NOTICE: The quotes in this chapter are from 1=Ludwig Mises, 2=Martin Luther King Jr. and 3=Adolf Hitler.

No offence is meant towards anyone by any of these quotes. They are for story effect only.

COMMISSION: Named Heir

Chapter IV – The Emperor, The Witch and The Gun

"3Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live!" Cornelia boldly exclaimed to the masses of Britannia. Everyone in the royal family, besides Lelouch, Nunnally, Schneizel and Euphemia, stood behind Cornelia at her podium. The people of Britannia gathered around Pendragon Castle in a massive rally.

"We need to remain strong if we are to defeat Lelouch and his unorthodox laws! 3Strength lies not in defense, but in attack!" she screeched angrily. The world had never seen a woman as aggressive as she in this moment. "3The day I let Britannia fall into the hands of the soft and weak-hearted is the day I lay dead on the battlefield! My dear Britannians, hear my proclamation! Fight for me, fight for our precious Britannia! Should you be there by my side as we claim victory over Lelouch and reclaim the throne I shall give you power and honor!" she held her fist into the air as a true leader of Britannia. "Upon the moment of Lelouch's defeat I shall become your Empress! As I ascend the throne I shall restore Britannia and the area-number system as it should be!" she exclaimed as she roared into the microphone. "Lelouch freed the numbers only because he's soft, being soft in this harsh world won't get an empire far! 3I don't see why man shouldn't be just as harsh as nature!" The homeland ate it up; only Emperor Charles had ever invoked this much crazy into the masses before. Lelouch, who was watching from Japan, knew full well he had to gather his allies while he still could.

"Ruben, organize my world-wide retaliation speech." He commanded and Ruben bowed before departing for his task. "I won't be going to school today." He said coldly.

Lelouch stood up and changed into his Emperor's outfit. He then stored the Zero uniform under his bed in a safe-locked floor vault. As soon as he'd returned home from the briefing in the Black Knight base he'd carelessly left the Zero costume in a suitcase on his bedroom floor. He knew no one was allowed into his room and thus felt safe, but he had invited Ruben into it in a moment of mishap memory. Luckily Ruben did not question the mysteriously out of place black suit case. Ruben fulfilled Lelouch's task and called him to inform him that the stage was set for him. Lelouch smirked and thanked the man over the phone before hanging up and exiting his room. He slowly made his way down the empty and hollow halls of the Tokyo Palace. He'd yet to return to the mainland once since the day he was exiled as a child, but today that would change. He'd make his move before Cornelia. He had C.C. wear the spare Zero outfit and lead the Black Knights to the borders of the mainland hours ago, but she'd return shortly. They should be at the borders already and high in the sky away from any radar-pick up perimeters. They hung around in the clouds, which was further than necessary, but they weren't taking any chances. The Avalon too stood in the clouds, but hovered over Japan rather than the Britannia borders.

Everyone aboard the Avalon was nervous; they were essentially inside of a Castle in the sky. They'd all been in helicopters, airplanes and Knightmare Frames, but never a floating building. Since there was limited space aboard the Avalon they had to share rooms. Shirley, Milly and Lucina in room one, Rivalz and Gino in another then Euphemia, Nunnally, Nina and Anya in the third. Among the other various soldiers and staff inside the Avalon was Schneizel. Not many knew why he decided to join Lelouch's side, only Lelouch knew it was because of his Geass command. Schneizel helped control the Avalon while the other royal staff piloted it. Gino and Anya did their best to guard the Avalon in the off-chance that it be attacked. They had a small army of Black Knights and another small troop of Britannian soldiers, but the masses of the main army were at the mainland Britannian border.

"Hiya!" came the cutesy voice of Kaguya from behind Lelouch.

"Kyaa…..!" Lelouch screeched in surprise as he turned around quickly to face her. She stared at him with her big, sparkling, emerald eyes, her cute button nose and pink thin lips. "Wh-what are you still doing here? Why didn't you get on the Avalon?!" Lelouch frowned morbidly. When he said 'close friends' he included Kaguya and Ruri Kozuki.

"I'm sorry, but Ruri-San felt badly about abandoning you for her own safety! I agreed so we both decided to stay behind to help rally Japan with you!" she beamed eagerly.

"N-no! Go get on a Knightmare Frame and get up to the Avalon, now!" he ordered. She pouted cutely.

"Aww! We invited a friend over just to help you and everything!" she sniffled.

"Wait, what friend?" Lelouch asked leery.

"Well, she's not here in person, but we have her on webcam and she'd like to talk to you!" Kaguya shook her arms excitedly.

"Who is she?" he asked calmly.

"A dear old friend of mine." She winked.

Kaguya lead Lelouch to her little office inside the Palace and flipped open the laptop and turned it towards Lelouch. "Say Nihao!'" Kaguya chirped as the screen revealed a young girl with white hair and red eyes.

"N-nihao…" Lelouch muttered out as he tried to remember the face of this girl. She looked oddly familiar, but he was drawing a blank. She was definitely Asian, and due to the greeting she was specifically Chinese.

'No way….' He thought in realization.

"Hello, I am Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation." She spoke in a tiny, but determined, voice.

"Hello there Empress Tianzi, I am Emperor Lelouch. What do I owe the honor of speaking to you?" he asked with a grin. This could potentially be an amazing moment, or it could spell disaster. The Chinese Federation didn't make itself known for randomly attacking other nations, but with Britannia in the chaotic state that it is in then they could be taking this as their chance to over-throw Britannia entirely.

"I wish to assist you!" the girl pleaded suddenly, which took Lelouch off guard a little.

"I'm grateful for you offer, but may I ask your motives?" he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Kaguya is a good friend of mine, and I liked Japan when it had its independence. If Cornelia defeats you and becomes Empress of Britannia then she'll enslave them again! I want to help you so that Japan will remain happy!" Tianzi said frantically. The distress was evident in her teary eyes.

"I'd be grateful for any help you're willing to offer, Empress." Lelouch smiled gently. Tianzi's smile grew wide with hope and excitment.

"What all do you need? I can tell the Chinese military to send equipment or soldiers!" she perked up immensely.

"Those both would be an extraordinary help, but what I really need is an entire army that I can control." He said now back to his usual stoic self.

"An army?" she questioned meekly. "I don't know if I can do that much, I only have so much power. The High Eunuchs are the ones who control almost everything. I'm limited in my situation." She dropped her shoulders and gave Lelouch an apologetic look.

"You're the Empress, you should be able to do anything you want to. Why are the High Eunuchs able to stop you from sending me an army?" he asked entirely confused as to how an Empress doesn't have control of her nation.

"Well I'm still very young and-"

"Irrelevant. Even if you were a toddler your command is your nation's order." He interrupted.

"Well, I'm not that great at politics yet and I might make some bad decisions. I asked them to help me-"

"Well that ends now. I'll make you a deal." He smirked. Jiang Lihua looked up to the Emperor hopefully.

"A deal?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, if I eradicate you of the High Eunuchs and restore your powers as Empress, will you send me the army I need?" he offered.

"You can do that?" she asked bewildered with wide, crimson eyes.

"I can. Just give the word." He grinned almost evilly.

"Do it! Please give me the power to help save Japan!" Tianzi shouted boldly.

"Alright then, the deal is sealed. Kaguya." Lelouch turned to the girl holding the laptop.

"Yes, my Emperor?" Kaguya asked cutely.

"Tell the Black Knights sector-one squad that they're going to China. You're the Viceroy of Japan, this is your duty right now. Have Zero, Kallen and Suzaku report in to me for further details." He ordered.

"Yes sir!" Kaguya saluted politically incorrectly and set the laptop down onto the desk and pranced out of the room.

"Thank you, Emperor Lelouch." Tianzi smiled.

"You're quite welcome, Empress Tianzi." He returned her smile. "If I were you I'd prepare to go on a trip for a few days, if not weeks."

"What? Why?" Tianzi's eyes transfixed on Lelouch's violet ones.

"From what I understand you've been in that Palace since birth and haven't stepped foot outside of it. Kaguya also told me that it was secretly your one true wish to see the outside world. How would you like to see it all; from the sky?" he asked eccentrically as Tianzi's ruby eyes lit up.

"I…I'd love to! But…." She paused and her excitement faded. "On one condition." She looked up at the Emperor with hope in her eyes.

"Just name it." Lelouch encouraged her.

"I get to bring Xingke with me!" she demanded.

"Who?" Lelouch's eyebrow quirked.

"He's my…my…personal assistant!" she blurted out with a huff.

"Very well then." He sighed, essentially this Xingke was the equivalent of Ruben to Lelouch. Little did Lelouch know, this man was as skilled as Kallen and Suzaku on the battlefield.

XxXxXxX

'Damn him, damn that Lelouch.' Cornelia thought as she sat back down in her posh lounge. She had just finished her speech and was attempting to think of ways to get control of Japan before the war.

'If only I could cut a deal with the Black Knights. Or I could possibly…no that won't work…. The Black Knights would only fail me and betray me. How about calling in the special units…. No, they're ill-staffed and don't have many pilots ready. What am I supposed to do….if only I had some method of controlling Lelouch emotionally…. What if I kidnapped and held one of his friends hostage? No that won't' work either, they're all Britannian. I don't need to use Britannian hostages, it'll ruin my image…. What then? What do I do?' she thought as she grew madder and redder by the moment.

"Well well, I see as though somebody has a greasy consciousness." Came the voice of a man.

"Who are you? How the hell did you get in here?" she stood up from her chair instantly.

"Well you see, my name is Mao. I'd like to make a deal with you." Came the grinning man from around the corner.

"Wh-what? What deal? Who are you?" she pulled out her gun from her pocket and pointed it at his head.

"My only name is Mao, I have no last name. I'm here to help you defeat Lelouch!" he said with a grin.

"You're Chinese, why should I trust you?" she asked coldly.

"I hold no allegiance to my national origins. The only thing I want is my woman; and she's entangled in the grasp of that insufferable Lelouch." He explained as he took the liberty of sitting down in a chair adjacent from Cornelia.

"Lelouch has someone hostage?" Cornelia asked immediately as she too sat back down, but never lowered her gun.

"Well not exactly, she's a friend of his. The one with long green hair, maybe you've seen her on the news. She and I are married and Lelouch has been trying to get her to marry him instead, but she hasn't said yes yet. You see, she's madly in love with me, but Lelouch is twisting her good consciousness by offering her money and status! I'm so in despair!" he faked woe as her placed his forearm onto his forehead and frowned extravagantly.

'This man is two egg shells short of a picnic…..' Cornelia thought with a scowl.

"Why on Earth are you trying to make this my problem?" Cornelia bitched at him with an uncaring scowl.

"Well for one I'd like to see Lelouch dead, simply-"

"Woah! Hold on now!" Cornelia screeched as she stood back up and cocked her gun loudly. "I have no intentions of killing my own little brother. I may threaten to harm him or have him imprisoned, but I will not tolerate a death threat!"

"My apologies. He doesn't have to die. I just thought it'd make a perfect stage for your ascending the throne as Empress." Mao grinned up at the woman fearlessly.

"Absolutely not! I will not kill someone I'd die for!" Cornelia shouted.

"Sister!" came a loud knocking on the door. "Big-sister! Is something wrong? Why are you yelling?"

"You just sit there while I talk to her." Cornelia commanded as she moved to the door and opened it without letting her gun's nozzle point away from the whack job man.

"Sister! Are you alright?" the pink haired Princess asked. Mao and the gun were hidden from her sights by the door.

"Yes Venus, I'm alright. Why don't you go get Zephne and head aboard the ship?" Cornelia suggested sweetly.

"No!" The pink haired girl shook her head as her light pink hair tossled around elegantly. "You're angry, you're upset! Who are you yelling at?" she asked with a pout.

"It's just a bad-businessman. Everything is alright." Cornelia smiled lovingly down at the young girl with light pink hair in pigtails.

"Big-sister, I…." the girl began again then looked down to the ground. "I want to join you in your fight to protect Zephne and Euphie!" she looked back up at Cornelia with her big purple eyes; the eyes that melted Cornelia's heart on the spot.

"I'm sorry honey." Cornelia began as she gently laid her hand atop the young Princess's head. "But you're far too young to help me. You and Zephne both need to go to the ship to take cover while I fight off the bad guys."

"No!" the girl shoved Cornelia's hand aside harshly. Cornelia's did a double-take; the gentle and frail Venus was defying her? "I'm gonna tell big brother Lelouch that he's being an asshole!"

Venus's white and pink figure turned around the corner and escaped from the baffled Cornelia's sights; leaving Cornelia with a frown. She'd made a mental note to teach little Venus about her recent fowl-language problem. She sighed and pulled her head back inside the room then closed the door. She turned around to see that Mao was no long in his seat. Instead he was across the room eyeing some photos on the wall. Cornelia scoffed at him and pulled out her cell phone. She send a quick text to Guilford then put the phone away. Without the gun ever having left the viewpoint of the Chinese-fruit cake she sat back down and crossed her legs. She cocked the gun again loudly enough to catch Mao's attention.

"This is your grandmother, isn't it?" he asked slyly.

"How the hell did you know that?" she asked.

"Wikipedia." He grinned then made a snarky laugh.

"Get out of this castle." She demanded.

"Are you sure you wanna just…let me go….when I know all of Lelouch's dirtiest secrets?" Mao chuckled menacingly.

"How would someone an infantile as you know anything about Lelouch's personal life?" she asked rudely.

"He was hiding amongst us commoners for years you know. I knew him, rather well actually. Better than most of his current friends." He chided as he approached her with hands making strange gestures. "You see Princess, when Lelouch first arrived in Japan, he swore to destroy Britannia! It's what he's doing now!" Mao laughed loudly at the astonished look on Cornelia's face.

"As where I'd be happy to hear legitimate proof to have Lelouch dethroned, what makes you think that you're a solid source of information? Friends or not, you could be lying for the sake of revenge." She frowned at the wild man.

"Oh but…I dare you to confront Lelouch with said accusations! He'll give you one of the darkest expressions a man could bare upon his face!" Mao said pleased with himself as he sat down again across from the gun pointing woman.

"Tell me more. If Lelouch reacts suspiciously to any of your accusations then I might come back and comply with your demands." She offered and finally lowered her gun, but did not sheath it or put it away.

"Alright, but I'll only give you a couple juicy ones!" Mao smirked. "Now listen." The grin on his face spread like the fire in his lies. "Lelouch's plan all along has been to destroy Britannia. When he was a boy he ran away from the throne because Emperor Charles wouldn't give him the title of Emperor. He slew his dear old precious mother, blinded his little sister as to not have a witness and then took her to Japan where he hatched a plan. He hid away as…..well that's another secret." Mao stopped himself and watched the expression on Cornelia's face.

"Le….Lelouch…. assassinated…Empress Marianne…." Cornelia's mouth hung open slightly upon breathing her words.

"Yes, and he's come back for the rest of the family as well. You're dear sweet sister Euphie is in his clutches right now; Nunnally as well. If Lelouch ordered their execution or-"

"What else do you know?!" Cornelia roared as she stood up which caused the coffee table to flip over. She grabbed Mao by the collar of his shirt and pressed her gun to his forehead.

Mao could read that she was incredibly unstable right now and he needed to get her to calm down.

"Listen, I know a lot of things, but right now you need to help me get that girl away from him. The one with the green hair, C.C.. She knows all of Lelouch's dark secrets, but she can't tell anyone them because he's threatening her as well! If you help me get those two separated then you can defeat Lelouch and free your sisters from him!" Mao said quickly and nervously.

"Tell me everything you know about what Lelouch is planning to do?" Cornelia spat in his face angrily.

"Calm down now! It's like I said-Augh!" he was cut off by the hilt of the gun hitting his head harshly.

"No excuses! Tell me now what he's going to do to Euphie and Nunnally!" she demanded.

"Alright! Alright!" Mao pleaded. 'Man, this chick is psycho when you mention Euphemia!' he thought. "Lelouch is planning to use the area-colony armies to fight you. Now you're not evenly matched against him with all of Britannia's forces; you have the upper hand. All I know about what Lelouch is currently going to do is have his friends, including Euphemia and Nunnally, stay in the Avalon above Japan." Mao said shakily. C.C. was his entire world, but was this one attempt to get close to her worth his life? Possibly.

"What's the Avalon?" she asked as she pressed the nozzle into his forehead harder.

"It's uhh…ahhh….a flying ship…" he muttered out. Cornelia raised her gun to hit him again, but he pleaded for mercy. "No wait! It's true! Lelouch has access to all of the Britannian military weapons! They've developed the float systems! The Avalon really can fly! I swear!" he said fearfully as Cornelia lowered her gun and pressed it against his head again.

"Where is it? Where above Area Eleven is the Avalon?" she asked angrily.

"It flies around, it moves. It'll pass between Okinawa and Tokyo over and over again until the war ends. I think he thought something about hiding in clouds or…or….only following the clouds! His thoughts weren't clear then! It was too hard to hear just his thoughts!" Mao squeezed his eyes shut.

Cornelia gave the man an odd look and tossed him back into his seat. "What do you mean his thoughts? Did you read his damn diary or something?" she frowned in disappointment. "What do you mean you 'couldn't hear his thoughts clearly'?" she asked pensively.

"I uhh… Well he was…. Recording his thoughts on audio, to replay and see if his plan had any holes. He was mumbling and….skipping parts though…. It's unclear where the Avalon exactly is, but I know this…" he stopped to inhale. "If you take me with you into battle I'll guide you!" He requested shakily.

"Absolutely not." She said sternly. "I'm going to detain you in the castle dungeon. You'll be held as a witness to a potential crime for now. If and when proof of your accusations come to fruition I'll come back to ask you more questions." She said hotly as Guilford knocked on the door requesting entrance. Cornelia allotted Guilford and Bartley into the room to cuff Mao.

"But…why can't you just take me with you into battle? I can pilot a knightmare! I know Lelouch's attack patterns and ideals! Why are you arresting me?!" he pleaded as he jittered his teeth.

"Because you wish for my precious brother's life. I cannot allow you to roam free. I won't forgive you for even mentioning Lelouch's death!" she exclaimed monarchal.

"Don't you want to become Empress? What would and wouldn't you do to become Empress of Britannia?" Mao asked as he tried to read her mind for answers, but it was incredibly hard to focus due to Guilford and Bartley being so close by.

"I wouldn't take a sibling's life." Was all the princess said before Guilford and Bartley took Mao to the underground prison cells.

The castle kept special prisons called 'The Pendragon Dungeon' underground the castle grounds for witnesses, criminals with information and top secret government official criminals. Mao was officially declared a criminal witness to the royal family and was put in solitary confinement for his attempt to sway a member of royalty into an assassination attempt on the Emperor. Even though Cornelia didn't approve of Lelouch's throne, she wouldn't stand for any threats or harm to come his way. She would however accept a deal to dethrone him mercilessly.

XxXxXxX

"Wh-what….on Earth…?" Kallen said thoughtlessly.

"China….?" Suzaku blurted out as he blinked several times.

"Yes, China." Zero said as he crossed his arms.

"But why?" Kallen asked as she gave her leader a perplexed expression.

Behind the mask Lelouch smirked. Zero leaned back and let loose a small laugh that echoed out of his mask. "Since it's just us three in this conversation, I'll tell you." Lelouch said from his office in the Tokyo Palace. He was disguised as Zero while making a three-way call conference between Kallen's Guren and Suzaku's Lancelot. Kallen and Suzaku sat in their cockpits baffled at their most recent orders. They were all waiting around the borders of Britannia when the call from Zero came in that they were to turn around and head straight for China.

"Master Zero, please give us some sort of instructions or explanation other than 'go to China'!" Kallen pleaded.

"I'm with her on this one, tell us." Suzaku demanded.

"Right then." Zero began as his smirk dropped and he allowed the seriousness of the moment to enwrap his words. "Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation has made a deal with Emperor Lelouch. In exchange for sneaking into the Vermillion Forbidden City and executing the High Eunuchs she'll send us the entire Chinese army to help fight Britannia." Zero explained.

Kallen and Suzaku did a classic jaw drop followed by mumbles of disbelief and confusion.

"Is….is this true…?" Kallen asked herself, but was hoping Zero would answer her mostly-rhetorical question.

"Yes, and I need you both to do this. Since we can't send an entire army without the High Eunuchs noticing it'll be just you two. Empress Tianzi has sent in the blue prints of the city and where exactly you'll find those Eunuchs. Once you've slain them head to the main Palace to inform Empress Tianzi that the Chinese Federation is now hers to control." Zero ordered then sent the file containing the blue prints. "Her guardian Xingke will transport the Empress to the Avalon above Japan. I want you two to escort him there so he can find it easily. Report in with everyone there and make sure everything is still going smoothly aboard the Avalon. Immediately after that return to your position on the Britannian borders.

"Wait, why should we trust her?" Suzaku asked with grimace. "What if it's a trap to restore her power then never send that army? She could easily claim that it was a direct assassination attempt!"

"That won't happen!" Zero shouted. "Kaguya Sumeragi is childhood friends with both Empress Tianzi and Emperor Lelouch! Tianzi wouldn't betray the man that was helping her dearest friend's nation!"

"You're that confident in friendship?" Kallen asked astounded.

"Kallen." Suzaku said abruptly; suddenly changing his opinion entirely. He had a soft-spot for life-long friendship, especially when it came to Lelouch, Kaguya and Tianzi.

"Y-yes?" she asked slightly surprised that Suzaku had something to say to her.

"Let's go to China." He stated slightly enthused.

"A-alright, but… why the sudden change in opinion?" Kallen asked mystified.

"Kaguya is my cousin. Zero is right about Empress Tianzi never betraying her. Kaguya often spoke of Empress Tianzi as her closest friend. There's no way that she'd let her friend down. I had forgotten that they were friends, it'd been so long since I've heard from either of them…." Suzaku said with a bitter-sweet smile upon his otherwise solemn face. "Friendship is the strongest thing there is; it's a form of love. Kallen, let's do this!" he smiled up into the screen at her.

"R-right!" Kallen agreed now that she had a motive to understand.

The conference ended and they all disconnected their connections. Kallen and Suzaku stayed inside the clouds as they headed towards China. Lelouch back in his office took his helmet off and set it on his desk.

"That was quite a show." C.C. smiled from her seat across the room. He glanced at her, but only briefly. She was quick enough to get back from escorting the Black Knights to Britannia's borders as Zero.

"You should get going. Go to the Avalon." He commanded then stood up and went to his office closet.

"No." she said flatly and looked at him intensely. She stared intently at the back of his head until he turned around in surprise.

"What, why not?" he asked slightly taken back.

"I think I'll join you on the battle field." She said flatly as she changed her view point to the ceiling. The emotionless expression on the woman's face made Lelouch begin to wonder if she even took this war seriously.

"What's going on with you?" he asked as he closed the closet door and walked over to her to stand directly in front of her. She looked into his eyes and leaned forwards slightly.

"You and I have a contract, it'd be poor judgment if I let you go to war alone and die by yourself. I want to be by your side to protect you." She said flatly.

"No." he said then turned to go back to the closet. She grabbed his wrist and held him in place.

"I'm going with you." She said strongly. Lelouch frowned, but she couldn't see it because his back was to her.

"Woman…." He turned around and gave her a displeased scowl. "Go to the Avalon, I'll be fine without you."

"What makes you so confident?" she asked as she stood up and changed her grasp on him to a full-arm cuddle.

"I'll have the Black Knights, a fourth of the Britannian army, the Japanese Liberation Front, the Chinese army, the area-colony armies….. What could you possibly do that they can't?" he asked sourly.

Wordlessly C.C. pulled Lelouch to look at her directly in the eyes. She held the sides of his face and pulled him down so that their noses were almost touching. For several seconds they remained this way before she spoke.

"I'm going with you whether you like it or not. If you go without me then you're breaking our contract." She said sternly as she slightly squeezed the sides of his head.

"Y-you…" he grit his teeth and glared back down at her.

"I can protect you too, I'm immortal. You have no logical reason to keep me off that battlefield. If you're worried about me you're foolish. If you're scared I'll get kidnapped you're naïve. If you think I'll run away you're an ass." She frowned then pinched his cheeks. The sudden expression change on his pinched face made her let go.

"Fine." He sighed. "Only because I know even if I locked you up you'd find a way to escape and get back to me. But promise me one thing…" he turned around and walked back to the closet. "Don't let Cornelia see you. I have a horrible feeling that she knows what you are and will take you by force back to whatever experimentation lab you came from." He said tiresomely.

"You're naïve." The witch said casually. He made a noise of anger and quickly turned around to glare at her.

"C.C…." he muttered loudly.

"Hey, I warned you. If you think I'm going to get kidnapped then you're naïve." She smiled wittily at him.

"Woman, you're like the wind." He whispered softly to himself.

"The wind?" C.C. asked surprised from across the room.

'Damnit! How did she hear me? She must have super-human hearing or something!' he thought as he mentally punished himself.

"Yes, you're quite mysterious and not many people know exactly where you came from or what you are." He said poetically.

"I think I'm more like snow. I can't quite remember what color I am or what I'm supposed to do with my cold existence." She smiled bitterly.

To Lelouch this was a rare sight, C.C. was always mysterious; yet right now she seemed so human to him. It was as if she had transformed into a mortal upon speaking her chants about snow.

"Enough of the whimsical wishing nonsense; go get in a Knightmare Frame and head to either the Avalon or the battlefield." He said as he placed the Zero costume inside his large briefcase and strung it over his shoulder. He walked passed her and out of the door. She stood there for a moment contemplating what to do, but then an idea hit her. She smiled wickedly.

"Well then…Zero…" she whispered to the wind.

Lelouch exited the Palace with the Zero briefcase in hand and boarded a Knightmare Frame. He was going to his rally at the Tokyo broadcast center. He flew over to the site and parked the float system Knightmare Frame out of view of the press and left the suitcase inside the cockpit. He was wearing his usual white Emperor robes and a new hat. His old one was demolished by soy sauce; it now lay in his bedroom's dresser drawer alone for the sake of memories. He walked casually through the woods to the backside of the studio. He knew that the Emperor strolling through the woods of Japan all by himself was one of the oddest things to occur, but he embraced it. He knew that he himself being an Emperor of such odd policies was a rare occurrence. Lelouch moseyed into the small studio and stood by the door as he watched all the news cast members and staff run around in a tizzy. They were all getting reading to have Lelouch's speech air live at the outside stage.

"Ahh! Emperor Lelouch!" Ruben exclaimed happily and ran up to him. "I'm so glad you're here early!" the elderly man put an arm around the young god's shoulders and led him to a secluded meeting room.

"Thank you for having this arranged Ruben. Did you type up a speech for me?" Lelouch asked as he took a seat. As Ruben sat down next to him and opened his briefcase he couldn't help but notice the little bits of dirt and grass stains on Lelouch's white shoes.

"My lord, did you by any chance…." Ruben began as he leaned in closer to Lelouch's foot that was propped up from being cross-legged. "Walk here?" he finally added.

"Sort of." Lelouch closed his eyes and held out his hand awaiting to read his speech papers. "I did walk through the back door after-all."

"I'm so sorry! I thought you'd of taken the escort car that was waiting out front!" Ruben bowed instantly. Lelouch let out a small laugh and placed his hands on the shoulder of the older man.

"Relax, I chose not to take it for personal reasons. Just focus on the speech; where're my papers?" Lelouch asked now back into his usual tone.

"Y-yes, here they are." Ruben's trembling hands gave his Emperor the papers.

Lelouch scanned them over then frowned. He sighed in agony; these were not going to work. He handed the papers back and opened whatever laptop was sitting on the table and began to write his own speech. Ruben's included too many irrelevant points and not enough 'rally-power' for the area-colonies. He also needed to add the fact that the Chinese Federation was going to help them along with the Black Knights. Why Ruben excluded the Black Knights from his speech Lelouch would never know unless he asked, but now wasn't the time. At this very moment Lelouch typed his fastest in order to have the speech ready in time for the set-stage. He had less than a half hour before those curtains opened and he would present himself to the entire world. He knew he had to avoid both offending the other races as well as the Britannians; not to mention he had to drive home his point of an alliance. He expected his friends aboard the Avalon to be watching the news for his speech. He wanted to soothe their fears, along with those of the rest of the area-colonies. The last thing Lelouch needed was to worry about the mental status of his friends.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Euphie…" Nunnally began with a frown and a slight tremble down her frail back. Euphemia tilted her head slightly and made a noise of alertness.

"Yes Nunna-Chan?" the pink Princess asked.

"Is big-brother going to be mentioning the Avalon in his speech?" Nunnally asked worriedly.

"No, of course not!" Euphemia smiled nervously. "The whole point of us being here is to protect us! Why would he tell the whole world where we were?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm nervous. What if the clouds disappear and we're exposed to everyone down below?" she asked with another shake of her tiny body.

"Relax Nunna-Chan!" Milly kneeled down beside her and placed a hand on her cheek. Nunnally's hand reached up to cover up Milly's hand. "The fighting will all be in the mainland; we're in Japan! There's no way that they'll find us! Even if we were found, we have Gino and Anya here!" Milly smiled, but Nunnally couldn't see it.

"Not to mention we could always just move, this thing does fly you know?" Rivalz grinned.

"You seem happy for such an odd time like this." Milly furrowed her eye brows.

"Well, let's just say that Gino let me fly his Knightmare Frame last night! It was awesome! He said that if he got hurt in battle and couldn't pilot, he'd let me do it! So rad man!" the bluenette could hardly contain his fit of giggles.

"Rivalz!" Shirley huffed angrily. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is! You could die!"

"Oh relax! Besides, I got a seventy-nine on the score board!" he gave the teen girl a thumbs up.

"What's a seventy-nine mean? What score board?" Milly asked dumbfounded.

"Well there's five categories, each have a maximum possible score of twenty. There's reaction time, piloting control, aim accuracy, weapon of choice usage and fighting spirit!" Rivalz grinned.

"Let me guess, the only twenty you got was on the fighting spirit, right?" Milly smirked.

"Of course! I got a fifteen on weapon of choice, a twelve on piloting control, a nineteen on reaction time and a thirteen on aim accuracy!" he beamed brightly.

"I don't know if that's something to brag about…." Milly sighed, Rivalz was hopeless.

"Actually it's damn impressive!" Gino chirped in. "When I first signed up to be a soldier, I only scored a forty-seven! Most people are lucky to get a fifty-five or sixty. This rookie of the year got a seventy-nine! It's almost legendary! The only person to ever score higher than a ninety on the test for the first time was Suzaku. Most people thought he'd cheated or was experienced with a Knightmare Frame, but I don't think so. I think he's just a natural. That guy is amazing!" Gino stroked his chin as he closed his eyes with a small smile; thinking of the legendary Suzaku Kururugi. "That guy could easily become a Knight of the Round if he sticks to his training!"

"Woah! Suzaku got a ninety!" Rivalz eyes lit up.

"So what you're saying is…" Milly stood up and walked over to Rivalz side and laid a hand on his shoulder. "He'll make an excellent pilot?" Milly smiled down at him.

"Yup! If he sticks by my side I'll show him the ropes and he'll be one hell of a soldier in no time!" Gino grinned up at the other blonde who had an odd look on her face. If Gino had to use one word that could describe Milly's facial expression, it was wishful.

"Well, as dangerous as it is… I say go for it." She smiled brightly at the blue haired boy.

"R-really?!" Rivalz jumped up and slammed his hands onto her shoulders roughly. Milly winced slightly, but ignored the rough act and simply nodded.

"Madame President! You're telling your friend to become a soldier?" Shirley cried out. "Don't you care if he gets hurt?"

"Of course I care if he gets hurt! This just might be his big break though! With a seventy-nine he could become a famous pilot or…or…" Milly stopped herself with a blush. She didn't want Rivalz to think she had an ulterior motive. She turned to Rivalz with a solemn expression. "I just want to see you be successful is all. If being a Knightmare Frame pilot is what you want, then I say go for it." She smiled genuinely at him. Rivalz's golden eyes got all big and teary as he pulled the blonde in for a hug. He began to whine 'thank you' and 'I'll do my best' over and over again.

"Just remember tootse!" He pulled away from the hug but kept his hands on her upper arms. "If I become a Knight of the Round, you'll go on a date with me!" he said sternly, but mostly jokingly.

"Of course!" Milly giggled and squirmed out of his grasp.

As the Avalon reached max-height in the clouds, they followed the drift of the winds as to keep hidden inside the clouds. Back at the studio Lelouch continued to write his speech, he had just a few minutes left. The biggest issue at hand however was Kallen and Suzaku who were on their way to China for an assassination attack. Suddenly, a black with gold trim Knightmare Frame closed in on them from behind. It bore the symbol of the Black Knights and swooshed in to situate itself between Kallen and Suzaku. Kallen opened the three-way chat with it and Suzaku.

"Who are you? You're obviously a new model with the float system, but I don't recognize you." Kallen frowned. Her grump faded when the mysterious new-comer accepted the video feed and revealed themselves to be Zero. "Master!" Kallen exclaimed slightly happily.

"Sorry I took so long to catch up. Emperor Lelouch held me back to tell me something important." Zero said.

"Is something wrong?" Kallen asked.

"No." C.C. chuckled behind the Zero mask. "Everything is fine. It's actually better than fine. If we can free Empress Tianzi then the Chinese Federation and Britannia can make an alliance which would leave Emperor Lelouch as the most powerful man in the world."

"He already is." Suzaku stated flatly. "Don't get me wrong, I agree that the Chinese Federation would make a great ally for us, but what sparked it all? Why so suddenly did this happen? Who decided this assassination?" Suzaku asked dimly.

"Good question." C.C. chided behind her mask. "Empress Tianzi did. She called Lelouch pleading for help and he's answering her prayers."

"That's an odd way of putting it." Suzaku stated.

"Well yes, Emperor Lelouch has a way with people. He wants the Chinese Federation for various reasons. One of them being is that if he frees Tianzi then he'll have her army to defend his reign. Another that I personally suspect is he wants the Empress as a consort wife." C.C. smirked proud of herself. She wasn't naïve, she knew the topic of marrying Tianzi would appear eventually, so why delay the inevitable? She figured the sooner word got out the sooner it would happen.

"Wh-what?!" Kallen blushed madly; Lelouch was turning into a letch!

"Zero, please keep your personal thoughts to yourself…" Suzaku groaned. To Suzaku the topic of Lelouch having consorts was amusing, but only in private with friends. When Zero spoke of it that's when it began to sound perverse.

As with what Emperor Charles did was have a hundred and eight consorts, some of which bore him a child or two; sometimes more. This gave him a massive selection of heirs to pick from to succeeded his throne. Even though C.C. had kept her mouth shut on the topic of Lelouch producing heirs, she agreed with it. It's the natural thing to do when in power; spread it. If Lelouch impregnated one, or more, of his female friends then he could declare that unborn child heir to the throne and there'd be nothing Cornelia could do about it. It was a fitting plan in the eyes of C.C. and Ruben. Lelouch however shied away from the topic and intended to keep such a personal issue to himself. Alas; Emperor Lelouch was a shy virgin boy.

"Back on topic!" Kallen made a face of disgust. "How are we executing this operation? Are we just gonna fly over the forbidden city, swoop in to pick up the Empress then kill the High Eunuchs? Where do they even stay? Are they all in one place?" Kallen began asking quickly.

"Here's the plan." C.C. began as she opened a blue print to share with their screens. "Empress Tianzi is in the main chamber of the Palace here. Then the High Eunuchs will all be gathered over on the East end of the city. Since no one outside of the High Eunuchs and the Empress are inside the city we can just bomb and annihilate the entire Eastern border." Zero said as each building flashed on Kallen and Suzaku's screens.

"Sounds simple enough. Aren't we taking the Empress with us though?" Kallen asked.

"Yes and no. She'll be following us as she'll be led by her own personal assistant. I believe his name is Xingke." C.C. added.

"Alright, as long as Empress Tianzi herself ordered this attack I'm fine with it." Suzaku said as he repositioned his grip on the handles of the Lancelot.

"We'll be flying over China in less than an hour, so keep an eye out for ships in the ocean below. The only thing we can do until we reach Vermillion is try to stay in the clouds." Zero said.

"Right." Suzaku and Kallen agreed.

XxXxXxX

The curtains were ready to open. The crowds waited patiently yet remained in a tizzy of excitement. The news crews had every camera pointed at the center stage where a podium stood with a solo microphone. Cornelia and her personal inner circle sat in their plush office as they watched their screens. Lelouch stood behind the curtains with his papers in hand; he was mentally preparing himself for possibly one of the greatest speeches he'd ever make in his lifetime as Emperor. Suddenly Ruben gave him a hand signal that meant that less than sixty-seconds remained before the curtains opened. Lelouch took several deep breathes and stretched his back during this time. Ruben gave the final ten seconds countdown. Lelouch put himself into his true persona that he usually reserved only for Zero. Today however he'd be the god-like king that he truly was. The timer hit zero and the curtains opened to reveal to him his beloved followers cheering and the world before him. He took the two steps up the stairs and walked casually onto the platform where he stood behind the podium. He swished his right hand out sideways as a command of silence before he raised his monarch voice in impending triumph.

"2Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed! The Japanese man needs the Britannian man to free him of his fears; the Britannian man needs the Japanese man to free him of his guilt!" Lelouch exclaimed into the microphone loudly with passion. The entire Japanese and Britannian masses of Tokyo cheered and screamed at their Emperor. Every area-colony owned by Britannia watched from their television screens and smart phones as their God spoke to them. "Japan, Mexico and every other area-colony, I request your full attention!" Lelouch said as he paused a moment to allow his followers to turn their volume up or readjust themselves. "This is the official declaration of the area-colony system that will govern everything that calls itself an area-nation of Britannia! I already mentioned the royal and government houses of each nation is to be restored. I will now reveal who are the Viceroys of each nation. Japan of Britannia's Viceroy is Kaguya Sumeragi and Sub-Viceroy Ruri Kozuki with Prime Minister Kaname Ougi."

"Wh-what?" Ougi's eyes widened in surprise. Tamaki jumped up and ran over to Ougi's side and slapped his hands on his shoulder harshly.

"Congrats, buddy!" Tamaki giggled.

"I didn't…accept that offer though…"Ougi said slowly as his eyes remained glued to the screen.

"Well, do you wanna do it?" Tamaki asked as he removed his hands from the taller man's shoulders and put them back into his pockets.

"Of course I do! But he never mentioned a word of it to me!" Ougi stammered as he fell back into his chair and slouched down. "I wonder if this is how Emperor Lelouch felt when the will of his father said that he was the next Emperor…" Ougi pondered out loud with a nervous laugh.

"Probably!" Tamaki chided.

"I need to speak with his majesty soon about this. As where I do accept the offer, I want to know what made him choose me of all people?" Ougi continued to stare at the screen.

"Maybe Zero recommended you?" Tamaki shrugged. Ougi jumped slightly in surprise.

"That's probably it; Master Zero told Emperor Lelouch to…promote me… I see now…" Ougi's shoulders slumped and he smiled softly. He then watched as Lelouch announced the other Viceroys of each nation.

"Mexico of Britannia; Viceroy Princess Chezka and Sub-Viceroy Julio Estrada." Lelouch said boldly.

"What the hell?!" Cornelia's eyes widened. "What on Earth does he mean by Mexico?" she frowned intensely.

"The lower half of the Britannian mainland. Centuries ago it was called Mexico before Britannia took it over." Guilford explained.

"I know that, but why is he calling it Mexico? It's part of the mainland! Is he separating that too?" Cornelia grit her teeth together.

For centuries Mexico remained enslaved, although not exactly by number, as an area-colony of Britannia. It's land was absorbed as part of the mainland of Britannia while its people were driven out or forced into manual labor and discrimination. It's royal house and entire way of governing was denounced as the Emperor of Britannia, at that time, took over. The royal family continued to hold their heads up high and practice their beliefs, even declaring their heirs "royalty", even if Britannia didn't acknowledge it. Today the current "Princess" is Chezka, she grew up being called a Princess, but never believed she'd ever truly be one.

Until today.

Chezka's ruby eyes attached themselves to the screen as tears began to cascade down her porcelain skin. Her short brown hair in buns was slightly unkempt from the tossing of her head as she whimpered in both dismay and joy. She was happy her nation was getting their country back, but upset that she would be forced to enter the realm of politics and true royalty. How Emperor Lelouch even knew Chezka existed remained a mystery to her and her family, but the hard fact remained that Lelouch had announced her existence to the world.

"I'm…the Princess of Mexico…" she whispered to herself. She was alone in her room sitting on her cotton bed in per pajamas. Her parents came running into the room and jumped into a hug with her. She was far less excited than they, but she returned the enormous glomp nonetheless. Their attention was turned back to the screen where Emperor Lelouch made his next announcement.

"Viceroy of the Middle Eastern Federation; Aban Maymun." Lelouch read off his paper. After many other nations were announced he finally came to the main point of his speech."I'd like the undivided attention of not just Japan, but Britannia as well. As of today Japan of Britannia has its own army; the Black Knights. The Black Knights shall serve Japan of Britannia and myself."

"My…..what…. How can this be?" Cornelia asked herself as her mouth hung open slightly. "We spent eight years fighting Area Eleven and almost an entire year with the Black Knights. How did he just win them over so easily?" she asked as Guilford shook his head.

At this moment the world seemed like it was heading for an unsettling war, the war that would change not just the map but the lives of everyone alive today. The future was being decided by this God's words.

"Area nations, I request that you help me fight Cornelia! If she defeats me then your rights that you've only just gotten will be taken away again! Your names will be covered with numbers and lies! Help me protect you and everything you've spent all these years fighting for! 2We must live together as allies or perish alone as fools! Britannians, I have a request from you as well. 2There is no greater sin than simply standing aside and watching the tragedies of your fellow humans being tortured unjustly. The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people! 1The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments. Cornelia is a shining example of such inhumane government! 1Modern society, based as it is on the division of labor, can only be preserved under the conditions of lasting peace! 1Sovereignty must not be used for inflicting harm on anyone; be it citizen or foreigner. 1Wars of aggression are popular nowadays with those nations convinced that only victory and conquest could improve their material well-being.1To defeat the aggressors is not enough to make peace durable. The main thing is to discard the ideology that creates war." Lelouch said as the masses stared at him before cheering loudly again.

Most of the 'bad' Britannians fled Japan and went back to the mainland to join Cornelia, so any pure Britannians left in Japan were likely anti-racist and liberal. This gained Lelouch the full effect of a happy audience as opposed to the 'mixed-feelings' he'd received upon his swearing in.

Most did find it rather odd that during Lelouch's few months reigning as Emperor that he never once went to the mainland, much less left Japan at all. His close friends understood his reasons; however the rest of the world remained baffled and misunderstanding. Cornelia half-wondered if he'd been brainwashed by the Yakuza or something. Regardless, in her mind Lelouch needed to be stopped and his laws reversed. He was sending Britannia down the path of collapsing. The ways of Britannia made them so powerful because it allowed them to conquer and control smaller nations, thus boosting their size. Lelouch was shrinking Britannia faster than it could ever be rebuilt. Not only did he release Japan almost entirely from the holds of Britannia, but now the other area-colonies were breaking free as well; even those that had been in control for hundreds of years.

"Japan, Britannia, Mexico, the Middle Eastern Federation….. Everyone who calls themselves an area-nation of Britannia, head my call! If you fight alongside me against Cornelia's Britannia, then I shall defend your name and honor to the entire world. No longer will you be called a number as a servant of another race! Now that all eighteen area-nations have their governments and royalties restored we can finally let go of the past and move into the future! All those who wish to ascend into the future join me! Anyone who wishes to dwell on the past and wallow in the mistakes of mankind oppose me!" Lelouch raised his arms into the air as a symbol of his high energy. Japan ate it up; it had been far too long since they had a leader they adored so dearly. Emperor Lelouch may not of been Japanese, or even Asian, but he was the closest thing to the old Japan they'd seen in nearly a decade. "1All attempts to coerce the living will of human beings into the service of something they do not want must fail. The area-number system that Cornelia wants to implement will only further to destroy the world. I won't let Britannia hold the world back any longer! The only true path to the future lies within coming to an understanding of one another. 2Love is the only force capable of turning an enemy into a friend."

To Cornelia, this line made little sense. An enemy was an enemy, why would you show them love or sympathy? Shirley however smiled timidly. She remembered how she came to liking Lelouch. She didn't care for him much at all; in fact she could barely stand him. He was her polar opposite. He was uncaring, bored and very tepid. It was rare for him to put much effort into anything he did; he lacked passion and charisma. The only thing he shed a smile for was his beloved Nunnally which seemed to be his one and only saving grace. It was until she witnessed him helping an elderly couple in a car accident that his true light came to fruition before her. He had a soft side, he had the ability to care for others unconditionally and he especially had passion. Lelouch was simply lazy in his daily life, but as the Emperor he was nearly a god. This speech was the passion she'd been trying to find in him again.

"2Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Cornelia 's laws are an injustice to the entire world; to everyone who calls themselves a human being. 2Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude. Should Cornelia surrender now then I shall personally forgive her actions."

"Forgive me, huh?" Cornelia snuffed in vein. She took the thought of forming some sort of agreement with Lelouch, but she ultimately realized that Lelouch's and her own ideas were far too different for any sort of treaty to work out.

"Now is the time to establish the future world order!" Lelouch roared powerfully as the crowd's excitement matched his volume. People holding signs and banners filled the front rows and people waving the flag of Japan of Britannia scattered throughout the back. Out of everyone cheering and screaming at Lelouch in the ecstasy of the moment there was one person who did nothing except stare. From the mid of the mass of people a lone thin figure-silhouette of a person turned around and moved about the masses. They eventually found their way out of the crowd and into the sidelines where significantly less people shrouded around. This person then turned their attention back to the pseudo-king at his podium preaching his beliefs.

"Future world order my ass…" the frail feminine voice said.

This person was rather short and feminine. She had a very flat chest cloaked in a thick winter jacket, long baggy pants with sunglasses and a hat to cover her hair. Her unstained lips frowned up at Lelouch from afar. She was standing on the edge of the East streets about a good block down the road from the news stage. Just far enough away to only be able to hear the crowd's cheering and not whole lot of Lelouch's blathering. She gave the tiny figure of Lelouch a disgusted glare. Turning on her heels she walked away and up to a nearby building. She slammed the door open and casually, but roughly, and staggered into the dank building. She walked up several flights of stairs and up to the rooftop where she stood on the edge of the building. She looked down at the ground about four stories down and then looked up at the massive crowd engulfing Lelouch's folktale of a speech. Out of the front pocket of her over-sized coat she pulled out a long pistol. It was old fashioned, but clearly updated with a special scope at the top. Normally any gun with a scope would be much longer than a hand-gun, but for this young girl it wasn't necessary.

"Asshole…." She whispered as she hoisted the gun upwards into the air. She cocked it and placed her left hand underneath it. Shakily she aimed it at the crowd as she scanned down at all the filthy Elevens that loitered the streets of Tokyo. As her small hands shook lightly from nerves her eyes teared up slightly. She paused to wipe the tears away quickly before returning the nozzle of the gun at the direction of his majesty.

"Asshole…" she said again in a breathy air of arrogance. She grit her teeth and braced herself. She knew her actions would forever change the world. She took several deep breathes as she peered through the scope to see Lelouch's head come into view. The vision through the scope shook around as her hands remained unsteady. She swallowed her fear and her heart to place her finger on the trigger of fate.

"A-…Asshole…!" she screeched as she pulled and the gun let loose an explosive shot that rocketed itself towards the Emperor.

"My fellow Britannians, assist me-Augh!" the loud shot rang out through the streets as the bullet pierced into Lelouch's flesh and bone. As soon as the red of the Emperor's blood was shed onto the stage floor the world was thrown into an emotional brawl. Lelouch's body fell behind the podium and many crew members flooded the stage managing to block the scene visually.

Shirley cried out in agony as Rival fell to his knees in disbelief and Euphemia trembled as tears began to pour upon her cheeks. C.C., Kallen and Suzaku had yet to hear the news and kept flying towards China as nearly the world flew into a fit of rage or joy. Nunnally couldn't see what was happening on the screen, but she had heard the loud sound of the gunfire and the screams and tears of her friends. Her forever closed eyes squeezed tight as she felt the warmth of sorrow pooling inside of her.

"Big….b-brother….?" She called out weakly. Her small hands grasped the handles of her wheelchair. She may not of seen it, but she sure heard it. The gunshot was an ominous and hellish force that echoed throughout everyone's televisions and ears.

"Oh Nunna-Chan!" Shirley draped herself over Nunnally from behind and let her forehead rest on the top of the girl's brunette head as he arms looped around her small shoulders. Nunnaly's right hand released the handle bar and went up to grip Shirley's arm tightly for emotional support.

"Sh-shirley, did it hit big…brother?" she asked through a shuddering sob.

Shirley said nothing except breakdown and slump down the backside of the wheelchair then to the floor in a mess. Milly kneeled down next to Shirley and embraced her tightly. Rivalz hands went to the floor as he pounded the marble tile with his enraged fist repeatedly. He groaned and grunted in an overwhelming sadness. He envisioned Lelouch's funeral, finishing high school without his best friend and the rest of his life without the only guy he'd ever be willing to smooch. Cornelia let out a horror-film worthy screech of surprise. Most of the royal family simply smirked or laughed lightly as Lelouch's lack of perimeter guarding. There should have been a sniper at every nook and cranny during any public event. Schneizel slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes in a silent prayer for his little brother's soul.

"The only real sin is hatred and therefore the lack of sympathy and compassion in your actions." Lelouch said as he grit his teeth and gripped the podium with his dwindling might. He pulled himself all the way up in a bloody mess and as an angered and very un-kindred spirit.

The girl with the gun standing on top of a building froze. She hit her target, but he remained standing; he continued to speak words of treason against the real Britannia. She must've missed the asshole's ticker by mere inches. She dropped the gun with a loud clank on the ground as she shook her head. She crossed her arms and gripped her upper arms tightly as she looked at the standing Emperor as he continued his speech. She lowered her head to look at her feet on the rocky rooftop. She knew she had to get out of there immediately, she'd soon be found; there was no time for a second attempt. As she turned she looked back up to the door the let loose a horrified shriek; someone was standing there watching her.

"So this is what you were going to do with mother's gun." The older woman said stoically.

"Big sister, please understand!" the younger girl pleaded as she took a step back. "It was for the sake of Britannia!"

"He is the Emperor! How could assassinating him be for the sake of Britannia?" the elder tried to reason.

"That…" she pointed to the stage that was in a frenzy. "…asshole was ruining our precious Britannia!" she screeched childishly.

"Mother would be so disappointed." The older woman sighed out miserably. "We're going back to the escort car now! Come here!" She tried to move towards the frightened gun-girl.

"N-no! I can't go back now!" the younger tried to turn to run away, but quickly remembered that she was high up on the roof. The girl felt backed unto a corner; frightened and instinctual. "I can't return….to the palace. Not like this!" she choked out through tears. "I failed my mission…. I won't get a second chance to free Britannia… I have to…to end this…" she said weakly as she bent down to pick the gun back up. She lifted it to hear own head and pointed it at her skull.

"No! Venus! It doesn't have to be like this!" the older woman cried out in horror.

"Should the world continue in the path of hatred, it shall be consumed by hatred." Boomed Lelouch's voice louder than ever from across the street. His words echoed in both the girls' minds. "A world of war is no worse than the reality of hell itself."

"Venus…can't you hear what brother Lelouch is saying?" the woman asked with tears.

"Yes but… It's not…" she took one quick glance back at the stage where she could see the shroud of people engulfing him. They were likely trying to get him to stop his speech to seek medical attention. "But that man is not Emperor." Venus frowned as she cocked the gun gently.

"Venus….Venus!" was all the woman could shout. She made a couple steps closer to her younger sister in hopes she might be able to quell her. "Little Venus, please! Please stop this! You're only twelve, why do you feel the need to kill?"

"Zephne, you'll never understand what father told me the day he died." Venus closed her eyes.

"Then tell me!" Zephne demanded. "Tell me what father told you! And in return I'll tell you what he told me!" she pleaded.

"You will?" Venus's purple eyes bled tears of sorrow as she spoke. Without removing the gun from her head she nodded as Zephne did. "He told me that Lelouch was to become Emperor so that he'll be assassinated. He even said that it'd be done by one of us." Venus said with a grimace. Zephne's violet eyes were transfixed on the stage now where Lelouch was continuing his speech.

"When father first learned he'd had less than six months to live he called each of us into his private room to tell us a different piece of information about Britannia." Zephne began as her sights lingered on Lelouch across the street. She knew it wasn't long before guards swarmed the building and arrested them both. "He told me that a woman named C.C. has the power to control the new Emperor. He said if I wanted to become Empress then I'd first have to find C.C. and kill her."

"That doesn't make any sense at all!" Venus gave her older sister a look of dismay.

"I never wanted to become Empress. I'm alright with being just a Princess. He knew this too. So why did he tell me to kill this C.C. woman?" Zephne pondered.

"You two! Freeze!" came a shouting man from behind. Venus' gun went from her head to point at the militant man blocking the only door to the rooftop.

"Oh no…it's the military!" Zephne whirled around to see the single man in uniform.

A loud shot rang out that was heard by all, including Lelouch. However it did not hit Lelouch this time. Zephne doubled over in agony as the clutched her sides; the bullet had hit her in the back. Within seconds she collapsed to the floor unconscious. The soldier then aimed his gun as Venus and was ready to fire, but Venus beat him to it. As the second shot pierced the man's skull he fell to the floor dead. To Venus it was amazing how easily she'd just taken two people's lives. She turned back around to see a helicopter flying towards her coming from Lelouch's direction. There was no more time to aim for Lelouch a second chance. She grit her teeth as she heard the footsteps of many soldiers running up the stairs towards the rooftop where she stood. In a panic she grabbed ahold her Zephne's underarms and dragged her motionless body across the rooftop and dropped her off the side. The lifeless Princess's corpse landed inside of a dumpster full of trash where the lid slammed shut on her.

Venus then jumped off the short two story building and landed onto the trashcan lid where she slid off and fell to the ground harshly. With a limp she staggered out of the alley and tossed the gun down a sewage drain. She could only hope that the helicopter hadn't seen her or identified her as Princess Venus. Luckily her disguise made her figure far too vague to be identified, but there were still eye witnesses and snap-photos of her. She trudged down the streets of Tokyo, slowly getting further and further away from Lelouch.

'Forgive me Zephne, big sister. I love you! I promise Lelouch will pay for your death, it's all his fault! Asshole! Asshole! Asshole!' she thought as tears fell from her eyes as she limped into the city.

"Asshole!" she screeched with all her broken hatred.

"Britannia! This is not just a civil war; this is a rebellion!" Lelouch managed to bellow into the microphone before Ruben pulled him away to let the medical staff tend to him.

The crowd stood in horror, some screaming, some deathly mute. Most were glad to see that their Emperor had the cojones to continue his speech with a bullet in the chest, but at the same time they were also appalled that he was currently refusing medical attention.

"Lelouch! If you die here it's all over!" Ruben hissed into the raging Emperor's ear. "That gunman could shoot a second time if you stay up here, what's wrong with you?!"

Lelouch allowed himself to calm down; Ruben was absolutely right. If he stayed up on that podium any longer he'd either bleed to death or the assassin would shoot a second time. It wasn't until this moment that Lelouch felt any sort of physical pain or discomfort; he'd likely been in shock from the suddenness of the attack. He felt a demonic pressure in this upper left chest that extended to his shoulder and left arm. With his right arm he clutched his chest as sweat began to form on his forehead. It became rather hard to breathe and he coughed out a couple of times. Luckily he wasn't coughing up any blood and the bleeding wasn't as terrible as it seemed. Lelouch allowed the medics to put an oxygen mask on his face and lift him onto a stretcher. He was air lifted away immediately to the nearest hospital. Tokyo was in sheer mayhem; the royal guard cleared the streets of any human life and even closed down most buildings within the perimeter of the hospital. Lelouch was almost immediately anesthetized for surgery upon entering the hospital.

"Oh Milly! Will he be alright?!" Shirley screeched as she clutched the blonde's upper arms. Shirley sat on the floor behind Nunnally's wheel chair as Milly kneeled before her.

"Well…uhm.." Milly swallowed harshly as she quickly wiped a tear from her cheek. "He did seem to be….okay….when he finished the speech…" Milly said as she kept glancing at the television screen to see the action in downtown Tokyo.

As several emergency speakers filled in the speech on a minute by minute basis about Lelouch's status, Rival hogged the TV with all his might. The screen continued to replay the footage of exactly where on Lelouch's chest the bullet hit. Shirley couldn't bring herself to even watch it again, but Milly kept her eye keenly on Lelouch's chest. She saw it multiple times; she studied it. Milly went through high school with two options; law or medical. She did a little divvying in both fields and she knew enough to know that the bullet likely missed his heart and lungs. Based on the fact that Lelouch was able to speak well enough she knew the hit could not possibly of been in the lungs. Also the fact that he didn't collapse after over two minutes of standing proved that it didn't affect his heart.

"He'll be alright." Milly said boldly as she stood up out of Shirley's shaky grasp. Shirley's green eyes looked up at her President in horror. "It didn't hit anything vital; whoever shot him is an amateur and a terrible aim." Milly added with a leer at the screen. Rival looked back to see the stern and disconcerted look on Milly's face and felt a bit more at ease.

"This just in!" the television suddenly alarmed them. "A suspect was sighted two streets away from the rally! A young teenager in a white vest, baggy blue jeans and a ball cap was standing atop this building mere seconds after the first shot was fired!"

"First shot!?" Milly asked loudly. If the shot had to be called 'first', then it meant that there were more fired.

"It was also reported that during the chaos up on stage with his majesty Emperor Lelouch that a second shot was fired followed by a third. As of this very moment there is only one corpse on the rooftop of this building. The man was declared dead at the scene. He is identified immediately as Andrew Fenette; son of Joseph Fenette. He was reportedly standing guard over the East street of the rally when he saw a suspicious young girl on top of the building. He called in for back-up, but it just wasn't in time. The suspect is currently at large with no major leads. If you see this young teenager please contact our hotline."

The screen showed a picture of what appeared to be a young girl with bright hair stuffed up under a hat. She could not possible have been older than twelve or thirteen. Shirley let loose a scream that could pierce the human ear. Not only was her darling Lelou in limbo, but her older brother was now deceased. Shirley couldn't' think of a situation worse than this, her entire life had been built up upon adoring Lelouch and praising her brother's accomplishments. She crawled desperately over to Milly and latched onto her leg and unleashed a sob that broke the blonde's heart. She kneeled down again and cradled the girl in her arms. As she sat with the uncontrollable Shirley she reached up and grasped Nunnally's hand. Even though the young princess had kept quiet, she too was in absolute heart-break. Everyone kept the news channel on in hopes that more news of Lelouch's status would be aired, but after two grueling hours nothing had even been mentioned.

Cornelia had been watching the rally and was in utter dismay over having witnessed her own little brother's probable assassination. She began to reconsider the entire war at this moment. She bit her perfectly manicured nails to the quick. She jittered her teeth in anticipation of any news on her dearest brother's status. At one point she even walked over to the wall to hover over a rubbish bin when she became nauseous. Her hands shook slightly as her knees felt somewhat weak. She breathed deeply and sharply as she tried to focus on her biggest current issue; the assassin.

"I swear…" she muttered out through a pant of fear. This fear took hold of her words; it was the fear of losing a loved one. "I swear on my life as Princess of Britannia…." She continued.

"My lady?" Guilford questioned with great concern as he places a gentle hand on her back.

"I will annihilate whoever attempts to steal the life of my younger brother!" she hissed out as she allowed the first tear to fall and her first pounded against the wall before her.

XxXxXxXxX

"Suzaku!" Euphemia screamed loudly. "Suzaku answer me!" The panic began to settle into the pits of Euphemia's stomach. This pit of agony, fear and pure adrenaline grew by the moment. With every button she pushed on the small phone the more her fingers trembled. She sunk to her knees once her legs finally gave out. She repeatedly dialed Suzaku's personal number, but to no avail.

Suzaku, Kallen and Zero were already at China's borders, thus largely out of range for any personal cell phones to work. They continued on with their mission completely unaware of the madness consuming the rest of the world.

"Suzaku! Kallen! Zero!" came the voice of Ougi through the Knightmare radio waves. Unfortunately China didn't have any towers or satellites for the Knightmare's radios to work out of either, so the entire message was choppy and staticy.

"Yes Ougi, we copy." Zero replied stoically.

"Hurry!" he said as his voice cracked like a child's.

"Why? What's wrong?" Suzaku asked pensively.

"The rally! It's over!" Ougi yelled out.

"So? It ended on time, didn't it?" Kallen's brow quirked.

"The rally-" the radio became staticy and began buzzing. "All troops are launch-"

"What?" Zero asked shortly.

"The war has begun! Emperor Lelou-chhhhttt!" it cut off again.

"Damnit China!" Zero hissed loudly as she tried a different channel. "Ougi, do you copy?"

"Get-bzzzt!"

Then the radio went silent.

"Damnit, I guess the rally invoked Cornelia to make her first move." Zero scoffed. "We'll have to proceed with the China-mission immediately. We haven't a moment to waste! Bomb the Eastern Vermillion City and grab the Empress!" Zero ordered.

Kallen and Suzaku complied, but all three of them remained oblivious to the hell going on across the sea.

XxXxXxXxX

"Update on the Emperor Lelouch medical report!" The TV announced and everyone huddled around immediately. Euphemia bolted back from the corner of the room to the main couch. She grabbed onto Nunnally's other hand while Milly's remained with the other hand. Nunnally squeezed their hands tightly.

"Big brother…" she sighed weakly.

"Emperor Lelouch has come out of surgery, according to the medical report he is expected to live, but the damage may be immense. He has yet to wake up from the anesthesia and doctors haven't mentioned what vital organs were hit. We are expected to receive another update in less than two hours. Stay tuned for minute to minute updates on the current 'rebellion' that is ongoing inside Britannia."

Everyone took a breath of relief and a sigh of agony that had been held inside. Just because Lelouch survived surgery didn't mean he'd live through the aftermath or be able to remain Emperor. Nunnally let go of Milly and Euphemia's hands to clasp her hands together in prayer. The Black Knights had been in tears and turmoil, but now their fears were laid to rest; for the most part. Luckily Cornelia remained unaware of the Black Knights sitting in the sky just outside of the Britannian mainland. She allowed herself a few moments of thanking 'God' for saving her brother's life before continuing to construct a battle plan. Just because Lelouch was hospitalized doesn't mean she's won the war or that the battle was called off. She knew that this moment wasn't one of victory.

"We now have more shocking news of the Emperor Lelouch rally shooting!" the TV said and everyone immediately turned their attention to their screens.

"Is it about Lelouch?" Rivalz whined screeching.

"The body once identified as Andrew Fenette has gone missing. Secret Service announced that they had not removed the body from the scene yet, but while only three men were inspecting the situation the body suddenly vanished. Claims are being made that the body vanished into thin air. We are ready for- hold on….. Go to commercial!" the anchor shouted abruptly and the screen flashed to a commercial.

"What?! The body vanished?" Cornelia pondered from her chair in her office. "Are they sure he wasn't alive and didn't just get up and walk away?"

"That's a might strange…" Guilford commented.

"Fenette….Fenette…" Cornelia repeated softly as she remained deep in thought.

"Yes, Andrew Fenette was the son of Joseph Fenette. He is also the elder brother of one of Lelouch's girlfriends; Shirley Fenette." Guildford informed her.

"I thought so, the last name was incredibly familiar." Cornelia sighed.

Back at the Avalon Shirley had stood up and approached the TV with an unreadable expression. Milly and Rival began to worry about her state of mind. Milly walked up to Shirley from behind and embraced her gently.

"It'll be okay." The President whispered into Shirley's orange locks.

"He…disappeared…?" Shirley asked with a trembling voice. Milly lead Shirley to the couch where she made her sit down next to Euphemia. As Milly attempted to calm Shirley, a cell phone across the room began to ring; it was Shirley's. Milly figured it was Mrs. or Mr. Fenette calling to talk to Shirley about her brother. No one answered it and her phone went to voicemail.

Another couple hours passed and everyone was anxious. During the two hour wait they'd received two phone calls; one to personally inform them that Lelouch was alright for the most part; and the second was to tell Gino and Anya to be ready inside their Knightmares for battle should the war start suddenly. Gino and Anya sat in their cockpits with the hatches open. They talked about Lelouch and Suzaku for the most part, except when Gino would mention Kallen's physique.

"Hey Anya." Gino said as he leaned back and kicked his feet up onto the dash board.

"Yes?" was all she replied as her eyes remained focused on her digital diary.

"Do you think Suzaku has what it takes to be a Knight of the Round? Or Rival for that matter?" he asked with a wistful smile.

"No." she said flatly. Gino scoffed in her direction.

"You just got lucky and was born with all that natural talent, but Rival has it too! Especially that Suzaku!" Gino chuckled out loudly. "Suzaku was the only person to score a ninty-two! Rivals got a whopping seventy-nine! Emperor Lelouch has some kickass friends! I wish I could do some training with them sometime!" Gino giggled to himself basically.

"I wonder how well his highness pilots." Anya pondered stoically. Gino's laughter halted and a quizzical expression befell him.

"Emperor Lelouch in a Knightmare Frame….Hrmmmm…" Gino squinted his eyes at the small girl beside him.

As Gino thought about what score Lelouch could possibly get on the Knightmare Pilot's Exam, Zero and the others were wrapping up their mission in China.

"Empress Tianzi!" Zero called out from the open backside of her Knightmare Frame.

"Oh Zero! I wasn't expecting you to be the one to come for me! I thought Lady Kaguya told me that Emperor Lelouch was coming in person!" Tianzi said with slight worry.

"No, I don't think that was ever the case. Regardless, is your escort Xingke here?" Zero asked as she leapt elegantly from her Knightmare to the ground.

"Yes, he's getting in his Knightmare as well." The young Empress replied.

"Chhhzzzzt-All units-bzzzztttchhhhttt-" Came the static filled radio from Zero's cockpit. C.C. gave her Knightmare a glace, but dismissed it.

"Is your radio broken?" Tianzi asked.

"No, China has no towers for our specific radio signals." Zero answered as Xingke's Knightmare rolled up. It was a basic original style knightmare with no float system or any equivalency.

"Ahh, no float system I see." Zero smirked behind her mask. "You won't be escaping China in that."

Tianzi looked up at Xingke who was standing upright in his open hatch. He returned her worried glance.

"I was hoping you'd have that sorted out." Xingke frowned at the masked Zero.

"The inside of my cockpit is large enough to fit you both, just abandon that one and join me." Zero said as she turned and climbed up the rope ladder into her cockpit. She lowered the Knightmare's hand down and allowed Xingke and the Empress to climb on. The massive robotic hand then went around to the backside of the hatch and allowed them to climb aboard. Thankfully C.C. had swiped a double-decker Knightmare and there was seating for up to four inside the large cockpit.

"I must thank you, Zero, for helping Empress Tianzi's dream to finally be realized." Xingke bowed his head at Zero.

"You're most welcome, but it's Emperor Lelouch you should truly be thanking. He's the one who-"

"All units are to repo-chzzzzchhzzzzzttt"

Xingke and Tianzi's expressions changed to that of sorrow.

"I suppose we should return to Japan as quickly as possible. Who knows what Cornelia has already done in the time we've been gone." Zero said. "Kallen, Suzaku!" Zero called out as she opened the three-way video conference with them.

"Is there an issue Master Zero?" Kallen asked.

"I'm not sure, but the radio has been picking up some minor signals." C.C. explained.

"Ours too." Suzaku said as he flipped a couple switches in his cockpit. "I've got no signal as of right now, but it sounds like they're either recalling all troops back to Japan, or they're sending them all to begin attacking."

"I see now. You've all been out of radio contact for hours now. There's something you must all know." Xingke frowned.

"What is it?" Kallen asked as she landed her Knightmare next to Zero's and Suzaku followed suit. They'd just returned from assassinating the high Eunuchs.

"Before you all arrived here the rally was being aired live on the news; Emperor Lelouch was assassinated." Xingke said with a grimace, but he tried to retain his composure. Suzaku and Kallen's expressions changed dramatically. "I didn't get to see the whole broadcast before China's news station turned to your attacks on the Vermillion city, but Emperor Lelouch was shot in the chest during his rally. As soon as he was shot our news channels changed stories. I do not know what's become of Japan or Britannia at this time."

Kallen's tears immediately flowed freely. "Damnit…..damnit….damnit!" she choked out. Just when she thought the world stood a chance at peace….

"No! That can't be!" Suzaku's eyes too watered, but he refrained from crying entirely. "Who would… Who would want to do such a thing…" Suzaku's gaze turned down to the steering handles of his Knightmare.

"You're wrong!" C.C. said with the synthetic voice of the Zero mask. "I have a special connection with Emperor Lelouch; he is not dead!"

"How can you tell!?" Suzaku's eyebrows furrowed and he grit his teeth.

"I'll explain later, only Kallen knows it as of this moment." Zero answered as her Knightmare lifted off the ground.

'I understand that Zero and Lelouch both got their Geass from C.C., but does that really mean they're connected? If so, then why can't I sense them? Maybe they signed the same contract together at the same time and I signed my own? Either way, I already know I can trust whatever Zero says.' Kallen thought and she allowed herself to calm down.

"Suzaku!" Kallen said boldly. Suzaku only made a small noise to notify her that he was listening. He wasn't being arrogant, he was simply in shock. "Zero is right. Let's head back to Japan to find out more."

"We have to!" Suzaku agreed and he too lifted off the ground and began hovering over the Vermillion city.

They took off together as Empress Tianzi used Zero's Knightmare to make the formal statement to all of China that she was now in complete control of her nation. She also gave the command to send shipments of weapons, Knightmares and supplies directly to Japan for the battle at hand. China loved their Empress just like Japan adored Lelouch now. They were relieved that not only was Empress Tianzi finally free from her confines under the High Eunuchs, but that Britannia was not their ally. Japan's independence was always an interest of China's; they wouldn't let this opportunity slide. Behind the three flying Knightmares was China's shipments of supplies to Japan. C.C. as Zero helped Tianzi give orders to her people and organize her army. As they arrived in Japan Zero took Tianzi and Xingke straight to the Avalon while Suzaku and Kallen reported directly to the hospital.

"Kallen, I've just heard from a guard on station at the front entrance that Lelouch is expected to live!" he ran up to her with a huge smile. Kallen let out a sigh of relief. She'd cursed Xingke for his horrid wording and using the term 'assassinated'. She'll have to kick his ass for it later.

"I…" she began and Suzaku understood that it must be hard for her too. He placed he hands on her shoulders.

"As soon as the doctors let us in we can go talk to him. It's going to be alright!" Suzaku shook her shoulders gently as he smiled brightly.

"I know. I just wish I could have been there for him." She frowned up at him as yet another tear slid down her cheek. Suzaku slowly let go of her in realization. He laughed softly a single time before he bawled up his fist and pressed it to his mouth to keep from laughing any further. She gave him a suspicious glare. "What's so funny?" she hissed as she wiped her tear away.

"I'll tell you sometime, just not now." He laughed out and turned away from her.

"So Lelouch." Suzaku spoke up as he laid down the first card. "Since she's not around….Do you and Kallen have a thing going on or something?" he asked with a small grin.

"I…that is…uh….not exactly." Lelouch replied with an off expression. "What makes you even think that?" Lelouch evidently blushed.

"You're always just skipping school on the same days. It's like you two plan it or something. As soon as Kallen would excuse herself from class and never come back you do the same. When she shows up late for morning class so do you. It's just like you two are hanging out together. Like just a little while ago as soon as Kallen went to the bathroom you got up and left as well; and for a long time at that!" Suzaku pointed out. Kallen noticed the look on Suzaku's face was rather happy and cheerful compared to how she usually sees him.

"It's a coincidence! Speaking of Kallen, I wonder why she isn't back yet. Maybe she's gotten into…trouble…!" Lelouch said as obvious panic struck his voice.

"See? You'resoworried about her!" Suzaku grinned and pinched Lelouch's cheek. "You look so upset that she isn't here!"

The embarrassed look on Lelouch's face made Kallen's heart feel light and fluffy.

When she blinked she was returned to seeing Suzaku's back to her. She'd had another memory vision from her Geass. She figured the time frame in which the memory took place was at the night of the inauguration party. She blushed at what she'd just witnessed; Lelouch had been worried about her.

"Suzaku.." she said breathily. He turned his head back cutely to smile at her. "Thank you."

"What?" Suzaku blinked as he fully turned around to face her.

"Nevermind, I'm just going to wait by the door-"

"You two have been cleared for entrance to see his highness now." Said a man from behind Kallen. She spun around quickly to see the doctor smiling down at her. This smile further reassured her that Lelouch was alright. They both immediately headed straight for Lelouch's hospital room where he was still asleep, but clearly alive. Suzaku and Kallen allowed themselves to sit beside him while they waited for him to wake up.

Zero had just dropped Empress Tianzi and Xingke off at the Avalon where C.C. ditched the Zero costume and returned to being herself. She left in a different Knightmare frame and went straight to the hospital to visit Lelouch. When she walked through the door to Lelouch's room she was met with the sight of Suzaku and Kallen talking casually. She took it upon herself to sit next to them. At first neither of them said a word to her as C.C. continued to stare at Lelouch's sleeping face. He didn't seem exactly peaceful, yet he didn't appear to be in any sort of discomfort. He was likely drugged and full of pain killers. She half wondered if he'd be goofy or delusional upon first waking up.

"C.C., I need to ask you something." Kallen said and her voice stirred the witch out of her train of thought.

"Hmm?" she moaned softly as a reply.

"Zero mentioned having a special connection with Lelouch. What was he talking about?" Kallen demanded.

"He also promised to explain it to me, but he never got the chance. Care to fill me in?" Suzaku almost frowned. He didn't know Lelouch was so personally involved with Zero. It kind of scared him a little to be honest. C.C. kept quiet, thinking of either a lie to tell or if she should just come clean.

"You gave Zero and Lelouch their Geasses, did they sign the same contract, is that it?" Kallen asked again, but then immediately caught her mistake. C.C. turned to glare at Kallen almost evilly.

Kallen made a noise of surprise and clasped her hand over her mouth.

"Geass? Contract?" Suzaku asked dumbly.

"Don't worry Kallen, I intended to allow Suzaku to know about Geass eventually." She sighed and stood up. She slowly walked around to the other side of Lelouch's bed where she leaned over to pull the covers down to witness the wound for herself.

"What's Geass?" Suzaku asked at his eyes went from C.C. to Kallen.

"It's a super power I've given to Lelouch, Kallen and scarce others." C.C. said in monotone as she stared intently at Lelouch's gunshot wound.

"Also to Zero." Kallen added. "Wait…scarce others? You mean we're not the only ones?" Kallen asked as her eyes widened.

"You're all in on some super-power secret nonsense?" Suzaku asked as his eyebrows lifted in denial. He could have laughed, but he hadn't decided if the joke was funny or not yet.

"Suzaku." C.C. said as she dropped the blanket and stared Suzaku fiercely in the eyes. "I was the woman who was shot outside Tokyo palace. Kallen didn't believe it either, but it's true."

"Uhm…" Suzaku stifled himself. Kallen could sense that she wouldn't be the only one to be in denial at first hearing of Geass.

"Suzaku, she isn't lying. I found out myself that this is true. Everything she's about to tell you is the truth, whether you believe it or not." Kallen said as she placed her hand over Lelouch's still one.

"Okay, I'm listening, just entertain me is all I ask." Suzaku smiled knowing they were just trying to lighten the mood. He fully intended to call horseshit on anything this goofy woman tried to say. Normally Suzaku wasn't one for jokes, but the fact that Lelouch was alive and was going to be okay called for a celebratory laugh.

"Lelouch has a Geass power, he can mind control anyone he wants, but just once. I don't know what Kallen's is yet and-"

C.C. was cut off by the obnoxious sound of Suzaku laughing heartily. "You can't expect me to believe that, can you?" he laughed out thoroughly amused.

"Mmmnnn… Who's yelling…?" came a moan from the bed. Suzaku's loud laughing seized immediately and everyone turned to Lelouch.

"You're awake!" Kallen exclaimed as she stood up and leaned over his bedside.

"Good morning Lelouch!" Suzaku smiled down on his best friend. "Are you planning to mind control me into believe everything this woman says?" his voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You…You told him about Geass?" Lelouch's eyes flew open and he stared directly at C.C.

"I tried to, but he doesn't believe me." The cold woman said.

"So he's in on this too? Why do you want to trick me into believing such foolish ideas?" Suzaku's smile dropped into a frown again.

"I have just been shot in the chest, do you honestly think I'm in the mood to trick you into any pranks or jokes?" Lelouch scorned.

"Well no, but…. I just refuse to believe super powers exist." Suzaku said stiffly.

"C.C., what made you want to tell Suzaku of all people about Geass?" Lelouch asked as he attempted to sit up, but a pain ripped through his left shoulder and he fell backwards. "Augh! Damnit!" he hissed in pain.

"I wouldn't try to move just yet if I were you." C.C. said harshly as she flung the blankets up over his injured shoulder.

"Answer me!" Lelouch howled.

"When we first learned that you'd been shot they were worried you were going to die, so I assured them that our contract makes it to where I can sense who all I've given Geass to is alive or not." C.C. explained.

"Wait….Zero is the one who told us that, not you." Kallen's eyes widened. C.C. bit her lip.

"I…"

"You saw Zero today?" Lelouch asked bewildered.

"I'm sorry, I posed as Zero today to help Suzaku and Kallen accomplish the China mission." C.C. explained almost ashamed of herself. She hadn't meant to slip up like that, but there was no going back now.

"C.C. do you know how reckless you are?!" Lelouch growled at her.

"If you must know it was a good thing I went there with them. China doesn't have float systems and Kallen's and Suzaku's Knightmares are one-seaters. I used Zero's Knightmare Frame to pick Xingke and Empress Tianzi up since it can hold up to four people. So don't look too upset." C.C. returned Lelouch's glare.

Lelouch sighed in defeat, at least he wasn't entirely exposed. "Very well then, so the mission went well?"

"It went perfectly, not a single issue. We even got all the shipments and supplies already." C.C. smirked down at him.

"That sounds too easy…" he breathed out.

"Father please! It could save Japan!" a young Suzaku cried out. The man sitting before him remained motionless except for his lips.

"My son, you are far too young to understand such matters. In the end Britannia will be-nnn..nngnn…"

The man's words ended swiftly as the blade pierced his body. His voice taken from him and his life stolen by his only heir. Suzaku's final thoughts were of salvaging Japan's warriors.

'Maybe if you just died, then the war will stop!' was the only thought in the boy's head.

"Haha! Next are you going to tell me she can fly too?!" Suzaku giggled madly. "Is she Super Woman?"

"Suzaku this isn't the time for playing around! Quit laughing!" Lelouch shouted.

"Y-you….You killed the Prime Minister…!" Kallen trembled. Suzaku's laughter halted to look at Kallen. Due to the angle Lelouch had to tilt his head awkwardly to look at her.

"Did you have another Geass vision?" Lelouch asked pensively as he eyed Kallen newly emotional state.

"You killed your own father?" Kallen asked again horrified. Suzaku's face nearly melted, his mouth opened slightly and his eyes became downcast.

"I… What are you talking about?" he asked in reply with a shaky voice.

"You thought you could stop the war by killing Genbu Kururugi, the Prime Minister of Japan. You're the reason Japan was enslaved!" Kallen's voice became dark and murderous at she upheld a glare at the now fearful Suzaku.

"Lelouch…what is she talking about?" Suzaku's took a step backwards.

"Did you do it? Did you really kill your father? I thought he commit suicide." Lelouch asked as C.C. helped him sit upright.

"I…I thought I didn't have a choice…" Suzaku glanced at Lelouch with panic then back to Kallen who was completely distraught. "Kallen, how did you find out?"

"She likely saw it with her Geass. Kallen's Geass ability is to see memories of those around her." Lelouch explained solemnly. C.C. took mental note of this, she had yet to learn what her Geass was previously.

"You honestly thought that killing him would magically stop Britannia from taking over Japan!?" Kallen roared as she advanced towards Suzaku.

"I was just a child!" he pleaded. Kallen stopped. Suzaku sunk to the floor on his knees as the first of many sorrows were shed form his eyes. "I didn't comprehend it all then. I thought if he died then Britannia would just leave, that the war would stop if Japan stopped fighting back. I see now the mistake I made and I fully intent to repent for it in hell."

Kallen, Lelouch and C.C. all stopped to watch Suzaku's mental break down.

"I joined the Britannian army to repent by death. I was hoping a member of the Japanese rebellion would kill me someday. I wanted so badly to fix all that I'd done wrong, so I started helping Britannia cultivate Japan into a new civilization so that they could coexist together."

"At what point in your repentance did you discover that being called an Eleven was anywhere near co-existential?!" Kallen screeched madly.

"I didn't…. I didn't want a world like that… I never dreamed the war would continue on like this…" Suzaku broke down completely and Lelouch could only look at him with sympathy.

"When I left Britannia, I vowed to annihilate it." Lelouch said as he looked away from Suzaku and towards a picture of the Britannian flag on the wall across the room.

Kallen and C.C. looked over to him in surprise.

"When my father allowed my mother's assassin to escape without so much as an investigation I swore to kill him. I fully intended to taker Britannia down with him too." Lelouch's confession did nothing to ease Suzaku, but it stopped Kallen from murdering him like she half-contemplated in her rage. Kallen wouldn't have ended up hurting Suzaku, but in her moment of wrath she wanted to.

"I see as though this would has some emotionally damaged Princes." Kallen sighed out miserably as she retreated to her seat to calm herself down. Lelouch closed his eyes and smiled at Kallen's reference to Suzaku being Prince-like just for being the Prime Minister's son.

"Lelouch…" Suzaku said through a small sob as he felt himself coming back to reality.

"Suzaku." Lelouch said as he turned back towards him expecting another confession about his past.

"What Geass-power would I get?" Suzaku asked boldly as he stood back up.

Certainly not the question Lelouch expected.

XxXxXxXxX

On the Avalon Shirley had calmed herself for the most part and was introducing herself to Empress Tianzi. Nunnally shook Jiang's hand and smiled, Tianzi had never met a blind or crippled person before. She was delighted to meet so many people of other races, she'd only ever seen Chinese people and Kaguya in person before. Xingke stood back and smiled as he watched Empress Tianzi's dreams slowly become a reality. In his mind his mission in life was nearing completion. Shirley's phone from across the room began to ring again and this time she excused herself to answer it. Even thought she was still twisted on the inside over her brother, she was feeling much better after having heard Lelouch's good news. As she held up her ringing phone she froze. The caller on the I.D. list was her brother's personal cell phone. She figured it was probably the military calling everyone on his contact list to inform them of his passing. She took as deep, shaky breath before answering it.

"Hello…" she said quietly and slowly.

"Shirley! Thank god you answered this time!" the man on the other end of the phone shouted in a panic.

Shirley's heart flew into her neck; this voice…

"An….Andrew? Andrew! Andrew!" her voice transformed with a different emotion each time she spoke his name. Everyone in the room turned to see Shirley shouting.

"Shirley, don't believe anything you see about me on the news today! Everything is in chaos down there!" the man pleaded.

"Oh Andrew! I was so scared! I thought you were dead!" Shirley cried out in joy, although it sounded miserable. Milly heard what Shirley had said and let a smile break through as she ran over to Shirley's side.

"It's alright, just don't tell anyone!" he said frantically.

"What? Why?" Shirley's eyebrows were pushed together in confusion.

"No one can know I'm alive, just believe me! You can tell mom and dad, but no one else!" Andrew begged.

"Sorry old chap, but I heard it all." Milly said loud enough for the phone to pick up her voice and carry it to Andrew. "Also everyone in this room heard Shirley shout it too." She added.

"Shirley, who is that?!" he asked horrified.

"It's Milly Ashford and the only other people in the room are close friends and Empress Tianzi." Shirley answered as she scanned the room.

"Empress Tianzi!?" he hollered loudly. Shirley could then hear another man repeat 'Empress Tianzi' in a state of shock as well from the background of the phone.

"Andrew what's going on?" Shirley asked completely confused at this point.

"Listen to me Shirley, no matter what, you cannot tell anyone I'm alive! Not until I make a public appearance!" he commanded. Shirley could hear Andrew rustling with something as he spoke. "Try not to let the press or officials know! Keep your friends quiet!"

"A-alright, I'll try…but….What's going on? How did you get away?" Shirley asked as she shivered.

"I'll explain later, just trust me! I'll come visit you in private soon, just tell me where you are and I'll meet you there later."

"I'm… I'm in the Avalon above Tokyo." She answered unsure if it was safe to be telling outsiders of their whereabouts.

"Avalon?" he questioned quietly.

"Yes, it's a massive floating….ship. We're flying above Tokyo until the battle is over. I don't think you'll be able to get anywhere near us at the moment." Shirley sighed out in sorrow. She really just wanted to hug her brother at this moment, so much had happened and she felt the need to hold someone and cry.

"I promise I'll find a way to be by your side Shirley!" he swore as she heard another loud noise from his background.

"Andrew, what's going on behind you? Who's with you? Where are you?" she asked repeatedly.

"It's just an old friend, remember the one who'd come over for dinner every Thursday and show you magic tricks?" he laughed light heartedly.

"Him?!" she smiled warmly.

"Yeah, it's him. So don't worry, we'll be fine!" he smiled brightly, but she couldn't see it.

"Okay… I love you, big brother!"

"I love you too, sis."

As Shirley hung up the phone she turned around to Milly with the biggest smile she'd seen the orangette ever gave. As things aboard the Avalon began to calm down Lelouch and the other at the hospital had just begun wrapping up their conversation. Lelouch was standing up and putting on his new Emperor robes that they'd brought him. Kallen was trying to get Lelouch to lay back down and heal for at least a week, but he wasn't having it. He had already gotten up and put his white pants, shoes and undershirt on. Kallen continued to pester him repeatedly over 'resting' and 'reopening the wound'. Lelouch began to develop a headache, but he wasn't sure if it was from Kallen or the cocktail of medicines in his system. He was still slightly woozy from the anesthesia and his mouth was dry if not sand papery. Kallen approached him with the intentions of forcing him back onto the bed.

"Kallen, I'm fine. It's just my shoulder." He huffed as she struggled to tie his robe. She saw his failure at successfully dressing himself to which she grabbed the belt and tied it for him. Much to his surprise she was awkwardly gentle; not a Kallen he was used to seeing.

"We're back." Said C.C. calmly as she opened the door and walked in followed by Suzaku.

"Well?" Lelouch looked up at Suzaku expectantly.

"I'm not certain…" Suzaku rubbed the back of his head nervously. Kallen tilted her head.

"It's easy to use." Lelouch frowned.

"No I'm sure it is… I just was certain if I should accept or not." Suzaku sighed as he trudged defeatedly over to a chair and sat down.

"You mean…you didn't make a contract?!" Lelouch asked surprised, he was certain Suzaku would be willing to help him by accepting Geass. Even though C.C.'s big mouth pushed it along faster than he would have liked he wasn't opposed.

"I just feel like it'll end up badly." He groaned as he closed his eyes and hung his head a little.

"I felt the same way at first, but look what it's gotten me so far. We found out who murdered Genbu." Kallen said snarky.

"Exactly! I don't think Geass will help the world! It'll only make it harder for everyone!" Suzaku shouted.

"Hey! You said you wanted to repent for what you'd done, well this is your chance! Sell your damn soul to that devil-woman and help us create world peace!" Kallen exclaimed as she pointed at C.C..

Suzaku thought for a moment; Kallen had a point. If he was to truly repent he'd have to do more than simply die in battle.

He'd have to sell his soul.

"Fine, but on one condition." He stood up again and looked at Lelouch sternly.

"Name it." Lelouch said.

"Lelouch gives the orders of who I Geass. I won't use it without command or for personal gain." He said with a fierce stare into Lelouch's violet eyes.

"So be it." Lelouch looked away and continued readying himself. C.C. smirked, she normally loathed giving out Geass like free candy, but she knew that Suzaku was bloated with morality and wouldn't turn it against them.

XxXxXxXxX

"Are you sure, Andrew?" said a young man with messy black hair who grit his teeth.

"Absolutely, and I intend to bring mayhem to their entire family if necessary." Andrew replied.

"Hey! That includes them you know?" the other man growled lowly.

Andrew and his friend were sitting in the back seat of a car while their escort drove them across Tokyo. Andrew's orange hair danced lazily in the wind when he rolled down his window. Normally these two didn't argue or disagree with one another, but this was far too serious of a situation to worry about 'friendship'. The world was in chaos and Britannia was having a civil war, or rebellion as Lelouch put it. Andrew had a mission to accomplish and he'd be damned if he let Shirley get hurt for the sake of anyone else. He got an idea and rolled up his window. He then leaned forwards and knocked on the protective glass that separated himself and his friend from the driver so that their conversations would remain private.

"Yes, my Lord?" the driver asked promptly.

"Go by the Grand Prima Restaurant, I want to see something." He ordered.

"If it is open to the public still, I shall drive you there my Lord." The man replied and Andrew closed the glass barrier. He leaned back in his seat where his friend gave him an awkward look.

"Why're we going there?!" he hissed at his friend.

"U.U. is there." Andrew replied.

"Wh-what?! Why is U.U. there? Shouldn't she be on her way to Rome already?" the black haired man asked as he leaned closer to Andrew.

"She supposedly is, but I can't just feel it. She's there." Andrew's expression became dark as his hands balled into fists in his lap. The other man backed away slowly, he feared Andrew's wrath when he was angry, even if he'd never been a victim before.

"Andrew, when are we going to pick up Rolo?" he asked pensively.

"After I get to hug my little sister. By the way, do you think you could help me get onto that flying airship thing that she's on?" the orangette asked.

"Mmm…maybe. Depending on if you know how to fly a Knightmare Frame!" the man laughed.

"You're joking right? I'm a goddamn Warrant Officer, of course I can pilot a Knightmare!" Andrew bellowed.

"But a flying one?" he wiggled his eyebrows demonically.

Andrew wasn't sure what to make of his friend's current expression, but the question he'd asked remained a valid one. The float systems were brand new; he'd have to learn quickly if he wanted to see Shirley. As the driver pulled up into the parking lot of the restaurant Andrew and his friend got out of the car and walked as casually as possible inside. Andrew wore a black fedora and sunglasses to keep anyone from recognizing him or his bright orange hair. He wasn't particularly famous, but his picture was currently circulating the news due to his supposed 'death'. Together they walked all around the seating area of the building until they found a young girl of maybe sixteen or so with long blonde hair.

"Told ya." Andrew said as he pointed at her. His friend frowned as he became worried.

"U.U.!" Andrew said harshly, but as quietly as possible from behind her. The girl jumped in slight fear and she whipped her head around to see who was calling her.

"A-andrew!" she stuttered.

"Why aren't you in Rome?" he asked seemingly upset.

"I wanted to dine here, just one last time. One last time…before I left forever…" she said sadly.

"You can come back at any time though! After this war is over you can come back and pester us for free dinner all you want." Andrew said sadly.

"I'm sorry, but…I was going to mail this to you before I left, but since you're here…" he said shyly as she pulled out a slim box from her purse and handed it to him.

Andrew saw it and his eyes went wide. "No… U.U. no…" he whispered.

She nodded her head yes before he pushed past him and ran out of the restaurant. Andrew slammed some money on the table to cover her bill and chased after her; leaving his friend behind in the chase. The young man sighed in misery and rubbed his messy black hair as a sign of stress. He casually walked out of the building and waited by the front door for Andrew to return from his pursuit. As he waited something caught his attention; a young girl of perhaps twelve with long pink hair and white clothes on strutting down the street opposite of him. He recognized her.

"Princess Venus?!" he mumbled to himself. His expression became wicked with hatred as he began following her slowly from behind. He stayed a good fifty feet away from her as he crossed the street to be on the same side as her. He watched as she rounded a corner into a back road. He stopped at the corner to eye her as she walked straight over to the building where the rally-shooting took place.

'That's where me and Andrew-' his thoughts were cut off by the voice of his friend.

"I lost sight of U.U.…" Andrew sighed out as he approached his friend. "Hey, what're you doing all the way over here anyways?" he asked.

"Princess Venus is acting sketchy!" He practically spat out. His voice was filled with hatred and practically murder.

"Chill out, she'll get what she has coming to her for what she did." Andrew placed a hand on his shoulder.

"But what the hell is she doing back as the scene of her own crime? You'd think she'd haul ass back to Pendragon, right?" he asked as he watched the young Venus stand in the middle of the alley facing the building of the shooting. She was looking up at the ledge in which she jumped off of earlier. Due to the shooting having been several hours ago and nothing to be found at the scene of the crime besides a bullet hole in the wall the investigation had been halted. Security around the building wasn't very tight since everyone was busy rushing around Tokyo looking for the teen assassin.

"Asshole…" she whispered to herself.

"You're right." Andrew squinted his eyes at her. "You'd think she'd never come near this place again, but I guess that old saying is true…. 'The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime'." Andrew said lowly.

"We should go kick her little ass!" he hissed.

"No!" Andrew placed his hands on his shoulders to prevent him from approaching her. "I wanna see what she does."

As they continued to watch her, they began to notice her odd behavior. She climbed on top of the dumpster's lid and began feeling the brick wall with her hands. As she pulled her hands away they were stained red in streaks. Andrew presumed it was blood, and then a sudden realization hit him.

"I didn't watch the news a whole lot, did you?" Andrew asked as his wide eyes stared at the side of Venus's head from over fifty feet away at the end of the alley.

"Yes, of course I did. I had to know if Lelouch-Chan was alright or not." The man replied as he turned to look into Andrew's emerald eyes full of dark-wonder.

"We know that Princess Zephne was killed in that shooting, why didn't they announce her death if they found her body? Are they keeping it a secret until this is all over because she's a Princess?" Andrew pondered out loud.

"You're right! When I posed you up there I saw her shoot Zephne before you. Why didn't they mention it?" the friend asked himself.

Andrew's heart skipped a beat. "Because they never found the body!"

"What? This is the scene of where Venus shot Lelouch, the fucking Emperor! They probably scoured that building top to bottom! Why wouldn't they find her body?" The black haired man asked utterly confused.

"Because someone moved it. Didn't she throw her in that dumpster?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, but I assumed that the investigators would find it in no time, so I didn't bother with it." He frowned.

"Well apparently someone beat them to it. If she isn't in there when Venus leaves then I'll have you alert Lelouch about Zephne's disappearance." Andrew said and the other man nodded in agreement.

"Wanna get closer?" he asked with a smirk. Andrew gave a knowing smile.

They casually walked closer to Venus and stood behind her to get a better view of what exactly she was doing. She was looking around in every direction to make sure that no one saw her. She of course felt entirely alone even though unseen to her, two men stood directly behind her watching her every move. They watched as she used to white shirt to cover her hands as she opened the lid to the dumpster. She coughed and let go then it slammed shut. The horrid smell wafted to them all and they all gagged. Venus whipped around upon hearing men cough with her, but she saw nothing else in the entire alley. Andrew knew that they had to leave immediately and come back for Princess Zephne once Venus had left.

"Who's there!?" Venus screeched as she looked in every direction looking for the source of the male-coughing. She then heard footsteps moving away from her and she panicked. She couldn't see anyone near her, but she could definitely hear them.

As they men ran out of the alley and rounded the corner Andrew grabbed into his friend. "Why didn't….augh…you eliminate sound?!" Andrew choked out. "Or smell for that matter!" he added as he wiped his nose.

"I'm sorry! I didn't even think about it! Besides, smell wouldn't have worked on you!" the man shouted back as they continued to walk down the street a bit further. They eventually crossed the street and got back into their escort car.

"We'll hide in here until she leaves. Man that smelt awful!" Andrew breathed out loudly.

"Shouldn't we just report this to the police or something?!" he gagged.

"No! Absolutely not! We'll get caught in the middle of it all if we report it!" Andrew bellowed as he grabbed his friend's upper arm. "When Venus leaves we'll go back, see if there's any off chance she's still alive or not. If not we'll leave her there and you can tell Lelouch her body is there."

"And if she is alive?" he asked with a strange frown.

"We can't help her necessarily. If she recognizes me by any chance she'll spoil everything. I'll have you disguise me and yourself and escort her to a hospital or something. But we cannot interact with her too much!" Andrew warned.

"I'm going to visit Lelouch soon anyways, so I'll let him know about Zephne then."

"No, not yet!" Andrew put a hand up to stop him. "Shirley comes first."

"Of course she does…" he sighed softly.

"You know Shirley is my main priority, just like Rolo is yours." Andrew said stiffly.

"To be honest, I don't know if this all can continue on like this. Lelouch is Emperor, shouldn't he be made aware of our situation by now?" the young man said with a sad smile. "About me as well…" he added wistfully.

"We don't have time for your wishful thinking. Ever since Charles put Lelouch as Emperor it's been impossible for us to-"

"She's leaving!" the black haired man shouted as he watched Venus scamper away from the alley.

"Alright let's go!" Andrew said as they both ran from the car and across the street. "Disguise us!" he shouted back at his friend.

"Right!" he complied.

They ran into the alley and Andrew used his jacket to cover his hands as he opened the garbage bin. He put a bare hand inside to feel Zephne's neck. He gasped audibly when he found a very faint pulse. Together they pulled her out of the trash can and laid her on the dirty ground. The bullet hit her in the backside, but not her spine. Andrew carried her bridal style and proceeded to walk slowly out of the alley. Zephne's pink and white dress was soaked with blood, dirt and garbage. Her pink hair was a mangled mess and there was a candy wrapped lodged in it. They waited for the right moment and gently carried her out of the alley. The friend threw his black jacket over Zephne's head and upper chest in case any security cameras happened to be watching. They eventually made it to the car where they commanded the driver to floor it to a hospital in Kyoto. Tokyo's main hospital was impossible to access because of Emperor Lelouch's stay.

"Do you think she'll live?" he asked.

"I hope so." Andrew said as he checked her pulse again. It was steady, but weak. "She's lost a lot of blood, she won't live through the night without medical attention."

"Roy…" Andrew said softly as he looked down into the face of the unconscious Zephne.

His friend looked up at him expectantly.

"Your name is Roy Andreas." Andrew said as he looked at the black haired man. He said nothing, he simply looked down at Zephne who was now muttering to herself.

"Is she going to wake up?!" He asked as he placed a hand on her forehead.

Andrew shifted Zephne in his lap so that her head was more upright. "Roy." He said.

His friend looked up at him and swallowed hard. "Yes?"

"You are to t-"

"Whoo….." Zephne's gentle and quiet voice spoke as her violet eyes opened slightly. "Who…are you?" she asked with a hoarse tone.

"I'm no one." He replied. "Roy, disguise us!" he commanded in realization that she could now see them.

"R-right." Roy replied nervously.

Zephne looked up to see two blonde men looking down at her. She forced herself to open her eyes completely, but they just wouldn't obey her. The two handsome men smiled down at her as she tried to sit upright, but couldn't. A horrid pain shot through her and she screamed in agony. A glob of blood poured down Andrew's leg from her open wound.

"Princess! Don't try to move!" Andrew shouted and Roy tried to hold her.

"P-princess…?" she questioned with a shaky voice.

Andrew and Roy looked at one another.

"Miss, what's your name?" Roy asked as he eyed her expression.

"My...name..?" she asked herself. "I'm…. I…"

"Where are you from?" Andrew asked.

"I… I don't know. I can't…remember…" she said weakly as her eyes slid closed and her head tilted into Andrew's arms.

"Don't tell me…" Andrew began as he gave Zephne a look of horror.

"She must've hit her head when Venus threw her into the dumpster. It's probably temporary, she's probably just dazed and confused." Roy said as he wiped a trail of sweat off of her forehead.

"We can't administer her under the name Princess Zephne like this." Andrew said as he held her head closer to his chest.

"Why not? She has to get medical attention immediately!" Roy barked at him.

"We'll take her to the Black Knight's medical base instead." Andrew said as he tapped on the glass barrier between them and the driver.

"Wait Andrew! There's too many security cameras! We'd be spotted in an instant!" Roy hissed.

"The…Black Knights…?" Zephne asked gently as her eyes remained shut. "Who… Who are they?"

"Miss, just go back to sleep, we're going to get you help. Don't worry." Andrew commanded.

The glass window slid open and the driver replied to them. "Yes my Lord?"

"Turn West at the next bridge. Drop us off at Point A. Since the rally crowd is still dying down take Route four." Andrew commanded and the driver complied. The window was shut again and Andrew looked down at the pain streaked face of Zephne who had fallen back asleep.

"Judging by how she responded to Venus shooting Lelouch I don't think she's an enemy." Roy said as he went to wipe away from dirt from her cheek and neck.

"No, I don't think she is either. I bet Cornelia and Euphemia will be worried about her shortly when the head of her security team reports her missing." Andrew said as he watched Zephne's chest heave with each breath she took in sharply.

"Roy, change into costume when we get to the base. Run in holding her and I'll change into my uniform in the back of the car." He ordered.

"Alright, but what excuse are we going to use for having her taken in to our medical base?" Roy asked.

"She's a new recruit; she was hit in combat by a rogue Britannian soldier that was obeying Cornelia's orders. If she still can't remember her name when she wakes up for good then we'll assign her a name." Andrew stated as he looked out the window to see the bay. They were now over the bridge heading towards Tokyo's Black Knight Base. It would be a mistake to bring Zephne to the Kyoto hospital like planned because it's ran by Britannians now. They would easily identify her and pinpoint them as her assailants. It was best to bring her to the Black Knight base where no one would recognize her. As the car pulled up over the bridge Roy leaned under his seat and pulled out a massive black suit case. He opened it to reveal a complete replica of Zero's costume. He began changing in the backseat of the car. He waited until they were nearly all the way to the base before putting the mask on.

"Alright, Zero, it's time to do our job. I'll meet you in the medical wing. Don't leave." He ordered.

Roy simply nodded and took Zephne from him carefully. When the car stopped Roy exited the vehicle slowly with Zephne in his arms bridal style. He used his foot from behind him to slam the door closed so Andrew could change into a Black Knight member uniform. He carefully, but very quickly, carried Zephne inside. He was allotted in and they immediately took Zephne into the medical wing to begin surgery to remove the bullet. Roy waited in the Zero costume patiently for Andrew to return. He stood motionless as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed. Misfortune befell him when Ougi happened across him and flew over to his side.

"Master Zero! The news is about to show us another broadcast on Emperor Lelouch's condition! You should watch it with us!" Ougi stammered loudly. His heart was racing. He feared that Lelouch wouldn't able to remain Emperor with a chest injury, even if he was going to live. He feared what would happen to Japan should Cornelia become Empress.

"I already paid him a visit. He's fine." Zero said in monotone.

"He is? I mean I know they said he was fully expected to live, but do you think he'll still be able to command a war?" Ougi asked worriedly.

"Yes. Lelouch is a very strong person. He'll be back at his throne by tomorrow, if not tonight. A bullet from a child won't stop him from being Emperor." Zero said rudely almost. To Ougi it felt as though Zero was either being arrogant in his belief that Lelouch is infallible, or if he believed Lelouch was some sort of God.

"You're certain?" Ougi asked mostly rhetorically.

"Positive, he'll be making the next news announcement himself if I'm not entirely mistaken." Zero said as he propelled himself off the wall to stand upright. Andrew walked up beside him casually with a uniform on. The visor hid his face, but not his bright orange hair. He'd hoped that no one would question his light skin and hair.

"Zero, we've gotten a few Britannian recruits in the last month because of Emperor Lelouch's reign. Is the girl you took to the medical wing also a new recruit? She's entirely Britannian!" Ougi asked.

"That's classified information as of this moment. I would like to wait for her to wake up, but I'm afraid I don't have time. The sun is setting very quickly and there's someone I'm supposed to meet with later on this evening." Zero explained.

"Yes please, we need to hurry Master Zero!" Andrew pleaded.

"Right then. Ougi, your orders are to make sure the girl we brought in tonight is to not speak to anyone. Not even for medical purposes. Her identity is to not be revealed to anyone. She might have a slight case of amnesia at this moment, but she'll be fine otherwise. If she wakes up call me specifically on this phone number. Do not call my regular number. If you have information regarding anything else then you can call my usual phone." Zero ordered as he handed Ougi a slip of paper with the number on it.

"Got it, but may I ask why?" Ougi frowned as he glanced at the new number.

"I won't have my mask on for the rest of the evening, so I don't want phone calls getting mixed up. There are times when I can talk about Black Knight issues and other times when I cannot. This is just my method of sorting out who's calling and for what purpose." Zero explained then turned his back on Ougi.

"Got ya…" Ougi whispered to himself mostly.

XxXxXxXxX

"Is it done?" Lelouch asked impatiently as Suzaku walked back into the room. The solemn look on the Knight's face gave Lelouch his answer.

"It is. Now how do I use it?" Suzaku asked as he readied himself.

"It'll come naturally to you. I figured mine out instantly, Kallen however is still having trouble getting it to activate when she wants it to." Lelouch explained.

"Alright then, let me try it." Suzaku said then took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Lelouch recognized the Geass symbol in his eyes and grinned.

"You got it so easily." Lelouch said with a smirk.

"I did?" Suzaku blinked.

"When I first got mine I immediately gave the command for an entire troop to commit suicide, it was so easy!" Lelouch said menacingly.

Then he froze. Suzaku gave him a terrified look. Kallen moved from beside Lelouch and to Suzaku's side.

"You used it for murder?!" Kallen cried out.

"I didn't….even mean to say that!" Lelouch stuttered and his mouth remained open slightly.

"Is it even true? Did you actually use it to command someone into suicide?!" Suzaku asked angrily.

"Yes, but they were Britannians who were trying to kill me and C.C.!" Lelouch retorted. Suzaku scowled.

"What other crooked things have you done with that Geass?!" Suzaku demanded.

"I once made Donut Taco Palace III give Nunnally a free ice cream cone!" Lelouch said hotly. He then twitched slightly.

"You used it to steal from a fast food joint?" Kallen blinked. "That's not that bad…"

"I mean whose lives have you ruined with your Geass?!" Suzaku demanded as he grabbed Lelouch by the collar.

"I killed Clovis, and the guy I Geassed into allowing me into his royal chamber escort was executed for it." Lelouch replied.

"Y-you're…. You're the one who murdered Clovis? I thought Zero admitted that!" Suzaku let go of him. He'd contemplated hitting him, but he remembered his injury and decided against it.

"Make this stop!" Lelouch grabbed the sides of his head.

"Wait Suzaku!" Kallen put her arms out and stood between them. "I already knew that. Lelouch confessed to that earlier, he's only letting Zero take the blame for it to make Zero seem better in the eyes of Japan. Lelouch had to kill Clovis! He was destroying Shinjuku and everyone in it! It was just a massacre!" Kallen tried her best to defend him.

"Then tell me this!" Suzaku began. "Why did you continue to follow Zero when you found out he was murdering everyone?"

"Because he promised to free Japan! I stayed by his side through the harshest battles because I loved him!" Kallen exclaimed louder than she meant to.

Kallen's heart rate increased, what did she just say? Lelouch's eyes opened wide and he looked over to the back of Kallen's head where he could see her visibly shaking. Suzaku's eyed transfixed on Kallen trembling mouth.

"I didn't….. want to say that…." Kallen allowed herself to sink to the floor. Lelouch felt an empty pit form in his abdomen. He couldn't' describe how he felt about Kallen's confession, but he certainly felt like his insides were churning with some sort of heavy emotion. It wasn't that he exactly returned Kallen's feelings, but his views towards her suddenly changed immensely. He would now become far more worried about her in battle than before. He'd send her out on less and less dangerous missions and he'd even keep her closer to his side. But no matter how many times she'd come back successful from a mission, she'd always be more important than necessary for commander and soldier.

Her romance towards him in his Zero persona forever changed the balance of their personal and official relationship.

"Just because you were in love, you followed him to hell and back?" Suzaku asked her again, disregarding her terrified reaction entirely.

"Yes, and I'll keep doing it! I'll keep obeying him until he no longer needs me and tosses me aside!" she replied instantly.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku turned to him. "Why did you make your pact with Zero like this? Why did you trust him so much?"

"Because I am Z-"

"Suzaku stop!" C.C. flung herself into Suzaku's' back and clasped her hands over his face desperately. Suzaku struggled to get her off, but she was incredibly strong for such a petite woman. "Turn off your Geass!" C.C. commanded.

"It's not even on!...Is it?" he yelled as he grabbed her by the wrists. "Wait…" he stopped struggling. "Was everything they're saying because of my Geass?" Suzaku asked.

C.C. forcefully turned him around and let go of his face. "Turn it off!" she commanded again. Suzaku complied and the Geass symbol vanished.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was still active." He turned to face Kallen and Lelouch who were still traumatized.

Lelouch desperately pried the window open and leaned his head out of it. He began to lurch forwards and expel the contents of his stomach. He ignored the massive throbbing in his left shoulder. Even though he was loaded with pain killers and morphine, he was still in a considerable amount of pain. He was lucky that his blood type was 'A positive' and he could receive most blood donations. He'd originally lost a lot of blood, but the transfusion covered that. He felt a bit dizzy and nauseous, but retained his composure and closed the window. Kallen pulled herself off the floor and staggered over to a chair next to Lelouch who was still leaning against the closed window. He wasn't sure if he'd thrown up because of the medicines in his system, or if he'd really been in that much emotional distress from Kallen's confession and what was nearly his own about being Zero. Either way he felt much better now that he'd gotten at least some of it out of himself.

"I'm sorry everyone. I didn't realize my Geass was making you guys say all those crazy things." Suzaku bowed to them in a traditional Japanese form.

"I need to talk to C.C. alone." Lelouch muttered out with a shaky voice. "Kallen, Suzaku, why don't you two go tell the press that I'm awake and active. I'll be back to working on the rally in no time." Lelouch commanded.

"But you just got shot! You can't be up and running around like that!" Suzaku retorted.

"I said get out!" Lelouch shouted harshly. This made Suzaku jump slightly, but he wordlessly complied and he grabbed Kallen by the upper arm to drag her out of the hospital room.

"Let go of me!" Kallen hissed and she wriggled out of Suzaku's grasp.

"I very rarely see Lelouch yell like that. Something we've said must have truly upset him. I bet it was my Geass…." Suzaku looked down to the ground sadly as they reached the elevators. Kallen pushed the button on the elevator signaling that they wanted to board it while Suzaku wallowed in his own thoughts.

'I bet he's upset about Kallen's confessing to being in love with Zero. I've always known he'd had a thing for her. I bet it was hard for him to hear such a thing. I teased him back at his coronation party about how he had the 'hots' for her and everything. I saw the way he blushed at her when he saw her again. Now I just feel ashamed of myself.' Suzaku thought morbidly upset with himself. The guilt began to consume him.

"I'm sorry.." Suzaku whispered incredibly quietly. Kallen just barely understood what he'd just said.

"Don't feel too bad. My Geass is entirely uncontrollable. I'm practically useless to Lelouch and Zero." Kallen placed a hand on the trembling man's shoulder. She had recovered quickly from her own confession because she'd seen it coming sooner. She just wished she could have ultimately confessed to Zero directly first. Then something hit her imagination.

"Suzaku…" she began as they entered the elevator. "Your Geass doesn't make others spout out useless lies or random stories." She said boldly as the elevator doors closed. He looked up at her with hope.

"Then what is it?" Suzaku asked.

"The Truth Serum." C.C. said to Lelouch. They were still back inside the bedroom that Lelouch woke up in. "Suzaku's Geass forces anyone within his hearing range to tell nothing but the absolute truth." C.C. explained as she sat down next to Lelouch in the chairs beside the window.

"This is bad." Lelouch stated stiffly. "Very, very bad!" he grimaced. "He could ask the wrong question at the wrong time. He could potentially undo me if he really wanted to."

"Yes, I know. This is why you should tell him ahead of time. Just tell Suzaku everything and there won't be an issue with his Geass." She tried to reason.

"No! You heard what he said, you saw his reaction to Kallen's affection for Zero! He'd reject me entirely!" Lelouch roared.

"Well I can't be your secret punching bag forever! You have to let someone else know the truth! Suzaku is the perfect person! Once he gets over his initial reaction to learning you're Zero you can then rebuild whatever trust is lost by helping Japan and the rest of the world!" she said as she stood back up and posed herself directly in front of him. They were lucky that the entire wing that Lelouch's hospital room was in was void of any outsiders and all the nurses had been called off for Lelouch's private conversations.

Lelouch looked up at her arrogantly. "Even if I were to ever consider telling Suzaku such a thing it wouldn't be now! Not in our current situation!"

"I understand that perhaps now is a bad time, but you need to consider it. Where you simply going to stop being Zero or give it to someone else? Or do you intent to be Zero and Emperor for the rest of your life without telling anyone?" C.C. asked as her eyes bore down at the disgruntled Lelouch.

"I was…." He paused to look down at his own feet in thought. He hadn't really thought that far ahead yet. "I didn't exactly have a plan so far. What I do know is that as of this moment Suzaku will become an obstacle if he ever decides to disobey me. He said he'd only use his Geass per my command, but he used it without even realizing it earlier. That means he probably has poor control over it. It would be a disaster to tell him that I'm Zero now."

C.C. kneeled down before him on both knees and wrapped her arms around his slouched form. "We have time, don't worry. Just focus on healing for now. After you make your speech to the press that you're alright you should just go home and sleep."

He pushed her away gently before becoming angered. "What about Cornelia? What about the rebellion at hand? What about the soldiers who are waiting for orders above Britannia!?"

C.C. was taken back slightly. You'd think a man who'd just been shot would be lazy and eager to rest, but Lelouch wasn't an ordinary man she supposed. "I don't believe I can stop you at this point." C.C. sighed as she stood up to tower over him again. "If you're going to continue the war with that sort of injury then do so. But you'll be breaking our contract if you die out there." She said sternly as her uncaring gold eyes gave him a leer.

"I'm not going to die C.C.. I'm going to defeat Cornelia and take over Britannia for real. I'm going to the palace to massacre that brat V.V.. Then….when this is all over…" he paused dramatically to look up at her with a burning rage in his purple essences. "I'll put an end to all wars across this Earth; my own way."

C.C. wasn't sure what he meant, but she didn't have a good feeling about it. Lelouch was one who could easily be a saint or a demon depending on who angered him and why. She'd have to stay as close as possible to Lelouch from now on.

Suzaku and Kallen had exited the elevator and were now on their way to the front of the hospital where the majority of Japan's press had lined up. They were instantaneously bombarded with microphones and flashing lights of cameras. They were barraged with question after question before Kallen and Suzaku couldn't take it anymore. They began giving orders to 'back up' and to 'stay behind the roped off lines' to everyone within the perimeter. Although their constant question asking never halted, the reporters were calmed. Suzaku wasn't in his exactly mental frame to answer any questions, he feared that his Geass would activate on its own. This left Kallen to make all of the announcements.

"Everyone quiet, that's an order!" she shouted harshly and most of the press obeyed. Aside from the clacking of cameras, rustling of microphones bumping into one another and heels hitting the ground there wasn't much noise aside from Kallen herself.

"I'm not going to be answering many direct questions, I have orders to give the following statement." She cleared her throat as every microphone and camera was aimed at her.

On the Avalon everyone watched and waited for any news about their beloved friend. Cornelia in Britannia's mainland too watched in slight desperation to hear good news. Andrew and Roy also watched from their portable screen inside their flying Knightmare as they headed towards the Avalon to see Shirley. The world once again turned on their televisions and huddled around it, just to hear news of the Emperor of Britannia. It was usually rare to hear news of this magnitude on such a short notice, but Lelouch simply refused to operate under normal conditions. He needed chaos to thrive and dramatic effects to function.

"His highness, Emperor Lelouch of the Holy Britannian Empire was shot in the left shoulder today. He recovered quickly from surgery and he will absolutely live." Kallen said in her utmost serious and unemotional tone. Most people took a sigh of relief from this. They already knew hours ago that the doctors expected Lelouch to live, but hearing it from his new Knight was a much better relay.

"He is also planning to return to command by tomorrow morning. He has refused hospice and has deemed himself capable of remaining in control of the current rebellion in Britannia." Kallen added.

"Knight of the Emperor, Kallen Kozuki!" a reporter woman shouter and rammed her mic closer to Kallen's face. "Tell us! Did the bullet hit any vital organs?"

"No, it may have appeared that way from the initial shot, but it was only his shoulder. It was not a life-threatening blow." Kallen stated. She knew she wasn't supposed to answer any off the wall questions that were irrelevant to the current situation, but she also felt that the press and the world deserved to know that their Emperor was going to be absolutely alright. After the death of Genbu Kururugi, Prime Minister of Japan, she knew how it felt to not know what her country was going to look like the next morning. It was an awful and agonizing feeling.

"Kallen Kozuki! Where were you at the time of the gunshot?" another reporter asked.

"I was out on a mission to prepare Japan for the rebellion." She replied instantly, she wasn't allowed to speak of China.

"Why wasn't there enough security around the perimeter of the rally? How did the guards let this happen?" a man asked. Kallen was taken back a bit, she wasn't quite sure how to answer this one. Suzaku saw her apprehension and stepped in.

"It was my fault." Suzaku said lowly. "I was scheduled as head of security at the time. I was busy guarding Princess Euphemia and Lelouch's inner circle. Since the rally was so rushed we simply didn't have the time to block off the East street of the rally."

"Suzaku Kururugi! The body of Andrew Fenette was reported missing at the scene of the shooting. Is there any new information on this?" a reported asked with their microphone awkwardly in his face.

"N-no. Nothing has changed on that situation." Suzaku said as he gave the reporter a stare down. The reported backed off and didn't ask any other questions. Suzaku was reluctant to allow anyone to mention Andrew, he knew he was Shirley's brother and with every mentioning of his name it must tear Shirley's heart out even further.

"Kallen Kozuki, do you plan to become a consort wife?"

"H-hell no!" she blushed madly and gave the reporter a death glare. Suzaku had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing. He was secretly thankful that the reporter had asked that, it made the depression from earlier dissipate somewhat. Then it hit him, the memory of Kallen's confession for Zero. The depression immediately returned and his hands dropped from his mouth to his side.

"We're done answering questions for now. We've answered most of the important questions and his highness will be here momentarily to make a formal speech regarding the current situation." Suzaku said as he turned around to head back inside the hospital. Kallen followed suit and together they left the reporters asking questions rapid-fire in their wake. Just as they entered the front doors, which weren't see-through so the press outside couldn't see inside, they spotted Lelouch and C.C.. The four met up and decided it was safe for Lelouch to make his formal speech in the front of the hospital. As Lelouch stepped forth out to the front of the hospital he made sure to make the press conference short.

"I will be alright, I assure you that whoever is the cause for this will be brought to justice as soon as they're caught. However I cannot dwindle my time on a single person while the fate of the world remains undetermined by the rebellion at hand. I will continue operations of the rebellion in the morning and everything will continue as planned then." Lelouch spoke stoically as he usually did.

"Your highness!" a reporter shouted. "You don't appear to be harmed at all! Are you in any pain?"

"The doctors and nurses at Tokyo Hosptial behind me did a very excellent job. I am in little discomfort, but this will not hinder my efforts to save Japan and Britannia from the clutched of Cornelia!" Lelouch answered.

"Emperor Lelouch, there was a report from China that Empress Tianzi is missing and the High Eunuchs have all been assassinated! Was this any of your doing?" Another reporter asked boldly.

"Yes, it was at her highness', Empress Tianzi, request that I assist her in being restored to power. I will answer no further questions about China." He said simply.

"Your majesty! Your majesty! Were you close friends with Andrew Fenette like you are Shirley Fenette?"

"No, I can honestly say that I've only met him on two occasions. We were not close at all, but I am still upholding a search party for him." Lelouch said.

"Emperor, did you-"

"I'm sorry, I have no more time for questions now. I have to return to my post to further give instructions to my subordinates." Lelouch immediately turned his back to them ignorantly as he remained calm and collected. He allowed Suzaku and Kallen to escort him back to the limo where they were taken back to Tokyo Palace.

The Palace was seemingly void of life except for Kaguya and Ruri who were running rampant around making phone calls, signing bills and quickly arguing politely over what should be done. They had quickly found their 'dynamic-duo-rhythm' in no time and were already settling things between China and Japan.

"If Ougi was declared Prime Minister, why isn't he here helping us yet?" Ruri asked as she flipped through a stack of paper frantically.

"Lelouch may have declared him Prime Minister, but he can't come into office until he is sworn in!" Kaguya replied as she signed a document. "And that won't be until tomorrow morning!"

"How will he have time tomorrow if he's guiding the Black Army into battle?" Ruri asked wide-eyed.

"I…" Kaguya stopped her hands from fiddling with the papers. "I don't know…. Lelouch is far too fast-paced for everyone. He's working so fast….we can't keep up. I don't know what Ougi will do, but it better be fast!" Kaguya whimpered with a worried look as she began signing more papers.

"If we have a Vice-Roy and Sub Vice-Roy, then why do we also have a Prime Minister? Also, wouldn't Suzaku have of made a better Minister?! He was Genbu's son after all!" Ruri asked as she ran over to Kaguya's desk with an arm full of files. She pulled up at seat at Kaguya's desk and began helping her flip through the files.

"The Vice Roy is the voice of the Emperor, the Prime Minister is the voice of Japan and you are my voice for when I can't speak!" Kaguya answered as she only took a single moment to spare to give Ruri a reassuring glance. "Suzaku is already Euphemia's Knight, he can't be a Minister and a Knight!"

"I see… Wait, isn't this the Chinese shipment form?" Ruri help up a stapled packet of papers. Kaguya's eyes went wide and snatched it from the older woman.

"Yes! This is what I asked you to look for!" Kaguya exclaimed happily as she began to sign an acceptance to the forms. "With these China can cross our borders to help us fight off Cornelia!" Kaguya grinned as she held up the completed forms. She leapt from her chair childishly and ran out of the office and down the halls of the large palace. Ruri ran after her, unsure of what was actually going on at this moment. All she knew was that China was here to help them and that they needed documents stating that they'd be welcomed and unharmed should they cross the Sea of Japan. As Kaguya flew down the hallway in her flowing kimono she ran smack into a familiar face.

"Suzaku!" she squeaked happily and mauled him.

"Kaguya, now isn't the time. Lelouch is here to orchestrate his next plan. We need everything for the Chinese-Japanese alignment to be ready." Suzaku gently nudged her away.

"I've got it right here!" she beamed as she held the stack of stapled papers up to his face.

"That was a lot faster than I thought." Suzaku said simply as he took the papers from her.

"When can I go see Tianzi?" Kaguya's emerald eyes lit up brightly.

"If Lelouch dismisses you and Ms. Kozuki for the evening, then I suppose you could. She's aboard the Avalon at the moment." Suzaku answered.

"Hoooray!" she cheered. "Where is King Lulu?" Kaguya smiled.

"It's Emperor Lelouch." Suzaku said sternly as he stared down at her. "And he's in his office probably."

Kaguya made a squeal of delight and made her way to Lelouch's office where she was permitted entrance with Ruri behind her. Lelouch was currently on the phone so they were forced to sit next to Kallen and C.C.. Lelouch spoke irritably about some political matter that Kaguya wasn't privy to, thus she ignored his blathering. Kaguya fully enjoyed just being in Lelouch's presence, even if she knew she annoyed him. Perhaps she didn't annoy him as badly as she once thought, especially since he appointed her Vice Roy of Japan. She giggled at the thought of Lelouch 'adoring' her and praising her for working so quickly on the documents and bills. In her mind Ruri and herself made an excellent team for Japan; just like Lelouch predicted. Kallen took note of Kaguya's extremely happy posture.

"Kaguya, weren't you worried about Lelouch's condition earlier?" Kallen asked. She hadn't heard word nor whisper of Kaguya during the whole event, and now she sees her being happy as can be.

"Ohh! Of course I was! I cried and cried and cried and cried for two hours!" Kaguya pouted cutely.

"It's true….she did…" Ruri sighed miserably. She'd had to hold and comfort Kaguya while she flew into a fit of tears and screaming; not Ruri's favorite moment of the day.

"Mother, I hope she didn't cause you too much trouble." Kallen smiled bitterly. Ruri looked up at her daughter and felt a warmth in her chest.

"Not at all. I'm just glad I can help you and his highness." The woman smiled back.

"Kaguya." Lelouch spoke up as he hung his phone up loudly. Kaguya made a loud squeak of surprise. "Where is the Chinese-Japanese affiliation?"

"I gave it to Lord Suzaku!" she chirped.

"Did you finish it?" he asked with an uncaring glance at her.

"Indeed I did! He's probably taking it to…to…" Kaguya stopped. She's only just realized that Lelouch was supposed to have the document, not Suzaku. "To you…" she hung her head in defeat.

"It's fine if it's with Suzaku. All that's important is that it's completed. Now then…" Lelouch stood up, but jerked his body roughly. He clutched his left shoulder and groaned slightly. C.C. stood up and ran over to his side and forced him to sit back down.

"Lelouch, I wouldn't use that arm at all. In fact it should be in a sling." The witch stated.

"What good would a sling do? It's not like my arm is broken." He sneered up at her.

"That's ire-"

"Lelouch!" Suzaku practically broke down the door to get into the room and everyone jumped in reaction.

"Holy shit Suzaku!" Lelouch shouted. "What's so important that you have to-"

"Shirley's brother just arrived at the Avalon." She panted and he gave Lelouch an awkward expression of fear.

"So he's alive then?" Lelouch calmed himself.

"But that's not what's so bad." Suzaku gave him a horrified look. Lelouch waited patiently for Suzaku to catch his breath.

"What's weirder than Andrew Fenette technically being alive?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"He's with Zero." Suzaku panted out. He'd run from the underground department all the way to the top floor where Lelouch's office was. He was incredibly winded. "He's claiming to be a member of the Black Knights and he's…he's here to warn you Zero intends to lead the Black Knights into battle today…with or without you!" Suzaku panted harshly. Lelouch's face could not have been more terrifying to C.C.. She knew that whoever was pretending to be Zero was an absolute phony; an imposter.

"Change of plans." Lelouch said darkly as he stood up and brushed C.C. off of his arm. "We're going to the Avalon to speak with him. Immediately." Lelouch said demonically and stormed out of the room. As she walked through the doorway he grabbed Suzaku by the arm and dragged him out of the Palace like a caveman with his woman. Everyone else followed them out of the Palace and they were escorted to the Avalon. Kallen prayed that there would be no conflicts between Lelouch and Zero.

XxXxXxXxX

"Oh Andrew!" Shirley cried out in joy as she embraced him. "I thought I'd never get to see you again!"

"It's okay Shirley. It was just a misunderstanding." He hugged her back as he wrapped his arms around her. "I can't stay long though. No one can know I'm still alive." He whispered into her ear. "You and your friends will be an exception."

"Hey, Andrew." Milly said from the couch. He looked over at the blonde. He presumed her to be the girl Shirley was talking to in the background when he was on the phone with her.

"Yes?" he replied.

"How long have you been a member of the Black Knights? Have you really been a terrorist this whole time?" she asked bewildered.

"Don't call him a damn terrorist!" Shirley screeched madly at the now baffled Milly.

Andrew sighed deeply. "I joined the day Lelouch became Emperor." He answered.

"Oh I see, it was because you knew an alliance would come of it?" Milly allowed herself to relax a little.

"Well to be honest… I didn't know what would become of the Black Knights once Lelouch eliminated the number-area system." He began as he separated himself from Shirley. "But…" he swallowed hard then paused. Shirley looked up at him expectantly.

"But what?" Shirley asked innocently. Andrew couldn't take the adorable look on his beloved sister's face; she deserved an answer.

"But I wanted to work my way into Zero's inner circle so that should there be conflict between Japan and Britannia I could be a part of the decision making process that dictated if there would be a war or not. I'm glad I joined now that there's an alliance and I can protect both Japan and Britannia." He explained as he lead Shirley over to the couch. Zero remained standing motionless, wordless, in the middle of the room. It was almost awkward to Milly to see him just….standing there, being Zero. Empress Tianzi kept staring at him expectantly. Nina had fled the room and had no desire to be in the presence of a man who rose an army against Britannia.

"So why do you have this massive desire to protect Japan?" Milly interrogated with a raised eyebrow.

"Because when I was in Junior High I met a Japanese man, he changed my life. I used to be arrogant, selfish and stubborn, but he taught me things I would never forget. He taught me self-discipline, to respect others and even how to understand others." He folded his hands together tightly. "I used be a spoiled brat! I was rich, from a famous family and I had everything a kid could ever want. I was a spoiled child who didn't know the meaning of fear or anguish."

"So wait, how did you meet this Japanese man?" Shirley asked as she blinked her teary eyes up at him.

"That's….another story." Andrew smirked down at her.

"Big brother, what do you plan to do now?" Shirley asked as she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Zero and I will return to the Black Knight base where we'll be helping the military find the person who tried to assassinate Emperor Lelouch. We'll also be orchestrating the attack on Cornelia. I'm afraid my time here is running out." Andrew said as he stood up as if to leave, but Shirley grabbed onto his arm and clung to him desperately.

"Wait! I want to talk to you in private for a minute!" she pleaded.

"Alright, but it has to be quick." Andrew agreed and Shirley led him to her bedroom she shared with Milly and Lucina on board the Avalon. "There aren't any surveillance cameras in here, are there?"

"No. Which is why I brought you here." She began then took a deep breath. "Is Zero the Japanese man who helped you in junior high?" she asked boldly.

"Yes." Andrew replied flatly.

"Is he also….him?" Shirley asked and Andrew gave her a confused tilt of the head. "You know…Zero."

Andrew gave a disgruntled expression and a small noise of peril. "Sort of."

"What do you mean 'sort of'? How can someone 'sort of' be someone else?" Shirley asked with a frown.

"I can't tell you who Zero really is!" Andrew said louder than he meant.

"I promise I won't tell anyone! I'd rather die than betray you!" Shirley begged as she gave him a distressed look.

"I know that, and that's exactly why I can't tell you. You're too kind hearted to betray anyone. If I told you then you'd be in danger and you'd refuse your own life just to keep it a secret." He sighed softly as he looked down at her little sister with empathy.

"Does Lelouch know you've been with Zero all this time?" Shirley asked solemnly.

"No, and you are not to tell him that either. Only Zero knows who I really am. No one else." His upper lip stiffened at the thought of Shirley discovering the truth.

"I… I'm so scared!" Shirley cried out as her shoulders shook slightly.

"Look, take this." Andrew smiled down at her as he pulled out the long slender box that U.U. had given him earlier. "I want you to have this."

"What's is it?" she asked bewildered as she accepted the gift.

"It belonged to a very good friend of mine. It's very old and precious, but it's useless in my hands. I want you to keep it with you always. It'll protect you from evil." He smiled gingerly as Shirley began to open it.

Her chartreuse eyes sparkled as the piece of ancient jewelry was met with her vision. It was a golden chain with rubies in the loops and a massive Ankh in the middle. The ruby in the middle of the Ankh was shaped like a bird and sparkled regardless of the lighting. Unbeknownst to Shirley, this symbol was the Geass bird in which symbolizes the Power of the King. He took it from her hands and placed it around her neck where he clasped it together. He smiled warmly at her, she was beautiful. In his mind Shirley, his precious little sister, was the most beautiful woman that ever lived. Maybe he was biased because his favorite hobby was doting upon her, but his opinion remained absolute in his mind. She looked up to him with the wildness of her emotions shown in her emerald eyes. She hugged him tightly and he eagerly returned the embrace. He let his hands brushed through her hair as he whispered to her.

"Don't ever take it off, not for anything. Sleep with it, eat with it, bathe with it and go to school with it. Just keep it hidden when you're in public; hide it under your shirt." He said slowly. "It will protect you as long as you wear it."

"But, how? It's jewelry…" she frowned and moved out of the hug gently.

"Just trust me, it's made with his magic!" he winked. Shirley's expression became bright and bubbly as she nodded.

"Alright!" she agreed.

"I have to go now. Zero and I have some things to sort out. I will be back!" he gave her a cool and reassuring smile and she laughed silently to herself. Her big brother was always 'cool' and loving in her mind. With a quick kiss on the cheek he left her and returned to the living room. Shirley stood in the room and admired the Ankh necklace in the mirror. It was a tad big, if not a bit gaudy, but she loved it none the less. As Andrew entered the living room he noticed that Zero was nowhere to be found.

Lelouch however looked quite pissed.

Andrew grit his teeth, this was bad; very bad. He hadn't expected Lelouch to board the Avalon at all during the war. He needed to find Roy and haul ass out of the Avalon as soon as possible, but it was too late. Lelouch glared directly at him and Andrew nervously made his way towards him in preparation for a confrontation. Andrew swallowed hard and nonchalantly took as seat between Milly and Euphemia on the couch. He awaited Lelouch to begin speaking or shouting, but he remained silent. Andrew kept his eyes on Lelouch, neither looked away. At this point Shirley returned to the living room expecting Andrew to be gone already, but was pleasantly surprised, if not ecstatic, that Andrew and Lelouch were there.

"Lelou!" she shouted and ran up to him, but he put an arm out to stop her from reaching him. He didn't want her mauling him and opening the stitches in his shoulder. She froze before him and took note of the angered expression on his face.

"Andrew Fenette." Lelouch spoke out calmly.

"Yes, your highness?" Andrew replied almost fearfully. He hadn't prepared a plan for running into Lelouch, worst of all he has absolutely no clue where Roy posing as Zero was.

"Where's Zero?" Lelouch requested flatly. Even though his voice was calm and collected, his eyes told stories of pure evil demons and untainted fury.

"Honestly, I don't know where he went." Andrew answered as calmly as he could contain himself.

It was during the stare down between Emperor and soldier that C.C. caught a glimpse at Shirley's new necklace. Her sun-gold eyes surely betrayed her. It wasn't possible for Shirley to possess such a thing, she couldn't even begin to imagine where she'd gotten it from. If she had to guess it'd be from Andrew or 'Zero', but even then she didn't have the slightest clue as of how they would of gotten such a thing either. Lelouch cleared his throat and made his way to Andrew's side where he gave him a very malevolent expression.

"Where could I possibly find him?" he asked at the orangette who was shying away from the Emperor.

"I don't know, I can only hope that he wouldn't abandon me here." He said truthfully. He really did wonder if Roy had ran from Lelouch and left him there like a piece of meat.

"Then maybe you can fill in for him and answer a couple of questions for me." Lelouch began as he sat beside Euphemia so that she was between them.

"Gladly." Andrew complied.

Lelouch looked back to Suzaku and gave him a hand signal. Suzaku knew immediately that this was the new code for him to use his Geass. Suzaku's Geass activated and Lelouch chose his words carefully.

"Who is Zero?" Lelouch asked darkly as his amethyst eyes glared directly into Andrew's emerald ones.

"I don't know." He answered. Lelouch squinted.

"Lelou, I don't-"

"No one speak except him!" Lelouch commanded loudly and Shirley immediately closed her mouth. Andrew returned the evil glare upon hearing Lelouch yell at his beloved sister. Even if Lelouch was Emperor, he didn't appreciate people being rude or harsh towards Shirley.

"Where is Zero now?" Lelouch asked again.

"I already told you, I don't know." Andrew said flatly.

"What are your plans that I heard about earlier? You meaning going into war with to without my permission. Is this true?" Lelouch asked.

"Maybe. It wasn't my command, it was Zero's." Andrew knew he was on thin glass here. "All I know is that Zero is eager to protect Japan in your absence should you be unable to give commands."

"That will be my call, not his." Lelouch snarled at him. "So tell me, how did you fake your death like that?" he asked and Andrew's expression changed dramatically. He wasn't expecting this question at all.

"I didn't. It wasn't even me up there. I don't know what went on out there today, but I wasn't involved." Andrew said as he glanced at Shirley who already knew it was a lie. "I was never atop that building nor was I stationed at East street. I was out with my troop readying ourselves for battle as per your command." He said as he returned his stare to Lelouch.

"Now let me ask you a question, your highness." Andrew smirked. Lelouch give another hand signal behind his back to tell Suzaku to turn his Geass off and he complied.

"You may." Lelouch granted permission.

"I wish to make a deal with you." Andrew began and Lelouch became very alert. "If you guard Shirley as much as you possibly can, I will become your servant on the battlefield. In exchange for Shirley's ultimate protection I shall tell you where Zero is on an in-demand basis. He is quite an elusive character and I am always by his side. This is one of the rare moments in which I can honestly say I don't know where he's wandered off to. I can however reassure you that Zero would be willing to comply with you should you simply ask."

Lelouch was speechless for a moment. The serene look on Andrew's face seized his anger and reminded him that he's not supposed to know that the Zero here today isn't' the real one.

"Very well then, I accept." Lelouch said with great vocal. Kallen sighed a little in relief, she could rest assured that Lelouch and Zero would continue to cooperate with one another. "On one condition though." Lelouch added and Andrew looked up at him expectantly.

"Name it." Andrew smiled.

"Zero will reveal his identity to me." Lelouch demanded with a smirk. Kallen tried to remember exactly what Lelouch said during the meeting about whether or not he knew who Zero really was, but she could only recall him saying something very vague.

Andrew laughed nervously. "I can't very well make that call on my own. He'd have to comply all on his own to that one!"

"Well go find him and bring him to me, privately." Lelouch demanded as he stood up. "I'll be in the main office of the Avalon for a little while, when you find him send him there." Lelouch said as he began walking away from the living room.

"Of course." Andrew bit his lip.

There were two things absolutely gnawing at Andrew. One was that it was very strange for Roy to run off without a damn good reason. The second was that he wasn't sure if Roy would be willing to reveal himself to Lelouch so soon on such short notice. The time was ticking and Rolo shouldn't be left alone for so long. Andrew needed to think of a way to either get out of this mess or to trick Lelouch into agreeing to let him leave the Avalon to find Zero. Andrew stood up and made a gesture at Shirley. He used his left hand to hold the collar of his black shirt open and used his right hand to put something imaginary inside the shirt. At first Shirley was completely baffled before she realized that she hadn't hid her necklace as previously instructed. She quickly complied and escorted Andrew around the Avalon in hopes of finding Zero. Meanwhile; Lelouch watched Andrew's movements very carefully from surveillance. He watched as Shirley lead Andrew to every room around the Avalon, but it wasn't until C.C. cleared her throat that Lelouch ever looked away.

"You know that necklace Shirley was wearing…" C.C. began as she leaned back in her chair with one leg bent up.

"Hm?" Lelouch mumbled at he focused entirely on all twelve of the security screens. He was also looking for signs of Zero.

"It's a very rare and ancient artifact. I don't know how she or perhaps Andrew got ahold of it, but I would keep an eye on it." The woman said as she hugged her bent leg.

"What's so special about it?" Lelouch turned around in his chair to give her a perplexed look.

"Did you even see it?" she asked flatly; slightly annoyed.

"No." he replied simply and turned back to scanning the screens for Zero.

"It's a Geass Ankh." C.C. said with a knowing smirk. Lelouch turned slowly towards her with a grave stare.

"A what?" he asked mortified. Just what had Andrew done to Shirley?

Through the speakers of the surveillance cameras Lelouch could hear Andrew swearing that he'd submit to Lelouch in order to protect Shirley forever. As he continued to spout praises and swears of oath at Shirley, Lelouch returned C.C.'s intense look.

"A Geass Ankh. It grants the wearer one of eight abilities. I don't know which one that particular Ankh gives, but I can guarantee you that Shirley is well protected wearing it." C.C. explained and Lelouch's plum eyes transfixed on the witch's eyes.

"What possible abilities could it give her?" he asked pensively.

"There is one Ankh for each thought elevator and one thought elevator for each code of immortality. I only know of five of them, there were three that I never learned about. They are temporary immortality, immunity to all Geass effects, a temporary Geass power, access to a thought elevator and…" C.C. paused for the sheer dramatic effect from Lelouch. C.C.'s playful expression ceased.

"The ability to talk to God."

Bolmung LK: I'm sorry this chapter took four months. I had a lot of real-life issues to deal with. (I always do….) I also had sympathy pains in my left shoulder while writing, lol! I'd like to let you all know that dw77 and I have come to an agreement; we wish to change the name of the story from Named Heir to one of two titles we've picked out.

We would like you all to vote via review, if you even chose to review at all, between our two new titles.

dw77's title: The Second Solomon
Bolmung's title: The God King

Chapter five's author note will announce the winning name!