Code Geass: The Butterfly Effect

"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt." -Sun Tzu

In the following months since Rei's arrival, Ashford had changed quite a bit. Before long, news about the girl's presence and her being in the care of Lelouch spread across campus. Somehow, as rumors were prone to do, many people began to (accurately) believe that Rei was in fact Lelouch's daughter. Of course, few had actually seen the girl, so there was a variety of theories of her actual age and who the mother might be.

The exiled prince had never felt so exhausted in all of his life. Between dealing with Milly's antics and the stress of gambling in high-stakes games, he never believed he could be so tired. "You look dead to the world." Suzaku remarked dryly as he handed his friend a cup of tea. "Here you go. You like green tea, right?"

"Yeah." Lelouch nodded as he gratefully accepted it. "Thanks a bunch." With gusto, Lelouch drank a large gulp and immediately regretted it, coughing as he grabbed his throat. "H-hot...!"

Suzaku laughed. "That's what you get for going in headfirst." he said at his expense, leaving his friend to growl. "Still, I didn't think people would find out about Rei-chan so quickly. Especially since she's only been here for like, what? Two months? Three tops?"

"Three and a half." he corrected. "But people were bound to find out." Lelouch sighed as he dragged his hand down his face, showing how tired he really looked. "But some of the theories these people come up with are just too ridiculous."

Some theories include how he was his daughter from a one night stand with some girl. Another was that she was the product of the union between him and a noble woman.

And that was only some of the more tame ones. Luckily for him, Milly was running damage control and dispelling those rumors, but otherwise a lot of people were convinced by one theory or another. His reputation had taken a small dip, but he couldn't care less about that. He never cared about how people perceived him in the first place. As far as he was concerned, his priorities were school, his friends and his sister. And of course Rei. In these last months, he's genuinely come to care for her, even though he still felt bad for lying that he was her father. Lelouch was still looking into that, but Rei unfortunately did not have a photo of him on her person. Just the pendant.

And there was still no news about that angle, either. Nobody at Ashford had any clues whatsoever about the pendant. But that didn't make any sense. If Rei's father knew someone at Ashford who knew the significance about that pendant, enough so that he would willingly send her there alone, then why had no one turned up? Was it possible that they were no longer here? He'd have to run that by Ruben once he had the time.

"How's Rei doing, anyway?" Suzaku asked as he took a sip of his own beverage. "I imagine she's bored out of her mind, being couped up in the clubhouse for most of the day."

Lelouch smiled. "She's doing pretty well. Sometimes Sayoko takes her shopping. She keeps pestering me about letting her come with me and Rivalz on our runs."

At the mention of his escapades, which were also common knowledge in the Student Council and a few outside of it, Suzaku frowned heavily in disapproval. "I still think Shirley has the right idea." he said, clearly concerned over his best friend's safety. "Gambling is just as risky as the game itself. Especially when nobles are concerned. One of these days, they won't just pay more out of pride. Ruben already told you that he's covered your expenses while you stay here."

"And I'm thankful for that. Really, I am. But there are some things that I need to do for myself."

The Japanese brunette scowled. "But you have Rei to look after too, now. What happens when, one day, you don't come back and she asks where you are?"

"What are you getting at, Suzaku?"

"In case you forgot, me being at Ashford in the first place is because of you and Princess Euphemia. She asked me to look after you, even if you don't like it!"

"I know, I know..." he said.

"Then please start being more considerate and stop this habit."

Lelouch scowled slightly. Ever since the day Euphemia had apparently asked him to look after him, in case he did something stupid, Suzaku had joined Shirley non-stop in their quest to try and get him to stop gambling. It had taken all of Leouch's cunning just to slip past him. It was slowly becoming more and more tiresome, however. He knew full well that his gambling could net him into some deep trouble, but he couldn't just allow Ruben to do everything. He had to pull his own weight in taking care of Nunnally. Especially now that Rei had joined the household.

"Fine." he relented, sagging his shoulders. "I'll lay off the gambling for a while. Happy now?"

Suzaku smiled slightly. "I will once you've given up completely." he said, much to his friend's ire. "Seriously, Lelouch. Is it really so hard to accept help from others?"

'Yes...' he wanted to say.

Because relying on other people would one day end with him being betrayed. He's suffered that enough when he thought he could rely on the people his mother called her 'friends' and the Emperor who he believed would want to find out who killed his mother. What did they do? The 'friends' watched in silence and said nothing. His father called off the investigation and banished him and his sister when he confronted him about it. He knew he could trust Ruben and Suzaku. Explicitly so, but even still...

Thankfully, Suzaku had changed the subject as he looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Speaking of help, what do you think about the new teachers Ruben hired? What were their names again?"

"Jeremiah Gottwald and Villetta Nu." Lelouch answered, grateful his friend had changed the subject without meaning to. "Professor Gottwald is actually the head of the Purist Faction, though apparently he's on medical leave, it seems."

"Medical?" Suzaku tilted his head. "What happened?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Don't know. Honestly, I'm not interested." Not entirely true. And that very piece of information left him suspicious. Why was the head of the Purist Faction a teacher of all things during leave?

The man had come by around the same time Rei had arrived at Ashford and into his care. He wanted to write it off as coincidence, but he was too paranoid. He had been hired a few weeks after Rei had come under his care, and he occasionally caught the man giving him odd glances. Lelouch wanted to write it off, but years of hiding away from public out of fear of being recognized left him incredibly paranoid. Something he recognized but couldn't do anything about. He made sure to keep an eye out for Gottwald while also keep his distance. The man made no move to approach him, but he could never be too careful.

Lelouch then sighed as he took another drink of his tea. 'So troublesome...'

Episode 3: Days of Reminisce

When Jeremiah first saw Lelouch Lamperouge, the so-called black prince of Ashford and vice-president of the Student Council, he could have sworn he was staring at a ghost come back to haunt him for his failures.

Hell, the boy even had the same maiden name Lady Marianne had before her marriage to the Emperor! He even bore a striking resemblance from her as well: raven black hair and purple eyes that glimmered like gems, brimming with intelligence. It was as if Fate was mocking him for his most grievous failure.

A small part of him had hoped the boy was perhaps Lelouch vi Britannia, one of Lady Marianne's children. The resemblance was uncanny. Had his young lord survived the invasion, he had no doubt that he would look just like that. He even had a younger sister named Nunnally, who was bound in a wheelchair and supposedly blind. He's yet to encounter her, but such facts only raised his hopes.

A slight deterrent to his belief was the news that Lelouch Lamperouge was apparently already a father at the age of 17. He sincerely doubted his highness was so frivolity in pursuing courtships, though another small part of him reminded himself that the Emperor had many wives himself, on top of many children.

He had seen the girl, Rei Lamperouge, for himself. She was quite young. Nowhere even close to the tender age of ten. Her green hair was quite a contrast to her purple eyes, but her young appearance also reminded Jeremiah of Lady Nunnally, having once stood guard as he watched Lady Marianne's children playing together with Lady Euphemia. It was biased to think that Lelouch Lamperouge may truly be Lord Lelouch, based on this fact, but he kept reminding himself that he couldn't afford to be thinking about the past.

"Lord Jeremiah?"

The Purist Leader was shaken from his thoughts as he looked up, finding Villeta standing at his desk with a steaming mug in her hand. She wasn't dressed in her uniform, though her jersey and tight-fitting short did little to hide her curves. It was a shame she wasn't married nor was in a relationship. She was very beautiful. Of course, personally speaking, he held nothing romantic towards her. He was more along the lines of being married to his job.

"Sorry, Villeta." he apologized to her as he accepted the mug gratefully as she held it to him. "I was lost in thought. Did you learn anything new?"

"Not any more than we already know, I'm afraid." She shook her head. "Whatever Prince Clovis is investigating with what little information we've been provided, there's no sign of those abnormalities we've been tasking with looking into."

"I see. That is concerning. We still do not know the cause of these abnormalities."

In fact, they weren't sure what abnormalities they were even looking for. So far, the only abnormality he had seen was with the school's student faculty. What in the world was Ruben Ashford thinking, allowing lowly Elevens to attend these halls? While the man was most definitely kind-hearted and generous, allowing those degenerates to pursue a higher education, he had only see them for what they were. Every day, there was at least a good four or five who protested to the history that Britannia had warped. They resisted the changes that were being placed upon them. Admirable, yes, but ultimately useless. They were defeated. Why couldn't they just understand that and accept it? Trying to change something that was now well established was foolish.

Then again, perhaps there was bliss in foolishness. He may have been like that as well, had he wallowed in his failure.

Regardless, the Elevens that attended here were fools nonetheless. As much as he wanted to berate them, he was to play by his role's rules and educate them to the best of his abilities. Thankfully, he was only teaching history and literature. Villeta was teaching mathematics and physical education.

Speaking of which...

"Is there a reason why you look so irritated, Villeta?" he asked. "For the last few weeks, you look ready to hop into a Knightmare and kill someone."

The dark-skinned noblewoman's distaste was made perfectly clear as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "Lelouch Lamperouge." was all she said and he immediately understood. "Every week, at least twice, he skips out on his classes. Ignoring his education is one thing, but I refuse to tolerate him purposely skipping out on his physical education. He's a nobleman for heaven's sake!"

Though they were undercover, Villeta had immediately taken a serious stance on her job. If he were honest, she was better suited to being a teacher than a Knight, though he would never say that for worry of her pride. She was already quite popular with the staff and numerous others, something of a role model for the female students who often came by and ask her for advice, but she was also very strict. Jeremiah idly wondered if, had she not been born into a noble house, she would have taken up a job as a teacher.

"Not to mention the reason behind his constant absence is gambling of all things." Villeta continued to rant with fervor. "I've even heard he has a child with him! Does he not have any idea what sort of trouble he could get himself into?!"

"But that's is only what the rumors say. We don't know for sure if it is fact."

"It still doesn't change the fact that he's putting himself into heedless danger." Villeta refuted as she scowled. "Honestly, youth these days...!"

"I agree." The youth these days are such a reckless bunch.

Then again, so were adults, depending on who you ask. Jeremiah took another drink from his coffee before he leaned back in his seat. "His Highness hasn't told us what we're looking for, yet we turn in reports regardless." he said with slight dissatisfaction with how their mission was progressing. "What exactly is Prince Clovis looking for, I wonder...?"

"Very good, Rei-chan. You're doing very well." Sayoko praised the young girl.

At Lelouch suggestion for the girl to have something to do while he was at school, Sayoko had become the girl's own private tutor. Rei wasn't exactly happy about doing work like that, but she had to find some way to deal with her boredom besides drawing little pictures. They had started around a month or go, and Sayoko had been very impressed. Despite Rei's relatively young age, she was learning incredibly quick. She would put her at maybe the fourth or fifth grade.

Now, she didn't truly believe the stories that the girl was Lelouch's daughter, but she can't help but notice that intellectually, they were similar. She picked up the material about as fast as he did when he was a child. As she grew older, Sayoko was certain she would be a genius. Perhaps she already was one.

"Daddy used to teach me this stuff all the time." Rei said with a bright grin. "He even taught me how to play chess!" As she recalled those fond memories, though, she soon began to pout. "But I never beat him once ! He's a big cheater!"

Sayoko giggled. "Unfortunately, Rei-chan, you can't cheat in chess." she told her. "The only real way to beat someone is to get smarter and outwit your opponent. Did you play chess with your father often?"

"Mmhm! All the time!"

"Then you're an experienced player. The only way to grow as a player and strategist is to accumulate more experience and learn how to strategize." She advised.

"It's how masters of the game are born." Sayoko then giggled, a hand at her mouth. "It's also how Master Lelouch became so good. He often played chess with his brothers, though he could never quite beat his second eldest brother."

Rei's eyes widened considerably. "Eh?! Someone that daddy couldn't beat?!"

"Yes. He was was even more skilled chess player than master Lelouch."

The girl could hardly believe that. Admittedly, her father had not spoken much about his opponents or how long he had been playing. She always lost regardless of the time that had passed. He was like a mountain that was too tall. Too daunting. Yet now she learned that someone, apparently her uncle, had managed to pass it. She didn't believe it at first, though. No matter who they were, her father would definitely beat them one day. He never gave up in what he did. That was what made him the best person in the world, after all!

"By the way, Rei-chan, I've been curious." Sayoko said as she prepared the next set of questions for her, based around the events of Washington's Rebellion. "I know your father quite well, but what about your mother? What was she like?"

The small girl's mood dropped. "I...I don't know...I can't remember her..."

Sayoko frowned heavily. "Do you...wish to talk about it?"

"...not right now..." She replied sadly.

The maid said nothing more and bowed her head. "Alright then. Let's change the subject." she decided to amend her mistake and move on to something else. "Why not tell me about this Zero character you keep drawing."

The girls demeanor perked up upon mentioning Zero. "He's a hero. He's the miracle worker who will change the world!" she said excitedly with stars in her eyes. "He's the Leader of the Black Knights! The knights of justice!"

"The Black Knights?" She questioned.

Rei nodded exuberantly. Her father had raised her on the stories about the Black Knights and their exploits. Though it was mostly about Zero. She had even seen him on the news a few times as well.

To her, he was a hero. He was her idol. How else could you describe someone like that? She did notice her dad was a little uncomfortable at times whenever he told her about it, but he never stopped indulging in her requests. Sometimes, she'd ask to hear the same stories, over and over again. Since they usually didn't watch TV, especially since Auntie couldn't see and had to use a radio, Rei settled for drawing the man.

And of course, she drew him quite a lot.

As she was about to return to her lessons, she heard the doors to the clubhouse swing open and footsteps ring in the air before a familiar face with violet eye and black hair poked its head out into the room. "I'm back."

"DADDY!"

No sooner had Lelouch returned had Rei bolted from her seat and slammed into him, bear-hugging his waist as tightly as possible and nuzzling her head against him. Lelouch nearly found himself stumbling over from the collision, but otherwise managed to stay upright.

It was an event that became a normal occurrence to him. When it first happened, he was easily toppled over by the young girl. Now he was able to remain upright.

Strangely, he found himself enjoying it too. Soon, he gave a smile and ruffled the little girl's hair. "Hey, Rei. Sorry I took so long."

"You always take too long...!" She pouted. "Why do you have to go to school, anyway? You never had to when it was just us!"

Lelouch rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry. A lot of things came up. Tell you what. I'll make it up to you when the weekend rolls around. How does that sound?"

"Okay!" She grinned happily. She now had something to look forward to.

From where she stood, Sayoko giggled. She had to admit, ever since Rei came to live with them, things had certainly become much brighter in an otherwise gloomy household. Even though he lived with Nunnally, the young man always had such a brooding face. Constantly scowling. Now, however, she caught him smiling more often.

It was almost as if the young girl truly is her ward's daughter.

As heartwarming and as beautiful as the thought would have been, however, Sayoko knew her lord better than that. To her understanding, he apparently possessed an incredible likeness to Rei's father and simply played the part, if only because they were apparently family. According to the blood tests, she was born in the royal family, but was specifically related to him. Since there had been no new news of a new addition to the Britannian Royalty, and given that she was related to Lelouch and Nunnally, they believed she was a relative of the Lamperouge Family. Possibly someone related to Marianne. Sadly, Lelouch did not know much about his mother's birth family, as most of their records had seemingly vanished from public records. Probably due to Charles zi Britannia, no doubt. Though for what reason? To hide the Lamperouge Family from the assassins who murdered his wife? Very unlikely, since he called off the investigation into her murder.

Regardless, it warmed her heart to see the young boy acting the way he should be. Of course, credit did not all go to Rei alone. Nunnally had most certainly helped the process. Along with the occasional embarrassing moments when she gleefully reminded Lelouch that she finally had a niece she could spoil and spoil she did. Whenever they were given the chance, the two girls could be seen, practically joined at the hip as they spent time together. Rei often regalled Nunnally tales her father told her while Nunnally taught her a few things.

Sayoko, in all honesty, had never seen the residence that the two exiled royals lived in so bright and happy. It also made her worry about the future might hold for them as well, and what could possibly happen to return it to its gloomy state.

'Best not to think so negatively.' she chided herself, shaking her head as she watched Rei pull Lelouch over to the table, showing off all the studies she had completed with a beaming smile on her face. 'After all, one must treasure these moments.'

"You seem to be happier these days, Suzaku." At the mention of his name, the brown-haired Japanese youth looked up from his schoolwork, finding a young woman dressed in a brown military uniform with a dark green tie and blue hair cut short at the chin, a beaming smile on her face while carrying a tray of rice balls. "Something good happen recently?"

Suzaku chuckled. "You could say that, Miss Cecile." he said before he gratefully accepted one of the rice balls. Out of the corner of his eye, he found a few other mechanics in the garage giving him pitying looks, though he ignored them before biting into the rice ball. As soon as he did, a bizarre flavor that most certainly did not belong in a rice ball invaded his taste buds, causing him to wince. Not wanting to offend Cecile, who worked hard on this no doubt, he put on a face and swallowed what he bit into. "It's...good." he hesitated, hoping she wouldn't notice. "Did you add jam into this?"

"I did!" Cecile beamed. "What did you think? I tried asking Lloyd, but I couldn't find him anywhere."

'I don't blame him.' Suzaku thought with a sweatdrop. 'I had hoped that all that talk about Miss Cecile being a terrible cook was just that. Talk. But...'

Given how he was tasting the evidence himself...it seemed to be the case that she did not have a gift for culinary arts. However, he did not want to hurt her feelings, so he kept a straight face and tried his best to swallow the food.

"Well, if I see him, I'll give you a holler." he told her, silently praying hiss boss never came around. Cecile nodded in gratitude before she noticed Suzaku looking past her. Following his gaze, she saw him looking at a piece of machinery hidden underneath a large brown tarp. Given how it was standing upright and he could make out metal feet, he immediately assumed it was a Knightmare. "I've always wanted to ask, but what kind of project did Lloyd bring me on?" he asked, looking at Cecile. "I mean, until five months ago, I was just your average soldier before you guys scouted me."

Cecile giggled. "I suppose Lloyd never did tell you." she said. Suzaku tilted his head in confusion. "ASEEC, or Camelot Unit, is funded by Second Prince Schneizel, so we have free reign to choose whatever personnel we desire. Having you transferred here was thanks to that privelege."

"I fail to see why me having a high score in a Knightmare Frame Simulator has anything to do with a research unit, though." he pointed out. "Also, I'm an Honorary Britannian. I'd never be allowed to pilot a Knightmare. Hell, I wouldn't even be able to become a Knight."

That was the sad truth behind the Honorary Britannian system. Even if one had enlisted in the military, the odds of being promoted were almost second to none. And there was a zero possibility of ever becoming eligible for knighthood. Honorary Britannians were allowed to participate in the training simulators, but no one ever actually expected them to have the opportunity to pilot a Knightmare. Especially with the Purebloods being the strongest political force in the military. So long as they had power, there was DEFINITELY no choice anyone would be knighted.

"You never know." Cecile giggled. "We're a different sort of unit, after all. As for the project itself, it's nearly completed. The data you've provided us has been invaluable, Suzaku. More than you think. Thanks to you, it will be finished within the next month or two."

"Well, I'm glad I could help. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of project is it? A new Knightmare?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, it is. The world's first ever seventh generation Knightmare, to be exact!"

"The first ever? Seriously?" Suzaku questioned in amazement. To think Lloyd's project was the next generation in Knightmare Frame technology. "That's...amazing!"

"Indeed it is. All we need now is a capable Devicer and this baby will finally get to see the light of day!" A new voice cut into the conversation. Turning to their right, they saw a lanky man with short, white, wavy hair walk up to them. He had a pale complexion and wore spectacles. His attire was a pair of black trousers and a lab coat. On his face was a mischievous grin.

The man was Suzaku's employer and the whole reason he was even so much as allowed to have met Princess Euphemia so many months ago. Lloyd Asplund. And despite his rather disheveled appearance, he was also an Earl. Something Suzaku had trouble believing some days.

"Lloyd!" Cecile exclaimed. "Where were you?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just turning in the daily report." Lloyd shrugged, his grin never vanishing. "Honestly, Bartley really is an impatient one. He really should learn how to relax." He then turned his attention to Suzaku. His grin grew wider. "And how's our favorite school boy doing today?"

"Just finishing up homework, Lloyd." Suzaku replied. He glanced at the tray of riceballs and tried to hide them from view. He didn't want Lloyd to be subjected to this. That, and knowing his boss, he'd likely be blunt about how horrible it tasted. "So, what did General Bartley want?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Just technical reports on the Lancelot. Even though we're almost finished with it, he's awfully eager to put it on the back burner. Something about it not being properly tested. When I asked if he had a list of Devicers ready, he just brushed me off." Lloyd laughed. "Shame we already have a Devicer."

"And I've told you before, Lloyd, that as incredible as that would be, the odds of me being knighted are next to none." he reminded the man. "Even if Prince Schneizel is backing Camelot."

Lloyd clicked his tongue while waving a finger. "You never know, Suzaku. By the way, Jeremiah Gottwald recently got hired as a professor at your school, isn't that right?"

Suzaku frowned, but nodded. "Yeah. He's on medical leave, isn't he?"

"Not what I heard." Lloyd replied, causing Suzaku to blink in confusion. "I overheard Bartley mentioning that Jeremiah and another Purist are apparently working on a mission for the Viceroy. What, though, I couldn't tell you. Something about a disturbance. Has anything happened over at Ashford recently?"

'You mean other than Rei showing up?' he wanted to say, but he shook his head and instead answered, "None that I can think of. The strangest thing that's happened is Milly suggesting the idea of a Crossdresser's Ball for the next Culture Festival, but other than that..."

"A cross dressers ball?" Cecile questioned in both confusion and slight amusement.

"Yeah...please don't ask." He shook his head. He should've kept shut about that. "Just thinking about it makes it awkward."

Lloyd, however, looked curious. "I wasn't aware the Ashford Heiress was into that sort of thing." he remarked before he shrugged. "Then again, Ashfords are known for their peculiarity."

It was the weekend, and as promised, Lelouch had made up for lost time by taking Rei out into the Settlement for some shopping. He needed to restock the fridge anyway, so this was much easier. He could have put it off and spent the whole day, but Rei was a bundle of energy. He didn't have enough stamina to do that. Shopping, on the other hand, would be much easier.

Thankfully, everyone just seemed to think that it was a brother and his little sister as they walked while he held her hand in his. The last thing he needed was for the public outside of school to be ware of the rumors. So he best kept his mouth shut about the ordeal. He even convinced Rei not to call him her father when out in public...with the persuasion of a promise of ice cream of course.

"You'r sure your just satisfied with going out with me?" Lelouch asked, a bag of groceries in hand. "You can be selfish and ask for something. I've got plenty of pounds for us to spend."

Rei, however shook her head and smiled happily. "I'm fine just being with you!"

Spending an entire day with her father? That was all she really wanted. It was enough for her. She loved her father, and just spending time with him made her happy. She didn't need anything else.

All she needed was to spend time with her family. Especially after what happened so long ago. She felt cold just thinking back to what happened back in their old home over by the lake. She was a bit confused why her beloved father had managed to get himself a second home, but she didn't care. Nor the fact that Auntie was now living with them too! What more could she possibly have asked for, especially since she was with all of her father's friends now?!

She heard stories about them, but never met them in person before. They were all so amazing. Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz were very kind. Nina was too, although she seemed very shy to the girl. And Suzaku was really caring.

She did wonder about the other friend her father mentioned. What was her name again? Kallen?

"Hey, Lelouch!" Rei looked to her side and found Rivalz coming up to them, a grin on his face. "Rei!"

Lelouch blinked. "Rivalz? What're you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you said you were going to be helping Milly with something."

"Oh, he is~" Milly said as she popped up from behind. Rei stared at the blonde she devil in awe, namely in how good she looked in that stunning blue dress of hers with a white short-sleeved jacket over it, a white choker and a wide-brimmed hat atop her head. All of that, coupled with her grin, made her look like some kind of super model. "He's currently my mule!"

"Mule?" Rei asked. "What does that mean?"

"She means I'm carrying her bags during her shopping spree." The blue haired teen answered, raising his arms to show the bags he has on hand. "We're preparing for the Culture Festival!"

Lelouch stared at Milly with a flat look. "...you're going through with the Cross Dresser Ball, aren't you?"

"Oh you know me so well, Lelouch." She had a mischievous smirk. "And as it just so happens, I've already picked out a dress for you!"

"I swear, if you picked a wedding dress for me again..."

"Um..." Rei tilted her head cutely, clearly confused. "What's cross-dressing?"

The tree teens froze as they looked down to the little girl. They had nearly forgotten she was there. Milly, for the first time, looked vastly uncomfortable. Rivalz looked off to the side, whistling innocently and scratching his cheek. Lelouch didn't look the least bit amused as he glared at Milly, folding his arms over his chest. "I am not fixing this." he told the President bluntly. "Nor am I taking responsability."

"S-sorry..." she apologized rather meekly.

"What's cross dressing?" Rei asked again. "Is it like dress up?"

"K-kind of..." Milly stammered. "B-but it's different from dress up."

"How?"

It was a shame Lelouch didn't have a camera on him. He would have taken a picture of Milly's unusually nervous expression and treasured it and possibly use it for blackmail.

Milly and Rivalz joined Lelouch in his shopping trip, making the day much more lively. After she had given an abridged version of the crossdressing ball to Rei whilst not being too descriptive or the meaning behind it, she spent time with the little girl and keeping her company while Lelouch had followed through on his promise of ice cream. It took a while to find a vendor, but he eventually found one at the park.

"You know, you've changed." Rivalz suddenly said, much to his confusion. "You hardly ever smiled. And even when you did, it wasn't, you know, like this."

"Like how?"

"Like you're actually happy for once."

Now that surprised Lelouch. Did he really not look happy back then? "Really?"

"Yeah. It's like you're genuinely smiling now."

His friend nodded. "The only other times I see you smiling like that is when your with Nunnally or something." He then gave a small chuckle as Lelouch momentarily turned back to the vendor, who finished grabbing the Popsicle. "By the way..." Looking back at Rei, who was chatting away happily with Nunnally, he leaned over to Lelouch and whispered. "Anything new on her dad yet?"

"Unfortunately, nothing so far." Lelouch shook his head in dismay. "We tried searching, but found no results as of yet."

"Not even on your side of the family?"

"I haven't found any records yet." Not surprising, since the Emperor had erased it himself. Bastard. "I don't want to continue lying to Rei, but..."

Rivalz held up a hand. "I understand, man." he said. "Just... Better brace yourself when you have to come clean."

Lelouch already knew that. He's been bracing himself since he decided to look after her. He was still dreading that day, knowing that it will come when he finally knows more about the truth. Rei had become so attached to him, and she had most certainly made Nunnally happy in more ways than he could have possibly imagined. The image of her leaving, the bond she made while here torn asunder, was enough to make him wince internally. Instead, he sighed and dipped his head in silent agreement.

"By the way..." Rivalz changed the subject as he smirked, wrapping an arm over his shoulder. "You free next month?"

Already having an inkling suspicion of what he could be asking, Lelouch nodded. "Yeah. Is someone asking for us?"

"Yep. I hear he's pretty loaded. Client's some shop owner in debt. You up for it?"

Lelouch paused to think, remembering his conversation with Suzaku about his gambling. He promised not to gamble against the nobility for not only his and Euphemia's sake, but for Rei's as well. And if he broke his promise...they wouldn't be too happy about that.

Then again, what they couldn't know wouldn't hurt them.

...right?

-Part 3 of 5: END-