Chapter V – The Demon's First Crusade Part I

March 22nd, 2009 a.t.b.

Aries Villa Gardens

Euphemia was currently weaving flowers together with Nunnally and Marrybell in the gardens of the Aries Villa, with Jeremiah watching them from nearby, as she thought over everything that had happened in the past week. It was a horrible tragedy for her when her favorite consort of her father (besides her mother) was murdered a week ago and her favorite little sister, Nunnally, was left blinded and crippled. However, the biggest tragedy of all was how it affected her favorite brother, Lelouch. Following his mother's death, Lelouch had begun to shut himself out more and more from the world. He would still come out to play with herself, Marry, and Nunnally whenever they asked, but now that only ever happened if they asked, and he no longer radiated the same happiness he usually did when he was around them, instead showing a shallower, dimmer happiness that showed that barely covered the pain that was hidden beneath his smiles. And that was what hurt Euphemia the most: her big brother was hurting and there was nothing she could do to help him, which was ironic considering that he was usually the one helping her.

Lelouch, ever since she met him, she had been shocked and awed by his level of intelligence and maturity that was not found in most children his age. Not only was he a born prodigy, but he was a very caring and protective person towards her, rivaling that of her own older sister, Cornelia. While he was cold and distant towards most people in the Imperial Palace, even fellow members of their family, he was always nothing but kind and gentle towards herself and Marry. He had always smiled and played with her when she came to the Villa, and he was always protective towards her against her half-siblings or other aristocrats who viewed her kindness and desire to help others as weakness, something she was always grateful for. However, despite all he had done for her in her life, there was nothing she could do for him now when he needed her the most. She may be able to make him happy for a while, but she could never get rid of his pain.

Nunnally, however, was dealing with her problems in the opposite way that Lelouch was: while he shut himself away from the rest of the world, Nunnally became even more clingy of her loved ones and desperate for their attention, especially from her big brother. It seemed that the loss of her mother, her sight, and her legs helped her to feel more appreciation for her loved ones and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, as if she feared that they could be taken away from her at any moment. Both Nunnally and Lelouch were hurting, but Nunnally was at least able to still be open to others and try to move on. And so, Euphemia would do all she could to help them, which she was trying to do now as she weaved with Nunnally and Marry.

"What are you making Nunnally?" Euphemia asked the little girl. At Euphie's question, Nunnally looked in the direction where she heard her half-sister's voice and stopped weaving the flowers in her creation, which was in a rather sloppy arrangement compared to her past creations as she now had to feel the flowers to know there arrangement instead of just seeing and knowing what to do. "A crown," she answered her big sister with the same beautiful smile she had adopted on her face since the day after she woke up in the hospital. Her response shocked Euphemia as they barely ever made crowns together, instead usually going for the easier-to-make bracelets and necklaces that they would give to each other or sometimes coerce Lelouch into wearing. "That's very nice, Nunnally." She smiled as she said that, despite the fact that Nunnally couldn't see it, for despite all that she went through, Nunnally could still give such an innocent and beautiful smile.

Euphemia then turned over to Marrybell and proceeded to ask her the same thing that she asked Nunnally, to which she replied, "a ring." That caused Euphemia to feel a little befuddled as out of all the creations they had ever woven, a ring was something none of them had ever made before. "Really," she asked, "a ring? We've never woven one of those before." To her half-sister's question, Marrybell simply smiled before replying: "True, but there's always a first time for everything." Agreeing with Marrybell's response, Euphemia simply smiled and nodded before returning to weave her own creation, which was a necklace.

A few minutes later, the three heard footsteps approaching from behind them and turned around to see (except for Nunnally) the sight of their brother Lelouch with the same smile he always had in their presence. "Hello girls," he said, "did you miss me?" Hearing the sound of their brother's voice, the three girls immediately peaked up in happiness before they all screamed simultaneously. "Lelouch!" "Lulu!" "Big brother!" Chucking at his sisters' simultaneous screams of happiness, Lelouch shook his head with an amused smile on his face. "It's good to see you too, girls. I trust that Jeremiah took good care of you all while I was gone." "Yup," replied Euphemia, "Jeremiah took extra care of us while you were gone." "I see, thank you Jeremiah." Smiling at his prince's thanks, Jeremiah bowed his head before replying. "There is no need to thank me, Your Highness, I was simply doing my sworn duty as your Knight." Nodding in acknowledgement to Jeremiah, Lelouch looked at the trio of sisters in front of him, Lelouch noticed that a certain member of their usual party was not present at the moment. Deciding to voice his confusion, Lelouch looked over to Marrybell and asked, "Where's Julia?" "Back home," Marrybell responded, "with Mother. She couldn't come today because she's currently taking her lessons with the instructors, so I had to come alone." "I see," Lelouch said with a look of understanding, "I'm sure she'll do great." "Thank you, Lelouch."

Lelouch then went to sit down next to his sisters and sat between all three of them. After getting comfortable in the grass and shutting off his mental reading sense as he would never intrude in his beloved sisters' minds, Lelouch took notice of the piles of flowers next to each of the girls as well as the creations they were currently working on in their hands. He smiled at this, as they used to always weave different accessories in the past before pleading for him to try them on. Never being one to deny his little sisters of what they wanted, he would always concede and let them decorate him with their creations no matter how silly he secretly thought they were. Wondering as to what they were currently making, Lelouch decided to do the most logical thing and just ask them. "So, what exactly are you all weaving?" They all answered him simultaneously. "It's a secret." 'I see,' Lelouch thought to himself. The fact that they didn't tell him meant that it was a surprise for him and that he was going to have to wear whatever it was they were making. However, whatever they were he would wear them without complaint as it would make them happy, and the last thing he ever wanted was to see was his dear sisters sad or worse.

Feeling a slight tug on his sleeve, Lelouch looked over to see Nunnally lightly pulling on his shirt with that ever-lovely smile on her face. "Big Brother," she said, "I'm finished." Lelouch looked down at the girl's other arm to see her holding a large hoop of weaved flowers that was too large to be a bracelet and too small to be a necklace. "What is it?" He asked in confusion. "You'll see," Nunnally said, "please come closer." Never being one to deny his cute little Nunnally, Lelouch leaned in closer and put her hand on his shoulder so she knew where he was. Felling around with her hand, Nunnally deduced that her hand was on her brother's shoulder, and she then proceeded to move her hand towards her brother's face and gave it a few experimental touches to realize where everything was. After deducing the overall shape of Lelouch's face, Nunnally proceeded to put her creation in both of her hands before gently placing it atop of Lelouch's head. Lelouch then suddenly realized what it was that his sister created. "A crown?" "Yes," Nunnally replied to his question, "a perfect crown for a perfect prince." Smiling with gratitude, Lelouch proceeded to thank Nunnally before gently lifting up the giggling girl and sat her in his lap while hugging her, to which she reciprocated and wrapped her arms around her big brother. "Lelouch," he heard Marry call before turning to her, "I'm finished with mine as well." Looking down at the girl's hands, he saw a small ring made of tightly-weaved flowers resting in her left palm. "A ring?" He asked her with surprise. "You've never made one of these before, Marry." Smiling at her older half-brother, Marrybell replied to his statement. "I know, but there's a first time for everything and I wanted to make something special for you this time." Happy and grateful at what Marry said, Lelouch stuck out his left hand, allowing Marry to put her flowery creation on his ring finger. "There," Marry said, "a perfect fit." "Thank you Marry." "You're welcome, Lelouch." Before Lelouch could take a moment to really study his new ring, he was interrupted from his thoughts by Euphie who proceeded to present her creation to him, which turned out to be another necklace like the ones she, Marry, and Nunnally usually made. "I know its just another necklace," said Euphemia who looked a little downcast, "but I hope you like it." Seeing Euphemia's downcast expression, Lelouch immediately took the necklace from her hand into his own and then put it around his neck. "I love it Euphie," he said with a grateful and reassuring smile, "it doesn't matter if its another necklace, what matters is the thought that you put into it. And you obviously put a lot of thought into this and that means more to me than anything else." Feeling immensely touched by what he said, Euphemia kissed his cheek and thanked him repeatedly in a quick, excited manner. Lelouch smiled contently at this, being immensely grateful that fate decided not to take his sisters away from him like it did his mother.

However, his smile disappeared as he witnessed his older half-sister, Cornelia, walk over to them with a grim look on her face, causing him to feel concern over what was wrong. When Cornelia came up to be right next to him and his other sisters, Lelouch decided to greet her. "Hello Cornelia," he said in a fake happy tone so as to not worry his little sisters. "Hello Lelouch," Cornelia returned in a sad tone, "I am afraid that I bring sad news in regards to your mother." At this, Lelouch became even more concerned as he wondered what she could possible mean by that. "What is it Cornelia?" "Lelouch, I would prefer if we spoke about this in private." She then looked at their three sisters to emphasize her point. "Very well. Jeremiah!" At the call of his name, Jeremiah addressed his prince with a respectful tone. "Yes, Your Highness?" "Please escort my younger sisters inside the Aries Villa?" At first, his three sisters begged to stay with him, but eventually, with a lot of persuasion from Lelouch, they relented as Euphemia and Marry followed Jeremiah as he pushed Nunnally in her wheelchair to the Aries Villa household. Once they were out of earshot, Lelouch directed his attention towards Cornelia once more. "Alright, they're gone. Now please tell me what news you have in regard to my mother, Cornelia." "It's about the investigation of her death," Cornelia said with a downcast expression, "Father has just called it off." At this revelation, Lelouch felt several different emotions stirring inside him: shock, confusion, rage, etc. Lelouch may not have loved his father, but he deeply respected the man and knew that he genuinely cared about his mother, and so he wondered why he would call off the investigation of her murder in just a week. 'Could it be that somehow Father was involved in this,' Lelouch wondered in his thoughts, 'or that whoever did it is dangerous enough to scare even him?' Lelouch did not know what the answer was, but he fully intended to get the answers for himself.

March 23rd, 2009 a.t.b.

Imperial Throne Room

It had been a day since Cornelia gave him the news involving the investigation of his mother's murder, and Lelouch was currently standing in front of the large double doors that led into the Imperial Throne Room. After he received the news, he tried to schedule a private audience with his father to discuss the matter, to which he was denied. Thus, he instead scheduled a meeting with him in the Imperial Court to get some answers, to which he was accepted. And so, here he was outside the Imperial Throne Room, in the same attire he was in during his Foundation Day, waiting for those massive doors to open in order to talk with his father, the Emperor, and get the answers he sought.

"Announcing Lelouch vi Britannia, 11th Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and 17th in line for the Imperial Throne!" An announcer's voice rang out from inside the Imperial Throne Room, before the double doors opened up to let Lelouch enter. Immediately after the two large doors opened, Lelouch made his way into the grand hall that housed both the Imperial Throne and the Imperial Court with a steeled, neutral look on his face that was unreadable. As he made his way towards the Imperial Throne where the Emperor sat, Lelouch noticed that everyone in the Imperial Court were keeping their mouths shut without letting out a whisper, which he sensed in their minds was because they remembered what had happened on his Foundation Day and did not want to end up like that unlucky aristocrat whose life he ended.

Eventually, Lelouch came near the steps leading up to the Imperial Throne where the Emperor, with his ever bored and uncaring face, sat, giving off an aura of raw power and strength. Once he came close enough to the stairs, Lelouch quickly turned off his mind-sensing ability to focus completely on the man in front of him, before kneeling down and addressing the Emperor.

"Hail Your Majesty! My mother is dead!" Lelouch said. "Old news, what of it?" Charles replied in his usually strong and bored tone. Taken aback by what Charles said (but not showing it on his face), Lelouch responded to his question with a respectful tone. "I wish to inquire as to why the investigation of the said ordeal was called off. After all, my mother was the 5th Imperial Consort, the Knight of Six, and conqueror of the last few independent nations of South America. Not to mention that whoever killed her also crippled my sister Nunnally as well, who is of your blood. As such, any attack on them is also an attack on the Imperial Family as a whole, including yourself. With all of these in mind, surely an investigation of her death should have lasted more than a mere week." This made the rest of the Imperial Court feel slightly shocked, as they expected the boy to be throwing a slight tantrum over his mother's death, not to respectfully and logically ask a question. After all, the boy's love for his mother was well-known to be legendary and fierce, so they expected him to be burning with rage and losing his composure, not being respectful and reasonable.

Emperor Charles kept on his neutral, bored expression on his face, but on the inside, he was surprised and slightly impressed by his son's response and reasoning. 'An excellent choice of words,' Charles thought, 'but let's see how you respond to what I'll say next.' "You make a very good point Lelouch and a sound argument. However, the answer to your question is remarkably simple: it is because there really is no point to bother continuing the investigation." He told his son in a strong voice. Confused and taken aback (but not showing it) by what the Emperor said, Lelouch respectfully asked, "I am afraid I do not follow, Your Majesty. Would you please clarify as to why there is no point in further investigation towards who attacked the Aries Villa?" "Its simple," Charles replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "with your mother dead and sister crippled, there is no point in further investigating because I no longer have any use for either of those weaklings." "Those weaklings?" Lelouch asked, with almost unnoticeable traces of shock in his voice. "Yes," Charles replied, "that is what it means to be royalty."

At this, Lelouch lowered his head so nobody could see the angry expression that made its way to his face. At that very moment, all respect he had for the man he called father died and was replaced by feelings of betrayal and unbridled hatred. He wanted nothing more than to revoke his title to the throne and sever ties with this monster and the other parasites he was forced to call his "family," however he stopped himself from doing so because he realized that there was no telling what the Emperor would do to him and Nunnally if he revoked his title. And so, using his immense intellect and cunning, Lelouch quickly thought of something else to say, before he steeled his expression and looked back up to the Emperor and spoke. "In that case," Lelouch spoke with a confident voice, "what will I have to do to prove otherwise?" "I beg your pardon?" The Emperor inquired with a neutral voice that had a hint of curiosity laced in it. "What will I have to do to prove that my mother was not weak nor was my sister?" Lelouch clarified with a voice of determination. "As their blood my actions and deeds reflect on both of them, not just myself. Thus, I humbly ask of Your Majesty for the opportunity to prove that the vi Britannian line is not weak, that me and Nunnally are worthy of being heirs to the throne, and that my mother was worthy of being your consort. Whatever the task may be, I will do it and prove my blood's worth." The people present were taken aback by this statement made by the 11th Prince, as it was the last thing any of them expected to hear, especially from a mere boy, no matter how much of a genius said boy was.

The gathered crowd became even more shocked as their emperor began to give an amused chuckle, one not very loud but just loud enough for everyone present to hear. "How interesting," Charles said with a hint of amusement and interest in his voice, "that certainly is a bold and daring thing to ask, Lelouch. It is just further proof that you are my child. However, if I give you such a task to prove your blood's worth and you fail, you shall prove that the vi Britannian line is not worthy of being royalty. Thus, if you fail, both you and Nunnally will be disinherited. Do you accept this risk?" "Yes," Lelouch said immediately with determination and confidence, "I accept the risk of such an ordeal, and I will not fail. I will prove that the vi Britannian line is worthy of being part of the Imperial Family." "Very well," Charles responded, "in that case, I will grant your request and give you a task to prove your bloodline's strength: Conquer Japan! Do this and you will prove your blood's worth." After the Emperor made his statement, everyone present, including Lelouch, became surprised at what he said. After all, conquest of an entire nation was no easy task, especially for a child (even if said child was a genius like Lelouch), and yet here the Emperor was giving said task to a mere 9-year-old boy. However, Lelouch quickly made up his mind in regards to the Emperor's proposal and gave his answer. "If that is the task that I need to accomplish to prove my bloodline's worth, then I will gladly do so. However, I humbly ask Your Majesty for a private meeting later in order to discuss the circumstances of the task at hand. As I believe what we would discuss would be considered as classified information." "Very well," replied Charles, "I shall grant your request for a private meeting and send someone for when I can have a meeting with you. You are dismissed."

And with that, Lelouch gave another bow before turning around and gracefully making his way out of the Imperial Throne Room, leaving the entire Imperial Court feeling unbelief at what had just transpired. Then Lelouch finally made it out of the hall, the double doors closing behind him, as he made his way out of the Imperial Palace to the limousine that would drive him back home.

Emperor's Private Study

It was 7:42 pm, and Charles was sitting in his own study as he waited for the servant that he sent nearly an hour ago to return with his son, Lelouch vi Britannia, so that they could discuss the strategies and circumstances for which he would invade and hopefully conquer Japan. Thinking back over what happened, Charles would be lying if he said that he was not surprised at the way things went down in the Imperial Throne Room. He had expected, and hoped, that Lelouch would throw a fit and renounce his claim to the throne. That way, he could have good reason to exile both Lelouch and Nunnally to Japan in order to protect them from V.V.'s wrath, just as he and a Marianne-possessed Anya Alstreim had planned.

At first, Marianne did not agree with the plan as she knew that sending them to Japan meant they might die in the future war between Japan and Britannia. She actually wanted to have Charles take V.V.'s Code before letting her kill him slowly and painfully for what he did to her and Nunnally, but Charles told her that he couldn't as V.V. was now the new head of the Geass Directorate and as such could be a threat to Marianne and himself, as well as their children. Once he told her this, however, she began to tear up as she realized that her children were likely to die no matter what. When she finally cried, Charles immediately knelt down and hugged her new tiny body and tried his best to comfort her, as he quickly realized he hated seeing his beloved cry. It was only after he reminded Marianne that after the Ragnarök Connection had been completed they would be reunited with their children and it would be as if their deaths never happened as they would spend all of eternity together in a peaceful, gentle existence, that he managed to calm her down. Eventually, he got his beloved to stop crying and convinced her to let him send their children to Japan as it was their most likely chance for survival.

However, now that option was out the window and Charles could only hope that Lelouch and Nunnally could be spared from V.V. Such thoughts were then pushed to the back of his head when he heard a knock on the door. "Your Majesty," a voice said which he recognized belonged to the Knight of One and his only friend, Bismarck Waldstein, "the servant has returned with 11th Prince Lelouch vi Britannia." "Very well," Charles replied, "send him in and tell the servant he is dismissed." "Yes, Your Majesty!" A few seconds later, Bismarck Waldstein opened the door allowing the short form of his son Lelouch in before walking out and closing the door behind him, leaving Charles alone with his beloved's son. His son then bowed his head before speaking, "Your Majesty, I have come just as you summoned me." Raising his hand, Charles spoke, "You may lift your head." Obeying the Emperor, Lelouch raised his head and awaited to be addressed by the man in front of him. "So," Charles spoke after a moment of silence, "you wished for a private audience with me to discuss how you will conquer Japan. I trust that you have already come up with a few ideas in regards to such a matter?" "Yes, Your Majesty," Lelouch replied in an unnoticeable faked-respective tone, "and one major part of the plan I thought of involves me and Nunnally going to Japan under the official guise of studying abroad and unofficially under the guise of bargaining tools." At this, Charles' interest peaked though he didn't show it. He then motioned for Lelouch to continue, which he did. "In my plan, me and Nunnally will be sent away to live in Japan for the next six months under the guise of political hostages to smooth diplomatic relations with the Sakuradite-rich nation. However, while we are there, I will spend my time gathering information in regards to Japan's military structure and create strategies and tactics to best combat it. While we would still most likely win a war with them without gathering any information at all about their strength and defenses, it is more logical and wiser to know as much about your enemy as possible and lose as few of your men as possible." At this, Charles was inwardly pleased with Lelouch's strategy, as this would allow him and Nunnally to be safe in Japan for some time and allow V.V. to cool off for a while and hopefully let go of his vendetta against Lelouch and Nunnally. This would also allow for Lelouch and Nunnally to have a better chance at survival as they could now return to Britannia before the war and be spared from the carnage. However, there was still one little issue that needed to be addressed first. "You make an interesting proposal Lelouch," Charles said, "however there is the small problem of who would run Lamperouge Industries in your absence, as it has become the most powerful corporation in the empire, and I will not have Britannia suffer an economic depression due to L.I. collapsing from a lack of leadership." "I have already thought about that, Your Majesty," said Lelouch, "and I have decided that, should I be sent to Japan, I would give my late mother's cousin, Adam DeCobray Lamperouge, the temporary position of CEO of the company during my absence until I can return and take back the position." While Charles' face was neutral, on the inside he was smirking with pride as it seemed that his son had everything figured out already. "You must remember Lelouch," Charles warned, "if I should go through with this plan of yours you and Nunnally will be on your own. In order for this plan of yours to be carried out, Britannia must not get involved in any way, so the only protection you will really have is the people you choose to take with you and nothing more." "I understand, Your Majesty, and I am fully prepared to take that risk." After Lelouch said that, silence permeated the room before Charles closed his eyes and gave his response. "Very well then, if you are so confident in this plan of yours than I will allow it to be carried out. Tomorrow, I will announce that you and Nunnally will be sent to Japan under the guise of studying abroad for half a year at the end of the month, and that you will be allowed to take whatever guards or servants you want with you." At this, Lelouch bowed and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty." "That will be all. Dismissed." And with that, Charles watched as his son gave on last bow before walking out the door on his way out of the Imperial Palace.

March 24th, 2009 a.t.b.

Aries Villa, Lelouch's Chambers

Lelouch was currently residing in his chambers as he continued to do his daily work as a CEO on his laptop. It had been a day since his meeting with his father, and he had no doubt the man was about to make the announcement of him and Nunnally heading for Japan at the 30th of the month, if the announcement had not been made already. Looking over all that occurred since his beloved mother's death, Lelouch thought about all that he had managed to accomplish since that time and he had only one regret: the Ashfords. Specifically, he regretted how they have quickly fallen from grace since his mother's murder. When his mother was killed, it was only a day after the event that the snakes of the aristocracy began to make their move against her supporters and his. However, what they did not expect was for Lelouch to bite back and defend his supporters with greater ferocity. Everything from news propaganda, to revealing dirty secrets, to outright assassinations were used against those that dared to try to scrutinize, disgrace, and/or end his supporters in the empire. Eventually, his late mother's supporters began to see that the best bet for survival was to ally with him just as they did his mother, which almost all of them immediately did when he presented the offer to them, emphasis on "almost." There were some who were either too proud or too gutless to take their chances with aligning with a child, a prodigious child but a child nonetheless, which included the Ashfords. Whilst Ruben Ashford was all for the idea for aligning with him, it was his daughter (Milly's mother) who convinced him not to take the chance as it was a huge gamble, who he eventually conceded to as he was always a man who listened to his family before anyone else, something that Lelouch greatly respected even if he was disappointed. And so, Lelouch thought about his mother's greatest supporters' predicament with regret and sadness, as he loved Milly like a sister and respected Ruben Ashford like a friend and felt terrible for what they and their family were currently going through.

He was then brought out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. "Who is it?" He asked whoever was at the door with a commanding yet respectful tone. "It is me, Your Highness," spoke the voice of his head butler Sebas Tien, revealing it was him at the door, "I have Ruben Ashford on the phone, he says that he wishes to speak to you." 'Well speak of the devil,' Lelouch thought to himself. "Very well, bring me the phone so I may speak to him." "Yes, Your Highness." And so, Sebas entered the chambers of his young master and gave him the phone he had in his hand, before bowing to Lelouch and making his way out of the room for Lelouch to have privacy. "Hello Ruben," Lelouch said in the phone with respect. "Hello Prince Lelouch," spoke the voice of Ruben Ashford on the phone, "it has been a while since we last spoke, and I'm glad to be speaking with you once again." "Me too," Lelouch responded, "however, something tells me you did not call me just to have a nice chat with me." Lelouch then heard Ruben sigh on the other side of the phone before hearing him speak again. "Perceptive as always, My Prince, the real reason I called was to say goodbye." Now this caught Lelouch's attention, "Goodbye?" "Yes, with the death of your mother and the repetitive hounding from the other nobles, my family is on our last ropes and we fear what is next for us. I should have accepted your offer of an alliance and protection when you offered it, but I let my daughter talk me out of it, so for that, I am very sorry. And now, there is nothing I can do as my family has fallen so far from grace and its only a matter of time before our enemies make a move on our lives, so we have no choice but to leave the empire to somewhere else, so I am calling to say goodbye." Taking in everything that Ruben just said, Lelouch contemplated how he could best help the Ashfords in their time of peril, before he came to a decision. "In that case," Lelouch said on the phone, "I suggest that you take your family and leave for Japan." "Japan?" Ruben's voice asked with a hint of confusion. "Isn't that the nation that you and Nunnally will be headed to in order to study abroad?" This statement confirmed to Lelouch that his father had already announced that he and Nunnally would be headed to Japan. "Yes," he replied, "but I am suggesting it because its far enough away from your enemies and will grant you time for things to cool off here in the homeland. Also, I want to give you a proposition, a proposition that could restore the Ashford family to glory." "I'm listening." "When the time comes, I would like to give you the funds and resources to rebuild Ashford Industries, but in return you must both align yourself with me and let me purchase Ashford Industries to incorporate it into Lamperouge Industries." Silence was held for a few moments as Ruben speculated what to do, before he finally made up his mind. "You strike a hard bargain; however, I have already seen how the companies you buy prosper even greater than before and the families you align with rise to even greater heights than they did originally. Besides, I have already refused your offer for an alliance once and look where that led my family to. Very well, I accept your proposition." "Very good, I'm glad that we came to an understanding Ruben." "Me too. I have to go now to prepare for our 'exile' into Japan. Good day to you, Lelouch." "Good day to you too, Ruben." And with that, Lelouch hung up the phone and summoned Sebas to return it to where it was, to which the butler complied.

March 30th, 2009 a.t.b.

Pendragon Airport

The big day had finally come, the day where her little half-siblings Lelouch and Nunnally would be sent away to Japan, and Cornelia could not feel anything more than fear for their lives and sadness for their leaving. For as long as she had known them, Lelouch and Nunnally, the two children of her idol Marianne vi Britannia, had been her favorite little siblings, right after Euphemia of course, and they had always been a joy to be around.

Nunnally had always been like a little angel that shined a light in the dark world that she lived in, with her beautiful little form combined with her almost inhuman level of kindness, generosity, and innocence, she was without a doubt the most loving person that Cornelia had ever known and she always managed to put a smile on her face no matter how bad things currently were. Lelouch, on the other hand, was a fierce and respective boy who was always looking out for those he cared about, including herself and Euphemia, something that she was eternally grateful for and loved him all the more for it. However, this just made her all the more distraught with the current situation they were in, as she was currently with her younger sister Euphemia and many others watching as Lelouch and Nunnally were preparing to enter the plane that would take them to Japan.

Looking around her, Cornelia saw that she was not the only one who was feeling terrible about the situation they were currently witnessing. To her right was one of those who were depressed about the departure of Lelouch and Nunnally: her sixteen-year-old younger half-brother Clovis la Britannia (whose right leg was being clutched by his four-year-old younger full-blooded sister, Laila la Britannia). Growing up, Clovis had always been the closest to Lelouch out of all her half-brothers and they would always have fun together when they could, from panting pictures together, to playing together with little Laila or Nunnally (Clovis's favorite little half-sister), or having chess matches against each other (despite the fact that Clovis always lost to Lelouch). In addition, despite the fact that Clovis was older, Lelouch had always served as a big-brother figure for Clovis, from his great intellect and maturity that made him a role model for Clovis, to the fact that Lelouch had always defended him from their many half-siblings and step-mothers who mocked and belittled Clovis as they claimed his hobbies of art and painting were girlish, weak, and pathetic. And so, it was completely understandable to Cornelia as to why Clovis was currently feeling depressed and keeping his head down and slouching in sadness over the fact that Lelouch and Nunnally were leaving the homeland to study abroad in Japan for the next six months.

To her left, Cornelia saw another person who was feeling immensely depressed at her two little half-siblings' departure: her younger half-sister Marrybell mel Britannia. Throughout all the years that she has known her brother Lelouch, Cornelia like everyone else knew that there were three of their siblings that Lelouch had been closest to: Nunnally, Euphemia, and Marrybell, and the four of them were so close that they were almost inseparable. In fact, they were so close that many times when they were younger Euphemia and Marrybell would cry their little eyes out when their time to play together was over and their mothers had to take them away from Lelouch and Nunnally to return home. Furthermore, just like he did for Clovis, Lelouch would act like a big brother figure for Marrybell and protect her from ridicule and harassment from their other half-siblings, stepmothers, and other aristocrats who would mock Marrybell for her friendship with the heiress of the Zevon family, Oldrin Zevon, due to her family's unusual (by Britannia's standards) matriarchal hierarchy and her mother's supposedly callous and heartless abandonment of her son and Oldrin's twin brother, Orpheus Zevon. However, only she and a few others knew the truth about the circumstances surrounding Olivia Zevon's abandonment of her son and knew that she was forced to by her mother, the former matriarch, as per their family's traditional law surrounding twin children if one of them is a male and the other female in that the male is either removed at an early age or killed, and that she truly regretted giving up her son and grieved for him for many days after she left him to be raised by a commoner family as a mere toddler. Also, a strong bond had grown between Marrybell, Euphemia, and Nunnally from their many years of playing together, their shared love for their brother Lelouch, and Nunnally's pure, kind, and loving nature which could melt even the most cold-hearted people on the planet if she tried. And so, Cornelia could clearly see why Marrybell was sad over the departure of Lelouch and Nunnally to Japan for the next six months just as she and Clovis were, however unlike Clovis she was doing a much better job at masking it as she remained composed and refined despite the great sadness that could be seen in her eyes.

However, the one who was the most depressed about the departure of Lelouch and Nunnally was the one who was standing right next to her: her beloved little sister Euphemia li Britannia. Out of all their half-siblings, Euphie had always been the one closest to Lelouch and Nunnally and had always been the one who spent the most time being with them, playing with and visiting them every chance she got. In fact, her mother, Victoria li Britannia, and her late idol, Marianne vi Britannia, used to joke around questioning if Euphemia had moved in the Aries Villa as she was practically living there given how often she visited. Furthermore, Lelouch was super protective of Euphemia to a point that it bordered along the lines of paranoia, so much so that it surpassed his overprotectiveness for all his other half-siblings and was itself only surpassed by his fierce protectiveness for his little sister Nunnally and his late mother Marianne. This was something she was especially grateful of Lelouch for, as he protected her little Euphie from the rest of their despicable family whenever she was absent doing her job as the head guard of the Aries Villa, as well as physically and/or mentally lash out on said relatives so fiercely that none of them dared to bully Euphemia a second time. She could recall many times during her guard duties at the Aries Villa when she saw her little sister running to Lelouch crying her eyes out and tell him how her half-siblings or step-mothers were mean to her and the fierce anger that was apparent on Lelouch's face after he was done comforting her. The next day she would often find those half-siblings or stepmothers Euphie told Lelouch of either appearing traumatized, bruised, or both, and would never hear of said "family" members ever harassing little Euphie ever again. Without a doubt, Euphemia was the closest one of their family to Lelouch and Nunnally to the point that they loved her like she was their full-blooded sibling. However, that only made this all the more harder on little Euphie than it did on any of her other family as she looked on at Lelouch and Nunnally near the door to the plane to Japan with tear-filled eyes as she attempted to run up to them before Cornelia put a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. Euphemia then looked up to her with eyes so sad and pure she could drown in them and almost caved in but managed to steer herself and shook her head at her little sister in denial to her notion to going towards their departing siblings, to which she relented.

Hearing an announcer somewhere announcing the departure of Lelouch and Nunnally and the sound of trumpets in honor of her little siblings, Cornelia gave one last sad look towards them as Jeremiah Gottwald in his royal guard attire saluted towards the children as Lelouch strolled a wheelchair-bound, blind Nunnally into the plane with the handful of guards and servants he chose to come with them before it finally took off towards its destination of Tokyo, Japan.

April 2nd, 2009 a.t.b.

Kururugi Shrine, Japan

It had been precisely one day since they had arrived in Japan, and Lelouch was currently in the process of carrying little Nunnally on his back as he walked up the many, many flights of stairs towards the Kururugi Shrine at the top stairway to meet his new caretakers for the next six months, with his agents and bodyguards walking closely behind him whilst Japanese security stood on every few steps to the side watching as he carried his sister up to the top with his entourage closely behind him. While Lelouch was very physically fit for his age, the amount of stairs he was currently climbing were such a challenge that they would even cause a professional hiker to become exhausted, which he was feeling currently climbing the steps up the mountain before he tripped slightly on one step before regaining his balance and causing Nunnally to wince in fear from the sudden jerk from his moment of imbalance and hold on to Lelouch more tightly in panic. This caused Lelouch to stop walking and do his best to cool Nunnally and reassure her that everything would be alright until he felt her relax on his back once more and know that she was okay with him to keep moving forward, to which he did.

Finally, after what felt like hours of hiking up the many flights of stairs, Lelouch arrived at the top to see four people staring at him with different looks. Lelouch, having done his research before coming to Japan, knew exactly who each of these people were. To the far right was an elderly, bald man leaning on a cane, who Lelouch knew to be Taizō Kirihara, owner of Kirihara Industries, the wealthiest corporation in Japan and the country's lead Sakuradite-mining company, who was currently looking at Lelouch and his sister in a stern and calculating expression on his face. To the left of Kirihara stood a man who appeared to be in his mid-40s with gray hair, a muscular build, and who was looking at Lelouch and Nunnally with an even sterner look than Kirihara was: Genbu Kururugi, the prime minister of Japan as well as Lelouch and Nunnally's new caretaker for the next six months. Behind Genbu Kururugi was a little girl with blue hair who was wearing and a female kimono and was clutching onto Genbu's left leg whilst looking at the Britannian royalty with shy and timid eyes. Finally, to the far left stood a boy around Lelouch's age with brown hair and was wearing a male kimono while looking at the prince and princess with glaring eyes full of disdain and contempt, as if he was utterly disgusted at having a couple of foreigners here in his home.

'Well then,' thought Lelouch, 'it looks like I have my work cut out for me. I have a feeling that living with these people is going to be quite the challenge.'

Sword of Akasha

Standing atop of the only visible platform in the sword of Akasha, V.V. stood at the top of the steps looking out into the seemingly eternal sunset scenery in front of him with his younger twin brother standing right behind him. "I must say Charles," said V.V., "I am very surprised that you decided to send your children off to Japan, and that you would assign the task of conquering said nation to Lelouch. While I admit the boy his extremely gifted for his age, terrifyingly so I might add, he is still just a child and could screw up the conquest." "While I admit that my son still lacks a lot of experience in terms of military conquest," Charles responded, "as you said, he is extremely gifted for his age and has proven to be among the smartest and most competent of my children. Also, if any child of capable of conquering a nation, its Lelouch." "And if your son and daughter are killed in Japan by extremists or Japanese xenophobes before Lelouch has the chance to conquer Japan?" Seeing that his brother was testing him, Charles steered his expression before he forced himself to do what he swore to never do: lie to his brother. "I have full faith that Lelouch will survive during his time in Japan," started Charles, "however, should he and his sister end up dead, while it would be sad to lose such a great asset, we will simply have to continue on with the plan without him, and wait to see him again when the Ragnarök Connection is completed." To this, V.V. smiled, "Very well then, little brother." 'Excellent,' V.V. thought, 'with that woman out of the way Charles full attention is back on the plan. Now nothing will ever drive a wedge between me and Charles again.'

A/N: Finally, I'm back at it again. Sorry for the wait everybody, expect the next chapter very soon.