Notes: I'm going to attempt to clean up my mess. Thanks to those who had patience, as well as those who pointed out the errors with the intent of improving the story.

Chapter Summary: Cornelia interrogates Suzaku. Kallen finds that protecting Nunnally is a bit more challenging than she first imagined. Lelouch and C.C. discuss the positives of pizza. Euphemia chooses to follow her heart, just as a strangely normal Nina drops in for a visit. A certain immortal does some spying.

Of Monsters and Men

A Code Geass Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Part 4: Nunnally's Knight

It was a small miracle that Ohgi's group had been able to retrieve any of the damaged Sutherlands that Zero had given them in Shinjuku. Thankfully, the Lancelot had only been intent on taking them out of the fight, as opposed to destroying them entirely. Even then, without the help of Kallen and several other experienced pilots, gathering and then repairing the Sutherlands would have been both frustrating and impossible. As it was, nearly half of the units would never be suitable for anything resembling fierce combat conditions, but it didn't take much effort to fill one with bombs and send it racing at an enemy.

Kallen just happened to be inside one of the few working Sutherlands when its radio crackled to life.

"I hope you're enjoying the spoils of war, Q-1."

If Kallen had not been seated at that moment, she might very well have fainted. Instead, she practically clawed at the unit's radio in her hurry to answer the mysterious voice from Shinjuku. "You! How do you keep doing this?! And who said anything about a war?!"

"You expect to take apart Britannia with anything less?" he asked in surprise. "You're thinking much too small. I can only hope that the same isn't true of your comrades. Will you allow me to speak to your leader, or do you really want to risk continuing on without my help? You may have better weapons now, but without the proper mind to guide them, they might as well be children's toys in a fight against Britannia."

Kallen didn't really have much time to think about it. At any moment, the voice could vanish forever, and with it, their chance of facing Britannia on a seemingly level playing field for the first time ever. Less than a minute later, she had all but dragged Ohgi to the Sutherland and put him on the line. She watched with baited breath as Ohgi jotted down the instructions he was given, all with a stumped look on his face. Sure, she had her doubts about it all, but that voice had saved her life, and even though she'd returned the favor shortly afterward, it wasn't so easily forgotten.

"He's crazy," Ohgi said confidently after the voice had gone. "I just hope it's crazy like a fox, and not plain crazy."

"Well, what did he say?!" Kallen demanded.

"A lot. I can tell you that the last thing he said was, 'Bring the girl along, unless she's afraid.'"

"That BASTARD!" Kallen shouted, drawing a laugh from Ohgi. "What's so funny?!"

"I guess you're coming, then. That makes two of us. No way the others will buy this, even if he did save our butts in Shinjuku. But I have to admit, I want to see what he does next. And if he can really pull this off, it'll be a show for the ages."

"So what's he got planned for day two? Assassinating the Emperor?"

Ohgi shook his head in wonder. "Close. Apparently the three of us are going to walk Suzaku Kururugi right out of the military's hands."

Kallen's jaw dropped. "What?! That IS crazy! Ohgi, there's no way! It can't be done!"

He ran a hand nervously through his hair. "Well, there's only one way you'll be there to rub it in his face if it does go wrong, Kallen."

"And would that be before or after the gun us down like dogs in the street?!"

"You know it's not just about trusting him, right?" Ohgi asked, looking into her eyes. "If they kill Kururugi, it could be months before we manage to drum up this much momentum again. Hell, we might never do it again. It doesn't matter if all we have is a voice over the radio and each other. If we let Britannia get away with this, it'll be like Clovis never died at all. They got one of ours, and we got one of theirs. It'll be square one all over again, and we can't afford to land back there, Kallen. We just can't."

She frowned at him, despite the impact of his words. "But it-"

"Naoto would've done it."

That, in the end, was all the convincing she really needed.

As it turned out, Zero was crazy like a fox (while Suzaku just turned out to be plain crazy), and she was still alive because of it. But she was also very confused, because nothing concerning Zero's instructions had made much sense as of late.

Going to school to gather information had just been a front, although she had made contact with Lelouch. Now she was supposed to protect Nunnally, who, other than possibly being the sweetest girl even born, seemed to be of no real importance. Kallen kept turning it over in her head, and the only thing that she could figure was that Nunnally might be related to a famous Japanese soldier. But when questioned about her family, Nunnally had said that her mother was dead, and her father abandoned she and Lelouch when they were young. So even that theory was worthless at best, unless Nunnally was actually capable of lying, which didn't sound likely at all.

Even stranger, Nunnally did not at all mind the idea of someone following her pretty much everywhere. She seemed rather used to it, in fact, and had even invited Kallen to join her in the restroom, something Kallen had done with great reluctance. Nunnally rarely asked for any help, although Kallen offered so much that perhaps Nunnally never really got a chance to ask that often.

By the end of their second day together, Kallen knew she was in trouble. She was seeing Nunnally less as someone she was supposed to protect, and more as a friend. The restroom incidents had cemented that in her mind, and that honestly scared her. Kallen didn't want to lose someone else she cared about, especially not someone who struck her as being so helpless already.

Deep down, she wondered if Lelouch, or even Zero, had counted on her to feel that way about Nunnally. Kallen justified it by telling herself that it wouldn't matter if Nunnally were just a very nice girl, and nothing else. The world could always use one more of those, and the few that did exist deserved to be protected, so why not Nunnally?

Suzaku had known something was wrong the moment a trio of burly, armed soldiers barged into the break room and began menacing Lloyd. They needn't have bothered: Lloyd was not the type to be intimidated by someone's size, as that would've involved him caring, and that called for far too much effort, especially when there was data that needed analyzing.

Cecile and Suzaku, realizing that Lloyd's indifference might appear to be... well, exactly what it was, quickly ran over and tried to diffuse the situation. But as it turned out, the soldiers didn't care about Lloyd, as they hadn't come for him.

They'd come for Suzaku, at Princess Cornelia's orders. And even when Suzaku instantly agreed to go with them, something about the way they handled him roughly, in spite of his willingness, told him that their feelings were not far from Cornelia's, and that complaining would only earn him worse treatment. Cecile promised to file an official complaint with Prince Schneizel, and Lloyd eventually agreed to do the same, assuming Suzaku had any broken parts when they returned him. Cecile was not amused.

By the time he was deposited at the end of a long dining table, with Cornelia gazing coolly at him from the other end, Suzaku knew what he had to do. He dropped to one knee and lowered his head to pay the proper respect, and seated himself at Cornelia's command. Food was brought to him, but he only ate enough to be polite, almost certain that every bite was poisoned.

The moment he stopped eating, the interrogation began.

"What are your intentions with Euphemia?" Cornelia demanded.

Suzaku did his best to appear confused. "I'm not certain I understand your question, Your Highness. I am a solider, and she is a princess who has privately declared me her personal knight. All I can do is serve her faithfully. So my intentions can only be her intentions."

If the answer surprised Cornelia, she didn't show it. "Why did she visit Ashford Academy?"

"She wanted to be among Britannian students, and to speak with the Ashford family. I assume it was simply nostalgia."

"Then why did she kiss that boy?" Cornelia snapped, narrowing her eyes.

Suzaku blinked, a frown slowly spreading across his face. "You would have to ask the princess herself." The realization that Lelouch had been right about Britannia's prying eyes bothered him a great deal. There was no telling what else Suzaku and Euphemia had been wrong about.

"I hope you realize, Kururugi, that if that had been you, I would be well within my rights to kill you, without any explanation whatsoever."

He closed his eyes. "You could do that, anyway, at any time. Couldn't you?" When he looked again, Cornelia had a nasty smile on her face.

"Yes. I could. So clever of you to realize that. I suggest that you keep it in mind, for future reference."

"May I ask why you hate me, Your Highness?" Suzaku asked boldly. "Is it because I'm an Honorary Britannian? Or because your sister trusts me?"

"Neither, now," Cornelia answered. "I hate you now because you are a man who holds Euphemia's heart in his hands. If you do anything to tarnish such a precious gift, I will kill you myself. But only after I've made you suffer. Do not think that your skill with the Lancelot makes you invaluable. There are, after all, ways to obtain a suitable replacement."

Suzaku didn't know how true that was, but he wasn't about to assume that Cornelia was bluffing, either. He knew there were Knightmare pilots far more talented than himself, and if anyone could summon one at a moment's notice, Cornelia would be near the top of that list.

Taking a deep breath, Euphemia opened her eyes and willed herself to stop crying.

It worked for about a minute.

She knew it was her fault for staring at that painting, but it really was unavoidable now. Especially since she'd requested a reproduction, had it enlarged so that it was almost life-sized, and delivered to her office in the government complex.

It was one of many paintings that she'd found in her late brother's personal gallery, and surprisingly, the only one that featured Lelouch, Nunnally, and their mother. Once, Euphemia had been able to look at it and pretend that she and her half-siblings were still together, happy and safe. But now, she could only look at it and see that the Lelouch she'd loved so dearly was gone forever, all because his mother was cruelly taken away from him.

Ironic, that Zero had been convinced that Clovis had grown up to be a monster. But Clovis had never murdered his own brother, while Lelouch... clever, moody, resourceful, wonderful Lelouch... had. Whatever Clovis had done, Euphemia could not bring herself to believe he'd deserved death. Even if he had ordered the deaths of thousands, or millions, without just cause, he could still repent and be forgiven, eventually.

She knew in her heart that Lelouch was wrong for what he'd done to Clovis. She knew that, and yet she could not bring herself to hate him. That was just how much Lelouch had meant to her, and still did.

That was how much she loved him still.

But it made her incredibly sad, to realize that she would have to discard the memory of one brother, if she was going to keep on adoring another.

"Please forgive me, Clovis," Euphemia whispered. "But I can't let him go. I just can't..."

A curt knock at the door jerked her from her thoughts.

"Your Highness?" one of her attendants asked. "You have a visitor."

"I asked not to be disturbed," Euphemia said as politely as she could manage. She was in no mood to speak to anyone at the moment.

"I'm sorry, but I believe you should."

That was a rather odd way to talk to a princess, and before Euphemia could protest, the door opened.

She relaxed only slightly upon recognizing her visitor, but Euphemia was still very confused. "Nina? What are you doing here, and how did you get in? This really isn't a good time to talk."

"Did something happen?" Nina asked in concern, noticing the tear tracks on Euphemia's cheeks right away.

"I'd really rather not talk about it," Euphemia insisted.

"You're right." Nina smiled and adjusted her glasses with a finger. "You'd rather feel much better, wouldn't you?"

Euphemia blinked, her shoulders drooping slightly. "Yes, I would," she agreed softly, a smile spreading across her face. "And I do!"

Nina beamed at her. "Then I'll leave you alone now. It was nice to see you again, Princess Euphemia. Please call on me if you ever need anything." She turned to leave.

"But didn't you want something, Nina?" Euphemia asked, feeling more lost than ever (but still remarkably good, for some reason).

"Just to see you smile," Nina said warmly without looking back.

"Wait!" Euphemia cried, catching Nina just outside of the office. "I'm not really busy at the moment, so what if I showed you around a little? I'm not supposed to, but I feel I can trust you."

"That would be wonderful, Princess Euphemia," Nina replied. "But how will I ever repay you if you keep doing these nice things for me?"

"That's the beauty of a gift from a friend, Nina," Euphemia said, taking her hand. "You don't have to pay them back. You just have to appreciate it."

Kallen closed her eyes in bliss as she took another large bite of the lunch that Sayoko had prepared. She hadn't tasted anything so wonderful in years, and was immensely thankful that Nunnally had wanted a picnic lunch today. It was a little odd, since Nunnally usually ate with her friends, but Kallen honestly preferred the peaceful picnic to the noisy cafeteria.

"Kallen, can I ask you something?"

Immediately swallowing the food she was chewing, Kallen looked over her shoulder. Nunnally was staring at her lap, anxiously bunching up her skirt and then smoothing it out, a clear sign that this was not an easy question to ask. "Of course you can, Nunnally," Kallen said at once.

"It's just... I overheard you and Miss Sayoko talking the other day, and... are you really my friend?"

Kallen's jaw dropped. "N-Nunnally," she stammered, completely floored. Of course, she had no idea how much Nunnally had heard, so she wasn't about to admit to too much. Sayoko was Lelouch and Nunnally's maid, as well as the one who would be protecting Nunnally while Kallen was away, and had been doing so for some time now. Lelouch had introduced them so they could coordinate in their efforts to provide Nunnally with constant security. Kallen was amazed at the skill with which such a gentle woman could handle a wide variety of projectile weapons, and had felt way out of her league when they'd sparred. But Sayoko had assured her that knives and darts were far easier to master than Knightmares, and Kallen wasn't exactly a beginner herself.

"It's okay if you aren't," Nunnally added softly. "I'm thankful for your protection, anyway."

"No!" Kallen blurted out, seizing Nunnally's hand. "It isn't like that, I swear! I am your friend, Nunnally! I just-"

"But you lied," Nunnally whispered. "You said you were sick."

"I... yes, I did say that," Kallen admitted. "But that's only because I have to protect my identity, too. I was afraid that if you or anyone else knew who I was, you'd treat me differently."

Nunnally was silent for a few seconds as she thought about it. "I don't care if you're Japanese, Kallen," she said at last. "But if you really are my friend, please don't lie to me anymore."

Kallen bit her lip. "I can only promise that if you'll promise to understand that there are some things I choose not to tell you, so that I won't have to lie to you."

"Okay," Nunnally agreed, giving her hand a little squeeze. "But if you're going to start wearing knives under your clothes like Miss Sayoko, you should probably practice walking and sitting with them on first."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kallen laughed weakly.

Rarely did Lelouch have a free afternoon, but the added stress of dealing with Suzaku and Euphemia had convinced him that a small break was needed here and there, if for no other reason than to make sure C.C. was staying out of trouble. He felt a bit more secure with his added security measures in place around campus, but C.C. was notorious for disappearing without warning, even if she always came back in time for dinner or to steal his bed.

Naturally, Lelouch told no one of his change in plans, which allowed him to walk into his bedroom just as C.C. was opening her version of dinner on his bed: a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese.

Their eyes met, but not a word passed between them. C.C. was not ashamed of her habit, and Lelouch had grown accustomed to the constant aroma of pizza hanging around. There were far worse smells, after all, and at least all the pizzas were easily explained away. Trying to persuade C.C. not to purchase pizza was truly an exercise in futility, and Lelouch was just glad that was the only thing she constantly charged to his credit card. He just wished they would stop sending over the Cheese-kun plushies with every tenth pizza in a week, as he was running out of places to hide them.

"How is it you manage not to get fat, if all you ever eat is pizza?" Lelouch asked suddenly. "I never see you do anything more strenuous than walk across campus, and you only do that to annoy me between classes."

C.C. didn't even look up. "Pizza is brain food. If you ate more pizza, you'd know that, as well as how I stay in shape."

"An interesting proposal," Lelouch said as he sat down on the other end of the bed, removed the first slice from the box, and took a bite. He almost laughed at the comical expression of shock on C.C.'s face.

"I wanted that piece," she informed him, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I hadn't noticed," he replied without much concern, taking another bite.

Frowning, C.C. moved the pizza box aside, crawled across the bed towards him, and sank her teeth into the crust of the stolen slice, pulling the whole thing away from him with a gleam of triumph in her eyes.

Lelouch was too startled to respond, watching as she devoured the slice in a manner of seconds. He wondered if she knew anything about the concept of an indirect kiss, then decided if she didn't care about getting his germs, nothing else would bother her when it came to pizza, either.

"I'm getting mixed signals," he said at last. "You say I should eat pizza, but then you take it from me."

She clutched the box protectively. "Get your own. This is my pizza."

"Purchased with my credit card, which is in my name. So in the eyes of the law, and more importantly, Pizza Hut, that's my pizza. I would think you could part with a slice or two."

Scowling at him, C.C. picked out the smallest slice and offered it to him. "There. You can have that."

He smirked. "How am I going to get smarter than you if that's all I eat?"

"Don't be stupid. You can't get smarter than me. But you won't be quite as annoying if you eat a little pizza. Very little pizza."

"I'm telling you," Rivalz said as he, Milly, and Shirley headed across campus, "there's something weird about Kallen, now that she's back."

Milly snorted. "You're only saying that because she won't talk to you."

"No, I noticed it, too!" Shirley added. "Kallen doesn't talk much to anyone, and almost never leaves Nunnally's side. Nunnally is talking to other people less and less, too. I'm really worried about her. And as usual, Lulu is nowhere to be found when he's needed!"

"Hmm." Milly tapped her chin thoughtfully with a finger. "Then it's up to us to rescue our darling Nunnally from the evil clutches of the returning student! I feel a devious plan coming on!"

"We're with you, Madame President!" Rivalz shouted excitedly. "I am yours to command!"

"You guys are weird," Shirley muttered, just because it had to be said. "What's the plan?"

Milly's eyes gleamed. "Kallen has taken Nunnally hostage, right? So we have to abduct her back!"

"But that makes it sound like Nunna wouldn't want to come with us, anyway," Shirley argued.

"She wouldn't! Kallen has obviously brainwashed our poor, sweet Nunnally! That's why you two have to distract Kallen while I cleverly spirit Nunnally away to safety!"

"Great! And I know exactly where they are!" Rivalz said with a big grin, his nostrils flaring.

Shirley stared at him in shock. "You can SMELL them?"

"What? No! But I overheard Nunnally say she'd be stopping by the Artiste Society today. They want her to pose again later this week."

Milly gave him a thumbs up. "Good work, Rivalz! Let's go get our Nunnally back!"

The determined trio quickly made their way to the hallway where the former Art Club's classroom was located, just in time to find Kallen guiding Nunnally through the thinning afternoon crowd.

"Begin the operation!" Milly hissed, shoving her friends forward.

Rivalz sprang into action, running right up to Kallen and asking her out on a date. The look she gave him in return made her answer an obvious refusal, but before she could put that into words, Shirley ran up and smacked the back of his head, apologizing over and over. Kallen relaxed somewhat in the face of the the repeated apologies, and actually removed her hands from Nunnally's wheelchair in an attempt to stop Shirley from talking.

That was just what Milly had been waiting for. She quickly snuck through the crowd (having to shush several excited boys that caught sight of her), grabbed Nunnally's wheelchair, and began to move the girl away from Kallen. Milly would've like to warn Nunnally first, but Kallen would overhear them.

Unfortunately, Nunnally knew nothing of Milly's plan, or even that it was Milly who had taken her. She only knew that Kallen was with her for a good reason, and that this might actually be that reason. "Kallen! KALLEN!" she cried loudly. "Help me, please!"

It was like someone flipped a switch in Kallen's brain. Shirley grabbed her wrist, and Rivalz purposely stood in her way, but they might as well not have been there at all. Kallen snapped Shirley's wrist with little more than a thought, and punched Rivalz in the nose so hard that he was bleeding well before he hit the floor. Then she took off like a rocket, shoving people out of way in her hurry to get to Nunnally.

Milly might have been determined, but she was not crazy. There was no way she could get away from Kallen, not if she had to push Nunnally, too. And despite how furious Kallen seemed at the moment, Milly suspected that all she really wanted was Nunnally safe at her side. So she brought Nunnally's wheelchair to a stop and quickly moved away from it.

But all that meant was that Kallen merely paused to check on Nunnally first. All too soon, though, her gaze moved to Milly, and the look in her eyes promised pain unlike anything Milly had ever experienced before.

"Don't hurt Milly, Kallen," Nunnally said suddenly, startling them both. "She's my friend, and I'm sure she didn't mean me any harm."

"You knew it was me the whole time?" Milly asked in shock.

Nunnally shook her head. "No, only when I had a moment to think about it. Who else would Shirley and Rivalz be plotting with?"

"Why did you do that?!" Kallen demanded angrily, glaring at Milly. "If you're really Nunnally's friend, why would you move her without telling her first?"

"Because we were trying to save her from you!" Milly snapped, feeling a bit more brave now that Nunnally was seemingly on her side again. "You're isolating Nunnally from her friends, and they miss her!"

Kallen blinked, clearly not expecting that. She turned to Nunnally and asked hesitantly, "Is that true, Nunnally? Am I doing that? I didn't want to disrupt your life, or keep you from having one that you could still enjoy."

Nunnally tilted her head slightly. "I suppose I haven't been around my friends as much. But that's only because I've been getting to know you, Kallen. I'm sorry if I worried anyone, but I'm just fine. I'll still be spending a lot of time with Kallen, though."

"Why?" Milly asked, wondering what Nunnally might see in such a violent person.

"Because I've decided that she's my new best friend," Nunnally replied simply.

"Shirley isn't going to like that," Milly sighed. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, Shirley! And Rivalz!"

Kallen winced as Milly rushed past her. Rivalz had gotten back to his feet, but his nose was bleeding pretty badly. Shirley was standing, too, whimpering in pain and staring at her swollen wrist. Even worse, everyone still in the hallway was staring at Kallen fearfully. This was not going to end well.

But still, something tugged at Kallen's thoughts. "Nunnally... did you mean that?" she whispered, placing her hand over Nunnally's.

Instead of answering, Nunnally grasped Kallen's hand, and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. "Thank you for saving me, Kallen," she said softly.

Kallen blushed faintly. "Ah, you're welcome, Nunnally. But I didn't really-"

"Let's go make sure everyone's okay. I think I'll have to explain our situation to the principal now, so you don't get expelled."

"Right," Kallen sighed, mentally kicking herself. She hadn't failed Zero or Nunnally, not really, but she'd effectively blown her cover. Now everyone would know that Nunnally had a bodyguard. On the other hand, Knights were public knowledge, so perhaps this could be used to their advantage. Maybe this would even decrease the likelihood of Nunnally being attacked, if it was known that she had a capable protector. Only Kallen was sure that the next threat wouldn't come from a trio of misguided Britannian students.

And she prayed that no one ever thought to question why Nunnally might need such protection in the first place.

Nina practically skipped back to her dorm room, having just come from an exclusive viewing of Clovis la Britannia's personal art gallery. That had been a gift from Euphemia, along with the contact number for one Earl Asplund, who could fast-track Nina's potential career in military science if she chose to look him up.

All that, and she'd only had to use her Geass twice. First, on one of the guards, who'd taken her straight to Euphemia, and then on Euphemia herself. But each of the gifts had simply been a result of the Third Princess's generosity, and nothing more.

All that, from just two carefully phrased questions, and the nifty little power that Zero had blessed her with. Nina was still surprised that Zero was a woman, but at least that explained the attraction on her part.

She went to bed that night fully intending to dream of pink and green-haired vixens, but Nina found herself stuck on the portrait that she'd glanced at in Euphemia's office. It had been exceptionally large for a work of art, and while Nina could not identify the people in it, she could not completely dismiss the notion that she knew them, somehow. They were obviously important to Euphemia, and Nina made a mental note to ask about them in the near future. Euphemia had promised they would do lunch soon, so that would be as good a time as any.

In the darkness, two people stood, silently watching footage of Nina as she went about her day.

"Such a curious child. It's been a long time since I've seen someone use their Geass in such a manner."

The young boy raised his head, staring at his master's back. "How do you mean?"

"Her love of science guides every use. She turns all of her suggestions into a query beforehand, so that her ability won't do so on its own, which eliminates the possibility of it doing anything she didn't want to begin with. In essence, she tells her Geass what would benefit her the most, so it has no chance to misinterpret anything."

"Shall I kill her?"

The boy's master sighed heavily. "That's your problem, Rolo. You have no head for science. I was just singing the girl's praises, so why would I want you to kill her?"

Rolo frowned. "I am an assassin. I assume that you only discuss people with me if you want them dead. I can never tell what you're thinking."

"Because it's your job to kill, not to know my thoughts. And I'll tell you when you need to attempt either. For now, I want you to continue your surveillance of Ashford Academy. Make sure that Cornelia's men don't see you. They'd only complicate things, and even with your Geass, I would prefer not to waste time."

Without a word, Rolo left to do his master's bidding.

Rolo's master smiled as he watched Nina sleeping peacefully. "Sweet dreams, child. But not for too long. I want to see what you do next with the power I've given you. You may turn out to be my most interesting experiment yet. Not particularly powerful or useful, but interesting all the same."

C.C.'s eyes snapped open as she heard someone slip into Lelouch's room in the middle of the night. Hearing only one set of footsteps, she relaxed somewhat. If the military were going to kill or capture her, they'd at least send more than one person to do the job.

"Move or I'm sleeping on top of you," a familiar voice grunted wearily, and C.C. rolled over in bed just in time to avoid being crushed (or at least made marginally uncomfortable) by Lelouch. She noted that he was fully clothed, and clearly so exhausted that he intended to sleep just as he was. Also, he wasn't making a big deal about sleeping in the same bed as her for once, and at the same time, no less.

"So how did it go with the principal?" she asked.

"Fine. It just took forever to convince him that everything was fine. Kallen blew her cover, but only as a feeble student. Now they think she's a strong, schizophrenic student."

"You used your Geass, then?"

He chuckled into the pillow. "Amazingly, I didn't. Kallen's behavior alone was convincing enough."

She blinked. "And such students are commonly allowed to attend?"

"No, but they're also convinced that Nunnally is the only person who can keep Kallen calm." There was a slight pause before Lelouch added, "That part may actually be true."

"You sound concerned. Aren't you the one who gave her this duty?"

"That's not what worries me," Lelouch replied. "It's just that Nunnally's become attached to Kallen so quickly. But for most of my plans to succeed, I'll need to depend on Kallen's abilities. If she dies in battle, then..."

"So don't let her die," C.C. concluded simply.

He considered that briefly. "C.C., could you-"

"Give her a Geass?"

"Would you?"

"That would be a great risk, Lelouch," C.C. warned him. "Geass could very well drive her away from you and Nunnally both, especially if she discovers what yours is and links it back to Zero."

"It's possible," he admitted. "But there may be a way around it."

"Using your own Geass on her?"

"No. Telling her the truth."

C.C. stared at him. "You are tired. You're not thinking straight."

"I'm not that tired. And I didn't mean the whole truth. Just enough to keep Kallen loyal. If Zero told her about Geass, and proved she was not under its influence, I believe she would remain loyal."

"If she doesn't, you may need to kill her."

"I'd use my Geass on her if it came to that. Kallen being controlled is better than her being dead. I need her to protect Nunnally, one way or the other."

End of Part 4.

Endnotes:

Something I'm uncertain about, canon-wise: do Lelouch, Nunnally, and the Ashfords know about Sayoko's ninja background from the start? I can't really get a clear sense of that, since Sayoko has very little screen time early on. On the other hand, I don't think Lelouch would trust Nunnally's safety to a regular maid, who couldn't protect her. So I'm just assuming that Nunnally has noticed that Sayoko is either too agile for a maid, or realized that the concealed weapon stash she wears alters her footsteps somewhat (okay, that probably sounds stupid, but I still say that if Nunnally can tell that one of Arthur's legs was hurt by his footsteps, a human carrying hidden weapons shouldn't be much more of a challenge, especially a person she's around all of the time).

Oh, an indirect kiss is when someone puts their mouth on something where someone else's mouth has been just seconds before. I think it's a Japanese thing, as the last time I even heard it discussed was in another anime where two characters drank from the same soda. In my experience, it's usually either meant to be disgusting, funny as hell, or both.

I think I subconsciously hate Rivalz, but I can't figure out why. He's kinda funny half the time, and he loves Milly, which makes him relatively normal. I just don't get it. All I know is that when he shows up in my fics, he gets hurt. I'm not crazy about Shirley, either, but mostly she just gets ignored.

Nina's Geass is like a pitfall trap. She gives the victim a choice (easiest presented as a question), and her Geass pushes them into the "hole" that most benefits her. But it's dangerous to leave that up to Geass, so Nina simplifies and safeguards the process by saying something like, "Don't you want to let me talk to Princess Euphemia?" That makes what benefits her so obvious that it can't be taken the wrong way... in theory. Of course, when she was unaware of the power, she just asked things like, "Do you really like my sketches?" or "Should I really be the Art Club President?" Both of which are pretty open-ended, but Geass still pushed people into favoring her.

It's probably obvious who Rolo's master is, and I dunno why I didn't bother to use his name yet.

Somehow I don't think C.C. being fallen on by Lelouch would count as being crushed. I mean, she might even weigh more than him, considering how skinny he is. Just another reason he should eat more pizza, if you ask me.