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Chapter 7: The Red Queen among Daffodils
🕑 Added 2024-12-27 16:17:57 +0000 UTCChapter 7: The Red Queen among Daffodils
If Kallen could be anywhere but here, she would. But it didn't matter what she wanted. Ohgi had been clear and forced her away from the others and their efforts to help their people by finding them housing, treating injuries, and feeding them. No, he had said that she had done enough. He told her to return to school, despite how much he knew she hated pretending to be something she wasn't: a Britannian and a weak invalid.
She could hardly remember the names of her so-called friends, as she just hung around them over others because they approached her early on and they helped with her cover. As for their company, Kallen found them lacking from the start as they thought it was a compliment to hear that they were amazed by her bastard of a father's money and name. Still, they just gave the ghost away, and if she wasn't from a noble family and loaded, they wouldn't give her the time of day.
Each time she bothered to return to school, her opinion of her friends lowered even more, and each time, she was partly amazed by that and part infuriated that they could find new ways to make her want to slap them all silly. They never even talked about interesting things, as if it wasn't complaining about classes; it was the stereotypical teenage girl stuff her brother used to make fun of.
'Okay, maybe that's harsh,' Kallen thought as she sat with them at lunch. Like many students, they were taking advantage of the weather to eat outside in a circle since all the seats were taken. She couldn't blame them for having no concerns or responsibilities. Ohgi always said it whenever he forced her to attend school: that she was supposed to take the chance to relax, have fun, and just be a dumb kid like he and the others had.
It didn’t make it easier to know that they could have this peaceful life when it was built on the backs of her people, coated in Japanese blood and tears. It made it harder to try not to despise them for just being a bunch of dumb teens when they would do and say stuff that showed how little they knew or cared, and she couldn’t offer any strong rebuttals to any of it. How could she? She was just like…them, wasn’t she? She had a weak constitution, didn’t she?
"It's a bee, a bee!" Kallen got out of her head when she heard her friends screaming; looking up, she saw that a lone bee was buzzing around her, but while she was confused by their panic, her friends seemed to think it was a bloodthirsty beast that could swallow them whole with how they were screaming.
"Oh my God, Kallen, run!" She couldn't even get a word out before her friends ran off. Bitterly, she took it as another example of how shallow their friendship was on both ends, as they thought she was fragile. Yet, when 'trouble' came in the form of a bee, they bolted without helping her.
She couldn't just sit there, so following their lead, she quickly put her sandwich back into her lunchbox and slowly ran to a nearby bus, hiding behind it. "I don't get it. Why's a bee after me?" she asked herself as the bee seemed particularly interested in her as he buzzed after her. "Is there a hive nearby?" she asked before; without warning, she swiped the bee, her sharp fingernails catching the insect and slicing it into three pieces.
"God, I hate this, I'm sick of acting like a damn invalid." Kallen let her anger at the best of her, dropping her act as she grabbed a half-eaten sandwich and shoved it into her mouth, swallowing half of it in a single bite in a fashion her friends would call very unladylike, but they could piss off. Food was meant to be eaten; time shouldn't be wasted on needless formalities.
She wasn't alone as she turned and saw the same dark-haired boy from before watching her. 'Crap, he saw me.' How was she supposed to explain that? Wait, who even was this guy? She didn't recognize him, yet he seemed interested in her, but she didn't get the same vibe from others who only had one thing on their brain. This guy's eyes watched her like a guard dog trying to spot a threat.
‘I need to be sure.’ Lelouch concluded.
“Is there something you need?” Kallen asked him, trying to cover up for her little slip.
“I'd like you to answer some questions of mine." In response, she saw something shift in the guy's eye, and then her consciousness went blank as she fell under Lelouch's geass.
"Of course," Kallen responded as Lelouch got to work.
“Were you the one piloting the Glasgow at Shinjuku?” He jumped straight for the most crucial question.
"That's right," Kallen replied.
“So you’re a member of that terrorist cell?” Lelouch asked for a follow-up.
“That’s correct.”
“Why are you a member? Why fight against Britannia?” Lelouch asked as Britannians fighting the empire were exceedingly rare. The empire had many flaws, but it wasn't foolish, or at least completely foolish, in his eyes. Like Rome at its peak, Britannia did a lot to keep its citizens satisfied and happy. They had to when they had two-thirds of the world as their enemy. It could be fatal if domestic issues undermined them.
"Because I'm Japanese, though technically I'm half-Japanese on my mother's side," Kallen revealed, which surprised Lelouch.
“A half-blood?” He had never suspected such.
Britannians looked down on numbers, but it wasn't like citizens; even nobles didn't have affairs or marriages with foreigners. But that foreign blood always made the offspring seen as inferior to full blood, to the point that younger siblings born to two Britannian parents could be made the heirs to their households, and if your parent's people were to become numbers, you'd be lucky if your noble parent didn't disown you.
Kallen hid that she was half-Japanese, but she was still considered the legitimate heir to the Stadtfeld name. This was rare, as indeed, her father would have tossed her aside or remarried once his first wife became an Eleven and fathered a more socially acceptable heir. “Still, why go so far?”
As he continued to ask her questions, Shirley had been walking by and saw them through the window of the second-floor hallway. The girl paused when she recognized them both. “Is that Lulu and…Kallen? Why are they talking?” she asked herself, as this couldn't just be chance. First, he actually paid attention to her in class, and now he seemingly sought her out. What was happening?
The geass lifted, and Kallen blinked, confused. She seemed to feel like she was forgetting something, but she brushed it aside. "Oh, pardon me. I wasn't paying attention for a moment. Was there something you needed?" She asked as it seemed like she got lost in her head and left the guy hanging. Britannian or not, that was rude.
"No, it's me who should apologize; I'll let you get back to your lunch, Ms. Stadtfeld.” The guy apologized to her before he turned and started to walk off. She was about to do the same when he paused and turned back to her. “Oh yes, before I forget. Don’t tell anyone about Shinjuku.”
Kallen's eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. She kept up the act, but she was now on guard. “What do you mean about Shinjuku?” His eyes widened, though she didn't know why or care to. “Why would you say that?”
“Forget I ever said anything and go back to lunch.” Her frown grew at his words, as it sounded like he was trying to order her, a big mistake.
“I will after you explain yourself.” Kallen pushed back as that wasn't just a name a Britannian would know, and he was also acting hella suspicious about it. There was something there, and she would find out what.
Lelouch was left confused and trapped by his geass seemingly failing him. ‘It’s not working? What’s going on here?’ They were in one of the worst spots for a fight to break out. She was supposed to be a sickly girl, but he couldn't be seen fighting her either; that would lead to more questions and attention than he could handle.
“Hey, Lulu, Kallen!” Shirley called them and paused the situation as both turned to see her sticking her head out of the window. You know it's time for chemistry, right?"
“Crap, it’s my time to set things up!” Lelouch slapped his forehead before taking the golden chance and running. “You’ll talk later, Ms. Stadtfeld!”
“Wait, get back here!” Kallen yelled at him, but he kept on running towards the chemistry lab; as he did, his mind worked to try and figure out what happened.
'What is happening? My geass worked on her before; she had all the signs of everyone else I've used it on. Is it a temporary power, or is something else wrong with it? Either way, that blunder has made her suspicious of me; I'll have to handle it before it can become a problem.' Lelouch would need to plan for that and do so soon.
‘Who was that guy, and what was he talking about?’ He wasn’t the only one thinking about how off that encounter was, as Kallen was also apprehensive about him. ‘Shinjuku, why would be…no, that’s impossible, he couldn’t suspect a damn thing.’
She doubted most of her classmates knew half the ghettos just in Kanto; for one, she didn't even know to randomly mention the one she had been in, the one Clovis had both tried to kill and then spare couldn't just be chance. But she couldn't just act on that; maybe it was chance or something else. ‘I’ll have to confirm it first, and if he does suspect, I’ll have to take care of him.’
Line Break
Neither Lelouch nor Kallen would interact for the rest of the day, as the former took an active effort to avoid her; even when they shared a class, he would be in and out before she could even speak to him, though never in ways that made it seem like he was avoiding her as he hardly spared her any more attention then he did the rest of his classmates. Because of that, while he noted that her notions about him only grew, she was the only one who seemed to catch his behavior.
When the final bell rang, he left with Nina to discuss something. Kallen watched him exit but made no move to go after him. She was sure that he was avoiding her. Still, he was damn good at it, as if she wasn't already cautious about it; she would have never guessed it; her friends certainly didn't, as she made the mistake of mentioning talking to him. They lost their minds as the guy was the school heartthrob everyone wanted to be with.
She didn't see the appeal. Sure, Lelouch was handsome and didn't smile like he was undressing you, so what? Sure, most boys here let the bar low, but come on, you should have higher standards than that.
Regardless, by the time she convinced them that nothing had happened, having made up some lie about him checking up on her after the bee thing, he was long gone. Her friends mentioned that he wasn't a part of any clubs outside the student council, so she figured she wouldn't find him before he returned to the boys' dorms and wouldn't be able to get to him there.
Deciding that she’ll handle the situation the following day, she left campus to go home.
A couple hours later, as the afternoon sun was due to set within the hour, Lelouch walked not to the boy's dorms but to the small but well-built building to the side of the campus, close to the main building. At his side walked a large, imposing Bullmastiff with a fawn-colored, weather-resistant coat, its brawny frame marked by large, deep scars, with the most prominent being one that split its left flew and another which had left a chunk of its right ear missing.
As they walked closer to the building, Lelouch spotted a Tibetan Mastiff nearly as large as the scarred dog at his side. Its black and red coat was medium length and thick, covering its powerful build. The guard dog spotted them long before he saw it. "Good evening, Gustavus. "I'll have your dinner out soon." He called out to it, and the dog let out a pleased bark before it turned and walked off to continue its rounds, as it did every night.
“Let’s go see the others, Pedro.” He turned to the dog at his side, turned to him and, despite its scars and intimidating presence, let out a happy bark like it was a puppy, Lelouch smiling as he scratched behind its one intact ear as they walked into the building.
Line Break
Inside the building, or at least the portion of it that served as a housing space, a young sandy brown-haired girl sat along with a Japanese maid and C.C., the latter of whom was still dressed in her prisoner garb. The three were seated inside the young girl's room, with the younger of the trio seated in a customized motorized wheelchair with her eyes closed.
The room itself didn't have most things one would associate with the décor of a teenage girl, but it wasn't without some things that made life easier for the handicapped teen; along with that, there were accessories for her room's other occupants, as there were four dog beds in the room, two of which were close to her bedside, while along the walls were birdhouses, perches, and food and water stations.
It was only thanks to the time that all of these animals were resting that the nearly dozen birds were either in their birdhouse or just watching the trio while the four dogs, three of which were large breeds, were laying in their beds while the fourth, a brown, white, and black-furred beagle, was asleep on her bed.
"What shall we do? He may be late again this evening, " the maid asked as the trio folded colored paper. The table was covered in an assortment of them, some untouched, others already folded into all kinds of shapes and animals.
The teenager didn't need to think about it long. "He promised when we can all have dinner together tonight. If he got held up again, he would have called."
"Yes, the boy wouldn't just arrive late," C.C. added, as she had been surprised but then amused by how her contractor introduced her first to his maid and then to his little sister. He explained some of the situation to the former, but it merely boiled down to her being a friend hiding from some people and needing a place to stay. Later, he downplayed the dangerous aspect.
The maid hadn't fought him on that, though she was clearly wary of her, as she should be, especially when she came dressed like she had escaped prison. On the other hand, Nunnally had been happy to accept her into their home and made an effort to talk to her at breakfast and when she returned from classes. Though the blind girl whispered to her when Lelouch wasn't paying attention, she didn't need to pretend, as she thought she and Lelouch were in a relationship.
Nunnally giggled at her retort. “It’s funny that you keep calling him that? Aren’t you the same age?”
"It gets under his skin, so that's enough of a reason for me," C.C. answered, which made the girl giggle even more. She loved her brother, but she was still his sibling, so hearing how flustered he could get was a treat.
“There now, this one’s finished.” The maid finished folding what she had been doing and presented it to Nunnally. Holding it out long enough for the girl to get her hands under it, Nunnally gently felt around it, taking its folds and bends and building a picture of what it looked like in her head.
“A bird?” She asked, to which the maid smiled in pride at her ward’s quirk deduction.
“Yes, it’s a crane.” She explained, which only made Nunnally happier.
“Amazing, the Japanese are so skillful!” She complimented the maid, who smiled even more at how lovely her ward was, as in a private space they might be, one didn't just use her people's actual name.
“She’s not the only one who knows her way around paper, Nunnally.” C.C. had finished what she had been doing, and once Nunnally had placed down the crane, C.C. handed her the paper she had created. "Can you tell which animal this one is?"
“I can try.” Nunnally started as she repeated the inspection, being careful not to damage it; otherwise, she would ruin the shape. She frowned, as it didn't seem like something she had felt before, but she wouldn't just give up. When she reached its head, she felt a protrusion. “It is…a cow?”
“Close, it’s a bull.” C.C. nodded, Nunnally pleased that she had been right, even if not wholly.
"Say, Ms. C.C., where did you learn to make…origami, right?" She turned to the maid to make sure she said it right, with the woman confirming as such as C.C. went back to folding.
"I've been around, and I tend to pick up hobbies here and there to pass the time," C.C. replied.
"I hope that I'll be as good as you two one day," Nunnally noted, as her creations weren’t nearly at their level, and she took longer to get them even that good.
Sayoko placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze. "I'm sure that with time and patience, you'll be even better."
"She's right; you have a hand in creating things," C.C. told her, with Nunnally about to reply when, just as quickly as the animals in the room, she turned to the door. The two older women were confused by this, but they got their answer when, seconds later, her door opened, and Lelouch walked in, Pedro at his side.
"I'm sorry I'm so late." Lelouch apologized as some of the birds chirped and flew over, one landing on his head while another on his shoulder as he put it with his finger.
“Hi, Lelouch, welcome home.” Nunnally greeted him, to which Pedro let out a happy bark and went over to her, nudging at her side till the girl was giggling and giving him some attention.
“Yes, welcome, my lord.” Sayoko got up and bowed to him.
"There's no place like it, Sayoko, right, Nunnally?" Lelouch smiled at both of them before turning his gaze to C.C., who seemed hellbent on wearing that prisoner outfit. Even he asked if Sayoko had something she could borrow. "I see you two are getting along." C.C. only responded with a smirk.
"We are. Ms. C.C. has all kinds of stories to talk about." Nunnally spoke up for her.
Line Break
Bartley stood inside a secret lab close to the Viceroy's palace. Few knew about its existence…well, fewer now with the fiasco that happened the previous day. The place was well run, supplied, and maintained as he couldn't find a speck of dirt, and the spell of antiseptic was thick in the air.
But he wasn't there to oversee operations as he would typically do or even get a quirk report before he would forward it to Prince Clovis; he was here for a different reason. "As you know, the project was a failure. Therefore, this research division is being gutted." Bartley informed the program’s lead researchers, all of whom had been gathered for this.
"B-but, sir." One tried to speak up, as it wasn't like they were exposed. Their research subject had been taken from an intermediary location; there were no links back to them or the facility.
Bartley knew that, having checked himself four times before he arrived, but the situation simply wasn't tenable. "I've set up a place for you at Narita; this place should be empty by tomorrow evening.”
Or at least Bartley washed half right.
The terrorists had learned nothing about the project through anything related to C.C., so Bartley had only checked any avenues that could be formed from that. They could have never known that Clovis would reveal everything about the project, including his private access codes, which had been used the previous night while the lab was vacant to remotely access their servers.
Come morning, with no reason to check the logs, no one was the wiser to the fact that someone had used a dead man's access code to log in and download everything—research data, locations, names, suppliers—all of it.
Battley had other issues as his shoulders slumped, as he looked around at the room, at the additional restraining jackets for both the primary and secondary subjects, the containment vessels identical to the one stolen, even to the screens that showed some of the evidence of their subject's power such as old photos and new ones taken during procedures and research progress, they had come a long way, even managing to create prototype serums which could replicate some of the subject's abilities, but they were still highly experimental, with so much needed to be tested and refined.
And with their subject to the wind, they’ll never get the chance.
"The fact of the matter is, we…I was deceived. I didn't realize the flaws in the report that saw me leave Prince Clovis; maybe I could have done anything to save him. Everyone else that was in that room is dead; the fact that I alone survived means that opportunistic Gottwald has been focusing his investigation on me, not to mention that the Homeland is sure to demand I return to explain this abysmal situation from Jeremiah or me if his Majesty finds out that this experiment went on without his approval or knowledge then…"
Clovis had been adamant that nothing leaked or was ever uttered outside secured facilities. Even most of the workers who didn't directly interact with or observe the subjects and tests didn't know the full scope of things.
His highness had hoped that once the project yielded fruit, then he could present it to His Majesty and secure the title of 'Heir apparent', but he wasn't a fool and knew his father was ruthlessly pragmatic and would cancel the project before it was complete to prevent it from leaking as if their enemies learned of it, it could complicate their campaigns abroad, the hope had been that if they could produce results before he discovered it, then the pragmatic sovereign wouldn’t care for how they got it, or what the Chinese or Europeans would think.
"We understand, sir. We're start prepping immediately, " one of the researchers replied, understanding their precarious position.
Line Break
Despite the slip-up with Kallen, one about which he would need to speak in private with C.C., Lelouch was in a wonderful mood as he cut his sister's steak for her as she explained what she had been up to through the day. "Ms. Sayoko was teaching about the art of Origami. Fold a piece of paper right now, and you can make boats, boats, almost anything."
As Nunnally talked, she lifted her spoonful of soup to her lips but spilled a little as she tried to eat it. Lelouch reached over with a napkin to wipe her mouth.
"Slow down, Nunnally. You don't need to tell me everything all at once; we have the entire evening," Lelouch told her with a chuckle. C.C. silently watched as she ate from the other side of the table, letting the siblings have a quiet moment.
“Yeah, you’re right. Thank you.” Nunnally replied, which warmed Lelouch's heart.
“You’re very welcome.”
"I'm so happy because last night you scared me, " Nunnally said, which made him frown a little as he looked away.
“Oh, I did? Sorry about that.” It wasn't just coming home late; there was the why. Nunnally loved Clovis for the same reasons he once did. How could he ever tell her what had transpired? Should he tell her such? He only had time to confirm that he had downloaded the files and not looked through them, but he shuddered at what he expected to find in them.
“It’s fine, you couldn’t help it,” Nunnally replied before she laughed. "But it was amusing that you got stuck in a truck. You should have known better than to climb on it."
Lelouch grunted; of course, she would harp on that. "Well, of course, it was. It was a poor decision in hindsight, but it seemed like a good move at the moment."
"No, it wasn't; if I did that, you would get super worried and scold me." Nunnally pushed back, with Lelouch going silent as she knew him well. “And don’t think I don’t know that you didn’t tell Milly about your girlfriend.” That confused him, as Nunnally got it in her head that he and C.C. were a romantic couple.
“You would think he’s ashamed of me.” Not helped by the fact that C.C., the she-devil he was learning she was, egged that on. She hadn't been there more than 24 hours and seemed to settle into a pattern of just getting under his skin or making things difficult for the fun of it.
“You’re been spending too much time around Millicent, Nunnally. As for you,” Lelouch told his sister before turning to C.C. “You know it’s more complicated than that.”
C.C. waved off his look. "Yes, yes, you made a promise about our future and granted my wish, and you don't want others seeing me. Quite the greedy boy you are." Lelouch was silenced by that statement, as it wasn't incorrect, but dammit, did she leave such a much context. The worst part was that he could see that she knew that with how she smiled back at him, like a Cheshire cat.
Nunnally gasped that that, turning to her brother with what must have been a disapproving frown to her, but one that hardly affected him. "Brother, I'm sure Ms. C.C. wouldn't leave you for someone like that. She doesn't sound like she's a fickle person." She scolded him, much to his chagrin and C.C.’s amusement.
Who would have thought the war dog she saw previously had been so thoroughly collared by such a sweet, naïve, and innocent girl? "Besides, you shouldn't call Milly that. It makes you sound like an old mutt." Nunnally added that Milly hated it when people referred to her as 'Millicent.'
“He doesn't act like someone filled with youth. I wouldn't be surprised if, come tomorrow, he's complaining of back pains." C.C. teased him, which got his sister to laugh as Sayoko, the silent maid she was, remained at the doorway, though Lelouch knew that she must have found his pain to be as amusing as the rest of the women in the room.
It seemed like the only ones that were directly laughing at him were the birds and dogs as Pedro happily ate his dinner while two large ravens watched the dinner from a perch in the corner.
"Who do you think has the job of keeping Milly's more insane ideas in check? Nina's too shy, Shirley gets flustered by her too easily, and Rivalz's her yes-man. She could ask him to rob a bank with her, and his first questions would be when and where." Lelouch reminded them that, ironically enough, the one who skipped classes to gamble was the responsible one on the council, a fact that left students confused and others worried for their school.
"How Milly can be that blind to his obvious affections for her is something I'll never understand," Lelouch muttered, as it was comically obvious that Rivalz had a crush on Milly the size of Ganymede. Yet, the heiress never seemed to notice a thing. Even when he hinted at it, she waved it off as 'Rivalz being Rivalz'.
Nunnally and Sayoko couldn't help but find it amusing that Lelouch, of all people, complained about people being blind to others' romantic feelings when he didn't even suspect Shirley had a crush, never mind on him. "Sometimes people don't see something that's right in front of them, brother. You're the same, you know," Nunnally told him, which left him paused as he cut his steak.
“Pardon?”
"Nothing, it's just some girl talk, is all." Nunnally told him before she turned to C.C., "Ms. C.C., I know you said you were just staying with us for a while, but wouldn't you like to attend school as well?"
“I’m not a fan of schooling like how you experience it, Nunnally. Besides, my schooling was more…traditional.” C.C. deposited.
Nunnally didn't let that stop her. Why would she when she was aware of how often her brother skipped classes? "That's okay. School can help you in other ways, like finding new hobbies and friends. I just know that you and Milly will get along great. You can tease my brother together."
Lelouch paled at that thought, as he'd rather face off against the Lancelot in that one-armed Glasgow than let Milly have any more chances to make his life difficult. “Nunnally, please don’t give her ideas.”
His wishes would go unanswered as he could see the gears turning in C.C.’s head, the woman smiling wider as she saw the dread settle on his face. “Well, you do make an interesting case, Nunnally. I’ll have to sleep on it. Who knows, if I agree, I might find a place on the student council.”
“I’ll veto that.” Lelouch shot that down.
“Oh, so you don’t want me around them?” C.C. asked.
“I didn’t say that.” Lelouch bit back.
"But then you'll refuse to allow me onto the council. You sure are a cruel man." C.C. played being hurt by that, but Lelouch knew she was just that; no way a woman that could have little to no reactions to seeing Clovis and then mentally shattering him like it was nothing would care about stuff like this.
Nunnally didn’t see it like that, not when she lacked that context as she reached for C.C.’s hand and gave her a smile. "Don't worry, Ms. C.C., I'll keep my brother from doing anything dumb. He needs to learn to be honest with his feelings."
“I’ve raised a monster.” Lelouch lamented as he went back to eating his dinner. At the same time, Nunnally and C.C. continued chatting and laughing like old friends.
Line Break
Eventually, dinner came to an end, and after having some ice cream for dessert, Lelouch meant to apologize to his sister for missing dinner and even seeing her off to bed the previous night; curfew came. C.C. left after bidding Nunnally goodnight, while Sayoko was dismissed as Lelouch could handle helping his sister get ready for bed.
A quick change occurred, and she was in her nightgown and being gently carried from her wheelchair into her bed. "Nunnally, why did you suggest that C.C. attend school with us?" He asked as he tucked her in, Willy, Nunnally’s Beagle, scampering to join her as she wrapped her hands around the dog; at her bedside, Cathy, her Dobermann, and Doby, Labrador Retriever, rested while her final guard/seeing eye dog, Luluko the Akita slept in the bed closest to the door to catch any would-be intruders.
Lelouch, all the dogs were light sleepers, and should danger arise. Well, it will be handled.
"Because I think she needs it, friends, I mean," Nunnally explained, frowning as she recalled talking with C.C. and holding her hand. "Ms. C.C. sounded lonely. Besides, I know how protective you are, so if you trust her to bring her home, the least I can do is help make things as comfortable as possible." Her frown faded into a cheeky little smile as she knew her brother was such a mother bear with her. Still, it was nice to see that it wasn't so much that he couldn't help a friend in need, one that he seemed to have deemed she wouldn't know about till now.
He could deny it all it wanted, but mark her words; she would do all she could to get to know her soon-to-be sister-in-law.
Hearing her reasoning only made Lelouch smile, his eyes shining with pride that he longed for his sister to see. Combing some hair out of her face, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Every day, you remind me you're not just an adorable child, but each day, you turn a little bit more into a mother.”
Nunnally beamed at that, as she still recalled how her mother was, but knew her brother understood things better than she did, so his word carried much more weight. “I still have a long way to go. Mom was amazing. Say I didn't tell one thing. Sayoko told me about that. If you fold 1000 of them, your wish will come true, so if there’s anything you wish for, like a good wedding ring," She looked towards where her table was, which still had the colored papers and some of their creations.
“I'll say it as often as I need to, Nunnally. C.C. and I aren't like that, and I'm offended that you think I would need a wish to secure a proper wedding ring." Lelouch shot back with a huff.
“Well, what do you wish for?” Nunnally asked him.
"Nothing that a little hard work won't get me. How about you?" He deflected, as what he wished for…they weren't things he would burden his sister with knowing.
Nunnally yawned her exhaustion from the day catching up to her. "I wish the world was a gentler place."
"I'm sure when the day comes that you open your eyes, it will be," Lelouch told her.
"Really?" Nunnally asked as that seemed like such a wonderful thing to look forward to.
"I promise. Now I'll leave you to get some rest. Goodnight, Nunnally," Lelouch told her.
"Okay, goodnight, big brother." Only once she replied did he get up. The three large dogs all raised their heads at the moment, lowering when they saw it was just their master making his exit. Closing Nunnally's bedroom door behind him, Lelouch's smile dropped as he contemplated their situation.
Whether she knew it or not, their position was precarious, with a limited number of paths for the both of them. The Ashford family were sheltering them now, but that couldn't be permanent; how long before they exposed them for their benefit? While Milly's Grandfather might not decide on that, his son and daughter Milly's parents could choose to move without his approval. Should that happen, would Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina stand with them? Would Lelouch want them to when it would put them in the crosshairs of his enemies?
'Political tools, or causalities of royal ambitions. I refuse to allow them to be our fate yet again, and especially for them, they're good people; they don't deserve to enter into that snake pit called the imperial court.' Lelouch walked down the halls of the building, a frown prominent on his face as he felt his wounds itch. He recalled Clovis and what he was willing to do for the crown.
'I will build up Nunnally's world, where she can be safe and happy. And I'll do it over the burning corpse of Britannia and this wretched world. If I can, then I can accept damnation.' Lelouch darkly smiled, feeling the weight of his cross around his neck. Maybe others would pray and seek forgiveness for their mortal souls, but Lelouch didn't see it like that.
Why would he ask forgiveness for actions he planned to take, for things he would repeat? He wouldn't insult the heavens by trying to game forgiveness like debt that could be discharged and collected anew. He'll carry his faith, honor his Lord, and commit evil in the same breath, and should the O mighty decide when his time comes for him to burn along with Clovis, he shall not fight it.
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Bright and early the next day, Lelouch rose and carried out his morning tasks. The only other person awake was Sayoko, as Nunnally and C.C. remained blissfully asleep. When he was done, he grabbed leashes for both Gustavus and Blue Hammer and went out for a walk.
When returning from it, he stopped on a small bridge, looking at the flowing water beneath him where he flashed his geass. He could make out the symbol in the water, so it wasn't like it faded, but that was all he knew. "This might be my ace in the hole, and I know so little about it." He said to himself that he couldn't speak with C.C. about it, as when he tried, she told him it was rude to ask a lady for something when she was trying to sleep and kicked him out of his guest bedroom.
"Lelouch!" Lelouch looked up to see his history teacher approaching, someone who had a love/hate relationship with the young man on account of how the boy rarely took the subject seriously. "Class will start soon, so you should finish up with your pets if you want to make it in time." The man reminded him, though his gaze shifted to the two large dogs, ones which Lelouch only reluctantly kept on leashes when out and about, but to their credit, there has never been an incident involving them that couldn't be justified.
"Oh yes, sir, I was just lost in thought," Lelouch replied, but then he got an idea for a little test. "Actually, could you tell me the topics for essays on your next exam?”
Like he had expected, his geass was effective as his teachers stopped to answer the question: “The humiliation of Edinburg, the transfer of the capital, and north and south war topics.” Once he finished, the geass faded as the man blinked, confused about what had just happened and why he had stopped. Lelouch was relieved that his power hadn't faded, but perhaps that left one other reason why it failed him with Kallen.
Activating it again, he repeated the order. "Sir, could you tell me the topics for essays on your next exam?”
This time, his teacher just waved him off as he continued on his way. "Nice try, Lelouch, but if you want to pass, you're going to need to study just like everyone else. Just put in the effort. If you didn't sleep in half my classes, then you'll be scoring top of the grade!" He yelled the last part as he left.
“Yes, sir!” Lelouch replied, but internally, he smiled at the experiment.
‘So it only works once per person, but is it limited to just people?’ Lelouch thought before looking towards his dogs. If he could turn even guard dogs against their handlers, it could go a long way toward sowing chaos. “Gustavus, Blue, we will run some tests later.”
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“So, how’s campus life treating you?" Later in the day, Kallen excused herself from her friends and went up to the school roof to make a private phone call.
"Stifling. I was stuck in history class yesterday. Listen, maybe I should just head back. I can't be the only one not getting time with the Sunderlands." Kallen replied in Britannian, as while it would make it impossible for these stuck-up rich kids to understand her if she used Japanese, it would lead to questions about how she knew the language.
“Don’t even think about it. The army’s on high alert right now. Clovis might have allowed us to live, but soldiers have been out in force lately. We’ll have to wait till things cool off.” In turn, Ohgi also spoke in English, though accented.
Both recalled how crazy things had gotten in Shinjuku, but they didn't leave with anything. They managed to escape with 7 Sunderlands with only minor battle damage. But now they had the issue of keeping them in that ready condition, as arming, fuelling, and maintaining them was a different game from their one in Glasgow.
Energy fillers were easy, as most large construction vehicles also used them, so finding suppliers wasn't an issue. But securing parts for the Sunderland wasn't as unlike Glasgows, which were long phased out of service and whose parts were being bought and sold by junkyards; the Sunderland was still an active combat unit, with its supply chain regulated and monitored, making it hard to just buy or steal parts.
"I can help Inoue find suppliers, you know," Kallen suggested. Negotiations with black market dealers were annoying but better than sitting around campus.
Ohgi laughed at her attempt. “Not saying you couldn’t, but it doesn’t besides the point. Things are too hot right now.”
"But what about the voice on the radio?" She changed to another issue: their mysterious leader, Kallen, had no clue if he had been captured. However, considering that the Britannians didn't announce their arrest or execution, she was pretty sure they got away.
"He might as well be a ghost, so there's no point in trying to track him down." Ohgi, seated in one of their safe houses, replied before he looked at a photo. One of the few personal items he allowed himself to have in their base was a picture of him, Kallen, and a red-headed man who shared Kallen's eye color. “Listen, Naoto would be glad to hear you’re back in school. It might not be as fun as piloting a Sunderland, but it’s an important time for you.”
“Just forget about Shinjuku for now, I’ll be in touch.” Ohgi ended the call there, but while Kallen would typically be upset with him just deciding their conversation was over, his choice of words brought up the previous day's events and her suspicions about the apparently most desirable boy in Ashford. Thinking about how he sounded, could he…No, that was impossible for so many reasons. Besides, the voice could have easily been using a voice scrambler.
'But his voice sounded too clear to go through one of those. Was it something that made him sound like someone else? Even so, what would be the odds that they'll sound the same.' Kallen thought to herself as her day continued, and she ended up in class with Lelouch again. Watching him answer why British rulers were superior to their mainland counterparts, she couldn't help but note how similar he sounded to the voice.
'No, I can't recall it well enough. I'll need a proper comparison, but I don't have any recordings of the battle on hand, and even then, how would I get him to speak Japanese to make it clear?' Lelouch sat down after being confirmed to be right by their teacher, who continued their lesson on the Tudor period.
'This is all stupid; why would some Britannian pretty boy involve himself with terrorists? How would he even be that effective as a commander? I bet he's never even fired a gun before.' Outside kids from military families, she doubted her classmates would know the first thing about combat. Still, the voice was far from that, being able to quickly read the situation and order them like it was second nature. Even when that white knightmare showed up, he came up with some creative plans to try and destroy it, and when those failed, a means to limit their losses.
'Still, I need to be sure. If he has the voice, I need answers, and I need to make sure that he's on our side. If he's not, I'll need to care for him.' Kallen concluded, with Lelouch gazing in her direction, catching her close to her mirror, which so happened to be facing him. His face remained passive, though he knew she had been watching him since the first period. He wouldn't be able to give her the slip like he did yesterday, though if all went as she planned, he wouldn't need to.
When the final bell rang for the day, Lelouch calmly started packing up his things as his classmates discussed their plans for club activities or hitting the town with friends. He, too, would be busy, just not for nearly as long.
“Hey, Lulu, are you coming along?” Shirley walked up to him.
“Sorry, maybe some other time.” Lelouch told her as he gently moved her out of his way and approached where Kallen was seated, the girl surrounded by several other girls. Their chatter ceased when he walked up to them, his gaze his typical bored yet highly attentive.
“Ms. Stadtfeld, might I have a moment of your time?” Lelouch asked, which left the remaining students flabbergasted. When was the last time Lelouch had approached someone else? When was the last time he had initiated a conversation with a girl outside the council or his sister? Not even Shirley was immune to shock, as she couldn't help but wonder what he intended with her.
“Sure, I was wondering when you were going to ask.” Kallen's confident response as she got up only added fuel to the fire that was theories and rumors as Lelouch led her out of the class, with the students wondering if he had finally broken his long-held ice persona, if he had a thing for the fragile, or perhaps he just liked redheads, that last one made Shirley wonder if he had ever looked at her.
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“I hope you can see how determined we are now.” Jeremiah declared over his knightmare's speakers as they had cornered Prince Clovis' transport as it made its way to the airport, which was heavily guarded by several garrison troops, with the prince's casket riding in the IFVs. They weren't there for him but for Bartley, who had been riding with the remains.
"What? I already told you!" Bartley yelled as Jeremiah ripped the top off his IFV. The rest of his escorts had been soundly defeated by Sunderlands, which all bore the mark of the Purists. The rotund General was shocked that they would go as far as to attack him when he was in the presence of their Lord and Prince.
“That you were tricked, that you alone just survived the assassination by chance? Are you still clinging to that ridiculous excuse?” Jeremiah demanded, making the man sweat all the more. He had been right to suspect that Jeremiah wouldn't buy his testimony, but he had never thought he would have moved this fast. It had barely been two days, and yet Jeremiah managed to ring all the support of the government and local military forces to his side, leaving Bartley only nominally in command.
And it would seem that Jeremiah wouldn't even let him have that, the man turning his unit to the side, opening his cockpit, climbing out with his pistol in hand, and aiming directly for Bartley.
“Pathetic, you shan’t remain at his royal highness’ side another minute!” He declared before he moved in and arrested the General.
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I couldn't get to the last chapter, but this one is happening. Hopefully, I can fit the rest, though some questions that I've set up will get more details if not straight answers.
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Not as much Kallen content as I wanted, as that chapter felt dense as I jumped between things that involved Kallen, Nunnally, C.C., Lelouch, Bartley, and Jeremiah, to name a few. And if you missed the answers, it was their pets. Shirley named a few of them a few chapters back but gave no context as to who or what they were; we've met just about all the animals she mentioned. I felt it was better to write than explain it in that instance, as in the conversation, it wouldn't make much sense to have one of them think, 'Oh, yes, those are my pets.'
I also tried to give Nunnally more personality with how she was interacting with the three here, as in canon-for the most part, she's just the 'sweet little sister that is Lelouch's motivation' which isn't a bad thing, but as this is a retelling, I thought that it would be a good change to make, you know?
One thing that wasn't planned but that I changed in the last chapter was Lelouch asking for information on Lancelot. As in canon, it can be forgiven that he didn't think about it as he was more focused on learning about his mother's death. Still, Lelouch isn't in the same place as his canon counterpart. Because of that, it made no sense for him to not ask about the one unit that single-handedly washed them. His learning about the Lancelot and Code-R will be a factor that will factor into the story down the line.
