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code_geass2009-04-16 04:31 am
inulovinkit.livejournal.com) wrote in code_geass2009-04-16 04:31 am
Entry tags:
Fanfic: Suzaku of Japan (ch 11)
School needs to end already so I can go back to writing fanfiction in my free time.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: LelouchxC.C., (implied) Suzalulu,
Summary: So, what would have happened if Suzaku had received the Geass in Stage 1 instead of Lelouch? We'd have one messed up story on our hands.
Chapter 1 here.
I guess this is the "find out a little bit, but get a billion more questions chapter". |D
Also, in my mind, the thing with Rolo is TOTALLY CANON. They did not give me evidence to prove otherwise, so its canon.
“What are you saying? I’ll be alright. You forget who you’re talking to.” C.C. spoke to the darkness of the supply plane, as she leaned against a crate, seemingly out of it. “I know my way around this place.”
There was silence, before she spoke again, “So what if Lelouch is worried about me? He should be more worried about himself these days.”
A pause, and then she spoke again, startled, “So—so what if I’m worried about him? It’s not like he has anyone else to worry about him, you know.”
“—And? Your point is? It doesn’t matter anyway. I made a promise to you, have you forgotten, Marianne? I promised I would protect Lelouch. And that’s what I’ll do. I’ll protect him from Charles, and even you, if I must.” Golden eyes narrowing, C.C. added coldly, “Unlike you, I don’t break my promises.”
“Don’t give me that. You know what you did—you knew what Charles was planning. And yet you hid it from me and got us into this mess now. And, since you won’t tell me what’s happening, I’ll have to find out for myself. Just how far did Charles intend to go, Marianne? I know he planned on me giving Lelouch the Geass, but we could solve ourselves so many problems if you just told me what exactly he wants to use him for.”
“…Well? Tell me. I’m waiting.”
After a few more moments, C.C. sighed and looked away. “Fine, stay silent. It’s not like I need you for this anyway. You’ve never been to China.”
“You sure about this?” Kallen asked as Lelouch prepared to go out again. “Now that C.C.’s gone, there’s no one to protect you from his geass—”
“I know that, Kallen,” he told her sharply, picking up Zero’s mask. “However, I have no other choice but to do this. I need Rolo on my side.”
“Hmph. I don’t see why. Just keep him locked up and be done with it. You don’t need to use him to further an illusion—”
Lelouch’s fingers clasped into a tight fist. “I do. They have Nunnally. And I know why they have her—it’s just in case this happened. If I regained my memories, then all they had to do was threaten me by using her as a hostage! I can’t do that to her—I can’t let them win by using her! I have to stay on top so I can rescue her when the time comes—!”
Seeing his desperation, Kallen sighed. “Fine. I can see how important this is to you. But Lelouch—you still need to be careful. We still need our commander.”
He stared at her for a moment, and then nodded.
She was right, after all. Though he may just be Lelouch, he was also Zero…right now, he needed to be Zero. For everyone’s sake.
After all, he couldn’t save Nunnally just by being Lelouch.
The door to the cell slid open, as Zero walked in, carrying a try of meager food. Rolo, who was leaning against the wall, turned his head towards him, purple eyes glaring in hatred.
Zero glanced over at the other uneaten tray that C.C. had left. “You shouldn’t stare yourself, Rolo. You need to eat.”
“I don’t see why you care,” the boy muttered. “After all, I’m just your prisoner.”
There was a sigh, as Zero set the tray down. “Rolo…” The mask came off, revealing the face of Lelouch Lamperouge—looking slightly upset. “I am sorry about this. I’m sorry you think of it that way.”
“Think of it what way? Don’t tell me you’re trying to protect me—”
“But that’s what I am trying to do.” Giving another sigh, Lelouch came to sit down beside Rolo—no longer holding the intimidating posture of Zero, no, now he spoke to him as an equal—brother to brother. “Don’t you understand, Rolo? What Britannia was doing this whole time? While you were manipulated into working for them, the whole time they planned to dispose of me once C.C. was captured—I would have been dead, and then who knows what they would have done to you when they needed to get rid of those who knew too much? They would have inevitably split us up in the end…and am I selfish for not wanting that?”
Just…ever so slightly, the boy’s violet eyes widened. Lelouch kept going.
“Even if my memories are restored, I know the truth. The time we spent together was not a lie. Don’t you know it too? That year we spent together wasn’t fake. No matter what anyone else says—you are my little brother. And what older brother would I be if I wasn’t always looking out for you?”
“Ni—Lelouch…” Ah, he almost said it. He was getting closer. “But why? Why do this when we could just live peacefully at Asford? Why have to go to this trouble? If you wanted to keep that life, then why—?”
“Because even with my memories back, I would have no power to do anything otherwise! Rolo, if they tried to take me away, or take you away, I wouldn’t have the power to stop them, don’t you understand? This is the kind of world we live in! With the snap of a finger, everything we know can be destroyed, and as just schoolboys, we are powerless to stop it! Even with our geass, we can still do nothing when faced with the might of the Britannian army! That’s why! I want the power to protect what I care about! The power to protect you! My only family!”
Rolo couldn’t look at him. But Lelouch saw it all. The way the boy’s hands slightly trembled at the thought of that word. Family.
Lelouch had looked him up. Rolo had no known family. He had been raised in China, with the Geass Cult to be an assassin. If he had ever been told who his real family was, then he had never spoken of it since.
He was alone. Totally alone. And the only person who had ever considered him family was the boy sitting next him.
Yes, it was too perfect of a chance indeed.
“You’re…you’re not lying?” Rolo hesitated, biting his lip. “You won’t…you won’t abandon me, Nii-san…you won’t throw me away?”
Lelouch stared. Where had this come from? “Of course not! How could I? You’re my only little brother!”
When the boy was looking back up at him, he was wiping away tears. “Nii-san!” And then he hugged him.
Lelouch couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised. Rolo…hugging him? This was new…Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he said, “C’mon Rolo, what’s this? Boys don’t cry—c’mon, pull yourself together…we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Yes…Lelouch remembered his true family, surely lonely all the way n the other side of the world. A lot of work ahead of them.
Laughter erupted from the small group on the Ashford lawn.
“So then,” Rivalz continued through fits of giggles, “Even though the bike was already in the creek and the current was fast, I tried to throw a rope in and fish it out, but the rope got caught on a fast moving log and, well, you can guess what happened next!”
The rest of them laughed, imagining a seven year old Rivalz emerging from a creek like a wet cat. “So,” Shirley asked, still laughing, “Where in Britannia did you live, anyway?”
“Oh, near the east, next to the mountains. It was really far out—it took us an hour drive to even reach the nearest city!”
“So, what made your parents decide to move to Area 11?”
“Hmm…I guess the opportunity, mostly. Once this place became an official Area, there were a lot of jobs available.”
“That’s true,” Millay nodded. “That’s the reason why most of us are here. Even with all the conflict with the Elevens, sometimes it’s better to stay here than to go back to Britannia. Still…I wonder what this place was like before it became an Area…I hear the economy was really bad…” The president’s eyes glanced over at the one person who could help answer that question…the one person who looked lost in thought. “Oi, Suzaku!”
“Hm?” He nearly jumped at being addressed so suddenly. “What is it?”
“What was Area 11 like before the war?”
He paused. No, this wasn’t the sort of question he had anticipated. “Well…I was only 9 at the time, and didn’t really care much about politics…you should ask someone else…”
“Hmph,” Millay huffed, “I would have asked Lelouch, but he’s tutoring Kallen again today.”
Tutoring Kallen… Right…Suzaku had his suspicions about that, but whenever he checked them, it appeared that all Lelouch was doing was teaching her the basics of Algebra…he had no proof at all. Either he really was wrong, or they were being too careful…
But he seriously doubted the former.
“I guess I can try…I remember Father saying something once or twice about needing to boost the economy, I guess…and the war only made it worse. But, before that—
Suzaku paused Before that…Right, there was a time before that, wasn’t there? Before he had gone to live at the Kururugi shirne for his own safety, or something? Didn’t he live somewhere else then?
Didn’t he?
Green eyes shrank as his face paled, fingers even shaking slightly as he realized—
“Hmm? Suzaku, is there something wrong?” Even Rolo, who had been sitting with them, turned his glance away from the locket in his hand.
Heart racing in his chest, Suzaku knew, I don’t have any memories from before that!
“Suzaku?”
How could this be? Why hadn’t he noticed before? Did something happen in his childhood? Something terrible? The earliest he could remember was that day he was brought there—to the Kururugi Shrine, just a few weeks before Lelouch showed up. Yes, someone brought him there—someone tall—who smiled a lot—yet also—but before that—there was nothing…Nothing!
“Suzaku!”
Shirley’s voice brought him out of it, as he looked back up at his classmates, all looking worried. Trying to shake it off, he said, “Sorry…bad memories from the war, you know…”
“Oh…” They all gave a small nod of recognition. As they had learned in recent times, war was terrible.
“Hey, what’s this? You all didn’t look this down when I left before!”
“Lelouch!”
Everyone looked happier to see him at once—save two in their company. But Shirley always looked annoyed when she saw Lelouch with Kallen in tow, and Suzaku—every time he saw Lelouch these days, he couldn’t help but wish he didn’t have the suspicions he had now.
“So, tutoring Kallen again?” Rivalz asked, much to Shirley’s dismay.
“Yes…” the girl answered. “I’m hopeless with math, and Lelouch is a good tutor.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say good,” the boy laughed. “But I know what it takes to pass the class, at least.”
Right. Suzaku knew firsthand, that Lelouch had hardly been to class. Putting aside his worried about his own past for the time being, he stood up, “Lelouch—”
“Nii-san!” Rolo cut him off at just the right moment. “Weren’t you going to tutor me right after?”
As if it was all planned out, Lelouch smiled, “Of course, Rolo. I did promise, didn’t I?”
“What, not joining us for lunch?” Suzaku glared. He was certain Lelouch knew what this was about, by the way the boy smirked only for a brief moment.
“Sorry, Suzaku, but you know, promises made to family come first.”
Suzaku was silent for a moment, and then acknowledged, “Of course they do.”
“Well then, come on, Rolo, we don’t have much time before the next class—”
As Lelouch and Rolo walked off, Suzaku watched them intently, understanding now what it all had been about.
Rolo had been missing for some time the other day—some said he was captured by the Black Knights, though Rolo himself denied it.
Ah, so he’s got Rolo too, does he?
What did he promise the boy? Suzaku could only guess, but he knew one thing for sure—that forked tongue of Lelouch’s was at work again.
And if he allowed this continue, it wouldn’t be good for any of them.
So why was it that he was reluctant to make a move?
“So, what about the rest of the surveillance team, Nii-san?”
“Thanks to your help, they’re all under my control, that just leaves one—”
“You mean Viletta-sensei.”
Lelouch nodded. “She knows I’m Zero. Using a Geass to control her would be too obvious—I bet Suzaku keeps checking up on her because of that. Though he suspects, he does not have any proof, and can’t make a move. As long as I don’t give him that, then I’m safe.”
“So, what do you suggest we do, Nii-san?”
Lelouch thought a moment. “Keep an eye on her, Rolo. If she learns anything unnecessary, I will deal with it from there.”
“Of course, Nii-san.”
It was late at night in the Area 11 palace as one person sat at the dark, furiously searching on his computer.
Governor-General Kururugi Suzaku typed password after password into the database, desperately trying to open that one file that kept eluding him—the file labeled “Kururugi Suzaku”.
Damnit, why were there so many passwords on his own file, anyway? So he was a Knight of Rounds, and a Governor-General, that didn’t mean that it was classified information about—
The computer gave a beep as the screen flashed, “Level A Classified. Enter Password.”
Suzaku stared. Level A? That was about as top secret as you could get! Only advisors to the Emperor—and Knight of Rounds—had that classification! Still, he typed in the code, thinking that at last, he’d get his answer.
But there came another beep, and again the screen flashed, “Password Accepted.”
He gave a sigh, and then froze as something else appeared, “This file has been removed from the database.”
What? Why would this—?
“Here is a link to the declassified parts of the file.”
Annoyed, Suzaku clicked it anyway, only to read things he already knew—He was born July 10 of AD 2000, his father was Genbu Kururugi, he was a Knight of Rounds, etc.
Short. Vague. And it still didn’t explain why he couldn’t remember anything before he arrived at the Kururugi shrine.
Come to think of it, how come he hadn’t noticed before? It seemed like it was always like this, and yet he took his memory for granted.
Something must have happened, something big…he knew it, but he couldn’t remember it.
Whatever it was, he was sure that file of his had the answer. But someone had hidden it in such a way that even he couldn’t get a look at it.
But who hid it? The Emperor?
Whoever it was, Suzaku was going to find them. And make them tell him what exactly happened to him all those years ago.
Sighing, the Knight of Rounds rested his head in his hands. The Black Knights…his evolving Geass…and now this.
Why was it that fate seemed to torture him with all of this?
C.C. wondered at the wisdom of those at the Geass Cult keeping their secret file room unlocked.
Though, she supposed, they didn’t think anyone could find them hidden in the desert, so who would know where the secret files were kept, anyway?
It seemed like ages since she had last been to this place—but perhaps that was a good thing. Taking one of the researcher’s outfits and hiding her hair under a hat along with a pair of glasses, and bingo. No one recognized her.
Now, she sat atop a small cabinet, files scattered all around her, looking for that one she needed, that one file that would give the answer—
Aha! “Subject #435”
Now, she would find what she was looking for.
She could only flick it open for a few moments before her eyes became wide, unable to speak. “What…? Why didn’t I…Mairanne!” C.C. shrieked outloud. “What is the meaning of this?”
But Marianne stayed silent.
After flickering through a few more pictures within the file, C.C. saw something else interesting—a photograph of Rolo when he was young. The boy did not smile, yet was surrounded by several laughing children that did…and there, in his hand was—
C.C. paused. There was more to it than just this, she was sure of it.
Dropping Rolo’s file on the floor, she searched the other cabinets until she found it—the other damning file. Just looking at the title told her all that she needed.
A few pages in, and at last, all was clear.
Sinking back down into her seat, C.C. asked, “So, this is it? This is what you and Charles planned for, Marianne?”
Again, she did not reply.
Almost laughing to herself, C.C.’s eyes wandered to that file on the floor—
“Subject #435—Rolo vi Britannia”.
“Ah, that’s good, Kallen, thanks for your report.” Lelouch said, hanging up the phone.
Perfect. The alliance between the Black Knights and with China had been secured. Now, there had to be time for an official summit and then to talks of taking on Britannia—
The phone rang once again. Damnit, if Kallen had forgotten to tell him something vital—“This is Zero—huh? C.C.? Where are you?”
“I made it back to the capital,” she answered, leaning against the bed in the small hotel.
“So, you went there, then?”
“Yes,” she answered, biting her lip. How could she tell him?
“Did you…find out anything about Rolo?”
C.C. paused. Oh, what did it matter if she told him, anyway? It wouldn’t change things!
And then he would ask more questions…questions she couldn’t answer…
“Just what I expected. He was brought there as an infant; he doesn’t remember his own parents. He was given the Geass at a young age, and worked as an assassin for the Geass cult before being assigned by the Emperor to look after you.”
“Damn that man, even using children for his scheme!”
Yes, even going so far to use his own children for it, as well…
“Anyway, C.C., are you heading to Britannia soon?”
“Tomorrow. I’ll check up on your sister like I promised. Besides, it might be better this way—going by Britannia won’t be as expected, and it’ll be unlikely if someone follows me there.”
“Good…and thank you, C.C. I just—”
“I know, you want to look after your sister.” C.C. thought a moment. “But you should keep an eye on Rolo as well.”
“Why, is he more dangerous than we thought?” Even with such a resemblance to Nunnally, and he didn’t even notice—
She sighed, “No, but…he’s important to your plan, isn’t he? Make sure he’s kept out of trouble.”
“…Of course. See you in a few days.”
And then he hung up.
Idiot.
C.C. put the phone down as well, looking at one of the pieces of paper she brought back with her. “Rolo vi Britannia—son of Marianne vi Britannia and Charles di Britannia, twin brother to Nunnally vi Britannia, given to the Cult only a week after he was born—”
So that was it. There was the beginning of all of their lies—everything they neglected to tell her. When did the lying begin? She knew her part—wait until Lelouch is older, and give him the geass, but for what, exactly? She was told that it would be for the good of all—to protect the future children of this world.
Why had she accepted such a thing without knowing exactly what it entailed? Why wasn’t she told of Rolo’s existence?
If he really was Nunnally’s twin brother, then was that why she wasn’t allowed to help Marianne with the birth? Why she wasn’t allowed to see her until the next day? That would have been plenty of time to sneak the boy out without her knowing…
Rolo had to be important if they thought they couldn’t even trust her with that knowledge. There had to be some reason he had to be kept a secret from everyone—
Though that other file…things started to become clearer. Why Rolo was hidden away, why Lelouch had to be given the Geass, why everything had turned out this way.
But if her guess was correct—
Then Nunnally vi Britannia was in more danger than she thought.
“Yo, Suzaku! Long time no see!”
Suzaku said, with much less enthusiasm, “Hello, Gino.”
The Knight of Three, followed by the Knight of Six walked into his office, with only one of the two looking remotely excited to be there. Anya just followed in her usual fashion, typing on her little phone, dead to the world.
“So, how was three weeks without us? You look a little worse for wear, Suzaku.”
The Knight of Seven glared. “So would you, if you had to handle this mess all on your own. So, how was your vacation in Britannia?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it a ‘vacation’, Suzaku. You were the one that sent us there—”
“Just tell me.”
“Well, it was all right, but not exciting like it is here in Area 11. Now with Zero and the Black Knights at large, things will get a lot more interesting around here, eh?”
“Yes…interesting.” Suzaku would have cared to tell him off, but there were more important things. “So, how was Her Highness Nunnally? Is she doing all right?”
Gino shrugged, sitting down on the small couch in Suzaku’s office. “Well, it’s like what I told you on the phone before, Suzaku. The Emperor suddenly confined her to the palace. It’s a bit weird, really—now no one but the royal family can see her. But since the emperor still lets her play with her friend—hmm, what was her name? Ah, Alice, that’s it! Since she can still see her, that Alice let us sneak in and talk to her. Her Highness wanted me to tell you that she’s doing all right, and thanks for looking after her.”
Suzaku gave a sigh in relief. Well, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. “About this Alice girl…is she the same one I met before?”
“I think so. I think she’s also been trained as sort of a bodyguard for Her Highness as well, but they seem to get along well enough. You can stop your worrying, Suzaku, she’s not a threat.”
“I never assumed that a little girl was, you know,” Suzaku sat back in his chair. “But since Her Highness is well, that leaves us with the other business—The Black Knights. I hear they’ve got an alliance with China now. Before this turns into an international incident, we have to stop them as soon as possible.”
“Alice-chan, is that a—?”
“Yep,” the little girl smiled, “This cute little bird decided it liked you, Princess Nunnally,” Alice smiled, placing the peeping bird in the princess’s hands.
“What kind of bird is it?”
“Hmm…it’s got a red chest—a robin I think, I’ve seen a few around here.”
“It’s a brave little bird then, most of them don’t get close to us.”
“Or maybe it likes you,” Alice laughed. “I’m jealous, none of the birds want to come near me.”
As the two girls laughed together in the garden, a single person watched them from the shadows. So, that’s Nunnally’s new companion… C.C. saw the small blond girl, but from what she found out, the girl was no threat to her—she wasn’t placed as Nunnally’s companion by Charles, anyway. She was a daughter of one of the nobles or something.
Apparently the girl was given some bodyguard training as well, evidenced by the small gun strapped to her thigh. So she could double as a companion and a bodyguard, if it came to it.
Well, at least someone was looking after her.
Maybe she was worried for nothing. While she figured Lelouch and Rolo were central to Charles’ plan, Nunnally wasn’t as important—but if evidenced by how Charles was willing to use his other children, Nunnally could be in danger if it came to it.
Though, she doesn’t have an affinity for Geass…she’d only be useful as a hostage.
But at this moment, there was no need to worry. C.C. was fairly certain that while Lelouch was currently engaging in a rebellion against his father, Charles still planned to use him eventually. As long as she wasn’t needed as a hostage, there was no immediate danger. Though it would be impossible to smuggle her out of Britannia to eliminate all threat. She was certain the guards had been warned against that sort of thing happening.
I wonder, Marianne, when was it that you and Charles decided to use Rolo for your plans? When he was born, or even earlier? Did you see both children and then decide he would be better to your cause, and so you gave him to the cause and threw Nunnally by the wayside?
Again, Marianne did not answer. She was sure silent lately…
Turning away from the princess, C.C. made her way back inside the palace, down to the lower levels. Well, that was that. Nunnally was safe, and there was nothing left to find here, unless she could somehow find solid evidence of what Charles was planning, and she doubted she’d find any of that—
“Stop that woman!”
C.C. froze, before taking off down the hall, heart pounding. Damnit, they found me! Thinking quickly, she darted into a dark room, expecting troops to follow—
There were sounds of gunshots, and then screams of pain…huh? Wait a minute…
C.C. peeked out of a crack in the door, seeing someone rushing down the hall—and a flash of dark purple hair. Cornelia?
The princess stood with her back against the wall, gun one hand, staring down the several troops that surrounded her. “Hmph, you all dare to threaten me, Cornelia li Britannia!”
Only one had the courage to speak to her, “We have been ordered to bring you to his majesty at once! This area is off limits to everyone, including you, Your Highness!”
“Hmph, you wouldn’t say such a think if you knew! If you knew what he was keeping here—!”
She let out another shot, and it was at that moment that the men lunged for her. In seconds, the princess was captured.
“So this is his way of keeping control over me, is it?” Cornelia muttered as they cuffed her. “I lose control of Area 11, and to punish me, Father is keeping me locked up here, is he? Does he expect me to go mad? Now that I know—” Cornelia paused, seeing someone she recognized across the hallway, half hidden by a door.
C.C.? Cornelia mouthed, while the witch nodded. Though Cornelia must know she was on the side of the Black Knights, she and the princess once knew each other long ago…when Marianne was still alive…
Before the men took the princess away, Cornelia’s royal purple eyes darted towards a door to her right. C.C. nodded again, before she hid once more as the soldiers passed her.
Once the hallway was clear, C.C. emerged from her hiding place, walking towards that door. What could be behind it that was so important that Cornelia would even trust Britannia’s enemy with such information?
Or maybe, because it was her instead that she trusted her…she knew that it would be safe with her…
The door was locked by a code, but C.C. thought a moment. What if…? She punched in the same code that she remembered from years before, the only code that Marianne had told her—the one that meant it was important to The Plan.
It slid open.
The room was dark, and a few steps in, C.C. could make out a curtain dividing an area in the back of the room. As she stepped closer she heard a faint beeping…like the beeping of a machine…
A hand suddenly grabbed her tight about the waist, as the muzzle of a gun was pressed up against her head. “This area is off limits to everyone—”
“Your loyalty is admirable, Jeremiah,” C.C. muttered, turning her head back towards him. It looks like someone was a little late in hearing that Princess Cornelia had already been captured. “Though if I remember correctly, your loyalty was to Marianne, not to Charles himself.”
The Knight stared, “C.C.?”
Oh, look. More old friends from that time.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you with the Black Knights—”
“What I’m doing now has nothing to do with them,” she muttered harshly. She now had a feeling what this place was. “And if I’m right—”
She stepped forward, and, sucking in a breath, whipped back the curtain before her.
Jeremiah practically stumbled back in shock, “That is—”
“Huh, C.C.? What’s this? I thought you were still in Britannia—”
“I am, Lelouch,” C.C. said, trying to cut the conversation short. They had little time.
“Then why are you calling, did you get in some sort of trouble—?”
“Nothing like that, but—” C.C. glanced back to Jeremiah, who still sat in a state of shock, staring down at what they had found. “I might be bringing back a few more things with me.”
“Things?”
“Yes…very important things.”
Behind her, the machine beeped all the while, matching a pulse…the pulse of the body lying on that bed, clinging to life.
Chapter 12 here
I wasn't going to reveal that Rolo is Nunnally's twin brother until later, but I figured with all the WTF? in this chapter, I needed to give you guys something.
Poor Lelouch got less screentime in this chapter. D:
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: LelouchxC.C., (implied) Suzalulu,
Summary: So, what would have happened if Suzaku had received the Geass in Stage 1 instead of Lelouch? We'd have one messed up story on our hands.
Chapter 1 here.
I guess this is the "find out a little bit, but get a billion more questions chapter". |D
Also, in my mind, the thing with Rolo is TOTALLY CANON. They did not give me evidence to prove otherwise, so its canon.
“What are you saying? I’ll be alright. You forget who you’re talking to.” C.C. spoke to the darkness of the supply plane, as she leaned against a crate, seemingly out of it. “I know my way around this place.”
There was silence, before she spoke again, “So what if Lelouch is worried about me? He should be more worried about himself these days.”
A pause, and then she spoke again, startled, “So—so what if I’m worried about him? It’s not like he has anyone else to worry about him, you know.”
“—And? Your point is? It doesn’t matter anyway. I made a promise to you, have you forgotten, Marianne? I promised I would protect Lelouch. And that’s what I’ll do. I’ll protect him from Charles, and even you, if I must.” Golden eyes narrowing, C.C. added coldly, “Unlike you, I don’t break my promises.”
“Don’t give me that. You know what you did—you knew what Charles was planning. And yet you hid it from me and got us into this mess now. And, since you won’t tell me what’s happening, I’ll have to find out for myself. Just how far did Charles intend to go, Marianne? I know he planned on me giving Lelouch the Geass, but we could solve ourselves so many problems if you just told me what exactly he wants to use him for.”
“…Well? Tell me. I’m waiting.”
After a few more moments, C.C. sighed and looked away. “Fine, stay silent. It’s not like I need you for this anyway. You’ve never been to China.”
“You sure about this?” Kallen asked as Lelouch prepared to go out again. “Now that C.C.’s gone, there’s no one to protect you from his geass—”
“I know that, Kallen,” he told her sharply, picking up Zero’s mask. “However, I have no other choice but to do this. I need Rolo on my side.”
“Hmph. I don’t see why. Just keep him locked up and be done with it. You don’t need to use him to further an illusion—”
Lelouch’s fingers clasped into a tight fist. “I do. They have Nunnally. And I know why they have her—it’s just in case this happened. If I regained my memories, then all they had to do was threaten me by using her as a hostage! I can’t do that to her—I can’t let them win by using her! I have to stay on top so I can rescue her when the time comes—!”
Seeing his desperation, Kallen sighed. “Fine. I can see how important this is to you. But Lelouch—you still need to be careful. We still need our commander.”
He stared at her for a moment, and then nodded.
She was right, after all. Though he may just be Lelouch, he was also Zero…right now, he needed to be Zero. For everyone’s sake.
After all, he couldn’t save Nunnally just by being Lelouch.
The door to the cell slid open, as Zero walked in, carrying a try of meager food. Rolo, who was leaning against the wall, turned his head towards him, purple eyes glaring in hatred.
Zero glanced over at the other uneaten tray that C.C. had left. “You shouldn’t stare yourself, Rolo. You need to eat.”
“I don’t see why you care,” the boy muttered. “After all, I’m just your prisoner.”
There was a sigh, as Zero set the tray down. “Rolo…” The mask came off, revealing the face of Lelouch Lamperouge—looking slightly upset. “I am sorry about this. I’m sorry you think of it that way.”
“Think of it what way? Don’t tell me you’re trying to protect me—”
“But that’s what I am trying to do.” Giving another sigh, Lelouch came to sit down beside Rolo—no longer holding the intimidating posture of Zero, no, now he spoke to him as an equal—brother to brother. “Don’t you understand, Rolo? What Britannia was doing this whole time? While you were manipulated into working for them, the whole time they planned to dispose of me once C.C. was captured—I would have been dead, and then who knows what they would have done to you when they needed to get rid of those who knew too much? They would have inevitably split us up in the end…and am I selfish for not wanting that?”
Just…ever so slightly, the boy’s violet eyes widened. Lelouch kept going.
“Even if my memories are restored, I know the truth. The time we spent together was not a lie. Don’t you know it too? That year we spent together wasn’t fake. No matter what anyone else says—you are my little brother. And what older brother would I be if I wasn’t always looking out for you?”
“Ni—Lelouch…” Ah, he almost said it. He was getting closer. “But why? Why do this when we could just live peacefully at Asford? Why have to go to this trouble? If you wanted to keep that life, then why—?”
“Because even with my memories back, I would have no power to do anything otherwise! Rolo, if they tried to take me away, or take you away, I wouldn’t have the power to stop them, don’t you understand? This is the kind of world we live in! With the snap of a finger, everything we know can be destroyed, and as just schoolboys, we are powerless to stop it! Even with our geass, we can still do nothing when faced with the might of the Britannian army! That’s why! I want the power to protect what I care about! The power to protect you! My only family!”
Rolo couldn’t look at him. But Lelouch saw it all. The way the boy’s hands slightly trembled at the thought of that word. Family.
Lelouch had looked him up. Rolo had no known family. He had been raised in China, with the Geass Cult to be an assassin. If he had ever been told who his real family was, then he had never spoken of it since.
He was alone. Totally alone. And the only person who had ever considered him family was the boy sitting next him.
Yes, it was too perfect of a chance indeed.
“You’re…you’re not lying?” Rolo hesitated, biting his lip. “You won’t…you won’t abandon me, Nii-san…you won’t throw me away?”
Lelouch stared. Where had this come from? “Of course not! How could I? You’re my only little brother!”
When the boy was looking back up at him, he was wiping away tears. “Nii-san!” And then he hugged him.
Lelouch couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised. Rolo…hugging him? This was new…Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he said, “C’mon Rolo, what’s this? Boys don’t cry—c’mon, pull yourself together…we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Yes…Lelouch remembered his true family, surely lonely all the way n the other side of the world. A lot of work ahead of them.
Laughter erupted from the small group on the Ashford lawn.
“So then,” Rivalz continued through fits of giggles, “Even though the bike was already in the creek and the current was fast, I tried to throw a rope in and fish it out, but the rope got caught on a fast moving log and, well, you can guess what happened next!”
The rest of them laughed, imagining a seven year old Rivalz emerging from a creek like a wet cat. “So,” Shirley asked, still laughing, “Where in Britannia did you live, anyway?”
“Oh, near the east, next to the mountains. It was really far out—it took us an hour drive to even reach the nearest city!”
“So, what made your parents decide to move to Area 11?”
“Hmm…I guess the opportunity, mostly. Once this place became an official Area, there were a lot of jobs available.”
“That’s true,” Millay nodded. “That’s the reason why most of us are here. Even with all the conflict with the Elevens, sometimes it’s better to stay here than to go back to Britannia. Still…I wonder what this place was like before it became an Area…I hear the economy was really bad…” The president’s eyes glanced over at the one person who could help answer that question…the one person who looked lost in thought. “Oi, Suzaku!”
“Hm?” He nearly jumped at being addressed so suddenly. “What is it?”
“What was Area 11 like before the war?”
He paused. No, this wasn’t the sort of question he had anticipated. “Well…I was only 9 at the time, and didn’t really care much about politics…you should ask someone else…”
“Hmph,” Millay huffed, “I would have asked Lelouch, but he’s tutoring Kallen again today.”
Tutoring Kallen… Right…Suzaku had his suspicions about that, but whenever he checked them, it appeared that all Lelouch was doing was teaching her the basics of Algebra…he had no proof at all. Either he really was wrong, or they were being too careful…
But he seriously doubted the former.
“I guess I can try…I remember Father saying something once or twice about needing to boost the economy, I guess…and the war only made it worse. But, before that—
Suzaku paused Before that…Right, there was a time before that, wasn’t there? Before he had gone to live at the Kururugi shirne for his own safety, or something? Didn’t he live somewhere else then?
Didn’t he?
Green eyes shrank as his face paled, fingers even shaking slightly as he realized—
“Hmm? Suzaku, is there something wrong?” Even Rolo, who had been sitting with them, turned his glance away from the locket in his hand.
Heart racing in his chest, Suzaku knew, I don’t have any memories from before that!
“Suzaku?”
How could this be? Why hadn’t he noticed before? Did something happen in his childhood? Something terrible? The earliest he could remember was that day he was brought there—to the Kururugi Shrine, just a few weeks before Lelouch showed up. Yes, someone brought him there—someone tall—who smiled a lot—yet also—but before that—there was nothing…Nothing!
“Suzaku!”
Shirley’s voice brought him out of it, as he looked back up at his classmates, all looking worried. Trying to shake it off, he said, “Sorry…bad memories from the war, you know…”
“Oh…” They all gave a small nod of recognition. As they had learned in recent times, war was terrible.
“Hey, what’s this? You all didn’t look this down when I left before!”
“Lelouch!”
Everyone looked happier to see him at once—save two in their company. But Shirley always looked annoyed when she saw Lelouch with Kallen in tow, and Suzaku—every time he saw Lelouch these days, he couldn’t help but wish he didn’t have the suspicions he had now.
“So, tutoring Kallen again?” Rivalz asked, much to Shirley’s dismay.
“Yes…” the girl answered. “I’m hopeless with math, and Lelouch is a good tutor.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say good,” the boy laughed. “But I know what it takes to pass the class, at least.”
Right. Suzaku knew firsthand, that Lelouch had hardly been to class. Putting aside his worried about his own past for the time being, he stood up, “Lelouch—”
“Nii-san!” Rolo cut him off at just the right moment. “Weren’t you going to tutor me right after?”
As if it was all planned out, Lelouch smiled, “Of course, Rolo. I did promise, didn’t I?”
“What, not joining us for lunch?” Suzaku glared. He was certain Lelouch knew what this was about, by the way the boy smirked only for a brief moment.
“Sorry, Suzaku, but you know, promises made to family come first.”
Suzaku was silent for a moment, and then acknowledged, “Of course they do.”
“Well then, come on, Rolo, we don’t have much time before the next class—”
As Lelouch and Rolo walked off, Suzaku watched them intently, understanding now what it all had been about.
Rolo had been missing for some time the other day—some said he was captured by the Black Knights, though Rolo himself denied it.
Ah, so he’s got Rolo too, does he?
What did he promise the boy? Suzaku could only guess, but he knew one thing for sure—that forked tongue of Lelouch’s was at work again.
And if he allowed this continue, it wouldn’t be good for any of them.
So why was it that he was reluctant to make a move?
“So, what about the rest of the surveillance team, Nii-san?”
“Thanks to your help, they’re all under my control, that just leaves one—”
“You mean Viletta-sensei.”
Lelouch nodded. “She knows I’m Zero. Using a Geass to control her would be too obvious—I bet Suzaku keeps checking up on her because of that. Though he suspects, he does not have any proof, and can’t make a move. As long as I don’t give him that, then I’m safe.”
“So, what do you suggest we do, Nii-san?”
Lelouch thought a moment. “Keep an eye on her, Rolo. If she learns anything unnecessary, I will deal with it from there.”
“Of course, Nii-san.”
It was late at night in the Area 11 palace as one person sat at the dark, furiously searching on his computer.
Governor-General Kururugi Suzaku typed password after password into the database, desperately trying to open that one file that kept eluding him—the file labeled “Kururugi Suzaku”.
Damnit, why were there so many passwords on his own file, anyway? So he was a Knight of Rounds, and a Governor-General, that didn’t mean that it was classified information about—
The computer gave a beep as the screen flashed, “Level A Classified. Enter Password.”
Suzaku stared. Level A? That was about as top secret as you could get! Only advisors to the Emperor—and Knight of Rounds—had that classification! Still, he typed in the code, thinking that at last, he’d get his answer.
But there came another beep, and again the screen flashed, “Password Accepted.”
He gave a sigh, and then froze as something else appeared, “This file has been removed from the database.”
What? Why would this—?
“Here is a link to the declassified parts of the file.”
Annoyed, Suzaku clicked it anyway, only to read things he already knew—He was born July 10 of AD 2000, his father was Genbu Kururugi, he was a Knight of Rounds, etc.
Short. Vague. And it still didn’t explain why he couldn’t remember anything before he arrived at the Kururugi shrine.
Come to think of it, how come he hadn’t noticed before? It seemed like it was always like this, and yet he took his memory for granted.
Something must have happened, something big…he knew it, but he couldn’t remember it.
Whatever it was, he was sure that file of his had the answer. But someone had hidden it in such a way that even he couldn’t get a look at it.
But who hid it? The Emperor?
Whoever it was, Suzaku was going to find them. And make them tell him what exactly happened to him all those years ago.
Sighing, the Knight of Rounds rested his head in his hands. The Black Knights…his evolving Geass…and now this.
Why was it that fate seemed to torture him with all of this?
C.C. wondered at the wisdom of those at the Geass Cult keeping their secret file room unlocked.
Though, she supposed, they didn’t think anyone could find them hidden in the desert, so who would know where the secret files were kept, anyway?
It seemed like ages since she had last been to this place—but perhaps that was a good thing. Taking one of the researcher’s outfits and hiding her hair under a hat along with a pair of glasses, and bingo. No one recognized her.
Now, she sat atop a small cabinet, files scattered all around her, looking for that one she needed, that one file that would give the answer—
Aha! “Subject #435”
Now, she would find what she was looking for.
She could only flick it open for a few moments before her eyes became wide, unable to speak. “What…? Why didn’t I…Mairanne!” C.C. shrieked outloud. “What is the meaning of this?”
But Marianne stayed silent.
After flickering through a few more pictures within the file, C.C. saw something else interesting—a photograph of Rolo when he was young. The boy did not smile, yet was surrounded by several laughing children that did…and there, in his hand was—
C.C. paused. There was more to it than just this, she was sure of it.
Dropping Rolo’s file on the floor, she searched the other cabinets until she found it—the other damning file. Just looking at the title told her all that she needed.
A few pages in, and at last, all was clear.
Sinking back down into her seat, C.C. asked, “So, this is it? This is what you and Charles planned for, Marianne?”
Again, she did not reply.
Almost laughing to herself, C.C.’s eyes wandered to that file on the floor—
“Subject #435—Rolo vi Britannia”.
“Ah, that’s good, Kallen, thanks for your report.” Lelouch said, hanging up the phone.
Perfect. The alliance between the Black Knights and with China had been secured. Now, there had to be time for an official summit and then to talks of taking on Britannia—
The phone rang once again. Damnit, if Kallen had forgotten to tell him something vital—“This is Zero—huh? C.C.? Where are you?”
“I made it back to the capital,” she answered, leaning against the bed in the small hotel.
“So, you went there, then?”
“Yes,” she answered, biting her lip. How could she tell him?
“Did you…find out anything about Rolo?”
C.C. paused. Oh, what did it matter if she told him, anyway? It wouldn’t change things!
And then he would ask more questions…questions she couldn’t answer…
“Just what I expected. He was brought there as an infant; he doesn’t remember his own parents. He was given the Geass at a young age, and worked as an assassin for the Geass cult before being assigned by the Emperor to look after you.”
“Damn that man, even using children for his scheme!”
Yes, even going so far to use his own children for it, as well…
“Anyway, C.C., are you heading to Britannia soon?”
“Tomorrow. I’ll check up on your sister like I promised. Besides, it might be better this way—going by Britannia won’t be as expected, and it’ll be unlikely if someone follows me there.”
“Good…and thank you, C.C. I just—”
“I know, you want to look after your sister.” C.C. thought a moment. “But you should keep an eye on Rolo as well.”
“Why, is he more dangerous than we thought?” Even with such a resemblance to Nunnally, and he didn’t even notice—
She sighed, “No, but…he’s important to your plan, isn’t he? Make sure he’s kept out of trouble.”
“…Of course. See you in a few days.”
And then he hung up.
Idiot.
C.C. put the phone down as well, looking at one of the pieces of paper she brought back with her. “Rolo vi Britannia—son of Marianne vi Britannia and Charles di Britannia, twin brother to Nunnally vi Britannia, given to the Cult only a week after he was born—”
So that was it. There was the beginning of all of their lies—everything they neglected to tell her. When did the lying begin? She knew her part—wait until Lelouch is older, and give him the geass, but for what, exactly? She was told that it would be for the good of all—to protect the future children of this world.
Why had she accepted such a thing without knowing exactly what it entailed? Why wasn’t she told of Rolo’s existence?
If he really was Nunnally’s twin brother, then was that why she wasn’t allowed to help Marianne with the birth? Why she wasn’t allowed to see her until the next day? That would have been plenty of time to sneak the boy out without her knowing…
Rolo had to be important if they thought they couldn’t even trust her with that knowledge. There had to be some reason he had to be kept a secret from everyone—
Though that other file…things started to become clearer. Why Rolo was hidden away, why Lelouch had to be given the Geass, why everything had turned out this way.
But if her guess was correct—
Then Nunnally vi Britannia was in more danger than she thought.
“Yo, Suzaku! Long time no see!”
Suzaku said, with much less enthusiasm, “Hello, Gino.”
The Knight of Three, followed by the Knight of Six walked into his office, with only one of the two looking remotely excited to be there. Anya just followed in her usual fashion, typing on her little phone, dead to the world.
“So, how was three weeks without us? You look a little worse for wear, Suzaku.”
The Knight of Seven glared. “So would you, if you had to handle this mess all on your own. So, how was your vacation in Britannia?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it a ‘vacation’, Suzaku. You were the one that sent us there—”
“Just tell me.”
“Well, it was all right, but not exciting like it is here in Area 11. Now with Zero and the Black Knights at large, things will get a lot more interesting around here, eh?”
“Yes…interesting.” Suzaku would have cared to tell him off, but there were more important things. “So, how was Her Highness Nunnally? Is she doing all right?”
Gino shrugged, sitting down on the small couch in Suzaku’s office. “Well, it’s like what I told you on the phone before, Suzaku. The Emperor suddenly confined her to the palace. It’s a bit weird, really—now no one but the royal family can see her. But since the emperor still lets her play with her friend—hmm, what was her name? Ah, Alice, that’s it! Since she can still see her, that Alice let us sneak in and talk to her. Her Highness wanted me to tell you that she’s doing all right, and thanks for looking after her.”
Suzaku gave a sigh in relief. Well, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. “About this Alice girl…is she the same one I met before?”
“I think so. I think she’s also been trained as sort of a bodyguard for Her Highness as well, but they seem to get along well enough. You can stop your worrying, Suzaku, she’s not a threat.”
“I never assumed that a little girl was, you know,” Suzaku sat back in his chair. “But since Her Highness is well, that leaves us with the other business—The Black Knights. I hear they’ve got an alliance with China now. Before this turns into an international incident, we have to stop them as soon as possible.”
“Alice-chan, is that a—?”
“Yep,” the little girl smiled, “This cute little bird decided it liked you, Princess Nunnally,” Alice smiled, placing the peeping bird in the princess’s hands.
“What kind of bird is it?”
“Hmm…it’s got a red chest—a robin I think, I’ve seen a few around here.”
“It’s a brave little bird then, most of them don’t get close to us.”
“Or maybe it likes you,” Alice laughed. “I’m jealous, none of the birds want to come near me.”
As the two girls laughed together in the garden, a single person watched them from the shadows. So, that’s Nunnally’s new companion… C.C. saw the small blond girl, but from what she found out, the girl was no threat to her—she wasn’t placed as Nunnally’s companion by Charles, anyway. She was a daughter of one of the nobles or something.
Apparently the girl was given some bodyguard training as well, evidenced by the small gun strapped to her thigh. So she could double as a companion and a bodyguard, if it came to it.
Well, at least someone was looking after her.
Maybe she was worried for nothing. While she figured Lelouch and Rolo were central to Charles’ plan, Nunnally wasn’t as important—but if evidenced by how Charles was willing to use his other children, Nunnally could be in danger if it came to it.
Though, she doesn’t have an affinity for Geass…she’d only be useful as a hostage.
But at this moment, there was no need to worry. C.C. was fairly certain that while Lelouch was currently engaging in a rebellion against his father, Charles still planned to use him eventually. As long as she wasn’t needed as a hostage, there was no immediate danger. Though it would be impossible to smuggle her out of Britannia to eliminate all threat. She was certain the guards had been warned against that sort of thing happening.
I wonder, Marianne, when was it that you and Charles decided to use Rolo for your plans? When he was born, or even earlier? Did you see both children and then decide he would be better to your cause, and so you gave him to the cause and threw Nunnally by the wayside?
Again, Marianne did not answer. She was sure silent lately…
Turning away from the princess, C.C. made her way back inside the palace, down to the lower levels. Well, that was that. Nunnally was safe, and there was nothing left to find here, unless she could somehow find solid evidence of what Charles was planning, and she doubted she’d find any of that—
“Stop that woman!”
C.C. froze, before taking off down the hall, heart pounding. Damnit, they found me! Thinking quickly, she darted into a dark room, expecting troops to follow—
There were sounds of gunshots, and then screams of pain…huh? Wait a minute…
C.C. peeked out of a crack in the door, seeing someone rushing down the hall—and a flash of dark purple hair. Cornelia?
The princess stood with her back against the wall, gun one hand, staring down the several troops that surrounded her. “Hmph, you all dare to threaten me, Cornelia li Britannia!”
Only one had the courage to speak to her, “We have been ordered to bring you to his majesty at once! This area is off limits to everyone, including you, Your Highness!”
“Hmph, you wouldn’t say such a think if you knew! If you knew what he was keeping here—!”
She let out another shot, and it was at that moment that the men lunged for her. In seconds, the princess was captured.
“So this is his way of keeping control over me, is it?” Cornelia muttered as they cuffed her. “I lose control of Area 11, and to punish me, Father is keeping me locked up here, is he? Does he expect me to go mad? Now that I know—” Cornelia paused, seeing someone she recognized across the hallway, half hidden by a door.
C.C.? Cornelia mouthed, while the witch nodded. Though Cornelia must know she was on the side of the Black Knights, she and the princess once knew each other long ago…when Marianne was still alive…
Before the men took the princess away, Cornelia’s royal purple eyes darted towards a door to her right. C.C. nodded again, before she hid once more as the soldiers passed her.
Once the hallway was clear, C.C. emerged from her hiding place, walking towards that door. What could be behind it that was so important that Cornelia would even trust Britannia’s enemy with such information?
Or maybe, because it was her instead that she trusted her…she knew that it would be safe with her…
The door was locked by a code, but C.C. thought a moment. What if…? She punched in the same code that she remembered from years before, the only code that Marianne had told her—the one that meant it was important to The Plan.
It slid open.
The room was dark, and a few steps in, C.C. could make out a curtain dividing an area in the back of the room. As she stepped closer she heard a faint beeping…like the beeping of a machine…
A hand suddenly grabbed her tight about the waist, as the muzzle of a gun was pressed up against her head. “This area is off limits to everyone—”
“Your loyalty is admirable, Jeremiah,” C.C. muttered, turning her head back towards him. It looks like someone was a little late in hearing that Princess Cornelia had already been captured. “Though if I remember correctly, your loyalty was to Marianne, not to Charles himself.”
The Knight stared, “C.C.?”
Oh, look. More old friends from that time.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you with the Black Knights—”
“What I’m doing now has nothing to do with them,” she muttered harshly. She now had a feeling what this place was. “And if I’m right—”
She stepped forward, and, sucking in a breath, whipped back the curtain before her.
Jeremiah practically stumbled back in shock, “That is—”
“Huh, C.C.? What’s this? I thought you were still in Britannia—”
“I am, Lelouch,” C.C. said, trying to cut the conversation short. They had little time.
“Then why are you calling, did you get in some sort of trouble—?”
“Nothing like that, but—” C.C. glanced back to Jeremiah, who still sat in a state of shock, staring down at what they had found. “I might be bringing back a few more things with me.”
“Things?”
“Yes…very important things.”
Behind her, the machine beeped all the while, matching a pulse…the pulse of the body lying on that bed, clinging to life.
Chapter 12 here
I wasn't going to reveal that Rolo is Nunnally's twin brother until later, but I figured with all the WTF? in this chapter, I needed to give you guys something.
Poor Lelouch got less screentime in this chapter. D:
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I like these twists, though. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen next.
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There's a rumor going around that Rolo was originally supposed to be Lelouch's half-brother, but I don't know the source. So my canon says he's his real brother.
Oh, there's a lot more coming. ;D
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Aha... who's body is it? Euphie's? o_o
*smacks self* No, wait, it's Marianne's, isn't it? AAHHH WHATEVER as long as this is all revealed in time, I'm find to be confused! XD
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Thanks for reading!
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Anyway.....
OMG, I can't wait for the next chapter! O_O
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And Alice, that's the name of the girl in Nightmare of Nunally, isn't it? Coincidence...?
Certainly lots of new questions, can't wait to see what happens next. :D
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Yeah. Nunnally needed a companion for plot-y reasons, so since I'm already going with "Rolo vi Britannia", I decided to just go with "Alice" for her friend's name as well.
Thanks!