Chapter 8: Out of Your Element

Kaguya, usually unflappable in global politics, flounders amid Kallen’s lively children and the family’s disarming warmth. Their chaotic harmony unsettles her—not just because she’s clueless with kids, but because Kallen’s grounded, content marriage forces her to confront feelings she’d rather leave unexamined.

Kaguya was young, only 24 years old, and technically still a college student, as she worked to earn her master's degree in political science and philosophy, all in secret, of course. However, despite her age, she was one of the most politically savvy and skilled players in global politics, having ruled as her people's chosen monarch for many years.

She could handle domestic and international issues with ease. A skill most only gained after decades in the field, one she had to learn young to survive with any shred of power or respect. She had forged strong ties with the Tianzi dynasty, bringing Japan and China closer together than they had been since the Heian period, now as co-equal partners. She had established a strong relationship with several of the other UFN member states, primarily those in Asia, as well as some in Africa.

She had even formed formal and strong ties with the defunct E.U. and its president, Margaret Walpole, who, like her, was a young woman thrust into power that should never have needed a child to handle. Yet, she was managing quite well.

Kaguya was expecting a fight; she was expecting political mind games; she was even half ready for someone to try to insult or assault her. But…

“H-hello, my name is Byakuya, what’s yours?” Byakuya asked, hiding behind his mother and peeking out just enough to look at her.

"I remember seeing her on TV. Are you a movie star? Oh, are you like the guy who does the animal stuff? I love that!" Naoto had no such fear as he jumped about Kaguya, more like an excited puppy.

"She looks like Granny," Inoue called out as Kallen held her child to her chest.

“Oh, she does-are you Japanese, too? Mom’s half Japanese and we…what are again?” Sōsuke asked, looking towards the other children, hoping one of them would know.

“Half of half, I think that’s a…I don’t know.” Shirley, being the same age as Sōsuke, didn’t know the answer either.

“It’s called a quarter. You’ll learn more about stuff like that in math class.” Kallen explained this to them, and her eldest children all cried.

“No school!” Naoto would have hidden under the couch if he could hide from homework, but the governess would always find him.

“Yeah, I want to play! Please play with us, new lady!” Milly hid the smile with her hand as her daughter turned back to Kaguya, the woman being completely different from the others she'd met, and was incredibly curious.

Inoue wiggled in Kallen's hands, the redhead gently lowering her daughter, who waddled over to Kaguya, who instinctively knelt to be closer to her eye level. Latching onto her, Inoue gave the older woman the patented puppy eyes. “Carry me, please.”

Kaguya didn't wish to possibly insult or anger Kallen, the woman was known to be fierce when it came to her loved ones, and she could only bet those instincts were supercharged by motherhood. But also, Kaguya just couldn't say no to that face as she silently nodded and picked up Inoue, who started to happily giggle as she reached out to play with the fine fabrics and accessories that Kaguya had worn for what she thought would be a state dinner or reception, not…she didn't know what this was.

Milly seemed to be having a grand ole time with this as Shirley asked for the same, and before Kaguya could even protest, the mother of the house beat her to it. "You heard the little lady, I might be the Duchess, but she's the queen of the castle."

“I’m the prettiest queen!” Shirley laughed as she rushed towards Kaguya, almost tripping if not for Rivalz, the quick-handed father he was, gently catching her and helping her make the distance. He even went as far as picking her up and depositing her in Kaguya's other hands, the empress having no clue how to do this, as she had done photo ops with kids before, but always with just one, never two.

“Nah-uh, mom’s the prettiest queen.” Naoto disputed, pointing towards Kallen with a level of confidence that bordered on the statement that 'fire burned'.

“Says who?” Shirley challenged him, narrowing her eyes as she looked down on Naoto, wondering if this was what the adults felt like.

“Says me.” Naoto puffed out his chest; he would come off as egotistical, but he was also a child and an adorable one at that, so Kaguya could only resist the urge to coo and pinch his cheeks. How the heck did Lelouch father such a sweetie?

"Children, no fighting or you won't get any ice cream after dinner," Kallen spoke up, as if she was complimented that her eldest thought she was the prettiest queen, she certainly didn’t show it.

Byakuya tugged on Kallen’s dress. "But I wasn't fighting, Mom."

She smiled at her second child, reaching out a hand to rub his hair affectionately. “I know, you’re going to get an extra helping.”

“No fair!” Naoto called out.

“Yeah, how come Byakuya gets more?” Shirley asked.

“I can be extra good!” Naoto declared, which sparked Shirley’s competitive spirit.

“I’ll be the goodest!” She matched his energy, glaring at him, which he met with an intense, or as intense as an 8-year-old's glare could get.

Rivalz chuckler rumbled like a well-oiled engine as he proposed something. “Why don’t you go fetch your toys, and we can then we can play a fun game out in the gardens before you need to hit the books? Your governess wouldn't want you all being late for lessons.”

The children quickly bought the idea, and with Shirley being asked to put down, she led most of them out of the lounge and off to her bedroom. The boys all shared one bedroom for the duration of their stay and brought plenty of toys, but Shirley had by far the most toys to bring into the gardens.

"I like being with mommy," Inoue stated, even as she was still being held by Kaguya, who gently handed the toddler back to her mother. Kallen easily accepted the toddler who lay her head against Kallen's rather large breasts, listening to the steady heartbeat which had lulled many of the royal children in sleep, what felt like dozens of times through her time as a mother to so many.

"I like having you, too, Inoue. Know that mommy loves all of you very much." Kallen whispered as she laid a quick kiss on Inoue's head, who hummed and smiled at her mother's love and the security she always felt with her.

‘Just…what is going on here?’ Kaguya wondered, as this was insane. She had been here less than a couple of hours, and all her plans had been thrown out the window.

When she arrived in Tokyo, Milly met her as if they were old friends, and she was merely picking her up from the station. Not a duchess and one of Britannia's power players meeting a visiting head of state of a rival power. Her first lines had been more like she was speaking with the damn babysitter and not a royal. Milly was…just like the reports had reported, nothing like nobles of the past, and someone whose close connection to the emperor no doubt gave her far more liberties than most.

Kaguya had only been able to speak with the Viceroy of Japan for maybe 20 minutes before he had to step back to attend to other matters. A response which some might have taken offense to, and Kaguya was part of that some, but when she was left with Milly once more, she could keep such annoyance chained till it died down. But then, instead of Kaguya perhaps staying at the Viceroy's palace, or the Kingdom of Japan's embassy, which had prepped for her arrival, or maybe some luxury-

Milly requested that she spend her trip under her care, at her private home. Of course, Kaguya had moved too fast, hadn't thought it through, as she assumed it would be a prime chance to foster ties with a major player in the Britannian court, and someone known to be close friends with consort Kallen.

Only for her to arrive and be bombarded by young children and be reminded of Milly's first lines. It seemed that she had been taken advantage of, helping the royal offspring.

But, as…unconventional and slightly embarrassing as it was, it wasn't nearly as terrible as she would have expected. The royals, and even Milly's daughter, were a lot, but in the way all children were. None seemed arrogant, ignorant, cruel, or dismissive of her or even the staff she had seen. Naoto seemed polite enough, as when she arrived, he thanked one of the maids who served him a cup of water.

‘I would have…’ She shook her head, a laugh nearly passing her lips at her own folly. 'No, this is Kallen I'm talking about. She would never allow her children to turn into any of her siblings-in-law. Besides, there's nothing wrong with kids being kids; they should enjoy it.' Kallen…for better or worse, would never allow Lelouch or the court to turn their children into the types who would grow into the next Clovis, Cornelia, or God forbid…

No, Lelouch wouldn’t allow his children to become like that. He was her enemy, but she knew him. She knew him well once, and she knew that he resented such people and did his best for Nunnally. He might have failed with her in the end, but he seemed determined to learn from that mistake and ensure his children wouldn't repeat the sins of their dead relatives.

“So, what’s the reason for the trip, Kaguya? I bet being empress isn’t an easy job.” Kallen spoke, now that the only ones present were they, well, Inoue was present, but she was being incredibly well-behaved.

"It's not as taxing as what your emperor handles, considering I don't handle the day-to-day; that's for the Prime Minister and diet," Kaguya replied, not allowing herself to be thrown off her game by Kallen’s hard pivot.

Kallen rolled her eyes, challenging Kaguya's statement. "You and I both know you wouldn't accept being just a figurehead, not when…" She paused, recalling she had a toddler with her and that such things would only confuse her. Besides, it wasn't as if the adults present didn't already know. “Well, being a consort isn’t as busy as what you have to do, but I have my own duties and passion projects.”

“Besides all the dates.” Milly teased her, to which Kallen turned her heated gaze toward her old friend.

“Milly.” Old friend or no, she wouldn’t tolerate Milly bringing up such adult things in front of her child.

Milly, without fear, waved Kallen's warning tone off. “What? It’s not a secret. Just about every other week, the gossip breaks you or one of your sister wives was spotted enjoying a date with our dear Lulu."

‘Lulu?’ Kaguya had never heard the term before, but logic would dictate it was the emperor.

Kallen grunted. "Yes, and what of it? Do you have any idea how annoying it is to plan dates around the stu-the dumb press? It's like everything we do needs to be photographed and reported on. We mainly just spent our date nights in when the kids are busy or have been put to bed." She corrected herself before saying something she didn't want her children to pick up.

Kaguya couldn't speak to that, as she much enjoyed having her private life being…well, private. She had finished her schooling without much fanfare, though she and Jiang went under assumed names. She certainly wasn’t as active on the social scene as most her age, so she merely sat and listened as Rivalz nodded and added:

"Can't say that happens a lot. Shirley is a handful, and she's an only child, and we have staff who help out." He chuckled near the head. Kaguya was wondering if he was being serious, as he was built like he wrestled bears for fun. And she had seen how easily he handled the children earlier.

‘Then again, I can’t speak with much authority on that.’ Kaguya mused, if only in the privacy of her thoughts. She was, after all, an only child.

Inoue prodded her mother's chest, drawing Kallen's attention. Without needing to be told, Kallen reached for her dress's strap and undid it, followed by her right and left bra straps, exposing her full breasts. No shame in doing so in front of Kaguya, who let out a small yelp and looked away, or concern for exposing such an intimate part of herself when Rivalz was right there.

Kaguya did notice that perhaps she had no need for concern, as Rivalz's gaze didn't so much as shift in Kallen's direction when she moved Inoue so that the toddler could better access her mother's breast to suckle.

As her child took their meal, the proud and unconcerned redhead kept up the conversation.

“Believe me, my mother had the right idea when she laughed when I broke the news of…well, marrying someone who was already planning on taking 2 other wives. Dorothea only makes things all the more complicated.” Kallen complained, as one didn’t need to read gossip papers or listen to court rumours and intelligence reports to know such an arrangement was bound to be exhausting and chaotic.

Emperor Charles had 'solved' the issue by keeping his many consorts separate, in their own villas. Still, he hardly ever saw them, certainly didn't love any, and cared more for his own selfish dreams. Enough so that he didn't just step aside, but supported competition, ruthlessness, and treachery amongst his kids, all for a throne he, in all likelihood, didn't think would exist for them to even claim.

“But,” Kallen and the rest rejected such, she didn’t want ‘calm’, she didn’t want ‘control’. "I wouldn't change any of it for the world. I love my life, my family, and my kids, even though I didn't give birth to them. She wanted her family to be a family. To have people in it who could love and trust each other. She wanted to have a stable, functional, and healthy relationship with the other consorts, those she saw not as competition for her husband's favour or obstacles in her family's way.

And looking at baby Inoue suckling on her breast, she could say she had that as she had done this so many times, at times for children not born from her womb, and yet her children all the same. They had covered for one another, hosting surprise sleep-overs when one was busy. Played host to events or just helped their fellow mothers of the court.

Was it chaos? Yes. Were there days she barely slept? Of course, but she cherished every moment. Every memory made, every moment where her children could laugh, love, and live as children, not pawns to some grand design, not tools to some uncaring emperor.

Kaguya was genuinely taken aback by the statement. She had heard people give impassioned speeches; she had heard those who truly meant it. However, those had always been political and societal movements vying for something. She had never seen someone just…declare how much they loved their simple life so. No ambition…no, that was wrong.

Kallen wasn't without ambition. She had already achieved what she wanted, that and more, and unlike so many, she didn't seek anything else. She was truly content with what her lot in life was.

It was then that Kaguya knew that Kallen could never, would never be turned against her husband and new home. She had already known that on a certain level, accepted even, but seeing such a clear reminder only made her goals seem like a mountain in another world, a task that on its own was impossible, but would always be out of reach.

She wasn’t the only one who picked up on that as Milly swooned. “Oh, look at you, making me think about having a second child. Shirley would love having a bundle of joy sibling she can teach and play with.”

“What about you, Kaguya?” Now, she was thrown off balance by how abrupt Rivalz’s question was.

“M-me?” She asked, as this seemed way out of her wheelhouse.

Milly didn’t seem to care as she pushed it. "You're thinking of when you'll find Mr. Right. Or maybe Mrs. Right? I heard that you and a certain Chinese empress are especially close, planning on uniting your two countries?"

Kaguya, professional that she was, couldn't keep the red from forming across her face at the rather direct question, even as she clenched her fist on her lap. “Wh-of course not, Tianzi and I are merely best friends. We have similar circumstances and found that we connected through that.”

Rivalz hummed, scratching at his thick beard. “If you’re friends, then why not use her given name or something? Not like anyone would fault you for it.” He asked, as he had worked with enough Japanese people to pick up on that detail of their culture, and conversations and casual internet searches implied it was the same for the Chinese.

“We try not to in official settings.” Kaguya tried to end that sort of questioning, but Milly, once she had her eyes on something…

“Yes, because my lounge is part of an official setting. Don’t mind the children’s bedding and smell of wipes.” She gestured to the room. Opulent would put it lightly; just the furniture in it could probably buy a reasonable 2-bedroom apartment back in Kaguya's capital.

It was a space that, without words, conveyed the immense wealth and influence that the Ashford name had accumulated over the years under the new emperor. But it also carried obvious hints that children frequented it and were allowed to have run of the place, and that, more than once, a diaper had been soiled there.

Unlucky for her, Kallen wasn’t going to sit back and just watch either. “I heard you recently had a trip to Bangkok, which had to have been fun." She mused, as that hadn’t even been part of some intelligence briefing, but had been very public at the time.

"It was for a conference," Kaguya retorted, but caved just a little to admit. "We did…seek some sights while there, but we didn't do anything too crazy."

Milly blew a raspberry as Kallen adjusted her hold on Inoue, who kept on suckling like the hungry toddler she was. "Boring, you're 2 beautiful young ladies, you deserve the chance to cut loose and have some fun, hit up some clubs, dance the night away, and wake up not remembering half of it."

“Not everyone can be as insane as you, Milly.” Kallen reminded her.

“Oh, I know what you get up to. I bet that there are a few fighters here who want to try their hand against you,” Milly countered, as one couldn’t forget that Kallen was an avid supporter of knightmare duels and competitions in general. And had gotten into the cockpit again for it on several occasions. “And no, you can’t use the Guren.”

Kallen snorted, a little offended by Milly's implication that she needed something as high-end as the Guren. “I wouldn’t be so petty. I can clean house against most of them with just a refurbished Vicent Skirmisher.”

Kallen might not be an official competitor, but it was because she didn't have the time for the sort of commitment. Of course, she could find time here and there to remind people why she could contend for Suzaku's spot as Knight of One, should she so choose, by dominating in the duels and even battle phrases, all using what was essentially a slightly downgraded Vincent model against some of the best design teams and their wealthy benefactors could send.

‘What am I seeing?’ Kaguya found herself asking once more as the other three adults fell into a light conversation about a knightmare dual tournament Kallen had recently attended, one that was apparently for the national league, though she didn’t compete but to present the winner’s trophy.

They also let it slip that they, along with Milly, were heavily involved in the plans for the coming 10th anniversary of Lelouch's rise to power, which she was pushing for, as Milly described it as 'the biggest food court ever constructed.'

Kaguya knew Milly's antis, and didn't bother trying to figure out what she meant by that. She didn't get the chance as the children came bursting in once more, each holding an assortment of toys.

“We have the toys!” Shirley declared, hoping out some jump rope like it was meant to achieve enlightenment. "Let's go outside, it rained yesterday, and I saw lots and lots of bugs!"

“Oh, really? Then we gotta get some pictures of them. I’ll grab the camera on the way out, kiddos.” Rivalz proposed, which seemed to be the right move, as all of them, these children of royals and nobility, cheered at the chance to play in the mud with bugs.

“Yeah!”

Line Break

The gardens of Milly's estate were as vast and varied as their matriarch's wealth and its sources. Aside from how well cared for the plants were, Kaguya could recognise plants from across the world, no doubt species brought in from the vast reaches of the Britannian empire, all thrown into a sort of organised chaos as there seemed to be no reason for what went where.

Along with the several fountains installed across the premises were some fish ponds and plenty of trees, all thick with healthy, green leaves, offering large spots of shade under which many had benches and tables set up for people to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. With the estate's distance from Tokyo's busy city centre, it was the sort of area that one could almost mistake for some country estate.

As Kaguya moved with them, she had only been given a little time to find something she could afford to wear in such a space as she had not planned for such like Kallen seemed to, so she just wore her most casual and least available outfit along with a pair of flats as she didn’t trust heels when the garden still smelled of damp earth and cut grass.

Kallen and Milly seemed to agree, as the former wore plain old sneakers, and the latter dressed in an honest-to-goodness gardener's outfit, which came with thick Wellington boots.

Milly took charge of he little expedition, each of them given a magnifying glass along with plastic tubs to collect whatever interesting specimens they could find. Rivalz was the exception, as he followed after the kids and his wife with a camera in hand.

Naoto, the eldest of the bunch, was given the title of ‘investigator-in-chief,' which he wore with such blatant pride as he marched with his chest puffed out. "Hold it," he ordered as he crouched behind a hydrangea. Using his magnifying glass, he spotted something.

"I found a shiny-looking beetle." He called out as Milly stepped up to inspect it, smiling when she confirmed it wasn't a dangerous beetle.

“Good eye, Investigator-in-Chief. You’ve found a rhinoceros beetle; you can tell it's one because of the horn." She complimented as the boy blushed a little, but gave a toothy smile at her word.

Inoue pulled on her big brother's sleeve, drawing his attention to the toddler who stuck by him as mom had asked. "Can I touch it?" She asked, to which Naoto glanced towards Milly and then Kallen for permission.

Both women nodded as Milly added. "You need to be really careful, okay. It's really tiny and we're really big, so we don't want to hurt it. Here, let me." Milly gently coaxed as she reached for the beetle, which tried to flee, but she trapped it with her other hand, slowly moving it so that it moved onto her free palm.

Rising it, the 2 kids awed and cooed at the bug as it moved along her palm before she gently placed it into Inoue's waiting hands. The toddler giggled as she felt its tiny legs on her hands. "It feels weird," Inoue spoke in awe as Naoto reached for the bug's body and touched it, to which the beetle flew away from his finger, but he didn't care, more focused on what he felt.

"It has super tough skin," Naoto called out.

"Not skin, carapace, think of it like your fingernails. It's armour to protect them from danger." Kallen corrected as she turned her attention to where Byakuya, Shirley, and Sōsuke looked. As Kaguya was watching them, as the trio gently poked at a cluster of pillbugs under a stone, the visiting empress turned over for them. The children tittered and whispered about how the little roly-poly bugs curled.

Shirley beamed as she looked towards her plastic tub, one which had leaves and twigs placed into it to make it feel more like home for the bugs she caught. "Can we have these ones too? Mr. Ladybug needs many friends." She asked Kaguya, who wondered a lot about the girl, dirt-smudged and yet having the time of her life.

"You already have Mr. Ladybug. I want these ones; they look so cool." Sōsuke complained, as his tub remained empty, seeing a fight brewing, Kaguya looked towards Rivalz, her eyes asking for help.

Rivalz chuckled as he snapped the pictures before letting the camera hang around his neck. "He's not wrong; we can mix and match them later, so let's get some of them into the tub. You remember how we got Mr. Ladybug, right, Sōsuke?”

“Hmm!” The 3-year-old smiled as he picked a leaf and moved to try to coax some of the bugs onto it so they could gently transfer them. All while Kaguya…helped. She smiled uncertainly, offering responses and jokes from time to time, including some spider trivia when they spotted an orb-weaver spider. Still, she largely left things to Kallen, Milly, and Rivalz, who handled these kids like Kaguya handled state matters.

Line Break

When the kids had grown satisfied with the haul of captured bugs, they moved on to the games. The first of which was bean toss, as Rivalz set up three buckets in a neat triangle. At the same time, Milly and Kallen handed out soft, colourful little bean bags, light enough that even Inoue and Shirley could easily hold and toss them.

To Kaguya, the distances they had to stand to throw the balls seemed laughable. Still, she didn't mention it, as the kids enjoyed it. Kallen called out distances, and with over-exaggerated underarm throws, she, along with Milly and Rivalz, gave example throws. Rivalz missed his shot so spectacularly that if she weren't in the loop, she would question his physical and mental strength.

Kaguya, when called up to bat, hadn't missed and managed to get a bean bag into all 3 buckets. Not all that impressive, but that seemed to be her minority opinion, as once more she was swarmed by the little ones, in awe of her perfect score, as they begged for her to do it again — and again — and then again, before Naoto just asked to be shown how she managed it.

Once more, her eyes begged for help as she looked towards the other adults, but they didn't move a finger. Rivalz just kept snapping pictures, which she wasn't sure could be used for blackmail, but she had a feeling he and his wife would find a way to make it work.

So, she just had to handle things, and once she managed to teach Naoto how to get similar scores, he immediately rushed her legs, hugging her. "Thank you, lady!" He smiled as he let go, running off to reach his baby sister, so that he could be 'cool like her big brother'.

Back and forth the game went, and thanks to Naoto's help and a little rigging from Kallen and Rivalz when the kids weren't looking, Shirley and Inoue both managed to score a couple of hits, which made the already happy kids almost bounce about in joy as they yapped and blabbered about it, which the other children ate right up.

Line break

Milly clapped before she produced from behind her back a small tin of bubbles. "Break time!" She announced, already dipping the wand. The children, knowing what was about to happen, abandoned their little game and raced towards Milly as fast as their legs could carry them. Naoto acted like the perfect big brother, helping Shirley and Inoue, whose legs weren't yet very big or strong.

The trio reached Milly as they danced around her, squeals and delighted shouts flowing as Milly blew dozens of bubbles for them. The iridescent spheres floated down, around, and above. Some were bigger than others, yet each caught the afternoon light perfectly, creating spheres of rainbow colours which the children chased after. Moving to help his big brother, Byakuya handled aiding Shirley as he used all his might to help her jump up and pop them.

It wasn't especially effective, as 5 and 8-year-olds weren't known to be that strong. Still, Rivalz was more than happy to help, scooping up the toddlers so that the older boys could focus on chasing bubbles of their own. Rivalz's hearty laughter mixed with the rest as Shirley and Inoue were twirled about, Rivalz rushing in any direction they chose.

Kaguya took the moment to collapse onto a bench under a tree, waving at her face to try to stem her sweating. She liked to think she was in shape, but she had never seen just how energetic children could be.

"Not as easy as you thought, right?" Kallen asked as she took the seat next to Kaguya, the redhead hardly winded despite the almost two hours of play they had just gone through.

"I thought toddlers tired out quickly," Kaguya complained, pulling one of her feet up to remove the shoe and massage it, decorum be damned.

Kallen couldn’t quite hide the smirk. "Oh, they do, but then some days they have more energy than a 10-year-old high off sugar.”

"I should have known a former knightmare pilot wouldn't be as winded," Kaguya muttered, as she was very much not built for this.

At her comment, Kallen openly laughed, though it was drowned out by the children’s glee. "You'll think? Just as your cousin, how little sleep he was getting when Diana was that age. Trust me, child care is nothing like soldiering.”

Kaguya paused at that, her lips twitching for a moment before she replied. "I'll just have to take your word for it."

Kallen noticed that, and along with the rest of Kaguya’s behaviour, she decided now was the time to talk about it. “You still think about it, don’t you?”

“About what?” Kaguya asked, though she had a feeling she knew where this was going, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

“Kaguya, are we really going to play this game? When Milly asked about your dating life, don't act like it didn't hit close to home." Kallen pressed, looking towards the Japanese woman who frowned, as she recalled that feeling. It was one she felt each time she read reports on the Britannian royals, on the movements of Lelouch, or saw them out in official outings. Even his current trip down to Cuba with Dorothea and their newborn.

"Being empress doesn't leave much time to date, you know how busy things get and my commitment to my people, to our people," Kaguya answered. However, Kallen could tell it was only half the truth.

“And yet, weren’t you the girl who proposed that we share Lelouch once upon a time. You might have played it off as politics, but…you loved him, didn’t you?” Kallen just ripped the band-aid off. Speaking candidly despite the subject matter.

Kaguya took a breath and slowly released it. She could answer in any number of ways. But…she was just tired, so very tired. “I loved Zero, I loved the man who fought for our people and could do what so many failed to.”

“He never stopped being that man, you know.” Kallen mused, looking out towards the children, towards her children, whom she had with Lelouch. "When I first learned about it, who he was behind the mask, I just couldn't understand it. Why would this Britannian lazy-asshole fight for Japan, and he said it." Kallen remembered that day on Kamine Island; damn it, it really did feel like it had happened a decade ago.

At Kaguya's look, she smirked as she recounted how terrible that meeting had gone. "It was because we served his goals, and in return, we would get Japan back."

"That doesn't sound very Zero-like." Kaguya sighed, to which Kallen chuckled.

“Maybe, but Lelouch is not perfect. God knows we’re not, but…” She paused as she thought about the time in their lives. "He wasn't fighting for amusement, or just for revenge. He genuinely cared about us and his sister. I think…that's what set him apart from the rest of his family, as in the end, they all valued their missions more than the people it was meant to help. They put ego before everything else."

“Is that why?” Kaguya asked, her voice almost weak with how soft and vulnerable it was. "Why did you leave that day?" Oh yes, the summit, the day it seemed to all end in violence.

Kallen, even now, hated that she had to fight to get out, but she didn’t regret that she chose to fight to leave. “Yes. Because I saw that he was still that same man. He might not wear the same mask as he once did, but he still fights for the same reasons. And I’m happy to be with him.”

Kaguya sat with that, the two falling into silence for a couple of minutes as the Japanese empress just… digested the statement. When she spoke, she was looking towards the children with a sense of longing in her eyes. "I can tell you are truly a doting and affectionate mother to those kids…I'm jealous."

“Any chance I couldn’t convince you-”

For the first time since the talk started, Kaguya was the one who laughed. “As much as I can convince you to leave him.”

“Heh…figures,” Kallen relented as she reached into her dress, Kaguya almost giggling as she saw the consort reaching into her bosom and pulling out a sealed envelope with an imperial seal on it, and handing it to Kaguya. “What’s this?”

"An invite. I got an interesting call last night from the rest of my sister wives. They have some big plans for the upcoming party. You might want to come…it'll be nice to try and rebuild what was lost." Kallen answered, a little glint in her eye as Kaguya looked the letter over. She hadn't thought foreign heads of state would be invited, certainly not her, considering her history with the emperor.

But Kallen wouldn’t lie about this, which had its own issues. "You know how impossible that would be, right? We've…we've all gone down such different paths now. We have responsibilities we just can't ignore."

Kallen smirked at that. And when the same woman who charged against Lancelot in nothing but a beat-up Glasgow smirked. The same woman who fought Xingke and Knights of Round and won smirked. The same woman who had borne four healthy children with plans for more smirked. The same woman who regularly fucked Lelouch so hard, his ever-brilliant mind turned to post-nut mush, smirked-

You didn't take what she claimed lightly. Kaguya wouldn't buck the trend as Kallen stood up, presenting herself like the warrior queen she was as she turned to Kaguya with a fire of confidence and power burning bright in her.

“You forget that I married the man of miracles, whose to say some of that hasn’t stuck to me in almost a decade of marriage?” Kallen challenged.

Line Break

Okay, it's a new week, and we're back with a new chapter. I had some issues last week that prevented me from finishing this, but I'm now able to do so. Though I did oversleep and only woke up at midday…yeah, not my best, as I'm just lucky I didn't have any important work to do. I was able to finish yesterday's chapter without issue, and I already have the outlines and new ideas written for tomorrow. I just had to focus on this, and I decided to do something I wanted to do with the last chapter. Also, I know I made some errors in Chapter 3, which were corrected; however, when I revisited the Word document, I noticed they still existed. It's strange, but they've been addressed.