Code Geass: Assassin's Creed

Chapter 25

A/N: Sorry for the long delay! Here's an update to this story. I hope you guys will enjoy reading it. Anyway, many thanks to my beta reader, Mr Indigo for his awesome proof reading work! Do check out his story too! =)

Do remember to review in the review section or p.m me!

Hunter. Hunted. Hunt.

Those were the words which a certain red head had been murmuring ever since she stepped onto the premise of the Forbidden Palace. The Forbidden Palace was known to be the most secured place on Earth apart from Pendragon. With over thousands of guards patrolling every corner of the large Palace, it was definitely impossible for intruders to sneak in. Not even a single bug could make it past the defenses it was that airtight. Her mission was to hunt for a very specific person but at a certain point she could become the one who was being hunted instead. It was certainly a do or die mission.

When Jacob suggested to her entering the Palace using her female charm, she thought that the man was definitely lost his mind and she had thought for certain that she would be dressing up as a bunny girl or slave but she was definitely surprised at his choice. A totally bizarre way to sneak in.

Her shoulder brushed against someone. Normally, she would have apologise for that but this time she could only give the very person a glare. A pair of curious golden eyes watched her, with a large grin flashed across the person's face.

"Hey there, gorgeous" the person flirted with a wink. It was a male Britannian with lime green long hair tied in a ponytail and fair complexion. He looked a little feminine to be a man with his slightly slender figure and smooth motions. But of course, he is a feminine man. After all, he was a she. Yes, a she.

"C.C" Kallen hissed. She tried to step on C.C's shoes using the heels of hers but the immortal was able to dodge the attacking foot. C.C then kicked Kallen's leg, causing the redhead to go tumble. "Oh shit!" Kallen yelled out and tried to regain her footing but accidentally stepped on her long dress, causing her to fall at a higher speed.

"Oops, gotcha." A hand grabbed her and managed to pull her up seconds before her face came in contact with the ground. The person pulled her into his arms, creating a typical romance novel scene.

Kallen found herself facing flat against the man's chest. It was such a close embrace that she could hear clearly his heartbeats. A familiar warmness engulfed her and she could feel the man's warm breath fanning her hair. She couldn't help but to enjoy the warm embrace although the man was a stranger.

C.C's cough spoilt the scene. The man immediately released Kallen and handed her over to C.C. "My sincere apologies if I have offended you, sir." the mysterious man said in an awfully familiar voice and tone. Kallen's eyes immediately widened. From C.C's expression, it seemed that she too was shocked by that.

The redhead stared at the man from bottom to top. The familiar silky yet messy raven hair, porcelain like skin, the stubborn jaw line and the mysterious charming violet eyes…not to forget the stance and behaviour only performed by a prince, it was no doubt that he was her Lelouch Lamperouge. No, it was His Royal Highness Crown Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, one of the most powerful political figures in Earth.

Kallen stood there, dumbfounded. "Lelouch…" she whispered the very name which had always been making her heart skipped a beat. She knew he was her enemy but yet she felt like leaping on him, hugging him and telling him how much she hated him. Or perhaps giving him a tight slap or kick. But she can't. He was with Britannian Royal Guards and attacking him now was suicide.

Lelouch gave her a slight nod. Although his memories of Kallen had not been fully recovered, he could still recognise her beneath the disguise she wore. If either Cornelia or Schneizel were here, Lelouch would have no choice but to apprehend her. However, his main mission was not Kallen but something else, something more important.

"I suppose you should apologised. He just hugged her without my permission." C.C scoffed with a totally fake manly voice. Kallen swore she heard C.C cackling softly to herself. She kicked C.C's leg, glaring at her.

What are you doing C.C? Are you going to antagonize a fight with him? Kallen signalled. C.C just shrugged and grinned a cheshire cat smile.

Lelouch's men heard what C.C. had said and immediately their faces turned sour. "How dare of you to demand an apology from our prince!" They growled out with ferocity and withdrew their weapons, earning a gasp from the guests. The Chinese guards stared at them and were absolutely puzzled over the turn of incident.

"Men, stand down," Lelouch commanded and signalled them to re-sheath their weapons. He eyed at the Chinese guards and lifted his hand up in apology for bringing out weapons in the sacred place. He then turned his gaze back to C.C and finally resting at Kallen's face.

"You are right, sir. I owe you and your lady an apology. How can I compensate you?" Lelouch said and gave the charming princely smile upon realizing they had been a centre of attraction by not only the guests but the members of the media. Especially the paparazzi. *Shudder*

"Bring my lady for a walk around the gardens." C.C said smirking. Kallen raised her eyebrow and was totally caught off guard by the request. "The fuck, C-" before Kallen could finish cursing the lime green haired woman disguised as a man, Lelouch intervened.

"What an interesting request. Sure, it is both my pleasure and within my power to have your request fulfilled. After all, accompanying a beautiful lady is certainly a dream for all men. My lady." Lelouch smirked and held his hand out.

Kallen glared at C.C who seemed to be enjoying the weird form of torture. She winked at Kallen and whispered to her ear. "Enjoy it while you can, Kallen vi Britannia," she said chuckled. Kallen blushed a bright crimson and wanted to squeeze C.C.'s head until it popped like a Pooka but refrained from it upon realizing they were supposed to be in an act. Getting angry would only blow their cover.

"How should I refer to you as?" Lelouch asked. There was a long silence. Kallen was totally blank when the prince asked her about it. Before that incident, she memorized everything regarding the false identity she was supposed to take up but now being put on the spot she couldn't remember a single thing!

"I…I…" she stammered and looked at C.C. in desperation for help.

"I am Sir Pizza. This is my wife, Madame Pizza. Call her whatever you wants because if she doesn't like it she will bit you off. Just joking. Anyway, my dear wife. I will be getting some food, you know. The kind of food I love the most!" C.C replied with a small smirk.

"Let me guess, is it pizza? Is it, Madame Pizza?" Lelouch asked Kallen who again blushed a bright crimson when his hand was placed on the exposed skin of her shoulder. Kallen nodded weakly, trying her best to hide her blush but did a piss poor job of it. He laughed and escorted her out from the banquet towards the gardens as his Royal Guards followed from behind like a predator stalking it's prey.

C.C sighed. "Ahhh, Young love…" She muttered and proceeded to grab and quickly scarf down a slice of Chinese pizza. A familiar male waiter came towards C.C with a tray of champagne in his hands.

"Why did you do that, you witch!" He snarled and handed the woman a glass of champagne. C.C chuckled and grabbed another slice of pizza. "Why? Are you jealous, Jacob?" She replied grinning with a cheshire cat smile.

Jacob scowled. "Witch!" He spoke with venom and stomped away with a sour face. C.C cackled loudly in a high pitched female voice, totally forgetting the fact she was supposed to be acting as a man. A few of the guests stared at her, puzzled.

"What?" C.C hissed as she scarfed down another slice of pizza. "Haven't heard of a man with a high pitched laugh before?"

A Few Moments Earlier...

His name was Hyuji. Just Hyuji, no additional surnames or middle names. He was born an orphan and was discarded within the night by his mother amongst a heap of garbage, left to die and rot with decomposing garbage. In fact if it wasn't for a certain serial killer saving his life, he would have definitely died and decomposed sending nutrients into the soil. Hyuji was born destined to become a killer, a criminal. The serial killer was his only parent and mentor. He had no one to turn to other than a wanted men. For years, Hyuji was taught on how to be the hunter, the predator. He killed and killed, all for the sake of pleasing the very man who saved him from death. He owed the man a life debt and he had to repay it.

Although one may said his step-father was a villain, Hyuji loved him more than his own life. The man who he called a father figure wasn't a villain. If he was, he would have left Hyuji to die in the garbage heap and watched the boy struggled with death. Instead, he took him in and taught him so much.

"Kill before you are killed," Hyuji murmured. It was the phrase and slogan which his step-father had embedded into his mind for years. The man had told him all the injustice in this world and only the strong would be able to climb the top. The weak would just be suppressed and sentenced to death. Hence, they need to fight for their survival no matter what it takes. It is the cruel, twisted, but true nature of this world.

Hyuji looked down and stared at his slashed, scarred hands. Every single slash he made on his body was a marker for every person whom he had killed in his life. He had lost count of the slashes at one time and hence lost interest in marking how many people he had slain. The number of slashes he made on his body terrified anyone who crossed his path, including vicious and notorious criminals. It was too grisly and painful for any normal person to look at. Hence, he opted to wear long jackets and pants wherever he went. His face was an exception as it was a vital weapon in his swindling activities.

A shadow cast over him. He looked up and realised it was none other than his new client. He put his pocket knife away and jumped down from the platform. His small, hawk like eye stared at his well-dressed client. He frowned when his nose caught the stench he hated the most. The scent of nobility. The stench of royalty.

"From your expression, I assume you loathed me" Lelouch vi Britannia smirked.

Hyui snorted. "Of course. I hate any kind of royal pansy. Always have and always will." He brandished his dagger and held it right to Lelouch's face. "Where are your usual guards? And why are you not in disguise? I thought royalties like you are supposed to be ashamed to step foot in public, especially in the slums?! You are Lelouch vi Britannia, are you not?" He growled viciously.

Lelouch chuckled. "Keep that weapon down, Hyuji. I am no ordinary "Royal Pansy" as you so, eloquently put it. In fact, I hate my bloodline more than you hate me. So, I don't think it's shameful for me to be seen in the slums. After all, my blood stinks. Isn't it suitable for a filthy person like me to be in this environment?" he replied smugly.

Hyuji held his weapon down and sighed. "Okay, you managed to talk me down. Fine. So you are one weird ass prince. Big whoop. Now what do you want?" He headed back to the platform and sat on his hand made chair made of wooden cartons he got out of garbage bins.

"I need a killing machine. I need your help, Hyuji" Lelouch said with a serious expression. "I need you to kill a certain "Royal" for me," he continued with a sickly smile on his face.

Rolo watched from distance at the awkward looking couple. It was definitely peculiar to have a forty something year old Prince Odysseus to be married to a child Empress Tianzi. Who on Earth would have thought that the two people with that large an age difference would be getting married?

'Something is wrong with the Britannian royalty.' He thought and proceeded towards an important looking group of people within the large crowd. Jacob had instructed him to search around for their supposedly suicide bomber while protecting the Empress from being a target.

He spotted Leon and Benji among the crowd, each disguising as a guard and a cameraman. Their eyes met and each played out their secret signals. There were still no signs of the said suicide bomber.

"Rolo.." The listening device hidden behind his ear buzzed. Rolo scurried to the corner of the hall and pretended to be interested in a dragon statue while trying to intercept the transmission. Once he was out of sight from the guards, he quickly replied. "Yes, sir."

It was Jacob and judging from his tone, he seemed furious over something. "Kallen is out at the moment. She's with the Demon Prince." Jacob growled.

"Wh-what?" Rolo blurted.

A loud sigh was heard. "That damn idiotic witch C.C. set her up. Don't worry. I am keeping an eye on Kallen. If anything were to happen, I will not hesitate to shoot him down. I need you, Leon and Benji to search around for the suicide bomber while keeping an eye on the Empress." Jacob commanded.

"Yes. I understand." Rolo nodded. "Ensuring this mission is a success is our responsibility."

"Good and Rolo," Jacob paused and took a few seconds to clear his throat. "If you were ever to spot the suicide bomber, never provoke him. The man is like a time bomb. He will explode at even the slightest touch. Understood?"

However, there was no reply. Jacob heard a faint crack sound followed by a loud squish sound. Then, the line was cut.

"Sorry" the person said and bowed. Rolo nodded and waved his hand, signalling he was fine. He was a tall young man with sunken eyes and dark, slick jet black hair with slight curls at its end. The stranger was dressed in a peculiar mix of eastern and western fashion.

Rolo's attention was fixed at the strange looking pendant the man was wearing. At closer look, it seemed it was a tooth. The man realised that and smirked. "Ah, you must be intrigued by my pendant. It's from the best human specimen I have ever received. Very valuable and spiritual."

The word 'human' froze Rolo. He eyed at the man both afraid and confused. The stranger chuckled and told Rolo to move away for his men to pass. Two younger men appeared with a large wedding cake. On top of it was a mini figurine of Empress Tianzii and Prince Odysseus. Clearly it was for the royal couple

"Thank you." The stranger smiled and proceeded to leading his men to the middle of the hall. The guests began looking at the brightly decorated cake and the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' echoed.

However, Rolo's thoughts on that man did not stop there. He swore his nose had picked up a strange, familiar scent. The bitter yet metallic scent he used to smell during his days in the assassin training camp.

"Could it be…" He gasped when he finally deciphered what the strange smell was. His hand went to the listening device behind him but to his astonishment it was no longer there! Rolo looked around and found the listening device being squashed into pieces on the floor. "Son of a Bitch!" He ferociously and loudly cursed.

The silence was extremely dreadful and the awkward tension between the two was intense.

Kallen sat on the bench quietly. She set her gaze on the flowers planted in the Chinese gardens while admiring the well-trimmed rose bushes. However, something seemed to be bugging her as she couldn't even focus on admiring a single flower! Then again, how was she able to focus when she was constantly being watched by an annoying pair of violet eyes?

The prince stood opposite her and seemed to be watching every move she took. He smiled at Kallen's reaction when their eyes accidentally met. Just as he wanted, the girls face immediately flared to a bright crimson and began muttering curses at herself for being so stupid.

Lelouch placed himself besides Kallen on the bench and glanced at her. Although he had vague memories of Kallen Stadtfeld that he could remember, the voices inside his head were constantly screaming that the red haired girl he was with right now meant a lot to him. He placed his hand on her soft red hair, eliciting a small surprised gasp from the girl.

"Eh! W-w-what are you doing L-Lelouch!?" Kallen stuttered out in both shock and surprise. She stared at the prince, with both eyebrows raised and her eyes widened.

"Madame Pizza, you have beautiful red hair." he cooed with a voice beyond a whisper. In fact, it sounded gentle and caring, filled with so much emotion that it sounded more like something something a lover would say instead of being a compliment. He brought one finger and caressingly slides it down along Kallen's right temple and brings it down to her chin cupping it softly with two fingers. "It is such a fitting color to accompany such a fitting woman. Don't you think so?"

Kallen's face instantly became a bright red tomato. She couldn't stop blushing at the intimate touch from Lelouch. She thought she had learned to refrain from feeling weak over such stuff but apparently it seemed that she couldn't get over it. She was just still a girl. An assassin sure, but still a girl with a weak spot for love.

Wait. Love?

'I love him?'

Kallen questionably thought. She knew she had a thing for Lelouch ever since she had gotten closer to him but it never occurred to her that she may have possibly fallen in love with him. She swore in front of her brother's grave that she would never willingly get married to a Britannian. Falling in love with any Britannian, especially a Britannian royal was a no-no to her.

Lelouch inched closer to her. "Do you believe in a man's institution?" He whispered into her ears. A gust of ominous wind then blew.

"What do you mean?"

Lelouch chuckled and grabbing her arms pulled her up from the bench. He leaded her to a secluded spot away from the sight of his Royal Guards. He pushed her against the bark of a cherry blossom tree much to the red head's surprise. What was he trying to do to her?

"I think you have being very naughty Madame Pizza, very naughty indeed." Lelouch snickered.

Kallen gulped, immediately starting to panic. "Wh-wh-what do yo-you me-ean y-your high-highness?" she stammered.

"You are not what you seem to be. Aren't you, Madam Pizza? I can clearly see that your true form is hidden within that fake disguise of yours." Lelouch said calmly, a cocky smirk plastered on his features. Kallen's face immediately turned into a pale white.. Her identity had been revealed! Lelouch knew she was Kallen Stadtfeld! She quickly tried to grab something to use as a weapon but before she could do so, the prince had pinned her up against the tree.

She tried to wriggle her way out of his grip but it seemed that Lelouch had gained more weight and muscle in the year that they had been separated. He was now powerful enough to keep her firmly in his grip. Kallen looked on helplessly as Lelouch moved closer to her, his breath hitting and immediately fanning out on her face.

"Kallen," He said, pronouncing her name softly. "Kallen" he repeated with a little more force, following it up by repeating her name again and again several times, each time taking on a more sinister tone causing Kallen to stiffen. He looked at her, his hands holding her face up towards his own.

"I might not be able to recover my memories but…" He paused and waited for Kallen's response. However, what he received instead of words was a fearful, frightened look. The prince sighed. "I am absolutely certain that you must have meant something to me. We share a link somehow, don't we?"

Kallen shook her head. She pushed Lelouch away while his guard was dropped and took steps back until she could move no more, being trapped by the coldness of a stone wall. "You're wrong! You're wrong!" She shouted out of fear. "Stay the hell away from me!"

She swatted Lelouch's hand away that was extending towards her and tried to but Lelouch quickly recovered and grabbed her wrist. He tightened his grip on her wrist, preventing the red-haired knightmare pilot from making any escape attempts. He spun her around, making her face him.

"Fuck off, you perverted bastard! I hate you!" Kallen shouted angrily and reeling back her clenched fist, repeatedly striking Lelouch's chest repeatedly, but the man didn't even budge an inch. in fact, the Prince didn't even flinch! "I…hate you…" Kallen said, her voice faltering.

"Let's see who is right, 'Mrs. Pizza'." Lelouch said and began running his hands around the back of her neck. He smirked when he found a hidden flap and pulled it off. Just as he expected, it was, in fact, a mask. The artificial skin came off, revealing a prettier and overall more beautiful creature behind the mask. The red hair fell from its bun, making the girl's hair look sloppy and unkempt, but Lelouch loved it while others would find it disgusting. After all, it was not the perfections that made a person beautiful, but imperfections that made the person beautiful.

Kallen shut her blue eyes, refusing to look into Lelouch's bright violet eyes. She was one of the most wanted criminal in Britannia and the bounty on her head was many millions of pounds. Having her disguise compromised right in front of the Crown Prince of Britannia was one of the most stupidest and dangerous things that would have ever had to have occurred, yet it still did. She waited patiently for a pair of handcuffs to be slapped on her wrists and to be dragged to a prison, but instead of what she thought, nothing of the sort actually happened.

Instead, Lelouch turned her body around to face him and engulfed her in a warm embrace. "You can run as much as you want, but you can never escape from me, my knight." he said cheekily. "You know, today is the first time in my life where I finally get a full real life visual of the girl who had been haunting me in my dreams and continuously appearing in my many vague memories, Miss Kallen Stadtfeld."

"I am not her!" Kallen instantly replied with disdain. "I am not this Kallen Stadtfeld you speak of!"

Lelouch snorted. "Believe whatever you want to, dear. However I'm smarter than those idiotic Britannian ninnys. I can see you for who you really are, no matter who you say you are! So speak whatever you like about how your not Miss Stadtfeld, but I won't ever believe it."

"And what if I am!? What will you do to me if I admit my true identity, huh!? Imprisoned me? Kill me? Just like what you did to the countless Japanese citizens who you hunted down like a bloodhound!?" Kallen snapped and in her anger was able to push Lelouch off of her. She immediately cocked back her fist and sent it right at Lelouch's face but the prince was able to stop her attack by catching her fist. He smirked when Kallen found it difficult to pry her fist out of Lelouch's grip.

"I see. I may not know what you may have heard about me Kallen, but I guarantee you that I was forced to commit those atrocities against my will!"

That response angered Kallen even further. "What are you talking about Lelouch? Did you honestly think I'm stupid enough to believe you!? You're just a no go monster that is but a puppet to the emperor!" She spat with unbridled fury.

"Then tell me this, Miss Kallen, where do you think the Apple of Eden is? I possess some interesting information that might help the Creed in their fight against the Templars. Besides, I believe I'm the only person with knowledge of the whereabouts of the other Pieces." Lelouch slyly said with a cocky smirk. Instantly, Kallen's eyes widened exponentially, a shocked gasp escaping her lips. The Apple of Eden was the sole objective of the Creed for hundreds of years. The Templars and the Creed had been constantly at war due to the existence of the object. There were a few more pieces of Eden with the same power of the Apple, but they existed in different forms.

"Liar!" Kallen hissed. "I know you better than you think, Lelouch! You sounded so horrible that even a child wouldn't believe you!"

The prince snorted with amusement. "What makes you think I am lying Miss Kallen? Is it just because of your hatred against me? Or is it your refusal to accept the fact that we can't escape from each other, always destined to find each other?" He paused and swiftly shifted ever so closer towards the red head. Every step he took was towards Kallen was one step she took away from the prince. After repeating this procedure twenty times. Lelouch stopped and once again cupped Kallen's chin and forcefully twisted her head so that she was looking at him.

"You are beginning to really make me angry, Miss Stadtfeld." He whispered into one of her ears before biting .

Lelouch bit his lips. He sighed and walked away from the angry red head. "Hey! Where are you going? We're not done just yet!" Kallen shouted and charged towards him. However, she came to a sudden halt when she heard a voice transmitted through the hidden listening device behind her ear.

"Get out of my sight!"

A bullet flew passed Kallen, a little too close for comfort, narrowly missing her nose. It happened so fast that the next thing she saw was Jacob standing right in front of her with a rifle in his hands. Lelouch was kneeling on the ground with his hands clutching his stomach, his head hung low.

"Nathdrack…the Creed's right hand man and Godric Stadtfeld loyal puppet. Took you long enough to reveal yourself from the shadows." Lelouch remarked sarcastically. He leaned against a rock and held his chest, which Kallen presumed as the place where the bullet had went passed.

Jacob scoffed. "Huh, do you still hold onto you pride when your life is at my mercy, Lelouch vi Britannia? Such arrogance." He said disdainfully as he eyed Lelouch in disgust. "Besides, you are such a liar. Don't try to brainwash the Grandmaster by pretending to help us. We can't forgive you for what you did for the past year, Lelouch. You are the worst person to come out of the entire royal family."

The prince heaved a loud sigh. "Damn, indeed. You can read my thoughts, Nathdrack. I might have lost my memories of you, but according to my records, you are not what you had seemed to be. I believe you ought to explain some of these matters to Kallen as well Nathdrack."

This caused Kallen to look at Jacob suspiciously and she raised her eyebrow at him in accusation. Instantly, Jacob quickly denied knowing anything as he placed the tip of his rifle right at Lelouch's forehead without hesitation. "Looks like I have given you too much of a chance to speak, Vi Britannia. Might as well silence you now while I have the chance." He hissed.

Kallen was alarmed. She rushed towards Jacob and yanked the rifle away from Lelouch. "What the hell are you doing Jacob?!" She exclaimed.

"Saving you from this devil's incarnate!" Jacob replied and forced Kallen to aim the rifle back at Lelouch. "You can't trust this liar!"

With that Lelouch cackled maliciously and smirking smugly he said, "If you think killing me is the best way to seal all your secrets Nathdrack, then go ahead and do it. The only thing that it will succeed in doing is delaying the inevitable. Remember Nathdrack, secrets always end up coming out in the end!"

"Says the man who only has a few more seconds to live! I bet that the devil himself wouldn't believe a word that comes forth from you mouth Vi Britannia!" Jacob snapped. "I shall end your life now. Any final words?" Kallen frowned and tried to protest but stopped when Jacob glowered at her.

"Jacob! You can't kill Lelouch!" she shouted.

"Why not? Because he's your lover?" he snapped. Kallen's face fell. She turned away and was tongue tied.

"You shouldn't allow your feelings overcome your duties. Can you imagine what would happen if we let him go? He and his father would terrorise this world!" Jacob exclaimed.

"But…I…You can't…" Kallen hesitated.

Jacob rolled his eyes up and sighed loudly. He knew Kallen was losing it and it was no use for him to advise her. A human' heart is hard to change. He shoved the rifle right at Kallen and stormed off. "I get it. I understand. You chose him over us, over the Creed, over peace. Go on then. I can't go against the Grandmaster." Jacob grunted. He was about fifty metres away from Kallen when she stopped him.

"Wait. I'll do it." She spoke. She edged closer to Lelouch and aimed the rifle at the prince. At the first click, she eyed at Lelouch, eyes teary. The prince stared at her with his usual smirk although he knew exactly what the redhead was doing. He held his arms opened, waiting patiently for the kiss of death.

Her heart stopped beating as she pulled the trigger slowly. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as she screamed in agony. The bullet flew and pierced Lelouch's forehead. Red kissed Kallen's white dress, staining it. When everything was back to normal, Kallen realised she was soaked in both the blood of Lelouch and her own tears.

When Jacob and Kallen left, a certain figure stepped out from the shadows of the garden. Under the moonlight, it revealed the silhouette as V.V, the twin brother of Emperor Charles and the Uncle of Prince Lelouch. The tiny man stood right in front of the bloodied prince, with an expressionless face.

"You came. Finally you immortal bastard." Lelouch murmured. He looked up, half of his eyes covered with blood. "I wasn't expecting us to meet in a bloodbath setting. But I think it suits you quite well, doesn't it, Uncle?" He snarled.

V.V nodded. "I am not very surprised of that, my nephew. Since the Vi Britannia line has been known of dying in a gory manner. Marianne was the first. What surprises me is that fact that you are still alive." He replied calmly, not even a small morsel of emotion present in his voice..

Upon hearing his mother's name, Lelouch chuckled. "You know, the gift you gave to me years back." He took a deep breath.

"Geass? What of it?"

"No, not Geass. You gave my sister and me a gift we can never forget." Lelouch forced himself up and placed his hand on V.V's head. His eyes darkened. "You took our mother away" He hissed. V.V was not surprised at that. He knew the truth should be revealed. He had killed Marianne vi Britannia.

"When Father wipe out my memories, half way through the process I managed to gain access to your memories. Perhaps it's due to the Geass which binds me, my father and you. I saw what you did to my mother. It was brutal, so much blood." Lelouch continued.

V.V shut his eyes. "Yes, I know. I loved Marianne so much that I couldn't have let her be with my brother. But-" before he could finish his confession, Lelouch wrapped his hands around the tiny man's neck and lifted him up in the air. V.V wriggled around, gasping for breath.

"Why…I thought you were shot in your forehead…you shouldn't even be alive right now, much less be able to strangle me. " V.V choked out.

Lelouch guffawed. He pushed his fringe away, revealing a red spot. It was not bleeding but swollen. "Is that…a plastic bullet?" V.V exclaimed.

The prince nodded. He hid the mark with his fringe and continued to suffocate the immortal. "Thanks to the assassin for her superb acting skills. Jeez, I didn't expect her to shoot me with a real bullet though. Well, it was necessary to create a bloody scene." He pointed at his left shoulder which was shot by a real bullet.

"Le-let…me go…" V.V pleaded. "I-I can't breathe!"

Lelouch pulled a scowl. "I bet my mother begged for that too, huh uncle? But did you show her any mercy? No! I don't think so! And why did you bring my precious little sister to this? What do you and my bastard father have up your selves that I don't know about?" He growled.

"The New World Order…power, the Apple and… and… Immortality..." V.V wheezed.

His words startled Lelouch. No, to be precise one of the words caught Lelouch's attention. The prince tossed the immortal to the ground. He brandished his gun and aimed at him.

"If that's so, I want that" he grinned and without hesitation, he shot V.V. dead center in the head.

'Something's not right here.' Tianzi thought to herself. The young empress sat quietly beside her fiancée, being forced to listen to the mundane talks between the Britannian prince and the High Eunuchs. Actually, she had no idea of the engagement until this morning when one of the Eunuchs came and forcefully shoved the information down her throat.

Of course, she resisted but the Eunuchs told her it was for the country. Marrying a Britannian prince will therefore strengthen the relationship between two great empires besides keeping the Chinese Federation out from Britannia's target. After about two hours of constant attempts at persuasion of the advantages of the political marriage, Tianzi finally agreed with the Eunuchs.

Originally, she thought of consulting that matter to her loyal soldier and advisor, Li Xingke, but she can't seem to get him. Every single telegram she sent was returned back by the Eunuchs. Even the servants refused to help her reach him.

For the whole long day, Tianzi was surrounded by the High Eunuchs and Britannian soldiers. When she finally met with her fiancée, she was totally shocked. She had not expected that she would be married to a man who was old enough to be her father!

She thought it was a mistake but turns out that it wasn't. It was the reality of her situation. And here she was, trying her best to hold her tears among complete strangers. Every single moment, she had to rack her brain to answer questions from these unknown people. The High Eunuchs weren't helping her and her fear was causing her already fragile mind to break. All her life, she lived from isolation in this large palace. Tianzi had never spoke with more than two people a day, and today's experience was just completely weird and overwhelming for her.

Her fiancée, Prince Odysseus hand reached and grasped hers. He smiled warmly at her and assured her everything would be completely fine. Tian Zi could only nod as she wished this nightmare would end quickly. Two men arrived with a large, eccentricity designed wedding cake and placed it on an equally extravagant large cart. The cake was indeed pretty, with its beautiful patterns and decorations created with icing on it.

However, the presence of the two figurines disappointed her. It wasn't because they were ugly, but she felt uneasy because of it. She had never wished for this to happen and she had hope that her fiancée thought the same too. Too bad he seemed to be overjoyed at the sight of the cake.

Odysseus stood up from his chair and clapped his hands together happily. "Wonderful!" He cheerfully exclaimed. The High Eunuchs and his Britannian officers followed suit. Tianzi had no other choice but to clap softly. The prince held his glass up and called for a toast.

"We may be divided by race and religion, but politics and economy will unite us! All Hail Britannia!" He exclaimed and the guests cheered wildly. As soon as they took a sip of their wine, the floor trembled. The large chandelier fell right on one of the eunuchs, crushing and killing him, and the ceiling began to collapse in on itself.

Everyone began to run for their lives and no one even took notice of Tianzi. She had never been caught up in such a situation and if it did, she had Xingke and his troops to bring her to safety. Tianzi sat on her chair, her mind blank, unable to think of what to do.

"Tianzi! Run!" Odysseus shouted and grabbed her arm. He tried to lead the both of them out of the confusion but the dust and debris from the falling ceiling was blurring their vision. Someone shouted and knocked the cart. The wedding cake rushed towards them at a high speed. Tian Zi thought she was to be knocked down by it but Odysseus surprisingly jumped right in front of her, shielding her from the heavy cart.

In a blink of eye, the cart rammed them and suddenly the cake exploded, causing a larger tremor in the hall. A huge fire grew and licked everything in its path including the royal couple, Odysseus and Tianzi.

Moments Earlier...

"Hey! Stop right there!" Rolo shouted. The three men stopped and turned towards him. Their leader who wore a beret waved his hands and signalled the two to continue pushing the cart away.

"How can I help you my fellow Britannian friend?" The man asked calmly. Judging from his accent, he was neither Britannian nor Chinese. However he spoke in fluent Britannian with no weird accents embedded in. Rolo scanned the man's face. He was definitely an Asian, more precisely Eastern Asian.

"Who are you?" Rolo asked. His right hand held tight at the blade in his pocket.

That did caught the man by surprise. "What are you talking about, Britannian? I am just a mere commoner from Chinese Federation." He chuckled.

"If that's so…why do you smell of gunpowder?" Rolo hissed.

The man raised his eyebrow. "Gunpowder? Of course! I worked in a fireworks factory! We handled that stuff daily, you know." He said shrugging.

Rolo was definitely not convinced. He unsheathed his blade and attacked the man. However, it seemed that his enemy had predicted his moves. Quickly he dodged away and knocked the blade out from Rolo's hand. He grabbed it and pushed Rolo against the wall, placing the blade right at the carotid artery.

"I see. You must be the assassin. No wonder that brat warned me of you people. I was expecting the Chinese assassins but it turned out to be some foreign devils. Wow, I am surprised." He cackled. Rolo tried to seize the chance to escape but he was faster.

"This makes things more interesting isn't it? I not only get to kill these filthy royalties but also some top assassins from the Grandmaster's inner circles. I wonder how your boss would react to seeing your body slashed fifty times, hacked till you are disfigured and diced into tiny pieces? Or perhaps you would want it to be otherwise? You're beautiful grandmaster to take your place?" He said evilly as he smirked viciously.

Upon hearing that, Rolo grew furious. He pushed the man away with all his might and kicked him right in the face. "Don't you dare to hurt Miss Kallen!" He growled and pulled the man up by his collar.

"Wow, such devotion. No wonder that brat was concerned over her safety." He said sarcastically with a smirk on his face..

"Who is that brat you are talking about? And say your name! Are you the serial bomber?" Rolo shouted.

The man cackled. "The moment when I mentioned my name, you will be dead as a doornail."

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged! My name..." The man paused and grabbed something out from his breast pocket. Rolo edged backwards, preparing to defend himself.

'Must be a bomb,' Rolo thought.

Unfortunately for him, he was sadly mistaken. Instead of just a regular bomb, it was a smoke bomb. Thick smoke engulfed Rolo, stopping him from moving a step in any direction. He crouched down, hoping to get a supply of oxygen instead of inhaling the smoke. Just then, his hand touched something on the floor. It was hard and heavy.

"What the….-oh shit" he then realized what it was. Hand bombs. But it was too late.

The man watched Rolo writhing in pain with amusement. He tossed his beret into the fire and watched happily as the fire licked the beret all over. His phone rang and he quickly answered the call.

"I am Hyuji."

"Oh God" Kallen gasped. The whole palace was engulfed in flames. Cries echoed throughout the air as the people scurried to safety. Guards were deployed all over the place, each looking anxious and fearful.

"What about the empress, Jacob? Where's Benji and Leon? What about Rolo?" Kallen asked Jacob who seemed to be dazed at the sight of the raging inferno. He quickly took out his communication device and started calling his team members.

"Nothing..." Jacob paused, his face turning pale. "None of them are responding. Goddammit!" He loyd cursed.

Kallen bit her bottom lip. She stared at the raging fire and clenched her fists. She had to save the Empress! It was their, no, her mission after all. She can't allow herself to fail!

"Nathdrack," Kallen called Jacob's surname, shocking the man. It was rare for the redhead to identify a person by his or her's last name. But when she do, it meant either trouble or a crisis.

"Y-Yes, Grandmaster Stadtfeld?"

"Lend me your coat."

"What?"

"Coat. Now!"

Jacob quickly passed his coat to the furious redhead. Kallen snatched it and immediately stormed into the fire, ignoring the pleas from Jacob.

As usual, the throne room of the Royal Palace was as cold as ice. The presence of the most powerful man on Earth increased the tension of the atmosphere.

Kururugi Suzaku kneeled in front of Emperor Charles Zi Britannia, his face showing no sign of shame or guilt for swearing his oath on his enemies, Britannia.

"What do you have for me, Kururugi? I thought you should be in the Chinese Federation, keeping an eye on my son!" Charles roared. His eyes searched around for the sight of the usual violet eyed immortal. V.V. The twin brother of his would normally be lurking around the throne room, eavesdropping on every conversation he had. However, there was no sign of V.V.

"Yes but Prince Lelouch had me deported back to Pendragon. He insisted of Margrave Gottwald being his escort instead." Suzaku explained.

Charles scowled and forced a nod. It was not part of planned but knowing his rebellious son, anything can happen. Besides, it seemed that the effects of Geass on Lelouch had been waning. Charles was still left in wonder over how his son could go against Geass.

But Charles doesn't care. The plan must go forward and Lelouch was not to big an obstacle at all. The boy certainly had no idea of his plans. He wasn't a part of the Templars wither. Charles had made a pact with the Templars in order to collect all of the Pieces of Eden especially the Apple.

Having the Apple of Eden was better than the Sword of Akasha although having both of them was even better. The Apple would be able to lead him to obtain the power beyond humans. He would be no longer a mere human but the ruler of this galaxy.

The ideal power.

"Unfortunately, it seemed that the Forbidden Palace has been bombed. It was reported that Prince Odysseus and Empress Tianzi perished in the accident. The whereabouts of Prince Lelouch is not yet known at this time." Suzaku reported.

Charles smiled. "What of it? I don't think that should be a news. Where is V.V?'

Suzaku was startled. He certainly did not expect to report on V.V. "Your Majesty." He hesitated. "We spotted a look alike of V.V but we are not certain of his identity. He was seen at the banquet in the Forbidden Palace."

The emperor raised his eyebrows, stunned by the news. "What is he doing there?" He asked. Charles turned his back away from Suzaku and stared at the tapestry hung on the wall.

"The Apple is located below the Forbidden Palace, according to the Templars that is." Charles remembered mentioning the location of the relic a few days back at the very place he was standing. V.V was beside him, admiring at the tapestry made by none other than Charles's dead wife, Marianne.

"Oh... I see..." That was the only reply he received from his brother. Soon, the tiny man disappeared from his sight and was silenced until today.

He must have went there to get the Apple! Or…did he… Charles's eyes widened. He clenched his fists and bit his lips. He should have known that V.V might double crossed him. The man was sly enough to keep the secret of him murdering Marianne for more than a decade. If he had not confronted V.V about that, he would have been left in puzzlement over the death of his wife.

"Sir Kururugi!" Charles hissed. He descended from the stairs and stood right in front of Suzaku. Placing a firm and sturdy hand on Suzaku's shoulder, he said "Can I trust you with the Apple of Eden?"