rolo's left eye again shone with the red crane of Geass."What the…?!" For a moment, everyone left in Warehouse 4 was united in their confusion. One moment the Shinkiro had been there, protecting Lelouch, and the next it, Lelouch and C.C. had seemingly disappeared.Just like that Vincent in Babel Tower… In some ways that wiped away some of the confusion for Kallen, she might not be a tactical genius like Lelouch or Xingke but she could still put together what little experiences she had with disappearing Knightmares to realise that this was too convenient to be a coincidence.But even so, what the hell had just happened?!Her thoughts were cut into though when Diethard, who had somehow not been crushed when the Akatsukis exploded for no apparent reason, suddenly got in touch with the sentry Knightmares outside. "Attention all units! The Shinkiro has been stolen, search out and destroy it immediately!""What?!" Her demand echoed throughout the warehouse, though no one answered.Diethard regarded her suspiciously for a moment before relaying his orders again. "I repeat, seek and destroy the Shinkiro at all costs!"Unlike Kallen, who just stared at the man who had given the order, everyone else dispersed with a sort of zeal she hadn't seen in any of them since they attacked the Tokyo Settlement last year. She meanwhile just watched them all hurry off in their eager pursuit to murder their commanding officer until only she and the Britannian reporter were left.For a moment he regarded the star Ace of the Black Knights. Emotional as ever and still as short-sighted. The legend of Zero was over, rather disappointingly so as well, which meant it was time to hunt down the next big story. Perhaps there was still one to be had, if this silly girl realised just how precarious her position was right now."You might want to follow those orders as well, Kozuki." He 'advised,' getting a glare for his troubles which he didn't care for. "You haven't done yourself many favours of late. First failing to recover Zero from Suzaku Kururugi at the end of the First Rebellion, then getting captured in China, failing to stop that weapon of mass destruction – also fired by Kururugi, I might add – and now shielding a revealed traitor… need I go on?"He didn't have to, she saw the 'advice' for what it was. All her work to free Japan, all those years with Oghi and the others… all of it would be swept under the rug to ensure there were no pro-Lelouch Black Knights. Worse, she'd seen his face long before any of them so if they learned that she'd hidden that from them too…"I see you understand." Diethard noted, before shrugging and making his way to the elevator. "Make the right choice, Kozuki. We wouldn't want to lose our star player, would we?"He says it like we're a damn sports team! Not deigning to give him a reply, Kallen marched away towards the hangar deck where her Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. stood waiting.In reality, her scorn for him was only partially why she was even bothering to comply with this veiled threat. Another factor was that she was still so confused as to what was going on right now, and it wasn't just the Shinkiro's new magic trick. What the hell had happened with Lelouch? One moment he had been laughing a storm and marking her as the stupidest human being who ever lived, the next he was a raging cauldron of unbridled fury at the death of another person whom he had only seconds ago labelled useless. What had he been doing? Had he known help was coming? If so, why the act? And which part was the act?None of these questions had answers and she was sick of not having any! Therefore as soon as the Guren was in the air Kallen immediately manoeuvred to take point, easily outpacing the other Knightmares thanks to the new Energy Wing system that had been installed during her capture, and started scanning for the runaway Knightmare. It didn't take long, a barrage of fire just up ahead from the outer sentries gave her the vector she needed, and she changed course to intercept.Closing in she saw the Absolute Defence Field had been raised around the Shinkiro's back, however the particle shields weren't rapidly changing position to intercept the onslaught of fire coming in from behind and as such, every now and again, a stray shot got past the defences and slammed into the black machine.That clinched it, there was no way that Lelouch was the one piloting it but that just raised the question of who was… and why did they call Lelouch 'brother?' Her questions fell to the wayside as another shot found its mark, knocking the Shinkiro off its axis for the briefest moment before it corrected itself. Damn it, they really will destroy it at this rate!Her thoughts must have echoed with the pilot as suddenly, once again to her near disbelief, the Shinkiro vanished from its current location only to reappear several hundred meters to the right. She was just about to give chase after it when she noted something odd; the Akatsukis that had been previously on Lelouch's tail had all dropped from the sky, their pilots shaken out of their skin at the sheer drop if their shaky flying was anything to go by…how the hell had they ended up there? They'd been right on top of the Shinkiro before. What was happening… it was beyond scientific explanation, they shouldn't have dropped so far so fast! It almost seemed mystical…'You say you know Geass…allow me to show you just how much you don't know!'Could that be it? There were too many odd things going on for her not to consider it; was this what Lelouch meant? How much did she really know about Geass beyond what C.C. had told her? More questions…Damn it all!Confused, and admittedly growing angrier by the second at all this deceit, Kallen hit the accelerator and sped off after the Shinkiro. The Energy Wings would keep up with it no matter what kind of Geass Lelouch's rescuer was using. She'd catch up to them in not time at all. And then I'm going to drag you back to the Ikaruga and get the answers for every question out of you, Lelouch!'…you have to live.'First and foremost he would explain that. What the hell did that mean?"Damn it Rolo, stop it!" It was a miracle that he hadn't been blown away and into the sea after Rolo's Geass wore off, even more so because Lelouch had hauled C.C.'s body up into the cockpit with him. But that was neither here nor there. What was important was the fact that the boy was overdoing his power and it was starting to show."You can't keep using your Geass like that!" Lelouch yelled at him, but the youngster ignored his warnings and flared Geass again. Outside the clouds in the afternoon sky shifted into completely different shapes as Lelouch's perception of time was continually halted time and time again until it was impossible to tell which way Rolo was even going anymore. "That range for that long is too much! Your heart can't take it! Do you want to die?!"But the kid just kept at it, the scenery outside flicking to something new every other second like a poorly recorded video clip. Why?! Why is he doing this?! He won't get anything out of this! I've got nothing to live for!If he had answers, Rolo refused to give them as he again froze time and jumped ahead of their pursuers. They were a good distance away from the Akatsuki patrols now, a little bit longer and they'd be safe from the Ikaruga's main battery as well. Mid-freeze though he felt a tugging in his chest, much sharper than what he usually experienced when he used his power. It wouldn't be long now…Another round hit them, this time from in front. Schneizel must have given orders to the local garrison to shoot them down if spotted and when the White King was the one in charge you obeyed, to the extent that even the Portmans were shooting at them.Their path however was suddenly made much clearer when a stream of bright red concentrated energy surged right in front of the Shinkiro down into the ports they were flying over, decimating the Britannian Knightmares. For a moment even Rolo was stunned enough that he forgot to activate his Geass, any closer and that wave would have caught them as well. Lelouch though was shaken for a completely different reason.Oh no, tell me she didn't follow us! Unfortunately, his fear was confirmed when a moment later the red frame of the Guren appeared in front of them. If this had only been five minutes ago he would have been elated to see that monstrous beauty before him, now though all he felt was dread. In terms of destructive capability Kallen's Knightmare had been in a class all its own, matched only by the Lancelot, and that was before she was captured. Now it stood unparalleled. Rolo could try to escape but the speed that it was now capable of might be enough to outrun the effects of his Geass.For a moment the two machines just hung in the air facing each other, both pilots waiting for the other to make the first move. And then, in maybe a burst of simple exhaustion of all the death that had been wrought in the last few minutes, Kallen's voice came through the cockpit's speakers."Attention, pilot. You are in possession of property and a prisoner of the Order of the Black Knights. Return them to the Ikaruga at once."Just do it Rolo. Lelouch willed him, his own weariness of this whole ridiculous situation catching on to him as the reminder of his failure, C.C.'s cool body, leaned back against him. There's no point in this anymore…just let me go.Unfortunately his brainwashing of his would-be handler had worked too well. Rolo just snorted at the obvious lie this disgusting traitor had tossed them and readied the thrusters. Without further response he activated his Geass, magnifying its range to as far as he dared and blasted off again. No one will touch him. No one. Not the Black Knights, not Britannia, no one will hurt my big brother! It would've been a much better declaration if he hadn't coughed up blood there and then, forcing his Geass to deactivate prematurely. He was high above the Guren though so that was something and he was just about to stop time again when the aforementioned machine suddenly zipped back in front of him."Hey!" Kallen shouted at them, her heart stuck in her throat at just how far she'd dropped before she righted herself. "Quit doing that! I don't want to hurt you!"And finally, at this most recent lie, Rolo found his voice. "As if I could believe that! You just want to kill my big brother!""Big brother?" She parroted back, frowning. "Okay seriously, who is this?"With that she switched the audio-only transmission over to a visual one and she quickly got an image of the cockpit interior. The person staring back at her almost shocked her stupid. Staring – no, glaring – back at her was a young pale skinned boy with short cut chestnut coloured hair and amethyst eyes similar to Lelouch's own. For all intents and purposes, it was like looking at a male Nunnally. "Who…are you?"But Rolo just brushed her off, "I won't let anyone hurt Lelouch! Especially not a lying traitor like you!"Without further ado, he raised the Shinkiro's arms and fired the Hadron Blasters. The two deadly orbs raced forward towards their intended target, but the Guren's new speed meant that even though Kallen had been taken somewhat by surprise she was still able to dodge the attack with little trouble. The distraction however was all Rolo needed and he quickly resumed his escape, rushing past the red machine whilst Kallen was still getting her bearings.The attempt didn't last long though as she soon resumed the chase, however she made a point to not overtake him and just tried to talk him down. "Will you just stop running already?! There's nowhere to go! The Black Knights won't let the Shinkiro go and Britannia won't give up on trying to destroy it! You're going to get yourself, and Lelouch, killed!""Listen to her, Rolo." Lelouch's own voice finally joined the conversation, surprising both of them. "There's nowhere left for me in this world.""I don't care!" The youngster snapped at them both, his determination this time shocking Lelouch. "My whole life people have used me! Britannia, Director V.V., the Geass Directorate…even you, Big Brother."Though these things were true and the reality of it should hurt, he couldn't help smiling even as his taxed heart felt ready to burst. "But…it was those times with you Lelouch… all the things we did together, with the Student Council…and the Black Knights, even if it was all fake…it was the first time that I ever felt human!"Human? Both of his audience found themselves staring at him in askance. Was his existence really that miserable that even some base manipulation was viewed as a kindness to him? But it was all lies, Lelouch couldn't help thinking, I never felt a thing for you! You're just a piece on the board that has no further use…so how can you say this about me?!"That's why…" Rolo went on undeterred, "I'll hold on to the person that made me this way, who made me feel real for the first time! I make this decision as a human being!" His determined visage dropped from the screen showing the blue sky ahead, to glare at the small box where Kallen was gaping at him. "I'll never let you have him! If the whole world hates my big brother THEN I HATE THE WHOLE WORLD RIGHT BACK! I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL BEFORE I LET YOU KILL HIM!"* Such a vicious declaration shook even Kallen to the bone and for a moment she lost control of the Guren's acceleration causing it to tumble a little. The judder knocked her out of her stupor and she quickly worked to level her Knightmare out again, by which time the Shinkiro had gained a massive lead. It wasn't completely out of range of the Radiant Wave Unit but there was no guarantee that she could land a killing blow, not if the kid decided to use his Geass and knock her off the mark again.And even if she could…such dedication…he sounded just like…"Kallen!" Oghi's voice came through the comm system and she just barely noticed his face speaking to her on a small window in her left screen. "We're going to lose it. You have to shoot it down!"His order was enough to snap her out of her thoughts and she stared incredulously at his face on the side screen. "Oghi, if I get it from this high up…!""Just do it!" Her brother's best friend suddenly yelled, shocking her almost as much as the vicious glare he was shooting at her. "That bastard used us! Played with us! Sacrificed us to his own ends! A quick death is the last thing he deserves!""But we don't even know if he-""He outright admitted it!" Oghi shouted at her furiously. "Called us his puppets, called you his toy! No, he dies right here, right now!"I know, damn it! I know! She'd been there, she'd heard him. By rights she should just shoot the retreating machine down now and be done with it… and yet…The Guren's tactical screen suddenly pinged a new wave of friendlies coming in from behind her, the next wave of sentries, accompanied by Todoh's own Zangetsu. Well even if she did miss from this range there's no way Lelouch could outrun them all Geass or not. So what did it matter? Why was she hesitating?!'There's nowhere left for me in this world.' Why…why did that offend her so much?! She had been a tool, he had said it! She should be glad he was so miserable! So why was it that all she wanted to do was get a hold of his thick head, smack him twelve ways to Tuesday, and then hug him as tightly as possible all the while saying 'yes! Yes you do have a place in the world! You do have something to live for!'?Was this Geass? Or was it…?"Captain Kozuki…" The smooth tone that she was starting to relate with all Britannian royals ceased her thoughts and she reasserted her gaze at the screen. Only where there had once been Oghi there was now the pale skinned, pale haired, pale gaze of Prince Schneizel. What the hell was he doing on their bridge?!The Second Prince took no notice of her shocked appraisal and merely went on, "I recognise that my brother may have…ingratiated himself to you, whether through the use of his Geass power or his own…prowess." A couple of unseen snorts, one of them she recognised coming from Chiba, followed in the wake of Schneizel's suggestion though he paid them no heed and carried on. "However, you are a woman who fights for a free Japan, correct? Is not the trade of one life, whoever it may be, a more fitting solution than the devastation of millions?"The trade of…No… All Schneizel's other words slipped away at that little nugget. Kallen couldn't believe what she was hearing and yet when she put it together, his presence on the Ikaruga – the bridge no less – accompanied by the other little slip of his knowledge of Geass… They couldn't…they didn't…But Oghi, once again, ruined her expectations. "Kallen, Prince Schneizel has agreed to give Japan its freedom. We just need to give them Zero!""Listen to him, Kozuki!" Todoh suddenly cut in, his face appearing in a box next to Schneizel's. "Japan is within our grasp. We have no need for Zero any longer!"No need for… Suddenly something snapped."But we don't even know the full story." Kallen murmured emotionlessly, already expecting the response the Black Knights would give her."Who cares about the full story?!" Oghi demanded offscreen. "We just need to get rid of Zero and that's it.""Oghi…" Were those tears in her eyes? Oh, so they were…funny that."Kallen! Take the shot! We're almost there!""Minami…" It almost felt like she was on auto-pilot as she pulled back on the accelerator, the Shinkiro suddenly growing smaller and smaller ahead of her."Kozuki, what do you think you're doing?!""Todoh…" As quickly as they started the tears suddenly stopped, the sadness at her realisation of what had happened just a few minutes ago replaced by her more recognisable emotion."Captain, what's wrong?" An unknown pilot suddenly paused beside her, his Akatsuki staring at her in question. "Is there something wrong with your Knightma-AAGGGH!"His screams preceded his destruction as the Guren equipped its small Fork Knife – now with MVS capabilities – and sliced the cockpit clean off the rest of the machine which toppled effortlessly into the sea."Kozuki!" Todoh's furious voice called out, echoed by that of her friends and some of the other pilots coming her way.Maybe if she was calmer she would explain herself...however, calm was the last thing she was right now. In a just a few minutes and conversations her word had once again been turned on its head. She'd thought she knew why everything had happened and yet… why was Schneizel telling her what to do? Why was Oghi telling her to listen to him? Why were the Black Knights so set on destroying Lelouch when it would make more sense to capture him and get the full story out of him?The answer to all of that was so simple that it burned her more than anything Lelouch had said to her. And in that she found something in herself, an emotion that she was all too familiar with but had locked down after the Black Rebellion. That angry little girl…was back.And it was under the control of that angry little girl that Kallen brought the Guren fully around and raised its right arm up. Fury spat through her eyes as she glared at the assorted pack of backstabbing hypocrites before her."Kallen?"She didn't know who said it but that was okay, she wanted them all to hear what she was going to say in response.Nothing flashy.Nothing suave.Just concise and raw."YOU GODS DAMNED TRAITORS!"In concert with her enraged cry, the Armour-Piercing Bombardment-Type Radiation Wave Unit was unleashed…at full power, right into the entire incoming wave of enemy machines. Only Todoh managed to escape the slaughter but even he was shaken at the sight of the thorough destruction of an entire battalion's worth of Knightmares.Damn Samurai…no. Kallen snarled at the sight of the unharmed Zangetsu before powering up the Energy Wings and getting ready to right up in his face. Samurai have honour. They serve their lord without question, following his orders even unto the death. They don't sell out their lord for a paltry land grab! And if Todoh wasn't a Samurai, then the bastards who all pointed their guns at her when she protected her lord weren't knights. They were just a bunch of opportunistic terrorists who had never really believed in Zero to begin with. Well then fuck the lot of them!"You're all gonna die." If she'd been paying attention she would have been shocked at how cold she'd sounded just then. But she wasn't paying attention. She just cut communications with all her horrified former friends and comrades, turned off her IFF, and launched full throttle right at the black machine.All communications, save one."Stay alive Lelouch." She ordered as the Zangetsu came grew larger and larger in her front screen, its large sword coming up to defend itself from the coming onslaught. "I've got an important question for you and you will answer it!"
What the hell does she think she's doing?!
That was the recurrent thought on Lelouch's mind as he first saw the Guren stop in the Shinkiro's rear screen, followed then by the sudden and short disposal of one of her own soldiers, and then a full powered blast launched from her machine's right arm not at him but at the pursuing Black Knights! Did she realise what she'd done?! She had already been under suspicion by her own friends of being under his power and now with that attack accompanied with her now currently engaging Todoh there was no way they wouldn't think that was the case. They'd been ready to shoot her before, now they wouldn't hesitate!Damn it Kallen, are you trying to get yourself killed?! I've already lost too many people as it is, don't add yourself to that list! A shudder from ahead caught his attention momentarily to see a Britannian Caerleon-class airship bearing down on them. Rolo however just charged right at it. And then there's this moron!"What's wrong with you all?!" He shouted at the world in general. "Why are you trying so hard to save me?!"Rolo didn't bother to reply, he was too busy trying to stay conscious – the last three time-freezes had done hell on his heart, one more and that could be it. Still he would have to do it sooner or later, he wouldn't get past that airship without it. Despite his agony though, he couldn't help a small smile as they came closer and closer to this latest of problems. Big Brother still doesn't get it. There's no reason for me trying to save him, logically it's a terrible risk with no tactical advantage whatsoever…but that doesn't matter. I just want to save him. That's enough, isn't it?The Caerleon-class's cannons began to power up. Rolo wasn't able to use the Absolute Defence Field to its peak like his brother could, just one direct hit by any one of them would rip the Shinkiro apart, but then he'd never planned to. It was a little sooner than he'd have liked but…well, nothing had been clean about this getaway so far, why change that now?Gritting his teeth, he activated his Geass one last time. The strain on his heart was beyond any sort of pain he'd ever felt, even in the last few minutes, and then he made it ten times worse by increasing the area of effect beyond anything he'd done before so that it encapsulated the entire airship. Grasping for any amount of breath, Rolo sent the Shinkiro into a steep climb so that it was above the Caerleon-class and then, with it dead centre in his sights, played his final chip. The chest of the black-and-gold Knightmare split open and from within it the Structural Phase Transition Cannon, better known as the Zero Beam, was unleashed.The beam cut through the hull of the ship like a knife through paper and Rolo's piloting of the Shinkiro soon had it spiralling around the huge target, carving it up like a roast dinner. Even worse for the Britannians aboard: Rolo's Geass only froze their perceptions of time, not time itself, everything else happened at the normal pace. By the time his power finally deactivated the giant marvel of Britannian technology and labour had already been reduced to a pile of molten slag, its crew dead long ago.The double-edged nature of his Geass quickly made itself known thereafter. The pain in Rolo's chest was now impossible to ignore and as he let himself go he also let go of the control yolks. Deaf to the world, he passed into darkness."For God's sake, Rolo, stop doing-!" Lelouch cut himself off mid-protest as his mind caught up with the change in his perception. The first thing he noted was that Rolo had passed out in the pilot's seat. Second, due to said pilot having slumped forwards and letting go of the controls, the Shinkiro was now in free fall. Ahead was a vast forest, untouched by Japanese and Britannian alike. If they crashed there it would take quite a while for anyone to find the wreckage. All things told it wasn't the worst of places he could think of for his last view of the world - nature unspoiled by the hand of man - and so Lelouch merely wrapped his arms around C.C.'s body and held her tight as the end came racing to meet him.Sighing one last time, he closed his eyes and let his mind go blank. It would all be over in a few more seconds…And suddenly the Shinkiro was soaring up and over the treetops.What? Had Rolo come to? Looking over though, Lelouch noted that the younger boy had departed from the pilot's seat. He had somehow moved him out of the way and placed himself in it, his hands firmly gripped around the control sticks. He had pulled them up at the last second. And now I'm succumbing to it?! Why? I have nothing left to live for.His army had betrayed him, Kallen was going off on a suicide run for some ridiculous reason, he'd lost C.C. and Nunnally was dead so why was he still struggling?!'HE MUSTN'T DIE!''Stay alive Lelouch!'Their words… A shuddering cough from within his machine's bowels shook the whole frame and knocked him about before he unconsciously stabilised it. Those declarations shouldn't make him react in such a way, words alone meant nothing. And yet…he was levelling out, bringing the Shinkiro down to land in a small glade overlooking the ocean. Once again without thought he brought the Knightmare down to the ground and put it into a kneel. For a moment he just sat there, his mind still not computing over the actions of his body. He'd just saved his own life when he should have been resigned to death.His silent musing was cut off by a sharp coughing at his side. Rolo had come to but he didn't look in very good shape, his breathing was ragged and there was no strength at all in those lethal little limbs of his. Still he managed to look up at the screens displaying the trees around them and then looked over at Lelouch. Seeing him sat in the pilot's seat, he gave his big brother as bright a smile as his tired body could manage."So you lied again, huh Lelouch?" He tried to laugh but it came out as a sharp cough."Rolo!" Hurriedly Lelouch opened the cockpit and pulled the younger boy up onto the seat while he came around to stare at his saviour. A cursory inspection told him all he needed to know: Rolo was still dying, his Geass had taxed him beyond what the human body was capable of handling. Even a little assassin like him. The stupid boy had gone and killed himself for the person who hated him the most. "Why, you silly boy? Why did you rescue me? After everything I've done?"His demands just made Rolo's smile a hint stronger. "Because…you're a liar, Big Brother." He managed to strain out. The declaration shook something in his brother's expression and for a moment worry entered his mind. "It…was a lie right? Hating me, trying to kill me." This time he really did manage a laugh though it hurt like hell. "You… really had me going with that one."The words coming out of the boy's mouth were absurd, almost to the point that it was funny. As it was, Lelouch couldn't help but show a tiny smirk… Idiot. Insane, rampaging, destructive little moron… It would be so easy to crush him with truth and laugh in triumph at this one insignificant win…"Of course," he found himself saying, smiling down at this source of so much grief. "Should've known you'd see right through it. Just what I'd expect of my little brother."Hearing those words from Lelouch's mouth, Rolo felt something in him finally relax…and he suddenly realised just how tired he was. "That's right…I thought so…because I know…who you…really are…Big…Brother…"His smile was the last thing the last assassin of the Geass Directorate ever saw.That's right…Lelouch thought to himself as he picked the silly little boy up and carried him out of the Shinkiro. Your big brother is just a chronic liar. Good job, Rolo.Putting him out of the way, Lelouch returned to the Knightmare and started it up. Using one of its large hands he scooped up a patch of earth and laid it down beside the hole he'd dug, then with the other arm he picked up Rolo's body and laid as gently as he could inside. Finally, he picked up the earth and piled it unceremoniously on top of the body.While he did all this the Shinkiro shuddered again, which knocked C.C.'s body to lie against him. Looking at her lax frame it would be easy to mistake her state for a deep slumber if it weren't for all the blood stains and bullet holes in her quite ruined prisoner's straitjacket.Lelouch regarded her for a moment and let out a sad sigh before preparing another grave, she deserved at least that much. Going through the same motions as the first time he then opened the canopy and carried her out as well before laying her down in her shallow resting place. As he placed her hands over each other in the normal resting pose his fingers brushed against something clutched firmly within her right hand. Opening it up he could only let out a tearful laugh at the sight of Cheese-kun's silly little hat…that was…so C.C. Sighing again he placed the small hat gently between her hands and stood from the grave.And yet when he returned to the Shinkiro to finish the process he found himself unable to bury her. Why not? C.C. was gone, that body was just an empty vessel, logic demanded he cover her and move on…so what was stopping him? She was dead, doing something as stupid as getting in the way of his would be killers…and now Lelouch once again felt his anger at her. What had she been thinking? Had throwing her life away for his accomplished anything?!'Yes, it has…' He seized up as the memory of his own words shot back at him…only unlike when he said them to Kallen, that tell-tale voice scrambler overlaid the speech. 'Or rather you need to make it mean something. Because of everything that's happened you have no choice but to continue, no matter the cost. Let the whole world see you as evil if you must, but you must prevail. Do not make it mean nothing.'Great, now even his own alter-ego was telling him to keep going…but at this point Lelouch was hardly surprised. It seemed he wasn't quite as done with the world after all. And it wasn't like Zero was wrong. How many had died, either for him or because or his actions? Too many to ignore. How many were still fighting for him? At this point he wasn't sure if even Kallen truly was right now.If I believed in Karma, I'd say this was my just punishment. Yet, each in their own way, Kallen, C.C. and Rolo had saved his life today and as a result two of them were lost to him forever. Simply rolling over and dying after those sacrifices would be the height of insulting. Therefore, against all his logical arguments, he left C.C. uncovered and turned the Shinkiro away from the two graves to face the opening in the glade and the sea. They gave me one last chance to achieve something…and I intend to make good on it, Your Majesty!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Tokyo Harbour, Britannian airspace Black Knights Ikaruga Carrier, BridgeConfusion wasn't something the Black Knights were unfamiliar with, the core members in particular had been left in such states during the Black Rebellion, but that had usually been a result of the sometimes-insane plans that Zero had concocted for them. This time however the bamboozlement came from outside of their sphere, somehow someone had stolen Zero's personal Knightmare Frame and was making a getaway in it. More than a few of the rank-and-file had hidden their questions of how someone could get past their security to steal it in the first place with anger at the audacity of this asshole, especially when their commander was wounded.But they were once again confused when the Britannians, their long time enemies, instead of shooting them on sight actively worked to help them bring the bastard down. For people who had been trying to kill each other just a couple of hours ago, it was a very disconcerting moment.Things got really odd though when Captain Kallen Kozuki took to the field in her familiar red machine. At first all seemed normal, she led the charge as she'd done so many times before in Zero's name and had been right on top of the Shinkiro… but then something happened that no one, Japanese or Britannian, had expected and turned their confusion into terror: Kozuki stopped following the thief, turned around, and attacked them. Not the Britannians helping them, the Black Knights themselves!Diethard however was the least shocked, it would seem his read on the girl had been right on the money, but that didn't mean he didn't seethe at the sight of yet another betrayal of his expectations. Quickly he tapped his earpiece that connected him to the Ikaruga's comms system. "Attention! All remaining Knightmare personnel are to stand down from operations! I repeat stand down!""What the hell, Ried!?" Chiba snapped at him, finally taking her attention off of the Guren as it charged straight towards her commanding officer. "Rescind that order immediately, the General's in trouble!""We can't let this get out!" He snapped right back at her, his vehemence drawing all remaining attention towards him. "Covering up Zero's betrayal of us is easy but Kozuki is another matter entirely. Unlike him we can't just kill her whilst she's in that machine, and especially not where our soldiers can see it!"His insinuations drew the ire of the girl's friends and he was suddenly made acquaintances with Kaname Ohgi's fist as it smashed into his face. The man in question glared at him furiously as he grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back up. "You take that back right now! Kallen is no traitor!""Yeah man!" The loudmouthed idiot of the group shouted at him next (Diethard was actually more amazed that it was Ohgi and not Tamaki who'd slugged him) "She's been fightin' the Brits for years! No way she'd switch sides!""Oh? And what do you call that?!" Diethard shouted back, pointing at the main viewer which showed the Guren and the Zangetsu whizzing around each other in a lethal game of cat-and-mouse. It wasn't outside of anyone's awareness just exactly who the mouse was. "She has always been Zero's most loyal follower which is precisely why I told you not to send her to collect him!""She's not loyal to him!" Ohgi snapped, his grip on the Britannian's shirt growing tighter as he fought the desire to wring the bastard's neck. "He's been using her just like he used us! If we can just kill him…!""And how do you propose we do that while she's in between us?!""If I might interject." The eerily smooth tone cut through the collective ire of the group, bringing their attention to their unexpected guest who was watching the duel on the screen with a calm, almost uncaring, air. "The reasoning behind Captain Kozuki's defection is irrelevant, what matters is that she has and is now a threat to us, correct?"The blasé way he uttered it was enough to unnerve everyone present, reminding them once again that this was the man who had chased them across China not too long ago. It seemed, though, that being Britannian came with some level of built-in immunity to this kind of behaviour as Diethard once again was the one to rally first, though he was still held by Ohgi. "Yes, Your Highness, it is. Which is what I am trying to explain to-""Then we must simply eliminate her."Even Diethard came up short at such a declaration, though his reasons were quite different for the others. Destroy their Ace? While she was in that abominably powerful new Knightmare? That was madness, hair-brained lunacy…and so very interesting."What did you just say?!" Ohgi, however, carried the more expected response. Anger seeming to be the course of choice today, he thrust the former news reporter aside and advanced on Schneizel. "You think you can come in here and tell us what to do?!"He was all set to take a swing at the prince, his arm coiled back to throw the punch, but the blow never came. Tunnel vision had blinded him to the presence of Schneizel's Aide-de-Camp who, when he had noticed the man's approach, had slid aside on his right so when Ohgi tried to hit his prince he was already in place to grab the offending limb and twist. In very short order, Ohgi's arm was pulled painfully behind his back and held there."That will be quite enough of that." Kanon told him curtly, like a parent scolding a disobedient child."Oi, let my buddy go ya Brit bastard!" Tamaki snapped, followed closely by Minami and Sugiyama as the three moved up the bridge towards the small Britannian party. They didn't get far though because suddenly they were face to face with another Britannian royal, one whom they'd more or less forgotten after having dealt with Schneizel for so long. She didn't take long to remind them though when her signature gunblade came out and held them all within her sights."You really, really, don't want to give me a reason right now." Cornelia coolly warned them, her sharp glare at them all betraying her clear desire to tear them all to pieces. Just being back in Area 11 was an exercise in tolerance, after everything the blasted country had cost her, but being in the presence of those who had caused those losses…well she ought to be commended for holding her temper this long.The tense situation would have lasted longer had a shot from the Guren's Radiant Wave Unit not gone wide and clipped the Ikaruga's starboard side. Damage was minimal but the following shake quickly reminded everyone of what was going on outside.Schneizel, who hadn't at all been phased by this small act of pointless bickering, barely paid the reminder any heed and kept his attention on Ohgi. "I wonder, General Secretary, what is it you really want? Do you not want a free Japan?""What kind of question is that?!" The man in question demanded, wincing a little as Kanon twisted his arm just a little bit more for his language. "Of course we want to free Japan! That's why we gave you-!""And you thought there wouldn't be other sacrifices?" The prince asked him, genuinely unimpressed with the man's lack of forethought. Granted that had been the way he'd ensnared them but he'd been expecting at least some competence from someone so high up in Lelouch's organisation. "Did you believe your actions wouldn't have consequences? That all your followers would agree with this treason?""IT'S NOT TREASON!" Ohgi yelled, his anger returning to the original source of his rage as he pointed impotently with his free arm at the open sky. "THAT BASTARD USED US! PLAYED US! HE LIED TO EVERY ONE OF US ABOUT EVERYTHING!""Yes, he did." Schneizel nodded, as if they hadn't just discussed this a little while ago. "And yet Captain Kozuki remains loyal.""SHE'S JUST BEING USED LIKE THE REST OF US WERE!" Ohgi continued to yell, "HE USED HIS GEASS AND MADE HER HIS SLAVE TO BE PLAYED WITH AS-!""A slave she is," Schneizel cut in again, nodding. "Therefore, it is your duty as her friends to free her of her chains. However," and here he gave the assembled Black Knights a sad stare "some chains are simply too strong to break free from. In that case, the only freedom you can grant such a slave is mercy.""'Mercy'" From behind them, Sugiyama snorted in derision, "You mean we need to kill her.""Unless you know of a way to break Geass' hold on people." The Prince retorted lightly, not once letting the solemn visage drop away. His remark was met with shaken visages as they went over the 'truth' he'd revealed to them; if there was no way to break free then Captain Kozuki simply couldn't be retrieved. She would just keep killing them, her own friends, until there was no one else left – at least, that would be the conclusion his 'evidence' would lead them to believe.As the members of the Kozuki clan soaked up this irrefutable fact, members of the core group who hadn't known Kallen for so long were not so hesitant to do what their Britannian guest was suggesting."I'll do it." Chiba announced, far too eagerly, as she stepped up. "She's a danger to us and the General, if we don't stop her now she'll wipe us out."What she didn't say was that she would happily wipe away that little zealot. From day one there had been something off about her unswerving loyalty to a man whose face they'd never seen until today. Unquestioning, blindly following his every whim, who was to say C.C. wasn't Zero's only mistress? The thought made her sick and the chance to get rid of her at last was almost too good to be true.Her decision was met with the expected protestations from the Kozuki group, but Schneizel had expected that. If anything, knowing that little piece of information made things simpler going forward, however…"Your willingness is appreciated, Miss Chiba, I'm afraid I must decline. Not because it comes from the Black Knights." He hastened to add at her indignant look, which he also filed away for a later occasion. "But this joint operation of ours is looking considerably light on the Empire's side. Please allow me to correct that."So saying he nodded to Kanon, who finally let Ohgi go and pushed him away from them and passed him a phone. Nodding his thanks to his oldest friend, Schneizel tapped the one number on it."Hello? Prince Schneizel?""Lady Alstreim." He greeted her cordially, "It would seem Zero has one ally left. Would you be so kind as to remove her, please?"
Britannian Airspace
The lethal dance went on, unaware of the drama occurring on the ship both had vacated earlier. Any distraction now would spell doom for one of them. Todoh had been pushed to his limits before but this was a whole new breed of monster who sort his life today, even worse it was one that he should be intimately familiar with and thus easy to dispatch. Those damn new wings changed things though, not to mention that whatever mad man who'd gotten their hands on the Guren had turned the entire right arm into one giant slash harken which Kozuki took ample advantage of.Even when we have an alliance of with them, Britannia still manages to inconvenience us. It shouldn't have made him smile, not when he was so furious over the amount of deceit and betrayal he'd been party to in the last half-hour but there it was. Nice that some things stayed the same no matter what enemy it was they faced.Speaking of which, the Guren came screaming towards him for another attack, its fork knife coming down for a strike. Laughably small compared to his own Break Sword, Todoh still made a point to guard against the new MVS weapon – he'd engaged Kururugi enough times to know how dangerous those were. For a moment Zangetsu and Guren pushed against one another, their individual flight systems pushing both forward. Inevitably though, Todoh was forced to break off and dive.But Kallen wasn't going to just let him go. Bastard, get back here! She gunned the Energy Wings and streamed down after him, this time readying the Radiant Wave Unit. This damn game had gotten old thirty seconds in, now she just wanted to watch that stupid black machine burst open. You damn hypocrites! You make a deal with Schneizel and call Lelouch the traitor?!Now if said hypocrite would just stay still long enough for her to get a hold of him that would just be great. However as she reached out the large clawed arm to grab the Zangetsu, Todoh suddenly put on the breaks and she streaked harmlessly passed him before she brought the Guren to a stop. Just in time to block the Seidoutou as Todoh swung it right at her cockpit.Fuck! That's the fourth time now! Kallen snarled in frustration behind the protective Radiant shield. Her machine's capabilities were miles above his, her piloting skill also, and her speed alone should have been enough to end this long ago so why the hell was that stupid black Knightmare still in one piece?!The other player in this little dance was less concerned about why he was still alive and just focussed on maintaining that state. As such he pulled the Zangetsu back and away as the Guren tried for another swipe with its massive claw, firing the slash harken on his sword's pommel virtually point blank into the red machine's face. For the first time today one of them scored a definitive hit on the other and it hadn't been the person either of them had been expecting. Surprise however changed to realisation as Todoh swung forwards again, locking against Kallen's knife.So that's what's going on here. This time the dark smirk on his face was filled with derision and he forced more power into his Air-Glide System. For the first time since this engagement began, confidence reigned in the General's mind. Unable to help himself, he flipped his radio over to an open channel. Kozuki may not want to talk, but that didn't mean she couldn't listen. "You disappoint me, Captain. I didn't think you susceptible to such an amateur mistake."His taunt was met with silence…at least in the terms of a vocal response. Kallen chose to show her unappreciation of his observation by pushing even harder against his blade which he countered by parrying away and rising above her. Growling in frustration and anger at his taunt she chased after him at full blast, gauntlet ready to fire the moment she got her hands on him. Todoh calmly reversed, watching as she closed the gap…and then once again, moments before she could close the Guren's claws around the Zangetsu's head, he halted his retreat and Kallen soared right over him. Seeing his chance, Todoh swung the Seidoutou right at the red Knightmare's legs.Damn it! At the last second, Kallen redirected her thrust and rose high above the Zangetsu, its sword still managing to clip her machine on both knees. A quick glance at her systems screen showed the damage hadn't been deep enough to cause operational trouble, but the fact that Todoh had gotten her twice (three times really if she counted both legs) now and she'd done nothing served to piss her off further. The hell's going on here?! I've got the better Knightmare, I should be trouncing him!Below her, Todoh's confidence swelled. If Kozuki really had fallen for the oldest of fallacies a pilot – any kind of soldier really – was liable to, if he could continue exploiting it just so then he could defeat her. It was a shame really, to lose her like this after all that she'd done for their cause, but if she truly intended to side with Lelouch over the chance of reclaiming Japan once and for all then there was no other option: She had to die. So decided, he gunned the Zangetsu's Air-Glide system and charged straight up at her, raising the Seidoutou high.And then the scenery changed. The blue skies tinted with orange from the oncoming sunset were suddenly cut through with stripes of black coated in red, all of them headed straight for the rogue machine. Kallen was quick to react and immediately launched up and away, letting the twenty or so miniature proximity missiles streak harmlessly passed her. Now what?!The sudden barrage had halted Todoh in his tracks, he recognised those weapons and what their appearance meant. Glancing back towards the Ikaruga confirmed his suspicion; lumbering towards them at what would appear a leisurely pace, was the Mordred. As it came closer the large shoulder guards unfolded and manoeuvred in front of the Knightmare's torso, docking with each other, the sight of which causing the General to act on instinct and fly out of the way. A moment later the full fury of the Stark Hadron Cannon was unleashed right at the Guren."Crap!" Kallen was unable to keep her silence at the sight of that tidal wave of destruction and she immediately threw her Knightmare into a steep dive that the purple machine followed for a short while. Speed won out over power though, and the huge black stream quickly fizzled out. "Just great, now I've got to deal with her too.""I have no need for the Empire's aid." Todoh snapped not particularly happy to see the Britannian machine either.Within the Mordred, Anya Alstreim just regarded the black Knightmare indifferently, merely muttering. "Too slow."That said she returned her attention to the Guren. She had quite a few recordings of this one, but it looked different now. Something must've happened since the last time she saw it. Not that it mattered. At the end of the day it was just another enemy. As such she flicked her targeting system back on, fixed her sights on the red Knightmare and started up a new recording. Hopefully she'd remember this one.The purple machine suddenly broke rank and charged straight at Kallen, it's all encompassing Blaze Luminous flicking on and suddenly she was faced with a green five meters tall boulder flying right towards her. Slash harkens wouldn't make a dent on that thing and she'd hit the Lancelot enough times with the Radiant Wave Unit would be useless as well.Oddly enough, that didn't bother her all that much. You wanna ram me, you Brit Bitch? Come right on then. If she couldn't blast this one away then she'd simply catch it and crush it between the Guren's claws. So decided, she put the approaching behemoth in the centre of her targeting scope and fired the right arm directly at it. The Mordred didn't even so much as duck away from the arm-turned-Slash Harken and the huge claw slammed right into it. Gotcha! Smiling viciously, Kallen immediately clamped down and started applying as much pressure as the claws could possibly take into the green shields.Despite the danger and the multiple stress warnings flaring up on her screens though, Anya remained unperturbed as she continued to charge headfirst towards the Guren. She knew the stats of her Knightmare, it could take this kind of punishment and more, as would be expected of an artillery type such as hers.The hell? The smile had been wiped off her face as Kallen observed the Britannian machine close the gap between them, seemingly unaware or uncaring that she was actively trying to crush it. What's up with that pilot? If it doesn't stop, it's going to-!WHAM!Purple and crimson were sent flying as the Mordred slammed into the Guren and continued to push it further away from the Ikaruga. The impact left Kallen dazed, giving Anya time to work. Exploiting the fact that the Japanese machine's claw was still trying to pierce her Blaze Luminous, she cleverly repositioned her Knightmare so that it was now above the Guren and pushed it downwards.Whilst she did this she opened a communications channel with the Ikaruga. "Rogue machine disabled. Awaiting instructions.""Excellent work, Lady Alstreim." Came Prince Schneizel's immediate reply, "Maintain current altitude. We'll deliver the final blow.""Schneizel, what the hell're you-!?" Whoever that person was yelling at the Prince, their rebuttal was cut off as Anya cut the channel herself.Well it was as good a death as any, all things considered. Not that she was suicidal, but she had never put much stock in her own life; what good was living if all your memories are brief snippets that you keep recorded on your phone anyway?On that sidenote, Anya picked up her phone and quickly flipped through the odd file until she landed on the one she'd been looking for: The boy with the rose and the kind smile. If she had one regret it was that she'd never learn who he was, why he was picking roses from a clearly expensive and well-kept garden, why he was smiling at her…why he was in her phone to begin with.But maybe that was for the best. It wasn't like she'd remember him any-"THE CONVERGENCE IS NIGH!"Suddenly a sharp stinging in her head broke her musing. The pain came so quickly and so acutely that she dropped the phone, lurching forward in her seat.Not again! Not now! Her begging was for nothing as the stings became stabs, as if her brain was being pushed open from the inside. Go away! Stop it! I don't want to forget! I don't want to forget!Her internal screams did nothing though and a moment later the pain subsided. Leaning back into her seat as if nothing had happened, Anya observed the situation she'd woken up to. It appeared she was fighting that red Knightmare again, though it had clearly been upgraded since their little tussle in China. A brief scan of her earlier memories filled her in and Anya couldn't help a little giggle. Well would you look at that, he's attracted quite the lethal young woman. How very like you, Charles.Still, Lelouch on his own with nothing but a Knightmare and C.C. to rely on was bound to get into trouble, especially after that little lightshow of Schneizel's that killed Nunnally. If she had the time she'd look for him herself but alas, Charles was ready to begin so that was where she needed to be. However, that didn't mean she couldn't send someone to look after that silly boy of hers.In the Guren, Kallen was finally getting a hold of herself. Shaking her head to remove the last strands of dizziness, she looked up to see the Mordred lazing above her as if it hadn't just rammed into her. It was still in her machine's hold though the shielding hadn't wavered even a little bit under her claws, something that served to annoy her if she was being honest with herself. She'd have to see if that couldn't be fixed if she got out of this alive.If? What happened to 'when'? Her choice of phrasing aside, the situation wasn't what she'd expected going in. A simple fight that should have been open and shut had instead resulted in her being given the run-around before being dealt three hits and that was before this one had shown up. It should have been over ages ago and yet here she was, in the superior machine, being outclassed on all fronts. Frankly she was going to need a miracle to get out of this with the Guren intact at this rate…Although…her eyes were drawn to the orange emergency handles above her on the top of the cockpit hatch. It was a decision she was loathe to take because it meant losing her beloved Knightmare only hours after she got it back, but if she had to she could use the ejection system. Not exactly how I pictured this ending but I'm not dying just yet. "My, my, but you are a dangerous one." For a moment Kallen thought she'd imagined that voice, but then they – she, the voice was clearly female – spoke again. "A bit pig-headed though. Did you really think you could win just because you had the better machine?"That little dig riled her somewhat and now she actively searched for the voice. Her quick search ended when she noticed that her voice-only communications system was receiving someone on an open channel. And going by the clear reception the person had to be close by."Who is this?" Kallen asked sharply. "What's it to you what I thought or didn't?""Aw, sweetie, I'm hurt. After our dance in China I'd thought you'd remember me." And then right on her screen Kallen saw the most audacious thing: The Mordred raised its right arm and waved in an almost cheery manner. "Hi.""What the…you?!" She spluttered. "Why are you calling me?! If this is just to gloat, kindly fuck off.""Such language." The girl replied cheekily. "No wonder Lelouch likes you."Lelouch… The utterance of that name from someone who wasn't her or C.C. put Kallen on alert. "How do you know that name?""Now's not the time for that." The Knight of Six replied quickly. "Tell me, if you let go of me right now what would you do?""What?! What kind of question is that?! Why the hell would I even-?" Kallen's tirade was cut off though when her cockpits sensors suddenly pinged and her attention was suddenly directed to something behind her. The sensors had detected a sudden spike of concentrated energy emanating a few hundred meters away from them, too large to be any Knightmare held weapon save for her Radiant Wave Unit or a Hadron cannon. And considering her Guren was the only Knightmare on the field that could generate the kind of energy readings she was seeing that could only mean that…Oh no. Looking around completely, Kallen's gaze was filled with the Ikaruga. On either side of the bow section of the ship, the two gold sections of the ship's armour had opened up to reveal its strongest weapon: The salvaged Hadron cannons from the Gawain, both of them targeting her. If they let loose from this range, if the Mordred kept her from running, it wouldn't matter how advanced the Guren was; those cannons would atomise her."Tell me!" Anya Alstreim shouted at her again. "Do you want to die here and leave Lelouch alone or do you want to live?""I…" What the hell was going on with the world? A Knight of the Round, one of Britannia's best soldiers, one the soldiers who'd captured her, was trying to save her? When did that become a thing?"I want to…" Why was everything so confusing? Why couldn't she just have a simple straight answer? Why couldn't anything make sense like it used to before? Back when Zero was just a mask, when she knew what she believed in, back when Lelouch Lamprouge was just another Britannian prick?
Kallen…you have to…
"Live!" Her mouth moved before her brain could stop her. "I want to live! I want answers! I want to know what the hell is going on!"Getting it off her chest felt good though…"Then run." Came the other girl's response, firm and commanding. "Your only chance at learning those things is to find Lelouch. So run, find him, and get your answers."Run? It was such a strange thing to her to do such a thing…and yet what the Knight of Six was saying made sense. If she kept this up, she very well could get herself killed and then there would be no one who cared enough to get the truth out of Lelouch. It galled her to do it…but the Britannian was right. She had to get out of here.There was no time to make a concise plan or demand how this girl could possibly know all she did - with any luck maybe she'd get those answers from Lelouch as well. As her new decision crystallised, the build up of the Ikaruga's Hadron Cannons reached critical levels. They would fire any second.Therefore Kallen disengaged the Guren's claw from the Modred and shoved it away, afterwards she sent all the power she could to the Energy Wings and soared upwards not a moment too soon. A nanosecond later, the vicious black-on-red streams of energy poured into the empty space she and the Knight of Six had inhabited only seconds earlier.They did it…they really fired on me with those things. A part of her was still trying to believe that Minami, someone she'd known since before the occupation, would actively try to kill her thus her numbed shock at the evidence. Whatever hopes she'd had of reconciling with her friends (no matter how miniscule they might have been) were then and there snuffed out. Nothing for it then. From here on out, they're my enemies.And with that, before the Zangetsu could re-engage her, Kallen turned her back on the Black Knights and took off in the last direction she'd seen the Shinkiro flying towards.
The Pacific Ocean Underwater, somewhere between Shikinejima and Kaminejima
"Forgive me Rivalz and good luck."With that last, rather flimsy, goodbye Lelouch turned off his phone and stored it away inside one of the Shinkiro's hatches along with his mask. A part of him wished he could return to Ashford and shoot off fireworks from the roof with all his friends, but that was just another promise in the long line that he just couldn't keep anymore.It was better this way. If the Emperor was doing what Lelouch suspected he was, there was only one place in all of Japan that he could be. How ironic, he'd just been talking with Kallen about going there to help C.C. and now it seemed he would have had this confrontation anyway. Still if he could catch him in there then the task at hand would be met, and Rivalz and Milly would just be left to wonder about that mysterious friend of theirs who just up and disappeared one day.Milly, I'm sorry I can't remove the Geass that bastard put on you…especially considering you would have loved the whole thing. He couldn't help the wry smile at the thought, wondering once more if C.C. had really needed to kiss him to wake him up or if she'd just been messing with him again. Still, he knew Milly would excel at her job. She'd always loved sticking her nose in where she shouldn't even before her family had lost their noble status, she would have made an excellent informant. As it was, if she found fulfilment in what she was doing now then Lelouch could only wish her well and hope that, one day, she would remember everything about their past together. At least then there would be someone who remembered Nunnally.A judder from the Shinkiro drew him back to reality and he glanced at the systems screen. The flight from the Ikaruga hadn't done his Knightmare any favours, there hadn't been time to repair it after the earlier battle so it had those wounds as well as those inflicted in its escape to deal with. It was pretty clear to Lelouch as he made the now quite perilous submarine journey to Kaminejima that this mission was its last as well as his own.
It just needs to get me there. I'll do the rest.
And wouldn't that be a task? Somehow he was going to have bypass the Emperor's elite guard, not to mention the garrison stationed there, and that wasn't even factoring in the most troublesome obstacle he'd have to overcome: Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One, the Emperor's Strongest, and other such monikers. Even if he had Kallen with him, Lelouch would hesitate to commit her to taking that man down. Suzaku was one thing, but this man had been Knight of One even during his mother's time as a Round. She had been the strongest woman in the Empire…but Bismarck was still the Knight of One.A frontal assault is impossible. Lelouch concluded. Knightmare or not, Waldstein would crush him even if he managed to wipe out all the other soldiers on the island. But then…Who says I need to get rid of them myself?For so long he'd used his Geass secretly, in ways that extended his reach but hid the source…but now it seemed everyone and their dog knew about Geass. If the Emperor had always known, if he'd had an entire Order dedicated to researching it, then how could Bismarck not know too?And if that's the case… Lelouch looked back up at the screens that showed nothing but ocean, casting a blue tinted reflection back at him including the purple glare coming from one of his eyes. Why should I bother hiding it anymore?It was a reckless thought, one he would've accused Suzaku or Kallen of once upon a time… but maybe it was time for a bit of spontaneity.
I have to kill him, even if I die in the process.
And with that commitment, a plan began to form. It was risky, stupid, reckless, and downright suicidal…but it was still a plan.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Airspace over Tokyo Settlement Experimental Air Battleship Avalon Suzaku returned to the ship in a sort of daze. He'd just been standing in the centre of the crater at Ground Zero, inspecting his handiwork for most of the day, ruminating over how he'd arrived at this point. People had moved up and down the crater, in and out, performing token acts of aide and relief, not that it amounted to anything. At one point even Jeremiah Gottwald had landed next to him, completely unphased that the two of them were on opposite sides now (and just when the hell did that happen?), and merely passed on his regards and respect before setting off on his own fruitless search: locating Nunnally.But that's never going to happen. He thought numbly as the transport landed inside the Avalon's hangar and he listlessly stepped off, ignoring the wide berth the crew had been giving him since he'd fired the F.L.E.I.J.A.. He'd seen what the orb had touched and what it had not, the Viceroy's palace falling into the former category forming the centre of the crater. Nunnally's dead…and it's my fault.Would that he could pin the blame on somebody else like before. Blame the system for its harsh restrictions and rules, blame Nina for making the damn thing, blame Kallen for that overpowered monster that had triggered his 'Live' command, blame Lelouch for giving him said command…hell even blame Nunnally for this fool idea of coming back to Area 11. In the end it all came back to the same thing: Suzaku fired the F.L.E.I.J.A. and now Nunnally was atoms in the air along with thirty-six million other people.And I'm still here. He bitterly concluded as he changed out of his pilot suit back into his formal Knight of Seven uniform. Still cursed to live with everything I've done, not a moment of respite. Forced to live in this disgusting world that I helped create…so be it.If he was stuck here, he might as well make something of it. There was still one way he could use today's events to further gain a positive outcome but it meant he'd have to do some more bloody work, although at this point that hardly really mattered anymore. So decided, Suzaku made left the hangar and made his way down the corridors to the rec-room where he hoped to find Cecile destroying Lloyd or Gino on the Pool table.With any luck Prince Schneizel would be there as well, not that Suzaku particularly wanted to interact with that silver-tongued devil but things would move much faster if he had the Heir Presumptive on his side. If not it didn't matter, he was passed asking for permission and was through with seeking forgiveness. He'd slaughtered millions in the name of the empire that took everything away from him, now it was high time for the empire to give something back.
Lelouch, you were right after all. The world doesn't want a hero from the gutter or a king from on high. All the world wants…is results.
Kaminejima Northern beachhead
The Shinkiro finally arrived as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, Lelouch hadn't dared go any faster lest he alert Schneizel to his presence. It had not been a happy journey, his Knightmare feeling like it would fall apart around him any second.Not quite the ending I would have liked. He thought to himself ruefully as he shifted the machine back into its humanoid configuration and manoeuvred it up the beach towards a patch of greenery; decent enough cover, although should his plan work it wouldn't matter if anyone found it or not. Still one never knew what the future could hold so Lelouch made a point to hide it as well as he could, pushing as deep as he dared into the tiny forest before dropping the Shinkiro into a kneel.He didn't immediately vacate the cockpit though, instead he made a quick survey of his surroundings with his factsphere to ensure that he was alone. Nothing sprang out at him as odd, visual data came back clear and the heat sensors didn't report anything out of the ordinary. In a way Lelouch was mildly disappointed, he'd been expecting to have to navigate around an entire legion of elite soldiers until he found a hole in their perimeter and slipped in. Then again maybe the Emperor was so convinced of his safety within the Thought Elevator and C's World itself that he believed he didn't need to pretend to be a part of this mortal plain anymore. If so, I can use that arrogance against him.It would help if he wasn't disturbed though. As such, before he moved to leave, he opened the Shinkiro's inventory hatch and grabbed his mask and cape. This was his finale after all, it was only right that Zero be dressed for the part. Finally, with this last adornments in place, he popped the cockpit hatch and climbed out.His first step: Start walking. Lelouch wasn't all that familiar with the island, his first visit being overshadowed by his reunion with Euphie and the second time C.C. practically delivered him to the Thought Elevator. Still he could extrapolate from his first visit that, with the Elevator being situated inside a cave, there would be a proper research base overlooking it somewhere. He, Kallen, Euphie and Suzaku had all 'dropped in' on it the first time after all so it might be feasible.Lelouch cleared the trees, still musing over this possible approach, and paused to quickly survey the open area; still no sign of anyone. Although now that he looked up he saw that he was right not to fly in, flying overhead was the massive Logres-class Air Fortress Great Britannia, flagship of the RAF. He'd remembered watching it fly over the skies at Pendragon just days before he and Suzaku had been sent to Euro Britannia, it was the only time he could ever remember that bastard Kingsley being in awe of anything but the Emperor himself. Now, as then, the giant airship cut a foreboding image, carrying more than fifty Knightmares and capable of launching all of them within two minutes. If they had detected him coming in, he would never have made landfall regardless of the Shinkiro's defensive capabilities.Still… he considered for a moment as he watched the mammoth machine maintain its vigil, the Britannia's capabilities might still be useful. It'd be difficult but if he could get the right person with the right clearance…in any case that objective would remain secondary for now and so his observation of the Great Britannia ended, returning to scanning the land. The clearing he'd come out at rested at the foot of a hill, too steep to climb without the right kind of gear which he didn't have but that simply meant there could be a lower gradient climb elsewhere. It was as good a start as any and so Lelouch picked a direction and started to follow the cliff-face around.The walk took longer than he would have liked, the stars were beginning to shine by the time he found a way up. But he'd found it and at the end of the day that was all that mattered, and so he began the climb up. Trees lined his ascent on both sides, a perfect place for an ambush and more than once Lelouch thought he spotted movement within the undergrowth. He brushed it off as natural wildlife though and pushed on, he couldn't lose his nerve now. After a point in his journey, on one side the tree cover suddenly fell away and he was treated to an overview of the island and the ocean beyond. Had he been here on a leisure tour he would have found the sight beautiful, but Lelouch's attention was more focussed on what else he could see.Down within a large natural incline a pair of bright survey lights had been propped up against the rock wall, and between those two lights was an opening large enough for a fully grown human to walk through.Well…that's amazingly convenient. He couldn't help but think wryly, but he wasn't one to question his good fortune. It only got better as, by looking around, he quickly spotted a dirt path that had sloped downwards into the crevice, too smooth to be natural. If that's the way in, then-"Hands up!" A firm Britannian voice behind him cut him off, followed by the unmistakeable click of an assault rifle's safety being disengaged. Any other time Lelouch would've cursed his lack of focus but in this case it worked in his favour. Therefore he simply opened the slide mechanism on his mask. Behind him the lone Britannian patrolmen told him "Turn around, very slowly."Heh, déjà vu. Lelouch couldn't help thinking as he turned around to face his new subordinate. Before the poor soul could realise just who it was he'd caught, the red crane of Geass had already taken flight. "Serve me!"The nameless soldier never stood a chance. Half a second later he went from holding Lelouch at gunpoint to standing firmly to attention before him. "Yes sir, awaiting orders!"
Step one cleared.
"Very good." Lelouch told the man blankly, "Now, I want you to take me to your base of operations.""Right away, sir! This way." They didn't get more than five steps before the rest of his patrol showed up."Hey John, what's with all the yelling?" The one in front asked him, sounding more than a little annoyed with his colleague. "You know His Majesty doesn't want anyone else here so what's the-what the hell?! Zero?!""Serve me!" And just like that, Lelouch's entourage went from one to seven. With that done he turned to his first thrall. "John, you are now in command of these men. Continue leading me to your base. If you encounter soldiers you are to bring them to me.""YES, SIR!" The collective group responded, immediately forming a protective wall around him as they led him through the forest to his destination.True to his prediction they came across two more patrols on their way, and just as he'd instructed each and every one of them were brought before his gaze. By the time they broke through the greenery Lelouch now had the command of just under twenty men and, as he looked upon the Britannian garrison they'd arrived at, he could only see that number rising…before it all plummeted back to Zero.Pacific Ocean Coast South of the Tokyo DistrictIt took Kallen longer than she had thought it would for her to track down Lelouch's location, a fact that she was still kicking herself for if she was being honest.After disengaging from the Black Knights she'd followed the path of destruction the Shinkiro had left in its wake and, being honest, she was rather impressed: Leaving alone the Knightmares that the pilot had gotten the drop on with his Geass, there were piles of melted slag that used to be Sutherlands and Portlands all over the coast and then a little further along she came across the wreckage of a Britannian airship that had been cut into five pieces by one attack.That path led her to a small glade where she had hoped to find the Knightmare in question still banked. Instead she discovered two graves, one covered…the other not. When she saw C.C. lying there Kallen almost forgot that she wasn't actually asleep, she had been moments away from popping the Guren's hatch and waking her up but she caught herself at the last second."You fucking idiot!" She couldn't help the words as she stared at the silent body before her. The image of the verdette being shredded alive by gun fire was going to haunt her for years. "Why did you run in front of them? What did you think that would do?"She knew the answer of course, there had been a time where she would have done exactly the same thing, but the fact that it had been the lazy pizza girl to do it and not her…and it wasn't like she could blame Geass on her actions, C.C.'s memory loss, or anything else. C.C. had simply wanted to save Lelouch's life, no more or less – to her it had been the only thing that mattered. And she had died for it."We were going to fix you!" Kallen shouted at her again, fully aware that she would never get a response from her but fuck it, she was angry. "And you go and get yourself killed?! Who's going to make fun of Lelouch's dramatics now? Who's going to keep him sane when everything goes wrong? Who's…" she suddenly choked, when did her vision get all blurry? "who's going to keep my head on straight when he pisses me off?"All these questions went without answers and Kallen was left to rage at the unfairness of it all. She'd been left adrift in a world that just didn't make sense and without Lelouch's calm rationale or C.C.'s unique take on reality she was afraid she'd drown. Gods but she was a failure, Naoto would be so disappointed in her if he could see her now. He would have known what to do."Damn it, C.C.!" She finally yelled, slamming her fists on the Guren's dashboard. "I can't do this alone!"Her emotional outlet however would ensure that she would. When she struck the dashboard she had also unintentionally activated a key system that she had long since forgotten about. After the Black Knights had reformed and the Guren had been upgraded to its flight-capable conversion, Rakshata had also installed a tracking system in the red machine's sensors specifically designed to track down the Shinkiro. She had argued that if Kallen was going to continue to act as Zero's personal guard then it was only right that when on the battlefield she knew where he was at all times. Due to her subsequent capture she never had a need for the system and thus it passed from her mind as other things took priority.But now that system had been switched on, getting Kallen's attention with a few urgent pings. For a moment she was confused but as she looked at the new image that had popped up on her screen, a crude map only detailing the distance between herself and the Shinkiro designated as 'K-1', her memory slowly returned of the update. When she realised what it was she was looking at Kallen almost whooped for joy at the new data, she really could find Lelouch!Of course realising that also brought back the questions that she still wanted him to answer and her jubilation died a little with it. Still she had a new lead.Glancing down once again at the uncovered body, Kallen wondered to herself why she didn't finish burying C.C. or for that matter why Lelouch hadn't done so himself. He'd clearly done so for the other person and disturbed earth was piled just beside C.C's little grave so why didn't he do it? Whatever the answer, Kallen didn't have the time to think about it. The Shinkiro could start moving again any time now and her power wasn't infinite, she already burned more than sixty percent of her energy filler so if she was going to find him it had to be now.Still…it just felt wrong to leave without doing or saying something to her only confidante in this mess she'd walked herself into."C.C.…no, Cera…" Gods it still felt weird to call her anything else. "I'm sorry we couldn't bring you back. I know it would've helped Lelouch…even if you were a complete bitch…" Hey, she might as well tell the truth. "But you were our bitch."It wasn't the most meaningful thing she could have said, words were Lelouch's speciality not hers, but she meant what she said. C.C. had been theirs: their headache, their annoyance, their pain, their confidante, their ally…and their friend. She had held what had been left of the Black Knights together after the Black Rebellion and had kept Kallen in one piece after everything she'd learned…even if it was filled with teasing and not-so-subtle innuendoes. Whatever it was that had kept her around after Lelouch was captured was hard to pin down, but Kallen hoped it meant that she'd grown to like at least some of them…probably not but a girl could dream.There was probably more she ought to say, but urgency and an odd feeling in her chest stayed Kallen's tongue. Instead she lifted the Guren off the ground as gently as she could so as not to disturb the verdette and turned to face the source of the tracking signal's pings. Once she was pointed in the correct direction and was satisfyingly high enough, Kallen pushed the accelerator and the Energy Wings did the rest. A moment later, the Guren was just a streak of red light amongst the silver twinkles high above.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kaminejima Britannian Research Base and GarrisonThat little recruitment drive couldn't have gone any better if Lelouch had actively hoped for it. With the protection of his first conscripts, he'd moved his way through the base and brought every soldier they encountered to his cause. Before long he had access to the centre of operations whilst his little force of what had to now be more than fifty soldiers went seeking out any more troops with orders to quietly eliminate all they found.Then he stood before the commanding officer of the base, a Colonel if he remembered the Britannian ranking denotations correctly, and summarily brought him under his sway with a little help from the command centre personnel. With a few words he too stood before Lelouch an enlightened disciple of his will and was immediately interrogated over everything that had happened over the last few hours.This process revealed his first speed bump: The Emperor was indeed within the nearby caves inspecting the ruins, accompanied by an unknown group of individuals Lelouch could only assume were survivors of the Geass Directorate, however he had been observed coming and going on a regular basis every few minutes for the last hour.That's a problem. He thought to himself, twirling a detonator in his hand as he stood before the large wall of screens relaying the goings on of the island, upon which he saw the man himself coming out of the cave and looking around. Almost as if he was waiting for something…or someone. The recordings he was now watching destroyed his hopeful notion that the man was simply waiting for Bismarck, the Knight of One didn't stray far from the Emperor. Another conspirator in this Geass mystery then?Irrelevant. Lelouch swiped that awful possibility away. If he's not inside the Thought Elevator there's nothing I can do.This whole gamble relied on separating Emperor and Bismarck, now how the hell was he supposed to do that if his target wasn't going to act as he wanted him to?Think! Taking a mental and physical step back he sat himself down in one of the operators' seats, Zero's mask resting before him on the work station, and therefore missed a figure on one of the camera feeds. There must be some way to draw Bismarck away and spur the Emperor into action…But the only thing he could think of was a frontal assault which he had already ruled out as impossible with his current resources. Fighting Bismarck up close and personal was a death sentence and…Wait…up close and…And then Lelouch let out a full out belly laugh. Why the hell would he engage the Knight of One on his playing field? Face to face combat? Seriously? I'm more suicidal than I thought.He let himself laugh a little bit longer and then, after taking a breath, unfastened his cloak and unbuttoned his jacket. This may be a research facility but it's a Britannian research facility. They have bloody Knightmares here for God's sake, of course they'd have a bloody armoury! All I need to do is find it.With that kick in the pants dealt with, Lelouch got to work looking for the armoury. A few quick commands on the console in front of him brought up a map of the base's planned layout. Tracing his current location, the Operations and Information Centre, he quickly located the hangar. Logic dictated that if you were going to be transported to a nearby battlefield the weapons would be kept close to said transports. And if I had half the intelligence I claim to have I'd have remembered to ask my unquestioning pawns where the damn thing is. He accepted the derision for what it was but didn't let it deter him as he continued to work.He wasn't so engrossed in it though that he lost track of his surroundings, and this time he did notice the other cameras. One glance at them showed his thralls finishing up their work and then making their way to the hangar themselves…and another glance required him to do a double-take as he stared at the new arrival. But it just served to confirm what he saw and so Lelouch merely let out a sigh. Looks like we'll be having that talk after all.He was still in his seat, his work long finished, when the door connecting his room to the corridors outside entered and his 'guest' joined him. The padded steps of a pilot suit's boots echoed in his ears until the person stood a couple of meters away and then the room went silent again.For a moment neither moved, both knew who the other was and both had things on their minds keeping them from reacting to the other's presence even if one of them was here solely because the other one was."I suppose it's pointless to tell you to leave." Lelouch finally spoke, though his gaze remained focused on the screen before him.Behind him she remained silent, the questions and confusions that had been piled on her all wanted to get out at once and as such she'd locked down. She'd expected to find him much the same way she had on the Ikaruga, and yet here he was working as if the last twenty-four hours hadn't happened at all.When she didn't say anything, Lelouch sighed again and turned to her. She was stood there with such an odd and pitiable look on her face, one he knew he played a hand in its inception – not the look of a Queen. His gaze strayed down her red suit, for the first time noting how impractical those shoulders were, to her right hand. Seeing the handgun held in such twitchy fingers he couldn't help a dry laugh. "Didn't we do this already? Though I seem to remember you were wearing less than appropriate clothing at the time.""Don't start, Lelouch." Kallen finally said, her pistol coming up to shakily point at his head. "You know why I'm here.""Yes, I suppose I do." He replied with a lazy nod. "Something about an important question you needed me to answer?" Shrugging as if the whole thing was irrelevant he made to get up. "Well here I am, still among the living, so-""Don't. Move." She ordered, the gun suddenly going from hip level to shoulder, her free hand coming up to steady her aim. This was her only chance to get an honest answer out of him and she wouldn't lose her composure now.At her command Lelouch stopped still, his gaze momentarily following the weapon before he returned to examining her face. "Killing me now would be counterproductive to your previous request, you know.""Guess it depends on the answers you give me." She retorted, twitching at his blasé tone as well as the small smile that was starting to make its way up his lips. Damn him for turning this into another of their jousts. Well not this time. This time he would answer her. "Now tell me Lelouch: Did you use your Geass on me?""Interesting choice of words." He noted, raising a single eyebrow, "What of the Black Knights? Are you not concerned for-?""Don't try to deflect this onto them, Lelouch!" Kallen snapped, cutting him off before he could start. "I'm not having it this time! Yes or No, did you use your Geass on me?!"Would that he could answer her. But the truth would kill him before his time and a lie would cause her pain which he was rather fed up of doing. Still, just looking at her told him a very dangerous story, not for him but for her: She'd abandoned the Black Knights for him, had turned on her friends for him, had murdered her countrymen and tried to kill said friends for him…and if he couldn't give her a damn good reason why she should have done that, her gun was going to find another skull besides his own to ruin. And that, as he'd decided earlier, was simply unacceptable."Well?!" Kallen demanded, finally sick of his silence. "Say something! Isn't that what you're good at? Tell me what you did or I'll-!""What if my answer isn't what you're expecting?" He cut her off finally standing up from his seat, ignoring her sharp command for him to stay sat down."Dammit, Lelouch!" She shouted, her pistol's shaky aim dropping down somewhat. "Just tell me already!"Please just tell me that this isn't all I am. Kallen didn't want that thought running through her head but the more he held off the answer, the more urgent her other question became. That stupid need to know, something she'd sooner expect from Shirley than herself and yet there it was. Tell me they're wrong! Tell me at least I'm not just a replaceable tool to you! Please!Her distress translated onto her features and Lelouch read them as one would read a book. Seeing it momentarily flashed his memory back to what she'd asked him in Warehouse 4. He'd have laughed at such a question being the root of all this if the situation wasn't so dangerous for her. There had to be a way to diffuse this…Why not just give her the answer she wants? C.C.'s mocking voice floated through his head, amused at his inability to just act and be done with it. Tell her how important she is to you and she'll be putty in your hands once again.Or maybe. Suzaku's sharp voice butted in next, dripping with contempt. You can act like a gods damned human being for once and give her an honest answer.Both of you shut up! If he'd had time Lelouch would have considered what it meant for his mentality that he was arguing with his own psyche, but right now he needed a clear mind. Either answer those two suggested would fail. He couldn't afford to die until the Emperor was contained but he would not leave Kallen one trigger pull away from suicide either…And then it hit him; his third reckless idea in a row. I really need to get a hold of that…Ever so carefully he took a step forward, which Kallen responded to by shakily pointing the gun at him and snapping at him to stay still. For the moment though he ignored her warning and took another tentative step towards her which pressed the centre of his chest against the pistol's barrel. Now as close as he was ever going to get, Lelouch reached out and took her wrist in hand, pulling the aim of her weapon up to rest firmly against his temple. Throughout it all he maintained eye contact with her, reading every emotion that crossed her gaze – confusion and alarm being the chief among them as he acted."W-what are you doing?" She finally found her voice at the new destination Lelouch had designed for her, his hand still supporting hers as if he was giving her permission – no, offering assistance – to shoot him. And why was he looking at her like that?"I wouldn't blame you if you did it." He told her calmly, pushing his brow against the cool muzzle. "It would exonerate you with the Black Knights: The Hero who struck down the evil Lelouch vi Britannia, Puppet Master Extraordinaire. Quite the ringing endorsement.""That's not why I-!""Isn't it?" He cut off her denial, raising a disbelieving brow that rubbed the skin uncomfortably under the barrel. "Why then did you bring a gun? Have you not already made up your mind?""I told you to stop doing that!" She shouted at him, her quivering figure now turning into violent shakes as she tried to remain composed in the face of his audacity. Why couldn't he just answer a simple question? A tiny 'yes', that was all she wanted to hear out of him, so why wouldn't he just give her that much? Was it so beyond him to give even that?Her desperate response though just made Lelouch hold onto her hand tighter, gods it hurt to do this to her but she needed this. They needed this. If either of them were going to move forward then he needed her to ask the real question that was plaguing her."What should I think? It's the only logical conclusion based on the facts." He took a breath, steeling himself for whatever response his next words would breed in her. "But if you think that threatening my life will reveal some unknown truth, then you don't know me as well as I hoped you did. If it didn't work when I had something to live for, why the hell would it work n–?"SMACK!That did it. His disregard for his own existence was the last straw. Without conscious thought Kallen's free hand reared up and slapped his cheek, hard enough that it sent his head swivelling aside and he let go of her other hand. But she wasn't through yet. Flipping the pistol around in her palm she whipped him again with the grip and the butt of the weapon, eliciting a pained groan out of his lungs and forcing him to stumble back."HOW DARE YOU?!" Her furious voice echoed throughout the empty control centre. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?! AFTER EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED, THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO GIVE?!"Lelouch gave no response, still dazed from her violent reaction no matter how aware he was that this was how she'd react. That was okay though because Kallen was far from finished with him. "Is this all I'm gonna get from you?! Is this what Britannia fears and the Black Knights hate? A moping little boy who's sad because his toys were taken away? Is this what Nunnally…and C.C.…"Her voice cracked and her vision grew watery. No! She angrily ducked her head down, hiding her face from him. I'm not crying in front of him! Bastard doesn't deserve it!Forcing herself to cut off her tirade to get herself back under control gave Lelouch time to properly recover from her brief beating. Deciding it best not to rub his aching head or his throbbing cheek, figuring he deserved them, he instead chose to observe her. Her lowered head hid the upper half of her face from him, but the quivering of her lips told him she was doing all she could to fight back tears. Oh, my Queen…just ask it…please.His mute entreaty passed between them to her and finally she gave him what he'd been seeking. She didn't raise her voice, nor did she lift her head, but he heard her all the same. "Am I really worth that little to you? Don't I get a say?"Her quiet plea finally broke the dam, her façade crumbled completely, and tears began streaming down her cheeks, running to her chin and plopping to the floor. In front of her, Lelouch fought to control his own reaction to her miserable question, cursing himself yet again for reducing this woman, easily the strongest he'd ever known, to this. It was too much. To hell with his original idea, if it did this to her he wasn't going through with it. Instead he reached out to her with his hand."Kallen…"His voice however snapped her out of her state and she rubbed at her eyes, furious for showing weakness in front of him. As for his hand, she swatted it away with a blunt "No."Plastering on a glare, she stared up at him defiantly. "I'm done, you hear me? I'm done with all of this, with the Black Knights, with fighting Britannia, I am done with you, Lelouch. You wanna die so badly? Fine." And she shoved her pistol into his stunned grip. "Here. At least be a man about it and do it yourself, but I'm through following your orders."And with that she turned on her heel and made for the exit, leaving him to whatever suicide mission he was scheming. I won't do it. I won't watch him kill himself!Her self-dismissal of her service to him however had a curious effect on Lelouch himself, suddenly he felt panic grip his chest as she turned away from him. But why? He had brought her to the answer that would save her life – he was suicidal, and she couldn't do anything to save him regardless of what he felt about her – and it had separated them, she would never cross his path again. So why was a part of him rebelling against this conclusion?One step away from him and the constriction in his chest was joined by sirens in his head: If she left now he'd never see her again, never experience her brash confidence, never bask in her burning temper… never feel the warmth of her company when he removed the mask and just let himself be 'Lelouch' for even a few minutes. But that was the plan…wasn't it?Another step away and now his body revolted against his brain. His mouth called out to her and when that didn't work, the distance becoming three steps, his legs raced forwards and his arms stretched out wrapping themselves around her waist from behind and pulling her back against his chest. What the hell was he doing?!His confused query was mirrored in Kallen's own mind. He'd given her as good an answer as she'd ever get, she knew it was fruitless to stay, so what did he think this was going to achieve? I won't do it Lelouch! I won't be a part of your self-destruction! Can't you understand that?"Kallen…" He murmured her name again, resting his brow atop her wild hair…but she wouldn't have it."Let me go, Lelouch." She told him firmly, hiding the hurt at his attempt to draw her back in. "Please…"But he stayed right where he was, waiting for her to shake him off and carry on, because he sure as hell didn't know why his body had latched onto hers like this. Although he was vaguely aware that the pain in his chest was gone…and the alarms in his brain had shut down…and that for the first time in hours the emptiness didn't feel as vast, if only a little less.Idiot! Why are you doing this to yourself now?! His mind screamed at him to do as she said and let her go, logic demanded it. His body however had currently been commandeered by his heart and under its control his vocal chords uttered the words he hadn't even been aware he wanted to say."My Kallen…" His voice was barely a whisper, but it travelled between them. "My Knight. My Queen…" For a moment he trailed off, burying his face in her red mane so that his final words passed as vibrations through her skull: "I am so sorry."That was his play, huh? He expected her to help him because he said something he'd probably never said to anyone else outside of Nunnally? She was shaking again. No, no! I said I wouldn't and I mean it! I won't kill him! I won't watch him kill himself! I won't… No, not the tears again! I won't watch him die…I won't…For all the quivering though, she still managed to keep herself composed enough to snort at him. "'Sorry?' 'Queen?' You use that on all the girls or just the ones you want to order around?""No more orders." His traitorous lips replied. "No more deceptions. Just truth: I am sorry, for everything. Please forgive me, my Queen."Forgive? Another line he'd never uttered in her presence without the mask, the shaking got worse and she screwed her eyes up, balling her hands into fists to keep them from reacting."I know what you're doing. It won't work." Her stupid voice choked, betraying the lie."I'm not trying to do anything." He said back solemnly. "Honestly, I want you to leave, get as far away from me as possible, and live out as happy a life as you possibly can."Then why…?""Because I'm a selfish little prick." He answered the unfinished question, finding it in him to smile self-deprecatingly into her hair. "It's the right thing to do…and yet I just can't let you go.""Yes, you can." She retorted, though it lacked any fire. "Just let go, and I'll go.""I know." He agreed, nodding against her. "That's the problem: I don't want to.""Bastard." The tears were loose again as the hopelessness of her situation hit her. "You utter bastard. You can't do this to me…""I know." Lelouch acknowledged sadly, "Yet here we-""NO! You don't know!" Suddenly the embers reignited and Kallen spun around in his hold to glare at him again. "You don't know how it feels, waking up every day and questioning everything you know! Asking yourself day in and out if everything you feel is just some illusion! One day you treat me as a soldier, the next as a classmate, then as a confidante, a soldier again and…and then you make me look like a complete fool!" His disparaging, insulting, words from the Ikaruga still rang through her head. "Then you tell me to live and now, now you say you can't let me go even though you should! Well which is it because I'm sick of feeling this!""Kallen, I-""Shut up!" She tearfully yelled at him, punching his chest weakly although it still elicited a groan out of him. "Just shut up!" Her yells were followed by a second blow, then a third, and then a flurry of weak hits started beating a miserable rhythm into his shirt as her emotions finally escaped her control and she broke out sobbing."I hate you!" She whimpered into his chest even as he pulled her close again, soaking his shirt in seconds. "I hate you so much!"Lelouch however just held her, years of caring for Nunnally taking over as he softly stroked her hair with one hand while the other loosely wrapped around her waist and rocked her back and forth. "I know," he whispered morosely "I know you do. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."They stayed like that for a while, the only sounds in the control room being Kallen's muffled cries and Lelouch's repentant murmuring. At some point through it, her arms found their way behind his waist and up his back where they gripped hold of him. How that happened wasn't clear but for the moment not even he existed to her right now as she desperately tried to ride out her breakdown.Eventually, Kallen's weeping died down to mere sniffles, at which point she noticed how close the two of them were, certainly much closer physically than they'd ever been together before. However, for the moment, she just couldn't find it in her to care and at last allowed herself to be comforted by his embrace.But she did have a question. "Lelouch…please be honest with me…why did you come here?"Honest? Me? With her? He couldn't help smirking, what a tall order his Queen asked of him…but he would try for her. Taking a breath, he let himself remember the real reason he'd come back to Kaminejima. "He's here. The Emperor is on this island.""WHAT?!" The last few minutes (had it really only been minutes?) fled her mind and Kallen pulled back enough to stare at him in disbelief. "He's here?! You're sure?""Well, the giant airship patrolling the island is a bit of a giveaway. Wouldn't you agree?"Oh yeah. For the first time in a while Kallen's face flushed up due to embarrassment. She had noticed the Logres-class on her way in, but she'd been so focused on finding Lelouch that the significance of its presence hadn't really registered until now. And then the reason for his being here crystallised in her head."You're going to try to kill him…on your own…"In the old days such a ludicrous idea would have her staring at him in wide-eyed amazement and eagerness to hear his plan for doing so…now though, after having seen the face beneath the mask coupled with the numerous other events that had taken place over the last few hours, she had a rather different response."ARE YOU NUTS?!" She yelled at him, slapping his chest again for good measure. "ARE YOU ACTUALLY SUICIDAL OR ARE YOU JUST THAT STUPID?!""Kall-Kallen! Calm down!" He tried to settle her, also attempting to fend her off, to no avail."Don't tell me to calm down, you arrogant, egotistical prick!" She snapped, scoring another hit. "Do you have the slightest idea what's waiting for you?!""Yes. The Royal Guard, an entire airship's worth of reinforcements, and the Knight of One himself." It only occurred to him after he listed off his opposition that maybe he shouldn't be acting so casual about this, especially when faced with her.Kallen was quick to reinforce that idea with another successful slap - "Baka! Baka, baka, baka!" - make that four successful slaps and a growl of frustration for good measure. "What the hell makes you think you can get passed them all by yourself?!"And then he had the gall to laugh at her, which ticked her off further. She was just about to smack him again (or maybe plant her knee somewhere considerably more sensitive) when Lelouch finally spoke up."Oh dear, Kallen. Have you already forgotten how I lost the Black Knights to Schneizel?"His query brought her up short – of course she remembered, it only happened a few hours ago, but what did that have to do with…? Oh. The answer struck her even as Lelouch used those damn articulate fingers of his to guide her gaze back up to his eyes…or rather the one eye that was glowing red. How the hell did I miss that till now?"You used your Geass on them."Lelouch nodded. "An old friend recently told me my path to redemption lay in turning my lies into the truth." He paused to chuckle to himself before going on. "I doubt this is what he had in mind though."She…wasn't entirely sure what to make of that and so decided just to move on. "Why haven't they attacked then?""They're good little soldiers, waiting for orders." He replied, not missing a beat. "They won't make a move until I give the signal.""And the signal would be…?""This whole building going up in flames." Maybe that was a little too casual if her alarmed look was anything to go by. Mentally shrugging, he turned his attention back to the screen in front of them and selected a security feed at random. Looking down the admittedly uninteresting corridor the feed overlooked, he picked out a small blinking red light on the wall and highlighted it for her. "C-4 explosives with remote charges planted in strategic locations throughout the base. I press one little button," he picked up the forgotten detonator from the work station, "and chaos ensues.""I see." Kallen murmured, taking it all in. Ignoring the slight discomfort she felt at the idea of Lelouch using Geass'd soldiers to run interference (granted he was using Britannian soldiers so the discomfort didn't last long), as well as how weird it felt to be getting full disclosure from him, it all sounded feasible. There was still one thing he hadn't clarified though. "What about Bismarck?"The scheming smirk that had unconsciously made its way up Lelouch's face dropped back into a frown at her question. "Hopefully, he'll join the Royal Guard in quelling this flash rebellion.""'Hopefully?'" She parroted. "Since when do you bank on chance?""He doesn't stray far from the Emperor." He told her, "Any time one of them is out in the open the other isn't far behind."That is a problem. She admitted as she watched him cue up the footage of the pair in question, feeling the familiar scowl that always formed whenever she looked upon the man responsible for the state her country was in. The expression only lasted a moment as she regarded the equally powerfully built man stood beside him: dark hair that ran down past the shoulders, tall to almost the same height as the Emperor himself, cloaked in immaculate white, with one eye sewn shut – the Emperor's Strongest. So long as he was there, any plan Lelouch made would fail."What're you going to do about him if he doesn't take the bait?" He must have considered the possibility, he wouldn't run headlong into him…would he?"There's an armoury in this building." He explained, "I'll borrow a sniper rifle on my way out. If he doesn't head out to fight, I'll put a round in his skull."Okay, I guess that could work, one bullet in the head…but still! It was an incredible risk! What if the Emperor bugged out when Bismarck went down? What if that tipped off the Royal Guard to their location? Hell, what if Lelouch missed?All these thoughts led her to a statement that would shock Lelouch to the core: "I'll do it."There was something to be said for the almost cute expression on confusion that fluttered over his face at her words, but even better was the flabbergasted look that took over from the earlier one when she clarified "I'll take the shot.""What?" He couldn't have heard that right, but the decisive look in those blue eyes stated otherwise. "No. Kallen, I can-""If I take the shot, you can focus on getting closer to the Emperor. So, even if I miss, they still won't know you're here. And honestly," here she shot him a condescending look "of the two of us, I'm pretty sure I'm the better shot.""What? Kallen wait, wait!" Lelouch grabbed hold of her shoulders, willing her to understand. "Listen! This is my undertaking, no one else's. I can't ask you, of all people, to do this for me."Well if that isn't conceited... as such she merely shrugged out of his grip without even a thought. "Then it's a good thing I don't take orders from you anymore." She replied glibly, before poking his chest firmly. "Now you listen here, 'Your Highness,' that is the man who invaded and desecrated my country, who degraded my friends, who humiliated and tore apart my family!" With each point she poked him again, "So if I can take out his bodyguard, or even better the bastard himself, I'm gonna do it! Got it? I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for me!"For a moment he couldn't reply, stunned by the sheer ferocity he saw building in her gaze that translated into her words. At some point the hollow girl who'd entered the control room had disappeared and this decisive woman had replaced her... And I've just given her an idea on how to assassinate the Emperor which she'll go through with whether I refuse her help or not…"Should've kept my bloody mouth shut." He muttered to himself, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he stared at her, before nodding. "Alright, a collaboration then? Like Shinjuku?""Look at it that way if that's what you wanna do." She told him with a shrug, folding her arms across her chest. "But I'm taking that shot so don't expect me to save your ass if you screw your bit up.""Fair enough." He agreed with a snort before turning back to the workstation and picking up the headpiece the operator had left behind when he'd sent the man off to ready his coffin. Returning his attention to her, he offered it to her. "Switch to frequency 5."Understanding his meaning, Kallen plucked the communications device out of his hand and fixed it to her ear. A bit of fiddling later she was set. "Right, how much time do we have?""They pop out of the cave every ten minutes or so." He told her, moving aside so she could have a look at the layout map he'd called up before she arrived. "The next interval should be in five minutes time, avoiding any aberrations.""So I need to get to the armoury, grab a gun I like, get out of here and set up, all in five minutes." She rattled off what he hadn't said though she didn't once look up from observing the map. A moment or two passed as she committed it all to memory and then pulled back with a self-assured nod. "I'll do it in four."Such certainty. He hadn't seen that level of surety in her since the Black Rebellion, on some level he realised he'd forgotten just how firm and set she could be once she was sure of something. How refreshing it was to see it in her again, he didn't realise he was smiling until she spoke up."What's that stupid grin for?" Kallen asked him as she passed him, set to get started. With her back to him she didn't see him shake his head fondly at her tone as he turned around to watch her leave. His words however…"It's good to see you again…Q1."That old name, she hadn't been called that since Lelouch had recruited Ohgi's group to rescue Suzaku over a year ago. Hearing it again brought up all manner of nostalgic feelings, going all the way back to his first intervention at Shinjuku. Part of her felt that she shouldn't, but for now Kallen told that part to shut up and let herself smile as well.Maybe…just maybe…everything was going to be okay.So of course that was when the control room suddenly started whining in alarm. Immediately both of them instinctively turned to the large centre screen, Lelouch quickly tapping a few commands to find out what the disturbance was about. They couldn't have found out about him, but maybe Kallen…?"How did you get here?" He asked over his shoulder."By sea, I went underwater and hid the Guren in the forest." She replied, hurrying back over to him. "What's going on? Have they found us?"Maybe…but now that he thought about it, the alarms didn't sound all that…alarming. Rather than loudly blaring, as if to say 'Pay attention to this if you want to live!' it seemed more to be saying 'Stop playing Galaga and pay attention, you sods!' A quick cross reference and some more typing gave Lelouch a firm answer though. "It's an automated incoming aircraft alert."A few quick keystrokes later and the view on the main screen changed to an external view of the island. There, standing out against the merging blue of the sea and the evening sky, was a small white plane coming in from the north."Reinforcements?" Kallen asked."They have no reason to send any." He replied, "Besides it's too small." Inwardly though he cursed. This was the last thing they needed right now, and what was it doing coming here anyway? Kaminejima was supposed to be quarantined. Resigning to having to play it by ear, he turned back to Kallen. "Go get your weapon and set up. I'll monitor it from here. With any luck the Great Britannia will warn it off.""Got it." With a final nod, she turned and hurried off to make good on her four minute boast. No way that idiot in the plane was going to screw this up.Lelouch waited until she'd left the control room before returning his vigil on the screen. Sure enough it was only a matter of time before the huge Logres-class loomed into the shot, before it the little transport plane looked like an insect yet even in the presence of the behemoth it flew straight on. What's this moron playing at? He has to know this place is restricted so why would…? A terrible thought suddenly struck him. Is this who the Emperor's been waiting for? The third conspirator? If so then he really hoped Kallen was as fast as she claimed.His worries only grew when, instead of veering off, the plane flew straight by the Great Britannia and headed straight towards their location. Shit!Hurriedly he tapped the headpiece and asked without thinking "Q1, where are you?""At the armoury now, K1." She replied, accompanied by a muted rattling that he could only assume was her picking through a gun rack. "How's our visitor? They go home?""Negative." He responded, not bothering to respond to that…interesting moniker she'd given him. "The visitor's passed the guard dog and is coming up the front path. They'll be knocking at the door at this rate.""Damn." She muttered, correctly understanding his encrypted speech, the background rattling coming to a halt. "Right, I'm heading out now. This puppy oughta do the trick."A gun's a gun. Lelouch thought to himself irritably as he watched the plane draw closer. "Acknowledged, get in position. You have three minutes."
"More than enough time. You just be ready to start the party."
"Will do." He muttered back, his attention drawing back to ground level, namely the cave that housed the Thought Elevator and cursed his luck. The mouth of the cave had suddenly spewed out a handful of figures. Many of them were clad in black hooded cloaks, uniforms he recalled seeing at the Geass Directorate, however they were dwarfed by another. More than six-and-a-half feet tall, dressed in royal purple and wearing a black cloak, stood the man himself, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia. That confirms it. This person means business."K1, what's wrong?" Kallen's voice came over the headpiece, her elevated breathing revealing she was running towards her position."Be on guard Q1." He warned her, his eyes once again fixed on the plane as it came to a hover over the natural incline before beginning a VTOL descent to the ground. "Whoever this is, they've drawn out the Target.""The hell?!" Her aggravated response mirrored his feelings perfectly "Just who is this guy?" Her question was almost missed as a large fizzle of static suddenly cut over the feed, suggesting that she had just stepped outside."I don't know." And that worried him more than he was willing to admit. Additionally, looking back at the amassed welcome party, another concern was added to the list. The Directorate survivors were visible, the Emperor was unmistakable…but where was Bismarck? Something isn't right here.Tension began to fill every inch of Lelouch's being as he watched the plane touch down. None of the assorted conspirators moved to welcome the new arrival, in fact if he was reading them correctly Lelouch would think they hadn't been expecting anyone…but that couldn't be it. Clearly the Emperor had been waiting for someone. And why wasn't Bismarck at his side?Who are you? He asked the yet to be seen pilot. None of this was adding up.It would seem he would finally get an answer though as the hatch on the pilot's side opened up. Annoyingly that hatch was on the blind side of the current feed but, engrossed as he was at this new mystery, he daren't switch over. The figure stepped out of the plane, their visage still hidden by the craft, and began moving purposefully towards the group.Any moment now they would be clear of the plane and Lelouch would know exactly who was messing up his plan…Any…second…What?"K1?" Kallen's equally surprised voice spoke up. "Is that…who I think it is?""Yes…" He replied dazedly…still trying to come to terms with what his eyes were showing him. "I see it too."But suddenly he realised that, on some level he'd been expecting this. After all, who else would arrive to screw up his schemes other than Suzaku Kururugi?His presence however just added another question to the list. There was no way in hell Suzaku could be the third conspirator the Emperor was waiting for so why would his party come forth to greet him? And…was that a sword he had with him?"I have a clear shot." Kallen's report almost went unnoticed."Wait a moment, Q1." Lelouch replied, his gaze intent on the form of his old friend. "Something isn't right here."Any number of possible scenarios jumped through his head as he watched Suzaku march towards the group with that same determined stride he always used when he was set on something. Each possibility was considered and dismissed even as he reached for his weapon.One final likelihood passed through his brain and he was all set to dismiss it when, lightning fast, Suzaku drew his sword and cut through the chest of the nearest Directorate member. The man went down fast, but the Knight of Seven had already moved on and was proceeding to drop the next, and the next.
What the hell is going on here?
Two down. Was the only thing that passed through Suzaku's mind as he quickly spun around and cleaved through a third man, this one fortunate enough to have drawn a gun to defend himself but unfortunate enough to be too slow to use it. Make that three…three to go.Coming back around he focussed his attention on the two remaining members of the Geass Directorate who had armed themselves in time. Handguns though, hardly anything to worry about which he proceeded to prove by charging them both head on. The men responded by firing wildly at the White Reaper, shock overriding training, thus their shots went wide. Too wide for Suzaku to worry about and as such he cleared the distance between them and dispatched the last two with one wide horizontal slice.Both fell backwards, their forms giving way to his real target who had watched him dispatch his loyal followers with the most unmoved of expressions. In fact he almost seemed amused as the young man came to stand before him, sword low but at the ready at a moment's notice."Was this treason Schneizel's idea?" The giant of a man queried, not even noting the death of his men."It was my decision." Suzaku calmly replied. That's what I do after all. He'd first committed treason when he was ten years old and it had birthed this miserable world. Now he would commit it again upon the Emperor of the nation that had destroyed his. Schneizel might have given his blessing, but this act was far from some political manoeuvre "Majesty I appreciate your patronage, that cannot be questioned. However, you are guilty of two crimes.""Oh?" Now he really did sound amused, his tone belying a mocking smile that, although he would violently deny it, his son had inherited.If he wanted him to spell it out, though, Suzaku was more than willing to do so. "First: You have abandoned your responsibilities as Emperor, causing unnecessary suffering and strife across the world." Tightening his grip on the huge sword, he raised it up into a ready pose set to strike at a moment's notice as he continued "And second: You have dirtied your hands with the power of Geass!"At the utterance of his second offence, the Emperor fixed him with a offended scowl. "Now when did that become a Capital Offence?"How about when Euphie was forced to murder the people she was trying to save?! Or rewriting Lelouch's memory so he was nothing more than a mad zealot, eager for your praise? Suzaku's rage grew with each example he thought up, the corrupting of convictions, the maligning of ideals…all of it because one man sought an impossible goal."Geass takes good people and bends them to evil. You knew that." He summed up behind grinding teeth. "You could have saved Euphie, so very easily. But instead you abandoned her in favour of seeking power.""And?" The Emperor retorted dismissively, not even slightly effected by the accusations, it was accurate after all. "What of it, Sir Kururugi?"The casual way he threw even the mention of his dead daughter to the side pushed Suzaku one too far. Lifting his sword above his head, he delivered his final rebuff. "Your quest for power also turned Lelouch into a monster just like you and got Nunnally killed, their despair is in this sword!"All that was said had been said. Without hesitation he lunged forth, swinging the sword down in Euphie's name, in Nunnally's name…and yes, even in Lelouch's name. For all he'd lost, for what little he hoped this act would save, Suzaku made the killing blow.Anyone else, that sword would have landed true. But Charles zi Britannia wasn't anyone else – he was the Emperor of a nation that ruled half the world – and a man like that always had a Knight at hand. Nanoseconds between steel meeting with flesh another blade, this one black with gold trimming and an amethyst-centred hilt in the style of the winged seal of the Knights of the Round, connected with it.Behind that blade was a figure that sent chills up Suzaku's spine, he hadn't even seen him. "Lord Waldstein, what are you doing here?"The Knight of One just glowered at his Lord's assailant in disgust. "Did you think you were the only one who knew about Geass?" He questioned the boy, his scowl growing darker at the shock he saw bloom on the Knight of Seven's face. "It takes many forms. Who could be foolish enough to relax his guard around a man who constantly betrays everyone who trusts him?""Bismarck," The Emperor's deep bass tones rumbled from behind the new arrival, "I leave this mundane matter to you.""As you say, Your Majesty." Bismarck intoned.Damn! Over the tall man's shoulder Suzaku watched as the Emperor turned his back on them and all but casually strolled away deeper into the cave. Growling in frustration, he tried to push back against his opponent's blade which forced him to look up into the man's eye…and froze.It wasn't the toothy grin Bismarck was fixing him with that had him shocked, he'd spent way too much time around Bradley for that to bother him; it was his eye, the left sewn-up eye. There was a familiar, eerie red glow seeping out from the slit of the shut eyelids.
Him too?!
His hesitation was more than Bismarck needed and, with one savage pull on his sword, he forced Suzaku back. The power behind the blow sent him several meters back, stumbling over his feet. He managed to right himself though, and not a moment too soon as Bismarck was immediately on him with another strong swing. He brought his sword up to block the attack just in time and the two blades crashed against each other sending tremors all the way down to their respective handles.Suzaku's arms shook at the force the connection had unleashed.Bismarck's didn't.He took that and didn't even flinch? Suzaku had been told by the other Rounds about this man's monstrous strength, but he hadn't quite known what they were talking about until that moment. Even Todoh-sensei would have felt something from that!"I sincerely hope that wasn't your best, Sir Kururugi." Said monster remarked, uncaring for his opponent's introspective. "If it was, you should just kneel and let me get this over with."Having said that he disconnected their blades with another vicious swing forwards, again forcing Suzaku to back up. This time though he didn't give the turncoat time to recover and was on him immediately, lunging forwards to finish him off.But Suzaku wasn't out of it just yet. Loath as he was to admit it, his unwanted trump card did come in handy every now and then. Such as right now: His life was in peril, that was indisputable, which meant any second now…
"LIVE!"
There it is! His body moved on its own, parrying the attack and then countering with lunge of his own which Bismarck effortlessly deflected. My turn! Knowing what was coming now that his command had been triggered, Suzaku let his mind go blank, allowing Lelouch's handiwork to finish off the Knight of One…But instead, said Knight merely snorted at him and pushed the sword back.What? Shock played with confusion as Suzaku tried to switch himself back on, clumsily intercepting Bismarck's next flurry on instinct rather than any skill being involved. This new engagement was much more perilous than the last: where Bismarck had been all power before, he now demonstrated he had speed on his side as well as each strike came faster than the last with Suzaku barely having enough time to block the next attack before he'd recovered from the last one.Eventually he was forced to give even more ground by leaping away from a low sweep designed to sheer off his legs, (as it was he was pretty sure he was missing a bit of his left boot) and yet all that went through his mind was the question 'Why didn't anything happen?' He'd felt the command take over, he'd felt his body act without his input…so what happened?Coming up to stand in a defensive position, he desperately tried to figure out what had gone wrong as Bismarck stalked slowly towards him, his own sword held low and to the side – almost like he was inviting him to try again, as if this was some casual sparring match.Is this his Geass? Suzaku wondered, his gaze glancing up to the still-glowing slit. Was that even possible? Could Geass cancel itself out? No, he'd felt himself lose control so that couldn't be it. So was Bismarck's ability similar to his command then? No, he seemed in full control of himself… Damn it! I don't have time to puzzle this out! Just power on through!But his body remained frozen, heedless of his wishes as Bismarck drew ever closer. Nerves?! At a time like this?! No…Suzaku gritted his teeth as he desperately tried to move forward. He was so close! He couldn't die here! Not now!Bismarck now towered over him and, without a second thought, swung his low blade up. At the last moment, Suzaku's motor functions returned and he quickly backed up further, missing the blade by a hair's breadth. The black sword then came back down and Suzaku was forced to jump further away, the cave now well out of his reach. But it hadn't been Suzaku that dodged.It's the Live command! He realised all of a sudden. It's screaming at me to run! But why? There had never been an occasion where he had been forced to retreat from an opponent. Even Kallen's new Knightmare hadn't triggered that in him. Is the Knight of One really that strong an opponent?No! He finally knew what he had to do to achieve his aims, what he had to sacrifice to get it, so why couldn't fate throw him a bone for once and let him have this?!
"LIVE!"
Damn it Lelouch, stop holding me back! Snarling furiously, Suzaku gripped his sword and charged forwards. "I've left my weakness!""Weakness?" Bismarck parroted, disbelieving. This boy knew nothing at all it would seem. Without even leaning on his Geass he lifted his sword and, with a combination of strength and speed, disarmed the charging youth before shoving him back hard enough that Suzaku lost his balance and landed on his back, his sword slamming into the dirt just beside him."Fool boy!" The Knight of One snapped at his former comrade, coming to stand over him with his sword's blade an inch away from his throat. "That which you call 'weakness' was the source of your strength! Gentleness and compassion are what drive you and make you who you are! Take that away and there's nothing but violence! Which means," he took his sword in both hands and raised it, preparing for the finishing blow, "you will die here, Suzaku Kururugi!"Having imparted this last lesson to the foolish youth, he swung down with all the force he held…and then froze mid swing. Looking up, he was just in time to spot a tell-tale glint up on top of the ridge and jumped back. Not a moment too soon either as right after he did, the peace and quiet of Kaminejima was ended with the loud crack of sniper rifle breaking the sound barrier.An instant later there was a .338 Lapua Magnum bullet head wedged in the ground beneath the two combatants, forcing Suzaku to turn his puzzled gaze away from the Knight of One and also look up towards the ridge. Someone else was here? Who could've snuck onto the island without anyone noticing?…No…it hit Suzaku like one of Cecile's lunches. He wouldn't!He was disabused of that notion a moment later when the returning quiet was met with another loud intrusion. Not as loud as a sniper rifle, but certainly more noticeable as somewhere under the shrubbery the research hub exploded.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"So, who do we root for in this?" Kallen found herself asking as she watched the two Rounds clash…well not really 'clash,' more like Suzaku charged in and Bismarck served him his naïve, double-crossing ass. Petty as it was, she could admit to finding some pleasure in that.Still…part of her found herself dissatisfied with the Knight of One's work. Seriously? You just let him get in close like that? For the Gods' sake, he still has his sword! Oh c'mon, what was that?! He just jumped out of the way and you didn't grab his leg or something? You're big, you coulda done it! If he was going to kick Suzaku around he could at least do it right!"Q1," Lelouch's voice came through her headpiece, breaking off her observations. "I don't mean to interrupt your…interesting commentary, but can you take out the Target?"Crap, I was saying that out loud? Well that was a little awkward. Quickly she shook it off and refocussed, she'd hid herself in a small outcropping of bushes that were growing by the edge of the ridge. It wasn't the best cover, considering her red pilot suit, but the Rounds seemed more focussed on killing each other than looking around so she had that going for her. As such it was a simple task to line Bismarck up in the scope of her weapon (an L115A3 with a telescopic sight), made even simpler by the fact that he was casually strolling towards Suzaku. And with no wind to compensate for…"I have a clean shot." She reported shortly, "Come join the party."
"Understood. On my way now."
Right then. She might as well get started. Carefully, her eye never once leaving Bismarck's head, Kallen slipped her right index finger through the guard and rested it on trigger. Suddenly though, he launched forwards with an upward swipe, forcing her to re-centre her sights. In doing so though her gaze briefly passed over the messy brown-haired head that had been subject to the Knight of One's aggression…and there it stayed as a question popped into her head.
"Q1, I'm outside. Take the shot."
But Kallen's finger didn't move, her sights suddenly set on a new target. He had been a source of trouble and, specifically for her, failure in their operations going all the way back to Shinjuku. Leaving him alone, even if he was on the backfoot, just felt like an ill omen."Q1!" Lelouch called out to her again, "I don't hear any sniper fire. What's the hold up?""Lelouch…" His name slipped out before she could stop herself. "What do we do about Suzaku?"For a moment he was quiet, probably processing what she meant by that and deciding how best to tell her to just leave him alone. But why should she? Suzaku had betrayed his country, murdered his father, and played puppet to the nation that had all but enslaved them. Sure he'd done it with good intentions but the fact stood that his actions had created this world, so why shouldn't someone pay him back?She was just about to argue this, and more, with Lelouch when he suddenly spoke up again."Do what you want." He told her hurriedly, not even sounding reluctant about it, "But do it quickly. I'm starting the party with or without you."His response stunned her for a moment; historically, when it came to Suzaku, Lelouch had a bit of a blind spot in dealing with him. He never seemed to know what his policy on his old friend should be and as such kept making different decisions regarding him. But now here he was, basically giving her the right to decide what to do about him.Her hesitance though gave more time for the duel below to shift further against Suzaku and suddenly her sight was once again broken when Bismarck let out another vicious swipe, disarming him and forcing him to the ground. Once again the scope had landed on the Knight of One, a clear headshot waiting to happen…so why wasn't she doing anything?That moment of inaction cost her even more dearly than the last. She didn't know what tipped him off to her presence but, as he brought his sword down for the killing blow, Bismarck suddenly froze mid-strike. If that wasn't bad enough he then straightened up and looked up at the ridge. Right. At. Her.Shit! Acting on instinct, Kallen's finger tightened around the trigger and pulled. The noise was incredible and the following kickback nearly forced the gun out of her hands – if it hadn't been for all her time piloting the Guren she might have lost it. As such it took her a moment to refocus the sights and then stare with wide eyes at the scene below.The bullet had missed…by all of a millimetre. Even worse she could now see that both Bismarck and Suzaku were looking up at her location, one of whom was wearing a slackjawed expression that she feared was mirroring her own."Q1!" Lelouch. He had to have heard the shot. "Status!""…Shot failed to connect." She replied, still a bit dazed at the impossibility of that failure.
"Damn. Right, get out of there. I'm dolling out the party favours."
"Already gone." Abandoning the weapon and her hiding place, she made a dash for the shrubbery on the path to the research base.A second later there was a series of explosions deeper along the path, all of which culminated in one final detonation that sent plumes of smoke into the sky and Kallen waited with bated breath for the Knightmares to launch and Lelouch to join her. But a couple of seconds passed and neither machine nor man appeared out of the trees. For a moment, Kallen found herself worrying that he had deceived her one final time and let himself be caught in the blast.That concern fell away though and she let out the breath she'd been holding when he finally did step out of the forest, marching towards the ridge with a determined expression on his face.That's one worry down. She thought to herself, looking around. Now where's our backup? We're gonna need it in a second! Overhead, the Great Britannia had changed course and was heading straight for them, its hangars spewing out what had to be its entire Knightmare complement. Yet still nothing from Lelouch's new 'recruits.'Kuso! Panic started to set in as the Logres-class drew closer and closer, its linear cannon pointed straight at them. It'll take too long to get to the Guren now, and she's running on fumes as it is. We are so screwed!But Lelouch just kept going, unhindered by the huge airship that was coming straight for them. Kallen was about to call out to him to get into cover before the Vincents saw him when suddenly he opened his mouth. "My name is Lelouch vi Britannia! I am the eldest son of the Empress Marianne, the Prince who was abandoned by his Empire!"What's he doing?! This is the worst time to be babbling about that again! Kallen's consternation would be swapped out for surprise a second later though. Whatever he'd done to cause it, Lelouch's words seemed to signal something to the Great Britannia as, moments after he finished his declaration, the Logres-class opened fire…but not on them. One of the incoming Vincents suddenly exploded when the titanic ship put a hole right through it with its linear cannon. That seemed to signal the other elements of Lelouch's plan as, right after the ship opened fire on its own forces, the sky was suddenly filled with FLOAT equipped Sutherlands that raced forwards to engage the more advanced machines.For a moment she watched in amazement as the battle began, a number of Vincents going down immediately, blindsided by their own comrades attacking them and the Great Britannia for some reason still picking them off. How did he manage that? Kallen couldn't help wondering, looking back to Lelouch only to see that he'd moved on ahead without even a glance at the skirmish going on overhead.Right, kicking herself for getting distracted, she removed herself from the bushes. That's not gonna last long. Vincents vs Sutherlands is an obvious outcome. Therefore she fell into step beside him, though he barely glanced her way.It's all or nothing now. He was thinking to himself, unwilling to turn back. I either lock him in C's World or Bismarck cuts us both down.That fear soon faded away though as, just before they cleared the forest, another Knightmare rose from the trees on the far side of the incline. Even from that distance though Lelouch could see it was larger than usual, based on the Gawain's frame but even for that type it was big, at least seven meters tall…fitting for a man of Bismarck's esteem.That must be the Galahad. He thought to himself as he watched the giant rise and then move to engage the 'rebels' and unconsciously let out a relieved sigh. Another lucky break. He was about to step down the rampway to the cave when Kallen suddenly reached out and halted him. "Wait a sec."While he had relaxed some she was still tense, Bismarck may have gone but that didn't mean another problem could be waiting for them. The plane was still there so he couldn't have left, as such she moved ahead of Lelouch before he could say anything and hurried down into the incline first. Quickly she scanned the area, also making a point to look underneath the plane itself just in case. Nothing."If he was going to stop us, he would have tried already." His voice less than a meter away had her jumping back up, almost banging her head against the underside. He may or may not have laughed at her reaction."Shut up!" She snapped at him, annoyed at having let her guard down like that. "I told you to wait."Letting out another chuckle, Lelouch shook his head at her irritation. "I suppose that's where we differ: I never was very good at doing what I was told."Liar. Her talks with Nunnally had painted quite the momma's boy, but rather than bring it up she sighed exasperatedly and moved on.Lelouch let his amusement reign a little longer as he fell in step beside her, directing their journey into the cave. He would savour it while he could, something told him he was in for another Kozuki-brand blow up once they got there.They walked in silence after that, their own personal thoughts not requiring dialogue, Kallen analysing the natural formation and thinking back over the other times they'd been here. Something about it was familiar, as if she'd been here before. Yes, she and Lelouch had both fallen into a cave the first time they were here, and the less said about the last time the better, but they couldn't actually be in the same one could they?Apparently, it seemed, they could. The tunnel opened up and before her was the same stepped stone stage, worn down over centuries, and behind it the same flat wall with equally ancient carvings and symbols. Except there was one minor difference: The wall – the solid rock wall – had split open like a pair of doors and beyond it there appeared to be sunlight.But that's impossible! Kallen thought to herself, coming to a halt and staring at the perpetual sunset shining in. Sundown was half an hour ago! It should be night! And that wasn't considering how she was seeing this through solid rock!Lelouch however didn't even blink, climbing the rock steps and glaring at the scene. How arrogant, leaving the doors wide open for anyone. Now he just needed to figure out how to close it. Thus began a cursory inspection of the door; noting how it opened inwards rather than out, how the engravings seemed to be humming with an unseen power, even how the split between the doors was perfectly level, anything and everything could be important.He became so engrossed he almost forgot that he had company until Kallen's voice, still in awe of what she was seeing, echoed throughout the chamber. "Lelouch…what is this?"Stopping his work he glanced back at her, noting her amazed wide-eyed stare and slacked jaw. He could certainly relate, when he first saw C's World he had likely looked much the same."It's a Thought Elevator." He told her simply before returning to his inspection, running a finger down one of the grooves. Deep…very deep, and yet also very narrow. He'd read of the Pharaoh Ramses who'd had all the names of his predecessors overwritten with his own, leaving deep marks too, but they were thick, rough, and clashed with the rest of the Hieroglyphs. These marks though were much deeper than that and yet they were concise, no more than a couple of centimetres in breadth. There's no way humans carved these.Behind him, Kallen was still in a state of astonishment. "This is a Thought Elevator? The thing you found in China?""The very same."Gods…the thought couldn't be stopped. He'd told her about it, about a door to another world, but a part of her hadn't quite believed it…and to think there had been one so close…suddenly his exuberance on the Ikaruga now made a lot of sense. He'd known exactly where to find one, they really could have helped C.C.…Until Schneizel ruined everything.That bitter thought knocked her out of her stupor and she quickly hopped up the steps to join him. "Did the other one look like this?"He paused for a moment and went over everything he'd documented so far, cross-referencing everything he'd noted about the previous door. The conclusion he came to put a frown on his face and he looked upon the markings anew."No." He told her, "It wasn't similar to this one. It was exactly the same.""What?" That couldn't be right. "But the place you said you found it…!""Is miles away from the ocean in all directions." He finished her counter, folding his arms and puzzling it over. "I suppose humans could have migrated here when Japan was still connected to the continent…"But even so, the pinpoint accuracy, the amazing attention to detail…such uniform work was beyond anything any other ancient civilisation had been known to maintain. That wasn't even going into the other noteworthy things, like how the stone steps had been weathered by wind and time but the doors looked like they could have been chiselled yesterday.So many questions. So much that he didn't know, things perhaps C.C. had known…or maybe she'd been in the dark regarding the history of these structures as well. In another life he may have given hours - no, months - to inspect and examine these ruins…but he was called back to this one by his Queen's voice."He went in there, didn't he?" The question was purely rhetorical, where else could the Emperor have gone? How he opened the doors Kallen could only assume had something to do with Geass, which put her a bit on edge. If this was where Geass came from just what were they about to witness? And even more importantly: "What d'you think he's doing?"Sighing, Lelouch abandoned his curiosity and stood back up, unbuttoning his jacket as he did so. "It doesn't matter." He told her, digging into one of the jacket's inside pockets and retrieving the souvenir he'd swiped from the research base. "I'll stop him before he can do it.""I think you mean 'we wi-…'" Kallen trailed off as he turned back around to face her, wearing that same sad look he'd had on when she first found him. Oh Gods, what's he done now? She didn't need to look far for her answer, a blinking at the bottom of her vision caught her attention and she looked down at his chest. There, cupped in his hands, was another block of C-4 with a timed charge stuck to it."And what's that for, exactly?" she asked as neutrally as she could.Here it comes. He cleared his throat to cover a very cartoony gulp and began. "Kallen, thank you for getting me this far, but I insist I do the rest on my own." Indicating the plastic explosive and then nodding to the realm beyond the doors, he continued. "I'm going to lock him inside C's World where he can't cause any more damage to this world.""Didn't he break out of there once already?" She asked, still visibly unmoved by his explanation.But Lelouch was too thankful for her willingness to hear him out to note that unusual reaction. "Yes, that world is built and rebuilt around a system that is manipulated by human thought, to escape he'd just have to think of another door. But," here he looked right into her unresponsive gaze, imploring her to understand "what if there was someone inside with him who opposed that desire?""So you're going to lock yourself in there with him." She concluded. Well, at least he told me…eventually."Yes." Why did it feel so rotten for him to tell her this? That had been the plan since he got here. What was it about this woman that made him question his decisions like this? "I'm sorry," he found himself compelled to say, "I know I said -""Okay.""-that I wouldn't…wait what?" Did his ears stop working again?Kallen just shrugged at his confusion. "Eternal imprisonment, right? I can deal with that." And whilst he was flummoxed at her ready acceptance she took the last necessary steps to stand before him and grabbed the C-4 out of his hand. "Will thirty seconds be enough time once you've closed the doors? How do they close anyway?""Wait – hang on a sec – Kallen!" She had him stumbling over his words again, damn her! "Don't you have anything to say to that?""What's there to say?" She asked back, glancing over her shoulder and feeling more than a little bit triumphant at the bewildered expression she saw following her around as she took her turn to examine the doors. "It's a solid plan, you're just pigheaded enough that he'll be dealing with you for decades. I might as well make sure it's done right."Pigheaded?! He was trying to get her out of here! That at least ranked as 'decent' in his books. And when did he start trailing her around the stage as she hovered, clearly looking for the best place to stick the explosive? "That's not what I meant! Aren't you offended that I kept this from you? That I'm cutting you out of it?""Do you want me to be?" She replied, fighting back a smirk at the sight of his spluttering. Despite the situation this was kinda fun, no wonder C.C. did it all the time. But all amusements have to come to an end and so she relented, putting an end to her pretence at working, turning to face him. "Look Lelouch, I'm not an idiot. I don't know why we need to lock him up when we could just shoot him – probably Geass-related, right? – but I do get why you're doing this."Her statement brought him up short. She knows? How?Seeing that lost expression on his face, Kallen couldn't help a small snort. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not that inscrutable. You think you can repay all the dead we're responsible for by taking yourself out of the equation…"Pausing for a moment to get her thoughts regarding that in order, she went on, "I could slap you silly, scream in your face, maybe shoot you a couple times to get it through your head how not okay I am with that…but you'd still do it anyway."She had him there, there wasn't anything she could do to stop him. Anything she'd have done he'd hoped would send her away despite the part of him screaming at him to keep her close... but now she had to do the one thing he hadn't expected: She was helping him set up and…and then there was the nominative plural she had been using throughout her explanation…but why?Sighing at his uncomprehending look, Kallen wondered how a man who was so intelligent could be so thick. "I know I can't stop you, so the only thing I can do is make sure we hold him tight."There it was again. She couldn't be insinuating what he thought she was. "You keep saying 'we.' Why is that?""Isn't it obvious?" She asked rhetorically, but all she got was a blank stare for her troubles. Now that actually was a bit annoying. Throwing her hands up in frustration, she abandoned the gentle approach and charged right in. "It means I'm going in with you, dumbass!""What?! No! Absolutely no-!""Did I say it was up for debate?" She cut off his bluster before it could begin, shifting out of the way when he made to snatch the explosive out of his hand which sent him stumbling passed her. Honestly his constitution was awful, one lunge and he was already panting. Why didn't we put him on an exercise regimen, exactly?Shrugging the thought away she turned her attention back to the doors, "So we should probably shut these as we go in. I'm guessing you'll need to use your Geass to do that, right?""Kallen!" Lelouch finally managed to huff out, ignoring the weirdness that was him trailing her around for once in favour of the panicked fury her actions were building within him. "This is not a game! C's World changes with the slightest thought, time has no meaning there! You could enter it in 2018 and come out again a thousand years later!"He had no idea if what he was spewing was the truth, there hadn't been any noticeable time differentiation after he'd exited the Thought Elevator in China…but considering everything else Geass had thrown at him, he wouldn't rule it out. "You'll never see them again Kallen! Your friends, the Student Council, your mother. All of them will be gone the moment you walk through those doors!"That seemed to do it; she'd paused in her inspection of the rock, one of her hands running down the etchings going still, with any luck considering his words. "Please, you've done enough. Just give me the plastique and I'll…""Do you get off on me hitting you?" She cut him off again, without turning around. "Only you're spewing a lot of stupid shit right now and my arm's getting twitchy.""I'm only trying to help you see what you'd be giving up." He insisted, swallowing deep and pushing on a subject he knew he shouldn't bring up around her. "Your mother's still recovering from her Refrain addiction. What'll she do when she learns her daughter, her only remaining family, has disappeared? What if she relapses?""Shut it." That was one dig she would not tolerate. How dare he? He knew better than that!"No Kallen, I won't!" He snapped back, finally risking to grab her shoulder and try to pull her around to face him. The contact though belied the tension his words were building in her body as she barely moved an inch, not that he'd let that stop him. "I'll say whatever I have to say to get it through your skull to make you go back, even use your addicted mother who won't last a day without-!""I said SHUT IT!" In a flash she'd spun around, knocking his hand off of her shoulder, the hand that had been resting on the door coming up to his face. Instead of hitting him though, she grabbed hold of his stupid ascot and pulled him down to look her in her furious eyes."Now listen up, Highness!" She spat out the word as if it was the highest insult, "You can manipulate me all you want. Threaten my friends, tempt me with the Student Council, hell even remind me of Ohgi and the Black Knights if you want to…"Her hold on the cloth tightened just a fraction, enough to draw out a choked cough from Lelouch as he starred unwillingly into her fiery gaze. "But don't you ever – ever! – use my mother as a bargaining chip!"Well, I wanted a reaction. Lelouch thought to himself, his observation mixed a little bit with fear at the strength of that fury. Still maybe he should've toned down the 'sick mother' approach a little bit, he didn't know how her treatment was going so he may have opened up some scabbing wounds. He was about to say something circling around this, got as far to opening his mouth, when Kallen let out a growl and tossed him to the ground none too gently.His attention caught by the sharp landing, he didn't register the second impact on his person until he looked back up at her and noted to his shock that the C-4 in her hand had turned into a standard issue handgun. That was when the weight on his groin reached his thoughts and he looked down to see what was there… She gave it back? But now the weight on his chest was less… his handgun was gone, now firmly held in her hands. She must have transferred one for the other when she was yelling at me… but that means…!"Kallen don't!" He yelled at her, terror building as it hit him exactly what she intended to do.But she merely sniffed at him. "I don't take orders from you, remember?" The coldness in her tone would be enough to freeze Hell over. "You go ahead and blow up these rocks if you want. Come find me when you want to do something worthwhile."With that she turned on her heel and, heedless of Lelouch's calls to her, dashed over and beyond the threshold between two worlds."NO!" His call did naught but echo against empty walls, he managed to roll himself back onto his knees with an arm outstretched just in time to watch her disappear. And just like that the pit opened back up, his body suddenly becoming lead as his arms slumped to the floor, his face a twisted mask of failure. She couldn't know what she was in for, hell, he'd only survived because C.C. had been there. But Kallen? Without Geass or a proper understanding of that realm, C's World would tear her apart!'And if she can navigate it?' The prodding voice of his Witch queried in his head, 'What then?'His breath hitched at that prospect, because that outcome was arguably even worse. If Kallen did figure out how to traverse that plain, if she had the will and conscious fortitude to push through it, she'd end up face-to-face with Him and then it really would be over. There would be no C.C. to save her.Either way, he concluded sullenly, head drooping down. I've lost her.Why was he even bothering? What good was it to kill or imprison the Emperor now if all the people he'd fought for were gone? He should just sit here and wait for Bismarck or Suzaku or whoever to return here and put an end to him once and for all. Surely that would be payment enough for his sins.
Yes, that will do…
Slowly his eyes slid shut.
I just need to sit here and wait…
It might be nice to just rest for a change.
I'll see you soon, my dear Witch.
…'Oh get over yourself.' Her voice, filled with amused exasperation, forced his eyes back open. That couldn't have been his subconscious talking, could it? It had sounded so real. But a cursory look around revealed nothing and he wilted again, a last ditch hope maybe?'Such a stuck up little boy.' She returned again, that typical mocking tint present. 'So focussed on himself that he can't even see the reality.'Oh really? Maybe it was his mind finally breaking, which would explain why he was bothering to converse with himself, but damn if it felt so good to hear her again. And what reality, pray tell, is that?Her answer was, as usual, right to the point. 'The reality that you are not the first person who ever wanted to protect someone. Or to lose them. It's the story of the human race: You wish, you try, you succeed and, inevitably, you fail.'
Never one to mince words, were you?
'Of course not.' She replied with an undercurrent of laughter, 'That's what makes me C.C.. So you lost me, so you lost Shirley, so you lost Nunnally. Get over it. Beat it. Move on.'How easy it was for his imaginary Witch to say such things, however this reality that she so casually urged him to face said otherwise. "Cera." he found himself saying out loud. "I can't just…"He was suddenly cut off though by a deep rumbling coming from above him, translating the explosion of a Knightmare Frame as it crashed to the ground outside. The tremors went deep and shook the ancient earth, freeing a number of different sized rocks that came hurtling towards him. Acting on instinct, Lelouch scurried towards the doors out of the way of the rockfall and back onto his feet. Too close. But if a machine had crashed so close to his location that meant the Royal Guard must almost be finished mopping up his thralls.'Decision time then.' C.C. whispered into his ear, gods it was as if she was right there leaning against his arm with Cheese-kun wrapped up in hers, those gold feline eyes of hers peering up at him hiding seven centuries of pain and misery behind a veil of mischief. 'Will you fall by the wayside, crushed by the past? Or will you keep moving forward?'Forward? To what end?'To whatever end!' Zero? 'Did you not swear vengeance? Did you not promise freedom? Did you not answer the call for justice?' The revolutionary's voice grew with each demand until it blotted out the growing rumbles betraying the clashes outside that were getting closer. 'Since you began this journey there have only ever been two outcomes: Live in victory, or perish in defeat! Now choose!'That's right, those had been his only choices hadn't they? From the moment this all began those two endings had been his only possible conclusion. And yet here he stood, not even attempting to fight off his despair. What a poor sight I must make. He couldn't help a small snicker at his stupidity…but that all ended right now.Looking around the ruined stage, Lelouch spied the C-4 beside a pile of rubble and quickly dashed over to it. Another crash directly above triggered another rockfall and he hurriedly ran back to the relative safety of the doors with his prize clutched in his hands. A quick inspection of the explosive showed the attached timer was undamaged.Good. Glancing over at the doors he ran a quick mental calculation on how fast they could potentially move. After he had that solution he set the clock for two minutes, slapped the explosive onto the nearest door and began the countdown.Victory or defeat, eh? He considered those two options as he gave the chamber one last look over, had that been the thoughts of the people who made this place? Had they been on the backfoot of a conflict with an enemy against whom they just couldn't win? So many questions…oh well, maybe in the next life if he was afforded one.Removing one of his gloves, Lelouch placed his hand against the stone etchings and sent his desired thought. If Kallen's assumption about Geass being able to effect these ruins was correct…Bingo! The until-now dark etchings suddenly came to life, glowing a familiar eerie red and the humming undercurrent suddenly grew into violent vibrations. Slowly the doors began their gradual journey back towards each other.Now Lelouch stepped over the threshold, his gaze still looking over the dark confines of a world he'd known all his life now given up to seclusion in this one. Well…maybe not entirely secluded. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have some company after all.
Thank you, C.C.
'Why're you thanking me?' She asked back. 'I'm just a voice in your head. Now, stop thinking silly thoughts and go save the girl, for goodness sake!'Voice in his head or not, that response was so C.C. that it was impossible for him not to let out a laugh as the doors slammed shut in front of him and vanished, leaving only the eternal orange of a sleepy sun."As my Lady commands."
C's World
Kallen was lost. And not in the physical, got-turned-around 'I was supposed to be going to Akihabara but somehow landed in Higashiazabu' lost. Her head was hurting from all the turns she'd made which just lead to the same place – a never ending hallway full of creepy paintings and doors that just led to the same damned thing – and her emotional control was considerably frazzled as she opened yet another of the doors to end up three doors back from where she'd been before.All things told? Maybe not such a good idea to run headlong into a place that she had zero understanding of.
I don't get it. If this place works on human thought then why the hell isn't it taking me to the Emperor? I wanna shoot him in the head! What so confusing about that?!
But no matter how many times she thought it, no matter how she worded it in her head, she still found herself here. And it was pissing her off."Hey!" Kallen finally lost her temper and shouted out at the immaculate ceiling above her (that had appeared along with everything else, cutting out the sunset), "Is there some sorta dance I have to do? A chant, some ritual? Cos I'm getting fed up of seeing the same thing!"Silence met her, to which she let out a frustrated snarl and continued onwards, pistol at the ready as she stalked through the long gaudy hallway that seemed strangely familiar to her.Maybe if she just walked in a straight line, didn't let any doors distract her, she'd find the right one at the very end and then she'd face the Emperor…gods that made it sound like some cheesy videogame. But another five minutes, or what felt like it, passed and nothing came up. No final step, no last door, no light at the end of the tunnel.Her annoyance flared again and, in a sudden fit of rage, she tossed the gun at one of the portraits. Why the hell was this so difficult?! At this rate she was going to have to go back and get Lelouch, and wouldn't that just be a kicker for him? Filled with 'I told you so's and 'you shouldn't have done that's – urgh! It made her angry just thinking about it!No. I'm not going back! I'll figure this place out by myself! And with that firm decision she turned about to pick up her weapon. Kneeling down she didn't actually look at the painting in front of her, but as she came back up her gaze fell onto the picture…What…the fuck?!The scene wasn't all that impressive – in fact art connoisseurs the world over would call it mediocre – but that wasn't the cause of her shock. The painting was of a little girl with dark red hair holding a test paper up to her mother off-canvas, a very well done 94%, while two older boys in middle-school uniforms in the background, one of whom shared the girl's hair colour, were heading out not seeming all that bothered. As simple as the scene was it still shook Kallen to the core by the fact that she knew these people: she'd know Ohgi anywhere, Naoto was impossible to forget, and the girl…that was just weeks before the invasion…"What the hell's going on here?!" Who had the gall to paint that?! Then a thought struck her and she whirled around to look at the other frames she'd ignored until now.They were all the same. Images of her life, events she remembered with utmost clarity, moments she cherished with all her heart. That first painting she held onto to remember the happiness before the war…'Good girl, Kallen. Keep it up, your father will be so proud!'That one over there, the terror during the bombings…'Kallen, stay with Mom! Ohgi and Minami are gonna look after you, I'll go find Dad!'The aftermath and the sadness of her father's departure that later turned to bitterness.'Please understand…the nation's policies…not a good image…I'll be back, I promise, just please wait for me.'
He came back alright, with that blond bitch bimbo on his arm.
Then her brother's nightly disappearances. Asshole, making her worry like that.'Don't worry sis, I'm just hanging with Ohgi. Don't tell her Majesty, 'kay?'Then the truth came out. The reasons for all those scratches and bruises.'I gotta do it, sis! Look what they did to Mom! Look what they did to Ohgi! Look what they did to US!'And that one…Oghi actually came to the house, knowing the kind of reception he'd get…the heartbreak...'Kallen…I'm so sorry…my fault…he had to save us…'And after that came the fury…'Give him back. Give him back, you bastards! GIVE HIM BACK!'Followed by a slew of hopeless, pointless endeavours, trying to make sense of it all…and then finally that unsought chance in Shinjuku.'If you want to win, do exactly as I say.'And with it came hope.'We are the Black Knights!'Followed shortly by a realisation.'I'm here for you, Kallen..always.'Shut up. But the truth would not be silent.'Yes, I am Zero. The leader of the Black Knights. The man who challenges Britannia…who holds the entire world in the palm of his hand.'Shut up – And then all she had was questions.'Did he use it on me? Am I just a tool to him? Is Zero…fake?'Shut up, shut up! – Indecision warred with determination.'You made your own choice. You chose Zero.'Shut up! But it wasn't long before she witnessed the final fall of that idol she'd believed in.
'Refrain…takes you back to the good old days…'
Shut UP! All those talks with Nunnally about a boy she couldn't reconcile with the man she knew. I said shut up!
'He couldn't not spoil me. I think that's why Euphie and I got away with so much in those days: He just couldn't say 'No.''
And finally – SHUT UP! – above all else – I TOLD YOU TO SHUT IT! – the all consuming confusion of a statement that she still didn't understand.
'Kallen…you have to live.'
"Damn it, I SAID SHUT UP!"Before she knew it, Kallen's hand had come up and put a round in the frame she'd stopped in front of – her standing in between Zero and the Black Knights in Warehouse 4 – and then turned to shoot the others. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"By the time she was done, every frame within view had a small hole through the glass cover. Panting more from the accumulation of so many emotions at once rather that exertion, it never occurred to her that her gun couldn't possibly have had enough bullets for them all.Clinging hold of what sanity still remained after that little blow up, she tried as hard as she could to take stock of her situation. So, I've run head long into a place that seems to enjoy bringing up happy and decidedly not-so-happy memories about my life to get a rise out of me. And it worked. So the question now became, why would it care? What was so important about her that made this world want to torture her like this?*"It is not C's World that tortures you, girl!" A very familiar, very hated, voice suddenly boomed out of the infinite impossibility. "It merely gives form to what is in your heart.""YOU!" Spinning around, pistol coming up, Kallen looked around for the source of that voice. No sign of him. "Come out where I can see you, coward! Hiding behind all this isn't gonna save you!""Foolish child." The Emperor responded, remaining unseen yet seemingly coming from every direction. "I have no need to hide myself away. It is you who covers yourself, locked behind indecision, betrayal, and lies."Betrayal?! That was almost funny enough to laugh at, but she forced it down to a mere wry sneer. "You got some nerve calling me a traitor!" She snapped furiously at the air, constantly scanning the hallways for him. "Your kids kill each other off for your throne, crushing the rest of us underneath! At least I stayed loyal to my cause and my family!""Oh?" He countered mockingly, "So it was loyalty that spurred your abandonment of your mother then, born of a vain attempt to make her leave your father's house?""O-ho, you do not wanna go there!""Indeed?" He queried, not sounding at all bothered by her threat. "What of your school life then? The mask you wore of a sickly but clever girl. Kallen Statfeld, a liar to all who know her, unwilling to show her true self.""Not that I care what you think, but that was for my protection!""It was vanity!" His tone suddenly rose to a mighty crescendo forcing her to stop, he just had one of those kinds of voices. "You are fortunate it was Ashford's Heiress that uncovered it and not one of the vultures who would have used that truth to their own ends!"Big talk coming from the man who gave the vultures their rallying call! She seethed but held her tongue, as if that would make any difference here seeing as he probably read her mind earlier. Was that an add-on for people who knew how this place worked or was that just his Geass?Her silence did nothing to deter the Emperor though as he continued to list off her presumed failures. "And let us not forget your highest offence: A betrayal against your supposed friends, born of hesitation that spiralled into treason, all a result of your lie!"Sheesh, but he does love to hear himself talk. Thinking that however brought a smirk to her lips as she considered who it was doing the talking. Like father like son, I guess."And just what is this grand sin I'm guilty of?" She shot back, glaring at nothing, "C'mon, colour me curious!"He did not disappoint. All that was offered was one word, but that word alone coupled with his mighty voice was enough: "Zero!"At his utterance of that title, Kallen cottoned on to exactly what he was talking about. It didn't matter how he knew it or why he cared, but speaking that name launched her defences like it always did when she thought about it. "I was just trying to…""You lied." The Emperor cut her off. "You withheld the truth from your colleagues and comrades, allowed them to be deceived and used by my errant son.""We needed him!" She argued back, though why the hell she was explaining herself to him of all people was beyond her comprehension, "Zero gave us power and victory! Why would we give that up?!""Fool girl!" He shouted back, "Deceit begets deceit! How many secrets were kept? How many moments of mistrust? How many betrayals could have been avoided if not for your lies?" He had the nerve to snort at her disdainfully, "In the end, the Black Knights were made pawns by another of my sons – Schneizel, of all people! – all because you and Lelouch failed to remove your masks!"Too fucking far! How dare he, this monster who hid in the shadows, presume to lecture her on her actions?! "Enough! I didn't come here to be chastised by the likes of you!""…No…" He rumbled back in acknowledgement. "You came here to kill me."There was a brief pause and, for a terrifying second, Kallen feared that the walls around her might start closing in or the ceiling might collapse. He clearly had more control over this world, if he wanted to he could crush her…so what was he waiting for?And then… "Well, let's get on with it."As if his words were a command the blue ceiling above her vanished, letting the eternal sunset shine onto her once more. The sudden return of the light forced her to shield her eyes and so she missed the hallway of her memories also fall away. When her vision cleared she found herself at the base of an elaborate staircase, wide thin metal steps that fell away to an eternal drop, rising through sun-tinted clouds towards a more ancient platform. Old stone pillars worn away by time made up what little decoration there was to be seen, but Kallen's focus was set on the sole individual that stood amongst them.The giant of a man clad in his elaborate royal uniform stared down at her, a recognisable smirk she'd seen worn on another face adorning his own, arms out wide in invitation."Come then, Kallen Kozuki, daughter of two worlds!" Emperor Charles zi Britannia urged, amethyst eyes glinting with anticipation. "The time for hesitation has passed! Here I stand! Your Evil King waits for you to dispense your justice! Do not disappoint me now!"His challenge seemed to reverberate over every inch of this strange realm, every pebble seemed to convey his words. And yet all that rang in Kallen's ears was the ensuing laughter; it bounced around in her skull, going in deep and dragging out every dark feeling she'd felt in the last eight years – pain, sorrow, humiliation, hopelessness…and anger, so much anger, that she now grasped hold of with all her being.Suddenly, merely shooting this monster in human clothing didn't seem nearly enough. What he deserved…was to suffer.A beat later she was running up the stairs, the gun left behind, all her concentration centred on reaching that laughing madman and giving him the pain he had so painstakingly earned. The closer she got, the louder he became, and correspondently the angrier she grew until eventually she didn't even see him, or the ruins, or even the next step in front of her. The only thing that she saw, now, was red.Ahead of her Charles continued to laugh, drawing her in just as he had intended. Vengeance, how trite. How petty. When was the last time he'd partook in that? Victor didn't count, that had been justice…it must have been when he killed his father so long ago…and now here was another coming for him. Funny how life worked out, sometimes. Still, if taking him to task for a few minutes would alleviate her grief, he would allow himself to be her pincushion just this once – hells knew he'd done it for Marianne plenty of times. And so he took in another breath, stretched his arms out that little bit more in crazed frenzy, and belted out another round. But hells, if she's anything like Marianne, this is going to hurt.He wasn't wrong.At last, Kallen covered the final step. Instead of charging him head on though, she pushed off the stone platform and launched herself into the air, delivering a devastating kick to his head. It was no Spin-zaku, but the force behind the blow did send the Emperor on a rotary reel as well a knock a few teeth loose. Teetering off-balance, he was left wide open to her follow-up kick that sent him spinning again and, due to a combination of pain and dizziness, tripping over his feet to land on his back.However, Kallen was far from finished. In an instant she was on him, straddling his chest and raining blow after vicious blow onto his face, each punch ramming the back of his skull into the rock beneath them until a small red puddle began to leak out the back.But that still wasn't enough.For a brief moment, she saw through her blood haze. The first thing she noted when looking upon the Emperor was his broken nose and puffy cheeks, his jaw looked like it had been dislocated and there were streaks of read in his beard dyeing it the same colour as her hair. Were it anyone else she would be horrified at what she'd done to them…and then she spotted the rock, just the right size to fit in her hands.In another circumstance she might not have done it…but then, out of his mangled mouth, she heard the weakest gasp of an attempted chortle and mercy became a mere word.Grabbing the rock in both hands, she slammed it down onto his face. The impact shook her to the bone, but all she cared about was the satisfying crunch that signified the shattering of his skull…but it still wasn't enough. Her mother deserved more. She lifted the rock again, and slammed back down. Crunch…but Naoto should have lived. Lift, slam, crunch…but Ohgi couldn't be a teacher anymore; Lift, slam, crunch…but Minami lost his job; Lift, slam, crunch…but Milly lost her position; Lift slam crunch, but Shirley; Lift slam crunch, but Nina; Lift slam crunch, but Suzaku – even Suzaku!; Liftslamcrunch but Nunnally!; Liftslamcrunch but Lelouch!Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagain! Liftslamcrunchagainagain! Againagainagain! AGAINAGAINAGAIN! AGAIN!
BUT I LOST EVERYTHING!
Finally, with one last guttural roar that filled the plain as completely as his manic laughter had done before, Kallen smashed the rock down on top of the Emperor's long since silenced face. The punishment it had rendered at last proved too much and the ancient stone shattered in her hands.The sound of it breaking though, or maybe that last scream serving to unleash all her pain in one go, finally brought her back to herself. For a moment she sat there in a complete daze, the adrenaline still running down, but eventually her vision lost the red tint and she stared at the shattered, brutalised remains of the Emperor of Britannia's head. She couldn't even call it that anymore, his brow had been caved in and there were splashes of grey matter staining the floor along with the blood pool. Somewhere along the way his eyes had burst so all she could see was a pair of screwed up holes, and his nasal cavity had been redirected inwards.**Oh gods…Kallen felt her innards rebelling against her and immediately she rolled off of him, crawling over to the edge of the platform. Just in time, her stomach at last broke free of her control and she retched uncontrollably into the unending pit. Taking deep breaths didn't help any, it just made her throat and lungs burn, and just like that another serving came up and she again ducked over the edge.A couple more sessions followed, along with a few dry heaves when she accidentally looked at the body again – it was twitching for the gods' sake! – until finally it died down to a few coughs as she slowly knelt back onto her knees. This time when she breathed in nothing followed, her throat still burned but she didn't feel the need to duck. As such she could finally take in what she'd just done.She'd killed him. The Emperor was dead and it was because of her. Sure it hadn't been clean and it was far from quick, but the job was done…she had done it. Naoto…Mother…I finally got him. At last she felt a smile rising up her lips and before she knew it she was laughing. It was over. They were free, she was free!Her laughing fit lasted another minute and then she got back to her feet. Right, better get back before Lelouch gets himself locked up in here. Silly boy, shoulda just kept it simple. That set off another chuckle. Wait till he hears I did his job for him! He'll be so flummoxed, the silly look on his face!"Oh? And what is so funny, child?"The question stopped her dead, almost literally because it felt like her heart had stopped. There was no way, it just couldn't be possible!"I assume you've gotten that all out of your system then?"No…no! It can't be! Quivering in denial and more than her load of fear, Kallen turned back around. It couldn't be possible, she'd bashed his skull in! Speaking should be the last thing a dead man could do!But he was far from dead. That beating had been worse than he'd expected though, where the hell had Lelouch found this one?! I take it back, she's far beyond Marianne. He thought to himself ruefully as his bones snapped back into place and his skin reknit itself. Groaning in annoyance he rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head where his brain had leaked out. Immortality came with a lot of perks, but apparently even then there were shortcomings, namely the terrible headache he'd be nursing for the next ever. Feeling mildly dizzy, he sat up and glanced at the young woman who was gaping at him in nothing short of abject horror.No, no, no, nononononono! That was impossible, save the bloodstains he didn't look even a little bit bruised. It was like she'd never even touched him! Wha-what is he?! Her legs weren't moving, why weren't they moving?! He was standing up, she needed to get out of here and she couldn't do that if she didn't move! Is that his Geass?! Can it do that? How could anything do that? How could he regenerate from that kind of torture? He was dead!Observing her terror for a moment, Charles came to the obvious conclusion. "So, Lelouch didn't tell you about this."That didn't surprise him, his son had a habit of keeping things to himself ever since his exile. Well that wouldn't be a problem in a few more minutes. Still this youngster was rather impressive, had he cared he might have offered her a contract just to see what form her Geass would take. As it stood, he would settle for enlightening her."As my son has failed to do you even this small courtesy, allow me to explain in his stead." Lifting his arms, he noted the girl immediately go on the defence scanning the area for any kind of weapon. Well as good a starting point as any as he removed his gloves. "Don't bother, child. Neither sword nor gun – nor blunt force trauma – will strike me down. For, you see, I am no longer human."No longer human? It was about the only thing that registered in Kallen's mind as she took another terrified step back. If he wasn't human anymore then what was he?!Having removed his gloves, Charles continued. "I assume it was C.C. who told you of Geass?" Her flinch told it all, so the silly witch was up to her usual tricks then."Then can I assume she also neglected to mention this?" And he held out his right hand, palm facing forward so that the young woman could see the red-winged sigil that had rooted itself there.For Kallen, the sight of that mark had her reeling back. Not because what she was looking at was the mark of Geass, she'd seen that any number of times in Lelouch's eye, but because there was only one other person she knew of to have the sign marked on their skin. But the way he was talking suggested what she thought had been nothing more than a freaky tattoo was something considerably more. If that's not Geass, what is it?Charles was quick to explain. "In this world of wishes and dreams, there are two overarching powers that can lead any human being to achieve their greatest desires. One is the power called Geass, which manifests in an ability that suits the person's needs and desires. The other," here he tapped his palm with his other hand, "is the Code of Immortality."Immortality? So he really can't be killed? She'd deny it if it hadn't been for the fact that she'd watched him come back to life. It struck Kallen now, why Lelouch's plan had been so convoluted…except it really hadn't. It was so simple: If you can't kill an immortal, lock him up. And I ran headlong into a place I didn't understand against a foe I couldn't best in my wildest dreams. That was why she couldn't move, her body had already realised what her mind had not: I'm dead! I am so dead!The Emperor meanwhile observed her calmly before casually marching passed her and back into the centre of the platform. He would have liked to say more, but time was of the essence now. "Put such thoughts out of your mind, girl. In a few moments, both these trinkets will be irrelevant. However…"Slowly he flicked his wrist, a cognitive tick to help focus his mental directive. "Given Lelouch's influence, it would be remiss me to not ensure you don't interfere." It still burned him that the boy had turned C.C..A moment later Kallen was surrounded by four small diamond-shaped blocks. She'd have ran for it if she hadn't realised her doom and so the objects found little resistance when they spawned clamping restraints and locked themselves around her limbs, lifting her off the ground and carrying her to hover just behind Charles.What's he waiting for? I can't fight an immortal. Just get it over with…if she had it in her, Kallen would cry, but she just settled for a defeated sag. Mom, Naoto…Lelouch, I'm sorry. I screwed it all up again.She seems compliant enough. Charles noted as he glanced back at her, much as he would expect when one finds themselves against a foe they can't best. Had it not been for Victor, Bismarck and Marianne he would have been the same once upon a time. But that chapter was over and now, as he turned back to face the expanse before him, he would summon the means to close the book at long last!Through his will something began to rise from the depths of C's World. At first it seemed a pair of large grey metal chains but, as they neared and then passed the platform, it became clear that these chains were made of no metal, not if the howling moans emanating from them was anything to go by. The infinite strife and folly of man, focussed into two mighty pillars of human suffering…with a little Britannian help of course.But, as Kallen had demonstrated earlier, one couldn't just hold all that negativity in forever without some kind of outlet. Fortunately, Charles had the perfect target in mind.As if responding to the concentration of pure pessimism that had arisen from below, the heavens broke open. The clouds parted and in their place a huge Jovian sphere descended to hang a few thousand miles above them.There you are. Charles glared up at the planet, recognising it for the thing it represented.Dropping his eyes back down to the twin chains before him, he raised his right hand up to them. In response his Code's mark flared into life as he poured all his will, all his desires, all his own unrestrained hatred for that thing above him, into the vessel that would forge the Sword of Akasha."GOD!" He called out in challenge and triumph. "Here me now! The time has come to settle this!"In response the chains let out a morose response and curved into one another, entwining into a double helix formation. Their connection released an excessive amount of force that would have knocked over a smaller man and Kallen had she not been restrained, as it was it just kicked up a massive amount of dust that obscured the path behind them. However, Charles was too fixed on the blade that would strike down his true enemy to care as he watched it begin to rise towards the sphere. It was done.
Ragnarök is here!
"You lift your voice to call upon God." A new voice called out to them, forcing him to come about. He had to admit, on some level, he'd always hoped they would reunite at this moment. Out of the dust clouds the new arrival appeared, smaller than the Emperor but slightly taller than Kallen. The first thing about him to be made visible though, before his form cut through the haze, was his glowing left eye. "But it's not God you have to settle things with, Charles zi Britannia! It's with me! Your son!"So persistent. Charles could admit to being somewhat amused, if anything because it reminded him of his youth. So convinced that he was right, so ready to do anything and everything to see his vision realised. "And how will you challenge me? No weapon, old or new, will harm me. And your Geass is worthless against my Code. So tell me, son, how will you kill me?" He was too calm for one who had come to kill an Emperor, not as he had been when they'd crossed each other's paths in China. Something about him had changed, not a question asked or a demand about Marianne tossed. What is your plan for me, my son?At his arrival though, some spark had awakened in Kallen as she stared in shock at him. But then as their one sided conversation went on her attention drifted back to the Emperor and the terrible reality of his power. "Lelouch, get out of here! He can't be killed!"Lelouch however remained firm, his gaze passing over her captive form. If he's put one scratch on her… But his inspection resulted in nothing. Aside from the clamps which were clearly of C's World origin, and a few splashes on blood on her face and pilot suit, she was the perfect image of health. The Emperor on the other hand…well his bruises had healed but his uniform was ruffled and covered in dust, and Lelouch had seen the stained blood on the back on his head as he approached and a glance at the floor revealed another congealing pool to the side. She must have beat him to death with her own bare hands. Which would explain what he'd found at the bottom of the steps.Turning his attention away from the Emperor completely for a minute he reached into his jacket and pulled out a familiar weapon. "I think you dropped this on the way up." He told her, dangling her discarded handgun in between his thumb and forefinger.But she wasn't even looking at the gun, her desperate gaze begging him to run. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I should've listened! You knew what he was and I fucked it all up!"You're apologising to me? Well that couldn't stand. "Kallen, we'll have plenty of time to discuss who the bigger screw-up is soon enough. Nothing you've done has endangered the plan.""So there is a plan." Charles commented, watching with silent laughter as the two spoke to one another. So they didn't just run in here guns blazing to try and take him down. Now he had to know what Lelouch had concocted. "And her? Is she integral to it? A distraction, maybe? Or something else?"His reinsertion to the conversation caught Lelouch's notice and he broke off from Kallen to glare back at the man who dared call himself his father. Probing him for his designs was one thing, but turning the conversation onto her was just out of the question."You stay away from her!" He couldn't remove her from C's World, not now, but he could still keep her safe.His desires, mixed with his power, caused his Geass to flare uncontrollably and a moment later the clamps holding Kallen had carried her over to his side and then released her. She dropped to the ground onto her knees, shaken by the jerky movement, but a moment later she was feeling her wrists where they'd been held trying to get the circulation going again. Lelouch gave her a moment and then offered her a hand up which, to his mild surprise, she actually took."You alright?"She shrugged, "Been better. So," she glanced back at the Emperor, "how're we doing this?""Q1, have you forgotten the plan already?" He asked back.Before them, Charles snorted. "Again I hear talk of a mysterious plan. Tell me, Lelouch, did you think numbers would change anything? Both of you have made attempts on my life, both of you have failed. So, I ask one last time, how will you kill me?"In response however, Lelouch merely returned the snort. "Kill you? When did I ever say anything about killing you?"What? Something wasn't adding up. All his son had ever wanted was to watch him die, that had been clear to him ever since Marianne's murder. A leopard didn't change its spots and Lelouch didn't just get over loss in a day. He was missing something that, going by the way the girl had suddenly relaxed, only he was in the dark about.Something which his son was all too happy to fill him in on. "Your fate was determined the moment you stepped into this parallel realm."By coming here? What was the boy prattling on about now? C's World responded to desires and thought, true, but did he really think that was enough? If he intended to lock him away in here then he would have to-Suddenly a thread in his mind snapped! The sky turned dark, clapping with thunder and lightning, as if something about it had been severely damaged…or destroyed. What has he done?! Furiously, Charles stretched out his enhanced consciousness to the edges of C's World trying to discover the damage…and his perusal led him to the doorway from Kaminejima. A doorway that was no longer responding…but that meant…"YOU'VE SEALED THE EXIT?!""Bingo." Kallen answered for them both wearing a victorious smirk as she stood at Lelouch's side, her hand still held in his.As for Lelouch himself, he couldn't help the feeling of triumph that overcame him. "You, I, and Geass itself are now locked away in this place together. And if you can't interfere with the real world then all your plans will amount to nothing! You may as well be dead!"No! Not now! The twitch that suddenly overcame his left eye was the only outward appearance of the unbridled rage the Emperor was feeling towards his son! The Sword was rising, the system had been activated, everything was ready! But that meant nothing if there was no guarantee of success! How dare he? How dare he?!"Huh, I think you pissed him off." Kallen observed, suddenly feeling incredibly giddy. They'd won!"Indeed." Lelouch agreed, a spring in his own metaphorical step as he grinned viciously at his father. "This system you created has now become a prison! Now, dear Father mine, let us repent!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
C's World The Sword of AkashaFury. That one word oversimplified what Lelouch and Kallen saw the Emperor desperately trying to contain. From the wide-eyed glare, to the tick in his jaw betraying clenched teeth behind closed lips, to the violently shivering fists, everything about the tall man's countenance screamed outrage.Every fibre of Charles' being demanded retribution; these despicable little upstarts, they had no idea what they'd done! Years of planning, rivers of blood spilled, so many sacrifices made just for this one moment, and now these two had the nerve to reduce the future of the world to a flip of a coin!"Does it sting?" Lelouch prodded, smiling his devil's grin, unable to hold back his contemptuous delight. He had only seen the man in such a state once before: The day of the audience that resulted in his exile. Back then he'd cowered before such anger, now he lapped it up like it was the sweetest nectar. "How does it feel to have everything you ever coveted taken away from you? All your designs for the world, all the death you're responsible for, all of it for nothing! Does it hurt? Please, tell me."
Impudent little-!
"Now, now, Lelouch." Kallen spoke up in a chiding manner, even going so far as to wag her finger at him. Her lax grin, belying the incoming taunt, sort of ruined it though. "Aren't you princes taught to be gracious in victory? Don't be mean just because you screwed up the poor old man's plans."Her words garnered an amused reaction out of him, his smile going nowhere even as he raised an incredulous eyebrow at the finger that she was still audaciously waving in front of him. After a moment he just shrugged unrepentantly. "I suppose I should be, but can I help it if I find sticking it to the man so enticing?"Then his gaze slipped away from her to focus back on said man, his expression and tone suddenly going cold. "Must be the commoner in me."Hearing that old reasoning for Marianne's death, Charles felt some amusement cut through his ire. It was amazing how well he'd sold the world on that, especially seeing as he'd rarely ever said a word in regards to that night. Oh how the truth would change his son's tone.Still riding the high of their success, the young couple didn't make much of how the Emperor's lips were rising in a secretive smirk. Instead, Lelouch decided to test another hypothesis of his regarding C's World's functions. Stretching out his conscious mind, he envisioned an object and then imagined it before him. Once again the iris of his left eye lit up, surrounding his Geass sigil in a lighter shade of red, and shortly after that a plush four-legged ornate armchair rose out of the rock right in front of them. It spoke volumes of how his Queen had adapted to all this weirdness that her only reaction to it was a mild glance."Care for a seat, Kallen?" While he made the offer with his usual suave dignity, mentally he was punching the air. Yes! One more weapon in the arsenal!It was good thing Kallen wasn't psychic, otherwise the eye-roll she gave him after looking between him and the ridiculously over-the-top chair would have been much more pronounced. It was a tacky thing that she'd sooner burn (optionally including her skank of a stepmother strapped to it), but on the other hand it had been pretty non stop all day and her feet were killing her. At last she just shook her head at him exasperatedly and took the proffered seat."This better not strap me down or anything!""Please, my dear. We haven't even had a first date yet."The girl's indignant squawk would have elicited a chuckle out of Charles if he'd been in a better mood. Nevertheless, he couldn't deny what he'd been told anymore: the parallels between these two and his own courtships really were impossible to miss…even if the roles had been somewhat reversed personality-wise. His intrigue, however, was caught by what Lelouch had just done.He can manipulate this realm, even at that rudimentary level, after experiencing it only twice? It had taken him and Victor years to manage that, even after his brother claimed his Code. If Lelouch could already do that, how long then before he understood the workings of the Sword of Akasha and started dismantling it? If it came down to a fight, Charles suddenly realised he would have to remove the boy first. Most likely he would have to kill him, locking him away in C's World's infinite labyrinth wouldn't do the trick as he'd already broken free of that once.But fighting was the last thing on Lelouch's mind as he turned his winning smirk away from Kallen's flushing glare and perched himself on a pile of worn ruins, crossing one leg over the other and resting his arms upon the stone, fingers locked together as if they were having a casual chat. "Well now, seeing as we have an abundance of spare time and only each other for company, perhaps you can answer some questions. Namely, who was it who murdered my mother? And what's your excuse for not protecting her?"Gotta admit I'd like to know the answer to that one too. It had always astounded Kallen that anyone could get through the security of Pendragon's royal residences, particularly Aries Villa. Marianne vi Britannia should have been the safest woman in the Empire, yet somehow a supposed terrorist cell had gotten through. Logic pointed towards another noble being behind it, maybe even another Consort, who didn't like that a commoner had risen so far. At first it had just been another reason for her to hate Britannia, but now after meeting and getting to know Lelouch and Nunnally it was more for their sake than anything else.As for Charles, he knew that had been coming yet still he sniffed in disdain at his son's gall. "Such arrogance. Here you sit, demanding the truth. You who could only make it this far by deceiving everyone around you.""Indeed." The son unapologetically acknowledged, "I've lied every step of the way. And not just about my name and past, I've kept my true objective hidden as well." A momentary frown shot over his face as he glanced at his partner. "Though not from everyone it would seem."She just shrugged at his disguised query. "Blame Nunnally and C.C., they gave me all the pieces I needed. Can't say I'm okay with us being the secondary goal but…""Indeed." He picked up, seeing where she was going with it. "That's just how pragmatism works. Everyone needs to play along together in order to get anything done. If we didn't then nations and people, these things we call communities, wouldn't exist."He paused for a moment, a stray thought catching him unawares which led to him letting out a small chuckle. "After all, the tale of a small island banding together under one banner, one ideal, one goal…well it's a little farfetched, wouldn't you agree?" A disdainful snort escaped his nostrils at that assumption – what twaddle! – even when he was six he hadn't believed that fairy tale. "Or how the whole population of that same island welcomed Henry Tudor with open arms after he ousted the 'evil' Plantagenet dynasty, conveniently forgetting that he spent his entire reign fighting to keep his new crown, even marrying a Plantagenet himself?"On that note, thank God for Shakespeare. Lelouch may take issue with the man's reputation as the greatest playwright of all time, but he was an undeniably phenomenal storyteller. Would Richard of Gloucester be so universally despised otherwise?In her seat, Kallen sniffed mirthlessly, "Seems covering up undesirable truths is a favoured Britannian past-time.""Not so." Lelouch was quick to correct her firmly. "Japan's closet has just as many skeletons hidden away – Oda Nobunaga springs to mind – but is that truly a sin? No one can deny that the truth, if mishandled, can be devastating to a cause."Right. She saw where he was going with that, truth without context was just as dangerous as any lie. After all, that was how Schneizel turned the Black Knights – he told them about Lelouch's Geass and let them run to their own conclusions.Seeing that she understood his point, Lelouch continued his lecture. "Lying is part of human nature, a holdover from more primitive times: 'My tribe is better than yours and here's why…' A smokescreen that smaller but more intelligent creatures would use to ward off predators or rival tribes. As our intelligence increased and tribes became civilisations, so too did that mentality which bred the propaganda machine – rhetoric designed to improve one group's image at the detriment of another. Lies, betrayal, masks, these are all tools that have developed from that ancient need for security, creating the imaginary construct called 'order.'""So you posit we are no more advanced than the chimpanzee and other primates." Charles summed up, quite impressed with his son's awareness of humanity's current nature and how it had effected history."Not at all." Lelouch denied, his tone and expression having turned somewhat introspective "We have advanced beyond what we were, there is no doubt, but in that development our old insecurities have grown with us. Everyone wears a different face depending on the situation they find themselves in, a person will not show the same face to their friend that they do to their employer or their family."His focus slipped over to his red-haired partner who'd been listening to him in silent curiosity. "Even my most loyal soldier has at least four masks that I'm aware of."Four? Kallen didn't think she had that many, as far as she was aware she only had two – one of which she barely used anymore since the first Black Rebellion – so where had Lelouch picked up the other two? Seeing the confused enquiry on her face, Lelouch didn't waste time to explain. Lifting up his right hand, he extended his four fingers."Mask One: Kallen Stadfelt, a wealthy young woman who is gifted with incredible intelligence but unfortunately has a very weak constitution." That said his index finger curled closed."Mask Two: Kallen Kozuki or, as she would call it, 'That Angry Little Girl.' Fuelled with an unmatched drive, she strives to restore the dignity of her homeland." He may have had a bit too much admiration in his voice if the blush that adorned Kallen's face was anything to go by. Nevertheless he'd made his point and so he closed the middle finger."Mask Three: Q1. Though she shares the determination of Mask Two, she is ultimately an Agent of Zero's will." A snort beside him had him turning to face Kallen sharply, "Don't deny it. You did everything Zero ordered of you without ever questioning it.""Example?" She pushed. There was no way she had ever been that submissive, sure she'd been loyal to Zero and his ideals throughout the rebellion but she had to have questioned him at some point…right?But he had just the example to torpedo those thoughts. "Narita. Zero told you to use the Guren to set off an landslide and you did it without a second thought. You didn't even consider that, along with Cornelia's forces, we'd also bury the JLF, an entire city and…"Well, they knew exactly who else had been killed that day.And Kallen flinched as she realised just how right he was. Even though they had ultimately failed to deliver, for seven years the JLF had been the hope of Japan. Then Zero came along, gave them win after win, granted her the power to obtain victory…and she hadn't even hesitated. It wasn't until the funeral for Shirley's father that she'd even realised what the knock-on effects of her actions had been…she'd just been following Zero's orders.Her expression showed Lelouch that his point had been made and so, somewhat less opulently, he closed his ring finger. "And Mask Four? Probably the oldest of them all. The Commoner's Daughter: Kallen."A glance showed him that yet again he had confused her and so he went on to explain. "Your mother has been the fixture of your existence these last eight years. When you were little you sought her approval, when you grew you tried to force her to leave for her own good, and when you became a Black Knight and learned the truth of why she never left your father's house she became your reason to change the world."It's also why you get so angry whenever someone brings her up. He left that bit out though, no need to risk a black eye. Better that he steam ahead before she decided to take issue with his examples. "All these faces, and likely more that I am unaware of, do their part to make Kallen who she is. Society demands she play a certain role, the Black Knights demand another, Ashford Academy demanded another, and so on."The way he's wording it…the girl in question couldn't help likening his description of her to schizophrenia – split personalities. Granted she had never really put too much thought into why she acted in certain ways around different people. She'd always thought the way she behaved as Kallen Kozuki was her real self – but now Lelouch was saying that was just another mask? Was he accusing her of lying to herself?"Each mask fills the role that is required of her," Lelouch continued, heedless of the turmoil he'd left in his wake, "but is that a sin? What is one's 'true face?' Human beings are not so simple that we can just stick a label on them and say 'that's that,' after all."His lecture now pointed back towards its primary audience. "Even you use a mask, that of an Emperor, someone who supposedly holds great power and undisputable authority even though deep down you know it's all a lie." He paused for a moment before another small chortle escaped his lips, "It was actually Schneizel who made me realise that, a riddle that had a rather obvious answer: 'Three Great Men walk into a room - a King, a Priest, and a Rich man. Between them stands a common sellsword. Each Great Man bids the sellsword kill the other two. Who lives? Who dies?'"Ah yes. Charles remembered that riddle particularly well. Victor had beaten him over the head with it for years, even after he took the Throne, to remind him just how dishonest the current mankind was. And of course Schneizel would come across it, such a word game fit his mentality perfectly, even if his reaction to its solution was rather gutless."And?" He found himself asking, his mood slowly improving in the face of his son's intelligence. "What is the answer, Lelouch?"As if you don't know. Lelouch could tell from the man's tone that he was just fishing again. For now he would humour him. "Obviously it depends on the sellsword and what he wants: whoever he thinks can give it to him lives, the other two die.""But if that's true," Charles asked back, his tiny smirk growing just a touch, "if it's swordsmen who decide life and death, why do we pretend Kings hold all the power?"An expected riposte, which Lelouch was already prepared to respond to. A flick of his fingers around air and a moment later a black King chess piece materialised between his index and middle finger, resting firmly on his thumb. "Power resides where people believe it resides. And in that lies the unspoken truth about power: it doesn't exist. It's a trick, a shadow on the wall, another mask created to maintain order."Flicking the King piece around again so the head was pointed directly at its real life counterpart, he finished with a small satisfied smile. "And the Emperor is the prime example of that farce, aware of the truth but unable to do a thing about it lest the carefully built community falls in on itself. So stands the tragic reality of modern human civilisation: None of us can make a move without our respective personas."His conclusion was met with silence. Kallen was left awestruck and more than somewhat concerned that Lelouch viewed the world in such a way. This was the level of thought people would expect of a world-weary philosopher or a depressed poet, spin the bloody wheel on which was worse, not that of a prince-in-exile-turned-revolutionary. And his thoughts on power…"What about Geass?" She felt compelled to ask, garnering the attention of both Britannians. "Where does that fall in all this?" Surely that disproved the non-existence of power.But Lelouch, having predicted someone would bring that up, was ready with his rebuttal. "Geass is the exception that proves the rule. Out of all the people who have attained greatness throughout the centuries, I suspect one in a hundred had Geass. Take Schneizel for example, no Geass and yet he is still considered Heir Presumptive. Look at what he did to me with just a few words in the right ears and the right timing.""So what, Schneizel's success is all down to wit and clever word-play?" That couldn't be it, there had to be more to Britannia's White King that made the Empire follow him beyond being clever and lucky!"Kallen," he replied wearily "our success is a result of wit and clever word-play.""He is correct, young one." The Emperor boomed, snatching their attention off of each other and back to his massive presence. He had to give it to Lelouch, it would take a genuinely intelligent individual to see the truth of the constructs of human society. "The entirety of human history could be summed up with 'they were in the right place at the right time' but that wouldn't make for an interesting story, would it? And so historians – so-called 'experts' on the past – create individuals of great worth and give weight to the illusion of power."It was a grim truth, one that he had accepted about humanity long ago…but fortunately for the young lady she wouldn't ever have to. As such he turned his attention to his son. "Yet for all your accurate summations of the human race and its constructs, you are also completely wrong."That said he turned on his heel and sent out a summons through his Code. Almost instantly the world around them changed from the dusty ruins to the high-stacked library that signified his personal corridor of memories, a large window letting in the sunlight where the Sword could still be seen climbing.The change in scenery had Kallen suddenly on the alert, within an instant she was back on her feet and stepping forwards. Never mind whatever philosophy Lelouch and the Emperor believed in, here and now still mattered to her. Her defensive posture was halted though by a firm hand on her arm, glancing back she was set to give Lelouch what-for about manhandling her but his attention wasn't focussed on her. His gaze was still on the Emperor."Explain what you mean by that." He demanded, though his attention was split. This whole room appeared instantaneously – if he could manage that why hadn't the Emperor made an escape attempt yet?"You're not wrong that humans, as they are, need masks to survive, Lelouch." Charles conceded, his back now completely to them as he made his way to the nearest stacks and looked through the assorted books, his fingers running across such titles as Encyclopedia Britannia, Akasha, Ragnarök and Kollectives Unbewussten (Ah Jung, so close). Finally he came across the title he sought – Paranormal Phenomena – and pulled it free. "But you greatly underestimate their ability for understanding."Flipping the book open Charles perused through a few familiar pages that he and Victor had read together as children, eventually landing on a diagram of the theorised Mandala, or 'magic circle,' that symbolised a unity of all life. So many plans had been built around that one picture, some thrown away when they were thought up, others written off as too complex even with a Code and a Geass working together, until they finally came upon the final product that now still steadily rose towards its ultimate goal."What if humans could see themselves and each other for what they truly were?" He asked out loud, more a recounting of how his journey had begun than seeking an answer. "Would they be scared at what they found? Disgusted? Depressed? No."The book suddenly slammed back shut, the memories of those times forever ingrained on his soul. "When we realise that lies have no meaning in the endless flow of eternity those same personas which you claim define humanity will disappear, creating a New Type of human being. We will then be able to understand each other without misconception, consequentially conflict will also vanish.""A new breed of human?" Lelouch repeated, just to make sure he'd heard the man correctly. When he saw the affirming nod he let out an enormous scoff. "You disappoint me, Majesty. I was expecting some kind of intellectual debate, but what do I get? Metaphysical nonsense."An equally disbelieving sound found its way out of Kallen's lips. "Since when did you care about the welfare of the human race? The last ten years, at least, say otherwise. Persona or not, you don't give a damn about the world.""And why should I?" Charles returned, old anger building as visions of everything that had been taken from him assaulted his memory: his innocence, his friends, his mother and brother, his Marianne… "This world is a disgusting place that deserves to be washed away so that a new one may be created."A new world? Suddenly it clicked in Lelouch's mind and his head snapped around to stare up at the moaning chain that was still ascending towards the Jovian planet. Jovian, derived from 'Jove,' the Latin name for Jupiter, king of the Gods. And Charles had called out to God just as he arrived… No…he can't mean to…His unconscious gasp clued Kallen in that something was wrong and she broke her gaze on the Emperor to see what had gotten his attention. Following his gaze to the chain outside and then back to his stunned face, she put two and two together. "Lelouch, what is it? What did you figure out?""He just realised what this place truly is." Charles answered for his stunned son, a victorious smirk now adorning his face as he watched the boy's mind wrestle with the new information which his logical nature was fighting to deny. "For you see, my children, this is my Ragnarök Connection. Soon these masks which have forever deceived mankind will disappear, leaving only the truth.""What does that mean?" She demanded, spinning around again to face the Emperor, "What have you done?! What is this place?!""The Collective Unconscious…"Lelouch's dazed almost-whisper of an answer had her whirling back to him. "And what's that?"Despite his wonder at what he was beholding, mixed in with the denial that it could even exist, he managed to explain. "I-it's a theory regarding human psychology. According to Carl Jung, the human mind has different levels of consciousness. He believed that, in addition to our immediate consciousness which makes up our individual personalities, there existed another system: A universal and impersonal nature which all humans inherit on a psychic level.""He was partially correct." Charles revealed, enjoying the lost look on his son's face as he tried to work out what this new revelation was leading to. "There is an…influence that has been the guide of human behaviour for the better part of our species' existence. Throughout that time it has had many different names: Carl Jung's Collective Unconscious, representing the uniting force, whilst amongst certain religions it has been called the Great Transmigration signifying the cycle of life, death and rebirth." As he explained this, his expression slowly grew colder until it was a deep scowl of disgust. "But I choose to call it that which has hounded humanity, the first great lie: God.""So you intend to wipe that lie away." Lelouch summed up before turning his attention to Kallen to explain what he thought the Emperor was up to. "Think of this whole place as a metaphor for the human mind; where we are, what we're standing on, what we can manipulate…" his King piece popped up in between them for a second before he flicked it into his palm and bent it, the rigid wood suddenly as flexible as paper. "All of that is representative of our conscious mind. But that…" he now pointed up at the Jovian sphere, "is the manifest form of our unconscious mind, our dreams and memories, all things which we cannot manipulate but come to us sometimes without thought.""Like a song that pops up in your head even though you hate it?" She asked.He nodded at the analogy, "Similar to that, but much deeper. If I've understood it right, that sphere also holds the memories and experiences of people who have long since passed on. Using your song analogy, maybe you hated the song but the person your mind has indirectly come into contact with loved it.""So…humans are telepathic?" Just saying it out loud sounded crazy to her. "But how come nobody's ever said anything about it?""In a way, Jung did." Lelouch then returned his attention to the Emperor. "But you made a point to ridicule him in a public announcement, citing it as the EU desperately trying to disprove human inequality."Charles merely shrugged. "Well, we couldn't have someone else getting it into their head to try this. What if some power-hungry dictator sought to use it to their own ends?" A little self-deprecating smile slipped onto his lips as he finished that statement.Indeed, what if that had happened? Lelouch considered, suddenly feeling the urge to roll his eyes of all things at the man before him."But if that thing's made out of human minds…living and dead…" Kallen murmured to herself, her mind still stuck on what had just been explained to her. What it all implied…if Lelouch was right about what all this was…denial warred with hope as her gaze locked on to the sphere. "Does that mean…my brother's up there?"To his credit, Charles didn't miss a beat at the utterance of her question and he simply gave her an unseen nod. "Your brother, and mine, and a plethora of other souls, all of them influencing human behaviour which has rained undue strife upon the world."But she didn't hear beyond the first bit. Suddenly Kallen found herself dazedly walking right up to the window and staring out at the planet, something swelling up in her chest. Could it really be true? Was her brother really so close to her now? Was he watching her? Had he always been there, trying to reach her and she just hadn't heard him?"Nii-san…""Kallen!" A hand suddenly latched onto her shoulder and shook her…she almost didn't feel it the first time. Worriedly, Lelouch shook her again considerably harder, his nails digging into her shoulders. This time it got through to her and she snapped out of her strange trance, though she looked up at him with uncomprehending eyes. "Kallen, get a hold of yourself!""But it's…" Why didn't he want her to look at it? If her brother was there then Nunnally must…"Stop looking at it!" He snapped at her, going so far as to grab her chin so her eyes remained firmly on his. "Your brother is dead! He died two years ago in a raid that went bad! That sphere is not your brother, it's just his accumulated experiences!""But, is that not all we humans are?" Charles butted in, "Memories and experiences define our identities. You know that better than most, Special Advisor Kingsley."His words, coupled with the utterance of that name, drew the ire of his son who wheeled back to glare at him. "Play your tricks on me all you want, Emperor, but leave Kallen out of it!""Tricks?" Charles asked, almost offended that he was being accused of such. "Do not mistake my actions for your own, Lelouch. I am simply answering the young lady's question.""You're feeding her false hope!""And what exactly was it you did in your little rebellion, Zero?!" The Emperor's voice suddenly thundered over Lelouch's own, silencing his latest allegation. "All you ever did was play with people's hopes and dreams! Do not pretend to be some grand heroic figure, you are as much a farcical mummer as Schneizel and far less noble!""Well of course he is, Charles." A new voice spoke up from the side, silencing both royals – one for joy, the other in disbelief – with a mischievous tone that suggested it was two seconds away from laughing at them. "After all, he is our son."With the sound of the newcomer, Lelouch's grip on Kallen became lax as he turned away from her fully to stare at the speaker. With his hold broken, she almost thought about turning to look back up at the sphere but the look on his face stopped her. He'd been stunned into silence, never a good thing where he was concerned unless it was C.C. and that voice hadn't been C.C.'s.Concerned, she moved around Lelouch to get a look at the newcomer. She was a grown woman, maybe approaching middle age, clad in a gold-orange dress, with raven waist-length hair and violet eyes that sparkled with recognition as she looked upon them all. "Honestly, can't you boys last two minutes without degenerating into a shouting match?"Okay, she knows Lelouch and the Emperor. That combination spelled 'bad guy' and Kallen immediately made to stand between Lelouch and the potential threat.The woman made no offensive moves however, in fact her observation of the younger woman's actions actually increased her already-mirthful smile. "Well Charles? Do you believe me now? All that's missing is a Bismarck figure and it'd be the old gang all over again.""Okay, that's enough." Kallen snapped, glaring at her. "Who are you? How'd you even get in here?"She didn't answer though, instead turning her gaze back to the shell-shocked member of their little group. "I have to admit Lelouch, you certainly have taste. A bit brazen but, if you're anything like your father, you probably enjoy that.""Hey, I asked you a question!" Kallen barked, her day was weird enough without some random stranger suggesting she and Lelouch were like that. "Who are you?"Her answer however came from the worryingly quiet man behind her whose gaze hadn't left the newcomer since she'd made herself known. It wasn't possible, it couldn't be possible! He'd seen her body! He'd seen her…"Mo…mother…?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mother? Kallen couldn't have heard that right, there was no way. This woman standing before them with a casual smile on her face couldn't possibly be Marianne 'the Flash!' And yet Lelouch stood in stone shock, his expression a mix of recognition and denial…but it couldn't be! His mother was killed nearly a decade ago! It was one of the fixed reasons for his rebellion against Britannia in the first place!It must be some sort of trick. She reasoned, feeling bile rise and fall in her throat yet again today as her already terrible opinion of the Emperor dropped a mile further. The bastard would do this to his own son? Taunt him with his mother's ghost?The apparition however didn't change form or float around the stage in any manner, she merely continued to look upon her son and marvel at the man he'd grown into. "Oh my, Lelouch, just look at how much you've grown! So tall and noble, just like you always wanted to be!"This is impossible…Every fibre of his being was telling Lelouch that this couldn't be real, logic defied her being here…and yet, the little boy who had the whole world ripped out from underneath him when he was just nine years old begged for it to be otherwise. He wished it so much that he urged his body forwards, out of Kallen's guard to stumble in front of this fantasy.Words failed him, save for another strangled 'Mother?'"Marianne." His daze was suddenly cut into by Charles, hiding the great relief he felt upon seeing his wife join them, as well as what it signified, behind a business-like tone that belied any worry whatsoever. "I was beginning to wonder what was keeping you."Hearing that man speak served to restore his senses, replacing amazement with fury. Lelouch wrenched his gaze away from the façade to glare at the Emperor. "Is this an illusion?! You'd actually go this far?!""No, it really is me Lelouch." Marianne cut him off before he could begin another tirade, drawing his unwilling gaze back to her. Hiding a sigh beneath her smile, the former Empress wondered at her son's inability to grasp something so simple. He was a smart boy but, just like his father, unless things fit into his vision of reality then he just couldn't accept it. Well, good thing I know just what to use to make him believe."Do you remember that time Cornelia brought Euphie over? The one where she and Nunnally had that tea party in the rose garden?" Oh, she could still remember cackling at what those two little hellions had done that day, her poor boy dragged into the middle of it and Nelly stuck between scolding and laughing herself. "Remember they said they needed a third 'lady' to join them, Lucia?"Wait a minute, I know this story. Nunnally had told Kallen this one when she'd been held captive, the tea party of the Three Ladies, Lady Nunnally, Lady Euphie and…Lady Lucia. How the hell could the Emperor have found out about that? No way he'd care enough about his children to hear about his son's first crossdressing experience. A short gasp from Lelouch told her he was thinking the same thing…but if that was the case…then that would mean…"You're real?" She found herself asking, disbelief still colouring her tone.At the young woman's question, Marianne shot an approving look her way. "As real as you, Queenie." And to prove her point she did a pirouette on one toe whilst the other was raised high to the heavens. "However, I can only take on my real form within this realm seeing as my physical one is a bit messed up right now." She couldn't help the little tinge of annoyance as she cursed her brother-in-law for the umpteenth time.For Lelouch, that story was the nail that sealed the coffin on his denial. He'd never told anyone about that humiliating experience and Cornelia certainly hadn't (he'd threatened to tell Schneizel about the terribly risqué poems she'd written about him if she did) and the Geass on Milly prevented her from talking about it. The only people who could know about it were the people who were there…which could only mean…"It's really you?" She'd been alive this whole time? But how…and why?"It's really me, Lulu." Oh dear, no reaction to that name or when she pulled a smile and winked at him in the way Reuben's precocious little granddaughter had been determined to master. Not that she minded that much – though she probably should but, meh, she wasn't that good a mother – her boy was so cute when he had that little lost look on his face.Leaving him as such, Marianne turned her attention to the girl at his side "So, did you get the answers you were seeking, dear?""Uhm – what?" Was her very intelligent answer, being put on the spot like that.But that was enough for the questioner to return to her son, placing her hands on her hips and huffing at him as if it was all his fault…which it kind of was. "Honestly, Lelouch, you've strung this poor girl along far enough. And if I'm saying that, you know you're in trouble. D'you know I had to talk her into coming here?"The reprimand didn't cut through his daze so much as that little admission did, she had spoken to Kallen? When? How? She had known about this?! Whirling around furiously to stare at her, he was all set to rail at her for keeping quiet but was stopped from doing so by her placating hands and convincingly confused expression."Lelouch, I don't know what she's talking about, I swear!" Did he really think she'd keep something this big from him? "We've never spoken! I would've remembered if your dead mom's ghost popped up in front of me!"Would you though? She spoke the truth, he could see it in her face, her personality wouldn't have allowed her to stay quiet about this especially knowing what that would've meant to him. However, where Geass was concerned, memory couldn't always be trusted…His previous anger suddenly resurfaced, and he turned his glare onto the Emperor. Would that he'd still been mortal, his Geass was practically throbbing under his need for answers. "Explain. Now!"If he used it on her, violated her mind like that…Oh he couldn't kill the man but he had a realm that answered to human thought. So, if he wanted to hurt him for, say, an eternity or two…Knowing her son as only a mother could, Marianne quickly deduced the direction his thoughts were taking and fixed her husband with a stern look. "Charles, I think it's high time we filled him in."The man in question glanced between his amused wife and his furious son – sparing a glance for young Kallen as well, just in case she found another rock – weighed his options and came to a decision. His mind made up, he gave his Empress a nod of agreement. "Indeed, this act has served its purpose. Lelouch, I will now tell you the truth of your mother's murder."At this announcement some of the anger in Lelouch's expression dropped away, his need to know about what happened that night, now more than ever, rising above his rage. That said he still made a point to stand between Kallen and his father; whatever truth he was about to learn, whatever had happened that night, if she had learned something about it and the Emperor had messed with her mind, there would be no maze he could escape to that Lelouch wouldn't tear down to get at him.His stance wasn't lost on Charles, who held back a scoff. As if he would use his power so flippantly, if he wanted the girl's silence he'd just have her killed. But that wasn't a concern, whether his son believed it or not, and so he focussed on the task at hand: revealing the truth."But first, you must understand." And with a mental flick, his Corridor of Memories changed; the library melted away, leaving in its place a hall of framed paintings – some of which showed his children, living and dead (special mention to his fool son Clovis and sweet naïve Euphemia), but these were ultimately irrelevant – and he led his young audience to a much older frame.In it stood two boys, one with blond hair and the other chestnut brown, sharing the same amethyst eyes and both immaculately dressed as befit their station, standing upon a hill of fresh cut grass. Despite this description, the picture was not a happy one; they were staring at something off panel, the blond glaring in disgust whilst the slightly younger brunette clung to the elder's arm in terror.Neither of them could be much older than Lelouch had been when he'd found his mother's mangled body covering Nunnally's on the stairs in Aries Villa. But the younger boy's hair…the colour of it…several of his half-siblings shared that hair colour…and the eyes…it couldn't be…His gaze slipped from the scene to stare up at the stoic giant before him. That look shouldn't belong on his face, no matter the age.At his side, Kallen was sharing the sentiment. If this was who she thought it was…it just didn't compute.Marianne took one look at the pair and hid an amused smile. It was always the way with the younger generation, constantly forgetting that, once upon a time, the adults they honoured or rebelled against had been children too.Charles however took no notice of their reactions and merely began his story. "You seem to know your history, Lelouch. Surely you're aware of what transpired fifty years ago when this memory was made."Fifty years…yes, Lelouch knew exactly what he was referring to. He'd studied that period from every angle, reading it from the perspective of every historian who'd written about it in his search for a weakness to exploit against the Emperor. In doing so he'd become intimately familiar with the conflict that surrounded Charles zi Britannia's rise to power."The Emblem of Blood.""Yes. The 'war that paved my way to greatness.'" Charles recited his least unbearable Britannian historian's opening on the subject, finishing with a derisive snort. Fools, what did they know? "More like a Hell on Earth that my brother, Victor, and I were practically born into. Supposedly we were Princes of the Royal Family of Britannia, in reality we were mere pawns in a blood-soaked game played by our elder siblings and the Peerage. Daily assassinations, brawls in court, 'accidents' on the road. Round the clock acts of greed and barbarity born from the lies of my accursed father."The vitriol in his tone as he spoke of his predecessor left Lelouch genuinely surprised. Ricardo von Britannia II was not a fondly remembered man, but he had always figured that was just the Emperor's Social Darwinist policy at work: Ricardo had lost, ergo he wasn't worth remembering. It had never crossed his mind that the Emperor had truly despised his father. Although, he'd never heard of a Prince Victor either so perhaps his hatred was justified.Looking in on these old memories, the swath of emotions Charles had buried from that time slipped loose from their binds. Those were dark times, a little boy with nothing but his big brother to rely on and a mother who truly loved him, but he'd held out hope that they could weather the storm. In her he found shelter and comfort with the certainty that Victor would look after them all, as long as they stayed together he'd been sure they could make it through. Naturally, reality proved him wrong.Steeling himself for this most painful of memories, Charles raised his Code-engraved palm to face the portrait and forced his will into it transmitting what he wanted them all to see. The crane symbol flashed in response and a moment later the scenery around them changed yet again.For three of the four observers, this was something they'd experienced before and so the only reaction Lelouch gave the change was the mild raising of an eyebrow. Kallen however looked around at her surroundings, mildly spooked by what she saw. The hallways and paintings fell away completely, but instead of the constant sunset the sky was now a calm mid-afternoon blue, the stone ruins replaced with small islands of woodland amongst a sea of green fields, and the stone floor was now a brown dirt path.Noting the calm mixed with curiosity on Lelouch's face, she nudged over to whisper to him. "What's going on?""He's taken us inside one of his memories." He explained shortly not looking away from the scene, his impatience straining his temper. What did this have to do with his mother's murder or, for that matter, how she was still alive? Why weren't they just jumping into one of her memories?To her credit, Kallen just gave him a 'huh' in response to that explanation. Considering everything else, looking into the past wasn't all that special so she just decided to go with it and see what this all had to do with anything.As if on cue there was a rumbling upon the road, followed by the appearance of a coupe-style horse-drawn carriage over the hill in front of them. Its windows were covered and the driver himself was as unremarkable as the horses that pulled the wagon along, his nervous gaze glancing around every other second at the fields and becoming flat out terrified whenever his eyes pointed forwards to the oncoming woods.Just watching the scene, the two ignorant members of the audience were suddenly overcome by the same thought: Something bad is about to happen.The Emperor just remained rigid, glaring at the trees as if they were responsible for all the wrongs of the world, before giving his Code a nudge ushering the memory along and the scene changed again. Now the four of them found themselves within the rickety carriage. It was hardly large enough for all of them, had they looked down they would have seen their bodies poking out of the walls like ghosts.When they did look down though, it wasn't at themselves but the riders within the carriage. Immediately, Lelouch recognised the two boys from the painting. The blond was sat on his own, arms folded, glaring at something only he could see, whilst across from him the younger brother snivelled into the black dress of a stately woman whose worn green eyes betrayed a witness to any number of horrors."Is she…?""My mother." Charles finished his son's question, flinching ever so slightly at the sight of her. "Her Royal Highness, the First Consort to the Emperor, Lady Nunzia of Virginia."He said no more, his attention fixed on what was about to happen. Something clipped the wheel of the coach, rising it up on one side and them slamming back down, causing the brunette boy to wail in terror and bury himself deeper into his mother's embrace."Charles." She cooed gently, running her hand back and forth through his chestnut locks soothingly. "It's alright, my little prince, we'll be home soon. There's nothing to worry about."Her calming words, combined with the trust only a child can have for a parent, did the trick and the little Charles looked up at her through his tearful eyes. "Y-you p-promise?""I promise." She said back, giving him a strained smile that barely hid her true feelings."Stop lying to him." The blond boy – Victor – suddenly spoke up, his sharp tone matched by the glare he fixed her with. "Tell him the truth! They killed Uncle Robert and we're next.""Victor!" Nunzia snapped as the young Charles' expression grew even more fearful. "Don't speak of such things! You're scaring your brother.""Better he knows the truth and be scared than happy and ignorant." He shot back defiantly. "The other princes want us dead because we're your children and That Man doesn't even care!""Don't speak of your father like that!" She reprimanded, although her own expression was growing worrisome, as if she didn't quite believe her own words. "The Emperor has many responsibilities, but you are his sons. He will always protect you!"As the argument continued, on the side, Lelouch couldn't help but wonder if this hadn't been the first time his grandmother had had to deal with Victor's attitude.Blind to his audience, the boy in question just scoffed. "Yes, like he protected Hans and Gertrude. They were his firstborns and he didn't even lift a finger against their killers!" His mother started to refute him, but he'd already dismissed her in favour of his little brother. "Charles, you know I'm right."Little Charles didn't seem to know anything, he was just looking between his scared mother who he loved and his big brother who he admired. He couldn't voice an opinion, even if he had one, when these two got at it like this.However, the pause gave Nunzia the chance to step back in and push her son back, "Leave your brother out of this, Victor! You'll never forgive your father for that day, I have accepted that, but don't drag Charles into your grudge!""A grudge?!" The boy repeated furiously. "The whole royal family tearing each other apart whilst he sits on high is not a grudge, it's a crime against humanity! And sooner or later the surviving family members are going to come for us. Where do we run then?! We need to fight!""NO!" Her cry shook even the members of the audience who had witnessed this before, her shrill voice transmitting the terror that now made itself known in the wide-eyed stare as she tried to shout sense into her son. "You will not get yourself involved in their games, Victor! I forbid it!""Well what else can we do?!" If there had been space Lelouch suspected his pint-sized uncle would have stood up, as it was he puffed his chest out at her challengingly. "When are you going to face the truth, Mother?! The Emperor – your husband – has decreed that only the strong are fit to rule, so why don't we beat him at his own game?"It didn't take a genius to see where the ten-year-old was going with this."Murder the Emperor of Britannia?" The tone she said it with betrayed just how insane she found that idea. "You'd be dead before you even reached the first steps of the palace!""Not if I'm the strongest!" Victor shouted back, "This world is made up of liars and thieves! If they see that I'm the strongest they'll bend the knee and beg me to kill him!""Madness…" Nunzia whispered, staring at her son as if she'd never seen him before. "You're speaking madness, Victor.""Mother?" Little Charles' tugging at her skirts went unnoticed as parent and child continued to argue."I'm just saying what you've always been too afraid to say!" Victor shot back, "This world is sick, and I intend to cleanse it!""With blood and lies?!" Nunzia sniffed in pure derision at such an idea. "You'll just make more of the same, Victor: death and deceit! The only thing that will change is the man ordering people to slaughter each other!""Mother.""So, I should bend over and hope the lions don't notice me?" He practically snarled, "Julia tried that and look what happened to her! No, I'll be the snake in the grass, biting at the lions' ankles where they can't see me until it's too late.""How fitting, as poison is all that's spewing out of your mouth!" His mother retorted, clutching her other son closer to her as if that would muffle out the words of his brother. "And how many will you kill like that? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? I'll tell you how many you'll kill, Victor: Never enough! You'll start and never stop, just like all the others!""I AM NOTHING LIKE THEM!""MOTHER!""WHAT CHARLES?!" The three shouting voices echoed off the too-small walls, silencing all three at once. Little Charles shrank back, unused to having his mother shout at him like that. The sight of him doing so however went a long way to helping both his brother and mother remember themselves. Clearing her throat, pointedly looking only at her younger son, she apologised. "I'm sorry, Charles. What did you want to say?"The nerveless version of the future Emperor mumbled a few unintelligible words until, ushered by his mother, he spoke up loudly. "The carriage has stopped."And just like that the bad feeling Lelouch and Kallen had been harbouring intensified, made worse by Victor's glare suddenly melting into worriedly peering out the window and Nunzia going stock still. However, she managed to pluck up some courage from within and unwrapped her son's arms from her waist, pushing him away and sidling over to the carriage door."Stay inside." She told them as firmly as she could. Little Charles apparently didn't approve of what she was about to do and tried to follow her, but she roughly shoved him back and repeated her order. She then turned to Victor. "Stay with your brother. Do not put him in danger."A second ago he might have taken offence to what she was implying, but now he just nodded and switched seats, wrapping his arms around his little brother's shoulders and pulling him back. Seeing him do that, their mother gave him a small nod of thanks before giving her younger son a kinder look. "You just stay with your big brother, my little prince. I'll be right back.""No. No! Mother don't!" Little Charles started pulling against his brother who had to fight to keep a hold of him. "Victor stop her!"But he just held on, his expression a mix of resignation and fury having no doubt worked out what was probably waiting for them outside. Nunzia however kept her smile in place as she opened the door. "You boys stay right here. I'll see you again in a minute.""No, you won't!" Screamed Little Charles, still fighting tearfully against Victor's grip. "You're lying! Stop lying!"She however just kept smiling until she stepped out of the coach, closing the door back on them, and went to meet her fate."That was the last time I ever saw my mother alive." The present Charles uttered grimly, his words freezing the memory and shaking the younger watchers who hadn't expected him to break his silence."What happened to her?" Kallen found herself asking, dreading whatever answer he could possibly give. She couldn't help it, the desperate cries from the man's younger counterpart were too much like her own when Naoto went on that ill-fated raid that she couldn't not feel something.Her question earned a glance from the Emperor for all of two seconds before he returned his gaze to the still image before him. "She was betrayed. We had taken this path on the advice of a vassal whom we thought would stand with us through hell itself. Instead…"As if acting on cue, the scene changed. They were now back outside in the same location as before, but a few things had changed. Clearly some time had passed as the sun was considerably lower in the sky, bathing all the surrounding fields in a calm orange glow and in the distance the first signs of night reared their heads with a premature moonrise. It could almost be considered peaceful…were it not for the other glow in the nearer fields. This light source raged and licked the air whilst plumes of black smoke choked the nearby trees.The flames came from the coach, turned on its side and set ablaze. Beside it lay the driver from before, eyes wide in petrified terror, his chest riddled with holes that leaked red, an indentation on his head the shape of a horseshoe betraying what had happened to the absent animals. And sticking out from beneath the carriage were the remains of a tattered black dress…and a twitching feminine hand."Gods…" The word escaped her mouth before Kallen could think to stop it. She'd read up on the Emblem of Blood, everyone at Ashford did, but even though she'd seen beyond the bullshit propaganda shoved down their throats the reality was something else. To see an example of those days…and this was a daily occurrence?Beside her though Lelouch had overcome his shock, remaining suspicious as to why he was being shown this. So the Emperor's mother was murdered by treacherous elements, what of it? Did he hope that, by showing him their similarities, he'd be tempted to switch sides? And, more importantly, what did this have to do with the attempt on his mother's life?"We were fortunate that the thugs hired to kill us were as intelligent as they were merciful." Charles recounted, stepping through the devastation, leading them ahead a few steps to where the two boys stood alive but terribly shaken. They weren't alone however; before them lay a pile of ruggedly dressed men and even a couple of women, all of them sporting deep gauges on their chests that spoke of a sword strike. Only one of their number remained alive, a tall young man some years the Princes' elder with blue eyes and short-cut dark blue hair, and he was knelt before the boys."They had no idea that the family that contracted them to kill us had a dissenting voice in their number: Bismarck Waldstein.""Waldstein?!" That got a reaction out of Lelouch. He'd never heard of this!"Yes, even the Knight of One was once nothing more than a rebel." The Emperor confirmed, allowing a little bit of smugness into his tone at a having got one up on his son. "Unlike the rest of his family, the second son of the Waldsteins remained steadfast to my mother and, after her death, to us."Once again the scene died away, this time returning them to the corridor where they'd started. Charles, however, wasn't finished with his story. "Under his protection, Victor and I worked tirelessly to obtain justice for our family.""Which was when you founded the Zi Britannia line." Lelouch stepped in, remembering this bit from his studies. The reason that was so substantial a thing, the founding of a new branch, was that until then it had never been done. The Emperor always assumed the name Von Britannia, before that they were nameless – as likely a successor as any other member of the family. Charles zi Britannia might be known to the world at large as Britannia's 98th Monarch, but the small number who still remembered the times before knew he was in fact the First of his line.In the present, Charles nodded. "We sealed that name with a pact in blood, my brother and I: In this world full of lies, we will never lie to each other."A pact you failed to uphold, brother. His thoughts bred an unnoticeable flinch which he quickly wiped away before continuing. "Shortly afterwards, Victor discovered Geass."His brother had Geass as well? That was useful information which Lelouch quickly stored away, already considering the possibilities. Some of his questions from before found potential answers, if the older brother had Geass then he might know what happened to him. Did he lose control of his power? Did the younger brother have to put him down and take on the Contract himself?Charles was fully aware of his son's calculating thoughts, he had the same look in his eye Victor had always said he got when he really started thinking about something. Probably thought that he'd had to kill his brother and take on the role of Emperor that Victor had been styling for himself."For three years Victor used his power to gain a foothold for our family, silently removing potential rivals whilst keeping our two main opponents – the Crown Prince and the Emperor himself – in the dark." Just as he'd sworn he would do, his brother had been the perfect little snake."And then one day, he told me that I would be Emperor, not he. 'Why, brother?' I asked him. 'Why me? You have led us this far. I'm just the Second Son. The spare.''Yes.' Victor told me. 'You are the Second Son but is not Bismarck, our most loyal, also a 'spare?'' And then he told me of what he'd done: He'd become immortal."Immortal…Lelouch's mind almost shut down with the arrival of new information. Suddenly things were falling into place, half-forgotten conversations he'd had with C.C. about the Emperor's Geass returning to the fore. Victor was the Emperor's older brother, unseen yet moving all the pieces, a former bearer of Geass and now a Code…there was only one possible person he could be."V.V.…your brother was V.V.?!"He expected the Emperor to confirm it for him, as if there was any need but the man liked to hear himself talk, surely he'd revel in telling him this little fact. Instead though, the answer came from the one person in their group he'd been doing his best to pretend wasn't there."Pretentious little brat." Marianne sneered, throwing in a derisive snort for good measure as she now took centre stage, clicking her fingers and changing the scene yet again to an almost identical hall save for the simpler carpets and less ornate frames storing her memories. "He didn't even start calling himself that until he met me.""You?" Kallen asked it for them when she saw Lelouch struggling to even look at the woman, not that she could blame him considering she'd do the same if Naoto suddenly popped up in front of her. "What did your meeting his brother have anything to do with it?""Well, I guess it wasn't really me." Marianne replied thoughtfully, taking her husband's hand and casually leading them back up the corridor to some of the newer memories. Coming to a stop in front of the frame she'd been looking for, she held back a giggle as the two youngsters gasped at one of the figures present. "More like the Verdette Bitch Tornado I hung out with."In the frame stood a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, smiling challengingly up at the now quite imposing future Emperor who regarded her with a wary yet curious eye. They however weren't the source of Lelouch and Kallen's shock, but who it was that accompanied the future Empress. She was wearing red riding gear identical to Marianne's own, but aside from that she was exactly the same as when they'd last seen her: Same waist length green hair, same bored expression on her face, hell she even had a half-eaten slice of pizza hanging out of her mouth."C.C.?!"The pair exclaimed her name for their own reasons. For Kallen it was the first showing that the lazy Pizza Girl was in fact immortal, she'd started to suspect it after the Emperor got back up but now here was the proof – forty years ago and she still looked the same. As for Lelouch, it struck something deeper: C.C. only spent time around certain people, which meant only one thing.For the first time since this story began, he faced his mother. "You have Geass.""Yup yup!" Was her perky response, winking her left eye which then glowed red, the familiar Crane symbol lighting up her purple iris. Winking it away she returned her attention to the painting. "She gave it to me six years before this, though I never used it. Pissed her off something fierce, but what could she do? She needed me, I needed her. That's how accomplices work.""So you made a Contract with her as well." His needless summary served to dim some of the image he'd held of his mother for the last nine years. How much of her reputation was a result of her ability?"And why not?" She asked, her smile turning into the same defiant one her past self was wearing. "This war didn't just harm the royals after all. Did you know you actually had an uncle on my side of the family?" She saw that he didn't. "He was such a silly little thing, and if you think my wit is dry you should've heard some of his lines. Hell of a temper though, his watch word for starting trouble was if he said he was 'going for a walk.'"Her recount brought a small sad expression to her face as she recalled that crimson idiot. Oh, Al. You should be here for this. But the world was cruel, she learned that the hard way when she came home one day only to learn that her little brother had been arrested and would face a firing squad in the morning for 'Treason and other aspersions against the Crown.'For her son though, it was an eye-opener to her reasons for supporting the Emperor in the war. Frankly it was a poorer motive than the ones he'd thought up as a child. "So you worked with them for vengeance.""Careful where you throw those stones, Lulu." She replied haughtily, "From what I've heard, you started your little fight with us over the same thing."Her smile dropped some as her gaze slid over to the small blond boy also in the picture – his hair had grown out some though it was hardly the length he would grow it after their first meeting and he was a little bit taller than what he'd been in the previous memory, but it was still unmistakeably Victor – who was glaring at the female pair. "Victor never trusted me from the moment we met, never mind I had Geass but C.C. was older than him. He bragged for months about obtaining his Code in just three years and maintaining his youth for a decade. I think it amused C.C. more than it should have done otherwise she never would have come out and told him her age.""Six-hundred-and-sixty-six, give or take a month or so." Charles recalled, smirking as he thought about that argument. Even though the whole world was against him, there had still been light moments. His countenance dropped somewhat as he thought it over some more. "However, Victor never let it go…and after I went against his orders and filled Marianne and C.C. in on our plans…I now believe that was when my brother truly died."So, there had been a falling out between siblings…in any other family Lelouch would have shrugged but, considering his own family squabbles, he knew just how dangerous that could be. "He didn't want them helping with this Ragnarök of yours?""Among other things." With that cryptic statement, Charles nodded at Marianne.She in turn let her Geass flare to life and the corridor moved along on its own, passing scenes of bloody conquest, herself and her husband alongside Bismarck with Victor and C.C. watching from the shadows, as well as images of a more…clandestine variety that both youngsters made a point not to look at ("Oh!" Marianne pointed out one such occasion involving wax and feathers. "I think you were conceived that time, Lulu!").At last the movement slowed to a halt before one particular frame, rather plain in comparison to the others: It was set within an opulent house, vast windows let in swaths of moonlight, and a long red carpet stretched from the frame edge all the way into the background. Also unlike the other images, there was only one subject – dressed in all white save for a purple cloak that hid his arms, which also was covered by long gold locks that now fell all the way to the floor, Victor smiled out at them although none of the assembled viewers drew any comfort from it. That was the smile a serpent would give before it bit you."Where's this?" It was Kallen who finally asked, noticing that Lelouch had gone stiff giving away that even he knew at least where the scene was set. "Lelouch, where are we?"He couldn't answer her. Not because he didn't know – on the contrary, he remembered everything about this place – but what it represented had left him unable to breathe. This was it, the answer he'd been seeking since that day…Seeing the state her son was in, Marianne took pity on them and answered in his place. "This is Aries Villa, my former dwelling and the place where Lelouch was born."Aries…the understanding snapped in Kallen's mind. She didn't need anything further to put together what they were about to see. This was the act that began Lelouch's journey to the person she met at Ashford Academy; everything they'd done together, all that the Black Knights had accomplished under him, it could all be traced back to this day…and now she was going to see it.The former Empress herself wasted no further time with explanations. She merely faced the painting, focussed on what she wanted it to do and let her Geass do the rest. The crane sigil once again lit up her eye and a moment later the scene changed to reflect the image.Now Kallen could see that they were in fact stood in a massive hallway, large enough that her Guren could be stood inside it and still have room for the Shinkiro or even the Gawain. That examination ended though when a little shuffling to the side moved almost everyone's attention to the lone figure stood on the red carpet that led from the doors, his back to the staircase. Victor was at ease, quite the far cry from his more volatile younger self, inspecting the hall with a lazy eye as if this was a usual get together between acquaintances.However, Lelouch's attention was fixed on the figure coming down the stairs. She wore the same dress as the apparition behind him, had her hair styled in the same way and even her age matched that of the present Marianne. But…it's been nine years, there should at least have been some wear in her face… Something wasn't adding up.Unaware of her son's scrutiny, the memory of Marianne continued to play out her role. Taking the last step down, she approached the small immortal with a measure of caution."V.V." She greeted, still glancing around the room as if expecting something to happen."Civility was about as far as Victor and I ever achieved with each other." The present Marianne explained, though now she scowled at the blond imp. "For Charles' sake, at least, and for the Plan."Unfettered by the commentary, the memory continued with Victor still keeping his back to her, his hands hidden within his insanely long hair. "Thank you for seeing me, Marianne.""Well you made it sound so urgent." She told him easily, though not letting up her guard for a moment. "So what did you need to talk to me about? We have the whole estate to ourselves, I even had Cornelia pull out."Cornelia…well that puts the question of her to bed. Kallen had gotten the full story from C.C. about Lelouch's adamant need to capture his half-sister. It spoke volumes to just how low an opinion he had of his family that he could even consider the captain of his mother's guard being culpable in her assassination. And now she was exonerated…Kallen wasn't sure what to think about that, and she could only guess how Lelouch felt about it.Meanwhile, Victor had turned around, now assuming the pose he'd held in the painting, deceptive smile and all. "Sorry to do this." He said, not sounding the least bit so. "Especially with Charles not around.""Is this about the Sword of Akasha?" Marianne asked, cutting through the niceties and wordplay her brother-in-law so loved to indulge in when talking to her, getting right to the point. "I would've thought you'd talk to C.C. about that."Okay so maybe she liked to play it too.Victor just managed to hide the flinch at the mention of the older, more experienced immortal and went on. Though what of his arms could be seen did tighten just a little. "No, this is just about Charles."For a second it looked like past Marianne might roll her eyes at him, likely because he was about to go off on a tirade about the Plan. Considering that the Emperor had inferred a disagreement between him and Victor surrounding her, it wasn't out of the picture.Instead though he remained calm as he carried on. "Ever since he met you, Charles has been acting like a different man.""Pfft!" The present Empress scoffed, "He started acting like a normal human being, you mean!""It seems to me you and he have come to enjoy learning more about each other." Though he said it without vitriol, there was something beneath his tone which suggested that to him this was a cardinal sin. "You realise, of course, if this continues the Contract he and I made years ago will never be fulfilled. I'll be left alone."His words drew a frown on the memory Marianne's face, something was wrong with this picture and she was caught in it."I realised, too late, what he intended." The present version stated, "He'd sent C.C. off to a Thought Elevator outside of Pendragon, had Charles bogged down with the Oriental Incident, even had OSI looking the other way."Even as she was narrating this, her memory self took a worried step back as things began to click in her head. As for Victor, he hadn't moved an inch…but something infinitesimal in his expression had changed, the glint in his eye turning his gaze from merely crafty to flat out sinister."From the beginning of time, it's always been the Woman to lead Man astray."That sealed it and suddenly Lelouch found himself holding his breath, this was it…but something still wasn't right with this image…"Lady Marianne!" Voices from above alerted both to the unexpected presence of two attendants who were now making their way down the stairs, curious about the conversation they'd overheard.Their arrival also broke Marianne's focus on the threat in front of her, the need for secrecy overriding the danger, and she turned away from Victor to glare up at her disobedient staff. "I told you to stay out of here!"She…turned her back on a threat?! It took everything for Kallen's jaw not to go slack. The Empress, Marianne the Flash, had just been threatened by someone she couldn't kill and her response was to look away?!Her disbelief was matched by Lelouch's, though for different reasons. No. This is wrong. It couldn't have happened this way! Where's-?His thoughts were cut off by gunfire. The second after Marianne had ascended the first steps, Victor's arms finally slipped out of his cloak. Within them he cradled a standard issue Britannian assault rifle which he now used to mow her down. The first rounds punctured her waist, the second brought down the two unfortunate souls that got curious, and the third Victor seemed to just put in her back out of spite.Even then his little smile didn't change. Not when he packed the gun away, not when he kicked the body just because he could, and not when he pulled out a phone to call in his lackeys. "The job's done, begin the cover-up. Make sure it looks like a terrorist attack."A sickly little grin finally broke his calm façade as another idea struck him. "Maybe we can even make Nunnally out as the witness.""A…a witness?!" Shock overcame clarity. He had his answer, he now knew why Nunnally wasn't where she was supposed to be – covered by her mother's body in a last act of protection – but that didn't stop the emotions. "They covered it up…and used Nunnally to sell the story?! SHE WAS CRIPPLED TO SELL A LIE?!""No." Marianne said, an equally vicious glower on her own face as she watched V.V.'s men start to pour into her home. "She wasn't supposed to live beyond the night.""Please tell me that little troll is dead." Kallen was seething at his side. Nunnally was the sweetest little girl she'd ever known, being confined to a wheelchair didn't negate that, she was the last person to deserve this."Oh he's dead alright." Marianne confirmed for them. "Charles saw to that recently."Good…He couldn't believe he was thinking it but for once Lelouch was glad for the Emperor's actions, even if it did mean V.V.'s Code was now in his possession. However, that still left one question. "How did you survive?"Instead of answering him immediately she waved around the room, namely the large pillars that took the weight of the floor above the hall. "Take a closer look. Apparently, when I say 'everyone keep out,' people take that to mean 'everyone but those who think they can run around wherever they like.'"What? Nevertheless, Lelouch took his mother at her word and stepped forward through the memory. She'd indicated the pillars and so that was where he looked, making a point not to look at the version of his mother bleeding out just a few steps away from him. Kallen followed him closely, her gaze fixed on him, ready to step in and calm him down if the situation became volatile again. He was holding it together now, but learning his sister had been used as a tool was not going to leave either of them any time soon.The distraction seemed to work though, even as the agents came back down with Nunnally's sleeping form and stuck her underneath Marianne's cooling body. Fury seeped into Charles' form as he watched his brother take aim at his little girl's legs, that same disgusting smile still on his face. Turning to his wife, he stared at her imploringly to which she nodded and lit up her Geass, freezing the memory.Lelouch himself was thankful for the metaphorical pause button being pressed, glaring one last time at the agents and committing their faces to memory before turning away to inspect the pillar on the left…and stopped still.Hiding just behind the structure was a little girl. Dressed in red and white, with a red ribbon in pink hair, she stared beyond his form at the dying body with terrified pink eyes. Who is this? Why is there another girl in the house?The only female company he remembered from those days, besides Nunnally and his mother, were Milly, Euphie, Cornelia, and Marrybell who sometimes brought that Zevon girl with her. There had never been another Rosette at Aries…had there?"It's rather ironic, you not remembering her." Marianne commented, seeing that he'd discovered what she'd sent him to find. "She's been trying to remember you for the last decade."What? She knew this girl? But he'd never seen her before. There was no way she'd let anyone into Aries, near her children, without being sure that the person was absolutely safe to be around. And to know that for sure, he at least should have met her. "Who is she?""The daughter of an old friend: Anya Alstreim.""WHAT?!" The youngsters' yell would have echoed off the hall had it been real. This was the future Knight of Six?! Lelouch had known her?! But that was impossible! He would have remembered!"She'd been brought here a week earlier to be schooled in etiquette." Marianne went on, untroubled by their reaction.That doesn't answer anything! Kallen thought, frustration rising. If she'd been brought here that meant she was a friend of Lelouch's. If that was the case, what was she doing following the Emperor? Surely she'd have wanted to…The answer struck her a second after it occurred to Lelouch, his gaze lifting up from little Anya and turning to face his mother's own. "Your Geass…it…""Now you're getting it." Marianne then gestured for him to look back at her past self. "See for yourselves."Her words served to start up the memory again. Nunnally slept away, encircled in her mother's arms, and Lelouch wrenched his gaze away from what was about to happen just in time. Gunfire opened up again, this time followed by screams as pain overrode the need for sleep, but he stubbornly stared only at his mother's eye. His vigil bore fruit and he saw her iris light up, the Geass crane flying forth and through him towards the little Anya. Turning around to look at the girl, the pair were unsurprised to see the tell-tale red rings settled around blank eyes."It was you." Kallen murmured, turning away from the little Anya to stare at Marianne. Something had been off when the Knight of Six had latched onto her when she attacked the Black Knights, her behaviour had been different to what they'd seen before, and now it made sense. "You were the one who let me go…"The Empress in question could have responded in any way she chose, but the one she went with was probably the most fitting. Raising a hand, she waved at her in a cheery manner. "Hi."That little discourse went right over Lelouch's head but it didn't matter, with that scene all of his questions were answered."You hid inside her." Had he been listening he would have realised how accusatory his tone was, not that he could be blamed. Anya couldn't have been any older than Nunnally was when this happened.Marianne however remained unmoved. "Yes, I did." She admitted, now completely ignoring the scene around them as Victor and his cronies left a twitching wide-eyed Nunnally staring up at the ceiling as a fresh stream of red joined her mother's. It wasn't relevant to the rest of the explanation.As Victor's people tore the windows apart with more gunfire she continued her story. "The Geass that had lain dormant for so long at last activated, transferring my consciousness over to hers. As a by-product, I discovered I could converse with C.C. though whether this was due to our Contract or not I could hardly say.""Converse with…" As the lights went on in the hallway and a number of guests rushed in so did those in Lelouch's mind. Part of him wanted to be surprised, another angry…but at the end of the day he knew her better than that, so he merely let out a small laugh.Kallen, temporarily distracted by the new arrivals (particularly the little raven haired leader of the group wearing an expression identical to what she'd seen a few hours ago), was brought back to her senses at the sound of that low chuckle. "What is it?""She always knew." He said, as if that explained everything.Across from them, Marianne nodded. "When I told her what had happened, C.C. left the Directorate to Victor and vanished."When she told her…? Then the Empress's words about being able to commune with her landed in her brain and she realised what Lelouch had meant. "You mean C.C. always knew the truth and never said anything?!""Of course she didn't." Marianne replied, almost condescendingly, "I was her Contractor after all. She was obliged to keep my secrets, just like she did with Lelouch." Her haughty manner dropped in favour for a short glare as the scene started to fade away. "Unlike some people I could name, she actually recognised the necessity of collaboration.""Indeed." The Emperor agreed, his own baritone tightened by anger over rewatching this night. "When Marianne came to me and told me what happened I went straight to Victor, believing he would be honest with me…instead…""I heard." Victor's voice echoed around them, this time without any sort of scene to place where this conversation had taken place though it was easy to guess. "What a tragedy. I will miss Marianne.""He lied!" Charles all but bellowed, the final edges of the memory blown away by his rage and returning them to their original starting point: The ancient platform with the chain of human suffering rising to strike down God. "My brother lied to me, he broke the pact that we built our House upon!"His own anger however, coupled with the end of memory lane, triggered a returning flare in the emotions of his young audience. "You dare?!" Lelouch barked at him, "You think you can just pass off everything on the dead?! So what if your brother killed Mother? You still threw Nunnally and me out as hostages!""And where do you get off, hiding this from your children?!" Kallen joined in, glaring over at Marianne, her own experiences with parental figures coming up. "My mother never abandoned me even when I wanted her to, but you didn't even try to fight for them!"The accusation did not sit well with the former Empress and her expression tightened into an offended scowl. "As you're not a mother yourself I'll let that one go.""Oh don't do me any favours!" The younger woman snapped back, unaffected by the veiled threat. "Your husband tossed out your kids and you probably patted him on the back when he did it! Mother of the Year material right here!""Have a care, young one." Warned Charles, his own tone turning frosty as he turned to glare at her as well. "We have permitted your stay here, do not test us by questioning why we did what was necessary for our children.""Necessary?!" She parroted, amazement at these people's certainty in their actions mixed with her anger on their children's behalf for what those actions resulted in. "It was necessary to leave them?! What the hell kind of parents do that to their children?!"She'd quickly get a reply, but not from either of the adults in front of her. Instead it seemed to come from all around them as a voice that she really hadn't expected to hear again:
"If you have someone you don't want to lose, you should keep them at a distance."
C.C.?! Hearing her voice stopped Kallen more than the actual rebuke itself and she suddenly turned to see where that had come from. Nothing met her gaze however and so she turned her glare back to them. "You think using her voice is going to help your case?"But the adults didn't seem to care about her threat as they looked beyond her to the other youngster, Marianne being the first to notice the recognition within that frozen glower of his. "I think you're blaming the wrong ones this time, dear.""Huh?" Seeing where their sight was directed, Kallen turned around to look that way as well coming face to face with Lelouch's still expression. It wasn't just shock she read in that look though, but recognition. Did he know what that meant? Wait, does that mean he brought that memory up?As for Lelouch himself, his stuck face finally loosened up again and it dropped into a realising frown. That advice, which she'd given him when they'd been looking for Shirley, coming back now of all times…and that whole Mao debacle… Tch. He found himself smiling emptily. You liar, you knew exactly what you were talking about.With her words in mind, he first gave his worried Queen an assuring nod before setting his sights on the Emperor. "Alright then, say I believe you. Why Japan?"Pleased, and admittedly surprised, to see he was still willing to hear them out, Charles began his explanation. "The Thought Elevators are curious contraptions: Though they are all connected to one another, one cannot access them from within C's World without having ventured through them in the real world first.""Though Victor was now head of the Geass Directorate, he couldn't see as far back then as we can now." Marianne picked up. "Therefore the best place to send you would be somewhere we knew a Thought Elevator existed but hadn't yet been activated."When they worded it like that, it almost sounded as if they'd intended to pick him up after they were finished with this strange project of theirs. "So, the reason you sent us to Japan was…""Yes." Charles nodded, already knowing his son's conclusion. "I sent you and Nunnally to Japan to protect you from my brother's gaze. That's also why I had Marianne's body secretly hidden away.""Another benefit of my Geass: My real body doesn't waste away regardless of how damaged it might be." Marianne picked up there, reading Lelouch's confused face as to why her body had been moved at all. "So long as I exist it exists, which means I could return to it one day.""Of course, this plan wasn't fool proof." Charles continued, before shrugging somewhat nonchalantly "Or it wouldn't have been without Geass. Anya and Nunnally were witnesses to what happened that night, therefore their memories had to be rewritten in order to convince Victor that he had succeeded.""Nunnally's?!" The surprised hope of his mother's complete restoration suddenly fell away to shock at what the Emperor was implying. "Then her blindness wasn't psychosomatic, but…" and now the fury built. "You used your Geass on her to make her think she blinded herself?!"And if he understood them correctly, she and Anya weren't the only ones who'd had their memories tinkered with. If Anya was the daughter of a friend of his mother's then he should remember her…but he didn't. "Julius Kingsley wasn't the first time, was it?""It was for your own protection, Lelouch." Marianne cut in before he could build up any more steam. "For all three of you. By making Nunnally a false witness we could create a whole new story that the world would believe and Victor wouldn't suspect."So Nunnally wasn't blind at all…Kallen found herself wondering why Lelouch wasn't more vicious with his anger considering everything he'd done for his little sister. As it was the more she heard, the harder it became to restrain herself from visiting some violence on the pair before her. They could say it was for Nunnally's safety all they wanted, messing with her head like that was just not on."That was when we hit a snag though." Continued Marianne, heedless of her younger counterpart's rising temper in favour of putting Lelouch's own ire to rest, indicating the chain of woe behind her and Charles "Continuing research into the Sword of Akasha showed that, whilst one Code would trigger the process, there was only a one-in-two chance of success. Good odds, but we could only do this once. Therefore, in order to gain a 100% guarantee of the Plan's completion, we needed two Codes: One to trigger it and one to strengthen the original Code.""However, even though Marianne could communicate with her, C.C. refused to return to the Directorate so long as Victor was a part of the equation." Charles picked up the story, mild annoyance seeping into his tone as he considered just how much time the two Codes had cost them. "Even after she was captured by Clovis and made the subject of his Code-R project, still she would not return."Code-R. It had been a long time since Kallen had thought about that, the project that Clovis had been working on that intel had said was poison gas. Would that it had been so simple…she'd been better off before knowing that behind that fop of a prince lay an ambition so great that violating a person's individual rights, hiding it as a chemical weapons project (also illegal), didn't even shake him. Never mind that he had an entire ghetto slaughtered to get her back. And these two knew she was there, their partner, being tortured for Clovis' gain and they didn't do a thing to stop it.Beside her, Lelouch considered what he'd heard, momentarily setting aside his anger at being played by his father again, with his mother's consent no less, in favour of trying to put all the pieces together."And then I freed C.C.…" He murmured, mostly to himself, as the full picture began to form. It wasn't one he liked. "Then Narita…the Black Rebellion…Euphie…""Yes." Charles confirmed for him. "When you made your Contract with her we were given a way to bring her back into the fold, though it meant we would have to use you to do it.""…No…" Kallen's voice might have been small, but the single word carried waves of denial. What they were insinuating, if that was all true, was that the last two years had been just as Lelouch said on the Ikaruga: A great big game. That can't be true."Do not despair though, young one." Charles assured her, his stoic visage glinting as another awareness touched his own – the last piece had arrived. "Once Ragnarök has come to pass, the game will be over and all these tragedies we have endured will no longer be necessary.""Masks will vanish." Marianne continued, her own face forming a victorious smile as she too felt the change through her Contract. "Without the need to deceive or fit a certain image, people will be able to be exactly who they're supposed to be. Is that not what you've always dreamed of?"What I dreamed of? Her dreams had only ever gone so far as freeing Japan and giving her fellow Japanese a new beginning…but what did that matter if this system meant there would be no such thing as Japanese? Was that really what Naoto had died for? What she, Oghi, and all the others had bled for?"So that's it." Lelouch muttered, a bitter smile forming on his face. "We were all part of a greater plan from the very start. Me, the Black Knights…even my stint as Kingsley. It was all done to draw out C.C." How ironic, his lie had been the truth after all. It drove a man to laugh. "So, at the end of the day, all I've ever been is a nuisance. Just a ruckus in the world.""Lelouch…" Kallen wouldn't hear that from him. So what if they'd covered things up? So what if C.C. had hidden stuff from them? And even if, at the end of the day, the Emperor had let them get this far just so he could get a hold of the Witch, so what? They did that, they got this far. Maybe Geass helped along the way and maybe Geass had been a problem as well, but to call all their success a mere nuisance was not something she'd accept being classified as.She spun around to tell him just this, along with more that was on her mind, when her eyes slipped past his figure and spotted something in the dust clouds behind him. Two new figures were approaching, one looking to be male and around the same height as Lelouch whilst the other was smaller and clearly female.But the person that silhouette belonged to…it couldn't be…Seeing her freeze in surprise, Lelouch felt his smile grow just a little bit more. She'd finally arrived. Chuckling a little to himself, he turned to face these new arrivals. "And what do you make of all this, my Witch?"C.C. just regarded him with her typical blank expression, even if she was curious. "Did you already know I was going to come here, Lelouch?" Without waiting for an answer she glanced over at his current accomplice. "Hello Kallen, has he been behaving himself?""C…C.C.?" She couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. Even though everything the Emperor had said pointed towards C.C. being just like him, part of her still couldn't quite believe it. Yet there she stood, in her ruined prisoner's straitjacket that was still full of red-stained holes. Alive and…wait. "Did you just call him 'Lelouch?'""Indeed she did." Lelouch murmured, his smile growing just a bit more with jubilation. His Witch had returned to him at last. Then he glanced over to the person she'd brought with her, greeting him with a nod. "Suzaku.""Lelouch." He nodded back in kind, no smile though. Glancing to the woman at his side he repeated the gesture. "Kallen."Suzaku! Realising just who it was that had joined them, Kallen instinctively started to move forward to engage. A calming hand on her shoulder however stopped her and she glanced back at Lelouch who just shook his head at her and nodded back at the adults. Getting the message she sighed and nodded, now wasn't the time. But she still made a point to stay between them."C.C.'s filled you in?" Lelouch asked."A plan to kill God, she was part of it, and Euphie was killed in their attempts to draw her out." He was practically grinding his teeth on that last one. "Yeah, I'd say I'm up to speed.""Oh Sir Kururugi!" Marianne greeted pleasantly, glancing his way and noting the burden hanging from his back. "Dear me, there was no need to bring my vessel. After today I doubt I'll be needing it."Her vessel? That caught the first couple's attention and they both properly looked at Suzaku. He still had his sword but it was sheathed so he could use both arms to carry a small, seemingly unconscious figure. Pink hair and a Knight of the Rounds pilot suit however gave away who she was.Glancing back at her, Suzaku gently set Anya down on the stone floor pointedly ignoring the pout C.C. sent his way. "I was going to leave her outside, but C.C. insisted."His explanation resulted in a sigh from the Empress as she fixed her old partner in crime with a look of fond exasperation. "Of course she did."The witch in question huffed at him before taking up the cause. "The barbarian was just going to leave her lying on the cold floor. Only boys…""Only boys sleep on the floor." Three voices joined hers in chorus, two of whom said so with a dour tone followed by a put upon sigh. Marianne, seeing both her boys respond in such a way, couldn't help a small cackle; it would seem C.C. had trained her son well.Realising they were getting off track, Lelouch cleared his throat (mirrored by the Emperor behind him) and addressed his Witch. "So I assume your presence here is the last piece His Majesty requires?"Good question. Frankly, C.C. didn't have the first idea why she was here. She had abandoned the Plan long ago, Marianne's cajoling and pulling her back out of her head didn't change that. And then there was the reason for why she locked herself away to begin with, something she still wasn't clear on. Such uncertainty, even if she had been willing, made her doubt that she could be the stabilising agent Charles required.The man himself was considerably less conflicted about his chances. "She is." He said plainly, before a frown crossed his features as he addressed his turncoat Knight. "But I must agree with my wife about Alstreim's presence Kururugi, nor can I make any sense of your own.""I'm sure you can't." Suzaku replied, unphased despite what C.C. had explained to him before he came here. "I heard you were already immortal, so I want to know something for certain: Why did you make this thing? What reason pushed you to challenge God?""Why?" A shame the boy hadn't been here sooner, he would have seen all the proof he needed in the first memory. But at the end of the day it boiled down to something simpler which he, and Lelouch, could appreciate. "Because it's the pathway to what Nunnally and Euphemia both desired: A gentle world."Gentle? It was hard to believe such a man knew what that word meant. His policy, his actions, his words, it had all caused nothing but strife to anyone who wasn't Britannian. But for a man who had grown up in the Emblem of Blood, had watched his mother die and killed his siblings and eventually his father, maybe that was justification. Especially, Lelouch reasoned as he looked up at that miserable chain, now seconds away from piercing the Jovian sphere, if his actions will wipe away all that pain."And now that we are all assembled, the Plan can finally be enacted." Charles concluded, now turning his gaze to the witch who had long eluded them. "As for you, C.C., I will grant your wish after everything has been completed."With that he raised his Code engraved hand up, palm facing forwards, and let its power radiate outwards. The resulting glow shone with such strength that it actually covered both Lelouch and Kallen as the rays stretched out. In response C.C.'s Code came to life, flaring with its own power and blowing her green fringe out of its way.And at last, the Sword of Akasha, man's symbol of hatred and misery, made contact with the Collective Unconscious.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kaminejima Britannian Airspace Logres-class HIMS Great BritanniaSchneizel sat in the throne of the Imperial Flagship having just heard the most outlandish tale from the last man he would expect to tell such. Apparently Sir Kururugi had failed in his mission to assassinate the Emperor but, according to Lord Waldstein's story, that soon wouldn't matter anyway.Uniting humanity by stripping away their individuality? A lesser man would have snorted at such a childish idea. Humans couldn't be ruled by honesty, their very nature denied it, and yet his father actually believed they were really so good at their core? The very fact that he intended to do away with that same nature proved him a liar. And how would he do it anyway? With those strange ruins housed on this island?Not enough of what Bismarck had told him made sense. It was…frustrating.Besides the here and now took precedence over his father's idiocy, namely the sudden revolt of the garrison here. There was a threat that needed taking care of. You've never accepted defeat with grace, Lelouch. Such a pity."Kanon." He addressed his friend, "An update on the battle please.""Almost finished, Your Highness." Kanon replied readily, a tablet in his hands detailing the reports from the three ships in their flotilla. "Reports from the Avalon show no further air units in the vicinity, our gunners say the same, and the Black Knights are nearly finished on the ground."Ah yes, what an unlikely alliance that was. Schneizel had been admittedly surprised by the young woman who had taken the helm in Lelouch's absence. No older than sixteen and yet she commanded the rest as if she were Zero's equal. Even after the Black Knights had told her everything she'd maintained her composure, which already rated her as more dangerous than Lelouch's other stooges. Xingke may have taken command of the Ikaruga but no one, save possibly the Chinese, were deluded enough to think that Kaguya Sumeragi didn't decide the ship's course.I'll have to watch that one. It wasn't just the fact that she commanded the Black Knights with such ease that made Schneizel uneasy. A teenager being put in charge of the United Federation of Nations, and showing that she could actually do the job, told him that this girl was more than just another flunky. She had charisma, intelligence and, when needed, ruthlessness; all the necessary traits required for a career politician. Did you know this when you chose her, Lelouch? Probably. You always did like to plan five steps ahead.In this case, even if it worked against his little brother now, it meant Schneizel had to tread lightly. If she could command the Black Knights, why not this new federal alliance? If she could control the Federation, why not the world? Until Damocles was finished he would have to be very careful around her."Highness!" His thoughts were cut into by one of the bridge crew frantically calling out to him. "Something's happening out there!"Something could mean a lot of things. People really needed to learn to speak plainly. "Elaborate.""I-I don't know what it is!" The man stammered in reply, his countenance growing shakier with every word he said. "Th-these readings don't make any sense! It's like a magnetic pole just appeared out of nowhere!"A magnetic pole? Impossible. And yet, at his feet, Bismarck's expression turned into a small victorious grin. Refusing to humour him, Schneizel called for a satellite scan. A moment later the main screen showed Kamine Island, unchanged in any way…save for the sky above it. His sceptical frown suddenly tightened, the only outward sign of his surprise at what he saw. High above the Great Britannia, an aurora had appeared right on top of the little island. Now what is that doing there?"Highness!" Another of the bridge crew called out to him, their communications officer if he remembered correctly. "We're receiving similar reports from our spies in China! Another aurora has also appeared over Jerusalem* and…God…" The man had suddenly gone pale as the latest report came in."Go on, officer." Schneizel instructed his crew. "Tell me.""P-Pendragon, Your Highness! There's one over Pendragon!" The announcement brought the entire crew to a standstill, then the worried murmurings began: What did this mean? What had the Emperor done? Why was there a magnetic pole forming over their capital? Even Kanon was marginally unnerved at the news."So this is happening worldwide?" Schneizel mused to himself, the only one besides one other not giving in to panic. And what a curious factor that was. His attention returned to the still smiling Knight of One at his feet. "Bismarck?"The man in question didn't hesitate to answer. "It must be His Majesty's Plan coming to fruition. If His Majesty succeeds in carrying out his vision then whatever is left of the world will be yours to govern, per his royal decree. Although…" Here he couldn't resist turning his grin into a sly smirk as he glanced up at the Second Prince "the sense of politics will have changed greatly.""Hmm." Scowling at the Emperor's top dog Schneizel put the dig out of his mind, returning his attention to the reports coming in. After a moment he discarded those and instead focussed on the little island before him where there were now the reports of earthquakes.The Emperor was down there somewhere, whatever it was he thought he could achieve beginning at last. This is what you abandoned your Empire, your subjects for, Father? A chance to play God? Well, on some level he could understand but all the same it was a repugnant lapse of duty that the people had placed upon him.No matter though. By a magnificent stroke of irony, there was someone down there who was just stubborn enough to stop that foolish man in his tracks.C's World The Sword of AkashaAs far as anyone could tell nothing seemed to have changed. However, by the confident expressions of Charles and Marianne's faces, whatever they'd intended had been achieved.The first signs of their success were small: Something started to bother Lelouch, nothing really painful or debilitating, just an annoying beat behind his left eye. The pulse grew, however and before he knew what was happening, his vision was assaulted by a single passage.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.
Blinking didn't help him any, if anything it just enforced the writing and blacked out the rest of the world around him. Not blinking didn't doing anything either, as the letters continued to grow in prominence and the rest of the world died away.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.
Dimly he recognised the language as Italian, and further involuntary reading of the passage gave him the chance to translate it: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Not a very reassuring message for an endeavour to unite the world."Lelouch?" Kallen noticed his still form first, she'd have expected him to react in some way to whatever it was the Emperor had just done but he hadn't even flinched. When he didn't respond she gave him a sharp nudge. "Hey, c'mon! Now's not the time to shut down on us!""Give him a moment, Kallen." C.C. told her, her green bangs falling back down over her head, hiding her Code away. "His Geass is reacting to the change mankind is undergoing. It's not the easiest thing to adjust to."You seem pretty calm about it. She couldn't help noting, the Witch's return also reminding her of just how much she'd kept from them. If it weren't for the situation they were currently facing, she'd seriously consider kicking the Verdette's ass for that. For now though, she just focussed on bringing Lelouch around."Hey!" She snapped at him, shaking him roughly. "Rise and shine! Are you seriously gonna sleep through the end of the world?!" He remained unresponsive, his left eye rolling around in its socket as if he was dreaming. She however didn't have time for his nightmares and gave him a firm slap in the face. "Wake up!"That did it. The words faded somewhat and his awareness of the world returned…along with his pain receptors. "Gods, Kallen," Lelouch muttered, rubbing his cheek "did you really have to hit me?""Try staying awake during the apocalypse and I'll consider it." With him back though she turned her attention to the two adults present, one of whom still had his arm outstretched whilst the other watched the sphere above as if waiting for something to happen. Finding out what that something was didn't take long though.As the twin-helix of rage and misery continued to penetrate the sphere the world around them once again began to change. This time though, instead of peacefully fading into a corridor or a library, the sky began to violently crack until suddenly the whole eternal sunset background literally shattered apart leaving a new realm in its place. What had once been a warm ideal view of heaven turned into a cold machine-like enclosure. The Jovian planet still remained but now it was surrounded with black and grey, a small speck of colour in an otherwise metallic world."Behold!" Marianne called out joyfully. "It's begun! The Sword of Akasha is slaying God!""Away with this world of strife and woe!" Charles intoned, which was followed by a responding moan as the helix plunged ever deeper. "Away with this world of rage and hate! Away with this world of dreams!"His attention then turned to C.C. and he began to walk towards her. "Now, all that is left is to merge our Codes. Then the old world will end and the new one shall begin!"The Emperor's words caught Kallen's attention and she quickly moved to stand between the two Codes. "Not happening! What happens when she loses hers?""I think the answer would be obvious." C.C. answered for them, outwardly unmoved but within somewhat confused. It was unlike the redhead to stand up for her, they knew each other better than that to think the other needed to be protected.Knew it. Marianne's implications of what had happened to Victor had given her an idea of what was about to happen to C.C.. As such Kallen stood her ground, glaring up defiantly at Charles "Then I'm not budging.""We've been through this, young one." The Emperor chided, his stride not lessening as the gap between him and success closed at last."Doesn't matter, it's not happening." She snapped back, "So just take that new world of yours and shove it up your ass!"Aside, Lelouch and Suzaku observed the byplay without uttering any opinion of their own. All this talk of a world without deceit sounded nice, good, everything they'd struggled against each other for; surely Nunnally and Euphie would be glad for all the lies in the world to die away.And yet…"Lelouch." Suzaku broke his silence first, glancing over at his friend's unmoving figure. "Why did you want to control the world?""Don't waste my time, Suzaku." The other replied still looking ahead at his mother, who in turn watched her husband as he approached C.C. without a shred of remorse in her expression. "You know it was all done for Nunnally."Maybe that's how it started. He would concede that much. However a glance to his left at the two girls who had kept Lelouch alive all this time brought up a question that, once upon a time, he would have deemed unfathomable of the former prince. "Or are you just using her now as an excuse?"An excuse? Lelouch's face screwed up in offence and he cast a sideways glare in warning at the Knight of Seven, but it melted away when he saw where Suzaku was looking. Regarding those two women himself for a second he was suddenly hit by the possibility that what he was saying might actually hold truth. Nunnally had been important to him, enough to challenge Britannia, but to genuinely care about Japan? Or for another's wellbeing besides his own little sister's? It pointed towards a conclusion he'd never truly considered, passing it off as a convenient lie to maintain the guise of Zero.A small chuckle escaped his lips as he returned his gaze to Suzaku in acknowledgement. "Yes, you're right, I am. I have fought to protect everything I thought I wanted to protect."Thought so. Not so different from his own methods this past year when he thought about it, desiring the position of Knight of One so he could shield Japan from the horrors of the world. They both wanted to protect something and now the Emperor threatened it all. "If you're going to achieve that end, you need to take action.""Yes." Lelouch agreed. "The means to that end requires that I reject something.""Which is?"The prompt was unnecessary, but he mentally thanked his friend anyway as he too now walked forward to stand ahead of Kallen and C.C. adding his own defiant glare towards Charles who at last stopped at this latest intrusion. How nice of him to show he cared enough to hear him out, but he wouldn't like what his son had to say."I reject you!" Lelouch declared, "And I reject everything you believe!"Reject? Charles found himself amused at his son's words, did he really think this could be stopped now with a debate? That time passed fifty years ago…but he could humour him a little bit longer. "And why is that?"He didn't immediately respond, his glare passing to the miserable twin helix above them. He began his rebuttal with a question. "Why do people lie? We have established that they do so in their struggle against one another, but there is another reason: it's also because they have something to protect."His words caught C.C.'s attention, her previous curiosity rising again as she muddled through her Warlock's words. Protect? Her lies to him had protected her, yes, but the way he was spinning it sounded as if she had been protecting more than just that…had she been? She had no reason to…Ahead, Lelouch's gaze dropped back to the Emperor not having lessened in its intensity one bit. "By your own actions, I acknowledge you as also being guilty of this act. And yet you now want a world without change." His glare became a disgusted scowl at the idea, "How stagnant! You could hardly call it life, nothing more than a world of memories – closed and completed – a place I wouldn't want to live in at all.""But Lelouch." Marianne spoke up, a small sliver of worry in her tone hidden behind her hopeful smile. "Does this mean you're rejecting me as well?" Her boy was a troublesome one, of course he'd take issue with Charles, but surely he wouldn't oppose those he genuinely loved.And admittedly Lelouch's scowl did diminish somewhat as he turned his attention to her, though his look could hardly be considered soft. "That depends, I suppose. Is your intent the same as His Majesty's, Mother?"So he really would… That actually hurt a little. But she would press on, Al was waiting for her. Besides, children loved a happy ending and she happened to know just which buttons to push with this group. "Surely you can't deny how good it will be to be reunited with all our loved ones? Even those who have died, including Nunnally and Euphemia."That crossed a line with Suzaku and he now directed a harsh glare at the Empress. How dare she bring her into this? An innocent warped by this game; Lelouch may have pulled the trigger, but they set it up that way. In the face of his growing outrage though, Marianne remained unmoved.The pain of his little sister's name came and went, and with it the extra fury of his mother trying to manipulate him. Thus Lelouch closed his eyes and left out a calming breath. "As I expected. You both believe that this new world you envision is best for all.""A world without pain." Kallen threw in, her own ire rising at the woman's tempting them with dead loved ones. "Sure sounds nice…but you'd remove all pain that ever was! I was made by my pain! I hate that I feel it, but I still need it to be me!"Grateful for his Queen's input, Lelouch built off her statement. "Kallen speaks the truth: Though it hurts, those experiences are a part of us. No matter how good your intentions, forcing them upon us so that we never felt it in the first place may as well be a lobotomy.""A trivial concern." Was Charles' retort, "In time, the people will come to accept it as fact.""That time will never come!" Was he not the proof of that? Right here and now, with all the facts finally given to him regardless of how outlandish they were, Lelouch was no closer to agreeing with his parents' actions. How could he, when they were denying something?"Only one thing is undeniably certain! I understand now that what you may have done to me and Nunnally was born of good intentions..." Furious, his gaze fell back onto his mother, the one he thought he knew now revealed to be nothing he'd ever believed in. "But the hard fact remains: You abandoned us in a foreign land!""We did that to protect you!" Marianne insisted, her irritation beginning to grow over her son's obsessive need to hammer something evil on them. "Victor would never have given up as long as…""Are you seriously still singing that?!" Kallen cut her off, her vicious glare at last moving away from the Emperor to stab at this equally disgusting human being. "If you're such good parents, then where the hell were you when Britannia invaded Japan?!"Her question stopped the Empress cold…as well as make C.C. observe her previous Contractor anew; the answer was obvious really. Strange that a woman who professed the desire for truth would hide such from herself.Not so hard for her son though, his Queen had just asked the rhetorical question faster than him, and he readily gave the reason: "The plan was such a priority that it didn't matter if Nunnally and I were alive or dead. This new world would make it irrelevant, correct?"It burned but that was reality: Where parents put their aspirations above their children's wellbeing; where the son accumulates the sins of the father just for sharing his name; where the daughter becomes a monster at the bidding of another brother. That was this world's truth, and the truth would follow them into the new one. "Argue it any way you want, but it still amounts to the same pile of self-serving excuses!""Lelouch!" His mother called out to him again, "You're taking this too far! We always meant to-!""Take us home via the Thought Elevator?" He finished her protest, bile rising up his throat as he watched her again go silent. Clearly she'd realised the flaw in that argument. "But first you'd have to activate it, and what did you just say? The dead will rejoin the living, so what do you care about the future?!""The future will be built by Ragnarök!" The Emperor insisted, growing impatient at this menial delay. "Once it's finally done, the gentle world Nunnally wished for will be-!""SILENCE!" They dared speak of her desires?! Tempting Suzaku with Euphie was one thing but to drag Nunnally into this was intolerable. And what did they know of what she'd wanted?! "The world you would build, where the dead return and all past transgressions are forgotten, will be kind and gentle only to you! Nunnally's dream was a world where kindness is extended to everyone, from the closest of friends to the most distant stranger!""And she could've done it too!" Kallen joined in. Hearing them spout off knowing what that sweet girl wanted was the highest insult she could conceive coming from them. She'd spent time with Nunnally, had heard her stories, laughed in their conversations. Reality cast them as enemies but she'd never been treated as such by her. "But you had to have your perfect world, had to put so many people down, had to make millions miserable just so you could feel good about yourselves!"Their words bounced off apparently deaf ears in front of them, however what they said also travelled back to the people behind them. For C.C. it wasn't anything new, she'd known from the beginning what she was doing was selfish – benefits of being immortal, after a while the morality of the world just became meaningless...or it had been until Lelouch had started making her question things again.As for Suzaku, he listened to the words of these two would-be terrorists and found himself pondering their validity based on all he'd seen and done. ...They might be right. At the very least, Euphie never said Lelouch was Zero. It had meant lying to Princess Cornelia, whom she adored, and to him, her own knight, but she had still done it. She protected Lelouch, even though doing so ultimately killed her. Shirley was the same. C.C. is obligated to do so but that doesn't mean she had to save him at Narita, she could've found someone else. And Kallen… Where did he start with her? She'd taken torture, interrogations, temptations…even the threat of Refrain… and not once did she betray Lelouch, even though she probably had more cause to do so than anyone else here.
Which means I have to…
Opposite them the Emperor scoffed, his annoyance at his son and the girl finally affecting his words. "Let's assume what you say is true: What of it?" He asked them, sneering at their obstinance. "There's nothing you can do about it, Ragnarök has already begun!"His seemingly certain declaration should have made them back down, in the face of such power – an immortal being calling upon a weapon powerful enough to kill God – any normal human being would do just that. But Kallen, stubborn as ever, just dug in her heels. Lelouch, however, chose to be a bit more confrontational."You think so?" He asked them, almost conversationally, before flicking his fingers up to direct his parents' eyes to his own which had remained uncovered. "Have you forgotten what your actions birthed? I am Zero! The Man who makes Miracles!"If he'd expected that declaration, or his veiled intent, to threaten him the boy was seriously deluded, or just desperate. "Your Geass will have no effect on me." Charles reminded him, unphased. "Nor will it work on anyone else save the young Alstreim, and even then what could a human do to stop me?"Again his argument was correct, there was no human present that he could ensnare. "But you're wrong." Lelouch declared, his gaze tipping slightly upwards to get his hint across. "There is someone else here, isn't there?"Someone else? He hadn't felt anyone else join them from outside. Charles glanced at Marianne but she just shook her head, a similar confused expression on her face as well. What was Lelouch pulling? Geass only worked on people with a mind connected to the Collective Unconscious, what could he possibly hope to… A connected mind…Eyes going wide in realisation, Charles' gaze shot upwards. "You can't mean to…""Yes." Lelouch replied simply, arms stretching out wide in prostration, tipping his head back to stare up at the Jovian sphere. "Geass is a creation of C's World, an extension of the Collective Unconscious, mankind's desires given agency. And all men are not created equal, remember those words?" How ironic was that? In building the persona of a tyrannical emperor his father had technically told the truth. "No one human shares exactly the same desires, there's always a unique spin – a unique dream – that separates them all from each other, maintaining their individuality. Which means my power will work!""Nonsense!" The Emperor decried, his gaze returning to his son. If he couldn't do it, what hope could Lelouch possibly have? "Even if all men dream their own dream, you seek to defeat God! A mere king has no power to do so!"
And that's where we differ, Father.
"I don't intend to defeat God, this is a request!" Yes, the request of one little human being. That is what I am, all that I am. Let that be enough!Not letting another second go by, Lelouch cried out to the sphere. "GOD! COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS!"Insanity! Charles couldn't believe what he was seeing. Since when did his son, who based everything he did on facts and empirical evidence, go off on faith? Snorting in disappointment he returned his attention to C.C. who had also peered up at the sphere, this distraction had gone on long enough. He was just about to get back on track when a gasp from his wife stopped him. Looking round he saw that she too was looking up worriedly at the planetoid. No, it's not possible!Concern now took his mind and he too looked up. What he saw turned it into fear: The Collective Unconscious, which had been a Jovian orange, was now glowing an unearthly gold – it had responded to Lelouch's call!NO! Turning back to Lelouch he made to do something to silence him before he could utter his wish…too late.Upon seeing the glow, Lelouch seized the opportunity. "GOD! THIS SINGLE HUMAN HAS A WISH FOR THE WORLD: DO NOT STOP THE MARCH OF TIME!"Even as he uttered the words, something shifted. The Crane didn't fly and yet, strangely, this reaction didn't bother him as much as it should have. What did catch his attention, as he uttered his plea, was the Italian words that hadn't ceased in their assault on his vision suddenly vanished. Almost immediately his anxiety diminished, dropping down to a mere pecking on the edge of his psyche.His relief at that change didn't translate to everyone present though. At the climax of her son's selfish desire, Marianne finally broke rank. "Lelouch!" She chastised furiously, "You ungrateful child, don't you dare-!"THWACK!She was cut off by a crimson-gloved fist to the face which sent her spinning to the floor. Nursing the bruise, she turned up to glare at the girl who'd thrown it. "Y'know, I didn't even know that was gonna work." Kallen admitted, returning the furious look to the woman she'd just decked. "But I gotta admit, just trying was almost as good as actually getting to do it.""Idiot girl!" The Empress snarled, getting back to her feet and advancing on her menacingly. "Don't you realise what you're giving up?!"The question got a scowl out of her but little more as she firmly and honestly replied. "Nothing I can't live without.""Then I pity you." And with that her advance turned into a lunge, only to be stopped again this time by a sword blade.Suzaku, remaining quiet for so long, had been all but invisible to the rest of the group so that when he did reappear it was as if he'd come out of nowhere. For a moment, Kallen tensed up seeing him so close but a quick glance from him reminded her of the situation – they could settle things later. Right now he focussed his efforts, and not a little bit of his own rage, at the Empress. "No one would have wanted this! And you should be ashamed to even think Euphie would!"Frustration piled atop of ire as Marianne turned to face this latest annoyance. "Ashamed?! You should be grateful that I saved you at all! Don't you want to see her again?!""I'll see her in due time!" He snarled back. "But I won't be forced into it by you!""YOU CAN'T DO THIS BOY!" Charles bellowed at his son, fury and fear filling his tone. How could Lelouch do this to them? This was for the greater good! "YOU WOULD DENY HUMANITY THEIR ONE CHANCE AT TRUE PEACE FOR A FANCIFUL DREAM!""DREAM OR NOT!" Lelouch shouted back, his eyes never leaving the glowing sphere as the pecking suddenly picked up its tempo again. "WHAT I WANT…IS TOMORROW!"The two Codes felt it immediately, though C.C.'s reaction was merely a surprised breath. Charles however saw the change in Lelouch through C's World's eyes and knew what it represented seconds before it happened.High above the gold glow gave way to a purple tint that settled into the winged symbol of Geass sprawled across the sphere and a familiar red ring encircled it. Another moment passed without anything really happening…and then the mighty blade of misery began to fall apart. It didn't so much collapse on itself as it did disintegrate, all the negative thoughts and feelings that made it up giving way to the possibility of the future, leaving the Collective Unconscious untouched."It can't be!" Marianne cried, turning away from Suzaku and Kallen to stare in shock at what had happened.Charles too turned away from Lelouch, staggering forwards in disbelief as he watched his life's work tumble back down into the abyss. "It's falling! The dream that I, Marianne and my brother all shared…it's all falling away…""Let it go, Charles." For the first time in a while C.C. spoke up, resignation filling her tone as she dropped to the floor, pulling her legs up against her chest as she looked upon her Warlock's work. "Just stop. It was presumptuous of us to even attempt this."Presumptuous?! She would turn away from her own wish as well?! Just what had Lelouch infected her with that even a woman who knew the hopelessness of this world would stand against this plan? Fury began to take over shock and Charles turned back around, his marked palm outstretched. "You think this is over, C.C.?! So long as we hold these Codes, no matter what occurs we can still...!"But he drifted off as he saw the two non-Geass holding humans staring at him in shock. Was his persistence truly so surprising? He would fight for eternity to see this world born if that was what it took! Lelouch would not thwart him in this!Even as he thought that though, the awe on the two normal humans increased. And then he noticed that they weren't really looking at him but the floor around him, what was so interesting about that? Frustration made him impetuous and he too looked down, intent on doing away with whatever was blinding them to his fury…and found himself staring as well. "Wha-what is this?!"The lower half of his body had vanished, the only trace of it having been there at all being a glittering violet outline that was slowly working its way upwards. Seeing such had left Suzaku and Kallen suitably stupefied, despite everything else this world had thrown at them, watching the Emperor slowly dissolve in front of them was something they hadn't expected to witness."This isn't a falsehood, Father." Lelouch uttered, his arms dropping back down as he looked upon the man, for the first time, with pity. "It's reality's response.""Charles!" Marianne's terrified cry followed her as she rushed to her husband, only to be cut off when she too stopped. Fear gripped her as she looked down to see the same glow eating away at her lower body. Turning back she set a furious glare on her son. "What have you done?!"That was a question Kallen wouldn't mind answered as she tentatively made her way back over to Lelouch's side, her amazed eyes not once leaving the spectacle before her. "What's going on? What do you mean by reality responding?""I have a theory." He replied, his gaze also fixed on the disappearing form of his parents. "Charles and Marianne are still intent on creating their ideal world…but that would contradict the wishes and desires of the human race, which pushes ever forward into the future. Think of it like the human immune system: These two represent an illness which pervades the human body…but give the white blood cells enough time and that sickness will eventually be consumed."His pitiful gaze didn't shift a bit as he looked upon the two adults. "Which is exactly what is happening now, Father. You're being eaten.""Eaten?!" The Emperor yelled in disbelief, that couldn't be right! He was immortal! Nothing could touch him!"But that doesn't make sense!" Marianne decried, looking beyond them to the one who wasn't making any sort of stand. "What about C.C.? Why aren't you disappearing? You supported this plan as much as we did!"Once I did…She acknowledged sadly, looking upon the pair whom she'd once thought would grant her wish only now to see them fade away. "Sorry…but I finally realised something." It hurt but everything Lelouch had said added up, the fact that C's World itself seemed to agree with him needn't have been shown. "The love you have is only for yourselves.""No!" The Empress protested fearfully, the violet trim now having passed her hipline and making quick work of her waist. "That's not true! We love our children very much!"And that's the problem, isn't it? Pity turning to disappointment, Lelouch placed a restraining hand on Kallen's shoulder before she could run Marianne over the coals a third time. He had his own grievances to air. "Do either of you have any idea of the meaning behind Nunnally's beautiful smile?"His question brought both parents up short. "The meaning?" Marianne asked, confused as to why he'd bother debating something like this as he killed them."Why don't you understand?!" Her question just flamed the disappointment warring with heartbreak over this person who had never known her daughter. "Nunnally was blinded! My little sister was crippled! She knew there would be things that she would never be able to do for herself...so her smile…" Tears for that beautiful sight pricked his eyes, he could see it right now, full of love and warmth and kindness. "Nunnally's smile was her way of thanking the world for having people who loved her in it!"His declaration puffed up Kallen and Suzaku, both of whom had been on the receiving end of that smile he was talking about. Both of them had looked into that kind face and found something better. He couldn't have said it any better if he had tried…The parents however, focussed on their disappearing act, were less convinced. "Now you place fantasies upon a facial expression?!" Charles barked, "You're labouring under a delusion!""I WILL NOT LET YOU CALL THAT A LIE!" Lelouch all but screamed his own furious response. Call him a liar for anything, from fighting the good fight to the sun setting anywhere but the west, but questioning Nunnally's smile? "Over my dead body!"And with that fury came his disdain as he looked upon the pathetic sight of his parents, now only their upper torsos and arms left untouched by C's World's clean up service as the Sword of Akasha finally died away to nothing. "Look at you both! Your refusal to accept reality, content to watch us from afar, and you expect me to believe you know a thing about Nunnally?! Don't make me laugh! There's only one truth here: You, my own parents – YOU ABANDONED US!"Fury begot fury, the Emperor's own rising to the fore the more the idiot in front of him spouted his nonsense, until at last Charles couldn't hold it back anymore. Shoving past a shocked Marianne he launched himself straight at Lelouch, his right arm (the only one he had left) reaching out for him."YOU MAD LITTLE FOOL!" With that roar he latched his large hand around the boy's neck and held it tight, one set of furious amethysts glaring into a glowing defiant identical pair. He was set to squeeze tighter until he felt the girl suddenly latch hold of his ascot. "Release me, child!""You first, Majesty." Kallen snarled back, sapphire eyes glinting dangerously. "Get the hell away from him.""Q1." His uttering of her code name caught her attention though she didn't look away from the Emperor for a second. "Stand down. The same goes for you, Suzaku!" He called behind him when he heard his friend lift his sword up to mount a defence. "Stay out of this."Lelouch himself hadn't broken eye contact with his father, this was something he needed to do himself. Their help was appreciated but, as the Emperor's hand also started to fade away, it was ultimately unnecessary. Seeing such made Kallen back off a step, but she remained right by his side all the same.Desperation made Charles try one last time to get him to see reason, he had to know what was waiting for him beyond this realm! "Can't you see that, if you refuse me and what I offer, you will inherit his world – Schneizel's world! Make no mistake, good and evil exist on both sides of the same card! Even still you-!""Regardless of what awaits me," Lelouch cut him off, resolute in his decision. "I'll always reject the world you envision. NOW BEGONE!"His command echoed throughout C's World, the unspoken desire to be rid of these creatures that walked and talked like humans but hid monsters beneath the skin. The realm reacted to his wish, accelerating the near-complete consumption process, in spite of the protesting cries from the Emperor and his wife until they were nothing more than a few scraps of debris…and then even that was eaten away.Ragnarök had been averted.Kaminejima Britannian Airspace Logres-class HIMS Great BritanniaFor the last ten minutes reports from around the world had continued to pour in as the strange seismic activity and impossible manifestations of magnetic poles grew in their intensity. For the most part, Kanon handled those as Prince Schneizel maintained his silent vigil on the island before them. What he was waiting for was anyone's guess though his loyal Aide did have one theory. Whether or not he could pull it off though was another matter.And then the news changed."Highness!" The comms officer reported, eyes riveted on the report with palpable relief. "Word from Pendragon! The aurora is dissipating!"The news startled Bismarck, though he managed to concentrate it into a small flinch that no one save the Second Prince noticed. Schneizel made no point to call him on it though, his attention fixed on the report. "Is this the only case?""No, Your Highness!" Another of the bridge crew replied, his tone also carrying a returning sense of ease. "Reports in Britain and Jerusalem say the same! The earthquakes have stopped and the auroras are disappearing!"Then we can expect the same in China and the other locations. He surmised calmly, though his sense of triumph didn't translate onto his face which remained impassive. Good news to be sure, but that still left the question of…His mental query was answered though when Bismarck lurched forward as if in pain. Seeing such silenced most of the crew, the Knight of One never showed discomfort. The man himself would take such a word as an understatement, it felt as if a part of himself had suddenly just died. "It…can't be!"Such words from him confirmed what Schneizel had suspected. "Can I assume by your expression that…?""Yes." Bismarck replied emptily, unable to deny what his Contract was telling him, though he'd give anything to believe it wasn't so. "His Majesty, Charles zi Britannia, has been…bested."Bested. A cute choice of words. And finally Schneizel allowed himself a small amused smile. It would seem his father had fallen prey to another, ironically fulfilling the cycle that, according to his own Knight, he'd never truly believed in. What a perfect end for you, Father.This would raise questions though, just looking around him now he could see the bridge crew glancing at each other nervously. It didn't take a genius to guess what they were thinking either: Is the Emperor really dead? Who killed him? Who's the new Emperor? What happens now? Etcetera, etcetera.Well they needn't worry too much. Schneizel considered as he stood from the throne and gave instructions to leave this airspace and make for Cambodia. After all, they'll all be dead very soon. Well played Lelouch. He couldn't help acknowledging his little brother's new move. Whether he knew this would happen or not, he'd just sewn chaos into Britannia's ranks.
Well played indeed.
C's World The Sword of Akasha
Once again the world began to change. The metallic enclosure fell in on itself, disintegrating, and what light there had been before died away as the still-glowing Jovian sphere began to return from whence it came, the last sign of its presence being the red winged sigil that it would forever marred by.The lack of light should have worried them had it not been for C.C.'s presence. With no further reason to stay here she activated her Code and removed them from C's World, depositing them all back on top of the ruins within the cave on Kaminejima.The glare of unnatural light clicked in Kallen's mind first. "We're back." She murmured to no one, almost surprised that they would ever see this world again. However, she adapted quickly after a brief look around – noting the damage on the platform and the even greater destruction done to the once pristine wall – and turned to face C.C.Being back in the real world also meant dealing with reality and there was more than one person here who had questions for the others, or issues that hadn't yet been resolved. As she seemed to be the only active person here Kallen took it upon herself to get the ball rolling, she left Lelouch's side to approach the Witch who remained behind them, still sat on the floor.Nonchalant as ever, she barely noticed the redhead's approach until she was right above her. "Is there something you needed, Kallen?" She asked, still seemingly in her own little world."You were dead." Kallen simply stated, cutting right through all the usual bullshit and getting right to the point. "Why did you do that?"Her lack of exposition wasn't a problem, C.C. knew exactly what she meant. But she was going to be disappointed if she thought there were any answers to be found here. Thus, the Verdette merely shrugged. "I don't know.""You don't-!" That had not been the answer Kallen had been hoping for. "C.C.! You jumped in front of a firing squad! A normal person would be dead! You were dead! I don't care!" She cut C.C. off as she went to lift up her fringe. "I don't care about the damn Code! I watched you die! And you can't even tell us why you did that?!"In the face of all that frustration, C.C. remained outwardly unmoved. Inside though was another matter, it was nice to know Cera's passing had had an effect. Poor girl had deserved at least someone to miss her. As to why she threw herself in front of Lelouch..."I don't know why Cera did what she did." She repeated, though she noted the use of her old name garnered a curious side-glance from Lelouch. "I may remember her actions but it's like seeing it through a window: I lack context."All right, that was a lie. She knew exactly what Cera had felt and thought all the way through that brief return to her youth, that wasn't the thing that confused her. What was odd was how quickly those feelings had formed, or that they had at all. Cera the slave-girl had known better than to hope for a kind owner, so what had made Lelouch, and then Kallen, so different?Her confusion didn't help the lady in question though and she let out an annoyed groan. And now she talks about herself in third-person. Are we sure she came back right? Shaking her head at C.C.'s sheer…C.C.-ness, Kallen pushed on. "Alright, how about all the stuff you kept from us? You knew about this plan, and Lelouch's mom being alive, and you never said a word.""No, I didn't." C.C. had been labelled many things over her long life, but one thing she'd never been called was a tattletale. They had been two separate Contracts and she was beholden to keep her accomplices' secrets."I should be pissed off with you." Kallen told her, vainly trying to hold on to a glare. And why shouldn't she be? "I really, really, should kick your ass from here to the E.U. for all the crap you've pulled.""Could you aim for Italy?" The Witch requested, a sly smirk rising as she observed Lelouch's Queen desperately trying to stay all puffed up. So cute. Her gaze slipped over to their raven-haired audience. "Only someone got Cera hooked on Pizza and I'm having a craving.""See! That! That right there!" Snapped Kallen, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You think you can hide stuff from us, lose your memory, get yourself killed and come back again, and then just ask for Pizza?!""Well why not?" C.C. asked, shrugging again. "You're not going to get any of the answers you want so why not indulge me for a bit?" Then her smirk turned lewd. "Who knows? Maybe satisfying my needs will jog my memory."Indulge? Satisfy? Why the hell is she…? Then it registered just what sort of look the lime succubus was shooting her way, and suddenly that last sentence sounded a lot more suggestive of something else. Wait, is she saying…me…with…and…? Kallen could feel the blood running up and flushing her cheeks, C.C.'s implication triggering her imagination. It was last year all over again! As if I'm just going to do that to get her to talk and…who the hell's laughing?!The light chuckles she caught belonged to someone behind her and, going by the sound of the voice, she could guess who. Whirling around she fixed the culprit with the mother of all stink-eyes. "And what's so funny, Highness?""Apologies." Lelouch professed, not meaning a single syllable – gods, he'd missed this! "I just find it relieving that, even though we just saved the world, C.C. can still get under your skin with the simplest of bait."Seriously?! C.C. annoyed her and he found it funny?! Exhaling her frustrations, she now gave the sassy prince her full attention. "Oh you get a laugh outta that, huh? Well how about I try a…"She trailed off though as Lelouch, still wearing an amused expression, turned to face her fully. It wasn't the fact that, for once, his smile reached all the way to his eyes…rather it was the eyes themselves that brought her up short. Blinking a couple of times didn't change what she was seeing and Kallen let out an unconscious gasp when she realised it wasn't an illusion."Lelouch…" Her shocked tone lessened his relaxed expression as she continued to stare at him. "Your eyes…"Her trailing comment served to completely wipe away his smile in favour of a frown, something was wrong with his eyes? A blink of his own didn't reveal anything, he could see just fine, but she still seemed to see something he couldn't. "What's wrong with them?""They're glowing."What? His surprise matched hers as he tried to find out if this was true. Her comment also garnered Suzaku's attention, he'd been keeping his distance but hearing that both of Lelouch's eyes had lit up brought up his guard, he could guess what that meant.The defensive movements of the Knight of Seven didn't go unnoticed by Lelouch, and he could admit to being somewhat offended by that, but he was more focussed on this change that he couldn't see...though a theory was building. He looked beyond Kallen to silently ask his Witch, who had peered up to observe him when this new development had been brought to his attention."Your Geass has changed again." She confirmed what she saw he'd been thinking. "It's entered the Dominant Stage.""Dominant?" Kallen glanced back the Verdette's way, rightfully wary of such a title. "Does that mean it's more powerful now?"Once again C.C. just shrugged. "I don't know, every Geass is different. The changes won't be known until he uses it on someone."So that's what I felt. Her explanation sounded right to Lelouch, it would make sense why he didn't see the Crane fly, but there would be time to go over that later. For now, his attention back on someone he'd thought lost, he simply made his way over to her after giving Kallen a reassuring nod that he was okay. C.C. followed his approach with her typical unaffected expression until he stood before her.Looking her over the first thing he noted was the red stained holes covering her straitjacket, triggering his memory and fury at what the Black Knights had done to her. He managed to control it to a mere wince and a raised eyebrow before drolly commenting. "You've looked better, Witch."Snorting, she gave him a reproachful smirk. "Well if somebody hadn't decided to play up his megalomania, maybe I would."Her pinning the blame on him wasn't unexpected, he would be annoyed if he wasn't so damned happy to receive a barb from her again. Too long. It had been much too long since he'd been subject to her wit, thus he just gave her an acknowledging smile and offered her a hand up. "I suppose I'll be paying for it for a while?""Three full wardrobes and unlimited Pizza for a month." She readily replied, reaching up and placing her hand in his. "And don't get me started on that pitiful excuse of a burial. I've had better send offs from-oop!"When Lelouch pulled her to her feet he then tugged her close, prompting her surprised squeak, and wrapped his free arm around her waist. The other arm then let go of her hand and found a new perch on her head, fingers running through her hair. He would smirk at having caught her off guard – hugs really weren't their thing – but right now he just wanted to feel her."How about two wardrobes and I'll make the Pizza myself?"Homemade Pizza? Some of her shock at her Warlock being so hands-y melted away at the promise of such. There were three types of Pizza in the world: served, take-out, and amateur, and he had just offered to make her the most meaningful kind. That at least deserved a small hug back which she promptly gave him. "I want spicy beef with jalapenos and chilli powder. Think you can survive that?"Yep, she was making him pay. Gods, he'd missed her!"Promise not to do that to me again," He murmured back, pulling her a little closer "and I'll make whatever you want."Behind them, Kallen observed this tender moment and matched it up against the one they'd had on the Ikaruga. Such closeness between the two still seemed a bit weird but this time it didn't feel wrong, maybe because even in the middle of a hug they still found time to bicker like a pair of old-marrieds. As annoying as C.C. was, and despite how pissed off she should be about everything, all she could feel was glad to have her back. Maybe I'll kick her ass tomorrow.As for Suzaku, he found himself rethinking the relationship he'd thought he knew between Lelouch and this witch. I had no idea she was that important to him. With Nunnally gone the number of people he'd be so physically tender with should have been zero, yet here was proof of the opposite. Just how well do I know him?The moment passed though and C.C. pulled back, her aloof expression softened somewhat with a small fond light in her eyes as she gazed upon this aberration of human ambition. "Abide by our Contract and I'll try my best." Her usual response got a wry smirk out of him but her continuation, she smugly noted, wiped it right off. "After all when death comes you should at least be smiling, right?"She remembers that? Lelouch felt his cheeks go red at the reminder of the promise he swore in China. Idiot, of course she does! Doesn't miss a thing, our Witch. The small teasing grin that was forming on her face said as much. Blasted girl's worse than Milly!As for C.C. she couldn't help her smile, he should've known she'd hold him accountable for that. Preying on a poor girl's desires, had he no shame? Of course not, he wouldn't be my Warlock otherwise. Patting his adorably flushed cheek, she peered over him to see the other two."And you?" She asked them, admittedly curious to know the paths of these people who had rejected world peace. "What will you do now?"Her putting them on the spot like that caused both her targets to tense up, though Kallen did so because she half expected the witch to launch some kind of chaos that would either confuse or humiliate her. When nothing happened and they gave no answer, C.C. pressed on. "I have to admit you shocked me in there. I figured Lelouch would deny it, if only to spite Charles, but you…you stood with him, embracing reality and the forward march of time. However…"Her prompt got Suzaku's attention first, she was right of course. In that moment they had been united in common interest to stop Ragnarök and together, though Lelouch had led the charge, they had done just that. But now that threat was in the past and he was still a Knight of Britannia."I know." He said, both in answer and resignation, his gaze turning flinty as it fixed on the Leader of the Black Knights and raised his sword. "Lelouch is the one who murdered Euphemia.""Seriously?!" Suzaku's declaration spurred Kallen into action and she immediately came about to stare him down, keeping Lelouch and C.C. firmly behind her. "We just took down the Emperor – together! – and you want to bring that up again!? Why did I expect any better?" Trust that, even when they did manage to work together, this idiot would find a way to piss her off."Kallen, you're acting as if I want to do this.""Don't you?" She shot back, not buying it for a second. "Isn't that all you live for these days? To kill Zero and rise up the ranks?"Where was a rock when she needed one?Her words stung…but only because they were true. "For a time, yes, that was all I had." He admitted, some of the sharpness leaving his eyes. "If I could kill Zero and become the Knight of One, maybe Euphie could rest in peace. But then I realised I didn't have the full story."Their talk – his interrogation of Lelouch – at the Kururugi Shrine had only been a day ago yet it was as if years had gone by since then. He'd demanded answers and all he'd gotten were lies, every question he put forward Lelouch had had an ideal reply ready for him. At first Suzaku had even believed them…but then he saw his eyes, the same haunted expression filled with guilt and grief that he saw every time he looked in a mirror. Then he was furious with Lelouch for continuing to cover it up, for letting him think the worst of him…until now."He said it himself. People lie to each other because they want to protect something." He continued, a sense of understanding colouring his tone. "In that case, Lelouch protected me from a truth that I wasn't ready to hear. Right?" He asked over Kallen's shoulder to the source of their conversation who had turned to observe him with that unnerving new look of his. However Suzaku didn't back down. "How could I accept that Euphie's death, the massacre, and everything else about that day, had been nothing more than a terrible mistake?"It was somewhat gratifying to see shock cross over Lelouch's expression, did he really think he was that obtuse? His morals warped by his death wish had gotten in the way before, this was true, but he was not an idiot. Their previous talk and this latest encounter had given him all he'd needed to work it out and, more importantly, to understand."V.V. knew that as well. It's why he told me about Geass right after Euphie died." Looking back on it now, it was rather convenient for the little monster to have found him then and there. He must have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to turn him into a puppet. Makes a person wonder just how much he interfered with last year."Therefore, I acknowledge that what happened was nothing short of a horrible situation beyond your control…but…" Now he locked down his emotions and focussed solely on his task, gripping his sword tight again as he stared Lelouch down. "None of that matters. It doesn't matter that you didn't mean to do it. It doesn't matter that your Geass went rampant at that moment, or that Euphie had no choice but to carry out the order. It doesn't matter that this was all a ploy set up by V.V. to tear us apart. You still did it. And as Princess Euphemia's sworn Knight of Honour, it is my duty to bring you to justice, Zero."Throughout his speech Kallen had remained silent, admittedly because part of her was surprised Suzaku was actually smart enough to figure all that out. However when he got to the last bit, her temper flared and she spat at him. "Justice? Let's stick a vial of Refrain in your neck and then we can talk about that!"That specific suggestion, Lelouch noted, got a barely noticeable flinch out of Suzaku – he wouldn't dare…! – but nonetheless he figured it was time for him to step in before these two brought the cave down around them. Stepping away from C.C., he moved forward and once again restrained his Queen with a hand on her shoulder. "Kallen, that's enough. He's right.""Lelouch!"He silenced her with a sudden sharp stare. Her defence of him was appreciated but, like with Charles, this was something he had to do himself. Not waiting for her to concede or refuse his wish, he stepped passed her to stand before Suzaku, still a bit of distance stretching between them but not something that would hamper the Japanese Knight if he truly went through with his intent. He can dodge bullets after all. Bloody exercise freak.Taking in a breath, he now spoke his piece. "You are right, Suzaku. I did kill Euphie. The circumstances don't matter at all, the one who took her life was me. But…" his accepting expression now slipped into a mildly academic frown as he went on, "let's apply that logic to another example: After all, it doesn't matter that you gave me fair warning, nor does it matter that I was the one who gave the order to kill you. It does not fall on Kallen who followed through with said order, or her new Knightmare for overpowering you. It doesn't matter that the Geass I placed on you forced you to live by any means," Kallen's stunned 'huh?!' at that was noted (he was gonna get it if he survived this) and pushed aside, "nor does it matter that that monstrous weapon was the only option you had left: You still used it."As he talked, the more he saw on Suzaku's face that his friend understood where he was taking this. Well he was the one who wanted to play by duty, surely he should've expected a turn around."And in using it, you killed Nunnally."Silence followed his summation. Even C.C. had gone still at her Warlock's tone, having never heard him speak like that before. Kallen had though and she tensed, the demonic fury she'd seen on the Ikaruga flashing through her mind.However Lelouch maintained his cool, simply unzipping his jacket and rummaging through an interior pocket. A moment later he found what he was looking for and pulled it out."So tell me, Sir Kururugi, Seventh Knight of the Round Table, Soldier of Britannia." He fought back sneer as he spoke the titles, his sharp gaze turning vicious, and pointed Kallen's handgun straight at him. "Why shouldn't I kill you?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
October 5th Holy Britannian Empire Pendragon Imperial Palace, Throne Room"This is Milly Ashford reporting live from Pendragon, where it seems the whole of high society has gathered in one room." An exaggeration, but the former Queen of Ashford Academy had learned long before her journalism career that the truth often needed spicing up a little bit.Not too much though, the massive hall in which her father and grandfather had once pandered to the whim of the Emperor was filled almost to bulging with nobles to the left of the royal red carpet that led from the huge gold-leafed double doors all the way to the Throne itself which sat upon an elevated plain and as many Princes, Princesses and Royal Consorts as could be fitted on the right.The former noble heiress spared the bloated gathering a single glance before returning her attention to the camera in front of her that was broadcasting to the entire Empire. "And why wouldn't it be after a summons by His Imperial Majesty calling for all able members of the peerage to assemble today, especially after his month long silence following the F.L.E.I.J.A. event?"She said it with an upbeat tone even though just thinking about that terrifying day left her a little sick, but she just pushed it down and carried on. Her part in today's proceedings was almost over, she just needed to get this out. "Whatever it is that's broken the Emperor's silence, we will all find out very soon."That was the question on the minds of every Royal and Noble assembled. Where had the Emperor been this last month? Public appearances weren't exactly his thing but to disappear off the map entirely was something else altogether."How come we didn't hear anything about him coming back?" Carine, the Fifth Princess, asked irritably. "I had to fly in from Area 10 for this crap. I could've been knocking on those Ozzies doors and then this happens!"Her ranting was more or less ignored by her elder siblings, Guinevere and Odysseus, who had their own worries on why this summons had been so last minute. Just looking around at how packed the usually spacious hall was told the Crown Prince (by virtue of birth only) that something really big was about to go down and no one wanted to miss it – that would smell of lacking favour…and the Emperor crushed anyone who tried to do a run around on him. Of course, his light scanning of the room pointed out a few very notable absences."Still no sign of Schneizel or Cornelia." He noted lightly, trying to make it seem harmless.Guinevere just sniffed at the observation. "That Nelly's always been too much of a bloodhound to focus on the important matters." How her half-sister could tolerate such despicable conditions military life afforded still perplexed her after all these years. But it was the other one that she did worry about. "But Schneizel…for him to snub Father like this…"She needn't finish the thought, he knew exactly what happened the last time a Royal disobeyed a direct order from the Emperor: Their Grandfather had been killed and Charles zi Britannia assumed the Throne. For such a parallel to be noted was…well, 'worrying' didn't cover it.No sign of Bismarck either. Odysseus noted to himself, hoping against hope that that was a good thing at the Knight of One was just doing his job…but he'd been missing almost as long as their father which was just as concerning. Unable to help himself, he let out a weary sigh. I just want this to be over, these matters of state were never my forte.Turning his gaze away from the Royal side of the hall, the First Prince now took a look at the Nobles who had attended. Honestly he couldn't decide if they were here because the Emperor wanted them here or because they wanted to get a share in whatever bloody crusade was sure to follow this declaration. Frowning, he noticed quite a few of the usual suspects had turned up again: the simpering Cissia's, a Baron line that had been desperately trying to break into the ranks of the Viscounts for the last decade; the Earls of New Cambridge and Phoenix, rats who had torn apart the Ashford Foundation to get every last patent they could after Duke Reuben was forced to abdicate his position to his mediocre son; even the Marquess of Alaska, the only Marquess in Britannia*, had made the trip down here.But it was in scanning these old faces that, moving up to the front row, Odysseus noted something interesting: a new face in the form of a beautiful young woman in a deep red dress and transparent sleeves. Her hair was styled interestingly, the front bangs hung out low, framing her face quite tastefully, but at the back he could just see that the side not facing him had her hair tied back in a small tail while the same red locks on her right fanned out freely.Curious, he poked Guinevere again who turned to scowl at him. Ignoring it, he indicated the woman who had caught his eye. "Do you know who that is?"Glancing over at her, the First Princess could only shrug. "Never seen her before, probably some new blood come to try her hand at Court." This she said with barely concealed mirth, youngsters like that one never lasted long in this game. She'd seen more of their kind come through these doors all arrogance and sass only to be sent home in disgrace (sometimes, to her constant glee, in tears) and their families ruined. This one would be no different. Although, she noted her brother's gaze lingering a bit and she couldn't help herself. "A bit old for you, isn't she?"Her barb was not appreciated. Odysseus had been antsy about that plan of Schneizel's from the very beginning. Yes, he understood the necessity of politics, marriage was a useful tool to solidify alliances but the girl had been younger than poor Nunnally – rest her soul – surely they had moved beyond such acts. Worse still, Li Xingke and Zero's individual interventions had scuppered that plan entirely and resulted in the formation of a new power bloc on the world stage. Odysseus had returned to the Homeland a laughing stock and only his position as the Crown Prince had saved him from a much crueller fate."Urgh! This is ridiculous!" Carine whined, cutting off any retaliation he might have made. "We've been standing around for hours! Get the old man out here already!"Her complaint set off the rest of the gathered aristocracy who began murmuring amongst themselves over what was taking so long. They'd all answered the summons, they'd all shown their loyalty to His Majesty, so why didn't he return the courtesy and face them? Some even started to wonder if the summons had been genuine at all, what if this was actually a bid for the Throne and they had all been caught in it? And the really brave actually scoffed at it all and began making their way through the crowd to leave.It was these people who came face-to-face with two new arrivals, who Milly made sure her crew got a shot of. "Oh my, if I'm not mistaken, that's former Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald of Orange and at his side is the Knight of Six herself, Lady Anya Alstreim." Oh Annie, she'd changed so much since they'd last seen each other…in her opinion it had all been for the best as Milly watched the two dangerous figures glare the bulbous naysayers back into line."Silence!" Jeremiah's strong voice carried through the Throne Room, hushing up the mutterings at once. Satisfied by their rapt attention, he and Anya marched down the red carpet until they passed the front row and took the necessary steps up to the elevated plain where the Throne lay empty.Their actions however triggered another round of quieter murmurings from the audience. The Nobility were mainly the ones doing the asking though; wasn't that the guy who Zero embarrassed in Area 11? What was he doing showing his face here? And why was he in the company of a Round? The Royalty however were a bit more vocal."Hey!" Carine – shock of shocks – snapped at the two of them, "What d'you think you're doing?! That's the Emperor's seat you're standing behind, Alstreim! And you, Orange!" she turned and practically shone disdain for him as she spouted that unique insult. "You've got a lot of nerve to even show your face amongst true servants of His Majesty!"Her vitriolic claim got some of the rabble going as well, jeering and booing at the disgrace of a Margrave who took it all without so much as a flinch. As for Anya, she merely glared at the imp who called herself a princess – bitch had always tried to make Nunnally cry in the past to the point even then-soft spoken Lelouch had gotten vicious with her. Just bear with it, she told herself even as she glanced over to the noble side of the room and discretely nodded at one of their number, the show begins in just a few minutes and we'll never have to deal with them again.Presently, Jeremiah felt he'd given them enough time and so once again called out for silence with equally satisfying results. He may despise V.V. and Bartley for all that had been done to him, but he had to admit he rather liked the new pipes. "His Majesty will be here shortly. It is by His request we have come ahead to ensure a pleasant atmosphere."And now the silence was tinged with fear, he could see it in their eyes as the previous mockers were now standing bug-eyed. Yes, that's right. He couldn't help sneering at the lot of them. His Majesty trusts me, Orange, to keep you all under control. So sorry…"Of course Lord Jeremiah. We understand," Odysseus, ever the peacekeeper, stepped forward in hopes of smoothing things out before they all dug themselves deeper, "however, surely you can understand we are all somewhat concerned. His Majesty hasn't been seen or heard from in so long and…""You, and they, will be informed of his plans soon enough Prince Odysseus." The Orange Knight cut in, though keeping a respectful tone. The man had done nothing to earn his ire and so he would not show it."I-I see." The First Prince replied, a bit shaken by the man's courteous interruption and dismissal. "Then, can I assume the Knight of One has also returned?"Oddly, his question prompted Jeremiah and Anya to share an amused glance before the Knight of Six responded, rather flippantly. "Oh, the Knight of One is a lot closer than you think."As she was giving them this cryptic message, Jeremiah was glancing over at the far end of the hall to the double doors where their ally waved three fingers over her head – thirty seconds to show time. Without acknowledging it he then glanced over to Anya again and gave her a short nod.She returned in kind and quickly delved into her pockets, retrieving her camera phone and setting it to record. The problems with her memory may be a thing of the past but that didn't mean she couldn't keep videos of more fun times, and this was going to be priceless.Smiling indulgently at the youngster's actions, Jeremiah returned his focus directly ahead and saw the call sign – ten seconds to show time – his cue to get started. Swiftly he went down on one knee in the Britannian salute of fealty and barked out for them all to do likewise. "Now bend the knee to His Imperial Majesty!"His announcement covering an order prompted the fanfare to begin as Anya followed suit. The rest of the hall stared at the two in confusion, what the hell were they doing? Bend the knee like some commoner grunt? As if they would sully themselves to do so! One particular noble who showed no signs of ever doing so was the young woman Odysseus had spotted who remained ramrod straight, not even deigning to answer the ridiculing remarks around her.Odysseus himself saw this act and realised pandemonium was only one angry word away. He didn't know why Father would throw his weight around in such a way, these days he hardly cared which of his own children were still alive, but history had taught him what happened when someone defied his will. As such, the Crown Prince made himself the example and promptly went down on his knee, head dipped low."Odysseus!" Guinevere gasped in amazement at her brother's action, "What are you doing? Get up at once!""Bend the knee." He ordered his sisters, and the hall at large, in a rare moment of backbone. Useless he may be but he'd be damned if he saw anymore of his family dead for that man's entertainment. "Just bend the knee and get it over with.""As if!" Carine snorted, her nose turned up so she missed the glare that Anya sent her way, "If the old man wants to play big shot he can do it where we can all see him!""Fine." He snapped back, raising his voice enough for the rest to hear him, rightly fed up with the girl's impetuousness. "I hope you enjoy the Australians' hospitality then, sister."A low blow, to be sure, but everyone got the message. Lelouch and Marrybell were still held up as examples of what happened when Charles zi Britannia was challenged by his own family. A moment after Odysseus' words, the Royal side of the room looked considerably shorter as every Consort, Prince and Princess (as well as said children's own Consorts) immediately went down on their knees. The Nobles soon followed suit, though with a bit more grumbling on their parts – what did it matter to them about a long dead Prince and a Princess so stupid that she didn't even show up for this event? But down they went nonetheless, lest they lose out.All save one. Glancing up, Odysseus noted to his alarm that the woman in red had stayed up still looking straight ahead. What the devil is she doing?! When the Emperor wants you to bow, you bow! Were he not so frightened for his own family he might have done something, but as it stood he could only give the girl's relatives his silent sympathies as the large doors behind him slammed shut and measured footsteps began to make their way up the red carpet.Boy was he in for a shock."Well, isn't this interesting." Commented Milly from the back as she watched the second couple who had entered the Throne room begin their progression, hand in hand, up towards the chair in question. "Now who is this dashing young man and his lovely lady?"Inside though, she was grinning such a catty little grin. Oh she was so glad they'd come to her, she wouldn't have missed out on a prank like this for all the dirt in Ashford (and she had a lot of dirt).And weren't they just dressed for the part? The young raven-haired man was decked in his signature colour: a black ankle-length opera coat with gold trimmings and filigree and purple inner lining, under which was a purple waist jacket and white opera shirt that was topped off with a white ascot, and a pair of black formal trousers and Balmoral-style shoes summed up the lower half; the woman on his arm was…well the only word to describe her was immaculate. A simple petal style hairclip was clasped behind her right ear which held the beautifully combed lime green hair in place as it fell past her bare back, drawing attention to her dark green dress that flowed all the way to the floor ending with stylised interweaving gold latticework that was mirrored in the complementary sleeves that covered her arms from her wrists to just below her shoulders. They would be the incarnation of beauty were it not for their expressions: identical smirks that just oozed guile.As they reached the front row the gentleman halted their procession to look upon the sole individual still stood up. The woman in question merely gave him a pointed look as if daring him to make something of it. The Verdette on his arm merely laughed at the pair of them, which triggered a light chuckle from the man who gave the redhead an amused headshake before resuming their march.Three steps up, so small and yet so very significant, and finally the couple disengaged from each other. The woman went to stand beside Jeremiah on the Throne's left whilst the man himself stood facing the chair. Funny…in his memory it had always been bigger. Putting that out of his mind, he came about and took his seat, one leg crossing over the other as he looked upon his subjects.
Let the show begin.
"Rise." A hand left the arm of the Throne and waved up in tandem with his command.His voice however drew new amounts of confusion as the assemblage rose back to their feet. That hadn't been the Emperor's voice they'd heard. It was commanding, imperious even, but the deep baritone that echoed over the walls was missing. His figure didn't match up either, the Emperor had been a giant but the one who sat in his Throne was a spindly thing who couldn't even be six feet tall. Who was this intruder?Those were the questions of the Nobility and about ninety percent of the Royal side as well, but ten percent looked upon the figure and felt as if they were seeing a ghost.It was Guinevere who actually managed to get the name out. "Lelouch?"The now named young man turned his attention to her with a small smile. "Hello, sister. It's been quite some time.""You-you're alive?!" Carine stuttered out in disbelief."Yes sister, I am." He confirmed listlessly, "I have returned from the depths of Hell intact, and now prepared to assume my new responsibilities as 99th Emperor of the Realm."Emperor? A dark thought suddenly popped into Odysseus' mind as he listened to this resurrected phantom speak, even more so as he noted that Lord Gottwald and Lady Alstreim were standing proudly beside him…but surely not. Gulping down the worry, he stepped forward to greet his little brother."I'm so very glad to see you again Lelouch." He began, smiling easily so as not to cause any trouble. "When Nunnally was discovered we did hold out hope that you would find your way back to us too. But now don't you think you're taking this joke a bit far? That's the Throne of the Emperor and you know what-"His mentioning their father immediately shut down the calm smile on Lelouch's face, trading it in for a cold glare that would have cut the man off if his next sentence didn't get there first."Charles zi Britannia is dead." Everything stopped. Not just in the mighty hall but across the world itself, everyone watching the broadcast, listening to the radio, or spying on the proceedings suddenly took heed. They couldn't have heard that right. But Lelouch and his party of three remained firm in his claim, and then the claimant went one step further: "And I am the one who killed him. Therefore, by the laws of succession, that makes me the new Emperor!"That declaration started everyone up again, the Nobles immediately poo-pooing the very idea that this stick of a man, a mere boy, would dare make such a statement. On the Royal side, reactions were considerably more vocal."What're you trying to pull?!" Carine shouted furiously, how dare he take what was rightfully hers after all the work she'd put in at Area 12?! "Get outta that seat right now!""Guards!" Guinevere called out, equally irate at her brother's antic. "Take that fool away and execute him at once!"The stationed soldiers, ever loyal to Charles zi Britannia (just as they'd been 'conditioned'), immediately took up arms and rushed the group surrounding the Throne. They came from all sides, immediately blocking the side exits whilst the central aisle was quickly filled with guards rushing forwards, halberds aimed directly at the upstart who would steal their Emperor's seat.Such a fearful sight should have had any pretender quivering…as for Lelouch, his only thought on it all was: All this commotion over a mere chair. As the wall of steal and zeal came rushing towards him, his attention slipped over to the Noble audience and nodded at his Queen. Enter the Leading Lady...well, one of them.Upon seeing his go ahead, the newcomer sprang into action. Before the guards directly ahead could pass by, a streak of red suddenly overtook them, striking each and every one of them back with lethal force. As she did so Lelouch raised his hand high and, with a slight sense of nostalgia, clicked his fingers which signalled his Knight to act.From above a white blur joined the red with a vicious spiral that slammed into the guards' weapons with such deadly accuracy that the heads of the halberds were snapped clean off, all of which sank harmlessly into the steps behind them as the two figures came to a rest on their knees. As one the pair stood back up, glaring down the aisle as if daring one from either side to come take a swing.As this went on, Jeremiah – bubbling with fury at these men's actions – had drawn his hidden blade and was carving a beautiful spectacle of death on Lelouch's left whilst, on his right, Anya flipped and somersaulted over her opponents, using her small size to her advantage, so that they all practically fell over each other as they tried to counter her lithe movements. C.C. and Lelouch meanwhile observed the short brawl with the slightest of attention, as if such a spectacle was beyond their interest.Their work done, the two uncovered allies of his backed up so that they too stood either side of him, the woman standing to his right whilst the sixth member of their group, a Japanese man dressed in the trappings of the Knights of the Round, took up his position on the left.Casually, as if his people hadn't just put down an attempt on his life, Lelouch made his introductions. "I am sure many of you are familiar with some of my friends here, but for propriety's sake allow me to introduce them anyway.""First, Jeremiah Gottwald – loyal knight and servant to the Vi Britannia household. For his actions and unwavering Loyalty, I hereby grant him the position of Knight of One."Once again he ignored the shocked gasps of the audience as he now moved to his right, "Second, Anya Alstreim, Knight of Six and vassal of the Vi Britannia household. For her service and friendship, I hereby elevate her position in the Rounds to Knight of Two.""And now I come to my two Knights." He indicated the latest two to reveal themselves on his side. "Some of you may be familiar with Suzaku Kururugi, so allow me to introduce the Lady Kallen Stadfelt-Kozuki. To them I grant a new position in the Rounds – above all others – they are to be the Knights of Zero."This most unorthodox of decrees set off the audience again. A usurpation, they could have seen coming, but to create a new position in the Rounds and then name two to the same rank…what arrogance propelled this boy? However the more he set out the greater undertone of fear began to grow in their ranks as all of this Lelouch had done without even trying. Why wasn't anyone saying anything to stop this?"Lelouch…" Odysseus tried one last time, breaking rank entirely and stepping up to look him in the eye, shifting a little as the new newly minted Rounds shot warning glares on him. "My lords and ladies, please, this simply will not do. Pulling a stunt like this on an international broadcast…""Brother, enough." Lelouch cut him off, his hand finding its way to his eyes looking for all the world as if he were pinching the bridge of his nose. "You speak the words of the herd around you, when I know for a fact you could care less for all of this."Honestly, when it came to his elder siblings, Odysseus was the one he felt for the most. The man was too good-hearted for his position, which was why Schneizel had always run rough-shod over him even as far back as the days before Marianne's assassination. Sadly, he had only lost one manipulator for another but at least Lelouch would try to do right by the poor man.As such he lowered his hand, contact lenses clasped between his fingers, and stared his red Geass stare into the Crown Prince's eyes. "So, for once in your life: Be truly honest with yourself and others until I say otherwise.""Lelouch, I must insist that you stop joking around and…" That was as far as Odysseus got until the twin cranes past between them and entered his eyes. 0.6 of a second later he snapped into a firmer stance and diligently replied. "Yes, Your Majesty."Before anyone could ask questions, he turned on his heel to glare at the confused stares of his half-brothers and half-sisters as well as the gluttonous lords and ladies who just wanted more of what they already had."You are all scum!" He yelled at them, decades of holding back his thoughts finally surging to the fore under his brother's command. "For years I've watched this nation smother the world in misery and death, sat back in my comfy chairs feeding off the labours of our own people just like the rest of you swine! But fear held me back! Fear of what our father would do if I spoke up! And why? Because of him!" Violently he pointed back at Lelouch who watched with some level of surprise at his vitriol. "A boy whose only crime was to ask why his mother was not given justice, tossed out to die in a foreign land! No more! I will have no more of it! As Crown Prince, but more importantly as a brother, I will not let this go on for one more day!"His declaration finished he lapsed into silence, the only sound issuing forth being his ragged breaths as he brought himself back under control. As he did so the Geass command wore off and Odysseus suddenly found himself staring into the faces of a perplexed aristocracy, what were they all looking at? Hadn't he just been speaking to Lelouch?"Odysseus…" There was a dangerous tone in Guinevere's voice as she got over her shock and scowled at her older brother. "Are you saying you support this…cretin?""Pardon?" What was she talking about? He hadn't said anything.Behind him, Lelouch also recovered from his shock at his brother's words. He'd never thought that his eldest brother had felt so strongly, at most he'd expected a desire to step down but this…well it made his mind up over what came next. Glancing left, he silently indicated his brother to Jeremiah who got the message instantly and triggered his Geass Canceller.The blue wave passed over him and, a couple of blinks later, memories and clarity returned to Odysseus' mind. "…Oh…oh dear.""Those were words you've always wanted to say, brother." Lelouch told him, standing from the Throne and stepping over to the edge of the top step, his words garnering Odysseus' attention and the man turned back around to face him. "Your opinion is one I share, and I intend to do something about it. There's just one thing I need from you."One thing? He had an idea of what that one thing could be, it would be insane to go through with it though. They'd all be mobbed before they could get to safety, new Rounds or not. And yet they stood firm, so confident, as if the stunningly clothed legion before them was just another stepping stone on their way forward. Would that he could have even a bit of that conviction, his brief moment of it thanks to Lelouch's strange hypnosis notwithstanding…But Lelouch still looked upon him, waiting for an answer. He should just deny again and have the guards escort them away…Instead a reckless urge, fuelled by his desire to see Father's way fall, took hold and he once again went down on his knee. Placing a hand over his heart, he looked up into his little brother's strangely glowing eyes and called out, "All Hail Lelouch vi Britannia! First of his name! Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and all Her Territories!""What the hell, Odysseus?!" Carine now yelled at him furiously, "You're actually backing this commoner upstart?! No way! Guards, kill them all right now!"But the guards looked just as confused. Jeremiah's Canceller had been indiscriminate, wiping away all of Charles' commands, leaving the poor men with an abundance of questions. What were they doing here? Hadn't they been doing something else? Why were they in Pendragon's Royal Hall and what was with this silly clothes?"Hey! Do what I tell you, you damn incompetents!" The Fifth Princess shouted again, only to be met with the same uncomprehending stares which just served to piss her off further. When nothing still happened she growled angrily and broke rank, marching on Lelouch. "Fine! I'll do it myself!"Her words prompted the four new minted Rounds to step forward threateningly, Anya getting there first and glaring down at her childhood tormentor. "Just try it, you little brat.""Oh like I'm gonna be scared of you All-scream!" Said brat scoffed back, not letting up. "No way in hell am I letting some rabble ladder climber tell me what to do!"Her words got the new Knight of Two seething, but she was halted by an arm passing in front of her. Lelouch just shook his head at her calmly before turning his eerie gaze back on the irate princess. "Is that so? Then let's make this a little easier for you all to grasp. Odysseus shut your eyes." His brother, confused and afraid, didn't argue and immediately hid his gaze. That done, Lelouch cast his stare over the entire hall, "And as for the rest of you: Acknowledge me as your new Emperor!"His Geass practically screamed for joy as he let the twin Cranes loose on so many people at once (hundreds easily), and the first mind they set themselves upon was that of an angry little hyena of a girl. "Don't you give me orders you worthless excuse of a…!" And then she went ramrod straight, hand snapping above her heart as she zealously intone "ALL HAIL EMPEROR LELOUCH!""ALL HAIL LELOUCH!" Her decree was echoed by the entire assemblage."ALL HAIL LELOUCH!" At the head of it all, the six conspirators smiled down at their new Emperor's work. An entire month of planning and now they could finally get to work."ALL HAIL LELOUCH!""Well now…" Milly murmured teasingly as she turned back to face the shocked camera crew, flipping off a pair of designer sunglasses she'd stuck on when nobody was looking. "Isn't that something? This is Duchess Millicent Ashford saying to the world at large: Gotcha!"