Code Geass: The Butterfly Effect

"Shut up! I did what I had to do. People lie to survive. No one is blameless." -Lelouch vi Britannia

"Rei, run!"

Those two words sent the girl running, her father running behind her as thunder boomed from outside, rain pelting the windows.

The little girl nearly stumbled in her sprint, but managed to catch herself. As soon as she made it past the door, the sound of gunfire reverberated through the air.

"Daddy!" The little girl cried.

"Rei! Wait right there!" Her father commanded.

Her father pulled her away at the last second, the door being reduced to mere shreds, flying wooden shards going into the air. "Tch!" the man scowled, holding his daughter close as he jumped over the railing, being on the second floor. Gunfire went flying close to them, the men after them firing from below. Whirling around, Rei's father turned to face them as they descended, and began to fire bullets at them, a gun held firmly in his hand.

They hit the ground, yet still firing bullets. Up above, he found a few dead in the second floor, bodies left hanging on the railing. Up above, he found a few left behind, all armed with rifles... and all baring down at him

"Dammit! More of them!" The man cursed as he quickly moved and scooped his daughter in his arms. The bullets impacted right behind him as he broke out in a sprint.

He held Rei tightly in his arms, moving through the house before he broke through the glass door, holding his little close, growling in pain when shards pierced into his skin.

"Daddy!" The little girl cried out in concern.

"It's alright Rei, just a scratch!" He assured her, barely registering the pain.

The pain hadn't stopped him from running, eventually moving into the docks. A storm had been brewing outside, angry dark clouds writhing above them, and rain flowing down upon them.

The man's eyes were drawn to a single boat at the docks just a little further down the path. The only route that's free from pursuers.

He quickly moved across the docks, reaching the end of it. He gently put his daughter down, and knelt down, pulling out the jagged shard in his shoulder. "D-daddy!" Rei cried out. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, if strained and forced.

"I... I'm fine." he told her. He took a good at his daughter, and couldn't help but remark how much she looked like him and his loved one... the same beautiful violet eyes, and the same flowing green hair. She... she was just so beautiful... almost like an angel, something he could hardly believe. "Rei... I need you to listen to me, alright?"

Rei nodded, a hand placed against her cheek. "I need you to get to Ashford Academy... You know where it is, right?"

"U-Uh-huh!" She nodded.

"Good." The man then took something from his pocket and handed it to her. "I want you to keep this safe until you get there."

Rei gently took it into her hands. It looked like a silver pendant resembling a bid in mid-flight, with a sword struck in the center. She recognized it immediately, but what made it odd was that it was in a red crystal, which appeared to glitter.

"D-D-Daddy...?"

"When you get there...please show this to-" But he was cut off as a bullet impacted behind him.

He cried out in pain, holding his shoulder as he whirled around to see the men chasing after him. However, they had brought company. All around them were Lancelot Vincents, carrying crimson blades and rifles.

'...Dammit...!' he swore silently due to his daughter present. "...So they pulled out the big artillery huh...?"

"D-Daddy...!" Rei whimpered, clinging to him closely. The man bore only a scowl as they slowly approached him, guns ready to end him and his daughter. "I-I'm scared...!"

He wrapped his arms around her, only bore anger. "Enough of this..." he growled. "That's ENOUGH!"

The water trembled, exploding behind him and the boat, creating a small tremor. The advancing group halted, and backpedaled when something came crashing down on them. A flash of lightning banged across the sky, creating an illumination on it's form.

It was a mechanized behemoth. A majority of its armor was pale green in color while the inner frame was a darker shade of green and black. It's arms were about 1.5 times larger than its legs and connected to it's bulky torso. It had no distinguishable head as it was integrated right between the shoulders into the main body.

It was a head taller than the Vincents, though it's lower body was less bulky than the rest of it. A swishing, metal tail whirled around from where the tailbone would be if it were a human body, and it's hands were like sharpened claws, the tips sharp as blades. What could be considered the head, right in between the shoulders, was a small bulbous shape, bearing a blackened visor, and an emblem on top of it.

The soldiers immediately expressed surprise, but it had lasted only for a short while as they soon opened fire. The Vincents, carrying their VARIS rifles, took aim, and began to shoot at it. The green Knightmare didn't even look the least bit fazed by the hail of blasts and bullets, and instead reared it's head, and a whirrled to life. It had almost sounded as if it were letting out a mechanical roar. Then, it leaped into the action, hands outstretched, ready to tear the Knightmares to scrap metal.

It's claws wrapped around the nearest Vincent. In a powerful grip, it had crushed the victim Knightmare and the pilot inside.

The sharp claws pierced straight into the metal, creating little more than a small, crumpled lump. With a quick twirl, the damaged Vincent still in hand, it slammed it's empty corpse into another one, allowing the hull to fall out of it's grasp, and sent it straight to the ground.

It did not stop its assault as it grabbed another Knightmare with its free hand, and used the crumpled shell to bash the soldiers on foot.

"D-Daddy!" Rei shouted as her father stood up, gun in hand. He clutched the wound on his shoulder, wincing in pain. Blood was seeping into his clothes, running down his arm. He certainly didn't miss this feeling in the least. He gritted his teeth, seeing a few foot soldiers running toward him, while the green Knightmare was busy tearing apart the Vincents, failing in trying to destroy it or keep it locked down.

"Get to the boat!" he shouted as he opened fire, forcing them to take cover. "Get to Ashford!"

"B-but...!" She couldn't just leave him.

"Don't argue with me young lady! Just go!"

He turned to her, a smile on his face. The way things were now... this was the least he could offer her. "I'll be fine, Rei." he said gently. "Don't worry... Your father's a strong man."

"But Daddy...I...!"

"Please! Just go!"

Rei felt tears running down her eyes, along with the rain. Despite that smile, and his assurances... she didn't want to leave him. She already lost her mother... she didn't want to lose her father too. She desperately tried to say something, something that could at least get him to come with her, but... there was nothing she could say. No words, no pleads.

She sobbed as she whirled around, heading straight for the boat. The soldiers opened fire, trying to stop her, but found themselves being shot at themselves, her father using his gun.

"Like hell I'm letting any of you hurt my daughter!" He snarled.

Jan 3Rei hopped into the boat, bullets flying over head, and causing her to scream. Her father snarled as he opened fire, shooting the rope that held the boat in place, and then the automatic wheel. Instantly, the boat began to shiver, and slowly lurch forward. Within moments, it was beginning to move forward. "D-Daddy!" Rei screamed, running o the side. "Daddy!"

As the boat began to move, she let out a scream. "DAAAADDY!"

The man looked over his shoulder to see his daughter leaving in the distance. "Go on Rei...I know you can do it..."

He grinned in assurance, even as bullets began to pierce through his body. Three seconds, and bullets had blown straight into him. The green Knightmare was preoccupied dealing with the Vincents, still ripping them apart while they tried to evade it, and blow it apart.

The turned to face his assailants as more bullets were shot into his body.

A second passed before his body hit the ground on his knees, and then fell to the floorboards. Red seemed to dance around him, which only seemed to spread as the rain continued to pelt down on him. "Dammit, we lost the girl." one of the soldiers cursed as they walked over to his body. They were all dressed in dark, black suits, each of them wielding guns of various types.

"Doesn't matter," the apparent leader of the group said coldly, looking down at the man's corpse. "He's the one we're after."

From behind them, the green Knightmare whirled around, smashing it's fist into a Vincent, sending it tumbling to the ground while it's chest held a large dent, as if it were mere tin foil. It immediately noticed the man's body, and tried to run over, as if hoping to somehow save him, only to be halted by the remaining four Vincents. They were intent on keeping it at bay, regardless of how outmatched they were.

"Still, this is kinda disappointing." another soldier snickered. "I'd though he would have gone down with more a fight. Is he seriously supposed to be the one who-"

"...good grief, guns today are so much more efficient than they used to be."

The assailants paused in shock and turned to the supposed corpse.

The bullet-riddled body slowly rose up, the projectiles being purged from his wounds and clinking onto the ground.

"I-Impossible..."

"They fire a lot more bullets now, don't they..." the man mused, swaying on his feet as a demonic smile made it's way to his face. The blood that dribbled from his mouth, along with the bloody stains on his clothes, had only his overall appearance that much more terrifying. "You people... have a lot of nerve, attacking MY family like that." He glared up at them, his violet eyes turning a light shade of crimson, and a bird-like sigil appearing over his eyes.

"A-A monster...!" One of them cried.

"A Monster...? I actually prefer the term...Demon..." He grinned. "Now...if you would all be so kind...Kill yourselves!"

The bird-like sigil flapped it's wings, emerging from his eye, and then diving straight into their own irises.

The command traveled through the nerves of the brain before it reached its core. Signals changed as their bodies became absolutely obedient. Red rings appeared around their irises, all of them having deranged grins on their faces.

"HAPPILY YOUR HIGHNESS!" They trained their guns to the vital points of their bodies. "FIRE!"

Triggers were pulled. Blood splattered.

And in the midst of their corpses was Rei's father, who held a hand over his face. Some blood had splashed against his cheek, and was slowly being wiped away by the rain. He showed no reaction to a Vincent flying past him, falling into the water, sparks clashing over it's chest. Ahead of him, the green Knightmare stood admist a wreckage of Knightmares, surrounded by smoldering flames and shreded Vincents. Victorious, it reared it's head back once again, letting loose a triumphant mechanical roar.

"She'll be safe..." the man whispered to himself, even as tears began to fall from his face. "I know she will... But... Was what I did... the right thing?" A choked sob escaped him, staggering on his feet as he fell to his knees. "Forgive me, Rei..." he whispered. Even if what he did was to protect her, he had no guarantee that she would be safe at Ashford, even with 'him' there to look after her. It was a gamble he was taking, and there was no telling what would happen. He could possibly lose everything he worked so hard to protect... all for the second time in his miserable life.

"Forgive me... Cecaniah..."

Episode 1: The Girl from the Morning Dew

Lelouch was having a bad day, worse so than usual... and somehow, it all revolved around a certain she-devil he had tried to avoid.

"Dammit Milly...I swear...you are not mentally stable!" He cursed.

The blonde-haired bombshell in front of him only gave him a Cheshire grin, sapphire blue eyes slanted in deviousness. Milly Ashford was the daughter of the head of the Ashford Family, which had, at one point, once been in nobility. She certainly held a bombshell-like figure, but what made her rather terrifying in some regards was her flirtatious, and overall, devious personality, which has caused him nothing but trouble on more than one occasion. It was bad enough that she was a childhood friend.

"Oh, you know you love me~" she winked at him. "But in all seriousness, I do need you to do this for me."

"Do you even know what your asking?!" he hissed in exasperation. "This is a month's worth of work your asking me to do!"

"And I know no one else who can do it in such a short time than you, Lulu." Milly rebutted.

"Grgh!" The violet eyed teen sighed in exasperation.

The boy gripped his hair in frustration. Honestly, why must this woman run him so raggedly?! Even if he was in charge of the budget maintenance with Nina, this was a lot to ask him. And even worse, this was for the major clubs, like the Science Club or the Equestrian Club, or namely any that had funding priorities. It irked him to know that they were merely using this money for personal gain rather than for what it was supposed to be used for, but there was little he can do.

He sighed in resignation, taking the small thumb drive from her. "...alright."

"Good! I knew I could count on you!" She gave him a playful grin.

'Yeah...and pretty much everything else in the Council...' he thought wryly.

"At any rate," Milly said, her smile softening. "I really am grateful. Grandfather can barely handle the income by himself, so it really does mean a lot."

"I know, Milly." he told her. "I know."

The blonde smiled in gratitude as she pivoted on her heel, regaining her infamous smile. "Now that that's over and done with!" she grinned cheekily. "Let's go bug the others back in the Council Room!"

"Isn't that really your job?"

"Well, maybe...But you're coming along for the ride!" She grabbed him by the wrist and proceeded to pull him out the room and through the halls.

When they had reached the courtyard, Lelouch still in her grasp, the violet-eyed teen struggled, trying to pry her hand off his wrist. "D-dammit, will you let go?" he hissed, not liking being dragged around like a doll. "And why are you bringing me along?!"

"Why the heck not?" she remarked, letting go of him momentarily as she whirled around to face him again. "It's a lot more fun to be around others, don't you think?"

Lelouch looked away. If by others, she meant the ignorant Britannians leeching off the suffering of others? No thanks. His friends on the other hand were a different story.

Despite all their quirks and backstories, he cared for each of them. Rivalz was like something of an amusing second best friend, the title of first best friend reserved for Suzaku, and was like his partner-in-crime during his scandalous adventures regarding his gambling escapades. Shirley was a friend as well, though he suspected she wanted to be something more... and she was like a protective mother, vastly disapproving of his habits. Nina was the shy and quiet one, but she was quite the brainiac, as both of them shared common ground when it came to mathematics and theories.

And then... there was Suzaku. His best friend for seven years, despite his nationality, and probably the only person in the entire school, besides everyone in Student Council, whom he could tolerate.

He was grateful to have these types of people in their life. Not like the parasites that he had once known back in the mainland of Britannia. Here...he had true bonds with people.

And he couldn't have had it any other way.

"...if you say so." Lelouch shrugged his shoulders. Milly simply grinned at his reaction, reading him like a book.

"Then come on! Let's go say...hi..." She trailed off when she saw something over his shoulder, her face expressing mild confusion. "...what in the hell?"

Lelouch frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking over his shoulder and following her line of sight. "Is there some...thing..."

His eyes widened at what he saw.

It was a little girl...probably around 7 or 8 years old...her clothing was scuffled and dirty and her lime-green hair was all over the place. She was face down and didn't seem to be moving.

Immediately, the two ran over to her in a hurry. "H-hey!" Milly shouted out at her, reaching her first. "Are you okay?!" She bent down and gently picked her up. Lelouch reached her soon afterward, and got a much better look at her. She was still only a child, her unusual hair cut short to the chin, and her eyes closed, a few strands gently framing around her nose, and another hanging above her right eyelid. Her clothing, despite being ragged and dirty, was actually very beautiful, being a simple white dress that ended at her ankles and elbows. However, it was transparent, heavily soaked and sticking to her skin.

"She's soaked to the bone." he observed. "What in the world is she doing here? Moreover, how did she get inside?"

"I dunno." Milly replied, looking her over. "She doesn't look like she's injured, and she seems to be unconscious."

"We should take her to the infirmary. But first we need to get her warm." The violet eyes teen stated as he took off his blazer and wrapped it around the girl. Her body temperature was lower than normal. There was no telling how long she had been in this state. For all they know, she could be on the verge of catching pneumonia.

Still though...why was this colored hair so familiar...?

When Rei awoke, she found herself staring at a plain, white ceiling. The site itself did not register or cause for alarm, as she felt her mind in a tizzy, slightly lost and muddled in sleep, bearing drowsy eyes. "M-mmnrgh..."

She was on the fence of consciousness and unconsciousness. The lull of slumber was so tempting...but the remembering of her father's parting words brought her back.

"A-Ash...ford..." she mumbled, her mind soon becoming clearer. Her eyes became sharpened, and her senses returning to her. It was only now that she realized she was within a foreign environment, and became bewildered. She looked around the room, unsure of where she was, nor how she arrived her. It reminded her of a hospital room, with all the beds and white curtains surrounding them, but it looked more like something one would find in a school. Was she in a school?

"I-is this..." Her eyes widened as she rose up, white blankets falling off her body. "A-Ashford Academy?"

"As a matter of fact," a voice said beside her. "It is!"

"H-hwaaaa!"

The sudden announcement nearly threw the girl off the infirmary bed. Fortunately she was able to catch herself and whipped her head to the speaker.

It was an adult, maybe around her daddy's age, with platinum blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes, wearing what looked like the Ashford Academy uniform, a tan blazer with a dress shirt underneath, a black tie, and a skirt. Rei couldn't help but stare at her more finer parts, her hands unconsciously reaching her chest. This just wasn't fair... what did you have to eat to get a chest like that?

"Whoa, you okay there, kiddo?" the blonde asked. "You shouldn't move around so much."

Rei wasn't sure who this woman was, but... she seemed nice. Plus, she didn't try to hurt her, so she couldn't be someone bad, despite what her daddy taught her. Besides... something about her made her want to trust her.

"U-um..."

The blonde smiled. "I'm glad your awake though." she said sweetly. "My name's Milly. What's yours?"

The girl's eyes widened...Milly...? She recalled her daddy telling her that a girl named Milly was one of his closest friends...and the she-devil.

"U-um..." she said shyly. "M-my name's... Rei."

"Rei, huh?" Milly grinned. "That's a very cute name."

"T-thanks!" she smiled back. "My daddy and mommy gave it to me! It's Japanese, for zero!"

"Japanese...?" The woman fuddled her brow. Why would her parents name her in an Eleven fashion? Not that she minded it, but a vast majority of Britannians looked down upon that sort of thing. Generally, they had no reason to adopt the culture of others...they just force theirs upon others.

"Mm!" Rei nodded. "S-so, um... Miss Milly?"

"Milly's fine, kiddo."

"O-okay..." she nodded nervously. "I-is this, um.. Ashford Academy?"

"You betcha!" She smiled kindly. She was not a prejudicial person. Even if her name was Japanese, that did not give anyone a right to judge her.

Rei's face brightened. Yes! She had made it!

'...oh, wait...' Suddenly, she felt the rush of pride deflate only seconds later, lowering her head in depression. 'Daddy wasn't able to tell me who I was supposed to show the pendant to.' Then, she had a thought. 'Oh, maybe Milly might know! She's supposed to be one of daddy's friend's after all!'

Figuring this to be the acceptable option, he tried to reach into her pocket to show it to the woman...

...only she didn't find it in her pocket...or even her pockets!

"Oh-oh no...!" she immediately became panicked, searching frantically in her dress. "Wh-where is it?! Where is it?!"

"Do you mean this?" Rei's head whipped around to see Milly pulling something from her breast pocket. Her eyes widened to see that it was the pendant in her hands. The moment she saw it, she quickly swiped it from Milly's hands, much to the woman's shock. She didn't make any comments to it, however, as she held it dearly close to her, clutching to it like a lifeline. "...I'm sorry for taking it without asking." she apologized. "We found it after we brought you here. It dropped from your dress." Her face softened. "Is it... important to you?"

Rei nodded.

"I see..." The woman nodded. She saw how the girl held the item preciously. It must be significant to her.

"I-its..." Rei sniffled, memories of how her father protected her from those scary men in the suits coming back. "Its... the last thing daddy gave me..." Tears began to fall from her face, her voice becoming choked with emotion. "B-before he... before he...!"

The girl suddenly felt a pair of warm arms wrapped around her, and her head resting on something soft. The girl looked up and saw it was Milly.

"Ssh, it's okay..." she whispered soothingly. "It's all going to be okay..."

The blonde woman noticed the pain and fear in her eyes. Something terrible must;ve happened to her.

She simply held the girl as she began to cry, the small child's tears staining her shirt. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Rei calmed down, her sobs lowering, and wiping away her tears. "All better now, sweetie?" she asked, earning a nod. "I won't ask what happened to you, or your dad, but..." A confused frown formed on her face. "What are you doing here at Ashford?"

"D-Daddy said..." she hiccuped, rubbing away the last of the tears. "T-that I needed to come here." She held up the red pendant containing the mark etched within it. "And t-that I should show this to someone here."

"Show it to someone?" She looked at her quizzically.

"Uh-huh."

Milly gently took the pendant, after asking permission, of course, and examined it. It was certainly a beautiful piece of craftsmen ship, and was genuinely curious of how it was made. She was also curious about the mark within. It looked like a bird in mid-flight, at least in shape when seen from a distance, but what appeared to be a sword was run through in the middle.

"Pretty..." she commented, handing it back to Rei. "So, do you know who your supposed to show it to?"

Rei shook her head sadly. "No... he never got to tell me." She looked up at Milly. "Do you know?"

"How should I know?" the blonde asked rhetorically. "I've never seen this before... Actually, out of curiosity, what's your dad's name?"

"O-oh, his name is-"

"Pardon the intrusion," a voice called out as the door opened.

The two females turned, seeing various people enter the room. They were all the same age as Milly, and wearing the same uniforms. The first was a girl with a large bust (much to Rei's dismay) and light orange hair, and the second was a girl with a slim, pale build, having black hair tied into a small ponytail, and grasses sitting on top of her nose. The boys wore black uniforms with gold trims, the first having short blue hair and a goofy smile, while the other had curly brown hair and soft green eyes, having a more reserved look to him.

"There you are, Madam president!" the orange-haired girl said, slightly annoyed judging by her tone. "We were looking everywhere...for..."

The girl promptly trailed off when she saw Rei sitting on the bed, looking a bit shocked and perhaps anxious to see so many people around her, meeting them for the first time, students or no.

"Hey," the blue-haired student. "Is she the kid you and Lelouch found?"

"As a matter of fact, she is." Milly smiled. "Guys, this is Rei."

The green-haired girl reacted to having been called on, bowing her head respectfully. "H-hello!"

"It's nice to meet you." Shirley greeted.

"Y-yeah!" Rivalz nodded as well, unsure how to be addressed so formally.

"H-hello..." Nina greeted shyly, rubbing her hands together nervously.

Suzaku smiled, bowing his head. "Ohayo."

Rei's eyes lit up instantly when she heard that word. "Oh, that's Japanese for hello, right?" she asked. "My daddy taught me how to speak Japanese!" Then, she made a pouting face. "Although... I don't get kanji at all. There's too many letters."

"Eh?" Milly blinked. "Rei, are you an Eleven, by any chance?"

The girl tilted her head, a confused expression on her face. "What's... an Eleven?"

"U-uh...an Eleven is...well..." Milly wasn't sure how to answer. The girl didn't appear to be an Eleven...but she could be a half-breed. But he wasn't willing to hurt her by telling her what an Eleven was...

"She doesn't look like an Eleven," Suzaku said, walking over. "Rei, was it? Are you Britannian?"

Rei nodded. "Mm. Daddy was Britannian, but... I dunno about mommy. Daddy never mentioned. I think she was Britannian too."

Shirley frowned. "So, she's Britannina, but they gave her an Eleven name?"

Rei pouted. "...is my name not cute?"

"No no...It definitely is." Shirley waved her hands in denial. She didn't mean it that way. She was just perplexed by the situation.

Rei grinned. "Daddy said it's the name of the guy who makes miracles!" she said proudly. Suzaku chuckled a bit. He had to admit, she was certainly cute for a child. Still... he was a bit surprised He felt as if he had seen that hair color before, but he definitely remembered seeing eyes like those before. The only people he knows who have eyes like those are his friend and his sister.

"Oh, we should introduce ourselves, huh?" Shirley giggled nervously. "My name's Shirley!"

"Heya!" the blue-haired boy grinned. "I'm Rivalz! Nice to meet you!"

"I-I'm Nina..." the shy girl nodded. "N-nice to meet you."

"My name's Suzaku," the brunette smiled kindly. "It's a pleasure."

"Suzaku...?!" The girl jumped up in surprise. That was the name of her daddy's best friend. What were the odds?

The boy nodded, though he was a bit surprised by her reaction. Had they met before? ...no, that would be impossible. She was so young, and he would definitely remember her with that hair color.

"Hey," Milly spoke up, looking around the room. "Where's Lelouch?"

"He said he was going to check up on Nunnally." Rivalz explained. "She was running a small fever."

Rei's eyes widened. Nunnally?! Wasn't that...?

"So, Rei..." Suzaku kneeled down to her eye level, retaining his smile. "What brings you here to Ashford?"

"Ah yes..." The little girl blushed from the encounter. As she got a closer look, she noticed how handsome the man before her was. But she remembered what she was here for. She held up the pendent. "My Daddy told me to come here and show this to someone...not sure who though..."

"Show it to someone?" he repeated, gently taking it. He held up it up by the string, staring into the crystal. "Huh... I've never seen a pendant like this before."

"It looks pretty." Shirley commented, taking a look at it. She turned to Rei. "Do you know who your supposed to show this to?"

Rei shook her head. "Daddy never got around to telling me." she said. Before the memories of what happened at her house could return, Milly gently stroked her head.

"It's alright." she said, smiling. "We'll show this to whoever your dad is looking for."

"R-really?!" she asked excitedly, a bright smile on her face. The blonde woman grinned. "Oh, thank you, Milly!"

"You're welcome." Her heart was warmed by the innocent smile.

"But Prez..." Rivalz begun asking. "Where would we even start looking?"

"He kinda has a point," Suzaku agreed. "We really don't have much to go on."

"Have ye a little faith." Milly told them, smirking. "Where there's a will, there's a way!" She sucked in her breath, rearing her head. Instantly, everyone besides Rei knew what was going to happen, and instinctively covered their ears.

"GUTS!"

The little girl flinched from the sudden shout. Guts? What was she talking about? Was she alright...?

"Really, Madam President?" Shirley inquired, wincing from the intensity of the shout. "Really?"

"What?" she shrugged, smirking. "You people need motivation."

"...with all due respect, Madam President," a familiar voice called out as the door opened once again. "That spell doesn't work as well as you think."

Rei's breath hitched, and her eyes widened.

Her attention was focused on the teen that entered the room. That black hair, lean build, and violet eyes...there was no mistaking it...it was her...

"Daddy?"

Her voice was almost like a whisper, so quiet and low that hardly anybody could hear her. Lelouch gave Milly a questioning glance as he walked into the room. "I think it's the perfect way to get everybody amped up!" Milly replied back to his comment. "It certainly gets you motivated, doesn't it?"

A sigh escaped him. "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered, face-palming before looking to the girl. Her face was set into a look of relief and joy, her mouth left hanging open, and eyes wide. "Oh, she's awake?"

"Guess so," Suzaku chuckled in a joking manner. "Her name's Rei, by the way."

"I see. It's nice to meet you." He said to the girl.

He smiled gently as he crouched down. Rei simply stared at him in bewilderment before tears finally fell from her face, shocking everyone in the room. "...D-daddy..."

Lelouch blinked. "Eh?"

"DADDY!"

"Wha-AGH?!"

The violet eyed teen was thrown back as the girl jumped out of the bed and tackled him to the ground.

"D-daddy...!" Rei sniffled, her arms wrapped his neck, and her face buried in his shoulder. "Daddy!"

The group was silent, blinking rapidly while Lelouch groaned, his head spinning from colliding with the ground. A pregnant silence fell on the group for several seconds before their brains finally registered what the small little girl had said.

A second passed. Two, then three. Finally-

"EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH?!"

"Wha...when...how...What?!"

Everyone had the exact same expression on their faces, perfectly imitating a gaping fish. "L-LULU!" Shirley screeched, her face bright crimson. "W-WHEN?! WHEN DID YOU...?!"

"I-I didn't...!" He was now panicking. "I'm not...!"

"Then why did she call you daddy?!"

"L-Lelouch..." Suzaku gaped, unable to believe what she just heard. "D-did you seriously?!"

"Dammit, no!" he growled, temporarily forgetting that there was a child in the room. "I don't know her!"

"Dude, she just called you her dad!" Rivalz shouted in disbelief. "Spill it! Who did you knock up?!"

"I'm still a virgin, you idiot!" the violet-eyed teen snapped, not caring that this information could be used against him later on. He was just as confused as they were. What the hell was going on?! Why was this girl calling him her dad?! He knew for a fact that he was still a virgin, and his trusts his memory without fail. Never once has he gotten drunk, so he couldn't have done it under the influence of alcohol.

So who the heck was she?!

"U-um... Rei, sweetie?" Milly asked shakily, a trembling smile on her face as she tried to get the girl's attention. "W-what exactly did you say your family name was?"

"I-it's... Lamperouge." Rei sniffled, looking up at Milly and the rest of them. "R-Rei Lamperouge."

The others stared at Lelouch once more. Now that the little girl said it, there was no denying it.

The girl... was his daughter.

But...how was this even possible?

Lelouch was 17 years old. and the girl looked to be around 7 or 8...so it just couldn't be possible!

"D-daddy...!" Rei sniffled, hugging him tightly. "I-I thought...I thought..." She began to sob, clutching to him for dear life as if her existence depended on it.

Lelouch's eyes softened. At that moment, he didn't care if the scenario was impossible. What was reality before him was a little, frightened girl who had previously met tragedy.

A sigh escaped him, muttering something under his breath before gently wrapping her arms around the small child.

"It will be alright..." He spoke softly to her. "Don't worry anymore..."

In response, the girl hugged him tighter.

"Daddy..." She held onto him like a lifeline.

The group couldn't help but notice how Lelouch treated the small child. It was almost as if he really were her father... but, that was impossible. Lelouch was seventeen! She was, what? Seven? Eight?

Moreover... what did it have to do with that pendant? Suzaku glanced down at it, still holding it in his hand. It seemed to glow in the light, revealing the mark within. He was still unable to distinguish what the mark represented. But he felt that it was supposed to have some significance.

"Just who in the world..." he murmured. "Is she?"

That was the question on everyone's minds. This girl claimed Lelouch to be her father...but he was just too young.

"Just what in the world is going on?"

-Part 1 of 5: END-