I'm sure you're all absolutely amazed that I'm actually keeping my word and, y'know, revising this story as I said I would. Sorry it took so long- I'm a procrastinating bastard.

Oh, and I don't own Code Geass or Digimon. I forget that sometimes.

"A school boy is your replacement? You must be more desperate than I thought." It was with a haughty laugh that the nobleman noted the change, as he watched two teenagers step into the room his chess match was taking place in. His opponent had been thoroughly beaten, having only twenty seconds to move thanks to his own indecisiveness. Victory was all but guaranteed for him at this point, especially now that his previous opponent had been substituted with a mere schoolboy. The sum he had wagered on this particular game had been quite significant, so his excitement was well deserved.

"Huh, wow Lelouch. This one looks impossible to win." The blue haired boy noted, glancing casually over the board. Unbeknownst to the nobleman, the boy was in reality entirely unconcerned with the state of the board. He had seen Lelouch turn around matches far more desperate than this with a completely level head. It was actually quite frightening just how easy Lelouch made it seem.

The dark haired youth in question merely smiled as he slipped into the seat directly across the noble, giving a nod of acknowledgement to the man he was subbing for. "Rivalz, when would we have to leave to be on time for our next class?" He asked, purple eyes inspecting the board in its entirety.

Within his mind the chess match was already continuing from where it had left off. Every possible response his opponent could make to his own moves, every move he could make to bring this match closer to his victory... all of it. Within his head, this match had been played from start to finish in three different ways. And even more were playing out in his mind. The noblemen didn't know it, but any chance he had of winning this game was now gone. His current position on the board was advantageous, yes... but weaknesses in his defense remained. It would take a few moves to truly shift the board advantage, but it would be simple.

Rivalz, as the blue haired boy was called, shrugged. "I'd say about twenty minutes if we really hauled ass on the way back." He replied with a wave of his hand, having grown used to this question. He wasn't sure if Lelouch asked because he was legitimately curious, or if it was just to screw with the noble.

"Be sure to drive safely, then." Lelouch offered in response, eyes gleaming with malicious intent as he regarded the older man that was his opponent. "This won't take nine minutes."

He ignored the haughty scoff from the man, and moved his king.

After all, if the king did not lead, how could he expect his men to follow?

Eight minutes and fourteen seconds later, Lelouch spoke once more. "Checkmate."

His opponent, a man who's name Lelouch hadn't even bothered to learn, was in absolute shock. As were the bodyguards stationed in the four corners of the room. In fact, the only two not surprised by this development were the boy's escort, the blue haired schoolboy wearing the same uniform as him, and the man whom he had rescued from his sure-loss. The nervous look on the elderly man's face had been replaced by a rather slick smirk, as he had played yet another noble for a substantial amount.

As the duo walked out of the building, the bluenette laughed jovially, hands behind his head in a relaxed gesture. "I love when you go against nobles. Their pride makes sure they keep to their bets, and the looks on their faces are practically worth more than whatever they wager!" Seeing nobles being taken down a few pegs was one of his favorite things in this world. It was just so very, very satisfying.

Lelouch chuckled lightly, tapping the side of the briefcase that contained their winnings. "Yes, but let's not forget that the looks on the faces of nobles won't pay for Nunnally's medical bills, our groceries, and so on, Rivalz. Their wagers on the other hand..." He let the sentence trail off as he slipped gracefully into the sidecar of Rivalz's bike, point made.

Rivalz scoffed playfully. "Honestly, Lelouch ol' pal, you've got enough saved up from our exploits that you don't even need to keep it up. Now you just do it to mess with the upper class, don'cha?" He hopped onto the driver seat of the bike, accepting the helmet Lelouch offered him. "Thanks." He responded, turning the key. With the hum of a motor, they were on the road.

"I'll admit," Lelouch began "that I do this somewhat for my own amusement." The small smirk upon his lips showed that it was more than somewhat. "However," he continued, "it's mostly so that I have a continued means of providing for Nunnally and I. I keep doing this in case I ever need a large sum of money on short notice, and so that I won't have to rely on the Ashfords as much." And how could he not, when the Ashfords had already done so much for them? Seven years now the Ashfords had supported the Lamperouge siblings, offering them sanctuary from the cold world outside.

The young driver nodded, having heard something along those lines many a time before. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You and your 'living on your own merit', huh?" It was a really responsible way to look at things, despite the less than responsible means through which he achieved it. But then, that was just like Lelouch.

A dark grimace settled upon Lelouch's face for a short moment, quickly replaced by a subtle frown. "Yes, that's it precisely."

You are nothing. Everything that you have was given to you by me.

He refused to accept that man's claim. After the death of Marianne the Flash, he had gone to stand before his father, the emperor of a nation that now controlled a third of the world, and demanded answers as to why the investigation had been stopped. And, more importantly, why the 98th Emperor of Britannia couldn't protect his wife despite all of his vaunted power. He had relied on him to do something, anything, to bring his mother's killers to justice. Instead...

Father, my mother is dead.

What of it?

His reliance on the Emperor and the subsequent shattering of the illusion that the man actually gave a damn about them had cost he and Nunnally dearly. They had been sent to Japan, now Area Eleven, as political hostages.

Despite the original misgivings, a few weeks into their stay with the Prime Minister of Japan and his family the young Lelouch and Nunnally had adjusted well and began to enjoy their new life. Nunnally, crippled and blinded in the same incident that had stolen their mother from them, had become enamored with life in the Kururugi Shrine. Lelouch was just happy that she was happy, eventually managing to enjoy the various quirks of life in Japan. From the grizzled war veteran Tohdoh, who was instructing the young Kururugi Suzaku in martial arts, to the semi-frequent visits of Sumeragi Kaguya, cousin of the aforementioned Kururugi.

In short, they had adjusted and become happy with life once more. It was a beautiful year that was never meant to last any longer.

Lelouch clenched his fist, hidden from Rivalz, as he recalled the horrors he and Suzaku had to see during the aftermath of Britannia's invasion. How they had traversed a warzone on foot, carrying a crippled and blinded young girl, scavenging anything edible just to survive...

Not once, but twice, his happy, peaceful life had been shattered by Britannia. First his mother had been slain, his sister crippled, and the investigation called off. His happiness had been shattered, and the pieces swept under the rug. And then a second time, he had adjusted to a simpler life. It had been quieter, even more peaceful than life as a Prince... and then it ended in gunfire and explosions.

He and Suzaku had seen and experienced horrible, terrible things. Starving and scavenging for food, fighting down bile at the smell of rotting corpses... but worst of all had been the knowledge that they couldn't help anyone. They could hardly help themselves.

It was reasonable to say Lelouch Lamperouge, or rather Lelouch vi Britannia, loathed the country that had birthed him. The same country that had devoured Japan, forcing him to, once again, reside in Britannia.

However, unlike so many who hated Britannia, Lelouch had plans. He simply needed the time and resources to put things in motion. In time, he would gain these things.

'It's a shame I can't simply kickstart my plans into action.' Lelouch lamented, staring dully at the passing buildings as he leaned his head on his hand. And indeed it was. Because Lelouch was afraid, though he would never admit it, that he would never implement the plans and schemes he had in mind. That once he integrated himself into Britannian society he wouldn't have the chance to put forth his plans. That he would simply fade into obscurity and never accomplish all the things he promised so long ago.

I swear, Suzaku... I will obliterate Britannia!

The fire of hatred burned within Lelouch, tempered by cold logic. His desire for vengeance was strong, but so too was his desire for justice. The world was not fair, but it should be. The weak should not need to fear the strong, they should be encouraged by the strong to grow stronger themselves, and thus encourage still others who were weak to become strong. For the sake of those who didn't have the option to become strong.

Those like Nunnally, who were trapped within a cage of weakness that simply couldn't be broken. Why should they be cast aside, when they were just as human as anyone else? Perhaps even more human than some.

No, the strong should protect the weak until such a time that they, too, could be protectors. A fair, just world. It was a naive dream, he knew, and yet still he allowed himself to entertain the notion. Sometimes, when the hatred for his wretched father and the rotten country and the unfair world was not enough to push him forward, the soft caress of idyllic fantasies waiting to become reality would pull him on for another day. He would survive until he could create such a world for his little sister and all those like her.

But still, the fire burned. His mother was killed and not a soul could discover the culprit? A terrorist attack in the middle of Pendragon, the Aries Villa no less? Investigations called off less than a week after the murder? What sort of justice was that?

Yes, Lelouch thirsted for justice and fairness, but he also craved blood. He was human, and it was human nature to desire revenge on those who have wronged you or yours. He was no saint and would never claim to be one, because deep down he still dreamed of putting his mother's murderers through torment that even the Devil himself would cringe at.

Obliterate Britannia!

If only it were that simple...

His musings were cut off, and he belatedly noticed having had an entire conversation with Rivalz about some flowery speech his half-brother Clovis la Britannia had delivered, when a horn honked. It was a very loud horn, he noted.

Turning to see the cause for commotion, he realized with a start that the reason the horn was so loud was because it was less than eight feet behind them.

"Floor it, Rivalz!" Lelouch shouted in a panicky tone. What the hell was the big hurry?

The nervous and equally panicky tone of Rivalz voice was not the least bit comforting, as he desperately tried to find some way to let the giant truck pass them, or simply outrun the damn thing. "I am flooring it!" And there went the idea of outrunning it. "OH GOD WE'RE GONNA DIE! And I never told Prez I- AHH!" He yelped fearfully as the truck actually rammed the motorbike, jostling its terrified passengers, before swerving off a ramp into a dirt lot. And further into a building that was being constructed on said lot.

Lelouch, despite the sudden wave of relief that came from not being run over by a massive truck, couldn't help but be annoyed that he and Rivalz had missed that ramp in their panic. This entire incident could have been avoided.

... Though to be fair if the driver of the truck hadn't been in such a hurry, then there wouldn't have been an incident in the first place.

"Did..." Rivalz swallowed nervously, glancing briefly at his passenger. "Did we cause that?" He asked, looking at the scene of the wreck as smoke wafted from his engine. Apparently the bike couldn't handle Rivalz "flooring it" as long as he did. The sudden, and rather harsh, impact of the truck had only escalated matters. "Hope no one's hurt..."

"No, we didn't cause it. I think." Lelouch replied idly, his eyes scanning the suddenly appearing crowd gawking uselessly at the wreckage. No one rushed to see if the truck's passengers were alright, phones that should be dialing for help were flashing pictures of the scene, and bystanders were looking on with a morbid sort of interest. After all, no one can look away from a wreck no matter how much they want to, or so it seemed.

The old hatred for Britannian society, tempered this time by the caring nature that Lelouch rarely showed to those outside of the council and a rare few confidantes, urged him to separate himself from the common parasites hovering over the scene of the crash like flies over a corpse. "I'm going to go see if they're alright." Lelouch announced, slipping out of the side-car with the same grace and poise he always had.

Rivalz gaped at his friend, who ran off while shooting him a disarming smile. "B-b-but... LELOUCH!" He shouted off, frowning as his friend ignored his cries. "He just has to play hero..." He muttered, turning his attention to fixing his bike. After all, that was their only ride back to Ashford. "Why do I get the feeling something bad is going to happen?"

He hated those feelings, they tended to be right.

Lelouch was calm, despite the severity of the situation at hand. Here he was, trapped inside of a moving vehicle that was, apparently, being driven by none other than a band of so called terrorists, freedom fighters rebelling against the oppressive grip of Britannia.

He really should have just left well enough alone, but his damnable pride had spurred him to make this decision. No, not just his pride, he knew it was also that deeper instinct of caring for the well-being of others that Nunnally had instilled in him.

It wasn't like he wanted to be a hero or anything, some things just couldn't be left alone.

Once he had stepped into an argument between an elderly couple and some brash young fool who'd rammed his new car right into their much more modest vehicle. The younger man was trying to pin the entire incident on the older folks, who were too stunned by the crash and the sudden accusations to really put up any defense.

How could he not have stepped in, when the fool was so blatantly in the wrong? It was entirely his fault, he'd been driving like a maniac, but no one else was going to call him on it. It was just good fortune that no one had been injured by his idiocy, yet he was going to try and force the people he had rear-ended into an unfair resolution.

Situations like that... well. It was just right versus wrong. What kind of person would he be if he could just ignore something like that, when it was well within his power to help?

Back to the situation at hand, Lelouch inspected his surroundings. Dark room, no light source. Small hole in the roof, where he had quite literally dropped in, with no ladder to get back out. Large, spherical object of some sort... an object that was giving off a very peculiar feeling of familiarity and a myriad of other emotions that he couldn't quite place. The short rush of emotions left after less than a second, confusing the exiled prince greatly, before he quickly took cover behind the canister.

After a moment, a red haired girl who was both familiar and strikingly lovely sauntered out of a door leading to the front of the truck, and made her way over to the only other object of notice in the truck. Said object was a large, dark gray tarp.

He very nearly gasped as the girl threw the tarp off, a vicious grin upon her lips. "They'll never expect this." She noted, summing up Lelouch's thoughts rather nicely too.

For beneath the tarp was a crimson machine, humanoid in appearance, with a black protrusion coming from it's back. A Glasgow, a fourth-generation Knightmare Frame and the very same weapon that had originally conquered Japan seven years ago. While Sutherlands had effectively replaced the Glasgow recently, it was by no means useless. In the hands of a skilled pilot, a Glasgow was still a match for a Sutherland or even a Gloucester piloted by your average rank-and-file soldier.

Lelouch didn't know it yet, but he was looking at one such skilled pilot as she made her way into the machine, with an ease that suggested familiarity, before the Knightmare sprang to life and leaped out through the opening door in the back of the vehicle and easily dispatching a surprised helicopter with her Slash Harken.

The last thing he saw before the door closed was that the Glasgow had been confronted by Sutherlands dropped from VTOL-aircraft.

The exiled prince remained hidden even as the truck left the paved roads, eventually making its way into the abandoned subway tunnels and plowing its course directly towards the Ghetto. Shinjuku if he had his directions right, though he wasn't certain seeing as his vision was quite limited.

A few minutes later the truck stopped, it's wheels spinning uselessly as it drove into a large hole. The side of the truck opened up, much to Lelouch's confusion, before the spinning of the wheels stopped entirely. The driver must have been injured during his drive, and was now either dead or out cold.

Lelouch wasn't sure which he'd prefer at the moment.

He decided to inspect the capsule for the moment, trying to figure out just what was inside of it. Really, he should have just made a break for it, but that strange myriad of emotions was still in the back of his mind. After a few moments of looking over the bizarre capsule, he heard the sound of footsteps, falling swiftly and surely enough that the runner must have been wearing night-vision goggles. Lelouch tried to pinpoint the runner's location using the sound of the footfalls, but they suddenly stopped. He caught a glimpse of the figure mid-turn, and barely managed to raise his arms into the path of a gray-garbed leg aiming to knock his block off.

Spinning on his heels he managed to transfer the momentum of the kick into a throw, sending the soldier flying into the truck, the remaining energy knocking him back a few steps. The short lull allowed him to start an assessment of his foe.

Standard gray body armor dictated him to be a Britannian soldier, wearing a helmet and a gas-mask. Very fast, as evident by the fact that the soldier had kicked off of the wall mid-air and was now springing into a remarkably quick punch that clipped Lelouch's shoulder as he dodged. The black haired boy was unable to avoid the swift knee that deposited itself into his solar plexus with enough force to knock the breath, and the fight, right out of him.

"Stop this needless violence, can't you see you're causing more bloodshed!?" The soldier shouted.

That phrase certainly rekindled the fire in Lelouch's soul. "Needless violence!?" He coughed, his breath hitching. "If you wanted to stop... needless violence and bloodshed... you shouldn't be a Britannian soldier!" The boy's eyes were alight with anger and loathing for his homeland. How could anyone not see that Britannia was the cause of this bloodshed in the first place?

The soldier, who had been holding him by the shoulders with his knee pinning him against the wall of the truck, gasped as though someone had punched him. "L-Lelouch?" He stuttered, releasing the boy and allowing him to slide down the side of the truck and catch his breath. "Lelouch, it's me, Suzaku!" The soldier announced, removing his helmet to show friendly green eyes and a kind smile. Said smile turned sheepish as Lelouch leveled him a mixture between a pained grimace and a bemused sense of wonderment. "Er. Sorry." He offered.

"... You're in the military?" Lelouch asked, catching his breath at last. Being hit by Suzaku was guaranteed to hurt, and that hadn't been a friendly hit meant to tease him at all. That move was designed specifically to incapacitate a hostile. Though to be fair, Lelouch was about ten seconds from slipping a knife into the other boy.

But what was really important was that his long since thought dead friend was standing before him, all smiles and happiness, while wearing the garb of a nation that stood for the exact opposite to him. "You're not with any resistance?" He continued hopefully. There was no way Suzaku had actually gone and joined the Britannians without an ulterior motive. The positively revolted look on Suzaku's face brought a brief hope to his chest. This was the part where Suzaku expressed his distaste but realized it was necessary for the rebel faction that he join to act as a double agent.

"What? Of course I'm not a terrorist!" Well there went that. Lelouch was mere moments away from tearing a strip out of Suzaku, before the canister opened and the brunette covered his face haphazardly with a gas mask. Leave it to Suzaku to do something to piss him off immensely, only to follow it with something that would dissipate any anger and replace it with worry.

But no gas came. Instead, a girl fell from the capsule and onto the ground. Lelouch kicked Suzaku off of him and moved to check on the greenette that had just fallen out of the capsule.

"So, poison gas, huh?" Lelouch wondered bemusedly. He couldn't help but wonder what this girl had done to anger his half-brother enough for him to cage her in such a manner. It was clear by Suzaku's reaction that he had been unaware of the true contents of the capsule... what in the world could she have done that would warrant this, though?

Suzaku's hands went up in an unnecessary show of innocence "It's what they told us at the briefing!" Of course it was. He was just an Eleven in the military, after all. What had tempted his fool of a friend to join the organization most responsible for the oppression of his people, again?

"Filthy Eleven monkey!" A harsh voice shouted, indicating the arrival of Clovis's Royal Guard. "You were given strict orders!"

... Again Lelouch wondered what had tempted his foolish friend into joining the Britannian military of all things?

"But, sir!" Suzaku called out, jogging over to the soldiers. "I was told this was poison gas."

"Are you questioning orders!?" The man in charge, distinguished from his peers by his medals and other fanciful decoration, shouted. "However..." He continued, slightly quieter. "In light of your spotless military record, I'll let you off the hook this time. Now, execute this terrorist."

After a stalwart refusal to harm a civilian from Suzaku, he turned his back to the military-man. And then he fell to the ground as a gunshot rang out.

"Such a shame." The leader of Clovis' Royal Guard said with mock sadness as he looked at the fallen form of the Honorary Britannian he had put a bullet into, before turning to Lelouch. "You really don't have any luck kid. You're Britannian, but nobody may know of this, you understand." He raised his weapon towards the boy.

Then something exploded.

Lelouch forced himself to continue onward down the tunnel, pulling the green-haired girl along behind him. "Damn it, damn it..." In his eyes were the beginnings of tears. "Seven years, and then he goes and gets himself shot. DAMNIT! This is your fault, isn't it?" He accused, leveling a glare towards the former prisoner. "Whatever Clovis wants you for, he's willing to go to great lengths to achieve it." He muttered bitterly, calming himself as he inspected her. What was so special about this girl that his half brother would keep her so securely restrained?

That explosion had saved his life, though it was at the cost of the driver's own he was sure. Who else could have activated that apparent self-destruct? While the man hadn't intended to save his life, Lelouch would remember to pay his respects to the nameless terrorist who had rescued him from his brother's Royal Guard.

If he got out of this alive, that is.

He and the girl stopped at a stairwell leading up into a warehouse, inside of which a number of the ghetto's residents had gathered to hide from the Britannian soldiers who were mercilessly slaughtering anyone they found. Nervous mummers and quiet sobs could be heard even from his position in the tunnel, giving him bits and pieces of the situation. "No... He ordered a purge?" Lelouch felt a shiver run down his spine. How much had his pompous, vain, but still caring and soft-hearted brother changed? Surely Clovis wouldn't have ordered something so horrifying?

The screams of terrified Japanese answered that question as gunfire rang out and those in hiding were wiped out, save for one child who had survived the initial salvo and was groaning piteously. He heard a laugh, a scream, and more laughter.

White hot rage built up in Lelouch's chest, but he could do nothing for now. He made to retreat into the tunnels once more, but his plans were cut short by an unforeseen circumstance.

Shirley really did call him at the very worst times.

Thanks to the unwelcome call Lelouch and the mystery girl were dragged out of hiding, the dark haired boy thrown against the thin wall of the warehouse, with guns trained on every part of his body, Shirley was back at Ashford cursing her crush for hanging up on her.

"Well, well, chose a bad day to skip, Schoolboy. But still, you lasted quite some time. But, it's to be expected. You are a Britannian after all." The leader of the Royal Guard spoke, seemingly taking pride in the amount of time the boy had evaded them. He took aim. "Goodbye." And he fired.

"He mustn't die!" A voice rang out, as the green haired woman intercepted the bullet. She fell to the ground in a spray of blood, a few splashes of the red fluid dotting the boy she had saved.

Purple eyes opened wide as yet another person died for him. "No..." Lelouch muttered helplessly, dashing over to her fallen form and inspecting her uselessly. She'd been shot in the head, right between the eyes. She was gone.

Three people had died today and prolonged his life. First his oldest male friend had been shot in the back by his superior for refusing to kill him, then one of the rebels had sacrificed himself to kill the soldiers, failing that but managing to save his life. And now this. The girl this entire fucking mess had started over just died taking a bullet meant for him.

And it didn't even matter. Any of it, they all died for nothing. Because he was still staring death in the face at the hands of the same soldiers that the driver had meant to kill, the same soldiers who had shot Suzaku and the ones who had just put a bullet through this strange girl's head.

The leader of the Royal Guard frowned, annoyed with this turn of events. "Ah, well. The subject was found tortured to death in the Ghetto, alongside the corpse of a Britannian student. How does that sound, schoolboy?" He asked with a superior smirk, unconcerned with the inner turmoil of the boy, before leveling his gun once more on him.

"Do you want it to all end here?"

'No, I don't.' Lelouch replied without a moment's hesitation. Was that the voice of that girl? What was going on?

"You have something to live for. I can give you power to survive this and live on. But be warned. The power of the king will make you lonely indeed."

Lelouch vi Britannia slowly rose from his position beside the the green haired girl's corpse, a peaceful smile on his lips. It was at this time an unnatural fog rolled in, startling the soldiers. "Say, how should a Britannian who detests his country live his life?" The exiled prince asked, uncaring of the fog. As the unnatural cloud of white streamed into the warehouse behind him, his confident smile and the gleaming of his eyes took on a menacing appearance.

The scarred leader chuckled, though it was with a hint of nervousness. "What are you, some sort of radical?" His humor died in his throat as his gaze met that of the boy. His mind seemed to shut down as the image of a stylized bird in flight ingrained itself onto the boy's eye.

"The only one's who should kill are those prepared to be killed." Lelouch replied easily, as his left eye took on an unearthly glow to match the bizarre crest that had formed within it. "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you. Die." This was the voice of someone who commanded absolute authority, and it compelled the soldiers.

"Happily, my Lord!" The assembled men shouted, firing on each other and themselves gleefully.

The fog kept rolling in, even as the Royal Guard of Prince Clovis la Britannia committed mass-suicide. Framed against the unnaturally thick fog, his grin looked positively demonic.

But as the glee from his powerful new ability calmed, Lelouch quickly realized what this unnatural fog meant, and how it was dangerous to him. "A digital field? Here?" He muttered, glancing about cautiously. Of all the things to happen, a digital field? Today really was not his day.

Digimon were a strange phenomenon, an entirely separate branch of life created by human experimentation. While full details of their creation weren't known to him, the generally accepted explanation was that a group of scientists had intended to create artificial life, succeeded, and disappeared for an unknown reason soon after.

However, none of that mattered much right now. It wouldn't help him escape the field, thus it was unimportant. He turned to make his way out but was stopped in his tracks as he saw an angel.

Or, rather, an Angemon. Long orange hair flowed from it's, or rather his, helmeted head. A tattered blue loincloth covered his pelvis, over white pants that formed seamlessly into boots that were adorned with golden crosses. Upon his back were six angelic wings, and in his hands was a simple golden staff.

The most important thing to know about this Angemon would be that its fist was currently glowing a golden orange, reeled back as though to throw a punch. And it was aiming somewhere other than him. "Hand of Fate!" The digimon shouted, throwing it's fist forward and launching the golden-orange burst of energy in Lelouch's general direction, though slightly to the left.

An explosion of concussive force threw Lelouch away several feet, giving him another new bruise for his trouble. "Yeoooowowowo!" A maniacal voice yelped, it's source being one of the most bizarre things Lelouch had ever seen. Had the creature really materialized right beside him? And he hadn't noticed?

It was a digimon, that much was obvious. It was almost completely blue, save for the yellow frill-like collar that shot out from where its neck would be. Several thin tentacles came from beneath the collar, tipped with small white claws. Also jutting from beneath the collar were two arms, which were longer than the other tentacles. The arms were tipped with large, slightly flat, hands, with five long, bony fingers.

Upon the back of its hands the digimon had an insignia that appeared to be an orange, gear-like eye. Above the collar, a large, round head sat, topped by two long antenna-like growths, which appeared to have a few cuts taken out of them. The creature's face was the real kicker, the being had an enormous mouth, filled with dark blue fangs that seemed to come from the actual skin of the digimon, rather than growing separately inside the mouth. Its eyes were perfectly circular, save two small parts which seemed to spike outward, with a dark green ring in the eye, giving the appearance of a VERY large pupil. Above the eyes were two black eyebrow-like marks that appeared tattooed on.

"Hey! That fucking HURT!" The creature shouted. Following this was a bout of insane laughter as it's maw opened wide, a pinkish white glow appearing within, before a powerful blast of energy was fired from it.

Angemon simply batted the blast away with his staff in a bored manner. "You've run far enough, abomination! Dragging our conflict into the world of humans rather than being deleted gracefully?" His voice was tinged with disgust at actually speaking to the smaller creature. "Your kind are a mistake that our lord commands us to remove."

"Oh yeah? Well..." The creature cut off in a fit of giggles. "Your lord can get bent! BAHAHAHAH!" Was it actually funny? Not really, no, but it made the Angemon angry, and that was funny. Laugh in the face of death!

The bored yet smug look on the angel digimon's face disappeared and became an angry snarl. "INSOLENT WORM!" He shouted, rushing forward and bashing the jellyfish looking digimon with his staff. Incidentally, this sent the rookie hurtling towards Lelouch, who balked at the sight of the blue monster flying through the air at him like a missile.

He figured that it would hurt, badly. And so, he was pleasantly surprised when rather than crashing into him and sending them both hurtling into the wall, the creature seemingly defied gravity and momentum by coiling his tendrils around the boy, stopping his flight entirely while not even moving Lelouch an inch. "... Say, whassa human doin' here?" The jellyfish asked with honest curiosity, as if it had only just realized they were in an entirely different world.

"It matters not. The loss of one human is inconsequential should you try to hold him hostage." The angel let loose another Hand of Fate, and Lelouch leaped out of the way as quickly as he could. The blast missed by only a few feet, the force sent him flying, he came to a stop by landing harshly on the ground. "Angel Rod!" The butt of Angemon's staff caught the Jellyfish in it's head, and since it was still coiled around Lelouch, they both were knocked for a loop.

"Damnit. I just got out of one life threatening situation, now I'm in another?" Lelouch grunted as he skidded to a stop. Oh, wait, that had been his entire day thus far. Lovely.

The maniac digimon giggled a bit, a sheepish look somehow making it's way onto it's face. "Sorry for draggin' you into this. Featherweight over there will probably end up destroying you out of principle, by the way. The Digiworld is in one hell of a sorry state right now, kekeke." The creature seemed genuinely apologetic for him ending up in this situation.

"Brilliant." He muttered. 'I'll use the Geass on it, then.' If that didn't work? He was basically dead. So not his day today.

"Have you finally chosen to lie down and allow yourself to be destroyed? A wise choice.-" Angemon was cut off as Lelouch yelled to him, "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, return to the digital world!" The digimon was not phased, and did not enjoy the interruption. "Your life is forfeit for presuming to command ME, human."

Lelouch quickly hopped up from his downed position, still feeling the seemingly weightless digimon hanging onto his back. "What the hell did you do to draw the ire of this digimon's lord!?" He shouted to the blue creature.

"I hatched. S'about it really." It replied, shrugging it's... shoulders? "One of the rulin' factions of the Digiworld doesn't like Dark digimon, and my species is at the tippy-top of their shitlist, kekeke." At the end of his sentence, he fired off another bolt of destructive pink energy, scoring a lucky hit on the Angemon and dazing him for a few moments. During those few moments, the cackling digimon launched bolt after bolt of destruction onto it's enemy, it's insane laughter seemingly fueling them.

"ENOUGH!" Angemon shouted, twisting at high speeds until the orbs of pink simply deflected off of him, scorching the ground and burning through the walls. The twister shot at the duo like a drill, intent on finishing the fight right there.

'I'm going to die. After finally gaining the power to act, I'll perish before I can put it to use. What cruel irony.' After all that? After three different people sacrificed themselves and kept him alive, one of whom gave him the power he needed to begin fighting his homeland? What luck did he have to survive all of this, only to die to some digimon's crusade against "darkness"?

Nunnally was going to be alone.

No. No, he could not, would not, let that happen. He didn't know how, but he would get out of this. He would survive. He had to live.

A brilliant flash of light, dark purple in color, stunned Angemon as he attempted to strike Lelouch and the blue digimon. A veritable cocoon of data streams wrapped around the the two, also a dark purple. From within the sphere, the voice of the jellyfish digimon called out in an entranced voice. "Keramon, digivolve to..." Another flash announced the arrival of a new digimon.

This one was much different than the previous. Its body was a mixture of red and white, shaped vaguely like a gourd, the upper half wider than the lower. The lower half was tipped with a golden barb, and the upper had a porcelain-like mask with jagged edges and a ruby red horn, beneath which was another part of the mask covered by the first. The body had six red protrusions, two on either side of its top half, and one on both sides of its bottom half. There were two rows of three golden spikes on the creature. One row, slightly smaller than the other, was on its front while the other was on its back.

The six red protrusions shot out, three gold claws growing from each, connected to the main body by what appeared to be a mass of wires. The mask also extended, attached by more wires, and the two parts of the mask separated for a moment with a clacking sound. "Infermon." It announced, a bizarre warbling of two voices speaking at once. The six spindly legs sat themselves firmly on the ground, and Infermon began to grow accustom to this new form.

In a world of black, two spheres of violet light can be seen hovering beside one another. Inside of one sphere was Keramon, snickering quietly with a fierce grin.

Inside the other was Lelouch, naked as the day he was born, eyes wide and breathing somewhat labored. "This is amazing. I feel so powerful." The thought was an echo of Keramon's own, and Infermon spoke alongside these thoughts.

"Two beings sharing control of one body. So odd. There should be more conflict, and yet this body moves so easily. Are we really tied together so much, mentally, that our thoughts are mirrors of the other? We're more one being than two in control of a single body, aren't we?" Infermon pondered, the warbling of his voice disturbing Angemon greatly.

This was not right. Keramon digivolved to Kurisarimon, not Infermon. He had to have skipped Champion entirely. But that simply was not possible. How could his prey have become an Ultimate so easily?

The human must have had something to do with it, but where was he? The Infermon had said something... two beings in one body? No, surely not, they couldn't have merged together, and even if they did there was no way it could result in an Ultimate level digimon.

Angemon couldn't continue thinking, he had to act. If this really was an Ultimate there was no way he could let it make the first move, and if it wasn't then he would destroy it in one shot.

"Angel Rod!" He shouted, lunging forward with his staff held out in front of himself to jab at his foe. His other hand was reeled back to launch his second attack. "Hand of FATE!" He put all of his strength into one attack, to finish this battle before it could begin in earnest.

"Hell's Grenade." Infermon countered the Hand of Fate with several small blasts from a cannon that appeared between his jaws, simultaneously disarming Angemon by stabbing his staff-wielding arm with the golden claws on one of his legs, while another grasped the staff and tossed it away. A third leg pierced Angemon, this one stabbing deeply into his shoulder.

Infermon then stretched as far away from Angemon as his legs would allow, retracted his mask back into the main body, and yanked himself towards Angemon with his horn aimed to impale the angel through his skull.

And so it did. Angemon quickly turned to particles and was absorbed from the air by Infermon, who flashed purple and was replaced by a panting Lelouch and a giggling Keramon.

"That was fucking awesome. Your name was Lelouch, wasn't it?" Keramon asked, returning to his previous position. That being, of course, with his tendrils coiled loosely around Lelouch's shoulders, hovering weightlessly behind the boy.

"Yes. And you're Keramon, at least right now." Lelouch inspected the peculiar item that had deposited itself into his hand. "Where did this come from? And what is it?" It looked something like a square with it's corners chopped off, a small screen in the center. Two buttons were on the right side of the screen, with a third on the left. It had a small antenna of sorts sticking off of it's top left corner, and the screen was surrounded by symbols that he couldn't understand. The most noticeable part of the device would be that it was colored the same shade of purple as his eyes.

"That's a Digivice, Lelouch. It's not like the ones Britannia made to enslave Digimon, this one is special. It's a symbol of the Digidestined." Keramon replied informatively. "I don't know how I know this, but if I had to guess it would be because of the device you're holding right now. You feel it, don't you? The two of us share a bond now. You hardly noticed when I coiled myself around you."

Lelouch blinked, realizing belatedly that, yes, he had completely ignored the foreign feeling of Keramon entwining his tentacles around him. That was a very noticeable change to him. It was a gesture that spoke of trust, and even though he had just come into contact with Keramon, Lelouch could explicitly say he trusted the digimon. It was somewhat disconcerting, but at the same time comforting.

How did a change like that just... happen? Perhaps it came from the fact that he had literally shared a body with this digimon, for a time.

"So, now what, Lelouch?" Keramon spoke again, bringing Lelouch out of his musing. "I've been running from Featherbrain and his ilk for a long ass time, I'd rather throw my lot in with you. You're the boss, I'm content to just hover around. Kekekeke..." Keramon had managed to wrap around Lelouch in such a way that he looked like a bizarre backpack, with his arms crossed underneath the collar and his tendrils acting like backpack straps to support him on Lelouch's back. Actually, come to think of it, Keramon could probably hide himself as a backpack rather easily. Provided no one tried to take anything out of him via the only opening, his mouth. Something to consider for later on.

And it was very convenient for the next occurrence of the day, because if the Knightmare crashing through the wall suspected him of having a digimon then the chances of shooting first were quite high.

He quickly reviewed what little he knew of his power. That is to say, nothing aside from the fact that Angemon had resisted it. He suspected either digimon were immune to the Geass, or it was due to his lack of eye contact with the angel. He decided to err on the side of caution, and rather than using his power, he fell back on an old gambling alias once the woman in the Knightmare commanded him to identify himself.

"Identify yourself, and tell me why these men are dead!" She ordered. This was punctuated by a hail of bullets piercing the wall directly behind Lelouch.

He held his hands up, thankful that the sudden intrusion had startled Keramon into stiffening and remaining still, and spoke clearly and with confidence. "My name is Alan Spacer, my father is a Duke. I would like to request your protection for the time being. My identification is in my breast pocket." He spoke with all the cockiness of an actual Duke's son, donning a superior smirk.

Inside of the cockpit of her Sutherland, Villetta Nu pondered silently. 'A Duke's son? I shot at a dukes son. Shit. It may be a lie... But... if I rescue a Duke's son from this, I'm assured a promotion.' Her decision made, she came over the speaker again. "Hands where I can see them, I'll check your I.D. myself." His hands were up, she was armed, and she was a trained soldier. The danger to her was minimal, it was worth the risk.

The hatch opened, and she descended down on a small platform lowered by a cable, handgun pointed at him the entire time. There was no way some random teenager was going to get the drop on her from this position, so she was completely safe.

However, unbeknownst to her, this was far from some ordinary teenager...

Lelouch waited a few moments, until she was nearly within arms reach, before activating the Geass. "Follow my orders until I leave this warehouse." He ordered.

"Yes, mi'lord." She replied, the picture of docility. Red rings surrounded her amber eyes.

Lelouch smirked. He could get used to this... Wait, no. That was a bad thing, wasn't it? Ah, well, it wasn't like he was turning her into a mindless slave or anything like that. Moral issues aside, he rather liked the fact that he could turn an enemy soldier into a subservient aide. "What is the situation in Shinjuku?"

"Prince Clovis has ordered a complete purge of the Shinjuku Ghetto." She replied.

Lelouch grit his teeth in anger, and Keramon finally unfroze and allowed himself a deep breath at the averted crisis. "A purge... And how do you feel about that?" He asked, curious to see how a member of the Purist faction would feel. Probably overjoyed considering the basis of that particular organization.

"I'm simply performing my duty." She replied dully.

His expression shifted slightly, anger cooling somewhat. "Elaborate." Someone who wasn't all for the idea of killing Japanese, in the Purist Faction? This was interesting.

Immediately, she did so. This power was truly something amazing. "Elevens or no, these are defenseless civilians. I take no joy or pride in my actions here today. I am merely serving the crown and performing my duty."

Despite the fact that she was completely willing to kill these people because she was ordered to, Lelouch couldn't help but be feel better about that response. At least not everyone in Britannia was fully on-board with genocide, that was something. "You will give me your Knightmare activation code and key." He ordered, accepting the offered key gratefully. "By the way, what is your name?" He asked, walking to the Knightmare Frame. Perhaps she would be of use to him later.

"Villetta Nu, my lord."

"A nice name."

Kouzuki Kallen was not having a good day. First, she didn't know where Nagata was. Chances were he was dead. That put her in poor spirits.

Secondly, Shinjuku Ghetto was being demolished and everyone inside was slated for death. That pissed her off.

Third, her Knightmare was damaged, she was being chased, and she was low on energy. Her death was only a matter of time at this point, and that really pissed her off.

It was notable that when faced with death, Kouzuki Kallen was the type to lash out at it.

"The west entrance." A voice called over her radio in Japanese, startling her. "Take the west entrance, head for the tracks."

"Who is this?" She barked, not trusting the new voice. "How did you get this signal?" She dodged a burst of gunfire, swiftly ducking behind buildings. The west entrance was coming up soon...

"That doesn't matter. If you want to win, trust me. I want to get as many people out of this as I can." The voice replied. He sounded sincere.

Kallen growled in frustration, swiftly making her way to the west entrance. What did she have to lose, really? "Now what?" She asked, barely dodging enemy gunfire.

"Jump onto the train, be ready to turn on them."

She did as told, leaping from car to car. By the time she was on the seventh car she turned, just in time to see an enemy destroyed by a pair of well placed Slash Harkens.

"Shot by friendly fire? You there, this is Jeremiah Gottwald, stand down- ahg!" He was cut off by a hail of gunfire from the supposed ally, and ejected before his situation could be taken advantage of by the Glasgow charging at him.

"Hey, thanks, but how did you get ahold of a Suther... land?" He was gone. Well that was creepy. It was like she'd been saved by some sort of phantom.

"Kallen!" A voice yelled, drawing Kallen's attention to a group of Japanese running to her. "We got a call from some guy on the radio telling us to meet up here, he said you'd be here." Ohgi announced.

"He contacted you too?" She asked. He did have their frequency, apparently, so it wasn't too hard to believe.

"You there, are you the leader of this group?" The voice asked in English this time, coming alive once more over the radio in Ohgi's hands this time, startling those nearby.

Ohgi hesitated for a minute, before relenting. "Yes, I am."

"I present to you the cargo of these train cars. If you're willing to follow me, we can use them to win this fight."

One of the resistance members, a redheaded man, jogged over to the train care and opened it eagerly, expecting new guns or explosives.

"HOLY SHIT!" He yelled, drawing everyone's attention to the train care. Which was full of Sutherlands. The various other rebels had similar reactions, ranging from disbelief to a sort of overjoyed surprise.

"W-wow." Ohgi muttered. "You said you could help us win? What, exactly, do you mean by that?" He asked, not trusting the voice but at least willing to hear him out.

"Smart man. Just because of a gesture like this doesn't mean you should trust me entirely, after all." The voice paused for a moment. "What I mean, is that if you are willing to put your faith in me, I will lead you to victory here. This is the first chance for the Japanese to claim a real victory over Britannia since the Miracle of Itsukushima, and I want to take it. And besides..." He trailed off darkly. "For every moment we sit by idly, more and more Japanese civilians are being slaughtered because Clovis wants his toy back. I won't blame you solely for this massacre, but you are the ones who brought it into Shinjuku. Think about that."

Ohgi grimaced, guilt stabbing him in the chest. He knew that this was their fault. While they had removed a powerful weapon from Britannia, they also gave Clovis an excuse to massacre innocents. He hadn't intended for this to happen, but he had no idea Clovis would have it in him to order this kind of genocide. And how could he have known, with the foppish way the man acted? That blond buffoon was not a killer.

Or so they had thought. Terrible miscalculation, that. "We had no idea he would be capable of this." Ohgi said, not trying to excuse the mistake so much as inform him of why it was made.

"I understand completely. The Viceroy of Area Eleven seems far too soft to order something like this, the slaughter of innocent people... however, Clovis la Britannia is a spoiled child at heart. He has no regard for the lives of those he will never meet." The voice replied. "Now then, on to more important matters. Will you fight with me? I know that I can defeat Clovis with the cooperation of you and your friends, however if you disagree I will simply cut my losses and leave. I'm giving you the choice to risk your lives for the common man, or save your own life at the cost of theirs. I'll give you five minutes to consult with your friends. After that time is up, I'm retreating."

Lelouch flipped a switch on the radio, silencing it. A soft, squeaky voice spoke from the top of his head. "You really know how to drop a bomb, don'cha? Heheh." The source of the voice was a small blue creature shaped like a clawed hand, with a single ruby eye and small antenna. "So, we're really gonna run for it if we can't get their help?" Tsumemon was the in-training form of Keramon. He had degenerated to conserve space.

"Yes." Lelouch replied without a moment's hesitation. "I cannot do this alone, and you and I will not be enough. If we could digivolve back into Infermon then we could crash into the G-1 base and kill Clovis, but that won't do anything except for agitating Britannia and forcing them to send a competent commander. It won't send a message, and that is the most important part of killing royalty." After all, Marianne vi Britannia had been killed by supposed terrorists who never claimed responsibility. And look how quickly she had been forgotten.

"I see." Came the response from the small digimon. He needed to send a message? If killing royalty wouldn't do that, completely humiliating the military and then killing the prince would for sure.

Lelouch flipped the switch on the radio once more, contacting the resistance members once more. "What is your answer?" He asked.

"We're in."

Everything was going perfectly. The rebels were caught in his sway like a raft on the tumultuous waves of the ocean, though these waves thrust them closer to their destination. Even if they didn't realize it yet.

Orders spilled from his lips one after another in quick succession, and he swiftly outwitted and executed the enemy with extreme prejudice. They continuously ran headfirst into ambushes and choke-points, were gunned down the moment they spotted their foes, and were being ripped to shreds by surprisingly skilled pilots.

Lelouch had been quite happy to find that the entire group had taken turns using the Glasgow, and that while Kallen was their best, all of the others were average or above it.

And speaking of Kallen being their best? She was more than just "their best". She was an absolute monster. Even in a Glasgow with only a single arm, she was running circles around trained Sutherland pilots like it was nothing.

He had found a gold mine in these terrorists. While it would take some work, each and every one of these people could excel in Knightmare combat given the time to practice. They would be a great help later down the road, especially if he could further build their trust in him.

Of course, it was about then that things went sour. "Shit!" A voice cursed over the radio. "It's some kind of fire bird or something!"

"What? A digimon? Damn it!" The red-headed ace pilot shouted, the sound of gunfire echoing over the radio as she tried to shoot the beast down.

"It's too fast for us to hit it, and we can't get close without it shooting fireballs at us!" Ohgi called, trying to keep calm and only succeeding by a small margin.

"Hold you position." Lelouch broke in, calm as ever. "I will handle it." So his brother had finally played that card, hm? It wasn't a stretch to believe Clovis had a Digimon under his control. More likely than not it was brainwashed to secure it's obedience, and having a part in something like that would be problematic for the kind, caring reputation he had built up all throughout Britannia.

"How the hell do you expect to "handle" that? It's a motherfuckin' PHOENIX!" The other redhead screamed loudly, the sounds of gunfire echoing over the radio as he took shots at the creature.

Lelouch ignored him, making a mad dash for the coordinates. "Keramon, are you ready?" He asked, preparing to open the hatch of the Sutherland, hidden in a run down building nearby the rest of the rebels.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Tsumemon replied, not bothering to correct him.

The hatch opened, and Lelouch descended the rope while Tsumemon digivolved into Keramon and levitated slowly to the ground. "I hope this works." Lelouch muttered, placing both hands on the Digivice. He attempted to grasp onto the feelings he had when they had first digivolved, not really certain what would make the device react.

His will to live, and his will to fight. His will to protect Nunnally and his will to avenge his mother. It all came down to strength of will, didn't it?

Never let it be said Lelouch vi Britannia was weak willed.

"Keramon, digivolve to..." The cocoon of data circled them, and their minds connected together once more.

As the light died down, Infermon looked out over the ghetto once more. "Infermon again... but I'm not an Ultimate, am I?" The digimon pondered, searching the combined knowledge of Lelouch and Keramon to try and sort this bizarre circumstance out.

They were Infermon, but they were not an Ultimate. But Infermon was the Ultimate form of Keramon. Perhaps a branching Digivolution-path? It would have to wait, his allies needed him and he would not allow his wandering mind to cost them.

Clovis had gone from pleased, to panicked, and then back to pleased, and then to annoyed, back to panic, and finally to smug. The cause for his mood, in order, would be:

Attending a lovely party.

Being informed by Bartley that his Code-R project had been stolen.

Ordering the purging of Shinjuku to retrieve Code-R and remove any witnesses.

Learning that the enemy had retrieved Sutherlands and were fighting back.

Realizing that the enemy had played them for fools and that he only had five Sutherlands left of his attacking force.

And finally, sending out his trump card.

He didn't need Schneizel's new toy, he had one of his own to display. "Quite the lovely beast, isn't it?" Clovis preened, looking at the panic wrought by his Birdramon. "To think that such a creature exists, and is in my hands? It's exhilarating." His pet phoenix. Hah, so many years ago that this phrase would be insane, and yet here he was watching a marvelous bird of flame tearing through the sky, all at his command. It'd been so long since he'd had ample opportunity to use this monster of his, without news getting out about the creature's existence.

If the media found out, they'd certainly wish to learn more about the creature under his command... but there wasn't much to know seeing as how Clovis didn't desire a companion. He'd wanted a weapon, and so he had made one. This creature knew nothing but what he told it, did nothing without his consent.

The media would have a field day with that. His reputation would be in tatters. It was a good thing he could keep a secret.

He ignored the prattling of his advisers in favor of patting himself on the back for deploying a monster like Birdramon, and not relying on his brother's experimental frame.

And then his mood shifted once more as he saw something knock his digimon from the sky, his grip on the rectangular Digivice that had enslaved Biyomon tightening until his knuckles went white.

The enemy also had a digital monster. And it was strong. But how? How could terrorists, these pathetic Elevens, have a Digimon on their side? Surely they hadn't managed to copy the Digivice technology?

Birdramon had tried, valiantly, to stay in the air. However, it was simply impossible with the buglike monster wrapping its spindly legs around Birdramon's wings, sending them both crashing harshly into the ground.

It was clear that Birdramon would lose this battle, it was operating in terrain that was advantageous to its foe and cumbersome to it. Even Clovis wasn't foolish or arrogant enough to ignore that fact.

And so he allowed the signal from Lloyd Asplund to connect, and the smiling face of a silver haired man with glasses stared down at him. "Greetings, your Highness. Perhaps you would reconsider my earlier offer?" He was so damnably smug. Clovis would have ruined this man had he not been sponsored, directly, by Schneizel.

"Can your toy win this for us?" He phrased it like a question to save face, but the true intent was clear. Yes, he reconsidered, and he was going to swallow his pride. Just deploy the damn thing.

"Your Highness, please. Call it the Lancelot." The grin on Lloyd Asplund's face could be described as "shit eating" were anyone crass enough to use that phrase.

The rebels were panicking when they first saw the digimon. Not just because of the fact that most champion level Digimon were worth like four Sutherlands, but also because this one could fly. And it was big.

"Shit, where's the voice guy? He cut loose and run?" Tamaki growled over the radio, ducking alongside Ohgi and Sugiyama behind a partially collapsed building. They would occasionally leave cover and attempt to blast the thing out of the sky, but to no avail. It was simply too fast for them to hit with their guns.

"Phoenix Rising!" Shouted Birdramon as it flew higher into the air, smoke trailing behind it and covering it entirely. "Mach Grinder!" It screeched, diving down and grabbing Sugiyama's Sutherland by the shoulders, preparing to fly off with it and drop it from as high as possible.

"AH!" The blue haired man inside the Sutherland gasped, struggling to get the bird off of him. "It's taking me up!" He could probably stop his descent with harkens on the nearby buildings, but that would leave him a sitting duck for the flaming bird, if the buildings didn't collapse on him in the process.

Thankfully, the situation never progressed that far as a white blur slammed into the side of Birdramon at ridiculous speeds, freeing Sugiyama from it's grasp where he promptly grappled a building and rappelled his way down, thankfully without disturbing the architecture. "What the fuck was THAT!?" He shouted at the top of his lungs, thankful that he wouldn't be meeting the Shinigami today.

"It's another digimon!" Ohgi replied quickly, watching as the smaller digimon subdued the phoenix.

After tackling the Birdramon and wrapping up its wings, Infermon allowed gravity to do its work as the duo fell, slamming Birdramon into the earth. "Hell's Grenade!" He shouted, pummeling the trapped digimon with bolts of energy from his mouth. The two middle legs lifted high overhead, golden claws gleaming in the light, before plunging downward and spearing through Birdramon. And then Infermon tore them out viciously, bisecting the bird digimon in one swift movement.

He paused for a moment to absorb the data that exploded from the destroyed foe, before turning to the rebels who had watched as he tore apart the bird. "Any casualties?"

Inside of his cockpit, Ohgi flinched at hearing the digimon speak. Its voice was like two different voices meshed together, and it was rather creepy. And those green-gold eyes weren't helping matters. "None." He replied.

"Good, kekeke..." The digimon chuckled ominously. "We've routed the enemy forces, now we c-!" He was cut off as something hit him hard enough to send him flying into a building, which quickly collapsed on his head.

"SHIT!" Yoshida yelled from inside his Sutherland, being the next to go down. He ejected after the enemy grabbed his frame by the shoulders, just in time to see it rip off his arms.

"What IS this thing?" Tamaki asked, rushing headlong into the fray with his guns blazing. He blanched as the white frame was covered by some sort of shield, deflecting the shots easily. "What the fuck!?" He screamed in a panic as the frame dashed towards him, blocking bullets along the way. "It's got some kind of shield!"

A harken took off his left arm, the one toting his rifle, before he decided to cut his losses and eject. The enemy was too close, had too much close combat potential, and frankly he was terrified of the monster that could block KMF Rifle shots at close range and be completely fine afterward.

One by one the members of their resistance were taken out, but the Knightmare was aiming to disable rather than kill. It was lucky for them that this particular pilot didn't seem to realize there was a purge going on.

Soon Kallen was the only one left, fiercely trying to fight the white Knightmare. She was making no progress at all due to the condition of her machine, the specs of her machine, and the worry for her defeated friends.

Salvation came in the form of four long, wiry limbs launching out of the rubble and grabbing the surprised enemy pilot. With a sound similar to that of Slash Harkens retracting, the main body of the digimon slammed into the side of the Knightmare with enough force to send it into a building. This building was sturdier and didn't collapse, much to the annoyance of Infermon. "Seriously? I'm the only one getting a building dropped on them? That is bull." He had to reiterate; today? Not his fucking day.

He saw the white knight returning to the battle, and decided on a plan of action. "Retreat for now, I'll cover you. Meet up with your group and try to survive this ordeal."

And so the battle between Infermon and Lancelot picked up once more, and a certain Earl of Pudding couldn't be more satisfied with the work his baby was doing. And the devicer was still injured! It was clear that he didn't have the advantage in this battle, however. This digimon was most certainly Champion level, as it was easily holding it's own against the Lancelot. It wasn't entirely certain who would come out on top in a battle to the finish, but Lloyd didn't want to risk that.

Luckily he didn't have to, as the fight never escalated that far.

After a quick barrage of body shots from Infermon's feet in their most recent trade of blows, the Lancelot shook itself off in a remarkably human manner, before leaping back to clear the punch-drunkenness that had set in for the pilot after being jostled around in his cockpit.

It was then that Infermon made good on his escape, more than a little punch-drunk himself and with one helluva headache. He'd allowed the rebels their retreat, there was no need to play with this white knight.

A figure walked into a darkened room, looking over its occupants. One of them, a portly bald man, began ordering them to leave. As if that parasite had the right to order him around. "Leave." Lelouch commanded in return, Geass blazing.

The large man left without question, ignoring the commands of Clovis to stay put. A gun was pointed at the Viceroy. "And you, order a ceasefire. Now." He was not in the mood for games, not with the day he had been having.

Clovis grimaced, pressing the comm-switch. "All units, this is Clovis la Britannia, and I order an immediate ceasefire. No more blood will be shed on this day!" He added, for posterity, "And all citizens will receive medical attention should they so desire." Maybe that would keep a bullet out of his head until the rest of the soldiers in the G-1 arrived.

The figure clapped mockingly. "Lovely performance." Medical attention? From the same people who had been slaughtering them mere moments before? What a joke.

"Yes, yes, it was wasn't it? Now what? Would you like some tea? Perhaps a game of chess, or should we have a few ballads? Would you care to pose for a painting of mine?" His voice was positively dripping with sarcasm.

"Chess, you said?" The figure laughed, walking further into the room, where the dim light illuminated him slightly. "That has a familiar ring to it. Though, I recall, you never could beat me as a boy." He threw the helmet off, raising his head to look Clovis in the eye with his own gleaming violet orbs. "Back at the Aries Villa, you remember?"

Clovis's face turned a pasty white, as though he had seen a ghost, before he smiled widely. It was almost as if he wasn't pointing a gun at him. "L-L-LELOUCH! We thought you were dead, how did you survive? Nunnally, how is she?" He gasped as Lelouch glared balefully at him.

"Don't you dare say her name!" Lelouch shouted. "You have no right to sully her name with the same mouth that ordered the needless deaths of countless Japanese here today! Clovis, your hands are stained with the blood of the innocent, and once I'm through you will DROWN in it!" His visage turned cold as he calmed himself. He was so angry, so disgraced that someone he had once held so close to his heart had ordered this slaughter. How far had his beloved sibling fallen?

Clovis, Schneizel, Euphemia, Cornelia, Nunnally, and Lelouch. That had been their group when they were younger. The siblings closest to them, those they held dearest. Clovis had always been pompous, prone to tantrums when he lost at anything involving Lelouch. The two were rivals, despite their age gap.

Lelouch, of course, was the one Clovis always strove to beat.

There was one time he had been victorious over Lelouch, and that had been because Lelouch let him win after much pestering from Nunnally. Clovis realized it after he had actually won, and the glare he had worn was glacial. Lelouch remembered well the incident that had given him a reason to respect his foppish older brother.

"You dare insult me like this, Lelouch!? I will NOT take a hand-out victory from YOU, Lelouch! A victory against you is worth nothing if it wasn't your best effort, and I will not stand for it! I demand a rematch, and you WILL put forth your full effort or else."

He had never seen Clovis that emotional and known that it wasn't falsified. The prideful boy had lost that second game and smiled softly. His next words were engraved in Lelouch's mind even still. "Yes, that's better. Lelouch, if you believe in something, never hold back. To do so is an insult to yourself and everyone you care for. That goes for anything you put your mind to, Lelouch. You've the potential to change the world in ways I could only dream of, don't squander it."

That was life advice he hadn't forgotten. He loved his half-brother. But that Clovis was dead. Lelouch didn't know when it had happened, but Clovis had changed. At first, when Clovis had been appointed Viceroy, he seemed the same. Older, yes, but still the kind and pompous fool of a brother he and Nunnally adored.

Today, when Clovis had made that announcement on the giant screen, his eyes had been cold in a way that was not Clovis. He had changed, and it wasn't for the better.

"Tell me everything you know about my mother's death. Did you have a hand in it?" Lelouch asked calmly as his Geass bent his brother's will.

"No." Clovis replied in a dull voice. "Ask Cornelia or Schneizel, they would know more than me."

Yes, that's right. Cornelia was his mother's guard captain, and Schneizel had handled transportation of her body, hadn't he? And aside from that, Schneizel always knew something. Always. He doubted either of them were the culprits themselves, as Cornelia had an adoration for his mother that was known throughout the entire empire and Schneizel had no real motive.

Schneizel never did anything without a motive. There was always some endgame for that man, in everything from war to conversation.

He allowed the spell to falter, looking his brother in the eyes. Those blue eyes that had once held a myriad of pleasant emotion were colder now. "Clovis, you've changed. The brother I knew wouldn't have purged an entire ghetto to hide the existence of some green haired woman. What happened to you?"

Blue eyes widened. "You've found her?" He asked. "Of course you have. Nothing is ever simple anymore." He looked at the gun pointed directly at his head, surprisingly calm in the face of death. "I have changed, haven't I, Lelouch? Nunnally would hate what I've become." He muttered blandly. "I can't think of people as just that anymore, Lelouch. Now, it's so easy to see them as pieces to move and use and throw away as I please. I've become a monster, haven't I?" He laughed bitterly. "And in the end, I cannot bring myself to care. Perhaps I'm simply too far gone. So go ahead and shoot, Lelouch. But, first, tell me. What do you plan to do?"

"I've come back from Hell, Clovis. And now, I'll change everything. The world is rotten and Britannia is the core of it. And so..." He steadied himself for a moment, and Clovis could see him choking down his emotions. That was good, hopefully Lelouch wouldn't end up like he had. Nunnally needed someone to care for her, and Clovis knew he wasn't worthy of that honor anymore.

He was glad that they were alive. Those two had been his original reason for taking over Japan, he had never really accepted their deaths. Even now, facing down his final moments, there was an immense satisfaction. 'I knew you would be stronger than that, little brother of mine. Stronger than I could ever be. What will you use that strength for, how many tests will it carry you through? I only wish I could live to see it.' But he knew. He'd done things his brother could never forgive. 'Have a good life, Lelouch. No matter what you do, don't lose yourself as I have. Wake up each day, and know exactly who you are and what you stand for.' He kept these final thoughts to himself, unwilling to shake his little brother's will with these words.

"I will obliterate Britannia, and you will be my first step on that path." For the briefest moment before his demise, Clovis saw tears streaming down the cheeks of his little brother. The last thought to go through the mind of Clovis la Britannia was this: 'This scene would have made an amazing painting.'

And then Lelouch pulled the trigger.

"He's smiling..." Lelouch noted softly, sparing one last glance at the face of his brother. "Let's go home, Keramon."

He needed to get home. Maybe Nunnally's smiling face and the warm welcome of Sayoko would help wash away the guilt.

This was but the first step on the path of blood, and he would walk it till his goal was reached.

The world had to change, and he would be the one to change it.

A.N:

Big decisions were made this chapter. Namely, Infermon rather than Kurisarimon. Long story short, writing a giant metal cocoon in a fight was a pain in my ass and it always seemed forced to me. So much so that I ended up making a mode change that was basically just Infermon but not all the way. This time I'll just be skipping Kurisarimon unless the situation demands it. And I assure you, there are still situations were Kurisarimon is useful.

I've also made some changes to Lelouch because this is an AU and I have that right. I'm throwing in another idea of mine into this story because it's easier than making an entirely new story, and still fits in well.

I've also messed with the relation with Clovis, and this is an idea that floats around from time to time. I'm trying to justify a more caring Lelouch, as a sort of contrast to several of the fics that kill off his conscience. It's a bit of character exploration, if you will. Trying to keep Lelouch in character while also letting the caring side that only Nunnally really got to see out a bit more. Of course, he'll still be merciless in some situations and it won't cloud his judgment too much more than it did in canon, because Lelouch is still determined to do what he set out to.

I'll see if it works, in the end.

EDIT: This is the first revised chapter of Lelouch of the Digidestined, and I think I'm off to a good start with this. Several scenes felt awkward, and I've gone back and fixed them to be significantly less so. More details in places where they're needed, less details where there were too many before. The explanation for the digivolution from the original was simply rushed into and awkward in and of itself, what with the whole skipping champion thing.

So in the end, nothing about this chapter has changed story-wise, but it's better written and there have been numerous mistake corrections made for spelling/grammar. I also got really carried away with Clovis in the end there, but I think it fits him. As a character who was only around for one chapter I feel like he needed a much larger impact, so I gave it to him.