(Slowly pokes head out of safe house) Erm...hello…

(Multiple weapons from various fandoms are aimed at her)

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I got so distracted by both of my ARC-V stories, and attempting to come up with an ARC-V/GX crossover and reading stories on Archive Of Our Own and working that...I kinda forgot about this story until now.

Bakura: (glances at calendar) it has been almost exactly six months since you last updated. Sucks to be you. I am off on the week-long vacation you gave me.

Dare I ask which world you chose?

Bakura: (smirks) the Gods clearly do not favor Suzaku (goes off to torture the Code Geass world)

Suzaku: (curses and goes to find a place to hide)

Ryou: (sighs) anyway, Blaze would like to thank Yagami Kari Hikari, N2x2, Death-Prince-3, Guest, harlequin320, amillionconstellations, Lelouch V.B, chimera629, DYnoJacka19, Scarease, B-Kira, Imperial warlord, Tertius711, MichaelJCaboose007, OBSERVER01, and DarthMaine for reviewing the last chapter.

You guys are awesome! And I really hope this chapter is worth the wait. I wanted to edit it but I wasn't sure of what changes could be made, and kinda forgot what I was considering on changing, but I still hope it's good. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

. . .

. . .

April 2, 2007

Aries Villa, Pendragon

Four year old Nunnally darted down the hallway and out the door into the garden, turning around and waving at the pink-haired princess that was following her. "Catch me if you can, Euphie!" She said with a gleeful laugh.

"Nunnally!" Six year old Euphie whined as she darted after Nunnally but her lavender-colored eyes were alit with amusement as she launched herself forward in an attempt to tag Nunnally. Nunnally darted out of the way and Euphie yelped as she went tumbling through a bush and into the artificial stream.

"Oh! You okay, Euphie?" Nunnally asked, scampering over to the stream and peering into the water as Euphie poked her head out and spat out some water, pouting with her long pink hair clinging to the side of her head while strands from her buns fell into her eyes.

"I'm wet," Euphie whined and then reached out and grabbed Nunnally and yanked her into the stream.

Nunnally yelped as she landed in the water with a splash. "Euphie!" She whined, pouting at Euphie who giggled. "Meanie."

"No, you the meanie," Euphie said.

"No, you are," Nunnally said.

"Why are you two in the stream?"

Nunnally and Euphie turned to find Euphie's sixteen year old sister Cornelia standing in the grass a few feet a way and watching them with puzzlement on her face. Standing next to her, and looking just as bewildered, was Nunnally's seven year old brother Lelouch.

"Big Brother!" She cried, clambering out of the stream and launching herself at Lelouch.

The older boy yelped as he was taken off his feet and Nunnally giggled, burying her face into Lelouch's chest and hugging him happily.

"Nunnally, be careful," Lelouch said with a stern frown but he did hug her back.

"Sorry," Nunnally said with a giggle and a smile.

"So why were you in the stream?" Cornelia asked, raising an eyebrow, though her indigo eyes were filled with amusement.

"Euphie fell in it and then dragged me in it," Nunnally said, pointing a finger at Euphie who stuck out her tongue at her as she scrambled out of the stream. Nunnally responded in kind and shifted to sit on Lelouch's stomach.

"Nunnally, please get off," the small seven-year-old said.

"Okay, Big Brother," Nunnally said happily and hopped off her elder brother.

"What're you doing here, Sister? Brother Lelouch?" Euphie asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

"We need to get inside," Cornelia said seriously. "Something's happened. Some very bad men have, somehow, gotten close to the villa and we need to go somewhere safe."

"Oh no," Nunnally whispered in fear.

Lelouch sat up and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair. "It's okay, Little Sister. You're gonna be okay. I'll protect you," he said soothingly.

Nunnally snuggled closer to her big brother. "Okay, Big Brother. Big Brother will protect me," she said. "Like always."

. . .

38

Holding On

April 10, 2017

Medical Ward, Tokyo Military Base

"That should do it," the doctor said, writing down something on her tablet as Rai was brought out of the MRI Scanner. "His Highness has asked us to do a DNA test as well. There's no guarantee that there will be a match, since the DNA has to be in the system in order to match it with yours, but we will still try. The MRI results will take some time to generate so, for now, I will simple take a DNA sample and then I will escort you out."

Rai nodded. He hoped that they would be able to find a match in the system because he really did want to know who he was. While he was still feeling a little iffy about being part of the military, since that bad feeling would not go away, he was thankful to Prince Lelouch for being willing to help him try to find out more about himself.

"Um, what will I need to give for the DNA sample?" he asked.

"A hair sample should be fine," the doctor said, putting down the tablet and pulling on a pair of gloves. She walked over to join Rai and reached out a hand. "May I?"

Rai nodded and winced slightly as the doctor pulled a strand of hair from his head directly from the scalp. "That it?" he asked.

"Yes." The doctor put the hair strand in a little processing bag and put it on the table next to the tablet before she gestured toward the door. "Follow me."

Rai hopped off the examination table and followed the doctor as she led the way out of the lab room. They walked down the quiet, sterile white hallway where doctors were wandering back and forth and soldiers sporting wounds likely caused by the skirmish the day before were being treated. It was busy and yet the hum of work was not as loud as Rai would have expected.

They entered the waiting room and Rai was a bit surprised to find a blue-haired girl wearing the black-and-gold uniform that signified her as a member of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard there. She was leaning against the wall, looking bored out of her mind, but perked up when Rai and the doctor showed up.

"Finally. I thought you were going to be in there forever," she said, pushing away from the wall and walking over to join them, focusing her attention on the doctor. "How long before the results of the MRI and the DNA testing?"

"The DNA testing will take the longest, a day or two at most, but the MRI results should be ready soon. I will send a copy of the MRI results along with my notes to His Highness as soon as I have reviewed them," the doctor said and turned to Rai. "You're free to go, Mr. Rai."

"Yes, ma'am," Rai said.

As the doctor walked away, the blue-haired girl turned to look at Rai and smiled. "I'm Rayne, by the way, Rayne Frost, Lieutenant and member of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard. His Highness has asked me to escort you to the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps."

"The what?"

"You'll see. He's got something that he wants to show you. Apparently, Lloyd, the earl in charge of the A.S.E.E.C., built it around the same time that he built the Lancelot but was focused so much on the Lancelot that he didn't think about it until now," Rayne said as she led the way out toward the large glass doors of the medical ward.

"What exactly is it?" Rai asked, following.

"I dunno. Some sort of knightmare frame, probably. Another seventh generation like the Lancelot maybe but I'm not really sure. Eh, we'll see when we get there."

"Yeah..."

"So...I wanna say thanks by the way."

"Huh?" Rai blinked at the blue-haired girl.

She rested her folded hands behind her head and smiled at him. "You saved Prince Lelouch and Suzaku yesterday and they're more than just my superiors. They're my friends so thank you for saving 'em," she said.

"Oh, you're welcome. I'm glad that I was able to help," the white-haired boy said.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in the military base to begin with? I'm pretty sure students aren't allowed in the base unless given express permission," Rayne said.

"Um, well," Rai began, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "The president of our Student Council, Milly, wanted me to ask Prince Lelouch something but, instead of waiting for Prince Lelouch to come and visit Ashford, she sent me here once she learned, from Euphie, that he'd come here. I dunno why but...I have an idea."

"Hmm? What do you think?"

"Well...Milly and them have been trying to help me regain my memories. You know, taking me to places all around the Tokyo Settlement, introducing me to various stores and so on to try and see if it would jog my memories. The only place I haven't gone is here and so Milly apparently decided that coming here might help. Though I know I would've gotten into big trouble had I come when there wasn't a crisis."

"Likely so," Rayne said with a nod. "But I suspect Prince Lelouch will talk with your friend about that when he speaks with her next."

"Probably."

. . .

Bathroom, Viceroy's Palace

Adeline, after telling Nunnally that she was just going to run to the bathroom, slipped out of the gardens and asked the guards that were stationed there to keep an eye on Nunnally until she got back. While they weren't happy to be taking orders from her, since she was a nobody with no status whatsoever, they only agreed likely because they did not want to face the wrath of the Demon Prince should something happen to Nunnally. Adeline may, or may not, have let that slip when she'd made her request.

She didn't know what possessed her big brother to call her at such a time though. It was beyond her understanding, since her big brother knew that she wasn't allowed to leave Princess Nunnally's side because she was her acting bodyguard.

A day had gone by since Nunnally's breakdown and Nunnally had decided to spend some time in the gardens of the Viceroy's Palace again, having spent the night in the palace with Euphie because she didn't want to go back. Since the prince had spent all day and night at the military base, cleaning up some incident that happened there, he hadn't said anything against Nunnally's decision and Princess Cornelia was fine with letting them spend the night.

Adeline just took it upon herself to inform the Student Council so they wouldn't go stir crazy from worry.

And now, early in the afternoon the following day, she was getting a call from her brother. It had nothing to do with Nunnally, of that Adeline was positive, but she couldn't make sense of why her big brother would risk her cover by calling then.

She slipped into the bathroom and, locking the door behind her, pulled out her phone and rested it against her ear. "I'm here," she whispered. "But you're going to have to make this quick, Big Brother. I can't leave Princess Nunnally alone for too long or it will make everyone suspicious."

"I understand that and I apologize for calling but we have an emergency," Unity said gravely.

"How bad of an emergency?"

"Nightfall has made his move."

Adeline swore. "How bad?"

"According to our spies in the area, he was able to infiltrate the military base itself and nearly succeeded in assassinating Prince Lelouch had it not been for a knightmare stopping him. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that he will try again and likely soon," Unity said.

"Should I find someway to warn His Highness?"

"It would be useless if we don't know what Nightfall's plan is so just keep watch for me and if you spot him, try to figure out what he's doing. If you can talk to him then he may be willing to tell you."

"Doubtful but I suppose I can try." I hate talking with Nightfall but if it's to help Big Brother, I'll try and do my best, she thought.

"Be careful, Adi."

"I will." Adeline ended the call and, after flushing the toilet to make it seem as if she'd actually gone to the bathroom, she left it and darted back to the gardens to rejoin the princess.

. . .

Hangar, Tokyo Military Base

Villetta Nu sighed as she sorted through the rubble, looking for evidence to find out the identity of the two who'd attacked Prince Lelouch the day before. The blood that had been left behind by the Mao character had come back with the bare minimum of information, only stating that he was from the Chinese Federation but without any information on him. And the knightmare that Nightfall had used hadn't left behind any clues either.

The damage done made that half of the hangar completely unusable at the moment though but she could see that some repairs were starting to be made to the collapsed support column. They were still in the process of removing the debris out of the way though, since they didn't want to move too much too quickly lest they accidentally destroy or contaminate evidence that might help identify Nightfall.

The only thing that anyone knew about Nightfall was that he was the second in the command of the Liberators, something that he'd revealed himself to Suzaku Kururugi and the prince during the battle of Sapporo.

The only other thing that anyone knew about Nightfall was that he had a personal grudge against Prince Lelouch.

But Villetta was also attempting to wrap her mind around another fact. Just how was Nightfall able to infiltrate the military base to begin with? Even with that distraction he caused, there should have been enough people who stayed behind to raise the alarm, she thought.

"Find anything, Villetta?" Kewell Soresi asked, walking over to join her as she hopped onto a stable piece of debris and jumped down, getting closer to the knightmare that lay next to the hole in the wall.

"Nothing," Villetta said shook her head. "I don't understand how they were able to distract us so much that they were actually able to infiltrate the base?"

"It's confusing, I know," Kewell said. "Some think security was lax yesterday for some reason."

"Incompetent morons." Villetta moved closer to the knightmare unit and frowned as she looked at the hole in the wall. "Wait, look at this." She moved closer and pointed at the skid marks that were left behind by the ejected cockpit. She peered out of the hole and then pointed across the street toward the warehouse at the other end where another hole was poking out. She also spotted bloody footprints and droplets of blood heading in that direction as well.

"Has anyone checked that warehouse? That might be where the cockpit ended up and there still could be evidence in the cockpit," she added.

"I don't think anyone has. Let's check it out," Kewell said.

The silver-haired Major nodded in agreement and the two of them walked across the street and slipped through the hole into the warehouse. True to her words, the ejected cockpit was buried under an avalanche of crates and boxes and the blood trail wound away from the crates toward the back door to the warehouse.

"That blood trail must be the route that Mao guy took. Nightfall might have gone in that direction too, since the trail goes to the cockpit first," she said.

Kewell pulled out his communicator and connected it. "Your Highness, we may have found a slight lead," he said and explained what Villetta had noticed while she moved to the cockpit itself. She began removing some of the crates and boxes, enough to uncover the open hatch, and then peered into the cockpit itself. She scanned the area, pulling out a small flashlight that she had in her pocket and turning it on.

She scanned the contents with the flashlight and her eyes landed on something resting just beneath the pilot's seat. She reached down toward it and her hand enclosed around an object. She pulled it out and shined the flashlight's light on it.

"Did you find something?" Kewell asked, moving to stand behind Villetta.

"I found a phone," she said, crawling out of the open hatch and moving away from the cockpit. She held up the phone that she'd found under the pilot's seat as she turned off and put her flashlight away. "It's still functioning and..." She opened it and quickly examined it before adding, "...the battery power's at fifty two percent and the screen isn't damaged at all."

Kewell relayed the information to the prince.

He then nodded. "Yes, Your Highness." He hung up and turned to Villetta. "His Highness wants you to bring that phone to Major Duncan while I lead a team to follow that trail of blood and see where it takes us."

"Yes, sir," Villetta said and, tucking the phone away so that she didn't drop it, she quickly left the warehouse.

As she walked, the silver-haired Major found herself thinking about the past year or so. Since the moment that Prince Lelouch took command of the Black Knights, Villetta had been watching him, observing him to see what kind of commander he would be. And he ended up surpassing all of her expectations to the point that, by the time the incident at Sapporo was concluded, she had grown to greatly respect him.

There was no denying that Prince Lelouch could be very ruthless when he had to be—what happened to the Yamato Alliance was proof of that—and there was also no denying that he was a brilliant and cunning strategist. Villetta respected that kind of power and respected the fact that the prince obviously cared for his troops and, while she didn't really understand his willingness to associate with Elevens and even give rank—or the prestigious position of Knight of Honor—to them, that didn't tarnish her respect in him that much.

Besides, the prince was definitely someone who could help her with her own goals. Nobility. If she could impress the prince, if she could prove herself worthy of being granted a noble title to the prince, then he might be able to make it possible. He may not be the Emperor but he was a member of the royal family and he was the Emperor's current favorite. That meant that he might be able to give her what she wanted most of all.

She just had to remain on his good side if she wanted to attain that dream.

. . .

Lelouch's Office, Tokyo Military Base

"All right, that's fine. When she returns to Ashford Academy, please have her call me," Lelouch said into the phone as he sorted through the papers detailing the damage done to the military base as well as during the distracting skirmish the day before.

"I will. Just...I heard something happened at the military base. It's all over the news," Adeline said. "Nunnally's worried too. She's noticed the increase in security around the Viceroy's Palace and asked me what happened. Since I don't know, I told her I'd call you."

"Just assure her that I'm just being cautious," Lelouch said, lifting his head as the door slid open and Cornelia walked in with Guilford walking right behind her. He gestured for her to sit down as he added, "And that I'll talk with her about it later."

"I understand, Your Highness."

"How is she?"

"She's doing better and she said that she's looking forward to returning to Ashford today. I've already contacted Milly and told her that we'd be heading back soon," Adeline said.

"Speaking of Milly, when you speak to her next, have her call me. I need to talk with her about her decision to send Rai to the military base. While I am grateful that he was there because his quick intervention did save my life, I do wish to know just what he was there for to begin with."

"I'll let her know, Your Highness."

"Good." Lelouch hung up and put the phone on his desk as he turned to Cornelia. "What brings you here?"

"I heard about what happened and I want to know your side of the story," Cornelia said simply. "Not much to tell beyond what you already know," Lelouch said. He was not going to tell Cornelia about Geass or Mao's power. "I am still attempting to figure out just how Nightfall managed to distract everyone in the base long enough for him and Mao to infiltrate it."

"The soldiers and personnel that were left behind must have been incompetent," Cornelia said shortly.

"Possibly. I will have to do a thorough reevaluation of everyone in this base soon," Lelouch mused. "But then there's quite a bit that I have to do with my new set of orders."

"Your new set of orders?"

"Yes. The Emperor has commanded that I be promoted to General and that I am to take full command of the 11th Division along with continuing my duties as Viceroy," Lelouch said.

"I see." Cornelia leaned back in her seat, studying Lelouch. "Are you ready for this? Commanding an entire division is not the same as commanding a regiment."

"I know but I'm prepared." I have to be. I don't have the luxury of extra time to gain more experience.

Cornelia nodded. "Though if you do need any advice, you know you can always come to me," she said.

General Andon gave me the same offer. Unlike him though, I do not think that Cornelia has an ulterior motive. She has always been one who would help me if I needed it back when I was growing up, such as with my assignments for my tutors if I ever got stuck. I appreciate the offer, dear sister, but I cannot afford to show weakness by going to others for help.

"I appreciate the offer," Lelouch replied and kept the rest of his thoughts to himself as he stood up. "Now then, I have to go meet with Earl Asplund at the A.S.E.E.C.'s base. I am a bit late to that meeting as it is."

Cornelia nodded. "Very well. I will leave you to your work. My men will help yours with the search for Mao and Nightfall," she said as she stood up.

"You are welcomed to help."

. . .

Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse

"So where is everyone?" Shirley wondered as she walked into the meeting room and gazed around at the only other person in the room, which was Nina who was, for once, not seated at her computer. She was flipping through a magazine while sitting at the head of the table.

"I don't know. I think they're running late. According to Milly, Nunnally, Euphie, and Adeline spent the night at the Viceroy's Palace so they might not make it in time for the meeting," Nina said quietly.

"Is everything okay?" Shirley wondered, moving over and taking a seat by the table next to Nina.

"I dunno."

"Oh." Shirley studied Nina and added, "I'm a little surprised, Nina. It's different seeing you not on your computer. Er, I didn't mean to sound rude or anything like that."

Nina flushed in embarrassment and ducked her head. "Um, well, Milly told me that I should take a twenty minute break from the computer every hour and a half to make sure I don't mess up my eyes or give myself a headache from staring at the screen for too long so I decided that she had the right idea," she said.

"That probably is a good idea. Too much time on the computer isn't really a good thing," Shirley said. "So what're you reading anyway?"

"Um, nothing much, just an old magazine," Nina said.

Shirley leaned over to peer at the magazine and was just in time to catch a glimpse of a picture of Lelouch before Nina jerked it away. "Why's Lulu in that magazine?" she asked.

"Um, well, it's talking about the Battle of Sapporo," Nina admitted, finally putting the magazine down so Shirley could see that the article was, indeed, a detailed play-by-play of the battle of Sapporo from the year before. "I just...I was curious to see if there was more information than what Mr. Ried told us."

"I see." Shirley smiled a little at the picture of Lelouch standing on the palm of the white knightmare frame, arm in a makeshift sling, and other arm spread out as if he was giving out orders. "I wonder just how someone managed to get that image. I thought Ried said the entire city had been evacuated before the battle even began."

"I dunno. Maybe some people stayed or something," Nina said softly and Shirley because, for a moment, she was positive that Nina's eyes had lingered on Lelouch's image for a few extra seconds. She pushed the thought away and leaned back in her seat.

"Yeah, maybe," she said. "I didn't think you'd find these kinds of things interesting though, Nina."

Nina shrugged. "I just decided to take Milly advice and branch out a little bit," she said softly.

"Hey, no harm in that," Shirley said with a bright smile.

"Y...Yeah."

Shirley relaxed in her seat and gazed up at the ceiling. "What are we even doing during this meeting? I thought we'd already settled everything we needed to do for the festival this weekend, right?"

"I think so. Maybe it'll be another game day or something."

"Maybe. That'd be fun. I wonder if Lulu will come by. I mean...I know he's been really busy lately but..." Shirley trailed off, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"You miss him," Nina said quietly.

"Um, yeah, I suppose I do," Shirley admitted. She hadn't really been able to talk to Lelouch privately since before the Lake Kawaguchi incident and she supposed that she did miss him a little. She didn't know exactly whether they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend but Lelouch had said in December that he was still trying to figure his feelings out. Shirley hoped that, someday, he would figure his feelings out but she knew that it was likely going to take time.

The door to the meeting room opened and Shirley turned, blinking in surprise when Adeline came in wheeling Nunnally in front of her. "Hey Adeline, Nunnally, you got here a lot sooner than I thought you would," she admitted.

"I didn't want Adeline to miss the Student Council meeting so I told her to bring me back a bit earlier than planned," Nunnally said with a kind smile.

"What are we even doing during this meeting anyway?" Adeline asked.

"I don't know. It could just be a game day or something," Shirley said.

"That sounds like fun!"

Nunnally giggled. "Yeah, it does," she said.

. . .

A.S.E.E.C.'s Mobile Base, Tokyo Military Base

"Next time, Milly, please don't do something like that without first consulting me. Even if things went all right this time around, there was no guarantee that would happen when he first showed up. Even if coming to the base would have helped him regain his memories, the fact remains that civilians aren't allowed in the base," Lelouch said into his phone as he made his way into the base with Suzaku at his side, inclining his head in greeting to Lloyd, Major Croomy, and Rai.

"Sorry. I didn't think you would mind much but I suppose I could've thought the consequences through better," Milly said sheepishly, for once actually sound sincere in her apology.

"Why did you send him to speak with me anyway? I assume it has something to do with the Student Council."

"Yeah. I was just going to have him ask you if you could help out at the festival this coming weekend. We need someone to pilot the Ganymede for the pizza," Milly said.

"I do not know if I can but you can talk to Rai. We found out yesterday that he is a very good knightmare pilot despite having little training beforehand," Lelouch said.

"Hmm. Hey, that could work. Okay, thanks. And sorry again about this whole mess." She hung up and Lelouch returned the phone to his pocket. "I apologize for my tardiness. So, Earl Lloyd, where is this machine you were telling me about?"

"Right this way, Your Highness," Lloyd said cheerfully and led the way out of the room and toward an area near where the Lancelot was placed. "We've kept it here at the military base 'cause I've been too busy gathering data for my Lancelot and hadn't been able to find a pilot for this."

He gestured to it and Lelouch studied the knightmare frame. It looked very similar to the Lancelot but seemed to take a bit more after the Sutherland in terms of design. It was white and blue and stood almost as tall as the Lancelot.

"I call it the Lancelot Club and I built it out of the spare parts from after I finished construction on the Lancelot but it has very similar elements. However, it's a bit of a peaky knightmare frame and no one can pilot it. Do you really think this Rai kid can pilot it?" Lloyd asked, glancing at the white-haired boy.

"You have nothing to lose by letting him try," Lelouch said simply.

"Hmm, true. Okay. Let's see how you do," Lloyd said and threw a blue-and-white activation key at Rai.

Rai's hand shot out to catch the activation key but the manual that was thrown his way came too swiftly after the key and smacked him in the face.

"Lloyd!" Croomy exclaimed.

"What?" Lloyd blinked at her in confusion.

Croomy cracked her knuckles.

Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, edging backwards a little. "Ah, are you okay there, kid?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rai said, rubbing his nose while resting the manual on his lap. "Um, will I have time to go through this manual before I pilot that knightmare?"

"Ah that manual will take forever for you to get through. Why don't ya just pilot the knightmare and let's see what happens?" Lloyd suggested.

Rai stared as if Lloyd had just asked him to do quantum physics with his eyes closed. Lelouch, feeling a pang of faint sympathy, said, "Perhaps it would be best if he, at least, skimmed the manual beforehand."

"Yes, I agree that is a good idea. Right, Lloyd?" Croomy said, giving Lloyd a glare that caused him to gulp.

"Um, yeah, yeah, sounds good to me!" He said quickly.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by the interaction between the two of them. "Inform me of the results of the test once you have them, Earl Lloyd," he said.

"Sure thing, Your Highness," Lloyd said cheerfully.

Lelouch turned and walked out of room and Suzaku followed him. The two walked in silence for the longest time before Suzaku broke it. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Lelouch?" he asked.

"Until he regains his memory, I want to keep a close eye on him just to ensure that he poses no threat."

"He did save our lives."

"Adeline saved Nunnally's and I still don't trust her."

Suzaku sighed. "You don't trust anyone," he said.

Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at his best friend. "I trust very few," he corrected, returning his gaze to the hallway they were walking down.

Suzaku didn't argue that because they both knew that was true. Even the few people that Lelouch did trust, he didn't trust them completely; Suzaku and Nunnally were the only ones that Lelouch would admit he trusted completely.

Lelouch's phone rang and he brought it to his ear. "Yes?" he said.

"Your Highness, the analysis of the phone that Major Nu discovered has come back. The analysts have managed to reconstruct the last call that was placed on it and were able to trace it to a phone company in the Gifu Settlement," Dimitri's voice said.

"Good work. I will be right there," Lelouch said and hung up before changing direction to join Dimitri and the rest of the analysts.

. . .

Kitchen, East Wing Apartment, Student Council Clubhouse

Nunnally put the origami crane that she'd just finished making on the table and reached for another piece of origami paper. "I wonder how many of these cranes I have. I think I lost count around five hundred or something," she mused as she began folding the paper crane.

"You certainly got more finished than me," Adeline said with a chuckle as she frowned at her lopsided crane. "Why is this not working for me?"

Nunnally giggled. "You need to be more patient with it," she said as she concentrated on making the appropriate folds to her crane.

"I don't have very much patience. It gets on my uncle's nerves half the time," Adeline admitted as she pushed aside the lopsided crane and reached for another piece of origami paper.

The door opened and Nunnally turned toward it. "Sayoko?" she called but frowned when she didn't receive an answer.

Instead, she heard clapping.

Adeline jumped to her feet in an instant, the gun that Suzaku had given her that she never gave back in her hand in an instant. She darted forward until she was standing protectively in front of Nunnally. "Show yourself," she shouted, clicking the safety off the gun and pointing it at the door.

A chuckle came back to them and Nunnally screamed when she felt someone wrap an arm around her throat. She grabbed at it, turning her eyes toward the culprit to find a blue-haired European man pressing a gun to her temple. "Thanks for distracting the guard dog, Mao," the man said.

Adeline whirled around, her eyes widening when she saw the position that Nunnally was in.

"No problem," a cheerful voice said.

"Adeline! Look..." Nunnally began when she saw the bat come out of nowhere but it was too late and it crashed hard into Adeline's head. The golden-haired girl crumpled unconscious to the ground and a silver-haired Chinese man stepped out of the shadows and walked around the unconscious girl.

"Don't got long. Let's move before His Highness comes back," Mao said and laughed while clapping.

"W...Who are you?" Nunnally asked, trying hard to mask her fear but a little bit of it leaked into her voice.

"You're scared. Aww, ain't that cute?" Mao said with a giggle.

"I'm not scared!" Big Brother...no, I can't rely on Big Brother all the time. I...I can't be a burden to him but what can I do?

"You're already a burden to your big brother and you can't do anything," Mao said with a chuckle.

Nunnally started. How did he know what I was thinking?

"It's one of my quirks, just like..." Mao began.

"Now's not the fucking time. Just leave the note and let's get the fuck out of here. We're running on limited time," the European that was holding Nunnally at gunpoint snapped irritably.

"Fine, fine."

Nunnally shifted. She had to do something. She didn't know what was going on but she knew that she had to do something. She briefly noticed that the European had loosened his grip on her throat and she, realizing that the man's vulnerable arm was now in front of her mouth, quickly bit down as hard as she possibly could on it.

The European yelped but Nunnally hung on with her teeth. She had no doubt that the man wouldn't use that gun on her because they obviously wanted her for something and they likely needed her alive. She always was good at understanding the feelings of others, having learned how to do that through touch after she'd gone blind. She clawed at the arm and attempted to push the gun away from her head still biting into the arm as hard as possible.

"Get this fucking bitch off me!" the European screeched.

"Don't hurt her. The prince will come after us guns blazing if we harm his precious little sister," Mao said.

They're after Big Brother? No! I won't let them. I won't let them use me as a tool. I...I have to defend myself! Somehow...Adeline, please wake up soon, Nunnally thought.

"You think you can do anything? Ha. You're useless," Mao said and moved forward, reaching over to try to pry Nunnally off the European's arm.

Useless…

Nunnally stiffened as the words echoed in her head, sounding like a mixture of Mao's and Tara's voices and she almost released the European's arm but then another memory, a more recent one, came into her mind.

Her brother's words.

…you are not useless…

That's right. I'm not useless...I'm not...Big Brother says I'm not useless and I'll...I'll prove to him that he's right. I'm not useless! Nunnally's hand clenched into a fist. I'm not useless! I'm. Not Useless!

When Mao was within striking distance, Nunnally slammed a fist as hard as she possibly could into his jaw, taking the Chinese man by surprise and sending him stumbling backwards.

She normally abhorred violence but it was either fight back to defend herself or let these two capture her and use her against her big brother.

She didn't want that. Her big brother was her entire world and she was not going to let them hurt him. She would do everything she could to stop them from hurting her big brother, even if it meant fighting back against them to the best of her ability.

She knew that she wouldn't last long because she was crippled and only had her teeth and hands to help her but she knew that if she could hold out until Adeline regained consciousness, or until Sayoko came back—because the latter could call for help while the former knew how to fight—then she could get out of this situation.

She had to hold on. No matter what. She had to hold on.

"Ow! That kid sure does have a nice right hook. If I wasn't pissed, I'd be impressed," Mao said, rubbing his jaws and chuckling. "Shame that's all you can do."

Nunnally said nothing, knowing that if she said anything then she'd be forced to release her hold on the European's arm. As it was, her other arm was getting tired trying to keep the European from hitting her with his gun. She finally managed to snag a grip on the European's wrist and shook it, trying to get him to release the gun.

"Gah! I thought you said that this would be easier than taking candy from a fucking baby. This bitch is really starting to piss...ow!" The European shouted in pain when Nunnally slammed the arm she was holding down on top of the table in front of her. It succeeded in dislodging the gun from his hand, causing it to fall into her lap, but Nunnally ignored it as she grabbed the control to her wheelchair and promptly reversed it.

The European shouted in pain when the wheelchair crashed into him, running over his feet and sending him stumbling backwards. Since Nunnally was still biting him, he had no choice but to stumble backwards along with the wheelchair to keep from injuring his injured arm further. Nunnally then rammed her wheelchair forward, forcing Mao to leap out of the way and the European to stumble forward since she was stubbornly still refusing to let go of his arm.

"Let go of my fucking arm already, you fucking bitch!" the European screeched in fury and pain, trying to grab Nunnally's head and force her to release him. She responded by grabbing the gun and slamming it as hard as she could into his arm and he yelped in pain.

Adeline...Sayoko...someone! Please come quickly. I don't know how much longer I can stall, Nunnally thought, feeling her teeth start to tire but she held on.

"You really are a stubborn brat. All of this just to not be a burden to your precious big brother?" Mao laughed and clapped his hands. "Just because you're actually fighting back and stalling us doesn't mean that you're any less a burden to your precious big brother. Tara was right about you. You are a worthless, useless, weak little girl and nothing your precious big brother says can ever change that."

...you have the strongest heart out of everyone that I have ever met. You aren't weak, far from it really.

Lelouch's words echoed in her head and, while Mao did start chuckling and saying that he was simply lying to her to make her happy, Nunnally knew in her heart that her big brother's words were true. Her big brother would never lie to her.

Mao seemed to find that even more hilarious. "Your big brother has been lying to you since the very beginning. What a foolish little girl you are," he said in between laughs as he clapped his hands together. "About everything, about why you were in Area 11 to begin with and why you never went back to Pendragon. He's lied to you by sugarcoating the truth whenever he spoke to you and you, like the naively foolish little girl you are, believed him! Hahahaha."

No...no, Big Brother...he would never do that to me. Would he? No...he's never lied to me before. I know he hasn't but...is Mao right? Was he simply sugarcoating the truth for me? Nunnally thought, feeling tears well up in her eyes. If that's so, why would he do that? Was it because he really doesn't see me as the strongest girl he knows despite what he said? Did he think I was too weak to handle the truth?

"That's exactly what he thinks of you," Mao said with a giggle. "You're nothing more than a naively weak and foolish little girl who can't handle the truth and that's why your precious big brother never told you the entire truth."

Nunnally felt tears streak down her face, her resolve to keep fighting back against her would-be kidnappers starting to shake.

"Everything Tara said to you was the truth and your big brother knew it but he lied to keep you happy, he sugarcoated how he truly felt because he feels you're too fragile and weak to handle the truth. You really are pathetic," Mao said with a laugh.

Nunnally's resolve shattered completely. She let out a choked sob, releasing the European's arm as she did so and the European grunted and yanked his arm back, muttering something that sounded like "well, it's about fucking time."

"No...I...I'm not...Big Brother...he...he..." Nunnally stammered out, Mao's words mingling with Tara's and she found herself shaking. Her grip on the gun tightened but she didn't even notice it as she continued to shake, tears streaking down her face.

"C'mon, Mao, let's take the girl and just go already," the European said.

No! No! No! No! I can't...I...Even if what Mao says is true, I...I have to prove that I am strong because I want to be strong, I don't want to be all that Mao just said I was. I love my big brother and I want to prove to him that I am strong enough to handle whatever truth he's sugarcoated for me, if what Mao is saying is true. I...I have to do something!

Shakily, Nunnally pointed the gun directly at Mao, both her hands clasping around the handle and her fingers resting on the trigger. She was shaking but she clenched her teeth and forced herself to click the safety off as she'd seen Adeline do to her own gun.

I have to be strong! I have to be strong! I can't let these guys take me. I don't want to be the helpless little girl anymore. I don't want Big Brother to get hurt because of me, not again, not like at the museum or anyone else, like Adeline or Kallen or Shirley or Rai or anyone on the Student Council. I'm not the weak person Mao thinks I am! I have to prove that I am strong. I...I have to pull the trigger. I...I don't want to but...but if it's to stop them from using me against my big brother then I will! I won't let them use me to hurt my big brother. I won't let them! I won't let them! I. Won't. Let. Them!

Mao froze, eyes wide and he took a step back, holding his hands defensively in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. She's serious! She's actually serious. Hey, hey, hey, put down the gun. You'll hurt..."

Nunnally pulled the trigger.

Mao jumped to the side just in time to avoid the bullet that came flying at him but Nunnally just turned the gun again on him, her hands shaking and her eyes filled with tears.

Nightfall lunged at her but Nunnally whirled around and pointed the gun directly at him. "Don't come near me! I won't let you use me against big brother! I won't let big brother die for me. I won't lose him! He's...He's protected me since we were kids. It's...It's time I protected him! Stay away from me and stay away from him!" she cried, turning her gun on Mao and then back on Nightfall. Nightfall lunged at her again but she, quickly releasing one of her hands to grab the controls to her wheelchair, wheeled it backwards so fast that she rammed into Nightfall hard enough to throw him off his feet.

"Okay, this is getting outta hand. I was not expecting such a helpless little girl to put up such a fight. And since you are gonna betray me anyway, Nightfall, I'll just find another way to get back my beloved!" Mao turned and darted out of the clubhouse without a second thought.

"Mao, you fucking traitor!" Nightfall shouted, scrambling to his feet as Nunnally pointed the gun, her hands still shaking, at him. Her eyes were still filled with tears but she wasn't going to give in. She was going to hold out until the very end, for her brother because she didn't want to be the weak, useless little girl that Mao called her, that Tara believed her to be.

The door slammed open and Nightfall yelped as two sharp daggers suddenly shot forward, one sinking into his shoulder while the other sailed over his head to lodge itself in the wall behind him.

"The next one will go through your eye. Now step away from Mistress Nunnally and hands where I can see them," Sayoko's familiar voice said firmly.

"Who the fuck are you?" Nightfall demanded.

"Sayoko Shinozaki, 37th Successor to the Shinozaki School of Martial Arts," Sayoko said firmly and Nunnally gasped, watching as her maid moved into sight with two small daggers held in her hands and her arms crossed as she gazed coolly at Nightfall.

"Well, fuck. A ninja? And an unstable girl with a gun? Can this get worse?" Nightfall groaned.

"Yeah 'cause now you gotta deal with a pissed-off bodyguard with a gun and a headache," Adeline growled as she, gun in hand and pointed at Nightfall, scrambled to her feet. "Now, hands on your head. You're under arrest for the attempted kidnapping of Princess Nunnally vi Britannia."

"Fuck that. Later, fools!" Nightfall said, reaching into his pocket and pressing a button. He laughed as he jogged away.

Sayoko and Adeline grabbed Nunnally and, hoisting her out of the wheelchair, dove away. However, whatever it was that they were expecting to happen, the cloud of harmless black smoke was not it. The smoke alarms went off and the sprinklers turned on, showering water droplets on the kitchen.

"I'm going after him," Sayoko said firmly and darted through the smoke and water and in the direction that Nightfall had gone.

Adeline coughed and turned to Nunnally, who was shaking and still clutching at the gun in a white-knuckled grip. She stretched out a hand and placed it on Nunnally's. "It's okay, Nunnally. He's gone. You can let go of the gun now. It's okay. He's gone," she said reassuringly.

Nunnally swallowed but, as the smoke cleared due to the sprinkler system, she saw that Nightfall was gone. She slowly lowered the gun and allowed Adeline to pry it from her numb fingers. She turned to the golden-haired girl, watching as she clicked the safety on both guns and put them aside, then whispered, "Big Brother...he'll be okay now, right? He won't be hurt now, right? I protected him, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, Nunnally," Adeline said gently. "He's safe and it's thanks to you."

"Thank God," Nunnally whispered shakily.

. . .

Not even fifteen minutes after Sayoko chased after Nightfall and Adeline called him, Lelouch was bolting across the clubhouse floor and up the stairs, taking them two at a time while swearing angrily and promising to murder both Nightfall and Mao for what they did. His little sister had been through enough and they had to come by and screw up her life even more? Lelouch was not going to let that slide. He would kill them with his own two hands as soon as he got his hands on them.

Suzaku was keeping pace with him, his own worry showing on his face, but he said nothing. As with the other times that something had happened to Nunnally, he knew that Lelouch was not in the mood.

He burst into the east wing apartment and darted over to the living room where Adeline said she and Nunnally where. Nunnally was seated on the couch, holding an empty mug in her hands, while Adeline was standing by the window, gazing out it with her brow furrowed. Lelouch barely acknowledged the golden-haired girl's presence as he moved swiftly to Nunnally's side.

"Nunnally?" he whispered.

Nunnally turned to him and smiled. "Big Brother! You're okay!" she said and threw her arms around him. She buried her face into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. "T...They were going to use me. They wanted to use me to lure you out. They wanted to hurt you but I didn't let them because I didn't want you to get hurt." She lifted her head off Lelouch's chest and gazed up at him.

"You've always protected me, Big Brother, and now I've protected you," she said softly. "I...I wasn't a burden to you this time. I wasn't weak and useless this time. I...I can be strong. I may not be strong and brave and useful now but I can be. I won't let myself be a burden to you anymore!" Determination shone in her eyes.

Lelouch brushed a thumb along her cheek, furious with Mao and Nightfall for bringing up those insecurities that Tara had forced into the open and upset that Nunnally felt the need to prove herself to him, though he didn't need her to do that because he never once saw her as a burden. He didn't know what to do to help his little sister but he'd be damned if he let his little sister continue to suffer and think of herself as less than the wonderfully strong-hearted and kind person she was.

"Big Brother?" Nunnally said softly several minutes later after she'd relaxed and was resting against him. He paused in the middle of stroking her hair and glanced at her.

"What is it, Nunnally?"

"Mao told me something...He said that you haven't been telling me the complete truth, that you've been sugarcoating some things because you thought I was too weak to handle the complete truth. Is this true?"

Lelouch cursed Mao in the back of his head. "Of course not..." he began.

Nunnally took his hand in hers and squeezed it, narrowing her eyes at him. "Don't lie to me, Big Brother," she said firmly and then, with pleading eyes, added softly, "Didn't we promise that if you lied then you'd have to eat a thousand needle? So please don't lie to me. Did you…did you really sugarcoat some things you've told me because I was too weak to handle the complete truth?"

Lelouch sighed. He really couldn't lie or withhold part of the truth again to those eyes. "No, Nunnally," he said finally, squeezing her hand. "I didn't tell you everything not because you were too weak to handle it but because I wanted you to be protected from the truth. It would have hurt you and I didn't want to hurt you."

"I'm almost fifteen years old, Big Brother. I can handle whatever you're keeping from me," Nunnally said firmly. "Please tell me, Big Brother. Mao said that...that it had to do with why we were exiled along with why we never returned to Pendragon."

Lelouch had to force himself not to scowl in fury.

"Why were we really exiled? And why did we never return to Pendragon?" Nunnally asked quietly.

"You may as well tell her the truth. I think it's time you stop coddling your little sister and treat her like the strong-hearted girl you already told her she is."

Lelouch jumped and whipped his head around at the very familiar voice. "What are you doing here?" he said through gritted teeth, glaring at the green-haired witch that was leaning against the wall behind Suzaku. Suzaku had jumped as well, the new gun—since Adeline never did give back his old one—halfway out of its holster before he realized who it was.

C.C. shrugged. "You weren't at the Viceroy's Palace and I do have to make sure nothing happens to you so I figured you'd be here," she said. Lelouch frowned because he had this odd feeling that she wasn't being honest with him.

"Big Brother, who's she? And does she know the truth you're keeping from me?" Nunnally whispered sadly.

"I'm C.C.," C.C. said simply.

"And she knows nothing," Lelouch said quickly and glared at C.C. "Would you give us some privacy, witch?"

C.C. shrugged and disappeared down the hallway.

Nunnally watched her go and then turned to Lelouch. "Big Brother, if I really am as strong-hearted as you say I am then I can handle the truth," she said softly, squeezing Lelouch's hands.

Lelouch sighed but nodded. "We were exiled from Pendragon because of me," he said quietly. "When the Emperor called off the investigation into Mother's murder, I was furious and I went before him and demanded to know why he'd called off the investigation. He wasn't happy and verbally disowned me before exiling us to Japan as bargaining chips during the Sakuradite Crisis."

"He...He did?" Nunnally said surprised.

Lelouch nodded. "As for why we never returned to Pendragon after the invasion...that really was because I was worried for our safety but it wasn't because of the assassins who'd killed Mother. No, it was because I'd lost all trust in the Emperor"—not that I had any trust in him to begin with—"because he hadn't bothered on extracting us before Japan was invaded or even send someone to get us to safety. I just felt we would be safer if we hid our identities rather than going back to the capital where our own father didn't even care about us enough to get us out of the warzone Japan was turned into."

Nunnally wanted the truth and didn't want it sugarcoated. Lelouch didn't deny that he would do anything for his little sister. If she wanted the harsh truth then, while he knew that it would not be easy for her to hear, he would tell her it.

Nunnally lowered her head and bit her lip. "Is that why you don't like Father?" she asked.

Lelouch started.

Nunnally gave him a sad smile. "You may have tried to hide how you feel but...I always hear the change in your voice when you spoke of Father and the dislike is really strong. You also go out of your way to never talk about Father and you never call him Father. It's always 'the Emperor' no matter what, even after we rejoined the Royal Family, it was always 'the Emperor'."

Lelouch let out a long breath. "You are extremely perceptive, Nunnally," he said quietly. Far more perceptive than I thought. "I suppose that you're right about my reason for not liking the Emperor." Even though it is far stronger than mere dislike. I loathe that bastard more than anyone in the world, even more than Nightfall, Mao, and Tara and that's saying something all things considered.

"I see." Nunnally fell silent for a long moment and then she squeezed Lelouch's hand. "Thank you, Big Brother, for telling me. I...may not be happy with what happened but...at least I know the truth now. Will you...will you promise not to sugarcoat things for me anymore? Especially if it concerns you or our family?"

Lelouch didn't know if he could make that promise so he settled with, "I promise that I will try."

"I suppose that'll have to be good enough," Nunnally said, though Lelouch winced at the slight disappointment in her voice. It wasn't that big but it was still there. It cleared up quickly as she added, "Big Brother?"

"Yes, Nunnally?"

"Will you stay with me here? Just for tonight?" She gazed at him with hopeful eyes and Lelouch found himself unable to say no to them, as usual.

"Let me just inform Cornelia and my Royal Guard and I will stay here tonight," he said.

"Thank you, Big Brother. I know I shouldn't have asked but...I just..."

"I understand, Nunnally," Lelouch said quietly because he did. His little sister had been through yet another traumatic experience—Lelouch was going to be giving a severe tongue lashing followed by demotions if not outright court martials, or a combination of the two, to the incompetent morons who were supposed to be in charge of security around Ashford—and she deserved to have some sense of normalcy brought back into her life, even if it was only temporary.

. . .

Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse

"...allowed two wanted criminals, one of which is a known member of the Liberators, onto the campus! What were all of you doing?! Taking a simultaneous break while the life of an Imperial Princess was in jeopardy? Did you seriously think that there was no danger even though I had ordered security to be increased because two known criminals were running around? This is not the sort of incompetence that I want among my men. You were all taught to follow orders so why did you fail to follow my orders and jeopardize my little sister's life as well as the lives of every single student here at Ashford?"

Suzaku listened to the tongue lashing Lelouch was giving the members of the security team that had been placed around Ashford Academy and winced. Even though Lelouch didn't even raise his voice, he still had a commanding presence about him and his words still got everyone to shut up and listen to him, even when he was chewing them out for being incompetent. Even when radiating fury, Lelouch still had a way with his words.

"Your...Your Highness," the tall, blonde man that must have been the one in charge of the security team said as he stepped forward and bowed. "I am truly sorry for my men's incompetence. I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary."

"I am not interested in giving out punishments just yet, Colonel Solis," Lelouch said icily. "I want answers. I want to know why you failed to follow simple orders and put so many innocent Britannian civilians, and my little sister, at risk."

The colonel swallowed. "Well, you see...Your Highness..." he trailed off, biting his lip nervously.

Lelouch's jaw clenched and frustration flashed in his eyes. "Tell me the truth, Colonel," he said coolly, his eyes flaring and his face as icy as his voice. In short, he had just put on the mask of the Demon Prince.

Solis sweated, swallowing. "I...It was...They gave me money!" He blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Lelouch's icy voice had gone deathly, so deathly that Suzaku couldn't help but shiver even though he knew the rage was not being directed at him.

"I...My daughter's very sick! I just...they gave me enough money to pay for the medical expenses. I wouldn't otherwise be able to pay for it because my family's fallen on rough times and we aren't noble. We're just poor commoners and we don't have nearly enough money to pay for my daughter's medical bills," the colonel blurted out.

Lelouch's deadly rage faded back into iciness. "I see," he murmured, his eyes narrowed and Suzaku could almost see him piecing together the rest of the picture, whatever picture it was that he was creating. He said nothing though but his expression was still one of icy anger.

"Colonel, you are hereby demoted down to Lieutenant and you are on restriction for a period of no less than six months. Your men will be reassigned to other regiments and will be demoted two ranks. Be grateful that my little sister has asked me to show you all mercy; were it not for her, I would have court martialed all of you for incompetence and endangerment of innocent lives. Dismissed!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Solis and his men, all of them looking somewhat relieved though thoroughly chastised, saluted and left the ballroom.

Lelouch was silent for a long moment. "Suzaku," he said.

"Yes, my prince?" Suzaku glanced at him."

"Remind me to contact Lieutenant Solis's family later," Lelouch said.

Suzaku blinked at him, wondering why but he nodded. "Yes, my prince."

. . .

Lelouch's Old Bedroom, East Wing Apartment, Student Council Clubhouse

"That was pretty thoughtful of you, Lelouch," Suzaku asked as Lelouch sat down on his old bed as he had a promise to his little sister to keep. He'd already told Cornelia and his Royal Guard that he would be spending the night at Ashford right before he'd called Lieutenant Solis's family.

"I am simply grateful that they agreed to my condition and won't tell anyone of just who gave them the money for the treatment," Lelouch said. "The last thing I need is for my reputation as the Demon Prince to be tarnished."

Suzaku sat down at Lelouch's desk, frowning at C.C. who was on her stomach on the other side of Lelouch's bed. He didn't say anything since Lelouch had already told him that the green-haired witch wasn't a danger, though he wasn't entirely sure if he could believe that. The woman had come back to life after getting shot through the head after all and Suzaku couldn't trust her.

"At least it doesn't seem as if you're coddling your little sister anymore, though you never did tell her about your true feelings toward the Emperor," C.C. commented nonchalantly, kicking her legs behind her as she fixed golden eyes on Lelouch.

"She already knows I don't like the Emperor. That's enough for now."

"Oh?" C.C. hummed. "And if she finds out the truth?"

"She won't," Lelouch said with an irritated scowl at the green-haired witch. "She doesn't need to know my true feelings toward the Emperor."

C.C. rolled onto her back, hanging her head off the side of the bed. "Perhaps not. It's not like I care either way. I just need you alive after all," she said.

Suzaku bristled a little but he held his tongue. Then why bother on giving Lelouch that advice earlier if you don't care? He thought.

"You're a paradox, C.C.," Lelouch said in amusement. "You say you don't care and yet you still offer advice for matters that have nothing to do with whether I live or not, which is proof that you care at least a little. And do you plan on spending the night here as well?"

C.C. responded by twisting in the bed and kicking Lelouch hard enough to send him tumbling off. "A gentleman would sleep on the floor," she said as she sat up and began stripping.

Lelouch, a scowl on his lips, quickly jerked his head away and Suzaku followed suit, a faint blush on his cheeks.

Once C.C. was done, she crawled under the covers and brought them to her chin, giving Lelouch, who'd glanced back at her, a smirk. "Unless you want to share the bed with me," she said.

"Don't even joke," Lelouch said flatly.

"Oh, that's right. You already have a girlfriend, don't you? Even if you haven't talked with her at all in days. Wonder what Shirley thinks about that right now."

Lelouch scowled, though he knew the green-haired witch was right. He hadn't had much time to talk with Shirley at all since Lake Kawaguchi because of everything that had happened, including the recent incident with the base and with Mao and Nightfall's kidnapping attempt of Nunnally.

He pushed himself to his feet at that thought and strode out of the room. "Stay here and don't let anyone see you," he snapped and slipped out of the room.

Suzaku followed him. "Do you think she'll listen?" he asked.

"I can only hope that she'll understand the dangers if anyone sees her. Even if I do control the military, it would raise too many questions if someone spotted her, especially around me," Lelouch said. And Shirley wouldn't react that well either, he thought as he fished his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Shirley's number and placed the phone against his ear.

The phone rang a bit before Shirley answered. "Hello?" she said.

"Hello Shirley," Lelouch said.

A crash sounded followed by a "Shirley, are you okay?" from Shirley's roommate.

"Y...Yeah, I'm fine, Sophie. Sorry, Lulu, I wasn't expecting you to call," Shirley admitted.

"I wanted to apologize," Lelouch said without preamble as he leaned against the wall outside of his room.

"For what?" Shirley sounded confused.

"For skipping out on that date yesterday. I was planning on meeting up with you but something came up at the military base and I forgot to inform you about the cancellation," Lelouch said.

"Oh...that's okay, Lulu. Is...Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine now, Shirley," Lelouch assured her.

"That's good." Shirley fell silent for a long moment. "Um, so are you planning on going to the festival this Saturday?"

"I don't know if I will be able to make it," Lelouch said.

"Oh. Well...it'd be...I mean...it'd be nice if you could go. I know Milly and Nunna and Euphie would like you to be there. A...And I would too," Shirley said.

Lelouch smiled a little. "Let me check my schedule, Shirley. I may not have anything planned for that day but I make no promises. However, tomorrow night, do you want to have dinner again at the Viceroy's Palace?" he said, since it was his fault that he had to cancel the last date that Shirley had asked him on and decided to make it up to her.

"Um, sure! I don't think I have anything planned for tomorrow," Shirley said.

"I will pick you up around seven tomorrow evening then."

"Okay, Lulu. Have a good night. Love you." A little gasp followed by an embarrassed, "I didn't...I mean...I...uh...bye!" and a click left a bewildered Lelouch looking at his phone, Shirley's words echoing in his head.

Love you…

He was surprised by the odd warm feeling he felt when she said those words. He knew that he cared about her a lot and it was clear that she loved him. Did he feel the same way? Or was he still trying to figure out how he truly felt? It wasn't as if he had the time to really take Rayne's advice to heart and spend time with her, with recent events, but…

He knew that it was unlikely he'd figure the answer to that question tonight so he would focus on the date tomorrow. It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision but Lelouch was pretty sure he didn't have anything planned for tomorrow. He most certainly knew that could change in an instant, especially with Mao and Nightfall still running around, but, for now, he was free.

"You know, Lelouch, I'm happy for you," Suzaku said.

"Hmm?" Lelouch glanced at his friend.

Suzaku smiled at him. "You and Shirley," he said. "Whether you've been able to spend time with her or not, it's clear that you care for and love her, even if you may not see it for yourself yet. Everyone else certainly can."

Lelouch's cheeks reddened. Has it really been that obvious to everyone but me?

Suzaku chuckled before he grew serious. "You're scared," he said.

"What?" Lelouch blinked at him in confusion. "Scared of what?"

"Of actually admitting that you really love Shirley," Suzaku said. "For once, your actions speak louder than your words, Lelouch. You do love her but you won't admit it, not even to yourself. And...I think I might know why."

"Well? Enlighten me," Lelouch said flatly, frowning at his friend and wondering just what Suzaku was getting at. It was true that he was far more affectionate toward Shirley and he did have strong feelings toward her to the point that Milly's teasing more often than not were nearly right on the mark. Even if her words were far more lewd than what was true, it got the point across.

"You're scared for her," Suzaku said. "You're afraid that if you admit you loved her and dated her publicly then she would be in danger and, all things considered, I can understand why you'd fear for her."

Lelouch looked away. For a long moment, he was silent as he weighed Suzaku's words in his head and he realized that his friend was right. He did love Shirley—he admitted it. He did love her—but was afraid of losing her because he had far too many enemies, and he wasn't just talking about Nightfall and Mao. Shirley would be in danger if any of his enemies were to find out that he saw her as more than just a friend.

Frankly, it was a surprise that Mao hadn't figured it out considering he could read minds.

Or was Lelouch that in denial that it just didn't register to him?

Lelouch didn't know but, frankly, he was thankful that Mao hadn't noticed. It was bad enough that Mao had tried to use Nunnally against him.

"I...think you're right, Suzaku," Lelouch said.

Suzaku blinked in surprise. "Did...you just admit you're wrong?" he asked.

"I said you were right. There's a difference," Lelouch said flatly.

"Not really." Suzaku smirked.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, moron," Lelouch huffed but a faint smile played on his lips. It was extremely rare that Lelouch would ever admit that someone else was right about something and he had a feeling Suzaku was not going to let this go anytime soon.

Suzaku chuckled.

"But...thank you," Lelouch added grudgingly. Thanking others was another thing that he rarely did.

Suzaku blinked and then stretched out a hand, resting it on Lelouch's forehead. "Are you feeling all right, Lelouch? Not only did you admit that someone else was right but you're also thanking me. Where's the self-absorbed Lelouch that I know?"

Lelouch smacked Suzaku's hand away with an irritated scowl. "I show gratitude where it's due. That's all," he said.

Suzaku smiled a little but said nothing more.

. . .

Living Room, East Wing Apartment, Student Council Clubhouse

Adeline and Suzaku were in a staring contest, both of them with their arms folded stubbornly across their chests and both of their eyes never moving from the other. It was around nine at night and everyone was going to bed; due to Adeline being Nunnally's bodyguard and Suzaku being Lelouch's knight, the two were also spending the night in the East Wing apartment with the prince and princess. But they were currently in a dilemma.

"You take the couch, Adeline," Suzaku insisted.

"No, you take it. I'm fine on the floor," Adeline said firmly.

"No. I will be fine on the floor. Just take the couch."

"You take it."

"No, you take it."

The two glared at each other stubbornly.

"Dare I ask why you two are glaring at each other right now?" Lelouch's amused voice asked.

Adeline and Suzaku glanced at him to find him leaning against the door frame.

"Suzaku's being stubborn," Adeline said.

"Adeline's being stubborn," Suzaku said at the same time.

"I see and why are you two being so stubborn?"

"Adeline will not take the couch," Suzaku said. "No matter how many times I insist that I was fine on the ground, she refuses."

"I can sleep just fine on the ground too," Adeline snapped.

"That's why you're arguing?" Lelouch still sounded amused. "If that's the case then both of you sleep on the floor. Problem solved."

The two of them looked at each other and then at Lelouch and then back at each other and Adeline felt like smacking herself. The solution really was that simple.

Suzaku even looked a bit embarrassed.

Lelouch shook his head. "Honestly," he muttered and turned around. "We're leaving at six tomorrow morning, Suzaku. Best get some sleep. I have to go tuck Nunnally in. Goodnight." He slipped into the hallway, leaving Suzaku and Adeline alone.

A few minutes later, the two of them were curled up in the sleeping bags that Sayoko, who had popped up quite literally out of nowhere, Adeline wondered if she ever caught up with Nightfall or not, had given them. Adeline found that she couldn't sleep, especially in light of recent evens but something else was on her mind. The prince. The prince that her big brother was having her spy on to the best of her ability.

And the prince's knight was only a few feet away.

Maybe I can learn more about the prince from him. He seems to know the prince very well, Adeline thought and turned onto her side, studying Suzaku who was laying on his back, his arm tucked under his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Sir Kururugi?" she called.

"Just call me Suzaku, Adeline. What's up?" Suzaku asked, turning his head to look at her.

"How long have you known Prince Lelouch?" Adeline asked.

Suzaku hummed. "We met seven years ago," he said finally.

"When he was exiled to Japan?"

"Yeah. My family was the family that they were placed with," Suzaku said.

"Oh. Do you know why he and Nunnally never returned to Pendragon after the invasion?"She had given Nunnally and Lelouch privacy along with that green-haired woman when Lelouch had asked fr it, even if he hadn't asked her. She just felt Lelouch's conversation with Nunnally was a private one.

Suzaku's jaw clenched and he turned his head away. "That's not my secret to share, Adeline. If you wish to know then ask Prince Lelouch yourself," he said finally.

Adeline, realizing that she wasn't going to get anything out of Suzaku on that topic, decided to change subjects. "What was Prince Lelouch like as a kid?" she asked instead.

Suzaku was silent for a long moment. "We didn't get along at all when we first met," he said finally. "I saw him as an arrogant, spoiled Britannian prince who wanted for nothing and I went out of my way to show him of just how much I didn't like him. I punched him when I first met him."

Adeline choked. "You punched a prince, exiled or not?"

Suzaku's cheeks reddened. "Father was furious with me for that but yeah, I did."

"But you two seem like such good friends now. What changed?"

"Nunnally." Suzaku's lips curved into a small smile. "It was on Lelouch's tenth birthday when we decided to give each other a chance. Nunnally had wanted to make Lelouch something so I taught her how to make an origami picture frame. This was while she was still blind so it was a slow going process but she was very patient, saying that she wanted the present to be as perfect as possible for her big brother. She then put in a picture that she'd had someone grab for her when they were forced to leave Pendragon in the frame. We went to the library to find Lelouch and I found out that Nunnally had made that picture frame because it was Lelouch's birthday."

"I had expected the prince that I painted as spoiled rotten in my head to demand something for his birthday, even if it was simply a cake, but he never did. In fact, the only thing that he seemed happy about that day was the gift Nunnally gave him and he even thanked me for helping her to make it. I guess...that's when I started to see that the image I'd painted of Lelouch wasn't quite as accurate as I thought it was and we started getting along better."

"Were you two in contact after the invasion?"

Suzaku shook his head. "After the invasion, Lelouch and Nunnally went to find the Ashfords while I traveled to my family's main shrine. After that, what with my father's...suicide and the transformation of Japan into Area 11, it was safer that I pretended I didn't know Lelouch and Nunnally. I didn't stop thinking about them though since they were my friends and I did hope that they'd gotten to safety. I was never expecting to run into Lelouch during basic training."

"Why?"

"For one, for as long as I've known him, he's had less stamina than a snail"—Adeline's lips quirked in amusement—"and, for another, I know that he doesn't like Britannia so I had wondered why he was fighting for Britannia if he dislikes them as much as he does."

"He dislikes Britannia?"

Suzaku hesitated, biting his lip and didn't respond. "I have to get up early tomorrow. Goodnight, Adeline," he said and rolled away from her.

Adeline, realizing that Suzaku had said a bit more than he'd intended, didn't push and closed her eyes. She resolved to ask Lelouch the questions that Suzaku wouldn't answer later but at least she had more information about the enigmatic prince.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: and there you have it. Chapter 38!

Bakura: … we're going to have to wait six months for the next chapter, aren't we? (Currently blowing up Pendragon)

Blaze: it will not be that long!

Bakura: I have no doubt your readers will hold you to that. I don't really care

Charles: stop blowing up Pendragon!

Bakura: (aims rocket launcher at Charles) I'll just blow you up then

Charles: (bolts)

Bakura: (chases after Charles)

Suzaku: I'm grateful that Bakura is only focusing on Britannia right now but terrified of when he gets bored with destroying Britannia over and over again

Blaze: ah, it won't be that bad

Suzaku: he just set fire to Hawaii...

Blaze: … damn, he works fast. I wonder how long it's going to take Charles to heal after getting blown up by a rocket launcher. Hmm, can those with Codes even regenerate if they're blown to smithereens by a rocket launcher? Curious minds want to know

Suzaku: Blaze! Hawaii's on fire!

Blaze: cool

Suzaku: it's not cool! The entire island chain is on fire!

Blaze: and that's even better!

Suzaku: (groans)

Blaze: oh relax. The fire Bakura is using doesn't actually burn anything and no one's hurt. It's really awesome to look at. An entire island chain on fire is a pretty neat sight.

Suzaku: who in their right mind thinks that is a neat sight?

Blaze: hey, no one's getting hurt and nothing's getting destroyed so why can't I enjoy watching the show?

Suzaku: (stares at Blaze) you...are just as insane as Bakura

Blaze: (stares back at Suzaku) you're just now figuring that out? Damn, you're slow. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope it was worth the wait. Since I suck at deadlines, I'll just say that I'll update when I can—and, yes, I promise that, at the very least, it will not be another six month wait—so please review as they are much appreciated.