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"I'm a bit surprised that you wanted to be with me in my Knightmare," Lelouch taps his fingers over my thigh. Both of us in our full gear as helicopters are flying our group of Knightmares out to the Britannian airships. "I never meant to scare you last night like I did, blossom. Seeing fear in your eyes like that hurts me."
"I have always been with you in your Knightmare no matter what, and that isn't going to change," I shift around to settle into the most comfortable position between his legs. "Everyone gets angry, it just shocked me more coming from you. At how easily it could have been directed at me if I said the wrong thing."
"I would never direct it at you. Never."
"I've always trusted you more than anyone else in my life. Life is just a lot different this time around. I just needed to hear you say it."
"I trust you, my blossom. Probably the only person I can tell the truth to, and the only person I know will tell me the truth if I ask for it. Unless it involves me in a vision. That is off limits."
I chuckle, "No point worrying about a future you can't change. Now, are we almost there? I'm not used to wearing my mask for this damn long."
He chuckles, "That might be the cutest complaint you've given about the uniform." He pushes a few buttons to reveal that we have arrived in range of Nunnally's transport.
"They'll spot us in the next few seconds, so you better remind everyone the goal for today."
Lelouch turns the communication to the Knightmares in our fleet on. "The objective of this operation is the capture of the new viceroy! No matter what happens, she absolutely must not be harmed! Keep her safe! Is that clear!?"
"Roger!" the Black Knights respond back.
A few Britannian small planes reveal themselves, shooting down one of our units. Then smoke is released as a distraction to the commander of the ship. It is easy to predict that that smoke will take their attention, and so while they aren't looking, Tohdoh is the first to land and begin to take out turrets. Kallen lands next to begin fighting the enemy as well. Then all the Knightmares drop on the airships to do their tasks. In the blur of smoke and exploding devices, those piloting the helicopters that brought us over here begin to withdraw. With all the fighting going on, no one notices a single Knightmare holding the leaders of the Black Knights making their way into the airship. No one notices Zero and Infinity about to steal away the princess.
"You have no idea where she is?" Lelouch asks as we make our way down a hallway.
"All I got of Nunnally in that one vision was a garden," I shrug. "I'm not sure what that means, but I know how much she loves gardens. That's why she's my little fairy."
"You had to go a whole year without seeing her, and I had her completely taken from me. We have been apart for too long."
"I'm sure she's still as cute and lovely as ever."
He holds out his arm to stop us as a door opens in front of us to reveal a couple panicking doctors. Without hesitation, he opens his masks over his Geass eye, "Die!"
I look away as the two men pull out their guns to shoot themselves. A pair of Britannian soldiers already dead behind us. "I'll never get used to that."
His hand grabs mine, gently tugging me to keep making our way forward. "Are you saying that you feel sad for the death of people who took everything away from you?"
"I am not sad that they have to die. Their people took my entire life away from me. They forced me to become someone that I hated for so long. Besides, innocent people die during a revolution like this. Blood has to be spilled at almost every corner. It is more that you can easily command them to die when it needs to happen. You are more ruthless than I thought."
"I want to obliterate Britannia, and I won't hold back. That's why I like being with you. Set the ruthlessness to the side for a moment."
"I also don't like seeing their dead bodies fall. I've seen too many corpses in my life, so if I can look away, I'm going to do that."
"I understand. Death has been a big part of your life, as it has mine."
We continue down the hall, taking a few turns, and Lelouch orders a solider to head off to the security room. All the while a battle that we can't see is raging outside. Our Black Knight troops are giving us the time that we need to find Nunnally, but I know they are enjoying fighting against our enemy.
"All tasks at hand have been cleared," Lelouch says as we step up to a door locked by a passcode. A dead solider that gave us the code slumped against the wall.
"That means the tide of battle shall turn," I grin as he enters the passcode to let the door slide open.
A handful of meters in front of us sits the precious retitled Princess Nunnally vi Britannia. She looks even more lovely in her light pink, dark pink, and white dress. All alone in the garden room of the airship.
"Nunnally," Lelouch gasps.
"My little fairy," I mumble, clenching my fists at my sides.
In the next second, Lelouch starts to walk forward, and I follow right behind him. After all this time, she's right in front of us.
"Viceroy Nunnally, it's Zero and Infinity!" a man over the intercom calls out, but no more warning comes as the Geass controlled solider has taken out his targets.
A small gasp full of fear comes from Nunnally, and my heart breaks at her being afraid of us. "You're Zero and Infinity, aren't you? The terrorists?" Her voice comes out strong despite the fear of earlier. "Have you come to kill me as well? Like you killed my brother Clovis and my sister Euphy?"
"We didn't come here to kill you, princess," I speak up. "We would never dream of doing that."
Lelouch stops walking right before a bridge that would take us right to where Nunnally is waiting, and I come to rest at his side.
"Even so, will you wait just a moment, please? I think that what the two of you are doing is wrong!" Her face is shaking, just like it does before she cries.
Two violent rumbles rock the ship about ten seconds apart. It sends a wave of anxiety through me as the fight outside is completely hidden from us at this moment. Those rumbles could mean we've lost important fighters, or it could mean that we have taken the upper hand. I do my best to block that from my mind as I stare straight ahead at the girl we've come to rescue.
"It is Britannia that is wrong," Lelouch responds. "The emperor believes that might is always right. Do you approve of that?"
"Well..." she trails off.
"Viceroy Nunnally, you're just being used."
"You're saying they send a blind crippled girl to win everyone's sympathy? Then you're wrong."
"Hm?" I tilt my head slightly to the side.
"I asked them to send me. That's why I'm here."
A gasp escapes Lelouch at her declaration. "You requested it?"
"I think with a peaceful approach, I can make the world a gentler place. That's why I want to carry out Euphy's plan to create the Specially Administered Zone of Japan!"
"You'd have the return!?"
"Now, Viceroy Nunnally," I speak up. "I understand that violence is not your method to get things done, and I too wish I could just talk in front of people to change the world, but we don't live in a world that can allow that. If it were the simple, I would still have my home."
"Please, Zero, Infinity," she holds her hand out towards us, wanting us to walk forward and grab it. "Won't you please try to help me rebuild it?"
Lelouch staggers backwards as another gasp leaves him. This is just like the moment when Euphemia asked for our help on the zone, but this time it is the little sister that he loves more than anything asking us.
I feel my heart clench as I remember what I told Suzaku a few days ago. How I said I would have joined the zone if I was given enough chance. That I would have helped Euphemia in whatever political way that she might have needed me. That chance is being given to me again, and by feet are frozen in place.
"People can start over! Please!" Nunnally cries out, resting her hand back in her lap.
I look up at Lelouch, waiting for him to give the order on what to do. This was his plan to begin with, and I will listen to whatever he tells me needs to be done. If Nunnally is here by choice, then forcing her with us would only traumatize her. We also can't reveal our identities to her at this time. Not doing anything is wasting precious time though!
Another rumble breaks out as the ship rocks once more. Lelouch and I let out gasps as we look up to see a hole being opened in the ceiling as the Lancelot crashes through. My damn brother always shows up when he's not wanted.
"Suzaku!" I growl.
Lelouch starts running towards Nunnally as she clutches the arm of her wheelchair as the wind whips around us. "Escape with me!"
"Nunnally!" Suzaku's voice fills the room.
"Suzaku!" Nunnally screams out for the one who betrayed us all.
Lelouch is flung back by the power of the wind that the Lancelot produces while heading right for Nunnally.
"Suzaku! Down here!"
I feel the wind starting to lift me off my feet, so I focus on my boots to float around the room with ease. My eyes frantically searching for Lelouch in all the chaos of debris. I barely catch the Lancelot pick up Nunnally, cradling her as a shield pops up to protect the two of them as they fly out of the falling airship.
"Zero!" I scream, escaping the confines of the airship and spotting the Guren Mk-II heading straight for the area.
"Nunnally!" Lelouch screams out for everyone to hear as Kallen speeds over to catch him before he plummets into the ocean.
I don't let my heart crack as I fly over to rest on the shoulder of the Guren Mk-II. "The objective was not a success," I let out a breath. "Take us down to the submarine with the others and let me take Zero to a private room. I'll deal with everyone after that."
"Are the two of you okay? Any injuries?" Kallen asks, turning around to head back to the submarine where the rest of the Black Knights, C.C., Rakshata, and even my cousin Kaguya are waiting.
"No injuries, but thank you for the concern, Kallen. A wrench was thrown into our plan by what the young viceroy had to say. I don't know why I thought my little fairy would be any different."
It doesn't take long for Kallen to get us back to the submarine, and I can tell by all those looking at us that they have a lot of questions. Ones that I don't want to answer, and frankly don't have the time to process at the moment.
"Nice work with the float unit, Rakshata," I grin, taking my mask off and pulling down the cloth around my mouth as I float down to the ground. "Saved our asses back there."
"Anything to show up Lloyd," Rakshata giggles.
I turn to see Lelouch stepping out of the Guren Mk-II's hand, and I let my mask clatter to the floor. My feet taking me right to Lelouch, grabbing his hand with both of mine, and dragging him off into the bowels of the submarine.
"Wait, I want to talk to Master Zero!" Kaguya calls out. "I deserve to talk to my husband!"
"He's not your husband, Kaguya!" I don't stop walking. "The two of you never got married, and I am first in line on the list anyways! Now, do not disturb us!"
I'm not sure how I remember the layout of this place, but I get us to a room far away from all the people. Not once do I get a protest from Lelouch. Not once does he try to pull his hand out of mine.
As I lock the door, he takes a seat on the couch in the room, slowly taking his mask off. Then he pulls the cloth off his mouth and sets his mask to the side.
"Thank you for getting me out of there," he speaks up.
I lean back against the door, a tender smile taking over my lips. "I'm actually surprised that my cousin didn't rush after us and demand to talk to you more. She did come all the way over here from the Chinese Federation to join back up with us, eh, you more than anything. I find it strange that she is in love with you without truly knowing who you are, but I guess it is better than an arranged marriage. At least this gives her a sort of choice."
"You are on the top of my list."
"Hm? Oh," I feel a heat bloom across my cheeks. "I can't believe I actually said that. She'll probably come pouting to me later about the whole ordeal. No one knows about the fight we had last year before we lost it all, so she has no reason not to believe that I am your first choice."
"I never stopped to think that Nunnally has dreams and goals that differ from mine," he sighs, letting his eyes fall closed as he leans back into the couch. "That even if I have done everything for her since we were abandoned by Britannia, she has grown up and has thoughts of her own that I have never heard."
"She's always been like that, but I was still surprised to hear that she requested to be brought here. I never realized that she was taken back to the homeland when V.V. took her, but it makes sense. At least we know that the military will protect her, and that Suzaku seems to be her main protector."
"Suzaku," he growls. "After everything. I still trust him to take care of her. It was what I wanted to happen back then."
"I told him that I would have joined Euphy's Zone of Japan," I blurt out. "When you agreed to it with her, I felt a rush of hope that maybe freedom for my people was closer and easier than I first thought when becoming Infinity. I don't think I would feel the same way now if she gave us that choice. I needed my brother to think one way about me, but if she announces this zone, and he gives me the option to help her..."
"You can't."
"What?" I push off the door, taking a few steps toward him.
"She'll recognize you, and you can't recognize her. It would break your heart to lie to your precious little fairy like that. It almost broke me when I talked to her on the phone in front of Suzaku. We'll figure it out before it comes to that."
"Her heart is in the right place," I take the last few steps to be in front of him, taking the open spot next to him and curling into his side. "She's just like Euphy. She doesn't understand the bigger picture, but I believe that it can all work out in the end."
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Hope you enjoyed reading! I honestly thought this chapter was going to be a bit longer, but I like how it turned out in the end. I really like the conversations that Lelouch and Sakura had during this. Anyways, I would love to know what you thought! :D