Now it's Checkmate - High School DxD x Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

I Just Want...

...To See People Smiling.

Rias' POV

The Human Mind Is Very Powerful, It Can Create and Inspire. Or It Can Discourage and Destroy.

Last night, a weapon was unleashed on the city of Tokyo. Any being sufficiently powerful could feel all the souls that had disappeared. The deaths, it would break the mind of anyone who couldn't handle the power of it. All of us were in utter shock. Even hours after it happened, a ceasefire seems to have been made between Britannia and the Black Knights. Me and Issei were huddled together on the hill I teleported us to. Suddenly my phone began to ring.
It was my brother. I answered it.
"Ria, are you okay? I just received word and I thought..."
"I'm fine brother. We all are... well maybe not all." The blast seemed to have came from just above the government bureau. That's where Nunnally was.
"Okay, I'm sending the Gaheris to pick you all up. It'll be about six minutes. All the people inside were removed. Well, except one." Sirzechs stated. It wasn't any sort of surprise he had control over it, after all it was fathers company that built it.
"Yeah." I said meekly. He shut off the call, he knew I was in no mood to talk.
Issei stirred in his sleep and woke up.
"Who was that?" Issei asked between yawns.
"Sirzechs, he's sending the Gaheris to pick us up. And by the sounds of it Lincoln is still alive. Lelouch too." I smiled at Issei.

"Well that's good. But, then what? We just go about? I mean let's face it, I have not got a single clue what we're doing now. We got together with Lincoln because of the Khaos Brigade and now they're not much of a problem, we can't go back to Kuoh, the school was blown up. Ashford is a refugee centre now." Issei stood on his feet and stretched his arms.
"That's a... good question. There is what Azazel said, what the Emperors planning but... that all depends on if he's up to the task." I hadn't said his name. But Issei knew.

"What do you mean? He's always up to the task, especially if he can destroy the emperor." Issei was smart, but really only in certain ways over others.
"Issei, that bomb. It was detonated over the government building. At least that's what I can make out. His sister was in there." I explained to him. He hung his head after contemplating my words.
He kept silent for a minute until somebody else input their own thoughts.
"Well I've hacked into the Black Knights communications. The Emperor is indeed here, well off the coast more like. In any case that can only mean that his plan is going into its final stage. How long until the Gaheris is here?" Azazel stood in front of me and Issei. I glanced down at my phone.
"Six minutes." I answered.
"Ok, that's good. Get the rest up."

The Gaheris ramp lowered to us allowing us to finally get off the mud and grass. Like before nobody talked. I looked around the hanger bay. There was one thing there. The Doom Slayer. Thus confirming for an absolute fact that Lincoln was here. I couldn't imagine what was going through his head. The pressure already there and now this? All of it must seem insane to him. It's only been a few weeks since we met. And in that time the entire world he thought he knew was a lie. That he wasn't even fully human.
Maybe that's why he's so... distant. To cope. He's seen death and destruction, caused it. To lose his mother so early, having to fend off the elements and human nature for three years, then living under a guise for the next portion of his life then becoming a commander for a terrorist organisation? All that would create some barriers.

While I did initially approach him because of the Khaos Brigade. I feel bad, I want to help. I think we all do. And not just him. Lelouch is just as broken but he's much, much more distant.
Akeno tapped me on the shoulder breaking my train of thought,
"We're gonna go to the cafeteria, are you coming?" Akeno stayed with a smile, I know her as well as anybody, it's was just a facade at this point.
Yet I went along.
"So. Azazel, what now? We ain't sittin' on our asses, can't we just fly over to the Emperor's flagship and just..." Issei made laser noises with his mouth. Azazel shook his head.
"We have reason to believe that the emperor. Is in fact a Code Bearer. Y'know the same way that Sirzechs is. He's immortal. And can bestow Geass on others. But that part isn't particularly important. And there's the fact we don't even know what it is he's planning. Even if we do somehow kill him -which, yeah good luck with that- his plan may still go through and we'll have lost our only way to stop it.." Azazel explained his rationale.
"If that's the case then we better get to work."  Kiba stood up and threw his wrapper in the trash.
"Yeah, about that..."