Feeling the coldness of the water passing my hair was relaxing, a small refresh against the blazing sunlight. I spent that whole morning aiding the rescue efforts in Narita, looking for anyone who might have survived the devastating landslide caused by the Black Knights. Little hope was left, as no one was found alive even after a whole day of intensive search.

'Taking a break?' Suzaku sat down besides me, chugging down a bottle of fresh water. 'There's still a lot of ground to dig…'

'I know.' I looked at some soldiers carrying bodies, a sight that turned common in the barren landscape.' So far, no one from the Black Knights has been found. This is probably their greatest victory by far.'

'Yeah…' Suzaku also threw water over the top of his head, cooling it down. 'Zero… he is a monster.'

'Say whatever you want about him, but it was an intelligent tactic, brilliant even.' I endured the pissed look my partner delivered to me without flinching. 'You may not like how war is done, but you must be able to recognize when a better play was done.'

'I know, it's just… I hate this!'

'I know, buddy.' I looked at the debris of a fallen Sutherland. 'How I know…'

We haven't talked about what happened the day of the battle, when he suddenly went on a rampage and attacked me. No physician was capable of finding anything out of the ordinary with him aside from great fatigue. He couldn't remember what he did either, so we were left with a silent feeling of nervousness from the chance of it happening once more.

'Even civilians were caught in the line of fire…'

There was a small town just below the mountain, which was heavily hit by the large masses of mud and rocks that fell downhill. A great number of people there died as a result, bodies being dragged out of the mud every hour, no sight of the ending. Despite acknowledging his tactical prowess, I couldn't stomach the price Zero was willing to pay for winning.

'Excuse me. Does any of you know where I can find Private Rai Hodges? I was told he would be aiding in the search efforts of this area.'

'You are speaking with him.' I raised my body to answer to the soldier. 'What's this about?'

'The viceroy and sub-viceroy wish to meet you at the command tent.' Before I could inquire him any further on the topic, he left the tent we were in.

'Any idea what this is about?'

'No idea, unless… she wants to punish me for being a tad rude to her during the battle.'

'I would say that's unlikely, but considering how nobles are…' Suddenly his eyes changed to a more serious appearance. 'Maybe… she knows about that?'

"That" referred to the fact I had the blood of the Royal Family within my veins, an information that could lead to serious problems. I doubted that was the case, considering how only four people knew about the information (that I was aware of) and none of them would say a word.

'No, it's probably something else.' I sighed heavily while drying my hair just a bit. 'Anyway, if I don't go, it'll only raise suspicious.'

'Agreed.' I started to go away when he spoke once again just before I left the tent. 'Be careful.'

'I will, don't worry.'

Say what you will about Britannia, but when it came to military affairs, there was no one who could surpass them. In just a day, a large-scale searching effort was stabilized around the area and a great number of bodies, equipment and debris was found and taken care of. In the speed things were going, by the end of the next day, the whole area would be cleaned and the rebuilding would officially start. Efficiency at its best form, I believe.

I easily found the command tent, with two members of the viceroy's inner circle standing at the entrance, looking at every person who passed. The one on the right was Gilbert G.P. Guilford, a tall and slender man who held the title of personal knight of princess Cornelia, leading her royal guard. The one on the left was Andreas Darlton, a general of the army who was fiercely loyal to the viceroy. They were talking to each other when they noticed me approaching.

'Your name, soldier.'

'Private Rai Hodges, Camelot division.' I saluted them both in the customary way.

'Ah, the viceroy is waiting for you.' General Darlton's smile made a great difference to his somewhat brute-looking face. 'You can go inside.'

The viceroy, Cornelia li Britannia, was a well-known woman across the globe, having earned several victories for the Homeland. She had long dark pink hair and indigo eyes, together with the air of a person who fought many battles. She was chatting happily with her younger sister Euphemia, both of them sitting at a desk with a tea set at the table, three empty cups included. There was also a metallic box at its side, its contents unknown.

'Oh, thanks for coming.' She pointed to the only empty chair available. 'Please, take a seat and join us.'

'Yes, your highness.' I am sure being invited to tea by a princess of the Empire should be considered the greatest honor, but I couldn't think of that when I was in that position myself. 'You wished to see me?'

'Yes, to thank you.' If I said I wasn't surprised by that (did I already said this? If I did, sorry about that), I would be lying. 'I inquired your superior on the identity of the devicer piloting that modified Sutherland… what's its name?'

'Sutherland Club.'

'Exactly.' She was serving the tea herself, filling each cup with the warm liquid and giving one to each of us. 'I must say, there aren't many people who can convince me not to fight when the enemy was right in front of me.'

'I did what I believed was the best course of action, my lady.'

'Oh, I'm not angry at you or giving you a reprimand. Quite the contrary, I'm grateful for what you did. I received a report saying that if I had fought with my Gloucester in that state, the chances of me surviving would be less than optimal. I must thank you for saving me.'

'I wasn't the only one. Even though it was an enhanced version, the Sutherland couldn't possibly deal with that red Knightmare the Black Knights had. It defeated the Purist Faction on its own and several other frames. If not for Suzaku and his Lancelot, I doubt we would be having this conversation now.'

'True, but we are not talking about Kururugi here, but of you.' Her eyes pierced me with a strong gaze. 'I heard it has been only two weeks since you joined the army.'

'That's true.'

'Despite that, you can pilot a Knightmare with such great skill.' Princess Euphemia gave me a warm smile. 'That's impressive, Private Hodges.'

'Not for very long.' Cornelia picked up the box that was sitting at the table alongside the tea set. Opening it, she showed me two insignias shining in there. 'Do you recognize these?'

'One is for Chief Warrant Officer. The other is for a Second Lieutenant.'

'Then congratulations, Second Lieutenant Hodges.'

Shocked wouldn't even begin to describe how I was feeling when I picked the insignia in my hand, looking at it as if it was about to jump away from my hands. I am not that knowledgeable about military history, but I doubt someone has ever risen from Private to Lieutenant in just two weeks.

'What about the other one?'

'That's for Kururugi.' She didn't sound too pleased. 'He… deserves it, after all.'

Such was the way of Britannia: an Honorary Britannian would receive just a minor promotion while I, a "true" Britannian would rise much faster in less time. Even though Suzaku had been in the Army far longer than me and performed a greater job, he would receive a lot less than me. I nearly lost control and threw it away. Nearly.

'Thank you.'

'That's not all. I have a special proposition for you.' I remember her looking straight in my eyes, indigo on blue, with great intensity. 'I am always looking for talented people for my Royal Guard. And since there are few men like you, I wish for you to fill a place on it.'

Each member of the Britannian Royal Family had a personal guard chosen by the members, a group of people who would protect and serve them faithfully. It was especially true when the person was known for military prowess, with the guard as well-known as the one they served. Cornelia's Royal Guard had great fame and prestige all across the Empire and a position on it would grant you for life.

'Sorry, but I'll have to refuse.' I said without even flinching.

'May I know the reason?'

'My lady, I believe that it wouldn't feel right. Not just have I been in the military for too short a time, but there's also the issue of my lack of actual combat experience. I fear that I may commit a serious mistake when it comes down to protecting you.'

'I see…' She sounded a bit disappointed with my answer, but understanding. 'Once again, you show great talent at analyzing a situation. Now I want you even more.'

'Perhaps once I have a few more battles behind me.'

'I will eagerly wait for that day to come. In the meantime, if there's something you wish aside from that, you can ask it as your reward.'

'Actually…'

'No way you did that.' Suzaku was looking at me as if I was crazy.

'I did and she agreed.' I kept the insignia in the palm of my hand, staring at it with an underwhelming feeling of sadness. 'Sorry about this.'

'Why?'

'Feels wrong that you, my senior, receives less credit than me, who did far little in comparison.'

'It's fine.' He closed my hand around the insignia. 'You are my friend, so I will simply be happy to see you growing in rank. Besides, you said you wanted to help me achieve my vision, didn't you?'

'Even so…' Before I can speak any further, Lloyd appeared out of himself from happiness, jumping from joy before hugging me so strongly that he lifted me for a few moments. 'Lloyd!'

'I could marry you right now!' Lloyd started to spin me around (how the heck was he so strong?). 'I have no idea what kind of pact with the devil you did and I don't care! All that matters is that you got us an increase of budget!'

That was the thing I asked of Cornelia instead of that position in the Royal Guard: by stating that an increase of budget would lead to better frames for both me and Suzaku, we could be more effective in the field. It would also mean a few steps closer to mass-producing the Lancelot, with her finally agreeing to it after some time. But under the condition that I showed her the new frame after it was done.

'Put me on the floor already!'

'I just contacted the lab and told them to get the pieces ready for the Lancelot Club.' Cécile appeared with a wide smile.

'We are still going for the Club thing?' Why the hell it was called Club anyway?

'I can't wait to get it ready! With the data gathered by you two, we can do so much more than a modified Sutherland! We can even build a second Lancelot!'

'Hey…' Suzaku patted my shoulder while pointing to three people near the tent where the bodies were being kept.

'That's… Shirley?'

A young woman who clearly was our friend Shirley was following an older woman who seemed to be her mother and a dark-skinned military woman that I recognized from the Purist Faction (or what remained of it). They got inside the tent and a shiver ran down my spine, the premonition of something bad at the horizon.

'What is she doing there?'

'Could it be…?'

Everyone was silent as the priest was saying the final words. The whole Student Council was there, together with Oldrin Zevon and Princess Marrybell, looking at the black coffin was brought down at its place. I never met the deceased, but I heard about how kind and caring he was, always doing his best to make up to the time he had to spend away from his only daughter. I heard all of that from the mouth of that very same daughter, a girl with bright orange hair and green eyes, who went alongside greatly with her smile.

That smile wasn't there that day, replaced by a face that showed deep loss and devastation. Shirley Fenette had lost her father two days before, his life taken by the landslide caused by Zero in Narita. The realization that I was there when it happened made my chest heavy and my eyes seeing a bit of red. If Zero was in front of me in that moment, the things I was thinking of doing to him were unspeakable.

'No! Stop it!' Shirley's mother suddenly yelled when they started to cover the coffin. 'Don't bury him anymore! Don't make him suffer any longer! Darling! Darling!'

Mom… Mom, please.' Shirley got on her knees and tried to comfort her mother.

I couldn't look at them any longer, so unbearable it was to watch over them. How could such a thing happen? One thing was to know several people died because of the battle, other was to actually have someone close to you losing a loved person. No one should have to endure such a thing, ever!

'Shirley… I am so sorry…' Kallen was looking at the floor while speaking.

'Oh, stop this. What are you apologizing for?' Hearing those words made Kallen look away, eyes of pure guilty for some reason.

'I-I am sorry too!' Rivalz stepped forward and surprised Shirley. 'You know… during the hoteljacking I was thinking the Black Knights were kind of cool, but now… I even posted how what happened was cool in online forums.'

'Rivalz…' I muttered under my breath.

'So, I'm truly sorry!' He bent his body, lowering his head to Shirley.

'Don't be like that. This has nothing to do with this.' Shirley approached him while smiling a little. 'Even I thought that what happened was cool and...'

'Stop!' Milly put her hands over Shirley's shoulders. 'I'm worried about you. 'Have you cried? If you try to hold it in, it'll just become harder later.'

'I'm okay now…' She closed her emerald eyes. 'I had my cry.'

'Shirley, I know how it feels to lose someone like that better than anyone.' Oldrin held her hands with care. 'If you ever wish to speak to someone, just come to me, alright?'

The way she spoke made something like a sharp pain come over my heart, with no clue as for why. A heavy weight covered my chest for just a moment, but it was enough to make me fear the reason for it.

'It was cowardly!' Suzaku surprised everyone with his sudden burst of anger. 'The Black Knights… Zero's methods are cowardly! He never faces the danger himself, only using people and spreading suffering, only to act as the judge and declare himself the winner!'

'Hey, calm down.' I understood his anger, but speaking like that wouldn't change a thing.

'If you do things the wrong way, it becomes meaningless! Nothing changes by your actions!'

'Cut it out!' I may have spoken a little bit too loud. 'Not now, Suzaku.'

'He is right.' Marrybell whispered under her breath. 'Terrorism is a sickness that only brings tragedy.'

'We should be going now.' Milly could notice the tense air and shifted the subject. 'Shirley, we'll be waiting for you. For as long as it takes.'

Everyone aside from Lelouch left Shirley and started to go away, with Kallen giving the other girl one last guilty look. Why would she feel like that was a mystery to me, since she apparently had no hand at what happened? What worried me more than anything was Suzaku, who was considerably angry and showing a terrible expression. Considering his nervous breakdown just two days before, I had a few reasons to worry.

'Suzaku…'

'Rai, I… want to be alone. Just for a bit.' He didn't look at me as he went away.

Soon it started to rain, heavy droplets of water falling down from the heavens, from where some people would say Shirley's father was. The sky reflected the general mood of the Student Council perfectly, with heavy dark clouds covering the usually blue and bright sky. My skin got colder and my clothes started to stick to my body, but I didn't cared much about it.

'If you stay in the rain like that, you'll get a cold.' Mao was holding an umbrella, his usual smile gone. 'Let's go somewhere warmer and drier.'

'Here's your pizza.'

'Today they are on me.' Mao's usual smile returned to his face. 'So, care to share a bit what's on your mind?'

'It's quite full today…'

'I can hear it anyway, so why not share what worries you willingly?'

I didn't have to speak any words, as my mind would tell everything he needed to know about my worries. His face remained unchanged during the whole time and we kept eating in silence, the hot cheese filling my mouth as time went by. Only when the second pizza came, words were spoken.

'Summarizing it, you are worried about your partner, suspicious about that girl Kallen and sad about what happened to Shirley.'

'That's about it.'

'About Suzaku, there's nothing for you to worry about. I got close enough to take a peek inside that head of his and he seemed angry, but fine. He won't do anything stupid, so you don't have to worry about that.'

'Thank goodness.'

'Now, as for this Kallen… I'm not sure what to say.'

'You know the reason why she is feeling so bad, don't you?'

'Yes, I do. Want me to say it?'

'No… it would fell wrong to do so. I hope she opens up one day.'

'I seriously doubt that.' The way he spoke gave me a shiver. 'That's not all there is, right?'

'What do you mean?'

'There's a hidden thought inside your head, one you don't want to admit is lurking at the corners of your mind.'

'I… don't know what you are talking about.'

'Yes, I think you do.' He leaned over the table and got himself closer to me. 'Despite what happened, how a friend of yours lost someone so dear to her, there's this tiny little part of yours who keeps questioning if what the Black Knights did was truly wrong.'

'I don't…'

'You saw the numbers and couldn't help but think that Zero must have calculated his actions to make as little innocents die. The analytical side of yours knows that he knew what he was doing and he did it with the least amount of bodies to be counted among the civilians at the town. Adding that to the somewhat righteousness of his cause, to be an ally to those who have no power for themselves, you are questioning what your partner's dream.'

'I…'

'You never believed in what Suzaku did, right? That it was possible to change the system from the inside out. I think your thoughts on that matter are closer to the Black Knights and you are aware of that, so much you don't want to face it. You saw for yourself how rotten the system is and doubts the possibility of a change from within…'

'STOP IT!' The whole restaurant goes silent. 'Just… stop.'

'Rai, it's no use to run away from the truth, it'll only make it worse. Suzaku and the others may not see it very clearly, but you do. You know that what Zero did was wager war to a nation and innocents always die in wars. Even if Zero hadn't done what he did, the people below would suffer in some way or another because of such a large scale battle was happening upside the mountain.'

'That's…'

'Truth is, you would feel bad for the dead, but they would be just a number for you, just like every living being. The only real difference here is that someone close to you lost something. All those thoughts are making you guilty and ashamed for your friend.'

I wished I could say he was lying and making up things, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it because it was true. All of it. Lloyd explained to me that the landslide was most likely caused by the strong surge of radiation that was caused by the red Knightmare, enhanced several times. He also told me that if it was increased just a bit, the entire mountain could come down and destroy the entire city. It, it didn't, only affecting a really small part of it.

That meant Zero knew exactly what he was doing and controlled the thing to affect as little people as possible. After realizing that, I started to think about their past actions, noticing how the civilians' casualties could be far worse. His actions were wrong, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking that he could do a lot more damage if he wanted to.

'Dammit…'

'Hum… what now?' Just when I managed to catch some sleep, My cell phone started to ring. 'Who is calling me so early?'

'Hello? Rai?' Cécile's voice could be heard on the other side, tones of tiredness painting it. 'Lloyd wants you to come over here.'

'It's six o'clock in the morning and I barely slept.' All those conflicting thoughts kept waking me up all night. 'How important is it?'

'Our dear boss is jumping from excitement.'

'I'm going…'

Arriving at the headquarters with barely no morning light during such an early hour wasn't in my list of things I enjoyed doing. As I made my way to where Cécile and Lloyd were, I noticed what seemed to be a Knightmare covered by a long piece of cloth. Curious, I made my way to where they were.

'Everyone here worked around the clock and the entire extra budget went out the window, but we did it!' Despite the heavy bags under his eyes, Lloyd was in ecstasy. 'It's done, the Lancelot Club!'

'Was it really necessary to wake me up so early just to show it to me?'

'Of course it was!'

'No, it wasn't.' Cécile looked like she was about to fall down from sleep deprival. 'Lloyd, everyone wants to sleep, so get on with it already.'

'Fine, fine!' It seemed like nothing could cool down his enthusiasm. 'Without delay, this is the Lancelot Club!'

The dramatic reveal was spoiled a tad by how he couldn't pull the heavy cloth of the frame and needed my help. Even with that and my sleepy mind, I had to admit the thing was a bit impressive. Its basic structure and design was the same of the Lancelot, but with a white and blue color scheme instead of the gold and white.

'It's… great.' I touched it with a mesmerizing look in my eyes.

'Well, despite having a greater performance than the Sutherland, we couldn't make it to have the same level of the Lancelot due to the exaggerated price of Sakuradite. We also had to use spare parts from the Lancelot to build it so quickly, but since its performance its quite peaky, you are the only one in Area 11 aside from Suzaku who can pilot it effectively.'

'I see…'

'Now let's get ourselves some sleep.' Cécile's tired face showed some irritation as she started to drag Lloyd away. 'Rai, you look like you are about to fall down from exhaustion.'

'I couldn't sleep so well last night.'

'Then use one of the back offices and get some sleep. We may have an important operation tonight.'

'What kind of operation?'

'Despite everything, the Viceroy still has some reservations regarding the use of Numbers in operations.' We were receiving a briefing from General Darlton, the setting sun sending shadows across the warehouse in front of us. 'However, I believe we must make use of every asset… even the son of the former Prime Minister.'

Wait, so Suzaku was… so many things started to make sense when I discovered that piece of information. As for the young man himself, he could only look down as he listened to his words. I imagine that his father being who he was, he must have endured more hardships than other honorary Britannians.

'Our target is Katase. If he is taken out of the picture, then the Japanese Liberation Front is done. Our naval division is being sent to capture him alive, while you two will help by providing cover fire for them.' Darlton was a military man to the bone, speaking all of those words as if matters of fact. 'You must also eliminate any surviving members attempting to escape.'

'Eliminate, sir…?' Suzaku's face changed to one of shock.

'Aside from the target, no one must remain alive.' Suzaku showed an even more distraught expression at those words. 'Warrant Officer Kururugi, showing your dedication to Britannia is the fastest way to rise on the ranks. The same goes for you, Lieutenant Hodges.'

'Yes, my lord.' Suzaku clearly felt down.

'What an interesting way to test your morals, don't you think?' Lloyd showed himself out of nowhere, making Suzaku grip his Knightmare's key even stronger.

I found him by the Lancelot, skulking over what seemed like a pocket watch. He looked troubled, possibly divided by what he believed in and what he must do. I knew that because I too was feeling the same conflicts within myself.

'Hey.'

'Hey.' I sat down by his side, completely in silence. 'Can I… can I ask you a question?'

'Sure, go ahead.'

'This wish of yours, to change Britannia from within, do you truly believe that can be done by just the two of us?'

'Probably not.' His honesty surprised me a little. 'But even if we can't do it, if we set an example for others to follow, maybe one day things will change.'

'Is that how you think?'

'I have to… because there's no other way.' His gaze upon the broken watch was so penetrating that I half-expected a hole to appear on it. 'He wasn't a very good father, you know?'

'You mean the Prime Minister?'

'Yeah… always working away and when he was around, a harsh and cold person even to his own son, but even so… I was proud to be called his child.'

'That so?'

'He died… so the war against Britannia wouldn't come to a do or die resistance. His sacrifice saved countless lives back then.' You could also say that it led to the creation of the JLF, but I kept my mouth shut.

'He sounds like a complex man.'

'He was.' Then he gripped the watch on his hand, the watch that would never move again. 'And I know… that he still watches over me.'

'That's the duty of any parent.'

'Yeah.' Then he put the object away. 'Perhaps it is.'

We were standing by the port, waiting for the Portmen being used for the assault to be deployed. I was holding my usual assault rifle with Suzaku having the same gun at my side. The viceroy was standing nearby outside her frame, overlooking the port before raising her arm.

'Commence the operation.'

All at the same time, the Portmen broke the thin barrier of the water and submerged beyond sight, while the support unit, me included, finished the final calibrations of our rifles. We needed precision, enough to eliminate all targets on the tanker without damaging the ship itself. Not just it was a valuable resource, but a single flame could ignite the Sakuradite within it, blasting everything away.

We moved towards our position and crouched, ready to fire as soon as any personnel appeared on deck. It was the first time the Lancelot Club was being used in real combat, so I was slightly nervous as I didn't had any time to test the systems. But Lloyd was an artist when it came to designing Knightmares and the frame was working perfectly. It was clearly superior to my old Sutherland, God rests his soul.

I was firing alongside my squad, but I wasn't hitting anything since I was basically aiming for the sky. They wouldn't need to know I wasn't capable of hitting anything, right? But Suzaku was standing still, unable to fire a single bullet.

'This isn't a battle… it's one-sided slaughter.'

'Officer Kururugi.' I could hear Cécile contacting him. 'I know it must be hard for you, but you are a soldier, remember?'

'…is is the JLF, I repeat, this is the JLF!' I managed to intercept a signal from an open channel. 'We surrender, I repeat, we surrender!'

'Sir, it appears they wish to surrender.' I informed my superior officer at the moment.

'Forget it.' That surprised me more than anything. 'Our orders are to whipe them all out.'

'But sir…'

'Do not question my orders! It must be a ruse to escape!' Then the tanker started to move away from the port. 'See, what did I told you?'

'Yes sir…' That wasn't right! It couldn't be.

Why must we fire upon an enemy that was clearly outgunned? They had lost the battle before even beginning to fight, so why simply kill them all? Part of me knew it was the right way to do it, but other parts refused to accept the situation. But those thoughts didn't matter in view of what happened right after that.

Sakuradite is an extremely volatile substance, even more so in liquid form, so any attrition can ignite it with catastrophic consequences. When the first light appeared below the ship, my brain couldn't understand before a new sun appeared on the port in the exact place where the tanker was. The blinding light came first, but the shockwave that followed was the one that caused my brain to register the situation fully.

'Fuck!' Many of the Sutherlands around me were blown away by the wave of air that came with the explosion, but the Blaze Luminous system of my frame prevented me from being sent away. 'Did they really blow the Sakuradite?'

'I don't know!' Suzaku answer back, also using the Blaze Luminous to protect himself. 'No message or threat was issued!'

But that wasn't the end of it, as what seemed like a small boat suddenly fired missiles at our forces and crashed on land. As our unit tried to take the surviving Portmen out of the water, we heard a situation of pure chaos from the comm. The main force was being attacked by an unknown force, which meant.

'Did they used the tanker as a decoy?' Suzaku had the same thought as me.

'Suzaku, the viceroy!' I said, understanding the whole plan. 'We must hurry, now!'

As we move towards the princess, one thought was dancing on my mind: how fortunate for the unknown force, possibly the Black Knights, that the remaining forces of the JLF decided to commit suicide and give them such a golden opportunity. No matter how much I tried to wrap my head around it, it was too big of a coincidence, unless… could they have caused the "suicide"?

We both jumped over a container and found the viceroy's Gloucester defeated by that red Knightmare from Narita and a Burai that was previously used by Zero. Suzaku managed to land a power kick on the Burai (it was a bit funny to watch it) while I went for the red one.

'Focusing only on results… can't you understand the pain you are causing, Zero!' Suzaku kept pounding the Burai with all he had, while I tried my best to block the red one's advances.

I must say I was grateful for the Club being a better version of my old frame, or I would probably be defeated by that red Knightmare. I was capable of putting up a fight against bit, preventing any and all chances for it to aid Zero. It seemed like Suzaku was doing a good job, as I heard an ejection system igniting before some crashes from behind me. But in that single moment of distraction, I dropped my guard just enough for the red one pass through.

'Lancelot, watch out!'

While Suzaku and the Black Knight were at each other's throats, a few Burais joined our battle, probably to reinforce Zero. After making sure that Zero was indeed fallen and that Suzaku could take care of himself, I readied myself to face the newcomers.

'I'll take care of the ones on the right.' Cornelia appeared at my right, her frame missing an arm. 'Can't be the damsel in distress forever.'

'As you wish.'

'Quite the gallant knight, aren't you?'

There were only three enemies in front of me, so I opted for a close-range approach, joining both of my MVS into a long dual lance and going on the offensive. The Burais were already outdated by then, but when facing a prototype of the seventh generation such as the Club, they couldn't stand a chance as I cut them down… but in such a way that it would force the ejection system to kick in.

'Dammit!' I clearly heard the anger in her voice. 'Lieutenant, don't let them escape!'

I pursued the enemy and was able to once again disable their frames without ending their lives. Too much bloodshed was spilled that near-ending night for me to add even more. Immediately after dispatching the last enemy, I saw that one ejected cockpit was nearby, its occupant stuck below it while two members of the Black Knights struggled to get him free. They froze in place when they noticed me, proceeding to shield the fallen comrade with their bodies.

'Loyal to the end…' I heard someone approaching from behind me and saw the Sutherland piloted by the same officer who refused to listen to the surrender from before.

'You filthy Elevens!' He pointed his gun to the trembling people below, the frame towering over them.

'Sir, they clearly can't fight anymore!' I moved to be on the way of his bullets. 'There's no need to end their lives!'

'Get out of my way, that's an order!' Then he pointed his gun directly to me. 'If you don't, I'll execute you on the spot!'

'…' I silently move away from his way. 'As you wish… sir.'

'Now you'll see why mongrels such as yourselves can't compare to the might of…' He went silent a mere moment after I made up my mind. 'You… bastard.'

'Maybe.' I took my sword out of his Knightmare's cockpit. 'Or maybe I'm the only person with some common integrity left on this fucking place.'

I protected the Black Knights from the shockwave of the resulting explosion, much to their shock. It only intensified as I helped them to release their comrade.

'You should go, now!' I turned the speakers on. 'Before more of them come this way.'

I couldn't hear them, but I was able to see their mouths uttering the words "thank you" to me, only increasing my shame. I watched as they went away from where I was and into the darkness, before the sounds of the battle awakened me. It shouldn't take much longer for it to end, but I had lost all desire to join it once more.

For a few moments, I just stood there, gazing at the night sky and thinking about some things. Suzaku's honest wish to bring change from the inside always seemed like a farfetched idea, but now more than ever, it felt like an impossible one. But even so, I will try my best to help him, not because I believed on his ideals, but because he did. And that was enough for me… or was it?

So, it's been a while, hasn't it? I must say that I didn't expect that working would take so much of my time as it did, so it was a busy year, so I apologize for everyone that read this story. With a third season on the way, I thought it would be a good idea to start again updating this on a more regular basis. With this, Rai is starting to slowly change towards his own opinions and desires regarding the situation in Area 11, which will have huge impacts on the way the story unfolds. As a preview to the next chapter, I'll inform you that the focus will be on Mao and the relationship between him and Rai.