Why hello again. And, yes, ryder77, I do read comments, and very much appreciate them. So ha. :)

I also apologize, because yes, chapter 1 was undoubtedly rushed, and to an extent so was chapter 2, but I feel like now that we've gotten into the main chunk of the story, the story will be better- although, don't worry, the KaLulu moments aren't gone entirely.

Anyways, what happened to Schneizel?


"Well, 5 years have gone by, and I think we've made major improvements to life in general," Ohgi began. "When we look at politics today, and in the past, we can very clearly see a big difference. All of you know this, but I just feel as if it's necessary to point out how far we have come as a people."

Lelouch chuckled, holding a glass of orange juice. Ohgi was undoubtedly less awkward in his position of leadership now then he was before.

"Its not just that, but the economy is skyrocketing. You take a walk down any street here, and you'll see tons of businesses opening. Just yesterday, I remember I was walking down..." Ohgi kept talking, but Lelouch tuned him out for a moment. He flicked back to the Britannian conference, where Schneizel was still absent.

"Now I'm starting to worry," Lelouch thought. "Might as well wait it out. Jeremiah wouldn't be able to find it out, even though he still has military connections." Lelouch pressed the remote, switching over to the speech in Japan.

"-And I was glad to see how well we're doing now. But, it would have been for nothing if it wasn't for the people who fought against him. I led the Black Knights for a short time, but the Black Knights have their true leader back now. Please welcome him, Zero!"

The crowd began to cheer ecstatically, some whistling, some weeping tears of joy, as their hero walked onto the stage. "People of Japan..." Zero began, his voice identical to Lelouch's. "Today, 5 years ago, we stepped away from the burdens of past tyrants, and we walked into the future! A future where the common people could gather around one table, and let their voices be heard. A future where the Demon Emperor would not take lives as he saw fit. A future where the strong would not oppress the weak!"

"He certainly has learned how to be Zero," Lelouch grinned. Hundreds of people shouted, excited. "Although I wouldn't pander so much..."

"The Demon Emperor was the symbol of the tyranny we fought to destroy. Every battle fought, every war waged, every life lost... would have been for naught had he not been stopped," Zero sighed. "We will not move forward, forgetting the horrors of the past. But we will also remember all that happened, as a reminder of what can happen when oppressors rise to power."

Lelouch flicked the TV back to the Britannian station. It was clear what Zero was going to do: talk about building a greater future, but not actually say what specifically to do. It was meant to move the people, not educate. Which, in fairness, was all he truly had to do. Give a speech about the terrifying Lelouch, talk about how he's dead, and then talk about the future. Relatively simple.

But Lelouch was more concerned about the Britannian speech now. They had decided to continue, even though Schneizel was absent. Odysseus said the speech in his place, and, while it was a relatively good speech, Lelouch was disinterested. He wanted to call Jeremiah badly but, again, he knew Jeremiah would know nothing. So he flicked back to the speech in Japan.

Kallen was beginning to rise to the podium, a determined look in her eyes.

"The United States of Japan has had many names. First, it was of course Japan, then it was Area 11, then The United States of Japan, then Area 11 again, then finally the United States of Japan once more. Many people can remember exactly when each of these name changes occurred," Kallen started. "I was around for all of these. I was definitely a lot smaller then, but I remember seeing the Britannian ships sail across the sea, the planes bomb the cities, and the Knightmares drop. I didn't realize at that point that I would help my brother in a rebellion. I didn't realize that he would die. And I definitely didn't realize that, one day, in what was the Shinjuku Ghetto, when I was being chased by Sutherlands in a junkyard Glasgow, I would receive a radio transmission from a mysterious voice."

"Of course, then, we all chalked it up to luck. A miracle, that we had survived and defeated the Britannians. But it was a miracle we accepted. We all figured it would be best to lay low for a little while. I went back to school for... a couple days, before that mysterious voice called me again," Kallen continued. Lelouch smirked at the memory. He was still inexperienced with his Geass, but was able to pull that off easily. "So, we eventually met the mysterious voice... who we all know now as Zero."

"And we fought, bled, sweat, laughed, wept... But we all knew that we were held together by Zero- the man of miracles. And then... he died. And for a year, the Black Knights existed simply as a nuisance to the Britannians. But Zero never died... and he didn't die after, at the second battle of Tokyo, where even the core members of the Black Knights believed him to be dead," Kallen glossed over the battles, settling on how Zero had survived death. Twice.

"Thrice," Lelouch corrected himself. "I'm not dead yet. And technically four times, because Suzaku is supposed to be dead too."

"And then, Lelouch rose to power," Kallen stated. Lelouch was both looking forward to and dreading what she had to say. "I can't ignore it, because he was responsible for the deaths of more people than anyone else. Millions. But... before that, he was just a student. A student I knew.

"I knew him well. And, for the most part, he seemed... nice... whatever became of him later. Although, I do wonder at times: How? How did he conceal his identity, day be day, continuing to play student, if he had those thoughts? Was his lust for power so great, his heart so soulless, that he could put on a facade for so long?

"Or did he truly enjoy those moments, knowing that one day he would gain power? I don't know which one is worse, being truly honest. But, one thing is certain. We lost to him, and were saved by Zero in the end."

"And as for me? I mentioned that I started in a Glasgow, but Zero eventually moved me to the Guren mk. II, which was a custom Knightmare that easily served as the 'ace in the hole'. I apologize for bragging there, but it was a machine that changed the tide of battle. I simply got to control it."

"And, after many upgrades and performance enhancements, we arrived at the Guren SEITEN, which was the first Knightmare to use energy wings- until the Lancelot Albion, which no longer exists- nor would the Guren, if not for help from another pilot. But, that was during the last battle with the Demon Emperor."

"And, even if I had known, that day, that I would lose to a fellow student, I still would have willingly fought for the ideals established by the a small voice on the radio."

The crowd began to cheer, no doubt wondering why she had made her speech more about who they were before they became symbols for everything.

Lelouch understood the significance, as did the other core members of the Black Knights. Lelouch was a man who, in their eyes, who was both a hero and a villain, peace and war, freedom and tyranny... And they were unable to tell which one Lelouch truly was, even now. They also obviously never expected the conflict to grow to this magnitude- it's why she based most of her speech on looking back.

Lelouch wiped his eyes, and found that he had shed a tear.

"Seems I've become sappy," Lelouch chuckled sorrowfully, glancing at his phone. It was 12 o'clock. Once more, Lelouch flicked to the Britannian station. He did not see Schneizel onstage, as expected, but he did see something else.

Carnage.

The camera originally videotaping was turned on its side, and it could show a large group of people.

Being obliterated.

Knightmares raced across the landscape, firing indisciminantly at the people around them. What was once a large field where people were to listen to a speech became a war field.

Memories of Princess Massacre danced in his mind.

"What the hell is happening?"

As he gazed into the screen, he could see one thing before the camera went dark. Emblazoned on the front of the Knightmare was a golden Geass sigil.


The speech in Japan had ended almost immediately after the massacre in Britannia. Kallen didn't come home. Lelouch guessed the Black Knights were mobilizing.

It was now 2:05, and Lelouch was pulling into the daycare, wig equipped and all. The entirety of Tokyo was experiencing gridlock.

Lelouch calmly walked up to the daycare center, note in hand. He put on a happy face, but in reality was fuming.

"After EVERYTHING I did, peace still can't be restored?" Lelouch thought angrily. "If Schneizel is dead, than it would fall on Xingke to be the main strategist... but if he is alive, and the Geass Order has him, the likelihood of his memory returning is..." Lelouch paused. "None... he would only take orders from Zero, and unless the Order has Jeremiah, then we're fine."

Lelouch entered the building, and a perky receptionist looked up at him. "Here to pick up your child?"

"Yes, I am," Lelouch grinned. "Well, no. I'm here to pick up Kallen's Kozuki's child- Naoto. I have a signed note and all," Lelouch set the note on the counter. "We're... war friends. She wanted me to pick him up in case they ran a bit late."

"Well... they certainly have run late. Have you seen the news?" The lady asked, oblivious to how serious it was. "Sounds like a big mess over there."

"Yeah, they're having big problems there. I hope we don't have another war over there," Lelouch frowned. The lady picked up a small radio, and radio-ed in that Naoto should come to the office.

"I don't think we'll have another war- not unless the Demon Emperor returns," the lady shrugged. "Although... do you mind if I gossip a bit?" Lelouch nodded. "Well, a lot of people think that Kallen was the Demon Emperors... you know, love interest. And after a while, um, Naoto."

Lelouch frowned internally, maintaining his outward interest. "Really?"

"Yeah! It'd be terrible to have his blood running through him though. And, if Ms. Kozuki really did end up having his kid, it makes you wonder what actually happened. I mean, look at Naoto! He's a carbon copy of the Demon Emperor!" The receptionist shouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I have something in my eye..." Lelouch reached up to his eyes, removing his contacts. "Also, its rude to talk about parents and their children that way. You shouldn't mention that again."

"Sure thing..." The receptionist responded, her eyes taking on a red tinge. Just as Lelouch put in his contacts, Naoto toddled into the room.

"Hello! Who are you?" Naoto asked. He hadn't seen Lelouch with his disguise.

"I'm a friend of your Mom's. She wanted me to take you home, she's very busy right now."

"Okay!" Naoto shouted, running out towards the doors.

"Alright, wait up kid!"


"Why are there so many cars?"

"Everyone is trying to pick up their families," Lelouch responded. "Some bad stuff is happening, and they want to make sure everyone is safe."

"Oh. Is Mom safe?" Naoto asked, fiddling with his own thumbs.

"Yes, she is safe. She's with good people," Lelouch responded.

"What's your name?" Naoto asked.

"Its me, Arthur!" Lelouch responded, momentarily forgetting that he was wearing a wig.

"Nuh-uh. Arthur had black hair," Naoto waved his hand in Lelouch's direction.

"I'm wearing a wig, Naoto," Lelouch responded.

"Oh. Why are you wearing a wig?" Naoto asked. Lelouch was about to answer, but realized that it might not be a good idea to keep talking about it. The opportunity to change the subject appeared when they saw Knightmares, taking off from a military base.

"Hey, look at that!" Lelouch yelled, pointing out the window. "Over there! There are Knightmares!"

Naoto pressed his face up against the glass, seeing the Akatsukis taking off from the ground. "I like the green one."

"They're all green, silly," Lelouch laughed. "Okay, I need to call your mom, okay?"

"Okay! I be quiet," Naoto said, holding his finger to his lips in a "shhh" gesture.

Lelouch dialed in the number, and held it up to his ear. It rang twice before someone picked up.

"Hello? Who is this?" Kallen asked. The sound of someone giving orders could be heard in the background. Likely Tohdoh.

"Kallen, its me. Lelouch."

"Did you get Naoto?" Kallen asked forcefully.

"Yeah, he's in the back, watching the Akatsukis take off. Are you close by?"

"I'm at that military base, but I won't be able to go home until much later. Do you have any ideas on what happened?"

"Some. Schneizel is either dead or the reason for the operation in the first place," Lelouch responded. "That was the Geass Order that conducted it. Though I don't know why."

"Do you have contact with C.C.?" Kallen asked.

"Yes, but she broke contact with them a long time ago. She also wouldn't be around a TV any time soon. I can call and tell her what happened though."

"Do that. She might have some semblance of an idea of why they did-"

"Kallen, are you okay?" Lelouch cut her off.

"Y-yeah. You?"

"I'm fine. Just... get home safe, alright? I'll watch the situation unfold, and if anything happens..."

"We'll be fine. See you soon. Tell Naoto I say hi."

"Naoto, your mom says hi," Lelouch said, glancing over his shoulder.

Naoto whipped around, and shouted "HI MOM!"


"Why do you wear a wig, Arthur?"

"I thought you already asked me that earlier?" Lelouch responded. They had arrived at Kallen's house not a few moments ago, and Naoto was running around the Living Room. "Anyways, don't you wanna play with your toys?"

"You play with me!" Naoto yelled, running through the kitchen and grabbing his arm.

"Sorry Naoto, I have a lot to think about right now," Lelouch responded, putting his arm on the table and closing his eyes.

"I'm probably not going to do anything with the main force... but I could feed information and ideas through Kallen. C.C. might understand their motives... and if it is the Geass Order then they're likely located at the last Thought Elevator, which is in Antarctica."

Lelouch's eyes snapped in realization. "If they track the Geass Order there, they might destroy the Elevator, completely negating my needing to venture there!"

"No! I wanna play now!"

Lelouch was brought back to reality, as Naoto pounded weakly on his arm. "You can have the cool toys!"

"I'm sorry Naoto, but I really have to call someone, okay?"

Naoto's cries were silenced, as Lelouch ordered him into the other room. He punched a few numbers into the phone, then held it up to his ear.

"..."

"..."

"How was your trip down memory lane? Did you get to meet everyone you wanted, Demon Emperor?"

"C.C."

"Don't act so disappointed to hear me," She taunted.

"There was a problem in Britannia, with the Geass Order. They attacked everyone during the speech there."

C.C.'s breath caught in her throat. "...I didn't know any of them were still alive."

"Nor did I. Do you know what they are planning?" Lelouch shifted in his seat.

"No. And I don't intend on appearing before them, because they may not take too kindly to my appearance after the slaughter in China."

"Fair," Lelouch stated. "Either way, watch your back. I'd say come here, but it might be better to stay where you are. A remote location serves you best."

"...But you want me to be close by, so you're about to tell me to go to China, correct?"

Lelouch grinned. "You know me well. Tell me when you get there. See you then." He clicked the phone off.

"NOW! I wanna play now!" Naoto yelled.

"I'm bu-"

"NO!"

Lelouch sighed, standing up. "Fine. But I can't play for long, okay?"

"Okay! Wow, you're tall..." Naoto mentioned, running back into the Living Room. He dug into his treasure chest, unearthing a large amount of Knightmare figurines.

"You can have that one, and that one, and that one," Naoto said, passing various figures over to him. By the end of the child's sorting, he had ended up with two Vincent Wards, a Gareth, a Zangetsu, a Lancelot Albion, the Shinkiro, a Mordred, and three Akatsukis.

"Hey, can I have the Gawain?" Lelouch asked. As he reached for it, Naoto pulled it out of his grasp.

"NO! It's mine!" He shouted, pulling it towards him. "Okay, so we have to fight with them."

"I have a better idea," Lelouch started, setting down his toys. His eyes glinted with nolstalgia. "Do you know about the first real battle the Black Knights were in?"

Naoto looked confused. "No?"

"Well, let me tell you a story..." Lelouch said, grabbing a blanket and making a makeshift mountain out of it. "This one is about Zero."

"Ooh! I love Zero!" Naoto bounced up and down.

"Okay, now, wait a minute while I set everything up, okay?"


The door opened to the house, and in stepped Kallen, flustered from the day at work.

"I'm home, Naoto," She sighed, walking into the Living Room and slumping on the couch. She was oblivious to the scene in front of her until she had sat down.

On the floor beneath her was a crude landscape, decorated with Burais and Sutherlands. She could make out several key parts- a small cardboard box with "G1" written on the side, a mountain of pillows that had half collapsed, and several Sutherlands that had been knocked down around a Guren figure.

It was a crude model of the battle of Narita.

"Lelouch... don't you be getting him hooked on strategy..." Kallen grinned.

"Actually, he fell asleep as I told the tale," Lelouch said, peeking out from the corner. "But you can't win 'em all, I suppose."

"He wasn't too much of a hassle, was he?" Kallen asked.

"No, he was just fine," Lelouch said, sitting next to Kallen. "You do not look fine, on the other hand."

"Well, yeah. They reviewed the tapes, and know that they're linked to the Geass Order too. Did you call C.C.?" Kallen asked, leaning back further into the couch.

"Yeah. She's flying to the United States of China right now. Who have the Black Knights ordered to quell the insurrection?"

"Xingke is currently on the move, with about 350 pilots. Its overkill, but it is the Geass Order," Kallen responded. "Oh, by the way, Ohgi might drop by sometime in the next few days. He said 'soon'. Anyways, you said you where destroying the 'Thought Elevators', which the Geass Order is likely centered around. Where is the last one again?"

"Antarctica. Lloyd Asplund can probably give you the exact coordinates to the location," Lelouch answered.

"And Schneizel?"

Lelouch sighed. "I don't know. He's either dead or kidnapped- it wouldn't make sense for him to not make some statement about the situation."

"And if he was kidnapped? Do you think they might know how to break the Geass?"

"Doubtful. It took the efforts of Bartley to make a person that could break Geass- Jeremiah- and any data relating to his creation was destroyed by Jeremiah personally," Lelouch responded. "Although... if they did, I very seriously doubt he'd be able to gain control using the Geass Order. He hated it in the first place; it pulled the emperor away from actually helping the country."

"And? If he regains his memories?"

Lelouch sighed. "Damocles 2."

Kallen frowned. "If anything happens, the Black Knights are in a position of authority right now- Britannia has no army since it joined the UFN."

"True," Lelouch admitted. "I've become used to assuming the worst."

A moment of awkward silence filled the room, broken by Kallen's following question. "So... are we going to talk about Naoto?"

"What about him?" Lelouch asked. "He's a good kid-"

"And you're his dad. He doesn't know that," Kallen interrupted. "I want you to tell him."

"I... don't think that's possible right now. Not with everything going on-"

"Don't evade the question, Lelouch," Kallen cut him off. "He should know."

"I-"

"He sees the other kids getting dropped off by their dads at the daycare- He sees the dads come play kickball every now and again at the school. He's asked about his dad before, you know. He wants to know what happened," Kallen began. "I've always dodged the question."

"I understand, but-"

"But what? He's shouldn't have the 'burden of knowing his father is the Demon Emperor'?" Kallen snarled, before leaning her head back towards the ceiling. "You're too damn arrogant for your own good."

"Arrogant? How so, Ace Pilot of the Guren SEITEN?" Lelouch retorted.

"You think that every action revolves around you specifically. We're not talking about the Demon Emperor dealing with his son. We're talking about Naoto! We're talking about his right to know who his father is!"

"You think I'd tell him about that? At his current age?!" Lelouch yelled, causing Kallen to flinch. "If I told him, how would Naoto feel?"

"Ecstatic!" Kallen shouted.

"Precisely! So, in all of his happiness, what are the chances he accidentally blurts it out to a teacher at the daycare, or better yet, the Black Knights?" Lelouch roared. "Don't you think that they would show a slight interest in me?"

Kallen opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.

"Don't lecture me about revealing who I am to Naoto. You cannot possibly imagine how many scenarios have popped into my head; how many ways I could tell Naoto I am his dad. But, if I told you how many scenarios I pictured, you can be certain that all of those scenarios end in something going wrong."

Kallen's lips tugged down, into a small, sad frown. "I... I didn't realize that you had thought about this that much."

Lelouch turned. "Well, I can deal with some people knowing I'm alive- just not everyone. Take Ohgi, for instance. Push comes to shove, he wouldn't reveal that I am alive to anyone. Besides, didn't you agree with me earlier about Naoto not knowing?"

"I guess," Kallen deflated. "I was just... stressed because of today. So... when do you plan on telling him?"

"I don't know," Lelouch responded. "It'll be a while before we can be certain he won't tell anyone."

"Maybe," Kallen looked despondent. Lelouch raised his arms, reaching towards Kallen. "What are you... Oh."

Lelouch had pulled Kallen close to him, so they were now snuggling together.

"I don't know how or when we'll be able to tell Naoto," Lelouch said. "But don't worry. We'll work it out, okay? The same way the Black Knights will work out the problems in Britannia."

"...Yeah," Kallen sighed, leaning into Lelouch, the both of them closing their eyes.

The silence returned, but it was different. Both Lelouch and Kallen were content.

So content that nothing else mattered, nothing else except the other person.

So content, in fact, that the pair could not hear the front door open, nor the person walk into the home, nor the person walk into the room the two were in.

They were not, however, content enough to ignore the man's gasp.

"K-Kallen?"

Both Lelouch and Kallen's eyes snapped open, and looked at the intruder.

"O-Ohgi?!" The two said in unison.

"W- what are you doing here?!" Kallen asked, trying to cover up Lelouch with a nearby blanket. "I thought you were going to come over in the next few days!"

"I said 'soon'!" Ohgi responded. Based on his expression, he was not expecting to see Kallen, a person he treated as he would a daughter or sister, cuddled up with the Demon Emperor himself.

"I... how, wait, what?!"