“Everyone went back to the homeland?”
“That’s right, after the Black Rebellion several dozens of students from all grade levels and almost all the old faculty members left fearing Area 11 wasn’t safe anymore. That’s why nobody else but us remembers you.” Milly Ashford explains to Suzaku, concerning that topic.
“That certainly explains why I don’t recognize anyone, they all just left?”
“Pretty much, so it’s just us left who knew you personally, right Rolo?” Lelouch states and then addresses his ‘little brother’ with the hanging question at the end of that sentence.
Taking his drink straw from his mouth, Rolo responds in a slightly timid tone; “Y-yeah that about sums it up.”
“Nina transferred to the science academy as you know, and then there’s Kallen…” Shirley trails off at the reminder their former schoolmate and friend is one of the Black Knights.
Looking at his lunchbox in his lap Suzaku shakes his head. “I guess that was to be expected in the fallout of the Black Rebellion. A lot of friends are gone because of it.”
”With that tone, I wonder Suzaku are you referring to Kallen, Nina, and even Nunnally’s absence? Or, perhaps you also speak of Euphemia with that sadness?”
“Hey you saw Zero’s face right?” Rivalz asks out of the blue, breaking up the somber mood that had been forming. “What did he look like?”
“Was he really a woman?” Milly asks enthusiastically.
”Honestly I’d be more offended if I hadn’t had C.C. pose as me on occasion, still where did that rumor start outside the Black Knights?!”
“He’s really Prince Clovis right?”
“I think they would have announced that publicly.” Rolo speaks up poking a giant needle in that wild theory.
“Well… You never know!”
”A wild but not unsound theory considering proclaiming to have “killed” himself would be a great cover, but they had a body and an autopsy well documented.” Lelouch had to admit that theory was at the very least, amusing.
Shirley decides to throw in her two cents. “I hear he’s a prince from a foreign land.”
“Ah- well…” Suzaku murmurs, stalling.
Lelouch moving his teacup from his lips after having taken a sip smiles and asks. “Can’t you tell us?” ”Yes, tell us or will you claim it’s classified as expected?”
“Sorry everyone but that’s still a military secret and I’ve been sworn to secrecy by his majesty himself.” Suzaku states apologetically.
“Aww, bummer.”
”As expected, you can’t very well claim it was I. Otherwise you’d compromise too much, including the fact their memories have been tampered with including my own… and you’d have to reveal the truth about Nunnally and that Rolo is an assassin posing as my little brother. Do you understand the burden of living and keeping lies in order to just live Suzaku? If you or I were lesser men, it would destroy us… and still it very well could.”
“AH!” Suzaku winces suddenly; upon looking down at his hand the cause was obvious; a black furred tabby, with a darker patch of fur over the right eye, and the tip of his tail. Who was not biting two of the Knight’s fingers in a strange painful yet playful manner.
“A-Arthur!” Milly exclaims in both shock and happiness upon seeing the cat.
“You brought him with you Suzaku?” Shirley exclaims getting up from the bench she was sitting on along with Suzaku and Milly.
Allowing a dry chuckle Lelouch smiles and says. “I see you still have a thing for cats Suzaku.”
With a wince Suzaku replies back. “Yeah I do. One that’s still apparently one-sided.”
Hours later in the special surveillance bunker under the school, a still image of a smiling Lelouch fills multiple monitors Suzaku, Rolo and Villetta gather around a table for a briefing.
“Did anything leap out at you during your contact with him?”
Suzaku shakes his head. “No not especially, he knew me as he should remember, but showed no signs of extra memory outside of what was re-written.”
“Then we can conclude the subject’s memories have not returned?”
Suzaku looks at Villetta from across the table. “Hold on just a minute, we should investigate this further. Lelouch is a cunning player and we shouldn’t drop our investigation just yet until there truly is no doubt in our minds.”
Rolo stops looking the locket on, his phone, flashing a look of indignity at Suzaku. “Do you mean you don’t trust our surveillance on him?”
“There is also the matter of C.C.” Suzaku points out. “Just continue as you have been. If she tries to make contact then we’ll know for sure as well as secure her. Just continue playing his little brother as you have been.”
Rolo nods seemingly placated by the words, but not by much. “Understood, my lord.” He replies.
“It would seem the student council plans on throwing you a welcome party, please reconfirm his state then.” Villetta suggests.
“Understood.”
Rolo silently contemplates events to himself. ”What should I do? Do I dare trust Lelouch?”
A little while later over at the Government Bureau Center two of the Glaston Knights are running over data concerning the latest string of resistance activity that sprouted with the return of Zero and the rescue of the Black Knights from the execution site.
“Iwate, Wakayama, Tokushima…”
“There are reports from Yamaguchi too.”
“Hmpf! Zero shows up again and now we get this!”
“It may also be an effect of Lord Guilford’s absence.”
“Damn if this keeps up, our Sakuradite supply will also be-“
Suddenly the monitor’s image they were studying fizzles, and the building itself shakes as the rumble of a mild explosion is heard.
Emergency! Unknown M.R.F. within the perimeter!
“What?!”
“Impossible! This is the government bureau that controls all of Area 11! No one should be able to break in like this!”
“Someone just did let’s go!”
In one of the lower levels, a Knightmare sized aircraft with a primary color scheme of blue, white, red and gold trim; flies through a service entry tunnel unimpeded.
“Ha, ha, ha! Getting in here was too easy! These guys are almost annoyingly sloppy!” Muses a blonde male sitting at the controls in the cockpit of the machine. “Is this honestly the best defense line Area 11 has to offer?”
Pushing forward on his controls, his machine flies on, easily dodging the incoming fire from a Sutherland squad trying to shoot him down. When the opportunity struck he fired two slash harkens from his machine, which had extra vernier thrusters built into the harkens allowing for better control as they take out the front three Sutherlands as well as the two in the back with decapitations with ease.
“Oh-ho?” The pilot stops his machine, setting it to hover in place as he is met by two Gloucester Knightmares.
”I don’t know who you are, but this ends here!”
The pilot of the intruding machine rolls his eyes. “Pitiful. That armament just shows you care more about protecting the building. Oh well.” He takes his control switch and shifts it into place so that now both control sticks are in traditional Knightmare console configuration placement.
To the surprise of the Glaston Knights, the flyer began to transform. Legs, and arms unfolding outward, giving them dead to rights confirmation of their foe; finally a head emerges from the main body as the machine lands, its landspinners unfolding out to give it extra stability.
”That frame, so what’s who we’re dealing with… The variable Knightmare Frame: Tristan. Which makes you Lord Gino Weinburg, the Knight of Three, correct?”
“You are correct; I came to test you guys. Now try and stop me!”
”Very well we accept your challenge! We cannot let this insult to our honor go unanswered!”
“Right, right, don’t hold back now. Give me your best shot!”
“As you WISH!” The Gloucester’s accelerate toward him with their lancer-jousts at the ready.
”Thank you!” Gino replies easily parrying the first attack; making excellent use of his double ended weapon to simultaneously block both Knightmare’s attacks against his machine. He even manages to decapitate one of the machines and slices the left arm off of another.”
“That’s enough!”
Hearing the command the Tristan holds its halberd up blocking the last incoming attacks from both of its attackers.
As he walks into the corridor, Suzaku proclaims loud enough for the pilots to hear him, repeating; “That’s enough! The battle is decided.”
”Is that the decision of the Knight of Seven, Sir Kururugi?”
“It is.”
The cockpit to the Tristan opens then, allowing Gino to climb out. “Hey Suzaku!”
Walking towards the Knightmare Suzaku says to the Knight of Three. “Gino, I thought I asked you to bring Lancelot with you for me?”
As he lowers himself down on a cable; Gino replies. “Yeah, but Earl Asplund insisted on finishing some fine tuning and said he’d have it here next week.” Getting off the lowering cable he races over to Suzaku, putting his hands on the other Knight’s shoulders. Giving him a once over look he then asks; “So anyway, what’s with the outfit?”
“I came directly from school, so I haven’t had a chance to change yet.”
“Ah! I see how very fashionable.” Gino teases skipping behind Suzaku to place his arms over Suzaku in a friendly manner and lean on him.
With a tired expression that spoke volumes of dealing with this before Suzaku says. “Gino, I know you come from a great noble family, but can’t you act just a little more normal? Also you’re kinda heavy.”
”Is it over?”
Suzaku and Gino turn their heads to the new Knightmare that had just gently landed beside them.
“The Mordred?” Suzaku states in surprise. “Anya came along, too?”
”Is it over?” The pilot, Anya Alstreim the Knight of Six asks again.
“Yep, Suzaku made me end it!” Gino replies with a wave toward the Mordred.
Inside the cockpit a pink haired teenager, no more than fifteen; reaches behind her pulling out a personal data-diary device. With a bored sigh she remarks as she opens the device to type into it. “How dull.”
Looking between the two customized Frames, Suzaku ponders to himself. ”We should have more than enough firepower now to deal with the Black Knights and Zero. Lelouch, in three days from now at my welcome party I’ll determine for myself if you have returned to being Zero or not.”
See other episodes by Ninja Kasuga of the Demonite Race
(Posted Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:33)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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