A/N: Warnings for this chapter? UNHOLY LEVI/EREN SEX. and death. k. bai.

In the dark of the night, a violet eyed boy who went by the alias Rolo treaded the vacant streets of the Gray District in the inner wall of Cleopatra. Had it been daytime and the area lively with villagers, he knew he'd attract the eyes of many onlookers with the long, brown trench coat he wore that almost reached his ankles. He had it buttoned up all the way, hiding the nice clothing that cladded him underneath. As he walked under the street lights, his chestnut hair seemed to shine and his eyes squinted for a few seconds before darkness washed over him again and his orbs opened more.

Rolo felt someone following him, but didn't bother to confront the person or stop and turn around as he didn't need to. Eventually, his walk came to a halt when he reached his destination; the alleyway behind the Gray Lights company. The smell of manmade herbal aromas and tobacco filled his nostrils and the boy scrunched his nose in disgust, familiar with the scent of the prostitute house. It made him think of his brother and now current Emperor, Lelouch vi Britannia, the one who had taken him in from this hellhole, taken him away from a life of trading his body for his survival.

The Gray District of the most inner wall Cleopatra; both famous and infamous for impoverished and struggling people who refuse to join the militia, but know a thing or two about seducing others for money. And the prostitutes usually met up with their clients in the streets, dressed in a trench coat. After saving Rolo from this horror, Lelouch had once threatened to destroy the District's dirty secret, but riot of the people kept him at bay. He never tried again after that, but the boy understood and he still was grateful for his brother's attempt nonetheless. And he was grateful that he rescued him.

He loved his brother.

Which was why he was doing this. He'd do anything for Lelouch; anything at all and he'd go as far as he needed to if it meant the Britannian Emperor would be pleased. Leaned against the Gray Lights building, he waited for a few more minutes until a man lurked into the alleyway, moving to Rolo a bit sluggishly. The 16-year old watched the man with a disapproving look as it was obvious with the way he sauntered that he was under the influence of alcohol. He stood up straight when the space between them was closed, eyeing the man but finding it difficult to make out his features in the dark. All he could manage to pick out was the almost square-structured lines of his face, dark eyes and his black hair.

"You're Rolo, right…?" He murmured questioningly, moving around drunkenly like he'd topple over any minute.

The boy nodded. "I am."

Inching closer, the man used his body to press Rolo against the wall and he cupped his face in his large hands, looking the younger male over. "Cute…" He whispered.

The man had been so close that Rolo practically felt his breath against his face and could smell the alcohol in it. He squeezed an eye shut and turned his head away at the stench. And much to Rolo's displeasure, the older male leaned in and started gliding his cold lips over the boy's jawline. Luckily, Suzaku made sure not to torture Rolo this time around.

Abruptly, the man flinched and let out a strained cry; his fun being put to an end by a knife to the back. He gave the now slightly grinning and impassive-looking Rolo a wide-eyed guise of shock before the sharp blade was yanked from his back, causing him to fall backwards, whimpering in agony. It took him a while to calm down and when he could manage to look up; he saw two figures standing above him. Of course one of them was Rolo, but the other was in a familiar hooded cloak of perfect yellow and white fabric. The only fabric you'd find on the backs of the Emperor or his royal thugs.

Still sniveling, the man achieved speaking a few words. "W-W-W-Which….one…?"

Rolo understood the question right after it was spoken and he turned towards his hooded friend, appearing drained and detached. "This one is disappointing; a foolhardy drunk and bitch if you will. I don't think he even deserves to know which one you are."

A trend started by Emperor Lelouch, it was considered honorable to give your name to the one you killed before they died and he made sure that all of his knights did that on their missions of disposing in-hiding criminals. Though Rolo agreed with this to an extent; he didn't think it was always necessary, especially if criminals were as wretched and lowly as this one was.

However, not surprising to Rolo whatsoever, the assassin pulled back his hood anyway and the man choked out a pained gasp. Revealed to him were the emerald eyes that usually flashed with benevolence, the mass of brown curly hair upon his head, the tanned skin and the toned body. It was too dark for the dying man to confirm, but if anything, the green orbs were not benevolent at the moment. He never thought the one to kill him for his crimes would be the top dog.

"Kururugi, Suzaku. Knight of Zero," the cloaked male said.

"Knight of Zero…" The man murmured; his back already soaked in his own blood.

Rolo found it astounding that he was still alive or perhaps he was just super aggravated and soon, he made eye contact with Suzaku. "I think this man has been shamed enough, especially with the crimes he's committed. No need to wait around for him so he can writhe in his last minutes on this forsaken earth. Let's just finish it."

Receiving a curt nod from the Knight of Zero, he walked past Suzaku, leaving the alleyway and entering the streets. The brown-haired male followed seconds later, boisterously scraping the blade against one of the buildings as he walked in attempt to wipe the blood off. It was something he always did—no, it was something all the knights of Lelouch did after a kill. Whether it was to show dominance to the rest of the villagers; to remind them just who was in charge, Rolo didn't know. And he didn't ask. He was likely to receive a one-line, nippy response that wouldn't really give him closure on the matter. Even though Suzaku was a nice guy, open and cheery, someone you'd want to be friends with, that's how he always acted on these missions. He knew the Knight didn't like killing, but he followed Lelouch regardless. And albeit, Rolo understood wanting to wipe off the blood of such a pitiful man; but that knife was still brand new, beautiful and not yet dull; and even better, given to him by Lelouch.

Teeth clenching, fists balling and shoulders now shaking in annoyance; the boy let out a low growl. "Watch it," Rolo said snappishly without even needing to turn around. "Brother gave the blade to you as a present and you're probably scratching it up by doing that!"

"He gave it to me as a murder weapon," Suzaku retorted in a quiet, calm voice.

Rolo groaned and started off down the street, not feeling like riding the misery train with the allegedly mature one. "Let's just go. I'm tired."

"Alright…" The Knight of Zero replied soundlessly, glancing back in the alleyway and momentarily showing a hint of melancholy before composing himself once more and following after the younger boy.

Having fallen asleep in his attempt to wait out the rest of the boys, Eren woke up in his cot and cursed under his breath softly; coming to the realization that he had just lost valuable time.

From his sleeping space, he could hear the serene breathing of everyone around him as he took a glance out the only window they had that was located by Connie's bunk. It was still dark outside and doing this enough as a kid; he'd gotten better and better at giving an educated guess on the time without the help of the sun.

Eren took a deep breath and pushed back the covers, slowly throwing his legs over the side of his bed and sliding off into a stealthy stance, peering around to make sure nobody stirred. He was still cladded in the under garments of his military uniform and his bedhead showed in his brown-colored hair which he didn't bother to fix, knowing he had more important things to worry about. He tiptoed towards the door and towards his freedom; and when he had made it into the hallways of the barracks, he released the breath he had been holding and found his heart was beating fast.

Weird, he's done worse things.

Not wanting to lose any more time, Eren hurriedly sped-walked down the corridors. His destination was quite far and out of boredom; he ended up counting how many steps he was taking only to lose track after a while due to his lack of focus. Eventually, he stopped at a closed door.

Uneasiness was plastered all of his face and in his eyes as he raised a fist to the door. However, he swiftly lost his will to knock on the door and stepped back timidly; unsure of whether this was really a good idea or not. His mother had always told him that if he had to question it then most likely, it was something that shouldn't be done in the first place.

The thought of his dead mother made him step back again and he hung his head, feeling a little bit of rage and sorrow well up in his chest, leaving him just about ready to turn around and return back to his cot. But just before he could, the door he had been anxiously staring at opened up and standing in the doorway was Captain Levi. Unconsciously, Eren balled his right hand into a fist and placed it over his heart just as his left arm went into hiding behind his back in a salute. "S-Sir! I'm so sorry! I was just passing by and…" he trailed off and dropped his salute; surprised at the look he was being given.

The shorter male stared at him with void eyes and to Eren, it seemed like he was actually fatigued for once and seemingly vulnerable, like the few seconds of silence that passed was simply Levi trying to wake himself up. In fact, Eren didn't even feel intimidated by the man which he usually did. "Sir…?"

Levi didn't even bother to say anything; he simply grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him into his room, closing the door behind them. He then took a few seconds to recover, rubbing his eyes irritably before glaring up at the taller male. "What do you want…? You do know I have to wake up early, don't you? I already told you that they've agreed to Arlert's plan."

Still caught off guard by how exposed the captain seemed; Eren had to snap himself out of the way he was ogling the man. "Oh. Yes… I know. I just wanted to be with you…before you left." He closed his eyes, covered his face and backed up remarkably fast, believing that he was just about to be smacked upside the head. But the smack never came and when he moved his hands again, he met with a newfound strength in Levi's eyes, grey orbs seething with his usual terrorization.

Contradictory to the look in his eyes, Levi replied with a trifling but noticeably lenient, "do whatever you want," as he slowly walked back to his bed, plopped down on it and got under the blankets. He then turned towards Eren who still stood there and made room for him, lifting up the covers for him. "Well? What the fuck are you waiting for?"

The corners of Eren's lips rose into a small smile and he hurried over and slid into the bed, Levi throwing the blankets over him. The boy noticed how warm it was under there and he could feel the warmth radiating off the man beside him too. It made him scoot in closer; an arm went over the shorter male's waist and Eren snuggled up to him, burying his face into Levi's chest.

At this, the raven-haired man heaved a sigh, but he returned the embrace the little idiot was giving him nonetheless. His face met with the boy's messy brown hair and one of his hands found its way to it, tangling his fingers into it and causing Eren to close his eyes happily and beam.

Despite how badly Eren wanted to just kiss the man he admired so much; this was just as fulfilling.

The following morning, Eren woke up to the dull walls of the barracks and an empty bed.

The sight made the sleep in the boy's eyes momentarily leap into alertness before they relaxed into a look of disappointment as he came to the realization that he had overslept and perhaps Levi decided to leave without waking him. No kiss goodbye, no nothing, eh?

However, Eren honestly didn't know what he was expecting of the man in the first place. Captain Levi was Captain Levi, and this unofficial fling the two had going on wasn't going to change the way he acted. He would always still be the dismal, emotionally constipated man who made shit jokes and held his teacup in an odd way despite their relationship. Not that Eren minded that since it was those things and many more that differed him from any other possible love interests.

Still, he wouldn't have minded a kiss.

Sitting up in the bed; the covers fell from his shoulders and he scratched the back of his head, starting to contemplate whether he should stay and risk being caught sleeping in Levi's bed or return to his own cot. The second option didn't interest him, but the first had its consequences and maybe the worst case scenario would be all of his peers, Jean especially, assuming he was gay for Heichou and had purposely snuck into his room in order to fondle the area in which the man laid. That statement wasn't very far off though, it was more like; being gay for Heichou and sneaking into his room to fondle the man-

Eren's entire face scrunched up at that thought.

"What in the hell is wrong with me…?" He asked himself aloud.

"Lots of things," a voice responded.

The unexpected reply made the boy nearly leap out of his skin and he turned to see Captain Levi standing by the door, leaning against its doorframe. He was dressed in his white, button-up dress shirt, black pants and had a piece of paper in his hand.

Eren knitted his eyebrows and he shot the man a small glare, eyes narrowed. "Thanks for the reassurance." When Levi raised an eyebrow, the boy added, "no, really. What are you doing here, Captain…? I thought you left."

"I did," he responded.

At this, Eren became attentive and he almost fell off the bed when he eagerly leaned in the direction of the man in curiosity. "Really?! What did Lelouch say? Is he going to help us or what?!"

"I mean I left the room."

There was pure oblivion in a pair of green orbs. "….so you didn't leave…?"

The brunette could have sworn he saw some light leave Levi's eyes, even in the dimness of the room they occupied. He figured had the guy been smiling; he would've dropped it in that second. "Are you fucking shitting me? I just made a joke. It seems like somebody needs to go take a fucking turd." The higher up trudged over to his desk with a sigh, laid down the paper he had in his hands and sat down in the chair. He had his back to Eren now and he picked up one of his feather-ink pens and started scribbling as he mumbled to himself. "Tell a fucking kid one stupid joke and the shitty brat won't even appreciate it let alone acknowledge it. You've got to be kidding me. Why do I even try?"

From the bed, Eren was smiling and trying his best to hold in his laughter. If anybody needed to go take a turd; it was probably the man who was angrily muttering to himself. He had never seen Levi so pissed off about a thing as small as a joke, not to mention that the fact that his joke hadn't made Eren laugh also bothered him. It was cute, for an old man.

Grinning madly, the younger male quietly got up from the bed and snuck up behind the man only to wrap his arms around his shoulders and lean over him. "What are you writing?"

"A note," Levi replied quickly.

"For who?"

"Are you always this fucking nosy, you shitty fuck?"

"Are you always this mean, you crusty old man?"

There was a tiny hum of approval from Levi. "Heh…that's a new one." By this time, he finished writing and grabbed a string of ribbon nearby, starting to wrap the note up. "It's for that shithead Emperor. If they don't allow us to speak with Lelouch then I'm going to bribe one of the guards into delivering this to him. I want him to know what's going on even if we're not there to tell him ourselves." He turned his head slightly to look at Eren. "Don't mention this to anybody; no fucking joke. I wasn't given permission to do this."

Feeling an opportunity opening up for him, Eren nodded his head nonchalantly. "Of course… that is, if crusty old man gives the shitty fuck a kiss."

Levi shot Eren a look and the boy returned it with a professional poker face. The boy, being around the man much more often now, had gotten a lot of practice for this expression and he could tell it was paying off by the silence that filled the air. Their eyes were locked in a stare-off; both of them refusing to blink. Finally, it was Eren who broke the quiet and tensed atmosphere as he moved around and threw a leg over Levi, straddling his lap with a cheeky grin and receiving a sigh from the other.

"I don't have time for your bullshit, Eren. I'd like to go take a shower before I leave."

Hands were gliding down Levi's shoulders and over his chest. "Come on… a bullshit free kiss. I swear."

"No."

Eren whined. "You suck, corporal..."

There was a small chuckle from the back of Levi's throat and Eren found it hard to tell whether it was a warning chuckle or a genuine one. He felt the older male ghosting a gentle hand from his hip to the back of his neck and then into his brunette hair. But the gentleness turned into a threat when he felt Levi grip his brown locks, eliciting a little moan on Eren's part, forcing him to look the other in the eyes. "We both know who sucks in this relationship, you horny little shit."

"Yeah…" Eren murmured, already feeling a little turned on by the roughness of his hair being pulled. He felt Levi's iron grip soften and he managed to easily slip from it, sliding down to his knees on the floor between Levi's legs. There was no resistance from the raven-haired man, no attempt in closing his legs; in fact, he was staring down at the boy with impatience and predaciousness; eyes of intimidation replaced with hunger as if just daring Eren to make his move.

And Eren didn't even need that encouragement. He knew time was short though and that Levi would be leaving soon so he opted with skipping to the main event. He made sure the raven caught his fleeting look of deviousness before laying back on the ground, legs sprawled open and eyes glinting with invitation. From his chair, Levi cringed but just barely as if the look Eren was giving him shot right through him.

The brunette locked eyes with his superior; throwing one arm over his head and allowing the other one to travel down his body sensually. His eyes promoted pure arrogance, he was biting his lip, his back was arching up a little at his own touch and his toes even started to curl. By this time, Eren was slipping his hand inside his own pants and soon after, the rhythmic moving bulge at the front of his region was him jerking himself off at a steady pace. His eyes involuntarily fluttered closed and his mouth went agape in pleasure, little cries escaping his lips with every pump. Feeling overwhelmed by his own pleasure, Levi's reaction to his new attempt at seduction became the last thing on his mind. But thinking of that even just a little sent his mind running wild, building up a new fantasy that was already pushing him to his limit now and leaving him unable to stop the next moan from jumping off his tongue.

"L-LEVI!"

The next thing Eren knew; his hand was being yanked out of his own pants, his legs were lifted up into the air and he felt his pants and underwear being forcefully pulled off and thrown to the side. A small hiss came from the boy when he felt his hardness meet cold air and he remained on the floor, staring up at the man dumbfounded with his mouth slightly open. Levi, now blatantly turned on and struggling to slip out of his own clothing, had placed himself between the younger male's legs at the sound of his own name as if responding to Eren's call. Said younger male was mewling quietly from underneath him and losing patience from having already getting himself excited. Once Levi was naked, Eren didn't even take the time to marvel at his body like he usually did; instead his legs clamped around Levi's waist like a vice, his arms grasped at his torso and his body arched. The boy was brashly grinding up into the man, nails digging into his back. Levi only returned the act for a few seconds before forcing Eren's legs apart more by his inner thighs, grabbing his hips and lifting him for more leverage. There wasn't even enough time for Eren to take a deep breath before his entrance was filled with an acquaintance of his.

Reflexively throwing his head back, the brunette made an attempt to cut short his sharp gasp and ended up making a long and low humming sound from the back of his throat. "Mmmmmm!" His body was shuddering from the feeling of his ass being dourly penetrated by the man; Levi's size and the way he had just hastily shoved himself in aside, Eren knew this was a spot not be toyed with in the first place.

Not that he was going to stop.

He was breathing heavily for a while and apparently his vision had blurred just a little bit because when the distortion had ceased, he noticed Levi hovering over him with his face appearing somewhat pained but otherwise impassive. Eren couldn't tell whether the older male was struggling to catch his breath or not, but if he was; it almost sounded like his breathing was intertwined with some growling.

"I'm not going to keep doing this with your sorry ass if I always get squeezed like this in the beginning," Levi muttered in a quiet, husky voice. "Control your shit contractions, Eren."

The taller one of the two managed a short and winded laugh. "I'll try…"

It was a nice moment between them but Eren's laughter only reminded him of the burning sensation still lingering in his lower region and the fact that his time with Levi was limited. He was going to leave soon to the Britannian Province and Eren simply wanted some of the man's time before that happened. That reality must have hit him too because he now pulled the boy's legs up to rest upon his shoulders and stared Eren in the eyes for what felt like forever to them both before Levi broke the silence.

"You're one flexible little shit."

Eren shook his head. "I don't think this counts because you put me into this position."

"Does it hurt?" The man questioned; no concern in his voice whatsoever.

"Not really…"

"Then you're one flexible little shit."

Just as the brunette was about to retort as to why he had to also be a 'little shit', Levi did the first thrust, leaving Eren to be interrupted after his first word; his "why" turning into a sharp cry and then a low hum like the one he had made earlier.

And the Captain seemingly wasn't waiting for Eren to catch his breath either because only after a few seconds he started plunging in and out once again, finding a steady pace to go at which was slowly but surely transforming the boy underneath him into a moaning mess. Every time Levi pulled out, Eren felt empty momentarily and those moments to him were just as excruciating as the searing pain he felt when he was infiltrated again. The sounds that were escaping his lips sounded shrill due to the rawness down inside him; having been unprepared for the act in which they were committing. And even though his arms were sprawled over his head and free enough to cover his own mouth and hide his lurid moans; he choose not to, feeling like it'd be even more agonizing to hold them back.

On the other hand, Levi had his panting in check; outwardly more focused on his thrusting and the reactions Eren was making more than anything. Other than to pull back the hem of Eren's shirt, he kept his hands planted on either side of him for support and would seldom press his mouth against different areas of the boy's body like his belly or chest; sometimes forcing Eren to be a bit more flexible so he could reach his neck or lips. The brunette didn't mind though if he noticed in the first place that is; he was so overwhelmed by it all that instead of returning the infrequent kisses Levi gave him like he'd like to, all he could manage was sending a horde of whines and whimpers into his mouth.

An intense feeling was welling up inside of Eren now and he knew that he wasn't going to last for much longer. His moans became conspicuously vulgar and more frantic, and Levi began to buck his hips harder. This caused the titan shifter to clench his teeth grotesquely tight and he felt had he gritted them anymore, they'd break under the pressure. But Levi exploded inside of him soon after with a groan, throwing Eren off of his edge and forcing out a final cry and his own relief when the hot, gooey liquid filled him. His entire body sunk and he became limp, staring up at the ceiling and realizing just how the cold the floor actually was underneath him. There was a trivial, repulsed sigh from Levi's end and Eren figured that when his release came, it must have accidentally shot out onto Levi too.

Accidentally.

At least he had still been wearing his shirt.

Eren assumed he should point that out.

"This is still pretty fucking disgusting," Levi responded, still just as breathless as Eren was. He pulled back and dropped the boy's legs, grabbing his clothes and starting to put them back on for the walk to the showers. Half way done getting his pants on, he smacked the exhausted brunette on his leg, being compensated with a small grunt. "Get the fuck up and put on your clothes. You're just as filthy as I am and you're going to take a shower."

"Aye, aye, Captain…" Eren murmured wearily, slowly sitting up to get dressed. "Or would you prefer corporal? Or Heichou?"

"Don't start this again."

"Corporal~"

"Pick one and stick to it."

"Heichou~"

"They all mean the same fucking thing, Eren."

"Captain~"

"You shitty fuck…"

"Crusty old man~"

Having stayed up late last night with Emperor Lelouch and other executive officers while going over political and economic issues, C.C. had pretty much slept the entire morning away. She woke up in the late afternoon, greeted by the softness of her large bed, surprised to see that her room wasn't glistening in sunlight like it typically did in the mornings. Like usual, she had fallen asleep in her old white straitjacket, abnormally finding it much more comfy than the many beautiful sleeping gowns offered to her. It wasn't set to bind her though and she liked how the long sleeves flared outwards like cuffs so it wasn't too odd. It simply gave her many memories; especially those of how she met the current Emperor, Lelouch Vi Britannia, and the Knight of Zero, Suzaku Kururugi.

She decided not to tie up her long, lime green hair and quickly got outfitted; placing an elaborate red and white dress over her normal under garments of a sleeveless white shirt and boy shorts.

When she arrived downstairs where the entrance to the enormous mansion rested, she was met with three familiar and concerned looking faces standing by the doorway.

One of them was the brown-haired Knight of Zero, Suzaku Kururugi. He was still cladded in his yellow and white cloak, and C.C. figured that he must have been rather busy to still have that on considering the warm temperatures outside. His forest-green eyes were dull in frustration as he disputed with the smaller boy in front of him. Rolo was standing there rather serenely, dressed in a trench coat, shaking his head as the fuming Knight blew off on him. Beside him was Nunnally, Lelouch's younger sister, sitting in her mobile wheelchair and outwardly listening hard as she was blind.

"Tell them to go away! There's no need for them to bother my brother. You're the Knight of Zero, they'll believe you. They seem like idiots to me," Rolo retorted peevishly.

"For the last time, he is not your real brother!" Suzaku snapped, receiving a noxious scowl from the other. "This is a political issue here and we either make it or we break it here with these people. We don't know what kind of kingdom they have over there and if they decide we're enemies, we could be in serious trouble! Think about the people. If they attack us, could we win? We don't know, and the last thing we need to do is push them away without trying to compromise!"

"You saw them out there," the boy crooned. "They're armed, Suzaku. They could hurt Lelouch."

"We'll be right beside him!"

The crippled girl sitting beside the two softly offered, "I trust Suzaku with my brother's life… You should, too, Rolo."

But before the smaller male could reply to that, C.C. hurried over and broke into their heated conversation. "Why are you all arguing? What's going on and who's here?"

All three of them regarded the witch now and when Rolo pouted and turned his head away, she looked to Suzaku for an explanation.

"Remember when the scouting team found that kingdom a couple of miles away from us?"

C.C. nodded. She remembered, for sure. Once their militia had returned from its expedition and spread the news of the neighboring kingdom, it became the big talk of the town and soon forced its place onto Emperor Lelouch's list of things to address. In fact, she couldn't even take an enjoyable, elongated walk through any of the districts of Wall Cleopatra without overhearing rumors and small mentions of the Reiss kingdom. Who was their king? What was he like? Was he better than Lelouch? Oh, not a king? What was their queen's name? Did they have militia? Is it better than ours? People were comparing kingdoms left and right through questioning formats and being a personal official and friend of Lelouch's, it made C.C. feel rather targeted and endangered.

"Well there are a couple of its soldiers outside of our walls, requesting to speak with Lelouch, but the problem is that nobody can agree on how to handle the matter," Suzaku said pointedly, eyes flickering as he shot Rolo a hard, three-second glare. "Which is one of the reasons why we have a ruler in the first place…and it's Lelouch. He'll always pull through in the end. As the people, who have been the closest to him, we should know this and we should trust him."

C.C. could understand that. She may not have been a childhood friend like Suzaku was, but she knew Lelouch well enough and knew his potential.

"Just because he's king, it doesn't mean we should just drop everything on his shoulders," Rolo growled abruptly. "That's why he has us and why we're his officials. He's got enough weight as it is with our criminal rates skyrocketing through the damn roof. There are prostitutes getting raped and killed. Merchant's charts are being robbed if they so much as bat an eyelash. Medicines are being abused and used on people as sedates and god knows what else. We have children, especially those of any Asian descent, being kidnapped and never seen again. Hell, maybe you're next Suzaku since you're Japanese! It's obvious we have some black marketing going on here and people from all three of the wall districts have been pressuring Lelouch to do something about it!"

"Because they're scared," Nunnally murmured. "And they're simply turning to their ruler for help…"

"And that's his job," Suzaku added.

"Agreed. There should be no problem concerning Lelouch's safety if he goes out there because he has Suzaku, the rest of the Knights, and everyone here who wishes for his well-being." C.C. wasn't one to smile often, but she tried giving Rolo her sweetest one. "We should tell him and let him-"

"Tell me what?"

C.C., and everyone else for that matter, flinched at the voice. They all gradually turned around, even Nunnally in her little wheelchair, and met with the fatigued, amethyst eyes of their ebony-haired emperor Lelouch vi Britannia. It was easy to tell he was exhausted and trying not to slouch, but without the extra accessories and robes of his elaborate, white, yellow and black Emperor-like attire, it was a bit obvious he was forcing himself to stand straight. It upset C.C. to see Lelouch look so out of it and she almost wanted to turn back on agreeing with Suzaku now.

She had the ball rolling, but they hadn't agreed to the idea of mentioning it to him just yet. However, it was too late. And this guy was as persistent as all hell. In fact, the woman had accidentally revealed a little something of Lelouch's birthday celebration last year when he was around. And boy, did he stare her down and intimidate her to no end despite having known the entire time. He claimed he just wanted to see how long she would last without giving in.

"Your birthday celebration," C.C. tried. "Yay…"

The only reward she got, if you would even call it that, was the deep sigh on Rolo's end.

Shaking his head, Suzaku stepped forward and lightly elbowed the green-haired woman to the side. "We have a problem…and nobody is agreeing with anybody on what to do. We wanted to deal with this by ourselves and give you a break for once, but this is too big and it's most likely best if we follow your lead this time."

Lelouch nodded selflessly. "I'm listening…"

"It's about the Reiss Kingdom. They've got soldiers outside of our walls right now."