She had been through the anger, the disbelief, the pain. If she didn't know any better she would have thought that her sister had died that day. A smirk, caused by irony, set itself across her features. The comparison wasn't entirely false. Nunnally had lost the kind façade of a sister Lelouch had shown her, and in its place fell the face of a murderer.

Nunnally had always known that Lelouch lied to her. She had known that the house they lived in during their times at the shrine wasn't the picket-fenced, whitewashed house Lelouch had described to her. She could tell by her sister's voice that Lelouch had told a lie. The fields of bodies they went through as the three of them fled the army had the smell of blood. How could she forget that metallic smell? The smell that burned itself into her nostrils the day that her sight, legs, and parents were taken from her?

Nunnally knew about these lies and yet the façade of the dependant younger sister. After their exile Nunnally knew Lelouch had changed. She clung to her like never before, always checking, always worried. Even at a young age Nunnally knew she was Lelouch's emotional crutch, the biggest thing keeping her sister grounded. And so she played the part of the dependant sibling, unwilling to let her sister go. It was selfish, Nunnally thought to herself. She didn't want to be lonely. She didn't want Lelouch to leave her like their mother did. Like their father did. She wanted Lelouch to stay with her forever, living an idyllic life in Area 11. Just the two of them and all of their school friends.

She should have seen the signs. Lelouch becoming more distant, coming home late, spending long hours on the phone and computer. No, she saw them. She just put them in the back of her mind. She should have said something, something to stop her. But she was selfish. She kept believing thinking that things could go back to normal, and soon. She wanted to keep their life the way it was. She had always had that assumption, in the back of her mind. The fact that Lelouch began to change at around when the Black Knights started to pop up was no coincidence. She just ignored it. That was probably what made the reveal so much more painful. She wasn't mad at Lelouch, not entirely. She was mad at herself. Mad because she didn't connect everything together fast enough. Mad that she refused to do so. Mad that she refused to act on her instincts. The blame lied in both of them. And now, even with her sight back and the whole world to see, Nunnally never felt lonelier.

"Tadaima!" Kallen's voice came from the entrance to the flat. "Ne, Sayoko-San, Dare wa- Oh, Sayoko's not here?"

Well not entirely lonely. After the SAZ incident and the stalemate afterwards, Kallen and Milly had gotten a flat together in the SAZ, considering that Ashford had been damaged in the battle and they needed a place to stay. Kallen refused to go back to Pendragon with her father, and disguised her quest for personal freedom with a goodwill service from the Stadfeldt family, not that she did anything that she was supposed to do, just left it to the volunteers under her "employ". Milly wanted to stay near Ashford to help with cleanup and rebuilding, as well as to take care of her grandfather, so the two decided to rent together in the newly expanded SAZ, which now touched borders with the Tokyo ghettos. Nunnally, and by extention Sayoko, had come as well, with no other place to stay.

"You're back early." Nunally turned away from the T.V she barely paid attention to. After regaining her sight she had drowned herself in television, eyes eager to soak up every moment like it was their last, eye damage be damned. She had lost her sight for over half a decade, she wasn't going to let something like eye strain get in her way.

"Yeah, just decided to check out the new work sites. Houses are coming along nicely, but the protesters are getting bolder. There was a fire at one of the outer sites last night. It was put out before any damage was done, and the people who did it were caught, but it's getting pretty scary." Kallen tied her hair back into her signature fashion.

Nunnally frowned. Britannians had been protesting from the start, standing outside the chain-link fences with signs and speakers, blaring hate and propaganda across the thin border. Although attacks were infrequent and dealt with by the military, there was a lack of actual policing in the SAZ, other than volunteer watches, and as more Japanese from around the Area flowed in requesting sanctuary, the borders had to be expanded. The result was increasingly threatening rallies and movements standing outside the gates. Even from their tenth floor apartment in the outer area of the SAZ they could hear the sounds of blank rounds and chanting if they focused.

Nunnally moved her wheelchair over to the large panel of windows separating them from a ten storey drop. She looked down at the square which they overlooked. The garden space in the middle of the three apartment buildings had children playing, couples walking and other everyday activities. Most of those involved were Japanese. She saw several old men around tables of chess and go, several people with long rakes tending to the sand garden and fountains.

The fusion of Britannian design and Japanese tradition both gave hope to Nunnally and relieved her. The Black Knights had not fought for nothing. They had given a haven, however temporary, to the Japanese. They had laid down their arms and taken amnesty from the nation they fought against, but in return their rights were mostly respected.

"And now we go to Pendragon, one year after the terrible Tokyo rebellion by the former Elevens, where His Royal Highness and Prime Minister of the Empire Schneizel El Britannia will address the veterans of that battle and the people of the Empire."

Nunnally returned to the T.V. The Black Knight uprising became a source of anger and shame for Britannia, allowing them to crack down on other Areas with surprising force and prejudice.

"Loyal subjects, honorable allies." Schneizel gestured with his arms as he started his speech, "Today we remember the sacrifice of hundreds of Britannians and Honorary Britannians one year ago today. One year ago today we were assaulted by an uprising by terrorists, emboldened by an invasion by the Chinese Federation and their allies. We held the line for several hours, buying just enough time for the main force to reach Tokyo before the battle could be finished. That day we put down the seeds of upheaval and chaos. That day we defended out PRIDE! Our NATION! Our PAX BRITANNIA!

The roar of applause drowned out whatever Schneizel said after that.

"Ahem," He cleared his throat and waited for the crowd to settle down before continuing, "That day, the scoundrel Zero, who caused the deaths of so many innocents in his misguided attempt at peace was finally brought to justice! His reign of terror, however short-lived, ended during that battle!"

At that moment the screen behind Schneizel flickered to life, the image dozens of times larger than normal showed the Britannian flag to the thousands on the street. The sceen suddenly switched to a feed from several months ago. A group of soldiers stood at attention, in a line with their rifles at ease. Nunnally knew what was going to happen. She didn't flinch or feel the first time it was played. It would hardly make a difference now.

Moments later the video showed the signature mask of Zero come up from a trapdoor under the ground. The platform on which he, or rather, she, stood rose up, showing the former terrorist leader hunched over with a pair of handcuffs, looking ragged and defeated. The mask was still on, and remained on even as the firing squad raised their rifles, painted white and gilded with gold, they were symbols of power and justice to Britannia. Lelouch didn't raise her head, offered no resistance, and when asked for her last words, she shook her head and looked at her executioners. Nunnally didn't flinch at the crack of the rifles, or the thud as the body of her sister hit the floor. They took the body off stage, and with that two crowds cheered. The crowd that had gathered at the execution when it happened and the crowd at Pendragon at that time both erupted into cheers and applause.

Nunnally just sat there. She didn't feel. Reliving her sister's death made no difference. The sister she cared about and loved died on Kamine Island. Whatever was left was nothing to her.

"To those who fell in battle for us, we will honour you. To those who came back, we thank you. To those who murdered Euphie and allowed Zero to rile up the Elevens against us, we will still hunt you. ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!

Did people make memories, or did the memories make the person? Suzaku swirled the sparkling wine in the glass. He was certainly experienced enough in the matter, both firsthand and otherwise to give an answer, and yet, he failed to come up with one.

Suzaku!

He doubled over, his superb reflexes managing to slip the glass over onto the table before the migraine came into full effect. They had come ever since Kamine Island, and they came sporadically, but they were always accompanied by that voice. Her voice.

He had never liked her all that much when they were little. She was obnoxious, bratty, and stubborn to a fault. They had only been friends of convenience after the invasion. After finding her once again, he had used her. Otherwise the others would have kept up their bullying, and it probably would have been worse. He found it amusing that she was in love with him, even after seven years. It just made it all the more easier to use her as a shield against the rest of the academy. The sex wasn't half bad, either.

Although, he looked back, he had enjoyed their school life. He wished for such a life, peaceful, no need to pilot the Lancelot or fight, and possibly he could have found a proper girlfriend, or at least warmed up to Lelouch. It was her fault. Her fault that he had to fight. Her fault that he had his life nearly ruined, again. Her fault that Euphie died.

He could at least thank her for revealing herself to him on Kamine Island. He enjoyed the look on her face as he broke her, revealed to her every bit of hatred he had for her. Although, that was when the headaches began. He was knocked out after the pilot of the Guren came to rescue her precious leader. He blamed the brain damage from that to blame for the sudden flashes of emotion through him. Sometimes his feelings of contempt for Lelouch became something different. Warm was what he described it. His thoughts of Euphie, which were always loving and calming, sometimes brought great distress to him, as if something weighed down upon his chest. These attacks only became worse and worse as time went on. Psychiatric help hadn't worked. Neither had spiritual assistance.

Suzaku downed the glass of wine in one gulp. Setting the glass back on the table he picked up his cape and headed back into the Viceroy's palace. As the Knight of Seven and temporary Viceroy he had the obligation to greet any new guests and arrange the new army. There would be a new commander coming to Area 11 to assist him. Parties and tours would have to be prepared, meaning he would have another stack of paperwork on his desk. He would have to call in his secretary for this.

A/N:

I'm gonna start this fic again

Taking over someone's rythym

I not even trying to pretend

I know her fans ain't fools

Riding on the coattails of one of my friends

Won't waste this chance that I've been given

So I'm gonna start this fic again

I hope this works for you!