Chapter 32: The Witch and Her Hound

Following their tryst in a cave, which both believed was far from the most romantic of spots but didn't regret, they managed to clean up enough that when Kallen found them, there were no visible signs. At least, not to someone like Kallen, who never kissed someone, so much to C.C.'s amusement; Kallen had no clue why C.C. both walked a little funny and why she was almost glowing.

Though Lelouch bet it was because she was understandably more focused on the fact both had been shot in the head, with his mask taking the brunt of the bullet, it still managed to contact his head like hard rock, leaving a small bruise but no signs of anything worse than a minor concussion that'll leave by itself.

Riding back to Kallen, he couldn't physically speak with his commanders but was able to speak from the cockpit of the Guren. Kallen explained that his mask had been damaged. The mood was so high that no one raised the question of whether he needed it with them.

Thus, after having taken just a little more time to celebrate their historic victory, they packed up and made for their pre-selected exits to leave the Narita mountains to leave for Tsukuba, where they'll lay low before the bulk of their fighters and equipment return to the former greater Tokyo area. This left nothing that Cornelia could use to track them down.

At least, most of them left.

Line Break

The morning sun shined over the small town of Sawara, one of Japan's oldest and most picturesque sights. It is known for its historical canals, old and traditionally designed buildings, and numerous other tourist destinations that speak to its and central Japan's long and storied history. Its size spared it the worst of the bombings and assaults during the war. Its Japanese defenders, perhaps fearful of seeing it all burn, or perhaps they recognize it was an undefendable position, or some fusion of the two, had abandoned it earlier in the fighting, removing any reason for the invading Britannians to damage it.

That didn't stop them, as many units passed through looting what they could and, at times, burned what they couldn't, seeing it all as reminders of an inferior race and culture, though mercifully, many commanders had given orders against such actions.

After all, the place was a tourist goldmine and could continue serving its new overlords.

Japanese who walked the streets were mainly day laborers, street cleaners, or just part of some obscure living exhibit. Oh yes, the air still carried the cool and fragment air, filled with the scent of freshly blooming Sasanqua Camellia and the last traces of wilting Cosmos flowers. It was true that the centuries-old machiya houses still stood. One could still see the lingering morning mist curling around the willow-lined banks, where gondolas silently drifted, guided by their boatman in straw hats.

However, the fact remained that such was for the enjoyment of Britannians, those who wished to venture away from the crowded and architectural lifeless settlements to 'experience' the inferior culture of the land they subjugated. The town had been adjusted to accommodate such as most signs were written in the Emperor's English, whatever Japanese that remained was purely for the aesthetic, and while they were still hotels ran out of Japanese buildings, most stayed in the newer, Britannian styled accommodations that dotted the outskirts of town.

And Lelouch and C.C. were no different as he returned to their shared room of pale hardwood floors, a low platform bed dressed in once crisp, now used linens, and a small writing desk beneath a sunlit picture window overlooking the town he had brought them to for their 'weekend lover's retreat.' Not so much a lie as he had intended for the two to head out and have some fun.

Now if only he could get her out of the damn room and not lounging on the bed on that restraint jacket.

"Why did you even bother to pack that thing?" Lelouch asked her as he walked past the bed, C.C., all the while reading through a food magazine and naturally going to the Italian section.

"You know, you're supposed to compliment me on my appearance as any good lover would." C.C. retorted, sounding like a lazy feline.

Lelouch gave her a dry look. "It's a Britannian restraint jacket, and while I admit the heels are a nice touch, suiting your legs quite well, I can't think of why they'll be included for my life."

"Why do you care so much about what I wear? Clothes are clothes, and you've seen me naked plenty of times now. Besides, we're in our room. Are you worried the staff will see it and wonder what your taste might be?" C.C. smiled at him, amused when his face grew slightly red initially, only for him to groan at her follow-up. She'll never cease to find amusement in seeing how a man who could be a terrorist and partake in the pleasures of the flesh could still be rattled.

Coughing into his hand to try and regain some semblance of authority, though both knew he never had it, he replied. "You shouldn't be so candid about that, and it's not me who people would assume was into such…roleplay, considering you're the one dressed as such."

C.C. hummed at that, easily finding holes in his attempt to counter, but she couldn't expect more from him when she had been his first, and he wasn't the sort that browsed the web for porn. "You think? I doubt that. They'll just assume you love to see your partners as your prisoners, perhaps as prices of war. It's not so uncommon, you know."

Lelouch grumbled harder at that, as he didn't need such reminders of how humans could be utter monsters in war or how his bastard of a father up and encouraged and rewarded such depraved acts. "Can we get back to the discussion of your choice in clothing?"

"I don't care what people think of me, certainly not as much as you do, and you can stand to be a little looser. We checked the room for bugs when we arrived, and I would assume you did the same when you woke up." C.C. retorted before she gestured to her body. Unlike other times when she was out and about, she didn't wear contacts or a wig. She had both, but they remained in her bag.

Lelouch opened his mouth to retort but paused. Considering it, he sighed as his shoulders slumped, C.C. smirking as she enjoyed her victory over him. Having to the bed, he sat next to her, placing a hand on her leg and gently massaging it. "Well, it does come with the positive that you don't some silly disguise. I prefer to see the real you.”

C.C. hid her blush with her magazine, happy that he couldn't have seen it with his position, but alas, he wouldn't be so easily convinced. "But answer this: Why wear that horrid thing? It's what my wretch of a brother forced you into for his appalling experiments. If anyone wishes for something else, it should be you."

“It is really that big a deal?” C.C. asked, as she didn’t want to discuss this with him and hoped that he would back off like a good dog.

Shame for her that dogs could be as stubborn as an old cat.

“Do you just like the style? The design of it? You’re the one who brought up the fact it could be seen as risque. Are you perhaps into that?" Lelouch shot question after question at her, leaving her turn to sigh.

'How can his stubbornness be appealing and annoying depending on the day?' She asked herself but got no answer that she liked.

“I wear it because I’m not free. I'm a prisoner, bound, shackled, locked down. So really, there are no better clothes than this, are there? This outfit says 'C.C.' is a prisoner of this world.'"

Lelouch frowned at her statement, both its message and its tone. C.C. spoke as if it were a fact, a boring one at that. Something that couldn’t be disputed and would be foolish to try.

He let out a grumble as he got up, walked towards his side of the bed, and reached for the nightstand drawer. C.C. eyed him as he pulled his wallet out and started looking through it for cash and his cards. She hadn't taken either lately, so it should all still be there.

"What are you doing? Are you planning to order room service?" She asked.

“No,” Lelouch replied before he nodded, putting his wallet into his pocket before he turned to her. “Get changed.”

“Why? I don’t feel like going out.” She replied.

“Because we’re getting you some real clothes, and after that, I’m burning that damned restraint jacket.” Lelouch eyed the restraint jacket with palpable disgust, and she rolled her eyes.

Turning onto her back, she looked at him with unimpressed eyes. "So brutish, and to think you are raised a prince. Didn't you hear a word I said?"

“Oh, I heard it but chose to reject such nonsense." He countered as he raised his hand. "If one isn't free, you fight for it. If there is a wall in front of you, you climb over it. If there is an obstacle before you, smash through it. If someone is holding your freedom captive, then you take it from their cold, dead hands." With each statement, he raised a finger, and when he got to the last, he clenched his fist tight.

"If you don't find for what is yours, for what you desire, against what you hate-then nothing will change, and this world would remain a torturous stagnant world. A world where today never ends, where tomorrow is tragically close and yet done, and tomorrow is just an illusion."

C.C. watched Lelouch as he spoke, the terrorist in disguise going about their things to grab a change of clothing, setting it out on the bed before he started to undress, unashamed that she was present for it. In truth, she didn't expect much else from him regarding his opinions. She had seen him prove several times now that he resented non-action and that it was merely pragmatism that kept him from acting out as 'Lelouch Lamperouge' earlier. Even so, she knew how it drained him to do so.

She pursed her lips as she recalled the first time he thanked her because it was because of her that he could finally escape that fate, a fate of merely existing but never living. It was a fate she had known well and didn't wish on anyone, not even that twat, Clovis, and yet…and yet…

“Weren’t you a prisoner of the Ashford family? And the Kururugi family before that?” She asked him, getting him to pause as he pulled his pants up, but only for the moment.

"I was never their prisoner, not truly as then as it is now. They never captured my soul. I might be a dog, I might bow my head and restrain from biting, but I refused any and all attempts to put a collar on me," Lelouch stated.

"How quaint, but you're far too late. I'm already locked away in a birdcage." C.C. replied, a hint of longing in her words as she knew of a way out…now that she was here, she wasn't sure about it and the last time that happened.

Her focus was taken when Lelouch came over and fell atop her, bracing himself over her with his arms; he stared into her eyes, C.C. seeing a deep sense of pride but also protectiveness, tenderness, and love to his.

“Then I’ll just have to smash your bird cage and let you out, don’t I?” He seemed to whisper as he leaned in, laying a gentle kiss on her forehead, right on her mark of Code, which she swore felt a little warmer after that. “Chantal, I won't let your fate remain as is. Even if the world is your jailor, I refuse to accept that." Her words were caught in her throat when she heard him use her name again, unprompted and with the same love, affection, and appreciation he used for his sister.

It might have been selfish. Unreasonable even, but she wanted to keep him hearing him say it.

Kissing down her face, she wrapped her arms around him as he got to her lips, the two engaging in a sweet, longing, and yet short kiss. Again, Lelouch didn't seek domination, nor did he kiss her like a fool, but put his feelings into action, and that was what she appreciated from it.

When he pulled back, he pulled her close and flipped them over so that she lay on him, his hand moving to her hair to place a strand of it behind her head so he could better look into her eyes. “So hearing you think of yourself as a prisoner, one so resigned to your fate that you’ll dress the part…no, it’s not happening.” He shook his head.

“Maybe in the past, but not in the present and never in the future. I will see you freed; come hell or high water, you'll leave that birdcage and fly as free as you wish." He vowed, and she could see that he was as serious about it as he was about his hatred for his father, Britannia, and the current world. But also as serious as his care for his friends, his defense of what little good there was, and his love for his sister.

C.C. smiled as she rested her head in the crock of his neck, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment. “You know, you can be a real charmer when you want to be.”

Lelouch smirked, and while she couldn’t see it, she just knew it. “Well, is that not the duty of a proper lover? To stand by his woman and build her up even when others try and bring her down?” She snorted at that, as in her experience, it was the other way around, with the woman lucky if her husband didn't cheat, but she didn't need to fear that from this one. He was a loyal dog.

“Smart one, boyo. But you should know that another duty is taking joy in watching his woman wear the clothes he buys them, loads of them.” She looked at him, a concerning grin on her face as she got up and started to strip.

"Be prepared as if this is going to be burned. I'll need at least a dozen outfits to replace it." She told him over her shoulder as the outer part of the suit came loose and fell at her feet, exposing the swimsuit-like undergarment and thigh-high boots.

‘Well…I should have the funds for that…I hope.’ Lelouch knew he had made sizable funds from his gambling, but with how much she's already spent on pizza and him needing to be the primary funder of the Black Knights…well, he would need to check his cheque books again, make sure he didn't suffer a shortfall when it came to his personal accounts.

“Could you be any more obvious?” C.C. asked, as Lelouch hadn't ceased looking at her, even as she stripped out of her undersuit and underwear; the woman felt the need for a shower before they went out.

Lelouch might have blushed and looked away once. Still, he only grew all the more confident as his gaze firmly remained on the lithe, fit, and alluring nakedness of his lover. "I am dating a beautiful, intelligent, confident, and witty woman. Please forgive me if my eye tends to linger as I wonder what great trial I completed to earn such a reward."

“Cheeky mutt.” C.C. laughed, more amused than annoyed with his perverted gaze, and it was perverse, no matter what he said to the contrary.

“You’re only just figuring that out, you stubborn witch?” Lelouch shot back, which only made her laugh more as she grabbed some toiletries and a tower before strutting into the bathroom. Lelouch's gaze settled on her curvy butt until she closed the door with a wink.

Line Break

Later, the two walked hand in hand down the road, enjoying the weekend. Even with news of the battle being suppressed, at least at the moment, being 20km away from the action made it impossible to keep everything out of the public, especially the night prior, when the Black Knights had spread tales of the battle and claimed victory. Plenty of folks seemed nervous, and if Narita so much as came up, the conversation died, or one member would hurriedly change the subject.

However, they could spot how many of the Japanese seemed amazed, even hopeful. Even if the news refused to talk about it, word spread. None could deny the amazement and satisfaction from knowing that Zero had performed yet another miracle, proving that he could do what the E.U. and the Middle Eastern Federation could not, which made Britannia a decisive defeat in the field.

But that was for later. Right now, it was their time, and he spotted a nice-looking small off to the side. Entering, they found that it was a small clothing store, the sort that could be run by just a couple of people but also had much more variety and life in its selection than big brand stores that bought cheaply in bulk.

“Not a bad choice, boyo. Are you going to pick something out?” C.C. asked him.

"I'll look around, same as you. Hopefully, we'll both find things to your liking." Lelouch offered up, which she didn't argue about. She merely walked deeper into the small store, oddly enough heading to the cosplayer's section. At least, he thought that was it, as he'd never seen people wear such colorful and… eye-catching clothing in public.

He just hoped she didn't try to get under his skin by choosing the more expensive offerings. Shaking his head, he went to the dress and was quickly approached by one of the clerks.

“Welcome, sir. How can I help you and the Mrs today?” The Japanese woman asked him,

"We're not married, just dating," Lelouch corrected, though he found the mistake to be a welcome one.

The clerk gasped before she quickly bowed. “Oh, pardon me. We don’t typically get couples here unless they’re married.”

“It’s an honest error; it hurts no one." He waved it off. Besides, out of the assumptions made about him, that was perhaps one of the few he liked, even if it was still untrue. "As for what I was looking for, I was wondering what sort of dresses you? It's fall, and we should get things for winter."

Taking the offering for what it was, the clerk quickly got back into work mode, guiding him towards a rack with an assortment of dresses in different styles and colors. And yet, she didn't seem to have an issue with it as she pulled one out with only a glance. "Oh, well, we received some items that would be great for your girlfriend. If I may be so bold, I recommend this sapphire blue turtle neck sweater dress. It'll compliment her fair skin and make her amber eyes pop."

Lelouch asked to hold it, and she handed it to him. The man nodded as he felt the fabric and could tell this wasn't cheap. The stitching was well done and showed that it was done by hand. It was reasonably high-quality cotton, an ideal dress for how cold things could get in Tokyo. But he did wonder if the clerk's family perhaps made it for sale and if they did the same for the rest.

As he deliberated on the dress, the clerk pulled out another one. “Or if that’s not something she would like, we can offer this Lavender Knit Midi Wrap Dress; not showy, and that's not the point as it's more about emphasizing the wearer's beauty."

Lelouch looked it over and noted that it differed in feel from the first. It was not a sweater at its base but made from a warmer material, but also a lot heavier.

"Interesting, yes, I can see her in both…I'll take both." Lelouch started, holding both by their hangers to avoid adding wrinkles if he folded them.

“B-both?” the clerk asked, and even as he nodded, she seemed skeptical. “I'm not sure about that; it's not cheap…” she whispered, her head lowered. If he was just a typical Britannian, he wouldn't have caught it, and if he did, he would have no idea what she had just said.

“I can assure you,” Her heart stopped when she looked up and saw that he was the one who replied, speaking in perfect Japanese. “Money’s not an issue. I would imagine you’ve seen many in my position, no doubt a few who weren’t looking at the price and thought more about impressing their partner.” Lelouch chuckled as he recalled Rivalz sharing stories of such. Never of himself, if only because he pinned for Milly and Milly alone.

"I'm so sorry, sir." Again, the clerk bowed even lower, shaking like a leaf at the thought of what he could do to her.

That he had such power by being a Britannian while he was Eleven was vexing, but he couldn't tell he wouldn't do it, period. She'll never believe it. "Again, an honest error. Besides, you're a business. It can't be pleasant to believe you've made a sale only for the client for choke out at a price or realize they just can't buy it." So he settled on playing the 'merciful' Britannian, which is a contradiction if you ask him but a more believable thing.

“Still…”

He chuckled. "Mam, if I went out of my way to punish even half the people who slighted me, intentionally or not, I would spend my days doing nothing but. My day job is, shall we say, vexing." An understatement if one was ever stated, but not an inherent lie.

“Chatting up the staff, are we?” C.C. approached, smirking as she looked them both over.

Lelouch snorted. "Oh yes, my dear. You've caught me in such a shameful state; will I make it up to you?"

“Hmf, well, you can start by telling me how I look in this," C.C. ordered as she handed him the simple white dress. Along with it came a thick black belt and, strangely enough, widened and thickened sleeves near the hands. When he felt them over, he found that they doubled as gloves for those colder moments.

“Not a bad choice, my dear. Why don’t we see you try out all 3?” Lelouch recommended, and the clerk double-taken that offer. C.C. hadn't just picked any old thing. Sure, it wasn't the most expensive, but still, it wasn't cheap!

"I might end up liking them, and if the store has more, you are paying." C.C. chuckled as she took both and went toward the back, where she saw a small changing room.

“Still, I didn’t know you were into cosplay.” Lelouch mused as he walked along with her, knowing that he would be the one to judge all that caught her fancy.

“It’s a hobby of mine to dress as others in fiction do." She replied.

Line Break

Leaving the first store with two full bags, C.C. decided that he should be a good man and carry both, which didn't seem as annoying as it could be. Despite the appearance, she had only bought seven things. She used her free hands to latch onto his arm, leaning into him as they walked through town.

They visited other stores along the way, picking up all sorts of things, from some new shoes for C.C. accessories for hr budding outfit wardrobe to fun knick-knacks, the sort one could place around the house. They even purchased things that they thought the rest of the council would like, with Nina's being the only one bought from a Britannian store because while Lelouch knew she would never refuse it, she had far too many issues with her fear of the Japanese to like a gift that reminded her of their culture.

"You could still get her something like that; she idolized Nunnally and has since the hotel jacking. She'll play ball to make Nunna happy." C.C. suggested as they looked over some things in a gift shop by the canal.

"Setting aside, you are joking about my classmate showing interest in my younger sister," She smirked when she shot a glare at her. Even now, she refuses to tell him what happened inside the hotel. Even the irregulars didn't talk. His sister worked fast to get their silence on it, which only made him all the more suspicious of their actions. “I’m not going to force with this. She’s making enough progress with Suzaku as is.”

Nina…he cared for her, he really did, and she had plenty of potential in science if she could get out of her own way. But dammit, her fear of Japanese was an issue, one which he could never get to the bottom of as she wouldn't say why. But at least she was actively participating in conversations with Suzaku. Yes, never at him, but considering she used to avoid him like the plague, he would take baby steps over nothing.

When lunch came around, C.C. gave him the silent treatment when he steered them away from a small Pizza Hut and into a small family-run establishment, several bags at their table. He felt for the waiter who approached and got stared down when he confirmed that they didn't sell pizza, so Lelouch ordered for both of them. The two had some hot tea as they waited for the main meal to be prepared.

Having a meal that C.C. tried to insult and yet she ate without complaint, Lelouch took the chance to tease her for a change, which got him a seriously scary look…or at least it would be if she wasn't also pouting, which made her look too much like an adorable upset cat. It was a good meal; they ordered a second round and left a generous tip for the staff as they continued their day.

They visited all they could, from strolling down the canals to visiting some old shrines in the area; all the while, he took pictures or had others take pictures for them. Though C.C. preferred the caricature they had made of the which, which made her look weird, yes-but made him look downright moronic with how big his nose and forehead was.

This time, C.C. tipped the artist for his work, knowing it would irritate Lelouch more because her money was money. However, a kiss to the cheek cooled his anger, at least enough that she could continue to tease him about it for a while, leaving him to carry their growing number of bags.

Line Break

Hours went by as the morning changed to late afternoon in what felt like a flash. Orange sunlight draped over the wooden boardwalk in a warm glow as the two walked through the aquatic botanical gardens. They enjoyed the calm silence of the areas while they were others, but they were few and far between, and much like them, they were content to be silent as they enjoyed the atmosphere.

Lelouch lazily watched as a dragonfly skimmed the still surface of a lily-dotted pond. In another, its surface rippled as a koi broke its surface before retreating, Lelouch and C.C. too far to see what it had been doing. C.C. closed her eyes, leaning into Lelouch as she listened to the reeds whisper in the gentle breeze, which carried the fading hints of lotus and autumn roses. They didn't speak at the moment, as they just enjoyed the other's company.

Their footsteps were slow, steady, and relaxed as they walked along a path by a large lake. Lelouch paused at a sigh that had some trivia on the flowers planted there, and C.C. walked on ahead toward a giant tree whose canopy offered a large space of shade from the setting sun. Going by how they had set up stone benches in its shadow, the tree seemed to be old.

When Lelouch looked her way for the first time, his mind was overwhelmed by something good.

The wind blew as C.C. turned to look his way, sending a gentle breeze filled with leaves and flower petals through, carrying C.C.'s long hair. At the same time, the light of the setting sun pierced through the patches in the canopy of the tree at just the right angle that her entire body seemed to glow, with her face, her beautiful, soft, and smooth face appealing now more than ever appearing like she was an angel, a being far above humans and beasts and yet, a part of this world all the same.

“-louch, are you listening?” He hardly heard her speak even as he dropped their bags, his attention solely on this fairy queen before him.

“Beautiful.” He uttered like a total idiot.

"What was that-?" C.C.'s question was cut off when he kissed her beneath the tree. C.C. let out a surprised sound, which gave him access past her lips. His tongue delicately entered, asking for further permission as his hands grasped her face.

C.C. didn't know what came over him. Still, she wasn't complaining as her heart fluttered, the woman wrapping her arms around his shoulders and drawing him close, granting him permission to explore her mouth further as her tongue came into play, dancing with as they wrapped around one another. She fell deeper down this rabbit hole as he poured love, adoration, and care into his kiss, into how he held her.

When he pulled back, she let out a cute, confused noise, which only made him love her all the more. This messy, frustrating, pizza-obsessed cat of a woman. "Chantal." He used her real name as easily as he breathed, packing in two syllables what felt like a mountain's worth of care, which she softened in his hands.

“You…you are truly a beautiful woman.” His words failed him in the moment, his mind still rebooting so he went with his heart and went in for another kiss.

“Are you going to make a habit of calling me that?” She asked when he pulled back yet again.

"I will," She blinked at his quick response, far too quickly to be a lie or even something he thought about. "I'll use your name over and over for years to come. Till the day I die. It's a beautiful name befitting such a one-of-a-kind woman like you.”

C.C. didn't cry; she refused to believe she teared up at such a line, but it made her happy—truly happy to hear him say it with such love and warmth. Because…because it meant that it did love her. Yes, he had told her that, but many had done so over her long years. Many didn't mean it. Some had believed they loved her but mistook it for another feeling. And for the few that did…their love proved fragile.

But… this time, it felt different. She knew him. She had seen what he would do, what he was doing. Yes, because of his desire to burn the world he hates and his love for his sister. C.C. had envied Nunnally for that, as even when she slept with Lelouch, there was always a disconnect, a bridge too far that she didn't want to cross with him, couldn't cross with him.

'Is it bad to dream? Is it such a sin for me to want this?' She felt that that dirty, poor little orphan girl, Chantal asked, the part of her that she had buried but could never kill. The part that seemed to embody whatever was left of her humanity.

'No…I…I want this, ' the other part, the cynical, tired, and apathetic C.C., replied. This was the part she had embraced over the years as life seemed to drag on, losing all meaning or colour and becoming an endless existence.

 Maybe it was a moment of weakness, and she'd come to regret this, but she wanted to give it a chance. I bet that this time would truly be different. Shifting a hand onto his chest, she can feel his heartbeat. Strong and steady, but just as wanting as her, as loving as she wished from her partner. And as unbreaking in that belief as the cycle of day and night. At that moment, she knew this was real, that he would fight for her, and she knew she would do the same.

"Can you truly love a witch? I'm not normal…I'll never be normal." She asked, not knowing why. Maybe it was a test or just a fear allowed to be spoken.

Lelouch laughed at that, holding her close to his chest, his arms wrapping around her, offering his body heat to her in the cool autumn breeze.

"If you're a witch, then I have a hound. A suitable match, if I have to say. Witches always have their familiar beast companions." He raised her chin so that he could look her in the eye. "I don't want normal. I don't want 'the easy girl' or 'the average baggage or whatever other term. I want you. I want all you are, Chantal. All you give, and I shall give all I can in return."

"I'll love you, Chantal. I’ll protect you like the most faithful of hounds. I'll make sure that you'll find reasons to smile, hold you when you need it, make you laugh with all you have, see you free from whatever burdens weigh on your heart, or at the very least, share its weight on my shoulders, even if it cost me my life." Lelouch stated.

"I don't want you to die, you idiot," C.C. whispered, her heart twisting at the notion that he could just vanish from her life like that.

“Silly girl, why would I do that when you’re part of why I must live as long as possible. Of course, my life will be on the line to ensure you and my sister live happily. Still, I'm not about to lay down and miss out on seeing all that with my own eyes before I'm sent down to hell, where monsters like me belong." Lelouch replied.

“You want to see me happy? Then don’t you die on me, you hear me? I order you to live, Lelouch vi Britannia.” C.C. ordered.

It was an order he would happily follow. “As you wish, Chantal, my love.” As they moved in for another kiss, their shopping was forgotten, and the world fell away to just them.

They missed how they had been watched by a figure in the distance, one who shook with rage.

Line Break

I am staring this chapter late as hell because my week was just too packed with uploads and minor inconveniences to count. Because of that, this was pushed back to Sunday…yeah, it's not my best moment. Still, at least with the coming week having Thursday free, I don't need to worry about that and can use the free day to work on Friday's upload.

Now, when it came to this chapter, I went a slightly different route than what was canon, but I think that it was the best move considering events in the prior chapter and my plans to build on Lelouch/C.C. as a couple before any possible inclusions of others. 100 Girlfriends might be able to speed-run the MC to like 5 GFs in 6 or so episodes, but this isn't a rom-com, nor is Lelouch nearly as stand-up a guy as Rentarou.

Oh, and one thing I forgot to add in the last chapter was that Lelouch wasn't untouched by the attempted murder. Still, well…it got forgotten as I wrote the sappy stuff followed by the lewd stuff.