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.