Ch 11-Remember, remember.

"Silence little brother? It's a bit late for that, you just confirm a moment ago that you are the one on the other line." Schneizell said as on the other end of the phone Lelouch continued to not utter a single word. He merely continued to listen in silence.

"Well until you decide to answer I must say I must comment you on the anti tracking software you have in Lt Kururugi's phone, it was a long shot in using him to find you, but when I saw the trackers on the Lancelot which was piloted by the son of old Genbu, last prime minster of Japan and the frame belonging to the acting Viceroy, indicate that both where going to a remote location I knew that there was where you were also present. Our efforts to track the phone signal are not going smoothly, currently you seem to either be in a small shrubbery store in Worchester if the tracker is any indication, though the trackers on frames are very functional."

Many miles around them, the hidden troops started to deploy in the field, they were smuggled into the country in total secrecy, not even Jeremiah was told of them, but their purpose was clear, and namely to apprehend the fallen Prince of the Empire.

As the troops surrounded the shrine, Suzaku looked at the roof of the strange magical elevator that lead directly to them and was a small enough drop that ropes could be used. Lelouch continued to remain silent.

"My lord, we are 30 meters from the target!" captain Morison of the commando task force reported to Schneizell trough a phone that was connected to an ear piece that the White Prince of Brittannia had in the one that wasn't used to talk on the phone with Lelouch.

"We've passed the Lancelot!" the captain said as his troops were a skip and a hop's distance away from the tip of the shrine.

Schneizell smirked, Suzaku drew his pistol, Lelouch continued to remain silent as Jeremiah charged both boys, tackling them and pinning them to the ground.

"We've reached the location. No one's here! The shrine is empty!" Morison reported to a surprised Schneizell.

Down bellow in the now sealed bunker Lelouch and Suzaku looked towards the roof where the platform had returned to its initial position.

Suzaku and Lelouch looked back to Jeremiah, who had tackled them a moment ago, forcing them off the platform, whom a moment latter raised itself back to its initial position.

Jeremiah then gestured to his military badge and then to the platform, silently telling them that the system despite it being born millennia was at its heart a military one and he had recognizes that there was a chance the descending platform was automated and weigh triggered, that was why he had tackled the two, in order to gamble that it would go back up and conceal their position from their pursuers.

The two where god smacked at this, it had just occurred to them both that Jeremiah was a Colonel, a top frame pilot and the most influential politician in Japan, he was by no means a fool or unwise, here and now he showed that although he may be a poor man's version of Lelouch's level of cunning or Suzaku's skill as a pilot, that still made him a great man, a mighty warrior and a cunning leader.

For as Suzaku was deprived of his frame and Lelouch was still to shocked to respond it had fallen on Jeremiah, the only one that was able to keep a level head to fight their foes, from his own knowledge of commando protocols and knowing his older brother Lelouch estimated that at least several squads of troops had been deployed, each one an elite soldier.

What was in itself a force of hundreds lead by Captain Morison had faced three unarmed and defenseless men, but since Jeremiah Gottwald was the one leading there and then, the army of lions lead by a sheep was unable to overcome the small flock of three lead by a lion.

There and then Lelouch truly realize what a great asset Jeremiah was, he gave a nod of approval, to which the Margrave beamed in pride as he gave a slight bow of the head, his continued silence was also a point in his favor, showing he knew when to show restrain, as well as keep his mouth shut.

"I must say this is….unexpected, but not surprising, I did mentor you when you where younger, I must say you have taken my lessons to heart, I am very proud of you my apprentice." Schneizell replied as still silence reigned from the other line, time continued to pass this way, enough for Lelouch to get over his shock, enough for him to respond, but he continued to keep silent.

"Allright then…." Schneizell said as he let out a tired breath. "No more games, Lelouch….. I know you have reason to…to hate us, but despite it all we are still your family, I know that I cannot ask you to forget the past, but…can we at least attempt to patch things up, I'm not asking for much, just…..just a chance." The white prince said, dropping his mask that he wore more often than not and spoke from the heart, it was rarer than an eclipse, but it happened there and then. A prince of the Empire was honest for a moment.

"Fifth of November."

The reply finally came from the other end.

For a moment Schneizell was confused and uncertain of what he just heard, then he figured it out and closed his eyes is pain and sorrow and for once he meant them.

"Remember, remember the 5th of November. The gunpowder treason and plot. I see no reason, for the gunpowder treason to ever be forgot. So, that's your answer then…In that case I mus-" "WAIT!"

Another voice was heard and Lelouch's blood run cold, for he recognized that voice, he could face Schneizell, Cornelia, Clovis, any minion of the Emperor or even Charles himself, but that voice, it was the one thing that he was not prepared.

"Lelouch, it's me. It's Euphie." Euphemia said as she took the phone away from Schneizell and talked to the brother she thought dead.

"When I heard that you may be alive, I couldn't believe it, my heart soared to the thought that we hadn't lost you, I missed you dearly brother, are you allright, are you healthy? I'm sorry if sound like an old granny, but you did always tire first when we played in the gardens, do you remember the gardens Lelouch? How we ran through the maze playing tag, trying to catch each other and still make it first to the other end, where the statues of the muses lay just before the entrance to the lake." Euphemia said and gripped her phone besides her Schneizell and Cornelia both starred at her in hope and dread of what was to come of this.

"Where we would all take branches from the great weeping willow and use them as rods and cakes we stuffed in our pockets from dessert as bait to fish for salmon. There never was salmon in the lake, or any other fish for that matter and the branches where useless as rods, the bait melted away in seconds and became useless, we all knew that, but we didn't care, to us there was salmon in the pond and we where the mighty fishermen bringing in the great catch of the season."

Lelouch replied from the other side as tears filled up in Euphemia's eyes, tears of joy that inside of them man on the other end, there still lay her brother, deep down he was still the Lelouch that she grew up with, played with, got into troubled with, there was still hope!

"Yes! So you do remember then."

"I never forgot. There is now a single thing in the past that I have ever forgotten…..Euphemia vi Brittannia, daughter of Charles vi Brittannia." The little boy now disappeared and the stranger returned, the stranger engulfed in hatred and vengeance, the one who lost his mother and it fate was cruel, also his sister and their sister as well.

"You hate father…I cannot say I do not understand why, but….do you have us as well Lelouch? If there really nothing but that in your heart for us? For me?"

"After all that has happened, what else can there be?" Lelouch said, more of a question for Euphemia, than an answer for him.

"I don't believe you, if that were true, then why…..why did you spare Clovi's life?"

"We all make mistakes I suppose." Came the cold reply that almost made Euphemia's heart stop in shock. The way it was said, without an ounce of hesitation or remorse, the tears in her eyes now became bitter, bitter for the horrid fate that Lelouch bore and the creature it had led him to become.

"Would it matter if I told you that we had nothing to do with the Lady Marianne's death."

"I know you have nothing to do with it."

That shocked Euphemia to the core, the tears stopped, Schneizell and Cornelia who had been following the conversation trough head pieces also froze in surprise.

"I know for a fact that neither your, nor Schneizell nor Cornelia was responsible, for at the time none of you had enough power to pull it off, I know for certain that her killer is someone called V.V, and he is directly in cahoots with the Emperor. He was the only one who could and would cover it up, him or someone who is the his trusted right or left hand could only have done, what happened that day in Aries Villa."

"Where is he!? Where is the blackheart!" Cornelia suddenly jumped from her seat and shouted at the phone, it was still in Euphie's grip, but it was loud enough that Lelouch heard it and couldn't help but smirk as he laid eyes on Jeremiah.

COULDN'T TALK,….AFRAID OF INFORMING THOSE INVOLVED….MAKING ANY CHANCE OF JUSTICE BE LOST.

Jeremiah wrote down on a small note book and showed it to Lelouch, who gave him a thumbs up for his wisdom and added a few more points to his assertion of his newest allies worth.

"I'm afraid that's all I know, but since as you remember Cornelia, mother was the one who ordered you and the guard away, I'd start with checking everyone that has ever had contact with the Emperor in his lifetime, I'd pay attention to the dead ones first, dead people have a tendency to pop up very much alive when it suits them or when they receive unwanted phone calls." Lelouch said and gave out a small chuckle, which was greeted by one a small guffaw from Schneizell, Euphie and even Cornelia.

"Then….then if you know that, will you be-" "No." Lelouch cut Euphie off coldly, Cornelia, Suzaku, Schneizell and Jeremiah all hold their breath at that, as above them the Imperial troops continued their sweep of the shrine.

"But…why?"

"I was there that day…that day of summer when everything went insane. I saw the bombers come over the horizon, I witnessed the attack, the fire, the fury, the screams….For you all they are just dots on a map or reports handed in by staff officers, but I saw them at first hand….and when it was over, we made our way forward, dragging our feet across fields filled with bodies of men, women, children, babies."

The Imperial siblings all turned their heads at that, they all knew what he was talking about, none of them denied or try to deny it, it was the way of the empire, it was the way of the world. But above all that it was the consequences of their own actions, they and they alone where responsible for what was to come.

"Even if…..even if you are innocent of what happened to mother, even if you did not abandon me and Nunnally…..things can never be as they were. I saw what the Imperial army can do first hand, the same Imperial army that you Cornelia 'Witch of Brittannia' have lead to do to many other countries, I felt how the Empire extended it's iron grip and bloody hand to all corner of the globe, all under your leadership Schneizell White Prince, you oh great Prime Minister, praised for killing and enslaving so many, all for the bounty of so few, and Clovis, who I'm guessing is not even in the room right now, I lived under Clovis, I though the invasion was the very worst it could get, over ten years for then have passed and I witnessed how things kept getting worst and worst under his reign, Japan was better off when the war was going on, at least then for a while the people still had some measure of a life to live, a drop of hope for the future to nurture them and a way to the afterlife nearby to comfort them."

They say God does not punish with the rod.

Well there and then the three siblings found out that some of it was true, for their actions of the past came back to haunt them, and it was in the form of their own brother that Nemesis decided to be birthed into this world.

"But…besides being his child…..…I can think of no crime that you have committed against me or any nation Euphemia."

But the Greek Gods where dead and gone, as was shown by the fact that despite it all Lelouch for some reason, unknown to them or even himself extended this final courtesy to them.

Hope flared inside Euphemia, as did some inside Cornelia and Schneizell.

"Then….then, do you…..is there…..can you….."

"I….might have unfairly treated your deeds. Cornelia has lead the army, but….but thinking back on her records she has the lowest percentage of casualties of military an civilians on both sides during her conflicts than any of your military peers. Schneizell I confess that your methods, ruthless as they are, are both efficient and the most practical of any options that could have been chosen, if anything you did less harm than others would."

Joy now reigned amongst the tree, maybe there still was a way, maybe the past was beyond their reach, but perhaps they could still have a future.

"And…..Clovis?" Euphemia asked in bathed breath.

"I was there in Shinjuku when he ordered the massacre…there where about 20 terrorist for a district populated by over 300.000….you tell me what can be said about that, go ahead tell me…. Euphie."

Lelouch's words cup deep and struck hard, but his aim was true. Painful but true.

"I don't know how to respond to that Lelouch, I don't know what the answer is, I don't even know what to say next." Euphie said as she gripped the phone in pain and sorrow, the tears coming back to her. Her brother Clovis, her gentle and sweet brother was a monster plain and simple. There was no denying that.

"I suppose that makes two of us." Lelouch said and smiled, a true smile for the first time in years, on the other side of the phone the trio did so as well. This was good, things could be better, but they could be worse, it was not a reconciliation or forgiveness,, but a start.

Maybe, this could lead to some king of understating in the future. It was a fragile start but a start. But would it be enough?

That was the questions posed in that moment of silence.

The answer to the above came there and the, as Lelouch heard the small chiming of a door opening and closing on the other end of the line.

Someone else had entered the room.

It was there and then that Lelouch could hear how the phone shuffled hands once more, who would be next?

What else could the universe throw into his way to make things any more muddied, any more uncertain?

"Hello Lelouch."

The voice of Charles di Brittannia, 98th Emperor provided the answer.