Chapter 1: Prologue: An Immortal Maiden
Chapter Text
Prologue: An Immortal Maiden
December 5th, 1999 a.t.b
The birth of a child is a very common occurrence, and here in Pendragon, capital of the Global Superpower, the Holy Britannian Empire, or more commonly known as just Britannia, was no exception. Thousands of children are born every day in the city alone, where the Elite of Britannian society flourish under the umbrella of Nobility or Royalty. A situation that one specific individual present within the city had seen countless times, all across the world, in places whose names have long since been forgotten by history.
Within the confines of the Imperial Palace, a woman was giving birth, with the husband standing nearby. The specifics of this certain birth would become legend as the husband was none other than the 98th Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia, and the mother to be was Marianne vi Britannia, who was merely one of his many consorts on paper, yet in reality was the woman he truly loved and the true, if unofficial, Empress of Britannia. Surrounding them were several doctors and nurses, who were either assisting Marianne in giving birth or were on standby, yet the happily married couple were in their own world even as Marianne lay on the bed struggling with the pain as she grew ever closer to releasing their child into the world.
The occupants of the hospital room were so preoccupied with Charles and Marianne that they all failed to notice the figure standing at the doorway. If they had, many of the doctors and nurses would have, quite understandably, mistaken the figure as a teenage girl, with her average height, waist-length light-green hair and golden eyes. Despite the blank expression on her face, her piercing eyes were focused on both Charles and Marianne alone, simply waiting. She was no stranger to royal births, but for some reason, whether it was her continued association with Charles and Marianne, her curious nature or some unknown variable, she felt compelled to watch instead of just excusing herself and doing something much more... pleasurable with one of the Hospital staff, many of which she had already seduced. It would be quite simple to meet with one of them for a simple rendezvous.
She was shaken from her thoughts as Marianne screamed and then faltered, as a crying sound was heard from the newly born Royal. A boy if she wasn't mistaken, from the sounds of it as well as the conversations between the staff amongst themselves or the couple. As if Charles hadn't had enough boys already, even amongst the many children he had already conceived. Then again, he had over one hundred consorts, so it was to be expected.
She waited a bit longer as the crowd of nurses around Marianne slowly dissipated, with Charles forced to leave his beloved behind to get back to his duties as Emperor, a reality that she did not envy him on. As he passed her, she caught a brief look of surprise in his now cold eyes as he finally acknowledged her being there, before moving on. He knew her reasonably well so it was easy to tell that he expected her to be indulging herself in pleasure elsewhere.
After he walked out into the corridor, the girl finally was able to see the baby, who was currently crying in his mother's arms. Somehow, he must have noticed her staring at him because he ceased crying and looked directly at her with violet eyes, the same as Marianne's. Marianne noticed and gave a small smile to the girl.
"C.C., allow me to introduce you to my son, Lelouch vi Britannia, the new Eleventh Prince of Britannia." Marianne said to her.
C.C. gave a small smile in greeting towards the prince, who had now turned his infantile attention back to his mother.
"An interesting name, especially for a Britannian." C.C. commented. "A very rare one."
"Yes, it is." Marianne agreed, nodding as she looked down at her son. "Yet fitting for the child of the 'Commoner Queen', don't you think?"
Ah yes, the title that all of the other consorts of the Emperor and infuriated members of the nobility had given Marianne, who took it in stride and revelled in it. Out of all of the Emperor's consorts, Marianne was the only one from the commoner masses. Not only that, but she was also briefly the Knight of Six of the Knights of the Round Table, the best of the best in Britannia. This led to much of the Nobility looking down upon her with anger, envy and jealousy as she quickly rose to the top to become Charles' favourite.
However, she had enamoured many with a positive and honourable attitude, as well as being the best Knightmare Pilot in Britannia, being the only one to defeat the Knight of One, Bismark Waldstein, despite his secret power. This act immediately earned her the respect of all of the then Knights of the Round, including Bismark himself, who viewed her as his true goal to surpass in the future. Her attitude as well gave her much needed support from more liberal and reformist voices within Britannian society, such as the Ashford family, makers of her own personal Knightmare: the Ganymede. One of the few to be aware of the mask that she wore, C.C. knew this side to Marianne was not her true self, or at least was the side that she put forward in public for all to see except for Charles, V.V and C.C. In reality, Marianne was, something that would be shocking for all her admirers if they ever learned the truth, quite selfish, focused more on her own or Charles' personal gain over everything else. Yes, her love for Charles was very real and she was very playful, but that was it.
Speaking of the woman, C.C. suddenly noticed that Marianne was laughing for some reason. She blinked as she brought her attention back on the Empress, only to find that Marianne was laughing at her.
"It's not like you to be this distracted by a wandering mind, C.C." Marianne noted with a playful smile. "I've been calling out to you for a minute at least."
Wow, she had been reminiscing a lot right now, more so than usual. Especially if she had been unresponsive for over a minute. However, C.C. being who she was, recovered quickly.
"At least it was shorter than most of the times I catch you and Charles looking into each other's eyes when no one else is around." C.C. smirked at the blush that appeared on Marianne's face, one of the few times C.C. had seen her blush at all.
"I do have to ask," Marianne began, after recovering from C.C.'s playful jab, "why did you stay? You've seen more births than anyone alive, so I can't imagine how different this one would have been compared to any other birth?"
"I don't know myself, Marianne." C.C. answered honestly, shrugging. "Maybe it was just boredom…"
"You use that as an excuse for a lot of things." Marianne interrupted.
"...or I just wanted to stay to tease you and Charles." C.C. continued on, internally getting irritated at what Marianne noted, and that a part of her agreed.
It was at this moment when a nurse entered the room, silencing the conversation between the two. C.C. couldn't help but stare at the pretty blonde woman as she walked to Marianne's side and began talking to her about something that C.C. tuned out. Instead, she was eyeing the Nurse, especially her bust and neck.
'Looks like I'll be having some fun later.' C.C. thought to herself, no one noticing her canines having grown larger than regular humans.
The vampire continued to look at the nurse, before giving one last look at Lelouch. She suddenly had a strange feeling that their fates would be somehow linked in the future, one way or the other.
April, 2008 a.t.b
C.C. sighed before taking a sip from a glass of wine, trying to ignore the sense of unease that threatened to make her day already worse than it was. It was times like these that she was thankful for her vampiric power to alter regular human's perception of her seem to be in the background, thus mostly ignoring her. Especially when she was surrounded by arrogant nobles.
C.C. was currently standing off to the side in a grand ballroom, where hundreds of nobles were present to celebrate something that the immortal vampire did not even bother to learn, only having attended because Marianne invited her. Besides, she was again bored, and she needed something to keep her mind off the meeting she had earlier on with V.V. about Ragnarok.
'I know he's your brother, Charles,' C.C. mentally said to herself, 'but I really don't like him at all.'
To sum up the meeting perfectly, it was just one argument after the other as V.V. not only refused C.C.'s request to learn more about Ragnarok, but also challenged her leadership of the Geass Directorate, her own creation within Charles' Britannia. He argued that while she was a trusted associate of their conspiracy, his position as the brother of the Emperor, but also in the know of Ragnarok's true vision, so he should be in charge of the secret hand of Britannia. C.C., of course, refused outright. How dare that...tiny, smug looking Hobgoblin have the gall to threaten her to her face! He may also be a vampire (having been turned at such a young age), have a Code and be immortal like herself, but she had literal centuries of experience on him, she's forgotten more about torture and killing than he has ever learned. She almost did kill him on the spot, as she knew he would regenerate due to his code.
However, it was at this point that Charles and Marianne intervened. They sided with C.C. for the most part, though she recognised that Charles mainly did so out of a need for them to not give her the excuse to leave and thus not have her code for Ragnarok, rather than out of friendship or genuine agreement with C.C. Marianne acted as the peace broker and thus convinced V.V. that C.C. should stay as head of the Geass Directorate, with the caveat that if she ever stopped being an associate for the conspiracy, leadership would immediately pass to V.V. Surprisingly, V.V. accepted this condition eagerly, thus arousing C.C.'s suspicion. However, Marianne and Charles convinced her to accept this condition to prevent the argument from happening again.
To keep her mind off that particular conversation, she was eyeing any potential individuals she could later seduce and add to her ever expanding harem of lovers and blood donors. So far, she had seen many female nobles and a few male ones that she found attractive enough (she did have a preference for women over men, but would gladly take a worthy male and dedicate herself to him for as long as he continued to prove himself), but she would have to do her research on them as she did have standards regarding her food.
Then, as she was looking at a gorgeous noblewoman that she really hoped had a good personality, Marianne entered the hall along with her two children. Lelouch was currently eight years old, while his younger sister, Nunnally, was four. While C.C. may have been a stranger to them, they were no strangers to her, thus her attention immediately focused on them, especially Lelouch. Ever since his birth, she couldn't help but be intrigued by him, with how he and his sister both inherited Marianne's positive traits, and amplified them, making them much more selfless than their mother, though they did not know that due to how well Marianne hid her selfish side to everyone else.
Lelouch was a peerless strategist, like the varied ones that C.C. had seen in her long life, on par with the likes of Sun Tzu and Napoleon, even as an eight year old child, truly showing how far he could grow when he became an adult. His only rival within the Royal Family, no, within Britannia itself, was his older Brother, Schneizel el Britannia, having been the only individual to ever beat him in chess, a game of which Lelouch is THE master of. However, even he had the calm, sophisticated arrogance that was present in most of Charles' children, but even then it was very much subdued compared to most of his other siblings.
Nunnally on the other hand, was a very compassionate and kind girl, always striving to be the peace broker between her siblings that she interacted with. Almost everyone who she talked to, even those with less than favourable personalities, couldn't help but act nicer or just feel their spirits lifted whenever she was around. She was undoubtedly one of the few bright spots left in the world.
While she was four years younger than Lelouch, that didn't stop them from being the most important individuals in each other's lives. The strength of their sibling bond was almost envious, at the very least comparable to that of Charles' and V.V.'s sibling bond, but even then those two were twins.
C.C. then focused on Marianne, whose face displayed that of pride as she silently watched her two children politely greet the many guests trying to create any sort of bond between themselves and the vi Britannia children.
Soon enough though, both siblings seemed to focus on something on the other side of the room, their eyes widening in surprise before their faces were covered in grins. They seemed to ask Marianne something, who evidently agreed and they quickly rushed off, away from the crowd around Marianne. C.C. tracked where they were going and quickly found them greeting two newcomers to the celebration. She instantly recognised the teenager that was Cornelia li Britannia and her younger sister, Euphemia li Britannia, both of whom were also part of the royal family, from a different mother, but still sired by Charles.
Due to the amount of consorts Charles had, few ever interacted together at all, much less actively as much as possible. Cornelia, Euphemia, Lelouch and Nunnally were exceptions to this rule, especially the latter three. Since Euphemia was only one year younger than Lelouch, they quickly formed a close bond while Euphemia had a very similar personality to the younger Nunnally and thus the three had quickly become best friends within the royal family. Cornelia was the captain of Marianne's Royal Guard detachment and idolised the Empress, and was for all intents and purposes the older loving sister of all three. If any of those three were hurt in any way shape or form, there would be hell to pay.
While there were other children of Charles that often met up with and were quite welcoming to the vi Britannias, such as Clovis la Britannia, Marrybell mel Britannia and Schneizel el Britannia, it was the two li Britannias that C.C. could definitely say loved them truly as family and for who they were, a love that was completely mutual. The four enjoyed every second of time they had together.
Right now, Cornelia was hugging Lelouch while Euphemia was hugging Nunnally, who had leapt upon her with sheer happiness, a happiness that was quickly returned with the hug. They then swapped hugging partners and then walked away from the main group, so that they could converse by themselves without getting interrupted. C.C. quickly lost sight of them, but knew that they were probably trying to see if the Ashford heiress, Milly Ashford, was present as well in order for them to invite her to join them. If Marrybel was at the party, then they would invite her as well, but C.C. already knew she wasn't here.
She then turned her attention back to the party and for the next hour or so, after some prodding from Marianne, reluctantly conversed with many of the guests. Her mood once again fell as she listened and listened to all of the 'woes' of the nobles. Externally, she put up a patient and welcoming façade, but internally she felt like puking. Thankfully, after that hour, the party began to wind down and many of the guests started to leave en masse. This gave the immortal vampire a much needed breathing space from all of the nobles.
Marianne and Charles were close by, talking with some of his other consorts, who looked on enviously at the relationship between the Emperor and True Empress, with some even looking at Marianne with barely disguised hatred and jealousy. C.C. scoffed. They had no chance of even having a sliver of the relationship that Charles and Marianne had, much less interfering in it at all. Still, C.C. had to hand it to the two royals for putting up with this hate and jealousy without complaint or any action, as that would make things too unstable in the Imperial Court.
Looking away from the Emperor and his consorts, C.C. once again spotted the li and vi Britannia children, with an additional person. It seemed that they did find Milly and were now all hanging out together. C.C. subtly moved closer to them in order to listen in on their conversation.
"Lulu is my best friend!" Milly pouted. "So I should get to spend tomorrow with him!"
"No, it should be me!" Euphemia countered with an equally adorable pout. "I am his sister and I was forced to be away by Mother last week, so I missed out seeing him then!"
"You're both wrong!" This time it was Nunnally putting her 'case' forward. "I am his sister, I know him best! I think he should spend more time with me!"
Surprisingly it was closer to an argument, one between Euphemia, Milly and Nunnally as they were trying to convince Lelouch to spend more time with one over the others. Meanwhile, the boy in question was trying to back away from the catfight, but was held against his will by the three girls, while the usually serious Cornelia was to the side, her hand covering her mouth in a partial attempt to silence her laughter, her facial expression showing amusement and adoration.
"YOU SEE HIM ALL THE TIME, THE MOST OUT OF ALL OF US!" Milly and Euphemia ganged up on Nunnally, who was surprisingly confrontational about this topic. In fact, C.C. had not seen the three girls argue about anything to this extent before.
It all points to one thing: Lelouch, it seems, is destined to be a lady killer when he matures.
Unable to come up with a suitable counter to that point, Nunnally deployed her most dangerous and most successful weapon: her cute pout. Its effect was immediate. Her two opponents began to panic, as they knew that they could not resist for long. Which in reality meant that five seconds in and they immediately capitulated to the avatar of cuteness and innocence.
A very pleased Nunnally went up to the now free Lelouch and hugged him, though C.C. noted that both Euphemia and Milly had expressions of mild jealousy. However, they seemed to shake it off as they knew that Nunnally was much younger than them and was thus allowed to monopolise her brother. For now.
"Don't I get any say in this?" Lelouch asked, not pleased at all that his time was being parcelled out without any consideration for his own preferences. Granted, he would always appease Nunnally as his big brother instincts were too dominant within his psyche at the moment, but who could blame him, as a result of having someone like Nunnally as a younger sibling.
"Don't bother, Lelouch." Cornelia advised, finally recovering from her laughter. "We all know that you are the most vulnerable to Nunnally's pouting, and that once all three of them have decided something, you can't do anything about it!"
Lelouch groaned, knowing that his older sister was right. He quickly changed the subject, asking Cornelia about her latest assignments as the head of Marianne's guard, to which she earnestly reported small details, not everything as they were still classified. Meanwhile the three younger girls pouted. Sometimes, Cornelia and Lelouch, due to her military mindset and his strategic gift, often went into their own world of tactical endeavours, with both trying to sound ideas between each other, leaving the others feeling a little bit excluded.
C.C. smiled before backing away, leaving the five to their own devices. They were a welcome distraction, but now she had to resume socialising with the Nobles. Oh Joy.
Thankfully the party was almost over, and C.C. was just finishing up a polite conversation with a horrendous fellow when she spotted to the side a beautiful young aide of another noble. She was a blonde, brown eyed lady with pale skin and a very voluptuous body, making C.C. feel just ever so slightly envious of her three sizes, even though she herself was no slouch in that department herself. Looks as if she found a potential lover for the next few weeks.
So, like a person with a newfound purpose, or just one desperate to escape boredom, she approached the aide, who was helping out a noble with taking notes, her posture being very professional, but her eyes revealed her lack of interest and boredom as if she had been doing too much too quickly. Well, C.C. was here to 'rescue' her. She decided to intercept the Noble first, as that was the cleanest way of separating the two for the night, and allowing any future correspondences to be possible.
"Excuse me, my lord," she greeted the Noble, who didn't look too bad all things considering, but still was being cautious, "Would you kindly allow me to borrow your aide whenever I want?" she asked bluntly, activating her vampiric hypnotising ability on the Noble. The Noble himself stiffened for a few seconds before relaxing, his eyes glazing over. "Of course." he replied. "Please treat her well." Oh, looks like her fears were unwarranted.
As he walked away, leaving a very confused aide alone, C.C. decided to strike and stood to her side.
"Hello," She started off simply, "may I have your name?"
The aide blinked in surprise at her sudden appearance. Of course she really didn't notice C.C. was there even as she hypnotised the noble. "Um, Hannah," She replied out of habit before noticing the much more expensive dress that C.C. was wearing, showing her the distance in terms of societal positions.
"My apologies, My Lady," she curtsied, trying to hide her sudden anxiety and fear, "I didn't mean to…"
"It's fine." C.C. waved it off. Honestly, even over seven hundred years after her birth, she still found the whole concept of aristocratic society quite…backwards and stifling for herself, and dangerous for others. "I would rather not be called my Lady if you would be so kind."
Even if she hated it, C.C. had learned how to best speak like a Noble, if only to get out of speaking like one for very long. "You can relax, I'm not offended." she told Hannah, who was rigid as a statue. As the woman relaxed, C.C. smiled as she looked Hannah directly into her eyes. "Do you mind if we move outside for a moment?"
"Not at all," Hannah replied, her face flushing as she suddenly began to realise just how beautiful the woman in front of her was. "I didn't catch your name before…"
"Please, call me C.C." the vampire replied, easily recognising when her charm was beginning to work.
A few hours later, C.C. was cradling Hannah in her arms, silently biting into her neck and feeding slowly, while fondling Hannah's breasts, the lady moaning in pleasure, her eyes dull and unfocused. C.C. withdrew from her neck and used her left hand to nudge Hannah's head around just enough to allow her to kiss the woman, utterly dominating her with her tongue. As Hannah leaned into the kiss, C.C. began her ministrations and left the kiss, before biting into the neck in a sensual manner.
As Hannah was plunged into what felt to her like an eternal euphoria of pleasure, C.C. had quite a tasty meal, sucking Hannah's blood quite easily, the metallic taste causing her taste buds to celebrate in joy. Of course, she wouldn't drain Hannah of a lot of her blood as that would kill the lady, but she took enough to make Hannah feel lightheaded for the next few hours. However, since the vampire fangs also released aphrodisiacs into the body, she would be addicted to C.C. for a while, as long as C.C. didn't turn her into a vampire in the meantime. This meant that C.C. now had a dedicated source for sustenance and pleasure, which she would embark on momentarily
The following hours of movement, moaning and screaming made C.C. really enjoy being an immortal, highly sexual vampire.
July 2016, a.t.b
C.C. stepped off of the ramp and gracefully landed onto the wooden planks of the rundown harbour, somewhere on the coast of the southern home island of Area Eleven, the former country of Japan before the Britannians had invaded six years ago. Six years since Marianne was assassinated by V.V., an act that showed the immortal brat's true colours and how much Marianne's relationship with Charles made the little hobgoblin jealous.
As soon as the vampiress learned the truth, she hightailed it right out of there, as she was not only one of Marianne's closest allies, but she had sired Marianne, turning her into a vampire, which ended up sparing her soul with her special vampire ability, and he was already planning the assassination of Marianne's children from the very moment Marianne's bullet riddled body collapsed onto the staircase at the Aries Viella. However, Charles sending the two siblings to exile in Japan, though seemingly extremely uncaring to all but a handful of individuals who knew the truth, did spare them for a few months, allowing them to live.
However, Japan's fate had been sealed long before, as not only the fact that over 70% of the world's Sakuradite was mined and produced by Japan but also the extremely secret discovery of a Thought Elevator was hidden on one of the small coastal islands, meant that Japan's tenure as an independent nation was about to come to a bloody end.
Despite V.V.'s efforts and his subversion of a special forces unit, Lelouch and Nunnally survived thanks to their Japanese guards and hosts, successfully fleeing into the shadows and away from the eye of Britannia. She was there in the background when Lelouch declared his intention to 'obliterate' Britannia, watching over him and Nunnally quietly for a time, though due to the influx of Britannians coming into the country, she had to flee to another place to prevent both her and the vi Britannias from being discovered.
Now she was back in Area Eleven, after years of movement in order to escape the ever vigilant eye of V.V., who had usurped her position as director of the Geass Directorate and continued to try to find her. God, that hobgoblin really is the very definition of a yandere as the Japanese keenly label that kind of behaviour. She'll have to tell Marianne that one later.
However, that time was not now. Instead, she was here in Area Eleven in order to check up on Lelouch and Nunnally in person, not only for Marianne's sake, even though she knew that both Charles and Marianne were keeping an eye on those two, but also to see how Lelouch had grown. Ever since his birth, she had not forgotten that feeling of fate connecting the two of them together, so she wanted to see how that connection would shape her future.
Yes, she was curious. Anyone who was in her position would be as well. You could only live for so long satisfied without getting bored.
She approached the abandoned subway entrance. From what she remembered of the past from the last time she visited Japan, this would lead to the city of Shizuoka. As she entered, she suddenly shivered as a bad premonition came upon her. C.C. had learned the hard way many times to trust her instincts and thus she turned back, only to find herself face to face with five Britannian soldiers, all armed with rifles pointed directly at her.
'How did they...' C.C. thought to herself before she felt something poke her at the back. 'Damn it,' she scolded herself as she turned around, looking directly at the barrel pointed at her body, seconds before it fired and she fell to the ground with a hole in her chest, her blood decorating the ground.
The Britannian sergeant who fired the shot looked at his handiwork with glee, while his soldiers lowered their weapons. His five underlings walked towards the body, with one lowering himself and poking the body with his rifle. With no reaction, they all assumed she was deceased.
"Surely we didn't need to kill her, Sarge?" one asked.
"Ha, why not?" another answered. "Bitch was a passenger on a smuggler's vessel, especially one not in Prince Clovis' pockets."
"You heard our orders, private." the Sarge replied to the first soldier. "A fugitive from the E.U. who posed a serious threat to Britannia, was stowing away on the smuggling ferry that just arrived at the nearby eleven made harbour, or so our resident OSS officer told us, was to be shot on sight as soon as she approached any of the cities." he gestured to the subway entrance behind him. "That would lead to the ghettos near the city so technically we had to shoot her right here before she could escape and agitate the Elevens any further than they already are, the monkeys."
"Why kill a fugitive from the E.U.?" the first soldier asked again. "I mean, if she's against the E.U., then shouldn't she be willing to work with us against them?"
"I only follow the orders, not make them." The Sergeant shot down the questions, effectively ending the inquiries for good. However, while he did so, they did not notice the hole in C.C.'s chest rapidly shrink and her eyes opened up.
"Huh, shame we had to kill her." another soldier commented. "It really would have been nice to have had some...fun with her before we would have to shoot her."
While one other Britannian soldier nodded his head, the others looked disgusted both at his tone and what he implied. The first soldier actually backed away slightly, as if trying to keep himself clean of any sin (despite being a Britannian soldier). Even the Sergeant, as much of a bastard that he was, admirably held down his clear disgust when he spoke next.
"You may have been allowed to do that in the past in other units, Brian, but not this one." he sternly admonished with a rigid expression behind his helmet. "We may be superior as Britannians, it may be our duty to keep Numbers and all non-Britannians in their rightful place of inferiority, but that doesn't give us an excuse to rape! Understood!?"
The last word was spoken in a soft yet venomous tone that it was Brian's turn to back away, but in shock and slight fear this time. However, he wasn't able to respond as an angered C.C. leapt up and punched him in the chest with superhuman strength, breaking most of his bones from the impact of the force. He was sent flying back and landed hard on his back, his body now paralysed for good.
"THE FUCK?!" The NCO screamed before he and his squad collectively aimed their weapons at C.C. but suddenly halted as if they were hit by a brick wall. They quivered in their boots as they looked at the green haired woman, an expression of tranquil fury present on her face, her mouth pulled back into a snarl, showing off fangs that should not be present in a human mouth, her golden eyes promising a future of pain.
Almost immediately, she quickly killed off the four she wanted to spare being drained of blood and incapacitated the last soldier in around a minute and was now presently feeding off of the soldier, her fangs having ripped his throat open for her to drain him quickly. He struggled against her, but his feeble mortal strength was nothing against a centuries old vampire. She normally wasn't as sadistic as most people would assume, but here, always enjoyed draining rapists and their supporters of their blood and feeling their despair and desperation. Alas, she could not savour the moment as Britannian reinforcements had to be close by so she quickly finished him off, feeling him die in her embrace, and unceremoniously dropped his body on the ground before turning to face 'Brian'.
Though paralysed from the chest downwards from her punch earlier, he was dragging himself slowly away from her carnage. She noted that he had passed a pistol that he could have used to shoot her when she was distracted but had ignored that in favour of his own self-interest of survival.
'Damn it Charles.' she thought to herself. 'At least try to make sure your Social Darwinist policies and poor attitude don't affect the military by making many of them useless, that's just poor taste.'
She easily caught up to him and began her (hopefully last) kill for the day when something impacted her on her exposed shoulder and dug into her flesh. She reacted quickly, releasing her victim, whose death was now inevitable, and throwing herself to the side before reaching for whatever hit her with her hand. She found it easily and pulled it out, her eyes widening when she saw that it was a tranquiliser dart.
Almost immediately, her vision began to get blurry as she staggered backwards, the tranquillisers starting to take effect. Normally, human sedatives did not affect her much at all due to her vampiric nature, but this was different. There were vampire specific tranquillisers in existence, but they were very rare because vampires were just folklore for the vast majority of society.
Before she could make the connection to who may have the equipment to deal with Vampires, C.C. felt her legs give out and she collapsed on the ground. She only had the strength to mutter a curse before her eyes closed and she drifted into unconsciousness.
The OSS officer that shot her with the tranquilliser dart stepped out of the shadows, followed by two of his peers and a member of the Royal Guard. They knelt before C.C. and checked her pulse. After seeing that she was still alive, they began attaching handcuffs to her wrists.
"So was it necessary for this unique equipment to be used to apprehend a single fugitive?" the Royal Guardsmen asked.
The OSS officer didn't respond, finishing the bindings on C.C., including a muzzle. Not even admiring their work, the OSS trio quickly picked up the vampiress and carried her away to their vehicle, with the Guardsman following behind, stumped yet afraid for his own life, as he knew the reputation of the OSS when someone asked too many questions.
As two of the three OSS strapped C.C. in when they arrived at their van, the other briefed the Guardsman on the necessity of the precautions and the restraints for the 'girl'.
"So, she isn't human?" the guardsman muttered, utterly shocked at what the OSS officer just told him. "If so, why tell me? Shouldn't you shoot me to keep me quiet?"
The OSS officer smiled. "Consider this the first gift for Prince Clovis' new think tank."
That was all that was needed to be said before they too got into the van and it drove towards the Tokyo settlement, where Prince Clovis, the current viceroy of Area Eleven, awaited them.
August 2017, a.t.b
To say that not only was C.C. in a world of pain, but also that fact that she was very, very pissed, was an understatement. In one of the few moments of consciousness she has had in the past year, she found herself wrapped in a straight-jacket of some kind with remarkably strong straps and restraints, gagged in order to prevent her from biting anyone, floating in a container of a mixture of base salt water and other chemicals that were very much a non-lethal poison for vampires, unable to even try to sleep through anything due to the constant barrage of UV lights irritating her skin and weakening her... oh and the fact that she was currently being transported by a lunatic, considering the constant jerks to either side and very sharp turns.
She could handle one, maybe even two of those things at once, but all at once was very, very painful and did little to improve her mood. Right now, she was in the position of a guinea pig, and has been for some time now, especially when she was held by that bastard Clovis' think tank's main headquarters. While they had made sure she was unconscious for most of the time she was held captive there, the few times she was aware of where she was, she found herself strapped to a table like a lab rat about to be dissected for a school science class. And a few times, they forced her to be awake while they dissected her, just to see how her brain would react to being cut up and how it heals while aware, or to investigate her regular vampiric abilities.
It also didn't help that Code-R, the name of the think tank, was sponsored by the OSS, which meant that they were funded by both the Emperor and the Geass Directorate which meant that V.V. had sold her out to Clovis and Charles did nothing about it. In any case, the past year had been hell to her, and the driving wasn't helping, even if she was being moved elsewhere, for whatever reason.
'If I get my hands on Clovis, that hobgoblin and anyone involved,' C.C. thought to herself darkly, 'it will get very messy and bloody. I promise that much at least!'
Her thoughts were interrupted by the truck suddenly swerving, throwing her body around the tube, before crashing a moment later, just when she was getting her bearings again. She was for once thankful for being submerged mostly in water as it cushioned the blow against the side of the spherical container. She narrowed her eyes as she focused her attention on the two other individuals she knew were in the truck as well. She couldn't see them but knew where they were with the only vampiric power that she could use at all at a reduced capacity in her current circumstances: the ability to sense individuals in the nearby area, like all of the people she could barely make out on the outskirts of her senses who were most likely investigating the crash.
'I was mistaken...If I get my hands on anyone involved with Code-R AND whoever's driving this truck...' she was swearing to herself before suddenly her eyes widened as she felt someone nearby amongst the probable bystanders that she hadn't sensed in a long time.
'It can't be…' she thought in mild shock. 'Of all the people near where the truck crashed, the last person I would expect to be there would be…'
As the presence got closer, she was able to confirm that it was Lelouch vi Britannia. One of the two individuals she was seeking when she first arrived in Area Eleven for the first time. What a coincidence that he was so close, yet so far. In fact, he got even closer, though he was the only one to do so.
Suddenly the truck started up again and she felt Lelouch fall into the truck. Well, that was convenient. Fate it seemed has decided to give C.C. a good day for the first time in a while. She had finally found her Prince. The question was now how she was going to get out of these restraints and the container to actually meet him.
As the truck picked up speed, she felt one of the two individuals in the drivers cabin, the female on the passenger side, suddenly go past her prison and Lelouch, apparently not noticing the intruder as she did not stop until she reached the back of the truck. Then she got into something then exited the truck at a much faster pace. Most likely she had jumped into a Knightmare Frame. This most likely meant that the driver and passenger were terrorists, not Britannian military or Code R scientists like she had originally thought. That complicated things a lot, especially now that not only did this explain the terrible driving, but Lelouch had most likely unintentionally become involved in the fight between Clovis and the terrorists.
The truck suddenly swerved to the side again, as if fleeing or dodging a shot and came across a bumpy path, well that's what C.C. thought as she didn't know where exactly they were. This continued on for a moment before the Truck suddenly came to a halt. After another moment of stillness, C.C. felt a new individual, someone C.C. had met before but did not recognise, quickly rush to the truck and began interacting with Lelouch. Though it seemed that they had fought for a brief second, the two quickly began to converse like normal people.
It was at this moment that C.C. heard a hissing sound, felt the air around her begin to flow out as the container depressurised. She closed her eyes as the process irritated them. Then it suddenly opened up, allowing the water to flow out with a splash and C.C. seemed to hang in the air for a split second as she opened her eyes, immediately focusing on the violet eyes of Lelouch, who looked much older than the last time she saw him, before gravity caught up and she collapsed to the slippery ground. Immediately, Lelouch, like the well-mannered prince he was, quickly rushed to her side, along with the other individual next to him. As they checked to see if she was alright, which she was as being confined and caught up in a crash would barely scratch her, if only temporarily, the two began to argue again.
"Does this look like poison gas, Suzaku?" Lelouch spoke in Japanese as he checked her for any obvious wounds and then began to undo her restraints as much as he could, starting with releasing her legs.
"That's what they told us in the briefing," the now identified Suzaku, who C.C. now remembered as Lelouch's friend during his exile. No wonder why she thought he was familiar earlier. Though she was slightly concerned that the son of the former Japanese Prime Minister was wearing a Britannian Military uniform.
"Stinking Monkeys," The arrogance in the interrupting voice was unmistakably Britannian. C.C. managed to twist her head as much as her restraints to spot the squad of Royal Guards, led by an officer with a scar on his face, that had arrived on the scene, having spotted the two teenagers and had their weapons raised, their targets instinctively covering their eyes from the light of the Britannian flash lights also aimed at them. "Being an Honorary Britannian will not excuse you for this!" the officer continued, his tone very much a mixture of anger and eagerness.
"But sir, I was told it was poisoned gas…" Suzaku tried to pacify the officer while Lelouch silently continued to unclasp as much of her restraints as he could, anticipating a need to escape soon. Very sensible, if C.C. had anything to say about it.
"How dare you question orders!" the officer shouted, as if he was about to erupt, but then ominously calmed down, causing C.C.'s instincts to claim the officer was about to create a very bad scenario for her and Lelouch.
"Still, in light of your excellent results in the evaluations, I'll overlook this mess," his calm tone, a contrast to how he treated Suzaku just a few seconds earlier, did little to assuage the three cornered individuals. That suspicion proved correct as the officer then flipped his pistol and offered the grip to Suzaku. "All you have to do is take this gun and execute that terrorist."
Once again, very typical of a Britannian Royal Guard, especially one of a royal such as Clovis la Britannia.
Suzaku, much to his credit, did not even consider accepting the offer. "But sir, he's just a civilian who got caught up in all of this!"
"Insolent dog!" The Officer was definitely not pleased with Kurugiri's answer. "Didn't you swear your life and loyalty to Britannia?!"
"...of course, but I cannot and will not kill a civilian," Suzaku replied, turning to face Lelouch.
"I see. In that case." the Officer noted before quickly shooting Suzaku in the back.
While C.C. herself expected it and wasn't as horrified as she could have been, instead the sight of blood causing her to feel hungry for the first time in over a year, Lelouch looked shocked and horrified. However, this was interrupted by the truck suddenly exploding, the shock wave sending everyone flying back.
C.C. recovered almost instantly, as did Lelouch, due to their positions before the explosion. The former prince grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the carnage before they both ran away from the scene, as the Royal Guard began to get up themselves, too disorientated to stop the two from fleeing.
After they put some distance between the two of them and the Royal Guard, who would have no doubt reported their position and her status of being free to Clovis, which would have severe consequences as he would no doubt do anything he could to get her back and ensure no one else could realise just what he had done. As they ran, C.C. then heard the sounds of violence suddenly erupt all around them, though Lelouch wasn't paying much attention to it, as he was completely focused on Suzaku being shot.
"It's all your fault," he muttered as they finally paused for breath. Well he did, she could continue a lot longer but he didn't know that. It also didn't help that she did stumble because of her prison suit. "Because of you, Suzaku, after just meeting him again for the first time in years, is dead!" He gave a hysterical laugh for a second before turning to face C.C. his eyes narrowing in thought. "Why is Clovis after you? Who are you?"
Good questions, which she did want to answer at least partially. However, there was just one thing in the way: the muzzle on her face. How very annoying, both because she did want to at least say a few things and she was hungry for blood. Thankfully, Lelouch did notice her expression on her face, and how her eyes were gesturing to the lower part of her face that was covered by the muzzle and proceeded to take it off.
As soon as the fresh air touched her lips, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. Now she could feel like a proper person again, though she would have to find some new clothes so she could ditch this accursed straight-jacket. She then turned her attention back to Lelouch, who looked expectantly at her.
"Thank you for removing that thing off of my face," she decided to thank him first before answering his questions, "and for rescuing me from that…dreadful situation."
"As for who I am…my name is C.C."
"Since it was Clovis' Royal Guard that was trying to 'recover' you just before, did he put you in that tank?" Lelouch asked, though she knew he was actually asking why Clovis put her in the tank.
"Yes, though not alone." she decided to answer. "As for why I was in the tank, the answer to that can wait a little bit, Lelouch."
"How do you know my name?" Lelouch's face was now twisted in a scowl, but his eyes showed his surprise and shock at being recognised.
"Oh, I know a lot more about you than you would think, Lelouch vi Britannia, former Seventh Prince of Britannia."
Lelouch took a step back as he could no longer hide his shock. He did recover quickly. "So you know that I am a royal. I won't ask how because as you said, right now the answers can wait."
Obviously he had finally noticed the violence happening outside of the tunnel they were in. C.C. internally sighed as she had figured out instantly what was happening. Lelouch had as well, but his facial expression showed how angry and sad he was at all of the death happening at once.
"You know that your father and siblings would be most surprised at you feeling sad at the death of some 'measly Elevens'." she said to him, her tone showing that she did not like the term forced upon the Japanese by Britannia. "Even fallen princes most often carry their prejudices with them into exile."
"Charles zi Britannia's ideologies are meaningless, as he is as well." Lelouch growled out. "The 'Numbers' are human just like the rest of us. And I despise, with a passion, what my country has done to the Japanese."
He looked her directly in the eye with such a passion that she could not help but feel enticed by it. "I may not have the ability to stop what my family has done to Japan and the world, but I can promise you this: One day, they will pay for what they have done to Nunnally, mother, Japan and me!"
"Oh, how interesting!" C.C., highly amused, smirked at his determination and declaration. "A prince prepared to rebel against his country, not only due to how slighted he was by it, but by how it has wronged the country he was exiled to. Now that is something new that I haven't seen in ages!"
Now her mischief side was tingling as she formulated a plan to not only pay back Lelouch for rescuing her, but also get back at V.V. and his cronies, as Lelouch would undoubtedly become a spanner in the works for them. Maybe she could help bring forward his timetable.
"Are you done mocking me?" Evidently Lelouch was not amused.
"On the contrary, I wish to ask you this," C.C. smiled, something that no one would feel safe looking at. "Would you sacrifice anything for your cause? To destroy Britannia and free the Japanese"
"Anything involving just me." Lelouch declared. "There are things and people more important to me than my life and I would gladly give it up for them every time it is required."
"Even your own humanity?"
"I will be fighting against the largest superpower in the world, and the most powerful one. My humanity will be the first thing I'll have to sacrifice in order to make the hard decisions for victory. Though I will not sacrifice anyone unless it is absolutely necessary. Only those willing to fight should be the ones dragged into the war I shall rage."
'Willing to do what has to be done, but keep his morals intact as much as he can. I've made more from less.' C.C. made up her mind.
"If you were to sacrifice your humanity, I will give you powers and abilities beyond your expectations, all for you to use to topple Britannia, to free Japan and to protect your sister."
Lelouch looked at her like she was speaking nonsense. "What? Like the ability to snap my fingers and turn all of the Britannian Nobility to dust?" he snapped his fingers to show a point. "I doubt that you have that kind of power."
"Of course not," C.C. agreed, "the power I can give you is much less grand. You will not be able to conquer Britannia alone with just yourself and that power, but it will help you on your journey. It is not and should not be the only thing you use.
"However, should you agree, you'll sacrifice your human existence, and become inhuman. Closer to a monster in some regards than an actual human. Would you accept that in order to defeat your father's empire and ideology?"
Lelouch seemed to think for a minute, as if questioning whether or not he believed her, and if it was the latter, would he humour her. Finally, he looked back at her and nodded. "If it meant that Japan would be free, my father's Britannia destroyed and Nunnally living in a better world, then yes…yes I would."
"Then we have a contract," C.C. said, smiling victoriously as she caused her fangs to grow. She then pounced, raising her still tied up arms over his head and pulled him close. He didn't even have time to react before she closed in to the side of his head. "Don't worry, this won't hurt much. I'll see you when you wake up."
With that parting comment, her head went down to his neck and her fangs plunged into his skin. Now he would have tasted delicious in normal circumstances, but because she had been deprived of fresh blood for over a year, Lelouch's blood almost sent her into a blissful state. However, she had to pay attention to not drink too much, even as he already began to fall unconscious, so that she could begin his conversion.
And once that had begun, her Black Prince would shake the foundations of the world.
And that is how Lelouch became a vampire!
Once again, this fic and much of its vampire lore and abilities have been inspired by Thanathos' 'More than Just a Man', such as there being no Geass, only vampiric abilities. Codes still exist, but are more like true immortal vampires with much more powerful abilities. So C.C. and V.V. are still immortal like in canon. That means that everyone with geass will either be Vampires or half vampires (not sure about this part of lore for my fic, so it may change in the future).
In regards to shipping, it shall be a harem story… for both Lelouch and Suzaku. As much as I love Lelouch harem stories, I do wish that Suzaku had some more love as well to make up for it. The definite members of Lelouch's harem are: C.C., Kallen, Shirley, Milly and Euphie, with potential members of Kaguya, Villetta, Marrybell, Oldrin, Anya and Cornelia (up to revision in the future), while Suzaku will get Cecile, Nunnally and Monica (Knight of Twelve), with more potential candidates. Feel free to offer ideas for anyone joining either harem, especially Suzaku's as I don't have many ideas for his one.
Until next time!
Regards,
dalek117
Edit on 7/03/2023. Thank you Seerking for betaing this chapter and finding a few things that needed fixing!
Edit on 24/04/2023. Readded the final three paragraphs after accidentally deleting them a while ago and not noticing. Oops. Also minor fixes.
Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Same Day, A New Man
Summary:
Lelouch wakes up, in a newfound state of existance, as Clovis' forces continue to wipe out the Shinjuku Ghetto.
Notes:
This fic was inspired by Thanathos' 'More than just a Man'. That fic was unfortunately abandoned way too early and I found that I really needed to at least tell my own interpretation of a vampire Lelouch and C.C.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Many of the Vampiric characteristics were inspired by 'More than just a Man'.Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's.
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thought/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie talkie
"Hello" - SpeakerSee end of chapter for specific chapter notes
Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Same Day, A New Man
August 2017 a.t.b
The first thing that came to Lelouch's mind as he regained his consciousness was how weird he felt, like that of being sick with a mild fever, yet also completely different. Like something had entered his body and the after-effects were mildly present. It made him feel very groggy and unfocused, at least initially.
As he opened his eyes, he began to remember what had happened; coming back from a chess match, falling into that truck, seeing Suzaku for the first time since the invasion, witnessing the green-haired woman emerge from that shell and Suzaku being shot by the Britannian Royal Guard and finally being questioned by the woman about giving up his humanity and then…
He immediately jolted up, hand already on the move to his neck, where she had bitten him.
"You won't find anything there." an amused voice came from the side.
He turned to face his side and glared at the green-haired woman, C.C. who was sitting on a piece of broken debris, having somehow unshackled her hands in the time when he was unconscious. Her amber eyes looked him in the eyes, piercing right through him as if everything about him was visible to her. He shivered at the thought, both from discomfort as well as excitement about it. He pushed aside his feelings and decided to focus on other details.
"How long was I out for?" he asked, not yet willing to go into what she was yet while still being out of it.
"Ten minutes." C.C. answered succinctly. "Not the fastest awakening I've seen, but not slow by any means."
"Well, I will be sure to please you in the future," Lelouch sarcastically replied, getting back onto his feet, stumbling a bit. Weirdly, his limbs felt really…different. Actually, thinking about it, he did feel different overall. For one, he felt unusually stronger physically, not by much, but still by a noticeable amount. Another change Lelouch noticed was that his reaction time was a bit faster, something that he noticed when a piece of ceiling came loose and he noticed and moved out of the way much quicker than his normal speed.
"What did you do to me?" he asked C.C., who was still sitting there with an indecipherable expression on her face.
"Oh come now, you can easily figure it out." she replied with a sigh of slight disappointment.
"... You bit me and…" Lelouch once again touched his neck, "sucked my blood, turning me into a vampire."
"Almost correct." C.C. smiled. "Just sucking your blood, which was delicious by the way, and converting you are two different things, not one being the consequence of the other." She looked to the side for a moment. "If it was, I believe more than half of the world's population would be vampires just from me alone over the centuries."
Lelouch deadpanned at her mini explanation, as he had thrown the vampire thing as a rough guide for her to dismiss, rather than confirm it like she did. The fangs should have been a giveaway, but the mere existence of vampires was very much anathema for someone very logical like Lelouch. Yet he couldn't deny what he saw and how he feels now.
"Is it permanent?" he decided to ask for the sake of it, though he already suspected what her answer would be.
"Yes. Once you have been converted, there is no going back," C.C. answered. "What did you think I meant when I asked you if you would sacrifice your human existence?"
"Anything I should know about being an undead vampire, now that I am one?"
"First off, you are not undead," C.C.'s smile disappeared, her expression with one of weariness as if she dealt with this topic more than she would have liked. "You're still breathing, you need sustenance to live, not limited to blood. You will still die if you get beheaded, your body obliterated or poisoned with certain substances, but other than that, you're still alive."
"...I assume that with how you are starting to refute many of the legends and myths about vampires that we can still go in the sun?"
"Of course!" C.C. seemed happy that Lelouch was catching on. "UV lights can be painful and burn you quite quickly if you aren't protected and being exposed over long periods of time. Nothing some good sunscreen lotion can't handle."
Lelouch nodded, making a mental note to buy some sunscreen as soon as he could after getting out of here alive. Speaking of which…
"As much as I would love to continue asking you about my new reborn existence as a vampire," he looked around, "We should move. Those Royal Guards won't stop trying to find us, even after that explosion."
"If they haven't tracked us down already." C.C. agreed, standing up with a single graceful motion. As they made their way out of the collapsing tunnel, Lelouch couldn't help but ask one more question. "As I am now a vampire, are there any abilities that I have access to now that can help us get out of here alive?"
"You've started to become a vampire." C.C. corrected, causing Lelouch to raise an eyebrow at her as they ran. She sighed before beginning her explanation. "Did you think a mere ten minutes would be enough to change you completely? No, you are no longer human, but the closest you will be at least genetically. After at least eight months, your genetics would be altered enough to be considered a proper vampire. Right now you are a new convert, a fledgeling so to speak, nothing more."
They entered a new tunnel, one that Lelouch could feel the air flow through, thus the only real choice they had for getting above ground. As they entered the new tunnel, C.C. continued her explanation.
"While we have access to many supernatural abilities, when we are first converted we only have access to one power, and what it is is random depending on each individual, though it will always be your strongest even after developing new ones."
"So as you mature as a vampire, more abilities appear." Lelouch deduced. "How do you find out what it is and what was your first power?" he asked.
Before C.C. could respond, they found an exit through a cellar, just as they heard guns firing and the screams of the victims. The two leaned against the broken wall as the firing ceased, with just the crying of a baby for company. It didn't even take five seconds before that too was silenced by a single gunshot. Lelouch winced while C.C. closed her eyes, otherwise they showed no other signs of being angered or horrified . Internally, Lelouch felt sick at the thought of the massacre that was occurring. He had to stop it.
Creeping up the stairs, Lelouch poked his head out and saw the remains of the Japanese civilians having been killed, as well as their murderers, who were the Royal Guard they had escaped from before. Great.
They were checking the building for entrances to the underground, which meant that they would find the place where Lelouch and C.C. were hiding. Lelouch gestured to C.C. to move back, with her nodding in understanding, but before he could take a step, his phone began to ring.
He immediately turns it off, but the damage has been done. The Royal Guard had heard and descended upon them like vipers. Five appeared at the top of the stairs, pointing their rifles at the two vampires, who stood there, knowing that they could not descend fast enough before the bullets would hit them. One guard motioned for the two of them to come up and they complied with little choice. Well, at least that is what it seemed to Lelouch. He stole a quick glance towards C.C., who had a ghost of a smirk on her face. He immediately felt chills. She was about to unleash hell on all of them.
They were led to the wall, a distance away from where the scarred captain that had shot Suzaku stood, along with the rest of the Guard squad, sneering at them as they were checked for any weapons.
"Well, well. Looks like our student terrorist has decided to grace us with his presence," the Captain sarcastically said, causing the guards to give a small chuckle and for Lelouch to glare hatefully at the Britannian. If there was anything that encapsulated the corrupt and evil side of the Britannian military, it was this person.
"Now that we have caught the girl like we were ordered to, it appears that you are the final loose end that we need to get rid of." The sounds of violence and death in the background showed the 'other loose ends' were being dealt with. The guard continued to monologue about how great Britannia is, etc, but Lelouch stopped paying attention.
Instead, he was focused on the corpses behind the guards, or rather the blood pooling besides them. Lelouch had seen massacres before, along with all of the blood and gore, when Britannia had invaded seven years ago. Yet, he had no reaction to seeing blood other than disgust back then. Now, he was mesmerised by it. If there was any time that Lelouch finally accepted what C.C. had done to him, it was right then.
He shook his head, clearing his mind, just as the Guard finished monologuing. Good, he doubted that the Guard said anything constructive at all. He took a quick glance at C.C. and saw her roll her eyes at him before smiling.
"But really schoolboy, you put up a good chase, but it is all over now. You should have stayed in class."
'No shit.' Lelouch thought before closing his eyes. 'C.C. isn't making a move, maybe waiting for me to do so. Yet I don't know how to use my new vampire nature to defeat them. Another possibility is that she wants to see how durable I am…'
As Lelouch watched the guards raise their rifles at him and C.C., his mind flashed to those he cared about, both from his past life in Royalty, Japan and Ashford Academy. Nina, the xenophobic yet genius level student in the council. Rivalz, his best friend at Ashford and also brother in crime when it came to gambling. Sayako, the most reliable maid/ ninja bodyguard in existence, who was as much a part of his family as one could be. Shirley, the passionate and caring friend that nothing seemed to hold her down for long. Cornelia, his third favourite sister, cunning yet ruthless, though prioritised her family over everything. Euphemia, his second favourite sister, his first love and one of the kindest souls in existence. Milly, the mischievous vixen and trusted childhood friend who has been helping both him and Nunnally since the invasion. Suzaku, his best friend who gave his life for Lelouch not even an hour ago, naive yet dependable and chivalrous. And finally Nunnally, his true sister, the one person who meant the world to him, the one he would protect and wished to change the world for. A tear ran down his cheek as he realised that he would leave her alone in this world once these guardsmen pulled the triggers…
No! Not like this! He would NOT leave Nunnally alone! Not like this! He will find a way to…
Suddenly, like a switch was flipped in his mind, the solution clicked. His eyes widened at the possibility as he suddenly became aware of something. Then his mouth crawled up into a smile as he started to laugh quietly. C.C. smirked as she looked on, intrigued at what her newly sired partner was going to do while the Guards suddenly looked uneasy, taking a step back as Lelouch's laughter increased in a crescendo of intensity, becoming louder.
"Hahahaha, What type of murderous beings are you?!" Lelouch laughed even harder as he witnessed their reaction. "One second you are all bloodthirsty and sure of victory, and now I have made you so unsure of yourselves!"
He took a step forward, his eyes blazing with fierce hatred and power, the latter of which unseen by all, only felt by C.C., who smirked.
"Say, how should a Brittanian who detests his country live his own life?" he asked.
The captain gulped before counter asking, "What are you? some kind of radical?"
Lelouch sneered. "I am so much more than that. Yet to you I am a simple schoolboy. So why haven't you shot me yet? Is it because you have finally realised…" He took a breath before closing his eyes, the image of his mother's corpse over Nunnally flashing in his mind. "...that the only ones that should kill are those that are prepared to be killed!"
He raised his hand and pointed directly at the Royal Guard, eyes still closed. "I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command all of you!" His eyes opened, causing all the Royal Guard to freeze, as if a spell was cast upon them.
"Now all of you. Die!"
Immediately, his superior will overwhelmed the guardsmen, their eyes dulling as they slumped before straightening up, the Captain being the only exception as he stiffened, eyes wide for a moment as he tried to fight off the power compelling him until he too joined the flock, looking up with a grin on his face. "Happily, your highness." They all raised their pistols to their necks and with a single command from the captain, pulled the triggers.
Lelouch couldn't help but be captivated by the blood that shot out of all of the Royal Guard, painting the floor like a demented flood. Yet while a newfound voice in the back of his mind seemed to urge him for more blood, the rest of his brain went silent from shock at what had happened. At least until it finally hit him.
This, this is what he had been waiting for. The lie he had been living, the sacrifices he had made or had to bear witness to had been for this. Now that he had this power, his revenge and the avenging of Japan, his mother and Nunnally could finally begin.
"Well then…!" he said with an evil grin.
"You know," a voice cut through his revelation, "if I wasn't so used to insanity nor creating it myself, I would be shivering in fear at the sight of your expression right now."
He turned around and looked at C.C, getting rid of his grin in favour of a neutral expression. He wouldn't mention that he was so swept up in the moment he actually forgot she was with him. Instead he focused on the middle of her statement.
"What do you mean creating insanity?"
"A good question, for another day," she brushed the question off before looking around. "Instead, I suggest we find a way out of here. Clovis will undoubtedly catch on to the lack of communication from his guard…"
"And will send reinforcements to check it out," Lelouch finished for her, his mind already racing for strategies to use. But before they would move, he did need something answered. "What exactly happened? Was it what you were talking about earlier, the access to a specific power?"
"Yes, that is exactly what happened." C.C. turned around to face the bodies, as if admiring his handiwork. "It seems that you developed the power to suppress the free will of any victim you so desire. As long as your will power is greater than their own, they will not be able to resist you in any capability. Though I must note that as you have only just developed it, you will undoubtedly rely on a certain medium to create a connection to crush their will, in this case being either sound or sight. That is the first limitation you will come across."
After a moment of silence, Lelouch realised she wasn't going to continue her explanation. "Are there any other notable limitations or workarounds I should know about?"
C.C. hummed before nodding.
"To begin with, you can only suppress most individuals' will with absolute ease once. As soon as you lift your suppression up, and it will always happen, the person will have a higher resistance to being affected by your superior will again, with some cases being totally uncontrollable after being affected the first time. This is an inevitability, at least until your body finishes undergoing the changes and you get experience with your power. However, a good work around for now that has been proven to work multiple times is in your initial usage on your 'victim', you program into them an activation code word that when spoken causes them to revert to their submissive, obedient self."
"So turn them into sleeper agents…" Lelouch frowned. On the one hand, he didn't want an army of slaves, as that did go against his morals, and slaves were much more incapable than free thinking and active subordinates. But on the other hand, that would be perfect for infiltrating the Britannian military, or other groups that he deemed noteworthy. A way to gather intelligence or create chaos within the Britannian lines as a last resort or an easy method of victory. Something to think about later.
"Another weakness or strength is the command/s you give your victim," C.C. continued. "In this case, your will was strong enough to bypass the inherent instinct of survival that all humans and vampires have. However, there will be those who will find a command you give them to do something they would normally despise, or that goes against their nature. In that case, they will resist much harder and sometimes shake off your control over them if the order is too much for them. The reverse is also true; if a victim is naturally inclined in a certain way, let's say a serial killer is commanded to kill someone, they will instantly fall under your sway and obey your commands."
"It's a two-sided coin with this power, I admit, and not the norm for the first power that a new vampire develops." C.C. shrugged as she walked past Lelouch. "But I am impressed with how well you handled your power for the first time, and your strength of will." She turned to look at him. "Don't let it get to your head, though. You will find that sometimes you will not have the superior will compared to your adversary. Especially against an experienced and powerful vampire."
"Like yourself?" Lelouch tilted his head slightly.
"Yes," C.C. nodded. "Though I won't need to suppress your will to control you, if I need to."
"What?!" Lelouch deadpanned, his expression now blank but his skin paled slightly. He could already hear Milly claiming Karma on him now.
C.C.'s head turned to the side, enough for Lelouch to see her smirk.
"I'm your Sire, the vampire that turned you." she began to explain once more, the obvious recital that has been practised dozens of times being underscored by a tone of humour. "That means that while you are still a developing vampire, or your will power is less than my own, I shall have influence over you." She pivoted on the spot, allowing Lelouch to fully witness her grinning expression, as if she was a sadist. "Don't worry, unlike what you did to those Royal Guards, you will never be a mindless slave of mine. You just won't be able to resist my commands if I insist on it."
She moved a bit closer to him. "Speaking of which, I will at least give you the benefit to inform you that I will be ordering you to allow me to drink your blood at least every night from now on."
"Wouldn't that be cannibalism?" Lelouch asked, suddenly very afraid. "And shouldn't vampires only drink the blood of humans or animals?"
"No, we can very much drink the blood of other vampires." C.C. corrected him firmly. "Granted, it doesn't taste as good as human blood, but in a way it is still very nutritious for us. Also it will only count as cannibalism if I eat your flesh, not your blood alone, and that is something I will never do."
"Good to know." Lelouch deadpanned. "On the topic of drinking blood, is that the only thing I will be able to consume to survive?"
"Oh god no." now C.C. actually looked horrified. "As I said before, while blood will be the best thing for us to have, water and human food will still be the same for you as when you were human, except we can survive without them as long as we have blood. But it won't be pretty and the effects can be...interesting if we don't have any water over a long period of time. Also it will take a lot more of eating unhealthy foods to make us unhealthy. Thank god for that as I love pizza…" She shuddered as if the thought of a world without pizza horrified her.
"...ignoring your apparent pizza addiction, it seems that common knowledge on vampires appears to be grossly inaccurate if you and what you say are anything to go by," Lelouch noted. "I assume garlic has no effect and that we don't sleep in coffins."
"Bingo." C.C. nodded. "You're catching on."
Any other questions Lelouch had would be swept to the back of his mind when the far wall suddenly shattered as a Knightmare Frame, a Sutherland, burst through. Its Factsphere Sensor opened up as the KMF scanned the hangar before focusing on Lelouch, C.C. and the dead bodies surrounding them.
"Prince Clovis' Royal Guard…all dead?" A female voice rang out from the loudspeakers of the KMF. "What happened here?!" The Knightmare fired its battle Rifle around the two individuals, yet they didn't even flinch. "Boy?!"
"I order you to come out!" Lelouch declared, looking right at the Factsphere.
"Who the hell do you think you are to order me?" the voice replied.
'So it seems that I can't control others if I can't directly see them or more specifically their eyes,' Lelouch thought to himself, confirming what C.C. had told him. He took a deep breath before trying a new approach. "My name is Alan Spacer! My Father is a duke!"
"Nobility?"
"My ID Card is in my breast pocket." the new vampire said, stopping himself from smirking as he weaved an inescapable trap for the Britannian pilot. "After you confirm who I am, I'll request your protection."
Inside the Knightmare, Dame Villetta Nu swore under her breath. While she greatly didn't appreciate the attitude of this boy, if he truly was the son of a duke, she would get in a lot of trouble if she didn't take him seriously or get him hurt.
So she decided to play it safe and opened up her Knightmare, the cockpit releasing a boarding wire which she used to descend to the ground, pistol raised and aimed at the teen. As she touched the ground, she noticed the clothes that the female next to the teen were something much closer to that of an asylum inmate, making her feel like something was really off about the situation, and yet she couldn't risk taking the both of them out.
"Keep your hands in the air." she said with a confident facade. "I'll take your ID Card out."
Now Lelouch allowed himself to smile as he looked Villetta directly in her eyes and clashed his will against hers, which collapsed almost immediately. This led to Villetta's eyes dulling, hands falling to her side, her posture relaxing as she seemed to shut down and become an automaton.
"Hand over your Knightmare activation key and number to me," he ordered, with Villetta obeying, her emotionless face being slightly unnerving, which made Lelouch focus on her body. Her very beautiful and voluptuous body…
'Where did that come from?' Lelouch asked himself, yet he couldn't stop gazing at the woman, his eyes never straying far from her exposed neck and her chest with those large breasts. It didn't help that there was an itch within his jaw that was developing.
Still, he did his best to ignore it and decided to question her.
"What is your name, rank and unit?"
"Villetta Nu, Knight of the 17th Mobile Battalion, aligned with the Purist movement," the Knight answered swiftly.
"The Purebloods…" Lelouch gritted his teeth. Fanatics who believed in the supremacy of the Britannian people even more radically than many of the nobles and brainwashed commoners of Britannian society. They were willing to murder countless innocents if it meant Britannia's or a member of the Royal Family's interests were in jeopardy. If Clovis had sent a team of them in, it meant that he really didn't want any witnesses now, nor for C.C to possibly feed on.
"What position within the Mobile Battalion's hierarchy do you encompass?"
"For all intent and purposes, I am the third in command of the battalion, as well as the Purist hierarchy, behind Kewell Soresi and Jeremiah Gottwald."
Lelouch frowned, the last name sounding familiar. He shrugged it off, while making up his mind on what to do with Villetta.
"You will kneel down beside these dead bodies for ten minutes. Once those minutes are up, you will forget the two of us here and everything that has transpired since your Sutherland broke the wall. However, you will subconsciously recognise me as your master and every time I command you, you will obey and offer no resistance to my will."
"Understood." she droned out before making way to follow her orders.
"Impressive," C.C. congratulated as she looked upon Lelouch's latest victim. "This one was easier to dominate, wasn't she?"
"Yes, she was." Lelouch noted before resuming his attention to the sounds of fighting outside. "While I hope my final command will make it even easier to take control of her later, we need to get out of here."
The two of them ran to the Sutherland. A minute later, the Knightmare exited the way it came and sped across the broken road of the Ghetto. While beforehand the buildings and environment around them had already been broken, desolate and forgotten, left untouched by Britannian authorities since the surrender of Japan, they were now further destroyed in the current campaign of genocide by Clovis and the Purebloods. Bodies now littered the space, the innocent Japanese having been killed on the spot for no crime other than being alive.
Lelouch's blood boiled as he piloted the Sutherland to a nearby building and started to climb it to a higher vantage point, his mind focused on the ongoing massacre. He may not be the most empathetic person in the world and he definitely could be ruthless and efficient, but he knew where to draw the line. As his mother taught him, only those who should kill are those willing to be killed. And these innocent civilians were definitely not willing to kill or be killed.
He reached a suitable location and began surveying the chaos that was ongoing, the Factsphere allowing Lelouch to acquire as much information as he could, while hacking into the IFF tags to locate all Britannia controlled units. As he did so, he realised that there was something he had forgotten about until now. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a radio, the one that the red haired Terrorist who was oddly familiar to him had dropped as she entered her Glasgow. He fiddled with it before deciding to make a call.
It only took a second of dialling on his cell phone for it to be answered.
"Ah, Lulu!" the voice of Shirley Fenette came through. "What in the world have you been doing!" Lelouch couldn't help but wince at her tone. She sounded mad. Behind him, C.C. raised her eyebrow at the girl's voice. "Where are you now?! You better not be skipping class, otherwise you will be held back!"
Before Shirley could berate him more, Lelouch cut her off.
"Are you near a TV?"
"A TV?"
"It's important, Shirley," he assured her.
"Alright, give me a moment." There was a pause. "What do you need?"
"The news, specifically anything involving Shinjuku."
"The news…so far nothing…wait, while there is nothing major being shown, there are traffic restrictions for the area."
"Any reason?"
"None so far."
'Once they finish everything off, they'll release news that'll favour the military.' Lelouch reasoned as he pondered what to do next. Then he spotted on the ground a chessboard along with a few scattered pieces.
"Oh, you're gambling again, aren't you!?" Shirley began to accuse him, not totally incorrectly. "I warned you more than once about how dangerous that is!"
Lelouch rolled his eyes at her words, but a part of him did appreciate her concern, as he knew she genuinely didn't want him or Nunnally to get hurt either directly or indirectly.
"Yep, you caught me." he partially lied to her, even as his mind began to focus back to Shinjuku, "By the way, tell Nunnally that I'm going to be late home tonight, would you? Thanks." he said before hanging up on her.
Behind him, C.C. raised an eyebrow. "That was rude." she commented archly.
"I'll make it up to her later." Lelouch absently said, as he opened up the Sutherland. He stood up on his seat, looking at a rocket shooting into the air. 'Clovis wants to keep this quiet, so that means he can't call in any additional reinforcements. But I am still caught in this crossfire and I can't get both C.C and myself out, even with our vampiric abilities.' he thought back to the radio, 'Alright, I want payback for being caught in your fight, no matter how sympathetic I am to your cause nor how much I agree with you.'
Getting out of the Sutherland, he quickly picked up the chessboard and all of the pieces before re-boarding the Knightmare. C.C. looking at him with that eyebrow still raised, her expression clearly showing 'Really?'. He ignored her as he sealed the cockpit and began looking for the Red Glasgow.
It didn't take any time at all to find her, much to his surprise. It was running away from two Sutherlands just a few blocks away, missing its left arm. Lelouch shook off his surprise and focused on the area as well as the IFF tags being broadcasted across the Britannian Net. Here, he noticed that he could act, absorb information react and think much faster than what he was previously capable of, which was already impressive by human standards, thus allowing him to discover the train full of Sutherlands and Knightmare supplies close by, redirect it to the train line near the Glasgow, cover up his trail and come up with a plan of action not only for the Glasgow but also it's resistance allies all within the span of less than a minute.
"Got a plan coming along?" C.C. asked rhetorically. "I assume one involving that Red Glasgow?"
Lelouch nodded before activating the radio and contacting the Glasgow directly.
Kallen Kozuki, also known as Kallen Stadtfelt in her Britannian identity, was shaking with fear, anger, hate, horror and stress all at once as she attempted to divert as many Britannian troops away from the struggling Japanese in the slumps. Her plan had only drawn out two Sutherlands, one of which was the one that had first engaged her on the highway. They have been chasing her for the past couple of minutes, with no chance for her to either disengage or fight them back. All around her, she could hear the screams of her people being slaughtered and to top it all off, she only had 30 minutes left on her Energy Filler.
As she turned the corner, her radio activated.
"The West Entrance!" an unfamiliar male voice spoke out, shocking her. "Use the tracks to move to the West Entrance."
Her shock made way for suspicion. "Who is this? How do you know this frequency?" Her mind raced to figure out what was going on, and how this unknown individual had figured out what radio frequency her group was using.
"That doesn't matter!" the voice replied. "If you want to win, you're going to have to trust me!"
Kallen's head perked up, her suspicion now being replaced by disbelief…and hope. "To win?"
She didn't even think of going against his instructions now, as what else could she do? Even if this was a trap, she was screwed regardless. Might as well try her luck and if he's genuine, then maybe they'll have a chance to stop this massacre.
She quickly made her way to the train tracks and jumped on, heading west.
"OK, I'm here. What am I supposed to do now?"
"Since you trusted me, you're going to win. Now jump onto that train."
As soon as he said it, Kallen spotted the train encroaching fast upon her. As it was about to collide with her, she jumped on and sped down it. She felt the train screech to a stop and took a quick glance behind her. The Veteran Sutherland had stopped it and the other one jumped into the air to chase her, until two Slash Harkins pierced its head and sent the Knightmare flying off the side of the track.
She slid to a halt, looking back at the origin of the Slash Harkins, spotting a Sutherland hiding in the ruins of an apartment block. The Veteran Sutherland also turned to face the attacker.
"Friendly Fire? What's your Name and Unit?" the Britannian Sutherland's Pilot's voice boomed out of its speaker, his tone very much angry at his comrade being taken out by what seemed to be a friendly unit. "We are after the one-armed Glasgow…"
Immediately, the hidden Sutherland fired its Battle Rifle at the Britannian Sutherland, cutting off the pilot's speech, the first few shots taking out its arm. As the Knightmare tried to retreat, the left leg and Landspinner were crippled, causing the Knightmare to drop to its knees.
Seeing her chance and with a wordless battle cry, Kallen rushed towards the Sutherland, even as it tried to raise its own Rifle at the attacker. Fortunately, her charge caused the pilot to manually eject to escape her strike, sending the pilot safely away from the combat area.
She caught her breath as she finally realised that her two pursuers had finally been dealt with, and all thanks to that voice.
"You saved me!" she said. "But how did you get hold of a Sutherland?" She turned to look where the Sutherland was, but found that it had vanished. "What? Where did he go?"
She would have gone to look for him, but a familiar voice shouted across the tracks.
"Kallen!" Kaname Ohgi, an old friend of her deceased older brother and the leader of her Resistance Cell, came running to her, followed by three others; Naomi Inoue, Yoshitaka Minami and finally the resident delinquent Shinichirō Tamaki. All four were armed with captured Britannian rifles, most likely taken from the few dead Britannian soldiers they could find or kill themselves. "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"
"What? He contacted you, too?" She asked over the speakers.
"Sure did, and Yoshida's group as well. They should be here soon…" Ohgi started to say before his own radio warbled as someone connected to it.
"Are you in charge?" the same voice from before said.
"Ah, yeah," Ohgi answered, his voice subdued.
"I present to you the cargo in that train over there." Everyone turned to look at the aforementioned train. "They are tools for your victory. If you want to use them for your victory, then follow my orders."
Quickly the resistance members began opening up the train doors, with Kallen helping out with her Glasgow on the larger, heavier doors. This meant that she was the first to see that the carriage she opened up had in fact two Sutherlands inside. Her eyes widened in shock as her mind processed what she was seeing.
She was still in shock as her friends began to cry out with their own discoveries of more equipment and Knightmares, just staring at the inside yet not actually seeing what was there. 'All this? But how?'
"Woman in the Glasgow." She was quickly brought out of her trance. "Y-yes?" She replied with a stammer.
"Stay where you are." the voice commanded. "Your unit is going to run decoy. You got that?"
"Understood!"
"Energy Filler Status?"
She did a quick check of her instruments. "About fifteen minutes worth," she answered.
"Then swap it out for a fresh one. In ten minutes I'll contact you with your next instructions."
"Wait a minute." Ohgi quickly cut in before the voice would disconnect. He had only been listening in partially as his attention had been on organising the activation and sorting of all of the equipment in the train, until the last statement where he realised that he made a slight mistake with how he had reacted to the voice and wished to correct it. "Who are you and how can we contact you?"
"Who I am is irrelevant right now, as this signal could be intercepted by the Britannian authorities, as this frequency is unencrypted." the voice admonished. "But for now, you can call me K-1. And as for how to contact me, I will be listening in on this radio channel."
With that, the radio clicked off and Kallen went ahead with swapping out her Energy Filler, all the while wondering who this mysterious K-1 really was. Yet he may be the key to saving all of the people here in the Ghetto, so for now, she would give him the benefit of the doubt.
Lelouch clicked the radio off, looking at it for a moment. The pilot of the Glasgow's voice was very familiar to him, yet not at the same time, as if he had heard her a fair number of times before but never really interacted with the person. And he also recognised her red hair as well. Maybe someone from Ashford…
He filed the thoughts away for later, he had to focus on making a plan for the rebels to follow.
C.C. couldn't help but smirk as she watched Lelouch get to work, bringing up multiple views of the area, plans from both pre-invasion Shinjuku and Ghetto Shinjuku, as well as the markers and IDs of all Britannian units in the area. His mind was really adapting well to the slight changes made by becoming a vampire, and this would be only the tip of the iceberg. It would be scary seeing how his brain would function after fully developing into a full vampire.
She also noted how it was one of the more 'mind control'-esque powers that Lelouch awoke almost instantly, while much less 'troubled' individuals would unlock more general powers. It seemed that Lelouch unconsciously wished to be in total control of every situation. Now, she knew that that would never be the case all the time, but it would be interesting to see how he would either flounder or adapt to those circumstances, if he could that is. But she had confidence that he could.
So she simply watched on as he contacted the rebels again, and began organising the counter-attack against that bastard Clovis' forces present within the Ghetto. Oh, she had not forgotten him at all. Her time for vengeance would be soon, she could feel it, as Clovis was nearby. While she did agree with Lelouch's obvious goal of getting out of the Ghetto, she will kill Clovis today, no matter if she had to force him to help her along.
Until then, she was simply content to let Lelouch be the main conductor of this operation. Though she will ask questions or act as a sounding board for him if she feels like he needs it.
Suzaku Kuruguri winced as he exited the simulator, his bruises flaring with slight pain, which he ignored as he focused on the large screen nearby, which showed his personal score. The Japanese-turned-Honorary Britannian was currently in the special Simulator Room dedicated to ASEEC Military Unit of the Camelot Research Division, surprised that he was even allowed to be in this room, much less use one of the machines, as even Honorary Britannians were very limited in what they could use.
Yet, he was not complaining about it now as he had been asked by the Head Scientist, Earl Lloyd Asplund, a very eccentric person that he could already tell would be… interesting to work under. Though that didn't matter much to Suzaku at all. Here, if his score was anything to go by, had a chance to actually make a difference if Earl Asplund's words had any truth to them.
Suzaku couldn't help but also get excited. A new Knightmare Prototype, the first of its kind. If Earl Asplund and Ms Croomy are impressed with his score on the simulator, then he would be its pilot. That would be a huge step for any Honorary Britannian, who aren't even allowed weapons unless they have served for decades.
'The right way to make a change.' he thought to himself. 'Not through violence, that only leads to death and chaos.'
He couldn't help but think about what was happening in Shinjuku right now, civilians being massacred because the terrorists decided to hide among the populace to escape. To Suzaku, that was all the proof he needed that the terrorists were only making things worse, not better for the Elevens, rather than working through the system like he himself was. 'All the more reason for me to work for Camelot to pilot the Knightmare and end the fighting!' Suzaku thought to himself.
Though as he walked through the exit door and towards where Ms Croomy had instructed him to go, he couldn't help but think about one specific person.
'Lelouch, I hope you and that girl got out of there alive and are with Nunnally right now.' His face shifted into a determined expression. 'If you're still there, I will find you and get you out.'
He just managed to reach the door to the trailer's control centre when the door opened and the blue headed Captain came out in a rush.
"Oh, Mr Suzaku!" Cécile Croomy said with a smile. "Perfect timing, I was about to come get you!"
"What's the situation, Ma'am?" Suzaku asked.
"Please follow me." she said and the two of them strided towards the changing room next to where the Knightmare resided.
"First off, congratulations on getting both the highest score for the simulator and the compatibility score as well." Croomy began. "We're very lucky that we found you, as you're one of the very few who could potentially pilot the Lancelot."
"Thank you." Suzaku couldn't help but blush. He didn't feel like he did much, but he couldn't help but get his spirit up with the praise.
"Unfortunately, that is the main good news." Croomy's tone immediately fell. "As we speak, Prince Clovis' forces are being destroyed one by one."
"Destroyed?" A shocked Suzaku repeated. No way the terrorists could do that much damage.
"They've acquired our equipment, using Sutherlands to destroy whole squads. All done as if orchestrated by a conductor of strategy."
They finally reached the change rooms, where Croomy handed Suzaku a very large manual.
"We believe that His Highness will soon command the Lancelot to be deployed, so please read this as best you can. Inside is the 'Devicer Uniform' developed specifically for the Lancelot to better protect yourself when piloting. Please suit up and get ready."
Suzaku took the manual, grimacing internally at the size, but nodded to her.
"Thank you miss Croomy, I won't let you down."
She gave a small but genuine smile. "Just do your best, and I'm sure you will."
Ten minutes later, he had finished reading the manual and was putting on his suit when Croomy's voice came through his headset.
"Have you read the manual?"
"Pretty much." Suzaku answered as zipped up and left the change rooms.
He had to admit, while Honorary Britannians weren't allowed to pilot Knightmares, he had read up on them a fair bit, as some sort of morbid fascination with the machines that took away his homeland's independence. Yet even the Sutherlands, as advanced as they are compared to the Glasgows of the invasion, were overshadowed both technologically and spec wise by the Lancelot, at least that was what Suzaku had gathered from the parts of the manual that he did read.
While it didn't have any ranged weapons for now (something that Suzaku didn't mind all too much) and no ejection system (something he did mind a lot more, yet a part of him seemed to like the chance of no escape), it was an exceptional machine, one that he is honoured to pilot.
"Hey, look. About what I said earlier," he asked as he walked towards the Knightmare, currently covered by a sheet.
"Huh…ah, it could be," Ms Croomy answered honestly. "But the possibility is nearly zero."
"But it is still a chance."
"That is true, just don't do anything reckless. There isn't an ejection system installed yet in the new system."
"Ok, I understand," Suzaku said, slightly irked at the low possibility of Lelouch surviving, but still remaining hopeful.
He stopped in front of the Lancelot as the sheet was released and blown off by the wind, revealing the majestic sight of the white and gold machine. Suzaku was definitely not proud enough to deny that he fell in love with the machine, or at least formed a meaningful connection to it immediately.
"That's it?" he whispered in awe.
"Yes." Croomy answered. "The advanced weapon developed by us in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps, Lancelot, the world's first Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame."
Lelouch couldn't help but let off an 'evil' laugh, cackling with joy as he watched all of Clovis' main forces get swallowed by the collapsing ground that Q-1 had created. A fitting final act for this battle against Clovis, who had made the stupidest decision he could within the circumstances. And now he was defenceless.
'I can do it! I can crush Britannia!' he congratulated himself in his head.
"Well done." C.C. congratulated him. "Now what do we do?"
"First off, we…" Lelouch was about to explain when suddenly the radio interrupted.
"This is B-Group, reporting enemy presence."
Lelouch frowned. This was unexpected, but then again, real battles had a reputation of being so. Taking a quick breath, he picked up the radio and answered "Status?"
"Everyone ejected, but they took down four units in nothing flat."
Now Lelouch was starting to get anxious. "Enemy Numbers?"
"Just one!" N-Group leader's answer shocked Lelouch. "But it's like nothing we've ever seen before. I think it's a new model."
"Describe it now!" Lelouch ordered. If it was an entirely new model, then there was a chance that every single Knightmare under the rebel control, including his own, were now outmatched. He needed more info now in order to quickly think up a counter to this new development. Vampire or not, as C.C. stated earlier, he was not invincible.
"Tall as a Sutherland, much more streamlined." N-Group answered quickly, though Lelouch could hear weapon fire in the background of the radio call. "Stands out with its white and gold paint job, yet it's completely unarmed, no rifle whatsoever. Yet it's still kicking our asses, that bast-ARGH!"
The radio suddenly went silent. "What's happening out there?" he tried to reconnect to N-Group Leader, but failed.
It was now obvious that the new Knightmare had taken him and probably more out. Lelouch sighed before activating the radio again. "P-1, begin evacuating the area, prioritise the civilians first."
"Evacuate…?" There was a slight pause before P-1 came back. "Got it, but what should we do about that Knightmare?"
"We aren't equipped to deal with it." Lelouch admitted, a bad taste in his mouth. "Fall back, abandon the Sutherlands if you have to."
"Conceding defeat so quickly?" C.C. asked. "That must be a hit to your pride."
"It is, unless you have any vampiric power that can take on that thing?" Lelouch half-asked seriously, but more so rhetorically.
"Unfortunately, no," C.C. admitted. "Not personally at least."
Lelouch gently massaged his temples, coming up with many plans, but all of them he predicted failing. 'One machine and the game is lost… for now,' he lamented before jumping back onto the radio. "All units, do not, I repeat, do NOT engage the new Knightmare. If it does attack you and you can't escape without a fight, try to gather as much intel on it as possible and relay to me before ejecting. The information is important, but not worth your lives today."
A chorus of acknowledgements answered him and he put away the radio.
"I would have thought that you would believe getting the information would be worth their deaths." C.C. noted.
"Are you constantly going to backseat drive me?" Lelouch asked in mild exasperation, but then relented. "In some ways, yes, it is. But I have an inkling I will work with this same group later. If so, then I want to have as good of a relationship as I can."
Just as he finished, the radio went alive with small amounts of reports of the terrorists engaging the Knightmare. He noted the skill of the pilot, how fast and reactive it is, and the ability to deflect bullets before they got taken out. Lelouch mentally thanked all the terrorists' sacrifices, until he got reports from those who he thought were destroyed. Turns out, the Knightmare was forcing them to eject, not killing the pilots themselves. 'Interesting.'
Finally, after almost all of the terrorists were forced to eject, Lelouch decided it was time for the two of them to evacuate themselves. However, just as he was about to move, a Slash Harkin embedded itself into the broken ceiling right at the hole in the wall. Lelouch immediately turned to retreat, racing down a gap in the floor, dropping down three floors, just avoiding the white Knightmare.
Yet despite his fast reaction, the Knightmare followed through. It landed behind him, sending a Slash Harkin at him, which he managed to avoid. He twisted to aim at the Knightmare, but his rifle was grabbed. It pulled it to point to the side, all of his shots missing by a large margin.
Lelouch snarled in frustration as he unsuccessfully tried to break his rifle free of the Knightmare's grip. However, fortunately for him, help arrived not a moment too soon with the appearance of Q-1.
"Hey, I'm returning the favour!" she shouted out, her Glasgow grabbing the hand that was about to punch Lelouch's Knightmare. With that, the Knightmare's attention was diverted and let Lelouch go. She launched her remaining Slash Harken, but the now free hand of the enemy grabbed it like it was nothing. As Lelouch fled, jumping off the building, he took a quick glance back and saw Q-1 eject, her Glasgow wasted. He landed not as gracefully as he would have liked, but continued moving forwards, as far away from that Knightmare as he could.
'Never forget the Human element is the most important in any battle,' Lelouch vowed to memorise, grateful for Q-1's intervention. Yet, his relief was short lived as his radar started beeping. He took another look behind him. The Knightmare was already there, quickly gaining on him.
He began firing backwards, hoping to use his newly acquired precision skills to hit it this time. Again, he failed, the Knightmare dancing around his shots and the falling debris of the buildings Lelouch was hitting.
"That monster's unstoppable!" he exclaimed.
C.C. said nothing, as right now she was in no position to help at all. She was still weak from her captivity. But she also believed that this was Lelouch's show, not hers yet. He had to get them out of this. She did have faith that he could.
A scream to the side caught both Knightmares' attention. Both heads turned and saw a mother clutching her infant child falling down from one of the buildings. Immediately, the enemy Knightmare disengaged from Lelouch, skidding to slow down. As soon as it was at the right speed, it leapt into the air, catching the two civilians.
Lelouch, still retreating, looked on. 'In the midst of battle, he rescued someone?' He hmphed, gaining a sliver of respect for the pilot. 'I'll concede to you the tactical victory.' He then activated the ejection mechanism and soon enough they were flying far away from the Knightmare.
"I have a feeling that I'm going to have to deal with that thing again in the future," Lelouch admitted to C.C.
"Most likely," she agreed. "Now that you've lost, what's the plan?"
"I conceded the victory for the battle between us and him, not against Clovis," Lelouch corrected. "I managed to find the perfect direction for our next move, which we are now headed towards."
C.C. narrowed her eyes, "And where is that?"
"Prince Clovis' command centre," Lelouch's face shifted into a determined expression, his eyes narrowing. "We're ending this fight now."
Prince Clovis la Britannia, Viceroy of Area 11, clenched his fist as he looked at the screen that displayed the current efforts to wipe out Shinjuku. He sat on his throne, flanked by two Royal Guards, within the control booth of the G-1 Mobile Command Base, in the rear of what was left of his forces after this debacle.
'Damn those Elevens,' he cursed, ignoring that some of the events from the past hour were his own fault.
At first, everything had been going well for him, despite the terrorists having taken the girl from his secret lab. Then, the terrorists became organised, their coordination and tactics wiping out his units from the field. Worse off, the Royal Guard detachment tasked with finding the vampire haven't responded to his hails. They were most likely dead, food for the girl to use to get stronger. He had hoped that the death of the local populace would prevent her from feeding, but it seemed to be too late now. And it was almost guaranteed that she would be coming to kill him at some point or the other. Security would have to be increased and the OSS contacted.
Thankfully, the ASEEC prototype Knightmare cleaned up most of the terrorists. He didn't like owing Schneizel a favour as ASEEC belonged to him, but as he told himself earlier, it was for the best. It saved him the trouble of bringing in a lot more reinforcements than was feasible. He didn't want to risk more of his forces being destroyed in another trap by those terrorists. At least now he could safely bring in a few more troops to finish off killing the local Elevens.
General Bartley had left the room in order to personally organise the local Code-R presence, without risking any one finding out. So that left him and his two guards. For once, he was glad that only a few were present, he was that embarrassed and scared. Though he probably should enlist more guards to be with him constantly, if only to serve as a distraction for when the vampiress eventually confronts him. His only chance was to run away or hope either Code-R or the OSS finds another way to subdue her.
The door slid open, and an ordinary trooper walked in. Odd, he's not supposed to be allowed in here, especially with his helmet on. His two guards agreed, drawing their pistols, but not aiming at the soldier yet.
"The Control Centre is a restricted area," one of them declared, "Identify your business!"
The soldier remained silent, simply walking into the shadows. Clovis frowned before his two guards cried out in agony. He turned to look at the one to his left quickly enough to see the blood spurt out of the newly made bullet hole in his chest before collapsing. Clovis quickly looked back at the newcomer, now noticing the pistol in his hands. He definitely didn't have that raised before.
In the seconds that Clovis realised that the 'soldier' had aimed the pistol directly at him, the laser activated and offering a perfect line of sight to his forehead. Clovis internally slumped in defeat, there was no way he could even move without the intruder shooting him. However, his pride as a Prince made him straighten up and put up a façade of dignity and strength.
"How did you get past my forces?" he started off.
"They were quite…amenable to my interests," the intruder answered. Clovis narrowed his eyes, both at the answer, but also because the intruder's voice, while young, did sound slightly familiar. Though there was also the relief that it was a male voice, so it definitely wasn't the girl.
"And what are your interests in being here, if I may so kindly ask?" Clovis added some sarcasm to the end.
"I want you to call a ceasefire for all of your forces within and around the Ghetto, as well as allowing the local populace to leave unscathed." The gun cemented this as a demand, not a request.
So Clovis, though finding the situation utterly humiliating, followed through, activating his communication unit to the side of his throne and broadcasted to the whole Ghetto, both Britannians and Elevens hearing his call for a Cease-Fire.
"Are you satisfied?" Clovis gritted out.
"Very, thank you." the Intruder said, throwing his helmet to the side, though his face and upper body was still obscured by shadows.
"And what shall we do now?" Clovis asked, hoping that he could buy more time for himself, though he couldn't help himself, sarcastically adding, "Sing a few lively ballads, or perhaps a nice game of chess?"
The intruder chuckled. "That has a familiar ring."
Now Clovis perked up, his fear overcome with curiosity. "Hmm?"
"Don't you recall? We used to play chess as boys. Of course, I would always win!"
"What?"
The Intruder took a few steps forwards, how only his head was covered by the dark shadow.
"Remember? At the Aries Villa? You would always challenge me and Euphie to see who was better. Of course, both of us were."
Now that intrigue had evolved into full on intrigue, his full attention now centred on the intruder. "Who are you?"
Then the figure finally stepped fully out of the darkness. Clovis' eyes widened to their fullest, his mouth falling open as his brain struggled with the fact that the intruder was none other than an older Lelouch, his younger half-brother thought dead seven years ago. He could never forget that raven hair, nor those purple eyes.
"It's been a long time, Clovis."
"L..L..Lelouch?" This is impossible, it can't be happening, as much as he would like it. Those bastard Elevens killed him and Nunnally! Took them from him! And yet, here Lelouch stood. "H...H...How?" he couldn't help but whisper that much out as his voice failed him.
"You would be surprised." Lelouch answered.
That's a wrap for Chapter 1. Here Lelouch awakens as a vampire, gains his canon power but as a vampiric ability, leads the resistance against Clovis and confronts him, just like canon. This chapter mainly follows the canon events and some of the dialogue, though it is also the start of the deviations I have in mind. We also get some explanation on vampires and their powers/traits.
While it was mainly Lelouch's perspective this chapter, I hope I did well with the others such as Kallen and Suzaku as well. Both of them will be major side perspectives other than Lelouch and C.C. in the future. Though if you feel like I have not done them the justice they deserve, please let me know respectfully, as well as tips on how to be better if I need to.
Thank you so much for the support for the prologue! I didn't expect to see it get over 800 views within two weeks. I'm glad that there are plenty of you who were also fans of 'More than just a Man' and wanted something similar, so I hope I'll be able to fulfil that expectation. Also I have heard all of your comments and suggestions on what to do with the Harems for both Lelouch and Suzaku! Please continue to add more suggestions or changes. I won't promise any of the definite ones being changed, but I just want to hear your opinions.
I'll be honest, it may take a bit for the next chapter to come out compared to this one, but I will strive to finish it as soon as I can. Also, I am desperate for a Beta reader, so if anyone is interested, could you please pm me?
Also would you guys like me to reply to your reviews in this authors note section next chapter?
Until next time, where we focus on Episode three of the anime and some extras as well.
Regards,
dalek117
Edit 07/03/2023 - Thank you Seerking for beta-reading this chapter and finding a few things that needed fixing!
Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Another Change, An Awakening of Feelings
Summary:
Lelouch confronts Clovis in the Mobile Base, later arriving back at Ashford only to find some of his friends waiting for him.
Notes:
This fic was inspired by Thanathos' 'More than just a Man'. That fic was unfortunately abandoned way too early and I found that I really needed to at least tell my own interpretation of a vampire Lelouch and C.C.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Many of the Vampiric characteristics were inspired by 'More than just a Man'.
Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's
Welcome back to Code Geass: Lelouch of the Night. This time, we begin episode 3 of the anime, though definitely not all of it. I'll let you read on to see what I mean.
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thought/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie talkie
"Hello" - Speaker
Chapter Text
Chapter 2: Another Change, an Awakening of Feelings
August 2017 a.t.b.
'I never get old over how satisfying this is.' Lelouch thought to himself, taking satisfaction from Clovis' gobsmacked expression. It was the same look on all of the faces of his vict… opponents in all of his chess matches against the Nobles of Area 11. Though this was for an entirely different circumstance.
It had only been a few minutes since Lelouch revealed himself to Clovis. Since that time, both siblings were silent. Lelouch continued to hold his pistol aiming at Clovis, who was very much speechless with the latest revelation, which didn't look like changing anytime soon. Looks like it was up to him to break the ice.
"I have returned," he did a mocking bow, "and I am here to change everything."
This seemed to finally break Clovis out of his stupor.
"I...I'm overjoyed Lelouch!" Clovis managed to get out a smile, though shaky. "After all these years, to see that you are actually alive! The family will be overjoyed to hear…"
"I don't think so," Lelouch pointed his pistol directly at Clovis' head, who stiffened once more in fear. "The last time I was in Pendragon, amongst 'family', my Mother was murdered and Nunnally and I were exiled here, sent as political tools only to be targets for the slaughter!"
To Clovis' credit, as much as Lelouch had to admit, he did look down at the last statement, his expression filled with regret and shame. 'If only he felt that for the lives he had taken here.'
"So no, Clovis, I won't be returning to Pendragon, and the family won't be learning of our survival!"
"Does that mean Nunnally is alive?" Clovis perked up. "Is she alright?"
Lelouch paused before nodding. "She is. Blind and crippled, but she is well and happy."
Time to get back on topic. "While I'm sure she would appreciate your concern, I'd rather talk about your role in both what happened here, and my Mother's murder."
"Please Lelouch, I had nothing to do with her murder, I swear!" Clovis pleaded, his eyes bulging.
"No One can hide the truth from me anymore," Lelouch declared before activating his ability. "Tell me what you know about Mother's murder!"
Clovis' will crumpled not even a second afterwards, his expression becoming empty. "Schneizel and Cornelia, they might know."
Lelouch's eyes widened. "Schneizel I wouldn't doubt, but Cornelia being involved is impossible! She adored Mother. Why do you think they might know?"
"Schneizel was the one who was ordered to collect the body by order of Father," Clovis explained, "and he is the most observant and intelligent member of the family, while Cornelia was the commander of Lady Marianne's personal guard. After the assassination and your exile, she initiated her own personal investigation. Between Schneizel always knowing everything and Cornelia's determination, there may be something either one of those two know."
Lelouch had to admit, it was sound reasoning. As Clovis said, Schneizel was the most intelligent member of their family, and the only one who could consistently defeat Lelouch at chess, though he was also the one to teach the game to Lelouch. If there was anyone that Lelouch was certain would be the biggest threat to him, it was Schneizel.
As for Cornelia, the reasoning there was also sound. She was dedicated to family and would pursue anyone with unwavering passion and hatred who dared hurt those she cared about. To have Britannia and the Emperor dismiss any investigation on Mother's murder would have set Cornelia off. However, the Emperor would have threatened Cornelia with either exiling Euphie like he did himself and Nunnally, or marrying her to a noble and putting her at the mercy of his machinations. Cornelia would instantly capitulate and accept his ruling publicly. Yet, she would still conduct a private investigation at the very least.
"Are you finished with him yet?" C.C. asked.
Lelouch jumped, not having noticed her enter the command centre and stood beside him, though out of view from Clovis. He pondered if he was done before shaking his head.
"One more thing. Though is there anything you would like me to question him on?"
"Yes, ask him how he found me and if there are any documents from Code-R that I can take."
Lelouch nodded before turning back to Clovis, who was still in his trance. "How did you find C.C. and where are the documents you made on her?"
"I didn't find her, she was gifted to me by the OSS, who directed me to researching her," Clovis explained, "While outside my expertise, Area 11 was the perfect location to study her away from prying eyes in the Homeland. At least that was what the OSS claimed. They also promised that I would have a large share of the advancements made from studying her.
As for the location of the documents, General Bartley has most of them stored with him in a secret location I know nothing about. I do have some of the documents, including summaries of the notes we made off of her. It is located in the safe behind my throne, hidden by the Painting. The code combination is Laila's birthday. Inside are the notes, as well as blackmail material for much of the nobility here in Area 11."
"Thank you. One last thing, do you feel any remorse for the victims you killed today?"
"No. They are Elevens, tainted by their greatest crime."
Lelouch, while not showing it and expecting such an answer, was slightly saddened by hearing Clovis's lack of empathy, though the last statement was a surprise.
"What is their crime?"
"Killing you and Nunnally," Clovis explained. "Father said that Special Forces units during the invasion were tasked with extracting you, but found the two of you dead, burnt and desecrated by those filthy Elevens. They even showed us pictures."
Now that was unexpected. He did remember the Special Forces unit, only that it was trying to kill both him and Nunnally, not extract them. 'After the surrender, the Emperor must have ordered the Special Forces unit to find two Japanese children who fit the size and build of the two of us and burnt them to galvanise Royalty against the Japanese,' Lelouch theorised. 'Though that also begs the question, does the Emperor know of our survival?' The thought alone filled Lelouch with both dread and anger, but he stifled it. He would deal with his emotions regarding his father later. Right now, he was dealing with Clovis.
"Do you also regret what you did to C.C.?"
"No."
The blunt statement made C.C. narrow her eyes in anger, a sure sign that Lelouch better wrap this up or he may get caught in her anger as well. So he released Clovis from his control.
Clovis began to plead again, but stopped and looked at Lelouch with wide eyes. "You did something to me, didn't you?"
"I did," he admitted, "However, as much as I would like to discuss things further with you, there is someone here who insists on meeting you."
With that, Lelouch took a step to the side, and C.C. stepped out of the shadows.
"Hello, your Highness," she said in a sweet yet chilling tone, with a matching smile that clashed with her burning hot eyes of anger.
Clovis immediately yelped in fear and actually fell off his throne, trying to back away from the Vampiress as fast as he could. "YOU!"
"Yes, me." C.C. spoke in a calm voice, "How nice of you to recognise the person you've tortured and experimented on for over a year."
"GET AWAY FROM HER, LELOUCH!" Clovis shouted, "SHE'S A…"
"Vampire." Lelouch finished, "I know already."
Clovis looked at him with shock. "How did you…" then his face paled with realisation. "You were in Shinjuku."
"Yes, I stumbled into the terrorist's truck when the container opened and released her."
"She turned you." That was spoken as a fact, not a question.
"I did." this time C.C. answered, who was walking slowly towards Clovis, like a predator about to catch their prey. "Don't worry, I won't be long at all. In fact, despite everything you did to me, I'm going to be nice."
She offered her hand to Lelouch, who handed her his pistol. She aimed at Clovis and gave him a sinister smile. "Be thankful to your brother. If he wasn't here to see this, I would have made this messy. Now, ta-ta."
With those last words, she unceremoniously shot Clovis in the head, killing him instantly.
Lelouch flinched, suddenly conflicted. On one hand, Clovis was a murderer and a monster, having killed hundreds of thousands during his rule as Viceroy. He also tortured C.C. and experimented on her. And to top it all off, Suzaku died just after reuniting with Lelouch for the first time in seven years, and that was unforgivable. On the other, from his reactions earlier, Clovis did genuinely care about Lelouch and Nunnally. And Clovis was still his half-brother. So a part of him was thankful it was not him who ended Clovis' life.
He went to Clovis' corpse and closed his eyes. At the very least as thanks for being a kind brother in the past, the person Clovis used to be. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them, now resolute and past his feelings of remorse, for now. He then went to Clovis' throne, opened the aforementioned safe and got the documents, as well as the blackmail out. They were conveniently in a single suitcase.
"Let's go," he told C.C. and together they left the Command Centre unseen.
Shirley Fenette was annoyed. Scratch that, she was closer to being furious than annoyed. And right now the source of her state was nowhere to be found, which only made her worse.
Though she was not alone in the Student Council Room at the moment. Beside her was both Milly Ashford and Rivalz Cardemonde, fellow Student Council Members who were in the middle of writing different reports to give to the Principal, Milly's Grandfather. In the corner sat Nina Einstein at her desk, on the computer taking notes for Science Class, three weeks in advance.
As for Shirley, she was supposed to be doing her own report. Well, not her own. A combined report with Lelouch, but he wasn't here at the moment to help her do it. From what Rivalz confessed, he hadn't even shown up to School from their little 'adventure' in the morning. God, she hated that they always went Gambling. It wasn't good for them in the long run! What if they suddenly found themselves massively in debt and…
"Shirley," Milly interrupted her thoughts, having placed her hand on Shirley's shoulder. "You're overthinking again."
"I can't help it, Milly," Shirley admitted. "Lulu still isn't here after he called me two hours ago. And he never told me where he was so I can't just go and find him." She stomped her foot. "Ugh, I swear that he is just so…!"
Milly just stood there, letting Shirley vent. It only took a few more seconds before she deflated with a sigh. "I just don't get why he would be gone for so long." Shirley said. "I would be worried if I didn't know he was fine, but he called me not too long after Rivalz came back."
"Ah, but there is something you missed," Milly said, her expression shifting to something mischievous. Shirley instinctively took a step back. Rivalz and Nina both decided to vacate the room as soon as they saw Milly's face, both figuring it was too late for any shenanigans tonight.
Milly took a step towards Shirley and poked her chest. "You forgot that there is one person that Lelouch will always go back to."
Shirley immediately got her meaning. "Nunnally!"
"Exactly," Milly said with a smirk. "And what better way to find him than for us to be with Nunnally."
"You're a geniu…" Shirley's joy changed to suspicion. "Why are you coming along? What mischief are you planning?"
"Mwua?" Milly gestured to herself. "Oh, nothing much. Now, let's go to the Clubhouse!"
And with that, Shirley was dragged along by Milly to another one of her schemes… again.
'I understand having to not look suspicious,' Lelouch thought to himself, 'but this is ridiculous as well as counter-productive.'
What he was talking about was C.C. forcing him to go shopping. They had just come out of a warzone, with the both of them still in attire that would normally attract a lot of attention. Yet somehow, no-one even glanced at them. Now he was anxiously waiting in the shadows in a small corridor leading to the restrooms, trying to make sure no-one could see him changing back into his Ashford Academy school uniform.
"Here's a tip," he heard C.C. comment to his side. "Never act like you're trying to hide in a crowd, even if that is what you are doing."
Lelouch turned around to snark back, but his voice faltered as soon as his eyes fell on her. Even he could admit that C.C. was beautiful beforehand when she was in that straight jacket, but now, she was drop dead gorgeous. Her green hair was still in the same style as he found her, but now cleaned up and slightly sparklier. Her skin itself was also cleaned, any blood stains or dirt marks were gone. Her aforementioned straight jacket had been replaced by a white and red leotard dress that accentuated all of her curves, while covering a lot of her skin, baring her lower thighs and arms.
He shook his head, clearing it out before frowning. "Of course I know that. Why do you think I go by my real first name as my new identity?"
"The fact that everyone thinks you're dead," C.C. answered immediately. "Oh, and pride."
Lelouch opened his mouth to argue, but faltered. He didn't have a comeback for that last point..
C.C. sighed. "Pride is fine with most things, but keeping to the shadows, hiding from someone, then it is not the best thing to have. Trust me, I've had my share of troubles caused by my pride."
Going up beside him, C.C. offered him her hand. "Care to escort me back to your house?"
Lelouch rolled his eyes, though accepted her hand. Together they walked back into the large open space within the mall, barely anyone still shopping as it was close to midnight. Yet even with the lack of crowds to hide amongst, nobody paid the two of them any attention, not even to glance at C.C. who stood out. Lelouch simply stopped caring about it to ask, assuming it was vampire shenanigans like before.
Finally, they walked out of the mall, though Lelouch could tell that C.C. did want to do some retail therapy. Not that he could blame her. She was a prisoner for a long amount of time. As soon as he stepped out onto the road of the Tokyo Settlement, he noticed the moon high in the sky. He stopped and stared up towards it, as if basking in its light.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" C.C. asked, having noticed his pause. Lelouch blinked, brought out of his trance.
"I never seemed to notice it before, but yes," he replied, looking back up at it.
"I was the same." C.C. admitted. "While humans may be drawn to the sun and the light, vampires have always had a fascination with the moon. We may be able to stay in the sun unlike the legends, but it is the night that always welcomes us. And the moon is our beacon."
Lelouch continued to stare at it for a moment longer, before turning away, his willpower overcoming the desire to bathe in the moon's glory. There was still an urge, but once he started walking towards Ashford Academy, it seemed to subsided to the mental equivalent of a very weak tug. Still, being under the moon felt rejuvenating.
"Is it because it makes us feel good?" Lelouch asked.
"Partially," C.C. quickly caught up to him with a fast stride before slowing down to match his speed. "While even I don't know the specifics, essentially something on the moon causes the sunlight reflected off its surface to create an aura of rejuvenation and regeneration."
Lelouch paused, his logical mind freezing for a second as he processed this latest information. "That sounds too supernatural to be real."
"Does it?" C.C. looked to the side, at the empty street lit up by street lamps. "If someone from a few hundred years ago was suddenly transported to this time and age, they would look at all of this and think they were stuck in a supernatural heaven or hell hole depending on their point of view." She looked directly at him. "All because they couldn't comprehend how it could be like this, due to the way they were brought up as well as what they lacked in terms of knowledge on how the world works."
"Right now, we don't understand what makes the moon create this aura in its direct light, but there is undoubtedly an explanation for it, other than 'magic'. After all, technology is magic with an explanation to some."
Lelouch, though slightly unsatisfied with the lack of explanation, conceded the argument. It didn't help that Lelouch could point out multiple points in history that helped prop up her argument, such as Britannia with its Knightmares in the first days of the invasion, completely catching the Imperial Japanese Army off guard with what seemed to be an impossible machine. The Japanese quickly learned however, and could have potentially developed their own Knightmares in only a few months if the classified documents seized by the Royal Army, which he discovered by hacking into the local intranet's most secure databases, were any indication. Though everyone knew that the surrender after only a single month of fighting ended that program… for now at least.
'Could be a good avenue to eventually pursue once my rebellion has gotten off the ground,' Lelouch reasoned. 'Of course, that is far into the future, but it never hurts to be prepared and to plan it out in case I have to move the timetable forwards. But before that, I'll need to learn as much as I can about my new state of being.'
"Will being in the moonlight affect my development into a fully fledged vampire?"
"Yes it will. I assume you noticed how it seemed to draw you in. That is because a few minutes of moon light at this stage of development allows your skin to adapt and change faster."
"Why the skin?" Lelouch pondered before he deduced the answer. "Because of how you said you were centuries old, or at least related to it."
C.C. nodded, smiling. "I'm so happy that I don't have to explain every little thing to you. You don't know how many times I've made the spiel about vampires and what happens. At least with you, Lelouch, you are constantly thinking and trying to deduce everything, even if it goes against your logical nature, or your pride."
Lelouch deadpanned. "How come you keep on going back to my pride."
"Because that is your biggest weakness," C.C. explained. "You want to defeat one of the world's greatest superpowers, then you'll have to make yourself better. If all you rely on is your pride, then only self-destruction awaits you." She looked him over. "Speaking of which, it seems that your disdain for physical activities has not changed since I last saw you. That has to change, for both your rebellion and your new state of being."
Lelouch growled. "Like I've needed to before," he automatically spoke, before blinking. "And what do you mean, the last time you saw me? This wasn't our first encounter?"
"Correct," C.C. nodded, "though we shall speak more on that topic when we arrive at wherever you live now. Such conversations should be private."
"Agreed." Lelouch led the way.
It would only take a few more minutes from the mall to arrive at the gates of Ashford Academy. During that time, C.C. had explained a few more things about being a vampire. As he is now, Lelouch would not be able to even drink blood from another person as his fangs would take a few days to develop. He would need to drink lots of milk instead to help his jaw reform itself to accommodate the fangs when they are ready. Still, Nunnally did like drinking some milk, so he had a supply for the next few days. He would have to get Sayako to get some more tomorrow just in case, so that wouldn't evolve into an issue later on. In regards to his skin, why it's being affected by the moon, as he thought, it was to help make his cells regenerate at the same rate as it is now instead of slowing down, causing the body to age much much slower. He would still die from natural means… in a few hundred years. Though this seemed to clash with C.C.'s age, so he would be sceptical on that until further information was gathered.
As Lelouch brought out a key to unlock the gates, he noticed that the lights to the Clubhouse were on, meaning that Nunnally was still awake, or that they had guests.
"This may be a problem if you come with me inside," he told C.C. "Can you wait for me near that smaller building next to the main campus in about half an hour?"
C.C. shrugged before leaping into the air, onto a tree next to the gate, swiftly disappearing from sight. Lelouch blinked at her speed before turning his attention back to that gate. It was unlocked seconds later and he walked into the school grounds. From there, he calmly walked to the doors of the clubhouse, wondering who could be visiting at this time. In hindsight, he really should have known.
As soon as he opened the front door, a very annoyed voice called out to him. "There you are, Lulu!"
Waiting at the staircase were Shirley, Milly and Nunnally, who should have been in bed by now. Before Lelouch could make a comment, Shirley stomped her way towards him.
"It's been three hours! Where have you been?" she asked him, "Did you forget that we had to do that report together? You're normally better than this. Even Rivalz was more responsible today than you were! And Nunnally was worried about... huh, are you even listening to me?"
Turns out, as soon as Shirley started to scold him, he zoned her voice out. Not because he didn't want to hear what she was saying, but because he was looking at her as if for the first time. They've known each other since middle school, and yet it was now that he finally noticed that she was a beautiful girl. He took in her features such as her green eyes, her long legs, her hourglass figure and her bust. It seemed his eyes were really drawn to her bust, or her neck. He had to blink several times in order to get himself focused on what she was saying. Though the itch in his jaw that he had with the Knight he'd hypnotised had made its grand return in a stronger form.
"Uh, right…" he then remembered what he needed to do with her, the itch fading away. "Ah, the report. Sorry Shirley, today's events got me caught up in something big, plus being abducted by terrorists doesn't help."
"You were what?!" Shirley seemed to get even more agitated, though not from annoyance now but from concern. "Are you alright?! Did they do anything to you?! How did you escape?!"
"Did something happen?" Milly now called out, pushing Nunnally's wheelchair towards Lelouch.
Now, if Shirley had a beautiful body, then Milly was a goddess. Her bigger bust instantly caught his attention, with her blonde hair, blue eyes, angelic face and even more accentuated hourglass shaped body imprinting itself forever in his mind. Now, he had known her almost all of his life and it was thanks to her and her family that he and Nunnally could live in safety, and he had known her for a mischievous vixen that loved to cause some trouble, but a part of his mind was playing an image of him hugging her and claiming her as his. The itch was back again as well, to make things even worse for Lelouch.
Him being stuck in this trance like state allowed Shirley to speak up before his rational mind could stop her. "The truck Lulu fell into was apparently hijacked by terrorists who abducted Lulu!"
This caused both Milly and Nunnally to hiss in shock, who both turned to Lelouch for answers. Fortunately, seeing his precious little sister's face fall into horror broke him from that trance and he quickly rushed over to her.
"Don't worry, Nunnally," he soothed as he hugged her. "Nothing happened to me."
"But what if you got hurt?!" She cried before leaning in closer and murmuring, "I can't bear to lose you too…"
"You won't." he whispered back. "I promise you."
"Did they hurt you?" Milly asked.
"No." Lelouch replied, thinking quickly of what to tell them to keep them satisfied and off his back. "Actually when I said abducted, I meant taken in their vehicle, without them knowing it. I only saw one terrorist in person, and they didn't notice me at all."
All three girls sighed in relief, visibly relaxing. At least until Shirley straightened as she realised something.
"Is that why you called me about Shinjuku?" she asked. "Were terrorists involved with the traffic restrictions?"
Lelouch's expression darkened. "In a way. I'll tell you about it at school tomorrow. That way I don't have to repeat myself multiple times."
'As well as risk others overhearing,' he thought to himself as well. 'It would be safer to just say it here, but I doubt that they would accept a simple explanation. With a slightly larger group, I can easily exclude most of the details and they'll be satisfied.'
Nunnally and Shirley both nodded at his quick proposal, while Milly looked both unsatisfied and questioning, as if suspecting Lelouch's real motivation. She didn't say anything as Sayako entered the hall, carrying a tray of food. Nunnally's favourite dessert, in fact. His jaw started again, though felt more like an afterthought than an actual itch like it was with Milly and Shirley.
"Good evening, Master Lelouch," she greeted him without any sign of surprise or uncertainty, as if this was normal. He nodded back before an idea sprang into his head. "Ah, perfect timing Sayako. Could you please take Nunnally to the dining room. I'll be seeing both Shirley and Milly off shortly to join her."
"But big brother…" Nunnally tried to speak out before Lelouch lowered himself to be at eye level and grasped her hand. "Don't worry, Nunnally. I'm fine. We can talk after you have some cake."
Nunnally opened her mouth before everyone heard her stomach growl. Blushing, she nodded her acceptance before Sayako laid the plate on her and pushed her out of the room. That just left him with his two friends. Who he just said were going to leave. This wouldn't end well.
He turned around, ready to speak to convince them, and found them both just staring blankly at him, blushing. He blinked in surprise before snapping his finger in front of them, which broke them out of their trance. They blinked before noticing Lelouch looking at them.
"Are the two of you alright?" Lelouch asked. "You seemed to blank out there."
"Really?" Shirley shook her head. "Did we miss something?"
"Yes, Nunnally has gone into the dining room to have some cake. It's pretty late, so I think you two should go back to the dorms." Lelouch suggested. Shirley did live in the dorms here in Ashford with a room mate , so it would be best for her to leave now so she could get back at a reasonable hour without disturbing her room mate, but Milly lived here on campus as well, though in a different building to the side of the school, where the Principle, Rueben Ashford, her grandfather and herself resided.
Immediately Shirley objected. "Hang on a minute, you still haven't helped me with the report. It's due tomorrow…"
"I don't think I'm in the right state of mind to start my section of the report right now," Lelouch countered, with Shirley reluctantly accepting. "Besides, I'm sure Milly can ask the Principal if we could get an extension for two days, considering the circumstances." He turned his attention to Milly, silently pleading with her to help.
"I could…" she said in a melodramatic tone, tapping her finger on her chin. Lelouch's expectations immediately plummeted. She always caused trouble with that tone of voice. He knows her too well. Shirley also shuddered in recognition, her expression towards Lelouch turning from annoyance to pity.
"But I won't," Milly's rejection in a playful tone caused Shirley to cough in shock and Lelouch to blink in surprise.
"Unless…" she leaned closer to Lelouch, "I stay a bit longer."
"Hey, what about me!" Shirley shouted. "Why do you get to stay!"
"Because I have the authority in this scenario, and I still haven't forgotten the Commerce debacle three weeks…" Milly began.
"You made your point!" Shirley quickly interrupted, her face now red with embarrassment. "Why do I let her see those kinds of things…" She muttered to herself before she left to get her bag.
Lelouch arched an eyebrow at Milly, who shrugged, trying to hide a smirk. "Commerce debacle?"
"Oh, I can't tell you, Lulu." Milly answered. "Goes against my promise to Shirley."
Ah, repeatable use of blackmail then. Though Lelouch knew that it was most likely harmless blackmail and Milly would never use it to hurt Shirley, only embarrass her in front of people who wouldn't taunt Shirley at all. But Milly always loved to lord these kinds of moments over people's heads, one of the many reasons why those who know her call her a she-devil sometimes. Lelouch, often called her 'minder', sometimes let her have that leverage, as long as it didn't cause anyone proper trouble. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them, which Milly was more than happy to follow.
As Shirley got her bag and walked towards the door, being escorted by both Lelouch and Milly, Nunnally came back into the hall. "Has Shirley left yet?"
"No, I'm still here," Shirley answered.
"You forgot this on the dining table," Nunnally said, with Sayako holding a notebook.
"Ah, thanks Nunna!" Shirley walked over to the pair, quickly hugging Nunnally before getting her book.
While Lelouch and Shirley were good friends, the relationship between Nunnally and Shirley felt more like siblings than actual friends. Sometimes when Lelouch had to go out late to meet with investors (aka gambling), either Shirley would pop over for a sleepover, or pick up Nunnally to take to her place to sleep over. It has been joked around a few times that Shirley's parents consider Nunnally their youngest daughter. They also hung out often in the school council. In all honesty, Lelouch couldn't thank Shirley enough for looking after Nunnally so much, especially since Nunnally always enjoys her time with the orange haired girl.
As Shirley finally left, this time being seen off by Nunnally and Sayako, Lelouch led Milly to his personal office in the clubhouse. As Lelouch sat down behind his desk, with Milly sitting in one of the guest chairs.
"Will you actually delay that report?" he asked to begin with. "I really don't want to disappoint Shirley, since she's the one who's being marked on for the report."
"Then why did you agree to help her?" Milly asked in a teasing tone, "Was it to spend time with her?"
"It was just to help a close friend," Lelouch countered, though thinking about it now, he had a feeling that spending a bit more time with either Milly or Shirley would be nice… wait, where did that come from and why was his jaw itching again. He absently rubbed his cheek before adding on, "I would do the same for you, Rivalz and Nina."
"Is your mouth ok?" Milly asked.
"Just a bit itchy," Lelouch answered, "must have gotten some irritant on it."
Milly dropped her cheerful and mischievous expression, now completely serious. "Ok, what actually happened? Shirley mentioned you asked about Shinjuku, which was blocked off the regular traffic flows." She leaned closer. "Was it just a minor incident, or something bad?"
Lelouch frowned. Milly was very observant, and he had once again underestimated her. Still, he couldn't tell her the whole truth, but maybe part of it could satisfy her. It would be a gamble on her reaction, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. He clasped his hand together before answering. "Bad. Something very bad. Apparently the terrorists had stolen something from Clovis, something dangerous. That was what was in the truck that crashed near Rivalz and I. I went to check if anyone was hurt, but the truck soon moved and I got thrown inside by the momentum." His eyes narrowed. "For whatever reason, the truck never had a ladder on the inside, meaning I was trapped."
Milly stiffened. "They didn't see you, did they?"
Lelouch shook his head. "No, they were too busy focusing on the army intercepting them, including Knightmares. There was a lot of rifle fire, and the truck went underground, travelling a fair distance to Shinjuku before stopping. I finally managed to get out, find my way to the surface and saw Clovis' forces massacring the Ghetto. All for the sake of keeping whatever the terrorists found a secret from everyone."
Milly had her hand over her mouth, horrified at what Lelouch was recounting. He couldn't blame her. He probably would have been more horrified in the moment itself, if it wasn't for him dealing with his newfound existence as a vampire.
He decided to continue on, though now he had to fudge the truth. "While I was processing what I was seeing, a squad of soldiers found me, thinking I was a terrorist. Only one of them saw that I couldn't be one." He paused, as Suzaku's death seemed to repeat in front of him. He shook his head, clearing his mind. "He was shot in the back by his superior. But he gave me enough time to get away and head back here."
Milly seemingly noticed something in his expression, but didn't comment on it. Instead she decided to pursue a different line of conversation. "That still doesn't explain how you only came back at this time."
Lelouch tried to keep a poker face, but Milly knew him too well. "Don't try to deny it. If you did manage to get out sooner rather than later, you would have arrived long before you did, as Shinjuku isn't too far away. Plus, I know you can't stand massacres like that, ever since the invasion seven years ago. If you had the opportunity to stop it, you would have." Now Milly was standing, arms planted on his desk. "The question is, what exactly did you do?"
Lelouch sighed. "I can't tell you that, not yet." Milly opened her mouth. "I know I can trust you, but with this specific case, it's better you don't know. It's too dangerous."
This seemed to make Milly angry. "Too dangerous for me!" She screamed, surprising Lelouch. "What about you!" She stood up and slammed her hands on his desk again. "You and I both know that there are still those who are looking for you and Nunnally and you are doing something that may attract their attention!"
"Good!" Lelouch shouted back, also getting up on his feet. "Let them come to me!" Now it was Milly's turn to get shocked, allowing Lelouch to continue ranting. "For the past seven years, as much as I have loved my time at Ashford, I've lived a lie. A lie where my mother wasn't murdered. A lie where my father didn't cast me away. A lie where I am ok with the second place I called home being invaded and stripped of everything!" He paused, his eyes staring at his desk but not seeing anything, only one of his worst memories. "A lie where my sister wasn't the target of assassination and forever crippled because of it."
He shook his head clear of the image of Nunnally's broken body beneath his mother's corpse. "After everything Britannia has done to those I care about, you included, I was always going to rebel. For revenge, for Japan, and for Nunnally. I would have waited for as long as I needed to, preparing after graduation for the obliteration of my father's Empire, no matter how long it took. I expected years for the opportunity to arise."
He looked back at Milly. "But now, that opportunity came today. Today, I struck my first blow against my father. Today, I made a deal with the devil and began the world's descent into chaos. No matter what, I can't go back. Not after the sacrifices I made today, and the blood I have spilt."
He took a few breaths after his rant, calming down slightly, enough to see how affected Milly was. "Look, Milly, my time here at Ashford has been the only good thing that has happened to me in a long time, so thank you. And I know you will want to help me with anything, just as I with you. But as you said, there are people still looking for us, and there will be some point that they will find us here. At least with me beginning my rebellion, not under my own name, I'm not that stupid, I will attract enough attention and keep it off of you and Nunnally."
"Why do you want them to come to you?" Milly asked.
"So I can ask them who killed my mother!" Lelouch declared. "So I can ask them why they crippled my sister. And once they are done talking, end them so that they won't harm anyone else."
Milly stayed quiet for a moment, sitting back into her chair. "Are you really doing it for Nunnally and your mother?"
"Yes!" Lelouch stated. "And for Japan. The Japanese looked after both Nunnally and I, and now I wish to repay the favour."
Another pause from Milly. "I can't convince you to postpone this, can't I?" She sighed. "Alright, but just promise me that you will tell me what you did today."
"I have a feeling I won't need to." Lelouch commented. "By the end of the week, everyone will know."
She nodded. "After that, will you tell me what exactly you plan to do?"
Lelouch paused. Now here was the throw in the dice. If he did agree and tell her what he will do (he hasn't thought that far ahead yet, today has been hectic enough as it is), she may try again to convince him to let it all go, or try to get him to let her help, putting her in danger. She was a very close childhood friend, the only one left from his days in Pendragon, and he couldn't bear the idea of her getting hurt. He might also have to tell her about vampires and his change into one, which would be a whole can of worms. He internally shuddered at one of the best case scenarios he quickly envisioned; Milly teasing him for the rest of his life with vampire jokes or pranks like giving him garlic every day or putting crosses all across school.
On the other hand, if he didn't tell her anything after today, either it may damage their relationship or she would let it go and still act as if nothing has changed. It would more likely be the former, especially if she believes he was on a path of self-destruction.
That point triggered Lelouch remembering what C.C. had said earlier about his pride being a weakness. It may actually help with someone in the know, even if not directly contributing to the rebellion, to act as an anchor to his life here in Ashford. That decided his next course of action.
"Believe it or not, I don't have an actual plan at the moment," he admitted, causing Milly to raise her eyebrow. "It's true." Her eyebrow raised even further. "What's so suspicious about admitting I don't have a plan?"
"The fact that Lelouch vi Britannia always has a plan," Milly said. "You have at least five contingency plans regarding evacuating Ashford Academy if it's ever compromised and ten regarding disappearing after graduation. You also have at least twelve plans for acquiring the wealth and assets of any noble, each. Twelve for each noble. And here you tell me you have no plan for a rebellion, the one thing you need a plan for most of all."
"I only told you seven of the evacuation plans," Lelouch murmured.
"I may not be as smart in the field of tactics and planning, but I know how you think Lelouch," she said, "don't take me for a fool."
"I never did, but noted." he quickly added in that last part when he saw her expression shift. "But back to being serious, once I do have one, I will tell you. I still don't want you directly involved, but I will make sure you are aware of what I am doing. I will have to keep some things from you, that's not negotiable." His tone was firm and unyielding on this one point.
Milly looked to the side in thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I can live with that. Though you'll have to tell grandfather some things as well. Even if you don't involve me, he would still like to help you out."
"I'll think about it," he promised her.
"One last thing," she said. She looked him directly in the eyes. "You said that you were living a lie? Was…is our friendship part of that lie? Are your friendships with everyone in the student council lies as well?" Her voice was wavering, which seemed to hit Lelouch directly in the heart, while tears threatened to flow down her face. Here Milly, the unflappable woman that she was, looked completely vulnerable, a state he had never seen of her before. Something he didn't like at all.
"No." he assured her. "I never thought of any of my friendships as a lie. They are the only things that kept me happy and sane."
Milly smiled in relief. "Liar, you didn't have Nunnally in that sentence. How would she take that?" Well, looks like she was back to being her teasing self.
"She would deploy her greatest weapon: her facial expressions," Lelouch played along. "We would both fall to our knees against that weapon of cuteness."
"Not just the two of us," she corrected, "She could have the entire school wrapped around her fingers if she was just as calculating and scheming as you are."
The two of them began to laugh, the tension from before all but gone. Milly looked at the time and stood up. "Looks like I should be heading off now. Don't want to be sleep deprived for tomorrow."
"I completely agree," Lelouch said, getting up himself, and walking her to the door. "You need me to escort you to the front door."
"Ah, such a gentleman," Milly crowed, "but I can take care of myself."
"I know," Lelouch assured. The smile on Milly's face at his words made his chest feel slightly strange, as well as bring back the itch in his jaw. His gaze seemed to be fixated on her as she walked out of the office, towards the stairs. Once she reached them, she stopped mid step as if she just thought of something.
"Whatever story you tell the others, I'll go along with," she said, looking back at him, "And you'll always have my support, you know that right? Just please be careful, for Nunnally's sake." With that, she walked down the stair, leaving Lelouch alone at the door to the office.
"I'll admit, you handled her extremely well."
Or at least he thought he was alone.
Milly walked out of the clubhouse, looking out at the fields of her home. There was a slight breeze, but she didn't mind, even if her uncovered legs were exposed to the elements. She did need to cool down a little bit from the discussion with Lelouch.
'After all this time, he still can't get over anything from that year.' she sadly thought to herself. 'I can't blame him. If I was in his position, I would probably be the same way.' She sighed. 'In a way, I already am.'
She thought back to the days in Pendragon, where she would spend entire days playing with Euphie, Lelouch and Nunnally, the four of them almost being inseparable in some cases. Then Lady Marianne's death changed everything. Even with her Grandfather's advancements in Knightmare technology, the loss of the Ashford Family's greatest and only champion sealed their fate. All of their rivals joined forces to cast the Ashford family out of the higher tiers of Britannian Nobility, with them only just remaining Nobles after selling and losing most of their assets and wealth.
They would be exiled to Japan, at the very start of the invasion. Perhaps it was because most thought that they would die in the fighting. But they weren't involved at all, thankfully. Milly didn't want the blood of those innocents on her family's hands.
Despite all of the horrors of the invasion, one thing went right. After the surrender of Japan, Lelouch and Nunnally arrived at the doors of the Ashford home, seeking refuge. She was ecstatic. Her best friend (secret crush) and his sister had survived. Thus she begged for Grandfather to accept them in, though she wouldn't need to as that was his intention since their arrival.
Yet seeing the two of them in the state they were in, betrayed but almost all they considered family or friends, and by their very country, Milly vowed to never forgive the Emperor and the Britannian Nobility. She could handle being cast down the hierarchy. In fact, she found that she personally enjoyed life a lot more, interacting with those that the Nobility would consider beneath them. In a way, she was glad to have lost a lot of that influence, because she had Ashford Academy to enjoy. And to boss around. That was always fun.
Best of all, she got to spend a lot of time with Lelouch. She could admit it to herself that she did love him, had loved him since they were kids together in Pendragon. Yet, she knew that others liked him as well, including one of her closest friends, Shirley, who was very obvious about it. And Lelouch had never really shown interest in her before. So she kept her feelings to herself. Even just before, she had to stop herself from blurting out that she couldn't lose him again.
Still, there was something different about him today, other than his newfound drive. He did look more attractive today, somehow. She even lost herself to just admiring him a few times before. And so did Shirley. That was something to keep an eye on. Whatever has happened today, may have changed Lelouch in some way.
Lelouch would later deny that he jumped on the spot with a yelp, spinning around to find C.C. just casually leaning against the wall on the other side of the office.
"How long have you been there!?"
"Before you entered with the Ashford heiress," she answered. "I also witnessed your interactions between yourself, Ashford and the orange haired girl." She looked him in the eye with a sly look. "I approve of your choices."
"Approve?" He asked confused before rubbing his jaw again, as it itched once more as if summoned by her words. He looked back at her. "It's good that you're here now. Do you have any idea why my jaw starts to itch when I was with both Milly and Shirley beforehand? I've spent so much time with them in the past, but I've never acted in the way I did before."
"And how did you react?" She asked, the sly look still on her face.
He ignored it as he brought himself back to those moments. "I felt like I was seeing them in a new way, focusing more on their bodies. And each time I glanced at their necks, my jaw itched harder than ever. It only seemed to be those two, as I felt barely anything with Sayako, and nothing changed for Nunnally." He didn't add how he felt slightly disappointed that they both had to leave, even though he made them leave.
Her expression shifted towards curiosity, looking to the side in thought. "Already? Hm, that's very early." She looked back at him. "Your jaw is now changing itself to form fangs to drain blood with, and the instincts to drain said blood have already begun to take root in you. Simply put, your instincts want to bite those girls. As for your jaw itself, as I told you before, drink some milk. That'll make the itch go away and help your fangs grow."
Lelouch blinked. "My instincts want to completely drain them and kill them?!"
"No," C.C. quickly assured. "Rather you want to bite them to claim them as your own."
Now Lelouch frowned. "What do you mean, claim as mine? Like as if they aren't people but food?"
"Oh, stop with the negativity. You're not going to want to hurt them or treat them like animals. Rather the opposite." She now smirked. "But before I tell you that, what do you think the two main cravings of a vampire are?"
"The first one is obvious; to drink blood," Lelouch said. "The second one is to exist?"
"No," C.C. was very much annoyed now, so she decided to get to the chase. "It's quite simple: Sex."
Lelouch blinked once again. "What?" he deadpanned.
C.C. rolled her eyes. "Did puberty ever hit you? Sex, as in what two or more individuals do to feel extreme plea…"
"I know what sex is, thank you very much," Lelouch snapped, interrupting her. He ran his hand through his hair. "Great, as if I have enough to worry about right now."
"Don't act like it is a bad thing," C.C. admonished. "It's a great way to relieve any sort of stress, and a rebellion will be very stressful."
"I'm more worried about turning into a rapid sex offender," Lelouch remarked. "I respect my female colleagues and friends, so I don't want to betray them in that fashion." He shuddered at the thought of raping anyone.
"And you won't," C.C. assured. "So long as you don't resist the urges too much. Quickest way to become either a blood thirsty mass murderer or a crazed sex fanatic rapist is to deny yourself the need to either drink blood or have sex with someone, at least during your development as a vampire. After you become a full vampire, then your urges will not be as powerful, and will actually mellow out as you grow older and more experienced, though the acts themselves will always feel fresh and pleasurable." She looked thoughtful for a second, gazing in the distance. "It's honestly one of the reasons why I'm still sane or liking life in any way."
Lelouch frowned, filing her last statement away for later, but moved back to the main topic. "So I have to have sex at some point…" That would definitely change things entirely. Honestly, sex would only get in the way of his rebellion, taking a lot of time away from planning and carrying out his plans and strategies. Every second he didn't put into it could potentially give away any sort of advantage he could have, and he needed every single one he could hoard to take on Britannia.
Plus he was also worried about having a partner to mate with. While he never paid attention to anything regarding romance or dating, he was aware of how many girls seemed to pay attention to him every single time he walked the corridors of Ashford. They probably wouldn't be adverse to having sex, but he felt that it was wrong in some way. He had no real connection to 99% of the female cohort in the school, and any relationship including a sexual one should have a connection. He didn't know how he developed that outlook, but he suspected it was due to his fath… the Emperor's non-existent connections with his 108 consorts. There was the option of going to a brothel, but again, there wouldn't be any real connection, only an outlet. And even considering it seemed to make some part of him act as if it wasn't good enough. That just left…
Lelouch's eyes widened as he realised what C.C. meant earlier. "Did my jaw just 'choose' who I want to have sex with?"
Now C.C. was smirking again. "Yes it did. Well, at least two of the people you'll want to have sex with." Her smirk disappeared as she became serious. "I'll be honest, Lelouch. Normally, the first few months of a vampire's changing will have them not really mind who their partner/s are. The fact that your developing instincts are already at the stage of finding the right mates is unprecedented."
Lelouch was about to ask another question when he suddenly yawned, and his body began to feel sluggish and tired.
"Ah, you're spent I see," C.C. commented. "Don't worry, you're fine. You're just tired. The Change takes up some energy and you have been active for most of the day and night so far. You'll need to rest now."
"What about you?" Lelouch asked, even as he began to walk towards his bedroom, "What will you do now that I have to go to sleep? I imagine you can stay up for the whole night."
"I can," she confirmed, "But while vampires can stay up all day and night, it's better that we do get some sleep, to rejuvenate our energy and blood." She began to follow him. "Speaking of which…"
"You want to drink my blood, like you told me earlier," he deduced, not having forgotten that fact, nor that she could apparently force him into letting her do so. "I'll keep my word, but you still haven't told me everything like you said you would."
"I also haven't forgotten, and I was going to tell you, but you need your rest," she countered, "And I need my freshly sired blood bag intact."
"Is that what you think of me?" Lelouch deadpanned.
"Only right this second."
They reached his room and went inside. As Lelouch went to collect his sleepwear, C.C. simply took off her dress and laid it on his chair, leaving her completely naked, and jumped onto the bed.
"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, trying not to look at her naked body.
"Getting a good night's rest," she replied without any shame or hesitation. "I have either been locked up in a cell or strapped onto a metal bench for the past year. I deserve to sleep on a proper bed, don't you think."
"I don't have a problem with that, except that it is my bed!"
"A gentleman would sleep on the floor," C.C. commented, "Unless of course, you want to sleep next to a beautiful girl like myself."
"Don't joke around," Lelouch said, trying and failing to get C.C. off his bed. "You can sleep in the spare bedroom next door."
"Oh my, your arms have no strength to them," she commented as she covered herself with the sheet, completely ignoring Lelouch's attempts at moving her. "We do need to work on that pronto. But that is for tomorrow." She motioned to him with her index finger to come hither. "For now, take off that shirt and lie down here."
Lelouch was about to retort when his body suddenly froze for a second before, against his will, he began to do as she said, finding himself lying next to her on the bed. 'So that is what it feels like,' he thought to himself.
"Sorry, Lelouch, but you weren't getting the memo," she did sound actually apologetic. "But at least you won't continue to embarrass yourself with your lack of strength."
"Shut up," he growled out, before C.C. placed her finger on his lips.
"Now, now, don't get too worked up," she admonished. "You still need to rest, and I still need to feed."
With that, she pushed his head slightly to the side and bit into his flesh. He had to admit, it did hurt a bit, but it wasn't too bad. It also helped that the feeling of her skin on his own was very nice and felt right, for some reason. But with a few moments of her feeding off of him, he felt his consciousness start to slip away and quickly fell into the blissfulness of sleep.
General Asprius Bartley sprinted as fast as his large body could do. His face and head were covered in sweat as he finally reached the door and pressed the button. He barely waited for the door to finish opening before he was in, pushing past the two guards before finally reaching the coroner.
"Where is he?!"
The coroner simply looked to the side, Bartley following before gasping as his eyes fell upon the body of his Prince. He couldn't help but fall to his knees, as his focus never left Clovis, who lay on the work table, most of his body covered by a sheet, leaving his bullet-filled head exposed. Tears began to flow down his face as he simply knelt there, his failure all but obvious to all.
After a few moments of grief, Bartley regained his composure. "How long was His Highness dead for?" he quietly asked the coroner.
"Four hours," the coroner answered succinctly, "While the Purebloods had found the Viceroy and two of his guards in the Command Centre of the G-1 Mobile Base three hours ago, he had been dead for an hour."
The coroner walked up next to the still kneeling Bartley, pointing at Clovis's head. "Single gunshot to the head was the cause of death. From my findings, at the very least it was instantaneous and painless."
"His Highness deserved better," Bartley bitterly commented.
It was at that instance that the doors opened once more, and in strode Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, leader of the Area Eleven division of the Pureblood Movement, followed by Captain Kewell Soresi. Two individuals that his Highness had tolerated, the former due to his ties to the lost Prince and Princess of the vi Britannias and his insistence that they may still be alive, while the latter only because of his influence amongst the military garrison in Area Eleven. Bartley himself, while disagreeing on many topics with Gottwald, at least respected the man and his devotion to the Royal Family. Soresi however, well that was another story entirely.
Gottwald's face fell as he saw Clovis before becoming expressionless as if suppressing all emotion to keep himself from erupting. But that did nothing to stop him from walking all the way to Bartley, gently asking the coroner to step away before punching Bartley in the face. To Bartley's credit, he didn't even flinch or try to stop it, accepting it as his just punishment. He was quickly shoved to the wall of the morgue and pinned with Gottwald's grip, though both men knew that Bartley, if he wanted to, could have used his size and strength to break free.
"Why weren't you at his side?" Gottwald demanded flatly, his voice devoid of all emotion but his eyes blazed with fury, and re-emerged pain.
"Because he ordered me too!" Bartley shouted out. "With the tide turning against us in Shinjuku, he wanted me to organise some of the present departments to evacuate in case of being compromised." That was a partial lie as it was only one department that his Highness had ordered him to direct out of sight, but closer to the truth than some of the other answers Bartley had in his head.
"Can you prove it! Or are you a cowardly traitor who left his Royal at the mercy of a terrorist!"
Bartley's face now reddened with anger. "How dare you! I would never betray his Highness! I would rather face eternal agony and pain than betray him!" His anger quickly fell. "I would rather have that than him dead … I should have been at his side."
The anger in Gottwald's eyes faded as the man could tell the genuine emotions and loyalty in the General. So he let the man go. "I understand your pain. I was there seven years ago. But now is not the time to mourn. Not when his murderer is still out there!"
Bartley paused before nodding, his expression now determined. "You're right. But the only question is where to start?" While Bartley had one suspect in mind, he knew that it was impossible to catch her now, and more of a liability. But there was also the possibility that it was someone else, so he had to make sure, for his Highness' sake. Thus he left the room, leaving Gottwald to his own thoughts.
The Margrave's deliberations were interrupted by Soresi clearing his throat behind him. As he turned his attention to the Captain, who straightened up to attention, Jeremiah couldn't help but feel that what was about to come out of the ambitious man's mouth would not be to his liking. And seconds later, he was proven right.
"Why bother searching for a long gone terrorist when we could use this opportunity to cement our power," Soresi suggested. "The Eleven Suzaku Kururugi is in our grasp. Let us use him as a scapegoat to get rid of the honorary Britannian system here in Area Eleven for good!"
"And let the real culprit be Scot-free?" Jeremiah shook his head. "That is completely unacceptable."
"So what?" Kewell countered. "The murderer was most likely an eleven. By destroying the honorary Britannian system, we not only purify our local military but also remind the numbers of their rightful place beneath our boots. A true Pureblood would jump at the opportunity."
While Jeremiah may be a member of the Purebloods officially, even its local leader, he did not espouse the propaganda that it tried to convince the Britannian populace of. He only joined to not only find Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia, who he vehemently believed to still be alive, even discarding the evidence produced by the Emperor to the Royal Family as just a means of galvanising them against the numbers, but also to find Lady Marianne's murderer. He was certain that it was a very high ranking member of Britannian society and someone the Emperor knew personally, but even still that individual would have to flee the homeland to avoid detection or any punishment from the crown. And the only place remote enough for that purpose was Area Eleven.
The only way for Jeremiah to get in after Lady Marianne's Royal Guard detachment was dissolved was to join the Pureblood faction. So not only did he accept to join a faction with views opposed to his own, but became its leader in the area, all for the sake of greater access to the resources needed for his search. Thus he kept his mouth shut in all but the most outrageous of situations, seething internally yet gleefully waiting for the day he could sweep off his shackles and align himself with his true lieges.
In contrast, Kewell was a Pureblood to the core, a true believer. It was an open secret that Kewell wanted Jeremiah's position for himself. The only reason why he hadn't launched a coup was Jeremiah's relationship with Prince Clovis, who personally knew him from his time visiting the vi Britannias at the Aries Villa, as well as a surprise endorsement from the Knight of Six, the very young Anya Alstreim, who he had never met. Something he still hasn't figured out why.
Now that Prince Clovis was dead, Kewell obviously saw this as the perfect opportunity to begin his power grab, by first cementing control over the government starting with this scheme, then finishing off Jeremiah for good. Still, there was little that Jeremiah could do to prevent Kewell enacting this specific scheme, as Kewell had a lot of support, and he was right that someone true to their ideology would follow through.
Jeremiah sighed, seeing that his hands were tied right now. "Start to prepare, but don't arrest him yet." He ordered. "If I can find the killer within the week, then it'll still cement us as the main force in Area Eleven."
Kewell frowned but nodded before leaving the morgue. As he entered the corridor, he bumped into a Britannian wearing a simple maintenance uniform. His already bad mood worsened, even as the maintenance guy quickly apologised, obviously a member of the lower class.
"Watch where you're going," he growled out as he stomped away.
The maintenance individual continued to apologise until the moment where Kewell left his sight before he straightened up. He marched to an adjacent room, where several body bags were piled and marked for burial funeral services. There he pulled out a device from his pocket, rummaged through each of the body bags, scanning each and every single one he could see. After he scanned the last one, he looked back at his device before sighing.
He took out a phone and rang a number. "It's me. I'm with the bodies you found in the Mobile Base. All of them had been killed with coil gun weaponry. If she was involved, she covered her tracks well." There was a brief pause. "Understood, I'll tag them for the recovery teams."
He hung up and went to the nearest body bag, smiling as he took out a bundle of tags hidden in his pocket. He placed it inside the body bag and went to the next one to repeat the process. Soon all of the bodies were tagged and he left, reading the last tag left unused, a simple piece of paper with only two words typed on it: Project Evolution.
That's a wrap for Chapter 2. Here we get Clovis dying, again. I wonder how many times he's died in fanfiction alone. Thankfully, we also have one of the first divergence in the story with Milly now on the way to being included in Lelouch's secret once he figures things out. There is also the beginnings of Lelouch's dive into vampiric life and customs, while also the beginning of setting up his harem, whether he knows it or not. And to top it all off, a nice little scene of Bartley and Jeremiah mourning Clovis, as well as a very, very quick taste of a little something I have planned for much later.
Sorry that it took over a month to get this out. Real life can be quite consuming. So is the Dead Space remake. Also my muse likes to take breaks for long periods of time, then suddenly burst to life again for one or two days at a time. Makes my writing schedule quite erratic. Warning that it could be just as long for the next chapter, as University just started this week for me, and it being my final year hopefully means I need to put more of my effort there than here. But I definitely won't disappear or not update at all.
Special thanks to the one and only Seerking for beta reading this chapter! Go check out his content; it's great! Also thank you for all of the support and comments!
Till next time,
Regards,
dalek117
Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Two Students, Different Masks
Summary:
Lelouch returns to school, only to find one of the Terrorists he worked with before is a classmate of his.
Notes:
This fic was inspired by Thanathos' 'More than just a Man'. That fic was unfortunately abandoned way too early and I found that I really needed to at least tell my own interpretation of a vampire Lelouch and C.C.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Many of the Vampiric characteristics were inspired by 'More than just a Man'.
Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thoughts/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie-talkie
"Hello" - Speaker
Chapter Text
Chapter 3: Two Students, Different Masks
August 2017
This was not something that he wanted to do. Something he had never wanted to do. Yet he felt that it was his duty to do so. Out of everyone, they deserved to know. So Jeremiah Gottwald, sitting rigidly at his desk, nervously activated his computer and keyed in a contact number. As he waited for his call to be answered, he leaned back in his chair and ran his right hand through his hair, staring into the ceiling.
'To think that I would be the one to deliver this type of news to those two,' he thought to himself, his mind constantly flashing back to the Aries Villa.
As he continued to sit there, stewing in his grief and nostalgia, he finally got a connection. He immediately straightened up and became alert as the screen loaded in the Britannian Intranet of the foreign campaigns, a specific subnet of the Britannian communication and information system that is for armies and campaigns in Britannia's constant wars and annexations. It was specifically used in non-annexed regions, or in newly established areas. In this case, it was still in the former, but in actuality much closer to the latter.
As expected, when the connection finally went through, he was answered by a Royal Guard. This one, unlike those that accompanied the late Clovis everywhere, was battle-hardened, as evidenced by his scars and mannerisms. The normally immaculate uniforms present in other Royal Guard squads, was torn and covered in armour, dust and blood. Jeremiah instinctively straightened up even more, as if to try to appease the apparent veteran of many campaigns. While Jeremiah himself hadn't been in the front lines of war since before the assassination at Aries Villa, he had served in the conquest of Area 7, the former country of Hawaii, as a foot soldier for the Seventeenth Florida Grenadiers, before his actions earned him a place in Lady Marianne's Royal Guard. So seeing one so recently in combat made his once dormant instincts rear its head slightly in order to show that he too was a soldier.
"Margrave Gottwald, please state the reason for contacting the 6th Mobile Battalion Command Department," the guard said in a professional tone. "This conversation is being recorded and will be logged for future reference."
"I'm here to inform her Highness of a recent… development regarding her sibling Clovis la Britannia, Viceroy of Area 11," Jeremiah explained.
The Royal Guard didn't even blink. "If you want to speak to her Highness, do not directly contact her through the Intranet again. It is for emergency or necessary use. Instead you should have…"
"I know the rules," Jeremiah interrupted. It may have been rude, but he knew that if he let the Guard finish citing the rule, he would be immediately disconnected. "And yes, the situation that I am calling under is very much an emergency. And something that I believe her Highness should be informed of as soon as possible."
The Guard, now looking a bit annoyed, opened his mouth before he was again interrupted, this time from someone out of view on his end.
"Sergeant, what's going on?" a young, very feminine voice calmly spoke to the side of the Guard, who turned and immediately went to parade attention.
"Your Highness, it is a Margrave Gottwald from…"
"Gottwald!" The voice now became excited as a young lady with light pink hair done up in two buns, magenta eyes and a soft face entered the view of the camera. Jeremiah instantly recognised the fourth princess of the Empire; Euphemia li Britannia. He had met her many times when she was younger, visiting the Aries Villa with her older sister to see Lelouch and Nunnally multiple times. It seemed that she remembered him as well as she looked to him with some sort of fondness and remembrance.
"Oh, Jerry, it's good to see you again," she smiled at him. He couldn't help but smile back.
"Likewise, your highness. You've grown so much since I saw you last."
"Oh, thank you," she blushed only a little bit before it dissipated. "But I don't think I'm the one you wanted to talk to today."
Jeremiah sighed. "You're right, but it's good that you are here. I have news that the two of you would want to hear. And it's not good news at all."
Now her expression became both serious and worried. After a moment, she turned to the Guard. "Relay this to my sister. Tell her that an old subordinate of hers is calling the both of us and she needs to answer."
"At once, your highness." The Guard began to work on his own console as Euphie turned back to look at Jeremiah. "Is this something that the command centre can hear, or is it a private matter?"
"Unfortunately private, but I think her Highness' Knight and Battalion commander can be present as well."
They didn't have to wait long before both Euphie and the Guard looked to the side. The Guard sat up from his seat and saluted, while Euphie simply grinned. And into the frame walked in the Second Princess of the Empire, and the head of the Army, Princess Cornelia li Britannia. Her purple hair done up in a crown braid only seemed to make her even more imposing, along with her magenta eyes and nicely done wine red uniform, the colours of her personal Battalion. Her expression was one of professional formality, something that Jeremiah had seen on her all of the time when he served under her.
As Cornelia's head swivelled to see the screen on her end, Jeremiah noticed two men escorting her; her Knight Sir Gilbert GP Guilliman and her second in command, Sir Andreas Darlton. He had only met the latter in the past, and got along with him beforehand, so he was happy to see Darlton still serving Cornelia.
"Ah, Margrave Gottwald," Cornelia said, her tone very much neutral, but her eyes did seem to soften slightly. "I didn't expect to hear from you at all. How have you been?"
"Not bad personally, your Highness," he bowed his head, "happy that you still remember me."
"How could I forget, you were one of my most diligent subordinates at the Aries Villa," Cornelia complimented, finally smiling slightly for a moment. "It is good to see you again. But I doubt that you are here to catch up."
"As I told your sister, unfortunately not," he reaffirmed. "Is there a room with a private connection we can use? The news I bring I doubt you would want to be heard by anyone else."
"We do," Cornelia nodded, her gaze now on the Guard, "Divert Gottwald's call to my private office. I'll take it from there." She returned her gaze to Jeremiah. "Will it just be the two of us?"
"It would be better for Princess Euphemia to be there as well, as it'll be easier to tell her alongside yourself. Sir Guilliman and Sir Dartlon can also be present."
"Well then, I shall see you in a minute," Cornelia said before Jeremiah's screen went black, with two words displayed on the screen: 'On Hold'. It did take a minute for it to reconnect, with the two Princesses and their two escorts in a different room now.
"Now then Jeremiah, what is the matter you wish to discuss?" Cornelia asked earnestly.
Now here was the hardest part for Jeremiah, actually getting himself to say the news. He gulped, lowering his head in shame before regaining his resolve and looking Cornelia directly in the eyes. "Your Highness, I regret to inform you of the murder of your younger sibling, Prince Clovis la Britannia, Viceroy of Area 11."
The atmosphere changed immediately. Both sisters froze on the spot, their beautiful faces paling rapidly as they both processed Jeremiah's words. Euphie seemed to pale rapidly while Cornelia's expression quickly morphed into a mixture of sorrow and anger.
"Who did it?" she growled out.
"We don't know," Jeremiah answered. "We in fact know very little of what happened. Except that his Highness was killed within the command centre of his personal G-1 Mobile Base during the evening, along with two of his guards. They were the only ones that were inside the centre at that time."
This time, before Cornelia could explode, as Jeremiah fully expected her to, Darlton spoke up, already over the shock. "What was Prince Clovis doing in a G-1 Mobile Base yesterday."
Jeremiah frowned. "Officially he was directing an anti-terrorist in the Shinjuku Ghetto in order to prevent Terrorists from activating a large stolen canister of poison gas. Though the operation itself was very much out of the ordinary."
He then proceeded to explain everything he knew of the operation; troop movements, the actions of the terrorists, how they were initially cornered before Jeremiah himself was taken out of the battle through an ambush by a hijacked Sutherland. As he explained, Cornelia's face darkened with every sentence, especially as he described the second hand information from his Battalion's survivors as they were counter attacked and routed by the Terrorists, who suddenly had access to Britannian equipment.
When he got to Clovis' decision, Cornelia snapped. "He broke the encirclement?! Didn't he realise that was the worst thing he could have possibly done?"
Jeremiah refrained from answering, as he didn't want to badmouth the late Viceroy out of respect for being his former employer. Instead, he continued on with the collapse of all of Clovis' forces, and the intervention of Camelot.
"So Camelot managed to get their experimental Knightmare to work properly?" Darlton commented.
"Yes, and it single handedly changed the battle in our favour," Jeremiah commented, "Nothing the Terrorists did could even scratch or delay the Lancelot. And the pilot himself apparently was very talented, despite having never even piloted a Knightmare before today."
This shocked all of the veterans, especially Cornelia. "Camelot didn't use one of Clovis's Knights for the Lancelot?"
"No, they used an Eleven they just found during the actual operation," he said, before seeing Cornelia's expression. "One that passed all of the tests with flying colours. Camelot was kind enough to pass them to me so that I could fast track the Eleven's transfer to their department. And I have to say, on paper at least, I can see why."
"I don't care if they were the best pilot in the world, the fact that a Number piloted one of our experimental models…" Cornelia wasn't able to finish her sentence as she fumed. Jeremiah couldn't blame her. It was a blow to the pride of Britannia and the Princess was a follower of the idea of numbers being lesser than Britannians, at least to a point. Regardless, it was personally aggravating that he himself was a potential candidate to pilot the Lancelot, but due to him being taken out during the battle, he missed the chance.
Still, he saw the footage and had to admit, Private Kururugi was a very competent pilot, especially considering it was his first time in a Knightmare. Something worthy of respect in Jeremiah's eyes. If he wasn't an honorary Britannian, then his career would be very much on the rise.
However, he had to move on so he covered the cease-fire, and then the discovery of Clovis' corpse in the G-1 Mobile Base. Poor Euphie started to cry as he spoke, while Cornelia was silent. Once again, it was their two companions who spoke up.
"Are you sure there were no witnesses?" Guillford asked, his eyes promising a world of pain for anyone who could have prevented this but didn't.
"I'm not sure, but so far all of the debriefing and interrogations of the base guards have produced no results," Jeremiah explained. "All of them seem to be telling the truth that they had no idea, though…" He paused before continuing on. "This is speculation, but one guard did say that he seemed to almost go through time fast for a moment. In his words, 'one second it was still bright, the next the sun was starting to set. The fact that he can't remember a small period of time, which when I correlated with the coroner's findings so far, included his Highness's time of death."
"You think that the guard may have been affected by something?" Darlton asked, his face resolute, but his eyes betraying his concern.
"I can't confirm anything, and as I said, it is all speculation on my part, but maybe," Jeremiah sighed. "It might be nothing, except for the Guard's attempt to pass the time, but I have no proof of anything."
"But it can explain at least one thing of how the intruder got in," Cornelia surmised. "Alright, Gottwald, as you said, there is no proof of this theory of yours but keep your eyes out for anything similar. If in the future this happens again, tell me the moment you find out."
"Of course, your Highness," Jeremiah bowed his head.
"Who will be the temporary viceroy of Area Eleven before father chooses Clovis's replacement?" Cornelia then asked.
"That would be me," Jeremiah confirmed. "Due to my position as the leader of the Pureblood faction, for now."
Cornelia nodded, her anger and sadness put to the side temporarily. "Good. What I want you to do is to initiate a proper investigation, if you haven't already. Also keep the Elevens in line, as this transitional period always has a rise in resistance."
"As you said, I already have. However, the majority of my 'subordinates' have been pushing me to find a scapegoat and use them as a means of cementing the Pureblood control over the Area. I have denied this action so far, but if the investigation doesn't go far, I'll either have to relent in a week, or get ousted and risk what little stability there is in this Area that gets destroyed by the radical elements of the Purebloods."
"That will be horrible," Euphie finally spoke out. "For all of the people in the Area."
"Indeed," Jeremiah agreed, before sighing. "I'll have to get back to reorganising Area Eleven's bureaucracy and military command. Once again, I am sorry to bring you this terrible news."
"No, thank you Gottwald," Cornelia waved off the apology. "This was better than hearing it off of the news, completely detached. Besides, we're almost finished here in the Middle East, so there's a chance that Father will send me to replace Clovis shortly."
Jeremiah's face partially coloured in relief. "It'll be an honour to serve under you again, your Highness. It was nice to see you again, Princess Euphemia."
"Likewise," the younger princess answered, doing a slight curtsy, though her face still had clear tear marks and her eyes were puffy.
"All Hail Britannia," Jeremiah said before signing off.
Lelouch sighed as he lay in his bed, having woken up just barely a few minutes prior, cradling the side of his neck which was quite sore. To his side, slept the green haired woman who changed his life forever. He looked over and stared at her content face, noticing that there was still some dried blood spots on her lips, his blood to be exact. After staring for a moment, he looked away, to the clock on his bedside table. It will be time to get up soon. It seemed he didn't sleep for too long last night. Unfortunate, but it seemed even a changing body still held on to the strict regime of a school day.
So he sat up, making sure to avoid pulling the sheets off of his companion in order to not disturb her slumber. As he did so, he reflected on the events from the previous day. He sighed as he went over in his head each decision he made and groaned as he facepalmed from some of the ones he suddenly regretted. What was he thinking, telling Milly about everything? And the way he acted in front of both Milly and Shirley, letting that abominable instinct influence him in that manner. It humiliated him and that infuriated him. He would not let it do it again.
Even as he thought about that, C.C.'s words came back to him. He growled as he realised the predicament he was in. If he went along with the instinct, then he would become something his pride would hate with all of its might. If he went against the instinct, then his entire personality would break and he would become something his morals would absolutely despise. A dilemma if he ever saw one.
So a compromise then. He would eventually have to give in to the instinct, but he would not let it control him more than he had to let it. Especially not in public. With that matter settled, then there was regarding Milly. Yes he did just admit to almost everything, something that he would never tell anyone, not even Nunnally. And yet he told Milly. In a way, he felt guilty towards Nunnally for not being truthful to her, but someone else instead, but he stamped that guilt down. He can't tell her anything. She's suffered enough already and just telling her anything would make her worry at the very least. And that wasn't even taking into consideration that Clovis, one of the siblings Nunnally still cared for, was killed by the very person lying next to him. That would devastate her.
Regarding Milly, he knew for certain that whatever happened, she would never betray either him or Nunnally so she is a safer choice for letting her know his plans. But if he did that, then she would get involved and most likely be on the firing line for any sort of trouble Britannia and the Emperor would throw his way. And he didn't want to risk that, almost as much as he couldn't risk Nunnally getting involved. Yet obviously she did want to become involved, more likely than not to help him.
Maybe he had some time to think about this dilemma. As he told Milly yesterday, it would be at most a week before everyone in Area Eleven would be told that Clovis was dead. At least until then he could figure out what to tell Milly. At least hopefully he could by that time convince her to not get involved.
It was when he came to this conclusion of merely postponing the actual solution when C.C. began to stir beside him. He turned to look at her, noticing that her green hair was slightly more vibrant as she opened her eyes, which immediately focused on him.
"Good morning," she warmly greeted, before sitting up slowly, stretching her arms above her head as the sheets slipped off, revealing her naked upper form. Lelouch stared for a moment before looking to the side, blushing. C.C. noticed, but stopped herself from teasing him as it was a bit too early for that.
"A good sleep does wonders for the body, don't you think?" she asked.
"I can imagine so, after how you were treated," he replied.
Even she couldn't hide her flinch at the mention of her captivity. Must have been terrible and traumatic even for a centuries-old vampire.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it," he quickly said.
"No, don't. What's done is done, and you weren't to blame." She waved him off. "I do appreciate the concern though."
She stood up off the bed, looking at the time. "Hm, seven am? Not bad. Though I wonder, do you have school today?"
"It's a Wednesday," Lelouch deadpanned, making C.C. raise an eyebrow at him. To which he got the hint. "Yes, I do have school at nine. However, since we live on the school grounds, and I have done all the work last week, I don't need to rush to get ready."
"How fortuitous of you," she commented. "Having such a good relationship with the Ashford Heiress seems to be worth it, don't you think."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes at that. "I hope you aren't…"
"Relax, I only jest." C.C. remarked, before walking to the en-suite. There, she called out. "So we have some time before you have to go?"
"… Yes?" Lelouch answered, now suddenly on edge.
"Great," she called out from the en-suite as Lelouch heard running water from the tap. "Then we can start to fix one of your many flaws in a few minutes."
"Which one?" he asked, trying to stamp down the feeling of indignation at her specific wording. Self-reflection was always important, as well as outside criticism, so it was probably for the best that he starts figuring out what she was talking about now, even if he wouldn't like it. Though he had an inkling of a guess of what she was talking about at the moment.
"Why, your stamina off course. Or lack thereof I should say," he could hear the smirk in her voice. "Not only are you planning on going against the largest current superpower in the world, but you are beginning the Change. You'll need stamina most of all, but also a strong body to lay the foundations of what the Change will finish up as for you."
She came back into the bedroom, wiping her hair and face with a towel. Once again, Lelouch tried his best to look away from her body, if only for her dignity. This time he did succeed, mainly looking at her face, though he wouldn't admit that his eyes wandered down a couple of times. She noticed this and gave another of her smirks. "It's also good for bed, especially..."
"So what do you have in mind?" he quickly interrupted, not wanting to think about that in the slightest right now.
"The basics," she answered, "simple exercises like sit-ups and push-ups. Maybe some running to push you along." As she finished wiping herself, she looked at him with mild curiosity. "Have you ever done those?"
"Yes," he shuddered as his body remembered the pain he felt. "Todoh-sensei forced me to join in on Suzaku's physical training, and as much as I ran away, he succeeded in making me do them on occasion."
"So you're not completely useless in physical attributes then," C.C. commented, "that is, if you've been doing them since then?"
Lelouch's silence answered that, causing C.C. to sigh. "Well, at least you know what to do. Do you have any gym clothes?"
"Only Ashford Academy ones," Lelouch answered, now resigned that she wouldn't let this go, and recognising the benefits of simple exercise, pointing at his tallboy. "Last drawer, on the right."
C.C. nodded, before walking over, grabbing the gym clothes and threw them at Lelouch, who caught them effortlessly.
"Put them on," she instructed them as she began rummaging through the rest of his tallboy. "I'll meet you outside once I find some suitable clothes."
Ignoring that she was looking through his clothes, Lelouch decided to ask another question, "What about anyone seeing you, like Sayako?"
"Oh, I have my ways," she answered cryptically. "Now then, what's here…"
Sighing, Lelouch quickly changed into his gym clothes and made his way out of the Clubhouse to a running track next to it, grabbing a glass of milk on the way from the kitchen. He was glad that Sayako wasn't there, presently shopping for groceries, as she would have stared at him in disbelief for actually being (reluctantly) proactive with exercise. He only waited a few minutes, though as he stood there as the sun started to emerge, he suddenly felt slightly more tired than before, as if the rays of the sun were placing a bit of a weight on him. Also, the fact that his gym clothes exposed his arms and lower legs made him remember C.C.'s words from last night. Cursing himself that he should have put on sunscreen, mild pain struck him as he felt something collide with his back, causing him to stumble and fall to the ash felt ground.
Rubbing his back, he looked back and saw C.C. dressed in his casual wear, a black shirt with a red puffer jacket, which did look pretty good on her actually, having thrown a tennis ball at him.
"Do you have to wear my favourite clothes?" he asked, sighing in resignation, something he had been doing a lot of since he met C.C. 'And how does she even fit in them? Am I that thin? I know I am thin, but not that thin.'
"They were the only ones that fit me the best and were… appropriate to wear in public," C.C. answered. "Unless you wanted me to just wear a shirt?"
"No thanks," he said before getting up off the ground. "By the way, I wanted to ask you two things before we start."
C.C. raised an eyebrow. "Inquisitive, aren't we? I hope you aren't normally this way, as I am not a walking expositional vehicle."
"Only for things that I'm not that well informed on so that I can work with or around them," Lelouch answered, before raising his own eyebrow. "I didn't take you for a literature studies critic, nor a writer."
C.C. shuddered. "One of the people I had turned… about two centuries prior, was a writer and he would not stop bombarding me with terms. It was a nightmare as he single-handedly ruined reading for me for about three decades, as whenever I read a book, I could only see his dictations on how the author would structure the piece or manipulate the audience. Trust me, it's not a pleasant thing."
"...Warning noted," Lelouch said. "My first question is about us being in the sun. Right now, I feel like I'm holding up a weight…"
"That's perfectly normal," C.C. said. "It's one of the lesser effects of being in direct sunlight, but we do feel weaker in the sun. Actually, you are in a better position than I am right now, as your body is still partially human, so the sun won't affect it as much. Give it a week, then you'll really need to apply sunscreen regularly. In regards to feeling weak, exercise like what we are going to do today helps, as it builds your body and stamina to not only reduce the effects of the sun, but also adapt to it. You can easily tell the difference between a vampire who had exercised in the sun and one who didn't."
Lelouch nodded with her explanation. "That honestly makes me less reluctant to be here. If I can overcome the sun now rather than later, it would help my rebellion a lot, as I doubt I would do everything at night."
"Glad to see you slowly coming around," C.C. smiled, "and the second question?"
Lelouch rubbed his neck. "Last night, when you drank from me, it didn't exactly hurt, but it definitely wasn't pleasant. Not like what I remember from when you turned me. Is that because I am a vampire now."
C.C. nodded. "You are completely correct." Her face winced with sympathy. "When we bite into a human, our fangs not only pierce the skin, but also release an aphrodisiac into the bloodstream, which both makes the human feel pleasant, removing most of the pain, and also addicted to the vampire drinking from them. Vampires are immune to it, so unless we're bitten during sex or anything pleasurable, being bitten is uncomfortable for us."
"Good to know," Lelouch deadpanned, realising that C.C. did spare him from becoming an addict to her tendencies.
"So," C.C. picked up the ball and began tossing it up and catching it, "Let's begin, shall we?"
The next twenty minutes were absolute hell for Lelouch. He struggled through the sit-ups, barely made it past twenty push-ups, and only because C.C. pushed him to not give up after the third push-up, and then for good measure, a couple laps around the running track. By the end of it, he was sweating like crazy, out of breath and on the ground, panting. Oh, and C.C. decided to upstage him in the jog, making it through three laps before he even made halfway through his first.
"Oh, by the way, this is just the basics. After tomorrow, we'll be expanding all of the exercises you'll be doing, and doing more."
'Fuck!'
Kallen Kozuki was silent as Ohgi and Tamaki argued in front of their group, again. Normally she would be involved almost immediately, and usually having to be restrained before she could beat some sense into the other red head's thick skull with her fist, but yesterday's events had shaken her a little bit. While she was always happy to do anything against the vile nation mutilating her people, she did feel guilty that their actions yesterday was a partial reason why most of Shinjuku had been wiped out.
Granted, she still knew where the rightful majority of the blame lay; with Prince Clovis and the Britannians. Yet there was that whisper of a voice in her head that kept trying to convince her that she didn't do enough to save the innocent people and that their mistakes led them to being killed. She tried to ignore it as much as she could, but it hasn't relented so far, and she was seeing flashes of people being massacred en masse in front of her, from when she was piloting her Glasgow. Despite her being in the powerful machine, she still felt useless, especially when compared to the Sutherlands and that damn white Knightmare that took out almost all of her compatriots. She did hope that the Sutherland piloted by whoever that voice belonged to managed to get away because of her sacrifice.
She was brought back to the argument in front of them, which had expanded to more of their resistance cell joining in. The argument was about what to do with the half-dozen captured Sutherlands still in their possession, especially the ones still intact.
"Ohgi, look at what we did in Shinjuku," Tamaki argued, "We kicked their asses so hard. We have to keep them here with us, not give them away. That way we can do some real damage to the damn Brits."
"We didn't kick their asses alone," Naomi Inoue stressed, "that voice was the one directing us with his stratagems. The only reason we were able to get the Knightmares in the first place was because of him. And even then, we all got knocked out by that one Knightmare."
"All the more reason why we should keep them," Kento Sugiyami countered. "If we were just on foot and not in those Knightmares, we would have all been killed. Discounting how effective we were in them, at the very least they saved us from death, and we did manage to get a few of the civilians out due to our interference."
"Yeah, and we all probably had a higher rate of take-downs than Kallen for once," Tamaki declared.
Now Kallen joined in. "Bullshit! I had the lesser machine, with only one hand for most of it and I still did better than you!" She may have been feeling guilty before, but no one gets to slander her skills with a Knightmare! Especially Tamaki.
"Enough!" Ohgi shouted, stopping the upcoming shouting match. "You all have good points. But I believe we should instead hand over most of the Sutherlands to Kyoto. That way they can begin to study and reverse engineer them into something the various resistance cells and the JLF can use instead of the Glasgows. Especially since Britannia now has that new Knightmare." He looked at Tamaki. "I'm not saying that we give all of the Sutherlands away, Tamaki. But we should only keep one for now."
Tamaki opened his mouth but Sugiyami covered his mouth. "Ohgi has a point. As much as we would all love to have a Sutherland to ourselves, it would be better for Japan if we give them to Kyoto."
"Especially now, as we should lie low for a while," Inoue added, getting nods from most of them.
"Besides, for the Glasgow alone took up so much time and resources with its constant maintenance," Kallen added, "You did help me with it a lot, Tamaki, so imagine having six more Knightmares with more complex parts." This had a reaction from Tamaki. One of the few things they actually got along over and helped each other was maintaining the Glasgow. While Tamaki wasn't the smartest person around, he was savvy with machine maintenance. But the sleepless nights they had together trying to bring the Glasgow into combat readiness, and keeping it there afterwards had been stressful to say the least.
After a minute, Tamaki managed to get Sugiyami's mouth off but relented, sighing. "Fine, but how will we contact Kyoto?"
"I have a feeling they'll contact us first," Ohgi said. "We were the only resistance cell in the area, and the one that Kyoto passed the intelligence of the then rumoured poison gas to in order to make plans around it. So they know who and where we are. All we have to do is wait."
At this everyone nodded and dispersed. Kallen twisted to walk away, but… "Kallen, just a moment."
Ohgi walked up to her, and put his hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I am," she said, before adding, "mostly. I just feel…"
"Guilty over the deaths at Shinjuku?" Ohgi guessed. When Kallen nodded slightly, looking away, he sighed. "I understand. Hell, I feel that too. But we weren't the ones who made the decision to pull the triggers on the innocents, that was Clovis. It's fine to feel guilt, but in this case we're mostly innocent."
Kallen frowned, but internally felt better, especially since someone else was feeling the same way she was.
"But I think that you should be going back to school after Kyoto comes and gets the Sutherlands," Ohgi said.
Kallen's mood instantly fell. "No, I should be here, not over there pretending to be one of them!" she vehemently stated. "A lot of them are so pretentious, so arrogant, and a lot of them are trying to look up my skirt or at my chest."
Ohgi, wisely, decided to ignore the last point. Instead he tried a different point of view. "Look, you do need a good education, regardless of your feelings on the school itself. At the very least, it allows you to get something out of it. That's what Naoto would have wanted." His voice did waver when he said the name of his best friend.
Kallen's expression softened, a stab of pain in her heart as she was once again reminded of the fact that her oni-san wasn't there with them.
"Fine, but as soon as you need me, call me back here," she muttered. "I don't want to spend even a second more there than I need to."
Ohgi nodded. "That's fine. Though I'll need you here for the next two to three days anyways, so you should be fine."
With that, the two of them nodded and walked their separate ways.
Another day at school, which meant that he normally would walk through the corridors of Ashford Academy without any issues. That was, before yesterday. Now he realised he had a new problem; his jaw had begun to ache again, and the fact that he was surrounded by lots of students, especially the girls who often had their necks exposed. Thankfully his jaw wasn't really reacting to them much, almost like a slight appreciation but nothing more than that. He really didn't want to deal with his instincts every time he interacted with someone from the opposite sex.
The classes themselves were still boring, all subjects that Lelouch could easily complete without any hassle in record time. And this was where he confirmed that his mental reaction and speed were in fact faster than before as he completed his class work even faster. This left him with way too much time left before the classes ended, consistently. And it didn't help that he had at least either Milly or Shirley in his classes for most of the day, so his attention after finishing his work was always drawn to them. It was only a continuous strain on his willpower that he was always able to drag his mind and instincts away from those two, trying to think about his next move.
There was much to consider. On the one hand, there is the still unknown Britannian response, not only for the operation in the Ghetto but also to Clovis's death. And more importantly, who will be replacing him and how soon would they arrive here in Area Eleven. There were a few candidates, but if what the Britannian New network were hinting at was true, then his half-sister's campaign in the Middle East was wrapping up, which meant that Cornelia, the Goddess of Victory, would be the most likely replacement.
Still, that posed the question of who would be the interim Viceroy in the meantime, and which faction he would belong to. Like most things, the administration itself was divided between the Purebloods and the Clovis loyalists, who were much more like spoiled children who often didn't do what they needed to, covering it up through bribery and their connections in the nobility. Both were just as bad as the other for the Japanese. Anyone with any reformist ideals had been purged long ago.
He would have to find a way to infiltrate the Area administration somehow, and he already had an opening; the Knight that he had… dominated, Villetta Nu if he remembered her name correctly. The fact that she was considered the third in command of the pureblood faction meant that she would have access to the information he would need. So first, he had to find where she was then track her down. Maybe use her to get to the interim Viceroy and co-opt his allegiance as well.
He suddenly stopped mid-step. 'Since when was I so eager to turn someone into a puppet?' he asked himself. He very much preferred to have willing subordinates, as he had told C.C. yesterday, and the Villetta case was due to time and the opportunity. Still, this was also an opportunity, a much bigger one than Villetta.
But that was for later. First step, get through school. Especially the Student Council meeting that he was walking to right now during the lunch break. Most students would be at best reluctant to even attend at this time, but Lelouch found it refreshing. This way, he didn't have to deal with the many, many 'fans' of his trying to ask him to have lunch with them or hang out. It got really annoying by the end of the first semester of his time at Ashford Academy, so he was happy to have any reprieve from that, though he would admit, there were more than a few days when he would have to be dragged by either Milly or Shirley to the meetings.
So he resumed his journey, causally making his way back to the clubhouse, where the Student Council would always have their meetings. It was very convenient for both Nunnally, an honorary member, and himself. This way, Nunnally would never be far from anything she could need, and the Student Council also got access to the facilities within the clubhouse as well. As he exited the main campus and walked past the stairs, he couldn't help but smile as he looked at the clubhouse, his home for the past seven years. He doubted that being a vampire now would change the memories he has had here, with his friends. A normal life, one that he knew that Nunnally loved a lot. Maybe he would have too, and he still does, but what it was built over was too much for him to ignore. His smile faltered. Oh, yes, Britannia and the Emperor would fall, by his hand, even if he had to throw away this perfect life later. But for now, he would strive to enjoy every second he had here. Lord knows how long he had left here before his rebellion would consume him entirely.
With that dour realisation in his mind, he stood outside the door, sighed and then entered the clubhouse, beginning his day of being the student council's vice president, or as he called it, Milly's personal minder. This meeting, Nunnally wasn't present, as this was one of her days off the student council. She was still in middle school and both Lelouch and Milly didn't want to take away her socialising time. So it was simply just the five main members currently.
As he sat down, Rivalz came to his side and sat in the seat next to him.
"Hey, Lelouch," he said with a grin before punching Lelouch's arm lightly. "That was for abandoning me yesterday,"
"Sorry Rivalz," Lelouch rubbed his arm, though in actuality it didn't really hurt at all. A quick glance at both Shirley and Milly told him that they were expecting the explanation he promised yesterday. 'Ah well, as long as I stick to a plausible story, it won't do much damage.'
"To be fair, being caught up in a terrorist plot does complicate getting back to school," his words caused both Rivalz and Nina, who was in the corner on the computer, to gasp in shock, with both Milly and Shirley, who knew that much, to grimace. "Thankfully they didn't see me at all, as I was able to hide behind some machinery they stole."
"Geez Buddy," Rivalz said, rubbing his head, an expression of guilt on his face, which Lelouch caught.
"You had no way of knowing, Rivalz, so don't feel down," Lelouch assured his friend.
"Still, I swore at you like fifty times on the way to school from the accident," Rivalz admitted, causing both Lelouch and Milly to roll their eyes and Shirley splutter at how that was uncalled for, before Lelouch waved it off. "Understandable, Rivalz."
Then Lelouch's face fell as he recalled with vivid detail what happened next. "When the terrorist's truck finally slowed down, I walked out and saw something horrible."
"Wh...what did you find," Shirley stammered out, caught off guard by the drastic change of tone and expression.
"A massacre," Lelouch said, causing everyone else to gasp. "Just remembering it makes me feel ill. So I won't say much about it. The point was that it wasn't the Terrorists performing the massacre, it was the Military, and against the innocents of Shinjuku."
"A...A...Are y...ou certain they weren't terrorists?" Nina stammered out, her xenophobia coming out. "Th...there must have been some reason for…"
"No they weren't," Lelouch firmly interrupted. Most people would get angry at someone they know having that kind of interpretation, but Lelouch understood that Nina was xenophobic, due to some past event that he could only guess at, in combination with Britannian propaganda at painting the numbers as vile animals, so at the very least, he wouldn't show any anger. That didn't stop him from being disappointed though. "Would a newborn baby be counted as a terrorist?"
When Nina didn't reply, he sighed in exhaustion. "Thankfully, as things started to get really bad, the Terrorists, who had been fighting the soldiers massacring the ghetto, suddenly became effective, causing the entire Britannian force present to enter a state of chaos, allowing me to slip away. But I had to take it slow, to avoid being spotted by both the soldiers and the local numbers," he gestured to his uniform. "After all, a student shouldn't be in a warzone without raising suspicions, and I am a member of the group that had just massacred many friends and family, so…"
Everyone except Nina, who once again focused her entire attention on the screen of her computer to avoid any more of the conversation, nodded in understanding.
'Oh, Lulu,' Shirley thought to herself, thinking of what hardships her crush must have gone through yesterday.
"I'm sorry, Lelouch," Rivalz once again apologised.
Milly however, still standing by the table, was deep in thought, both about the story that Lelouch told the others, and what he had told her last night. She knew that he added that last part to throw the others off about what he actually did in the Ghetto, but she had a feeling that it wasn't the full story, even with the secret that would come out in a week's time, or so Lelouch promised. Something was missing. She eyed Lelouch, who was calming down both Shirley and Rivalz, before looking down at the table. If he was keeping secrets, then he had a reason for it. Right now, she would have to trust him.
With that in mind, she grabbed a small pile of forms, rolled them up and smacked both Lelouch and Rivalz on their heads, causing both boys to cry out in shock and rub their heads, completely startled.
"Now, now," she said, "While this is some very heavy stuff, we're still on a timer for some of our work here," she reminded them. "We'll have to leave the topic there, but no speaking about it to anyone outside of the council, and Nunnally," she added the last name quickly with a glance to Lelouch, who nodded approvingly. "Now then, what's next on the agenda?"
"First off, we need to rebalance the budget for the school clubs. Again." Lelouch added the last word in a deadpanned tone. Almost everyone turned to look at Milly, who only smirked.
"But it was such a fun experience for us all," she mock-pouted.
"And has made all of the clubs mad at us for wasting the budget," Shirley noted. She herself had personally been on the receiving end of a few complaints from her clubmates in the swimming club.
"Hey, Buddy, why didn't you stop her?" Rivalz whispered to Lelouch.
"Because she managed to convince Nunnally that it would be fun," Lelouch admitted, whispering back. "You try fighting against her pout."
Rivalz snorted. "I'll have better luck finding Excalibur," he remarked, which caused both boys to chuckle.
As they set about filling out the various forms needed, as well as looking over the finance charts, which was mainly Lelouch's and Milly's jobs, he couldn't help but sneak a few peeks at either Milly or Shirley throughout the rest of the meeting. The itch was back and it seemed to be intent on him on those two. Thankfully it completely ignored Nina, as if he was being honest, he wasn't that close to. But he really didn't appreciate the distraction.
Unbeknownst to him, both Milly and Shirley were actually doing the same thing. Whatever had happened yesterday, today Lelouch seemed more… attractive for lack of a better word, and they felt drawn to him in a way. However, each peek would only be for a few seconds at most before they would snap back to their work, trying to hide their blushes.
Near the end of the meeting, Lelouch walked up to Shirley, doing his best to not look at her neck or chest. He pulled out a set of papers out of his bag, handing them to Shirley, who frowned in confusion.
"My side of the report," he cleared up, making her eyes widen.
"I thought you weren't able to do it last night?" she asked.
"I wasn't," he confirmed. "I did it in maths class this morning, and yes I had already done this week's work two days ago," he added before she could berate him from ignoring the class work.
She frowned, but still took the papers. "Thanks, Lulu," she said, her frown being replaced with a smile. "You don't know how much this helps."
"No worries," he said, before walking back to his seat.
The next two days were pretty much a repeat of what happened yesterday for Lelouch: Wake up earlier to go exercise (be tortured, in Lelouch's words) with C.C., go through the school day trying to ignore the ever present itch, which was more and more becoming an aching sensation, occasionally drinking milk either from the main fridge in the clubhouse or from Ashford's cafeteria, ending the day with Nunnally before getting into bed with C.C. to be her blood bag for the night. Rinse and repeat.
That said, he could already feel the exercise having some effect on him, as he was already lasting triple the time he had on the first day, still not being able to keep up with C.C., but still an improvement all the same. He was also 'convinced' by C.C. to actually participate in the PE classes for real instead of staying on the sidelines watching. He had to say, it was almost worth it just for the looks of utter shock on the faces of his classmates and PE teacher when he willingly joined in. Almost. The shock of his classmates quickly changed into amusement as he utterly failed at the current game of the week: hockey. He may now be a vampire, but that still doesn't change the fact that he is horrible at physical activities right now.
He will admit, it was slightly eye-opening how terrible he was compared to most of his classmates. If he couldn't handle a simple game of hockey that was in itself a stripped down version of how physical the professional version could be, how could he last in a simple one on one fight, much less a warzone. He could of course strive to be in a Knightmare, but unexpected outcomes are always possible and he may be forced to fight outside of one.
He was contemplating this fact during his next class, after he had gotten changed, sitting next to Rivalz in their geography class when from the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of red from the doorway. He immediately looked up to investigate, and felt his mouth dry up.
The flash of red belonged to a student, one who he had only seen a few times at Ashford, yet was very familiar for some reason. Her crimson red hair, which was what caught his eye, and blue eyes made her instantly stand out amongst the group of girls she walked to and sat down with. She was also quite slim, yet well endowed, her bust being only slightly smaller than Milly's. All in all, while her demeanour appeared shy and timid, she was very attractive, something which his jaw appeared to capitalise on, once again rearing its annoying head. Though the way she had her hair seemed off, as if that didn't match the familiar feeling.
As he regained control of his features and stamped down on the itch as much as he could. This wasn't the time to lust after a girl, especially one he doesn't even know at all. He pulled out his notebook to begin writing if only to distract himself.
"Good morning, Miss Stadtfeld," the teacher greeted the newcomer. "How are you feeling today?"
"Better today, thank you, sir," came the reply.
Lelouch almost dropped his pen. That voice was almost the exact same as the Terrorist who piloted the Glasgow in Shinjuku, if it wasn't distorted from the radio. Of course! He saw her enter the Glasgow on the truck that brief moment. That was why she was so familiar. While the hair style was different, and she wasn't wearing a headband, she looked much like what he had in his memory of inside the truck.
'So, we have the pilot of the Glasgow…' he thought to himself, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her from the corner of his eye. 'Perhaps this can be an opportunity to make contact…'
"Liking what you see?" Rivalz's jab cut through his thoughts. He blinked before looking back at Rivalz, who gestured to Ms Stadtfeld.
"Kallen Stadtfeld," he introduced, "They say she's sick with something. Reason why she doesn't show up much, same as last year as well. Still, quite the looker and she keeps her grades up top. Also the heir to the Stadtfeld family. You sure know how to pick 'em."
"It's not like that," Lelouch countered, but the ache in his jaw seemed to disagree, which he ignored at the moment. "Just unused to seeing her around, as you said." He then paused as a thought came to mind. "Say, Rivalz. You said that she's the Heiress to the Stadtfelds?"
Rivalz nodded. "Yeah, that's right. One of the more reclusive families, but still quite influential for their size and position." He then started describing their dealings, but Lelouch was only half-listening, his mind focusing on one thing.
'Why would the heiress of a Noble Britannian family join a Japanese Terrorist Cell?'
Outside, during the lunch break, most of the students were out in the yard as the sun was quite nice. Among them was Kallen, who was 'chatting' with her 'friends', or at least that is what it seemed to most observers. In actuality, she was very much internally bored out of her mind, as well as incensed that she had to listen to these Britannian self-absorbed bimbos. The only reason why she hung out with them was due to her cover, and the fact that they occasionally spat out some gossip that could potentially be useful for Kallen's cell to exploit.
It was the first day back at Ashford, and she was already hating it. Surrounded by the enemy, she felt not only isolated, but also repressed as she had to hide behind the facade of being an invalid, which stirred up her anger a lot. It also didn't help that the company that she kept as her shield was very much dumb and obsessed with gossip and the various fashion magazines. She had no idea how any magazines about fashion could be interesting to anyone, and she resisted any attempts by them to get her to read any.
Thus it was almost a blessing by the Kamis that a bee suddenly decided to fly around near them. Her 'friends' shrieked in horror and ran away, leaving Kallen all alone with the bee. Her eyes followed the insect as it flew a lap around her before standing up and walking to the bush, the bee following. Then when she thought she was in the clear, she karate chopped the bee, killing it instantly, allowing her facade to fall.
"Damn, I hate having to look and act like an invalid!" she couldn't help but snap, as she was finally alone. She forced herself to calm down, taking a bite of her sandwich before looking to the side, and finding a black haired, violet-eyed, Britannian looking at her.
'Crap, I think he saw me…'
Lelouch managed to barely stop his eyebrow from raising in an inquisitive manner. As he had suspected, the sick persona of hers was in fact a fake, a mask she put on for a specific reason. Here was a glimpse of the true Kallen Stadtfelt. Now, the only thing missing was the motive for fighting against Britannia. And he intended to find out.
"Can I help you?" she mumbled out, still eating on her sandwich, failing to regain her composure from Lelouch seeing her.
"Ah, yes, actually you can," Lelouch said, taking a step closer to her, trying his best to look anywhere except her neck and breasts. "I was wondering if you could answer my questions." With that statement, he looked her directly in the eyes and activated his power. The effects were immediate, she immediately straightened up, her eyes glazing over slightly and her true demeanour had truly revealed itself. It was so sudden that, though he expected it, it still sent shivers down his spine, though he suspected that it was also his new instincts approving, if his jaw was any indication.
"Of course," she said in a monotone voice. "What do you want to ask?"
"Were you the pilot of the Glasgow at Shinjuku?" he asked, starting off with a simple question.
"Yes," no surprise there, but still a nice confirmation. Alright, time for the next question.
"Why become involved in Terrorism, especially against your home nation?"
"Britannia isn't my home nation," Kallen corrected, surprising Lelouch with how insistent she was with that, even under his willpower. "And my mother was Japanese, and raised me here before the conquest. And while I may be a half-blood, I still consider myself Japanese, not Britannian."
'Interesting' he thought to himself. He didn't expect this at all, but it certainly explained a lot. A pure blood Britannian noble, especially one the same age as him, would not rebel against Britannia unless she had a good reason, like himself. But a half-blood, who was raised in Japan, would definitely have a bone to pick with Britannia. Though he had a feeling that this was still just a part of why she was fighting. Still, everyone had their secrets and he wasn't trying to pick her apart, only get some details. He had his own selfish reasons, so he won't pry into hers.
"Alright, what did you think you stole from Britannia and why?"
"The official description we had was medical equipment, but the intel we received revealed that it was most likely Poison Gas," she answered succinctly. "If Clovis had that in his possession, he would have used it against the innocents in the Ghettos eventually. By taking it away, we could have disposed of it, depriving Britannia of one of their weapons of terror."
"And you had no intention of using it?" The very concept of poison gas, and other forms of Chemical Weaponry left a sour taste in lelouch's mouth, and the very thought of using it was even more distasteful, though he could see how some scenarios it would be more efficient to use, though he hoped that he would never be pushed into using them. And he especially didn't want to work with anyone willing to use them.
"No!" It seems her disgust about using it was very strong, as her emotions managed to overcome his willpower enough to be heard in her denial. "Never."
'Good,' he thought to himself, nodding. A terrorist cell that still had a line they wouldn't cross. Granted, he didn't know where that line was, but maybe in the future he would find out. Now, what to do with Kallen here, who was still in her trance. He could find out more about her cell, but he had a feeling that the longer he had her under his willpower, the more disastrous it would be, especially with his jaw now really starting to hurt, as he gazed upon her exposed neck. And besides, he didn't want her to be his puppet. He only wanted information.
So he decided to leave her be, withdrawing his willpower. After a few seconds, she blinked, returning to the state she was in before, and simply asked again "How can I help you?" as if nothing had happened.
"No, I'm good, thank you," he shook his head and turned to walk away. But then a thought came to his mind, so he did a one-eighty and once again looked her in the eyes, expecting her to fall under his willpower again. "Don't mention Shinjuku, as too many people may…"
But she didn't. Instead, her will had adapted somewhat to his own will due to the recent invasion, and she was well and truly her own being here. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean 'don't mention Shinjuku'?!" There was a hard tone interwoven in her words, one that promised violence.
'Shit,' Lelouch thought to himself as his mind raced to find a way out of this dilemma. 'Do I make her forget everything, as C.C. did suggest that to be something a vampire could do? No, I'm too inexperienced with my vampire powers, and there's a chance that it would screw her brain too much. Also it may not work, and backfire even more.'
"There you are, Lulu!" Shirley's voice had the same of an angel descending from heaven, to save him from damnation. Instantly, both Kallen and himself looked upwards, where Shirley stuck her head out of a window two floors above ground level. "Oh, good, Kallen's there as well. We have Chem class in a minute, better get a move on!"
"Thanks, Shirley!" he called out to her, smiling, to which she blushed before popping her head back through the window. He turned his attention back to Kallen, faking a panicked expression (even though he was panicked internally from just before). "Aw, crap. I still have to set up class today. Gotta go."
With that he fled the scene, leaving an overwhelmed Kallen behind, who had her arm outstretched to stop him too late, frozen on the spot as she tried to process what just happened. After a minute passed, she finally found her voice and called out, despite the fact that he had long run off.
"What was that?" she muttered to herself. "Why did he mention Shinjuku?"
Her eyes widened as a thought popped up in her head. 'Could it be…?'
Suzaku Kururugi was enjoying the shower. While he did have a preference for baths, Honorary Britannians were very much denied access to facilities that included baths, so he had to settle with what he could. Still, that didn't mean that he didn't like showers, he very much did. And so it was one of the few things he could enjoy right now in the military. And even better for him today, he had access to modern, private facilities due to currently being in the Camelot main facility in Area Eleven today.
It had been four days since Shinjuku, where he had been deployed to find poison gas by Clovis' royal guard, only to discover that not only was it actually a girl trapped in a weird container, but Lelouch, his best friend from before the invasion, had somehow been trapped in the same truck with the girl, was shot trying to protect Lelouch, found by Camelot and finally piloted the Lancelot to end the battle in Shinjuku, and hopefully saved a lot of lives that this chaos could have damned to the afterlife. A very busy, chaotic day, and one that would hopefully not be repeated anytime soon. The only real regret he had was that he wasn't able to find out if Lelouch and the girl had made it out, but even though he was worried about them, he still had faith that Lelouch made it out. If he escaped Britannia before, he could again.
Though it did beg the question, was Nunnally ok? Lelouch didn't even mention her, though that wasn't a surprise, considering the situation they were in and Suzaku had only moments before knocked Lelouch down with one of his powerful spinning kicks. Still, he did wonder about her. While Lelouch was definitely his best friend, Nunnally was also still a very good friend of his, actually having befriended him first before setting up the stage for both Suzaku and Lelouch to become true friends. He did miss her very much, as she always brightened up the day, for everyone.
Those were the thoughts in Suzaku's mind as he was cleaning himself when suddenly the door to the showers was forced open with a bang as it slammed against the wall. He had barely any time to turn off the shower and wrap a towel around his waist when he was grabbed and forced onto the ground by two guards, who were not in armour, but instead in military fatigues. Suzaku only had time to notice the red feather pin on their collar before his head was crushed under the boot of a third soldier.
"Private Kururugi," a voice came from behind. The boot on his face relented enough for Suzaku to see an officer stride in, acting very much high and mighty in Suzaku's personal, private opinion, but he sure as hell wasn't going to say that outloud, not when the officer was accompanied by at least two armed soldiers.
The officer lowered himself down enough for Suzaku to get a closer look at his face. This allowed him to recognise Kewell Soresi, captain of the 17th Mobile Battalion, and one of the heads of the pureblood faction, which Suzaky always strived to avoid at all cost as their ferocity against Honorary Britannians was well known. His face was filled with utter unrepentant glee as he smiled at Suzaku.
"You, numbered dog, have been charged with treason and the murder of his royal highness, Prince Clovis la Britannia, Viceroy of Area Eleven." Each word uttered caused Kewell's eyes to shine with more and more ferocity, and Suzaku to pale more and more. "By the power invested in me by the crown, I am placing you under arrest. You will await trial within two days and then if found guilty, be unceremoniously executed for crimes against the crown."
"But I didn't…" Suzaku's face was stamped on by the boot of one of the soldiers, causing him to taste blood in his mouth.
"That's enough!" a new voice came through the side, and in came both Lloyd Asplund and Ms Croomy, both of whom looked furious.
Lloyd spoke next. "Do you have any idea what you are doing, arresting the Devicer for MY Lancelot?"
Kewell's smile faded. "I do, bringing justice to…"
"Then you'll know that Private Kururugi had no way of assassinating his Highness." Ms Croomy interrupted, before taking her tablet and showing Kewell the contents on the screen. "At the time of his Highness's death, the Private was in the cockpit of the Lancelot, piloting it back to the Camelot trailer after hostilities had ceased and the cease-fire was declared," she explained, giving a subtle nod to Suzaku. He tried to return the nod, but it was hard when there was still a boot on his head, so he settled in for a small smile.
'I have a chance after all,' he thought to himself, not referencing his current predicament as much as his overall goal for changing the system.
That was thrown away when Kewell literally slapped the tablet to the side. "This 'unfactual' evidence will not prove his innocence. It has already been decided that he is the culprit and thus must be behind bars as soon as…"
"As soon as what?"
In strode the temporary Viceroy of Area Eleven, Jeremiah Gottwald, not looking happy at all, with his lieutenant, Villetta Nu. He took one glance at the scene before him before striding to Kewell, going up next to him and whispering to him.
"I said 'a week', which has not passed yet!" he firmly said.
"And how close are you to finding the culprit?" Kewell countered. When Jeremiah stayed silent, he scoffed, before continuing. "Besides, I contacted our comrades back in the homeland, your superiors and they gave me the go-ahead. You can't stop this, sir."
Jeremiah gritted his teeth, but stepped back, knowing that Kewell wasn't bluffing, as he had just received an email from those same superiors affirming Kewell's statement. He did give one glance at Suzaku, pity in his eyes. But there was something he could do for the innocent Private.
"You win this one," he admitted, much to the horror of Suzaky, Asplund and Croomy. "But, you will let him change into his uniform before you take him away. He still deserves his dignity."
Kewell frowned, but at the looks the Camelot scientists were giving him, relented on this one thing. With a wave of his hand, his escorts dragged Suzaku off the floor and walked him to the changeroom. As they did so, Croomy ran up to Suzaku, whispering into his ear. "We'll get you out of this."
"I'll trust that you'll try your best." Suzaku said, giving her a quick smile before it faded as the escorts jerked him away from her.
The Monday of the new week had been a new experience for Lelouch, having to contend with Kallen watching him with an eagle eye for as much as she could without arousing suspicion, from everyone other than himself. The fact that someone was watching him wasn't new at all, but the doggedness of this girl was very much a mixture of annoying and endearing, and something that his vampiric instincts seemed to find amusing, as if the prey was trying to act like a predator.
Yet he knew that if he was still human, she would easily take him out, and even now in his new vampiric form, she would still win as he was new to it and only barely stronger. Something that C.C. had pointed out to him on the Friday night when he told her his mistake and to ask her for advice. After laughing at him, of course.
Still he remembered the conversation quite well, even though it was from last week.
"It's only natural that you would mess up at this stage of experience," C.C. told him in a consoling manner, that was undermined by the smile on her face, the pizza box in her hands and the fact that she had just finished laughing at him.
He huffed, but decided to ignore it. "What do you suggest I do? You said yourself that memory wipes aren't the best manner of dealing with this."
"And that is correct," she was now serious, putting down the box and crossing her arms in a manner that emphasised her breasts. "Tell me the truth, what are your instincts, both natural and vampiric, telling you?"
Lelouch thought for a second before answering. "My natural instincts are telling me to either wipe her memory of that one encounter, or deflect her attention into thinking that I am not the voice from Shinjuku. Both are very difficult though I have an idea of how to accomplish the latter idea. Which i will need your help for," he said to her, causing her to raise her eyebrows before she shrugged and nodded. "And my vampiric instincts are really, really wanting me to… do something to her. Bite her, maybe? I'm not sure." He looked to the side, embarrassed. "I've never had these kinds of thoughts before, so I don't know what's just puberty or what is the vampire growing in me."
C.C. sighed before getting up off the bed and walked to Lelouch, cupping his cheek with her hand. "For whatever reason, you've never experienced the hormonal side of puberty, whether due to genetics, or you suppressed it," she began to explain. "But it is essential for vampires, so your new instincts are giving you a crash course."
"So I'm going to act like a hormone addled teenager around the girls my instincts want me to bite." he remarked sourly. "Great, as if I'll be having enough problems…"
"And I'll be here to help you with them every step of the way," C.C. said, causing Lelouch to stare at her in astonishment. "We made a contract, and I am your sire. Even if I didn't get along with you, I have an obligation and even my own instinct to help you at the start. But rest assured…" she removed her hand off his cheek but placed her finger on the tip of his nose, "I will still help you."
Lelouch blinked before giving her a small, genuine smile. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to.
"That said," she said, removing her finger now. "My advice will most likely not be to your liking in terms of preferences, especially in regards to dealing with your lust for the blood of the girls you like." This caused Lelouch's smile to disappear. "And going back to your problem with the red-haired girl, you will have to confront her or one of the other girls soon, to drink from them."
"What if I don't?" he asked curiously.
Her expression gave him the shivers with how grim it was. "Then your development as a vampire will become hindered, leaving your mind to eventually break and you'll descend into madness."
Even after a good nights sleep, and the torture that was now his daily exercise routine with C.C. that warning stayed rent free in his mind. He sighed as he rubbed the spot where C.C. drank from him after their conversation continued with how to deal with kallen's suspicions, managing to formulate a plan. Now thankfully, Milly of all people, had unknowingly provided him with the perfect opportunity to enact that plan, or at least lay the groundwork for it.
Looking at Kallen's back in class, something that his inner vampire approved of if his jaw was any indication (he was thinking that a lot these days), he waited until the bell rang signalling the end of the day, before he made the first move. As soon as it did so, he stood up, collected his books and stationary into his bag and walked up to her, who seemed to be expecting him. Milly must have already at least informed her of wanting her to stay behind. Even better for him.
"Do you think you could spare a minute?" he asked Kallen, with her 'friends' all gaping at him in shock, "The Prez wanted me to bring you along to the council meeting."
She nodded. "Sure I can." She pulled out her phone. "The Prez sent me a text in the morning about me coming, though I don't know why."
"Knowing her, she left it out on purpose," he admitted. "But it's not something that'll be a major problem for you at all."
Kallen raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't have time to comment as Lelouch turned to walk away, calling out for her to follow him, which she did. Soon enough both were walking together in the corridors, even as students all around them looked at them with surprise, or more accurately aimed at Kallen from the girl students, envy. Taking a quick glance at the boy beside her, she could kinda understand why. He was kind of handsome…
She shook her head. 'Where did that come from?' she wondered to herself, before Lelouch opened the door for her, leading to the outside. Barely stopping herself from blushing from the admittedly gentlemanly behaviour this Britannian, Lelouch Lamperouge, if she remembered correctly from the files she sped through last night, was exhibiting. Still, he was a Britannian, and this could all be a facade.
She wouldn't know until much, much later how both right she was and how wrong she was.
It was a quick walk to the Student Clubhouse, so it thankfully meant less time for others to watch and begin gossipping about the two of them. If there was one thing Lelouch really hated about school life, it was the very juvenile gossiping and rumours that spread like wildfire. He internally sighed, as he could already imagine C.C. hearing the rumours and teasing him even more than usual.
Speaking of the vampiress, Lelouch was so shocked he came to a sudden stop as he saw her casually sitting outside the Clubhouse, wearing an Ashford Academy Uniform. And nobody was even giving a glance to the green haired beauty. Like, not even Kallen, who he believed would have instantly noticed a newcomer to the school due to how sharp she was, paid C.C. any mind.
As if sensing his gaze, C.C. looked at him and gave a cheshire smile, as if taunting him. He fumed. 'What is she even doing outside?' he demanded inside his mind. 'How did she even get a uniform, as it's not mine or Nunnally's?'
"What are you looking at?" He was brought out of his internal screaming by Kallen, who was looking at him with confusion.
He sighed, already having figured out that pointing out C.C. would only lead to him being ridiculed, and he was man enough to retreat in this scenario. "Nothing, just a… bad memory that came out of nowhere."
"Must have been quite a memory," she noted, before motioning. "Do you need another minute…"
"No, I'm good now."
At that the two continued on, walking past C.C., who continued to smirk at Lelouch, before opening the main door with a key that Lelouch had. As they entered, Lelouch couldn't help but smile as Kallen looked at the architecture of the clubhouse, his home for the past seven years. Who wouldn't feel pride and satisfaction at someone else appreciating their home. He may be an exiled prince, but he was still a normal human being as well.
'Gotta hand it to Ashford,' Kallen reluctantly complimented the building's interior. It did look very nice, but her view on it was still soured by the fact that it was purely Britannian, built on Japanese soil and not even a hint of that fact involved anywhere.
"Clubhouse? This is a mini palace," she commented out loud, causing Lelouch to nod in agreement.
"It was originally built to be the ballroom for events and school dances during the Academy's construction," Lelouch began to explain, "but just as it had been finished, a different venue was selected for dancing, outside of the school grounds, so it was instead refitted to be the school clubhouse and home for the Student Council." He looked at Kallen, shrugging. "After all, it would be a waste to just tear it down right after it was finished."
Before Kallen could open her mouth, Shirley's voice echoed through the hall.
"Here it is!"
A second later, from the first floor, behind the stair, Shirley popped up holding a microchip in her hand. "I found it!" There was a pause as she looked at the thing in her hand carefully. "It is the right one, right?"
"Ah, she found it," Lelouch muttered to himself, causing Kallen to look at him for an answer. But he didn't need to, as Nina approached Shirley with a thankful smile on her face.
"What a relief," She said, taking the chip from Shirley. "It is the lab data. Thank you, Shirley."
"Anytime, Nina."
Soon Rivalz joined the two girls, clutching his rear. "Good thing, cause my ass is hurting!"
Both Kallen and Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired boy's statement, but a pair of doors leading to the kitchens on the ground level opened and Milly walked in, her school jacket absent and wearing a teal apron over her school shirt and tie, bringing in a trolley of food. And right now, to Lelouch, she was just as beautiful as Kallen was beside him, causing his jaw to react.
"Were you guys able to find it?" she called out as she walked to the middle of the hall, where a group of tables were arranged, all covered in white cloth. "I'm finished on my end, so we can all dig in!"
Her declaration was met with applause and cheers from the three student council members above with Milly waving it away with "Oh, you adore me!", causing Lelouch to shake his head in exasperation at Milly's antics, though with a smile on his face, and Kallen was just confused. This was the President?
"Um, what's all this for?" she asked, using her facade as a means of covering up her confusion.
"Oh, didn't Lelouch tell you?" Milly looked to Lelouch, who deadpanned back at her, causing her to cough sheepishly for a second, before answering Kallen's question. "This is to celebrate a new induction into the student council," she explained as she started setting up the tables. "That inductee being yourself, of course."
"Me?"
"Yes," Milly paused for a second to give Kallen a smile. "Grandfather told me about your poor health being the main factor in you not joining any Clubs, so his solution was this. Much less physical and this way you are near any help you may require if you do have a health issue."
Lelouch took over explaining. "Don't worry, this isn't just a pity offer. While your grades haven't been the best due to your absences, what scores you do get are impressive, and qualify you for a spot on the council anyways. Besides, you'll have access to all parts of the school, and most documents that are at our disposal, so the benefits are pretty nice for the amount of work we do." he smiled at her, knowing that he had just hooked her in at seeing the spark in her eyes. But then he changed to a pleading tone. "Please. We are in need of a new member to help us out with dealing with the various fallouts," this was a jab at Milly, who chuckled without any hesitation, "from certain surprise events."
"We would have invited you on even if you didn't have your health issues," Milly finished off, purposely ignoring Lelouch's last statement. "Oh, I'm Milly, the President of the Student Council. Pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, thank you. Pleasure's all mine," Kallen did a quick bow, before looking at the boy beside her.
"Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch bowed his head slightly with his more formal introduction, "Vice President of the Council."
"I'm Rivalz, the secretary," said the blue haired boy running down the stairs, trailed by the two other members, "if you need anything, I'm the go to guy!"
"Hi, I'm Shirley, and I am a member of the Swimming Club."
"Um… hi there" the dark green haired girl timidly said, swaying slightly. "My name is Nina."
Kallen was a bit stumped at Nina's timidness, before remembering that she herself was acting slightly timid. But still, while the people before her were Britannians, at least they were being polite and nice, so she should at least for now do the same. "It's nice to meet all of you."
"Oh, Shirley," Nunnally's voice came from the open doors Milly had walked through, as she drove into the room with her wheelchair, carrying some food as well. Lelouch for a moment felt anxiety that she may crash into something before forcing it back to the abyss. She was fine, she had done this plenty of times and her senses were weirdly strong, always able to detect whenever a table was in her way in this hall. "I'm sorry, but could you set these down on a table?"
"Sure thing Nunna!" Shirley quickly ran to intercept Nunnally with a smile on her face to help her out, much to Lelouch's gratitude. But still…
"What are you doing here, Nunnally?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be with the rest of the middle school going to the Settlement Central Business District?"
"Milly exempted me today," his sister explained. "As much as I would love to go to an art gallery, it's hard when there's no audio artworks…" She gave a small chuckle, but her smile was tinged with sadness, something that she did try to hide.
Lelouch however did spot that, and immediately went over to hug her. As the two siblings hugged it out to the side, Kallen could only stare in confusion.
"That is Nunnally, Lelouch's little sister," Milly explained, realising that Kallen had no idea who the newest person in the room was. "She's still in middle school…"
"But we consider her an honorary member of the council," Rivalz cut in. "You could say that she's the very heart of the council. Just make sure you don't make her cry. Otherwise, Lelouch will make your life hell." With that warning, he left the room to go looking for something.
Kallen blinked. "O…kay?" She turned to look back at the siblings, and now instead of confusion, felt jealousy, seeing herself and her brother in their place for a second. But she stamped down that image and the sadness it caused within her. It was not the time, not here.
After breaking up the hug, Nunnally, who was now feeling better, turned to face the general direction she heard Kallen at. "It's nice to meet you, Kallen," she greeted the older girl, smiling.
Kallen couldn't help but smile back, her mood improving as well at the warm greeting and energy from the wheelchair bound girl. "Thank You. It's nice to meet you too, Nunnally."
"Right," Rivalz returned with a bottle of champagne in his hands, placing it on the closest table, causing everyone to gather over. "A toast to celebrate the newest induction!"
"Huh, Champagne?" Shirley said, before looking at Rivalz incredulously.
"But we're still students," Nina said. "We shouldn't…"
"Ah, come on you guys," Rivalz began to pop the cork off, "loosen up."
"No way!" Shirley protested, "We'll get in trouble!" She reached over and grabbed it, beginning a small scuffle between herself and Rivalz. As they fought, Nunnally, who was confused, was given a glass of orange juice by Milly, as a means of distracting her from the scuffle. Lelouch sighed, walking to another table to help finish what Shirley was doing beforehand as he watched Rivalz gain the upper hand and call out to him, throwing the bottle at him.
He caught it easily, the bottle feeling like it was thrown at him in slow motion, allowing him to position his hand in the perfect spot. This did cause him to blink in surprise, but then easily surmised it to be because he is now a vampire. Wow, he had been saying that a lot.
However, that train of thought distracted him enough for Shirley to lunge at him, trying to get the bottle from him, which he had lifted up, as well. "You're not getting away with this either, Lulu!" She couldn't help but blush at being so close to her crush, but was mainly focused on getting that bottle.
"Wait, Shirley!" The momentum of her body as it collided with his own, caused the both of them to fall to the floor, and the cork on the bottle to finally pop, shot directly at Kallen's face. She smacked the cork away with perfect precision. However, she couldn't escape the fountain of alcohol that sprouted from the bottle, as the rest of the council stared at her in shock and awkwardness, only blinking as if to convince themselves what they were seeing was real.
"What just happened?" a clueless Nunnally asked, with Milly answering that she'll tell her later as Kallen slouched over in defeat.
Lelouch was lost in his own thoughts as he carried some spare clothes of his that he could scrounge up as fast as he could, walking to the bathroom where Kallen was taking a shower. While this wasn't the ideal scenario he imagined, and his jaw was aching with anticipation as if it could feel something was about to happen, this did leave him in a place where he could 'confront' Kallen and initiate the plan. The only thing that could go wrong now, was C.C. not being ready to help out and…
'And she's standing right in front of the door,' he internally sighed in annoyance, seeing the green haired vampiress leaning against the wall next to the door separating him and Kallen.
"Lucky you, having to go meet a naked maiden inside," she teased, causing him to roll his eyes at her.
"I thought that you would be jealous that I am seeing another woman instead of you," he decided to retaliate this time. However, the smile on her face only grew larger.
"Oh, is that what you thought we were?" she mockingly threw her hand over her forehead. "Oh, woe is me for being cheated on." She chuckled, lowering her hand. "But if you have to go see that lady, at least dress for the occasion." She said as she beckoned him to come over. He rolled his eyes, but complied.
She reached over and suddenly peeled off his jacket, much to his surprise. He grabbed her arms as she started unbuttoning his white shirt. "C.C., what are you doing?!"
"Calm down," she said, having paused. "This is to help cover your tracks later on. You'll thank me later."
"Why would I need to unbutton my shirt to cover my tracks of being at Shinjuku?" he asked, stumped. "There is no logic behind that."
"I wasn't talking about Shinjuku," she said with a knowing grin on her face, which infuriated Lelouch. "Trust me, it'll be better for you."
Lelouch wanted to stop her, but her voice was filled with earnest push, as if she genuinely believed it. And so he let her unbutton the rest of his shirt, leaving it slightly open. She did pause for a moment to look. "Hm, I can see the very beginnings of the fruit of our morning routine. Good eye candy for the ladies later." He didn't give her an answer, blushing slightly.
"Now then," C.C. took a step back before pulling out a recorder from her jacket pocket, as well as a phone. "I'll be right here, waiting for the right moment to call."
He nodded, his blush disappearing as he took a quick breath, before his face returned back to his normal, calm expression. As he walked past her, C.C.'s grin only enlarged. She leaned against the wall again, before she spoke once more, in no more than a whisper.
"Oh, hello there, Marianne. Fancy hearing from you again after so long… Oh yes, I was just talking to Lelouch… Oh really, then you wouldn't be happy to hear what he wants."
There was a pause as C.C.'s grin turned predatory in nature.
"Yes, yes, I'll keep my promise for you, but Charles and Victor have crossed the line. Next time I'll see either of them, they'll wish they were dead!"
Not having heard this exchange, Lelouch calmly knocked on the door to the bathroom. After Kallen granted her approval, he entered, placing the spare clothes in a woven basket next to the shower. As he did so, he noticed that the lighting behind the shower curtain created an excellent silhouette of Kallen's naked form. He immediately froze in place, his eyes unable to look away as while the silhouette didn't show much of the smaller details, his mind seemed to feel in the blanks anyways. His mouth remained open, as his jaw began to actually really hurt, as if something was trying to burst through it, not just on his lower jaw, but also at the top of his teeth as well. He shook his head after hearing her turn off the running water, forcing himself to concentrate on why he was there, yet his eyes still remained on the curtain.
"Sorry for all of this," he said, finally breaking his trance, yet the pain in his jaw remained constant, the pain so much that it threatened to derail his thoughts. "I know they're a little much sometimes, but I hope you don't hold this against them."
"That's ok," she said, running her hand over her arm to wipe off some of the water on it. "Nothing wrong with cutting loose every once in a while." What she didn't say was how she was musing before he entered about that being why she hated Britannians. But she has a similar thing of loosening up, whenever she piloted a Knightmare.
Lelouch nodded at that. "Still, thank you. By the way, I brought you some of my clothes. I think they'll fit, but if not, just tell me and I'll get you another set."
Kallen perked up at this. "That was fast," she said. "You ran all the way to the Boy's dorms?" If the rumours her 'friends' told her were true, then the vice-president was horrible at any physical activity, and always sulked to the side in PE class, so this was slightly suspicious.
"No, I couldn't handle that," he replied honestly, though secretly he knew C.C. was making him work on that. "My sister and I live in the club house, actually."
Kallen turned around at that, her side now facing him, though the curtain was still up. "Wait, here? The Principal lets you stay here?"
"Yes," he said, leaning against the vanity basin, "Milly and I go way back, and we've been close to the Principal for a long time. He knows that it would be difficult for Nunnally to live in the Girl's dorms, so he lets us stay here as a favour."
"I didn't realise you two were childhood friends," Kallen muttered, before a thought popped into her head. "And your parents let you?"
Lelouch stiffened, his jaw pain temporarily forgotten as he saw red for a second. His hands curled up into fists. "We're orphans," he replied with a very harsh, almost icy tone. "Nothing more, nothing less!"
Kallen was taken aback with the way he hissed out the last part. Looks like the vice-president who was always the ice-prince as the gossip wanted to paint him as, had something that triggered him. "Sorry," she said, knowing that there were some topics that you avoided, even if they were the enemy.
Lelouch sighed, calming himself down. "No, you didn't know." He looked at the clock on the wall, hoping that if Kallen could see him through the curtain she would think he was worried about the time. "Well, I should leave you alone to finish up…"
"Wait!" Kallen said, realising the golden opportunity in front of her, not realising that Lelouch was smirking at her falling for his bait. "Can you hand me that pouch over there?" the shadow on the curtain moved, the hand pointing to the vanity.
Once again, his eyes almost mutinied when he forced himself to look away. God or whatever Vampires prayed to, he was going to go insane if this continued. So he grabbed the pouch, lifting it without any trouble, though he did note it was heavier than what it should be. He extended his hand to the gap between the curtain and the wall offering the pouch to her. Her response of gratitude: grabbing his wrist tightly causing the pouch to fall on the floor.
"Well aren't you a lively one?" he asked, mockingly, tensing up as while he did account for this scenario, it wasn't his first choice. Still, C.C. had assured him that if she did attack him, as long as she didn't aim for his head or do more than stab him in a few places or scratch him, he wouldn't die, even at this stage of the change.
"Why did you mention Shinjuku yesterday?" Kallen demanded. "Especially to demand that I don't talk about it!"
"Shinjuku? I'm surprised someone with your health issues was at Shinjuku when the terrorists were there." Lelouch sounded amused. He was tempted to say that he didn't know anything about Shinjuku, but that wouldn't work with the story he told the council, so he was improvising on the spot on what to tell her.
"So you do know about Shinjuku." There was a sense of victory in Kallen's voice as she tightened the grip, picking up her pouch and flipping the knife head free. "Let me ask again, why did you tell me…"
Kallen's question was interrupted by a phone on the wall near the door ringing. The two of them just stayed there for a moment as the phone continued to ring before Lelouch calmly said, "I should get that, otherwise Milly would most likely come and… let's just say we should avoid that."
Kallen's eyes widened slightly as she remembered another set of rumours her 'friends' told her about the President's eccentric celebrations, and she really didn't want to confirm those rumours right this second. So she relented, nodding and thus Lelouch answered the phone with his free hand.
"Hello? Ashford Academy Student Council?" He paused, waiting a few seconds before continuing "Huh, No this is… Give me a moment please." He offered the phone through the crack. "It's for you. He says he knows you."
Kallen put down her pouch and snatched the phone from Lelouch's hand, bringing it to her ear. "Hello? Who's this?"
"Glad you're still alive, Q1." The voice from Shinjuku seemed to echo within Kallen's head as it emerged from the phone. She glanced back at Lelouch, whose mouth did not open at all, looking to the side in fact. Shit, she made a mistake. "Unfortunately, time is short, so I'll have to make this quick. 1600 hours in two days, the observation-deck at Tokyo Tower. Come alone, and I'll answer some of the questions you most likely have." Then with that ultimatum, the line went dead.
"Wait! Who are you?" She yelled into the phone just out of sheer frustration of making a big mistake and the fact he didn't let her have a word in. "How did you arrange the Cease-fire?!"
Lelouch would have used this chance to ask in an innocent manner about what she was talking about, to throw her off, but he himself had been thrown off his trail of thoughts by one key thing. As Kallen was so focused on the phone, she had unknowingly pulled the curtain open with the phone cord, exposing her wet naked form to his eyes. And all he could think was 'DAMN!' It was like his rational thinking had been hit and ran over by a truck going at full speed, temporarily making his brain function like a monkey, trying not to drool, as it focused solely on Kallen's body, searing every little detail of her into his memory permanently, from her long legs and arms, her hourglass like figure, her sparkling neck, her perky breasts and...
Oh, yeah, he had to sell his innocent act to her. How could he have forgotten about that? "Cease fire? Sounds like you keep dangerous company?" He managed to say, his mouth hurting more than it ever had.
Kallen glanced back at Lelouch, suddenly nervous at being caught, as she looked at him. She looked at his eyes before suddenly she started to feel drowsy, unable to think straight. "Well, um… that was…" As she tried to think of an excuse, which her muddled mind was hampering significantly, she unknowingly gave Lelouch an ever more perfect view of her chest, which Lelouch couldn't help but stare at. Normally Kallen would be incensed at that, but she didn't even seem to notice, other than feeling pleased somewhat.
Lelouch managed to look back at her face, smiling, ignoring his jaw pain, though it was getting harder with each second that passed. "Let me guess? A video game of some kind, like an MMO?"
Kallen nodded, her bust being affected by the movement, in a way that captured Lelouch's attention again. "Oh… yeah, because of my… constitution, I don't have much opportunity to…" Her mind was starting to slip.
Lelouch barely even registered her words, as his own brain began to rebel, and his jaw pain seemed to overwhelm him. Even as he tried to regain control, his eyes seemed to focus solely on Kallen, and he could hear his own heartbeat. As one last ditch effort, he tried to speak again. "Um.. you do… realise… I can… see you, right?"
Kallen, her eyes now duller than before, just looked down at her body, then back at Lelouch before nodding slightly, a blush colouring her face.
That was the last straw for Lelouch. He felt searing pain for a second before his tongue felt his canines extend and morph into long, sharp fangs. It was simultaneously painful and pleasurable in a way. His eyes also turned blood red, becoming filled with a lustful presence.
As if in a trance, Kallen actually turned to fully face Lelouch, giving him a full view of her front. This time, Lelouch didn't focus on her chest area as much as he did before, though his mind did register and appreciate it. Instead, his mind was focused on her neck, and the veins he could spot, his vision like a blood vortex with only her neck being clearly visible to him. He walked forward, and let his instincts commandeer his body, which made his hand cup Kallen's cheek, gently bending her head to the side, exposing more of her beautiful neck to him. He waited a second, as if savouring the view before he leant down and used his new fangs to pierce into her skin, biting into her.
It was simply euphoria what Lelouch experienced right then and there, her liquid essence flowing down his throat. Such a sweet, coppery taste on his tongue. It seemed to flow even better than water inside him. Each gulp seemed to make the taste better. He was so focused on the taste as it overwhelmed his senses that he didn't hear Kallen's moans of pleasure, nor her wrapping her arms around his head, pulling herself closer to him to allow him to better drink from her, her wet breasts pressing against his chest.
All of this only took the lesser part of a minute, before Lelouch's rationality began to return, and the vampire instincts relinquished control over his brain, having been sated for now. He realised he had to stop, or suffer Kallen dying from Blood Loss. So he very reluctantly pulled his fangs out of her, a trail of blood and saliva connecting his fangs to her for a second before he pulled away, breaking the connection. Blood seemed to stop flowing as soon as his fangs left her body, so he guessed that the holes in her skin would heal within the next few minutes.
He took a few steps back before something seemed to catch his attention. He looked to the side, where the mirror was and gasped as he looked at his own figure, having noticed his eye colour having changed. He blinked a few times and suddenly his eyes were back to normal. After a pause as he processed what just happened, he turned to look back at his first… victim.
Kallen was still in a trance-like state, with her eyes glazed, as if unseeing. Her breathing was quick and hard, yet still compelling to look at. Her cheeks were flushed, despite all of the blood he had drunk from her and both the water from the shower, and sweat covered her body, making her shine. He had to look away from her, as while his vampiric instincts seemed to have gone dormant that very moment, his much more human instincts were starting to flare, making his trousers uncomfortable. He managed to close the curtain somewhat, leaving only her face visible to him.
"Let's just pretend that this never happened, and that I wasn't at Shinjuku, please?" Was all he said in a panic before he ran away from the girl. As he rushed out the door and ran to his room so he could cool down from how giddy he was, he forgot that C.C. was still outside, who began to laugh heavily at him as he fled the scene.
It took a minute or two for Kallen's brain to reboot itself, shaking her out of the trance-like state she was in. She blinked before placing her hand on her temple as she swayed on the spot for a second before regaining her composure.
'What the hell happened?' she thought to herself as she realised that no one was in the room with her. One second, she got off the phone with the voice from Shinjuku and the next…
She suddenly rushed to the mirror and checked her neck. There was nothing, absolutely clean and no wounds at all, but Kallen still looked intensely, as if willing something to appear. The Vice-President, Lelouch, had not only known about Shinjuku, but he also bit her and she allowed it! She just stood there, letting him look at her naked form, even letting him get a better look! What the FUCK WAS THAT!?
["Let's just pretend that this never happened, and that I wasn't at Shinjuku, please?"]
She suddenly calmed down. Yes, that's a good idea. Let's pretend he didn't bite her and that he wasn't at Shinjuku. Makes things simpler. And so she did. She wouldn't speak of this to anyone and pretended it never happened and wouldn't think about it much at all.
With that in mind, Kallen went and dried up before putting on the clothes Lelouch had brought for her. And he was right that they did fit. However, as she finished up with his red jacket, she wondered why her lower part was feeling a bit hot and why she was wishing she was being bitten again.
Outside, C.C., having finished cackling, smirked as she observed silently the busty red-head. Looks like Lelouch has a talent for mental manipulation, even without meaning too. While the trance she was in was very effective at stopping her from doing anything, Lelouch was still too weak for him to completely shut off her memory of what her eyes broadcasted to her brain, only delaying it till after she exited the trance. But to convince her to pretend it never happened… That was something a vampire developed after months after the initial siring. The fact that he did that while panicking is amazing.
She was so happy that she sired him. He would make such a great vampire. Maybe even worthy of a Code, even if she didn't think it would be good for him. Though that thought made her huff in humour from the irony of a member of the Britannian royal family getting a Code legitimately. That would be the day.
It only took him ten minutes for him to calm down enough, and to wipe away the water that Kallen had gotten on him through their contact during the bite. He then realised that C.C.'s prophecy was right and that he was thankful she unbuttoned his shirt.
As he rebuttoned everything, and put a new jacket back on, he found himself back in front of the bathroom door, except C.C. was nowhere to be found. Instead, he saw Kallen exit the room, his spare clothes on. They did fit her well, but right now he was happy that all he was feeling by looking at her was just an appreciation of her female form, and nothing more than that. He was also a bit hesitant, as he didn't know if she would remember the bite, or react to it in any way.
"Oh, there you are." she called out to him as she saw him. "Thanks for the clothes. You were right that they fit."
Well, she seemed to be a bit nicer and more polite to him now, but that was the only reaction he got from her before the two of them walked to the hall where the rest of the student council waited, talking on the way about the various activities the council presided over, as well as examples of Milly's mischief. However, when they entered, everyone else was fixated on the TV, which Kallen and Lelouch couldn't see. Ironically, it was Nunnally who 'spotted' them first, turning her head to face in their general direction, which caused the rest of the council to see them.
"Oh, you're just in time," Shirley said, sounding uneasy.
"What's going on?" Kallen asked.
"Grandfather just called a minute ago," Milly explained, "He said for us to turn on the TV in about ten seconds and watch. Apparently there will be news that will shake up everything."
As if brought on by her words, the words Breaking News flashed in the middle of the TV, interrupting the broadcast before the scene changed to a news anchor.
"Breaking news. This just in. His Royal Highness, Prince Clovis, Viceroy of Area Eleven, has been found dead, an act of vile murder by the rebellious Elevens."
The entire council gasped in shock, with Shirley covering her mouth, Nina crawling into a ball in horror, and Nunnally bursting into tears. Kallen barely managed to control herself to not jump up in joy, before realising that the voice most likely had a hand in this. Lelouch took this all in, keeping a stoic face as he stood behind the group of students.
He was about to comfort Nunnally, as Clovis was still family and would have hit her hard, until he noticed Milly gazing at him, questioning him. After making sure no one was looking at either of them, he nodded, causing Milly to pale considerably before she turned back to look at the broadcast, which now went through a segment of a Pureblood Captain rant about how Clovis died a martyr and how he would be avenged. He did note how a couple of individuals stood to the side, trying to hide their displeasure at the words their comrade was saying, one of which was the Knight he had controlled in Shinjuku, Villetta Nu. Interesting.
Then the broadcast changed again, reverting back to the Anchor. "More breaking news. The man suspected as the murderer has been apprehended." The scene shifted to a sight that caused Lelouch to gasp. Suzaku, alive, being dragged away in a prisoner vest by two Pureblood guards. "According to this report, the suspect is an Honorary Britannian; Private Suzaku Kururugi." This time, it was Nunnally who gasped in shock, "a former Eleven and Honorary Britannian. I repeat, Suzaku Kururugi has been arrested for murder."
With that, Lelouch drowned out the rest of the segment as his mind went through multiple feelings. Joy, for Suzaku was still alive, fear for his safety, anger that Britannia was using him as a scapegoat and guilt for Suzaku being charged for a crime Lelouch committed. As Nunnally burst into a fresh wave of tears, he gently held her hand, which she clutched like a lifeline, and swore to himself that he would save Suzaku.
Alright, that is chapter 3 done! Cornelia and Euphie appear early, though not yet in Area Eleven yet, Lelouch is forced to do exercise by C.C. as he contemplates his own feelings on his new instincts, the student council is informed about the massacre in Shinjuku (inspired by Seerking's the Prepared Rebellion, as the last chapter kinda forced me down that direction due to Shirley and Nunnally being told), Kallen returns to school, and gets interrogated by Lelouch, Suzaku being arrested in the shower and finally Kallen's introduction to the student council and becoming Lelouch's first victim. A pretty heavy chapter, content wise.
Sorry for the very long time since my last update, but the past few months were my last semester at Uni so I had to focus on that. I really didn't want to fail my last subjects and repeat again. Other than that, my muse has been silent for most of that time, though I would have the occasional period of inspiration where I would write anything from three hundred words to two thousand words in one day. The third reason this chapter took so long to come out; the damn shower scene. I rewrote that section at least three times, and then kept on changing or redoing it. I'll be honest, I'm still not happy with it, so I will most likely rework this chapter in the near future, most likely in late July.
That being said, I made this chapter to be very long, the longest I have ever written. Over eighteen thousand words! Hope you all enjoy!
Edit 17/06/23 - Thanks to Seerking for beta-reading this chapter! Check out his excellent content!
Edit 05/07/23 - Changed Vincent to Victor as it is V.V.'s canon name and so it can match what I am doing for the next chapter
Till next time,
Regards,
dalek117
Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Conspiracies, Discussions and Revelations, Oh My!
Summary:
Both Charles and Lelouch seperately think of the past while planning the future, the Student Council Girls and Nunnally all share a bonding moment in the baths, and C.C. reveals part of her connection to Lelouch's family.
Notes:
This fic was inspired by Thanathos' 'More than just a Man'. That fic was unfortunately abandoned way too early and I found that I really needed to at least tell my own interpretation of a vampire Lelouch and C.C.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Many of the Vampiric characteristics were inspired by 'More than just a Man'.
Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's.
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thought/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie talkie
"Hello" - Speaker
Chapter Text
Conspiracies, Discussions and Revelations, Oh My!
August 2017 a.t.b
To many he was the most powerful man in the world, the head of history's largest empire and war machine, heir to the former British Empire. To others, he was the devil incarnate, the man espousing such venomous beliefs to his subjects and creating a dystopia of destruction and genocide. In his own eyes though, Emperor Charles zi Britannia was a liar, a fraud and above all a loving husband to just one of his many consorts/wives. If anyone were to strap him to a lie detector, that would be his honest answer. And there was a part of him that wished that he could just announce to the world that truth, yet that would jeopardise his goal of creating a world with no lies. An irony that was not lost on him.
He grunted in acknowledgment of that irony as he strode down the halls of the palace in Pendragon. The emerging sunlight from the windows by the process of the sun rising hit his exposed face, making him feel an instance of weariness, like a snippet of the burden on his shoulders was made manifest, but he quickly shook it off. The sun didn't affect him like it used to do when he was first turned by that woman all those decades prior. He did wonder how Victor killed her though, as he never did tell him the full truth, yet he let it go as Victor never did tell a lie back then. Unlike the past ten years.
Now his face was calm and neutral, all but hiding his inner turmoil and anger. He did love his twin brother, always has and always will. But Victor in recent years had crossed the line several times. First was Marianne's murder, which he did personally. Marianne, the only woman he had ever and will ever love, his soul mate. Murdered by his own brother. To make it worse, not that there was much further Victor could go, he had lied right in Charles face, breaking their sacred contract like it was nothing. It was one of the two things that Charles had taken granted of, for it was like a lifeline of honesty in his world of lies, yet that was slashed into non-existence by the very progenitor of the contract.
Thankfully, Marianne, who had only been turned less than two years prior by C.C. at her own request, had managed to manifest one of her vampiric powers, transferring her soul temporarily to the servant girl, Anya Alstreim, thus allowing her to 'survive'. Within the hour of her death, she went to C.C. first and then to Charles himself, and explained what had happened. Charles had been furious, but was able to keep the situation from getting out of hand, until he had learned what Victor had done to Nunnally.
He still didn't know all the details, only from what he saw sifting through Nunnally's memories, but it still gave him enough to make a picture out of the situation. Victor dragged Nunnally out of her bed, putting her under his will temporarily before shooting her and arranging her to be lying under Marianne's body, as if Marianne was protecting Nunnally. Not only that, when Charles secretly visited Nunnally in the hospital, as if he did so publically it would not only go against his public persona of ruthless social darwinist, but also alert Victor which was the right decision, as he could instantly smell the blood curse on Nunnally when he entered the room with C.C.
He shuddered. Blood curses were one of the few things that C.C. ever showed horror at, from all of the time that they had been conspirators. A form of blood magic that is able to alter even the genetics of the victim in horrific ways, usually turning even the most healthy human/vampire into horrific abominations that must never see the light of day. The last time he himself had seen such a thing was during the Emblem of Blood, where a member of the Royal Family had somehow managed to convince a notorious vampire in helping him claim the throne and utilised such curses to create servants that were neither alive or dead.
The carnage they had wrought had been labelled by the uninitiated as mindless mob violence, but he had seen that in action. So did Victor. And yet he had willingly set up such a thing, though admittedly a very lesser version of one than they had seen before, on his niece. That was the moment where Charles had realised that the brother he loved had changed for the worse. However, thanks to C.C., the blood curse was mostly dispelled. Unfortunately Nunnally's brain had been affected in such a way that the only thing Charles could do to help her stay sane was to rewrite her memory, which had the consequence of leaving her blind. But that was a small price to pay for her life.
The next few days had been stressful to say the least, keeping the rabble that was his consorts, their children and the nobles in Pendragon, in line was a tough job, even with his powers of mental manipulation. And yet he had to pretend that he didn't care that his true wife had just been murdered. He had to stand by and do nothing as the Ashford family, one of Marianne's closest supporters and the ones responsible for the two of them even meeting, were targeted by the Nobles, like sharks smelling blood in the water, and the stress his son Lelouch was facing, spending almost every second of the days since the murder sitting by Nunnally's side, holding her hand. While Charles would be the first to admit he wasn't the most caring or empathetic type of person, he did respect the sibling bond his two favourite children held for each other.
It was on the fourth day after Marianne's 'death' that he had an audience with Lelouch. He remembered very clearly his favourite son's expressions as he strode in, like a man with a purpose and a burden, as it changed to confusion, anger and hurt as the audience went on. Charles knew that Lelouch's trust in him had at the very least become very, very strained, if not outright obliterated by Charles' treatment of Lelouch in that single audience. Calling him dead was probably not the best thing or the right thing Charles could have said at that time, but he was very stressed. He had an empire to run, so he deserved a bit of leeway.
Still, the audience gave him the excuse that he needed to get Lelouch and Nunnally out of Pendragon. They were not safe here, not while Victor was still around and most likely angered that his blood curse on Nunnally had been dispelled by C.C. and Charles, though he was unaware that Charles had been involved in that. If there was anything that his brother had become in the past decade or so, it was almost childishly vindictive. So Charles and Marianne had put their heads together to find a suitable place for Lelouch and Nunnally to be exiled to. And the best option they had was Japan, the soon to be next target for Britannia's conquest, as they were the only country that wouldn't try anything with the two royals.
Still, that was where Charles sent them that very same day, only hours after the audience. There was no grand ceremony farewelling them, no guests or even family bearing witness or saying goodbye, just a plane and a small complement of Royal Guards. He did remember how one of Marianne's Royal Guards pleaded with some of his officials to go with them as their personal guard, but that was rejected. That same guard was now the interim viceroy of Area Eleven, Jeremiah Gottwald, and was secretly still looking for the two vi Britannias, with no success so far. But that's getting sidetracked.
Lelouch and Nunnally, if Charles' visits to the Sword of Akasha showed him anything, were treated quite well actually and with respect from a few members of the Japanese Government and their hosts. But as the months went by, and preparations were made and finished, it was soon time for Japan to be conquered, one more step closer to Ragnarok. And in the opening hours of the invasion, Victor played his hand.
From what Charles would later gather from the mission briefings on both the Britannian and Japanese militaries, as well as documents forwarded to him by elements of the OSS loyal only to him, a special forces unit had been co-opted by Victor, removed from the Britannian registry and was ordered to hunt down and kill Lelouch and Nunnally, attacking them just as the first Royal Marines landed on the shores near Nagasaki. The Japanese soldiers defending the household of Prime Minister Kururugi managed to fight them off, but it was clear that Lelouch and Nunnally weren't safe. However, they had the smarts to disappear for the rest of the invasion, until its end, where they made their way to Tokyo where the Ashford family took them in.
Since then, Charles had been keeping an eye on Lelouch, especially after he saw the boy through the Sword of Akasha declare that he would obliterate Britannia. Charles couldn't help but chuckle at the drive of Lelouch's words, not believing that he was able to in any case whatsoever, but curious to see what Lelouch would do and how far he would succeed.
That's been Charles' 'hobby' for the past seven years, checking up on Lelouch's progress on his path of destruction against Britannia. And while expected, it was slightly boring that Lelouch did almost nothing worthwhile that Charles saw in his spare moments alone in the Sword of Akasha looking at Lelouch. At least until Clovis, one of his more disappointing offspring, somehow managed to lose C.C. to Terrorists which spiralled out of control into letting Lelouch get involved with C.C. Now his favourite son was sired by C.C., gave Britannia its first defeat on the Japanese Home Islands since the capitulation, and let C.C. kill Clovis in his own Mobile base.
Seeing all of that happen, as well as his interrogation of Clovis' spirit as his artificers managed to summon Clovis' soul from the depths of the afterlife, had amused Charles immensely. It was the most fun he had in a while, seeing his son cause that much chaos across the entire empire in such a short amount of time. When he had told Marianne about Lelouch, she had clapped her hands in eager joy and happiness. It was always nice to see a child flourish in their absence.
Charles was brought out of his thoughts by his arrival in front of one of the secret entrances to the Pendragon Thought Elevator. This was one that everyone but a couple of people thought was broken, but in fact C.C. had fixed it in a way that it led to an alternate location, thus being a good place to hide something from a certain immortal vampire sibling. He entered without hesitation, as C.C.'s wards would stop anyone from even thinking about this place.
Once he went through the entrance, he was immediately inside a dark lit room, where in the centre sat two individuals, one of which was sitting on the lap of the other. Behind the individuals was a large machine, completely engraved with esoteric markings. The Machine was connected to the unbreathing form of Marianne vi Britannia, who was currently feeding off a relaxed, dull eyed Anya Alstreim. Charles conveniently ignored how Marianne was pretty much naked from the waist up, while Anya was covered enough that she kept her modesty (contrary to some rumour, Charles was not a sexual deviant, thank you very much), and simply walked over to Marianne, just standing next to her, waiting for her to finish.
He didn't have to wait long, as Marianne lifted her head, blood dripping from her fangs. She hugged Anya close to her with one hand, while the other wiped away the blood.
"Oh, hello Charles," she said. "Didn't expect to see you for another half hour or so." She looked down at the limp form of Anya. "I was just having a quick session with my young host here."
"Well, my one true love called me, so I obliged to come as swiftly as I could," Charles said, in a teasing tone before his expression turned serious. "Victor is starting to suspect something, but he can't prove anything or even seek any evidence of your survival."
Marianne gave a grim chuckle, before turning her head to look at the machine that was keeping her main body alive. "Heh, 'survival'. That's a funny joke."
"As long as you are here with me, and able to think clearly, I consider that a good manner of survival," Charles reassured his true wife. "Victor will pay for what he did to you, but he would most likely be enraged and humiliated beyond measure once we reveal the truth to him."
"Oh yes," a predatory grim formed on Marianne's face, giving Charles the shivers. "I can't wait."
It was then that Anya finally stirred, her eyes becoming slightly clearer as she tried to break out of Mariannes grip. However the vampiress was too strong as she immediately brought her head beside Anya's in a way that her mouth was right next to her ear.
"Enough." It was just a whisper but the command froze Anya solid, as if hit by a spell, which she was in a way. Mariannes eyes changed colour to blood red, with Anya's soon following. "You are mine, my dear." she continued to whisper before changing tact. "It's alright, just give in to me," she cooed into Anya's ear. "You can trust me. I'll make you feel good."
Once again, Anya's eyes dulled and she fell back under Marianne's willpower.
Having spectated this intimate moment, Charles only raised an eyebrow. "That's becoming more common."
Marianne nodded. "She's slowly adapting to my will, not quick enough to break anything, but enough for her to at least gain some independence when I am not in control of her mind directly." There was a tinge of both admiration and pride in Marianne's tone. "Once we initiate Ragnarok, I do believe that Anya would be one of our strongest pieces."
"Indeed," Charles agreed. Anya on her own, and free of Marianne's control, was one of the best Knights of the Round. She had talent that Marianne helped forge subconsciously into a weapon of Britannia that many nations feared as she was quite the ace in a Knightmare. Once Marianne took control, Anya was nigh unstoppable. Many had begun calling her the heir to the Commoner Queen, which she was in a way.
Marianne gave one last smile before frowning. "I managed to get in contact with C.C."
"What did she say?" Charles asked.
"Nothing other than how Lelouch really wants to kill you and destroy Britannia, and how much she herself wants to kill you and V.V." She shrugged. "Not that I can blame her, after what you told me Clovis did to her."
Charles sighed. "That was Victor's work, not mine." He huffed. "At this point, the majority OSS is more of a puppet of his than a proper institution of Britannia. Thankfully I still have a sizable amount of loyalists but it may not be enough to keep Victor's newfound ambitions under wraps."
Marianne grew concerned. "He's gotten worse?"
"Very much so," Charles confirmed. "The directorate is more of a blood cult now, with all of the new vampires that have been sired fanatically devoted to Victor, like he is the new messiah." His tone grew ever more grim. "Now he's begun abducting Numbers from across the world and using them as sacrifices for Blood rituals."
Marianne froze in horror. "We agreed for that to be banned. HE agreed to it. Doesn't he remember…?!"
"I don't think he cares anymore," Charles interrupted. "Ragnarok has become more than an obsession to him. I think his Code is starting to affect him negatively."
"Starting to?" Marianne huffed. "From before he tried to assassinate me, it began to affect him. He was never meant to be turned and get a Code at that age, Charles. C.C. was very much afraid that something like this would happen. We'll have to deal with him sooner rather than later."
"We can't. Without C.C. he's the only one who can connect the Sword of Akasha to the Thought Elevators. And we haven't even conquered the final one in the heart of Britain."
That was the only reason why Charles had begun the latest campaign pushing against the allies of the Europe Universe. The British Isles, the former heartland of the United Kingdom, and the first homeland of Britannia, conquered during the Napoleonic Wars and reorganised into one of the many member states of the EU, the end goal enshrined into every patriotic Britannian for it to be liberated and back in the hands of the crown, was the location of the final Thought Elevator not under the control of Britannia. Personally, the liberation of Britain had always been a side goal to Ragnarok for Charles, but he had to admire the irony that his goal that went completely against the Britannian way of life had to be achieved by fulfilling Britannia's aim.
Marianne reluctantly nodded at that. "At what cost though? By the time we get to Britain, Ragnarok as we envision it may all be but a bygone idea if he gets out of control."
"He thankfully still listens to me," Charles assured her. "I can at least prevent him from going too far, for now. That's why I'll need the Knights of the Round focused on the EU alone. Once Cornelia finishes off the main force of the Middle East Federation and establishes Area Eighteen, I'll send her and Euphemia to Area Eleven to distract Lelouch."
Marianne chuckled. "Ah, how devious. His two favourite half-siblings." She had a nostalgic smile. "Cornelia was a great head of my Royal Guard, and I always enjoyed seeing Euphie play with Lelouch, Nunnally and Millicent…" She sighed. "Damn your brother for throwing that away."
"At least then Lelouch and Nunnally would be where they belong," Charles agreed. The conversation was about to continue when an alarm rang from a watch on Anya's wrist, signalling the end of the conversation.
Marianne sighed. "It's time for Anya to go back to where she's needed next."
Thus Marianne spun Anya around, and grabbed Anya's chin to move her head in a way that Anya was now looking directly at Marianne's eyes. Once again both pairs of eyes turned red and the two ladies remained motionless for a moment before Marianne slumped over, like a puppet with its strings cut and Anya blinked before gently pushing Marianne's body off her and into a comfortable position, before standing up herself. Then she started to dress herself with Anya's Knights uniform, which was slightly more unique than the other Knights of the Round.
"I'll see you later, Charles." The words came out of Anya's mouth after she had finished getting dressed, but it was Marianne in control of her body now.
With that, the two made their way out of the room, as shadows emerged from the machine and enveloped Marianne's body.
Suzaku Kururugi sat in his cell, completely isolated from even the light. It was all he could do, as he was dressed in a straight jacket with his arms tied to his body. If he was being honest, it was very distressful, more so the lack of things to do in the cell, as he was forced to think. Think about what was happening to him, and what had happened.
It had not even been twelve hours since his arrest when he was taken from this very cell and placed in an interrogation room, like the ones from the Britannian movies that focused on the intrigue and political infighting of the Emblem of Blood, movies that Suzaku didn't find interesting or even good at all but had been forced to watch them as part of the criteria for becoming an Honorary Britannian. That was honestly the first thing that came to his mind for some reason before he was forced into a chair, strapped to it with two guards next to him, both Purebloods, while Captain Kewell stared him down on the other side of the central desk.
What followed was question after question, starting with them taking out a pistol in a plastic bag and throwing it on the desk, before Kewell demanded information on where he got the pistol. Of course, Suzaku hasn't even held a pistol since he became an Honorary Britannian, so he definitely didn't have any information to give. Kewell ignored that bit of logic and continued to bombard him with questions regarding the assassination. He refuted all of the claims that Kewell brought forward, trying his best to keep his composure, only flinching at the mention of his father.
Thankfully, it seemed that none of the purebloods in the room bothered to read any of the files his father's government had on Suzaku, otherwise they would have known that he spent time with Lelouch and Nunnally. At least that meant that there was no chance to connect Lelouch to himself, thus ensuring Lelouch, wherever he is and just meeting him last week, was safe from being found by the authorities.
After that session ended with one of his guards throwing him off his chair and kicking him in the back of the head, Suzaku was dragged back to his cell and left there to rot for all they cared. After all, in their minds, he would be tried and executed in a matter of days.
While this was the certainty in their minds, in Suzaku's thoughts, he still believed in the system prevailing. After all, he was allowed to pilot Britannia's premium Knightmare prototype. That had to mean something, meaning that the system could be changed for the better. At least, that's what Suzaku told himself.
His thoughts were interrupted when someone walked in front of the glass that separated his cell from the prison corridor. He looked up to the face of the Temporary Viceroy, Jeremiah Gottwald. The teal-haired noble looked down on the sitting Suzaku with an indescribable expression, though his eyes portrayed no malice or any form of superiority. There was a moment of silence before Gottwald spoke first.
"How are you feeling, Private Kururugi?" He asked uneasily.
"Um… could be better, sir." Suzaku said. "I would salute you, but my hands are occupied at the moment."
Jeremiah didn't laugh or show any emotions from Suzaku's joke, except for a slight upwards twitch of the edge of his mouth. But then it was gone, so quickly that Suzaku was convinced that he was being delusional.
"Good to see that Kewell hasn't broken you," Jeremiah said before sighing. "I'm here for a number of reasons, the first of which is that I must apologise to you, Private."
Suzaku blinked. Out of all of the things to come from the Pureblood leader, he certainly didn't expect that. "Um… Pardon?"
"For all of this," Jeremiah gestured to their surroundings. "I know for a fact that you are innocent, and that you had no intentions of ever hurting his Highness. But unfortunately due to internal politics," he seemed to spit that word out like it was venom, "within the Purebloods, you were wrongly accused and imprisoned here. And for that I am sorry."
Suzaku stiffened. Of course it was politics. What wasn't. While his father had been a politician, so he had grown up with it, he had never personally liked it at all. His opinion on it had been made even worse when he was forced to live with two strangers from another land that was in opposition to his country; Lelouch and Nunnally. While he became fond and eventually great friends with those two in a short period of time, he still didn't like the politics involved, a feeling that got worse when his father had the idea that he, as in his father, should marry Nunnally, who was then just six years old, in order to create ties between Britannia and Japan. Thankfully Lelouch had intervened before Suzaku could do anything he would regret and managed to convince his father otherwise. So yes, politics.
After a moment of silence, Suzaku finally spoke again. "Thank you sir, I do appreciate the apology, and I don't hold you accountable. But…" a pause. "May I be frank, sir?"
Jeremiah nodded. "As long as you don't insult the royal family and my own lineage, I'll allow it as the least I can do."
Suzaku nodded in appreciation before taking a breath. "But I really struggle to see what kind of politics would involve arresting an innocent while the real killer is still out there."
"I agree with you, Private. But unfortunately not everyone sees it that way, only spotting the opportunity to push forward their own agenda. And in this case, it is Kewell's determination to get rid of the Honorary Britannian system and reduce loyal citizens such as yourself to the same class as the other numbers."
Suzaku frowned at this. 'Why?' he asked himself. 'Why would they want that?' His disappointment grew immensely at this. Why couldn't everyone just get along and help each other out? It would make it better for everyone. And using the justice system in this way? That was illegal.
Jeremiah took his silence as dissatisfaction. "I can understand why you definitely would not like the reasoning for his actions. But he has the power and influence to do so, so much so that I can't lift a finger to stop him in this case, otherwise I would be deposed and he would be free to do even more outrageous things."
After hearing that, Suzaku sighed. "I understand. Just wish that this wasn't happening."
"I feel the same way." He looked to the side. "I don't have that much more time to visit you, so I shall get to my second reason for being here." He leaned forward, eyes darting side to side as if trying to spot any potential spies. "I looked into your file, especially the ones detailing your life before the invasion."
Suzaku stiffened, his skin paling as he realised why Jeremiah had come. Was he looking for revenge, as if he thought that Suzaku had killed Lelouch and Nunnally during the invasion? Suzaku threw that thought away. If he had, he wouldn't have been as nice to him or even considerate to his circumstances at all and would have believed that Suzaku would be involved in Clovis' murder. Was he there because he was involved with those trying to kill them? Again, why be nice.
As Suzaku was going through all of the possibilities he could think of, Jeremiah was studying Suzaku's expressions, trying to figure out his own conundrum; Were the two royals still alive, or were they dead. And from how much Suzaku reacted to his insinuation, it may be the former. This brought hope into his heart. They could be alive. All his work may not be in vain.
Steeling his heart in case his hope was unfounded, Jeremiah pressed on. "You were amongst the last to see them before the invasion. What happened when you last saw them?"
Suzaku opened his mouth then closed it as he pondered on what to say, if to say anything at all. No matter what, he couldn't say that he just saw Lelouch alive a few days ago, nor did he have the right to risk outing anything that may put him in more danger. But was it right to not tell Jeremiah about Lelouch and Nunnally surviving the invasion. Then he had an idea.
"Sir, in order to answer your question, I have to ask my own," he said.
This surprised Jeremiah, but he nodded for Suzaku to continue.
"Do you know about the first day of the invasion, where the three of us were attacked by a squad of Britannian Special forces?"
"What?!" Jeremiah shouted in shock before forcing himself to calm down. "Special forces? Our own special forces?! Are you sure, Private?" Kuruguri couldn't be right, could he?
"Todoh-sensei confirmed it," Suzaku admitted. "He said that while they were made to look unidentifiable, their training was clearly Britannian."
Jeremiah stood there, looking like a poleaxed fish, as his mind processed what Kuruguri had just said. Britannia was the one to try and kill his two Royals! At once, Kuruguri's reluctance to talk about that suddenly had another layer to it. The one who ordered the hit on the two vi Britannias may still be out there. He had to be careful to make sure that whoever they are never got a hint that the two of them may be alive.
So after regaining his composure, he nodded to Kuruguri. "Thank you for answering my questions. I have an appointment in half an hour, so I must take my leave." He gave a short bow with his head. "I truly wish the best for you, as unlikely as it is to happen."
With that Jeremiah took his leave, in order to purge the cameras of any footage and audio they would have taken of the final topic between the two. Right now, he couldn't risk anything.
Lelouch sighed as he collapsed on his bed, mind elsewhere. The afternoon had been filled with a whole bunch of ups, such as him actually developing his fangs and drinking blood, and downs, such as Suzaku being arrested for treason and murder, the crime Lelouch committed. To say seeing his best friend in that situation killed his mood would have been an understatement.
But now Lelouch had an objective, something to aim at in the very near future; Rescue Suzaku. A side objective would be to do so in a manner that would not only cause even more chaos for the Britannian Military in the Area, but also discredit the obvious Pureblood agenda and to set the framework on his Rebellion. He had an idea on the second directive of the side objective, but was still working out the details on the rest.
Still, it wouldn't be easy. There were scores of factors to consider. For example, the question of whether or not he should pursue this specific objective on his own, or join forces with a Resistance group. While it would be beneficial to gain allies, it would be an uphill battle, especially with his ethnicity, and he cannot risk his true identity getting out.
But he had a few solutions to that issue. Kallen was the perfect means to get in contact with her resistance group, as he had done just hours earlier, not the fact that he still savoured the taste of her blood on his tongue, definitely not that. And all he needed was to find a veteran seamster to help make a disguise to use not only to hide who he was but to create a symbol that the entire world will view synonymously with hope and resistance.
Speaking of Kallen, she, and the rest of the female members of the Student Council, had been abducted by Milly to go to the bathhouse for the rest of the evening as a girls night out. Nunnally had also been asked to go and she had accepted, thus leaving just himself, C.C. and Sayako in the clubhouse at the moment. Lelouch shuddered at the memory of Kallen's naked form, and his imagination for a brief moment conjured up the image of her along with Milly and Shirley sitting in the steamy bath…
He shook his head. No, he had a mission to plan, and Suzaku to save. He would not waste even a single second on thinking about the beautiful girls in his life right now.
'Maybe after Suzaku is saved' a treasonous voice in his head whispered.
Doing his best to ignore it, Lelouch sat up just as C.C. walked in, now in the dress she had bought from the mall on the night they met. And Lelouch had to slap himself to stop staring at her, so he could concentrate on making a plan.
"So deep in thought, I see," she commented, interrupting him. "What's made you so agitated? You're completely free of suspicion…"
"At the cost of my best friend from the past." Lelouch snapped back. "Yes, it may be beneficial to let this go, but he's still a friend taking the blame for something I did. I won't tolerate the innocent being left to dry for my own gain." He sighed. "I am forming a plan in my head at this very moment, but I keep on getting distracted."
C.C. shrugged, before sitting down next to him. "Penny for your thoughts?" She asked. "Trust me, I have a feeling some of the distractions you have right now are related to your first bite, and it is better to talk about it now with me so you can get it out of your system. Also it doesn't hurt to have another person to sound board your plan."
Lelouch hesitated before nodding. "Alright. The bite…"
"How was it?" she asked.
"Indescribable," Lelouch admitted. "I've tasted blood before, you know. At that time, I hated it. Not only because of the taste, but because of what it represented. Weakness." He looked at his right hand, imagining it covered in blood like it did that day. "During the first day of the Invasion, we were attacked by Special Forces." he clenched his fist. "Father must have sent them to dispose of his worthless children."
C.C. barely flinched at the statement, not from the hate that Lelouch exudes, but due to her knowing who was really behind it. But she said nothing, allowing Lelouch to continue.
"That was the first time I was ever close to death. The three of us were hiding in one of the many rooms in the manor we were staying at, hugging each other as tightly as we physically could. All around us were the sounds of gunfire, officers shouting in Japanese, the screams of pain and agony, and the thuds of bodies dropping to the floors, as corpses. Then the door burst open as an armoured Soldier entered with his rifle raised. Suzaku acted first, trying his best to knock back the intruder, but he was only a ten year old boy. He got knocked back instead with the butt of the gun. Then I jumped in…"
"You?" C.C. asked sceptically. "The you who hated exercise and were super weak even as a ten year old boy? You jumped in to attack a fully grown man, much less an armoured special forces soldier?" She noticed his glare. "Sorry, but that sounded like something you just made up."
Lelouch continued to glare, but did concede her point. He dropped the glare, grunting instead. "I wish that was made up. For all that Britannia splurges out for how much they respect the Royals, that soldier never seemed to take the hint. I got kicked in the stomach with enough force for me to cough up some blood. As I lay on the floor, as Nunnally screamed out my name, the soldier readied himself to finish me off."
"Then as his finger pressed the trigger, a Japanese guard leapt at him, knocking the both of them off balance as the rifle fired the bullets meant for me, into the Japanese soldier's gut. However, the Japanese soldier wasn't alone, and thus his three comrades retaliated and gunned down the Britannian soldier. It seemed that he was one of the last, so the guards quickly mopped up and secured the premises."
Now Lelouch stood up, his eyes looking forward, but not seeing his room at all. "I can never forget that moment. That one Japanese soldier, taking the bullets meant for me, a Royal of the very nation attacking them. As his comrades tried to save him, I wanted to help out, even if it was just to hold something for them. But my body was frozen in shock, even as I spat blood onto my hand. It only took a moment for him to die, but to me it was a long, agonising moment. Once he stopped breathing, it was like a spell broke and I was suddenly freed."
"As I comforted Nunnally, and tried to help Suzaku, my gaze was constantly on the soldier's corpse. As the day turned to night, I swore to myself then and there, I would NEVER let someone else take the hit for me, not like that, not without me returning the favour!"
C.C. sat there, quiet as she let Lelouch calm down. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up. "So it seems your Mother's decrees of honour finally took hold of you then."
"You can say that," Lelouch said, turning to face C.C. "I've always enjoyed listening to her speaking about how 'only the ones who should kill are those who are willing to be killed.' But I never truly understood them, not until that day. That Japanese soldier was willing to die for me, and saved my life. But I, a kid, who also tried to do something but failed, wasn't willing to kill, not yet at least. I had a revelation then. If I wanted to protect Nunnally, to make the perfect world for her, I would not only have to be willing to die for her, but also willing to act. Only then would I be able to rebel and fight back against Britannia, to repay my debt to Japan."
C.C. nodded. "A noble ideal. The question is, can you keep it. After all, dying for your sister means depriving her of you."
Lelouch seemed to shrink at that, lowering his head for a moment before raising it again, determination in his eyes. "I know. But If I don't, then I'm not worthy of achieving change, or being her brother."
There was another period of silence which C.C. broke again. "SO what has that got to do with the taste of blood, and biting sexy Kallen?"
Lelouch blinked, taken aback by the mood whiplash. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Because for me, seeing blood reminded me of how useless I was that day."
"But I'll freely admit, now that viewpoint was shattered when I bit into her neck, and as the coppery taste, once foul in my mouth, became liquid heaven for me. It almost felt like I was… I don't know how to describe it, but capturing a part of Kallen and claiming it for myself." He blinked as he realised what he just said. "Huh, I didn't realise that I felt that way."
"That's normal." C.C. assured. "We vampires are very possessive of the humans we bite, not usually allowing other vampires a taste of our meals, unless we are close to another vampire, or they're your sire. It is very inhumane at how we almost claim ownership of the humans we bite, but then again, we aren't human anymore."
"You're right", Lelouch deadpanned. "It is inhumane." he then shrugged. "But then again, humans have always had their inhumane moments, and slavery existed…"
C.C. conceded the point. "But from now on, you'll probably have a possessive feeling towards her, especially if she hangs around with other guys." She gave a mocking smirk. "Welcome to the realms of the creep."
"Haha, nice joke…" he said. "Wait, are you joking?"
"Partially," C.C. admitted, lying on her back on his bed, playing with his sheets almost absentmindedly with one hand. "Right now, your vampiric instincts and adolescent hormones have become connected to one another faster than normal, so at this early stage of your changing, you have a stronger urge to bite those you are attracted to. In this case, Ms Stadtfelt."
Lelouch frowned, not liking where this was going, but nodded along, resigning himself to the inevitable conclusion. "And the fact that I have that urge with Milly and Shirley as well means I am attracted to them as well." He groaned. "Great, just what I need right now."
"Gasp, a man not wanting to be attracted to girls, how scandalous!" C.C. teased.
"More like I won't have the time soon, if my rebellion will be any indicator," Lelouch corrected. "I will admit, I haven't thought about getting together with a partner since my time in Pendragon, and it is an… appealing thought. But even getting together with any girl right now would not only be a waste of time for both parties as I will be quite absent most of the time, but would also have a risk of dragging them into this mess." Lelouch's gaze hardened. "I won't risk those I care about."
"Fair reasoning," C.C. agreed. "But trust me, you overestimate how much time you'll spend being the revolutionary. You'll definitely have time to entertain your growing harem…"
"I don't have a harem," Lelouch said, annoyed.
"Not yet," she corrected, smiling with that cheshire grin, as if she could glimpse the future and was taunting him with her knowledge. "Besides, your instincts say they want one."
Lelouch sighed, knowing he would spend too much energy and mental health trying to make her stop with her correct reaso… 'incorrect assumptions' he repeated in his head, so he moved on to another topic.
"Moving on, I have an idea on how to rescue Suzaku," he informed C.C. who sat up, now looking intrigued, teasing forgotten temporarily. "Knowing the Purebloods, they'll make a show of Suzaku's trial, from the very journey getting there to his eventual fate. I plan on rescuing him on the journey part, using their own arrogance and need to spread their propaganda against them."
"And how will you do that?" C.C. asked, one eyebrow raised.
"By getting help from Kallen and her terrorist friends, "Lelouch explained before his expression contorted into an evil smirk. "And spreading suspicion amongst the enemy through my will!"
Later on in the day
"Ah, a good bath does wonders for the body!" Milly exclaimed, wiping herself with her wet hands, sitting on the floor of the bath with the water going up to her belly button. With her were the other female members of the student council, including Nunnally, who was the only one dressed in any sort of swimming outfit. Everyone else was naked as the day they were born, even Nina who didn't have her glasses on.
Talking about Nunnally, she was sitting next to Shirley, the two of them chatting about Nunnally's day.
"You sure you're fine Nunna?" The orange haired swimmer asked, concerned. "You seemed quite affected by the news earlier."
"I was," Nunnally admitted. "But I am feeling better now. I was just… surprised." That was all she managed to say. She really wanted to tell the truth that she had lost a half-brother and one of her closest friends had been accused of being the murderer, but she knew that her big brother wouldn't want her to do that. Shirley didn't know about the two Lamperouge siblings being royals and he wanted it to stay that way, at least for the foreseeable future.
'One day though,' she told herself, 'I will tell Shirley. She deserves to know.'
Oblivious of the thoughts running inside Nunnally's head, Shirley gently placed her hand on Nunnally's, giving it a squeeze. "If you want to talk about it, let me know," she said, before adding "well, after you tell Lulu of course," prompting the two of them to laugh.
Kallen, meanwhile, was just sitting there with a towel on her head, having just used it to wipe her face. She didn't get the point of them all being here in the baths, as she just had a shower only hours earlier. But Milly had said that it was 'female bonding' and honestly Kallen doubted she could have convinced Milly to let her be.
She subconsciously itched the place where Lelouch bit her, the bite that never happened. Yet even under the influence of Lelouch's unintentional command, she couldn't help but reminisce on it, even though her memory of it was now muddled, like a dream. But the feeling of her skin being pierced and her blood being drained was as strong as ever, the fact of it being pleasant seemingly preying on her mind. And a small part of her mind had developed an urge to experience that pleasant feeling again, one that at the moment she had an easy time ignoring.
"Sorry about your welcoming party being ruined," Kallen was brought out of her thoughts by Milly. She shook her head. "Pardon? Oh it's alright. I can't blame you for what happened, with the champagne or the news."
"Still, kinda wish that I could have made it a bit more memorable in a good way," Milly mused, "but even I didn't have the stomach to party after that."
"Would have been something wrong with you if you did," Shirley muttered, with only Nunnally hearing her.
"Still though, why the baths?" Kallen asked meekly, trying to keep her sickly appearance up. "I had a shower just before as you know, and we didn't do anything that would get us dirty?"
"Oh, it's just a little meet and greet," Milly explained, emphasising the last three words. "Just a way for us all to get to know each other in the flesh, if you will."
"Oh boy," Nina muttered, while Shirley facepalmed, muttering to herself about how she should have seen this coming. Kallen suddenly became nervous from the reactions of the other girls. She had heard rumours about Milly's antics, but had dismissed them out of her mind. Now she was starting to think there may be some truth behind those rumours.
"Besides," Milly continued ignoring the reactions, "This gives your clothes more time to dry so you can wear them going home." She leaned forward with a conspiring smirk on her face. "I know at least one person who would make a fuss about you taking home Lelouch's clothes." She gestured to Shirley with her hand and eyes.
The implied accused caught her meaning and stood up in retaliation. "Madame President! Why are you bringing that up!" She said, blushing from embarrassment.
"She was going to take big brother's clothes back with her?" Nunnally asked, confused.
"Make that two people," Milly corrected herself. Then turning to face Nunnally, she said, "You know, Lelouch's clothes did fit Kallen quite well. Maybe you should ask to borrow some of his every once in a while, as long as he stays as thin as he is."
"Is he just that naturally?" Kallen asked.
"A mix between that and him not being much of a physical person," Milly said, before putting her finger to her chin. "But now that I am thinking about it, that seems to be changing."
"It's true," Shirley said. "For the past week, he's actually been participating in PE class for once." She didn't mention how he's been failing completely at it.
"Big Brother has actually been waking up earlier than normal and doing exercise," Nunnally pitched in, "Sayako told me that she has seen him coming into the clubhouse wearing workout clothes, all sweaty."
"Wow," Milly exclaimed, very much surprised. "That's something he's never done willingly, even as a kid."
That caught Kallen's attention. "You've known him since you were both kids?"
A nostalgic smile graced Milly's face as she leaned back slightly, putting her weight on her hands behind her. "That I have. Since I was six and he was five, in Pendragon." She paused before continuing. "His and Nunna's mother had connections to my Grandfather, and thus arranged the two of us to meet. From then on, we've pretty much known each other since!"
She then looked at Nina. "It was only a couple of years after I met Lelouch for the first time that I met Nina at Pendragon as well," she said, causing Nina to squirm slightly in embarrassment from the attention she was getting. "It is a similar story to mine and Lelouch's, though Nina's family are well known scientists that helped my Grandfather work on the Ganymede and other Knightmares."
"Wait? Your family developed the Ganymede?! And the IO series" Kallen asked, perking up, forgetting her act in her sudden excitement, even straightening up her posture.
"Sure did," Milly confirmed. "It was supposed to be the Ashford's Magnum Opus, the new development of not only warfare, but also travel in general, the 'harbinger of the future', as my Grandfather loved to put it whenever he talked about Lady Marianne piloting it like it was a natural extension of her own body, not a separate, limited machine."
As most of the females became entranced with Milly's tale, Nunnally lowered her head, unnoticed by Shirley next to her, sadness creeping into her expression. While she really loved the life she was living now with Lelouch and Milly at Ashford Academy, her mother was still a sore point for the fourteen year old girl, her last memories being fragmented recounts of her mother sacrificing herself in front of Nunnally, then the pain of the bullets as they ripped through mother into Nunnally herself, reducing her to her current weak state.
She didn't remember much after that, having been rendered blind from the trauma, though sometimes, in her dreams, images of her father's face with glowing red eyes and a girl with light green hair and golden eyes popping up on the rare occasion, though only for a split second, though that was always enough because each and every single time she saw them, she had a severe headache for the next minute or so. This was something she kept to herself, as she didn't want Big Brother, Milly, Shirley or Sayako to stress themselves out worrying about her. It always made her feel horrible and useless whenever that happened.
Though for her, the saddest thing was that her memory of her mother, once picture perfect, was starting to drift away. She knew that it was because she was only seven when the assassination happened, and a part of growing up was forgetting her old childhood memories, but it still hurt to lose the last bit of her mother she was allowed to carry with her.
Unaware of the turmoil in Nunnally's mind, Kallen started to bombard Milly with several questions.
"Is it true that the Ashford prototypes were all used to develop the early Glasgow models?" Kallen asked.
"You sure know your stuff about Knightmares?" Milly chuckled at Kallen's sudden enthusiasm. "But yes. After…" she took a glance at Nunnally, and noticed how down she looked, "certain circumstances in Pendragon and the subsequent downfall of the Ashford Foundation, our research was seized by the Britannian Military and other rival companies in order to develop the Glasgow and all subsequent mass produced Knightmare models in use currently."
"Oh, so that's why you're out here in Area Eleven," Shirley noted. "I would have assumed that from the profit of the Glasgow alone, the Ashfords would have a large presence in the Homeland."
"Unfortunately for my family, that's not the case." Milly sighed. "We barely get anything from Knightmare sales and," she leaned forward, motioning for all of the girls to move closer, which they did, before whispering, "after seeing all the damage they've caused here in Area Eleven alone, I am in a way glad we don't get much of that blood money. The cost in human lives is too high."
That shocked all of the other girls, bar Nunnally, who had a feeling that was Milly's true feelings on Knightmares. Nina was shocked more so in the sense of how Milly viewed Britannia's conquests over numbers as blood money, a personal view of hers that later on in her life she would view with immense regret. Shirley was surprised at the implication of the Knightmares being used for ruthless purposes, her naivety and upbringing having told her otherwise beforehand.
Kallen was shocked that a Britannian noble had those kinds of doubts and thoughts. Even through her excitement at meeting someone involved with the creation of the Knightmares, a small part of her, from her Japanese genes, was disgusted that here was someone who helped propagate the machines that would conquer her home, but that part was quickly silenced at Milly's admission. Other than that, she really didn't know how to feel about it. Maybe happy that there was a Britannian who felt guilty at what Britannia had done. She didn't know, and probably wouldn't figure it out until later.
Seeing their poleaxed expressions, Milly raised her hands to calm them down. "Don't get me wrong, Knightmares are wondrous machines that I admire from a design and technical point of view. I mean, who doesn't want the thrill of piloting one of them into battle?"
"Me," Nina meekly said, raising her hand. Shirley followed suit.
"OK, point made," Milly admitted, causing everyone to chuckle.
"By the way," Shirley began after everyone quieted down, "Nunnally, do you know why Lulu acted strange during the news?"
"I don't know, sorry," Nunnally lied. In truth, she knew exactly why, as it was the same thing that was bothering her. Though when Lelouch had calmed her down earlier, she noticed that he didn't seem that shocked or distressed over Clovis' death, more so about Suzaku. Something to think about later, though hopefully after Suzaku gets acquitted. She really wanted to 'see' him again, so to speak.
"It's probably because Nunnally was in the room with us during the news," Milly spun a lie in order to distract Shirley. "After all, she's the most important person in the world to him."
"And the same goes for him to me," Nunnally said, smiling, her mood finally improving.
'Some things never change,' Milly thought to herself, shaking her head while having a small smile.
"It's quite obvious how differently he treats you compared to the rest of us," Kallen commented, though she assumed he wouldn't bite his own sister. Though that assumption almost made her feel like she had one over Nunnally for some reason. Wait, she still has to pretend it never happened, so thinking about it right now is a no go. So she did.
"That's Lelouch for you," Nina said. "And I can't blame him."
"Thanks Nina," Nunnally said, smiling at the shy girl.
"It's funny how many of the girls here at Ashford lust after dear Lelouch, yet always dismiss Nunnally," Milly noted, amused, "which causes Lelouch to dismiss them completely in turn."
"They're only wanting him due to his position, or his looks," Shirley commented bitterly.
"Unlike someone here," Milly said, teasingly.
Shirley's face became a beetroot colour that rivalled Kallen's hair. "Why are you looking at me when you say that?!"
"Well, I'm sure with that killer body of yours, you'll definitely attract his attention one day," Milly said, before looking at Kallen. "Yours too, Kallen. Despite being sickly you have wonderfully toned skin."
"Um, thank you?" Kallen said, blushing slightly at the compliment. Though under the pervy look Milly was giving her, she wisely covered her breasts with her arms.
"Could you stop looking at us like that?" Shirley complained.
"Cmon, it's no big deal," Milly said, which Shirley then instantly retorted with "Yes it is!"
"Please Milly, leave Shirley alone for tonight?" Nunnally asked. "I don't think she's in the mood right now."
Milly pouted but relented under Nunnally's cute pleading look. "Alright, I'll let her be." She said, before mentally adding 'for tonight.'
Unaware of Milly's thoughts, Shirley turned to Nunnally. "Thanks Nunna," she said with a smile.
"Anytime Shirley," was Nunnally's response, with the two giving each other a quick hug, causing Milly to coo at the sight and both Kallen and Nina to smile.
"By the way," Kallen turned to look at Nina. "I'll admit, I didn't recognise you for a second when we first entered the bath, Nina. You look different without your glasses. Much more confident."
"Tha…" Nina was interrupted by Milly, who nodded at Kallen's words.
"That's what I've been saying for ages," Milly sighed. "I've told you again, and again, you should wear contacts. You know I'll be happy to arrange it for you."
"I know, but… my glasses just feel right on me," Nina admitted. "Plus they don't attract attention…" With that Nina's expression fell, her eyes widening as she remembered something from her past. It only took a few seconds before she started crying, shocking everyone else.
Milly immediately rushed to her side, hugging her, whispering to her that "Everything's ok. You aren't there. They can't hurt you anymore." She repeated those sentences multiple times, eventually calming Nina enough for her to stop sobbing, though tears still trickled down her cheek. Eventually both Nunnally and Shirley, who had carried the former to where the two girls were, joined in the hug, leaving Kallen looking on in concern and confusion.
Once again, her preconceptions were challenged as she wasn't seeing four Britannians being Britannians, but four girls acting like girls and comforting one of their own. An ugly feeling rose inside Kallen, though she couldn't tell what it was, only that it wasn't directed at the sight she was seeing.
After a few moments, Nina was calm, thanking the other girls for the support, to which they waved away, saying that it was nothing. It was then that Kallen realised what that ugly feeling was: Jealousy. Jealousy that she didn't really have friends her age anymore after the invasion, where either they disappeared or were dead. Her eyes widened at this realisation, as she had never noticed it before now, either being too focused on avenging Naoto/liberating Japan or hating her remaining family.
'What else am I missing in my life?' She thought to herself, looking down at her reflection in the water, 'What else has Britannia taken from me?'
"Kallen?"
She blinked, looking up at the concerned face of Milly. She noticed that everyone was looking at her now, even Nina, who had finished wiping away her tears.
"Do we need to hug you too?" Milly asked.
"I'm fine," Kallen assured. "Was just deep in thought about something I never really thought about before."
"Well… If you need someone to talk to," the blonde gestured to the group, "We're here to listen."
Kallen looked surprised at this, but gave a genuine smile. "I will, thank you."
"All's well that ends well," Milly said. "Well, we should get going soon, as it's getting late and I'm sure we would all like to go back to their rooms." Everyone nodded at this.
"But before that… Kallen, are you free the day after tomorrow?" Milly asked out of the blue. "After school?"
Kallen blinked. She definitely wasn't as she had the meeting with the mysterious K-1, but couldn't say that was the reason why. "The day after tomorrow… Let me think… I think I… Wait, I have a meeting that day at Tokyo tower…" She coughed a couple of times to continue to give the impression of a sickly girl, just in case.
"That's alright then," Milly said, before a mischievous look appeared, causing Kallen to freeze as it was directed right at her. "Then we'll do it now. I want to get your measurements!"
"Huh!?" was Kallen's intelligent response.
Nina sighed while Nunnally shook her head, not needing to be blind to see where this was going. But they knew of the futility of getting in Milly's way at this point so they decided to ignore the situation and talk between themselves.
"We make costumes all the time, you know," Milly explained with a cheerful voice, "and since you are part of the student council now…"
"Wait, you mean cosplay?" Kallen said, starting to back away.
"Bingo!" Milly confirmed.
"No!" Kallen denied, before realising that she sounded too healthy and added a much more sickly "No."
"Oh, no need to worry, it's just us girls here, so don't be shy," Milly assuaging did nothing to assure Kallen, who was still backing away. "So, Shirley, if you wouldn't mind…"
Shirley sighed as she stood up, walked behind Kallen, saying "Sorry Kallen," before grabbing her arms and dragging her up, holding the now flailing Kallen. "I got her pinned, Milly!"
"W…Wha…" Kallen's cries and struggles were ignored as Milly stood up herself, eyes running down Kallen's body.
"Hm, what lovely proportions," Milly complimented.
"Stop this at once!" Kallen cried out, trying to break out of Shirley's grip, but Shirley was stronger than she looked.
"You're pretty strong Kallen." That being said, Shirley herself was also struggling to keep Kallen pinned, though she was the more successful of the two.
To the side, both Nina and Nunnally were just looking at the struggle, or just facing the general direction in Nunnally's case, deadpanned expressions on their faces, as Milly said how she would never have guessed Kallen was sickly, about to fondle her breasts as Kallen cried out in horror.
"Do you want me to call Lelouch to pick you up?"
"Yes please."
"You don't think Suzaku is the murderer, do you?" Nunnally tentatively asked as Lelouch tucked her in.
"Of course not," Lelouch assured her. "They've just made a mistake, that's all. I'm sure that something will happen to show them the truth."
"You think so?" Nunnally asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice.
"Yes," Lelouch said, before kissing Nunnally on the forehead. "And I'm sure he'll be fine."
"I hope so, Big Brother. I really want to see him again." Nunnally pursed her lips in thought. "I wonder how Euphie and the others are taking the news? I'm sad that Clovis is dead, but we hadn't seen each other since…" She paused, not wanting to reference the assassination.
Lelouch himself paused, as he thought of an answer to her question. The easiest thing to say would be that everyone, Euphie, Cornelia and Laila especially, would be devastated. But that was only partially true. Yes the three he just thought of would be devastated, as would Marrybell, Odysseus and maybe Schneizel, though in an intellectual way. The rest however wouldn't. Too brainwashed by their father's social darwinism, they would take it as a sign that Clovis was not fit to be a royal and would secretly discredit him whenever they had the chance. As much as he hated what Clovis did, he was still saddened by this knowledge. But he really couldn't tell Nunnally that now, could he.
"Euphie would be sad," he finally said, as he remembered a specific visit by both Clovis and Euphie to the Aries Villa where the three hung out and had fun. "And I can't imagine how Laila is feeling…"
"I know if I was in her position, losing you." Nunnally grabbed his hand. "I couldn't explain what I would feel in words." Her grip tightened.
Lelouch placed his free hand on her hand. "I feel the same way," he admitted. "But I promise you, that won't happen. I'll be here no matter what."
Nunnally smiled at this before raising her hand and extending her pinky. "Sayako taught me this just a few days ago: It's called a Japanese promise." Lelouch, shaking his head from her adorableness, muttering "Of course she did," raised his own pinky and let it touch hers. As soon as contact was made, her pinky wrapped around his, before Nunnally began to recite the promise in a sing-song manner. "Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I lie!"
"Well that's scary," Lelouch said in mock fear. "I may have to eat a thousand needles someday."
"That's right!" Nunnally seemed very pleased with his answer. "So don't let me catch you telling me a lie."
Lelouch's smile morphed from happiness to sadness. As much as he hated it, he would have to lie to her, and to others. If only to protect them from the horrors of what he would unleash on the world in order to make the type of world Nunnally would want.
"Don't you worry," he said, keeping his sadness out of his voice, "I won't lie, not to you."
Nunnally let out a satisfied hum, before slipping her arms under the sheets. Lelouch gave her one last kiss on the forehead, whispering "good night," to her before leaving the room, switching off the light and closing the door enough that it was only slightly open. Giving one last sigh, he straightened up and headed to the main hall, where C.C. asked him to meet her after he said good night to Nunnally.
He didn't know what to expect from her this time, so he walked in with an expectation to be surprised, and he was, for as soon as he walked in from the first floor, stopping at the very tip of the steps, frozen from shock as he watched C.C. dodge a shuriken thrown by Sayako. C.C. seemed to be unfazed by the attack, even smirking in a mocking manner at Sayako, who had an unusual expression of anger and hate on her face, something Lelouch had only seen a couple of time, both times when someone insulted Nunnally in a very severe manner, and ended up thrown out of a window not even a day later. While C.C. looked relaxed, Sayako was in a battle stance, ready to rush C.C.
It only took Lelouch a second to unfreeze, having analysed the situation as best he could. He knew that C.C. was in no danger, but feared that she may do something to Sayako if provoked enough. But he had a feeling that if he rushed into the middle to stop the two physically, he would be the one killed. So he opted for a more simplistic approach. He grabbed the closest thing, and threw it onto the floor in front of the two ladies. It achieved his intended goal, attracting the attention of both ladies.
"Enough," he roared, walking down the steps slowly with purpose, unconsciously channelling his inner royal. "What the hell is happening here?"
"Master Lelouch," Sayako spoke first, her gaze never leaving C.C. "You need to leave, and get lady Nunnally away from this vile creature."
C.C. scoffed at this. "Vile you say? That's rude."
"Stop this, both of you," Lelouch snapped. "Both of you calm down. I don't want to wake up Nunnally from the noise from you two escalating this spat."
That managed to calm down Sayako, who relaxed out of her fighting posture, but still seemed tense. C.C. didn't really move, as she was already relaxed, and now seemed bored, as if she was deprived of something interesting. That fact worried Lelouch slightly, but he didn't let it show on his face.
"Now, could either of you two explain to me what was just happening here?" he asked.
"The little vampire hunter here discovered I was here and overreacted before I had a chance to explain," C.C. bluntly said, causing Sayako to open her mouth to retort before she stopped as she realised something. She spun around to face Lelouch. "Do you know this vampire?"
"Yes I do," Lelouch answered, before turning back to face C.C. "And what do you mean vampire hunter?"
"Exactly that," C.C. shrugged. "I didn't know you had employed a member of the Shinozaki clan as a maid."
"She's our trusted maid and bodyguard," Lelouch corrected, prompting Sayako to look pleased at the insinuation, "But somehow I assume you aren't surprised at that, and her clan is connected to being a vampire hunter."
"Because we are," Sayako admitted. "While our main avenue is the art of the Ninja, we are also trained to deal with the bloodsuckers who were a plague on Japan long ago, a past that shall remain the past if I have anything to do about it!"
Lelouch sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. This whole situation just got complicated. "How did you notice C.C. here only tonight?"
C.C. suddenly looked a bit guilty at the question. But she answered instead of Sayako anyways. "I'll admit, I let my guard down enough for her to catch on to my presence."
"You mean she was here before tonight?" Sayako asked. "That's impossible, I was trained to detect the presence of vampires."
"Not enough apparently, since there are two in front of you," C.C. said smirking.
Sayako stiffened, slowly turning to look closely at Lelouch, eyes widening as she took a step back. "Master Lelouch…?" She asked, her eyes pleading with him to say that he was human.
"Sorry Sayako, but she's right," Lelouch admitted.
The admission seemed to freeze Sayako for a moment, as if her mind couldn't deal with it at all. However, she was a strong willed woman and recovered after a moment. She straightened up, looking away from Lelouch's face.
"How long?" she asked.
"A week," he admitted. "It was a life or death situation, and she offered me a choice, one that I had to take, not only for myself, but for Nunnally and her ideal world."
"For mistress Nunnally?" Sayako asked, looking back at Lelouch with an indecipherable expression.
"Yes, to make the world that she wants, I had to become something other than human. One teenager can't change the world, not the way I was at least. Now I have a chance. Just a chance, an opportunity that I have to take, as it would disappear from my grasp forever. Or worse, fall into the hands of my father instead."
C.C.'s only reaction to that was a blink, as well as a tinge of awkwardness at how wrong Lelouch was. Charles was already a vampire. She hadn't told him yet because she wanted him to focus on getting his body used to being a vampire. But tonight was the night she intended to tell him part of the truth, not the whole thing, not all at once.
Sayako took a moment to respond before nodding. "Have you bitten or turned anyone?"
"He can't turn anyone," C.C. answered instead. "He's only been a vampire for a week, only ones that have matured enough through the change can turn another person, and no matter how fast he is developing, it will take over a month at the very least, and highly unlikely at that, for him to be able to turn someone."
Lelouch actually sighed in relief. "One less thing to worry about," he said out loud. "I didn't want to worry about accidentally turning someone while I begin my rebellion."
Sayako stared at C.C. "My Sensei never mentioned that when he taught us about…"
"Because Vampire Hunters rarely want their successors to worry about something called reality," C.C. scoffed. "Most of the modern misconceptions of vampires originated from the hunters themselves. Though I will admit, there was always the odd vampire that truly was a dangerous blood sucker who loved to drain people to death for the fun of it."
"And what do you claim to be?" Sayako asked, sceptical of her claim.
C.C. smiled. "Why, I'm the trope defining example of the sexy vampire that sleeps everywhere, yet isn't afraid to get her hands dirty when provoked. The Femme Fatale, if you will."
Both Lelouch and Sayako deadpanned at this, with even the former facepalming, muttering to himself about why he had to get sired by her of all people.
"That is not the Femme Fatale…" Sayako said before sighing.
"Look, Sayako, we've both been hit by a single revelation of each other tonight, but can I trust you to still look after Nunnally and I…"
"Of course!" Sayako said. "I may be shaken by the news that you have been turned, but as long as you remain who you were at heart, regardless of what this monster tries to do," she said, glaring at C.C. for a second before looking back at Lelouch, "I will stay by your side." She finished off by bowing to Lelouch.
Lelouch gave a genuine smile. Sayako had been a close friend for both Nunnally and himself over the past six years, after she had been transferred from Milly's maid to their maid, and he liked her company and stalwart attitude. It would have been a shame to part ways over this one thing, so he was glad it hasn't come to that. Though it was very much apparent that this very brief fiasco, while finished between himself and Sayako, would have C.C. and Sayako at each other's throats for the time being.
"It's my honour to have to continue to be with us," Lelouch said. "Just two things. Firstly, don't tell Nunnally anything. I don't want her to worry about me being a vampire."
Sayako nodded at this. She expected this, as Lelouch's over-protectiveness over Nunnally had few limits, something she herself shared with him. "And the second?"
"Please don't try to kill C.C. while she stays here," he said. "And the same goes for you too," he looked at C.C. this time.
"I won't if she won't," C.C. said, causing Sayako to glare at her again, but also relented, saying "Of course, Master Lelouch."
"Thank you, Sayako." Lelouch looked at a nearby clock. "Are we still on for tonight, C.C.?"
"Of course, there are things I want to discuss with you that you will want to hear, for both your newfound nature and your rebellion."
"Good," he nodded before looking at Sayako again. "While I will be with C.C. for the rest of the night, tomorrow if we both have free time, I would like to hear about your experiences with vampires and being a vampire hunter."
Sayako nodded, though she did look eager at his last sentence. "I would be happy to indulge your curiosity, Master Lelouch."
"Again, thank you." He looked back at C.C. "I'll be in your care for the night then."
With that he walked out of the clubhouse, with C.C. about to follow before Sayako grabbed her wrist. "If anything happens to him, I'll make sure you'll suffer."
C.C. was about to make a sarcastic comment until she took a look into Sayako's eyes, seeing the undying loyalty and care to Lelouch. So she nodded. "I'll make sure nothing happens to him regardless, but I understand your conviction."
That seemed to placate Sayako, who let go of her wrist and walked the opposite way, at least one eye keeping an eye on C.C.
With a roll of her eyes, C.C. walked out to find Lelouch waiting for her.
"You'll have to tell me one day how you inspired such loyalty and devotion from that maid of yours."
"It isn't much of a story, but I have a feeling that even that won't fit into the schedule that you have planned for tonight."
"We do have a lot to discuss," C.C. agreed. "But first let's start with a question; How do you feel right now, exposed to the night."
Lelouch frowned in thought. "I feel… better than this morning, and each time I went out into the sun. The only time I felt better was when I bit Kallen."
C.C. nodded at this. "This is good. Your body is starting to develop its affinity with the moonlight." She raised one of her hands, palm face up, as if trying to catch the moonlight itself. "I take it you've also begun using Sunscreen a lot more, like I said you would."
"You are correct," Lelouch said. Earlier in the week, he had looked into his stash of sunscreen and found it almost used up, so he got Sayako to buy some more, just in time as the weight on him had increased and his skin also began to itch as well. "So it'll be the opposite in the night from now on."
"Well, as long as you don't have much skin exposed during the day, you will be completely fine," C.C. corrected, "It's only the direct sunlight, not the day itself we have to worry about. And the nighttime is slightly different. Regardless of how much you are covered, you will still feel refreshed and rejuvenated if you spend some time outside, even without direct moonlight anywhere, but the rejuvenation will be much more effective if it is touching your skin. It's actually one of the reasons why Vampires love to feed and have sex at night, with their curtains and windows open."
"I didn't need to know that last part," Lelouch said, one eyebrow twitching. "But I get what you are saying." He rolled up his sleeve, exposing his forearm to the elements of the night sky. It was Summer in Japan, so it wasn't freezing him at all, with him actually feeling nice. And here he could definitely say he was feeling much more relaxed and recharged than a few seconds ago.
"That's frightening how much of a difference it makes in only a few seconds," Lelouch noted, rolling down his sleeve, the relaxed feeling diminishing slightly as less of his skin was exposed. His head and neck however still felt quite good.
"That's not an uncommon viewpoint," C.C. agreed, before sitting down on the steps. "I'll be honest, Lelouch, you are developing at a much faster rate than normal for new vampires. It's actually impressive."
"Thanks, I guess," was all he could say at that.
"But you're still lacking in many areas still," C.C. continued on, "mainly your physical side, though we are slowly, and I mean slowly getting through it. After we reach a satisfactory state for yourself, we will begin much more advanced things, like how to utilise your better reaction time, increased strength and reflexes."
"Is that all?" Lelouch asked sarcastically.
C.C. couldn't help but snort at his delivery, but continued. "We'll also have to work on your starting ability of what is essentially hypnosis, and other versions of it." She looked at Lelouch with a serious expression. "With your first bite on that Kallen girl, you had used a sort of charm hypnosis on her subconsciously, which is why she didn't react at all when you grew fangs and even made herself more vulnerable to be bitten."
That alarmed Lelouch. "Is it on all the time?"
"No, as it's one of the abilities that is mixed with seduction and biting people," C.C. corrected, "it only activates when your vampiric instincts have fired up about biting or having sex with someone that you have an interest in, but has a passive effect of making you seem more attractive to others. Don't give me that look. Yes, it isn't as consensual as you would like, but it's one of the ways we actually get to feed. Can you imagine someone willing to get bitten and not fighting against us the first time?"
"Wouldn't blame them if they did," Lelouch admitted, his expression very sour. "Does that mean that every time you had sex with someone, it was because of that charm?"
"Nope," C.C. stressed the 'p' with her tongue, "It's only a starting crutch for new vampires like yourself as it does get weaker and weaker with each time you bite the same person, and the more you change into a proper vampire, the more control you have over it and after a while, you can turn it on or off if you will."
"That's good," Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he could find the usefulness of mind controlling his enemies into submission from a purely logical point of view, he really found the idea of mind controlling anyone into loving him romantically. That went against his and Nunnally's very ethos of freedom and choice for everyone, and it was especially sacred on the grounds of romance and love in Lelouch's eyes, even if he wasn't really interested in love or romance at all personally at the moment. Was it because of how quickly his father threw away his mother when she was assassinated? Possibly. But he was always one for consent in this regard, and having that power active was not consensual at all.
"Is there any way I can gain more control over this charm ability faster?" he asked. "Having it active makes me uncomfortable."
C.C., her eyes filled with sympathy, shook her head. "Unfortunately not. As I said, Charm is a crutch, but an ever active one for you at this moment. You will only gain control over it over time." She paused, as if a thought came to mind. "But if you do notice it is active on a person, only go through with it by biting your victim, and nothing else. That'll cause the charm to adapt to only switch from active to passive when you have a need to drink blood from someone. That way, any other romantic advances in terms of relationships would be purely consensual between you and the other party, eventually."
"I'll take what I can get," Lelouch said, shrugging. It wasn't much, nor did it truly solve the problem, but if an experienced vampire like C.C. claimed it was the only way to minimise the problem, he would accept it. "I would appreciate it if you could help me in that regard."
"Of course," C.C. said. "I remember having trouble with it when I first turned, a lot of trouble, so I sympathise with you on this one." From this Lelouch smiled at her in gratitude, a smile that fell when C.C's face turned serious again.
"But I have to warn you; as much as the charm will become less of a factor in terms of power, the more your vampiric nature will affect your morals. You aren't human anymore, and as time passes by, your mind will adapt to this and start to change how it works. I know that most of the stuff I do now as a vampire, my past self would have sworn that they would never touch. So keep that in mind."
Lelouch was silent for a moment before nodding. "I will. Thank you for the warning."
C.C. looked to the side. "That isn't the only warning I have for you tonight."
"More about my vampiric side?"
"No, that conversation is done for now. This is in relation to your fight against your father."
If Lelouch hadn't had his full attention on her before, which he had, he did now. He looked at her with an intense look of anger, as if willing her to talk. She chuckled at that. "You may want to find a way to keep yourself in check. One mention of him and you're already losing your composure."
As he heard that, it took him a moment to rein in his anger and regain his composure. He took a deep breath and sat next to her, though he was rigid. "What do you have to say about that man."
"Not very consistent in how you reference him," she noted aloud, something that he didn't appreciate, if his glare was anything to go by. She ignored it as she finally began. "I told you the night I first turned you that I would tell you about my connection to your father."
"That you did," Lelouch remembered, only not having pushed her into speaking about that due to his concern over her mental wellbeing after being tortured for so long, though it was only the past day or so that he realised that she was mostly fine. "How long have you known him?"
"Almost five decades," she admitted. "I met him when he was still a prince, one of the many princes that was fighting for the throne, in the early part of the huge succession war that nearly tore Britannia apart."
"The Emblem of Blood," Lelouch said, naming that very period of time. The Emblem of Blood was a time period from 1962 to 1998, when his father, Charles zi Britannia, took the throne by force to become the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire. It began after the 83rd Emperor, Johannes ral Britannia, died at the age of nineteen without a consort or an heir, and had killed off the next in line in the last of a series of purges that earned him the nickname of Johannes the Bloody. A Regency council had formed in order to declare his underage niece, Florence ke Britannia, as ruler, but she was quickly assassinated by her younger, jealous brother, who was then killed by an unknown member of the Royal family. The crisis then descended into a bloodbath that wiped out 99% of the Britannian royalty, and almost half of the nobility, until Prince Charles, his personal Knight Bismark, the best knight in Britannia at the time, and his mother, Marianne, then a test pilot for the Ashford family, marched on Pendragon, killed off the then declared 97th Emperor, Yinaris va Britannia, and took the throne for himself. After the Emblem of Blood, Britannia was immediately on the offensive, beginning its current campaign of world conquest, and the creation of the current area system.
"I met him when he was trying to survive in the East Coast of the Homeland, where he had barely escaped several assassination attempts that claimed the lives of his parents," C.C. stated, excluding V.V. from her tale as that was a whole can of worms for Lelouch to digest another day dedicated to just that revelation. "I can honestly say that most of his current views stemmed from those assassinations, turning him into the man he is now."
"A social darwinist," Lelouch spat, "He probably thought that because they died so easily, that his parents weren't worthy of living anyways."
"I can't say, because he never admitted it to me," C.C. said, shrugging. "But he knew of the existence of vampires, even being helped by one, so I was slightly curious. So I spent some time with him and his allies, mainly to converse with the latter, as the succession war itself wasn't worth getting into at that stage. I stayed there for a couple of years before I left for Europe for a decade, touring the place, sleeping with as many people as I could…"
"Could you leave out the details of that type of stuff, please?" Lelouch pleaded.
"If you insist," C.C. said smirking. "But after that decade, I returned, as I lost contact with Charles' allies and was curious at what happened. There I found Charles, who was now a vampire."
That alarmed Lelouch. "He's been a vampire for over almost four decades!" He exclaimed, shocked and now very worried. But something clicked in his mind. "Wait, if he's a vampire, why is he ageing like a regular human then?"
"Because of the Emblem of Blood," C.C. said. "In order to survive and then take control of Britannia, he had to use both his intelligence and vampiric abilities past their limit and to do that, he had to undergo a blood spell that strengthened his powers, but caused him to age like a human. While he can still live for another few centuries, his physical condition will continue deteriorating like a normal human, and even more so once that human lifespan passes, rendering him in a form that would be unrecognisable, though his mind would still be as sharp as ever."
Lelouch was silent at this admission. On the one hand, this meant that eventually his father would be in a fate worse than death, stuck in a decaying body that would not expire naturally until well after it had decayed, if he was understanding C.C. correctly. This brought a great amount of joy and satisfaction to Lelouch.
On the other hand, this meant that his father would be a very, very real threat for Lelouch for a long period of time, as one could have a weak body, but with the right sense of judgement and intelligence still cause the world to tremble, and his father was the emperor of the largest superpower in the world. Plus his vampiric powers could easily cause a lot of problems for not only Lelouch, but Nunnally and his friends if he ever found out they were alive and/or against him.
He was brought out of his thoughts by C.C., who was continuing her story.
"From then on, it was intermittent meetings between Charles and I, along with his greatest ally, who very much grinds my nerves, so I won't speak about him much at all, until I met your Mother for the first time."
"You met mother?" Lelouch asked. "She was only born in 1980, so you met her near the end of the Emblem of Blood. Had my father met her yet at that point?"
"No, I believe that I was the reason they were introduced to one another," She admitted. "See, I was helping Charles out with a favour on one of his few projects that he kept active at the time, and I encountered her then, working at an inn, though secretly using a fighter jet simulator that had been stolen by a noble family, to train herself to apply for the Britannian military at some point. However, due to her status as a commoner, once she was found out by that Noble family, she was attacked by several guards and the nobles themselves, right in front of me of course. I helped her out, as even someone with no interest in what that fight was about didn't like her odds of thirty to one. She did handle herself well, and after we had defeated that rabble and attracted the attention of the local military, who had been subverted into joining Charles, that's when they met."
"Did my father use charm to get her to love him?" Lelouch cynically asked.
"No, that was pure love at first sight for the both of them," she said. "But from then on, Marianne was part of Charles' inner circle and a sort of contractor for me. Since I helped her, she felt indebted to me for a while and helped me with a few things, when Charles gave her permission of course. It didn't take long for them to come in contact with the Ashford Foundation and the rest is history."
"Did you stick around after my father took the throne?"
"Yes, he had persuaded me in joining him and Marianne on a significant endeavour, and I accepted, because I was bored at the time and had nothing to do," C.C. admitted, with a bit of mirth. "From then on, I stuck around your mother more than Charles and when you were around seven years old, accepted her request and sired her."
"She was also a vampire?!" That made three very separate revelations tonight about someone being something else than what he originally thought them as, but this one shocked him the most. "How many others that I knew from Pendragon are also vampires?!"
"Not a lot actually, but that's besides the point. That is how I know your father, and knew your mother. But if you are serious about going against Charles, you have to realise that you will be going against an experienced vampire, along with the numerous groups of vampires under his leadership."
Lelouch's eyes widened at that new revelation. "He has an army of vampires following him?"
"Most are following that ally of his I mentioned earlier, though a few of them had been disciples of mine before Mariannes' assassination allowed him the opportunity to convince them to join him. Some are strictly loyal to Charles, but yes, the point stands. At some point, you'll have to contend with those vampires as well."
"That complicates things…" Lelouch trailed off, trying to imagine potential scenarios where he would have to go against those vampires, and strategies of either beating them or surviving them. It didn't take him long at all to come up with one simple fact. Even with C.C. helping him, he couldn't win. Not alone. "I'll need a lot of help."
"That you do," C.C. agreed. "Good news is that Charles won't order their deployment until something really, really disruptive happens, like him losing control over Japan, so as long as you don't immediately go for that first and don't defeat the main body of the Britannian military at once, you should have some time to prepare."
"Time that I'll have to use wisely," Lelouch noted. He sagged slightly, as the numerous revelations tonight took their toll on his mind. He needed rest, especially in preparation for tomorrow.
"Are we done with life changing revelations for tonight?" he asked.
C.C. nodded. "We are."
"Ok then." He stood up and turned to walk back inside. "I'm going to bed. Do you want me to wait for you for a drink?"
"I'm good for tonight," C.C. said. "I haven't really spent any time prowling at night alone since I was captured, so I need to shake off the rust on my skills."
"Alright then," Lelouch said, slightly glad that he didn't have to offer her any blood tonight, but slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be there as he had just gotten used to her sleeping with him. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night." With that, he went back inside the clubhouse, leaving C.C. alone on the steps.
The next day
Lelouch stood silently as he kept his face neutral during the school assembly at the middle of the school day where the Principal, Lord Reuben Ashford, Milly's grandfather, made a speech of how the world was a lesser place without Prince Clovis in it. While it would sound genuine to most of the students and any Britannian soldiers that happened to listen in on it, Lelouch knew for a fact that it was complete bullshit.
Reuben hadn't been a fan of Clovis since the early months of his tenure as Viceroy, the corruption that increased significantly due to his incompetence aggravating Reuben, though he kept his mouth shut due to how precarious his position was as a fallen noble, as well as needing Clovis' approval for funding of Ashford Academy, especially in the first few years of Area Eleven's existence. And this was definitely not the time to finally reveal his true thoughts on Clovis, not when the Purebloods had control of the Area's bureaucracy at this point of time.
In the morning, after Lelouch had met with a seamster and acquired his new outfit to conceal his identity, though C.C. had a fit of laughter when she saw it, calling it an attention grabbing edgy halloween costume, and had returned back to the Academy, Milly had informed him that Reuben wanted to see him and Nunnally briefly. When they arrived at his office, he had immediately offered them his condolences and offered them any assistance if they so required.
Lelouch thanked him for his thoughts, but declined personally, citing that his familial connections to Clovis had diminished over time so it didn't hurt as much as it would have seven years ago. Nunnally, however, was saddened at Lelouch's excuse but understood it, but also declined the help, saying that she had all the help she needed with Lelouch, Milly and the rest of the Student Council.
Reuben accepted both of their reasons, but said that the offers would be still open if either of them changed their minds. After Nunnally left to join the rest of her year level, Lelouch remained, to whom Reuben then showed the script for his speech, in order to gauge his reaction to it, and to ask for his approval. Which he did grant, knowing the context behind the very positive words.
So that's where Lelouch was now, in the middle of that speech, standing next to Rivalz and Shirley as they were in the same class so they were grouped together. Close by was Kallen, who didn't seem fazed at all by the speech, most likely drowning it out by imagining Clovis being murdered over and over again for his crimes against her people. Shirley had a worried look on her face and Rivalz seemed chill, but was secretly a bit apprehensive of what this means for the future. Nina was present as well, but she looked terrified, as if someone could jump out of nowhere and cause even more chaos right then and there, her xenophobia coming out once again.
Milly was apart from them, being in the upper year level, but she was less concerned with Clovis being dead than with the fact that it was Lelouch who was at least involved with the killing, if he didn't do it himself. She hadn't told anyone else, not even her grandfather, about what he told her that night, and she aimed to keep her promise to Lelouch. Still, she had a feeling that he was hiding a lot more from her and that one day, that would bite not only him, but everyone else he cared about, in the ass. Still, if that day ever comes, she would support him, no matter what.
Thankfully, Reuben had made the speech as long as it needed to be to satisfy any nationalists hearing in, so the students were allowed to leave at a reasonable time. Lelouch walked out with Shirley and Rivalz, the latter of whom rushed up beside him.
"Hey, Lelouch!" he asked. "Have you got anything on later? Since classes are cancelled for the rest of the day, Hawks has called up for a rematch." He sniggered. "He seems to be salty about his defeat last time."
"Are you two talking about gambling again!" Shirley piped in. "You two are not going gambling!" Lelouch had to admit, her annoyed face was pretty cute, when coupled with her orange hair and pretty neck…
He smacked himself on the check. 'Damit, stay silent!' he mentally scolded his vampiric instincts and the most annoying thing is, he seemed to barely hear the tinges of laughter echoing in his head. He focused back on the starting argument only to find his two friends looking at him weirdly.
"Um, Lelouch? Why did you…"
"It's nothing," he interrupted Rivalz. "But right now, I agree with Shirley. I think we can quit Gambling… for now."
"Really?!" Rivalz asked, surprised, while Shirley looked pleased, "I thought you enjoyed seeing the look on those nobles as you won."
"I do," he admitted, "But I have found a new opportunity in something else."
"Will I be able to join in on the action?" Rivalz asked, unconcerned that he didn't know what Lelouch was referring to. If Lelouch enjoyed something, then chances are Rivalz would enjoy being there just to see the reactions to the genius that is his best friend, and to be a good support.
Lelouch shook his head. "Not this time, I'm afraid. Not up your alley." After noticing the down look on Rivalz, he added in quickly. "But if I find anything you'll like, I'll let you know so we can go together."
Rivalz brightened up. "You got it boss!"
"As long as it isn't gambling," Shirley reminded them. "But I'm happy you found something else to occupy yourself with."
Lelouch nodded, before eyeing Kallen saying goodbye to her 'friends' to head out of the academy. "It'll be interesting for sure."
With that, he said his goodbyes, and made his way back to the clubhouse, where he would grab the case that held his outfit and headed out to Tokyo Tower, to meet with Kallen and her group.
'I swear, Suzaku,' he promised in his heart, 'I'm getting you out of there tonight! For all the times you helped us out, let me start to pay you back!'
And that is chapter 4 done! Charles and Marianne enter the picture very early, with a major shift from canon with Marianne still living in her own body at least some of the time. Next we have Lelouch discussing his thoughts on the trial, and a peak into the invasion of Japan through an unexpected recount, my own version of the Picture Drama Stage 3.25, with the addition of Nunnally into that scene, the reveal of Sayako having knowledge on the existence of vampires and being a trained vampire hunter (thank you to Qrow454 for the idea), along with C.C. explaining how she met Charles as well as more parts of life as a vampire. Finally we have the school memorial for Clovis, with Lelouch leaving to begin his journey as the infamous Zero.
I'll admit, this chapter is full of exposition and set up for elements that will appear later in the story. But while I could have just done a straight up adaptation of 'His Name is Zero', my muse directed me into doing this first. Next chapter will be Zero's introduction and Suzaku's rescue!
Thank you to Seerking for Beta reading this chapter! Check out his awesome content!
Until next time!
Regards,
dalek117
Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Debut of the Vampiric Demon
Summary:
Lelouch prepares to rescue Suzaku from the Purebloods, and debuts himself as Zero in front of Kallen's resistance group. Jeremiah and Villetta get a surprise from their 'comrade', Kewell, and the world will be changed forever by one man.
Notes:
This fic was inspired by Thanathos' 'More than just a Man'. That fic was unfortunately abandoned way too early and I found that I really needed to at least tell my own interpretation of a vampire Lelouch and C.C.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Many of the Vampiric characteristics were inspired by 'More than just a Man'.
Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's.
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thought/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie talkie
"Hello" - Speaker
Warning: Lime Scene ahead. If you don't want to read it, I will leave a warning so that you can skip past it
Chapter Text
Debut of the Vampiric Demon
August 2017 a.t.b
It was busy within the gallery. Plenty of families, most of whom were Britannian with the few exceptions of Honorary Britannians and the very rare Japanese scattered amongst the crowd, were looking at the large number of exhibits, all containing heavily modified versions of Japanese history in order to present the image that Britannia was civilising the Japanese people who were happy to accept Britannian leadership. The fact that so many Britannians actually bought this very much infuriated Kallen, having to listen to all of the slander that was shot at her people.
She kept her emotions in check though, making sure that no one who happened to pay any attention to her would realise she was hating every second being in this mockery of a gallery. The only ones who knew what she was feeling were her three companions, Ohgi, Sugiyama and Yoshida. They were keeping their distance, in order to keep her guise intact. Because of that, she was left alone with her thoughts and emotions within her as she waited for any sign of the mysterious caller.
'To think I thought that Lelouch was the caller…' she chided herself, as she looked at a picture of Britannian marines rushing onto the shores of Japan from their transports, 'There's no way a proper Britannian school boy could have gotten a chance to kill Clovis, nor have any reason too. And also he was there in the room when the phone rang, just before he bit me…'
At that thought, she rubbed her neck where he bit her, something she had started doing a lot, almost like it was an itch that she couldn't help but scratch. God, it annoyed her, not the actual action, but the fact that it meant she was acknowledging that the bite happened, instead of pretending that it didn't, and that she struggled to pretend that it didn't happen.
Her mind was so stubbornly fixated on that moment, that she had trouble sleeping last night because all she could think about for hours on end was the bite, and the small whispers in her mind that begged her to get bitten again by him. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice that, and she had worse nights before, so she wasn't badly affected at all compared to in the past, especially the night of Shinjuku. She blinked as a memory of her people getting massacred flashed in her eyes, but before she began spiralling, an announcement rang out in the gallery.
"Attention please!" A female voice rang out from the loudspeakers, "Paging Kallen Stadtfeld, Ashford Academy." Said recipient blinked in surprise at her name being called out openly like this, while her companions gave a quiet gasp of surprise as well. "Please make your way to the front end kiosk, an item of yours has been turned in to the kiosk. I repeat…"
Kallen droned out the rest of the announcement, quickly making her way to the kiosk. There the lady finished using the loudspeaker, her mouth moving away from her microphone. She instantly spotted Kallen, her uniform standing out amongst the casually dressed visitors.
"Hi there, I assume you are Miss Stadtfeld?" she politely asked Kallen, who walked to the desk.
"Ah, yes I am," she said in her timid persona.
"Well, then, I am happy to hand back your phone," the lady said, grabbing a black phone from under the desk and handing it to Kallen. Kallen accepted it, turning it over, trying to glimpse a clue as to who may have handed it in. She apparently was too invested in it because a moment later the lady spoke up.
"Is there a problem, Miss Stadtfelt?" she asked, bring Kallen out of her inspection.
"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong," she was before pocketing the phone and walking away from the desk. With a quick glance at Ohgi, she began to make her way to the top of the observation deck, that was usually pretty quiet and empty at this time of day, having not noticed the blankness of the lady's eyes, nor of how she nodded to a green haired girl in a dress that was standing at the very edge of the gallery.
After she had arrived at the deck, with Ohgi and the others following and now using the binoculars to entertain themselves while they waited, it didn't take long for the phone to ring. It seemed to teleport into her hand, only hesitating to answer it as she saw the name id that appeared.
"Zero?" she muttered before answering, "Um, hello?"
"Good to see that you made it on time," the voice from yesterday came out of the phone. "However, I do need you to make your way to board the outgoing train on loop line five. Also bring your friends."
"What?!" she said, both surprised and slightly infuriated at the demand. "Why?"
"All I can say right now is that you will see," the voice said, the warped voice having an apologetic yet firm undertone. "It will be worth your time. Besides I did ask you to meet alone, and yet you are with your three friends."
Kallen spun around, trying to see if anyone was paying attention, even as the voice continued. "I can't blame you though, as it is a good back-up strategy, so I'll let it be."
"Where are you?" she asked. "How did you…"
"I'm making my own way to the train line, and I have my ways," the voice answered. "Now it'll be best for you to leave shortly, Ms Stadtfelt. I look forward to meeting with your cell." With that, the phone went dead.
She tried to recall the phone number, but it came up with a disconnected message. She looked up to see Ohgi and the others looking at her with a concerned expression. She sighed as she lowered the phone.
"What happened?" Ohgi asked, with Kallen briefly looking out the window, before turning to face Ohgi again.
"Come on, we have a train to catch."
Jeremiah Gottwald walked down the halls of the Viceroy's palace, flanked by one of his most trusted subordinates, Dame Villetta Nu, as he made his way to the viceroy office. There, he intended to meet the man who had been commissioned to be in charge of Prince Clovis's memorial service, Diethard Ried, who had actually worked on some of his Highness' media projects in the past. He hadn't met the man before, so it would be at the very least a fresh experience, after having to deal with Kewell and his machinations involving Kururugi. He felt pretty worn out after the past few days, so needed something new to get his mind back into shape.
Meanwhile, Villetta had been asked to join him as she was one of the few Purebloods that weren't as fanatical, and loyal to him. While they did clash on certain morals, they respected one another and could even count themselves as friends, so much so that he had told her of why he joined the Purebloods and moved to Area Eleven in the first place, a secret that she had kept ever since. If there was anyone he trusted with his back, it was her.
So it was this friendship that allowed him to notice how on edge she was, eyes darting side to side. Slowing down enough so that he would be right next to her, he waited for a pair of low level clerks to pass before inquiring.
"Is there a problem?" he asked her.
She frowned before leaning her head closer to his, whispering, "Kewell is up to something."
"When isn't he?" Jeremiah resisted the urge to scoff, instead lowering his voice to match hers. "But what's different enough to make you worried?"
"Normally, I am able to converse with some of the knights aligned with Kewell easily enough during breaktime," Villetta began to explain, "who always like boasting of Kewell's machinations on keeping the Elevens in line. Today though, they seemed to try to avoid talking to me at all, though always one or two had their eyes on me, and not in the usual manner. Plus Kewell suddenly cancelled the meeting for tomorrow."
Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. That was very suspicious, especially about the meeting amongst the local Pureblood leaders. Kewell loved those events, using them as a platform to try to undermine Jeremiah's authority and stance on the Elevens. For him to cancel it meant that he didn't view it as necessary. A thought that worried Jeremiah greatly, though he didn't show it.
"Good catch," he told Villetta. "Keep your ears out for anything that could tell us what's going on with him. Princess Cornelia should be finishing up her campaign within the next couple of days and will be arriving soon, so as long as we keep our guard up until then, we should be good."
Villetta nodded, but still seemed tense. "But what if he makes a move before then?"
"Then let's hope that we'll be in a position to try to prevent him from going overboard, or at least salvage the situation enough for her highness to clean up."
It didn't take much longer for them to arrive at the office, finding a blonde man in a blue jacket with a burgundy sweater underneath waiting for him. He had a clipboard with him and was texting on his phone before spotting the two officers heading his way.
"Your excellency," the man greeted, bowing.
"Mr Reid, I presume?" Jeremiah asked, to which the man nodded. "Well then, please come in," he said as Villetta opened the door, letting through Jeremiah and Diethard before entering herself and closing the door behind them. Jeremiah led Diethard to the desk, with Diethard standing in front of it, while Jeremiah sat himself behind it.
"Thank you for coming at such short notice," Jeremiah began.
"It was no trouble at all, your excellency," Diethard assured. "If I am being honest, this is a great way to escape the parasite that is my boss."
Jeremiah blinked, as if questioning whether he heard correctly or not, before he chuckled slightly. "Well, I'll hate to keep you away from him then," he said sarcastically before getting serious. "I have to say, you handled Prince Clovis' memorial quite well. I personally found it a little too weepy, but that's just my taste…"
"Yes, well the masses always tend to like tear-jerkers, your excellency." Diethard explained. "And it was his Highness' own preference for any sort of memorial, written in the official documents he signed in his early days as Viceroy."
"Spoken like a true TV man," Jeremiah commented. "But yes, I do remember him talking about making his audience cry as a sign of great artistry…" he sighed, reminiscing on the past. "Though I am surprised he made any sort of plans for memorials at all. He never did believe in the need for it."
"So he stated himself," Diethard confirmed. "However, a requirement of being a viceroy of an Area requires one to prepare for any sudden crisis, including one's demise. Thus a memorial service like the one for his highness needs to be pre-planned for a worst case scenario. This is the case for many of the important people in the empire."
"That does sound logical," Jeremiah nodded. "I doubt I am important enough for one, and honestly I couldn't care less." He looked over Diethard's shoulder, to where Villetta stood at the door, having opened it a slither and seeing into the corridor. She turned to glance at Jeremiah, giving him a nod, before closing the door again.
"That brings me to the second reason why I called you here," Jeremiah said, straightening his posture while lowering his voice slightly. "It has come to my attention that one of my subordinates, Captain Soresi, commissioned you to assemble a crowd and direct a showcase of the accused killer, Private Kururugi, being driven to his trial?"
Diethard blinked. "Yes, he did, your Excellency," he confirmed. "He wanted me to 'line the road with good, patriotic Britannians', and to make sure that they all see his face. He also told me not to bother you at all with this request."
"Is that so?" Jeremiah questioned, eyebrow raised. "I'll be frank, I did not give him the permission nor the authority to make this request."
"So I could tell," Diethard said. "I even asked him about your lack of involvement, your excellency, but he deflected the question, only saying that it won't matter soon enough."
Jeremiah's eyes narrowed, clasping his hands in front of his mouth. At the door, Villetta couldn't help but stare at Diethard in a brief showing of shock at how overt Kewell's declaration was, especially to a civilian of all people. Diethard himself was more than slightly concerned with the reaction from Jeremiah. This really showed how out of his league this power struggle was, and he really didn't want to be involved at all, especially with someone like Kewell and against the interim Viceroy. But unfortunately a commission was a commission and one didn't dare to deny a commission from any officer of Kewell's rank, unless they wanted their careers to go up in flames. Though with the work Diethard had been forced to do lately, that was looking more and more like a blessing than a curse.
After a moment, Jeremiah lowered his hands. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Since the trial is tomorrow night, I assume you have a lot of work to do."
Diethard breathed a sigh of relief, "I do, your excellency. If it isn't much trouble…" he bowed, accepting the subtle olive branch from Jeremiah.
"I unfortunately have business with my subordinate here, so I can't show you out myself, but I will dispatch someone to escort you out," Jeremiah said, getting up off his seat, while Villetta pulled out her phone to summon someone..
"I appreciate that, your Excellency," Diethard said, bowing to Jeremiah before walking to the door. It didn't take long for the person to arrive to escort Diethard out, leaving just Jeremiah and Villetta in the room.
"You could have told him to cancel the commission," Villetta said.
"Then an innocent would have gotten involved in this power struggle," Jeremiah reasoned. "Besides, I have a feeling that Kewell has made it so that this show of his will go ahead, with or without my interference."
Villetta reluctantly nodded at Jeremiah's reasoning. She still would have preferred to order Diethard to cancel this, regardless of the consequences that would inflict Diethard, but maybe she had spent so much time around Jeremiah that some of his morals were starting to seep into her. She had been taught from a young age that ambition and ruthlessness were the only things that mattered, a viewpoint that had brought her to arguments with Jeremiah, who believed that they were not the sole thing needed, but recently she was more tolerant of his ideals and sometimes at least understood why he followed them. But now was not the time to reflect on her morals.
"We should at the very least inform Her Highness," Villetta suggested. "That way, she may be able to prevent Kewell from acting further against your authority."
"Agreed," Jeremiah nodded. "Let's do that now."
With that, Villetta opened the door, only to find the barrel of a pistol pointed at her head. Her surprise was quickly overridden by her combat instincts and training, knocking the barrel away from her face and about to punch the person holding the pistol, only to find five other barrels pointed at her. Even if she could take down one of them, she couldn't take down the others before they could kill her. So she did the smart thing and raised her arms in surrender, scowling at the person behind the Pureblood soldiers pointing the pistols at her, even as one of them pulled her closer and took her hostage, a pistol aimed at her temple.
Jeremiah reacted quite quickly, pulling out his own pistol, but when Villetta was taken hostage, he hesitated, not wanting to hit his friend. It was only for a second, but it was long enough for more Purebloods to enter the room, his former subordinates now aiming their weapons at him. As much as Jeremiah could have shot them, it was pointless and would have only led to his and Villetta's deaths.
"Explain this, Kewell!" he shouted as said man walked past the soldiers and grinned smugly at Jeremiah.
"I am expelling all things that make the Purebloods weak, such as yourself," Kewell said. "You've never been a true believer, only using your position for something else. But that ends today. Tomorrow, we will begin to purify this Area and remind the Elevens of their proper place."
As he monologues, enjoying the sound of his own voice, two of Kewell's followers strode and grabbed Jeremiah, taking his gun away and dragging him to Kewell. Even as Jeremiah and Villetta were forced to their knees in front of him. Once they were, he decided to finish the monologue. "I will admit, I do respect your loyalty to Britannia and the Royal Family, sir, but unfortunately you are not what this Area needs."
"Damn it, you're going to make things worse!" Villetta shouted at him. "Besides, what will Her Highness say about you doing this to one of her former subordinates!?"
"Once she sees the glorious results of our actions, she will praise us," Kewell said.
"You're delusional," Jeremiah said. "You were always ambitious, but this is something else."
"I won't expect you to understand," Kewell said, before motioning for them to be taken away. "I won't officially arrest the two of you, but conveniently both of you will have fallen ill and will have to be confined to your quarters." As they were being dragged out of the room, Jeremiah felt a needle get plunged into his neck and something entered his veins. A cry of surprise from Villetta notified him that the same happened to her.
"This won't hurt you permanently, only make you feel really unwell for the next couple of days," Kewell 'reassured' them with a smug sneer. "I'm not a monster."
"Funny way of showing it…" Jeremiah muttered as he was dragged from his office.
This was it, the proper debut of the new personae Lelouch had concocted. Well, to a few individuals that is. The actual debut to the world will be tomorrow, when he rescued Suzaku. Now, however, was arguably the more important debut; to convince Kallen's rebel cell that he was worthy to lead them into liberating Japan and for them to join him in his quest to destroy Britannia.
That would be harder than one might think, as even disguising himself like he has, it would be an uphill battle. However, Lelouch was confident enough in his oratory skills, and the way he has set up this meeting. A 'tour' of the settlement, showing the difference between the two halves of Tokyo would help get the minds of the rebels to work a bit and hopefully get them in a state where they would be willing to listen to him. He knew they wouldn't believe him or take him at face value, at least no smart one would, but he had a plan. A plan where most of the conditions have already been met.
Right now, he had just finished changing into his new costume, a tight dark purple suit with golden stripes, long wrapped sleeves and a frilled white cravat with a sleek bodysuit underneath, finished off with a black cape outlined with gold and a crimson lining on the underneath, with a black cape that encircled his head. It was still missing one thing, but at the moment, he had to do one more thing.
Turning to face the passengers in the train compartment with him, who ignored him like he wasn't there, he just shook his head at their state, still in awe of how flexible vampiric powers could be, and a little jealous that he wasn't at the level of development to even consider wielding a slither of that power. Instead the credit went to C.C., who moments before had surprised him and everyone else aboard the train compartment by jumping on top of it. To get into the same compartment as him, she hung upside down outside the window and stared at all of the regular passengers in the eyes, placing them all under her spell. Once the hypnotised passengers let her in, she ordered them to forget anything that happens involving both her and Lelouch, as well as anyone who talks with either of them. This was something that she had just finished doing to most of the train, with the train, just before Kallen and her friends got on board. How she had done it so fast, Lelouch had no idea.
Even so, Lelouch had been told in advance of how she could do that, and even asked her to in this situation as he wasn't confident in his ability to control that many people at once with his current state of change, but he was still unnerved at how easily she did it. Still, it helped out with covering their tracks and he had already hacked into the cameras installed onto the train so they wouldn't show anything. All he had to do was wait for Kallen and her friends to arrive and then send them to him.
"What's the holdup?" C.C. asked, leaning against the wall, dressed in a smart business suit similar to the rest of the occupants in the compartment. "They're here, just a few cars down…"
"But we haven't reached the specific point of the train line where my little message will make the most impact," Lelouch answered, reaching into his suitcase and taking out his mask. "It should be coming up in the next few minutes. Though on that note, please send everyone out of the train compartment. Much more dramatic that way."
C.C. rolled her eyes, but complied. With just a single clap, everyone got up and started queuing at the door of the compartment, leaving as quickly as they could. Once there was only a few left, she herself left, taking Lelouch's suitcase with her, in order to blend in with the passengers but still be close enough to keep an eye on things, leaving Lelouch alone in the compartment
With nothing to do but wait, he brought up his mask to better see it in the light. It was a spiky black and indigo mask that resembled the head of the King piece in chess. While it was mostly blank, with the entire thing supposed to be devoid of many features except for the central large opaque visor which was actually transparent inside the mask, C.C. had insisted on painting an enlarged golden bird like symbol just under the visor. After a moment of arguing, he eventually relented, and to be honest, it did make things stand out more, which was the intention of the costume, to draw attention to itself and away from Lelouch vi Britannia or Lelouch Lamperouge.
He just stared at it, blocking out everything else as he contemplated what it meant when he actually put it on. His entire life seemed to flash before him, as if judging him for what he was about to do, trying to show him what was good and what was bad, doubts flooding in. For once he put it on, there was no going back. Some could say it would be just another mask he put on to show the world, hiding his true self, but a part of Lelouch was adamant that this would be the final mask, and would consume one of his other personas. That was the feeling that he felt right then and there, and to be honest, he was ok with that, especially if it consumed his persona as a prince of Britannia, his true self if you will. As much as it stifled him so much hiding that part of him, he did recognise that he never wanted to go back to that life, well most of it that is. If it meant bringing about Nunnally's perfect world, then that was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make.
He finally managed to avert his gaze from the mask, taking a glimpse of the landscape outside the moving train shifting to where he wanted it. Time was up. His face hardened with resolve as he forced down the last of his doubts and put on the mask.
For Lelouch vi Britannia was now forever gone, sealed away as the mask closed in around his face, and in his place stood Zero.
Kallen gripped the handle tightly with one hand as the train went along the turn, the other hand with the phone ready to be answered at any moment. It had been only twenty minutes since they got on the train line, and no word from this 'Zero' person yet. She wondered why the name was no longer 'K-1' like it had been, though it really didn't matter. It was the same person, so that meant that whoever they are, they most likely had answers as to what happened at Shinjuku.
She looked to the rest of the compartment, seeing Ohgi and the others maintaining a respectable distance from her in order to blend in a bit better, though they still stood out as Japanese amongst the majority Britannians that were present in the compartment. Still, she wondered why no one was reacting to them with the usual xeno-phobia. Yet no one was even registering they were there, no matter how out of place Ohgi was. Even as an announcement rang out for anyone to report any suspicious activities or sights.
She was brought out of this line of thought when the phone finally began to vibrate, as Kallen had previously turned it on silent. It only had the chance to vibrate twice before Kallen answered it in record speed.
"Zero?" was all she said.
There was a chuckle on the other side. "You catch on quick, Q-1. Thank you for coming. However, I need you to do one more thing before we meet. Face forward and look to your right," the voice commanded. Kallen arched an eyebrow at the weird request, but complied nonetheless. "What do you see?"
She took a look, and what she saw caused her anger to rise. "I see the Britannian city, the land stolen away from us and built upon our sacrifice, sucking us dry like the parasites they are."
"And to the left?"
"I see our city…" Kallen's voice faltered for a second as she saw the abandoned buildings that made up a place she had fond memories of during her childhood. "Remnants of the desecrated city after Britannia had taken everything from it and us."
"Good answer Q-1," the voice sayed with approval. "Head to the front of the train. I await you there."
With that the call ended. Kallen frowned as she put the phone away and started to make her way to the front. Seeing her move, Ohgi and the others quickly fell in place behind her, following her along as they silently travelled from compartment to compartment. As they were on the final one before the front, she noticed how the lights on the final compartment were off, with only the natural lights from the windows. She could barely make out a tall figure at the back, but the way the train was moving didn't help her look at the figure clearly.
Finally she walked through the door, getting a proper view of the figure, or rather their back as they were looking at the door leading to the driver's cockpit. They had a very long cape that concealed their body shape and gender, and the only thing sticking out was what seemed to be the back of a mask or helmet shaped with spikes, maybe. The back neck cape was blocking most of the details and she could barely make anything out.
The figure hadn't reacted at all to the group of four entering the compartment, and a few seconds later of nothing, Kallen got impatient.
"Was it you? On the phone?"
Still nothing. No movement or any sense of acknowledgment. Kallen tried again. "Was the ceasefire in Shinjuku your doing? Were you involved in helping Kururugi kill Clovis?"
Again nothing. This time, Yoshida snorted before stepping forward. "Hey, we're talking to you!"
That exact moment, the train entered a tunnel, and that was when the figure finally moved, spinning around to finally face them. If nothing else, Kallen had to give it to whoever this person was, they had a flair for the dramatic, both in actions and the way they dressed with the cape, hiding most of their body, and the front of the mask, giving them an eerily inhumane look. That combined with the timing and the shock of the lights going off made all of her group gasp slightly.
"Greetings!" The figure said, his voice barely even recognisable as a male, as it was rendered almost indistinguishable due to a voice modulator. "As you may have guessed already, I am Zero. Now, what did you think of my tour of the settlement?"
"Your tour?" Ohgi repeated, slightly confused.
"Oh, come on," Yoshida said, sceptical, "There's no way it was this Joker…"
"I wanted you to fully grasp the two," the figure continued, "The Settlement…" he raised his left hand, finally revealing what he had under the cape, a dark purple suit, "and the Ghetto!" He raised the other arm."
Ohgi stepped forward, the confusion present on his face now replaced with disgruntlement. "Yeah, we get it. There's a difference between us and them. A very harsh one." His expression again shifted to one more determined. "That's why we resist them."
The figure nodded in approval. "I can imagine that it is not the only reason why, but it is a very good one to have. And you are right, the difference is very harsh, one brought about by the policies of the reigning Emperor, Charles zi Britannia." He cocked his head. "However, there is one simple fact that jeopardises all of your effort: Britannia will not fall to terrorism!"
"Fall?" Oghi muttered, confusion once again present on his face, as well as on the others as well.
"Britannia is a state built on propaganda, lies and military might. The former thrives on the actions of terrorists proving their lies were right to the populace. To the military, terrorism is no better than childish nuisance, a fact that they have proved time and time again in the past seven years." Zero paused. "Your willingness to continue the fight is not only admirable but also inspirational. However, the way not only you, but all the other resistance groups, have done so until now hasn't worked, and will not work, at least not until long past the time Britannia's boot finally breaks the Japanese people in a permanent fashion. You need another way, a way that is not terrorism!"
"What do you mean?" Ohgi asked, halting Yoshida before he could speak out against what Zero said.
"To beat an enemy, one must know them," Zero chided. "That is what many military leaders espouse. That is something that the Japanese resistance has collectively failed to do. If you did, then you would realise that the ordinary innocents that make up the majority of the Britannian populace are not your enemy, it is the Britannian state itself, or rather the Nobility, and the current Royalty. They must be your target, not the innocent! Take up your swords, and fight for Justice!"
Kallen was torn. On the one hand, she could easily see his point. Her step mother was a prime example of the nobility being the problem, with her blatant racism and elitism even over the most patriotic commoner Britannian. And her new colleagues on the student council (she wouldn't call them friends at this point of time, though she would admit that at some point she would like to) were very much friendly and good people. Even the most xenophobic member, Nina, was nice. Very distant, but nice, and had some baggage from her past that seemed to maybe be the source of her xenophobia. So Zero's words about the Britannian populace being innocent had a lot of merit to it.
On the other hand, he had just said that ALL of the effort she had put into going against Britannia, ALL of the effort Naoto had put in, was WORTHLESS and would do NOTHING! That what they were doing was just useless childish flailing against Britannia. Her heart refused to accept that, to accept that her Brother died for nothing! In the end, her emotions got the better of her, and this time it was her who interrupted instead of Yoshida.
"Oh please! That's all easy to say, hiding behind that mask!" she shouted out. "Why should we ever trust you, especially since you hide even from us?!"
"She's right," Sugiyama spoke up for the first time, nodding with Kallen's words.
"Lose the mask!" Yoshida shouted again.
Ohgi nodded along, clearly agreeing with his peers. "I see your point, but I also agree with my friends, if we are to trust you, you'll have to show us who you are."
"Very well," Zero said, "I'll show you who I am. Not behind this mask, but the power and influence I wield. If I can deliver unto you the impossible, will you trust me?"
That caused everyone to pause in their calls, and looked to Ohgi, who frowned in thought, before his eyes narrowed at Zero. "What do you have in mind, as you clearly expected us to ask this of you?"
"Tomorrow, during the televised transit for Private Kururugi to be escorted to his trial, I plan to free him then and there, without any of the innocent being killed or even injured in any way!" Zero declared, much to the shock of everyone present.
"In the open, with the amount of guards Britannia will have there?!" Yoshida asked. "That's crazy!"
"Security will be tight for sure, as well as it being televised. Do you have a death wish?!" Sugiyama added, completely taken aback.
Kallen for her part was also shocked, yet also intrigued. Yes it was almost certain suicide, yet the way Zero declared his intentions radiated sheer confidence and assurance, like he knew he could do it. She was sceptical, but a part of her wanted to see if he could pull it off.
Ohgi was silent as he processed what Zero said, before asking one more question. "There are other ways to prove that you are trustworthy. Why choose this one?"
"Because I refuse to let the innocent, regardless of which side they are on, suffer even more in place of me, due to my actions."
"You did kill Clovis!" Kallen said.
"I was present when he died, and gave the order myself," Zero corrected. "It was someone in league with me that took the actual shot. After all, who am I to get in the way of direct vengeance, especially one that suffered as much as that individual did due to Clovis' actions."
That answered that question, and created more. But Kallen accepted the answer, it was probably the best they were going to get.
"Why did you imply that Britannians are already suffering, when they are clearly profiting from the current situation?" Sugiyama asked.
"For they too are suffering, albeit in a very different and more subtle manner."
That enraged the Japanese present. "SUFFERING!" Yoshida shouted, "How are they suffering when they are the ones who benefit from our own suffering.!?"
Zero didn't answer, only walking closer to the compartment door, and gesturing to the Britannians in the one behind. "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Britannians." Yoshida snarled.
"Yes, but only that, Britannians. I see ordinary, innocent people. Some may be good hearted people even who love their families and would easily die for them if given the choice to save them. All however, have been brainwashed. Brainwashed into believing the lies that Britannians are superior to all other humans when in fact they are not, they are the exact same. All fed the lies that their rightful place is above the Numbers, while in actuality they are just viewed as pawns by the Nobility and fed the lies in order to distract their attention away from their lack of freedoms and potentially overthrowing the establishment."
Zero turned back to face the group. "Make no mistake, while the Numbers are repeatedly told that they are less than human, and are treated like animals, but are self aware with many seeking to change that, the average Britannian is in fact a slave with a collar around their neck, but believe that collar to be a necklace and a sign of their power over others, even as the strings attached to them move them around much to the puppeteer's amusement."
That got them all thinking, as Zero looked out of the window. "It looks like our time is up for now." He looked back at them. "I understand if you all don't trust me, and think my words are just verbally exaggerated nonsense. But if you have any sense of wishing to see if I can back up my claims, contact me on that phone by midnight tonight!"
With that, the train came to a stop at the next train station, which was still underground. Since they were all in the front compartment, the area they were next to was shrouded in shadow, with no one waiting there to get on the train. So Zero exited the train there, and walked into the shadows. Kallen actually ran out of the train, to see where he went, but he had vanished without a trace. She stood there for a moment, her mind processing what had just happened, before Ohgi called out to her to get back on the train, so she did, getting on just as the doors closed.
"Congratulations!" The almost always cheerful voice of Lloyd Asplund echoed throughout the prison, especially in Suzaku's cell. "Those two you asked me about weren't on the list of casualties at Shinjuku!"
"That's good to hear," Suzaku admitted, sighing in relief. Lelouch and the girl were alright, with none the wiser that Lelouch was in fact royalty. 'Wherever you are now, Lelouch, I hope you are with Nunnally.'
"Unfortunately, I can't really say the same about your situation." Lloyd admitted casually with a shrug, his cheerful tone only diminishing very, very slightly. Suzaku chose to look at it as if it showed Lloyd did care somewhat about him. "Due to the disappearance of Margrave Gottwald, and the supposed takeover by Captain Soresi, the only thing you will get is a trial, and a rigged one at that."
"Disappearance… did the terrorists somehow get Margrave Gottwald?" Suzaku asked.
"No, more likely the good Margrave's been put under house arrest by Soresi in order for him to take over for now." Lloyd shrugged again. "Military politics, especially with the Purebloods involved, always involve such backstabs. All so Soresi can create his ideal vision of an Area." Lloyd sighed. "That's why he has set up this kangaroo court, where no one is pulling for you, just so they can use you as an example then dispose of you."
"But court is where the truth comes to light," Suzaku argued.
"I'm afraid the truth is in short supply these days," Lloyd admitted.
Suzaku became resolute. "Even if that's the case, I'll know the truth. I have no regrets!"
'Lelouch, Nunnally, I hope you guys…' he couldn't finish the thought in his head as he closed his eyes. 'Thanks for being such good friends.'
Lelouch had just arrived back with C.C. to the clubhouse, having changed back into his casual wear while C.C. remained in her business attire, claiming that she looked good in it, which Lelouch silently admitted to himself that she did. His mind also decided to then imagine Kallen, Milly and Shirley in the same suit, an image that he quickly threw to the bin in order to not get distracted. It still wasn't the time to get distracted.
'Maybe after Suzaku is free, you could celebrate by drinking from Kallen again…' a voice in his mind whispered, 'or even…'
"Nope!" he said out loud, slapping his own cheek, drawing an amused chuckle from C.C.
"Big brother?" Nunnally called out from another room, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine Nunnally," he reassured her. "Just trying to not think about something."
"I hope it's not something naughty," Nunnally teased, as Lelouch entered the dining room, where she was eating her vegetable soup, prepared for her by Sayako, who stood at the kitchen, finishing up Lelouch's own soup.
Lelouch gave off a guilty chuckle, before changing the subject. "Was the middle school musical good today?"
Nunnally smiled. "It was wonderful. I'm a bit jealous that I don't have the talent to sing like they did. But I'm so proud of my friends in the play, they did so well."
Lelouch smiled as he went up and gently held Nunnally's hand. "I'm happy you enjoyed it. Do you want me to see if there are any professional musicals coming up to tour Tokyo soon?"
Nunnally's expression brightened even more. "Yes please!"
"I'll check on it later then," Lelouch promised, "Do you want it to be just the two of us or…"
"The rest of the student council, please," Nunnally said without any hesitation. "Musicals should be enjoyed with our friends!"
"Of course," Lelouch said, letting go of Nunnally's hand before he took a seat at the table just as Sayako served him his meal. They ate in a comfortable silence from then on, the two siblings just enjoying the other's company.
An hour later, Nunnally got ready to leave to sleep over at Shirley's house tonight, having asked Lelouch just earlier to do so, as she didn't want to spend the night before Suzaku's trial in the clubhouse. Lelouch approved it, and so Sayako left to drop off Nunnally at Shirley's.
Once again, it was just him and C.C. in the house. C.C. was on the couch in the living room, enjoying some Pizza she bought with his credit card, while he was looking through the internet, trying to see if anything new had just come up for him to exploit or use. It didn't take him long to find a conspiracy article about the disappearance of Margrave Gottwald earlier today, and the fact that Captain Soresi had become much more active in the affairs of the temporary government at the same time. Interesting. Maybe something to investigate.
"Hey, C.C.?" he called out to her, who looked up with her mouth full. "Are you up for a quick trip to the Viceroy's palace?"
That got her attention, quickly finishing off her pizza slice as she got up and walked up next to him, reading what was on the screen. After a moment, she nodded. "Sure. We can definitely do that, and I can use the time to show you some more basics." She gave him a smile that sent chills down his spine. "However, this time will involve a lot more physical activity than the last chat."
Lelouch sighed but accepted her resolution. He was improving due to her forcing him to do workouts each morning, and he could already see the results. He was slightly faster than before, and could run further before having to stop to catch his breath.
"Though will we be back in time before Kallen's group potentially calls us back?" C.C. asked.
"When they call us back," Lelouch corrected, "and yes, if we leave soon."
C.C. looked at the time, just after 7pm at the moment, so less than five hours until Lelouch's deadline hit. "Alright, let's go."
So C.C. dressed in something more casual than her suit, while Lelouch quickly changed into his stolen Britannian soldier uniform he had acquired at Shinjuku. Less than ten minutes later, they left the clubhouse, having called Sayako to let her know that they were on a small trip out.
As there was still light present at this time of day, some students were still scattered about the academy grounds, meaning that they couldn't leave through the front gate. Well, they technically could due to C.C. being able to stop people from perceiving them, but she insisted that she wanted to teach Lelouch something else for today. So they made their way to the fence, where no one would be.
"Testing my climbing skills today, are we?" Lelouch sarcastically commented.
C.C. didn't answer. Instead she lowered herself slightly then jumped up, over the fence, landing on the other side with no issue. Lelouch took a step back in shock, eyes wide under his helmet. No human should have been able to do that in one single leap. He did recover quickly, giving C.C. a glare under his helmet.
"You expect me to be able to do that as well?"
"No, not yet, but I want to see how far you can jump at this point," C.C. said. "Consider this a benchmark of your progress in physical change and development. The more you change and strengthen yourself, the higher you can jump and I want you to keep on practising over the course of the next few weeks until you can in one single leap."
"I get it," Lelouch said. "But as for right now, should I just try to jump normally, or is there a process to do any superhuman movements?"
"Right now, put in some more effort," C.C. recommended. "Exaggerate your movements as well, especially your leg positions, lowering yourself more so your momentum is greater."
Lelouch followed through with her instructions and took a deep breath before jumping with as much might as he could his credit, it was a high fence and he did jump up a fair distance, but only managed to reach just over halfway before he had to grab the bars to stop himself from falling back onto the ground. C.C. couldn't help but chuckle as she saw Lelouch hold on for dear life, before taking pity on him and jumping back to the other side after he finally dropped to the ground. He looked at her with a scowl of embarrassment through his helmet even as she grabbed his uniform and threw him over the fence.
"Gah…" was all he managed before he landed on the ground over the fence, groaning from how his arms now hurt.
"You'll be fine," C.C. said as she landed next to him on her feet. "You won't feel anything in a few hours."
"Yeah, because you could have broken my arm!"
"Crybaby…" C.C. rolled her eyes, before getting serious. "Let's go," she said as she lifted Lelouch off the ground, who cradled his arm, finding that he didn't really suffer any injuries.
It didn't take them long to reach the Viceroy's Palace, a large, foreboding structure built with the usual Britannian flare of large is right mentality. While it had lots of guards, the walls surrounding the structure were easily bypassed by the two vampires, who used their hypnosis powers on any guards that were in their way. They were expecting an environment of tension and almost paranoia against any potential infiltrators, but instead, Lelouch found that that paranoia was focused on each other. Whatever had happened, a rift had formed between the Purebloods, well most of them, and the regular Britannian military soldiers and bureaucrats. He was almost insulted for Britannia's sake at how easy they were making things for him, except that it made his plan for tomorrow all the more promising.
From their hiding spot in one of the many corridors, C.C. shook her head. "How incompetent. This is why I very much disagree with the concept of social darwinism even on the most calculated level. But no, Charles never listened to me, saying that it never mattered." She scoffed. "It does now."
"As much as I sympathise with your ranting," Lelouch whispered as he peeped round the corner, where a patrol was making their way away from them, "I would prefer Britannia to not accept some of your requests and become a more efficient machine. And I don't think this is the right time."
"Sorry, but I get really passionate about incompetence like this," C.C. said. "Hell, that was one of the reasons why I got caught in the first place."
Lelouch turned to look at C.C. with a deadpan look, or would have if he didn't have a helmet on. "Did they catch you ranting?"
"Not verbally," C.C. corrected, "I had just finished off a squad showing some incompetence and overtly disgusting ideals that actually divided the squad itself, and I was just thinking that when I got struck down by someone in hiding. I never found out who exactly, but I have an idea."
"If you ever find out for certain, and I am available, I will help you get your vengeance," Lelouch promised. "But right now, let's get some more information about what's going on."
He looked back around the corner, seeing the patrol vanishing down another corridor. Motioning to C.C., the two of them snuck down the corridor, finding themselves in front of a door of an officer's living quarters, guarded by two soldiers wearing Pureblood symbols.
"That looks important," C.C. noted.
"Indeed, though the question is, are they guarding someone to protect them, or to keep them silent," Lelouch noted, focusing on a small attachment on the door. "And I believe it's the latter."
C.C. narrowed her eyes at the door. "If we enter without any code being imputed, someone would catch on. Hopefully the guards have the code."
"Do you want to take this one?" Lelouch asked.
"I don't see why not," C.C. said before getting up and striding over to the guards, who looked at her in confusion. She just smiled before saying "Please enter the code to enter the room."
They submitted instantly, answering with "Of course," before following through with her orders.
"Thank you, now you haven't seen me or my friend here, you won't let anyone in, and you won't remember anything you could potentially hear from inside this room, until after we exit the room and leave the corridor."
With that out of the way, the two of them opened the door, to find a sick Villetta Nu, still in her dress uniform, lying on her bed with a laptop open, fiercely typing something with a scowl on her face. To say Lelouch was surprised that the one room he had entered so far was occupied by the same woman who he had secretly turned into a sleeper agent was again a surprise, but a welcome one. As soon as she heard the door open, she looked up to see C.C. and Lelouch close the door after they had entered.
"Who the bloody hell are you two?" She asked in a sniffly tone, "Are you more of Kewell's lackeys, the very few outside of the purebloods."
"On the contrary," Lelouch said, taking off his helmet, causing her to frown at how young this boy was, as well as some sort of familiar feeling she got when she saw him. "But now: Obey me!"
Viletta stiffened before relaxing, her eyes slightly dulling as she got up from her bed and knelt in front of Lelouch. It seemed that his previous command was still embedded in her. Good, that would make finding out what was going on much easier.
"Master," she numbly said. "What is your command?"
"Report. Tell me why you seem to be under house arrest in your room here?" Lelouch asked.
"Because Kewell… Captain Soresi launched a soft Coup against the Interim Viceroy, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, just this morning, after Lord Jeremiah and I had met with one of the local Media producers. The Producer, Mr Diethard, informed us of Kewell's commissioning of a special arrangement for the trial, arranging a crowd of loyal Britannians on the way there to make the Pureblood ideas look popular. Just before Lord Jeremiah was about to inform her Highness Princess Cornelia of a potential coup attempt against him when Kewell did launch his coup right then and there. He had the two of us sentenced to house arrest and had implanted a small virus in our bodies to make us less likely to try to break free." She pointed to a mark on her neck, clearly caused by a syringe. "Since then, I have been trying to get into contact with Lord Jeremiah, but to no avail. I was just in the process of trying to create a backroom connection between the devices in my room to his when you came in."
Lelouch hummed as she finished her explanation. That did make what was happening outside make sense. It also gave him an even bigger chance of not only uprooting the Pureblood hold over Area Eleven's administration and military, but also completely ruining their reputation across the entire empire if his plan went well tomorrow. However, one small detail puzzled Lelouch.
"Wait, Margrave Jeremiah has a connection with Cornelia?" Lelouch asked. While he obviously hadn't had any contact with his elder half-sister since his exile, he had kept up to date with the news regarding certain members of his family, which included Cornelia and Euphie. Said news occasionally mentioned that despite a mutual racism against non-Britannians, Cornelia despised the Purebloods, having quoted that "they went against every single principle she held dear", principles that she had inherited from his mother and thus avoided them like the plague. So that begged the question, why would she keep in contact with one Pureblood leader.
"Yes, as he had served under her command as a member of Empress Marianne vi Britannia's Royal Guard," Villetta explained.
Lelouch's eyes widened in shock. The interim Viceroy served under his mother. That meant that he had most likely met already in the past. Then it clicked. 'That's why the name sounded so familiar when she said it in Shinjuku,' he realised in his head, 'we had already met at least a few times.' His eyes narrowed as he struggled to find a memory with the man present until… "Does Jeremiah have teal hair and orange eyes?"
"Yes he does," Villetta confirmed.
Lelouch frowned as an old memory reran itself in his brain, one where a single Royal Guard was happily escorting him and Nunnally over to the Ashford's residence in Pendragon, chatting with him over simple topics. A teal haired man with orange eyes. Lord, it had been so long since he had thought of the guard. What a small world.
"Oh, Gottwald," C.C. said, snapping her fingers. "Ah, I remember that youngster. Always on time and remarkable loyalty. Hell, I remember he even stood up to a few of the other consorts in defence of Marianne." She sighed. "Those were the days…"
In response to that, Lelouch turned to face C.C. "Loyalty to mother?"
"Yes, Marianne always commented on how if somehow she would ever go against Britannia, impossible as that would be, she knew that she could always count on Jeremiah to follow her to hell and back."
Lelouch's eyes widened as he processed the information. He really had never considered that any sort of Britannian outside of some of his half-siblings and the Ashfords would have had anything good to say about his mother, much less being completely loyal to her. However, the original question remained, or has shifted into a sort of new question.
"Still, why would someone who obviously held Mo… Empress Marianne in high regard join an organisation with the opposite views to her?" He asked Villetta, his attention back to her, "And why would Cornelia even accept him talking to her if so?"
"His admission into the Purebloods was certainly a surprise," Villetta admitted, "especially since he had in the past rebuked many invitations to join. That changed about four years ago, when a position for the Area Eleven branch of the Purebloods opened up, and he joined then. It also helped that the Knight of Six, Anya Alstreim, endorsed him."
That was indeed a surprising move. However, it didn't stop him from seeing the only thing that connected most of the elements together: Nunnally and himself. That was interesting, very interesting. Especially since the Purebloods were a major component of the Britannian military garrison here in Japan, which would grant them unique access to the array of information collected and compiled by the Area Eleven administration, whether useful or not. It didn't take long at all for Lelouch to deduce that Gottwald had been looking for the two vi Britannian siblings. Question was, did he think they were alive and if he did, what was his goal in finding them? However, if the information he had just gotten from both C.C. and Villetta were correct, then he doubted he wanted to kill either Nunnally or himself, especially if his loyalty remained the same.
"Did he explain why he wanted to come to Area Eleven?" he still asked to confirm with Villetta. This was something he didn't want to have an erroneous idea about.
"To find the vi Britannia siblings, who he believes are still alive, then serve them as long as they need."
That confirmation actually caused Lelouch to stumble and fall to his feet as his mindset of no one in Britannia caring about them crumbled from the knowledge that one man, one person who didn't even know them that well personally, still cared and was still looking for them despite the odds. Both C.C. and surprisingly Villetta went to help him up, the latter probably due to her seeing Lelouch as her master now, which he accepted, taking it a bit embarrassingly and unsightly that he fell like that in front of a stranger. But he threw off that feeling as his mind went on overdrive to account for this new development.
"Is the room where Margrave Jeremiah is being held nearby?" he asked Villetta.
"No," she answered, shaking her head, "Kewell separated us into opposite wings of the palace. This isn't even my normal room, as I usually sleep in the barracks a few blocks away, but Kewell had some of my belongings here just so his loyal purebloods could keep their eye on me. The same goes for Margrave Jeremiah, though they did treat him with more respect due to his rank, but only because of that…" her face grimaced in anger. "Not even because he treated them well and would have taken a bullet for his comrades, those backstabbing bastards."
Her end rant aside, due to the time restraints for tonight, he would have to put actually meeting Jeremiah on hold for now, especially if he wanted to gain access to certain data on the main computers in the palace then meet Kallen's resistance group if they contact him soon. After all, he had now learned of another skeleton in the closet for the local administration, and it wouldn't be so kind as to put it out in the open with actual evidence for everyone to see.
"Where is the main computer located in the palace?"
"Two floors up, in the central room," Villetta said, before grabbing her laptop, pressing a few keys before flipping it around so that Lelouch could see the screen. On the screen was a detailed schematic of the palace. "I was planning on studying this for use to get out, but if you need it, I can send it to you, Master."
Lelouch smiled. "Excellent. This will indeed prove very useful, not only for tonight but for the future as well."
"I am happy to serve, Master."
He was about to leave, when he thought of something to ask her. "By the way, what are your thoughts on Margrave Jeremiah and his views? The honest truth, please."
"Margrave Jeremiah is one of the best soldiers I have ever met, though personally I find his views in many ways antiquated and soft," she admitted, "At the start of his career here, his devotion to not going against his morals even disgusted me somewhat, as they went against what we are told and shown work in the nobility. However, over time that disgust shifted to respect as I worked under him more and saw that even when partnered with Purebloods who heavily disagreed with him, he still treated them with respect and as a comrade, as long as they did nothing against him or anything he viewed as abhorrently wrong. That made me realise that while the other Purebloods, myself included at the time, would have happily betrayed one other for even a bit of power, he wouldn't. Instead he would have my back. That was the beginning of me viewing him as a proper comrade and now, I do view him as a friend, as he does me, the only one in the Purebloods that he has if I recall correctly. As for his views, right now some I still view antiquated, as I said before, but some also have merits. Especially now, as I have now been on the receiving end of a backstab by an ambitious officer who was once a comrade of mine who I respected and shared the same view as." She shrugged. "I'm not sure what to feel about that right now."
Lelouch frowned. He'll admit, she definitely was not a good person, especially not now, and she was still a pureblood that still believed many of the beliefs they espoused. Plus the way she talked about the Nobility had the tone of someone wanting to join that exclusive 'club', so that was a demerit in his eyes. But, she had conveyed the beginnings of doubt about those ideals, and Jeremiah, who seemed to be a good person and would not get too close with anyone with despicable ideals, was friends with her, so obviously he saw something in her that could change, or a good angle to her. No one was simply two dimensional, so that made sense.
Still, she would make a fine inside spy within the administration for now, especially in the next few days once he rescues Suzaku, where there will be chaos everywhere. She would also be of help in getting into contact with Jeremiah, once he figures out what to make of the man and what to ask of him. So he would still leave her under his spell.
But another couple of thoughts crept into his mind. The loudest of the two ideas was him slowly using her current doubts to get rid of her pureblood and even Britannian racial ideas and replacing them with his own, using legitimate means to show her how to be a better person and redeem her. It would take a lot of time, effort and a lot of contact, which may clash with her work as a spy, but something about the idea appealed to him. If he could convert her to his side fully, not with his current brainwashing, then it meant that he could turn much of the Britannian military and populace against his father's social darwinism and actually make progress in creating Nunnally's perfect world.
The second thought was his vampire instincts acting up again of course. He really should have expected it, but it seemed that his instincts seemed to at least be more accepting of Villetta than most of the other girls that he sees at school, though still less than Kallen, Milly and Shirley. And he had to admit, she was very attractive. Her slightly darker skin made her look more exotic in his eyes, her hair style was also unique, her golden eyes were similar colour to C.C.'s but more yellow than gold. Her breasts were also quite big and…
'For fucks sake!' he shouted in his mind. 'Just stop! Am I going to have this reaction to every attractive lady I see?!'
'No,' a voice whispered in his mind, 'Only the good ones.'
'Shut up!' he responded. 'She may be very attractive, but she isn't a good person! Plus I don't really know her at all.'
'But you didn't know Kallen at all,' the voice countered, 'plus you can turn her into a better person, one suited as part of your harem.'
'I don't have a harem!' he retorted, to which there was no response. Lelouch sighed, trying not to show any signs of his mental back and forth. He did fail though as C.C. smirked, which he noticed. He glared at her, to which she rolled her eyes, but then went over to behind Villetta, who seemed confused at where C.C. was going.
[Lime Scene ahead. Skip if you don't want to read]
"Um, Master…?" she said before C.C. grabbed her from behind, starting to undo her uniform's buttons before pulling her shirt open enough to expose her cleavage. Villetta's hands went to grab C.C.'s to stop her from doing anything, but as she touched C.C., the vampiress began to fondle Villetta's breasts, touching them from both over her clothes, and on the bare skin as well, causing the victim to moan slightly.
"Oh, she does have a wonderful body, for someone belonging to such a bad cause," C.C. commented as she continued to play with Villetta.
"I… Is this really the time?" Lelouch said, stammering at the start as his eyes seemed glued to the sight before him. He even felt his mouth drooling slightly, so he quickly wiped it away to protect his dignity. There was also a mild feeling in his mind that was both of the opinion that he should get in on the action as well, and an urge to bare his fangs at C.C. for touching what was…his? 'Really?' he asked himself. 'I may have her under my spell right now, but she isn't mine.'
"Probably not, but it is fun," C.C. admitted, unaware of his thoughts on the matter. "Though this would be a good session on how to make any girl you fancy feel good."
"As if that's what's important right now," Lelouch sarcastically said. "We're here for information, not sexually harassing the enemy."
"Why not both?" C.C. half jokingly said. Lelouch gave her a look, mainly as an excuse to not look at Villetta's breasts. C.C. sighed in exasperation. "Well, look at this in a different light. If you do what I am doing to her right now, it'll create an easier avenue for you to control her, less through direct, full hypnosis and more into the subtle realms of manipulation."
"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked.
"Well, no better way than actually having you start it to show it to you," C.C. said, stopping her ministrations on Villetta, but still keeping her hands on her breasts, making sure her cleavage was still exposed. "Come on, don't be shy."
Seeing Lelouch stay still, as if completely frightened of touching Villetta in the way C.C. wanted him to, she rolled her eyes and beckoned him with a finger. Suddenly Lelouch felt himself stiffen, losing control of his legs as he found himself walking up to Villetta stiffly. As he did, he gave C.C. a look of betrayal.
"Sorry about this, Lelouch," she said honestly, "but your inhibition towards these things is going to cost you in the long run in terms of your vampiric development. And as you said before, she is the enemy. It's better you test your hypnotic powers on her rather than someone you actually care for like Ms Kallen, the Ashford heiress, that red haired girl… You get the idea."
She had a point, but still, she did just control him, for the second time as well. Over something like this! To say he was not happy would be an understatement. But he knew that either he relented, or she would maybe force him to touch Villetta, and honestly, the idea of testing his hypnosis powers on his friends made him feel unclean and tainted.
So in the end, he sighed in defeat and raised his hands to touch Villetta's breasts. He did it softly, and while his hands mainly touched her clothed areas, his thumbs slid against her bare skin on her breasts, which felt so warm and soft. Even when he bit Kallen before, he never touched her breasts, so this was an entirely new experience. It seemed to draw him in, making him continue to touch her skin, while at the same time, making sure they never stopped touching her, used his thumbs to open up her shirt even more, exposing more and more of her breasts to him, while starting to move his hands slowly on her breasts.
He could hear her gasp in shock before her hands lifted up and went to the sides of her open shirt, holding the ends and pulling them open even more, one or two buttons actually undoing further down her shirt, before she stopped, holding her shirt in place so that Lelouch could continue his ministrations. He couldn't see it, but Villetta's eyes half-closed, as her head leaned forward, her mouth opening slightly before closing it as if holding back a moan, leaning more and more towards Lelouch.
As his hands seemed to find its way past her clothes and onto her bare skin completely, C.C. smiled as she watched how Lelouch seemed to reduce Villetta's will to bare putty, even with his command for her to see him as her master. Though it didn't seem obvious to both Lelouch and Villetta herself. C.C., being the experienced Vampire with a code could see how Villetta's soul was slowly being drawn to Lelouch's.
Finally, after a few minutes of rubbing and massaging her breasts, Lelouch felt his instincts take over and pull open the rest of her shirt, revealing her white bra underneath, which contrasted nicely with her chocolate skin. He pulled down her bra, exposing her pink nipples to his view and began to properly fondle her breasts. Now Villetta couldn't help but moan as he began to work on her breasts, her body now truly beginning to submit to him.
He stopped his work on her breasts here, leaving her to give off a whimper of disappointment, her eyes lidded with desire. But he wasn't done, instead he moved his hand down towards her skirt and slid in. He didn't slide under her panties, but instead placed his hand over them, rubbing just where her lower lips would be. She moaned again, leaning her head back, her silver hair flowing backwards, her panties becoming damp. He continued teasing her for a few more minutes before she stiffened, giving off a quiet cry as he felt a gush of liquid flow through her panties and onto his hand.
As she fell to her feet, panting, her skin glistening from sweat, he took his hand out and looked at the substance on it. It smelled different, a sweet auroma. That was all he could tell from it but it was enough. He rose it to his mouth and licked it. It was also a bitter taste, but not something that he inherently hated. But that seemed to fuel his vampiric instincts more, drawing his attention away from Villetta's lower body to her neck.
Placing a finger under her chin, he lifted her head up, with her getting to her feet in synchronisation. After she stood up, her eyes now dull like what Kallen's were like in the bathroom, he leaned more and more towards her neck, as if it was drawing him in. His iris turned red with hunger as he inched closer and closer before his mouth opened, revealing his fangs and…
[Lime End]
'VRRRT, VRRRT'
The phone in his armour's pocket began to vibrate, shocking him out of his trance and caused him to stumble back, away from Villetta quickly. It took him a moment of breathing rapidly before he took out the phone and answered it, calming himself down enough to talk coherently and at ease, even if it was a facade.
"I see you are interested after all," he said.
"Yes… some of us are," the voice of the puffy haired man, Ohgi Kaname from what he gathered, spoke out to him. "It's around 11:36 now, do you need us to meet up soon?"
"Of course. Meet me in one hour at the Kanagawa waste dump. I'll meet you there."
With that he hung up, and put his hand on his forehead. He looked back down at Villetta, who was breathing heavily as well, her eyes unfocused, yet she was blushing heavily. He then looked at C.C. who had a disappointed expression on her face, pouting slightly.
"You were doing great…" she sighed out after noticing him looking at her.
"We…we're going to have a chat about you forcing me into doing that!" Lelouch ground out, trying to calm his heart rate from the adrenaline coursing through him.
"Again, I apologise for it, but we do need to chat about it," C.C. agreed. "However, let's save it until after you save your friend."
"Alright," Lelouch accepted, "What should we do with her? Specifically, how should we get her back to normal to cover our tracks?"
"Just order her to do something," C.C. shrugged. "She's your servant now."
Lelouch rubbed his eyes in resignation. He did not want a servant, not an unwilling one, but he couldn't argue with his vampiric instincts and reality. So he stood in front of Villetta, trying not to look at her half dressed state.
"I need you to clean yourself and this room up, to the state it was before we entered," he told her, "Also once we leave, you will forget that we were here, only to remember when I tell you to. Also you will send your schematics to this email address," he wrote it down on a piece of paper, as well as a phone number, which she took. "Actually, do that now, before you clean up. Once you have done it, save the number to your phone, labelled as Alan Spacer, then burn the piece of paper so that there is no evidence left. Even after you forget what has happened, you must follow any commands I send through that contact by text, and if I start calling you, you have to make sure you are alone when you answer it. If that means ignoring it if you are under watch of someone, then calling back when you are able to, that is fine."
"Of course, Master," she answered, before heading back to her bed to follow his orders. After sending him the schematics, and cleaning up, redoing her uniform so it looked near immaculate. He noted that she did look very sexy in that, but shook the thought away.
After she had finished, Lelouch and C.C. left, heading towards the central computers to get the data they needed for proof to post on the internet after his plan is enacted. But his mind was not on C.C. 'convincing' the guards and operators to give her the information and wipe the security cameras, but on the meeting in an hour.
'Alright, now that they've contacted me back,' he thought to himself, 'it's time to meet them to finally set this rescue into motion!'
Kallen frowned as she and Ohgi walked through the scrapyard, looking at the visual indicators that Zero had told them to follow for them to find him. She had to admit, it would be the last place she would have thought to look for an extravagant individual like he seemed to be. But overall, she really didn't like it here, as much of the scrap left here were Japanese made cars, vehicles and pieces of buildings, with only the occasional Britannian obsolete junk as well. It reminded her of what the Britannians were trying to do to her people and culture.
Then her thoughts shifted to the present, or rather the very near future, of what Zero had promised to them: the chance to successfully rescue Suzaku Kururugi. To say that it seemed impossible was an understatement, but the fact that Zero's intervention in Shinjuku should have been an impossibility kinda made that point almost redundant. Almost. Shinjuku was in the eyes of Britannia a backwater, while this trial would be a televised event for the whole empire. So there would be even higher chances of this backfiring.
So, that begged the question, why was she here? To sum it up, intrigue and a small belief that maybe he can pull it off. If he could, she wanted to be a part of it. Plus, there was like a speck of something that beckoned her to follow him, but it was so little that she didn't really recognise it herself.
So she was the only one that agreed to join Ohgi in meeting Zero for the second time and helping him in the rescue attempt, both of them hoping that Zero would have additional help in line as well.
"Thank you for coming," Zero's voice called out to her just as she passed the last building that Zero had described to them.
There he was, standing on a pile of junk, completely impassive. Though there really was no way for Kallen to tell, as he was completely hidden behind his mask and cape, so she couldn't even read his body language.
"Zero," Ohgi greeted.
Zero nodded in greetings as well, before speaking once more. "So just the two of you then?" he asked, not sounding surprised in the slightest.
"I'm sorry, we just needed more time to convince the others to come help, but they just needed more assurances…" Ohgi began to explain, but Zero raised a hand to stop him.
"No need, though I appreciate the effort," Zero assured him. "In fact, the three of us will do just nicely."
"Wait, just the three of us?!" Kallen exclaimed, shocked. "Come on, that's ridiculous. There's no way that we can do anything on our own against…"
"On the contrary, with your help completing the tasks at hand will be mere child's play," Zero said, before reaching back into his cape and pulling out a picture of a car. "What I'll need for us to do before tomorrow. The only thing that matters is the exterior."
Kallen went up to the junk heap and grabbed the picture from Zero. She gasped when she saw what was on the image. She looked up back at Zero. "You want this by tomorrow?!"
Zero nodded. "We have all of the parts we need here, the only thing we lack is an abundance of time, though enough to get the job done." He jumped down off the pile. "Let's get started."
"You're working on this too?" Ohgi asked, surprised.
"Of course," Zero said. "I am a firm believer of leading by example, and while I am no expert at physical mechanical work, three people are better than two."
In the end, Zero's words proved prophetic, as they managed to get the work done by the rays of light for the next morning, the day when the trial would take place in the evening.
Later on
In the student council room, Milly seemed to be the one most at ease within the room. Shirley was sitting at the table, looking with worried eyes, Rivalz seemed relaxed sitting on the table itself, but his stiff back betrayed his true feelings, and Nina was at her computer off to the side, looking at the screen with anxiety. All of them felt more at ease whenever they looked at her neutral face, becoming less worried as if Milly could keep her wits about, they could too.
However, internally, she was the most worried of them all. There were a variety of reasons, the main one being one of the only members not in the room with them; Lelouch. Or more specifically what she believes to be the reason he wasn't present currently.
When Lelouch and Nunnally had arrived to seek refuge with the Ashfords, they had told her about their time in Japan, especially in regards to Suzaku Kururugi, so she knew how much he meant to the both of them. The fact that it was Suzaku who had been accused of killing Prince Clovis would have definitely set off Lelouch and Nunnally, especially the former, and especially since he was innocent with the act of treason that Lelouch himself committed instead. Lelouch's pride alone would force him to act to set Suzaku free, not counting how much of a friend they viewed each other.
The fact that Lelouch had been absent for large parts of the past two days since the news announcement only made it even more obvious to her that he was planning something, something big. Something that would set the ever growing powder keg that was Area Eleven alight.
She remembered that he promised to tell her if he had formed any plans but it was obvious that either he was too focused on making something work for today or he was purposefully excluding her from it, and she didn't know which infuriated her more. Actually no, she wouldn't if it was the former, especially since something big would require even Lelouch to divert as much attention to it as possible, but the latter could only be Lelouch's desire to keep everyone he cares about out of harm's way. She could understand it perfectly, but damn was it annoying. Especially if it could lead to him driving everyone away from him in order to protect them, or some sort of that selfless crap.
No, not this time. Milly would stick by him until the very end, whether he wanted her to or not. Only problem was that she had no idea of what he was about to do. So here she was, stuck watching whatever could be unfolding, useless. She hated feeling useless, especially when it came to helping Lelouch. But alas, she was also a realist, and knew there was little she could do. But she was the school council president for a reason, so she would keep morale high here at Ashford, for everyone's sake. Better than them worrying too much and distracting Lelouch from what he needed to do for himself.
Euphemia li Britannia couldn't help but have her eyes glued to the live broadcast from Area Eleven as she sat in her sister's battalion's officer conference room, where Cornelia, Guiliford, Darlton, his adoptive sons and the other high ranking officers within her mobile unit sat as well. While most of them were watching the screen every so often, Cornelia was mainly concerned with preparing them for their final offensive on the last stronghold of the Middle Eastern Federation, though Cornelia would take a moment every now and then to look at the screen and sneer at it, before turning her attention back to her officers. Though for once, her ire was not directed on the Japanese individual who was mostly shown on screen, but rather the Britannian officer leading the procession to the court.
Euphie understood exactly why. For the past few hours, Cornelia had tried contacting Jeremiah to see how his investigation was going, only for there to be silence from his end. This didn't bring any good tidings for Jeremiah, especially after the backdoor news from Area Eleven told of how the interim viceroy has disappeared, with Purebloods now lining the hallways of the Viceroy's Palace. To say Cornelia had been enraged was an understatement. And now this fake trial was happening due to the ambitions of one officer, at the expense of the true culprit of Clovis' murder being left unhassled by any attempts to identify him and bring him to justice.
It said much about the situation when Cornelia, a very devout member of Britannian superiority and the policy on numbers was willing to give one the benefit of the doubt when compared to a Britannian officer.
For her own part, Euphie had a lot of conflicting emotions inside her. First of all, she was really worried about the individual put on trial, Suzaku Kururugi. Someone who was completely innocent, brought to judgement due to their birth nationality and the fact that they were in a position that others did not want him and others like him to be in. The very definition of the word unfair. A world that Euphie hated with every fibre of her being.
She had also looked through his record together with Cornelia, and what they saw shocked the two sisters. Apparently, he had actually lived with Lelouch and Nunnally when they were exiled to Japan before the invasion, the hidden files that only a select few could access even providing a glimpse at the life that Lelouch and Nunnally had before their… No, no more on that thought process, otherwise she would cry again. She always cried when she thought about that time.
Though that led to the second reason why her feelings were so jumbled: Japan and Area Eleven had now cost her three siblings, all three being siblings that she had a very good relationship with in the past unlike most members of their family. Well, Clovis had become more distant after becoming Viceroy, but he was still friendly to her. But now his memory had been tarnished by what he did the day he died. Though Jeremiah hadn't outright stated it, she had surmised from his words what Clovis had been truly doing at Shinjuku: massacring the local population, those that Britannia had labelled Elevens.
That alone horrified Euphie beyond belief, as she had always hated violence of that kind, as well as how so many innocent lives, regardless of age and gender were usually gunned down by her own nation's soldiers. Hell, she had witnessed Cornelia's troops commit these acts constantly, so much that she always shut herself in her room, trying to distract herself from the screams that echoed in her head, even though she was miles away from the actual acts being committed, as she could do little if anything at all to stop them.
The fact that her own sister was involved in these massacres herself was… she couldn't really describe the disappointment and hurt she felt because of that, though she still loved Cornelia dearly, even the massacres couldn't change that. But there was an unspoken agreement between the two sisters that Euphie would not talk out against these actions, not only due to fears of her unwittingly disrupting the cohesion in Cornelia's unit, but also fear of someone snitching Euphie out to the OSS or even father himself about her views, while Cornelia would strive that she and her soldiers would not talk about the criminal acts while she was nearby, or even attempt them if she was close to the site. That was the only way Euphie could stop at least some people from dying, but it wasn't even close to being enough, not for her.
But that was going on a tangent. The point is, that her feelings on Area Eleven were complicated and soon that would be the place she would preside over as Sub-Viceroy soon enough. Father had sent Cornelia her orders to assume the position of Viceroy, with Euphie being Sub-Viceror, just as she had suspected, so after tomorrow, when Area Eighteen would be established after the final assault, they would pack up and head straight there. Though Euphie had been secretly planning on heading there earlier on a flight later on in the day, while Cornelia would be leading the assault, so she could get a glimpse of what life was like for the residents in Area Eleven, pay her respects to the fallen at Shinjuku and maybe even meet up with Milly for the first time since their exile.
She finally turned away from the screen, having stopped watching while she was in her thoughts, taking a sip of water offered by one of the servants tending to the meeting. She suddenly lost the desire to watch this dog and pony show, and wanted to go back to her room to continue packing, but then something changed on the screen, which caught everyone's attention.
"The convoy has just come to a stop!" a news anchor on the scene reported, the very scene playing before their eyes on the screen. "This is not a scheduled stop. Could there have been some sort of accident! Wait… This is site 5, there is a vehicle approaching them!"
As the anchor spoke, the camera shifted to view what seemed to be a stylised car heading towards the convoy. Euphie narrowed her eyes as the camera zoomed in, trying to make out the details on it before her eyes widened in recognition, just at the same time as the anchor.
"It's Prince Clovis' personal transport! And it's heading towards the convoy!"
Cornelia actually got up off her seat, her planning all but forgotten at this moment. The room was silent as the vehicle stopped in front of the convoy and after Kewell stood up from the open cockpit of his Sutherland, when the flag on the top of the transport lit up in flames and burnt away, revealing a figure, a figure with most of his body concealed with a cape, with only a mask being visible.
"I am… Zero!"
Milly had to say, Lelouch definitely knew how to catch everyone's attention. She had to idea what to expect but for Lelouch to actually stand in front of the convoy dressed like a comic book villain was… something else. Suicidal in her mind, but she had to trust that he had a reason for doing so, and a plan for when things went wrong.
But his costume was something she definitely approved of, the way the cape wrapped around him like one of the vampires from the ancient stories, the helmet that was devoid of most identifications, but shaped with spikes not unlike the king chess piece, which he had probably used as inspiration. She couldn't say anything about what he had under the cape, as he hadn't shown the full costume yet, but she definitely noted the purple suit pants with gold trimming, so even more of a flare of the dramatic.
"Who is this man?" the anchor questioned for the viewers. "This man calling himself 'Zero' in front of a military convoy."
"What is all this?" Rivalz questioned.
"I don't know, Rivalz," Milly lied to him, "but whatever it is, the trial just went out of control for good now."
Kewell Soresi was now both excited and annoyed at the same time. Excited because he was on the verge of using this trial as a means of fully assuming control over the area and transforming it into what Britannia should be; a haven for those of pure blooded Britannians, and a boot pressed down on everyone else. Excited because Jeremiah Gottwald had finally been dealt with for now, that bloody bastard who did not believe in the Pureblood ideals at all, only pretended to lead them in his own selfish goals, while Kewell had been left as just his lieutenant, sidelined due to his selfless goals. Excited because here was a chance to show off his superiority even more to everyone watching, to allow him to gain even more of a platform to push forward his ideals for a better Britannia. But annoyed because that same chance immediately outshone him with just three words.
Three. Words.
This couldn't be allowed to continue, so Kewell decided to try to take back the spotlight from this intrusion.
"I've seen enough, 'Zero'" he shouted, pulling out his pistol and firing a single shot in the air. Immediately, four more Sutherlands, piloted by his loyal followers, deployed from their Vtol transports, surrounding the transport. This Zero character's cape moved from the gush of air caused by the deployment, finally revealing a fancy suit matching his pants along with a white cravat. "First things first, why don't you lose your mask!"
Zero raised his hand to his face, as if about to comply, before raising his hand above his head and snapping his fingers. As if by magic, the upper level of the transport fell apart, revealing a very familiar spherical container. Kewell had never seen it in person, but the briefings of what was contained in it managed to horrify even him. So he actually recoiled in horror when he saw it.
'The poison gas!' he shouted in his head. 'Dammit all! He just took every single Britannian here prisoner, and they don't even know it!'
Contrary to what many would think of him, he was actually more worried about the innocent Britannians around him rather than his own life. After all, his goal was to make a better world for them, a world for Britannian superiority. And he did feel only slightly guilty about arranging for them to be here. The only reason why he treated Jeremiah the way he did was due to him stonewalling Kewell for years, so Kewell needed to take action and take him out of the picture. At least he didn't kill him, like many wanted him to.
But back to the situation at hand, Kewell knew that suddenly he had lost control of the situation. He couldn't even warn anyone, as that would cause a mass panic and may even cause a scenario with the gas being released, killing everyone here.
In anger, he raised his pistol at Zero, only for said target to raise a hand and wave a finger side to side. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You know what would happen if something pierced the container."
Snarling, Kewell reluctantly lowered his pistol, knowing that Zero was right. "Alright, what are your demands?"
"An exchange," Zero calmly stated, "this container, for Kururugi!"
A wave of gasping and whispering filled the crowd around them, all wondering what was so special about the container, enough for a terrorist to even suggest trading it for the prisoner accused of murder.
Kewell's eyes narrowed at the demand, glancing behind him at the Eleven bastard behind him. "Like hell. Kururugi has been charged with high treason for murdering a Prince. I can't hand him over."
Kewell expected Zero to say that it would be the only thing he would accept otherwise he would open the container. What he didn't expect was for Zero to chuckle.
"Wrong! That man is no murderer. He wasn't even near your so-called precious Prince when he met his demise. But you already knew this."
Kewell tensed up, eyes widening in shock, as murmurs changed to the crowd wondering what Zero was talking about. Then he paled as a speaker rose beside Zero and started playing a familiar conversation.
"Why bother searching for a long gone terrorist when we could use this opportunity to cement our power," He heard his own voice play out. "The Eleven Suzaku Kururugi is in our grasp. Let us use him as a scapegoat to get rid of the honorary Britannian system here in Area Eleven for good!"
"And let the real culprit be Scot-free?" Jeremiah's voice followed, the disapproval clear in his voice. "That is completely unacceptable."
"So what? The murderer was most likely an eleven. By destroying the honorary Britannian system, we not only purify our local military but also remind the numbers of their rightful place beneath our boots."
The recording ended there, causing everyone to look at Kewell. Until Zero spoke again. "I think everyone here could understand accidentally finding the wrong individual with little proof absolving the accused of any wrongdoing, but purposefully targeting someone for your own agenda in regards to how it benefits your own ideals over that of the state you swore an oath to? I would say that is more treasonous than murder."
"It isn't! But it's close enough!" Cornelia said, grinding her teeth in anger. "Can't help but say he had this coming."
Euphie couldn't help but agree. They had both known what Kewell was doing and had planned to deal with him when they arrived at Area Eleven, but thanks to this Zero, he had been exposed and humiliated in front of the whole Empire, plunging whatever credibility the Purebloods had down the toilet.
Speaking of Zero, she was very, very intrigued with this man. The way he calmly spoke when there were eight Knightmares pointing their weapons at him, each one capable of firing just a single bullet that could turn him into a smear against that container, which she suspected contained the poison gas from Shinjuku. And yet there he was, having taken Kewell's moment of triumph and turned it upside down. Plus the way he talked, something about it was familiar in a way.
Then Zero shook his head, even as the camera zoomed in on his head. "But that begs the question, who was the one who killed the Viceroy. That is a question I can answer, for the man who killed Clovis…" he said, before turning to look directly at the camera, as if staring Euphie directly into her soul, "was none other than myself!"
The entire conference room gasped in shock, both at the revelation itself and the audacity of the man admitting it. Euphie covered her mouth in shock, noting how there was a slight tinge of pride in Zero's voice. But something slamming into the table caught her attention, even as the news anchor spoke about this revelation on the screen. Instead she looked over at Cornelia, who had slammed her fist into the table with enough force to cause everything on it to shake.
"Zero…" she growled out quietly, but the anger and ever so quickly rising hate was clear in her voice. Euphie knew what she was thinking. Zero was now at the top of Cornelia's list of people to kill. Usually that spot was reserved for whoever she thought had killed Lady Marianne, and Lelouch and Nunnally, but because of obvious reasons, she had not even found a clue to whoever they may have been. But Zero, he had just admitted to killing Clovis, he was a tangible target for Cornelia to focus her ire on. To her older sister, killing Zero would now be an act of not only justice, but also cathartic at the same time.
"For a single Eleven," Zero continued speaking, bringing her attention back to the screen, "you'll have scores of precious Britannians! I find that quite the bargain, don't you think?"
"You dare mock us!" an officer shouted at the screen from the back, before Antonio Darlton stood up and began berating the officer for speaking out. Euphie paid this no mind, as a single thought went through her mind.
'This is just a performance to him,' she realised, looking directly at the mask of Zero with intensity. 'Who are you, and why did you kill Clovis?'
"He's the true murderer!?" Shirley spoke out loud in shock.
"Geez, I don't know what to think about this," Rivalz admitted.
Nina remained silent, trembling by the computer with utter fear. If Prince Clovis, who had been protected with entire battalions of guards, could be killed with ease by this one man, what's to say about the chances someone like her faces, potentially being killed by an Eleven or worse…
'No, not again,' she desperately told herself, as if trying to convince herself that it was the truth, 'it won't happen again!'
Milly had noticed this, walked up to Nina with a concerned look on her face and put a hand on her shoulder. This calmed Nina down enough for her to stop trembling, having just prevented tears from flowing out of the verdant haired girl's eyes. She then proceeded to hug Nina to calm her further down, though she looked to the rest of the council.
"We don't know much to even make heads or tails of this whole situation," she said. "But I know this, what Zero admitted, both about himself and Kewell's transgressions, is going to turn things nasty. Rivalz, I want you to…"
"Wait, there's more happening," Shirley said, turning their attention back to the screen.
Lelouch smiled as he saw how his declaration caused untold amounts of chaos within the crowds and the troops present on the highway, as well as Kewell panicking as he stood, forever understanding how tarnished his reputation will be from the fallout of his recording. It was like winning against the Nobles, except even more satisfying. The best part was, he wasn't even done yet.
He could see that Kallen was stressing out, having heard her mutter earlier how they were all going to die once the other Sutherlands landed around them. He could understand her stress and fear. She was an action girl to say the least. Put her behind the wheel of a Knightmare, or at least something that could fight back, and she would at least have a cool enough head to try and fight her way out smartly. Here, she was in an unarmed vehicle that can't outrun or fight an enemy that had them outnumbered and surrounded. But the fact that she didn't panic and flee showed her courage and belief in him, so maybe afterwards, he should reward that.
But that was getting ahead of himself. Now, it was almost time to deliver the coup de grace on Kewell.
"You…You're mad!" Kewell shouted. "You'll pay for making a mockery of the crown!"
Here it was.
"Careful, you wouldn't want the world to find out about Orange, would you?"
At once everyone fell silent. Until one of the soldiers guarding Suzaku asked "Orange? What's he talking about?", sparking a whole new wave of murmurs and even accusations. Seeing this, he stomped once on the roof, signalling for Kallen to move forwards, which she did.
As they moved, Lelouch continued speaking. "If I die, it'll all go public. Every little dirty thing that Clovis did, all of the atrocities he's committed. It'll all go out for everyone to see and Clovis' name will forever be tarnished as a villain amongst villains. If you don't want that to happen…"
"What are you talking about?" Kewell asked, incredulously.
On Leloiuch's helmet, a slide opened up, revealing his left eye, through which he focused all of his willpower towards the blond haired Pureblood. "...You will do everything in your power to let us go, with your prisoner!"
Kewell stiffened, his eyes widening as he tried to fight the foreign influence into his mind, but he fell within a few seconds, slumping as if in defeat. "Understood." He turned to face his subordinates. "Release the Prisoner!"
This caused everyone, even Kallen, to gasp in shock, with one Knight even getting out of their Knightmare, shouting at Kewell, but Kewell repeated what he said, causing even more of the Knights to dismount and start a shouting match with Kewell. Only Lelouch was the only one who wasn't, smiling in satisfaction as he saw the Purebloods begin to turn on each other one by one. In the meantime, the APC, the driver apparently having decided that disobeying the highest ranking officer in the area was not a good idea regardless of the circumstances, and so began to move towards Lelouch and Kallen, with a shocked Suzaku on top.
As the APC came to a stop beside Kewell's Sutherland, the soldiers uncuffed Suzaku, though they left the collar on him as a sort of protest against Kewell's orders. Lelouch jumped down from the car and waited for Suzaku to walk up to him, while Kallen stayed only slightly behind him, her eyes covered by the visor from her uniform dressed as one of Clovis' chauffeur.
"So, who the hell are you…" Suzaku asked before his collar activated, shocking him.
Lelouch looked at the collar in disgust, though outwardly he spoke softly, "I see they wouldn't allow you to speak at all. How very much like the Purebloods."
Kallen took that time to walk beside him. "It's time to go, Zero."
"Well then," Lelouch said, taking out a device from under his cape, "Till next time, Britannia!"
With that he pressed the button, the container shooting out pink smoke, and the whole highway descended into chaos. All of the civilians began screaming, running away from the scene in terror, all the while Lelouch grabbed Suzaku by the arm and dragged him along with Kallen to the edge of the highway, where the three of them jumped off the edge, where Ohgi had waited in an MR-1 Civilian Knightmare model unit, having set up a sheet for them to jump on safely.
One Knightmare tried to stop them, using its slash harkins as a rope for it to descend down the side of the bridge. As it was about to fire at them, its face shield opening up to reveal the Fact-sphere, Lelouch, in an act of instinct, pulled out his pistol at rapid speed and shot the sphere directly.
Due to the way the Knightmares were designed, the one major weakness of one is the Fact-sphere, where a single well placed infantry shot could destroy the equipment, which would cause a feedback loop within the Knightmare, crippling it for good. The Earlier Glasgow models would in fact explode due to the Sakuradite within being wired to the Fact-sphere in a certain way, but the Sutherlands and later models managed to fix this issue, so it was only a shut down of the Knightmare, leaving the pilot alive and unharmed.
That is what happened to the Sutherland about to attack the three escapees, shutting down mid motion, leaving it dangling over the edge like a limp doll caught in some rope in midair. Another Sutherland had moved in to follow, but stopped after seeing what happened to his comrade, the fact that Zero had that kind of accuracy scaring him off enough to hesitate, giving Lelouch and the others enough time to board a train heading to the ghettos and escape the scene.
"Wow, that was amazing!" Kallen said, having seen what Lelouch did.
All the while, Lelouch was shocked within his helmet, his eyes wide as he processed the impossible deed he just committed. He never had that reaction time before, and the accuracy… that was completely unheard of, and something he never would have imagined.
'Must be my body changing more than I thought,' he theorised. Something to talk to C.C. about when he got home.
The conference room was silent, all of the inhabitants all processing the utter fiasco that had just unfolded before their eyes on the screen. Euphie was no exception, her open mouth covered by her hand in order to prevent it from staying open in an undignified manner. Not that anyone would blame her or tell her otherwise, but still, old habits of staying dignified died hard.
As the news segment finally switched back to the station itself, giving a brief overview of what they believed just happened, Euphie looked to her sister, only to find her storming out of the room, an aura of pure, unadulterated anger surrounding her. Euphie only had to glance at both Guilford and Darlton before the three of them leap up simultaneously and chased after Cornelia.
"Sister, wait a second…" Euphie tried to call out to her, but Cornelia was too far ahead and too angry to even hear her, her movement powerful and purposeful. She tried to call out again, but was stopped by Guilford, who shook his head.
"We shouldn't try to stop her," he said to Euphie.
"But what if she does something she'll regret in her anger?" Euphie said.
"I doubt that she would," Darlton said. "She's not heading to the landing bay, but instead the main command centre, where all of the communication equipment is…"
He didn't finish speaking, because since the command centre was really close to the conference room, Cornelia had already barged in, striding up to the operators at the comms section, ignoring the fact that most of them had been watching the broadcast from Area Eleven as well. However, the one she was heading right for wasn't watching, working on his console with an intense look, which was broken by Cornelia slamming her hand on his chair, causing him to jump from shock.
"Get me a connection to any military force you can reach in Area Eleven!" she commanded.
"Already on it, your Highness," the operator said, recovering quickly enough to work for a few more seconds before turning to face Cornelia. "I've managed to get in contact with three Garrison units and one Knightmare mobile battalion. Do you want to connect to all four units?"
"Which one is the closest to the Viceroy's Palace and the highway where… the incident just occurred?" Cornelia said, her anger diminishing slightly due to the fast actions of the operator.
He went to check his screen again quickly. "That'll be unit 451, Area Eleven Garrison, only one block away from the Viceroy's Palace, and the 182nd Mobile Battalion, on stand-by for …"
"Connect me to both, now!"
"Yes, your Highness!"
It only took a few seconds for Cornelia's orders to be carried out, and soon enough two different live broadcasts replaced the information on the main screen for Cornelia to see, splitting it into two halves. On it were two officers, one garbed in his armour with his helmet off in the left image, while the other was in her knight's pilot uniform sitting in her Knightmare in the right image.
"Captain Joseph Bradley, Unit 451, at your service!" The one on the left introduced himself, saluting.
"Dame Claire Duckerman, 182nd Mobile Battalion, reporting as ordered, your Highness!" the knight identified next, giving Cornelia a nod as a salute.
Cornelia did briefly nod in acknowledgment before turning to look at the officer in the left image.
"Are you affiliated with the Pureblood movement, Captain Bradley?" was the first thing she asked.
"No, your Highness," Bradley denied instantly. Cornelia narrowed her eyes, before turning to Darlton, who had moved next to her. After taking a glimpse of the officer's face, Darlton's head movement barely even recognisable as a nod affirmed that the officer was telling the truth, so Cornelia turned to the other. "And you, Dame?"
"Negative as well, your Highness," Duckerman also denied, "however, I do have a couple of subordinates affiliated with the movement in my unit."
"Put them under observation at once," Cornelia ordered, causing Duckerman to flinch from the vehement tone. "From now on, all of the Purebloods in Area Eleven are suspects to this 'Orange' business that Captain Kewell Soresi is involved with. Investigate all of them to see if they are complicit in either Orange or Soresi's coup against Interim Viceroy Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. Once you have your unit's Purebloods under watch, head down to the causeway and arrest all of the individuals involved in the debacle involving Zero."
"As you command, your Highness," Duckerman nodded, before signing off.
"Captain Bradley, I want you to follow the same protocol involving any Purebloods within your unit. However your orders are to head to the Viceroy's Palace, arrest any Purebloods there and search for Margrave Gottwald. I have a suspicion he or any loyal to him, may have been interned there under house arrest by Soresi!"
"Yes, your Highness!" Bradley said, saluting. But before he signed off, he asked one last question. "If they resist?"
"Take them down by any means necessary," Cornelia answered without hesitation, "preferably non-lethal, but if they give you no choice, you have permission."
"Understood, your Highness."
After Bradley had signed off, Cornelia sighed in frustration, her anger now sated slightly by her orders being carried out without any hassle. Looking back at the operator she stood next to, she spoke once again, this time with a much kinder, yet still quite firm tone. "Find all military and police units in Area Eleven and send them my orders regarding any pureblood units."
"At once your Highness," the operator said before complying.
As he worked, Cornelia gave Darlton a look, before stepping back from the console. Darlton took over, overseeing the operators and giving out orders on behalf of Cornelia. After getting a list of all units and their positions, he proceeded to give out orders on deployment in certain districts to ensure that no terrorist operations could take place and pour more fuel into the blazing fire that was Area Eleven currently. That was really the only thing he could do at the moment, as he would need to be in Area Eleven personally along with her Highness to get a feel for the situation and act accordingly.
It only took fifteen minutes of waiting and talking to the various units, before the main operator from before spoke again, turning to face the veteran commander. "Sir, Captain Bradley just sent an update. He's arrived at the Viceroy's Palace and has managed to locate Margrave Jeremiah's location within the palace, one of the many personal quarters within the palace itself. It'll be a moment longer before they will be able to release him."
"Good," Darlton nodded. "Any resistance?"
"None at all. After confirming that his orders came from Her Highness, all Pureblood soldiers stood down and allowed themselves to be brought into custody." the operator paused before continuing. "However, Captain Bradley has reported that almost half of the administration were in league with Captain Soresi's coup, but all deny any knowledge of Orange."
"Almost half…" Darlton baulked at this for a second. "What of the rest?"
"Followed along with their compatriots out of fear of being imprisoned as well, or just kept their heads down. However, General Bartley Asprius was out of the settlement fulfilling an unknown order that he claims Prince Clovis gave him just before his demise, swearing him to secrecy. Other than that, he is co-operating with our orders."
"Interesting, keep an eye on Aspirus, see where he is and any indication of what he is doing," Darlton commanded. "Especially since Zero hinted at something his Highness wanted kept quiet…"
"Yes, my Lord."
"Your Highness, things are going smoothly for now," Darlton reported to Cornelia, who had been silently rubbing her eyes, trying to calm herself down even more.
"Good, at least the non-Pureblood leadership appears to be competent… for now" Cornelia remarked dryly.
Euphie silently stood by, watching all of this play out. This was not her element and she felt much like a spectator instead of a key player like it is expected of her to be as a royal. Not in the sense of military matters like Cornelia.
"Sir, Margrave Jeremiah is on the line," the operator said to Darlton.
"Good, put him through the main screen," Cornelia ordered, having overhead.
There was a flicker on the main screen before Jeremiah and Bradley appeared. Jeremiah didn't look that well, as his eyes seemed puffy and his uniform was a bit worn. Despite his appearance, he saluted with no problems whatsoever.
"Your highness, it's good to see you." he gave a small chuckle to himself. "I would like to apologise for my late report, but I think you would have bigger concerns for me to deal with currently."
"Good to see your humour is intact," Cornelia noted, her tone much more friendly than before. "How out of the loop are you about what just occurred?"
Jeremiah's face darkened. "Kewell was kind enough to leave me a tv turned on in my room, so that I could watch with my two guards. I do have to say, it was almost worth watching their faces fall into complete panic and disarray after that Orange debacle. But other than that, I would say that the entire Area has been thrown into complete disarray." He looked down at a pad given to him by one of Bradley's soldiers, coughing slightly. "Already there have been vandal attacks all across the two main islands, as well as minor attacks and robberies, while mostly harmless, have overwhelmed the local police forces… the ones not completely shocked into inaction by what just occurred."
"Are you all right, Jeremiah?" Euphie asked, stepping up beside Cornelia so she could enter the frame for Jeremiah's end.
"Nothing bad, your Highness," Jeremiah assured. "Just a little present from Kewell to keep me from being able to escape from my room. I could have, but it would have taken much more effort and attention than I would have wanted. I should get over this induced cold by tomorrow."
"... He forcefully gave you a cold?" Cornelia asked.
"Yes, he did, your Highness," Jeremiah said. "Me and my loyal subordinate Dame Villetta Nu were both injected with a sample of a cold, and then placed under house arrest. Most of the administration either was on Kewell's side or kept their heads down, either bribed or threatened."
"The administration is that corrupt…" Euphie muttered out loud. "Clovis, what were you doing…?"
"We're going to have to completely rebuild the administration from the ground up, aren't we?," Cornelia sighed, resigned to the fact that she would have to do a lot of duties outside of combat now due to her younger half-sibling's incompetence.
"I'm afraid so, your highness," Jeremiah reluctantly confirmed. "I'll try to start the process here before you arrive. There are some individuals who I believe should remain in their positions, but they are the rare example." Jeremiah scoffed again. "The others are mostly the type of dregs Lady Marianne despised, always saying that Nobility rarely breeds competence over time."
"She always did like to mutter that under her breath after most meetings with those parasites," Cornelia agreed, her expression becoming melancholic.
"Is the Area Eleven local Britannian populace able to provide any replacements for the administration?" Darlton asked.
"To a certain extent," Jeremiah said, "but the potential recruitment pool is also rife with the same issues as the current administration. The rot is very extensive here in Area Eleven. Between that, and the fact that his Highness never really rebuilt much of the Eleven residences ensured that the Area remained severely unstable and rebellious, at least under the surface of the facade he built up."
"Surely there must be something…" Euphie pleaded.
Jeremiah thought for a second. "Well, the only Noble family in the Area that I can safely say were mostly exempt from this corruption are the Ashfords. In fact, their main investment to Area Eleven, Ashford Academy, is not only one of the most liberal schools for both commoners and nobles alike, but also has a very high skill level for most of the graduates. I suppose that the list of Ashford Alumni could be a useful starting point."
"Right, the Ashfords did get exiled to Area Eleven mid-way during the invasion," Cornelia recalled. "Is Reuben still kicking?"
"Indeed, and holds quite a lot of influence, more than his status of fallen noble would normally entail, though that is by no means a complaint. He was one of the few worthy nobles to have Prince Clovis' ears in many cases, though evidently not nearly enough."
"Is Millicent there as well?" Euphie asked, an idea springing to mind.
"Um, yes, young Millicent is attending the school and…"
"Excellent!" Euphie turned to face Cornelia. "Why don't we get back into contact with the Ashfords and get their assistance! After all, if Ashford's Academy's graduate standards are high most of the time, why don't we turn to the Academy itself as a means of training the next generation of the Area's workforce for the administration."
"Euphie, that's a very good idea!" Cornelia exclaimed, both pride and hope in her voice. Turning back to the screen, she asked Jeremiah, "Is this feasible?"
"Certainly possible and needed, but this solution is more of a long term solution, not for the immediate problems we face," Jeremiah cautioned. "But I will get right on it."
"Maybe not, Jeremiah," Cornelia said, much to the surprise of everyone. "At least not as your main focus." She turned to face Euphie. "Euphie, how quickly are you able to pack your belongings for a plane trip?"
Euphie blinked, caught off guard. "Um, within the hour." she answered.
"Good," Cornelia said, "Darlton, for tomorrow's battle, your original role could be filled by your adoptive sons, right?"
"Yes, your Highness," Darlton confirmed, immediately understanding where she was going. "I'll get Bart and Alfred briefed on what I expect, and then pack up my belongings as well."
"Excellent," Cornelia said. "Euphie, as much as I hate the very idea of this, I'll need you to head to Area Eleven before me as soon as you can. Darlton will be your escort. Once you arrive, get into contact with Reuben and Millicent, bring them up to speed with your idea and then plan on how to implement it."
Euphie blinked a couple of times from shock, but then smiled. "I won't let you down, sister!"
"I know you won't," Cornelia smiled back, before getting serious. "Keep a low profile flying in. Zero was able to get to Clovis while he was surrounded by loyal soldiers. I don't want him to be able to find you as well."
"Don't worry, Cornelia, I have a few ideas on how I can go unnoticed," Euphie said.
Darlton and Guilford shared a look of exasperation. They both knew that Euphie's ideas on being disguised rarely ended well, even if she did all of the right things. Of course, they hid this fact from her as they knew that it would not dissuade her at all.
"May Darlton and I take our leave to get ourselves ready?" Euphie asked.
"Of course," Cornelia nodded. "Jeremiah, I won't keep you anymore from your duties. Hope that they don't make you even more unwell."
"I'll ensure that it won't be a hindrance, your Highness," Jeremiah promised. "They don't call me the Emperor's Bulldog for nothing. A cold won't be anything to stop me from fulfilling my duties"
"Glad to hear it. See you soon." Cornelia said, before ordering the operator to cut the connection.
It was then that Euphie turned to leave, her mind focused elsewhere as she followed Darlton to her room. This was it. This was a chance to finally make a change! Make a world much fairer, starting with Area Eleven. Plus reconnecting with an old friend as well, which was always a good thing in her eyes. She walked along the corridors with a much more purposeful and determined stride, much to Darlton's amusement and pride.
"I see that they treated you rather roughly," Zero noted outloud to Suzaku, keeping his own anger in check at how they treated his friend. "Now you see what they are really like, Suzaku Kururugi."
Lelouch hoped that Suzaku would be at least a bit more positive at facing what is now the most wanted man in Area Eleven, if not the entire Empire itself, but instead his friend's gaze was full of distrust, suspicion and even a bit of derision. "So, you're the one who killed Prince Clovis?"
"In the way that I was present and ordered his death," Zero admitted, "so in a way that does make me the killer, in other ways it does not. But that doesn't matter now, as even if I was the one who pulled the trigger, we are at war. And in war, you often have to take out the enemy commanders in order to achieve the best possible outcome."
"Best possible outcome? Japan lost the war, Britannia won," Suzaku asserted. "Fighting a futile battle won't change that reality."
"Won't it?" Zero cocked his head, internally wincing at the tone Suzaku had. "Besides, I don't fight for the Japan from before the war, I fight for the Japanese and for Justice, to ensure that Britannia does not undermine their very rights and existence. Join me and together we can help make it a reality!"
"You say you fight for justice, yet what about the poison gas?"
"A Bluff," Zero explained. "It was only coloured smoke, no harmful components whatsoever. This mask doesn't come with an air-filter, you know," he tapped the chin of his mask with one finger a couple of times. "Besides, I have an utter hatred of such weapons, especially used against the innocent. The result, not a single casualty in your rescue, except for Britannia's pride!"
Suzaku narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "The results, huh? Is that all that matters to you?"
"Not at all," Zero denied, shaking his head. "I told you just before that I hate weapons such as poison gas. I would rather die and rot in hell for all eternity that use those weapons, even for a great cause, or to even save a single life. But despite that, for how much I wish to change things, I have to always weigh my options, especially those that are available to me at the time. And if such a result is something that isn't what I expected, then I won't try to run or deny my wrongdoing, rather accept it and strive to do better next time, so ensure that this worthless dominion you serve is removed so that the world can be better! Join me!" He pleaded again, hoping that he had finally convinced his friend.
A hope that was dashed when Suzaku shook his head. "I can't agree with your methods. Maybe you're right… Maybe Britannia is a worthless dominion, but I still believe that it can be changed for the better!"
"Changed?" Zero parroted in disbelief, blinking inside his mask. Did Suzaku actually believe that?
"And any use of contemptible means is absolutely unacceptable, and worth nothing," his friend continued.
With that, Suzaku turned and began walking away, much to Lelouch's shock.
"Where are you going?" Zero asked.
"To my court martial," Suzaku replied, still walking away. "If I leave now, I will still have time to arrive before it starts in an hour."
"Are you mad?!" Zero's voice rose. "The only reason why they even gave you a trial was to find you guilty! And you want to go back there?"
"If I don't, then others will suffer, and the purebloods will have achieved their goal, regardless of you humiliating them," Suzaku explained. "They'll start cracking down on both Elevens and Honorary Britannians. I can't allow that."
Lelouch's fist clenched, hidden within his cape. As much as it irked him, Suzaku was right. And even if he wasn't, he recognised that tone. Suzaku could be very, very stubborn and Lelouch saw that it was one of those times right now. However, that didn't mean that Lelouch couldn't try one last time.
"If you go, you'll die and won't be able to change anything!"
That got Suzaku to pause for a second. "Maybe, but I am ok with trying," Suzaku said. "I would take you in, but you would only get me killed." he turned to look at Lelouch's, or rather in his eyes, Zero's face. "Still, I thank you for rescuing me."
With that, Suzaku left, leaving Zero all alone. After he had left, Lelouch punched the wall in anger, not even noticing how his punch managed to cause the wall to shake slightly. "You idiot!"
After a few minutes of fuming, Lelouch turned to leave, only to hear footsteps approaching him. He turned around, and saw Ohgi and Kallen walking towards the centre of the room. He jumped down from where he was standing, and approached them. As soon as they spotted him, they stopped walking, looking expectantly at him.
"Where's Kururugi?" Ohgi asked.
"He left to go to his court martial," Zero said, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice.
"Wait, what? The court martial we just rescued him from?!" Kallen asked, sounding incredulous and angry. "Why?!"
"He believes that if he doesn't go, then they'll use that as an excuse to persecute the Honorary Britannians and Elevens even more," Zero explained, "and he does have a point, I'll admit." Seeing their expressions, he expanded upon his answer, even coming up with the reasons why Suzaku was right in a way on the spot. "While the Purebloods have now become humiliated beyond reasonable repair due to our rescue, there are still those who may not be as extreme as them, but may hold similar views and are just as opportunistic. If Suzaku did stay with us, he would have proved to be our ally and thus evidence that Honorary Britannians were a liability only to Britannia and thus sent back to the Ghettos as regular numbers."
"Serves them right for abandoning their pride…" Kallen muttered, earning a glare from Ohgi.
"No it doesn't," he said, surprising her. "Many may have thought that it was the only way to survive with even a shred of dignity, or to have them and their families survive. I can't fault them for making that choice, but neither can I completely agree with them. But they made their choice, and I won't hold that against them. Saying that it would be Karma is totally wrong."
"Ohgi-san is right," Zero said. "Not everyone makes the same choice, even if you believe one option to be the better one, but everyone has what they feel is right, or what they need to do to survive."
Seeing the two of them against her point caused Kallen to look down, frowning, but ultimately nodded in the end. "Yeah, you're right… But still."
Zero walked up to Kallen and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him in surprise. "But today was the first step in creating a world where no-one will have to make that choice, where everyone can live with their pride and rights intact."
Kallen's eyes widened before she gave Zero a small smile. Ohgi also smiled at this, but there was a question that he still had. "What's our next move, Zero?"
"For now, we lay low," Zero said. "I have heard from a viable source that the Emperor has chosen a new Viceroy for Area Eleven, and will be sending them soon after they finish up with their current job."
"Any idea who it may be?" Ohgi pressed.
"No concrete evidence, but most likely Princess Cornelia li Britannia, head of the Britannian Military, the Goddess of Victory," Zero told them, much to their horror. "Her arrival will change everything here. Where once Clovis was incompetent and allowed resistance to flourish mostly untouched, Cornelia will immediately begin ruthlessly stamping it out. To deal with her, will require adapting to what she does, at least at first."
Zero looked to the ceiling, where part of the roof was exposed to the outside night sky. "But that is something we'll have to discuss another day. Again, keep a low profile and let things simmer for the next couple of days. I'll contact you again soon. But I must bid thee farewell."
With that, Zero turned around and walked away. Kallen put her own hand on where Zero had touched her, the feeling of it seeming familiar in a way, as if him trying to comfort her was natural for some reason. This very much confused the young rebel, who didn't know what to make of it.
That's a wrap for Chapter 5! We started with the Kallen, Ohgi and two other members meeting Zero. At the same time, Jeremiah and Villetta are couped by Kewell and thrown into House Arrest, cementing Kewell as orange in this fic, as well as putting both Jeremiah and Villetta in a different position from canon. The meeting with Zero also has a small change with Zero's dialogue and the fact that Lelouch views his Zero persona as replacing his true self of Lelouch vi Britannia. We have the same scene between Suzaku and Lloyd, with no major change whatsoever. Then probably the biggest change from the episode is Lelouch and C.C. infiltrating the Viceroy's Palace and meeting Villetta, where she tells him about Jeremiah's true goals for being in Area Eleven, though the time ensures that he can't act upon that information yet, though enough time for a spicy scene between Lelouch and Villetta to play out. That scene was inspired by Seerking's 'Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion', with the meeting, though not the lime scene. Then finally we get to the true meat of the chapter: the rescue. We all knew how it would go, but it was a blast writing the various perspectives on it, especially the original Euphie perspective, where she along with Cornelia and her followers watch things go down, as well as their reaction to the aftermath and setting up a potential plot for Euphie... And last but not least we get to the first conversation between Zero and Suzaku.
Phew, a very, very large chapter. The largest I have ever written! Sorry it took so long, but a mix of initially having my muse being silent for a month and wanting to cram as much into this chapter as possible ensured that this took a while. Hope you all enjoy it all the same! Next chapter will involve Euphie's arrival, Lelouch confronting C.C. over her controlling him and something rather special happening. Stay tuned!
Special thanks to the Seerking for beta reading this chapter! Check out his awesome stories and content!
Until next time!
Edit 27/09/23 - Fixed a declaration that injuries were worse than death. Thanks Akumu-Heika
Regards,
dalek117
Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Aftermath, Confession and Arrival
Notes:
This fic was inspired by Thanathos' 'More than just a Man'. That fic was unfortunately abandoned way too early and I found that I really needed to at least tell my own interpretation of a vampire Lelouch and C.C.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Many of the Vampiric characteristics were inspired by 'More than just a Man'.
Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's.
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thought/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie talkie
"Hello" – Speaker
Warning: Lime Scene ahead. If you don't want to read it, I will leave a warning so that you can skip past it
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Aftermath, Confession and Arrival
August 2017 a.t.b
C.C. smirked as she watched the chaos unfold on the screen as Lelouch tore the Pureblood’s credibility to shreds with merciless effort. Eating a box of pizza she had ordered from Pizza Hut, she was just lying down on the couch in the living room. While Nunnally would normally be here as well, since it was one of the closest rooms to her bedroom, she was actually listening to the broadcast through a radio in her room alone, as per her wish.
However this didn’t mean that C.C. was alone in the room. In fact Sayako was with her, keeping an eye on her. And what a watchful eye it was, always keeping C.C. in view, even if it meant that Sayako had to stand behind the couch and not sit on something, but C.C. assumed that it wasn’t even close to the most uncomfortable thing the Ninja maid had done before. And the stare was one of not so much hostility as it was distrust and disgust.
C.C. sighed as she finished her box, just as Lelouch had jumped off the edge of the bridge, along with dear Kallen and Kururugi, putting down the box only to look straight at the screen with a sudden intensity as Lelouch pulled off a one in a million move, shooting a Knightmare right in the Fact Sphere and disabled it. Well, one in a million for a human. For an experienced vampire, it was closer to one in a thousand. And that was the point; for an experienced vampire. Lelouch was anything but experienced.
‘This is both interesting and concerning,’ C.C. thought to herself as put her hand on her mouth in the manner of someone concentrating. ‘The fact that he was able to do that from instinct alone…’ she gave a chuckle. ‘Well, Marianne, he very much is your son.’
“That’s not normal,” Sayako said out loud, looking concerned. “Even a vampire shouldn’t be able to do that.”
“That’s not true,” C.C. corrected, “But not a new vampire like Lelouch. He’s changing, and growing stronger faster than I would have ever imagined.” Only centuries of experience and control ensured that C.C. kept herself from expressing the worry and concern that she was feeling. If he was progressing this quickly, then maybe They will take notice of him. And C.C. couldn’t allow that. Nor would Charles and Marianne, but they weren’t here in Japan, nor did Marianne have a properly working body, being little more than a parasite at this point.
“Will he go out of control?” Sayako asked, a dangerous undertone present in such a calm voice.
“Not if he embraces his vampiric desires,” C.C. said, wincing as a bad memory flashed in her mind, a white haired young boy smiling fanatically at her. Shaking the thought away, she looked behind her at Sayako, who looked confused at C.C.’s statement.
She sighed before giving a slight answer. “I was planning on telling this to Lelouch himself when he comes back, but the very, very brief answer is that if he keeps on trying to deny the vampiric part of him, he can only do so for so long before the desires overwhelm and consume him. By embracing them, but not giving into them, he can control it and keep himself sane and be powerful at the same time.”
Sayako nodded at the explanation, yet still stared at C.C. with scrutiny. “Is that why you forced him into doing that to the officer last night?”
“So he did tell you,” C.C. said before nodding, “But yes, if only to fast track his progress and acceptance. On his own, he will stubbornly resist. And I won’t have that happen again, not with the consequences for him and everyone around him.”
Sayako’s glare softened slightly but before she could open her mouth, the doorbell rang. C.C. raised her eyebrow as she felt the presence of the Ashford heiress at the door of the Clubhouse, no doubt wishing to talk to Lelouch.
“Maybe my talk with Lelouch has been delayed,” she informed Sayako. “Someone else I think is wishing for the same thing, and I don’t think she’ll take too kindly to me butting in to be first.”
Lelouch entered Ashford around midnight, sneaking in without any of the occasional student who was outside spotting him. He had already changed out of his Zero outfit and was dressed in his casual wear, making him seem much more inconspicuous to most eyes. It was past midnight, and he really needed to get back home, just so he could get some sleep as it was a school day tomorrow, and while his actions would have caused a lot of chaos, he doubted that Reuben would cancel a whole day due to it.
But that wasn’t what he was focusing on. Right now, he was thinking about Suzaku, how he hadn’t changed much at all, still being the same old naive boy that believed in black and white, refusing anything that he thought was underhanded. And the parts that had changed, he had changed for the worst.
‘What happened to him?’ he wondered sadly to himself. ‘Suzaku was never this defeatist, even during the invasion, he did have that spark until… Oh, his father,’ Lelouch theorised. ‘Maybe that could be the thing that sparked this change. But why?’ he shook his head. ‘I can’t theorise much else, I have too few pieces of the puzzle as it is, so I’ll have to leave it alone for now,’ he reluctantly thought to himself.
At the very least, he knew that Nunnally would be very happy at Suzaku no longer being the suspect at all for Clovis’ death, so there was a positive to it. Another positive was that his friend was alive and well, despite his changes, or lack thereof. Something that did put a small smile on Lelouch’s face.
“I do want to see Nunnally’s face when I come home,” he muttered out loud as he stood within visual distance of the clubhouse.
However, that sentence then made him think of something he was not looking forward to seeing when he entered. His smile disappeared as he thought of what C.C. made him do yesterday, well actually now two days beforehand, to Villetta, controlling him initially with her powers. That really infuriated Lelouch, who viewed it like a betrayal. She better have a good excuse for that, as he was going to give it to her when he next saw her.
‘Why bother,’ the unwanted guest in his head, as he had begun calling the vampiric voice, spoke up. ‘You were very much enjoying yourself. That sexy, big breasted Britannian woman was ripe for the taking, slowly giving herself to us and…’
‘Not by my choice!’ Lelouch declared, ‘and certainly not by her choice!’ He sighed. ‘You’re right,’ he admitted, ‘I was getting into it, and she is sexy, but that was still sexual harassment, without any meaningful consent whatsoever. It was the same with Kallen.’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘I don’t want to become one of the things I despise…’
Surprisingly the voice went silent, as if it accepted his point, so Lelouch took this chance to finally approach the Clubhouse. He managed to arrive in front of the door before the voice returned, this time subdued for the first time.
‘A noble effort,’ it acknowledged, ‘if a futile one. Make no mistake, Kallen, Villetta, and the others; they will be ours eventually. Whether it starts by hypnosis or not, they will all eventually wish themselves to be yours, remember that. We shall stand by your wishes, for the most part. But you can never silence our voice, for we are you, free at last.’
That statement actually caused shivers to run down his spine. What did the voice mean by it being him, free at last?! And the fact that it claimed that the girls would soon start seeking him out? That frightened him, properly. Questions began to pile in Lelouch’s head, questions that he had no answers to, but he knew someone who probably did.
He had to go see C.C. now. This was getting out of hand, and he can’t ignore the problem anymore. So he went to open the door, and found Sayako at the door.
“Sayako?” he asked, seeing the concerned look on her face.
“Master Lelouch,” she greeted, “Mistress Milly is here, and she doesn’t not look happy at all.”
“Why would Milly…” Lelouch began before he finally realised something. “Oh…”
His promise to her from last week. He had almost forgotten about it, being too caught up with his new vampiric nature, creating his persona of Zero and organising Suzaku’s rescue. She would definitely be disappointed, if not really mad at him for that.
He sighed before straightening up. Might as well face the music now, instead of using an excuse to avoid confronting Milly, he wasn’t a coward and it would be very disrespectful of his oldest friend.
“I’ll talk to her,” he firmly told Sayako. “Is she in my office?”
“No, she is currently conversing with Nunnally in the dining room,” Sayako answered him.
Lelouch’s eyes narrowed at that. Normally, Milly would wait in his office in the few times in the past where he made her upset, but this time she was with Nunnally, meaning that he would have to go to her eventually. She really didn’t want him running off. Too bad in this case her effort was wasted, but it did drive home what Milly must be feeling to Lelouch.
After Sayako opened the door fully to let him in, he walked straight towards the dining room. As soon as he entered, Nunnally rushed to him in her wheelchair, all the way to his feet with a big smile on her face.
“Did you hear!” She happily cried out to him. “The real killer came forward! Suzaku’s innocent!”
Lelouch couldn’t help but smile at her reaction and how happy she was. It was so bright and encompassing that his discomfort over Suzaku’s rejection fell away, at least temporarily, and made the whole rescue that much more successful in his eyes. As long as Nunnally was happy, he was happy.
“I did,” he assured her. “It’s wonderful news. And I’m sure that they won’t hurt Suzaku any more.”
“I hope so!” she said, “Milly was just telling me of how that ‘Orange’ man on the tv has been arrested already instead.”
Lelouch looked away from Nunnally to see Milly standing up from her seat at the dining table, a smile on her face, yet her eyes sent a clear message to him; After he speaks to Nunnally, they have to chat. He gave her a nod, to which her eyes softened from the harsher tone they were before.
“I would imagine that they wouldn’t hesitate to do so,” Lelouch commented to Nunnally, “Not after he helped that Zero person escape.”
“Speaking of Zero,” Milly interrupted, “I can’t believe that he made that one in a million shot on a Sutherland as well.”
Lelouch again looked at Milly, just missing the frown on Nunnally’s face, as if she was recognising something. “I'd imagine it to be luck,” Lelouch said out loud.
“Speaking of luck,” Nunnally said, “apparently some people were saying that poison gas had been released, but when they actually checked, it was nothing but coloured smoke.” She sighed. “I’m glad there wasn’t any gas at all.”
“I’m sure Zero would never stoop that low to use something like that,” Lelouch quickly assured her.
At that, Sayako entered the room. “Mistress Nunnally, it’s time for bed.”
“Oh, ok Sayako,” Nunnally said, sounding a little disappointed. “Will you take me to bed, big bro?”
“I will tonight, Mistress Nunnally,” Sayako said quickly before Lelouch could open his mouth. “Master Lelouch and Mistress Milly have some things to discuss for the student council.”
“Oh yeah, Milly did say that there were some things she needed from you,” Nunnally said. “Alright, good night big bro! Good night Milly!”
“Good night, Nunna,” Milly said, walking over and hugging Nunnally.
“Good night, Nunnally,” Lelouch also farewelled, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
With that, Sayako wheeled away Nunnally, leaving just Lelouch and Milly in the dining room. They stood there in an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Lelouch spoke first. “Do you want to talk here, or in my office?”
“Your office,” she answered curtly, her smile dropping from her face.
Lelouch winced at her tone. Yep, she was pissed. Internally sighing, he escorted her to his office upstairs, opening the door for her, to which she did acknowledge so he wasn’t completely in the dog house yet. However, as soon as he closed the door, she immediately smacked him across the cheek.
“... I probably deserve that,” he admitted out loud, rubbing his cheek.
“Damn right you do,” she said, her eyes watering. “What did you promise me last time we were here?! That you would tell me when you had a plan!”
“Well, this was a spur of the moment…”
“BULLSHIT!!!” Milly shouted. “The car, the way you took command of the whole thing, the escape, and don’t get me started on the DAMN GAS!” The ferocity in her voice caused Lelouch to take a step back in shock. He had never seen Milly like this, ever. “All of that was NOT a SPUR OF THE MOMENT! YOU PLANNED THAT!”
“Only over the course of a day!” Lelouch was now shouting, though not nearly as loud or as much heat as Milly currently, though he was quickly getting to that point. “I didn’t have much time to do anything more! And besides, IT WORKED!”
“This time it worked!” Milly corrected, stabbing her finger into his chest. “Next time you may not be so lucky! Next time, maybe they won’t be so stupid as to stand there and let you talk! Maybe next time they’ll be just HAPPY TO SHOOT AT YOU AND…!” she gulped as tears began to flow down her face, as she lost her composure for good, “AND… YOU…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence before she broke down, collapsing onto Lelouch, who caught her. The sight of her crying in his arms caused him to feel a large amount of guilt, so to help calm her down, he brought her closer to him and wrapped her in a hug. They stayed that way for a moment, with Lelouch letting Milly cry into his shoulder, as he finally realised how much she was worried about him.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Milly,” he said quietly as her crying started to falter and die down.
She took a series of deep breaths as she calmed herself slightly. “Is this… Is this worth risking your life? Is this rebellion worth Nunnally and I losing you?”
Lelouch was silent for a moment before answering in a low voice, “If I don’t do this, who will?”
“There are always others,” she muttered, though half-heartedly. She already knew what Lelouch’s reply would be.
“That’s what everyone tells themselves every day,” Lelouch didn’t disappoint. “Each and every time someone says that, they give power to this awful world that we live in. No more. I can’t let the Emperor continue to strangle the world in his iron grip.” His hold on Milly tightened. “If I want to create the world that Nunnally wants, I have to continue on. If that means risking my life, then so be it.”
Milly gave a sad laugh. “Nunnally would burst into tears if she heard you say that.”
“She would,” Lelouch agreed, nodding. “Which is why she can’t know about this at all.”
“I know,” Milly said. “But still…”
There was a pause before she spoke again. “I knew that you would do this sort of thing from what you told me last week, but actually seeing how any wrong move could have resulted in you dying… yet I can’t talk you out of it, no matter how much I wish I could, nor does a part of me want to.” She let out another laugh, this time more bitter. “Some friend I am.”
“Don’t say that,” Lelouch said, letting the hug go so he could push her away slightly, enough so that he could look her in the eyes. “You’ve been my best friend for most of my life. Other than Nunnally, there is no one else I trust as much as you, even if you are a She-Devil.” That got her to snicker slightly, with her lips edging upwards slightly. “You’ve been by my side for so long, don’t sell yourself short.” He paused again before continuing. “If there is someone that’s a bad friend, it's me,” he admitted, to her shock. “It’s just…”
“Hard to trust people after being betrayed when you were so young,” Milly finished for him, looking down. “I know. But you weren’t the only one who was betrayed then. Nunnally was too. My family was too, though not to the extent you were.” She looked back at his face. “Please just tell me this; are you keeping a lot of secrets from me? Even before Shinjuku?”
Lelouch paused, his mouth opening then closing as he struggled with the question. Not because he didn’t have an answer, but because his mind was torn between his instincts of keeping someone he cared about as far away from danger as possible, and the instinct that he could trust her and tell her something.
It seemed he was taking too long to answer when Milly sighed in reluctance and turned away from Lelouch. “I guess that’s enough of an answer from you,” she said before she walked to his desk, sitting on one of the guest chairs.
Lelouch just stood there, taking in the sight of how Milly just slouched in defeat, as if she had just given up. Milly never gave up. She may let something go, but would always come back to it, all upbeat and gearing to go. This was the opposite. And that caused something in Lelouch, the part of him that at the best of times hesitated to trust anything, and most of the time pushed him to avoid being truthful, snapped.
He strode behind her with purpose and hugged her again, this time from behind, causing her to jolt in surprise.
“I can’t tell you a lot of things,” he admitted to her, “because I don’t even know much if anything at all about some topics, and I don’t want you or anyone else to be caught up in it. Because I am afraid that you all will get hurt, or worse, if I make a mistake.”
“Lelouch…” Milly said in shock to Lelouch actually admitting a fear outloud and was going to speak out but Lelouch continued on.
“I’m scared to lose everything again, except this time it would be even worse for me,” he said as tears began to form in his eyes. “I have a feeling in my heart that if I don’t control this new thing in me, Nunnally may lose more than what she already has, and we may lose you and that is unacceptable. So Milly, I can’t get you involved, no matter how much you want to help.”
Milly opened her mouth but then closed it as she processed his words. Finally she spoke. “Fearing loss is ok, Lelouch. I feel the same way about you and Nunnally. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to be involved with the both of you and to help you out, even if it meant confronting the truth that you were doing something dangerous.” She placed her hand on his arms that were wrapped around her. “Sometimes you have to face your fears in order to live.”
“But I feel like I haven’t been living,” Lelouch said, a certain memory popping into his head, causing him to frown in anger and hurt. “Not as Lelouch vi Britannia. Not since Mother was murdered.”
“Then maybe it's time you change that,” Milly said, twisting herself in her seat so she could face Lelouch. “I noticed that you often lacked that spark in your voice, the one you had when we were playing at the Aries Viella. But on the broadcast, while your mask shrouded your voice, I could tell, you had that spark again. Is being Zero for you something that makes you feel alive?”
Lelouch didn’t speak, but nodded.
“Then let me be there for you,” Milly pressed gently. “You don’t want me involved in your rebellion as a part of it, that’s fine, I’m fine with that. But if you need someone to talk to, or someone to just listen, someone who knows who the real you is.”
“Maybe he doesn’t exist anymore,” Lelouch said. “Maybe Lelouch vi Britannia disappeared a long time ago. Maybe he’s been replaced by both Lelouch Lamperouge and Zero.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Milly said, “but I can tell that the one hugging me right now is the Lelouch I’ve always known. Whether that is Lamperouge, vi Britannia or Zero, I don’t care. As long as you remain you, I’m fine.”
“So please, just let me in,” she finished, gently pleading with him.
Lelouch hesitated again but then muttered, “All right…” as he made his choice.
Milly immediately raised her head in shock then started to grin despite herself, before Lelouch grabbed her wrists gently. “But what I say goes nowhere, except between you and me. Not Nunnally, not Sayako, not Shirley, Rivalz and the others, not Rueben. No one!”
Milly nodded earnestly. “I got it…”
“Promise it, Milly.” He stressed hard, eyes narrowing.
“I promise Lelouch,” she said, punctuating each word for emphasis.
Lelouch waited a moment more before letting go of her wrists, sighing as he then looked to the corner of the office. “You have a very bad habit of eavesdropping, C.C.” he said out loud.
“Maybe you and your lady friend shouldn’t shout so loud,” C.C. retorted, as she walked up to the two students, appearing as if she had emerged from the shadows.
“Gah!” Milly said, completely surprised at the appearance of the green haired girl, jumping off the chair and out of her embrace with Lelouch. She recovered quickly enough and looked to Lelouch for an explanation. “Lelouch…”
“Don’t worry, she knows pretty much everything about my situation, and more…” Lelouch explained.
“That doesn’t explain who she is,” Milly said, “and how does she know about you?”
“Because I’ve known him since he was born,” C.C. said, walking up to where Milly stood. “Well, in a manner of speaking that is. But that’s besides the point, Miss Ashford. You may call me C.C.”
“C.C.?” Milly repeated, “That’s a unique name.”
“If you’re actually asking if that’s my birth name, it's not,” C.C. clarified. “But it's the name I’ve gone by for centuries.”
Milly blinked. “What? Centuries?” She shook her head, holding her hands up. “Wait, wait. Are you serious?”
“She is,” Lelouch confirmed. “Though I have a feeling she doesn’t like talking about her age.”
C.C. shrugged in response. “That’s just me being a woman. No proud women likes to talk about their age.”
“But how?! That’s impossible for any human!” Milly shouted in disbelief.
C.C. didn’t verbally reply to this, instead giving a smile that showed her teeth. Lelouch and Milly both stared at her as C.C.’s canines extended into fangs, and her golden iris turned red. Lelouch, having never really seen her bring out her fangs before, only feeling the aftermath, was intrigued with how easy she did so. Milly however looked on in shock, eyes wide and her skin paling, taking a few steps back before her back was against Lelouch’s desk.
“You’re right, but I’m not human,” C.C. said, “haven’t been for a long, long time.”
“...You’re a vampire…” Milly whispered.
“Correct,” C.C. said, nodding, her fangs disappearing and her eye colour returning back to its natural golden yellow.
It took a few moments for Milly to get over her shock, with Lelouch having to snap his fingers in front of Milly a few times to get her attention as her entire world view shattered. He hoped that this would be the worst of it and that she would be better with all of the other revelations he had for her, especially regarding himself.
“Where did you meet her, Lelouch?” Milly asked, now having regained her composure.
“In Shinjuku,” Lelouch replied calmly. “She’s the ‘Poison Gas’ the terrorists stole from Clovis.”
“Wait, back up a moment,” Milly pleaded, holding a hand to her head. “‘Poison Gas’? You never told me about poison gas before.” She stopped as her mind caught up. “But that’s what the terrorists thought they stole, right?”
“Yes, Clovis’ dirtiest secret,” Lelouch confirmed, sitting down, one eye on C.C. to see if there was any reaction from her about her ordeal. “That container that I used earlier today was in fact what Clovis used to keep C.C. contained. The terrorists, believing it to be poison gas, stole it from him to show the world how horrible he was.” He gave a bitter chuckle. “How little they realised…”
Milly paled at the insinuation, slowly turning to look at C.C., who shrugged, trying to pass it off as nothing. But Lelouch could tell there was some pain behind her eyes, no matter how much she tried to hide it. He stood up, about to comfort the green haired woman when Milly beat him to it, surprising both vampires by hugging C.C., though Lelouch took a small amount of amusement from the utterly shocked look upon the normally unflappable C.C.’s face.
“I may not really know you…” Milly began, “But no one deserves that fate. I’m so sorry.”
C.C. blinked before smiling and returning the hug slightly. “Thank you,” she said in an honest tone, “it means a lot.”
Milly let go after a few seconds and stood back next to Lelouch, with an expectant look on her face. “I’m assuming that that’s one of the reasons why you killed Clovis.”
“Actually it was C.C. who killed him,” Lelouch corrected. “I was there and gave her the weapon, but I am a firm believer of the phrase ‘Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned.’”
C.C., now back to normal, flicked her hair backwards. “Let's hope he has that lesson burned into his very soul as he rots in the depths of hell.”
Lelouch couldn’t help but shake his head fondly at that, which Milly noted, a tinge of jealousy entering her core, though she stamped it down, as Lelouch began talking again.
“The story I told you was mostly true, just with certain things excluded or changed,” he confessed. “After the truck stopped, and the group of soldiers found me, one actually arrived before them, an honorary Britannian…”
“It was Suzaku, wasn’t it,” Milly said.
“Yes, and he was present when the container opened up, revealing C.C.,” Lelouch said, gesturing to said vampire. “After he was shot, I grabbed C.C. and we ran. We didn’t go far before we felt the tunnels vibrate as Clovis initiated his massacre.” Lelouch clenched his fists unconsciously at that. “But I wanted answers and the only one who could give them at the moment was C.C. so…”
“So he took off the muzzle on my face, and began questioning me,” C.C. took over, “all the while I asked certain questions of my own.” She gave a smile, a smile not unlike the one she gave him just before she turned him in Shinjuku. “To gauge his intention and dedication. After he had satisfied my curiosity, I,” she gestured to herself, “sired him.”
Milly’s eyes widened as she looked to Lelouch this time. “Y…You’re a vampire now?!” Her tone was filled with shock once again, though this time, there was a tinge of… excitement.
“Yes,” he answered succinctly. “I still don’t know how someone can be turned into a vampire, only that she bit me and drained me enough that I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I had faster reflexes and reaction times.”
“... That’s it?” Milly asked, sounding a bit disappointed. “Nothing else.”
“Not when I regained consciousness,” Lelouch corrected. “Besides, I had C.C. beginning an explanation of what had just happened, and some of the changes that I am still undergoing, but we were interrupted by the fighting and the need to escape.”
He then proceeded to explain everything about Shinjuku that he had excluded beforehand, only excluding his reaction to Villetta shortly afterwards. Milly rarely interrupted, though her expressions varied with each section, from intrigue at C.C.’s explanation, horror at the confrontation with the Royal Guard, glee at Lelouch’s handling of the situation, interest at the arrival of the Lancelot and of course a mixed expression at Clovis’ death. Anger and satisfaction due to Clovis’ actions and crimes, but also sorrow due to memories of both her and Lelouch’s childhood in Pendragon when Clovis did treat them well.
After he finished, Milly was silent, biting her lip as she processed the whole situation.
“So that’s everything about Shinjuku, though you seemed to skip over some details about that pureblood lieutenant you… ‘hypnotised’,” Milly noted, causing Lelouch to sweatdrop at that. Sometimes Milly was too sharp on some things for his liking. “Also I am surprised that you haven’t drunk anyone’s blood yet. I would assume that it's one of the first things a new vampire would do
“You’re correct,” C.C. said, causing Lelouch to spin around to glare at her, though that didn’t deter her at all. “But keep in mind, we’ve only been talking about Shinjuku, not anything else after it, or the other urge that vampires would have.”
“And what would that be?” Milly asked innocently, while Lelouch began sweating even more, becoming more and more worried with each passing second.
C.C. smirked and leaned in closer to Milly, as if sharing a secret between the two of them, before muttering a single word. “Sex.”
At that Milly’s face turned red as she blushed heavily. Normally she would be unfazed or even encouraging with this kind of talk in the sort of teasing manner, but the way C.C. had said the word, as well as Milly realising how she had begun to react to Lelouch after Shinjuku, caused it to click in her head.
Lelouch for his part groaned and held his head with one hand as C.C. opened the one can of worms he did not want opened with Milly. Why did she always have to make things difficult!
“You see, I have a bit of a problem on my hands regarding our dear Lelouch,” C.C. said in a sweet tone of voice to Milly, “He is constantly resisting the urges that his new type of existence and that is going to cause problems not only to himself but everyone around him.”
“Is this about the drinking blood or the other urge…” Milly softly asked.
“Both,” C.C. said. “Well, to be precise, not exactly sex for the latter. Not yet. I doubt he’s even interested in sex right now. Just other things that involve physical pleasure.”
“Why?” Lelouch asked, a bit infuriated. “Is it because of how you said I would go insane? Even if I don’t go through with those urges this soon after being changed?”
“Exactly that,” C.C. said. “You may be new, but that only makes it more and more important for you to placate the urges now. I’ve told you before, they will only get stronger over time, but by placating them, you get used to them and can control them. Denying them only makes them bolder, which will cause you to create more than one personality in your head, which will eventually cause your mind to break and go insane.” She paused, looking away. “That’s what happened to the last individual I sired.”
The pain in her voice caused Lelouch’s irritation to dissipate. Sometimes, due to how young C.C. looked and how she acted, Lelouch almost forgets that she has lived for centuries and experienced so much pain and loss, something he could not even begin to comprehend right now. But then what she said registered in his mind. “How badly did they go insane?”
C.C. laughed scornfully at that, mainly at herself. “He became a near psychotic mass murderer. Due to his starting power, he quickly grew to hate large gatherings of people, thus always sticking in the rural areas, only going into cities if he needed something specific, and also making him not want to do anything other than drink my blood. But eventually his denial of his instincts caused him to snap and he became a serial killer, drenching himself in the blood of his victims, only after he tormented them with his words alone.”
“What happened to him?” Milly asked, sounding concerned and a bit scared. “Is he still around?”
“Unfortunately he is,” C.C. said sadly. “I did try to put him down, but he managed to exploit a certain weakness of mine, and also threatened to unleash a blood curse upon an entire city. I had to break that first, giving him time to escape, though not before ensuring he could no longer use blood curses.”
“Blood curse?” Lelouch asked. “You’ve never mentioned them before. What are they?”
“I’ve never mentioned them because they are quite irrelevant,” C.C. answered. “In the past century, there have only been a handful of people who ever even considered using them at all, and only one who has actually done so.”
“You still haven’t said what they are,” Lelouch stressed.
C.C. was silent for a second before sighing in resignation. “Imagine this: You are looking at someone and suddenly they start bleeding. At first it's just a regular nosebleed, but then blood starts to trickle down from their eyes and ears, then that trickle becomes a flood as more and more blood starts to come out of anywhere it can, withering their body at a rapid pace until they explode into a pool of blood, sickly blood for that.” Upon seeing the look of horror on both Lelouch and Milly’s face, she grimaced. “That is one such result of a blood curse, where the usage of blood magic leads to a curse on anything or anyone ranging from an individual to an entire city’s population, potentially dooming them to such a painful death like the one I just described, which is one of the less painful outcomes, or worse. And that end is the best case scenario.”
“Oh god…” Milly covered her mouth, her face turning green, with Lelouch not that far behind.
“As I said, in the last century, there has only been one use of a blood curse, and that was only used on an individual, not on a city,” C.C. assured them. “While vampires tend to be disconnected from the events of the political stage of the world, and sometimes regard humans as nothing more than food, only the most psychotic vampire would dare to utilise a blood curse, as the very instance they conjure a notable one, or are discovered, they become pariahs and are hunted down with extreme prejudice by ALL vampires.” C.C. shrugged. “Those hunts are actually quite cathartic, bringing the pariahs to justice. The few that I’ve been involved in always succeed, so it’s become a very, very big deterrent from anyone crazy enough to use it.” She also opened her palm, where a light shone from it, as well as on her forehead hidden behind her bangs. “It also helps that I have a unique ability to seal someone’s blood magic, thus you’ll be protected as long as I am around.”
“Good to know,” Lelouch said gratefully. The very idea of blood curses made him feel sick right to his core, openly horrified at such an existence. And yet he knew that there would be quite a few of his own siblings who would wish to use such an abomination.
“Ok, now that I feel sick, let's get back to the previous topic,” Milly said, “I would rather talk about sex than about… that.”
“Agreed,” Lelouch said automatically. Usually he would be completely against that, but this was the sole exception, and understandably so.
“I’m very much happy to do so,” C.C. said smiling. “Back to my point, I really don’t want you getting to the point where you go insane, Lelouch, so that is why I intervened back at the Viceroy’s palace.”
“I really shouldn’t be surprised you were there at all,” Milly commented. “But I gather that it involves something… spicy.”
“Yes, but I’ll get there. So Lelouch here after years of his sex drive all but dead has finally had it awakened by becoming a vampire. And let's just say, it’s…”
“Proven to be a nuisance,” Lelouch interrupted. “Almost every single thought I have, it tries to infiltrate and distract me, and make me do things I would rather not do.”
“I rest my case,” C.C. said. “But he’s not completely wrong, but his reluctance poses a huge issue to his development as a vampire. But he did manage to finally bite someone two days ago.” She looked at Lelouch with a sly smirk. “Why not tell dear Milly here how dear Kallen’s blood tasted.”
“Wait, Kallen was your first?!” Milly cried out. Lelouch was taken aback slightly by the intensity in her voice. “And how did you manage to bite her?”
“A simple thing of Lelouch having a knack for mental manipulation,” C.C. explained, “subconsciously putting her under a trance that made her more docile and delayed what she was seeing and experiencing being registered in her brain while she was in the shower, then accidentally putting in the command for her to pretend it never happened as he bolted from the scene.”
“The shower? Was that when Rivalz and you accidentally showered some champagne all over her?” Milly asked Lelouch, who nodded, a slight blush on his face as he recalled biting Kallen.
‘Shit,’ he thought to himself as his jaw began to ache again, this time with a lot of intensity, and his vampiric instincts started to flare up as well, as if in response to the very thought of a naked Kallen. ‘Just stop. She’s not here!’
Naturally they didn’t listen, his mental focus turned inwards, trying to ignore how his throat suddenly felt dry like he was thirsty for something other than water, as Milly looked away, blushing slightly while C.C. cheerfully told her about some of the details of how Lelouch bit Kallen. He only refocused on the conversation, not on keeping his growing instincts in check, when C.C. actually got to explaining how ‘cute’ Lelouch acted when biting Kallen.
“What?!” Lelouch snarled. “I was not ‘cute’!”
“Yes you were,” C.C. smirked, “trying to keep the charade up as your instincts overwhelmed you, while your subconscious charming of Kallen took root in her. It was so adorable.”
“Your definition of adorable is very different from mine,” Lelouch deadpanned.
Meanwhile, Milly internally was stunned. Her best friend and crush was now a vampire, which Milly wasn’t adverse to, since he wasn’t too different and the idea of vampires existing not scaring her that much. But it still caught her off guard, as well as the fact that the person who turned him was secretly living in the clubhouse with him, a fact which Nunnally probably didn’t know about as well. But the fact that this person was living with him, had a decent(?) rapport with him, as well as Lelouch having bitten a girl who he hadn’t really known for that long as well, made her feel slightly jealous, an ugly feeling in her chest which she hated but couldn’t help.
But another feeling also began to emerge within her as a result of that jealousy. A small voice in her mind that maybe she should be his next victim.
C.C., pausing in her banter with Lelouch, quickly eyed Milly, as if being able to tell just what the busty blonde was thinking. Smirking once more, C.C. moved on from the banter back to the main cusp of the whole discussion.
“But since then, Lelouch hasn’t bitten anyone since. Nor has he acted on his instincts without a push from me, not even in a room with a very attractive soldier that he had hypnotised in Shinjuku. In that case I did have to intervene, but before he could bite her, a phone call interrupted him. So I need a solution to this problem of ours, and I think you can help, Ms Ashford.”
“Me?” Milly repeated, with Lelouch looking surprised before narrowing his eyes at C.C., having an idea of what his mischievous sire wanted. And again, his instincts flared up again, stronger than before, though this time in anticipation in regards to Milly. His eyes unconsciously drifted to Milly’s neck and chest, though he always drew it back to C.C. as if trying to keep himself in check.
“Yes, you,” C.C.’s hand went to Milly’s chin and moved her slightly to the side, as if exposing Milly’s neck more to Lelouch’s vision, which immediately made all of Lelouch’s efforts to look away futile. “You see, Lelouch’s vampiric instincts have already figured out which individuals he would like to bite and you’re one of them.”
Milly’s eyes widened at this, not even having a chance to open her mouth before C.C. grabbed her arms and spun her around so she was facing Lelouch properly. She didn’t really struggle all that much, as she was beginning to realise what C.C. wanted. She also noticed that Lelouch had frozen, while shaking slightly as he looked directly at her neck and chest with a gaze that showed a battle between self-control and desire. And as she looked to confirm this in his eyes, she found her mind beginning to become sluggish.
“So, would you mind if Lelouch, once a week, drinks your blood?” C.C. asked Milly into her ear in a seductive way.
“No,” Milly said coherently, and honestly, even with her mind becoming influenced by Lelouch subconsciously. “I don’t mind at all…”
[Lime scene ahead. Skip if you don’t want to read]
“Good,” C.C. smirked, before starting to undo the buttons on Milly’s jacket and shirt, taking off her tie and throwing it and the jacket to the side. As C.C. did her work making Milly’s outfit more ‘presentable’ for the circumstances, Lelouch just continued staring, his mind completely fixated on seeing Milly getting partially stripped, his mouth open slightly as he actually drooled, fangs extended in preparation. Internally, he could hear the exasperated mutterings of the guest in his mind, mostly following the script of egging him along, though with a lot of exasperated sighing and saying ‘finally!’ a lot. He would later react to that evidence of an actual personality in the voice, but his mind was very much preoccupied.
It only took a minute for C.C. to prepare Milly, her shirt unbuttoned and pulled open enough that it was completely off her shoulders and had fallen down to her lower arms, completely revealing her upper body, the only thing preserving her modesty being her black bra that seemed to be straining under the weight and size of her breasts. Milly, whose gaze almost mirrored that of Kallen’s when she was charmed in the shower, barely reacting with a moan as C.C. gave them a squeeze.
“Damn, completely natural,” she said, her tone envious. “I do really like the size of my breasts, but Milly really hit the jackpot on the genetic lottery in terms of looks!” She gave Lelouch a playful glare. “I would have gladly taken her for myself if you didn’t already claim her for yourself.”
Lelouch answered that with a snarl, baring his fangs at C.C. The message was clear: Back off. In his current state of mind, Lelouch completely forgot about denying that he claimed anyone as his own, his vampiric instincts now in control of him.
C.C. merely smirked from his non verbal declaration, but obliged, stepping away from Milly, leaving the two of them to just stare at each other, Lelouch breathing heavily as if his rational mind was making one last ditch effort to stop himself, while Milly had completely fallen under his charm, her mind blank.
Lelouch made the first move, moving up to Milly and tilted her head to the side, brushing away her hair from her neck to give it even more exposure. Yet instead of lowering his mouth to her neck and biting down like he did with Kallen, he instead moved his mouth to her collar bone and lowered his mouth enough that the tip of his fangs were able to touch her skin, which he then used to lightly rub on her skin, moving down her breasts towards her bra, causing her to moan from the pleasure. He removed the bra so that when his fangs got close to her nipples, he raised them away before giving her left nipple a small kiss.
Milly gasped as she felt her nipples begin to get played with by Lelouch’s mouth, even as his hands slowly made their way to her rear. He grabbed her butt and gave it a slight squeeze, while continuing to play with her nipples, another moan emerging from her mouth as her dull eyes half closed, the only thing present in her mind being the pleasure she was feeling.
To her disappointment, he stopped with his ministrations, taking his head away from her breasts, but it didn’t last long before he grabbed her and carefully flipped her so that her back was on his desk, and he went on top of her, panting, his arms on either side of her head, eyes now red as he looked at her with such want. Even with a blank mind, a pleased feeling swept through her as one of her hidden desires had become fulfilled, as she raised her arms to his neck and pulled him closer to her, which he allowed. As he got closer, he went back to her breasts, this time using one of his hands to play with one breast as he used his mouth on the other.
After a solid minute of moaning and twitching on Milly’s part, Lelouch finally stopped, dragging his mouth on Milly’s skin to her neck, where he found the position he wanted, then bit into her. Milly reacted instantly, arching her back as her eyes widened in shock for a split second before half-closing again as she pressed herself against Lelouch, as if begging him to continue. Lelouch did notice this, but was mainly concerned with the sweet nectar flowing into his mouth. He had no idea how much he had missed the taste of blood since biting Kallen, even if this was only the second time he had drank any blood.
But again, he had to cut it short so that he didn’t cause any harm to Milly. So with great reluctance, he pulled his fangs out of Milly’s neck and slowly raised himself away from the temptation of more blood. And like clockwork, as he panted from the sheer adrenaline that he got from falling under his instincts, his normal, rational self regained control.
‘Oh god…’ He quickly looked down at Milly in horror, not aimed at her, but at himself, feeling that he had just betrayed his oldest friend. Even if she looked like she was in nirvana, her eyes still glazed over, her chest moving with her rapid breaths that glistened with sweat, making her look even more beautiful than normal, something that while his mind was so focused on self-decapitating himself, his body was naturally reacting to her. It didn’t help that a lovely smell was coming from under her skirt as well, further inflaming his body’s reaction.
Slowly he got off her, and backed away, actually falling off the table in order to move as far away from her as possible, not willing to risk hurting her or abusing her trust again like he felt he just did. C.C. was about to intervene, but Milly herself beat her to it, suddenly reaching out and grabbing Lelouch’s arm, preventing him from moving away.
Turning back to look at her, he saw the dullness in her eyes fade as her mind rebooted itself before, still holding on to his arm, she sat up, looking down at the floor between the two of them. They sat in silence before Milly just said “Wow… that was something.”
[Lime End]
“Are you alright?” he asked pensively.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her neck where he had just bit her. She felt the holes in her neck almost done healing already, and blood had stopped flowing from them almost as soon as Lelouch’s fangs had left her neck. “That was so weird.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologised. “I should have stopped myse…”
“Lelouch, it’s fine,” Milly interrupted. “I should actually be thanking you, that felt… so good, like you wouldn’t believe.” She blushed as she looked up at him. “Just that, actually registering everything that happened all at once after the fact is very… stimulating. But I never felt any pain.”
“I still took advantage of you,” Lelouch argued. “You only agreed once you were beginning to fall under the charm that I had no control over.”
“The answer would have been the same if I wasn’t under,” Milly countered calmly. “You didn’t hurt me or betray me. Everything is fine,” she stressed, giving him a smile.
After a moment, Lelouch nodded. He still felt like he did take advantage of her, but he wasn’t feeling nearly as bad as before. As he calmed down, he then noticed one huge detail about the situation the both of them were in. He blushed, looking away.
“Um, Milly, I can see your chest,” he said.
Milly looked down and found that yes, she still was giving Lelouch a view of her naked chest, a sight that many of the male students and some of the female students at Ashford would kill to even get a glimpse of it for a few seconds. Blushing herself, she lightly crossed her arms over her chest, but was inwardly pleased as her feminine pride cried out in victory. Those cries increased as she spotted a bulge in Lelouch’s pants. After all, what girl would not find it nice that they could cause a physical reaction from their crush, even one as romantically oblivious as Lelouch.
A part of her wanted to capitalise on the moment, but she threw that thought in the rubbish bin, where it belonged. No, that would be taking advantage of Lelouch, as she could feel that he wasn’t ready for anything like that yet. But she also had a feeling that allowing him to bite her was the first step to actually achieving her dream of getting together with Lelouch, though with a lot of caveats.
No, patience was the name of the game, and one that she had a lot of practice with in this regard. So she would bide her time, let Lelouch get comfortable with all this. It was the least she could do for him.
“Um, C.C., could you pass me my bra?” she asked the green haired girl.
“Sure,” she answered, with Lelouch jumping up in surprise, as he had become so invested in Milly that he had forgotten she was still in the room with them.
C.C. scooped up the bra from where Lelouch had left it and handed it to Milly who slowly put it on, as if appeasing the side of her wanting to seduce Lelouch by dragging out showing him her naked breasts for a few seconds longer than normal.
“That was a very lovely show you two put up for me,” C.C. congratulated them. “I’m now feeling very hot and bothered from that.”
That caused the two of them to blush again. “Please don’t say that,” Lelouch begged.
“Why?” C.C. teased. “Worried that I may jump you?”
Lelouch scowled, but couldn’t deny that he may enjoy that, while Milly’s eye’s hardened slightly at that, though that hardness disappeared when C.C. turned to her. “Same goes for you.”
“Me… Oh, you also like both genders?” Milly vocalised.
C.C. shrugged while nodding in response. “After the first few decades, you tend to lose any conceptions of sticking to one gender most of the time. But yes, though only with those I feel like I would enjoy their company anyways even without the sex and pleasure.”
“I would imagine you would be quite a bit of fun in the bed then,” Milly said, her she-devil side starting to rear its head. “Oh, I can just imagine the scandals you would cause here at Ashford.”
“Not worried about me seducing half the cohort?” C.C. leaned in. “Or is it an invitation to join in?” She teased.
“I think that’s enough for tonight on that type of topic,” Lelouch interrupted, not wanting to see what the two devil-like females would go from there.
“Oh, ruining all of the fun, after you hogged it all,” C.C. mock pouted, holding back a laugh, while Milly failed at that, already clutching her stomach as she laughed.
Lelouch put a hand to his head. “Now there are two of them… Lord help me…”
This caused the two girls to laugh even harder for a moment. Lelouch deadpanned at them, though the hint of a smile made its way onto his face.
After a moment, the laughter died down. Milly was about to get off the table to grab her shirt before a thought came to her. “Hey, C.C. how many girls has Lelouch ‘marked’ yet?”
“Four,” C.C. answered. “You, Kallen, the Britannian officer and that orange haired girl in the council with you.”
“Shirley?” Milly asked, with Lelouch nodding in confirmation. In response, Milly sighed in relief. While she did want to date Lelouch and have him as a partner/lover, she didn’t want it at the expense of her friend’s feelings, one of the reasons why Milly hadn’t made a move yet on Lelouch. So right now, Shirley had a chance of also being bitten and she had a feeling the orange haired girl would be interested.
“Do you think there will be others who Lelouch may want to bite as well?” she asked.
“I hope not,” Lelouch immediately said.
“Probably,” C.C. answered. “Depends on who he meets in the future, and if they have any history, which can be a huge factor sometimes.”
“But I had nothing with Villetta,” Lelouch said, putting a hand to his chin as he thought about it. “Same with Kallen. We may have been in the same class for the year, but I only really noticed her when I saw her after being turned.”
“She was the pilot of the Glasgow, and you saw how much skill she had,” C.C. surmised. “And Villetta is a trained soldier, so maybe that kind of thing did get the initial attraction set up.” She shrugged. “Everyone’s marking is different. I know I had some weird requirements myself that I never fully realised until later.”
“Good to know,” Lelouch deadpanned, before going back to the topic. “But I doubt it wholeheartedly fits Milly and Shirley, as while athletic, especially in Shirley’s case…” He froze as a thought popped up in his head. “I’m going to react badly to her wearing a swimsuit, aren’t I?”
“Yes.” “Probably.” Both C.C. and Milly answered.
“But that is the history factor coming into play, as you’ve known Milly for most of your life, and Shirley in the past two to three years,” C.C. pointed out.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Milly popped in, her tone a bit more serious despite her wearing nothing but her bra on her upper body, “Just before coming here, Grandfather was contacted by Cornelia.”
While technically speaking, Milly did have to pronounce Cornelia’s title whenever she spoke of the second Princess, she never has really in private since the early days in Pendragon, as she did know Cornelia personally.
“What did she have to say?” Lelouch said, intrigued, his mind now refocusing on the more important topic in his mind, rebelling against Britannia.
“Euphie is on her way here,” Milly dropped a bomb that caused Lelouch’s mind to grind to a halt. “Like, as in right now, she’s on her way.”
“Euphie… why?” Lelouch quickly came to a potential conclusion. “She’s going to be the Sub-Viceroy, isn’t she?” When Milly nodded, he continued on. “But still, after all these years, Cornelia would be even more overprotective of Euphie than in the past, and she would normally prevent Euphie from coming over to an unstable Area where a sibling just got murdered. Cornelia isn’t coming yet, though?”
“No, she isn’t. It’s just Euphie and one of Cornelia’s subordinates,” Milly answered. “But her being the new Sub-Viceroy is part of the reason why she’s coming so early. Apparently, there’s something she wants to discuss with the Ashford Foundation involving the bureaucracy of the Area.”
“...” Lelouch remained silent as he processed not only what Euphie may want, but also that she was coming over here. While he had kept tabs on her somewhat over the years, he always kept a distance from the news directly about her, the little there was, as if not wanting to risk tainting the memories he had with her in their childhood. He didn’t want to ever face a reality where the kind, lovely Euphie that he knew could potentially grow up turning into the same pit of vipers that he despised.
There is also the possibility that if she somehow managed to enter Ashford Academy, that she would instantly recognise him. That on its own if it was in a vacuum wouldn’t be terrible, but if she told Cornelia and others, then to say things would get even more complicated would be an understatement. Something that he could ill afford at the moment.
Milly looked on at Lelouch as he stood in silence. Her own relationship with Euphie was also complicated in a similar manner. They hadn’t even seen each other in years since the assassination, nor even talked, though that could be due to a variety of reasons, as well as an overprotective Cornelia, so she never blamed Euphie at all. While they were also close friends in Pendragon, oftentimes they were also on and off rivals for Lelouch’s attention and affection. Maybe that has changed for Euphie, but not Milly, so she didn’t know what would come out of Euphie potentially seeing either Lelouch or Nunnally.
“... Do you know when she will arrive?” Lelouch asked finally.
Milly shook her head. “Only that she will contact me when she lands and wants to talk. She may have something to do first.”
“Ok, that makes things easier to deal with.” Lelouch sighed. “If she’s only wanting to talk to you about Ashford Academy, then Nunnally and I can simply be absent for the day and she would be none the wiser.”
“I’ll have grandfather prepare the contingencies, especially the ones regarding the school roster,” Milly said.
“Please do,” Lelouch said. “But that may be in vain if she decides to be at Ashford for significant periods of time, if not outright becoming a student.”
“That… may not be as unlikely as we would like,” Milly admitted. “Her schooling was mostly done in warzones away from the Homeland. In facilities made for Royals and the Nobility, yes, but that wouldn’t make much of a difference in terms of interruptions and disruptions.”
“Agreed.” Lelouch sighed. “Plus the fact that she would have been forced to travel a lot due to Cornelia’s campaigns would have made things much more difficult for her. She would definitely have adapted to it, but wouldn’t have liked it.”
“What happens if she does stay?” Milly asked.
“There’s not much we can do about it,” Lelouch admitted. “All we could hope is that we convince her that telling anyone else is a bad idea.”
“There is another way,” C.C. chimed in. “You could always influence her through your vampiric powers.”
Lelouch swivelled on the spot, a fierce look on his face. “Never!” he declared. “I won’t use it on any of my friends and close family!”
“You technically just did,” C.C. pointed out, causing the scowl on Lelouch’s face to deepen. “Oh, don’t give me that look. You deny ever using your hypnosis on those close to you, yet if there was a time where using it would be the difference between them being hurt or being safe and happy, you would use it. Maybe even you would use it to keep those you care about out of anything regarding your rebellion.”
Lelouch opened his mouth but no words came out as he realised she did have a point. But still, hypnotising Euphie?! That alone should have made him really, really mad, and it did.
“Even still, all the hypnotising I have done on purpose so far was for the rebellion, and only on those I didn’t know at the time. And the charming has just been subconsciously when I gave in to the vampire side of me! Never by my full consent! And I won’t hypnotise Nunnally or Euphie!”
C.C. was silent before giving a small chuckle. “Ha, I thought that your one true weakness was Nunnally alone,” she scoffed. “But it seems you have another. A soft spot for your sisters.”
She got closer to Lelouch. “It’s good to have a moral line that you don’t want to cross, but in this case, it may be the lesser evil for you to hypnotise your half-sister so she keeps quiet, than have her spill the beans.”
“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Lelouch asserted.
C.C. shrugged. “If you say so. But do keep it in mind in case you’re wrong.” She then gave him a pointed look. “Another thing to consider is your vampiric side, how it will react to her. Maybe you would hypnotise her without meaning to, or it influences you to do so.”
Lelouch clenched his fists. That thought honestly scared him. While his thoughts towards Euphie were complicated, it was always with fondness and nostalgia. She was probably the one link to the Royal Family, his blood family, that he wouldn’t want severed ever. He could never hate her, but was scared at what she could have become in the absence. The first girl he had ever liked, and there was the potential of doing something horrible to her. That thought alone was sobering.
Milly, having spotted how Lelouch may be feeling, decided to interrupt. “I’ll find out when we meet up. It’ll probably be tomorrow when she arrives in Area 11.”
“Most likely,” Lelouch agreed, glad for the change of topic. “Try to see what she wants from Ashford, and also maybe when Cornelia arrives, though it would probably be in the next few days, if the campaign in the Middle East goes as I predict, most likely ending tonight in Britannia’s complete victory.”
“Another Area to add to the empire…” Milly said bitterly. “It would make that eighteen areas?”
“Yes. Eighteen…” Lelouch trailed off. “Now Britannia will begin focusing more and more efforts on the EU with the last of the Middle Eastern Federation about to be extinguished. The state at least. The populace will be another matter entirely.”
C.C., agreeing with Lelouch, decided to look at the clock on the wall. “Hm, you two do have school tomorrow, right?”
“Yes…” Milly said, before following C.C.'s gaze and gasped. “2am… Oh, I should get going soon.
“Yes, we should both be getting to bed,” Lelouch agreed, “you especially, since you need to recover from that blood loss.”
Milly blushed at the reminder, but nodded.
She was about to get off the table, but then paused. “Um, Lelouch?”
Lelouch, who had gone to pick up her shirt off the floor, looked up at her. “Hm?”
“Are you… Do you want to bite me each week?” she meekly asked, something that was out of character for her.
Lelouch froze at the question. His rational mind wanted to say no, as one time was enough, but he had to admit, the taste of Milly’s blood was… indescribable, same with Kallen’s blood. The fact that Milly did look very beautiful and the thought of having this special time with her was becoming more and more appealing to the more primitive parts of his mind. What did seal the deal though was how Milly seemed to look at him, begging him to say yes.
“I’m… I’m fine with that,” he said, causing her expression to brighten significantly. Seeing that, his vampiric instincts decided to influence what he said next just a bit. “Though when you do come over to be bitten…” he struggled to word what he wanted to say, being too embarrassed. “...could you wear something that showed off a lot of skin, including your neck and chest…” As he finished, he blinked, realising what he just asked, looking away in shame and horror.
Milly blinked as well, caught completely off guard by the request. As she processed the request, her blush intensified, realising that maybe Lelouch was slowly being influenced by his new vampiric side, but in this case she wasn’t complaining.
“That’s something I can definitely do for you, Lelouch,” Milly said honestly.
After that, Milly got dressed and left the clubhouse to go to her room, with Lelouch escorting her to the door, while C.C. remained in the office. He did come back, looking like he wanted to continue the discussion about her actions at the Palace, but instead announced that he needed to go to bed as well. So the two of them went to his room, where she once again drank from his blood as he fell asleep.
The Next Day
Euphie sighed as she sat restlessly in the aeroplane, waiting for the journey to end already. She knew they were near the end of their journey, but the anticipation was killing her. For the first time in what seems like forever, she was away from the front lines with her sister, not that she didn’t like being with Cornelia, but she would admit it had become rather stifling at the very least for the now sixteen years old Euphie.
So while she was presently in a compact plane with not that many people in it, with very little room to actually move, she felt as if some invisible shackles had finally fallen off. Not all of them, but enough to feel like she had more freedom than ever before in the past seven years.
Still, she wasn’t alone. Andreas Darlton was sitting next to her, his posture stiff and uncomfortable as he struggled to relax enough to pass off as a civilian, though the scar on his face did sort of ruin that, or make him seem like a veteran retiree. His presence, while still a reminder that she really couldn’t escape her sister’s watch, was a very welcoming one, as she did trust him with her life. In many ways, he was the closest thing she had to a proper father figure, considering that her actual father didn’t really put aside any real time for her before the assassination of Lady Marianne.
That didn’t really bother her as much as it should have, as Father had proven himself to be a despicable person if Euphie was being honest with herself. Throwing Lelouch and Nunnally away for being ‘useless’ to him after their mother had been murdered, then invading the country they were exiled to was just the step too much for Euphie to handle, thus her loss of trust and even familial connection to Father, even if she still called him that out of habit and truth.
For now, while the in flight entertainment system did keep her entertained for the first half of the flight, when she wasn’t sleeping, now all she could do was look out the window to see the cloudy skies they were traversing through. She would normally be a bit talkative at times like this, but all of the topics that came to mind were pretty much classified and not something she should speak about in public while disguised as a regular Britannian civilian, in case someone overheard.
“... How long until we land?” she asked Darlton.
“Less than an hour, Euphie,” he answered softly and quietly, with a smile on his face, as if she hadn’t already asked that same question a dozen times prior.
Her mood brightened slightly as she only had to endure the flight for a bit longer. She then took a look behind her seat, where the people sitting in their seats were enjoying themselves through watching the screens on the seats, listening to music or even reading a book. A part of her watched them with envy, as they seemed to live a satisfactory life compared to her, who was ironically royalty and had access to everything. Not for the first time did she regret in many ways being the spoiled little princess who had most things done for her at her whim, or at least able to do so.
She sighed as she turned away from them, looking straight ahead, her mind back in the past in Pendragon with Lelouch, Milly and Nunnally. What she wouldn’t give to have that again. Her heart clenched at the very thought, mainly whenever she thought about Lelouch especially. Her kind half-brother who was always there for her, the first person outside of Cornelia who showed her genuine kindness and the one person she developed a crush on during her younger years, a crush that hasn’t gone away, despite Lelouch being dead for seven years.
She sighed as her eyes watered in response to the sadness and longing she felt, quickly wiping away the tears that threatened to flow down her face. This wasn’t the time or place to think about Lelouch and Nunnally, not when she did have a duty to fulfil when she lands.
Speaking of which, she turned to Darlton and whispered to him, “who do you think will meet us at the airport?”
“Most likely Margrave Jeremiah or someone he trusts,” Darlton answered quickly, “depending on the situation in Area Eleven.”
“What makes you think the situation will change that quickly?” Euphie asked. While on the civilian plane, they couldn’t keep track of the current situation, they did memorise the situation when they took off from Dubai, Cornelia having conquered it about a month ago with its world class airport still intact, with Area Eleven’s stability having been reduced significantly and in constant unrest, but she doubted that could change so quickly.
“You’ll be surprised at how even a bad situation can get worse,” Darlton dryly commented. He looked away, to the regular citizens inside the plane. “Britannia has been comfortable with its status for too long now without any major hiccups,” he told Euphie, an indecipherable expression on his face. “Everything has become complacent, meaning that we’ve become more vulnerable to surprises.” He went quiet after that, not wanting to verbally list any more reasons why he believed the situation could deteriorate further, but both him and Euphie knew that the main one was the Area and Numbers policies, that had created several powder kegs under Britannia’s nose, all waiting for a single spark to send it crashing down.
It was Darlton’s fear that this Zero was that spark, and that worst case, the match had already been lit.
“Case No. 157, Private Suzaku Kururugi, Area Eleven Military Forces.”
Suzaku raised his head at his name being called out as the Judge started to close the hearing through the announcement of his freedom, as any evidence that had been thrown against him had easily been identified as false.
“In the case of his Highness’ murder, due to evidence showing your lack of involvement, you are no longer a suspect,” the Judge announced, to the grumbles of the prosecution and some on the jury, “and are free to go.”
Suzaku blinked at the sheer silence as the announcement rang out inside the courtroom, a silence that continued even after he was allowed to stand up, the cuffs on his hand unlocked and taken off by his two guards. As he was escorted out, he was thrown an insult or two from some in the audience, though he ignored them.
Soon enough he was outside the courthouse, dressed in casual clothes, wearing sunglasses so no one would recognise him easily, waiting to be picked up by Miss Croomy and Lloyd. They had called up almost as soon as he left the courtroom, telling him that they’ll be there in a short while. As he imagined that he wouldn’t be welcome back in his old barracks, Suzaku was quite glad that the two of them were willing to do this.
He looked down at his hand, where he still held his father’s watch, one of the few things that were confiscated with his clothes when he was arrested, and was kept with them until today where he could grab it. As he turned it around, he noticed the dent in it, where the bullet that came the closest to ending his life impacted. He frowned as he looked at it, his mind a jumbled mess as it seemed to conjure a lot of memories, especially the ones during and since Shinjuku, though the one that played in his mind the most prominently was where he told the Royal Guard Commander that he would not shoot Lelouch.
‘If my life ended there, at least I would have saved my friend,’ he thought to himself, almost sad that it didn’t come to pass. Would have been a perfect end for him, but alas he was still alive, still needing to atone for his sins.
A truck driving down his side of the road caught his attention, especially when it stopped right in front of him. The passenger door opened, revealing Miss Croomy, with Lloyd sitting in the driver's seat.
“Ah, hope we didn’t keep you waiting, Suzaku,” Croomy said, giving him a small smile.
“Not at all,” Suzaku replied, pocketing the watch. “If anything I should be thanking you for doing this for me.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Croomy said, waving him inside, where there was a third seat in between them.
“Good to have you back, Private Kururugi,” Lloyd spoke up this time. “My dear Lancelot would have been made incomplete without its devicer on hand, so please try not to get yourself arrested again next time.”
“Glad to hear you’re thinking about me,” Suzaku deadpanned at Lloyd as he got into the truck and buckled up. “Besides, I doubt it will happen again, what with Captain Kewell…”
“Don’t underestimate the ferocity of a cornered animal,” Lloyd cheerfully said, “Especially one that continues to claim that he’s innocent.”
Suzaku scowled. “Does he have no integrity?!” he angrily demanded. “Everyone saw him fold at Zero’s ultimatum last night, so shouldn’t he accept the system’s condemnation of him, right?”
“If only that was the case…” Croomy said, slightly disheartened.
At the same time
Three Sutherlands sped down a highway close to the Shinjuku Ghetto, all three armed with their Battle Rifles, along with their spare stun-tonfas attached to their forearms. In front of them lay several damaged Sutherlands, some sporting the colours of the Purebloods, and an apc with its top ripped off, while soldiers were cordoning off the area, and getting people to safety.
The three Sutherlands came to a stop in front of one soldier in the middle of the field of wreckage, who was looking at a pad, processing information as he seemed to be barking orders at the nearby soldiers. The lead Knightmare lowered its rifle as the cockpit opened up and Jeremiah Gottwald stood up.
“What happened?” he asked the soldier. “Where’s Captain Soresi?”
“My Lord, captain Soresi’s escort was ambushed and attacked,” the soldier spoke, looking away from his pad to Jeremiah. “They managed to free captain Soresi before fleeing in that direction,” the soldier pointed towards Shinjuku Ghetto. “The escort managed to destroy half of the attacking Sutherlands before being wiped out. Only three managed to eject safely. Several Pureblood knights have been identified from the destroyed attacking Sutherlands.”
‘Damn it!’ Jeremiah cursed to himself. Somehow, several of his former subordinates managed to escape either arrest or surveillance and have sprung up to get Kewell, most likely out of either loyalty to Kewell or a way to get back at Jeremiah for ‘betraying’ them as the self deluded fools believed (in the past five hours, Jeremiah had actually interrogated over a dozen Purebloods who actually believed that, which was completely incredulous to him). And now they’ve killed their fellow soldiers in this farce of a rescue attempt.
Still, Jeremiah, when he got the SOS from the escort, had reacted quickly, using his position as interim Viceroy to organise the nearby available elements of the 33rd Garrison Division, one of the five main Military Units that garrisoned Area Eleven, made up of the smaller battalions, companies, regiments and platoons, into assisting in cordoning off the area, with one specific Mobile Squad acting as a Rapid Response Force, which Jeremiah has attached himself to. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the Division had been spread out across the Kanto and Chubu Regions of the Area, so he could only assemble a hob-podge of mixed and matched units, something that the logistical officers were bemoaning about, which he couldn’t blame them for.
With his current team of three Sutherlands, he had quickly reached the scene, though after Kewell had obviously escaped. Now he had to chase him. Thankfully, the soldier here had provided a general direction, and the rest of the RRF had scattered to act as scouts.
“Lord Jeremiah!” one of the aforementioned scouts reported through his radio. “We’ve spotted several Knightmares converging in the main stadium in Shinjuku Ghetto, Sector 4.”
“Sector 4?” Jeremiah questioned. “There’s nothing there. Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“...Alright. Send me the coordinates,” Jeremiah ordered. ‘Kewell, what are you up to?’
“Lord Jeremiah,” a new transmission came in, this time from Villetta. “The plane has arrived at Tokyo Airport.”
Jeremiah suppressed a smile at the news. He hadn’t seen Princess Euphemia in years, and was looking forward to meeting both her and Darlton again. But this wasn’t the time for that, and he had to deal with this so that her Highness didn’t have to.
“Go meet the VIPs there,” he told her. “I’ll handle the hunt here, you protect the Princess and act as her escort. Just make sure she doesn’t head down to Shinjuku Ghetto, Sector 4.”
“Understood.”
Euphie sighed in relief as she and Darlton finally got off the plane, relishing in the chance to finally stretch her legs after sitting down for so long. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing she had to deal with, as evidenced by the fact that the first location she went to upon entering the terminal was straight to the toilets, with Darlton waiting outside, repressing his own need as his duty was more important and it wasn’t critical yet.
In the meantime, while Darlton waited, he scanned the foyer room and quickly found a screen showing the news. So far, it seemed to be the same, until a news announcement said for all citizens to avoid Shinjuku Ghetto. That sent an alarm bell ringing in his head, as Shinjuku had all but been abandoned from what their intel told them.
As he pondered about this development, Euphie walked out and went to his side, a questioning look on her face. “Andreas?”
“Ah, your… Euphie,” Darlton barely stopped himself out of habit. “Just looking to see what the news can tell us.”
“Anything good?” she asked.
“Mostly the same, though one thing may prove troublesome,” he said. “But we head out to security to get checked then head out to meet whoever Jeremiah sent to escort us if he isn’t here himself.”
“Of course, lead the way,” she said.
It didn’t take them long to do so. Security was tight, as expected in the aftermath of Zero’s emergence, but thanks to the id carried by Euphie, a special official fake id that was on the Britannian Intranet as a regular citizen, not a member of the royal family, and her lack of appearance in the public thanks to Cornelia keeping her close for the past seven years, made it so that no one even gave her a second glance in security. So when they made it into the main arrival room, where a few dozen people awaited the passengers, they were instantly drawn to a chocolate coloured woman with silvery blue hair and yellow eyes, who while dressed in civilian clothing so she didn’t stand out too much, had the posture of someone in the military, and nodded discretely to Darlton when she spotted them.
“That’s who we’re meeting,” he told Euphie quietly, who nodded. Together the two of them walked towards the lady, who motioned for them to follow her, which they did. After exiting the airport, they arrived at an armoured limousine. After getting in, with the dark skinned woman opening the door for both new arrivals before getting in herself, she finally spoke up.
“Apologies for the lack of a proper introduction, your highness,” the lady said. “Dame Villetta Nu, at your service.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Dame Nu,” Euphie greeted back. “This here is General Andreas Darlton, my sister’s second in command.”
“It is an honour to meet you, my Lord,” Villetta said, with Darlton nodding in response, but deciding to move on to business as soon as he could.
“I assume that since you’re here, Margrave Jeremiah is busy with a severe issue,” he asked Villetta, who nodded.
“Captain Soresi, while being escorted to a more secure prison than the one he was originally incarcerated in, was freed by a small cadre of Purebloods.” While Villetta spoke in a professional manner, the experienced Darlton could tell that she was slightly distressed by the news. “Lord Jeremiah is in pursuit, having tracked them to the Shinjuku ghetto.”
“Shinjuku, where Clovis was killed?” Euphie asked.
“Correct, your Highness,” Villetta answered.
“Were you present in the operation my brother was leading?” Euphie followed up.
Villetta hesitated, hearing the undertone of disappointment in her voice. “Yes, I was…”
“Did you participate in the massacre my brother ordered?” Now there was also an undertone of steel alongside the disappointment, and more noticeable as well.
Villetta took a glance at Darlton, who seemed slightly taken aback by Euphie’s tone. Seeing that, Villetta decided to answer honestly about it, well omitting any details about her true master.
“I was involved in the first part of the operation, in finding and intercepting the initial terrorist vehicle,” she clarified. “After his Highness escalated the situation, I did receive his Highness’ orders, but Lord Jeremiah had ordered me to prioritise finding the vehicle, ignoring the rest of the battalion's operations in order to do so. I didn’t achieve that objective, as I quickly found a building where a squad of his Highness’ royal guard had been killed. I got out of my Sutherland to investigate and was promptly knocked out by someone, who Lord Jeremiah believes to be Zero.”
“That was a rookie mistake,” Darlton admonished, with Villetta looking down in guilt.
“But it did prevent you from participating in the massacre,” Euphie interrupted, “Correct?”
Villetta nodded, causing Euphie to smile in relief.
“That’s good,” she said, the tones of steel and disappointment now gone, as if they were never there.
“Were you able to even glimpse who Zero may be?” Darlton asked.
Villetta shook her head. “Didn’t get the chance to,” she said. “Even after scanning the area, as soon as I disembarked, I was hit from behind.”
That caused Darlton to raise his eyebrow in surprise. “He managed to hide that well?”
“That’s what we believe,” Villetta corrected.
Villetta was saved from further interrogation by the two arrivals when a screen emerged from the ceiling, switching on to reveal Jeremiah inside his Sutherland. “Your Highness, My Lord, it’s good to see the two of you arrive here safely. How was the flight?”
“It was boring,” Euphie commented immediately. “I think I’ve become too spoiled even with the military transport that Sister travels with. Economy class was very cramped.”
Jeremiah gave a slightly guilty chuckle. “Sorry about that, your Highness, but it was the only discreet flight that we could book so you could come as soon as possible.”
“It’s fine,” Euphie waved away the apology. “Other than that, the flight was fine.”
“Indeed,” Darlton agreed. “Even if her Highness found it boring, it was the good kind of boring, where nothing bad happened. Worst part was trying not to call her ‘your Highness’ in front of everyone.”
“Old habits die hard, my Lord,” Jeremiah commented.
“Indeed,” Darlton agreed. “What’s the situation regarding Captain Soresi.”
“He has a head start,” Jeremiah explained, “But we’ve found where he’s heading, so I’m on an intercept course. Thankfully his numbers are low, as most of the Purebloods have been put in situations where they can’t assist him.” He then had a worried expression. “But the way they are acting, firing upon their own comrades… they’ve gone crazy. I’m worried that if we don’t contain them now, they may do something else like target her Highness if they find out she’s here.”
“Will you need assistance?” Darlton asked, volunteering himself. If they could pose a threat to Euphie, then he had to be proactive in combating that threat.
“Most likely,” Jeremiah admitted. “As I said, his numbers are low, but so are mine, as the RRF I set up is spread out. My three-man team will be the first to get to his location, the others varying times behind. I don’t have any Gloucestors you can use though, General, if you want to join in.”
“That’s fine, I can work with a Sutherland,” Darlton said, a small yet feral grin on his face. “It’ll be a good warm up after fighting those knock off Knightmares the Middle East deployed.”
“There are some spares at the Viceroy’s Palace,” Jeremiah said. “You’re on your way there anyways.”
“Excellent,” Darlton said, before turning to Villetta. “While I am gone, the responsibility for her Highness falls to you. I don’t expect Zero to know of Her Highness’ arrival, so I doubt there will be anything you’ll need to do but escort her and show her around. But if something does happen…”
“I’ll protect her with my life,” Villetta promised, saluting Darlton before knocking on the driver’s window. “Move out, double time it to the Palace!”
“Yes, my Lord!” the driver said.
“...Jeremiah, Darlton,” Euphie called out the two men. “Could you two please tell me when the fighting is done? I wish to pay my respects to the fallen.”
“Of course, your Highness,” Darlton said.
“In the meantime, while you stop Soresi, please take me to Ashford Academy after dropping off Darlton,” Euphie said to Villetta. “I do wish to catch up with an old friend.”
“I’ll inform the academy that a VIP is on their way,” she said.
“They’ll know it's me,” Euphie said. “I talked to the Principal just before we left. We’re old acquaintances so it won’t be as if I’m appearing out of nowhere.”
“I’ll… still call just in case they’re aren’t expecting you at this time,” Villetta said.
“Please do,” Euphie said with a smile, internally giddy with excitement and wonder at what or who she may meet at Ashford Academy.
Lelouch sat down on the seat outside in the yard of Ashford Academy, pulling out his laptop to do some ‘homework’, mainly researching the various resistance groups within Area Eleven. While he had now worked with the group called the Kozuki cell, named after Kallen’s dead brother Naoto, Kozuki being their true surname as he had discovered through her old middle school files, he had no real knowledge about the other numerous resistance groups such as the Blood of the Samurai, the Yamato Group and various others, with the exception of the Japanese Liberation Front.
He may not have had any personal dealings with the JLF before, but he had with one of its leaders, Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh, who was one of the individuals that Lelouch met and interacted with regularly in his exile to Japan, even considering him his sensei in a way, though oftentimes trying to get out of his lessons due to his hatred for physical activities, a hatred that was slowly being worn out through his daily exercises by C.C. He couldn’t help but snort as an old memory of Tohdoh crossing his arms at Lelouch as Suzaku easily dragged him to the dojo, the veteran soldier sighing in resignation at another escape attempt.
‘Now I’m getting nostalgic about those lessons…’ he thought to himself, ‘how things have changed…’ a sudden message alert popped up on his laptop screen. “Huh, from Milly…” He quickly opened it, only taking a few seconds to read through the brief message, by the end of it frowning.
Euphie, due to an ongoing issue with the Purebloods and Captain Soresi, or ‘Orange’ as everyone has started calling him here in Ashford, which always bring a smile on his face, has decided to come here first instead of cleaning house at the Viceroy’s Palace, though she could be waiting for Cornelia to arrive first before doing that. This was very worrisome, as it was during school time and he very well couldn’t just leave mid day without attracting attention. He wrote back to her, asking for any eta on Euphie’s arrival. Her reply came within seconds: within the hour.
“Shit…” he swore under his breath. Nunnally was hanging out with her friends on the other side of the school, and he couldn’t send her a text due to obvious reasons, plus she didn’t have her phone with her today and Sayako was helping out in the clubhouse, so there was no way to contact Nunnally and get her to hide when Euphie comes.
He messaged Milly again, asking if she was able to limit Euphie’s exposure of the Academy to just the Principal’s office, or at least if she moves around, to monitor her so that he could move around before she could spot him or Nunnally. Milly’s reply was that she believed that it was what her Grandfather had intended upon learning the news, especially since he had manipulated the class locations after lunch so that both Nunnally and him would be as far away as they could from the office. Also Milly did say that she was seeing if there were any ‘errands’ for her to organise to get Lelouch away temporarily. To be honest, Lelouch couldn’t tell if that was Milly being a she-devil and joking, or actually a legitimate thing she was doing.
“Um, Lelouch?” Kallen asked, walking up to him in her sickly persona, bringing him out of this conversation. “Do you have a minute?” she asked.
Lelouch calmly yet swiftly closed the lid of his laptop, hiding his messages and research. “Uh-huh, what seems to be the issue, Kallen?”
“Um, you know that phone call the other day,” Kallen asked, rubbing her left arm. “The one before…” she blushed. “You know… in the bathroom?”
“Ah, that one,” Lelouch struggled to hold back a blush himself, “What about it?” he asked innocently.
“Is there any way to find out the Caller id?” Kallen asked. “I wanted to talk to that person again.”
“Unfortunately not,” Lelouch answered honestly. “It was a school phone and due to the amount of times people call or get called using them, it’s all but impossible for the school to even track the number, especially one that would have called on a private number.”
“Is that so?” Kallen said, sounding disappointed. “But with current technology…”
“Normally yes, but as I said, with it being a private number, there’s no realistic way for the school to track the caller.” Lelouch shrugged. “We’re not the military.”
“...Ok, thank you,” Kallen said, about to walk away before freezing in place as she saw Milly jog towards them, looking a bit worried.
“Lelouch!” she said as she stopped in front of the two of them, “Can I borrow you for a bit?”
“Of course,” Lelouch said calmly, yet internally he was getting worried. Why would Milly run towards him unless something just went wrong with Euphie’s visit?
Kallen, meanwhile, seemed to be fixated on Milly, as if noticing something about the blonde. A strange feeling of… connection had sprung up, as if they had the same thing happen to the both of them together, yet they absolutely haven’t, at least not to Kallen’s recollection. But something was there now, and…
“Sorry, Kallen, but I will have to go deal with whatever Milly needs right now,” Lelouch said, bringing the red head out of her thoughts.
“Oh, of course,” Kallen said. “But could you please keep what we were talking about in mind?”
“Certainly,” Lelouch said, “But I doubt that my answer would have changed the next time we discuss it.”
The two of them began to walk away, leaving Kallen confused at herself, especially the way she felt down when Lelouch didn’t really react to her hinting at the bite that they still had to pretend didn’t happen, or when Milly suddenly came and interrupted their conversation… Wait, why was she disappointed about that? The conversation was pretty much over. And the way she wanted to keep that dead end going with him for some reason… Something was very wrong with her.
Still, the most mind boggling thing for Kallen was this connection to Milly, nothing like what she felt with Lelouch, with him biting her… ‘no, pretend it didn’t happen,’ she repeated in her head again, but since the pretend incident in the bathroom, she had felt a sort of… longing for the pretend incident to repeated in some sort of way, which was also very alarming in on itself. Why did she want to be bitten again, when the memory of it is so fuzzy now
‘Maybe because the pleasure felt from it is still fresh in the mind,’ a part of her reasoned.
That could be it, since that, and Lelouch asking her to pretend, never seemed to disappear from her mind for long, as if it was burnt into her subconsciousness. But that still didn’t explain the thing with Milly, especially since it just happened today, when it never even existed beforehand. Could it be something to do with Lelouch?
As this came to mind, she looked at the two of them about to enter the closest building, stepping into the shadows as Milly passed something to Lelouch, who looked at it, his expression shifting to surprise and annoyance.
Seeing that, Kallen, frowning at the feeling within her, decided to try to ignore it for now and focus on other things, walking away.
Lelouch frowned as he made his way through Clubhouse, opening the door to his room to find C.C. lying on his bed, eating another box of pizza. She didn’t seem to react to him, though he knew that she had already noticed him entering the clubhouse. He threw down a form onto the bed.
“What’s this?” he asked.
C.C. finally acknowledged him, looking at him with the side of her eye, still munching on her current pizza slice. After finishing, she looked down at the form, an enrollment form with the name ‘Cera Celestia’ and a picture of her with her hair tied up.
“Oh, that,” she said offhandedly. “It is quite stifling just being here in the clubhouse all the time during the day. I need something to keep me interested, and what better thing than going to school and seducing people.”
Lelouch’s eyes narrowed at that last part. “I don’t need you going around, biting everyone left, right and centre. Things are already getting complicated with Euphie about to arrive. I don’t need you making things more difficult.”
“Oh, relax,” she said, putting the box to the side. “I’m not a whore, I can contain myself. That said, I am going to find my own set of people to bite on the odd occasion.” She gave him a look. “I can’t very well sustain myself solely on your blood after all, and I do have other needs as well, needs that I am sure you don’t want me forcing upon you whenever I wish.”
Lelouch blushed at that. While he generally agreed with that sentiment, a part of him definitely wouldn’t mind that, especially with how beautiful she looked… No, no, no, don’t go there. He had other things to worry about.
“So you’re making a harem for yourself?” he asked.
“Yep,” she answered unabashedly. “Good way to get a good set of nutritious blood and a way to satisfy myself without getting bored of one person.” She then got up off his bed and lightly tapped him on the check in a teasing manner. “Don’t worry, I’ll always keep you foremost in my mind,” she said in a mix between a seductive and teasing tone, causing Lelouch to blush again as he lightly slapped her hand away, causing her to laugh.
“Besides, you’re well on your way on making your own,” C.C. continued to tease, causing Lelouch’s blush to deepen. “I wonder who would be next for you to bite?” She began to circle Lelouch. “Dear Shirley Fennette, the girl with the impossible to hide crush on you? Or Villetta Nu, your own personal hypnotised slave girl, who’s also a trained warrior?” Her smirk widened. “So many possibilities… A great Vampiric king in the making.” She then put on a mocking imitation of a thinking expression, tapping her chin with her finger. “That does beg the question, who will be your Queen?”
“My Queen?” Lelouch asked, his embarrassment temporarily forgotten as C.C. once again sprang a new bit of knowledge about vampires upon him.
“The one lover and/or sired, or in some cases, multiple lovers/sired, who act as your right hand,” C.C. explained, ceasing her circling. “It's a very old vampiric tradition, especially in hierarchical societies and harems, where the main vampire lord, whether as a King or Queen, has one/s who they trust as their second in command, delegating part of their duties and power to them as a sign of trust and so much more.” C.C. put her hands together behind her back. “It's like a consort. A queen if they’re female, a king if they’re male.” She looked at him with a serious gaze. “And they don’t necessarily have to be a vampire as well. Many in history often have a preferred human who they want as their head consort, so if you think you’ll need someone to act as your right hand, don’t worry about having to turn someone, it just has to be someone you’ve already bitten.”
Lelouch frowned, deep in thought, as he pondered the implications and possible advantages of having a ‘queen’ so to speak. Something to think about in more depth in the future. He looked back at C.C. “Is there some sort of ritual needed to actually designate someone as a consort? Like a ritual?”
“Well, no,” C.C. answered. “But you don’t really have to worry about it yet. I only said so because I was curious who you would choose between dear Kallen or Milly?”
Lelouch opened his mouth, paused before closing it again. He suddenly had a feeling that he would get a target on his back if he answered that right now.
Meanwhile both Kallen and Milly separately sneezed, feeling as if someone was talking about them.
Back to Lelouch, he was about to walk out of the room, when C.C. suddenly called out to him. “I was wondering about something for a while,” she said, causing him to stop. “This rebellion of yours. I can understand it more if you were Japanese, or an eleven as they have been labelled now, but you’re a Britannian, one still living in a pretty good situation. You said in Shinjuku that you want to avenge not only yourself and Nunnally, but also Japan. Why is that?”
“Is it good to be strong?” Lelouch asked. “Starvation, filth, decay, constant war and terrorism. The strong devour the weak, like rats running in a wheel. It never ends, and everyone suffers the consequences, one way or the other, even those that consider themselves ‘the strong’. A cycle that my father perpetuates with his dogma of Social Darwinism. That cycle has to be broken!”
“How idealistic,” C.C. said. “Humanity and the world has had this cycle for thousands of years. Do you really think you can end it all.”
“I’m not that arrogant,” Lelouch replied. “No, all I need to do is to change the world into something that Nunnally would love to live in, a world where people won’t have to lose their loved ones, or at least a world without war.”
“And to have this utopia, you’d…”
“It's simple,” Lelouch said. “When someone wins, the fighting will end.”
“Somebody?” C.C. said in a knowing tone, causing Lelouch to smirk.
“Even if you believe you can achieve this goal, you can’t do this alone, nor can you rely on your vampiric powers,” C.C. cautioned.
Lelouch’s smirk disappeared as he nodded in agreement. “You’re right, I can’t.” He then walked over to a draw and pulled out a chess piece, a black queen. “But that’s what I am doing right now, setting up the conditions to assemble the pieces to achieve Nunnally’s dream, and our revenge.”
“Our?” C.C. asked.
“Yes, our,” Lelouch emphasised. “I want revenge for what Britannia did to Nunnally, Mother and I, as well as Japan. You, I imagine, want revenge on Britannia for what Clovis did. And the Japanese would want revenge for Britannia’s occupation and continuing genocide. We all want revenge on Britannia, and we must all assemble to make it happen.”
“So you do wish to help the Japanese, not merely using them as a means to an end?”
“I do,” Lelouch said. “I owe Japan so much for taking us in and helping us out, including saving our lives in the first days of the invasion. For that alone, I’ll fight for an independent Japan for the Japanese, though maybe not the Japan that was. That Japan is long dead now…”
C.C. scoffed. “I can’t imagine many of the resistance groups currently active would appreciate that last point.”
“No they won’t, but once I cement myself as the main force opposing Britannia, with serious momentum behind me, they won’t have much of a choice. Besides, as I said, I will still give the majority of them, and the vast majority of Japanese what they want; an Independent Japan.”
“Made in your image?”
“No,” Lelouch shook his head. “I’ll most likely have some sort of influence over it, but the Japanese will be the main architects on how the new Japan will function and be. As long as it adheres to Nunnally’s utopia.”
C.C. nodded at this, and was about to return to the bed to continue eating when Lelouch called out to her again, a question popping up in his head.
“Wait, speaking about being made,” he began, causing her to look at him with a curious eye, though he was looking at the chess piece in his hand. “About vampires. How were they made…”
His throat suddenly constricted enough for him to stop speaking, the infamous feeling of C.C. controlling him now enforcing itself onto his body. He didn’t find his mobility restricted, so he turned to look back at C.C. with a confused, hurt and betrayed look, a look that faded into shock when he saw the expression on C.C.’s face: Fear. Complete and utter Fear.
“Don’t,” she warned, her tone mirroring her expression. “Never ask that question ever!”
The way she said it made Lelouch’s feelings of betrayal dissipate, as it seemed that she was well and truly scared of the question, for some reason. She was even more emotional than mentioning her time being Clovis’ captive. Whatever could make a centuries old vampire that scared… Well, to say that Lelouch suddenly became nervous was an understatement.
After a moment, C.C. released her hold, and made her way back to the bed, just lying down, not even picking up her pizza box. That alone would have sent alarm bells ringing in Lelouch’s head, but they were already blaring very loud.
He then proceeded to walk out of his bedroom, mind wondering about why that question was so frightening, a part of him wondering if he would ever find the answer, and the other part dreading if he ever did.
In the baseball stadium, a dozen Knightmares had assembled, all sporting the colours of the Pureblood. Most were on the edge, keeping a lookout, while four were in the centre, their cockpits open as their pilots, one of which was Kewell, were discussing their next move.
In the distance, Jeremiah and his two escorts had arrived, out of sight of the renegade Knights. Right now, they were waiting for reinforcements from Darlton and whatever he could scrap up, so that the General could take command. He didn’t have to wait long, as he soon spotted a squad of Knightmares approaching from the west.
“Margrave Jeremiah, is our target present?” Darlton asked over the radio.
“Yes, my Lord,” Jeremiah answered. “Awaiting your command to engage.”
“Hold for now until my squad gets into position,” Darlton ordered, before switching to the squad wide frequency. “All units, formation Delta-5. Await my orders to engage.”
““Yes, My Lord!””
It only took half a minute for the strike force to manoeuvre as per Darlton’s orders, Jeremiah and his two Knights following along as well. As Jeremiah used his slash harkens to climb to higher ground on the broken stadium, he noticed that Kewell had finished talking with his followers and had reentered his Sutherland. Landing quickly, Jeremiah raised his Battle Rifle up, ready to be used when ordered, Kewell’s Sutherlands in his sights.
“All forces in position,” he reported.
“Commence the attack.” Darlton ordered. “If possible, leave Soresi alive for interrogation. However, if he leaves you no choice, end him before he can become a bigger threat to the empire!”
“By your command!” Jeremiah said before firing a single burst from his Rifle, which managed to hit Kewell’s Sutherland in the left arm, destroying it completely. “All forces, Engage!”
With that, the loyalist Sutherlands leapt into action, catching the surprised Purebloods off guard, half of them being crippled within the first few seconds. The rest recovered enough to fire back, causing three Loyalist Sutherlands to be destroyed, leaving no chance for the Pilots to eject. However, this only served to enrage the Loyalists, as the Purebloods had just shed their last chance of being considered still loyal servants of Britannia.
Darlton quickly sped in, destroying three Pureblood Sutherlands alone before speeding off after Kewell, who had decided to flee. However, he was beaten to the punch by Jeremiah, who had landed in front of Kewell, forcing him to stop.
“Kewell! Stop this nonsense!” Jeremiah called out over the speakers, his honour and history, even if not the closest, with Kewell making him give Kewell one last chance. “Surrender and I promise that we will…”
Kewell interrupted by firing his slash harkens, destroying Jeremiah’s rifle. “No! I have to keep going! I have to prove that it wasn’t me!” Kewell shouted as he ran at Jeremiah, his stun-tonfa extended and aimed at the centre body of Jeremiah’s Sutherland, blocked at the last minute by Jeremiah’s own stun-tonfa.
“You’re only making yourself seem more guilty!” Darlton called out, his rifle destroying Kewell’s legs. “Escaping captivity. Killing your own comrades. What would you expect her Highness to feel about that!” Darlton approached from behind as the remaining Loyalists, having finished off the Purebloods, circled Kewell, rifles raised
Inside his Sutherland, Kewell’s eyes were wide with madness, his expression one of fierce anger and insanity. With his remaining arm, he pulled out a chaos mine and threw it at Jeremiah.
Before Jeremiah could even react, a white blur flew in front of him and landed squarely in the path of the chaos mine. He blinked as the Lancelot stood there, arm raised, the Blaze Luminous active as the Chaos Mine spat out streams of shrapnel and projectiles out at it, never even piercing the shield.
It only took a few seconds for the chaos mine to empty, falling onto the floor, completely expended, no harm done to both the Lancelot and its intended target.
Everyone looked on in shock, especially Kewell, as the Lancelot lowered its arm.
“Enough!” the voice of Suzaku Kururugi called out. “You’re all Britannian soldiers!”
Darlton’s eyes widened as, while he had never seen the Lancelot, the fact that it was so different from any other Knightmare he had seen, could guess that this was in fact the Eleven that Jeremiah had talked about when he delivered the news on Prince Clovis’ death. He was supposed to be released only a couple of hours ago yet here he was, already back into the fray at the most powerful Knightmare currently active, moving at such speed that even Darlton’s veteran instincts and skills had trouble keeping up with him.
He couldn’t help but smile, intrigued with this new Knight in the making.
Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief. He opened up a channel to the Lancelot. “My thanks, Private.”
“It’s only my duty, my Lord,” came Suzaku’s reply.
Meanwhile, Kewell was shaking with anger and shock, frothing at the mouth as he realised who was in front of him. His mind, already fractured from the way what was to be his rise to power and influence, being the true patriot of Britannia, became his downfall, and one of the individuals responsible, in his eyes at least, was right in front of him!
“DAMN YOU!!!!” He shouted, charging recklessly at the Lancelot, his eyes only seeing red.
In turn, the Lancelot unsheathed two swords that began to glow red, crossing them in front of him.
“My god, they perfected the MVSs,” Jeremiah muttered in shock.
With a single slash, the Lancelot cut the Sutherland in half, the upper half intact enough that Kewell’s eject system automatically activated, shooting him away, only for his pod to collide with the walls of the stadium, causing it to spin out of control, as parts of it lit up in flames. Everyone gasped in shock as they witnessed Kewell’s pod to flail about in the air. The Lancelot was the first to move, easily speeding towards the huge gap where part of the wall used to be and fired his Slash Harkens to grab the pod, but a sudden explosion on the pod caused it to spiral out of reach, falling down with a crash in the distance.
Inside the Lancelot, Suzaku’s eyes widened in shock as he realised that his attempt to rescue Kewell had failed, and it was partially his fault. Even if the person was someone who tried to frame him and get him executed. But as he lowered his head in shame and guilt, he was quickly contacted by someone.
“You had no control over this, Private,” an unfamiliar voice said over the radio.
“But I was the one who cut his Sutherland in half…”
“Only because he attacked you. It was in self-defence. Don’t hold yourself accountable for his error.”
“Um, may I ask who this is?” Suzaku asked.
“General Andreas Darlton, of the 3rd Army, under the command of her Highness Princess Cornelia li Britannia, 2nd Princess of Britannia.”
Suzaku stiffened up, turning the Lancelot around to find a Sutherland landing right next to him, opening up to reveal a middle aged man with a large scar running along his face. Suzaku in turn activated his hatch so he could stand up out of the Lancelot’s cockpit and salute the man. “My Lord!”
“At ease, Private,” Darlton said, returning the salute. After Suzaku relaxed slightly, Darlton spoke again. “I’ve heard from Margrave Jeremiah that this is the second time you’ve piloted a Knightmare?”
“Um, yes my Lord,” Suzaku answered, caught off guard by the question.
“Well then, I must say that you have an enviable amount of talent and knack for piloting a Knightmare, especially one as advanced as the Lancelot,” Darlton congratulated, a small smile on his face. “I’ll admit I doubted the report the Margrave gave me, but today has made me reconsider.”
“Ah, thank you sir! It’s an honour to hear that from you,” Suzaku said, trying to hide his smile. Not from the praise, but the way that Darlton was acting towards him, the lack of either suspicion or disgust that he has experienced in the past. It was as if Darlton didn’t seem to care at all if he was a Number or not.
‘Maybe this is proof,’ he told himself, ‘proof that there are people in the system who can help me change it for the better!’
He was brought out of his thoughts as three Sutherlands sped past him, towards where Kewell crashed. “Um, what happens now, sir?”
“Those three Knights will locate Kewell, whether he’s alive or dead,” Darlton explained. “Us, in the meantime, will head back to the Viceroy’s palace. Is the Camelot staff nearby?”
“We’re right here!” Suzaku heard Lloyd call out, as both him and Croomy walked out of one of the entrances to the baseball field, the latter holding a riot shield for protection. “I must say, Private, you’ve impressed me once again. You really were fated to be the devicer for my dear Lancelot.” He gave a small snicker. “And the data from the Blaze Luminous and the MVS Blades is simply grand.”
“I take it you must be Earl Lloyd Asplund?” Darlton asked.
“In the flesh,” he gave a condescending bow, with Croomy doing a much more sincere salute.
“Suzaku, once you’re finished with the General, the trailer is parked at the same spot you left it!” Croomy called out.
“Got it, Ms Croomy!” Suzaku replied.
“Actually, I would like for the three of you to come with us back to the Viceroy’s Palace,” Darlton said. “I think we should have a discussion about making Private Suzaku’s situation with the Viceroy when she arrives later.” he turned to face Suzaku. “After this, I’ll recommend that you have the opportunity to work with our unit in the near future.”
“It’ll be an honour.” Suzaku replied.
Darlton grinned from his answer. “Excellent. However, that is a discussion for a later time. Right now, I have to get back to the Palace to drop off this Sutherland and then head out to meet someone. I should be back before midnight at the latest, so if you wouldn’t mind waiting at the Palace along with Margrave Jeremiah…”
“It’ll be no trouble at all,” Suzaku said.
“Indeed,” Jeremiah said, having arrived there in his Sutherland as well. “I’ll be happy to escort Camelot to the Palace if you need to get to her Highness quickly enough.”
“That is fine, Margrave Jeremiah, I am in no true rush.” Darlton said.
“Well, off to wait for her Highness I guess,” Lloyd commented, with a sigh of exasperation from Croomy at his comment.
Kewell dragged himself out of the wreckage that used to be his pod, his legs broken, blood dripping on the ground from his various wounds. He felt himself touch the soft muddy dirt of his surroundings before the ground collapsed, sending him rolling a metre down the side, into a small river, just as the pod exploded, an explosion that would have undoubtedly killed him if he had stayed there for a few more seconds. He flailed about in surprise before pulling his head out of the water, trying to grab onto the side to pull him out.
He was happy to find a hand extended out to him, to which he clutched like a drowning man, as it pulled him out of the water. He coughed out both water and blood, looked up to try to see his rescuer only to find himself being tasered at the neck, falling unconscious.
His ‘rescuer’ put away the taser and motioned for his companion to help carry him away.
‘What luck,’ the person thought to himself. ‘Here we were, looking for possible subjects for Project Evolution, and here we are, one just happened to show up.’
“What should we do with this one?” his companion asked. “He’s still alive, but barely.”
“Give him to Code-R,” he answered. “He’s in a good enough condition for them to use him for Evolution.”
“Poor bugger,” his companion mocked. “He’s soon going to wish he was dead.”
Notes:
And that is Chapter 6 done! Sorry for the delay, but my muse was once again being difficult. This time, we have Lelouch return back to Ashford, only to be confronted by Milly. After Milly appeals to him to let her in, he goes a step further and reveals his vampiric nature to her, as well as C.C. Of course, this also ends up with Milly being the second person he bites (with an accompanying lime scene), and the revelation that Euphie is on her way to Ashford, whether to be heavily involved or even as a student, which will cause lots of issues for Lelouch and Nunnally’s anonymity. We go back to Euphie, on her way to Area Eleven with Darlton. Suzaku has also been released, yet not meeting Euphie like canon, instead with Cecile and Lloyd coming on time to pick him up. Jeremiah searches for an escaped Kewell, with Darlton joining the hunt when he arrives, as Villetta escorts Euphie to Ashford. Milly tells Lelouch that C.C. is going to join Ashford, and here is the first hint about one of the major deviations in canon that I have in store later on. Then we finish off with Jeremiah and Darlton confronting Kewell in a short clash, with Suzaku joining in with the Lancelot. Plus another deviation, where Kewell is picked up earlier than what Jeremiah was, by a hidden group to be experimented on for a Project Evolution…
While not as large as the last chapter, this one was still very big. Hope you all enjoy this one, as it is mainly setting the stage for things in the future. Next time, Euphie’s meeting with the Ashfords, Cornelia’s arrival and more.
Special Thanks to the Seerking for Beta reading this chapter. Go check out his awesome content!
Regards,
dalek117
Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Adventures of a Princess and Familiar
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
This fic was inspired by Thanathos' 'More than just a Man'. That fic was unfortunately abandoned way too early and I found that I really needed to at least tell my own interpretation of a vampire Lelouch and C.C.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Many of the Vampiric characteristics were inspired by 'More than just a Man'.
Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's.
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thought/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie talkie
"Hello" - Speaker
Adventures of a Princess and Familiar
The wails and screams of the damned filled the air. That was the only way that anyone could describe the very atmosphere of the hall. To stand within it was like they were standing in hell. At least that’s how any sane person would view it as. Unfortunately, sane was the last thing most people who entered this hall would describe the owner of it. And that owner was currently standing in the centre of the hall, the only one illuminated by the light coming from the very top of the hall, almost painting him as a holy figure.
However he was not the only one in the hall. In fact, behind him were several dozen individuals, lined up in rows, all kneeling in subservience to them. Most did so out of genuine devotion and loyalty, viewing him as a divine saint that gave them purpose. The few who didn’t viewed him as a monster, and only kneeled because they had no choice.
One such person was a young girl, only fourteen years old, who had blonde hair in pigtails, pale skin and red eyes. She kept her head and gaze down to her feet, for once thankful for all of this stupid, depressing and humiliating business of kneeling to show devotion, as it stopped her from looking at the monster in front of the small crowd, or rather what was in front of the child, or rather who most would describe as a demon in a child’s body.
“Do you know what I hate?” The demon finally spoke, after a long period of silence, even after the last of his devotees had entered the hall.
No one dared to answer, so he continued, much to Alice’s dismay. “Unfinished business. Those who dare to threaten Charles and I, and those who are against our goals.”
He finally turned around, his long blonde hair swishing as he turned to face the crowd for the first time. His purple dark purple eyes roamed across the crowd, before looking to the side, as if contemplating something.
“Whenever one of those things happen, sometimes caused by one of my followers, I usually retaliate with extreme prejudice, especially against those who allowed this to occur.” The crowd finally paused from their dedication to kneeling as they looked amongst each other.
The demon paused as he absent mindedly twirled his hair, before turning back to where he was originally looking, taking a few steps towards it, the last couple ending in a wet crunching sound, causing Alice and her friends who were with her to wince. As he stopped we brought his left hand up, a string of blood rising with it.
“And now, a problem has arisen in Area Eleven, one that should have been resolved years ago.” He paused. “Unfortunately for you all, those responsible for this failure died in the attempt. Which means my ire is now directed at you!”
Everyone stiffened in fear at that.
“This problem is not something we can just go in and take out instantly, as much as I would love it and find pleasure from doing so,” the monster explained. This caused even more alarm and fear to spread across the audience, before he continued. “We’ll need a subtle approach, one that will take time ,” he sneered out the last part in disgust, “but will ensure that this problem will be broken and utterly wrecked beyond repair.”
“I already have an idea on how to achieve this, in several parts, but can only do one thing for the moment, as I can’t risk bringing any attention to us at this point of time.” He paused again, turning around to face right where Alice’s group was, making her fear spike. “Colonel Madd. Is your team ready to be deployed to Area Eleven?”
“Yes, Lord V.V.” the dark skinned cyborg man kneeling in front of the four girls spoke out. “We are at your beck and call…”
“Good. Organise fake identities for your team and organise arrangements for them to join a certain Ashford Academy in the Tokyo Settlement as students in the middle school classes.” V.V. smirked evilly. “I have a certain… target for them to get to know.”
“Of course, my Lord,” Madd said before pausing. “...May I be excused to begin straight away?”
“Yes, yes,” V.V. waved him away even as he turned his back to them once more, “You, and the others may go,” he said as he pulled out a chalice.
Alice’s heart rate increased as she spotted the red substance inside it, her vampiric nature urging her to drink it, yet she dared not. Not only because of her willpower, nor the person holding the blood, but rather the main reason was where it came from. And that fact sickened her to the core.
She was relieved when Madd motioned for her group to leave, not looking back at Lord V.V. She didn’t need to, she knew what he was going to use the corpses on the ground for.
Milly stood outside the gates, the only sign of her trepidation was the repeated tapping of her left foot on the concrete pavement, crossing her arms as she waited for Euphie to arrive. Ashford Academy wasn’t too far from the airport, so Euphie and her escort should be arriving any second now. She just hoped that Euphie had dressed in an outfit that hid the features that showed her as a member of the Royal Family, mainly her dark purple eyes and possibly her hair. Though, then again, Euphie hadn’t really appeared in public before, having been dragged into the numerous warzones that Cornelia had been victorious in, so there was a very high chance she wouldn’t be recognised at all. Hopefully that would be the case. It would be that much harder hiding Lelouch and Nunnally from Britannia if Ashford Academy attracted the attention that a Royal would deal with.
She rubbed her neck, right where Lelouch had bitten her last night, her mind going back to that moment on and off since she woke up this morning, even then she had dreamt about it, though her memory of it was slightly fuzzy, most likely a consequence of Lelouch’s ‘charming’. It took most of her willpower to prevent herself from shuddering as she seemed to relish in the feeling of his fangs biting into her, along with the ‘other’ things he did to her. Shaking her head to dispel the blush forming on her face, she spotted something approaching in her peripheral, turning to see an armoured limo driving towards the entrance to Ashford Academy.
‘Shit,’ Milly thought to herself, pulling out her phone and typing a quick message to Lelouch, putting it away as fast as she could as the limo pulled up. As it stopped, she was thankful that most of the students were currently finishing up their last classes and heading to their clubs to finish off the school day, most of which were in the main buildings, so there were very few students able to see who had arrived.
One of the rear doors opened up, and out came Euphie, her pink hair flowing in the wind with her white top and orange skirt making her look less like a princess, yet still like the bubbly girl that she had known in Pendragon, a wide smile on her face as she looked straight at Milly, her eyes sparkling with joy. Milly couldn’t help herself but smile back, just in time before Euphie leapt over and hugged her.
“Milly!” she shouted, “It’s been too long!”
“That it has, Euphie,” Milly replied, hugging her back, her stiff posture now relaxing. “That it has…”
After a minute of hugging, Euphie released the hug, her smile still on her face. “How have you been?!”
“I’ve been good,” Milly said honestly. “For one, I’m living comfortably enough. And you?”
“I’m also good,” Euphie said cheerfully. “Actually, I’m better than good now that I am finally here.” Her smile slightly faltered. “Just wish that the circumstances behind it were better.”
Milly nodded, a sympathetic look on her face, more so for Euphie’s sake than Clovis’, who in truth Milly had no more sympathy for after learning what he did to C.C. and the residents of Shinjuku. But before Euphie’s mood could deteriorate, Milly decided to change the subject. “So is this the first time you’ve been in front of a proper school before?”
Euphie nodded, her eyes sparkling with wonder and excitement. “Yes!” She paused. “Well, one that I wasn’t inspecting the ruins of after Sister’s campaigns.”
Milly gave her a curious glance. “Were you involved with the fighting on the ground?” She asked, surprised.
Euphie shook her head. “Only in the aftermath, once an area was cleared of hostiles.” Euphie paused again, before her expression brightened again. “But still, this is such a new experience for me, being in front of a proper school, not one for royalty. So different, and so normal…” She said the last part with a bit of longing.
‘She’s really into the idea of being a student here,’ Milly realised. ‘Well, that makes things complicated.’ She internally sighed, resigning herself to the fact that Lelouch’s identity may be more at risk of being compromised now, but there was nothing really they could do about it now.
“Well, I suppose that we should head inside to see Grandfather,” Milly said. “And then afterwards maybe we can give you a tour, though maybe you should hide your identity better.”
Euphie grinned then blinked as she realised what Milly just said. “Um, this doesn’t hide me very well?” She asked.
“It’s fine in a large crowd and out in the public areas where people are too busy to notice,” Milly said, “But in school, where we teach about the Royal Family? Maybe not.” She leaned forward. “Besides I doubt you want to be recognised already.”
“True,” Euphie commented. “Oh, by the way, while my escort who came with me to Area Eleven was busy helping out the Interim Viceroy, and will be arriving soon, I have someone else here with me from the Interim Viceroy’s unit.” She gestured behind, where Villetta Nu stood, trying to look inconspicuous and act like a civilian, standing to the side.
“A Pureblood?” Milly asked, eyebrow raised. However, this soldier seemed to match the description given to her by C.C., the soldier who Lelouch has hypnotised and almost bit. Honestly, she could see why. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy at how this woman almost became Lelouch’s second bite. She did stamp that feeling down, as it didn’t happen and it's beneath her.
“One of the very few who remained loyal to the Margrave,” Euphie unknowingly confirmed. “She’ll be my local escort for the day.”
Villetta nodded her head in greeting, which Milly returned. “Must be important, that business the Interim Viceroy needs help with, I take it,” Milly commented.
“Very,” Euphie said, her grin disappearing. “As much as I would like to tell you, I don’t think I can right now, at least not out in the open.”
“A fair point,” Milly conceded. Well, maybe Euphie may speak about it later. Anything that can give Lelouch that extra bit of help.
“But I think that’s enough standing outside,” Milly said. “Grandfather is waiting for us, though he did want me to ask if you needed any drinks or food prepared.”
“Oh, actually I am getting a bit peckish,” Euphie admitted, “So some food would be lovely.” She turned to face Villetta. “Would you like anything, Dame?”
Villetta, surprised at the offer, shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, your Highness, but I am fine right now, thank you.”
“Anything specific, Euphie?” Milly asked, pulling out her phone.
“I’m fine with anything, so surprise me,” Euphie said, causing Milly to snort.
“You always did have a very flexible tongue,” Milly commented nostalgically. “Not like Cornelia, as I remember from that one…
“Gotten out of practice, I’m afraid,” Euphie interrupted, a bit embarrassed for Cornelia’s sake that Milly remembered that incident. “Your tongue can only have the same foods so much each day, even if they’re the most well cooked meals, before they become bland. I really need something different.”
Milly eyed her with sympathy. “You’re not enjoying your time travelling the world?” she asked, lowering her voice.
“No,” Euphie answered, matching her voice level. “As much fun as it is to see new things and be away from Pendragon, the fact that the places I go to are conquered and destroyed by my sister takes all of the magic out of travelling. Plus I feel too stifled by Sister, too restricted, like I’m in a cell.”
“I didn’t realise she had gotten that bad,” Milly commented. Cornelia had always been over protective, but to hear Euphie outright compare it to Prison was something else.
“Lelouch and Nunnally’s… passing scared her,” Euphie commented, looking down. “Her heart is in the right place, but I just can’t feel like I’m truly alive with all of her restrictions and protections on me. Ugh!” She stamped her foot, her expression scrunching up slightly. “And I can’t do anything about it!”
“Have you tried talking to her…”
“She never listens when I do,” Euphie said, sighing. “Too much of a bad habit…”
It was then that Milly realised Euphie’s main reason for wanting to be here. Freedom. The kind of freedom that fate had denied her these past few years. And honestly she couldn’t blame her. While it may have been the result of being exiled, Milly has very much had a happier life than what she had in the past, much of that from the freedom she felt at not having to adhere to the very strict societal expectations that the Britannian nobility enforced upon itself. So she definitely understood the longing of being free from something.
Before she could respond, Euphie brightened up again. “But I don’t think this is the time and place to talk about my personal issues.” She hugged Milly again. “We’ve just reunited and we still have a meeting to attend.”
“Right,” Milly said, going with it, smiling at Euphie. “No more sad or depressing personal topics. But I definitely lost track of if you wanted anything specific…”
“Um, actually, can I get a…”
“Meow.”
All three ladies turned to the side, looking down at the pavement where a black cat with a limp on its foot. Immediately Euphie rushed to it and began to play with it, meowing back. Milly and Villetta both looked in shock at the scene before the former shook her head, giggling at the scene playing out in front of her, while the latter's eyes widened at how… unroyal the Royal she was guarding was acting.
‘Oh, Euphie…’ Milly thought to herself fondly, happy to see that Euphie’s core personality hadn’t changed at all. However, after a few pets and rubs, the cat seemed to have enough, walking away before leaping past the open front gate, entering the school grounds.
Euphie pouted in disappointment while Milly blinked, hoping that the cat wouldn’t cause any trouble.
Lelouch sighed in annoyance. Just as Milly had promised, she had informed him the very moment Euphie had arrived, and he was now at the opposite end of the school. However, there had in fact been a list of things that the student council needed to get fixed, and he was the only free one at the moment. Rivalz was busy haggling the equestrian club to stop trying to blackmail the council in exchange for certain benefits, Shirley was at the pool for the swimming club, Nina was busy working on calculations for a secret personal project of hers and Kallen was just coming out of one of her specialist classes.
So here he was, carrying some boxes to one of the cleaner storage rooms. He had gotten better at actually carrying things, but he was still struggling and could only lift a couple of boxes at a time, even though they were all really light. He was thankful that C.C. wasn’t there with him, as she would just mock him with that smirk of hers.
Still, this job did keep him out of sight and away from the Principal’s office, so he couldn’t complain too much. Also he was close to Nunnally’s current class, so if anything happened, he could easily grab her and move her away. He had told her that Euphie was coming, and while she was ecstatic about it, his heart almost crumbled at the sight of her face when he told her about keeping out of sight. He did however offer a concession that if Euphie does decide to be a student, that they wouldn’t have to hide themselves from her.
To be honest, thinking about it now, like Nunnally, he did actually want to see Euphie, but the very fear of Nunnally being brought in front of their father was enough to keep that desire contained. He doubted that Euphie would ever do that, but that fear still persisted, especially if she was being watched by someone who may recognise either Nunnally or himself.
‘If that happens, you always have hypnosis to keep them quiet,’ the guest voice in his head suggested.
‘No, not her ,’ he asserted in his head, glaring at the boxes he was carrying. ‘I won’t hypnotise anyone I care about!’
He was interrupted from his internal struggle when one of the boxes, the bottom box to be exact, suddenly opened up on him from below, the contents falling onto the floor, none hitting his feet or breaking thankfully, but was still very annoying. He sighed as he put down what he was carrying and started to pick up the fallen items. He looked back at the box, and found that he really couldn’t place anything back into it, as the bottom had completely fallen apart. No use to anyone other than being put in the recycling bin. That did leave him in a slight predicament, where he couldn’t really carry everything on his own.
“Oh, Lelouch…”
He looked up as Kallen walked towards him, one eyebrow raised as she looked at him and the mess on the ground.
“Kallen,” he greeted. “I thought your class finished in the next few minutes.”
“Oh, we finished our work so the teacher let us out early,” she said. “Do you need help with that?”
“That would be very appreciated,” Lelouch said. Inside his mind, the voice suddenly cheered in happiness, though he quickly tried to quiet it down. “Could you grab the small items on the ground while I can handle the boxes?”
“Why only the items?” she asked, slightly annoyed that she was given not a lot to do.
Lelouch stood up, picking up the boxes. “Well, if you want the extra work…”
Kallen rolled her eyes, but still did so, picking up a couple of boxes. “Where are we taking these?”
“To the Cleaner’s Storage Room,” Lelouch answered, “Around the corner and down the corridor.”
“Um, why are you doing this?” Kallen asked. “You would be the last person I would imagine volunteering for…”
“Who said I volunteered,” Lelouch said, “but normally yes, I would not do this chore normally, but well, things change and I have to accept doing a lot more physical activities.”
“Quite the change of heart from what I’ve heard,” Kallen noted, raising an eyebrow. Though a voice in her head did approve, for some reason, also making her neck where he bit her start to ache slightly, but she tried her best to ignore it.
“Well I had quite the wake up call,” Lelouch said. “And while I can see the fruits of my suffer-… I mean effort , it’s still bitter to me.”
“…Ok?!” Kallen muttered at what Lelouch almost said. “Do you have anyone helping you out?”
“Yes I do, but you wouldn’t know them,” Lelouch answered. “But let’s just say that they didn’t let me say no.”
“What kind of physical activities have you been doing lately?” Kallen asked, now slightly curious.
“Mainly standard basic warm up exercises, running and other things for my stamina,” Lelouch admitted.
After that, they walked in a comfortable silence for a moment, quickly placing the boxes inside the storage room. Lelouch wiped his forehead, much to Kallen’s amusement.
“Is this the end of your stamina?” she asked half-teasingly, earning a scowl from Lelouch.
“I did lift up three other loads of boxes on my own,” Lelouch asserted. “And they were just as heavy as the one we just did together.”
“And how many more do we need to do?” Kallen asked. She had nothing on after this class, due to some circumstances that she didn’t know of and didn’t care about, so this was a good way to pass the time for the next few minutes. Anything to delay going back ‘home’.
She paused however, after she then realised how she was acting so casually with Lelouch. Almost as if she seemed to unconsciously recognise him as someone she wanted to hang out with. It was almost unheard of for Kallen to feel that way with any Britannian, at least legitimately, not using them as a source of information.
The fact that she seemed to feel this way to someone who is pretty much a stranger to her was very unsettling to say the least. Especially since she had only really started getting to know him only a few days prior.
“One more round,” Lelouch answered, unaware of the thoughts going through Kallen’s head. “Thankfully there isn’t much, but they are the most fragile items, so we’ll have to be careful.” He gave her a glance. He was slightly tempted to mention how her ‘constitution’ shouldn’t allow her to carry anything heavy, but wisely decided against it. That would be a conversation for another day.
“Alright,” Kallen answered, putting her realisation to the wayside for now, but she did narrow her eyes slightly at Lelouch, vowing to get to the bottom of this new view on Lelouch one day.
As they made their way back to the last group of boxes, a cat with a limp paw suddenly flew out of another corridor and smashed into the boxes, knocking them over with a crash, the sounds of broken items echoing through the corridor. Seemingly unfazed, the cat quickly got up and went back on the run, not even sparing the two stunned students a simple glance as it raced off to commit more acts of carnage.
Both Kallen and Lelouch had their mouths open as their minds barely processed how quickly everything had just changed from a simple job to cleaning up a massive mess, especially with the now broken boxes leaking out fluids onto the floor. Lelouch, having recovered first, could only facepalm in annoyance, trying to find a way to clean this up before either Milly or Euphie come around to this part of the building.
It soon became an exercise in futility when the cat seemed to crash into more things, causing students to cry out in shock, drop whatever they were carrying or even fall over. Lelouch winced as he witnessed the chaos happen in front of his eyes. He looked at Kallen, who looked back at him with an astounded expression. But both of their expressions turned into determination as they both nodded and ran after the cat, determined to catch it.
Nina Einstein was a very lonely girl. And that was ok for her. Really, it was. At least, that’s what she told herself every day whenever she would make her way out of the classroom and into the Student Council meeting room, where she would glue herself to the computer in the corner of the room, always away from the main gatherings.
It was this exact spot that was her sanctuary during the school day, until she could go back to her dorm room, where she felt the safest at and the environment where she could really do her proper work and hobby, aka researching safe and sustainable energy through Uranium-235. This had been something she had been working on for the last two years, a secret project not even Milly knows about. Something that would change everything and make the whole world a better place, especially Britannia. Yet due to the existence of Sakuradite, research into Uranium and its properties had been slowed down for the last couple of decades at the very least, leaving outdated and most likely incomplete texts and research projects on the Intranet available for Nina to source and use as inspiration.
But still she had been toiling around with an unusual amount of persistence and resilience, and had been making some breakthroughs here and there. It was a slow process, but that didn’t fuss her much at all. She was a scientist at heart, and knew these things took time. She was also aware that there was a chance that she might not be able to complete her goal before she passed away from old age, but that the next generations of scientists would eventually finish her work, as long as she could do the leg work to set it all up. That was not an uncommon thing in science, but she still wanted to be the one to finish it off.
So once again, after the school finished for the day, she was back here, again working on the computer, alone as she liked it. Though a part of her was slightly curious about why there were no after school events today like normal. She had asked Milly about it beforehand but she had been unusually deflective of the question and vague for some reason. It might be why Milly had in a way divided the council today with different tasks, and Nina had a feeling that Lelouch was at least involved with this in some way, especially since she had caught the two of them giving a quick look that seemed to be an entire conversation at Lunchtime, though it only lasted a second.
But that didn’t really involve her. She was here doing her work, so she was satisfied, especially since no one except for one of her friends in the student council would be bothering her. So she worked, until she heard commotion outside. She tried to ignore it, until the voices of the students became too loud, and then a cat began to meow, starting off quiet but getting louder and louder.
Nina got up off her chair and went to investigate, opening the door, just to find a limping cat sprinting off past the door. She blinked in surprise, poking her head out, only to pull it back past the frame, narrowly avoiding both Kallen and Lelouch running past. Lelouch slowed down, huffing, looking pretty tired.
“I… won’t be… outdone… by a… cat!” Lelouch huffed out.
“Oh, hurry up!” Kallen called out, still chasing after the cat. This actually surprised Nina, as it was completely out of character for Kallen sounding like that, or actually doing any kind of activity. Same with Lelouch in regards to the latter as well. That cat must have really infuriated the both of them a lot.
“Um, Lelouch?” Nina called out meekly to the still panting boy, who turned around in surprise.
“Oh, Nina…” he said upon seeing her. “Are you able to message the other student council members bar Milly about finding a black cat with a limp on its front left leg?”
“I can…”
“Please do,” Lelouch said, starting to run again. “This cat won’t get the better of us if we all work together!”
So he ran off, leaving Nina stunned, especially when she turned the other way and gasped as she saw the chaos left behind by that one cat.
“Oh my…” was all she said before she headed back to the computer and typed up the message.
‘Looks like I’ll have to leave it there for now,’ Nina thought to herself as she tabbed out of her notes and began accessing the cameras to look for the cat.
“Welcome to Ashford Academy, your Highness,” Reuben Ashford, the head of the Ashford family and Principal of Ashford Academy, greeted from behind his desk, standing up as Milly led both Euphie and Villetta into his office, with Euphie holding a now empty plate, wiping away crumbs with the elegance you would expect of a princess. “I hope you had a nice flight coming into Area Eleven.”
“It’s my pleasure to be here,” Euphie warmly greeted the sixty year old man. “And it’s nice to see you again, Reuben.”
Reuben smiled. “That it is your Highness.”
In the past, Reuben had often visited the vi Britannia’s since he had sponsored Empress Marianne and was good friends with her before her assassination, and some of those times the li Britannia siblings were present visiting the vi Britannia children, so they had gotten along with Reuben fairly well in the past. Obviously Euphie hadn’t seen him since the assassination, but it was very nostalgic seeing the Ashford patriarch in so long, even if he had gotten visibly older.
Reuben’s smile faded as he sat back down, with Euphie and Milly sitting in the guest chairs in front of his desk, while Villetta stood by the door, silently looking around the room, taking her role as Euphie’s bodyguard seriously.
“Firstly, I offer my condolences to your loss,” Reaben began. “I can only imagine how much it hurt to lose another sibling here in Area Eleven.”
Euphie’s own smile faded quickly at that. Tears welled on the sides of her eyes but she held it in, nodding. “Thank you, Reuben. Losing Clovis really does hurt, but not as much as losing Lelouch and Nunnally.”
Unseen by Euphie, Milly grimaced after hearing the honesty and pain in Euphie’s voice, looking to the side with a tinge of guilt. Reuben, while feeling the same way, did not even twitch, maintaining his genuine expression of sorrow and empathy.
“However, it is Clovis’s passing that is the reason why I am here,” Euphie said, moving on quickly, otherwise she would have started crying despite her efforts. “I was made aware through communications with the interim Viceroy that my late brother had left the administration in a…” She paused, trying to find the right word without insulting Clovis as while he would deserve it, she didn’t want to speak ill about him when his death was still raw.
“Desolate and completely backwards state that would cause Lady Marianne to roll in her grave,” Reuben finished for her, with a humourless chuckle at the end. “Yes, unfortunately as much as I hate to speak ill of Royalty, his skills were mainly in the arts sector, not in ruling.” His expression shifted to one of grim acceptance. “There were too many nobles and military officers that capitalised on his inexperience and lack of political awareness, that convinced him to run the Area in their preferred manner.”
“So Clovis was just a pawn…” Euphie bitterly said.
“Not completely, but he was heavily influenced at the start,” Reuben corrected sadly. “He later did take on their ‘lessons’ and became much more ruthless in addition to his… lax attitude.”
“And there was nothing you could have done?” Euphie asked, almost pleadingly.
“Only what I could do to advise him to temper his actions, which wasn’t much,” Reuben admitted. “But enough of this. It’s not easy talking ill of the dead, especially those that we knew well. I take it that you have a solution to the issue at hand?”
Grateful for the change of topic, Euphie started to perk up. “That I do. And it does involve Ashford Academy.”
Reuben brought his hands together on the desk as he leaned forward slightly, his demeanour becoming more focused and intense. Despite being almost eighty years old, the energy in his eyes caused a shiver to run down the spines of both Euphie and Villetta. They were suddenly glad to not have been born in his generation, as they wouldn’t have lasted well against the might of this fierce businessman at the moment, much less in his prime. Milly on the other hand leaned back, trying to hide her slight smirk at the sight of her grandfather getting into his business mode.
“How can Ashford Academy be of any help?” Reuben asked. “While I am happy to give any assistance I can to you personally, your Highness, the fact of the matter is that I am the head of the Ashford Foundation and in terms of business I need something concrete to base my investment and assistance over.”
“I understand, Reuben,” Euphie said. She straightened up as she herself went into the Royal personae that had been drilled into her since birth. “But before I give you an idea of what I would want, I’ll have to ask how are the results for graduates of Ashford’s administration courses?”
If he was surprised, Reuben didn’t show it as he answered swiftly. “Around 75% passing rate for the cohort, with an average score of 72% in terms of marks. The higher scores tend to be around 85-97%.”
Euphie raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You’ve memorised the results?”
“Indeed, your Highness,” Reuben smiled, “After all, what good businessman doesn’t regularly look at how well his investments are going, especially those he cares about.”
Euphie chuckled at that. “I’ll take your word for it. But I was more interested in the content of the course. Is it the same as the ones that are taught to the majority of the nobility here in Area Eleven or even in the rest of Britannia?”
Reuben was silent for a moment as he pondered the answer. “While the overall content we cover is the same, we do emphasise more of the actual duties of being in the administration rather than the roles of the nobility and their dues in said administration, as well as the importance of honesty and integrity. So I believe that our courses are of a much higher quality than other schools or Noble households.”
Euphie grinned at that. Perfect, the exact things she was looking for.
“But since you are asking about that, I can only assume that your solution involves that course, or rather the graduates, both current and future?” Reuben asked.
Euphie nodded, pleased that Reuben’s mind was as sharp as she remembered it being when she was younger. “You are correct. With the current administration not in a good place, if Margrave Jeremiah’s reports are even slightly accurate, then we have a huge issue on our hands. While we’ll need to find a short term fix for the administration, I believe that Ashford could be the long term solution.”
“...You wish to give Ashford Academy a monopoly on new administrators?” Reuben asked.
“Only at the start,” Euphie corrected, smiling, “or at least until the other schools change their curriculum to match Ashford’s standards. In essence I wish to get Ashford to set the standards of new recruits into the Area’s administration and be its sole provider as long as the graduates can meet the standards I set.”
“I see,” Reuben nodded in understanding. “Well, the business side of me is definitely interested in this prospect. However, I will have to say that solely relying on one source of recruitment for the administration for a long period of time could potentially lead to the same situation but in reverse. It’s never good to have all your eggs in one basket.”
Euphie’s smile disappeared, replaced by a slightly concerned expression. “Oh, how would that be possible? Wouldn’t this fix…”
“Simple, the Nobility still has its claws in other parts of the Area,” Reuben began to explain. “Much of it is quite opposed to Ashford. If they feel like the administration has become too closely linked to me, they would use alternative methods to reset it again and regain control.”
Euphie’s face paled as she processed what he was saying. She hadn’t thought about that angle, and what the Nobility could do to retaliate. She was about to open her mouth when Reuben continued.
“However, if you at least add some avenues for noble recruits to enter the administration, in some positions that can be monitored by your sister’s staff when she arrives, then it should appease the Nobility enough for them to only bark, not bite.”
Euphie nodded in agreement. As much as she had begun to heavily dislike the Nobility, she couldn’t very well completely snub them as much as she wanted to. Britannian society was too ensnared in the grip of the nobles, and a lot of things needed the approval of the nobility in order to function. One of the few things that Britannia kept from its predecessor Great Britain was the parliament, though heavily depowered, as a means of letting the nobles have some control of government.
“I can see that while it is a good concept,” Reuben continued, “the implementation will need some more thought and discussion. May I presume that it is your sole brainchild?”
“It is,” Euphie confirmed, immediately understanding Reuben’s unspoken statement. “Who would you recommend I ask for help on figuring out how to best do this, and what may need to be changed?”
“I will certainly be most willing to assist and advise you on this endeavour,” Reuben said, “as I think Milly would be as well.” He gave a quick glance at his granddaughter, who nodded along. Euphie had a small smile at this before Reuben continued. “Another person who could assist is Margrave Jeremiah. He was stationed here as part of the military and thus had greater insights on how Clovis’ system worked, both its positives and flaws, than I did.”
“As a subordinate of Lord Jeremiah, I can confirm that he did enjoy some influence here,” Villetta cut in, trying to be helpful and not bored by the talk at the same time.
“Thank you Dame Nu,” Euphie smiled before turning her attention back to Reuben. “I was already planning on including him in some way, so this is something I can definitely agree on,” She commented. “Anyone else?”
Reuben frowned in thought. “None that I can think of now,” He said after a moment. “It may be prudent to make your own observations once your sister arrives to take control, and see if there are any good apples still left in Clovis’ orchard.”
“That… is probably wise,” Euphie agreed.
Meanwhile Milly, unseen by Euphie, exchanged a quick look with Reuben. Both understood that Lelouch would be kept informed by this as much as they could, especially from Milly. While Reuben had no idea that Lelouch was Zero, Milly knew that Reuben still wanted to make sure Lelouch was prepared for anything involving any potential risks to him being discovered by the Royal Family.
After a moment of silence as Euphie seemed to be thinking deeply about what Reuben had just told her, She finally looked up, a determined look on her face.
“Thank you Rueben,” she said, “This has given me a very much needed wake up call in what I need to be continuously aware of. Can I count on you from now on to help me make Area Eleven a better place?”
“You can,” Reuben affirmed, nodding his head, “as well as the Ashford Foundation and Ashford Academy.”
Euphie beamed at this. “I look forward to working with you from now on.” Her expression morphed into one of anticipation. “On that specific topic, would there be any chance that I could get a tour of Ashford Academy?”
Milly hid her anxiety at Euphie’s question, keeping a composed face with a smile, while internally she was starting to get worried about the potential of Euphie spotting Lelouch and Nunnally. As much as they had planned for this outcome, even organising a path to take Euphie along so that she wouldn’t cross paths with either Lelouch or Nunnally, things could go wrong with Euphie deciding to deviate.
She looked at her grandfather, who didn’t even seem to blink at the statement. In fact, he seemed to grin even wider.
“Of course,” he said, standing up. “It would be my honour.”
As the rest of the room got ready to leave, Milly’s phone vibrated. She went to quickly check if it was from Lelouch, sighed in relief when she saw it was from Nina, then as she read the actual message, her worry increased with each word.
“Something wrong?” Euphie asked.
Milly blinked, not having realised that everyone was watching her. She put up a happy facade. “Oh, it's nothing.” She looked back at Reuben. “Grandfather, there’s a situation with the Student Council that requires my attention. I won’t be able to guide Euphie around.”
“Quite all right, Milly,” Reuben said. “I can handle that. Though please make it as quick as you can. I would like you with us at some point.”
“I’ll do my best,” Milly promised.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Euphie asked.
Milly couldn’t lie, but she was touched that despite not having seen or even really talked to each other for seven years, Euphie already seemed ready to help out Milly for something that probably wouldn’t concern her. But there was also a hint of longing in Euphie’s eyes, something that Milly couldn’t quite place.
“Don’t worry Euphie,” Milly declined, but smiled and raised her thumb to show her optimism. “I can handle this. My student council always triumphs!”
Lelouch snarled in frustration as his latest attempt to catch that blasted cat failed. He had originally cornered it at one of the staircases, having had Kallen herd it down here, while he laid in ambush. Unfortunately the cat seemed to either be very intelligent or downright lucky, as when he lunged to grab it, it sidestepped out of his reach and sped away, leaving him on the floor, seething in his frustration.
“For…” Kallen muttered as she continued to chase the cat, only pausing to help Lelouch up before the two of them resumed their chase. “How is a cat so damn… UGH!”
“I completely agree,” Lelouch said.
He then noticed where it was going. “It's heading to the pool!”
“Isn’t that where Shirley is doing her training?” Kallen asked.
“It is,” Lelouch confirmed. “But hopefully she should be done by now, so maybe we can get her to help with the chase.”
“Let’s hope so,” Kallen agreed with the idea. The very notion that a cat was causing her this much grief, plus the fact that she had to hide her own abilities in order to blend in and stay hidden was very much galling for Kallen, not to mention a stain on her personal honour. Another person helping out would be very much appreciated, even if they were Britannian.
‘Then again…’ she suddenly thought to herself as she remembered her past exchanges with the orange haired swimmer, ‘She doesn’t really act like a Britannian.’
Her introspective thoughts about how Britannians should react was interrupted by the cat running past the legs of a student who was carrying an open container, causing them to stumble and fall, spilling the substance on the floor. Unfortunately, many students were caught in the mess and fell over themselves, blocking the way for both Lelouch and Kallen, who skidded to a stop before they could join the pile up.
“Drat…” Lelouch said. “That blasted cat!” He looked around, and saw a potential detour. “This way!”
“On it!” Kallen said, already racing ahead.
Lelouch followed along, unable to hide the slight amount of admiration on his face as he watched the red hair run. God, she was very reliable and athletic, so beautiful… ‘Wait a minute,’ he thought, before realising where that train of thought came from. ‘Not the time!’ He chided his vampire side.
His vampiric instincts grumbled, but relented. With that distraction out of the way, he continued his hunt with Kallen, passing by various students, with many of the girls suddenly seemingly wishing to stop them so that they could talk to him specifically, more so than usual. Thankfully just preemptively saying “Council business” was enough to shake them off without any delay.
They soon arrived at the pool. Expecting it to be in chaos due to the cat, they opened the doors and were very much stumped that their expectations had been so low. Chaos was the right word, as the diving stand had fallen over (How so was too much for Lelouch’s rational mind to handle at the moment), and students were out trying to help out some of their friends/fellow students, who had fallen either on the concrete floor or in the pool itself.
“...One cat…” Kallen muttered to herself after seeing the carnage.
“Lulu?!”
Lelouch turned to look at the pool as he saw Shirley climb out, having just spotted him and Kallen enter. And by god did she look so good in her swimming attire, especially with how it seemed to fit her body and extenuate it very well, as well as her skin looking very smooth and shiny from the water, her hair damp from… NOT THE BLOODY TIME! Thankfully he managed to cool his head without anyone noticing, thus approaching Shirley, much to his vampiric side’s gratitude.
“What happened?” he asked. “It looks like something just hit the diving stand.”
“A cat, that’s what happened,” Shirley scowled. “It just ran in here, knocked over several people, then ran across the diving board, somehow knocking out a few screws that caused it to collapse. Thankfully no one was on it…” She was silent for a second. “I was the last one to use it, just a minute beforehand.”
Lelouch’s right eye twitched. “The cat… knocked out a few screws?”
Shirley shrugged. “I don’t know how, but it happened.”
Lelouch rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “...How bad is the damage?”
“I haven’t really had a chance to check, but hopefully nothing that the Academy can’t afford,” Shirley said.
Lelouch nodded. That was something at least. Hopefully it would stay that way, but that was a fate in flux as long as that cat was still out and causing more trouble for all of them.
“Do you know where the cat went?” Kallen asked.
Shirley shook her head. “Sorry, I was too busy trying to help out with getting people out of the water.”
“That’s fine,” Lelouch said. “We’ll find it again.” He then looked back at the trail of carnage. “Is there any chance you could help out, Shirley?”
“Of course,” Shirley said, perking up slightly at the chance to help out her crush. “But I’ll need to get a towel. I don’t want to go into the corridors and get everything wet, especially the floor. Enough people have slipped today already.”
“You can say that again,” Kallen agreed, before spotting a random towel lying close by. She went to grab it as Lelouch explained what had happened with the cat beforehand. To say Shirley was shocked about the cat’s adventures was an understatement and quickly impressed upon her the need to grab the cat asap.
“Alright,” Shirley finally said as she got over the shock. “What’s our options?”
“It can’t have backtracked,” Lelouched reasoned, “otherwise we would have heard a repeat of the commotion in the corridor from before, so it must have gone in that direction,” he pointed at a side door.
“Only lead we have,” Kallen muttered, with Shirley nodding in agreement.
“Then what are we waiting for,” Shirley said, running off to the door, “Come on, guys!”
“Wait for us!,” Kallen called out before she took off after the orange haired girl.
Lelouch, as he watched the two of them race off to find that damn cat, couldn’t help but shake his head, smiling fondly. He quickly regained his composure and finally ran after them, though he would later deny still having that smile as he ran to the now open door, Kallen and Shirley already out there.
C.C. strolled around outside, casually wasting time by doing another round of the school. She had to admit, she was slightly shaken by Lelouch’s earlier question and just had to detox herself of it. She thought back to how she activated her hold over him to stop him, her eyes dimming with regret. It was the only way that she could think of at the moment to prevent Lelouch from potentially gaining ‘their’ attention, but it still hurt seeing the expression on his face. And she had been using it a bit on Lelouch lately.
Maybe she should cut down on it, just let Lelouch learn from experience. But each time she thought that way, her mind would instantly flash to a white haired boy who suddenly turned into a deranged madman. No, she wouldn’t allow that to happen to Lelouch. He deserved better.
Her internal thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of screaming from what seemed to be the inside pool. She took a quick glance, and her eyes widened by the sight of a limping cat heading out. As if sensing her, the cat turned to look at her and bolted towards her. As it quickly closed the distance, she smirked as she lowered herself to the ground.
The cat came to a stop, and it gave her a look. C.C. scoffed.
“Of course he sent you,” she said to the cat. She then smiled. “It is good to see that he cares, as well as see you again. How have you been in the past decades?”
The cat seemed to shrug in response, meowing something while C.C. nodded along. The cat then gestured behind it with its paw.
“Oh, Lelouch? Yes, he’s the one I sired.” There was a pause as the cat gave her another look. “Yes, I know he’s quite pathetic in terms of physical skills, but his mind more than makes up for it. I have been making him actually exercise though, so don’t you dare say I am complacent.”
The cat paused before nodding at that. C.C. then sighed. “Well, what did Vlad want with me?”
The cat raised its paw, and C.C took it with her hand. They only held hands/paws for a split second, but for both it felt like an eternity. C.C. blinked as she let go, before frowning.
“So the hobgoblin is getting more aggressive,” she murmured to herself. “That’s not good. Not good at all.”
She turned back to the cat. “So, what are your plans now, since Vlad has said for you to remain in Japan until he calls?” she asked.
The cat seemed to ponder the question before shrugging and then snuggling itself around C.C.’s leg. C.C. chuckled before picking up the cat.
“Alright, alright,” she said. “I’ll look after you here.” She took a quick glance back where the cat had come from. “You seemed to be having fun causing trouble, didn't you?”
The cat’s smug look said it all. C.C. sighed. Lelouch wasn’t going to be happy about this.
It was then that she spotted Milly speed walking nearby. She seemed worried, looking side to side before spotting C.C. Her eyes widened upon seeing the cat. Soon enough, she was striding towards C.C. who sighed. This was going to be something.
“You have got to be kidding me?” Milly muttered as she arrived. “It’s that cat!”
C.C. raised her eyebrows at that. Out of all the things she expected Milly to say, that was not one of them. She looked back down at the cat. “You know it?”
“It was at the front when I was greeting Euphie,” Milly explained. “It managed to distract Euphie and I long enough for it to quickly sneak in. And then I get a text from Nina talking about a cat causing chaos throughout the school, with both Lelouch and Kallen hunting for it,” Milly then pointed at the cat. “And now it's here with you.” Milly then leaned in closer to the cat, and seemed to look at it. “As much as I like to cause some chaotic fun, it’s not good to cause too much.”
C.C. looked back at the cat. The smug look had intensified. She scowled at it in frustration. “Must you always cause messes wherever you are?”
The cat seemed to think about an answer before nodding. C.C. stopped herself from facepalming, actually forgetting for a moment that Milly was there with her.
“Wait, the cat actually understands you?” she asked, reminding the vampire of her presence.
C.C. sighed. Might as well explain something to her now.
“She isn’t a normal cat,” C.C. began to explain. “She is far more than that.”
Milly looked at C.C. funnily. “Please don’t tell me she’s a god, or something like that?”
Both C.C. and the cat burst out laughing at that, making Milly pout in frustration. Still laughing, C.C. shook her head. “No, no, no. Nothing like that.” She stopped laughing, looking contemplative for a quick second. “She’s more of a partner to someone powerful. Somehow he trusts absolutely.” She looked back at the cat. “She’s his Familiar.”
“Familiar…” Milly mused. “Wait, you mean like a Witch’s familiar?”
“Same concept, just without a witch in this case,” C.C. said, with the cat nodding.
“A vampire’s familiar?” Milly asked.
“For her, yes,” C.C. replied. “But vampires aren’t the only ones with familiars. In fact, it's rare for a vampire to have a familiar, most don’t like having one.”
“Is there a reason why?” Milly asked, her curiosity now encouraged, since C.C. was apparently in the mood to answer some questions right now.
“To get a familiar is… an inconvenient process for many,” C.C. said. “Plus they are worth a lot. Only the most influential and oldest vampires have familiars nowadays.”
“Like yourself?”
C.C. shook her head, smiling wryly. “No, not me. Trust me on this, I am not the oldest vampire, not by a long shot.”
To be honest, Milly wasn’t that surprised by this admission, but before she could open her mouth to speak again, she was interrupted by three voices coming closer.
“This is the only path it could have taken,” Lelouch said, coming into view with Kallen and Shirley, the latter still in her swimming outfit.
“Then it should be…,” Shirley noted before spotting the duo, “Wait, Milly? With someone?”
“And the damn cat!” Kallen exclaimed, stomping over, with the other two following suit.
Lelouch frowned when he spotted C.C. with Milly, and felt a combination of annoyance and anxiety when he realised that unlike before C.C. was allowing others to see her. Thankfully she was dressed in the Ashford uniform, so hopefully she had a perfect excuse.
He felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking to the side, he saw Shirley looking at him, confused.
“Who is that?” she asked. “I’ve never seen her before. And she is wearing an Ashford uniform.”
Lelouch’s mind raced to find the best explanation that C.C herself won’t contradict for the sake of it, but fortunately they were interrupted by Kallen storming up to the cat and C.C. and giving her a piece of her mind.
“That bloody cat of yours is a menace!” Kallen shouted at C.C. Since the cat was closest to her, she mistakenly believed that the green haired vampiress was her owner. “That thing has caused chaos across half the school. Half!”
C.C. looked down at the cat, then back at Kallen. “She’s not mine,” She said. “I just found her here.” Both statements were true, so C.C. wasn’t technically lying to anyone.
“It’s true Kallen,” Milly said, before Kallen opened her mouth to retort. “Earlier today, I saw the cat at the gates, who proceeded to distract… well me and someone I know, then slipped in.” She gestured to C.C. “C.C. here was in the Academy grounds long before the cat arrived.”
“Oh,” Kallen frowned, then widened her eyes, realising that she had been acting like her normal self, not her Britannian persona. To fix that, she changed her posture to be more weak and said “oh, ok… sorry to accuse you.”
C.C. gave a polite smile, centuries of experience allowing her to keep any bit of amusement from showing on her face. Why amusement you may ask? Well, Kallen was doing a terrible job at hiding her true nature, and somehow most of Ashford still hadn’t noticed. C.C. was just loving every second of this scenario, and was looking forward to seeing it more in person.
“It's fine,” C.C. answered in a flowery voice, nodding to Kallen. “I can understand your frustration, especially with the cries from earlier.”
Lelouch took this opportunity, seeing that Shirley was even more confused now, to finally give an explanation. “Shirley, Kallen, this is C.C. She will be starting at Ashford as a new student in our year level from tomorrow.”
“C.C.?” Kallen repeated, now realising how weird that name was. “Is that your actual name?”
C.C. smiled again. “No, but it's the name I prefer everyone to use. You can say that my real name is something I’ll only tell those I trust absolutely.”
Before Kallen could make another comment, Shirley took a step forward. “Nice to meet you C.C. I’m Shirley Fennette,” She greeted with a warm voice. “I look forward to seeing you around.”
“Likewise,” C.C. said.
Kallen turned to Lelouch and walked up to him. “How long has this been a thing?” she asked him in a whisper.
“It was quite sudden,” Lelouch answered, matching her whisper with his own. “It was only made official yesterday.”
“Yes, due to certain circumstances,” Milly affirmed. “Lelouch only knows because C.C. here will need a space to stay in, and the only space with the spare room at the moment is the Clubhouse.”
Lelouch barely stopped himself from physically reacting to that statement. They were actually making that official now? ‘Calm down,’ he told himself, ‘It’s logical and ensures that I can still keep a close eye on her, without all of the smoke and mirrors of keeping her a secret. Actually, this saves up a lot of time and effort I would have to invest in that.’
“Does Nunna know?” Shirley asked Lelouch.
Lelouch shook his head. “Not yet,” he said, “I was planning on telling her today after school, so that she and C.C. can be introduced to each other.”
Obviously to those in the know, that hadn’t been the plan at all. He hadn’t even thought about telling Nunnally about C.C., and the thought of having Nunnally in the same room with the vampiress nearly gave Lelouch a panic attack. If she was messing around with him so much, what would she do to Nunnally? But alas, now that C.C. was officially going to enrol and go to school here, he might as well roll with it.
“I am looking forward to meeting her, after what Lelouch and Milly here told me about her,” C.C. said, keeping up the charade.
“Ok, now that is out of the way,” Kallen said, bringing everyone’s attention to her, “what do we do about that cat?”
Everyone looked back at the cat in C.C.’s arms, which seemed entirely focused on Lelouch. She suddenly jumped out of C.C.’s arms, and began circling Lelouch, as if studying him, sniffing at his feet. After a minute, she nodded and rubbed her body against his leg.
“Oh, I think the cat likes you,” Shirley noted.
“Oh, as if I wanted this,” Lelouch sarcastically grumbled, before spotting the amusement in C.C.’s eyes. He decided to cut his losses and silently pleaded with his sire.
“I’ll be happy to look after her if everyone’s happy with it,” C.C. said, picking the cat up again.
“Might as well,” Shirley said. “It at least seems to be calm around C.C.” She then went up to the cat and began to pat it. “Besides, looking at it now, it’s so cute.”
The cat’s eyes closed as it purred from Shirley’s patting, causing a smile to form on the orange haired girl’s face. However, there were a couple of people who did not share her view.
“Are we sure that this is the right move?” Kallen asked, sceptically. “It did cause a lot of chaos in just a short amount of time.””
“At this rate, we’ll have to blow the whole monthly budget on repair for that thing’s rampage,” Lelouch commented.
“That bad?” Milly asked, shocked.
Lelouch nodded. “The corridors are filled with broken objects, students are flooding the infirmary due to injuries and the pool is a complete mess.” He paused. “Actually, reconsidering that last point, make that three months worth of the budget now gone.”
Milly paled while C.C. sighed in annoyance. She looked down at the cat and saw it wink.
“You mother…” C.C. murmured before all were interrupted by the sounds of various students getting closer.
“Hey, is that the Student Council?”
“Yeah, what are they doing there?”
“Are they looking for that damned cat as well?”
“Good, that thing almost killed me!”
“You just fell onto your butt! That wouldn’t kill you!”
So went the conversations that came across the field as Students started walking out in small groups before merging to form a big crowd, the sole purpose to find the cat. The student council, with the exception of Lelouch, who was glaring at C.C., looked amongst each other, wondering how the hell they were going to explain this situation to the crowd. Lelouch himself didn’t want to draw attention to himself, due to Euphie being on the school premise, so it was up to the others to conclude this crisis.
Thankfully Milly, after Lelouch had given her a look, decided to take action. She grabbed the cat out of C.C.’s arms, much to her surprise, and walked in front of the gathered council, while Lelouch discreetly moved to the back, away from the crowd.
“Attention Everyone!” Milly called out, grabbing the attention of the crowd. “I have heard of all the chaos going around, and am pleased to say that for once, it’s not part of my schemes!” That caused everyone to giggle. “But in all seriousness, we have found the culprit.” She held out the cat, who took on the facade of a normal cat, raising its paw while meowing.
There was a pause before the crowd started murmuring amongst themselves, some even letting out ‘Awwws’ aimed at the cat. Milly, seeing the change, decided to continue.
“Is there anyone hurt here, or badly hurt that you know of?” She asked. “If there are, I’ll get the Principal to get an ambulance to come over if needed.”
Thankfully it seemed no student was hurt enough for that, so Milly again resumed. “Now since it's already close to the end of the school day, we’ll probably end the day here, so go back to your dorms and rest.”
Her announcement was met with applause and the crowd quickly dispersed, everyone heading back to the dorms. Satisfied, Milly turned back to the student council and C.C. There she was met with raised eyebrows. Milly rolled her eyes at this, but then smiled again.
“I also mean you guys,” she said to the group, much to the shock of Shirley, Rivalz and Kallen.
“But we can help too,” Shirley argued. “There’s a lot of work to be done and…”
“No buts,” Milly interrupted. “Though, Lelouch and C.C., please stay so we can talk about ‘accomodation’, and then you can go back C.C.”
“And I’ll stay behind to help out,” Lelouch affirmed, rolling his eyes at Milly.
“Got it in one!” Milly confirmed with a smile. “Now, the rest of you, shoo. Go rest.”
One by one, the Student council dispersed, though Kallen did quickly glance back at Lelouch and Milly talking, a strange feeling in her. However she soon left to go home, and talk to Ohgi about why he convinced her to stay here.
After everyone had left, Lelouch’s expression turned serious.
“Did the Principal agree to this?” he asked.
Milly shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “I know he will, but he’s still giving Euphie a tour of Ashford.” Seeing the expression on Lelouch’s face, she quickly added, “that’s why I sent everyone back quickly, to avoid attracting attention here.” She then, still holding the cat in one hand, got out her phone and made a quick text. “Plus I just had Nina already make an announcement for it.”
“Good,” Lelouch nodded, pausing as he heard the announcement in the distance. “Sayako would have heard that and quickly gotten Nunnally back to the clubhouse.”
“And most likely out of Euphie’s path,” Milly said. She then turned back to C.C. and handed her back the cat. “I believe that the familiar would want to spend time with you while Lelouch and I fix its mess.”
“She always was lazy at cleaning up her own mess,” C.C. agreed, causing the cat to pout and meow at her. “Oh don’t give me that. I know you.”
“Familiar?” Lelouch asked, confused, before his expression hardened. “Is that cat yours?” he said accusingly.
“Not mine, but she was here for me today,” C.C. corrected. “I shall tell you about it later, if Miss Ashford here hasn’t already told you what I told her beforehand.”
Lelouch looked at Milly who shrugged. “We were having that conversation just before you and the others came,” she admitted.
Lelouch sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in weariness. “Alright, let’s get on with the damage control. The sooner we get to it, the sooner I can go speak to Nunnally. And C.C.” he pointed to his sire. “Head on back to Ashford. Despite this being your ‘official’ debut, remain out of sight of Nunnally. I’ll find a way to introduce you as your new persona.”
“I look forward to it,” C.C. said before leaving, taking the cat with her.
As both Lelouch and Milly left the opposite direction, they did not notice someone hiding in the shadows, behind a door that led back into the main building, a shocked expression on her face as she covered her mouth to prevent any noise from leaking, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Euphie had just needed to go to the restroom, so she had asked Reuben for directions before leaving both him and Villetta behind, as a couple of teachers suddenly needed to talk to him about an urgent matter. It took a couple of minutes to reach the closest restroom, like Reuben had said.
After finishing her business, the instant she stepped back out, she was met with the corridor full of students all rushing around, as if a bomb had just gone off. Following the crowd out of curiosity, Euphie, somehow not attracting attention despite her pink hair and casual clothes, suddenly found herself in front of an open door, as the crowds flowed out into a courtyard. While the door itself was blocked by the crowd of students, there was still a window to look out of. Unfortunately she couldn’t see out of that too due to the same crowd, but it was open, allowing her to hear outside the crowd murmuring about a cat.
‘Oh dear,’ she had thought to herself, looking slightly guilty as she had an idea that it was the same cat she had accidentally let inside that was the forefront of their conversations.
However, she was brought out of her thoughts by Milly’s voice echoing outside, silencing the crowd. She then heard her mini speech about finding the culprit and for the school to end the day here.
‘Oh, shame,’ Euphie pouted at the announcement, having been looking forward to seeing more of the school in action. Still, she had enjoyed the tour so far and while she knew she would have duties as Sub-Viceroy, she was more convinced that she would love to spend time here in the school.
Thankfully since she was at the window, she was out of the way of the returning sea of students, all still chatting. A small but genuine smile on her face, she turned away from the window, only slightly paying attention to what Milly was saying to what Euphie assumed was the Student Council, about to return to Reuben when suddenly…
“... Lelouch and C.C., please stay so we can talk about…”
Euphie’s heart stopped, her movement halted like she had just run into a brick wall. After a moment of processing what she had just heard, she turned around and quickly ran to the door, poking her head out, eyes widening as she stared into the distance, the chatting of the crowd around her not reaching her brain as she couldn’t comprehend the impossible sight in front of her.
Standing with Milly and another girl was a boy of the same age, tall, skinny with black hair. But the thing that stood out to Euphie immediately was the violet eyes that the boy had. Violet eyes that Euphie could never forget, seared into her brain and heart forever along with the black hair. Forever thought lost yet despite the last time she witnessed them in person was when he was just a year older than her seven years ago, all grown up now but she instantly knew it was the same person.
“L…L…Lelouch,” she whispered so quietly that anyone close to her would swear she only mouthed it. Tears didn’t start running down her face, they poured out as years worth of emotions of hurt, loss and happiness all came at once to overwhelm Euphie in this one moment.
So great was the emotion that while she was distant enough to not hear what they were talking about well enough, she could make out a few words such as her own name, and much to her ever increasing joy, Nunnally. Then the intercom rang out and a timid voice rang out, pretty much repeating Milly’s previous order of ending the school day early.
While the announcement just started, Euphie spotted that there was a door slightly closer to the three in the courtyard. Without any hesitation, she ran to it as fast as she could in her clothes, pressing her back to it while slightly opening it to hear, just in time for the announcement to end.
“Sayako would have heard that and quickly gotten Nunnally back to the clubhouse,” she heard a male voice, what must have been Lelouch say, causing another teary reaction from Euphie, having to cover her mouth to stop her sobbing from being heard with the other hand on her chest in a futile effort to calm herself down.
“And most likely out of Euphie’s path,” Milly said, causing Euphie to gasp in shock. Wait, did that mean that Lelouch didn’t want to see her! Before Euphie could think about that, Milly suddenly continued talking, yet aimed at the other girl with them. “I believe that the familiar would want to spend time with you while Lelouch and I fix its mess.”
‘Familiar?’ she thought to herself as the other girl answered, then almost chuckled when Lelouch out loud echoed her own question before accusing the other girl of owning the cat, which the other girl refuted. After a very quick back and forth, Lelouch finished the conversation by sending the other girl, apparently called C.C., away with an interesting comment on her ‘debut’, whatever that meant. Euphie filed that thought away, for after she had dealt with her own emotional crisis she was undergoing.
As she heard both Lelouch and Milly walk off, Euphie waited until she couldn’t hear either of their footsteps, took a look around in case anyone was watching, and then let herself burst out crying, falling to her feet.
“T…t…they're alive!” She sobbed out. “They’re alive!”
Her beloved half-siblings were alive and well! The joy she was feeling could not be described by mere words. It was so overwhelming that it took her a few minutes just to stop crying. As she wiped her tears away, a smile grew on her face, the largest smile she had made in so long. Legend has it that at that moment, most of Ashford suddenly felt a force so happy that it spread to them. That was how happy Euphie was.
‘I can’t believe it, but it’s real!’ she thought to herself, her mind going into overdrive. ‘All this time they’ve been here! The beloved brother I cared about the most! And my favourite half-sister! Oh I can’t wait to tell Cornelia! She’ll be over the moon! She’ll immediately come here and get them under her protection. We could all live together back in Pendragon and…!’
“And most likely out of Euphie’s path.”
Euphie’s positive rambling ground to a halt as she remembered that statement from Milly. That cut right into her heart. Why? Why wouldn’t Lelouch want to meet her? Weren’t they so close back in Pendragon? Before that day…
‘Wait, calm down Euphie,’ she admonished herself, stopping her mind from spiralling, trying to calm herself down. ‘ Lelouch wouldn’t do anything without a reason. And Milly did at least seem happy to spend time with me, her interactions weren’t fake. ’
So that begged the question, why would Lelouch want to remain hidden from everyone, from her? Euphie then realised she gave herself the answer before: She would tell Cornelia and bring them back to Pendragon. The very place where their mother was murdered and father banished them. Father also launched an invasion of Japan while they were still in it, and has in the past used his children like pawns in a game. Thinking about it, that made a lot of sense now why they wouldn’t want to return.
‘...If Lelouch is scared of Nunnally being taken back, I’ll have to keep their survival a secret from even Sister,’ Euphie thought with reluctance. ‘At least until I can be sure that they will be safe.’
Despite her very naive nature, Euphie did understand and completely agree with that specific fear that Lelouch might have. After Lelouch and Nunnally were exiled by father, Euphie did lose all trust in him, and being taken around the world by Cornelia and seeing the death and destruction Britannia brought has made her begin to hate father’s view on the world, rather than just completely disagree with it.
But Euphie did want to spend time with Lelouch, Nunnally and Milly too, to make up for lost time. As she rose to her feet, newfound determination filled her as she slowly regained her composure, wiped away any stray tears that she had missed earlier with a handkerchief from her pocket then started walking back to Reuben.
“Ah Princess,” Reuben greeted the Pink haired Princess as she returned to the group, the two teachers gone, “Did you find the restrooms easily? You were away for enough time that I was getting worried.”
Euphie nodded, hoping to hell that she had managed to wipe away her tear marks. “Y… yes I did,” she replied, somehow surprised her composure had come back so fast. “Though there was a crowd that forced me to take a longer way back. And that announcement about students returning back to their dorms or their home…”
Reuben nodded, frowning. “Yes, I heard that too, and while I did not give permission or even know of Milly’s order beforehand, it fits what the teachers told me.” He sighed. “Apparently a single cat caused so much chaos, enough that my PE teacher has decided to hand in his resignation to me right then and there.”
“That’s not good,” Euphie frowned. “He must have been under a lot of stress.”
Reuben shrugged. “Truth be told, he’s wanted to resign for a while now,” he admitted. “Not very satisfied with being a teacher. He’s told me about his intentions from the start, and despite his stress on the job, he has been a pretty good PE teacher so I handed him a list of potential jobs that he may like. I guess he made his choice and today seemed to be the perfect time to resign. I do hope he enjoys his new job in the future.”
Euphie nodded. “But that leaves you with one teacher short, right?”
Reuben nodded. “Yes it does,” he admitted. “Normally I would have a significant number of teachers approaching me for any teaching position, even if it's already filled, but the recent chaos in Area Eleven has caused those applicants to withdraw. It will take a while to get a new teacher here.”
Euphie filed that statement in her mind for later, as a plan was beginning to form in her head. But externally she nodded again in agreement before turning to Villetta. “How are you finding the academy so far, Miss Nu?”
Villetta frowned in thought. “It’s… as an educational institution, it’s quite good and well known, but the students are too undisciplined for my personal taste,” she admitted. “Nothing like the soldiers I had to help out at that one base before I shipped out of basic.”
“In what way,” Euphie asked, now slightly curious. She hadn’t had a chance to look at Villetta’s file and history, so it was nice to learn something about someone she’s with currently.
Villetta sighed. “In the homeland, while I was almost done with training for the military, a new group of cadets had just moved in to the facility. Their dedication and discipline were very good, better than that of most of the graduated knights I’ve met, but their physical skills, while enough to join the military, weren’t improving at all. At that time, the base was short staffed so they took some cadets from the various training groups to help out. I was ‘volunteered’ by my group to help out, and surprisingly managed to get them into shape.”
“Oh, how interesting,” Reuben exclaimed, a small glint in his eyes.
“Did that group manage to get through training?” Euphie asked.
Villetta nodded. “They did,” she said, pride in her voice. “After some sessions with me, they managed to get their act together and improve themselves a lot. Though I finished long before they did, last I heard, they were sent to the front lines in central africa.” She sighed again, this time in annoyance. “For the rest of my training, many of the other cadets said I should have picked a career in education instead of the military, those jealous bastards…”
As Villetta murmured in anger at the memory, Euphie and Reuben shared a look, as Euphie’s mind started to form a plan to reconnect with Lelouch and Nunnally.
Suddenly, Milly came rushing in. “Ah, there you are, Grandfather, Euphie!” She said, “I was expecting you to be further into the tour.”
“Sorry, that’s my fault,” Euphie said apologetically. “I needed to go to the restrooms.”
“No biggie,” Milly said, waving it off. “But I think the rest of the tour is moot now, with all of the students leaving.”
“Yes, I agree,” Reuben said, before giving Milly a look. “Next time, please inform me first before you make such a decision,” he admonished.
Milly nodded, though a hint of a smirk still etched itself onto her face. “Don’t worry about that, it was a special circumstance today.”
“I would hope so,” Reuben said. He turned back to Euphie and Villetta. “I can still show off most of our facilities, but without the students, I can’t really give you more of an insight into how we educate here.”
“That’s fine,” Euphie said with a bright smile, much to everyone else's surprise, “I’ve seen more than enough for now, and will have plenty of opportunities in the future to see more.” Even while beaming, Euphie noticed the slight look Milly and Reuben shared, but didn’t react to it at all to not tip them off. “But I think it would be wise to end my stay here for the day. Sister should be arriving in Area Eleven soon, so I would like to greet her, as well as some others.”
“I understand,” Reuben said. “I’ll escort both yourself and Miss Nu out.”
“I’ll be in the student council room,” Milly said, to Euphie’s slight sadness, “Got a lot of work to do.”
“I’ll hear about it afterwards then,” Reuben said.
Euphie pulled Milly into a hug. “It was so nice to see you after so long,” Euphie said with complete honesty.
“Same here,” Milly said, also honest. “Don’t be a stranger this time.”
Euphie laughed. “I promise you, I won’t.”
With that, Milly left the group, while the rest began walking to the entrance, where the limo was still waiting. However, as they approached it, Villetta’s phone vibrated. As she took a look, her expression turned serious. Discreetly walking closer to Euphie, she leaned in close to her ear.
“Your highness,” she whispered, getting Euphie’s attention, “Lord Jeremiah and General Darlton just sent word that he has finished up his task, and is currently escorting Private Kururugi and Camelot back to the Viceroy’s Palace. General Darlton also said once he drops them off, he’ll come meet you here.”
Euphie’s eyes widened in slight alarm. If Darlton spotted Lelouch or Nunnally, then Cornelia would know instantly. That couldn’t happen. “Tell him that it won’t be necessary,” Euphie said really loudly, then realising how loud she was, she lowered her voice to a whisper, “I’m done here for the day and will be heading to the Viceroy’s Palace in the next minute, so please tell all of them to wait for me there so we can greet the Viceroy when she arrives.”
“As you wish,” Villetta complied, typing into her phone Euphie’s response. Meanwhile, Reuben, unbeknownst to the other two, slightly narrowed his eyes at Euphie’s initial outburst, now slightly suspicious at the reasons for the outburst. But by the time Euphie’s attention returned to him, his face was back in its usual state.
“Thank you for having me over,” she said in a grateful tone. “I’ll inform Sister that she can count on the Ashfords during her tenure here.”
“Always happy to help old friends,” Reuben replied with a grin.
With that goodbye, Euphie and Villetta left in the limo, leaving Reuben behind as he wondered if Euphemia might come back as a student and what that would mean for his charges and family.
An hour later.
Suzaku Kururugi couldn’t believe it. Here he was in the Viceroy’s Palace, having a conversation with two high ranking members of the Britannian military. Sure, he was officially here as a “required component of the Lancelot” as Lloyd so passionately put it to the guards at the entrance when they inquired about the presence of an honorary Britannian, but the fact that General Darlton wanted to have him here was almost too much to bear. And the fact that they were waiting for more Britannians who were even higher and planning on introducing him to them was astonishing even.
Suzaku was more familiar with Jeremiah Gottwald, due to their previous discussion in prison and the fact that Gottwald had been part of the previous Area Eleven military establishment also helped, but Darlton was from outside of Area Eleven and thus was completely unfamiliar to Suzaku. His wine red uniform was unique amongst the Britannian units Suzaku was familiar with, and many of the knights were in awe of him, so he must be someone of very high regard.
And yet someone of such high esteem, such high regard, had been chatting with him earnestly mere moments ago, not treating him like garbage as most Britannian officers would. While gruff, Darlton was kind and patient, always acting accommodating not just to Suzaku but everyone he talked to whether that was Miss Croomy, Lloyd or Gottwald.
Currently they were in the Viceroy’s Office, where the late Prince Clovis ran the Area from, with Jeremiah sitting at the desk, with Darlton standing his side, both looking down at a map of the Area as Gottwald debriefed Darlton on the state of Area Eleven, Clovis’s activities in Shinjuku and the events afterwards, in preparation of the new Viceroy’s arrival. Suzaku and Camelot were standing in front of the desk, also looking down at the map.
“... and so we have issued a manhunt for ‘Zero’, but with no success so far, nor do I hold any notion of us succeeding at this point of time,” Gottwald finished.
Darlton, meanwhile, had a serious expression on his face. “This is worse than I had feared,” he simply stated. “The lack of proper integration of the local Eleven populace is in of itself a massive time bomb for us, but the fact that the ghettos have yet to even begin reconstruction outside of the Settlements is only making resistance and rebellion much harder to stamp out than other Areas in the empire,” he noted.
Suzaku, upon hearing these points, couldn’t help but clench his hands into fists. His people living in such terrible conditions in their own land cut deep into them, as well as guilt for his role, no matter how unknown it is, in this predicament. But that also drove his determination to make good his promise of reforming Britannia into something better… or die trying.
However, no one but Ms Croomy noticed Darlton glancing at Suzaku, taking note of his reaction, a gleam of sympathy appearing in his eyes before his training kicked in, keeping a neutral expression.
“I agree,” Gottwald said. “However it was His Highness’ prerogative to allow this to happen, and even encouraged it.”
“Pardon my interruption,” Ms Croomy called out, both men’s heads now facing her. “Did his Highness provide a reasoning behind this decision?”
“When prompted, he did reply ‘to settle a blood debt,’ or ‘revenge,’” Gottwald noted. “I can safely say I know what subject he was talking about.”
“Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally,” Darlton mused.
Suzaku visually reacted to this, this time catching everyone’s attention. However, before anyone could comment on it, Gottwald stood up, slamming his fist onto the map.
“No matter what the circumstances behind it,” he ground out, “the fact remains that the consequences of that decision have come back to bite us all in the rear. Now the local Eleven population has started to rally around Zero, not the useless group of relics that is the Japanese Liberation Front. Every day, a new act of resistance and terrorism is enacted upon us, and we are currently spread too thin to stop them all.”
“Well, we do have the Lancelot, if I don’t mind touting my own horn for a bit,” Lloyd cut in, his usual grin on his face. “In Shinjuku, the Lancelot performed wonderfully against the terrorists.” He walked forward, placing his arm around Suzaku, who was confused at the action. “With the perfect devicer here, I am sure that Camelot can help alleviate your issues here.”
“I agree that Private Kururugi’s performance in Shinjuku was very much needed, and that he and Camelot will continue to provide our forces with a much needed boost,” Darlton agreed. “However, the Lancelot can’t be everywhere at once, nor can it deal with terrorists that use hit and run tactics outside of knightmare combat.” He looked at Suzaku. “No offence, Private, but as good as you are, you won’t be able to deal with this on your own.”
Suzaku however, wasn’t hurt by this assessment. “No offence taken, my Lord.” Suddenly a thought came to him. Taking a breath, he opened his mouth, only for the doors to open to the office.
From the doorway entered a fair skinned teenage girl with pink hair escorted by a lady with chocolate skin who, while wearing civilian clothes, screamed out military to Suzaku. While the taller lady seemed slightly worn out, the girl seemed very cheerful.
At her arrival, instantly both Darlton and Gottwald knelt down while Lloyd grin grew even bigger. Suzaku however was confused, until Darlton spoke out “Welcome your Highness.”
Instantly Suzaku and Ms Croomy jerked in surprise before quickly kneeling or bowing in respect, realising that this girl must be royalty. Lloyd however just gave a lazy salute in response, earning him a glare from the two military officers near him.
“Please don’t kneel,” the royal said in an almost pleading tone, waving her hand. “At ease.”
Everyone relaxed, though were surprised when the girl rushed over and hugged Darlton, who looked surprised before chuckling and patting her on the back.
“You seem to be in a very good mood, your Highness,” he commented.
“Today’s been great,” the royal answered. “Ashford was so eye opening, and there’s so much we all have to talk about when Sister arrives.”
“I can imagine,” Darlton said, before noticing the slightly confused faces on Suzaku and Ms Croomy. “Ms Croomy, Private Suzaku, I would like to introduce you to Dame Villetta Nu,” he gestured to the taller lady, who saluted, “and…” now gesturing to the teenage girl, “the third Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, Euphemia li Britannia, our new Sub-Viceroy.”
Suzaku’s eyes widened at this. Not at the fact that she was royalty, he had already guessed that by everyone else's reaction. No, it was because this was someone who seven years ago Lelouch and Nunnally always talked about with a smile on their face, always lovingly calling her Euphie, one of the only members of their family that they had no ill will towards after their exile. And honestly, from just how she interacted with Darlton right now, Suzaku was beginning to see why.
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Euphemia said, “Especially you, Private Kururugi,” she said looking right at him. “I would like to apologise for the manner of which you were treated by members of the Britannian military,” she said, much to the surprise of everyone. “That kind of behaviour is abhorrent and should not be tolerated.”
Suzaku couldn’t believe his ears. A Britannian Princess, apologising to a Number? It was unheard of, for good reasons. Most Britannian royals would not even apologise to minor Noble Britannians, much less a Number or Honorary Britannian. Though he remembered what Lelouch had told him in the past about her being kind, so it seems she was still that way. Lelouch and Nunnally would most definitely be happy about that if they ever found out.
“There’s no need to apologise, your Highness,” Suzaku said, surprising Euphemia, Gottwald, Ms Croomy and the new officer, with Darlton raising an eyebrow and Lloyd’s expression staying the same. “You weren’t involved in that affair. It was a small clique in the Area that was responsible, not the royal family. In the end, Justice and the truth prevailed.”
“Oh how cute!” Lloyd said, coming over, his arm around Suzaku. “Look at you being so humble,” Lloyd continued, his voice filled with amusement.
“I appreciate your words, Private Kururugi,” Euphemia said, ignoring Lloyd, “but it’s still very sad that that type of conspiracy was allowed to happen at all.”
“I will accept responsibility for that, your Highness,” Gottwald said, his voice filled with regret.
Dame Nu, who had moved next to Gottwald while they were talking, gave him a look of concern. “Lord Jeremiah…”
“Kewell was my subordinate,” Gottwald continued, “and I failed to reign him in when I needed to most.”
“Not to any fault of your own,” Darlton countered. “From the data still available, Kewell’s psychological record, while showing that he was very ambitious, showed no previous instances of him disobeying his superiors at all, even if they went counter to his ambition. Yes, he did use his position in your mobile battalion to gain influence over it, and you did act counter to the Pureblood’s agendas, but you were still the official leader of the mobile battalion with connections to the Royal family. Kewell should have recognised that his coup would only be temporary and the outcome would have ended in his imprisonment and court-martial either way when a new Viceroy would be appointed.”
“Sister would have definitely not looked upon Kewell’s actions in a positive manner,” Euphemia confirmed, “just as she doesn’t currently.”
Euphemia turned to look at the clock on the wall. “Speaking of my sister, she should be arriving shortly. Darlton, would you accompany me to meet her?”
“Of course, your Highness,” Darlton saluted,
Euphemia nodded. “Great!” she said, “we’ll leave in a bit, I just have a couple of things to take care of first.” She looked at Suzaku, an inquisitive expression on her face. “Private Kururugi, when was the last time you went to school?”
That question was the last thing Suzaku expected to hear today. “Um…” he stammered as his brain rushed to catch up, “before the invasion.”
“Now that won’t do,” Euphie said, shaking her head slightly. “Thankfully, earlier today I visited Ashford Academy. The school impressed me a lot, and I am sure that they will be happy to have you as a student there.”
“Are you sure your Highness?” Ms Croomy asked, “normally honorary Britannians aren’t treated well by other students at schools, so Suzaku here may not be… welcomed by the whole cohort,” she said, sounding very concerned, which Suzaku noted and felt grateful about.
“The school is quite progressive,” Euphemia assured Ms Croomy. “I know the Principal and student council President personally so I can assure you they won’t allow anything bad to happen.” Euphemia then grinned, “Besides, he won’t be going alone,” she said, sounding very excited.
Euphemia walked to the desk, and started writing stuff down on a piece of paper. After finishing, she handed it to Gottwald, who took it with a curious expression on his face.
“Please make the necessary arrangements with Ashford Academy when I leave to welcome the new Viceroy,” she ordered Gottwald politely.
Gottwald nodded, starting to read what she had written, his eyes widening as he went, before looking shocked around the middle. “A…Are you sure, your Highness? Is this…”
“It is,” Euphemia confirmed.
“But while I do have faith in Ashford, I doubt they can properly organise protection without arousing suspicion,” Gottwald argued.
“I understand, but read on,” Euphemia urged on.
So Gottwald did. After finishing, he looked at Dame Nu with an unreadable expression on his face. Noticing this, Dame Nu became confused.
“Uh, my Lord?” she asked, before Gottwald showed her the piece of paper, pointing at a specific part. Upon reading that, her eyes widened in shock. “A PE teacher?!”
“Yep,” Euphemia confirmed, “You’re one of the only ones that Jeremiah trusts, so I would be assured to have you there both as a teacher and as secret protection. I also remember what you told me earlier today, so I know it's in your capabilities”
“I…” Dame Nu faltered. “I’m flattered that you feel that way and am honoured you wish me in such an important job.”
“Great!” Euphemia smiled. “I look forward to getting to know you better.” She turned to Darlton. “It’s time we head off,” she said before turning back to Suzaku. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Private Kururugi. I look forward to our next meeting.”
“I share the same sentiment,” Darlton spoke out as well. “Both out of and on the battlefield.” he gave Suzaku a salute, which he returned in kind. After that, both the princess and the general left, leaving Suzaku in a confused state.
Andreas Darlton stood at attention, watching as the plane touched down on the runway. By his side was Euphie, changed into her favourite pink and lilac dress. They were flanked by an honour guard of eight soldiers in dress uniform, made up of the loyal soldiers that Jeremiah could attest to their loyalty.
He had to say, while Euphie had been cheerful coming into Area Eleven, but after coming back from Ashford, her mood had soared so much higher than Darlton had seen in years, as if a new fire had been lit inside her. He didn’t know what she must have seen, but the slight depression that she has had for seven years is all but gone because of it, so he was very thankful for that.
Soon enough, the plane had made its way to them, the airport crew wheeling in the access boarding stairs, aligning it at the front door of the plane. After that, it was only a matter of time before her Highness departed the plane.
The door opened, and first came out two of Cornelia’s bodyguards, then Guilford himself, assessing the area before walking down, nodding to Darlton, who returned the gesture, allowing Cornelia to exit herself. Darlton kept himself from smiling as he watched her regally walk down the stairs.
“Your Highness,” he saluted as she stepped onto the tarmac.
“Darlton,” she greeted professionally, though in her eyes he could see she was glad to see him, but immediately went down to business as always, “what’s the situation here in Area Eleven.”
“Critical, your Highness,” he answered, “well worth your attention and usual strategies.”
“Excellent,” Cornelia smirked before turning her attention to Euphie. “And how was your time here, Sub-viceroy?”
Euphie’s grin encompassed her whole face. “It was eye-opening, sister. I…”
“It’s Viceroy,” Cornelia very lightly admonished. “Because we are siblings, while on duty we’ll have to keep it professional.”
“I understand, Viceroy,” Euphie corrected herself, before continuing. “I took a visit to Ashford Academy. For what we talked about, and more, Ashford is more than promising.”
“Also excellent news,” Cornelia smiled. “But what else would you want to do with Ashford?”
“Well,” Euphie began, “while I am now the Sub-Viceroy, I know that my workflow is far, far less than what you would have.” A glint entered Euphie’s eyes. “So in order to ensure that we keep an eye on Ashford, as well as to compensate Private Kururugi…”
“…we’ll be your new classmates!” Euphie finished, wearing an Ashford Academy uniform as Suzaku stood next to her, also in uniform
Lelouch stared in astonishment at the two standing in front of the class. He hadn’t expected this newfound hurdle in keeping incognito. Well, that wasn’t completely true. Both he and Milly had theorised that Euphie may join Ashford Academy after she had contacted Reuben, but not this soon!
And next to her, joining at the same time, was Suzaku. As much as he was glad to see him, because Suzaku was part of the military, that may cause complications in the future. Je did note with slight amusement that Suzaku’s head was swivelling between looking at him or Euphie, his face in a worried expression.
But the most surprising thing about this was ironically the lack of surprise from Euphie when she spotted him, though he could tell that she was struggling to keep her composure. But that should be possible, there was no way she could have known he was here unless…
‘…She saw me yesterday…’ Lelouch realised, barely stopping himself from facepalming. ‘Great…’
But despite that, he truly was happy to see her, all grown up, and somehow he had a feeling that he’ll be spending a lot of time with the both of them in the very near future.
Notes:
So, it’s been a while. A very long while.
I am so, so sorry that this took a year to make and get out. After finishing the last chapter, I was hit with an extreme case of writer’s block that prevented me from making any real progress in getting this chapter out. And because I couldn’t get myself to write anything of substance, I avoided looking at pms and comments out of shame.
I am so sorry that it happened, but good news now: As you can see, the chapter is done, finally. Last month, I managed to overcome the writer’s block and went in. While the majority of this chapter was done beforehand (I wasn’t completely done and dusted by the writer’s block, just going very, very slowly, like sometimes 200 words a month at one point), I managed to get around 6,000 to 7,000 words done in the last couple of weeks.
Now, to the chapter: Not as much Lelouch here, but instead focusing on other characters and their perspective, along with introducing and changing up a few concepts. First off, Nightmare of Nunnally characters are officially in the story. Expect them to appear more later, especially Alice. And Euphie and Milly meet at Ashford Academy! Probably one of the biggest deviations I’ve ever done in this fic. And talking about deviations, Arthur the cat continues to cause chaos wherever she goes, ruining a bonding situation between Lelouch and Kallen, as well as indirectly leading to another major deviation here. Euphie discusses her ideas, and gets a tour. Milly learns about familiars, which here Arthur is one, and guess who is her master? This scene culminates in another really big deviation: Euphie finds out that Lelouch and Nunnally are alive and at Ashford. You can probably see where this is headed. Set up for more events and changes down the line and Cornelia arrives as well. And finally, what do you know, both Suzaku AND Euphie are now students at Ashford. But that's more for the next chapter.
Again, I am so sorry for the lack of updates and communication for the year, I’ll try to do better this time.
Next time, a long overdue reunion and the start of Cornelia’s Area Eleven.
Special thanks to Seerking for Beta reading this chapter! Go check out his awesome content!
Regards,
dalek117
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