Suzaku had made it all the way back to the club house already, having been told by each teacher that she had arrived to class as per usual and hadn't left early for any reason. However, upon arriving where Nunally lives, he is greeted by Sayoko who watches him as if she had been expecting him. Although she doesn't seem calm, she still seems collected as she slowly lifts a small package, offering it to the knight.

"What is this?" he asks, taking it cautiously.

"They've left it for you," she replies. "The ones who were here earlier."

Frowning, Suzaku sets it down, tearing off the tape without hesitation and unpacking what seemed to be a 2 way radio head set and speaker. Lifting it out, there's a picture of not only Nunally sitting in her wheelchair in what seems to be a basement environment, but also a knocked out Lelouch. Smashing his hand into the wall, the brunette's eyes burn with anger. Who the hell was kidnapping them and how did they figure it out? He should have been there to protect them.

Sayoko watches him in silence, offering her assistance in any way that he'd seek fit, but Suzaku knew that it would be far too dangerous to get anyone else involved. Setting the ear piece against his ear, he can hear static roaring through the speaker piece. Finally, after what seems to be an eternity, a male voice echoes faintly through it.

"Is this Kururugi Suzaku?" It asks authoritatively.

"This is him," Suzaku responds. "With whom am I speaking."

There is silence and Sayoko's grip tightens against her wrist lightly, watching the soldier carefully and silently.

"This is Zero."

His heart turns to rage, looking out the window for any signs that he's being watched but finding none. Why does he always coward behind walls and bodies? It was truly aggravating to him that this tyrant would never do any of the dirty work himself. "What have you done with them? Where have you put them?"

"All in good time, Kururugi," Zero responds through the ear piece, causing Suzaku's back to tighten painfully. "First, we are going to discuss what it is that must happen to win their freedom. You do, after all, see them as your special friends, right?"

Special friends? Suzaku felt slightly relieved but far more guilty now, beginning to make his way out of the building. It was apparent that Zero was unaware that they were exiled royalty but now it would be completely his fault they were captured. Because he had been their friends… "What do you want?"

"Simple. You surrender your title and leave the Brittanian Army. Then we will return your friends to you."

He frowns, heading into the forest, figuring that if they were anywhere, this would be the place. It was common for enemy spies to linger behind and keep an eye on their victims. "I don't negotiate with terrorists, Zero." The gravel rolls beneath his feet as he continues to move away from the Academy, not wanting them to even think about taking another person. "You're pathetic… you try to win this way through acts of unfair aggression that takes the lives of hundreds of innocent people instead of just dealing with the problem now."

Zero doesn't respond to him and Suzaku assumes that he has his attention, at least for the time being. "If you want me to resign, just kill me now, Zero. Or are you still trying to win me over? Because stealing Lelouch and Nunally isn't going to make me favor you."

Kallen stares at Ohgi who in turn is staring at the radio, mouth agape but no words coming out.

"Say something!" Kallen hisses, lightly punching Ohgi's leg. "You're making Zero look bad!"

"I don't know how he'd respond to that!" Ohgi replies, stressing out now, concerned about messing up. "What do I say?"

"I don't know," whines Kallen. "Do a weird pose and see what happens from there!"

"Hello?" Suzaku asks into the speaker.

"What?" Ohgi frowns, pointing the radio at Kallen. "I'm not Zero. I can't do a dance and pull some metaphor out of my ass!"

"You haven't even tried!" Kallen says, pushing the radio back towards him aggressively. "This was your idea!"

"It was not!" Ohgi frowned. "It was Asahina's!"

Kallen feigns searching around the room playfully, her voice dripping with sarcasm now. "And I don't see him around to help out so now you've taken responsibility!"

"Hello?"

"I'll call you back!" Ohgi practically screams into the radio before slamming it down with enough force to pop the batteries out of the back. The two stare at the piece of equipment for a while, just waiting in silence as if it would magically put itself back together. Finally, the pink haired girl breaks the silence.

"I can't believe we're doing this… Zero's going to kill us."

Lelouch groans tiredly, his eye brows furrowing and body shivering against the cold floor.

"Lelouch?" Nunally asks quietly from within the same room and the boy immediately jumps to his feet, at her side.

"Nunally!" he whispers, taking her hand, ignoring how his head is pounding and just so relieved that she's okay. "Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"

She nods lightly, her eye brows tight in worry and responds, "I was waiting for Sayoko to come back and Kallen came in and told me that I had to go with her. And when I said that I couldn't… someone else came in and they took me."

"It's okay now though, Nunally," Lelouch tries to sooth her, petting her hand. "I'm here and Suzaku is looking for us. He'll find us, I promise."

She smiles worriedly, nodding lightly as her brother tries to calm her down, his own mind traveling through a world where the stress continues to build on. How could he promise her anything like this? The Black Knights headquarters were well hidden. He had chosen the area himself and if Suzaku ever figured it out then he would be offended the moment they were saved. Meanwhile, he couldn't protect Nunally without using his Geass but he couldn't do it with Kallen near without causing any conflict and since she had apparently come up with this idea on her own, he figured she'd be the one that would face them sooner or later.

He couldn't tell them that he was Zero without for sure being shot down. Sure, Kirihara had assured the Black Knights that he would be the one to help lead them to Britannia's downfall. But would that really still stand if they figured out that he was, himself, a Brittanian? There's no way. And without being able to prove he's Zero, there wasn't a thing he could do to help protect his little sister. They were hostages and would remain so.

He begins to call out to passing Black Knights, requesting small favors such as water and a blanket for Nunally, informing them that it was within the Brittanian Convention that Prisoners of War be treated with a minimal level of care at least.

"You're not a Prisoner of War," one of the Black Knights growl. "You're a filthy Brittanian who's our hostage."

A filthy Brittanian who owns your ass…. Lelouch thinks darkly, reminding himself to give that particular man double shifts after this is over.

"Don't worry, Nunally," he smiles tiredly at her. "Everything's okay."

She nods in his direction and he finds himself relieved for the first time since when they had walked through that field filled with dead bodies that she couldn't see anything. He would never want her to see the darker side of the Black Knights, especially since he had created them simply to give her a new, peaceful world.

The door opens again and like a trapped dog, Lelouch makes his way to the glass wall, staring at whoever had begun to come in. He frowns though when he sees Kallen.

She too is frowning, watching them apologetically. "I'm sorry you two got caught up in this," she tells them, setting down a basket and sliding it through the hole in the glass.

Lelouch allows it to sit there, trying to make eye contact with her but she seems too ashamed to look up at him. "Please… at least let Nunally go. She can't stay in here, Kallen."

Kallen frowns, muttering. "If I could, I would. But these are Zero's orders." With that, she quickly moves to leave again, leaving the basket behind.

Like hell they are…

"Damn you, Zero," Suzaku growls, having become progressively darker over the past two days. It had become too much for him to handle alone and his changing behavior had caught the attention of his Princess.

"What's wrong, Suzaku?" she finally asks, having stopped him from finishing his journey to deliver her safely from one room to the adjacent one down the hall. "Please tell me."

He freezes, not facing her and unsure of whether Lelouch would feel betrayed if he revealed him to Euphemia or not. But perhaps, if he were to get the Brittanian Royal family involved, they would go out of their way to find them and save Nunally and Lelouch.

"It's my friends," he confides softly. "From the Academy. It seems that Zero had decided to target them because they spent time around me and now he's holding them hostage…"

She gasps, bringing her hands to her mouth and staring at him silently. "What can we do?"

He turns towards her, replying. "I can't let you get involved with this, Hime-sama."

Grimacing, she whispers, "But they're your friends, Suzaku." She frowns, her usual warm and cheery disposition replaced by a serious look. "And if it's bothering you this much then it's distracting you and it needs to be taken care of."

He stares at her, blinking and knowing that behind that seriousness, she's just trying to be kind and nice and help. He wants to smile and accept her help, but first, he would have to betray his friend. Betray how Lelouch had wanted to live without needing to rely on others. Betray how Lelouch had wanted to be the one that Nunally would rely on the most. Betray how Lelouch had sought a peaceful world without all of the politics for Nunally to live in.

"They're not average people…"

"Hello?" comes a female voice through the radio that had finally been fixed after hours of staring. Ohgi jumps at the voice, hearing the authority but not sure who it is on the other line. Picking it up, he responds, unsure of himself.

"Hello?"

There is a moment of silence, leaving him waiting for the girl to continue to speak. Looking around, he realizes for the first time that he's alone to act out their fearless leader.

"This is Euphemia Li Britannia," the voice begins and his heart drops. No way… "I demand by my name that you release the hostages you have taken and I am willing to negotiate."

He stares at the radio, so incredibly confused. Did he really have the sub-viceroy on the other line? And she, herself, was willing to negotiate?

"Can you hold that thought?" He asks, setting the radio down and all but sprinting out the door to find the closest Black Knight. Returning a moment later with Tamaki, Kallen and Toudou, they all gather around the device, looking at one another as if taking turns on who would be Zero this time. Once again, it was agreed on that Ohgi would play the role.

"This is Zero," he recited into the radio, continuing with, "Is this Euphemia Li Britannia, Sub Viceroy of Area 11?"

"Yes," She responds and suddenly the entire room is anxious. How was this even possible. "I am ready to negotiate for the release of your two hostages, Lelouch and Nunally."

"Right," Ohgi mutters without even thinking. "Our demands are simple." Their demands weren't simple. They were different now! They were playing on a higher level. Closing his eyes, he tries to think of what Zero would do and stiffening up, he bucks his hips to the side and throws his hand out, announcing dramatically, "The Liberation of Japan!"

The others all stare up at him from the floor, clapping silently and awing at his flawless demonstration of how Zero would act.

"I can't."

The answer was too short. It came too quick. And now the fake-Zero was too discouraged to continue in his role, passing the communication device over to Toudou and sitting back down, having given it his best.

"However, I can offer you something similar," the Princess announces. "I can create the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan."

'The what?' Tamaki mouths sarcastically, reaching to get a hold of the radio but being denied.

"What does that mean?" Toudou questions, watching the others in the room.

"It would mean that we wouldn't have to fight anymore," she responds. "It will be a zone where people can be referred to and live freely as Japanese."

Looking around at one another, the Black Knights ponder, all wishing silently that Zero would feel better and save them from digging their own graves.

xxx

This is NOT where it was supposed to end! But it was getting too long for my taste so there. Sorry for a little bit of humor in this chapter. It's supposed to be more serious But I've been reading these Code Geass Knight mangas and they're constantly making fun of Zero's poses so it just kind of embedded itself in. xD Anyways!

Also thank you sooooo much for all of your support :DDDD I've never had anything get this many hits/reviews/favourites or alerts so quickly! :D Within the first 2 hours there were already over 100 hits and 4 reviews! That's so amazing! Thank you everyone soooo incredibly much!

Happy Holidays!

HoneyFlavoredPocky