So, a couple people seemed a little upset about the fact that I made Kallen say that she isn't a natural redhead, despite the fact that you will never find a half-Asian person in real life with natural red hair. Ever.

My family is almost entirely of Dutch and Norwegian heritage; blonde hair and blue/green eyes everywhere. My uncle married a Japanese woman, and their three kids are all brunettes with brown eyes.

Sure, you could dismiss it by simply saying "anime logic", but since anime logic is very, very illogical, I prefer to follow a somewhat more realistic line of thinking. Just as a heads up; I don't plan on allowing Euphemia and Cornelia to have natural pink/purple hair. You now have time to mentally prepare for that.

On a very irrelevant side note, I just noticed that, not just one, but two of personal favourite Code Geass fanfic authors are in fact following this story. While I hesitate to publicly announce their names for fear of scaring them off, I will anyways, considering the fact that their works have been huge influences to not only this story, but my writing in general. So; thank you Alsmash and Ryder77.

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Chapter 6: Exposure
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It was ten o'clock in the morning when Lelouch arrived home after his discussion with Kallen in the Ghettos. It gave him a total of two hours to reassure his sister that he was in fact alright, collect his Zero outfit, then get to the other side of the settlement in time for the meeting he had mentioned to the Guren's pilot.

As he was heading through the door on his way back out, an idea struck him. Quickly dialing Ohgi on his cell phone, he invited the Japanese man to attend the meeting. While he sounded confused at the rather sudden invitation, the Black Knight's second-in-command was more than willing to join.

With a few minutes to spare, Lelouch finally arrived at his destination. It was an old, abandoned warehouse near the ocean, at the very southern tip of the Ota Ghetto. Several months prior, it had been used as the base of operations for a drug cartel that had been distributing refrain in the area. The Black Knights had dispersed the cartel, and the warehouse had since remained untouched.

Standing just outside to greet him with her usual bored and uncaring demeanor, was C.C.

"You showed up," the immortal noted. "Good; I would have been very upset if you hadn't, considering all the effort I have gone through."

Ducking inside a nearby empty shipping container, so as to shield himself in the unlikely event that a random passerby appeared, Lelouch quickly changed into his caped costume.

"I make an effort to keep my appointments," he answered as he immerged, fully garbed. "Has Ohgi shown up?"

"Ten minutes ago. He's inside," C.C. replied. "He was asking what your thoughts are on the SAZ were. Truth be told, I find myself interested as well."

"That's a matter for another time," Zero replied tersely, straightening his uniform.

"Must it be?" she drawled. "You still technically have eight minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin. You have the time now. And, since you ran off without explanation just this morning, I need to know that your mental state is in order. I can't have my contractor losing his head, simply because his sister passed a piece of legislation. I'd have to find a new one."

"I'm relieved that you care so much," Zero responded; his voice laced with sarcasm. Then, schooling his tone to a more serious one, he continued, "That piece of legislation may very well be my downfall. Until now, the Black Knights have managed to monopolize all hope that the Japanese have had for a chance at a better life. The Special Administration Zone has presented them a new source of hope; one achieved without the need to put their lives at risk. Like moths to a flame, they are drawn towards it. The people are starting to believe that the Black Knights are no longer needed, and support for the Order has very rapidly dropped as the Japanese lay down their weapons in exchange for the partial freedom Euphemia has given them."

A smirk appeared on C.C.'s lips. "I suppose the pen truly is mightier than the sword," she mused. "How embarrassing; the Man of Miracles is taken down not by an army, but by a pink haired teenager who can fight as well as she can sprout wings and fly. Perhaps I do need a new contractor after all."

Scowling beneath his mask at the woman as she chuckled at her own observation, Zero replied, "There is much discontent within Britannia at her actions. Eventually, someone will make a move that will lead to the destruction of the SAZ. At that time, The Black Knights will remain standing as only pillar of hope for the Japanese people. The Order will emerge stronger than it ever has been; all I need to do is wait."

"Why wait? You have Geass" the immortal scoffed. "Move the timeline forwards at your own pace. Order someone to be that catalyst."

"Out of the question," Zero evenly replied.

"It would be easy," C.C. continued smoothly. "The more public of a figure, the better. Perhaps the princess herself; show the Japanese that even the most virtuous members of Britannian society are corrupt and can't be trusted."

Zero whirled to face her, his cape billowing violently at the movement. "No," he hissed; that single word laced with such heat, the green haired woman could nearly feel it.

"Let me guess," she scoffed, "You don't want all that innocent blood on your hands? Or is it perhaps that you don't want to soil the name of an innocent girl? It's not something that the hero of the Japanese people would do, after all." She paused to allow herself a humourless chuckle. "You've actually started to buy into your 'allies of justice' spiel."

Slowly turning away, Zero began to pace before the door to the warehouse. "Earlier today, Kallen helped me remember something," the masked man began, drawing the attention of the immortal. "She reminded me just what it is I'm fighting for. I finally realize that Euphemia's dream is the same as Nunally's. What kind of brother would I be if I threw that very dream back into her face?"

As he stopped pacing, he turned to C.C., who was watching him with an impenetrable mask of neutrality.

Then, the mask broke, as the corners of the immortal's mouth rose. "You're an idealistic fool," she said. "I once met another man who was an idealistic fool. Just like you, he rose up against Britannia, with the hopes of freeing his people from their imperialism.

"In the end, it was his idealism that took him. He didn't believe in using the Geass I gave him on his own men. One of them was a turncoat, and told Britannia of his plans. The revolutionary died alongside his soldiers in what was supposed to be a surprise attack, before his boats could finish crossing the Delaware. Now, the name Washington is spat upon and cursed by Britannia as being one of a traitor. Don't let your idealism kill you, Lelouch."

"Nor will I abandon it," he replied shortly, moving past C.C. without giving any further explanation. "Now, I believe we have an appointment to get to. Shall we?"

Nodding in acceptance, she followed Zero as he pushed the door open and entered the main complex of the warehouse.

Inside, Kaname Ohgi was sitting on an empty wooden crate that once would have been used to ship bottles of refrain around the settlement. Noticing Zero, he immediately leapt to his feet.

"Zero," he crisply acknowledged the masked man.

"Commander Ohgi," the masked man addressed him back. "I thank you for joining us, despite such little advanced notice."

The second in command was quick to wave off any concerns. "It's no problem," he replied earnestly. "I actually don't live all that far away. What are we here for?"

Beckoning the Japanese man and the immortal to follow, Zero began to stride purposefully through the warehouse. "A few days ago, Tamaki forward a rather interesting correspondence message to my personal terminal. This was around the time that Captain Kozuki and myself were stranded."

Ohgi nodded thoughtfully. "I remember that," he said, as he recalled telling the burgundy haired man to forward the message. "Tamaki showed me the message before he sent it to you."

The masked revolutionary spared a glance at Ohgi before he continued with his explanation. "The nobleman who sent the message is here to speak to me, as he requested. I have asked you here, because you know the man. You may be able to provide more insight into his motives than I am able to."

Ohgi nearly tripped over his own feet in surprise. "I've only met him a couple of times," he quickly explained. "And even then, it was very briefly. If you want someone who actually knows him-,"

"I am aware that there is a more... qualified... candidate for the task," Zero interrupted as he approached a door set into the back wall of the warehouse, "however, family reunions, especially in such situations as this one, can be at the very least, strenuous. I would prefer to avoid a hostile atmosphere." As Zero reached for the door hand, he added, "I will do the talking. I ask that you and C.C. merely observe, unless addressed."

Receiving a nod from Ohgi, and an indifferent shrug from C.C., the masked man opened the door and led the two into a brightly lit room that had at one point been an office. It was now furnished to look like an expensive study, surrounded on all sides by immaculate bookshelves. The room was complete with a mahogany coffee table, surrounded by a deep brown leather sofa and two matching leather chairs.

In one of the chairs sat a tall but slim man in a finely tailored suit. His head was covered with what appeared to be a ragged old burlap sack; a complete contrast with the rest of his attire.

Zero gestured Ohgi to the empty chair, before taking a seat of his own on the sofa, directly across from the yet unidentified man. Complying, the Japanese man watched the strange green haired woman approach their company, removing the cover from his head. The action inadvertently caused the pair of glasses that was perched on the man's face to be knocked askew.

"I apologize for having my associate blindfold you before bringing you here," Zero said smoothly as C.C. sauntered around the coffee table to seat herself at the opposite end of the sofa, and the man hastily readjusted his spectacles. "Unfortunately, it was a necessary inconvenience. Until I am certain that I am able to fully trust you, I cannot allow you to know the location of the Black Knight's base of operations."

It was a bluff, of course; Lelouch knew he'd likely never use the warehouse again. It was a failsafe against the possibility that the man before him was in fact spying for Britannia, and had somehow been able to sneak a tracking device past C.C.

Some might call it being paranoid, but when a person is the number one most wanted fugitive in the empire, a bit of paranoia is always warranted.

"It's not a problem; perfectly understandable," the man replied, appearing slightly flustered. "I take it that you're Zero then? Yes, of course you are; I remember seeing you on the news, with the same helmet and cape."

The man's timid demeanour and seemingly nervous rambling surprised Lelouch. Considering who the man's daughter was, he had been expecting to meet a self assured businessman with the utmost confidence. The truth, it seemed, was that the apple had fallen very far from the tree.

Before the man could continue rambling, Zero firmly spoke. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Stadtfeld."

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Gilbert G.P. Guilford had been the personal knight to the Second Princess for almost ten years. In that time, he had watched Cornelia blossom from an ambitious teen, eager to prove herself, to a strong, confident woman, who had stood unwavering against any opponent she faced on the battlefield. In his mind, there never had been, nor would there ever be, anyone more deserving of the name "The Goddess of Victory".

So, when Cornelia had effectively barricaded herself inside her room following Euphemia's announcement, instructing him that no one was to disturb her, he became distressed. He admired Cornelia; he looked up to her, and, if he was ever honest, he would finally admit to himself that he loved her. To stand outside her door as she refused to see anyone, even to accept food delivered by the servants of the Viceroy's Palace, pained him.

Then, the Second Prince showed up, requesting to speak to Cornelia.

His distrust towards Prince Schneizel ran as deep as his trust to Cornelia. Something about the man gave him a negative vibe, and he always found himself unconsciously reaching for the weapon on his belt whenever he was in the Prince's presence. It was as if the man was always wearing a mask; concealing something sinister behind his regal features, and everything he did had a hidden reason behind it.

Yet, as much as he disliked Schneizel, the health of his princess took immediate priority. So, instead of politely telling the prince to leave, Guilford found himself doing something he never in a million years would have expected himself to do. He disobeyed Cornelia's orders, and allowed Schneizel through.

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Stepping through the doorway into Cornelia's room, Schneizel found himself bombarded by darkness. As the door behind him resealed itself, the Second Prince was forced to squint until his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

A single light source across the room illuminated the pale face of Cornelia, allowing Schneizel to see her slumped form leaning close to the light. As he approached, careful to not run into any furniture in the low lighting, it became apparent that the light source was the screen of a computer; on it, was the frozen image of Euphemia standing atop the hand of the Ganymede as she made her announcement about the SAZ.

"Cornelia," Schneizel called out softly, coming to stand beside her.

The princess merely grunted in response. With a lazy tap of her hand, she pressed on the computer's touch screen, allowing the video to play. It became apparent then, that the video was raw camera footage, as it lacked the usual banners and lettering that were superimposed onto news broadcasts.

As Euphemia's voice filtered through the computer's speakers, Schneizel took the time to observe Cornelia more closely.

Her usually perfectly groomed purple hair appeared disheveled, as if she had only just recently woken up. Yet, the bags under her eyes contradicted that theory. The eyeliner that Cornelia always wore whenever she made a public appearance was smudged, accentuating her bedraggled condition. If he was to be outwardly honest, which he very rarely was, he would say that she, to use colloquial terms, looked like crap.

"She's worried about you, you know," Schneizel said, glancing between the computerized image of Euphemia and the very corporeal Cornelia.

Cornelia let out another noncommittal noise, before once again rewinding the video and allowing it to play through. Staring intently, her face drew nearer to the monitor, until her nose was hairbreadths away from making contact.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Schneizel eased Cornelia away from the screen, and back into her chair.

"Cornelia, what are you doing?" he asked, using a slightly sharper tone than he had prior, hoping it would snap her out of her stupor.

It seemed to work, at least partially. With her eyes still glued to the computer, she grunted out, "searching."

"For what, exactly?" the prince asked; his tone a patient one.

"A sign," Cornelia answered, sounding somewhat frantic. "A clue; a single scrap of evidence. She was coerced to do this; she had to have been. I can feel it."

"Cornelia," Schneizel began gently, "Euphie came to me before-,"

"Watch!" Cornelia urged, cutting off Schneizel's response as she opened a new video file on screen.

The scene shown was that of the school festival that had been set up by Ashford Academy. The view slowly panned to the right, sweeping through the crowd gathered between various tents and stalls. The video was extremely high quality; undoubtedly recorded on a professional grade camera, and the pan was steady. Whoever was behind the camera clearly had plenty of experience.

It took less than a second for Schneizel's brain to put two and two together, and realize that Cornelia had appropriated the footage recorded by different news teams that had visited Ashford during the festival.

"Right here," the princess murmured, tapping the screen.

Following her finger, Schneizel's eyes fell on the unmistakable figure of Euphemia off to one corner of the screen. She was very distant from the camera, and thus, her image was small and hard to see, but the dress she wore was the same one she had been depicted wearing in the broadcast of her announcement, leaving no doubt in regards to her identity.

"Here she is, talking to this red-haired girl," Cornelia explained, indicating a female student that stood beside Euphemia.

Indeed, the pink haired girl appeared to be holding a conversation with the student in question. Then, wheeling on her heel, Euphemia turned away from the redhead to speak to her guard detail. A few unheard words later, and the soldiers charged with tailing her dispersed into the crowd.

"She gets rid of her bodyguards, and then pulls the girl away from the crowd, and out of sight from any of the cameras," Euphemia's elder sister narrated, observing as the figures onscreen did just as she had described.

Schneizel scratched his chin in thought. It was indeed suspicious behaviour, though nothing solidly incriminating. There were numerous reasons to explain why Euphemia had done such a thing. Perhaps she needed to attend to something extremely embarrassing.

He briefly recalled a time when Euphemia was thirteen, and had begun experiencing... certain aspects of being female for the first time. She had refused to allow anyone aside from Cornelia to help her during those first couple months. Perhaps this was something similar?

Though, why she would trust such a seemingly complete stranger to assist her with such a thing, over the female guard in her service, was beyond him.

There existed the possibility that Euphemia and the girl weren't strangers. He had read the reports on the Kawaguchi Lake incident, and he recalled there having been students from Ashford Academy that had been taken hostage alongside Princess Euphemia. Perhaps this girl was one of them, and the two had come into contact during their internment.

The prince had little time to ruminate on the matter, however, as the camera angle on Cornelia's computer changed once more to a view of a crowd gathered on a wide stretch of tarmac, before what appeared to be a giant oven.

"This is the next time that redhead is on camera," Cornelia explained, pointing out her quarry amongst the throng of people, "right in front of where Euphie makes her announcement, less than a minute before she does so. This girl has to be the one who..."

Cornelia's words were drowned out by the Prince as he took notice of something on the monitor.

There, standing directly beside the redhead that Cornelia had taken an interest in, was another student with a very familiar mop of black hair.

"I have to go," Schneizel quickly stated, interrupting the Second Princess mid-rant. Without sparing a glance backwards, he swiftly exited the room; his tailcoat billowing dramatically behind him as he did so.

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Guilford frowned, watching the retreating back of Schneizel recede down the hallway.

He had heard the entire conversation, and he was more than a little peeved as a result. Though he generally distrusted Schneizel, he had assumed that prince would be able to set aside his own personal agenda in order to assist a family member in need. Apparently he was wrong.

A dejected sigh was heard from within the room behind the knight, and a few seconds later, Euphemia's voice filtered through the doorway; the very speech that had been playing nearly on repeat for the past two hours.

Steeling his resolve, Guilford abandoned his post at the door in favour of carrying out his duty as Cornelia's knight. He had sworn an oath to protect her. He would do so, even if it was to protect her from herself.

Cornelia allowed the video clip of her younger sister to play through in its entirety, pausing briefly before reaching her hand up to the screen to press the replay button. Her finger hovering over the button, she was about to click, when a hand enveloped her own

Turning to follow the arm attached to the hand, she found herself face-to-face with a very phlegmatic looking Guilford.

The knight reached his free hand out to the computer, and deftly turned off the monitor. He then drew up a chair beside the princess and sat down, remaining silent in order to allow her to speak first.

"What do I do, Guilford?" she asked, sounding, for the first time since he had met her, defeated.

She seemed to sag at the question; her arms falling limp at her side, and her head drooping to allow her to stare at her own lap. For a moment, her entire body seized up suddenly; every muscle constricting simultaneously. Then, as choked growl tore its way from her throat, she brought her hands up to cover her face, shielding it from Guilford's view.

"I've already lost three siblings to this godforsaken area!" her ragged voice hissed, though it was muffled by the palm that covered her mouth. "Why must I lose Euphie to it as well?"

She flinched when she felt Guilford's hands take hold of her wrists, not having anticipated the contact. She didn't resist however, when he gently pulled them away from her face, nor when he placed a finger under her chin, and drew her head up to look at him.

"You haven't lost her," he calmly replied, "And the only way you will lose her is if you push her away. Right now, she needs people who will help her and support her; people like you."

"I'm trying," the princess ground out through clenched teeth. "If I can find out who coerced her to do this, they can be brought to justice, and Euphie can be free."

With a sigh, Guilford ran his hand along his jaw, feeling the light trail of stubble that ran along it. "You won't find anything," he murmured.

"Nonsense," the violet-haired woman scoffed, twisting at the waist to face her computer. "I'll find the evidence, and the perpetrator will be caught."

"No, Cornelia," the knight sighed, reaching an arm out to prevent her from reactivating the console's display, "you won't find anything because she's acting on her own. No one is coercing her."

Cornelia scowled disdainfully. "You're trying to tell me that she's trying to help the very people that killed Clovis? That's preposterous!"

"Zero killed Clovis," Guilford reminded her. "You can hardly pin the actions of a single masked terrorist against an entire nation."

"Of course I can!" she snarled, rising to a stand. "Need I remind you of the fact that the Elevens support Zero; revere him, even? They're the same people who killed Nunally and Lelouch! I doubt a single one of them would bat an eyelash to save a Britannian held at gunpoint. Hell, they'd probably cheer on the person holding the gun!"

Cornelia let out a huff, absentmindedly fixing a loose strand of hair that had fallen down in front of her eyes during her tirade. Satisfied that the strand would remain in place, she surveyed Guilford, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"Do you remember the Siege of Mosul?" he quietly inquired, turning his eyes up to meet her own.

"Our first battle against the Middle Eastern Federation," Cornelia replied coolly. "I had you and Darlton each take a small strike force to punch a hole through the city's outer defences, while I lead the bulk of our forces against their garrison. What of it?"

The knight nodded. "While I was distracted with taking out a guard tower, a soldier with an RPG snuck up behind my Knightmare," he explained. "I didn't notice the soldier until he fired off a rocket. By that point it was too late to move out of the way." Guilford paused, allowing his gaze to fall to the floor. "One of the soldiers in my command noticed, and jumped in the way, taking the hit for me. The explosion killed him before he had a chance to eject.

"After the battle, I looked up the soldiers name; Corporal Junichi Himuro. He was an Honorary Britannian who had just gotten his certification to pilot a Knightmare less than a month prior. He had a wife and son waiting for him at home, and yet, he willingly gave up his life to save me; a knight to the nation that had enslaved his own."

At the admission, Cornelia felt the anger leave her. It was not a story she had heard before, and the notion of an Eleven doing such a thing shocked her. Grabbing the armrests of her chair for support, she lowered herself; not trusting her knees at the moment.

"I've watched Sir Kururugi," the knight continued, eying the princess as her fists and jaw relaxed visibly. "I've watched the way he and Princess Euphemia interact. He adores the girl, Cornelia. And, dare I say it, she adores him. They have a connection that-,"

"Don't say such things," Cornelia snapped suddenly, albeit with less venom than before. "Euphie is too young for such things; especially with a Number."

"No matter," Guilford pressed on, suppressing a groan of frustration, "that Number is loyal, beyond any doubt, to your sister. Sir Kururugi is a good man, Cornelia, and Euphemia sees it. I have no doubt that nothing would make her happier than for you to see it too."

Cornelia found her eyes wandering the room, coming to rest on a series of framed photographs that rested on a nearby shelf. One in particular caught her attention. Though its metal frame was not so intricately adorned as the others, it was the largest, allowing it to stand out from the others. The image within was one of a more youthful Euphemia hugging Cornelia; both young women smiling brightly.

The photo had been taken just after Euphemia's tenth birthday. The two had little to be joyful about at the time. After Empress Marianne's assassination, and the death of both Lelouch and Nunally, the Royal family had fragmented, and infighting between siblings had arose. After seeing how easily a member of the royal family could be gunned down, brothers and sisters turned on each other in an attempt to gain an upper hand on becoming heir to the throne.

Yet, despite the fighting, Euphemia and Cornelia had never once turned on each other. It was a day before the picture was taken that Cornelia had sworn a promise to her younger sister to always be at her side; no matter what happened.

"Leave me, Guilford," she whispered. "I have much to think about."

Satisfied that he had made it through to her, the Knight offered a bow before exiting the room, sealing the door behind him.

"I won't fail you, Euphie," Cornelia murmured to the picture.

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It was a few minutes after abandoning his discussion with Cornelia when Schneizel pushed open the double doors leading into his personal office. With a click of the deadbolt, he locked the doors before hurrying to his desk.

Without pausing to sit down, he picked up the phone that rested on his desk and hastily punched in a sequence of numbers and held the receiver to his ear.

"Kanon, I need you to do something for me," the prince stiffly began, skipping the usual pleasantries he would normally open a conversation with. "I need you to get a hold of the student roster at Ashford Academy. Specifically, I'm looking for a male student with dark hair and violet eyes. Considering how rare violet eyes are, it shouldn't be too difficult to narrow the results down."

Upon hearing a confirmation from the man on the other end of the line, Schneizel hung up. Having taken care of the task at hand, he lowered himself into his well-cushioned chair.

Slowly, his eyes lingered over to the chessboard he had set up to the left of his desk. Reaching out one hand, he advanced one of the white bishops, putting the black king in check.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

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"As the majority shareholder for Stadtfeld Consolidated and its subsidiaries, I'm in control of the third largest telecommunications network in Britannia," Mr. Stadtfeld explained, wringing his hands to help ease his anxiety. "The company's been extremely profitable in the past few years; in fact we're currently constructing what will be the two tallest cellular towers in Area 11. On their own, they'll be able to service the entirety of the Tokyo and Osaka settlements. It's an ingenious design, or so I've been told by the logistics division. No more need for the small-,"

"As interesting as I'm sure your company's business ventures are," Zero interrupted, brandishing an electronic data pad in his hands, "I have all that information here. I'm more interested in hearing something that I can't find out from a simple search on the internet."

"Er... right; of course," the bespectacled man mumbled, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and using it to dab sweat from his brow. "What is it that you'd like to know?"

Setting aside the data pad, Zero folded his hands in his lap. "I'd like to know what interest an upstanding and loyal Britannian citizen such as yourself would have in supporting a rebel group such as my own."

Restlessly readjusting his position in his chair, Mr. Stadtfeld began. "That's actually an easy enough one to answer," he said with a nervous laugh. "Ever since your first appearance in the news, I've been making sure to watch any report regarding you. It would be hard to ignore them, to be honest, with all the waves you've been making. I have ties here, you see... I'm sure you already know of them. As you say; a lot about me is public record."

Zero made no acknowledgement towards the nobleman's remark. It was true, of course, but the masked man wanted to find out just how much the Stadtfeld patriarch was willing to reveal without being prompted.

At the revolutionary's silence, the red haired man cleared his throat. "Well, you see; before the war, I lived here, back when Japan was still a country," he stated. "At that time, my father was still in control of Stadtfeld Consolidated, and I was sent here to manage one of our overseas branches. There was an intern that worked for the company by the name of Kozuki. She was only a couple years younger than me, and quite frankly, I was rather taken with her. We eventually had a son, and later; a daughter. Around the time our daughter turned ten, I did the proper thing, and proposed to her. But, before we could officially be wed, the war broke out, and I was forced back to Britannia."

Hesitantly, the nobleman glanced upwards at Zero, hoping to gage the masked man's reaction to the admission. The revolutionary's only movement, however, was a gesture to encourage him to proceed.

"My family," the red haired man continued, "or rather, that is to say, my father, found out about my engagement. He gave me an ultimatum; I could either annul the engagement, or I would be cast out of the Stadtfeld family, and lose all rights to my standing as a noble."

Off to the side, Ohgi stiffened. It was only his agreement with Zero to remain silent that prevented him from rising from his chair and verbally assaulting the man. Even before Naoto's death, Kallen had essentially been like a younger sister to him. Now, to hear that her supposed father had cast her mother aside for the sake of a title utterly disgusted him.

It was the sharp sound of shuddered breathing that distracted the Japanese man from his anger. Discovering the source of the sound to be the Stadtfeld patriarch, Ohgi's annoyance melted away.

"I-it was the most difficult decision I've ever had to make," the nobleman stammered, choking back tears that threatened to spill forth. "I-I decided that, if I held onto my position, I would be able to at least protect my children. When I was told that I needed to marry a woman of 'proper' standing, I immediately sought out an old classmate of mine; one I knew to be infertile. With her incapable of having children, my father had no choice but to allow me to adopt my son and daughter into the Stadtfeld family.

"While my daughter resented me for what I it, and I don't blame her, my son at least was able to understand why I did what I did. He managed to convince my daughter to dye her hair, and get coloured contacts so that she could fit in to Britannian society without being ostracized for her heritage."

With a dejected sigh, the Stadtfeld patriarch reached under his glass to massage the bridge of his nose. "Everything was all so different from how I would have imagined it... but at the very least I was able to guarantee a decent life for my children. Then the Japanese woman that I had been engaged to asked to work as a maid at our estate so that she could be close to her son and daughter. There was no way I could say no. Eventually, I had to leave; I just couldn't handle living there anymore. I just wasn't strong enough to watch my wife abuse the woman I love on a daily basis and not be able to do anything about it.

"Then, a couple of years ago, I found out that my son was killed. It was only after the funeral that I found out why. He apparently came to the conclusion that if Britannia was driven out of Japan, we could all final live as a normal family. He died fighting Britannia, and now my daughter is following in his footprints. There's no way I couldn't have recognized her standing beside you at the end of that hotel jacking incident. Even with that visor, there's no way I wouldn't recognize my own daughter.

"I doubt I could ever convince her to leave your group. So, the only thing I can do is make sure that you're funded well enough to keep her alive. I've already had to bury one of my children; I can't bury the other," he choked out. "I... I won't"

For a moment, Zero was able to catch a glint in the nobleman's eyes that screamed of determination. For the first time since he had met the man, Lelouch was finally able to see some semblance of Kallen's fighting spirit in him.

Turning to face Ohgi, he gestured towards the door. Nodding in understanding, the Japanese man stood from his chair and followed Zero outside, leaving Mr. Stadtfeld alone with C.C.

"I recognize you," the bespectacled man spoke slowly, addressing the immortal. "You were at the Ashford festival yesterday."

"Is that so?" C.C. asked coyly, stretching out on the couch now that Lelouch's spot had been vacated.

"Yes, you were the one who directed me to the maid cafe," the man confirmed. "Tell me, miss... er... I'm afraid that I didn't catch your name."

"C.C." the immortal offered with a lazy drawl.

"Right, er, Miss C.C.," Mr. Stadtfeld acknowledged, "You must know my daughter; you were at her school after all. Do you think... do you think that if I tried explaining to her my reasoning for what I did... do you think she would forgive me?"

"I don't know Kallen well enough to guess how she would react," the immortal replied nonchalantly, "nor do I really care. Family business is family business, and I don't make a habit of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. But, in the interest of cooperation, I will tell you this much; of all the members of the Black Knights, Kallen is the last person that Zero would allow to die."

"Are they close?" the nobleman gasped. "I've always noticed that whenever they both appear on the news together, she's always right beside him. Is there something between the two of them?"

C.C. knew it would be easy to refute the man's claims, but being who she was, she chose not to. Instead, she was looking forward to the eruption that would result when the man brought such a notion up to the volcano that was Kallen Kozuki. It would be extremely entertaining.

So, instead of responding, the immortal merely offered the man a smirk.

Their conversation wasn't able to continue, however, as at that moment, Zero and Ohgi walked back into the room.

"Mr. Stadtfeld," Zero said, extending his hand to offer a handshake, "I look forward to our mutually beneficial partnership."

0-0-0-0-0

It was Monday afternoon, and Kallen found herself in the Student Council clubhouse. She sat against one of the many large windows that lined the exterior walls of the clubhouse, allowing the warm sun's rays to wash over her.

Beside her, Shirley was going over the leftover budget from the festival, allocating the remaining funds to the various clubs at Ashford. Kallen was supposed to be helping her, but the ginger girl seemed to have everything under control.

Instead, the half-Japanese girl was watching the other students in the room. Lelouch was helping Nina catch up on her English homework; as much as the timid girl excelled in the Sciences, she was hopeless, it seemed, in dissecting literature. Across the room, Milly was typing something, Kallen wasn't sure what, on her personal laptop while ignoring Rivalz, who was attempting (and failing) to entertain the blonde with terrible jokes.

"Hey Prez," the blue haired teen chimed, "How many tickles does it take to make a squid laugh?"

"I don't know, and right now, I don't really care," Milly mumbled, not looking up from her laptop.

"Ten tickles!" Rivalz crowed. "Get it, Prez? Ten tickles... tentacles?"

Milly glanced up from her laptop, her eyes meeting Kallen's. The two girls simultaneously rolled their eyes and shared a groan, before the president returned to her work.

Kallen was about to ask Shirley if she needed help with her paperwork, when movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Glancing out the windows, her eyes widened when she noticed a pair of bright blue Sutherlands parked just outside the main gate of the school.

"Where's Suzaku?" the redhead asked frantically, jumping to her feet, ignoring the rush of blood from her head.

"He's with Princess Euphemia," Shirley replied distractedly. "I think he's helping to set up that Special Administration Zone thing. Why?"

Whirling to face Lelouch, a look of panic on her features, she began to shout, "Lelouch! We need to-,"

She was interrupted, however, when the doors to the room they were in burst open, revealing a squadron of armed soldiers.

"Lelouch Lamperouge?" the lead soldier called out, "By the orders of his highness, Prince Schneizel, you are hereby under arrest for treason, murder, and acts of terrorism!"

0-0-0-0-0

DUN DUN DUUUUUN!

So, as you may or may not have noticed, I have yet to give either of Kallen's parents a first name, since they don't have one in canon. What do you guys think; should I give them first names, or leave them as Mr. Stadtfeld and Ms. Kozuki?

(Also, don't worry about the baby from last chapter. I'm getting to that next chapter. This one was starting to run on long enough without including the baby.)