Chapter 18 – How to Introduce Yourself with a Bomb

Good fortune and good disposition are rarely given to the same man - Livy

Lelouch clearly looked like he had other things he wanted to do, but that wasn't stopping Kallen from sitting him down and giving him the once over a few times.

"I'm telling you Kallen, I'm fine" Lelouch said with mild exasperation.

"Well, you took a bit of a hit," Kallen said concernedly as she looked back over his head. "It wouldn't be any good for us if you were to suddenly to keel over and die from an undetected head wound, now would it?"

"I personally think he looks fine," C.C said as she sat in the corner with an amused look.

Kallen glared at her. "You're an immortal nuisance whose diet primarily consists of fast-food pizza. Your medical opinion doesn't really count."

"Neither does yours. You're no doctor either" C.C chided.

Kallen sighed and returned her attention to a bemused Lelouch. "Can you least go to the medical office?"

Lelouch was about to answer when there was a knock at the door and Tamaki entered. "Sorry to bother you guys, but they want you down at the brig as soon as possible."

"Right," Lelouch said, getting up from his seat. "I'll go see what this about. And I'll see the doctor afterwards, I promise." He then gave Kallen a quick kiss and left. Tamaki followed, after nodding towards Kallen with a "Kallen" and nodding towards C.C with a "Ma'am".

Kallen allowed herself a moment to enjoy the warmth of the kiss before her mind turned towards something strange she had just seen: Tamaki had just called C.C "ma'am", something that she was sure he hadn't done before. Other details she had noticed started to come into her mind; like how Tamaki had been a bit red-faced when he had nodded toward C.C, how C.C had given a smug knowing smile, and that she had seen Tamaki exiting the corridor where C.C's room with a satisfied look. Kallen turned to C.C and asked incredulously "C.C, did you sleep with Tamaki?"

"Yes I did," C.C said bluntly. "What of it?"

"N-Nothing. I just w-wouldn't have thought…"

"Look, he clearly needed to get rid of some stress and I was bored. We decided to help each other out. Don't worry about him getting too attached, I know how to keep a one night stand as just that. Although I may have a few more one-offs with him; he was quite fun."

"C.C!"

"What? Look, when you've spent as much time as I have with the nobility of so many different countries, you learn to appreciate quality sex when you get it. And don't look so scandalized. Once you and Lelouch finally take each other's virginity, you won't be so squeamish about all this."

Kallen felt her face getting even redder. "Don't bring that up. I can't even think about that after… what I did."

"Don't be ashamed. You wouldn't be the first young maiden who decided to get her cherry popped with the help of some liquid courage."

Kallen was going to turn away and leave when she remembered something C.C said. "Wait...did you say that both Lelouch and I are virgins?"

"Yes" C.C replied, confused. "What of it?"

"How can you tell?"

"Kallen," C.C said with a gentle tone of condescending exasperation, " I am nine hundred years old. I have met a lot of people over the years, and I've slept with a good portion of them. Trust me… I know."

"Huh. Everyone always assumed that you and Lelouch were … sleeping together"

"I would've noticed if that had happened. It's all about posture and how you conduct yourself." C.C then peered at Kallen quizzically. "For someone who's such a devoted girlfriend, you seem too unconcerned with the thought of her man sleeping with another woman."

"I don't know why that is," Kallen said, feeling elated from a previously unknown weight being lifted from her heart. "I guess it was because you were… you."

This caused C.C to chuckle. "Eloquent" she commented sarcastically before she moved on. "Why did everyone think I was sleeping with Lelouch?"

"It was mostly in the way you were behaving: lounging around, doing nothing, and generally getting no push back from Lelouch over it."

"Really? I must have been a complete bore. If I'm sleeping with someone, I'm usually much more involved. You wouldn't believe how much I helped out Catt when we were together."

"Catt?"

"Catherine Romanov."

"...Catherine the Great?"

"Yes, that's what they call her nowadays."

"Figures. Of course you would be connected to a monarch that had sex with a horse."

"No, no one had sex with a horse. I'm certain that rumor started because Potemkin was hung like a horse. Although we decided to use some pulleys one night. Catt got the great idea to hang upside down-"

"Ok, get out of my room."

"Kallen, this isn't your-"

"OUT!"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Really? You and C.C?"

"Look, it was a spur of the moment thing and I wasn't thinking too much about it." There was a short pause before Tamaki turned to his boss and asked, "Look, this isn't going to be awkward for us, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well.. I mean… you and her… didn't you?"

"... No. I'm a fan of taking risks, but not that much."

Tamaki had a look of shock on his face, but whatever response he was going to give was cut off by a nervous-looking officer, who was wringing his hands. "What's the matter?" Zero asked languidly.

"Well...it's a special type of issue."

" Really? What couldn't be explained over the phone and required me coming down the brig?"

"It's the prisoner in Cell E-5..."

" Yes, Yuikia Naruse. We disabled his Knightmare before the E.U could destroy it and captured him. What's the issue?"

"Well…. you see…"

Zero and Tamaki didn't need any further explanation as they approached the cell and looked through the window of the door. Zero turned to the officer that had brought them here and said sardonically "How hard could've had been to tell us that the prisoner had a bomb strapped to him?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Love what you've done with the place" the Geass Master said as he admired the Zhikistani tapestries that adorned the Grand Hall of the Royal Palace.

"Thank you very much" said Shamna, standing behind him. "But my brother and I haven't done anything to it"

"I know" Geass Master said as he turned around, his voice implying a smile. "It is rare to see someone appreciate the aesthetics of their predecessors. Often times, the successor tears everything down in an effort to make it his own, regardless of the effects."

"True, but I prefer to make my changes internally."

"Fair enough."

There were a few more seconds of silence as they meandered around the spacious hall, looking over the exquisite decorations set up in generations past. The Geass Master broke the silence, saying "Thank you for meeting with me. I know that you must be very busy as the High Priestess."

"It was no problem" Shamna said, brushing her blond hair out of the headband that denoted her as the High Priestess of Zhikistan, the spiritual leader of the nation. "You hold a position of high importance within our order."

"How did your predecessor depart this realm? I'm afraid I haven't been keeping track of the comings and goings of Zhikistan as well as I should have."

"It was such a tragedy. High Priest Shaomen, our late beloved leader, died suddenly three years back, after eating some spoiled fish."

"I see" the Geass Master said as he readied himself for a fight. "That certainly explains some things."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I arrived, I said I had matters of 'a particular importance'. Shaomen would have understood immediately, and sprung into action. But you have lounged around and taken your time with me. In addition, I've noticed you have Shaomen's headband, but you seem to missing his emerald ring."

"What do you mean? It was his ring; we buried with him."
"I guessed. Rather tight, was it? Thing is, that symbolizes that the last High Priest, or Priestess, had chosen them as the successor. The only way that it's not passed on is if the High Priest is murdered and the murderer ascends to the position."

Shamna's blue eyes narrowed. "What do you mean murdered?"

"Shaomen hated fish with a passion. It would've been hell and a half to get him to get him to eat a well prepared fish."

"I see". The voice coming out of her mouth was calm, but her body seemed tense under her flowing white dress. "I don't suppose you'd tell me where the Onyx is?"

"Pity. I was hoping you'd tell me."

"I see. Guards!" Shamna shouted suddenly. "Kill this man now!"

By the time the Geass Master had drawn his sword, a number of Zhikistani soldiers seemingly materialized on the balconies and began to open fire. The Geass Master blocked a number of bullets before ducking under one of the balconies. Bullets still followed him, and they hit him, his sword, and many other things; this included that a white marble dragon, which became riddled with bullets. Chips of the dragon fell away, revealing a black gem that shone brilliantly.

Both the Geass Master and Shamna stared at the Onyx; the Geass Master moved first, leaping towards the broken marble statue and grabbed the gem. Looking for an exit, he noticed a doorway that led to a Thought Elevator. As he made his way there, he could hear the High Priestess shrieking "Stop him! STOP HIM!"

Bullets hit the Geass Master and his sword, but he still managed to make his way to the door. As he got in and activated the Thought Elevator, he could hear Shamna shout at him: "You cannot win! The Stag King knows what you're planning! And he will win!"

The next thing he knew, he was back in the Sword of Akasha. Battered and out of breath, he took a seat on the nearest ledge and pulled out the Blood Bible, placing the Onyx in the proper place. Closing the book, he took a breath and closed his eyes with every intention of relaxing. Unfortunately, he had company.

"My, my, my. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

The Geass Master's eyes flew open. Before him stood a woman in armor. She was no longer young, but she was still striking; and she wasn't wearing a helmet, meaning that he could see the eyepatch covering her left eye.

"Waltraute" he said with a trace of annoyance. "What brings you here?"

The blue-haired Valkyrie took a seat on a ledge opposite of him, stretching out her long legs. "It concerns with the coming war."

"I see that the whispers have reached you."

"They're more than whispers now. The Stag King has started to move; he's already taken out the Vallenji tribe."

This was a shock to the Geass Master; he didn't know that had happened. "I'm sorry to hear that" he said. "Anna was a good friend of mine. She will be missed."

Waltraute snorted. "What was that?" the Geass Master asked.

"You clearly cared enough about to miss her, but you've done little else. You've could've supplemented her protections. Instead, you have sat idle as you have for the past century. You know what humans say: 'Evil flourishes when good men do nothing'."

"You believe me to be a good man?"

"I believe you nothing."

"Nice to see that the bickering has already started." The voice that said that heralded the arrival of the Dimension Supervisor, who proceeded to sit on the ledge next to Waltraute.

"Never mind that" the Geass Master snapped. "For some with the title of 'Supervisor', you seem to be surprisingly lax. Thanks to your lack of awareness, we've lost both the Vallenji and Cult of the Shaozeki!"

"We lost the Vallenji?" the Dimension Supervisor asked, shocked.

"Yes, but that what's new here" Walturae said. "We've lost the Shaozeki? Why on earth would Shaomen -"

"Shaomen's dead" the Geass Master interrupted. "He was murdered by an acolyte named Shamna, who has since taken over."

Both Walturae and the Dimensional Supervisor thought the news for a few seconds. The Dimensional supervisor then said "Is it possible that we could get the military to overthrow her?"

"Doubt it" the Valkyrie said. "The Cult of the Shaozeki is the ultimate power in Zhikistan. Even their most powerful warriors would endure fates far worse than death than go against the Cult."

"Even then, it still wouldn't be likely" the Geass Master contributed. "The Zhikistani military is being overseen by Shamna's brother. It's really unlikely that they'll move against each other, especially since they're anchored."

"Anchored?" both ladies asked.

"It appears that Shamna has gained the Geass of Absolute Rewind, the one that sends someone back in time upon their death. That rewind only works when then there they have someone to link to in the past. Usually, that person is someone who is extremely close to the Geass holder, so there is no chance that we can sway him."

"So we'll have to kill them both?" The Dimension Supervisor suggested.

"Not yet. Shamna mentioned the Stag King and said that he knew what we're planning. In any case we need to start moving around and preparing."

"So you going to play with your time travellers some more?" Walturae asked in an annoyed tone.

"No. We don't need anymore meddling. In any case, we need to be focusing on the Ragnarok initiative. Nothing else matters at this point: The time travelers may not know what exactly Ragnarok entials, but they know of it and they know it's coming."

"Well, I certainly hope that the ones you told are smart enough to not mess up everything. We have enough problems as it is" Walturae said as she stood up to leave.

Something she said caught the Geass Master's attention "What do mean 'the ones you told'?"

Walturae looked back with a knowing smile. "You're missing four. I'm heading to rally my girls. Happy hunting."

With a mischievous smile she activated a portal and vanished, leaving the Geass Master and Dimension Supervisor trying to wrap their heads around what the Valkyrie had said.

"Did you bring anyone else back?" the Dimension Supervisor asked.

"No, and I know that you or Walturae didn't either" the Geass Master said, suddenly standing up. "I'm going to see who else came back. Do us all a favor, and please see how many allies we have left?"

And with that he left, his coat sweeping behind him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Has he said anything?" Zero asked as he eyed the prisoner.

"Not really. We only found about it when we doing the meal rounds."

"Why didn't you check him when you brought him in?"

"Think Tamaki. Who thinks that someone would wear a bomb while driving a Knightmare?"

Tamaki conceded the point to his boss and returned his gaze to the prisoner. They stood there for a few seconds before Zero said "Open the door"

"Sir!" the two other men standing next to him said, clearly shocked.

"Don't worry. I'm prepared"

The door slid open and Yukia Naruse looked up, wondering whom they had sent to him. He was expecting to have been sent some lower level officer covered in a bomb suit. He wasn't expecting to Zero himself to show up in the doorway. He was just getting over his shock when he heard Zero say "I'm going to need you to do me a favor Naruse-san and not blow up that bomb."

Yukia thought he saw a flash of purple coming out of the helmet, but when he blinked, all he saw was the smooth mask pulling up a chair to sit across from him. "It's okay" he found himself saying. "I wasn't planning on detonating anyway."

"Excellent. Do you think you could disarm the bomb?" Yukia nodded, moving to unplug the central wires. He didn't want to set off the bomb, he knew that. Or rather, he didn't know that until Zero had told him so. The man's presence was powerful, he could feel himself going over to his sway. Yukia attempted to get a hold of himself, but before he could Zero spoke again "Does the E.U make you wear bomb vests when piloting?"

"No. I put the thing on myself."

"Really? You're that devoted to the Europeans?"

"No. It's just a way to stay free. I was beaten up in the Parisian ghetto by my 'countrymen'. So I really don't feel allegiance to any side."

"Really? Then why do you fight?"

"I don't know. It was mostly a way to get back at the world, this world that I hate so much. I hate it so much. Do you know what I mean?"

Yukia didn't know why he was telling Zero all of this; he wasn't sure that he had told anyone this. But from Zero, he got the feeling that this was a man who understood everything that had happened to him. That feeling was validated when Zero said "I understand. I understand what you're feeling: the sense that the world is actively working against you, the sense that everything is broken and nothing will fix it. It is the feeling that you stuck inside a black hole and the walls are caving in."

"You understand!" Yukia said, his green eyes overbright. "You understand! Do you feel the same way?"

"I did...once."

"Once...What made you change?"

"I had a realization one day: that what we use to tear this world down can be used to lift it up. That we are not beholden to the paths that others took before us. That it is possible to be a force for good in the world. What are your thoughts on that?"

"That sounds...wonderful" Yukia said, dazed at the new path that opened up before him.

"I'm glad you think that. Would you like to be a force for good in this world? Would you like to be a Black Knight?"

"I … would." Yukia couldn't believe that those words were coming out of his mouth. But at the same time, he could. He never knew that this was a way that was available to him, but he now wanted it more than anything he could remember.

"Very well. In that case, you are confined here for a week" Zero said as he stood up. Seeing the surprised look in Yukia's face, he elaborated, "I can't very well have you joining like this. Lose the bomb vest, cool your heels for a few days, and then we'll see."

"Yes sir!" Yukia said with enthusiasm as Zero left the room, proceeding to dismantle the bomb as the door closed behind him.

As Lelouch stepped into the hallway, he saw that Tamaki and the other officer looking at him with a sort of awe. Tamaki recovered quickly, and followed him down the hall.

"Quick question, Zero" he said as he gave Zero's sleeve a slight tug. "Did you use your Geass on him?"

"Only to make sure that he didn't detonate the bomb. Why do you ask?"

"The way you were talking… You really have a way with words, you know?" Tamaki said, shaking his head in amazement.

"Geass can only get you so many places. It's the ability to connect with people that really counts. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and visit the infirmary" Zero said as he walked down the hallway, musing that Kallen had been right: everything he had just said wouldn't do anyone any good if he were to keel over from an undetected head wound.