Chapter 15 Talk with Tohdoh

I don't own Code Geass. Anything I use is property of its creators. Anything I use from other sources is also their property.

Cornelia decides to do some investigating.

(Area 11 Building)

As her sister's sobs filled the room Euphemia was unsure of how to proceed, "Sister, what makes you think Lelouch is alive and that he's Zero?" Euphemia asked in disbelief. Something major must've happened in the course of her rescue for that to be the case but surely Lelouch wasn't that sloppy.

Cornelia gathered herself and took a deep breath before explaining what happened after she was kidnapped. How Zero called them directly and offered an alliance and how all that seemed to matter to both parties was getting her back safely. Then she mentioned the conversation about the mysterious power of Geass before the mission. All and all Euphemia was both stunned and stupefied. "There you have it" Cornelia responded after finishing the explanation.

Euphemia was stunned by the conversation for multiple reasons, 'Lelouch I don't know whether to kiss you or kill you for what you did. On one hand you turned a disastrous situation around, but you're playing with fire big time. You know about my sister's regrets and we both agree that it's one of the reasons she's been so overprotective of me.' Euphemia thought to herself. A sneaky part of her wondered if Lelouch was counting on that happening and it's why he did it. Of course, she would worry about that part of her later, "It's been a long day sister and you need some rest. Lelouch is dead and has been for some time." Euphemia replied.

Cornelia smiled back to her returned sister and simply said, "Can you stay with me for tonight Euphy. I don't feel like sleeping alone" Cornelia pleaded. It would do her some good to have her sister by her side after everything.

"Absolutely" Euphemia smiled as she got into her sister's bed and relaxed for the night. After what happened she could use the rest. Figuring out Lelouch's motives would have to wait.

(Student council room)

Now that Euphemia was safe and Mao was dealt with, it was time to focus on the next task on his list, how to deal with Cornelia in battle. Gathering the Council, it was time to talk plans. "Cornelia will likely give me a small reprieve after saving Euphy which means the Black Knights have time to focus on the next major issue. Unifying the JLF with our group." Lelouch said calmly.

"Umm Lelouch that may be a bit harder than you realize." Euphemia revealed causing Lelouch to twitch.

"What happened now?" Lelouch groaned.

"Thanks to what you did in order to save me, Cornelia is beginning to suspect you're Zero and this time you don't have Geass to erase her memory." Euphemia explained.

"I see" Lelouch frowned. He suspected something like that was possible, but he knew the risks involved.

"I see! Lelouch this is a major problem!" Milly exclaimed. Lelouch's nonchalance was terrifying

"When we told Cornelia about Geass, and about C. C's connection to Shinjuku there was always a chance she'd figure it out. When you consider the situation, my fake death is the only reason she hasn't outright confirmed it." Lelouch replied. Somebody who knew him could easily determine he was Zero and that was a terrifying thought. Fortunately for him, most of the people who could do that were already on his side.

"That may be true, but you have a different problem. Cornelia is dogged and she'll do anything to figure out the truth"

"Yes, but she can't do very much about it. Jeremiah and Suzaku played their roles to perfection during the trip and she has no idea Euphy knows the truth. If it stays that way, my being discovered is impossible" Lelouch reminded her.

"Oh no!" Kallen gasped as though she realized something.

"What's wrong Kallen?" Milly asked nervously.

"What if she goes after Colonel Tohdoh. Since you stayed with Suzaku's family before the war, you obviously interacted with him and she still needs to completely finish off the JLF." Kallen said nervously.

"Yes, and Tohdoh would also have no reason to hide what he knows about you." C.C replied. This was a problem that they needed to address.

Lelouch smiled since the girls were missing a few things, "Tohdoh is one of the few who could figure out that I'm Zero, but he'd also know that telling Cornelia is foolish and stupid." Lelouch revealed. His reasons for being Zero would've been obvious but the real question would be why did the Emperor fake his death? That question would open a Pandora's Box that would end very badly for her and probably for Japan. Tohdoh knows that and it's why he won't say a thing.

(G1)

To most of the world, Cornelia Li Britannia was a stern warrior and general and they feared her as much as they admired her. However, she had a hidden side that only three people knew about. The first was her knight Guilford P Guilford, the second was her sister, and the third was Andreas Dalton the man who taught her all about battle. Cornelia was currently in a private room in the G1 base with Guilford and Andreas discussing her recent concern about Zero, "Guilford please tell me I'm crazy. Could my brother Lelouch really be Zero." Cornelia said nervously. It was all there. The hatred for the Royal family, the skill in battle and the noble quality to Zero's voice. The only thing stopping them was the little fact that he was dead, and she had been at the funeral so that was as clear an indication as any.

Guilford and Andreas looked at her nervously since they didn't know how to answer. Finally, her longtime knight spoke, "Based on what I remember about young Lelouch it is certainly possible. The issue lies in the fact that he's dead." Guilford replied. Guilford was Cornelia's knight for a long time and from what he did remember of the young man it was possible. In fact, the more he thought about it the more he believed that theory himself. However, that brought up one major issue. If Lelouch was truly alive, that meant that the Britannian Emperor held a fake funeral for him and one that most of the royal family was involved in. If Cornelia realized that she would want answers and he highly doubted the Emperor would give them to her.

"Yes, and that means I should start hunting for any clues that might suggest otherwise." Cornelia said with a firm determination. She would use every resource at her disposal to determine the truth. Today was going to be a long day.

(Scene Skip)

'This family really knows how to test you.' Milly Ashford thought to herself two days later. She stood outside with the rest of a very tired student council, besides Lelouch and Kallen, as they waited out front for Princess Euphemia's arrival and that of the Sub-Viceroy Jeremiah who was supposed to be doing the inspection. "Get ready everyone. Cornelia isn't really the deceptive type, but there's always a chance she could pull something." Milly explained. If somebody outside of Jeremiah or Suzaku appeared Milly would have a problem. The discovery of the home in the student council building would not end well.

"Luckily for us Kyoto wanted to meet with Zero so Kallen Lelouch and C.C aren't here." Nina smiled. One of the benefits of working for the Knights was that she got information like this and was a go between for the Council and the Black Knights. The fact that Rivalz was secretly their treasurer didn't hurt.

"Well that's good. Hopefully that we only have to deal with Jeremiah." Milly replied calmly. As the limousine approached, the whole council was on eggshells when Euphemia walked out, but any nerves vanished when only Jeremiah got out with her.

"Greetings Lady Ashford. I'm sorry for all of this, but Viceroy Cornelia insisted on doing all of this. Her sister was just kidnapped so she wants to make sure that everything at this school is on the up and up." Jeremiah said in his usual regal tone.

"I understand, I'm a bit surprised that Princess Cornelia would do such a thing and only bring the Sub-Viceroy. No offense of course." Milly said calmly. She was relieved that nothing happened but considering the circumstances she wasn't about to complain.

"I don't know. I suppose she just trusts me this much." Jeremiah replied as they walked into the school.

(Black Knights Mobile Base)

"Looks like I lucked out" Lelouch said with a smile having watched the meeting using one of his spy drones as the Black Knights made their way towards one of Kyoto's hidden bases and the meeting with Kyoto and the JLF. The Ashford inspection was predictable to a degree, but to only send Jeremiah was foolish.

"Your sister is getting sloppy." C.C smiled as she sat with Lelouch in his office inside their mobile building. The core of the Black Knights was riding with them, but they were relaxing downstairs for the moment.

"I'm not so sure about that but I'm not about to complain." Lelouch replied calmly. Lelouch's musing was interrupted by somebody coming up and it was Inoue of all people.

"May I ask you something Lelouch?" Inoue said calmly.

"Of course." Lelouch smiled since it wasn't every day Inoue approached him for anything, outside of the occasional romp.

"Are you truly ready to fight against your homeland." Inoue said bluntly.

"That's a rather bold question Inoue." C.C smiled appreciating her candor.

"But it is one that needs asking. Outside of Narita, we've done very little fighting against the Britannians. We haven't gone after Britannia at all in the recent months and the new knightmare are simply gathering dust. Is it because you're afraid to go after a member of your family that you actually like or is it something else entirely?" Inoue accused. She understood that Lelouch was cautious, and for good reason, but they had done so well since he joined them. In her mind the waiting game was stupid and pointless especially since the new knightmare were ready.

"Need I remind you that when I saved your little group in Shinjuku, I killed my half-brother Clovis in order to do so." Lelouch scolded. He didn't really like Clovis, so it wasn't a big deal, but she didn't need to know that.

"Yes, and need I remind you, that you just risked everything to save Euphemia. Sure, she's helped us along with your other allies but here's a question that needs to be asked. If it came to it, could you kill Cornelia." Inoue said sternly.

"It won't" Lelouch replied instantly causing Inoue's eyes to narrow.

"You'd better hope so because if it does, I'm not convinced you can do what is needed." Inoue replied before leaving to prepare for their mission. Their new knightmare were ready for battle and the knights were ready to show what they could do if it came to it.

(Scene Skip)

Unfortunately for the Black Knights it quickly became clear that their mission had become a rescue one. "Oh no" Kallen gasped as they looked at the charred remains of the Kyoto base that they discovered. This was a disaster for the knights.

"Search for survivors. Any information at this point is critical. Take the Saisei (Rebirth) if you must." Lelouch ordered holding back his annoyance. The Saisei were the new knightmare frames that Nina and Rakshata had been developing. The large black frames were basically mass-produced versions of the Guren which meant that the legendary silver claw and retractable helmet were gone but outside of that it was very much like its mother. To make up for the claw, each frame had a vibrating sword known as the Katen Yaibatou and a few other fun features that he was saving for just the right occasion.

AN: Sorry to say but I basically decided to make their new frames black versions of the Gekka. Mech battles and mech design have never been a specialty of mine so it was difficult to prepare something of the top and I wasn't going to ask anybody else to do it. It's Probably one of the reasons why I haven't done too much battle wise and a primary reason why I've struggled to release chapters for this as of recently… anyway back to the story)

Once the knights had set out C.C decided to have a chat with her cohort, "Milly was right. They're probably trying to find Tohdoh but I'm more curious how the Britannians discovered it."

"No doubt. Whether or not they were able to get to him was a problem. Of course, we won't know until we comb through the base." Lelouch said calmly before a transmission appeared on the screen.

"Or not" C.C. smirked as Lelouch accepted the transmission.

"Master Zero are you there." The voice of Kaguya Sumeragi said nervously.

"Yes I am Kaguya. What's going on." Lelouch questioned.

"I'm sorry I didn't inform you sooner, but the place you're going to raid was attacked by Cornelia earlier today. I'm so sorry."

"I'm actually there now Kaguya, is there anything you can tell me." Lelouch wondered. Having some idea of who was there would be nice.

"Yes, while most of the people there were low ranking members, there was one major person who was supposed to be at the meeting." Kaguya said nervously.

"Don't tell me" Lelouch gasped

"Yes, Colonel Tohdoh was supposed to be there. It was supposed to be a surprise visit which is why Kyoto didn't inform you, but he was there. I'm just learning this from one of the men who managed to escape." Kaguya said with a hint of annoyance. This wasn't something you should hide from people you're trying to trust.

"I see" Lelouch replied with gritted teeth.

"It goes without saying that Tohdoh's importance to Japan is critical. You must rescue him immediately." Kaguya insisted.

"What about the Four Holy Swords" Lelouch wondered hoping to recruit the legendary team of the Miracle worker. If he had them, it would be a much easier task to save them.

"They're fine. Should I have them await you at the base." Kaguya wondered.

"Yes. I'm familiar with the Swords because of my time in Japan which should make things much easier." Lelouch replied. Things were becoming far more interesting than he cared for but that was the price he paid for this kind of situation.

"Of course." Kaguya replied.

(Government building)

"So Jeremiah, how was the inspection of Ashford Academy?" Cornelia smiled having returned home after a successful mission. She was originally going to do the inspection personally but the day before they received word about a possible meeting involving the Black Knights that would take place during the time, she had planned the inspection. She rushed to a nearby area and had her men in place the night before so they could attack at dawn and she could get some sleep. She didn't like the fact that Jeremiah had to do it, but she had no choice. Capturing Tohdoh made up for any potential annoyance.

"It went very well. Everything is in order." Jeremiah said calmly.

"Did you see any evidence that Lady Ashford has been hiding somebody or might be doing so." Cornelia said calmly.

"No Princess Cornelia. Ashford Academy is going strong and Miss Ashford is on the up and up." Jeremiah replied perfectly. That wasn't the case at all. but he wasn't going to reveal that.

Cornelia frowned at the response since she truly didn't trust Jeremiah, but she would take his word for now. "That's good and I want you to keep taking Euphemia to school and if anything seems suspicious let me know." Cornelia ordered

"Very well Milady." Jeremiah replied quickly.

Cornelia hated how quickly he was able to respond because she had the feeling he was lying, but she couldn't confirm anything yet. "Thank you. Now if you don't mind, I have Kyoshiro Tohdoh sitting in my cells and we have a lot to discuss." Cornelia smiled.

"Of course" Jeremiah replied doing his best not to freak out. With Tohdoh captured, Zero would be forced to act and Cornelia could set everything up for him. This was very bad

(Scene Skip)

Cornelia stared into the prison cell at the sight of the Miracle Worker chained up and calmly sitting in a seiza in his orange prison uniform with an odd mix of satisfaction and nerves. On one hand, this was one of the most powerful men in the Japanese army and one of the greatest thorns in her side. On the other hand, this was the only man who could tell her what she wanted to know and just as importantly would have no reason to lie in her mind. "Princess, I don't see why we don't just execute him." Guilford warned. She was playing a dangerous game not just getting rid of him, but he wasn't going to outright tell her that.

"That's coming Guilford, but first I want to speak with the good Colonel and see what he can tell me. Please make sure that nobody can watch our conversation." Cornelia insisted.

Guilford's eyes widened since there was only one reason to make it private, "Of course" Guilford replied before leaving to do just that. A few minutes later Cornelia received the go ahead from Guilford and opened the cell.

Tohdoh looked up at the new presence with an expression that truly fit his stature. "What does the mighty Cornelia want from me." Tohdoh said in a stern voice looking up at his captor. The fact he could speak so firmly despite the prisoners uniform he wore spoke to the man's nobility.

"I have a question for you and no it has nothing to do with the remainder of the JLF." Cornelia insisted saving him the trouble of denying that conversation.

"I don't see how I'd have any information you want if it isn't related to the JLF." Tohdoh replied.

"You were Genbu Kururugi's right hand man and you watched over the prisoners that was sent to him by my father, one Lelouch vi Britannia and his sister Nunnally. What do you remember of young Lelouch?" Cornelia questioned.

"Ahh yes, young Lelouch. His intelligence was something special and his hatred of Britannia was impressive considering he was a royal." Tohdoh smiled recalling the young man.

Cornelia frowned at the response, "What happened to him when the war began. I only ask because you didn't attempt to use him as a bargaining chip at least from what I recall" Cornelia wondered. When Tohdoh looked up with an odd expression, Cornelia shuddered since that wasn't a good sign.

"You didn't know, did you?" Tohdoh replied with a curious expression on his face.

"Know what! Tell me!" Cornelia said angrily. Something was being hidden from her and she didn't like it. Tohdoh's expression made the bad feeling in the back of her head even worse.

"The war didn't begin in Tokyo or Shinjuku like most reports suggested. The first knightmare frames that Britannia sent our way, arrived at the shrine where Lelouch and his sister were staying." Tohdoh revealed causing Cornelia's eyes to widened

"What!" Cornelia said in shock.

Tohdoh recognized the expression and quickly confirmed her concern, "That's right Cornelia. The first attack of that fateful war was against the Kururugi shrine. The very place that was watching over the two siblings sent over as political prisoners. From there, other places were attacked but the shrine was first. In fact, it was your OSI that was behind the fateful attack. Something Lelouch himself said when the knightmare frames first appeared" Tohdoh smiled knowing what that would mean.

"That's impossible. Why would the… No!" Cornelia stopped realizing just what was going on. The reason why they were attacked first and by the OSI was to give the people a reason to get behind the war. The death of a royal in the care of the Japanese would galvanize the Britannian people and get them behind the attack because it would paint them as savages. True Lelouch wasn't a noble anymore but her father was more than intelligent enough to spin it into his favor.

"That's right. Your own country was going to assassinate a royal in order to justify invading us." Tohdoh sneered remember the hatred he felt when he discovered as much.

"What happened to Lelouch after that?" Cornelia wondered almost afraid of the answer.

"Honestly I don't know. From there I had to focus on the war, young Lelouch fled along with his sister and I haven't seen them since. I imagine if they were alive, they'd be very interesting allies." Tohdoh smiled.

"What are you suggesting?" Cornelia growled in annoyance.

"Nothing really. I've overheard his talks with young Suzaku about how his homeland abandoned him and about what happened to his mother. If the world knew how Britannia treated a noble child that would not end well for their sterling reputation." Tohdoh smiled knowing it would rile up Cornelia even more.

"What did he say?" Cornelia said angrily. This was getting worse and worse for her and she knew it.

"He believed that his mother was assassinated and that his father was behind it or at least knew about it. That would explain why he was kicked out just after going to the Emperor about his thoughts. If he was alive, I'm sure the Black Knights would love him if he was alive." Tohdoh taunted causing Cornelia's anger to skyrocket.

"YOU'RE LYING!" Cornelia roared in anger before leaving the room. She was barely able to keep her head on straight considering that she expected to get a clue on Lelouch. All she ended up getting was a reminder of his disgusting fate.

(Black Knight Base)

As the group arrived at their home base, Lelouch was ready for a troublesome conversation with the Four Holy Swords. Normally he'd avoid telling them his identity try to get them to trust him via other means but Lelouch realized that the only chance he had of saving the Colonel was to get them on his side immediately. Waiting for him in the middle of the base were the Four Holy Swords, Tohdoh's most loyal warriors and the ones who would change everything. With C.C and Kallen by his side he approached the Four warriors, "It is a great honor to have the Four Holy Swords here in my humble base. I wish this was under greater circumstances but alas they are not." Zero replied.

"Save the theatrics for later Zero, Colonel Tohdoh is in danger and it's all because of you." Chiba said angrily.

"Ms Chiba, I had no idea that Colonel Tohdoh was going to be there. One of the reasons, I returned here so quickly was to ensure I could meet with you in the hopes of rescuing him." Lelouch replied

"Why should we believe you." Chiba said angrily.

"Your worry extends beyond that of a normal subordinate. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in love with the good Colonel." C.C smiled.

"That's ridiculous." Chiba stuttered.

"Be nice C.C, Chiba's feelings for the Colonel were one of the worst kept secrets among the Japanese military even before the war." Zero replied causing a look of shock to appear before the Four Swords.

"That may be true, but how did you know that Zero." Senba smiled. The smile unnerved C.C and Kallen but Lelouch was unbothered.

"How about we talk in my office." Zero suggested showing them to the pathway.

"Of course" Senba nodded even as Chiba looked on in shock. In moments they were in Zero's office and a smiling Lelouch waited to see what would happen next once they closed the doors.

"Was there really any need for that little dog and pony show Lelouch." Senba smiled.

"What do you mean Lelouch? You're not saying that Zero is?" Chiba gasped but turned towards their masked host.

Lelouch's only response was to reach for his mask and take it off revealing himself to the Swords, "How did you know it was me?" Lelouch smiled.

"This doesn't leave this room, but Colonel Tohdoh has long since realized the JLF was doomed. The reason we never moved against Clovis was because we knew he was a novice commander and one that would never be able to stop us. When you killed him that changed things and when Cornelia appeared to replace him it was not a matter of if the JLF would fall, but when, and the focus of many turned towards the Black Knights eventually taking over. The problem was that we had no idea who you were and the number of people you could be was very limited.

In order to get a good idea of who you could be, the Colonel looked at your actions at Lake Kawaguchi and decided to make a profile based on that. He determined that there were three major clues that led to the identity of Zero. The first was that Zero's real identity needed to have a deep seeded hatred of Britannia. If you were going to go against a world superpower alone your hatred would have to run deep in order to even attempt such a thing. The second was that he had a deep understanding of the plight of the Japanese people. If Zero was going to rally Japan, understanding the Japanese struggle was essential. The final one was that he was somebody who wasn't of age during the Pacific War. If somebody like you existed during the war, we would've found you and recruited you or Britannia would have." Senba explained.

"In other words, it was me by default. Is that why Taizo was the one who came to see me" Lelouch replied with a smile.

Senba chuckled, "No, that was actually coincidence but Taizo is very similar to the Colonel which meant he likely suspected something anyway."

"I see and I assume Tohdoh was going to confirm his thoughts and didn't tell anybody because I would be able to prepare a countermeasure like I did with Kirihara." Lelouch smiled.

"Yes. I advised him not to as did Lord Kirihara, but the Colonel wanted to make sure you were who he thought you were. For the record only the three of us even knew about the meeting and it was only because Tohdoh insisted as much that Kirihara didn't tell you" Senba said solemnly.

"I see." Lelouch frowned before reaching for the desk phone in order to get a hold of his knightmare division.

"What is it Zero" Nina wondered picking up.

"Nina is Rakshata doing anything important right now." Lelouch wondered.

"No she isn't, but she does want to see her babies get used soon. We worked hard on these Zero." Nina replied with a pout.

"Tell her that I have a rush order for her. Five new nightmares for some VIP's, four of whom will be headed your way shortly and a fifth who will be with us soon."

"Those four wouldn't happen to be the Four Holy Swords with the fifth being Tohdoh the miracle worker." Nina smiled.

"That's right. Why do you ask?" Lelouch replied unsure of what Nina was planning.

"You'll get your answer when you come down to the armory" Nina said happily before hanging up.

"Well this is strange. I guess we should see what she wants." Lelouch sad with a smile before putting on his mask again.

"Is that really necessary." Senba wondered.

"Only certain members of the Black Knights know my secret. Can't have myself exposed to spies so easily." Zero replied the change in voice obvious before getting up and leaving.

(Scene Skip)

'Oh, you have got to be kidding me.' Lelouch thought to himself. In front of him were four massive black frames with a fifth light red one behind it. The massive frames were a slimmer version of the Guren but instead of red armor it was black and a monoptic head unit replaced the Guren's unique design. On the left side was a rifle while on the right side was a small sword known as the Katen Yaibatou and a small cape was behind them. Behind those units was a black clone of the Guren but the Radiant Wave Surger was replaced with a second claw. The most interesting feature of the other frame was the headpiece which reminded Lelouch of a dragon's head. (Basically, the Four Holy Swords got the Zangetsu frame that Tohdoh used and the Kuroi Ryū is a black version of the Guren with the changes I mentioned. Again, not very creative)

"May I introduce you to the personal weapons of the Four Holy Swords, the Akatsuki (red Dawn) and the personal weapon of Colonel Tohdoh the Kuroi Ryū." Rakshata said proudly. The Kuroi Ryū name made more sense and a part of Lelouch wondered just what else the beastly weapon could do.

"When did you make these?" Zero wondered. He hadn't been paying much attention to the Knightmare division due to the mess with Mao. The fact Rivalz handled the finances meant he wouldn't have noticed something like that either.

"When you weren't using my newest toys my men and I got bored. To alleviate that boredom. we decided to make other frames that we thought you might eventually need." Rakshata replied with a smile on her face.

"And who suggested that we get frames for the swords and Tohdoh." Lelouch wondered.

"One of our allies" Nina replied diplomatically. In other words, it was Milly.

"All I need to finish them is battle data which we can do later. We'll worry about the good Colonel's frame later." Rakshata replied.

The Four Holy Swords were stunned and the idea that they had their own knightmare frames was amazing, "Mind if we take them for a spin." Asahina said happily.

"Of course. They are your weapons after all." Zero said happily.

"I hope it doesn't take you nearly as long to use these babies as you did my others." Rakshata said calmly but with a look that suggested she was very annoyed with the lack of action her babies received.

"They'll be making their debut later when we save the good Colonel. Though if you don't mind, I want to test the Kuroi Ryū" Lelouch requested

"Alright but don't damage it too much." Rakshata nodded and they went to handle the data.

(Scene Skip)

The new school day arrived and Lelouch's mood couldn't be better. He spent most of the previous day working with the Four Holy Swords new weapons and they were truly spectacular. The Black Dragon in particular, was a monstrous machine that he half wanted for himself considering the special surprise it held. He'd have to discuss having something similar made for him. His night was spent with Milly who he wanted to thank for her efforts in getting Nina to make the machines since his focus could now turn to saving Tohdoh. "Good morning Lelouch" Rivalz smiled having arrived next to his friend.

"Hey Rivalz. Did I ever tell you how amazing Nina is?" Lelouch smiled.

"Hold on there buddy. You've got Shirley Kallen Milly and Euphemia." Rivalz panicked worried that his friend was going after his girl also.

"Spare me bud. I was just surprised when she and Rakshata prepared Knightmare frames for me long before I even needed them." Lelouch smirked. They spoke quietly since the Council was supposed to be a secret.

"Nina was always smart and from what she's told me Rakshata is a genius. You really have it made with those two." Rivalz smiled as they arrived at the classroom. A smiling Milly and Shirley were waiting along with Kallen but surprisingly Euphemia had yet to arrive.

"Good morning ladies" Lelouch smiled before moving to his desk. A few minutes later Euphy arrived and she was clearly bothered by something.

"Is everything okay sis" Lelouch said nervously.

"I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired." Euphemia muttered. Tohdoh's capture had complicated things rather nicely and with Cornelia's insistence that they talk alone, there was no telling what happened. She tried to find out, but Cornelia just seemed angry about it.

"Understood" Lelouch replied. He would have to find out more later.

(Scene Skip)

The rest of the day went smoothly, and the council gathered as usual. "So everyone what's the latest." Lelouch smiled.

"They have Tohdoh and are going to execute him soon but after that she's going to get more desperate to find out if you're actually dead." Euphemia said nervously.

"What else could she possibly do." Shirley said nervously.

"I don't know. She'll probably call my brother Schneizel for advice and go from there." Euphemia admitted.

"If she called in Schneizel we would have a problem." Lelouch groaned.

"What's the big deal. Prime Minister Schneizel is a nice guy but he doesn't strike me as the military type." Rivalz chuckled.

"My family is made up primarily of egotistical fools who wouldn't know a rifle from a water gun. There are four exceptions to the rule. Well technically three. The first is my sister Cornelia who was practically trained in the Art of War by her advisors and her personal knight. The second is me who was taught about those things by my sister. The third one would be Lelouch who was just naturally intelligent, but he's not a royal anymore which is where the technical part comes in. The final one is my brother Schneizel el Britannia the Prime Minister of Japan and the second Imperial Prince." Euphemia explained.

"Schneizel is also the only person in the royal family outside of my father who I couldn't beat in chess. We fought around 40 times when I was a kid and he beat me every single one. He might not be the warrior that Cornelia is but he's every bit as intelligent as I am if not more." Lelouch revealed.

"So that's really bad" Rivalz said nervously.

"Yes and I'm afraid things just got even worse for you all." C.C smiled having stepped into the room.

"What happened" Lelouch said ominously

"Come see for yourself." C.C said with a large grin. The group got up and followed C.C into the room where the TV was, and everyone's eyes widened at what was on the screen. It was a photo of Tohdoh himself in a prisoner's uniform inside the Area 11 Government Building.

"Kyoshiro Tohdoh has been captured and in three days he will be executed for his crimes against the crown. Tohdoh is believed to be the last big hope of Area 11 and our princess can turn her attention to Zero and his damned Knights" the announcer roared with glee.

"Three days huh" Milly smiled. In other words, they were giving the Black Knights and the JLF an ultimatum. We'll give you time to prepare a plan, but if you don't save him the war basically will be over

"Three days" Lelouch smiled. Cornelia was bold giving them time to prepare but he wasn't about to complain. This was going to be a very interesting few days.

"Let the fun begin" C.C smiled.

That's it for Chapter 15 and yeah, I have no excuses for why the hell this took so long. I could blame Corona or the fact that I've been in school, but I've released other stuff since then. The simple truth is I couldn't come up with something that worked. I don't typically plan out my stories instead I go with kind of what I feel at the time. That was easy for the early part of the story but not so much after Mao. I'm gonna do everything I can to release stuff faster so you guys can enjoy it, but I make no promises. Next time the battle to save Tohdoh takes places at last and the Black Knights are ready to go along with the Four Holy swords. Meanwhile the Emperor learns the truth about the rebellion and decides to call on a secret weapon.