Champions of Geiis

by Demon of Zero

Ashford Academy was, oftentimes, a rather hectic place. Simple events often got blown out of proportion. But, really, what could possibly go wrong with something as inconsequential as a board game? As Lelouch was about to learn, the answer to that question was a rather simple "everything." (Rewrite of the previous Gods of Geiis.)

2. Chapter 2

So. Uh. Second chapter go go go go!

And there is basically nothing actiony in this one either. Just some moderately neat moments.

Anyhow. Time to roll. Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass. I'm also including this entire top segment because it makes me feel better than just stuffing a disclaimer up her.

---

The first thing Lelouch noticed when he came to was a weight on his chest. Blearily blinking the sleep from his eyes and attempting to regain his senses, the teen noticed a shock of pink hair as he looked towards the pressure on his body. "... Euphie?" He mumbled near silently, his sleep addled mind belatedly explaining to him that there was no way this was his half-sister. So, then, who was... Anya. Right, they had been in the council room about to play a board game and then everything had gone to hell in the span of a few seconds. Just what was going on here? The board had lit up, and then a Geass symbol had appeared, and as Suzaku was preparing to attack him everyone just... fell. No, not everyone, Gino and Nina hadn't been affected. Why was that? Maybe it only happened to those under the effects of Geass? But then why was Rolo affected?

As the young man's mind rushed a mile a minute attempting to make sense of these events, another figure was standing silently nearby. 'Man. Weird stuff happens to me a lot, but this certainly takes the cake.' Gino idly thought to himself, giving his body another inspection as though looking again would make things less real. His skin was a solid color of red, a dark red that reminded him of blood. His nails had darkened to black and became sharp as knives, both the nails on his toes and his fingers. In addition to that, he had a pair of small horns jutting out of his forehead, also the same black color. They were somewhat small, roughly three inches if he had to guess, and curved slightly upwards. The horns themselves were located just above his eyebrows.

Thankfully, his facial structure hadn't changed much from what he managed to make out from the rather murky water nearby. As a matter of fact, if not for the horns he could have maybe written this off as an elaborate prank, because he was sure there was some kind of makeup that would allow one to cover another person entirely, one that would not wipe away easily. But the horns... he could feel them. In his head. Like how one could sort of feel their fingernails, he could feel the horns. He'd toyed with them briefly, but stopped shortly after beginning because he was becoming kind of disturbed.

And the worst part was the tail. He had a goddamn tail. It was about three feet long, the same red shade as his skin, and tipped with a spade that seemed soft to the touch... but he'd accidentally discovered that clenching a certain muscle in the tail itself would leave the spade hard as steel. This was another reason Gino was aware this whole thing was not a prank of any sort, because he could move the tail as though it were a part of his body. And that both terrified and intrigued him.

His clothing had changed as well. Gone was the simple garb of a student, replaced now with clothing he sort of associated with Suzaku. Loose legged pants in a dark grey color, with a robelike top that heavily resembled one of the brunette's training outfits. A gi, he believed the tops were called. It was also grey, though a lighter tone than the pants... he was fairly certain they were called hakama? The only real splash of color on his current getup would be the wide green sash covering his abdomen, the sash being the same color as his Knight cloak. On his feet he wore a pair of sandals, made of what he assumed was leather judging by the feeling.

All in all, he looked like the rulebook's depiction of a Monk. A Fallen Monk as a matter of fact. And that was concerning on a lot of levels, considering the appearance of his two companions, one of whom was finally stirring.

"Yo, Lelouch." Gino called out, drawing the other boy's attention as he made to sit up. "Have a good nap?"

Having only just woken up from his rather deep sleep, the teen was moving a bit slower than the norm. He gently shifted Anya so that he could sit up, making sure not to drop her onto the ground as he did so. She was quite light, but for some reason he felt like she shouldn't be. One of his hands touched cold metal and it was around then that he realized the girl was wearing a suit of armor. 'What in the world?' He thought to himself, straightening at the sound of Gino's voice. "Gino." He greeted, turning his gaze to meet the other boy. "Do you have any idea what's... what the hell?" Lelouch's eyes shot wide as he got a good look at the blonde, who's physical changes were staggering. "Gino, what happened to you? You're..." Realization dawned behind the teen's eyes, tinged with a good bit of skepticism. He glanced down at his own hand, stifling a gasp as he saw pale blue skin and sharp purple nails. Not painted, no, the nails themselves were a dark purple, bordering black.

"So you noticed." Gino replied with a small grin. "Seems we've changed physically to match the race we chose for the game. I'm quite certain this," he brought the tail around from behind him with a hand. "is a wee bit outside of the realm of normal." Good God, it was really messed up what was happening right now. He was in a friggin' board game. And apparently, so was everyone else.

Spotting a medium sized rock, Lelouch managed to stand, carrying the still unconscious form of Anya and setting the girl down with her back against it. As he stood from his crouched position after depositing the girl, he inspected her for a moment.

She hadn't undergone many physical changes. Her ears were a bit pointier, and that was just about all he could glean at a glance. Her attire had shifted into a full suit of mail armor, which seemed to offer a full range of movement. He noticed that there was a rather conspicuous weapon nearby that likely belonged to her, a shotgun of simple make. Deciding that, for the moment, it was best if everyone was kept as far away from their weapons as possible he left the thing to sit on a dry patch of ground.

"I don't really know how this could have happened..." Lelouch muttered, shaking his head as he walked over towards the water himself. Hands reaching up to feel at his ears, he confirmed that they were definitely the longer, elven ears that he had been expecting. A glance to the water told him a bit more, that his hair had paled to a snowy white and that there was a purple tribal marking in the shape of a snowflake stretching from the bridge of his nose, with it's top stretching up between his eyes to reach the center of his forehead, two arms branching out below his eyes, and another pair of them trailing past his cheeks, their tips ending at the back of his jaw.

His attire had shifted as well. The outfit itself was fairly simple looking. A pair of black, loose legged pants covered his lower body, with no real distinctive marks on them anywhere. At about shin level, the legs were wrapped by two grey pieces of cloth tied around them, which held the loose clothing down some. A grey cloth tunic covered his upper body, again with no defining features that made it stand out, it's sleeves coming to the wrist and being held with two more strips of black cloth wrappings. Over this, he wore a rugged looking cloth coat, which was black with golden trim, though the gold wasn't a particularly vivid hue. The coat's sleeves came just past his elbows, and the tail of it came down to about mid knee level, with a cut in the back of the coattail that left it in two points. Holding the coat closed around the waist was a brown leather belt, with several pouches attached to it. And to finish the appearance off, he was also wearing a pair of leather sandals, the same kind that the other teen was sporting.

"No clue either, man." Gino admitted, plopping down where he stood to make himself more comfortable. "Legitimately, this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. And I don't get to say that often." He lived a rather bizarre and oftentimes hectic life, so usually the weird stuff that came with that was something he had become used to over time. This was a total curveball. "So, we basically have no idea how to get out of here do we?" He asked curiously.

Lelouch shrugged lackadaisically. "I suppose not. If we finish the game's objective, that might set us free... but we don't even know what the objective is." Or if finishing the game would even let them out in the first place. They really had no assurance of that one way or another. "In all honesty, I think our best bet would be to try and gather up everyone and make a plan from there."

Nodding, the blonde glanced over towards the unconscious form of Anya. "Man... what the hell happened to her before we got sucked in here? As a matter of fact, what happened to all of you guys? The only ones who didn't have that weird glowy thing were me and the glasses girl." That had actually scared the shit out of him, because everyone started collapsing.

"I... don't really know..." Lelouch admitted, rubbing his forehead. "All I do know about that was that it was incredibly painful." It had felt like his blood was on fire, though the sensation had passed quickly. "And whatever happened to us, it seemed like Anya got the worst of it." Her own aura had lasted the longest from what he'd glimpsed, and the coloration had also been unique out of all of them. Adding that to the fact that the girl still hadn't woken up and it didn't take a genius to realize something odd was going on.

A frown found it's way to Gino's face. "And what about that thing with Suzaku? He seemed ready to attack you all of a sudden." Suzaku was a nice guy normally, and seeing him freak out like that was unusual. But at that moment when the weird symbol popped up, Lelouch said something and suddenly Suzaku was ready to pounce.

"It's complicated, Gino." The white haired teen replied with a sigh. "It's also somewhat personal and between the two of us. Could you drop that one, please?" He wasn't really lying. The situation between them was quite personal and extremely complicated, and he really didn't want to talk about it. Let alone to the Knight of Three. He would need to deal with that situation as it came, but he just hoped he ran into Rolo before Suzaku.

Curiosity sated, for the moment, the blonde Knight dropped the subject. "... do you think Anya is alright?" He asked, a worried gaze turning over to the girl. "She's... well, I don't know... I just worry about her." He wasn't really supposed to be responsible for her or anything, but she needed someone to look out for her and he was pretty much the only one willing to do it.

Lelouch shrugged. "She's breathing normally, from what I saw. There's not much else I can tell at a glance. I'm hoping she's just asleep." Enemy or not, she was Nunnally's age and the thought of her being harmed made him rather uncomfortable, especially as she had been... wait...

What in the world? He could remember her. She had been good friends with Nunnally, and as such he'd gotten closer to her as well. The two of them often ran about the gardens of the villa, leaving it to him to hunt them down. They were nearly inseparable, even going so far as to share a bed more often than not. The etiquette lessons with his mother were nothing more than an excuse for the girl to have a more normal upbringing, as her parents were extremely busy folks who would have to have left the raising of their child to the staff of their home. As such, the pink haired girl had been left with Marianne vi Britannia as a favor so that she could experience a family upbringing as opposed to being raised by the help.

He remembered the picture. One day, just after beating Clovis in another game of chess, he'd taken some time alone to muse over his next plan for playing against Schneizel, who was simply on another level compared to his pompous half-brother. As he'd been considering his tactics, Anya had popped up and asked what he was doing.

After a few minutes of talking, she'd asked for a picture. And since the girl was a close friend by that point, he'd indulged her without much fuss.

And that was how that picture had ended up on her phone. She'd asked him for one, and he'd let her take it. And it all made sense, because he remembered.

The frightening part of this was that he also remembered just why he'd forgotten in the first place. Charles zi Britannia had Geass even when he was a child, and had used the power on him long before he had been aware of it's existence. His memories had been twisted so that Anya was nothing more than an idle memory, a figure who was around but not of any note.

'... I was wrong.' Lelouch admitted to himself mentally, a touch of fury lighting up inside of him. 'It appears that he did take the time to visit Nunnally in the hospital...' Clenching his fist, a terrible thought came to the transformed teen.

What if Nunnally's blindness, which was said to be caused by trauma, had been inflicted on her by the machinations of his father?

From his experience, the Emperor's Geass required direct eye contact, and if he was correct it also required one to be able to see. So if Nunnally was blinded in the first place from the trauma, why could she not remember Anya? Clearly, her memories had been altered as well... but if she were blinded, that didn't seem possible. His own Geass at the very least did not have any effect if the target couldn't see it. Perhaps Charles zi Britannia's power worked differently, and in all likelihood it may... but at the same time... what if he was right? What if his theory was correct, and the "trauma" keeping Nunnally from looking upon the world was in fact a result of their father's tampering?

'Before I kill him...' Lelouch promised himself with a mental snarl. 'I will ask. In the end, it won't change the outcome... but I need to know. Would he truly be so heartless as to steal the ability to see from his own daughter?' Nothing would change in the end. Charles zi Britannia was still going to die. However, perhaps his death would be more painful if Lelouch's theory was correct.

"Er, hey, bud? You okay there? You don't look so hot." Gino chimed in, drawing the teen from his murderous thoughts.

Shaking his head to clear away the dark train of thought, Lelouch replied. "Sorry, sorry, just had a moment." A sort of rustling noise drew their attention towards the third figure in the clearing, who was beginning to stir. The sound of her armor jostling made it fairly easy to notice the girl getting up.

"... h-huh?" The first thing out of the girl's mouth as she sat up was a confused noise as she looked around her, eyes wide. "W-what is t-this?" She stuttered, glancing around her frantically, a gesture that was extremely out of place on the normally stoic Knight of Six.

Extremely concerned by the sudden shift in behavior, Gino made his way to the girl's side in a matter of seconds. "Anya, are you alright? It's me, Gino." He quickly assured her, noticing the reaction his sudden movement had caused.

"Gino?" She mumbled in awe, looking him over. "B-but... you're red." What was going on? Why did she feel so strange? Her head was fuzzy, her chest felt sort of tight, and she didn't know why but she was feeling... she was feeling. Her emotions were going haywire, it seemed, and it just didn't make sense to her. What was going on? Why was she experiencing her emotions so clearly, so vividly? They weren't usually like this. She couldn't remember the last time her mind hadn't been covered by that dull cloud that kept her from really feeling anything.

"Yeah, we're in a weird situation." Gino chuckled, offering her an assuring smile. "But don't worry. We're gonna be fine. Me and Lelouch are talking about what to do, and now that you're awake we can... huh?" The teen blinked after a moment, realizing something was amiss. Anya wasn't paying attention to him anymore, her eyes were locked on the blue skinned elf that was Lelouch.

"... Lulu?" The pinkette asked, a wave of memories and emotions assaulting her all of a sudden as she heard his name. Her time back at the Aries Villa rushed back to her, the memories she had long since forgotten suddenly playing before her in with extreme clarity. She could practically smell the flowers of the garden, feel the cool breeze that swept through, and more importantly she could feel the emotions that the memories brought her. And that feeling was so clear, so simple, and so amazing. For her, the girl who had lived nearly half of her life without the ability to grasp the memories that she had made for herself, this was the most wonderful thing that could ever have happened to her. The happiest time of her life was replaying in front of her eyes, and at the center of the whirling cyclone of memories and emotions was Lelouch vi Britannia, the kind and caring boy who had treated her like another little sister.

Lelouch Lamperouge, the teenager who looked so much like the long lost prince was in fact that same prince. And her memories, torn and fractured, supplied her with one other face that Lelouch wore.

Zero. The masked terrorist who had taken the world by storm, his true identity was that of the Britannian schoolboy Lelouch Lamperouge, the long lost seventeenth prince of Britannia who had been exiled as a political prisoner to Japan just before the war.

Memories of meetings with the Emperor, meetings where her body had not been in her control, came flooding back to her.

But none of that mattered, because Lulu was Lulu. It didn't matter what other masks he wore, in the end he was always just going to be Lulu. And so, without thinking, the pink haired girl quickly stood and darted over towards the teen, ignoring the surprised squawk this drew from Gino, and threw herself at the blue skinned boy gleefully.

Blinking in surprise, the elven boy let out a slight grunt as the younger girl tackled him, sending him back a few steps but not managing to knock him over despite the fact that she was in metal armor. 'Wow...' He noted idly, staring down at the girl who had just rammed into him with more strength than the academy's best rugby player. 'This body is... a lot higher spec than my own.' He hardly felt it when the girl tackled him, instinctively catching her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Noticing her hopeful ruby gaze meeting his own amethyst, Lelouch offered her a small, genuine smile. "I suppose this may sound strange, but it's good to see you again Anya."

"I missed you." The girl mumbled, tightening her grip on the older boy. "I didn't even know how much I did until just now, but I missed you." Her emotions and memories hadn't worked correctly in years. And with some of the memories she had, which were now available to her in great detail, she almost wished that she could go back to that way. Knowing what she had done, just how many people she had killed, and how she'd been able to do it all without a care in the world... it made her sick inside. But none of that mattered right now, because Lulu was here. She could worry about her blood stained hands and guilty conscious later, right now she just wanted him to hold her.

Off to the side, Gino was confused. Extremely confused. However, this appeared to be a touching reunion so he would let it go on until the moment dissipated before asking what the hell was going on. But Anya was acting weird.

... okay actually she was acting more normal than she ever had, but that was the weird part. Her eyes were so bright. In the few moments he'd looked into her eyes, he'd seen a spark of life that was just so much brighter than they'd ever been before, and it was beautiful. Before, her eyes were comparable to those of a doll or, when he had felt particularly morbid, a corpse. But right now, her eyes were alight with emotion and it was incredible to see.

So Gino would wait until they had finished their moment before asking why in the world they were acting like two long lost friends being reunited, because he had never seen Anya happier than she was right then.

---

"Uhg... my head..." Rolo mumbled to himself, rolling from his back to his knees. He had a horrible headache, though it was clearing up quite rapidly. "What happened?" He'd been in the council room with everyone else, and then his big brother had put that card on the board. And from there, everything went out of control immediately. Managing to get up off of his hands and knees, the boy sat against a nearby tree and looked himself over.

He didn't seem different at all with exception to his attire. His uniform was gone, it had been replaced with a set of leather armor straight out of a fantasy game. Padded leather pants, boots made of the same material. A leather breastplate covered his upper body, and a pair of pauldrons rested on his shoulders. The design was exceedingly simple, clearly made for practicality over anything else. It was easy to move in from what he noticed during his unsteady relocation. At his hip was a sheathed dagger, something that brought him some slight comfort. The set of throwing knives slung across his chest in a bandolier were a new addition to his usual weapon set, but he was confident with them.

"Dunno what happened to tell ya' the truth." Rivalz' voice drew the younger boy's attention as the blue haired teen let himself be known.

"Rivalz? What... what happened to you?" Rolo's eyes widened at the sight of him, coming to the stark realization that something was very wrong here.

The treasurer of the Student Council had a pair of hooves. His legs had morphed in such a way that he was capable of standing upright, but in place of feet he had a pair of hooves, and there was a layer of fur from his hooves up to about knee level. Swishing behind the teen aimlessly was a tail, tipped with a darker shade of blue fur. His ears had grown slightly pointed and a pair of small, ram-like horns had developed on the sides of his head. But his upper body was mostly unchanged. He retained a somewhat lanky build, though Rolo could tell at first glance that he was more muscular than before even beneath the heavy armor the teen wore.

Rivalz was garbed in a metal breastplate that did not extend to his arms, the protection of his limbs being delegated to the metal gauntlets and spaulders he wore. His lower body was garbed in simple brown cloth pants, with metal greaves at the front to protect the limbs. Attached to them by leather straps were a second set of plates to protect the back of his legs. At his hip, on the right side, there was a large quiver of sorts, filled with what appeared to be several javelins. At his left was a short sword, held within a sheath of it's own. A kite shield sat upon his back, arranged in such a way that he could grab it quickly with his left hand.

All in all, he looked like a well armored Satyr Warrior. Which was bizarre and frightening in a lot of ways for Rolo.

The Satyr shrugged. "Tellin' the truth? I don't know what happened to any of us." He admitted carelessly. "If I had to guess then every single thing that made the world a reasonable place to live is now no longer in effect, as we appear to be inside of the game Milly brought along." And furthermore, he could remember things that he'd forgotten. Things he'd been made to forget. Things that answered a few questions, only to open the door to so many more.

For instance, just who the hell was Rolo? Lelouch's little sister was Nunnally. Nunnally vi Britannia, the Viceroy of Area Eleven, was the little sister of their student council vice president. So for obvious reasons, this meant that Lelouch was royalty. Lelouch vi Britannia, the long lost prince of the Empire. And he'd been hiding out comfortably at Ashford Academy with the full support of the headmaster, who clearly knew just who he was harboring. Which meant Milly was also aware.

Nunnally was Lelouch's sister. So, then, why did he spend a year believing Rolo was his younger brother? The Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, had done something to him. To him, Milly, and Shirley. He'd toyed with their minds, fabricated memories and implanted them inside of the three of them. How? What kind of fantasy crap was that? He'd mind fucked them, even before using that damn power. He'd revealed in a fit of theatrics just why he was manipulating them.

He'd told them that Lelouch, their good friend who had a mysterious past, was actually Zero, the masked terrorist who had thrown the world into chaos.

And now they were in a damn board game with three Knights of the Round, a terrorist that was once a prince, an unknown boy who'd wormed his way into their world, and two people who were going to be extremely torn up by one of their oldest friends being Zero considering he'd killed a father in one case and an idol on another.

And perhaps worst of all, he had hooves for crying out loud.

It was baffling him how his body knew how to stay upright considering he had hooves instead of proper feet. The horns and the tail were one thing, but the hooves were really freaking him out. "... man." He sighed drearily. "If I'd known this crap was going to happen, I would have picked Half-Orc." God, this felt so weird. And the weirdest part was that he didn't really feel unnatural with this body, it felt like he'd lived his whole life like this.

"... this is strange." Rolo admitted quietly, looking around him. What had happened to cause this? What was that game that Milly had brought them? "... I wish I'd landed with big brother..." He mumbled worriedly, pulling his dagger from it's sheath to inspect it.

Rivalz sighed. Man, at the very least Rolo genuinely seemed to be of the mind that he was Lelouch's brother. It was hard to fake that kind of concern. That was something at least. "Rolo, we should probably try and look for the others." He didn't know quite how he felt about the fact that Rolo's go-to for occupying his attention was to play with his knife, but hey. One more mystery.

"You're right. Didn't Nina roll the same starting area as us?" Rolo asked curiously, eyes darting around to try and locate the bespectacled girl. "I can't see her anywhere."

An uncomfortable grunt came from the larger boy. "Yeah... you're right." A sudden howl drew his attention. "What the hell was that?" Rivalz shouted, turning in the direction of the noise. A few seconds later, a shrill scream cut through the silence the roar had left in it's wake. "Oh shit that's Nina!" Oh shit, oh shit. If he remembered right they had been dropped in the Field of the Ancients, homeland of the Beastfolk, Nina's chosen race. From what he'd gleaned of the lore, this place was populated heavily by large beasts. Which meant Nina was probably now being attacked by one.

And of course this was what they first encountered on their merry little trip to fantasy-land.

Before he could even think, Rivalz' body was in motion. Hooves thundered across the flatlands, rushing over towards the noise. A fairly large copse of trees was where it had originated, and with the sound of metal rattling and hooves trampling the ground underfoot Rivalz dashed towards the location at breakneck speeds. 'Dear lord I'm fast.' He thought to himself as the realization hit him that he was moving far faster than a human being should be able to. 'This is insane.' A moderately sized rocky outcropping sat between him and his destination, and Rivalz reacted instinctively.

As soon as his right foot touched the ground about three yards before the rocky obstruction, the teen's legs tensed and he leaped into the air. The jump carried him much higher than he had expected, clearing the stones without any issue and continuing to fly forward at high velocity. 'Oh shit, oh shit, I overshot that horribly and how do I LAND!?' The ground was approaching quickly and Rivalz had no idea how he was going to land from that jump.

A cloud of dust kicked up and the earth trembled as the teen landed, before the dust was blown away just as quickly by the speed of the figure that rushed out of it. "Oh man, that was fucking awesome!" Rivalz shouted, eyes widening with glee as he realized just how easy it was to operate this new body. He'd landed the jump without any issue, making a few cracks in the hard ground as he impacted it, before launching off at the same speed he'd been moving at before. The treeline was closer than ever before.

"G-get away from me!" A voice screamed as a figure darted out of the trees, a terrified expression on her face as she stumbled but continued to run. "What's going o-on here!?" She had woken to the sound of a dreadful howl, only to suddenly find herself alone in an unfamiliar place. Moments later, before she could even begin to figure out what was happening, she was set upon by a horrifying monster that defied the standards set by reality. Wolves were not meant to become so large, not under any circumstances. It simply wasn't scientifically possible for that kind of growth on a canine.

The gigantic wolf that burst from the treeline shortly after her disagreed, snarling and snapping at the air as eager drool flew from it's tongue, a pair of piercing yellow eyes regarding it's fleeing prey. Four powerful legs tensed as the creature took off again, leaving a cloud of dust at the force it had used to take off.

Nina, unable to move quickly enough to outrun the fearsome predator, was caught by surprise as the enormous creature landed with it's forepaws on her back, forcing her to the ground instantly. Rolling onto her back, the girl whimpered at the proximity of the hideous wolf's maw to her flesh. Settling it's paws on the ground on either side of her, the giant wolf began to playfully sniff at her, enjoying the moment of finally finishing it's hunt.

"GET DOWN, NINA!" A voice roared, drawing the attention of the girl and the wolf that had been moments away from taking it's first bite of her.

As the wolf looked up to regard the new interference, something collided with it's head with almost as much force as a speeding car. A furious sound of metal striking something hard and the morbid noise of bones crunching alerted Nina to the fact that she had been saved, as the momentum from the charging figure transferred into the now fatally wounded wolf's body.

The creature, which had been at least as large as a horse, had been no match for the concentrated force of a shield bash from the metal-clad figure that had charged it. Striking it in such a delicate area as the skull, at that kind of speed... it was no surprise that the creature had died near instantly as it's head caved in. The body of the monster wolf was sent hurtling back at great speeds, as the perpetrator of the attack landed firmly on the ground with a shield held before him by his left arm, the right hand resting on the handle of his sheathed sword.

"R-R-Rivalz?" Nina asked, awestruck by the display of speed and strength, and by the appearance of the one who had performed it. She had heard Rivalz' voice just before the creature was struck, and the shock of blue hair on her savior's head was just like Rivalz' own hair. But that couldn't be right. No, no, none of this made sense! The man who had saved her had hooves, a tail! Horns on his head! He had been moving at the same speed as a motorized bike, that wasn't possible! And the creature he'd killed, the wolf, it couldn't have existed either! It was the size of a horse for goodness sake! What was going on!? "W-w-what is g-going on h-here?" She stuttered out, confusion taking it's toll on her ability to speak.

The blue haired teen turned to offer a sheepish smile towards her, a smile that left no doubt in her mind that this creature was Rivalz. "Not a clue. Sorry." He laughed, tail swishing playfully behind him.

Sighing tiredly, Nina allowed herself to fall back onto the ground. "I'm so confused..." She mumbled.

"Wow, Rivalz... you move fast." Another voice chimed in, it's owner seemingly appearing from thin air. "That was really neat to watch." Rolo wasn't even lying. That was something straight out of a movie that the blue haired teen had just pulled, and it was incredible to see it happen. He'd just barely been able to keep up, and even then he'd been too far behind to contribute to the actual fight... well, there wasn't really much of a fight to begin with. Rivalz had just shield bashed something so hard it had died. "Is your shield still intact after that?" The cherubic assassin asked in genuine curiosity.

Blinking, Rivalz looked down to see that there was a fairly small dent in the shield, but it was otherwise fine. "Huh. Good material I guess." If this was the shield he'd picked up from the item select, it was actually very good material. Enough so that bones really shouldn't have even dented it. That kind of terrified him. What the hell was up with that wolf's skull if it dented a shield made of steel that had been strengthened with an assortment of magical metals? At the very least he'd killed the thing in one go rather than having to actually fight it. He was glad that he'd shelled out for a high quality shield at the start rather than just grabbing an iron one or something.

"... um..." Nina, who had remained in a sort of startled silence at Rolo's appearance, made a small noise that drew the attention of the other two. "... Who... who are you?" She asked Rolo, drawing an uncomfortable expression from the boy. "You call Lelouch brother, but he doesn't have a younger brother. Nunnally is his sister... so who are you?"

The cherubic teen sighed heavily, especially concerned with the expression on Rivalz' face. It was the look of someone who knew. "... you know too, then, Rivalz?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'm aware that you're not his little brother, at least not by blood." The blue haired teen replied. "I'm guessing the fact that he's treating you like he used to treat Nunnally has something to do with the Emperor, right?" Noting the shocked expression this brought to the boy, he chuckled. "I'm remembering a lot of things, Rolo. Things that I hadn't known I forgot."

Eyes widening at the revelation, Rolo became slightly frantic as he realized something. He remembered things too. Things that hadn't been there before. Nothing was specific. It was more sensations and feelings than anything, as though the memories would never have been clear, but they weren't there before. He recalled... playing? No, he'd been with the Directorate ever since he was old enough to walk... no, no he hadn't. He'd been a normal child once, but not for long. The memories were fuzzy, he could hardly recall them even with them brought to the forefront. People were talking, but the words weren't clear... until at last, he received a clear image. Charles zi Britannia, the Emperor. His face flashed clearly in his head, along with a familiar symbol lighting up in the man's eye.

'... was I... was I really abducted from my home?' Rolo pondered, a sickening feeling rising in his stomach. 'I had a family once. I... I don't remember who they were. I don't know who I was, but at one point... I was somebody. I wasn't always a tool.' That was a painful revelation as much as it was a blessing. His chance to live as a person rather than a tool had been stolen from him. He hadn't been born for the purpose of being an assassin, nor had he been an orphan taken in off the streets. He had been taken from a family he didn't even get to know, never became the person he could have been. And yet, at the same time... he was a person once, a human being rather than a tool.

Shaking his head to clear such thoughts away, the boy looked back towards the others who were clearly expecting an answer. "How much do you know?" He asked, directing his response towards the Satyr. "This is important. I'm not going to give away anything that will endanger my big brother." He could easily escape from the two of them. He was a Rogue, and the skills were implanted within this body. His mind had already integrated a great deal of the information due to the similarity to his own experiences. As of right then, he was probably the one most adapted to this world since he was already playing his role as a spy and assassin.

"Not much. Just that you're not who you say you are..." Rivalz frowned heavily. "And neither is Lelouch." He noted, sending a glance towards Nina that Rolo didn't miss.

'So he does know big brother is Zero.' The Emperor must have revealed it to them, thinking his power wouldn't be broken. How unfortunate, in many ways. But, honestly? This was something he could work with. He would take a risk, and if it didn't pay off he would run and try to find Lelouch before anyone more dangerous did. He couldn't kill these two, he'd been expressly forbidden to do so as a matter of fact.

Big brother valued his friends too much to end them, even if it was for the best that they die. And he'd made absolutely certain to drive that point home. They were not to be harmed.

"No, neither of us are who we say we are, in more ways than one." Rolo began, placid smile in place. "I'm going to explain our situation to you. I ask that you don't interrupt me, and if you attack me then just know that I will be able to escape without any issue. Keep that in mind." Saying that, he briefly flickered out of sight, appearing a few yards away after a moment. "As a Rogue, I'm able to use mana to fade out of view. I'm more than capable of getting away unscathed." He had to drive that point home so that they wouldn't try to put it to the test.

"Why would we attack you?" Nina asked, narrowing her eyes.

Rolo directed his smile onto her. "Because I'm an assassin. I have been for as long as I can remember." He unsheathed his dagger, made a few quick, skillful slashes, and then resheathed the blade with skill that could only be developed through practice. "I'm more familiar with the weapons on my person right now than either of you will be even after you're able to sort through the information in your heads."

Taking a cautious stance in front of Nina, Rivalz replied. "So then why are you pretending to be Lelouch's brother?" He had a fairly good idea, honestly, but he wanted to hear it.

"I was sent by the Emperor and my previous master V.V. to observe and, if need be, eliminate Lelouch." Rolo admitted, raising a hand to stall them from interrupting. "This is the part I especially want to go uninterrupted." He announced. Seeing them hold their questions and, in the case of Rivalz, attacks, he carried on. "Lelouch vi Britannia was exiled from his homeland eight years ago and sent to Japan as a political prisoner with his sister Nunnally. The two of them lived for a year with the Kururugi family, befriending Kururugi Suzaku. Once the war struck, Suzaku and Lelouch were forced to travel on foot through a warzone carrying Nunnally along with them. It was at the end of that journey, having finally reached a place where they would be safe for the immediate future, that Lelouch declared that he would one day obliterate Britannia and all it stood for."

His speech was toneless as he recited this historic account, the mask of a smile remaining on his face as he glanced towards Nina specifically. "Seven years later, an accident occurred that led to Lelouch finding himself in the middle of a battle in Shinjuku."

Recognition lit up in Rivalz' eyes as he recalled that event. "On that day, Lelouch was caught in a military purge of Shinjuku as Prince Clovis was searching for an experiment that had been stolen. Rather than lay down and die, he took command of the rebels fighting the military and decimated Britannia's forces in that battle. From there, he went forward to kill Prince Clovis la Britannia. That was the beginning of the Black Knights, and the birth of Zero."

An arrow was fired at him faster than he could have anticipated, though Rolo did still dodge it. "I expected that kind of reply." He noted evenly, gaze on the furious face of Nina, who had surprised herself with the speed she had put the bow at her back to use. It was now in her hands, with a second arrow nocked and ready to fly. "You recall what I said earlier, correct?" He asked.

Forcing herself to calm somewhat, the girl spoke in a voice tainted with fury. "You're lying!" She shouted, snarling angrily. "Zero is a monster. There's no way Lelouch is like that!"

This time, Rolo was taken by surprise. "... you... think I'm lying?" He asked, baffled. That was why she'd shot at him, for supposedly besmirching Lelouch's name? Rather than being furious at Lelouch, and by extension himself, she was just angry because she thought Lelouch was too good of a person to be Zero. "I'm telling the truth, you know. I wasn't even done with my story." His eyes were glued to the bow, making certain that he had the time to dodge in case she did let loose the second arrow. How had she pulled that bow out so quickly? Rolo had very nearly been hit just because he figured it would take her longer to draw it.

Oh, wait. She'd chosen the Quick Draw perk hadn't she? Weapons were drawn twice as fast. That explained it. Briefly, he took stock of the girl's appearance so as to avoid any other unpleasant surprises he could actually identify. She was fairly human, just like him, though her skin had a very slight green tint to it. Her eyes hadn't changed in color, though the pupils had turned to slits. Her upper canine teeth had been replaced by legitimate fangs, though they were small enough to fit in her mouth without issue. He was actually fairly certain that her specific race produced venom as well.

The girl's outfit was simple; as a matter of fact, it was practically a carbon copy of his own with exception to the leather skirt she wore in place of pants. The skirt was padded and offered moderate protection if he had to guess, coming down to just about knee level. Her feet were covered with a pair of leather boots just like his own, and her upper body was protected by the same kind of leather breastplate he had chosen. At her back was a quiver filled with arrows, and several pouches lined a belt at her waist.

Surprising both of them, Rivalz took hold of the nocked arrow by the shaft. "Nina, put the bow down. He's not lying. Lelouch is Zero." He got straight to the point, the brutal honesty making the bespectacled girl flinch.

"B-but... he k-killed Princess E-Euphemia?" She whimpered, lowering the bow despairingly. "W-why would he do that to his own sister?" Half sister, yes, but still blood. He'd killed Prince Clovis and then moved on to murder Princess Euphemia within that same year. Prince Clovis had been more of a distant figure, and she hadn't known anything of him except that he was an artist and a prince. So his death had not caused her in particular any pain, aside from the fact that a Prince had been killed and the following fiasco that it caused.

Euphemia, on the other hand, she had met twice. Once, when the princess had stepped in to save the hostages at Kawaguchi during the hotel jacking. She had stood up and demanded to speak with the leader of the terrorists, drawing all of their attention away from the hostages and towards her. If not for her stepping in, Nina didn't want to consider what those men would have done to them.

And the second time, she had gone out of her way to meet the princess herself so she could thank her. And Princess Euphemia had allowed it, with a smile. She seemed genuinely happy to speak with her.

Such a genuinely kind, compassionate person. Nina wasn't foolish enough to presume she was particularly close with the princess, but she had idolized her.

Her death, brought about by Zero, had hurt. For quite some time, her mental state had not been particularly stable; Nina was fully aware of this. She had tried to detonate a sakuradite explosive in the middle of Ashford in a fit of hysterics. That was a horrible memory and she regretted it immensely. It was just a lucky break that it hadn't worked.

But now she was being told that Lelouch, one of the few actual friends she had in this world, was the one responsible for murdering Princess Euphemia? His own sister?

She slumped forward, dropping the bow entirely. Tears began to gather in her eyes, before they burst forth uninhibited. Why was this happening? It didn't make any sense. Was the boy she knew even a real person, or was it just a mask to hide a murderer? What about Nunnally? Did he genuinely care for her?

He had to have, there was no way in the world that anyone could fake such wholehearted love and devotion. So, then, was it only Nunnally that he extended that care to? Was everything else about him false?

'This is awful.' Nina thought thought to herself. How had this day turned out like this? She had just wanted to take a short vacation, to enjoy herself with her old friends for a while before going back to work. Instead, she had these horrible things revealed to her and she was stuck in some bizarre fantasy world.

What was she supposed to do? Before, Zero was just a faceless villain who needed to die for his crimes. Now he had a face, a name, and history with her. And she just didn't know what to do about it. Zero was still a criminal, but now he was one she knew personally. Trying to kill the masked man in China had been hard enough to stomach, even if she was positively furious to see him in person, but now with the thought of Lelouch's face beneath that mask...

Nina felt sick. If things had gone just a little differently in China, she could have killed Lelouch. And more than just killing a human being, which was hard enough for her to consider even if it was a murderer, it could have been a close friend of hers that she had stabbed.

"Euphemia..." Rolo muttered, a deep sigh slipping past his lips. Lelouch had never gotten over that incident. He never would. His big brother would move past it, he already had for that matter, but there wouldn't be a single day in his life that Lelouch didn't regret her death.

It pained Rolo to even think about that, because it made his brother so sad. "Euphemia's death was an accident. Big brother never wanted to kill her." Despite how much he hated thinking about the princess and her death, Rolo was aware that his big brother would want his friends on his side.

Or, at the very least, he didn't want them against him.

Tensing up at the sudden mention of her idol's name, Nina caught the statement that followed. "... an accident?" She murmured through her tears. "H-how?"

"I'd like to know as well." Rivalz muttered, feeling like this was going to go into strange territory soon. Well, stranger territory. The Emperor could mess with people's memories, Lelouch was a former prince and current terrorist, that same teen's little brother was actually an assassin assigned to guard him, and his memories had been altered as well... man. This whole situation was all kinds of fucked up. What was next?

Rolo continued with his story. "This is why I didn't want any interruptions, you know." He jibed lightly, before moving one. "Big brother has an ability, a power called Geass. It allows him to give someone a command that they absolutely cannot refuse." Seeing the disbelief in Nina's still teary eyes, Rolo gestured to the world around them, as if to ask if she really considered the thought so impossible after all of this. "I'm not joking. Rivalz knows that this kind of power exists, considering Charles zi Britannia has used it on him."

"The weird thing he did to mess with our memories, right?" Rivalz sought a bit of clarification, surprising Nina again with his admission to the existence of what was basically magic.

Nodding, Rolo replied. "Yes. That power is called Geass, and it manifests differently in each person. Mine isn't anything like big brother's or the Emperor's, for example." It felt really bad to give out all of this valuable information, and it was honestly getting to the point where Lelouch would probably scold him for being reckless, but this was his first act as a person of his own. He wanted to see it through to the end.

"These powers are dangerous, not just to the people they're used on but also to the user. My Geass stops people's perception of time, with exception to myself. So I can freely walk around while everyone else is effectively useless. It was one of the main reasons I was trained as an assassin." He explained the final part with a grimace, recalling again the fuzzy memories he could barely grasp

"You keep on saying you were an assassin, and you're involved somehow with the Royal Family right?" Rivalz asked, drawing a small nod from the boy. "So, then, who exactly did you work for? The Emperor himself, or just some organization of Britannia?"

"Neither, really." Rolo explained to the blue haired boy with a frown. "My previous master, V.V., is one of two people in this world capable of giving Geass, and the organization he led was separate from Britannia. He possesses something known as a Code, which has been practically engraved into his body and soul. The Code grants eternal life, including the inability to die from any and all sources; starving, dehydration, decapitation, drowning, and so forth. Put simply, a Code Bearer is not capable of dying until the Code is passed on."

Nina shook her head slowly. "T-this makes no sense. It isn't s-scientifically possible." But, then, neither was the reality she found herself facing as she was stuck inside of a board game.

"Forces other than science drive this world." The cherubic assassin explained. "Some things cannot be explained with science. This is one of them." He shrugged. "Moving on. V.V. leads an organization known as the Geass Directorate. Essentially, an order of assassins, spies, scientists, researchers, and so on. The spies and assassins are almost all equipped with Geass and intense training from the first day they can remember."

Which now seemed like a terrifying concept, as he realized that those children had, quite possibly, been abducted from their homes and had their memories rewritten to be loyal little weapons. "I was, obviously, one of those assassins. In matters related to Geass, the Directorate is the highest authority associated with Britannia. V.V. and the Emperor regard one another as equals from what I've observed." Which was enough, honestly. He was V.V.'s pet project up to a point. "Back to my earlier explanation..."

He shot a dull glance towards Rivalz, who looked somewhat sheepish for throwing them off topic yet again. "Geass has consequences. Mine already has the significant drawback of stopping my heart while in use, meaning that I'm quite restricted in how often I use it." Which was likely why Lelouch had tossed him incredulous glances while messing with the dice earlier. But something that took so little time wasn't too much trouble for him. Noticing the surprised looks on their faces at the rather dangerous side-effect, Rolo carried on before Rivalz could drive him off topic again. "Big brother's Geass can only be used on any person once. That is it's specific drawback. But now, ever since the day of the SAZ Massacre, big brother's Geass has been out of his control; it's permanently active."

Rolo noticed just how Nina stiffened at the mention of the massacre, likely in reference to the fact that that had been the day Euphemia was killed. "To make a long story short; big brother's Geass went out of control and he gave Euphemia a command that led to her trying to slaughter all of the Japanese. He was then forced to kill her to put a stop to the massacre, because his commands are absolute. There was no other way to stop her other than letting her wipe out an entire race, and honestly big brother would probably have preferred that if not for the fact that Euphemia would have killed herself afterwards."

The boy frowned deeply. "He talks with me, sometimes." It had only just begun, really, after he'd used his Geass to freeze Suzaku in place so he could speak with his sister. "Tries to teach me things he thinks I should know, tries to make me understand morality. I've been trained my entire life as a killer, and so my first solution was usually to kill someone. What I'm doing now is extremely difficult for me, because it's nothing like what I've been taught to do all my life." Trying to talk a situation out as opposed to just gutting someone wasn't his strong suit.

"But big brother actually cares for me enough to try and fix what my... conditioning broke." Rolo knew full well that his mind did not work like a normal persons; he viewed people in terms of usefulness and how easy it was to dispose of them more often than not. Lelouch was not happy with that mindset. "So he told me once about how much he regretted that day, hated himself for it. He despised how he'd used that accident to push his own agenda further, but he knew he had to do it or her death wouldn't mean anything... he was nearly in tears when he told me. It was vulnerability I hadn't expected him to show me."

Deep down, Rolo would admit that he thought Lelouch would just view him as a weapon to toss away when needed. But he buried that expectation underneath a naive hope that maybe this time things would be better, maybe he had a place in this world.

And that day, Lelouch had proven those hopes true. He knew how badly Rolo was broken, but he endeavored to try and fix it. His big brother had let him in out of the cold, so to speak, and opened up to the boy who had been poised to kill him if the situation had been different. "At any rate; Lelouch didn't mean to kill Euphemia, it was an accident. Believe me or not, I don't really care; you can ask big brother yourself when you see him next... but I will assure you, he loved Princess Euphemia far too much to try and hurt her."

Swallowing a lump in her throat, the green haired girl picked the discarded bow up and stood. Slowly, she slung the weapon onto her back and released a ragged, tired sigh. "I don't k-know what to th-think anymore..." She murmured despondently, shaking her head. "I... I need to talk with him." Nina decided after a moment. "I'll never be able to move past this if I can't talk with him." Lelouch was an old friend, a good friend. One of her only friends. He deserved the chance to make his case himself, to give his own side of the story. And perhaps he deserved forgiveness. But that was something to be decided once she spoke with him herself.

"Right. If we're gonna meet up with Lelouch and company, we'd best make tracks." Rivalz offered, glancing towards the sky. "We got here at a rather awkward time, honestly. It's nearing night and I don't fancy the idea of sleeping in a giant death-trap like this place." Wolves should not get that damn big, and he really did think he heard more howling from somewhere. "The nearest city is Prime, which is a bit of a jaunt that-a-way." He pointed east, towards the mountain range. "That range splits the Field of the Ancients from the next area over, Stormwield Savannah." Which was named for the myriad of electrically inclined wildlife in the area. Lightning spitting lions sounded awesome until he had to face the actual idea of fighting one. "And directly through the savannah is a moderately safe path that will lead into the swamplands Lelouch, Gino, and Anya were dropped off in."

The other two stared.

Rivalz laughed heartily. "You'd be surprised what you can glean from the flavor text while everyone is rolling their dice." Seriously. Each area had a nifty little excerpt on it's main features, as well as other little anecdotes written in small text on the board. He'd familiarized himself with them while everyone was busy with their area rolls. "Shall we be off?" The satyr asked jovially.

"You're taking these revelations rather well." Rolo noted curiously.

"Meh. Lelouch is my best pal, I need to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. He'd do the same for me." Rivalz trusted Lelouch quite a bit, honestly. Anything he'd done as Zero hadn't been done with purely malicious intention. One way or another, he had to speak with Lelouch himself before making any decisions. The guy hadn't wronged him personally, though he'd done some questionable things. "I'll talk it out with him once we meet up."

"I... see..." The assassin mumbled, reaching into a bag slung over his shoulder. "Well, according to the map you're right about Prime." He agreed after glancing briefly at the well-worn paper in his satchel. "Our best bet would be to make our way there and plan a path through Stormwield Savannah, before trying to locate big brother and the others in the Swamplands. Or, at least, try to pick up a trail there." There was no guarantee they would arrive in time to catch Lelouch and the Knights.

Nina sighed. "Let's go, then. I'm... really tired." She wanted to just go to sleep, wake up, and have this all have been a very weird dream... but she doubted her luck would be that good. It hardly ever was.

With that, the unlikely trio set off for the city of Prime, home of the Beastfolk.

---

"Damn it..." A snarl ripped past the throat of a brunette teen as he stood in the center of a ring of corpses. He was covered in gore from the disemboweled, decapitated, or otherwise maimed bodies surrounding him. "God damn it all!" The teen roared, stamping one foot on the ground furiously as he forced one of his twin blades into the throat of another shambling monstrosity, sending the head of the creature flying with a single motion.

Suzaku Kururugi was positively furious. Lelouch did remember. He had to have turned the whole damn system serving as his prison into resources for his own gain. He had to have turned Rolo to his side somehow, perhaps with that accursed Geass of his. And he'd been playing them this whole damn time! He had even managed to disregard Nunnally, who he had used to try and force a reaction from him!

He had felt absolutely filthy after doing that, and it hadn't brought any results! To use Nunnally, kind, sweet, caring Nunnally... using her like that against the brother she adored more than anything else made him sick, but he had to do it. There was no easier way to test Lelouch than to use his little sister, and it had to be done. If Lelouch remembered, if he was Zero again, he would need to be brought down again.

But Lelouch had ignored it. How had he done that? He could never lie directly to Nunnally like that, she was his greatest weakness. It didn't make sense, but neither did his current situation. He had suddenly found himself in the middle of a barren forest who's trees looked like the very life had been sucked out of them, trunks hardly as wide as him and not a leaf to be seen, and then been set upon by zombies of all things. Conveniently enough, he had weapons and a lot of frustration to vent

Another zombie stumbled it's way towards Suzaku, who growled lowly at the pest before slicing it from shoulder to groin. A spray of gore erupted from the unnatural beast as it fell to the ground. "Damn it, Lelouch!" He had to stop Zero before he could cause any more damage. He had to stop Lelouch. The boy who had once been his friend had done things that could never be forgiven, and he would make him pay.

This time, he wouldn't bring him before the Emperor and let him be placed in a gilded prison. No, this time he would put an end to things once and for all; if Lelouch was dead, so was Zero. The Black Knights were nothing without their leader; their military strength existed, but there was no one dangerous enough to give the Britannian military pause if Zero was out of the equation. Tohdoh and Xingke were the most dangerous men associated with them, and neither of those two would be enough to push back Britannia.

But Lelouch could. Miraculously, damnably, he could stand against the might of Britannia without fear, and oftentimes he could just win. Against odds that were impossibly stacked against him, he would find a way to come out victorious.

It drove Suzaku mad to see that kind of genius being used to throw the world into chaos instead of putting it to good use. But now, they were in Suzaku's element. This world... he imagined that Lelouch would have a much harder time without the troops he'd raised from a rag-tag band of terrorists. There would be no army between the two of them; he could get to the former prince easily.

Another furious slash tore yet another zombie to shreds, followed by another, and another, and yet another still. The Japanese teen continued a fluid dance of strikes, stabs, slashes, lunges, kicks, and leaps as he steadily decimated the seemingly endless horde of undead. One after another, the mindless corpses fell back to the ground, the foul energy mobilizing them being unable to force their damaged bodies to move any more.

One, who's flesh had rotted down to practically nothing, charged furiously at the teen, far faster than any of the others. Dark wisps of energy wafted off of it, leaving a trail as it rushed forward.

A metal clad foot impacted it's chin, ripping the head from it's decrepit neck and sending it flying as Suzaku flipped backwards, slicing another of the creatures midair and sending a second head off into the distance as the corpse fell back to the earth. By this point, the silver mail armor the teen wore was stained a gory red by the blood running down it, mixed with a foul black ichor of some sort. His blades, once a pure silvery white, were dyed the same sickening blood red. Hair matted down by more of the gore, Suzaku looked like something straight out of a horror movie himself as he culled the horde of zombies.

Another slash. Another kill. A well placed kick ruined the leg of one, setting it up for an execution. Gore sprayed into the air time and time again, yet still the beasts came.

But Suzaku was tireless. He continued to cut, stab, slice, twist, and dance fluidly through the beasts in with a rough, brutal grace. Each and every movement was designed to put an end to whatever it hit, no energy wasted from one step to the next. His fury drove him as he tore apart the horde surrounding him, taking his frustrations out upon the nearest target.

"Damn you, Lelouch... DAMN YOU!" He roared again. Why did Lelouch keep getting these breaks? Everything went his way! When he'd finally been neutralized, the threat of Zero finally removed... he'd simply come back again. And this time, he was more powerful by merit of having the previous experiences to learn from, not even taking into account the new pieces he'd acquired for his infernal gameboard.

Never again. Lelouch was getting no more chances. Suzaku was done giving him the chance to come back stronger than before. No, this time he was staying gone for good.

"I'll make sure of it, this time..." Suzaku growled to himself, darting forward and driving both blades into a large, bulky abomination. With both blades puncturing the obese zombie's large gut, the eyes of the Ascended Paladin began to emit an unearthly red glow, bordering on pink. A single motion later, he was several yards above the battle, having leaped from the ground into the sky with no apparent effort. He'd taken the large undead with him, leaving a moderate crater in the earth below.

Using the blades to draw himself upward, Suzaku gracefully flipped over the flailing zombie's head as it attempted to dislodge him. His blades exited the creature's stomach with a wet squelch as the two of them fell, gravity drawing them closer to the earth. Twisting in the air above the head of the monstrosity, Suzaku swung both blades and decapitated the giant before kicking the body at another group, knocking them on their backs.

And then he was on the ground again. The moment his feet were on solid earth, the slaughter began once more.

More and more corpses began to litter the ground, but Suzaku showed no signs of tiring as he continued to mow them down. A red tint could be seen surrounding the green of his eyes. "This time, Lelouch, I'll kill you myself!" The teen shouted to the wind, the sound easily drowning out the droning moans and grunts of the living dead... what few remained of them.

Minutes later, the teen who's appearance had been dyed almost universally red and black by the blood and gore of the slaughtered undead stood panting in the center of a giant circle of their unmoving corpses. His appearance was that of a human, though beneath the blood his skin was practically alabaster and his eyes glowed a brilliant green color. His armor was simple; mail armor with sturdy gauntlets and boots, easy to move in and offering ample protection. The teen hadn't been struck even a single time during the conflict, but if he had it would hardly have mattered. Twin blades were held loosely within his hands, each one around three feet long total.

Despite his panting, the teen seemed fully capable of continuing battle if need be. He was far from exhausted.

This was the sight that the dispatched Paladins of Lighthold arrived to. A large horde of undead had been detected by their Priests, and a group of six adept Paladins were sent to cull the herd, as it was only a group of simple zombies with one or two mutated undead in their ranks. These men and women had been chosen specifically for their ability to deal with the group efficiently and without any casualties; two of them were especially adept as healers in addition to their combat prowess, three were highly capable in combat to the point that they were counted as some of the best within the order, and the final Ascended of their group was a man of distinguished service with years upon years of combat experience over the other five.

For them, this was something of a day trip. There was no need for such a distinguished group to be sent, but they were in the area. It would have taken them mere minutes to handle this threat.

But by the time they had reached the site, the enemy had been slain by what appeared to be a teenager of their own race, who was covered in blood and gore not his own.

Surprised whispers sprung up within the group as they marveled over this oddity, before being silenced by the hand of their leader.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise." The man in charge noted, stepping toward the younger Ascended. "You've gone and killed off a whole army of these blasted monstrosities on your own; quite the feat, my boy. May I have the name of one so skilled?" While worded as a question, it was clear that the older man was not expecting silence or refusal.

Turning to regard the white haired man, Suzaku released a deep sigh. "My name is Suzaku Kururugi." If this was a whole new world, it stood to reason there would be people here. These folks appeared to be Ascended, like his current body. Universal among them was the pale skin and glowing eyes, though the intensity and color varied. He noted that the most intense glow came from the man at the front, the apparent leader if he had to guess.

The man was large; nearly seven feet Suzaku was certain, covered from head to toe in heavy plate armor. A white cloak trimmed with bright gold sat over his armor, though it was arranged in such a way that it was easy to remove should the need arise. At his back the man had a large warhammer, nearly as long as he was tall with a hammerhead that was larger than his skull by a fair margin. The fact that this man was confident enough to take such an unwieldy weapon into battle said something about either his skill or his ego.

He was clearly aged, as well. At least in his mid fifties, perhaps sixties. It was hard to tell for sure due to the armor. His face was wrinkled in such a way that it gave him the appearance of a friendly old man, stubbly beard and all, though the brightly shining eyes and well-worn demeanor clashed with such an image. A warrior of that age with the ability to carry such heavy weaponry and armor into battle was likely someone of note, especially considering the respect he seemed to garner from the other five who were gathered in a loose battle formation behind him.

"An interesting name, my boy. I find it quite peculiar that I've never heard of your exploits if you're capable of such feats." He gestured to the veritable mountain of rotting carcasses. "Facing such odds alone... in truth, not even I would relish such a prospect." Despite this, it seemed to be an unspoken truth that the man could readily handle these odds if he had to, it just wasn't something he particularly wanted to do. "Which is, as you likely could guess, why we tend to send squads of at least six to handle such things." More than six, usually. Their group was just a cut above the others. "Bah, I ramble. Either way, I ask you tell us where you've come from?"

Suzaku shrugged lightly, sheathing his blades. "I don't really know what to tell you. I woke up a few minutes ago in the middle of this place, and suddenly these creatures were coming after me. I had no choice but to fend them off." Left unsaid was the fact that he had been happy to do so, as it gave him a wonderful outlet for his anger. "As a matter of fact, I know very little about what is going on around me. Could I have your name as well?"

Ignoring the shocked looks this drew from the five underlings, the older man shook with a booming laugh. "Ah, my manners, where have I put them? Apologies, my boy. My name is Daven, Daven Arroway. I must admit, that you don't know me on first glance does confirm that you have little knowledge of your area; I've been led to believe I'm of some note around these parts." Despite the fact that his face wasn't recognized by the teen, he seemed unconcerned. "You simply woke here, then? No memories leading up to it?"

Shaking his head, the teen replied. "One moment I was home, and now I'm here. My memories are somewhat foggy." He most certainly wasn't going to explain to these people that he came from another world. That couldn't end well in any way.

Gaze softening somewhat at the younger boy, Daven spoke again. "I see. If that is the case, perhaps you would like to accompany us to Lighthold? It is the nearest city, and you would be among friends." Anyone who could strike down so many undead without a single injury would be welcome with them, especially one of their own race. Of course he would need some sort of supervision for simple safety reasons, as his story was peculiar, but the senior Paladin was happy to serve that role himself if only for the novelty of such a bizarre situation.

"That would be... good. Yeah, that would be great actually. I don't really know where to go from here." Suzaku replied honestly, glad to see people genuinely willing to help others so early in his foray into this new world. "I could also really use a bath." He joked lightly, earning a hearty chuckle from the older man.

"Surely, my boy! You'll begin to notice the stench any minute now once the thrill of battle has worn off." Daven replied, waving a gauntlet clad hand in front of him in a warding gesture. "Best hurry back before you wake the dead again with that smell."

An uncomfortable frown found it's way to the teen's face. "Will it really do that?" He asked, concerned that traveling with these folks would put them in danger.

"Not really, no. I was just messing with you, my boy." The old Paladin retorted with a smirk, turning back to his troops as the smirk widened into a cheerful grin. "Well, come on then! Let's get our sorry asses back to the Hold for a good old fashioned celebration! Hurray for not having to actually do our jobs, am I right!?" Laughing boisterously, the man began to walk back towards the mountain-city of Lighthold, expecting his people to fall into step behind him. "Keep your eyes peeled and arms ready, though. We aren't out of these woods yet."

Falling in with the other five Paladins, two women and three men, Suzaku couldn't help but feel uncomfortable because of their gazes... until one of them started to snicker.

"Damn, you smell awful. That bath is a top priority when we get back; I'll show you a good place." One of the men offered with a grin, moving to pat him on the back before visibly thinking better of it. "Name's Port."

The man was a blonde with light brown eyes, which glowed slightly in a vaguely golden hue, sporting a faint scar that spanned from one cheek to the other, just below his eyes. It appeared to be a single slash that had come quite close to hitting the eyes themselves, though luck or skill had prevented such. His hair was somewhat short and slightly spiky, and he seemed quite jovial. His own armor was much like that of the older man, though less decorative and lacking the cloak. It was, more or less, the standard garb one would expect from a knight. At his back was a greatsword, noticeably less weighty than the enormous warhammer wielded by Daven.

"Ignore Port's rambling." One of the women cut in, a redhead with a sword and fairly small kite shield. She had a stern look to her, with her hair held in a tight bun and a pair of dark eyes. "You did a good job on those monstrosities; a bit of stink isn't something to fret over after a victory like that."

"Pfft. C'mon, Carla. You and I both know he smells like a rancid corpse; which is perfectly reasonable considering he's covered in the guts and blood of said rancid corpses." Port shot back. "I can certainly agree that less zombies roaming the woods is a good thing, but that doesn't mean you have to suffocate others with the scent of your victory."

"Oh yeah." Another man cut in, this one wielding a flail and tower shield half as large as him. Taking a deep sniff of the air, he nearly gagged. "Yep... smells like victory to me... seriously, though. Bath. You. Asap." Pinching his nose and turning green, the man tried not to gag. He had dark hair, not quite black but close to it, and a pair of blue eyes. His facial features were soft, somewhat feminine, though his mannerisms most certainly were not.

The other two, a blonde woman with long flowing hair and another older man who's hair had begun to gray, remained silent though they were clearly listening to the conversation judging by the smirks on their lips.

Hearing the banter between these soldiers put a smile on Suzaku's face. For the moment, he would go along with these people to gather his wits and his resources; but then, he would begin his hunt.

No matter what happened, Suzaku would not allow Zero to remain a threat.

---

'Well.' Milly thought to herself blandly, looking down at the fairly compromising situation she had awoken to. 'This is one interesting way to wake up.' She had been sleeping rather peacefully up until a presence had made itself known by squeezing her breast. Waking up suddenly to that, she blinked at the head of orange hair that filled her view immediately.

Somehow, Shirley had fallen asleep on top of her. And moreover, the girl was quite handsy in her sleep. More likely than not she was used to cuddling with her pillows... and Milly's own "pillows" made an adequate substitute.

Honestly, the blonde was considering just leaving things be until Shirley woke up on her own; that would be hilarious. However, other things started to occur to her that spurred her decision on.

They were in a forest. That didn't make sense, considering the fact that they had been indoors not too long ago. It was cool outside as well; also unusual as the temperature in the Tokyo Settlement was quite pleasant this time of year. And last but not least, she spotted something rather out of place with Shirley.

Her ears. They were long and pointed. Not to the point where it was ridiculous, but they were certainly outside of the realm of humans. They looked elven.

Blinking as the other girl nuzzled deeper into her chest, also giving another soft squeeze to the breast she was holding, Milly found herself giggling. 'Oh I can just imagine how Gino or Rivalz would react to this.' She thought to herself deviously, fully intending to hold this event against Shirley in the future. But, for the moment they really did need to figure out just what was going on. "Ooooh...~" Milly moaned loudly. "Shirley you naughty girl...~"

This caught the other girl's attention, bleary green eyes peering up into Milly's mischievous blue. Slowly, the orangette realized just where her head, and more importantly her hands, had found a place to rest.

"I-I-I'm SO s-so-sorry!" Shirley stuttered out as she dashed backwards in a crawl, mortified as she realized that she had been feeling Milly up in her sleep. She'd woken up with more than a healthy handful of her breast between her fingers.

Milly shrugged. "I didn't really mind it." She replied easily. "But, y'know, I should at least get free reign to grope yours if you're going to have a field day with mine."

A deeper crimson stained the redhead's cheeks as she stammered out something incomprehensible in response. Milly couldn't help but find it adorable, especially considering the girl had yet to notice the rather bizarre situation surrounding them. She was too busy freaking out over how embarrassed she was.

Though she did seem to realize it after a few more moments.

"... Milly?" Shirley questioned softly. "Where are we right now?" They were in a forest? That didn't make any sense. "W-wait! What in the world are you wearing? And your ears! They're... they're long and pointy?"

Oh, the girl catches on quick. Rolling her eyes, Milly shrugged before standing up. "Well, truthfully I don't know what I'm wearing because I was too busy enjoying myself before you woke up; I've also yet to see my ears for that same reason. You, on the other hand, I got quite the eyeful of; you're in this really pretty robe and have a pair of ears just as pointy as mine, I'm sure. You've also got some skill with those hands of yours." She gave an impish smile to the other girl as she moved from her sitting position to stand.

It was returned with a petulant glare. "I was asleep. Don't judge me." She pouted, before inspecting Milly more closely.

The blonde looked like some kind of swashbuckler. Her shirt was like the kind you would see in a pirate movie, white with poofy sleeves and a noticeable v-neck with laces holding it closed. Despite the laces, it revealed a fair amount of her cleavage. Something told Shirley that Milly would approve, though.

The sleeves of the shirt were held tight at her forearm by a pair of leather bracers, and over the shirt she wore a fairly plain black waistcoat with silver buttons. It was left completely unbuttoned at the moment. She also had a pair of plain cloth pants in a dark red color, with high black leather boots that had laces running up the front holding them tight.

At her hip was a sheathed sword. The sheath was curved somewhat, and Shirley was fairly certain the blade was some sort of sabre, especially considering the apparent handguard she could see.

So all in all, yes. Milly looked like she was dressed up to go to some sort of renaissance fair. On top of that, her ears were pointy. Like an elf.

"So not only did you feel me up, now you're ogling me. I don't particularly mind it, like I said, but I really feel like I should get something out of this too. How 'bout you stand up do a little twirl for me?" Milly snickered at the rather potent glare this drew from the other girl, but did not relent. "No, seriously, I wanna see the robe. Also you have a staff or something stuck in the ground like two feet behind you. I think it's yours."

Turning to note that there was, in fact, a staff settled in the earth behind her, Shirley sighed and stood up. Grabbing the wooden staff, she pulled it free of the soft earth without much issue before inspecting it.

It probably was hers, Shirley noticed. It was carved with the same kind of leafy-vine engravings that she had come to associate with the Wood Elf race she had chosen, and the head of the staff seemed to be an intricately carved rose. As a matter of fact, the entire staff appeared to be carved from a single piece of wood. The rose at the head was painted a pure white color, contrasting with the dark brown of the wood itself. She wasn't actually sure if that was paint, though. It seemed too natural for that. The bottom end, which had been stabbed into the ground, was actually pointed. It curved somewhat in the shape of a thorn, as well.

"C'mon and do a twirl for me already, Shirley." Milly goaded her on. "Seriously, I wanna see your robe. It's all flowery and stuff." Shirley's garb was fairly intricate, with flowered and leafy vines circling all about it. It was a deep shade of green, with darker greens, nearing black, for the patterned vines circling across her body. The sleeves were long and loose; they nearly covered her hands naturally, and it wouldn't be difficult for the girl to hide her hands entirely inside of them. It fell down to just above the girl's ankles.

Another sigh came from the orangette as she relented, turning around to show the back of the robe to Milly. It was much the same as the front, though one thicker vine pattern seemed to run down the spine before splitting in separate directions at the waist and circling to meet at the front. All in all, Milly honestly thought the Wood Elf girl looked more like a Druid than a Priest, but that was just how the racial weapons and armor went. Her own was more generalized stuff; she had no intention of prancing around in snooty looking High Elf gear back when this was just a game, and that translated especially well into the current reality.

"So yeah. I'm fairly certain we're inside of the board game I brought." Milly announced matter-of-factly, surprising Shirley with both the announcement and the bluntness in her tone.

Shirley wanted to be skeptical about that, but at the same time she was currently in the body of a Wood Elf with pointy ears and all, holding a staff, and dressed in a flowery robe. Altogether, this was not a normal day for her. "I want to say that's ridiculous, because it is, but at the same time I think you're right." The orangette admitted glumly. "How did this happen?"

Shrugging, Milly replied. "Well, Lelouch put that card on the board and then suddenly BAM! We're here..." The blonde blinked as, at the mention of Lelouch, she began to remember things. Eyes widening as memories locked away began to flow back into her head all of a sudden, the girl gave a concerned glance to Shirley, hoping that the same wasn't true for her.

Unfortunately for the Ashford heiress, her luck was not nearly so good. "L-Lulu..." Shirley mumbled, falling to her knees and dropping the staff to the ground. Tears began to gather in her eyes as she clasped her hands over her face. Oh God, she could remember everything, all of it... in such clear, vivid detail.

---

Kneeling on the stairway, tears streaming down her cheeks, Shirley leaned limply into the arms of her father's murderer. "Lulu... I really did kill someone." She whimpered.

"It's because of me; it's not your fault." He assured her.

"And I shot you, with your gun..."

"I'm still alive." His tone was soft, reassuring as he held her close.

"But I did it!" She shouted, holding on tighter to him.

"Shirley, any sin you committed is mine to bear." His voice remained steady even though she could hear small cracks.

She continued to cry. "I wanted you to be kind to me." The girl admitted.

His voice remained soft, consoling. "What's wrong with that?"

"Even though my father died..." Moments before she could break down into sobs again, she found herself staring into a pair of heartbroken amethyst orbs.

"Don't worry." He said, those sad eyes filling up with determination. "It's time to forget all of the bad things that have happened to you."

Hearing that, she shook her head furiously, averting her eyes. "I can't!" She shouted. How could he expect her to forget all of this? That didn't make sense.

"Yes, you can!" He announced firmly, with the kind of assurance that came from someone who knew something beyond the shadow of a doubt. "I'll help you forget all of this."

Looking back towards his eyes, she squeaked "Impossible..." It just wasn't something she would ever forget; these events were ingrained in her mind more firmly than anything else. And yet, his eyes remained locked on her own, the sadness and regret and determination all swimming just below the surface.

"Shirley, I'm sorry about your father." His tone was heartfelt and dripping with remorse, he knew just how badly he had hurt her. Knew nothing he could do would change that. "If I could be reborn into a new life, I would..." His left eye lit up, the crest of a stylized bird in flight appearing suddenly.

That symbol, that power... no. The realization hit her too late. "Lulu..." Her eyes went wide, alarm tearing her from her stupor. "No, don't!" She cried...

...

...

...

It was dark, Shirley noted as she stood before a memorial erected for those who had passed in the landslide. She couldn't recall, at the time, why she was here. Her father had died, yes. But... how had she gotten there? She couldn't recall. It was dark outside. How long had she been here?

She had probably just wandered there in a stupor; it happened from time to time. She was sort of airheaded at times. A tiny smile came to her lips as she made fun of herself, before she turned and made to leave for home. She made it a few steps before noticing another person, a dark haired boy around her age, standing in the center of the path.

Blinking, she considered whether or not to say anything. He was a stranger in the middle of the night, but at the same time he was visiting the memorial, and the expression on his face seemed so sad and... lost. In the end, she decided to take a moment to try and cheer him up, assuming he was another person who had lost someone in the landslide. "Oh, hello." She greeted. "Did you lose someone in your family too?" In many ways, the question felt a bit too personal to ask upfront. But if they had both lost someone, it seemed more reasonable.

He seemed shocked for just a moment, looking at her with a palpable sadness. "No... not someone from my family." He replied. "It was... a friend. Someone... well... very important to me."

Shirley couldn't help but offer a consoling smile. "I understand." She said softly.

"But I didn't know..." He started, pausing briefly as though he didn't know what words to use. "I didn't know until after I lost her." He admitted painfully. "Then I realized how much she meant to me... how her smile saved me... and how I'll never be able to argue or laugh with her again."

"I see... you loved her, didn't you?" Shirley found herself speaking before she could think it through. "You must feel terrible." Saying something like that, in this situation... she felt rather bad for it. It had just slipped out.

After a moment, the boy turned away from her before making his reply. "Right now... I don't... know anymore." He admitted slowly, unsure. As if his world had come crashing down around him.

Just seeing this, hearing the hurt and loneliness in his voice... well, it made Shirley want to cheer him up. "Well, the morning always comes again."

"What?" He asked in bemusement, turning again to regard her.

Smiling brighter to him, she continued. "I have to say, it's funny... I know I came out here for some reason, but I can't remember exactly what it was now." Again, she didn't know just why she was here; visiting the monument in the middle of the night was just peculiar to her, if she came to visit it likely would have been much earlier... normally. But here she was. "Maybe it's because I've already put the whole thing behind me; something I wanted to let go of." Yes, losing her father had hurt, it still did... but she had to move on. "Maybe it was something I thought I couldn't forget, maybe I was full of sadness..." She paused briefly. "But morning still comes, right? That's why you shouldn't try to hold back your thoughts like that." In the end, trying to take it all on yourself would do nothing but make you sadder.

She noticed a sort of wan smile come to his lips, as if he wasn't happy, but he was thankful for the attempt. His eyes were downcast, and truthfully they seemed a bit darker than they had been before.

"Yes... you're right." He admitted tiredly, inclining his head forward to look at the ground, as though he couldn't bear to face her anymore. "I... feel the same way now. Thanks a lot." Shooting her one last glance, he turned to walk away with a few final words. "For everything."

And without another sound save those of his footsteps, the boy began to walk away. Seeing his retreating back, Shirley realized she had never seen a more lonely sight; retreating off into the night, downtrodden, was a boy her own age who had lost someone just as important to him as her father was to her. It was a profound, heart wrenching scene and she couldn't bring herself to look away for even a moment until his figure disappeared into the dark.

---

"Oh God..." Tears streamed from her eyes as she remembered everything. That meeting in the night with a boy she thought she hadn't known, it made the scene even worse because she knew what had caused it. He had stolen her memories; locked them away so she could live without the heartache of her sins weighing her down. He had hurt himself to protect her, but she had never wanted that. He'd shouldered her sins for her, allowed her to return to her peaceful life... but in doing so, he had isolated himself even further.

A pair of arms found their way around her shoulders, enveloping her in a warm, soft presence. "Shhh... it's alright, Shirley. I... I know there isn't much I can say to help, but just... let me do what I can, alright?" A soothing voice whispered. "We'll get through this, no matter what. Okay?"

Milly... she was a pervert, she was bossy and oftentimes lazy, her harebrained schemes and plans were always causing trouble, and she would never be what one would consider responsible...

But Shirley knew, she had always known, that Milly cared for each and every one of her friends enough that she could throw all of her quirks out the window in a heartbeat for their sake. Gone was the frantic loony that headed their council; replaced by a woman who's maturity and grace could be legendary if it were known to more than a few. In moments like these, these rare moments that no one could ever wish to experience, Milly allowed a whole different side of her to the forefront. Rather than the devil Lelouch often claimed her to be, Milly was closer to an angel at times like this.

She was still a teenager herself, and it was obvious in her uncertainty. But at the same time, Shirley found herself melting into the embrace. "... t-thank you." The orangette whimpered, snuggling closer into the warmth and comfort the older girl provided, letting the sensation wash over her. Milly would make a fantastic parent, she couldn't help but think.

"It's no problem, Shirley. Stay like this as long as you need to. I'm here for you." Milly assured her, resting her chin on the other girl's head and holding her tightly. "I always will be."

Allowing the younger girl to bask in the comfort of her embrace, Milly frowned gently and began to think to herself. 'Well, I suppose that explains a lot.' She had always wondered in the back of her head why Zero was so successful; where had a genius of that caliber come from? Why was he able to outwit the military at practically every turn? How did he seem to know Britannia so well? What was motivating him? How did he inspire such confidence in his troops, those same men and women who had been unable to so much as dent Britannia's walls mere months before?

And now that she was aware of the man behind the mask, it all made sense. Perhaps not in the logical sense; but, rather, she knew that if it was Lelouch then anything was within his reach. He was practically a force of nature when driven, and it was clear that something was driving him in this endeavor. Something more than the desire for revenge, because that would only take him so far.

Knowing him as well as she did, Milly could easily make a guess at what had spurred him to this decision. Nunnally. He didn't believe that their world was one that was worthy of her, he'd confided that in her more than once. So, then, why not simply change it?

Zero was working to change the world, and in the process he was making an enemy of the entire world. That was why Lelouch had always seemed to have a weight on his shoulders after that day he had gotten separated from Rivalz. That was why the death of Joseph Fenette had hurt him so much, he had been the cause.

And oh God, the thought of how he must have felt after the SAZ Massacre. She couldn't even imagine. There was no way he had killed her willingly, not Euphemia. He'd loved her nearly as much as Nunnally, there was simply no way he could do that to his half-sister. Further, she didn't believe for a second that the silly, naive, hopeful Euphemia li Britannia had snapped and tried to commit genocide like that.

And when Nunnally had become Viceroy, that must have messed him up as well; to be fighting against his beloved little sister? He had enemies everywhere, even among his closest friends. Suzaku, Nina, Shirley, all of them had been hurt by Zero and his fight. His sister, Cornelia, would never forgive him for killing Euphemia. He'd murdered Clovis, who had been so close to him as a child.

Willingly or not, Lelouch had cut ties with his family by this point. His friends were still his friends, but that was before memories returned... she didn't know how Shirley would react. Milly was genuinely scared to find out.

But, for now, Shirley needed her to be her rock. So Milly would weather this storm, and she would see what came next. Until then, she would let this troubled girl forget all of her problems for a little while, until the freshly opened wounds returned to the dull scars they were meant to be.

---

"So are we going to explain to Gino now why he's been left out of this heartfelt, touching, and incredibly out of place moment?" The blonde Monk asked as he regarded the bizarre sight of an armor clad Anya snuggled into the side of a blue skinned Lelouch, both seated against the rock the elf had leaned her against earlier. "Seriously! When the heck did this become a thing that happened?" Anya was cuddling with Lelouch. That was the weirdest part of this, which was saying something considering how messed up their situation was right now.

Proving that the dull facade had not been entirely unnatural, Anya shot him a dry look. "... you're ruining the moment." She muttered.

"What is the moment!?" Gino shot back in confusion. "You two didn't even interact for more than like five or ten seconds a day, and now you're basically attached to his hip. I don't get it." He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, pacing around the little clearing they'd found themselves in.

Sighing, Lelouch stepped in to explain. "Sorry, Gino. This may be odd to you, but Anya and I have history with one another." That felt like something of an understatement, but it wasn't inaccurate.

"..." Gino offered a bland look to the white haired teen. "How?" He asked, thrown for a loop. Anya was like sixteen. She had been in the military or being groomed for military service for nearly half of her life, the half that came after her years in the Aries Villa as a student in etiquette under Marianne vi Britannia. There was no reasonable place in her life for Lelouch Lamperouge to have met her.

... wait. Lamperouge? Why did that seem so familiar all of a sudden? He never really noticed before, but now that it crossed his mind that felt like a name he should know. Ah, wait, it was the maiden name of Marianne the Flash. She was a commoner and a soldier before being the Empress. That explained it.

Oh. Hold on. Wait a second. Nunnally vi Britannia was the daughter of Marianne vi Britannia who was originally Marianne Lamperouge, and Nunnally vi Britannia had a brother. Lelouch... Vi... Britannia.

Lelouch... Lamperouge.

"... you have got to be fucking kidding me." Gino deadpanned, jaw dropping. "You're Lelouch vi Britannia, aren't you? You're the Viceroy's brother!" Holy shit was this real? This was real wasn't it? Oh goddamn it the fucking Ashfords were Marianne vi Britannia's biggest supporters in the nobility, weren't they? How the fuck did no one notice this until now!? Good lord, that was ridiculous!

"Yes, that's me." Lelouch replied with a smirk. "Pleased to meet you, Lord Weinberg." He wasn't fond of having his identity given away like that, but Gino was going to ask questions one way or another and this was infinitely easier than dealing with him snooping on his own. At least this way he would be seen as cooperative rather than secretive.

At his side, Anya giggled at the flabbergasted expression on Gino's face. She was enjoying this immensely, not just because Gino was flipping out over the revelation but more so because she could actually enjoy it. Pathetic as it may seem, this was easily the closest she had ever come to paradise since Lady Marianne had been gunned down. Sitting in a clearing in the middle of a swamp in the company of a terrorist and a soldier should not rank so highly on one's list of happy events, but her life had never been normal had it?

"... I'm still honestly somewhat creeped out by the fact that Anya is acting like a normal sixteen year old girl." A sixteen year old girl with a crush on Lelouch, for that matter. "Where did this come from? Is that why you're suddenly revealing your identity too?" Gino asked, ignoring the rather petulant glare that his first statement earned him from the girl in question.

Raising one hand to pat the sulking girl on the head, calming her immediately much to his exasperated amusement, Lelouch replied. "Yes, it seems as though we've suddenly regained memories that were stolen from us long ago. Anya also seems to have shed the condition ailing her emotions." The girl had felt him try to move his hand from her head, and now both of her hands were pinning his to her scalp, her glare now focused on him. Sighing, the teen rolled his eyes but continued to pet the girl's hair, drawing a pleased purr from her as she closed her eyes and let her hands rest in her lap once more. "Since when did you get so spoiled?" He jibed lightly.

"The most affection I've received for the last eight years has been from Gino giving me random bear hugs." Anya explained in a deadpan tone, opening one ruby eye to peer at him. "At this point I don't care if you think I'm spoiled; actually, I want you to spoil me. It's been ages since I've been pampered properly."

As a matter of fact, she was considering trying to find a hairbrush so she could talk him into brushing her hair again. She'd done it herself for several years, because she didn't care enough to ask anyone as she wouldn't really derive any pleasure from it, but now she really wanted to just let Lelouch brush her hair again just like he'd done for her and Nunnally so long ago.

She had always loved those quiet mornings where she and Nunna had been seated next to one another in front of a mirror, with the warm smile of their own prince charming staring back at them from the reflection as he ran the brush through their hair one at a time.

He would even alternate between who got to go first from day to day; just so she never felt like he really preferred Nunna over her. She knew he did, he had to have, but it was a kind gesture nonetheless.

"... Well." Lelouch mumbled with a quirked brow. "I honestly didn't expect that response." Good grief. She was almost exactly like she used to be, with exception to the fact that she had shed the shyness that had stayed with her all throughout her stay at the Villa. He'd known full well what thoughts ran through her head from time to time, but she'd never been so blunt as to just up and say them like she just did. It was different, but at the same time it felt like a natural change as opposed to the artificial farce that had been her personality previously.

"And here I thought she appreciated the bear hugs." Gino pouted. "I see how it is; Lelouch is just prettier than me, that's it isn't it?"

Tilting her head in thought for a moment, Anya offered a bright smile. "Yep!" She chirped, cuddling even further into the side of the white haired teen.

"... I resent that remark." Lelouch added, still petting Anya's hair. As he was still indulging her, the pinkette didn't bother to respond since she was off in her own little world.

Gino laughed loudly. "Man, I'm really glad this happened. As weird as this shit is, it's genuinely worth it just to see Anya of all people has your wrapped around her finger." He'd seen just how doting and affectionate Lelouch was with his little brother, and it was something else honestly. He'd never really seen two siblings get along so well. But this was something entirely different no matter how similar it was... hold on. Uh. Siblings. Right... "... Hey Lelouch?"

"Yes?" Lelouch asked, as though he knew exactly what was about to be asked and was amused it had taken so long for him to notice.

"So, uhm... if you're Lelouch vi Britannia, that makes the Viceroy, Nunnally vi Britannia, your sister. Right?" He asked slowly, as the absurdity of the situation sunk in to him.

Nodding with a smirk, Lelouch replied. "Yes, that's what happens when two people share a mother and father."

Ignoring Anya's giggle at the facetious confirmation, Gino continued. "Which means that you are one of the two children of Marianne vi Britannia. Also true, yes?"

"Indeed." The exiled prince confirmed.

"So then who the hell is Rolo?" Gino asked.

"My Knight." Lelouch lied seamlessly. "Of a sort, anyway. While my sister was found and reinstated as royalty, I am still effectively in exile you know." He had actually given up his claim to the throne; that was a declaration made by a prince before the Emperor himself, so really he wasn't royalty anymore.

"... okay." Gino nodded slowly. "So your sister is royalty, but you're not. Is this just because they didn't find you yet or is there more to it?" That didn't make any sense to the Knight of Three. From what he was aware of, the Viceroy was intent on locating her brother again. Again meaning that there had been a point where they were together, which made sense since they had been sent to Japan together. So, how had they found Nunnally but not her brother? Did he not want to be found? That seemed like the only way.

Shrugging, Lelouch let slip a secret that had, unbeknownst to him, been erased from the minds of the gathered aristocracy the very day it had come into being. "I renounced my claim to the throne years ago in front of the Emperor and a hall full of the higher class of Britannia." So, really, he couldn't even have a legitimate Knight as he wasn't technically royalty. But, still. "So, really, even if I was found I wouldn't be a prince anymore."

"Don't care." Anya mumbled into his side. "Still my prince." She announced matter-of-factly.

Quirking a brow, Lelouch replied. "Well, there you have it." He said to Gino with a bemused look.

"Right." Gino said, pausing after that to gather his thoughts. "So. Rolo, the kid you've been doting on like he's been your little brother your whole life, is actually just some random kid you're keeping around. You called him your Knight, so I guess he's actually more dangerous than he looks." Kind of like Anya, who despite not looking like much was an absolute menace in a Knightmare frame and a crack shot with pretty much any firearm you could give her. "But seriously. You just picked up a kid one day?"

"We met around a year ago." Lelouch admitted truthfully. "He was lost and alone, and Nunnally had just been taken back to the Royal Family. It was best for her, I admit, as she deserved to lead a peaceful life." Which he was still going to provide for her, as the gilded cage she was trapped in right now was not the peaceful world she deserved to live in. "But it still left me rather lonely. I took Rolo in and he's been masquerading as my brother ever since. The Student Council members are all fully aware that he isn't my brother." Or so he assumed. At this point it was clear that any and all Geass effects upon the participants of this "game" had been removed.

Which, at the very least, meant that damnable "Live" command he'd given to Suzaku was finally gone. Thank goodness for that. As if the teen really needed such an unpredictable and powerful final resort.

On the other hand, this meant that Shirley would remember. Everything. He was genuinely terrified at what that would mean because he wasn't there to keep her from doing anything rash.

But Milly was, thankfully. Very rarely did he put his faith in Milly, but on matters as important as this she was as dependable as the rising of the sun each day.

"... wow." Gino muttered in shock. "I would never have guessed that kid wasn't related to you by blood. He reminds me of you way too much." They didn't look the same, really, but there were enough similarities that he would assume the two to be related even at first glance. As a matter of fact, the kid pretty closely resembled Nunnally vi Britannia. He looked kind of like a male version of the princess. "So... right. You're a prince, you actually renounced your claim to the throne so in reality you're not royalty whereas your sister is."

Seeing the nod, he continued. "On top of that, when your little sister was found around a year ago you didn't go with her for your own reasons, probably because you renounced your claim to the throne for a reason. You then managed to find Rolo somehow, and for whatever reason he's basically latched onto you like you're his only lifeline. The council knows about this, and so I guess they also know you're a... well, formerly a prince?" A second nod, accompanied by a smirk.

"Right... dude, what the hell is up with your life? It's weird as hell. And now we're in a damn boardgame!" This was too much. Way too much information. He was getting close to the point of just not giving a fuck anymore.

But! There was one, just one, single question left that he needed answered. "Alright. Last thing before I just stop asking questions." Seeing the quirked eyebrow and taking that as a sign to proceed, Gino did so. "You mentioned your memories were stolen, and you talked about Anya's memory issue like you knew what caused it; explain this, and then I will not bother with any other answers because I just don't want to know anymore."

Lelouch sighed, glancing down at Anya. The girl was still contentedly cuddling up to his side as though she hadn't a care in the world, so he decided to just go for it. "My father is... not a particularly kind man." Gino snorted at that. "And on top of that, he has a dangerous power known as Geass." Seeing the confused look on the Knight's face and noting the flinch this drew from Anya, who tried to press closer to his side as though seeking comfort, Lelouch explained further while continuing to rub the younger girl's hair. "Geass is something that doesn't adhere to the explanations of science; as a matter of fact, it's closer to magic than anything. Believe it or not, the Emperor has the power to manipulate memories; removing those that he wants gone, replacing them with falsehoods that seem to real to be anything but the truth."

"... he can..." Gino paused. "No, no, continue. Just... go on." He didn't want to get into it. Hell, he actually believed this shit too; it wasn't any weirder than the situation they were in at the moment.

Snorting at the blonde's apparent surrender, Lelouch continued. "As you can likely guess, this power was used on myself and Anya. As a matter of fact, it was also used on Nunnally." He was only partially successful at keeping the snarl out of his voice, something that Gino noticed but did not comment on. "For myself and my sister, the manipulation was simple; our memories of being close to Anya were replaced with a distant acquaintance. In reality, she was a daily part of our lives as opposed to the distant figure our memories painted."

"... but... why?" The Knight of Three couldn't keep himself from asking. "I don't see how that was necessary at all." What sense did that make? He made his kids forget Anya? What was the point?

A shrug from the elven boy. "I've no idea. Even now, I couldn't imagine why he did that." He wasn't lying at all; the fact that he and Nunnally had been forced to forget Anya was obvious, but why it was done? He had no clue. Lelouch blinked as he felt motion at his side, a pair of ruby eyes glancing up at him with the beginnings of tears. "... Anya? Are you alright?"

"I know why." She replied simply. "He wanted the two of you not to know me well enough to care if I was or wasn't around. No one was supposed to care." Gino was the first person to just not give a damn and stick around, and since he was one of her colleagues as a Knight of the Round he'd been allowed to just do as he pleased. "I was supposed to be able to come and go without much notice, since no one would be close enough to care." They were obviously confused by that, as they didn't see why it was supposed to be that way. "My mind wasn't just mine; there was someone else inside my head, and they could take control whenever they wanted to. That was their Geass."

"What!?" Gino shouted, eyes shooting wide open. "Then, then... all of those times you just disappeared at random?" Times which only he ever really seemed to notice, as no one else really gave a damn about whatever Anya was doing if it didn't involve them directly.

"She took control from me." Anya admitted quietly. "Most of the time it was for meetings with the Emperor..." She shivered. Conversations that were not between her and the Emperor despite her voice being used on one side of the talks, gestures and movements that weren't her own despite her body making them. Topics that terrified her just at the concept, secrets she had learned without knowing. "I-I wasn't ever really "me", I was just the body that "she" was using." It terrified Anya that there was someone else in her head, and even more that the person in her head was using her body as they pleased. "That was why he wanted me as separate from other people as possible... Anya Alstreim didn't matter to him. I was just a container for someone else's mind." She had been a tool.

Lelouch held her tighter, surprising her slightly. "You were always your own person." He assured her. "Even beneath that apathetic expression, there was always something there. Someone was in control. That was you." Anya may have been a very muted person, but she did have preferences, she had opinions, she had interests. In truth, he was beginning to get a vague idea of just who had been making use of Anya's body. He wasn't sure he liked the implications. "Do you know who it was, Anya?" He asked softly.

She nodded. "... d-don't make me tell you. Please." Anya didn't want to know how Lelouch would react to the knowledge that his mother had been using her body to continue living in a sense. Especially since she wasn't there anymore. The girl didn't know what had caused her emotions and memories to be freed, but she did know one thing for certain; at that moment, her body was her own and no one else was in her head. Lady Marianne's presence was nowhere to be found.

Nodding slowly, the teen sighed. "I think I can guess, then." The girl flinched again, but he simply continued to hold her. "It's not something you need to worry about, Anya." Good lord, his life was incredibly messed up sometimes. It was his mother's mind that had invaded Anya's body, and her meetings with the Emperor were not a good sign either. However, he now had to wonder; if Anya was freed of the effects of Geass, just where had the consciousness of Marianne vi Britannia gone to?

"... do I even want to know?" Gino asked lamely. He was so done with this shit.

Shaking his head, Lelouch replied. "No, Gino, I don't think you do." It didn't matter. His mother had been long dead, and it wasn't as though Anya could be blamed for this. The realization that her consciousness was active in the body of Anya meant nothing except that Geass could do far more than he'd originally believed.

Though it also brought up a rather concerning question; did Anya know he was Zero? She could clearly recall the conversations held by the Emperor and his mother, and surely at least one of those had involved him and his alter-ego in some way. He hoped not, but there really was just about no chance of that. Thankfully, she seemed to be remaining silent on the matter for now.

The Monk sighed. "Fine. We should get to a town or something. It's getting dark and I've got a weird feeling about this place. We need to find some kind of landmark to figure out just where in this damn swamp we ended up."

"The nearest town... I believe it'd be Willowgreens." Lelouch mumbled, recalling what he'd seen on the gameboard earlier. "It's a town built on a plateau in the center of the area, it should be visible from any point in the swamp if you can get above the treeline."

Gino frowned. "So... should I climb a tree? Cuz' I think I could probably do that." He felt like this body wouldn't have too much issue with that. Hell, he may even be able to clear it in a single jump.

Nodding, Lelouch replied. "That's an option, but..." Gently nudging Anya, he made to stand. The girl, not entirely pleased with this decision, stood with him but remained practically glued to his side, offering him nothing but a petulant glare in response to his incredulous look. Sighing, he held a hand before him. "I've got... memories? No, not really even that... there is information in my head that is clearly not of our world; the abilities of my class, the magics that make up Necromancy." It was more than just raising dead. So much more. Information poured into his mind almost faster than he could process it.

Almost.

He snapped his fingers and a wisp of black, inky smoke arose and formed into a facsimile of a human, with a featureless face that appeared to be shrouded by a hood. It had no legs, instead a trail of the smoky substance that comprised it's body reached down towards the ground, twisting and churning like a small twister. It's torso was thin, and it appeared more solid in consistency than the tail or head, which seemed slightly formless. It's arms were much the same as the tail that attached the creature to the ground, nothing but churning, smoky trails... but the hands were just as solid as the torso, tipped with gleaming black claws.

The bizarre, unnatural looking creature startled Gino and Anya. Something about it was simply... wrong. Gino nearly grabbed his weapon, a twin headed polearm of almost the exact shape of the weapon wielded by the Tristan, but was halted by a gesture from Lelouch.

"Wraith." Lelouch acknowledged the creature with a small incline of his head.

The wispy being tilted it's own head in a bizarre greeting, before a sound like the wind rustling through the trees echoed from it.

Nodding, the Necromancer illuminated his reason for calling. "We're in need of directions. I would like you to go above the tree line and point us in the direction of the large plateau that houses Willowgreens; your spirit is from these parts, would you know of it?"

A second wind-rustling noise, before the creature's tail split from the earth, the remnants attached to it fading away. Somewhat slowly, the being rose through the air, easily clearing the tops of the nearby trees within a few moments. One wispy arm raised to point them the correct way, towards the city. The creature's featureless face then turned towards Lelouch, as if to ask if it's job was done.

Offering a pleasant smile to the creature, the Necromancer nodded in thanks before snapping his fingers again, dispelling the creature's body instantly.

"... was... was that a ghost?" Gino asked.

"Yes. Yes it was. The spirit of a man who died approximately four years ago in this place, he passed due to starvation on his way to the same town we are making our way to." Lelouch grinned. "He seemed to find it quite ironic that his death prevented others from experiencing the same, as he was also quite lost."

"... and you understood all of that from the... noises it made?" Anya couldn't help but wonder.

Nodding cheerfully, as though he hadn't just called forth the soul of someone who had died to give them directions, Lelouch replied. "It's an acquired talent; Necromancy allows one to communicate with their summons so long as they are called forth in a state that allows it." That was to say those that had minds to speak of; simple zombies would be just as brainless as any horror movie depicted them, but there were many other methods of revival that allowed one to call forth something of intelligence.

The Wraith he had called moments ago was one such method; while the body of the human who had passed had deteriorated beyond repair, as it was lacking even enough bones in the area to reanimate as a skeleton, the soul was still in the area. Or, at least, a fragment of it. Enough to call forth a Wraith, which was nothing but the Dark magic of a Necromancer merging with a soul or soul fragment to create a creature with the memories of the life it had once led. While not the strongest creatures, they were practically immune to physical damage with exception to the core, which was simply a solid orb of Dark magic inside of the torso where the soul was contained. Any other part of it's body was incorporeal to a degree, excluding the hands which also had a high degree of Dark magic concentrated towards them.

"... I feel really creeped out right now." Gino muttered. "When you picked a Necromancer it was one thing, cuz' this was a game, but now you're actually raising dead people to do your bidding."

Lelouch shrugged. "I'll admit that I do see your point, but please recall that we are in an unfamiliar world with no idea of how to return. In some ways, morality is going to have to take a back seat." Making a thoughtful gesture, he continued. "Moreover, a Wraith isn't so much raising the dead as it is using magic to give a form to the... lingering essence of the dead, so to speak. The soul was already lingering here, I just gave it a form to actually do something." The teen sighed at the odd looks this garnered. "There's a deep, complicated explanation, but the gist of it is that there are far worse things to do than call a Wraith for directions."

"He has a point." Anya mumbled. "It's not like we haven't done... distasteful things before, Gino..." Though previously, she had never cared one way or another. Now she was certain more than a few of those memories were going to translate into nightmares.

Frowning, Gino sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let's just get to town before it gets dark. I don't wanna know what beasties are in this swamp."

As the trio made to walk away, having gathered their weapons and supplies, a near silent hiss sounded out from the bushes behind them, and a pair of gleaming yellow eyes watched their every move, not daring to come any closer.

Once the three teens had left the clearing entirely, the bush burst into a fit of rustling as a creature darted out from it, hissing much louder than before...

---

AN: Chapter two. Done. I am certain there are numerous typos and grammatical errors, but whatever. So almost everyone has been introduced; the main cast who were there for the original prep have had their introductory scenes, and some people are adapting to this world better than others.

Those of you who have read the original version are likely asking where C.C., Kaguya, and Jeremiah are. Rest assured, they'll be here. I'm probably going to introduce them next chapter as a matter of fact.