Broken Valkyrie's Ascent

[Sonata]

Well... Because the knights know somewhat who zero is, the need to do the suicide mission for the jlf was not really needed as moral is high, because 3 of the 4 swords died Todoh is not as strong as canon, but Lelouch dodged a bullet because that annoying woman in the swords died before she fucked everything and more importantly Shirley's dad is not dead, unless fanon is right and he was part of Project C, Cornelia will murder him herself.

 

[Akuma-Heika]

"Tohdoh and one of his students, a Shogo Asahina."

Click to shrink...

Bit of an "ugh" moment for me. Would have preferred any of the other Seiken to Asahina

but Lelouch dodged a bullet because that annoying woman in the swords died before she fucked everything and more importantly Shirley's dad is not dead, unless fanon is right and he was part of Project C,

Click to shrink...

Chiba wasn't the issue for the betrayal, Asahina was (she was the one who acted on his info though, after he died), which is why I am ughing (with the circumstances, the bullet might still be avoided, unless he learns of Geass and thinks Lulu mincontrolled his precious Toudou -_-)

IIRC, her father being involved was revealed in one of the LN

 

[Naron]

Unrest circulated among their group as they walked through unmarked corridors. With how much they already walked, chances were good that their guides purposefully led them in circles first.

The only ones who projected calm were Tohdoh and Zero.

It was January 4th, the day they were to meet with a representative from Kyoto House. Zero's inner circle and the newly recruited Tohdoh were picked up via car in a remote location; even the approach itself was secretive more than anything else. Their ride bore tinted windows to prevent them from looking outside. They could feel the ascent through a number of underground tunnels earlier, but no more.

"Is this normal?" Kallen asked hesitantly, straightening up when Tohdoh's gaze found her. "Uh, sir?"

The oldest member of their group inclined his head calmly. "General Katase had special circumstances due to his many years of service to Japan, but yes. I was here twice before and had to go through this both times. It's for their and our safety; we can't reveal anything we don't know."

Their guides did not comment. Tohdoh himself failed to notice a number of looks going to Zero over his stoic explanation. The other members clearly remembered the masked man's argument for not showing his face.

Zero himself was silent. He had been since they met up, though he did not seem nervous at all.

Unfortunately, nobody had a chance to ask him anything at this point. They arrived in a larger room, partly occupied by two Burai-type Knightmare Frames. The mere sight of the machines made them shudder, weapons pointed down but ready to move at the slightest provocation.

The Knightmares flanked a small area blocked from view with a curtain. A half dozen regular guards were spread along and between them, completing the protection detail. Some noticed a floral scent in the air.

"This... is new," Tohdoh admitted quietly, just before they came to a stop. The doors closed behind them.

A pregnant pause followed as whoever the curtain hid drew out the silence. None of the visitors dared break it.

Then a voice sounded, clearly female. Deep, mature, and strong: "Be welcome to step before the Six Houses of Kyoto, Zero and the Order of Black Knights. We appreciate that you could follow our invitation on such short notice."

Zero inclined his head in response. Tohdoh imitated the motion with a little frown. The rest was primarily nervous, though Minami had to elbow Inoue to stop her from swooning. The blunette quickly got her head back in the game afterward.

"Seeing the esteemed Tohdoh-sama among your number makes it clear you are already aware of current events," the unknown woman continued. "No explanations are needed, only a question to be asked: what is your goal? Speaking of justice is well and good, but the Six Houses can not spend their ultimately limited resources on mere vigilante work."

She spoke at length, but the actual demand was unsaid. Nobody needed spelling it out: 'Convince us to fund you.'

Several people bristled in response. They had grown fond of their work by now, even those who were skeptical at first. Tamaki opened his mouth, barely stopped by an elbow from Ohgi.

Now it was Zero who drew out the silence, standing with his back straight and unrelenting. When he spoke however, there was something almost playful to his tone that confused his allies.

"Just like a bonsai must be pruned on the regular, the Japanese have their own weeds that need tending. Driving off Britannia is a final goal, yet achieving it means nothing if only a rotten society remains."

A short pause was left for effect, allowing everyone to digest this rhetoric. Ohgi frowned, well aware Zero normally did not talk in metaphors like those. Zero himself paid them no mind.

"Moreover, my designation of targets served as an effective recruitment strategy. Terror tactics may have their use, but only those who forgot that there are innocent people on the other side will back them."

Hearing him speak so casually about the ideology he himself propped up made mainly Kallen's and Tamaki's hackles rise. They frowned, but neither spoke up; Zero briefed them that they were selling something here, not making a moral argument. Meanwhile, Ohgi was looking more at Zero than trying to catch a glimpse of the elusive lady; there was an unfamiliar accent to his voice, too.

"Well spoken," the other side praised. "Kyoto House understands the importance of being certain whom we fight for, though concessions will be necessary to earn our backing. Tangible steps must be taken to challenge Britannia from here on out."

Zero nodded without hesitation. "The esteemed Kyoto House's support will enable us to proceed onto that stage."

"I am glad that you share our vision in this regard."

Nobody was surprised by this development, either. Zero covered it as a distinct possibility in the briefing. They had to face Britannia eventually either way.

Then however, Zero spoke up again: "But that is not all, now is it?"

Some of the guards twitched at the breach of etiquette. Others began to notice the hint of a teasing lilt to Zero's voice as well; this was not like him. Unlike Ohgi however, they put it on a case of nerves.

Silence hung heavy for a time, a rebuke for speaking out of turn. When the mystery woman answered however, her tone was even.

"You are correct. Kyoto House desires proof of your genuine feelings toward Japan and the Japanese. A commitment, so to speak; we worry that a man who hides his face may vanish amidst the crowd as swiftly as he appeared from it. As such we wish for Zero to lower his mask, so that we may know his identity."

Despite the even tone, her voice itself was weaker. Only Sugiyama noticed the difference, but could not tell why. Either she was thrown off by Zero's interjection after all, or she disagreed with the demand she made.

While his companions began getting agitated, Ohgi took a step forward without hesitation. He clasped one hand to his chest, calling out across the room: "Please hear me out! I've already seen Zero's face and I can assure you he only has the best of intentions!"

There was still a bit of uncertainty in his heart, but he pushed it away. Ohgi decided to trust, so trust he would. The others firmed up with his words, forming a front of unity around their leader.

Alas, the lady was unimpressed with their conviction.

"Unfortunately, we can not afford to gamble significant amounts of resources on blind faith. Please lower your mask, Zero."

Zero himself stood still and silent, as if deep in thought. Ohgi held his tongue as well, no matter how much he wanted to keep arguing. He already took a risk calling out the first time; insisting now would just mark him as having no manners at all. Inoue and Minami kept a tight leash on Tamaki also, who looked upset enough to start shouting.

In the end, Zero pressed a hand to his hip. "How about a little trade, Messenger-san?" he offered with audible amusement. "It's awfully one-sided to demand my identity without revealing your own."

This time the guards bristled. Several people gaped at Zero on both sides.

Sugiyama, Inoue, and Kallen were plain dumbfounded by how ballsy he acted. Ohgi and Yoshida both knew this was not something Zero would ever say. Especially not in a high-stakes situation like this.

And somehow, the person on the other side knew it too.

"...you are not Zero at all, are you?"

In response to her query, a gloved hand came up to pull off the mask. A wave of green hair spilled out back, adding a splotch of colour to the dark clothes. They already expected not seeing the man in question, but nobody was ready to find a woman beneath the mask.

Tamaki leaned over to Ohgi in the silence, dumbfounded. "That's not, y'know, Zero? Right?" he asked, pointing. Ohgi could only shake his head.

The woman herself wore a confident smirk, not even paying any mind to the Black Knights. "You may call me a collaborator," she offered, then her faint grin grew into a proper smirk. "Sumeragi Kaguya-chan."

Her words sent a jolt through both sides. The Black Knights, to a one, exclaimed in surprise; they knew the name Sumeragi, a family of traitors who sold Japan to maintain their power after the subjugation. The guards, on the other hand, were plain shocked.

"They know the young lady's identity!" one shouted, waving to the rest. "They can't leave alive!"

"How droll," the green-haired woman bantered back, mercilessly abusing the moment of lingering shock. "So you wish to depose of Tohdoh as well? Slay your peoples' hope for freedom personally?"

She motioned grandly to the stone-faced man standing right with them. It was even true, not just a setup or a trick. Everyone knew so.

The guards hesitated, which made the yet unintroduced woman grin wolfishly. She cocked her hips properly, finally revealing a bit of her figure that the cloak helped hide so far. Tamaki's soft "Damn" echoed in the silence, making the man himself wince.

"Lower your arms," Kaguya spoke at last, sounding somewhat tired of all things now. "In some sense I expected this outcome already. Excuse me."

The curtain shifted to reveal a young woman. She took slow, dignified steps forward in her white kimono, red floral prints the only actual colour on her beside her luscious, raven hair. Her expression was carefully schooled as she took in the Black Knights.

Kaguya's gaze rested on the dumbfounded Kallen for just a moment. The redhead scowled even now, which finally explained why she had been quietly hostile from the moment they met. Everyone beside the false Zero seemed primarily confused, excepting Tohdoh. He was the one other person Kaguya knew.

Her traversal was made in silence, only disrupted by the click-clack of her geta, traditional wooden sandals, on the floor. The woman that stood where Lelouch should be was taller than her, but not significantly so. Yet it still felt like she towered over Kaguya, an almost aggravating smirk in place.

Kaguya addressed her first, offering a faint bow. The lady returned it only to the extent she needed not to cause offense. Kaguya was fairly certain that she did it on purpose, well aware they were in a deadlock unless an agreement was reached.

"You have me at a disadvantage, miss," she began in an attempt at being friendly. "May I have your name?"

The older woman crossed both arms behind her back, seeming unconcerned with her situation. "I am known as C.C.," she introduced herself, which prompted several confused or irritated looks. They went ignored. "How curious that it is you here and not the venerable Kirihara, that boy was certain he would be the one."

Neither of them paid attention to the Black Knights behind C.C.; they shuffled around, hard pressed not to start whispering with each other. Kaguya had to stop herself from grimacing at the casual power play; they knew two of their identities. This established a clear pattern now. If anyone leaked this knowledge, then the Six Houses of Kyoto were done for.

Yet C.C. was right earlier: they could not afford to lose Tohdoh, not to mention the Black Knights. Kaguya had to salvage this somehow, although her worries were not that great yet. She had her own bargaining chips, it only took the right moment to play them. For now she had to make the best of this, as always.

"Kirihara-san came down with an illness over the new year and has yet to finish his recovery," she explained to keep the conversation going. "It was decided that he should not be our representative for this meeting for his health's sake."

C.C. listened curiously and without interruption. By the end however, she looked like she was laughing internally. "Foiled by chance, how typical. Yet they sent a child to greet us?"

Kaguya's smile froze on her face. Even if it was a fair question to ask, she still took offense and had to stop herself from reacting. That was what C.C. wanted.

"How dare you speak that way of Sumeragi-sama!" one of her guards shouted, aiming his gun again. "Show some respect to her, you dirty foreigner!"

C.C. did not even acknowledge the byplay, nor the weapon pointed her way. Her sharp, amber eyes rested solely on Kaguya, who smoothed out her expression.

"Age does not pre-empt ability, C.C.-san," she answered curtly, trying and failing to radiate disapproval like she saw her elders do. It had no effect on the older woman.

"Yet time is a defining factor in learning and improving your skills, girl. Or am I misremembering that the Japanese offer great respect to their elders?"

She was correct in a sense, yet the entire subject matter felt demeaning. Kaguya started to wonder how Lelouch could bear that woman's presence at all; she resolved to ask at the next opportunity. Then she nodded gently, still in a bid to portray the picture of grace.

"You are correct, of course. We can learn a great many things from heeding the words of our elders."

Then, just to be petty, she up and turned away from C.C.. The older woman's grin grew more pronounced, she could see it from the corner of her eye while approaching Tohdoh. It annoyed Kaguya, but she swallowed the feeling under the seasoned warrior's eyes.

Tohdoh watched her impassively until Kaguya offered a deeper, more respectful bow. "It has been a long time since last we met, Tohdoh-san. Please accept my condolences on the loss of General Katase."

He bowed back a little stiffly, as if unused to it. A flicker of pain ran across his expression, gone so fast she may have imagined it.

"I am just glad to see you alive and well, Sumeragi-san. You have turned from a little girl into a proper young woman."

Her smile grew a little more honest over the praise. It was kind of him to take her side in this debacle, where he could easily have stayed out of it.

She nodded, then offered a polite bow toward the rest of the group. "And as you all just heard, I am Sumeragi Kaguya. Despite the circumstances, it is a pleasure to meet you all."

A smattering of dumbfounded responses followed, though the outright glares were gone. Kallen just floundered, half pointing at her without getting words out until Ohgi elbowed her. Kaguya knew she should not be so pleased about getting one over the older girl, but she allowed herself at least that much.

With no real responses forthcoming, she eventually had to acknowledge C.C. again. There was another question on her mind that she doubted anyone else could answer.

"Now where is Zero exactly? I can not conceive of him not being nearby."

C.C.'s grin grew in response, then surprised shouts came from the guards. Kaguya turned around to see what the ruckus was about, only to spot another Zero calmly descending from the right Burai via zipline.

This opened so many questions. Was he in there the whole time? How did he even get there without anyone noticing?

Kaguya was a little frightened by the casual ease with which their security was circumvented. Zero himself did not seem to care for it, nor for the guns pointed at him now. Much like C.C., he paid them no mind.

Kaguya only needed a moment to realise why: just like he was right between her people, she stood right between his. The Black Knights may not hesitate to shoot her anyway; and if not them, then C.C. might.

"Weapons down!" she called, trying for calm while well aware they scraped by disaster by a hair's breadth. Some urgency still bled into her voice, but she hoped nobody noticed. Going by C.C.'s little wink, at least she did. Perhaps she even knew what Kaguya thought.

The guards thankfully did as told, although they seemed both confused and unhappy at this point. Zero paid them no further mind as he approached them. Unlike his double, he properly returned the bow Kaguya gave. Then he offered his hand to shake, which she accepted in turn. It was more of a Britannian gesture, but she was not surprised.

"May I presume you are indeed Zero and not another double, sir?" she asked a little sardonically. "Is the real one perhaps hiding in the other Burai?"

Some muffled snorts from the Black Knights told her that the attempt at levity worked. Tension lowered a little, then a little more when Zero simply shook his head.

"Doing such a thing would be needlessly convoluted and serve no greater purpose, Sumeragi-san. My point has already been made."

She nodded in perfect agreement. Now that the games were over, she had to consider how to play this conversation.

"Yet you revealed my identity without giving yours," she prodded, aware it would be futile.

"Well yeah," Kallen heckled, "but he figured it out on his own!"

The redhead immediately had her mouth covered by the other Japanese woman in her group.

Neither Kaguya nor Zero acknowledged the interruption, staring at each other. Kaguya knew that Zero knew that she knew who he was. Just like he or C.C. deduced her identity via civilian dealings, she knew who dwelled beneath that mask from other sources. But if she said that now, people would get suspicious. At least Kallen could link her to Nunnally, and from there to Lelouch.

Then again, Lelouch and C.C. brought her in serious hot water with the other heads. They put a dent in her reputation as well, which almost demanded some form of retaliation.

Hence why Kaguya offered a serene smile. "And I have a good guess who you are, now that I could verify a few things," she revealed.

Just like that, the squabbling Black Knights became very quiet all of a sudden. Kaguya could not discern anything from Zero's mask, but she knew anyway that all attention lay on her. The verification was a lie and Lelouch knew it, but they had to keep up appearances.

"Knowing what I know," Kaguya continued, "there is really only one person it could be. But the consequences for you will be dire if I carelessly reveal my knowledge."

Zero was silent. He knew where she was going, yet waited for Kaguya to make her point. She almost let a satisfied grin slip through over putting him on the backfoot for once.

"It was decided by consensus to demand your identity in exchange for our support," she explained. "You made your point that mutual trust is imperative for cooperation to be fruitful. You know who I am, and I know who you are now."

In another life, Kaguya may have tried to get with Zero. A mysterious, masked hero fighting for justices ticked off a lot of boxes for her. This would be the perfect opportunity to make such a move, even. But while she could appreciate Lelouch being handsome, her heart simply did not really flutter when thinking of him. So Kaguya refrained.

"And for as long as my secret is kept, so will yours be," she ended. A meaningful glance went to the Black Knights, of which Kallen's eyes in particular narrowed. The redhead bristled under the assumption that she would make a fuss of Zero's identity; Kaguya knew for a fact that she would.

Zero himself gave no physical reaction to her implicit threat. He understood as well that they reached an agreement. "Of course," he agreed. "Not a soul outside of this room will learn that you are a member of Kyoto House."

Some nods followed from the people around them. She absently noticed that Tohdoh failed to hide a faint smile. In truth, Kaguya smiled as well; it had been mere politeness before, but now she felt a trace of genuine emotion slip into it.

Pulling her hands from her sleeves, she clapped them together to express herself as much as she was allowed. "Wonderful. Now allow me to show you what our support will entail."

She could tell she won the rest of them over as soon as another Burai and a quartet of power armour sets were rolled in.

The Black Knights were jubilant by the time they left. The sheer amount of material Kyoto House was willing to give them blew the group away. They had not even seen Kaguya's personal present, nor did Zero know of it. It was a surprise. Kaguya bemoaned only that she could not see their faces when Guren showed up at their doorstep; after all the convincing she had to do with the other heads, she wanted to see those reactions.

In Kaguya's eyes, Guren was Japan's response to the elusive white Knightmare.

Rakshata finished the final tests on her creation at the moment. Kaguya sat with Kirihara in the meantime, recounting the meeting for her mentor. He was wrapped in a soft bathrobe, sipping tea and listening attentively. The occasional cough made it clear that he was still ill.

By the time she finished, he wore an indulgent smile and bore a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "And you're unwilling to tell any of us who he is?" he prodded, to which Kaguya nodded.

"I had to ensure our own security, so I must honour my word even where the heads are concerned. If he could figure out two of us, he definitely knows the rest."

The elder offered a severe nod, their conclusions one and the same. "Indeed. The connection is not difficult to make once you know at least two. One could be a coincidence, but even that would draw suspicion."

Kaguya thought much the same thing. Yet even after all the rhetoric and agreement, she felt bad having to keep secrets from Kirihara.

"I wish I could tell you, grandfather."

He just huffed in response, then offered his empty mug for her to refill. "You have become more secretive the last few months, Kaguya-chan."

She stilled in surprise, the lack of motion somewhat hidden by the fact she still poured. He probably noticed, but said nothing of it. A soft chuckle came out of his throat, cut off by another cough.

"I imagine it's normal for a young woman to have her own private interests, so I will not pry too much. Just remember that our loyalty must be to Japan first and anybody else second," he reminded her gently.

Despite his acceptance, this only made Kaguya feel even worse. She never thought she would keep so much from her mentor of all people, especially something so important. She was tempted to tell him anyway for a tantalising moment.

"I know, grandfather. Do not worry."

But she swallowed those words. She could not tell him. In fact, she could not even say whether worries about her allegiance were justified or not; being with Nunnally, enjoying life just a little bit, made Kaguya wonder. Her resolve felt less sturdy of late. A nagging voice sounded in the back of her head, asking to live a little. She had duties to fulfill, there was no time to play civilian. Yet she did it anyway, with little thought for anything else.

Kirihara drank in silence while she pondered, then stood slowly. "I think I will head back to bed for now. Thank you for apprising me in person, Kaguya-chan."

He left a pause to look down at her with a little grin. Then he poked Kaguya's forehead, earning a surprised eep.

"And please stop overthinking."

The admonishment floored Kaguya once more. She stared up at him, having lost any idea of whether he actually knew more than he let on. Sometimes it felt like he knew every thought going through her head, but then he said things like these. Either he did not know, or he accepted her feelings anyway.

At the end of the day, she simply did not know what to do. She needed advice. So Kaguya hesitantly called after him.

"Grandfather? Is it bad to take a little more time to myself?"

The question gave Kirihara pause. He did not turn back, expression unseen. A thoughtful noise came from him while Kaguya fidgeted awkwardly in her seat.

When he spoke, it was slow and measured. Controlled, even.

"Take as much time to yourself as you need. I rather have you slack off and be a child on occasion than have you die from overwork."

She missed the gravity to his words; all tension snapped from her body in their wake, leaving only relief behind. Kaguya wiped a tear from her eye and smiled brightly, not that he saw it. Her mentor coughed again and kept on walking.

Kaguya in turn got up, cleared the table, and took off those geta so she could walk a little faster to her office suite. She wanted to call Nunnally and hear her friend's voice for a bit.

 

[Sonata]

Yeahhhhh, they are "Friends" and the lancelot is equipped with an ejection seat.

 

[Naron]

"Just look at this sick design!" Tamaki cheered. His mood was infectious at the moment.

Kallen sat in the cockpit of their newest Knightmare, grinning over how her friends acted like little kids on Christmas. The comparison fit far too well, seeing how Kyoto never told them this special machine was coming with everything else.

Then again, she felt much the same as the guys and Inoue. With the Burai and the power armour having arrived earlier, they got to field test all of this tonight. What was more, Kallen got to pilot Guren! Zero gave it to her of all people!

Even just a few hours of preparation were enough for her to get the controls down pat; Guren was a wonderful piece of technology and she read through the manual in record time. Not that she really needed it, anyone who knew a Knightmare Frame could pilot this one, too. It was streamlined to be incredibly user-friendly.

Thinking of that, Kallen glanced outside where the Tohdoh checked over his own machine. It was still a bit of a shock to work with a living legend; she barely managed not to make an idiot of herself when they were introduced. More importantly, Zero still picked Kallen to use Guren instead of him. It was an honour she would live up to, no matter what!

For his part, Tohdoh would take overall command of the Black Knight's new Knightmare squadron. All but him, his student Asahina, and Kallen were new pilots; yet having Knightmare Frames in the first place was a game changer. They all knew it, too.

Kallen watched on as others walked around their staging ground. She got a decent feel for the armour surrounding her frame, sleek and shiny. It was unlike her old patchwork Glasgow. The machine would probably be cannibalised for parts now.

While the pilots all readied up, their ground team finished donning the power armour as well. Zero was with them, bearing a modified helmet that resembled his mask.

It was a nice upside, Kallen figured: these armours meant nobody needed to wear another mask. Her mind whirled with the possibilities of what they could do with all this stuff, even though she knew she barely scratched the surface.

"Everyone is suited up," Zero declared, his voice cutting through her musings. "Get ready."

A number of affirmatives came. Kallen's mind emptied itself of anything but the mission, a low growl in her throat at the thought of hitting more Refrain dealers. They cropped up after the last batch got beaten down, but there were less and less of them by now. Maybe those would be the last.

With everyone ready, Tohdoh's voice sounded over the comms: "You have your routes and objectives. Move."

Several dozen people in power armour split off from them, Zero in the lead. Kallen and the other Knightmares followed Tohdoh out of the warehouse they picked.

They raced down the road and into the abandoned factory thir targets holed up in. It took all of two minutes to arrive, not quiet but far too fast for anyone to respond. It was too late by the time their landspinners became audible.

Kallen's brand new factspheres revealed the entire area as if it was day; she could easily spot the patrolling guards. Leaning forward, her expression tightened; at first Kallen was hesitant at their gruesome work, but she got used to it by now.

Guren was first on the perimeter, an errant swipe of her claw reducing a nearby guard to bloody chunks. The others followed, high calibres at the ready.

Tohdoh's voice sounded again for the rookies: "Remember, small arms only unless Knight Police is present."

Others acknowledged the order verbally, but Kallen only nodded. The big guns were not worth using on people, they had SMGs for that. Maybe she ought to feel horrified about reducing people to bullet-riddled corpses, but Kallen stopped doing that a while ago. Bastards like them tried to profit from her peoples' suffering, so they all had it coming.

She quickly broke off from the cleanup, aiming for where they knew the drugs were stored. Before she reached the main storage however, Asahina shouted over general comms.

"Contact! Above us!"

Just a moment later, a Gloucester hit the ground right in front of Kallen. She reared back in surprise at the purple machine, its golden lance shining in the sudden floodlights.

The Gloucester did not attack her, though. More Britannian Knightmares followed, but no immediate violence came. Everyone just... stared at each other for a moment.

And in the odd silence, Kallen realised with a start that the machine before her had a magnificent cape attached to its shoulders. She knew what that meant and almost hammered the comms button.

"I have Cornelia right in front of me!" she shouted into her mic, too dumbfounded to quiet down.

Kallen barely finished when the imperial princess shook off her confusion. A lance was raised in challenge, making Kallen bear her teeth.

"Engaging!"

"Fall back, Q-1," Tohdoh ordered calmly.

She grit her teeth at that, but did as told and reverted. It let her barely avoid a stab, though Guren could have dodged it anyway. The Gloucester pursued, but Tohdoh himself appeared by her side with his chainblade drawn.

"Support the rookies and watch for the white one," he ordered while engaging.

"Got it."

Kallen fell further back as the two began to duel. Britannian soldiers rushed into the area, though they wisely stayed away from the battling Knightmares. She was tempted to make a sweep for them, but she had bigger problems. Cornelia's elite forces ran circles around her own pilots.

So she threw herself at another Gloucester before it could impale a Burai, pushing the lance off-course. Bloodstained steel glinted in the floodlights as she grasped the machine's cockpit, only for it to evade. The Burai she just saved rammed into it however, forcing their enemy back into Kallen's reach.

Grinning, the redhead pressed her new favourite button. Guren's claw slammed shut, then her radiation wave emitter fried the whole enemy machine in seconds.

Return fire forced her to circle around, using the bulging Gloucester as a shield. Asahina already engaged that group by then. Kallen let go of her own victim, already aiming for another before the machine even exploded. The way the friendlies on her radar winked out one by one made her grit her teeth in frustration.

Before she could do anything about it however, she spotted him. He came right at her.

"White one confirmed," Kallen reported dutifully. "Engaging."

She got no response. Whoever remained on the line was too busy fighting.

It felt like both of them knew exactly where they were going. Kallen grinned at the thought of finally bringing this pilot down, whoever they were.

Unfortunately, KMF Lancelot quickly dashed any hope she had for a swift victory. Slash Harkens were parried on both sides, superheated sword met knife, and his experimental rifle was dodged at such close range. He never stayed in reach long enough for Kallen to grab him.

They almost danced across the factory grounds, a whirlwind of white and crimson. Evenly matched at every opportunity, they slowly wore each other down. Kallen lost her knife along the way, but blew up his swords in turn when he slipped up. Her heart thundered, her blood sang.

Separating from her opponent again, Kallen found a rocket coming her way. A quintet of Gloucesters followed in its wake.

She ducked under the projectile and continued to retreat; reinforcements were too much for her right now, much as she hated to admit it.

Then, thankfully, Zero's voice sounded: "Mission accomplished, retreat according to escape plan C."

The little glimpse she could spare while weaving around showed her a lot of dead Britannian soldiers. The power-armoured squad vanished into the night.

Tohdoh and Asahina retreated, banged up as they were. They raced out of the area with Britannian machines nipping on their heels, wrecked Burais littering the ground. Kallen made to leave as well under the cover of an exploding factory.

Despite that little distraction, it took her the better part of an hour to shake her pursuers in the dilapidated streets. She kept following the route Zero laid out, eventually rendezvouing with a truck to park Guren in.

Only when her machine powered down did Kallen have time to think. Her head throbbed, the leftover adrenaline still keeping her heart pumping.

This went about as wrong as it could have. Was this a setup? A trap by Cornelia? Would an imperial princess work with Refrain dealers?

Or maybe she just kept observing them, knowing the Black Knights would show up eventually?

Kallen tapped her controls without pushing any buttons for a time. In the end she reached for a damp cloth to wipe the sweat off her forehead again. She could not make heads or tails of this after all.

By the time she disembarked, her ride was loading up Asahina's Burai Kai. Tohdoh's protegé joined her on the ground soon after, offering a water bottle. Kallen thanked him tiredly and took a drink, then handed it back.

Asahina just grinned in turn, displaying an amount of energy that confused her.

"How are you still so chipper, Asahina-san? I'm pooped."

"Comes with the training," he returned playfully. "I just went through boot camp when the invasion happened. Never stopped keeping in shape."

The way he said it was innocuous, but Kallen's tired mind went to imagining his sculpted abs in an instant. She shook off the thought with a faint flush, thankfully hidden by the half-dark. Then she played over her little lapse with a nod.

"Makes sense. Do you have any insight on why Cornelia was there?"

The non-sequitur gave him pause. It was an important question that Kallen did want answered, especially after failing to figure it out herself.

Asahina frowned somewhat, pushing up his glasses in thought. "Looking back, it almost seems like her forces were surprised to see ours," he reasoned. "They didn't expect Knightmares, else they wouldn't have brought so much infantry. We were outnumbering her Knightmares at the start, too; if everyone but us and Tohdoh-san hadn't been rookies, we could've beaten her troops in a straight fight."

He had a point there, though the other implication made Kallen frown in turn. "You think we couldn't do that normally?"

She earned a sour look for that, followed by a sharp gesture into the nondescript distance. "The JLF was slaughtered almost to a man, Kozuki. So no, we really couldn't."

Kallen winced at the reminder, bowing her head in shame. She already forgot that bit over the recent excitement.

"I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me."

"It's fine," he muttered, waving her off with a little sigh. "You just have to make sure not to forget that we're the weaker side here. This doesn't change even with Kyoto House's support and Zero in charge. Tohdoh-san agrees too, the only reason Britannia hasn't brought down the hammer sooner is that they're active in various theatres across the world. They're too big for us to face head-on."

After saying that, he glanced at her with a more discerning look. Kallen knew, just knew the next words he would say.

"I thought you would know that better than most."

The somewhat relaxed air between them turned frosty. Kallen scowled back at Asahina, not at all mollified by his matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm not responsible for being born half," she hissed.

He met her ire without flinching. Not a word was spoken. But Kallen could tell that he judged her in that silence. Just like so many others did over the years. As if she somehow had a choice. As if she were less for how she was born.

Their staring contest was interrupted before either of them gave. The truck stopped, their driver calling back that they reached home base.

Kallen was somewhat awake again by this point. She threw Asahina one last, scathing look and stood to walk away. She gave her hips a deliberate sway, but carefully did not look to check if he was watching. Let him see who he just lost all chances with.

Regardless, Asahina followed out a minute later. His expression remained blank and calm. Kallen ignored him as they emerged into a decently sized garage. From there they walked out onto the sidewalk, for HQ to drive by and pick them up soon after.

Kallen only relaxed again when the familiar seating area came into view. Zero already settled in his usual spot, looking over some notes. Tohdoh and Ohgi made it back before them, too.

For some reason however, Ohgi's hands were shaking as he looked through a small stack of papers. Kallen almost took it as nothing, but then she noticed that her friend's eyes quivered with unshed tears.

Kallen quickly took the seat next to him. "Did something happen?" she asked, startling the older man. He almost dropped his work, head snapping up.

Upon seeing her, Ohgi smiled.

"Kallen! You're alright!"

He then leaned over and hugged her tight. Kallen all but melted into the embrace, she needed it after the night she had. Nobody else commented, though she did not care what they may think either.

When they separated, Ohgi settled back down and Kallen took her own seat between him and Zero. She waited expectantly for a moment, but Ohgi did not speak yet. It was Zero who actually fielded her question.

"Inoue and Yoshida are among the casualties," he explained. The words were delivered calmly, but they stole the breath from Kallen's lungs. Everything suddenly turned on its head.

"N-No way, what happened?"

Now she had troubles not to burst into tears, either. It was like a punch to the gut, but on the inside. Yoshida was a cool guy, Inoue one of her female role models. She could not believe they were gone, yet Tohdoh said nothing to the contrary. Ohgi cringed, rubbing his eyes much like she did.

Zero's face turned her way properly now. He kept talking to her with that same, somewhat soothing calm: "Inoue was engaged by the white Knightmare before he changed course for you. Her pod got shot down after she ejected. Yoshida fought back two Gloucesters trying to outflank my ground forces on the way out."

"A gem in the rough, that one," Tohdoh supplied quietly. Zero nodded his agreement.

Kallen tried hard not to break into tears as reality slowly settled in. The absence of everyone else suddenly filled her with dread.

"What about the others?"

"Still en route," Zero calmed her. "They made it out fine."

Then Tohdoh chimed in, his voice firmer yet somehow gentle in the same breath: "It's in part because of you that so many made it out, Kozuki."

Kallen's head snapped to him, where she received a small nod of acknowledgement. "Most of the Britannian forces in pursuit focussed on you after that showing against the white Knightmare," Tohdoh explained. "Good work."

"T-Thanks."

Any other time, Kallen would be jubilant to be praised by a living legend. Right now, she had trouble being happy at all. She was clearly not good enough.

So Kallen began to brood. Nobody asked her to help with any paperwork, which she was grateful for. Even the revelation that they inflicted some decent losses on Cornelia's forces did not lift her mood; nor did it help any of the others as they trickled in alone or in pairs.

Far away from them, Nunnally was also unhappy with the situation as a whole.

Unlike those who fought that night, she could look at the situation with some detachment. Rather than any particular loss, she bemoaned the Black Knights' awful luck.

Cornelia was not there for them, no. According to Gottwald's report from the following day, she somehow managed to schedule her own raid for those Refrain dealers at the same time and date as the Black Knights.

If nothing else, this encounter shook up Cornelia's forces as well. Tohdoh was a match for her, at least until her knight of honour, sir Guilford, reinforced her. Kallen matched the Lancelot blow for blow, too. And that was after apparently taking out a Britannian ace, someone from a unit called Glaston Knights.

Moreover, their power armour let the Black Knights trample all over the Britannian infantry; they did not have a single casualty. Nunnally still had some choice words with Lelouch for leading from the front while outnumbered three to one, though. It did not have much of an effect, seeing how he knew that she knew he would be perfectly fine.

Nunnally passed on what she learned, but Lelouch told her that the mood among his inner council remained subdued. Kallen in particular was hit hard by the losses; she was despondent in class and during student council work, citing her illness as the cause.

"Should I feel sad about losing those people?" Nunnally asked, absently playing with some of her voluminous hair. It was still a lot, even after Lelouch shortened it to only reach her butt.

C.C., who lounged on her bed, hummed in thought.

"Humans are adept at detaching their emotions from those they don't know," she explained idly. "Your not being sad about deaths among forces you never met is perfectly normal."

Nunnally frowned at her computer's screen in response. "But is this a good thing? Wouldn't it be better if we could empathise with strangers?"

She did not look at C.C., just like C.C. did not bother looking at her. The older woman chuckled softly.

"Some will argue that our ability to stay detached is what facilitates society. There could be no global interaction if everyone cried once bad luck strikes a stranger on the other side of the planet."

Her tone remained idle and conversational. Nunnally soaked up every word to examine all the same. Chances were that C.C. tested her again for fun.

"At the same time, it allows us to commit atrocities against others without feeling much of anything," she answered.

A thoughtful hum was the only response from C.C. She still seemed to enjoy messing up Nunnally's bedspread, what with how she audibly rolled around in it. Nunnally herself spent the pause scrolling through a few tables; nothing within really registered with her, so she scrolled back up a minute later.

"At the very least it allows to order atrocities from the far distance of a command position," C.C. finally said. "Soldiers are trained to follow orders regardless of their thoughts and feelings on the matter. An awful combination indeed, yet a necessity."

"And why, pray tell, is that necessary?" Nunnally pressed with a sour look to C.C., who was now wrapped in a blanket cocoon. The immortal's cheshire smile immediately made an appearance, just as annoying when upside-down.

"Because not having soldiers means being vulnerable, girl. Whoever has them anyway will stand victorious in the end, so everyone has them to keep everyone else at bay. Peace is a state in which all sides are content with the status quo, but it is human nature to want more than you have."

Neither of their expressions changed. All Nunnally gave away of her annoyance and crestfallen mood was the faint twitch of her brows. C.C. was not wrong and they both knew it.

"That still doesn't mean it's impossible," she muttered softly.

C.C. studied her with curiousity now, the smirk reduced to just a little grin. "It is impossible," she judged. "A state of perfect peace would require drastic measures, like Lelouch using his Geass to force every human on the planet under his sway. Free will means bad intentions, and diverging morals develop as a matter of course. You can't change that by smiling and asking nicely."

It all sounded so reasonable with the tone she struck, a sage advising a fool indeed. Nunnally hated it, so she kept arguing just to be contrarian.

"Free will also means good intentions and moral growth, though. Humanity isn't stagnant or always devolving into barbarism, C.C.."

The older woman chuckled heartily at that, almost condescending in the sound alone. "Ah, if only you knew. Humans have always coveted what others had, or killed each other over petty nonsence like national pride."

Nunnally was oh so tempted to snap back with a reminder of her own awful past. She barely stopped herself, realising just in time that this may be an opportunity to learn more about C.C..

"Then explain it to me," she demanded. C.C.'s mirth faded swiftly, so she followed up: "You always talk like you know these things by heart, so how did you learn them?"

Now the older woman's mood changed visibly, expression turning blank. She slowly unwound the blankets and rolled onto her stomach, watching Nunnally with her chin resting on both hands. There was something inscrutable to her gaze, an almost palpable weight.

"Have you considered the implications of my always reviving, no matter how gruesome the method of my death?" she queried.

Nunnally had to mull that over for a moment; she felt like the answer was obvious, but came up empty when trying to put the idea in words. More damning, she thought she found it in the past but forgot. C.C. waited patiently for her, though that did not stop the silence from turning oppressive.

"I imagine, well, that it gives you a unique perspective on life and how easily it can be taken?" Nunnally tried. The following chuckle made her feel sheepish, then annoyed again.

"You are such a darling girl," C.C. chirped. It did not sound at all like a compliment. "But I give you points for trying."

She huffed once more and shook her head, then rolled back onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

"Just as I can not die, I do not age."

It was a reminder as much as a revelation. Nunnally was taken aback, finally remembering that she had similar notions. The way C.C. said it meant this was more important than Nunnally thought; with the amount of wisdom she dispensed as a matter of course, her aloof behaviour....

"How old are you?" Nunnally asked slowly.

Her question prompted a faint smile from C.C.. "My," she teasted, "how rude to ask a lady her age."

Nunnally rolled her eyes in response. "It's rude to do that because older people don't want to be reminded of their loss of beauty or encroaching death. You don't have to worry about either."

"Fair."

She wanted to keep pressing. Nunnally knew C.C. dangled the knowledge she wanted like a lure for more funny reactions, though. Pressing gave the other woman what she wanted.

"Please tell me?" she tried instead. It was the first time C.C. really said anything about herself; Nunnally could not let it pass.

The immortal made a show of humming in thought, eyes never meeting Nunnally's. In the end, she stretched out a little and spoke to the room more than her.

"Let's say the Holy Britannian Empire was not even a pipe dream when I was born."

That made it at least three hundred years. Nunnally could hardly comprehend someone living that long, much less imagine such a life. The woman before her was present for the formation of empires, perhaps even involved in it.

She burned with curiousity now. A thousand questions were only held back by the knowledge that C.C. would only answer as long as she felt like it.

Nunnally restrained herself for the moment. Instead of asking away, she moved her wheelchair over to C.C. and dragged herself onto the bed. The far older woman watched with faint curiousity while Nunnally worked with only her arms. She did not ask for help and none was given.

It took a little while until she was comfortable, lying on her stomach right next to C.C.. Staring into those golden eyes from up close, Nunnally began to understand why C.C.'s gaze felt so odd. What the weight behind it was.

"So you know all these things because you saw them happen before?" she finally asked.

C.C. did not even bother nodding. "Again and again and again. There are almost simple patterns to these events."

"And nothing ever got better?"

Her question seemed to cause something now. C.C. kept her silence for a time, gaze a hundred miles and years away. Nunnally watched her beautiful features from up close, slightly tempted to poke her cheek to see what happened.

When C.C. did answer, it was without quite looking at Nunnally: "Sometimes things get better, sometimes they get worse. The only thing that ever improves is humanity's arsenal of weapons to kill each other with."

Her words were damning. Too damning, at that.

"But we're still here, even after all this time," Nunnally argued, unwilling to accept it. "I don't want to believe that all this is just humanity slowly dying."

A hand landed on her own then, squeezing softly. C.C. graced her with a kinder, almost motherly smile.

"I never said that, now did I? I said the peace you imagine is impossible."

"Huh?"

She squeezed Nunnally's hand again, offering comfort the far younger one was not sure what she did to earn. C.C. elaborated kindly for her sake: "Peace, true and total peace, is an ideal. It's perfect and thus unattainable. There have always been those like you who wished for it, yet fell short in one way or another. This doesn't mean their efforts were wasted."

There was more hope to it than earlier, but the turnabout made Nunnally frown nonetheless. Her heart jolted, torn back and forth between hope and hopelessness.

"Then what was all the other stuff about?" she demanded, upon which C.C.'s smile turned mischievous.

"Tempering your expectations, mostly. Then we got distracted."

Nunnally just uttered a soft huff in response. The silence that followed in its wake was a lot more pleasant than those before, though.

C.C. slowly reached out to cup Nunnally's cheek. "You remind me of Jeanne, come to think of it," she mused. "So young, yet filled with passion and the will to persevere."

Nunnally's mind stumbled, head tilting faintly. "Who?" she asked on reflex. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she could not put any memory to it.

Unfortunately, she only got another mischievous smile in response.

"Even a mortal lifespan is not short, girl," C.C. advised. "You have time."

With the subject thus closed, the two just lay together for a little while. Nunnally eventually sighed and closed her eyes as well; the darkness behind her lids was nostalgic more than terrifying at this point.

"I do hope we have that time. Cornelia is still in the country and gearing up to hunt us."

A soft chuckle followed, only heard but clearly mirthful. "Of course she is," C.C. agreed. "The Black Knights pushed back, revealing a clear upsurge in manpower and material. They make for far more titillating prey than back alley dealers and small-time gangs. Britannia acknowledges you as a threat, just like you wanted."

Nunnally made a face. The 'now you face the consequences' remained unsaid, but she clearly heard it.

And the consequences followed indeed. Cornelia brought her A-game throughout the next month, harrying the black Knights around the country.

Jeremiah Gottwald was the main reason Zero managed to avoid every direct confrontation, instead of just most. The masked revolutionary adopted a hit-and-run approach, well aware they could not face Britannia in open battle. The implications of that understanding caused many a worried conversation between him and his sister.

Several skirmishes did happen throughout January, but the Black Knights always got away with minimum casualties. A number of dummy cells and subgroups with low clearance were busted as well, but nobody of actual value was captured.

As February began, Nunnally dared to hope for success. Cornelia's stay in Area Eleven would soon come to an end, she was needed elsewhere.

And then, of course, things came to a head just a week before Cornelia's departure.

It all began with a message from Gottwald, informing her that Chinese forces landed in Kyushu and ran over the entire area. What she learned was troubling in many a way.

The Japanese government-in-exile had returned to retake what was theirs.

 

[Naron]

Nunnally and Lelouch faced each other at the kitchen table, their teeth grit. C.C. sat with them while Sayoko stood ready in a corner, concern for once visible on the maid's face.

Nunnally's mind was racing as she tried to work through the implications of what happened.

They barely had any time, it would take only hours until the media caught wind of this invasion; Kyushu went dark as the coastal garrison was overrun, there was no way to keep it quiet. What was more, the Chinese arrogantly announced their casus belli as being allied with 'the rightful government of Japan'. They tipped their hand, but their exact plan was unclear yet.

No matter how much she tried to find the link she missed however, Nunnally could not narrow it down. She was lost.

"Is this good?" she hesitantly asked of her brother. "Or bad?"

Lelouch's face clouded over some time ago, which was enough of an answer once she noticed. He said nothing, not that he needed to.

"Why, is this not what the Japanese called for? Liberation?" C.C. chirped mirthfully into the silence between them.

Nunnally's lips curled downward in response. She knew that flippancy was meant to bait her, but could not stop herself from reacting. At this point she really wished C.C. would state it clearly, instead of hiding the intention behind sounding like a bitch about it.

"It will be war," Lelouch said. He gave no indication that C.C.'s interruption upset him, or that he heard it at all. All eyes were on him now.

Lelouch slowly lowered his chin in one hand, as he often did when thinking.

"Even with the Chinese digging down as they do, the numbers Gottwald gave us are nowhere near enough to face Cornelia in the field. That doesn't even take Britannian reinforcements into account. Same for the small fleet they have guarding their beachhead. They must know that, too."

"So there will be more Chinese forces landing later?" Nunnally guessed, curious. "A full-blown war on Japan's back?"

Lelouch nodded, but froze with his lips halfway open. He breathed a faint "No" that was more bafflement than shock. His eyes grew wider as some sort of realisation followed, a startled look given to Nunnally.

"No reinforcements will come," he declared softly. "They don't need them when there is an army waiting right here."

He just looked at his sister, who could not follow that quickly. At first she suspected the Black Knights, but felt that would not upset him so. It clicked once she tried to think of who else in this country could fight, though. Nunnally's eyes widened in turn.

"They wouldn't."

Lelouch snorted, a sound of disbelief as much as discontent. "The Chinese hate the Japanese, of course they would. Raise up what's left of their government to call them to rebel, let them bleed themselves out stemming Britannia's advance, then swoop in to claim the prize. It's an elegant stratagem, even."

"More like abhorrent," Nunnally snapped back, glaring at her brother for even suggesting this was good in any form. He inclined his head but said nothing, which elicited a growl from Nunnally.

She mimicked her brother's posture, chin resting on her folded hands.

"What do we do here? We can't allow them to use the Japanese as footsoldiers, especially the civilians."

Even if they could, she would not allow it. Lelouch did not even bother arguing the point, aware of her feelings and unwilling to do anything of the like himself. They had a good thing going so far, this would be a desperate move coming from anyone who wished to maintain Japanese society.

She received another text in the contemplative silence. After squinting at it, Nunnally sighed. "And Cornelia seems to have gathered as much as us, she's mustering forces as fast as she can."

Lelouch glanced at the clock on his phone in turn, slowly shaking his head. "She won't be fast enough," he judged. "The rebellion will begin today. I expect it as soon as the Chinese are done digging in to watch the slaughter."

He was probably right, which only upset her more. Nunnally nodded back, seething quietly as she read the update. "She also called the First Pacific Fleet for reinforcements, but it will take a few days for them to swing around."

Even as she relayed the news, Nunnally could see her brother's expression smooth out. She was lost, unable to form a coherent picture at the speed they needed. She was a passable strategist, but the mere thought of putting so many innocent lives at stake gave her pause. What if she messed up and Japan was torched again?

But even in her own petrification, Nunnally knew that Lelouch had begun assembling the pieces on a mental board.

"What do we do?" she asked him quietly, all but begging for guidance.

He reached over and took her hand, the contact calming her some. His answer to her question was slow and pondering.

"We have three broad options: intervene for either side, or do nothing. Going with the last one first, we can sit here and do nothing; hold out to let everyone wipe each other out before swooping in and taking Japan from whoever is left standing. This might even let us capture Cornelia."

Lelouch's voice gave no indicator of his feelings. Nunnally just felt sick at the mere idea of letting hundreds of thousands run into the grinder; her expression clearly told her brother what she thought of that approach. He nodded back.

"I don't like it much, either. The fact aside that it isn't palatable, I as Zero would lose all trust from the Black Knights regardless the result. Japan would come out so broken that reassembling her will be all but impossible. So that leaves two options: do we go into this declaring for Japan... or for Britannia?"

The pause he left was quite indicative of his thoughts. Him saying it out loud made Nunnally recoil from the idea as well. Them, aiding the empire? After everything that was done to them? Where the idea of letting the Japanese get slaughtered sickened her, this made her physically ill to even consider. Bile rose up her throat, barely forced back down.

And suddenly, Nunnally was hyperaware of C.C.. The immortal woman eyed them both with attentive curiousity, far more alert than she ever was before.

With what Nunnally learned about her barely an hour ago, realisation came with ice-cold clarity.

This was a turning point.

Nunnally took a shuddering breath, trying hard to keep the revulsion down. "I don't like where this is going," she muttered. "What do you think we can expect?"

Lelouch scowled, the rest of him still as a statue. His feelings on this were the same as hers, but he forced himself to analyse the situation anyway.

"If we declare for Japan and put everything we have into it, we can mitigate the casualties. We can stalemate Cornelia, maybe even drive her out. But the Black Knights are not trained enough for open battle, much less numerous enough to win. There isn't enough time to prepare the battleground, we would need to take all of Tokyo Settlement to even have a chance. The odds are against us even if the Chinese end up joining in."

He left a pause there, looking past Nunnally instead of at her.

"This is horrible timing. On the off-chance we do win, we will be heavily weakened. We will have to hope that the Chinese can be reasoned with. Even in that best case, they will ask for whatever rewards Sawasaki and the rest of the cabinet promised them, and more on top."

Nunnally's frown deepened with each sentence. What Lelouch outlined there was awful to consider, yet absolutely what an opportunistic person would do.

Her brother was quiet, clearly unwilling to even say the rest. There was no need to, Nunnally could tell his genius mind did not just stop there.

She swallowed some more bile, took a deep breath, and asked the question for both of them: "What of the other option?"

Her words hung heavy in the quiet.

Lelouch visibly fought with himself for a few moments. When he finally spoke, his voice was detached.

"If we declare for Britannia, our part in this lies in preventing an uprising. We need to gamble on Zero's reputation exceeding that of the previous government. Stay our hand to keep Cornelia free to deal with the Chinese uninterrupted. This will also not go over well with the Black Knights, at least at first. I need to leverage Tohdoh and hope he understands the true plan on Sawasaki's end."

It sounded overall simpler, better even.

"I hate this," Nunnally admitted.

Lelouch sighed. "I hate it too. This is our best option if we want to play the long game. If we just want to free Japan no matter what, then we have to sit back. Working with Sawasaki and the Chinese is our worst option."

"Our options are working alongside Britannia, a near-genocidal bloodbath, and exchanging one oppressor for another."

Despite her audible upset at being in an impossible position, Lelouch did not talk back. He knew she was right.

They sat and stared at each other as the minutes ticked by. Both of them knew what they had to do, but neither wanted to be the one to say it. Neither C.C. nor Sayoko interfered.

Nunnally closed her eyes, trying to make herself admit it. She could not get herself to speak. She hated it, the mere idea of what she must make herself say.

Her fingers closed around the empty teacup, then she hurled it past her brother. It shattered against the wall, producing enough noise to startle both Lelouch and Sayoko.

Scowling heavily in the ringing silence, Nunnally started tapping at her phone. "What would be Cornelia's best course of action if no reinforcements come for the Chinese?" she queried.

"A siege," Lelouch replied slowly, testing every word. "She can starve them out."

Nunnally said no more and finished the message.

Minutes later, Princess Cornelia arched an immaculate brow at Jeremiah Gottwald.

"A siege?" she asked, just to be certain she heard him right.

"Yes, your highness."

The man did not look at her, kneeling with his face to the ground. It was only him, her, and Gilbert, the latter of which stared down at Gottwald with a piercing gaze. They were just about to mount their Gloucesters when he approached them.

"You know what you are asking for? What you suggest?" Cornelia continued to question, just to make sure this was what she thought.

All she received was a faint nod and a firm "Yes, your highness".

For just a moment, Cornelia was torn. She knew Gottwald would never speak out such madness on his own, so it was a message. Even a rough idea of the numbers told her that Zero had good odds of defeating her here if he allied with the Chinese. But she could also imagine what the Chinese would do in the aftermath; it appeared that he could imagine it, too.

Did she trust her estranged brother to do the right thing?

The prudent decision for her would be to distrust this message and proceed to break through the Chinese stronghold with all she had. Losses would be notably higher than from a siege, but still less than if that message was a trap.

However, reason stalemated against her heart telling her to trust. And her gut agreed with her heart in this case.

Turning away from Gottwald, Cornelia managed to hide her grimace. It was not just her life on the line, but Euphie's as well. At the same time, her sister was all grown up now. She could look after herself.

This was a chance to earn back the trust she lost eight years ago. Perhaps her only one.

That thought settled it.

Cornelia turned to Gilbert properly now.

"Relay orders to cordon off the Kyushu stronghold and all access paths to the rest of Area Eleven. I will speak to Admiral Ramsay myself. All units are to remain outside of the enemy's effective range and not engage unless the Chinese try to break out."

Both men caught her drift at once. Gilbert simply nodded, Gottwald bowed his head deeper until she dismissed him.

Cornelia then ziplined into her Knightmare's cockpit, soon mirrored by her knight.

"Is this wise?" Gilbert questioned while they settled into their respective machines. He was ever the worrywart, but such was their relationship; she charged ahead, he stopped her with a firm grip before she tripped.

"You ask that a lot of late," Cornelia teased with a soft huff, well aware the noise would not be transmitted.

"Yes, well, I have trouble telling whether my princess turned into a nostalgic fool of late."

"Perhaps I have, Gilbert. Perhaps I have."

She dropped the banter there, still well aware this was not the best tactical decision. It was, however, the best decision to make as a sister.

A VTOL craft picked up her Gloucester soon enough and ferried her to the front lines, where dozens of G1 mobile bases were already setting up shop in defended locations. The vast majority of Britannian forces in the country mobilised for this endeavour, digging in like the invaders did.

Outside of some small skirmishes that were barely worth calling such, both sides stared warily at each other for the next few hours. Cornelia did not know it, but her actions were somewhat mirrored by the Black Knights; they, too, scrambled to make their own preparations. Unlike the Britannian army however, there were a great many heated argument when news of the plan spread.

Just an hour before nightfall, the expected transmission happened on all frequencies. They could be heard on every wireless, seen on each TV. It was obviously an inside job, but none could find the culprit in time.

Cabinet chairman Atsushi Sawasaki was visible front and center; clad in an ironed business suit, his dark hair cropped short, he oozed confidence and strength. A reminder to the older generations of what Japan once was.

He spoke in Japanese, scaring the Britannians who had no idea what was happening yet. It was a rousing speech about reclaiming what rightfully belonged to the Japanese; that they and their Chinese allies were occupying Kyushu, keeping Britannian forces occupied.

"The people of Japan bided their time to take back their freedom!" he declared grandly. "Everyone, I tell you that time is now! Rise up as one and-"

Just then, the moment his intentions were confirmed as what the other factions already suspected, the broadcast cut off.

Static sounded for a moment, then Sawasaki was replaced with Zero. The masked man's imposing figure seemed brighter than the man before him. And although he spoke Japanese, his speech was subtitled for the Britannian population to understand. Nobody realised it was pre-recorded.

"We have heard the traitors' words, but we shall not answer them!" Zero opened in a strong voice, offering his hand toward the screen. "People of Japan, I urge you to remember that while you all remained and suffered, this man and his compatriots fled into exile like cowards!"

He left a pause to let it sink in, during which a recording played. The whole country was shown how Chinese Gun-Ru Knightmare Frames raced along the shoreline.

"That man who speaks of rising up, of gaining freedom, who ran like a dog with his tail between his legs, now wants you who suffered so much to bleed like never before! There will be no freedom if you let his words fool you! Once the dust settles, you have just exchanged Britannia for the Chinese Federation."

The recording changed to a diagram of the country; it showed Kyushu in red and the rest of Japan in blue. The red quickly spread downward, then began to blink once it encompassed all of Japan.

"You were abandoned by these demons for eight long years," Zero continued, visible once more. His voice slowly grew from calm to a growl, louder and more impassionioned with every word. "Only for their first words upon return to be a call to arms. They want you to pay the price for their wounded pride in retaking Japan, without even a chance to hold it. Once more I ask you not to listen! Japan lives in all of us and one day she will be free again, but not like this!"

He spread his arms wide toward the end, as if to embrace them all. Then the broadcast cut off.

Cornelia saw it too, one brow raised in bewilderment. Satisfaction featured heavily in her mind; her trust paid off, although she did not expect him to do something like this.

Nunnally was on the phone with Kaguya throughout the broadcast, neither girl wanting to be alone. Zero made ready to act against whomever did try to rebel anyway, though they all hoped it would not be many. Kaguya shivered in her chair, unable to say much of anything; horror visions of a bloody rebellion played before her mind's eye.

Across the country, people looked out of their windows in worry. They wondered if explosions would brighten the night any moment now, whether they would have to flee their homes.

Millicent Ashford sat still at her TV, fear clawing at her heart.

Shirley Fenette held hands with her mother, her father's absence clearly felt. At least he was safe at whatever classified project he worked on elsewhere.

Nina Einstein sat alone in the shadows, deeply conflicted. She was still so afraid, yet Zero's words soothed her, even when spoken in that horrible tongue.

Rivalz Cardemonde hurried home early from his part-time job. Nobody would come in anymore after that, so everyone left.

Much to his dismay, he was the first one to see it.

What few units the Knight Police had in town were mobilised to patrol alongside regular forces. They were ready to do their duty. But they were completely unprepared for scores of strange, other Knightmares to take to the streets. Unmarked trucks appeared and suddenly, masked people in black uniforms were everywhere.

Yet despite it all, even with Rivalz's heart beating up to his chest, traffic continued as normal. A dozen armour-clad forms leapt across the street from one rooftop to another; they just kept on going as if it was normal.

He swallowed, focussing on the street as best as he could. Yet his eyes kept straying while his bike stood still at an intersection.

Most of the people he saw only had the upper halves of their faces covered; their Asian features were still fairly visible. Nobody smiled, many even frowned. They were unhappy, yet not a single shot was fired despite the copious amount of weapons on display.

Rivalz kept his head down as best he could and drove home, right past a vicious-looking red Knightmare with a long claw.

Similar situations played out across all of Tokyo and various ghettos. Black Knights patrols appeared everywhere and beat down the small numbers of people who ignored Zero's plea. Police frantically called for backup from the army, only to be told to hold fire; they were heavily outnumbered and their troops held at Kyushu, or so they were told. In truth, Cornelia could spare some forces, but decided to hold to that informal truce.

And hold it did. Even though neither side acknowledged working for or with the other, few innocents were hurt over the weeks that followed. The Black Knights openly patrolled for three full days before vanishing into the shadows; then, when a small group of terrorists came out to shoot up a Britannian store, thinking the coast was clear, they were quickly gunned down out of nowhere.

Things became calm afterward, life went on as normal. The only thing unusual for most people were the daily news reports about Kyushu's situation.

Lelouch and Nunnally got a bit more than the official version from Gottwald, but there was little of note to it; the invaders were contained on the peninsula, the Chinese flotilla that brought them annihilated when the Britannian First Pacific Fleet arrived. Their much larger force simply rolled over the Chinese ships.

Unfortunately, the landbound forces dug in too far away from the coast for naval bombardments. Cornelia did not commit aircraft into the plentiful anti-air guns, either. She was set on starving out the defenders.

Cornelia herself mused about the situation as February came to a close. She would be out of the country already if this had not happened. She also had to answer some pointed questions by her brother Schneizel about letting Zero do whatever; if nothing else, the fact Zero kept to his word gave her decision credence. Results mattered most after all.

"Scouts report movement among enemy forces," Gilbert interrupted her thoughts studiously. "They are forming up."

She glanced up from her desk, then down at her nightgown. It was close to midnight. Of course they had to pick this time of them all.

"Ready up."

Cornelia did not like being the one who reacted, but letting the Chinese come to her remained the better plan than cracking a fortified position. Not to mention that the last month gave her ample time to prepare their possible escape routes.

A grim smile sat on her face as she pulled the gown over her head, then swapped into her suit. It took less than two minutes, any care for her hair foregone. Cornelia grabbed her Gloucester's key and strode off. Gilbert shadowed her once again.

Alerted and woken soldiers raced all around them to support the current shift, who were already engaging Chinese forces. Kururugi's Lancelot raced ahead by the time she reached the hangar, in accordance with her standing orders; his response was exemplary even at a time like this.

Her faithful royal guard mounted up in droves around Cornelia. She settled comfortably in her cockpit and turned on the radio.

"Soldiers of the empire," she bellowed, making certain all heard her. "The time has come for us to prove once more that none can stand in our way! Our enemies are desperately trying to break out of the siege, let none escape!"

A series of acknowledgements and shouts answered while she started racing toward the battle lines. Her guard followed hot on her heels.

Mines exploded in the distance where Gun Ru forces rolled into them as they tried to clear a path. Rangers moved unseen in the dark, veterans of the middle east and some even recruited from there. They kept track of various Chinese battlegroups, striking them from the dark of night with impunity. Britannian soldiers and Honouraries both held the line with ferocity that Cornelia herself instilled during the hunt for terrorists.

She could almost feel the jubilation in their hearts when her and the royal guard leapt over the Britannian fortifications. Chinese forces broke immediately, fleeing back to their stronghold.

But while the Gun-Ru were fast, Cornelia was faster.

There was a grim satisfaction to her approach, slowly catching up with enemy machines and destroying them one by one. She and her squad worked their way through a third of the group before they were perilously far into their own cover.

By now she knew for certain that this was not just another prod at their defenses; this was a full-on breakout.

"Fall back, Princess," Darlton's grim voice sounded over the radio. "You are too close to enemy lines."

Cornelia just snorted in derision and gunned down a quartet of footsoldiers. A fifth one who survived threw away his gun in surrender.

"They are hungry and tired," she retorted. "I can do this much."

"Desperate beasts fight the hardest, Princess."

He had a point there, she could admit. However, pride won out over reason in this case.

"And yet they are put down in the end."

His sigh was either internal or not transmitted, though she knew he uttered one. There was no more backtalk, Cornelia's decision made. She raised her machine's golden lance up toward another group of Gun-Ru.

"Onward!"

The royal guard followed. Other Knightmare squads swarmed enemy territory at this point, too. Chinese mounted guns could hardly shoot into the hectic melee everywhere, even when the fighting moved on open ground. It was still dark despite the occasional flares going up.

Cornelia danced among the inferior machines, certain in their victory, when the ground right next to her exploded in a cloud of dust and stone splinters. The force of impact rattled her enough to whirl around, just in time to dodge another shell by a hair's breadth. It took one of her knights in the chest, blowing up with enough force to shatter the reinforced cockpit.

Other artillery pieces joined in, making Cornelia face a sombering reality: these idiots were willing to shell their own forces.

And they were idiots indeed; most machines hit were Gun-Ru, seeing how the Britannian forces began evasive maneuvers. And yet the Chinese still kept coming right at Cornelia. They seemed to have accepted their defeat, now wanting to go out in a blaze of glory.

She gritted her teeth and caught another shell on her lance. The resulting explosion shook her Knightmare, half melting and half crushing the attached arm. Yet Cornelia remained and kept on fighting in the thick of it.

"Darlton!" she barked. "Move in with haste and eliminate their artillery!"

"On my way already," was all he said.

Her royal guard took a beating at these odds. The onrush was too great to retreat from safely. Gilbert stood back to back with Cornelia, keeping her from getting outflanked with all his skill and sheer, bloody stubborness.

Then another friendly raced closer at breakneck speed. She only got a glimpse of her radar with how busy she was dodging, long since having lost sight of the overall situation.

A dirtied yet still white Knightmare leapt between her and another shell. The green-gleaming Blaze Luminous shield strained against its force, but it held back the explosion.

"General Darlton ordered me over, your highness," Kururugi explained frantically over the radio, already in battle with a rushing Gun-Ru. "We need to get you out of here!"

The stratagem had merit, Cornelia knew that. Retreat now and wipe out the rest over time. Or she could end this right now, remain in place and use herself as bait; dangle the chance of a great feat before her enemies, making them easy to be quashed in one go. It would take a direct hit to stop her from ejecting safely either way.

Heartbeat heavy in her own ears, body full of adrenaline, Cornelia made a snap decision: "We stay. This is total victory once Darlton is done with their ranged support."

So saying, she reoriented herself and engaged Slash Harkens. Her Gloucester may be down both arms, but she did not need them for the rabble.

"All units, form up and carry on!"

She knew she would have to replenish her guard after this. Not everyone got the chance to eject. But she had a prospective member right there.

Kururugi, to his credit, did not argue. Though he kept from leaping ahead of them this time. If anything, he acted as her guard would without any orders needed, protecting Cornelia's frame from being outflanked.

As they fought through the wave of Chinese machines and did their best to move erratically to avoid artillery fire, Cornelia had to admit once more that this Eleven outmatched her. It was both galling and humbling, but it also ignited her competetive spirit. She refused to be found wanting when compared to anyone, and so she fought with renewed ferocity.

Just then he leapt in front of her.

Cornelia did not even notice the shell coming her way before it rammed into his shield. The violent explosion was followed by smoke and dust... and Kururugi's IFF signal vanished.

Cornelia's senses sharpened at the unexpected turn, but neither she nor anybody else had a chance to act: the remaining Gun-Ru focussed fire into the smoke cloud. And somehow, Cornelia knew, their own foolishness achieved what their inferior technology failed to do before.

A comment from Asplund returned to her mind unbidden: Lancelot had always been and still was an energy hog. All the experimental technology it carried still needed refinement.

Her own Energy Filler sat below a third by now, which meant Kururugi's must have run out over blocking that shell.

She did not even have time to check immediately, too busy fighting off the remaining enemies. Cornelia only got a good look at what was left of Lancelot two minutes later, when Darlton reported the artillery destroyed.

The handful of Gun-Ru left by that point tried to scatter. She did not give them the chance.

"All forces advance! Crush what is left of these infidels, but take the instigators alive!"

Battlecries answered and battered machines overtook her. Cornelia remained where she fought, though; this was enough contribution from her, she reasoned. The soldiers could earn their keep now. Not to mention that she would need to swap Energy Fillers either way.

And, as much as she preferred not to think of why, her gaze was drawn to Lancelot.

The white knightmare was in a sorry state. Every part including the cockpit was riddled with bullet holes. It fell over mid-motion, joints locked and one arm partly destroyed by the blastwave.

With the fighting now well away from her position, Cornelia took a roll call of her guard. Most managed to eject, but not all. Which meant it fell to her to take stock.

She took a deep breath and disembarked to check the wrecks, starting with Lancelot. Gilbert continued to guard her dutifully, shining light on the broken machine for her to maneuver in.

They both knew what they would find, but witnessing it in person was all she could offer now.

 

[Sonata]

Oh man, please tell me Suzaku is dead, pleaseeeeeeeeee, let him be dead or at least, hurt enough to be out of duty for months.

 

[Naron]

Oh man, please tell me Suzaku is dead, pleaseeeeeeeeee, let him be dead or at least, hurt enough to be out of duty for months.

Click to shrink...

I sense quite high levels of dislike for the man. Any particular reason?