Code Geass 1. Prologue

**Preface to the story:**Hello everyone, I've decided to use yet another story idea that had been running around my mind recently, and considering that my hard disk died on me, costing me several half complete chapters in the progress, I really feel like I need a break. So I started this. I won't say anything about the storyline here, just scroll down a bit and enjoy.

**Legal disclaimer:** I do not own Code: Geass, or any of its characters. I merely own this story idea, and the paper it was originally written on.

Guide to communication:

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"Talk" normal talk

_'thoughts' as it says_

_'-'radio communications '-'_

_**"People shouting!"**_

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Well, that's it from that part. On with the story.

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Code Geass  
Light in the Darkness

Prologue

The roar of the motor bike was almost deafening to his ears, but he was used to it. One of the perks and flaws of good hearing was the increased sensitivity it entailed.

"Lelouch." The voice next to him broke him out of his thoughts, though it was somewhat difficult to understand him over the hum of the engine and the ever-present traffic round them.

"Mhm... Yes Rivalz?" the young man responded in a somewhat bored tone.

"We're almost there. You ready?" Rivalz asked, never once turning his eyes from the road ahead.

"Always." Lelouch responded with no small amount of amusement. He could feel the bike leaving the expressway, taking one of the exits that lead towards the estate of one minor Britannian noble or another. He didn't care that much just how Rivalz dug them up, but it was an agreement between the two of them, one to their mutual benefit. Rivalz handled the logistics, while he won the games. And it wasn't as if he didn't enjoy messing around with Rivalz, as much as his friend was irresponsible at times, he was also very loyal, and funny.

The money was split fifty-fifty, each of them putting away some money to keep the bike running, and adding a subtle contribution to the budget of the Student Council, a fact that made it a bit easier to overlook their absences now and then.

The hum of the engine stopped, signaling that they had finally arrived.

"You know," Rivalz began as he removed his driving helmet. "One of these days, Nunnally is going to kill me for this. Corrupting her poor, older brother." he added, clutching at his chest theatrically, face scrunched up in mock sadness.

"As if that could happen, eh Rivalz?" the taller of the duo responded through laughs as the two of them entered the large estate.

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An hour later, Lelouch was smiling softly as he sat in the overly comfortable chair, elbows resting on his knees, and hands interlaced beneath his chin, his two eyes staring blankly ahead. The cloth of dark blue his school uniform was creased in several places, but his appearance was otherwise spotless.

However, to the sweating noble sitting on the other side of the chess set, none of those mattered much. He couldn't care less for the teen's lean athletic build, nor for his well kept black hair, even less for his uniform.

No, what he cared for was understanding how the boy had nearly beaten him without looking at the board once, and why he asked him to speak his every move. It was the endgame, no doubts about it, and the student that sat before him was a single move away from victory.

"Rook to C-5, and checkmate. I guess I will be taking your money after all, sir." he calmly, most of all politely stated, eyes closing in an innocent smile.

"Alright, I am a man of my word young man." the noble responded, motioning to the servant to pass a wad of bills to Rivalz, even as Lelouch got up and began walking towards the door.

"Before you go, will you answer me one question?" the noble asked, causing Lelouch and Rivalz to stop for a moment.

"Yes?"

"How did you keep playing without paying any attention to the board?"

"Because I'm blind, sir." Lelouch responded calmly to the shell-shocked noble as the two teens walked out of the building.

Lelouch Lamperouge, formerly Lelouch vi Britannia, was very much blind, his sight a willing casualty of the day his mother was gunned down before him.

The day of the imperial consort Marianne's murder, he had pushed his little sister out of the way of the oncoming bullets. She had survived with nary a scratch; however, he wasn't as lucky. The bullets left several very minor wounds, from which only a mild discoloration of skin remained within a week, but the flash of the firearms combined with the trauma of the events of that day caused Lelouch to lose his sight. Doctors assured him it would return soon, but they were baffled as it never did.

He still remembered the many doubts that beset his mind that day, and once he had recovered enough, he went to face the one man that he held responsible for the death of his mother and the near loss of his sister Nunnally, not once giving note to his loss of sight. Supported by one of the royal medics, he walked into his father's nearly empty throne room and asked one question.

'_Why was my mother, a favored imperial consort, left unguarded before her murderers?'_

That question brought up his father's ire, as the very notion of his child questioning him brought up rage. When he gave the boy no answer, Lelouch, with little fanfare, renounced his position as the eleventh crown prince of the empire. The action had him and Nunnally cast off and sent as political hostiles to Japan. What little faith he had left in his father had died that day, followed soon by that for the rest of Britannia when Japan was invaded and conquered, despite assurances otherwise.

After their arrival in Japan, he was at a loss as to what to do. Certainly, the boy was a gifted strategist, but even strategists need resources to do anything. And the sense of guilt for pretty much cursing Nunnally to a fate like this gnawed at him constantly.

Genbu Kururugi, the prime minister of Japan proved to be a far kinder man than either of them expected, and the two children were given a peaceful home to stay in at the Kururugi Shrine on Mount Fuji, where his family lived until the invasion. He could still remember the pleasant scent of cherry trees grown there. He could also remember the two friends he had made during their stay, the minister's son, Suzaku and the older Kyoshiro Todoh, ranked lieutenant-colonel at the time, the younger man's instructor in combat.

After the chaos of the invasion, he lost contact with them, having been taken in by Ruben Ashford, a long-time friend of his mother's, and given a place to live in the prestigious Ashford academy.

He owed a lot, debts he was uncertain how he would repay, if it was even possible. That, combined with the time he had spent mulling over things during the seven long years he had spent in Japan had left him with very few actual desires in his life. Certainly, he wanted to know who was responsible for his mother's death. A part of him wanted to get back at his _dear father _for what he had done, and it wasn't just his and Nunnally's exile he was thinking of. However, more than anything, he wanted his little sister to be happy and safe. No matter how impossible it seemed to him, he wanted to return that world where she could keep growing with a smile on her face and not a worry on her mind.

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A young, rather attractive brunette looked at herself in the mirror, adding up those final touches to her appearance before she went out. Nunnally Lamperouge had to employ a superhuman level of effort not to lose her patience. She knew well what Lelouch, her brother, was up to; the two of them kept no secrets from each other, but he was almost late, and he had promised not to be. Along with Milly Ashford, the three of them were supposed to visit downtown for shopping.

A soft giggle escaped her lips at the thought: Lelouch and shopping. If it wasn't for their resident maid Sayoko persuading him to do it, he would likely still be wearing nothing but his school uniform, though she had to admit, the uniform did his physique justice.

Before the loss of his sight, Lelouch wasn't one for physical exertion. However, the loss of his favorite pastime of reading forced him to adapt to the problem, and find another. At the advice of his doctors, he had taken up light exercise at first. Over the years, that light exercise evolved into full conditioning trainings that had left more than a few people gaping at him. Oh yes, it was highly entertaining to her and her friends to watch the shocked reactions of others as the 'blind kid' not only outran most of the other students, but performed various other feats of strength and skill near effortlessly. No one but her knew, though, that most of that skill came from the rigorous training that their maid, Sayoko put him through. With her help, he even managed to memorize the running track perfectly, and as long as there was enough room, he could easily run laps around it.

"Miss Nunnally, your brother has arrived" Sayoko announced, her ever warm voice bringing up a smile on Nunnally's face. Sayoko was a dear person, both to her and to her brother, someone they could both trust, and someone who had protected them more than a few times over four years she had been with them.

"It's time Nunnally! Milly's waiting for us at the gate!" her brother shouted from the door before turning to Sayoko. "Forgive me Sayoko, but we won't be coming for lunch, I promised them that we would eat outside."

"It's alright young master. Have a nice time." The mild-mannered maid responded.

"Thank you. I look forward to our evening spar."

"Likewise, young master."

"Brother, let's go. Bye Sayoko." Nunnally spoke in a very happy voice as she ran past her, grabbing Lelouch by the hand and dragging him outside.

"Goodbye miss Nunnally, take care." She waved them off with a smile.

"So nice, the two of them." She added as the siblings walked away, a calm, content smile on her face as she closed the door.

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The cab drive that had taken them to the center of the city was short, and soon enough, Lelouch found himself flanked on both sides by two girls who had just began something that is regarded by most males with no small amount of horror as a 'shopping spree'. And today, on Milly's persuasion, he was financing. Well, at least that would be the worst thing to happen, right? And they wouldn't go asking him about what he thought of the clothes they wanted to buy… being blind did have its advantages.

As they kept walking, Lelouch holding an ever-increasing pile of clothes boxes, he descended into thought again. It was something he did a lot, considering that he had a lot of spare time.

Lelouch was a person with opinions on pretty much everything, even if he did keep most of them to himself. For instance, he held little love for roughly nine tenths of his family, most of the Britannian people, as well as a number of other things best left unmentioned.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there were the things he liked, and among them, a rather highly ranked place belonged to Milly Ashford. The kind, if teasing blond was the only person, apart for Nunnally and Sayoko, that he had absolute trust in, and one of the few people whose appearance he could still remember fully, having met her years ago in court. And even knowing who he was, she always kept it a secret, only teasing him occasionally in private.

And now, she acted just as she usually did: flirty, teasing friends whenever she could, and generally having a lot of fun at the same time. And, if his sister's opinion was to be trusted, along with a number of 'accidents' he had no doubt Milly had staged, she was highly attractive.

Another point of interest was the girl's rather impressive intellect. While nowhere near those of his father Charles and older cousin Shneizel, or even his own, she was still a very intelligent young woman, highly perceptive, and always aware of more than she let on. Not to mention perfectly capable of getting what she wanted, when it was necessary.

He was not a religious person, but more than once, he felt the need to thank the heavens that she was a kinder soul than many would give her credit… a fact that certainly didn't stop her from messing around with everyone's heads.

That little description pretty much summed up the main actors on the image of the scene that was his life. The irony of the thought wasn't lost on him, but he was more than used to it. Theater, and acting by extension, were interesting to him, because ever since he lost the ability to see, Nunnally had begun practicing her reading skills… on stage plays, and he would listen and fix her errors. She had long since learned to read properly, but she would still often read out loud when he was in the room, for his sake.

"Ehm." A slightly irritated voice broke him out of his thoughts. It was the second time today… perhaps he should start counting?

"Yes Milly?" the sole male in the group of three suppressed a sigh.

"You didn't hear a word I was saying, did you Lulu?" she admonished him and glared lightly, though her voice was playful.

"No Milly." He agreed with her. It was easier, not to mention more effective in saving his sanity to simply agree with her. "I was thinking."

"Oh?" Nunnally prodded both figuratively and literally, jabbing a finger between his ribs lightly. "About what?"

"Hmm… the two of you…" He trailed of suggestively, bringing up a bright blush on his sister's face, as well as a wry smile he could almost feel on Milly's. It was a trait he had picked up from her, that teasing, and he doing it very much. And he just couldn't resist teasing his dear, sweet sister from time to time.

"My, my... is little Lulu finally growing up and noticing attractive girls?" Milly teased on. Lelouch merely smiled from behind the boxes he helped carry.

"Who knows? Maybe your enchanting presence helped me see the light." He joked, putting an intentional accent on the word 'see' to bring out a laugh from the two girls.

Laughter was important to him. To a man who could no longer see the smiles of those dear to him, mirthful, joyous laughter was the only recourse he could find.

"Ah, flattery will get you nowhere Lulu." Milly responded in mock sadness "But don't stop on my account." She added, letting out a giggle afterwards.

Milly Ashford liked Lelouch for more than a few reasons. He was smart, handsome, kind and caring. And despite the rather tragic past he had, he was still quiet sane. Nunnally and her brother were among the few that she truly felt comfortable with. The possibility of being herself with them, away from the expectations of her difficult parents who wanted to regain their status as nobility, was liberating, exhilarating even. And Lulu, though blind, was an excellent listener.

There was something to be said about his relationship to his sister as well. For as long as she knew them, the two were close, and Lulu always took care of Nunnally gladly. They were very close, and the bond seemed to have only grown stronger through the years.

Unlike many, Milly Ashford held no illusions about the Britannian royal family. Emperor Charles zi Britannia held over a hundred 'consorts', some of which were closer or distant relations. And she had no doubts that such things, normally considered taboo in other cultures, would be perfectly normal to any raised in such a society. Or maybe that was all wishful thinking on part of the overly perverted part of her brain. Still, if she didn't know them to be siblings, and had she not seen the outrage with which Lelouch defended against any slight at Nunnally's honor, she would have certainly thought them a couple.

"You're incorrigible Milly." Nunnally finally spoke, getting her blush under control. "And you're no better Lulu!" she scolded on, though without any real malice and barely suppressing a laugh that threatened to break through any moment now. Lelouch and Milly didn't restrain themselves one bit as they found their way to a local pizza parlor to get something to eat.

The place was quaint, but ridiculously out of place even with the change the founding of the Britannian Concession in Area 11. The atmosphere inside, though, was pleasant enough, the small booths offering just enough privacy while some cheesy (but fitting) music played in the background.

After sitting down in one of the booths, and putting way a small mountain of boxes that left a sizeable dent in someone's savings, they ordered a large pizza. For a while, an uncomfortable silence descended on the trio as the only sound apart from the background music was the chatter other patrons.

"What's wrong Milly? You look worried." Nunnally asked, concern for her friend coloring her voice. The blond was rarely one to be concerned, at least visibly.

"Oh, it's nothing. My parents are trying to get me married off, again. I'm supposed to meet my new suitor tomorrow." Milly lamented, resting her forehead on the palm of her hand.

"And it's another sleazebag I assume?" Nunnally asked, though she already knew the answer from the girl's disposition.

"Yes. I mean, if I must get married, why can't it at least be a nice, caring man…?" Milly trailed off, mind lost in thought.

"Like Lulu?" a thoroughly innocent female voice supplied.

"Yes, like Lulu." She retorted, not really thinking until she not only realized what she had said, but who had effortlessly goaded her into saying it. Suddenly, a wide smile came to her face, a mixture of mirth and pride, with just a hint of mischievousness beneath the surface.

"Ohh, you little minx." She half growled at her friend, bringing out another laugh from the girl.

Lelouch meanwhile sported an entertained grin. Listening to Milly and Nunnally try and outmaneuver each other was always fun. Of course, adding a barb of his own occasionally was even more so.

"I am honored that you think so highly of, lady Ashford." He offered formally, drawing on every bit of his royal heritage to make it sound properly, and succeeding in doing so.

"And what woman in her right mind wouldn't Lulu?" Milly responded off-handedly, waving her hands in surrender, though the light, barely visible blush on her face, as well as the slight lilting in her voice spoke volumes to the former prince.

"You do know that if there's anything we can do…" he spoke with Nunnally nodding quietly in agreement. Milly understood the unveiled offer for what it was, a show of unconditional support from her two close friends. It was heartwarming

'_To hell with it already! I won't be down in front the two of them. They've got enough problems of their own to think about. Though I do wonder how mother and father would react if I came one day and stated I was married to Lulu? He's a fine man by any extent.'_ she thought, that usual scheming smile coming up on her face as her thoughts continued to go on a tangent once more… a smile that Nunnally had learned was a good sign that it was time to bail out.

"Milly… no evil plots to take over the world now, pizza's coming." Lelouch spoke calmly, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Spoilsport. And how could you… tell…" she trailed off confusedly as the waiter brought in the large pizza and set it before them. Again, she gave up trying to figure these things out, remembering Lelouch's acute sense of hearing.

At that moment, any thoughts about the future were lost to the enjoyment of tasty food. The rest of the day passed in peace, before they finally returned to the academy dorms to prepare for tomorrow.

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"Tell me again, why did I let you convince me to go and borrow Rivalz bike and take you with me on a chess run?" Lelouch asked in a combination of irritation and amazement.

"Because I'm your little sister and you love me very much. Enough so that you can't refuse me anything?" Nunnally offered from the driver seat of the bike.

'_Damn, she knows me too well'_ he mentally noted, though the entertainment he felt at the fact easily outweighed the inconvenience of it all. Not that he minded… even if she wasn't as experienced as Rivalz, she was still a very smart girl. It wouldn't go wrong.

"And why are you skipping school?" he continued with the question, more interested in her thoughts than in her actual absence from class.

"Because my grades are third best in the class and I can afford to do so. And I wanted to spend some time with you." Nunnally explained, a smile on her lips that would remain unseen by her brother. Said brother only sighed contently, before resting his head on the back of his seat. It really was no use arguing, Nunnally had came fully prepared for any questions he might have had. A part of him was proud that he was at least partly a good influence on his sister… though another wondered if it was such a good idea to have her drive him.

"Nunnally, turn on the radio, will you?" he asked. Surprisingly, some of the local underground radio stations played good music, and he had come to enjoy it quite a bit. Nunnally didn't respond, but turned on the built in radio. A comfortable silence remained between the two of them as Nunnally kept her mind on the road ahead, while Lelouch once more descended into planning.

Whenever there was time to do so, he would take aside some time to plan for the future. As time passed, the end of the academy drew closer, and unless something happened, the two of them would soon need jobs to pay for themselves. The fact that they were Britannians helped for the time being, but that wouldn't last forever. Of course, his mind went over the things he also wanted to do, to find those responsible for the death of his mother, to get back at his _father_ for all he had done to them, and to build a better world for Nunnally… but none of those were realistic with the amount of power he currently had at his disposal, so he avoided such thoughts as irrelevant, which they were. A number of things were impossible to do without attracting too much attention to themselves.

Once more, he focused on the sound of the engine humming. The regular rhythm of the old bike that Rivalz' bought last year was soothing to his mind, and it chased away the darker thoughts, at least for now.

"Brother, hang on. I'm taking a shortcut." Nunnally announced. The traffic was congested as it was, but with the closing off of several side-ways it was impossible to get anywhere on time.

"Through the Shinjiku ghetto? Just be careful." He retorted. As much as he felt for the people who were forced to the margin, he knew it was dangerous to go there, and despite possessing some level of physical prowess, he would not be able to defend Nunnally on unknown terrain. And he didn't even want to consider the possibility of her ending up alone in there.

"You know I will be." She soothed him as he took one of the exits from the overloaded expressway, slowly descending into the twilight of the ghetto around them. He couldn't see it, but the scents, the sounds, the very feel of the place was off, unpleasant. Almost…dead.

He had asked Nunnally to describe it to him, the damage the Britannian conquest did to the former city of Tokyo. Buildings and streets, once probably alive with people passing through them, now lay ruined. Large holes were gouged out of the concrete and ground by weapons. And the people… many of them were tired and broken, having lost all hope for a brighter future.

A part of him died that day. If he had stayed back in Britannia, if he had grown up among the rest of his blood family, would he have done that as well? Would he have proudly crushed the people of Japan just as his family did? He would likely never know the answer, but for this, he was glad he was no longer a prince.

They were making good progress even, as most people who lived there avoided Britannians like the plague.  
"Shit! Look out!" a female voice shouted, as the loud honking of the horn filled his ears combined with the sharp screech of brakes.

"Brother!" he heard Nunnally shout as he felt the full force of the impact break apart the bike, sending the two of them flying. He could actually feel the vehicle that had hit them tumble just over him as he hit the ground, and the soft body of his sister landed on him. They were both still alive.

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**Author's notes: **Well, here's the first chapter of my new story. This little idea has been running around in my head for a while now, and I thought it was time I put it on paper. Anyway, I don't want to reveal about the storyline as it will spoil the numerous surprises I've planned for the time ahead.

This story will focus a lot on Lelouch's personal thoughts and emotions about the events, as the blindness forces parts of him to develop differently. Some aspects of his old personality remain, but as a person who is forced to rely on others and trust in them to survive, well, there are differences. Faced with a different Lelouch, a lot of people will react differently.

Now, to point out a few things:

Yes, Lelouch is as blind as a bat. No, I will not yet reveal full details on that. His physical capabilities are far better than they were in the original storyline, as I believe that exercise would be a rather logical path for him to assume after losing his sight. His behavior is also a result of his loss of sight.

Also, Milly's thoughts on the subject of the Royal family are correct.

Finally, I would like to thank a fellow author, Kyugan, for the inspiration to write this story. His Code: Geass works are excellent and I heartily recommend them to everyone for reading.

Well, if you liked this work, review, and I will likely post another chapter in several days, most likely during the weekend, if I can get my computer to work again.


	2. Birth of the Demon

**Author's ramblings: **My, my. While limited, the response of those who read the first chapter was sure enthusiastic. Well, for what it's worth, I am glad you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

While I drop hints occasionally, a lot of stuff will happen, and I have no intention of revealing things before their time. Just keep guessing, read and enjoy.

Guide to communication:  
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"Talk" normal talk  
_'thoughts' as it says_  
_'-'radio communications '-'_  
_**"People shouting!"**_

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_Chapter 1: Birth of the Demon_

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_Area 11, somewhere within the Shinjiku redevelopment area block 5 _

The first thought that came to his mind was that he was sore and hurt like someone had chewed on him. When the memory returned of the most recent events before losing consciousness for what seemed like several moments at most. His senses were slowly returning to him, and he could feel a light weight on his chest, slowly breathing.

Lelouch's hands moved quickly to his chest to check on the weight he knew to be his sister. The amazing lack of any visible injury surprised him very much, but he was thankful for such small mercies. She merely seemed to be out of it for now…

"Lelouch… ugh…are you okay?" Nunnally asked, finally coming to her senses a few seconds after him.

"What happened?"

"We were hit… the truck!" she started to explain, head suddenly darting towards the vehicle that had rolled over several times and was now standing sideways against a half destroyed building.

"We have to get the driver out!" she spoke, a hint of desperation in her voice. Logical, he absently thought. While more advanced forms of transportation used refined Sakuradite in its many forms, simpler vehicles relied either of the derivatives of oil or electricity. If Nunnally's panic and the smell of gasoline were any indication… it was the former and the truck had turned into a giant bomb. Most likely, there wouldn't be much time.

Somewhere close by, he could hear the faint crackle of the radio, still miraculously alive after the crash. The sense of wonder at what would be Rivalz reaction also set off the feeling that he had forgotten something. Well, it probably wasn't that important if he couldn't remember it.

'-'_Prince_ _Clovis...crackle… announced…kzzt... full mobilization of the… army to deal with… terrorist threat. The terrorist truck carrying the tank… stolen nerve gas meant for…disposal plants in the Saitama development... has last been seen entering the Shinjiku redevelopment…block five… _'-' after those words, the radio finally gave out, exploding in a shower of sparks. Not that he could see it, but it was unsurprisingly easy to hear it.

He was already on his feet, still slightly shaky from the crash, and the raw feeling in his shoulder and arm was unpleasant at best. There would be a number of bruises after this. Guided by Nunnally's hand, just as many times before, he had no trouble following. As long as he had her to guide him safely, no matter the terrain under his feet, he would manage.

Quickly enough, the two of them reached the truck, and inside they spotted the unconscious figure of the man who had been driving. Lelouch idly noted the lack of any female, and he doubted he was mistaken, as Nunnally would have spoken up. There was also the fact that this was the only truck in the ghetto, at least that they had seen.

"Come on, let's get him out of here, he's still breathing." He heard Nunnally state, and using his hands to feel the area around him, he crawled into the overturned truck to help her pull out the man. From what little he could feel, the man was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, and had short hair. That was as much as he could, or wanted to find out as he helped Nunnally pull the man out of the truck. He already had a decent idea what the man was, if the radio was to be believed.

As they pulled him out to safety, Nunnally quickly checked him over for wounds, but was content to find no great ones apart from a somewhat worrisome bump on his head, several bruised ribs and a dislocated shoulder, he hadn't suffered any major injuries. Of course, she skipped through the numerous scratches and other similar wounds. Those would heal easily, and both she and Lelouch were still slightly injured themselves. Among other things of interest, she came across a communicator of sorts. While she doubted they would actually need it, it might prove useful so she took it with her.

"Nunnally, help me out here." He called her calmly from the back of the truck. It was no great feat for him to get there, and his curiosity was getting the better of him. His time at the Kururugi shrine, as well as the imperial court in Pendragon, had taught him that politicians said one thing, while usually meaning something else… and the difference was often even more clearly pronounced when said words reached the media. Now, he wanted to know what was inside that truck very much.

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Milly was bored out of her mind. And worse still, none of her usual victims for teasing or messing with were available. Nunnally had joined her brother on his gambling run... something that she felt the wish to try as well relatively soon. Shirley was with Rivalz, watching how the situation in the Shinjiku ghetto would end, and Nina was out…somewhere. She was impossible to track at times

Still, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something important was going to happen soon. As irritating as the sensation was, she just couldn't put down her finger on it.

Sighing quietly, the blond beauty got up from her desk, putting away the homework she had just finished, and walked over to join Rivalz and Shirley in watching television, coming just in time to hear the announcement that prince Clovis had just ordered the army to find the terrorists before they had the chance to unleash the poison gas that they recently stole.

She knew better, though. There was something in that truck that was far more important than simple poison gas. Most likely papers, or some prototype that could get him sacked and disinherited or some such. She had met prince Clovis before, during the time she had first spent with Lelouch and Nunnally, and he was a snob who held little love for anyone who wasn't his family. He wouldn't care a bit about the populace, hence his concern about stolen nerve gas, and the extreme measures to which he went to handle the situation made no sense, unless...

"Anything interesting happening?" she asked in her still bored tone.

"Nah. Though there's going to be a mess in Shinjiku soon. I hope Lelouch remembered to warn his sister about not taking any shortcuts through there…." Rivalz spoke, a hint of concern for his friends in his voice.

There were many things one could say about Rivalz Cardemonde. He was clumsy, even somewhat greedy, as well as usually at a complete loss as to what to do with the opposite sex, but he was also deeply loyal to his few friends, and all those present, along with Nina, Nunnally and Lelouch counted among those. And he could be such a dear man at times.

"Lulu isn't that stupid. He wouldn't risk getting himself, or worse, Nunnally hurt." Shirley added her two cents "Though if he would just already stop all that gambling…" she added, a sliver of longing escaping into her voice.

"Heh." Milly grinned, a fact that deeply unnerved the girl that was the target of said grin "You're just sad you're not the one going with him, aren't you?" She struck hard and true, making the girl sputter, and before she had the chance to deny anything, Rivalz merely chuckled.

"If this goes on, I might as well start renting out my bike." He laughed as he said that, with Milly, and soon enough, Shirley joining in.

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With a loud screech, the armored metal doors of the truck swung open.

"What do you see inside?" Lelouch asked, helping Nunnally up so that she would have a better view.

"Well, uh, there's a large spherical object of some sort, completely made of metal and bolted to the floor. Ehm, are nerve gas tanks supposed to have a ventilation system?" she asked, turning to her brother who was now smiling. It wasn't his usual caring smile, no, this one she hadn't seen in years. The dark, predatory grimace which spoke of a master hunter catching its prey… or in Lelouch's case, him coming cross a proud noble who wanted to gamble. Regardless, tt sent shivers up her spine.

"Lelouch?" she called again.

"Sorry. No, they are not supposed have ventilation. They're supposed to be sealed airtight, with only a single release point for extraction." he muttered, going through the information he remembered from his one visit to the Colchester research institute. He had seen several such objects, though this one seemed to be different.

"Anything else?"

"There are a number of rods protruding from it. If I had to guess, the upper half of the sphere opens up entirely. There is also a command console to the front, seems simple enough to operate. Lelouch… do you think it's really filled with gas?"

"No. It's something else, that much I'm sure of." Her brother responded. "But what?" he added, voice barely above a whisper. Hundreds of possible scenarios ran through his head, each one making less sense than the one before it. Much to his annoyance, he had come to the conclusion that his sister decided to voice. From right in front of that command console she mentioned.

"Why don't we open it then?" She asked curiously, almost like a child wanting to unwrap a birthday present. She almost wanted to say 'What's the worst that can happen?' however, she held her tongue on that. No use tempting fate needlessly, and one too many watched monster horror movie made her decide she didn't want to become some weird creature's meal.

Lelouch nodded in agreement, slowly drawing closer to Nunnally. If something happened, he wanted to be there. Gently pressing on the small screen of the command console, Nunnally deactivated whatever locks held the device closed, and with a loud hiss, it began to open.

Like the lattices of a flower, the two parts opened. With the multiple security locks now disabled, there was nothing stopping them from finding out what was inside. Pressurized gas instantly began leaking, momentarily obscuring the small area, while what seemed to be internal lights illuminated a figure inside. A human, female figure.

Lelouch, naturally, saw nothing of this, but he could easily pick up on the reaction of his sister.

"Nunnally? What's inside?" he inquired. Even with all the excitement and tension, Nunnally instantly reacted, but she couldn't tear her eyes from the slowly revealed figure before her. As the cool air within expanded, the thin mist slowly parted revealing long green hair, and eventually the face of a teenage girl, covered by a breather mask.

"There's a girl inside, and she seems unconscious. Help me get her out of here." She quietly ordered. Lelouch remained silent, letting Nunnally guide him forward to the person in front of them.

Over the years, he had adapted to being blind, and he had carried Nunnally around more than a few times, so picking up and carrying an unknown girl was no real challenge to him. From what little he could tell from the somewhat awkward way he was holding her, she had long hair, and was dressed in rather strange, long-sleeved clothes, almost reminiscent of a straight jacket.

Whoever she was, her body was shivering, likely from the cold air in that machine that held her. Holding her like he did, she felt fragile in his hands, like a porcelain doll. Gently, but firmly, he held on to her.

"Come on, we have to get out of here. Before the soldiers arrive preferably." He announced to his sister who was still watching the girl in his arms with curiosity.

"We'll figure this out later, but for now…" he wanted to say they needed to leave, but a loud shout interrupted him.

"Kallen? Aw, FUCK! I crashed into those kids." The voice loudly panicked.

Both siblings had the same thought as to the owner of the voice, as it could only be the unconscious driver. Under Nunnally's lead, Lelouch jumped of the lightly raised platform that they were on. Somewhere not too far away, a loud explosion was heard, most likely the fight getting ever closer. Even worse, the sounds of people screaming as they died.

Without waiting a moment, they ran off, staying completely silent against the growing sound of gunfire and explosions in the background. Thanks to the angle at which the truck was lying, the two of them managed to leave completely unseen by the driver, and since most of the people had already fled to cover, there was no one to see them, allowing for a clean getaway.

Meanwhile, the driver of the truck got a hold of his common sense, and realizing what had happened, moved quickly. With the stolen container now empty, and the duo nowhere in sight, he ran off, but not before throwing a grenade to further destabilize the already broken down building, quickly covering most of the truck in rubble. With the transponder signal already disabled, it would be weeks before the Britannians could find it, if it was found at all.

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Warmth. Comfort. A protective embrace that kept the horror of nightmares at bay.

It had been truly long since she had last felt safe like this, and that by itself was reason enough for concern. The last person she trusted enough to leave her self so vulnerable died a long time ago.

"Lelouch, she's waking up." A female voice near her spoke, colored with concern. She must have noticed the minute movements she had been making since she woke up.

"Hey." Spoke a second voice, this time male, and right above her. At the same time, one of the arms that held her moved away. Strong, well defines arms, she noticed absently as the hand connected to that arm gently tapped her shoulder. "Are you alright?" it asked, mirroring the concern of the other voice.

Before she even opened her eyes, she drew a number of conclusions. First, the person holding her was a man in his late teens, judging by the voice and build. Momentarily, she had disregarded the instinctive feelings of warmth and protection she felt in his gentle hold. His name was Lelouch, one familiar to her, though she was still to dizzy to remember from where.

The female was younger by several years, and seemed very close to the one named Lelouch.

And finally, the two of them had most likely released her from that dark, cold prison. And as comfortable as she found herself, it was time for introductions.

"Uhm… hello?" she offered weakly, eyes finally opening a bit. The time she spent in that freezer had seriously weakened her body, and her ears were still buzzing from the pressure change.

"Hello yourself." Lelouch offered a soft smile to the waking girl. I'm Lelouch, and this is Nunnally. Who are you?" he asked, gesturing towards his sister and himself.

"C.C." she spoke "I think I can walk now." She offered. It wasn't that she wanted, but these two had just saved her hide from a lot of unpleasant things to come. The least she could do is be civil.

"C.C.? What an unusual name." Nunnally added, her hands helping her steady the green-haired girl as Lelouch slowly put her feet down on the ground. "Ehm…" she trailed of a bit uncomfortably.

"Yes?" the green-haired girl asked, prodding her onward.

"What my sister wishes to ask was: why were you boxed up inside there?" Lelouch calmly asked. Unlike his sister, he had little problem with asking difficult questions, especially since he understood the weight the answers might carry. There was a reason Lelouch was considered a genius. If Clovis was out for blood because of something that was stolen from him, it was important. And if it was important enough to purge an entire area of all life to recover or destroy… well, the implications of a fact like that were obvious.

"Ease of transport?" C.C. offered, smiling enigmatically, a gesture completely lost on an already irate Lelouch.

"And apart from the obvious?" he continued dryly, until he heard a sound in the distance, that of running feet, followed by even more gunshots. "Nunnally, can you see any cover here?" he quickly asked, the urgency in his voice driving his sister to comply instantly.

To C.C. it was interesting to watch the two siblings at work. Lelouch was obviously the mind, though the way he commanded sent a rather strange message. Either he wouldn't do anything… or he couldn't. Quickly going back through the events since her awakening, she realized that he had not once looked at her, nor at her very much revealed body. It wasn't that he didn't want to(though, with the way he acted, that was still a distinct possibility), he simply wasn't able to. The young man was blind.

However, his movements betrayed the effort he had put into ceasing to be a cripple to his blindness. The excellent sense of balance, perfect use of whatever area he had walked only once, good spatial coordination… such small details didn't escape her eyes. Neither did the fact that he heard the soldiers coming long before either she or Nunnally did. Unsurprisingly, once she knew what she was looking for, all the traits were simply laid bare before her.

She realized another rather curious fact. For the first time in years, she felt intrigued. It was a strange thing, for one person to awaken so much emotion in her, but that alone merited a lot of her interest. And if she was right, his origin was another, as well as his sister's. For once, it would seem, luck was on her side. Or at least it seemed so. If the soldiers found them…

By the time the soldiers came in, the trio had taken shelter in one of the side rooms of the building behind them. Lelouch hoped that the soldiers didn't have any thermal imaging to support them.

"Over here! There's someone inside the building! Clean them out and continue." one of the soldiers shouted from outside. The raven-haired teen barely suppressed a curse from coming out. Worse still, there was nowhere to run, a confrontation was now inevitable, and they were unarmed and outnumbered. Certainly, he and Nunnally could disable a few enemies if they got close enough, but against armed and trained soldiers, those abilities were next to useless.

An ember of rage which had remained smoldering in his heart for years now slowly rekindled, as the realization that he would soon likely die a completely pointless death, that most likely, whatever he did, wouldn't save Nunnally from being killed. He hated it with a passion, that sense of helplessness, of not being in control of his own fate, for it meant that whatever he cared for, whatever was dear to him, was under threat. Lelouch Lamperouge had almost lost everything twice… never again. He would rather die.

"Brother?" Nunnally whispered, growing ever more concerned by the expression on her brother's face. His normally soft, gentle features had hardened, and his usually warm eyes had gotten cold, and had an edge she had never before seen in the blind boy, not even when he had confronted their father about their mother's murder.

"Nunnally, when I tell you, take C.C. with you and run. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, don't stop and don't turn back until you're out of the ghetto. Wait till the night, and then contact Sayoko to get the two of you through." He instructed, no, ordered them. His voice had taken on that steely quality that told her it was not open for discussion. However, what he didn't think of was just how much his little sister cared for him.

"No." she softly, but firmly responded, her voice carrying enough strength to challenge him "We either both get out, or we don't get out at all."

As the two locked gazes, they almost missed the entry of several soldiers into the room.

"Tsk, tsk… such bad luck children." The apparent leader, dressed in a red uniform announced. "I can tell you are Brittanians, however you picked a bad day to cut class, and even worse you came across something you shouldn't have. Private Hyes."

"Sir?" one of the nearest soldiers asked.

"Take the girl, and kill the two of them." he ordered.

As the soldiers raised the weapons, and opened fire at Nunnally and himself, he didn't even have time to think. Just like eight years ago, he was faced with a choice. And the options are bad and worse. Well, he never was one for the easy way out.

Without even thinking about it, he moved in front of the two girls, protecting them with his body. And just as he moved, he heard a voice cry.

"No! He must not die!" a voice he recognized as C.C. yelled, and the sound of bullets hitting a body sounded off before him.

'_No!' _the same word sounded off as he heard a body he knew belonged to the girl they had freed mere minutes ago fall to the cold concrete beneath him. He fell to his knees as the fire stopped.

"Why?" he muttered as Nunnally fell down behind him, grasping the now certainly dead woman's hand, just like he did. It was going to end, and yet he had done nothing. He hadn't given Nunnally a chance at a better life, he hadn't found out why his mother had died. Even further back, a promise he had made to his friend Suzaku when Japan was conquered came to mind. Everything he had ever done, everything he had ever wanted to do. Every aspiration, every dream, every desire, all of it paraded before his blind eyes, finally completed by the senseless death before him. Everything he held dear, would be gone in a heartbeat.

"Such bad luck…" the commander began speaking, only for his voice to suddenly freeze up as the arms suddenly grasped both his and Nunnally's

It was only then that he felt it, a pulse of energy going through his arm. Suddenly, the entire world, sans himself and Nunnally faded away. If the sudden sensation didn't completely throw him off his balance, he would have probably been even more shocked that he could actually see Nunnally, as she was, as well as the enigmatic figure of the girl who had just saved their lives, all encompassed by a black void, with strands of bluish energy connecting them all.

"_You don't want it to end here, do you?" _C.C. asked him in his mind. Strangely, he found any doubts, and wavering that might have stopped him gone. His mind was perfectly clear, and the burning ember from before was still growing stronger.

"No… I don't want it to end." He shouted, and he realized that Nunnally had done the same.

"_You both still appear to have a reason to keep on living._ _If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal, in exchange for this power, you must make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and it's conditions, and you will live among mortals unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The Power of Kings will condemn you to a life of loneliness. Are you ready to accept that?_"

Like mere moments ago, when he moved his body to protect C.C. and Nunnally, there was no need for thought.

"Yes, I hereby accept the terms of your contract!" he announced, with all the finality of an executioner's blade. It was only then that he realized that he wasn't the only one who had uttered those words.

Thousands of moments throughout his life returned in a flash, every promise he had given, every impossible goal he had set.

'_I will protect you Nunnally, till my last breath!_' the promise he had given his sister.

'_Mother, you will be avenged.'_ His final words spoken to his mother's grave.

'_I swear, I swear Suzaku, so help me. I will one day, obliterate Britannia!' _he remembered saying to his childhood friend, an oath sworn.

Where each and every word of those promises had been a weight that held him down, a sorrowful reminder of his failures, they now brought solace, each now a purpose etched into his very soul.

And one concept stood above all. _Geass. The power of kings._ No matter how he put it into words, it never changed, an understanding burnt into his mind by a force completely alien to him, yet so close. Visions of a vast realm filled with figures he could not identify, images of a past he could not understand. A pure sense of purpose and direction he had never before felt.

Finally he understood the words the seemingly young woman had spoken. He didn't know whether it was because of the time he had spent blind, or if it was something normal, but the horrible knowledge of what he had just done, of what he had just turned himself into was what now weighed on his shoulders. He fully understood the weight of power as the same force burnt the knowledge of this new power into his very mind.

All had quieted down suddenly, he realized that he was holding his hand over his left eye, and yet, he could see the body before him. See!

It wasn't sight as he knew it, he could only see the body of C.C. against what seemed to be a small bit of ground beneath her. In perfect color, he could see her long green hair, and her golden eyes which now emptily stared into the ceiling above her. The white robe which served to restrain her. The peaceful expression on her face as she lay dead before him, as if whatever purpose she had in life had just been fulfilled.

Beyond, he could 'see' strange, crystalline shapes filled with light, as if there were humans made of glass. His mind quickly connected the picture to that of the soldiers that had been there earlier, due to where they were, and due to the position in which their hands were held.

'_So, I can see people as well' _ he thought, and then realized that not only could he see the ten men before them, but a number of other lights, some fainter, others stronger. But among those, only three had the distinct shape and appearance of a human being. C.C., himself… and Nunnally.

But he knew there was no time to think about that. Nunnally was still kneeling next to C.C., and the soldiers were going to kill them soon.

"…schoolboy. Such a waste of your life. Looks like you and your…" the commander continued as time seemingly resumed, until Lelouch slowly got up, left eye still covered by his hand.

"Say, how do you think, should a Britannian who hates his country live his life?" Lelouch asked in a cold, taunting voice.

"Are you some kind of radical?" the officer asked.

"What's wrong? Why don't you shoot? Are you that scared of facing a simple schoolboy?" he commented, face slowly twisting into a cruel smirk. "Or perhaps you've finally realized that the only ones who should are those who are prepared to be killed."

"What?" the man shouted and the others were visibly disturbed. Lelouch merely removed the hand from his eye, moving it towards his left

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia command you. Now all of you, die!" the former prince ordered.

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**Author's notes: **And so ends the first official chapter of the story. I've decided to cut it off here in order to pay proper homage to the new powers that Lelouch and Nunnally received, as well as to introduce many other important characters. In other words, the next chapter will be longer.

And that's about it. If you liked it, review. If you didn't, review as well and tell me what you didn't like.

So, until next time folks, I hope you enjoyed the reading.


	3. Genesis

**Author's rambling: **And back yet again. This took decidedly less time to write than I expected, but still. I hope you'll find it just as enjoyable. This chapter contains various entertaining events, such as everyone's favorite genius messing around with a lot of people, and something even more unusual, though you won't see that till the second part of the chapter**.**

Well, that's about all I have to say. Know that I won't reveal the plot or details ahead of time, unless I really feel like it. Anyway, read onward!

Guide to communication:  
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"Talk" normal talk  
_'thoughts' as it says_  
_'-'radio communications '-'_

_**"People shouting!"**_

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_**

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Chapter 2: Genesis

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_Shinjuku rapid development zone, block 5  
Early evening_  
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"I, Lelouch vi Britannia command you. Now all of you, die!" the former prince ordered.

In that one moment, all the disgust, hatred and rage that had been growing for years had gathered. All the pain, all the loss, sharpened his mind beyond what he ever would have believed possible.

With absolute certainty in the purpose before him, he called upon the power of the Geass. He felt it, that slight tingle in his left eye as the power of the Geass, the contract between him and C.C., surfaced. It had been there since the moment he had agreed, since the moment he had irrevocably changed his fate.

That faint crimson light, the sigil in the form of a stylized bird of the same color with its wings spread. The mark of the power he now wielded.

To his changed vision, the lights of the crystalline forms before him changed, as if the same crimson light slowly bleed into them, turning their light into the color of dissolving blood.

"With pleasure, your highness!" the soldiers announced as one, dropping their weapons and pulling out their side arms, right before they aimed them at their necks and pulling the triggers.

Before his eye, the crimson light faded from their bodies, just as the light itself faded, the crystalline surface of their bodies slowly fading away as the source that illuminated it forever vanished.

He realized that he had killed, that he had taken the lives of these men, their murder weighing as if he had pulled the trigger himself. But there was no slowly dawning sense of horror, no self-loathing or disgust. He believed in what he had said, with all of his heart. These people had killed, taken lives that were truly innocent. They killed without pause, not even considering whose lives they took.

No, he held no regrets. The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed. And the blood that stained his hands now, was likely going to be a drop in the sea compared to what he had sworn to do.

But now wasn't the time to mull over his plans for the future. No, they had to get away from here and soon, others would come, sooner or later.

The corpses of the dead soldiers had already faded from his vision, and he realized that not even closing his eyes blocked off this new form of sight that was given to him. While it covered the normal line of sight his left eye once had, and that seemingly all forms of life were lit up within a distance, he realized that he could still 'see' both C.C. and Nunnally behind him. Gently, he let go of the power in his eye, feeling the alien presence of the Geass recede slowly. As he did, the image of the two young women faded away.

The few seconds of experience, combined with the knowledge that had been burnt into his mind had allowed him to establish a number of facts about this new power.

One, the dominion of his power was established through eye-contact, and executed by speech. This much he understood from the knowledge given to him, as well as the fact that any number of orders could be stated at the same time.

Two, there didn't seem to be any practical limits to this power, both in the number of targets it could affect simultaneously and the lengths to which a target could be ordered. If you could order someone to 'die', he doubted much else would be a problem.

Three, it gave him limited vision through his changed left eye. Within a limited range, he was certain, but within that range he could see any living entity. Of course, that didn't explain how he could see Nunnally and C.C. through the back of his head, nor why they seemed to be in color unlike the others. Why he could see the two of them with perfect clarity, as if he had his old sight back, down to the smallest details, even further reinforced by his other sharpened senses.

Four, the sight could see through any physical barrier he had encountered so far. While he had reason to doubt _nothing_ could stop it, it was a useful ability nonetheless.

And five, either of these powers were only active once he drew upon the power the contract had granted him, and the influx of information from all of the combined senses was tiring to him.

"Brother? Are they gone now?" Nunnally asked softly. There was no reproach in her voice, even though he felt the sadness present in her voice.

"Yes. They are. Are you okay Nunnally?" he asked, his voice void of its previous edge, now merely that of the very caring brother he was.

"No. I'm not. I doubt I ever will be again." She responded. He didn't have an answer to that, but he knelt down next to her and embraced her. He only hoped his warmth and care would be enough to comfort her for now.

"Lelouch?" she asked, and yet again surprised her brother. The tone of her voice was much darker, and he could almost feel the edge. "Do you still intend to fulfill your promises?" she added.

'_My promise? What is she… no, no, NO! Not you Nunnally, not you, please not you…' _he mentally begged as he realized just what it was she wanted. But he knew it was pointless. Just like him, Nunnally, once she made a decision followed through with it. It was now only a matter of him accepting it, and nothing else

Before he could answer her, he was given a temporary reprieve by the loud sound of a crash. Quickly, he pulled Nunnally away, covering her from whatever force wanted to attack.

"You!" the loudspeakers on what he could only assume was a Knightmare sounded. The voice was female, but unknown to him. "What happened here? And what are two Britannian students doing here?"

When the duo remained silent for a few moments, the knightmare opened fire around them "Answer me!" the person inside the frame shouted.

"I order you to come out, at once!" Lelouch commanded, but there was no response. Still, he could sense the form of the Knightmare in front of him, and the woman inside it, but he couldn't reach her, obviously

"Who do you think you are to order me?" the voice responded angrily.

'_So it needs direct eye contact to work. Even if I can see her through the armor, I can't affect her.' He _concluded. Time for plan B. He raised his arms in surrender, standing so as to shield Nunnally as he spoke.

"My name is Alan Spencer, and this is my sister Eleanor, our father is a duke. My ID card is in my breast pocket. After you confirm who I am, I'll request your protection for the two of us."

The pilot, Villeta Nu, veteran Knightmare pilot and member of the Purist faction, was confused out of her mind. What the hell was a member of the nobility doing here? Worse still, if he was who he said he was, she was likely screwed… a word from his father would be enough to have her demoted, and she could kiss her hopes of becoming nobility goodbye. On the other hand, if he was lying, and she screwed up… well, the other possible outcome was equally unpleasant.

"Stay there, I'll check your ID card myself." She shouted, the cockpit of the knightmare opening up. The sounds were enough for Lelouch to guide himself by her movements, and hide his blindness for now. He waited until the woman landed on the floor and let go of the line that she used to descent before once more activating the Geass.

"Now, I order you to surrender me your Knightmare and tell me your name and rank." He spoke in a smug voice. Oh yes, Lelouch very much enjoyed when a plan went well.

"Understood." Villeta immediately responded, twirling the pistol that was previously in her hand around, offering it to Lelouch while the other hand pulled out the activation key for her personal Knightmare

"The code number is XG21G2D4. My name is Villeta Nu, ranked lieutenant-knight. " She explained before throwing the key to him.

"Thank you lady Villeta." He spoke as he caught it.

When her sight returned, she realized that she was standing in an empty building, filled with nothing but corpses.

"What the…?" she muttered, her eyes widening in shock. She also noticed, sadly, that her Knightmare was nowhere in sight.

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Elsewhere, the above stated stolen Knightmare Frame, a well equipped Sutherland model moved from cover to cover, its IFF transponder temporarily disabled so as to not draw attention.

The small, overcrowded cabin was filled with a tense silence as each of its two waking occupants waited for the other to start first.

"Nunnally…" Lelouch finally broke the silence. He had thought about nothing but this since she spoke. He had come to a decision, one which he had no doubt he would regret, but faced with two choices which provided consequences he could not predict…

"I will keep my promises. Are you certain about this sister?" he asked calmly "When you make this decision, there will be no turning back. This isn't a game you can suddenly stop playing. Do you understand this?"

"I do. I've already made my decision." She responded, clutching the controls of the Knightmare as they jumped from cover to cover.

"Nunnally vi Britannia, will you be my eyes? Will you be the hand that guides my sword into the hearts of my enemies? Will you abandon everything to make our dream a reality? " he asked. His voice was fraught with troubling thoughts, with guilt for even asking something like this of her. However, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that this was his decision to make. It was hers. He cared for her and respected her too much to even consider taking it away from her. Whatever she decided, he would support her.

"I will brother." She responded calmly. The pact was sealed.

Lelouch could only laugh, tears streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably. It was done, the first contract made between him and C.C. carried nowhere as much weight as this one did. This agreement between kin that set his destiny on a course that could no longer be changed. Calming down finally, he felt a soft hand brushing away the errant tears.

"Alright then, I think it's time we repaid our dear cousin for his charity. And then we'll see what we can do about her" Lelouch stated, finally pointing at the now unconscious C.C. in his arm. Thankfully the Sutherland had enough additional space for all of them to sit almost comfortably.

"What do I do?" Nunnally asked calmly.

"For starters describe the battlefield to me, connect us to the comms, from here we should be able to bypass the encryptions, and lets see if this thing can get me in touch with out future friends". He ordered back pulling out the rebel communicator they took, all the while sitting himself down comfortably, and holding C.C. to make sure she wasn't harmed, sitting her on one knee, and resting against him while Nunnally piloted from the other one.. In his mind, a mental map formed as Nunnally began explaining to him, potential courses of action quickly calculated, and thrown away if useless until a plan had fully formed.

Unlike many other blind men, Lelouch never developed the habit of keeping his eyes closed. He, quite correctly, believed that his empty stare unnerved opponents in chess, and in combat, hence he kept his eyes open. A twisted smile formed on his face as all the information he needed settled in, and he took out his phone to confirm one final fact.

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"Hey Shirley. Sorry for not calling sooner. Me and Nunnally got stuck due to the mess here in Shinjuku." The voice on the other side calmly offered to the distraught girl.

"Lulu, you're alright!" she shouted, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them. It was common knowledge to everyone, apart for Lelouch, that the girl had a crush on him, though she had reason to believe he was at least partially aware of it. And when he and Nunnally didn't return when expected, she was worried.

"Of course I'm alright. There's been an accident, but we're fine… Just don't tell Rivalz, cause his bike is bust." He retorted with a gentle laugh "Hey, I need you to do me a small favor, okay?"

"Eh, yeah… sure. What do you need?" Shirley replied, her voice lightly on guard.

"Do you have a TV nearby?" he asked. "Can you tell me what's happening in Shinjuku? There seem to be soldiers here, and no one wants to tell me what's going on."

"Yeah, sure. Wait a second. " she retorted, as she moved over to the TV she watched for a while before.

"Okay, all traffic has been stopped, and the area is isolated, but they're not stating anything else. There were news of a stolen gas tank recently, and prince Clovis mobilized the army to catch them. But that's it. Are you sure you're going to be okay Lelouch? Milly, Rivalz and even Sayoko and Nina are worried."

"Don't worry Shirley, we are both fine. Though I doubt we'll be on time for dinner." Lelouch assured her.

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The phone snapped close, and Lelouch was finally ready.

"Nunnally, pass me the communicator. The rebels are helping evacuate the surviving civilians. It's time we helped them out."

"You have something in mind?" she asked curiously.

"A complete victory and total mayhem. And a nice escape later on would be nice." Lelouch responded "Clovis was never that good at strategy."

"That is very cruel of you brother."

"It is, but for what I intend to do, it will be necessary."

"Understood, Lelouch. I'm waiting for your orders." She added the last part with a giggle. She had always wanted to say that. There was no misunderstanding the gravity of the situation they found themselves in. A little, evil idea came up in her mind.

"Lulu? Catch." She spoke softly, throwing a small black object to him, which he caught effortlessly. Drawing his fingers across it, he recognized it for what it was. A chess piece. A King.

He couldn't suppress the laugh that came. His little sister was learning quickly.

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Kallen cursed as she shut off the communicator on her ear, barely managing to dodge a salvo of bullets. The two Sutherlands that had been on her tail for an hour now had finally caught up with her, and

"Just thirty minutes left" she whispered, her voice panicked at the prospect of turning into a sitting duck.

'_-'The west entrance. Use the tracks to move to the west entrance!'-' _a voice, slightly distorted by the radio called. It startled her,

"Who's this? How do you know this code?" Kallen shouted back.

'_-'That doesn't' matter now. If you want to win, you're just gonna have to trust me'-'_

"Win?" she barely mouthed. There was no doubt in her mind that this was a lost battle already, and it was only a question of time before she was defeated and killed. But there was something about that voice… something that inspired trust, something that made her_ want_ to believe it, believe _in_ it. Something that even against impossible odds, told her it would fulfill its promise. It was a moment's decision, and it was shockingly easy to make, even to her.

"Alright." She responded, voice calming down from her previous hysterics, and following his instructions. Quickly enough, she reached the train tracks, activating her landspinners to propel her along.

"Okay, I'm here, what am I supposed to do now?" she asked over the radio, desperately hoping that the voice was still listening.

'_-'Since you've trusted me, you're gonna win. Jump onto the train'-'_ the voice spoke back.

"Gothca!" she responded.

Without asking any further questions, Kallen jumped onto the train and sped off. Behind her, the Sutherland, piloted by one Jeremiah Gottwald, slammed into the train, holding it off, before ordering the soldier behind him to jump over him and onto the train.

To Kallen's shock, the Sutherland that jumped up was suddenly wiped out by two slash harkens slamming into its cockpit, and ripping it apart effortlessly. She wasn't the only one shocked.

Back in the surviving Sutherland, Jeremiah stared in a moment's shock at the falling crippled frame that was shot down by friendly fire. Just as he was about to hail, gunfire erupted from the rogue Knightmare's assault rifle, immediately taking out both its legs. Just as he was about to open fire at the rogue, he realized that the damaged Glasgow was now charging straight at him, it's surviving right fist reared to strike at him. Without a second's thought, Jeremiah pulled at the ejection system, avoiding certain death at the end of its fist.

Finally breathing a bit easier, Kallen turned her cockpit towards the place where she had spotted the Sutherland that had previously taken out her pursuers.

"You saved me… but how did you get a hold…" only to realize that the frame was long gone. "What the…? Where is…"

"Kallen? What the hell was that radio message before?" came the voice she recognized as the leader of her group, Oghi.

"He contacted you too? What's going on?"

"Don't know, he guided us here, and Yoshida's group is coming as well." Oghi responded, turning around to check on his few surviving men.

'_-'Are you in charge?'-' _the same voice came again over Oghi's communicator

"Yeah…?" he half asked.

'_-' I present to you the cargo in that train over there. These are the tools that will lead you to your victory. If you want to use them to win, follow my orders.'-'_

The shock as moments later when the cargo doors opened, and the brand, sparkling new Sutherlands were illuminated by exterior light was beyond explanation.

'_-'Women in the Glasgow, you will be running decoy, what's the status of your energy filler?'-'_

"Roughly fifteen minutes left."

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Suzaku Kururugi woke up to a bright artificial light. Officially, he could state that today sucked. Badly. Of course, Suzaku would never put it in such terms, but it described the day perfectly.

A year ago, Suzaku had joined the Britannian army through the Honorary Britannian system, all in hopes of providing some help for his beleaguered home from within the system. Hoping to provide some level of protection for his two surviving friends, Lelouch and Nunnally. And when reports after their briefing reported that a pair of Britannian students, a young boy and girl were spotted, he felt his heart clench.

But all that was hours ago, he was unfortunate enough to be stationed with one of the more unpleasant, Purist leaders of the Royal Guard, one who very much decided that he needed to pop the boy's cherry, and have him kill civilians. Suzaku naturally refused, and got shot for his effort. The child he wanted to protect was killed regardless.

"So are we having a bad day?" a bespectacled face suddenly entered his line of sight. "You missed your chance to go to heaven, private Kururugi…"

"Where…" Suzaku began, trying to get himself up from his position on the bed he was apparently on.

"Shinjiku ghetto. We're right next to prince Clovis' base, basically the safest place in Area 11 right now." The woman next to the bespectacled man answered.

"I'm Lloyd, and this is Cecile. You got lucky, the terrorists released the poison gas in the ghetto… the victims number in the hundreds, and the army seems to be holding containment right now." Earl Lloyd Asplund introduced them, but then a rather interesting idea came up in his mind. "We pretty much lead a rather important R&D team in the military. Tell me, private Kururugi, how much do you know about piloting a knightmare?"

"Sir, I'm an Honorary Britannian…" Suzaku responded, sadly.

"But if you could…" the earl responded, making a mock sad face as he dangled a rather intricate activation key before his sad face. He knew the kid wouldn't refuse.

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'Recharge and wait. In ten minutes, you'll receive your next orders" Lelouch ordered over the comms, before shutting down the link.

"What are you planning brother? And what do you want me to do?" Nunnally asked, never once moving her eyes from the various indicators.

"Get us to somewhere high and concealed. I'll need a good spot to catch the communications and avoid what I plan to do next." He responded, gently twirling the king piece in his right hand. "Hm… looks like someone's waking up."

"Egh… I hate that feeling." C.C. lightly muttered.

"Well hello there sleeping beauty." Lelouch jokingly announced "I would offer an escort to your palace, but we're in the middle of a battle here, so that will have to wait a bit."

"Good morning to you too. Excuse me if I'm a bit grumpy because of a former hole in my head." C.C. muttered irately.

"Will you two quiet it down, I'm trying to drive here!" Nunnally yelled at them, and both suddenly found themselves rather tongue-tied. Somehow, the concept of an angry Nunnally scared the both of them, though neither could figure out why.

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Within his portable base, prince Clovis started at the tactical map in shock, as one after the other, all units under his command vanished.

"Who…who the hell am I facing? This person, could he be even worse than Todoh?" he muttered. He had been there when Todoh of Miracles, as many had taken to calling him had dealt the first and only defeat to the Britannian armada.

This victory… the removal of all of his troops, several dozen knightmare frames, roughly a hundred tanks and even choppers, all destroyed by less than a dozen rebel frames under the command of _someone_.

He could see only one possible way out. It would land him in a debt he would rather not have to repay, but it was no longer an option. Walking over to the command board, he pressed several buttons, until the blue-haired had of Lloyd Asplund showed up.

'_-'Ah, your highness. How may I help you?'-'_ Lloyd greeted with no small amount of amusement.

"Cut the crap Lloyd. You have full permission to roll out that toy of yours if it can take out these terrorists." Clovis retorted irately.

'_-'Prince Clovis, at least have the decency to call it by its proper name, Lancelot.'-'_ Lloyd responded, his voice now deathly cold as he responded.

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"Ready Suzaku?" Cecile asked her newest test pilot in a content voice. "The Lancelot is up and running."

"Yeah. I'm ready for this… out of curiosity, how did you manage to get me in here?"

"Oh, I recruited you into a group called Camelot. We work outside the standard chain of command. Right now, you're just a test pilot, but you get to drive this." Lloyd spoke from the sides. "Have fun, and make sure you return it in one piece, okay?"

"Alright sir." Suzaku responded. "Wish me luck." He stated as he got into the cockpit.

"You know, I don't know why, but I can't shake off the feeling we found the perfect pilot for this machine" Lloyd stated, smiling happily. Next to him, Cecile merely focused on running the pre launch procedures.

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Kallen was ecstatic. Under the lead of that unknown voice, they had lined up victory after victory, without any losses so far. The way he lead them, combined with the fact that he had a stolen Sutherland at his disposal led her to realize that he not only had access to the enemy communications network, but that he was capable of using it against them, while moving himself and a number of others around to counter them as perfectly as possible.

That final attack from beneath the earth was pure brilliance… she knew neither she nor Oghi would have thought of something like that in a million years, and yet, this person strung up one such attack after another. Shooting enemy frames through walls they were behind, destroying the floors they walked upon, and forcing them into smaller streets where they couldn't evade fire…

"Oghi! How are we doing?" she asked over the radio.

'_-'Perfectly. Oh, and some good news for you. Nagata just contacted me. He's safe, back at the base '-'_

"Thank god." She responded gladly, yet another weight lifted from her shoulders. If she ever managed to meet this person, she would thank him or her properly.

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With rapidly growing discomfort, Lelouch spun the chess figure in his hands. Just as he had held an absolute advantage on the field, the tides of war turned with the introduction of a new element he could not put into his calculations, a complete unknown. Within two minutes, the new Knightmare frame had taken out most of the troops he held under his command.

"Now what?" Lelouch muttered as yet another squad was forced to eject from their frames to avoid death. Right now, he was down to Kallen and her half-ruined Glasgow, the leader of their group Oghi, and two others whose names he couldn't remember.

For the first time he had the chance to comprehend why plans broke on contact with reality…

The human factor had made his plans fail, and either the rebels weren't as good as they thought… or someone pulled in a really capable pilot as reinforcements.

"You could try running…" C.C. offered in slight boredom.

"No." Nunnally deadpanned. "Brother…" she called, and Lelouch already had an idea what she wanted.

"Do it. Whatever it is you have planned. Like you did before, I put my trust into you Nunnally. Good luck." He stated, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Give them hell. I'll make sure the others are out of your way." He added with a proud smile.

"Will do."

Without any further words, Nunnally prepared herself for her first actual Knightmare duel. As silly as it sounded, she was looking forward to this for a while now, as she had long wanted to pilot a real one… the old Ganymede back at the academy didn't count.

Quietly, she ran final checks on everything, from ammo counts to energy filler status, and found everything to be in order.

The landspinners on the frame's legs sprang to life, rapidly ejecting the Knightmare out of the tall building they were hiding in. The hunt was on.

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'_Why are they retreating now, of all times?' _Suzaku wondered as he finished off another rebel Knightmare.

"Alright, I've taken out most of them…" he reported over the radio. "And I've picked up the commander, moving in to eliminate."

'_-'Rodger that private Suzaku. Your vitals are all okay, just be careful. That prototype still hasn't got an ejection mechanism installed.'-'_ Cecile's voice called over the link.

"Alright. Thanks for the concern." He stated with a weary smile as he focused on the Sutherland that stood, waving its assault rifle at him in what was obviously a challenge.

'_So you want to do this the hard way. Fine by me.'_ He mused as he fired off his slash harkens, propelling himself against one of the broken buildings.

However, just as he was about to land, the Knightmare opened fire at him, just before firing off its own harkens and getting off the building. And the pilot did it before he had the chance to react properly

"How?" he muttered. Thankfully, the rifle didn't manage to pierce the armor, having hit him at an inconvenient angle, but he was still hit… and for the first time. Now slightly angry, he followed the retreating Knightmare as it rappelled away onto yet another roof… didn't that pilot figure out already that the Lancelot was far more agile, and that an open space only played to its advantage?

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Nunnally growled in annoyance as the pilot of the prototype barely managed figure out her trap, just in time to dodge the air burst of the Chaos Mines she had fired off before leaping to another rooftop. She fully understood the basics of strategy and tactics… having one Lelouch Lamperouge as your older, caring brother had its advantages. She needed to get him close for what she had in mind, but she also had to make the pilot think it was his idea rather than hers.

And everything was going according to plan.

Right behind her, Lelouch merely observed her moods as they shifted, her body tensing or relaxing accordingly, or the occasional grunt that came out. He never would have expected it, but he should have known better… Nunnally had taken after her mother, and he knew that she knew at least three times as much about them compared to himself. Based on the jumps they had been making, and the delayed explosions, he guessed that she was stringing the enemy along for some purpose.

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"My god, whoever is piloting that frame sure seems to know what he's doing." Lloyd commented excitedly "Why, he's even countering most of the Lancelot's advantages... in open space!"

Cecile shook her head. Lloyd was never easy to understand… if there was as much as a scratch on the Lancelot, he'd probably be crying or going berserk, but yet now he was praising the enemy? Well, at least the combat data would be useful… if poor Suzaku won, that is.

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'_Oh come on, how many tricks can a Sutherland have in its sleeves?' _Suzaku irately thought as yet another landing trap was sprung upon him, this time, the two Slash Harkens literally ripping the floor from beneath his feet.

Combat, he could do. Outsmarting the enemy he could at least somewhat predict, he could do. He had a damned superior frame to that of his enemy, and yet he always seemed to be one step behind. By the time he regained his bearings from dodging the blow that inevitably came, the Knightmare was already gone… and that had lasted for the past five minutes… his energy filler would soon be running on thin air unless he did something, and now!

Noticing the still air-born Sutherland, he fired of both of his own Harkens at a nearby building, using both his landspinners and the pull of the rappel to accelerate, and overtake the enemy Knightmare by landing on the street where it now intended to land.

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"Perfect. Get ready Lelouch, it's about to happen." Nunnally suddenly announced as they flew through the air, landing just before the enemy frame.

From the sidelines, both Lelouch and C.C. observed the young girl. While Lelouch was blind, C.C. wasn't, and the data the various screens showed was easy for her to understand. The enemy Knightmare was superior in every aspect, apart for ranged firepower, and Nunnally chose to string the enemy pilot along for a while, in order to successfully spring some sort of trap.

So far, she had focused her thoughts at Lelouch, but Nunnally was no less interesting, it would seem. A gifted, crafty pilot with a lot of inborn talent and minimal experience, and yet she used every advantage offered to her like a veteran with perfect knowledge of her craft.

Truly, she looked forward to staying with these two. Not to mention that she knew to whom they were both related, which gave her some level of understanding as to why they had so much potential. However, not even their parents showed this much promise, so long ago.

At the same time, Lelouch covered his left eye as the Geass activated. He wanted to see the finale of this conflict, he wanted to see just what his sister had planned.

"Gotcha." The petite brunette whispered in a voice that carried a mixture of anger and satisfaction as the Lancelot approached to deal the final blow.

Against the reflective surface of the monitors, C.C. spotted the familiar crest of the Geass forming on Nunnally's right eye, her entire face taking on a slightly different look under the light of the glowing eye.

To Lelouch's Geass eye, Nunnally was surrounded by a faint red light, and in the relative distance, he could pick up the faint form of a strange Knightmare where a familiar figure stood. He just couldn't put his finger on who the pilot was…

"Lelouch! NOW!" she shouted. Shocked, Lelouch immediately turned his Geass off, he was quite certain that his sister was about to activate her own… and he had no idea what it was going to do.

Instantly, a horrible wave of pain crashed against the back of his head, as neurons that had been dormant for a long time started working once more.

Before him, the last traces of his Geass-induced vision faded, and momentarily, his sight returned.

He could see the sight of a cockpit before him, what seemed to be his own hands holding the controls. Quickly, he realized that he had no control over the arms, and according to the way they suddenly went to his eyes, he realized that they must have belonged to the pilot of the enemy knightmare… so that's why she was trying to get him close!

However his joy and pride at his sister's genius was interrupted in sheer horror as the figure's bare face was reflected in one of screens.

"Impossible…" he muttered, his voice fraught with horror at the realization. "Nunnally! Stop! Don't kill him!"

"What? What are you talking about Lelouch? Who is he?" Nunnally retorted, still focusing on dodging the wild flailing of his arms, and aiming the assault rifle at the cockpit.

"Suzaku… just disable him, we… we can't kill him." He muttered as the vision faded away, the darkness of his own blindness welcome for the first time

"Suzaku?" she whispered back "I don't even want to think how he ended up here."

Silently, she aimed the rifle at the knees of the Lancelot before pulling the trigger. Before Suzaku had a chance to recover his balance from his loss of sight, both of the Lancelot's legs were destroyed. Two further bursts severed the arms, and two more short shots destroyed the factspheres locked at its chest. For all intents and purposes, the Lancelot prototype was completely disabled.

The red sigil faded from her eyes as she let out a long breath. She had won.

"Don't relax yet. We still have work to do. " Lelouch spoke in a shaky voice, but managed to calm himself by stabbing at his right arm with his fingers.

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It was over. The entire fight, all that they had done had all fallen apart when that strange new Knightmare showed up. That voice stated it would handle it, and ordered them to retreat to safety. Only she and Oghi still retained their frames, but even those had to be dumped… they didn't have room to hide those.

After rejoining what remained of their group at the base, the two of them realized that the other had herded the civilians they could to the relative safety that was their warehouse base, but the civilians were panicking, forcing some among them such as Tamaki, to resort to threats to keep order.

"Now what?" Kallen asked her friend and leader tiredly.

"We're all alive. Even Nagata got out safely. And whoever that voice was, he got us out." He responded, just as the comm in his hands sprang to life.

'-'If you're still alive leader of the rebels, I just thought I'd give you a heads up. There's a number of tanks and infrantry approaching the sector you retreated towards to.'-'

"Right thanks. And thanks for saving our hides out there… Uh… hello?" Oghi tried, but there was no response.

"Great, now we have to get out of here as well…" Kallen muttered.

"No time! They're here already!" one of the others shouted as the sound of tanks came up. There was no time to escape, so the group took their place between the beleaguered civilians and the oncoming troops.

"Look!" one of the soldiers shouted "Those eleven rats gathered up here…"

"Say your prayers scum." The commander, inside one of the tanks spoke as he raised his hand to order the others to open fire.

'_-'Cease fire! Under the order of prince Clovis, cease and desist all combat, and stop attacking the structures and civilians within Shinjuku. Provide help and treatment to all injured regardless of whether they are Britannians or Elevens. I, prince Clovis order it!'-' _the voice of prince Clovis ordered over the loudspeakers at the last moment, just as the soldiers planned to open fire. They were saved at the last moment…

* * *

**Author's notes: **Bet none of you saw Nunnally piloting a Knightmare frame coming, did ya? Let alone her beating Suzaku at his own game. I'll put things simply to those who wonder.

One, she's the daughter of one of the world's finest Knightmare Frame pilots, ever, Marianne the Flash. And she has some, if limited experience by piloting the Ashford academy Ganymede, so she knows how to drive the damn thing. Also, if Lelouch could know all the basics about Knightmares the first time he sat in one in combat, why couldn't she? And plotting someone's demise skillfully doesn't require piloting skills, it requires forethought and the ability to think tactically and strategically, both of which she has.

I've also further cleared up Lelouch's power, in a way I believed would be natural to him. He's smart enough to pull logical conclusions based on accurate data, and he considers his own data accurate...

Also, I will let slip the name of Nunnally's Geass ability. Its name is _Perception Hijack._ No further explanations available, apart from what was insinuated. Until soon that is :D

I hope you enjoyed the chapter… I've been feeling especially inspired today, so I finished it off far sooner than I expected. Review folks. And see ya during the weekend, but more likely later than that.

Ah, also, if I have made a speling mistake somewhere, forgive me. As of recently, I am very careful not to make them, but an occasional few still slip by me now and then.

Well, till next time.


	4. Royal Blood

**Author's Ramblings:** I've changed one detail from the story after one of the reviewers brought it to my attention. The rebels use a encrypted channel to communicate, and without the communicator Lelouch took from the truck, he wouldn't have been able to contact Kallen. The change was that the communicator he used was picked up from the knocked out driver of the truck.

The prime part of the story is slowly beginning. Major changes are inbound.

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Chapter 3: Royal Blood

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_Border of the Shinjuku rapid development area, block 5_

_Mobile base of prince Clovis_  
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"Cease fire! Under the order of prince Clovis, cease and desist all combat, and stop attacking the structures and civilians within Shinjuku. Provide help and treatment to all injured regardless of whether they are Britannians or Elevens. I, prince Clovis order it! "Clovis spoke over the radio line, effectively ending the conflict which had already taken the lives of so many.

"There, are you happy now? The battle is over." He added, his face covered with an annoyed snarl. He couldn't see the faces of the two, one of which held a gun aimed at him, but he was both scared and intrigued… they had somehow managed to remove all of his guards as well as general Bartley. That was no mean feat… "Now what do you want?"

"Why Clovis, I wasn't aware you minded family visits so much." Nunnally stated, removing the helmet that covered her face, quickly followed by Lelouch. Both were still covered by the shadows, but the words themselves were enough to make Clovis blanch, even if he couldn't see them.

'_My god, I was certain I didn't leave HER pregnant…no, wait, even if I did, the children would be only five by now, and she didn't have any family… so who the hell is this? No, it can't be… Nunnally? Lelouch? They're alive?' _Clovis' thoughts slowly changed as the two moved from the shadows and into the limited light of his throne.

"Well, looks like you're as slow as ever Clovis. You won't even grace us with a 'Hello' after nearly getting us killed? For shame." Lelouch taunted in a content, but sharp voice. "Why, he almost reminds of father, doesn't he Nunnally?"

"Hm… a bit." The girl responded with a smile, not moving the rifle in her hands from Clovis for a second.

"Ha… hahaha… impossible, but yet you are here… how devilishly ironic." Clovis spoke, barely holding back the laughter "And you're here to kill me? I guess it only makes sense… after all you've been through, I doubt you have much love left for your family. As excellent a game on your part as ever, little brother. And you Nunnally, as beautiful as ever!" he spoke, slowly getting up from his throne, and walking over towards them, unheeding of the rifle aimed at his head.

"Well, seeing as you are in such a fine mood, you _highness_, why don't we talk for a while?" Lelouch offered, laying his back against one of the support pillars.

"Why not? It's not like I'm going to get out of this alive, is it?" Clovis' voice darkened, as he paced back to his throne, sitting himself down. "I might as well have one final laugh. What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with what do you know about our mother's murder."

"Ohh… you want to prod at _that_ beehive." he stated with a chuckle, and only mild surprise. In a manner very much reminiscent of his younger brother, prince Clovis la Britannia rested his elbows on his knees, and placed his chin on his interweaved fingers, eyeing his two half-siblings with growing interest.

" Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you much, but there is something wrong about it all. There has _always_ been, but it's not exactly easy to put into words. However, there are those who would know more. I know that lady Cornelia lead a detailed investigation into the event, but that she was also in command of the security of the Aries Villa during that time. And then, you have Shneizel… he's always known more than he tended to share, so I have no doubts he has some knowledge of the event. Well, there's father, but good luck convincing him to talk… last I remember, the previous time ended so well, didn't it?" the blond prince answered him in detail, throwing in a small taunt at the end.

One would wonder why prince Clovis so liberally spoke of these things to his brother, the man who obviously wanted to end his life, nor why he was so relaxed. And certainly, Lelouch wondered what the man was trying to achieve. However egotistical, the man was not stupid.

To Clovis, ever since most of his family broke up over the world, life was boring. Not even his infrequent conquests of the _other_ kind brought him that much joy anymore. His art and the research he did were the only things that kept him from going insane. He missed the days he spent in the capitol, but he knew that they were gone and would never return. With the death of lady Marianne, the royal family was truly broken apart, as if the woman was the only thing holding them together… and in many ways that Lelouch would never be able to comprehend, she was.

And then there was the fact that no matter what happened, after these events, he was screwed, and royally so. At best he would be disinherited. However, a far more realistic turn of events would leave him a corpse regardless, except by the hand of another, most likely that twerp Rolo or someone even worse. Losing the entire army _and_ the Lancelot prototype at the same time, as well as losing the experimental subject he was not even supposed to have at the first place…  
This way at least, his death would have some, no matter how limited, meaning, if to no one else, then to his still living little brother and sister.

"But tell me, Nunnally, Lelouch... what do you aim to achieve by all this?" he asked. Clovis didn't waste his time on theatric movements… the target of his conversation was blind, hence there was no use in doing so.

With a grim laugh, Lelouch got off his comfortable spot, slowly walking towards Clovis until he was easily within sight, and then he activated the Geass, the baleful red light burning within. Unsurprisingly, he could not only see the shape of prince Clovis, but the fully colored body as well. Over the years, he hadn't changed that much, though the outfit of a viceroy seemed to fit him better than those silly clothes he tended to wear eight years ago.

"I intend to topple father's throne, and destroy the Britannia that is today. I intend to pave a way to a different future. One in which people like my sister and dear Euphie can live peacefully." He announced, pulling out a long, thin sword that he had taken from one of the officers whose equipment they stole along the way. "Now brother, I will offer you a choice, in the name of all the good times we spent together, in the name of the support you gave us after our mother's death. Will you die like a dog from a bullet, or will you fight like the man you apparently are to the very end?"

The formerly hard features split into a wide smile as Clovis got up from his throne, hand going over to a sheathed sword that had been haphazardly laid next to it. With a single flick, he removed the sword from the scabbard, all the while watching Lelouch's Geass-altered left eye. He knew his dear brother wouldn't have offered something like this without thinking it through first.

"Marvelous as ever, Lelouch, you actually bear the Geass. Just when I think you've done all that I thought you could, you keep surprising me. Nunnally, dear, there is a safe in that room over there, the code is my birthday, simple, but hard to forget. You will find some interesting documents inside, both to you and to your brother. And that green-haired girl might be able to help too." Lelouch nodded to Nunnally and the girl left quickly.

"Then so be it brother! To the death!" he accepted the challenge, pointing the sword forward. "Let me see that brilliance of yours one last time, let blood flow once more!"

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Nunnally moved without stop since she entered the side room, which turned out to be a combination of a bedroom and study. Leave it to Britannian designers to provide both practicality and comfort to their commanders. The safe was placed in plain sight, a large keyboard attached to insert an access code. The little knowledge she had on computers told her that it meant the device had quite a sophisticated code, though that was redundant, with her knowing it.

She didn't bother with checking the rest of the room and proceeded straight to the safe, typing in the short, eleven-symbol code into the keyboard. With a hiss, the safe's multiple locks disengaged, and the small door opened, revealing a large stack of various documents, as well as several data-discs.

"Anything interesting?" a curious voice chirped from behind her. "No worries, I've got us rid of the tapes and cameras, though I did pick out the tapes Lelouch asked for."

"Great. There's a bunch of stuff here, but we don't have the time to check any of it. Grab what you can." Nunnally responded to the green-haired girl.

"Well, I did find a convenient bag here…" C.C. trailed off, holding a somewhat large standard issue military backpack in her left hand, an angelic smile on her face.

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"You know something, brother? You speak too much." Lelouch retorted as the blades met for the first time, the sound of steel grinding against steel echoing throughout the empty room.

"Yes… dear father tended to say that as well…" Clovis retorted, taking a step back and letting Lelouch's sword to pass right behind him into empty space. Quickly, he tried to swing the blade onto his back, but Lelouch dropped into a roll, evading the blow "For a blind man, you fight rather well."

"Why thank you brother, I didn't know you cared." Lelouch responded, getting up on his feet, and renewing the assault by jabbing his sword forward.

"Nonsense, what man would want his final battle to be drab and boring?" Clovis retorted, evading the thrust at his stomach by twisting to the side.

"Point taken, you always were one for drama." He conceded, offering a smile as he prepared to parry yet another blow from Clovis.

"You know me too well brother. Now come! _En guarde!"_ Clovis spoke, laughter flowing freely as he and Lelouch traded blow after blow. He was slowing down, his limited combat stamina already drawn to its end by the entire day. It would soon be over, he was sure of it.

As he made one more attempt at an attack, Lelouch parried his blow, sending the sword away from his arms, and finally stabbing the sword straight through his heart. Almost like an actor on a stage, Clovis stumbled backward, barely keeping himself on his feet. It was over, like a puppet whose strings were cut, his strength finally vanished, and he fell to the cold marble floor beneath him, his blood spreading outward as he looked upwards.

"Cough… brilliant. A better death than I expected." He muttered, voice interrupted by an even more painful cough, blood sprouting out of his mouth." I wish you luck, little brother, to both you and Nunnally. Be wary though…cough… you are not the only one who bears the Geass." Clovis spoke, consciousness quickly fading from his eyes as blood flowed freely both from the wound on his chest, and from his mouth.

Silently, Lelouch bowed his head in respect to his first, true victim, killed by his own hand. He sheathed the sword without wiping the blood off. He had made sure that neither he nor Nunnally could be traced to this in any way. If all went according to plan, C.C. and Nunnally had already purged all of the recordings for the past six hours and completely disabled the camera systems as well.

Still, his now dead older brother surprised him. He had known Clovis to be a lot of things, but he certainly didn't expect such a warm goodbye from him. Nor did he expect Clovis to offer as much help as he did. How much had things change since he and Nunnally had left Britannia? How much did their entire family change?

His offer of a duel to the death had been an experiment, a test, brought up by his own curiosity. And the result astonished him. He was a good judge of character, and he could swear that Clovis wasn't lying. He didn't even think of using the Geass to force him to tell the truth. Also, it had proven what he had speculated for the past several hours: it was possible to use the vision of the Geass without resorting to ordering, as long as he chose his words wisely. As long as he didn't explicitly order anything, it wouldn't act up.

Before him, the light slowly faded from Clovis' frame, slowly, but surely taking away the visage of his dead brother from his sight. The adrenaline had faded away, and whatever reasoning he felt so far, his self assurances that the man before him was a monster for ordering the deaths of many simply to preserve his position fading away as memories of his distant past flooded in. All the times he played chess with Clovis, the dresses his sibling had designed for his little sister in his spare time, the way he of all people had taught him to ride a horse.

"The death of innocence…" he muttered softly. There was nothing else to be said, as those four words conveyed everything he felt. Every bit of disgusting satisfaction mixed with self loathing. Every bit of pained understanding he now carried. Every bit of shock at what Clovis had stated. The hand that previously held his sword so strongly lost all strength and the blade fell from his hand, clanging against the marble floor.

In the silence, his Geass faded away, his left eye once more returning to its natural, purple color. He was unscathed. Not a single wound had he suffered at Clovis' hands. Had his skills truly been so superior to those of his brother?

"Lelouch? We have to leave now." Nunnally spoke shakily from behind him. While he could no longer see them, just the voice was enough to give him concern. She most likely saw the corpse that was once Clovis…

"Your sister is right. Those guards will likely be returning in about fifteen minutes or so. " C.C. added. "Besides, I think she is a bit concerned for your health."

"She isn't the only one. Come on. Let's get the hell out of here. You'll have to guide me." Lelouch spoke, the tiredness that had been plaguing him ever since they had entered the mobile base returning full force. He was tired, and for the first time, the darkness of his blindness was welcome.

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Earl Lloyd Asplund found himself torn. Of course, the normally eccentric scientist was usually weird in the eyes of those around him, enough so that only Cecile was able to figure out what was wrong.

Sitting at the desk inside his portable base, there were two files before him. The first, on his left was the entire combat data from the Lancelot. Heat emissions, response times, devicer stress levels and rejection rate. Everything, every single piece of data received and recovered from its damaged corpse. Certainly, he could repair it… he wouldn't be a brilliant (and certifiably mad) scientist if he couldn't, but the battle had revealed a number of things he hadn't considered about his beloved prototype. Well, for what it was worth, this wasn't a normal proving ground. And the results from private Suzaku Kururugi went far above any projected values.

The other file was something of equal importance, as the file contained what little they could gather on the devicer that piloted the rogue Sutherland, and _beat_ the daylights out of the Lancelot prototype. Poor Suzaku was still stuck in recovery after the shock he had suffered during the battle, something about losing his eyesight for a period of five seconds during which his Knightmare was completely defeated.

Now, as a man of science, he knew such a thing to be normally impossible. Suzaku proved to be in perfect health, almost better than most examples that were used as comparison. Hence, the loss of sight made no sense. He doubted the boy lied, as he seemed the type to shoulder the responsibility of his mistakes and decisions willingly, if the still-healing bullet hole on lower torso was any indication.

So how did his new favorite test pilot suddenly turn blind for five seconds?

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In a room nearby, Suzaku opened his eyes. Suffice to say, finding himself in a hospital bed, twice, during one day was certainly too much for the young man.

"Feeling a bit better Suzaku?" Cecile offered from a chair next to his bed. He realized that she must have spent the entire time he was out nearby, and that concern was touching to him.

"Yes. How long was I out this time?" he asked, faking some level of amusement, unsuccessfully.

"Three hours. The doctors completed the standard tests, and we couldn't find anything to give reason for the temporary loss of sight you reported, but your vitals did change for that short while." She offered, a gentle, supporting smile on her face. "You were the lucky one though. The Lancelot was…"

"Don't tell me it was beyond repair?" he asked a bid fearfully.

"No. I was going to say completely disabled, but the main frame was almost undamaged. It should be up and running within two weeks. Don't worry; Lloyd isn't canceling your new status for this. In fact, your actions were one of the brighter points of this entire fiasco." Cecile explained to him, and Suzaku visibly calmed. "Oh, and he wanted to speak to you as soon as you recovered enough to walk… but I think I can delay that by a few more minutes." She added, leaning in and covering her mouth as if to whisper.

"I'd appreciate it." Suzaku retorted with a thankful smile as he slowly got up "Can I get a bath somewhere around here?"

"Sure. There's a bathroom just over there" she responded, pointing at one of the two doors that led out of the room.

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_End of the Shinjiku Incident_

_Next morning at various places throughout the general Tokyo area_

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Several figures were sitting around a small, lit fire, it being the only source of light around. Many would easily recognize the environment as that of the abandoned subways beneath one of the many ghettos, though it would be impossible to tell which one.

"We're alive." Tamaki noted with little joy.

"Go figure." Oghi retorted. "Whoever it was pulled our hides out of the fire. And I have a feeling he was responsible for the ceasefire."

After the group broke up to lay low, he had spent the entire night thinking about what had happened. Whoever the voice that directed them was, he or she was a damn genius. Sure, they had gotten their asses handed to them by that weird white Knightmare, but he overheard from the soldiers that he had passed by that someone had taken it out. Once more, the same mysterious person, he was sure of it, mostly because there was no one else capable of doing so. The possibility that he had someone else so capable under his or her command was improbable at best.

Finally, he had gotten them all out alive. And not just them, but the civilians as well, all that could be saved.

"It's possible." Nagata commented. He still couldn't believe he had gotten away safely from that mess. "Though I think I know how he reached you. When I got up, my communicator was missing."

"Well that makes sense." Oghi spoke back." Still, it's good to see you alive my friend. When Kallen lost contact with you, we almost signed you off."

"Takes more than that to get rid of me, ya know?" Nagata responded, tapping his chest with his fist boisterously, only for his fist to hit one of his wounds, making him yelp in pain, while the other two laughed.

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Villeta Nu, was nowhere near as fortunate to have a nice morning. The entire last day was a nightmare, one event after another. Not even the warmth of a scalding, hot shower helped wash away the tenseness from her lithe frame.

Just what had happened? In one moment, she was staring down at a pair of students from her Knightmare, a boy and a girl, and in the next, they were gone, and she was standing in the middle of a corpse-filled warehouse. Not to mention that it was determined that it was her missing knightmare that had defeated both her superior, Jeremiah Gottwald as well as that Honorary Britannian. How, was beyond her. She couldn't remember anything.

Nothing to do about it… for now. She would have to investigate later on, but at least she wasn't chewed on for it.

Turning off the flowing water, she got out of the bath, putting on a white bathrobe, a stark contrast to her skin as she walked over to the kitchen, and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Why do I get the feeling that this will be a long week?" she asked herself as she noted that the calendar said Tuesday. Just as she was about to lay back into the comfortable sofa of the living room in her apartment, and turn on the TV, her cell phone rang. Once she noted the caller ID as Boss, she knew she was right. It _was_ going to be a long week.

The truly ironic part was, she had no idea just how long….

"Yes sir. What can I do for you?" she greeted her commanding officer. While a difficult man at times, Jeremiah had helped her a lot over the years, and he was the only reason she had received her knighthood. If it wasn't for him smoothing things over, the events from yesterday would have likely cost her career.

"Right. I'll be down there in fifteen minutes. An hour? Thank you sir!" she added the last part in a very content voice. She still had half an hour to laze about before she had to go!

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Kallen Stadfelt took one last hateful look at her school uniform, before putting the damn thing on. Even if she was half-Britannian, she believed herself Japanese, and she held little love for the academy she attended. Once, while her brother Naoto was still alive, it was far easier to cope with. She was even proud of her achievements there. Now, it was little more than an annoyance, a painful reminder of everything that had happened.

And worse still, she had to act as if she were an infirm there. It was the only way to excuse her frequent absences.

She paid very little attention during her trip to the academy. While most stayed in the dorms, any students who lived within the Concession were allowed to return to their homes as needed, and she would 'occasionally' need to do so.

Thankfully, she had too much on her mind today to be annoyed too much by her Britannian peers. The day would hopefully pass soon, and so would the week. Then she would finally be able to join Oghi and the others again.

She had a lot to think about, most of all, about the identity of the person who had saved them. Now that she thought about it, the voice seemed familiar to her, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

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Within the clubhouse of the Student Council, Lelouch and Nunnally were barely holding their heads up. Rivalz was on the other end of the table they were using, still sulking over the utter destruction of his bike.

"Rough night?" Shirley asked, her voice slightly admonishing.

"We were held up nearly until midnight." Lelouch responded tiredly.

"That's what you get for ditching school all the time." She added.

"Okay, okay, we get it. No more gambling, right brother?" Nunnally added, going over her part of the paperwork stack.

"I don't know…. I promised Rivalz that I'd buy him a new bike to replace the one we wrecked…" Lelouch responded, holding up his hand to his chin.

"Fine, fine. Don't let me stop you." Shirley responded, completely annoyed. "Not like we don't have a bunch of work to do. You know, it wouldn't be that much of a problem if you told us about such things a day earlier."

"Or a day later" Rivalz finally offered, calming down a bit after Lelouch's promise of buying him a new bike "Then we wouldn't have to do anything."

"Good call." Lelouch stated, smiling at his crazy friend.

"GUTS!" Milly suddenly shouted.

"Still trying that 'guts' spell miss president?" Lelouch asked jokingly.

"Well, it works for me! I'm all fired up!"

"It usually does…" Nunnally added. "Could you please quiet it down a bit? I can barely stay awake as it is?" she asked with slight sadness, that sweet voice she usually used

"Madam President?" the girl asked in confusion, though a slightly worried look came to her eyes.

"Why, you've been filling in all the right places, if what I've seen in the changing room is to be believed…" she continued to tease, a grin spreading on her lips. She knew a certain someone here would appreciate the gesture of taking attention away from his actions.

"What are you talking about you perv?" Shirley near screamed at her.

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"Lord Jeremiah, such an interesting idea." Villeta Nu stated from her place on the back seat, right next to her commander.

"I'm glad you agree lady Villeta." Jeremiah retorted, eyes locked forward. "I've already covered all the problems, and we have near full support. All that remains is to take out the garbage, and the Purists will have full dominion over Japan until the next Viceroy arrives. However, we must bide out time still."

"Understood. But what about prince Clovis?"

"Oh, that won't be much of a problem. I've already found a likely suspect. While I don't condone set-ups, we have a golden opportunity here. It would be a shame to waste it. Still, I am curious just who removed him, he was after all, killed by a sword in what seemed to be a duel. Hm, speaking of yesterday, any luck remembering yet?"

"No sir. I'm sorry." Villeta returned, her head turning downcast in shame.

"I'd be worried if you were the only one, but a number of others reported the same thing, including general Bartley and his staff, right from when they abandoned prince Clovis. It's being contained, but I will personally investigate it later on. Rest assured, your involvement will not me mentioned should things turn sour."

"Thank you, my lord. I really appreciate it." She responded "There was one thing I didn't mention yet."

"Oh?"

"Among those corpses, before the time I can't remember, there were two children, academy students. I don't know who they are, but I remember their appearances perfectly."

"I see. We'll look into that as well then." The Margrave responded. All was going according to plan, and if things went right, several of his long-term goals would soon be fulfilled, and he'd be one step closer to doing what he originally came to Japan to achieve.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Well, that's it, the end of a more… shall we say peaceful chapter? If the first half is ignored that is…

I have several reasons for the way I pulled off the first part, especially the duel. First of all, Lelouch weighed his options before he considered what to do, and he needed a real combat test of his sight. Also, due to the changes invoked by his loss of sight, he is somewhat closer to Clovis than he was in the original, and there are a few other facts which will be explored over the next few chapters.

Next chapter we get to see a lot of stuff, including Kallen's introduction to the student council group, and to Lelouch as well, as well as a bit more talk between Milly and Lelouch over his recent actions, and plans for the future.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I await your reviews.

Also, be aware that I likely won't be able to update till Monday, due to the fact that I have a rather long college project to complete over the weekend.


	5. Inception Point: Zero and Ghost

**Author's ramblings: **This chapter goes mostly between Lelouch and Kallen, and it the first step in the formation of the Black Knights. This entire arc, the Inception Point, serves the purpose of setting up Lelouch at the opening of a revolution, and it's events will stretch over the next several chapters, most likely ending with the hotel incident, or possibly with the battle of Narita. I am still somewhat uncertain which one of those two it will be as I haven't yet fully decided just how those will turn out.

But for the time being, enjoy reading the new chapter, and don't forget, review!

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_Chapter 4: Inception Point: Zero and Ghost_

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_Ashford Academy_  
_Early afternoon_  
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Within the sanctuary of his room, Lelouch was meditating, going over his plans for the coming times. Nunnally was in class, and he had a small opening of an hour to spend in peace, and prepare.

Shinjuku had been a proving ground to him, a place where he got the chance to test himself against a vastly superior foe with limited resources on his side, and his only advantage being the element of surprise.

While that outlined his skills, it also outlined his flaws. Regardless of how good a tactician he was, without the Geass and Nunnally to support him there, _he would have died,_ Lelouch held no illusions about that. Were it not for the ardent support and the impressive piloting skills of his younger sister, none of this would have been possible.

All of this lead to another simple conclusion: he needed troops.

Not just ordinary men and women, not a gang of some sort, but an _army_. And unsurprisingly, he already had someone in mind to form the base of it. It would take time and effort, but he was certain he could make it work. The group he had guided in Shinjuku was interesting, and that girl, Kallen that piloted the damaged Glasgow was highly talented, from what he, Nunnally and C.C. could tell. And speak of the devil…

"What are you up to?" C.C. interrupted his voice.

"Planning a war against an empire that covers a third of he planet takes time and forethought." Lelouch calmly responded, not in the least unnerved by the green-haired girl's presence. "For someone who asks so many questions, you answer little."

"I didn't feel like it. No one is forcing you to answer, either." She responded.

"I know. But you can't hold an intelligent conversation by myself, and since Nunnally is absent…" he trailed off, gesturing to show his ever so light irritation with his hand.

"You're such a complicated young man Lelouch. But that is probably what makes you interesting, you are _nearly_ impossible to predict. So tell me, how does the power I've granted you, suit you?" she asked, rolling over from her position on the nearby bed, looking at him upside down as her head hanged over the edge of the head. His bed, Lelouch noted. "You seem to use it quite often."

"Quite well, thank you very much. I've experimented a bit, but I don't have every detail down… yet." He responded.

"Hmm. You experimented?" She asked with some entertainment.

"I did. What better way to gather information? Still, this power alone won't be enough."

"Enough? Whatever for?" she asked, probing further, even though she had some idea what he wanted to do.

"You likely know already. But there is something more important to discuss first. That contract you mentioned…."

"Hm. We're partners now, you, me and little Nunnally. Bound by that contract you both accepted. One day, maybe you'll find out what it entails, but for now, know that I'm on your side, and will stay there." she responded to his concerns. "And you seem to want to defeat Britannia. Care to enlighten me?"

"Like myself, you will just have to wait and see for now, as I am uncertain how much I can trust you for the time being. I would suggest that you get out of those… whatever you call them. Nunnally's would be too small for you, so I can offer you some of my own casual clothes." He spoke, pointing towards the closet in the corner of the room "Pick something innocuous and please don't make a mess here. I trust you are wise enough not to draw too much attention."

"Alright, alright mother hen I'll play nice. You know, you never asked me how I survived a bullet through the head." C.C. commented, finally bringing herself up from the bed, almost skipping towards the closet to select her clothes. Considering that he remembered that she was still mostly naked, for the second time in the past twenty four hours, he thanked the heavens he was completely blind.

"Would you have answered it any quicker than my other questions?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"No" the green-haired girl responded with a chuckle.

"Then there is your answer. Now, if you'll forgive me, I have a party to attend to, and Milly will have my head if I don't show up." He stated with a chuckle as he once more put on the upper part of his school uniform. He didn't see the curious smile C.C. paid him. The original, small interest only seemed to grow. And she would have to talk with the sister as well.

After that she could explore a bit. After all, she was in a new place, what harm could it possibly do? And then, it would be time for pizza again. Such a shame that Lelouch 'forgot' his credit card.

'_Oh well, not like I can be blamed for providing for myself._' She thought with an innocent smile.

Lelouch couldn't help but smile as he walked away from his room. Things were finally moving along, and for the time being, all he had to do was survive that party Shirley had told him about. They were supposed to be inducing someone into the Student Council…

'_Some girl, what was the name again… was it… Kallen Stadfelt?'_ Lelouch froze as he finished that thought. _'Impossible, she's supposed to be quite sick, but…what if? I'll need to check this later. Nunnally should already be working on the matter as is…'_

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She certainly wished she could avoid this, but being completely blindsided by the president of the student council, Milly Ashford, didn't leave her any room to avoid.

"So where are we going?" she asked meekly, her voice faked enough to portray her apparent sickness. She hated this, playing the infirm, the invalid.

"To the Student Council clubhouse. Miss Ashford has arranged for you to join the student council, as every student must be part of a club, and due to your poor health, she asked the principal to allow you to join." Lelouch stated, showing some degree of boredom. For a blind teen, he seemed to be able to find his way quite well. "Is there something you wanted to ask me miss Stadfelt?"

"Eh…" she trailed off, feeling somewhat uncomfortable asking him about his quite real lack of eyesight. While, unlike most blind men she met, his eyes remained open, the fact that they didn't focus on anything as he walked, instead staring dead ahead was proof enough for that.

"Go ahead. He's used to it, right Lelouch?" Nunnally offered from the side.

"Quite." The teen stated with a comforting smile. "Even though I don't like talking about it much."

"Alright. How do you walk along if you're blind? How do you avoid getting lost?" Kallen finally asked.

Lelouch chuckled for a moment as he stopped walking, raising his hand to his face to suppress the laugh that wanted to come out.

"Not quite what I expected, but I'll explain." He spoke. "I memorized the entire layout of the Academy, as well as all of the floor surfaces and sounds that come. For instance, from the carpeting beneath our feet, the sound of the trees nearby, pine, by the scent of resin, I believe. Correct?"

"Yes brother." Nunnally chirped from the side, giggling slightly at the face Kallen had began making

"Thank you. Pine, not to mention that there's the sound of one of the elevator generators coming from above tells me where we are." He explained casually, as if was no great achievement. "And that was only if I didn't know we just left one of the classrooms."

"Wow." Kallen had to admit, she was awed. She had heard of blind masters of martial arts, and other such nonsense, but to see a person who actually adapted to it all, and managed to live a somewhat normal life was still impressive, Britannian or not.

"And I suppose you also want the answer to your other question?" he asked, voice slightly darkening.

"If you don't mind. I really don't want to intrude." The redhead defended.

"I don't. I lost my sight in a shooting." He spoke. Kallen found it surprising that the previously lively voice was now dull, almost …dead. He seemed lost in thought, those unseeing eyes turning for the first time towards the windows, as if trying to locate something on the horizon.

"Terrorists? "she asked, trying her best to hide any feelings of guilt she felt.

"No, Britannians." It was Nunnally who responded. It was no longer that cheerful voice the younger girl held so far either, as a shade of sadness colored it as she replied the question. "It's not something we speak of often, but big brother lost his sight by protecting me."

Those words struck a chord in Kallen's heart, having lost her own older brother. While she still didn't appreciate the fact that they were Britannians, she now felt some degree of respect and even compassion for the blind teen and his sister.

"Come." Lelouch finally stated, having calmed himself down. A smile had spread over his face, and both Kallen and Nunnally. "The president awaits us, and I for one, am curious as to what she has planned for today."

"Have fun you two. I still have classes to attend to, so I can't come for now." Nunnally spoke before leaving the two of them to walk alone.

"Well, might as well get this over with. What's the president like anyway?"

"Milly? She's nice. A bit on the perverted side, and likes to do things over the top, but she's a dear friend regardless." Lelouch responded, mentally counting down the time before mayhem.

"Perverted? Over the top?" Kallen asked, a sliver of concern slipping into her tone.

"Oh yes. There was the cross dresser's ball last year, and the maid café soon after that. There's even a Cabaret club in the Academy." He explained, counting things off on his fingers, the occasional laugh slipping between his words. With every word he spoke, Kallen felt more and more concerned about this, going as far as to look for possible escape routes. Even to the blind Lelouch, it wasn't so hard to notice her (not so) mild discomfort. It was time.

"You worry too much. Come." He offered, a hand gently pushing her forward. "Oh, and miss Kallen…"

"Yes?" she responded, quickly turning around to face him.

"Tell me what you were doing in Shinjuku yesterday." He asked quietly, with a smile as his left eye was covered by the crest of the Geass. This area wasn't covered by cameras…

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"If it were for anyone else…" Nunnally muttered as she finished her work. Considering that she had the highest grades of her generation, as unlike her brother, she tended to put a lot more work into her studies. It seemed trite against what they were doing now, but if there was one thing that her brother spoke of it was that knowledge, and the ability were power. Power they would soon come to need.

It still sickened her, what they had done yesterday. It hurt her on the inside in ways she didn't even want to think about to know that she and Lelouch were directly responsible for the deaths of so many, not to mention for the death of their brother, Clovis. True, he was always the strange one, probably due to that artistic mentality of his, but he was also one of the kinder members of the family. Certainly, he had nothing on _her_ brother, but that was beyond the question. He was one of the few she herself was sure had nothing to do with the death of their mother, directly or indirectly, and whether that was because of her inexperience, naiveté or good instincts, it didn't matter. Clovis, the crazy half-brother who wasted his time making pictures, designing dresses, and womanizing, while he managed to get a doctorate in archeology at the same time, was dead. The last part of his skills remained a mystery to everyone, as no one had been able to get more than an entertained smile from him in answer to the question how he did it.

But concerns of global domination, world conquest and fratricide aside, there were immediate things to be done, and it would do her good to immerse herself into work for the time being. At least it would keep the unpleasantness at bay.

The communicator they had taken served both as a link to others on an encrypted channel, as well as a cell phone. While there were no numbers memorized, it was no great challenge for her to plug it into her computer and pull out a list of the last twenty dialed numbers. Alone, those served no purpose, but combined with what her brother had planned, they would achieve what was needed. A quick check to another list, and the retrieval of a small recording device later, she was ready for the next stage of their plan.

With Lelouch already having handled the acquisition of all the other parts, this was her duty, and she would fulfill it to perfection. All that now remained was to wait for the signal. And she was once more completely free to move. Better yet, since she did have a chemistry test today.

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The rest of the day passed quickly for Lelouch. The initiation party was crazy to say the least, and he put in a few minutes of time to test out several theories concerning his Geass. However, just how he ended up the one to escort a soaked Kallen to the baths was still beyond him. Maybe it was because he was blind and people thought he wouldn't do anything perverted. Well, he wouldn't, to be honest, but still it felt somewhat… insulting.

"Sorry for that. They can be a bit too much to handle at times…" he offered the girl apologetically, after he had helped place her belongings next to the bath.

"No problem. It's good to unwind from time to time." Kallen responded, trying her best not to let her annoyance surface. "Out of curiosity, how did you get here so fast? I thought that the male dorms were far away on the other side of the complex."

"I live here. The principal was forthcoming due to my lack of sight, and it's not like I go around peeping." He offered jokingly, and Kallen couldn't help but smile. He was a decent sort… for a Britannian.

"Ehm… miss Stadfelt?"

"Please, I'm… a bit uncomfortable being called that." She spoke somewhat darkly.

"Alright, miss Kallen, your phone is vibrating." He responded,

"Oh? Right, can you pass it over please?" she asked, giving a slight shake with her head as she hid herself behind the shower curtain. After all, you never knew who could walk in.

"Certainly." He responded, passing her the phone.

'_-'Hello Q1.'-'_

"You." Kallen whispered, her eyes widening as she recognized the voice. "Were you the one…?" she tried to ask, but the voice interrupted her mid sentence.

'_-'Quite. Meet me the day after tomorrow, at sixteen hundred hours, on the observation deck of the Tokyo tower '-' _the voice spoke, and just like that, the conversation was over.

"Is everything alright?"

"Eh, yeah. It is. Thanks for the help." She responded with a light blush, voice actually showing a hint of gratitude

"You're welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, the clothes are here, and I still have work to do. Enjoy your bath." He offered nicely, before turning around and walking out.

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"Hey, listen to this." Rivalz called all of the present members of the student council to the TV that was in the meeting room.

"What happened?" Shirley asked curiously as she drew herself closer, and sat down on the sofa.

"Prince Clovis has died. They say he's been murdered" Rivalz explained in a shocked tone

'_-'We interrupt this broadcast for breaking news. The man suspected for the murdered of prince Clovis has been arrested. According to reports, he is an Honorary Britannian soldier, Suzaku Kururugi. Once more, Suzaku Kururugi was arrested for the murder of prince Clovis.'-'_

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"Impossible." Lelouch barely muttered as he heard the announcement. He could feel his hands shaking as the comprehension settled in. As if it wasn't enough of a burden that he had murdered his brother, but one of the few friends he had left from his childhood was being tried for his death. The feeling of revulsion he had barely held in ever since he had stabbed his sword into Clovis' heart returned once more, and threatened to overwhelm what little self control he had left.

'_It wasn't Suzaku, it was us. Damn it, it wasn't even possible for Suzaku to kill Clovis, as he was too busy trying to stay alive. Since Margrave Gottwald took over, he is likely used as a scapegoat to avoid causing chaos. Hm, which gives me all the information I'd need to complete that plan. And I can't just let Suzaku die, especially for something that wasn't his fault in the first place. I have to stop that. Somehow.'_

"Lelouch? Are you alright? You look a bit pale..." Shirley asked, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Startled from his thoughts, he immediately got his head back together, and turned towards Shirley with a small, grateful smile. "Was it the news? Something that had happened?"

"I'm alright. I…. I've met prince Clovis before, he liked playing chess. It's shocking to hear he died." Lelouch half-lied. He didn't like doing this to Shirley, but he didn't have a choice, not for now at least. "But thanks for being concerned. I'll be alright." He added, gently grasping the hand she had put on his shoulder. Shirley immediately blushed at the action.

"N-no problem." She muttered. He suppressed any desire to laugh at the girl's discomfort by the thoughts of what he had to do, his mind going into overdrive to create a suitable plan. He had plunged Japan into chaos; he had caused the deaths in Shinjuku. And come hell or high water, he would not allow Suzaku to be killed.

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_The day after tomorrow  
Roughly 28 hours before the trial of Suzaku Kururugi  
Tokyo Tower, 15:58  
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How he found them was still beyond her. '_Probably the same way he found us in Shinjuku'_, she argued as she entered the observation deck in what now remained of Tokyo tower. Somewhere to her back, Oghi, Tamaki and Ishida kept to the background, as her leader refused to send her out alone to meet this 'voice' they heard.

'_16:00 at the observation deck, Tokyo tower. Why there of all places?'_

She still had her doubts, but if this person was as good as it had shown in Shinjuku, then his or her aid would be more than welcome.

'-'_Attention please, paging miss Kallen Stadfelt of Ashford academy. One of your personal belongings has effects has been turned in at the kiosk at the observation deck.'-' _the voice over the intercom stated, bringing Kallen out of her thoughts.

Without pause, Kallen moved to the kiosk, the woman working there handing her over a small cell phone.

"Something wrong? It belongs to you, right?" she asked, giving Kallen a slightly worried look as she looked at the phone in slight confusion.

Just as the red-head began walking away, the phone, set on silence, started vibrating in her hands. She gasped at the name on the screen. _'Zero?' _Quickly, she answered the call.

"Uhm…hello?" she greeted.

'_-'I want you to board the outbound train on loop line 5 and bring your friends as well.'-' _that same voice she remembered from Shinjuku responded to her greeting. With a quick wave, she had the others following him.

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At the same time, two figures, one a teen dressed in black pants and a red jacket, while the other, a slightly younger girl of similar features, was dressed in light training clothes, consisting of dark blue sweatpants and a jacket of the same color.

'_I was right. So, Kallen Stadfelt is one of the rebels, Q1 in fact... This will make things that much easier. Not to mention entertaining.'_

"Are you ready?" Lelouch asked Nunnally who was standing to his left, each of them carrying a training bag. Her right hand was holding onto her brother's, guiding him along.

"Hehe, I always wanted to try acting." The brunette responded with a giggle. "You sure I can't come with you?"

"I'm sure. Just wait for my signal. Is the other part done?"

"I've slipped the note when no one was watching. At worse, if anyone saw it, they would think it a love letter." Nunnally responded with a small, barely concealed giggle. Of course, her brother was less than amused.

"Well isn't that wonderful?" he muttered darkly as they entered the train, his Geass flaring to life.

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The train was calm, the usual passengers returning from work pretty much ignoring each other. Most of them were sitting tiredly in their seats, the few that were standing looking either bored to tears, or simply sleepy.

'_-'Attention all passengers, if you become aware of any suspicious items on board...'-'_ Kallen tuned out the rest of the announcer's voice, not really caring.

She was slightly nervous, and something seemed off, but she couldn't quite tell what, so she signed it off the nervousness. The subtle glances she threw around reminded her that her three companions were still with her. Soon enough, the phone vibrated again.

"What now?" she asked, putting up the phone to her ear, as casual as she could be to avoid attracting undue attention.

'_-'Face forward and look to your right. Tell me, what do you see?'-' _Zero ordered, his voice the still unchanged.

"I see the Britannian city, built on all that was taken from us." Kallen responded as she looked at the new buildings of the Concession, her voice growing more and more angry by the moment.

'_-'And on your left?'-'_

"I see our city. Remnants of a desiccated city after the Britannians bled it dry." She stated, sadness slowly filling her voice.

'_-'Good answer. Now make your way to the front of the train. It is time we met, face to face.'-' _Zero responded.

With a short gesture, Kallen walked forward, the trio following right behind her. None of them noticed the smiling face of a younger girl as they passed.

As they walked forward, the number of people in the cars decreased, until they reached the last one, seemingly empty apart for an imposing figure dressed in black.

There was something inherently frightening in the figure before them, the long black cloak tightly folded around its frame giving it the appearance of a great bat, but its presence spoke of other things as well. Somewhere in the back of their minds, they recognized the man for what he was: a predator, yet their conscious thoughts would only recognize it as slight fear.

"Were you the one on the phone?" Kallen asked, quickly flanked by her three companions.

"Were you he one in Shinjuku?" Oghi asked, "The one who brokered that ceasefire?"

For the time, the figure remained silent, as if waiting for an opportune moment.

"Hey, answer us!" Tamaki shouted. Just as the train entered a road tunnel, the figure turned, revealing itself in full glory. The cloak concealed a man dressed in a finely made suit, though even a cursory look revealed that it wasn't made just for the looks. The previously black cloak revealed to have golden trimming along its edges. But what struck them the most, was what covered the man's face: a hawkish mask, almost completely black except for a part of blue where his face would normally be. And it did nothing to distract from his predatory appearance, quite the contrary in fact, it enforced it.

"_How did you like my tour of the settlement?_" Zero spoke calmly.

"Your tour?" Ishida asked "There's no way it was this joker." He muttered, referring to the one who saved them in Shinjuku.

"_I wanted you to fully grasp the two, the ghetto and the settlement, the dark contrast created by the greed of Britannia." _He asked, his arms moving to point towards the two areas with open palms.

"Yeah, we know, there's a harsh difference, and that is why we resist them." Oghi answered with some mild irritation at the fact.

"_You're wrong. Britannia will never fall to simple terrorism."_

"Fall?" Oghi whispered. Again, it was those words, just like those the voice had spoken back in Shinjuku. Those same words that promised the impossible, and persuaded you they would deliver on them. And considering just what was achieved back there… his words now bore not just a little weight.

"_It's little better than childish nuisance. You should know your enemy, for it's not the people, but the empire of Britannia itself. It is a war you must wage, but not on the innocent. Take up your sword! Fight for Justice!"_

"Please, it's easy enough to say, hiding behind that mask. How can we trust you?" Kallen returned, crossing her arms and staring at him in rage. How dare he spout that?

"_The mask is a necessity. Both for the protection of those I hold dear…"_Zero stated, slowly raising his right arm, and gesturing at them_" and for your own._"

That statement brought up silence among them, as confusion descended on the rebels.

"What are you talking about?" Oghi asked confusedly.

"_A power that very few hold, a power able to change the course of history itself." _He began. Lelouch was uncertain about this course of action, it was a great risk, and the possible leak of information was a real possibility… though it wasn't like he could not erase their memories of the event, he didn't want to waste his one use of the Geass on them for such a trite thing. These weren't people close to him, and he wasn't willing to risk his plans for them. Yet. But secrets were a dangerous commodity to be held, and keeping them would always come back to bite you in the hind side .

Beneath his cloak, he pushed the send button on a well hidden cell phone, aimed at the one that Nunnally was holding. It was child's play to order the passengers to follow Nunnally's orders as well as his own.

The rebels tensed as the doors behind them opened. Weapons flashed out, the short knives each of them held coming out to defend themselves from his attempt at treachery.

"You want to kill us?" Tamaki snarled, preparing to defend himself from the approaching crowd, however, the few that didn't stay at the door simply filtered past them.

"_Not quite. Don't bother with them for the time being, they can't see you. Right now, those men and women are under my command, or rather, under the command of my power. The Geass compels them, that for the duration of this trip, they will obey my every order regardless of whether they would do so normally."_

Quieting down for a moment, from seemingly nowhere beneath his cloak, Zero produced a thin, long sword, the same one he had used to kill Clovis. Surprisingly, C.C. had recovered it before they left, and passed it back to him, a thin splatter of blood still present on the metal surface of the blade.

"_Watch._" He swung the blade at one of the men under the control of his Geass, stopping the sword at the man's neck, even drawing a thin line of blood, and the man didn't as much as twitch at the event.

"How the hell?" Ishida whispered from the back, his words a good show of the feelings of the others. The shock on their faces as indication enough as to what they were thinking, even if Lelouch couldn't see. The near silent gasps were heard regardless.

"_A glance and a few spoken words are enough_, _however, it goes against everything I aim to achieve to simply steal the wills of those who would follow me._" Zero responded _'If that was what I did, I would be little better than the Britannians themselves.'_

'_So that mask is probably to keep him from affecting us. If those are the effects, it's probably for the best' _Oghi reasoned, but remained silent. The look of understanding on Kallen's face spoke of the same. Neither of them was very much interested in him removing his mask anymore.

"_And I am hardly the only one. I am quite certain that Britannia has at least a few bearers. But for now, allow me to introduce Ghost._" Zero gestured towards the crowd where a figure dressed in white walked forward. Slightly shorter than Zero himself, the feminine figure was dressed in what seemed to be a jumpsuit covered by a similar, only asphalt gray cloak, the mask on her face seemingly a standard imperial pilot mask, though the visor was completely opaque from their side. As they turned to look in more detail, however, everything went chaotic as Nunnally's Geass activated.

Any sure sense of perception shattered as vision of one person was replaced by another, each and every one of their senses being exchanged by those of another. To Kallen's growing horror, her sight shifted between what seemed to be first Oghi, then Ishida, and then some of the people present there.

"_A pleasure lady and gentlemen." _Ghost announced, with a theatric bow, the voice decidedly female, but heavily modulated, and impossible to recognize. "_I apologize for the inconvenience, but my lord asked for a demonstration, and I loathe refusing._"

"Who the hell are you people?" Tamaki asked, eyes wide in horror at the two entities that now stood before them. Ghost slowly walked past them, taking her place at Zero's side, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder, effectively leaning on him.

"_Before I answer that question, allow me to introduce Ghost for who she is, the pilot who saved your lives and defeated the enemy knightmare that obliterated your forces._" Zero proudly stated "_As for who we are, we are the ones who will destroy everything Britannia stands for and create a new world on its ashes. I called you here for the same reason._"

Oghi and Kallen, as dumbstruck by the raw power the two before them presented were still cautious however. Such power, but still, if it was enough, they would not

"If you are so powerful, why do you need us?" Oghi asked, still slightly shaken from the experience.

"_No man, no matter how powerful can take on an empire alone. I ask that you be the ones who stand by my side and help me achieve those goals. In return, I promise you the liberation of Japan from the forces of Britannia. I ask that you put your trust in me once more._" He stated calmly, the distorted voice sounding caring, even as he sheathed the sword. Silence descended between the two groups, even as Zero waved and the passengers affected by the Geass left the car. Each of the people present had descended deep into thought; however, each of them knew the final decision was up to Oghi.

"Alright then." Oghi finally stated, to the only slight surprise of the others. "What are your orders?"

A smile spread behind two masks, their first objective was achieved.

"_Tomorrow, I shall give reason to your trust. Tomorrow, I shall deliver to you the impossible._" Zero announced, his raised right hand clutching at the air, as if to grasp at the truth of what he spoke.

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Lelouch sighed as he opened the door that lead to the academy roof. He had asked Milly to come, and it would be in poor taste for him not to show up. As he walked over the flat surface of the rooftop terrace, he could hear her breath softly, the sound only louder against the silence of the night.

"I got your message. Is it that time yet, Lulu?" Milly asked somberly, looking at the grounds of the academy, and the city that stretched beyond its borders in the coming night.

"I fear that it soon might be." Lelouch responded, sitting down next to her, back resting against the railing. "Milly, remember what we discussed a year ago? The promise I made to you?"

"I do." Milly responded, her left hand brushing a stray lock of blond hair from her face.

"It will soon begin."

"And now you want me to make my choice?"

"No, not yet. But I had to tell you, to at least give you some time to consider things before we passed the event horizon. It is the least I owe you." The blind teen responded, shaking his head lightly.

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought. Though, what will happen to your sister?" she asked softly.

"She stands with me by her own decisions and choices." He stated. "Not that I had any word in the matter… you know how stubborn she can be if she wants to."

"I see. Quite like you." She stated with a soft sigh, raising a dainty hand to her forehead. She had many doubts about this, about what was going to happen, and she was given few choices in the matter. Should she go along with her family's decisions, and try and marry into nobility? Or should she grant her family's support to Lelouch and his plans? If it wasn't for the fact that Lelouch had no perceivable way of once more becoming royalty, the two of them would have likely been married by now. But something about him drew her in, like a moth to the flame.

As much as she teased, Milly perfectly understood why Shirley liked Lelouch so much, perhaps even better than Shirley herself did. Ever since she had met him, he was a source of strength to all those around him, both by his presence, and by his sheer will. It took great strength to retain one's spirit after all he had been through, and Lelouch not only survived, but _thrived_. And something told her that he would find a way to achieve his plans, in spite all odds. Soon, she would have to make her decision, and that was something she wasn't looking forward to.

"Grandpa is growing old, and mother and father have slowly begun putting pressure on me to take the reins instead of them." Milly stated calmly. "How will I know what to watch for?"

Lelouch hadn't held much love for her parents since the day he'd met them. The two, while they possessed some level of love for their daughter, saw her first as an asset in their quest to regain their status as nobility, which they had lost in the aftermath of Marianne's death. And were it not for the fact that he and Nunnally were politically useless… he didn't want to consider what would have happened.

"There is a name I intend to use… an alias, a symbol. Both to hide my identity from those who would target those dear to me, and to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies. Watch the news tonight; you'll get to see something interesting. And I doubt you'll have problems recognizing me."

"Shirley will be heartbroken if she finds out, you know." She offered sadly, while inside she was wondering what he could have possibly meant. _'But there's nothing important happening except… Oh my, daring as ever of you Lulu.' _she realized with a grin.

"I fear that might be the case. But I will still do everything in my power to prevent that from happening." Lelouch responded, his emotions matching her own. Shirley was dear to him, a close friend who always cared about him. One of the few who never teased him about his lack of sight, even if she was a bit bossy when he went on gambling. He felt his heart clench at the very thought of her being harmed, just the same feeling he felt at the idea of Nunnally, or Milly suffering the same. Nina and Rivalz weren't as close to his heart as the three girls, but he still cared for them. This academy, this sanctuary… he would protect it. Somehow, he would find a way.

Silently he got up, and began walking towards the stairs.

"Lulu." Milly called him. For a moment, Lelouch stood still, waiting for her to answer.

"Save your friend, but please be careful. I don't know what I would do if you or Nunnally got hurt." She spoke sadly. _'I can't wait to see what you will do Lelouch vi Britannia. Make me proud.'_

"I promise." Lelouch responded, walking off with a sad smile on his face. However, before he managed to leave, he heard her voice once more. _'I won't disappoint you Milly.**That** I promise you.'_

"Also, if you don't accept when Shirley asks you out next time, I'm spilling _everything_." She threatened with a smile. Lelouch felt a shiver run up his spine, Milly _never_ gave _empty_ threats. Well, it could be worse. She could have set him up on a _blind _date. And why Shirley, surely she didn't feel anything more than friendship about him, right?

* * *

**Author's notes:** And there is the end of this chapter as well. I hope you liked how I handled the changes so far.

Some of you may already have some ideas as to what will soon happen, and though I intend to make rather drastic changes in some events, certain others, such as ehm, Orange, will remain (for one, I loved the look on Jeremiah's face whenever someone mentioned the word Orange or Zero afterward).

I'm still not completely sure about my portrayal of C.C. yet, but I'm working on it.

Well, that's about it. Until next time, leave your reviews. Like so many other authors here, I enjoy those very much.


	6. Inception Point: The Masquerade

**Author's Ramblings:** Hello again everyone. I"m back with yet another chapter of the story. Might as well use freebies my muse is giving me while they last, eh?

Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

_

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Chapter 5: Inception Point: The Masquerade and the Miracle_

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_Tokyo Settlement  
Central highway, nightfall_  
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With unsurprisingly much fanfare, the transport of Suzaku Kururugi to the military tribunal for the alleged murder of prince Clovis la Britannia slowly milled along the main highway. Everywhere across Area 11, people were watching the events unfold with mixed emotions. To some of the citizens of Area 11 Kururugi was a hero, the one who 'stuck it up' the Britannians by killing one of the royals, while to others he was still a traitor to his own people. Most of the Britannian populace though, shared a similar opinion: a man who betrayed his oath to Britannia, a Number who dared raise his hand against the might of the glorious Britannian Empire, and as such, he had to die.

The central armored transport was flanked by two Sutherlands, as well as two more to the front and back, the last two piloted by Jeremiah Gottwald and Villeta Nu, respectively, both setting their Knightmares on autopilot, and standing atop the massive frames of their mechs.

'_Diethard certainly knows how to do his job.'_ Jeremiah mused,

And indeed he did, as the crowds that stood on the sides of the street consisted of mostly 'good, patriotic' Britannians, as in, those loyal to the Margrave's Purist faction's beliefs. It was a well organized event, planned to the minutest of details by the Britannian journalist, Diethard Reid.

Said man merely watched from his TV van, his crew already doing most of the job.

"What a circus this is, and I'm as corrupt as any of them." he stated to the empty space around him, voice filled with amusement. At this point, he would have killed for something interesting to happen, but he knew he wasn't lucky enough for it.

Jeremiah smiled confidently from his Sutherland. Everything was going along perfectly, and in an hour, the set up trial of Suzaku Kururugi would begin.

Personally, quite like his subordinate Villeta, he cared very little about the actual beliefs of the Purist faction, seeing them as merely a means by which to achieve a goal. However, when one spends a lot of time spewing bullshit, it becomes a habit over time, or worse still, a belief of one's own. The Honorary Britannian system provided a benefit to the military in the form of fresh troops. As any veteran, he understood the value of bringing fresh blood into the fold.

A shame the boy had to die, though. He seemed a talented sort, and he had no doubt that Lloyd was deeply annoyed over the loss of his new pilot, but at this point, they needed a scapegoat to maintain peace. And he certainly wasn't going to state that not only had prince Clovis been killed by a _Britannian_ sword, but that the contents of his vault were stolen. He doubted that _former_ general Bartley was involved, but he didn't have any other ideas.

The question remained, who had truly killed prince Clovis? A part of him was worried, as he himself had seer, or more precisely, heard the events that transpired in Shinjuku. The way that the Britannian military was not only stopped, but fully defeated by a handful of stolen Knightmares under the command of some shadow commander… who somehow stole Villeta's Knightmare and proceeded to destroy Earl Asplund's new toy.

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From her vantage point, Ghost watched over the proceedings with great care. She was to be her brother's eyes, to make up for any lacking in his own ability to see and to ensure that he would get away safely. Sitting in an empty apartment of a building located several hundred meters away from the spot where Zero and Kallen were about to meet the convoy, she liberally abused the little built in detail of her helmet.

She was scared to ask just how he got it in just two days, but connected to the helm's electronics was an infantry sniper factsphere, a device designed to synch with any advanced sniper rifle and completely replace the normal targeting system. Hence, the rather impressive optical zoom hidden beneath the visor of her mask was allowed to work without any problems feeding her with impressive amounts of data. The built-in database was far more limited than those mounted on Knightmares, and its analysis speed was lower, however, it was still a godsend.

"I should have known… he never does things halfway." She stated offhandely, content in the knowledge that she was ready to fulfill her part of the job in what was certainly to be the biggest TV show of the year, if not the decade.

Neither her brother, nor she were going to let Suzaku die like that. Bonds, especially close ones, were a powerful thing, and to both of them, Suzaku was among their first real friends, and apart for princess Euphemia and Milly, one of the closest people they had.

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At the academy, Milly finalized the preparations of her own plan for the night. Since she had a 'show' to observe, she, ehm, persuaded the other members of the student council (sans Lelouch, Nunnally and Kallen, of course), to join her there. What fun was TV if you didn't have others nearby to enjoy it with?

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'_-'Lord Jeremiah, an unidentified vehicle is approaching main highway from third. '-' _a voice over his radio interrupted his train of thoughts. He couldn't say he wasn't expecting anything to happen, after all, to many, Kururugi was a hero for his 'murder' of prince Clovis, even though he was an Honorary Britannian. A part of him worried about the possibility of him being turned into a martyr with his death, however, this was still a necessity.

"Any chances it could be a terrorist?" he asked casually.

'_-'I don't know Sir, but it seems to be Prince Clovis' personal car! '-'_

"Let them through." He stopped with a small laugh" Looks like we have a comedian on our hands. Everyone, stop the convoy."

To the slight surprise of the public, the entire convoy stopped, Jeremiah calmly waiting for the vehicle to arrive. He eyed the vehicle with a mixture of contempt, annoyance and entertainment. Whatever inspired the person behind the wheel to do this, whether insanity or stupidity, they would soon be taken care of.

"You dare desecrate his highness' transport? Get out here!" Jeremiah shouted at the car. To the surprise of all present, yet again, on the upper part of the car, the tapestry bearing the royal insignia suddenly caught fire, quickly burning off and revealing the masked figure of Zero, standing there with absolute confidence as if there weren't hundreds of soldiers ready to take him out. Motes of fire glowed brightly against the darkness of his mask, eerily reflected in its mirror-like surface. And he was counting on it, on all of it. It was time for this game to begin, and all that remained was ensuring one final condition.

'_-'All according to plan, my lord. Apart for those you counted on, the area is clear and their numbers roughly match what you expected, and the leader is the honorable Margrave himself. All pieces are in position. Should I proceed with the next step?'-' _Ghost's voice reported over the built-in radio in his helmet.

"_As you see fit Ghost._" He whispered over the line, preparing himself for the greatest piece of greatest gamble he ever made in his life.

"_I am Zero_." His determined voice announced through the modulator. The statement gave pause to everyone but the cameras which immediately shifted to display him. The previously loud crowd grew silent as the eyes of an entire country focused on one person.

'_The first turn of the openings is nearly complete, just a bit more.'_

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Kaname Oghi prepared himself, silently seated in the civilian transport frame they had acquired for this operation.

'_He promised us, he gave his word. To deliver the impossible, to give us a Miracle. To save Suzaku Kururugi.' _He repeated to himself, attempting to steady himself. He had placed Kallen under Zero's watch, and the debt he felt he owed her older brother weighed upon him heavily.

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"I've seen enough Zero." Jeremiah stated, firing a round into the air. Immediately four Knightmares descended from their aerial transports, landing in a perfect encircling formation around the transport. "First things first, why don't you lose the mask."

"An unseen smile formed beneath the mask even as he raised his left hand, putting it right next to the surface of his mask, as if he were about to remove it, only to suddenly move it up, and for him to snap his fingers. Behind him the fake wooden frame broke apart to reveal the same device that once held C.C.

"What the…?" Jeremiah barely spoke, recognition dawning

"Lord Jeremiah! It's the…" Villeta shouted from behind, having recognized the spherical piece of machinery for what she was certain it was, a large canister containing poison gas.

"You bastard!" Jeremiah snarled _'That's the nerve gas that was never recovered. And now he holds every Britannian here hostage, and he's done it without them even knowing it!'_

'_Yes lord Jeremiah, you never saw what was inside this thing, you still believe it is filled with poison gas.'_

"Fine, what do you want?" Jeremiah asked, still enraged at the event.

"_In exchange, this for Kururugi._"Zero confidently stated.

'_-'Lord Zero, Britannian cameraman at ten o' clock, fifteen meters away.'-' _the voice of Ghost informed him. Excellent, just what he needed.

"Like hell! He is charged with high treason for murdering a prince! I can't just hand him over"

"_You are wrong Lord Jeremiah. Kururugi is not a murdered. Rather,_" he trailed off, his right hand suddenly rising from beneath his cloak with a sword. With a single swing, the sword was raised, leveled straight at Jeremiah Gottwald's heart. At the same time, his head turned to face the journalist with the camera.

It had taken those in the know a moment to realize just what he implied, even before he stated anything. Unless he was terribly mistaken, and he had a feeling he was not, the sword, covered by a few thin smudges of blood, was indeed the murder weapon. He had arranged for fake evidence, but the means of the prince's murder wasn't revealed to the public. And his shocked face had just confirmed that truth to anyone who watched

"_The one who murdered Clovis... was myself._" He announced, giving the cameras a wide swipe of his sword, right before sheathing it and grabbing the trigger switch.

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'_My god, it's all a great performance to him.'_ Diethard thought, a wide smile on his lips as he realized that he was sitting front seat at what had the potential to turn into the greatest story of his lifetime.

'_We're so screwed.' _Kallen thought from the driver's, nervously grasping the steering wheel before her. She was certain of it, they were about to die, and she had finally made that one mistake that would cost her everything.

"What the hell is he doing? There's no way out of there." Oghi near shouted, and the only thing holding him back from trying to charge in and save Kallen was the fact that somewhere in the back of his mind he still wanted it to succeed, he still wanted that one miracle to happen. He wanted to believe Zero. He wanted to believe _in_ Zero. Because, if Zero was a lie, they truly didn't have any hope left of making Japan a free country once more.

'_What the hell? How did he pull it off?' _Villeta wondered even as her own hands shook with nervousness. Doubts gathered in her mind, and thoughts, rather unpleasant ones, occurred as well. If he had the nerve gas they couldn't recover, and was the one who had killed prince Clovis, it also meant that he was likely the one who defeated the Britannian military there.

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Within the academy student council building, all of Lelouch and Nunnaly's friends were watching the TV, some with better awareness of the events than others.

"What's happening?" Rivalz asked no one in particular as he drew himself closer to the screen.

With great interest, Milly Ashford, who immediately realized just who Zero was, given the absence of certain people and the hints she was given, it was not that hard.

"What is that man doing?" Shirley asked, slightly worried as the events unfolded.

"I don't know, but I really want to see how he plans to get out of there." Rivalz responded. Silently nodding from behind them, Milly agreed. She did indeed look forward to seeing her Lulu kick butt, even if those were fellow Britannians.

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"Sir? You might want to watch this." Cecile gently called her eccentric boss from his ever-growing stack of papers. The minor and major changes and future plans for the Lancelot were a full-time job, and the only think keeping the scientist's irritation from getting the better of him;

"What is it Cecile?" the earl responded somewhat tiredly. He needed Suzaku dammit! No matter what he plotted out, without the perfect piece of the equation that the teen was, his prized machine was useless, and even if he could find another pilot, he sincerely doubted that any of them could achieve that 94 percent synch rate that he had. Well, maybe the pilot of that rogue Knightmare, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe he or she would suddenly switch sides.

"Look." She stated "Something's going on with Suzaku."

"Oh?" he asked in his usual nasal tone "Zero? Well, that sounds curious."

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"_For a single eleven, you'll save scores of precious Britannians. I find that a bargain."_

"He's mad I tell you, disguising this truck as his highnesses! He will pay the price for mocking the crown!" Jeremiah shouted. It was a futile attempt at controlling the situation, he knew, but he still had to try.

"_Careful! You don't wish the public to learn of Orange, do you?"_Zero asked

"Huh?" he somewhat dully muttered, completely confused by his statement _'What the hell is he talking about? Orange? What the hell does that even mean?'_

With a gentle tap of his foot, he signaled Kallen to move forward. His left hand held the trigger for the gas, his right prepared to hit the switch to reveal the small part of his mask over his left eye. The chaos caused by his Geass would be enough to cover their escape.

"_If I die, it will all go public. If you don't want that to happen, you'll do everything in your power to let us go, your prisoner as well" _he stated, the Geass compulsion taking root in the mind of Jeremiah Gottwald.

"Understood." Jeremiah calmly responded, before turning at the two guards who were holding Suzaku. "You there, release the prisoner! What are you waiting for?"

'_All according to plan.' _He thought with some entertainment. The small sliding part had covered his face again, and the hand that covered the switch immediately moved to switch his radio to the broadcast frequency for his group.

"_Get ready, the endgame is upon us." _He calmly stated. Kallen, Oghi and Nunnally immediately understood.

'_-'Understood, and ready. As soon as you give the signal.'-' _Oghi was the first to respond, the rebel's slightly concerned voice echoing over the encrypted line.

'_-'Understood my lord. Your extraction route is ready: two meters at five o'clock, and five further to the edge at ten o' clock.'-' _Ghost returned her part of the data.

"_Excellent work. Get ready to evacuate as soon as possible." _Zero commanded as he watched the normally formed figure of Suzaku Kururugi. It struck him then, just why he could see some people and not others apparently. He had seen Nunnally and Milly before, as well Clovis, and by some extension C.C., if the establishing of the contract counted. And he had seen Suzaku's face when Nunnally stole his sight in combat. However, he was also aware that Jeremiah Gottwald was once stationed in the Aries Villa, and he had seen him once or twice, but he still remained a crystalline figure. So, his vision only showed those he knew and had seen. The light within grew stronger in those he knew, and fainter in those he didn't. Shirley and Rivalz had glowed brightly when he had tried, and so had Sayoko and Nina. He would have to experiment some more, but he now had a solid grasp of his powers. And it was time to end with this charade.

"So who are you anyw…arghh." Suzaku tried to ask, but the shock from the collar stopped him from completing his sentence.

"_I expected as much from Britannia. Judged and sentenced without being even given the chance to speak for yourself._" Zero noted with some sadness, verbally pointing at the collar around Suzaku's neck.

"It's time to go Zero." Kallen seriously stated from next to him. She was getting nervous, and the sooner they were out of there, the better.

"Very well then, till next time." He responded, lifting the trigger mechanism, and pressing down the button that activated the gas release. The crowd blossomed into panic as the darkish gas flowed out of the container, all of them fooled by the deception, leaving the trio to escape almost unopposed.

"You cowardly eleven!" Villeta screamed as she tried to open fire at them. Keyword being tried, of course, as Jeremiah's Knightmare suddenly stood in the way, nearly slamming into her a he lifted the rifle away from Zero.

"Stand down soldier!" Jeremiah commanded under the influence of the Geass, his own rifle aimed at Villeta's knightmare.

In the cover of the ensuing panic, Lelouch focused his mind on following the pathway that Ghost, or rather Nunnally projected for him. There was no doubt in his mind as he dragged Suzaku and Kallen with him through the cover of smoke and leaped over the road's edge.

Kewell tried jumping over the edge of the road, hoping to follow and stop Zero from escaping, but there was no one there apart for an almost destroyed service frame. Not even the factsphere mounted on his frame could detect any movement.

It was over, a number of people across Japan suddenly understood. Zero, had won his first battle.

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Milly had barely suppressed her feelings of growing horror when she had seen the gas come out. For that moment, her normal demeanor left her, as the very shock of the idea that Lelouch could do something so horrible paralyzed her in her seat. The others reacted similarly, so her reaction remained unseen, but the sudden pang in her heart was real. Was her close friend truly a monster? Was this what he wanted to show her? That he was able to kill?

No, she refused to believe that. Not Lulu, Nunnally would never let him, no matter how much she loved him. And even if she somehow did, he would never do something like that. There was Clovis' death, but that wasn't the same, even she could tell as much!

When it was finally revealed that the gas was a fake, merely colored smoke, she let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight fell off of her shoulders and from her heart as well. Lelouch wasn't a murdering monster. He hadn't just murdered several hundred innocent civilians

He was still the Lulu she knew and cared for, even if he now took on a mask to accomplish his goals. Goals, which now seemed far less outlandish than they did before, and that made making her decision somewhat easier.

'_Does Lulu even realize the effect he has on people?' _she wondered in silence, considering the consequences of all of his actions. For one, she doubted that Margrave Jeremiah would retain his title after this, though she did make a mental note to ask Lelouch as to just what was Orange. Probably just like everyone else, it intrigued her quite a bit.

She would wait and watch… for the time being at least. Lelouch wasn't the only one who employed strategy when it was needed.

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"Man, I still can't believe it actually worked." Ishida commented with some amount of awe and amazement, bringing up his bottle of beer, and clanking it against that of Oghi. None of them had a tendency to drink, but after tonight, there were both reasons to relax, and to celebrate.

"Yeah, who is this guy?" Tamaki added. The normally talkative man was unusually terse as well. Every argument he had was shot down during the events of the night combined with the battle several days ago. Somehow, things seemed brighter once more. Though everyone around him knew that the change in the chain of command didn't suit the talkative man overly much.

"You gotta give the guy some credit, though." Oghi stated, to mutters of approval and agreement. "Gotta admit it, nobody else could have pulled it off. Not the Japanese Liberation Front, and certainly not me. "

"Yeah, to think the guy predicted their every move, and countered it. He might be as good as Todoh of Miracles."

"We've always thought that full armed war with Britannia wasn't a possibility, but with him, it might be. " Oghi added, raising his bottle in toast of Zero.

"To Zero!" Tamaki offered with a smile, the others joining in.

Throughout the conversation, Kallen remained oddly silent, as if she wasn't one of the prime actors of the show staged by Zero. Deep in thought, she was thinking of her brother, of what he died for. While she agreed with what Oghi had said, with a person like Zero at their side they might actually stand a chance, however slim… but on the other hand, what would Naoto have done? Maybe she could put her trust into him. Maybe she couldn't. But she wanted to believe, just like she believed in her brother.

"Though… does anyone have an idea who he is? Or that Ghost woman you mentioned?" Inoue asked curiously, Zero and Ghost's hidden identity drawing her attention.

"I don't know. But I think we can trust them, from what I can tell Ghost follows Zero zealously, and Zero holds even less love for Britannia than us." Oghi replied, taking a long chug from his bottle, before throwing it away, the sound of glass breaking soon following.

"Yeah. Maybe she writes his speeches." Ishida jokingly offered, to the chuckles of all present.

"Or maybe they're lovers!" Inoue continued, the others breaking into laughter as each and every one of them offered an even stranger or more incredible possibility.

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"_I see they've handled you quite roughly, private Kururugi._" Zero stated, talking to the newly liberated Suzaku. He had prepared a speech, but he no longer felt it would be of any use. "_How are you feeling?_"

"Better, I suppose." Suzaku responded, head falling a bit down. He was tired, exhausted even, and the lack of food for an entire day had left him weakened. "Is it true? Were you the one who killed prince Clovis?"

"_It was I. Quite unlike what they've stated, Clovis died by my blade in a duel, I do not kill people like animals, not even my enemies. Besides, this is war, why wouldn't I kill an enemy commander?_"

"And the gas? Those were civilians!" Suzaku struggled, weakly.

"_A bluff, no more than smoke and mirrors mean to open a path out without causing a battle and taking lives. And besides, it was another secret hidden by prince Clovis, there was never any poison gas inside._" Zero disarmed his argument. "_Britannia is rotten to the core Suzaku Kururugi. I ask you to join me. To stand at my side and change this world for the better._"

"Maybe it's true. But this nation… I believe it can be changed for the better from within." He stated, a sad smile showing up on his face before it hardened as he turned and began walking away.

"Besides, any gains gained through contemptible means aren't worth anything." he added, and Lelouch barely suppressed a chuckle at that.

"_So where are you going?" _Zero asked with some curiosity.

"My court martial begins in an hour."

"_You are aware that the entire trial is a farce, with faked proof, and everyone there to simply sentence? Judge, prosecutor and defense?"_

"Rules are rules, and if I don't attend, they'll only crack down even worse on the Japanese, not to mention Honorary Britannians"

"_So be it, Suzaku Kururugi, but answer me a question before you leave. If the means I employ are contemptible, what then is the direct betrayal of one's home, pride, honor and family? The murder of one's own people on the orders of his superiors? You made yourself a soldier in the service of Britannia, perhaps in the hope of helping your own people along the line… however, what will you do when the path you walk upon demands that you chose between your people's salvation or obeying your new masters? What would you do if your superiors ordered you to kill, say, Kaguya Sumeragi?" _Zero asked in a calm voice which hid well the turmoil that hid beneath the surface. The final words caused Suzaku to freeze in place. He was too shocked to even ask how he knew the name of his dear cousin. But the answer was clear to him

"I… I don't know. I think… I think I would refuse." He spoke, head moving upward to gaze at the moon.

"_See me however you will, Suzaku Kururugi. A champion of the people or a blackguard who turns to despicable means to win... it is your choice to make, but before you judge me, consider first your own actions, and consider the necessity of mine." _Zero spoke, letting Suzaku start walking away.

"For what it's worth, thank you for saving my life." Suzaku stated, giving the masked way one last word of goodbye.

"_While I don't believe in your path, I wish you luck all the same. If you change your mind, know that my doors are still open, and that my offer still stands." _Zero offered final words of his own.

As Suzaku walked away, a second figure, dressed in white joined Zero. The pair watched the white-clad figure walk away in mild confusion, his mind filled with questions and doubts.

"_He's still the same, as he was 7 years ago." _Nunnally stated, a single tear streaking beneath her mask. "_I could barely stop myself from running to hug him and throwing away my mask._"

"_I know what you mean. I wanted to remove mine as well, but..." _he trailed off with a sigh.

" _It's a shame… however, I wouldn't give up just yet. A seed has been planted today, and one day soon, it will blossom. Into what, I cannot yet tell." _Lelouch stated solemnly as they both walked away to rejoin the rebels.

"_Do you think we will meet him again my lord?_" Nunnally asked, the customary title she addressed Zero with, though needless, still present.

"_Only time will tell, though I am certain we will meet on the battlefield._" The young man stated, shrugging his shoulders lightly, even as the rebel group cheered at their arrival.

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"My lady, the transports are ready to move out." Gilbert G.P. Guilford, the knight of the second princess Cornelia li Britannia announced to his princess.

Her ladyship, dressed in her usual clothes sat atop her Gloucester, eyeing their most recent victory over the territory that was now Area 18.

"Good. Thank you Guilford."

"Do you think Area 11 needs our usual treatment?" next to them Andreas Darlton asked.

"I think it does. Just you wait Zero, I'll draw you out. Then I'll repay you for Clovis' death." Cornelia stated, the final part of her threat spoken to the wind rather than to her two companions.

* * *

**Author's notes:** And thus the career of one Jeremiah Gottwald got scr****. Oh, and Suzaku survived. Strange thing, that… I actually thought about what would happen if I killed him off here, but I didn't like it.

And yes, I'm yet to reveal Orange-boy's plans for now. That will come soon.

Anyway, the speech, as you've noticed, was vastly different from the original, and occurs because of the way Lelouch has changed. Unless you've failed to notice, he intentionally targeted the man's beliefs, and that was for several purposes, though I'm pretty sure most of you can figure them out.

This is also NOT the end of the Inception Point arc, as the next two chapters will deal with the aftermath of this, Cornelia and Euphie's arrival to Japan, and all that other stuff, including the infamous 'Hotel incident' and the formation of the Black Knights. Only then does it end.

So, until then, read, review, do your stuff. I'll try and put out the next chapter as soon as possible.


	7. Inception Point: Plans

**Author's Ramblings:** Ugh... I'm tired. Barely managed to write this up, and it's the middle of the night here, so I'm off to sleep.

Enjoy the chapter, and review please. Also, get ready for the Arc finale next chapter!

* * *

_Chapter 6: Inception Point: Plans_

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_Tokyo Concession  
Ashford Academy  
Same night_  
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Lelouch groaned as he opened the doors of his room. To say he was tired, was an understatement of the highest order. The use of his Geass-induced vision, the compensation for all the minor changes in his plan, and the very fact that he hadn't slept much the past few nights had brought him to the point of exhaustion.

The fact that as members of the Student Council, they could come and go as they pleased was a very welcome one. The ability to enter even at this time would allow them some rest before the morning.

Normally, the two would each go to their own rooms and sleep, but for tonight, Nunnally had expressed the need to stay close tonight.

He couldn't keep a weary smile from crossing his lips at the thought. No matter how mature his little sister was, the many fears and darker memories she had still got to her now and then, and it wasn't like he didn't appreciate the feeling of closeness. And the unconscious hugs she tended to give him weren't all that unpleasant. He cared for his little sister very much, and the minor discomfort he felt was an unimportant thing compared to making her happy.

"Come on little sister, you have to change. I am too tired to help." he whispered softly to the sleeping form of his sister in his arms. For the umpteenth time, he thanked Sayoko for drilling morning conditioning exercises into him. If it wasn't for those, he wouldn't have been able to physically endure all of this.

"I don't wanna…" the girl in his arms pouted, nuzzling her face into his chest, bringing up a further smile.

"Alright, alright." He replied softly, putting her down on the bed. He was aware that C.C. was there, resting, but not fully asleep, and frankly, he couldn't bring himself to care. If there was trouble next morning, he would take care of it then.

Slowly, gently, he removed her shoes, and made her as comfortable as he could, before taking care of some of his own clothes. He didn't care much for sleeping dressed, but undressing still required more strength than he had left. He would bear with the discomfort for one morning.

With the last bits of his strength, he crawled into bed, lying on his back as his unseeing eyes stared upwards. Soon enough, his dear sister turned to hug him, head once more returning to his chest. He couldn't see it, but he could feel the warmth beaming from that innocent, angelic smile on her face. He even considered turning on his Geass just so that he could see it once more, as it was one of those things he never grew tired of.

With a content smile, his weary eyes closed, letting him descend into the realm of dreams at last. His last thought, before his consciousness, was a bare perception of Sayoko entering the room, and that e would have to thank her in the morning.

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Today, was not going to be a good day, Lelouch decided as he woke up and tried to get off the bed, only to step into _something_. Nunnally was long gone, and the other body that rested on the bed belonged to C.C., who seemed to be chuckling at the grimace he had made.

"I'm glad you're entertained C.C., now would you care to explain just what I stepped into?"

"A pizza." The girl responded, rolling over from her previous position on the bed, and straight into his back.

"And how, pray tell, did a pizza get here?" he continued

"I ordered it, like everyone else does." She deadpanned, as if he were asking the most stupid question in the world, which, in truth, he probably was.

"And what did you pay it with?" Lelouch asked, though at this point, he _really _didn't want to know.

"Your credit card." She finished, ignoring the growing twitch above the teen's eye as she scrounged up a surviving piece of pizza from one of the boxes from somewhere around her. He didn't even want to bother with it.

"C.C., someone could have seen you." He offered in an irritated voice

"Don't presume to lecture me Lelouch Lamperouge. I know how to take care of myself." She replied coldly, and Lelouch bit back the reply he wanted to give her. Arguing with her served no purpose.

"Please tell me you haven't been causing trouble."

"Who knows. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." she smiled while speaking. "I did watch your performance last night…"

"Hm. And I suppose you have an opinion on that as well?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I? Why go to such lengths to save Suzaku's life, only to let him walk away after all that trouble?" she asked, voice only slightly exasperated.

"Because he was a friend. I cannot and will not make a sacrifice out of him just to achieve my goals."

"Hm. Or are you just afraid what your little sister would say?" C.C. prodded further, finally getting up from her indisputably comfortable position.

"Infuriating woman." He muttered as he got up and walked away. C.C. impassively watched him, keeping as silent as he was.

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Elsewhere, one Suzaku Kururugi took in a deep breath of air as he walked out into freedom. With the public statement made by Zero last night, he was quickly cleared of all charges, and reinstated to his former position.

It felt good to be free, he mused, carrying a small duffle bag over his shoulder while a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, covering much of his face. Though for now, he had nothing to do. Well, there was renewing the lease on his small apartment, but knowing Lloyd, he was soon going to move into the barracks, so that was a moot point.

"So, what do I do now?" he asked himself, a light smile on the teen's face as he decided it was about time for a decent breakfast. Even his stomach decided to voice its agreement to that course of action. "Breakfast it is."

The streets of the Tokyo Settlement were nostalgic, he realized as he walked by. He hadn't been there in quite a while, his stay in the Britannian military had limited his movements to the army barracks, the training centers and of course, the ghettos. There was no sign of the old Tokyo he remembered from before the war, but he had visited these streets several times over the years before he had made his decision to join the military, and make his attempt to change things from within.

As much as he hated to admit it, what Zero had stated last night… it wasn't pleasant to think of it, but he forced himself, regardless. If he allowed doubt to affect his course of action, all that he had done so far, all his mistakes and choices would be meaningless. But he had a point. What would he do if he was asked to kill someone close to him?

Would he be able to kill, if he was ordered to kill for instance Kaguya? Or Nunnally and Lelouch?

He knew the answer to that question already. It was no. A certain, resounding no. But for what was probably the tenth time this morning, he asked himself 'what if?'. And answers were sadly lacking.

A sudden scream, decidedly womanly scream at that, broke him out of his darkening thoughts. With no little amount of confusion he looked up to notice a pink haired woman falling straight on him.

"Eh?" he mouthed rather dumbly before his instincts kicked in, and he moved to catch her before she hit the ground. His well trained body moved with little effort, even if he lacked the energy to operate normally, and soon enough, the falling girl found herself caught by Suzaku right before she hit the ground.

"Hello?" he offered with a smile.

"Hey." The pink-haired girl sent back with a friendly wave and a smile. "Ehm, there are some bad men after me… would you please help me?"

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Jeremiah was angry. Both at Zero and at himself, as he still couldn't remember what had happened at that highway. Before he was demoted and arrested, he had watched the recordings of those events. How? Why? Those questions remained without answer still.

He no longer had the backing of the purists, and the only person he knew remained loyal to him was Villeta. And he would rather not pull her down with himself, even if she would follow without question. She had spoken of having a similar experience somewhere in Shinjuku… there was that student, could a mere student have been Zero?

But… why would any man or woman of Britannia lead terrorists against his home? It made no sense to him, Jeremiah was a man of loyalty, of honor. He didn't do things like that… before that night. Just like Villeta, just like a bunch of others… general Bradley included. And the only clue he now had was one uncertain hunch by his most trusted former subordinate… though knowing who was coming, he expected that they would all get demoted for this. Cornelia li Britannia was a harsh woman.

Desperation wanted to settle in, the gentle pull of insanity and obsession gnawing at his mind as the name Zero repeated itself in his mind. Zero, the one person responsible for the loss of everything he worked for years to achieve. He only hoped Lilicia, his sister was left alone after his actions.

"Feeling any better lord Jeremiah?" the familiar voice of the dark-skinned beauty startled him from his thoughts.

"Villeta, you're a sight for sore eyes." He muttered darkly.

"I bet. So, same thing, huh?" she offered with an understanding smile as she sat down on the floor, eyeing her old friend with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah."he responded with a chuckle" Any luck with looking up those two students?"

"No. Either they aren't students at all, or they're kept off the official records." She said, shaking her head lightly. It was irritating, almost like chasing ghosts. And going in front of others with such claims would be laughed off like a bad joke. Certainly, they would be seen as trying to shift the blame.

"What did they look like?"

"Those two? The boy was tall, thinly built. Dark, no, black hair, I think. And violet eyes. The girl was slightly shorter, and had long, light brown hair, but that's about it. I'd recognize them if I saw them again, though." she explained to Jeremiah, and the older man merely sat there thinking.

"I might be able to give you a hint to the right direction. Check Ashford Academy. It's the only important academy in the Concession, so it's most likely place to find them." He stated in a calm voice. "Thanks for the visit Villeta."

"You're welcome, my lord."

"You don't have to call me that anymore. If I'm even allowed to pilot a Knightmare again, we'll likely be equals, or you might even end up _my_ superior." He spoke, a few bitter chuckles escaping the man's lips.

"You provided for me when I needed it most, Jeremiah." She answered him, accepting his request. "You believed me when others would have likely laughed, and you shielded me from what would have probably destroyed my career. The least I can do is repay your trust and loyalty."

And with those words, she got up and walked out, leaving her old friend in far higher spirits. Truly, it was the least she could do to the man she owed her life to.

As she left, she cast one last look at the man, right before Gilbert G.P. Guilford entered the room.

"Good morning, Jeremiah Gottwald." He greeted the man, expecting to see an almost broken man as the most recent reports told. Instead, former Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald awaited him standing against the wall.

"Do you have anything to say about the… incident?" Guilford asked

"It was a setup. And I am hardly the only one claiming amnesia." Jeremiah responded, all the while perfectly calm, a skill borne of years of practice. He made a mental reminder that he needed to work on his skills again. He had grown complacent, and it had cost him greatly.

"Are you going to repeat those lies again? Right now your only options are either to return to the military at the rank of pilot, or to go and open an orange farm." Guilford offered the options. Jeremiah barely suppressed a twitch at the mention of the 'O' word.

'_Calm down, you can kill Zero later.' _He mentally chanted. "I think I will take your first offer, lord Guilford."

"A wise choice. As much as it pains me to say it, it would be a waste to lose your talents." The bespectacled knight offered to the former Margrave before walking out. Guilford never saw the pleased smirk on the former noble's face.

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Elsewhere, Lelouch found himself before the inquis… Milly. And he doubted that the girl would stop until she got details. Sadly(for her), since Shirley, Nina and Rivalz were here, and Kallen was soon going to join in, it wasn't an option.

"Hey! Get your heads to work, we're supposed to receive a new student tomorrow! And not to mention, we have the festival to arrange soon!" Milly shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"So what should we do about it? You know we can't get anything done about the festival until the clubs get all the reports in." Rivalz responded, shrugging his shoulders as if he was sorry about it. As if, and Lelouch found himself agreeing with the blue haired teen.

"Seriously Milly, you worry too much about it. It will all go perfectly especially with you getting things organized." Nunnally assured her, giving the blond a friendly pat on the back. "But who's the new student?"

"The new guy? It's supposed to be an Honorary Britannian, Suzaku Kururugi." She announced to the overall shock of all those present.

"Su-suzaku? The one from last night?" Nina stuttered, her fear of all people non-Britannian coming back.

"Yes, apparently, his patron, an Earl Asplund from what I overheard, pulled a few strings and got him in."

"Do you hear that brother? Suzaku is coming in!" Nunnally shouted happily, hugging her brother now. Said brother chuckled at her enthusiasm, gently giving her a one-armed hug, the other arm currently busy being pinned beneath her body.

"You know him?" Rivalz asked, eyes alit with curiosity as he propped himself over the couch which Lelouch occupied.

"Yeah. Remember when I told you we've lived here from before the invasion?" Lelouch explained. "Well, I've met him back then. He's a very decent sort, the kind I'm not afraid to let around my sister." he added, and it was enough for all those present to understand. Lelouch was protective of Nunnally. _Very_ protective in fact. Enough so, that anyone who tried to do anything to her found themselves in problems.

If Lelouch didn't have problems with him, it also meant the others wouldn't really have any.

"Well… if you think so." Nina added from the sides, some of her fear assayed by Lelouch's words.

"Aww, don't worry Nina, he's a really nice guy. Enough so, that it's silly!" Nunnally joked, bringing up a barely heard giggle from the normally mousy girl.

"Come on folks, let's have some fun!" Rivalz shouted. "There's this new place downtown, and since my allowance just arrived, I'm paying tonight!"

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Even with all that had happened, the day had turned out far better than he ever thought possible, though the sheer chaos that occurred was tiring.

However, he paled when the girl asked him to take her to Shinjuku. He was worried, as the place was still just as dangerous, if not more so than before the infamous incident that had taken place there, but he found himself unable to resist her request, so he escorted her.

"It's so sad." Euphie, as the girl identified herself stated. Before them stretched the many graves made for the victims who died there "So many lives needlessly wasted."

"It is, but there isn't much that can be done about it now. The only thing that can be done is to ensure it doesn't happen again… but that's beyond my power." Suzaku responded, a slight sliver of nervousness slipping into his voice.

"My lady!" a voice shouted from behind them

"Oh damn." Euphie suddenly cursed, much to Suzaku's surprise, since it was about the last thing he expected from her.

"Those wouldn't happen to be the 'bad men' you mentioned?" he asked.

"Ehm, well... yes. It's alright lord Darlton. I am unharmed, and this king young man was polite enough to show me around the city." Euphie stated "I might as well introduce myself. I am Euphemia li Britannia, third princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, at your service." she stated with a slight bow, though the light giggle that escaped her lips ruined the moment as two guards tried to escort her away.

"And you, 'young man', thank you for taking care of her highness." Andreas Darlton spoke, the mountain of a man offering the Honorary Britannian a friendly handshake.

"Thank you sir."

"No, thank you. Lady Euphemia is a very willful person, and if you hadn't taken care of her, she might have gotten into trouble. And that would mean my head on a pike." the man added somewhat darkly.

Giving one last smile to Suzaku, lady Euphemia left her shell-shocked companion to simply stand there in confusion. What the hell had just happened?

A bunch of thoughts suddenly came running through his head, but none of those came close to the fact that he spent the day with a girl that Nunnally had told him about several times during their stay at the Kururugi shrine. Euphie, as the girl called her, was supposed to be the kindest of their family, and apart for Nunnaly herself, the only member of their family that Lelouch really liked. A part of him very much wanted to seek out the two siblings right now, but it was not an option, as they now lived in the Ashford academy, at least from what last he heard, and to Honorary Britannians, access was still very much prohibited.

"Hello there." Lloyd's usually content voice saluted from somewhere. Turning around, he realized that the entire trailer they usually used to move around had snuck up on him under the capable hands of Cecile Croomy who was sitting next to Lloyd and smiling. "We were wondering if you would care to join us? I'm afraid that the company is less noble, but we do offer a fine tune up service." The earl joked.

"Am I still..?"

"Are you daft boy? Of course you are! And thank heaven that it is so, do you know how difficult it is to find a good pilot these days?" Lloyd shouted, nearly falling off the trailer.

"Lloyd!" Cecile chided him, whacking the older scientist on the head.

"Yes, yes dear, I'll behave." The man stated with a smile. Suzaku could have sworn the two acted like a married couple at times. And immediately, the frightening image of a bunch little children looking like a mixture of the two, trying to probe him with various lab instruments came to mind.

"Well? What are you waiting for Suzaku?" Cecile asked him, and with the press of a button, one of the side doors opened to let him in. Realizing that he had spaced out there, Suzaku merely jumped in.

"Get some rest. We have a lot of news for you, and a lot of things are about to happen." Lloyd added right before they moved out.

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Another day had passed, and C.C. was bored. The small amount of joy derived from placing all of her stickers on the Cheese-kun gift coupon had already passed her but she drew some contentment from the fact that she only had two more to go, and she could get a free Cheese-kun plushy!

Beyond her euphoria over the new Cheese-kun plushy, she noticed a near running Lelouch entering the room. While that was hardly anything to pay much attention to, he seemed in a hurry, agitated even.

"And what's got you in such a rush?" she asked in a humored tone.

"Don't you watch television, C.C.? I've been formally invited." Lelouch stated with a chuckle.

"You understand that this is most certainly a trap made for you?"

"I do, but what kind of gentleman refuses such a polite invitation by a charming lady?" he spoke sarcastically, waving her concerns off with his hand as he sat down on his desk, and began putting together everything he would need in his head.

"What is it you wish to achieve Lelouch? Destroy Britannia? Find the one responsible for the death of your mother? Build a new world free from the shadow of war and strife? Take revenge for the pain you and Nunnally suffered? Which one is more important to you?" she asked, knowing that it would provoke a reaction from the insufferably stoic man.

"The first three you mentioned are goals of equal import, but the last one… no, not anymore. To simply take vengeance means nothing, it would only propagate the hatred even further. My father pitted us against each other, like beasts to see who would be the last one standing, and as soon one showed weakness, someone would try to sink their fangs into them. "

"You do realize that what you hate Britannia for is but the thing that makes it strong? Natural selection, the survival of the fittest is of the basic laws of nature, it only makes sense to put the most capable candidate on the throne." She responded with degree of boredom. She had succeeded in her plan, and unnerved him

"True, but what of those who don't have the strength to defend themselves? Those who do nothing but simply live? Are they to be destroyed just for being in the way? Cast off to provide power and progress to a man who stoops so low as to pit his own flesh and blood against each other while he pulls the strings from behind the scenes?_ I would sooner crush such a world myself._" Lelouch snarled, crushing his fists into the desk he was sitting at. From behind, he could hear the click of a pistol, but the feeling of range still burned strong in him.

"I can't just let you go to certain death, and Nunnally to follow you there." C.C. stated in an irritated voice as she leveled a gun straight at him.

"You seem to be taking a rather strange approach at it." He retorted having finally calmed down a bit.

"Oh, I have no intention of killing you. Merely shoot you in the leg and tie you up so you can't go." She threatened, and Lelouch couldn't help but shiver at the wording, as if there was something more to what she said. And knowing his luck at times, there likely was.

"Hm." He mouthed with a chuckle, pulling out his own gun. It was a useless weapon in most situations; however, for what he had in mind, it was perfect.

"Come now, you should know better than to think you could threaten me with a gun." C.C. retorted.

"Quite to the contrary, it is the perfect tool to do so." He spoke, raising the pistol until it aimed at his own temple.

"You would take your own life so easily?" she asked him, her visage still remaining calm, but barely.

"I would." He replied, startling the green-haired woman for a moment. "Before you came along C.C., I was living half a life, a walking corpse going through the motions of living without actually being alive. I felt that I was dying more and more every day. All the plans I made, all the aspirations I had, false. Then you came along, and my life once more had a purpose." He explained, slowly lowering his pistol. "If you wish to stop me, you will have to kill me first."

The two of them stood, silently gazing at each other. Even Lelouch's blind eyes had no problems seeing the tenseness that overtook C.C.'s body, the mask that held all emotion at bay falling ever so slightly to reveal what lay between. He himself felt spent thanks to this conversation, the darker feelings he had been keeping beneath the surface for a while now brought up again.

"I see. And I think I understand… a life without purpose, without meaning. It is a horrible thing, isn't it?" C.C. spoke, lowering her pistol as well. _'And not just for you…'_

"Yes…it is." Lelouch spoke softly as he passed her by, a single tear sliding down his cheeks as he put a gentle hand on her shoulder. _'And not just for me…'_

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"The Saitama Ghetto is completely surrounded. The Yamato alliance's hideout is somewhere here. Half the people here cooperates with them, if we proceed now…" Andreas Darlton announced to his lady.

"What of the drop in production?" Cornelia asked with no small amount of irritation. It was an annoying part of her duties, but they had to be fulfilled regardless.

"0.2 percent, fully within expectations. The media have been broadcasting of the event since this morning." Next to her, Guildford looked up on his data pad.

"What do you think officers? You were all present in Shinjuku… are the conditions the same?"

"Milday? I'm not sure I understand." One of the officers in question responded.

"I see that you aren't. "she flatly stated "This entire action is a lure to draw out Zero. I recreated much of the conditions that had happened there in hopes of drawing him out. Besides, I don't think he would miss an opportunity at adding another name to his list of killed Royals."

"But Milady… you would risk your life for this?" another asked, only to be frightened when she got up from her seat and walked over.

"What you fail to understand that war is a struggle between life and pride. And Zero is a prideful one, with a flair for the theatrical. I intend to use that pride of his and crush him here and now."

She had done all in her power. The trap was set, the bait in. Most of the conditions of the Shinjuku ghetto incident had been recreated in hopes of drawing Zero out into the open where she could take care of him. Certainly, the situation would end in her benefit either way, as the rebel group within the area would be annihilated either way.

"Begin operations." She ordered with a dark smile on her lips.

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"Hm. Our sister seems deserving of her title." Lelouch softly stated, his face unusually revealed as he and his sister overlooked the situation around them. Their vantage point, an abandoned and ruined building was completely safe, but would not remain so for long.

"Indeed. From what I can gather, she seems to have gone to great lengths to organize all of this. A trap?" the girl beside him offered, placing her visored helmet in her hands, taking the opportunity to look at her own reflection on its smooth surface.

"Precisely that, and for me. How could I possibly refuse such a polite invitation?" he stated theatrically to his now laughing sister" What do we know of the local insurgents?"

"The Yamato alliance, badly organized, but numerous. The locals protected them, which is the most likely reason they are being attacked."

"As ruthless as ever, aren't you Cornelia? You replace Clovis, but nothing changes. Britannia still remains Britannia." Lelouch spoke tiredly.

"All of the attacks _they took responsibility for were clumsily executed at best, and caused the loss of both civilian and military targets._" Nunnally continued with no small amount of disgust as she put on her helmet.

"So we can't rely on them. Come on little sister, this reunion has been too long delayed. It is time we reminded Britannia that they are not unbeatable. _Begin operations. _" Stated, his final words going over the broadcast as the mask descended over his face.

'_-'Yes my lord!'-' _the echoing voices of Geass-controlled pilots responded over the radio.

'_You may be the Goddess of Victory dear sister… but let us see how you fare against your own battle-hardened men and led by an enemy you know nothing off?' _he mused with no small amount of entertainment as Zero and Ghost entered the cockpit of yet another pilfered Sutherland, a slightly psychotic chuckle escaping his mouth.

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"Milady, we've just lost contact with a patrol group." One of the aides called, the area in question highlighted on the massive screen as the small symbols representing the group suddenly changed into the contact lost symbols.

"So someone took the bait." Cornelia commented, slowly getting up. The situation on the screen slowly changed. The initial forces sent in were being decimated by perfectly organized retaliations, and she could even spot some patterns, though they changed before she could take advantage of them. It was fast, systematic, and on every corner of the map at the same time, and her troops were losing their lives quickly. One of the two exits from the region, an important bridge was destroyed along with more than a few

"Do you think it is Zero?" the bespectacled knight asked.

"It is a possibility. Regardless, we've lost too many men already. Fall back, retreat to the encirclement positions, further losses serve no purpose." Cornelia stated.

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"_A retreat?_" Zero muttered through his mask as he heard the orders Cornelia had given over the radio. '_She isn't defeated yet, so what is she playing at? She is waiting for me, which means she expects me. So… she doesn't want to simply get close and risk getting killed by me._'

"_Units P1, P2 and P3, shut down your IFFs and remain in position. Units B and R, move into formation with the others. Ghost, shut down IFFs and get us close to the extraction point."_

'_Now, let us see what you plan Cornelia. I already see I can't reach you today, but that doesn't mean I can't inflict some rather embarrassing losses to you. Did you truly think I was foolish enough to simply wade into your trap?'_

"_P1, activate IFF."_

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"One unit remaining in the city with their engaged IFF."

"Scramble a group to res…"

"I ordered all troops to fall back. I have no use for soldiers who cannot follow my orders."

"Do your duty even if it costs you your life, my subordinates follow that code without question." Cornelia proudly stated.

"As you command your highness." Guilford stated, her knight following her as they walked out and into their Knightmares. It was time she lead her men herself. Zero would soon fall, and with him gone, the rest of the insurgents would soon follow.

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'_She's going out into the open, most likely to challenge us.'_

"_My lord? There are two units moving in from the north and south." _Ghost interrupted his thoughts

"_Formation and numbers?" _Zero shortly asked, a hand coming up to his chin.

"_Fifteen in both groups, pincer formation trying to chase us to the east." _

'_East? Could she have located one of my extraction routes? No, doubtful. She's likely trying to drive me into a river, where she can control the terrain. Well, not like that will happen.'_

"_Where is Cornelia?"_he asked again.

"_It would seem she is right behind the pincer wing to the north."_

"_Good. P2 and P3, activate IFFs. R1, begin plan delta-1, R2 begin delta-2. B1, open fire at the group taking the road two hundred meters to your left, B2, your location?"_

'_-'Princess Cornelia's personal guard'-' _the voice immediately answered.

"_Perfect. Wait for fifteen seconds than begin acting as a transmitter. Ghost, get us out of here." _Zero ordered. Now all that was left was to say his goodbyes.

He was tired again, and the entire operation had been one colossal waste of time. However, discretion was the better part of valor, and he certainly didn't appreciate the idea of the two of them getting caught. So, they would leave for today. At least, he had gathered some knowledge on his opponents for the time being.

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"What the hell is going on?" Cornelia shouted at her officers over the radio. How had this happened? There wasn't a single enemy corpse present, and many of the civilians had evacuated to the underground under the cover of the attacks. And what was worse, the only corpses and destroyed frames were her own, as if the bastard had somehow spirited them away and turned them against her.

'_-'Good afternoon princess Cornelia.'-'_ an impeccably polite voice greeted her after several seconds of ranting, going over the static of the chaos around her.

"Zero!" the woman snarled at the face, glaring at the image before her

'-'_I'm afraid meeting face to face will have to wait a bit more, milady. However, I do hope you've enjoyed our exchange for the day._'-' he waved goodbye, and the image terminated.

Rage clouded her mind as comprehension dawned… Zero had come, struck against her and left, and she had not once detected him. The trap she had painstakingly set for him had not only failed, but was turned against her, and even her original goal was only half-fulfilled. But strangely enough, Zero hadn't made this a public appearance. In fact, he had ensured that only her Knightmare got the transmission. What was that accursed man plotting?

And just then, as her rage stopped a sequence of explosions ripped through the calming air.

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**Author's Ramblings:** Just a small explanation, most of Lelouch's sudden knowledge of the events is narrated by Nunnally behind the scenes. I didn't want to write just about everything, so I skipped some of those speeches. The battle itself didn't turn out the way I originally planned, but it does work with what I have in mind for later, and it proved to be especially dificult to write for some reason, but since it was important, I couldn't just skip it.

The events with the other characters will have a great degree of weight later on, especially those considering Jeremiah and C.C., not to mention Suzaku and Euphie.

As always, read, review and all that stuff. I'm off to sleep.


	8. Inception Point: Finale

Author's Ramblings: For starters I would like to make a short announcement. This story has finally crossed the following thresholds: 100 reviews, 10k hits, 100 favorites and alerts as well as the 50k word mark. And for those, I would like to thank all of you, my faithful readers. It took me a while, but today, you get the very long final of the Inception Point arc, named not overly originally, the Rise of the Black Knights. Still, the name serves its purpose.

Enjoy reading, and leave reviews. It took me a while to write this. This is in fact the longest single chapter I have written for any of my stories so far.

Ehm, a late addition to this. I had completely forgotten the cat, Arthur in the story so far, so his introduction will be retroactive. I apologize for this, but I'm not really in the mood to go back and rewrite stuff. Just know that Arthur will have no connection to Euphie in this story, at least not yet.

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_Chapter 7: Inception Point Finale: The Rise of the Black Knights_

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_Ashford Academy_  
_Evening_  
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There were few places were Lelouch Lamperouge felt truly safe. The first such place, his home in the Aries Villa, was harshly ripped away the day his mother was gunned down before him, leaving him with the parting vision of his mother's bloodied body as the last thing he saw. The second, if only for a short while, was the Kururugi shrine, at least until the invasion happened and he and Nunnally were forced to leave.

And now, only one place remained even remotely close to that. His academy room, his sanctuary. A small closed-off world where absolute order reigned, where the darkness of beyond was held at bay by the absolute certainty that things were the way he made them.

From the door, he could easily walk to the large bed at the center of the room, or browse the bookshelves on his right, containing his few books written in Braille. To the left was his desk, one of the two room's windows there to give light to those who would write there, or at least that was the original design. Personally, he enjoyed the feeling of warmth the sun gave him, as well as the many different scents the wind brought in. And under the second window was a single meditation mat, courtesy of Sayoko, surrounded by small clay bowls filled with sand, a place to put incense to ease meditation.

His sanctuary, his place of peace and quiet. The last bastion of his mind's defense against everything that threatened him and all he held dear.

When he wasn't planning or sleeping, he would usually sit down to meditate, or go over to the chessboard placed on his desk. There was a ritual there as well, a game he had been playing for two years now.

Every week, he would take an hour to study the board, changing sides every week and pulling just one move. It was a study of sorts, a study of his weaknesses and planning abilities. The week long period allowed him to put distance between himself and the plans of last week, and make plans and counter-plans for whatever moves he thought up. By now, it was his second game, as the first one lasted an entire year, and even this was entering the endgame slowly, but surely.

"And yet again, it will be a draw." He commented amusedly. If his room was his sanctuary, his games of chess were his escape from reality, but not only that. It served as a backdrop against which the rest of his mind worked.

He didn't have to, but he still considered the myriad moves and endless possibilities of the game. For normal chess, such a line of thought would likely take too much time, but for a budding strategist, it was a necessity.

And against the backdrop of chess, his mind went over a number of problems: the battle that occurred yesterday. The fact that Suzaku was coming to the school soon, while he was still a Britannian soldier, not to mention still the likely pilot of the prototype Knightmare Frame he had piloted in Shinjuku as well. And finally, his plans for organizing an army against Britannia.

Each and every one of these three problems was interconnected in one way or another. Cornelia li Britannia was a dangerous opponent, and he had provoked her yesterday. If the death of prince Clovis wasn't enough to drive her angry, this sure would. And Cornelia was not one to be underestimated… a lesser leader than her would have died yesterday, and she not only managed to hold her own, but provided a front against which he couldn't organize a successful assault. Certainly, he hadn't lost yesterday, but he hadn't won either, and the losses dealt to her forces, while significant, were still easily compensated for by the Britannian military.

According to the late prince Clovis, Cornelia was one of the two who could possibly know more about the death of his mother, therefore, he couldn't simply risk killing her outright. The only two options were capturing her or staging an encounter where he could use his Geass to question her. There was a third option, though it seemed somewhat unrealistic… to turn the Goddess of Victory to his side, in thanks to her love of her own younger sibling, Euphemia. Still, it was a possibility he would account for, and plan accordingly. And he would prefer not to bring harm to his pink-haired half-sister, neither physical nor emotionally if at all possible. He didn't know how court life had affected her over the long years, but he could only hope she was still the kind, caring girl he knew.

Then there was Suzaku, once, his best friend. He had a lot of things to say about that man, but one thing came up more than anything else: Suzaku Kururugi was a person who lived by their principles, a sharp set of rules he kept to even at the cost of himself. A fact that made him easy to manipulate, though he was loathe to do so. It was one thing to manipulate and pull the strings of strangers or his enemies. The first he knew little off, and the second he didn't care for, but manipulating friends, those he cared for… he wasn't sure how much he could do it. It already pained him that he had to lie to Shirley, Rivalz and Nina. But he would have to bear it, as it was either that or putting not only himself and his plans at risk… but Nunnally as well. And that was a risk he wasn't willing to take without great need.

Suzaku would have to wait, though he looked forward to the reunion regardless. It would be good to have a slightly more serious friend to talk to.

For the might of Britannia, he already had a plan he intended to set into action soon. He would savor the irony of the plans he had made later… if the alarm that just brought him up from his meditations was any indication, his spare time was up and one of his more pleasant duties was about to come up: keeping Milly, Shirley and Rivalz company as they worked on the latest batch of paperwork. And having some fun along the way too. Besides, Suzaku was joining the academy tomorrow, so a little organization work had to be done after all.

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'_Finally!' _Nunnally thought tiredly as she dragged herself into her room. Lelouch had told her he would go out earlier, and Sayoko had left to do a small chore for him, no, for _them,_ she corrected, reminding herself that they were now partners in crime. And speaking of partners, she was mildly surprised at seeing C.C. in her room, going through the papers that the two of them had taken from prince Clovis' personal vault.

"Anything interesting?" Nunnally asked as she dropped herself onto the large, comfortable bed.

"A bit here, a bit there." C.C. responded.

"Tell me something C.C., what exactly does that contract we agreed to entail?" she asked softly, turning around a bit to face the green-haired girl who was now dressed in casual clothes, most likely those Lelouch had given her. The bleached blue jeans and black short-sleeved shirt seemed to fit her nicely, tough she was still walking around barefoot.

"A wish, one for me, and one for the two of you." She responded, turning over yet another page. There was a trace of longing in her voice, as if she was somehow saddened by the state of things she implied.

"But you never said just what your wish was…" Nunnally pressed on, even if it was somewhat half-hearted. She was quite certain that her brother had asked her already, and if he hadn't said anything, it means she didn't respond. She hoped though that maybe, just maybe, she would find it easier to talk to her instead of Lelouch. It was a somewhat naïve thought, but it didn't hurt to try, right?

"No… and I likely won't for a while yet. A lady must keep some secrets." She responded with a small smirk and a chuckle at the second sentence.

"Ladies also don't dress in boy's clothes." Nunnally added with a giggle of her own, to an already smiling C.C.

"Forgive my lack of clothing, your royal highness." She spoke back, tone laced with slight amounts of humor. "I will… oh wait a minute, here's something interesting." She stopped herself as she looked at one of the papers, her face showing an amused smile.

"Oh?" Nunnally questioned, pulling herself to the other side of the bed, and looking over C.C.'s shoulder. "What is it?"

"Oh, I think you'll find this to be _very_ interesting. Ever heard of a project called CODE-R?"

"No?" Nunnally offered in turn, trying to look even closer at the file C.C. was reading.

"Let's get your brother in here before we start this, shall we? It will take some time." C.C. quietly added. She wasn't looking forward to this, but now, it had to be done. She couldn't quite comprehend it, but she wanted to stay around these two, at least for now, and for more reasons than just the contract that bound them.

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Suzaku fidgeted visibly as Cecile helped him straighten the upper part of his student uniform. He was nervous as hell about this. He, an honorary Britannian, not to mention the one who was accused for the murder of prince Clovis, was supposed to go in there? At best, he expected, he would be welcomed with doubts and unpleasantness.

"Will you just relax already?" Cecile admonished. "You need a proper education, and Lloyd agrees, that's why he pulled the strings to get you inside there. Now calm down."

"Okay…" he muttered weakly. There was one bright point to all this, he would at least get the chance to see Nunnally and Lelouch again. He smiled, the fear slowly fading away as he thought about the two, the protective blind boy who doted over his younger sister. He could still remember those days so long ago, when the two first came to Japan.

Suzaku had expected to meet a pair of spoiled brats as he stood by his father awaiting the arrival of the diplomatic guests… a term which only barely covered that the two coming were castaways, serving their final purpose to the crown of Britannia as political hostages. He hadn't been wise enough to understand all of the implications of those facts back then, but Lelouch was and so were both his father and teacher, Genbu Kururugi and Kyoshiro Todoh.

The two faces he had seen, the proud, noble young man who stood before him, guarding his little sister with the only thing he had left even as she tried to somehow guide him while hiding behind him… they hadn't even been told that Lelouch was blind, and yet, the boy acted as if it were nothing, as if the fact that he had lost everything he held dear but his sister was nothing compared to his duty to protect said sister.

His first impression of the two was disbelief, then slight, and only slight dislike, before the two breached down any defenses he might have had, and became his friends. His father had treated the two with a surprising level of caring, even if they effectively were prisoners, they were given relative freedom, and Todoh had even taken up playing and discussing matters of life with Lelouch, while Nunnally had spent time outside playing, usually with him and Lelouch, when they managed to persuade the boy to go outside.

And to his surprise, Lelouch had gotten up every morning, at the same ungodly hour of the morning, to exercise. At first, he and Todoh ignored the young man as he repeated the few exercises he knew, but over time, he had come several times, respectfully asking for advice.

He still remembered the words that Lelouch used back then, the conviction in his voice when they asked him why.

'_I ask that you help me, so that I am no longer a burden to my sister. She will never say it, nor agree with it, but my disability to see has already stolen much from her. I will at least protect what she has left. And I will protect it with my all.'_

He chuckled lightly, the nervousness fleeing as he calmed down. It was quite the same, back then, he had wondered just how much courage it took for a blind boy to ask two complete strangers for help, swallowing what little was left of his pride in the process.

Letting out the sigh he had been holding back, he couldn't help but smile at how silly he was acting. Turning back, he offered the same smile to Cecile, before waving shortly.

"You're right. Thanks Cecile." He thanked the blue-haired woman just as he jumped out of the trailer.

"You're welcome. Now go, the classes start in fifteen minutes. It wouldn't do to be late on your first day. Oh, and I packed some lunch for you as well."

"Yeah…" he stated somewhat longingly, waving one last goodbye to the two in the trailer. He didn't have the guts to tell her, but her cooking was scary at times. Tasty at others, true, but still scary. Still, he couldn't help but feel he had forgotten something important.

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"Everyone, today a new student will be joining us. Please welcome Suzaku Kururugi to the class." The teacher announced as Suzaku entered the room. He had prepared himself for a cold welcome, for glares, for a lot of generally unpleasant stuff. A complete, but polite silence, and curious glances sent his way weren't among them. Neither was Lelouch's calm, unseeing look aimed at his face. He still couldn't figure out just how the hell he could do that, but it was a matter for a different time.

It was obvious to him just what his old friend had done… he wouldn't have been accepted here as easily, and Lelouch had already taken steps to ensure he would at least be treated equally. He never was one to simply leave those close to him behind. Still, he had to wonder just how things would turn out.

After class, Lelouch had simply waited for his friend to make the first move. For Suzaku, it had ben eight years, even if Lelouch had seen him mere days ago. And even if he didn't show it much, Suzaku was a friend he had missed greatly.

"Hello Lelouch." Suzaku offered politely.

"It's good to see you again Suzaku. Nunnally missed you." The blind teen offered in turn. Suzaku blinked for a moment, stopped in confusion. Lelouch was blind, right? Was it just a figure of speech then, or did Lelouch just crack a joke unwittingly? He could only gaze in wonder at how much and yet how little his friend had changed.

"Yeah. I'll have to pay her a visit, won't I?" he responded with a chuckle.

"You'd better. Anyway, let's go outside and talk. It's been far too long."

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"So…" Suzaku lamely started off as the two of them took a walk along the stone-tiled paths that went around the academy.

"I never figured I'd hear of you joining the Britannian military." Lelouch offered back.

"Not you too Lelouch." He immediately responded, a hand going out to cover his forehead as a slight amount of irritation overcome him. Well, at least Lelouch was still the same.

"Sorry, but it's been years, and neither myself nor Nunnally hadn't heard a word of you since you left that day. And then we hear that not only are you coming here, but that you joined the army. Forgive me if I'm overly intrusive, but I'm worried." Lelouch explained himself in a quiet voice as the two of them walked towards the dorms.

"I don't know if I had to, but at the time, it seemed like the only possible course of action. The only way to do achieve something for the people here without turning to terrorism." He explained, careful not to be overheard. "But why did you tell them you knew me? Wouldn't that bring risk to both you and Nunnally?" he asked after a few moments.

"Because you're our friend Suzaku." Lelouch shortly responded. "And both me and Nunnally tend to help out our friends."

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Lelouch." Suzaku trailed off, finally noticing the large building they were heading towards.

"So do I my friend, so do I. But come, I promised I would bring you to meet the others from the Student Council." Lelouch responded, before stopping for a moment "Oh, and what is this I hear about a cat? We were informed you were supposed to be bringing one."

"Oh no…I knew I forgot something." Suzaku muttered, slapping himself on the forehead.

"What happened?"

"Well, it's like this… the day I was released, a cat hitchhiked aboard the transport that my boss took me in. The little guy had a harmed leg, and I couldn't just throw him out. I named the cat Arthur after I've decided to keep him." Suzaku began explaining, his previously shocked look slowly turning to worry, not that Lelouch could see, but the change in the voice was enough.

"And…? Is your boss allergic to cats?" Lelouch tried with a faintly amused look on his own face, still going in the same direction he had maintained for the past minute or so.

"No, but he tends to react over the top from time to time… and I forgot to pick up Arthur before I left." Suzaku finished off, a shiver going through his spine as he considered the poor cat's fate. _'I just hope Arthur doesn't try to steal Lloyd's pudding.'_

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Elsewhere, at the same time earl Lloyd Asplund was making one last check on the valves of his flamethrower. Ask not why he had one, just accept it as fact. He's Lloyd, one of the heads of the Camelot research division, and he does weird stuff on a daily basis and gets paid for it.

However, the reason why he was preparing it, was far simpler to explain. Exactly fifteen minutes ago, was the time for his three-hourly break, and he had planned on eating his daily dose of the food of the gods, pudding… only to find a certain black cat licking the last remains of his treat from the bowl.

Now, Lloyd had nothing against animals, if they were test subjects or kept at a safe distance from him, however, there was only one person who got away with stealing his pudding, and she certainly wasn't a cat named Arthur. And so, with a disturbing smile that had techs running away in fear, Lloyd lit the flamethrower and began searching his lab, all the while muttering "Here kitty, kitty."

Of course, such a course of action didn't last long, as soon enough Cecile arrived to salvage what could be salvaged of the situation. And evacuate the frightened cat before it was turned into cat roast, leaving a grumbling Lloyd behind to do his work.

"Sir, I can't just let you fry half the lab!" she shouted at her boss who was still holding the flamethrower aimed at the cat in her arms

"But Cecile! That fiend ate my pudding!" Lloyd whined, and as much as he now wanted to burn the cat alive, he wouldn't risk harming Cecile in the progress of his enacting his righteous revenge upon the thrice-cursed feline. Quickly thinking, Cecile came up with a plan.

"How about you let the cat go, and I'll make you your favorite pudding later on?" She stated diplomatically, and immediately she could see the results. There was thankfully one person who appreciated her cooking skills at least, if the near shining eyes that Lloyd now had as he without a moment's thought shut off the flamethrower and put it away, then quickly walked off whistling merrily, all plans of vengeance forgotten. Cecile let out a sigh of relief as she turned to face the cat in her arms. Arthur of course, did everything with his feline powers to appear as innocent as possible, looking up at her like an innocent little kitten.

"Dammit, I told Suzaku to take Arthur!" she muttered, reminding herself of the feline that had snuck aboard the trailer the same day they picked up Suzaku after his release.

'_Such a sweet little cat.' _she absently thought as she gently scratched behind his ears, though Arthur did seem to be remarkably focused on causing its chosen owner as much pain as humanly possible, especially when said owner didn't pay enough attention to him. Which was, as you might guess, quite often.

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_Two weeks later  
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Within the Viceroy palace gardens, Cornelia was content to simply lay about, right next to her younger sister. The past few days had been very tiring, and she had looked forward to seeing Euphemia, and perhaps just resting a bit. Certainly she was a woman of action, but even she needed rest every once in a while, and with the ever-looming specter going by the name of Zero, she had precious little time to do so.

"You seem worried dear sister." Euphie asked her softly. "Zero again?"

"Yes." She responded with a mirthless chuckle, content to merely lie on her back and stare at the passing clouds. Silently, Euphie moved herself until she was lying on her back right next to her sister. The older of the two li Britannia siblings was always the one who bore all the responsibilities and pressure, no matter how much she wanted to do otherwise. It was the reason she had insisted on going with her, though she had not expected to be appointed sub-viceroy.

Still, even she could see a potential advantage there. At least she could do some good for the unfortunate Japanese people, and maybe find some clues as to the final fate of Lelouch and Nunnally. How she missed the two siblings… they were one of the few bright points of her court life, and some of the few people even Cornelia found herself approving of without much effort.

Somewhere among her belongings she had saved a letter that Lelouch had sent her before the two of them left for Japan, an apologetic writing that wished her all the best and hoping they would one day meet again in that different world she had so often dreamed of. And that granted her strength to draw upon, and even more reason to take this new position very seriously.

On the other hand, Cornelia had a lot of experience reading her younger sibling, and could attribute thoughts and memories to particular expressions or minor gestures. She could tell that Euphie had been thinking about the past, and about her beliefs, about her wishes for a better world. While she herself found such thoughts unrealistic, she knew better than to try and convince her little sister otherwise… Cornelia had not been the only one to inherit their late mother's indomitable will. Euphie, as childish and naïve as she was held onto her beliefs most fervently, however, she was also wise enough to know when and where to speak of those, a fact that made protecting her from a fate similar to those of Marianne's children easier. Still, about her beliefs, you might as well try to take on a whale with a toothpick. You might even have better luck.

She had to admit, she did miss the two as well, and the death of their mother still weighed heavily upon her. She had taken Marianne's assassination as a personal failure, a stain against her honor. And the further loss of her children to the invasion… oh it was certainly easy to blame their deaths on the elevens, however, she knew full well just _who_ was directly responsible for their deaths, and it was a betrayal she had never forgiven nor forgotten. And she doubted she ever would.

"I am not really sure what I'm going to do about this Zero persona…" Cornelia stated finally. Next to her, Euphemia nodded her head. "He's infuriating."

'_Mild understatement.' _She added mentally. The explosions that had shook the battlefield in Saitama had been from freshly evacuated Knightmares going into overload at various nasty positions. There were no direct losses, but she understood perfectly the message the act carried. He could have done worse, had he wanted to.

"Mhm, I'm not really good at this, but ah…" Euphie started, stopping as she struggled to complete a sentence in a way that would make enough sense.

"But..?" Cornelia asked, curious as to what her younger sister was trying to say.

"Why not ask those who fought against him before? Maybe they've seen something you missed." the younger sibling offered.

"I might do just that. It is good to see that all those strategy meetings you have been attending have not been in vain." She responded after a few seconds. The sound of pride in her voice was unmistakable to her younger sister. It was an idea that had occurred to her before, but back then, she had to admit, she had underestimated Zero, and hadn't considered it a complete necessity. And all those who had fought him were either dead or acting as amnesiacs. She would have to look up that Gottwald character soon.

"Then can I ask something?" Euphie questioned, as if testing the waters before entering.

"That depends." Her older sibling responded, a slight frown marring her features. As much as she loved her sister, she could ask the most troublesome of questions at times. She still remembered when the girl had asked her to explain sex to her… she had outdrank Guilford and Darlton that night, merely to chase away the unbidden image of her dear, sweet, innocent sister being with some fool who would take her for granted. Though if something like that happened, an eternity in hell would be a welcome diversion from the pain the three of them would wreak on the poor bastard.

"That meeting of the Sakuradite industrialists tomorrow. I wish to attend it… unofficially, of course." Euphie asked in a completely serious voice. If she was to understand this country and its problems, she felt that understanding the resource that was the main cause for it to be attacked was a good starting point. And she was completely prepared to defend her point of view, but as Cornelia's worried frown dissolved into an only slightly annoyed look, she knew she had won already.

"Sigh…fine, you can go. But you are taking a bodyguard with you. That's non-negotiable." Cornelia responded slowly getting up slightly to stretch her back a bit, and was caught completely off guard when her sister tackle-hugged her to the ground, just like she did when they were younger.

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_Next morning  
Onboard the train bound for the lake __Kawaguchi convention center__  
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An unusual silence reigned within the small but comfortable chamber of the train car, each of its passengers deep in their own thoughts and worries.

"Mmm.." Shirley hummed as she watched the passing scenery, trying to use the imagery to chase away unbidden thoughts about a certain someone.

"Nina. Don't worry so much, everything will be fine." Milly assured her friend, putting up a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, but… it's my first time out of the Tokyo Settlement" Nina tried, only for Shirley to turn around as well, offering her support as well.

"No buts, we'll be there with you, so no worries. Nothing will go wrong." The orange-haired girl added, a brilliant smile on her face. Nina couldn't help but feel at least somewhat reassured.

"Yeah, and we can spend the night enjoying around like we should. We can even talk about the boys we like in school." Milly joked.

"Well, at least you have something to talk about, madam President." Nina offered in her usual timid tone, though the slight amount of entertainment she felt was easy enough for the two other girls to read.

"Who can tell?" Milly stated with a shrug, a fact that brought laughs to the two girls, right before the uncertain look turned to a devilish smirk "Though we both know who Shirley has a crush on."

"Hey!" the girl shouted in outrage, a bright blush staining her cheeks.

"Aw, come on. We all know the reason you're sad is because Lelouch couldn't come." Milly continued to tease, while the formerly quiet laughter of the mousy girl next to them turned ever louder.

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"Wow." Tamaki mouthed as their group entered the trailed that Zero had provided for them.

"_What are you waiting for?_ _Come in. And welcome to your new headquarters._" Zero stated from the couch, leaning back as Ghost was seemingly asleep next to him, leaning into his form.

"All this…? I mean are you sure you want to work with us Zero?" Oghi asked, slightly doubting himself. After all, why would a person who could achieve what Zero could bother to work with simple rebels?

"_We are comrades, are we not? I look out for those under my command." _He offered kindly, his left hand slowly moving to embrace the sleeping woman next to him.

"Alright, but it's your funeral." Oghi jokingly stated back, and to his surprise, a dry chuckle escaped the masked man before him, even as his hand moved to gently stroke the sleeping Ghost awake.

"_I am quite aware of that, but it is a risk I am willing to take." _Zero responded with utmost certainty.

"So I hope you don't mind my asking Zero, but how did you even get this trailer?" the former leader of the rebel group asked

"_I convinced a rather libertine noble to, shall we say grant his support to our cause?_" Zero offered with a mild shrug.

"He just gave it to you? Just like that?" Oghi asked in mild wonder, almost expecting it to be true, even though a part of him knew that it was likely the Geass at work again. And as much as a part of him was sickened by it, it was hardly worse than killing innocent civilians, regardless of side. At least Zero used his power for something he was for now sure that both of them saw as a just cause. It was an unstated agreement between them all to keep quiet about the two of them holding the Geass. While no one had pointed it out, it was obvious that it not only was an unusual power, but that it could bring more attention than wanted, than it was safe to attract. He for one didn't want to consider facing Britannia's Knights of the Round in a bunch of stolen Glasgows.

"_Suffice to say he had some help in making his decision. It is now yours, no strings attached._" The masked man responded, effectively ending that part of the conversation, and Oghi agreed with it, for now at least. He was quite certain that the subject of the man's use of the Geass would come up again, but that was a matter for another time.

"We've even got a TV here!" both heard Ishida shout as he landed himself in front of said apparatus.

"And there's a second floor." Inoue added from upstairs.

"_Enthusiastic, aren't they my lord?"_ Ghost muttered, the modulated voice still portraying accurately her annoyance at being woken up. Both Zero and Oghi let out light chuckles at her reaction.

" _For the time being, though, let us get to the business at hand." _Zero stated, and immediately, silence descended on the room as all of the members of the group gathered and sat themselves down. It spoke greatly of the amount of respect he had garnered in the small group of rebels, the fact that they followed such a simple, unassuming call great speed.

"_Oghi? Would you please begin?_" he asked, waving a hand at the former teacher.

"Eh, right… well, for starters, we're having some financial problems…" Oghi began, all those present aware that this was going to be a long day. Lelouch himself barely contained his need to sigh.

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There were many ways one could acquire information within Britannia. Along the official channels, several Imperial organizations handled the vast quantities of information. A suitable bribe or the invocation of one's noble title were usually enough to get the information one needed.

However, both these paths were closed off to one Jeremiah Gottwald, recently liberated from his prison and instated as a mere pilot, stripped of his now former noble standing.

So, himself and Villeta made their way to those who could provide such information. Information brokers were a relatively common thing, however, those who could provide information accurately, quickly and discretely weren't. And Jeremiah knew of one such person.

Sir Platypus, as the man introduced himself, was a hacker, and a damn good one. Enough so that the OSI had a file on him that was an inch thick, and yet they still paid for his services occasionally. He (or she for that matter, as he never met him or her in person) operated along simple lines. Drop a message on one of his dozen or so internet mailboxes, and come to one of the internet cafes in town tomorrow. Sir Platypus would soon enough hack into the terminal you were using and contact you. You asked what you wanted, he gave the account number and a figure. In another twenty four hours, the exchange would happen.

So, that evening, since the situation at the hotel was a touchy one apparently, all of the purebloods were kept away, himself and Villeta included, which left them with ample time to get in touch with said hacker and begin their investigation.

"Are you sure this hacker of yours is going to be able to find us Jeremiah?" the dark-skinned beauty next to him asked as they waited for the computer to react.

"He will. I've been working with him for five years or so, and he hasn't failed me yet. I'm sure he can get us the data if it's on a connected computer somewhere." Jeremiah casually responded. The small place they had chosen to visit was empty at this time, the only other visitors, a young couple, having left some fifteen minutes ago.

"Alright, if you say so… is that it?" Villeta began speaking, until the screen in front of her went completely black, and text started showing up.

"Looks like it. Now, let's see here…" Jeremiah muttered as he began typing. Years ago, back in training, he had realized that he deeply despised computers. The damn things never seemed to work properly. At least the targeting computers on the frames were of decent make, but his opinion concerning this crap was… best not spoken of in polite company.

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"Uhm, Zero, sir?" Zero's nap was interrupted by Kallen's insistent voice. He hadn't known her long, but so far, he had managed to pick up some of the nuances she used. The insistence in her voice meant that it was likely important.

"_Yes Kallen?_" he answered, pressing on the button that unlocked the door to what was as of now his office, but not before putting on his mask and modulator right before Kallen entered.

"Lady Ghost is asking for you to come over. She said to tell you it was urgent, and that it considered a blond friend of yours…?" she offered in mild confusion. She didn't like being left in the dark.

Those words had an effect alright, as Zero's figure turned tense and rigid in a moment.

"_Alright, thank you Kallen. Let's go._" He responded after regaining his composure, and immediately leaving. Quickly enough, he activated his Geass to see where Nunnally was, to try and figure out what got her so bothered. And there was only one mutual blond haired friend Nunnally could refer to: Milly. Seeing her seated in front of the TV made him worried though, even if he couldn't tell what was going on as he couldn't physically 'see' the television. Logic dictated that if Milly had ended up on television and that worried Nunnally, it was something to be concerned about.

The duo quickly reached the room that Ghost had taken up for herself, and got in. Suddenly, Lelouch could feel sight once again coming to his mind, and the sharp pain that maintaining both his own Geass and the intruding one of his sister active at the same time brought. That was probably the reason Nunnally had warned him to turn it off the first time she did that. His own was no longer needed however, so he quickly shut it off, having come to a stop.

First, light came, quickly followed by shapes until it all solidified into a complete image. Unlike the vision stolen from a panicked Suzaku, this was coherent, even though it was slightly disturbing to watch himself from Nunnally's eyes. It got the job done, and he could see again, if only temporarily, Nunnally had a reason for tiring herself out by doing this.

'_-'The latest news from the lake Kawaguchi convention center hostage situation; the JLF group holding the hostages under the command of lieutenant Kusakabe are still holding out. Kusakabe claims that unless their conditions, which include releasing several important prisoners from Britannian prisons, are met, they would start killing hostages. Britannian forces, led by lady Cornelia have cordoned off the area…'-'_ the female announcer spoke, and the image quickly shifted to that of the hotel interior, and a short camera footage of the hostages taken, as well as short comments from Shirley's father, as the girl had been among those held captive. However, he kept focused on the image of the hostages. Milly, Nina and Shirley were there, he had easily enough recognized then. However, in the background, he had noticed another face he could have sworn was a familiar one to him. He gave a short nod, which Nunnally easily understood, and the image quickly faded away, as did the rest of his newfound sight.

"What do you think is going to happen to the hostages?" Kallen asked a scant few moments later.

"_They only serve a purpose for as long as the negotiations last. I suspect that they will kill them as soon as they are no longer needed."_ He stated in a calm voice, barely holding in check his emotions.

He crushed any feelings of joy he felt from the borrowed sight. It was not the time for it, and as the cog wheels turned in his head, a plan had begun to form. He could feel it, the same cold rage he had felt the day he and Nunnally were cast out of Britannia, and later on, on the day Britannia invaded Japan, and days later when he had made his oath, that frigid grasp of hopelessness and loss, of the powerlessness to protect that which he held dear. Not again. _Never_ again, not for as long as he still drew breath.

Normally, Cornelia would have sacrificed the hostages by now to stop the terrorists, so why didn't she? _'It can't be…'_

The final piece fell into place. The time for talking and plotting had passed. The time for action had come.

"_Kallen, there should be a number of boxes in the armory on this floor. Go and get someone to help you carry them to the meeting room downstairs. And tell everyone to gather there._" He ordered. Slightly shocked out of the slight amount of sadness she had been feeling, Kallen scampered off to do as Zero as asked her.

"_My lord, why do I get the feeling you are plotting something?"_ Ghost asked as Kallen left the room.

"_Perhaps it is because I am. "_Zero responded with a chuckle, though it was quickly silenced as the two of them descended the steps and entered the impromptu briefing room.

"Sir? What's going on?" Ishida curiously asked

"_Kallen, Tamaki, the boxes."_ He ordered, and the two placed the boxes in front of them.

"Wow… again. Where did you… these outfits… I mean..." Tamaki once more found himself lacking words to explain his state.

"These look great, but aren't we just simple revolutionaries? I mean…" Oghi started, but was quickly silenced.

"_You're wrong Oghi. We aren't simple revolutionaries. What we are, what we are striving to be, is knights of justice. And tonight, we shall deliver that justice." _Zero announced, bringing out a number of surprised, awed and shocked looks.

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The few people on patrol made their rounds even as the hostages huddled close together. The animosity the guards had towards their captives was palpable and the interior of an oversized food storage locker was not a nice place to be.

Milly however, had a plan. Desperate as it was, it only fitted the situation. She was getting desperate after all. Cell phones were still working, and she did the only thing she could, sent a message to the one person she believed could do something. Life as it was didn't instill in her much faith in the system, and there was someone extremely capable she knew outside it.

Completely unseen by the guards, Milly Ashford typed a message to the one knight in shining armor she hoped she could count on, placing within an offer that was, as of yesterday, hers to make. She was asking for a lot, so she felt that she should at least make it worth it. It was one thing to string some guy along a bit, but this was far more than that. And with the risks standing truly high for her… she felt she had no choice left. Once more, she would put her trust into her dear friend, and place her fate, and her future into his hands.

Next to her, Nina Einstein was barely keeping it together. She knew of the timid girl's xenophobia, but it had slowly started withdrawing ever since she met Suzaku, the Japanese teen taking the time to talk about the practical applications of the science she loved so much had broken the ice between them quickly. And now the guards with rifles terrified her.

Shirley, next to her was faring a bit better, the normally cheerful and lively girl seemed to retain much of her spirit, despite the situation. She had always admired that about Shirley, no matter how tough things got, she always held on. Better than herself at least, and that was no small admission for the young Ashford.

She was glad that neither Nunnally nor Lelouch had come with them. While Lelouch was a strategic genius, even such a man needed resources to work with, and here he would have none. Outside, as Zero, he could do something. '_Hopefully.' _she thought as she pressed the send button.

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'_Goddammit!_' Cornelia near snarled from atop the cockpit of her Gloucester.

Night had already fallen, and the first deadline the terrorists had given was fast approaching. Under normal conditions, she might have stormed the hotel, and outright killed the terrorists. The loss of hostages would have been regrettable, but as far as she was concerned, relenting to the terrorists here would only open the way to new situations such as this one.

However, one nagging little detail stopped her dead in her tracks. Her younger sister was among said hostages, and if Cornelia li Britannia had one weakness, it was Euphie. And the very thought of her younger sister dying sent droplets of cold sweat rolling down her back. Her fingers were nervous on the controls, and the palpable sense of fear and concern for her reminded her of her first days as a pilot. Not overly fond memories, those.

'_-'Lady Cornelia, we just received a message from Zero!'-' _the voice over the small radio piece in her ear startled her only slightly. _'Great, he came here as well. What else could possibly go wrong?' _she wondered for a moment, calming herself down.

"Gilbert." She called over the radio, and her knight immediately understood, as the two of them moved, along with the rest of their pilots to block off the van that Zero and those under his lead had hijacked somehow.

She felt her blood boil at the sight of that man as he stood atop the stolen van, as calm and as nonchalant as ever.

"Well, well, we meet again Zero. Are you here as a member of the JLF? Or perhaps you intend to help us. I matters not to me, our concerns take priority over yours. Right now, I will avenge the murder of my half-brother at your hands, Zero. "She spoke, barely keeping her emotions in check. The van had stopped, and atop it, Zero remained undaunted by the threat, even as she aimed the ornate pistol she held in her hands

"_What a fine choice of words Cornelia. So tell me which would you chose?" _he asked, the modulated voice momentarily confusing his opponent from a while ago. The two stood still, the clash of wills all but visible to those around them.

"_Clovis who is dead? Or Euphemia who is still alive?" _he called, voice rising only slightly to accentuate the word 'still'.

The short, barely contained gasp told more than any words could. _'My suspicions are confirmed, dear sister. And with that, the final condition is met. This entire operation will be a success soon enough.'_

"_It is within my power to save Euphemia for you."_

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She snarled back at him, cold sweat trickling down the back of her neck. _'How did he know?'_

"_I said, I can save her."_ He added, further chipping away the woman's already faltering will. Several seconds passed in a tense silence, before Cornelia lowered the pistol. She knew she would come to regret this decision, but she had to do it.

"Let them pass." She muttered over the radio, and her knights obeyed, letting the van pass through.

"_Cornelia, I give you my word, I will deliver Euphemia safe and unharmed to you."_ Zero added, bringing out another struggled gasp from the woman.

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"Sir!" one of the camera crew interrupted him. Seriously, didn't these people know that fish would frighten if you shouted?

"What is it?" Diethard muttered irately. The lack of news from the situation was troubling enough, now all that he needed was another problem

"Camera van 3 is gone!"

"What do you mean gone? And what was Gibson doing all the while?"

"He said by the time he realized what had happened it was too late already.. "

"Dammit! And where's the van now?"

"Driving straight past the military." The man responded.

"Come on! We have to try and get a picture from there." Diethard finally shouted, running as fast as he could to the other parked vans.

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Zero eyed the figures around him with no small amount of disgust, not for the first time glad that he had the mask concealing his face. His own Geass combined with that of Nunnally caused him a headache already, but it was a necessity for now, at least until they've decided what to do with these people. The JLF forces were more numerous; however, he had the absolute advantage of foresight on his side. And there was the Geass too. No one present would be able to account for that.

Still, he waited for his answer, mostly because he wanted a legitimate reason to order their deaths. That way at least, the twisted sense of satisfaction he _knew_ he would feel would not be all that unwarranted.

"We refuse, that is unless you remove your mask. It's disrespectful." Kusakabe retorted, the portly man gripping the handle of his katana, even as the guards around him prepared their guns.

"_Very well then, let me ask you one last question before I do so. What is it that you aim to achieve by doing this?"_

"What do we aim? To draw the world's attention to Japan! To show the Britannian scum that the Japanese are still alive!" he responded in an impassioned voice.

"_Fool. You are beyond salvageable, and your outdated beliefs and concepts are a threat not just to yourself, but to your own people."_ Zero harshly responded, quickly rising the man's ire.

"You dare insult me you bastard? Kill them!"

"_Die."_ Zero snarled, letting out just a small bit of the boundless rage and anger he had felt slip into his voice, just as the small opening in his mask appeared, immediately affecting all of the guards present with that short, but final command.

Elsewhere, the rest of the soon to be officially founded Black Knights charged into the storage room, opening only short bursts of fire at the captors, quickly taking out the guards that kept the hostages.

"Move it people!" Ishida shouted at the hostages, the black clad rebel rushing into the room, gesturing with his free hand towards the exit of the room, while the other grasped an assault rifle.

"Ehm, if I may ask, who are you people?" Milly attempted to ask, hoping to get some answer. Even under the visor that covered her face, Inoue next to them chuckled.

"We are the Black Knights, under our leader, Zero. We are here to see to your liberation. Now please follow us." She offered in a professional voice. She didn't like much the idea of risking their lives to free the Britannians here, but quite like her leader, she didn't either agree with attacking civilians either. She had a family of her own, Kallen had friends among the Britannians from Ashford Academy, and according to her, most of them were rather decent people once you got to know them a bit.

"Wait!" Nina shouted "What about princess Euphemia?"

"Don't concern yourself with that. Zero is already securing her freedom and safety." Ishida stated as he hurried the hostages along.

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Beneath the hotel, Suzaku took a deep breath as he prepared himself for his mission. It was a sacrifice, he knew as much. Sufficient time spent playing chess with Lelouch taught him that. But it had to be done if the hostages were to have any chance of survival. And he believed he would be able to do this. No, he had to do this.

Only in recent days had he made friends with the three girls that were now held hostage inside there, and with the negotiations likely to be a certain failure, he understood the need for decisive action. He would do what was necessary, and provide an opening. Even if it killed him, at least he knew he would have died doing what he believed right.

With a flick of the wrist, the activation key slid into the Lancelot's console, quickly bringing up the activation sequence. It was time.

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Back in the room, Lelouch tiredly nodded for Nunnally to shut off her Geass, silently handing her his sword as well. It was tiring, to maintain it for a total of fifteen minutes, and that was without the added weight of what he had just done. Still, murder had come a lot easier to him, especially if it was of those who had raised his ire. But even as he relaxed, his vision revealed to him something that had him frozen in his steps.

The door suddenly opened, revealing two shocked guards, from what he could read of their facial expressions, and right behind them, a woman he could clearly recognize by her beautiful appearance. The Geass drew upon his memories, painting the vivid image of Euphemia li Britannia, in all her glory. Without the world around to detract from the view, he had several long moments to simply gaze through all the physical barriers that stood between. She had grown since he had last seen her, and if the fire burning in her eyes was any indication, she had grown stronger still.

No amount of self-control could completely push away the desire, the impulse to remove his mask and simply rush to meet her once more, to assure her that both he and Nunnally were still alive. But business had to be handled first. Had he only an obligation and duty to himself, he would not have hesitated for a moment, but now he carried the lives and destinies of many on his shoulders, it was no longer an option.

"_Calm yourselves. The Colonel and the other committed suicide when they realized how meaningless this operation was. _"Zero stated, more to assure the girl the two guards were leading than anyone else. "_Now, as you likely noticed, there are a number of rifles aimed at you, so please lower your weapons and let myself and your hostage talk in peace._" He offered politely, and indeed the guards noticed three of the rebel's number aiming at them. Cursing silently at the traitorous cur that they considered him, the guards dropped their weapons, and were summarily escorted outside by the others, leaving Euphemia in the room with Zero and Ghost.

"_Still willing to sacrifice yourself for the commoners. You haven't changed." _Zero couldn't resist saying.

"So you are Zero?" she half asked, half stated. "And may I ask who that is, with you?"

"_Ah." _Zero stopped for a moment, chuckling amusedly_"I almost forgot to introduce my companion and ally, Ghost."_

"_At your service, milady." _Ghost stated with a short, formal bow. "_Have a seat, this discussion might last a bit._" She offered, gesturing towards the two comfortable recliners as she made herself scarce.

Quietly agreeing, both Zero and Euphie sat down on opposing sides of a small table, each comfortable in their own seats.

"What is it you want Zero? If you wish to simply use me to bargain with…" Euphie started, but Zero cut her off by raising his hand.

"_That is hardly necessary, your sister possesses nothing to give that I would ask for."_

"Then…" the pink-haired woman gasped, paling immediately, quickly coming to the inevitable conclusion.

"_Neither am I going to kill you. After all I did give my word to Cornelia I would deliver you back to her safely." _Zero once more surprised her. She hadn't expected that answer, very much in the same way her sister didn't. _"And before you ask, the other hostages are all safe and being evacuated to the hotel yacht as we speak. But that was not why I asked you to come here. You were recently proclaimed the sub-Viceroy of Area 11." _He stated.

"A decision I am hardly glad for." Euphie replied with some weariness in her voice. Beneath his mask, Lelouch quirked an eyebrow. He had expected that court life would have changed Euphie at least a bit for the worse, but with every passing second, he realized how wrong he was, and felt a twinge of guild for underestimating his half-sister so much. Still, before he took any more chances, one last test was warranted.

"_Sill, I find myself curious. Why does a member of the Royal family care so much about mere Numbers?"_ he asked curiously, but the reaction he got was the last thing he expected.

"Don't call them that." she near snarled at him. Whether it was because she truly hated the term or because she felt that he as a leader among them shouldn't use such a word for his own followers, he could not tell, but the outrage was real. "Just because we have power, doesn't make it right to abuse it. Britannia is the most powerful empire in the world, but instead of just destroying, that power could be turned to helping. I… " she spoke, voice collapsing to a near whisper as a single tear slid down her cheek "I can't stand seeing people in pain. I want to help them, the Japanese, and many others. I know you must think me foolish…" She barely let out. A soft gasp slipped out of her as a gloved hand gently wiped the tear of her cheek.

'_I was wrong.' _he conceded willingly, a contend smile spreading over his face_ 'She is still the same old Euphie. Perhaps even kinder.'_

She was surprised to see the man down on his knee, right in front of her.

"_Lady Euphemia li Britannia," _he called, formally _"Your beliefs are not foolish, and if more people were like yourself, there would be no need for those like me. However, this is a cruel world we live in, and some must make the sacrifice of their own peace to ensure that of others. If no one else, know that the leader of the Black Knights shares your dream."_

She could do nothing but gape at the man as he completed his statement. There weren't words to explain the storm of emotions that shook her now. Who was this man? Why did he do what he did? And finally…

"Tell me something Zero… why did you kill prince Clovis?" she asked, her voice still a bit shaky.

"_Because of what he did, because of the lives he had taken. It was a choice between the life of one man, and the lives of many." _Zero responded, and she could almost tell a sliver of sadness in his voice.

Any further conversation was stopped as a loud explosion shook the entire building

"_My lord! We have to get out of here now!" _Ghost shouted from outside the room.

"_Ah, it would seem we no longer have time. Come, lady princess. We must leave." _Zero stated, offering the princess his hand as he got up.

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"Do you think he'll deliver?" Andreas Darlton quietly asked his long-time commander.

"I don't honestly know." Cornelia tiredly reported, one hand still clutching the ornate pistol she had leveled at Zero less than half an hour ago. She wanted to believe the bastard, and not only because he had promised he would return Euphie to her. How he knew was as of yet beyond her, but he either did, or he speculated, and her barely perceptible gasp confirmed it. Either way, Zero was a complete unknown, and for all she knew, he could still be plotting to take over the operation and blackmail her directly by using her sister. And then, she knew her will would falter.

"Milady, I don't presume to question you, but do you really think it was wise to send earl Asplund's protégée to try and breach the maintenance corridors beneath?" Gilbert asked, joining the conversation after several minutes of silence.

And once more, Cornelia found herself without answers, right until a loud explosion came from the very base of the structure before them. There was no more choice, the die was cast. She silently prayed that she had made the right decision. And that her sister would still be alive after this.

"Looks like he's done it." She stated firmly "Come on! We can't let this opportunity go to waste!"

Quickly enough, the trio entered their cockpits, and charged forward to the towering hotel that had slowly began sinking, immediately followed by another dozen frames. However, before they could reach the building, a second wave of explosion tore through the air, enveloping much of the building in smoke.

"No…_NO! Euphie!_" Cornelia screamed, the radio piece thankfully falling out of her ear and deactivating before her pained scream could be transmitted across the radio waves.

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'_So predictable. It took them long enough to react. I do wonder though, if it was Suzaku they sent into the supply tunnels.' _Zero amusedly thought as he and the newly formed Black Knights escorted the last of the hostages onto the rubber safety boats, where the military would be able to pick them up later. The smoke from the explosions was clearing up, and they didn't have much time left.

"_Lady Euphemia"_ Ghost called softly _"Take care, not all things are as they seem, and your plans, noble as they are, might have more enemies than you think."_

"And will the two of you one day count among those enemies?_"_ she asked, barely managing to keep herself strong. The stress of the entire day, of everything she had heard, had taken its toll.

"_I find myself doubtful._" Zero responded with a chuckle instead. _"I fear though, that any further talk will have to be postponed for a later date. We should inform your sister of your wellbeing before she does something rash she might regret. Farewell lady Euphemia li Britannia. May the next time we meet, be under more pleasant circumstances" _Zero politely stated, giving the girl a slight bow even as he offered her his hand to help her enter her boat.

Euphemia couldn't help but wonder who this strange man before her was. If nothing else, he was a perfect gentlemen, and he had ensured that no further hostages had been harmed. But that voice, that cold, hardened voice in which he spoke to her captors, the thin razor's edge that promised death unless his enemies didn't obey… and yet, at the same time it held a level of nobility far above anything she had ever witnessed before. He wasn't threatening them to release her and the others. He had _stated_ that they were to do so, as if it were a simple, decided fact. And they obeyed.

She couldn't help but wonder, as the boat slowly floated away from the small yacht that the Black Knights had commandeered, who was the man behind the dark mask? And why did she feel so much at peace around him? She realized that much like her sister, when it came to the masked crusader, answers were difficult to find.

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"_My dear Britannians, have no fear. All of the hostages from the hotel are safe and sound, and I, Zero return them to you in good health._"

The smoke parted, revealing to the world the stage Zero had set up aboard the stolen yacht. He stood in front of the others, Ghost, standing to his right, and slightly behind, while all the others formed a line further still. Quickly enough, the spotlights focused on them, or more specifically on him, light absorbed rather than reflecting of the dark uniforms and visors of the rebels.

"_People, fear us, or rally behind us as you see fit. We are the Black Knights" _Zero announced.

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"Black Knights?" Cecile Chroomy commented curiously.

"Ironic, isn't it? An enemy of Britannia taking such a name." Lloyd commented.

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"Keep recording it goddammit! I'm taking full responsibility for this!" Diethard shouted at the rest of his crew. _'Zero, what is it you are trying to achieve?'_

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'_I think I understand now Lelouch, why you do what you are doing.' _Milly thought tiredly, as she helped Shirley hold Nina still. _'And I am glad I made my decision.'_

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"_We of the Black Knights stand with all those who have no power to wield… regardless of whether they be Elevens or Britannians."_

"_The Japanese Liberation Front cowardly took innocent Britannians and then mercilessly executed them. It was a wanton and meaningless act, and for it, they were punished." _He stated, his words visibly laced with outrage, even past the modulator.

"_Just as former viceroy Clovis was punished for ordering the slaughter of countless unarmed Elevens, we could not stand by and let allow such cruelty to be carried out, and so we made him pay for his actions."_ He finished, taking a short break to draw breath, and let the thought simmer in the minds of his audience. In rhetoric, timing was everything.

"_I will not refute any battle on a fair and level field, but neither will I tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong. The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed. Wherever oppressors abuse their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear again, no matter how mighty, how formidable our opponent might be."_

At the same time the same though went through the minds of all of his knights, a reminder of what he had stated during the briefing. _'Knights of Justice?'_ Most of the doubts they had had were dispelled as they understood just what Zero had meant.

"_Those of you with power, fear us."_ He announced, his cloak billowing in the slight wind as his left arm suddenly spread gesturing to one side.

"_Those of you without it, rally behind us." _Zero continued, his right hand mimicking the left one.

"_We, the Black Knights shall the ones who stand in judgment of this world!"_ his final words as the transmission was terminated echoed in the minds of all who watched. And as invisibly as they had come, the Black Knights vanished into the night leaving a thoroughly frustrated Britannian military in their wake.

* * *

**Author's notes:** And thus ends the Inception Point arc. Certainly, the speech was a copy of that given by Lelouch in the anime, but I really can't improve upon perfection. It was a masterful act of both showmanship and spokesmanship, one I can hardly top. Face it, Lelouch (or the guy who writes his dialogues) is a master of his art, and there are some things that would be simply wrong to change.

Now, the next part will start making the serious divergence.

Sir Platypus is a complete OC, or is he? Information brokers are a relatively normal occurrence, and hackers have strange choices in names at times. It only makes sense for someone in Jeremiah's position to have access to information outside of regular channels.

Also, the Earl of Pudding has his moment, dubious as it is… I just couldn't help myself but do it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Leave reviews and await the next one.

And in the next chapter, you will hear more of Jeremiah and Villeta, not to mention Lelouch and Milly, and of course, C.C. and CODE-R. And a surprise none of you are expecting…


	9. Aftermath of the Battle

**Author's ramblings:** This chapter is mostly filler material, going into the thoughts and interactions of various characters while setting the stage for the future.

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_Chapter 8: Aftermath of the Battle_

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_Tokyo Settlement, apartment of Jeremiah Gottwald_

_Noon_

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"Still nothing?" Villeta asked her former superior and friend, though Jeremiah could tell she was holding something back.

"No, it would seem that even if those two students are there, they aren't on the files anywhere. My 'friend' even refused taking payment for a job not complete." He stated, letting out an irritated sigh.

"Well then, you'll be interested in what I found out. Come on." Villeta stated, crossing her arms under her breasts, while a devious grin covered her lips, right before she turned and walked to the door

"Alright already. Where are we going?"

"The Clovis Memorial Museum." Villeta shortly responded. "There is a certain painting by the late prince that I believe you should see."

Jeremiah remained silent as he put on his coat, but quirked an eyebrow at his friend's words nonetheless.

The walk to the museum itself was relatively short, and the fact that the two of them knew the guards who were keeping watch over the place before its grand opening a few days from now allowed for easy entry. Disgraced or not, more than a few people owed Jeremiah Gottwald a favor, or more.

Originally, Villeta had come here out of curiosity. Tapping around in the dark for days now had been murderous for her mood, and she needed a little something to relax. So, she made her way into the museum in a very similar way to the way they did now. Most of the high-ranking military officials had visited it already at least once, so no big fuss was made about one of the Knightmare pilots coming in for a visit. In fact, interests such as art were encouraged by many squadron commanders as a stress relief (certainly a better option than alcoholism or drugs.).

During her visit, she looked at some of the pictures that Clovis had painted as well as several beautifully made sculptures by the same author, and she had to admit, the man had talent. However, there was one picture in particular that drew her attention like a lodestone did iron.

A portrait, the one she was about to show Jeremiah.

"Is this what we are here to see?" he asked curiously.

"Mhm. Say what you will, but Clovis was a masterful painter." She confirmed, preparing to ask the crucial question. "Now, make a guess just where I've seen these two faces before?"

For a moment, time stopped for Jeremiah as he realized the implications of what Villeta was suggestion. But that would mean…

"Impossible…they… they are dead, they were killed years ago… " he kept muttering.

"I know, that's the official story. But I also know what I saw." Villeta responded, shrugging slightly as she put a hand on her former commanding officer's shoulder. "So what do we do now?"

Her friend however, chose to remain silent. The previously shocked face slowly turned into understanding, and finally into a determined one.

"Eight years ago, I've failed my duty once. I will not do so again. "he whispered, eyes unable to tear from the painting, before turning away. "Villeta, I know I'm asking much, but please help me a bit longer. This is something I must do." He solemnly stated to his friend.

Villeta gazed at that face, the expression she had not seen in a long time. Jeremiah was a man of unshakable determination, especially once he set his mind to a cause, and that was the look he bore the last time he did so. And, while not in any romantic sense, she cared for the man very much.

'_I just know I'm going to regret this sooner or later' _she thought "Alright. So, what do we do next, oh fearless leader?" she joked, a highly entertained smirk on her face.

"We check the one place where they could likely be." Jeremiah responded with a similar one. "And not a word to anyone yet. We need to keep a low profile, and I think there's been enough damage to our reputations in one month…"

"A mild understatement if there ever was one…" Villeta added with a chuckle as the two of them continued their visit of the museum, stopping only occasionally to inspect or appreciate a piece here and there

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'_Where is he?'_ Milly nervously thought as she waited inside one of the rooms in the student council clubhouse. Normally, a conversation could be held inside her room, or the meeting hall of the clubhouse, however, the sheer sensitivity of the subject of their conversation required a bit more drastic measures.

The Ashford name was an old one, and her family was able to trace its lineage a long way back. However, her long history was irrelevant now. Within the next fifteen minutes, her family could easily permanently cease to exist as one of the noble families of Britannia, and it all depended on the decision of one man.

While she wouldn't regret it, she knew her offer, if Lelouch accepted it, would drive a permanent wedge between her and the rest of her family.

And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what decision Lelouch would make. Certainly, the Lelouch she knew was a kind man, caring and protective, but he was also Zero, harsh and merciless to his foes. And both sides of the same person now waged war on Britannia, a war that required every advantage he could acquire.

"Milly." Lelouch greeted kindly from the door, before walking in cautiously and closing it. For a moment, she wondered what he was doing, but then she remembered that he hadn't been in this room yet.

"Hey Lulu…" she offered back, letting him know where she was. She almost wanted to get up and guide him to a place to sit, but he would likely view it as pity… and Lelouch vi Britannia despised being pitied. Watching him make his way was always entertaining, seeing him slowly, but surely feel around, first with his legs, then, as needed with his arms. Lelouch never used a stick to feel around, having forced himself to develop sufficiently to survive with just his legs most of the time.

It had taken him a minute to make his way from the door to recliner across from Milly, and the girl remained in a respectful silence, taking only the time to drink some of the tea in front of her.

"Before I say anything, do you understand just what you offered Milly?" Lelouch asked calmly. He could force the issue, but… there were two decidedly _minor_ problems with the idea. One, was the fact that he knew it would hurt Milly, regardless of the fact that it was her idea in the first place, and her right to offer it. And second, he would never be able to face Nunnally after that. Neither (or worse still both) was a pleasant idea, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take the opportunity to return the constant teasing, if only by a bit. He would not be harsh to her needlessly, though.

"I do. The oath fealty of the current leader of the Ashford family to you and your cause." Milly responded softly, head slightly bowed. There was a distinct difference between an offer of aid and oath of fealty, as the first constituted simple help or support to some level… but the second, and both understood it perfectly, meant swearing oneself off into the service of the one you swore fealty to, renouncing any former noble name or position. Knighthood was built upon a similar, but with lesser consequences. Done by the head of a family, it meant that the entire family was now honor bound to the one the oath was sworn to. It was rarely done, but both understood the weight of this decision.

"And if you accept, I will fulfill my words." She added, slowly closing her eyes to stave off the coming tears. It was a hasty, desperate decision, born of a time of fear and panic, but Milly Ashford was a woman of her word, good or ill.

It was horrifying to hear her voice like this. The sadness and resignation, not a trace of the normally strong woman he knew and cared for, but one who had accepted a fate, a road to perdition of all she was. And that gripped at his heart badly, clawing like a beast. There were few things Lelouch used to measure himself, and atop that list, and the thing that frightened him most perhaps, was what would his beloved little sister think of him. While selfish, it served as a boundary, a limit he would not cross. He realized that the day would come where he would stain his hands beyond any possibility of redemption… if anyone cared to ask, he considered that the day had passed when he had, by renouncing his position as prince, ensured his and her banishment from Britannia. But a day would come, her was certain, when he would do something, something that would ascertain victory, but would cost too much, and he would become a monster.

If he accepted this, here and now, it would be the same. No murder, no blood on his hands, just one likely broken soul of what was once one of his dearest friends. And Milly was a woman of her word, even without the public pomp and ceremony, she would fulfill it, without as much as a word of complaint. But she would be destroyed by it, and though he wouldn't be able to see it with his own eyes, he _knew_ he would regret it.

He had made this decision before he had come here, but he had made it lightly, and he realized that while he had doubted if Milly understood the weight of what she had offered, it was he who didn't think things through. Milly Ashford had offered her life, in exchange for saving her as well as Shirley and Nina. It was impossible even for him, not to respect such a choice. However now, he understood.

"Then I refuse." Lelouch responded flatly. "While I deeply appreciate your offer Milly, I cannot accept it. Not like this, not as payment for something I would have done regardless."

Milly's eyes widened at his statement_. 'What he would have done…?'_

"What do you mean Lelouch?"

"I didn't even check my messages until this morning." He stated softly, offering Milly a content, gentle smile.

"But...but, how can you simply refuse Lelouch? Do you not need any help you can get?" she asked, voice filled with confusion.

"I do. But there certain boundaries I am unwilling to cross. What point is there in removing the cancer that is the influence of Britannia if I become what I had struggled to destroy? No, I cannot accept any such offer, especially not from someone so dear to me." He explained. Lelouch had noticed something about himself lately… had anyone asked him but a month ago if he would believe in any of these words, he would have likely said no. But now, they carried weight to his heart, and by extension, that belief colored his voice. What Milly had offered to him, was a sacrifice he could not ask of her, nor likely accept, even if given by free will and choice.

Milly found herself once more reminded of who the man in front of her was. The good, the bad… everything. Every memory she had of Lelouch played itself out in her mind, and she realized an unpleasant truth. Her offer was never a choice to Lelouch, to him there wouldn't have been a question. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was surprised he wasn't insulted by such an offer, but she could write it off to the kindness he had.

But, a smile quickly spread over her face. It would seem little could change her Lulu. Slowly, she got up and walked over to him.

"Thank you Lulu. For everything." Milly whispered, giving her long-time friend and savior a hug, as well as a kiss on the cheek. In turn, Lelouch merely smiled, though she could see the hint of a blush. She giggled slightly, and even more as the blush only increased.

"Not that I mind, but whatever was that for?" Lelouch barely managed to say.

"For being my knight in shining armor. It is only befitting that a lady reward her champion, isn't it?" Milly responded, still hugging him. "And just so you know I've decided. From this point on, my family will stand with you, regardless of all. Ask of me what you will, and if it is within my power, I will grant it."

For a second, Lelouch remained silent as he processed that fact.

"What I will?" Lelouch noted with some amusement, finally regaining his composure, and Milly found herself rather happy that he couldn't see the small blush on her face. She was supposed to be the one teasing, dammit!

"Very well then, would you…" he trailed off for a moment, intentionally letting her wonder what he was going to say. "…pour me a cup of tea? My throat is parched." He added, letting out a light laugh, which she soon joined.

"Gladly. It's nice to see I've been a good influence." Milly remarked. Quite proudly, he noticed.

But even with all the lighthearted joking, there was one fact that both of them were now aware of, and that was that things between them could no longer be the same.

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Saying she was tired would likely have been the understatement of the century. The entire fiasco that was last night had found her buried to her neck in various things Cornelia would most gladly label 'bullshit', however, protocol was protocol, and not even she could avoid it… at least not all the time.

But in the least, she was glad that her sister was safe. The relief she felt when she saw Euphemia alive after that second explosion easily crushed any feeling of rage she might have felt then. Zero, to her surprise, had kept his word to the letter.

Just as the cameras shut off last night, she had almost expected for him to take the hostages, well, hostage again and use them to broker a safe passage. Instead, Zero and his group simply sailed away on that yacht… that is, to somewhere that was in the middle of the lake, and then vanished. A search party had found two burning speedboats at the shore this morning, but apart from that, there was no indication how or where they had fled. The man was as slippery as an eel, and it irritated her to no end. Just as it irritated her that he hadn't said anything even remotely untrue since he showed up.

Clovis wasn't exactly the closest of her half-siblings (and she pretty much wanted to kill him several times for suggesting certain bathing suits he had designed to her and Euphemia), but she had believed that he didn't deserve to be murdered. And yet, when she checked everything herself, Clovis not only wasn't murdered, but he was killed in a sword fight, with Zero apparently. Several bullet holes in the empty command vehicle showed that Zero had firearms, and yet chose to give Clovis a chance to defend himself. Why, though, was beyond her. The man had a flair for the dramatical, but this seemed more like the careful choice that her brother Schneizel would make, one that would achieve his goals, and still serve as a PR boost, the move of a master strategist. After all, he had apparently given the man a chance to defend himself. What more honorable option could an opponent offer? And at the same time, he plunged the military into chaos, something he was doing again. Very successfully, she might add.

And Euphemia was acting strangely ever since… just what had that man done? Her sister was unwilling to talk about it yet, saying that she had a lot to think about and to give her a day at least. While the soldier in her vehemently opposed the idea, the older sister who still protected her younger sibling won, and she had given Euphie the time she needed.

"Viceroy, the reports." One of the aides in the palace announced, delivering the stack of papers she had requested. Cornelia's desk was covered with files and stacks of paper, as she worked through everything.

"My lady, please, let us help." Guilford asked. It was difficult for him to see the princess burning herself out in her work. Certainly, he understood her reasons, but he couldn't just let her work alone. Next to him, Andreas Darlton was of similar opinions.

"Lady Cornelia, it achieves nothing to tire yourself out."

"It's irritating." She muttered. "Prince Schneizel sent me a formal letter today. A _very_ formal letter, asking if I needed aid against Zero."

The two knights quickly understood. While Odysseus was the first prince, no one doubted for a second that Schneizel was the prime candidate for the throne, and for a number of reasons. However, it was also well known that the second prince rarely, if ever, did things without reason. And that in the royal court of Britannia, any sign of weakness was pounced upon by members of the family to gain even more standing.

"Right now, I need a show of force, to remind those fools just who they are dealing with. And there is more than one way to reach Zero." Cornelia announced, breaking her two knights out of their thoughts.

"A purge?" Darlton asked. "That would work."

"Exactly. If we eliminate all of the rebel elements in Area 11, Zero, even if he escapes attention, will no longer have any resources available. And if he is hiding with one of those groups… well, he'll die just the same."

"True. But what happens if he isn't with any of those groups? If you can't locate the Black Knights at all?" Guilford asked concernedly.

"Then we wait, tighten the security and prepare for a counter-attack. Right now, these are the only options that don't have any further negative consequences against us. Instituting Martial Law would reduce production rates drastically, and increasing the pressure would incite an even bigger rebellion. No, for the time being, this is the best course of action." She explained, her face scrunched up in concentration, as she mentally went over the various facts she could gather. In truth, Zero wasn't the only threat. The JLF possessed another ace, in the form of Kyoshiro Todoh, better known as Todoh the Miracle Worker, the only man to hand Britannia a palpable defeat in combat. And then there was the matter of who funded the various rebel groups. The resources they had weren't cheap, but so far, she couldn't put a finger on any one of them, but she personally suspected the NAC. They were the only ones in position within the country to provide such resources and logistics, however, without proof, any action against them would be frowned upon… and if she lost clout in the court, she would put Euphie at risk of ending up as a political tool.

She would have to find a decent person to be Euphie's knight, and soon. Someone she could put trust in. Andreas' 'sons' were sadly out of the question. As much as she trusted the man, and the Glaston knights, they were needed as they were, a cohesive group. But that task would have to wait for at least a few more days, until she could ensure her standing here. It was the greater of two threats.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do, and I want to finish this myself." She explained, leaving no room for argument. As the two knights sighed and began walking out, she added one last comment. "And there is something you can do to help. Locate and question Jeremiah Gottwald and Villeta Nu in concern with Zero, ask about any useful details the can share. They are the only two even relatively reliable people who have any knowledge on the matter."

"Yes milady, I'll handle it." Gilbert stated as the two walked out. It wasn't that he didn't want Andreas doing the job… it was more the fact that at least one of the two would end up with mental traumas, and they were still needed as pilots. He wasn't a man of subtlety after all.

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Kaname Oghi rubbed his temples as he walked out onto the small balcony of his flat. It wasn't much, but the small place he owned in the ghettos was safe, and relatively comfortable. Even if it consisted of only a makeshift bedroom/living room/kitchen and bathroom. And three different escape routes.

He had spent the better part of the day going through his impressions of the past month or so. Ever since Zero showed up that day in Shinjuku, things had changed, and greatly. The streak of victories they had achieved since hadn't stopped, and the group, which had been disorganized and chaotic since Naoto's death, now worked better than ever.

But…

There was always a but. They didn't know who either Zero or Ghost were, just that they were visibly close, and that Ghost referred to Zero as her lord, and that she followed his orders without question. And the fact that both carried a power they spoke of as Geass.

And that posed a question: just why were they helping them? What did Zero stand to gain by forming the Black Knights from this group? Certainly, one of the former military groups would have been more effective, wouldn't they?

He sighed quietly, taking in a breath of the rather clean, but cold evening air. With the factories relocated away from the Tokyo settlement, even his neck of the woods had far clearer air. The low amounts of electricity the area had were used for the makeshift hospitals, so it meant that what little light and computers he needed would have to be provided in a different way, usually through one of the portable generators.

The advantage of that was obvious, if one took a look upward, which Oghi did. With the lack of city lights to dim them, the stars in the heavens above shone brightly. There was always something soothing about the night sky. One could easily lose himself in the sight of the thousands of stars up there.

Unbidden, memories of a past time, before the war, came. Back, when he and Naoto were still colleagues working at the Tokyo University, teaching. Of how the two of them, along with Kallen would often go into nature for camping during weekends. Back then, when the formerly beautiful mountain, Fuji wasn't an abomination, they would occasionally go there to enjoy the fresh spring water, as well as, in Naoto's case, fishing.

A knock on his door startled him slightly, bringing him out of his memories. As much as he wanted otherwise, it was a time long gone. And the reason they were fighting, was to bring it back.

"Yes?" he asked, reaching for the door.

"It's Kallen." The female voice he easily recognized as the fiery redhead answered. Quickly, he opened the door, checking if anyone had followed her.

"Come in. "Oghi stated, letting her in before escorting her to the small desk, while he himself took a seat on his bed. But not before putting on a kettle for tea on the gas stove he had.

"So, what brings you here at this hour of the night?" Oghi asked, mildly confused. He was awake because he had work to finish for the Black Knights. Noting big, but it had to be done, and several years of practice (read: going through student tests to meet legal deadlines) had helped him cope with long nights of working. Kallen on the other hand looked slightly distressed if anything. She was dressed in the usual clothes she wore while with them, though with the addition of a bag over her shoulder. Most likely academy clothes, he guessed.

"I just… needed someone to talk to." Kallen responded, swiveling the chair around until she could lay her arms over the back of the chair.

"Okay. I don't really mind." Oghi responded, dropping himself onto the surface of the bed. "What about?"

"_Him_. The group we made… the last month overall." She responded slowly, but leaving no doubt as to who _he_ was. "Everything is changing so quickly. I… I just can't get used to it all."

Oghi chuckled lightly to her words. "You too, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess." She retorted, a slight smile pulling at her lips. "It's not that I don't want this to work, it's just…"

"You're wondering if this is what Naoto would have wanted. There is that. Still, there's a lot we don't know about _him_. Or that companion of his."

"I know." She responded wearily. "Both seem so… I don't have the words… shifty maybe? "

"I know what you mean. But consider this… they didn't have to tell us about that power of theirs. And yet they did. I don't know, but I think we should give them a chance. For the first time in years, I feel that we might be able to change something."

"Yeah. But will it be for the better?" Kallen finally asked, as Oghi got up to pick up the boiling kettle of water.

"We'll see. "Oghi finally stated, taking over a cup of tea. The teabag variant wasn't his favorite, but ever since Britannia's invasion, it was difficult getting good quality tea. Especially in the ghettos. A few minutes passed in relative silence, the small bags of dried leaves quickly coloring the warm water

"How is your mother doing?" he asked, taking a short sip of the green tea.

"She's… I don't know anymore." Kallen responded. The slight undertones in her voice told Oghi much. Kallen loved her mother, there were no doubts about it, but she hated her at the same time, and for reasons that were at best foolish. But as much as he disliked it, he knew simply telling Kallen would make no difference. She would have to come to understand it herself, and he only hoped she would do so until it was too late.

Still, her short response pretty much ended that part of the conversation, leaving both in a somewhat uncomfortable silence.

"Uhm… thanks for listening to me ramble Oghi." Kallen finally spoke, still looking somewhat down.

"Nonsense. We're friends, aren't we? You're always welcome here." He quietly responded. "Though I really think you should be getting home soon. Your parents will be worried."

"They won't." she countered somewhat irately "I'm supposed to be sleeping over at the academy dorms tonight. I said something about studying for a test and they bought it."

"I see. Well, I still have a lot of work to do. If you want, the bed is yours to sleep, I'll use the couch on the balcony." Oghi responded, while Kallen merely nodded in answer.

"Again, thanks." She added with a small smile as she dropped onto the bed, her consciousness fleeing quickly.

"Yeah, yeah… just let me get this finished already." Oghi muttered, sitting himself at the desk and returning to the work at hand, only stopping to occasionally drink a sip of tea.

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Sleep just wouldn't come to Euphemia. The entire last night was… well, beyond any reasonable explanation. Who would you possibly, reasonably describe the events? That she had effectively snuck in at one of the most important business meetings in the world, got kidnapped along with the rest of the visitors, only to be saved, along with a number of Britannian tourists and various businessmen by the very man they would least expect to save them, Zero, while the Britannian army proved almost as dangerous to them as their kidnappers?

No, she didn't blame her sister for trying to rescue them. That final attack, or attempt to do so, was a clever enough action, and the only option she had. She knew Cornelia would never negotiate, as that would open the path for even more hostage situations, and in the long run, would be even worse.

She had a number of issues with the approach Zero took to 'help the people', and yet she couldn't deny that he produced results. Having evaded and outsmarted her sister not once, but twice was no mean feat.

And there was his behavior. Zero was _very_ charismatic, not to mention a gentleman as well. And there was the multitude of emotions she felt during that conversation. Strangest of all, she felt safe, as if she could bare her very soul in front of him, and that nothing wrong would come of it, that no harm would come to her.

But, there was something… odd, about him. In public, in front of the cameras, he was Zero, the revolutionary. The man who had publicly promised to stand against everything that Britannia is. But outside, during their conversation, she had seen something else. A soft spoken man whose beliefs were similar to her own.

Certainly, it could be a ruse. But then… why didn't he ask anything of her? Why did he simply offer his support to a cause that basically went contrary to what he was doing?

And why did things have to be so complicated?

Once more, Euphemia li Britannia found herself lost and confused. She wasn't by any means stupid, but she was no match for the tactical and strategic geniuses that were some of her older siblings. And once more, she sincerely wished that Lelouch was still alive and there. He of all people would be able to give good advice on the matter at hand.

'_If no one else, know that the leader of the Black Knights shares your dream.'_

The thought echoed in her mind again, vaguely mirroring something in the fog of memory. She couldn't remember it sadly, but the wording he had used was so familiar…

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"Alright already. What is it you two wanted to talk about?" Lelouch asked, the drowsiness of having just woken up easily heard in his voice. He couldn't see them, but it was easy to tell that there, sitting on his bed, were C.C. and Nunnally. He faintly remembered that neither of them were to be found anywhere when he had returned to his room today, and that Sayoko explained that Nunnally was working with their green-haired freeloader. Not in those exact words, but that was unimportant.

"Remember those ehm, documents we took?" Nunnally started off, and Lelouch could almost feel the excitement in her voice. So, the two of them spent a while reading them, and obviously found something.

"Yes? What about them?" he replied in a bored tone. While he was sure it was important, he would have really appreciated to sleep a bit more.

"We went through them. _All_ of them, discs included." C.C. stated. "And there were a number of things you might find interesting there. Nunnally?"

"Mhm. For instance, Clovis was part of a secret Britannian project named CODE-R, and guess what the project studied?"

Now _that_, got his attention. Clovis, apart for his artistic knowledge was considered the fool of the family. To hear he was part of a secret project was quite interesting by itself.

"Alright, I'll bite. What did the project study?"

"Geass and its effects. Or more precisely… me." C.C. responded, and nearly chuckled as she could almost see the wheels turning in Lelouch's head at her comment.

"You have my undivided attention." Lelouch stated, any sign of his previous sleepiness falling off like a discarded piece of clothing.

"While we can't tell just who funds the project, as the documents make no reference, we've managed to pull out a number of people involved. As well as sub-project reports from several scientists." C.C. continued.

"Two of those involved the development of new, experimental Knightmare frames, one was on the subject of cybernetic body enhancements, and the final two studied the effects of Geass on the human body, in attempts to somehow recreate it or harness it. Several of these, the ones where the Geass isn't obviously mentioned, seem to be cooperating with other Britannian research groups, such as prince Schneizel's Camelot engineering corps."

"While I understand the benefit of acquiring any of those resources, do you have any locations? Without knowing where the CODE-R personnel does their research, we cannot achieve a thing." He slowly stated, the look of concentration slowly but surely fading away.

"While that _is_ true, we have the names of at least one person from each of the projects. And it would be hardly impossible to track them down." Nunnally responded.

"You have something in mind?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow in the process.

"Something. There's a place mentioned in one of the reports, designated as 'relocation site alpha', within a smaller city next to the Narita mountains. It was meant for the group under the command of one general Bartley Asprius. We could start our search there." Nunnally explained, to an obviously content, and less obviously proud Lelouch.

"You seem to have it all covered then, the two of you." He spoke. "What exactly do you want me to do about it? I would be next to useless there."

"Ehm, well… would you go with us for a visit to Narita?" Nunnally asked sweetly.

"Alright, I trust you Nunnally. If you think it should be done, then so be it. However, I want your opinion on this as well C.C."

"My opinion?" the green-haired girl asked, only slightly showing her surprise.

"Yes. We are partners in this, are we not?" Lelouch pressed on lightly. "I want to hear your opinion on this."

"Alright." She responded, though he didn't miss the slight traces of mirth in her voice "I think it would be a wise idea to at least check what they are up to. If there's something usable there, we should take it. Not to mention that it would help the achievement of your goals. " she responded.

"While I agree, that was not what I meant." Lelouch responded. She understood the question the first time, and yet she deflected. He couldn't quite tell why, but C.C. always showed a strong front since he met her. No sign of any weakness, even if it truly was there, right beneath the surface.

He had considered what life would be like for an immortal being, like C.C. was, and the conclusion was less than pleasant. To live for an eternity, most likely meant spending it alone. How would he feel, if he was forced to watch everything he held dear simply age and wither before his eyes while he was incapable of doing anything to help?

Originally, none of this was brought up by any altruistic ideas. He simply wanted to try and figure out just what she could possibly want. Death was a distinct option, though he was uncertain how that would be achieved, considering that C.C. was for all intents and purposes impossible to kill. But by the time he had gotten to this point, he had already begun considering what kind of life she must have had. Certainly, not a good one.

Lelouch was not an overly charitable person, that much could easily be said, but this woman had saved not only him, but his sister as well, and had given them both the power they needed to try and achieve that dream they shared. Regardless of whether he would normally feel anything, he felt that he owed her at least that much, to treat her like a partner.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She stated, eyeing the teen curiously, not that he could see.

"I won't press on, but…" he let it go, putting enough warmth in his voice to get his message across. He wasn't good with offering support, but he felt that he had to do this.

"You worry too much Lelouch Lamperouge. I didn't not survive thus far by being a frail little girl." She spoke firmly, before getting up and leaving the room.

"No, but even a mountain will be weathered away given enough time." He whispered, before turning to Nunnally. "When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. The weekend is coming up, so we thought we'd use it." Nunnally responded. "That was really sweet of you brother. She seems so lonely."

"I know. "he quietly responded. "Alright then Nunnally go and get some rest. You need it more than I do." He spoke, giving his sister a hug, and a kiss on her forehead.

"Yes brother." She responded sweetly, before leaving. Sighing gently, he turned his head towards the window, before slowly getting up and walking over to close it. The fresh air would do him some good, he thought, right before he put on his clothes and walked out for an 'evening walk'. It didn't help that the clothes he put on were the ones he wore when he trained.

'_Noting like a good spar to clear up the mind.' _He mused silently as he locked the door to his room.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: And cut. Originally, there was supposed to be another paragraph covering Suzaku, but this has gone long enough as is. He remains for the next chapter.

I hope I've captured the personalities of the characters properly, with all the recent changes, it is becoming somewhat difficult to juggle as many characters as there are.

Now, the battle of Narita will NOT be coming up next chapter, just so you know.

Anyway, read, review, and all that stuff.


	10. For the Sake of Knowledge

**Author's Ramblings**: And here, I had my first writer's block since starting the story. This part is a necessity, and a departure from the usual part of the story, especially for what I have in mind for later.

The shifting between the two groups will be constant throughout the two chapters, as this part focuses on them more than on anyone else. I promise that others will get their chance at some screentime later on.

Well, no need for further rambling, enjoy the chapter.

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_Chapter 9: For the Sake of Knowledge_

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It was no great feat to organize three train tickets for the Narita region, especially since C.C. had long since learned to travel low profile… when she wanted to, that is.

To Lelouch, the notion of travel was boring at best, and frightening at worst. And for simple enough reasons as well, Lelouch was blind, and even his Geass induced vision couldn't make up for many of his problems. It certainly did him a lot of good, his ability to see living beings, especially if he was out in the middle of nowhere.

Sarcasm aside, he was content that Nunnally seemed enthusiastic about this trip. He had the slight feeling that the two girls he was sitting with hadn't told him everything about where they were going, but he didn't mind. For once, he was perfectly content to leave everything in Nunnally's hands. This time, she would be the one in charge, and he would follow. If necessary, he could always intervene or offer advice, but for the time being, he would leave things as is.

This was her trial as much as his, and he was looking forward to see what she had planned for this.

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'_Not so easily, you won't.' _Jeremiah thought as he eyed his prey from a safe distance aboard the train. His hunch had proven itself correct, and the two were at Ashford academy, but they weren't on the public roster, which meant that the Ashford family who ran the place, were likely hiding them for a reason.

He had taken the chance to pass by Ashford academy that morning, more to take a look at the place before he did anything… and nearly crashed into a lamppost when he saw the two, joined by some green-haired girl. Fortunately, he was across the street, and none of the three seemed to notice him

The features of the two apparent siblings matched those of the late Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia perfectly. The hair, the eyes, the frames that so closely matched that of their mother, yet still retaining some of their father, though it was more in the boy's case, than in the girl's.

Now, there were a number of thing that came to mind, a number of doubts that now weighed upon him. He could contact princess Cornelia, and report of the sighting, he could wait and confirm it before doing the same and it would in the least get him and Villeta in the princess' good graces, but something nagged him. The two could have contacted Britannia without much fuss before. Even with all the possible issues, Lelouch would have been wise enough to demand a DNA test, and that alone would have been enough to prove the claim.

So why didn't they? He had heard rumors about how the two siblings were cast out of court, having fallen from the emperor's favor after the death of their mother, Marianne. Come to think of it, the Ashford foundation supported Marianne till her death, so it was very reasonable to assume they supported Lelouch and Nunnally as well, if for nothing else, because they would serve as political leverage.

Some of the… darker rumors he had heard suggested of a rift between Lelouch and emperor Charles, and that the boy held his father responsible for Marianne's death. After that, being sent away as political hostages wouldn't improve his opinion on his family. _'And that was reason enough, I suppose. Ambition is one thing, but Lelouch always loved his little sister, and his blindness means that he's already seen as a second class citizen in the court. Neither of them would want to return.' _He realized. Certainly, he wasn't close to the royal family, being a mere guard back then, but he had observed the two children more than a few times, and their mother's radiant, proud smile at their antics as well.

All that came to a crashing halt as one thought came unbidden to him. Two academy students, even highly capable one, wouldn't have been able to escape the chaos at Shinjuku without being noticed at least once. Villeta had spotted them right before they vanished into thin air, and she had already checked the lists of those who were killed in the incident, there were no Britannian civilians, let alone students. So the question remained, how did they get out?

'_Villeta last spotted them right before her frame vanished, and that same frame later attacked us, and turned the entire battle around. That same person inside the frame was directly responsible for Clovis' death, and most likely that unreasonable ceasefire. Zero had publicly stated that he had killed Clovis, bringing out the same type of weapon that had killed the prince, still bloodied. And there was no way he could have known if he wasn't there. My god, what if… it seems unreasonable, but what if Zero is Lelouch vi Britannia? But then, how would he make up for his blindness? ' _he mused, the shocking conclusion leaving him slightly lost in thought, but certain to return to it once he had more information to confirm or deny what he had reasoned.

Villeta would be boarding the next train to the region, just as soon as she got some supplies together. And by then, he would have some idea of what they were doing, and confront them. One way or another, Jeremiah Gottwald would get to the bottom of this. If that were the children of lady Marianne vi Britannia, his duty was clear. He only hoped Villeta would understand.

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Hours had passed, and it was nearing dark. Surprisingly, to Lelouch at least, Narita was not a small city at all. While one would likely make the same mistake while looking on the map, Narita was a place where many of the Britannian residents of Area 11 went during weekends to partake in the pleasures the local hot springs offered, or simply to get out of the hum and drum of the Tokyo settlement.

All this, merely benefited the group of three, as it meant that they could move freely, almost certain that no one would notice three young Britannians amongst a throng of others. Secrecy was still high on Lelouch's list of priorities.

It took no great effort to locate and identify which of the three locations housed the base, the 'Data crunching facility' as the reports described it. He was proud of Nunnally, as she and C.C. had managed to gather the entire command structure of the CODE-R project over the course of the past several nights, and Nunnally herself had pretty much lead this entire action since the beginning.

The plan his little sister had presented was simple: locate, survey and infiltrate. Unlike him, Nunnally wasn't a strategist, she was a tactician. While he had little time to study her skills, the duel between her and Suzaku had told him a lot. She was able to plan ahead of time, leaving her options always open, and using the terrain to her advantage, but her true ability, from what he could tell, had lain in the fact that she could adapt incredibly quickly. Her plan, unlike his, was broad, given only general objectives. Adaptation would follow.

Tis approach had one major advantage over his, one he tended to nullify most of the time, true, but one that gave Nunnally the potential to become a lethal pilot if given the chance. She didn't need to have vast amounts of data Lelouch relied upon (or deduced from data already present), to form and execute her plans.

She was not the miracle maker he was, but he knew that little tidbit of information about his sister would serve them both well in the future.

His thoughts drifted away from his sister, to his apparent partner in crime, C.C.

He knew so little of the woman that walked with them now, but he had seen glimpses of who she was beneath uncracking porcelain mask that was her face and the mirror-like golden eyes. As much as the face can stay still, the voice is far more difficult to control, and to the finely trained ear he possessed, it took only moderate effort to pinpoint the emotions within.

As of lately, he could tell the sense of longing in her voice, as if she missed something. Short bursts of his Geass vision revealed to him that she at times watched when he talked to his sister, or to other friends. There was an undertone he had until recently failed to realize, that is, until he sat down to think a few days ago. Loneliness and sorrow. The weight and weariness of years he had witnessed in people as a child, but could not then identify.

Sadly, he had more important things to do than ponder the meanings of existence and the emotions if fickle immortals…

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Nunnally herself was a little nervous. Yes, her brother had let her run this as she saw fit, going as far as to put himself under her command, along with his Geass, though he warned her not to abuse its power. But so far, it had been his plans that had gotten them through everything.

'_Great, your one big chance to prove yourself and you go and doubt your every move.' _She mused, only slightly irritated by this. She had picked up a few traits from her brother… having spent as much time as she did around him, it was to be expected. To her friends, she was still the sweet, kind girl she always was, but as Suzaku discovered (or didn't for that matter), the sweet little girl had fangs, of the long, sharp and lethally poisonous variety. And she sure as hell wasn't afraid to bite.

'_Calm down Nunnally, you can do this. Just remember what Lelouch taught you, and everything will be just fine.' _She repeated to herself as she eyed their target. _'As soon as we find an opening.'_

The CODE-R personnel had chosen a warehouse at the edge of the city, just off the highway, to be their base. The fact that the warehouse was just one in a line of many ensured some degree of privacy to them, and the closeness to the road allowed for quick deliveries. Night was slowly falling already, and for the time being, they would stay there and bide their time to strike.

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'_I've got the weapons, the spare clothes… ugh… and some cash on me. That should be it for the weekend.' _Villeta thought tiredly as the lights of the train station came into distant view.

She was tired, she noted, though of what, was a good question. Ever since that night in Shinjuku mere weeks ago, things had gone from prim, proper and orderly to downright strange. She didn't have the words to express how much it irritated her that she couldn't remember those few minutes there, where it all began.

Her standing within the purist faction had fallen ever since the fiasco with the Kururugi trial, and she had almost lost her knighthood as well. And if that wasn't enough, they had docked her pay substantially, enough so that she wasn't sure she'd be able to pay the next month's bills.

"Miss, your coffee is here." The waiter stated, bringing her up from her thoughts, and passing the small cup over to her table. She had to admit it, the elevens knew how to make trains. There wasn't as much as a ripple on the surface of her cup as the maglev train moved onward to its destination.

"Thank you." She responded shortly, paying the bill before turning her attention back to the passing scenery. In the darkness of the night, it was easy to spot the majority of the inhabited areas around, as they were the only sources of light apart for the moon and stars.

'_What am I doing?'_ she wondered silently, eyes shortly closing as she pulled a short sip of the warm beverage. _'If those two really are prince Lelouch and princess Nunnally vi Britannia, what then? I mean, sure, we could contact princess Cornelia, but why would two royal brats simply stick around Area 11 without revealing themselves? It makes no goddamn sense. And now I'm stuck going god knows where.'_

She had to admit, things weren't going too well for her. Her career was in shambles, what little social life she had, since it was mostly within the pureblood faction, went down the drain since she supported Jeremiah, and her own personal goals were… well, not much to say there.

Slowly but surely, the train station came into view, and there, she could easily spot the form of her friend, waiting for her. Well, one way or another, they would find out what the hell was going on.

"You're late." Jeremiah announced with a smirk as she left the train.

"I got held up a bit. Your place is a mess." She countered, throwing the man one of the two bags she was carrying.

"Sorry, didn't see much of it lately. Not much use cleaning up a place you only drop by to sleep." He explained, grabbing the bag effortlessly. "Come on, you can catch some sleep in the room I've rented."

"One or two beds?" Villeta asked calmly, and the ever so slight sharpening of her voice was the only indication to Jeremiah that he was threading on thin ice.

"One. I won't be sleeping tonight, and there's a couch regardless." He answered without stopping for a moment. There it was again, that edge in his voice. She wasn't mistaken, as of seeing that portrait, Jeremiah had become as a man on a mission. She knew he had the deepest respect for her late highness Marianne vi Britannia, but she really would have to sit him down one of these days and have him retell the entire story. It was beginning to grow irritating, being in the dark.

"Oh, and I was contacted by an aide from Guilford's command group. Troops are being moved to Narita on Monday, our group included. We are to 'stick' around until they get here." Villeta stated finally, listening to a short, but content chuckle from her companion and guide. The conversation would wait until tomorrow.

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Boredom was such a common occurrence to C.C.. Thankfully, today had proven not to be one of the boring days, even with the last several hours spent on surveillance, it had been relatively interesting to her. Of course, it helped that she hadn't paid any attention to those they were supposed to follow, rather choosing to focus on the nice box of pizza she had, courtesy of Nunnally. Smart girl, coming up with an efficient bribe like that so quickly.

She wondered, as she watched her two partners work, was she even needed here? Lelouch and Nunnally were damn efficient together, and used to working so. Probably because Lelouch was blind for a while now, and Nunnally always had to help him. Why did they even bother with her? She was just a piece of the scenery to most, if they didn't covet the power she could offer. And yet, she couldn't quite put it why, but the two teens that moved before her, both waving a hand for her to follow seemed to care. Nunnally, had taken up to chatting with her whenever she was in the mood for that… which was always. Lelouch, while mostly quiet around her, had more than once told her that he was there to talk should she ever wanted.

But she couldn't. Secrets, knowledge… those were all she had left, and the two of them, even if they were willing to fulfill their part of the contract, were mortal, and would sooner or later, come to their senses and likely abandon her. Their time, no matter how much they did or did not care for her, would come and pass, and she would once more be left alone. And for some reason, since meeting the two of them, she feared it now more than ever.

"C.C., come on. We have to get moving." Nunnally ever so kindly called. And with a barely perceptible shrug, she did. She would have to leave this conundrum for later, right now she might as well enjoy the sight of the two siblings and their plots unfolding.

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Night had already fallen, and the last piece had just fallen into place, with a pair of those who worked at the facility coming out. Nunnally had thought this out carefully, and the best way to this was to capture the two with Lelouch's Geass and let them do the rest of the work.

Behind her, Lelouch followed silently, waiting for her to startle their two targets so that he could get his part of the job done.

Theatrically tripping right in front of the two men, Nunnally fell to the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" one of the two workers asked her, crouching down next to her to help out.

"Owww… my leg…" she whimpered cutely. "Can you help me?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem." The young man responded.

"Sister!" came a shout from behind the two, and they turned just in time as Nunnally closed her eyes. They never even got the chance to react as the baleful eye of the Geass gazed into their own.

"Now..." Lelouch began commanding, the plot formed by his sister finally coming into play.

"You two sure like your theatrics, don't you?" C.C. idly noted from the side.

"It's more his thing than mine, but it's efficient." Nunnally responded from right next to her.

"Touché." The green-haired girl chuckled. "Still, isn't this supposed to be your plan?" she prodded a bit.

"It is. While you were munching on pizza I've told him everything I wanted to check, and he only made slight alterations. Besides, it seems to work better when he orders around, rather than giving others the option."

"Hm. You two really don't keep any secrets between you." C.C. muttered as Lelouch kept listening to the two Geass afflicted scientists with great interest. Both were slightly surprised at the constant look of complete and utter understanding on his face. Wasn't it supposed to be ridiculously complicated for a blind man to acquire vast scientific knowledge? Or was he simply faking it for his own entertainment? It was a question best left for later, though, as the conversation soon ended, and the two still slightly dazed scientists walked off around the corner to light their cigars.

"Well that was productive." Lelouch muttered contently. "I'd take my hat off, had I been wearing one, nicely plotted. I am glad to see that my lessons haven't been in vain. "he commended, the first one going to both while the second was aimed at Nunnally.

"Did you add the additional orders?" Nunnally asked, trying her best to keep herself calm. There were times when her brother's efficiency frightened her.

"What do you take me for? By this time tomorrow, CODE-R will likely cease to function entirely and no one will be able to link it to us. Once more, a well thought out strategy, though I sense that C.C. had her fingers in this…" he retorted, a smile twisting at his lips as the immortal merely stood silent, though Nunnally could see the faint hint of a smile on her lips.

"Let's just go and get some sleep." Nunnally whispered as the trio left into the night, leaving the warehouse area unseen. After all, apart for the CODE-R personnel, they had seen everyone else abandon the area, and the two guards had already been _persuaded_ to forget they were ever there.

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Morning came decidedly too soon, or at least Villeta thought so. Still, waking up to the smell of hot coffee, only to find that Jeremiah hadn't indeed slept at all, was strangely sobering.

"Glad to see you up." He shortly, tiredly stated. "I've been looking through things the entire night." The man stated, pointing at the laptop he had been working on.

"Can this wait a few minutes? I kinda want to get a shower first, and something to eat."

"No rush. The bathroom's through that door. This place has a small restaurant as well." He said from the couch, pointing towards one of the two doors in the room, using the same hand to pick up his own mug of coffee afterward, one oddly marked with the insignia of the Britannian 55th armored division. Odder still, was why did he even bother to carry it with him? Yet another detail she didn't know about her former commander.

The bathroom was a western one, the ceramic tiles under her feet colored in a rather soothing dark blue. There was only a shower, but it was a comfortable one, from what she could tell, with already provided soap and shampoo, not to mention large, fluffy towels.

And the fact that there was hot water in there was a godsend.

Jeremiah focused on the last of the documents left for him to go through, most of them a mixture of reports, as well as a few interesting pieces of mail, such as from one Diethard Reid, who had recently lost his position due to his, choices, as they were. Most likely, he was a scapegoat, just like Suzaku Kururugi would have been… had a certain masked individual not intervened.

As much as it irritated him, Zero, he had to admit, was one carefully calculated bastard now that he sat down and analyzed everything. His name, and the name of his organization were direct insults to Britannia, the first in the form of a taunt at their 'number' system, and the second, against the institution of knighthood, and quite likely, against the Knights of the Round as well, if his memory of old Arthurian legends was correct. But he couldn't quite put everything together. Yet.

There were still questions that needed to be answered, but he was quite certain that at least some of those would be cleared up by the end of the day.

"Meh. We're out of coffee." He noted irately as he got up, putting on his coat over the shirt. He had heard the shower stop, and it was time to go and get something to eat. After an all-nighter, he would sure appreciate a good breakfast.

As he stretched his weary muscles, he was quickly joined by his dark-skinned friend, dressed up in her more conservative clothes.

"Breakfast?" he offered with a tired smile.

"Indeed." The woman responded as the two of them left the room with a chuckle.

The breakfast turned out to be a quiet affair for both of them. Jeremiah was still slightly tired from last night, and while Villeta was in a better shape than he, she also wasn't much of a morning person. Shower, breakfast and coffee first, conversation later.

"Jeremiah…" suddenly muttered, her eyes widening even as she almost dropped her fork.

"…what?" he asked, having finally swallowed. It was not a usual sight to see Villeta so flabbergasted, especially not this early in the morning.

"Turn around and look for yourself." She stated in a slightly shocked voice, barely keeping it from going loud.

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Lelouch wasn't having that much of a good morning either. In fact, he was the first to wake up, at his customary time of six in the morning, and by the time he had finished the light morning exercises he usually favored when there wasn't much space, he had taken a short, scalding hot shower. Finally, it was time to go and grab something to eat.

Putting on his clean set of clothes, he slowly walked out, remembering the description of the place that Nunnally had given him, all the while keeping his Geass active. He was proud to say, that he had managed to differentiate the vision from the ordering by now, though he was still cautious. Hidden beneath the dark sunglasses Nunnally had convinced him to wear while out of Tokyo, his left eye glowed with the light of the power of kings, using the steps of others to illuminate his way.

'_What was is again? Five meters to the first turning to the left, then ten more straight to the restaurant.'_ He reminded himself as he walked on, and opened the door to the small restaurant. Immediately, the scent of fresh food struck his nose, and even with his impressive willpower, he was hard-pressed to contain the watering of his mouth.

By now, he had learned how to memorize the shapes of the faces and bodies of those he had encountered before, however, he was rather unpleasantly surprised when he recognized the two shapes before him.

'_Aw crap.'_ He uncharacteristically mentally cursed as he recognized the shocked faces of Villeta Nu and Jeremiah Gottwald.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Yes, a surprisingly short chapter, but it was needed. This is a short break from the normal storyline, and finally, the staged encounter between the two groups. What will happen next I wonder, hmm?

As you may have noticed, Jeremiah hasn't descended into madness and obsession here, mostly because he had a friend who gave a damn about him in Villeta. And without that, the man is quite capable.

Also, the next chapter will be the end of this mini-arc, and from there, we continue with an important part of the original storyline.


	11. The Confrontation

**Author's Ramblings**: Hm, I've actually had an issue with historical and in world accuracy in this one, but that will wait until the end of the chapter. You'll understand when you read the finishing notes, no doubt.

Not much else to say, though I am quite certain that I didn't put enough orange references here. No one's perfect...

* * *

_Chapter 10: The Confrontation_

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'_Aw crap.'_ He uncharacteristically mentally cursed as he recognized the shocked faces of Villeta Nu and Jeremiah Gottwald.

Fate is a bitch, he realized as he shortly thought of the newest joke it had played on him. Placed in public with two opponents he was ill equipped to fight, and who were, worse still, once already affected by his Geass, rendering them completely immune. And right now, he didn't have any tools at his disposal, unless he wanted to reveal his Geass to another, which was a risky thing to do right now.

Before the two could react, he calmly turned around, passing through the door, and walking right past a person entering the restaurant, Geass quickly activating as he locked eyes with one of the women working in the inn. With but a whispered word, he broke into a run. Battle he would, but not in a battlefield that had nothing to offer to his advantage. If they were here for him, as he was completely and utterly certain they were, they would not find him easy prey… or rather, they would not find him prey at all.

His vision flared to life as he studied his immediate options, taking count of all the people present, as well as his inventory.

'_Yes… just enough to achieve victory.'_ He mused silently as he ran onward, pulling out his cell phone.

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At the same time, Jeremiah and Villeta got up from their places around the table, both glad that they already paid for their breakfast as they chased after their target. It would do little good to start chasing only to be chased themselves by someone, at worse, the police, as they certainly couldn't broadcast who they were after… yet, anyway.

Just as they were about to leave the room, a woman who worked there seemingly tripped, falling straight at them, though Jeremiah had managed to catch her before she crashed, and pass her by.

"Come on! He's getting away!" Villeta shouted as the two of them entered the corridor, coming just in time to spot him turning around a corner.

"There's a back door over there. You go on and I'll intercept!" Jeremiah countered, breaking off to the side and straight for the exit.

Villeta continued straight onwards, running after the teen they were quite certain was Lelouch vi Britannia. And if he ran… well, he didn't want to get caught which made him interesting by default.

As she ran, she deactivated the security lock on her pistol, knowing she was better of safe than sorry, holding the weapon in both hands. Bounding around the corner, she was just in time to spot the young man they were after turning around the next one.

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'_The fools, moving straight according to plan. Did they seriously think I wouldn't think up something? All the better for me' _Lelouch barely stopped an overly dramatic laugh from escaping as he viewed the last piece fall into place. He did laugh slightly as he stepped into the most distant part of the corridor. There were no cameras, he had made sure to ask Nunnally that when they had arrived yesterday.

And better yet, a trap had been set… and so, like a spider in his web, he waited for the prey, with perfect calmness.

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"Villeta?" Jeremiah muttered, his own pistol drawn as he came in through the backdoor.

"He didn't leave. Look." Villeta responded, pointing at the last door in the corridor, which stood tantalizingly open.

"You don't think it's a trap, do you?" Jeremiah muttered sarcastically.

"Likely is. If he's…" Villeta added as the two of them placed themselves at both sides of the door, preparing to move in.

"Yeah, possible" he whispered, counting down the move in time with his fingers.

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'_Three, two, one… it's time.' _Lelouch counted off as the duo charged in, each covering the other's blindspot, while he sat like a king on his throne… though the silliness of comparing a cheesy recliner to a throne wasn't lost on him.

"Welcome." He stated with a chuckle. He could tell that the two were eyeing him with confusion as he sat there. The words were a trigger for the others who were coming there. That is, Nunnally and C.C., both armed, and the rooms around were empty, hence why he chose this one. He had originally wanted to do this differently, and use the masses against them, but he considered the fact that they could open fire… and he would prefer not to leave any corpses behind, at least not yet.

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"Welcome." Jeremiah stared at the blind boy ahead of him.

"Jeremiah…" Villeta whispered as she aimed her piece at Lelouch, her friend merely nodded.

"What can I do for you?" he continued calmly. "You after me, are you not?"

With a moment's pause, the two realized that it wasn't just the two of them here. And the fact that they now had two pistols aimed at their backs was not lost on them either.

"Are you… are you Lelouch? Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, son of Marianne vi Britannia?" Jeremiah asked, his gun still aimed at the blind teen before him, while Villeta had turned around to aim at one of the two behind them.

Even with his superhuman level of discipline, for but a moment, his face lost its perpetually calm mask, a second's look of shock coming over it, before it was quickly submerged beneath. He hadn't expected this… rather, he had expected his other identity to be revealed ahead of schedule.

"And why exactly, pray tell would you care for a dead prince?" Lelouch finally responded a few seconds later, slowly revealing his arm to reveal a number of throwing daggers neatly arrayed on the surface of the armrest. The message was clear, they were outnumbered and outgunned. Still, neither were willing to drop their guns… if they were going to fall, they would take as many as they could with them.

"Alright, no shooting." Villeta announced, still slightly shocked by what Jeremiah had asked.

"You still haven't answered my question." The man pressed on.

"Neither had you mine, and yet I am at an advantage." Lelouch countered, that perfectly pleased smile not wavering for a second as silence descended among them.

"Who are these people?" C.C. answered curiously, gun still aimed at Villeta, while Nunnally's was aimed at Jeremiah.

"This is former margrave Jeremiah Gottwald and his associate Villeta Nu." Lelouch slowly explained. "Now, tell me. What do you want with a dead prince?"

"I wish to repay my debt to lady Marianne." Jeremiah countered, dead-serious, the comment bringing up a surprised look on Lelouch's face.

"Jeremiah!" Villeta near shouted. What the hell was he doing?

"Let me speak Villeta, I am not mistaken, this young man is Lelouch vi Britannia, the exiled, blind, should-be-dead prince of the Britannian empire. And that girl over there, the brunette, is Nunnally, his younger sibling." Jeremiah countered. "If anything, I owe them my loyalty, just as me and my sister owe his mother our lives."

"Nunnally, C.C., lower your weapons. Mr. Gottwald, miss Nu, I expect you to do the same." Lelouch _commanded_, voice leaving no room for discussion, and unsurprisingly obeyed by all present. "Let's move to our room and start this from the beginning." He added wearily.

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The five of them were now seated inside the two-bed rented room belonging to Lelouch, Nunnally and C.C., the two 'guests' strategically placed so that the others had a clear line of sight at them.

The throwing knives he had there were mostly just for show, an intimidation factor is it were, but he knew how to use them against unmoving targets or loud sources of sound. Still, he kept them within arm's reach.

There was something utterly disturbing about this entire situation, Lelouch was certain of it, though he found himself lacking the words to explain it properly. Jeremiah had figured out who he was, no words he could speak would convince him otherwise, and Villeta was already suspicious of him. He was also concerned that if they had put together as much as they did, they were likely close to his _other_ identity…

"Let's start this from the beginning, shall we?" he stated diplomatically. "For starters, how did you identify and find us?"

"There's a portrait of you in the Clovis memorial museum." Villeta deadpanned.

"And I accidentally spotted you when you were going to the train station." Jeremiah added.

And Lelouch? He had to stop himself from facepalming at the revelation. _That_ was how they found him? Truly, whatever deity ruled this universe was out to get him… still, he made a note to find a way to remove that portrait.

"You state that you owe my mother your life. What is it that you actually want?" he asked a couple of seconds later, having regained his composure.

"To repay that debt, though I am uncertain how." Jeremiah responded slowly. He truly wasn't. "I suppose there was a reason why you were hiding here in Area 11, likely using a false name as well…"

"You suppose correctly, though I still wonder if I should allow the two of you to live." Lelouch coldly responded. He was beginning to gather the inklings of an idea… a potential plan that would serve him greatly in the long run.

The atmosphere had gotten decidedly colder with that statement, as both Jeremiah and Villeta tensed. It was no idle threat, they both realized, and Jeremiah knew that Lelouch was an excellent planner back from his time at Aries Villa, and if the events here were any indication, he likely improved. If he wanted to kill them, he already had an escape plan in mind that would leave him covered. Still, he lost nothing by cooperating here, and it might prove beneficial to him... should he survive.

"You were one of the guards at Aries Villa when the attack happened. Why weren't you there to defend my mother?" he asked in a low voice. It was a confirmation of what Jeremiah had stated, and that by itself surprised the female occupants of the room.

"We were ordered to pull back by lady Cornelia, who was in charge back then. And she herself was ordered by consort Marianne. And I should know, I was there with a few other guards when her highness had stated so." Jeremiah responded calmly.

'_But t__hat would mean… that mother expected an attack, and that neither Jeremiah Gottwald nor Cornelia have any blame in the matter. So that leaves me with getting the other half of the information from Cornelia as well as talking to brother dearest… just great. Worse still, he doesn't seem to be lying about anything. So, now I have an idea what to do with him, but what do I do about Villeta…' _Lelouch mused, considering how best to handle this situation. Killing them both was the easiest solution, but that would anger not only him, but his sister as well. Then again, this was the man who had sentenced Suzaku to death, so there was the possibility of her not being so lenient.

Perhaps one final test was in order, their reactions would be indication enough of whether they could be trusted or not. Regardless of what happened, they weren't leaving this room without some form of insurance for him, Nunnally and C.C., whether that insurance be words… or lead.

"Tell me, Jeremiah, Villeta. By now, _I am most certain you realize who you are talking to. Where do your loyalties lie? Hm, Orange boy?_" Lelouch stated, his voice slowly changing until it was the cold, modulated voice of Zero. He had acquired a small device, similar to the one his mask used which allowed him to apply the same modulation to his voice without the need for a mask.

'_I was right… he is Zero, the little bastard' _Jeremiah silently thought, barely restraining the overriding need to topple the irritating… _'Control yourself Jeremiah… you can get him for Orange later.'_

"Zero? But… why? Why do you fight against Britannia if you're a Britannian yourself? Royalty even…" Villeta muttered, utterly confused by his reasoning. Unlike Jeremiah, she hadn't come to the conclusion who Zero might be, nor did she have any knowledge of the young prince before her, so she simply couldn't understand why he was doing all of this. Did he want to get back at his family for some reason? Or was it simply a ploy to gain political power?

"For one to have such faith in Britannia… merely shows how little you know." Lelouch coldly responded, the modulator already turned off. "Myself and my sister were shipped off, as political hostages to Japan seven years ago, cast off as worthless merely because I lost my sight, and dared question my father as to why my mother didn't have her guards with her. I've felt the politics of my father on my skin, the cancer that is the Britannian Empire devouring all before it. " Lelouch spoke, taking a moment's pause as his voice darkened.

"The so-called Holy Empire is like a shark, a powerful predator, but the moment it stops its motion, it will drown in its own excesses."

To his surprise, Jeremiah found himself agreeing with this comparison. Even Villeta didn't have the words to deny it. It was simple really, Britannian nobles controlled the country, however, most of the income that maintained its armada and economy standing came from the constant influx of resources brought about by conquest. Should the conquest stop… the lack of income would cause a severe economic crisis, and most likely trigger rebellions amongst the conquered Areas, or worse, civil war among the nobility.

"To answer your question, Britannia, and by extension, Charles zi Britannia, my bastard of a father, has already taken almost everything from me, not once, but twice. He has crushed countless lives to feed the ever-growing greed of the empire he forged. Is it a virtue to be strong? A crime to be weak? If that is so, I have chosen to become strong, stronger than him. To crush him, and everything he represents into dust and ashes." Lelouch continued in a quiet, but truly passionately angered voice. "And I have no intention of losing. I will find the ones responsible for the death of my mother, I will destroy this crooked world he strived so hard to forge, and I will create a better one on its ashes. One where people no longer have to awaken in fear, where parents can watch their children grow in peace, without the ever-present shadow of terror looming above them."

Villeta was put back by this. There was no doubt about it anymore, the man before her _was_ Zero. Lelouch vi Britannia, exiled prince of the Empire, the frail weakling born of a common woman was the man who had dared stand up against the might of the Britannian empire, casting his lot and future with that of the Japanese resistance. And in no small words, promised to destroy Britannia as is. If so, why did she feel drawn in by those words? By those two unseeing eyes that stared straight through her. Why, most of all, did she feel that this boy, no, this man would not only _try_ to do as he spoke, but achieve it as well?

'_Was it those speeches that drew others towards him and created the Black Knights, I wonder? Or the seeming miracles he created without almost any visible effort.'_

It was different this time, she realized. It was that same voice Zero had used to announce his existence, the creation of the Black Knights, the salvation of the hostages at lake Kawaguchi… and yet, now that she heard it point blank, like this, there was something else, a… nobility of sorts. The things he had promised, had once inspired fear in her, in almost every Britannian most likely. And yet, the threat didn't seem to be aimed at her, rather at someone else.

"As passionate as your mother ever was…" Jeremiah responded with a sigh. "You aim to take to defeat Britannia yourself? Tell me, how exactly do you aim to achieve that? As just one, blind man? Raise an army, and Britannia will strike it down, mercilessly I might add."

Lelouch merely chuckled in response, taking up one of the daggers and throwing it, hitting right beside Jeremiah's head, before he even had a chance to react, as if to point out something.

"Just because my eyes no longer see does not make me blind. A man alone cannot defeat Britannia." He responded, drawing confused looks from everyone but C.C., who already had an idea of what he was talking about. "But Zero is not a man, he is a symbol. An insult to Britannia by his very existence and name. A banner of hope under which I intend to gather all those of a like mind. A knight in service of justice."

"The judge, jury and executioner as well I presume?" Jeremiah continued to question, but this time with a small smile. He was beginning to understand just what he was up to.

Villeta wondered what the man was thinking. Jeremiah was fiercely loyal, and if he was so loyal to Marianne due to a debt he obviously transferred to her child, why was he questioning him so?

"Tell me Jeremiah, do you believe peace for the entire world can be achieved without dirtying one's hands? Without making sacrifices of one's own?" Lelouch asked in counter.

"No. To think otherwise would be naïve at best… suicidal at worst."

Lelouch chuckled at the rather accurate statement. He had to admit, he was beginning to like this Jeremiah Gottwald. The man was surprisingly intelligent, once his pride didn't get the better of him. And he had come to an understanding now, of who and what the man in front of him was.

"I understand now… what it is you want, and what lengths you are willing to go to." Jeremiah finally stated, getting up from his seat, and completely ignoring the sound of the gun preparing to shoot. With calm, determined moves, and no aggression, he took a step forward and knelt on one knee. Lelouch remained unfazed by the action, seemingly content to wait for Jeremiah's action.

"I, Jeremiah, of the house of Gottwald, pledge my service and loyalty as knight to prince Lelouch vi Britannia in his endeavors."

"Stand, sir Jeremiah Gottwald of the Black Knights, your pledge of honor is accepted." Lelouch returned, a smile spread on his lips even as the others in the room stared at the two in shock.

"Je…Jeremiah.. that's treason…" Villeta muttered, her mind completely unable to understand what he was doing, what he was thinking. '_Is he thinking at all?_'

"I should hardly think so, after all, I am merely choosing to serve a prince of the empire. It is hardly my issue that my other commanding officers are uninformed of that fact." Jeremiah responded with a somewhat bitter chuckle as he got up, before looking apologetically at his long-time friend. "I am sorry Villeta, but this is what my honor demands of me, what every ounce of pride I have screams for. I… know you do not approve nor agree with me. And I am sorry, for what it's worth."

'_Idiot.' _She thought for a moment. It was now Villeta's turn to sigh. "I knew this was going to be a long day. Well, I see my choices here, join or die, huh? And thanks for the vote of trust Jeremiah… you're really something." She added jokingly. It was no more than putting up a strong front, but she had some pride left dammit. And, shocking as she found it, there was merit to what the young man before her claimed.

"An astute observation. However, why should I ever trust you in the first place?" Lelouch calmly offered, a purely entertained smile on his face as eyes bored though her. Blind or not, Villeta decided, Lelouch had one unpleasant glare.

"You had the chance to kill me… twice now, I would think, and you didn't." she stated, not really willing to mention the Shinjuku incident. "I'm already screwed thanks to you as it is… my career is in shambles, and my only remaining friend's joining up with you… what the hell, what have I got to lose anymore?" she responded, her face and voice a mask to conceal the fear and trepidation she was feeling at the course of action she had chosen, at the very real possibility of dying here. "I might as well avoid becoming a corpse before my time. And besides, I have my pride as well. An oath is not something I give lightly."

Across from them all, Nunnally, C.C. and Jeremiah were waiting for Lelouch's decision. Nunnally herself was shocked, thoroughly. Just why did Lelouch accept the offer of that man? She felt more than a bit of resentment towards him for wanting to blame Suzaku to cover his political problems, and yet… she knew that she really didn't have any right to comment, considering all that she and her brother had done so far. Had they not pretty much destroyed someone's life today? And Jeremiah was a damn good pilot, at least from what little she got to witness… well, and from the files she read that C.C. was kind enough to show her how to hack into. Useful skill that hacking… and what was he going to do about that Villeta? Her words seemed sincere, and yet, she wasn't as good a judge of character as Lelouch was.

The green-haired immortal was endlessly entertained by Lelouch's choice, and eagerly awaited to see his next one, though she already knew which it would be. And the trip had been interesting enough as it is, the appearance of two such figures made it even more so. The choice to accept these two was very pragmatic, a thing she very much expected of him, as Lelouch was no fool.

"Alright. Kneel." Lelouch calmly ordered.

"Sigh… I Villeta Nu hereby swear my loyalty and service to prince Lelouch vi Britannia." Villeta swore, shortening the traditional oath quite a bit. She hoped he wouldn't mind.

"Stand Dame Villeta Nu of the Black Knights, your pledge of honor is accepted." Lelouch solemnly responded. He had enough respect for the act itself, as it was the oath of fealty, the same one Milly had nearly sworn to him, had he not stopped her. If Villeta was certain of it, who was he to deny, and to insult her needlessly? He only mourned the fact that he had not brought his sword with him.

"So? Is that it? What are our orders then?" the dark skinned woman asked, the relief barely restrained from her voice, though Lelouch could sense it easily enough.

"Nothing yet." he stated amusedly "I merely want you to be my eyes and ears within the military for the time being, while I create openings for you to restore your lost ranks." He stated. "And later on, we shall see. But for the time being, some breakfast doesn't sound too bad." Lelouch added, as several stomachs simultaneously grumbled.

And after breaking tension in a way that only hunger could, most of the group broke into barely contained laughter.

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"That went rather well, don't you think?" Lelouch stated calmly once the two had left the room. He wasn't overly surprised when he received a bop on the head from his sister.

"Lelouch! What were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt!" she fessed over him, the older sibling completely surrendering himself to his sister's tender mercies, even as the girl gave him a light hug.

"Sorry Nunnally, but I saw an opportunity and I had to use it. I promise I'll be more careful about things like this in the future." He stated to his sister, gently rubbing her back. "I am surprised though, you are not questioning my choice in revealing ourselves to the two of them?"

"I trust you know what you are doing, brother." Nunnally responded.

"Such a curious choice that… how did you know what he would do?" C.C. asked curiously, moving herself closer to the two siblings.

"It wasn't hard. Jeremiah is a man with two main characteristics: loyalty and pride, in that order. The first you could tell from the way he acted towards Villeta, constantly ensuring her protection, which is why he spoke first, and the second I knew already. I know he was a member of my late mother's guard, and like everyone there, he idolized her. While I believe in what I said, or at least most of it, it played well into his beliefs, and turned him to my side. He is not a man to give such an oath lightly, and I have every reason to believe he will do as he says."

"And Villeta?" C.C. continued.

"She… is a bit harder to place. She's a survivalist, that much is certain, however, she bears more than a little bit of loyalty to her Orange friend there. The fact that she said he was her last friend means that the others had left her for her choices in supporting him, which is obvious since only the two of them are here. She will hold onto her word, not because she is proud and honorable, but because Jeremiah will."

"And what makes you think that they won't both betray you at some point? Or that this isn't some great charade meant to lower your guard so that they could identify you? Why, there might already be a group of Britannian soldiers coming to arrest you as we speak." She asked bemusedly, joining Lelouch's action of stroking Nunnally's back, the younger girl perfectly comfortable with both displays of affection, even if it was only light in the second case.

"I've made my calculations beforehand and gathered all the information I needed to make my decision. Had they wanted to, they could have done it already. It is no big effort for the Britannian army to pick up suspects of the street, especially if they aren't noble in rank, and by now they already had all the information they might have needed to do so. It was a calculated risk, but one I am certain will end to _our_ benefit." Lelouch explained, not really countering her point, but he wasn't in the mood for an argument.

"Well then, if you are so certain of this, then I'll put a bit of faith in you." C.C. responded with a chuckle. "I'm off to take a bath, and then we should go and get something to eat. Try not to fall asleep."

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Inside the small restaurant, Jeremiah and Villeta once more sat down, this time at a larger table as they expected the trio to join them soon. They hadn't managed to finish their previous meal, so they were now waiting for a new one, while drinking another round of coffee. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two as both considered the choices they had made.

For one, Jeremiah didn't regret it one bit, in fact, he felt a sense of purpose he had long since thought lost. He had a number of doubts about what he had chosen to do, he was human after all, but in the end those meant little. His pride demanded he uphold his given word, his honor demanded he repay his debts, and his loyalty was steadfast. There was nothing left to decide, but he knew, that if the day came when Lelouch vi Britannia… Zero stepped off his path and became a monster, he would be the first one there to stop him, oath of fealty or not.

"A penny for your thoughts?" he spoke lightly to his friend, who merely sighed, looking at him over the mug of coffee she was drinking.

"I can't help but think I've made the worst mistake of my life, Orange." She added with a slight snicker, planning to tease the living daylights out of him for getting her into this situation.

"Not you too Villeta." The older man near-whined as Villeta laughed lightly. She needed that, a good laugh. Her spirits were dampened enough as it is by the events, and she wasn't overly looking forward to her new 'service' and even less to the man who was now her liege. She could only hope things would turn out better. Certainly, she toyed with the idea of betraying him, of going off straight to princess Cornelia and confessing everything, but then again, why should she? She would probably gain that noble title she wanted for so long, but she would be merely thrust into court politics, without any allies to support her. And that was as bad as being sent on a suicide mission. At least, she hoped, she would be too useful to Zero or Lelouch or whoever he styled himself to be at the time to simply throw away.

"Here are your orders." The waiter stated from the side, bringing in their food, consisting of a standard English breakfast. "And for you?" the man further asked the three that had almost invisibly joined them.

"Some cereal would be nice. And a glass of orange juice." Nunnally innocently stated, hiding behind her angelic smile. The waiter nodded, writing down. Across from Jeremiah, Villeta was barely containing her laughter.

"Will that be red oranges or normal oranges?" the waiter asked, completely unaware of the near fuming man next to him, paying his full attention to the young girl sitting at the table.

"Red oranges." Nunnally sweetly responded.

"I'll have the same as them." Lelouch finally ordered, gesturing to Jeremiah and Villeta. "And one of those orange tarts as well." He added, a jovial, friendly smile on his face, not in the least showing how much fun he was deriving from this.

'_You do realize that this means war?'_ Jeremiah thought irately as he barely kept his composure while the others broke into light laughter.

"And for you miss?" the waiter finally asked C.C..

"You wouldn't happen to have pizza would you?" C.C. asked, and the man gave her a strange look, but wrote it down regardless. Then again, all those present gave her a strange look. "What?" the green-haired girl asked with a smile "I like pizza."

'_Understatement of the century.'_ Nunnally and Lelouch simultaneously thought as the waiter walked away.

Breakfast proved to be a surprisingly pleasant affair between the five, much of the tension between them completely lost to the joys of tasty food and good conversation, and occasional mentions of oranges (and a rather irritated knight as well). It was ironic, in a way, considering that neither of the two groups fully trusted each other, but some degree of understanding had been achieved.

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Several hours later, found Lelouch sitting once more, his face a mask of complete boredom as his mind analyzed all the information he now had at his disposal. He would have preferred a cabin for this, but he was used to simply shutting out the world around him and retreating into the sanctuary of his mind to plan.

'_The wheels are turning once more, and my plans will soon be set into motion. But things will not be so easy, will they?'_ Lelouch quietly mused as he slowly, but surely descended into slumber.

Next to him, a certain green-haired immortal made a small smile at the sight of her contractor, before settling her head onto his shoulder, a mirror of his sister on the other side, and let herself fall asleep as well.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: And cut. Points for those who can figure out who Jeremiah quoted in his final thoughts. (I'll reveal it in the next chapter)

Most of this is chapter was a lot easier to write than the last one, though I did have some degree of trouble writing the long conversation between the two groups. I know a lot of you expected an armed confrontation and a fight, but Lelouch isn't an idiot, and he wouldn't allow that to happen if he could avoid it. Why? Because firefights draw the military out very quickly.

The next few chapters will be back to the more normal, with big battles and all that. And no, I won't yet reveal what it was that Lelouch & co. acquired.

Now, to the issue of accuracy. Namely, how does one refer to a female knight? According to all the research I've done over the internet, it should be 'Dame' instead of 'Sir', and as I've yet to see a female in Code Geass referred to by either title, so I will go with Dame for now. If anyone can refute this, I will gladly fix myself as soon as you show me where. Also, I will not be using the titles later on, since they are mostly there for ceremony, but the accuracy of it is somewhat bothering me.


	12. Short Return to Normalcy

**Author's rambling: **And here we go, the newest chapter. No real fighting here, I'm saving that for the real battle that comes in the next chapter, but there were a bunch of things that needed to be handled _now_ as opposed to _later_. Still no Team Lloyd in this chapter, but I promise a presence in the next one.

* * *

_Chapter 11: Short Return to Normalcy_

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_Undisclosed location,_

_Temporary headquarters of the Black Knights_

_Early morning, a week after last events_

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"Get a move on! Those frames won't unload themselves!" Tamaki shouted at some of the new recruits that had recently joined the Black Knights. The entire underground base was in an uproar ever since the delivery a mere hour ago.

From his position within the shadows, Zero overlooked the large warehouse, his left eye glowing with crimson light from beneath the mask. Like ants, the members of the Black Knights, both new and old, milled about the large warehouse, far from the watching eyes of Britannia.

It was a good idea, to set up a way for the recruitment of new members, though he could hardly claim it as his own. The whole system was Ghost's brainchild, further brought into existence with Oghi's aid, and he merely approved it. In another time, he may had been perfectly willing to take up every burden upon his shoulders to maintain control, but he was wizened enough by his own troubles to know that making such a system only invited trouble in the long run. Besides, it wasn't as if they wouldn't obey his orders should the need for micromanagement arise.

Arrayed along the underground subway warehouse were two rows, ten each, of Knightmare frames, the customized editions of the Glasgow model, designated as 'Burai', were delivered a mere six hours ago by a… group, who wished to show some support. A group known as the Six Houses of Kyoto.

He wasn't naïve to think it a show of unconditional support. The various resistance groups, even the large ones such as the JLF had to receive funding and resources from somewhere, and it stood to reason that it was them who provided said resources. In short, they were giving the Black Knights a chance to prove themselves. He already had his theories as to who the members of said organization were, but confirming that would have to wait a bit.

Standing a bit away from the Burais, was another frame, delivered separately, though by the same group. Ghost had read the specs on that frame, giving out a few whistles occasionally, before stating that she wouldn't be able to pilot it, much to her disappointment. In truth, both of them understood why perfectly. Nunnally was a tactician, and perfectly suited for one on one combat by either luring enemies into traps or taking them out from where they didn't get a chance to retaliate. This frame was built on a completely different principle.

The Guren MK-II, a veritable battlefield nightmare, armed with an experimental radiation weapon capable of almost instantly obliterating any Knightmare frame (or pretty much everything else) it strikes. Of course, after hearing the loadout it had, he realized its potential weaknesses, such as the lack of _any_ long-rage weaponry. However, Kallen was an expert in close quarters combat…

"_Such a shame you have to spoil their mood, right my lord?"_ Ghost's voice startled him from his observations, commenting the cheerful behavior of the various members at the sight of their newfound support.

"_Indeed. Just make sure I don't smash into something, would you?"_ Zero responded with a chuckle, which his masked sister shared.

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"It sure is something, eh Kallen?" Inoue spoke to her friend as they both eyed the impressive machine in front of them. "Read the specs on that baby yet?"

"Yeah, the whole manual…" Kallen responded, eyes still locked at the red frame in front of her. Inoue shook her head lightly.

"Well, I've gotta go, some of the newbies need help."

"Yeah sure." Kallen responded, giving the Guren one last look.

"_They seem to be treating this as a party." _Zero calmly noted, startling her as his cloaked figure coming out of the shadows.

"Zero!" Kallen near-shouted, bringing herself out of her thoughts, though she sounded quite happy. He assumed it was because of all the frames present, as well as the new members. "They're happy I guess. It's just that things have finally started changing, and now even the big shots from Kyoto are offering their support."

"_Sigh… quite to the contrary." _the masked leader refuted, bringing up his left hand in a motion as if to lay it against his forehead and allay a coming headache, even though it was covered by his mask.

"Sir?" she responded with no small amount of confusion. Her intellect, tough keen, lacked the experience and wisdom to shape her conclusions.

"_Kyoto has so far granted support to a number of rebel groups, the best examples being the Japanese Liberation Front, and ourselves. It's little more than giving us a chance. I'm afraid, the truly difficult par begins now, a soon-to-come baptism of fire if you will." _he explained, lightly gesturing towards the green members of the Black Knights. Kallen immediately understood what she was talking about.

"I… see." Kallen responded, this time far more subdued. "You make a good point."

"_What do you think of the Guren Mark II?_" Zero asked curiously, diverting the course of the conversation to the target of Kallen's interest. It did little good to think of the deaths that would undoubtedly come soon.

"It sure is something…" the girl responded, her voice losing even more of its edge.

"_It is a fine machine, and it would seem the attraction is mutual._" Zero commented with a light chuckle as he threw something in her direction. Startled from her thoughts, Kallen grabbed the small object Zero had thrown her.

"What is this?" she wondered looking at the small ornate red object in her hands. She couldn't lose the feeling that that small object in her hands was something _important_, something that would change her life in ways she could never have foreseen, just in the same way Zero's voice did that the first time in Shinjuku.

"_That is the activation key to the Guren MK-II. As of now, it belongs to you." _Zero stated, suppressing a chuckle at the almost comedic widening of the girl's eyes.

"Wh-what?" Kallen barely managed to mutter "But, you can't! I'm just a pilot, and we have so many new people… we need the Guren's armor to protect you, now more than ever. We can't afford to lose you Zero." She almost pleaded, and she meant every word she had said. Even with all her desire to pilot that machine, without Zero, she knew they would lose.

"_Kallen." _the masked man spoke, stopping any words that might have come out of her mouth _"I am a commander, my place is not on the front lines, one of the Burai will be more than enough for me. You are our finest pilot, you would be able to make the most use of its abilities."_

"But…what about Ghost? She was the one who defeated that Knightmare prototype when we could do nothing" Kallen tried to refuse… keyword being tried, considering that she actually wanted to pilot the Guren very much. And that she was being complimented by Zero, a fact that made her feel warm inside.

"_While I appreciate the compliments and your fate, the Guren would be wasted on me. I am a decent duelist, but its full offensive potential would be wasted upon me. You on the other hand, have the passion to bring out its true power."_ Ghost responded, landing straight behind Kallen from god knows where.

"_Kallen, the only reason why you lost was because you were faced with far superior technology. Though if you are so averse to piloting the Guren, I could always ask Tamaki if he would do so in your stead."_ Zero asked, and even though the modulation took away most of it, she could still tell he was entertained. The look of avid shock on her face must have been the reason.

"Eh, no… I'll pilot it. Thank you." She quickly responded, offering the man a small, curt bow, while he chuckled in turn.

"_There is nothing to thank me for Kallen. But if you truly wish to do so, pilot it well._" Zero responded, laying a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Right…" Kallen nodded, a small smile spreading on the girl's lips as her fist clenched around the metal surface of the key. Neither noticed an ever so slight twitch of Ghost's right hand... the one she normally used to fire the rifle on her knightmare frame.

"Hey Zero, we just got something weird." Oghi interrupted the heartwarming exchange, scratching his ear somewhat nervously as he looked at some papers in his hand. The hand on Kallen's shoulder vanished as the two retook their previous stances.

"_I assume this is important?" _Zero calmly asked, concealing well his irritation at being interrupted.

"Eh… I don't know? It could be…" Oghi somewhat weakly responded, and the masked leader of the Black Knights sighed, gesturing with his hand for the man to continue.

"Well, we got a piece of intel from a Britannian who wants to join the Black Knights… some reporter named…" he stopped there, looking into the papers for the name he just forgot.

"_Diethard Reid?" _Ghost interrupted.

"..eh, yes." The former leader of the resistance cell confirmed, his surprise only slight. He had come to half-expect that the apparent leader and his shadow would know a lot more than they let on.

"_Continue." _Zero ordered.

"I don't know what to make of this, after all, this could be a trap, but I still thought it best to inform you. According to him, the Britannian military are organizing a campaign against the various resistance cells that survived so far, and it is supposed to culminate with an attack on the JLF headquarters within Narita mountains."

Zero remained quiet as he thought this over. It matched up to what his other sources had stated so far.

"_Interesting. Did he claim anything else?"_

"Yes, he said that the main attack was scheduled for next Saturday."

'_Perfect match for what Villeta and Jeremiah passed me so far, and even more accurate. Meaning that this man has sources higher in the military, which leaves us with five days to prepare for action. Looks like the time is coming, Cornelia, by the end of this week, I will have you in my grasp.' _he mused, content at this latest piece of news.

"_Good work Oghi. Now, I need you to get me something." _Zero stated, walking away with the man for a few seconds, and leaving him completely confused, apparently, before he returned.

"_Kallen, you can go now. Tell the others not to make plans for this weekend, as we will be going hiking."_

"Hiking?" Kallen asked with some confusion.

"_Yes. To the Narita mountains."_ He added with some amount of entertainment. _"Go. All will be explained in due time. And take a while to familiarize yourself with your new Knightmare,"_

"Yes sir." Kallen briskly saluted before she turned around and left to join the others

"_Ghost." _Zero called as the others left

"_My lord?"_ The girl responded without a moment's delay

"_I need you to check something for me. If I remember correctly, the Narita mountains were once famous for their supplies of underground water, as well as for possessing several hot springs. I need you to get me a map that clearly displays those pockets of underground water."_ Zero explained, once more closing his cowl around his body.

"_It will be done, my lord." _Ghost responded with a half-bow. It disturbed him, somewhat, the ease with which Nunnally slipped into her role as Ghost, his trusted ally and subordinate. As well as the passion with which she performed every task he set before her, as if she had something to prove to him. And thinking about it, she likely felt she had, considering that she was his younger sister. However, they had both accepted this path, unpleasant as it was. But that didn't mean he wouldn't look out for her, if there was one real reason he could name he was doing all this for, it was for her. If he destroyed that dear, sweet person that his sister was to create this new world, it would all be pointless, and yet, he could not refute that she was growing older, more mature before his very eyes with each passing day.

All these thoughts passed through his head as his younger sister walked off to a nearby computer terminal that they had installed, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Silently, the predatory figure of Zero slid back into the shadows, vanishing from sight. He had a lot to think about.

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_Ashford Academy Student Council clubhouse_

_Next morning_

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With a content huff, Shirley gazed upon the completed form of her masterpiece. Well, close enough, as the play-pen they've bought and set up for Arthur, Suzaku's pet cat was anything but simple to assemble. Trust Milly to buy the most complicated one in the shop…

She had so much on her mind as of late. Her father had even more work as of late, it would soon be time to start thinking about her future career, the swimming club competition was looming, and then there was the matter of her crush.

None of the subjects were relaxing for her to think about, but each of the problems had to be handled and soon.

The first, was beyond her, considering that her father, Joseph Fennete was constantly busy with his work. She knew how deeply her father loved her and her mother, which was the reason why he worked so hard. The constant gifts he sent, as well as ensuring she could enroll in Ashford Academy, even if it was pushing their family budget were merely his attempts at lifting her spirits.

The second and third, she had no idea what to do about, but she supposed she did her all already, and the only thing left was to wait for the results.

It was problem number four that really concerned her, namely her feelings for Lelouch Lamperouge. It was complicated to the young woman, as Lelouch was her first crush, the very first person to awaken those glorious yet frightening feelings that left her tongue-tied whenever she wanted to ask him out or try to confess what she felt.

Lelouch Lamperouge… was the most complicated man she had ever met in her life. If one merely looked at the surface, they would see a young man jaded by life. But all it took was one look at him when his guard wasn't up to realize the truth of her belief. During the freshman year, he had seemed withdrawn, boring even, communicating only with his younger sister and Milly. She knew there were secrets there she wasn't privy to, and likely never would.

But none of it drew her to him. Not his good looks, not his behavior, nor his name. Not the sense of secrecy around him that drew his fangirls like moths to flame. What did, was the gentleness hidden beneath the surface, the way he subtly protected all those dear to him. She could still remember how he protected her and Milly from a thug… it was frightening to see the blind teen fight, and yet at the same time, both were perfectly aware that they were in no danger from him… a fact further exaggerated when he nervously asked to be led away as he didn't want to attract much attention.

With no small amount of pride, she watched as Arthur stalked into the room, and momentarily leaped onto one of the pillars of the playpen, immediately claiming it as his own. She couldn't help but chuckle as the cat let out a content 'meow' while settling on the tallest of the three pillars the play pen consisted of.

"You're such a lucky little cat, aren't you Arthur?" Shirley asked jokingly, and the cat shot her an annoyed look in response, as if asking why she was daring to interrupt his noon nap. "No concerns beyond where your next meal will come from, or who would scratch you behind the ears." She continued, fingers moving to the cat's ears before the little feline broke into purring. "No problems with expressing your feelings for someone…" she added, her voice barely louder than a whisper as her gentle smile was replaced with a sad frown.

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On the roof of the academy, Lelouch was relaxing against the wall, mind slipping between sleep and awake. Certainly, he was tired, running a rebellion is taxing on a man, even more so if said man is blind. The fact that he lost a lot of sleep recently contributed to it as well.

However, this situation in particular had nothing to do with any of those. Rather, Lelouch was in hiding. And entertainingly enough, it was neither from assassins nor from Britannian troops seeking him out. It wasn't even from his teachers, though miss Wells, who taught the History class he was supposed to be attending now would likely claim otherwise.

No, Lelouch Lamperouge was in hiding… from the many young women who seemed to have a crush on him, namely his fangirls..

Now, this particular state of things was nothing new to the exiled prince. In fact (thanks to Milly's rumor mongering) he was likely considered the hottest guy in school, and the facts that he was secretive and blind only seemed to help for some reason (again, pretty much in thanks to Milly's rumor mongering, though now that he thought about it, Milly had done a LOT of rumor mongering in the past few years… how the hell did she manage to avoid having him revealed while still having so much fun at his expense?).

If the situation wasn't infinitely irritating, he would be laughing. He was foolish enough to forget his training jacket that morning, and that was because a certain feline had dragged it off from its usual place in order to sleep on it, and he didn't have the heart to wake the sleeping cat. And of course, his last clean shirt just _had_ to be relatively tight one.

By the time he had heard the flash of a camera… it had already been too late. Suffice to say that the chase that had ensued had even him panting for breath.

It wasn't that Lelouch was…uninterested in girls, however, the lifestyle he had chosen left little room for such activities (though by now he had realized a number of facts about the female mind, such as that his original approach of being a loner only served to attract attention), and the only ones he had let in close were those he had either known for a long time, such as Suzaku, Milly and Sayoko, or those who had fought their way into his close circle, such as Shirley and Rivalz. Nina, the last of the people there was a rather weird exception, an intelligent person he could hold a decent conversation with that didn't concern the small, everyday things, something he deeply appreciated, as well as the fact that she had always treated both him and his sister kindly, had bought her a place within that circle.

As of recently, though C.C. and Kallen had slowly began taking a place in that circle. And some of the members of the Black Knights as well.

The sound of the phone brought him up from his thoughts. Quickly, he moved the device to his ear, pressing the button for it to read the caller ID.

"_R1"_ the phone pronounced, the synthetic voice spelling out the letter and digit of the notation. Rock-1, according to the standard algebraic notation, and also his symbol for Oghi, a way that kept him informed of who it was, and left the others in the dark. Quickly, he pressed the other button, activating the built-in voice modulator.

"Yes?" he asked in a quiet voice. Even in the relative safety of the roof, he still couldn't be too paranoid.

'_-'The preparations for the party have been made. The drinks will be in by tomorrow morning. Is tonight's outing still standing?'-'_ Oghi's voice asked over the phone. It wasn't a really complicated cipher, after all, anyone with half a min and the correct background knowledge would easily figure out what it meant, but it served its purpose, to keep those who would overhear by accident from figuring out what was really happening

"I will be attending." Lelouch responded, completing the exchange.'_ So, tonight's raid on the smugglers is still going to happen. Good, that should provide a decent reputation boost for the Black Knights as well as eliminate an actual threat. Now, back to the subject at hand… how to best neutralize the ticking time bomb that is the JLF?'_

It was foolish to assume that Lelouch vi Britannia was anything but a dangerous and cunning man. Merely because the JLF opposed Britannia did not mean that he saw them as allies. Tools perhaps, but their approach to war was foolish, as demonstrated by Kusakabe during the hostage situation as well as by their many actions throughout the past sever or so years. They held their vaunted pride to close to their hearts… what worth had pride when one had to sacrifice _kin_ to uphold it? Even should they, by some miracle, manage to push out the Britannians Japan would at best become a military state, pushed to that position by the sheer need to arm itself against Britannian retribution. And that was only if Britannia didn't simply decide that Elevens were too much of a hassle to give any rights above slavery to, or to keep alive at all. No, theirs was the wrong way to handle the problem of Britannia, their aims were too small, and their methods crude. They would only put them all at risk, and worse still, his friends as well.

And much to his irritation, he was almost out of ideas as to how to handle the situation at hand, defeating the Britannian army was one thing, but handling the JLF as well… '_unless…'_

Once more, a devilish smirk crossed Lelouch's features. Well, he did promise he'd provide good opportunities for Villeta and Jeremiah to improve their standing. Now, he could get two birds with one stone. It was perhaps for the best, that very few would ever be privy to the full scope of his machinations.

Quietly, he got up, flexing most of his muscles to get rid of the stiffness from lying there for the past hour or so. It was time to get back to class, as even with all he did, he couldn't afford to draw too much attention, and he had spent far too much thinking over moral and strategic quandaries.

School was a curious thing for him as well. Considering that he was blind, he was allowed to take every test orally instead of in writing, though he insisted on writing formulas in math, chemistry and physics. Writing on a board was a joke compared to memorizing and visualizing the entire academy area.

The studies here were a cover for him and Nunnally, but he still tried to get high grades, his pride allowed for no less than giving it his best, both for himself, and for Nunnally, as he would not be a burden needlessly.

"Meh… might as well get going. Otherwise miss Wells is going to ask me questions during the entire class…" he muttered, slowly walking to the stairs. Proudly, he might add, to his doom.

"Lulu!" he heard a scolding voice from his left side, one he could very easily connect to a certain very capable, very intelligent _blond_ girl.

'_Hell hath no fury I suppose… I am somewhat late.' _Lelouch thought helplessly as he was dragged away by a rather irritated Milly. He couldn't fight off the feeling that even if he conquered the world, she would _still_ be able get away with dragging him off like that. Worse still, he had the feeling that Nunnally would be utterly supportive of it.

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Oghi sighed as he ended the conversation. Dropping the phone haphazardly on his bed, he picked up a can of beer, dragging himself out on the small terrace, and sitting in the sofa there.

It was a disheartening view, to look at the ghetto beyond, at what had once been a quaint neighborhood of a large city.

Taking a long chug from the can of beer, he shrugged, and bit back a curse before he threw the can away. Ever since Naoto died, he had let Tamaki convince him to start drinking. Losing his best friend and leader weighed heavily on the former teacher but he turned his eyes away from the past and towards the future.

He had his suspicions back then, and he had them now still, but there was one fact that he was certain of: more so than any other group in Japan, the Black Knights were that future. And with Zero, that future might be more than just a defiant last stand to preserve the centuries of national pride and legacy.

A light wind slowly began blowing, and the afternoon sun elongated the shadows of the buildings around. Even with all the gray of the buildings, in the late night sun it still reminded him oh so painfully of the more peaceful times of the past. Thankfully, most Britannians, even military, avoided the ghettos lately, unless they were coming en masse. It gave some degree of peace to the people living there, a welcome respite from their otherwise bleak existence.

Kaname Oghi was not a man of hate. He didn't hate the Britannians per se, to do so would mean he was no better than them, but he was very resentful of the treatment of his people after the conquest. It was low, debasing and thoroughly insulting for the proud nation to be stripped of everything they held to their hearts, and that was one of the main reasons he had originally joined Naoto's group two years ago. The only real reason why he still led it after Naoto's death was because he cared for the people in it.

With a tired sigh, he got up, giving the golden light one last look before going in. Every warrior needed to be reminded for what they fought, lest they forget and turn into monsters…

Quietly, he pulled down the loose board of his bed before dragging out an old trunk from beneath his bed. The rickety thing was probably older than him, especially since it once belonged to his grandfather, not that he had ever met the man, but the treasures kept within, were very valuable to him.

Numbers weren't allowed to possess weapons, a fact that wasn't overly surprising. After all, it was a common strategy of any conquering nation throughout history, and it only made sense to do so. And yet, he was glad he considered himself a rebel, if only because he held little fear of the sword he still kept being discovered. It was the least of his worries in the end.

Inside was a katana, a simple weapon of no particular value, but of great sentimental importance to him. It was the last thing he had of his father, as he had lost the man to cancer some fifteen years ago. And he had never known his mother, as the kind woman, as his father would oft say, had died giving birth to him.

Next to it were books, most of them those he used back when he was a college teacher, as well as a recording of the hymn of Japan, probably one of the very few still left after Britannia purged the rest.

He very much wanted to play it again, but it was a risk best not yet taken. A time would come again, and hopefully soon.

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_M-1 Mobile fortress, Command center of viceroy Cornelia li Britannia_

_25 kilometers west of the Narita mountains region._

_Early evening  
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The tactical room of the large mobile base was filled to the brim, the various sub-commanders of Cornelia army discussing the plans for the next phase of the campaign.

"There are three bases left your Highness." One of the aides stated, pointing to the three remaining spots on the map of the region. It remained unsaid that there were other bases in Japan, but none of them were a real threat yet, and the JFL was a serious one, now.

"What of our casualties so far?"

"Minimal, my lady. No fatalities, and only surface damage to some of our Knightmares. Though I must add that two squads have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that." Guilford stated. For a man who lived for his duty, such a statement was not given lightly. A silent gesture from Cornelia told him to continue.

"Squads 7 and 8 respectively, under the commands of former margrave Jeremiah Gottwald and Daniel Stokes. Their surgical removal of the enemy response team before they could enter combat ensured that the enemy wouldn't be able to use the terrain to their advantage." He explained, and the distaste in the man's voice at his words on Jeremiah were not lost on all present.

"Interesting, it would seem that Gottwald is doing his best to regain his former position. Place both groups in your attack group for Saturday Guilford." Cornelia responded "I wish to see if he will be of any use, out of all those Pureblood fools, only about three of them were any good. Anything else to add?"

"Just one thing. Earl Asplund has requested that the Lancelot be present during the operation."

"Support for the time being. No action yet. Are we clear? Good, dismissed." She ordered, gesturing for her sister to come closer. After the room had been emptied of everyone but the two of them and the few aides who nearly never left, the two young women left together. A few minutes later, they entered the sleeping chambers they had shared here. The privacy of a single room was very welcoming, and while most of the men under her command would say nothing of their conversation, there were still rules she believed in being upheld, regardless.

"Euphemia you know I care for you a lot, but you really shouldn't be doing this." Cornelia started. She had the distinct feeling of trying to tell a glacier to flow backward, but she had to try. Without much concern, she dropped herself onto the chair before her desk, taking out a bottle of cold water from the small fridge there. While she would have preferred wine, she needed to keep her mind completely clear for the time being.

"We've had this discussion how many times so far dear sister?" Euphie responded, sounding irritated without it actually coloring her voice. The young woman was near perpetually calm, as if there was truly little that could shake her. Her posture on the bed spoke as much of it. "I counted ten in the past three days. How do you expect me to fulfill my duties as sub-viceroy if I don't know what is going on first hand? I know you are worried, especially after lake Kawaguchi, but I am not incompetent."

"I am not saying you are… ugh, why must we fight over something so stupid?" she murmured. "Say, you never told me, just what did Zero say when you talked in the hotel?"

"Uhm...ah…" Euphie started, smiling and blushing lightly.

"Yeees?" Cornelia pressed on. It was important information, she had no doubt, but she was also somewhat entertained by the situation. She was an older sister after all, and that meant _full_ teasing rights.

"He said… he said that someone had to sacrifice their own peace to ensure that of others and he complimented me."

"Complimented?" Cornelia muttered in mild confusion. She had understood that Zero had been civil towards her, but kind? That was surprising.

"Yes… he said that if there were more people like me, people like him would be needless. He said that the leader of the Black Knights shared my dream." Euphemia stated. "I even asked him why he killed brother Clovis…" she trailed off.

"Well this I've got to hear… what did he say?" Cornelia asked, taking a long sip from her glass.

"Eh… how did he put it… because of what he had done, the lives he had taken…. What did he say? Ah yes, _'It was a choice between the life of one man, and the lives of many'._ I'm not sure what he meant by all of that, but… I've looked through the reports of Clovis' actions. Some of the things he'd done…" Euphemia stopped. There was no need to continue, both sisters understood perfectly what she had meant. But still, Cornelia was surprised, Zero was being surprisingly rational, and his reasons were, if nothing else, reasonable. Clovis had _purged_ an area of almost all life. While she had little love for the Elevens, a complete massacre of _civilians_ was not alright. _'And once more, I am not one step closer to understanding my enemy more than I did yesterday. Ughhh!'_

"I am off to sleep sister. It has been a long day, and it will be a longer week still." Euphie announced.

"Right. I need to finish a few things. Good night Euphie." She kindly called before walking out

"Good night Cornelia." Her younger sister responded, both minds once more plagued by the thoughts of one man, Zero.

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At the outer perimeter of the base, Villeta fought to keep awake. With early nightfall, and the tight guard schedules, she was up for the past eighteen hours.

All in all, guard duty sucked and badly. While she had a number of doubts about the course of action she had chosen a little while ago, now she found herself hoping that Lelouch would arrange something, preferably an opportunity for a promotion.

To her, it was at best a questionable choice, but there was an amount of comfort in the fact that at least one of the pillars that supported her life (or the main one, if she was being honest) was still there.

"Speak of the devil… Jeremiah, you alive there?" she called over the radio. He had been unusually silent for the past hour or so.

'_-'Hmm, queen of hearts here…'-'_ the voice of Jeremiah spoke over the line. _'-'Oh, sorry about that… you needed something?'-'_

"Nah, just checking. You've been awfully silent."

'_-'I was playing solitaire. It helps pass the time…'-' _the older man responded with a chuckle. _'-'You seem worried though. Anything I can help with?'-'_

"I'm just tired, relax. Let's just finish our shift and get the hell out of here. I'd kill for a warm bath right about now."

'_-'Or some hot coffee...'-' _Jeremiah trailed off

"Seconded." She added with a chuckle. "So, ready for the weekend?"

'_-'You think something's going to happen at Narita?'-'_

"You know that there's been an explosion in town there just this morning? Five dead, and everyone is keeping quiet about it."

'_-'Yeah. A shame we have __**no idea**__ who's responsible.'-'_ he sighed over the radio. _'-'Ah damn.'-'_

"What now Jeremiah?"

'_-'No moves left… I'm stuck!'-' _a mixture of irritation and impotent rage filled his voice at the statement. His only response from Villeta was a deep, content laughter.

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_Tokyo Settlement Harbor_

_Midnight_  
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No words were spoken, none were really needed as the Black Knights deployed, orders already given.

C.C. was curious, no doubt, as to Lelouch's course of action. Especially since it was _her_ piloting _his_ frame, and that he had managed to smuggle her inside without anyone but Nunnally noticing. Ghost, as her moniker went, was now piloting her own frame, two bright white lines on its right shoulder being the only designation it bore. And yet, it still struck a decent amount of both fear and respect from the others.

The two of them were inside one of the other Burais, colored in dark hues of blue and red, along with a strange, golden horned addition to its head.

The entire operation was simple, a raid against a large smuggler group, which smuggled mostly narcotics and a number of weapons for their own use from the Chinese federation. By themselves, this group was generally harmless, but they for one, imported the highly addictive drug Refrain, just as they began extorting protection money from the nearby areas. Not from the Britannians, certainly, but from the Japanese.

The three warehouses surrounding the dock were the target, and this late at night, the Britannian soldiers, their commander suitably bribed by the smugglers with a decent sum to turn a blind eye, were inconspicuously absent. Somehow, Zero found himself thinking what would happen if an invasion fleet came that night…

Still, it served his purposes perfectly for tonight.

"_Q-1, R-1, are your groups ready?"_ he called over. It was time to begin.

'_-'Ready/ Ready sir!'-'_ both voices responded, the slight background noise of water loud just enough for him to hear.

"_Proceed then. Ghost, you have your orders, proceed as well."_

'_-'Understood my lord. Executing your orders.'-'_ Ghost responded.

"_C.C…." _he continued, about to tell her to move when her voice interrupted him

"You are not going to have me repeating any of those silly lines…" the green-haired woman muttered irately. The subject, was obviously _not_ open for discussion and any attempts to do so would end up with copious amounts of pain. Either physical, emotional or monetary, and he had a bad feeling all three combined was a distinct possibility.

"_Just drive will you?" _Zero muttered in defeat. Some days, he truly wondered, just how the hell did his father manage to survive being married to one hundred and something women? And what was it with his luck with women for the past month?

"Maybe." She responded with a smile that went unseen as the commander frame moved onward.

A soft, modulated sigh escaped his lips as any vestige of humor fled, and the persona of Lelouch Lamperouge fled before the cold one of Zero. Even as she piloted the frame, she could _feel _the change in the man behind her, from the somewhat socially awkward teen, into the self-styled (and frighteningly successful) destroyer of Britannia.

"_Give hell, immortal witch" _He whispered in a perfect monotone, and even if it wasn't an order… she knew she would obey without a moment's doubt.

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'_-'Q-1, what's your progress?'-'_

"Area clear sir." Kallen responded over the radio. To her disgust, the smugglers were there, though she and Tamaki made short work of them. There were weapons here, mostly small arms, but there were also larger crates.

'_-'Excellent work. Secure resources and begin extraction.'-'_ the orders continued. Both had expected as much, they were a resistance cell for a while, and scavenging resources was nothing new. And it was still a better option than leaving it for the Britannians to pick up. Quietly, she and Tamaki stood there waiting for their infantry counterparts to load up the crates onto the trucks, only helping with the bigger ones

'_-'Hey.'-'_ Oghi's voice came over a secure line.

"Yeah?"

'_-'There's something hear you should see. I've cleared it with Zero, and my partner will move over to your position to replace you.'-' _he explained, avoiding to mention Inoue by name while he called her over.

"Alright. Keep things safe here, okay?" she stated, turning to Tamaki before leaving.

'_-'Don't worry! I can handle myself. Just go already'-' _the boisterous man responded with a laugh.

Moving out, she easily spotted Inoue's frame coming from the opposing warehouse, as well as the two frames piloted by Zero and Ghost coming out of the central one. The trucks were coming to both the central warehouse and the one she had just vacated, but strangely, none went to the third one. _'It's the one with the drugs.'_ She realized contently. Knights of Justice. She could live with that.

'_-'Just a heads up, it's not pretty there…'-'_ Inoue's whisper over the radio warned. The tone she used had her worried, but she continued regardless.

The warehouse was a simple building, a large open space with a large front and back door, as well as an office in the far corner, connected to the outside. The crates formed a labyrinth around the area, and the bad lighting would have made it even more complicated to pass, had her frame not been equipped with night vision.

Still, little could have prepared her for the sight of the unfortunate souls affected by Refrain. And worse still, she recognized one of the people present… her mother. Against all of her control, tears begun flowing down her cheeks.

* * *

**Author's notes:** And cut. End of the chapter, and end of the skip until Narita. Next chapter we get Lelouch doing what Lelouch does best.

A few things here were important to cover in the part between the two great battles, mostly doing with some character development. Cornelia and Euphie hadn't had much screen time, but that will soon change as well, as from this point onward, they play a very important role.

One fact that remains unmentioned here is that the Black Knights actually did something in the time between the hostage situation and lake Kawaguchi and the battle at Narita. Smaller operations remain unmentioned mostly because they are unimportant.

And yes, this cliffhanger was necessary.

Well, I think that covers all I've had to say here. I hope you enjoyed it, R&R folks, there's a little button just beneath this you _know_ you want to press.


	13. Prelude to the Storm

**Author's rambling:** Not really much to say here, another chapter of mostly character development, bonding and all that nonsense with a bit of fighting placed in for flavor. Also, the intro to the battle of Narita. This chapter had me going batshit for the past week as I simply couldn't complete it properly with my exams going on, but since that is over for now, I might have a bit of an increase in productivity, if my muse doesn't go messing with me again…

Anyway, enjoy it.

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_Chapter 12: Prelude to the Storm_

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"Mother…" Kallen's sad voice barely managed to whisper as she watched the sight of her mother walking among those affected by the drug. She wanted to curse her weakness, but… just seeing her there, pained her deeply.

"I'm here for you Kallen. Always…" her mother spoke softly, the voice only slightly amplified by the audio… yet another dagger stabbing at her heart.

'_Why? Why does she care so much? Why does that weak… stupid…'_ she tried thinking, but she couldn't bring herself to lay blame at her feet any further. She couldn't speak what she now knew where complete lies anymore.

She realized, much to her shame and horror, that her mother, whom she had always believed to be a weak willed woman who had accepted being a servant in the Stadfelt manse merely because she felt something for her father, the woman who she had abused and insulted more than once, had stayed there and suffered everything, gladly even, _just for her_. That level of self-sacrifice… she just couldn't comprehend it.

The massive frame of the Guren MK-II was now kneeling, holding the woman gently in its protective grasp, even as tears streaked down Kallen's face. She couldn't even remember moving, just that she had come there. Words were no longer needed, words could not describe the depths of pain and shame she now felt. Years she had wasted, years she could have spent with her mother, who loved her. Who had given up her everything, just so that she could have a safe future, and she spat upon it. It was her actions that drew her to use the damned drug.

Refrain was a horrible thing in many ways. A psychoactive narcotic that induced flashes of happier times from memory, building up an emotional addiction rather than a physiological one. And worse still, the body grew immune to it quickly, slowly forcing the user to up the dosage to achieve the same effects, locking its victims into a descending spiral that would end without exception in death from overdose, or suicide.

She knew all that, because Oghi had taken a time to explain it to all the members of their resistance cell, back when Naoto was still alive. She remembered the need to vomit, the distinct sense of nausea that crippled her for the entire afternoon.

"Why mother?" she whispered sadly, tears flowing ever stronger. "Why did you sacrifice everything for me?"

But there was no answer from her. She couldn't answer, even if she could hear her, as the drug had robbed her of nearly all awareness. Though in the end, she didn't really need an answer.

With a great deal of care, she lowered her mother onto the truck with the other civilians they found there, knowing that the other Black Knights would take her to safety. She believed that… because if she didn't, she would break completely.

'_-'Q-1.'-'_ Zero's voice called over the private frequency, and it was a good time. Her mind jumpstarted, reminding her that a battle was going to come soon. The entire reason to take this position and clear it up so quickly was to prepare an ambush for a corrupt part of the Knight-Police that were supposed to be escorting a pair of truck laden with drugs this night. She needed this, a way to get her thoughts away from this horrid sadness if at least for only a little while, and to do something, _anything_…

"Taking position sir!" she quickly responded, the Guren getting up from its crouched position before racing off towards the pre-ordered position.

'_-'No, you will be taking a different position.'-'_

"Sir? I can do this, you don't have to..." Kallen tried to argue, but was quickly cut off.

'_-'I have no doubts you can… however, you are to take lead.'-' _Zero stated, and Kallen's hands unconsciously clenched around the controls in the cockpit, however, her tears dried up, an unnatural calm descending on her with the realization _'Lead? That means front and center attack… Thank you Zero.'_

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"Feeding her bloodlust? Are you certain it is wise?"

"Those men deserve a painful end, however, I fully expect her to control herself. Harsh as it is, I must know what she is capable of, with the situation in Narita coming soon, it is a test that she must pass., otherwise she will merely be a burden." Her companion responded in perfect calm.

"You have thought this through, haven't you? Just how far do your plans reach Lelouch?" C.C. questioned curiously. She turned for a moment to look at him. Without the mask to conceal his face it was only marginally easier to discern his emotions

"As far as they must."

"Do they include conquering Britannia and settling down with a harem of nubile young women? You seem to be progressing quite well in that direction." C.C. pressed on with a chuckle as she heard a subdued, but still hilarious gasp, every attempt at seriousness utterly lost with his face widening in horror. There was no blush to indicate he had entertained such thoughts

"Is the thought so unappealing Lelouch?" she asked, though her voice lost the teasing, fluttery quality it had seconds ago. The moment was lost, and the wistful sigh that escaped his mouth told her of the melancholy into which he now descended.

"I am in no rush to repeat the mistakes of my progenitor…" he responded in a dark tone. "Perhaps a time will come, but I wish not to impose a fate such as mine onto anyone."

The immortal woman couldn't suppress the shiver that went down her spine. The being that sat behind her, in that moment, seemed everything but the young man he was, and far more like a fellow immortal, one who understood the full weight of the many years she had lived. The impression lasted for only a moment before it faded away, as C.C. assured herself that there was no way it could be so.

"They're coming." She whispered, still ever so slightly shaken.

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Lieutenant Stephen Reyes eyed the warehouse before him warily. Profit made by his extracurricular activities provided well, however, he knew better than to expect things would always go smoothly, especially recently with those pesky Black Knights running around.

"Vance, anything around?"

'_-'Nothing sir, clear sailing, and easy money.'-'_ Vance responded in a bored tone.

"Good, stay focused." He commented back.

'-'Sir, unidentified frame at… arghh…'-' one of his other soldiers screamed as the link cut off into static.

"What the fuck…? Vance, report now!"

'_-'We just lost unit five. Devon didn't get a chance to eject!'-'_

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"You're not getting out of here alive you bastards." Tamaki muttered as he aimed the long-range rifle from the back pincer point. _'Three, two, one, fire.'_ He mentally counted down from his position before pulling the trigger.

"One down folks, start it up!" he shouted as the oversized bullet flew into the flank unit of the group.

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From above, it was obvious what Zero's plan was. The wide street that led towards the warehouse was flanked by buildings on the sides. Carefully aligned along the roofs, the Black Knight quintet, starting with Kallen in the Guren, and spreading with the others to the sides. All the frames were kept in radio silence and low emission levels to maintain stealth as the Knight-Police escorted the two trucks into the jaws of their trap. And leaving the trucks filled with drugs there would only serve to condemn the bribe-taking fools even further.

"Rodger that, moving in!" Inoue responded after she had finished her impromptu analysis of this plan, her rifle firing up at the enemy.

She could see all the members of the group immediately springing into action from her center place in the left flank, Oghi to her left and Kallen to her right, with Nagata and Tamaki over to the other side, while Ghost took up a sniping position a bit to the back along with Zero. It was a good plan, and with perfect positioning took every advantage granted by the terrain against the six enemy frames… or five, with the one Tamaki took out of commission.

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One by one, the Knight-Police frames were destroyed, before they even had a chance to properly retaliate, but perhaps the most frightening, was Kallen's attack. While the others relied on firearms, the Guren was a beast of melee.

With nearly alien grace, she waded into the very heart of her enemies, and while she was not allowed to use the Radiant Surge arm weapon, all others were free. And against these jokers, she didn't really need it.

Even as the surviving four members of the Knight-Police took formation to defend themselves, the Guren rushed forth, easily evading the gunfire from both sides. It was liberating, the feel of the impressive man-made beast under her command that effortlessly followed every command she gave. Unlike the clumsy machines of earlier generations, the Guren was lithe, agile and quick beyond reason.

With little effort, she batted aside both the shield and the gun of the first one she reached, not letting him open fire at all as the left hand drew back and fired its mounted gun straight at the cockpit, immediately taking him down.

From the left, she could almost hear the near super-sonic sniper shot that slid by to take out the second one. Reacting quickly, she used the opening to pull out the fork knife, stabbing it into the third one, ripping it in half, while Oghi's fire took out the last frame.

Fifteen seconds, she counted. It was all that it took to clear out the area of all enemies with no losses and no collateral damage whatsoever. Once more, Kallen found herself reminded of why they followed Zero now. Even at their finest, led by her brother, they were never this good. It wasn't the fact that their leader now employed highly complex strategies, he was already doing that for a while. Zero was a presence, one that made you want to give things your best, and more still. Left unstated was the fact with him was that if he gave you an order, he gave it to you because he _knew_ you could do it.

The adrenaline rush quickly left her, but the sadistic sense of content didn't. Victory, complete victory. She still couldn't get used to it.

'_-'All targets have been neutralized and the convoy has reached extraction point, begin evacuation.'-'_Zero's voice ordered over the radio._'-' And good work everyone. Get back to base.'-'_ he added, almost as an afterthought. Still, even with that, she couldn't fight off the smile that came up her face. It felt good, to follow those words he had spoken when the Black Knights were founded.

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An hour later, the entirety of the Black Knights had retreated to the small section of subways they used as their base of operations, the doctors who joined the organization tending to the drug users.

"Not much we can do here ma'am." The leader of the small group reported to Ghost. "The best course of action is to keep them under watch while their bodies recover from Refrain."

Ghost's sole response was a short, understanding nod, as her gaze turned to Kallen and her mother. The fiery redhead was unusually quiet as she sat next to the makeshift bed her mother was in.

"_It will be a while before she recovers Kallen. The doctors state that she won't be able to speak until tomorrow. And it is for the best that she remains asleep till then."_ Ghost offered in a kind tone, squatting down next to the girl.

"I know. It's just… there's so much I want to tell her now. I've treated her so badly, and… I just want to say I'm sorry for it all."

"_She is safe. Count your blessings, some weren't as fortunate as to get a second chance. Use this one well._" Ghost added in a kinder tone, laying a supportive hand on her shoulder. Kallen nodded, showing her a rare, thankful smile. _"Well, I have to go now. The debriefing is in half an hour, you have until then."_

"Right…" Kallen trailed off, ignoring the doctors as they passed.

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Zero was surprisingly enough, having a good day. C.C. had quietly snuck out with his credit card while no one was watching (the promise of all-you-can-eat-pizza being a perfect bribe), the small operation was a complete success, and the Black Knights now numbered fifty people, out of which only a dozen were capable of piloting, another dozen were technicians or doctors, and the rest served as infantry.

The impromptu briefing room, made of one long desk they salvaged from god knows where and a large screen 'borrowed' from Britannia, was probably as close as one could come to the Black Knight's seat of power at this point. Situated in one of the underground railway storages, and connected to the power grid illegally, it officially didn't exist, and was very easy to evacuate within minutes.

Standing right behind him, to his right, was Ghost, perfectly still, an image of a professional soldier protecting her leader. Lelouch made a mental reminded to do something for Nunnally as soon as possible. None of this would have been possible without her help.

"_Status report?" _He asked in an even tone. While slightly nervous, Oghi quickly got up to deliver his report. It wasn't really his job, strictly speaking, but he was the most serious of the group, and the only willing alternative was Tamaki. The less said about that option…

"We've recovered supplies past the quotas that have been set up for the following operation. The crates contained high explosives and medical supplies, both of which help our shortages. Also, some of the medical supplies are useless to us, I recommend passing them on to ghetto hospitals. Sir?"

"_Approved. Continue._"

"Thank you sir. Furthermore, we have a total of three hundred and seventy five applications for Black Knights members, out of which I've selected one dozen that seemed the most promising, the most interesting of which is Diethard Reid, should you believe his willingness to join." Oghi continued, moving onward to the next subject. "And that leads us to the last subject on the agenda, the debriefing for the operation in the Tokyo harbor."

"_I think we all know how that went, and it seems that everyone is quite tired."_ Zero quietly stated, interrupting the man _"Is there anything important anyone here wishes to add about the events? No? Good then, dismissed."_

Lelouch smiled slightly as his statement was met with a roar of approval from the various members, a grateful smile from Kallen and a rather content one from Oghi. He knew they would appreciate small acts such as those, and while discipline had its place, as did a number of his other, colder approaches, this wasn't the time for either.

"_Kallen, before you return to your mother, how did the Guren handle?"_ he asked the red-haired pilot.

"Like a dream." She responded with a smile "Best frame I've ever seen."

"_Do you think you could defeat the Lancelot in it?" _he prodded on.

"I don't know Zero, sir… but I'm more than willing to try." She retorted with a grin, one that even with his limited Geass vision, the young man could easily recognize. "Anything else, sir?"

"_No, dismissed."_ He spoke, shooing her with his hands in an almost comical way.

Lelouch liked it very much when he was right, and in the matter of Kallen, he was, completely. She would make an excellent pilot.

"_I believe it is time we left, don't you agree?"_ He stated to no one in particular, though the person it was aimed at quickly understood the question as he got up and began walking.

"_Yes my lord. I'd kill for a bed right about now."_ Ghost quickly responded, adding the second sentence with a light giggle, before falling into line just behind him.

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_Ashford Academy_

_Thursday night_

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The week passed quickly for Lelouch, broken down between analyzing topographical maps of the Narita region with Nunnally's help, discussing things with C.C., school work, and setting his plans into final motion for the battle ahead.

The small test run of the new frames proved to be more than just a success.

He left no detail to speculation, going through detailed weather reports and forecasts, having Nunnally going through Knightmare specifications to see what could be used against the enemy as well as preparing backup plans, and a way to ensure there wouldn't be civilian victims.

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"_Sorry Nina, we won't be working togther this weekend. Father asked me to come with him for the business trip to Narita. We really don't spend enough time together these days" Shirley sadly responded to her friend, the two of them finishing up on some council planning._

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He couldn't help but overhear that conversation, and that meant that Shirley would be there. Put simply, accidents _would not happen._ He had made sure of it.

Where a sword could kill an enemy, tactics and strategy could defeat nations. And principles he followed were simple in definition, but very important.

One: All warfare is based on deception. Let enemies believe your strength to be your weakness, and weakness to be your strength. He will waste resources fighting battles best not fought.

Two: Knowledge is the foundation of power. Without the ability to use said knowledge, it is worthless, therefore acquire both knowledge, and the ability to use it, or manipulate the situation so said knowledge can be used.

Everything else was either his morals, his beliefs or his desires, but these two were principles the foundation of his ability to wage war.

The initial assumption was that the JLF had somewhere around two thousand soldiers under their command, with roughly a hundred frames, the rest being gun emplacements and armed infantry, most of the equipment brought from the former Japanese military as well as gathered from raids and Kyoto support. From what he could gather, their main assets were a group of five pilots, namely _the_ Kyoshiro Todoh and the Four Holy Swords under his direct command. The reason was simple: Todoh was the only man on the globe ever to deal a decisive blow to the Britannian military in combat, and that was using conventional outdated forces against the fourth-generation Glasgow frames in the well-known (and still fear inspiring among Britannian commanders) Miracle of Itsukushima. Apart from that, Jeremiah's reports noted the existence of a custom-built defensive frame named Raikou, which was capable of destroying any Knightmare frame with a single shot. No aircraft or any other aerial capabilities.

On the other hand, for the Britannian military, he had very accurate numbers, very much in thanks to his two knights who were among them. Roughly four hundred frames, nearly all of them highly experienced men and women, as well as a number of recently promoted squads, Jeremiah's included. Two mobile bases, one under the control of Euphemia li Britannia, and the other by an, to him, unknown officer.

"Aerial capabilities nonexistent, no long-range ballistic weapons, basically nothing apart for their Knightmare frames. What is Cornelia thinking? Overwhelming might, yes… but this entire attack is foolish." Lelouch thought out loud as he sat in his chair. The last speak-out of his clock set told the time was two in the morning, and he was still not done.

"Your tea, master Lelouch." Sayoko called from behind him. "Still up with your plans my lord?"

"Yes, and thank you Sayoko." Lelouch quickly responded. The woman's only response was a modest smile.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" the maid offered kindly.

"No. I have everything in hand. But thank you regardless. Is Nunnally asleep?"

"She is, and lady C.C. has fallen asleep in her room as well."

"I see." The young leader responded, face slowly relaxing. "Thank you for everything Sayoko. I hope what I asked of you will not be too much of a problem?"

"Not at all. It will be my pleasure."

"I am glad to hear it. If there is anything…"

"Make what you said come true young master. That will be more than enough for me." The maid responded with a small bow, before walking away, and leaving him to his thoughts.

"Make what I said come true…" he repeated in whisper, before gathering up the Braille notes he had strewn around. They would hardly be suspected and even if someone bothered to read them, they were in a rather innocent looking code, representing them as mathematical problems rather than the strategic calculations they were. The thick paper and hard pen that carved the small marks into this were somewhat expensive to acquire, but were invaluable to him, as he couldn't exactly read notes written on normal paper.

There were many things to consider, measures to be taken now when there was still time and room to maneuver properly. Taking a short sip of his tea, he returned his thoughts to other plans he had hatched, tiredly resting his head on his hands. Even with the plans to stop Cornelia, he had another battlefield to conquer.

In the long run, there was another aspect he had to think of: backing. Without the Six Houses of Kyoto funding them and sending those frames, he was well aware of just how much more difficult their actions would have been. Which also meant that he could not afford to be dependent on their support for too long, and that he would have to provide an alternative, soon. In the long run, the formation of an international government to stand as a counter to Britannia was a good idea, however, that was neither here nor there, and the political climate for such things was too cold.

One last string that remained to be pulled, and one last figure to be moved into place, and at the same time, he would provide for someone dear. It was good to achieve one's goals, and even better if you made someone important to you happy as well. He only hoped Milly would be as interested in this idea as he assumed.

Stretching his tired arms as he got up from his chair, Lelouch walked towards his bed for a short night's rest. Being incapable of functioning normally would merely draw needless attention to himself, a risk he was not overly fond of taking.

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The morning found the entirety of the student council gathered in the council clubhouse in a rather unusual manner: most of them were still in their sleepwear. Even Suzaku, who had only recently joined the council at Milly's insistence (and everyone knew better than to bother complaining…), for all his military training looked dazed.

"Any reason you brought us up this early miss president?" Lelouch asked in a controlled voice. He was looking forward to sleeping a bit more today, just as much as everyone else present was.

"Seriously, what's going on?" Shirley pouted, being the most upbeat among them.

"Calm down all of you. The reason why I called you here is the fact that the academy festival is coming up soon, and with the budget finally decided, we are ready to put the finishing touches on it. And I have good news as well, Sub-viceroy Euphemia li Britannia has agreed to help finance the festival." Milly explained, calming down her almost raging friends.

"Really?" Nunnally asked, her face suddenly brightening up a bit. Though not a full official member of the student council because she was too young, she was made an honorary one because she constantly helped out first her brother, then the rest of them as well.

"Yes Nunnally dear. She did. And that means…" Milly trailed off. Suddenly two combined groans could be heard, as well as a whoop of joy.

"The giant pizza…" Rivalz and Lelouch muttered simultaneously with great deals of despair.

"Oh come on you guys, it's not that bad, is it?" Shirley asked, at first jokingly, but when two considerably dark looks were aimed at her, she reconsidered.

"What's this about a giant pizza?" Kallen asked with no small amount of curiosity. After all, she had missed the last couple of festivals due to her 'illness'.

"For two years now, we've been trying to make a giant pizza every academy festival. Suffice to say, things haven't been going well the last two times."

"Well?" Lelouch half asked "The first time, me and Rivalz, after we finished getting the recipe ready, and after Nina modified the Ganymede's hands to throw the dough in the air ended up covered by said dough."

"Hehe.. oops?" Nunnally innocently let out.

"And the other time, someone didn't construct the stage well, and the frame fell in, making that giant vat of tomato sauce spill right on top of us." Rivalz completed the description.

Of course, as unpleasant as both things were, more than a few people couldn't keep from laughing. In fact, everyone laughed, starting with Milly and Nunnally, and quickly joined by the others, even the resigned pair who merely accepted the fact that they would soon suffer another unpleasant event such as the one that plagued them for the past two years.

As the small group slowly parted ways, Lelouch was still stuck checking over the several messages that arrived since yesterday when Shirley approached him.

"Hey… Lelouch?" she started shyly, looking everywhere but straight at him.

"Yes Shirley? Is something wrong?" Lelouch quickly answered, his phone quickly finding its way to his pocket.

"Well, you know how my dad works a lot? I'm going with him to a business meeting this weekend, as we haven't spent much time together. But yesterday, he sent me a pair of tickets for a concert next Monday. I was wondering if you would…" she finally trailed off, whatever courage she had managed to gather leaving her after that.

Lelouch remained quiet for a few moments, as he went over what she had said. Shirley had just asked him out… Milly was right, yet again. _'I really should get used to that…'_. And there was the fact that he could almost feel said blond stare drilling holes into him from a safe distance somewhere.

However, Shirley took his silence for a refusal, and slowly turned away. "It's nothing important… I understand if you can't come…" she spoke quietly and sadly, until a hand grasped her wrist.

"I never said I didn't want to Shirley. In fact, I would be honored, I was just slightly surprised."

"Really?" she asked almost doubtfully.

"Really." He responded with a chuckle. "I look forward to it."

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Two figures were lying completely still atop the roof of Ashford academy, one gently embracing the other while they gazed at the stars above.

"I wish I could see them." Lelouch whispered longingly, his hand gently caressing his sister's scalp as the two lay embraced.

"The stars? Like back in Aries Villa, when you, me and Euphie would lie like this, watch the stars, with mother and Cornelia us telling stories." Nunnally spoke back, a little laugh escaping her lips after, one that Lelouch soon joined, but one that also quickly faded away, returning the scene to the silence of the night.

"We are going to fight against them tomorrow, aren't we brother? Against our two sisters?" she asked softly a few moments later. Lelouch chose not to answer for a couple of second, instead closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, thinking things over. He had not wanted to discuss this

"We are. I hate it, having to fight the only two members of our family that we still have any care left for. But…" he stopped. There was no need to say the words..

"Why does the world have to be like this? I… I really don't want to fight Cornelia or Euphie."

"Neither do I… but there isn't a choice. I…" he trailed off, gathering his will to continue speaking, but he couldn't find it. There were no words to express what he felt right now, the depths of helplessness he had fallen. It was ironic, by grasping power, he had been forced to follow a fixed path, and once more, that same feeling he felt when _that man_ took everything away loomed just behind the horizon.

Nunnally was the only one he would ever show the vulnerable part of him. No one else in the world held as much of his trust as she did, in front of no one else did he ever feel he could lower his guard so completely and show weakness.

"It's alright brother… humans are selfish beings… and we are only human. " She whispered sadly, closing her eyes. "I trust you Lelouch. I trust _in_ you. You will find a way."

And that was why. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind at those words, but they also robbed him of his ability to speak. Knowing well that no words could prepare either of them for the fight that would come tomorrow, he returned her embrace, slowly, gently running his fingers through her auburn hair. Those heartfelt words brought him more solace than anyone would ever know and with it, the determination to go on.

Within the darkness that surrounded him, there would always be one safe port in the storm, one light that shone through.

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_Narita Mountains  
Dawn_  
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In tense silence, covered by the morning fog, the Black Knights climbed the southern side of the mountain, taking the old road in their frames. The dark colored Burais kept a constant pace, all of the present members standing on top of their opened cockpits. At the front, Oghi and Kallen were leading, but slightly nervous with what was happening.

Zero had given them no indications of what was going to happen, merely a spot they were to reach and prepare themselves for a coming battle. That, and the fact that they were to deploy the recently acquired excavators there.

"Does anyone know where Zero is?" one of the new members asked from the back.

"Not a clue. He just gave orders and vanished." One of the others responded.

"What do you think Kallen?" Oghi asked somewhat nervously.

"Bout what?" the redhead responded, shaking her head slightly to chase away her drowsiness.

"This…" he vaguely stated, gesturing around with his hands. "There's supposed to be a JLF base around here, and it will come under attack today. And yet, we aren't fighting with them. I can't make heads or tails of his actions. And then there's that…"

"You're not making any sense Oghi." Kallen responded a few seconds later. "Yeah, he's difficult to understand, but we don't really know that much about him, do we? The only thing we do know is what he aims to achieve."

"Hum, since when are you so wise and perceptive?" Oghi jokingly asked, but beneath the smile, she could tell he had already thought of what she had spoken of. "But that's what worries me. I can't make heads or tails of him at all."

"And who can…" she muttered only somewhat irately. It was hard to call someone a madman and fool, when he delivered on his promises of the impossible. "We can only trust he will deliver what he promised."

"Eh… and then there's that." Oghi quietly added. "I get a bad feeling about today. Something is going to happen."

"Then it's a good thing we're prepared." Kallen retorted with a faint chuckle. Neither of them seemed to be in the mood, and the cloudy sky that spoke of a rain soon to come didn't inspire much confidence.

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Shortly lifting the hat covering her features, Sayoko paid one last look at the explosives she had set. The last bit of a large, almost completely harmless array of explosives that could be remotely detonated, combined with a number of other relatively minor prods, would thanks to the military presence nearby, ensure that the city would quickly be evacuated before the battle started.

Her lord was a wise young man, and unsurprisingly caring, a trait she very much appreciated in him. For the six years she had served them, Lelouch and Nunnally grew on her, like a pair of younger siblings. Certainly, she still acted with due respect, befitting her position as their retainer and servant, but at the same time, she was always there to offer advice when needed, as well as to help Nunnally with growing up, as there were thing her brother, regardless of how caring he was, would be completely useless.

Proudly, she looked at the rising dawn sun, knowing she had done her part for this revolution today by ensuring that there would be no needless deaths, and that it was time for her to disappear… but not before she got something to eat for breakfast.

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With an annoyed sigh, Cornelia eyed the skies above. The storm clouds arrived sooner than expected, and though it was a problem, the battle would not be delayed. The entirety of her force was right now circling the mountain area, ensuring that no one would be able to get away.

'_-'Lady Cornelia, assault groups one through five are in position. We await your orders to begin the assault.'-'_ Andreas Darlton voiced over the radio.

"Backup unit status?"

'_-'In position as well. Earl Asplund and his protégé stand fully prepared, and have sent assurances that they can be in position anywhere on the mountain within two minutes.'-'_

"Good." She responded, cutting the line, and opening a visual link to the mobile base where her sister was.

"Base, we begin the attack in thirty minutes. Put all pre-battle protocols in effect, five minutes from now and until zero hour, we maintain radio silence unless something unplanned happens." Cornelia ordered, watching with a great deal of pride as Euphemia responded with a resolute 'understood', before turning to do as ordered.

Two weeks of preparation, organization and overall a nightmare in logistics paved the way for this grand battle, the culmination of her efforts to purge Area 11 of all rebel elements. The Black Knights still eluded her, but the JLF was the greatest threat for now, and this was their final stronghold

"Guilford, how are the preparations on your end?" she asked the final member of her group.

'_-'All is well my lady. Main attack group stands ready and awaiting your command to strike.'-'_ her knight quickly responded.

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Within Guilford's group, Jeremiah Gottwald mentally prepared himself for battle. The newly minted Black Knight chuckled lightly at the irony. To serve his lord, he was to serve the enemy at the peak of his ability.

There was something refreshing in this, he thought. Jeremiah was a man of duty and loyalty, a follower, not a leader and he knew it well. It was Villeta's skillful support that kept him in position as leader of the now-defunct purist faction, and it was her warning that would likely save his life here.

Kewell Soresi, a man he entrusted his life to on many battlefields, a man he was for years proud to call his friend, was now plotting to kill him in battle. And the only reason he knew, was because they believed they could convince Villeta to betray him and set him up.

He would give the man a chance, once more for the sake of old times, but that would be it.

Grumbling lightly at the fact that he yet again ended up without any further moves in his solitaire game, he gathered up the cards from the small surface in front of him, and placed his hands on the controls. The watch showed it was six twenty five, and in five minutes, radio silence would be enacted until the offensive at seven. The wide perimeter they took around the mountain ensured that the JLF troops wouldn't notice them until it was too late, and the heavily encrypted radio chatter was as good as gibberish to discern anything.

"Squad 5, run final checks and prepare for the countdown." He called over the radio, immediately receiving responses from his unit, before switching to a private frequency agreed upon between him and Villeta.

"Villeta, do you remember your _orders_?" he called, putting the accent on the last word enough that she understood what he meant.

'_-'Yes sir, I'll watch your back as you do mine. '-'_ Villeta immediately responded. She was still both tense and nervous from the events a while ago, and because of her new allegiance, but he was firm in the belief that Lelouch vi Britannia would not steer them wrong.

"Good, I'll be cutting the comms now. Wait for my signal."

'_-'Good luck Jeremiah'-'_ she called, before the line died.

"Yeah, you too." He muttered at the closed radio line, before comfortably setting himself into the cockpit seat, resting his head on the palm of his left hand and awaiting the signal to attack.

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"They just aren't going to let us in to play, are they?" Lloyd drawled out with no small amount of irritation. "How am I supposed to provide battlefield data for the Lancelot if we can't even deploy it?"

"He's in a really bad mood, isn't he?" Suzaku asked from a safe distance. Next to him, Cecile raised her head from the screen she was looking on, and nodded.

"Lloyd loves doing his job, and he cares little about a lot of things others concern themselves with."

"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me as if I weren't here." The mad scientist stated in a far more relaxed voice.

"Sorry sir." Suzaku responded sheepishly, but the older man simply waved him off.

"No problem. We need something to kill time as it is."

An uneasy silence fell between the three with the only background sound being the radio chatter they picked up.

"Uhm.. sir? Are we stuck here because I'm an honorary Britannian?" the teen asked

"Most likely. Viceroy Cornelia has little trust of that system. Something to do with those two royals that were killed… what was it? Lelouch and Nunnally I think." The man responded, giving a shrug as he walked off to the com link to observe the battle. "I have some popcorn." He added with a tired grin as he sat down. The other two shook their heads with small smiles and joined him.

Still, Suzaku was mildly concerned by the fact how Cornelia acted because of Lelouch and Nunnally's official death, even if they were still alive. He also wondered if he should attempt to broach the subject of meeting the two princesses to the two of them.

All the while, Cecile managed to get a trio of chairs placed before the large screen while Lloyd pulled out his giant bowl of popcorn. Neither really wanted to know exactly where the man had made those.

"Let's just sit down and enjoy the fireworks, okay?" he offered with something that could almost be described as pleading, though in his case it was never certain.

Lloyd was tired beyond reason, having worked himself to the bone during the past week to finally complete the upgrades on the Lancelot prototype, including perfecting the Maser Vibration Swords to the point that they could be used. All that work… and they wouldn't let them field it. It was depressive.

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Lelouch stood quietly on the open field, the Zero mask removed, leaving him free to feel the cold mountain air on his skin. The scent of fresh mountain air, that specific mixture of pine and wildflowers left him elated, and the fresh, nearly freezing spring water left him refreshed.

It was invigorating to leave the city for a while and enjoy the open spaces, even if he was robbed of his sight.

"Can you see them?" he asked quietly, hearing footsteps in the snow.

"They're coming. Jeremiah sent his report an hour ago with a starting time for the attack. We still have an hour or so before the time you designated. Now tell me, both C.C. and I noticed it, and though she doesn't show it, she's as worried as I am. What's wrong?"

"What does snow look like?" he asked in a strange tone, a mixture of curiosity, longing and infinite irritation, like a child who simply couldn't comprehend something.

Nunnally found herself once more reminded how much her brother missed out at times, such simple pleasures of life. Before they came to Japan, neither of them ever had a chance to witnessed snow, and Lelouch had never even seen it, merely having the chance to read of it in books when he was younger. During summer, they would spend time in the Aries villa, while during later autumn months they would move to a safe place on the southern continent, in the neighborhood of what was once the Ashford estate, due to the fact that their mother didn't like cold all that much.

"Do you remember when princess Guinevere visited and annoyed mother to no end?" she spoke, with a light giggle that was soon joined with outright laughter from Lelouch.

"You mean when she acted like a complete snob and mother 'gently' reminded her whose home she was visiting? How could I forget! Remember the deer in the headlights look on her face?"

"Mhm. Fond memories, those. But that was not what I was thinking of. Remember how her glass fell out of her hand and broke into a thousand small fragments, little shiny crystals on the wooden floor?" Nunnally continued, gently sitting down on the floor and patting the ground next to her

"Yes. Small, shiny things, glittering in the noon light, reflecting the rays in a thousand different directions." He softly responded, the normally opened eyes closing as he took the place to sit his sister had indicated, gently laying his head onto her lap.

"Think of such things, only smaller, barely large enough to fit on the tip of your finger, completely white, like the chess figures our brother Schneizel is so fond of using." Nunnally spoke on softly, her melodic voice gently entrancing him as his eyes remained closed. Slowly, but surely, he felt it, every single snowflake that fell upon him, colored by his sisters words. It was no joke when he had asked her to be his eyes, as for a long time now, many sights he had experienced were made through her own words, in detailed descriptions that brought images to life, like a child listening to an old storyteller weave a delicate plot. "Thousands upon thousands, a veritable swarm of pure white carried by the wind and gathering on the ground here, while the slopes far between never get to feel its feathery embrace."

The beauty of the moment was broken irrevocably by the first drops of rain, the growing rumble of the coming storm reminding them both of where they were.

'_Was that what she meant? Snow is white because it has forgotten the color it's supposed to be? Or is it white because it is pure and without blemish? I'll have to ask later.'_ he mused silently, mind going back to an earlier conversation he had with C.C. She was a complicated subject to broach, much less to understand, and he had a battle to win now. Gently, the hawkish mask of Zero descended upon his head. It was time to go.

Behind him, smiling slightly, his little sister wondered where this path would take them as she put on her mask.

"_And a blind god shall dance upon the mountain this morn, throwing foes aside like a storm does leaves._" She whispered grimly as she followed him.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Hope you liked that. Anyway, the entirety of the battle at Narita will be covered in the next chapter, or if I feel the need, the next two chapters.

Aside for that, there's nothing important to note, apart for the building relationships, that you couldn't notice yourself. Lelouch's plans for the future are hinted at, but not overly explored, as I intend to keep some level of secrecy about it.

Anyway, read, review all that stuff… Amen, hallelujah, peanut butter. See you next time.


	14. Narita

**Author's rambling:** Some among you will notice the influence of certain other universes here, namely Battletech and in some parts, possibly Gundam SEED. Put simply, I've returned to playing MechWarrior Mercenaries the last few days, to remind myself of the good old days and it's been influencing my ideas.

Now, before I start with this chapter, there are a few things I have to clarify if you are to understand any of the stuff in it.

First, let's start with the unit designations and numbers as Lelouch/Zero uses them:

Q-1 – Kallen piloting the Guren MK-II

R-1 – Oghi piloting a Burai and his squad of three

R-2 – Tamaki piloting a Burai and his squad of three

B-1 – Ghost solo piloting a Burai with a sniper rifle (remember folks, sniper rifles were meant to take out infantry, Knightmare Frame sniper rifles were meant to take out other Knightmare Frames)

B-2 – Inoue piloting a Burai and her squad of two

P-1 through 3 – Random flunkies AKA the rest of the Black Knights

K-1 – Jeremiah Gottwald piloting a Sutherland

K-2 - Villeta Nu piloting a Sutherland

The Black Knights possess a total of 14 Burai Knightmare Frames and 1 Guren MK-II as well as a total of 50 combat capable members, out of which only 13 are pilots, namely Zero(C.C.), Ghost, Kallen, Oghi, Tamaki, Inoue, Nagata, Yoshitaka, Sugiyama and Yoshida being from the original group, and three others that will remain unnamed (yes, random flunkies and all that.)

Furthermore, Britannian military structure (as it wasn't definitely defined beyond squads anywhere, and even that was spotty at best) will work like this (keep in mind that some of this is borrowed from BattleTech and by extension MechWarrior, but I find it works just fine)

One Squad = 5 Pilots + 1 Lieutenant

One Lance = 4 Lieutenants and their squads + 1 Captain (total of 25 people)

Command Lance (Cornelia li Britannia)(Standard lance + princess Cornelia)

-Gilbert G.P. Guilford's Lance

-Daniel Stokes' Squad (no known members, Daniel Stokes is not overly important… yet.)

-Jeremiah Gottwald's Squad (consisting of Villeta Nu, Kewell Soresi and three others)

Other Commanders in Cornelia's army:

-Andreas Darlton

-Michael Holgate (OC, not important. I couldn't find the names of any other commanding officers in Cornelia's group)

This is mostly just to give you some idea of the numbers involved in these two groups. Keep in mind that the Black Knights are a paramilitary organization, and as such, place a very high degree of attention to things such as a formal command structure, though that will only become truly visible after this fight. Britannia on the other hand already has a well-developed command structure, though we only got the chance to spot some of it in the anime, and even then it is minimal, which makes no sense.

Also, obviously, special groups such as the Glaston Knights, Luciano Bradley's Valkyrie squad and the Knights of the Round don't fall into these standard categories. Neither does the Camelot research ops.

There is one final matter of importance to address: I've changed the story's pairing to Lelouch x Nunnally, mostly because it is the one most explored for now. That may change yet again, as there are no fixed pairings for this story at any point in time.

* * *

_Chapter 13: Narita_

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_Narita Mountains_

_Dawn_

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Cornelia li Britannia took one final look upon the target of her assault, before reactivating the communication lines on her Gloucester.

"This is viceroy Cornelia li Britannia. All units, begin operations!" she announced sharply.

Irrevocably, the breaking of the radio silence brought the entire army into motion, the disciplined soldiers moving fluidly, each and every one focused solely on fulfilling the tasks set before him as the ring around the Narita Mountain grew tighter.

The sound of falling rain coming from the outside was strangely calming, and the rapid darkening of the sky above them brought a very fitting atmosphere to the event at hand. The crack thunder amidst the howling wind, the sound of trees breaking as Knightmare frames broke through, and the first opening salvo fired at her enemies. This was the one place she truly used to, the battlefield.

The ever so slight rush of adrenaline flooded her mind as the Gloucester sprang to life and charged forth, followed by her personal knight and the unit under his command. Murkily, she remembered that Jeremiah Gottwald and Daniel Stokes were transferred into this command group, along with their units.

Her mind raced, the battle-trained instincts making a mental map of the nearby battlefield and putting in every allied and enemy position she could gather both from her sight and from the tactical feed from the mobile base long-range sensors.

'_Andreas' group is taking the south area, while Michael' is taking the northeast approach, leaving my group to cover the western area.'_ She mused quietly. _'If anything, the entrance to the underground base will be either here in the west or down to the south, and there will likely be an escape route to the north-east, which leaves us with all areas covered.'_

'_-'They sure seem enthusiastic, don't they my lady?'-'_Guilford's entertained voice asked over the radio.

"You know how Darlton gets when he gets too much free time. By the end of this campaign, I'll be surprised if he doesn't earn himself another medal." She responded with a chuckle, only to spot two JLF Knightmares on higher ground. "Get ready Guilford, here they come!" she shouted as she pulled out the impressive lance on her Gloucester and charged forward.

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If one could see the grin beneath Zero's mask, they would likely run off screaming in horror. As he had predicted, the majority of Britannia's forces, under the lead of Andreas Darlton had made their way up the widest accessible area, the mountain's southern slope, which was conveniently the area where the largest underground pocket of water was.

The excavators brought from Tokyo were already in place, having dug through the surface and just deep enough to make an opening for the Guren's Radiant Surger to deploy properly.

However, it was not yet time to celebrate. The Black Knights were outnumbered and outgunned, surrounded on all sides, and the truth of their situation was slowly beginning to dawn on some of the more intelligent members.

"Did you do what we came here for Zero? We need to leave while there's still any hope of doing so." Oghi spoke, already slightly nervous from the situation.

"_We are not leaving."_ Zero responded with a tone of absolute finality, his voice bringing up an immediate silence over the entire area, even as the first sounds of fire came from the base of the mountain. The rain had begun falling in earnest, and the thin veil the rainfall created obscured the distant city.

"What?" Tamaki shouted angrily "Are you out of your freaking mind? There's an army of Britannians there and you want us to fight them?"

In the crack of thunder, Zero remained perfectly silent, his back turned to the men and women behind him. He had expected this, and dutifully prepared. As the lightning faded, he turned to his followers, hands remaining concealed beneath the cloak.

"_The moment we arrived upon this mountain, only two paths remained open to us. It is either death, or victory."_ The strategist continued. _"We stand at the precipice, one wrong step and we shall fall into oblivion. The Britannian army outnumbers us ten to one. The Japanese Liberation Front is the enemy of our enemy, but they are not our friends, and they will not stand with us." _

The masked man stopped for a moment, walking towards the command frame he had gotten used to. To his mild surprise, Kallen had not spoken up, and neither had Oghi. Both were surprised, but believed that he had something planned. The rest of the core group were suspicious but held their tongues. All others were nearly panicking at the prospect of possible and likely death here, wondering how much of a mistake it was to join the Black Knights.

"_The moment you chose to join the Black Knights, the moment you decided to stand and fight for your future, pride and people, was the moment you stepped onto this road. Our bridges are burned, and our backs are against the wall. There is no turning back. " _Zero spoke, his voice growing angry, impassioned. The tension of his public had reached its peak, the chilling grasp of coming despair pulling at their hearts as his words sank into their minds. They looked to him, all in fear, but also I hope as well, all painfully aware that he was their only hope. It was a brutal manipulation, but a necessary one. The crack of thunder in the distance served to give an even greater sense of dramatic to his words, and even more weight.

"_The only thing that remains is to move forward. I ask, stand with me, as you have done so far. Stand by my side and witness the coming future. And I shall deliver to you the realization of a dream through a path of miracles." _Zero finished. There were no more words to be spoken, no more ideals to be brought forth, and the public was brought to a startled silence before one person very predictably broke it. With a loud clapping of his hands. And the enthusiastic cry of 'Zero!'

Tamaki Shinichiro was a reckless and impulsive man, hardened by years of occupation and untrusting of people, with the notable exception of the members of his old rebel cell. But Zero had earned his trust, even if it was still limited. The man never showed his face, but he had delivered victory after victory, and if he was going to do so again… he would put his faith into him. Zero would not let them down.

Soon enough, the clapping and cries broke up among all of those present, though Tamaki still remained the loudest, and the group rapidly dispersed to their positions, to await orders and hide from the rain.

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"You sure like your dramatic speeches don't you?" C.C. gently chided from within. She wouldn't admit that she was just as entertained as he was as she listened to him. She was even more entertained that he managed to climb into the cockpit without seeing a thing.

"_I make due."_ He jokingly responded as the cockpit sealed itself. "But it worked." He added for emphasis, removing his helmet as sound of the closing of the cockpit behind him stopped.

"How could you be so sure it would work? I am curious of your reasoning." The woman questioned on, the curious smile on her face easily revealed to his vision.

"I could, because I expected this, and because of the lure of the promise I've given them. Hm, is it manipulation if I have every intention of fulfilling my promise?" he questioned in a contemplative tone.

"Perhaps. Now, don't you have a job to do? I am sure they can hardly wait to hear of your master plan."

"Now, where would be the fun in that? It would be better to show them." The young man responded, with a theatrical wave of the hand, and activated the radio, switching the small modulator he had Nunnally add to his own machine.

"_The goal of this operation is dealing as much damage to the Britannian forces here and optionally, the capture of viceroy Cornelia li Britannia. Avoid engaging the JLF forces, or revealing our presence needlessly until ordered otherwise." _Zero announced, laying down the first layer of orders. A moment's pause ensued as Zero waited to be sure that the words had sunk in, right before he started issuing the actual orders.

"_Q-1. Use the Radiant Surger on Extractor electrode 5 in two minutes. R-1 take your unit to the ridge 200 meters to the southwest and await further orders. Units P-1, P-2 and P-3 take defensive positions on the eastern flank, 150 meters from here. B-1 and B-2 assume oversight positions at points Alpha and Beta." _He quickly fired off, switching between channels with every person or group as he issued orders. All he could do now was to wait.

'_-'Q-1 in position, and starting countdown. '-' _Kallen's response came first as the others maneuvered into position.

"Sensors are picking up two Britannian lances making their way up the western slope. IFFs identify them as the group Jeremiah is in." C.C. quickly reported

'_-'This is R-1, in position and awaiting further orders.'-'_

"_Keep a lookout for a pair of Britannian lances. Scout and observe, but do NOT engage. If you can, try and stay undetected for as long as possible." _Zero edged on, as his troops slowly took position and his final plan assumed its form.

'_-'Understood sir, R-1 out.'-'_

Now, all that was left was to wait for the JLF forces to drag as much of Cornelia's forces as possible to the southern slopes, which would happen in about a minute or so.

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Within the mountain, the shrill sound of the warning sirens was going on for the past ten minutes, and the entire underground base was in an uproar with the attack.

"How were they able to reach us undetected?" Kawase Tatewaki, the leader of the JLF asked his small council of subordinates.

"We don't know sir. They hit all of the observation posts under the cover of the rain and during the ten-minute communications break we instituted to minimize detection by Britannians." One of the officers reported as the ground sounds of fire slowly made their way to them.

"What of the enemy numbers? And how long until they reach and breach the main gates?" the leader continued, calmness coming with the ease of several decades of experience.

"Our surviving observation and artillery posts put their numbers at roughly four hundred, sir. All Knightmare Frames, no support vehicles, and two G-1 Mobile Command Bases placed at east and west. Rough prediction, detection of the main entrance in ten minutes, breach in twenty to twenty five."

"I assume it is Cornelia li Britannia leading the forces?"

"A command group belonging to Cornelia has been identified along with her customized Gloucester frame on the western side of the mountain."

"Damn it. Captain Setsuna, move all troops we can to the firing points on the surface and take command. Lieutenant Kaito, deploy the two Raikou frames at the front gate and send the engineering squads to mine the entire passageway."

"Yes sir!" both officers immediately responded and ran off to execute their orders, while Kawase further considered his next move. Their retreat was effectively cut off, and they had very few options left.

"Captain Mikase?"

"Sir?" the officer immediately responded. Kawase eyed the young man for a moment. Late twenties, lean build that showed some malnutrition, a nervous look that would fool most who encounter him that he was probably incompetent, but he knew better. Mikase was one of his more trusted captains, because he was one of those that didn't let his pride get the better of him, and he was loyal to a fault.

"Contact Todoh, and tell him to get here as soon as possible. Relay as much of the situation to him as you can. After that, prepare to broadcast a nation-wide signal for all our cells. I will have codes prepared in ten minutes, and our uplink should still be working."

"Understood sir. Should I prepare a transmission for _them_ as well?" the relatively young officer asked, indicating a group both knew well.

"That would be wise. Carry on." Kawase responded a few moments later.

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From the command room of the mobile base assigned to her, Euphemia looked at the battlefield represented by the tactical map, and the locations of all allied knightmare frames present on the battlefield, as well as all enemy frames picked up by the sensors, overlaid on a topographical map of the area.

The fact that she had next to no personal experience in such situations didn't help much, but she had spent a decent amount of time with her sister as she commanded her forces.

"Lieutenant, what is wrong with those scans?" she asked calmly, forcing herself to remain such despite being quite nervous.

"Electronic countermeasures, your highness. It is nothing unexpected, and our engineers are working on bypassing the frequency." The man quickly responded.

"I see." She said slowly, as she mulled the meaning over in her mind. "What is that unit?"

"Ehm, it's the Camelot research division transport, led by earl Lloyd Asplund, as well as his pilot, Suzaku Kururugi." he continued.

"The Lancelot? And why isn't it deployed then? Aren't they a part of the military?" Euphemia questioned, showing only a mild amount of irritation. Even to her, it made no sense not to field a unit as powerful as the Lancelot.

"Your highness, Honorary Britannians aren't normally allowed to pilot Knightmare Frames. Ensign Kururugi is an exception as his unit is directly sponsored by the second prince himself, however, they are also outside the standard chain of command. As you know, lady Cornelia prefers to work with her own troops." Another aide explained.

"So, why are they here then?"

"Second prince Schneizel has asked that his group be allowed to gather as much combat data, and to have as many opportunities to enter battle as possible."

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Even if there wasn't any flesh to be cut, there was something decidedly visceral about the feeling she got when she impaled yet another enemy frame with her lance.

The tactical feed from the mobile base was down… in hindsight she should have expected this base to have a potent ECM device strong enough to scramble their communications. It would take a while for their engineers to find a way to bypass it, and by then the battle would likely be over. For the time being, she would have to rely on her team to keep their eyes open.

'_-'Lady Cornelia! Three Burais approaching from the south!'-' _Guilford's voice called over the radio, breaking her out of her combat induced musing.

Without a moment's stop, the Landspinners on her frame burst into life, pulling her towards her next victims quickly. She had noticed it, the slight loss of speed and maneuverability thanks to the soggy ground beneath her, but it had only marginally affected her, compared to the JLF frames that were having issues.

There were no boasts, no heated words spilled out in combat. Cornelia was weary of this fight already, and she could feel that something was going to happen, and soon. One did not survive the battlefield for years without developing some level of survival instinct.

Neither the gunfire of the three frames, nor their battle cries did anything to slow her down for a moment.

"You the Japan Liberation Front; You who time has left behind; You who have forgotten basic human decency; You and your dream of a bygone golden age shall fall and rot to nothingness." She muttered over the loudspeakers, voice dripping with disgust. She had little fondness for her enemies, but she could respect those who fought with honor and pride. The JFL did neither, constantly involving civilians in their battles. How many lives needlessly wasted…?

Deftly using her lance to block most of the fire, while sliding past their defenses, she got in the middle of them, spinning her lance in a wide arc to disable them for a moment, and spearing the first one through the cockpit, while launching a slash harken into the second one, disabling his rifle. With a quick twist, the lance left the exploding carcass of the first Burai, and was quickly slammed into the third one, while she pulled out her own assault rifle to finish off the disabled second frame.

"Guilford, any news from Darlton or Holgate?"

'_-'Nothing… sorry, hang on… Andreas Darlton reports he located the main entrance to the base, and has encountered fierce resistance. Not that it will stop him.'-'_ her knight reported with even more amusement than in the last conversation concerning the mountain of a man. Darlton was honorable, capable, and incredibly entertaining at times, mostly for his utter failure to comprehend certain social norms, though she suspected he simply didn't care enough to bother with them most of the time, as he was yet to embarrass any one of them during a formal event.

"No doubt. Has he asked for any help?" Cornelia asked, mentally counting how many medals Darlton would be having after this. Her concerns were slowly melting, but there was one thing that worried her, that she simply couldn't put her finger on right now.

'_-'Darlton? Ask for help? Are you feeling alright my lady?'-'_

"Unless you are in the mood for a demotion, you will not ask such foolish questions again." She responded only somewhat coldly, choosing to purposefully ignore the barely hearable chuckle that came over the line before it closed.

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"Sir, our attacks are having no effect on the enemy forces. Our front at the gate has been reduced to barely a dozen frames, while dealing minimal damage to the enemy." The young lieutenant reported to Kawase as he once more entered the command center of the base.

'_Is it possible that their technological superiority extends so far? Dammit Todoh, where are you?'_ the old general tiredly thought. Most of their army was already gone, their home ground advantage lost to the blitzkrieg assault of Cornelia's forces, and the remaining forty-something frames they had were stuck underground, unable to field properly because they couldn't afford to remove the Raikou from the entrance.

"Any news from Todoh?"

"ETA is roughly ten minutes, sir…. Wait, incoming transmission."

Immediate silence descended on the room as the face on the screen cleared into one they easily recognized.

'_-'Hello general.'-' _Zero calmly greeted, ignoring (not that he could do otherwise) their scowling faces.

"Zero! What do you want? We are in the middle of a siege here." The aged general barked at him irately.

'_-'Why, merely to offer a helping hand, or should I say, a miracle? I would suggest that you pull back the troops you have before your main gate, otherwise I will not be responsible for their future wellbeing.'-'_the masked one responded as the transmission ended.

"Sir… do you think we should…?" the lieutenant asked somewhat fearfully.

It was no small thing, for a man like Zero to use the word miracle, and he sincerely doubted that the thinly veiled threat to his soldiers' wellbeing was a joke. If there was one thing he knew, wherever Zero was present, chaos ensued, and regardless of the participants, it was his side that came out victorious. If he was on their side, he would have contacted them sooner, and it was obvious to the old general that the man had been there for a while, waiting for the right moment to strike at his opponents.

"Do it."

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'_-'All enemies in position, countdown at t-minus 1minute.'-' _Ghost's report brought him up from his musings, and had him switch the channels immediately. It was almost time for phase two.

"R-1, what's the status on those enemy lances?"

'_-'Five hundred meters to the west of us, they lost a fourth of their number to artillery fire and enemy frames. JLF forces are completely decimated, and Cornelia's command lance is making its way up the ravine.'-'_ Oghi immediately reported, though he could tell that the man was concerned, though with what, he wasn't certain.

"_P-1, P-2 and P-3, move to second phase positions and open fire. B-2, move to Alpha and provide cover for B-1. R-1 and R-2, take northern and southern flank around Alpha. Q-1, go for it, and prepare to counter potential enemy frame." _Zero once more issued orders, preparing for what he had expected was about to happen.

'_If the Lancelot still isn't here, it means that Cornelia didn't let them field it, and knowing who I'm dealing with, they will likely be next to the G-1 base with princess Euphemia, hoping to get clearance. With the ECM systems active, the only type of signal that can get through is a short-range burst, which all sides are using as it is, but it also prevents Cornelia from contacting the base directly. '_

'_-'This is Q-1, firing at Extractor 9 in 30 second and counting.'-'_Kallen's voice quickly reminded him that time was of the essence now.

"_B-1, begin second phase. Everyone except K-1 and K-2 are viable targets."_ He passed the final order, hearing a short 'Understood, my lord' as his answer from Nunnally.

'_When the landslide comes, there are only a limited number of possible events that could follow. Andreas Darlton is unlikely to die, the man is too capable, however, the vast majority of the pilots under his command aren't as good, projected losses at 70-80 percent. If my guess is correct, Cornelia will likely send a part of her men to reinforce Darlton, expecting the brunt of the attack to be there. If it isn't, she will either move her entire group to reinforce Darlton's remnants or she will charge forward, hoping to crush the enemy and thus protect her remaining troops. Either way, the encirclement is broken, and with the ECMs active, Euphemia, as the second in command, will likely authorize the fielding of the Lancelot to reinforce them, being unbiased unlike her sister. Should things go as planned, there will be an ambush, should they not, their numbers will be suitably reduced, and we strike at them openly. Cornelia will not retreat here without finishing her task first.'_ Lelouch mused, adapting the plan only slightly as needed. The rain aided his plan greatly, as the visual cover it granted his forces allowed for a great deal of stealth, and the sound of thunder covered most of the movement and what little firing they had done so far.

However, the time for observation had passed, he realized, as C.C.'s voice broke his thoughts.

"Five…four…three…two…one…zero." She counted down, and at the exact moment she spoke the last number, a loud rumble was heard from nearby. Kallen had fired the Radiant Surger through the extractor and straight into the water beneath the crust.

"_Cry 'Havoc', and let slip the dogs of war…"_ Zero quoted the bard, fingers entwining themselves as he awaited the tide to turn.

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The very earth shook around the startled Britannian and Japanese pilots, being the first indication that something was indeed, very wrong.

"Dammit! All units disengage and move from the path of the landslide! Get to higher ground!" he shouted over the radio, hoping to get as many of his troops out while there was still time. But it was already too late, as a veritable deluge of mud and water made its way down the slope. What little sunlight was left only served to make the scene even more horrific in the minds of those unfortunate enough to be present.

As he fired off his slash harken into one of the rocks that seemed to be just outside and pulled out, he barely held back the enraged scream building in his throat. Only his years of ingrained military discipline held him back.

"_Carius_! Morel! Anyone still alive! Report immediately!" he shouted over the short-ranged radio, hoping to reach anyone still alive.

'_-'This is Carius lance, a total of twenty two survivors here commander, and three more from Darrel lance. Morel went down entirely, as did the other lances. All JLF forces present have also been destroyed by the landslide.'-'_

"Get the hell out of there _Carius_, we are regrouping towards lady Cornelia…" he yelled, stopping only as he noticed the smoke trails of several rockets coming towards them "Aw, fuck…"

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Within the mobile command base, there was an all-out panic as a large number of signals simply vanished, replaced by the simple symbol spelling out 'LOST'. They were all somewhat used to shocking changes on the battlefield, but this took the cake.

"What is going on?" Euphemia shouted sharply, immediately bringing about instant silence as the entirety of the room was frozen in place.

Lieutenant Damien Tares, one of the few to retain some degree of self-control immediately took the opportunity presented by the princess' shout to reinstate order.

"Status report!" he shouted, and in the same way that Euphemia's shout startled them, this one brought them back to their work. Within seconds, order was restored, and the numerous aides that worked the system began delivering their reports.

"Mudslide of unknown origin has wiped out two thirds of our total number, thermal readings are off scale. Andreas Darlton is among the survivors, as is Carius lance, and two other squads under sir Darlton's immediate command." One of the aides fired off.

"ECM jamming has stopped completely, resuming normal scanning and communications." The second quickly followed.

"Detecting a number of unidentified frames on the mountain summit, descending towards lady Cornelia's unit. Numbers are matched, IFFs incoming… Black Knights your highness!" A third aide added in a shocked, but contained voice, military discipline overwhelming any surprise.

"Contact Cornelia immediately and pass all the information we have. And get me a direct line to Earl Lloyd Asplund as well." Euphie ordered, calming herself down. _'So much for meeting under better circumstances, Zero.'_ She mused quietly as her orders were executed.

'_-'Ah, hello your highness. How can we be of assistance?'-' _Lloyd's ever-smug voice called over the line.

"Earl Asplund, is the Lancelot prototype ready for launch?" she asked in her kind, but firm voice.

'_-'Skipping past the pleasantries, are we? Yes, the prototype is ready to launch, I can have it on the…'-' _Lloyd tried to continue, voice slipping only the barest hint of contentment. Behind him, it was easy to see the figures of Cecile Croomy and Suzaku Kururugi, both very nervous and hopeful. She almost smiled at the image. Almost.

"Deploy, now." Euphemia cut him off, leaving no room for discussion, and more than a few people not so slightly surprised "Send it to support viceroy Cornelia's group and engage the Black Knights at once."

'_-'Yes, your highness!'-'_ Lloyd outright cheerfully responded as the link terminated.

"Update Commander Holgate on the situation as well."

"Your highness, we just received a report from our forces on the northern barricades, a pair of trucks broke through it and are heading straight for the battlefield." one of the aides announced, never lifting his eyes off the computer screen in front of him.

Around her, as she calmed down, the entirety of the command staff watched the girl with a newfound level of respect. Most of them assumed that she was out of her league, but the way she simply began ordering everyone around reminded them exactly whom she had been learning from.

In truth, even this small situation seriously strained her capabilities. Euphie was not a strategist by nature like Schneizel or Lelouch, or a hardened veteran like Cornelia. Unlike them, she had nothing to fall back on, and her only resort was going for what seemed the choice that would help the most. Right now, she understood perfectly that she had to retain an image of calmness and self-control if she wanted to achieve anything.

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"You heard the lady Suzaku, get moving!" Lloyd shouted at his favorite(and only) devicer. "Remember! We set up the full package of equipment this morning, don't forget to test it all."

"Will do, sir." Suzaku responded, the mild entertainment in his voice at his boss' antics completely lost on Lloyd.

"Good luck." Cecile added as the teen closed the cockpit. She quickly turned back to the console before her, as every one of the techs who worked within the trailer finished up the pre-launch checkup.

"Lancelot Status?" the chief mad scientist asked in an unusually subdued and focused voice, most of the insane glee fleeing his face as he turned his mind to his job.

"Z-01 Lancelot prototype pre-launch scan complete, all systems nominal. Core luminous output at 95 percent. Energy filler status optimal." One of the techs quickly responded.

"All systems armed and ready. Disengaging locks." Another quickly added, the 'all-clear' beep from the system coming out as the holding mechanism of the Lancelot prototype deactivated itself.

"Ensign Kururugi, at your discretion." Lloyd calmly ordered.

"Suzaku, your ETA is roughly five minutes. Path has been plotted." Cecile added.

'_-'Lancelot, launching!'-'_ Suzaku's determined voice shouted over the radio as the machine surged forth from the trailer and into the storm, sending back a strong wind. Only then, did Lloyd allow himself a proud and content smile.

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"Zero, the ECMs are down, and a number of JLF vehicles have appeared out of an unidentified exit on the north. The third group of Cornelia's army is moving to engage them. What remains of Darlton's unit is moving to reinforce Cornelia. Also, it would seem that the Lancelot has been launched." C.C. calmly reported.

'_Hm... it would seem that this worked a little too well. No matter, things are still going according to my plans. All that remains to be seen is how Cornelia will respond to this.' _He mused, unable to stop the grin that formed on his face.

"_Enact phase two."_ He quietly ordered over the short burst radio, the order leaving no room for misunderstanding as the entirety of the Black Knights charged down the long slope.

"_R-2, change direction and engage the unit coming to support Cornelia. Q-1, join them and counter the approaching Lancelot."_ He quickly added, almost ignoring the two rapidly stated responses.

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For a moment, Cornelia found herself reduced to a stunned silence as she watched the massive flow of earth, water and mud wipe out almost the entirety of Darlton's nearly two hundred strong unit.

"Darlton!" she shouted over the radio, hoping that the man was still alive.

'_-'I'm alive, your highness. Just had to deal with an attacking JLF group. What's left of my unit is moving to meet up with yours.'-'_

"Understood. Sub-viceroy Euphemia informs me that the Lancelot has been deployed and will be reinforcing you within a minute. Detach one squad and send it towards us. Guilford, take Gottwald's squad and join the one he sends. You are to float between our two groups and reinforce as needed. Activate all reserve troops and post them neat the command base, we cannot afford to have it attacked." Cornelia quickly countered, preparing to adapt for the situation as much as possible

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From within her cockpit, Ghost adjusted the entire system, loading up the advanced targeting programs that would allow her to make up for her lack of experience with the long-range rifle.

She knew that over the years, a number of sharpshooters had appeared throughout the ranks of Britannia's military, and that most of them were self-taught, however, the need for long-range support forced engineers to provide a simpler solution: targeting software. Acquiring one had proven to be a bit more complicated, but not beyond her means.

"_Factsphere sensors active, adjusting for range and wind speed. Elevation differences calculated. Switching to infrared overlay imaging, inputting target schematics. Targeting priority: disabling shots. System check clear." _She counted off the preparations before connecting the small cable of her helm's built-in Factsphere to the central computer of her frame. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, taking in the image that formed before her.

Vague shapes of the enemy frames, clearer ones of the allied ones, both located first by the IFF, then further clarified by the sensors, and finally, the infrared reading ensuring that she didn't miss anything.

With a great deal of care, she took a few moments to get used to the increased sensitivity of her controls, before preparing to open fire.

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"Zero!" Cornelia snarled as she realized the presence of her nemesis, as well as the fact that she had just set herself up into a very bad position. The removal of Guilford's squad as well as Gottwald's had left her with roughly twenty Knightmare Frames, however, that meant surprisingly little against the assault the Black Knights had just fielded.

And that was the moment, she realized, that things got shot to hell. And in more ways than one.

Even with the strong rain, fire from multiple heavy cannons and thunder, nothing could muffle the sound of one of her frames' leg exploding due to a single, unseen shot. Sniper cover, she realized quickly, and a brutally efficient one. The pilot got just enough time to eject properly before the second shot hit straight into the reactor, scattering the surrounding frames by the explosion.

"Dammit! Stokes, cover the left flank, Darius cover the right one!" she ordered, trying to regain some semblance of order as she brandished her lance, a single swing disabling two of the enemy's frames that got too close, however, the cover fire from the others cost her the right arm of her frame.

The loud crack she heard moments later indicated that the sniper had taken her left one as well just as she turned to retaliate.

As the adrenaline surged through her body, she could vaguely hear her other pilots ejecting one by one until she realized that she was completely alone and disabled. The fact that her back was now facing the mountainside meant that she couldn't even safely eject, as she would either crash land in the middle of her enemies… or be shot down from the air.

The cold heart truth felt crushing to her… The Goddess of Victory, the Witch of Britannia, had been completely and utterly defeated by a man with less than a tenth of her forces. No amount of rage or hatred could stifle the feeling of awe and respect she now felt for her enemy. All she now hoped for was a quick death, better than to be a prisoner or worse.

Her final action before getting caught was to try and turn on the communications, only to realize that the long-range antenna had been completely fried by the shots that hit her. But that didn't stop a short range transmission from arriving a second later.

'_-'Viceroy Cornelia, so nice to meet you again. Would you step out to talk?'-'_ Zero's voice calmly called.

"So you could easily snipe me as soon as I do?" she snarled back. "Do you take me for a fool Zero?"

'_-'And why, pray tell, should I do something so crude and vulgar? After all, had I wanted, it was only a matter of asking Ghost to aim at your cockpit, nothing more. I am coming out, and I hope you still have the honor to return such a courtesy.'-'_ Zero responded, voice not rising by an octave.

She had do admit that he was right. It really wasn't much of an issue to take her out, or even to capture her. So why did he want to talk in person? It was surprisingly chivalrous from him, and it was a gesture shared among equals, and even for her lineage, she knew that right now, they weren't.

Grudging, but nonetheless armed, she opened the hatch of her cockpit, signaling her agreement.

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"You're not getting through!" Tamaki loudly shouted as he opened fire at the group of frames before him. His orders were clear and simple, attack the bastards and don't let them slip by towards Zero. After that… he didn't have the words to describe just what Zero did, but after that thing, he was more than willing to rain hell on Britannians. And the higher ground provided just enough cover from their heavy cannons.

And all the while, Kallen would be rushing to inflict pain on that fancy Knightmare that gave them hell in Shinjuku. One thing could be said for sure, Shinichiro Tamaki was not complaining.

The twenty-odd knightmares before him were sitting ducks to the armor-piercing ammunition they had acquired in their raid a week ago. A part of him wondered if it was the real reason why Zero wanted to raid those smugglers, as the stuff went through Britannian armor as if it were paper.

Hefting his rifle at one group that was about to pass, he fired, the bullets slicing cleanly through the armor of his target, resulting in an explosion.

"Move eastward!" he quickly ordered over the radio, as his entire troop used the higher ground to their advantage, and continued to rain fire on their enemies.

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Jeremiah was beginning to snarl through his teeth. He understood perfectly what Lelouch expected of him, but if things turned even worse, he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing, and he was still worried about that very possible attempt on his life. Thankfully, with Guilford there, Kewell wouldn't attempt anything foolish yet, but he doubted that the idiot would change his mind. His single-minded dedication to a lost cause was disturbing to say the least. But there wasn't much choice, and little room for maneuvering.

'_-'All units, engage the Black Knights and support Carius lance!'-'_ Guilford's voice ordered sharply as Cornelia's knight charged into battle.

With a reckless smile that would make a Norse berserker proud, Jeremiah charged forward with the battle cry of "ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!" clearly transmitted over the airwaves. The shout was enough for the entirety of his squad to rally behind him and charge with him.

Quickly deactivating the security lock on the grenade launcher of his assault rifle, Jeremiah opened fire on the troops on the higher ground. Regardless of the fact that they worked for his young lord, he was not going to throw a battle here.

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Suzaku focused on getting as much speed as he could from his frame as he moved towards where Cornelia's IFF signal was last detected. If he wasn't biting his lip for the pain to keep him focused, he would have cursed the entire trip there. Not that far away, he could spot the clearing that the Black Knights held guard over, and two figures, Zero and Cornelia, facing each other.

'_-'Not a step further Britannian!'-'_ an angry female voice shouted at him from what he quickly realized was an enemy knightmare frame, and it was only his reflexes that saved his hide as a metallic claw almost caught the headpiece of the Lancelot.

'_I don't have time for this dammit!'_ he thought as he landed from his leap, now turning to fully face his enemy. It was the first time he had the chance to see the Guren, even though he still had no idea what the machine was named. The radically different construction had him warily keeping an eye out for any weapons.

'_That's a hand-mounted gun, a single slash harken… and I'd bet that metallic claw does something really nasty. So much for an easy escape, I almost didn't see her coming. The IFF just went back online…was she waiting for me? Just who the hell is Zero if he could predict as much?'_

"You won't find me easy prey!" he responded to the threat, both hands slipping to pull out twin swords out of their sheaths, the light buzz of the MVS activating echoing over the sound of the rain, along with the hiss of raindrops hitting their surface.

Pushing full power to the Landspinners, he surged forward, intent on ending this as quickly as possible, only for the enemy frame to open fire straight at him, the action of slicing the bullet in two covering his field of vision just long enough for his enemy to pull out a knife-like weapon out of somewhere with its left, normal hand, and parry his blow, while the right arm thrust forward to grab the one he used to deflect the bullet.

Barely, he slipped away, angered at the fact that Cornelia was there, a mere hundred meters away from him, and he couldn't slip past the enemy to rescue her.

The VARIS rifle was not an option, as any miss could quite easily kill Cornelia, and that was a decidedly bad idea.

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'_No one gets through. Zero put his faith in me to keep you away, and that's just what I will do!'_ Kallen thought, completely focusing herself on her task.

The enemy pilot was a smart one, and she was quite certain that he had already identified all of her weapons correctly, but she was no fool either. The two swords were trouble, and she could remember a bit about the VARIS rifle from what Zero delivered to them during the last briefing. Apart for that it only had slash harkens.

She realized she was safe from the rifle as long as Cornelia was nearby, and she used it to her advantage, doubly so, because her job was to keep the Lancelot away from the meeting taking place behind her. She wasn't sure what Zero was planning, but it had to be important, if he was willing to risk meeting face to face with the Witch of Britannia.

Holding onto her Fork Knife, and keeping it between her and the Lancelot, she prepared for the next clash.

Once more, the Lancelot charged forward, trying to use its advantage of two weapons against her, but she was quick to respond, stopping the first slash with the Fork Knife at her hip, and the other with a liberal application of the Radiant Surger near her head, the weapon dealing considerable damage to the surface of the sword. Enough so, that the Lancelot's left MVS was damaged beyond use.

The reaction was instant, the discarding of the weapon, and grabbing the other with both hands as it slid back, and with a clockwise spin which was faster than she could react, trying to slam the blade into her torso.

Snarling angrily, she responded with a jump, trying to get as much height as possible. She knew he expected that, and that while airborne she was even more vulnerable… but the sadistic smile on her face spoke volumes.

Before the Lancelot had a chance to react, the chest-mounted customized slash harken fired, hitting ground just behind it and reeling in the larger frame, allowing it to strike a heavy blow against the freshly raised sword, completely stopping it in its tracks.

Once more, both opponents separated for a moment, each sliding back to the positions they held a few moments ago.

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You could cut the tension in the air with a knife, or so at least Cornelia and the entirety of the Black Knights, sans Zero and Ghost, thought. The two figures, one a Britannian general, the other, the rebel mastermind stood facing each other in the rain. The entirety of the group around them distanced themselves, allowing them to speak in private.

Though it was in her hand, Cornelia couldn't bring herself to lift the long barrel of her pistol. Something about the man's very presence frightened her on a deep instinctive level, almost as if she were prey looking up to the master of all predators. It somehow seemed… trite, pointless, as if the bullet would only anger him rather than kill him, even though she knew otherwise. He reminded her, frighteningly so, of Schneizel, and that alone was reason to be wary of him.

In the distance, she could recognize the distinctive shape of the brainchild of earl Lloyd Asplund, probably granted the right to field by her sister. She had a very decent understanding of how capable the pilot inside was, and of the specs of the frame, but to think that a new, never before seen Knightmare could not only match up to it, but seemingly fully counter its abilities was disheartening.

Lelouch however, was having far different thoughts. One part of him very much enjoyed seeing his sister again, even under such a situation. Another took perverse pleasure at the fact that he had defeated one of Britannia's finest generals at their own game, from a vastly inferior position. And the third? It, to his surprise noted that Cornelia had developed from a rather attractive young lady into a very attractive woman. _'Accursed libido, now is not the time!'_

"_I am glad to meet you again, lady Cornelia. How is your sister?"_ he greeted cordially, as if he had met her at a ball rather than on the battlefield. It was an act he knew he had to play, for now at least. The Geass was hardly his most dangerous weapon.

"Let's avoid the pleasantries Zero. What do you want?" Cornelia brushed him off, her mood was too foul to converse civilly now.

"_Tsk, tsk. Only a few years out of court, and you have already forgotten your manners. But enough of that, I will not waste your time needlessly. There is a matter of grave importance I wish to discuss."_

"And what exactly would that be? Do you perhaps expect me to reveal something in return for my life or freedom?"

"_You are wisely distrustful, and I will respect that. However, this is a matter that concerns the Royal Family. Tell me, what do you know of the death of Imperial Consort Marianne vi Britannia? Or of the fate of her two children?" _Zero quite literally dropped the hammer.

Without a moment's thought, the pistol was immediately raised, and pointed straight at his chest, as Cornelia's face hardened. It was the reaction he hoped for, righteous fury. Put simply, it confirmed his belief that she was blameless in that situation without him having to resort to using his Geass on her.

"Don't you dare besmirch that name fiend." She snarled at him, finger unsurprisingly twitchy on the trigger.

"_I merely thought you would appreciate the fact that the two children… was it Lelouch and Nunnally? Are still alive."_ He stated calmly, pointedly ignoring the look of disbelieving shock on her face. _"I understand prince Clovis had expressed a great interest in locating them, going as far as to barter certain… favors to acquire information."_ He stated, leaving very little doubt as to the nature of said favors. He was making things up as he went, but it was a very likely assumption, knowing what he did of his later older brother, and Cornelia's snort confirmed his thoughts as highly likely.

"And how exactly does this serve you Zero? What is it you aim to achieve here?" Cornelia pressed on. This was not a situation she liked, as even with the fact that she was aiming a pistol at him, none of the Black Knights showed a flicker of a reaction, as if they were expecting this and not considering her a threat. It was insulting…

Faster than she could react, Zero moved, his left hand batting her pistol away to his left even as it fired, while his body moved to the right, as his free hand pulled the sword out and placed it at her throat

"_Serve me? Aim to achieve? Silly girl, you just don't understand what I am doing here."_ He almost condescendingly responded, a hint of annoyance slipping along with it.

"_All units, begin evacuation. Units P-1,P-2 and P-3 reach extraction one and meet up with the others."_ He suddenly announced _"I will be joining you all in a few minutes."_

As quickly as they came, the entire group broke apart, rushing away into the forest towards the northwest.

"_Now, to put things simply. I already stated what I am to achieve. This meeting was for me to merely ascertain some facts and offer a few glimpses of knowledge to you. Or more, if I were in the mood. However, keeping you as a prisoner is not an option right now, so that only leaves me with one path to take."_ He explained, a hint of regret slipping into his voice.

Understanding dawned on Cornelia, as she realized just what Zero was talking about. At least her death would be quick. In acceptance, she one last time whispered her sister's name as her eyes closed. And waited for the sharp pain across her throat that would end her life. Only, it never came.

"_We shall once more have to postpone our discussion. Irritating, isn't it to be interrupted so rudely?" _Zero teasingly stated, quickly sheathing his sword, and turning his back to her. _"We shall meet again, your highness."_ He bid his goodbyes with a small wave of his hand, even as he rushed back towards his frame, leaving her behind completely stunned.

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'_-'Sorry white knight, but I can't stick around to play anymore.'-'_ the pilot of the enemy frame shouted to Suzaku, a faint tone of amusement in her voice _'-'I hope you don't mind me keeping a souvenir!'-' _The voice added as the frame picked up the ruined MVS he had discarded scant minutes ago before pulling away.

He badly wanted to pursue the enemy, but it wasn't a choice, not when that would leave viceroy Cornelia out in the open, and with Guilford still too far away, it was his duty to support her.

Gritting his teeth and muttering what sounded very much like 'coward', he quickly moved towards the tired second princess, kneeling and offering his arm to ride on. There would be another day for that.

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From the back seat of the small truck he was in, the heavily wounded general sighed as the rain slowly subsided. The sight of the Narita Mountains slowly faded away in the distance.

"How are you feeling general Tatewaki?" Todoh asked in a slightly worried tone.

"I have been better my friend. It would seem that the time of the JLF is over. We failed." He solemnly responded. "Now what remains to be done?"

"I believe… we should retreat and regroup. The JLF lost the support of the public a while ago. It…would be wise to try and join forces with the Black Knights. Zero is an exceedingly capable person, and would make a powerful ally. After this fiasco, I doubt that the Six Houses will be willing to further support us." The younger man stated tiredly. None of the options truly seemed like a good path to him, but one had to make due with what he had available.

"Possible. But I don't think that will be my task to accomplish. I doubt I will make it through the next couple of hours. I've sent a warning message to all our cells throughout Japan that the base has fallen. The contact disk is in the place we discussed at the last meeting."

"Sir! Don't speak such things, you will make it through." Todoh responded sharply, almost appalled at the man's seeming lack of faith. It hurt him to think that the man he had so deeply respected, the man who had kept Japanese army afloat after the country was conquered and kept the pride and spirit of their people alive for all these years was going to die. A part of him simply didn't want to accept it as truth, even though he knew it was.

"No I won't. The role of leadership falls to you _general_ Kyoshiro Todoh. The men and women of the JLF believe in you as much as they believe in me. And I trust you to make the right choices. " the aged general stated as his eyes closed, and he slipped into a deep sleep, out of which both doubted he would awaken.

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"Viceroy! You're okay!" Euphemia happily shouted as her sister came into the base, escorted on the sides by the nervous wreck that was her personal knight, and an even more exhausted Andreas Darlton. She looked tired, haggard but very much alive.

"Sub-viceroy." She greeted back, half-content that her sister kept with the formalities, but she was too tired to comment. "How many of our troops regrouped after the battle?" she turned to one of the lieutenants, asking. She needed rest very much, but there were things to handle first. Followed by her sister and said lieutenant, she proceeded to the office.

"Two hundred and three Knightmare Frames survived out of four hundred, and we lost roughly one hundred pilots, exact numbers are still unknown due to the fact that several of them are still in surgery." Lieutenant Tares responded quickly, bringing up the rather frightening casualty numbers.

"Heavy losses then. The enemy?" the woman pressed on.

"JLF? All presence eradicated. The Black Knights? They lost one squad to lord Guilford's unit and two further to you. And that's it. Six frames in total."

"Have the battle reports on my desk by morning. Send tactical teams to secure and investigate base ruins and salvage teams to recover what can be recovered. And when all of that is done, connect me to the 4th and 5th armored divisions." Cornelia ordered shortly, finally seating herself down on her chair, and let the tiredness she felt overwhelm her

"What happened there, Cornelia?" her sister gently asked, bringing a glass filled with scotch, knowing that Cornelia could use one.

"He didn't want to kill me." The older of the two siblings responded in a hollow tone as she downed it momentarily. "And if he can be trusted, which I'm beginning to think he can, Lelouch and Nunnally might still be alive."

Suffice to say, that both pieces news had a very deep effect on the pink-haired princess. With no further words to be said, she merely gave her older sibling a warm hug, which she gladly reciprocated.

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Roughly a dozen kilometers from the now fully abandoned and destroyed city at the base of the Narita Mountains, Joseph Fennete stared at the ruins in abject shock. An hour ago, a series of explosions, power outages and overall chaos had forced the city into panic, until the local police arrived and began evacuating the population, forcibly so even.

He didn't understand just what was going on, but he had overheard murmurs that someone from the Britannian military had called in about there being a distinct possibility of the fighting spreading to the city, and thus

Next to him, his daughter watched the same situation with a degree of surprise. Shirley Fennete may not have been a genius, but like her father, she had come to the conclusion that this might have been just a wee bit too convenient.

"Dad?" Shirley asked, a bit of her fear slipping into her voice.

"Let's go home sweetie. I think I'll be staying there for the next couple of days at least." Joseph reassured his daughter "And I've certainly missed seeing you and your mother. Not to mention her cooking." He added jokingly, gently hugging Shirley. For some reason, he felt extremely happy to be alive.

"Yeah, let's do that." She whispered back contently as they took seat on the train that would take them back to Tokyo, as content as her father.

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**Author's notes:** And thus ends the battle of Narita. And let me tell ya, it was a _**nightmare**_ to write. Damn balancing multiple points of view and military strategy not to mention technological limitations and then there's tactics. ARGHHH. Not to mention the fact that I had to keep Lelouch's overall plan hidden the entire time.

To those who think that the finale of the battle and the conversation with Cornelia were somewhat anticlimactic, I will reveal this little detail. In planning this battle, Zero established a total of 10 separate major objectives that were to be achieved, and all 10 were. Cookies for those who can figure them all out, as they aren't exactly obvious, and most of them aren't stated anywhere, but they were what guided my writing here.

Finally, some of the battle will be rehashed later on, in the next chapter. Most notably, that of Jeremiah Gottwald. I knew you were likely expecting Kewell's revolt to happen here, but it simply wasn't possible to occur as his unit was directly under Guilford's command. Also, Todoh didn't make much of an appearance here, mostly because his presence wasn't as important as it was in the anime. However, he will play a major role later on.

For those who didn't get the 'Amen, hallelujah, peanut butter' quote I used last chapter in the notes, it is from Dutch, of Black Lagoon fame. Go dig it up…

Anyway, read, review, all that stuff, and I'm off to stare at the back of my eyelids.


	15. Twisting Strands of Fate

**Author's rambling:** I have to admit, it was very entertaining to read the conclusions to which people came concerning the goals Zero set up for the battle, and most of the people who posted were quite accurate.

Goals for the battle of Narita

1. Elimination of the JLF as an active presence in Japan to transfer the support from their group to the Black Knights

2. Dealing substantial damage to Britannian forces

3. Establishing the Black Knights as a military presence

4. Ascertaining Cornelia's role in Marianne's death and the investigation afterwards

5. Slipping the knowledge that Nunnally and Lelouch are alive and that Clovis might have known something about it

6. Establishing Kallen's status as an ace pilot of the Guren MK-II

7. Measuring hers and the Guren's capabilities against the Lancelot prototype.

8. Measuring the potential and capacity of the Black Knight recruits.

9. Bloodying the recruits in actual combat.

10. Opening an opportunity for Jeremiah and Villeta to earn a promotion.

Also, I've been doing a little digging. It would seem that the Britannian military model here is based on the US armed forces, so I'm going to go along with that. And it fits in perfectly with what I posted last chapter, so there. :P

Also, be aware that this chapter is very character heavy, and doesn't have _any_ action whatsoever. However, it is necessary for the plot to progress, so kick back and enjoy.

**Last minute edit:** I would also like to note that this story has passed the following marks: 100k words, 250 reviews and 40k hits. Thanks for your support people, I really appreciate it, and it is half of what makes it so enjoyable to write.

And with that done, we start the diverging path. Enjoy. Oh, and review!

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_Chapter 14: Twisting Strands of Fate_

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_21:43, Saturday_

_Old Tokyo underground subway system_

_Temporary headquarters of the Black Knights_

_Exact location unknown_

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With a great deal of care, Lelouch moved himself into the small shower of the trailer that served as the Black Knight's mobile base. One of the prime advantages it possessed over similar models, was that it had plumbing, which among other reasons, is why Lelouch bothered to acquire this one.

The scalding heat did little to chase away the growing ache in his head, the result of limited sleep for days, not to mention the taxing use of his sight. And that was without mentioning the turmoil within his heart.

Oh, very few people would ever see past the layers of armor he kept around it, and he was glad for that. There were burdens which were his to carry, such as his decisions here.

He kept his eyes closed as he lathered himself up, not letting the foam form properly as it was washed away by the hot water. At many places, his skin was turning slightly red from the excessive heat, but he paid it no mind. The warmth relaxed him, and made the headache weaken, if only slightly.

"Regret and doubt serve nothing, I have chosen my path and so have those who walk beside me." He whispered to the darkness beyond "I shall not spit upon their choice and sacrifice."

"Must you even bathe with dramatic speeches? It is becoming… tiresome at best." C.C. gently stated from the room.

"And must you add your barbs even to my monologues dear witch?" Lelouch responded quickly, but chuckling as he grasped the large, fluffy towel he had prepared for himself. He had no idea of the color, though for some reason, he dreaded it was likely pink.

"Hmph." Was her only response, though he noted the small hint of amusement as he walked out of the shower, clad only in the above mentioned towel.

"Lelouch, there is something I believe you should know." The green-haired immortal stated a few moments later, after having taken a long look at her other, currently sleeping partner.

"Yes?"

"You remember when Clovis warned you that you weren't the only one that bore the Geass? And the fact that he actually recognized it?"

"C.C., are you actually offering to part with some of your secrets?" he asked with some amusement, but the surprise barely hidden behind that tone wasn't lost on either of them. It was a gesture of trust, and from a person to whom knowledge and secrets were probably the only thing truly left, it was not a small one.

"I said we were partners… besides, for some reason or another, I think I would like to see you succeed in your plans. You are not as boring as I had expected." She responded slowly.

"I will take that as a compliment then." He stated, walking over to where he had prepared a set of fresh, clean clothes, and began dressing himself, dropping his towel onto a nearby chair. He didn't pay attention to the fact that C.C. was in the room, nor that his sleeping sister was there as he rapidly, efficiently redressed. What he also failed to notice, was a certain somewhat interested look aimed at him.

"Well?" he calmly asked, naively unaware of what exactly he had done, and of the mile-long string of mental curses a certain immortal had aimed at him, and at her own lack of self-control.

"As I was saying, do you remember what Clovis warned you of?" she asked seconds later, managing to restore her calm.

For a moment, Lelouch stood still, racking his mind for the exact words his brother had used. Paraphrasing cryptic warnings was not a wise thing to do after all.

"That I wasn't the only bearer of the Geass, and since he didn't know of Nunnally at the time, he wasn't referring to her. And his lack of surprise would stem from the fact that he knew, and likely for a while now." He reasoned. "There are two obvious options from there, he either came across someone with the power… or someone he knew had it for a time now."

"Quite correct, though it is the second option. I will reveal to you the identity of one such man."

"Oh?" he mouthed quietly, his featured setting into an intrigued look as C.C. prepared to drop him a bomb that would likely have him fall to the ground, hopefully. She did note that he had just activated the modulator. Perhaps it was for the best.

"Charles zi Britannia." She stated softly.

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"_WHAT?"_ the loud shout momentarily stopped all activity in the Black Knight's base, as the voice they all recognized as Zero sounded. A few of them oddly remembered the fact that the office he was in was supposed to be soundproofed. Apparently, it was a shoddy job.

The small celebration held by the original core members ended instantly as Oghi and Kallen quickly got up and rushed towards the trailer, guns in hand.

With great speed, the duo coordinated near-perfectly to the second floor cabin that was Zero's office, and prepared to crash inside and investigate, when they were cut off by a finally calmed down voice.

"_Oghi, Kallen. Just who I wanted to see, step inside."_ Zero ordered, but his voice was unusually tense. As they slowly opened the door, they could hear a faint hissing sound, and were soon faced with three figures inside the room. The first two were familiar, Zero and Ghost, but the third was a complete unknown.

A girl in her late teens, with long green hair and golden eyes, dressed in a rather… strange white suit that seemed to cover most of her body. She was currently sitting at Zero's desk, while the man himself was standing across, leaning on the room wall and Ghost was on the bed, apparently freshly woken up from a nap.

Both lowered their weapons as they stepped inside, and closed the door behind them.

"_What is said between these four walls does not leave. Do you understand this?" _he warned the duo, the words 'under pain of death' remaining unsaid, but somehow present, and waiting for a suitable reaction from them both. The strain on his already aching head was unimportant now, the tides of war had yet again shifted, and this time it had caught him completely off-guard.

"Yes. / Yes, sir." They responded quietly, both growing even more serious at their leader's tense voice.

"_When we first met face to face, I warned you of the power I possess, Geass, and I warned you that Britannia very likely possessed bearers of its own."_ He started _"At the time, I was yet unaware of their identities, but my ally C.C.," _he noted, pointing towards the green-haired girl_" just revealed one to me."_

"Hence the reaction?" Kallen curiously supplied _'But who could it possibly be to prompt such a strong reaction?'_

"_Exactly. However, in order to understand the full weight of what I am about to say, that is, if you still wish to know, there is something else you must first learn. I had originally planned for this to wait a while yet, but it is a risk I will have to take sooner than expected." _Zero explained, slowly growing silent, prompting Ghost to take up his speech.

"_There is much that my lord can do, but there is also a lot that he can't, and offering trust easily is one of those things. He has entrusted his life to you more than once, and mine with it, but…" _she trailed off, letting them fill the gap themselves. Kallen didn't seem to get it that instant, but Oghi realized quickly what she was trying to say.

"It's one thing to entrust a life, and another to entrust secrets." He spoke, head dropping down slightly as he understood the context. It was the truth, they had entrusted their lives more than once to the rest of the Black Knights, but he hid a lot. And on the other hand he had revealed of his power. It was a strange balance that the man had struck, a gift of trust to conceal further secrets, to simply hide them under the cloak of the first one.

"_You are a much more perceptive man than you give yourself credit Oghi."_ Zero calmly stated, following up on his train of thought.

"Tell me something Zero, how long did it take for you to come up with this course of action?" Oghi asked somewhat angrily. "With this latest manipulation? How long did it take you to figure out a way to spin this to your advantage?" he was angered, that much was obvious, but the reasons weren't.

"_Twenty-five seconds." _He calmly responded, not even the slightest hint of a chink in his emotional armor. _"Ask yourself this Oghi, whenever you try and consider another's actions: What does he or she aim to achieve? What are his or her reasons for it? And what are the alternatives? When trying to understand why something has come to pass, ask as the Romans did: Qui bono? Who benefits? For instance, if I told you that the entire purpose of the battle at Narita was to allow the crumbling of the Japanese Liberation Front, would you be able to tell me why it had to be done?" _the masked man asked, ignoring the startled faces the two of them made as he practically stated that he had allowed the greatest resistance group in Japan to be destroyed for the sake of some unmentioned plan.

"You wanted to switch the funding that went to the JLF to the Black Knights?" Kallen tried, saying the first and most logical thing that came to mind, even if the slight tone of disgust now filled her voice.

"_Yes, that was part of my intent, but not my reason. Oghi? Do you perhaps have some deeper understanding you would like to share?"_ He pressed onward, walking over to the bed and taking a seat.

Oghi was raking his mind, trying to figure out just what the man before him was thinking. What Kallen had stated was the first thing that had occurred to him as well, and in truth, he knew that the JLF would hardly accept to be led by a masked man, regardless of his experience and skill. But them being a threat… _'No, too obvious, that was not what he was thinking about. But what was he thinking about?'_

"_Let me enlighten you both then. Imagine the scenario where the JLF manages to defeat the Britannian army here. They manage to liberate the entirety of Japan, chase out the army, and instate themselves as a temporary government. What happens then? There are four things that are certain."_ He continued, fingers intertwined beneath his chin. Both of them could feel he was gazing at them, like a hawk at his prey.

"_One, Japan would soon be reduced to a military dictatorship as the only way to fend off foreign influences interested in the economic resources present here, most notably, 70 percent of the world's sakuradite reserves and the infrastructure necessary to mine and refine it, not to mention to maintain any form of effective army needed to protect its borders, as the JLF doesn't have sufficient manpower to do so. Any projection I attempt to make, even one under ideal conditions, results in this." _

"_Two, Britannia will prepare a massive counterattack to permanently quell any ideas of rebellion. A fresh armada, most likely consisting of at least the First, Third and Sixth fleets, and most likely under the direct command of Britannia's most dangerous strategist, second prince Schneizel el Britannia, would be dispatched within a week, arriving at most a month later. And I really don't need to mention the man's achievements. Suffice to say that he personally added 6 Areas to Britannia's territory and is currently the only real contender for the throne of Britannia. At best, if there were survivors, Japan would be reduced to a 'Reformation area', and the entirety of the population reduced to little better than slaves, Japanese Honorary Britannians most likely included. Such a response is guaranteed as Britannia cannot afford to have even one of its colonies revolt openly, and will do ALL in its power to squash any such attempts brutally. I need not remind you of the infamous Argentina situation, do I? "_

"_Three, should Britannia somehow decide NOT to attack, the Chinese Federation would do so without a moment's regret. And I have more than enough reason to believe that such an occupation would make the Britannian conquest seem… pleasant in comparison. This scenario is extremely likely to occur due to the fact that any open attempt to combat Britannian forces will result in great losses in both troops and defensive positions that could later be used to defend the country, leaving a severely weakened country."_

"_Four, when the JLF manages to attain power, they already have minimal public support due to the large numbers of civilian lives lost in their operations. It would be difficult to maintain peace without invoking measures such as country-wide martial law, and even the Six Houses of Kyoto wouldn't be able to support them there and they lack any means of attaining public support which is necessary for a country to recover in any post-war situation. The liberation itself would be a meaningful step in the right direction, but… a military government is only good for the military."_

"_The Japanese Liberation Front fights for the past, as do most of the other resistance cells, deluded by their accursed pride and longing, for a, as princess Cornelia wisely put it, bygone golden era that will never return, holding onto the objective of liberating Japan, never once considering what would come after. The Britannians fight for the preservation of the present status quo where they enforce peace and progress, but at what cost? One's very identity and values? Future generations?"_

"_If a leader plans merely for tomorrow, he is no better than those who can see only today, and he will damn himself and those who follow him to an early grave." _

He stopped there, letting his long speech simmer in the minds of his present audience. This entire day, it had started and went so well, with absolute victory and the acquisition of every objective he had set for himself on the battlefield, with a clean getaway with even more than he planned for, and yet, it had to devolve into this.

The mere revelation that C.C. had dropped on him was enough to steal the fire of his victory. His father was the bearer of the Geass as well. One that affected memories of others, and one he had absolute command over, whatever that meant.

"_This has taken longer than I had hoped for, and we've drifted away from the purpose of this conversation. You have a week to decide, accept my offer with the knowledge and responsibility it entails, or refuse it and remain blissfully ignorant. The choice is yours." _Zero finally stated, before getting up and turning around, seemingly looking at the window_ "Now please leave, the celebration should be continuing, and I am far too exhausted to be of any use._" He finished in a much warmer tone, even if it was somewhat dismissive.

"Zero, before we leave, one last question. If the remaining members of the JLF offered to join your cause, would you accept them?" Oghi finally asked.

"_Under my terms, and if they were willing to follow my orders, yes. They are not my enemies, but their leaders made them a threat."_ The masked man responded, letting the two of them leave.

As the duo left the room, Lelouch sighed, before locking the door and removing the mask from his face, quickly followed by Nunnally.

"Are you alright, brother?" she gently asked, wrapping her arm around him.

"No, I am not. I am tired, worried and overextended. And I wage war upon the most powerful empire upon the world, whose leader wield the power to manipulate the memories of others, and has likely used it on both of us already. It makes me wonder…" he responded, trailing of tiredly at the end, only to be quietly surprised when C.C. put her hands around him as well.

"If it is any consolation, I know he hasn't used his powers on either of you." The immortal quietly consoled him. "What you are becoming, what you are doing is solely a product of who you are. Freely lower your guard and rest now, the two of us will watch over you." She softly stated, pushing him down onto the bed, while giving Nunnally what could best be described as a conspiratorial look, one the younger girl quickly understood.

To his surprise, even with the chaos that way today, he felt safe. As he sank into the comfortable mattress and the still-warm silken sheets, his eyes closed. Next to him, he felt the two warm bodies he easily recognized, and that was enough for his mind to relax, and finally shut down, leaving him in a calm, dreamless slumber.

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Both were confused as they left the office, the door closing slowly behind them being probably the clearest testament of how tired their leader actually was.

The delivery of his words was just as it was meant to be, cold, logical, thought-through, covering every possible issue and leaving his public without any possible retorts.

And it did. Oghi for one, couldn't find anything to counter what he had stated. He never really thought about it so far ahead of time, and in truth, he had considered, just as Zero had put it, only to the point of getting rid of Britannia. The possibility of a Britannian counterattack had occurred to him, but not of the attack by the Chinese Federation. And the two other problems the JLF posed were both very, disturbingly real.

On the other hand, Zero's every action seemed to draw the people's support… or rather, was planned to do so, he now realized. From the start, probably from a point before they even met, Zero had planned for this. Which meant that he had already taken into account the situation after a victory against the Britannians, and planned for it ahead of time.

Kallen found herself flabbergasted. She was without a doubt a smart young woman, but her grasp of long-term strategy was frail at best. In all honesty, quite like the above-stated JLF she had only thought to the point of chasing the Britannians out of Japan, and restoring the state, focusing only on foes present. Now that she thought about it a bit more, dealing a crushing blow to the military forces of Britannia here would only incite the rest of their sizable military to intervene… and they had a grand total of fifty people at this point. Something about that put things into perspective.

'_But… that doesn't seem to concern him in the least. He isn't mad, or at least I hope so, which most likely means he has a plan of some sort… which means, he simply didn't bring this up before because there was no reason to do so. He didn't trust us with this… but then again, if he told us, what would it have achieved? We would have doubted him, and we likely never would have gotten as far as we did. Zero chose the only path that remained open, that achieved the results needed.'_

"Now what do we do?" Kallen asked softly as the two of them sat down in the lounge, the large TV still turned off due to a lack of decent signals this deep.

"Don't know. This is getting a lot more complicated than I originally expected… but it's also what we wanted, isn't it?" Oghi slowly responded, leaning back into the couch.

"What we wanted?"

"We wanted to liberate Japan, we wanted to learn more about Zero, well, he's offering both, and he's expecting something in return. It actually makes sense, to be honest. You're still young Kallen, so I don't expect you to understand everything, but different people bear different burdens on their backs. It frightens me at times that he uses us as pawns, but then again, why would he bother to spend his time explaining things to us in such detail if it were so?"

"I don't think he's explaining Oghi… what he said… I think he's trying to teach us something." Kallen shortly retorted.

"There is that possibility." He responded with a chuckle. "Who do you think that woman was?"

"C.C.? Damn me if I know, though she seems familiar for some reason. Zero seems to have a lot of female friends." She stated with a mixture of disgust and entertainment

"No kidding, though little should surprise me anymore. So, what do you think? Accept it or not?"

Several seconds passed in relative silence as Kallen considered the question.

"I am tempted." she finally responded, completely uncertain "But I don't know. We have until next Saturday to make our decision."

"True. Well, I'm going outside so that the others don't make too much of a mess." Her friend responded a few moments later, getting up and stretching his back before walking out, leaving Kallen to her thoughts.

'_That woman, C.C., she had seen his face. Why is it that he allowed her to know his identity, but not us? And during the battle, he specifically ordered us not to target two enemy Knightmares… are they also his allies? But why would Britannians help a… they wouldn't help an Eleven, even if they paid well. So, he's either not Japanese, or he has some hold over them.'_ She mused, getting up to take something to drink.

Like Zero apparently, she wasn't in much of a mood to join the festivities, being somewhat exhausted, though it seemed their leader was holding on through sheer force of will. For a moment, she wondered if the man got enough sleep recently, and decided it was unlikely. Quietly, she opened a soda, and set herself down onto the couch, deciding to try and see if she could get the TV to catch something down here. Anything to remove her mind from the dilemma plaguing her thoughts.

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Within the trailer of the Camelot research team, Suzaku found himself next to a rather relaxed Lloyd. Sitting at his workstation, surrounded by graphs, statistics and other things related to the performance of the Lancelot during the battle of Narita.

There was no crazed muttering, nor were there disorderly stacks of paper strewn about. He could even spot a cup of tea standing there as the man worked.

"That was a learning experience, hm?" he finally stated, the lack of an edge in his voice letting the pilot relax. "Seems my prototype wasn't as good as I expected. But then again, I didn't expect you to go against Rakshata's Radiant Wave Surger. Well, at least the machine is still whole, and the only damage is the destruction of a single MVS, correct?"

"Not exactly, sir." Suzaku found himself answering a few moments later. "The pilot of the red frame took the second, broken sword as a souvenir."

"How curious. It seems Zero has a decent number of capable pilots at his disposal. Well, nothing to be done about that, he completely outmaneuvered everyone this time." The scientist replied casually, with a shrug. Suzaku could almost tell a slight hint of respect for the masked rebel, something that he himself had to admit he felt. "You did quite well during the battle, from what I noticed, you not only managed to fight the new frame, designated as Guren MK-II on equal grounds, even when put into an unfavorable position, and you didn't suffer _any_ damage. Shame about the sword though… if they manage to get that thing to whoever developed that Guren, we might be in for a bit of trouble."

"Ehm, you mentioned someone named Rakshata… who is he?" Suzaku asked curiously, trying to discern a bit of the history behind the man sitting in front of him.

"Neh… I guess you wouldn't be half the pilot you are if you weren't perceptive. And it is a _she,_ by the way. Rakshata Chwala, a colleague of mine from my days at Colchester University. Brilliant scientist, if a bit unorthodox. Used to specialize in medical cybernetics, if I remember correctly, though she did a little bit of everything. That nasty little claw weapon that melts things is based on a technology she developed a while ago."

"You said it was called the Radiant Wave Surger… could it have been used to trigger that landslide?" Suzaku asked curiously. "I heard miss Cecile mention that it was triggered by some sort of thermal reaction within the pocket of underground water."

"You catch on quickly. Both of us suspect that to be the case, but we don't have any conclusive proof. Though the timing of the attack afterward grants validity to that line of thought." The man responded, content to steeple his fingers behind his head and lean into the comfy chair. "There is one other piece of good news I have for you. It seems your actions, particularly your dashing rescue of princess Cornelia has earned you a degree of interest from the up and above. You are expected to be at the base for a full debriefing tomorrow morning. "

Suzaku understood the dismissal in his tone, and turned around to leave, until he heard Lloyd speaking up again.

"Oh, and you didn't hear this from me, but you're getting a promotion. To First Lieutenant, they say. Act suitably surprised, your actions seemed to have impressed a few people, notably Andreas Darlton."

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_Sunday, 9:00_

_G-1 Mobile base of princess Cornelia li Britannia_

_Main office_

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Sleep, was a commodity not to be had for princess Cornelia. The aftermath of the battle, with the loss of roughly a third of the pilots under her command was ugly to say the least. And, unsurprisingly, it meant that she had to work most of the night to get the entire situation under complete control.

She had mobilized four additional lances from a nearby military base to add up for numbers lost so that their campaign didn't lose momentum, and an additional army group to cover the Narita mountain while the base salvage operation was in effect. There were only two other targets to attack, and after this one, she could easily afford to split her forces in half and attack both targets simultaneously.

In all honesty, she didn't give a shit anymore. Currently seated within her office were six figures, all six important for one reason or another. The first of those was Gilbert G.P. Guilford, her personal knight and a man she trusted explicitly. The second, Andreas Darlton was there for similar reasons, but also because she liked to hear his opinion on things. The third and fourth were Villeta Nu and Jeremiah Gottwald, two pilots who had proven themselves very reliable during her stay here, regardless of the incident that happened before. If anything, it seemed to have made them even more loyal. The fifth, was her sister Euphemia, who had to be present here because she needed to have a long discussion with her afterward, and she needed to learn more of this situation. It was the sixth that probably would have aroused suspicion or surprise from others. Suzaku Kururugi, son of the late prime minister of Japan, Genbu Kururugi, and a highly capable pilot for the Camelot engineering corps, under her brother Schneizel.

It was a group gathered for a pair of purposes: Zero, and the confirmation of the words he had given her.

"Before we begin this meeting, there are three announcements I would like to make." Cornelia began, gesturing for Guilford to step forward from behind her. "Ensign Villeta Nu, for your exemplary service during the past month, and during the Battle of Narita yesterday, you are granted the rank of Second Lieutenant as well as command of your own personal squad."

Quietly, her knight stepped forward, giving Villeta a small box that contained the insignia of her new position, while shaking the woman's hand. "The exact squad placement will be decided by your commanding officer, which moves us to the second announcement. First Lieutenant Jeremiah Gottwald. For your exemplary service from the point of your reinstatement into the military, the lack of anything but the highest praise from your commanding officers, you are granted the rank of Captain, and the command of the entirety of the surviving Carius lance, with your unit being transferred there to refill their numbers. Second Lieutenant Nu will remain under your command."

Once again, Guilford silently offered the man the small box. The man's opinion over the accused traitor had changed somewhat since he had met him and fought alongside him. This time, without any disrespect, he offered Jeremiah his hand, and the disgraced former margrave shook it heartily, a gesture of the slowly growing respect between the two of them.

"Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi, for your contributions during the our most recent campaign, as well as your actions during the Shinjuku Ghetto incident and the lake Kawaguchi hostage situation, with the blessing of second prince Schneizel el Britannia, you are promoted to Major. You will not be reassigned to any unit, and will remain with the Camelot Engineering Corps under the command of Earl Lloyd Asplund, while piloting the Lancelot Prototype. Also, your unit will be joining us in any serious military deployment from this point onward, until further notice."

Much to Suzaku's surprise, Guilford showed no scorn towards the young man. The personal knight of princess Cornelia li Britannia was not an easily trusting man, but the fact that he had most likely saved Cornelia's life was not something he easily forgot. While not overly warm towards him, he was polite and professional, extending the same courtesy had had given both Villeta and Jeremiah as he handed him over the small box containing the insignia of a major.

As the impromptu ceremony ended, and everyone returned to their seats, Cornelia's face considerably darkened. The two guards who had been standing at the door the entire time immediately left the office, and Andreas pulled out a small device of some sort, using it to seemingly sweep the room. Once, the pen-shaped device let out a peep, and the large man quickly located a small listening device hidden behind a painting there. It was quickly removed and crushed under his foot.

As the procession ended, all eight people present here were sitting.

"Before we begin this discussion, I would suggest that you get something to drink. This will last for a while." She offered her guests politely, standing up to take a glass of her own.

"Now, there are two reasons why you have been gathered here. You are either people very close to the subject at hand, having a deal of invaluable experience and knowledge, or are the subjects of my deep trust. The topic today is Zero."

"Captain Gottwald, you were accused of conspiring with Zero during the trial of then ensign Suzaku Kururugi. The more I look at that event, and those preceding it, the less it makes sense. I would like to hear a recount of the events there, in your own words. The same goes for you as well, Second Lieutenant Nu." Cornelia finished, leaving a tense atmosphere inside the room.

Standing up from his seat after taking a sip of the strong brandy there, Jeremiah Gottwald reminded himself of which details his lord had asked him to highlight and which to omit before beginning to weave his tale.

Cornelia listened to the man's tale carefully, noticing very little amiss, until he began mentioning troops who couldn't remember what had happened.

"At first, I thought they were trying to cover either being paid to betray their service, or lying to cover their incompetence, but as the number quickly included the entirety of prince Clovis' personal guard and general Asprius Bartley, not to mention First Lieutenant Nu, I began having my doubts. The symptoms were the same, complete loss of memory from a seemingly random point to another, and any witnesses report the same, that the persons in question acted as if executing someone's orders, but there was no discernable origin to them. And then, there was the Kururugi trial. I am ashamed to say that it was a staged thing, and I once more offer my sincerest apologies, Major Kururugi." Jeremiah explained, turning at the last sentence towards the man in question with an honestly apologetic look.

"It's alright." Suzaku lamely offered, but he didn't show any antagonism. As far as he was concerned it was in the past, and it should stay that way.

"Ehm, returning to the subject at hand. During the procession, Zero made an appearance. And we all know how that ended. The last thing I remember was his mention of Orange, my confusion at it, and after that, my mind turned blank. Only recently did I discover what that could have meant."

"Continue." Cornelia ordered shortly, her voice decidedly flat and unrevealing of her opinion on the matter at hand.

"I found out that the infamous container of poison gas, never actually contained any nerve gas at all." He calmly stated, internally enjoying the looks of dawning shock on the faces of all those present, apart for Villeta, as she was in the know on the subject.

"Limited records from Prince Clovis' personal computer mention a project named CODE-R, and a subtle inquiry into his finances after his death revealed that he had funneled a great deal of money into a number of dummy companies, likely fronts for said project. I was unable to find out much more, apart for the fact that the nerve gas capsule actually contained a living, human subject that was critical to the project itself… and whose recovery would end up with Clovis disinherited at best, by his own words. I would have liked to learn more of it, however, someone took the contents of his personal safe before we left. Surprisingly, it showed no signs of tampering of any sort, meaning it was opened by its code. It is a very likely scenario that 'Orange' referred to the project itself." The former margrave reported calmly, ignoring the looks of surprise, and the slightly accusing glances sent in his direction. "For one, I might have reported this sooner had it been asked of me, but it is my duty as a member of Britannia military and nobility to look after our late prince's public image. Dragging his name through the mud posthumously wouldn't achieve anything good. Presuming I didn't get shot first, that is." He finally added with a small chuckle, one that was quickly shared by all senior officers present, knowing that it was a _very_ likely scenario. Britannia had its ways of clearing out those who had fallen out of favor and were considered… unnecessary.

"Alright, all taken into account, your story is a bit hard to believe, but it also makes a disturbing amount of sense, considering some of the more recent events. Lieutenant Nu, do you have anything to add to this?" Cornelia stated, before turning towards the other member of the duo.

"No, viceroy Cornelia. I have nothing further to add." Villeta calmly responded.

"Then the two of you are excused. You may leave." She ordered. Without a moment's hesitation, the two officers stood up, and with a short, curt salute, vacated the room. Cornelia calmly waited for them to leave before beginning again.

"Now, we get to the second, and slightly more complicated part of this meeting. During our brief… conversation, Zero mentioned something rather delicate. And as much as I would like to claim he has no place to say such a thing, I can find no meaningful reason to claim he is lying."

"Your highness? What did Zero say?" Darlton asked calmly.

"That Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia are still alive." She announced, causing a rather shocked reaction from all present. She had taken that split-second to check the one thing she had hoped for would prove a valuable lead, and barely suppressed the smirk when it proved she was right. Suzaku Kururugi, who had lived with the two of them for a year during their stay as political hostages, knew something. She was finally making progress.

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_That evening_

_Ashford Academy Council Clubhouse_

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"Miss president, we need to talk." Were the short words Lelouch used to easily convince Milly of the urgency of his situation. Though the sheer unease and nervousness he seemed to radiate were more than enough to do so.

Quietly, though she could barely suppress an errant giggle, she guided him towards one of the more withdrawn rooms of the council clubhouse, where they could talk in private

"What's gotten you so nervous Lulu? Don't tell me you've managed to get Nunnally mad at you?" Milly teased in her usual way.

"Very funny." Lelouch grunted out as he took a seat.

"Don't tell me we must talk of business again…?" she asked, slightly horrified at the prospect. It was all still new to her, helping a man lead a revolution, but she had accepted, and would do her best.

"That can wait until tomorrow easily. No, I have a far more, shall we say urgent problem?" he tried.

"Alright, spill it. What's gotten you so riled up?" she asked again, this time slightly worried.

"I.. know it's hardly right of me to ask this of you…" he started, ignorant of the look of mounting worry, and even slight horror on Milly's face as the blonde once more jumped to conclusions "… but I need advice for my date with Shirley tomorrow evening."

The silence that descended after those words was absolute. It was east even to hear the distant shuffling of feet as Nina and Rivalz walked around, most likely carrying the many supplies needed for the coming festival. Finally, Milly Ashford broke into laughter, all of the tension in her mind slipping away entirely.

"Lelouch Lamperouge, you are an idiot." She calmly stated, before continuing in her thoughts _'And that is perhaps one of the reasons I like you so much.'_

"I did kinda spring this on you, so I might as well ensure it goes nicely, right? You want to make this work out, right?" she added in a humored tone, but more than willing to do as she spoke. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with what happened at Narita, would it?"

"Yes and yes... After the scare I gave her and her father at Narita, it is the least I can do. And I realized how much she cares for me. I'm not just sure what I'm doing anymore. I don't want to hurt her, nor anyone else callously." Lelouch slowly responded.

It was with no small amount of curiosity that Milly regarded her long-time friend, trying to figure out what went through that complicated mind of his. Her thoughts of strange, incestuous even relationships returned to mind, as did her rather entertaining idea of a harem. All followed by the sheer difficulty of such a thing functioning in a time of war, but perhaps it would be what he needed, a place of unconditional support and love. She already had a decent list of candidates, starting logically with herself, followed quickly by Shirley and that Kallen girl( though she, from what little he told her, seemed far more interested in Zero than in Lelouch… and she wondered what her reaction would be if she found out.). And then there was Nunnally.

The younger Lamperouge sibling held a unique relationship with Lelouch, something far more than simple love between brother and sister, but clearly not sexual in nature. She envied it, that bond of absolute, unshakable and unconditional trust and love between them, though she understood perfectly what it took to build it.

And that is perhaps what made it so important, and what made her stop any attempts at building a harem for Lelouch before she even tried. Any attempt to do so would infringe on that bond they shared, and it was something she was truly loathe to do. Before she tried anything, she would ask Nunnally if she agreed with this, for once, her own feelings be damned.

"Milly… before we start with this, I have a few other things I need to tell you. Things, that as my confidante, you deserve to know." He interrupted her thoughts with a statement that brought her a great feeling of dread.

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Within the complex that surrounded the defiled mount Fuji, was a certain room. Unremarkable by most aspects, it had a very important distinction. The door, a large metal construction hidden beneath a secret, fake wall had a total of six locks, each opened by one of six keys distributed between those that were now present in meeting there.

Behind the well-hidden door was an almost traditional Japanese room, complete with tatami mats and paper walls that served to conceal the reinforced steel walls that surrounded it, and a single, one way window that looked towards the mountain. On the opposite wall was a large screen, mostly used to display information.

Seated in a circle around a small depressing in the middle where an easy to overlook hearth was, were five figures, all but one men of a ripe age. The sole exception was a bright-eyed girl of fourteen, though even she looked perfectly in place there, her face solemn and serious.

"Are you saying that I was wrong, Osakube-dono? " the young woman offered calmly, almost daring the older man to speak against her.

"Hardly, Sumeragi-dono, but the fact remains that we cannot blindly trust someone like that." Tatsuori Osakube responded. He was an unusually large man, with tanned skin from the many years he had spent on the field during constructions. In fact, even now, his company handled most of the construction, Britannian or not, in Area 11.

The girl he had spoken to was Kaguya Sumeragi. The dark-haired, green-eyed youth that sat across from him was anything but a child one should underestimate. He had learned that the hard way when her father died a year ago, and she took over as leader of the Sumeragi Conglomerate who held exclusive rights to the refinement and further trade of all Sakuradite that was mined in Japan. Soft-spoken and perpetually calm, the young mistress was probably one of the most powerful people in Japan. There was also the fact that she was a cousin of a certain Suzaku Kururugi.

"Oh? And why pray tell can we not?" she gently countered "You offer no substantial claim, and Zero has proven himself capable, civil and increasingly popular among the people. With the almost complete collapse of the JLF the Black Knights are the only group that is truly capable of liberating Japan. And there is the request that general Todoh passed us."

"The situation is hardly a comfortable one." Hidenobu Kubouin, arguably the oldest among them, a man of graying hair tied into a long ponytail, and short moustache decorating an always smiling face that hid his business acumen and perception. As the prime owner of the entirety of the shipbuilding industry of Japan, he was easily overlooked by Britannia as it allowed them to operate more easily.

"Perhaps, but these are turbulent times, and it would rarely be comfortable." Taizo Kirihara stated in his deep voice. Time had not been gentle towards the bald owner of Kirihara Industries. If the Sumeragi family built their wealth on the refinement and trade of Sakuradite, Taizo Kirihara had built his own the risky mining of the rare mineral, which allowed him to dictate the prices paid, and net him a vast profit. Over the years, he had come to an agreement with the late leader of the Sumeragi Conglomerate, and the heir had seen fit to keep their contract as it was. "I believe we should meet this man, Zero. Learn of his motives in detail before we make any decision. Normally, I would suggest you, but it would not be a wise option this time Sumeragi-dono, as you are obviously enamored of the man." He stated, though there was no reproach in his voice, if anything, it was a friendly quip.

In response to his statement, Kaguya merely smiled gently, innocently… even if innocent thoughts were the furthest thing from her mind at that point.

"My, are you claiming I would not be objective? What kind of impure thoughts are running through your head?" she almost playfully offered, and to the slight irritation of some of the others present, Taizo began laughing heartily. He liked the spirited young woman very much, in a way an old man liked his granddaughter. And considering that he didn't have any living relatives, he had spent the better part of last year considering whether to put her as the chief beneficiary of his will. As things went, he might just go ahead and do it.

"We should leave such discussions for later." The last of the group, Tousai Munakata amusedly noted. He was used to the byplay between the two, and had grown to enjoy it over the year she had been with them. The aged steel baron was doing remarkably well for his age, and still managed to look far younger than he actually was, much to his entertainment. "I believe there are only two real options we can pursue now. Either we arrange a meeting with but one of our representatives, while the others observe from the shadows, or we all meet him at once." The man added his opinion.

"Shall we put this to a vote?" Hidenobu offered, and the others nodded their acceptance. Understanding, he revealed out a small, opaque felt bag, and a set of ten black and ten white stones. "White for the first suggestion, black for the second." He explained passing the stones around.

In complete silence, the bag started making the circle between them, each person dropping one stone inside and hiding the other in their hand until it returned to Hidenbou, who promptly emptied it on the floor before them. Two white stones and three black.

"It has been decided then." Taizo stated solemnly, offering a meaningful look to the youngest among them.

"I will write the letter personally." She gracefully accepted, not for a moment revealing her intent

* * *

**Author's notes:** And there you have it, the aftermath of the Battle of Narita. Not quite what you expected, I assume? Well, not quite what I expected as well, but this is the way it came out after three days of not being able to put a sentence together.

Seven thousand bloody words in a single day, due to a wave of inspiration. Gotta love it when my muse is feeling kind.

Anyway, I've spent this entire chapter exploring the characters in some depth, as well as advancing the plot in a meaningful direction. I've also done my best to keep the characters in the same spirit I've written them so far, so no great surprises there, I hope. Hopefully, entertaining explosions will be more abundant in the next chapter.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, review and all that, I'm off to hit the sack, it's almost midnight here, and I've been up all day.


	16. A Day Too Long

**Author's Rambling: ** Another development chapter, and no explosions in sight… yet. Kinda irritating, if you ask me, but there's a lot of neutral ground to cover before the next battle comes up, and right now, I'm still moving the pieces into their respective places.

But enough about that, you didn't open this page to listen to me ranting, but to read stuff... so I'll skip any further bs.

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_Chapter 15: A Day Too Long_

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_Monday, 12:00  
Ashford Academy grounds_  
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As he rushed along the corridors of the Ashford Academy, Major Suzaku Kururugi was frantically trying to keep himself calm. In fact, ever since his interrogation by princess Cornelia yesterday, he could hardly keep still. Bitterly, he remembered the words Zero had told him the night he had saved him from his trial, of making choices. And against his better judgment, but in honor of his beliefs, he only hoped that it was the right choice he had made.

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"That Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia are still alive." Cornelia announced, causing Suzaku to have a near heart-attack.

"You highness, are you certain you should be trusting of that man's words?" Darlton asked in a guarded tone. He himself hadn't met the two children while they were still in Britannia, but he knew they were close to both present princesses.

"I have little reason to doubt him. So far, Zero has proven himself a man of his word, even if he is an enemy. And Captain Gottwald's report only increases the number of reasons to do so. However, before we wander off on a tangent, I was curious about something, Major Kururugi. According to what I've learned, you've lived with the two of them for an entire year in the Kururugi family shrine, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is your highness." Suzaku somewhat nervously responded. He was growing worried, after all, Lelouch and Nunnally were still in hiding, and if they were revealed, he knew nothing good would have come out of it. They had stayed hidden though all those years for a reason, and that reason was that they didn't want anything to do with their family.

"What do you know of their fate afterward?" Cornelia pressed on.

"I… am afraid nothing, your highness. We were separated shortly after escaping from my family's shrine. I only know they were heading towards Tokyo. What happened after that, I do not know." He lied through his teeth, putting every possible effort into trying to fool her. He knew what had happened, and he didn't want to lie, but he couldn't see another way out of this.

"A shame. Very well, you are dismissed. From what I understand, Earl Asplund has been asking for you." She calmly responded, letting him walk out.

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Indeed, it might turn out to be the worst mistake he had ever made, but he would think of that later. Now, he had to find Lelouch or Nunnally. Preferably both. But that alone was not the difficult part. No, the truly difficult part came later. When he was waylaid by princess Euphemia.

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It pained him, he realized, to lie to that kind, honest face. To the real pain and hope behind the kind, blameless blue eyes. Princess Euphemia li Britannia, he realized, was different. And he finally realized just why Nunnally and Lelouch held her in such high regard.

"Major Kururugi, would you please walk with me?" she asked calmly, though he quickly noticed that the voice was a façade, hiding the turmoil beneath it.

Quietly, he nodded in response, falling into step right behind her. They walked in silence, as the princess guided him towards one of the few open terraces in the mobile base, one that was even now overlooking the area. Over the past day, the mobile base had moved to the outer edge of Tokyo, rejoining the majority of the Britannian army present there. In the distance, it was easy to spot the familiar shape of mount Fuji.

"Major… Suzaku. What I ask of you here will not be as a princess of Britannia, nor as your superior officer. But as a sister who misses her brother and sister very much." She spoke, focusing her eyes in the distance, and gripping the railing to calm herself.

He had no such luxury, even if he could relax in such an informal conversation. He wanted to be honest with her, to tell her that they were alive and well but… it was not to be, not yet.

"Tell me, how did you meet them?" she asked, leaving no doubts as to who 'they' were. Sighing quietly, Suzaku leaned on the railing with his back, looking straight at the opposite direction.

"About… eight years ago, for the sake of negotiations, the Emperor sent Lelouch and Nunnally here as collateral for the case that something should go wrong. I can still remember that cold morning when I joined my father to meet the two of them at the airport." Suzaku spoke in an almost quiet voice, stopping only for a moment to gather his breath.

"I expected… probably everything else but the sight that greeted me. A boy my own age, blind, standing forth to protect his younger, weaker sister fearlessly, regardless of his own frailty. That fierce look, that clearly stated 'If you want her, you're going to have to go through me first'. I still think it was that situation alone that impressed my late father enough to take the two of them in, and to our home on mount Fuji, the old Kururugi shrine. At first, we were everything _but_ friends, but time passed, and I came to first respect, then actually befriend them, mostly at the prodding at his younger sister. In all honesty, I saw the two as the siblings I never had, and even my father was ever kind to them."

"And then, Japan was invaded." Euphie continued, her voice ripe with both happiness at the fact that her siblings found some measure of peace and happiness here after their father cast them off as little better than garbage, and sadness at the fact that it was ripped away brutally so quickly afterward. "How did you survive?"

"My friend and teacher got us away safely, at my father's orders. Unfortunately, when we reached Tokyo, we lost the two of them in the crowds, in the chaos of the surrender." He sadly stated. "We tried finding them, but we had no luck."

"I see." She sadly stated "Thank you for being honest with me Suzaku. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome your highness." He responded with a short bow.

"I will be attending a certain festival in the Ashford Academy soon. I understand that you are enrolled there, right?" Euphie continued a few seconds later as she prepared to leave.

"Eh… I am?" he confusedly responded, wondering what she was getting at.

"Good. Then you will be my escort there." She stated with a small smile, leaving a thoroughly shocked Suzaku behind her as she walked out, giggling to herself.

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That had left him somewhat… well, confused to say the least.

He knew this was likely a trap, and that he would be used as bait, but at least this way, he would give his two friends the chance to do things on their own terms, as the duo would likely be tracked down through him regardless.

Suzaku may have been an idealist, but he was neither stupid, nor blind. It was easy for the perceptive pilot to notice the two plain-clothes agents following him from a discrete distance, and while he doubted they could enter Ashford Academy, it wouldn't be much of a problem for them to accidentally spot Lelouch and Nunnally there. And this time, they would know _exactly_ who they were looking for.

But, he was also a soldier, and a man who had spent a decade training mind and body daily. When necessary, he knew how to keep his will as hard as iron, and that was probably the only thing keeping him from panicking now.

'_Idiot!'_ he cursed himself, realizing what he had almost done _'If they can't enter the academy, I will only make more of a mess by seeking them out. Better just wait for the first class to start and then talk to them.'_

"Is everything alright Suzaku?" a kind female voice, one he easily recognized greeted him, a gentle hand prodding his arm.

"Nunnally!" he immediately responded, turning to face the younger brunette. "I need to talk to you and your brother."

"You sound serious. Is there something wrong?" Nunnally responded, a slight frown marring her features.

"There is, but I can't talk out here."

"Hmm…" she paused, brow furrowing in thought. "Lelouch is in our room anyway, I'll take you there."

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"So…" the Ashford heir calmly began, taking a short sip of tea in the pause "We haven't had the chance to talk yet."

"Indeed, miss Ashford." Across from her, clad in more casual clothes, consisting of the same jeans and jacket she had appropriated from Lelouch, C.C. was comfortably sitting, a curious, childlike smile on her lips. It was a strange situation between the two, and a great deal of tension filled the air as both tried to assuage the intent of the other.

"I understand that you are an… important person to Lelouch's plans." Milly started diplomatically.

"That can be said, and from what I understand, you are an important person to Lelouch himself." C.C. responded. "And you seem to be attracted to him, if my eyes still serve me well."

"Oh? I wasn't aware you were already scoping out the competition…" she responded with a content smirk. A small nod was given in respect to the woman, a gesture easily understood by the other side.

"Hardly." C.C. responded, stopping to take her slice of pizza, and slowly begin munching on it.

"Are you not interested then?" Milly questioned, puzzled by the response. She was certain that she was right.

"I was thinking more along the lines of looking for allies." The green-haired immortal finally stated with an all too innocent smile on her face, and moments later, a large, understanding smile spread along Milly's face.

"I wish things were so simple. He can be such a fool at times." She responded.

"A fool indeed, but he makes up for it." C.C. countered. "Lelouch is such a curious man, it would truly be a shame for something to interrupt his plans before they reach fruition."

"In that we agree. Tell me then, what is it that you expect me to do now?"

"Rebuild the Ashford foundation." She calmly responded, turning around to pick up a large briefcase and present it to Milly. "These are the first resources that Lelouch wishes to provide you with, as well as some instructions on the matter at hand." She stated, opening the case.

"That is… a_ lot_ of money…" was the only thing Milly could get out of her mouth, before calming down, and a small smile spread over her lips. "Alright. I'm up for a good challenge anyway."

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Hidden within the sanctuary of his room, Lelouch was meditating. Several sticks of incense were stuck into the sand-filled bowls, their burning releasing the soft scent of sandalwood. Surprisingly, for imported goods produced mostly by the Militarized Zone of India, it was quite easy to acquire.

For the time being, he accepted that there wouldn't be much to do until an opening appeared, and that could only come from two directions: Cornelia or the Six Houses. He personally hoped for the second.

The unaccounted for possibility of a third party intervention was something he could not plan for, as he was aware of no third party at this point.

The potential identities of the members of the Six Houses of Kyoto were another point of concern. He assumed it was an organization of sorts, most likely led by either a highly capable individual (a situation that would benefit him greatly) or by a council of likeminded ones, henceforth, he needed identities in order to make a plan.

Wealthy industrialists were the most likely to be members, as they were the only ones who could provide the impressive resources needed to field the dozens of Knightmare Frames they had provided so far. Outside influences were a distinct possibility, especially Chinese ones, and that would be very dangerous if proven true.

Finally, there were the remnants of the JLF, of which he hadn't heard a word. He had only shortly contacted them during the Battle of Narita, and after that, he was uncertain as to what had happened to them, leaving that end loose still.

A small frown crossed his peaceful face at the thought. Things were growing ever more complicated, and the addition of his father to the list of people who possessed a Geass power did not simplify things.

Slowly, but surely, he ended that line of thought as he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Brother, it's me. Suzaku's here as well, he needs to talk to you." Nunnally's voice called from the door. Normally, she would have simply barged in, he thought, as it really didn't matter to her exactly what he was doing, and he had nothing to hide. But if she was bringing guests… well, it only made sense.

"Come in." he responded, quickly bringing himself up from his meditative spot, buttoning up the white shirt he was wearing, and moving over to open the window, letting the trace amounts of smoke disperse.

"Hello Suzaku." He greeted his long-time friend with a shake of his hand. "Nunnally. I hope your day was good?"

"Perfect." She quietly responded. "You said you wanted to talk…?" she pressed on her friend, an innocent smile on her features.

"Cornelia found out that you and Nunnally are alive." He stated, causing a rather unpleasant silence to descend on the room. "Apparently, Zero told her during the battle of Narita, and she suspects that I might know more. And I'm being followed."

Across from him, Lelouch was keeping his scowl in place. He didn't like this, but it was still a necessity. To his great surprise, Suzaku had chosen to tell them what was going on even if it meant going against his commanders, and had apparently lied to protect them. The seeds had indeed taken root.

"That is… unfortunate." He slowly stated, his voice heavy enough to completely lose the understatement the light words represented. "But it can't be helped, I suppose. You remember that Euphemia would have come here soon regardless? For the festival?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Relax Suzaku." Nunnally comforted her friend "We very much appreciate you helping us out, but now that the cat is out of the bag, well…"

"…we at least get the opportunity to meet on our own terms." Lelouch finished for her. "Thank you for that Suzaku."

'_Not an unexpected course of action Cornelia, I am glad to see you still retain much of your old kindness and love.'_ He mused quietly _'And that plays even further into my plans. Now, the only thing left is to decide how to take advantage of that.'_

"What are you going to do?" Suzaku asked quietly, still feeling bad about the entire thing.

"We will survive, as we always did. Negotiate with Cornelia if possible, see Euphie again…" Lelouch counted off. "The question is, what will you do? You've lied to Cornelia, and she is not one to take such things lightly."

"I know. And I haven't got the slightest idea." The teen despondently muttered.

"Well, for what it's worth, it has been an honor knowing you Suzaku. We'll make sure to send a bouquet of flowers to your funeral service." Lelouch nonchalantly stated, ignoring the indignant 'Hey!' from his old friend, and the giggling from Nunnally as he slapped him on the back. "Cheer up a bit, we're both been through worse! We'll think up something. Did you seriously expect I'd just throw you to the wolves Suzaku? "

For a moment, Suzaku eyed his old friend, and the rarely honest and kind smile on his face. And he remembered all the good days the three of them had shared over that one year they spent at the Kururugi Shrine before Japan was invaded.

"Thanks." He quietly responded.

"Good, now get off your laurels you two, Milly promised to cook today, and I for one am not going to miss that. Unless you have some more pressing business?" Nunnally sweetly called. Sweetly enough to make the two teens _slightly_ worried and very cooperative.

"Ah, sure. No problem." Suzaku agreed momentarily, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"I was just thinking about it." Lelouch added seconds later, smiling innocently.

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Elsewhere, _Captain_ Jeremiah Gottwald put down his first cup of coffee for the day, content to have completed the daily round of combat exercises. His recent promotion and return to the good graces of the Britannian military had its advantages, such as having coffee delivered to the simulator rooms.

Personally, he cared little for the activity, preferring to test his skills against live opponents, but for the time being he would need every bit of practice he could get. Things were heating up, slowly but surely, and considering how distracted Kururugi looked when he left Cornelia's office, they had asked him about his young lord. Considering how politely and almost sweetly Cornelia li Britannia could chew out people, he wasn't feeling overly envious of the young man.

"Villeta!" he called to the woman as she left her own simulator. "Coffee?"

"I'd murder for some." The dark-skinned woman quickly responded, causing her former opponent in the simulation to take a step away to safety. The action merely brought up a chuckle from Jeremiah.

"No need for that yet." He responded, as the chuckled slowly broke away. "Your performance is improving." He added a few moments later as his friend and fellow-knight unceremoniously dropped herself onto a chair close to his one.

"Daily training and battles do that to you." She responded, taking a large mug of the warm liquid, and waiting for her already beaten opponent to leave the room, leaving her and Jeremiah completely alone.

"You think she bought it?" she finally asked in a quiet tone, certain that there was no one listening in on them.

"Hook, line and sinker." Was the only response she got. "Still, with the campaign pretty much over, we won't have much more to do now."

"Mhm… good stuff." Villeta confirmed, before commending the coffee.

"We're free from tomorrow evening, and we've even got a few hours free today.." The blue-haired man commented, leaning back into his chair with a sigh. "A week's leave of absence. Paid even."

"Maybe this whole demotion won't end up so bad, eh?" she offered with a teasing smile.

"No kidding." Jeremiah responded, laughing. "Why, you might even get that noble title you were looking for."

"That'll be the day." She muttered. It was a lie, and they both knew it. A pleasant one, a self-deception they could enjoy for a while until the time came and they would return to the service of their young master. It was the nature of their oath, the truth behind the deception they weaved even now.

To Villeta, the truth left her feeling the need to vomit. It didn't truly sink in, she realized, until she had seen the deaths of so many in Narita, until she had seen Guilford give her the insignia of her new rank with actual respect. The slowly growing self-loathing, not at the fact that she had betrayed Britannia, nor at the fact that she had sworn herself to a young man in search of vengeance. No, at her own failings, at her willing abandonment of her ambitions and hopes merely to preserve her own life, and at her own weakness and fear.

What pride she had left would not allow her to break her oath, for in turn, it would break her being entirely. In the end, she had chained herself, and the only thing left to possibly do was hope that things would turn out better than she believed them.

"Are you okay Villeta?" Jeremiah asked her kindly.

"I wonder, is this how a bird feels when caught in a trap?" she almost whispered, still lost in her thoughts. Jeremiah remained silent, sending her only quizzical look, putting down his mug of coffee on the small table, and waiting for her to elaborate.

"Never mind Jeremiah, I chose this. Whatever happens, happens."

"You think too much girl." He chided in a kind tone.

"I just find it somewhat depressing." She quietly responded, laying back in the chair and closing her eyes, almost hoping to catch a nap. Her companion sighed tiredly, and longingly looked at a small strip of plastic in his hands.

"I just know I'm going to regret this." He muttered as he got up, and walked over to her, grabbing her by the hand. "Come on, get up."

"Hey! What are you doing?" Villeta shouted in outrage as she got up, forced to follow him as he effortlessly pulled her after him.

"Working on your mood. We have a few hours free anyway." He sated confidently, currently unaware of the shocked and appalled look at the woman's face.

"What the…? I'm not going to!" she shouted, cutting off as she tried kicking him where the sun don't shine. Thankfully (for him), he managed to avoid the blow at the last moment, quickly twisting around until he was able to stop her from fighting.

"Calm down you crazy woman! I didn't mean _that_!" Jeremiah tried to explain, barely holding onto her, before the already angered woman tried to kill him. Again. "There's a thing the Elevens call onsen, a hot spring, nearby, with full service including pleasant massages. I just thought I'd take you for an all-expenses paid visit."

For a moment, Villeta stood still, eyes widened in surprise while she only let out a surprised 'oh' in response. Her body relaxed, and Jeremiah quickly let her go

"Sorry. I…" she trailed off, uncertain what to say. Sure, he was more than just simply suggestive, and her guess wasn't an unreasonable one, but she almost hit him in the family jewels. And as much as some people considered it a reasonable solution to the problem, it was also grounds for court-marshal in this case. Hitting your superior officer like that was something very much looked down on in the military.

"You've been tense, and I wasn't thinking much." Jeremiah responded with a short chuckle. "Shall we?"

"Sure." She agreed, a smile tugging at her lips. Perhaps her hope wasn't the only thing she truly had left.

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_Evening  
Tokyo Settlement concert hall  
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The day had passed quickly for Lelouch until evening came and Milly dragged him off to prepare, aided quite ruthlessly by Nunnally, who had decided that he was going to look proper for the evening, going as far as to borrow him her own sight just so that he could appreciate the work the two women had done on him.

And appreciate he did. The clothes were clearly casual, but still very elegant. Dress pants made of a dark blue, almost black cotton, but masterfully woven, a comfortable white shirt, and dark gray jacket atop it all. It was a simpler choice compared to some alternatives, and a tasteful choice walking the thin line between high society presentable, and completely normal, while still being both.

As he was sitting inside the cab that was going to take him to where he and Shirley were supposed to meet, he was nervous, almost as much as he was the night he had gone to rescue Suzaku from his trial. Personally, he didn't care much if he had a good time, but he wanted his date to have a good one, and that was where the problem was: for all his vast intellect, normal teenage male-female interaction was simply something beyond him.

"Lelouch, over here!" he could hear Shirley's voice calling him. He couldn't help but smile as he turned towards where her genuinely happy voice was coming from. Quickly paying and tipping the cab driver, he walked out, orienting himself by her voice.

Lelouch could probably activate his sight and 'see' her, but as one of the few important people in his life whose appearance he couldn't remember and therefore, 'paint' her image. And in truth, he had no desire to do so. She was one of those he would gladly spend the time needed to truly meet.

Relying on nothing but his senses to guide him, he walked towards her voice, gently trying the ground beneath his feet as he walked onward.

"Shall we, milady?" he offered kindly, extending his hand to the girl before him. Shirley giggled lightly as she grasped his hand, and led him onward.

"It's been such a long weekend. I was really looking forward to tonight, Lelouch." She spoke, holding to him tightly. He could feel the material of the dress as she did so, the smooth feel of velvet and silk. He could barely hold back the smile as he recognized it as the one that Milly had bought a while back during their shopping trip. _'Clever minx, so this was what she was planning? Even back then?'_

"I'd guess. After what happened in Narita…" he trailed off "I'm just glad that you and your father got away safely."

"Thank you." She demurely returned, content to keep walking with him, hand in hand. "The concert will start soon."

"Mhm. You never told me, exactly what kind of a concert are we attending?" he asked, content to enjoy the evening with someone dear to him.

"Classical music I understand. A young Britannian piano player is performing his first solo concert, but they say he has a lot of promise." She quietly, but respectfully returned as the two of them walked past the entrance security, by all appearances, a young, upper-class couple on an outing. The finely dressed security agents promptly ignored the two as they passed by.

"My, we do look like nobility." She commented contently moments later as they entered the halls, trying her best to appear as if she belonged there.

"It is all in the bearing Shirley." Lelouch quietly explained, trying his best not to embarrass the girl he was with. "If you have one to act as if you were one of them, they will not notice that you are not, even if you are dressed in rags."

Shooting up a few short bursts of his vision through closed eyelids to get his bearing, he followed Shirley's lead towards the large hall that stretched before him. The concert was about to begin, and they easily reached the two seats reserved for them.

Seating themselves down, Lelouch offered a small smile to his date for the night, right before the lights went off, and the music began playing.

Both enjoyed the vivid, inspired music, though it was obvious to any who looked that it was Lelouch who was listening to the music, while his companion was more interested in him.

To Shirley, in some ways this night was supposed to be a dream come true, and Lelouch was yet to disappoint. He had treated her perfectly (and a part of her suspected additional meddling from a certain blond), and so far, even with her own fair, but limited interest in classical music, she had enjoyed the evening. Even if it would come to an end soon.

Time passed quickly for the two of them, and the concert ended, quickly followed by the echo of the applause. As the visitors filtered out, Lelouch was content to hold Shirley close, and let her lead him out. He hadn't enjoyed himself as much for a long time, and he felt at ease, relaxed, even more so than his meditations allowed him to reach. They chatted as they stood there, waiting for the doors that lead outside to open.

"I hope you don't mind, but I reserved us a table for dinner." Lelouch stated, trying his best to sound casual.

"How romantic of you. But…I can't. " She responded, her voice genuinely saddened by the fact. Lelouch quickly turned, distress obvious on his face.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's complicated. I wanted nothing more than to spend the night here with you, but dad has been worried ever since we got out of Narita alive. I think he's afraid somebody is going to take his little girl away, so I can't stay past the concert" She whispered with a light giggle, and Lelouch couldn't help but laugh.

"Very well then, shall I escort you home milady? We should not worry your father." He spoke, barely containing his growing mirth. He was not angered by this, in fact he was glad that Shirley got to spend more time with her family, as her lack of a true family life had been one of the problems she had through the years he had known her.

"Lelouch?" she called him, and as he turned to face her, she kissed him on the cheek. "I've really enjoyed tonight. Even if it was cut short."

"Yeah, me too." Lelouch warmly responded, resisting the urge to chuckle as he entered the cab that would drive them away.

"Uhm…" she started as the cab went on, a slight blush covering her cheeks.

"Yes?" Lelouch tentatively asked, perfectly content to aim his smile in her direction.

"Would you mind if we went out again? Like this? I mean…" she continued, her confidence disintegrating quickly.

"I certainly wouldn't mind. That is, if we can convince your father that I am not an immediate threat to his 'precious little girl'." He teased, letting out a small laugh which she quickly joined in.

"Milly has really been rubbing off of you, hasn't she?" Shirley asked curiously, though she already expected the answer.

"It's kind of hard to avoid, you know?" he responded with a grin. "I'm surprised that she hasn't affected you though. And she's been working so hard." He kept on.

"Pervert." The girl responded with a laugh as the car slowed down, finally stopping before a large, three-story apartment building.

"Good night Lelouch. And see you tomorrow!" Shirley shouted as she rushed for the door.

"To the Ashford Academy, please." Lelouch told the driver, before letting himself sink into his seat. He resisted the desire to laugh like a madman as his hold on his will weakened. This was probably one of the last times he would go out like this, like an ordinary person living an ordinary life. And he was anything but.

And he had lied, again. So many times already, manipulating people to continue his own goals even if he didn't want to, because there was no longer a choice. By his own actions, he had made Zero necessary, a part of him he could no longer simply throw away.

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And hour later, Lelouch was content to finally be home, until his phone started ringing. A message had arrived, and if the caller id of 'R-1' was any indication, he wasn't going to be getting much sleep tonight.

Shortly, the red light once more flared up upon his left eye, giving a quick scan of the area around him to make sure there was no one present, before he pulled out the small, wired earpiece connected to his cellphone, and placed it on his right ear.

'_-'A package has arrived for you from Kyoto Shipping. Most of it is party supplies, but there's a letter addressed to you personally. No one's dared to open it, and it's waiting in your office.'-'_

'_Well, that was curious. Looks like my research wasn't in vain, and it is most likely the opening I've been expecting. Let's see… I can slip out tomorrow after the P.E. class to pick it up. Good.'_

As he walked towards his bed, he quickly began typing a response. _'Good. I can't come to the office for a few days, so please deliver me the letter tomorrow at 14:00, at the usual place.'_

With that set, Lelouch started taking off all excess clothes before dropping into bed, dead tired and completely ignorant of the other woman presently sleeping there. In the nude.

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_Monday, midnight  
Pendragon, Capitol of the Holy Britannian Empire  
Imperial palace, personal office of Charles zi Britannia  
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Within the massive imperial palace in Pendragon, far from the vaunted throne room where so many of the more dramatic events had taken place was an office. Quite like the rest of the imposing, massive building, there was nothing mediocre about it. Solid, red oak flooring, full ebony furniture, ranging from the massive desk and chair, to the several comfortable recliners and the bookshelves. Soft, silken carpets covered the few areas where they were needed, and the large floor-to-ceiling windows fed light into the room.

And at the center of it all, seated at his desk, was the emperor himself, the massive figure known as Charles zi Britannia. Little can be said of the man at first glance, apart for the fact that he is imposing and frightening, the physical embodiment of the power his throne and empire represented.

His already white hair was falling down his shoulders, the form he kept it in usually already gone to the long day, and even longer bath, and a very large bathrobe was draped over his body.

"It is not like you to visit this late, unannounced, brother." Charles greeted the small figure who walked in. A blond boy, aged ten at most, still dressed in formal clothes.

"You forget I don't sleep nearly as much as you. And I only just arrived to Britannia." He responded, seating himself down in one of the two chairs that were in front of the desk.

"How are our plans progressing?" the larger man asked after a few moments of silence, getting up from his chair, content to watch the softly glowing skyline of the city of Pendragon in the distance.

"Well. The Order has grown even stronger, and their research project is nearing completion. The OSI has eliminated Lord Barrington, staging it to appear an accident. Rollo Halliburton has proven to be more capable than we expected. "

"All the better then, Clovis' blunder may have cost us more than we have expected."

"You talked to your errant son?" the blond asked in a curious voice.

"Oh yes. If the utterance of the words 'Go fuck yourself with a rusty razor' counts as a conversation. I doubt I will be able to reach him again. What worries me is that he was the only one of my children with any awareness of the plan, and that he might have spilled something to his killer, Zero." Charles responded in perfect calm.

"Hm." The boy responded, getting up himself and walking to his brother's side. "I have very little knowledge of the man, he hides himself well from my sources. Do you expect him to become a threat?"

"It is a distinct possibility. He has Schneizel riled up and interested, and of all your nephews and nieces, we both know that he is the most perceptive. He should be cut down before he gets the chance to do anything. The isle of Kamine is close by."

"True. I believe it would be best to give Rollo the task."

"Hm. Give him carte blanche deal with the matter." Charles responded with a small smile.

"Feeling excessive today aren't we?" the boy chuckled. "I will send him as a soon as his reconditioning is complete. Anyway, Schneizel has taken over what remains of Clovis' Code-R project. I've taken the liberty of delivering a Geass user that the OSI caught trying to enter Japan a few days ago. Some poor Chinese fool. It should be enough to keep them from digging around on our territory."

"One of C.C.'s I assume? At least we now know for certain where she is. Sadly, her recovery will have to wait for a while yet. " he sighed. "How are things in eastern Asia?"

"Unstable, just as we expected."

"No great surprise there. Our little funding project worked out perfectly. And we still have five targets to acquire before the final preparations can begin."

"Have no worries brother, the Sword of Akasha will be ready. I will ensure it personally." The boy stated calmly. "Well, I've said my piece, and I need rest, so I bid you good night."

"Goodnight brother. Rest well." Charles stated, still looking outside. Once he was certain that the shadow that was his older brother had left, he whispered through smiling lips as twin red lights glowed from his eyes. "And what are our children up to today?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And solid excrement hits the air circulation device. Intrigue, deception, plotting, and worst of all, _chess references…_

Some of you may notice a few certain details in the final segment, but I will not point it out. Look carefully, as it is important for the later part of the story, but not described in depth. To explain shortly, I don't do accidental, unless it is for the sake of humor.

As an added note, yesterday, I came across the video 'Requiem for the God Emperor', done with Coldplay's song Viva la Vida. Usually, I don't watch that kinda stuff, but this.. well, no comments really needed. As someone jokingly (or not as much) stated, as if the guys wrote the song for the anime.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and review.


	17. The Six Houses

**Author's Rambling:** Another chapter. I haven't enjoyed writing something this much in a long time.

Anyway, a few short announcements to make:  
First, due to the fact that I'll be leaving town for a week and a half starting this weekend, there won't be any updates for a while. I doubt I'll be able to finish a new chapter until then, but if by some miracle it happens, it will be posted.

Two, I've recently been offered a very good opportunity to learn designing web sites and with it details such as MySQL, Drupal, PHP and Apache, something that I cannot afford to miss out on for my future career. The problem is, it will cut out a serious chunk out of my spare time, reducing the amount of stuff I'll be writing.

There was one final thing I wanted to say. I've been writing this story for roughly a month and a half, and so far, a lot of people have sent their love in the form of favorites, alerts and reviews. I appreciate this very much, and I thank those who took the time to write even short reviews. As the site itself bothers to say, a well rounded review is among the best rewards for our hard work, as it both praise and critique help us develop.

Apart for that, enjoy the chapter, various hints, allusions and implications. And try and figure out what's going to happen next. I dare ya :D

* * *

_Chapter 16 : The Six Houses_

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_14:25, Tuesday  
Shinjuku Ghetto  
Shinjuku Incident Victim Memorial  
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Subtlety and manipulation was the approach Lelouch personally preferred. It left minimal casualties, and usually netted the best results. However, there were times when more direct measures were needed.

Such was the case with Britannian reporter, or rather, former reporter, since the lake Kawaguchi hostage situation, Diethard Reid.

The application file he had sent showed he had graduated from a highly ranked Britannian law school, and that he made quick progress up the ladder, earning the position of the director of Hi-TV here in Japan over the period of two years. He was unmarried, with no living relatives.

However, what the file didn't show, and what Lelouch did find out both from his own observations and from what Jeremiah and Villeta reported, Diethard was an extremely capable man. And the rumors they overheard of his involvement into the subtle world of espionage were not in the least unreasonable.

From what Lelouch's investigation of the man could gather, he was just what he needed, a man of high intellect and a capable manipulator of information. Someone who could achieve two further goals he had set up for the Black Knights: maintain the public relations nightmare that was the revolution he had started and gather all the information he needed to plan and advance his goals.

Therefore, in order to ensure that this would go smoothly, a different approach was needed…a more direct one.

He had set up a meeting at a rather remote location, one where he was sure they would be undisturbed. After all, Britannians didn't really care for the dead of Shinjuku, and the small memorial built by the survivors was mostly left alone, apart for the occasional offering left there.

Lelouch was content to simply stand, enjoying the soft flutter of wind, and await Diethard to show up, knowing he was covered from four places by the sharpshooters he had gathered within the Black Knights, as well as a number of sentries placed at various locations around to ensure no unwanted visitors arrived.

It was somewhat funny, for one of the world's most wanted men to stand in the open like this, masked and glaringly obvious, but he wasn't worried. Because quite simply, no one expected to find him here, and people didn't go looking where they don't expect to find something.

'_-'Target confirmed and arriving in five.'-'_ the earpiece sounded the short warning he had expected for a while now. One of the sharpshooters, somewhat surprisingly, Yoshida from the original numbers of Oghi's resistance cell, was the one responsible for the report and the general accuracy.

"_Right on time."_ He calmly stated at the sound of footsteps behind him.

"I thought it wouldn't be wise to be late for a job interview." The blond man, he remembered, behind him responded. "Interesting choice of a meeting place, I must say."

"_It was convenient."_ He shortly responded, curious at the man's blasé, devil-may-care attitude. _"The information you provided has proven most useful."_

"I should hope so. I would be a poor reporter if my sources were incorrect." Diethard responded with a chuckle.

"_Tell me, why exactly do you wish to join the Black Knights?" _Zero asked on, trying to get the last piece of the puzzle he was missing. The motivation.

"The Black Knights don't interest me that much, to be honest. You, on the other hand, do. " he responded, taking out a cigar and lighting it. After drawing a long smoke, and letting it out he continued, his voice showing off a bit of the emotion he threw into his work "The first time I ever saw you was the night you rescued Kururugi, and I trembled." He stopped, letting out a small chuckle as he did. "It was like a new era had taken form and appeared before me. "

By now, his voice was impassioned, speaking straight from the heart, a strange occurrence for the normally reserved journalist. There he stopped again, taking another long draw from his cigar, before looking at the ruins around him with some degree of disinterest, and finally turning his gaze upon the masked man standing close by..

"I wish to document you Zero, as you build your organization and topple over the empire then take this world for your own. I wish to be there documenting history as it's created, nothing has ever made my heart dance more." he finished, content to pop the smoking cigar back into his mouth for another draw. It was growing cloudy, and it would rain soon most likely. As he waited for Zero to respond, he buttoned up his jacket to stave off the cold.

"_You are a strange man, Diethard Reid. But I suppose it takes one to know one. Welcome aboard."_ Zero finally responded with a chuckle.

"It is an honor, lord Zero." The journalist responded with a short bow, theatric in nature, but respectful nonetheless. But there wasn't much time to play around, Lelouch had a war to wage, and a math test in about an hour, and neither left him with much spare time.

"_Good. I have something that needs to be done. You will find the details here, along with a few other pieces of information you need to know."_ He calmly stated, passing a brown folder to Diethard. The man took a cursory glance at the contents, letting out an impressed whistle.

"These… aren't exactly low-priority targets you've pointed out. I may need additional resources for this."

"_Didn't I say there were additional pieces of information you needed to know?" _Zero reminded him as he walked away, soon vanishing into the ruins of a nearby building.

'_Information on the NAC, Chinese Federation leaders, members of the former Kururugi regime, Britannian generals… listings of potentially useful contacts, a pair of bank accounts, and a phone number marked messages only… I was right to make this choice. Zero isn't simply going to eliminate the threat of Britannia from Japan, he's going to do just what he said.'_ He quietly mused, a slowly growing grin on his face. This… this was not going to be the scoop of the year, or the decade… but the thing that would set him in history books till kingdom come.

Turning around swiftly, he hid the folder inside his jacket and pulled out his cellphone, rapidly dialing a number before it even reached his ear. There was no time to waste now, and a lot of work to be done. He hadn't felt such a drive, such a sense of purpose in years, and he was feeling positively _ecstatic._

"Hello, Vesper? I need to collect on that favor you owe me." He spoke shortly as he entered his car. "Yeah, business as usual."

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"Orders are orders, I'm afraid." the earl stated with no small amount of annoyance. "Her highness wants us to help with the recovery and identification of whatever custom technology the JLF acquired and fielded in Narita."

…and stormed off to further work on one thing or another. Very few people would say (to his face) that Earl Lloyd Asplund was a temperamental and whimsical man. Mostly, because it was a very big understatement.

Though as Cecile and Suzaku both knew, their 'boss' was mostly pissed because he was used as a clean-up crew, which was in his, opinion, and in the opinions of the rest of the crew, a complete waste of his talents. Still, as he had said, orders were orders, and since they were now to be under the command of princess Cornelia, it had to be done.

"Congratulations on your promotion." Cecile spoke in her usual, kind and caring voice. "I heard you became major."

"Yeah… looks like the Second Prince pulled some strings to get things done." Suzaku responded, glad to try and shake off the attention. While he had a goal that required him to rise in rank, he was never an overly prideful man.

"Nonsense, you are too modest Suzaku." She pressed on with a worried frown, as if to tell the young man that being modest was about the worst thing one could be in the Britannian military… which in turn it was. "Though your mind seems set on something else, doesn't it?"

"Am I that obvious?" Suzaku asked in a whisper. Cecile had the decency not to answer him. "It's just… " he began, stopping there, as he once more looked at Cecile, who offered no reproach in her gaze, merely support.

"I'm stuck with a lose-lose situation. No matter what I do, it will end badly, for either one side, or both." He spoke, a slight hint of his desperation slipping through. He really didn't know what to do, he really wanted to help Lelouch, but even with his offer of support, he wasn't sure how that would turn out. On the other hand, his sense of duty compelled him to tell the truth to his superiors. He believed in the system deeply, and such an act went against his beliefs, and closely to what he had called contemptible means. And that in turn reminded him of his own mistakes.

"I might have a piece of advice for you." Cecile somewhat uncertainly stated. "If options A and B don't work for you, choose C. Not that I would know what C is, considering that I don't know A and B, but it might help you."

For the first several moments, he pondered her words, thinking to drop them away as unhelpful and thank the very kind woman for her time. That is, until his mind came to a screeching halt. _'Option C? So far, I've considered this as a choice between Lelouch and Cornelia… but, there is always Euphemia, she might be willing to help. It's a long shot, but I'm running out of options here.'_

"Miss Cecile, thank you very much." He spoke half a minute later, done considering his options, and giving the woman a hug. "You just gave me the idea I needed."

"Ehm… you're welcome?" she tried, relaxing into it, and knowing that he was simply grateful.

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Both Nunnally and C.C. were quite tired from the long, grueling work they had put in since Nunnally had returned from class. Some of Lelouch's disabilities had cost them greatly in planning and execution, but it couldn't be helped.

"At times I wonder does he even realize the size of the workload that he gives us?" Nunnally spoke with only the barest hint of irritation. She would be angry, irate, annoyed, if her beloved brother didn't do nearly twice as much by himself.

"Probably. From what I can tell, he is a slave driver." C.C. commented with some amusement. "Though I am surprised at the sheer number of capable followers he has gathered to relieve the burden. That Reid character was probably a wise choice."

"Do you think he can be trusted? He did turn coats once…"

"Somehow… I fail to see Lelouch not considering that possibility." The green-haired witch assured her. Both found the idea of him forgetting something so basic and important laughable.

"Good point. Though… I really don't want to look at these records anymore now." Nunnally sulked, pouting cutely, before she got a devious idea. "Pizza?"

"Must you even ask?" C.C. calmly retorted, though a smile was breaking on her face as well as the younger girl walked over and reached for her cellphone

It hadn't even been two whole months since she had met the two young people, for what was to her, the third time, and yet… they had slowly, systematically brought down her walls. Much of her old emotional armor still remained, but she knew it was only a question of time.

There were no specific words, no corny moments where either of them claimed something to her, or of her, but it was all in the simple, everyday actions they took. To one who could see them so unobstructed by the masks they had both built over the years, it was easy to tell why. From one point, they literally drew her in, letting her into a sanctuary they had built for themselves. There was no judgment, no pressuring. And from the other, all the knowledge she had surrendered to them was given of her own free will. Neither had _demanded_ things of her. Asked, yes, but never demanded. Never simply took.

'_Eternity weighs heavily'_, a truth she knew far too well for her own liking, having forgotten more than most learned in a lifetime. She had been everything through the centuries, and yet… this simple acceptance had ever eluded her. She had asked to be their partner, thrust upon them a burden they didn't fully comprehend, and still they didn't spurn her, or judge her. A part of her wondered if they would, even if she told them the truth behind their contract, or at least what she believed, desperately, to be the truth.

'_You care for them both, don't you?'_ _that_ voice came again, interrupting her thoughts. She would have to speak in order to respond, and yet… she didn't want to reveal this secret, yet. In truth, C.C. feared to do so.

And she wanted to tell the woman that she didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about. She had known who it was for a long time, for it was none other than the only contractor who was ever able to get under her skin… ironically, it was only fitting that _he_, of all people, would be able to do the same.

"The pizza should be here in half an hour." Nunnally almost cheerfully stated. C.C. merely retained her mask of general indifference graced by a small, whimsical smile.

"I think there is something we need to talk about." She stated softly, moving herself over to Nunnally's bed.

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_21:00  
Private charter plane en route to Area 17, Jakarta Concession_  
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During his long life, Ruben Ashford had experienced many things. He had traveled the world twice over, seen much of it first-hand. He had led the Ashford Foundation for three decades, only to see its eventual fall after the death of Marianne, and the reduction of what had been his life's work into what little remained of it.

Contrary to what one might assume, he was very glad he was able to retain enough income to keep the academy, it had long been his dearest project, and he enjoyed his job there very much.

Little could be said of his son, or at least little good in the old man's opinion. He had never showed much acumen for business, content to live in mediocrity and in thanks to his own successes, which only came to bite both him and his wife when they lost their status as nobility. The attempt to marry Milly off to regain said status… there were times he regretted handing over the reins to his son so that he could dedicate himself to leading the academy.

On the other hand, his granddaughter, Milly, was a source of joy and endless inspiration. Clever, quick-witted and openly audacious enough to do whatever she desired, while still tempered by her inherent kindness. And an open pervert that could make him blush as well.

And right now, the two of them were on a private, chartered plane headed for what was once Indonesia, now renamed into Area 17, an acquisition of prince Schneizel. Normally, the region was of little importance, but it once housed a research and development center of the old Ashford Foundation, which miraculously survived both the time it spent unused and the invasion. And they still owned it.

Milly's growing interest in the situation had surprised him, almost as much as the resources she had suddenly pulled out of seemingly nowhere, but what nearly caused him to have a stroke was the level of details and planning that went into what she wanted to do. Of course, he smelled a certain Britannian prince behind this, but personally, he didn't mind. He had not chosen to support Marianne two decades ago just because she was a good Knightmare pilot. Her son was likely to be every bit a capable.

"Are you going to tell me what you have in mind with this?" he finally asked his smiling granddaughter.

"Wait and see~!" Milly chimed, making the old man shake his head. "Oh, alright. Here, what do you think of this? There were two others I considered, but this one was the most interesting." she relented a few moments later, content with her joke.

Ruben eyed the document she had handed him with some degree of interest, until he read the name.

"'Morgana'? The last project that was in development before the collapse of the Foundation? From what I remember, it was meant to be a stealth model, the first of its kind. What about it?" he retorted.

"Area 17 is surprisingly stable, as they had quickly made an agreement with prince Schneizel when the armies came. More importantly, it has a stable economy. Remember the briefcase? That, is the beginning investment." Milly explained to her grandfather. "The plan, is to reform the Ashford Foundation through solid investment into businesses that will soon receive a massive influx of trade, and net great profits, and to use those finances to restart our Research and Development core."

Perhaps it is unnecessary to say, but Ruben Ashford was not a stupid man, and connecting the dots was by no means difficult for him. His granddaughter, while very capable, didn't have the scheming mind to conceive such a plot, but had more than enough intellect to propagate it. On the other hand, he was very much aware that Lelouch Lamperouge… or more accurately, Lelouch vi Britannia, had over the past five years gathered what amounted to millions due to his chess games with the various nobles who passed through Area 11. And carefully placed those in either banks or businesses, including the Ashford Academy itself, where he owned roughly ten percent of the stock. Not enough to make or influence decisions, but enough to show his capabilities. He was the type to plan something like this, and while it galled him that he had the nerve to use his granddaughter like this, he also knew she would never accept to do it if she hadn't already agreed with it, so it was a moot point.

On the other hand, there was the fact that Milly was especially interested in their old 'Morgana' frame. Originally, they had stated developing two different lines from the Ganymede. The first were combat suits, drastically smaller than the original Knightmare Frames, but in the end, the project had proven to be impossible to complete, due to the lack of an efficient and non-lethal to the pilot power source.

The others, were three projects named 'Glasgow', 'Neptune' and 'Morgana'. The Glasgow was taken over by the Britannian military and developed into an effective weapon platform, Neptune was scrapped due to the fact that it had proven impossible to complete, but 'Morgana' would have been completed, had the Foundation not collapsed.

One of the more interesting modern technologies were metamaterials, artificial matter designed to have certain properties that don't naturally occur, and developed from them was an experimental stealth technology that rendered an object invisible by bending electromagnetic waves as they passed around it, in both directions, effectively making light pass around it, and fully invisible. It was in its experimental stages, but failed due to the fact that ten years ago, the superconductors needed to make it operate flawlessly were nowhere near the levels they were then. The Ganymede used Sakuradite only within its internal Yggdrasil drive, and nowhere else. The system they proposed required integrated superconductor circuitry over the entire machine.

Regardless of everything, it would takes years to complete an entire new Knightmare Frame, even given the rough schematics that already existed, unless they could get their hands on a team of crack scientists to work on it or…

"You never intended to create a completely new Knightmare Frame… merely integrate the technologies into an existing advanced one." He finally concluded. "However, where do you intend to acquire such a piece of technology?"

"Oh, I have my ways. And a certain someone will be more than willing to cooperate once I present him with the complete schematics." Milly confidently returned.

"Would that certain someone be a crush of yours?" Ruben noted amusedly.

"Perhaps." The blond stated with a slight blush.

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_Friday, 08:00  
Black Knights safehouse  
Exact location unknown_  
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An unusually gentle smile covered Kallen's face at the sight of her mother, Misato Kozuki, living a mostly normal life. At least, as normal as one can live with the limited mobility the safehouse Zero had provided her with. The others were mostly left to clean up and then brought back to their homes, but Misato didn't have a place to return to, as she had been absent from her job far too long.

It was a quaint, comfortable place. An apartment placed at the last floor of what was once an expensive apartment building, and the last floor had a large garden as well, where her mother spent much of her time. She had also gratefully noted the four sentries who inconspicuously stood guard over her, making sure nothing untoward happened.

As she left the elevator leading to the last floor, she saw her mother gardening, softly humming a tune she barely remembered from her childhood.

"Kallen." The woman kindly greeted. She could see how her mother wanted to hug her, or at least try to do so, but was worried to try. Had her own foolishness frightened her so? Without a moment's thought, she closed the small distance, hugging her and tears threatening to spill again.

"Mother, I'm so glad you're okay." Kallen barely managed to whisper.

"Shhh." Misato cooed, her hands slowly closing around her daughter, and a warm smile spreading over her face. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry. So sorry…" Kallen continued to babble, her hold over her emotions breaking completely at her mother's acceptance. Knowing that no matter what she said, her daughter needed to get this out of her system, Misato merely patted her back and held her as she cried. She knew her dear daughter was a strong woman, but even the strongest of people needed to cry at times.

A few minutes later she had finally calmed down, and both made their way to the apartment where Misato now lived. Since it was her first visit, Kallen made sure to pay attention.

It was a comfortable place, consisting of a living room/kitchen, small bedroom with a balcony and a bathroom. Just enough for one person to have a pleasant stay. Her mother didn't have many personal belongings, but she had gathered what she could from the pit that was her room in the estate, mostly pictures of her and Naoto, or the three of them. Unsurprisingly, there were no pictures of either her first husband, or her lover, and Kallen's father. Whatever she had felt for the two men, was long gone.

Her mother was dressed plainly, a pair of dark blue jeans, and a green shirt over it, just enough to move about easily, and if the mud stains of the knees were any indication, work on the garden outside. She would have to ask one of the sentries to deliver some supplies, if at all possible.

"I know this might be a bit... uncomfortable for you to talk about, but I learned you were a member of a resistance group from that leader of yours." Misato slowly began, carefully picking her words.

"You met Zero?" Kallen asked, her surprise evident. Zero had actually bothered to come her to make sure her mother was safe?

"Yes. He seems like a pleasant man to talk with. Though that mask of his is kinda scary." She confessed with a smile.

"He can be." Kallen agreed. "And sorry for not telling you mom"

"You do what you believe is right Kallen. You have already made me proud." Misato returned, slowly shaking her head, but happy to note the grateful smile on her daughter's face. "And enough with the apologies already. We agreed to make this a fresh start, didn't we?"

"That we did." The redhead agreed, a light laugh leaving her lips. "I have to go now. I have a trip tomorrow, but I'll make sure to drop by as soon as I can, okay?"

"Of course. Let me walk you out."

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_Saturday,11:00  
Northern edge of the Tokyo Settlement_  
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The entirety of the outer edge of Tokyo was covered with various ghettos, which Britannians easily avoided by the use of the expressways. The squalor within the ruins was of little interest to the rulers as they could simply turn a blind eye until the expansion of the city would eventually reach and clean them up.

However, these areas offered something of great importance to groups such as the Black Knights: the ability to move unobserved through the use of Japan's impressive subway system which once transported everything from passengers, to livestock and crates of cargo. Now that it was rendered completely defunct, and that the Britannian authorities didn't care to fix it up, or even attempt to map the vast network of tunnels(for all the existing maps were 'accidentally' lost during the invasion), it was the highway for any less-than-legal group wanting to make their way around.

The small group had convened at an open area, surrounded by ruined multi-story apartment buildings. For their growing numbers, it was an area easy to secure and provide defense for, especially with a number of their own being placed around the area as bums, citizens, or in the case of those who were sitting at a distance, eye-from-the-sky observers and snipers. Bluntly put, Lelouch didn't like leaving things open to chance, and suffice to say, by the time the limo had arrived to pick up the small group he had selected, he already knew the car's license plate and the color of the driver's tie.

The entire group remained surprisingly quiet during the trip. Lelouch, having already politely asked the driver whom he served, was content to wait, and once more go over the information and plans he had, filling it with the tidbit of info the man had.

Taizo Kirihara was a confirmed member of the group, and he had been foolish enough to use one of the men working for him, who knew who his boss was, to drive them to wherever they were supposed to meet.

Around him, were a number of his closes allies. Nunnally, C.C., Oghi, Kallen, also Inoue, Yoshitaka and Tamaki. A total of eight people, the numbers would be of use, but he wondered for a moment if it was wise to bring as many as he did.

The chatter around him was incessant, but he paid it no attention, preferring to remain silent and wait. The car was soundproofed, so he didn't have any idea where they were going, and even if the glass was only tinted, he was still blind. But that didn't mean he didn't have an idea. The safest place for these people to meet would be the heart of an already existing stronghold, such as the Mount Fuji Sakuradite Extraction and Refinement Center, which was also the closest from their starting point. Or the Osaka Shipyards. Those were the first two that came to mind, but the first would have been preferable a simple reason: size. Even according to the maps that Nunnally had described, the complex covered the area of a small city, and it would be easy to conceal meetings within.

After a while, the car came to a sudden halt, and he could feel them going upwards. Most likely a hidden entrance of some sort, he argued.

"We are here. Sorry for the inconvenience, the master is waiting for you." The driver shortly announced after the elevator had stopped, stepping outside and opening their doors, before leading them towards a long passage. With his vision constantly active, he noticed that there were a few people present nearby, but the most interesting was what seemed to be a large chamber, at least by the way people were placed in it, and another nearby where four figures seemed to be seated relatively close together, looking at something. The reason they were interesting, was because among their number, there were three older males, and a young woman, relatively small compared to the others.

Judging the existence of walls in the space his vision covered was always difficult, unless people were actually leaning on them. But he had his tricks, and a lot of logical reasoning to back things up. For instance, it was easy for him to gather that the one in the large room was the one he was supposed to meet, but then again, he was not the one who wrote the letter, and if he had to guess, that person was the girl sitting with three older men in what was certainly a different room, if he had to guess, separated by an armored plate from the big one. The human figures that were sitting above ground were piloting knightmare frames, and there were four of them present, as well as an additional four who seemed to be directly guarding the sitting man who was certainly Taizo Kirihara.

A near invisible motion signaled Ghost to begin working on their plan, and the slight burning in the back of his head that signaled the arrival of foreign sensory input was the only warning he received before his vision returned.

The hallways they walked in were dark, but surprisingly well-maintained and clean. He had noticed recently that the more he saw people through Nunnally's Geass, the easier it was to recognize them through his own later on, a curious fact. The figures of his followers among the Black Knights were quickly gaining even more shape and even color. But the rest of the world, were little more than shining ice, and frankly, he didn't care.

He couldn't spend any more time pondering the mysteries of life, it was no longer time to think, but time to act.

"_It's time. Get ready." _He quietly whispered over the radio built in the mask as they entered the room, and no one noticed as two figures discretely vanished into the shadows.

Zero, escorted by Kallen, Oghi, Tamaki, Inoue and Yoshitaka entered the chamber. The leader remained perfectly silent and calm while the others broke off, running to a nearby window to confirm where they were.

"This is…the Fuji mines? " Tamaki muttered in disbelief.

"It has to be Mount Fuji, it's the only mountain in the world that looks like that." Kallen quickly commented, cutting off his doubts.

"Their power reaches all the way up to here? The Kyoto group is amazing." Oghi quietly spoke. His leader had already informed him of the possibilities, but this… it still surprised him.

"It's repulsive." A male voice interrupted them, one that Lelouch easily recognized " Mount Fuji, once a sacred mountain known for its clear water and quiet beauty, now it is bent to the empire's will, a place of hideous violation, a reflection of what Japan has become. It pains me to see it so."

"I apologize for the fact that I hide my face, but so do you Zero." The man hidden within the palanquin stated. "However, if I am to trust you, you must reveal your face."

As he raised his gnarled cane, from the shadows, the four Burais previously hidden, moved out, adding weight to the man's words.

"Which one among you is Oghi?" as Oghi responded, the man continued "Remove his mask."

"Wait!" Kallen shouted "He gave us power, victory, surely…"

To the aged man, who had just opened his mouth to silence the girl, the echoing, dark laughter coming for Zero was enough to silence, and concern him. One who plots victories against enemies far stronger than himself does not laugh emptily.

"_Utterly predictable. You shall never defeat Britannia if you rely on such soft, outdated tactics, Taizo Kirihara."_ Lelouch spoke for the first time since entering, content that his mask hid the smirk on his face as he batted away Oghi's arms, and calmly ignored the shock on the faces of all present.

As the bodyguards moved to speak, two of the four Burai frames on the sides sprung to life, immediately disabling the other two by cutting off their arms and tripping them over, and pointing their weapons at the palanquin. The entire time, Zero merely made a slow pace towards it, not in the least affected by the events.

"_Founder of Kirihara industries, which holds a monopoly on the mining of Sakuradite in Japan. You dodged the tribunals by cooperating with Britannia, becoming known in the public as Kirihara the Traitor, when in truth you are one of the leaders of the clandestine Six Houses of Kyoto, providing funding for the various resistance groups throughout Japan. A double agent…how cliché." _He finally stated, before calmly spreading his ignored the angered shouts from the bodyguards, not slowing down his pace in the slightest as he approached, flanked by the two stolen Knightmares.

"_You believe me to be an outsider, a person whose loyalties are in question. And you are correct, in more ways than one. For I am not Japanese."_ He spoke as he stood in front of the palanquin, his gaze unerringly aimed at Kirihara.

"If so, then why do you fight for Japan? What is it you want? " Kirihara asked him tiredly. He was growing irritated, and Zero was currently holding all the cards in his hands, while his had been laid bare.

"_The defeat of Britannia." _Zero responded honestly, even if he omitted a few decidedly minor details. The best of lies held a grain of truth in them.

"And what makes you think you can do this? Do you believe this can be achieved? What makes you believe that you can defeat Britannia?"

"_I can, because I must. My reasons compel me inexorably to that goal. Though I believe you will understand quickly."_ He spoke, bringing his hands to the back of his head where the release switch for the mask, and pressed it.

"You… " the older man trailed off as understanding dawned on him, and he recognized the face of the young man in front of him

"Yes, Kirihara-dono, me. It has been a long time since we last met." Lelouch responded, politely, but self-assuredly. He let the edge in his voice bleed away, replacing it with a somewhat respecting tone.

"Is it really you? It has been eight long years since that family received you as hostage."

"Yes. They had treated us kindly, even if they had no reason to, and I am grateful for that. There is someone else here to meet you. Ghost?" he responded, an unusual warmth in his voice as he called his fellow masked rebel. Quickly, a loud hiss followed as the frame on his right opened its cockpit, and a figure descended from it.

"How are you Kirihara-dono?" falling in place next to him, Nunnally greeted with a polite bow, having removed her mask as she stood before him.

"You as well? Years have treated you kindly dear girl." Kirihara accepted the greeting with a friendly tone, surprises growing by the minute. Though, a lot of it now made a disturbing amount of sense.

"And you haven't aged a bit, wrinkly old man." She responded with an impudent grin. One that the old man returned with a generous laugh, remembering that as the way she had described him to Lelouch when he had first met them.

"You have both grown so much, and yet you changed so little." Kirihara wistfully spoke, before his voice once more hardened. " Zero, if I hadn't come tonight, and someone else came in my place, would you have taken the messenger hostage?" he asked calmly.

"No." Lelouch responded without any need to consider, and it was the truth. Holding them hostage would have achieved nothing for him." I have come to ask for your help, nothing more. Though perhaps, I could interest you into a game of Go?" Lelouch returned with a chuckle.

"I fear not. I would hardly be a challenge. Even back then, you quickly reached my level of skill. But, back to business. " Kirihara refused with a smile, before he continued "Oghi, I ask that you follow this man, and his orders. In turn, the Six Houses of Kyoto will provide all the resources and strategic support you need to achieve the goal of liberating Japan. Know that his identity must remain hidden, it is of vital importance!"

"Thank you, Kirihara-dono, for your support." Lelouch responded, before returning his mask to its place. _"I do have a further request, if you do not mind."_

"Hmm?"

"_Give my regards to lady Kaguya, and please put me in contact with the person responsible for the design of the Guren MK-II."_ he kindly added, letting the man know that he _knew._ It was a small gesture, one that could easily be misinterpreted by anyone, except the two of them. Both faces twisted into a respectful grin aimed towards the other, even if one remained unseen.

"It will be arranged." Kirihara finally responded, a wry smile gracing his old lips. "We shall stay in touch."

"_Certainly." _With a polite half-bow, the duo turned their back and walked away, rejoining their group before the reentered the limo and were driven away. Still seated comfortably, Taizo Kirihara considered the future with a concerned frown.

"It is time to leave." He announced to the bodyguards around him, getting up from his comfortable pillow. "And someone clean up this mess."

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An hour later found the heads of the Six Houses of Kyoto comfortably seated in the same place they discussed the idea of granting the Black Knights support, though the atmosphere was considerably more tense now.

"Do you still have doubts?" Kaguya smugly asked the four old men.

"I certainly do not." Taizo responded. "He has proven capable, and has the drive and reasons to achieve victory. And, he guessed the identities of two among us. I am quite certain he knows even more."

"That… was Lelouch vi Britannia, wasn't it?" Tatsuori asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Why are we trusting a Britannian to lead the resistance against Britannia? A blind one at it?" Hidenobu Kubouin asked further, equally distrusting.

"You are naïve to think so. His blindness has not only failed to stop him, he doesn't even seem affected. How, I know not, but it is not important for us." Tousai countered calmly. "He has known loss, as much, if perhaps even more than most of us. He despises everything Britannia stands for. And because we trust the word of Taizo Kirihara. Lady Sumeragi has already granted her support, and so has Kirihara. I add my own to this goal, willingly. "

"The matter is settled. We had already agreed to support him should he accept our conditions." Kirihara spoke, bringing order to the room. "Sumeragi-dono, would you be willing to join with them and act as liaison between us when the time comes?"

"Most certainly, Kirihara-dono. It would be my pleasure." The young girl responded with a serene smile.

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As the group was driven back by car, Oghi and Kallen shared a look of understanding, and both nodded. After all that had happened over the past days, they had made their decision, and would go through with it. By now, the group had arrived back to where they left from, the three vans that were waiting to pick them up quickly filled and drove away from the abandoned ruins, only to later reconvene in the underground base.

All those who had been present had a number of questions in their minds.

"Zero?" Oghi called when he was certain that they wouldn't be overheard. "Me and Kallen have been talking…"

"_And? Since you are asking me, you have come to a decision, and you speak for the both of you. What have you decided?"_ Zero asked in turn, content to enjoy the small amount of warmth the evening sun cast through his clothes.

"We accept." Oghi stated in a calm voice, though beneath the thin façade, he couldn't help but feel he had just made a deal with the devil.

* * *

**Author's notes:** And the end of yet another chapter. This peaceful part has lasted for a long while, and interestingly, I still have a lot of grounds to cover before warring springs up again. Though there will be fights soon enough.

To those interested, Metamaterials aren't something I've drawn out of my backside and simply threw here. Though if you're interested, check Wikipedia, they have a number of very interesting articles on the subject.

Furthermore, I wanted to slowly unravel how far Lelouch's planning for the war against Britannia went, as well as to give an actual purpose to all his chess playing, as it was practically a waste of time in most situations. Yes, that also means Rivalz is loaded as well, but since his parents are already rich, and he doesn't really care, it is not that important. And in Lelouch's case, he invested his money, earning him even more, and allowing for precision cash infusions where needed. Such a this situation.

I also hope that Suzaku's problem of not being able to decide what the hell he wants to do wasn't done too angsty… angst isn't my forte, so it's likely that I might do it… well, enough said.

I've covered most of the loose ends here, and prepared the stage. All that's left is for the actors to play.

And do review folks, it makes this writing all the more enjoyable.


	18. Tides of War: Gathering Storm

**Author's Rambling: **My short-term exodus from city-life has come to an end, apparently. I've written most of this chapter while I was gone, fixing up a bit here and there now that I have normal internet access.

You will notice the title of the chapter. Yes, this is the beginning of a new story arc, and the last peaceful part of the story for a long time. Enjoy it while it lasts. This story arc with end with the Chinese Federation invasion that goes around episode 20… but that will also have a twist to it.

Also, my apologies for any unanswered reviews during my leave of absence. As I may have previously stated, I lacked an internet connection beyond that of my cellphone… and that was irritating at best.

For those curious, the actual pairings for this story haven't yet been finally decided. The fact that it states Lelouch/Nunnally merely stands to describe their close bond, little else at this moment. I'm sorely tempted to make a joke here, but my mind is far too tired to bother.

* * *

_Chapter 17: Tides of War: Gathering Storm_

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_Monday, 09:00  
Saitama ghetto  
Temporary command center of the Order of the Black Knights  
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The echo of an alarm clock was quickly silenced by that of a hand slamming harshly upon it. Kallen was not a morning person.

While the temporary base was still hidden in the vast subways beneath Tokyo and its environs, most of the officers had taken up a structurally sound skyscraper in the now mostly empty Saitama ghetto. Most rooms were completely ruined, and missed their windows… some even walls for that matter, but it was mostly safe, and with the connection of the central elevator shaft to the subways, there would be no signs of movement to tip Britannians off. After being solidly trounced, Cornelia avoided sending troops there, unless it was in safe numbers, and those were easy to spot and avoid.

As she got up, she idly noted it was raining outside, and that the wind had managed to bring some of it through the holes in the wall, leaving some of the trash piles that had been there for years wet and making small puddles on what was once a rather decent floor.

Last night, she had set up her bunk here, along with the entirety of the command staff of the Black Knights due to a meeting that was supposed to be held later today. Everyone had taken up a place, and she had shared the large meeting room with Inoue, with the other girl taking the worn-out couch and Kallen spreading her sleeping bag over a pair of sofas.

However, she was not here just for that meeting. No, the one she was attending was just as, if perhaps not more important. Content that Inoue hadn't stirred due to the fact that she had set the volume of the clock on low, she quickly got dressed, rolling up her bag and gathering what little belongings she had there in one place.

Zero had told Oghi that the meeting would be this morning, whenever the two of them were willing, but before noon, as the meeting was supposed to take place at one. She and Oghi agreed to get there at ten, which left her just enough time to reach the makeshift mess hall to get something to eat.

As she walked down, she recognized some of the faces of the various technicians who saluted her as she passed. A few of them used to be neighbors while she was a kid. Around the base, placed at prominent places were the banners of the Order, a strange sigil in silver over a black background. Now that she thought about it, it seemed like a stylized bird, with a sword running vertically through it.

Even if her sense of direction was sloppy at best, she easily found her way down to the floor beneath, where a bunch of people had already gathered. It was stunning to think that over three short weeks the Order of the Black Knights had grown from a dozen people to almost two hundred. It wasn't just the official hype that had gotten people to join, but the stories that got told and spread among the populace. They came from all walks of life, from street rats to decorated army veterans and housewives. And that was before one considered the many silent supporters and informants that provided a steady flow of information and new recruits.

Zero, Oghi and Yoshitaka had passed through the entire stack of applications three times before selecting people, and not a single choice had proven itself wrong. Yet, anyway.

"Breakfast?" a voice she easily recognized as she reached the chef called. Whipping her head up, and breaking out of her thoughts she was faced with a very familiar smiling face clad in a green and white apron as well as a very funny cook hat.

"Sugiyama, is that you?" she returned a bit surprised. His face pale from flour apparently

"Yep, I volunteered for cook duty. What about you?"

"Got some meeting to attend to later. Usual stuff." Kallen retorted with a smile.

"How's your mother doing? I heard they moved her to a safehouse somewhere." The cook continued, passing the girl a bowl of rice along with vegetables. How he managed to make the food in conditions such as these and with highly limited food supplies was beyond her, but she certainly didn't mind.

"She's doing better. It seems the addiction is slowly receding. The doctor tells me she still has the need for it, but it's growing a bit weaker, and the sentries at the safehouse make sure nothing slips by. Still, it'll be months before she's okay." She responded in a slightly sadder tone.

"Bummer. Though, if she's anything like you and Naoto, she'll be fine." He offered with a smile, which she gladly returned before leaving.

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Atop his tower, Lelouch sat in deep meditation, with Nunnally close by keeping watch over him, armed to the tooth. They were dressed in their casual clothes, knowing that they were safe here. She observed her brother with some degree of interest, wondering what he was thinking of.

She had a number of concerns herself, especially as to how wise it was to reveal their identity to so many people, though she understood the need for capable underlings who weren't stopped by their need to keep their secrecy. Both Kallen and Oghi were capable in their own way, and both were needed.

On the other hand, there was the data the Six Houses started pumping in since yesterday. By the truckload, apparently, as they literally connected all of their spies and listening posts to the Black Knights, leaving her, C.C. and Yoshitaka overwhelmed. Good man, that Yoshitaka, intelligent, and very capable. Not to mention that he managed to draw some very interesting, and likely correct conclusions.

The most likely reason, though, for Lelouch's meditations was the formation of a plan of attack. Right now, they didn't yet possess sufficient manpower or resources to raise a true revolution, but plans were being laid in place for the time that was soon to come.

"They are coming." He stated suddenly. He was sitting in the lotus position, his back turned to the sole door that led to the final floor of the building, facing the falling rain outside. The lack of light made it difficult to discern his features, however, Nunnally could tell by the tone of his voice that he had made his decision about this, and that he was certain of the outcome. She would not object.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked uncertainly.

"Of course not." He warmly responded. "Come over here, join me."

Without further discussion, she did as he had asked; sitting down on the blanket he had placed over the concrete. This particular section of the building had been among the more badly damaged, missing parts of the roof, and leaving many places bare to the elements.

He didn't react further to her sitting down next to him, but a faint hint of a smile crossed his lips as she did, and both were content to wait for their guests to arrive, the gentle drumming of rain being the only sound heard. Time passed quickly, though both were content with nothing more than the companionship of the other.

"Zero?" Lelouch heard the voice of Kaname Oghi calling from the stairwell, as if asking if it was alright to come in. A small smile crossed his face as he reminded himself that Oghi had always been the considerate one of his allies and subordinates.

"I am here."

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Both Kallen and Oghi were very nervous about the meeting. Zero had promised them both answers, but at the same time, they dreaded it. There was obviously a reason why the man wore his mask and disguise, and the two they knew might not be the only ones.

On the last floor of the building, a rather unusual sight greeted them. Seated on a small dark blanket, under the cover of one of the remaining parts of the roof, were two teens. Both were dressed in casual clothes, looking almost like a couple on a date, the boy content to sit, while the girl had laid her head on his lap. It was impossible to tell their exact features in the very limited light, but the image of peace was touching, especially against the backdrop of the burnt out shell of a building they were in.

"Join us, if you would. I don't really mind, but I think you would prefer to see who you were talking to." Their host greeted in a calm, polite tone.

"Lelouch? Is that you? And is that Nunnally?" Kallen asked in shock, having finally recognized the voice.

"Yes, yes and yes." Lelouch responded with a small chuckle. "You sound surprised, Kallen Stadfelt, or should I say, Kozuki?"

"But… where's Zero?" Oghi muttered confusedly, his mind completely unwilling to put two and two together. There was no way that a kid like that could be Zero… right?

"My, I don't remember them being this hapless last night, do you?" Nunnally asked with a small giggle, and got her head out of her brother's lap. Both slowly got up, but the two figures that greeted Kallen and Oghi didn't look even remotely like the Lelouch and Nunnally that Kallen remembered and described.

The figure of the teen stood before them tall, proud and regal, the sharp features of his face settled into a dissatisfied, bored scowl, clearly displaying his disinterest at all before him. Dark hair framed a face aged beyond its years, directly opposing the look he cultivated at the academy. His entire body was tense, as that of a predator ready to leap upon his prey, using his impressive frame and presence to physically tower over his surroundings, regardless of actual height. Two different eyes gazed upon them, the right one, a sharp amethyst that blindly stared forward, the other, a malevolent, malicious red covered by the sigil of stylized bird.

The girl, Kallen realized, was also far different from her usual appearance. The kindness was not completely lost, but the smile was, and in its place was an expressionless mask. Her long brown hair still cascaded down her shoulders, falling on the gray of her jacket. Unlike Lelouch, she was relaxed, though it took little effort to notice the automatic pistol in her hand, one she had reason to believe she knew how to use. Once more, two different eyes met theirs, the left a cold, sapphire blue, and the right shimmering with the power of the Geass.

Their very presence left no doubt in the two present as to who they were. Zero and Ghost were before them, unveiled. The two teens were intimidating by appearance alone, the cold looks their eyes cast was enough to freeze blood… but adding to that what the two had accomplished in such a short time, and one lost every idea of underestimating them

"Ironic, isn't it? Being led by a Britannian in a war against Britannia." Lelouch offered, bringing up his hand in a gesture that demanded silence. The other brought up the mask of Zero, holding turned towards this face, his features growing slowly melancholic as he seemingly gazed at his own reflection.

"It is funny at times, how something so seemingly simple can hold so much weight and importance. Do you understand the value and meaning of an oath? Of a word given in honor? I doubt it, at least not in the way I speak of it. A man or woman who gives their word lightly is not someone you can trust."

"I… had given mine a few times. The first, was to my beloved sister." He began explaining, his right hand going to embrace the girl as the scowl was slowly replaced by a gentle and caring smile. "To build a kinder, gentler world for her. The second, was at the grave of my late mother, to find those responsible for her murder and see them punished for their acts. The third, was to my best friend, to obliterate the empire that took so much from us both. The fourth, to an immortal witch, to fulfill her wish. The fifth was to Nunnally, again, to stay by her side and make our dreams come true. And the final one, to the people of Japan, to bring liberty, to the world, to give justice."

"This mask, is my pledge, both to myself, and to those that follow me. A cold, iron chain binding me to a path I must follow, and a pair of blackened wings that carry me onward. _Tell me_, does either of you know who I am?"

The voice, at first doubtful, seemingly questioning, slowly had turned dark and almost accusatory, fraught with emotions, but sharp as a blade, asking anyone to dare and question it. With each passing word, they were assured that he indeed was Zero, but there was also the slowly dawning understanding of what he spoke. In the end, they didn't have a real answer. To say Zero, was only half the picture, one reflection on the mirror, but not the whole story. To say Lelouch Lamperouge was also incorrect, as it was also a part of the truth, and they both seemed to miss a third part, implied in his voice and speech.

To Oghi however, he could feel the compulsion creeping into his mind, and for the first time it dawned upon him, the terrible truth of the power their leader wielded. Every attempt to stop it failed as his mind twisted until he wanted to answer that question, and overwhelming desire that he could do nothing to quench. Is this how its victims felt?

"Lelouch… Lamperouge." Oghi spoke in a flat voice, almost mechanically, before snapping out of it, seemingly lost, and the horror of moments ago now completely lost to him. Next to him, Kallen turned in horror, understanding what had happened. She had seen the Geass affect others before, the might of his power twisting the wills of others under his thrall, fulfilling any order he had given, regardless of what it was.

"There is one secret about my power that I had not revealed to either of you, and that is that it is only usable once on any given person. Kallen, the day we first met in Ashford academy, I used the Geass on you to ask if it was indeed you during the battle in Shinjuku. Oghi, I now affected you asking a completely meaningless question that you had no way of answering correctly. Now, you are both immune to it. Know that your will is your own, and that any decisions you make are unaffected by the dark influence of the Geass. This path of shadows I walk, if you step on it, it will be by your own will, not mine." He explained calmly, slowly walking forward, and past them.

Content with keeping silent thus far, Nunnally finally spoke her own piece, brutally murdering any shred of doubt they may have had left.

"I love my brother deeply, and serve him of my own desire. "she whispered, her head bowed low for a moment, hiding her face behind her hair, but it quickly got up, and the previously emotionless face was covered by a look of burning determination, the flare of her red eye seemingly even more vibrant. And the voice that followed would remain etched in their memories for years to come.

"If you hold your life to be of any value, you will not repeat any of what was said here. Compared to the life and cause of my lord, my life is meaningless, and I will gladly throw it away to _end_ those that would _dare_ stand in his way and threaten him, if need be." She stated before she followed her brother, pulling the mask and cloak bound to her persona from a nearby rock, and leaving. It was not a threat, both realized, merely the state of things, and the cold, short delivery left drops of cold sweat forming on the backs of their necks.

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The two masked figures were greeted by a round of applause as they entered the small room separated for them.

"A truly moving performance, Lelouch, bravo. And yours was no worse Nunnally. I think you actually left them with more questions than they came with." C.C. spoke with a small smile, the only true indication of her entertainment at the events.

"That was the idea, wasn't it brother?" Nunnally commented, grinning impishly as she removed her mask.

"There is nothing more deceiving than a conveniently obvious truth. They wanted knowledge, and responsibility, and I gave it." He stated simply, content in the safety of the room as he strolled to the larger of the two beds there, a deeply pleased smile never leaving his face. "It is not my fault that they did not understand the situation. However, the gauntlet is thrown, and I look forward to seeing their choices."

"You're not trying to predict them?" C.C. inquired as she dropped herself back onto the bed.

"No. There are times when my own curiosity gets the better of me." He softly responded, though the obvious mirth behind the voice wasn't lost on either of them. It was perhaps a lie, though to whether it was aimed at the two of them, or at himself, they were not certain, but it was a short glimpse at the kind young man who was buried beneath the steel of his role and mask. A truth, hiding a deception, hiding a final truth: that he wanted to put his faith in them, even if he wouldn't say it.

'_On one side, he bound them to him by telling them part of the truth, but on the other, he made them stronger by it… the doubts that would have plagued them had been purged with a simple show of strength. And when they discover that he is a prince in exile, it will only complete the picture.'_ C.C. mused, observing her object of interest. As much as she liked his sister, she couldn't even come close in the realm of intrigue. And she couldn't help but notice, that perhaps Charles might have missed the most terribly capable of his children in his rage. As she walked out, the familiar voice once more whispered, asking how the two children were doing.

"I love you too." she whispered all too cheerfully as the long string of curses followed her decision not to tell, right before closing the door behind her.

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"What the hell just happened?" Oghi muttered in complete disbelief as some of the shock finally wore off.

"We got completely blindsided." Kallen responded somewhat irately, getting up and walking towards the edge, and staring into the rain. Her limited clothing, even with her uniform let the wind bite at her revealed skin. She didn't mind a bit, it helped keep her calm. "And the bastard used his Geass on us."

"Kallen…"

"Shut up Oghi, you at least know what he did to you!" she cut him off angrily. "Me? I'm stuck wondering if I'm doing this because I want to or because he made me do it. You've seen what that thing can do." She kept ranting, balling her fists, and just begging for something to vent her irritation.

"Calm down." Oghi spoke again, moving next to her and turning her around while placing his hands on her shoulders. "Stop for a second, and ask yourself one question: do you trust him?" he continued.

"Yes…" Kallen weakly let out. And that was perhaps what hurt her the most at this point. The fact that she did trust Zero, that she wanted, more than anything to believe in him. To make sure that Naoto hadn't died for nothing, though as time passed, she realized more and more that it was little more than a convenient excuse, and turned her head away from her long-time friend. She wanted very much to feel angry, betrayed… anything but this dreadful uncertainty she felt.

"Then show some of that trust. He trusted us, you and me, with the truth, or at least a large part of it." Oghi continued "And in the end, as much as I would like to be angry at the fact that he is manipulating us, using us, we are also using him. How much have any of us contributed to the success of the Black Knights compared to him?" he finally asked.

"Damn you for being right all the time." Kallen muttered in mock irritation. Slowly letting go, Oghi turned towards the rainy sky, letting out a small chuckle.

In such a short time, their life had changed greatly, and he had a feeling it was only beginning. For better or for worse, Lelouch was a force of change. A few months ago, he would never even consider the possibility of being where he was now, nor that he would be working with Britannians to liberate Japan, but he found that while he had his reservations and suspicions, Zero, and by extension, Lelouch had done plenty to earn their trust. In truth, the least they could do was give a little back.

To Kallen, Zero had become a surrogate for her lost brother, a hero figure that extended his protective influence over her and promised a better future. In his presence, she was always certain of herself, certain of the path she was following, not doubting it for a second, but when he was gone… she feared. She feared now that he had taken the place her brother held, he would just up and vanish one day, leaving them all behind.

And yet, for a man whose every gesture was seemingly calmly calculated to produce a wanted effect, who seemed to switch between two diametrically opposite personas with deceptive ease, who seemed to thrive on manipulation and strategy… he was strangely caring. For a moment, she could write it off as another deception, the man beneath the surface seemed fraught with them, but her heart was screaming at her that it wasn't true… and her mind was slowly, but surely agreeing.

She perhaps finally understood, more than anything he had revealed, the unsaid truth as to just why Lelouch did what he did. Why he donned the mask of Zero willingly, and sacrificed a part of himself to achieve his goals. And for what was the first time in her life, she could say, without shame and a moment's doubt, that she genuinely respected a Britannian.

"There's something very funny about all of this." Oghi stated, breaking the silence, and letting out a few merry chuckles.

"Yeah? What?" Kallen asked, content to keep looking at the distance.

"So far, we've been led by a blind Britannian and his little sister." He added, letting the chuckles turn to full laughter.

"You know what's even funnier? It worked." She responded in kind, but that ended the laughter as both considered the truth of those words. Indeed, it had worked. Zero had led them to a string of victories, always against insane odds. He had gotten them the full support of the Six Houses of Kyoto, something that both doubted they would have managed on their own. He had infiltrated the mobile base of prince Clovis, and killed him by his own hand, or rather, sword.

"The meeting will start relatively soon." She stated after a few long minutes of silence, both still looking at the distance as the veil of rain slowly parted.

"Yeah." Oghi responded, before his eyes widened almost comically. "Damn! And I've got three more pages of a report to write!"

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_Noon, Jakarta Concession, Area 17  
Icarus Institute  
Empty Ashford foundation facility at the city outskirts_  
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"So this is the place that gave birth to the Ganymede and Marianne the Flash?" Milly spoke in a low, almost reverent voice. The now empty, dust covered hall where a decade ago the first true Knightmare Frame made its debut, echoed with her voice.

"It is." Ruben retorted, a proud, but longing smile pulling at his lips. Before them was the scaffolding that once housed the first Ganymede, the one that was now being used as a prop at Ashford Academy. It was a different, perhaps better time.

"Are you sure about this Milly? This is the point of no return, once the Icarus institute starts working again you'll set yourself on a path from which there's no turning back." He asked worriedly his granddaughter, the light of his life.

"You taught me once that I should keep to my word once I gave it. Lelouch… he saved me. Without little thought to his own benefit, without any hesitation, he walked into the lions den and brought all those in danger out safely. I have little doubt that he spun it to his advantage later, but he saved my life." The blond responded, an unusually focused and determined look on her face. "Even if father and mother officially lead the family matters, you are the one who holds all the strings grandpa. Do I have your support in this?"

Ruben chuckled at this, before it broke out into a hearty laugh. Soon enough, his laughter died down, and in its place was a look of calm and concentration. Milly recognized it from the times when her grandfather still did business officially. He had weighed all the options and still wanted one last piece of information before making his decision.

"You wish to pledge the support of our family to a revolutionary?" He asked coldly. "To the man who killed prince Clovis? Who would raise his hand against Britannia in a way no one has dared in over a hundred years?"

"If you cared for that grandfather, you would have already cast him out a long time ago. The answer to all your questions is yes. He is audacious, proud, brilliant, and capable beyond the ken of ordinary mortals… was it not those same qualities that drew you to sponsor his mother, Marianne?" Milly retorted, letting just the faintest hint of her anger show.

"All true my dear granddaughter, your mind is still as sharp as ever. But there is more, isn't there?" Ruben pressed on, his features softening and warming with every word. "You are in love with him, aren't you?"

Milly remained silent at that, keeping her eyes focused away to hide the small blush on her cheeks, and trying her best not to meet her grandfather's entertained look.

"It makes even more sense now, come to think of it." He mused with some degree of entertainment "Why you refused all those betrothals so adamantly. Not that I don't support, mind you." He finally added, a small smile once more spreading on his face as Milly turned, surprise etched on hers. "Don't look so surprised girl, I like both Lelouch and Nunnally very much, and I considered their mother family. And he seems to be every bit as capable as she was."

"Does that mean you agree with me?" Milly asked after a few seconds of silence, a hopeful smile at her lips.

"It is against my better judgment, or it is perhaps just my age speaking… but I will stand behind you on this. The future of the Ashford family is now in your hands." Ruben finally stated, letting out a small, but content sigh as his dear granddaughter enveloped him in a warm, loving hug. "And I would suggest that you don't let that boy run away, you know."

"You're an incorrigible romantic, you know that gramps?" Milly whispered into his jacket.

"Takes one to know one." He responded with an outright laugh, one Milly quickly joined. "So, should we start spending the five hundred million we brought along?"

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_13:00  
Japan, Saitama ghetto_  
_Temporary command center of the Order of the Black Knights  
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Inside the only perfectly preserved room within the building, the entirety of the command staff of the Black Knights had gathered for the fateful meeting. A number of new faces had joined, and among them, one especially caused a feeling of discomfort, that of Diethard Reid. Many wondered why a Britannian was sitting among them, but the fact that Zero made no comments about it calmed them greatly. Almost everyone present had placed a great deal of trust in him, and they were willing to take this one for granted, for the time being at least.

"_Before we begin this meeting, there are a few matters of importance we that have to be cleared. As many of you are aware of, we have recently obtained the full backing of the Six Houses of Kyoto, and the considerable resources at their disposal. Which, for a change, means better food. "_He announced, finishing his sentence in a somewhat joking tone, to the laughing approval of all present. Living on second-rate military rations wasn't anyone's idea of a good time, as the stuff was canned, and usually either tasteless or disgusting.

"_Another subject of interest, is the recently joined Diethard Reid. As you are all aware he is a Britannian, however, since he will be contributing his media and information analysis skills to our cause, I expect you to cooperate."_ Zero finished the first part, letting a short silence descend on the room, but continuing before it could become tense, and before murmurs broke out.

"_Yoshitaka, what is the status of our two targets?"_

"The convoy will be departing the day after tomorrow, on schedule. The expected cargo should contain twelve Sutherlands and four Gloucesters meant to reinforce the garrison at Okinawa." Yoshitaka reported in a calm tone. Lelouch found the man capable and very skilled at managing the vast quantities of incoming information from their many sources. "As our intelligence shows, there are three points where an ambush could be easily executed, though the escort is likely to increase beyond our original estimate."

"_Good. And what of our other target?_"

"The facility you asked of is yet to be pinpointed, though we have narrowed its location to two islands. However, the information we gathered is confusing at best. Over the past six months, the Sumeragi Conglomerate delivered a substantial amount of highly refined Sakuradite to Shikine Island." he stated, opening up the map of Japan on the monitor, and using a long stick to point at a nearby island, a picture of it popping out nearby. "There were no official records, so we had to rely on other sources. Reid?"

"Ehm. The region only has two landmarks of any importance, namely Shikine and Kamine islands, the first housing a Britannian naval airbase, and the other being uninhabited. Officially, Kamine Island might as well not exist." The journalist started standing up while rummaging through the papers in his hands, and gesturing to the files that had been delivered to all those present ahead of the meeting. "Roughly two years ago, prince Clovis bought the island. A great deal of work was put into clearing up the paper trail for that, though a contact of mine was in on it, and able to quickly get me what we needed. The island doesn't possess any official population or settlements, however, a great deal of resources were shipped to the region weekly, including the several tons of refined Sakuradite, the last shipment being two weeks ago. I have provided copies of the reports and some of the paper trail I've managed to recover."

"It is also possible that the facility is located at the nearby military base at Shikine Island. In the end, the information gathered, combined with the records you placed at our disposal, and cross-referenced with the data the Six Houses passed our way, we can still only say it's a fifty-fifty chance. It is one of those two islands." He finally announced, letting it float in the air for a few seconds before sitting down.

"_That is unfortunate…Moving to our next subject. Oghi, what is the status of our troops?"_

"We stand at one hundred and seventy six people in total, sir. With the most recent delivery from Kyoto and the recently captured frames we stand at thirty seven Burai frames, twenty nine captured Sutherlands as well as fifteen Glasgow frames, totaling at seventy one operational Knightmares dispersed in storage points of the wider Tokyo area. Among the recently recruited core of engineers were a number of survivors who got cut off from the JLF in Narita and are asking if we need any Raikou custom weapon platforms. The other half is roughly half-way in creating a completely secure communication sub-network. Roughly two hours ago, a secure link was established to the Kyoto networks, as per agreement, and we were given sixty percent access to the processing power of the central computer network of the Fuji Sakuradite Complex. All three infantry special ops teams, namely snipers and demolition experts, are fully organized and integrated into our corps." Oghi reported calmly, a content look on his face as he went through the several pages of his report. "The chain of command has only been half-established however, as we still lack quality mid-level officers."

"_That might pose a problem, but it will taken care of soon. Tell the engineers we do not yet need any Raikou frames yet, but to prepare the components necessary for their constr... "_

"Zero, we have an incoming transmission." Yoshida announced from the communication systems, interrupting Zero's words. If the masked leader was irritated, he did not show it at all.

"_Sender?" _Ghost inquired from Zero's side, mirroring her leader's thoughts.

"Identified as Senba Ryoga of the Four Holy Swords." The man answered, not lifting his head from the hastily installed terminal.

"_Put him on the main screen."_ Zero ordered, not in the least perturbed by this event. In fact, ever since he had received the request from Kyoshiro Todoh about a meeting between them this morning, he had been expecting a call, though he was somewhat uncertain as to its contents.

"_Ryoga-san, what can the Order of the Black Knights do for you?"_ the masked man greeted the oldest member of Todoh's Four Holy Swords politely. There was no need to be snide, or sarcastic. If anything, the group he represented was perhaps the only part of the JLF that Lelouch actively respected.

'_-'Greetings Zero. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your meeting with general Todoh has been canceled. Roughly six hours ago, a meeting of our command group was discovered, and the general sacrificed himself to let us escape. Rater than being killed in action, he was captured alive by Britannian forces. And is scheduled to be executed in three days.'-'_the man spoke, his displeasure at the fact obvious even with his politeness.

"_And? What exactly do you expect us to do about it?"_ Zero calmly asked. _"I am not certain if you noticed, but we aren't exactly on the best of terms. And engaging Cornelia's forces prematurely would spell doom for the Black Knights."_

'_-'I know. What I… no, what the entire remnants of the JLF wanted to ask, was to help us liberate general Todoh. In return…'-' _Ryoga stopped, averting his eyes _'-'All of the surviving forces of the JLF will willing put themselves under your command.'-'_

'_And another piece falls into place. Unexpected, but very convenient, this is the last missing link to the formation of a full army capable of waging war against the Britannian forces here. Todoh and his Four Holy Swords are incredibly capable, and their experienced troops would be of great use to us. Perfect.'_ Lelouch thought with a content smirk beneath his mask, before answering. However, like every competent statesman, he would not foolishly rush into this. While he now had all the pieces in the grasp of his hand, it was not yet the time to be overconfident, and blow everything to hell.

"_I see. And you speak with the authority to make such a promise?" _he asked, comfortably resting his head on his left hand. _"Such a situation would aid both our goals greatly, but even if you are willing to make such an offer, can you go through with it?"_

The face of Senba Ryoga almost snarled at his question. As Lelouch knew, it was a direct assault to the military man's honor and pride. He was questioning the worth of his word for a reason, as it was one of the points on the short psychological profile he had manage to build on the members of the surviving JLF with the limited information at his disposal. Know thy enemy, but know thy potential ally as well.

'_-'In the absence of the general himself, the Four Holy swords assume command, and I am the senior officer. So yes, it is within my authority.'-'_ Senba responded, doing his best to keep a level tone. In response, Zero merely gave a short nod, before speaking. The hints of stress and anger showed in the slight nuances of the military man's voice.

"_Excellent. During the next twenty-four hours, we will remain in contact to coordinate an attack to liberate General Kyoshiro Todoh. I expect full information on the incident delivered in the next half hour, as well as any intel you may have on his current location."_ Zero responded, already calculating the plan ahead.

'_-'Understood. We are in agreement then, the information will be delivered via a secure line.'-'_ his JLF counterpart stated before the link was terminated.

"_Well, that solves our mid-rank officer problem." _The masked rebel spoke with some amusement, causing a chuckle to break up among the staff. _"Do we have any intel on the situation?"_

"None, I'm afraid." Yoshitaka muttered with some annoyance. Zero stood up, walking over towards the map screen, and bringing his right hand to his masked chin before speaking up.

"_That is rather inconvenient. Hm, we'll have to rely on their information then. And worse still, delay one of our operations." _ Zero muttered with some small amount of irritation, but mostly took it in stride. After a few silent seconds of looking at the map, he swiftly turned around, slamming both his hands on the massive table, and began giving out orders.

"_The convoy attack remains on schedule, Oghi, you will be in command of Task Force Alpha, in charge of that operation. My only demands are that you do not cause any civilian casualties and that you recover the contents of the convoy undamaged if possible. Avoiding any collateral damage is an optional, secondary objective."_

"_I will retain command of Task Force Beta. Kallen, you and Ghost will be leading my guard for the extraction of Kyoshiro Todoh. We'll plan further once we receive the information from the JLF remnants. Yoshida, tell the engineering core to prepare all parts needed for the construction of the Raikou frames and to prepare for Knightmare salvage. I want all captured frames fully operational within forty-eight hours after delivery. Everyone, you have your tasks, dismissed."_

One by one, the people present left the room with great speed, finally leaving only four figures present. Within twelve hours, the room would be completely abandoned and empty, but for the time being, it would serve as a command center.

Gathered around the zoomed in map of Japan, all four figures considered the small area around the Shikine and Kamine islands, each bearing their own thoughts on the subject.

"So much for the prototype." C.C. stated. "All those resources, pointlessly wasted."

"_Quite to the contrary, while we can't afford to attack yet, Diethard revealed something very important: Clovis had bought Kamine island."_ Lelouch retorted, dropping himself on a nearby chair, content to rest his chin on the back of his right hand. _"Clovis, regardless of popular opinion, was not an egotistical idiot, far from it in fact. It was done for a reason, even if we cannot divine it yet."_

"_And the prototype?" _Ghost queried curiously.

"_Most likely completed, and either soon to be shipped out, or in its final phases. Either way, it is useless to us for now as we cannot afford a two-pronged assault on both islands." _was his response. He wasn't finished, that much was obvious, and Nunnally found it easy to notice the slight hints of worry in his actions. The quiet impacts of his fingers on the surface of his mask, the tall, rigid posture as he looked at the map through her eyes, the signs were easy to spot for one who had known him so well. And just as she was about to ask, he continued.

"_But something else concerns me. Cornelia has been very quiet recently, ever since her campaign ended. And that, worries me very much. Call me paranoid, but I feel as if something disastrous is about to happen. And I have just the person, or rather, persons to ask. If we can organize a preemptive strike we should be able to derail any attempts to stop us now." _

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_15:34, Misawa Britannian Naval Air Base  
Exact location classified  
Northern coast of Area 11_  
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Nervously pacing in front of the office of Brigadier General Simon Alexander Higgins, Suzaku could barely hold himself together. Said office had been given to sub-viceroy Euphemia for her use during her visit here, and he was supposed to have a meeting with her in six minutes.

_The_ meeting, unfortunately for his fracturing nerves. He was subtle enough for it not to be noticed when he asked, and mentioned the reasons, so no great fuss was raised on the subject. That didn't mean he wasn't a nervous wreck about it, sadly enough.

What others perceived as a man worried for being summoned by the princess, most likely because of his status (perhaps even as a novelty, after all, he was the first Honorary Britannian to reach the rank of Major, let alone pilot a Knightmare Frame), was in fact a man deeply concerned by his current situation.

Teetering on the brink of disaster may have been a better choice of words, now that he thought about it. His duties after his promotion suddenly began piling up, and he was no longer certain it was such a good thing. While he wasn't expected to command troops, he had other duties, as Cornelia didn't have any intention of sparing any of the subordinates under her command of their share of the burden. Add to that the fact that he had to swallow the growing feeling of guilt at what he was about to do, and one received a very unpleasant image of his psyche at this point.

As the last of the six minutes he had been waiting passed, the door to the office opened, and a person he did not recognize left. His good memory and fast reflexes were the only thing that saved him from a very unpleasant situation as he recognized the insignia upon the man's uniform, and moments later, his face.

"Sir!" he briskly saluted, body moving into attention at a superior officer pacing by.

"Carry on Major." Brigadier General Higgins shortly retorted, passing him by with a slight scowl on his face. Suzaku thanked whatever entity above watched over him for the fact that the man was too professional to vent his irritation on lower-ranked officers.

Seconds later, a second figure came to the door. A young man, dressed in a well fitting uniform, and a pair of spectacles over his eyes, also completely unknown to him, but he assumed it was most likely the general's aide.

"Major… Kururugi? Her highness is waiting for you." He shortly stated, waiting for a moment to make sure that the major heard his words before going back in.

To relax himself even a bit, Suzaku focused his mind on the small room he had just entered. The waiting room of the general's office was comfortable, on one side having several sofas in a simple half circle around a small coffee table, with a bunch of old magazines scattered over it, and two empty cups of coffee, while on the other, was the aide's, or secretary's, he was uncertain which, desk.

Without even bothering to talk, the aide merely waved towards the other door leading out of the room, and into the office proper. And with a deep gulp, forcing every bit of his training and willpower to steady himself, he shortly knocked.

"Enter." Came the familiar voice of princess Euphemia a few moments later. He stopped himself, sinking his nails into his palms to stop the slight shaking of his hands. _'This is for the best dammit. Euphemia cares for both Lelouch and Nunnally, she won't do anything to harm them! Control yourself you fool.'_

Nerves once more in check, he slowly opened the door and entered. This room was a bit bigger than the last one, but not by much. If he was a psychologist, he would have likely commented that the minimalistic, Spartan even, setting of the room probably spoke volumes of the general who used it. The one bright exception within was the princess herself. Dressed in her usual garb, and looking at something on the computer there, while checking occasionally at the pile of papers before her.

"Suzaku!"she greeted almost cheerfully, her joy at both his visit and the chance to have a legitimate excuse to skip work for a while visible on her open smile. "Come in, take a seat."

"Thank you for taking the time to meet me your highness." He replied as he sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk.

"It is hardly a problem." She responded kindly, her feelings calming down quickly enough "I have time for a friend who saved my sister's life. "

"It was my duty, your highness." Suzaku stuttered out, though the mild blush and smile wasn't lost on the princess.

"And enough with that. Didn't I tell you to call me Euphie?" the princess pounced, grinning impishly, and very much enjoying the look of embarrassment on the young officer's face for some reason.

"But-but… that would be improper!" Suzaku blurted out, thoroughly scandalized by the very idea. To the young Japanese, ingrained in their culture as he was by his late father, the very idea of acting so informally was already alien, but to act as if he were an equal with a princess of Britannia…

"At least call me by my name?" Euphie asked, a distinct tone of pleading in her voice. "You can't begin to imagine how tiring it is. 'Your highness' this, 'Your highness' that. Ughhh!" she exclaimed, comically waving her arms in irritation.

"Uh… how about princess Euphemia?" Suzaku offered diplomatically. The princess stopped to think for a few moments, before nodding affirmatively at his attempt of meeting halfway.

"Okay. So, why did you ask to meet me?" she asked with no small amount of curiosity. "This didn't exactly go through official channels, as my sister would say."

"I had best start at the beginning. Is this room secure?" the young officer asked. He was already nervous, but the small talk had given him the time to calm down as much as possible, and for his brain to kick back in and consider a very reasonable course of action.

"Of course. Guilford checked it for recording devices before we came here. What is so important? And if it is, why didn't you ask Viceroy Cornelia about it?"

"Because I can't. Princes Euphemia…" he trailed off, gathering his courage to continue. It was a hurdle, and the moments of silence seemed to last forever. Finally snapping out of it, he took a deep breath, readying himself to let it all out in one breath. Somehow, he just _knew_ he was going to catch hell for this.

" I know that Lelouch and Nunnally are alive. And I know exactly where they are." Suzaku finally stated, letting out the difficult secret. The look of abject shock on the princess' face would be funny in any other situation.

"You _knew_? Why… wait." she stopped, raising her hand and taking a deep breath, before bringing her hand close to the intercom." Stay quiet for a moment. Stephen? Please hold all my calls and guests until I'm done here. Thank you." She ordered, doing her best to hide the shakiness of her voice."Alright. Tell me _everything_."

Suzaku was once more surprised by the young woman in front of him. The degree of guilt he had felt when she had asked if he knew was crushing, the look of hurt in those innocent eyes cut a bloody wound on his heart. More than anyone in his life, coming close to be matched only by Nunnally, he didn't want to do anything to bring harm to this pure being in front of him. And at the same time he was impressed that she had the presence of mind to actually make sure they weren't interrupted.

"Before I say anything, to ease your worries, they are both okay, and are currently enrolled in Ashford Academy. I… couldn't just reveal where they were to Cornelia. They both lost so much, I couldn't just betray them like that. Even this, it feels like a betrayal… but…" He spoke tiredly. The dam had broken, and his heart was laid bare before her. "But I couldn't betray my duty either… and it was killing me. I thought… I thought since both Lelouch and Nunnally spoke so highly, so kindly of you, and with what I knew princess Euphemia, that you were the only person I could tell this. The only person I could trust with this."

He stood up, dropping quickly on his knee. "I beg of you, don't reveal them. They… told me of the death of their mother, and of their suspicions as to the perpetrators. It would ill me if they were harmed for my own weakness."

As he went silent, Suzaku's eyes closed, and he couldn't see the expression that Euphie made. Nor what she did. The only sounds that existed in his mind were that of his breathing and the slow cadence of steps as she walked closer, and the agony of those long moments was one for the things that he knew he would likely remember for the rest of his life.

"It must have been difficult for you. Thank you for telling me this."

The words, delivered in a soft, grateful whisper couldn't have been louder to him. There was no judgment, no anger, but pure, heartfelt gratitude and understanding for him and his circumstances. The gentle, caring hug she offered only soothed his ache.

"Suzaku, for now, this will remain a secret between the two of us, alight? But we'll have to tell Cornelia sooner or later." She offered warmly, but the warning was clear in her tone.

"I understand your hi… princess Euphemia." Suzaku finally spoke, catching himself at his small slip, and feeling great warmth in his heart at her pleasant smile. "Do you… do you want me to tell them? Maybe…" he tried, before the princess gave a regretful shake with her head.

"Tell them, I will be attending the festival there soon, that would be a perfect time to meet, don't you think? And to tell them that I miss them greatly, and wish them luck." She explained.

"I will, milady. And thank you." The troubled teen returned, giving a short bow before he left, the burden on his shoulders greatly lightened.

As the door closed, Euphemia let go of her own faltering self control, falling into her chair, as tears she had held in for so long flowed freely. Lelouch and Nunnally were alive. They didn't die.

But… this also would put a wedge between her and Cornelia. As sub-viceroy, Euphemia was little more than a figurehead, and her options were highly limited. Zero, as much as Cornelia might dislike it, would be the only true option of achieving peace here without losing so many lives in the battles that would without a doubt ensue.

And there was that strange feeling she got from talking to the masked revolutionary, that strange sense of familiarity. The fact that he acted like he knew her, and not just as an acquaintance…

Slowly, her eyes widened, and she brought a hand to her mouth to silence the gasp that she felt coming. The idea was outlandish, improbable, almost foolish… Euphemia was not one for overthinking things or in-depth analysis but…

'_Lelouch __**is**__ Zero.'_ The words slowly ran through her mind. And each time she repeated them, she reminded her self more and more of everything she knew about Lelouch.

Schneizel had the highest hopes for him, at times commenting that the only reason why Lelouch couldn't score a win against him was because he had years of experience to his advantage. Cornelia ardently believed he would take up military service, and the fervor with which he read old strategic treatises as well as battlefield reports she had snuck past Marianne spoke highly of him as well. As did his almost instinctive understanding of any combat situation displayed to him.

And, in the end, she could add her own experiences to the sum of her knowledge on her half-sibling. From her memories, he was always kind and caring, especially towards her and Nunnally. But he was also clever, and very much so, quick to understand things, and very charismatic.

When she pooled all that together, it made a disturbing amount of sense. And yet, even with knowledge of all that he had done, Euphie still couldn't find it within her to bear even a sliver of hate against her lost brother. And maybe, just maybe, there was something she could do.

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_9:55, Tuesday  
Area 16, Seoul Concession  
Operational base of the OSI, East Asia Division_  
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People often believe that spies have elaborate hidden bases out of which they operate. Usually, nothing could be further from the truth; such facilities cost a lot of money to maintain, and serve as a possible liability due to the buildup of information within. Official, public bases do exist however, and those serve as the bait to hide the informal, more important ones.

The Emperor's OSI were no real exception to that, and the main base of operations for its East Asia division was concealed within a mostly inconspicuous place: a small noodle shop in close proximity of the local subway. Unlike many other Areas, Seoul maintained much of its original infrastructure, as it was one of the fastest growing cities within the wider East Asian region.

The back room, where the acting leader was currently talking shop with his subordinate, lacked many of the fancier luxuries most intelligence centers had, however, these were people used to operating on low budgets, and still keeping themselves perfectly informed of all events. The entire hardware of the base was one small laptop… and that was perhaps more than was needed, the Britannian military security already provided enough processing power to maintain surveillance, and due to their standing, they were loathe to refuse aiding the OSI.

Victor Eugene was a member of this clandestine organization for over twenty years, and had joined the service during the reign of the previous emperor… and had cemented his place in it by providing support to Charles zi Britannia's bid for power. The name was a fake one, the latest in a long string of identities he had used over the years, but he was used to it. Tall, lanky, with slowly graying red hair and two lively, black eyes above a freshly shaved beard, dressed in a nondescript gray suit, he did not make an impression if one didn't look beyond the surface. And for those in the know, it would not be going far to call him the Gray Fox of Britannian covert operations.

The young agent before him bored him immensely, drawing out his report more than was necessary. He recognized the look he had: smartly dressed, but still casual, and that look of a shark that smelled blood, intent on proving himself and eventually taking his place here. Sadly for the young fool, he was still a decade too young to even try. Becket, he remembered the man's name was.

"… recent attacks on Britannian forces in Cambodia." The report boringly continued, until he raised his hand to stop him.

"Wait, slow down Becket. Those situations have already been transferred to the care of local operatives. Right now, I am more interested in Area 11." Victor interceded, preparing to plot out the course of the newest operation in the works. The undetected insertion of an agent into Area 11 was no mean feat, as even military had protocol, and it would not do to rely on such things, especially if an operative was required to go in without any outside support. Revealing his presence there in any way was a dangerous thing… one he was not interested in doing.

"Apart for the capture of the acting leader of the JLF? Both the Black Knights and our forces have been unusually quiet lately. Our contacts among the military are strangely silent, and we haven't been able to put a spy in the ranks of the Black Knights yet." Becket reported.

"I wonder if the word incompetent means anything to those buffoons there anymore." His superior retorted sourly, before a smile crossed his face. "We have a silent insertion to do within two weeks. I want you to handle it."

"Understood, sir." Becket retorted, understanding the gesture for what it was, a test. Do this well, and he was one step closer to a pay raise and maybe even a promotion, fuck this up, and he might find himself a corpse floating in the harbor waters.

"Good. I'll have the information in a dead drop at the usual place. Please make sure you get them, otherwise… well. And make it quiet, I'm off to eat." Victor stated in a friendly tone, one that very much belied the threat and malice his words carried, leaving behind a thoroughly worried agent.

'_So they're sending Rollo after Zero. Poor sod, I almost feel sorry for him. That kid is one nasty piece of work.'_ Victor mused as he entered the front end of the shop, waving towards the cook to make him one of the usual. He'd be damned if he knew what went in those noodles, but frankly, he was certain he was better off not knowing.

As he waited for the bowl of food to arrive, he pulled out a non-descript cell phone, typing in a short message and sending it off via a secure channel to the person responsible for the other end of the transport of operatives. With that bit handled, he was no longer attached to this operation, having transferred the entirety of the responsibility to others. And he knew it was for the best, in the long run. What his not-so-limited sources claimed was that Zero was not a person to be underestimated, and that a number of factions have begun making moves within Area 11. Wartime operations were always a nightmare. Perhaps it was time for a transfer to a comfy, desk job.

'_Joke of the year… there are no comfy desk jobs for people like me.' _Victor considered quietly as he dug into his food, gesturing to the chef for a shot of something alcoholic. There was no peaceful retirement for people like him. The best he could hope for was to go out, guns blazing, on one final job unless someone above sent a hitman to kill him beforehand. And he was getting old as it was. _'Maybe I should get in touch with Ruben or Schneizel… both owe me a favor or two… a consulting job wouldn't be such a bad thing. Heh, maybe I'll get that desk job after all.'_

**

* * *

Author's Notes: **And, the end. It took a while, and I hope this final chapter of the peaceful period was worth the wait. You've read what I've mentioned, so…

Victor Eugene is an OC I've actually needed for this, and he might be making cameo appearances later, but he won't be of any great importance. Everyone needs a few Mooks here and there to make the plot flow. Or maybe an elite mook or two…

The conversation between Suzaku and Euphemia had been stupidly difficult to write. On one side, Euphemia isn't the type to flare in anger easily, and Suzaku is guilt-ridden enough as it is. Add the obvious tension between them, as two teens who haven't the slightest idea what the heck they are feeling for each other, and you get a freakin nightmare to write.

Then there's the speech. Yes, it was intentionally done that way. Yes, he did just do a freaking stage monologue in front of them for the seeming purpose of personal entertainment and keeping to his word while perpetrating an even bigger manipulation, and all to actually hide his identity while revealing another fake one.

To those curious, a number of ideas recently sprang up in my mind, and I'm also currently writing updates for my other stories, primarily '_With But a Pull of the Strings',_ which will most likely be the next story to receive an update.

After that, I will likely post a somewhat different idea that came to me about Code Geass. Namely, what would have happened if it wasn't Anya Alstrem that had been there to be the target of Marianne's Geass, but Lelouch himself? A Lelouch staying in Britannia fic with a twist.

Well, that's that from me… the next update for anything won't come before Thursday likely, since I'm busy until then…

Review folks, and tell me what you think. I'm getting the heck out of here and to sleep. Oh, and if I missed anything, do tell so that I can fix it…


	19. Tides of War : Break of Dawn

**Author's Ramblings:** It should be stated that from this chapter onward, dates will be added to the timeline, mostly as an orienteer as well as to give a timeframe to eventual timeskips if and should they happen.

Among my reviewers there was one rater curious remark about how Nunnally turned into a cold killer unreasonably. First of all, Nunnally has yet to obviously kill anyone, even if she feels guilt for the death of Clovis. The sniper, while an assassin's weapon is also incredibly capable of disabling foes, which she normally does. The act she pulled before Kallen and Oghi was just that: an act, though make no mistake that she meant every word of it. There is also the fact that she didn't grow up as sheltered as she did in cannon, and had the dubious pleasure of seeing what happened to Japan after Britannia conquered it. Kind or not, she holds as much love for the ideals and principles of Britannia as her older brother.

I think it would be a relatively good idea to read this stuff at say, 3/4 width, but that's just me.

Without further ado, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

_Chapter 18 : Tides of War : Break of Dawn_

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_March 22nd, Tuesday, 21:23  
Area 11, Tokyo Concession  
Viceroy Palace, Offices of Viceroy Cornelia li Britannia_  
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The three figures present within the office at this late hour looked over the maps strewn about. The limited light was no issue for them, as by now, they knew the maps by heart

"Are you certain about this my lady?" Guilford asked in a concerned tone.

"This doesn't sound like you Gilbert." Darlton cut off before Cornelia had the chance to respond, his own tone worried at his long-time friend.

"I am being cautious. So far, Zero has surpassed our every expectation, and beaten us at every turn." The bespectacled knights responded, letting out a small chuckle "No matter what my lady decides, I will follow."

"That's comforting to know Gilbert. Still, a confrontation with Zero is unavoidable, and with the majority of Britannia's forces now tied up dealing with matters in Europe… we shall have to handle _this_ ourselves. Better to do it on our terms than on his." Cornelia stated, reasserting herself in the conversation. Andreas smiled slightly. Before being placed under her command, he had been Cornelia's instructor.

"What exactly are we going to do?"

"This facility here…" Cornelia started, pointing towards the prison facility at the edge of Tokyo "Is where make our stand. I have little doubt that either the JLF remnants or the Black Knights will make an appearance. Or both. We plan for all three, and if they don't show up, we merely execute Kyoshiro Todoh. That way, regardless of the situation, we will win."

"I volunteer…" Guilford began, but stopped as Cornelia raised her hand.

"For one, I will be leading this covert operation. And I want major Kururugi to execute Todoh." She stated. Her face remained calm, almost emotionless as she stated that. With a slow gait, she walked over to the window, looking outwards to the city beyond.

"It will be arranged, my lady." Guilford retorted "By your leave."

"Cornelia." Darlton called, once he was sure that Guilford was gone. The lack of any honorific immediately had the princess at attention, turning to face him and hardening her features. She didn't respond, instead choosing to wait for him to continue.

"A few friends have seen fit to inform me, that rumors have begun spreading in court. Rumors concerning your failure to eliminate Zero."

"Hm… my dear family moves faster than I expected." Cornelia retorted with a sigh. "I need a decisive victory and soon, otherwise..." she trailed off, turning her face once more away, to at least spare her old friend the looks of worry which now covered her face.

She hated it, the family bickering and politics, as it threatened not just her, but Euphie as well, and as difficult as she was to her sister at times, she did it for her good. Cornelia would be damned before letting anything happen to Euphie, before she let _him_ decide her fate.

"Andreas, would you please remind me where the officer's recreational facilities are? I have a little stress to relieve…" she spoke with a forced calm, remembering the pleasant fact that said facilities had punching bags. The scarred officer merely took a step away from the woman, muttering a barely heard 'yes'.

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_22:00_  
_Tokyo Concession, Victory Park_  
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The limited light on the streets did little to reveal the figures that walked through the night. The street was empty apart for two large trailers, and those that approached them.

To Nunnally, it was easy to spot them, the integrated Factsphere in her mask easily filtering a clear image with the minimal light present. A half-step in front of her was her brother, and slightly to the back were a number of others, including the Four Holy Swords and Kallen.

Lelouch knew that the four walking behind him had little trust for Zero. For now, that is. They were all highly capable pilots, and he needed them on his side as well as their commander.

Senba Ryoga was a stocky man, guided by honor, pride and principle. Joined the army at the age of twenty-one, becoming a commissioned officer at twenty three after his exemplary service. A capable leader with a penchant for tactical thought and aggressive in combat.

Asahina Shogo was the youngest of them, only slightly taller than Senba, and very thin, even in his uniform. He was longsighted, a fact that didn't in the least reduce his ability to pilot, and corrective surgery has long since removed any issue he might have actually had, but he still wears glasses. Very little knowledge on any actual leadership skills.

Chiba Nagase, the sole female of the Four Holy Swords, was a woman of the military through and through, strong, disciplined and well trained. Little else had he been able to divine about her. He would have to look more.

And finally, Kosetsu Urabe, the fourth and final member. The most relaxed of the four, but highly capable regardless. The only one to originally be a member of Todoh's staff during Itsukushima where he piloted an attack copter, taking out a total of five Glasgows before ejecting, but buying enough time for the troops to maneuver into position… and win. Possibly the most capable of the four members not just for skill, but for his sheer dedication and bravery.

All four were not overly difficult to steer in the right direction, and once he convinced Todoh to join them as well, they would remain under his command for certain, at least until Japan was liberated. He would devise further plans then.

He was roused from his thoughts as they reached the closer of the two trailers. A short burst from his sister identified the three figures standing in front of them, waiting as scientists, and their leader…

"_Rakshata Chwala. I am honored to finally meet the brilliant mind behind that provided us with so much help."_ Zero saluted in a polite, even glad tone. The blond woman smiled wryly, studying him, while offering a hand in greeting which Zero quickly accepted. _"I've read some of your works on medical cybernetics, quite fascinating."_

It was a lie, he didn't read it, Nunnally did recently in an interest to dig out something to help his lack of sight. But it was a polite one, that would help a bit.

"Let's not talk about the past, Zero." Rakshata responded, her smile turning just a bit sour, before it vanished as she put on her business face. "I've come to deliver a gift. A little something from our mutual friends I am sure you'll appreciate."

"_I am all ears."_

The blond scientist put her hand into her coat, ignoring the sound of weapons being pulled out and likely aimed at her, and pulled out a key ring with activation keys on it, presenting it to Zero.

"The five frames that these keys fit in were designed specifically for Todoh and the Four Holy Swords based on the user data we gathered from their missions. Since they seem to be working with you now, I thought it best to deliver them. Of course, that's not the only thing I've delivered." She finished, placing the keys in Zero's hand, and turning back towards her small group. "Oh, and there is someone inside who wants to meet you."

That, got a reaction out of him. He hadn't paid much attention to the interior of the trailers, as the meeting had been arranged by Kyoto, so he wasn't overly concerned… and if something had happened, he had a rather convenient advantage of two Geass users present. Not to mention a small army.

Inside one of the trailers, he couldn't notice a thing, meaning that it was likely the transport for the frames delivered, but the other one got his interest quickly. A man and a woman, roughly around their late twenties… and a young girl, one he quickly recognized by her shape and her clothes as Kaguya Sumeragi.

That brought out a small smile on his face, both for the fact that he was somewhat glad to see the young woman again, and for the fact that another piece had fallen into place. With a direct representative from the Six Houses, he would save a great deal of time on planning, and now he would have a chance to organize Sakuradite shipments for Milly, something that her now-rebuilding Foundation would greatly appreciate. _'Hm… I'll have to pay Ruben a visit, and bring some fine cognac.'_

"_You have my gratitude for the delivery. However, I have a gift for you as well."_ He stated. _"Ghost?"_

"_Yes, my lord. Miss Rakshata, I think you might find this interesting. If you do, a formal delivery will be arranged,"_ The gray figure of Ghost quietly stated, handing over a small disk she had been hiding beneath her cloak.

"Hmm?" the blond muttered as she accepted the disk, looking it over for a moment before putting it into her coat pocket. "I'll take a look at it Zero. I also wish to make a formal request."

"_Yes?"_

"Allow me and my staff to join you with the rest of the Black Knights. My children need constant maintenance, and I doubt you have enough sufficiently capable people to handle it. "Rakshata stated, practically demanding as she explained her reasoning shortly. Lelouch almost laughed at the possessive (and protective) way the blonde spoke of the Knightmares she had designed.

"_Certainly, your knowledge and skill will be a valuable addition to our cause. Welcome aboard."_ The masked rebel responded, choosing to let out a chuckle, rather than get himself stupidly killed. Indeed, things had been going well for a while now, which nicely reminded him of one simple little detail: matters in real life rarely worked out so well.

"Thank you. I look forward to our cooperation." Rakshata returned curtly, before turning around and walking towards the trailer. There was one more meeting to think of right now, and he was somewhat looking forward to it.

Calming himself, he waved the others off, letting them know that they should stay here, while he and Nunnally went inside.

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"Merciful heaven, that man is complicated." Asahina Shogo commented as Zero and Ghost entered the trailer.

"Trust me, you don't know half of it." Kallen commented with something of a bitter chuckle. The bespectacled man turned to the teen, eyes widening a he made the connections. The young woman had just finished zipping up her new pilot suit and had stepped out of the other trailer where the equipment was.

"Are you Kallen Kozuki?" he asked, setting his glasses back into place.

"That depends on who wants to know?" Kallen retorted with a confident smirk.

"Asahina Shogo, of the Four Holy Swords." The man responded, a certain hint of curiosity and respect in his voice. Kallen eyed him carefully, weighing that reaction before her hardened features relaxed into a smile.

"Pleased to meet you." She responded, offering her hand, which the military man eagerly accepted. "You seem surprised?"

"Sorry… it's just…" he tried, fumbling for words as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Yes?" Kallen began, quirking an eyebrow and wondering where he was going with this.

"I've expected someone a bit older." He responded sheepishly.

"Sorry to disappoint." She retorted a bit more coldly than she perhaps intended.

"No, no! Nothing of the sort!" he defended himself, trying to apologize "I was just surprised a bit. Your fight against the White Knightmare, Lancelot during the battle of Narita is already the stuff of stories and legends. Ehm… is it true you, eh, nicked one of his swords?" he continued, asking the last bit conspiratorially, as if trying not to be overheard.

Kallen's first reaction was a light giggle, then a chuckle, and eventually she had to cover her mouth with her hands to keep herself relatively quiet.

"Yes, I 'nicked' one of his swords, as you said." Kallen explained after finally calming down. "Damn bastard sure put up a fight though…" she added in a low voice. "Don't think I would have won if he could have used that rifle of his."

"Hm…" Asahina let out in response, quieting down as well, the slightly jovial mood dying. "What's Zero like?"

"Zero? You said it best: complicated." She retorted with a huff. "He is a difficult man, expecting. But considering how much he gives up for all of this, and how much he puts himself, who am I to complain?"

"He almost sounds like a normal guy…" he muttered, letting out an almost disappointed sigh at the end. Not really waiting for any further comments, Asahina turned towards the rest of his group, who were a bit away and discussing things with Rakshata's scientists.

"Maybe… but he's anything but. Don't forget that." Kallen added ominously, walking away and towards the entrance to the trailer, and leaned next to the door, waiting for her commander dutifully.

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The interior of the second trailer was relatively warm, he noticed. He wasn't paying much attention to the surroundings, letting Nunnally guide him through as they were out of the sights of others, and he knew that their host already knew who he was. Even without sight, he could tell that the younger girl was smiling.

"It has been a while, hasn't it, Zero, Ghost?" Kaguya greeted in her usual, perfectly calm and polite voice, but one that still managed to deliver her feelings on the matter at hand.

"_Indeed it has, lady Kaguya."_ Lelouch responded, seating himself down as did Ghost. _"Dare I ask what brings you here?"_

"It has been agreed that the Black Knights would benefit from a…direct representative from the Six Houses. It shall be my duty to fulfill that role." Kaguya explained, leaning back into the sofa she was sitting on.

"_Just that? I am almost disappointed."_ He retorted with a slightly teasing tone. He wasn't. Again, it was a lie, an act that those present would understand, just as the faux greeting had been.

"Most certainly not." Kaguya responded with a light, barely visible blush and pout. The gesture was lost on Lelouch, but the tone wasn't, and neither was the message she had decided to give.

She was here to support him, willingly, but also to keep an eye on him for the Six Houses. And from what he could gather, she would gladly serve as a double agent. He blinked beneath the mask as another realization came to him, the most likely reason as to why the above was correct. _'She couldn't… could she?'_

Next to him, Nunnally was only slightly fisting her right arm, remaining unseen, and relaxed quickly, reminding herself of what she knew. She understood both sides here, unlike her brother who seemingly missed some details. Such as Kaguya's motivation. She was jealous, she realized, of all the girls who wanted her brother, an idolized picture of him that they had built in their minds. She had lived with him for her entire life, she had seen him at his nadir, his best and his worst. But apart for the childish sense of possessiveness and jealousy, which she rationalized came with the hormones of puberty, she trusted him. And that was enough to chase away any fear she might have had.

She observed her childhood friend, reminding herself that she hadn't seen her for seven years. They were of the same age, she remembered, and for the times she had spent at the Kururugi Shrine, the two had played more than a few times. Even back then, she was bright, and by what she had gathered about the Sumeragi Conglomerate, she had grown even smarter than she was.

Though she bore the image of a fragile princess, Nunnally could easily see beneath that mask. She was calm, collected, bearing the kind of face that reminded her of mountains; strong and unmovable, very much like her father when she had met him

"_I fear we will have to postpone further pleasantries, my lord."_ She gently interrupted, knowing that the time Lelouch had taken for this visit was up, and that they had to return to prepare for the final stages of the plan.

"_Time flies in good company, I'm afraid. I assume that you will not be staying with us constantly, correct? You still have a company to run... and your bodyguards seem to be nervous."_ Zero stated, sighing theatrically, while waving his left hand in annoyance.

"Indeed. And don't worry, they are always nervous. If it were up to them, I would be sitting in a windowless, steel office." She responded with a light giggle. "But they are good people, and good at what they do, so I can't really complain. So, until next time I suppose?"

"_Of course. And I would suggest that you keep watch at the news these days."_ Zero finally added as all three of them stood up. He couldn't resist the small quip, almost the same he had given Milly a while ago, when he had unveiled himself as Zero. He regretted that this conversation lasted so shortly, but there wasn't the time. Between the liberation of Japan, plots to keep Britannia on their toes and away from sending a fleet to wipe them out, and trying to lead a semi-normal life as an academy student (which, he argued, would likely be the first part of his life to vanish as his plans progressed), time was incredibly fleeting and limited. Every moment was invaluable.

With a polite nod, the figures of Zero and Ghost left the room, and the bodyguards returned.

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_March 23__rd__, Wednesday, 09:00  
Tokyo Concession, Ashford Academy  
Classrooms  
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March 23rd would likely remain one of the most unassuming days in the history of Japan, to the public at least. The day was one of relative peace, as both sides (as there were now effectively only two) licked their wounds, or more accurately, sharpened their knives. Still, if one were uninformed, they would not notice either.

The weather was good, with little more than a few clouds and pleasant warmth in the air. Many young couples had chosen the day as a fine time to go out for picnics regardless of the fact that it was the middle of the week. For a day, the fear and weight of the chaos that had enveloped Area 11 had faded to the background, letting its people enjoy the short period of peace.

Well, unless you were among the fortunate students of Ashford Academy, that is. Or more specifically, if you were one Millicent Ashford, affectionately called Milly by her friends, or a number of other things when she was outside of hearing range.

It had been barely several hours since her return from Jakarta and the currently-in-reconstruction Icarus Institute. She never noticed it that much before, but her grandfather was frighteningly efficient when he wanted something done. And the fact that she was a willing, if talented pupil seemed to have brought out the best in the old wolf.

And now, she was free to consider herself a major supporter of Lelouch vi Britannia's plans and prospects. It was a strange concept to her, the idea that she now belonged to something bigger, greater. Certainly, she had plans for the future before this, but they seemed unsurprisingly small in comparison. She couldn't say exactly how she felt about all of this, but Milly entered this world of war and intrigue with both eyes open, fully aware of all potential problems and threats. And, equally importantly, of the potential benefits and possibilities.

Milly was not by any stretch a simple woman, content to spend her life as a trophy wife to some noble in order to improve the standing of her family. She knew that, and her grandfather Ruben had known that, but her parents didn't care that much. Oh, she wanted to marry and have children, no doubts there, and she certainly wouldn't mind if her dear Lulu was the one. She would mind even less if he by that time became, say, emperor. And she was more than willing to put work into getting him there.

Ruben Ashford had put in a lot of work during the past 48 hours into analyzing their current resources and helping her plot the goals. He adamantly refused to make any decisions himself, stating that it was her job, but was more than willing to offer advice.

From what he had gathered, Lelouch's approach to obtaining financial resources was creative, but not overly efficient in terms of profit. The main benefit the buying of amounts of stock from a multitude of profitable companies under dummy corporations over a period of time was the fact that it would become untraceable to the buyer. Had it all been bought at once, it would have raised alarms, but buying roughly thirty percent, spread over seven different minor corporations, spread over three years attracted virtually no attention, until the time came and those resources were needed. The main problem in that approach, was that the companies named as owners had to be maintained and taxes had to be paid, regularly. Otherwise, Lelouch would have been tracked down sooner or later.

It still surprised Ruben just how the blind teen managed to do that, but he assumed he had another accomplice in that matter, most likely a noble who did not attract too much attention. He had promised to take a look at the possible candidates among Area 11 nobility, past and present. The impressive amount of money that Lelouch had passed their way had not appeared out of nowhere.

The second subject of importance, was the fact that Lelouch had sent her notice of two Gloucester type Knightmare Frames that had been captures, packaged and were ready to deliver wherever she wanted them. Both were on their way towards Jakarta now, and would arrive in ten days, as the cargo ship set sail this morning. She would be visiting the Icarus Institute this weekend again, and by then, the contact networks Ruben still had should gather a number of potential scientists, either from the few projects the Ashford Foundation still had an interest in (but scientific and financial), or from various other places. Personally, she had one specific person in mind she would very much like to join the Institute… and if she played her cards right, she doubted the girl would mind much. If anything, what she could provide for Nina Einstein was a joke compared to what the young genius could do for her. She had only marginally looked at the girl's work in nuclear physics… and if she was right, her ideas were years ahead of the current technology. With proper funding and equipment, she could likely make miracles. Maybe she could even get the 'Helios' project fully operational, that would be a nice piece of news to bring home.

And that in part was the third subject. The Ashford Foundation had over a dozen projects running at the time they collapsed. Her grandfather, who was still running the whole machinery at the time, pulled out all project data he could, and stored it in the one safe place where no one would ever consider to look: Ashford Academy in Japan. The fact that the country was conquered later made little difference to him, considering that the Academy was left alone by all occupation forces as the children of many of the higher ranking officers actually went there at one point, or the officers themselves did.

The Academy itself was outside the conventional plate structure of the Concession, and it had an extensive network of tunnels beneath, officially sewers for a large area, as well as a sewage control station. Unofficially, the whole thing was the cover for a small, but highly important underground facility which housed the last Ashford Foundation supercomputer and central data storage. The supercomputer was still fully operational and handled the server load for the academy as well as the majority of the calculations. The racks located in the server room handled roughly 1 percent of the total, and the rest was being leased discretely to various clients here.

If everything went well, they could field a fully functional 'Morgana' frame within a month, and devise a way to mass produce it within three. That is, if they could gather the scientists they needed… the possibilities almost made her let out a thoroughly evil laugh, the kind she knew a certain revolutionary used rather often. And by now she very much knew how to appreciate it.

In the end, the entire situation left one happy blonde girl looking forward to the rest of the day. Right now, you couldn't wipe the content smile off her face with a nuclear bomb. That fact alone made several people maintain a safe distance.

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_19:00  
Secure house within the Tokyo Concession, exact location unknown_  
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To say Villeta Nu was nervous was an understatement of the highest degree. Ever since their meeting at Narita, she had not seen her lord in person, and now he had requested that she come personally to meet him. She had chosen to wear a slightly longer coat, as well as a pair of sunglasses, to cover at least some of her appearance, and let her long hair fall normally. The place where they were meeting was almost nondescript: a small, set up apartment somewhere next to Tokyo's main shopping center, whose name slipped her constantly, Omote-something or another. Not really important, that.

Having a cup of coffee she had bought to go in some café in that shopping center was the only comfort she currently had. Though her paycheck had improved, she was still far from regaining her former state in life. The apartment she formerly lived in was lost when she lost her bonuses, as she could no longer pay her rent properly. Certainly, she covered her last payment, and still had all of her stuff, but the nice, very pleasant place was gone until she could reach a higher rank.

Eventually, the door of the apartment opened. Considering that it was opened by keycard, and that the person coming in didn't bother to hide their steps even a bit, she had little reason to doubt the identity. Regardless, she put her hand on her sidearm, ready to fire if needed.

"Dame Villeta?" the polite, well-mannered voice of her lord greeted, and she relaxed, removing her left hand from the handle of the pistol, and taking a short sip of her coffee.

"My lord, it is good to see you again in good health." She greeted, quickly getting up, and giving a slight bow.

Lelouch chuckled at her actions lightly. He was never one for formalities, but he respected the fact that she bothered that much for him. Considering the way he had drafted her into this, her so far adamant loyalty was a breath of fresh air. And loyalty, was something he very much appreciated.

"At ease my knight." He retorted kindly, but firmly. Villeta nodded, an effort lost on her lord, but ingrained into her through her military service, and sat down. Lelouch followed her example, though he carefully made his way until he could find a safe place to sit down.

"I suppose that Jeremiah hasn't told you the reason I've called you here, correct?"

"Yes, my lord." She confirmed. He could tell the slight nervousness in her voice, and he mostly understood why.

"You know, you really don't have to add 'my lord' to every sentence Villeta?"

"I apologize. I was trying my best not to disappoint you." She retorted quickly, gaze held down.

"Disappoint? So far, both you and your colleague have been nothing but absolutely magnificent in the execution of my orders... In fact, that is the reason why I explicitly forbade Jeremiah from telling you why you were called here." Lelouch continued, letting an unusually gentle smile cross his face. He had to admit it, Villeta was interesting to him. She was a beauty, no doubts about it, at least from what his sister had commented. Personally, he could only tell the contours of her face and body, and those were stunning, for the lack of a better word. On the other hand, she was capable, in every sense of the word. Jeremiah's impromptu reports had spoken very highly of her piloting skills, but he had also mentioned not doubts in her loyalty, but her uncertainty about all of this.

So, he quietly withdrew a small envelope from his jacket, putting it down on the coffee table between them. He remembered the position of it well, because he had hit his shin on it while trying to sit down.

"Consider this a small show of appreciation for your service so far. Now, before we sit down to business, is there anything you wanted to ask?" he stated, leaning back into the recliner he had taken, and focusing his sightless gaze, his left eye letting out a slight glow from the active Geass.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me more about that eye of yours?" she tried, doing her best to sound respectful and casual at the same time.

'_Initiative.'_ Lelouch mentally counted off yet another positive trait, a pleased smile crossing his lips before he responded.

"Well this is known as the Geass…" he began, retelling the tale for what seemed the hundredth time so far. The entertaining thought of writing a manual on the damn thing crossed his mind momentarily, and he forced himself to stifle a chuckle at it.

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_March 24__th__, Thursday, 03:45  
Tokyo Concession, Subways beneath the eastern section  
15 minutes until the beginning of Operation Daybreak  
4:15 until the execution of Kyoshiro Todoh_  
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"It's still a long time before dawn." C.C. muttered as she relaxed against Lelouch's chest, both of them seated _mostly_ comfortably in the cockpit of the custom Burai that they used. She was barely awake, but that was not an issue, both knew that should it be needed, she would come to her senses within moments.

Lelouch remained quiet, letting the immortal rest comfortably against him, while his own mind was going over the specifics of this plan once more. He was not a fool to assume that merely because he attacked at an opportune moment that Cornelia would so easily be defeated.

This was a trap, he had concluded ever since the date and time for the public execution had been set. Because she couldn't choose a battlefield to her own liking directly, she had issued him a challenge she knew he would not refuse, a cunning tactic worthy of his half-sister. In the facility near Tokyo, she had more than a generous number of reinforcements available to support her, as well as a massive strategic advantage of not having to concern herself with a number of rather unpleasant problems he would have to: namely logistics and retreat routes.

If this was to be a success, the entirety of this plan had to go perfectly. Eight taskforces, labeled Alpha through Theta, were ready to strike in close succession, disabling or distracting as needed, while at the same time achieving a number of long term goals he had in mind. He would also have preferred the algebraic chess notation, but this time, he would not be directing the majority of his troops, and this approach made it easier to organize everyone. Not to mention that the Four Holy Swords seemed to appreciate the scale and accuracy of the operation.

His own group was Alpha, the objective assigned being the extraction of Kyoshiro Todoh from his prison cell. Conversely, they would be among the last to act as the stage was set.

Still, he couldn't stop the unbidden smile that came to his face as he heard the noise transmitted from the outside over the internal speakers, that of a dozen knightmare frames almost simultaneously activating, telling him that the time had come far more accurately than any clock.

"Rejoice, generals of Britannia," He whispered to himself, gently nudging the sleeping girl to full consciousness "for very bad things are about to happen."

Next to him, C.C. smiled as well, knowing full well the weight his words carried. The alarm sounded, signaling that it was finally four. Operation Daybreak, had officially started.

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_03:59  
Northern Tokyo Concession, ghetto ruins  
Taskforce Theta under the command of Kaname Oghi_  
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"Everyone, begin attack on my mark!" Kaname Oghi called over the radio, pulling the controls on his Burai, and doing the same. It was… daring and audacious. Those were the only words the former teacher could use to describe what the massive operation Zero had organized seemed to be.

Each and every of the eight groups that were formed had no idea what the others were doing, but each had gotten a specific task, all in an attempt to create an opening large enough to bypass Cornelia's vast military superiority. After all, the Tokyo Concession had three major military bases placed at its edges, and each of the three could field reinforcements to the others in a matter of ten, maximum twenty minutes.

Before them was the main military airstrip, where the majority of the Knightmare Transport VTOLs were located. Looking at the timer on the main screen counting down from twenty, he leveled the large cannon he was armed with, aiming the artillery's arc through the targeting computers so it would land straight in the middle of the carriers.

This place was the reason why Britannian forces could reinforce each other so easily, as the VTOLs could get to any base within two minutes and three more to the others, delivering a contingent of Knightmares ready to strike at whatever foe attacked. And if that was insufficient, there were other bases with their own transports at a twenty minutes distance

The fact that the airbase was located at the edge of the city allowed them a degree of freedom in positioning, and they liberally used the cover the ruins of the nearby ghettos granted them, as well as the potential escape routes.

"In five…four…three…two…one…Mark!" he commanded, and opened the first salvo of the barrage, the twenty frames under his command following the same order. Hearing the ejection system on the long-range cannon release the shell, he moved, the entire group following him, as they took their next designated positions.

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The base was on standby, as always, which meant the majority of the pilots were there, switching on shifts so that they could always field at least half their number within minutes.

Such was the case with Senior Airman Jonathan Hopkirk, who was currently playing a game of poker with his fellow pilots, blissfully unaware of the chaos that was about to begin.

"Watch and weep boys. Three of a kind, Queens!" he called happily, dropping the cards on the small barrel they had been using as a table.

"Ah dammit Johnny! No one's that lucky at cards." One of the others muttered, dropping his own cards in rage.

"Bah, chill guys, there's always tomorrow night." He responded, picking up the cigars that were the stake in the game.

"Not for me, remember? I got my transfer to Area 10 approved yesterday." Another commented.

"Going to see that girlfriend of yours Charlie? Good for ya!" Johnny commented, getting up and stretching his arms. He could almost swear he heard…. Cannon fire? Whistling?

"Oh fuck… dive for cover!" he shouted, battle trained instincts kicking in as he followed his own advice, and not a moment too soon, as shells rained down upon the fifty or so VTOLs stored outside, the others were still stuck on maintenance. Before he could recover, a second barrage struck the control tower and the fuel tanks, rendering their communication useless, and lighting the entire base in the fiery explosion.

Cursing, and noticing that more than half of the group he had just been playing cards with were either wounded or gone, he got up from his cover, running towards the backup communications array, knowing that someone had to inform the other bases of what was happening.

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_04:05  
Southern Tokyo  
Taskforce Epsilon under the command of Yoshitaka Minami_  
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With almost unnatural grace, the group of ten commandos moved under cover of night. Each of the figures was quiet, taking up their positions around the target building. It was one of those positions that would be impossible to hold for a long time, but even a short infiltration was enough.

The men under his command were veterans, to the last one, all former members of the JLF. They were professional, and not one of them questioned him for a moment, quietly and efficiently executing any order he had given. The equipment was top-notch as well, he had to admit, and he couldn't complain about his own, which they had graciously provided. Though, he really didn't _have_ to be there. These people understood the mission perfectly, and could execute it without a moment's problem.

He shook his head ruefully. Zero left him with a job to do, and if he had to be a token commander to do it, then so be it. Taking one last look at the large building ahead, he smiled. Her Royal Highness certainly wasn't going to enjoy the gift they were about to leave behind.

He checked the clock on his right wrist, before doing one last check on the silenced SMG in his hands, before drawing down the night vision goggles over his head, covering the last visible bit of his face, and dropping his right hand down, giving the go signal. From this point onward, he reminded himself, they were all to maintain radio silence

Their target was the one weak spot the Britannian logistics had: their central communication array for Tokyo. The rest of Area 11 was covered by two other arrays, located at the north and south of the country, in well protected military bases, but this one was located right in the middle of Tokyo… and it had more than one weakness they could exploit.

Like the well-oiled war machine they were, the commandos moved. The timeframe for the entire operation was less than twenty minutes, with extraction, which meant that they didn't have the time to mess around. The first one moved to the door, placing a small shaped charge to destroy the locks, and moving away to detonate it, right before the entire group charged in. There would be no alarms, as the breach happened in the five second interval it took the system to switch to its backup generators.

The guards never knew what hit them as short bursts of fire struck. The group moved as one, constantly keeping cover as they breached their way towards the central control room, taking out anyone in their way.

While he waited for the breaching of the last door, Yoshitaka double-checked the device packed inside his leg pocket, and smiled only slightly beneath his mask once he was sure it was there.

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_04:15  
Taskforce Alpha under the command of Zero_  
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If there was one certain indicator, apart for his clock, that it was time to move it was the multitude of explosions that broke out through the city, coming from all corners.

"_Taskforce Alpha, run final checks and prepare to move out."_ He called through the speakers. He would have used the radio, but all groups maintained absolute radio silence for the past three hours and would continue to do so until they had evacuated the area following the operation.

Quickly, the entire group sprung and began moving, silently slipping out of the tunnels and out into the empty streets, streaking unerringly towards the prison complex.

He couldn't see, but his vision allowed him to tell the presence of all his important pieces nearby. Ghost and Kallen at his right and left flank, and the Four Holy Swords around them, while a driver followed in the trailer that contained the Gekka prepared for Todoh.

"The base is nearby, and I can already see several enemy frames deployed around it. Do you want to change anything?" C.C. asked, not bringing her eyes up from the screens.

"_Already accounted for. Keeping them busy is why I brought so many allies with me."_ Lelouch responded with a chuckle.

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'_-'This is Senior Airman Jonathan Hopkirk from the main Tokyo support airbase on secure encrypted frequency 3-5-3-8-7-6. We are under attack, I repeat we are under attack by Black Knights forces, and we are losing forces quickly. Please send…. '-'_ and that was as far as the transmission went before it dissolved into static. And it was not the first, nor the last one.

Within her mobile base parked at the exterior reach of the prison facility, Cornelia's face darkened, but a wry smirk still crossed her lips. She had expected this to occur, in fact, she had been counting on it. She was not foolish enough to expect Zero to attack only one place, but to attack five targets so far, and in close succession, with perfect coordination? He had to have over a hundred people at his disposal, and at least half of them…

"JLF… so they did join forces." She muttered, coming to the rather sordid conclusion. She had expected a joint operation, but the degree of coordination, as well as the fact that all forces fought under the banner of the Black Knights, meant that the military remnants had thrown in their lot with Zero, which further meant that she now had an effective, if small army to contend with… and they certainly were playing for keeps.

"Darlton, are our forces ready?"

"Fully ,your highness."

"Good. Take a lance to reinforce site One and send captain Gottwald with his own to reinforce site Two. Guilford, scramble the rest of all lances within the wider Tokyo area and send three lances towards the prison area. And inform the techs to prepare my personal Knightmare Frame. Also, have someone contact Earl Asplund and have the Lancelot deployed as well. I want all operational forces ready and deployed within the next ten minutes. Everyone else, monitor the situation and inform me of any changes directly. "

"Yes, your highness." Was the unanimous reply of the entire room. Content with the results, princess Cornelia left the room to join the field, fully prepared for what might be one of the most dangerous battles in her military career so far. As she walked through the corridors towards the nearby hangar, she could already feel the familiar rush of adrenaline coming up. She would never admit it to any living soul, but she could hardly wait for the battle to start. It was time to show Zero that he was not the only one who could plan ahead of time.

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_4:20  
Lance of Captain Jeremiah Gottwald  
Site Two, Britannian Tokyo Naval Submarine Facility_  
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Grunting as he dodged another shot, and speared through an enemy frame, Jeremiah had to admit his thoughts weren't on the current battle. Years of piloting kept his instincts sharp and his reaction time fearsome. Enough so, that he found it no great effort to dodge.

Two Black Knight frames tried to engage him in close range. The information that his lord had given him reminded him that these were Burai frames, modified Glasgows. They were nothing special, but they were cheap to manufacture, and easy to pilot, hence their use as frontline units.

Both were armed with assault rifles, and kept opening fire at him, hoping that the small distance would cause him problems with dodging. _'Fools. And these are the people that serve my lord? How disappointing. I shame I won't have the pleasure of engaging the Guren though. That would have been a good battle to test myself.'_

Effortlessly, he slid between the two, piercing the first one with his lance, while extending the tonfa on his right arm to take out the second by crashing his head and arm. The pilots didn't remember to eject, and only one emergency ejection system had fired. The other frame simply exploded.

'_You have free reign. In fact, I want you to inflict as much damage as possible on the troops, but try and avoid killing pilots if possible.'_ Those were the words Lelouch had used. It didn't take Jeremiah long to figure out that he planned this to further galvanize his troops, remind them that they were fighting a powerful opponent, and fighting a war. If it were to be his duty, he didn't mind that much, and he dived into it fiercely.

Which brought him back to his thoughts. One subject in particular was prominent: his fellow knight, or dame, Villeta and her reactions after returning from her conversation with Lelouch. She seemed surprisingly calm and content. Something had happened there, but she wasn't really in the mood to discuss it, and left. Her performance in the battle today was exemplary, even a clear improvement from her simulator results, which made him quite happy.

Well, Villeta wasn't a small girl, she could take care of herself. He made a mental note to ask her to join him for drinks after this was over.

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_Prison facility, block C_  
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Resting in quiet meditation, Kyoshiro Todoh prepared himself for his coming death. The solid sound proofing ensured that he didn't hear the sound of explosions coming from the outside, so he was certain of his oncoming death in a matter of hours. He wasn't exactly aware of the time, but it was meaningless to him.

Todoh was a warrior, and his honor and pride demanded he not beg for mercy or any such foolishness. He had accepted death end years ago, and would not shrink from it now.

The sound of footsteps disturbed his meditation ever so slightly. He ignored it at first, somewhat hoping that the person was not going to bother him, but he knew better. During the past 24 hours, most of the cell block had been emptied, leaving only him there.

"Bad luck prisoner." The guard announced, keys clicking in his hands. "Orders came to have you executed ahead of schedule."

"I am hardly concerned. I embraced death already, and a few hours make little difference." Todoh responded flatly, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Your funeral. Any last words?" the guard asked, opening the door, and going slowly for his pistol.

"You might want to move." Todoh calmly replied, not letting his voice change by an octave.

"Huh?" was all the guard managed to intelligently ask before the wall behind him was crushed, and himself with it.

"_General Todoh, your deliverance has come."_ A modulated voice that the former officer easily recognized saluted him.

"Zero. What brings you here?" he greeted, sounding mildly bored, as if Zero had interrupted something.

"_Your freedom of course…" _he stated, trailing off as he walked towards the older man, not in the least put out by the man's antics.

"I have already accepted my death, and you have taken a great risk, putting my former subordinates in needless danger." Todoh stated

"_It was necessary. The Black Knights, no, Japan itself needs the brilliant mind behind the miracle of Itsukushima."_

"You like your overly dramatic speeches Zero, I'll admit that much. Do you perhaps want me to create a miracle for you as well?" Todoh responded casually, though a slight hint of irritation was beginning to make itself known.

"_Hardly. Itsukushima was no miracle. It was a sound military victory, based on brilliant strategy and accurate intelligence. Besides…"_ Zero stopped, taking off his helmet and revealing the smiling face of Lelouch vi Britannia to the now thoroughly surprised general "I made a promise, didn't I Todoh-sensei?"

The first reaction Todoh had, was shock, quickly followed by entertainment at the sheer irony of the situation, and then by grim determination as he stood up, somewhat unbalanced by his tied arms.

"That you did. And as I see, you still keep your promises. Blind, outgunned and outnumbered, and you still did it. You'll have to explain that to me some day." He stated, looking as if thoughtful for a moment.

"So be it, take me out of here and I shall help." The man responded firmly, a bit of the fire Lelouch remembered returning to the man's voice. Without further ado, Lelouch returned his mask to its place, and moved to release his newest ally.

'_Phases one through five accomplished. All conditions for phase six achieved.'_ Lelouch mentally counted off. Now, all that remained was for the penultimate phase of his plan to work.

"_This is Zero, begin phase six."_ He ordered into the small earpiece built into his mask. _"Kallen, we need to leave. Now!"_

'_-' Zero, as predicted, Cornelia's command lance is moving in to intercept. We are holding them off for now.'-'_ the voice of Kosetsu Urabe called back, confirming yet another thing he had expected.

"_Good. We are coming."_

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_4:25  
Command Lance of Cornelia li Britannia_  
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Outside, Cornelia found herself smirking from atop her Knightmare. She had planned for this, and quite well in fact, if the fifty frames that were parked around the area, aiming weapons at the group, were any indication.

The members of Taskforce Alpha remained undaunted by her threats, even when surrounded by vastly superior firepower. If anything, they closed ranks, protecting the two frames that carried Zero and Todoh.

"I would suggest you surrender, Zero. You are outnumbered and outgunned. Go peacefully, and I will not order to have you shot." She commanded, a satisfied smirk on her lips. Zero would not be getting out of this one, not if she had anything to do about it. Suddenly, a loud beep informed her that she had an incoming transmission, and the image soon showed Zero's masked face. She didn't know how, but she could tell the bastard was smiling behind it.

'_-'You give a good argument lady Cornelia.'-'_ Zero offered his response over the link. _'-'Allow me to present my rebuttal.'-'_

_

* * *

_

**Author's notes:** And cut. Yes, I know, evil cliffhanger and all that. All shall be revealed in due time.

Anyway, to clear up a few things. Next chapter will be the end of this wacky operation, and I will post the first official command structure of the Order of the Black Knights. Sadly, since doesn't support any form of graphics, I'll have to type it out. Ugh…

This is the penultimate battle between Zero and Cornelia, at least as I have planned so far. The next chapter is going the conclusion of this, as well as the preparation for several others things, then goes another mostly peaceful chapter... and then all hell breaks loose. That's the general outline I have planned so far, and for the time being, I will stick to it.

There is a distinct possibility that there will be a time skip at some point there, I am as of yet undecided, but I have a number of mechanisms in mind to achieve it, and very few of them consider being captured by Britannia.

Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and leave reviews. Considering that almost three hundred people have favorited the story, I'll be disappointed if I don't get at least 10% of that in reviews :D


	20. Tides of War : Divide by Zero

**Author's Ramblings:** Well, that was a pleasant response to the last chapter. I originally had three separate scenarios as to what could happen here, but I've chosen this one. You'll likely figure out why.

And yes, the title is silly. Deal with it.

I'll leave the rest of the comments for the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 19 : Tides of War : Divide by Zero

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_March 24__th__, Thursday, 4:25  
Tokyo Concession, Eastern Section, prison facility_  
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'_-'You give a good argument lady Cornelia.'-'_ Zero offered his response over the link. _'-'Allow me to present my rebuttal.'-'_

Those words were enough to have Cornelia tense. A mixture of fear, tension and excitement coursed through her mind, leaving her hands almost shaking and cold sweat running down her neck.

'_Dammit.' _she thought _'The bastard expected this to happen, he planned for it. Which means that he already has a counter… but what?_'

Suddenly, the screen before her changed, the image of Zero rapidly replaced by another, that of a bedroom viewed through something that very much seemed like a… scope of a sniper rifle, and a person within, sleeping on the bed. It took her all the time of half a second to connect the dots and recognize the person at the crosshairs.

"You bastard…" she muttered, half tempted to order her troops to shoot him, everything be damned. It was her sister, sleeping, just as she knew she had left her less than an hour ago

'_-'Ah, ah, ah… All I desire is saf…'-' _Zero continued, only to be rudely interrupted by a warning siren and have his transmission cut off by another. Quickly, the integrated computer pulled out what was declared as a priority transmission. She cursed inwardly at the disruption, but focused on it regardless. If anything, she knew that her own men wouldn't pull anything stupid, and that Zero was at least honorable enough to wait a bit before shooting.

The small screen revealed mostly static, though she could tell a figure behind it, panicked, and dressed in an officer's uniform. Major, if her eyes served her well. Before the man could even begin speaking, the sound of gunfire echoed in the background.

'_-'To… Britannian officers… secure frequency… this is major… Howe, Chinese Federation amphibious forces… spotted on approach vector 6-5-1 headed for Tokyo. The communication … overrun by Black…'-'_ the decidedly male voice spoke, breaking up after every other word, constantly followed by continuing gunfire, until it was finally cut off by a shot to the computers as a figure charged into the background of the screen.

'_What…? No, he couldn't have coordinated a goddamn Chinese assault into this, there's just no way.'_ She thought balanced, on the brink between panic and rage. _'Unless… this could be a fake. I wouldn't put it past him to organize something like this.'_

Moving quickly, she reached for the communication console, manically putting in the various frequencies she would normally use to connect to any of the bases via the network.

"Connection failed, connection failed…" she muttered to herself as she realized just what the Black Knights had done. The entire grid was down, and they were cut off.

It was a real catch 22 here, either save her sister and fight of the possibly invading forces, or attack Zero and risk losing both her sister and the city. Not for the first time, Cornelia's choice was clear.

Then, the sound of cannon fire in the distance broke out, followed by the whistling of shells.

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Smiling beneath his mask, Zero activated the short range radio network that they had been using the entire time since the Black Knights were formed, and issued the last orders.

"_Begin phase six."_ He commanded with absolute calm, knowing that his every objective had been achieved and that the opening he needed to obtain victory had just been created.

Ending any further attempt at communication with Cornelia, Zero observed as the four members of the Holy Swords quickly spread out, bringing to bear the chaff smoke dispensers Rakshata had integrated into the Gekka models.

The response of the Britannian army was quick, a part of the troops separating, most likely to check on the 'invasion' and failed communications, while the other directly engaged their troops, though it was a halfhearted effort at best.

As soon as the cover even slightly formed, the entirety of Taskforce Alpha disabled all long-range sensors, activating the reprogrammed short-range ones that Rakshata configured to allow a decent amount of mobility within the chaff smoke. With absolute precision, the group charged forward, using the previously plotted escape route.

Dodging the enemies easily, they reached the trailer, depositing Todoh quickly while the others provided cover. Within seconds, the fifth Gekka model, colored a midnight black activated and surged out. The Black Knights' newest strike force was finally complete and fielded, and the final advantage Zero needed to make a breakthrough was achieved.

Without any more vulnerable spots, their ranks broke as they proceeded to dismantle any Britannian attempt at preventing their escape, the chaff smoke providing enough cover to avoid any long range attacks while still having enough visibility thanks to the recalibrated sensors and short range IFF bursts.

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'_-'Man, these Gekkas sure handle good.'-'_ Todoh could hear the familiar voice of his subordinate over the short-range radio. Kosetsu Urabe was always talkative, but he rarely minded. The man did his job with dedication

"Cut the radio chatter Urabe." He amusedly cut him off, finally getting used to the new cockpit of his frame while his quite lethal sword bisected another Britannian frame. A short bit away, that Kozuki girl and Ghost had taken up working in tandem to protect Zero from any approaching forces, and were doing an exemplary job. He couldn't tell just what she was doing, but wherever Ghost passed, enemy pilots seemingly lost control of their Knightmares, and she and her partner would quickly destroy them. He noticed one other thing, that Ghost's Burai not once landed a blow that immediately killed an enemy pilot, giving them enough time to eject, which was quite curious, concerning how effective she was.

'_-'But its true sir, compared to the Burais, these things are faster and more agile… not to mention better armed.'-'_ Asahina added a few seconds later.

'_-'Gah! Will you two giant mecha otakus focus on the enemies and not on your new toys? Men, argh! We're trying to get out of here alive.'-'_ A third voice, one he easily categorized as Chiba Nagase sharply interceded, bringing up a chuckle from the fourth. _'-'Besides, there's a bunch of Britannians between us and the way out.'-_'

He couldn't help but smile at the way they interacted. Even with the collapse of the Japanese Liberation Front, not much had seemingly changed. If anything, they all seemed to have grown stronger since then. Hope, it seemed, still burned bright, and he would not allow it to be extinguished.

"Nagase is right. Maintain formation. There will be time to celebrate and joke around later!" he ordered, charging into the fray, with the four falling into place behind him.

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As the Black Knights finally broke out of the courtyard of the prison facility, two figures stood in front of a whole lance of Britannian frames. Piloting the Lancelot and a customized Gloucester respectively, Suzaku and Guilford had prepared to engage the enemy.

Suzaku was nervous, but also partially glad. He wasn't looking forward to being the one to execute his old mentor and friend, and not for the first time, he was reminded of the words Zero had spoken to him in that abandoned theater in Shinjuku.

Now, however, was not a time to consider his moral issues, but to stop Zero. Behind him was an entire lance of frames, ready to strike, as well as their commander, Gilbert G.P. Guilford, himself a highly capable pilot.

Just how Zero managed to outmaneuver Cornelia's forces was beyond him, but he heard the news about a Chinese invasion. Thankfully, he had his orders here, so that was one thing he didn't have to be concerned about. Darlton and Gottwald would handle the matter, he was certain.

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'_-'Zero, you will not pass!'-'_ Suzaku's voice shouted over the radio line, forcing the green-haired pilot of the Burai to shake her head for a moment to rid herself of the buzzing the shout produced.

"_Confident, isn't he? Kallen, Ghost, break off and engage. Aim to disable, not kill."_ Zero amusedly commanded.

'_-'On it!./Yes my lord!'-' _the duo responded quickly, immediately surging forward to engage the two enemies.

"_Todoh! Provide support, make sure that they aren't overwhelmed."_ he continued. Lelouch was quite certain that the man would have done so willingly even without his prompting, but there was that sometimes inconvenient chain of command detail. It wouldn't do to have Kallen and Nunnally overwhelmed because he was busy procrastinating.

'_-'Understood'-'_

"_This is getting bothersome…C.C., do you think we can persuade Rakshata to install some sort of device to make tea?"_ He asked lazily, letting his head fall back on the headrest.

"Only if it comes with a pizza compartment." The immortal responded casually.

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"_Kozuki! Help me get close in!"_ Ghost shouted over the radio as she took lead, sliding towards the two enemies in her stolen Gloucester, lance held trailing to her right. The frame was a godsend, and its great agility the edge she really needed to wreak havoc on the enemy.

With Suzaku on the left, and Guilford on the right, Ghost charged down the middle, taking a low swing at the legs of Guilford's Gloucester. The veteran knight effortlessly dodged the swipe with a short jump, but Suzaku had already jumped to the right, firing off a slash harken at her chest.

Without a moment's delay, Kallen swooped in, grabbing the wire of the slash harken with her right arm, and cutting it off with the fork knife in her left. With a swift twist, the knife stood parallel to the ground, leaving the arm-mounted gun free to fire at the Lancelot.

'_-'Got you covered. I'll bring the Lancelot in closer.'-'_ the pilot responded over the radio, her smirk palpable in her voice as she fired off her own slash harken at a nearby building to leap over the Lancelot, landing on the opposite side.

"_Have fun." _she responded, swiftly pulling the lance to strike at the chest of Guilford's frame, while her left hand pulled close to the chaos mine on her belt, ready to toss it the moment a good opportunity presented itself.

'_Come on, come on, just a little slip up so I can end this already…'_ Nunnally thought as she once more traded blows with the Knight of Cornelia. Dammit if the man wasn't a skilled pilot, he left little to no openings, and for the first time, she was faced with an enemy that had such a large edge on her. But Nunnally was no pushover either, and all it would take was…

'_-'Do your magic, Ghost!'-'_ Kallen's voice alerted her, and beneath her mask, the sigil on her right eye glowed brightly.

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Later, Gilbert G.P. Guilford would remember it as one of the most frightening duels in his life, the way his and Major Kururugi's defeat had occurred. He had never seen its like before, nor did he expect to again from anyone else.

In a moment, his every sense of perception was brutally shattered as a mixture of jumbled up senses replaced his own. It was like he was being in several places at once, hearing one thing, seeing another, and feeling a third on his skin. The second it had taken both him and Kururugi to recover was more than enough for the two Valkyries they fought to take advantage.

Switching partners effortlessly, Ghost's Gloucester had slid its long lance straight through the arm that held the MVS on the poor Lancelot, while firing a slash harken at the other one, damaging both substantially, before slamming the Gloucester's entire weight into it, bringing the Lancelot falling to the ground.

He was less fortunate, as the Guren MK-II grabbed his lance with its metallic hand, and the weapon began bubbling up from the microwave torrent that was sent at it, while the left arm was once more aimed, this time at his left leg. The shot didn't rip it off, but the servos were dead. He would do little more than limp from here on out. Quickly casting away the lance, his arm went towards the assault rifle he kept on him, but it was already too late. In close combat, _nothing_ could stand up to the Guren, and a moment later, he found that the same metallic arm that had destroyed his lance was now grasping the head of his Knightmare.

'_-'Eject. You won't get a second chance Britannian scum.'-' _the pilot of the Guren commanded angrily, visibly displeased by this course of action, but still compliant with what he guessed were orders from above. As he considered whether to do so or not, he could feel the heat as a part of the Knightmare started to melt, and without a second thought, pulled the ejection lever.

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Each from their own position, the two leaders of their respective armies acknowledged the fact that the battle was over. Lelouch had ordered all of his forces to cease firing and lose any pursuit, while Cornelia was busy trying to reestablish her chain of command and communications.

By the time dawn had come, the only evidence of the battle that had taken place was the damage that had been dealt to the Britannian bases around the Tokyo Concession. The planned execution would not occur, and the media frenzy would be unpleasant at best. For Cornelia, at least.

Gently lifting the mask from his face, Lelouch smiled contently, enjoying the awareness of a well formulated plan being executed flawlessly.

"You won't start gloating, will you?" C.C. asked amusedly, the slight jibe not lost on the teen.

"I wasn't intent on it, but if you insist…" he retorted with a chuckle. He could almost tell the shaking of her head.

The pilot seat was anything _but_ comfortable for two people, and yet, they had both gotten used to it over the time. Funny, now that he thought about it, he would likely find it strange if he were sitting alone.

"Run me a secure frequency to Nunnally and Kallen, will you? I believe congratulations are in order." He said a few seconds later a warm smile spreading on his lips.

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_March 24__th__, Thursday, 20:23  
Tokyo Concession  
Viceroy Palace, offices of Viceroy Cornelia li Britannia_  
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Fooled, deceived and outmaneuvered. Cornelia could do nothing but sigh as she realized just how little she truly knew of her enemy's skills and capabilities. Zero had weaved a deception the likes of which she had never expected on a battlefield, while at the same time minimalizing casualties on his side, and leaving virtually no collateral nor civilian damage. He had managed to persuade her that Euphemia was under gunpoint, and the nearly entire command staff around Tokyo that there was a Chinese amphibious fleet arriving.

To her surprise, Euphemia was never at risk, as the so-called live feed coming from Zero's sniper turned out to be a recording once they had it checked, from roughly two hours before the attack began. It had been the first decoy, out of four.

The five attacks she knew about, plus the one that went at the prison facility itself were not the only ones. She had only found out about an hour after the battle was over when the communications grid was reestablished. First, was an attack at the heart of their communications, and a temporary takeover. Major Howe, who was in charge of the building was found dead, his neck snapped, and stripped of his uniform. All camera records were erased, and the handful of survivors who managed retain consciousness despite their wounds described the intruders who captured the base as a team of commandos, eerily reminiscent of their own spec-ops.

The objective of the operation was now obvious: it was the source of the fake transmission about invading Chinese troops, the second of four decoys meant to break her awareness and sow chaos among the troops.

And then, the third decoy: the crashing of the entire communications network into static once the announcement was done, rendering her every attempt to investigate the truth of the situation impossible, at least for long enough that Zero could slip away.

Finally, there was the fourth decoy, the attack of the eight group, coming directly at their back, and from a decent range, while Zero's unit was quickly covered by a smokescreen in the short interval she wasn't paying attention. Within seconds, the four units that she guessed were likely the Four Holy Swords had spread out, dodging every attempt at attack and engulfing the entire area in smoke. Additionally, it seemed that the smoke interfered with their scanners.

Thus, Zero and his troops escaped under the cover of chaos with minimal casualties. Darlton and Gottwald managed to deal substantial damage to two groups they encountered, but they still arrived far too late to prevent the enemy from achieving their objective. A total of twenty enemy frames were destroyed on Gottwald's side, and a further sixteen on Darlton's, but that was a drop in the ocean compared to the overall damage the Black Knights accomplished. Guilford and Kururugi were unharmed, bu the same could not be said of their Knightmares, pride and lance.

The surgical precision with which all the bases surrounding Tokyo were struck was frightening, and the total collateral damage would now leave substantial openings if they were to attempt to give chase. Worse still, there was the distinct possibility of a _real_ Chinese Federation attack on their territory now that their numbers were thinned from constant combat with the Black Knights.

Even with all she had taken into account, she had still underestimated Zero… if she were to compare him to someone, it would likely be Schneizel, though by some accounts, Zero frightened her even more. Worse still, she only now realized one very irritating detail: despite what it may seemed like, Zero had never actually threatened Euphemia. He merely showed an image, and let her mind do the rest as he bombarded her with further worries. Goddamn psychological warfare.

At least one good thing remained here. To anyone observing from the outside, this would seem like little more than skirmishes, and very few apart for her and her inner circle had any awareness of the actual level of threat that Zero represented, meaning she would not be pressured as much as she could be otherwise. And she had a decent number of destroyed enemy frames to show for their effort, thankfully.

Giving up on cursing things she couldn't change, she returned to the two tasks that had to be handled immediately. The first was a requisition for further help, most notably, a recall for the Glaston Knights. The second was equally important, a selection of potential candidates for the position of Euphie's knight. There was a third matter, one of great importance as well: the survival of Marianne's children.

"Lady Cornelia." Two voices simultaneously greeted, voices she recognized as Andreas Darlton and Gilbert G.P. Guilford, two people she could always count on.

"Perfect timing." She responded calmly, most of her worries submerged beneath her newfound drive to achieve whatever was possible. Neither would notice the first seeds of true fear in her mind.

"You've noticed the number of issues that have cropped up. Our influence within the region is faltering, the Black Knights grow stronger by the day and so does the popular support for Zero."

"I assume you have a plan, my lady?"

"I'm afraid that you will have to recall your sons Andreas. We need the presence and skills of the Glaston Knights here and as soon as humanly possible."

"I will make the calls."

"Guilford, did you finish what I asked of you?"

"Of course. Here is the list of all suitable candidates. All from respectable families, with very promising military careers." The bespectacled knight quickly responded, offering a large folder to the princess, who merely gave it a cursory look before depositing it on her desk.

"Now, do we have any news on Marianne's children?" she pressed on, planning to get all of this done and get some decent sleep tonight. She hadn't laid to rest since the previous morning

"None my lady. After the invasion, all traces are lost, and our tracking of Major Kururugi did little to reveal anything, he either knows nothing, or is very careful to hide his tracks. There is one thing. Your sister…"

"Continue."

"She has been spending an increasing amount of time in the company of Major Kururugi. From what I can tell, the relationship is… platonic at worst." Guilford stated, doing his best to cut down any needless concerns at the root. While he didn't necessarily approve of Suzaku Kururugi, the teen was officer material without a doubt. Had he been born a Britannian, he would have been his first choice of recommendation for Euphemia's knight. Like this however, he was a politically inconvenient choice, and while the princess could still chose him, it wasn't the wisest of choices.

"Uhm… your highness, there is one thing I should perhaps mention about Lelouch and Nunnally." Darlton interceded before he left. "Jeremiah Gottwald informed me that himself and Villeta Nu were running their own investigation of the matter, and that Villeta apparently saw the siblings before her loss of memory during the incident in Shinjuku ghetto. He claims the reason for his hesitance so far, was because he doubted they would be believed."

"With reason… although after what happened in the battle here, I am no longer so certain." Gilbert commented, reminding himself of his own bizarre experience against Ghost. A shiver ran up his spine at that memory. Kururugi had confirmed it was the same thing that had happened to him in Shinjuku.

"That's funny. Wherever I look, it all trails back to that forsaken ghetto, and the battle prince Clovis lost there. Just what happened there?" Cornelia muttered to herself, but both of the men present heard, and more importantly agreed.

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March 25th, Friday, 00:37  
Tokyo Concession, subways beneath Saitama ghetto  
Temporary headquarters of the Order of the Black Knights  
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It is often said, that in war, truth is the first casualty, and that all warfare is based on deception. That, does not take into account that the truth can be the most terrible of all deceptions if wielded properly.

Lelouch _knew_ that, and he knew it very well. Seated upon his bed though, he really didn't have the presence of mind to appreciate it anymore.

The debriefing had taken hours, hours he really could have used up sleeping, and by the time that was done, Kaguya started a teleconference, informing him of a number of details concerning the Black Knights, focusing mostly on the supplies and the new equipment they would be delivering. And then there were Yoshitaka and Reid's reports, not to mention a lengthy letter from an institution called the Icarus institute, which his by then addled mind could barely connect to the Ashford Foundation.

He was drained beyond reason, the strain from his eye, which seemed to be worse than usual, the stress, tension and finally adrenaline burnout left him exhausted. It was a trend, he irately realized. Every battle he faced recently left him tired, not physically, but mentally, and it was a side of himself that he couldn't afford to show much. If things continued as they did, he would break apart at the seams.

"Tired Lelouch?" C.C. asked with an unusual degree of kindness.

"Very much so." He trailed off, dropping his body onto the soft mattress.

"Then why do you force yourself so much? If your min can't handle the strain, you _will_ break, and that will be the end of it all. If not for yourself, worry for your sister." She offered a mild rebuke, uncrossing her arms as she walked closer to the half-conscious figure of her partner and... contractee.

"Because I have to." He responded. There was much sadness in that voice, tiredness, but also hint of something frightening. "I have bloodied my hands already. Stories like mine… don't get a happy ending. The king stands and falls… alone."

Turning onto his stomach, mostly to hide the worried look on his face, Lelouch sighed before continuing, and putting his hands beneath his head for comfort.

"All that remains is that I achieve that which I set out to do."

He was surprised when he felt a pair of soft, gentle hands press down on his shoulders.

"You are a fool Lelouch." C.C. spoke softly, the words truthful, but without any rebuke or malice, as she began kneading his tense muscles "The burden is not yours alone to bear, and you were not the only one who made this his or her choice. You have two partners, who will stand with you regardless of everything. I will _not_ betray you, nor leave you to fall alone. Nunnally would never even consider it. Then, there is Milly, who knows almost everything about you, and _loves_ you, following you willingly of her own desire. You have two knights who have sworn themselves to you, both willing to stand loyally with you till the bitter end."

Lelouch chose to remain perfectly quiet, letting out only the occasional moan as the immortal witch dealt with his tense muscles, moving until she was kneeling over him, but not putting any of her weight on his body.

"Your path may lead downwards to Hell, but you don't have to walk it alone… and besides, knowing you, the first thing you would do down there is consider how to take the Devils throne." She added, her features slowly moving from serious to relaxed, a smile breaking on her features. Lelouch chuckled at her comment, slowly sinking into sleep at her gentle ministrations. Content that her goal was achieved, C.C. slowly began humming a nursery rhyme she could remember, and continued doing as she did until Lelouch was long since asleep.

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Outside the room, Nunnally smiled beneath her mask, and left the two to their own devices, walking away with her heart lightened, if only slightly. She too, was quite tired from today's actions, as wreaking havoc amongst Cornelia's troops as they made their breach was not easy. Even less easy was taking out all of Suzaku's senses when they encountered him during the retreat and switching them with that of another pilot.

Still, it was little when compared to the strain Lelouch was suffering. She had already taken up as much of his burden as she could, but there were limits, and she had only a fraction of his strategic skills to fall back on, not closely enough to truly reduce the burden. And there was nothing she could do about the strain his vision produced, she doubted there was anything that really could. Medicine wasn't really focused into developing counters for sensory overflow, which was exactly what his problem was.

She shook her head lightly. Her brother could act foolishly at times, but he was no idiot. He had spent seven years doing everything he could to make sure he would never be a burden to her. It was abhorrent to her to even consider letting herself become one to him. And such thoughts… they did more harm than good.

"You would be Ghost, correct?" a voice she quickly recognized as Todoh startled her from her thoughts.

"_I would, Kyoshiro Todoh. May I ask why?"_ she responded colloquially, turning to face the former military man. Inwardly, she could almost laugh as the officer stood practically at attention, the long ingrained military discipline not having left him regardless of the time that had passed. He still looked almost the same as he was seven years ago when he trained Suzaku and helped Lelouch, regal, honorable, the very image of old the Japanese samurai caste, lacking merely a sword and suit of armor to complete the effect. The man had changed from his prison uniform into more comfortable clothes, though he seemed oddly out of place without his uniform on.

"To be honest, I merely wanted to talk. I am told you are among the few who are quite close to Zero." He spoke calmly.

"_Perhaps it is so. My lord is a complex man, and I cannot claim to know his thoughts."_ Nunnally responded. _"But then again, I am also unwilling to reveal anything I do know, and he is not willing to share."_

Nunnally understood the game he was playing very well. After the merger of the two organizations, loyalty was going to pose a problem, so the general was trying to gauge all of those who were close to Zero. While the more cynical and paranoid part of her was worrying about the potential for betrayal and a hostile takeover, she _understood_ the kind of man Kyoshiro Todoh was. If he would take over, he would do so only with Lelouch's approval, or in the case of his death or disablement. He had pledged his support to her brother's cause, and he was bound by his honor, pride and duty.

"I am glad to see that my new ally is surrounded with capable and loyal followers." He stated, letting his head drop slightly, but the knowing smile was obvious and understood by Nunnally.

"_Indeed. Though I do wonder, has he become what you had expected?"_ she asked calmly, and walked away before he had gotten a chance to respond.

"No… he hasn't." he finally stated with a smile, well after Ghost had already left his sight. And that perhaps, in Todoh's mind, wasn't such a bad thing.

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04:00  
Northern edge of Area 11, unidentified location on the shoreline  
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A rather inconspicuous fishing boat quietly approached the shore, stopping roughly a hundred meters from it.

If anyone were to visit the boat, they would likely notice the smell of gasoline as well as almost absolute silence. Slowly, methodically, the cherubic figure of Rollo Halliburton moved along the deck, dragging a fresh corpse. After moving it below-deck, he removed a small detonator from his backpack and placed it next to the corpse, and right on the can of spare gas the ship used, and punched in a countdown of five minutes. Taking up all of his needed equipment, which consisted of the backpack and a large, waterproofed case, he tied them together and threw them overboard, himself following moments later.

The case was quite light, a convenient detail that allowed him to carry it easily, as well as allowing it to float. Grabbing onto the edge, he swam towards the shore, reaching just seconds before a rather small explosion engulfed the ship, dragging it to the bottom. Seeing how effective it was, Rollo made a mental note to research weak points on the hull for the next time he needed something like this.

Dragging his equipment onto the shore, he moved in the cover of darkness, following a small navigation device attached to his wrist right beneath his sleeve to a house relatively closely which was prepared for him. It would be a safe haven for the next twenty-four hours, just enough for him to make a decent plan, and establish all operational parameters before moving onward.

It was easy to avoid attention this early in the morning. The small house was rather isolated, and due to the presence of smugglers and pirates in the region, few would bother with the explosion. At best, a patrol boat would be sent at some point.

Content with the level of secrecy he could maintain, the young teen entered the house, and began his preparation, bringing out a small computer as well as a satellite uplink, quickly connecting to the OSI secure network.

"Let's see here…" he muttered as his fingers began tapping on the keyboard rapidly, inputting the various clearances required until he could access the database he needed.

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_08:45  
Ashford Academy_  
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It was not the first time that Suzaku found himself wandering around the academy grounds aimlessly, killing the last few minutes before classes started. While there were alternatives, he had already caused Lelouch and Nunnally enough problems by his actions, and didn't want to attract more undue attention to them than he already did. At least, the students no longer shunned him for his status. The show of force made by Milly and Lelouch pretty much obliterated any resistance to his seamless integration into the academy, while his kindness did the rest

And, there was so much to think about, to his endless joy.

Suzaku Kururugi wasn't a man prone to plotting and scheming, but the circle of society he was moving was beginning to grow on him.

'_Like a mold, or fungus.' _ He dryly noted, before returning to the subject of his thoughts: the fact that there was now a person very close to princess Cornelia li Britannia who had experienced those strange powers that Ghost and Zero seemed to wield against their foes. The plotting part of those thoughts was that he finally stood a chance of achieving something, and maybe getting closer to finding out just who the hell Zero actually was. And Ghost as well. There had to be a reason for the cape and mask, right?

It took some effort to make his way towards the classrooms, sleepy as he was. The cleanup yesterday had taken much of his time, and Lloyd was close to howling, for not only had his precious Lancelot been damaged, but they had next to no new data for him to work on. Meaning that Cecile did her best to send him to school… in other words, to keep him from being a viable target of the man's insane tendencies.

'_Things could be worse, right?'_ he mused quietly, until he noticed the very familiar face of a blond girl. Grinning. At him.

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**Author's notes: **And cut here. Nothing much to say, I hope you enjoyed the battle, and the thoughts on both sides afterward.

Frankly, I'm too tired to write long comments here. Notably, I am glad that the previous chapter broke review number records so far, topping at 32. Pleasant surprise that...

Anyway, I think I gave sufficient reasoning for the layered gambit and the way it turned out. Keep in mind that the entire thing occurred in less than five minutes.

Oh, and if you notice any mistakes, do let me know.

And... that's pretty much all I've got. Before my brain shuts down spontaneously, read, review, and all that. And see you next time.


	21. The Choices People Make

**Author's Ramblings:** Chapter 20... wow. I haven't started writing this so long ago and it really snowballed out of control. And to think, I still haven't come to a point where I know how much longer will it take to end.

And so far, we have over 400 reviews, 300+ both favorites and alerts... it is nice to see a story appreciated. Really, it is.

But I won't spend my time writing needless stuff here. Enjoy the chapter.

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_Chapter 20 : The Choices People Make_

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_March 25__th__, Friday, 12:00  
Ashford Academy_  
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The past few weeks were some of the strangest she could remember. To Shirley Fennete, the fact that she had her date with Lelouch should have made her either happy or angry, depending on how said date turned out.

She was neither. Confusion had been the only result of the event, and it kept growing. On one hand, her feelings for Lelouch hadn't left her, instead only growing stronger, but she now realized one rather worrying truth… she knew very little of the man who had interested her so much, which was perhaps the reason for her interest. What drew the man that was Lelouch Lamperouge to his choices and actions? Why did he waste his time playing chess for money instead of focusing on his studies an ensuring a solid future for himself, and his sister, for whom he obviously cared very deeply?

And most importantly of all, what had changed in the last month? Lelouch had been absent more than ever, and yet it seemed that neither the teachers, nor Milly made much of a fuss about it. Both facts were strange, and not only to her mind. Not to mention that Nunnally had recently begun joining him in his escapades. How they simply dropped off the radar whenever they wanted was beyond her.

Finally completing her batch of homework, she turned to the only other person in the room (There was Arthur, but, despite popular opinion, he wasn't capable of holding an intelligent conversation). Rivalz, was as always, keeping himself busy, but the teen was feeling slightly down recently, mostly because his friend was either gone or dead tired half the time.

"Hey, Rivalz?" she called, bringing the teen up from his stack of papers.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Milly?"

"The Prez was around here somewhere just a while ago." he responded, face scrounged up in what he usually called his 'thinking pose'. "Dare I ask why? I think she had her sights set on poor Suzaku this morning."

It was perhaps unnecessary to say that both felt a shiver run up their spines at the words, both considering saying a prayer for their unfortunate friend.

"Something I wanted to ask her…" Shirley trailed off, turning her face slightly away.

"Agh… what is it with you people and secrets? First Lelouch cuts me out of our usual chess runs, and goes with Nunnally instead, then Milly starts going on 'academy business', then Nina joins her from yesterday, and now you? Damn, I need a hobby. Am I the only one here who's not hiding something?" Rivalz melodramatically complained, though Shirley could tell it was mostly good-natured joking, rather than being truly angry.

"Sorry…" she offered, smiling apologetically to her friend. "I'm worried about Lelouch, and I think Milly may know something I don't."

"That might be true. Besides, I'd really like to know what they are all up to." Rivalz agreed.

"Really…" Shirley added in her own form of agreement. "But how are we going to ask if we don't know where they are?" she asked a few moments later, and Rivalz felt the distinct urge to groan.

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"Hm. Black on the move, white has a material advantage, but a positional disadvantage."

Sitting with absolute calm, Lelouch considered his next move. Cornelia had drastically tightened up her security, meaning there would be precious few openings for him to use. Suzaku was hiding something he wanted to say but he couldn't gather the courage to do so. The Black Knights were growing better organized by the day, and with Todoh and his Four Holy Swords helping train the troops, the overall quality would improve, but that still meant very little against the vast numeric superiority Britannia held. Politics and cunning would have to serve as his main weapons to liberate this country. And if he moved the knight from g4 to f6 he would create a set of openings that would force white to either sacrifice the rest of his mobility or lose his queen.

His thoughts stopped for a moment at the slight irritation in his throat. After coughing slightly, he returned his right hand to its place on his cheek, his index finger tapping on his temple.

But, the whole situation lead to the question: what then?

At this point he had no truly functional method of waging open war on Britannia… the only contenders to Britannia's power were the EU and the Chinese Federation, and according to the most recent news, a ceasefire had been arranged between Britannia and the EU, while the Chinese had their own internal turmoil thanks to their, for the lack of a better word, government.

It was naïve to think that _any_ army, no matter how skilled or well-equipped, that he could raise here would be enough to stand up to the full might of Britannia's army. There were numerous advantages that Britannia held, among which, the most worrying one was its industry and technology. Not just Knightmare Frames, or even just military. Britannian medicine, in all of its branches, was the most developed in the world. Five years ago, Pendragon was connected to the world's first commercial fusion power plant. Not the scientists wet dream of cold fusion, but still immensely efficient and productive. Aside for the Japanese, Britannia had made the most of Sakuradite, creating high quality miniaturized circuitry, energy distribution systems, communication devices… the list went on.

And so, that brought him back to his problem. Deciding that the knight move was good, he picked the white figure, placing it at its new spot.

"Knight takes pawn, white's turn." He muttered quietly, his face a mask of absolute boredom which hid the scheming mind beneath.

There were _options_. There would _always_ be _options_.It was simply the matter of him being willing to take them. But for now, he realized that there was little he could do. Until an opening presented itself, one he could use, he would be patient. Rome was not built in a day, and the patient wind reduced mountains to dust.

Sighing lightly, he got up and away from his chessboard, throwing off the comfortable white shirt he was wearing carelessly on the bed, and quickly redressing himself for a bit of training. He hadn't had the time for a relaxing run in over a week, and his body was beginning to ache for exercise. Thankfully, the classes today were very limited, due to several teachers being sick, so he at least had the spare time to fool around.

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In all honesty, Suzaku really didn't know just how he allowed himself to be persuaded by Milly. Then again, considering that she could persuade _Lelouch_, of all people, to dress up in silly costumes (the infamous cross-dressers ball came to mind, bringing a wince and almost unnatural twitch, as well as the distinct feeling of gratitude that he had only now joined the academy), he really didn't stand a chance, did he?

"Uhm… Milly? What exactly are we doing?" he asked from behind his pile of boxes which were haphazardly stacked in his hands. It was relatively lightweight for the teen, but still somewhat… well, strange.

"Working on organizing the Festival, of course." She responded in stride, guiding the teen into one of the rooms in the Council Clubhouse. "Put those there."

"Well, I'll explain quickly... you're a busy man after all, and all that." Milly spoke after Suzaku had put down the boxes. She seemed somewhat hesitant, which by itself was unusual for the young woman, and Suzaku noticed.

"Is something wrong?"

"No… well, there is but, it's not that important. You see… I wanted to ask a small favor from you, if I can?" she

"Uhm, sure. I don't know what I can do to help, but if I can, sure." Suzaku responded. The nervousness from thinking about what Milly was going to do was slowly receding.

"Here's the thing, every year for the Academy Festival, we organize a number of events, and among them is always something involving my family's Ganymede Knightmare Frame we keep in storage. Sadly, due to the fact that Nunnally has been drafted to help out with the Science Club activities, we don't have a viable pilot for it, so I was kinda hoping, if you could…"

"Step in? I'd be honored." Suzaku quickly responded, a smile spreading along his lips for multiple reasons. _'Bullet dodged.'_

"Great! That's one weight off my shoulders. Thank you Suzaku." Milly responded, an almost beaming smile.

"It's no problem. It _is_ just _one_ event, right?" he returned, asking cautiously.

"Just one. Not sure what it will be yet, but we did receive an interesting idea on the subject."

"Dare I ask?"

"Making the world's largest pizza. One of the reasons we absolutely must have the Ganymede working and piloted. Otherwise, how are we supposed to spin the dough?" she clarified, as if explaining the most natural thing in the world, before she sauntered out of the room, leaving a curiously relieved Suzaku to his own devices.

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20:00  
Kyoto, Sumeragi family home  
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The sole remaining member of the once more numerous Sumeragi family was humming a tune as she walked towards her bath. Dressed in a robe of fine silk, and a small, subtle smile on her face, she walked to the large bathhouse built into the family estate.

Beneath the smile, however…

It would be fair to say that Kaguya was not a happy young woman. Growing up without her mother, who died in childbirth, was not easy on her, even though her father invested every possible human effort. She loved her father, deeply, and not just for the things he did for her. The death of Katsuro Sumeragi was not something she liked to think of much, it only reminded her of how little there was left for her in this world.

Her father had grown tired with the fall of Japan and the death of his wife, her mother. He immersed himself deeply into the two things that remained to him: his work, and raising his daughter. The devotion eventually burned him out, and he died of a heart attack, two years ago, passing away in his sleep. She had been the one to find him next morning. It had been days before she could stop crying.

The smile faded as the memories returned, and a single tear threatened to spill out of her left eye. Balling her fists, she fought off the returning tears, bracing herself with the memory of what her dear father would have wanted, what she wanted. Japan would be free again, if she had anything to say about it.

Having calmed herself enough, she let her memories return, as she shed the robe, and began washing herself before she would enter the warm water.

There were a number of obvious parallels she could pull between her father, and a certain object of her affections. Both were kind, noble, yet hard and harsh when truly necessary. Decisive, but patient. Lelouch vi Britannia was intriguing to her even when she had met him all those years ago in the Kururugi family shrine, though back then she would neither use such a word to describe her rampant curiosity, nor was she free to pursue such an interest.

Now _that _thought was silly, and reminiscent of kinder, better times. The warmth of the water she slowly lowered herself in was a pleasant sensation after a long day. Balancing running the entirety of the Sumeragi Conglomerate with her education and supporting the Black Knights was no mean feat, and by the time night came, she was usually exhausted, meaning that such small comforts as a soak in the onsen were few and far between. Going out somewhere would likely have her bodyguards having heart attacks, the poor souls. She had a number of enemies, after all, and not all of them were that distant. Even among the Six Houses of Kyoto, unity was not absolute, and tensions prevailed.

After all, old people had to argue how Japan was to be liberate, or rather, who would get the most power afterward. The problem was, in her opinion at least, that none of them, herself included, were suited to guide a country in these turbulent times. Especially with the forces which would be arrayed against it. No, they needed a capable leader, who would be able to keep the country afloat. Lelouch, was sadly not an option, being foreign, but Zero…

"Now that would just be silly… having a masked man lead the state." She almost pouted as she whispered the words, nevertheless entertained by the idea, and already imagining a number of ridiculous situations that quickly cheered her up.

But regardless of the absolute silliness, Zero, as liberator and the effective father of a nation, would easily be accepted, regardless of everything. People loved heroes, and Lelouch, by extension Zero, was one in the eyes of the people. Like the clever Kitsune of old tales, he was, a trickster spirit who had given his blessing to a cause he had chosen.

For some reason, the image of Lelouch sporting nine tails and slightly eyes with slits came to her head, and now, she couldn't help but laugh. There were indeed times when her imagination got the better of her, but those were her private moments to enjoy, and perhaps share. Perhaps with the subject of her thoughts too… and what an attractive subject he was…

Quietly, Kaguya sighed and rose from the water, grasping at a nearby towel to dry herself. She had spent long enough, and it was as good time as any to go to sleep. The good mood she had built all but evaporated with the rest of the moisture on her skin.

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20:00  
Tokyo Concession downtown, Skylight Bar  
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Within what was one of the more famous soldier drinking holes, the entirety of the increasingly famous Carius lance had gathered for drinks. By order of their Captain, Jeremiah Gottwald, there was to be drinking and fun even if it killed them.

Kewell Soresi shook his head as he downed another shot of scotch. Jeremiah had changed, that much would be obvious even to a blind man, but it had taken him a long time to realize that the change had been for the better. If anything, his fall had taught him a semblance of humility, and restored the drive he had in the old days, before he had become margrave.

For a man who had until recently considered treason, he was starting to have a rather high opinion of his commanding officer. Again, that is. With the complete dissolution of the former Pureblood faction, Kewell didn't have much of a career, except by following Jeremiah.

'_That's irony for you…'_ he thought bitterly. He was quite certain that the above stated CO had a very good idea of his plans, for one did not rise into the ranks of nobility unprepared for politics, and yet, he was yet to be called out on the fact. Which in turn meant that Jeremiah was giving him a chance, though it was obvious when he kept him in his squad even after all that had happened.

There was a time when he, Villeta and Jeremiah were friends, rather than simply colleagues, but he had cast that off. Foolishly, he might add, because quite frankly, he missed their antics and them more than he dared admit. Sometimes, he could really be a complete idiot.

Besides, it felt good seeing his former friend and superior back to his old self, before he became a noble. Jeremiah Gottwald had earned his position through sweat and blood, and was a masterful pilot. It seemed that his demotion did little but light his spirit ablaze again. For a moment, he actually felt sorry for the poor fools that would undoubtedly come his way, while reminding himself that it could have been him on the business end of Gottwald's crosshairs. Definitely _not_ a pleasant thought.

"Doing better Kewell?" Jeremiah called as he sat down next to the man, putting down his glass of what seemed to be some strong alcohol. Kewell couldn't tell the exact sort, he didn't drink much himself.

"I guess." He responded, taking another sip from his own glass. "You sir?"

"Been worse, been worse." Jeremiah stated with a smile which quickly faded. "I'll cut the crap here. I know what you intended to do, and I know mostly why. You're likely wondering why the hell are you still alive. For one, you've been a friend for years, and despite several decent opportunities, you didn't take a shot at me. And there's the matter of dealing with Marika…" he trailed off, resisting the urge of slamming his head into the table. Despite the obvious seriousness of the matter, Kewell laughed at the comment, well reminded of the 'incidents' regarding his sister. "Anyway, I'm giving you a second chance here, a clean slate. Don't mess it up."

"Sir… Jeremiah. Thank you." Kewell responded in a mostly quiet voice, but his superior heard him well, and smirked confidently. His only response was to raise his glass in salute.

"Don't thank me yet… I get the feeling we might regret being in the military soon enough." the captain responded, walking away and leaving a rather sober Kewell to ponder the meaning of his words.

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To Villeta, the night was going on rather well. Much to her joy, the pay raise she got finally had her back at the level of income she needed to get her old apartment back. Then, the exemplary performance of Carius lance during the situation with Todoh and Zero ensured that they would be getting more assignments later on, meaning a further possibility of a promotion.

All that, and more. In the end, her doubts about her new service had all been laid to rest, as Lelouch vi Britannia proved himself to be extremely capable. But that was hardly all she noticed.

The entity that was Lelouch operated on many levels, a different person on each. On one, he was Zero, the brilliant rebel strategist who struck fear into the hearts of Britannians, while giving hope to the conquered numbers. On another, he was Lelouch Lamperouge, student of Ashford Academy, and generally kind blind teen. And the third, which was perhaps his true self, was Lelouch vi Britannia, brother of Nunnally and partner of C.C., ironically the living paragon of Britannia's beliefs. Only the strongest, most capable people were worthy of leading, and for all his faults, Lelouch was nothing if not strong.

However, such a multi-faceted personality came at a price, one she realized very few noticed. Nunnally and C.C., she was certain did, but likely remained quiet, not willing to add to his burden. It likely slid past Jeremiah, for all the man's skill and capability, some things were simply beyond him. The conversation she had shared with her lord was a private matter between the two of them, not something to be shared with others, and she intended to keep it that way.

She couldn't help but let a smile cross her lips at the thoughts. She found her service to Lelouch strangely fulfilling. The knowledge that there was someone looking out for you, even if it was for their own interests, was a relief of sorts. Besides, if what she had learned of her liege so far was any indication, she would not be sacrificed with, or without a point. While he didn't mind sacrificing his pawns in chess, he still saw people as something far more, despite his attempts at concealing it. In a funny way, it reminded her of one of those silly comic books about a wizard and his knight.

Though, something had to happen to sour her mood. Life was after all, rarely ideal.

"Soresi." She greeted flatly, not really willing to grace her colleague with anything more than civility, and retaining her focus on her glass of wine.

"Nu." The brunette man responded as he sat down. "I come in peace." He added tentatively a moment later.

"That, would be a bit hard to swallow, don't you think?" she nearly spat.

"Guess I earned that one." Kewell muttered, his voice rather surprisingly regretful. "I made… no, it's foolish to call it a mistake. To be honest, I had truly thought Jeremiah was off his rocker, and was going to get us all killed, or worse. There were other motivations, I won't lie. But… dammit, I want to at least try and make up for what I've done."

"I'd like to think we were friends once Kewell." Villeta responded, stopping to think for a while, before letting out a small sigh. "If Jeremiah gave you a chance, then for old time's sake, I guess I can as well."

"It's all I ask." Kewell said somberly. Villeta shortly turned her face towards him, sending a cold look that perfectly explained what she would do if he messed this up, before it slowly faded into apathy.

She eyed her glass shortly, before finishing it off quickly, and got up, slowly walking away from the bar and back to the others from her lance. She hadn't spent much time socializing, but the pilots of Carius squad were decent people.

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_March 26__th__, Saturday, 10:00  
Britannian airspace over southeastern Asia  
Avalon-class Air Fleet Battleship 'Avalon' under the command of Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia_  
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Ironically similar to his brother, prince Schneizel was sitting lazily on his chair and playing with a chess game that had given him more than enough grief over the years, namely, the only time a certain long gone younger sibling had brought him to a draw. It was a favored pastime of his, especially in moments when he had to consider a difficult situation such as the one that presented itself in Area 11.

For now, it would serve as a fine method to relax himself from the constantly growing tensions between Europe and Britannia. He had been at Brussels when the ceasefire was arranged, serving as Britannia's representative.

The ceasefire was just that, a temporary measure that both sides agreed to, mostly so they could handle other issues and then fully focus on beating the tar out of one another. Charles zi Britannia didn't care one way or the other, as Britannia had sufficient military strength to fight their way through most of Europe.

A large number of reports had arrived earlier in the morning, but he had decided to take a few days off from the problems of Europe, and focus his considerable skills on one man who just _might_ be capable enough of challenging his own skills: Zero.

Still, it wasn't fair to say that he wasn't enjoying himself. The ship he was aboard, was the result of four years of research, of carefully planned actions, money infusions to the right place, and manipulation on a scale that would make Machiavelli proud in his grave. That by itself, a result of his hard works was enough to make him feel content, if not happy.

If anyone were to find out the real reason why he was happy, they would likely be shot. After all, Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia had a reputation to upkeep, one which would be irrevocably ruined if it were found out that the beloved scion of the Holy Empire was taking its first airship on a glorified joyride across the world, mostly _because he could_.

That is not to say that he did not appreciate the entirety of its power. Oh no, the prince knew well the rather impressive arsenal the Avalon carried with it, as well as all of the experimental technologies that were built into it, but its true advantages didn't lie in the weapons, nor in the expertly adapted Blaze Luminous shielding it now possessed, courtesy of his protégé, earl Lloyd Asplund. No, the true power lay in the fact that the Avalon served as a mobile hangar for Knightmare Frames, as well as a research and development facility, fully powered by a fusion generator that could keep it afloat effectively for several thousand years… that, and provide full output for all integrated systems, and refuel the Energy Fillers for the total six frames it could house. And the new Float technology… If he knew Lloyd as well as he thought he did, the eccentric scientist was going to start doing backflips once he informed him of the 'upgrade' he was going to bring for his prized Lancelot.

He reminded himself, it was the little, everyday pleasures that made life enjoyable.

"Captain Vertis, what is our estimated ETA to Cambodia?" he asked the ship's captain, who while under his authority, was still in charge of the airship itself. Captain Matthew Vertis was the first man to successfully pass the Todoromo Agency's rather strict training for the matter, and as a former pilot himself, he had plenty of airborne experience.

The relatively tall and lanky man stood proudly in his uniform, knowing full well that his position was at the beachhead, a pioneer in the field, and it showed. The shortly cropped black hair was barely visible under his hat, and his face was freshly cleared of all facial hair. Two green eyes lively kept their attention at the four subordinates in charge of piloting from their perch behind a hawkish nose and a smile that ended in a scar on the left side, the thin line following up to his ear.

"Six hours, twenty five minutes your highness. Arrival has been confirmed, and Baron Mossfield reports that the packages you requested are entering final stages of assembly and should be prepared in forty-eight hours." Captain Vertis quickly responded. His voice carried the respect he felt for the prince, who while ten years his junior, was every bit the leader he didn't portray himself to be. Prince Schneizel didn't make foolish assumptions, and treated all those under his command with a great deal of respect and care. Every man and woman aboard the ship was handpicked according to their worth not their connections. From the pilots, to the engineers, the cooks, the medics, even the security staff. Everyone.

While Matthew Vertis was the first to pass the tests, he wasn't the only one. But he was the best, and the only one of the five who had the proverbial balls to stand and correct some of the misconceptions the prince had on the operation of the ship. Mostly, the kind that could get the men and women under his command killed, and prince Schneizel more than appreciated the gesture.

"Thank you Captain. I will be retiring to my quarters until our arrival, please send someone to call me should something happen." Schneizel retorted as he got up from his seat, slowly walking towards the chambers designated for him.

"Understood my lord. I bid you good fortune with your work."

"Likewise, captain." Schneizel responded politely before walking away. Once more, the Second Prince reminded himself of his plans in Area 11, and forced the rather strong desire to persuade Cornelia to let him handle Zero back. Unlike many of his family, he wasn't foolish enough to pounce just because she couldn't beat him… yet. Cornelia was a proud woman, and if he allowed himself to break that pride for something that was little more than a passing fancy at the time, he wasn't really sure he'd be able to live with himself.

His quarters were fairly Spartan, as he refused many of the luxuries the members of his family normally demanded. They were distractions that he could not afford, and frankly, did not need. A comfortable, if not spacious bathroom, a bed, working desk with a computer terminal and a dresser was all that was within. Though not visible, being placed at the bottom of his dresser, he had carried his old chess set with him, a sturdy, but simple wooden box he had bought off a trader somewhere back home.

Locking his door, Schneizel sat down in front of the computer terminal, patiently waiting for the system to start up before he began working on his next objective. The cold metal of the chair he was sitting on was barely registered, its slight discomfort ignored in favor of the task ahead.

If Euphemia really went through with what she intended, he would give his full support. Better to avoid war if possible, though he had little faith it would turn out well in the end. While Zero would possibly support the notion of a peaceful liberation of the Elevens, but on the other hand, his government (and father) would most likely not. But, he didn't understand why Euphemia was willing to make a sacrifice of the magnitude she was going to. It didn't make sense, unless she knew something he didn't, but considering her personality, it made little sense to keep a secret…

He sighed quietly, bringing his fingers to rub his temples. Knowledge was power, and his theories had begun taking a far more solid and sinister shape lately. It was time to confirm some things.

Such as, for instance the existence of a certain nonexistent family member and the truth behind several key events. Schneizel el Britannia was not going to be _anyone's_ puppet, not if he had any say in it.

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_11:47  
Area 11, Tokyo Concession Subways, eastern section  
Black Knights field command  
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"_I agree."_ Zero stated, his gloved hands serving as a rest for his chin. _"We should not break up our sole special forces team. Yoshitaka has proven himself more than capable during our last operation, and he seems to have garnered the respect of the men. From this point onward, Taskforce Epsilon is permanently instated as Black Knights Special Division Epsilon, roster unchanged, under the command of Yoshitaka Minami, promoted to rank of Colonel. Aside from that, have you finished reviewing the recommendations?"_

"The general idea seems sound, but it would take at least a week to properly organize, not to mention institute. A month in the least until we have a degree of discipline and an effective chain of command on the level the JLF maintained until its dissolution." Todoh stated his thoughts on the matter.

"Not to be the bearer of bad news Zero, but are you sure this can even be done properly?" Oghi questioned. Lelouch somewhat appreciated the voice of reason the man tended to be at most times, and his reactions, while seemingly questioning (and they were), served merely to arouse doubt, and have it ruthlessly squashed. " The men and women of the Black Knights are capable… but this requires discipline, organization, logistics… and I'm not sure we can provide all of this."

"_I am certain, and I have faith in those under my command"_ Zero calmly assured. _"The complete reorganization of our chain of command is now a necessity to ensure our strength is not wasted. With roughly five hundred effective members of the Order, we can no longer afford errors in communication or failure of discipline. The people of Japan look upon the Black Knights as saviors, and for that reason, we must maintain the higher moral ground, otherwise, we are no better than the Britannians we seek to overthrow. This movement, must not come just as a revolution… but a liberation."_

"_In the end, we don't have a choice but to do this." _He finally stated, shrugging slightly, as if to say that the situation was out of his hands.

A rather irritating matter settled into his mind, known commonly among people as the concept of bureaucracy, into which the leadership of the Black Knights was slowly turning. He had made the decision of allowing his subordinates to question him: a mistake in itself as it undermined his authority. It was one of the reasons he very much wanted to institute these changes within the Order of the Black Knights.

'_But that's not the only problem. The Black Knights are growing past a size where I can effectively lead individuals. At a hundred, it was barely viable. Now? It would be suicide.'_ He mused quietly.

To be fair, the meeting itself was the least important matter on his mind. Balancing out some manner of existence in Ashford while leading a revolutionary army had come at a great cost to his personal life, and right now, there was one person he wasn't looking forward to talking to, but knew he had to. As unpleasant as it might turn out, it was his responsibility to explain everything to Shirley.

Aside from that hurdle, there were the matters of Nina, Suzaku and Euphemia… not to mention that he would very likely be meeting Cornelia in the flesh sooner or later, something he was decidedly not looking forward to. Especially if said half-sister decided she was going to be angry at him for not informing her and Euphemia that he and Nunnally were still alive (never mind raising a rebellion and beating her in combat not once, but _several_ times). One could quickly come to the conclusion that the meeting might not end well.

Nina was a far smaller problem, but still an important one. She was difficult to predict, as her rather timid and withdrawn personality seemed to be merely a part of the whole... And the rest was a complete unknown to him. Her xenophobia was a distinct issue as well, but he hoped that overexposure to the terrible foreign demon that was Suzaku would have mellowed her out at least a bit.

Of course, he had absolutely no idea what to do about Suzaku and Euphie. Suzaku had managed to throw a monkey-wrench into his plans for anonymity, but considering that there weren't Britannian soldiers in frames waiting to pick him up at Ashford, he was quite sure that she hadn't shared the information with her sister. And there was the _other_ matter there: the slowly growing relationship between the two.

Blind Lelouch may be, but not stupid as well. They were birds of a feather, the two of them, and he would have to concede that it was the best option that he could think of. Strategically speaking, of course.

'_By the time I am done with this, if the background scenario isn't grade-A material for a soap opera, I'll be disappointed.'_ He mentally added before his eyes almost comically widened beneath his mask. _'Merciful gods, I might just end up like my father. On the other hand… would it truly be so horrible? It's not like they would try to kill each other…right?'_

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_12:32  
Viceroy Palace, Chambers of princess Euphemia li Britannia  
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Euphie closed her eyes for a moment as she heard the sound of knocking on her door. Cornelia had finally come, and it was likely to be a subject she really didn't want to talk about, either of them. She wasn't the kind of person to rush into confrontations, especially with people she cared for, but this had to be done.

"Enter." She spoke, calming herself as much as she could. _'Take small breaths, don't show hesitation. No matter what I do, I must make sure I impress upon Cornelia how serious I am about this.'_

To her surprise, Cornelia seemed to be in a decent mood, and the specter of her latest defeat at Zero's hands had lifted, if only briefly… or worse, if only for her sake. Euphie may have been naïve at times, but she knew her sister better than anyone.

"Euphemia, how are those preparations coming along?" her older sibling asked diplomatically.

"Rather well, dear sister."

"There is something rather important we have to discuss Euphie. Namely, you have to select a Knight of Honor. You are old enough, and the situation warrants it, I am afraid." Cornelia explained as she sat down on the bed across from Euphemia. The younger of the two siblings only then noticed the file she had been carrying

"I understand. These are trying times, aren't they?" the young woman kindly offered.

"Indeed." She responded, bringing a hand to her head, the tiredness showing through only slightly in the barely visible bags beneath her eyes and the dull look in her normally vibrant eyes. Euphie took a deep breath before beginning.

"Before we even start this, I think I should tell you that I've chosen my knight already."

A scowl quickly crossed Cornelia's face. "I should guess who it is, but I know I won't like the answer, will I?"

"No you won't. I've decided to make Suzaku Kururugi my Knight of Honor, and nothing will change my mind."

"But…" she tried, or at least she would like to think so, to stop this madness in the making, but she already knew this was a battle that could not be won.

"But what Cornelia?" Euphie cut her off, pressing with that steel Cornelia had only recently begun noticing in her sister's voice, and the look that you could bounce artillery shells off.

"Are his skills lacking? Is his loyalty in question? Does he not have the support of the Empire's favorite son?"

"No. That's not it..." Cornelia responded quietly, trailing off, unwilling to state what they both knew to be true.

"It is because he is an Honorary Britannian, because it is without precedent for one to become a Knight of Honor, isn't it?" she shot back, her voice reflecting what was beneath the visibly shallow anger: a deeply instated sadness which finally came out. "You can't protect me forever, Cornelia. Sooner or later, either father, the rest of our family or someone else is going to try and get to you through me, and you can't be everywhere at once."

Those words had provoked a reaction from Cornelia. The fact that her younger sister told her off, but without any malice whatsoever, a piece of caring advice from a little sister that wanted the best for her and was proving to be wise beyond her years. It was perhaps the first time it truly hit home that her little sister may not be so 'little' anymore, that Euphemia was finally becoming a grown woman. And it was both something that made her feel proud, and frightened her at the same time. And yet, she realized with the absolute clarity parents have at some point, that this was the point in which she could no longer choose to offer advice instead of making the decision.

"I've… made several decisions, along with that one. Can you trust me Cornelia?" Euphie asked in a quiet tone, but she wasn't done. "Can you trust me enough to let me put my life at risk for what I believe in?"

'_I will not let myself be useless Cornelia. The little princess who has to be protected. Not anymore.'_

_

* * *

_

**Author's notes:** And cut. I've intentionally left it off here for reasons obvious. Maybe I'll just play it evil and not reveal the result of the conversation to keep you guessing. Or maybe I won't.

A bit of humor, a bit of fluff and personal questing and all that. This chapter will be followed by a short timeskip up to April 6th where the next part of the story will begin, and the opening stages of the chaos to follow will unfold. No spoilers, though.

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To those of you who don't know, a Kitsune is a trickster spirit in the shape of a fox of Japanese folklore, renowned for its wit and cunning… and the occasional many tails(sounds familiar doesn't it?). I merely thought it a very decent comparison, and Kaguya, being raised the way she was, would have some degree of knowledge on the matter.

Also, it was never explicitly stated how many Knightmare Frames can the '_Avalon'_ house, so I've decided to go with one full squad, according to the Britannian organization of troops I've instituted. Even on experimental prototype grounds, it makes no sense for them to field an airship that can carry only one frame onboard.

Since Kanon Maldini didn't make an appearance until R2, and pretty much stayed attached at the hip to Schneizel, I think we can safely assume he didn't meet his favorite quirky assistant.

Considering Schneizel's somewhat, well, strange lines of thought, this was partly creative liberty on my part, partly one of the views one can take on the character in cannon. Regardless of his choices and actions, Schneizel cared for his siblings, and I would say especially for Cornelia, Euphemia and possibly, Odysseus, Nunnally and Lelouch. He had the chance to murder Cornelia, but chose a non-lethal shot near the end of R2, but then again, he effectively left Nunnally to die aboard the Damocles. Regardless, he is a complex character, and one short appearance is nowhere near enough to explore him, so for now, he may seem quirky.

Besides, fairly, how many among you can say that they wouldn't be excited to fly as the acting commander of the world's first true military airship?

Anyone have funny ideas as to why exactly I've made Yoshitaka Colonel rather than Captain or any other rank?

And finally, Euphemia. Lest you forget, she persuaded Lelouch to give up his revolution and revenge, and help her make the SAZ succeed, with nothing but a few minutes of talking.

Well, enough of that. Read, review and all that. It hasn't taken me this long to write a chapter in quite a while, so I hope it was at least enjoyable.


	22. Eclipse

**Author's Ramblings**: It's been a while since I last updated the story, but life's been hectic lately. Nearly a half of this chapter was complete, but waiting for me to plan and implement the battle… which was the larger and more difficult part. Anyway, without further ado, I present you the 21st chapter of 'Light in the Darkness'.

Enjoy. Oh, and review.

* * *

_Chapter 21: __Eclipse_

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07:45, April 6th, Wednesday  
Area 17, Jakarta Concession  
Icarus Institute  
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'_Is this heaven?'_

To the mind of Nina Einstein, it might as well have been. The reactivated institute had become a buzzing hive of life, dozens of technicians shuffling around setting up the network and equipment, scientists working on the already installed terminals, discussing things she _understood_ _perfectly_. In many places, the cables were still to be put in insulation and beneath the floor, but she could easily recognize the thick, high-bandwidth optic fiber for what it was, the currently fastest method of data transmission available.

"Miss Einstein?" A female voice suddenly called her, bringing her up from her thoughts on her surroundings.

"Ah… yes?" Nina responded confusedly, turning around to face the person who called her. The woman seemed to be in her late twenties, only slightly taller than her. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and there were a few dashes of gray in it. The woman's features were a mixture of occidental and oriental, with darker skin and slightly slanted gray eyes. A white lab coat over black jeans and white sneakers completed the image.

"Mira Weston. Glad to have you with us." She offered cordially, extending a hand to the young woman with a smile on her face. As Nina cautiously accepted, she continued. "I'm the administrator for project 'Morgana', which you will be joining. President Ashford explained, I hope?"

The last bit was doubtful, Nina realized, and reminding herself of Milly's character, she could easily tell why. For all her good intentions, Milly lived for showmanship, and if there was to be a surprise, heaven forbid she ruin it.

"No, I'm afraid. Milly…_cough…_ president Ashford did not inform me of anything but the basics. She said it was an advanced Knightmare project involving stealth technology?"

"Ugh… corporate secrecy… walk with me, would you Nina? Mind if I call you Nina?" Mira grunted, before asking in a much more polite tone.

"Not at all, Mira." Nina responded, accepting the informality as offered.

"Thank god, finally someone who isn't a stiff." The older woman muttered under her breath. "Come on, I'll show you what we're currently working on."

The corridors of the institute, while she knew they were old, were almost looking brand new. Every wall had a fresh coat of paint, the metal surfaces didn't show even the slightest signs of wear or rust. Almost, as if the place was never abandoned, though the clumps of cables still not placed in protective casings did tell another tale.

Mira watched her young ward with thinly hidden interest. After all, considering what the young president of the Ashford foundation told of the girl, she couldn't help but be curious.

'_The girl is a genius in the making. Enough so that the Colchester institute has already sent 'inquires' into her grades and future interests. The Britannian military engineering corps have also expressed a degree of curiosity, not to mention a number of private foundations and corporations. She already published two papers Mira, one on something in nuclear physics, I don't really understand it one bit, and the other on wave-particle mechanics, quite the same. Both were under alias, though, so that's probably the reason why she still hasn't gone off to work for someone already. Her grades aren't perfect… but as far as math and physics are concerned, we have no one who comes even close.'_

Yes, with recommendations like those, she could understand her employer's concerns. Still, only time would tell into what that genius would blossom. The small warning about her xenophobia was something they would have to work for, as there were more than just Britannian scientists here. Ruben Ashford cared for results people could provide, not whether their eyes were slanted, or their skin darker, and Millicent seemed to have inherited the opinion.

In relative silence, the two women walked towards the bay which housed the development team of their project. Apart for the large, glaringly empty scaffolding where the new frame would eventually be constructed the entire bay was nearly cramped with workstations and machinery. There were two more scaffoldings nearby, these two filled with two recently acquired Gloucester Knightmare Frames, used by project Sentinel, who would provide the modification data rather soon. Reverse-engineering some of the finest Britannian technology and further upgrading it promised to be _fun_. Though, less so than the field tests she had already mentally sworn to make sure she was part of.

"And there it is, our little project." She murmured, pointing from the catwalk they were on to the numerous systems that her group of scientists worked on. "You will be joining the group working on the stealth device itself. The codename…" she began, letting out a sound that gave a good idea of her disgust of all the hush-hush cloak and dagger secrecy the people here tended to work with "…is 'Phantom'. Ignore it if you would. Seriously, who comes up with these names? If they wanted secrecy, they should have just thrown together a bunch of letters and numbers." The woman ranted, but Nina failed to pay much attention as she recognized some of the machines they worked on. She had the feeling that miss Weston tended to rant quite a bit, bit if she was the project coordinator, she was likely good at what she did.

"That aside, I'll introduce you to the team later. For now, we need a quick check on where you stand, so I know where to put you to work, okay?" she added a few moments later, after Nina had managed to take her attention off the scene before her, nodding shortly.

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08:50  
Area 11, Kyoto  
Office of Kaguya Sumeragi  
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To Kaguya Sumeragi, the day had started well. She had woken at dawn, well rested and with her morning tea waiting for her. The secretary had already came by and delivered the messages and reports that had arrived since she had left the office yesterday for her to look over, and her breakfast felt better than usual.

Her office was the usual image of peace and quiet. The top of the Pillar of Spring Rain commanded an impressive view over the rest of Kyoto. Why exactly her father named the building so was unknown to her, but she kept it nonetheless, if nothing more, then as a testament to him and his efforts. The large, hardwood desk she ruled her corporate empire from was even older, an import from the middle of the last century bought by her grandfather if memory served her well.

It was an interesting piece of furniture, she mused as she waited for her first guest for the day, weathered by the years, and bearing signs of its rich history proudly. A smile spread over her lips as she considered it was perhaps the reason it had stayed in the family for so long, instead of being replaced by a new one.

"Lady Sumeragi." Her secretary greeted formally, offering the young woman a small bow. "The Ashford Foundation group you have been expecting has arrived. Shall I have them escorted here?"

"Certainly." She calmly responded, putting an eye on her secretary, a man in his early thirties, dressed professionally in a more gray business suit. He was… ordinary in appearance. Ordinary was the word that suited his looks best, for he was the type of person you would likely see once and forget you've ever met. Unless of course, you were one of those few who had access to his service record so far, that is. Apart for being her secretary, Aoi Shimazu was also the head of her security, and one of the few people she had absolute trust in, just as her father did before her. If there were any faults she could mention, it was that he was loyal to a fault. Jokingly, and not just once, she thought that he had a few samurai members up his family tree.

Aoi nodded, and silently left, returning a scant few minutes later with whom she assumed was Millicent Ashford. She noted that her escort had stayed outside as she walked in.

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To Milly, this was a novel experience, the meeting with her counterpart in another corporation. Thankfully, her grandfather had taken time to at least somewhat prepare her for this.

In perfect calm, she walked in, taking carefully measured steps, not rushing too much, or walking to slow. First impressions were important, especially when meeting someone you would be dealing with in the future. Make the impression a good one, and it would make things considerably easier.

"Millicent Ashford. It is a privilege and an honor to finally meet you." Kaguya greeted warmly, the ever-present smile on her face doing much to brighten Milly's mood. She wasn't certain what she had expected… but Lelouch's words of keeping an open mind had proved correct, at least so far. _'Not that I doubted…'_

"Likewise lady Kaguya Sumeragi." Milly offered back, giving a small, formal bow, which Kaguya immediately returned, her smile spreading a bit more.

"Please, take a seat. Aoi, would you mind leaving us?" the younger of the two women offered and ordered. A few seconds later, another man walked in, bringing in tea and condiments, before leaving them alone "I hope you don't mind. Is Earl Gray to your liking?"

"It's fine." Milly responded. Patience was not a thing that came naturally to her, but Kaguya seemingly made no effort to control herself with all these minor delays. She had other things to attend to, but realized that this served some purpose, regardless of whether said purpose was known to her.

The ritual proceeded in silence, both sides studying the other as they drank tea. To an outsider, it may have seemed as just that, but this was no simple social event, but rather a clash between forces, each striving to achieve dominance over the other. Neither would turn away, as their eyes remained locked, trying to find the slightest weakness to exploit.

By the time the cups were back on the small table, both had already made their judgment. The fact that both were smiling was indication enough to their decisions.

"So, what is it that you wish to discuss?" Kaguya curiously asked, content to relax into the comfortable armchair she was sitting on.

"A deal. One that would benefit both of our companies, as well as our mutual friend." Milly responded, reaching for her briefcase to remove a single paper, which she promptly passed. The younger of the two proceeded to read the 'offer' carefully, making sure not to skip a single detail, while quietly considering which potential friend she was discussing, until it came to mind.

"Routing all of our import business through you? While the offer is generous to us, this is a bit extreme, not to mention risky, don't you think?"

"Quite to the contrary. And the offer only refers to a certain set of supplies, such as food, medicine…" she trailed off, giving Kaguya a silent indication of what she was talking about before continuing. "My point being that this way, you save a lot of money to further your own activities, while the increase in trade leaves me free to increase my research budget. It's a win-win situation."

"Hm. I like the general idea of the proposal, however, I will have to run this by my advisors." Kaguya responded, green eyes dancing with mirth. "He was right." She added, almost an afterthought to it all, though the tone was pleased, if a bit longing.

"Who was right?" Milly pressed on a bit, but kept her voice business-like, even if the smile on her face revealed every bit of her interest. Even if she now officially ran a multi-million corporation, Milly Ashford was still a young woman, one who very much enjoyed occasional gossip.

"Our mutual friend." She offered with a serene smile. Milly couldn't help but let out a small giggle as she understood her words.

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_12:00  
Shikine Island  
Britannian naval base_  
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Cornelia eyed the base that stretched before her warily. The Shikine Island Naval Airforce base was ill suited for defense, regardless of the opinions of its commander. The ships that were moored in dock and the VTOL aircraft, as well as its resident Knightmare Lances were the prime source of its power. However, considering the rather limited sensory equipment present, there was a very distinct possibility of a certain someone sneaking a group in.

A distinct possibility they could not afford anymore. Still, her half-brother would be arriving soon to visit, and as much as she hated admitting it, his insight might prove useful. Japan was slowly turning into a focal point of regional chaos, and should it escalate, Britannia might have two fronts to look forward to instead of just one. And the true problem lay in the fact that they couldn't afford to move one of the fleets to the western Pacific for reinforcements without leaving an opening in Europe…

"My lady, the reports you requested are here. I've also taken the liberty of asking for lunch to be served to you here." Guilford's voice called from the door of the office she had been using. _'Good old reliable Guilford.'_ She mused contently. _'I'd likely be completely lost without him. Or worse'_

"Thank you Guilford." She muttered loudly enough for him to hear it, before turning back towards the interior of the office and walking to the large desk prepared for her. "The inspection should be over by tomorrow, hopefully."

"And you are concerned that there might be an attack in the mean time?" The knight retorted.

"Quite correct. But, it is becoming difficult to tell these days. Zero, while somewhat predictable in his goals, is still utterly infuriating in his means." She spoke with a sigh. Mentally, she noted that she did that far too much these days. Perhaps Schneizel's arrival would not be such a bad thing after all.

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_19:00  
2 km to the west of Shikine Island  
Order of the Black Knights submarine 'Umi no Hime'_  
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Resting comfortably within his chambers, Lelouch silently listened to the barely hearable hum of the engines. The _'Princess of the Sea'_, or _'Umi no Hime' _ as his subordinates have come to call it in the past few days was as useful as it was impressive. While Britannia maintained a sizeable navy, their detection systems would be unable to pick up the hull, as a combination of quality design rendered its voyage silent, while a new technology Rakshata had been mostly unwilling to discuss deeply had kept it completely invisible to conventional emission scans.

It was perhaps for the best, technology wasn't his forte, even if he could appreciate the power it granted. Regardless of it all, the hum was relaxing, a peaceful background noise that he could use to calm his mind.

"_My lord? Are you feeling better now?"_ Nunnally's voice broke the silence.

"_I am." _he muttered in response _"The cough seems to have subsided, and my temperature is back to normal. I would hazard a guess that my blood pressure and heart rate are normal as well."_

"_That's… nice to hear. But I would appreciate it if you didn't dump your frustration on me." _She quipped back, earning a chuckle in turn. _"You know I worry for you."_

"_I know."_ He spoke, his voice soft as he got off the bed and walked over to her, kneeling down where she was sitting, and taking her hands in his own. Shortly, the modulator was turned off. "And thank you." He whispered honestly. Nothing more was needed between two who had long since bared their hearts to each other.

A short ping ended the moment. It was almost difficult to hear, but the submarine avoided any unnecessary sources of sound to maintain its stealth. Many normal comforts were sacrificed for this, however, the state-of-the-art soundproofing still allowed some leniency.

"_Entering waiting zone outside operation area."_ Nunnally read the small message on the display to her brother. Slightly exasperated, said brother sighed shortly, before getting up, his hand shortly tapping on the modulator.

Nunnally got up, quickly going through the motions of dressing herself in her own costume, while Lelouch did the same. There was precious little time to rest, and they had taken enough already.

"_Event horizon stands in sight my lord. Are we ready?"_ she asked tentatively, just as Zero motioned to press the release of the door lock. The man stopped, considering her question for a moment before pressing it and opening the door. Before he strolled out at a leisurely pace, he responded.

"_Time waits for no man. We shall be as we must."_

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"_Time waits for no man. We shall be as we must."_

"That hardly seems like the attitude a leader should keep." Rakshata drily commented from the hallway. "I've come to inform you that most of the modifications are complete. My team still needs another hour to calibrate the targeting systems to properly take advantage of the upgrades to the Factsphere systems."

Zero turned to her for a moment, nodding silently before walking onward and beckoning her to follow, which she did with a short shrug.

"_Good work. On both the frames, and on this entire submarine."_

"I'm afraid that this one isn't my work… though I did manage to persuade my colleagues to send it over." She responded calmly "On the other hand, the stealth systems were."

"_The Gefjun disturber?" _Zero inquired, stopping for a moment to let the door to the command room open.

"Yes. The scale is larger from the prototypes I've assembled earlier, though with some work, it will be easy to adapt it for Knightmare use." Rakshata commented in turn. "That data you sent… there are a few rather interesting pieces."

"_I am glad you find them amusing."_ He calmly noted, cutting off any further comments, and taking a seat. _"Oghi, what is our status?"_

"We are in position exactly two kilometers off the coast of Shikine Island, sir. Scanners are running passive." Oghi spoke from his own seat.

"_Todoh?"_

"All assigned troops are ready to deploy at your command. Loadouts have been set as requested, the nightvision optics have been delivered, and Yoshitaka reports that Special Division Epsilon is ready for deployment as well, as is the Engineering Core salvage group joining them." The older officer reported in his usual sharp tone, wasting not a moment to do so.

"_Excellent. Brief the soldiers and begin the countdown. We strike at eleven. Rakshata, can you brief Epsilon on the changes to their equipment?"_

"Of course." The woman responded, smiling before she took a long drag from her pipe. While he couldn't see what she was sitting on, he could tell it was definitely _not_ a standard issue chair like the one he and everyone else in the command center had been using. A mental note was quickly added to ensure his own seating was improved.

"_You have your orders then. Inoue, report." _Zero ordered, leaning back into his chair and trying to relax in a vain attempt at stopping the oncoming headache as most of the people in the room left. Now all that was left is to organize _six_ other groups… without real time status. Merciful heavens, he needed a vacation.

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_23:00  
Shikine Island  
Seconds before the end of countdown  
Command Group Alpha_  
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Taking deep breaths to steady himself, Kyoshiro Todoh focused on the preliminary passive scan of the battlefield ahead. Within the relative comfort of his cockpit, he analyzed the part that was his to accomplish in tonight's operation.

The weather was favorable, without rain, but with sufficient cloud cover to reduce visibility. The thick forest around them only further increased the odds of this attack being successful.

He shrugged lightly at the task ahead. It was not doubt or fear that touched his mind, but rather anticipation. It had been a long time since he had seen combat on the scale that the Black Knights would now bring. The JLF was more numerous, but the Order was infinitely more daring, better equipped and frighteningly capable.

It felt good to be with capable comrades again. And he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in finding out just how capable his newfound leader actually was. It was one thing to observe events from a distance and a completely different one to do so from the heart of combat.

The Shikine island base was a stronghold, even though its appearance would suggest otherwise. Formerly a key naval airbase, isolated from the mainland of Japan, it was now retrofitted with full support for Britannia's Knightmare Frame technology, state-of-the-art communication systems… and nasty turrets that could bypass battleship armor as if it were little more than paper.

But that did not mean it was not without its weaknesses and the plan that they had been briefed on would capitalize on those. Lelouch, no… Zero, had given him what was essentially carte blanche to deal with the enemy as he saw fit within certain loose parameters.

A few quick strokes to the keyboard nearby revealed that the countdown was about to end. Radios, even short-range ones would not be an option at this time, not this close to the enemy base. Surrounding him, under the cover of the forest and the long-since fallen night, six squads under his direct command prepared to engage the enemy. Eyeing the few seconds remaining, he lifted the Knightmare Frame's right arm, quickly dropping it once they ran out.

Without a further sound, the entire group surged forward into battle.

The six squads quickly spread themselves into a wide arc. The detection grid, while extremely capable of picking up enemies in the long ranges, relied on spotters in short range. Radar was of limited use when you were surrounded by woods, and normally patrols kept the seas clean of any unwanted visitors.

Stealth submarines not included, obviously.

He had already discussed the plan with each and every one of the five lieutenants that commanded the troops of his group, so there was little reason for chatter. Previously assigned signals would carry commands just as good as any words could.

As the base came into sight, he readied his hand of his frame on the handle of the sword. Time was short, and they had scant minutes to strike the primary targets before the alarm was raised. Towards the east and west, he could already hear the first sounds of fire as the heavy mortars sprung to life, firing the explosive shells straight into the main communications tower.

Following the whistle of the shells through the air, the six squads charged forward, each aiming at their own target. Todoh himself lead the spearhead, the blade of his chainsword revving up with a characteristic hiss. The two Knightmares kept on night watch never stood a chance as the blade cleaved them in half. And finally, the shells landed, lighting up the surface of the base with a loud explosion.

The battle had begun.

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'_Not overly surprising, is it? It only makes sense Zero would strike at a weak spot.'_ Cornelia thought angrily as she ran through the startup procedure for her personal knightmare.

"Report!" she shouted at the techs that scrambled to keep everything running. One of them ran up to her still open cockpit to deliver it.

"Communications and power are down lady Viceroy. Turrets are useless, and we can only field enough energy from the auxiliaries to power short range radios and start up the knightmares."

"Keep at it. If we don't mobilize in the next two minutes, we might as well surrender." She ordered, closing the hatch. Wasting no further time or thought to it, she switched on the built in radio after taking a deep breath to steady herself. "This is Cornelia. All active units sortie and engage the enemy to buy the time for defenses to activate. Your enemies are the Black Knights, led by Zero and Kyoshiro Todoh, so don't underestimate them. Priority target identification has been uploaded already, so you know who to aim for. **Now move**!"

Propping her lance in one hand, she could almost feel her blood boil. _'Dammit, I should have known he would strike. Whenever we present a weak point, wittingly or not, he pounces upon it. He managed to turn every trap I've set against us… why should this be any different? Damn you Zero. I'll find a way to stop you.'_

Outside the hangars, the whole base was in chaos. With highly limited lighting, it was difficult to identify friend from foe, and yet it seemed the Black Knights had no problems with it. _'Nightvision… and advanced IFFs.'_ She noted irately, switching her own systems online. The ECM technology that the JLF brought into the Black Knights was becoming a growing problem as well.

Still, Cornelia didn't become a leader because of her name and title, but because of her skill and the respect she commanded from her subordinates. It would take more than this to stop her.

Gripping the lance, she rushed into the closest group, swinging it in a wide arc that easily cut into the enemies. Pushed back by the swing, the three of them didn't get a chance to retaliate or regain their balance before they were struck either by bullets, or by the spike of her lance. Normally, she would have avoided using another weapon apart for those nominally integrated into her frame, however this war would be anything but normal. With a massive lance in one hand, and the Knightmare equivalent of a submachine-gun in the other, the fierce cloaked figure of her Gloucester was indeed a thing that inspired fear.

Her eyes scanned the field for four specific targets. Four people without whom the Black Knights would crumble easily. However, neither Todoh, Ghost, Zero, nor the pilot of the Guren were anywhere within reach.

Cursing lightly, she redoubled her efforts, focusing on taking out as many of the enemy as she could. They would be here somewhere. They had to be. In the meantime, she would ensure one crucial advantage.

"Guilford! Reach the backup communications and contact him. Go!" she called her closest confidant over the radio. She had little doubt he would succeed.

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Not so far from the emerging battlefield, a separate frame was standing, surrounded by its four support squads. Ready as ever, Zero was waiting for the countdown to end. He had no doubts in his allies, their intelligence was accurate, and Todoh was a very capable leader. There was very little that could go wrong, but he would not be foolish enough to assume it impossible… hence several different extraction routes all planned in advance.

Next to him, C.C. was her usual image of calmness and disinterest, though anyone who knew her, a number that was rather small, could tell the faint traces of anticipation on her features.

"_You seem tense."_ Zero commented, turning his face towards her. It was a mostly futile gesture, but the thought was there.

"Not really. Expectant is a better word." C.C. retorted without breaking her focus from the controls in front of her. "I also find myself wondering."

"_About what? We have the time, for now at least."_ he inquired, after checking the time left.

"No… I'll leave it for later. Keep your focus on the battle ahead, your intellect is still needed."

"_You are beginning to remind me of someone…"_ the masked revolutionary muttered irately. _"What must I do to extricate myself from being viewed as an invalid?"_

"Conquer the world?" C.C. offered helpfully.

"_Ah… if it were that easy." _he chuckled but the mood didn't last as it was interrupted by a soft ping that indicated that time had turn out. It was a whim likely, but he removed the mask, revealing his pale features and sightless eyes. And yet, there was still a frighteningly familiar smile on those lips. A smile she had traced back to a very small number of people she had come to know over her long life. It was but a part of a set that warlords, conquerors and their like wielded when a decisive battle was about to come, as if the very idea that their abilities and claim to victory, glory and spoils of war being challenged was entertaining.

And perhaps, now that she thought about it, it was. Seeing the young man who was in some way so similar to her, she perhaps finally understood. Indeed, Charles was right, not all men were born equal. To some souls, there was no peace or fulfillment to be found in everyday life. The heart of war was the only place where they could truly feel challenged, and by extension, alive.

"_Give the signal. We begin now."_ He spoke with a voice that carried the authority of a king, the same voice his father had used years ago to order one of the many battles that had placed him on the throne of Britannia, leaving her to wonder if it was something new, or always there, but that she merely didn't notice it before.

The more she thought about it, she was certain it was the second rather than the first. And without any further comments, the Knightmare moved under her command, charging forward instantly followed by the entirety of their group. Kallen and Ghost were in the main combat force, he could not afford to have it otherwise.

The second spear of the assault rushed through the cleared path towards their target. Lelouch remained calm as he awaited the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

'_-'Commander, this is R-1, initial phase complete, preliminary targets are out, ECM jamming is in place. Both expected targets have entered the battlefield. Transmitting coordinates.'-'_ The voice he had long since learned to recognize as that of Kaname Oghi, currently in charge of the scouting party, announced. The two groups were completely separate, a security measure that was as extreme as it was important, as it would ensure that his group had the opening necessary to succeed.

'_And the last piece falls into place. You are a wise general, sister. But even you grow predictable with time. You completely misplaced my objective.'_ He mused in silence as the troops around him shut down everything that wasn't critical to run this stealth mission. His head swam in a mixture of contentment and disappointment, as if wondering if this was everything the Witch of Britannia had to offer. True, his troops were hard pressed to keep the front just a bit away, but that was little more than a great diversion to buy the time needed for the real objective.

Without further notice, the small group moved in, spreading into previously arranged teams. Three of the four squads separated, striking at a specific force that was defending the Lancelot trailer, drawing them off, while the last squad escorted the small terrain vehicle that contained the members of Division Epsilon.

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Elsewhere on the battlefield, Suzaku Kururugi found himself facing a figure he had hoped never to fight. Across from him was the Knightmare identified as a Gekka, a custom model made specifically for one man: Kyoshiro Todoh.

Bitterly, his thoughts once more returned to the question asked to him by Zero all that time ago. To all the doubts he had felt on his course.

'_Now isn't the time...'_

A small window popped up on the screen, showing Todoh' perpetually serious face, eyes closed as if in contemplation.

'-'We meet again Suzaku.'-' he stated calmly as the two Knightmares prepared their respective swords for combat.

"Hello Todoh-sensei." He greeted without much thought, his upbringing getting the better of him. It wasn't that he cared though, if he couldn't muster the respect he owed the person who had taught him most of what he knew, his own beliefs would haunt him for it. "Should I ask you why you are here?"

The meeting between student and teacher was a tense one, and both sides were hesitant to make the first move. To both of them, it was more than a clash of blades, but that of beliefs, ideologies. The questioning of sacrifices made for one's goals, and last but not least, of the bond between master and apprentice.

Suzaku knew already though, what the result would be. Todoh was a man of unshakable principle and honor. He followed his path because both of his driving forces demanded it of him. It was the same with him. He wished, no, _needed_ to atone for his sins, and if the only path he could see to achieve that would damn him to hell… so be it.

'_-'For the same reason you are. Our methods may not be the same, but you have come to a decision, one that you didn't make lightly, and I will respect it, even if I don't understand it fully.'-'_ Todoh responded several seconds later. He raised the single sword before uttering one final word _'-'Come.'-'_

Instantly, both Knightmares surged forward, blades meeting in a thunderous clash. He blocked the first assault of the massive chainsword with his own two blades, but this blade was different from the ones he had read the reports about. Just as he was beginning to struggle against the pressure, the back of the blade lit up, and the sword nearly cleaved right through him.

'_Boosters?'_ Suzaku realized. As if the blade's cutting power alone wasn't terrifying enough… blocking was no longer an option. He moved to the side as the blade swung down, cutting easily into the concrete beneath, and swung at his torso, only to be dodged just as easily as he had moments ago.

This was not going to be an easy fight, he realized. He would not show mercy, his sensei deserved at least that much respect.

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"This isn't turning out so well, is it?" Lloyd commented tiredly. His group had been given a rather irritating, but regardless of it, important task, and he was forced to split it in half, leaving Cecile with a number of others to help Suzaku, while he was stuck trying to activate the disused auxiliary generators, and try and start up the turrets once more.

And suffice to say, it wasn't working right now. Still, he wasn't a genius (mad) scientist for nothing. The whole thing may have been slightly messed up by the damage it inadvertently suffered from the bombing run, but he could still make it work.

In all honesty, he wasn't spurred on by viceroy Cornelia's orders, and even less by the desire to win this battle. What had driven him was the news he received from one of the techs he left with Cecile.

'_They struck the trailer… and there are no reports about survivors yet. I doubt Zero would just have them killed, but they have likely already taken everything of use there. The encryptions on the hard drives are strong, but not unbreakable. And worst of all… Cecile… damn.'_

"Hm… Sergeant, can you pass me that spanner?" He called to one of the soldiers that were providing them with protection. The man did as asked, passing the tool to the smirking scientist as the man proceeded to slam it in three different places. To the astonished eyes of all present, the generator sprung to life. Lloyd merely chuckled before walking over to the terminal that controlled the power flow.

"Now, how to mess up Zero's plans the most, hmmm? Let's see, the sensor systems are now active, hmm… sensors, turrets… William, connect the laptop to the terminal, I'm going to need access to some of the programs there to reconfigure this." He stated, beginning to dob his fingers one against the other, only occasionally revealing the positively evil smirk behind them.

Lloyd Asplund was a man prone to eccentric behavior, but behind the carefully constructed façade was a very intelligent and capable individual. He couldn't care less about the battle, but people messing up the few things he cared for always got him in a foul mood.

And when Lloyd was in a foul mood, things tended to be blown up. Taking one moment to crack his fingers, he dove into work.

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From her falcon's perch, Nunnally scoured the battlefield for any potential targets. Set away from the conflict zone, and armed with a long range rifle, she had her work laid out for her.

Even now, she hadn't directly killed anyone, always using her knowledge of Knightmare Frame structure to disable rather than kill. Hit a key spot, and the frame would break down or detonate in roughly five to ten seconds.

However, the targets on the ground weren't that part that worried her. Rakshata had integrated a piece of experimental sensor technology into her knightmare aside from the usual Factsphere devices, codenamed Cyclops. And what she was seeing right now was very much worrisome.

"_How did they even make that thing fly?"_

_

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_

**Author's notes: **Whew… that took forever to write, and it still isn't over. The cliffhanger is the obvious introduction to the next part, but I needed a reasonable place to cut it off before the other half of the battle. It's also been a while since I last wrote this story, so I hope the quality is decent.

I've avoided several characters and events outside of mention here, especially Yoshitaka's group. Originally I wanted to write the whole part, but I'm leaving it like this for the time being.

Also, I've wanted to have people guessing what was the actual objective of the entire operation, but that's easy to tell, isn't it?

Till next time then. Read, enjoy, review.


	23. Reversal of Fortune

**Author's Ramblings: **For all those who had been waiting this chapter for a while now, it's done. It took me freaking forever to end this battle, to write and plan for every twist and turn, but its finally over, and change comes callin'. 10+k freaking words for one chapter hurts to write.

I won't write much here, apart for the fact that my update schedule (in what limited manner it existed beforehand) has been shot to hell due to college tests coming up soon, and due to the fact that I'll have to spend days studying with very limited time for anything but sleep.

Irritating as that may be, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 22 : Reversal of Fortune

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23:25, April 6th, Wednesday  
Area 11, Shikine Island  
Shikine Island Naval Airforce Base  
25 minutes since the beginning of combat operations  
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With superhuman grace and elegance, two knights continued their duel, black knight facing the white knight. Each bearing their weapon of choice, the white one a pair of matched blades, the black one a single long sword. Their positions were clear, the white one was faster, with better reflexes, but the black one made it up in skill and experience, easily bridging the difference.

The clash of blades echoed even over the constant gunfire, and no pilot on either side dared approach the small area they had made their battleground. The risks of doing so were too great, for there was a chance that not one, but both warriors would turn upon them in the instant.

Without wasting a single breath, Kyoshiro Todoh continued his unrelenting assault on his old student. Dealing slash after brutal slash from every possible direction, he left Suzaku with as little breathing room as possible. It was a basic strategy, and one who was so used to fighting with a sword could without great effort keep stringing attack after attack without much thought, all the while preparing a greater strategy.

That, he remembered, had always been the greatest weakness of his pupil, his lack of foresight. As far as his incredible instincts took him, they could always be surmounted, as no manner of hastily thought tactic could overwhelm a well-executed strategy.

To Suzaku, it seemed as though he was trying to fight an advancing wall of steel. His sensei was every bit as skilled as he remembered, if not even better. Even though he had two blades at his disposal, the older warrior easily nullified his advantage by not letting him use them as he normally would. It was easy to tell who held the advantage here.

Dodging yet another side swipe by rolling away, he finally bought himself a moment to think by making a bit of distance between them. Warily, the two giants eyed each other, both waiting for the other to act first before striking in response.

'_Sensei already has a plan, no doubts about it. He may not be as fast as Lelouch was, but he's no less dangerous. With every second I give him, he'll grow closer to victory. Fighting with just my swords, I can't win this fight, it's pointless.'_ He considered, thoughts lining themselves up one after the other. _'Forgive me sensei, but I can't lose, not now!'_

Even to casual observers, it was easy to spot the change in the Lancelot's stance. The slight uncertainty earlier had been subsumed by raw determination. With the right blade held parallel to the ground at shoulder level, and the other trailing backward, Suzaku charged forward. The first attack came quickly, a diagonal cut that he managed to barely dodge, and started a slash with his right hand. Within moments, the blade was twisted to parry his blow, leaving him seemingly open and vulnerable.

Suzaku knew better, opting to instead fire a slash harken from his right hip straight at him. This blow was blocked as well, as were the three other slash harkens that followed, but they cumulatively created an opening for his final attack, a direct thrust of his second sword, which effortlessly carved a shallow hole in the Gekka's right shoulder. The wound was harmless, but it was first blood nonetheless.

The impromptu test was over, and the small area around them that had served as a trial ground suddenly collapsed as they both pulled back, immediately surrounded by the other combatants. Above them, a small orb of red light made its way across the night sky, briefly shedding light upon the battlefield..

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As the elegant form of the battleship Avalon glided into the night air, only one person was actually paying it due attention. Or more accurately, only one person was free to do so. Seated away from direct combat, and only firing the occasional shot to disable the enemy, hers was a very important duty: to ensure that no uncalled for surprises caught them off guard.

'_This is not going to end well.'_ Nunnally idly thought as she raised the flare gun Rakshata had haphazardly attached to the back of her frame. It was a crude contraption, but it served its purpose well. Without much thought, she chose the red flare, the signal for retreat. The ship, even though only a single entity, likely possessed a decent amount of firepower, or worse, the ability to field reinforcements… and if a flying battleship was any indication of the degree of technology Britannia still had at their disposal, the Knightmares that would sortie would likely be just as impressive.

She knew she might be overly cautious, but if Zero, if her brother was captured, all hope would be lost, and not just for the Black Knights, but for her as well. As skilled as she had become in this short time, she knew well what her limits were, and she was not a leader, but rather a follower.

Time was of the essence now, and she could not afford to play around. Without any further consideration, she raised the flare gun to the air above, making certain it would fly straight over the battlefield where it would be spotted by the others and fired. The sizzling, hissing red projectile flew away in a wide arc, only for the barest of moments illuminating her position.

'_Remember, don't lower your guard for a moment, you are a priority target. As soon as you fire the flare, move to another position.'_ The words Todoh had spoken in advice returned to her. Wise words indeed, and before the flare had even crossed the treetops, she was already in motion, moving southward from her overlook, and preparing her rifle. It would be a complete waste if she didn't get back at least _some_ information on the ship.

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"Ghost has fired a red flare. And there is an… aircraft of sorts approaching from her position." C.C. reported to her partner. Even now, that the battle was effectively over for them, he was still the commander, and the failsafe plans instituted would still allow for a modicum of control over their forces.

"_Aircraft? Be clearer, no simple aircraft would have forced Ghost to sound the retreat."_ Zero retorted with a bored air. Little concerned him now that the mission was complete. The group that Todoh personally led would get out alive, he had no doubts about it. Still, there were other concerns to think of.

"The simplest word to explain would be an airship. I can't tell the exact size, but it should be roughly the size of a frigate class ship." C.C. explained, keeping her eyes peeled to the surroundings to ensure that the terrain vehicle they were escorting wouldn't be attacked or captured. Considering the precious cargo it was carrying, and the price at which it was obtained, neither of them were willing to risk losing it. And for the time being, the submarine was better off as a secret.

"_Curious. It would seem Britannia's other scientific divisions weren't resting on their laurels all this time. Though this will present a problem. Do we have a reliable recording of it?"_ he questioned further, idly placing a gloved hand on his chin, considering the implications for the future. _'This stinks of your work, brother. Few have the vision to invest in something so seemingly outlandish… though I wonder how long before such machines become common in the Britannian military? A flying fortress would indeed be inconvenient… all that's left is to hope that Rakshata or Milly can come up with either a counter or an equivalent. What a headache.'_

It was tiring, leading without being able to see for himself, mostly because he couldn't rely on equipment to do a part of the work for him, meaning that his mind would be strained to keep it all running smoothly. C.C. was a great help, no doubts about it, and so was Nunnally. Without them, none of this would have ever gotten of the ground.

"We have a problem." C.C. stated, letting just a sliver of concern into her voice. Lelouch bit back the sarcastic comment that was building in his throat, choosing instead a more diplomatic response. Despite the situation going from bad to worse, maintaining control was paramount to victory now.

"_Yes?"_ he finally let out, having steeled his nerves sufficiently

"ECMs are finally offline, so I brought up the radar… Ghost is being surrounded, and Kallen is cut off from the others. Cornelia is holding a line between us and her, and a second squad led by Guilford is approaching."

"_Damn it… what about Rakshata?"_

"The submarine is waiting for us."

"_Escort our cargo to the landing crafts first. And start giving me details… I'll plan something yet."_ He ordered with a forced calm as his mind descended into though, rapidly drawing a mental map as C.C. fed him the relevant information. With every passing second, bits and pieces fell into place until finally a whole course of action had formed. C.C. didn't need a look at his face to know he was smiling.

"_Connect me to Todoh and start moving towards Kallen as soon as Epsilon is safe."_ He calmly commanded as his body relaxed. Once more, the tide would turn.

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"Direct hit aimed at the prow shields, fully mitigated. Tracing trajectory" The adjutant aboard the 'Avalon' announced as a single shot was stopped by the airship's shields.

"Ah, so much for a boring day." Prince Schneizel commented amusedly, all the while watching over the screens that displayed the progress of the battle bellow. To anyone who didn't have the benefit of such a view, it would seem terribly chaotic and more importantly, disorganized. It was anything but.

Thanks to Cornelia's request and Lloyd's timely intervention, he now had an unopposed view of the battlefield, and was once more reminded just why Zero was considered an actual threat. The base, even with its systems restored was next to defenseless. If it wasn't for Cornelia taking immediate command, it would have been completely overrun.

The only irritating bit was that their scanners were still offline, due to the need to maintain turret presence. Sure, he could tell the position of their troops, and create a mental overlay of where the enemy was based on that

An omnidirectional attack that successfully concealed its true objective until it was too late. He had no doubt that Zero had already planned out his escape routes, and that he likely already evacuated the group that had captured the Lancelot trailer. However, as limited as they were, the short range scanners did pick up several groups, and one target that had opened fire at the Avalon, and from a sniper rifle of sorts… which meant that it was likely Ghost, Zero's close confidante. The other target of priority was the Guren Mark II, and its pilot, a very important figure within the Black Knights, morale-wise anyway. Todoh was not an option, as he was surrounded by that pesky elite unit whose name he couldn't remember right now.

"Adjutant, patch me through to earl Asplund." He ordered, getting up from his chair and walking over to a nearby display of the battlefield.

'_Most of their troops are retreating towards the south-east… which means that their extraction point is likely there. Zero does not seem to be the type to needlessly sacrifice his troops, so he likely has a plan to get them out… hm. Cornelia is already intercepting some of their number… maybe I can use that to our advantage.'_

Moments later, the exhausted and sooth covered face of Lloyd Asplund showed up on the screen

'_-'Yes, your highness? Could you please make it quick, I'm still not finished with reprograming the scanners.'-'_ the bespectacled scientist asked. His voice lacked the usual bored, sarcastic edge, replaced by a sense of urgency and even a barely perceptible undercurrent of anger and his face was still covered with sooth . With many of his family members, such a response would not go unpunished, but Schneizel was already used to his eccentric behavior… and more importantly, he understood why he was in such a foul mood.

"I just wanted to give you a direction to focus the scanners once the system is fully operational. Cover the southeastern sector of the island, and if you can reach them, have the ships move there as well."

'_-'I see…'-'_ Lloyd commented, pensive for a moment before continuing _'-'I'll contact the captains as soon as the communications can reach them.'-'_

"You do that." Schneizel commented as the connection was terminated. "Captain Vertis?" he called a few moments later, giving the man a subtle sign which was immediately picked up.

"Understood sir, setting course. Should I also notify the hangars to prepare?"

The prince gave a short, agreeing nod. One more weapon might prove useful to have at their disposal.

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If she was in a better mood, Kallen might have described the situation as nostalgic… though being cut off from the rest of the Black Knights with merely a handful of allies on her side was enough to give rise to her temper. It was the last phase, as Zero had described it, the one in which their sole tasks were to get out safely, and make sure the others did so as well. Urabe had commented it to be a coordinated retreat, but most of the non-military members didn't seem to understand that so perfectly. Thankfully, Urabe _was_ in her group, which at least was something to be grateful for. On the other hand, the group they were supposed to break through contained Viceroy Cornelia, who was anything but a weak fighter.

Worse still, she had orders that Cornelia wasn't to be killed. Exactly why Lelouch had ordered all high-ranking officers to avoid killing the Viceroy, or her knight was beyond her, but even then, she guessed that he knew something they didn't.

'_-'Kozuki, we're ready for the breach. We've just received news, Zero and Todoh are moving to pincer the enemy lance'-'_ Urabe called over the short-range radio. Without the need for ECMs, there was no point in avoiding radio traffic.

"Alright. Go!" she shortly responded, gripping anxiously the fork-knife in her left hand. Deciding not to delay this clash and further, she charged straight into Cornelia's Gloucester, with Urabe on her right flank and another soldier whose name she didn't know on the other. There was no time to think things further. Only act.

In response to her charge, the lead Gloucester, that of the Witch of Britannia, brandished its lance, surging forward to meet her, just as the rest of the group followed. Without giving any concern to safety, the Guren separated itself from the rest of her group, deftly dodging the approaching lance with a short dash to the right, while a single Slash Harken was fired to the left, hitting a Knightmare behind the lead Gloucester, and wrapping itself around its torso as Kallen slid by. Killing was not an option, but there were alternatives.

Just as she tried to stab the knife into the shoulder, Cornelia's frame turned with a jerking motion, and slamming said shoulder into her frame's torso, pushing her back and breaking her balance. Behind her, Urabe had already swung his sword to sever the cable that held her tethered, and gave her just enough time to dodge the close range shot that would have left numerous holes on her cockpit. Instead, it scrapped off a piece of her shoulder plate, though it was still enough to set her blood flowing.

"Real easy…" Kallen muttered angrily as she gripped the controls. She had already taken some light damage, but now, every bit counted if she was to survive.

Dodging another blow from her back, she parried the lance with her right arm, managing to grab the weapon as she pushed it away. Reflexively, she pushed the trigger, immediately bathing the weapon in energy. Her enemy never had the chance to pull it out before it was half-melted.

"Urabe, keep them off me!" she shouted over the radio. One enemy, no matter who it was, she could handle. A full lance of them? That would be a bit too challenging for now. She still had a few choice words to tell Lelouch before dying.

No more than a few seconds passed before they rushed each other again, the modified Gloucester blocking her knife thrust with its right arm, and firing off several rounds straight into the left hand, completely blowing it off. But in the meantime, Cornelia had forgotten about one other opponent, and a harsh reminded followed as the heated chainsaw blade of Urabe's katana bit into her left shoulder, ripping right through.

It never stopped her for a moment, as spun around, slamming her still functioning hand straight into the head of Urabe's Gekka, easily ripping it off. In the short period he was stunned, she had managed to pull herself away from Kallen, and to hit the hand holding the chainsword, liberating a new weapon for herself, one which she immediately prepared to use.

And use she did. In the short time she had it with her, a quick, experimental swing easily bisected the Knightmare that had been flanking Kallen from the beginning of the fight. The pilot never got the chance to eject as it detonated.

Even without her left arm, Cornelia still stood proudly, gripping the stolen chainsword in her remaining hand. Despite herself, Kallen was beginning to realize why Lelouch had went to such lengths to neutralize her through trickery before, and why he thought so highly of her. And despite the chaos, the strain on her body and the very real chance that she could die here, or perhaps because of it all, a smile began etching itself on her lips. She might not be able to follow that order.

Without looking, Kallen grabbed a Britannian Knightmare with her right arm, melting the poor thing within moments and confiscating the lance the late pilot had carried. Despite the relatively small distance between them, Cornelia seemingly waited for her to make the first move.

In silence, they both simultaneously charged again, each brandishing their own weapon against the other. With a clash of revolving blade against pristine durasteel, the battle continued.

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From his falcon's perch in the skies, prince Schneizel continued to observe the battlefield with a detached mind. This battle had long since stopped being entertaining, as it had been reduced to melee with little room for any grand strategy. Considering that the entirety of the forces present were either already in combat, or moving to engage, it left very little room for him to work, and very little need.

Perhaps the worst thing was the fact that one of the few people he found past remotely interesting and important was down there. He did not doubt Cornelia's capability and skill in combat, nor her ability to lead even in such adverse conditions. Though he was the one who offered suggestions from the safety of the 'Avalon', the Witch of Britannia was without a doubt the heart and mind of their army. There was something she possessed that he didn't, a sense of the flow of battle, an instinct. Certainly, he could tell with a glance which side was likely to win, but she _felt_ it, and rarely was she proven wrong. She ruled over her subordinates with an iron fist, but at the same time, she was their commander and one of them, first into battle and the last one to leave. It was hard raising complaints of unfairness when your leader held herself by such high standards.

"Sir, we're receiving an uplink from Shikine base. Scanners are fully operational. Uploading battlefield image now." The adjutant offered the status update. The screen that showed the map of wider island area was immediately updated with a collection of small dots joined by tags with names and vectors depicting movement. While the blue dots outnumbered the red ones by a wide margin, their position was far worse.

With the limited knowledge that the previous intel allowed, it had only been clear that Zero had made himself an advantage, but now… on some base level, it was frightening. The man had predicted the majority of their uncoordinated actions… it was probably the chief reason why he had disabled most of the base's systems, to ensure these positions of his enemies. And all lead straight into either traps, firing lines or simply had them break into smaller groups where their efficiency was reduced. No, he wasn't predicting their moves, he was engineering the conditions so that they'd move the way he wanted.

For the first time since Clovis had left him completely broke while playing poker, Schneizel el Britannia felt the need to curse, but it was harshly crushed beneath his iron will. Now was not the time… he had underestimated Zero like so many before him, and now it could cost him more than he was willing to lose.

"Captain, get us as close as you can to lady Cornelia. Adjutant, connect me to lord Guilford." He ordered with a forced calm. Even if there was no obvious show of dismay or displeasure, the temperature in the room had seemingly dropped by a dozen degrees. The man's posture was no longer bored and relaxed, but tense, and if they could, his sharp eyes would have glared a hole in the screen by now.

Needless to say, his subordinates moved with lightning speed to perform what was asked of them. He didn't have to wait long before the almost unshakable face of Gilbert G.P. Guilford showed on one of the screens. The knight of Cornelia had seen the details of the battle, but maintained a calm air, almost better than he did, which, as far as Schneizel was concerned, was another good trait to his sister's favored knight.

"Lord Guilford, I need your help to intercept a group coming to attack your lady." He explained simply, opting to give away with any semblance of deception or politics in order to save time, time which he didn't believe he had.

'_-'You have my ear your highness.'-'_

"Good. I need you to counter the group approaching from your south, and Cornelia's west, led by Kyoshiro Todoh, and joined by three of their Four Holy Swords. If your group can delay them long enough, I can get two full lances to reinforce Cornelia's position and we can win this battle, and quite possibly, capture or kill Zero as well. You have the fresh scans uploaded I presume?" the prince explained. The knight nodded shortly before terminating the link. _'Godspeed , lord Guilford.' _he silently offered.

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The tides shifted once more as the groups led by Todoh and Zero reached the position where Cornelia and Kallen were fighting. With arrival of new forces, the lance that had been pressuring Kallen's small group so far was suddenly outnumbered, and with the nearest reinforcements precious minutes away it was uncertain how long they would hold on.

Within the protective shell of her cockpit, Kallen was trying to catch her breath. Cornelia was a fierce opponent, skilled, unpredictable, and were it not for her own commendable talent and skill, by now she would have died. For a while now, they clashed blade against lance, neither side capable of achieving that single moment of advantage where an opening would present itself for them to use.

It was tiring, but the rush of adrenaline kept her functioning despite the pain in her limbs. She had been fighting for a long time now, and fatigue was beginning to accrue. Her movements, once brisk were already becoming sluggish, the small delay between what she decided to do and her body following growing with every passing second.

She would falter, sooner or later, she knew it, and her only hope was the help of her allies. A flood of relief came once she realized that Zero had come for _her_, bringing enough forces to ensure her survival. The radio sprung to life, a modulated voice she knew well calling and ordering.

'_-'Kallen, move your unit away from here and towards the extraction point. We'll cover your retreat.'-'_

The most welcome words she heard all day. She considered giving a final polite gesture to her opponent, but it would be too much of a waste of time and energy. Quickly, she threw away her lance as a spear into one of her enemies, before turning around and moving away as fast as she could. It would all be over soon, and she could finally rest.

Behind her, Kosetsu Urabe pushed closer, supporting her heavily damaged frame with his own as the remnants of their group retreated to safety.

Todoh's unit spared no foe as they cut their way through to Cornelia. With Zero's unit already cutting off her route towards Kallen, it was his job to ensure that the further reinforcements wouldn't stand a chance of overwhelming them during their retreat. The group he identified as being lead by Guilford was one to be immediately concerned about, but there were others. A total of five lances were heading their way, and that would be more than enough to ensure quick defeat.

But as all present noticed, even though she was almost completely alone, left with only two other pilots who fought as fiercely as she did, the Witch of Britannia did not falter. Like a wounded beast, her Gloucester raged about, its tattered cloak swirling and following the path of her stolen chainsword. Anyone foolish enough to get too close was immediately relieved of their limbs, at best. At worst, as two foolish pilots found out, they were skewered straight through the cockpit. She fought her way towards her target, easily identified by the custom helmet, not slowing down for a moment.

Surrounded and outnumbered, Cornelia took a deep breath, before she triggered a priority transmission to the 'Avalon'. The damaged screen blared to life, showing the command room aboard the ship. With some limited amusement, she could tell that Schneizel's cool had long since been lost.

'_-'Cornelia, hang on. Guilford's lance is on the way to support you.'-'_ he spoke, probably hoping to buoy her spirit. As much as she appreciated it, it was a wasted gesture, for she knew what she had to do now. The frown on her faces bled away as a strange serenity took over. She regretted a lot in her life, choices she had made, things she had failed to do… but at least she would make this moment count. Another deep breath followed before she responded to her half-brother.

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'_-'I don't believe I'll be walking away from this one brother.'-'_ Cornelia stated calmly _'-'Reinforcements are too far away, and my group is dwindling in number, while my Knightmare is breaking apart. I will ensure that he can't move a bit. Make sure my death is not in vain.'-'_

He remained silent, for there was truly nothing to say. Silence befitted best as an answer to what was being said, what would perhaps serve as the epitaph to one of the few people he respected in his life. The words were clear, in all their horror. There were no more moves left to play, no more powers left to call upon. Checkmate.

'_-'Schneizel, promise me something.'-'_ Cornelia finally asked in a low voice. _'-' Promise me you will look after Euphie once I am gone.'-'_

Barely restraining himself, Schneizel grit his teeth to hide his powerlessness and rage. He was not a man easily pressed into emotion, but it hurt. He could no longer just sit. She had chosen, and it was beyond him to stop her now, he respected her, loved her too much for that. All he could do was follow, and make sure that her death would not be in vain. With energy he rarely showed, he stood up, placing a closed fist over his heart, his rage and determination palpable and finally responded.

"I promise you Cornelia. She will be safe and happy. I will see to it and do what I must to achieve it. That, I promise you. Farewell sister. Captain, you heard the lady. Open fire!"

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From the distance, Nunnally could do little but watch. She had avoided the enemy groups, firing her other rifle only when she was forced to, and keeping to the outer rim of the conflict as she reached for the submarine. Now though…

Streaks of light painted the night sky as a rain of fire descended upon the small stretch of flattened forest. In the sky, the Britannian airship stood undaunted by the battle below it, heedlessly firing beams of crimson light that effortlessly burned through anything they touched, even as unfocused as they were. From the distance, the Cyclops picked out the trajectories of a number of artillery shells, most likely guided by spotters from the airship itself.

She could only watch in mute horror as the Knightmare she identified as belonging to Cornelia did everything in its power to hold onto Lelouch's. In a second, the entire field was covered with smoke as the blast of the shells' impact and detonation covered them.

Hands slid limply from the controls as the realization came to her, followed quickly by a sense of wetness at her cheeks as tears began falling unhindered.

"Lelouch… brother… NO!" she uttered, her voice going from a mere whisper to a pained, tormented scream. For the first time in her life, Nunnally came to know true hate. Hate for those who robbed her of her brother. Of her light.

Tears still falling, she hefted the might mass driver rifle on her back, aiming it straight at the airship above, her aim unfailing as she targeted the cargo bay it had fired from. Somewhere in her mind echoed the memory of how the shielding system functioned, and that it needed to be down for it to fire. No more than a second, it was all it took her to set aim and fire, the rail electromagnetic rail accelerating the over-sized bullet to great speeds. It was all she could do, rage helplessly upon the enemy, the only thing that even slightly quelled the burning hatred. All around her had descended into red.

For the few Britannian pilots who survived the barrage, the scene that followed would be forever burned into their memory, and the name Ghost would become something to be truly feared.

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_10:35, April 7__th__, Thursday  
Aboard the 'Avalon'_  
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"… and the count of our losses keeps mounting…" one of the adjutants continued to drone on. Schneizel, being the one in charge was supposed to care and listen, but he couldn't bring himself to. He ignored most of his speech, knowing that others would cover things for him.

Cornelia was gone. As if the deaths of Lelouch and Nunnally weren't enough, followed by the death of Clovis as well…

From a firm strategic view, the only recourse he had left, Japan was a crucial territory to Britannia. Had it not been conquered before, there would be other options, but now that it was their territory, they could ill afford it to secede or be overtaken by others. It was the only reason he could offer to try and justify the deaths…

'_No. There is no justification. It could have all been easily avoided, and we could have had access to Japan's stores of Sakuradite without the losses we've incurred here… why? Why was this nightmare needed? I can only imagine the pain poor Euphie is going to feel. And Guilford...'_

To speak nothing of his own pain, of his own failure. He had approached this so leisurely, naively, that he had allowed himself to lower his guard. Zero had used the opening, and turned it against them. He wanted someone to blame, but if nothing, he was too realistic for his own good. His loss was terrible, but how many had the Japanese lost to Britannia needlessly? How many had Zero himself lost to the predation of his enemies to turn to such a life?

It was a pointless line of thought. Zero had died in battle, along with Cornelia who sacrificed herself to stop him. The Black Knights would crumble soon most likely, as there quite probably no one capable of filling his shoes. What he found disturbing was that it seemed he would _miss_ the man, considering that he was one of the few who could challenge him.

'_How thoroughly depressing. And this visit was supposed to be a vacation from the mess at the European front' _he thought morosely, returning his attention ever so shortly to what the man before him was saying.

"…also, the investigation has been completed on the site where lady Cornelia's Knightmare was destroyed. Two frames were recovered, identified as a Gloucester and an Eleven frame identified by radio as a Burai. The cockpits are still missing from the frames and a search is in progress for their remains. The command lance under the lead of lord Gilbert G.P. Guilford has requested the arbitrary honor of acting as her majesty's honor guard at the burial when enacted" the adjutant continued, only to be interrupted by a raised hand.

Momentarily, the wheels turning in his head came to a grinding halt as his brain processed the words spoken mere moments ago.

"Wait… what do you mean the cockpits are missing?" Schneizel half asked, half cursed. For a single moment, his guard was brought down and a sliver of hope dared enter. The chance, no matter how small, was enough.

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When she finally came to, she was sitting aboard the submarine, inside the Knightmare hangars. Next to her was C.C., looking tired, bruised and concerned, but with a small reassuring smile on her lips. On the other side, Kallen was lying on a stretcher, seemingly unconscious, but unharmed aside for a bit of bandages around her forehead.

"_Is he..?"_ was all she could let out, knowing well where Lelouch would have been if he was okay. Knowing what the girl wanted to hear, the immortal kneeled next to her, bringing herself right beside her ear.

"He is alive." C.C. offered in a soothing tone. "Where and how, I don't know, but he is alive."

Finally, Nunnally let out a relieved sigh. It wasn't much, but it was enough to return hope and light to her world. Lelouch lived, and for now, it would be enough. With no further resistance holding it back, her consciousness slipped within moments.

"She fought fiercely… I have rarely seen anyone fight so." A voice that the immortal recognized as that of Todoh offered, the soft sound of footsteps accompanying his words.

"Loss is a frightening thing, capable of driving men and women to deeds both great and terrible." She responded. The silence that followed those words spoke more of their experiences than perhaps either would care to admit.

"I will not ask how you know that Zero is alive." Todoh began evenly, before sighing "Do you know where he is?"

"No. I do not. But…" she trailed off, waiting for Todoh to ask for her to continue. Slightly disappointed when he didn't after a few seconds., she finished her thought regardless

"You can be certain that he _will_ come back." She finally spoke with all the finality of an executioner's sword falling down. "Now, if you'll excuse me, both my and Ghost need some time to rest. We shall be inside Zero's cabin if anyone needs us."

In relative silence, C.C. picked up the now-unconscious girl carefully, before leaving. Behind her, the officer let a small frown form on his ever serious face. He did not like the way things were developing. Not one bit.

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_14:00  
Aboard the 'Umi no Hime'  
Exact location unknown, en route to Shikine Island  
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Deep within the bowels of the submarine was what one might call a prison. Considering the usual fare with the Britannian military, at least as far as she was aware of, Cecile found this prison to be at least comfortable. Certainly, it wasn't a five star hotel, but at least the overworked scientist could admit that hers was a gilded cage. Better than a concrete cell anyway.

Her first reaction when waking up was startled shock, then realization that she was not having a strange nightmare, and that she was indeed captured by the Black Knights.

'_Thank god for small mercies, though.'_ She mused quietly as she used the rather cramped, but still welcome shower. While she wasn't harmed in any way, all of her equipment was removed. Her clothes were in the same condition they were in when she had been captured, which meant somewhat dirty from days of wear, and further stained by oil spills from the Lancelot maintenance.

For whatever reason, her captor, for there was indeed only one person she suspected was behind this, was benevolent enough to offer a change of clothes. She did guess though that there was a women's hand involved, as there was even clean underwear. How they knew her size, was a thing she didn't want to think about.

When she finished, she went through the motion of dressing herself automatically, dully noting that her old, dirty clothes were gone, and in their place was a tray with food and water. Again, they were a pleasant surprise, considering that she was used to military grub, and these seemed much tastier.

Checking for poison and truth serum did occur to her, but it was pointless _'After all, why go to all this trouble just to poison me? They could have done that outside. And there's not much that I have to hide that has any use to them.'_

Her meal proceeded in relative quiet, the only sound within the chamber being the near-silent hum of the engines, and her slow munching. Eventually though, even that was interrupted by a pair of successive knocks on the door. Without waiting any further, the door opened, revealing a black-cloaked figure she recognized with ease.

"_Hello miss Croomy."_ Zero saluted cordially, hands still kept underneath his cloak. _"I hope you found my hospitality to be sufficient, it is terribly difficult to maintain comfort aboard a military vessel."_ The masked man offered politely, the tone almost joking.

"What is it you want from me?" Cecile retorted, keeping her own calm despite the situation. Her response was a lengthy chuckle from the person before her.

"_Well, you could tell me the codes to bypass the encryptions on the data disks. It would save us some time."_ He offered, tone still relaxed, and not in the least perturbed as he walked over to the nearby desk and sat down on the chair.

"Not a chance. You'll have to crack it yourself." She responded

"_Yes, yes… I assumed as much. Your stalwart loyalty does you credit, even if it is somewhat questionably placed. I will not bother you with empty rhetoric, or persuade you to betray Britannia for me." _He paused the monologue for a moment, seemingly studying her for a second before making some decision.

"_To be perfectly honest, I don't really need you here. Your talents would be a welcome addition, make no mistake, but… well, you and Lloyd are key to maintaining the Lancelot operational, and with removal of that one inconvenience from the battlefield, my work is easier. Unfortunately, that also means that for the time being, I cannot afford to set you free. For a while, you will be our guest here, miss Croomy. I do hope you don't mind the cramped space. Well, unless you have questions, I have to leave now."_ He explained, while getting up and walking towards the door.

"Wait. Uhm… there is something I wanted to ask."

"_Yes?"_

"Why are you keeping me so comfortably? Even if you're following the POW acts, this is a lot better than what I had expected." Cecile honestly offered. Despite her misgivings, she was curious; as a scientist, it was par for the course.

Zero stopped for a moment, freezing in his tracks, to consider an appropriate answer to the question. Slowly, the masked head turned over his shoulder, before delivering it. The voice was cold, reproachful, as if insulted by the very insinuation that he could possibly do worse.

"_You may think me whatever you will, it matters little in the grand scheme of things, but to soothe your curiosity, here is a word of advice, a hint if you will: do not listen either to the propaganda that Britannia so gladly spews, nor the foolishness some of the Japanese people would mouth off. You are a scientist, observe the events and find the likely causes. Do not make blind judgment, it does not befit you. Forget any preconceptions you might have and observe clearly. That way you may yet find out the answer to your question.' _

Turning back from Cecile's silent form, Zero walked out of the chamber, leaving her with even more questions than she had before he had entered.

"Just who are you Zero?" she questioned quietly. Despite what she wanted to think about him, actions spoke louder than words, and in his case, he was a person to be respected… if it was even a he, that is. Looking from this close, it was a bit easier to see, but the shape of the body did look more female than male.

Though in the end, it perhaps mattered little. Enemy he or she may be, but the point made was correct regardless. Still, what brought a person to effectively declare and wage war against an empire such as Britannia, and not only survive, but achieve a degree of success?

She was certainly not the first to ask, she could be sure of that much, but the points Zero made were a good starting point to figure things out. And she decided to do just that. It wasn't like she had anything else to do, and if memory served well, Zero was always a man of his word,_'…or woman? Oh great, now I'm getting confused about that as well.'_

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"_This is an awfully complicated way to maintain a deception…" _Nunnally commented before removing the Zero mask from her partner.

"You remember what he planned, do you?" C.C. let out in an almost whisper. A slight frown covered her lips, and to her, it was more than enough to tell the immortal was concerned. "The illusion had to be created, otherwise we might not have enough time."

"_Doesn't mean I have to like this situation."_ The younger girl muttered, before letting go of the small amount of anger and frustration she felt. Glad for the security Lelouch's room offered, she removed the mask and cloak, leaving herself only in the comfortable suit.

"No." C.C. agreed. " It means you have to endure it. If you trust him…"

"I do… it's just… we've changed. And what's worse, I can't tell whether it was for the better or worse." Nunnally continued, slowly dropping her guard. When had she become so jaded and mistrusting? It was a meaningless question, she quickly realized. The childish Nunnally who had walked around with few concerns in the world had died that day, seemingly so long ago, when she had joined her brother not as his little sister, but as a partner. An _equal_.

And this morning, what little was left of her innocence died.

No matter what you wish to achieve in life, there is _always a price._ Sadly, she realized, her innocence was the price she paid for this path. And even sadder was the fact that now that she thought about it, it was a small price, one she was willing to pay. She did not wish to think about it.

Since the beginning, C.C. had remained within their circle, yet outside it, held back by a wall of her own making, which she seemingly feared to bring down. She trusted C.C., for reasons she couldn't yet fully explain, but she trusted her. Not as much as she trusted Lelouch though, she trusted _no one _else that much, but enough to reveal her deeper feelings to her.

The immortal let out a short, sad laugh before walking over and dropping on the bed. After having moved a few times to make herself comfortable, she turned to Nunnally, keeping that same enigmatic smile she always carried on her lips.

"Trust is a strange thing, Nunnally. You will find that in life, there are very few you can truly put your trust in without them betraying it." She stated, letting the last part carry just a hint of bitterness, enough to tell that she was speaking from personal experience. It was another strange thing she had noted, how easy it had become to read the mostly stoic woman, and she was indeed left wondering if it were her own skill, or the fact that C.C. seemed to be warming up to them. "And sometimes… even when a person worthy of such trust comes, doing everything in their might to preserve it, it still isn't enough as they are ripped away by life."

"What are you trying to say? That I shouldn't trust anyone because I could get hurt in the process?" Nunnally questioned, bringing her knees up to her chest while she huddled on her chair. Her long brown hair fell around her face, concealing the small frown that had formed there.

"No… it is not that simple. Life never is." The woman responded, turning away, content to stare at the metal ceiling of the chamber. "You will find your own answer, in time."

Once more, she had come to a crossroads, C.C. realized. Decisions she had made a long time ago were now coming back to haunt her, and a single misstep would be enough to bring the entire house of cards crashing down upon her. What concerned the immortal the most was that she beginning to feel, truly _feel_ once more for the first time in over a decade since what little hope she had for her life was ruthlessly extinguished.

Betrayed more times than she cared recount, she hardened her heart against any and all, and yet… how could these two, little more than children so effortlessly pierce the ice? No, that was a lie. Children still possessed their innocence and bright dreams for the future. They did not have to bear the future of the entire world on their back, neither by duty nor by choice. They didn't know the loss that Lelouch and Nunnally had felt more than once.

Foresight born of experience was a terrible thing, especially when said experience taught you that there was little you could do to shape of things to come. Her name was never written in the books of history, but her description slipped in at times, mostly edited out by overzealous historians. She had been there when George Washington's rebellion failed, when Napoleon had conquered Britain, and had died several weeks later. When Saladin liberated Jerusalem, she had stood on its tallest towers and observed. When the Tzars fell in Russia, she had been among the fleeing, watching the laughing face of the Bearer named Rasputin.

Each and every time, she had felt that unique strength, a will that surpassed that of mere mortals, a presence that did not ask your compliance, it _demanded_ your submission and loyalty. And it was there in him, in Lelouch, just as it had been in his father, albeit far stronger. A seed ready to burst open and grow.

Into what, still remained to be seen. His would be the hand that wrote history, she was certain of it, though what will be written in those pages…

The events now mirrored those she had been witness to many years ago, as another pair of siblings stood to declare war on the world that was. And she could foresee only a few paths going onward from here. And each and every one of them would draw her in, regardless of her own choice, dragging her by the curse that she bore on her flesh, the mark of the Geass.

"Blessing of immortality… what foolishness." She whispered, her voice mostly muffled by the pillow she had sunk her head in… but it still wasn't quite enough not to be heard by Nunnally. She merely let out an acknowledging grunt, not really in the mood to enter a discussion.

She was tired, so terribly tired, and more than anything else, she wanted to hug Lelouch and fall asleep holding him close, enjoying the safety his warmth always offered. Little did she know that her thoughts were almost completely mirrored by the other person in the room.

"He is going to be alright, right?" she asked in a quiet voice, almost afraid to let out the words.

Hiding her face in her comfortable pillow, C.C. smiled at Nunnally's care.

"Yes. I believe he is. Hm. Do you think we get some pizza here?" she asked with a tone anyone who didn't know her would mistake as joking. Despite her foul mood, the young brunette could barely keep from falling of the chair as her laughs echoed through the room.

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_Exact time unknown, afternoon  
Exact location unknown, presumably an island within the area around Shikine island_  
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Had anyone been foolish enough to stand close to him, by now, there would be at least two throwing knives stuck in their vital points. Suffice to say, even when waking, the trained paranoia instilled in him by his ninja-maid trainer did not let go, not for a minute.

With an over-exaggerated sigh, Lelouch opened his eyes. It was a mostly aesthetic action, considering that he was blind, but the feeling of light on his face and eyes was not unwelcome. Which also meant that his mask was now gone… likely lost during the explosion.

Self control failed him as the memory resurfaced, and his body shivered. The slow rising of bile at the back of his throat was yet another unpleasant sensation that couldn't come close to the nausea he felt at the truth of what he could remember. Kallen had gotten away at the last moment, but he and Cornelia weren't as fortunate.

Sight was not necessary to feel the full scope of what might as well have been the wrath of an enraged god that had descended upon them. Long range precision bombardment from Britannian ships, combined with whatever form of weapon the Avalon used was more than enough to annihilate anything caught on the ground at the moment. How he survived was beyond him, but he suspected it was likely the work of a certain immortal., yet another matter to be concerned with once he returned to civilization.

He had no great worries about C.C. though, regardless of her wounds, she would recover soon enough, however he himself didn't have that luxury, and worse still, without the communicator built into his mask, he was now cut off from the Black Knights, wherever he was.

But Cornelia was gone, most likely dead. No matter how much he circled around it, she was there at the center of the impact, there, trying to make sure he would die from the bombardment.

Before even considering to move from his position or activating his Geass, he realized several things. The sound of waves hitting shore and the sand beneath him meant he was at a beach somewhere, and he wasn't sure whether to hope he was still on Shikine island or not. Considering the strong currents around it, he could have been carried away elsewhere, though only two options came to mind.

And neither of them prepared him for what he finally noticed once he called on the Geass to grant him sight once more. Sluggishly, the world around him lit up once more, if only partially, as what little life could be found nearby once more showed itself. However, that was not the problem.

There was a body a few dozen meters away from him, still unconscious, and decidedly female. It was also very easy to tell that it certainly wasn't Kallen, due to the long hair. And it really didn't help that she was so easily recognizable.

"Schneizel, if I ever get out of this alive…" he muttered ineffectually, almost trying to conceal the combined relief and irritation, before cautiously making his way to his unconscious sister. She may have been his enemy in battle, but regardless of it all, he still cared for Cornelia, and out here, away from prying eyes, for he had made sure there were none, he was still her brother.

She wasn't wounded, to his relief, merely asleep from exhaustion. A cursory examination revealed that she had no wounds, and that her clothes merely had a few small tears here and there but were otherwise in good condition.

Quietly, he sat down next to her, considering what he should do, and entertaining himself with the irony of the situation… as well as considering what he should say once she woke up. It was a conversation he was not looking forward to, to say the least, no matter how glad he was she survived.

The thought of using the Geass on her had occurred to him more than once, though he had grown to dislike the power it granted, it was still a great advantage he had, and there were those he wouldn't hesitate to turn it against.

'_God enjoys irony.'_ He thought with some amusement, remembering the words his father had once spoken. At the time, so many years ago, Lelouch could not understand both the meaning of the words, nor the context in which they were spoken. Now though, it was apparent.

Sighing, he brought his back down to the relatively soft sand beneath him, closing his eyes, and listening to the surf. Until hell broke loose, he might as well do the smart thing and get some rest. Out here, isolated like this, he could at least let the worries of the world flee for a while, and start thinking of more impractical and esoteric things.

Several hours passed in comfortable silence, or at least Lelouch assumed so, since he had no accurate way of telling time, as he irritatingly found out that most of the installed equipment had short-circuited in contact with the sea… which was another matter he decided to address when he got back to civilization. Finally, his unconscious half-sister gave the first signs of waking as the warmth from the sun slowly started receding. Night was coming soon.

There was one thing he realized as she was waking up, and that was that regardless of everything, this conversation was the final threshold at the end of his old life. In a few minutes, Lelouch Lamperouge _would die_. Who would remain in his place was indeed a matter for thought.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for what he humorously though might be his last hour. And it would have merited a laugh too, were there not a very real chance of him ending up being hit square in the face.

* * *

**Author's** **notes**: And there's the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it after the long wait, and apologies for the cliffhanger in the end. I wanted to cover so much stuff here, but decided to cut it short, or I would likely cross 15k words, and that's a wee bit too much for one chapter of comfortable reading.

Hopefully, the reactions of some characters weren't blown too far out of proportion. I realize I've raised a lot of questions, but keep in mind that I have been warning of the impending change for a time now. All I can say is sit back and enjoy the ride. Keep in mind that I will not bash characters just for the sake of bashing them.

Well, read, review and all that. I'll try to make the next update come out in the next two weeks, if I'm really lucky.


	24. Crossing the Rubicon: Dark History

**Author's Ramblings: **I was suitably entertained by the reaction of you, my readers, to twists and turns I pulled so far. So, I hope you don't mind the chaos that will follow from here on out.

The following several chapters form a single highly important block in the story, and also, unless I somehow decide otherwise, the final part that follows the cannon storyline. It will focus much on the characters and less on the action. Expect a lot of people who have been neglected lately to make appearances.

Enough of that, you didn't come here to read my ramblings but the story, so go on and enjoy the 23rd chapter of Code Geass: Light in the Darkness.

* * *

_Chapter 23: Crossing the Rubicon: Dark History_

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_April 7__th__, 21:00  
Asakura, Southern Japan_  
_Britannian Expeditionary Force under the command of Jeremiah Gottwald_  
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Knowing what they did know, more than a few soldiers wondered how their esteemed commanding officer managed to get demoted from nobility, to a simple pilot and then back to Captain in record time.

He himself was wondering why they risked giving a disgraced former margrave a chance, but he wasn't complaining, and executed his duties with absolute dedication. It was expected of him, both by his Britannian superiors and by his lord, whom he had sworn to serve.

The urban area around them was supposed to be the home of yet another terrorist group. He didn't bother with remembering the name as they wouldn't last long, and besides, Villeta usually handled the irritating matter of paperwork. Why a group sent to handle various smaller resistance/terrorist groups needed reports filed in triplicate was truly beyond his undertstanding.

Speak of the devil, the three of them were stuck working on it until late. Inside a small office in the local base, a veritable mountain of paper waited their filling. Apparently, not doing your paperwork for a week had its consequences.

Jeremiah was the most energetic one of the trio, still working fervently on his part of the pile under the hope that he would finish soon and be done with the damn thing. He had long since discarded his jacket in favor of the comfortable shirt he was wearing, as the broken AC in the room did little to cool down the stagnant air.

In another corner of the room, Villeta was focusing on filling out the actually important part of the work, getting the requisition forms for supplies done correctly so that they weren't shafted. Despite his best efforts, Jeremiah tended to mess those up at times, and it was a luxury they no longer had. She was also the most tired of them, for reason obvious, but she kept to her work, insistent she finish her part.

"Well this is fun." Kewell tiredly commented from his seat, putting aside yet another filled form and tiredly rubbing his temples. His face looked like he needed a week's sleep to recover, while the rest of him was only marginally better. "What manner of madman decided that officers had to spend half their damn time filling paperwork?"

"Stop complaining, the sooner we're done the sooner we can leave… and I could kill for a shot of whiskey right now." Jeremiah responded in a humored tone, putting one of his own on the outbound pile. Despite the previous incident, Kewell was easy to be around. He made no reference to his previous actions, while at the same time doing everything he could to make up for them. And he had promised to offer the man a clean slate.

"I'm glad to see things returning to normal." Kewell added morosely after a few moments of scribbling. "All this mess around Zero and everything… don't even know what to think about it anymore."

'_What the hell, they could use a break.'_ He thought before making his decision. Smiling for a moment before his ace turned serious, Jeremiah put down his pen, giving the piece of paper that was on his desk one last hateful glare. Grabbing his officer's jacket, he got up, walking over to the other desk in the office.

"Cut the work here… we'll finish tomorrow. One of the pilots tell me there's a good bar nearby." He ordered, but his tone remained jovial, as he tapped his subordinate and dare he say it, friend, lightly on the shoulder. "Villeta, are you joining us?"

"Just give me a minute to finish this one up." She quickly responded, focusing on her job.

Five minutes later found the trio walking the empty streets in search of a bar and alcohol. Despite military bans on drinking while on duty, nothing stopped them from taking a drink here and there when they were free. And, as Kewell noted, having your CO as your drinking buddy did have its perks.

"Enjoy the calm while it lasts. I'm getting a bad feeling that things are going to get a lot worse soon." Villeta commented out of nowhere, not really in the mood to start a conversation, but still feeling the need to share her thoughts.

"Aren't we feeling morbid today?" Kewell responded, pushing his hands into his pockets. Asakura was surprisingly cold during the night, and all he could do to keep his hands warm was to rub them against the cloth of his jacket.

"Just realistic. I somehow doubt that Zero is just going to give up on things and leave." She retorted calmly. "Now where is that place Jeremiah? I'm really not in the mood for a long walk."

They chatted on as they went, keeping topics mostly simple and everyday. Not one of them was in the mood for a serious conversation, not after the long day they've had. But it was enough, the three of them had known each other for a time now, and with things back to normal between them, such matters were of little concern.

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_Evening  
With Lelouch and Cornelia_  
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"Ugh…" the tired voice of Cornelia li Britannia managed to mumble out as she regained consciousness. Slight irritation gave way to abject shock when the slight haze lifted from her mind and memories returned, reminding her of the fact that she should not currently be alive.

But, apart for the slight soreness of her muscles, and what she was certain was little more than mild irritation of her skin from the heat (or the sand beneath her), she was in perfect condition. So what had happened?

"Ehm." a slight cough got her attention, breaking her out of her thoughts.. Quickly turning around, she saw a figure she could immediately recognize, even if the mask was missing. He was turned away from her, sitting on a nearby rock and observing the sea with what seemed to be great interest.

"Zero." She stated, though whether she was surprised, angry or just confused, not even she could tell that well. Her mind was a complete mess, and she needed time to settle everything down before she could trust herself to be objective about things. Things, such as not strangling the man in front of her with her bare hands.

"If you are wondering how you got here, I believe I am somewhat responsible." He explained, still not turning around from his gazing. There had been something to his voice that froze her in place. Her first reaction would have been to do something to the man who had been responsible for so much, and yet… now that she stood here, both of them seemingly unarmed and alone, she couldn't bring herself to do anything. And that voice… so eerily familiar. "Fortunately, prince Schneizel's aim is a bit off, so when I tried to push you out of the blast, he somehow managed to hit your ejection mechanism. The explosion triggered mine as well. At least, that's what I believe happened."

"So we were blown out to sea and washed up on the shore here?" she asked, a slight hint of her apparent distrust in her voice. Crossing her arms over her chest, she slowly started taking steps towards him. Curiosity was overcoming her hesitance. The conversation was meaningless, as it truly did not matter how they ended up here, it was a way to pass the time and delay the inevitable. He couldn't see it, but her hands were closed into fists, nails stabbing into the flesh of her palms to help keep herself calm.

Her hesitance had come from the fact that a part of her _didn't _want to know who was beneath that mask, fearing that the revelation would destroy the status quo in which she saw him as simply another enemy who threatened everything she held dear. A face might make her hesitate when the crucial moment came, and create an even worse disaster than this had already become.

"It would appear so. What? You think I'd organize something as convoluted as this just to get some time alone with the great Witch of Britannia?" Zero returned, obviously entertained by her question and line of thought. To the effect, he let out a small laugh at the end, but still didn't turn around.

"In a word? Yes." She deadpanned.

"Fair enough, I suppose. I've earned that one." he commented mirthfully, but with his next sentence, his tone darkened. "You have questions."

The statement left a void of silence between them, a calm before the storm that was sure to come. He was stating the obvious, finally steering the conversation to a path neither wanted to follow, but both knew was necessary.

"More than a few, but for the time being, here's one. Who are you?"

"Why don't you come and take a look for yourself, _Nelly_? I am far too comfortable on these warm rocks to move." He spoke, his voice tired and befitting an old man. There was no mockery in it, merely admission.

"Impossible…" was all Cornelia managed to let out as the pieces fell into place, and the voice finally connected itself to a name. The nickname gave it away, to be honest, as very few people even knew of it, let alone used it.

It was older, deeper, but it still held that kind undertone, now clear without the modulation to twist it. "Lelouch? Is that you?"

He gave no response, seemingly not hearing her at all. Quietly, fearfully, she walked around until she could finally see the face of the person who had all but haunted her nightmares for weeks now, only to reveal that it was indeed her long-lost brother. The brother who had officially died years ago, at the hands of the accursed Elevens along with his younger sister.

The tense silence continued, as she observed the young man before her. The years had been kind to Lelouch, she concluded absently, as his slightly rounded, childish face had grown more angular and sharp with the passing of years. The small frown that covered his lips seemed more melancholic than angry, and for some reason, it seemed like a very normal expression for him.

From the scrawny youth he was before, he had developed into a fine man, but his build was for speed and agility, something she had witnessed firsthand. More of a fencer than a swordsman, she noted. The clothes, even if damaged from the water he was in, fitted him perfectly, only accentuating the image of a predator, which now overlapped with that of her once dear brother. Whether he remained so would probably depend on the next few minutes, she decided.

But it was a sobering realization, that her half-brother, whom she thought dead for years now, was not only alive, but in fact leading the resistance that had been causing her no end of grief. Rage welled up in her as conclusions strung up themselves one after another. How many had his actions put at risk? Had he truly been willing to kill Euphemia just to stop her?

To speak nothing of her own feelings of pain, loss and guilt. Had she been there that day so long ago, Marianne would be alive. Lelouch and Nunnally wouldn't have been banished. All she had was regrets and pain, mired deep beneath the steel surface she had forged over the years to keep it and everyone else at bay.

With the man before her, those defenses shattered, broken beyond any attempt at repair.

'_Serve me? Aim to achieve? Silly girl, you just don't understand what I am doing here.'_ The words he had spoken not so long ago echoed in her mind. Indeed, she did not understand, at least not back then. Now though, it was clear. _Everything_ was frightfully clear. With every passing moment, she could feel her tenuous control slip a bit further.

"Hello, dear sister." Lelouch offered, his voice calm, almost gentle and his posture relaxed. A moment later, he could feel the sting of a slap on his cheek. It did not take any ability to feel the anger at his calm words, but it was intentional. Cornelia was ever emotional when it came to family and those who she saw as close to her, if he was to have any chance of peace, he would have to weather her anger.

"You arrogant bastard. How could you? Do you know how worried we were when we first heard? How much Euphemia cried once you were pronounced dead? God damn it, even Schneizel was shocked to hear the news, and Clovis, the brother you _murdered_ wept tears at your death! " she yelled at him, beating on his chest with her fists. There was some strength to her blows, but not nearly enough to actually harm him. She wanted to, but she couldn't bring herself to. Not without hearing his reasons first. "Why? Why did you do it? Why? Why…"

She kept on asking, her voice dissolving into pained mumbling and sobs as she fell to her knees. Tears were streaming down her face in small rivulets before falling onto his chest as he closed his arms around her.

As they stood like that, there was truly nothing to be said or done. The simple actions of both sides spoke volumes more than any words could even begin to attempt, and the simple warmth of a hug held the shadows and pain at a distance.

'_Am I that much of a bastard?'_ he thought morosely as his own tears refused to fall. He was glad to see her again, free from the burden of their plots and duties. For so long, he had missed both her and Euphie much, and yet, there was never a good time to meet them. It reminded him of why he had begun this war, of Nunnally's wish for a peaceful world, of his own thirst for a just one.

Was the price of such a world worth it? Sadly, he found out that he didn't have an answer to the question yet.

Over time, the sobs quieted down, until they finally stopped completely. Sitting against the slightly raised rock as they did, it took very little effort for Lelouch to let Cornelia rest against the still warm surface as he got up

"We really have to stop meeting like this. People will talk." He offered, his strained voice a pitiful attempt at joviality, but it was enough to draw a small laugh from the woman next to him. The knowledge had overwhelmed her, but he himself wasn't feeling that much better. Seeing his strongest sibling break down and cry like a helpless child was a chilling experience and a sad reminder of the cost of his choices.

"You never answered my question." Cornelia muttered, some semblance of control reestablished over herself. Tears still soaked her face and she was still shaking, but her will was strong enough to hold her together, for now at least. Even brought low, she was a strong woman, and would not allow herself frailty more than she had to.

The melancholy on Lelouch's look faded away, replaced by actual sadness. He had waited calmly for her to spend herself, to let the rage flow out before he could say his piece. There were several hours of time to think about this moment, of the speech he was going to deliver to her… whether he should say everything, nothing at all or something in-between.

The tempting idea of erasing her memory with the power of the Geass crossed his mind more than once, but again, it felt so terribly, utterly wrong. There was a line there, just waiting to be crossed. A line, he decided, that separated a human from something else… something he realized would be very far off from what he wanted to become. Peace built upon a mountain of bones and a sea of blood was worthless, and this would be a step in that direction. Not only for the fact that he would hurt her, but that she would have to go through this pain again… the worst wounds were those on the heart, he knew that too well.

"Always with the questions… " he spoke, before shaking his head. "If you wish to know so much, I will tell you. Better make yourself comfortable though, it might take a while."

He turned back towards her, his face once more an expression of melancholy and boredom as he began telling the tale.

"I had lost almost everything once, when mother was murdered… the loss of sight and the exile that followed left me with but one anchor to reality, my beloved sister Nunnally. When we arrived at the Kururugi home, and we were accepted not as hostages, but as guests, almost friends of the family. If you know anything of the people here, know that it is not a small honor. I would have been content to spend the rest of my life in anonymity, living at the family shrine where Nunnally and I lived during those short months." He explained, eyes slowly turning to the distance as he spoke. Both knew he could not see, but it was the gesture of a mind slipping into memory, gazing through space and time to recall those moments held so fondly. Cornelia remained quiet, though her body slowly began relaxing, the tenseness slowly drained away by his voice.

"The day Britannia invaded, we were playing outside. Daily exercise had allowed me to start making my way around with minimal aid, relying on little more but my feet to find my path. It was refreshing to be outside, unhindered for the first time by my blindness. It was meant to be a day of success between us, a day of celebration as I ceased to be a complete cripple. I would have done anything not to be a burden to Nunnally… I had already taken too much from her by not thinking, I did not intend to allow it again. And so, unaided, I walked. Both Nunnally and Suzaku were there, cheering me on. "

He stopped, preparing to make a point of some sort, she realized. Morbidly she thought that it was how many tragedies began.

"Then the invasion came." he stated gravely, a visible shudder passing his body.

"In the days that followed, Kyoshiro Todoh performed the Miracle of Itsukushima, dealing the Britannian forces their first major military defeat in over ten years. But morale was still low, and with the death of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, his cabinet as well as the rest of the government collapsed, forcing Japan to surrendered a scant few days later. Todoh ensured that both the child of the late prime minister, as well as ourselves, reached safety, but we got separated in what remained of Tokyo. Over the next month, we witnessed the truth behind Britannia's glorious wars in a way no adult, let alone a child should have."

He stopped once more, his face hardening slowly, before settling into an unreadable expression. The memories wrought there were not pleasant ones, and the strange mixture of sorrow, rage and impotence reminded her sadly of her own.

"Do you know what Nunnally said when I asked her if she could tell me what she saw? That she envied me for being blind." He whispered as his hands slowly began shaking. "Even if I couldn't see, there is something I will never forget, the day we had to cross a battlefield just to stay alive. Do you know how it smells as you cross through a field of dead people, knowing that your little sister has to see a horror beyond expression?...the faint mix of smoke...blood...the stench of rotten gore and half-incinerated flesh, or to hear the cawing of countless birds of carrion, as they circle around you, awaiting to their feast of death? She doesn't speak of it, nor even show she remembers, but it _stained _her, in ways I am afraid to think of."

He cut himself off there, stopping to calm down. By this point, his hands were balled, his gloved fingers digging deeply into the flesh of his palms. Despite herself, Cornelia fought back the bile that was slowly rising up her throat.

"We nearly died then, surviving solely because a few people took pity on two helpless children and deigned to help when no one else would, not thinking for a moment if we were Japanese or not."

"You could have reached any Britannian base. Surely, as citizens of Britannia, you would have at least been given food and shelter…?" Cornelia countered, getting up from her position on the ground, and resting against the warm rock at her back, but not taking her sight off Lelouch. She couldn't, not now, after all this time. She wouldn't forgive herself if she did so and he was spirited off somewhere.

"Indeed we would, but to do so would be to invite death. I am quite certain that the OSI would have us removed sooner or later, at worst. At best, we would become political hostages again, I would be sent somewhere to disappear, and Nunnally would be married off to some idiotic noble. Mere survival is not life Cornelia, it is not worth it, and after all that, both of us would have been broken by the separation. There would be no return." He returned bitterly, clenching his fists again before slamming one onto the stone beside him to enforce his point.

"What do you think father dearest would do with someone he had called a _corpse_ before the entire court? Without any power to our name, our only hope for survival was to lay low and try and make our way without interference from the Royal Court. We were fortunate to come across old acquaintances who were willing to provide sanctuary. We've been in hiding only until recently."

"Zero… and the Black Knights. Then Ghost is…?" Cornelia questioned, face slowly blanching even further as she made the connection. It was not all that difficult. As the story unraveled before her, she found herself filling in the gaps with facts she had gathered over the years in passing. The acquaintances could have only been the Ashfords, old supporters of Consort Marianne who had moved to Japan after her death. The worse thing of all, she had to admit he was right. It was why when she realized it was too late to do anything, she had kept herself and Euphemia clear of the whole incident, hoping to protect her younger sister. Lelouch had simply done the same, except that his circumstances had been worse. Much, much worse.

She had seen how wars turned out for civilians, but it had always been from the winning side. Neither of them was on it when the time came and they had both been exposed to the nightmare that was the post war period. No amount of propaganda could hide the unpleasant truths that she had pushed back… she was always a warrior, the matters of civilians were something she preferred to leave to others. For two children… surviving was a challenge, put mildly.

He worried her though. As he had spoken so far, his voice was getting progressively darker, more concerned. By now he had stopped talking, and slowly walked away from the rock, taking a few measured steps towards the sea beyond. Standing with his back turned to her, he seemed much different than before, appeared as something she simply couldn't connect with the Lelouch she had known, nor even with Zero. A presence of will and power, unrestrained by the frailties of flesh and blood.

Lelouch now reminded her of the stories she had heard of their father when she was young, how he had almost singlehandedly ended the internal wars of the Emblem of Blood, of how soldiers under his command charged into death fearlessly, willing to follow their leader into the jaws of death and beyond.

It frightened her to be in the presence of an entity like that. It drained her of what little strength she had left, tired as she was. Exhausted by everything that had happened during the past forty-eight hours both physically and emotionally, the pressure of the oncoming revelations mixed with the pain and guilt of old memories battering her even further.

His words showed little mercy for the few illusions she had garnered over the decade or so Marianne had been dead. Her discovery that Lelouch and Nunnally might not only be alive, but present here in Japan had given her hope, but she had not stopped to think how much they would have changed and what they might have experienced over the years. Horrors that could have been avoided so easily.

He on the other hand, was remembering that day in Shinjuku, reminding himself of his oaths and promises… of his purpose in this world. He had allowed himself to forget, even if only for a time, what he had decided, what he had promised. Forget the feeling of helplessness and waste that he had experienced then at his approaching demise.

"Correct. That fateful day, the two of us were trapped inside the Shinjuku ghetto, and almost murdered by members of Clovis' royal guard who wanted to eliminate any evidence of their failure to contain that which he had lost. Power, knowledge and the life of one who could not die."

The response he almost had expected did not come. Neither did anything even remotely similar come from her, aside from a light snore. Whatever momentum he had built up by now was completely lost, and with the mood utterly broken, all he could do was laugh. It was a bitter, sad laugh, but it was honest, regardless of it all.

Perhaps his sister was right. Night, after all, was best for sleeping.

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_22:17  
Aboard the "Umi no Hime"  
Meeting room_  
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Elsewhere, a meeting of almost similar importance was taking place. Within the bowels of the submarine, now hidden deep beneath the surface, the most important figures among the Black Knights had gathered in one room to discuss their next course of action.

Leading the group was Todoh himself. As the leader of the Knight's military forces, the effective chain of command put him in first place to take over leadership should Zero vanish. And vanish he did, the only proof of him still being alive being the word of C.C..

Considering how little they knew of the woman, it was easy to doubt. Among them, only Ghost had a great deal of contact with her, and Todoh had a chance to talk to her recently. Still, their missing leader had put a great deal of trust into her, which had to account for something... it was the only reason they even listened.

Murmurs were spreading along the room, as those present each expressed their thoughts on the situation they were in. Kaname Oghi, ever the realist was grim, knowing full well that the weight of the rebellion so far was borne almost solely by the masked man as he snatched, repeatedly, victory from the jaws of certain defeat. Outnumbered and outgunned, he kept them not only functioning, but growing and actually progressing in their goal… and all in such a short timeframe that it was frightening. The resources that one man could control and mobilize where mindboggling. If Zero couldn't be recovered, the liberation would never come… he knew as much. Todoh was a brilliant strategist, and an excellent commander, but he lacked some quality that Zero possessed, one that was difficult to put into words. He was a leader, but not someone truly capable of leading from the apex of the organization, so there was little hope he could replace Zero.

To the eyes of Diethard Reid, it was all both terribly entertaining and frightening in equal measure. The void that the loss of their leader produced almost reduced the rest of the Knights into a headless chicken running around after its head was chopped off. The analogy wasn't that far off from the truth either. His fear though, came from the same fact: the subject of his great inspiration was gone, missing! How was he to fulfill what promised to be his life's work if the man whose actions he was chronicling wasn't there? Unacceptable. If he was still alive, something would have to be done about it.

Another who merely observed the whole situation with reserved interest was the Indian scientist, Rakshata Chwala. In the end, she didn't have really that much interest in whom lead the Black Knights; as long as India would receive the support it needed to separate itself from the Chinese Federation. Though, she had to admit, Zero was a very interesting character, one she certainly didn't mind having on her side. And he did know how to bring a lady interesting gifts. All the data she was working with was in one way or another delivered through his actions.

In face of the impending chaos, Todoh remained his usual grim self. Absolute control over his reactions in all but the worst of circumstances was something he prided himself on, and with the knowledge he possessed at this point, it was easy for him to retain that control. Aside from the stern look which gazed outward, there was no indication that could tell what he was thinking of.

He was concerned. Roughly a fourth of their total number of Knightmare Frames were completely disabled or destroyed. A half of the remainder was damaged in varying amounts. Twenty pilots were killed, and a further sixty wounded. For a group as small as theirs, these weren't minor losses they could afford to simply replace, and yet, what did they have to show for their effort? Data they couldn't yet decrypt, a captured scientist they were holding prisoner for the time being.

"What are we going to do now?" the crisp voice of Yoshitaka Minami broke the silence. Despite his position as the leader of Division Epsilon, he was not a man who enjoyed silence, especially such a tense one.

"Zero is still alive, but we cannot directly locate him." Todoh was the first to comment.

"And what guarantee do we even have of that? The word of that woman standing there?" Rakshata questioned doubtfully. "Forgive me if I am cynical, but I don't believe that is enough."

And she wasn't the only one. There were only two of those seated in the room that had at least a modicum of trust in C.C., namely Todoh and Oghi, but that was only because they knew to some degree her connection to Lelouch. Regardless of the fact that the entirety of the Black Knights' command staff knew of the existence of Geass, the facts that Zero, Ghost and even the Emperor of Britannia, Charles, possessed one, some things still remained secret, though whether out of manipulation or common sense was a different subject.

Personally, Oghi wondered if the man was trying to build a damn harem, and considering the number of females vying for his attention, if he should be cursing or congratulating him. Maybe a bit of both.

"I agree. What do we know of her?" Reid commented from the sides, hands for once free of a pile of papers.

But, an unexpected resolution presented itself before the meeting could dissolve into bickering. Flanked by Ghost, the green-haired witch stepped forth with all the grace of a figure skater, her face a mask that concealed any emotion behind dull boredom. She had returned to the straight jacket she had worn during the time she had spent captured, knowing it unnerved people a lot more than any form of casual clothes could. Besides, it was strangely comfortable.

"Are you certain you wish to waste your time arguing over something so trite? Your leaders, both the permanent and the temporary one decided they trust me, at least as far as this matter is concerned." She commented coldly, her tone indicating how obviously insulted she was by their words.

"_And if anyone of you has an issue with that, feel free to take it up with me. Say what you wish, my duty is to enforce my lord's will, and I shall continue to do so."_ Ghost sharply added, bringing the issue to an end for now. It was curious to notice that the majority of the people in the room observed the young woman with a great deal of respect, and even a sliver of fear. Her acts in the battle had ensured their safe retreat while at the same time, cementing her reputation in the Britannian army. Now if she could only remember what was it exactly that she did…

Seconds after Ghost's statement, a sharp knock on the chamber doors broke the short silence. A moment later, said doors opened to reveal a young man in uniform, breathing heavily as he had likely ran to reach here. There was no mistaking it for another Black Knights fresh recruit, though this one bore the markings of the group that worked on communications in the submarine.

"Speak." The commander ordered to the man who had interrupted them. The young soldier seemed to have an ill-fitting uniform on, and was nervous as hell to have interrupted the meeting. Very few wouldn't be, considering the glares sent in his direction by pretty much everyone present.

"Sir? We are receiving a priority transmission from an unidentified terminal somewhere in Tokyo requesting to contact Zero. They have all the proper security codes."

Todoh sat quietly for a moment, considering what this could be about. Having the most recent security codes meant only two possible things, a spy or a confidant of Lelouch's, and if it was the second, there had to be a reason for it. "Patch it through to the screen here."

The great screen in the meeting room that had been used to project the images of battlefields lit up, revealing a rather young blond Britannian woman, dressed in a conservative business suit. Despite the new look, Nunnally had no issues identifying her.

'_-'Well, this makes things interesting.'-' _the woman commented from the screen. _'-'Before you raise a fuss, allow me to introduce myself. I am Millicent Ashford, majority owner and CEO of the Ashford Foundation. And, a large supporter of Zero and his movement, for reasons that shall currently remain my own. May I ask where Zero is?'-'_

"_I can vouch for her."_ Ghost commented as Todoh considered what answer to give before adding a further comment in a whisper, making sure only he would hear it. _"She has already supported Zero more than once, and she knows the man behind the mask. She's also responsible for some of the equipment that was recently delivered."_

"I see." The acting commander of the Black Knights stated wryly, connecting all the dots with what Nunnally had offered. This young woman was unfamiliar to him, but then again, he and Lelouch didn't move in the same circles. Someone had to provide the necessary equipment for their war, and while Kyoto did a lion's share of the work, there were always other supporters. And he remembered the name Ashford. After having to fight against hordes of Gloucesters, whom were designed after their prototypes, it wasn't all that hard. Aside from that, he had the opportunity to meet Ruben Ashford once, long ago, when they first established the Ashford Academy in Tokyo, before the war. He was a cunning man, and it seemed his granddaughter was similar. She could prove either a liability or a solid ally, and given that Lelouch had obviously given her the security codes, he was suspecting the second option.

"Alright then miss Ashford, I will tell you. Zero disappeared yesterday during an operation on Shikine Island when his Knightmare was hit with a long-range artillery bombardment. Fortunately, he seems to have ejected in the last moment. Unfortunately…"

'_-'You have no idea where he currently is.'-' _she concluded, a slightly concerned look crossing her face. For a short while she remained silent, in thought, before a serene smile crossed her face. _'-'That is unfortunate, though you are in luck commander Todoh. I know how to find Zero.'-'_

* * *

**Author's** **notes**: And cut, end of part one of the mess. This was perhaps the hardest chapter to write yet, especially because of the conversation between Cornelia and Lelouch. In one word, Argghhhh!

Complicated as it was though, its done, at least the first bit of it. I would like to thank holyknight70 for acting as a sounding board for my thoughts, and helping me finish this part properly.

Further updates will be shortly on hold while I finish up my issues with college. I have no idea when the next chapter will be coming out. And yes, for those wondering, there shall be Rollo there.

Anyway, thank you for reading, please leave a review, and all that.


	25. Crossing the Rubicon: Price of War

**Author's Ramblings: **Ugh, this chapter was just as complicated to write as the last one. Analyzing the issues of characters is a bloody chore, but a necessary part for their development. There isn't much action yet, however, things are going to start heating up very soon.

Anyway, since a few people have asked... again, just what are the details of Nunnally's power, here they are, just to remind you.

Perception Hijack - the ability to steal any sense from one body within a short range and implant it into another, either completely overriding the target's sense, or simply switching it between them. At peak power, multiple targets can be affected, but it is very difficult to coordinate shifts in say, combat. Neither she nor her victims lose anything but the sensations they would normally feel. Hope it clears things up

Aside from that, there is little to add. Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review.

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_Chapter 24: Crossing the Rubicon: Price of War_

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_04:00, April 8__th__, Friday_  
_Shikine Island, Area 11  
South-eastern shore, site of the battle  
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With a forced effort, Lloyd Asplund made the motions of going through the remnants of the battle a little while ago. If he wasn't depressed enough already, this would have been enough to do him in.

The previously untainted wilderness that covered most of the island was seared clean to the ground by combat in many places, trees ripped out of their roots, earth gouged out, forming long trenches and craters, and all that joined by the metallic carcasses of broken Knightmare Frames from both sides of the conflict. It was a graveyard, he tiredly noted, and he wasn't looking forward to digging among the dead and gone.

Thankfully, prince Schneizel had been lenient towards him, and interested in one sole area: the place where Cornelia and Zero were last seen. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but the prince had asked that he look for anything out of place.

As he approached the crater the artillery fire had created, his thoughts turned to his still missing assistant, Cecile. He couldn't say that he didn't miss her constant help, nor her obvious talent, but both were the last things on his mind right now.

For as long as he knew her, she had been the sane part of the duo, the person who kept his not so subtle tendencies from spiraling into oblivion. Cecile was a dear friend, and perhaps at a time she could have been more… but he was who he was, and most likely he would remain forever married to his work until he burned himself out.

It was a sobering thought, depressive as the many others he had over the past few months, but then he usually had something to distract him from it. For now, the task laid before him would have to do the trick. At the heart of the crater were two broken shells, the object of his impromptu quest.

With some degree of glee, no matter how forced it truly was, he slid down the steep edges of the crater, reaching the machines. Dropping the backpack of his back, he got out the first of his tools, and set down to work.

There was something to be said about the clearly sociopathic madman at work. The normally eccentric scientist was deathly silent, completely immersed in his work as he flowed from one part of the broken machine to the other, returning only occasionally to recheck something or to test a theory while doing so.

Lloyd never made an effort to hide that he loved his work very much, and whoever was assigned to work with him eventually gave up for the simple fact that no normal human could keep up with his tempo. For all intents and purposes, once his 'science mode' took over, he sustained himself on a pure diet of work for endless hours at a time. Which also explained why he got all those shiny diplomas and could, with little effort get the funding for any project he suggested.

Before dawn was even close, under the light of the reflectors set up to illuminate the area, he finished his preliminary findings, typing them out on the computer and sending them off to the prince.

"All in a day's work." He muttered flatly before returning to the two frames. There was still a lot of work to be done, and he couldn't wait to prepare his daily those of vindictive pettiness on the account of the clearly failing design of the princess' personal knightmare. What were those people thinking with such pathetic armaments? A lance and a machine-gun? _'Merciful heavens, Cecile knew better than that when she had just graduated!'_ he thought, his mind recoiling only slightly as it once more thought of his missing friend. With a distinct fondness, he smiled, the normally frightening look replaced by a far calmer, almost innocent one.

He could understand military strategy to some degree. He could put together with ease the reasons why Cecile, and likely himself, were targeted here. But… but, if Zero had done anything whatsoever to harm her… there would be hell to pay, his career and life be damned. There were still a number of favors the Earl could call upon, and his own personal resources were only _somewhat_ limited.

Still, despite the recent worries, he retained the same level of immersion in his work he always did. Despite his wishes, rescuing Cecile was far beyond his abilities, and he could only hope that it would turn out well in the end.

For the time being, he would turn to one apparent cure for his… more esoteric issues. Besides, that command frame did have a rather curious looking machine attached to it.

"Gentlemen." He called to the soldiers that had by now lined the edge of the crater, a worrying smile on his face. "I am going to need a volunteer here."

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_09:00_  
_Tokyo Concession, Area 11  
Viceroyal Palace, Chambers of Euphemia li Britannia_  
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As befitting the Sub-viceroy, the small complex making up her chambers possessed a decently sized office where one could focus him or herself on work. The young woman currently present there walked about with a worried frown, taking short but urgent steps as she paced.

Dressed in finery, as befitting her position, she was ready for the day's work, but the daily report her sister was supposed to send last night _still _hadn't arrived. While Cornelia may not have been known as a perfectly punctual person, some sort of news would have arrived normally by now, and she couldn't help but start worrying.

She was grateful though that there was at least one person she knew she could count on left. Andreas Darlton, despite his insistence, had been requested by Cornelia to remain here, and ensure that no disturbances occurred while she visited the northern part of the islands, and while she would have appreciated more people, the scarred veteran was an excellent advisor in matters of politics if for nothing else, for his ability to read people with ease.

Even now, he stood by in perfect calm, a stark contrast wrought by his own iron discipline. His uniform was the picture of perfection, without the slightest crease or wrinkle, and with not a single speck of dust upon it.

'_What are you doing now sister? What could have caused your delay?'_ dark thoughts continued swirling in her mind, worries she did not want to think about, but had to regardless.

"Lord Darlton." She addressed finally, deciding it would be best to bury herself in work, rather than risk nervous breakdown. "I will need your advice on a few matters."

"I am at your service, your highness." Andreas responded solemnly. She found it really funny, how all of Cornelia's subordinates had formed an image of her which was very similar to Cornelia herself, that of a little girl, still unready for the ardors of court and political life. Perhaps they were right, but it didn't mean that she wasn't willing to make sacrifices when needed, and more importantly, the further she delayed learning the reigns, the more it would hurt her in the long run.

"Please, no need to be so formal. I wish the voice of your wisdom and experience, as mine is sorely lacking." Euphemia offered in turn, clasping her hands one around the other as she finally settled down on the large chair placed behind her desk. "Tell me, why do Honorary Britannians face such a stigma within our society?"

For a long minute, Darlton considered what would be a fitting answer, both in the sense that it would explain the matter to the young sub-viceroy, and in the sense that it wouldn't end with him being skinned alive by Cornelia. Indeed, the woman was protective of her sister, but now, he decided, it would be worth risking a skinning. Giving a soft 'hum', he walked over to a nearby closet, retrieving a large map of the world. As he unrolled on the table, Euphie noted that it was a political map, clearly displaying the borders of countries and cities, rather than the landscape.

It was an up-to-date map, showing many of the conquests Britannia had achieved in the past months, as well as the newly instated border slightly south of the Pyrenees, where the city of Zaragoza served as the primary staging point for a further assault. Elsewhere, it showed, covered in blue, a decent chunk of southernmost Africa, parts of Asia, and the entire western continent, a good tell of how large the Holy Britannian Empire had grown over the recent years.

"Tell me your highness, when you take a look at this map, what do you see?"

"The world…?" she almost naively said, but the knight could tell that she was thinking, trying to figure out what he had meant, therefore, he let her complete her line of thought. What she concluded on her own would be worth to her far more than anything he could explain. To his pleasure, something finally clicked in her mind, and her eyes began searching the map almost frantically, putting together the details.

"Wait… this is mostly about Britannia's recent expansion, isn't it? Fifteen years ago, the Empire held the American continent, as well as some minor holdings on Iceland and Greenland. But in just five years, our territory grew by roughly thirty percent, and the population rose by at least twenty million… the nobles fear competition, do they?" she spoke, bringing the final conclusion with a small smile. To her pleasure, Darlton nodded, before continuing.

"Indeed. The mindset of the average noble has it that as members of the Britannian people, they are superior to those of any other nation, regardless of actual merit. At the same time, many of them fear that if Honorary Britannians are granted full rights in the military, other paths would soon open to them as well, and they fear that the power they hold will be lessened, or worse, usurped, by the newcomers to society. And rightfully so." He explained, pointing occasionally at specific areas of the map which were recently connected to the subject at hand. The small smile that had tugged at his lips remained

"Because the upper echelons of society are stagnant, and they fear change? Also, by allowing equal rights to those who are not Britannian by birth, they would also limit their power over the conquered territories, thereby stopping the growth of their wealth and influence, which is the main reason why they are so interested in these wars?"

"Again, quite correct. Area 11 is especially troublesome, as Britannia heavily relies on the production of Sakuradite for its military machine… and there is the matter of the deaths of prince Lelouch and princess Nunnally. The nobility are not quick to forget such things… the Royal Family even less, especially when joined with the death of prince Clovis as well. People will associate the Elevens with their deaths, regardless of the actual perpetrator, which further harms their position."

To his well trained eye, it wasn't overly difficult to pick up the slight flinch that Euphemia made at the mention. It was something to be expected, she was very close to both Nunnally and Lelouch. And Clovis, despite his eccentricities, was generally liked among the entire family. Despite his understanding, he knew she would sooner or later have to harden herself to the fact if she wished to survive the Royal Court.

"Very well then, unless you have more questions?" he politely offered, slowly rolling up the map.

"No, lord Darlton. Thank you." She responded when the computer terminal built into her desk blinked, noting an incoming transmission. A mandatory check revealed it to be from the 'Avalon', the airship her brother Schneizel was traveling on to Japan. She wondered for a moment why he would be contacting her, but then again, she didn't especially mind. It would likely prove to be a good distraction from her.

Putting on a vibrant, if only slightly faked smile, she nodded slightly to Darlton, who immediately recognized the dismissal and removed himself from the chamber. Alone, she switched the transmission to the room's big screen.

The countenance of prince Schneizel was far from his usual self. He held himself well, his iron will subduing most of the signs, but it wasn't overly difficult for her to tell that he hadn't seen a bed in days, and that the smile, though there, was barely able to conceal the turbulent emotions beneath.

'_-'Greetings princess Euphemia...'-' _he began cordially, but it was a formal greeting, which considering the private frequency he was using was already a sign that not everything was right. Combined with his appearance, it already began to slightly worry her.

"It is good to see you again prince Schneizel. Is everything well?" she eagerly responded, hoping that her fears were unfounded. It was there for but a moment, the slight shiver and twitch at the corner of his lips, the way his eyes darted away and returned to her, but she saw it. The how and why escaped her, but she noticed such details now.

'_-'I fear it is not. It pains me to bear such bad news, but I believed it best to personally deliver it. Your sister, Second Princess Cornelia li Britannia is missing, officially presumed dead.'-'_ he said, the dam that held him back finally breaking. _'-'During an engagement with the Black Knights, she was surrounded, and expecting death to come soon regardless, she ordered that her position be bombarded as she grabbed onto Zero's command frame… '-'_

They say that eyes are the mirrors of the soul, and that in them, more frankly and truthfully than anywhere else, our emotions can be read. Whether this is true or not, to Schneizel, it wasn't overly difficult to spot the sense of slowly dawning horror and grief on his half-sister's face.

But beneath the already turbulent surface, another set of emotions raged. The moment that Schneizel had explained things, it dawned on her, exactly what she had done, what she was responsible for. The deaths of her sister and brother were on her hands, because she didn't entrust her sister with the identity of Zero ahead of time.

She desperately wanted to say something, to ask Schneizel to tell her it wasn't true, to deny it… anything, just to at least for a moment quell the growing flood of emotions. She tried in vain; the sheer shock of the news had stolen her voice. All she could do was wait for Schneizel to continue speaking, which he thankfully did after what seemed an eternity.

'_-'…however, both frames were recovered and are missing their cockpits. Despite the official predictions, I believe that they're both still alive. Earl Asplund assures me that the triggering mechanisms fired intentionally on both frames. I have organized search parties to cover the entire surrounding region, and I intend to find them.'-' _Schneizel completed his sentence., before his face softened considerably _'-'Keep faith Euphie, your sister is strong, if there's any chance of her survival, she's bound to have taken it. Now I must bid you farewell, duty calls. I will contact you as soon as I learn anything.'-'_

As soon as the screen turned off, the façade irrevocably shattered, and tears, barely held back, broke free. She drew her feet up on her chair, hugging her knees close and burying her face in them to muffle the sobs. She couldn't bring herself to care about propriety or about someone coming in and seeing her any longer… the only two things that remained on her mind were sorrow and a desperate hope that Cornelia and Lelouch still lived.

'_Please be okay…' _

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Morning, Kamine island  
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The early rays of morning light gently fell on his eyelids, their warmth being just enough to stir him from his slumber. Comfortable as he was, lying on the warmed stone plate with his own arm as a pillow, he only now remembered where he was, and that the warm body sleeping next to him wasn't Nunnally. It caused a moment's shock, but little more.

With his return to wakefulness, his senses slowly sharpened themselves. The dullness just before waking was a bad habit he had developed in recent months, and nothing he did seemed to shake it off, though in the end, he realized it was because of the inherent trust he put in those he had slumbered beside. Indeed, life could at times be cruelly amusing, to those who had the will to distance themselves.

Quietly, he removed himself from Cornelia's vicinity, but not before carefully wrapping her up in his cloak, ensuring that she remained warm until the sun fully rose. It was relatively warm, but he wasn't enjoying it that much, as the sleep had brought back the mild illness he had contracted before the battle.

For now, he had a full schedule of things to accomplish until Cornelia woke up, and they returned to their conversation. Small things, but important… the world did not stop turning merely because he was inconvenienced for a while. If anything, the hopefully short break might yet prove to be beneficial in the end.

But for now, there was time to take another test. For a while now, he had suspected that the power which had resided in his eye was slowly changing. He was careful about its use, knowing that it could come back to haunt him, but he wasn't foolish enough not to anticipate the possibility of drawbacks due to overuse, especially because of his sight.

'_Let knowledge form the foundation of your power.' _He mused as he willed the Geass to life. Eagerly it came, he noted, the slight burning he had already learned to anticipate, but it was slightly different, softer, more inviting. Was it like that always, or did he only now begin to pay attention? No… he paid attention, it was the Geass that was changing. C.C. hadn't spoken much of its power, he had concluded everything on his own, but this piece of news was worrying, as the change might not be beneficial…

Quietly, he sighed, and let his sight wander around. While he couldn't see the ground, nor the trees that were likely there, Lelouch had trained his mind well to exactly memorize any route taken, and by now had a decent mental map of the small area he had covered since awakening on the shore yesterday.

The fact that they weren't located by now meant either that they had been signed off as dead, or that the search parties had no idea where exactly they were. From what little he could remember of the survival training that Todoh had put Suzaku through, the first things you needed to concern yourself with were shelter, fresh water and food, mostly in that order… and he was unable to locate any of them.

Were it not so irritating, he would laugh at the irony of surviving the lethal amount of firepower aimed at him, only to perish on a deserted island from starvation and dehydration. For all his intellect and skill, he would have to ask Cornelia's aid in this, for he was as powerless as an infant.

'How tiresome… I have all the time in the world, and nothing to fill it with.' He mused in silence, letting the sound of the waves and winds fill his ears. Eventually, he began walking about, slowly expanding the area he knew, until he felt his foot step on something solid.

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When consciousness finally returned to her, Cornelia could only notice how well rested she felt, right before her keen ears picked up the sound of an object swinging through the air, accompanied by a loud exhale. Again, and again, and again it repeated, slowly gathering speed with each passing coming.

By the time she had opened her eyes and looked, it had reached a constant, high speed of repetition, but strangely, the breathing had actually slowed down. Looking around, it took her only a moment to spot the source.

Standing a dozen meters or so away, Lelouch had immersed himself in practicing something with a wooden stick. Casting of all of his clothes but his pants to the side, most of his upper body was shining in the sun from sweating, but his breathing remained calm. The movements were minimalistic, lacking any attempt at a flourish, and moving only the parts of the body that were needed for maximum speed and control.

And suddenly, he stopped, the blade freezing in the air mid-swing. "You are awake." He noted, turning just a bit towards her, letting out his breath as he did so. Despite the obvious exertion, he didn't look tired in the least. "I suppose you wish to continue the conversation from yesterday?"

"We never finished properly, Lelouch. There are still thinks I wish and need to know." She responded in a worried tone, her mind once wandering off to her sister.

"Yes, our conversation last night ended so abruptly." Lelouch returned with a chuckle, laying down his 'sword' with all the care and respect one would to a proper blade. It had been a while since he had last had a chance to go through his katas… he had missed it, greatly. It brought a measure of peace and calm to his mind, something that was difficult to attain in these turbulent days.

"If I may ask…"

"What I was doing? Training. It's a habit I've picked up… helps keep me calm, and my body in top shape." He explained kindly. The void of silence however, clearly told him that this situation wasn't going to go away so easily. Yesterday, Cornelia was exhausted by the ordeal, but today, her mental faculties were fully with her… which meant a number of unpleasant questions.

"Lelouch."

And he didn't even need to see to know that she was sending her best melt-steel glare in his direction. Sighing, he reminded himself that there was a reason he had chosen to wear a mask over his face. That, and that if he ever got the chance, he was going to make Schneizel's life a living hell. Then, he began laughing, entertained deeply by the sheer comedy and stupidity of the situation.

After all, he was standing once more at the crossroads, poised to make a decision that would shape not only his life, but the lives of so many others, and he was acting like an annoyed kid being lectured by his mother. Perhaps he had finally gone insane.

He didn't know what manner of expression Cornelia made at his somewhat questionable actions. Quite frankly, he wasn't even sure he wanted to know, but now was not the time to play around.

"I will not be guilted Cornelia, my sins may be many, but so are yours." he spoke, taking a far firmer stance than at any point in their previous conversations.

Despite knowing how much he had grown up, she had still expected something else of him… perhaps it was still difficult to accept that the missing boy that was her brother might truly be dead and gone after all.

"Fine. At least tell me what happened. Complete your story while there is still time… I have little doubt that Nunnally has given up looking for you, and Schneizel will have the area combed either way."

"That I will." He stated, stopping for a moment as his eyes once more took that far off look. "But not yet… I do not know how much time we have left, and there is something of far greater importance to discuss first. There is a threat that you need to be aware of. Tell me, have you ever heard of something called Geass?"

"Is this a joke Lelouch? I have no desire to hear fairy tales right now." She responded, her tone showing that she felt insulted by the course the conversation had taken.

"Hardly." He responded flatly. "It is the crux of this entire conversation, and the greatest threat bearing down on all of us."

"Spare me the melodrama and get to the point." She cut him off, her tone irritated.

"The point?" he spoke with a forced calm, turning to face her, and it was only then that she saw it for the first time, the crimson light shining from his left eye. Time slowed down to a crawl as she felt an alien presence, probing at her will, and an eternity passed before she realized exactly where it came from.

There was no emotion on his face, none but a melancholic scowl that did nothing to tell the truth hidden beneath. Any thought of mockery vanished from her mind… this was no joke, she realized.

"The Power of Kings, Geass, given by those who bear the Code to people of their choosing. It manifests differently in those upon who it is bestowed. " he began, taking a single step forward to a slowly retreating Cornelia.

"In one case, it gave the power to manipulate the memories of others." a further step.

" In another, the ability to dominate their wills. " another.

"A third still, to steal their very senses." and another, before stopping, letting out an irritated sigh and bringing his right hand to his face. The scowl faded away, quickly replaced by a worried look.

"And those are just those I know of… make no mistake, there are more, but I am unaware of them, yet. In all cases, it is signified by a mark, a stylized bird with its wings spread, like the one you see in my left eye."

By the time he had finished, Cornelia was visibly shaken, but she held her own… even if this was another bomb that he had dropped, by now she had recovered enough that it wouldn't be able to stop her. The action, however, was enough to tell her all that she needed to know. He had held her in his power, and did nothing to harm her… there was much to be said about such choices, and the fact that she now understood how many times the whole situation had repeated itself.

"I get it now." She said, a distinct tone of triumph in her voice. "That's what was going on all this time… why Jeremiah and Villeta had no idea what happened to them. Why Clovis' trailer was left completely unguarded?"

"You are, of course correct." He agreed, a suitably melancholic smile drawing at his lips as he spoke. "But, I have drawn the line a long time ago… there is a limit to what I am willing to do to achieve my goals. When I first came to Clovis, I was still enraged by the fact that because of him, Nunnally and I had nearly died. In the end, I am not really sure why we fought at all… at the time, neither of us could see another way out."

"War is a battle between pride and life…" Cornelia muttered, taking a few steps until she was standing next to him. "After such a protracted battle, you didn't see a way out because it would demand that one of you walk away defeated… and neither would accept it."

"Perhaps there is merit to that thought." He acquiesced, shrugging lightly. "There is one last bit I haven't told you. Even before we met in Shinjuku, Clovis knew of the Geass. While he hadn't told me from where, and I was too carried away to ask him, I have my suspicions from where he learned. Me and Nunnally bear two of the powers I know of… the third one belongs to Charles zi Britannia, and I suspect that is where Clovis learned of it."

Cornelia remained eerily silent at his words. Whether it was shock, or simply her mind going over it, he couldn't tell, and he had no desire to draw upon the power of his Geass to look further.

Eventually, she let out a quiet sigh, giving a shake with her head.

"Thinks can never be simple, can they…" wearily, she let out before looking at the horizon. "There is a storm coming. We really should look for shelter."

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_16:00  
Area 17, Jakarta_  
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In a high-rise overlooking Jakarta, the young lady Ashford found herself hard at work. After transmitting the frequency for the tracer, her first action was to steady herself. She could not afford to be seen as weak, especially not now that she was in the middle of negotiations to improve her foundation's standing within the city.

A number of small projects had been started, some of which were effective recruitment drives for the young and bright, while others simply helped the communities around the region where the Icarus Institute was located. The entire plan was to ensure their position, while at the same time gathering potential allies and capable talent. Indeed, she mused, the entire power of the Ashford family now backed one man, just as much as it belonged to him.

Despite her demeanor, she was not naïve. Milly knew full well how much of the power she now wielded was effectively borrowed, but then again, she hardly minded. The young woman had absolutely no problem to put herself to work for the sake of the one she had by now fallen in love with. And she had complete trust in him as well… Lelouch had held her life in his hands, and chose the nobler path. The act itself merely confirmed what she had believed of him for years.

And that was enough to keep her calm. Nunnally believed C.C., and so did she. If the immoral woman claimed that Lelouch was alive, then he was… if nothing more, it was her duty to keep herself on schedule.

Which, in turn, shook her from her reverie. There was little time to waste lazing about, and there was a good reason for her to be contacting Lelouch… the various blueprints and other fragments of technology that Rakshata had uploaded to her had jumpstarted the efforts of her researchers and engineers by weeks, if not months, and the report she was about to receive in a few minutes was one that would need to reach the leader of the Black Knights as soon as possible.

A sharp knock on the door reminded her that the person she was meeting had arrived.

"Enter." she ordered shortly, and the door opened "Hello, miss Weston. I take it you have a report for me?"

The black haired woman nodded politely, taking the opportunity to close the door and sit down in front of her, fiddling with the stack of papers and folders in her hands before she pulled out a few, placing them in front of her boss.

"Certainly, miss president. Over the past week, sub-project Phantom has completed final testing phase, along with projects Prometheus, Vindicator and Providence who are entering the last phases of construction. They should be complete by the end of the week. However…"

"Yes Mira, what is bothering you?" Milly asked with slight annoyance. Why couldn't she just get to the point already?

"We've come across something in the files you've made available to us… a schematic of sorts. The group responsible for going through Code-R intel managed to piece together what it is, mostly." Mira explained, putting out a printout of the file. "Take a look."

"You will forgive me if my knowledge is limited…" Milly trailed off, taking a studious look at it. The text was short, but the implications were worrisome. The small report spoke of the effects of nanite implants on damaged nervous tissue, cellular regeneration and control of hormonal levels. She might not have been a scientist, but she knew enough to understand the weight of such concepts. Especially if they were successful.

"Valkyrie?" she read the name at the end of the file.

"We are still uncertain what it is, but it seems to be some sort of abandoned project. There are several more reports, but we've only partially decrypted them. References are made to 'Subject Alpha' and 'Subject Beta', but there's no more than that to go on. Also, we still don't know if it works or not, the nanite schematics are among the encrypted files as of yet." The project head responded warily, fiddling with the rest of the papers in her hands. "Should I keep on digging?"

"Do that. Keep it under wraps and keep me informed. I don't like the looks of this." she ordered, escorting the woman out of her office.

"Understood. I'll keep on it."

As the door closed, Milly clenched her fist, rapping it slightly on the wood. Again, she was served a harsh reminded of just what kind of a world she had entered and of the stakes that were inherent in it. The unease she had felt was carefully concealed beneath her calm face, but now that her guest was gone, it had begun slipping out.

She worried now, and for the first time, the path before her was no longer clear. Wearily, she noted that it would likely get worse.

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_16:00  
"Umi no Hime", 5 km off the coast of Japan  
Archive room_  
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Ever since waking up and finding that her memories had certain holes in it, she had been dreading this moment. When she had returned from the chaos at Shikine Island, she noticed that the various members of the Black Knights were watching her with far more respect than before, and even a hint of fear and hesitance when approaching her, as if worried that they could be hurt.

At first, she wondered if it was because of idle gossip, after all, she not only had Zero's ear, officially, but was a highly accurate sniper as well, thanks to her good targeting systems and memory. Idly, in a locked down room, she sat down in front of a terminal, imputed her password, and started searching the logs, as her own had to be among them.

"Log files, April 6th to 7th, Shikine Island… that should be it." She muttered to herself, preparing a batch of recordings for viewing. With some amount of hesitation, she opened the first one… her own.

The screen blared to life, revealing the first moments of her deployment. There was little of interest there, so she fast-forwarded to the one point she dreaded seeing again, the time when Lelouch and Cornelia were hit by the continuous barrage of artillery fire. Even seeing it like this again was enough to have her hands start shaking, but she steeled herself, balling her fists and digging her nails into the palms of her hands to focus. She needed to, had to see this.

Nunnally watched herself fire a single shot at the airship, before freezing the video. This was where the part that was missing from her memories began and she couldn't help but dread what was about to come, even if she didn't know what was to come.

Before she could change her mind, the door opened, revealing the familiar green-haired figure of her immortal friend.

"Reviewing your performance in the last battle?" she asked curiously, closing the door behind her as she walked in, preparing a chair for herself.

"Somewhat. I can't remember a part of the battle." The girl responded, not even turning around. Instead, she kept her focus on the frozen video screen ahead of her.

"From what I hear Nunnally, you are perhaps better off not remembering."

"I've been getting that feeling ever since I've started. But I have to."

Nodding in understanding, C.C. simply got close, and started the video again. And so it began. Over the next hour, Nunnally reviewed all the recording of the five minute period she was apparently out, and all showed the same thing.

A Britannian lance moved in to intercept their own retreating forces, a full contingent of twenty-five, right before her own frame descended upon them. Without care for her own safety, she had thrown herself straight in the middle of their formation, hefting the large rifle straight at her enemies.

The opening shot went straight through the captain's cockpit, and she immediately followed up by ripping the machinegun from its inert hands. By then the others moved to engage her, but they were too slow to react, and by that time, she had left the large rifle, and used the new gun to first bludgeon an approaching frame away, then to riddle another full of holes. At the same time, she, fired her Slash Harken into a third one, pulling herself close as it held ground, and crushing its head with her fist, right before spinning over it, attaching her sole remaining Chaos Mine to its back, and pushed it forward springboarding of its shoulders.

By the time the smoke cleared, fourteen were down, and she had discarded the empty gun for a lance in one hand, and gun in her other, almost a mirror image of how Cornelia had fought earlier, but somehow far more feral, intimidating. She had stood still only for a moment before she charged, releasing a hail of bullets on her enemies, before impaling one on the lance, which she left in its body as it detonated, instead taking its own weapon, and proceeding to empty the clips into two more enemies.

All this time, they were trying to land blows on her, but to no avail. Against one opponent, their numbers served more to hinder than aid them as she weaved around, using their own allies as protection from their bullets, and her own skill from their melee weapons.

Now, she could tell that she was out of bullets, and basically completely unarmed… and she didn't stop for a second. Slash Harkens fired from both hands slammed into the heads of enemy frames, disabling their primary sensors and cameras, while she closed in and used a ripped out tree to knock them off their feet. Both barely managed to eject before they were crushed.

At her side, C.C. watched with sadness mixed with pride as Nunnally's face slowly paled with each passing second. It wasn't hard to tell why she was paling, the girl had avoided killing anyone ever since Clovis had died, which is why she warned her.

Only five enemy frames remained, pilots visibly shaken by the ruthless display before them. She had looked at the time, only three minutes had passed since this part of the recording had started playing again. Three minutes, twenty enemies down, out of which only two managed to eject. Ghost, she, had entered the battlefield like a woman possessed, and not even the remaining few were shown any mercy. While they decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and began biding hasty retreat, she reached the place where her old rifle was dropped, lifting it slowly, and firing five shots, one after the other.

As the five enemy frames fell to the ground, she stood still, the rifle slipping from the frame's hands. Internal sensors read that she had lost consciousness. The team whose retreat she had covered by removing the enemy lance pulled her out, and the recording ended, the disturbing images replaced by a black screen which made it easy to see her own ashen reflection in it.

"What have I done?" she barely managed to mouth as bile kept rising in her throat. Her entire body was shaking by now, tears streaking lightly down her cheeks as she almost fell from her chair in a bout of weakness, muttering incoherently. C.C. had moved to catch her, but Nunnally managed to regain enough strength to keep her balance. She looked down on her hands, gazing at the blood that both knew wasn't there, but the feeling of guilt and sorrow, mixed with self-loathing was. Slight sobs escaped her lips.

She felt dirty, foul, tainted. A monster wearing the skin of a human. More than twenty people had fallen to her hands that day, callously murdered by a her that wasn't her. It was now easy to understand the note of fear in others… she felt afraid of herself. And worse, would she slip out of control again? What if she turned on her own allies?

"Of all the things, who would have expected your daughter to follow in your steps Marianne?" C.C. warily commented, before putting her hands on the young woman's shoulders in a comforting way. "Nunnally, calm down."

"How am I supposed do calm down?" she managed between her sobs. "After this?"

There was an unstated message there, of what Nunnally was truly afraid and what worried her more than anything else. Despite her maturity, she could still be a child at times, very much like everyone else, and she raised her brother on a pedestal. Perhaps, it was time to break her illusions a bit. Hardening her features, she turned Nunnally around until they were face to face. She didn't like what she was about to do, but it had to be done.

"Stop it. You know better than that, he would sooner let the world burn than leave you behind." She said, her voice sharp and unusually intimidating. "The way you act, as if it were the end of the world...is this who you wish to be? A coward? Where is the proud young woman who stared death in the eyes without blinking? Who without fear stands against the mightiest empire in the world? If this is all it takes to shake you up, perhaps you should think twice about burdening your precious brot…"

And that was as far as she got before a resounding slap to her face interrupted her. Her expression didn't change, but Nunnally's did. The pain was still there, but something had broken with the knowledge she now had, and the rage that now welled up behind normally warm and loving those eyes was enough to give her pause.

"Don't you dare say it." The girl whispered, and yet she might as well have shouted it. She could almost tell the memories replaying themselves in her mind, but it quickly fled her. This wasn't some unrestrained force that lay dormant inside her until now, but one brought forth by purpose and focus, and with it her normal features returned "You think I don't know how all of them look at him? C.C., I don't want him all for myself, as long as he is happy, I am happy. But make no mistake, _I will not lose him_._"_ She finally spoke, her voice a cold match to C.C.s own at the beginning. The immortal merely smiled in response.

"And now you understand." she returned, smiling serenely. Looking at the rapidly growing young woman, she couldn't help but smile. _'One more tidbit of information won't really hurt, will it? Best that she learn now, for all I know, it could be genetic…'_

"Did you know your mother was just like you? Fierce, brutal, merciless against all who were enemies, reserving her kindness for those close to her. In battle, she was a whirling maelstrom of destruction, annihilating any foe that dared come close. There were better warriors, stronger once, but nothing sowed terror and chaos among the enemies like the appearance of Marianne the Flash on the field of battle. It is what earned the fearsome reputation she held for years, it is why no one dared strike at you and Lelouch while she was alive."

Throughout her short trip down memory lane, Nunnally remained quiet, taking all of it in and considering what it meant to her. When she finally spoke, her voice was anything but certain.

"Then perhaps, I need to learn how to control this. This won't be the last time, will it?"

"No. It likely won't. "

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Not that far away, in her own room, Kallen was lying on her bed, deep in thought. Her own memories from the battle were little better than that of her comrades in arms.

The cost of the operation was steep, and roughly a half of their number had suffered at least a minor injury. A third of the Frames were useful only as salvage, including Zero's command frame, while the remainder had to be pulled into repairs, bringing Rakshata very near to a nervous breakdown.

It was difficult to look at things that calmly, though.

"How many have died just here?" she questioned no one in particular, slowly getting up. She needed someone to talk to, she decided… and despite the fact that Ohgi would have been the first choice, the man was too busy right now trying to get the Order back in shape along with Todoh. Nunnally, after losing her brother, even if only temporary, was not the best choice to share her doubts and worries with. Of the others, there were none she trusted enough to bare herself.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't pay much attention as she walked through the corridors of the submarine, absently greeting the various crew members she came across; until she found herself in front of a door she hadn't expected to reach: the prison in which one of the objectives of the mission was held.

'_A Britannian… '_ she thought angrily, but her rage felt hollow, forced. It was easy to blame Britannia for everything that went wrong, for every loss she had suffered, but she knew by now that she hadn't lost everything, and that the future had something to offer aside from submerging herself into the distasteful world that was Britannian society.

And how right was it to generalize it so much? For the sins of those who were against her to damn all of them? _'No,' _she somberly realized _'it isn't. I would be little better than they are. Isn't that the very reason Zero went to such lengths to avoid casualties he could? Not to lower himself to their level?'_

'_Regardless,'_ she finally concluded _'she's not a person I should talk to right now… the last thing I need is to make a mess of things and let something slip.'_

And so she turned to the one last place where she felt safe. Despite the usual sound of engineers working to keep up with Rakshata's unreasonable demands, the hangars were now silent, the damaged husks that were the Knightmares, standing at attention, even if gravely wounded. In the faint light, their scarred surfaces glinted weakly, but it served little more than to remind her of the vast power that they truly held… and at the end of the line, she could tell a hint of red.

The Gurren was the last remaining friend she could turn to right now. She knew it wasn't alive, not really, but there was the sense of kinship she felt towards her personal frame… it wasn't that hard to understand why Rakshata acted the way she did towards the machines. It was her sword and shield, a stalwart companion who fought with her unflinchingly against every opponent who dared face them.

Giving her companion a silent smile, she stretched her arms before picking up the tools she would need to start fixing him up. Sure, the engineers would get on it eventually, but it was _her_ frame, and it was her duty to keep it in good shape.

Idly smoking from a safe distance, Rakshata found it in her to let an unfettered smile at the sight of the young rebel and her treatment of her child before turning around and leaving, mentally clearing the last bits from the checklist, and deciding to go ahead with her original plan.

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_19:00_  
_Mainland Britannia  
Westminster Abbey_  
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There were very few places in Britannia which held as much quiet reverence as the rebuilt Westminster Abbey. Its quiet halls were patrolled by solemn monks, and the Knights of St. John. Despite the fact that Christianity never managed to claim a great political foothold in the world, it had remained a custom among the sovereigns of Britannia, one which had garnered them the support of the church and some of its orders.

After the infamous Humiliation of Edinburgh, the remains of generations of sovereigns who had ruled the empire had been lost to the royal line. Even more so when Napoleon had ordered their resting place torched and burnt to the ground.

It was only the actions of said Knights that saved what little was left before fire consumed it. Smuggled out of conquered Britannian soil by carriages and later, ships, the remains of roughly a half of the Unbroken Line from Eowyn onward were brought to America, where Sir Ricardo von Britannia, a member knight by then proclaimed king, had the Abbey reconstructed from memory, stolen schematics and various paintings, and then interred the remains.

Ever since, the solemn and regal air of the Abbey had been maintained by the two groups, the former being older members of the latter. Despite carrying halberds, each of them carried a personal sidearm under their cloak, attached directly to the rather advanced suit of personal armor.

However, aside for school tours which visited and the occasional dignitary, few people actually came here, and fewer still ever saw, much less entered the inner gardens, where the remains of the first king of Britannia, and founder of the line, were interred. And thus, it served the rather singular purpose of being a uniquely safe place for the Emperor to speak with someone in complete privacy.

And Charles had taken said opportunity, for reasons both serious and sentimental. Next to him was his immortal, ageless brother. In front of him… the graves of his parents.

"How have things been going, little brother?" V.V. questioned. There was an odd note of fondness and sorrow mixed in his voice as his eyes never departed from the headstone. Despite the fact that Charles had become the ruler of Britannia, their parents were rather far down the order of inheritance. It was a humble grave, but it suited them well.

"I remember better times." Was Charles' slightly irritated response, complete with a shake of his head. "The court is descending into bickering and backstabbing yet again while all those who actually have any claim to power keep themselves aside. And with Schneizel and Cornelia currently absent, I have to maintain peace unless I wish for an even bigger headache."

"Truly terrible." The immortal retorted with a chuckle. "I think you will be pleased to know that _it_ is slowly entering the final stages of construction."

"Hm." He shrugged. "It doesn't benefit us much until we recover the second Code. Without it, it is little more than a needless risk."

"Indeed. And with Zero's presence in Japan… especially with C.C. on his side and helping him… we could have a problem in the making there. That son of your is irritatingly competent. I worry what might happen if he discovered our plans." V.V. mused, not really paying any attention to his younger brother, and missing the slight smirk on the man's lips.

'_It is to be expected, I suppose.' _Charles thought with barely concealed mirth _'With us as his parents, it is foolish to expect him to be a fool, right Marianne? No matter what happens, our goal comes true, and I will repay the favor owed.'_

"Well, my spawn, and your nephew, is _your_ problem for the time being. You were the one volunteered to take care of eastern Asia." He offered back in a highly entertained tone.

"Dammit Charles, this isn't the time for jokes. Our efforts may depend on whether or not he discovers the Thought Elevators before we can fully secure them."

"And?" his voice dropped a few degrees, still mirthful, but now also very serious beneath it. "If memory serves, you assured me that you had everything under control, and that 'some foolish rebel would not compromise us'? Were it all empty boasts?"

"I would hardly think so." V.V. retorted. "Still, we can ill afford to have him die now… the death of Zero would spark chaos in eastern Asia, and I doubt we would safely be able to hold onto the one in Japan, let alone access it."

"I assume that means you have a plan of some sort?" Charles questioned in a supremely bored tone, letting his thoughts wander to other things. The way he had to act around his brother was tiring at times, especially these days when he wanted nothing more than to return to his palace, and read in solitude.

"I have already sent an agent, but I am preparing additional measures, if need be."

* * *

**Author's** **notes**: And yeah, end there. Well, you got your small does of action, retroactive as it was. Should be enough to tide you over until the next major conflict, I hope? Anyway, I've introduced yet another bit of information into the whole mess. I might tell what it's meant to be, or I might not. Depends on whether it strikes my fancy at some point…

A cookie for those who guess what project Valkyrie does and who the subjects Alpha and Beta are or are going to be.

For those curious, the Knights of St. John are based on the Knights Hospitaller, as it is one of their other names, and they were (are still perhaps, but I am uncertain to their status in modern times) a militaristic order.

Also, I've made a rather irritating error with Kaname Ohgi (rather than Oghi as I've written it from the beginning till now, damn spelling). Quite frankly, I don't have the time to go back and fix up the error as college barely leaves me enough time to write as is, however, I'm going to use the proper spelling from now on.

And that would be that. Enjoy the chapter, review and all that. Hopefully, I'll post an update again soon, but I wouldn't be too hopeful, cause right after the winter holidays which start with New Year's Eve, I have a shitload of tests and exams... woohoo, lucky me.


	26. Crossing the Rubicon: Over the Precipice

**Author's Ramblings: **The past months could be at best described as challenging, and I am sorry that I had not updated anything. Quite frankly, I am still recovering from the grind that were the exams and the additional obligations surrounding them.

On the other hand, relief came in the form of reading, going out and playing certain video games, most notably the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona 3 and 4 in particular, as well as the indie gem known as Iji. For all three, I feel enriched by the experience of playing them, and I heartily recommend them.

Either way, it took a lot of time to complete this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. It will be slightly disjointed, as it has frequent shifts between points of view, but I've made sure it's easy to follow who is currently hogging the spotlight. Aside for that, this chapter has been an endeavor to write. Despite the fact that it may not seem so, I've spent the time in between at the very least actively thinking about what I am doing, if not writing.

Of course, excrement hits the proverbial air circulation device.

Well, enough of that. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

_Chapter 24: Crossing the Rubicon: Over the Precipice_

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_22:00, April 8__th__, Friday  
Environs of Kamine island, Division Epsilon insertion craft  
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In the darkness that had covered the open sea, a barely visible spot of black glided along the surface. Unheard past the sound of the waves and wind, a small, but stable speedboat made its way towards the beaches of Kamine island.

The boarding vessel used by the special operations group of the Black Knights was nigh invisible under the cover of night.

"I don't like those clouds sir… there's going to be one helluva storm soon." One of the commandos commented to Yoshitaka, and the man nodded. The wind was growing stronger with every passing minute and if you squinted, you could see the crackle of lightning among the dark clouds in the distance. Silently, he thanked Rakshata for ensuring that their equipment could work even wet.

"Me neither, but this is where we've triangulated Zero to be. Let's just hope we can get him out before it breaks loose." He finally responded pointing towards the stretch of whitish sand ahead, and getting shrugs and nods in agreement from the rest of the group. "ETA?"

"Two-point-oh-five." The pilot responded. "Short range thermal shows all clear."

"Run final checks then." Yoshitaka ordered, dropping down his own night vision goggles and checking his rifle. "Final checkup, all radios operational?"

'-'Sir!'-'a choir greeted him over the short-range line. A small smile broke on the normally bespectacled man's lips. To his surprise, Rakshata had actually installed a correction to fix up his eyesight into the goggles.

"Good. Stand ready then; reports indicate a possible enemy presence here. On contact, assume the worst. If we encounter Zero, he will assume full command. Switch to night vision and break into formation as soon as we land. We all have our objectives, good luck everyone."

With the orders given, the group fell silent. When they finally reached close enough, the ship slowed down, coming to a halt close enough to the shore for them to disembark, but still far enough that they could leave when needed. There was certainly a risk of being stranded, but that's why they had code-locked emergency beacons; if feasible, a team from the '_Umi no Hime_' would evacuate them.

"Are you certain of this?" Yoshitaka questioned the last two members of their group. Two women, one easily recognized as Ghost thanks to her mask and cloak, the other having most of her features concealed by a similar one, though she held her hood down, covering her face

"We are. This is where we must go now." Lifting her hood ever so slightly, C.C. showed her golden eyes clouded with concern. _'I can only hope that I am there on time. If I am right… everything could go terribly wrong.'_

Though concerned, she controlled herself, quickly cocking the safety mechanism on the sub-machinegun she was carrying in her arms. Next to her, Ghost did the same, her thoughts eerily similar. Despite the fact that the touch of the cold weapon in her hands still sickened her, she was not hesitant.

'_I am coming brother. Wait for me.'_

When the anchor was finally dropped, one by one, the group jumped overboard and into the water, moving quickly towards shore. There was work to be done, and a leader to be recovered before the enemy did the same.

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Aboard the "Avalon", en route to Kamine Island  
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Within the confines of the meeting room aboard the ship, prince Schneizel was pacing about a large desk, maps of Asia, Japan and Kamine Island sprawled out before him. He was restless, concerned with the events inching ever closer. Right now though, he had one chief concern, and that was Cornelia. His visit to Kamine island was planned ahead of time, and he was going to come here either way, but knowing that she was most likely here was worrisome, for more reasons than he'd care to count.

If nothing more, because he didn't want to have her implicated in what he was planning to do, at least not yet.

It drew out a mute chuckle, that thought. He hated boredom with a passion, and yet, now he knew that he would soon be wishing for it.

"Are you certain of this Lloyd?" prince Schneizel questioned, looking at the map before him.

"As certain as can reasonably be." The scientist responded, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with his sleeve." The tracking beacon I've given to Hopkirk is broadcasting already and it's pointing to where we're going now. There is one more thing to consider though…"

If the prince was paying any attention, it was impossible to notice, as he was studiously looking at the maps.

"Cornelia is most likely there, and I would assume that Zero is there as well. It is quite possible that both of them reached the same place, so it would be wise to hurry up… God knows how those two would react to meeting in person again."

Now it was Schneizel's turn to be slightly surprised, though the man gave very little indication of it, nothing more than a slight quiver of his upper lip.

"Again you say? They have met before?" he questioned. Lloyd looked at him for a moment, the mad scientist's face taking on a bemused expression.

"Well yes, though I doubt she spoke much of it, they met during the battle of Narita, where Zero spared her life. I thought it was on the records, I know I put in the Lancelot footages after going through them." He retorted.

"It was not." The prince stated absently, more focused on unraveling the meaning behind what had happened there than bothering with any attempt at following Lloyd any further, so it was hardly surprising that he only shortly waved his hand in response when the man asked to leave and return to his work.

The whole situation was a strategic nightmare, and his opponent made sure it remained so. The difficult balance Zero had managed to maintain between doing nothing and poking the proverbial sleeping lion too much was nothing short of impressive. And yet, even with all he knew, something still was missing.

He sincerely doubted Euphie was involved in any manner, but Cornelia was a different matter altogether. Cornelia knew something about Zero, he had concluded. Something she was unwilling to share. The question remained: what?

It was a matter he would have to discern on time, before things escalated further. There was a great number of pressing concerns as it was.

Matters at the European front had come to a halt, with both sides currently engaged along the Maginot line. The fortified defenses served their original purpose perfectly… the French and German branch of the Euro Universe military had planned for the fall of Spain and the British Islands since the latter half of the last century, building a very long series of parallel lines of trenches, bunkers and gun emplacements, solid enough that not even Britannia's technological advantage gave them the needed edge.

It was there that a ceasefire had been signed between Britannia and the Euro Universe. A temporary measure, he knew, before both sides brought to bear new and improved weapons they were both preparing. While a part of him had been curious as to how Britannia's floating fortresses would fare against Europe's growing military power, he had grown tired of it. The war there was no longer a contest of skill between leaders, but a show of brute strength. It was tiresome.

Thus, a full half of the standing army was engaged in Europe, while the remaining half were split between the Areas and Britannia's heartlands, leaving them as strained as they were. It was an ideal time to raise a rebellion, when the Empire couldn't afford to spilt their attention any further and every rebel would only have to contend with a fixed number of soldiers.

And through it all, Charles zi Britannia showed little care. That was the matter that concerned him the most. Britannia's mighty sovereign, the father of the nation that it was today, had turned his eyes away from his Empire and his children, focused on an esoteric research he could make no sense of, but still maintaining enough presence that he couldn't be removed from the throne without great resistance from the Knights of the Round and the heads of the military. Another balancing act worthy of respect, or would at least be that if it were not at the cost of slowly ruining Britannia.

He may not have possessed Euphemia's bleeding heart and care for all things living, but he was still appalled by the slow but certain corruption of their society. In the end, his boredom had become more of a result of his inability to change anything meaningful than his lack of entertainment.

After all, what worth was a military or social victory to him, if it changed and achieved nothing?

"Curse it all." He muttered, turning sharply away from the table, and leaving the room. As he had always done before, he would drown his concerns in work. The final bits of information he recovered from Clovis' files and the remaining Code-R ones were inconclusive at best, but both pointed to here. Now, it only remained to find out why.

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Today was not a good day to be Jonathan Hopkirk, the senior airman concluded. Being stuck in the middle of some god forsaken jungle, with little more than a basic survival kit and a signal beacon was just begging to be eaten by some wild animal.

Personally, he was betting on bears.

Then again, considering his luck, maybe he really shouldn't have.

One of these days, he was going to find out what manner of madness possessed him to stupidly wait for the other soldiers to take a step back and make himself a volunteer for Asplund's insane plan, but until then, all he could to was try and stay alive.

Looking at the thoroughly trashed escape pod next to him sadly, he decided it would probably be wise to find some manner of shelter.

"Well… at least things can't get any worse." He muttered before slapping himself on the head. Moments later, the first drops of rain began hitting the ground around him, quickly turning into a downpour. And he could swear he heard a roar somewhere in the distance.

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Two other figures made their way across the thick forest around them. The careful way the young woman helped her blind companion would easily make them look like a couple out for a walk in the forest… were it not for the fact that both seemed slightly tense, as if awaiting something to happen.

Unlike his half-sister, Lelouch couldn't find it in him to stay fully relaxed. Even with a mental map leading back to the beach, he was still concerned with the fact that he was walking into _terra_ _incognita_, the world around him little more than a swirl of darkness not even his Geass could penetrate. He kept it active regardless, a soothing measure, limited as it was, to keep at least some of his control there.

He could spot the occasional bird or forest animal, but it wasn't nearly enough for him to construct an image of the world around him… there were simply too many variables, too many things he could not account for.

For the first time since Shinjuku, he was truly powerless, led about at the mercy of his half-sibling, a woman whose motives he had not yet ascertained.

What not even his eyes could see, was Cornelia's face that consistently kept looking away from him. She couldn't bring herself to face him, as that would mean facing a number of issues she did not want to now. Quite like him, she guessed, she had no knowledge of the others plans for the future. Goals… goals were one thing, but she wanted… needed to know what Lelouch was going to do next. The here and now, not the distant, undefined future.

And meeting that would bring her face to face with things she knew would not be pleasant to bear. As much as she wanted to know, she also wanted this moment to last a bit longer, to have her brother back just a bit more. It was selfish, but she didn't mind. Everyone was allowed a moment of weakness, and here, where there would be no witnesses to spy and judge, she couldn't care less what the opinion of others would be on her actions.

"It's beginning to rain." Lelouch quietly commented.

"There is a cave ahead of us." She responded with an equal amount of thought to her words. "It should be enough to weather the storm."

"We should get some dry wood as well. The storms here tend to be vicious."

With a bit more insistence, she pulled his hand, forcing him to hurry up and match her pace.

"You know… ever since I've seen you back on that beach, I've been wondering how you did all of it. How did a blind man manage everything you did?" she asked in a quiet voice. In response, Lelouch had merely chuckled.

"Planning. With limited resources one is forced to adapt and improvise. I would say it was a better school of war than any Britannia could ever produce." He half-jokingly stated. While it was in part to lighten up the mood, Cornelia didn't miss the obvious implication of what he had said. "At times though, I wonder, what would have happened had I stayed in Britannia…"

"Nothing good." Cornelia responded wearily, expressing her own beliefs with little more than she deemed necessary. The words had left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Come, we're here. We can talk more once we're settled down."

He never deigned to answer, instead pulling to a stop and letting go of her hand. By the time she had turned he was already in a half spin, four throwing knives about to be thrown at a rabbit she had only now noticed. A moment later, the blades were in flight, two landing squarely into the small rodent, killing him instantly.

"Dinner." He stated shortly, a serene smile gracing his features. "I don't know about you, but I'm not overly fond of sleeping on an empty stomach."

"Showoff." Cornelia muttered, though a smirk had formed on her lips. "Since you're such a good hunter, skin it and prepare the meat. I'll gather the wood. There should still be enough here to light a proper fire."

As he walked away towards their dinner, she shrugged lightly, facing her eyes towards the ground to find suitable firewood. She drowned any bitter thoughts in the routine which every Britannian soldier knew well, finding her physical exertion to be a good alternative to thinking. She only casually noted the degree of skill with which Lelouch had gutted and skinned the dead critter.

There was very little, she found, that surprised her much anymore.

In a few minutes, they had entered the mouth of the cave, choosing against going deeply inside. It took a while to start the fire, but soon enough, they were warming themselves up on the small blaze, and waiting for dinner to be roasted.

To his concern, Cornelia hadn't relaxed the entire time. He wasn't quite sure what she was on the lookout for, but it was quite possible that it was himself. _'Things were much simpler when we were enemies.'_ He concluded gingerly.

"I… uh." Cornelia attempted to start a conversation, but stopped, unsure what to say.

"Yes?" he prodded, hoping it would be enough to move her along. All this awkwardness was getting to his nerves. Certainly, it was like walking on eggshells around her, considering how much he had to hide, but still, there were limits.

"How is Nunnally?" she asked.

"I would think concerned for my wellbeing." He stated, shaking his head lightly but the smile on his face at the thought of his beloved sibling was evident. "But otherwise, she has done well for herself over the past years. I think… no… I know I would have gone insane were it not for her support. Over these past years she has been my light Cornelia…I…" he trailed off, uncertain.

To his slight surprise, Cornelia laughed. Not the usual laugh he had expected, the hardened one, or the mocking one, but a gentle one he had almost forgotten, the one coming from the young woman he had met years ago when Mother was still alive and they were still a family. Despite everything, he felt just a bit of longing at the idea.

"I understand." She said. As he had opened up for that moment, an invisible barrier between them had broken. The tension in the air had drained, and despite feeling terribly tired, both were content. Even if it would only last for a short time, both knew how to appreciate it.

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Now that the majority of the forces had left, only a handful of people remained aboard the '_Avalon'_. As befitting, the captain was one of those left, but so were the several Knightmare pilots designated to this unit, as well as their frames. The Prince's orders were clear, they would not deploy large scale forces unless needed.

Pacing through his room, Suzaku couldn't help but feel tired. The past month had been a nightmare, lightened by only a few bright spots. The princess, and there was little doubt which one, had been the strongest one, a flicker of hope in these turbulent times.

Which is exactly why he was nervous right now. During the Shikine island incident, as it was now officially dubbed by the command, he was unable to get close enough to help lady Cornelia… and by now he had learned of just how close the two sisters were. He wanted to be down there, and offer his help, and yet, orders were orders.

There was a flicker of anger beneath the nervousness, but he stifled it, instead going out to the command room. The walk was a boring one, but it did a little to calm him down, especially since every single crew member he passed stopped to salute him, a bit that he didn't feel all that comfortable with, but he returned it without any objection.

Still, it was surprising. While the higher-ups still considered him little better than a black sheep not to be talked about, those he now served with were far less judgmental.

'_I suppose fighting and bleeding with them helped out a bit.'_ He thought quietly, ignoring the slight hiss of the door as he entered the deck.

"Major Kururugi." Captain Vertis greeted, not moving his hawk-like gaze from the forests beyond the command deck.

"Sir." Suzaku shortly responded, taking a few steps until he was standing beside the captain.

"What can I do for you, major? I assume this isn't a social call."

"I was wondering if the scanners aboard the ship are operational, sir?" the teen quietly asked, voice strictly formal. The man next to him turned his head slightly, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity before he responded.

"We are running them on passive, but yes, they operational. You believe that the Black Knights might attack this area?" he returned, studying the young officer next to him.

"I do." Suzaku shortly stated. "I also share the Prince's belief that both Zero and Cornelia are still alive. Most likely, the Black Knights will mount a rescue operation."

"Possibly so." Was the man's terse response. He seemed to think over the matter for a while, before he made a decision, sighing quietly in the process. Turning to one of the officers running the ship's equipment, he began to give orders. "Casey, run a full scan on sectors A-9-through-6, Harrow, contact the _'Vindicator' _for a sonar read of the southwestern region."

Both men ignored the response from the officers, instead choosing to focus entirely on the darkened skies above the thickly forested island, and wait.

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There were many ways she had found to pass her time, but nothing she did calmed her as much as working on the Guren. The massive war machine was the only Knightmare in the Black Knights never to be put out of commission and rebuilt, and it was a point of pride to her that it remained that way.

Given enough time to rest and think things over, she had mostly calmed down while working, occasionally calling the techs or Rakshata for things she wasn't certain how to do… the crash course in Knightmare maintenance she had picked up when they were still a small resistance cell still served her well.

And even now, that was where she was going after grabbing some breakfast, holding a hastily made sandwich in one hand, and the large reference manual in the other, muttering about various irritating details much to the entertainment of the various crewmembers she had passed. She had become respected, yes, but even the stern Todoh inspired a few laughs here and there, so it was hardly a surprise.

As it usually was in the morning, the hangar was empty aside for two or three of the engineers who slept there. They didn't have the manpower aboard to waste on a security detail since a good number was still recovering from the previous battle. At best, she knew they could muster _half_ the number they arrived with.

Shaking her head slightly, she swallowed the last bits of her breakfast and focused on the task at hand. Yoshitaka got the job of rescuing Zero, a thought that brought more than a few chuckles now that she was sure he was alive, and her job was to stand ready for a time when she was needed, no matter how boring it may have been.

"Kallen." A sharp voice echoed across the hangar bay. While empty until mere minutes ago, now a horde of technicians had entered the chamber, rushing towards the many Knightmares resting there.

For a moment, Kallen was brought up from her current course of calibrating the Guren's controls. Todoh was not the kind to pay social visits, she had learned as much. Still, why did he have to come while she was halfway through the job?

"Sir?" she shortly greeted, despite the informality of his call. She had enough concerns of her own to worry about it.

"A contingent of Britannian forces, led by the Avalon has landed on Kamine island, and Division Epsilon has located the signal. In exactly fifteen minutes, we are to extract them. Expect heavy resistance, especially since the airship is there. It is also likely that the White Knight will be there as well." Todoh explained as he walked towards his own frame. "Two of our own squads are mobilizing. I am taking command of the Four Holy Swords. I expect you to lead the other squad."

Now those words were unexpected. Lately, despite her solid performance, she was heavily overshadowed by Nunnally, especially with the chaos she had caused on the battlefield. It wasn't that she didn't want to lead a team now, but that she thought there were better candidates…

'_Wait… am I actually doubting my skills?'_ she wondered in a rare moment of self-observation. _'Get a grip already girl, you can do this easily! Besides who else is going to do this? Ghost is a solid fighter, but she was barely alive after last time.'_

"Get a move on Kozuki. We're leaving the _'Umi no Hime'_ with a skeleton crew." She heard Urabe shout as he began climbing his frame "The sooner we're done with this, the better!"

"Idiot." She finally let out under her breath, though she still smiled somewhat as she closed the panel she had been working on and leaped over into the cockpit.

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The small drops of water slowly grew in size and frequency, even as the groups that now scoured Kamine island attempted to make their way. The dense forest assured that outside small areas it was impossible to deploy anything but infantry, and the detachment lead by prince Schneizel had a thankfully fixed heading, despite the storm brewing around them., strong lights revealing a path forward further guided by the integrated navigations systems of the _'Avalon'_.

Numbering over three dozen soldiers and half as many technicians, the Earl Asplund, along with the prince himself, they moved as quickly as was possible, in perfect formation. Despite the discipline they exhibited, it was easy to notice that moral was low as the men formerly under Princess Cornelia's command were still angered at her loss and disappearance.

However, discipline was maintained. Even if the sound of rain falling would drown their voices, the soldiers performed their duties without error and without complaint, a tribute to the years of experience they all had. It was expected of them, the veterans of Cornelia's campaigns, and they would not fail to uphold their reputation.

At the front, even Schneizel and Lloyd maintained the unusual silence, both immersed in their own thoughts. In fact, they wouldn't have even spoken until their destination, had one of the scouts not suddenly returned.

"My lord." He greeted, quickly kneeling "I bring important news."

"Go on."

"We have found tracks, but there are two separate sets present, one belonging to a group of two, and the other to a larger one. We can't certainly identify either, though it is possible that the first one is Cornelia and the officer sent here a while ago. The boot marks match standard Empire military issued ones. "

It was as if the words the man had brought were a breath of fresh air. The forced look of discipline was quickly fading, while the prince allowed a grin to pull at his lip.

"I assume you have discovered a general direction?" Schneizel asked calmly

"Of course, your highness. If our guess is correct, they will be converging somewhere near our destination." The scout retorted.

"I see." He stated calmly, before turning around to face the majority of the group. "You've heard the news. We can assume that the other group is either affiliated with the Black Knights or the Chinese Federation, though I'm more certain of the first. Break into quick march, squads of five at ten meter breaks. Our destination hasn't changed."

"Yes sir!" the group behind him responded, before following the orders. Standing in the middle of the now revitalized troops, Schneizel however hid the other thought that entered his mind.

There was a very real possibility that Hopkirk wasn't the first to reach Cornelia. He was ready though. The enemy had deployed infantry, and thanks to the presence of the Avalon, he could still bring to bear the White Knight and his new prototype if need be. Besides, he still needed the thing in one piece if he wanted to use its integrated computer to analyze the ruins here.

A small smirk pulled at his lips. Even if he could hear Lloyd beginning to grumble over the sound of the rain in the background, it did not take away from the growing feeling of pressure put upon him by the situation. He liked that pressure… it meant that _something_ would be happening. And after spending far too long for his liking planning things over without anything else to do in the meantime to break the monotony, he was getting slightly edgy.

Trudging through the growing amount of mud under his feet, he gazed forward at the ill-lit road ahead. The cavern where the ruin was supposed to be located was close though… if something were to happen, it would be soon.

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Not far from them, Nunnally once more found herself doubting her chosen course of action. Throwing a cautious glance to her rifle every now and then, she could only think of how much she had changed, and wonder how little of the girl she was had remained now.

Her loss of innocence was a forgone fact by now. What she believed herself to be now was a valid question, one she did not have an answer to. And losing Lelouch, even for a short time, did not do her confidence any favors. As much as she knew he needed her help to succeed, she needed him to keep her own demons at bay. And…

It was no understatement to say that she loved her brother deeply. Enough so that she valued his life more than she did her own. Enough so that she would kill for him. She found it deeply ironic, the fact that he would have likely cut off his right arm sooner than willingly let her go down this path, but she had taken away that decision from him. And yet, he still shouldered the burden with her, without even the slightest consideration to it.

Those thoughts were enough to clear her mind and return her focus to the here and now. Once he was safe, they could talk in peace, and she would ask for his thoughts on her plight, but until then, she had to dedicate her undivided attention to the task at hand.

"_How far off are we?"_ she quietly asked C.C., but the immortal merely shook her head shortly, and pointed to their front. Focusing the optics on her helmet at the forest ahead, she began switching the channels, until she finally hit nightvision and realized that it was far too illuminated for a stormy night.

'_So… Schneizel is here too…'_ she thought darkly while carefully observing the bright shape of the '_Avalon'_ floating fat above , before she tapped the safety switch on her rifle. _'This isn't going to be easy, is it?'_

Despite her desires to do this differently, she knew that the group she was with had a lot more experience in this than her, and opted to follow them rather than make plans of her own. Minami had proven himself highly competent, and Division Epsilon was by far the Black Knight's best unit.

'_-'Lady Ghost'-' _the quiet voice of one of her allies called over the short-range radio _'-'The Britannians are straight ahead of us… we can't reach Zero's location without crossing paths. Be ready for battle.'-'_

As she realized that at that moment a small object was flying at a low arc towards the source of the light, it occurred to her that it was the most she had ever heard from the commando designated as 'Two'. Whether it was the instincts she had developed over her short time in Knightmare combat, or simple self-preservation, but she instantly dived for cover as what she was now sure was a grenade hit the mud and detonated, briefly illuminating the surroundings.

It had taken less than a second to hear the Britannians begin firing blindly at their presumed location. Turning quickly to her side, she recognized C.C. slowly making her way towards the nearby cave where Lelouch was supposed to be, while the soldiers provided cover.

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Amidst the falling rain, both of drops of water and of bullets, one man silently cursed Zero and the Black Knights over and over as he struggled to get up from the mud the explosion had thrown him into. He did not consider the fact that he survived as fortunate, as he didn't quite bother to think about it more than necessary. It missed, he lived, life went on.

Despite the fact that he would like to claim otherwise, prince Schneizel was not entertained. Face covered with sooth and mud, his uniform cut at the arm and shoulder by bits of shrapnel that fortunately didn't cut skin and surrounded by absolute chaos as his soldiers attempted to return fire to what he was quite certain was a Black Knight tactical strike team. Attempted being the key word.

One did not become a student of strategy without acknowledging the value of guerilla tactics. With proper use of equipment and terrain, a smaller force could easily harass a far larger one, as he was quite certain was now the case with them. Unlike the enemy force, his was walking in formation, and was using the Avalon's lights to guide their path.

'_But still… those tracks showed they would be a while away yet. So, either they were off, or they expected us here.'_ He thought as he got himself up. Rubbing the bud out, all that was left on his face was a look of mild annoyance. Overlooking the situation, he pulled out the small communicator and hailed the '_Avalon'_. His patience was slowly running out.

"Captain, this is Schneizel. Drop in the reinforcements."

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The sounds of battle were rising higher with every passing moment, but Lelouch paid it little heed, for the sight before him held onto all of his attention.

Even though the past few hours had been spent in mostly silent preparation of their dinner, Lelouch had constantly felt something strange about the cavern they had chosen. For one, the path leading to it was conspicuously clear of grass, leaving behind only dirt and slight amounts of mud. Of course, it was only when he had activated his Geass' vision that he recognized that something was off.

Over the time he had it, he had divined most of the quirks of the sight the Geass had imparted on him, but one thing that remained an unchangeable constant was that anything that wasn't alive would appear as little more than a glassy, crystalline surface, and only if touched by him or someone else.

Within the heart of the cave stood a sight that defied that cardinal rule. Raised upon a dais, and carved into the wall of the cave was a monolith, a towering structure whose surface was inscribed with strange symbols, and glowing with a malevolent red light, oh so terribly similar to the one he knew erupted from his own eyes whenever he had invoked the Geass. Whatever it was, whoever had crafted it, he was not sure he wanted to know, but it _called_ _out_ to him, cajoling him towards it.

Cornelia's voice was the first thing to fade away, moments later followed by the sound of gunfire as he took the first tentative step. It pulled at him, the calling staying at the edge of his mind, like the scratching of claws on metal for as long as he did not move. Whatever sliver of fear dared surface was quickly and ruthlessly crushed beneath his fill. Slow, tentative steps became quick and determined, uncertain eyes gained an edge and focus as he made his way. His sister never noticed him move until it was already too late.

Stepping up the dais, he approached the massive stone structure, slowing down only for a moment to consider what he would do. Decisively, he brought up his right hand, and pressed it upon its surface.

He had only once before experienced anything like it, the mind numbing vertigo where all reality faded away only to be replaced by something that could only lightly be described as a drug induced hallucination.

'_For all things in life, there is a price.'_ He heard a voice whisper, before falling down to a soft hum.

All senses failed him as image after image invaded his mind, burying all conscious thought under the onslaught. The chaotic jumble he was just barely able to keep attention on consisted of visions of different times and eras, each lasting for but a few moments before being replaced by the next one.

A woman, looking at a grave tenderly, tears streaking down her face even as she touched the cold stone, and her hair flowed in the wind. Her clothes, that of a nun, were marred with sooth and dirt, and yet she didn't seem to notice, or care, her gaze and will focused on the stone.

The wide field he had seen before, filled with countless figures standing perfectly still, all with the sigil of the Geass emblazoned on their foreheads, chanting quietly, just below his hearing. Beyond, a silent wind blew, causing little more than a slight ripple on their clothes and hair.

A man dressed in archaic clothes, weaving a great sword towards what he could swear were Roman legionnaires, leading his army against them. Standing with the regal dignity befitting a king, even though his clothes were more befitting some barbarian, there was little mistaking the man's identity.

A pair of brothers cursing the death of their parents, holding each other for support as they gazed upon their corpses. The tears that streaked down the younger one's face, the untold rage that burned in both of their eyes, and a growing desire slowly showing.

In a moment, or an eternity, he couldn't truly tell, the images sped up, and soon enough there was little more than a stream he could no longer follow. Behind the stream, he could make out the faint whisper, but for the life of him, he could not understand the words.

It did not matter… the whisper grew in volume, and he could no longer even make out the words, as everything turned into a white blur.

In an agonized tone that sent shivers down the spines of the hardened veterans, Lelouch Lamperouge screamed. Figure still frozen with his hand on the stone's surface, he seemed paralyzed, and yet the pained scream still echoed in the air, bouncing off the walls of the cavern and coming outside. And with it, came something else. A demanding presence he could barely stave off that gnawed at the corners of his mind.

All vision burned into a blinding white, and just for an instance, he felt regret as he heard Cornelia's pained shouts. And then he knew no more.

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Nunnally was the first to feel it, that small whisper in the back of her mind, one that quickly grew into a deafening roar. In horror, she realized that her Geass had activated, and it was easy to sense what it had begun doing.

Whether it was conscious thought, or simply her deepest desire, she would never know, but at that point, she understood why, as one thought repeated itself over and over.

_Lelouch_ was hurt. _Something_ was hurting him, something that had assaulted his very _mind._

There was no time to think of what to do. No attempt to rationalize, or forge a plan. It simply happened. In one moment, the crest of the Geass emblazoned itself on her right eye once more, instantly ripping away the entirety of Lelouch's perceptions in a desperate attempt to save him, dragging it all into herself.

As the flood turned its way towards her, her own vision faded, followed quickly by her other senses as everything that had gone through Lelouch's eyes now went through hers. Then came the burning.

With each and every moment, she could feel her head pulse with scalding pain as every pain receptor in her flesh burned. It took every bit of her strength to keep any shred of composure, and in mere seconds it was impossible to stand, let alone try and do something.

With the last bits of her still focused mind she realized that whatever he had contacted had used not his mind to lash out, but the very power he held now… just as it now used hers to strike further.

"Lady Ghost! Are you alright?" one of the commandos next to her knelt down, doing his best to help her maintain her balance.

"_Get away… it's going out of control. GET AWAY!" _she started whispering, but by the end, it grew into a shrill scream, only further twisted by her voice modulator, and quickly heard by the troops on both sides. For a second, a stunned silence descended on the battlefield, as the troops on both sides were stopped by the exclamation. No one reacted, but all noted the horrified, panicked tone of her voice. Above them, the Knightmares still clashed, unperturbed by the call

Then, Lelouch's screams were joined by many more.

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It lasted for but a moment, he was sure of it, and yet for all that it mattered it could have lasted for an eternity. At first, he was standing behind cover, considering his next few moves and talking to one of his officers. Then, he had heard that Ghost woman scream… and then his entire perception snapped. Normally he was a composed person, and it took a lot to even shake him up. To his dismay though, this was more than enough.

Now seemingly so far from the battle that raged about him, he was free to observe his surroundings. Through the empty void that surrounded him, images… no, memories of things that had occurred, always seen from an onlooker's perspective, streamed rapidly, like a roaring mountain river.

Schneizel wasn't a man of philosophy. Most of what he read, he found dull or uninspiring, but the moment where he stood detached from the world observing his slowly encroaching doom was truly inspiring.

The thousands of memories that flowed past him were magnificent in the same way a tsunami would be: great and terrifying at the same time. And when that thought struck him, so did the wave and all he knew was no more.

He could feel it, with some shred of consciousness, a faint thread going through it all, and with it some vague awareness of what had transpired in the past. He could feel a smile nudging at his lips at the sight of lady Marianne's induction into the Knights of the Round, or at the memory of the streets of Pendragon, which he and Clovis would once explore, in better days.

Clovis, now there's a name that brought memories. By now, it was obvious that he had no control at the flow of all this, but images quickly appeared, dragged forth by some unseen force. There wasn't much, moments here and there, until it all came to a crashing halt.

"I would say that it is impolite to go looking through other people's memories, but it's not like that would stop you, would it Schneizel?"

The voice, in all its silky elegance, came from right behind him. But it was impossible, it had to be.

"Clovis?" he whispered, disbelief obvious, willing himself to turn around, and coming face to face with the image of his dead brother.

"In the flesh… or whatever passes for it here." The dead prince responded with a theatric bow, though any attempt at seriousness was lost with the chuckle he let out.

"But, you're…"

"Dead? Very much so, I'm afraid. Still, nothing stopping me from coming and paying you a visit, is there?"

The still living prince gave the dead one a long, hard stare before conceding. "No, I don't suppose there is. Since Zero killed you though, I am slightly surprised."

"Zero? So that's the moniker that clever bastard goes by these days?" Clovis spoke, letting out a long laugh at the end. "Creative, and I missed it somehow… I wonder if either of them had anything to do with it?" he added, though it seemed to be more to himself.

"So who was it? Who is under Zero's mask Clovis, since you obviously know?" Schneizel asked curiously.

"Now that would be telling, and it's not like you won't find out soon enough." The specter responded, before his expression darkened." Besides, I didn't pop by to talk about a revolutionary, but rather something much closer to heart and home. I don't know how much you have learned so far, but since you are here at Shikine Island, you must be close."

It had taken him a while, certainly, but by now, Schneizel had come completely to his senses, accepting, if not fully believing the spectacle before him.

"Our father I would assume?" he quietly stated, earning him a nod from Clovis.

"I am unsure of his plans, only that they included this ruin and a number of others, as well as a power known as Geass. I am afraid I can't offer you much on either, my only sources were not overly cooperative." He explained, stopping his pacing before continuing. "And I fear my time here grows short. I would like to leave you a gift, brother, something you might find useful. I assume my villa still hasn't been sold off, has it?"

"No, but the OSI cleaned it out thoroughly, I am sure. Though I wonder what you were hiding there in the first place? There must have been better options." The elder questioned amusedly, crossing his arms as he looked at the brother before him. If it were to end soon, he might as well remember this moment well. The look of amusement on Clovis' face as he laughed at the implication was one of the things that he remembered fondly of the man.

"Bah, as if those bumbling buffoons would ever figure out all of my hiding places! I'm willing to bet they still haven't found the secret storage of smuggled cigars inside the pool room."

"Inside the vine cellar, look for a Chardonnay… the year should be 1976, I believe. Good year too. The bottle is a gift from a friend of mine… no wine inside, but it doesn't look like it. There's a data disk concealed in the middle. Just break the dam thing open, it'll fall out." Clovis explained. His mouth remained open for a moment once he uttered the last sentence, before closing slowly. A slightly tired smile crossed his face as he continued.

" Well… it looks like my time here is almost up. Can I ask for one last favor?" He asked, waiting for agreement before stating his request. "Try not to get them all killed, would you?"

"Need you ask?" Schneizel retorted serenely. "Where would be the fun in that…"

"Good sport…" Clovis chuckled even as the flow once more resumed, slowly washing away at both figures. Just before he completely faded though, Schneizel heard one last call from him "… and if you see Charles before it all ends, just for the kick of it, tell him I said to get bent!"

As the form of his brother faded away, the late prince Clovis let out a sigh, soon joined by another coming from a figure near him. Features concealed by a gray cloak, it was impossible to tell who it was, and yet Clovis knew, just as he had known the first time they had met.

"I know what you're going to say." Clovis spoke calmly all hints of his good mood vanishing in a second.

"I sincerely doubt so." The figure responded, chuckling lightly "Though I must admit my curiosity to your choice of action."

"You should know better than me, I think. I am of the very lifeblood of Britannia, which has ruled for two thousand years, unbroken. My pride does not end with death, neither does the desire for vengeance…"

"Then why not reveal his identity?" the figure questioned again.

"Out of pride, out of honor… perhaps even out of love. Is it so strange? To love my family and desire vengeance upon it at the same time?" Clovis returned, letting out a dramatic sigh at the end, and bringing his hand to his chin, as if to think for a moment. The figure remained silent, as the two of them faded away into nothingness.

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Inwardly cursing her luck, C.C. was running. All that she had hoped would not, had still come to pass, if the shivers and the screaming collapse of more than a few people around her was any indication.

'_I should have known this would happen.'_ She chastised herself as she dived for cover. Bullets were mostly an inconvenience _if_ she wasn't as pressed for time as she was now. The few that grazed her skin had left bloody marks, but she had already healed, and it had not even slowed her down… she hadn't even paid it any attention in her rush to reach the cavern.

As soon as she had heard Nunnally utter the first scream, she had known what had happened, and she knew that she was already too late. The only thing left was to hope that there would be something left to salvage. If Lelouch's will had faltered, even for a moment, there would be nothing left of the man he was.

'_Of all the places in the world, you just had to fall on the one island that housed a Thought Elevator, did you Lelouch?'_ she thought as she looked out of the cover of a crater created by a passing Knightmare. Seeing that she wasn't being targeted, she jumped out and continued running towards the cave. _'But at least, things aren't boring. May you live in interesting times indeed.'_

She gritted her teeth once more as she felt another bullet hit home, the burning spreading throughout her shoulder this time. But regardless, she kept on running, finally reaching safety past the entrance.

Winded, she let herself rest against the stone wall, letting out a long breath. Sufficiently calmed, she pressed her fingers to the shallow wound on her shoulder, and with a hiss, pulled out the embedded piece of lead, throwing it angrily across the floor. The wound was still bleeding lightly, but it was only a matter of time before it stopped, and in a day, mostly two, there would be not even a stretch of marred skin in the place of the gaping hole.

Sufficiently rested, she turned her face towards the heart of the cavern, to where she felt the Thought Elevator to stand, and finally noticed the unconscious bodies of Lelouch and Cornelia. _'Little Nelly will be just fine…'_ Making a snap decision, she took a moment to look at her contractee, smiling softly before she hefted much of his weight over her healthy shoulder, and slowly began pulling him out towards the exit. _'Now all that's left is for the Black Knights to provide a good diversion to pull out. '_

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Staring at the chaos around him, lit only by the occasional flashes of lightning and weapons fire, Yoshitaka could only scowl angrily. Despite the fact that he was in-op, he still felt the need to put his glasses in place as he turned to his nearest subordinate. There was no time for hesitation, the battle would be won or lost on his decisions in the next few minutes.

Above them, it was easy to spot the hulking figures of the Knightmares, both Britannian and Black Knight, locked in mortal combat, the Four Holy Swords striking in unity with their commander, while the Gurren lead its own squad with almost as much efficiency. However, the grounds showed a far different picture. Half his team was out cold, and next to him, Ghost had collapsed less than a minute ago. He himself was still reeling from whatever had hit them, but it wasn't enough to knock him out. Nightmares though, those were guaranteed.

"Six." He called shortly, ducking behind the rock they had been taking cover behind. "Get me in contact with the Knightmare forces. And get the others to pull out the rest of our men. Five minutes till evac."

The man now identified shortly as 'Six' did as commanded. He was the one in charge of communications for the group, even before his new commander took over. Taking one comm piece from his backpack, he passed it to Yoshitaka, before putting in the frequency used by their Knightmare forces.

"Commander Todoh?"

'_-'Sit rep?'-'_ the commander shortly asked, taking his focus from the battle that still raged for only a moment.

"Zero has been located and is about to be recovered, but both he and Ghost are down due to some strange attack. The enemy commanders seem to have suffered a similar fate, and we need to pull out while we still have the option."

'_-'Understood. Begin evacuation, we'll run interference.'-'_ the man quickly responded, cutting it off.

"Ugh." The commando grunted, taking one long look at the chaos around him before making a quick stock of the equipment on him. He let out a long sigh, and grabbed one of the grenades. _'Fuck this, I'll handle the chewing out once we're out alive.'_

"Six, Four, cover me." He quickly ordered, before leaping from the cover of the stone and breaking into a run towards where the woman they were escorting was hiding with two unconscious bodies. He heard the weapons fire from both sides, the bullets riddling the air and dirt around him.

Sweat was running down his brow as he cursed the Britannians under his breath, keeping to running and praying that no bullet would hit him. Behind him, he could hear his two troopers open fire to cover him, both men breaking out from their hiding place. Diving behind one of the trees downed by a grenade explosion, he turned just in time to spot Six be hit by concentrated fire.

He could see him still standing, body twitching uncontrollably under gunfire, before he dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut, dead on the spot. Again, he forced himself back down, eyeing carefully the distance from his own cover to the place where C.C. and Zero were. _'Still at least four seconds of running over open terrain. '_ he noted dourly.

Though, what he didn't spot, and what almost caused him to have a heart attack, was the massive form of the Lancelot landing straight between him and the Britannian forces, soon followed by the Gekkas of the Four Holy Swords, completely breaking off the infantry battle there. Wisely choosing to count his blessings, he started running.

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Shinichiro Tamaki cursed as he crawled out of the wreck of his cockpit, cursing doubly as he realized that he was sent in the worst possible direction, far away from the retreat line of the remainder of the Black Knights.

Despite having something of an ego, and being not overly prone to deep thinking, he knew that they would not spearhead an unnecessary assault just to save his life. In all honesty, he wouldn't even want it, especially when he thought about the cost of such an action.

Discarding that thought, he now realized one very obvious fact. The fact that he could see at least a dozen Britannian frames a bit away only served to cement it in.

"Awww man, is this fucked up or what?" he whined helplessly, only then noticing that he wasn't spotted yet. And even better, that there was an inactive Knightmare nearby.

Now, it does bear saying that Tamaki wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, as well as the fact that he has a love of all things cool. Therefore, as prince Schneizel would later decide, while resisting the urge to smack his head, it was not a good idea to leave a prototype Knightmare frame parked on startup diagnostics in the middle of a battlefield.

Throwing a wary look around, he sneaked as close as possible to the strange machine, before somehow climbing up its sleek frame. It seemed radically different from any other Knightmare he had seen before, even from the Gurren and Lancelot. The war machine would easily tower over any lesser frame, and if his sight served him well, those two _things_ on its shoulders were most likely what the '_Avalon'_ had used on Shikine to bombard their ranks.

In the chaos of the battle and the growing storm, Tamaki's climbing atop the frame remained unseen until it was entirely too late. As the pilot inside the black Knightmare completed the startup sequence on the Yggdrasil Drive, Tamaki dived into the unusually large cockpit, fist first straight into his face, barely restraining his desire to loudly scream _'For Japan!'._

Still, there was no stopping the crazy, wide grin that settled as he observed his current position on a fully activated prototype machine. Quickly dropping on the front seat, the usually incompetent pilot grabbed the controls with utter glee… only to realize that a good deal of the controls were completely alien to him.

He blinked once, then twice in confusion, before breaking out in laughter.

"Well, I'm a goner if this doesn't work either way… what's the worst that can happen…" he commented out loud before activating the radio. The chatter was a welcome change for his nerves as he prepared for what was bound to be trouble.

Not letting the grin fade, he grabbed the controls and bravely pushed forward.

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'_-'_Y_ou're not getting away this time Kururugi!'-' _the voice of one of his enemies, not that Suzaku could really tell which one of them, screamed across the open channel. To his shock though, the teen found himself eerily calm.

'_Parry, shield block, followed by a twist and a stab straight into the pommel of one of their swords.'_

Despite the fact that he was fighting a battle in between Britannian and Black Knight forces, outnumbered 4 to 1 and still reeling from whatever Zero and Ghost had unleashed, he was completely concentrated on the task in front of him. Or rather, he wasn't even thinking, it almost felt like he was sitting and watching someone else drive while he simply commented the moves.

Swiftly turning around and firing off his slash harkens, he pulled himself out just in time to avoid being skewered by what he had by now identified as the sole female member of the Four Holy Swords. To his credit, the slash harkens were currently stuck in the upper torsos of two other frames, which he detached as he flew above them, landing gracefully and immediately hefting over the VARIS rifle at the back of the fourth Knightmare.

For such a powerful weapon, it was a shame how rarely he had the opportune moment to use it. Pressing down the trigger, the weapon effortlessly breaching the entire armor and structure of the unfortunate Gekka, its blast coming clear out the other side. Gratefully, he noted that the pilot managed to eject on time.

He pulled back again, replacing the rifle with the second MVS, and got ready to fight again when a comm window opened on the command board. He recognized the hardened face of the captain he had spoken to earlier today, though he could afford him little attention.

'_-'Major Kururugi.'-' _captain Vertis greeted shortly, waiting to be acknowledged by the pilot.

"Please hurry sir, I'm currently busy." He tried to retort without being rude. Though he didn't notice it, the captain had grinned shortly before continuing.

'_-'That's what I am calling about; prince Schneizel and princess Cornelia have been recovered safely, we have just boarded them onto the Avalon, and the entire force is now moving to reinforce your position. I am placing them under your direct command and uploading frequencies.'-'_

There was a roughly one second delay before the full meaning of the message hit home, and forced Suzaku to actually stop and think. The effort cost him his attention at a crucial time, as one of his three enemies used it to come with an overhead slash at him, which he barely avoided, but not without taking a slash through the Blaze Luminous generator on his left arm.

Quickly recovering, he used the opening created by the attack to lop off both the offending frame's arms at the elbow, before proceeding to do the same to its torso.

"Understood captain." He finally responded as the second frame exploded, its pilot managing to eject in the very last moment. Finally, Suzaku let out a breath he had been holding back since the battle started when the two remaining Swords hesitated for a second, then broke into a retreat, signaling that the Black Knights had achieved their objective as well… he doubted any of the Four would actually retreat unless ordered.

After a few moments of catching his breath, Suzaku opened the main frequency that the Captain had given him. He was slightly disturbed with how easy all this was going, and even more with how natural it all felt.

'_There is no room for hesitation on the battlefield.'_ He reminded himself with what amounted to a slight grin. It was indeed ironic to think that he was using the teachings Todoh-sensei left him with to combat the man's own forces. _'I can't step down now. This is another step towards my goal.'_

"This is Major Kururugi speaking, all forces zero in on me and attack the Black Knights!"

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With the now rapid advent of Britannian forces, and the unpleasant losses they had already suffered, it was only the efforts of the young Kozuki that held them afloat. Zero and Ghost, though both unconscious were now being carried back by the remaining Holy Swords, while the rest of Kozuki's squad broke off on her orders to support them, leaving just the two of them to buy them time.

As commander Todoh would oft like to remind his subordinates, one does not base a military strategy on weird shit happening. Of course, if it does happen, no one is going to blame you for taking advantage.

But still, even with that thought in place, it did not prepare him for the hulking avatar of chaos and destruction that was the strange black Knightmare that appeared out of the Britannian side of the battlefield…

The hulking machine moved clumsily, like its pilot was unused to driving it, but it was still frightening in its very appearance. Easily standing over any other frame on the field, its sleek design did little to hide its abilities. Despite being clumsy, it moved very quickly for its size, and as it gained momentum, effortlessly swatted away the nearby Britannian frames, right before the two devices on its shoulders opened… bathing the area before it in crimson light and obliterating all in its path.

"Kozuki! Any ID on that thing?" he asked the pilot of the Gurren after his own attempts to figure it out failed. With both of them on a retreat route, and the unidentified frame pulling closer he didn't want to take any chances. The others had to reach the '_Umi_ _no_ _Hime'_ safely and he'd be damned if he let some mad scientist's prize experiment stop them.

'_-'Hang on, it's sending me a clearance code… What the…?It's Tamaki!'-'_

"Tamaki? Didn't he get shot down?" Todoh demanded, right before turning his attention back to the battlefield, and quickly cutting through an oncoming enemy Knightmare.

'_-'Yeah… says he commandeered the frame. He clears out too. Damn nutcase, we'll never hear the end of this.'-'_ Kallen retorted, starting to laugh at the end, but the mirth quickly faded _'-'Picking out a full enemy lance here Commander, time to high-tail it out of here.'-'_

"Agreed. Pull out Kozuki, I'll cover you." He stated calmly.

'_-'Understood…sir.'-' _she spoke, terminating the connection. Warily, he took another look at the clumsily moving black behemoth, before shaking his head and closing in on it. One less tool for the Britannians to work with, and one more way to keep Rakshata from causing him a headache. Either way, it was a gain as far as he was concerned.

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After what seemed like hours of running, Yoshitaka finally crashed into the cover of the small landing craft they had used. Panting heavily, he pulled off the mask from his face, letting the cold rain start hitting his head. He was exhausted, but the only wounds he could count were a few scratches. Six and Five weren't as lucky. With a wave of his hand, he gave a short signal to his surviving subordinates to get them away as fast as possible. Above, he could see the Knightmares leaping over to reach the sub as fast as possible, and deliver Zero and Ghost to safety. That, and an ominous black shape flying above them. For the last part, he decided that he really didn't need to know right now.

In the end though, it didn't matter. They fulfilled their mission, and got back alive. He didn't have the experience the others of his team did, but he had come to learn that it was enough. Just living to see another day, and maybe getting a beer once they hit the barracks.

"We're alive." He said, rather dully, as he let the gun fall from his hands. When he heard the thump of it hitting the floor beneath him, he began laughing.

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_Kyushu  
About 15 kilometers off the coast  
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"Our time has come." A Japanese man dressed in a fine suit stated theatrically from his position on the bridge of the battleship he was on. Atsushi Sawasaki was his name, a former minister of the Kururugi regime who had escaped during the chaos of the fall of Japan.

A small fleet surrounded the ship, transports, cruisers, the entirety of an invasion force prepared to strike at the enemy.

"Dramatics do not suit you." The man standing next to him commented.

"Perhaps. But it is by no means incorrect. The Britannian forces are strained as it is. And the weather report is more than kind for us, general Tsao."

"You are rash… but perhaps it is time for rashness today. For a swift strike to bring victory." The general responded in an amused tone, idly brushing off some dust from his shoulders. The former minister shook his head lightly at the general's failed attempts at philosophy, before clearing his mind of such thoughts and focusing on the one thing that mattered now.

"And Japan shall rise once more."

* * *

**Author's** **notes**: I did say I would tumble things up a bit, no? This is the official end of the Crossing the Rubicon arc, which will be followed by a small interlude, before the next one. And quite frankly, I'm not pleased how this chapter turned out… but then again, it took me an eternity to write, and I don't have the patience or desire to start over.

For those wondering why a rabbit is outside during the night, he got scared out of his rabbit hole by a snake. Deal with it.

Also, on a more pleasant note, one of the reviewers offered to make a piece of artwork concerning Nunnaly as Ghost a while back, but only recently finished. It misses her appearance a bit, but it's a decent work, and since an amount of effort was put into it, I thought I'd drop a link here:

update: Since the original link I've posted didn't work, I'm posting a new one that does, and I've just checked.

http: / th04 . deviantart . net / fs71 / PRE / i / 2011 / 029 / d / b / nunnally_ as _ghost _by _komo _pineconeseed - d38ce8t .jpg

You know, the usual, just kill off the breaks between the parts and you'll go there. I'd possibly write a legal disclaimer, but it's kinda moot, no?

Anyway, until my muse blesses me with enough inspiration to complete another full chapter, bye-bye everyone. The next semester of college is beginning, and they've been doing a good job of hefting ridiculously large projects on our back, so I'm guessing I'll get one now as well.


	27. Ill Tidings

**Author's Ramblings: **After an extended exodus, I have returned. Much to my sadness, college left very little time for more creative work. Until a little while ago, this chapter was perpetually stuck at 2k words, with no hope of progress.

The chapter is shorter than usual, but this is all I can get out in one segment without it going sideways and spilling into the over 15k territory… then I'd never finish it.

Right now though, it lives. For how long it will continue to grow, depends on whether or not my muse will keep me inspired. I have plans, ideas, thoughts and threads to weave, but whether or not it continues is left to be seen.

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the ones before, and I hope I manage to get the next one out with less of a delay. Say... few weeks instead of a year and a half?

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_Chapter 25: Ill Tidings_

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Noon, April 9__th__, Saturday  
__Somewhere in the Chinese Federation, _

_Seat of the Geass Directorate_  
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Wind whistled past the slightly ajar window, the curtains moving just a bit on it. Staring at his own reflection in the glass, the immortal Director waited patiently for all of his subordinates to enter. He deemed it fortunate that Charles wasn't present. Of all the people, he was undoubtedly the only one who could read his stance and mood correctly.

This is why he kept quiet and facing away from the others, to conceal the slowly mounting rage.

Spread upon the desk behind him was a pile of paper, or rather, many piles that had turned into one somewhere during the night.

"This has gone too far out of hand." He commented quietly as he directed his gaze towards the monolithic Thought Elevator beyond him. The purple light it usually gave off seemed slightly unsteady pulse, rippling, as a pond in which someone had thrown a pebble. "Has Rollo made contact yet?"

"No sir. After his insertion and initial confirmation, we haven't had any contact with him." One of the men standing in his office responded. The boy was alive, he knew that much, but he needed more.

"I see." he responded. _'How irking. I have vastly underestimated the situation. It would seem I'll need to mobilize some other resources. I wonder, how long has it been since it was last used? No… not yet, definitely not yet.'_

Turning back from the monolith in the distance, he looked briefly at the room he was in, before nodding shortly to himself. Yes, everything had went to hell in a hand basket, and he himself was at least partially culpable.

The vestiges of a plan had already formed, now all that remained was to gather everything he would need to execute it. He had made one more mistake he now aimed to correct, though it still played to his advantage. From what his spies told him, Schneizel had not yet fully taken advantage of the resources he had claimed from Clovis even if the research now continued. If he recalled, Bartley had taken over working for Schneizel.

Though, if he was correct, Clovis was far more paranoid than any of them gave him credit. From what little his spies had recovered, all that was left of the Code-R project were minor details, and almost nothing on the Geass research that the scientists were working on.

"Very well then."

He turned on the back of his heel and took a few short steps, resting one hand on the relatively tall desk.

"It seems I find myself in need of a new agent. Prepare a suitable extraction team. I will brief them personally."

"My lord, what of Rollo?"

"His current objectives serve me perfectly. Leave him as he is. If he by any chance makes contact, connect him to me through a priority line. "

With short half-bows, the men turned and left the chamber, leaving him once more alone.

It was rare that V.V. chose to remember his old name, or even look slightly towards his actual age, but from time to time, when melancholy set in, it would happen. The memories of a time that had long since passed, buried under spilled blood and conflict, would come surging back.

Absentmindedly, he sat down to write a few things for later, but found himself unable to focus. His writing slipped on almost every word.

He remembered a time, before he had become what he was now, when he was still blinded by petty ambitions, and not nearly wise enough to realize he was being played as a pawn in someone else's game. A time when foolishness had forced a child to pay a price no child should ever have to.

The pencil in his hand snapped, a small shard of glossy plastic flying off just past his cheek and bouncing off the large glass window behind him.

'_Never again.'_

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_17:24  
Kitakyushu  
Britannian Field Command  
06:13 since the beginning of the invasion_  
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That stark silence and uncertain looks that were shared between all those present in the conference room created an atmosphere of tension that was almost palpable.

"So far, the Chinese forces have spread themselves in a thin belt along the coast but…" Guilford began, steepling his hands to hide the concerned frown behind them.

"They're entrenching. The damn weather got bad enough that we can't field our navy properly, and the seas are too rough for an amphibious assault." Jeremiah cautiously added. "And they've already turned every direct path into a deathtrap."

"And the same situation eliminates the possibility of an aerial assault, correct?" Euphemia added. Of all those present, it was clear the she was the least guarded, or rather, the least jaded by war. Just as it was obvious that Guilford and Darlton would rather that she didn't concern herself with this, but both respected her decision. The princess paid them little attention beyond listening, though, focused as she was on the massive strategic display of the region.

Over the course of only several hours, a blitzkrieg assault had broken through all Britannian defenses along the coastline, extending from their original landing point near Fukuoka, and spreading all the way east to the other coast. The West Pacific Fleet was holding a naval blockade on between Area 11 and the Federation, cutting off the possibility of further reinforcements, but the situation was tenuous enough that it was more of a token gesture.

She was no expert, especially not when compared to several of her siblings or her father, but Sawasaki had a limited force. "So why risk such an obvious attack?" she questioned quietly, ignorant to the curious looks she had begun drawing from the others. It did not take her long to come to a pair of possible conclusions. Neither seemed overly pleasant.

"Has there been any activity from the Black Knights since the attack first began?" she asked, waving her hand slightly.

"None." Darlton responded. "It's surprising, considering that it would be very much to their benefit to use this against us."

'_Would it? Zero is Lelouch under that mask… would he resort using outsiders?'_

"They could have been hoping that the attack would bring up the Elevens, cause a revolution. Or they could be expecting reinforcements from the Federation." Guilford speculated. "Though the other is now impossible. They are just as landlocked as we are."

The room once more grew silent as all involved mulled over the unpleasant truth of their current situation.

"So, trench warfare it is." Darlton murmured, expressing the almost universal opinion.

"There may be an alternative." The other knight offered, before pointing at a part of the map display. He zoomed in the region where the Chinese forces had entrenched themselves, looking it over carefully.

"The Chinese forces are overextended. We may only have a token presence on the other side of their forces, but that doesn't mean we can't make a breach here or here. It would also allow our own teams of saboteurs and scouts to breach the enemy lines, and help the ground forces. However… we currently lack the actual forces to pull this off properly. By the time our forces gather, the storm will lift, and we may have to contend with reinforcements."

"Then, I may have a solution to offer." The most unlikely voice of all those present offered. Subviceroy Euphemia stood up, placing both her hands on the large table. She stood solemnly, drawing upon the full authority her position, as both princess and acting Viceroy, offered.

In days to come, she would hate herself for this, she knew it. He would never forgive her for it as well, but it had to be done. But… IF it worked, if everything turned out well, she just might be able to make her own dreams a reality.

And in the end, there was one truth universal to any member of the Unbroken Line of Britannia: their ambition ever ran strong.

'_Forgive me Lelouch, Cornelia, Nunnally. But this must be done._' she pressed on, steeling herself.

"We use the Black Knights."

Pandemonium broke lose.

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As expected after the extended battles of the past week, the medical bay aboard the submarine was filled with activity. The doctors went from patient to patient, helping out where possible.

Having only light injuries, Tamaki was quickly discharged from their care, but still found himself helping out as much as he could, like quite a few others here.

Kamine Island had been a rude awakening, he realized. Despite the theatrics, despite the strategic brilliance, Zero was a man of flesh and blood, and still very much _mortal._ There was no need to question it, the atmosphere in the bay was uneasy. Kamine was a victory, almost every objective set before a large military operation achieved, and even went past it, with his acquisition of the Gawain prototype that Rakshata and her team were working without pause on.

And yet, a myth had been irrevocably shattered. Zero was not undefeatable. Zero was human. Zero could very well die.

It was sobering. He supposed it was the reason he was now doing all he could, so that he could stop thinking about it all.

Shinchiro Tamaki was no great thinker, or strategist, or anything really. To himself at least, he could admit that much. If it were an anime, he mused, he would likely be the plucky comic relief character who survived on daft luck.

Then again, there was only so much that could be written off as luck. To his well-hidden surprise, more than a few faces were looking up to him lately, and even some of the soldiers were looking with what he guessed was respect.

"Tamaki, over here!" one of the nurses called, motioning for him to bring the box of supplies over. Promptly, he decided that he was overthinking things, and followed. The view helped too.

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At the same time, comfortably seated inside the room that was assigned to Zero, C.C was content to read a book she had come across some days past and keep watch over her contractor. Despite her preferences, she had chosen to put on the civilian clothes Lelouch had acquired for her. The jeans were comfortable, as was the loose, dark gray shirt, both surprisingly more than she had expected.

Slowly turning a page, she hummed quietly.

"You two really are a handful." She spoke softly, before sighing. "I know you are awake Lelouch. Just because you are faking sleeping doesn't mean I will ignore it forever. Before you ask, Nunnally was recovering much better than you, so she's recovering in her own room."

For a few moments it seemed like Lelouch was still asleep, but that illusion was soon shattered as he opened his eyes and used his hands to prop himself up into a seating position.

"To be honest, I am exhausted, and yet, sleep seems beyond reach."

She laughed gently, closing her book and leaning back into the chair.

"You rushed into things yet again. It is growing into a worrisome flaw for a man claiming to be a strategist."

He didn't respond, opting to instead keep his blind eyes gazing into the ceiling. A clap told him that she had closed the book she was reading, and the slight scratching of the chair being moved a bit back that she had stood up.

"Rakshata has seen yours and Nunnally's face." C.C. stated, watching amused as her accomplice, a thought that brought a smile to her face, pulled himself up through sheer force of will.

"I would guess she was entertained?" Lelouch calmly stated, pulling his legs from the bed, and making his first tentative attempts to use his legs, nodding slowly when he realized that he wasn't nearly as weak as he expected. He was mildly surprised though, when he felt her help him up.

"You don't…"

"I do. Now stop complaining, it will go faster this way. Everyone else is up and about."

Silent, he let himself be guided towards a nearby table, which he, to his irritation, recognized by bumping into it. But that wasn't all.

"It's there. I don't suppose you want me to help you, now do you?" she asked, but without the usual teasing tone. She had merely placed his hand on a familiar bag that had contained something highly important to him.

In return he smiled one of those kind smiles he had reserved for Nunnally, a small show of appreciation that spoke volumes between them.

"Alright then. I'll be waiting for you outside"

He waited for a second to sound of the door closing before letting out a breath he didn't know he was keeping in.

So much had happened. So many thoughts held that made little sense, and whatever it was he had touched back in that cave… the images were so familiar, and yet so distant, like something out of a half-forgotten dream. He knew he should have asked but… he was simply too tired, too drained to push it, and there were greater concerns at hand. Perhaps, he thought, it was by mutual accord that it wasn't spoken of. _Yet_.

He felt the weakness and the silent throbbing in the back of his head. Now was not the time.

With the greatest speed he could muster, he shed the damaged and torn remnants of his clothes, throwing them away as he stripped. Every move caused a slight ache, but it wasn't enough to stop him from replacing things with his spare outfit, his limbs growing with strength with every article donned again.

It was odd, he mused, just how much power those simple things had. That costume, which he had looked at as merely another tool had become so much a part of him that he felt naked and vulnerable without it. And at the bottom of the bag…

There was no need for sight, nor for the power of his Geass to gaze in order to know it was there. It had a weight of its own, regardless of the relatively light material it was made of, and a pull that could not be explained by anything logic or reason could offer. It was perhaps his own imaginations, but he could swear he _felt_ it, and not with his hands, that he had touched something more, just like when he had touched that monolith.

The mask of Zero, the face of the man who would change the world.

Moments later, he was walking down the corridor in calm, measured steps, not a sign of the frailty he had felt assaulting him. As he passed, men and women, soldiers under his lead stood at attention, saluting, most either content or outright happy that he was back.

The command room, as he could see from a distance, was a mess. He could see Todoh arguing over something on one side, while Yoshitaka was standing and quietly disagreeing on the other, and Ohgi trying hard to mediate between the two of them, while seemingly holding his own ground there. Behind, Rakshata was lurking as usual, and next to her Reid was content to observe the chaos with a small grin.

Hell may freeze over, but with the Black Knights, its business as usual.

The doors to the chamber opened with a hiss as he stepped in, and a sudden silence descended on the room.

"_I see you have all been rather busy in my absence. Would you mind informing me what I've missed?"_ Zero requested calmly, cutting away at the silence and clearing up the tense atmosphere that had started building.

"Chaos." It was surprisingly Reid who responded. "I am ashamed to note that my sources in China were wrong. Sawasaki was a live threat, and he has Chinese backing. It's all over the news."

"The troops are barely holding together." Ohgi added.

"Roughly half our frames are out of commission, we've lost about thirty people, out of which eight pilots, twenty ground crew members and two Division Epsilon members, another twenty are recovering from wounds of various severity and we've barely managed to evacuate most of them to the mainland."

He finished, before passing the torch to Yoshitaka. Despite himself, Lelouch tuned out most of the report, just picking out the highlights. Operational parameters met, new knightmare captured… everything went even better than expected, all things taken into account.

So why did it feel like everything was going to go from bad to worse?

"_Everyone, dismissed until we get in touch with the mainland."_he ordered after Yoshitaka wrapped his speech up. He needed time to think, and equally importantly, he needed to see Nunnally.

It wasn't just the Black Knights who were in shambles, he tiredly realized. After all that had happened he was veering on the edge of collapse. And all that before he returned to Ashford Academy and faced the probable fallout there.

'_So, situation normal.'_ He thought as he opened the door to Nunnally's room. His dear sister was fast asleep, curled up into a ball on the bed. The door was locked moments later, and he was sitting next to her, the mask placed on the room's desk.

He had planned other things really, but right now, he just couldn't bring himself to do anything. He propped himself against the headrest comfortably, and smiled as he felt his sister move herself to be closer to his warmth, before closing his eyes and fading to a dreamless slumber.

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_18:45  
Kitakyushu  
Temporary base of operations near the frontline  
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Lord Guilford shook his head regrettably as he knocked on the doors of the temporary chambers assigned to one of the men he least wanted escorting the princess. He had already resigned himself to the fact that Lady Cornelia would have his head for all of this, but despite his personal preferences, Major Kururugi was the best choice for this task.

With the majority of the northern garrison either still recovering or entirely disabled, and what little was left guarding the border, there really wasn't much choice. Only a bare handful of veteran Knightmare pilots remained on active duty… and all were busy keeping the frontline from collapsing and costing them the entire south.

No, as much as he didn't appreciate this turn of events, this was the only course of action.

There really wasn't much that could shake up Gilbert G.P. Guilford, but one of those things had happened already with lady Cornelia. It was a burden off his shoulders to know that she was merely exhausted and would be unconscious for a while. Still, falling back on years of military discipline he had carefully cultivated allowed him to remain operational regardless of the situation at hand.

"Yes?" came a voice from the inside.

"It's Guilford. We need to talk."

The door opened seconds later, revealing a somewhat sleepy Suzaku, still dressed in his uniform.

"I hope you were getting some rest major, because your presence is required on a very serious mission." He started. "I know you were about to be given leave after the previous operation you took part in, but there's little room for maneuvering right now."

Internally, Suzaku was wondering. Was it the will of whatever higher power that whenever things turned to excrement, someone always came to push him into the middle of things? Or was it just karmic retribution for his own actions? Regardless of it, he listened to the man in front of him outlining the background of the situation that had arisen while he was sleeping. In his defense, Guilford was sort of droning on and on about it and he was tired enough that he _almost_ didn't catch one crucial piece of information.

"… and your role will be covering princess Euphemia as she leads the main group's assault through the defensive line."

"WHAT?" despite himself, Suzaku shouted, immediately covering his mouth with his palm and hoping that he didn't get in trouble for this. Fortunately for him, Guilford shared his opinion, and merely retorted with a sigh.

"Her decision, and right now, she's atop the chain of command, so all we can do is keep her alive and pray to whatever god there is that Cornelia doesn't murder us all on recovery." He spoke honestly, the tiredness finally breaking through. "I swear, it's always one thing or another here… we'd probably have more peace on the European front. Look, Suzaku, I honestly don't trust you too much, but lady Euphemia does, and you are currently our best available pilot. I'm putting her ladyship's life in your hands."

Suzaku in return was deathly quiet and rather pale. '_Well'_, Guilford thought, _'at least he understands the severity of the situation.'_

It had taken Suzaku the better part of five minutes to get a grip and stop counting how many people would kill him in excruciatingly painful ways should something happen to princess Euphemia under his watch.

"Sir, I will do everything in my power to keep the princess safe." He spoke at last.

"I know you will Kururugi, or it's both of our heads." Guilford responded with a great deal of commiseration. In some odd way, the two of them had come to an understanding here. As Guilford turned to leave, he didn't have to tell Suzaku to follow him, the teen did so without request, already fully dressed for duty.

The two of them walked in silence along the corridors, the thundering of artillery fire ringing in the distance and the rapid taps of footsteps on a much closer distance.

"I believe I owe you an apology Major." Guilford stated some minutes in, suddenly stopping. "For my hostility. I ask that you understand that all I did was what I thought wisest in defense of my Lady, and her sister. What I ask of you is not as a commanding officer, or a colleague. I ask this as one who cares greatly for the woman you are protecting today. Please bring her back safely. And don't get killed yourself, it would be too much of a waste."

The rest of the walk returned to silence, but this time it was a far more comfortable one. By the time he entered the makeshift hangar where the Lancelot was being prepared, Suzaku had steeled himself for the ordeal ahead.

'_Another day, another trial ahead, and the stakes ever grow higher.'_ he thought, looking over the faces of his fellow pilots, while listening to Guilford explain what he needed to do.

"This is Tacitus lance major, you will be leading them under direct command of acting viceroy Euphemia li Britannia. The men here are all veterans, handpicked for this assignment. The objectives are simple, break through the defensive line to our southeast and create an opening for our infantry to move in. After completing that, you will circle around to a second spot where you will enact a pincer attack with the main part of our army. It's a high risk maneuver, but we will make it work."

It would be terrible, frightening and a grand temptation to leave all this behind, but this was his choice, his path. There was no redemption to be found without going the long way, without doing what had to be done.

The burden of trust had been placed squarely on his shoulders, and he would not be found lacking.

For Euphemia, for Lelouch and Nunnally, for Cornelia and Guilford, for everyone who now looked up to him to get the job done he would not falter, nor fail. He would guide her in safely, and bring her back home alive and unharmed, and _heaven have mercy to any who dare stand in his way_.

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_19:00  
Tokyo Settlement, Ashford Academy  
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Sleep was not a commodity Milly Ashford had at her disposal. Between executive meetings, coaching sessions with her grandfather and her studies to graduate this year, she was swamped. And her worries for a certain someone combined with the rapidly worsening weather did little to help her.

Despite her affections and his capabilities, it was still a source of great concern. The loaded question of trusting him to be safe was pointless, there were many forces beyond either of their controls that could intervene, and the rapidly worsening weather was possibly the least of them.

Leaning back into her comfortable recliner, she rubbed her temples, sorely tempted to throw away the irritating essay she had to write for homework. Ironically enough, it was her own pride that stopped her from simply burning the damned thing and being done with it. After all, what would it say of the soon-to-be-announced leader of the Ashford Foundation if she were to neglect any aspect of her life?

"I hate politics." She muttered irately while looking at the stormy sky outside. "Don't you agree Arthur?" she asked the cat, who merely meowed in response before jumping up, and curling on her lap. She couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the kitty and began scratching him behind the ears.

'_So many issues… not like I didn't know it would be difficult, but still…'_ she thought, enjoying the warmth from the lit fireplace and looking at the falling rain outside. _'Why did grandfather have to organize a public event for Ashford's return to business? I know it would be made common knowledge soon enough, but to do it so, so… flashily? Then again, he has a point. This way we at least control the situation instead of waiting and seeing what happens. Still, it wouldn't do to appear alone there, and inviting Lelouch, despite how much I would enjoy dressing him up and teasing him, isn't a viable option. So who then?'_

"Milly! You in there?" she heard a female voice, which despite her knowing it well still took her a few moments to place.

'_Shirley…'_ she reminded herself sadly. The young woman with whom she shared affections for the same man was a frequent subject of her thoughts lately. A part of her hated herself for keeping secrets from her friend _'But then again, it is not as if I can simply come clean and tell her everything. I didn't possess that luxury when the only secret I held was that Lelouch was a prince, much less now.'_

"Over here Shirley, come right in." she responded. _'Weighing reactions, predicting moves… guess I should ask the expert for advice.'_ She concluded, not in the least entertained by the thought. Her concerns took a back seat at the sight of her flustered friend though, as well as the look of worry on her face. "What's wrong?"

"You can see for yourself, it's all over the news."

That was enough to make her flinch. The Britannian populace was reeling from the first news mere hours ago that prince Schneizel and princess Cornelia were incapacitated, no doubt the result of Lelouch's rescue the day before, but when no contact came by from the Black Knights to inform her of the results, she had become concerned. '_But then again, the authorities wouldn't pass the opportunity to parade the fact that Zero was defeated…'_

Walking into the meeting room, she was slightly surprised to see everyone but Lelouch and Nunnally present. With how things had been going lately the Student Council had grown ever so slightly distant… with the siblings missing half the time, and herself and Nina working, Rivalz and Shirley took up quite a bit of their work, and especially now that the festival was less than two weeks away, it was wrong to leave the burden to them.

"Hey, it's about to begin." Rivalz stated, a concerned frown marring his normally jovial features. The TV showed a reporter none of them really recognized standing at the official conference hall of the Viceroyal palace within the Tokyo Concession.

'_-'…We are coming to you live from the Viceroyal palace where currently acting-Viceroy Euphemia li Britannia is about to give a public statement about the invasion on the soil of Area 11.'-'_

The camera quickly moved to the raised podium where the acting viceroy Euphemia stepped forward. Calm, collected and flanked by the towering figure of Andreas Darlton as well as that of the Knight of Cornelia, Gilbert G.P Guilford.

'_-'This morning, under the cover of storm, forces loyal to Atsushi Sawasaki landed upon the western shore of Area 11.'-' _she spoke, addressing the masses evenly. _'-'In order to stem the enemy advance, I am assuming command of the Imperial troops personally and will be departing soon. But before I do, know that I do not go to wage war needlessly'-'_

'_-'The invaders speak of liberation, and yet, there have already been casualties among the very people they claim to seek to liberate. Britannian or Japanese, it matters not, the Holy Empire shall not stand to have its citizens threatened by any outside force!'-'_

As the words resounded across the hall, the collected journalists remained silent for but a moment, before erupting into questions. The princess raised her right hand, gesturing for them to be quiet a moment more.

'_-'I am sorry, but you will have to direct any questions you have to my advisors. I am needed on the battlefield.'-'_

She was surprised though. All she had heard of the princess spoke that she was a meek lamb. The determined young woman on the screen looked anything but. For all intents and purposes, she seemed the second coming of the Witch of Britannia

'_And an opening appears…'_ she concluded as she turned away from the television. _'Just in time too. Both models are ready for deployment.'_

And somewhere in the distance, an emperor laughed upon his throne, his own designs in motion.

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**Author's** **notes**: And that would be that for the time being. The next chapter is currently being written, standing at one thousand words and growing. I sadly won't have much time to write during the next couple of days, but I'll squeeze in what I can.

Read, review, feel free to point out any inconsistencies I may have missed or any spelling errors so I can fix em.

Till next time.

edit: I've updated a minor slip up I've left in here, a point where Suzaku saw Euphemia while she was physically elsewhere... silly me.


End file.

Code Geass