So, It has been a long time, hasn't it? Sorry I lost access to both my old email address and the password for this account, it wasn't until I guessed correctly today that I was able to get back in. I do plan to get back to some of my old stories, I just haven't had access to my account on top of being busy. So sorry everybody for the long wait, and I hope you enjoy chapter one of this new story.

EDIT: Many thanks to AlSmash for pointing out that I forgot a bit, it has been added back in, further I thank him for the help he provided me when I was writing this chapter. It would have been a lesser story without his help.

"Ok guys time to raise a glass to Kururugi here, valued member of the student council and Knight of the realm! Now let's ge this party started huh?" Rivalz's announcement was followed by roaring cheers and soon the party was under way, as everyone began helping themselves to food and drink

Lelouch Lamperouge frowned as he surveyed the attendees, milling about the expanse of the student council room, for once glad that C.C. wasn't with him. If she were aware of the sheer quantity of pizza was available, she'd be on it, regardless of blowing their cover. It was funny how one so ancient could be so childish at times.

Pulling himself out of his musings, he turned to pay attention as a large group of students crowded around Suzaku. They were cheering and laughing; and Lelouch wished he could go and join them, celebrating his friend's knighthood. Not long ago, he would have been there with the rest, congratulating him like any good friend should.

It felt like that was a lifetime ago.

As much as Lelouch wanted to, but it wasn't pragmatic. Lelouch had known that his friend was a britannian soldier, but he had hoped that they would not meet in battle. His hopes had been crushed when he had found out the truth. The "White Knight" had been his mortal enemy since day one, and unless something was done, he would continue to be a thorn in his side.

The Black Knights were divided in their opinion. When the senior members of the Order had met after the revelation, Diethard had suggested assassinating Suzaku. Ohgi and Tohdoh, were firmly, almost vehemently, against the idea, arguing that killing Suzaku would cause the Black Knights to lose support. While he had told the assemblage that Deithard's plan was not to go ahead, he was worried that the journalist, even more set in his beliefs than most of the Japanese in the order, would try to go over his head. If Deithard were to convince Kallen, he had no doubt that if she were to be convinced that killing Suzaku was helping the Black Knights and, more importantly, Zero, she would do it.

Knowing that he would need to keep an eye on her, he quickly found her, her crimson hair a vibrant contrast to the rest of the crowd, quickly giving away her position. Lelouch gave her a once over, and his eyes widened as he saw what she was doing. She was striding purposefully, ignoring Shirley's attempts to gain her attention. She was headed in Suzaku's direction, Lelouch's eyes quickly focused on her purse-knife clutched in her hand.

'It looks like Deithard managed to convince her to follow through with this folly' He internally cursed. He quickly focused himself. He made to follow her through the crowd, managing to catch up with her deliberate pace. Soon reaching out and grasping her raised hand in his. "Hey, I think Shirley wants you to give her a hand."

"I'm sorry, but i'm right in the middle of something at the moment." Kallen replied wrenching her hand out of his grip after recovering from the surprise.

"Our boss didn't approve of this, meet with me on the roof later."

Kallen clearly wanted to question him, but Suzaku chose that moment to realize that Lelouch was there. "Hey."

"I'm sorry I got held up." Lelouch replied turning his attention toward his newly knighted friend.

"No problem; I'm just happy you could be here." Suzaku said as his would be assassin turned and walked off mind consumed by new concerns.

About an hour later Kallen began climbing the stairs leading to the roof of the council building; intent on discovering just what a certain raven haired vice president had meant when he interfered with her assassination of Kururugi. As she lay her hand on the handle of the door, she inhaled deeply before exhaling, taking just a moment to collect herself before opening it. Turning the handle and swinging the door open she saw the silhouette of a certain lazy vice president against the backdrop of an astonishing sunset; the warm red splash just beginning to fade to a silky violet.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah..."

"This used to be Nunnally's favorite time of day, she loved her painted skies. Mother's garden never looked quite so inviting as it did during a sunset like this."

"Who are you really Lelouch?" Kallen demanded realizing that Lelouch was deliberately avoiding the subject.

"I don't think you'd beleive the truth if I told you."

"Try me."

"I am Zero's top espionage agent."

"You? A spy for Zero? Get better jokes, Lelouch."

"So you're saying you don't suspect me? That you couldn't possibly imagine I was an espionage agent for the Black Knights?"

"...yes?"

Lelouch smiled. "And that's why I'm the agent and you're not." His expression however quickly sobered. "Still Zero is not going to be happy that I nearly blew my cover because of your attempt to kill Suzaku, For that matter I'm not happy that you tried to kill my oldest friend. Care to explain yourself Q1? I suspect this has some thing to do with Deithard."

"I don't like liars, Lelouch."

"Hrm?"

"Why the hell should I beleive you? You're a Britannian noble! You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth!"

It was to Kallen's surprised that Lelouch didn't respond immediately, instead he turned away from her, looking to the skyline, his expression inscrutable.

"I find myself almost...disappointed in you Kallen," he finally spoke, "are you truly conceited enough to believe that your situation is unique?"

Kallen's mouth opened to offer an angry retort to knock Lelouch's pretentiousness back to where it belonged, but found herself cut off as his head turned and robbed her of breath, his amethyst eyes burning her in the congealed rage, a rage that if she were honest with herself, made her own feel so small in comparison.

"I know perfectly well who my enemy is," she snapped angrily, offended that this... boy would dare to lecture her.

"Do you," Lelouch asked archly, his eyebrow rising in mocking askance, "then if you know who your enemy is so well, maybe you can tell me the importance of the name Lamperouge."

"Lamperouge was the maiden name of Empress Marianne vi Brit-," she trailed off, the words giving away to realization as pieces began to fall into place. And she responded in the only way she could as her mind grappled with the bombshell that had robbed her of coherent thought, and she turned to instinct, hand already extracting her purse-knife as she tackled Lelouch to the ground and placed the blade against his neck.

"You-," she hissed, falling so completely into her rage that all she saw was red, yet it was nothing compared to the stoic expression that met all of her fate without any effect, not even the knife that had drawn blood from his neck could force his gaze to falter.

Kallen's acidic response died a silent death in an instant, her mind screaming for silence as it recognized the danger she was in and the import of that simple question. She suddenly felt out of her depth, as if she had blundered into a spider's web, and was only a hairsbreadth away from becoming a victim of said spider.

Her instincts screamed at her to eliminate the threat, but her mind dictated that she answer the question. A question that she knew the answer to because of her station.

And if she had believed that he would cave in the face of death, she found herself sorely mistaken as his expression merely became one of wry amusement, "If I had known you would want to be on top-"

"SHUT UP," her whisper may have well been a scream, "you-"

"Yes," Lelouch continued, the amusement still lacing his tone, "me. Tell me, Q1," she stiffened at the name that only a Black Knight would know as he continued almost conversationally, "is a cause more righteous if they choose to join, or if they have no choice but to join."

And then suddenly Kallen found her world turned upside down as she found herself on her back, her knife purse now beside her head as his full weight was pressed into her and he hovered over her, before he leaned in, his lips beside her ear close enough that his breath caused her to shiver as another, more unfamiliar feeling, robbed her of her fight.

"Next time you look at my sister," he spoke, his voice a whisper, "think about that."

And with that, he got to his feet, dusting himself off, before proceeding to turn away.

"And Q1," he spoke again, after coming to a stop, "don't talk about Shinjuku."

"Deithard, Kallen, Ohgi; thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. Now since we have an important mission in the early morning I will keep this quick. Deithard would you care to explain what drove you to enlist Kallen in an unsanctioned covert operation?"

"I told her to dig up what she could on Kururugi, maybe I implied more than that."

"BULLSHIT!" Kallen yelled her fists slamming down on the table as she began to stand. "You told me it had to be done!" It was clear that had Ohgi not grabbed her by the shoulder, even as he glared at Deithard, that there would have been trouble.

"This is very interesting, Mister Reid, I seem to recall that I had put you in charge of information control. Now, there may be something lost in translation here...but would you kindly clarify for me where, in that job role, do you get the authority to commission one of our best pilots on a suicide mission to assassinate an enemy ace?"

The mere mention of what had happened caused Kaname Ohgi's glare to darken, even as Kallen's own skin paled at what could have happened.

"You want us to be the Hammer of Justice right?" Responded, maintaining his composure. "We can't have people thinking of us as cold-blooded killers, I know, but we can hide the truth using the media. You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty. Am I wrong?" It was at that moment that they heard someone begin descending the stairs towards the meeting area, drawing their eyes to the descending flight.

"I'm afraid that is my job Mr. Reid." the suit clad figure commented as he came into view; Kallen's jaw dropping like a brick in response, even before the familiar face came into view.

"No way..." Kallen said, unable to fully comprehend the black clad impeccably dressed visage before her even as she slumped back into her seat. "I still don't beleive it."

Horribly confused and knowing he was well out of the loop here Kaname Ohgi asked "Who are you?"

"Pardon me, I seem to have forgotten my manners. I am Lelouch Vi Britannia."