“Order a ceasefire,” Lelouch said. “Now. If you don’t mind.”
Clovis responded with a great deal of nonchalance, but he followed the instruction to the letter. Why, he even threw in a command that the damage should be repaired and that all injured should be treated equally. How generous of him. Rather amazing how imaginative one might get at gunpoint.
<i>“Yay, you stopped the fighting!”</i>
Yes. The girl was right. The fighting was over. But so far as Lelouch was concerned…
“So what do we do now?” Clovis asked, his voice managing to sound both charismatic and sarcastic at the same time. “Sing a few lively ballads? Perhaps you would care to dance, young lady! Or a nice game of chess?”
“That sounds familiar,” Lelouch said. Then stopped. No, it really wouldn’t quite have the dramatic flair he was looking for if he revealed his identity. Or rather, if <i>she</i> revealed her identity. This curse could make things needlessly complicated for him. Oh well. He’d manage. “I have been sent here by our commander. Your brother, Lelouch!”
“Don’t lie to me, girl. It doesn’t suit you,” Clovis said, barely restraining himself. “Lelouch and Nunnally are dead! Killed by those like your friends. Those that failed to comprehend how much better it was for Britannia to take charge.”
“Oh, yes?” Lelouch said. “You used to play him at chess all the time at Aries Villa, and he would always win. Just like he beat you today! Now!”
<i>“Whoa, this is so intense! A real family feud going on here! You didn’t say you were a prince!”</i>
<i>“Not the time, Usagi!”</i>
Trying to ignore the accumulating voices in his head, Lelouch activated his new power and stared Clovis right in the eye. “His mother, Marianne was assassinated. Tell me everything you know!”
The charisma lifted from his eyes, leaving a blank, doll-like expression. In a dull monotone he gave the answer, and it was not what Lelouch wanted to hear. “My brother, second prince Schneizel, and second princess Cornelia, they can tell you.”
“That’s really all you know?” Lelouch asked. Clovis returned to himself, rubbing at the side of his head. “Very well then.”
Only then did Clovis show any trace of fear. A gun in his face. No mercy in Lelouch’s eyes. This was terror. Real fear, the kind that Japanese had to experience every day over the last seven years. Would the Britannians decide to imprison, beat or kill them today? Which would they prefer happened? Yes, Clovis. Feel that fear. Revel in it. You deserve it. You deserve all of this!
“No, you can’t!”
“Can’t change the world without getting your hands dirty.”
<i>“No! He’s right! You can’t do this!”</i>
Couldn’t he? All that Lelouch had to do was pull a trigger. The bang was deafening. The silence from the others even more so.
<hr>
Was it a good thing or a bad thing that Keitaro was being left alone right now? Well. Dependent on the definition of “alone” per se. He might never be alone again. Even though they didn’t seem to be paying him any attention right now, he was still quite aware of them at the back of his mind. Flitting around, doing their own things -
<i>“You’re being rather quiet,”</i> one of them said. Kyon, wasn’t it? <i>“Aren’t you a little curious about what the others are up to?”</i>
No. Not really. Keitaro had his own plate full at the moment. It seemed silly. Compared to what the others were going through -
<i>“Seems like they’re all off on some big adventures, huh? The sort of thing you’d see in an anime or something.”</i>
Yes. Exactly right. No wonder they weren’t interested in his life. It put things into a weird kind of perspective, really, how things that seemed so momentous, important and chaotic to him were pretty much nothing at all compared to what the others had to deal with.
<i>“I’m kind of in the same boat. Aside from this, the weirdest thing that’s happened to me today was the strange behaviour of that one girl behind me.”</i>
Keitaro felt the slightest inkling that Kyon wouldn’t shut up about this girl. Maybe he had a crush on her, or something?
<i>“Well. She certainly is rather beautiful, but I’m not quite so shallow as all that.”</i>
Okay. Stop that. This was no way to carry out a conversation.
As soon as that passed through his head, it felt like Kyon shuddered a little.
<i>“Ah, sorry about that,”</i> he said. <i>“It just felt like I was on the other end of something for once, but I’m not sure what.
“But never mind that. You indicated stuff has been happening while we’ve been distracting each other. What’s new with you?”</i>
Before Keitaro could answer, the door came open and a rather angry young woman with long hair strode into the room. A real beauty, wearing casual clothes that could have almost doubled for a school uniform. Skirt was a bit short, but -
<i>”Ha! You should see the one Usagi wears when she’s Sailor Moon.”</i>
“Oh yeah!” Naru said, resting on the wall next to the door. Her arms above her head, her rather impressive chest thrust forward while her right foot trailed up the inside of her left leg… The pose might have been considered deliberately seductive, if not for the scowl on her face. “I forgot to tell you about the bathroom. If you’re going to be the dorm manager, you’re going to have to use a different one to the rest of us.”
Inside his head, he could feel Kyon’s jaw dropping, and he could feel the familiar pull to not stare at the sheer perfection in front of him. After all. That would be quite rude, staring at someone that seemed to be unknowingly a steady beat away from delivering a striptease. Or would it be more rude to not take the opportunity to gaze upon her impressive figure? To ignore what was being offered?
Or was that simply a flimsy justification to commit everything to memory for the explicit purpose of beating off to it later on? That one. Keitaro’s money was on that one, and Kyon probably wouldn’t take that bet. Especially not after Naru spun around and gave a rather impeccable, unforgettable wiggle of her bottom while trying to storm out of the room.
<i>“I can’t tell if you’re a lucky bastard, or an unfortunate one.”</i>
Well… Explaining that would require taking a look back a bit, after waking up in a girl’s body just outside the main room where the girls were arguing about what to do with him. Or her, rather. They all poured into the room, introducing themselves one by one. Naru, Mitsune, Motoko, Shinobu, Su. Each girl wore their personalities on their sleeve and made at least a token effort to make her feel welcome. Make poor, innocent Keiko feel like they could be trusted.
“I would like to see this curse,” Motoko said. “If that would not be a problem.”
“Eh?” Keitaro gasped. “W-Why would you want to see that?”
“My family has experience with curses,” Motoko said. “Something so terrible as this, becoming a boy against your own will must be a truly dreadful experience. I apologise profusely for this request, but it is my solemn duty to assist those in need. Any information you can give me about the curse could prove essential in lifting it.”
“I’ll… I’ll need some hot water,” Keitaro said, and no sooner had the words been said than Shinobu was holding a kettle out. So adorable! ”Keiko” poured the contents over her head and felt her figure melt back into his normal form. Shinobu gasped. Motoko stared intently. Mitsune rather obviously checked him out. Naru reflected tremendous pity, and Su began reaching for something she should absolutely not be allowed to touch.
“Incredible,” Motoko said. “I have not heard of a curse of this nature, but I shall send a letter home asking for advice. If anyone knows anything about this kind of magic, it is surely them.”
“Th-thank you,” Keitaro said, giving a deep and grateful bow.
“Hello?” called a familiar voice. “Where is everyone? Are you in here? Ah! Found you all.”
“Aunt Haruka!” Keitaro said.
“Oh? Hello, Keitaro. Fancy seeing you here.”
“… Keitaro?” the girls said in unison. And oh, what a hell he had descending upon him after that.
<i>“Well, that’s what you get for lying to them.”</i>
Well, that’s not fair either! It was Usagi that led them to believe that. Not that it was really her fault either, given how scared she was. Poor girl.
<i>“Poor girl that turned out to be a superhero. Not to mention… Hang on. Did you heard that?”</i>
Yes. Keitaro most definitely heard that. It was rather unmistakable and loud, and it took him a moment to recognise what it was. A gunshot.
<hr>
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” the vampire holding Tsukune by the throat said. “Answer my question, answer it honestly and answer it quickly.”
Scary vampire was the right word for it! Even looking her in the eyes and nowhere else, you could tell she was a completely different person. No trace of that kindness. None of that friendliness. There was rage. There was hunger. There was an intelligent beast.
“I- I came here by accident!” Tsukune cried, giving the completely honest answer. “I didn’t even know it was a school for monsters until I met you! I swear!”
“I see,” Moka said, her grip tightening a little bit more. “And what do you intend to do now that you know what it is? Those kinds of abilities are clearly based on ‘purification magic’! Is it your intention to attack from within?”
<i>“You know, if you let me take control I could be outta this grip in a heartbeat.”</i>
No! No, that was the absolute worst thing to do right now! The best thing was to convince this vampire that she wasn’t a threat, no matter how unbelievable the truth sounded!
“N-No!” Tsukune said. “That- That’s the first time I’ve ever transformed! I didn’t even know I could do it!”
“Such precise movements for a first timer.”
“Instinct! Just instinct! Please, let me go, I was just trying to protect the both of us!”
Moka’s gaze filled his vision. It was all he could see, that piercing, no-nonsense expression full of disdain and promises of pain for anyone that crossed her. A list of people that currently consisted of him.
“P-Please!” Tsukune yelled. “<b>Believe what I’m telling you!</b>”
To his tremendous surprise Tsukune was released, where he fell to the ground in a rather undignified manner. Moka shrugged, and then reached for her rosary.
“Very well. I believe you,” she said. All the anger gone, like it had evaporated into the wind in an instant. What. Wait. What?! “But I want you to understand this. My outer self is not as strong as I am. If you take advantage of her, I will break you.”
The rosary was reattached, and Moka fell into Tsukune’s arms. She was so light - or maybe this form was so strong - and was looking at Tsukune with big confused eyes. No trace of the monster from within. None of it. Just a beautiful, friendly young woman that Tsukune had fallen head over heels -
<i>“Ugh. I’d better give you two a little privacy. This kind of thing isn’t my deal, and…”</i>
The sound of a gunshot rang in their ears.
<hr>
It was strange and disturbing how quickly they were adapting to the white void. A nowhere place. Full of nothing but them and their thoughts. Neutral ground where none of them held greater power than the other. Yesterday had been hectic to say the least. None of them really had the time to deal properly with what was happening to them; each of them wound up swept into the ongoing flow and stuff just got away from them. Time and time again.
Which led them to now. A calm moment where they could sit and discuss this peculiar turn of events. In neutral ground. Because all eight of them were very different people with very different priorities and not a single one of them was happy right now.
“You killed him,” Usagi said with tears in her eyes. Other men might have been driven to their knees by the adorable guilt trip she was laying out, but not so much Lelouch. He was made of sterner stuff than that.
Which is why he’d thrown up his breakfast this morning. Obviously.
“But of course,” he replied. “This is war. Why wouldn’t I kill an enemy commander? Besides which, you’re hardly in any position to speak. After all, did you not defend your friend by killing that creature? Was it not a sentient life as well? Then what about the Angel? You worked together enthusiastically to take its life! What makes killing Clovis such a heinous act?”
“He surrendered,” Ranma said. “He gave up. He wasn’t a threat.”
“Do you really think so? Then let me tell you something! The face Clovis showed to the world was just a mask. His true self ordered the destruction of a ghetto to cover up for his mistakes! If I walked away, do you honestly believe he would have left it at that? If I let him be, he would have done much worse!”
“Hm,” Kyon mumbled. “Don’t you think that’s a little flawed? I mean, killing a prince is almost certainly going to draw Britannian attention -”
“Spoken like someone that doesn’t know Britannia at all!”
“You are dead.”
That voice. That inflection! Lelouch turned around as slowly as he dared, his heart threatening to leap from his chest. This was just like before, with Shinji and the Angel! Memories bleeding over into the white void!
For there behind him was an imposing figure with eyes like steel. The expression of a difficult man, with disdain for all around him and a disregard of anything resembling empathy. The figure of his father. Charles zi Britannia.
“You have always been dead to me, dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the fine clothes you wear, a comfortable home, the food you eat, and your very life? All of those, I have given to you. In short, you are nothing to me because you have never existed. Yet you dare to speak such foolishness to me?”
He saw the younger version of himself flinch as the realisation of his position sunk in. Youthful foolishness. Naive! So naive!
“Lelouch! You are dead. Therefore, you are not entitled to any rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan. As Prince and Princess you will serve well as bargaining tools.”
“I’m confused. Why didn’t you mention you were a prince when we first met?” Tsukune asked.
“Should I have done so?” Lelouch replied. “I had no reason to trust any of you when we first met. If Britannia ever discovers us -”
“Here is where you’ll be staying from now on. We’ve already arranged the paperwork. You’ll be using the name Lamperouge from now on.”
This time he didn’t bother turning around. He had a pretty good idea of what they were seeing already. Good. This would put them off balance, which would provide him with the perfect opportunity to attack in a different way.
“I don’t think the particulars of my own past are important to our current situation,” he said. “After all! Haven’t any of you noticed something strange? Think about it. I just acquired the power of Geass. Usagi just became a superhero. Shinji there is being made to pilot a giant robot to defend a city from a monster. Tsukune just discovered he’s going to a school for monsters, Kyon there has just begun his own school year, both Ranma and Keitaro have moved into new homes and Ataru is being compelled into a race that will determine the Earth’s fate.
"Interesting, isn’t it? How each of us were connected around the time of a life-changing event? Surely one of us would have been going through an ordinary day when such an event took place, but no! Here we are, joined at the minds during what must be the most important day of our lives! How very suspicious!”
“I don’t know, that kinda sounds like it’s reaching a little,” Ataru said.
“I’m hardly getting warmed up! Why did Ranma’s father take him to this arranged marriage meeting now of all times? Almost immediately after receiving a curse like this? Even more suspicious timing! I think he wants something he’s not told you about! Usagi! Where did this monster come from? What is Luna not telling you about being Sailor Moon? As for Shinji, even a fool should be able to see that there is a conspiracy surrounding Evangelion! What is an Angel? What is an A.T. Field? How does this relate to Second Impact? Why did his father not prepare him for piloting before an Angel was beating in the front door?”
“… What - Excuse me, but what is your point?” Shinji asked, almost apologising with his tone even as he spoke up.
“A simple one,” Lelouch said, holding his hand over his eye with a growing smirk on his face. “Each of us are too bound to our own lives to notice things staring us right in the face. We should not be fighting one another. We should be co-operating. I am your ally. Not your enemy.”
“Bullshit,” Ranma said. “You might be in our head, but we’re in yours as well. You’re trying to play us. Do you really think we’ll work with you after that stunt?”
“You didn’t need to kill him,” Usagi stated firmly. “There was no good reason for it. You just wanted revenge.”
“Only those that are prepared to be killed should be allowed to kill,” Keitaro said. “But don’t you see? None of us were ready to kill or be killed, and you made us go through that anyway!”
There was no convincing them. They’d already made up their minds, and if they really could see any line of argument he might come up with then they could surely develop counterarguments as well. In this situation, it didn’t matter how intelligent he was: He was outnumbered. A blow to his pride for losing under such circumstances to be certain, but it seemed he had no choice but to accept defeat.
The others all drifted off back to their own bodies in their own universes, leaving Lelouch alone with nothing to dwell upon but his own thoughts. Regardless of the discussion there was no question in his own mind. Killing Clovis was the right thing to do in the circumstance.
Wasn’t it?
- Ataru heads out for the race on the first day, eager to try out this Geass thing.
- Shinji finds himself being asked some very pointed questions when he switches genders.
- Usagi’s good mood about being a superhero is dampened by Lelouch’s actions, and she questions what it truly takes to be a hero.
- Lelouch sets about trying to help the others in his own little ways.
- Ranma heads off to school with Akane.
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