A/N:Just a little oneshot.

"Many a time...from a bad beginning, great friendships have sprung up." -Terence (Publius Terentius Afer) C. 190-159 B.C.

Chapter 1 Promise

The train was packed to the brim with people going from all kinds of places. The television was blaring some boring news about terrorists; though, since it was the same news everyone heard all the time, it was tiresome and pointless to listen to.

The subject was pretty much the same, Zero this, Zero that...blah, blah, blah. Most of the citizens of Area 11 were really, really fed up with the masked terrorist's exploits; especially the Britannian Royal Family, who felt that the identity of this masked man had to be found out, and the sooner, the better. After all, they had lost one member to him. Prince Clovis had been shot and killed by Zero only a month ago, and already he was famous.

Even people out in Area 1 knew his name. They ALL knew he was renowned for stirring up rebellions in the former country known as Japan, but everyone preferred that no one discuss a certain terrorist. After all, they didn't want THEIR Numbers trying to stir up a rebellion as well and have to deal with the troubles and casualties that would come with it.

Sure enough, a picture of the masked man and his Black Knights appeared. The masked man was speaking to a crowd of hostages that he had freed from the hands of the Japan Liberation Front, a crazy terrorist organization who'd decided to take matters into their own hands; they used an extreme method to try and win back Japan. It failed, of course. Britannia would never listen to the Japanese complain about the horrible way their country was run nowadays. Unless they wanted to be shot dead, most Japanese wisely kept their opinions to themselves and shut their mouths.

Except for a few people, that is. One such person was presently seated on the train, watching the news feed with boredom present on his young face. He had a suitcase beside him, and one could only assume from the suitcase that he was headed somewhere.

The only difference about this person was that he was an Eleven. It was quite apparent, from the way he dressed all the way to his face. He emitted a sigh, and kept on watching the TV show, though tiredly.

"Those who are oppressed, seek us! Those who oppress those without power, fear us! We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world! You can only kill if you are prepared to be killed!" Zero said before sweeping his hand out in a grand gesture.

"What a hypocrite that guy is. He talks about equality, and then he talks about how he's the 'only one who stands and judges the world?' What arrogance," The person; a teenage boy, muttered under his breath. He mopped his brow, pushing back a few strands of russet hair as he did so. He was of average height for his age, and was well-built. He was wearing a tie and a nice suit.

He was very picky about what he wore, so he chose the best clothes for this occasion. The teenage boy gazed out the window, and noted the tall skyscrapers of the Tokyo Settlement. Rich buildings that only the Britannians could live in, while his people, the Japanese...had absolutely nothing to live on. Fortunately, he was different. He could afford to live in a rich school.

"Tokyo settlement, huh? Zero and his Kuro no Kishidan, or the Black Knights? This sounds interesting..." He muttered under his breath, in his native language. The boy still had a tendency to speak Japanese, even though the Britannians had outlawed it when they had conquered Japan seven years ago.

He didn't care; he spoke it anyhow. He noted the stares people were giving him and merely rolled his eyes. "Are you a baka? Don't stare," He murmured to a kid who was looking at him in interest.

The boy only blinked in confusion before looking away. The boy shrugged his shoulders, and then dug around in his pockets for something he needed. He pulled out a book and a notebook. He flipped open the notebook to an open page, which was covered with Japanese writing. "Etou...what should I write next?" He put his hand over his chin in thought. Then, he took out a pen, and wrote in big letters across the page:

"Zero and the Black Knights. Who are they?"

The boy paused for a moment, and then shut the notebook, and opened up his book to the spot where he'd left off at. It was a well-worn leather book, evidently enjoyed by its owner for many years, through thick and thin. He opened it up and started reading. He wasn't reading for too long before a voice interrupted him.

"Excuse me, what exactly are you reading?" The voice said, from somewhere to his left, if he wasn't mistaken. It sounded female, and quite young, too. He turned his head and found himself looking into the eyes of a young woman around the same age as him. She was tall and quite beautiful for her age; with brilliant purple eyes. Her hair was pink and tied back in a loose ponytail. She was wearing a pair of spectacles and wore a plain jacket. She seemed to be a Britannian girl of some sort.

He switched over to English, for convenience's sake. It didn't hurt to be friendly, after all. "The Valley of Fear," He answered briefly.

The pinkette frowned. "What kind of book is that?" She asked in confusion.

"It's a mystery series. It's by the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes, the great detective who can solve anything," The boy said proudly, his cheeks heating up slightly. He honestly hoped that the girl didn't live under a rock, and that her parents had taught her the value of reading.

"Oh, I know who he is. I've read a few of them. They seem like good books. Where are you headed?" The girl asked, smiling innocently at him. He knew that kind of smile. It was the smile of a person who hadn't seen horrible things yet, or had been protected from them. A childish kind of smile mixed with innocence.

"Ashford Academy. There's something I have to do there." The boy replied vaguely.

The girl looked at him in confusion. "What, exactly? I'm Euphie, by the way. Nice to meet you." She introduced, extending a pale hand out to meet his.

The boy turned to face her; his azure eyes shining brightly. "Me? I'm Kudou Shinichi. Nice to meet you, ojousama." He said politely, shaking her hand. He blushed upon realizing that he had just spoken in Japanese to a Britannian. "Oh, sorry. It's in my blood, so sometimes Japanese slips out when I least expect it to." He said sheepishly.

Euphie just smiled and waved it off. "That's all right. You're Japanese, aren't you? That's part of who you are." She said kindly. Shinichi was touched by the kindness this girl had just shown him. She was a Britannian; a random stranger, and yet...she had shown a rare kindness towards him. "Do you go to school, Kudou?" She asked.

"I still do. Though, I have other concerns that I involve myself in." He said, deciding to keep his mystery-solving persona a secret for now. His cell phone rang at that very second. "Aa! There goes my phone! I wonder who it could be..." He trailed off, pulling out his phone and flipping it open. He put it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Where ARE you at right now?" A male voice demanded over the phone. It was very irritated.

Shinichi flinched. "Gomen nasai, I just got caught up in a conversation with a lovely stranger and forgot where I was supposed to get off at." He said, wincing visibly. He knew his friend would be extremely angry with him if he was late.

"Perchance, who would this lovely stranger be, Kudo? I thought I told you to stop by my house an hour ago! After all, she'll be upset if you're late. You are my childhood friend and all." The male voice continued to ramble on and on while Shinichi nodded to show he was listening, a little irritated with his friend.

"Hai, hai. I don't want to make your sister angry, Blackie. I'll be headed over soon, Ruru." Shinichi promised, then hung up. He sighed and turned back to Euphie, who was watching with a curious expression on her face. "What?"

"Who is Ruru? Is that Lulu? Who was that you were talking to?" She asked, her face becoming one of suspicion.

"My best friend, Euphie. No one else. I call him Lulu for short because his name is hard to say." Shinichi joked. Suddenly, a person screamed loudly. He smacked his forehead. "I hope it's not what I think it is..." He muttered.

Euphie stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE! THERE'S A GUY DEAD IN MY SEAT WITH A KNIFE THROUGH HIM!" A man screamed in terror, running in front of the startled crowd and pushing his way through them. The crowd started to panic as a wave of pandemonium swept over them.

Shinichi hit his forehead. Why, of all times, did his murder magnetism have to happen here? He was hoping that he could go somewhere without some kind of trouble happening. 'Looks like I have no choice.' He decided, and stood up.

Euphie said, "Wait! Where are you going?" She asked.

"Work." Shinichi replied softly and made his way through the panicked crowd. "Minna, calm down. I'm here to see what killed him."

"You're just a kid, and an eleven!" A man cried, but shut up when the annoyed boy sent a death glare his way. His cheerful demeanor was replaced with a serious expression as he surveyed everyone there.

"Wrong. I am Kudou Shinichi, detective. This is my problem." He said, and sweat dropped upon seeing the crowd start to send glances of recognition his way. He knew it'd have to come sooner or later...too bad his identity had to be blown now. He had no choice but to deal with the attention.

A young girl sat at a table. Her eyes were permanently closed-she would never see again. She was blind, and crippled. She had a pure, radiant smile on her face that was like that of an angel. She was an innocent girl who was never exposed to the dangers of the world. There was a frown evident on her pretty face as she sat with a green-haired girl. "Where is he?"

The green-haired girl ate a piece of pizza. "You mean Lelouch? I believe he's in his room, Nunnally."

The brown-haired girl shook her head. "No, my friend was supposed to come see my Big Brother and I today." She said, a nostalgic smile evident on her face.

The door opened and Lelouch entered, dressed in a jacket. His face was filled with anxiety and irritation. He seemed to be very angry about something. "Where is that idiot? He was supposed to be here an hour ago!" He sighed.

"Who is this person you're speaking of, Lelouch?" The green-haired girl questioned, eating another slice of pizza.

"C.C, that's none of your concern. Please go back in my room." Lelouch commanded, frowning at the greenette and the pizza boxes stacked up all over his room. "I highly doubt my guest wants to see someone like you."

Shinichi ran, panting and out of breath. He knew he was late, but he had no choice. 'What kind of excuse should I use?'

"I'm sorry I'm late...but a case happened and I was caught up in it." He said to himself. He slapped himself mentally. "He won't accept something like that."

He continued until he had entered the building he wanted. "Their room is somewhere around here, right?" He asked himself, and nodded.

The door opened at the exact moment Lelouch had set down dinner. Lelouch looked up to see a tall, brown-haired teenager enter, disheveled and out of breath. His blue eyes were full of exhaustion. He offered a light smile upon seeing Lelouch. "Sorry I was late, Blackie."

Lelouch frowned at him. "Kudou...honestly, if you were going to be late, you should have at least told me! Nunnally got all worried about you!" He exclaimed. "And don't call me Blackie!" He added.

"Come on, Kuro-tan*, ochitsuite. You know Nunnally doesn't mind, na Nunnally?" Shinichi joked, extending his hand out to the brown-haired angel, who paused for a moment.

"I know this voice...are you really...Suzaku?" The girl asked. "No, wait...you're our friend...Shinichi!" She exclaimed in delight.

Shinichi smiled in relief. "Yes, it's me, Nunnally. Hisashiburi da na. Er, I mean, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. I got caught up in a hectic murder on the train, and was talking to a pretty girl who called herself Euphie-"

Lelouch's cup of tea that he had been drinking fell to the ground and broke at that moment, spilling tea all over the floor. "What did you say?" He asked, his amethyst eyes wide with disbelief.

"I ran into someone named Euphie. Why, do you know her?" Shinichi asked.

"She's my half-sister." Lelouch stated, like it was obvious.

"Sorry, I forgot you were a prince, Lelouch-tan." Shinichi deadpanned.

"Stop with the annoying nicknames!" Lelouch protested. His protests died down when he saw a certain green-haired girl, decked out in nothing but her straight-jacket, eating a piece of food. "What are you doing out of my room?" He hissed, hurrying out of his chair.

"Who is she, Lelouch?" Shinichi asked, casting a suspicious glance at his childhood friend, who paled. The young detective was becoming interested at exactly why his friend was so concerned about this girl. "Is she your mistress?"

The girl smirked. "He got you there, Lelouch."

Lelouch flushed slightly. "Nothing like that, Kudou."