AN: I don't think it needs to be said, but it is about time that this was updated. More than a couple of scenes, in both this fic and others, having giving me major writers block brining any progress I could make to a grinding halt, but I finally got this up though there are parts that I wish to have written better or felt like I left them underdeveloped. My next updates will likely be the Legend of Korra crossover, which is one of the ones giving major trouble, or more likely Shinobi Shaman which will be a shorter chapter. Either way I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto, Code Geass, or anything else that might appear in this fic.

Chapter 11

"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Speakers/Radio"
Flashback
"Jutsu"
(Author Notes)

Cornelia took one quick steadying breath even as she felt her heart racing. In an instant, the Second Princess lashed out decimating three Burai with her Gloucester in seconds, thrusting her spear through the third and pinning it into the ground, before sparring a few moments to attack the Guren and provide Lancelot with some kind of opening that it might exploit. With each passing moment, Cornelia remembered how she first earned the title of "Goddess of Victory" as old instincts and skills that had been dulled with the countless battles that she had won easily slowly awoke. Her opponents weren't infinite and their skills as pilots were average at best. Yet the humiliation that she had suffered at losing to them drove her forward making her fight harder than was required. Besides that, the red Knightmare Frame was proving itself more than a challenge. "Is that all you've got?!" Cornelia roared in the heat of the moment as she charged at her next opponent.

For her opponents, they were reminded of how the Second Princess of Britannia earned her other title of "The Witch of Britannia" as they tried to not only survive her but also defeat her, their eyes fixated on the blood of their fallen comrade that was dripping off her lance. They watched in terrified awe as the Gloucester moved as if possessed instead of simply piloted performing feats impossible in their minds. Its Slash Harkens weaving through the air either striking down opponents or safely moving the purple Knightmare out of the way of danger almost as if of their own accord. Anger and fear was prominent in the minds of the Black Knights that faced her seeking to avenge their fallen comrades while praying not to end up like them.

Kallen grit her teeth in frustration as she tried to defeat the White Knightmare that was proving to be her Knightmare's equal. Zero had disappeared several minutes ago, while trying to escape the White Knightmare and while worried about her leader's whereabouts she also had to contend with Cornelia's attacks when the Viceroy had the chance between tearing through her fellow Black Knights. As a woman Kallen couldn't help but feel pride at the obvious skills that Cornelia was demonstrating. As a Japanese, she wished the bitch would just die already.

"And you." Kallen muttered lowly as she turned her attention back to the white Knightmare across from her. Her glare became more heated realizing that any plan that involved her supporting the others, or doing anything beneficial during a battle, would have to been pointless if she ended up facing this opponent. To ignore the White Knightmare would mean leaving everyone else at its mercy, something Kallen knew she couldn't do. Attacking and counterattacking weaving through their opponent's attacks hoping to land one successful hit neither gained or lost much ground as they moved across the battlefield.

The easiest and best way to be rid of the Knightmare was to use the Guren's Radiant Wave Surgery. Unfortunately, the pilot of the Knightmare refused to be caught in such an obvious strategy countering Kallen's attempts with either their sword or gun to force Kallen back.

Staring the red Knightmare down impassively Suzaku realized just how contradictive his actions were. Blocking out every gunfire and explosion, the sound of metal being crushed or twisted knowing it meant another life had been lost focusing instead on the opponent in front of him. At the same time, Suzaku took note of everything that was happing around him, not at the forefront of his mind but not subconsciously either, prepared to react to any sudden attack from any enemies.

Suzaku found it ironic that he who wished for peace, and an end to the unnecessary bloodshed, more than anything was essentially born for battle. His body was naturally stronger than others, allowing him to move and react faster than what others thought possible. It was part of the reason that he managed to pilot Lancelot better than anyone else.

Firing a quick salvo from the VARIS caused some of the circling enemy Knightmares to scatter. The red Knightmare seemed to use his momentary distraction as opportunity to reengage swiping at the Lancelot with its large claw like hand. Dodging and countering the two Knightmares returned to their dance landing scrapping blows, sparks flying between the two of them, the area around them being destroyed as they fought.

Lelouch stared at the ground his frown changing into a scowl with the each passing second, the sounds of battle in the background, staring at the splattered blood beneath his feet. A few feet from him he heard C.C. give Ohgi the orders to retreat. Usually the knowledge that they were being forced to retreat would have infuriated the banished Britannian Prince, but currently his attention was focused on something completely different and far more worrying to him. His gaze drifted to his mask, the mask that had been lying on the ground a couple of feet away from where he awoke.

"Is that what you wanted?" C.C. asked Lelouch walking up to the young Britannian after ending her call with Ohgi. The green haired woman was wearing some of the clothes that Naruto had bought for her form fitting jeans dark colored jeans, dark green shirt, and a black hooded jacket over it that she was using to conceal a majority of her hair except a couple of strands that fell in front of her face on either side. Around her wrist was the bracelet that Naruto had given her, the perfect tool for some light espionage to keep her identity secret.

"Uh..." Lelouch started brought out of his thoughts. "Yes." He confirmed distractedly.

C.C. stared at Lelouch state with a hint of distaste. "This is pathetic." C.C. began while glaring at Lelouch. "You're so shook up you can't even issue orders, and Cornelia will..."

Lelouch rounded on C.C. cutting the woman off from what she was saying. "Listen to me." He snapped at her. "My handgun is missing. Whoever has it now must have taken it from me when I was unconscious."

A frown crossed C.C. face as she made sense of what Lelouch was implying. "If that's true... it means they saw your face." C.C. realized.

Lelouch nodded his head in agreement before staring back at the ground. "There were at least two of them." He theorized. "One who fired and one who got shot. Two..." Lelouch muttered. His deductions were based on the little bit of information that he had. His missing handgun, the fact that unless someone was stupid enough to shoot themselves then there had to be two people. That there was no one, or body to be found, when he woke up meant that the two-people had left. What Lelouch didn't know and was desperate to find out is what they knew and if they had seen his face while he was passed out.

Within her dorm room at Ashford Academy Shirley stared at a blank piece of paper, a single light on the desk to lite up the otherwise dark room, with the handgun she had picked up from where Lelouch crashed next to it. When she first had gotten back Shirley had the full intention of writing down everything that had happened. For what purpose the orangette wasn't at all sure. The right thing to do would have been to give the letter to Suzaku or someone else from the military and let them deal with Lelouch, or Zero. But even as the thought crossed her mind Shirley knew she couldn't do that, not to Lelouch. Despite everything he had done as Zero, as the leader of the Black Knights, he was still someone she cared deeply about. Loved even.

Even with all her doubts Shirley found herself eventually starting to write with an unsteady hand. Maybe, Shirley thought to herself absently, she was just focusing on Lelouch's identity in order to not think about what else happened that night. What she had done.

After leaving the harbor Naruto made his way to his private warehouse intent on unsealing the liquid Sakuradite that he had pilfered from JLF ship before it had blown up. The warehouse also had a top of the line lab where Naruto kept the projects he didn't want anyone at Namikaze Corp., or anyone at all, from knowing about. It was the place where he created the Kyuubi Knightmare Frame, it being one such project he didn't want anyone knowing about.

Walking into the lab Naruto tossed his cloak onto a nearby table with a disgruntled grumble, after storing away the liquid Sakuradite, and turned on a computer that he kept there. Although he had escaped the explosion unharmed the same could not be said about his cloak. It suffered from scorch marks and tears that would need to either repaired or replaced. Again.

'So, what now?' Amami questioned her partner, the vixen currently at their home channel-surfing.

'I guess,' Naruto began sitting at his computer and starting a diagnostic scan on the Knightmares. 'I can begin some initial testing. See how the Sakuradite reacts to my chakra. Unfortunately, I'll need help recrystallizing the Sakuradite for my experiments. I'll have to talk with Katerina hopefully she will know a method because I sure as hell don't.' Naruto thought distastefully, though a pleased smile appeared on his face when diagnostic showed that everything was okay. 'Eventually though I'll have to have a facility built where I can run the full tests.' Naruto decided. While the warehouse had served him well it wasn't an ideal place for most of the projects that he wanted to do; especially those that might result in explosions. 'The best place that I can think about to build it would be near the S.R.C.' The shinobi finished. Ideally Naruto would build his lab in a far-off corner of the underground meadow already hidden from most of the world that also offered the least chance of being discovered.

'Why not just use seals to secure this place for your experiments?' Amami asked as if it should be obvious.

'Seals really won't help if something goes horribly wrong which results in a giant explosion.' Naruto answered. Considering how volatile liquid Sakuradite could be Naruto thought his concerns were very rational. Which is why the lab would be built as far away from S.R.C. building as possible and manned by only his Shadow clones once he really got into his experiments.

'I guess that makes sense.' Amami relented. The last thing that she wanted to happen was for her darling Kyuubi to be destroyed because of an accidental explosion. Naruto hummed thoughtfully reading something off the screen before opening the file marked 'Prototype Knightmare Frame 009 Codename: Kyuubi' specs and blueprints coming up making some quick notes for modifications and future plans if his experiments proved successful. Amami watched on silently as her partner worked through his eyes. Soon enough the shinobi got distracted by all the modifications that he was planning to make. At times Alamo still found herself in awe at the sheer brilliance that her partner displayed when he was working. When he was younger the blonde was considered an idiot by most anyone that knew him only to become a genius when he started building something.

'I think,' Naruto began, drawing Amami out of her introspection of her partner. 'That for right now the best way that we can compensate for the Kyuubi's lack of long range capabilities would be to possibly place a seal containing guns in either, or both, of its hands.' Naruto suggested.

Amami thought Naruto's suggestion over for a second. While she didn't like the idea of her Kyuubi being forced to rely on such weaponry Amami knew better then to let simple pride get in the way of having something that might prove necessary. That is to say it's not like Amami wouldn't prefer the Kyuubi to firing Bijuudama's like its namesake. 'Fine.' Amami reluctantly agreed.

Naruto smiled. Although he couldn't see it he could clearly see his partner sulking.

"You want to meet Princess Euphemia?" Suzaku asked Nina, who was standing across from him. It was after classes and the Honorary Britannian was hanging out with the other members of the Student Council, with the exception of Lelouch, Naruto, and Shirley. Though Nunnally had joined them, as she petted Kyu gently in her lap.

"To thank her." Nina added in hastily, as if covering for something. "I just wanted to thank her."

"She risked her life to protect Nina during the hotel jacking." Milly explained to Suzaku, sitting next to him on a couch with Rivalz on her other side. "She stood right up and said "I'm Euphemia!" Right?" The blonde Britannian recounted.

"Really?" Rivalz said eagerly. "I want to meet her, too!"

"Why is that?" Milly asked eyeing him suspiciously.

Rivalz grinned broadly before answering. "She's a real princess! I could marry into royalty!" He cheered enthusiastically.

Nunnally stopped petting Kyu to stare at the place that she had heard Rivalz voice come from. "I'm sure that you will never meet her with such impure motives." She told him honestly. What she didn't voice was how unlikely she thought that her kind and gentle older sister would ever be with that type of person and not see right through them.

"Impure?" Rivalz bemoaned. "That's a little harsh, isn't it, Nunnally? You're on my side, aren't you, Madam Pre..." He began, leaning over so that he might be able to rest his head' on Milly's lap only to be stopped by a rolled-up newspaper that the Student Council President held up to press against his face.

"Don't kiss up to me just because Lelouch isn't hanging around." Milly told him unsympathetically. "Nunnally saw right through you, and so do I."

The members there started to laugh at Rivalz plight before Nunnally said something that made two of the group somber. "I'd like to meet Princess Euphemia, too, if I could." The banished Britannian princess admitted missing her half-sister dearly, while managing to capture Milly and Suzaku's absolute attention. Both of them knew exactly what such a meeting would likely entail for both Nunnally and Lelouch if they were discovered alive. "Oh, what's the matter, Suzaku?" Nunnally asked, her question coming off as completely innocent, Kyu demanding the light brown-haired girl's attention.

"Well," Suzaku started off, scratching his cheek a little awkwardly. "The thing is I'm just a simple soldier, so I really don't have the influence to arrange that sort of thing. Not to mention that Euphie is a member of the Royal Family and considering everything that happened with the murder of Prince Clovis it's very unlikely that the government or military would even consider letting me have any sort of contact with her, or anyone on my behalf." He explained.

"Oh, Euphie, is it?" Milly asked looking at Suzaku with a teasing grin on her face. "Who would have guessed you were so close with the Third Princess. Shirley better be careful or she might find you stolen away by a princess."

Suzaku's cheeks suddenly darkened at the implications. "Didn't I mention it before. She's sort of a friend of mine." Suzaku said. "I met her after my hearing and she introduced herself as Euphie." The Honorary Britannian explained. "It's actually thanks to her that I was accepted into Ashford in the first place." He told them.

"Really?" Milly questioned sounding surprised. "Well at least that explains that mystery."

"Hey Suzaku," Rivalz started leaning over Milly and toward Suzaku. "You'll put in a good word for me with Princess Euphemia, won't you?" He said hopefully.

"Sure," Suzaku said with a placating smile. Suzaku chose to be nice and not to ruthlessly shatter the obviously deluded boy's dreams of marrying into the royal family.

Nunnally remained silent; happy to hear any news about her half-sister. Also, thankful that Euphemia had inadvertently made it possible for her to meet Suzaku once more. A boy she considered her brother on nearly the same level as Lelouch.

Suzaku noticed the disappointed look that was crossing Nina's face as she came to understand that there was little chance of meeting Euphemia. "Why don't you try asking Naruto?" Suzaku suggested, trying to lift the girl's spirits. "He's working with Princess Euphemia on the ghetto restoration project, isn't he? If you ask him I'm sure that Naruto would be more than happy to introduce you two." The Honorary Britannian said surely.

"Actually," Nina began as she fidgeted a bit under everyone's gaze. "I've thought of doing that." She admitted. "But Naruto hasn't really been at work recently."

"Really," Milly said with a frown as she crossed her arms under her bust. "With all the classes that he's been missing I figured that it was because he was busy at work." She told them before focusing her attention on someone else. "Kallen do you know anything?"

Kallen had been sitting at the large table in the room studying. She had only been half listening to the others conversation, rolling her eyes when they had started talking about Princess Euphemia, and only paid them any real attention when they heard them mention Naruto's name. It was only when Milly asked her about Naruto's whereabouts that Kallen finally looked up from her book. "Not really." She answered. "We've talked a couple of times and Naruto just told me he was busy working on something." Kallen told them honestly with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Naruto and she had planned on meeting later that day so she wasn't all that concerned.

Nina nodded her head in agreement with Kallen's statement. "I asked Dr. Casterwill and she told me it wasn't strange for Naruto to disappear every once in a while. Naruto apparently has his own private lab he likes to work at." The black haired female Britannian told them of what she learned.

"Hey," Rivalz spoke up drawing everyone's attention. "If Naruto really hasn't been here for a while." The blue haired Britannian started. "How is Kyu here?" He asked everyone.

It took a minute for Rivalz question to really register in each one of their minds. When they did they looked at the small fox that was sitting comfortably in Nunnally's lap. When Kyu noticed that everyone's attention seemed to be focused on her she just mewed cutely.

Any further conversation was cut off as the phone in the council room suddenly started to ring. "Hello," Suzaku answered. "Ashford Academy Student Council."

"Suzaku?" Lelouch's voice came out the other end, sounding very hesitant. Something that Suzaku took a small note of.

"Lelouch? Where have you been?" Suzaku asked his friend, noticing how nearly everyone perked up once they all learned that he was talking to Lelouch. Especially Nunnally. For a split second Suzaku cursed his friend for causing Nunnally to worry about him like she no doubt had been.

Lelouch ignored Suzaku's question. "Is there anything unusual there?" He asked Suzaku instead, trying to incite a reaction out of the brunette.

"Yeah, there is." Suzaku confirmed with a small sad smile on his face. "You're not here. Nunnally has been worried you know?" Suzaku wasn't above making Lelouch feel guilty, and using his greatest weakness, if it meant that he would finally come home.

Though Suzaku couldn't see it but Lelouch flinched at the mention of Nunnally, hating the fact that uncertainties were keeping him from seeing his sister. "I know. I'm sorry." He apologized.

Suzaku let out a sigh hearing the genuine sorrow in Lelouch's voice. Choosing to ease up on his friend a bit Suzaku changed the subject slightly. "You know, Naruto and Shirley haven't been showing up either. Naruto apparently hasn't been at the Namikaze Corp. the last few days either." The Honorary Britannian informed his friend.

"You don't say." Lelouch said sounding mildly interested with that bit of information.

"Yeah," Suzaku confirmed before continuing. "And while Naruto might not need to attend school you definitely do Lelouch. You need to take it more seriously." He scolded his friend.

Lelouch chuckled lightly. "Right, Mr. Honor Student." He teased Suzaku before becoming a bit more serious. "Can you give Nunnally a message, tell her I'll be late tonight? And can you look after her while I'm gone?" The banished prince asked.

Suzaku glanced briefly looked over at Nunnally before turning his attention back to the floor in front of him. Noting how Arthur was trying to catch the phone cord. "Of course, you don't even have to ask." Suzaku started off. "But you realize that I can't stay here all the time, right?" The forest eyed teen questioned. "But what's the point of asking now when you've been gone most nights as it is? Not to mention what's the point of going to the same school if I never see you?"

Lelouch frowned knowing that Suzaku had a point. But while he didn't know what happened at the docks he couldn't risk Nunnally's safety. No matter how much he missed her. Lelouch opened his mouth about to apologize once more when a commotion on the other end caused him to look at his phone in confusion. Eventually the line simply cut out. "I wonder what's going on over there." Lelouch muttered out loud within the safety and confines of his private room in the Black Knights mobile base. He could have sworn that he heard that Suzaku said something about Arthur before the line dropped. "Cats still hate him." He finished with an amused smirk.

C.C. sat up, having been lying down on a sofa while listening to Lelouch side of the conversation. "So," The green haired witch began. "Then it seems like..."

"Right." Lelouch agreed, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed in a sense of relief, guessing what C.C. was thinking. "It appears he doesn't know about me." He confirmed. "That eliminates one group, the military." At the moment, the greatest threat he faced came from the military. Of course, that still left other groups that he had to consider.

C.C. hummed thoughtfully. "There is Kurama." She supplied. "But he's seen your face before and he hasn't done anything so far. So, if it was him I wouldn't be all that worried. Though I don't understand why he would keep the fact that he was there a secret." C.C. continued, her voice coming off as a bit curious.

"If Kurama was there," Lelouch tapped a finger against his chair's armrest thoughtfully. "Taking the blood that was present into account I see two possibilities. One, he either stopped someone from killing me while I was unconscious, and wounding them in the process." Lelouch started off, a frown present on his face. "That makes me wonder why Kurama didn't reveal this to me, have me indebted to him for saving my life." The black-haired prince stated. "Two, Kurama was the one wounded by an unknown third party and either was captured or managed to escape causing whoever wounded him to follow." Lelouch theorized.

C.C.'s brows furrowed at the implication. "Do you really think that's possible?" She asked him.

Lelouch thought it over for a second before eventually shaking his head in the negative. "No." Lelouch decided. "Giving what we've seen of his abilities it's highly unlikely someone would be able to get the best of him without overwhelming circumstances."

C.C. found herself nodding in agreement with Lelouch's statement. Out of the two of them she had a better understanding of Naruto's powers, and she fully believed that it made Naruto someone not just anyone could face. Especially without prior planning and sufficient resources at their disposal. "Well," C.C. started, getting back to the original topic of their discussion. "Aside from them, and the Black Knights, I can't think of anyone else who would have been there." She told him.

"Someone from the Japan Liberation Front could have survived." Lelouch suggested.

"And they only stole your gun?" C.C. questioned with a wry smile and a bit of amusement in her voice.

Lelouch nodded his head reluctantly, seeing the point that C.C. was trying to make. "I think I'll have Ohgi check out the black market then." He said. In these sorts of situations, it wasn't uncommon for stolen guns to end up on the black market. Though that still brought up question of why anyone would stop at stealing his gun when he had been unconscious and vulnerable.

"And the blood?"

Lelouch's thoughts shifted from his stolen weapon to the blood that they had brought in. "It'll take time to analyze." He related, his eyes closed and a smirk appearing across his face. "But just think. If that blood really does belong to Kurama, we might be just a few hours from discovering Kurama's true identity."

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order if that's the case." C.C. said.

"There is something else..." Lelouch continued, opening his eyes. "I thought I saw Shirley there." He revealed.

"Oh," C.C. hummed. "This is the same girl that you stood up and ended up going to Naruto's concert with Suzaku Kururugi, right?" She questioned.

"Are you still going on about that?" Lelouch asked annoyed.

"Relax," C.C. said offhandedly, as she laid back down on the couch. "I'm just making sure I got the right girl. There's no reason for you to get all defensive." The green haired woman told him before continuing. "But if she was there, then there's something we need to know and we better find out fast." The immortal witch declared.

A grim look appeared on Lelouch's face. If he had been right, and Shirley was there that night, then he would have to be absolutely sure and deal with it.

Within the Viceroy palace Cornelia and Euphemia sat next to each other in what amounted into a throne room listening to Darlton as he gave them a report. "In this last operation, and also at Narita, they were specifically targeting you, Your Highness." Darlton reported, standing pretty much at attention as he skimmed a report quickly before addressing Viceroy Cornelia and Sub-Viceroy Euphemia.

Cornelia waved the information off. "Eliminating the leader is a standard tactic." The pink haired woman stated obviously.

At that point Guilford stepped forward, drawing the two-princess attention to himself. "They also eliminated Prince Clovis." He pointedly reminded.

Darlton nodded his head in agreement with his comrade. "Zero was not merely fighting Britannia. He has a deep hatred for the Royal Family, and he wants blood." The brown haired Britannian stated gravely.

Cornelia scowled at the two men, gripping her armrest tightly. "From the very beginning we operated under the assumption that Zero was targeting members of the Royal Family. An assumption that was proven correct when he not only admitted to killing Clovis, but also went after Euphie during the hotel hijacking at Lake Kawaguchi and then myself during these last two operations." Cornelia stated seriously. "And right now, it seems to me that the two of you are suggesting that I should be afraid of Zero. That I should cower away from him while someone else deals with him." The Second Princess of Britannia accused.

Guilford an Darlton remained silent at the accusation. Knowing that to at least some degree that is what they had been implying.

Cornelia's scowl deepened before she continued with her little rant. "I absolutely refuse to be seen as a coward who is too afraid to face Zero." Cornelia declared firmly. "No matter what Zero's intentions are, even if it is my death, we will stop him and bring him to justice." The dark pink haired princess stated. 'If we can't manage that, I'll kill him where he stands.' She decided silently. Looking to her younger sister Cornelia saw that Euphemia seemed to be deep in thought. "Euphie," Cornelia started, drawing Euphemia out of her thoughts, her voice and expression much gentler then they were a second ago.

"Huh?" Euphemia murmured having lost track of the conversation at some point.

The gentle smile that Cornelia reserved solely for her younger sister widened fractionally. "I hope I didn't worry you with my little speech there." Cornelia told her younger sister honestly. "As I hope you understand why I am doing this."

Euphemia stared back at her sister silently for a second, trying to dredge up what they had just been discussing from her memory, before returning Cornelia's smile with one of her own. "I understand." Euphemia answered softly. "But I hope you will continue to be careful sister." The Third Princess of Britannia finished, concern laced into her words.

Cornelia nodded her head in response. "You as well Euphie," Cornelia told her sister. "I don't want another crisis like that at the hotel." The Viceroy finished, her voice only betraying the tiniest bit of the fear she felt when she realized that Euphemia had been captured by JLF.

"If I may." Guilford began carefully, understanding he had drawn his princess ire. When Cornelia made no move to stop him the black-haired Britannia continued. "Why not assign a knight to her?" He advised.

"A knight?" Euphemia repeated having a basic understanding of what such a thing would mean.

"Yes," Guilford confirmed. "If we assign one knight as a permanent sentinel, then we can build a complete royal guard unit around him.
As Sub-Viceroy, Princess Euphemia has the right to a personal champion." He explained.

As Cornelia, Guilford, and Darlton discussed the pros and cons of such an appointment Euphemia sat in contemplative silence. What Guilford hadn't said was what the appointment came with, an official/unofficial rise in status, the honor of being the personal knight of a member of the Royal Family. Also, whoever Euphemia chose to be her knight would in essence be representing her. The things they supported, that they opposed, accomplishments, and scandals would all be reflected on to her.

It was a position, which Euphemia knew since Guilford first suggested it, that she couldn't just give out without careful consideration.

Kallen smiled happily as she glanced out the window of a small family restaurant that she was dining at. A few hours ago, Naruto had picked her up so that they could go out. She had just finished with club activities so she was still dressed in her school uniform. For a while they drove around the settlement, and even ventured into the Ghettos at some point mostly just to go as fast as they possibly could. Something that they both enjoyed. At some point during their drive Naruto had even given her a chance to drive. Kallen would admit to having some trouble at first, never having driven a motorcycle before, but she soon got the hang of it with some help from Naruto. After that they had gone to see a movie. Now they had just finished dinner and were enjoying about to enjoy dessert, a simple cake.

"So how have things been at the academy?" Naruto asked Kallen curiously, drawing the redhead's attention.

Kallen thought over the last few days before answering. "The same." She answered. "Besides you, Lelouch and Shirley haven't been coming to class recently." The half-Britannian pilot revealed, before remembering the conversation from earlier. "Nina has been trying to contact you." Kallen told him, getting a curious hum from Naruto. "She wants to see if you can help her meet Princess Euphemia."

"Euphie?" Naruto said back.

Kallen gave Naruto a strange look at the familiarity that Naruto addressed the Third Princess of Britannia. "Yeah, apparently, she wants to thank her for saving her during the hotel hijacking." Kallen explained, barely managing to keep herself from rolling her eyes. 'It's not like the Black Knights weren't the ones who actually rescued everyone.' She muttered silently to herself, a sour look briefly crossing her face.

Naruto chuckled a bit noticing the look that appeared on Kallen's face and having a rough idea of what she was thinking. "Well to be fair Euphie did kind of save Nina." Naruto pointed out.

Kallen stared at Naruto scrutinizing for a second before saying anything. "I know that you're working with Princess Euphemia on the reconstruction project, but you talk as if you are close to her." The redhead stated.

"We're friends." Naruto replied. "Why? Jealous?" He questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"Do I have a reason to be?" Kallen countered nonchalantly, as she took a bite out of her dessert.

"Nope." Naruto answered simply with a foxy grin, earning a smile from Kallen. "I wonder if you too would get along." Naruto admitted after a moment of thought. "Euphie is the kind of person who is really kind and is always thinking of other people. A kindness that people might try to take advantage of or that might get her killed if she's not careful." The shinobi said out loud. "You're not as trusting of people. And, when you're not playing at being frail, are more willing to let other people know how you feel and think even if it leads to a fight."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult." Kallen told him with a sly smile.

"It's a compliment." Naruto assured her hastily in fear of drawing the redhead's wrath. For some reason a part of him was really afraid of that. "Most of the time because of work I have to deal with people who are either lying or hiding their true intentions. I like that your honest about who you really with people." Naruto stated. "At least that really matter to you."

"Yeah," Kallen agreed lowly, fidgeting slightly. "Honest." Kallen suddenly found herself feeling guilty. Right now, Naruto and she were trying to form something between them that went beyond a simple friendship. The time she spent with Naruto was fun, liberating in a way, simple moments that she had come to cherish because she didn't have to pretend to be anyone but herself. Because Naruto saw past whatever deceptions and walls she tried to put up or hide behind. But now the redhead wondered how long the budding relationship she was forming with Naruto would last when she was keeping her status as a member of the Black Knights, their ace pilot, a big and important part of her life a secret from him. "Hey Naruto…"

"This is really good!" Naruto cheered as he took a bite out his dessert, unintentionally cutting off Kallen. "Here try some." The shinobi insisted, holding out a piece towards Kallen that was held on his fork.

"Oh, um, sure." Kallen replied a little embarrassed, her cheeks tinted red as she glanced around at the other patrons of the restaurant. While embarrassing Kallen ate the piece that Naruto was offering her, enjoying the sweetness that invaded her taste buds. "Your right that is good." Kallen admitted quietly still feeling a little embarrassed.

"Right," Naruto agreed taking another bite out of his dessert. "So, what else has been going on at school? I find it kind of hard to believe that Milly could go this long without doing something crazy." The shinobi pilot said.

With the blush dying down on her cheeks, and a smile appearing on her face, Kallen remembered a couple of crazy stunts that Milly had pulled while Naruto had been absent from school.

Soon after the two students left the restaurant. Naruto frowned as he looked up at the sky, one thing he found that he hated about living in the settlement was the abundance of light pollution that blocked out the stars. While a big place after a certain hour all the lights in Konoha would be off giving an amazing view of the night sky.

"What's the matter?" He heard Kallen ask him from beside him.

"Huh?" Naruto returned with a raised eyebrow.

"You have this look on your face." Kallen stated, looking at Naruto carefully. "What were you thinking about?" She asked him curiously with a hint of concern. While it hadn't been paramount his expression had shown traces of sadness that she wasn't used to seeing from Naruto.

"I was thinking about my home village. I guess I'm feeling a little homesick." Naruto admitted. It was something that he'd feel every so often when he was reminded of Konoha, or how different the settlement was from the village.

"Oh," Kallen muttered, eyebrows scrunched up slightly in thought. "Your home is Konohagakure no Sato, right?" The redhead asked. She remembered Naruto mentioning it a couple of times while they talked and he told her the stories of his pranks. It was a strange name for a village she thought, and one Kallen had definitely never heard about before. At one point, she had tried to search for any information on Konoha only to come up empty. "Well if you miss it so much maybe you should visit." Kallen suggested earnestly. "I mean you've mentioned that you couldn't go back, but a short visit should be fine, right?"

Naruto smiled sadly in response. "I'd really like to." He acknowledged.

"Then, why don't you?" Kallen pressed.

"It's really far away." Naruto answered vaguely. "I wouldn't know how long it would take me just to get there. Not to mention to get back."

"Is it really that hard?" Kallen wondered. "I mean you're the owner of Namikaze Corps. and rich, that's got to help."

"Money doesn't solve every problem." Naruto told her and Kallen had to admit that he did have a point. "And in this case, it does just about nothing."

Kallen nodded her head, not quiet getting what the problem was exactly but accepting Naruto's reasoning anyway. "What made you think of Konoha just now?" Kallen asked him curiously.

Naruto's smile brightened a bit from what it was before as he looked back up at the sky. "I was remembering how the sky was filled with stars at night." He told her.

"Stars?" Kallen repeated as she looked up the sky. She frowned when she noticed that there were only a few visible points of light in the sky. 'When was the last time I looked up at the stars?' Kallen thought silently to herself. Thinking back, it had to be the camping trip she went on with Naoto and others; the last time she had seen her brother.

"Yeah," Naruto said in fond remembrance. "There was this spot that overlooked the entire village that I would visit often. From there I would watch the sunset and then I could look up at the stars."

"That must have been nice." Kallen said getting a hum of agreement from Naruto. After a moment of deliberation Kallen continued. "I wouldn't mind stargazing with you." The half-Japanese pilot admitted. "I used to go camping with Naoto and some other friends. It was the perfect spot for camping and I know offers a great chance at watching the stars. We could go someday." Kallen suggested. While she hadn't been camping since that last camping trip with Naoto it was still something that she had enjoyed, and it was something that she wouldn't mind doing with Naruto. It wouldn't be something they could do anytime soon, but definitely something they could do someday.

A large fox like grin spread across Naruto's face, his eyes shining brilliantly. "Sure!" Naruto answered happily, causing Kallen to jump a little in surprise at Naruto's enthusiastic response before a she wore a smile of her own. "That would be great!"

Kallen smiled almost as brightly at Naruto in turn. Afterwards the two-continued walking a little bit before Naruto took Kallen home, giving her a chance to drive his motorcycle on the way back. Promises were made to meet up as soon as they could before Kallen gave Naruto a quick kiss, on the cheek, before he left and she entered his home. Kallen had just closed the door behind her with a small happy smile when her happiness was brought to an end by the sound of her stepmother's voice.

"Well this is a nice time to come home." Mrs. Stadtfeld said snidely, standing a few feet away from Kallen with her hair let down and a tied light blue robe, sneering at her stepdaughter. "You mind telling me what you've been doing?"

Kallen glared at her stepmother, taking a couple of deep breaths to keep herself from snapping at the woman. "I don't see how that is any of your business." Kallen replied shortly.

Mrs. Stadtfeld had no problem returning Kallen's glare with one of her own. If she didn't outright hate her stepdaughter then at the very least Mrs. Stadtfeld knew she held a great dislike for Kallen. A feeling she was sure was mutual. Since the day that her husband brought his daughter into her home Kallen had been nothing but a constant reminder of her husband's infidelity. A reminder that he bedded an Eleven and sired not just one child with that woman but two. While she was barren. Then he had the nerve to not only bring his two bastard children into her home but that woman as well. She would never forgive him for that insult. The blonde woman didn't care that Akira Kozuki had been there working as her maid. "From the noise that was coming from outside I can only imagine that it was that annoying brat dropping you off." Mrs. Stadtfeld stated haughtily. "Following in your mother's footsteps I see and tying yourself to a wealthy man. I can't really say that your father would disapprove. After everything is said and done it is a good business opportunity for us. A the very least you're doing that right."

Kallen bristled at the implications, her fists shaking, barely restraining herself from slapping, or possibly even punching, the blonde woman. Kallen took a single deep calming breath so as not to attack the older woman. "That sounds more like something you would do." Kallen bit back. "You might not be able to understand, but I'm not seeing Naruto so that I can use him." The female pilot finished walking away from her stepmother.

The sound of a door opening drew Zero's attention as he watched Kallen enter. "It's good that you all could make it." Zero began when Kallen stepped into the mobile base.

"Sorry I'm late." Kallen apologized, feeling a little embarrassed once she realized that she was the last of the original members of the Black Knights to get there.

Zero shook his head dismissively as he stood up, having been sitting in the middle of the couch while they waited for Kallen to arrive. "No, it's fine." Zero assured her. "I called this meeting at the last second without notice and you still showed up promptly." The masked leader said before turning his attention to everyone else. The other members stood across from him facing their leader waiting to see why he called them all to meet so unexpectedly. Zero also noticed C.C. standing apart from the others on the stairs that led to the second floor partially hidden by the shadows. "There is another matter that needs my attention so I'll keep this brief." Zero stated, pausing for a moment before continuing. "In a few days' time, I plan on meeting with Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." Zero announced surprising everyone.

C.C. stared at Zero with eyes slightly wide in surprise. Not once had she heard Lelouch mention any intention of meeting Naruto, so his announcement came as a complete surprise to her. She wondered if the reason that Lelouch decided to keep his plan from her was because of the familiarity that existed between her and the blonde. Lelouch sure as hell hadn't kept how suspicious he was of their interactions from her.

Zero let the information sink for a moment before he made his move to leave. At the moment, he just wanted them all to be aware of his plan so that they could come to terms with it. This was meant especially for Kallen who out of all the members of the Black Knights was closest to Naruto. The others might feel a little indebted to the blonde half-Britannian for what he was doing, but he was sure that they would in the end go along with whatever he decided. Kallen might need some convincing and reassuring, but she was also an important part in convincing Naruto to help them. Though revealing Kallen's identity as a member of a Black Knight was a second to last resort for him.

Before he could take even a single step though a shouted protest stopped him. Unsurprisingly it was Tamaki who had issue with his plan. "Hold on a second!" Tamaki shouted angrily. "I don't see why we need that bastards help. We already have Kyoto backing us so why the hell do we need Uzumaki too?!" The brown-haired man demanded.

Zero let out a mental sigh before turning to face Tamaki. "You are the exact reason that I believe that these measures are necessary." Zero stated bringing Tamaki up short. "Not too long ago you blew the budget that I set. Because of that an alliance with Kyoto became a necessity in order for the Black Knights to continue operating." The masked figure reminded him, causing Tamaki to flinch. "It made it clear to me that contingencies were necessary. The money and medical aid that Namikaze Corp. can provide is an invaluable resource that would make our war against Britannia all the easier." Zero reasoned. "So, whatever grievances you might have against Naruto Namikaze, Tamaki, I suggest you keep them to yourself." Zero ordered, causing Tamaki to scowl but not say another word. Seeing that no one else was going to say anything Zero signaled C.C. to follow him as he exited the mobile base.

Watching Zero and C.C. leave Kallen clenched her fists tightly, her eyes revealing the confliction that she was feeling deep within herself.

Euphemia stared up at the statue of Naruto's parents feeling a mixture of emotions as she did. Predominately was the feeling of happiness as the statues stared down at the baby in the statue of Kushina's arms with love clearly evident in their gazes. But there was also sadness, sadness in the knowledge that this was the closest thing to parental love that Naruto ever had. It was heart wrenching to the Third Princess of Britannia.

Euphemia could claim she had some idea of what not knowing a parent's love felt like. Euphemia knew that her mother loved her and her sister, to be sure, but she was hardly around to raise Euphemia when she was younger. That responsibility falling to Cornelia and their many nannies. Instead choosing to live the life expected of one of the wives of the emperor.

Then there was her father Charles Zi Britannia, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire. While Euphemia was sure that her mother loved her, and that she in turn loved all of her family, Euphemia often wondered, despite herself, if the same held true for her father. The man only seemed to care about his position as emperor, everything else seemingly coming second in his life. Even during Clovis' funeral the man didn't appear before the world as a grieving father, sparing but a few words for his son, but as the Emperor of Britannia rallying his people behind him. Most of the time it almost seemed that his children were just means to an end for the man. A way to secure Britannia's power in the world and a means to ensure the continued lineage of the royal family.

Being the emperor kept Charles busy and not being a doting or loving father meant that he only met his children when it was convenient for him, if they had done something to upset him, or if they had scheduled a meeting ahead of time. The first time that Euphemia remembered meeting her father was when she was four years old. She remembered how excited she initially was as she followed her elder sister. That excitement soon turned into trepidation when she was lead into a room that was filled with people, all whispering quietly to each other as they stared at Cornelia and her. That weariness only grew as she was lead to the man that stood imposingly at the other end of the room.

Euphemia would admit that she had been a little afraid, as she found herself standing a meekly behind her elder sister, of the man that seemed to stand a 1000ft tall staring at her with eyes that seemed to try and determine what she was worth.

Eventually Euphemia got over the apprehension she felt towards her father and was able to talk to him. That didn't mean that Charles suddenly started acting like a loving father towards Euphemia. A natural detachment that Charles emanated keeping any sort of familial bond from forming between him, Euphemia, and all his children.

"Sub-Viceroy Euphemia?" A female voice asked drawing Euphemia out of her thoughts.

Shaking her head Euphemia turned her attention to one of the receptionist that was standing a few feet away from her, the woman fidgeting slightly under the Third Princess' gaze. "Yes?" Euphemia responded softly, giving the woman an encouraging smile.

The receptionist gave a small smile back but still looked nervous as she addressed the pink haired princess. "It's nice to see you again your Highness." The woman greeted giving Euphemia a small bow before straightening out. "We weren't informed that you would be coming." She said hesitantly. "But I can take you to Mr. Uzumaki if you'd like. He's currently in the garden."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary." Euphemia replied. "I know the way." She assured the woman.

"I-I see." The receptionist muttered a little uneasily, Euphemia's response having the opposite effect on the woman. "Well if you do need anything just ask any of the workers here and I am sure that they would be happy to help." The woman finished before giving Euphemia one final small bow and hastily returning to her desk.

Making her way to the garden area Euphemia found herself returning some of the greetings she was receiving from the workers, others to immersed in their work to even note the Third Princess presence. Something that angered her two guards that were accompanying her at Cornelia's insistence for the perceived disrespect that they were showing their princess, but withheld from saying or doing anything knowing that it would only anger the pink haired princess. Euphemia was genuinely a kind and gentle person, but when angered she left no doubt that she was a member of the royal family.

Entering the garden Euphemia felt her smile widen as she took a deep breath and enjoyed the pleasant scents of the various flowers planted in the garden. Looking around Euphemia again noticed how large the garden actually was, it easily being the size of at least a small park. Turning around to face her two guards she addressed them. "I'll be fine on my own for a while." Euphemia told them. "I'm not really sure how long I'll be with Naruto, so you should relax in the meantime." The pinkette told them.

"Sub-Viceroy, are you sure that is a wise decision?" One of her guards asked her. "Viceroy Cornelia ordered us to keep you safe."

"It's fine." Euphemia assured them. "You can keep a watch over the area if you want, but I doubt I will be any danger here." She decided.

The two guards shared an uneasy look, neither liking the idea of what Cornelia would do to them if she found out that they had let Euphemia out of their sight while under their care, but eventually nodded their heads in reluctant agreement. Euphemia nodded her head in thanks before she started her search for Naruto. It took Euphemia a few minutes to find Naruto, taking those few minutes to appreciate the garden's natural beauty, before finding him. Surprisingly enough for the pink haired princess she found her friend sleeping on a tree branch of all things. Quite comfortably by the looks of it; his arm across his chest, head tilted to the side, and his mouth hanging slightly open.

Euphemia pondered on what she should do. While she had come to speak with Naruto even from where she was standing Euphemia could see the bags under his eyes, a clear indication that the blonde hadn't been getting enough sleep recently, so she didn't want to wake him. Not to mention that she was worried that Naruto might end up hurting himself falling out of the tree if she were to wake him up. 'It should be fine if I just wait for him to wake up.' Euphemia decided. 'He looks like he really needs his sleep and it's not like I came to talk to him about anything urgent.' She rationalized to herself, taking a careful seat underneath the same tree.

It was a good while later before Euphemia heard Naruto begin to stir above her. Looking up the pink haired princess saw Naruto stretching. "Did you have a good nap?" Euphemia asked gently, still conscious of the fact that Naruto was sitting on a tree branch several feet above her.

Blinking a few times in confusion Naruto looked down at Euphie before his eyes lit up at the sight ofthe Third Princess. "Euphie!" Naruto greeted his friend joyfully. Not giving it, a second thought Naruto jumped off of the branch and landed in a crouch next to her. "What are you doing here?" He asked her. "We didn't have a meeting, did we?"

Euphemia was caught by surprise a little at Naruto suddenly appearing next to her, nearly letting out startled scream when he jumped out of the tree, but she quickly recovered and smiled back at him reassuringly. "No," Euphie confirmed, easing Naruto of any sort of worry or guilt. "I just wanted to spend some time together. Uh, hang out." She told him before a look of apprehension crossed her face. "Is that alright? If you're too busy I can always come back some other time." Euphemia offered. "You don't look like you've been getting enough sleep lately." The Third Princess of Britannia said looking at Naruto in concern.

"You should have just woken' me up if you wanted to hang out, ya know." Naruto stated rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile on his face. "I've been busy with a work recently, so I haven't been getting much sleep." Naruto admitted. "But it's fine, I'm used to going a couple of days without sleep."

Naruto's statement did nothing to assure Euphemia's concern. "You should still take better care of yourself." The pink haired princess chastised him. "Getting a good night's sleep is important for your health."

"I'm fine," Naruto insisted with a dismissive wave of his hand. Still he had a real smile on his face at the genuine concern that Euphemia was showing for his wellbeing. "So, what do you want to do?" He asked her eagerly, tilting his head to the side.

Euphie put a finger against her bottom lip, as she looked up thoughtfully. Naruto found his smile widening a bit at how the expression Euphie was making at the moment was so adorable, having to keep himself from suddenly glomping the girl. After another couple of minutes Euphemia returned her gaze back to Naruto. "I'm not really sure." Euphie admitted with a shake of her head. "I don't really have much experience hanging out with friends, I never had many growing up, and most of the ones I had growing up were bought in a sense. Usually though I played with Cornelia, or one of my other half-siblings." Euphemia said, a fond smile on her face as she remembered a bright spot in her childhood. A point in time when things were much simpler – even for the children of the emperor – without momentous expectations hanging over their heads, and none of her siblings had been killed or died. Euphemia found her smile diming near the end as she thought about Clovis, Nunnally, and Lelouch.

She was a little startled when Naruto suddenly took one of her hands in his and giving it a gentle squeeze in solace. Looking into Naruto's eyes Euphie saw that they were staring back her with a gentleness that was filled with understanding. Naruto didn't know the cause of it but once he saw the look of sadness that crossed Euphie's face he did what came naturally to him and did his best to comfort his friend. Euphie returned Naruto's gesture as she banished the thoughts of her deceased siblings.

"Okay," Naruto started off, standing up while keeping a hold of Euphemia's hand. "How about we spend a couple of hours watching some movies and eating junk food." Naruto offered.

"Ramen too?" As strange as it was Euphie had developed a liking for the food ever since she first ate it with Naruto. On a couple of separate occasions Cornelia had to force her younger sister to eat something more "appropriate" and healthy for a princess.

A wide fox like from spread across Naruto's face at the inquiry. "Definitely." He agreed. Mentally Naruto was celebrating and rubbing it in C.C. face that there was another person that loved ramen.

"Then that sounds fine." Euphemia decided after a moment of thought before becoming a little bashful. "Um, can we stay and talk here for a while longer?" The Third Princess asked hopefully reluctant to leave the beautiful garden just yet.

"Of course." Naruto answered knowing how much she liked the garden and having repeatedly told Euphie that she was welcomed any time she wanted to visit. On the occasions that Euphie would visit for official business concerning the reconstruction project the pink haired princess would end their meetings by asking to take a walk through the garden. Which Naruto was more than happy to comply to, pushing aside any unimportant work in favor of spending some time talking to his friend.

Sometimes, as they hung out in the garden, Naruto asked Euphie to be his sounding board as he told her about the adventures of a young ninja for a book that he wanted to write. The Third Princess was enthralled by the few stories that Naruto would tell her about the young shinobi and even offered a few ideas of her own. Euphie also offered a few books that Naruto could read to help him with his writing and give him further ideas.

Eventually Euphemia had to return to the Viceroy mansion or risk her sister sending out the entire army to search for her. In all honesty, there was a very real possibility of that happening, given the situation with Zero and how naturally protective Cornelia was of her.

Lelouch knew that he was a shrewd individual. Learning that Shirley was missing school set off warning bells in his head, but it was also made obvious that this offered him an excellent opportunity to try and discover the reason behind the orange haired girl's strange behavior by searching her room. All that he needed was to use his Geass on Shirley's roommate to act as a sort of lookout, keeping people out with a lie that the room was being disinfected, and have C.C. search through the drawers he was uncomfortable searching.

"Why should I have to go rifling through some girl's underwear?" C.C. asked holding up a pair of Shirley's lacy underwear. "This is going to cost you."

"It always does." Lelouch muttered in response as he went rifling through Shirley's desk cabinet.

C.C. glanced over at Lelouch as a sly smirk spread across her face. "You know you could have done this solo. Don't most teenage boys usually jump at the chance to go through a cute girl's underwear drawer." C.C. claimed holding out the underwear for Lelouch to get a glimpse of. Only for the banished Britannian prince to turn his head further away, though C.C. did catch a glimpse of red on his cheeks which caused her smirk to widen. "I don't think Shirley would mind. In fact, I think she'd be thrilled to know the man she loves was searching through..."

"That's my business and really none of your concern." Lelouch cut her off, slamming a desk drawer close.

C.C. dropped the smirk that she wore and for the next couple of minutes searched the room silently. Her eyes repeatedly flickered over to Lelouch, as she leafed through Shirley diary that she had found hidden in one of the drawers, a thoughtful frown on her face. "So," The immortal witch began. "At what point were' you going to let me in on your little plan to meet with Naruto in order to garner his support?" C.C. asked nonchalantly.

Lelouch glanced over at C.C. out of the corner of his eyes "I wasn't aware that I had to share my every plan and action with you now. Are you going to offer the same courtesy?" He asked a sarcastic smirk on his face. "I guess that means that you're finally going to start answering my questions truthfully and start explaining yourself?" Lelouch questioned rhetorically well aware by now that C.C. would never divulge any information about herself willingly.

C.C. looked at Lelouch dryly. "Of course, you don't." C.C. told him. The last thing she wanted was having someone else becoming solely dependent on her. "It's just usually you can't help but brag a bit about these master plans of yours ahead of time." She pointed out. "So, I can't help but wonder if your reluctance to confide in me this time has something to do with me knowing Naruto."

"Are you admitting that your hiding something involving Naruto?" Lelouch questioned as he gave C.C. an annoyed glare for the previous comment. Lelouch wouldn't say that he was bragging. Like stated before Lelouch knew that he was smart, but he also knew that it was smarter to have a sounding board in case he missed something. C.C. was excellent for this because not only was she smart in her own right, but she wasn't afraid to let her opinion be known or when she thought he was making a mistake or being stupid. "Getting in contact with Naruto was something I always planned on doing from the beginning." Lelouch admitted. "With the resources that Namikaze Corp. has at its disposal it would be stupid of me not to. Besides the obvious financial support that they could provide there is also the almost unlimited medical supplies that would be out our disposal that would prove invaluable." The black haired Britannian stated.

C.C. nodded her head in agreement. Being alive as long as she has C.C. had long since learned that just as important as the bullets and the guns that were used to fight in wars were the bandages and medicine used to treat the wounded.

"While I might not like the fact that you're associating yourself with Naruto so thoughtlessly," Lelouch said, drawing an un-lady like snort form C.C. "Considering how averse you are to disclosing anything about yourself I doubt that to Naruto your anything more than a vagabond that he was helping out." The black haired Britannian stated.

While Lelouch might not have been meaning to his words transported C.C. to a place from long ago. To a life that she almost desperately wanted to forget about; to a person who she trusted more than anyone else and that in the end betrayed her. C.C. quickly banished those memories of the past as she cast Lelouch an annoyed glare. "I don't like essentially being called a tramp." The light green haired girl declared.

Lelouch reacted to C.C.'s glare with an amused smile. "Oh? Did I offend you?" Lelouch asked sarcastically before moving on. "Either way we can use you knowing Naruto as leverage to get him to help us." He rationalized, looking thoughtful. "Although, with the budding relationship that is developing between Kallen and Naruto having her there might be more effective in garnering his support in that regard." Lelouch decided.

C.C. tried to look completely uninterested with that bit of information as she slowly read through the pages of Shirley's journal. "How is it that you seem so well informed about the status of their relationship?" C.C. asked him. "As far as I'm aware you haven't really been in contact with anyone from school. So, unless you and Kallen have suddenly gotten into the habit of partaking in girl talk and discussing each other's love lives, that's purely speculation on your part is it not."

An annoyed look once more appeared on Lelouch's face at C.C. statement before he quickly schooled his features. "No," Lelouch denied blandly. "Milly just happens to be a hopeless gossip and has been going out of her way to keep me abreast about everything that is going on." He explained. Lelouch didn't mention that Rivalz would also leave him frequent voice messages lamenting Naruto's popularity with the opposite sex, how close Naruto and Kallen were getting, and his own ineptitude to get a date. With Milly or any other girl.

C.C. hummed noncommittedly. "Well there's no sign of that gun in here." C.C. pointed out, getting back to the matter at hand. "And her diary only goes up to the 14th." She finished.

"14th?" Lelouch muttered, taking a small box out of one of the drawers Shirley's desk, instantly making a connection to the aforementioned date. "That was the date of the battle at Narita. The day her father almost died." He finished once more feeling guilty for what almost happened. Being distracted as he was Lelouch accidently dropped the box causing the contents within to spill out.

"They're a bunch of photos of you." C.C. observed, picking up quite a few off the ground.

"Of me?" Lelouch repeated more than a little surprised.

"You know," C.C. began as she looked at photos. "This is going from being sweet to frighteningly obsessive." There were other members of the Student Council in some of the pictures, and even some of Shirley herself, but the only person that was present in every picture was Lelouch. Quite a few of them were only of Lelouch though.

"Oh, be quiet." Lelouch ordered snatching the pictures out of C.C.'s hand and stuffing them back into the box. As he was placing the box back inside the drawer he found a small book inside, having previously been hidden beneath the box. Opening to the paged that was booked marked Lelouch found that it had the time and train lines that ran through the country. "Narita?" Lelouch muttered seeing that Shirley had circled that line specifically.

Shirley found herself making her way to the memorial monument that was erected in memory of all those who had lost their lives at the battle of Narita. With her Shirley carried a pink duffle bag that concealed the gun that belonged to Zero, that belonged to Lelouch. She had come here hoping that the monument would put thing into prospective for her. Hoping that being reminded of all the people who lost their lives because of Lelouch, how her own father was almost included on that list, would convince her to do the right thing. Whatever that might be.

Standing in front of the monument Shirley stared at it sadly. "Lulu, how could you do this?" She whispered softly, unconsciously placing her hand on the hidden gun and clutching it slightly.

"Yes. How could he?" A male voice suddenly spoke up from behind Shirley, causing the orangette to jump slightly in surprise. Spinning around Shirley found a man with silver hair walking up to her. The man raised his glove covered hands and started to clap, a wide smirk on his face. "A very fine memorial, isn't that right, Ms. Shirley Fenette?" He asked her.

Shirley took an unconscious step away from the man. "Who...?" She questioned feeling both confused and slightly fearful of the man standing before her.

The silver haired man's smirk got a bit wider, giving him an almost snake like expression. "He's a cruel man, isn't he?" He continued to question completely ignoring Shirley's own question in turn. "Lelouch."

Shirley felt a shiver go down her spine as she stared at the man. "H-How do you know about Lulu?" She managed to get out in a stutter. At the moment Shirley wanted nothing more than to run away from the man, yet she found that her body unwilling to respond to her commands.

"Oh, he deceived you." The man said dropping his arms to his side as he drew closer. "Never told you he's Zero." He stated confidently.

Shirley felt her body seize up with each step that the unknown man took. "Who are you? What do you want!?" The orangette demanded with an obvious look of fear on her face.

"He's a very bad man, and you like it." The silver haired man continued. "Yet that is what makes you two seemingly so perfect for one another, isn't it? Because you're no different from him, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically. "You're a wicked manipulative girl."

"What are you talking about?" Shirley asked nervously.

"Come now there is no need to feign ignorance." The silver haired man claimed. "I know everything. All that happened that night..." Shirley's mind flashed back to when she discovered that Lelouch was masquerading as Zero. How she had shot Villetta on instinct, possibly killing her, all for the sake of keeping Lelouch safe. "You two really are alike, you're a killer too. Just like Zero."

"No!" Shirley denied fervently. "That's not true! I-I…"

"But that is not the extent of your wickedness, is it?" At this point the man was almost looming over Shirley, his gaze even through his shades fixated on Shirley's almost trembling form. "You wanted Lelouch all to yourself and didn't care what you had to do in order to make that happen. Even going as far as using a friend of his to try and incite jealousy in Lelouch, but you liked the thrill of it. The idea of having two guys fighting over you."

"No, you're wrong!" Shirley refuted.

"Cunning little woman. You saw an opportunity and decided to ring it for all that it was worth. Is that what you're going to do now? Play the tragic heroine? Are you going to tell Lulu what you did, play on his sympathy and gratitude in hopes it will get you his attention?" The silver haired man continued to question, never giving Shirley enough of opportunity to reply to any of them.

Shirley could almost feel her knees buckling under the unknown man's accusations. The young girl was at the verge of clasping her hands over her ears in the hope that it would block out the sound of the man's voice and increasingly derogatory accusations. "I didn't… I never meant…" Shirley muttered weakly.

The silver haired man seemed to take a perverse glee at the state that he was leaving Shirley in. "A girl who kills and then goes fishing for attention? Only evil witches do that." He said finally coming to a stop right in front of Shirley. The man once more held up his hands and started to clap once more. "You are a manipulative evil little thing. You use the people that you claim are important to you for your own self interests. You've killed someone in order to protect someone who is responsible for killing hundreds, which almost included your own father." The man said taking delight in the anguish cry that Shirley let out as she finally fell to her knees. "Do you want to carry these feelings around for the rest of your life? The guilt, sorrow, and agony? All by yourself? Unless you atone and completely free your heart, you and Lelouch will both be lost in your sins... forever." As the man stared down at Shirley the Geass symbol flared brightly in his eyes beneath his shades.

Lelouch sat in his seat within the train that was heading towards Narita, tapping his finger impatiently against the armrest. Sitting across from his was C.C. the immortal witch, wearing a light blue hooded jacket; a yellow top that highlighted her alluring figure; formfitting white slacks that served the purpose of drawing attention to her long legs and black shoes. Normally Lelouch would have insisted that C.C. stayed back, either at the school or returned to the Black Knights mobile base, but with the current situation he'd rather have her helping him locate Shirley. Sparing C.C., a quick glance Lelouch found himself once more silently grateful that Naruto bought the green haired girl her own clothing. Because now she wasn't taking his clothes or wearing something outlandish that they would have to get out of the drama department.

"So," C.C. started, drawing Lelouch out of his thoughts, "Do you love her, Shirley?" She asked him with mild curiosity in her voice.

Lelouch turned his attention to the passing scenery. "Don't know." He answered annoyed by C.C.'s line of questioning.

If C.C. registered Lelouch's annoyance she didn't show it as she continued. "Do you hate her?" The immortal witch questioned with a single brow raised delicately.

"Don't know." Lelouch replied in the same tone, although there was also a hint of anger carried in his voice now.

C.C. let out an exasperated sigh. "Then why are we going to Narita?"

Lelouch looked at C.C. incredulously, like she had just asked him the stupidest thing ever, before shooting her an angry glare. "You know the reason why." He told her shortly. "'Shirley may have discovered who I am." He stated obviously.

C.C. rolled her eyes, as if she had really had forgotten something like that. "What if she really does know?" She demanded of him impatiently. "Are you going to kill her?" the green haired woman probed him, and instantly noticed the way that he flinched at the question. "If you have someone you don't want to lose, you should keep them at a distance." C.C. advised him. "Otherwise they'll end up getting caught up in the crossfire."

"Is that from experience?" Lelouch asked her, studying the girl sitting across from him carefully.

"No." C.C. answered, looking away from Lelouch to stare out the window. "It's a way of life."

It wasn't long before Lelouch and C.C. arrived at Narita, a workforce still trying to clear up the destroyed city. Lelouch paid them little mind as he instantly made his way to the memorial monument that had been erected. A quick look though quickly revealed that the place was deserted of any human life.

"I thought she'd be here." Lelouch muttered, staring at the monument for a moment before turning his back to it.

What right did he have to look at it, let alone offer a prayer, when he was responsible for all those names being there. The banished Britannian prince washed over with feelings of regret that warred with his sense of logic and rationality inside himself. The Radiant Wave Surger powered landslide had far exceeded his expectations and calculations. At the time Lelouch had written it off with a joke, it wasn't until later that Lelouch learned how devastating his miscalculation really was. Lelouch knew that he didn't have the mindset to be called a real knight, but that didn't mean that he was so callous that he was fine with their being innocent casualties. Especially when he was the one responsible for them dying.

What he did with the JLF was different in his opinion. They were soldiers and should have long ago come to terms with the fact that they might die in the line of duty. Besides the way that they were being led, with their outdated methods, strategies, and weapons, it was only a matter of time before Britannia wiped them out. They knew this and that was the reason they were on that boat in the first place. But Lelouch held himself accountable for the deaths at Narita. Each name written on the monument was one more reason that Lelouch had to work harder to make sure such mistakes didn't happen again.

"We'll have to split up and look for her." C.C. stated, snapping Lelouch out of his introspection.

Lelouch looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you even know what Shirley looks like?" He asked dubiously.

C.C. rolled her eyes as she turned her back on Lelouch. "Of course, I do." C.C. retorted superiorly. "She's the girl that Suzaku Kururugi kissed on national television." The immortal witch pointed out with a smirk.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek." Lelouch grunted out, feeling more irritated by that remark then he thought he would be. Definitely more than he had any time he heard it before. The banished prince quickly brushed those thoughts aside, not being the time or place for them. "The chance is so slim. I doubt she's even here." Lelouch said, turning back from where they came from to check that area more carefully for Shirley.

C.C. rolled her eyes at Lelouch's pessimistic attitude before turning to face him with a serious look on her face. "You never answered my question from before." She pointed out to him, causing Lelouch to raise an eyebrow in confusion. C.C. didn't even attempt to hold back her sigh. "What if she really does know?" She repeated the question from when they were on board the train. "Are you prepared to kill her if it comes down to that?"

Lelouch left without answering.

Several minutes later Lelouch eyes were quickly scanning the area in search of Shirley but was coming up empty. At the same time, Lelouch was trying to piece together everything that he knew; the second person, the blood on the ground, and why Shirley was with them. Hoping that would be able to figure it out. His phone ringing drew Lelouch's attention, it grabbed his attention completely when the caller id showed that it was Shirley calling him. "I'm here." Lelouch answered immediately. "Where are you calling from?"

The male laughter that came though the phone caused Lelouch's eyes to widen. "Haha, where indeed?" The silver haired man's voice questioned.

Lelouch spun around not only hearing the man's voice coming from his phone but directly behind him as well. Standing before him was a man in a light blue outfit, silver hair, and with headphones and visor sunglasses with a smirk on his face and holding Shirley's phone. "Who are you?!" Lelouch demanded angrily, the only response he got was the man tossing Shirley's phone at his feet. Lelouch's eyes flickered to the phone lying at his feet before with a snarl they returned to the unknown man. "You scum! What have you done with Shirley?!" The black haired Britannian shouted.

"Ooh, I like it, the scary face." The man claimed, raising his hands as he started clapping. "The face of a man whose woman was stolen away." The silver haired man taunted.

Each second that Lelouch spent looking at this man the banished prince could feel his anger rising. Lelouch wasn't the kind of person who would react violently, especially with physical violence, but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to punch that smirk clear off the man's face. "What the hell did you do with her?!" He shouted, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned white.

"You want to know?" The man asked, as he stopped clapping and dropped his hands to his side. "Then you'll have to accept my challenge." He stated reaching into his pocket, causing Lelouch to tense slightly. "You specialize in this, don't you?" He finished holding a white knight chess piece between his fingers.

Ohgi, after the short meeting that Zero had called for, had found himself wandering around and ending up at the docks. Despite Kirihara's urging to trust Zero, Ohgi found himself once more questioning if he really could trust Zero. His thoughts were filled with the battle that happened here not so long ago, the JLF choosing to commit suicide instead of surrendering, was the main cause of his latest bout of distrust towards the leader of the Black Knights.

No matter what he told himself he couldn't come to terms with what happened. When he voiced his doubts to the others Tamaki had thrown out the possibility that it just self-destructed. But Ohgi found himself agreeing with Diethard when the man said that it was all too convenient and he didn't like that. Not because the man was Britannian, though Ohgi would admit that there was a bit of distaste because of that, but because it meant that Zero was behind the explosion that killed General Katase and his men.

Those thoughts, those doubts, made him distrustful of Zero. If he was going to follow Zero, entrust his life, the life of his friends, and the liberation of Japan then he couldn't have any doubts about the man. Keeping his identity, a secret from all of them wasn't helping Ohgi's lack of trust in the man.

"What the hell is going on?" Ohgi muttered as he stared at to see. "Zero, can I really trust you?" He wondered out loud. Ohgi was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of some soft painful groans. Looking around he tried to figure out what the source of the noise was. It wasn't until he looked down into the water did he spot someone lying unconscious against the rocks. Without a second thought Ohgi rushed to pull the person out of the water. It's only after he's holding the person in his arms that he registers the fact that it was a woman with long silver hair and chocolate brown skin. It was obvious to Ohgi, even at first glance, that the women in his arms was clearly Britannian. Even with that bit of knowledge Ohgi didn't even entertain the idea of abandoning somebody that needed help. "Are you alright? Talk to me, hey, come on." He urged the woman shaking her slightly, but being mindful of the wound that she had. If the blood on her clothes was anything to go by. It was only when the woman shifted slightly and let out another groan that Ohgi found himself relaxing a little. "You're alive." The Japanese man said, the statement more to reassure and comfort himself. Ohgi completely froze a second later as he heard the first coherent words that left the woman's mouth.

"So, it's you." Villetta mumbled, still passed out. "Zero!"

Ohgi stared at the woman in his arms with clear disbelief evident in his eyes. 'Could she?' Ohgi wondered incredulously. It was just a few mumbled words but there was a chance, no matter how impossible it might seem and how unlikely she was talking about the same thing he was thinking, that this woman knew Zero's true identity. Even a small chance at this information meant that Ohgi would do whatever he had to, to learn what she knew.

C.C. cursed as she raced up the side of a mountain, having procured a motorbike from a Britannian she had been questioning earlier. That had come to abrupt end when she spotted Lelouch riding on a funicular with the last person that she expected to see. And the last one she wanted to see. 'Mao,' C.C. thought conflictingly. She wanted to question why he was there, what he was doing there, but she already knew. That's why she was racing to get to the other end of the funicular line as soon as possible. 'Lelouch, even you...' C.C. thought to herself, her hair wiping wildly behind her. 'No, because it's you, you can never beat Mao.' She finished despairingly.

Lelouch glared at the silver haired man, Mao, with a chess board sitting between them. Mao had challenged him to a game as a condition and from the start Lelouch's mind was racing trying to figure out who this man sitting across from him was. Not helping with the hostility that he felt for this man was the fact that every move he made was being countered expertly. Lelouch, briefly, wondered if his opponent was that good a player or if he was just so distracted by everything that he was playing poorly.

"You know I've never actually played this game before, don't you?" Mao said at that exact moment as if taunting Lelouch.

The scowl that Lelouch already wore deepened but otherwise he didn't rise to Mao's taunt. 'Calling on my mobile... was he just being theatrical?' Lelouch questioned moving another of his pieces on the board. 'No, he didn't know what I look like.' He rationalized, watching intently as Mao made his move. 'That means he didn't see me that night. And he didn't have time to find a photo of me. He hasn't planned this out, he's winging it. Which means...'

"There's an opening you can use?" Mao finished Lelouch's thoughts out loud, catching Lelouch by surprise, his gazed fixated on the black haired Britannian. "Shouldn't you be thinking about the game a bit more? You could lose." He said moving his bishop. The exact thing that Lelouch didn't want him to do.

It was just a few minutes later that Mao's words turned out to be prophetic as Lelouch stared down at the bored with a look of shock on his face and his mouth almost hanging open. 'Impossible... He's got me trapped?!' Lelouch thought disbelievingly despite what he was seeing.

Mao let out a few chuckles relishing the look that was on Lelouch's face. "So, can we just call it my game, hmm?" Mao wondered as the funicular reached the end of the line, causing all the chess pieces to fall over. "Well I guess that really is game." Mao mused amusedly.

'Who is this guy?!' Lelouch wondered, his incredulity overriding any of the previous anger that he felt.

"Didn't C.C. tell you about me?" Mao asked curiously as Lelouch's eyes snapped up to meet his. "Well done!" Mao exclaimed joyfully, raising his hands and clapping approvingly. "In one lightning moment, you came up with fourteen possible identities for me. And one of them is precisely correct." Mao revealed lowering his visor to reveal his eyes. More importantly revealing that he possessed Geass in both his eyes.

'He has Geass too!' Lelouch exclaimed in his mind, his own Geass flaring to life in response.

Seeing Lelouch's Geass activate Mao hastily raised his visor again. "Let's see now." The man murmured. "For your Geass, you have to look directly into someone's eyes. Which I guess means I'm safe." He taunted. "Oh, I know all the rules for your little gift."

"You can read minds." Lelouch stated. Finally understanding how the silver haired man managed to beat him.

"You know you have quiet the ego." Mao said offhandedly. "So quickly trying to justify your loss like that. But anyway, you could call my Geass mind-reading I suppose." He remarked casually.

Lelouch shot out of his seat as he glared at Mao. "What the hell did you do to Shirley?!" He demanded furiously. "Tell me! What did you do, kill her?!"

"Of course not!" Mao replied waving the accusation off.

From behind Mao, Lelouch watched stupefied as Shirley walked into view through the funicular's window. "Shirley!" Lelouch gasped, having honestly thought that Mao had either killed her or was holding her hostage. The last thing he was expecting was Mao letting Shirley walk around freely. It was only when Shirley raised her hands that Lelouch realized that she was holding a gun, his gun he absently realized, and was aiming it at him.

"So now then," Mao began, standing up from his own seat. "Let the vital punishment games begin."

Lelouch was forced off the funicular by Shirley at gunpoint while Mao stayed behind him. Lelouch hardly paid any attention to him though as his gaze was fixated on Shirley. Quickly looking her over Lelouch didn't spot any signs of injury that Mao might have caused, but he didn't dwell on that long. "Shirley, that gun is..." The banished prince muttered.

"Yes," Shirley mumbled, her voice sounding lifeless. "It's Zero's, your gun, Lulu..."

"Why don't you use your Geass?" Mao suggested from behind Lelouch, causing the Britannian to glance at him, as he reached for something in his coat. "I'm pretty sure you haven't used it on her, right? Of course, if you do, I'll just shoot you myself." He finished pulling a gun out.

Lelouch scowled angrily at the man, his eyes briefly flicking toward the gun that Mao held. Despite the two guns now being pointed at him Lelouch remained as calm as possible as he tried to figure out the limitations of Mao's Geass, not to mention what exactly the silver haired man wanted from him.

"Keep thinking about it." Mao stated throwing his arms out wide, so confident of his control over the situation that he didn't bother keeping his gun trained on Lelouch. "That's your strong point, right? Thoughts spinning round and round and round..."

"Shut up!" Lelouch snapped, but not daring to make a move towards Mao.

Mao returned to pointing his gun at Lelouch, as his voice lost much of the jollity it possessed and becoming serious. "This is a fitting death, poetic justice for a thief like you." Mao claimed.

'Thief?' Lelouch wondered, that one particular word sticking out to the Britannian. Before he could voice his confusion though Shirley began speaking drawing Lelouch's focus to once more.

"Lulu... die." Shirley said dispassionately, to the point that Lelouch would have almost considered that the orange haired girl was under some kind of hypnosis. "We'll atone for our sins...We have to! I'll die with you." The orangette finished her voice coming off sounding almost zealously as she spoke.

Lelouch blinked a couple times in befuddlement not quiet believing what he just heard. "What?" He said ineloquently.

Behind his visor Mao's eyes raked over Shirley's form. Not that he was remotely attracted to the orange haired girl because there was only one woman in the world for him. Everyone else was filthy, disgusting, selfish, and wretched creatures.

But not his darling C.C… She was perfect, a goddess in a world of heathens. Beauty and perfection given human form. Long lustrous green hair and enchanting golden colored eyes. And best of all she loved him! She did! It was only a matter of time now before they were together forever and ever!

Mao mentally shook his head having gotten sidetracked with thoughts of C.C. This girl before him was a perfect example of someone who had their will' broken, and Mao reveled in the fact that he was the one that caused it in this little trollop. "She's already killed one time." He told Lelouch. "She shot the person who saw your face, all to protect your little secret."

"Then, that blood was..." Lelouch mumbled starring at Shirley. His heart was breaking at the fact that the sweetest girl he knew had to do such a terrible thing, and for his sake as well.

"It's time to end this together, Lulu." Shirley murmured.

"Yes, yes. Sinners must be punished." Mao intoned on the verge of breaking out laughing uncontrollably.

Lelouch rounded on the silver haired man with a burning glare. "You put her up to all of this!" The banished prince snapped before realization struck him. 'I see, he reads her mind and it's easy for him to confuse and control her!'

"Yes, that's right." Mao applauded, hazardously clapping his hands with the gun still clutched in one of them, not at all bothered by the fact that Lelouch figured out that one particular trick of his.

Lelouch turned back to Shirley with a pleading look in his eyes. "Shirley, don't let him trick you!" He shouted imploringly. "He's just..."

At that point Mao couldn't control himself any longer and actually burst out laughing. "Come now, are you actually saying this?" The Chinese man questioned between breaths. "The guy who lied to her from the very start?" Mao inquired rhetorically. "You almost killed her father then had the audacity to-"

"Stop it!" Shirley wailed beggingly, not wanting to hear a word of what Mao was saying.

Lelouch kept his gaze firmly fixed on Shirley, noticing how much the orangette was shaking and how it was only getting worse with every word that Mao spoke. 'He's really getting to her.' Lelouch thought to himself, missing the smug look that appeared on Mao's face at his thought. Lelouch gathered that if he was going to get through to Shirley then he first had to calm her down and break whatever hold Mao had on her. "If murder is a sin, then this absolutely increases the sin!" Lelouch stated, ignoring Mao's snarky comments from behind him. "Shirley, did you really kill somebody?" He asked but didn't receive an answer from the girl who refused to look him in the eyes. "And if you did kill, was he the one who was controlling you?" The black haired Britannian said trying to reason Shirley's actions.

Mao chortled at that. "Despite what you may want to believe my Geass doesn't offer me control over others like yours does." He stated. "No, let's give credit where credit is due. Shirley pulled the trigger all on her own and she knows it."

"He's trying to confuse you, Shirley!" Lelouch shouted the anger he was feeling for Mao causing him to snap at Shirley.

Shirley reflexively flinched at Lelouch yelling at her. "Why don't you shut up?!" Shirley shouted back leveling the gun at Lelouch, eyes closed, and pulling the trigger. The gun shot rang loudly and it caused Shirley to immediately freeze up.

Luckily for Lelouch with Shirley's eyes closed she failed to properly aim the gun at him. Even still he felt the bullet pass through his hair, the shock and surprise of Shirley actually firing at him causing him to fall back. As he crashed onto the stairs and tumbled back photos, the same photos that he and C.C. had found in Shirley's room, scattering into the air.

Shirley's eyes flew open a few seconds later with a look of disbelief on her face, as if not quite believing what just happened. Her eyes shakily glanced downward to find Lelouch sprawled haphazardly across the stairs, still conscious, groaning in pain from his fall. Her eyes then traveled to the photos scattered about, a couple just then coming to rest on the ground. They were her photos. Her photos of Lelouch, some of her most precious possessions.

Mao smirked broadly at Lelouch's downed form before suddenly frowning as he tore is gaze away from the male Britannian to stare at Shirley. He couldn't hear a single thought coming from the orange haired girl. He knew why of course it having happened a few times before. It usually occurred when someone was so surprised they momentarily even stopped thinking. It was kind of unsettling for Mao, especially since he could never shut other people's thoughts out with the exception of one person. His darling C.C. "What are you hesitating for?" Mao demanded annoyed. "You're not thinking of letting him off, are you? With the crimes' he's committed and all the people he's killed he is a sinner. Sinners need to be punished. Kill him now!" The Chinese man ordered.

"But..." Shirley mumbled, eyes moving from the photos, to Lelouch, to Mao, and back again to the photos. "I just… I don't…"

"Shirley..." Lelouch said sympathetically sitting up. He was right about Shirley being to kind of a soul for this and the stress of the situation was overwhelming her.

"What the heck's up with this girl?" Mao muttered his frown deepening. "Her thoughts are just a jumble now. I'll just have to do it—" Mao continued raising his gun only to be forced to duck when Shirley fired another shot blindly when she saw what Mao was going to do, all the while screaming for him to stop. "Fine." Mao complied, holding his hand up in surrender while lowering his gun. "Consider it stopped. You two just do whatever as you want." He finished feigning resignation as he walked into the funicular.

Once Mao was out of Shirley's direct eye of sight she seemed to lose all her strength and began to collapse. Lelouch rushed to catch the orange haired girl before she hit the ground afraid that she might have fainted. Though that quickly proved untrue as he held the girl in his arms, her form shaking as tears streamed down the side of her face.

Within the Funicular Mao was rifling through a bag he had stashed there earlier, very well hidden from anyone else. "What a pain." The silver haired Geass possessor muttered annoyed. "It was so dramatic and juicy. Now I'll have to kill them in the old boring way." He grouched pulling out a rifle from the bag. The funicular suddenly jostling to a start prevented him from getting off in order to finish his self-imposed mission. "Who did that? Why didn't I sense them there?" Mao demanded out loud before realization struck him and he rushed up the steps to the other end, a large smile spreading across his face. It only doubled in size when he spotted C.C. like he expected. "It couldn't be! C.C.!" He shouted gleefully throwing his visor and headphones off. Coming from the headphones was the sound of C.C.'s voice speaking gently to him while repeatedly saying his name. "I just knew it! We finally meet again. It's you! It's really you! You look beautiful, C.C.! I love that look!" The silver haired man complimented reverently, completely ignoring the gun that C.C. had trained on him as the funicular took him away. "C.C., I'll come to see you as soon as I can! I promise! I promise!" He shouted as he got farther and farther away.

C.C. watched as Mao was taken away an almost melancholy look on her face. "Mao... I never thought you would come out among people." She said to herself. When she had left Mao, he avoided people as much as possible unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

Lelouch held Shirley tightly in his arms trying to calm her as she cried her eyes out and shook uncontrollably. Shirley clutched Lelouch tightly as she offered endless apologies causing Lelouch's heart to go out to the girl as he offered a few soothing words. "Shirley, any sin you committed is mine to bear." He told her gently.

"I wanted you to notice me." Shirley admitted to him. "To be kind to me."

"What's wrong with that?" He asked her.

"I wanted to hate you." The organette continued. "For everything that you've done, for almost getting my father killed. But I couldn't, I just couldn't. I-I,"

Lelouch pulled back holding Shirley by her shoulders as he stared down at her. If he was going to help Shirley there was only one thing he could really do for her in order to free her from her uncertainties, fears, and guilt. Even if. "Don't worry." Lelouch told her. "It's time to forget all the bad things that have happened to you."

"But I can't!" Shirley denied shaking her head.

"Yes, you can!" Lelouch insisted, staring into Shirley's eyes. "I'll help you forget all of this." He said his heart heavy.

"Impossible." Shirley mumbled.

"Shirley, I'm sorry about what almost happened to your father and my part in it." Lelouch started softly. "If I could be reborn into a new life," The banished Britannian continued his Geass flaring to life. "I would..."

Shirley's eyes widened in horror as she saw the Geass in Lelouch's left eye. She didn't know what it was but she had an instinctual fear of it. "Lulu..." Her voice came out pleadingly. "No, don't!" The scream she let out tore at Lelouch's heart, but it was for the best. For him… and her.

"No, not someone from my family." Lelouch said in a voice filled with sorrow. The sun had set a while ago and once more the black haired Britannian found himself standing in front of the memorial standing across from Shirley. Only now he was a stranger in her eyes. Earlier he had used the power of Geass to make her forget everything about him. It would absolve her of all the guilt she felt while protecting his identity as Zero at the same time. Though at that moment all that really mattered was what was best for Shirley. "It was a friend." He continued. "Someone… well, very important to me." Lelouch finished sadly.

Shirley stared at this guy standing across from her and could clearly see the sadness that was present in his eyes. "I'm so sorry." Shirley said sincerely.

Right now, standing across from Shirley and having her not know who he was, was its own kind of torture for Lelouch. Briefly he wondered if he didn't deserve it. "But I didn't know. I didn't know until after I lost her." Lelouch revealed having only realized how important Shirley really was to him now. "Then I realized how much she meant to me..." Lelouch continued remembering every moment that he spent with Shirley. "How her smile saved me. And how I'll never be able to argue or laugh with her like that again." The violet eyed boy said pouring his heart out to her, a part of him silently hoping that Shirley would somehow remember everything.

"I get it." Shirley started, provoking a small spark of hope within Lelouch. "You loved her, didn't you?" She continued, "You must feel terrible."

Lelouch felt his small bit of hope be dashed away, his shoulders sagging a little. "Right' now… I don't know anymore." He murmured softly.

"Well, the morning always comes again." Shirley said, drawing a surprised look from Lelouch. "I have to say it's funny. I know that I came out here for some reason, but I can't remember exactly what it was now. I think I wanted to offer my apologies and condolences to those who died at Narita, and maybe my thanks that my father is still here with my mother and me. These past few days have been the hardest of my life and I guess I wanted to make peace with everything before moving on. Any guilt I felt for being thankful that my father survived and others didn't; the sadness that my father was hurt at all; the anger I felt towards the Black Knights, I wanted to put it all to rest. Maybe I can't remember because I already put the whole thing behind me, something I wanted to let go of. Maybe I was full of sadness. But morning still comes, right? That's why you shouldn't try to hold back your thoughts like that." Shirley suggested to him.

"Yes, you're right." Lelouch agreed looking away from Shirley. "I feel the same way now. Thanks a lot for everything." He whispered softly, turning and walking away, feeling like he was saying goodbye.

For the next couple of days Lelouch had returned to Ashford Academy, although he had yet to attend any of his classes and stayed mostly in his room. Any other time C.C. would be chiding him endlessly for apparently sulking over what happened with Shirley, except she wasn't there and that wasn't why he was staying in his room. With what happened with Mao and Shirley, Lelouch wanted to be as close to Nunnally as possible to make sure that she was safe. There were cameras set up around and inside the Student Council building, which were set up on a different network from the rest of the school cameras to ensure Lelouch's and Nunnally's privacy, that Lelouch was keeping a constant eye on for even a hint of Mao.

Since the confrontation with Mao, Lelouch hadn't seen any sign of C.C. in the last two days. It was frustrating not having a way to track, or at least contact, her making Lelouch come to the decision to get C.C. a phone as soon as possible. Lelouch was at least grateful for the fact that before she disappeared, when they had been heading back from Narita, C.C. had done him the courtesy of telling him everything she knew about Mao's Geass.

Lelouch of course knew how important it was to locate Mao, he was desperate to find Mao himself. That's why he had members of the Black Knights searching for him. Initially he had been worried about Mao revealing his true identity to anyone that found him. Lelouch eased those worries mostly with the knowledge that with the exception of Kallen he could use his Geass to make any member of the Black Knights forget whatever Mao told them. It wasn't ideal but what mattered most was capturing Mao.

Unfortunately, as much as Lelouch wanted to focus all his attention on keeping Nunnally safe from Mao he still had other responsibilities. His plan to meet with Naruto, and another reason that Lelouch was frustrated that C.C. had disappeared, as Zero would need to be carried out soon, otherwise risk having to put it off indefinitely. Something that Lelouch didn't want to do with how quickly things were escalating against Cornelia and her forces. And with how sporadic Naruto was actually going into his own company recently it gave him small windows of opportunity where he could get to Naruto away from a majority of the public.

The door to his room suddenly opening drew Lelouch's attention as he watched C.C. finally make an appearance. The immortal witch was wearing dark blue jeans, black long-sleeved shirt, under a dark orange jacket that was cut short. Over her head she wore a large cream-colored hat that contained a majority of her hair leaving only a couple of long bangs to frame the side of her face.

And going by the frown on her face it was clear that she hadn't found any sign of where Mao might be.

"No luck I take it." Lelouch stated curtly. In response C.C. shot Lelouch a quick glare before she lay on the bed unceremoniously her hat falling off so that her hair haloed around her. "Well there is no point in wasting time in fruitless endeavors." Lelouch decided.

"Fruitless?" C.C. repeated incredulously. "Am I just supposed to stop looking for him? Maybe your underestimating just how dangerous Mao is."

A deep frown crossed Lelouch's face at C.C.'s accusation. "Considering everything that's happened underestimating Mao is the last thing I'm going to do. Right now, I have every member of the Black Knights on the lookout for him. With all of them out there they are more likely to have a run in with Mao before you are so wasting your time searching for him is pointless when we have other matters to attend to." Lelouch argued.

"Such as?" C.C. questioned challengingly, sitting up on the bed, with a raised eyebrow.

"The meeting that I have planned with Naruto." Lelouch answered.

C.C.'s widened fractionally, barely even noticeably, as she registered what Lelouch said. "I wasn't aware that the meeting was scheduled to happen so soon." C.C. said evenly enough. "With everything that's happened I would have thought you'd put it off until a later date."

Lelouch shook his head. "I was serious when I said that I wanted to secure another means of funding for the Black Knights. I don't imagine that money will be an issue at any point in the near future with Kyoto's backing, but if one thing has been made clear to me is that you never know how things will go during a war and having contingencies is always a good idea for those unforeseen occurrences." Lelouch stated his eyebrows furrowed in thought before he continued. "If the Black Knights last confrontation with the military is anything to go by then Cornelia seems to have already upgraded her forces Knightmare Frames since the battle at Narita to better match up against the Guren." The black haired Britannian stated. "With the Namikaze Corporations support we would be set not only financially but we'd also get extra medical supplies. Plus were likely to benefit from their R&D department."

"You think so?" C.C. asked curiously with a raised eyebrow. "From what I understand the Namikaze Corporation refuses to develop anything for the sake of warfare. Do you really think Naruto is going to suddenly change that procedure just because you asked, and somehow not raise suspicions?"

"Well maybe if I do it nicely." Lelouch joked lightly before becoming serious once more. "It's not like I expect them to suddenly manufacture guns and Knightmare Frames, no matter how interesting it might be to see just what a Knightmare they create could do." He stated a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Your right it would draw to much attention, both from the media and the military, if Namikaze Corp. suddenly went into the weapons business. At that point, the military would be vying for anything they might create while keeping a close scrutiny of everything that they do."

"So, no advanced futuristic weaponry?" C.C. asked rhetorically a teasing tone to her voice.

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "No, it would be better if they avoided making any sort of weapons." He decided. "Either way the technology that they make more than makes up for whatever weapons they don't. The money, equipment, and especially the resources, resources that are likely at least 10x better than anything Kyoto could offer, is what makes the meeting with Naruto so vital." Lelouch stated.

"Ok so when is this important meeting?" C.C. questioned.

"Tonight." Lelouch answered immediately, catching C.C. by surprise again by how soon Lelouch wanted to hold the meeting with Naruto. "Naruto hasn't been at his company recently but my contacts say he will be in tonight in order to catch up with some work." He told her.

"Contacts." C.C. said dubiously.

Lelouch looked stared at C.C. with a smirk on his face, but didn't go into details.

In the dead of night Zero and a few members of the Black Knights moved silently around the Namikaze Corporation building. Unlike the places they usually snuck around late at night, warehouses and the like, there was hardly any shadows or cover for them to hide behind making most of them a little skittish.

Even at night though, as late as it was and as abandoned as it looked, the Namikaze Corp. building seemed to stand as a pillar. What that pillar stood for depended on the person who stared up at it. With him Zero had C.C., Kallen, Nagata, and Tamaki while the other original members of the Black Knights were canvasing the area, with the exception of Ohgi, before Zero and the others would rejoin them. If things didn't go well they would provide a distraction and buy them time while the main group met with Naruto, and hopefully came to an accord. Originally Zero intended for Ohgi to be with the main group instead of Tamaki, but the man refused to come in stating that something had come up that demanded his attention. While he definitely wasn't pleased by it Zero let Ohgi be to deal with whatever had come up.

"Are these really necessary?" Kallen asked Zero in a whisper glancing down at the gun that she was carrying, before turning her gaze to the ones that Tamaki and Nagata were holding, shifting the weapon in her arms. This was hardly the first time she carried a weapon, but she felt uneasy carrying one in this instance.

"I don't mean for them to play a part in the meeting with Naruto." Zero clarified, turning his head slightly towards Kallen. "But if something goes wrong and the military should appear for whatever reason it would be best that we have a way to defend ourselves." He stated. "Hopefully though this is just of case of paranoia." Zero finished.

"So how are we supposed to get to Uzumaki anyway?" Tamaki questioned, looking around before his gaze transferred up to the top of the building where he figured Naruto's office be. "He's up, there right?"

"Simple really." Zero answered casting a quick careful look around, seeing no signs of life, before stepping toward the building. "We're going to walk in through the front door and meet with him in his office." He stated casually. The others quickly followed their leader, though Kallen was quick to out strip them so that she could get ahead of Zero.

"Wait is that really a good idea?" She asked him and saw how Zero didn't falter as walked toward the building. "I get that it's important to meet with Naruto, but we can't just walk in there." Kallen protested, as she stood in front of Zero. "If we're seen by anyone its most likely going to be reported to the military, which I thought we were trying to avoid, and they're going to come down hard on the Namikaze Corporation." She pointed out. "Britannia will place sanctions on the company and it's the people who'll end up suffering."

Zero stopped as he stared at Kallen noticing the concern that was in her eyes. He wondered if the concern was for the people the Namikaze Corp. wouldn't be able to help should the restrictions be applied, or if it was for Naruto and what could happen to him. "Calm down Kallen." Zero advised her. "At this time of night personnel is down to a minimum and the lobby is all but abandoned, what few employees are still here tend to remain within their own offices, with the exception of a couple of guards that would be sitting at the front desk." He stated as he started walking towards the building.

"And those guards are not going to say anything?" Tamaki asked before shifting the gun in his arms. "Or are we going have to convince them to keep their traps shut." The dark brown-haired man said with a wicked grin.

"That won't be necessary." Zero refuted, coming to a stop right outside the building. "I have an arrangement with the security guards on duty tonight." The Black Knight leader told them the doors opening automatically for him.

"These contacts that you have I imagine." C.C. stated as she followed after Zero unhesitatingly while the others showed a bit more trepidation before following the pair inside.

"Who the hell are they supposed to be?!" Tamaki asked loudly staring up at the statue in the lobby. The man didn't wait for an answer before he started looking around the entrance, spotting the two security officers sitting at the reception desk paying them no mind. "Maybe we should make some noise and have Uzumaki come to us." Tamaki suggested. "I'll bet he'll come down here running if we let lose a few rounds." Tamaki stated pointing his gun at the statue. "Or just run."

"Would you stop messing around. That's a statue of his parents." Kallen hissed at Tamaki, pushing his gun down, getting an uncaring shrug from him.

C.C. studied the statue, a few lights that were kept making sure to illuminate it very well, seeing traits of Naruto in both his parents. "I would imagine that it would be unwise to vandalize something of Naruto's, especially this statue, when we're trying to gain his favor." C.C. stated callously tearing her gaze away from the statue to focus on Tamaki. "Don't you think?" She questioned him.

Tamaki flushed out of embarrassment before quickly getting over it. "So, what?!" Tamaki snapped. "It won't matter if we don't give that bastard a choice! His type always has some secret we can use to force him to do what we want!" The man argued.

Nagata stared at Tamaki warily. "Are you sure that it was a good idea to bring him with us?" Nagata asked Zero in a whisper. "He and Naruto don't exactly have the best history with each other." He informed his leader, remembering the confrontations that Tamaki had with Naruto before and the unkind things the Japanese man had to say about the blonde.

"Probably not," Zero agreed absently, walking past the statue and towards the receptions desk. "Tamaki isn't exactly ideal for this meeting, and I did mean for Ohgi to be here instead, but he does offers an antagonistic point we could exploit if it proves necessary." The masked man stated.

"I guess I can see your point." Nagata murmured. While he wasn't sure what the green haired woman, C.C., would do Nagata seriously doubted that Kallen would be willing to pull out a gun on Naruto. He wasn't even sure what he would do in that regard, the black-haired man did feel a little indebted to Naruto for helping him with a job. The question was to what ends he'd agree to go to acquire Naruto's support for the sake of Japan and their war against Britannia. "I thought we were trying to avoid any sort of confrontation with Naruto." Nagata added.

"We shouldn't dismiss any avenues that are at our disposal." Zero replied, coming to a stop in front of the receptions desk. "I believe that I have a meeting with Mr. Uzumaki Namikaze."

The two guards looked up from the monitors their eyes rimmed red. "Of course, sir." One of them answered. "Please go on ahead." He said gesturing toward the elevator.

Out of everyone there with Zero only C.C. understood why the security guards were acting so civil in regards to their presence. The only thing that C.C. didn't know was when Zero managed to use his Geass on the two guards.

"Thank you." Zero said politely, beneath his mask a smirk played across his lips as he moved towards the elevators.

"I can't believe they really just let us through." Tamaki said as he let out a boisterous laugh.

"Like is said before," Zero began, as he and the others stepped into the elevator. "I have an arrangement with them and we need someone with authorization to activate the elevator at this hour to take us to Naruto's office." He finished as the doors slid closed.

Flashback

With another sigh and a small smile Lelouch stood up. "Well before Suzaku causes the end of the world." The black-haired Prince of Britannia joked lightly. "I need to go use the restroom." He said.

"Down the hall to your right." Naruto directed absently focused instead on a match that he had started with Rivalz.

Lelouch waved gratefully for the information from over his shoulder as he stepped out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him Lelouch turned left.

It took him a couple of minutes but soon enough Lelouch found himself at the lobby of the building. Most of the lights had been turned off, a few spotlights shining down on the statue of Naruto's parents. Lelouch barely spared any of it a glance as he focused on the two security officers sitting at the reception desk, one with brown hair and five o'clock shadow; the other had black hair cut short, both wearing grey colored uniforms.

"Excuse me." Lelouch called out to the two men politely, drawing their attention.

"Oh, you are one of Mr. Uzumaki's friends." The brunette guard recognized with a pleasant smile. "What may we do for you?" He asked.

The smile that Lelouch had been wearing turned into a smirk as his Geass flashed to life. "I was hoping that you could help me with something." He said.

Flashback End

Tamaki literally kicked the door into Naruto's office open, a large grin on his face, as he and the others marched into the room. Naruto's head snapped up when his door banged against the back wall. Kallen almost found herself facepalming when she saw the piece of paper stuck to the front of his face. Obviously, the whiskered blonde had been sleeping before they had barged into the room. From the sofa on one side of the room Kallen could see Kyu lazily lift up her head and stare at them without a hint of fear.

"H-huh, w-what?" The blonde stammered, turning his head from side to side with the paper flapping slightly as he turned his head, before snatching the paper off his face. "You're…" Naruto began when he laid eyes on the people standing at his doorway, especially the person straight across from him.

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Zero stated walking further into the room, as Kallen, Nagata, and Tamaki spread across the room, Kallen to his left and Tamaki and Nagata to his right while C.C. stood nearly behind him, so that the only thing standing between him and Naruto was the blonde's desk. "I trust that you know who I am."

"Zero," Naruto acknowledge.

"I was hoping that you could give us a few moments of your time." Zero said evenly. "There are a few things I was hoping that we could discuss."

AN: I need to stop here mostly so that I don't rush through the meeting between Naruto and Zero and mess the whole thing up. The other reason is so that I can really focus all my attention on one of my other fics.