A/N Just for the hell of it. So it's been what, nearly 2 years now? Sorry about that... Be assured, I have not abandoned this story. I have worked on it a few times, written several pages, then gotten busy and side tracked and not come back to it for like another 6 months. So, wile I've had much of this next chapter written for over a year I have bin waiting to publish it until I finished it. That is, until today, when I decided, just for the hell of it to post what I had written, which to be fare, I haven't touched for like a year. What dose this mean? Well it certainly DOES NOT mean I've given up on this story. I DO plan to continue and eventually to finish it. Realistically the soonest I expect post the second part of this chapter is some time this summer. June maybe? So all this means is that you get this update now to tide you over instead of having to wait another 3 months.

So, I hope you enjoy this surprise update!
(It's a surprise to me to since I randomly decided to post this at 3 something in the morning)

Stage 4: His name is Zero

"I'm surprised they haven't noticed yet."

Cornelia frowned down at the room's other occupant. Her entire body was tense, one hand gripping the hilt of her sword, the other clenched at her side. Beside her Guilford nodded in agreement. From the distance of even a single seat away she knew he would look relaxed, interested yes, but completely at ease, she however knew that that couldn't be farther from the truth. His hand too was on his weapon and he was as tense as she was. In the same way, even legally blind, he could sense that her relaxed interest had become nothing more than a sham. They knew each other that well. He was the knight she had chosen and legally blind or not she knew she could rely on him to watch her back and aid her in a fight. Not that she need it, after all she should be more than a match for any one man, even if he was a cyborg.

She continued speaking in a low undertone as much herself as to Guilford. "Someone else should've figured it out by now. They told us not 10 minnuts ago that Geass can only be used once per person. Lelouch clearly used it to cause the orange incident yet Orange didn't immediately switch sides and he continued to oppose Zero. That means that when he started following the Demon he did so of his own free will. He wasn't under Geass then any more than he is now."

Gilford nodded in somber agreement with his princess, his thoughts picking up where her words had left off. There's no reason to assume that he isn't still working for the Emperor. He might just have been trying to play for the winning team in which case now that we're back in power he'll attempt to prove loyalty to us but for all we know he might be trying to use this opportunity to avenge his master and eliminate us all. With almost all of the world's leaders gathered in one place like this, this would be the perfect opportunity. We have to watch him closely. He's Alstream's Guardian which means he could be manipulating her as well. If either of them make a false move, for the sake of Princess Cornelia, I won't hesitate to eliminate them both.

Princess Cornelia and Guilford were not the only ones tensing for a fight. From where he sat beside Nunnally Suzaku stared down at the rooms other occupants. He could feel sweat trickling down his face and pooling inside of the accursed mask. He had to do something, he just had to. Unless he was very much mistaken the next episode would reveal Zero's original identity. Granted most of the people in the room were already perfectly aware of the identity of Suzaku's predecessor, but still… Rivals Milly and Gino didn't know and there were too many people in that particular secret already, what if one of them said something, what if one of them mentioned it to somebody else who didn't know! If it ever got out, if it became even a rumor, it could destroy the Zero's Requiem, there was no way in hell Suzaku was going to let that happen!

Beside him Nunnally to senses his tension. She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "It's okay," she turned to look at him with eyes still full of tears then nodded in the direction of the Ashford contingency. "You know we can trust them." "Empress, I_ I just thought, this was something that should be kept as secret as possible." She shook her head. "They've all been through so much that they don't understand, having come this far they deserve the truth." She lowered her voice to the quietest of whispers and leaned toward him so that he and he alone could hear. "I understand, no one better, what you're afraid of, but we all deserve truth, you especially, Suzaku."

He froze. The sweat running down his face seemed to turn to ice against his skin and his breath caught in his throat. Surely, surely he had miss herd, surely she could not have said what he thought she had, because there was no way, there was just no way that Nunnally knew who he was!

Before his thoughts had the chance to proceed any further however Oghi spoke up. "I can see this is going to be hard on a lot of us. If we're going to watch it, and put ourselves through this, we might as well get it over with as soon as possible. With that in mind does anyone have any objection to starting the next episode right away?"

There were nods and murmurs of assent from all around the room. Suzaku wanted to jump to his feet and shout that they shouldn't be watching it at all. He wanted to demand of Nunnally how she knew who he was and what else she knew. He needed a plan. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on here, more importantly he needed to take command of the situation. He needed to do something, anything, to stop what was happening. But all he could do was sit there frozen, trapped inside of the cage called Zero, his mind blank, empty of everything but a single, useless, question.

Lelouch, what would you have done?

"Lelouch, a youth of Britannia, had been granted special abilities by a mysterious girl. Geass the power to command others to do absolutely anything."

The words chilled Milly to the bone. The power to command others to do absolutely anything. Anything, even betray there country, even surrender their darkest secrets, even die. How could he, how could he have had such a power? How could it even exists? No matter how much she thought about it it just didn't make sense. But then nothing involving Lelouch made sense. Like trying to reconcile her friend from the student Council with the evil dictator, like the way in which she and Rivalz had seemed to have had their memories rewritten, as if by magic… Their memorys, by magic! A truly awful thought planted itself in her brain. Could Lelouch have used his Geass on us!?

"And Lelouch is determined to use that power to bring Britannia to its knees; to avenge his mother and create a world where his younger sister Nunnally can find happiness. All the while knowing at the end of his quest, his father, the Britannian Emperor, waits. Or at least, that was the hope Lelouch carried in his heart back then."

Hope? He hoped to be able to destroy his father? The thought almost brought laughter to Sukazu's lips, the bitter half mad sort of laughter that had lived inside of him ever since he was 10, ever since he had killed his own father. Yet the laughter was not just the bitter irony, the difference between the two of them. As usual CC was right, eerily so. At the beginning of all this, when he first dawned the mask, already steeped in his brother's blood though he was, in his own way even Lelouch had still been, both innocent and naïve.

"Do you know anything about this weapon, Suzaku Kururugi?"

Jeremiah winced. Many of those assembled around were not going to take this well. He understood that they still distrusted, and even disliked him, and that scenes of this nature could only help to intensify both emotions. Yet that was not what's really concerned. Let them treat him however they liked, it mattered not. All that mattered was fulfilling his master's final instructions, to help him fulfill the Zero's Requiem, and he would be a fool if he did not realize that this video threatened exactly that.

"It was the one used to rob Prince Clovis of his life, the barrel striations leave no doubt."

Jeremiah winced again, this time in sympathy with the anger of his past self. He still regretted Prince Clovis's death, truly and deeply. Even though he now recognized it as a necessary step toward his Lord's victory. They all watched as Lord Jeremiah's interrogation of Kururugi continued. He had assumed that the rooms Japanese occupanc would register some displeasure, like when Commander Kozuki had struck him earlier, but he was wrong. There was some shifting, a few uncomfortable murmurs, but no other reaction. Jeremiah reflected that after all Kururugi had not been particularly popular with them even before he joined forces with His Majesty.

"You're making a mistake. I've never even laid eyes on that gun." One of Jeremiah's underlings slammed his foot into Kururugi's chair and he toppled onto the floor.

Now at last Jeremiah noticed some reaction, a tensing of shoulders, the clenching of hands, angry looks shot in his direction. They came, not from the Japanese but rather from Kururugi's school friends, the knight of three, and Earl Asplund's assistant Cecile Croomy. Jeremiah's eyes flicked upward and he wondered briefly what Kururugi himself was thinking at this moment. Was he remembering old hatreds or had he to put aside thoughts of himself in favor of trying to find some way to stop this video which posed such a threat to Emperor Lelouch's legacy.

"That's why we should've issued a frigging statement sooner!" Tamaki shouted as he stormed out of the room. "We could've taken credit for it!"

Rakshata laughed. "What?!" Tamaki whorled to face her where she sat above him and to his left. "It was a good idea! How was I supposed to know we'd end up taking credit for it anyway?! It's not like I knew that the guy who actually did it was a psycho nut job who is about to just show up and demand that we_ Ow! What was that for!?"

Chiba, who had just stepped on his foot, glowered at him. "Didn't you hear Colonel Tohdoh earlier, were not supposed to give away anything that everyone in the room doesn't already know."

"But I was just saying that_!" Chiba ground the heel of her boot into his foot a second time. Rakshata laughed again, " idiot mad, you should learn to keep your mouth shut." Oghi raised the volume until it blotted out Tamaki's less the polite response.

They watched as Lloyd and Cecile mourned Suzaku's removal, and Lloyd told Cecile that their testimony had been deemed inadmissible by the courts.

Suzaku sent a grateful glance in their direction and Xingke, seeing the glance but not understanding it, wondered what it could mean. Was Zero surprised that they would do such a thing? Did he now think better of them? Or was there some other connection between Zero and the two scientists… One look was certainly not enough to check them off on his list, not when there are so many other possible explanations. However, it was worth keeping in mind… Xingke underlined the names of the two Britannian scientists. He would definitely have to keep an eye on them.

"Hey Lelouch, you got anything going on later? After all, classes have been canceled for the day. Folks up and asking for a rematch." Shirley glared at Rivalz. "You are not gambling you guys!" "Aw, come on, don't be such a stick in the mud." "She's right though, maybe it's time to quit." "hu?" They both turned to look at Lelouch.

Lloyd burst out laughing, "time to quit hu? Oh he won't be doing that for a while yet!" "Lloyd!" Cecile kicked him in the shins.

"I found a better opponent actually." "You did? I don't get it." Now Shirley just sounded confused. "You're cutting me in on the action too right?" Rivalz on the other hand sounded a little excited. Lelouch laughed "better not, it's not really up your alley."

This time Lloyd wasn't the only one amused. Most of the room started laughing, Kallen, Oghi, Veletta, all three scientists, Tohdoh let out an amused breath, and even Zero joined in. "What? I don't get it." Rivalz looked around, confused. "Beats me," Geno shrugged.

They watched as Kallen made her way to Tokyo Tower, shadowed by some of the soon to be Black Knights. "1600 hours at Tokyo Tower. Why here of all places?"

"Attention please," A voice came from over the loudspeaker. "Paging Stadtfeld of Ashford Academy. One of your personal effects has been turned in at the kiosk on the observation deck. I repeat…"

"Hi, I'm assuming this phone is yours ma'am." Kallen stared at it. "Um something wrong? It is yours isn't it?"

"Um ya, thank you so much."

Kallen walked out onto the observation deck and looked down at the phone. It was buzzing and the caller ID said "Zero."

Suzaku tensed, it was coming any minute now. True, there were only three people in the room not already aware of Zero's original identity, but still… Questions were bound to be asked, discussion would commence, and most of all they would demand to know, who was he. But the question would not and with those three, he was sure of that, not when it was something that at least half the room was desperate to know.

"Zero?" She picked up the phone.

"Um, hello?"

"I want you to board the outbound train on loop line 5 and bring your friends." "What?"

"WHAT!" Kallen's on screen question was echoed far more loudly by Milly, Rivalz, and Geno.

"No, no, no no no!" Rivalz spluttered. "There is no way! There's just no way!"

"But that's not possible!" Geno sounded as though he'd just gone into shock.

"Are you saying that Lelouch was Zero!?" Milly stared around the room it what could only be described as horror.

"Indeed he was." It was Tohdoh who answered. All three of them turned to stare at Tohdoh like he had lost his mind. Chiba glared at them and probably would've said something but Villetta beat her to it.

"It's true, Lelouch was the original Zero."

Kallen picked up where Villetta left off. "Yes. Lelouch was the one who founded the Black Knights, and saved Suzaku from execution." Her voice was steady, emotionless even, and she stared fixedly in the other direction. He was the one who saved you from the hotel jacking, killed Shirley's father, and took all of you hostage during the Black Rebellion. But she stopped herself from saying that part out loud, after all, with things going the way they appeared to be, they would find that out soon enough. And after all, it was she who asked the others to keep from giving anything away.

"So, as you can see," Xingke finished for her, "Zero did indeed kill Clovis."

Rivalz shook his head once, then twice, trying to clear it. Just when he thought that this day couldn't shock him anymore then it already had. Lelouch was Zero. Lelouch was Zero! No matter how many times he thought, it just didn't make any sense.

"What the hell!?" Milly sounded like how Rivalz felt. Beside her Geno's head was moving back and forth, his eyes going from the screen to Tohdoh to Villetta to Kallen to Xingke and back again, his mouth hanging half open.

Rivalz understood exactly what his two friends were feeling. There were already Lelouch the student and Lelouch the Demon Emperor and this day had already added Lelouch the magic hypnosis geass guy, and now, on top of all of that there was Lelouch the friking Zero! It was too much, way too much to cope with.

"Who the hell are you!?" Geno seemed finally to have found his voice. His words cut through the room like a knife. All eyes followed Geno's pointing finger to where, besides Nunnally, on the second tear, sat "Zero!" Milly's voice was half shout, half squawk. There was a long moment of silence then Nunnally opened her mouth to speak. But before she could "Zero" squeezed her hand to forestall her. Then at last he spoke.

"All will be revealed in time. You will understand soon. Until then I asked that we continue. After all the sooner we do, the sooner your questions will be answered."

I was right. Xingke thought to himself as all eyes turned back to the screen and the Ashford contingent did their best to stop looking leap it all just been slapped in the face. He is involved in all this. It could have been a bluff just to get them to leave him alone but I highly doubt it. He might not have been eager to answer but he wasn't caught off guard either. He knew this was coming, meaning that he knew who the original Zero was from the beginning. Not only that but Lady Nunnally tried to protect him. He stopped her, but still, allowing herself to be stopped by him means that they're on the same side. In other words Lady Nunnally is also aware of the new Zero's identity. He looked back at his chart and checked off the places and groups with which she was involved, Ashford Academy, and the Britannian royal family.

The episode continued and they watched as Jeremiah arranged for the fateful parade that was supposed to bring Suzaku to his court-martial. At this point Velletta spoke up.

"Lord Jeremiah there are those among the 11th that see Private Kururugi as a hero. Some might very well make an attempt to free him."

"I'll be there personally aboard my Sutherland. If anyone even thinks of causing trouble, they'll be executed on the spot!"

Once again laughter pervaded the room, this time everybody was in on the joke and the laughter help to ease some of the tension building there.

Kallen and the other soon to be to be Black Knights boarded the train and waited warily for contact. When Kallen's phone rang Black Knights on-screen tensed, as did their flesh and blood counterparts.

"face forward and look to your right, what do you see?"

"The Britannian city. It was stolen away from us and built on our sacrifice."

"and on the left?"

"I see our city. Remnants of the desiccated city after the Britannians sucked it dry."

"Good answer. Now make your way to the front of the train."

Kallen, Oghi, and the others pushed their way through the train. It was only when on-screen Kallen bumped into one of the trains other occupants that their future counterparts noticed what they had not in real life.

"What the!" Tamaki pointed at the screen.

"Geass!" Oghi clenched his fist.

"So that's how he knew he could get away with messing around like that in public. It figures." Kallen crossed her arms and glared at the Zero who had just appeared on the screen.

"He used Geass on the entire train?!"

"Gino, after everything you seen today, does it really surprise you?" Villetta turned to stare at the knight of 3 who blush slightly.

"Well, I just meant that, well isn't it a waste? I mean how did he know that there wasn't someone in that crowd that he'd need to Geass latter?"

"Lord Weinberg does have a point." All eyes turned on Jeremiah. "Any attempt to use Geass on any large numbers of people does run the risk of catching certain individuals who may be more closely linked to this affair."

"Oh?" Heads whorled in the opposite direction to stare at Princess Cornelia. She had been quiet for so long that most of them had forgotten that she was in the room. She crossed her arms and was staring intently at Jeremiah. "You sound like you know what you're talking about, Orange."

Jeremiah bowed his head in her direction.

"I assure you my lady, that I was only making a general statement in support of Lord Weinberger."

As the Britannia and Princess continued to stare coldly at Jeremiah, Tohdoh wondered what was going through her head. She was, ofcorse, right about Jeremiah's remark not just being casual, but… There was something else. His eyes went from her to Xingke. The man had written something more than once and Tohdoh didn't like it. Tohdoh knew that apart from the original Zero Xingke was the most clever strategist the Black Knights had. So far Xingke had had no idea of the Demon's true purpose or Suzaku's identity, but that was because he had no real knowledge of the personalities involved. Tohdoh new that the longer Xingke spend viewing this most unusual video and mulling it over in his mind, the more likely he was to perceive the truth. And while Tohdoh too was a master strategist and a reader of men, he had little to no idea of what Xingke would make of that particular piece of information.

Reaching the front car Kallen asked, "was it you, on the phone?"

Silence.

"Well!? Was that you in Shinjuku? Was that cease-fire you're doing!?"

"Hey, we're talking to you!" One of the others chimed in.

"What you think of my tour of the settlement?" Light's flashed as Zero finally spoke.

"Your tour?"

"Aw come on, there is no way it was this joker?"

"I wanted you to firmly grasp the two, the settlement and the ghetto."

Ohgi stepped forward. "Yeah, we know. There's a difference between us and them. A very harsh one, and that's why we resist them."

"You're wrong. Britannia will not fall to terrorism."

"Fall?"

"It's little better than childish nuisance."

"What was that? You calling us a bunch of kids?"

Kaguya burst out laughing as did Rakshata and the Chinese Empress.

"Now that's ironic," Xingke said smiling slightly and letting out a slight breath that could be called laughter.

"You should know your enemy. It is not people but Britannia itself! It is a war you must wage, but not on the innocent. Take up your sword, fight for justice!"

"Oh please!" Kallen took a half step toward him. "That's all easy for you to say, isn't it? Hiding behind that mask! Why should we even trust you!?"

"Ya she's right!"

"lose the mask!"

"Right! Are you going to show us your face or not?"

"Very well, I'll show you, but rather than my face, bear witness to my power. If I deliver to you the impossible, then I might have earned your trust."'

"He planned that all from the start, didn't he." Tamaki looked outraged. Ohgi nodded. "Yes, and just like that we were his pawns…"

"To rescue Suzaku Kururugi, his friend." Empress Nunnally said, looking down at her hands.

"Ironic," Xingke said for the second time that scene.

"So that was his first speech." Ohgi looked over at Kaguya, "hu?"

"It makes sense. After all he was very charismatic. Whenever he made his Zero speeches he tended to get what he was after. He must've more or less planned what he was going to say in advance."

Tohdoh nodded. "Lady Kaguya's right, that wasn't a conversation."

Ohgi sighed, they were right of course, Kaguya, Tohdoh, Lady Nunnally, even Tamaki was right for a change. They had, he had, walked into a setup from the very beginning. If only he could've seen then is clearly if he could now. If only he'd had the sense to just turn and walk away… Villetta squeezed his hand. He looked up to find her glaring at him. "Remember, if you hadn't fallen for it that day, we wouldn't be here now."

The procession that was to bring to Suzaku to his trial began. The whole room was tense with anticipation for this time they all knew what to expect.

And announcers voice blared through the TV of the student Council room.

"Voices of scorn, growing ever louder. Voices baring testament to a people's love their prince, raining their judgment down on a terrorist."

"Suzaku!"

"Margrave Jeremiah, integral in settling this case, will be presiding over the trial as acting consul."

"No way the three of them can pull this off on their own."

"He told us, he said he'd make the impossible possible. He gave us his word, to save Suzaku Kururugi."

"Right! No need to turn back. The die is cast."

The car which resembled Prince Clovis's approach the procession.

"You dare desecrate his highness's transport! Come out of their!" Jeremiah's voice was filled with all the righteous indignation that he could put in it.

In answer the Britannian flag burned away to reveal the masked man who would soon be known the world over.

"I am, Zero."

"Is he, an Eleven?"

Kallen's eyes flicked upward at Suzaku, a death glare on her face. Her glare moved on from him to Cornelia to Jeremiah then back to the screen. She crossed her arms and muttered. "How dare he think of us like that! We're not Eleven, we're Japanese dam it!"

A/N Hey, sorry that the formatting was a little off, but it's bin what? 2 years since I uploaded anything to fan fiction so I'm still remembering how the formatting workings. Anyway hope you enjoyed and and I'll try not to make you wait 2 years for the next ;) Seriously sorry about that.