Chapter Eight

A Life Like That

The Avalon | Present Day

10:12 AM

ETA to Area 11: 107 minutes

Bundles of fabric fell off and dropped to the floor in silent heaps, unveiling two massive Knightmare Frames painted in colors of black, silver, gold and blood-red. The raven-haired princess merely stepped back, as she stared up and up, almost staggering at the size of the glorious mecha that stood before them.

"This is even bigger than Cornelia's Gloucester." Valentine whispered, her lips parted open in awe.

"It's almost as tall as Prince Schneizel's." Byron supplied. He wasn't smiling as he looked at the fruit of his work, but the princess could see the proud gleam in his eyes. "How much, I can't say. It's highly classified, I'm afraid." And threw a look at Schneizel.

She turned to her brother, eyes gleaming with pure shock and disbelief. "Brother, I'm not sure I can —"

"Valentine, I was there when you piloted a Sutherland for the first time. No one could do that with that kind of efficiency — at least not after months or even years of hard training. Clearly, you've inherited Marianne's talent, and it'll be such a waste not to use it." Schneizel said to her, his violet eyes soft with understanding. "And I've seen you before; you were always looking at those machines with — with…" He cleared his throat, searching for the correct word. "…longing. You didn't have to say how badly you wanted it — your eyes were telling the truth otherwise."

"But…would Father even agree to this?" It was Charles who had forbidden her to pilot any sort of Knightmare. If he had been so against it before, why approve of it now?

"I've consulted with him in the idea of you being a Knightmare pilot before the designing process began. And fortunately, he agreed and found it wonderful."

What? She almost cried, but forced herself to keep her mouth shut. Hearing this from her half-brother, it didn't make the slightest sense at all. It was hardly believable, too good to be true. A bubble of agitation was threatening to rise — accompanied by shock and disbelief. Years ago, she had boldly asked the emperor for a Knightmare unit — even just the simple Sutherland, driven by the desire to have her fingers piloting something again weeks after her first taste of operating a mecha.

"And what?" Charles had mused that day, looking down at her like she was only a little girl begging for a toy. "So you could escape?"

Valentine's breath hitched and was quick to shake her head. "I will never do that, Father. I-I swear. I'll operate around the castle…" She fell silent for a moment, pondering. "And besides, where would I go?"

His lips twitched, almost chuckling. "Yes, where else can you go? I will always find you. It's only a matter of time before my empire conquers the world — and all other else will fall right into place. You are part of my master plan, child, no matter how weak your little spirit is. I will not have you go missing especially when it's too close." He waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "Leave now — we are finished here."

Valentine noticed that her balled fists were shaking. Slowly, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. Joy, excitement — hope, she was slowly feeling it too. After many years of being numb and indifferent, it was almost frightening for her to have the luxury of being genuinely happy.

Schneizel chuckled at her reaction, as he was seeing how she struggled at not letting the others see how overjoyed she was — and how surprised too. For a moment, she couldn't openly speak, probably overwhelmed with what she was feeling as of the moment.

Oh, Val thought as she flashed him a smile — a shaky one, enough to conceal her fear at the moment and make it look like she was just really surprised. Which was accurate enough, as it is. Little does he know, then.

"Alyn?" Alyn looked up as he had heard his name from the older Britannian royal, surprised at being addressed. "Considering that you are a Knight of the Rounds, wouldn't you feel suffocated spending most of your time on foot?"

"Majesty, it's a huge honor." Valentine watched as her knight gave a dutiful nod. "But before I became part of the Rounds, I was a soldier first. I knew what I was bound to do the moment I've sworn my allegiance to Her Highness."

Her brother was quick to reply. "I know. But you need not worry. Caliburn was created with the thought of you in mind, and I want you to accept it. You might find it very familiar, for it was fashioned after your Joyeuse — only better. My team has managed to track it down, and Byron decided to fuse the most useful specifications he could find. All I ask in return is for you to watch my sister very closely, as her life is in your hands. Japan is very different from Pendragon, and after what had happened with Clovis, I fear for all of your safety. Will you promise me that?"

"I swear it on my life."

"Then, very good." He leaned back, exhaling as he straightened up. "Now, I'm afraid I shall have to leave the two of you alone here, there's a… slight conflict I have to fix. Byron, would you mind? I'm leaving them in your capable hands."

Byron shook his head. "Not at all."

"Thank you." Schneizel smiled at Valentine for the last time, but seeing her rather alarmed look at the mention of the word conflict; he gave a reassuring smile. "Worry not, sister. It's only a slight hiccup that can be fixed. We're only hours away from the Area, so please enjoy yourself. I'll see you at dinner, I suppose?"

"Of course. And if there's anything I can do to help, please inform me. I thank you again, brother."

"You are very much welcome. Excuse me."

Valentine watched her half-brother disappear in a swirl of fabric, his white and gold cloak billowing behind him like a cape, conversing closely with Kanon. All the workers around the Avalon seem to like him — or pretend that they do at the very least — all smiling and greeting him around.

"Someone's day has been made, I think?" Alyn's voice snapped her back to the place where she had been standing.

She looked at him, expecting to see him grinning but her face fell when she found him looking grim. Valentine couldn't if tell he was thrilled at the idea of piloting a Knightmare again. Usually, knights of royalties do tend to have their own mecha frames, but as for Alyn's case, considering that the princess he's bound to serve tends to never leave the royal grounds at all, he had given up his former Knightmare Frame, the Joyeuse. Alyn loved Joyeuse. It was one of the things Valentine had felt especially sorry for. She knew it was almost an extension of his life, and the idea of letting it sit and gather dust was a very sad thought indeed. Although Alyn had assured her several times that he was willing to let the mecha go, it still made her extremely guilty every time it was brought up into a conversation. Only during missions, he accompanied her, armed with random Knightmares which were mostly composed of Sutherlands — a poor alternative to what he was used to piloting before. But still, whatever mecha he was using, Alyn knew how to handle them beautifully.

"I honestly can't believe it," Valentine muttered. "Schneizel knows how to win my heart."

"If you could only see your face. You looked at him like he was your hero."

She smiled wryly. "And you look like he just ate your birthday cake. What's wrong?"

Alyn sighed and kicked the floor with the tip of his boot. "I don't know… I'm probably paranoid but… I'm getting suspicious. Schneizel was never really close to you wasn't it?"

"No." Valentine agrees, nodding. She licked her dry lips. "But I'm getting the feeling he's just doing this because he felt like he embarrassed me during dinner — even though it's the other way around. He tends to exaggerate. I don't know...and the part regarding my father…"

"That too." Alyn's eyes were intense. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I'm getting really confused. It's all just so surreal." She sighed, rubbing her temples and looking at him doubtfully. "But if you're really worried, I could look a little further with Schneizel —"

"You don't have to — unless you really need to, though. You know what happens when you use your abilities. But still, it doesn't hurt to keep our guards up when he's around." He then relaxed his brow and managed to give her a smile.

Val returned it with a shaky grin, feeling her heartbeat finally slowing down, willing herself to relax and enjoy the present situation a bit. Conversations regarding her father were reserved for her and Alyn's usual night talks, so she decided to change the subject. "You know, I'm thrilled that they decided to bring the Joyeuse into this."

"Me too." He finally looked up at the mechas. Although the two Frames were similar, they weren't identical. The Caliburn, for example, looked more masculine — with darker color tones and silver embellishments, which was the Joyeuse's main color. Alyn raised an arm to point at the four swords strapped on to the humanoid machine, two at the back, and two on either side of the waist. "The swords looked exactly the same as I've remembered them."

"Then I guarantee you'll be a very happy pilot." Both of them spun on their heels as Byron's gruff voice emanated from behind them, a lighted cigarette now dangling between his fingers. He shrugged at their expressions, clearly unapologetic at his sudden interruption. "What? I tend to be more like myself without your brother around."

Valentine raised her eyebrows, surprised at the sudden casual address. "And in my presence?"

"I'll call you Princess then if that makes you feel any better. Why? Got a problem?"

Beside her, she felt Alyn stiffen, but Valentine grabbed his arm. Byron seems like a rude man, apparently tired of all the nobility bullshit and pleasantry crap. But underneath his rough, jagged demeanor, he was naturally talented and knew what he was doing. He meant no harm. And Valentine would choose this kind of treatment over fake politeness anytime.

She shook her head once. "As long as you teach us both everything we need to know about our Knightmares and do a good job, then all is right with me. You can talk to me however you want."

The developer waved a lazy hand in front of him. "Bah, you royals are too stiff, it's extremely draining. You're all conversing and behaving like it's the Middle Ages, you know?"

"I see," Valentine replied with a dip of her head, a slight smile on her face. "Then I shall try my best to keep things as casual as possible."

The scientist looked at her for a moment, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. "Hm… and here I thought you were one of the hardest people to talk to. Come with me, the two of you, and I'll let you meet the dream team."

Ashford Academy | Present Day

9:15 AM

"You plan on accepting the challenge?" It was C.C. who spoke first, her tone almost monotonous, giving off the impression that she was entirely unsurprised about his decision.

She was curled on the bed — his bed actually — her lime green hair fanning behind her like a silk fan, a pillow clutched to her chest. It's been days since they first met, days since the last time he had slept on the very same bed, alone and unaware of the existence of the Geass.

Lelouch scoffed, zipping up the makeshift bag that contained everything Zero would need. "She went through all that trouble to invite me." He couldn't hide the smirk in his voice. "Plus, there are some things that I want to ask Cornelia."

"Destroying Britannia. Finding out who killed your mother. The whereabouts of your dead sister. Which is more important to you?"

"Those three are one and the same. Britannia's Royal Family is constantly in conflict over who will become the next Emperor. No, they are being forced into conflict by that man!"

C.C.'s tone didn't waver even as she ran her golden stare along Lelouch's tense frame. "But that's also Britannia's strength since the one who manages to win will become the next Emperor."

"Correct. The weak will lose everything and be forced to grovel. That's the kind of country Britannia is. That's the kind of world."

"Survival of the fittest is the rule of nature." She countered tonelessly.

Lelouch slammed the bag shut; his hand shook as he gripped the smooth surface, unable to keep the fury in his voice. "If so, then what will happen to Nunnally? Does she have to give up because she's weak? I'll never accept that. I'll erase a world like that." He pushed his chair backward and stood up, but looked up in surprise at the familiar sound of a gun being pulled out.

C.C. was standing by the door, blocking the exit, a handgun in hand — the kind most commonly used by guards and soldiers.

"Don't go, Lelouch." She said, her voice firm and steady, though her eyes held that look that somehow, Lelouch couldn't still fathom what it means. "It would be a problem if you were to die before you fulfilled your contract with me."

"What you're saying and what you're doing seems to be quite different." He pointed out.

"I won't kill you. I'll just shoot your leg and force you to stay here obediently."

Lelouch raised his head, a smile dancing across his chiseled features. "I see. You can't use Geass, can you?"

The lime-haired woman stiffened. And it was enough to know.

"Well, I had assumed as much. If you couldn't do it yourself, then you wouldn't have asked me." His tone was smooth and easy, his face impassive as he too, pulled out a gun and aimed it at her.

"Do you think that I fear guns?" She said, unimpressed.

"Of course you do." He replied, a smirk spreading across his features as he raised the gun and pressed the nozzle firmly at his temple.

The look of irritation was immediately evident on C.C's face.

Lelouch's eyes never left hers, even as he began to talk in a monotonous voice. "I was dead until the moment I met you. A powerless corpse which was lying to itself and pretending to live. A life that lives without doing anything is the same as a slow death. If I must live as I did before, then —…" His fingers held the gun tighter, nearly pressing the trigger.

"Wait!" C.C.'s voice was urgent but held a tone of annoyance at the thought of being overplayed. Her arm dropped to the side, and Lelouch followed suit. "True, there's no meaning to a life like that."

Without another word, she tossed the gun on the bed and sprawled right next to it, clearing his way to the door. With another arrogant smirk, Lelouch tucked his own weapon back inside his uniform, apparently grateful that his clothing was enough to conceal the gun's shape.

But as soon as he had passed through the door, he had heard the woman say quietly — quiet enough that it sounded like it was directed more to herself than at him:

"But don't you ever wonder why some people still choose to live that way?"

Saitama Ghetto | Present Day

12:32 PM

"It appears the civilians are taken care of."

Cornelia li Britannia's eyes shifted to her one of her Glaston Knights, purple and unflinching. "Good." She replied, speaking from the commander's chair. "It's about time. Shall we begin?"

"Yes," He replied with a nod, turning back unto the central command intercommunication system to address all of the Knightmare units under her. "To all troops: we will now begin the operation to destroy the Saitama Ghetto."

The current Governor-General nodded in approval. "Let's make this quick and easy — I have people to meet later on, and I hate to be late."

"I repeat: all troops, line up in formation one!"

She stayed silent, her eyes focused on the map that lay beneath her feet. She kept her gaze steady and her mind alert. Today, she will see how this Zero plays. Even after seeing the stunt he had pulled during that Honorary Britannian's supposed execution, Cornelia was still uncertain of what to make of him. This terrorist has a flair for the dramatic — he had boldly stood and claimed responsibility for Clovis' death, announcing it to millions of people nationwide. Today, she will end his impudence and prove that Britannia is above him.

Everything lies in the hands of god now, and for the next hour or so — until the hunt is finished, she is going to be that god.

The Avalon | Present Day

11: 17 AM

ETA to Area 11: 102 minutes

"If you were so great, why need of assistance?"

Byron whirled around in mid-step, stunned at the sudden question. His eyes went towards Alyn, who merely cocked his head in a questioning manner, unsmiling.

The developer scratched his head and threw him an annoyed look. "I'm getting old, pretty boy. But yes — I am great, don't you ever forget that. But even geniuses require a second opinion or two. What would I give to see you running about six projects all by yourself..." And he continued up the metal steps with his mouth moving, muttering things that were probably about how bothersome Valentine's knight could be.

"Don't be such a brat." The female royal told her with an amused look. "Or he'll give your Knightmare a water pistol instead of a gun."

Alyn rolled his eyes. "That'll scare the rebels."

When they both had reached the top floor — an elevated room that oversees almost the entirety of the West Wing, with a long glass window to look through — another set of computers met their field of vision. The room was filled to the brim with them, and although the walls were chromatic, the floor was carpeted with a lush blue-grey fabric. Half of the space was lined with various equipment and metal tables, all filled with wires and tools. She was expecting it to be filled with other workers, but Valentine was surprised to find it near-empty, aside from the two other people sitting by the what it looked like a dining table, which was the only clutter-free space in the entire area.

"Heads up, we've got royal guests today." Byron said loudly, his voice almost echoing around.

The two instantly jerked from their seats, one young man and one young woman, both a little older than she. It was apparent that they worked here, for they were both wearing identical white lab coats over their clothes. Their eyes immediately went towards the two, who merely stared back in return.

Valentine felt it was proper to begin the introduction herself. She gave a small smile and said "Hello. I'm Valentine and this is Alyn."

Respectfully, both of them bowed their heads in greeting. "It's an honor, Your Highness."

"Alright." Byron interrupted, huffing over to the nearest person beside him — the skinny young man with green eyes and vivid auburn hair. Underneath his coat, he was wearing a certain type of uniform, olive green with golden accents. "This is Lazarus Dervilia, partial in-charge and designer of the Knightmare's armaments, a weapons specialist, and most importantly, he damn sure knows how to make good coffee."

"Oh, shut up." Lazarus muttered, ducking as the developer tried to ruffle his hair like a little boy. "Just admit that you can't live without me."

"Yes, because without you, no one's going to hold my coat while I work."

"Ignore them, Your Highness." The woman interrupted, shoving both men away. "I'm Juno Orsannes — we met once at a party a few years ago. You were younger, then."

The princess blinked, clearly not remembering her. Juno had silver hair twisted in a low bun, dark eyes, and wore glasses. "Oh, have we? I apologize if I can't recall…"

"No, no, it's fine. I can't blame you — almost all of the guests flocked towards you that night. You were trying very hard to keep up with everything. If it were me, I would have bolted at the sight." Juno gave a light laugh. "Anyway, it's truly wonderful to meet you."

Valentine returned the smile. "I cannot thank you enough for providing your services to build Knightmares like these."

"These two are one of a kind — or rather, two of a kind," Lazarus muttered, blushing at his poor joke. "I just meant — they're very rare, that's all."

The princess turned to Byron. "Do they both run on Sakuradite technology?"

"Juno and I are looking into another potential power source for the Frames, but it's still a work in progress. But as of the moment, yes."

"What's wrong with Sakuradite?"

"Nothing." The mechanic shrugged. "But seeing as how we're heading to the very country where raw Sakuradite is mined and it's unfortunately overrun with multiple guerrilla terrorists, it's only a matter of time they'd be able to come up with weapons that could tamper with the Knightmare's power source. You can't be too careful these days."

The princess nodded in agreement. "I see. Well if that's the case, I should consider myself lucky for being part of your team."

"Yeah." Lazarus agreed, grinning broadly. "I mean — the honor is all ours, Your Majesty especially that we have you and a former Knight of the Rounds as pilots — but I am pretty proud of our team."

Valentine couldn't help but return the smile. These three looked as if they thoroughly enjoyed working with each other and have formed a close-knit friendship. It made her happier, even just a little bit, to see herself being assisted by them.

Byron cleared his throat and started speaking in a more serious tone. "All right, now you four are acquainted with each other, I think it's time we discuss the specifications of your Knightmare Frames." He rubbed his hands together and turned to Alyn. "You, boy — we watched some footage of you fencing when you were younger. You were what? A fencing prodigy?"

"…Yes." Alyn replied slowly, a bit taken aback at the sudden casual address.

The man clapped his hands and turned towards the glass windows overlooking the two mechas. "The Caliburn is a swordsman's dream." He gestured towards the black and silver humanoid machine. "It's unlike your typical Knightmare Frame — it's more physical, less technical — so that means it would rely greatly on the skills of the pilot. We fashioned it after you, you see."

Her knight nodded once, eyes assessing the newly-developed mecha. Byron nodded to Juno, who stepped out and began to speak.

"The Caliburn is a seventh generation Knightmare so basically, it has the standard Blaze Luminous System, Factsphere Sensors, and the Landspinner Propulsion System. It's a nimble machine, highly effective in close combat," Juno explains, pushing her glasses far up her nose. "A typical pilot would probably have a bit of difficulty using it the first time. It's agile and very fast even when running under less than 30% of its power. It also has a reinforced exterior, which means its armor plating can withstand extreme water pressures, high temperatures, electrical surges, and explosions, all the while being equipped with finger mounted slash harkens, four Maser Vibration Swords, a standard IPROS rifle, and the newest RT."

Valentine raised her head. "RT?"

"Repulsor Transmitter," Byron answered. "See the hole in the chest? That's something Lazarus came up with."

"We." Lazarus corrected.

"Whatever. It was your idea, wasn't it?" He said gruffly, waving a hand in dismissal. "Anyway, it's a new specification. The Caliburn could fire laser beams at normal strength or it can be charged up to fire even more powerful blasts. I kid you not, the Repulsor is extremely powerful — but also extremely draining. It could fry the Knightmare's power core down to thirty-five percent if you aren't careful." Byron suddenly turned to Alyn. "So don't go firing it around every enemy, you hear?"

Alyn could only stare at the man in total disbelief, and Valentine suddenly had a ridiculous impulse to laugh. His look was priceless. Alyn was probably the last person ever to fire a dangerous-looking repulsor around so carelessly.

"I think it's great." Her knight finally replied, shooting her a look when she flashed him a smirk. "But that's it — it's too great, almost a miraculous development in comparison to the other Knightmares I've came across. Aren't there any issues I should be concerned of when I'm going to pilot this?"

Byron scratched his beard in contemplation. "Ah, yes. During development, we had to strip some parts of it down to the most essential — which means it's not fit yet to receive much damage especially in heavy artillery. And the second thing is, just as I said earlier, it's extremely dependent on the pilot's capabilities in hand-to-hand combat. So once we arrive to Japan, we'll have to begin the biocompatibility tests immediately because the Caliburn, although we do have you as the only pilot in mind, will not accept anything less under than ninety-seven percent."

"And what happens if, hypothetically, Alyn falls short?" Valentine asked, a little bewildered at the dilemma.

"We'll have no choice but to go look for another pilot." The mechanic replied grimly. "And if there isn't any that matches the Caliburn's standards then I'm afraid we'll junk it, I guess." Seeing both Valentine and Alyn's shocked faces, he gave them a grin (albeit one that look too cheerful of a grin to be worried). "No pressure though, right?"

"Right." They replied in strange voices.

This time, it was Juno who cleared her throat. "Your Highness? Would you like to hear about your Knightmare's specifications?"

Her Knightmare. It was very appealing to hear that Valentine finally owned something she really would want to have.

"Yes, please."

She was surprised when Bryon clapped both his hands once again, his cigarette dangling from his mouth. "If the Caliburn is the loud, angry swordsman, the Clarent is the quiet, evil assassin. Princess, it's basically a robot you."

Valentine raised an eyebrow at that. "You think I'm an evil assassin?"

"No. I just think you're quiet."

Valentine almost smiled. She knew the story from one of the books she used to read back at Pendragon. Clarent and Caliburn were twins — legendary swords of a powerful ruler that bore a name that was feared all over the world. Both were attributed with magical powers — similar, but at the same time, very different. Caliburn was a sword made for battle whereas Clarent was made for peace, but it was also the sword meant for cowards. Somehow, it was as if the mechanic knew who she really was underneath her frail persona.

Juno rolled her eyes and cleared her throat once more, obviously a little miffed at Byron for speaking out of turn. "So, the Clarent. It's another seventh generation Knightmare with similar specifications of the Caliburn —which includes finger-mounted slash harkens, two Maser Vibration swords, and the IPROS rifle. But what generally sets it apart is its unique chrome-colored coating on the armor — it darkens or lightens to match the environment of which it's in, making the Knightmare Frame impossible to see from a distance and vanish from enemy radar —"

"Wait," Valentine cut in, eyes widening in sudden realization. "It could turn invisible?"

"Nice, isn't it? Extremely useful especially when it's up in the air." Byron said with a grin, pleased with himself. "It's a ghost Knightmare. And it comes with the new IPROS Mark I — which is a sniper rifle armed with bullets fused with three hundred thousand volt-power — enough to fry the circuit controls of a Knightmare and take it down without even trying." Then just as suddenly, his smile disappeared. "But that also means the Clarent can't take so much damage so I suggest that when you're in battle, you stay behind."

"If I am in battle the last thing I would do is to stay behind." The dark-haired princess said, eyes burning with intensity, almost to the point of fury.

Byron nodded, pondering. "'thought so. Well, I'll work on it but in the meantime, just go easy."

"I'll try my best."

"So… I think that's all of it." He straightened up. "It'll only take two days for us to completely set up once we land and after that, we'll proceed with the diagnostics and pilot screening — that's when I'll be needing both of you by then. I'll send in a message once we're ready." He turned to his two other assistants, who were already engrossed with something on the computer screen. "We'll get back to work, then. If you want to stick around, feel free."

No sooner that the man had turned his back on them, Valentine called his name.

"Byron, I'm very grateful for all the work your team is putting here." She said warmly, wanting to sound genuine as much as she can. "The Clarent and the Caliburn are extremely impressive and I look forward to pilot one of them one day."

"Don't thank me, Princess. Thank your brother — he's the one who initiated most of the projects I've done."

"But still, this wouldn't happen if it weren't for you three."

"It's no problem at all, Your Highness." It was Lazarus, who finally spoke with a smile. "It's what we're good at and with this, we could actually be of use to the Empire."

Valentine's smile froze on her face. Surely, she wanted to say, you don't mean that. But the logical part of her mind had warned her that she had caused enough trouble for herself already, so instead, she forced herself to nod.

"Byron, Juno, Lazarus, please excuse me." And with one last flash of a smile, she turned her heel and walked away.

She slowly headed out of the West Wing, smiling politely at the staff who had bothered to greet her. Once out of everyone's earshot, Alyn positioned himself beside her as they strode through the empty hallway.

"So, where are we going?" Alyn asked, giving her a small smile.

Valentine shrugged but stayed utterly silent. Her knight looked at her with his blood red eyes, wondering what was bothering her. Though Alyn had a hunch that after all the euphoria of having to pilot a Knightmare Frame soon, the princess suddenly realized that they're only a little less than two hours away from arriving in Japan.

Smiling a little to himself, he nudged her with an elbow. "Why don't I show you around?"

She shot him a dry look. "You've been here before?"

"Well, no." He confessed, earning himself a smile from her. "But don't you think it's a good time to get lost?"

Valentine was half-scoffing and half-chuckling as they continued their walk, shaking her head. But after a few beats of silent thinking, she stopped in her tracks and grinned at him.

"I agree." She said with another shake of her head, slipping an arm around his elbow. "Come on then, let's get lost together."

"Schneizel?"

It took the duo the entire half an hour to walk around the flying ship, with only their growling stomachs stopping their trip short. Valentine then deemed it best if both of them were to return to her room to eat. She was having friendly banter with Alyn as they made their way back to her quarters when the door slid open and in stood her yellow-haired older brother.

"Valentine." Schneizel straightened up at having spotted her. "I apologize for entering without permission, but I'm afraid there was no other place to see you in private but in here. I bear news."

"Oh?" She looked at Alyn, who dutifully nodded and exited the room.

"There has been some…issues." Schneizel said, looking troubled.

"Issues?" Valentine repeated. "Of what kind?"

"There has been an uprising over the Britannia naval base on Area 17. A group of rebels has managed to hijack a ship. It's been days since the incident, and they're starting to kill the hostages one by one until they can talk to someone with higher clearance."

"How insolent. Can't the Area's Viceroy handle it?"

"The terrorists specifically demanded a person of higher superiority — our circle, it seems." He sighed, rubbing his brow. "So, I'm left with no choice but to go."

For a moment, the half-siblings stayed quiet, until Valentine spoke up, her voice soft. "You don't have to. If that's the case, I'm willing to fly over and handle it myself."

"No, no. It has to be me. Father has made it clear that you should head to Japan." He smiled at her, and Valentine could see the tiredness in his eyes. For a moment, she felt strangely tempted to comfort her older brother. "You'll be a valuable help to Cornelia, he says."

So it was Charles who was firm on her getting sent to Japan. Valentine should know better.

"It's a good thing we're only a few minutes away from Area 12's air base. We'll make our landing there. I have requested another plane to take you to Area 11 — along with your knight, Byron, and his team. I'm sorry to ask you this Valentine, but it seems like you'll be going there without me. He continued on, his violet eyes looking regretful. "I would really love to accompany you but under the circumstances…"

"It's fine. It's no problem brother, really. But you know, I came here to offer you my help…"

"And I'm going to need it. Soon, but not now. After all, Area 17 is included in the list of areas Father wants me to look after." Seeing her concerned face, he placed a gentle hand on his sister's cheek. "It'll be all right, Valentine. I'll be sending both the Clarent and the Caliburn too. Cornelia and Euphemia will be there to welcome you once you have arrived."

Valentine raised her eyes to meet his, forcing herself to smile. "You take such good care of me, brother. I apologize for being such a brat to you before."

Schneizel laughed at that. "Not at all. It just occurred to me that after all these years, I've never actually spent time with you — and I'm making up for it."

She swallowed. Everything Valentine had said to him was true — Schneizel was so kind to her, she almost felt…well, loved. But she had to continually remind herself that this was only a few days of being in his company. There still was a lot to know and to be wary of when it comes to her older brother.

"I won't be seeing you for a while, Sister." Schneizel said, sounding wistful. "But I'm pretty sure that once I get back, you're already on the battlefield with the Clarent in tow."

"Thank you, Schneizel. For everything." And without meaning to — she honestly didn't know the reason behind why she did this — she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, enveloping her brother in a hug.

She felt one arm around her too, and his hand on top of her head, patting her like a little child. It felt warm. Nice. Comforting. So this was how Euphemia felt like — her pink-haired sister was a hugger, and she would hug Schneizel every time. No wonder she was so happy. For a moment, Valentine ignored the warning signals that flashed red inside her head and instead, tried to bask in the warmth.

And when she pulled away, she was smiling. Although her mind was screaming, she was smiling. And this time, Valentine was sure it was the most real smile she had ever given Schneizel.

"So, Valentine, I'll see you in Japan." Schneizel said.

She nodded. "I'll see you in Japan."

AN: I apologize for the delay — I actually put writing on hold these past few months because I focused more on university work so it has been difficult for me to actually go back and continue where I had left off. This is the sort-of 'transition chapter' - the part where everything has to be prepped right (no matter how tiring and difficult it is) before you get to the juicy stuff. I'm actually really excited for the oncoming chapters - and I rarely say these things to my own stories (because I honestly think my writing is shit) so stay tuned! And please don't forget to review and provide feedback! I'm open for suggestions!