(Shouts of thank yous to The SENDER and the TRAVELER, destroyerzootycoon2, .141, shinydragonmist, zeratulis1, OBSERVER01. and Swoob for favorite/following this fic. I'm on my hand and knees, grateful to you all! )

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS AUTHOR-CHAN'S 381 WORDS OF HER APOLOGY SPEECH. SKIP TO REPLIES IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED

Hello ladies and lads~! (*squeals and shields face as she gets pelted with tomatoes*)

It's been more than four months

Yeah, I'm disappointed in myself too.

And I'm pretty sure that most of you would roll your eyes if my excuse was mountains and mountains of schoolwork. Not that that isn't true, but there is another reason why this chapter took so long. What's my reason you ask? Well, you'll be surprised.

It's also because I've gotten lazy

Now, now. Put down that tomato else I can't explain further

After I finished writing the last chapter on December 2015, I let my brain rest for a bit and wait for some inspiration before writing again. Sadly, inspirations for fanfics like mine are scarce and I slowly (very slowly, mind you) forgot where this story was supposed to go. So when I was finally in my mood to write this again (I write other stuff too), I didn't know what to put down on paper. This was on late of January.

I reread everything and I had no idea how to progress this story without using Geass numerous times, which was something that I am desperately trying to avoid. This is also another reason why this chapter is late.

Then upon February 2015 to the world and I was starting to panic. There are readers I can't afford to lose. But I was still figuring out how the chapter should turn out. Now this was where school didn't make things any easier. Try outs swallowed my brain and since I get those four days a week, I was left no energy to write.

This goes on and on and it took a toll on me and I've grown too lazy to do any work. I became selfish and just wanted to stream the internet all evening on my bed (wow, I'm so disappointing), totally forgetting this fanfic

There were times when I managed to squeeze in time to write these past few months, but that didn't result much.

Because of school, the difficulty of this fanfic, and my own laziness, not only is this chapter late, but it's also incomplete

…Would you like to throw that tomato now?

I'm heavily sorry for how late this is and I'm sorry for being lazy

Replies to reviews I don't deserve:

Swoob: Goodness gracious! Your review's too awesome! Thank you! I'm glad you think I did Lelouch right! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too despite how it is incomplete..

Guest: Thank you! I'm happy you feel that way! Your honesty is greatly appreciated too. I'll put a little more thought into Lelouch's character. I'm actually proud of the ending too, and surprisingly it didn't take me an hour to write (Usually, I can only make three paragraphs on that amount of time xc ) Err, actually, there are still some grammar errors I overlooked in chapter 5, but I'll fix them soon. I plan to revise chapter 1 and 2. After I reread the two, I realized how bad they were. No surprise, I wrote those when I was twelve. I'll make sure to fix the chapters!

shinydragonmist: I'm very happy that you like my story! Now, which 'other person' do you refer? The ones from the second scene or the last? Whichever will not be explained in this incomplete chapter I've made, but I hope you'll still be entertained by then. I'm sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy reading this chap!

OBSERVER01: I'm happy that you think so! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your reviews!

Despite this being incomplete, might 6k+ be enough to compensate?

The answer is your opinion

Originally, Suzaku was supposed to be a good part of this chapter. He hadn't done anything other than being…there. Though, that didn't happen for this half of the chapter, but I'm confident to say that he will be at the next!

Heh. When you're so creative you name a chapter Witch Conflict : /

That's all I have to say.

I hope you enjoy~!

Code Ever After

Chapter 5: Witch Conflict (Part 1)

Usually, Jeremiah Gottwald loved his eversame cup of coffee. Though, today, after just one sip of the dark delight, the man refused his tongue for any more. The beverage was always the same, sweet kind of bitter. But now it was just as bitter as his mood. That didn't make him happy.

Perhaps it was because he couldn't sleep since the night of the report of a grueling massacre. Or way back since the escape of a criminal, whom was now, according to a fellow knight, dead. His nights were restless and he couldn't stay out of his chair and take a short break in his chambers on the upper floor like the rest.

The escape of the girl was a mystery in itself. No, not because she was able to slip past the guards and weaved effortlessly through his grasp. As far as her records go, she had been imprisoned for sixteen years of an elaborate theft. Only the heavens could know why in Ever After didn't the girl try to break out years ago. Not that he'd have that anyway, but still

Either she had only just crafted the perfect plan right then, or was building her nerves to do so, he'd never know. And whatever she wanted with the school attended by fairytale children, he'd never know too

And that's what he loathed. The bitter lack of information. And not the kind of bitter that was warm and welcoming like his coffee. This was exactly why he gave order to capture her, not to kill on the spot.

But her life was ended anyway, with everyone else in his sent troupe. Minus Howard, whom returned alone. His suit had dashes of red here and there, smelled of rotting catfish. His eyes looked as if in a trance, but he guessed that it was only the effects of witnessing a good number of deaths, and being responsible of one himself.

And that was also a marvelously complicated puzzle. Jeremiah questioned how they, men with well-trained limbs and developed potentials, could all crumble down

"It all happened so fast, I didn't know what was going on. The fugitive was stabbing everyone. It was a series of deaths. Before I knew it, she was running towards me, she had one of our lances. I used the bow and arrow and shot her before she could kill me first."

After asking him several more questions, Jeremiah fired him for violating his orders. It may be slightly overboard of a punishment, but the world was only growing more cruel and merciless. Therefore the teal-haired man just couldn't tolerate with the weak and undisciplined

The smooth slides of the double doors summoned two men. The tiled floors made their steps even louder, calling Jeremiah's attention.

"Sir," one of them said. "We have the corpses."

Their Chief nodded in satisfaction. "Good, now let me see them." Let me see the girl

Jeremiah didn't miss how their 'Yes sir's were cleverly hiding crooked anxiety.

The two led him to a bigger room, like an overly sized garage, where three trucks parked in a close row. With the help of a number of men, they emptied the vehicles that were once full of lifeless bodies. One by one were taken our. Men after men. But no woman.

The knights sensed the Chief's silently growing impatience. Their muscles grew a little weak from it. Nervous.

Jeremiah finally popped the question as there were no longer anymore to load off the trucks. "Where is the runaway? Where is the girl?"

A knight, who was purposefully pretending to check for anymore bodies, pulled his face away to his Chief. He raced for an answer and almost decided to tell him that she commited suicide as someone else, graciously backed him up.

"We apologize sir, but we couldn't find her corpse."

The man frowned. He should have lied and told him something else. Anything was better than telling the awful truth

The nonchalant posture of their Chief did not leave, just yet. "Care to elaborate why?"

"We…we just couldn't find her sir. She was nowhere to be seen." The cool tone of Jeremiah's eyes began to flush away and he quickly continued, "We…spotted an empty pond of blood…She might not be dead after all…And ran away…."

She ran away. It was only then that Jeremiah realized that never felt so glad to fire Howard. "Very well, if that's your report."

He set his gaze upon the rest. "I will make arrangements with the headmaster of Ever After High for a second investigation. Find any link that would lead to our fugitive. Spread the word. Find her."

The men gave salutes and poured out, leaving Jeremiah to muse about. The girl was previously, supposedly dead. Now she rose above the dead flesh and blood, and fled. She might not be human. She could be a witch or a sorceress or a troll in disguise

Timothy Tunnel had withstand all of the above and so much more. They will capture her.

It was seven in the morning and every student skipped their breakfasts to catch back on snores and dreams. The decisions made floors empty with only Raven's pair of heels clicking the ground

The halls had never looked so huge without everyone else. School was cancelled for the day and every fable wanted to take full advantage of their time. Raven would have too, if it weren't for a certain text message from a certain ebony-haired boy. He told her to meet up with him and Faybelle at the library

As reluctant as the young sorceress was to go the said destination, it wasn't something that she could ignore. Her feet paced as quick as her heartbeat. What had she done? How could she have ever agreed to this? What was she thinking?

Did what he said hurt her that much? But it wasn't true. Of course it wasn't true. So why was she so affected? Why did she care?

What's done is done. If Raven turned her back on the two now, they'll surely tell her secret to the world.

Perhaps little buzz of a spell might help? The violet-eyed teen glanced her fingers before curling them. Over the past few days, she had been more reliant on her powers. It felt strange whenever she thought of magic, her pulse felt sweet and free. She didn't want the feeling to stop.

'Magic is like a drug,' her mother once said. 'For you, it might be bitter. But taste more and more and it will leave you addicted.'

'Your powers may be at odds for now, my little blackwing. But you'll learn. After all, it's in our blood. It's inevitable as hands and legs.'

The discussion began as immediately as Raven arrived at the library. She took note on how she was last to come

Before they jumped into plots for an Evil Queen rendezvous, the three thought it'd be better for Lelouch to catch up on Blood o' Scarlet. With so, they'll be able to figure out a scheme at an emergency meeting, or cram ideas at the last minute if need be.

"Our schemes have to represent at least one of Blood o' Scarlet three symbols." Faybelle unzipped her bag and tool out a notebook. "I'm not that good at remembering stuff so I wrote it all down."

Raven watched in amusement as Faybelle flipped here and there to reach her desired page. "I didn't know you write notes."

Faybelle's finger paused at a blade of paper, and smirked proudly. "I am hard-working! I always do my best and follow the rules to make my parents proud."

Raven stared blankly at the use of intonation, before scrunching her brows as she realized what Faybelle meant. She smiled back. "Well, actually I'm a steady B average myself."

Faybelle scoffed. "You only try to get good grades 'cause you pity your father."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

Lelouch stepped in, before Faybelle could say anything hurtful and start yet another wasteful bicker. "Hey, hey, we got more serious problems here."

The cheerhexer gave one last glare (which Raven was more than glad to return) and went back to her notebook. She traced a finger on the book as she explained.

"There are three symbols." Faybelle flipped the next page. The top written with the title 'Calamity, Falsehood, and Demise.'

"There's Calamity. 'Evil and chaos are inseperable. Calamity shall be your ally if you're not of the most rotten branch of all the malicious legacies. Once in awhile, it's not a sin to pretend that you're a god, where everything is under your vile control. Make people grovel, crush them one by one. It is all up to you. Remember, the world is your playpen.'

"Then there's Falsehood. 'Lies value nothing less than ash and dust. Unless used charmingly. Must you choose this theme of Blood o' Scarlet, lie and lie well. Let your falsehood sneak through mind, heart, and soul. Your lie shan't result less than a ground-breaking aftermath.'

"The last is Demise. 'If the arranged team wishes to walk in the path of blood, thou shall decide upon whom shall receive the grace of death. Thou shall not commit this extravagant crime of no meaning. A true villain never kills without a pure passion and a nonetheless good style of murder.'

"Mr Badwolf said that we don't have to do the last one, but if we do, he'll rid of every homework we'll get for the rest of our grade."

"Wow, that's a bargain," Lelouch nodded. Less homework was awesome, so he approved. "Though, I'd rather we go for Falsehood instead. We already have enough on our plate. Better to go easy. What do you think, Raven?"

Lelouch turned his violet gaze towards the said girl, whom had her palms wrapped around her head like a helmet.

What did she think? She thought it was unheard of! Lies? Chaos? Act of murder? Raven was supposed to be the good girl!

…Fine, so breaking the rules wasn't exactly what a good girl does, but she wasn't a bad person. Let alone evil. Participating in the event would drown out all her principles. Ah, but wasn't there plenty of cons if she weren't to participate as well?

You may never get to relive your destinies

Well, Raven always wanted for everyone to find a path of their own, but not that way. And not everyone wanted for a path written all by themselves. The young sorceress wasn't like Milton Grimm. She didn't want to force her mindset on destiny over other people. Everyone had the right to choose they path they-

Apple

Oh right, Apple

Apple wanted to relive her mother's destiny, and she couldn't do that if Raven wished to rewrite hers. What was Raven going to do about that? She tried to convince Apple that there were many ways to get a prince and be queen, because that was all she wanted right?

I just want everyone to be safe, she said

We all could disappear, she said. Ba humbug

A thousand ways would always be around every corner for Apple to discover. There would always be another way, for her. The pampered rotten was just too afraid to go out of her comfort zone. Raven comiitted thay she won't shove her opinion down people's throats, but Apple was different. She already had everything going for her. A Happily Ever After waiting just for her, whether she pledged her destiny or not. Raven? She's destined for the exact opposite. And being the oh so caring princess Apple was, she looked the other way. She didn't care. She pretended she did. And towards other students with wicked roles, she pretended she cared for them too

Raven, on the other hand, actually did care. Truly cared. She took notice of everyone who yearned for a different ending. Raven did the right thing, to be a Rebel. A girl brave enough to stand up for the sake of choice, showed the path of truth for the nevermores, and-

A selfish hypocrite

Raven stiffed.

Numb silence was always a terrible response for anyone. Raven wasn't even looking at him. "Raven?" Lelouch spoke

The addressed girl jolted slightly. "Uh, I'll think about it," she responded.

Lelouch didn't mind how lazy her answer was, Blood o' Scarlet didn't really matter to him. "Right then, let's get on to what we're really here for."

Borrowing Faybelle's pen, the teen drew scribbles and doodles on a paper. He made animatic gestures as he explained.

Bypassing through the school's firewalls and hacking the mirror prison's security system was considered as done. Lelouch knew his ways so it wouldn't be a problem.

Now they should have a good place for a rendezvous. Dorms and janitor closets aren't very ideal with people coming and going. And they had the worst doorms for privacy. Raven roomed with Apple, the school's most popular and beloved student. Faybelle roomed with Bunny Blanc, who usually went back to their room to change coats every now and then. And Lelouch roomed with Suzaku. As his best friend, he knew the brunette's schedule, the kind that wouldn't spare him enough time for solitude in their dorm

All the other places at school either casually crowded with people or had a number of security mirrors on their watch. Milton Grimm was a huge fan of safety.

"What about The Enchanted Forest then? Since you want to have a quiet place and no privacy-invading mirrors so much," Faybelle suggested

Lelouch shook his head. *That won't do. The Enchanted Forest has far too many animals to report to princesses. And places outside the school grounds are a hassle. We need somewhere near."

"Oh, you're just saying 'cause you're so fragile and lanky! I noticed how you pant after taking a mere flight of stairs!" Faybelle sneered.

"Well, I am sorry for my lack of physical abilities, Faybelle, and I'm sorry for your lack of common sense. We need a good connection to get to The Evil Queen as well. And the school Wi-Fi has the perfect speed."

"Well eisntein, Since you're so clever, why don't you think of something about that?"

And so their bickering went on, leaving Raven to feel like a useless extra. She was thinking too, of course. But Lelouch's requirements for the location made it hard to think of any suggestions. And if Lelouch himself couldn't find one, how could she? The amethyst-eyed teen had just enrolled, but he knew enough from a tour by a fellow teacher. He knew his way around campus as much as she did. It's not like she knew a place he didn't.

…..Then again.

"I know somewhere we could go," Raven said, catching the two's attentions. "The Vault of Lost Tales. Maddie took me there once, out of random." She bit her lip. Should she share such knowledge? It wasn't as if she and Maddie agreed to keep it to themselves.

"Now where is that?" Lelouch asked. He sneaked through the school's blueprints and didn't recall a room called The Vault of Lost Tales

"It's down the same floor as the Lost and Crowned Office, except you take a right, then you go further. At the end, if you look through enough, which is a lot, you'll see this pretty teeny door." Raven began to fiddle her flats out of discomfort. "Is it okay for one guy to be there? He's stuck and he can't go anywhere. He's cursed to stay there for eternity. But he's alright. He's a Rebel and he knows about my mom."

"Who is this 'he'?"

"Uh…Giles Grimm." A long audible pause ensued.

Faybelle broke the silence, standing up and leaning to Raven far too near for the sorceress's liking. "The Giles Grimm?! You're not talking about Principal Grimm's lost brother are you?!"

First it's The Evil Queen, now it's Giles Grimm and The Vault of Lost Tales. Secrets were spilling out of the bottle Raven was desperately trying to keep all this time. Now there was no stop to it. "The very one."

"You're joking! The man's supposed to be dead!"

"Did I joke about my mom?"

"Oh, sprites!" Faybelle exclaimed, her wings fluttered excited flaps. "But why is he cursed?"

"Well, he never said anything about that." At least Raven never remembered she heard of it. "But how about it? The Vault of Lost Tales is a go?"

"Yes, it'll do." Lelouch nodded. He was slightly hesitant, but it wasn't as if there was any other option. And Raven didn't seem like one to lie of such things.

It made sense. The belief of being able to rewrite one's destiny was to be ashamed and feared. It bent one thing the world loved most: rule. Committed by a teen, like Raven for an example, would only be dismissed as rebelling at it's age. But the Grimm lineage was of pure order and tradition. And a rebellious Grimm was a dangerous kind of creature meant to be quarantined.

Lelouch might be able to seek consult. The old man knew Raven's 'mom' situation, so the rendezvous might not be a problem if he was around. He just had to make sure that he stayed out of the Queen's sight.

"How would we get through this 'pretty teeny door'?" Lelouch turned to Raven. "I suppose you can do a shrinking spell."

Raven became abashed and wanted to curtain her face with her hair. "Yeah, um, no. Last time I used Maddie's shrinking potion. I can't do a shrinking spell."

"It's too high-levelled?"

"You call a shrinking spell high-levelled? Pfft, it's only a level ten spell!" Faybelle said. A smug smirk then stretched her lips. "What level are you, Raven?"

A blush rose to the said girl's cheeks. "Level five."

Piggy chortles bursted from the fairy's mouth. Throwing more shame towards the sorceress

"Oh, Raven! You're so pathetic!" Faybelle wiped her tears.

Could it be helped? Raven could only use her powers for evil. Or at least, not for other people's sakes. Equation: Dark powers+good intentions= catastrophe. And her powers backfire easily too.

"I, for one, am level twenty-four!" The fairy proclaimed. "I'd pull off a shrinking spell in a breeze!"

"Um, back to topic please." Raven desperately wanted to change the subject, she was embarassed enough.

"Right, we have myself to get connections, you as a guide, and Faybelle on shrink duty," Lelouch said. "Anything else we should take note of?"

"Um, are we gonna talk with Giles?" Raven spoke. "'Cause if we do, there will be a problem. Giles is also cursed to only speak Riddlish."

A frown found it's way to the boy's lips. "You mean that blasted Wonderlandian language?" Raven nodded and his frown grew more

Lelouch had known about Riddlish when he was eight and had heard of how nonsensical it was. He used to be an overly-proud lad. He believed that he'll be the first to solve the language. He grabbed a Wonderlandian book and a nightlight. The next morning, young Lelouch's brain ended up with knots. He learned his lesson. Logic could never reason with madness

"I would never let Maddie help with this one. She can hear this…voice. She says it's The Narrator. The Narrator observes and narrates whatever we're doing. I don't really believe her, but well, better safe than sorry."

"Well, I don't want that Kitty Cheshire up aboard. I hate how she steals my dust and uses them all to grow cheese trees. I don't even know how she can do that!"

"But we can't have Bunny or Allistair either. They're usually together a lot."

"So Lizzie Hearts then?"

"Meh, I don't mind."

"I'll ask her then," Lelouch offered.

"You sure you don't need any help? She's pretty difficult to cooperate with, being who she is."

"I'll make a heap of my Memory Erase potion, for her to forget about Giles and the vault."

"How will we ever convince her though?"

"Just leave it to me. I'll talk to Lizzie on my own." The two girls gave him suspicious looks. Lelouch quickly continued with, "I've learned to negotiate with the most difficult of people since I was young, for my story. This'll be no different. And…yes, I suppose the potions are necessary."

That was close, was what Lelouch thought as he walked out of the library. The two girls went to ready their own preparations, so he was on his way to the daughter of The Queen of Hearts by himself. He didn't need any assistance when he had Geass.

He nearly blew it though. He had almost forgotten that he was supposed to be a normal human. It was his role, to be full of flaws, indifferent, with brains as the only attribute.

A small chat with the daughter of The Queen of Hearts. A sort of magic to rewind her memory. All of those were things Lelouch was capable of. He could bend his command at will for such results. But there was so much one would think he, a non-magical form of life, was able to do, unless he possessed something special.

So what would happen if the mad girl drank the Memory Erase potion? Would that nulify the Geass power? Would she forget his command?

If only they lived in a world of no extraordinares. Geass was a very powerful kind of magic, but in a world full of other kinds of magic, it only stood out just so much. Indeed it was special, but every magic was special, no?

A pat of the shoulder snapped Lelouch from his thoughts. His head spun to see a brown mop of hair and a wide smile.

"Still busy?" Suzaku had noticed a notebook balanced on the bishounen's hand.

"Yeah, sorry," Lelouch said. He was slightly guilty. If it were anyone, silence for days was less concerning. Best friends were an entirely different matter. "I promise we'll hang at lunch."

"No rush man!" Suzaku chuckled. "Just wanna check on you. Don't want to disturb your work."

"I see..." The guilt was now ten times bigger.

"Hey, I've been wondering for a while though. What are you busy about?*

"Hm? Just a group project."

"General Villainy huh?"

Lelouch stopped his tracks. "How'd you know?"

Suzaku responsed shrug-first. "I've overheard lots of GV kids being busy for some project. 'Sup man, in for a game of soccer?' 'Sorry bruh. GV group project' 'Hey, wanna grab a smoothie at Book End?' 'Sorry. Generale Villainale group projo. The usual'. The heck?" Suzaku said. "I'm glad I'm not in General Villainy."

Lelouch nodded, understood what Suzaku meant. Everyone was getting ready for the event that would come in less than two weeks. Even parents

What would father be doing right now?

Lelouch dreaded the idea calling his own father. Besides, perhaps he'd find out soon enough. Surely, the school would allow the General Villainy students to contact their parents for 'support and inspiration' or along the lines sometime before the big day

"Oh, by the way, Nunally has been wondering about you. " Suzaku took out his MirrorPhone. "She told me that you never picked up so she called me."

"Nunnally?"

A final beep sounded before a rippled fuzz. "Nunnally?"

"Ah, Elder Brother! How are you!"

A warm buzz felt at Lelouch's lips, curving them into a smile. His sister was the sound of home

"I'm fine over here. Suzaku said you called. Sorry, my phone was on silent mode. I was dealing with a group project."

"Ah, that's wonderful elder brother! I'm glad, you must be having tons of fun. Do tell me about it some time!" Nunnally chirped. "I'm homeschooled, so I'd never know what it's like."

The older teen instantly wished he took back his words. Couldn't he just say 'errand'? The sentence came out with no second thought, and the taboo words, 'group project', slipped out.

"Oh, but you don't need to worry about that elder brother," Nunnally said. "I'm fine."

Lelouch didn't nod to that. All of Lelouch's brothers and sisters, including himself, attended the best schools offered. Nunnally however, as said, was only homeschooled.

The young brunette was a little different than the rest. Lelouch's tale needed many fables, and so Emperor Charles had many children. Lelouch was supposed to be the last child, until Marianne requested a quick restroom break, then came out with a tired, pale face and said that she was pregnant once more.

No one wanted to believe it and dismissed it a stomach ache instead. But her belly did indeed grew. A number of months later and Nunnally uponed to Ever After. But what were they supposed to do with an extra child?

Classics had it easy. Rapunzel had two children herself. There was Holly, the elder sister, the one-day-to-be Rapunzel. Then there was Poppy, the younger sister. But Rapunzel belonged to a popular, beloved tale. Many princes were happy to have Poppy's hand and make her a queen

Just-Tolds weren't as lucky. And there weren't many out there. There were rarely any Just-Told princes, and there weren't any Classic princes willing to step down to accept a gainless marriage with princesses from lower ranked fairytales

The disappointment only grew as the emperor and empress found out that Nunnally was crippled. What would the public, the approvals they earned and maintained for so long, think if they found out of the little princess? Just think about it, a girl of which nobody knew what to do of, roaming around the streets, smiling clueless as she sat on a wheelchair? What shame!

And so, Nunnally was kept away from the world and homeschooled.

Once upon a time, the young girl rolled her wheelchair to her mother. "Mother, why don't I go to school like all the others? I want to learn and make friends too."

And Marianne would always say that it was for Nunnally's sake since she used a wheelchair and that she would be bullied. And Nunnally believed

But Lelouch knew better. Nunnally was fragile, vulnerable, and naive, but she wasn't stupid. She slowly noticed how handmaids would casually arrive to her room minutes late. If she wanted to go down the stairs, maids point fingers on who to aid and it would take time before one finally huffed and assisted to help.

Eventually, the girl knew what was going on. She was a destiny-less princess that nobody would want to deal with. But she wouldn't ever complain. All the tardy breakfast trays, refused playtime, and long stair-downing took a toll and she was used to feeling unwanted. It was her future.

But Nunnally didn't mind. She had her family at least. She was a charming girl, most of her siblings had an approving view of her. Though, she wondered if they were mutual or merely out of pity. Which was why she naturally favorited Lelouch. With Euphemie as second. With the love and company they gave her, what more could she ask for? Nothing, she didn't ask for anything else.

But Lelouch wanted more for her. If she wanted to go to a real school, Lelouch would give exactly that to her.

But how, was what he wondered since he was a kid. The reason why Nunnally was as she is now was of the laws of destiny. Unbendable and invincible. If one were to ever interfere with the most perfect balance a fairytale world could have, they would be desperately outcasted. Like Giles. Like The Evil Queen. Like Raven.

Lelouch didn't mind the same fate.

He glanced towards a mirror. His other hand trailed from his jawline, cheeckbone, before his fingers barred the eye that held the power of Geass. A smirk pulled his lips.

"Nunnally, wouldn't it be nice for you to go to an actual school?"

"Eh? Why yes…that would be very nice. But it's nothing to be concerned about. Honest. I get to learn a lot from homeschooling too."

"I know. But you deserve it. You have all the rights."

"But….Father and mother…wouldn't be pleased."

A gentle sigh was heard. "Nunnally, you know…how it's going to be later on, don't you?"

"I…of course I do."

"You should at least enjoy a proper life of a teen, before…yes, you know."

Silence was the next response. Lelouch thought if he was really giving encouragement, or actually forcing it down his sister's throat. One must be more careful to those who are used to be crouched in shadows of obedience and inferiority. Show them too much light at a time and they would shove away

"Nunnally, trust me." Lelouch said. "Someday you'll have your own uniform and locker like me. Following schedules, keeping up with tests, skipping classes with friends-"

"I can't do that."

"Well, you get the image. It doesn't matter what mother and father thinks. Your life is yours," Lelouch said. "At least for the time being."

Your life is yours….

Silence fell between the connection before his sister finally responded with, "It's….it's almost time for my rehabilitation…"

"Ah, of course." Lelouch didn't prod further. He had said enough

"Thank you though, elder brother. I'm happy to know that you care for me!" Nunnally chirped. "I wish I can do something in return. But, oh! There's only so much I could do without a good pair of legs!"

Lelouch let out a chuckle. "It's fine, Nunnally. You don't need to do anything to prove that you care for me. I know that you do."

He was glad that he heard a giggle instead of silence this time.

"I'm really happy that you called, elder brother. But are you really okay over there? I mean, I heard you were kidnapped. I was really worried."

"Ah, that. I guess I was a little afraid. But I'm fine in the end. The knights came just in time."

"I'm glad then!" Nunnally said. "But still, you must be careful elder brother."

"It's fine, Nunnally! Believe me. I'm capable."

"Tee hee. From your response, I guess you haven't heard the news yet."

An ebony brow raised. "Hn? What news?"

"Well, it's said that the criminal that attacked elder brother, had escaped.*

The world felt as if it had bounced under his feet. "Escaped?!" Lelouch coughed to regain his composure. C.C was dead. She was supposed to be dead. How did the word 'escaped' made any sense to that fact? "Nunnally, what are you saying?"

"Eh? I'm just…Yes! I'll be right there!…I'm so sorry elder brother, but I have to go."

The two ended the call there, leaving the elder party a dozen questions.

Standing still for a second, Lelouch tried to put everything in order. No, he didn't have the time. Confirmation needed to come first, and quick.

He dashed out of his room. Suzaku was politely and patiently waiting outside, and was quite shocked to see his friend so distressed as he bursted out

"Oi!" He grabbed his wrist. "What's the rush?"

"Eh? Nothing."

"Did something happen to Nunnally?"

"No."

"That's good." Suzaku could feel wriggles beneath his grip. One last question and he would let go. "Hey, what about Raven?"

Suzaku guessed he had finally caught his attention. There were no more struggles. He let go.

"What about Raven?" Lelouch asked, yet he answered it himself. "Ah, that."

There was no time. No time…

Not now Suzaku.

"I'm sorry, but can it wait? I have to go somewhere."

"No need to apologize. I'm just asking." Suzaku curved a smile. "Go on."

They waved their byes and Lelouch was set free to dart away. Through hall, corridor, and stair, his legs carried him as much as they were able to [which is not much lolz]

He ran across the bridge and his feet met the cobblestone of Book End. Lelouch stopped there and let his hands fell to his knees.

He panted fiercely before lifting his chin to find dozens of wanted posters at every poll, house, and building. Newspapers and newscasts didn't seem to be enough.

A paper slapped Lelouch in the face and the boy wiped it off. Smoothing out the wrinkles, amethyst orbs examined the same wanted poster. Below the usual word, 'wanted', in bold and capital. Above was the image of a purple haired maiden with green eyes. But her face structures and shoulders matched the witch whom bestowed the prince the eye of command.

Her presence was let known in so many forms. Was she so important? What crime had she done from the beginning? Why was she so desperately searched that everyone must know?

Moreover, "C.C…you're supposed to be dead, right?" Lelouch stared into the faux emerald eyes printed over. So deep. So fake. So deceiving. "What are you…"

She couldn't be human if she were to come back to life. Oh, who was he kidding? She granted him The Power of Kings. What human could be able to do that?

Witch, or orc, or sorceress, what mattered right now was that the girl was thought to have escaped and was now wanted. An escaped fugitive attracted knights to give chase. And what other troupe of knights would it be other than from Timothy Tunnel?

Piecing everything together, Lelouch groaned. He planned everything for today too…

He dug a hand in his pocket to grab his phone. He cursed as there was none. He remembered dropping it as he went out of his dorm.

Heaving deep breaths, Lelouch jogged back to school before the situation went beyond his control.

He went over the bridge again and reached the gates to see a nearing Suzaku

"Lelouch!" Suzaki stopped before the said person.

"Haa..haa...What…" Lelouch wheezed as he lifted his wet chin. Suzaku was standing tall and he was crouching low.

"I just wanted to tell you that you missed an announcement. I thought to tell you the news. I couldn't call you so I came all the way here. It's pretty important."

"Wha…haaa. what's..the…the…" Lelouch coughed from being so breathless

"I told you to work out." Suzaku chuckled. "Well, remember last Sunday night? When the knights came to investigate the school? Yeah, they're gonna do that again today."

More coughs sounded. "Really…when.."

"They're coming in less than two hours."

All breath Lelouch had lost rejuvenated in a flash. "What?!"

"Eh? What's wrong?"

"No, nothing." Lelouch picked himself up. "It's just…well, it's sooner than I thought."

"Ah.."

"Anyways, I gotta go."

"Hn? You said you wanted to have lunch? Book End is not that far…"

"I just..want to make sure that I'll be at school by the time the Timothy Knights arrive."

Suzaku stared silently. He looked full of questions. But his bishounen pal seemed to be in a run of something important. He didn't want to be the hurdle. The brunette formed a straight smile. "If you say so. Later!"

The two parted.

Lelouch began two quick steps before proceeding low. There was no need to hurry anymore. Timothy Tunnel had beat him to it.

"Ack! Dammit," Lelouch cursed as another poster smacked his face.

To be continued….

For now, this is how the chapter goes

The next half is the difficult part that I've been talking about. The characters reactions and actions, what it all will affect, and how to make all of that meaningful to this fic. I'm trying hard to make sense for the upcoming halfie so it wouldn't have any plotholes and so the knights aren't mere plot devices (well, I can't exactly tell what a plot device is so maybe they are plot devices in the first place?)

Review me of what you think of this chapter. Feedback is the best thing you can give me 'cause that's what makes me learn and do better. You can tell me what you think went wrong, point out grammar errors, tell me my strong and weak points, etc. It's up to you~

And if you're an author on but am a ninth grader like me (or higher) PLEASE tell me tips on how balance time for school, time to relax, and time to write! (don't tell me anything that didn't work for you btw) It'll be helpful!

Again, thank you so much for those who favorite/follow/reviewed this fic!

Thank you for reading and stay kawaii :D

Supreme Hugs&Waves

~SkyPop7811~