"I was surprised, you know. That you were willing to come to dinner."

Lelouch cast a fleeting glance to where Leila sat across from him. The girl's eyes were distracted from maintaining contact, electing instead to focus on the beef stew on top of the table.

"After I asked that question about your king… you seemed shaken. I know you said it was nothing, but I still want to apologize."

Raising her head tentatively only to see him completely unperturbed, the blonde bit her lip and tried again.

"I really did overstep a boundary, didn't I? Honestly, I-"

He raised a steady hand, then, stopping the girl mid-sentence. Perhaps, in hindsight, the gesture may have been ill-fitting for the anticlimax that followed. But he'd never been one for receiving pity during meals, anyway.

"Jeez. You aren't really listening to any of this, are you? You're just enamored with the stew I made!"

"And what a great stew it is."

He offered a playful smirk before swallowing the spoonful, allowing himself time to reestablish his typical earnestness.

"In all seriousness, though, you always had my attention. In fact, I'm sincerely grateful that you care. I was just thinking over another matter just then."

Leila's face softened, even though her tone of voice refused to let her irritation go.

"Well… what in the world could have been as important as talking about your well-being?"

"Reconsidering your enrollment into military school, for one."

His words broke the girl out of her troubled state and she turned to him startled, giving him an unobstructed view of her mauve eyes. They seemed to contain a myriad of emotions – surprise, joy, anticipation, and, perhaps most noteworthy, suspicion.

"R-really? But didn't you say that only a victory would change your mind?"

"Extraneous circumstances have caused me to reassess. But that's all I can promise – a reassessment."

Indeed; he'd pondered his options for some time after his self-reflections post-chess match. In principle, the idea of reintroducing the girl into E.U. politics had the potential for detriment. Even without accounting for her hidden identity, she was still a more than competent tactician that was bound to cultivate resentment with her ideologies that opposed Europia's. And, while prior ruminations in his study had ridiculed him for depriving Leila of a proper chance to explain her case, his responsibility as her foster parent also prioritized her protection above all.

That said, he could only note bemusedly that the words of restraint did nothing to stem the flow of hopeful eagerness on Leila's face.

"Well, in that case, is there anything I can do to improve my chances?"

He took a long sip of water before responding.

"Perhaps you could restate your rationale for applying."

Her stew forgotten, Leila placed her elbows on the tabletop; no doubt choosing her words carefully.

"Well, as I've said before, I think a military academy would satisfy my need for social interaction with my peers. Not to mention that it would help me find a practical use for my strategic mindset."

"Fair arguments, indeed." He studied her carefully before continuing. "Though, being that I know you much better than I did three years ago, I can also provide novel counterpoints."

He set his glass down carefully.

"True, you have a knack for military tactics, and it would be a shame if those skills weren't put to good use. But you don't have a particularly strong sense of nationalism. And you must have realized by now that many of the E.U's policies go against your political philosophies. Wouldn't it be more advantageous, then, if your means of social interaction didn't involve pledging allegiance to a nation?"

The clean-cut analysis was met with silence as amethyst looked on flippantly. For a moment, it seemed to him that Leila would be left in a perpetual state of bewilderment. But, of course, his 'daughter' was hardly one to take things lying down.

"Be that as it may, I… I still have motivations that I haven't told you of yet."

"Then perhaps you could enlighten me."

Leila let out a noise halfway between a sigh and a balk, but finally reestablished her composure.

"Well… I'm not sure if you remember, but three years ago, I asked you whether you knew anything about my parents' murder."

He continued to stare evenly.

"After you told me that you didn't, I decided to research the circumstance myself. And, being that my parents were Britannian defectors, I eventually concluded that the Empire had some hand in their murder. Be that indirect or otherwise."

His eyes gave nothing away, but he was nevertheless surprised. Impetus derived from a past circumstance, he'd expected. But vengeance? He'd hoped to be lenient out of reconciliation for his past mistakes, but the irony surrounding that was too suffocating to take lightly.

"You mean to say, then, that retribution drives you toward an education characterized by violence?" His words, while gentle in articulation, nonetheless maintained a pained edge. "I didn't believe you were someone that would be cynical enough to take something like that lightly."

He watched mutely, then, as Leila temporarily floundered for an other rebuttal. Perhaps she may have taken less kindly to his tone than he'd expected, if her wordless reaction was any indication. But he still had no illusions that, inevitably, mauve would meet amethyst in fierce defiance.

And defiant those eyes were.

"But I'm not taking it lightly, Lelouch." The anticipated words maintained a newfound maturity almost uncharacteristic for the girl's age. "I know I'm the biological daughter of a political demagogue. I know I'm the lone witness to an assassination that took the lives of both of my parents. But I also know that the military is the only means I have to ensure that others will never suffer the same misfortune as me."

The retort was met with a pensive blink, and for a moment, he was tempted to accept the nobility of the justification at face value. Though fortunately or, perhaps, unfortunately, experience still won out over impulse.

"Be that as it may, I still know how dangerous the path your walking on now is. I myself was proven utterly mistaken, even though I had believed that I was capable of marching unflinchingly toward my goals in the past."

"But look at you now! You turned out fine in the end, didn't you?"

"I can completely assure you that I did not turn out fine." He wiped his hands on a napkin, and sighed heavily. "You must be aware of some of my unsavory habits, correct? They're vices that I developed at fourteen as means to my goals, Leila. Fourteen. Neither man nor woman should have such a single-minded outlook that they learn to excel at that."

A survey of the room seemingly offered no retort, and he concluded tiredly.

"Please; understand. My overarching concern is primarily your protection. I'll reevaluate your arguments later tonight and tell you my answer tomorrow, but you have to realize that-"

"Then why don't you just tell me how to avoid the mistakes you made!" The unexpected words came as a shout, and he nearly flinched at their intensity. "Even if you're right – even if I only have the motivation, but no wisdom to see what comes next – at least let me prove myself! I don't need you to make choices for me as my protector; I need you to help me every step of the way as my accomplice!"

Perhaps it was the choice of terminology that put him off. Or maybe the continuation of a seemingly concluded conversation was the cause. Regardless, however, the true gravity of the plea was lost to him by the provocation of past anguish. And resultantly, the sheer ice in his tone was almost overwhelming.

"Leila. Need I remind you that I only ensured a reassessment? This is hardly the platform for an actual argument."

"But you need to understand this Lelouch!" Her fervent tone implied that passion was too far gone to be reasoned with. "You're the best, if not only, advisor that I could ever ask for! Why must you always run scared from this option instead of utilizing your wisdom to help me?"

"Because war isn't like chess, Leila!" He nearly winced at the ferocity of his own words, but nevertheless maintained composure. "My mistake when I grew up was that I had too much confidence in the assets surrounding me. It doesn't matter if you have an immortal witch as a partner, or none at all. You can't prepare for everything militaristically, and I don't want you getting hurt because of it. Not when I have the chance to keep it from happening."

"And who said I wanted to be shielded from these dangers, Lelouch?" Mauve was ablaze now, and she threw her arms out wide. "I don't want to be left living a life of comfort away from the reality of the world! This academy is my only means of taking action!"

"That sort of single-minded mentality is what makes your thinking naïve." His speech had cooled in volume, though it cut in with no less vehemence. "Between your underlying motivations and the path you're following itself, you're bound to walk straight into hell."

"Is that what you think?" The gasp was incredulous. "That fighting for the lesser of two evils is pointless because it could cause my destruction? That there's no merit to protecting others, so long as the possibility of my undoing remains?"

"That's not just what I think, Leila. That's what I know."

He watched mutely as she ground her teeth in frustration; testing words that could obliterate the increasingly fragile civility in the room.

"Then you're more selfish that I gave you credit for, Lelouch. No matter how much I want to be like you, I can't escape the fact that you'll only see me as Nunnally."

The venomous retort was met with a deafening silence, and for a moment, he could only purse his lips, dumbstruck. Thereafter, it would only take a second for Leila's own eyes to widen at the contemptibility of her behavior, but by then, the damage had been done.

"Lelouch… I-I didn't mean-"

"Leila."

The hand held up in response was instinctive, and he weakly sighed at the room's sudden return to silence. Perhaps if the conversation hadn't already taken its emotional toll, his response to the girl's audacity would have been much more severe. But at the present, he had only the energy to digest her claim – the very fear that he'd barely touched on during his prior self-analysis. And, as he slowly reviewed the whole of their past exchange to boot, he spared a soft grunt at his failure to recognize his own hypocrisy.

"Just… bring me my laptop from the study."

Rising up from his chair thereafter, he glanced passingly at the fearful eyes that remained honed onto his every move.

"A-alright, Lelouch. But may I ask why?"

He gave her his full attention, then. Two amethyst orbs that accepted an alternative responsibility. One that finally understood that recognizing his own misguided complacency in his study had only been half the battle.

"Because. Even though I recognize that you're right, you still need some hair dye and colored contacts." He couldn't help but snort wearily at the girl's befuddlement. "What? After all of that, didn't you realize that you'd need more than a forged adoption paper to protect your identity?"

"Your father is quite an ambitious man, isn't he?"

Suzaku's eyes narrowed at the remark, and he shifted his eyes toward the boy across from him. The two of them had kept a mutual silence in his living room while their fathers had discussed Britannian relations behind closed doors. Yet while he'd done his best to refrain from eavesdropping, he had to concede that Genbu was still a terrible whisperer.

"And what are you implying there, Shin?"

The smirk on Shin's face only grew haughtier, and he made the conscious effort not to wipe it off his face. He harbored no resentment for the Hyuga's – they'd always been in his father's favor – but he'd always detested contempt. Especially when he was its victim.

"Well, you're listening to them too, aren't you?" Shin mused. "Mindlessly going on about the importance of nationalism and pride.

"The Japanese people are more than deserving of it." His scowl deepened. "I see no problem with that."

"The principle itself is not the problem, no." Shin threw his hands out wide. "The problem is that your father is deluding himself into thinking that it's a feasible approach to foreign policy."

"And what makes that so wrong?" He retorted. "Japan has a resource that makes even superpowers beg for our favor. Is there not a sense of sovereignty to be gained from that?"

"Beg? For our favor?" Shin laughed. "Oh, Suzaku. If you truly believe that, you're just as much of a fool as your father is." An amused look graced green orbs. "See what I mean?"

He blinked, momentarily bewildered by the implication, before recognizing his compromising position. Apparently, he'd unconsciously risen from his seat, one hand on Shin's shoulder, while another reared back to punch off the boy's ever-increasing smirk.

A small part of him wish he'd committed before returning to his senses.

"… Fine. You've made your point."

Begrudgingly, he let the boy go, collapsing resignedly back into his seat across the table. "Now explain it without the use of slander."

Shin's smile never faded, and for a moment, he thought it looked more satisfied than contemptuous.

"Very well. Consider this, then. Would Japan emerge victorious if Britannia declared war?"

He jerked his head, surprised. What had possessed him to come up with that question?

"Well… technologically, perhaps we would be at a disadvantage. But Japanese discipline and territorial familiarity are comparable assets."

"Discipline? Territory?" The ridicule was clear in Shin's voice. "Come now, Suzaku. Haven't heard of Washington's Rebellion? How it failed because the rebels relied too much on guerilla warfare?"

"This is Japan, not North America, Shin." He frowned. "But fine. Take military tactics, then. Haven't you heard that General Tohdoh has the brightest strategic mind of this generation?"

"And haven't you heard that 2nd Prince Schneizel conquered the whole of Indochina without a single tactical loss?" The boy's tone had an edge of exasperation. "It's not just him, either. I've even heard that Princess Alexis has just as much, if not more, strategic promise than her brother."

"Well… then what about the other superpowers?" His voice took on the slightest trace of doubt. "Do you really think they'd stand by if Britannia tried to monopolize Sakuradite?"

"Don't be so quick to underestimate the allure of complacency." Shin's fingers began to roll on his armrest. "The EU's bureaucratic tape makes it hardly fit to take action, and the Chinese Federation's decadence is nearly palpable." The boy's voice hardened. "No one, and I mean no one, would even be willing to come to our aid."

The sudden tone of absolution caught him off guard, and for a moment he was at a loss for words. Japan was his home. The paragon of everything he believed in. To think that Shin would dismiss all of its strengths without a second thought was more than just disheartening. It was completely overwhelming.

"… Alright. Perhaps I overstated Japan's chances." His eyes bored into Shin's own. "But these are nevertheless hypotheticals. What in the world do they have to do with my father?"

"They have everything to do with your father, Suzaku." For a moment, he could have sworn Shin had rolled his eyes. "Come now, think! Nationalism; pride. Your father is planning to take an unrelenting economic stance against the most egotistical empire in history. Do you not see the idiocy behind that idea?"

Realization struck him, and he nearly flinched at the revelation.

"You… you're saying we could go to war."

"Not could. Will."

Shin's voice lowered considerably, and he made up for it by rising from his seat.

"My own father is of the same mind, you know? Right now, he's doubtlessly egging on the fires of pride in your father's heart. Of course, it may take a week for his efforts to bear fruit. A month. Maybe even a year. But war will happen." The boy's speech dropped to a whisper. "And I can't let Akito – my own brother – live through that hell."

"Look…" he eyed Shin carefully before sighing. "Even if you're right, even if your predictions come true; there's nothing we can truly do about it. We still have to work within the confines of the system. So, if anything, just try to have a little more faith in Japan."

"Perhaps there's nothing that I can do, yes." Slowly, Shin's eyes met his own. "But don't be so certain that you fall under those same constraints."

His eyebrows rose. "What are you–"

"Did you forget that you're the Prime Minister's son? The heir apparent to the nation we both love?" The words struck a chord, and he almost didn't realize that Shin made way closer to his person. "You could speak words of temperance to your father. Call foul against his political advisors. Hell, I'd even support you if you took on my own father."

"But…" Numerous protests fell short of his tongue, and he settled rather meekly. "It's not that simple, Shin."

"And why not?" The boy's eyes gleamed with fervor. "All it takes is a single spark to light a fire. A single flicker to cut through the darkness. Who's to say that a single man can't change the fate of an entire nation?"

"I…" He gave a shaky breath and slumped his shoulders. "I could fail."

"Yes, you could. But you could also succeed." Slowly, Shin closed the distance between them. "It's one thing if you were born powerless, but you have the opportunity to make a difference. You, and you alone, have the potential to save Japan from the possibility of destruction."

Shin had risen behind him now, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

"Besides. I wouldn't worry even if you couldn't get through to your father."

He paused, bewildered, before offering a hesitant reply.

"… How do you figure that?"

The boy smiled.

"Because, Suzaku. If all else fails..."

Shin's lips were at his ear now, and it was all he could do not to visibly flinch.

... Japan could always use a new 'king.'"

Author's Note

I'm back from the dead, as they say, and I must say this chapter was a piece of work. Initially, I had intended for an additional scene in Leila's point of view, but I could never juxtapose it well with the cynicism of Shin's section. To that end, this chapter underwent several rewrites and deletions before I even managed to present it onto fanfiction. But, I hope it was worth the wait, even if it was relatively short. The back-and-forth dialogues between Lelouch-Leila and Suzaku-Shin were quite fun for me to write, after all (even if they caused me a considerable amount of pain while constructing them).

In any case, this story will get finished with any luck. Right now, I'm experimenting with the Persona fandom (Persona 5 has consumed my life) so there may be a story in the works for that. I'm also planning on touching up the previous chapters of this story (namely, Chapter 3) in my spare time. As for comments about future Pawnless updates, this chapter, as well as the next, will be setting the groundwork for the complete shitstorm that will happen in chapters 6 and 7. And I look forward to writing that immensely.