Actually had a chance to BS with Lily for the first time in weeks and we put this little bit of fun together in about an hour or two, please enjoy!

Staring out at the great expanse of outer space open before her Empress Luluka vi Britannia had to force herself to focus on the guests sitting at her table, guests she had invited into her inner sanctum, guests she had pardoned for treason thanks to Suzaku's counsel, guests that...

Well, she respected, and nearly loved as dearly as family.

Kallen and Kaguya, if there were two women in this world who shared her passion, her drive, her near manic desire for peace and equality, it would be them, so after coming clean about her pregnancy, and their follow up tickle attack, she told them about the Zero Requiem and how it was no longer...viable.

Sitting at the table Jeremiah had arranged, and sipping the tea that Sayoko supplied, the two young noblewomen absorbed what she had to say, and after she finished her explanation they both lowered their heads and processed what they had learned.

Their reactions were...not what she expected...

Kallen's cheeks reddened and she visibly suppressed her desire to explode as she eventually got her emotions under control and muttered out, "You...self sacrificing baka..."

Kaguya shook her head sadly while meeting Luluka's confused gaze evenly, "For such an intelligent woman you really are capable of being a complete fool, you know of this do you not your Grace?"

Luluka paused in surprise at that while tilting her head to the side, not offended, just simply confused, "Pardon?"

Kallen leaned back into her chair groaning while Kaguya sipped her tea before replying, "Your Grace-"

The Empress cut her off there, "Luluka, please, we're all equals here."

Kaguya nodded demurely before continuing, "Luluka I know you have set yourself up as the great devil of the world, the focus of everyone's hatred, but you seem to have forgotten one base facet to your grand scheme."

Luluka blinked owlishly at that before asking, "What pray tell would that be?"

Kallen leaned forward, chugged her lukewarm tea, and met her violet gaze with her cerulean blue, "How many people have conquered the entire world Lulu? How many, and what were their names?"

Luluka sputtered but it was Kaguya that spoke up next, "One, and her name was the Empress of the Holy Empire of Britannia Luluka vi Britannia. What is that old saying? You are responsible for the life that you have saved? Well Lulu, I hate to tell you this, but you must prepare yourself to take said responsibility, because you saved the world, and now you have to protect it from itself, for your child's sake if nothing else."

Luluka sat in silence for a time before sighing and slumping in on herself a bit while glancing up at her companions through her bangs, "I know... The Zero Requiem, well, Suzaku always called it Plan D..."

"Plan D?" Kallen asked, which only had Luluka laugh bitterly as she shook her head slightly.

"Yeah, Plan D, Plan Desperation. You two were right, I was foolish to go through with it but I thought I had failed in my main goal when I put it into motion. The entire Black Rebellion, freeing Japan, creating the United Federation of Nations, I did it for one reason, and one reason only."

"Nunnally," Kallen muttered, and Luluka nodded in return.

"Yes, and then I thought she had died with the other ten million poor bastards that got hit with Schneizel's toy. At that point it didn't really matter to me anymore, I would leave the infrastructure for the UFN intact, I would die for my family's sins, the world would move on, and that would be that..."

"But Nunnally was alive..."

Luluka glanced at Kallen and shot her a mirthless smile, "And Schneizel had turned her against me...irony is... a fickle bitch is she not?"

The Empress shrugged and glanced back out Damocles' observation windows while continuing on, "I knew attending that UFN summit was going to end in a bloodbath regardless, it was why I brought the army I did. Though if I had known my sociopath of a brother was going to nuke Pendragon I would have likely organized things differently."

That had Kaguya and Kallen leaning forward in interest, "What do you mean?" Zero's Red Queen asked in interest.

Pursing her lips in annoyance Luluka sipped her now cold tea but decided to not bother her servants with a replacement while replying, "At the very end I knew I was going to be leaving the world in all of your hands. The issue was the shear amount of monsters that still stood in the upper echelons of the Britannian command structure and troop forces, so...I had them all gathered together and...sort of made them my slaves. They were the ones fighting in the final battle..."

There was dead silence for a time before Kaguya finally spoke up, "Are you telling us you turned the worst of the worst of Britannian society into suicidal cannon fodder and simply threw them at Schneizel's forces to make a clean sweep of your nation for when your successor joined the UFN after your death?"

Luluka sighed, shrugged, then nodded, "Yup."

There was a brief pause, then Kallen broke out into hysterical laughter.

Watching the three young women reconcile over Damocles' main security monitor Suzaku let out a relieved breath he hadn't realized he had been holding while turning towards his...future in-laws? He really wasn't sure how Luluka viewed Lord Jeremiah and Lady Sayoko but he was damn well sure how they viewed her.

"It would appear that you were correct in your assessment that suggesting to pardon Lady Sumaragi and Stadtfeld was for the best Sir Kururugi. This is the most relaxed I've seen our Empress since the final battle."

Sayoko placed her hand on her lovers arm while sidling slightly closer to the tall cyborg, "The companionship is not the only reason Sir Kururugi suggested this, is it my lord?"

Suzaku sighed at that while rolling his eyes towards the ceiling, "Must you always use my titles Sayoko?"

"Am I on the clock, my lord?"

Pinching his nose he nodded while muttering, "You're my love's maid and bodyguard, you are always on the clock."

She gave him a blithe smile as she tilted her head to the side, "Then yes my lord, I must use your proper titles."

Dropping his hands to his sides Suzaku shook his head while Jeremiah Asked, "What were your other reasons Sir Kururugi?"

"Oh that's simple," Suzaku began as he shot a thumb over his shoulder at the monitor behind him, "That woman is significantly smarter and...crazier than I am. I can't keep an eye on her at all times but having those two around her will at the very least level her out. I hope anyway."

Jeremiah raised a brow at that, "Yet you are willingly bringing Lady Ashford here?"

At this Suzaku actually laughed, "Trust me, if there is one person that can brow beat Luluka into doing something she doesn't want to it's Milly, and all you need to make Milly want to force Lulu to do something is make sure she finds it amusing."

Jeremiah looked skeptical but Sayoko's knowing nod placated him, "Very well, I will defer to your personal knowledge of her Grace's interpersonal relationships. That being said... My Empress is pregnant with your child, when are you going to do the proper thing and propose to her?"

Suzaku glanced back at the cyborg and let out a tired sigh as he watched him nonchalantly rubbing a polishing cloth up and down his extended arm mounted sword, it was going to be one of those days it would seem.