Suzaku carried the last of the bags in, sighing when he saw Lelouch already in conference with some of the Black Knights. He had expected as much. They had been gone for a week and a half, but Lelouch had been acting like it had been months on the flight back. He’d been going through every bit of information that he had gotten over that time, even to the point of annoying Kallen. She had stormed to the back of the plane. He had briefly seen her when they had landed, but it looked like she had been running, not that he blamed her.
He turned to set the bags down, some of the others looking back at the sound. Lelouch was too involved in some of the plans he had already come up with. He was still gesturing and pointing even as the others stared at him. Suzaku saw a few give him little nods before they turned back to Lelouch.
For a moment, Tamaki looked like he was going to blurt something out but Ohgi put a hand on his shoulder. Suzaku saw Tamaki nearly dragged to the side, the man shooting him another look before making a vague motion. “Yeah, I think we’ve got this. After all, we didn’t mess up while you were gone.”
There was a sharp rebuke from one of the others, Tamaki quickly waving it off. “Look, he knows we know our business, but the guy just got home. Let’s give him a minute, yeah?”
It wasn’t a suggestion that the others seemed to disagree with. They all nodded to each other and started edging away. Even then it took Lelouch a moment to realize what they were doing.
Lelouch looked around at them, seeming confused until he looked back at Suzaku. He looked surprised to see him there, Lelouch straightening up from his desk.
The shock only lasted a moment before he waved the others off. “The rest can wait until tomorrow. We’ll hold an official meeting them.”
Suzaku heard a few grumbles, but they were quick to die down as the rest of the people filed out. Suzaku stepped to the side to allow them to pass, stumbling over the bags he had brought up. He thought he heard someone laugh, but the sound was quickly muffled by the door sliding shut. Suzaku turned to look at it, feeling himself relax. Japan wasn’t necessarily safer than Britannia, but Japan had more people loyal to Lelouch. More people not actively trying to kill him.
He sighed and stretched his arms above his head. He groaned when he felt something pop in his back. The plane was far more comfortable than a Knightmare or even the Lancelot, but it had felt worse. Suzaku didn’t know if it was because he was unused to comfortable or if it was because of the tension that he had been holding. Despite how joyous everyone had been Britannia was still Britannia.
Suzaku lowered his arms, sighing as he looked back at Lelouch. The prince had taken the retreat of the others without a comment, to the point where Suzaku wasn’t sure that Lelouch realized it. He was already bent over his desk again, probably going through plans again, searching for flaws.
Suzaku watched him for a moment before shaking his head. He picked his way over the bags, making his way to the desk. “Already?”
“Hm?” Lelouch stared at his work for a moment longer before lifting his head. The prince blinked at him, like he was realizing that Suzaku was there for the first time. “Yes. There’s a lot to be done.”
“Can’t it wait?”
Lelouch frowned at him. “And give someone else the time to work against us? No.”
Suzaku sighed, reaching over to shut one of Lelouch’s books. Lelouch recoiled, sputtering something that may have been a rebuke, but Suzaku wasn’t interested in listened. He edged himself between Lelouch and his desk, reaching for Lelouch’s hands when the prince tried to reach for his things again. Lelouch glared at him, trying for the desk a few more times before stepping away. “Suzaku…”
“Your highness.”
“I could order you away.”
“You could.” Suzaku smiled at him. “But I wouldn’t listen.”
Lelouch huffed and jerked away, pacing to the other side of the room. Suzaku waited for him to reach the wall and turn around before speaking. “You just buried your brother.”
Lelouch shook his head. “I did that the day he let me drop.”
Suzaku winced, but Lelouch’s anger didn’t last long. The prince slowed his pacing, not bothering to take another turn back towards the wall
He just stood in the middle of the room, rubbing his forehead. “Japan is in shambles. I didn’t manage to undo everything that Julius had done. That needs to happen as soon as possible. Then we need to set it up so that it’s prosperous. That will take time and who knows how long Father will be distracted by whatever new woman he has.” Lelouch made a dismissive motion, although his turned vague towards the end. “And it’s important. Things will settle more the longer we have something stable in place.”
“Will it go out today?”
“No.”
“Then one day of rest won’t hurt anything.” Suzaku leaned back against the desk, looking Lelouch up and down. He wasn’t the prince he remembered from those summer days at the Aries Villa. There were dark circles under his eyes and he always seemed to be a few steps distant. It was not a good way to start a new project, not when it would involve the kind of complexity that he expected from Lelouch. Suzaku was sure that some of Lelouch’s siblings would figure out what he was doing.
Suzaku just hoped it was one that had the sense to let it happen.
Lelouch took a step closer to him, Lelouch reaching out for him. He grabbed onto Suzaku’s wrist, rubbing his thumb against Suzaku’s skin. Suzaku shivered at the touch, but he kept his gaze on Lelouch’s face.
Lelouch frowned seeming to struggle for a moment before he put his words in order. “I took two years to get to this point, that’s too long. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
Suzaku nodded slowly, looking over his shoulder towards the window. “They trust you. You’re still Zero.”
“That’s just the pressure of reputation.” Lelouch sighed, his fingers tightening around Suzaku’s wrist before they shifted. Suzaku shifted closer as their fingers slid together. Suzaku squeezed Lelouch’s hand even as the prince kept talking. “I’m here on a sufferance. And if I can’t manage to please them, then I’ll go home.”
“That isn’t a bad thing.”
“No but, this is better than sitting around at home, waiting for Father’s orders.”
Suzaku shrugged, not daring to comment. He had enjoyed the peace of Aries Villa, but his whole life had been uprooted multiple times. It had been nice to have a place to stop, even if just for a little while. He’d had enough of moving from his time in the EU and then with the rebellion, he was ready for another summer like that, if only to give him the time to concentrate on the task ahead of him. It wasn’t his original plan of being Knight of One, still it put him in the perfect position. Although, that was fast becoming an afterthought when compared to everything else.
He was the knight assigned to a viceroy. Just because Lelouch was currently the darling of the Japanese people, things could change. He wasn’t going to fail his assignment this time, not even if it was just because the prince wouldn’t stop working.
Suzaku leaned his shoulder into Lelouch, using the pressure to gently turn the prince. “You have the basic plans ready?” He didn’t wait for an answer, because he knew it already. “Since you do, you can help me unpack everything or,” he leaned over to kiss Lelouch, catching the prince by surprise. “Come to bed with me.”
He saw Lelouch’s eyes light up with interest. It was an underhand method to get Lelouch to sleep, but it looked like he was going to adjust his methodology.
Suzaku stepped away from Lelouch, giving him a light tug towards the bedroom. He expected the glance back towards the desk, but he smiled gently when Lelouch started after him. Suzaku reeled Lelouch in, tucking him safely against his side as the two of them wove through the baggage and to the bedroom.
Lelouch stood still as the coffin was lowered into the ground. He was sure that he was the only one there with dry eyes. Everyone else was crying, although some of them could be for show. Lelouch wasn’t too sure about some of the nobles, but he was willing to accept it from his family.
They hadn’t known.
He turned his head to look at where Nunnally was beside him. His sister was sniffling, biting her lip as tears ran down her face. If it had been any other occasion, Lelouch would have told her to cry and damn whatever their father said, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He felt like screaming the truth to the skies, but no one would believe him. For all they cared, he had fallen after being shot by rebels and a brave Britannian noblewoman had kept him safe. Kallen’s anger at being called a Britannian had been amusing once, at least until everyone started jumping through hoops to explain away what had happened.
Lelouch had hidden away to recover and stay away from rebels. Julius had gone to Area 11 chasing after rumors of his brother. Clovis had been killed by terrorists, but the stunt with Suzaku had been to put a sleeper agent in with the rebels. Suzaku and Lelouch had worked together to infiltrate the Black Knights and try to save Julius, but they were just too late.
The whole story made him want to scream, but it was the story that his father told over and over. It was the story that his mother clung to.
Lelouch looked over at where Marianne was leaning on Charles’ shoulder. He shook his head at them, moving his gaze away as the priest intoned on. His gaze skipped over where Kallen stood uncomfortably with her father as a strange guest of honor. He met her gaze for a moment, sighing when she rolled her eyes. He shifted slightly, quickly seeking out his other ally.
Suzaku was standing back with the Knights of the Round, back where he belonged in Lelouch’s opinion. The black and silver cloak of mourning didn’t seem to be sitting right with him, but Suzaku was perfectly still. Lelouch would make sure to strip off that cloak and throw it as far away from Suzaku as he could.
Nothing about this was deserved, and yet he had to sit through this farce.
He tensed as he felt Nunnally squeeze his hand. He looked down at his sister, watching as she sniffled. He sighed and dropped to a crouch beside her, holding out his handkerchief.
Nunnally hesitated for a second, obviously torn between letting go of Lelouch’s hand and letting go of Rolo’s. She made her choice, letting go of his hand to take the offering. Lelouch remained by her side as she blew her nose. He didn’t think she would let him get too far away from her. None of them had. If he hadn’t spent two years away it would have been claustrophobic. Lelouch was sure that the charm would wear off eventually, but he wasn’t going to watch for that. It was a wonder that he was back with them.
“Thank you.” Nunnally spoke softly, keeping a tight hold on his handkerchief. Lelouch didn’t try to take it back from her. She would need it for the rest of the burial. They were just starting to throw the dirt over the coffin.
Lelouch swallowed and looked at the grave. According to what everyone had told him, this had been where they had buried his empty coffin. Lelouch didn’t know why they wanted to tell him, maybe to try and ease their guilt for leaving him in Japan for so long. Lelouch still couldn’t figure out how to tell them to stop, because he didn’t dare. The fact that he knew where they had been planning on burying him made him shiver. It felt like he was pushing his own luck, or maybe attending his own funeral. The latter might have been more apt considering it was his twin that they were burying.
He shivered, glancing back at where the men were continuing to shovel dirt into the grave. He wanted to duck away, but he was expected to be there until the last of the dirt was put into place and the emperor gave the signal. After years away from his father he had forgotten what it was like to be under his scrutiny, and it made him want to run away all the faster. He had gotten his taste of freedom and it made him want more, even to the point of contemplating treason.
Lelouch swallowed and jerked his gaze away. He had already killed one of his family members, he didn’t want to think about doing it again, not so soon.
He felt bile rise in the back of his throat, Lelouch swallowing it down. He was resolute about what he had done, and the fact that he still reacted with horror annoyed him. If anything, it was just the memory of the mess of Julius’ face. Lelouch was sure that it wasn’t like that anymore or his mother wouldn’t have let Nunnally and Rolo see him. Lelouch hadn’t bothered, because he wasn’t sure that he would be able to control himself. Besides, he had a country to run.
He still had one to run, but there was no excuse that he could find to be away, not when his family needed him.
The last shovelful of dirt was tossed onto the grade, Lelouch sure that he heard a sigh rush through the crowd. That was the signal for some of the mourners to come forward and start resting flowers on the grave itself. Lelouch watched the parade of nobles and his siblings. His attention jerked over to his father, watching as Charles went up and dropped the flower on the grave. It was done with more respect that Lelouch thought would be given.
Lelouch tensed as Charles looked his way. The emperor watched him for a moment before making his way over. The mourners moved out of his way and, for the only time that Lelouch could remember, no one paid the emperor any mind.
Lelouch got to his feet, holding himself tense as Charles came to stand in front of him. His father looked him up and down before reaching out to touch rest his hand on Lelouch’s shoulder. Lelouch tried his best not to jump, which was made easier when he caught the shine of something on his father’s cheek. He fought against the urge to tip his head to the side, instead watching as tears slid down Charles’ cheeks.
His father squeezed his shoulder, the pressure making him push back against his father. Charles didn’t seem to notice. Then again, he never had.
Charles nodded and squeezed his shoulder again. “Thank you.”
Lelouch stared at his father, surprised when Charles just walked off. He turned to watch the emperor move off, the rest of the mourners silently falling into line behind him. They flowed around him, Lelouch too stuck in his shock to do anything but watch the line of black move out.
He couldn’t imagine what his father meant, because he was sure that they were coming from different places. Charles wouldn’t think that he stopped Julius from becoming another Britannian prince ruling over Japan. If anything he would think that Lelouch was going to avenge his brother’s dead.
His father was going to be disappointed, but Lelouch was sure that Charles was used to it.
Even still, it put him on edge.
A soft touch to his hand pulled his attention away from the solemn procession. Lelouch looked down as his sister, Nunnally looking back at him. She got a better hold on his hand and pressed her cheek against his arm.
Lelouch smiled down at her, taking a tighter hold on her hand. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, tightening her hold on his arm. Lelouch reached down to pat her arm, glancing over when Rolo was quick to grab his other arm. He leaned into Rolo for a moment, tempted to say that he wasn’t going to leave them again, but that would be a lie. He had things to do in Japan, promises to be kept. Then again, that wasn’t forever. He was only there until he could get Japan on its feet and then to pretend that he was still in charge. But that didn’t mean that his siblings couldn’t visit him. He would just have to work on Marianne in the meantime.
He paused to look back at the grave, spotting his mother being escorted away by C.C. He narrowed his eyes at that, wanting to turn and glare at his father, but C.C. shook her head. C.C. hooked her arm through Marianne’s and led her to join the rest of the procession.
Lelouch waited for them to pass, holding still until he saw Kallen and Suzaku to come and flank him. He felt Rolo jump at that, but his brother was quick to relax at the presence of guards. Lelouch glanced down at the two of them before shifting a bit to give Nunnally’s wheelchair the room to maneuver past him and onto the gravel path. He kept a hold of her hand, allowing himself to be drawn into the procession of mourners as they left the cemetery.
C.C. stood up as the doors opened. She expected to see Sir Guilford and the other representatives that had announced their intention of checking to see if the self-proclaimed viceroy was who he said he was. C.C. had a folder of everything that Lelouch thought he would need to prove that he was himself, plus a few others that she and the Black Knights had decided needed to be in there.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder, ready to thrust the folder into Sir Guilford’s arms when she stopped herself. She could see Sir Guilford, but it was the two people rushing out in front that made her stop.
There had been no word that Marianne and Rolo would be coming with him. C.C. had never imagined that Rolo would leave the Aries Villa. Perhaps the lack of threat from Julius had brought him out. Or maybe it was because Julius was dead. It was one less family member and that might make him cling, but that didn’t explain Nunnally’s absence.
She didn’t have time to think on it much longer before Marianne was reaching out to pull her close. “C.C!”
It was second nature to melt into her embrace, C.C. only remembering herself when she saw Guilford standing awkwardly behind Marianne. His gaze lingered on the two of them before skipping away, giving the two of them their privacy. It was a touching sentiment and an unwelcome reminder about why she had been waiting.
C.C. patted Marianne’s back before stepping away. The motion was enough to attract Guilford’s attention, C.C. taking the moment to thrust the folder at him.
Guilford started at it like it would bite him. He recovered a moment later, flipping through the papers distractedly. C.C. raised an eyebrow, reaching out to tap against the page. “I think you’ll find everything in order.”
“Yes…of course…” He still seemed overwhelmed, although she didn’t had the time to tease him about it.
Marianne was tugging at her arm, pulling her back around. C.C. spun around, giving Guilford one last glance before focusing on Marianne. Marianne didn’t seem to notice her distraction, the woman clinging to her arm. “You said you found him!”
“Yes.”
“And Julius?”
It was a struggle to keep her face neutral. C.C. wasn’t sure that Marianne would ever believe what Julius had done. It was all too easy to wave it off as another Britannian prince. She was sure that Marianne would never believe the whole story simply because of that. Marianne would go on believing what she had been raised with, which made C.C. wonder. Had Marianne ever really considered that Charles’ way of doing things would make her sons kill each other or have them killed or had she trusted the man who had essentially abandoned her? It was an answer that C.C. didn’t want to answer. Still, there was plenty that she could.
C.C. took a deep breath, ready to start edging around the truth when Rolo darted away from them. Marianne turned to watch her youngest son, her hands sliding off C.C’s arms.
C.C. turned to watch as Marianne stumbled away from her, frowning at the sight of Lelouch making his way down the stairs with Suzaku and Kallen flanking him. She had told him to stay upstairs. He had more than enough to worry about and she didn’t think that he would be able to face his mother. Marianne knew him and, despite her excitement, she would be able to see through whatever lie Lelouch told. After all, it had been years since he had seen his family and, despite his protests, there was something fragile about Lelouch.
She trailed after Marianne, wincing as the woman reached up towards Lelouch. “Julius!”
Lelouch stopped dead, staring at his mother with wide eyes. For a moment, C.C. thought that Lelouch would back away from her, but Marianne didn’t let him.
She kept coming on, seemingly unware of the horror on Lelouch’s face. “I knew that it couldn’t be true. You beat them back, didn’t you?”
Lelouch took a deep breath, visibly shaking. C.C. saw Suzaku reach forward but then stop himself, the knight well aware of protocol. Kallen didn’t seem to care. She stepped up until she was on the same step as Lelouch.
She grabbed his arm, leaning in to talk to him. C.C. would have said that it was a reminder of what he had to do or an offering of retreat, but Lelouch’s expression said something different. C.C. narrowed her eyes, watching the two of them for a moment before hurrying around Marianne.
C.C. stepped between her and her son. Marianne didn’t seem to notice until the last minute, her gaze dropping. “You kept him safe, thank you.”
“Marianne-”
“And you found Lelouch. C.C, how can I ever thank you?”
For one terrible moment, C.C. was tempted to lie. It would be so easy. She could pass off Julius’ body as Lelouch’s, Marianne certainly wouldn’t look at it. And Lelouch would be left alone to do whatever he wanted. No one would ever question him on who he was.
The problem was that it was a terrible alternative and Lelouch would never agree to it.
She grabbed for Marianne’s arms, holding them tightly as she looked up at her. “Marianne, I did keep him safe. But it’s not Julius.”
“Not…” Marianne stared at her with incomprehension. She rocked back, like she was going to pull away, but Lelouch stopped her.
“Mother.”
Marianne looked at him, pulling away from C.C. She took two uncertain steps to the base of the stairs. “Lelouch?”
The sound of his name brought Lelouch closer, C.C. retreating out of his way. She exchanged a quick glance with Kallen and Suzaku, watching as the two of them tensed. She almost wanted to laugh and wave them down, because Marianne wouldn’t hurt him, but she found herself just as wary. A lot of things could change in two years.
The two of them hovered at the end of the staircase, Marianne the one to break the stillness. She smiled and reached up to touch Lelouch’s cheek. “It’s a miracle.”
To Lelouch’s credit, he just nodded and leaned into Marianne’s hand. “It’s been a while.”
Marianne nodded before tugging him into a hug, automatically making room as Rolo ran in. C.C. heard Lelouch grunt as his brother grabbed for him, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, he sank further into their embrace, relaxing into them.
That was enough to coax C.C. closer. She watched all of them, sighing when Marianne looked up at the two people still standing on the stairs. “Thank you.”
Kallen stared at Marianne in shock, but Suzaku bowed. C.C. shook her head, looking at the group before turning away. Lelouch might be enough to occupy Marianne for the time being, but she would ask about Julius soon enough, and C.C. wanted to make sure that everything was prepared for that. As much as Lelouch wanted to shove his brother into a coffin and never think about him again, Marianne would need something more. C.C. would make sure that Julius was at least presentable.
She walked back down the hall, slowing when she passed Guilford. The knight was still flipping nervously through the papers, glancing down every once and a while.
C.C. tipped her head to the side, smiling at him. “Does that meet your requirements?”
He jumped at the question, Guilford clutching the folder to his chest. He took a few quick breaths before shrugging. “I’ll have to consult with Prince Schneizel and her highness. But it looks…impressive.”
“Consult with Princess Nunnally too, she’ll know him.”
“Yes…of course.” His gaze slid away from her, C.C. tempted to just leave him, but there was one more thing to do. She owed it to the boy that Julius had been.
She motioned for him to follow, Guilford moving after her automatically before slowing down. C.C. shook her head, repeating the motion. “It would be best to leave them. Besides, I have more that could convince you, if you’re not above pictures. Besides, it would be best to make sure Prince Julius is lying in state before his mother sees him.”
C.C. wasn’t sure what convinced him, but Guilford nodded. He closed the folder and fell into step with her as C.C. led him away from the reunion and deeper into the building.
---
Kallen wandered through the administration building, running her fingers along the wall. It felt strange to be there and not being chased out. The building was firmly Britannian in her mind, steeped and soaked in it. And it was theirs.
She grinned to herself, patting the wall before moving onward. She wanted to look at it all now, never mind that that it was all just boardrooms and security points. It was the seat of government in Japan, and it was theirs again.
Kallen stroked her fingers against the wall before walking faster. She would make a circle of this floor before heading down. She had heard the Britannian party head up to the living quarter level and she was more than eager to avoid them. They had been shooting her frantic looks, like they expected her to kill them too. It was laughable, because the only one they had gone in to kill had been Julius. The others had been soldiers.
She frowned at her line of thought, slowing down. It had been war, it had been what they had to have expected. Or maybe it was just because it was another prince. According to them that was three princes they had lost in Japan. Or two and a half. Kallen didn’t know how they counted Lelouch.
She swayed at the top of the stairs, tempted to go down a level. She could meander her way to the Knightmare bay and visit with the Guren. But that would mean venturing past where Julius was laid out in state, and she didn’t want to pass anywhere near the body. It had been cleaned up as to not offend his family, but she had seen how the prince had looked when they had gone to remove him from his office. She had been one of the two that didn’t throw up at the sight of him, but only barely.
Kallen pressed a hand to her mouth and shook her head. She turned and started for another round of the floor that she was on, searching for somewhere to tuck herself away for a bit. She wasn’t about to leave, not when Lelouch had a party of Britannians. She was sure enough of him that he wouldn’t betray him. But she had volunteered for the duty of watching the prince when the rest of the Black Knights had scattered back to their bases. They had a lot organizing to do before they returned for government business. By then, Lelouch should have things under control and they could get down to business, or as close to it.
If anything, it would be like the early days in the Black Knights where everything had been decided with a rousing argument first. Still, Kallen was sure that they would be able to strip back some of the horrible laws. After that, she would see how it fell.
Kallen wasn’t sure how she would fit into that all things considered, but there would always be some use for a Knightmare pilot.
She slowed when she passed an open door, peering in. She expected to see one of the others from the original group, maybe Yoshitaka or Sugiyama lingering close by to tie up a few loose threads. She was not expecting to see Lelouch leaning against one of the large picture windows.
Kallen tipped her head to the side, studying him for a moment before stepping in the room. “Shouldn’t you be with your family?”
Lelouch jumped, the prince looking at her with wide eyes before relaxing. He slumped against the window before remembering himself. Lelouch pushed away from the window, walking over to her with a grin on his face. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
Kallen huffed, her gaze darting to his left leg. It was a habitual check, and one that she wouldn’t have to make anymore. Viceroy would be a secure position, or so she hoped.
She shook her head, pulling her back to the question at hand. Kallen raised a shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t know if they’d like me in their building.” Kallen paused before shaking her head. “Besides, I don’t think my step-mother will have me back.”
That made Lelouch pause. “I could order her to.”
“I don’t want to go back.”
Lelouch nodded slowly, his gaze flicking upward before he focused on her. “I’m sure Suzaku wouldn’t mind someone else around.”
Kallen doubted that. Suzaku seemed very protective of Lelouch, for various reasons. Kallen was more than happy not to cross that line. Still, considering the record of the other viceroys, another guard might be helpful.
She came around to lean on one of the chairs, watching Lelouch carefully. “Well, it will keep me away from my step-mother.”
“And give me another set of ears.”
Kallen narrowed her eyes at Lelouch. “I see.”
Lelouch laughed, his shoulders relaxing. “And you know me so well?”
“I practically lived in that apartment with you. There are only so many secrets that you can have in a small space.”
“We’ve graduated to a bigger one.” Lelouch made a gesture at the building, although he paused part of the way through. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before turning and walking back to the window. He looked out over the Tokyo Settlement. “I hope this counts as repaying my ransom.”
Kallen shrugged. “Close enough.”
She watched him for a moment before walking over. She kept space between them, looking out onto the settlement. Kallen wasn’t sure what Lelouch saw. She saw the stark divide between the two cities, and it made her mad. Tokyo was theirs first, and it was practically gone. The only places left to them were the almost bald looking ghettos, the ones that extended beyond the city. It was what the Japanese was to the Britannians, something to push to the edges.
Kallen reached out, but quickly stopped herself. She curled her fingers back towards herself, glaring at the city. She wanted to turn away, maybe finally get up the urge to go look at the Guren. Inoue and the others might have disappeared for the time that the Britannian delegation was getting settled. It seemed like the right thing to do, mostly because it kept them out of the way while they verified that Lelouch was who he said he was and were told what happened to Julius. That wasn’t their place, at least not until they were asked questions. Kallen doubted that they would have to go that far.
She shifted in place, about to leave when Lelouch spoke again.
“What do you see?”
Kallen shot a surprised glance at him before looking out over the city. She scanned over the city, searching for something in particular before guessing that he meant in general.
She raised one shoulder in a shrug. “The city and the ghetto, and how different they are.”
Lelouch hummed, his head tipping slightly to the side. “Yes, there is that.”
Kallen watched him, surprised by how easily he had given in. That was never good, it meant that he was up to something. Then again, he was always up to something. And she had thought it would be easier once they were done fighting the Britannians. Or maybe the crazy schemes would stop. Then again…
She looked over at Lelouch, watching as he surveyed the city with the same intensity as he had looked at their maps. That she should have expected. Kallen was sure the same thing would work as before. It was best to leave Lelouch to his planning until he was ready to talk. Then he might want to share some of his brilliance instead of making her guess at it.
Kallen sighed and looked back out the window, staring at Tokyo as she tried to see what Lelouch did. “Well, what do you see then?”
Lelouch chuckled, reaching out to press his fingers to the glass. “A future.”
I will carry hell to your doorstep; I will make you pay
Alarms rung in every section of the administration building, the noise deafening. Beneath that was the shouts from the soldiers as they rushed up and down the hall. Julius almost wanted to snap at them to stop because he couldn’t think.
He winced at another sharp blast of the alarm, reaching up to press his hands against his ears. Julius swallowed and curled in on himself.
He knew that he shouldn’t be cowering in his office. There were plans to be done, orders to give. Marianne had run him through various scenarios and what to do. The problem was that he suddenly couldn’t remember anything she had told him amidst the ruckus. It didn’t matter that he had studied the books and what he had been told over and over again. He had expected to be somewhere else, somewhere at a distance. Princes commanded from a distance where they could watch the whole battle unfold. They didn’t put themselves in danger and they certainly weren’t left alone in it.
Julius looked up, giving his office a terrified look. He had been left alone by his guards, or he had ordered them out of the room, he couldn’t remember. All he knew was that he had to bring some of them back. And then…and then… Julius didn’t know how he would continue, but he would focus on that as soon as he was secure.
He stumbled to his feet, lunging for the intercom system. He slammed his hand on the button, shouting into the microphone. “Captain!”
He expected an immediate response, but it took a while. It left him with nothing but the sound of gunshots and shouts. Julius shuddered, almost retreating to his hiding place again. Then a voice came through, Julius breathing a sigh of relief.
“Your highness?”
“Captain, I need a guard.”
“I’m sorry your highness.”
Julius blinked, parsing his way through the almost refusal. “What do you mean?”
“We’re stretched thin, your highness. If we move from where we are, they’ll make it up to your level.”
Julius stared at the blinking red light, his stomach twisting. “They’re inside the building?!”
“Yes, your highness.”
Julius didn’t wait to hear their answer. He ran for the window, pressing himself against it to look down into the courtyard. There were Knightmares wheeling around, all of them aiming up at the building itself. All of them Knightmares that he wasn’t familiar with.
He pressed a hand against the window. “Where are our Knightmares?”
“It was the first place they struck.”
Julius pivoted to stare at the intercom, surprised that the captain was still on. He leaned heavily against the window, his heart pounding. “How? How did they do this?!”
“I don’t know. But I would – HOLD THE LINE THERE – I would say it was the old subway tunnels.”
“I ordered those closed.”
“Work is still being done.”
Julius cursed and looked back down, watching events play out. It was clear that the Black Knights controlled the area around the administration building. The Knightmares were easily holding the front and, by the sound of it, his soldiers were struggling. It was an unimaginable failure.
Julius curled his fingers against the window, the squeak of his fingers shaking himself out of his shock. He glanced out the window, watching the Knightmares come around for another shot at the defenses. He flinched away from the window at the pings of bullets against the building. Above him, he heard one of the machine guns cease to fire.
He cursed and pushed away from the window, moving back to his desk. He scanned over the mess of files as he tried to calm himself down. The soldiers in the administrative building were not the only soldiers that were in Area 11. The problem was that it would take them time to get to him. By then, the Black Knights would be in control and he would be a hostage. Julius muttered another curse, bracing himself against the desk.
He couldn’t be a hostage, it would mean that he had failed. Failure wasn’t an option, it had never been an option. It meant that he was weak. It meant that he was beneath his father’s gaze.
Julius pressed a hand to his mouth as the old fear came back, the same fear he had felt when he had watched Lelouch storm out of their father’s court. It was the feeling of being alone with no one to support him, and the realization that he would next. He curled his fingers in, hoping that the bite of pain would be enough to shake him out of his shock, but it did nothing but hurt. He was backed into a corner with no idea what to do.
He swallowed, glancing back over at the flashing light of the intercom. He couldn’t stand alone like this, he couldn’t be taken prisoner. They could lose the administrative building and set up a government somewhere else. His father might not like it, but he could win back that favor by winning back Area 11. That would be a heroic effort worthy of a prince, and his father wouldn’t withdraw support. He could be a favorite, he could be protected, and he wouldn’t be abandoned again.
He lunged for the intercom, glancing at the red button before speaking again. “Captain, I’m calling a retreat. Get your squad here and we’ll start to leave.” He took a breath to start his plan, frowning when there was no response. Julius leaned forward, his focus on the red light. “Captain?”
“Citizens of Britannia and Japan!”
Julius jerked as the voice echoed through the intercom system. It took him a moment to realize that it was being broadcast through the building’s speaker systems, which meant that they were deep inside the building. A moment later, he realized that the voice was familiar, hauntingly so.
He took a step back from the desk, staring at the nearest speaker as the voice continued.
“We are the Black Knights, knights for justice. As such we declare the rule of Viceroy Julius to be unnecessarily strict and detrimental to the sake of the people. As such we decree that it cannot continue. Furthermore, we demand justice for the citizens of Britannia. They have been betrayed and lied to.”
Julius shook his head, taking a step back from his desk. He pivoted, trying to get himself in motion. The building was lost, which meant that he had to leave before the Black Knights got to him. He didn’t believe for a moment that they were knights for justice as they claimed. They were just Numbers out for revenge. He’d retreat to the next closest city and try again. After all, the Black Knights couldn’t be everywhere. They would need everything that they had to take the administration building.
He made a lunge for the door, stopping short when he heard the voice coming not only from the speakers but from the other side of the door. Julius stared at the door, shaking his head.
They had gotten too close, and the damn voice was still going.
“Viceroy Clovis was wrongfully murdered and the blame placed on an innocent man. For his own glory, Viceroy Julius murdered his own half-brother and took his place. That he has gotten away with it is a slight on Britannia and should not be allowed. That is why we are here, that is why we cry for justice.”
Julius shook his head, making another run from the door. He doubted that there were any people in the vicinity of the administration building to hear what was being said. They were probably hiding from the battle. Besides, no one would listen to a terrorist, even if it was Zero. Julius ignored the nagging part of his mind that said it didn’t sound enough like Zero, something was off that turned it too familiar.
He swallowed, reaching for the door pad with shaking hands. He started entering the code, getting halfway through it before he jerked to a stop. The voice was on the other side of the door now, although it was out of sync with what was being said. The voice over the loudspeakers was carrying on with the charges against him, listing the things he had done in the EU and Japan. But the voice on the other side of the door was saying something else, Julius breath catching in his throat as he listened.
“Viceroy Julius vi Britannia is also charged with the murder of his brother in cold blood over the outcome of a foolish and cruel game. And then, he lied to Britannia to cover his crimes to further his own ambitions.”
“That’s a lie!” Julius didn’t know what spurred him to respond, but he regretted it a moment later.
The door started to open, Julius glancing at his own half completed code before scurrying backward. Zero’s voice still droned on in the background, but the words had lost their meaning. Julius could only stare at his brother walked through the door, dressed in Zero’s familiar outfit. Julius was distantly aware of someone else hovering behind Lelouch, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Lelouch.
He lifted up a shaky hand, pointing at the apparition. “Y-you’re dead. I saw you fall.”
Lelouch grinned at him, giving him a mocking bow. “I’ve come back from the depths of hell, brother. And I’m going to change everything.”
Julius stared at Lelouch before shaking his head. He had done so much and this ghost, this imposter was going to take it away. He could still win as soon as he got moving, as soon as he figured out how to leave.
His gaze jumped over to where Suzaku was standing by Lelouch. He shook his head, pointing at Lelouch. “That’s why you allowed yourself to be taken?! To serve this imposter?”
Suzaku just stared impassively at him. The stare was nearly as bad as the constant repetition of all of his crimes. Julius didn’t know if he wanted to snap that none of what he was being accused of were true or to confront the ghost in front of him. He stumbled back another step, his breath catching in his throat when Lelouch followed.
Lelouch came right up close to him, Julius lashing out only for Lelouch to catch the punch. The solid grip was enough to send a cold jolt of fear down his spine. That more than anything made it real. He wouldn’t have been able to touch a ghost.
Julius shook his head, trying to jerk his wrist away. “No. You can’t be alive. I-”
“Killed me?” Lelouch smiled at him, the expression making Julius shrink back. “You would have, if you were smart enough to finish the job. You just saw me fall.”
“But-” Julius flinched as he was jerked forward a step, Lelouch glaring at him.
“You left me for dead. I would have died, but the Japanese were more merciful than you were. You killed me because of a game.”
“You cheated!”
“How?! How was it cheating when it was Suzaku’s choice?!”
“HE DOESN’T GET A CHOICE! HE’S AN ELEVEN!”
Julius only realized when he had shouted when Lelouch let go of his wrist. He shot a quick look over at Suzaku, looking the man over to see if Suzaku was going for his weapon. Julius chuckled when Suzaku didn’t move. It was obvious that he was just waiting to see who would gain the upper hand. The Eleven was probably just waiting to see who won. He probably just wanted his position back. They were all like that, scrambling for position, and Julius had all the cards.
He reached out his hand. “Suzaku, help me. Help me kill him and I’ll give you your position back. I’ll make you Knight of One.”
Suzaku tipped his head to the side, his usual blank expression on his face. “Why? I don’t have a choice.”
Julius gaped at him. He expected something like that, but Suzaku had made promises to the empire. He was a Number, one bound to the empire.
He glanced over at Lelouch, watching as his brother gloated. Julius shook his head. “You’re a traitor. You worked with the Numbers against Britannia.”
To his horror, Lelouch just shrugged. Julius reached out for him again. “Father will never let you inherit.”
“Who says I want that?” Lelouch laughed, leaning forward. “When have I ever wanted Father’s favor?”
“But…but…”
“I don’t care what Father thinks, not when he approves of all of this. This is going to ruin Britannia.”
“No!” Julius started backing towards his desk, keeping an eye on Suzaku and Lelouch. “No, we’re going to save it. As long as we’re strong nothing can happen to us. Its ideas like yours that are going to destroy us.”
Lelouch recoiled, Julius taking the moment to lunge for his desk. He scurried around the desk, reaching for the drawer where his gun was. He managed to pull the drawer out and plunge his hand in before Lelouch came around the side of the desk. Julius looked up at him, sneering at his brother. “You’re just jealous that I won. For once in my life, I won and you lost.”
“No. You’ve lost.”
Julius puffed himself up, about to snap back at his brother when Lelouch trained his gun on him. Julius stared down the barrel before looking up at Lelouch. He grinned up at his brother, the brother who coddled Nunnally and Rolo. The prince who had tried to make a policy that wouldn’t lead to people getting killed in Area 11. “You wouldn’t. You’re too-”
Julius heard the bang of the gun going off and the flash from the muzzle.
And then there was nothing.
---
Lelouch’s breath was loud in his ears, Lelouch sure that it was the reason for the roaring there. It wasn’t the echoing retort of the gun, he wasn’t going to let himself believe that. He wouldn’t let himself slip that far.
He knew what he had done. He knew what he had been planning to do.
He’d been ready to do it as he had watched his own funeral and known the horrible truth. But that didn’t stop him from shaking.
Lelouch listed to the side, leaning against the desk. He stared down at the gun in his hands before letting it drop. That made it easier to brace himself against the desk. It was hard to feel anything when the sight of his brother’s ruined face was making his stomach twist and rebel. He pressed his head against the desk, using it to hold himself steady. It worked, at least to keep him off of his knees.
He gritted his teeth, grabbing at the edge of the desk. He wasn’t going to fall apart about this. It didn’t matter that there were other ways, this was the only way that he would be safe. He wouldn’t have been able to live with Julius alive, his brother wouldn’t let that happen. It would have all become one extended game, one that he didn’t want to play. Lelouch closed his eyes, taking deep breaths before he pushed himself away from the desk.
Lelouch tensed as a hand rested on his back. He turned his head to look at Suzaku, surprised when Suzaku reached out to brush a thumb over it cheek. It was only then that he realized that he had been crying. Lelouch gritted his teeth and viciously wiped at his face. He wasn’t going to let himself cry about Julius, not after everything.
He took a deep breath, hating the way it shook. He didn’t have time for this, he had to be in control of himself. The Black Knights wouldn’t last much longer. They had overwhelmed the Britannian forces, but it wouldn’t take them long for the shock to wear off and reinforcements to be called, if Julius hadn’t already done it. He had to look in control while he proclaimed himself Prince Lelouch vi Britannia and that he was taking control of Area 11. If he sounded like he was in charge then no one would question it before it was too late. And, when they did, it was bound to attract attention.
He bit his lip, clenching his hands into fists. He just needed another minute. It’s all he could have.
Lelouch shivered as Suzaku’s hand rested on his shoulder. It lingered there for a moment before sweeping down into the small of his back. He leaned back into it, closing his eyes. Still, it was hard to relax with his brother’s body still in the room.
He swallowed and reached up a shaking hand for his earpiece, surprised when Suzaku moved first. He turned his head to stare at Suzaku as the man spoke.
“Kallen, this is Suzaku. Things are under control here. The announcement will be going out soon. Tell the others to hold their position.” Suzaku paused, his head cocked to the side. “Yes, the Zero Squad can come up. Ask Tohdoh to organize the rest and…we might need to move. No, Kallen, his body is right there.” Another pause, which was just enough time for Lelouch to sneak a look at Julius’ body before Suzaku reached up to turn his head away again. “We’ll make the announcement somewhere else.”
Lelouch jerked his head away, stumbling back from Suzaku. He envied Suzaku’s calm at the same time as he resented it. He curled his hands into fists, holding himself together until Suzaku looked at him again. “I can do this.”
Suzaku watched him for a moment before reaching out. Suzaku stopped himself close to touching him, his hand hovering there before he dropped it back down. “Lelouch, you just killed your brother.”
“I told you I would! I told you that from the moment that I saved you!” Lelouch started to turn but he stopped himself. He swallowed, holding himself stiffly. “I promised myself that I would from the moment that I realized that he tried to kill me.”
“I know but-”
Lelouch shook his head and pushed past him. “We don’t have time for this. I can’t leave the Black Knights out there.”
He stormed out of the room, the tightness in his chest easing the further away he got from Julius’ body. He could hear Suzaku hurrying after him, and Lelouch was almost tempted to send him away, but another part wanted Suzaku close. The building still wasn’t cleared and he didn’t want this to end before it had started. If anything went wrong, they were all dead. Lelouch couldn’t allow that to happen, not when he was so close to the end.
Besides, Lelouch didn’t want Suzaku standing in the room with Julius’ body and coming up with more questions for him. Because he didn’t regret it. He’d had two years to think it over and get over his initial anger, except that he hadn’t. It had kept him going for this long. He might have no regrets, but he had never really thought about standing in the same room as his brother’s body.
It was a lot like it had been when he had discovered his assassination attempt, with Nunnally and Marianne on the stairs and Clara just below them.
Lelouch shuddered, stopping himself dead. His hands twitched by his sides as he fought the urge to hold onto himself. He didn’t need that, all of his affection for Julius was gone. It had to be because there was no way anything that Julius had done would preserve it. But that didn’t explain the detached horror.
There had been so much blood.
He turned at the sound of footsteps, Lelouch staring back at Suzaku. Suzaku kept a step between them, the distance proper but unimaginable. They had spent two years apart. It had been his fault, but for their safety.
Lelouch swallowed and looked up at Suzaku, feeling dread build in his chest. Suzaku might not have liked Julius, it was probably hard to like the man who condemned him to death. But he had been a Knight of the Round assigned to guard the family. He had known them. He knew how this would affect the family, and Lelouch could see Suzaku hating him for that. After all, Lelouch was his best bet to regain his title, and the killing of a prince wasn’t the way to do that.
Lelouch swallowed, tipping his chin up. He wasn’t going to send Suzaku away, or ask him if he would stay. Suzaku was still standing with him, but Lelouch was suddenly aware of the gap between them. He would have to work to close the distance. He had to, because it was partially his fault that this had happened to him.
He nodded at Suzaku, not trusting himself to come up with a suitable promise, but there were more important things to do first. As soon as he had secured things he would start thinking about ways to pay back Suzaku’s loyalty. The Black Knights were easy enough, but Suzaku was different.
He turned his attention back to the door, pressing the command to open it. Lelouch waited for it to slide open, only then realizing that he was hesitating. Two years had made him eager, but not enough to go rushing into the room. If he did this, then there was no escaping. He couldn’t just disappear with the Black Knights again, which sounded tempting. There would be another viceroy sent to Japan, and they might not be lenient. After all, Japan had taken two of their princes. Lelouch was sure that the reason didn’t matter, just the deaths did. Besides, he would be lying to himself if he thought he didn’t want to.
Lelouch took a step into the room, struck by a strange sense of surprise that he wasn’t struck down for his daring. He glanced around the deserted office, waiting for some last ditch attempt to be launched, but there was nothing. The silence was enough to spur him on. Silence meant that they were holding the building, which could only last for so long.
He reached back for Suzaku’s hand, relaxing when he felt Suzaku’s fingers brush against his. Suzaku stepped forward, holding his hand as he came to stand beside Lelouch. “Kallen will be up soon.”
Lelouch nodded, tightening his hold on Suzaku’s hand before pulling him forward towards the desk.
He jumped at the sound of his name, looking up towards the door. He half expected one of the nobles to be calling for him. He had a rebuke ready on his tongue, but there was no one there. He glanced back at the computer screen, sighing when he saw that a call had come through. Julius didn’t remember answering it, but he guessed that it had made some sort of sound.
Something was always going off around him, some alert or new report giving him the same information. The Black Knights were moving, but no one had caught them. There was always nothing.
He sighed, glancing over at his family’s worried faces. He quickly looked away from Nunnally and Rolo. Julius didn’t want to see them, not with things the way they were. They were both an embarrassment for different reasons. Rolo was still lurking around the villa like everyone in the world was going to kill him. What was worse was Nunnally.
Julius curled his hands around the edge of the desk. He was in Area 11 struggling to get the military that he needed and the Numbers to obey while she was the darling of Britannia. After so many years of doing the small things appropriate to the way she was, she was out and about more often. The last he had heard of her, she was meeting with members from the EU to continue to refine Schneizel’s disgusting treaty. And she was getting success and allocates from it, the things that should be his.
After all, he was the one playing the game right.
He took a deep breath, remembering himself when his mother leaned forward. “Julius, are you alright?”
“Things have been tough here. If you’ve been paying attention.”
There was more bite to the phrase than he meant and, to his surprise, Marianne reacted to it. He watched as she sat back, stiffening up. It was a warning, something that he had to pay attention to.
He ducked his head, speaking to the desk instead of looking up at his mother. “I’m sorry. It’s just been…difficult. I’ve been going at all hours.”
Marianne hummed, Julius taking the sound as partial forgiveness. He glanced up at her, watching everyone settle back down.
He used the moment to take stock of what was going on with them. Rolo looked like he always did, on the edge of collapsing into a frightened heap. Nunnally was sitting with more confidence, probably because of all of her underhand victories. After all, everyone felt sorry for a cripple. She probably didn’t have to work hard to get what she wanted. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and they would listen.
Julius took a deep breath, stopping the anger before it could go too far. Saying any of that would certainly get Nunnally’s attention. It would certainly get Marianne’s.
He watched his mother, surprised to see her so focused and alert. Grief had dulled her for the past two years, but something had woken her up again. Julius narrowed his eyes and scooted closer to the screen, watching his family closely. If his mother was waking up from her grief, then he might be able to use it to his advantage. Marianne had been a knight, she was used to military maneuvers. She had been on them while Julius had only read about them and watched from headquarters as Schneizel took the field. Maybe that was what he was missing. He lacked generals, all of them dead in his attack on Narita. All he had were nobles and captains.
Julius cleared his throat. “Mother, I’m at a loss here. Things are more complicated than what Clovis told us. The Area is in complete disarray.” He chuckled. “And I don’t think ordering a slaughter is the right way to go.”
“No.” Marianne frowned. “That would not be the best course of action, no matter what your father says.”
Julius frowned. “I can’t disobey orders from the emperor.”
“You can beg better sense. Charles will understand.”
Julius shook his head. He couldn’t disobey the emperor, not if he wanted to have any chance to remain in his favor. He couldn’t disobey his father, because Charles was his father. And certainly not when he agreed with him on all counts.
He took a deep breath, slumping back in his chair. “Father has failed to give me any orders. I just thought it was because he was busy.”
“Your father is occupied with his next project.”
Julius groaned and closed his eyes. It was a familiar code, one that meant that he would have to wait for Charles to turn his attention back to the matters of old empire instead of what new lands he could acquire. At least that explained why it was taking so long for him to get support. Clovis’ death had allowed him to request troops, although it had been barely anything once the honor guard was gone. It was something that he had wish he had known when he had dared Narita. The only hold now was the threat of the ghettos, and even that wouldn’t last long. They were reaching a breaking point, and it was just a matter of tipping it the right way. Too far one way could end up with them turning in the Black Knights. Too far the other way could mean that the whole country rose up in rebellion.
He opened his eyes, rubbing his fingers along the edge of his desk. “Then what else can I do?”
“There’s always C.C.”
Julius jerked his head up, staring at Marianne with wide eyes. “C.C?”
Marianne nodded, looking surprised. “She hasn’t been to see you? She’s been over there for a while now. She’s been looking for Lelouch.”
Julius went still, staring at his mother. “What?”
Marianne nodded, some of her old sorrow crossing her face. “She went searching for his body. She says she’s found it.”
Julius gripped the desk tightly before remembering himself. There was no danger there. His brother was dead, he was sure of it. The Numbers had done their work well when they had attacked Babel Tower. Clovis had done his own search and come back with the same answer. Julius supposed that C.C. had her own methods and that time had made it easier. But there was still something that put him on edge.
If C.C. had found his brother’s body, why hasn’t she come back yet?
“Because of the trouble in Area 11.” Julius must have spoken allowed. He looked up at his mother, watching as she gave him a worried smile. “If you see her, look out for her. It’s not safe for Britannians.”
“I will. But, why hasn’t she come to me?”
Marianne shrugged. “C.C. can be unpredictable. Just keep an eye out for her.”
“I promise.” Julius nodded, pushing the promise to the back of his mind. C.C. wasn’t important at the moment. She was an ally in Area 11, if she bothered to show up for him. Julius wasn’t sure that would happen. C.C’s loyalty was strange and she could see that he was not in a position to keep her safe. It was very likely that she would stay away with Lelouch’s body. She was welcome to it, Julius had done what he had wanted to do. He had won their game and had their prize for a short time, before Suzaku became a problem.
He shoved the thought away. He wasn’t about to linger over that loss, not when there was a greater one coming up.
He settled deeper into his chair, nodding at his mother. He shifted so he could concentrate only on her, blocking out his siblings so he could focus on the task at hand. “Mother, how do I hold Area 11?”
Marianne sighed, but it wasn’t with impatience. Her gaze went distant, Julius watching as his mother thought about the question. He settled into listen, ready to use anything that she gave him.
---
Lelouch looked at the gathered members of the Black Knights. He was used to looking at them through the distortion and coloration of his mask that he realized that he didn’t know what they looked like without the slightly blue tint. It was a silly thing to realize and then lean on as an excuse.
He had made his decision days ago, after another round of legislation from Julius. He’d intended to ignore them and keep moving on with his plans, but then Black Knights had started to talk. They always had, but this was worse. When the leaders started requesting meetings, Lelouch knew that they were going to have problems. Everyone always started demanding meetings when there was a problem. He would have been happy if he could avoid it, because he still wasn’t sure it was the best course. But Suzaku had been right, Japan couldn’t hold if they kept doing nothing. Neither would the Black Knights.
Lelouch swallowed, purposefully not looking over at where Suzaku sat beside him. He wanted to reach out for him, but he held himself back, this is something that he had to do alone.
He curled his fingers against the desk as he stood up, trying not to wince as he heard the others stop talking. He almost wished that they would go on, but he didn’t have the time to tell them to quiet down. Lelouch was sure that they were starting to run out of time before either the people of Japan broke or Julius got more soldiers to send against them, and he couldn’t allow either of that to happen.
He cleared his throat, his fingers moving against the table before he pulled them away. If he was nervous, they would be nervous and he needed them thinking. Lelouch tipped his chin up, focusing in a point beyond them. “We can’t keep dancing around the root of the problem here. Clovis we could bring to terms, but Julius won’t. We’ve been backing off to see if he’d respond to no pressure, but we hasn’t bent to that either. He’s pushed the people to their limit, so now we must act.”
There were cheers from the group, as he expected. And, also as he expected, Tohdoh glanced over at him with his practically permanent frown with a single question. “How?”
Lelouch took a deep breath. “We take the capital and hold the administration building.”
Tohdoh shifted forward at that. “I remember there were discussions about that before. We decided that we wouldn’t be able to hold the capital. What has changed?”
“Nothing, at least with the Black Knights.”
The room broke out into shouts.
“Then you’re trying to kill us!”
“You’re going to try and win a pardon!”
“We should have known better than to trust a Britannian!”
Lelouch looked around the room, feeling control slip away from him. They had all fallen in line before, but that had been because they had trusted him to work miracles. That had been when everything was going their way. When everything was easy.
He turned to look towards Ohgi and the others, watching as they tensed. They would jump to his defense, as would C.C. even though the woman looked perfectly relaxed. Suzaku was already partially out of his seat, Lelouch wanting to shake his head. Suzaku was the one who had brought this up and had pushed him towards it. Out of everyone, he should have expected something like this.
Lelouch saw Kallen getting to her feet out of the corner of his eye. He motioned her back even as he reached up with his other hand. He fumbled for a moment with the catch on the back of his mask. He pulled his other hand back when he found it, Lelouch reaching up to pull his mask away.
He set it down on the table before he could rethink his decision, staring at the rest of the group. Lelouch allowed himself a moment to let his eyes adjust before continuing. “My name is Lelouch vi Britannia, eleventh prince of the Britannian Empire. I was sent to Japan to act as sub-viceroy until my…accident.”
There was a pause, Lelouch turning his head as one of the leaders shot to their feet. “You’re dead!”
The man was quickly pulled down, but Lelouch answered his exclamation with a nod. “Yes, that was the news that was spread. However, you can ask Ohgi or Kallen about the details. Suffice to say, it’s hard to make the empire pay ransom for a hostage thought dead.”
He watched the mutters spread across the table, his fingers moving nervously on his mask. Neither Ohgi nor Kallen spoke up, Lelouch resisting the urge to glance over at them. Since no one was asking questions, it meant that he could push on. He should pause, but Lelouch didn’t want to stop, just in case he lost his nerve.
He took a deep breath, feeling his fingers slide down the front part of the mask. “I have no intention of making this about conquest. If I wanted to, I could have done it half a dozen times by now.”
“Then what do you want?”
Lelouch turned towards the person who had made the demand, watching as they sank slowly back into their seat. The crowd shifted, all of them turning towards Tohdoh.
The general remained still, his chin tucked towards his chest. It was easy to see where the dividing lines were starting to form. They were leaning on their miracle worker again, which made things easier. Now he only had to convince one person.
Lelouch straightened his back, looking at Tohdoh. “I want my chance at revenge, just like the rest of you.” There was a spurt of laughter from somewhere within the group. Lelouch glanced their way before he focused on Tohdoh. “My own brother tried to kill me and I demand revenge. Your country was taken from you and you demand retribution. As far as I can see, our paths are moving in the same direction. Let me lead you in this and I will give you everything that I promised you.”
“For what?” Tohdoh spoke slowly, seeming to weigh each word. “To get rid of us? To take Japan?”
Lelouch took a deep breath, staring down Tohdoh. “Then what do you suggest? We can’t hold the whole country now that the war in the EU was over. We couldn’t do it before either. So your choices are to sit and let Julius pile restrictions on the people until they turn against you, to wait until Julius gets more troops to come over and destroy you, to attempt to hold the country until you’re overthrown or let me help. I can tell you right now which one of those will work.”
He could tell that he had struck a chord because Tohdoh tensed. The man’s fingers twitched, the only sign of his thought process.
The silence stretched long between them, Lelouch fighting the urge to move. He had to remain still and look sure or none of those that were starting to come to his side would believe him.
Tohdoh finally moved, the man standing up. Lelouch had to tip his chin slightly to meet Tohdoh’s gaze. If Tohdoh noticed the chance, he didn’t say anything. Tohdoh just sighed, his chin dipping down again. “If we follow your plan, you are putting yourself between us and Britannia.”
Lelouch nodded. “I intend to kill my brother, but you have a decent enough replacement.”
“A replacement that will bring more questions. But the return of a dead prince will make them pause.”
Lelouch took a deep breath. “It will, and it will keep them occupied for long while.”
“And it means we will have to trust you in position of viceroy until then. Your brother hasn’t given us the best example.”
“And what about me?” Lelouch pushed away from the table, tempted to walk around it, but he held himself still. He was close to his allies, which was the important thing. “I’ve given you an example, or have you forgotten the past two years.”
Tohdoh frowned, his head starting to move in a slow nod. “Good enough for a temporary measure.”
Lelouch stared at him, realization coming in a rush. He grinned and nodded. “I think we’ll be working in temporary measures for a while.”
Tohdoh shrugged. “It cannot be helped, at least for the moment. And there is no other route that leads to victory, so we will take it. We will trust you, for this.”
The conditions made him tense, but the others were nodding. After all, the miracle worker had spoken, and, somewhere, he was still sure that they trusted Zero.
He nodded at all of them, leaning back on the table and he grinned at them. “Let us begin.”
Kallen ducked into a side street, holding her breath as she listened to a bunch of Britannian soldiers march past. She knew they weren’t after her, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding. A Britannian schoolgirl wouldn’t be searched, but she wasn’t exactly in the right place.
The Black Knights had moved away from the ghetto after Julius’ repeated searches of them. It meant that they were no longer close to the capital, which was something that Lelouch always moaned about, but they had no other choice. It had looked like Julius had intended to continue to carry out his searches to the detriment of the people. To keep them safe, the Black Knights had to hover at a distance. The orders had come out to all bases because Julius was busy. Even the fact that he was looking in the wrong places wasn’t a relief. He was circling in close, nothing at all like Clovis.
Kallen glanced back at the street to check if the Britannians were gone. She watched them march off into a distance before taking off at a run again. Ducking and hiding from them was taking up her time, and they had little enough as it was. Kallen adjusted the strap of her duffle bag as she walked quickly to Ohgi’s apartment.
She was already late enough as it was. Her step-mother had tried to lecture her on her way out, which had turned into a shouting match. Kallen was sure that she was banned from the house and on her way to being disinherited, but she didn’t care.
The Black Knights might have moved out, but some of their members hadn’t made the move yet. They were some of the last ones to get out of the Tokyo Settlement, completely taking them away from any danger. There were still a few more that had volunteered to stay, and Kallen was amazed at their bravery.
The ghettos had always been bad under Clovis, but they were worse now. Kallen watched as a few people shuffled around, nervously clutching at the papers that they had to have on them at all times. Technically they were meant to be checked upon exiting and entering the ghetto, but the Britannians seemed to delight in doing surprise checks within the ghetto. Kallen shuddered and glanced around.
Despite the fear of surprise inspections, most of the Japanese were out, either working at chores or trying to fix some of their buildings. There were more that were sitting around and just staring. Kallen couldn’t blame them, especially with all the restrictions that were layered on them.
Julius had issued them steadily after every failure to find the Black Knights in announcements that steadily angrier. It wasn’t too hard to figure out that he blamed the Japanese for not just handing the Black Knights over. Kallen couldn’t imagine why he thought they would. The Black Knights were the only ones making things bearable.
To her annoyance, most of their large actions had ceased. Those had felt like they were going somewhere, but she couldn’t deny that it was important to help the people, especially since Julius wouldn’t.
Kallen slowed to look down a street, wincing when she saw a bunch of people just sitting around, staring at the papers that proved their identity and restricted their movement.
“Kallen.” She turned her head at the sound of her voice, nodding at Ohgi.
She stepped away, edging into the shadows of his apartment building as he clattered down the stairs. Ohgi gave his apartment a glance before nodding down the street. “I’ve been waiting.”
“Sorry, trouble at home.”
“Trouble?”
Kallen shook her head. “Nothing you have to worry about.” Ohgi gave her a sharp look, Kallen reaching over to shove at him. “I mean it. My step-mother will never report me missing. She’s washed her hands of me, finally.”
“That’s no guarantee.”
Kallen huffed. “You heard about her from Naoto.”
Ohgi shrugged, but he didn’t seem to be agreeing with her. Kallen watched him for a moment before shaking her head. Lady Stadtfeld would be more than happy to get rid of the last of her husband’s troublesome offspring. Kallen tugged at the strap of her duffle. “Besides, if she reports me she’ll have to admit that I’m Japanese. Julius might be restricting the Japanese, but it can easily roll back on the others. That’ll keep her quiet.”
Ohgi sucked in a quick breath, Kallen giving him a quick look. She didn’t expect him to look relieved or convinced by what he said, but he looked thoughtful.
“He doesn’t trust the nobles.”
Kallen frowned at him before shrugging. “I mean…I guess so. He sent a few back with Clovis and we’ve been taking care of a good number.”
“Are we? Or is he throwing them at us?”
“Does it matter? He’s losing support, so it’s good for us.”
Ohgi grunted, Kallen taking that as his answer. She was aware that it wasn’t a good situation, but she was willing to take any advantage. Julius wasn’t quite the terror that Lelouch had made him out to be. They had faced him on the field a few times, but it had been nothing too troublesome. The problem that Julius presented was all in his laws, although Kallen could see how that could get dangerous. They were just staying ahead, which seemed to be working. The problem was, it wasn’t progress.
Kallen played with the strap of her duffle as they walked deeper into the ghetto. They were going to the last of the old subway stations to be picked up and taken out to where the temporary headquarters was. Or, everyone said it was temporary. Kallen had the horrible feeling that it might become permanent really quickly if Lelouch didn’t start moving on his plans. There was only so much time he could spend planning, although Kallen was sure that there were other reasons.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like that they had saved Kururugi Suzaku. It was just that he had suddenly become distracted. Suddenly, some of the longing staring at newscasts made sense.
She shook her head, slowing down when she saw another cluster of people sitting around. Kallen frowned at the sight of them. It wasn’t Refrain, they had taken care of the bulk of that in early days. A vial or two might sneak through, but she didn’t think that it would be enough to render all of those people to the same stares. They were more likely the stares of people who had nothing left to live for.
Due to Julius’ decrees Japanese weren’t allowed to work. They were selected near the entrance to the ghetto for government approved jobs that would pay them just enough extra to buy a few extra things that weren’t provided by the government. Any Honorary Britannians had lost that status and anything that came with that. Travel between the ghettos was restricted and some of the ghettos were being closed for being too close to the Britannian city. Kallen had heard that the people were going to get moved soon. The only thing to soften all of these blows was the fact that there was going to be specific work given to any Japanese who wanted to work for extra food and clothes and maybe even a pittance. The chance for that was more than enough to quash any arguments about closing up the old subway tunnels.
If Lelouch hadn’t started to move them away, Kallen was sure that it would have been the death knell for the Black Knights. They had used the subway tunnels for the past two years to get around the city.
Kallen gave the people one last look before looking ahead. They wouldn’t have to wallow for long. The Black Knights were going to fix this. Lelouch had assured them of that and she believed him. This wasn’t a leaving, just a temporary relocating. She would hang onto that, because it was the only thing she could do.
After all, she had no home to go back to anymore.
---
Suzaku leaned on the railing of the Knightmare bay, watching as the pilots ran through some tests. The engineers had been putting new parts onto the Knightmares and replacing old ones. Suzaku had run his Burai through its paces early. It wasn’t the Lancelot, but that was back in the administrative building. He’d been worried that he might run into it on the battlefield, but it seemed like no one dared to touch the Knight of Seven’s Knightmare, even when he had been stripped of his title.
He sighed, pushing away from the railing and walking back towards the main headquarters. The Knight of Seven had been a stepping stone for him, but he found that he missed it. It had been one of the few things he had done right and the weight of the cape had come to mean something.
Suzaku rolled back his shoulders, trying to shake the feeling off. He hadn’t really had another choice, Julius and Lelouch hadn’t give him one. There was a chance to help Japan, which was all he had been trying to do.
And there was never any way that he could be convinced to leave Lelouch’s side, not since he’d found him again.
Suzaku slowed down as he saw Zero sweep onto the top walk. Zero gave the bay a quick glance, but it was very obvious what he was looking for when the mask centered on him. Suzaku smiled and walked over to Zero, biting his lip to keep from saying anything. It was too tempting to call out Lelouch’s name every time he saw him, because it was a name he had never thought he would get to say again, but his reasons for hiding made sense. Lelouch had told him about what had happened, but Suzaku was sure that Lelouch was holding something back. It matched what he remembered from Lelouch.
He followed Lelouch deeper into their headquarters, waiting patiently. Lelouch was always in motion now, his attention spread multiple ways. Suzaku was sure that it was a miracle that Lelouch still went into their room at night, although he knew for sure that Lelouch maybe slept every three nights in bed, and he wasn’t quite sure about that third night. The bed was more often empty than not when he woke up.
He glanced down at Lelouch’s hand, Suzaku reaching for it before he remembered himself. It wasn’t that intimacy wasn’t allowed, he just wasn’t sure that Lelouch would recognize it. It was especially hard to tell when Lelouch had the mask on, but Lelouch always seemed miles away.
Lelouch must have seen the motion because he looked towards him. “How are the Knightmares coming along?”
“Good. The last of them should be done by tomorrow. And then they’ll start making new ones out of the spare parts if there’s still nothing to do.”
Lelouch sighed. “Julius has been forcing our hand in another direction. We can’t just abandon the people, not without losing most of our support.”
“You couldn’t, not even if they ordered you to.”
He was sure that Lelouch was glaring at him under the mask. Suzaku had the ridiculous urge to take the mask off and kiss it away, not that it would fix any of their problems. It was an urge that he was getting more often. Suzaku was sure that it was because Lelouch was alive, he was in touching distance and he was sure that it wasn’t a dream.
He looked down at where Lelouch’s hand was hanging easily by his side. Suzaku gave into the impulse this time, dragging his fingers down Lelouch’s arm before letting them rest close to his hand. It was an open invitation, one that Lelouch took. Suzaku relaxed at the simple motion. It was Lelouch, alive and solid, which made it easier to focus on other things.
“He’s stopped us.”
Lelouch flinched at the assessment, which meant that he was right. The pause was even more of an answer. “It’s just temporary.”
“Then how do we break out of it? We wait for him to leave or stop passing laws? Or are you waiting on someone else?”
“There is no one else.”
“Then what, because this won’t hold.”
Lelouch shook his head. “But if we move he’ll crack down. Everyone is walking on eggshells because if we lose the support of the people, we’re nothing.”
“If you do nothing, you’ll lose everything. Julius will keep pushing until the people are desperate to turn you in just to make it stop.”
“We’ve helped them for two years.”
“And you think they can hold out for that long?” Suzaku shot him a quick look before shaking his head. “This isn’t one of your games.”
That made Lelouch stop dead. Suzaku felt Lelouch jerk, like he was a moment away from letting go, but then Lelouch tightened his hold.
“I know that.” Lelouch’s voice was pitched low. “I’ve known that since he killed Clovis. Since he tried to kill me. I’ve perfectly aware of all of that, which is why I’m being careful.”
“For how long?”
Lelouch took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. He swayed in place for a moment before walking forward. Suzaku followed the tug, trailing after Lelouch as they wove their way through the headquarters. Suzaku nodded at some of the people they passed. Suzaku was sure that a few of them gave them strange looks, because they were used to seeing Zero standing on his own. Almost everyone had adjusted to the sight of the two of them walking around with some kind of contact.
Lelouch stayed silent until they had gotten back towards the living quarters. He adjusted his hold on Suzaku’s hand, Suzaku feeling Lelouch shake before he got a hold of himself again. “There’s not much left I can do. Julius is keeping himself well guarded and everyone is keeping a close watch on him. They let one viceroy die in their care, they won’t want to let another one go, especially when he appears to be the emperor’s favorite.”
“So, we have to confront him directly.” Suzaku frowned, staring at the floor as they walked. “Do we have the people for it?”
“Barely. If we start taking too many causalities we won’t manage it. And we can’t hold it. If Britannia sends anything over we’ll be forced to fight our way out.”
Suzaku looked at Lelouch, trying to gauge his mood before giving up. It wasn’t about how Lelouch would take it, he himself had said that the Black Knights had little to do. Lelouch had more than enough time to think about it.
He took a deep breath, not bothering to linger over the words. “Why would they force one of their own out?”
“What?” The word came out choked, Lelouch coming to a stop again.
Suzaku took the time to step in front of him, reaching for Lelouch’s other hand. It was easy to pick it up, Lelouch completely still. Suzaku squeezed Lelouch’s hands before pulling him backwards into their room.
He didn’t wait for the door to slide shut, Suzaku not bothering to wait for the door to close before reaching out to take the mask off. Lelouch let him without a struggle, Suzaku completely expecting the shocked look on Lelouch’s face. He took a moment to set the mask down before reaching for Lelouch again.
This time, Lelouch reached out for him, grabbing at his arms. “Suzaku, no. I can’t. They’ll- I’ve been- I’m dead, Suzaku.”
“I know.” Suzaku squeezed his hands. “But you said yourself that you’d be killing Julius.”
Lelouch bristled a bit. “Are you saying I shouldn’t kill Julius?”
Suzaku’s stomach clenched and he pressed his lips together. His first instinct was to say no, but he squashed it viciously. Julius hadn’t been stopped by any conventional means. No one had bothered to look into what he had said and Julius had only been slapped on the wrist for what he had done in the EU. This wasn’t the best solution, but Suzaku didn’t think that Lelouch could be swayed nor could he think of a way to keep Julius away from the people that he could hurt.
He shifted in place before giving in. “You could impersonate him.”
“No.” The refusal was quick and almost a snap.
Suzaku sighed. “Then we prove that you’re Lelouch. It should be easy.”
“Suzaku-”
“It will make them stop long enough to try and figure out if you are really Lelouch, which gives you time to set up anything to help the Japanese.”
Lelouch shook his head. “Do you think they’ll forgive me for killing my brother?”
“I thought Britannians understood that kind of revenge.”
“Damn you, Suzaku.” Lelouch pulled away from him, starting to pace the room.
Suzaku turned to watch, waiting for Lelouch to move across the width of the room twice before the prince started to talk and gesture with his hands. “If I do that I’ll have to admit to my family that I didn’t go back to them. I’d destroy them again.”
“It’s Julius.”
“It doesn’t matter!” Lelouch turned to glare at him for a moment before jerking back into motion. “They don’t know him. They won’t understand.”
“Then what were you going to do after?”
Lelouch made a vague motion with his hand, but kept pacing. It was clear that Lelouch hadn’t planned that far, or he had made the decision to never come back. That more than anything sent a chill down Suzaku’s spine.
He took a deep breath before stepping back towards the door. “Think about it, Lelouch.”
Lelouch didn’t answer, Suzaku watching him pace for a moment more before retreating out the door. He would let Lelouch think about it, but he was sure that he knew what decision Lelouch would come to. It was the only answer for them now, and the answer that Suzaku wanted. He’d seen the way that Lelouch’s family had mourned over him, and it wasn’t fair to them to leave them like that forever.
Suzaku stepped out into the hallway, staring at the opposite wall before taking a deep breath. He let it out slowly, letting himself relax completely.
Lelouch might still be running over his own decision, but Suzaku had made his. He’d made it long before any of this mess had started. He’d chosen his place, and it was right beside Lelouch.
Lelouch leaned over the map, watching the dots rush across it. He shifted his hand, covering their reserve troops for the moment. He needed to focus on the forces that were charging against the Britannians for now. Besides, he knew their route of retreat was clear. There were Knightmares and troops posted along it. More than that, the people of Japan were behind them, ready to hide them if he gave the order to dissolve into the populace. It was a strategy that he had planned before Julius had become viceroy but he had never used it. Lelouch was surprised that it worked, but Julius’ viciousness never seemed to extend beyond the battlefield. It was a telling pattern.
He leaned closer to the map, his gaze darting around before he sat back. Things were going according to plan, which meant that he was just left to watch and look for openings. It was the part of the battle that he hated the most.
Lelouch quickly found the dot that marked where Suzaku was. Suzaku was swinging wide with the left flank, encircling the mass of Britannians that was starting to surround Narita. The corner of his mouth twitched up as he watched the motion. He had two flanks swinging wide and a single unit acting as bait, and they had plenty of room to run. It meant that he had gauged the attack correctly.
Julius might be the one giving the orders and planning the attacks, but he was giving the command to others. Maybe it was a way to test their loyalty or bring them into the fold. Lelouch didn’t know, and that was a worry. Still, while he figured that out, he would work to use that to his advantage. As long as Julius wasn’t secure he could weasel through the cracks and start breaking down everything.
He smiled to himself, watching the map. It was different from being there on the field and being able to watch from up close, but the other members of the Black Knights had insisted. The old JLF headquarters had working equipment that would suit the occasion, and access to a mountain that could be turned to his needs. Already there were troops setting up the drills that were needed to get down to the levels of the hot springs. Lelouch didn’t know if he’d actually need the plan, but he’d like to have it ready. After all, it would easily cut Julius’ forces in half, and that was tempting.
Thus far, they had only dealt with tightening laws but that wouldn’t last for long. All Julius had to do was pull the noose tight enough. It was all too easy to see how it could end, which was why it was better to explain it away later.
He nodded to himself, reaching out to contact the team on the mountain. He hesitated with his finger over the button, giving the battlefield another look over.
He knew his brother, and this was far too simple of a plan. There had to be some twist, some trick. It didn’t matter that Julius didn’t know that he was behind this. Victories had to be big, absolute, and glorious. Julius was going after the Black Knights, the group that had been a thorn in Clovis’ side for so long. Julius would want to make any defeat look easy for Britannia, to prove the strength of the empire and his own prowess. It was easy to see through his motives, which made it maddening that he couldn’t see what Julius was planning with this.
Lelouch shook his head and reached over to tap on the screen. He only had to wait for a moment before Suzaku’s familiar voice drifted over the line. “Lelouch?”
“This is too easy.”
“Says you.” Suzaku went quiet for a moment, Lelouch hearing the distant click of buttons as piloting the Knightmare took up Suzaku’s attention for a moment. “We’ve practically encircled the force, and it looks thin, especially considered everything that he has.”
Lelouch hummed, turning away to pace. He felt better when his feet were moving. He tried to think of other places that would draw Julius’ attention. But the Black Knights were here, almost all of them. The only one remaining behind were the usual skeleton forces at their bases. He frowned and bent over the map table, pulling up what reports he could get. Everything was coming back normal, and there were plenty of alarms that would have been set off. But there was nothing.
“Suzaku…”
“I don’t know, he never talked to me. We weren’t on good terms, even before Clovis.”
“Damn.” Lelouch closed what he had pulled up, focusing on his own forces. He leaned against the table. “What are we missing?”
“He doesn’t have battle experience. Schneizel took care of everything in the EU. There was one…”
“But it wasn’t a battle, it was a desperate grab for power. Clumsy. This is…textbook.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
Lelouch huffed, tempted to cut Suzaku off. He could have the same conversation with Kallen, but he was sure it would end the same way. This was his plan, his chance for attack and he was wavering on it.
He leaned on the table again, looking at all the dots before shaking his head. Julius might have another plan, but he couldn’t see it and there was a chance that he wouldn’t let pass him by. He could try to outthink his brother later, but he had a chance to adjust the odds in their favor. After all, they wouldn’t be able to win a drawn out war and to have Julius as viceroy for that long would be just as bad.
Lelouch closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths before concentrating on the map again. “Keep your eye out for anything suspicious and alert me immediately. And spread the word among your squad and others, we’re carrying out the landslide.”
Suzaku made a noise of agreement before switching off the connection. Lelouch stared at the dot that marked Suzaku, not sure if that meant that Suzaku was busy or that there would be some kind of discussion later. Two years had changed them both.
He sighed, turning his attention away to contact the team on the top of the mountain.
“This is Zero. Go ahead with the plan.”
---
Julius gripped the armrests of the chair in the G-1, staring at the images on the screen. There was nothing but empty buildings and streets. He sucked in a deep breath, looking at the ruined buildings and the filthy streets. It was exactly what he expected from a ghetto, and it made him want to burn it down. It was a center for rebellion, everyone knew that. Clovis hadn’t done anything about it, nor had any of his advisors.
It was well known that the Black Knights had risen out of the ghettos and it was where talk of rebellion was the strongest.
It was also where the Black Knights were supposed to be, every bit of his information said they should be there. He had allowed them to win Narita because of it. Once they were victorious he could follow them back into their holes and slaughter them all. He had hoped that it would be enough to wash the taste of defeat out of his mouth.
If there had been any other way, he would have done it but the Black Knights were too well entrenched. Clovis had let them get that way. If there had been an easier way to correct it, he would have taken it. Combing through the ghettos would take time, time that he didn’t have. The best way of killing a thing was to go for the head after all.
He let up his tight grip on the armrests, drumming his fingers against them instead. He swept his gaze around the room, watching as some of the nobles shrunk back. Even some of the captains followed them.
Julius rolled his eyes, marking them for later punishment before he turned his attention to the screens again. He stopped the motion of his fingers, splaying them out. “So, there is no one in the ghetto?”
There was a long pause, Julius looking at those surrounding him. He didn’t expect an answer from the nobles or some of the generals. He turned his gaze towards the captains, watching as one of the women bowed to him. It was in the formal style, Julius relaxing at that. He reached out to wave her on, leaning back as she began her report.
“We have squads sweeping through the ghetto. Thus far, they haven’t reported back any Numbers,”
“Signs of life?”
The captain nodded. “Yes, but they look like they left in a rush.”
Julius sneered. “Probably rushing to the call of Zero.”
The captain didn’t offer commentary on that. She just stood up, her attention going briefly to the map table before it snapped back to him. “This is only a preliminary report. We haven’t gotten to the old subway tunnels, so we may find them there. That’s where they usually hid when Clovis made his inspections.”
Julius frowned. “We should close those.”
“But your highness,” one of the nobles spoke up, “the budget can’t handle it.”
“And why not?” Julius shot them a glance, the corner of his mouth twitching up. “Is it Clovis’ parties and the Babel Tower? Don’t answer that, I’ll look into that later. As soon as we get back, I’ll have the budget come under review. We need it anyway. We’ll need every farthing if we’re going to dig them out.”
The noble started sputtering, but Julius tuned him out. He focused back on the captain. “How long until the ghetto is cleared?”
“A few more hours, your highness. We want to be thorough.”
“As I expected. Carry on, and order them to report anything. It could lead us to the Black Knights.”
The captain bowed and then went back to her fellows. They gathered together, Julius tuning out the way they chattered together. He trusted the group of captains, at least for now. They would prove themselves with this. If they didn’t then he would have to make other plans. He had lost half of his commanding officers in the attack on Narita. He supposed that he could always pull from the soldiers that he had, some of them had to have some kind of skill. If not, then he would turn to his father. Charles would want the problems in Area 11 solved as soon as possible.
He sat back in his chair, staring back at the screens. It seemed like there was always something that needed restructuring because of Clovis’ incompetence. It made him long for the ordered army of Britannia, where he could just make his plans and rely on them to carry them out quickly and without the failures that he was constantly met with. He made sure that his plans were simple enough for them to understand, so they shouldn’t need to ask him what to do in the middle of battle.
He sighed, thinking back to his time in the EU. Schneizel’s troops had never come asking for anything from him. It had to be Clovis’ fault that everything was in disorder.
Yes, that made more sense. Clovis had never wanted the glory of the empire, he had just wanted his own entertainment. That was why things had been allowed to fall apart. But things were moving in the right direction now. All he had to do was sweep through the ghettos. The Black Knights couldn’t hide forever, and Julius was sure that he was closing in.
The headquarters was in a rush, the noise constant. It came with the preparations to save Suzaku, but C.C. found it annoying. She couldn’t remember a day that she didn’t have a headache because of the constant noise. She’d had to search all day to find a quiet place. Even then, it was with the sound muffled in the distance. She hadn’t even gotten to see Lelouch for days, although that was probably just as much his doing as the flurry of preparations. The last time she had talked to him had been in the aftermath. And then, he had been always in motion.
It reminded her of herself in the days that had followed the assassination attempt. If she was busy, she wouldn’t be able to think about what she had almost lost. That was certainly better than just doing nothing like Charles did. Watching the emperor, anyone could believe that he didn’t care, which was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place.
C.C. shook her head, glancing at the door between her and the Black Knights that were running around.
The irony couldn’t be greater. The emperor himself had a twin brother, one who had died horribly in the fight for the throne. C.C. had been there when Charles was still young and open to talking. She had heard everything about Charles’ brother, all the wishes that Charles had had for him, all gone because a carriage had been tampered with. After all of that, C.C. was sure that Charles would try to prevent that from happening again. But he was old and stupid now, too caught up in the past to see the future.
She slumped back against the wall with a sigh. There was another burst of noise, this one louder. It made C.C. want to laugh. For all of the success and order on the battlefield it was chaos in the headquarters.
She stretched her arms above her head, pausing as the noise grew to the dull background roar she was getting used to. She frowned and dropped her arms to her sides.
There was a reason that she had retreated to the furthest point she could find. If anyone found her, they would think that she was betraying them.
C.C. reached into her pocket, running her fingers along the phone there. Lelouch had allowed her to keep it as a show of trust, or because he didn’t know. She bit her lip, glancing at the door. It was a show of too much trust if she was honest with herself. After everything Lelouch needed a little more skepticism.
She pulled the phone out, running her fingers over the screen before shaking her head. She scrolled through her contacts list, staring at the name there before calling. C.C. took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she tucked the phone against her ear.
A mother couldn’t play favorites, but she had never claimed to be anything like a mother to the children. C.C. actually wasn’t sure how the children saw her. But she knew which side she was on, she knew the line she had drawn the day things had fallen into place. The problem was, she didn’t know which side Marianne fell on and she knew how this would end. Lelouch and Julius were both her children, and something like this might be enough to finally break her.
C.C. closed her fingers tightly around the phone, taking deep breaths. The dial tone continued, almost lost in the scurry of the Black Knights. It was almost enough to make her miss the soft sound of Marianne picking up the phone.
She tipped her head to the side, frowning at the soft hello. “Marianne?”
“C.C.” Her name was said like a prayer, C.C. tensing. She shot a glance at the door before focusing her attention on the call.
“I’m here.”
“I’m glad.” There was a groan, C.C. assuming that Marianne had sat down. “I hadn’t heard from you since before Clovis. I thought you had gotten caught up in that.”
“I’m well away from that.”
“Good. Good.” Marianne sounded distracted, C.C. waiting a while for Marianne to respond again. “We just send off his escort. It was a big show. They should be getting there soon.”
“I’m sure they will.”
“They’ll run into trouble with the Black Knights, I’m sure of it.”
C.C. hummed. She doubted that the Black Knights would mess with any funeral proceedings. Their hatred and general dislike of Clovis aside, it was a funeral. They wouldn’t interrupt that. It was a matter beyond Japan and their fight for it.
Marianne was silent for a time before she sighed again, long and hard. At the end of it C.C. was sure that she heard Marianne’s breath hitch, but she was quick to cover it. “How is Julius? I’m told they made him viceroy.”
“They did.”
“Then Charles will confirm it and he will be in danger.”
“Yes. But not from what you are thinking about.”
That got something that might have been a laugh. “A typical answer from you.”
“What else did you expect?”
“More protests, to be honest. Out of everyone, I didn’t expect you to change from all of this. And I’m glad.” There was a grunt from the other end of the line. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Just fine.”
“Maybe at one point but now…”
C.C. closed her eyes at the defeat in Marianne’s voice. That was nothing like her friend. This was the Marianne that had come out of being made a consort over being the knight that she enjoyed. This was the Marianne who had lived for years abandoned by the man that she had loved and uprooted her life for. This was a Marianne who had lived through the worst and was still trudging on.
C.C. frowned, staring at the door before shaking her head. She couldn’t do much about the past, she didn’t have that power, but she did know the one thing that might help.
“I found Lelouch.”
Marianne gasped. “Y-you did? Last time you said you were close.”
C.C. nodded, carefully planning what she was going to say. “I found him before all of this started. I’ll bring him back, when it’s safe.”
“And when do you think that would be?”
There was longing in Marianne’s voice, a sure sign that she had been gone too long. The two of them had figured out what worked the best between the two of them and it was strange to be without that. It made her miss it badly. But, at the same time, she was happy with Lelouch. It reminded her of how it had been with Marianne at the start, when Marianne had felt more…alive.
C.C. sighed and tucked the phone against her shoulder. “I can’t tell. It depends on how long this rebellion lasts.”
“A rebellion?!”
C.C. cursed under her breath. The word had slipped out. Then again, it would be easy enough to cover it up. She was in the center of things, so it would be easy to wave it away.
She drummed her fingers against her arm before shaking her head. “That’s the rumor that’s been going around. The people here don’t like Julius’ plans.”
“They shouldn’t have killed Clovis then.”
C.C. frowned. “Marianne…”
“I won’t apologize for it. They killed my son.”
C.C. closed her eyes. It was tempting to tell her the truth, but Marianne wouldn’t believe her. That made her curl her fingers into the side of the phone. Even after everything they had been through, Marianne wouldn’t believe her about this one thing. There was a part of her that wanted to blame Charles, but there was too much that she had attributed to that man. It was better to lay some of the blame on Julius for doing all of this because of a game.
She tipped her head back against the wall, listening to the bustle of the Black Knights. Before she wanted to get away, but now she wanted to get back to it. It reminded her of old times, time before everything had changed. Only a fool would try to go back like that, but C.C. had never been accused of being smart.
“Marianne, I have to go now.”
“Yes, of course. Make the arrangements and call me before coming back.”
C.C. nodded, not caring that Marianne couldn’t see her. She hung up the phone, tucking it away again. C.C. sighed, staring at the ceiling for a moment before shaking her head. The ruckus outside hadn’t calmed down and she couldn’t ignore it any longer.
It would hurt Marianne to do this, but she couldn’t see any other way of coming out of this. C.C. rolled her shoulders as she stood up. She gave herself a few moments before walking to the door and back to the frantic preparations.
---
Kallen straightened up and stretched, not taking her eyes from the screens in front of her. They were all on standby, waiting for the moment when the procession started.
The corner of her mouth twitched up in a smile, Kallen looking at the dots arrayed on the map. It was just like the Britannians to make a big show of hauling Clovis’ killer to his place of execution. It had been easy to pick the route out from all the documents that Lelouch had access to. It was a long and winding one, their new viceroy wanting to show off what he had done. The Britannians would eat it up, and it would be their undoing.
The guards were only on the route itself, which stuck to the Britannian settlement. It was a show of Britannian power and nothing more. And Lelouch was ready for all of it.
Kallen flicked her gaze to the side at a blinking light. It lasted only a moment before the radio clicked on, Kallen glancing at the new dots that appeared on the map.
“T Group in position.”
There wasn’t a response, not that they needed any. That was the last group in position, the last one to move in before the procession started in a few minutes. It would take ten more minutes for the procession to get to where they were, but Kallen was more than ready. It was about time they showed the new viceroy who was really in charge here.
She groaned as her back popped, Kallen reaching back and rubbing it. She twisted around to look at the rest of her group, mentally counting them out. It shouldn’t have mattered, they were just waiting in position. Still, she wanted to reassure herself that they were there. Most of all, she wanted to reassure herself that they hadn’t lost Lelouch.
She turned the other way to look at his battered Knightmare. Kallen gave it a quick once over. It didn’t need one, Kallen was sure that every one of their engineers had looked the Knightmare over in the past few days. It had to be working properly, because they were entrusting their leader to it.
In all technicality, the Black Knights were led by council, the leaders of the resistance groups that had been folded into it making the decisions. Kallen had seen how much that annoyed Lelouch, but he couldn’t complain, not when things had worked out in his favor anyway. As chief strategist Lelouch led them all, simply because no one could keep up with him. Besides, he had been with the Black Knights far longer. Following his lead was habit by now for them, just like checking Lelouch’s Knightmare was habit for her.
He was utterly useless in a Knightmare. As a means of transport he was alright, but Lelouch had no head for combat, at least individually. Kallen would have been alright with that as long as he didn’t insist that he came along to watch the battlefield.
It was enough to make her want to break his leg all over again.
She huffed and sat back down, leaning down to find her pillow. She had stored it in the Guren after one too many operations spent trying to get comfortable while sitting in a seat that actually wasn’t made for sitting. The pillow helped, if only a little bit.
Kallen grumbled to herself as she shoved the pillow into place. It wasn’t perfect, but it would keep her back from seizing up as she waited for the right moment. If Rakshata wasn’t so attached to the way the Knightmare was now, Kallen would have talked her down into a normal seat ages ago. Still, there might not be any point to it now. She had gotten used to the way that she had to pilot the Guren and now was not the time to be adapting.
She rolled her shoulders and slumped further back into her pillow. The pillow would have to do for now. Kallen punched it into a better place before settling back. Her gaze moved to the screen, Kallen watching the dots in their steady position. She couldn’t see the Britannian markers, but they could a while yet, which left far too much time to think.
The corner of her mouth twitched up, Kallen considering the suggestion before pushing it away. This wasn’t about her feelings about Kururugi Suzaku. She hadn’t liked him, because he had given up his country for a chance to rise through the Britannian ranks. Even then, the Britannians hadn’t let him forget that he was just a Number, so the sacrifice was meaningless. On the other hand, Kallen had seen how some of the Japanese had reacted to him. To them, he was a promise of everything beyond the casual cruelty of the Britannians. She didn’t believe that they would be able to work through the system like Kururugi Suzaku did, but she was not about to strip away any of the hope that they clung to.
Besides, she didn’t believe that Kururugi Suzaku had pulled the trigger. It was all too neat, too clean.
A Number who hated a Britannian prince, one who was smart enough to work his way into the system. If not that, then it was all the neat connections to the Black Knights.
They had laughed about that before, going through all of their records to find out if Kururugi Suzaku had been working for them all this time. Kallen could only imagine all the information he could have given them. Then again, he wouldn’t have been able to top everything that they had gotten through Lelouch.
She drummed her fingers against her leg, her gaze drifting back to Lelouch’s Knightmare. Usually he would be checking in more, asking for more information to adjust his plans. But he was silent.
Kallen glanced over at the radio, tempted to press the button and speak with him, but she didn’t think Lelouch would appreciate. Something about this had him wound up. It was either the death of his half-brother or something about Kururugi Suzaku, she didn’t know which. She was almost afraid to ask. There were too many of Lelouch’s silences, the ones that filled her with dread. It was easier not to know, because then he could just be the Lelouch that she imagined. It was easier that way.
She rested her hands back in her lap, dragging her attention back to the mission. It was better than worrying over something that she couldn’t change. Besides, any worry could be channeled as soon as the Britannian procession came by.
Kallen smiled and settled back against her pillow, waiting for Lelouch’s signal.
