R2 IS HERE!
Chapter one: A King Among Men
note: there is a cool fanart of Amaya up on deviant art, just search 'Fujiwara Amaya' and it should come up! it is by MikoSasesko! It is pretty amazing!!!
so enjoy R2!!!
let's get it started, now!
A peaceful, near blissful atmosphere fell around the Britannian Tokyo Settlement. An atmosphere that had begun months, nearly a year before, and had remained, undisturbed since.
The sky was a sapphire like blue, with small dots of creamy clouds. The roofs and defenses of the Settlement sparkled under the sun, like the ocean beside it.
The Britannians strolled through their privileged lives in their Settlement, gratefully returning to the stir of normality to their lives after the Black Rebellion. The Elevens reluctantly returned to their lives in their Ghetto's, obediently falling back into their lives as numbers...
Yes...Peaceful would be an excellent word to describe Area 11 since the fall of the Black Knights...
Who would have guessed that on that day, everything the world knew and would know, would change?
A person just entering Area 11's airspace on an advertisement blimp pondered this, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the sight of the land she would die for, the land she was exiled from...
Of course, at that point no one could know what would happen...All that they knew, was that it would begin on that day...And after that...The girl smiled, her emerald eyes sparkling as she whispered to herself, still staring at the peaceful settlement,
'All bets are off...'
Below, in the Tokyo Settlement, a teenage boy walked down a corridor in Ashford Academy.
He walked with an air of natural grace, his violet eyes staring forward, as though there was nothing of interest around him to warrant notice. His raven hair followed his movements, falling slightly above his eyes with each, calculated, measured step he took...
He only paused with the slow calling, a call of warning, yet anger,
"Lelouch..." he released a sigh as he exclaimed,
"Ah, not again..." as he turned, his gaze fixing on a woman standing in a corridor adjoining the one he was walking through. "You're quite annoying." he added as a fact, as the woman frowned, her hand on her hips shrugging as she smirked,
"I won't let you get away anymore...Ah-"
The woman released a gasp as Lelouch took off, sprinting down the corridor, the students pausing in interest at seeing their Vice Student Council President, Lelouch Lamperouge, once again take extreme measures to miss a P.E class.
"Ah, hey, about that thing from last time-" someone called, Lelouch not pausing as he called back,
"Sorry, maybe next time!" Lelouch picked up speed slightly as the woman called, angrily, sprinting after him,
"Hold it, Lelouch!" she was certazinly, unquestionably faster then him. This in mind, Lelouch tried to pick up more speed, cursing mentally as he achieved it, beads of sweat already appearing at his forehead as girls called to him,
"Go, Vice President!"
"Go, go!"
Lelouch smiled weakly, as he gasped,
"Yeah, yeah..."
As he finally came to the realistic conclusion that he could never outrun the P.E teacher. This in mind, he ducked into a science lab, his chest heaving as he moved back to the counter, where multiple bottles of chemicals lay with apparatus.
Mere moments later, the teacher followed, seemingly unharmed by the run, unlike Lelouch. She grinned in victory as she declared,
"Your loss was apparent the second you made this into a battle of stamina." Lelouch frowned, still trying to catch his breath as he glanced momentarily at the counter, before meeting her eyes again.
"Don't you think you're over-exaggerating?" he quieried, as he gasped, glancing at the counter once more before adding, "It's only a make-up lesson for P.E." The woman frowned, her eyebrows knitting together as she scoldingly pointed at Lelouch, snapping,
"Then come to lessons like you should!"
Lelouch felt his own smirk appear as he sighed, placing one hand on a bottle, as he sighed,
"I don't think I have a problem, credit wise..." as he flipped it, the purplish chemicals in the bottle falling into the powder below it, set up for the next class. The moment the liquid made contact, a light pink/purple smoke filled the room, Lelouch hearing his teacher gasp in shock as he ran from the room, using this as a distraction.
"It's just colored gas!" he called over his shoulder as he began ranning again down the corridor, ignoring her call of
"Wait!" as he turned down the staircase, not pausing as he heard the familiar call of,
"Go for it, Vice President!" turning only as he made it halfway down, catching the food in a bag she threw for him, him calling gratefully as he continued,
"Ah, thanks!" he grinned as he, seconds later, heard the cry of,
"And you call yourself Student Council President!?" and the sigh of,
"Sorry, I just..."
Viletta grinned as she saw, 3 minutes later, the raven haired boy run under the window she was looking out, looking for an aerial view of him, her grin spreading as she hoisted herself up on the window sill, yelling,
"LELOUCH!" as she leaped from the window, expertly landing on the boy, pushing him to the ground, grinning like a mad woman as his face was pushed into the pavement. She froze however as she saw some hairs of blue under the raven...
Her eyes widened in disbelief as the person below her nervously, yet arrogantly asked,
"Do you want to kill me, Ma'am?!" as he reached up to his hair, pulling the raven wig off, revealing...
"Rivalz?" she sat frozen in disbelied as she continued, "When did you..."
She froze again, her head snapping to the left as she heard the cool, familiar call from her tagert yell,
"Rivalz, I'll be borrowing this then!" as he drove off through the school gates, with his partner in crime, on Rivalz motor bike.
"My god..." Lelouch sighed, rolling his eyes as ghe glanced at thye pristine sky, sitting comfortable in the side seat on the motor bike, glanciong to his brother as he added, "At least let me have my freedom once schools over..."
His younger brother, Rolo, sighed aqs he momentarily glanced at him before returning his gaze to the road.
"But, thats because you've been skipping all those classes, brother." he pointed out, reasonably, as Lelouch pretended not to listen, taking a bite from the snack Milly had thrown to him, a chocolate croissante, before continuing, as if Rolo said nothing,
"Thay're just flat out arduous, no?" as he tore a piece off, offering it to Rolo as he offered,
"Here, a snack from the president." Rolo's eyes fell for a few seconds on the snack, the chocolate ozzing slightly in the centre, as Rolo bent down quickly, taking it from Lelouch's hand in his mouth, taking his eyes off the road.
A bad decision, it would seem, as the motor bike suddebnly veered dangerously to the right, Rolo quickly leaning back up and regaining control as Lelouch cried,
"Hey, hey!" as Rolo sighed angrily,
"Well brother, you were the one..." Lelouch allowed a soft, apologetic grin to slide onto his face as he nodded, sighing apologetically,
"Right, my bad..." as he took another bite from the snack, before turning his gaze to the side to the road, overlooking the Settlement, tintede a slight purple due to the helmet he was wearing.
'It's been almost year since the Rebellion that Zero incited, the Black Rebellion...' Lelouch mused as he took in the glittering view of the furturistic-like view of the Settlement, the defenses glittering under the sun. 'This, 'Area 11', has settled down, as well...'
Lelouch frowned as he took another bite from his snack as he frowned, 'Back during the incident, various rumours had been flying around...' His frown deepened as he glanced at his younger brother, 'We, brothers, even thought about returning to the Mainland Britannia...'
Lelouch paused in his thought as Rolo suddenly exclaimed, without glancing at him,
"Hvae you submitted your future course inquiry?" Lelouch glanced at him, raising an eyebrow as he released a 'Hmph?', placing his head in one hand as Rolo continued, "Ms. Viletta was rather angry about it." Lelouch felt a grin appear on his face as he sighed, with gladness,
"Ah." Rolo rolled his eyes at his pride at that particular matter, before asking, with interest,
"Are you going to college?" Lelouch felt his grin pause, his eyebrows knitting together as he admitted,
"I haven't decided." Lelouch returned his gaze to the settlent view as he confessed, "I'm sick of being a student, however..." Lelouch felt his eyes narrow as he stated coldly, "The thought of ebing used by other people is..."
He drew off as Rolo released a nervous chuckle, before smiling,
"That's just like you, Brother..."
Lelouch didn't reply, glancing again at the sky, momentarily pausing at the sight of a blimp flying over head, blocking the sun as he whispered to himself,
'But, it's pointless, isn't it...? Even if I went into the workforce, theres always going to be big enterprises and nobles sitting at the top...A completed world...'
Lelouch paused momentarily while Rolo stopped at a red light, as he glanced at the large screen at the side of the road, his eyes emotionlessly taking in the sight of the public execution of Eleven Rebels, led by the new Viceroy, Calares.
'We're just being pieced into the hierarchy made by grown-ups.'
Lelouch didn't even wince as the bullets rained down upon them, seemingly used to the sound as they continued down the road, however, Calares's words einging in his ears, all over the settlement...
"This isn't discrimination against Elevens. It's a distinction!" the man barked, his hand imperiously on his hip, his eyes narrowing as he continued, announcing, "Elevens were manipulated by a swindler by the name of Zero, into trying to change their name back to 'Japanese'." The man spat the word out with such disgust, as though the word was like a putrid stench, his eyes burning as he continued, snapping, as though trying to hammer the message across,
"They are a barbaric and dangerous race! Thar's why we, Britannia, must control and educate them!"
Lelouch didn't respond as he took out a book, his face a mask, emotionless to the world around him, as he stated one simple fact to himself.
'The Elevens lost. They had no power.' He felt a small frown tug at his face, his hand pausing over the pages as he sighed, almost regretfully, 'Had they not done anything, they wouldn't have been downgraded to a remedial area territory. They haven't even been able to deliver their promise of a return...'
Lelouch shook his head slightly, as he whispered to himself, his eyes closing as he closed his book with a snap, unaware that cameras were following his every move,
'Zero...What a foolish man...No matter what he does, this world is...'
A girl smiled as she watched him enter the building, Babel Tower, having hacked into the camera systems, waiting for him, as she knew he would.
"He's here..." she whispered, her eyes lighting up as she glanced at the woman and man beside her, who both raised simultaneous eyebrows, the green haired woman nodding as she commented,
"And so it begins, then...?" The girl took a moment to glance at the screen, as he moved towards the car park.
"So it would seem..." she stated slowly, as she held the communicator to her ear.
"Kallen, K1 is moving into the area." there was a moments pause, as she heard the sounds of music and laughter drift into her senses, before hearing her whisper into the mike, situated in her coller,
"Copy that. Moving towards entrance." the girl nodded, glancing at C.C and Jinx, as they stood in silence for a moment.
"Are you ready?" the man named Jinx finally managed to ask, cocking his head to the side, his sky blue hair, falling over one shoulder, his silver eyes boring into hers as he continued, "Are you ready to endure the pangs of war once more?"
The girl didn't answer, as she replaced her mask, heading towards the back of the the back, in a kneeling position, sat a blue frame, strong, and ready for battle. As she climbed to the hatch, she glanced down at Jinx and C.C as they climbed into their own.
"Of course I am ready." she finally managed to answer, as she climbed in.
"I am, after all, the Lady of Zero."
"All right, that's fine." Lelouch sighed as he removed the helmet and goggles, glancing at his brother as he commented, "You really just needed to bring me here...because today's match is illegal."
He reminded this to his brother, who released a sigh of his own as he teased, as he removed his own helmet, his chestnut hair falling just near his eyes, as always, his light, lavender eyes meeting his with a small smile as he teased,
"Counseling won't cut it this time." Lelouch released a chuckle as he placed the helmet under his seat, as he grinned,
"The police? Please." His brither, Rolo, released another sigh as he removed his own helmet, his chestnut hair falling just near his eyes, as always, his light, lavender eyes meeting his with a slight look of curiosity as he exclaimed,
"But why? Brother, you're not in dire need of money, right?" Lelouch shrugged off the question as he responded simply, picking up his briefcase, containing a chess board,
"It's obvious. I just want to play against stronger opponents."
Even as he said this, Lelouch felt the familiar pang in his chest, knowing himself it was a lie. However, it had seemed to him, that everything over the last year was just that...A lie...
Everday when he went through the daily routine of school, it felt...Wrong...Like he was never supposed to be there...As though he didn't quite fit in.
Whenever he would plan something for the school, contrary to the President's speeches, it seemed to him, mundane. Too though he was meant for more...
His life was...Boring.
It was the continuous pang in his chest that got him every time. Whether it was when he was sitting in class, taking a test, or lying in bed at night, that pang got him...It was as though something was telling him that something was missing, trying to coax some truth into him, that this wasn't right...That something was...
Missing...
Lelouch tightened his grip on his briefcase as he and Rolo entered the elevator, going right up, three quarters of a way up the building, Lelouch lost in his own thoughts as Rolo stood nimbly behind him.
'It's all lies...' he whispered to himself, his hand tightening, the only way he could release the anger, the hatred of his routines, his other hand impatiently drumming on the side, his eyebrows knitting together as he continued,
'I know this is just a way to kill time...I know, as ridiculous as it sounds, this life isn't mine...But if this isn't...Then...' he paused as the elevator doors opened, revealing the casino of Babel Tower.
'What is?'
Lelouch took a moment to glance around the casino, the laughter, the music, the luxury of the Britannian nobles, sipping their drinks, happily eating, while gambling with others of their stature.
Ldelouch led him and Rolo into the room, towards the centre, overlooking what could only be described as an Eleven fighting ring. He barely registered the announcer declare,
"And now for our main event: The Sibling Duel!' Which brother will survive? The elder, or the younger? And the people who bet ten straight times on this fight-"
Lelouch tuned them out, leaning on the banister overlooking the duel, eyeing the two men down below with an emotionless face.
The two men, in their early 20's, circled each other like animals, wearing only dirty, torn shorts. They wore manacles on their hands and feet, like slaves. Lelouch watched for a moment, as one threw a weak punch at the other, the man taking it, however then grabbing his brothers head, and swiftly kicking him in the chest.
However, Lelouch was looking at their eyes. For tears poured down them, in rivers, as they were forced to fight, to kill their brother. And Lelouch did not believe for a moment that it was because of the physical pain of the fight...
"Brother, let's go..." Rolo shakily pleaded from behind him, tearing his eyes away from the brothers below them. "This place's-"
"It's all right, no? It's rather simple to understand. Look." Lelouch interrupted, stating delicately as he closed his eyes for a moment, a sigh escaping him before he continued, glancing opposite him, to the other balcony.
"We, Britannians, are the ones laughing and playing." his eyes drew back down to the Eleven brothers, who were a tangle of limbs, punching and kicking eachother, before he hollowly announced,
"The Elevens are the ones laughed at and working. Even if we take our eyes away from this, the result is..." He heard Rolo behind him shuffle for a moment before stating,
"But, even so..."
"I know." Lelouch coldly shrugged, turning away from the match as he moved in the opposite direction, clutching his briefcase tighter before he simply declared, "But it's the truth." He felt Rolo begin to follow him as he added,
"The Elevens lost twice. Once under Prime Minister Kururugi, and once under Zero." he paused momentarily as he waited for a door to open before he sighed, "They are powerless, yet they rebel..."
He paused as suddenly, a tray fell at his feet, leaving a slight stain on his trousers, near his feet,someone holding them having run into him. Blinking, Lelouch glanced down, seeing a red headed girl in a pink bunny suit, complete with ears, and a coller and tail.
'An Eleven waitress...Well,' Lelouch concluded, 'More like a slave...' She gasped in horror as she bent to clean it up.
"Forgive me!" Kallen mock pleaded as she bent to clean up the tray, grinning to herself as she did so, glancing back up into the familiar face of Zero, Lelouch, as he shook his head sighing,
"No, it's all right." Kallen clenched her jaw, as she recalled that night...When she left him to Suzaku...
Had he changed since then? She glanced up at him once again, before she began, like an Eleven Waitress would,
"I am an Eleven. You are a Britannian Student." she hated every word she had spoken, and made a mental note to curse Amaya when she next saw her, for forcing this role upon her.
"Then all the more." Lelouch responded, bending down to Kallens level to help her. "I don't like this." he confessed, Kallen blinking in surprise as he continued, "This brandishing of my status."
Kallen bowed her head slightly, perfectly portraying the weak persona, as she quietly commented,
"But, those with no power must bear it with patience..." she saw Lelouch blink in surprise as she added, "Even if it's towards the wrong people." She held her breath as Lelouch's face frowned, as he sighed, nearly angrily,
"Do not push your values on me." Kallen had to force herself not to grin, as she thought,
'So, he really does not hold the Britannian values...' as she nodded, asking,
"Please forgive me." as she held out her cloth to clean the stains, carefully flipping the cloth about to slip him an ear piece-
She gasped in pain, however, as suddenly, someone grabbed her hair and bunny ears, hauling her upwards, causing her to drop the piece to the floor, as a middle aged man leaned beside her, Kallen wincing in disgust as he grinned,
"Let me take a look at your face." Kallen had to force herself not to vomit as he came within an inch of her face, his heavy, coloagned scent over powering her senses.
"Hmm...Nice merchandise." he commented, turning to the manager of the casino, who stood nervously behind them. Kallen's eyes narrowed in anger, as she saw three other girls, their hands chained, being held by the man's body guards, amking sure they would not escape. They too, were workers in the casino, and the look of pain, desolation in their eyes was enough to make Kallen want to strangle the man.
"I'm happy for you, that your bunny hunting today ended in many prizes." Kallen glanced up at the man as she gasped,
"I'm not merchandise!" she winced as the man pulled her closer again, as he grinned,
"Yes, you are." Kallen narrowed her eyes in disgust as he added, clenching his fists tighter, causing the walnuts he held their to clink together, "The people who do not win have no rights."
Kallen winced again as he held her head further from him as he stated,
"Curse your own powerless birth. Even his Majesty has said it."
"The Emperor..." Kallen glanced up at Lelouch who was standing stock still before them, echoing the mans words in shock, his jaw clenching as the man added, glancing at Lelouch with a smirk,
"The survival of the fittest. That is the rule of this world."
"Brother, he's from the mafia..." the boy behind Lelouch whispered, as Kallen recognized him from Amaya's surveylances as the mysterious boy claiming to be Lelouch's brother, a brother whom Lelouch apparently accepted. However, now, Lelouch ignored him, his eyes narrowing as he exclaimed coldly,
"How arrogant." the man holding Kallen raised an eyebrow, not relinquishing his grip on Kallen as Lelouch continued, bending to pick up his briefcase, "You think you're on the 'fit' side?"
The man stood, his eyes narrowing, his grip on Kallen still strong, as he hissed at Lelouch, who did not break the eye contact,
"Student, this is the world of adults."
Lelouch simply smiled as he brought his briefcase up, Kallen's eyes widening as he declared,
"Then, between a student and the world of adults, let's determine who is on the 'fit' side..." Kallen released a gasp as he opened the case, before adding, "With this, for now."
The man raised an eyebrow of interest as he confirmed, as though contemplating whether Lelouch was serious,
"With chess?" while the boy behind Lelouch ran up behind him, clutching at his arm as he near begged,
"Brother, you mustn't!" however, the man, who still held Kallen by the bunny ears, smirked as he shrugged,
"It's too late." before turning to his body guards before grinning, "Right?" the bodyguards laughed as the man turned back to Lelouch grinning as he declared lowly, releasing Kallen, finally, as she fell to the floor,
"Students know absolutely nothing at all..."
Lelouch, who stood calmly, ignoring his brother clutching to his arm, simply continued to smile coolly as he corrected,
"That's not accurate, Mr. Black King." the man once again raised his eyebrow as Lelouch continued, "You're rather popular in this part of the world, right?"
The man grinned, crossing his arms as he asked lowly,
"Oh, you challenge me, knowing this?" he clenched his fist again, the walnuts clicking his anger.
Kyoshiro Tohdoh did not wince as he heard the pained yell of Tamaki as he was, once again, kicked down the corridor.
"If Zero was here, I wouldn't have to take this from you guys..." Tamaki hissed under his breath, just loud enough for them to hear, as he picked himself up again, with difficulty, his arms strapped behind his back, as he continued, limping slightly down the corridor.
"Don't mention the name of that traitor anymore." Chiba, who was a few cells down snapped lowly, her voice deepened and lowered by the glass of the cells. Tamaki turned to glance at her as he snapped in protest, anger etched on his face,
"Zero didn't betray us, you!" Tamaki paused, however, as the guard behind him snapped, raising his gun to hit him with,
"Quiet down already!" before he was slammed to the ground, gasping,
"Okay! Sorry!"
There was silence for a few more moments, moments which Tohdoh thoroughly enjoyed, before Ohgi broke it, by exclaiming,
"There must have been a reason." Chiba, as usual, rose immediately to the conversation, everyone ignoring the yells of Tamaki,
"Reason?" she repeated angrily, "For a commander to disappear in the middle of the final battle? At least Fujiwara-Hime stayed for the battle!"
Tohdoh froze momentarily as he saw the impatient look of their jailors clench their weapons in warning.
"Enough!" he ordered, his deep, commanding voice calling their attention at once.
"Ether way, Zero is dead." there was a pause before he added, "And Fujiwara-Hime is alive."
The message was clear.
'Have patience. There is hope.'
Tohdoh met every person available's gaze as he said this, resting momentarily longer on Chiba's who nodded quietly, before turning to face the wall again.
"Checkmate."
Lelouch coolly announced, as he gracefully placed his White King before his Black King. Gasps of disbelief flitting through the watching crowd as the Black King's mouth opened in disbelief.
"I-impossible!" he gasped, as the whispers rose.
"The student won!"
"I can't believe the Black King lost..."
"He easily beat the King..."
Lelouch never drew his eyes away from his opponents as he smirked,
"It appears that your side wasn't fit enough to survive." His eyes narrowed, though, at the lack of reaction from the man, who simply shook his head as he sighed,
"What to do now?" as he crossed his legs, once again playing with the walnuts in his hand as he sighed, "If rumors of this were to spread, I wouldn't have any face to hang on anymore." Lelouch's face fell slightly, his eyebrows knitting in suspicion as he responded slowly,
"I don't have a tendency to spread rumors-"
"No, student." the man interrupted, as he continued to roll the walnuts along in his hand. "I'm referring to the cheap shot you pulled." Lelouch's eyes widened in disbelief, his hands clenching the sides of the chair as he leaned forward.
"Cheap shot?" he repeated, as the man nodded, adding,
"What a bad boy..." Lelouch shook his head in disbelief as he gasped,
"No, wait!"
"A cheap shot in chess?" he saw the red head gasp in shock, as Rolo added,
"There's no way..."
The man paid no heed, as he turned to his bodyguards.
"Arrest him." he ordered simply, still sitting as the men nodded, making a beeline for Lelouch. "Now, time to create some evidence..."
"You dirty adult!" Lelouch snapped, rising to his feet in disgust. The man shrugged as suddenly, he pulled a gun from his shirt, aiming it relaxingly at the ceiling as he sighed, "There is no value to things that are 'right'."
As he said this, the two men each grabbed one of Lelouch's arms, and forced his head painfully into the table, Lelouch giving a grunt of pain as Rolo cried,
"Brother!" moving forward in an attempt to help...
And that's when the building shook...
Lelouch froze, as he glanced up at the scene, the floor shaking beneath him, the lights turning on and off, as there were cries of fear and disbelief.
"Terrorists?!" the man, the Black King, gasped as he stood. Lelouch paid no more attention to him, as the bodyguards were suddenly flung to the floor, as Lelouch backed up in shock next to Rolo.
"Come, this way!" suddenly, the red headed girl grabbed his wrist, pulling him in a separate direction from Rolo.
"Hey!" he cried, trying to pull away and failing miserably, Rolo running towards them, attempting to catch up. All paused though, as suddenly, thw roof of the casino caved in, debris flinging in every direction, Knightmares falling through.
Lelouch and the girl paused, as they watched, eyes wide. Lelouch's eyes flew to the right as Rolo appeared, taking Lelouch's other hand and pushing the girl to the floor, before yelling,
"Brother, this way!"He followed, wincing as behind them, the ceiling fell in, blocking the girl from following them, as they continued to run.
Lelouch's mouth opened slightly, as he screamed to himself,
'What on earth is happening!?'
"Deploy!"
Amaya released the yell as the doors opened, the Roiyaru Kakumi taking the lead, flying through the air, to the Babel tower, momentarily loving the feeling of the fall, before grinning.
The blimb had already caused the ceiling to collapse, shooting mercillesly until the ceiling gave way. They were so close, they only needed to catch Lelouch in the madness, whom Kallen would lead to their forces.
Amaya clenched the controls tighter as they grew nearer to the tower, her subordinates following as she whispered aloud,
"Lelouch..." her eyes narrowed in determination as she promised, "I'm coming!"
Li Xingki glanced up at the sky for a moment, towards the imposing building, the Babel Tower. He held his gaze there for a few moments, his fists tightening ever so slightly before turning back to the welcoming commitee, as he stood behind the Chinese Federation's representative, the area filled to the brim with knightmares and soldiers.
Xingki stood a good foot over the representative, his jet black hair reaching the back of his knees, held from his face by a dark, red headband, which went from the side of his face to the other, not going over the forehead. His crimson eyes watched every motion around him, like a hawk, as the viceroy of Area 11 stood forward.
"Welcome to Area 11." the Viceroy, Calares, announced, as he shook the Chinese Federation's representitive, Gao Hai's, hand. Gao Hai nodded, returning his hand inside the sleeves of his traditional uniform, complete with white face paint, and high hat.
"A grand welcoming, I see." he commented, his voice an unnaturally high one. "I heard that Zero is dead."
"Zero?" Calares blinked, before grinning, excaliming, as though explaining to a two year old, "No, no." XingKi's eye's narrowed slightly as he continued, explaining with a small smile,
"I believe it's still a bit early for you, the Chinese Federation, to understand us, Britannia..." Xingki moved his hand slightly towards his sword in anger at the comment, that insinuated the superiority of Britannia. Gao Hai, though, ignored this, instead raising his eyebrows as he exclaimed,
"Oh, you mean, you brought capital punishment down on him directly, hm?" Gao Hai raised his sleeve to cover his mouth, as though to hide a smile as soldiers approached them, Xingki immediatly going on high alert, his eyes narrowing as he turned to them.
"Please turn over the weapon at your waist." One of the guards held out his hands expectantly. Xingki made no motion to turn over his sword, the other soldier noticing this, taking a step forward as he explained,
"The security here is flawless, you do not need such antique-" the man paused, as Xingki's eyes narrowed, and in four quick movements, had unleashed his sword, slashed both their belts, and returned it to his waist.
Silence rang through the group, as their belts fell to the floor, broken by Gai Hai chiding, while Xingke retook his standing stance,
"Xingki, that was rather rude." Xingki bowed his head slightly as he announced,
"Forgive me." he slowly rose his head, his eyes meeting Calares's as he added, not breaking eye contact, "I believe it was a bit early for them to understand us, the Chinese Federation."
Calares's eyes narrowed, his jaw set as he growled lowly,
"Why you..."
All paused, however, at the echoing sound of an explosion. All eyes turned to the left, Xingki raising an eyebrow as he saw smoke billowing from the top of Babel Tower.
"We lost him?" Amaya repeated, her eyes wide as she recieved the report.
"Yes, we're going in, as well." the people still on the blimp confirmed, Amaya frowning, nodding however as she responded,
"Copy that. Stay safe."
"Yes, Fujiwara-sama." as she cut the connection, a pink gas was released from the blimp, falling to cover Babel Tower, making it harder for the Britannian forces to enter.
'Lelouch...' she cursed as she maneuvered her way through the building with ease. 'You are the only person I know who makes a rescue for themselves as difficult as possible!'
Lelouch ran as fast as he could, alongside Rolo, who was far faster, through the shopping part of Babel Tower, as thoughts ran through his head.
'Terrorists? What are the remnants of the Black Knights doing here?'
Lelouch had no time to expand on that thought, as a Knightmare fell before them, holding out a hand...
To him...
Lelouch spaused, staring at it as it continued to hold out it's hand, as though wanting him to...
'No...' Lelouch thought, his eyes wide, 'That's...impossible!' he froze as he heard the windows crash, as he whipped around, his eyes widening more at the sight of Britannian frames.
"It's the Britannian Army!" Rolo cried gratefully, his eyes wide as they began aiming at the knightmare...Uncaring of any in their way.
Lelouch cursed as he saw them hit at least 7 civilians, as he and Rolo ducked, covering their heads, deciding not to wait to be hit as they ran to the side, the knightmare holding out it's hand to him turning to fight the Britannian forces, losing an arm in the battle.
"Damn Britannia!" Kallen cursed as she ran to the meeting point, where they had the Guren MK II ready for battle.
"Forgive me!" she called, as she met with the cart and the two knightmares who brought it in a secluded area of the floor. "I didn't secure him properly!"
"Don't sweat it!" one pilot called as he moved to undo the cart, to get to the knightmare. "Urabe-san's team is looking for him, as well as Fujiwara-sama personally!" Kallen nodded, reaching for the key, none too unladylike, stuffed down her chest, as she called,
"All right." as the Guren was revealed, and she ran to enter it.
She took a deep breath as the Guren stood, the cover sliding to cover her, as she opened her eyes, determined and ready for battle, once more.
"Rolo, this way!" Lelouch called as he pulled open a door to the back warehouse, still under construction, a large hole in the centre leading straight to the bottom and top of Babel Tower. Lelouch gritted his teeth as Rolo ran past, quickly closing the large iron doors shut tightly, before he fell to his knees before it, gasping to regain his breath.
'What's going on?' he gasped to himself as his mind turned to the knightmare from before. 'That knightmare just now...could it be that it was asking me...' Lelouch caught his breath, disbelieving of the one option that made sense.
"Brother, what are we..." Lelouch closed his eyes for a moment, urging himself to concentrate on getting him and Rolo out of ehre alive.
"Don't worry." he assured his brother as he turned to face him, standing and meeting his eyes as he continued, "We will be able to get away." he closed his eyes for a moment before striding towards him, as he assured once again,
"I'll get us away." Rolo hesitated, before nodding slightly.
"You're right. We're..." Lelouch smiled, nodding. He paused however, as he turned to the upwards right, his eyes widening as he saw a Black Knights sniper, aiming at...
"ROLO!" He cried, sprinting forwards, grabbing Rolo by the shoulders, pushing him away, as he barely managed to dodge the bullet and the second one, beore an explosion behind the sniper took him out. The explosion caused the floor to tremor, Lelouch's eyes widening as he lost his footing, falling into the construction hole as he did.
He heard Rolo release a gasp, reaching for his hand as he fell, Lelouch reaching for his...They were less than a centimeter away, before Lelouch fell to far to reach, staring up at Rolo, who looked terrified, as he fell down the various stories, eyes wide, as Rolo screamed,
"BROTHER!"
"I've lost him!" C.C called over the communications system, Amaya narrowing her eyes as she popped up on screen, Jinx following after a few moments.
"We've lost a sniper, but I got a call from him saying he saw him here-" Jinx quickly sent Amaya a map of the Tower, an area highlighted in red...The area near her.
Amaya nodded, her fists clenching as she called,
"I'll get him!"
He fell for a long time, before gasping as he fell on a construction net, spread across one floor, probably where workers would soon be building. Lelouch groaned as he took a few seconds to catch his breath, failing miserably as he sat up, calling weakly,
"R-Rolo...?" Lleouch glanced upwards completely, his eyes widening as he saw he could not even see Rolo from where he was.
"ROLO!" he called desperately, hoping to hear him call back, to say he was alright. Lelouch cursed as he heard nothing, reaching quickly for his cell phone, his eyes widening in disbelief as he repeated what was written on the screen.
'No signal? What should I do? At this rate, we're...' Lelouch shook his head in denial as he pulled himself onto the building, heading for the stars, towards the floor where he fell from, where Rolo was.
'No, I will save him...' Lelouch clenched his jaw as he cursed himself, 'I should have the power to save my only brother!' Lelouch kept this thought in his head as he continued to climb the stairs, sometimes forced onto his stomach, crawling up them to avoid gunfire,
'I should have that power...'
Lelouch froze as he came to a floor, his eyes widening as he saw what was in it...
Dead bodies. Britannians and Elevens alike, strewn across the floor, nearly 50 of them, including the Black King, obviously the people who had tried to take the stairs...
'It's the work of terrorists...' his hands shook as he continued to stare, frozen as he walked through them, '...But they even killed Elevens!'
Lelouch, half way through, finally could not stand it any longer, and fell to his knees, nearly throwing up, his hand covering his mouth at the sight of blood, pain etched on their faces...Lelouch clenched his eyes shut, opening them again, and something catching his attention, something one of the Bunny girls was clutching in her hand, the picture splattered with blood...
Zero...
"They're still clinging to Zero..." Lelouch whispered, his hands shaking, his eyes anrrowing in anger at the man who caused this...Pausing only at the sight of a Knightmare...
A Royal Blue one.
The one on near every news channel...The Roiyaru Kakumi.
"Is she going to kill me?!" Lelouch whispered out loud to himself, terrified, "What should I do!? I can't run now..."
Lelouch stumbled back further as the door hissed open, a girl standing to meet him, her eyes meeting his instantly. Lelouch felt his breath stop, as the girl stood for a moment.
"Lelouch..." she called, softly, as she jumped from wher she stood, landing swiftly, easily, her black Black Knights uniform swishing as she landed, the sword at her side clicking against her waist as she stood still, her hair, falling freely around her shoulders, nearing her waist swayed with her movements, as she added, gently,
"I've come for you, Lelouch, like I promised..." Lelouch stared at her as he repeated,
"Like...like you've promised...?" She nodded, before adding in the same, gentle tone,
"Yes...I am not your enemy, Lelouch...Britannia is..." Lelouch furrowed his brow in confusion as the girl took a step forward, her eyes seeking answers...familiar eyes...Lelouch frowned in confusion...
Everything about her seemed familiar...Her eyes, her clothes, her knightmare, her sword...It was as though he knew them from somewhere, somewehere other from the news. But even on the news, she always covered her eyes with the mask, it was part of her identity of the Lady of Zero...
So how did he recognize them...?
"Do you know who I am?" the girl asked, her emerald eyes not moving from his, as she stared at him. She stood perfectly still, waiting for him to answer. Lelouch opened his mouth, knowing her, yet not knowing her.
"I…" for the first time in years, he could not find the words. He could not drag his eyes away, entranced. He took a step forward, determined to recall her. "I want to…" he whispered, as she took a step forward.
"Do you know who you are?" she asked softly, still not breaking contact. Lelouch furrowed his brow.
"I am Lelouch…" he said uncertainly, cautiously. "I am…" this was followed by silence.
"You know who you are, Lelouch." she whispered, taking another step towards him, as his eyes widened. "You know this isn't you, you aren't a simple Britannian student. You are so much more, Lelouch…" she took another step forward, as they were less than an inch apart.
"…Who am I?" he whispered, his violet eyes lost in a sea of emerald. She smiled softly.
"Do you want to know?" she whispered so lowly, no one but he could hear her.
"…Yes." he whispered in an equally loud voice. The girl smiled, as he whispered one more thing.
"…Tell me."
And with that, the girl leaned up gently, her lips softly brushing against his, and he welcomed her with open arms.
For a second, he noticed nothing else, nothing but this girl in his embrace…and then…his eyes widened slightly as everything pulsed to the surface.
Nunnally.
Marianne.
Charles.
'I see...The continuous pang, that irritation in everyday life...'
VV.
Black Knights.
Suzaku.
Lancelot.
'They were all just fabricated memories...placed there by him...'
Geass.
Power of the King.
CC.
Jinx.
Q-1.
Amaya.
'I remember now...I...I am...I am...'
ZERO.
Lelouch gazed down at his Lady as she drew away, her emerald eyes meeting his, and a small smile coming upon her features.
"You are no ordinary man…" she whispered, as Lelouch's eyes met hers.
"You are a King among men…you are Lelouch Vi Britannia. You are Zero…" Lelouch's eyes never strayed as she smiled,
"Welcome back…" she whispered, as Lelouch slowly smirked, a hand coming up to his eye holding the burning Geass symbol,
"Lelouch…" Lelouch grinned down at her, cupping her cheek slightly, as he whispered back,
"Good to be back, my Lady..." Amaya smirked up at him, pausing slightly after a moment, her mouth opening in pain. Lelouch furrowed his brow in confusion, as she stumbled into his arms, her lower left back bleeding, as Lelouch fell to his knees, Amaya in his arms.
"H-Hey!" he cried, disbelief flooding his system once again, as Amaya stared up at him, taking deep breaths, trying to say something...
"L...L-Lelouch..." Lelouch followed where the bullet came from, his jaw clenching as he saw that hiding in the darkness, was a Britannian Squad. He glanced down as he saw Amaya reach for her eye, taking the contact off, keeping her eye closed as she ovviously began to heal herself.
Lelouch sat in shock, as they suddenly began using a fire thrower on the descesed bodies surrounding them, screams erupting from within the purple flames.
"STOP IT!" He screamed, still holding Amaya too him as more screams erupted from the flames, "THEY'RE STILL ALIVE!" He was silenced as they sent a spray of bullets into the flames, killing anyone who could have lived.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes as he saw someone stand from his knightmare, obviously the leader of the squad.
"Thank you for your role, Lelouch Lamperouge." Lelouch frowned in confusion as he felt Amaya regain more energy, now fixated on finding out what on earth was going on.
"Role? What are you talking about!?" he gasped, clenching his jaw as the man took out a notebook, smirking as he answered,
"We have been watching you, all this time." he grinned as he grandly opened the book before reciting,
"6:59, wake up. 7:12, watch the news and eat breakfast with brother. No opinion towards the content of the news. 8:45, go to school. Skip homeroom and the first sessionand read a book on the roof. The second session, physics..."
Lelouch stared in shock as he whispered, "That's my scheduale...For today..." Lelouch nearly shook with the confusion thrust upon him within 2 minutes.
'That man must have sent them...to watch me...' he hissed to himself, his eyes narrowing at the memory of him.
"Call it a breeding log. For the bait." Lelouch raised an eyebrow at that.
"Bait?" he repeated in surprise, that completely throwing out his theory on why he was being watched, or at least, adding another part to it. The man grinned as he shrugged,
"Or, you can call it a trap. One to lure out the witch and warlock...C.C and Jinx!" the man shrugged as he sighed,
"We may not have achieved them, but we have captured the Lady of Zero, alive...She was also on the Emperor's wanted list..." Lelouch narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on Amaya as she released a gasp, the healing process nearly complete.
"I won't let you touch her." he declared lowly, the man sneering as he declared,
"I am a Baron. I have no intention with talking with the bait any longer." Lelouch narrowed his eyes as he grinned,
"Now, it's time for the execution. There are no longer any witnesses" At his words, the squad trained their weapons on Lelouch, who glared as he prepared to use his geass. It was then he heard a thundering noise. All eyes turned behind him, as two knightmares burst from the flames.
"Jinx..." Amaya managed to gasp to Lelouch, "And C.C..."
The squad immediatly trained their weapons on the knightmares, as Amaya tugged on his arm. "I'm...alright." she gasped, nodding as Lelouch stood, carrying her with him.
"Are you sure...?" he whispered, as she nodded, while he let her down, replacing her contact lens as she did so.
Lelouch faced the men, as he thought of the day he was captured, Suzaku's words...
'Lelouch. I won't ask for your forgiveness. We are friends, after all, right?'
'Ah...' Lelouch whispered to himself as he felt a smirk appear on his face, as he thought on his friend...'So that's your answer, Suzaku?'
Lelouch paused as he was pulled back into the world he was in now, Amaya just behind him, Jinx and C.C further back, in knightmares, the Baron giving a yell of orders to capture them. They were all surrounded by mesmerizing, purple flames...
"Like a phoenix..." Amaya whispered in his ear from behind, a smirk on her own face, "You are reborn in the flames, Lelouch...'
Lelouch chuckled slightly as he took a step forward.
"Before you kill me, answer my question." he announced, a cold softness to Baron's eyes widened as he saw Amaya, apparently healthy.
"That girl...We shot her!" he gasped, "How is she still standing?!" Lelouch ignored him, as did Amaya, as she took a few steps back, giving Lelouch his space to do what he would.
"If powerlessness is a sin, then is power justice?" he asked them, his fists clenching as he moved towards them, his hair covering his eye momentarily.
"Is revenge a sin? Is friendship enough for justice?" he demanded of them, his Geass eye glowing like the flames, as the Baron snidely remarked,
"There is nethier sin, nor justice." he grinned as he added, "All that you will know, bait, is the truth of death." Lelouch felt his smirk pull again as he responded, still moving forward,
"I see. Then, you shall leave behind the truth." he observed, knowing they would eradicate all evidence of the murders here. They all stood, not moving.
"Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you," he began, throwing his left hand out before him, then up to the side of his face, "All of you..." his eyes narrowed as he threw his hand straight to his side as he ordered, his geass activating,
"Die!"
The Baron gasped as the purple rings appeared on his eyes, as well as all of his subordinates. There was a slight pause, before all the soldiers took a marching step forward, all answering,
"Yes, Your Highness!" before all shooting eachother, followed by the Baron, who shot himself in the head, an eery smile on his face.
Lelouch watched with a cool smile, as the ringing of bullets echoed around him, as they all fell with a thump to the floor.
'From that day on, I was never satisfied in my heart...' he whispered to himself as C.C and Jinx both left their knightmares, he heard the distant exclaim of Jinx echo to him,
"It worked, I see." as Lelouch continued his thought.
'That fabricated, normal life didn't make sense. The time that slipped by...' He didn't note Amaya stand neart him, as he took in the scene of burning bodies being engulfed by the flames. 'A life of a sheep implanted with other memories...However, the truth constantly beckoned me...'
Lelouch narrowed his eyes slightly, his nfists tightining as Amaya stood right behind him.
'I was not the one who was wrong! The world was!'
"The world will change...It can be changed..." he whispered as the Guren and another Knightmare fell through, before him, Lelouch not moving as he smiled to himself.
"We've been waiting for you, Zero." one of the frames began, Lelouch recognized it as Urabe. Amaya nodded as she added, softly,
"Yes...We have been awaiting your return..." her eyes met his, as she smirked, "Will you issue us our orders?"
Lelouch felt a smirk spread across his face, as he answered,
"I shall...." He smirked as he rose his right hand before him, before swishing it to the side of his face.
'Indeed...As Amaya said...I am a King among men...'
"For I, am Zero!" he swished his hand out, his hands looking as though they were about to clench as he added,
"The man who destroys worlds, the man who creates them!"
Suzaku bowed deeply before the Emperor of Britannia, declaring loudly as he rose,
"Yes, Your Majesty." in acceptance of his order. On his right, stood the Knight of Two and Three, to his left, the Knight of Six. They all stood silent as he, the Knight of Seven announced for the Emperor to hear,
"I have no intention of relinquishing this to anyone else." Suzaku narrowed his eyes slightly as he announced, nearly coldly,
"I will be the one who kills Zero."
Yes, this went like the canon, but i loved the speech lelouch gives at the end and didn't want to lose that! There are one or two changes (see if u can spot the sneaky sneaky large change)
oh, and to avoid questions in the reviews, remember, nunnally got rid of her geass by will, and Amaya is s geass bearer, so it would have helped a little. Lelouch was very determined to know who he was, and Jinx told Amaya, in case she saw him, how to 'break' the geass on him, or at least try, cause hers doesn't work on healing geasses. It is complicated, but it kinda works...
In my strange head at least!
nyways, enjoy the story and stay tuned for more!!!