A/N: Hello once again! Sorry it took a lot longer than usual, especially considering that it was just after I mentioned weekly updates, but I had exams all of last week and lacked the time to work on this chapter. On the bright side, it is summer break now... partially. I actually have to attend summer school for the next month and my parents are insisting on dragging me to random excursions here and there. Then in August, I'm going to be gone for three weeks... one week in NC for a famjam then two weeks at soccer camp. I admit; I have a rather busy summer ahead of me with hardly any time to rest, but I guarantee that the usual effort will be seen.

Also, thank you to Keith Fraser and MisterSP for your more critical review on my writing style. It's good to see that there are some people who take the time to read every detail of the story. I, for one, have a habit of skimming through chapters... I simply lack the patience. I've taken into consideration what you have said and am correcting m

Before I thank you all, I want to get this chapter started.
Now promise me that you will all read and enjoy!

Shirley and Rivalz jumped off of their chairs as though their seats had instantaneously burst into flames. Their faces held looks of surprise as they looked at the two people by the door of the meeting room that had just walked in. Their arrival was unexpected after all; it was still 7 in the morning and the only people in the Student Council clubhouse right now were Shirley, Rivalz, Lelouch, and Rolo. It was pretty evident that the two new visitors weren't the Lamperouge siblings; the two weren't even male.

It was a 17 year old purple-haired female along with a 15 year old girl in a wheelchair with short pink hair and sky blue eyes that matched the woman behind her. They were in their Ashford Academy uniforms, the tall girl in a high school uniform while the girl in the wheelchair was in a small middle school uniform. The two were most likely siblings; sharing the same face structure, skin colour, and eyes. However, one was more mature than the other and instigated Rivalz's flirting.

"Hello there...!" Rivalz slid over to the purple-haired girl's side, eyebrows raised and his eyes glued to the woman's overly well-developed rack. A smooth grin was plastered on his now pink face, the blue-haired teen completely forgetting about his crush for Milly Ashford. "My name is Rivalz Cardemonde... and you are...?" The woman's eyes quivered before her hand shot up into the air before crashing down against the blue-haired teen's cheek with a satisfying smack, leaving a stinging red mark on his face. Dirty perverts always get what they deserve.

Shirley, on the other hand, was eyeing the girl in the wheelchair with curious eyes. For some reason, she felt a feeling of recognition at the sight of her, but she couldn't figure out what caused it. This is why she placed the ballpoint pen she had been holding in her hand to complete the student council work onto the desk and moved towards the crippled girl in the wheelchair. The cripple's sky blue eyes gazed at Shirley warily as though she was worried about something, but such a fear was not warranted, even if Shirley was a total stranger.

"Welcome!" Shirley squeaked. She blushed brightly before instinctively placing her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. "I-I mean... I'm Shirley! Shirley Fenette." She knocked herself on the head lightly and the girl in the wheelchair giggled lightly. The orange-haired teen smiled along with Rivalz who was receiving a dark and menacing glare from the girl he was trying to hit on.

"I'm Kaelin Thompson." the purple-haired teen stated happily while grinning widely. She seemed rather excited to see Shirley, not as excited to meet the flirtatious Rivalz. Her eyes almost seemed to sparkle with the concept of just being in this very room. "And this here is my younger sister, Nalanie." She brushed Nalanie's pink hair before slipping her fingers along the back of her neck which caused her to laugh. The young girl in the wheelchair was rather ticklish around her neck. Stroking her hair alone caused goose bumps to form along her arm.

Nalanie looked into the eyes of both Rivalz and Shirley before saying, "It's nice to see the both of you!" she exclaimed, genuinely happy to be here too. Shirley had truly never seen someone so content to be at school, whether it was their first time here or not. "We just enrolled here and Mr. Ashford allowed us to take a tour of the school before we start attending our classes next week. We got into uniforms he lent us so that we wouldn't stick out, though..." Nalanie paused for a moment. "I'm 15 now, so that puts me in the high school group. But for some reason, Mr. Ashford lent me a middle school uniform... Am I really that small?" Everyone laughed.

"...Will you two be staying in the girl's dorm?" Shirley asked. For some reason, she felt that a girl in the wheelchair should be living in the clubhouse, but something like that was absurd. Besides, Lelouch and Rolo were staying here; there would hardly be any space or... Shirley looked at Kaelin and thought that someone as pretty as her could easily grab Lulu's masculine heart before she could! The orange-haired teen wouldn't allow that! So she blurted out, "Well, you can't live here! Lelouch and Rolo are already here! A-And they're guys!"

Nalanie and Kaelin seemed to frown in response; the two of them were completely confused as a result of Shirley' sudden outburst. Suddenly, a voice from behind them called out, "Rolo and I are already where?" At the sound of the voice, Shirley seemed to blush a deeper shade of red as everyone turned to watch as Lelouch Lamperouge, along with Suzaku, walked in. They had been talking casually like they usually did, their main topic this morning either about Lelouch skipping class or why Suzaku decided to visit him so early in the morning.

"N-None of your business, Lulu!" Shirley stammered nervously before freezing up on the spot. She snapped out of quickly as everyone turned to face her. The orange-haired teen sighed in frustration before going back over to her spot around the large table in the room to finish up more of her Student Council work before class. "Rivalz, you better get to work too! The equestrian club is going to be pissed if we don't organize their budget by the time class starts!"

"I see the new students are here." Lelouch nodded casually at Kaelin and Nalanie who both waved shyly at the sharp purple-eyed student before he stood around the table. Rivalz, who remained standing instead of returning to work like Shirley insisted, along with Suzaku looked at the raven-haired teen before Lelouch explained, "I met these sisters earlier this morning; Principal Ashford introduced the two of them to Milly and I, seeing as we are President and Vice President of the Student Council respectively." His amethyst eyes gestured over to the seat closest to him; the one by the far side of the long desk, before pulling it out. "Take a seat. I'm sure you need to rest a bit."

"Oh, thank you." Without hesitation, Kaelin accepted the offer and sat down in her spot. Lelouch took the seat right beside her; Shirley's face reddened with envy. The lilac-haired teen pulled Nalanie beside her to the edge of the long brown desk, though she hardly noticed. Nalanie was busy absorbing everything about her surroundings. The cripple's eyes seemed to examine everything; from the walls, to the windows, and then to the faces of everyone here. Her sky blue eyes then landed at Suzaku's face who was watching her carefully.

"Suzaku!" Nalanie blurted out abruptly, her voice sounding as though he were a long-lost friend. Even she was unsure how she knew his name; after all, she had never truly seen the Japanese Knight in her life and no one in the room mentioned his name yet. Suzaku made a noise of surprise as his watchful gaze became a dangerous glare. However, Nalanie seemed unfazed as her eyes shone brightly, staring at the Knight of Seven in amazement.

From the corner of her vision, she could see Lelouch's face flash of concern, slightly panicked at her slip of tongue. Fortunately, she had come up with the perfect recovery. "Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Seven! I am SUCH a big fan! Wow, you are so much prettier in person!" Nalanie turned to Kaelin who had a look of pity on. "Kaelin nee-chan, do you have a pen and paper? I want to get an autograph!"

Lelouch chuckled lightly. "Nalanie, now's not the time." He reached over and gently placed a hand over Nalanie's, a sort of loving affection surfacing from behind his eyes. "I'm sure that even Suzaku needs a break from the publicity. It's a rule in our school that we refrain from harassing him." He said this in such a joking manner, his fingers lifting off of the cripple's hands mockingly. Nalanie directed a frown of annoyance towards him, her sky blue eyes simmering as a result of the Vice President's word choice.

"But I wasn't harassing him!" she protested.

Kaelin placed a hand over Nalanie just like Lelouch had and whispered in her ear, "Nalanie, it's fine." She then leaned back on her chair, her attention still on Nalanie. "You'll be going to this school regularly." she continued, her voice much louder for all to hear. "You can have a dose of Suzaku every single day if you would like. Ask him later, alright?" She pecked her sister lightly on the cheek and Nalanie blushed.

"Whatever you say, ane."

Suzaku then placed a small paper on the new student's lap before giving her a quick embrace. Nalanie opened it up and found that he had drawn his signature on it with black ink. She folded it up and looked back up to Suzaku curiously. "No, it's alright." he said, leaving Nalanie rather confused. "I don't mind it at all. Frankly, I kind of miss the warmer side of the attention being a Knight of the Round has gained me." He looked down and gave the floor a frown that he wanted to keep away from the crippled girl.

"Britannians hate me for being an Eleven and the Japanese detest me for being a Britannian wannabe. Unlike Lelouch implied, I have been asked for an autograph sparingly." The green-eyed Japanese teen winked at Nalanie, causing her to blush slightly. "It was nice meeting you, Nalanie-chan." A sad feeling seemed to cast over his face for a moment and disappeared in an instant as though it were never there. Needless to say, he was remembering what had happened two days ago.

Nalanie seemed to catch on to Suzaku's sorrow. "Is something wrong, Kururugi-shi?" she asked, amazing those unfamiliar with the use of that particular Japanese honorific. Suzaku wasn't too surprised; despite Nalanie's dominant Britannian looks, he figured, judging from her older sister, that she was probably half Eleven like a particular Guren pilot that comes to mind.

"Nothing, Nalanie-chan." Suzaku replied. "Nothing is wrong." He ran his fingers through his short and curly brown hair before sitting down across from Lelouch, clasping his hands together in front of him on the table as though he were praying. It was pretty evident to everyone that he was hiding something, but no one wished to delve any further in fear that it most likely involved confidential military issues. "But thank you for your concern; it means a lot."

"So Suzaku..." Lelouch started as though he weren't aware of his depression at all; his deep amethyst oculars sparked jokingly. "I heard something did happen yesterday. What happened?" Suzaku's emerald orbs flashed dangerously as Lelouch pressed, "I recall that during the party, you mentioned that the new Viceroy of Area 11 was supposed to make an announcement later today, but I just heard that the assembly for said announcement just got cancelled. Can you tell us anything about it?"

Kaelin leaned in behind Lelouch's head, Shirley watching the two carefully. Silently, she hissed, "What the hell are you doing? Are you going to blow our cover?" She pulled away and looked at the ebony - haired teen passively. Lelouch continued to look at Suzaku as though he hadn't been aware of Kaelin's movements, his gaze still imploring an answer from the Knight of Seven. Lelouch then twitched his hands, successfully drawing in Kaelin's attention like he had anticipated. Looking through the corner of her eye, Kaelin watched as his fingers shifted silently underneath the table and made different signals, tapping onto his knees in particular intervals as though a parlour trick.

He was using sign language.

"I am having fun with Suzaku."

Kaelin's ability in sign language was developed when she was young and had to care for a girl who had gone deaf from the Pacific war. It has been eight years since then and her skills were sketchy, but Lelouch used simple signs that anyone, whether they possess the knowledge of the language or not, could understand and he repeated the message three times so Kallen could catch on. It was just coincidence that she knew how to read the signals properly, but it was clearly the language of the deaf. He was using the tip of his knee as though it were his chest, which is why he seemed to be tapping his knee in rhythm.

After repeating the message three times, Lelouch varied the hand signals again, creating a different message. This time, he needed to use his other hand, so he reached his right hand over to his left knee before moving them around in different patterns, making sure to choose simple signs again and repeating the message slowly and carefully.

"I will not risk you. I will not reveal you. Pay attention."

There could have been a more sagacious way of sending that message, but the fact that he was only to use simple signs was a roadblock that required many detours. Kaelin looked back at Suzaku who was returning Lelouch's look with a murderous glare. Nalanie's elder sister was aware of what was most likely running through the Japanese teen's mind; he was trying to find a hole in Lelouch's story that he could poke at, a hole that the Vice President of Ashford Academy shouldn't be aware of unless he was Zero.

However, whether Lelouch knew it or not – though considering who this was, Kaelin had faith that he knew what he was doing – he had lathered his story with the voice of reason. The story was short, concise, and provided no opportunities for Suzaku. This is why after the long silence, Suzaku looked down again and scratched his head nervously. Kaelin glanced over at Lelouch who was observing him, his piercing gaze directing Kaelin to the strength of Suzaku's scratching specifically. Though he was hiding it through the hair strands, the power of that scratching was beyond ridiculous and could actually hurt; there was no doubt that he was frustrated.

Suzaku looked back at everyone with a nervous smile plastered onto his face, hiding his true feelings behind the mask of an average high school student. "It's no surprise that you're right again, Lelouch." he remarked with an almost content tone that shouldn't have been warranted in this situation. Lelouch's eyebrow perked up, acknowledging his 'surprising' answer. Kaelin glanced over to his lap one more time to check if he intended on sending her another secret message, but nothing came.

"What do you mean?" Rivalz exclaimed just as he finally sat down to work on the bills for the equestrian club. He was just about to start, but Suzaku had distracted him. "D-Did something happen to the new Viceroy on the way here?" He tapped the black pen onto his cheek thoughtfully before dramatically pointing straight into Suzaku's face before yelling out, "It wasn't Zero and the Black Knights, was it?"

Suzaku looked to Rivalz straight in the eye, his facade wavering. The stare caused a shiver to go up Rivalz's spine as he put his arm back to his side and was tempted to break the powerful gaze. The emerald-eyed teen then said, "That is correct." before turning back to Lelouch and saying, "I would elaborate more on the matter, but it's a military secret for now. Besides, I'm sure you'll be able to find more information quickly, considering your sources." His voice was deep and ominous, but despite the dark intentions, Lelouch was unmoved.

"Damn." the ebony-haired teen chuckled. "And here I was hoping I could get some information from the one guy I know who was there at the time." His hair covered his eyes, creating a mysterious air around him as he muttered irritably, "Though, you're wrong. Despite my status here, I doubt I'll be able to dig up anything real. You over-estimate the rank a Student Council member of some average high school has in society." He looked back into the eyes of Suzaku as he commented wryly, "Or perhaps you were discussing of something else."

"Well, you could always try!" Shirley chimed in, oblivious to the tension between the darkly smiling Lelouch and the fake contented Suzaku. "I mean, the girls here will tell you anything if you so much as ask." Lelouch and Suzaku turned away from one another and gave Shirley a sceptical look, only now catching onto what she was insinuating. Lelouch's look specifically caused the orange-haired teen to blush before trying to hide her face by diving right back into the paperwork. However, the red tinge was clearly visible and it caused everyone to laugh. Her reddened cheeks became more noticeable as Shirley screamed, "Don't laugh at me!" Typical teenage behaviour meant that her outburst could only induce more laughter.

After letting out a dramatic groan of defeat, Shirley slumped over the papers gripped onto the pen more tightly, muttered something under her breath, and completely engulfed herself in work to try and distil her emotions. It didn't take long for the mocking laughter to die down, mainly due to pity, but also because Shirley's embarrassment lost its comedic qualities.

Lelouch turned back to Suzaku who was looking at Nalanie thoughtfully before turning back to him with quite the devilish smirk on his face. It was rather evident from the sudden change of emotion Suzaku revealed that a plot had formed quickly in the Japanese teen's mind and somehow, the raven-haired teen knew that this did not bode well for him.

Lelouch crudely recalled one comment Suzaku had made on their early morning walk here that didn't stick out in particular at the time, but vexed him like a thorn in his side as he watched Suzaku's eyes widen; the plan was taking flight in his mind. It was a comment made about Lelouch's lack of effort in Physical Education class. At the time, it was a small joke, but considering Suzaku's current state of mind, it was not coincidence that this was the first thing Lelouch figured was running through his friend's thoughts right now.

"Lelouch..." Suzaku started, his tone sloped upwards indicating that it was the start of a question. Said boy raised an eyebrow in response as the brown-haired teen continued. "Do you recall our talk this morning about how I thought that the reason you're missing out on Phys. Ed classes is because you lack exercise in general?"

"...Of course I'm right..." Lelouch retorted mentally as he silently nodded, already piecing together what this would lead to. His muscles had begun to ache from the future physical torment they were about to endure. It was almost as though they were trying to get used to it now so the pain wouldn't be as harsh. His face became slightly paler as Suzaku caught on to his agitation and pressed on.

Suzaku quickly got up and bounded over to Lelouch's side where he pulled him up and began the process of dragging him out the door. "We'll see you two in class!" Suzaku exclaimed as he lugged an unwilling Lelouch out the door. Lelouch didn't make a sound as he tried to fight back against the Lancelot pilot to no avail. Suzaku's grip on his wrist was too tight; Lelouch wouldn't be able to get it loose even if he cut Suzaku's arm off. "Lelouch and I are going for a little run!"

This time, it was Shirley's turn to burst out laughing. "Lulu and running don't mix, Suzaku!" she exclaimed as everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to Lelouch's loud protests out the door. "Just like cats and tomatoes! But good luck with that anyway!" Kaelin, Nalanie, and Rivalz joined in with Shirley's now hysterical laughter as Lelouch finally caved in and screamed down the hall of the clubhouse, waking Rolo up.

"Was that... Big Brother?" The younger Lamperouge murmured thoughtfully as he rubbed his eyes tiredly to try and rid himself of the heaviness in his eyelids that came from fatigue. The young boy was still in his bedroom in the clubhouse and had just woken up to something. Unlike those of the Student Council and the two new students downstairs, all other students weren't required to wake up as early.

He glanced over to the alarm clock on the side of his bed as he sat up. The time was now 7:14 AM; his alarm clock was to ring in one minute. Rolo turned the alarm off before it could start blaring needlessly as he muttered under his breath, "I could have just sworn I heard nii-san's scream... hmm..." He shrugged to himself, believing that it must have been part of his dream. After all, something that could make someone like Lelouch scream horrifically must quite the terrifying prospect.

Lelouch, from experience, knew that there was no use in him trying to fight against Suzaku's grip; though that didn't really matter because Suzaku was running way too quickly for his own good. The ex-prince could only pay attention to trying to keep up with his Japanese friend in order to avoid tripping and falling disgracefully onto the ground. Part of him wanted to just collapse as the two of them ran down the main driveway that ran down towards to fountain on Ashford grounds. Maybe if he purposely tripped right now, he could drag Suzaku down with him, thus inflicting well-deserved pain on the other boy...

"Suzaku, can't you slow down?" Lelouch huffed, wheezing slightly as Suzaku pulled him on, making a sharp right turn into the dense bush that served as a border on the outskirts of the campus. However, the Japanese teen didn't slow down; in fact, it seemed as though he picked up the pace, jumping over a bush that Lelouch could only charge through, miraculously keeping his balance while doing so. Suzaku expertly dodged branch after branch; Lelouch amateurishly kept running, getting whipped in the face by said branch after branch.

After another ten minutes of Suzaku's running and Lelouch's panting, their efforts soon led to an opening on the other side of the bush. The Japanese teen's smile broadened even more as he mercifully let go of Lelouch's arm and sprinted at full speed, bursting out into the clearing. Lelouch stumbled and slowed down to a cross between a walk and the limp of a dying bear as he caught up with Suzaku eventually. The Britannian, still struggling to catch his breath, quickly took in his surroundings before saying, "Of course only you would know a short-cut to the track, Suzaku."

"And so begins your daily training!" Suzaku replied, too jubilantly for his own good. He talked about what was to come as though it had been a special surprise he was excited to reveal. "Seeing as I am your friend, Coach Villetta has asked me to assist in your Phys. Ed learning."

"I need to have a talk with Coach Villetta after this." Lelouch muttered quietly. Suzaku looked to him, only hearing glimpses of what he had said, but Lelouch made it seem like he had said nothing and was wondering what Suzaku was talking about, trying to pass the Japanese teen off as slightly delusional. Suzaku shrugged it off; he didn't really care.

The two walked towards the track, one more reluctant than the other. As soon as they reached the empty grounds, Suzaku tossed Lelouch a pair of gym shorts. "I believe you'll need these." he commented. Lelouch had been half-expecting to see the traditional Ashford uniform shorts, but this pair was black instead of the usual green. They flipped in the air before Lelouch caught the fabric and allowed it to crumple to his touch.

"So I have the change out in the open?" he commented without much protest in his voice; the track was barren at the moment so he should be fine. The ebony-haired teen's eyes squandered the grounds, still making sure that there was no one around, before beginning to unbutton his Ashford jacket. He took the time to fold it neatly before setting it on the grass. Suzaku was turned away, looking out into the distant open and focused on his breathing. Lelouch, seeing this, unzipped his pants and removed them without much thought to the other's presence before hastily jumping into the shorts. He unbuttoned his white collared shirt halfway before poking Suzaku on the shoulder, indicating that he was finished.

"I suppose we should start with seeing you run at least one lap around the track, then work from there." Suzaku murmured. He seemed to be talking more to himself then telling Lelouch what to do. The ex-prince tried to sneak over to the bush where perhaps he could hide out before finally escaping, but Suzaku was watching over him like a hawk, telling him that there was no way that he could escape while he was here and no matter what, he was forced to run. There was no use in protesting, so Lelouch remained silent and reserved the energy for the actual run.

Sighing exasperatedly, Lelouch reluctantly began to jog along the track, Suzaku right on his tail. He wasn't able to slow down or stop without being scolded by his friend. Just with Suzaku's presence alone, he was being threatened in some way. Temptations to either start walking or stop altogether plagued his mind. Even after only the first 100 metres, Lelouch could already begin to feel the lactic acid build-up hampering his performance, but with Suzaku just behind him, he couldn't stop.

After about a couple of minutes consisting of converting energy into movement, Lelouch opened his closed eyes and realized his location on the track. "The finish line's right there!" he thought. Speed suddenly burst out of the black-haired teen's legs as he sprinted the remaining 100 meters to get the torment over and done with. He turned back to Suzaku who also began to jog in order to keep pace; the entire time, he had been walking behind Lelouch.

Walking!
As though the ex-prince needed to suffer even more humiliation.

Lelouch gritted his teeth as he willed his legs to go on.

After crossing the point where they started, the Britannian collapsed onto the grass, dying from lack of breath and exhaustion. Suzaku chuckled lightly as he tossed Lelouch a cold water bottle. From the looks of things, it was as though Suzaku had just been standing for five minutes; he didn't break a sweat at all. Suzaku's friend opened the cap like a greedy child and downed half the bottle on the spot. He sighed out in relief as he capped the bottle once more and tossed it onto the soft grass. He unbuttoned the rest of the buttons of his shirt and took it off completely. His chest glistened with sweat and was visibly moving up and down as Lelouch did his best to catch his breath.

"Great job. " Suzaku commented, trying to act like a real coach by giving his students much-needed motivation. "At least you can run one lap... simply means you're not as hopeless as most of us think you are." His emerald eyes glittered devilishly as he examined Lelouch's status. "We need to run some more. Class won't start for another thirty minutes so we have time. C'mon, up you get." Suzaku bent down and grabbed onto Lelouch's arm, only to be slapped across the face by a panting Lelouch.

"Oh hell no!" Lelouch protested, too tired to realize what he was saying. His eyelids were only half open with fatigue as sweat beaded his reddened cheeks. He had a tired look in his eye as he hissed, "You must think you're so tough, mercilessly making me run against my will. I'm sure Valetta didn't really tell you to needlessly torture your own friend; she's not the type of woman to do that." Lelouch picked up the water bottle and dumped its contents onto his head. He concluded by shifting effortlessly to Suzaku's native language. "You idiot... I'm going back."

Suzaku didn't move as Lelouch got up and gathered his discarded clothes, completely ignoring the Japanese teen. He was completely shocked, even if he knew that it was only a tired Lelouch complaining about the unnecessary work. Those words reminded him too much of Lelouch's Geass... bending people's will and torturing them. It was rather cliché but even Suzaku agreed; he was only doing this to torture Lelouch and get back at Zero for kidnapping precious Nunnally. After all, now he had no idea where Nunnally was or what Zero intended to do with her. If Lelouch was Zero, then this exercise could serve as a form of punishment, but if Lelouch hadn't awakened...

There was no thinking involved.
He just needed to see Zero suffer.

Lelouch, not thinking about Suzaku at all, was about to walk off into the bush when a collective group of loud squeals was heard at the edge of the track. Lelouch and Suzaku's heads whipped towards the source of the screaming and found a group of girls pointing wildly at the shirtless Lelouch. One of them was on the ground, completely melted at the site of Lelouch's sexy body.

Lelouch cursed under his breath, realizing who those girls were. "No way..."

One of the girls in the group then screamed out, "Lelouch is shirtless!"

Somehow, her proclamation managed to reach the ears of 90% of those in the girl's dorm nearby. The news spread like an instantaneous wildfire as the squealing quickly spread, a wave of glee washing over those infatuated with the sexy beast, Lelouch Lamperouge. Screaming could easily be heard, even from where Lelouch and Suzaku were. The girl who had shouted smiled triumphantly; after all, she was the head of Lelouch's fangirl club and it was her duty to update every participant in the events of Lelouch Lamperouge's life. Lelouch himself had thought he had finally rid himself of them last year through his authority as Vice President – the concept of the existence of a club that worships him was creepy to say the least – but it turns out that the club was still alive and well.

Suzaku could only smirk at the sheer irony. Perhaps this was karma? But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel that Lelouch's hurtful words were right. This is why he still refused to move as the girls stampeded across the track faster than Lelouch had anticipated. Lelouch bolted off through the underbrush to try and get away, screaming in fear before realizing that the noise would only make it easier for the girls to track him down. The group of females chased after him; one of them seemed to produce a net out of thin air and raised it out with a battle cry.

"For Lelouch's heart!" she screamed.

"God, just shut up!" Lelouch cried out in response, a new wave of energy surging through his body as his mind predicted what sorts of despicable things these girls would do if they got their hands on him. Suzaku calmly watched as one of the girls pinpointed the direction Lelouch had run off to, instigating the four of them sprinting off at double the speed Lelouch was going. It wouldn't be long before he had four girls on him, either idolizing his natural beauty or taking pictures to put up on their blogs. After all, a picture of Lelouch shirtless could make a lot of money if sold on campus.

Lelouch eventually burst out into the open after back-tracking the route Suzaku had taken him. He had reached the fountain once again, where surprisingly the two new students last seen in the Student Council Clubhouse were standing, shocked to see him both running out of the woods and half naked. In the distance, more screaming could be heard as the rustling amidst the trees got closer and closer. The look of relief formed on Lelouch's tired face as he leaped into the fountain and hid behind the wall of the fountain's bowl. He suddenly cursed under his breath. "Got my clothes wet." he muttered.

"Lelouch, what happened?" Kaelin exclaimed worriedly. Nalanie turned her wheelchair around to face Lelouch with a worried expression on as well. "We heard some loud screaming moments ago and thought something was wrong, so we tried looking for you." the lilac-haired teen continued. The rustling seemed to get even closer and Kaelin glanced over to the dense bush before asking, "What were you doing in the brush anyway? And where's Suzaku? Wasn't he with you?"

"Now's not the time for questions, Kallen." Lelouch hissed, referring to the purple-haired girl.

"You mean Kaelin." The elder sister replied, enunciating her alias carefully before lifting a hand and removing the hairline to reveal the red hair underneath; a typical move to reveal the truth about her identity. She fixed her wig once more and scanned the area over to make sure no one was within earshot. If anyone, under any circumstances, had learned that they were under false guises, Lelouch would either Geass them to forget or Kallen would beat them up until they were black and blue and were unaware of what had happened; under Zero's discretion, of course. "And before you told me that you wouldn't risk revealing my identity in such a cocky manner."

"Like I said, now is not the time, Kouzuki!" Lelouch snapped a tad bit too loudly for his own good. The girls chasing after him figured out the direction in which his voice had come from and soon burst out of the bush, screaming wildly. Lelouch cursed once more and took in a deep breath before he dipped back under the water. Kaelin and Nalanie understood the problem and slid over to conceal him a bit more. Three girls stopped in front of the fountain and scouted the area while the girl with the net, presumably the group leader, walked towards Kaelin and Nalanie.

"I could have sworn I heard Lelouch's voice but the only people here are those two..." the girl with the net muttered hastily as the other three groaned in disappointment. They all paused in unison for a moment to catch their breath before they began their hectic search for the Ashford Academy Student Council Vice President. The girl holding the net sprinted up to Kaelin and Nalanie and asked, "Have you two seen Lelouch?"

"Umm... who?" Kaelin asked innocently. She was supposed to play a new student at Ashford after all and these girls didn't need to know that she had already met him earlier. Nalanie nodded, explaining how she didn't know who this Lelouch character was as well.

"O-Oh, you two must be new students..." the girl sighed outwardly, realizing the resemblance between the cripple and her elder sister. " That would explain why I haven't seen you two before. Also, everyone on campus should know of Lelouch Lamperouge, Vice President of the Student Council and my future love." A girl still searching the area for Lelouch complained against the fangirl group leader's statement, prompting the girl with the net to say, "Whatever you say, Emily!" before she turned back to Kaelin and Nalanie. "Well, in any case, he's really hot. The four of us just saw Lelouch shirtless and we want to try and get a picture at least. Emily wants to confess to him too."

Nalanie chuckled lightly at the comments the girl was making about her new friend as Kaelin thought, "Is that really what the girls here think of Lelouch these days? Even when C2 and I were watching over him over the course of his amnesiac year, we never really saw much evidence of his dangerous fangirls." Clearly, she wasn't aware of Lelouch's tactics to try and rid himself of his nagging fangirl problem before the Black Rebellion last year.

"We can't find him!" One of the girls admitted with a melancholy look on her face. She had been so excited to spot Lelouch at such a fortunate time; it was a shame to let go of their prize so quickly. Now they didn't have any proof of sighting Lelouch shirtless out in the open after just running. It would have made an amazing story to share with all of the other girls infatuated with the ebony-haired teen, but they lucked out this time.

"Sucks, huh?" the girl with the net replied, also as sad as the others. "I don't know where else to look. How could Lelouch have gotten away so quickly from us? I mean, he's hopeless at athletics!"

"Well, he was running when we spotted him!" Another girl inputted. "Maybe he has been secretly training."

"I suppose you're right."

"We should all probably be getting back now." Kaelin suggested. She looked down at the silver Rolex watch on her wrist as she said, "It's getting late and there's still class. I'm sure that Lelouch will turn up again later today; you can all stalk him then." She smiled at the two as Nalanie agreed with her elder sister's statement, trying to help out with the situation. The four girls easily absorbed their words and took it into consideration.

The two sisters then began to stroll back towards Ashford, prompting the girl with the net along with her fellow partners to follow them. Behind the scenes, they were purposely leading them away from where the ebony-haired teen was hiding so he could have an opportunity to escape. A few paces on, Nalanie was keeping two of the girls distracted with her questions about Ashford as Kaelin glanced back at fountain. She spotted Lelouch looking just over the rim of the fountain basin, watching them carefully as he waited for the perfect opportunity to escape. He sank back down, now watching them from the reflection of the water. A small irregular splash was created as a result.

The girl with the net noticed that Kaelin was watching the fountain and followed her gaze. This is when she noticed a blurry silhouette in the reflection of the water. It was tough to tell from the growing distance and the constantly moving liquid, but the one thing that her eyes honed in on were the pair of sharp violet irises that were attributed to the one man they were looking for.

"L-Lelouch was in the fountain!" she proclaimed in surprise.

Everyone halted abruptly, staring back at the girl and the fountain in surprise. Kaelin's eyes widened as Nalanie too tried to look over her shoulder to see her brother. However, she was incapable of doing so due to Kaelin's stance. The four girls sprinted over to the fountain, all of them screaming "I found him!" in unison, focusing on the pair of sharp purple orbs gazing at them lazily.

Suddenly, they stopped a metre away from the fountain, irresistibly staring at the reflection of what they assumed were Lelouch's eyes in the water. Under normal circumstances, they would have kept running and pounced on Lelouch to catch him; the distance they were at now was too far away to do anything to the man in the fountain. A voice lathered with the undeniable urge to obey it rang out in the air as observation revealed that one of the purple orbs had become a more paranormal red.

"You will forget everything you have experienced within the past thirty minutes. You will not chase after Lelouch Lamperouge. And if anyone ever asks about what has occurred this morning, you will deny seeing me."

"Yeah, sure thing." they replied, their own eyes suddenly rimmed with the same red glow as the eye they were currently staring into. A glazed look washed over the four girls as they walked back towards the girl's dorm as though in a deep trance, completely monotonous. The girl with the net even made the net disappear into the thin air she had pulled it out of previously, holding it in a way where it would be unnoticeable without proper observation. Nalanie stared at them in amazement as the four of them walked past hypnotically, completely under Lelouch's will. As soon as they were out of earshot, Lelouch stepped out of the fountain and sighed exasperatedly.

"I didn't want to use my Geass on them, I admit." the ex-prince lamented with a solemn look on his face as he threw on his soggy shirt and made it to Kaelin and Nalanie's side. Kaelin nodded, understanding of the circumstances. "I'm probably going to be late for class now; I still need a change of clothes too. Damn, that Suzaku owes me." Lelouch looked over to Nalanie who remained silent before worry struck him. "Nunnally, you were..."

"N-No... don't worry about anything." Nalanie replied hesitantly. She was still deep in thought. Kaelin wouldn't let her look back at Lelouch at the time and she could only hear what was going on; at the time, Kaelin had completely forgotten that Lelouch's Geass could only work on someone once and because Lelouch had already used Geass on Nunnally to enable her to see, his command wouldn't have affected her anyway. Just from the sounds of the voices, it was clear to Nalanie that this Geass was some form of hypnotic power. She had to assume that this was the same power Lelouch used to help her regain her eyesight. "You'll explain this Geass to me when we talk, right Lelouch?"

"...Of course, Nunna." Lelouch replied softly, in the back of his mind still worried about all of these issues accumulating. He was nervous for when the two of them finally gained an opportunity to have their full-on talk. "I promised, right?" He glanced around and noticed a couple of boys heading for school, talking with one another casually. If he didn't make it back to the Clubhouse soon, others may spot him in his revealing condition which would do nothing beneficial for his reputation. It was difficult to ward off four girls, let alone over a thousand students. Looking back at the two false sisters with worry, he said, "Stay at the Clubhouse for now. I'll meet up with you two there; I just need to go ahead to get into a dry set of clothes."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Kaelin smirked. "We'll see you later, Vice Prez!" The lilac-haired teen called out jokingly as Lelouch grinned and waved back before he ran off at top speed. Kaelin sighed contently as she brushed her younger sister's pink wig hair before giving the wheelchair a much stronger push to accelerate a bit. "So how are you, Nunna? You still well?"

"Yeah, I guess so..." she sighed, purposely sounding depressed. Her perspective on her real brother had shifted completely, especially after witnessing him using Geass on others. On the spot, she had managed to figure out that this Geass enabled him the power to bend another's will; it was a despicable ability that could produce terrifying prospects. It's no wonder he was able to create the Black Knights, the most powerful force to ever counter Britannia in the longest time.

"Hmm, I suppose you're still conflicted about your brother, huh?" Kaelin murmured thoughtfully as the two trekked on, minding their own business. "I'm sure I've already told you, but I was the same way when I found out the truth about Lelouch all those years ago. It took me a long time and a lot of persuasion to get over it, but now I realize the truth of the matter. Reason will come to you in time, Nunna. So just give it a bit of patience."

"I know, I know." Nalanie moaned, not enjoying the reassuring lecture she had heard from Kallen a million times. She remained silent for a bit, listening only to the squeak of the newer version of her old silver wheelchair that Lelouch had provided for her as soon as they had reached the Tokyo Settlement yesterday. Nalanie rubbed her fingers nervously, in her mind debating certain matters before looking up into the eyes of Kallen Kouzuki. "So Kallen..." she started softly. "...Did Lelouch use his Geass on him too? Is that why you're in the Black Knights?"

"Good question." Kaelin hummed, giving Nalanie a half-smile. "I wondered that a while ago as well, but your brother told me that though he did use his Geass on me, it did nothing to influence my major choices. I chose terrorism on my own. I'm sorry Nunna." She picked up the pace a bit more seeing that they were almost at the Clubhouse. "Now that I think about it..." Kaelin reminisced on a particular moment a while back involving Shinjuku. "Never mind. Looks like we're here."

Shirley and Rivalz were walking out of the doors of the Clubhouse together, just in time to hold the door open for Kaelin and Nalanie. "It's great to see you two again!" Shirley exclaimed as she held the door open for the two and waited for Kaelin to push Nalanie up the ramp. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour here... I expect you in class soon Kaelin."

"Of course." Kaelin replied before turning to Rivalz who was still gushing at her, his eyes directed to her rack once again. She wanted to slap him again, but he was holding the other door and a slap may cause him to let go of the door and cause harm to Nunnally while doing so. And as a result, Lelouch would not be happy with that news. Instead, she ignored him and walked on. Nalanie took the liberty of thanking him for her, explaining that her sister wasn't interested. Rivalz groaned before he and Shirley headed off for class.

Lelouch then bounded down the stairs in a new dry set of the Ashford uniform, a towel over his shoulders, and a brown book bag containing the textbooks needed for his next few periods in his hand. His hair was freshly dried and combed and his eyes were bright and jubilant at the sight of the two by the base of the stairs. He waved to them and they waved back.

"You two should rest up in my room for now." Lelouch suggested as he made it by their side and gestured over to the elevator nearby, making it convenient for Nalanie's disability. The bell rang in the distance, instigating the start of first period. Lelouch shrugged. "Then again, I didn't plan on attending first period anyway; I'll show you where it is right now."

"No, I think I still remember where your room is, Lelouch." Lelouch was surprised to find that it was Kaelin who said this and not Nalanie. He gave her a sceptical look before she explained, "C2 and I were keeping a tab on you during the year you spent here on your own." She blushed slightly, realizing how embarrassing that must have sounded before Lelouch laughed. "But you need to attend your classes still... it's not good if you keep skipping them."

"Right, right." Lelouch chuckled sarcastically before bending down before Nalanie. He looked around again to make sure no one else was around; one can never be too careful. "Nunnally, how are you enjoying yourself?" he asked calmly, pressing down on Nalanie's cheekbones to remove the facial mask that hid Nunnally's true facial features. He then pecked his sister on the cheek with his lips, causing her to smile. "I hope you are; I had to pull a ton of strings to get you here." His voice made it sound like he was simply joking about the matter and that it was a simple matter to deal with in the end, but Nunnally knew that it was difficult to get the 87th princess of Britannia and captive of the Black Knights into the commoner school.

"I never knew that Ashford was so big!" Nunally exclaimed, her indigo orbs glistening contently. All three of them shared wonderful memories at this school, whether it was something as simple as stressing over school or just being with one another to specific events and festivals the upbeat Milly Ashford held, containing the trademark splendour she seemed to always provide without fail. The crippled girl wrapped her arms around her older brother before whispering in his ear, "Thank you for letting us come back here, Lelouch." She brushed against his neck. "No matter what, I-I love you, big brother."

"...Thank you."

Kallen had turned around to watch those passing by through the small window by the door before looking away and taking off her facial mask as well to scratch one area that had been bothering her all morning. The gel that helped adjusted the shape of her face were irritating her skin, but she wasn't able to relieve the irritation without taking off her mask which is something she couldn't do whenever she chose. "So we're safe here?" the redhead asked, not realizing that she was disturbing a wonderful sibling moment.

Lelouch was released from Nunnally's grip and stood up. "Yes, the two of you should be okay here for now. Just in case, you should keep your disguises on and refrain from referring to one another with your real names. If anyone asks, you have accepted my offer to shelter you here due to Nalanie's disability and the advantages the Student Council clubhouse provides for her. During the week you have before you are forced to make a choice between whether you want to attend Ashford for the remainder of the year, you two will also be sleeping here." The three walked towards the elevator where Lelouch pressed the button for the next floor.

"I've already contacted Sayoko in the Chinese Federation and she told me that she'll be arriving within the week." The three then entered the elevator, waiting for the doors to close before Lelouch continued explaining. "I believe that you should be able to figure out how to get your meals and such; if you have any questions, just shout." The doors opened, revealing a hall on the second floor. They stepped out of the elevator cabin. "The fourth door down is my room; the one beside it is Rolo's. The washroom's just further down and the laundry room's downstairs. You two can stay in my room for now; the other rooms haven't been furnished yet so..."

Kallen placed a hand on Lelouch's shoulder, causing him to stop his explanation of everything. She accepted his thoughtfulness and worry for their well-being, but she could handle herself. After all, Zero trusted her to care for his most beloved person. "Like you said, we should be able to figure out the system. But thank you." Kallen walked over to Lelouch's room, opened the door, and smiled. "Good thing you're a neat freak; I can't stand messy rooms." Nunnally giggled as well as Kallen waved Lelouch farewell, cuing for him to leave.

Realizing what was going on, Lelouch nodded in reply, smiling gratefully. "Take care then, you two." the Vice President called out before bounding down the stairs for the third time that morning. "I'll drop by during my lunch period to check up on the two of you, which reminds me; the kitchen—"

"We'll be fine, Lelouch-senpai!" Nunnally yelled back, playing the role of a Japanese-Britannian hybrid named Nalanie once more. "Iroiro arigatou gozaimasu! Thank you for everything!" She looked to Kallen, her eyes wondering if she had translated that properly and Kallen nodded, impressed with the princess' apparent knowledge in Japanese. Nunnally waved calmly until Lelouch was out of sight.

"Mondai nai!" was Lelouch's playful response before he lazily tossed the towel on his shoulder onto the ottoman by the window and exited the door back out into the outside world, playing the role of a traditional Ashford student once more. His truly content smile dispersed as the mask of a cool and collected Lelouch Lamperouge was placed onto his face once more. Kallen took the liberty to cart Nunnally over to one of the large windows in Lelouch's room so they could watch him walk off until they were satisfied. They knew he wasn't going to class; it was a habit of his to always miss first period to read up on the roof.

Kallen's eyebrow quirked up; she was surprised to see the true beauty of one of Lelouch's real smiles. She then looked to Nunnally, the only real lucky recipient of such gorgeous smiles. "I suppose I'm going to take a little washroom break, alright Nalanie?" Kallen explained before turning the wheelchair to face the door. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere without me."

"Yeah, just go."

Kallen then stepped from behind Nunnally's wheelchair before walking down the hall towards the door Lelouch had pointed out previously. Nunnally could hear a door open before closing once more. Now that everything was silent, she wheeled herself over to Lelouch's bed to lie down and rest a bit. The covers smelled a lot like lavender, her brother's trademark scent. The mattress was soft as she closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to engulf her. A yawn escaped her lips; she decided to take a nap until her big brother visited over for lunch later today.

In the silence, the metallic sound of sharp steel gliding against one another in the brunette's hands was audible. No one had questioned where he had been the entire time; frankly, no one cared. Being completely ignored after being replaced hurt his feelings. He had been debating whether or not he should do something about this and in the end he had decided.

But that was all in the past.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was where he was now.

"...Is there someone there?" Nunnally murmured, half to herself. She turned onto her other side to see a silhouette of a person hidden in the dark corner of Lelouch's room. "Kaelin-nee san... is that you? Back from your bathroom break so quickly?" She squinted, her vision blurred from that moment she had closed them. The person stepped out into the open, the blade hidden behind his back.

"That's incorrect, Nunnally vi Britannia." he replied coldly. "I'm Rolo."

Nunnally, unsuspecting of anything, smiled. Her brother told her a bit about this Rolo character. She pushed against the mattress to sit up and get a better look at Rolo. His looks really do look as though he were related to the three of them; his brown hair and indigo eyes did make it seem as though he shared some form of connection between Nunnally herself at least. "Lelouch told me about you... this makes us siblings, right? Rolo-ani, it's good to see you."

Rolo stopped in his tracks.
She called her his brother.

"...I'm not your brother..." he hissed underneath his hot breath, his clutch tightening around the blade. He looked down onto the ground, the family term getting to him. Such a futile weakness, but nevertheless, "...Only big brother has the right to call me that...!" He was shivering, showing Nunnally his falter. In his anger, he looked up to face Nunnally's innocently smiling face and activated his Geass, feeling his heart stop in the process.

He pulled out the blade from behind his back.

A/N: DONE!

It is done, it is done, it is done!

This was definitely a difficult chapter for me to write. I'm already anticipating a few comments on how out-of-character Lelouch, Suzaku, and a few others may have been which is why I am admitting my weakness now. I can also admit that I rushed this chapter, especially the scene where Suzaku was forcing Lelouch to run the track. Running 400 metres isn't that hard, but Lelouch just ran ten minutes prior to that so fatigue was a huge factor in his actions afterwards.

And before you ask, no, I wasn't misspelling Kallen and Nunnally's name throughout the chapter. Kaelin and Nalanie Thompson are the pseudonyms I have decided they shall go by while in Ashford. It serves as a form of dramatic irony in the story; the characters (aside from those who obviously know the truth) cannot connect the relatively similar names and their true identities together. Suzaku does get suspicious, as will be seen in the next chapter.

Weekly updates were my promise and I will still do my best to stick to that pledge. Thank you everyone for sticking around; the many favs, subs, and reviews are hearty for the budding writer's soul. In fact, I've been accumulating how many emails I get from this story alone and I already have over 100 ^^; And that's only for three chapters! Arigatou gozaimasu!

Comments, questions, and critiques are well appreciated. Feel free to submit beta-reader offers or new ideas as well.

And to those who were hoping to see the Black Knight's party, my planning says that you should see that in about three-four chapters.

I'll see you all Chapter 5!