[DISCONTINUED] Code Geass: Turmoil in Euro Britannia

Chapter 10- Questions Answered

                  

Lord Shaing moved his white pawn forward. Lord Kingsley had invited him for a game of chess, fulfilling his strong desire to play it since the train ride. Lord Shaing had certainly gained Julius' trust after the scene in the operational command centre. For Lord Shaing, his goal to find out Lord Kingsley's true identity became more convenient. "It was foolish of Duke Velaines to defy the Emperor. Perhaps one could say his time has come and gone?" He chuckled with mirth at the way he plan worked out so well and Duke Velaines' reaction. Like you Zero... Suzaku voiced in his head. "He is under arrest for now, but he will be beheaded before His Majesty." informed Lord Kingsley. "What of the Great Nobles?" Lord Shaing enquired. "I doubt that they have the backbone to attack the Britannian homeland." Lord Kingsley replied, leaning forward, he picked up a chess piece and twirled it in his hand. "I shall guide Euro Britannia." Putting down the black chess piece, he said smugly "Checkmate." Lord Shaing stared at the chessboard; there was indeed no way for an escape. "Well played." He could not believe the game ended this fast, but then again, with Lord Kingsley's and maybe Zero's intellect, it was not a surprise. Lord Kingsley picked up Lord Shaing's white king. Staring at it, he said "You projected the real word onto this game, didn't you?" Lord Shaing narrowed his eyes in suspicion, what was Lord Kingsley implying? "At one point, I would have lost had you only sacrifice your queen." "I'm afraid I don't understand." "There are things that you cannot bring yourself to sacrifice. Am I wrong?" Lord Kingsley paused to gauge Lord Shaing's reaction. He did not reply. Lord Kingsely continued, "Everyone possesses such a weakness. A parent, a sibling, a friend. Or perhaps a lover?" For you Lelouch, it was Nunnally that ended your reign of terror, the Knight thought bitterly. "But I am different." "You are?" This peaked Lord Shaing's interest and curiosity. "What I must protect, what I am willing to lay down my life to protect," Lord Kingsley's voice full of conviction and loyalty, "is his Imperial Majesty and no one else!" Just like that, Lord Kingsley's right eye became dilated, and he let out a gasp. Julius dropped the white king chess piece to the floor. His left eye started radiating in pain as he grasped it. "His Majesty...H-His..Majesty...!" Beads of cold sweat started forming. Trembling, his mind was consumed by the sight covered in red hue of His Majesty's eyes which had familiar symbols in them staring him down. Julius Kingsley was polluting his mind with its fake identity. With a yowl, he swiped the table clean of its contents. The glass of wine and chess pieces tumbled to the ground. He was lost in his own turmoil, oblivious to his surroundings. Julius felt utterly lost, he could not remember who he was. Someone was on the verge of trying to relinquish his hold of himself, his true self. He was fearful. "Wh-Who's there? Who are you?!" Julius clutched his face in agony. He staggered. "N-No, I'm different!" I am Lelouch! Not Julius Kingsley...or am I? Lelouch clung on to his sanity, trying to keep his composure in check. Breathing in and out, he looked at the ominous place, his hand all the while supporting his left eye. His right arm reached forward, trying to get a grasp on his surroundings. "Th-This... What is this place?" He rasped. "Where am I?" After looking at Charles's eyes, the rest was a blank slate. He felt like his brain was tinkered with. Think Lelouch think... He concentrated, digging deep into the recesses of his mind, trying to think logically. He came out with many assumptions. Had he escaped Charles? Lelouch's mind raced with questions. He started voicing his thoughts. Was I in "The Tokyo Settlement? No, Kamine Island?" With all this rational thinking, his mind became clearer, less foggy. He thought he gained back control of himself. Slowly, he lowered his hands. However, Lelouch was wrong. Charles's Geass came back twice as strong, as he right eye turned red again. His Majes... "Get out of my head, Julius Kingsley!" Lelouch fell to his knees, his hands coming back to his head. He wrecked with emotional pain. He must fight Charles' Geass. Lelouch groaned. Lelouch tried delving deeper, but it was difficult to recollect anything besides his name and the scene with Charles. Charles... He snarled inwardly, that son of a bitch. The anger cleared his mind. Clarity enveloped him like a cool wave. Not a moment later, Julius Kingsley retaliated, directing churning waves of fake memories at him. Who was he? Why was he trying so hard to fight against who... or what? Then, he heard a familiar voice, "Zero is dead!" With that one sentence, everything flooded back in again, and Lelouch came back for a second, before he starting dissolving away again...NO! For a fraction of a second, His attention became divided as sounds of machines and gunfire filled his thoughts, but not a moment later, he became involved with deciphering his memories and identities again. It was a battlefield in his head. Lelouch was rocked with sobs as they clash and fought against each other. He felt someone lift him and then put him down again. It didn't matter to him, his physical surroundings not holding enough importance than his psychological situation. Julius Kingsley....Julius Kingsley... His Majesty's voice reverberated in his brain, echoing to all the dark recesses of his mind. GET OUT OF MY HEAD! Lelouch clutched his ears, hoping the hypnotic voice will die away. But they didn't. It only got worse, with his voice, no Julius Kingsley's voice repeating like a broken recorder, What I must protect, what I am willing to lay down my life to protect is his Imperial Majesty and no one else! That was right, why was he even resisting His Imperial Majesty orders? He should just follow and everything will be fine... Lelouch began to loosen up as Nunnally flashed across his mind, "They say if you fold a thousand cranes, your wish comes true." "And you, Nunnally? Do you wish for anything?" "I wish the world was a gentle place." He arched his back in realization. Yes, that is my dream, for me, for Nunnally, for the world. I CANNOT GIVE UP! Lelouch tried recalling everything he held dear, for the sake of himself and Nunnally. Think...Lelouch...Focus... He crouched back done again. Breathing in and out, Lelouch tried to regulate his breathing, attempting to hold Julius Kingsley at bay. Tried, but he couldn't. Nunallly was only a few seconds of respite, but it could not prevent the intruder from eating formidably into his brain like a virus, seizing his consciousness. Lelouch widened his eyes. "Who are you?" He asked Julius Kingsley. "Who are you? Who..." His Majesty, reaching for him, redness reflecting in his eyes made Julius Kingsley gasped. "YOUR MAJESTY!" Julius Kingsley rocked his head back, screaming at the scene replayed before his eyes. He ripped the eyepatch away, as his own Geass countered Charles's, if only for a few seconds. Lelouch was back. "What is this place? Where am I?" He looked up, as if he could find the answers above. Lelouch eyes flashed crimson. Charles's Geass was winning soon. Exhuasted, he fell backwards. His last thought was Nunnally showing him her folded pink crane, her smile taking his breath away. "Nunnally..." As he hit the carpeted ground, he gave in to Charles, gave in to Julius Kingsley. Lelouch was so weakened after the minutes of endless torture that he let Julius Kingsley consume his entire being, right before he blacked out.

-

Right after Julius Kingsley proclaimed his love for His Majesty, it was the trigger for Lelouch emergence. To be honest, Suzaku was already used to Lelouch's episodes. He was not the least surprised. However, glancing at Lord Shaing, he was uncertain what conclusions Lord Shaing could draw from this. It was evident Lord Shaing did not pale in comparison with Lelouch's intellect, although on a slightly lower level.  When Lelouch pushed everything off the table, Suzaku's eyes glimmered in contempt. Lelouch was putting on a big fit again. Suzaku eyed Lord Shaing, he did not seem fazed by the scene before, he looks... amused. Judging for Lord Shaing's behavior, Lord Shaing was close to figuring it out. "Get out of my head, Julius Kingsley!" yelled Lelouch. Suzaku was shocked by Lelouch's progress with his memories. He had already found out what was his fake identity? However, for Lord Shaing, it was a jackpot. Bingo. He was curious to get answers with the questions bombarding him. Judging from Lord Kingsley's reaction, His Majesty must have had a Geass that was used on Zero.  One that could bend others to their will? Brainwash them? Change their memories? Apparently, he was forced into his character. "Lord Kingsley" Lord Shaing mused. "He seems to be out of sorts." Suzaku stepped forward. "I am terribly sorry, Lord Shaing, but I must ask you to leave." Suzaku was scared Lord Shaing would figure out who Lelouch was if Lelouch kept on raving. However, Lord Shaing made no effort to move. He wanted to see if his assumptions were right. "When I heard of the Ark Fleet plan, I was reminded of a certain terrorist. The name of a terrorist in Area 11. Lord Kingsley's elaborate plan bears a striking resemblance to one used by that terrorist." Lord Shaing shook his head. "No, it is the very same." Shit...he found out. "What are you implying?" Lord Shaing pointed a finger and Lelouch. "He is the rebel, Zero." Lord Shaing could not believe how the confusing puzzle pieces of Lord Kingsley's identity fit together perfectly. "Zero is dead! Executed by the emperor!" Suzaku retorted. He knew he had a slim chance of convincing Lord Shaing, but he must try, for the sake of his status and for Lelouch. "Kururugi Suzaku. The very fact that you, a Knight of the Round, is guarding him proves it." Suzaku's face contorted in fury. "Any further groundless speculation will not end well for you!" as he whipped out a gun. The identity of Julius Kingsley and his title were being threatened. If needed, he would not hesitate to kill Lord Shaing. Lord Shaing remained composed. "I respect you, Kururugi. To think that you, the son of Japan's final prime minister, would become the knight of its conqueror..." Blood coated his hands as he stared at the knife he used protruding out of his father's stomach... Suzaku's arm shook, he straighten it. "What of it?!" "It's brilliant." Suzaku shot, it was evident Lord Shaing was not to live another day. However, before the bullet could reach his target, a Knightmare stopped it.

-

"Kururugi, look around you." Lord Shaing stood in front of the trembling Lord Kingsley on the ground. He stared at the blood splattered and machines torn apart. It was the total opposite of Lord Kingsley's grandiose quarters, like Lord Kingsley's idendity. More like Zero. Kururugi brazen and fury-filled reaction to his accusation confirms it. "At this world of blood and death. This is what you wanted." "You're wrong! I don't want to fight!" Kururugi retaliated, but wasn't he fighting a Knightmare right now after killing dozens of Michael of the Order knights right before? He wanted to change the world from inside the system, but was bloodshed inevitable? Doesn't this make him exactly like Lelouch? Like Zero? Confusing thoughts whirled through his mind as he tried to stay focus in winning the last Knightmare. "You are the same as me. You hate the world and have lost faith in humanity." "You're wrong!" Kururugi nearly leapt out of his seat. "You want to use that white demon and destroy everything, don't you?" "You're wrong." Kururugi said with less conviction. Was Lord Shaing right? His childhood friend was a murderer that killed thousands of Japanese by using his Geass on Euphy, which Lelouch killed after that. His anger and anguish at Lelouch betrayal by killing his first love did make him feel like destroying the whole world with his Lancelot. "You're just like me." Kururugi did not answer to that. When Lord Kingsley tore his eyepatch away and muttered the 87th Britannian princess to the throne, Lord Shaing was not too surprised. If the Emperor had Geass too and was used on Zero, this revelation was not a big surprise either. "You're the emperor's...Now I see. You're the Eleventh Prince that rumours speak of." Raising his gun at the fallen prince, he was distracted with the commotion of Kururugi winning the Knightmare. Lord Shaing addressed Kururugi, "I can see the darkness that lies in the depths of your heart, Suzaku."As Suzaku stepped out of his Lancelot, eyes in the direction of Lord Shaing. Lord Shaing held a gun in his right hand. Lelouch laid on the floor motionless. Had he shot Lelouch? But he did not hear any gunshot, or was he too occupied with fighting? Suzaku knew he and Lelouch was in deep trouble. Lord Shaing chuckled darkly.

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This was my favourite part. I repeated this scene at least 20+ times! That's why it's my favourite part to write! What's your favourite part?