Chapter Six

August 15, 2017

The couch wasn't the most comfortable thing that Suzaku had ever slept on, but it was better than some of the streets that he had slept on for the short period when he had been homeless and certainly better than sleeping in the barracks, waiting for the rest of the Royal Guard to jump him in the night. But, on the other hand, the couch was the reason that he didn't dare to return to the barracks, certain that he would get attacked for being in the emperor's favor or because they all thought that he was easy. Still, it wasn't a bad thing, it kept him away from the other men in the Royal Guard and kept him close to the emperor, which was right where he needed to be, at least while the time machine was being repaired.

Then again, the couch was doing something to his back because he kept waking up sore.

Suzaku grumbled sleepily to himself and shifted, pulling the covers over his head in an attempt to block the light that was coming in through the windows. He thought he heard an answering complaint from where Lelouch slept, tensing for a moment before allowing himself to relax. From what he could hear, Lelouch was safe and probably planning to sleep well into the afternoon. The emperor had been up late last night working in his study and Suzaku had been up with him, standing right inside the door and staring at the wall, trying to stave off boredom. It was a small boon that he was getting better at that, at least.

He kept himself awake for a few moment more, listening to Lelouch settling down again before allowing himself to slip away again. It was one of the benefits of being a light sleeper and used to getting up in the mornings and having to function nearly instantly, he could guard Lelouch while remaining somewhat alert. Then again, he was sure that Jeremiah was still lurking somewhere close by, fulfilling his role as the loyal family retainer. Suzaku frowned at that, pressing his face harder against the pillow. He was sure that he remembered Jeremiah from history, but he couldn't quite place the name with any event.

Suzaku was about to shrug the vague feeling that he was forgetting something when the door to Lelouch's room slid open. He tumbled out of his bed, reaching for something to defend the emperor with only to come up with nothing. Suzaku landed on the floor, already scrambling to get to his feet. Behind him he could hear Lelouch sitting up, putting himself between himself and the emperor, knowing how ridiculous he looked in just his boxers.

Jeremiah stared at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow before turning and bowing to Lelouch, Suzaku relaxing his stance a bit. He took a step back, allowing Jeremiah to walk to where Lelouch was sliding out of bed, collecting his uniform and moving slightly behind the couch and hurriedly changing into it. He was going to have to talk to Lelouch about his pay and benefits for this job, aside from the clean uniforms that kept turning up for him. He had been able to sneak some time in the barrack showers a couple of times, but he couldn't just live in this partial limbo of waiting.

"My lord, we've just received news of the Black Knights moving." Suzaku looked up abruptly at that, frowning as he tried to remember the date. The next biggest event to his knowledge wasn't coming up for another five days, and he was still trying to figure out how he would keep the emperor safe in a battle where he had just seen the pictures of the decisive moves. Just waiting until he recognized the formations would be useless, it would be too late to maneuver out of the way when that happened.

"Where?"

Suzaku turned his head to look at Jeremiah and Lelouch. Jeremiah shot him another look, Suzaku tensing at that. Of course Jeremiah would doubt his usefulness when it came to a time like this, Suzaku was Japanese after all. He met Jeremiah's gaze, waiting until the man turned his focus back to Lelouch.

"Saitama ghetto."

Suzaku frowned as Lelouch threw the covers off of the bed, the two speaking in low voices that he couldn't catch. He walked back around to the front of the couch, pulling on his boots before fixing up the blanket, folding it and placing it back on the couch.

"Kururugi." He looked up at the sound of his name being called, striding over to where Lelouch was waiting and bowing. Suzaku blinked when Lelouch's hand brushed over the top of his head, risking a quick look up at the emperor before dropping his gaze. "Give this message to the A.S.E.E.C. Tell them to head out to Saitama and bring the Lancelot."

"Yes, your highness."

"You will then prepare to join us in battle." Lelouch turned away from him, Suzaku remaining in his bow as Lelouch addressed Jeremiah. "Numbers?"

"Not many, my lord. They're obviously just waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" Suzaku felt Lelouch's gaze drift back over to him. "A final attempt to win back their country? I thought that they would be smarter than that."

Lelouch walked away, Suzaku carefully getting to his feet as soon as the emperor had left the room. He tipped his head to the side before looking at Jeremiah, noticing that the man looked worried. Suzaku cleared his throat, carefully straightening his uniform. "It seems strange."

"Yes." Jeremiah turned and placed a hand on his shoulder, Suzaku feeling it tighten dangerously on his shoulder before the man let go. "Watch him."

"I will."

Jeremiah nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Suzaku alone. He glanced back to where Lelouch had disappeared before turning and walking out of the room. He would watch Lelouch carefully when they finally got into battle, but he had orders from the emperor that he couldn't disobey. He walked quickly through the administrative building, heading for the A.S.E.E.C hangar. He ignored the glares that were thrown his way by the members of the Britannian military that were out near the hangar, keeping his gaze focused straight ahead, so much so that he missed seeing the people coming up beside him.

He felt his foot hit something before he was sprawling on the ground, flinching as he cheek scraped against the ground before he picked himself up. Suzaku glanced over at the two men who were glaring at them, recognizing the Royal Guard uniform and groaning. Of course they would get to him now. Suzaku sighed and wiped off his palms on his pants before taking a step forward, he couldn't afford to waste time.

A hand grabbed onto his shoulder, Suzaku spun around to face the other two men. He narrowed his eyes and yanked his shoulder out of their grasp. "I'm on important business from the emperor."

"Of course you are, Eleven. And I'm the emperor's cousin." Suzaku dodged away from the blow that was aimed his way, his eyes widening as he realized his mistake. Moving would just encourage them more. They were already glaring at him, stepping forward threateningly and forcing Suzaku to retreat. "And you can't get out of this by slipping back into the emperor's bed."

Suzaku shook his head, taking another step back. Of course that would be what they were thinking, especially with Lelouch keeping him close, and he couldn't have been the only one noticing the glances that Lelouch threw his way when the emperor thought that no one looking. He swallowed and turned slightly. "I…I have orders."

"Embarrassed, Eleven?" One of the men laughed, nudging the other. "He's embarrassed. Didn't think you would enjoy it?"

Suzaku opened his mouth to respond, snapping it shut in the next moment. The best thing to do would be to walk away and ignore their taunting, it would get worse in the end but he would get out safely. Besides, Lelouch was depending on him, and he didn't want to risk the emperor's anger, the consequences would be worse for him. He ducked his head, clenching one hand before forcing himself to turn around and walk away. When the first barks of laughter drifted towards him, Suzaku just squared his shoulders and kept walking.

"Hey, come back Eleven. I didn't give you permission to leave!"

Suzaku bit back his response, he didn't have the right to talk back here, but they didn't have the authority to call him back. He was well within his rights to ignore their social status and carry on as the emperor had ordered. He would just have to watch out for the Royal Guard now, that move may have made them all his enemies and, from now on, they might not be satisfied with just beating him. His hands clenched into fists, Suzaku ducking his head. This was putting him right in a place that he didn't want to be, close to the emperor.

The only part that had worked out according to his plan was the retrieval of the time machine, Suzaku heaving a sigh and opening the door to the hangar and shuffling in. He glanced up as he saw someone run past him, turning to press himself against the wall.

"Suzaku!" He turned as Cecile called his name, nodding before jogging out into the main bay of the hangar, surprised to see that the Lancelot was standing at the ready. "We got the orders."

"R-right." He nodded and sprinted for the makeshift locker rooms, carelessly stripping out of his uniform and pulling on the flight suit, reaching out to pull the key from where it was hanging. Suzaku glanced at the crumpled pile of clothing, swallowing nervously before zipping up the suit, wasting a moment to fold the clothes carefully. This was who he was now, a loyal servant of the emperor, if not the Britannian empire in an attempt to keep himself alive. There was no room for the hatred that he felt for the empire, if he felt hatred for it at all. Suzaku reached out to trace over the gold fabric on the edge of the collar of his guard uniform before shutting the locker, leaving it unlocked as he turned and walked back to the main room.

He was handed an incom by one of the interns that was constantly running around, automatically settling it into place. The door at one end of the hangar was being opened, the carrier that would take the Knightmare to the ghetto already being maneuvered inside. Suzaku spared it a glance before climbing up the scaffold to slip directly into the cockpit, the chair sliding in smoothly. He fumbled with the key for a moment before sliding it into place.

The Lancelot hummed to life, Suzaku glancing around the cockpit as the systems ran their checks, watching the screen go dark before display lit up again, displaying the Britannian flag and the words 'Marching Ever Onward To Tomorrow' before he was allowed a view of the room. He flipped the Factspheres open, letting them can the room to double check that they were working before focusing on Lloyd, the scientist waving from the floor to get his attention. It was only when Suzaku rotated the Knightmare to face Lloyd that the scientist spoke into the incom. "Think you can get the Lancelot into the trailer."

Suzaku glanced at the truck, watching as the back portion of it was rolled up, revealing a space where the Knightmare could be stored in a crouch. He nodded, quickly remembering that Lloyd couldn't see him. "Yes."

"Good." Lloyd gave him a thumbs up before jogging across the room to get to the carrier, Cecile already waiting for him there.

Suzaku took a deep breath, easing the Knightmare away from the scaffold and out into the open. He stared at the trailer, watching as a few of the other members of the A.S.E.E.C lowered the ramp for him before rushing out of the way. He waited until the last of them were on the edges of the room, glancing at the time machine one more time before pushing it out of his thoughts. He should be worrying about the fight that was waiting for him at the ghetto, not the time machine; it would be safe enough here.

He sent the Lancelot forward, setting it up at the end of the ramp before turning the Knightmare around and backing it slowly into the carrier, listening to Lloyd's encouragement through the incom. As soon as it was settled into place, Suzaku made the machine crouch down, shutting it down as soon as he heard the sound of the back of the carrier closing. Suzaku waited until he heard it crash down in front of him before clambering out of the Knightmare, riding the tow rope down to the floor and checking to see that the Lancelot was secure, although he doubted that it would roll around much.

His job complete, Suzaku made his way over to the small door that led to the cabin of the carrier, having to lunge for it and hold on as the truck was started and pulled out of the hangar. He gritted his teeth and stumbled the rest of the way into the cabin, flopping down onto a seat, listening to Cecile scold Lloyd as she steering the truck out onto the highway, joining the line of carriers.

Lloyd ignored her complaints completely, turning to face Suzaku with a smile. "You've heard about the new weapons."

"Miss. Cecile told me about them the day we ran those simulations." Suzaku frowned as he tried to remember their exact names, he could just remember that there were two swords and a rifle that he could use. "She also said that they shouldn't cause any sync problems."

"Of course not. Why would I design faulty parts?" Lloyd looked insulted for a moment, huffing and staring out of the window before turning back to look at Suzaku, the smile back on his face. "You can make it up to me by telling me who built that time machine."

"Lloyd!"

"Still doubting Cecile?" Suzaku glanced up at the woman, watching as her hands clenched on the steering wheel, trying to smother his smile at the sight of the two of them arguing. "You're the one who was poking about in the Yggdrasil Drive. You saw what it was connected to."

"A…A bunch of wires with no purpose."

"Non-believer." Lloyd turned away, obviously bored with Cecile's repeated attempts to prove him wrong. "Now, who invented that beautiful machine?"

"I thought you didn't want to know about the future."

"Just this once?"

Suzaku stared at Lloyd, trying to decide if he was trying to stare him down or looking at him, not sure if either was right. He cleared his throat and turned his head to look out of the window, staring at the Tokyo Settlement. "You did."

"Good." He turned to stare at Lloyd as the scientist flopped back in his seat. "I beat Rakshata again. Now how did you get it?"

"You said just this once!"

"It's an add on. Did you steal it?" Suzaku leaned back as Lloyd leaned forward to peer at him. The scientist tilted his head to the side, still smiling despite the seriousness of the question. "The Lancelot does make a very pretty car."

"N-no!" Suzaku blushed, looking down at the floor of the cabin. "You gave it to me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your favorite devicer."

Suzaku thought he had muttered the words low enough that Lloyd wouldn't hear them. Apparently he had underestimated the scientist, surprised when Lloyd pulled him upright and looked at him. "You don't look like Cecile."

The woman in question made a choked sound, turning around to stare at the both of them before looking back at the road, Suzaku blushing the entire time. "'m not hers…exactly."

"Talk. I want to know."

"What about the-"

"My Lancelot is more important than the future. And I want to know who is piloting it." Lloyd blanched. "Don't tell me…Rakshata?"

"No." Suzaku struggled to come up with a way to explain without revealing too much, giving it up as a lost cause a moment later. "I'm not related to either of you…or Rakshata. My mother died from an overdose of Refrain when I was nine. Miss. Cecile...adopted me when I was ten."

He looked up at the soft noise of distress from Cecile. "You were only in an orphanage for a year?"

Suzaku ducked his head, staring at his lap. Of course she would assumed that he came from an orphanage, it's where children were usually adopted from. "I was lucky, I kept my head down and stayed out of trouble. I've met others who…weren't as lucky as I was."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He looked up and smiled at Cecile, watching her glance up at him through the rearview mirror. "I think I turned out alright."

"You did." Suzaku relaxed at the fond smile that Cecile gave him, shocked when she frowned and shook her head the next moment, focusing on the road again. "Not that I believe any of that."

Suzaku slumped at the rejection, trying to tell himself that it was just Cecile's usual reaction. She preferred the sciences of the things that she could see rather than the abstract, that was Lloyd's territory. He swallowed and looked back over at Lloyd, surprised at the almost sympathetic look on the scientist's face before it was wiped away, Lloyd returning to his usual bouncy self.

"Keep my Lancelot in the Royal Guards, will you?" Suzaku turned to look at Lloyd with wide eyes, not quite sure how to take the smile on his face. "If you continue at your level, Lelouch will have no choice but to promote you."

"Lloyd!"

"Emperor, then." He stuck his tongue out at Cecile before settling back. "So don't wreck it."

Suzaku smiled and nodded, glancing ahead and feeling his stomach sink at the sight of Saitama ghetto. Smoke was already rising from the tangled of buildings, Suzaku staring at it and feeling his stomach flip nervously. The last time he had been piloting the Lancelot, the battle had been nearly done, this time he was going in at the beginning. Although, this wouldn't be considered a battle, probably a skirmish. He swallowed, trying to keep from throwing up. He would have to kill his own people today, in the service of an empire that hated him.

Shakily, he stood up from his seat and walked back to where the Lancelot was, feeling Lloyd's eyes on him as he walked away. Suzaku shut the door to the trailer part of the carrier, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor, resting his head against his knees as he tried to calm his traitorous stomach. There was nothing he could think of that could put a different spin on this, he was going to be killing people. He swallowed again, shutting his eyes and letting out a long sigh, the end almost justified the means, a peace that would last ten years before showing signs of being shaky. He had to fight for it now, or there would be nothing worth going back to.

He stood up, having to lean on the wall to keep his balance as the carrier turned. Suzaku stumbled over to the Lancelot, staring up at the Knightmare and feeling the familiar fear that came with the machines. He swallowed, staring at the armor before forcing himself to reach out and touch it, something that he hadn't done since he had found the Lancelot. Suzaku pressed his palms against the cool metal, shivering in disgust before taking a step forward. He was stuck with the Knightmare like he was stuck with the Britannian Empire. He couldn't think of himself in the terms of the future anymore, that Suzaku couldn't exist anymore.

He was Suzaku Kururugi, loyal guard of the emperor and the pilot of the Lancelot. There was nothing else for him to be.

Suzaku glanced over at the tow rope, stepping away from the leg of the Knightmare to walk over to it, wrapping his hand around it and staring up at the cockpit. They would be there in a matter of minutes, then he would have to report to Lelouch. He took a deep breath, steadying himself before stepping into the stirrup feeling the tow rope sag under his weight for a moment before raising itself slowly up to the cockpit.

"Suzaku?"

"Yes?"

"We're pulling into the ghetto now." Cecile hesitated for a moment before clearing her throat. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't have to do this, you know. You're just a student."

"Eighteen years from now."

"I'm not talking about the future; I'm talking about what you are now."

Suzaku hesitated at that, staring at the interior of the Lancelot before sitting down in the seat, closing his eyes as he was pulled into the cockpit of the machine. "Miss. Cecile, right now I'm a soldier."

She didn't respond to him. Suzaku pressed his fingers against the incom, waiting for a moment before letting them drop away. The Lancelot rocked slightly as the carrier came to a stop, Suzaku glancing up as the heard the faint rumble of the back of the carrier opening. He sighed and reached down, starting up the Knightmare. The screens around him flickered to life, Suzaku taking another deep breath to calm himself down before forcing himself to stop thinking. If he wanted to get out of this alive, he had to focus on the battle.

He jumped as Lelouch's face appeared on the screen, turning the motion into a short bow. Suzaku thought he caught a hint of a smile on Lelouch's face before it was transformed into the usual smirk that Lelouch wore. "So the A.S.E.E.C did get here. Care to join us, Kururugi?"

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, your majesty."

His eyes widened for a moment when he heard Lelouch laugh, staring at the screen in shock before sitting back. The emperor recovered himself quickly, still managing to look amused as he stared back at Suzaku. "Then let's not keep me waiting any longer."

The communication line was abruptly shut off, Suzaku staring ahead of him and blushing before shaking his head. He should be used to the way that Lelouch acted around him by now, it had been five days since he had met the emperor. Suzaku gave his head another shake before settling into position, staring at the ghetto that was visible to him. He swallowed before tipping his head to the side. "Miss. Cecile?"

"Of course." She cleared her throat, Suzaku closing his eyes for a moment. "Lancelot unit now launching."

His hands tightened around the joysticks, Suzaku tempted to hesitate for another moment, but then he would lose everything that he had worked for so far. Suzaku opened his eyes and squared his shoulders. "Launch!"

The Lancelot surged forward under his command, Suzaku surprised by how smooth this run felt. He remembered his initial attempt at piloting the Knightmare had been awkward, there had been many times that he had been sure that he would have just crashed if not for his quick reflexes. Now the Lancelot moved smoothly over the roads through the ghetto, Suzaku sitting comfortably in the pilot's seat and constantly watching the screens that relayed him information from his surroundings.

In between buildings he caught glimpses of skirmishes that were going on between Black Knight's members and the Britannian forces, his stomach twisting as he realized that the Black Knights were horribly outnumbered. He bit his lip, glancing down at the display of dots that marked his allies and enemies. Why would they bother to attack such a superior force with so little? Everything that he had read about the Black Knights had made them seem like one of the better resistance forces. He had even met their leader when Kaname Ohgi had come to Ashford, and neither suicidal nor stupid were words that Suzaku would call the man.

His attention was distracted from the puzzle of the Black Knights by a call over the incom, Suzaku checking how close he was getting to the rest of the Royal Guard as the person screamed into his ear. "Where are you, Eleven?"

"Coming in on your left. Give me about a minute."

"We don't have a minute! We're under heavy fire! Damn useless Eleven!"

Suzaku flinched when the transmission broke off with a scream. He glanced down long enough to watch one of the dots flicker out, the word 'lost' flashing over it for a moment before fading. Suzaku bowed his head, gritting his teeth as he glared out at the battle. He should have been stopped by the thought that this was one of the people that had hated him, but all he could think of was the man's family. What person would be missing from his life when he got back home because he hadn't been fast enough here? Everyone that he knew was at risk here.

Even he wasn't safe, he wouldn't be born for another year. His father was somewhere out here, a soldier trying to earn enough money to support him and his wife. Suzaku would have to keep his father safe if he even wanted to survive, if he could find him. And then, he would have to let his father die, just like he would have to let the emperor die, because he had to save Lloyd and Cecile when he returned, not get tangled up in complicated family affairs.

He sent the Lancelot around a collapsing building, getting a glimpse of the Royal Guard clustered around the huge Knightmare Frame that Lelouch was probably in, staring at the enemy Knightmares around them. It was probably the largest group of Black Knights that he had seen, all of them trying to take out the emperor to save themselves. Suzaku stared at the scene and felt something within in snap.

He would have to watch so many people die while he was here; Shirley's father when he was killed at Narita, his own father a year later, civilians that he couldn't save because he hadn't paid attention in school, members of the Royal Guard, the emperor, all of them people that he couldn't save because he didn't want to give up that future of peace. But there was no way that he was letting the Black Knights take that away from him, he didn't want to be the cause of so many deaths and not have some way to atone for it.

Suzaku glanced at the nearest Knightmare Frame, feeling himself smile as he realized what he could do, quickly smothering the expression. He was going to protect the emperor and his future, but he wasn't going to enjoy this, it would make him as bad as some of the Britannians. He nodded to himself, giving all of the screens one final check before jerking the joysticks to one side, sending the Lancelot into the air in a spin.

It was a move that he had spent his early childhood perfecting. He had seen it in a television movie one day and had fallen in love with the move. His whole summer had been spent gathering bruises and scrapes as he attempted the kick over and over again, not stopped even when his mother had told him it was impossible. He had proven her wrong.

The Lancelot managed one rotation, a disappointment after Suzaku had managed three on his own once, before one of the legs connected with the body of an enemy Knightmare and sent it tumbling to the ground. Suzaku didn't bother to wait to see if the ejection system had worked, activating the Blaze Luminous system and raising the shield to guard himself from the barrage of bullets from the other enemies. He used the Slash Harken on the other arm to pick off one of the attackers, glancing at the others that surrounded him. Using the rifle that he had wouldn't do much, especially at such close range, he would only be able to hit one.

Suzaku deactivated the shield, reaching back for one of the swords as he allowed the mechanism that retracted the Slash Harken to pull him forward. He glanced at the screen as he activated the sword, watching the letters MVS flash for a moment before shrugging and slicing through the Knightmare closest to him.

While he was pulling the sword out of one Knightmare, he activated the other, swinging it to block the attack coming from his right, ducking under the Slash Harken fired at him to plunge the first sword into the Knightmare's midsection, drawing it out quickly.

He retreated back to the Royal Guards, glancing around at the other Knightmares remaining. The few that hadn't rushed to engage him were back off, Suzaku narrowing his eyes at that. They weren't exactly retreating, just moving back to give them room or to give something else the room to get to them. He raised his gaze to the rooftops, turning the Lancelot slowly.

There was a flash of red at the corner of his left screen, Suzaku twisting his arm to get the Lancelot's arm to maneuver into place, the shield on the arm blazing to life at the last minute. He sucked in a quick breath as the Slash Harken pinged off the shield. He saw the red Knightmare from Shinjuku skid past him, already getting ready to attack again. His gaze strayed to the right arm of the Knightmare, feeling like something was missing, but he couldn't quite place it. He frowned, adjusting his grip on the joysticks as he moved into a defensive position to cover the emperor's Knightmare.

Whatever was bothering him about that Knightmare would have to wait for now, it was more important that he keep it from getting too close to the emperor, especially with the weapon it was holding in it's left hand. Suzaku tiled his head to the side, using the move for an extra glance to one side before he feinted to the right.

The Knightmare fell for it, charging to the left only to have Suzaku bring up one of the MVS swords and slice partially through the hand that was holding the knife before having to back off. He narrowed his eyes, watching as the red Knightmare darted out of his range. It was fast, about as fast as he was with the Lancelot, but the pilot could just be playing with him at the moment, he couldn't be sure. Suzaku bit his lip, glancing around to try and find something that he could use to his advantage. The strewn rubble might be enough to duck behind for a moment, but nothing more, Suzaku growling under his breath as he followed the wary movements of the red Knightmare.

Why weren't the others helping him? Suzaku almost looked back at the others, only to have the Knightmare slam into him, nearly sending him tumbling to the ground. Partially out of shock, he lashed out at the red Knightmare, trying to get it away from him while firing a Slash Harken into a nearby building to keep himself upright. He grunted as he was slammed into the front of the cockpit, the controls digging into his stomach as Suzaku pushed himself upright, using the Harken to reel himself closer to the building. When he turned, the red Knightmare was still after him.

Suzaku cursed, turning over his shoulder to try and see the enemy when it disappeared into his blind spot, staring at the back of the cockpit and realizing his mistake. "Shit!"

He turned back around, hurriedly spinning the Lancelot around and raising one of the swords to block the attack, holding his ground for a moment before turning the Lancelot to one side, smiling when the left hand was pulled off of the Knightmare. He pulled the Lancelot back a bit, sheathing one of the swords before charging forward, managing to cut into the side of the red Knightmare before it moved away. Suzaku immediately sent the Lancelot after it, weaving through the wreckage of the ghetto.

The chase was cut short as Lelouch appeared on the screen again, Suzaku slowing the Lancelot to a standstill, suddenly aware of how hard he was breathing. He stared at the emperor for a moment before nodding his head in a partial bow. Lelouch continued to stare at him for a moment more before sighing. "You're wasted here, Kururugi."

"W-what?"

"Your orders are to drive them out." The amusement on Lelouch's face disappeared. "Stay close to the others, Kururugi. I don't want to lose you to your idiocy."

Suzaku gritted his teeth, about to snap back when he remembered his place. "Yes, your highness."

"Britannian air support has been redirected. You're in the clear."

Cornelia looked up blearily at the voice over the radio, looking at the two men that were in the pilot seat of the helicopter that she was in. She sighed and looked down at her hands, preferring to not look down at the ground below her. She just wanted to sleep after almost three days of running across the country.

Thankfully there had been people willing to help her keep going, members of the Chinese Federation who wanted to see Lelouch dead so that their countries would be safe. It seemed that everyone was just waiting to see where Area 19 would appear.

Cornelia rubbed her forehead, ignoring the rumbling of her stomach. Despite the fear of her association with Lelouch, they had gotten her to China in a timely manner, although it meant that she had nearly destroyed her Knightmare Frame getting as far as he could before even bothering to contact someone. Then it had been harrowing cross-country trips, dodging patrols of the Knights of the Round and the boarder guards. Cornelia had yet to sleep since she had woken up on the morning of the attack, the adrenaline keeping her running and the fear of being caught. It wouldn't have been worth the Glaston Knight's and Guilford's death if she had been caught.

Now that she had disappeared off of the radar, Schneizel would be stuck in the EU, unable to raise the support that he needed. And Cornelia had no way of contacting him until she was in Area 11. It chafed her to have to depend on the JLF, but it was the only way to survive and the only way to get her sister back. She would have to hurry if she wanted to get Euphy back alive, Cornelia leaning forward to rest her face in her hands. She had heard of what Lelouch did to his enemies, and seen some of them first hand. Her dreams were filled with the images of her little sister torn to pieces and displayed as an example.

She bit back a sob, hating that she was already on edge. A strategist had to keep a cool head at all times, but she was too exhausted to think straight. It was one of the reasons that she was letting the JLF have control for the moment, it was just easier. Still, she wouldn't be able to eat or sleep until she was sure that she was safe. She wouldn't be any use to Euphy like this.

Cornelia rubbed her hands over her face and sat up, watching as the helicopter pilots banked the machine, catching a glimpse of the mountains before she turned her head away. She would be some distance from where Lelouch and her sister were, but that was the safest thing for her. If Lelouch found out where she was she would be killed like their other siblings. Or worse, he would kill Euphy to get her to come out, she wouldn't put it past him.

She sighed and tilted her head back, staring at the roof of the helicopter, only vaguely paying attention to what the pilots were saying. It was at times like these that she wondered what had happened to Lelouch when he had gone to Area 11, back when it was still Japan, with Nunnally. She knew that he had survived through the invasion, if only just barely. The two children that had stumbled off of the plane that day didn't resemble her half brother and sister in any way, they had just looked like sacks of bones. And Lelouch, the one in their family who had always been the closest to Nunnally had suddenly abandoned her for four years to wait on their father's every whim.

It had probably been a way to make sure that he was the closest to the emperor and wait for the right moment to strike.

Still, it was Area 11 that had changed Lelouch and made him into this. It was fitting that Area 11 would be the place that he was crushed completely. There was no other option for them. Schneizel would never get the support that they needed from the EU if Area 11 fell, and they would never be able to stop Lelouch. The EU and the Chinese Federation wouldn't band together against him, they would try to ally themselves with him and turn on the other, hoping that they would have gotten the chance to turn on Lelouch to save themselves, but Lelouch was too smart for that. He and Schneizel had the same kind of genius, and she had once thought that Schneizel was the more ruthless of the two, but then Lelouch had changed.

She would have to speak to Schneizel about how to proceed, just to be sure that she had all the angles covered. This was too important to mess up, there was too much on the line, there was Euphy on the line.

"Your Highness?" She looked up at the voice that came in over the headphones. "We've got the clearance for landing. It'll be a walk to the base…blindfolded."

"Blindfolded?"

"We're not sure if we can trust you…You're a Britannian princess."

Cornelia glared at him but kept silent, there was a time and place for complaints and this was not one of them. These were the people who had helped her escape and were housing her for the time being. They were using each other and they both knew it, this deal would be off as soon as Lelouch wasn't a threat. She pursed her lips and nodded. "How rough is the terrain?"

"Gets rough close to the top. You up for it?"

"Promise me good food and a good night's sleep."

"I'm sure that they'll agree to that."

Cornelia nodded, turning her gaze back over to the window, watching the trees gave way to empty ground. She leaned closer to the window, watching as people waved them down, giving he sky a long look for Knightmares. Just because the Rounds had float units didn't mean that Lelouch had equipped all of his Knightmares with it, but there was an equal chance that he had.

When her search of the sky revealed nothing, she relaxed, shifting to hold onto the bar above her head as the helicopter settled down. The thrum of the engine drowned out what the men were shouting, Cornelia sure that she wouldn't be able to understand them anyway, they were probably speaking their native language. She made a face, quickly smoothing out her features as someone ducked through the door, motioning for her to come out.

She hesitated for a moment before peeling off the headphones and ducking out of the door. She remained bent over, running out from underneath the helicopter, straightening up as soon as she was out of harm's way. There was a man waiting near the tree line, Cornelia tensing at the bow that he gave her, not sure if he was mocking her.

Cornelia walked the remaining distance to the man, staring at him as he straightened up. "Princess Cornelia, I am General Katase. Welcome to the JLF."

She gave him a nod, glancing back at the helicopter. "I suppose you'd like to discuss the plans."

Katase raised a hand, glancing at her before smiling. "I believe that can wait. I have people to recover and you look like you could drop at any moment. Come."

Cornelia went to walk forward, tensing as a hand grabbed her shoulder. She barely stopped herself from turning around and pulling the hand off. She had agreed to the blindfold, just to humor her allies. She gritted her teeth, allowing the cloth to be tied around her head before someone slipped their arm through hers.

She tensed, relaxing slowly as she recognized Katase's voice, allowing him to lead her away from the helicopter. "Once you are rested we will begin to speak about our plans. There's no need to rush."

"There is every need to rush."

"Not if it will make a mistake." She heard him sigh. "And the emperor won't be rushed into combat so easily, not when he knows that he will lose."

"That sounds like Lelouch." Cornelia heard him chuckle, frowning at that. If these people knew Lelouch so well, why hadn't they manipulated events to work in their favor? She narrowed her eyes behind the blindfold. Where were the other resistance groups that she had heard about? Why was this the only one left? She would have to talk to Schneizel as soon as possible, and alone if she could manage it.

Kallen watched the Britannian Knightmares from her hiding spot, her hands closed tightly around the controls. It was a slaughter out there, just like she had predicted. The Black Knights were nothing more than a meat shield, all of them worth the price of one spoiled Britannian princess. Kallen cursed, reaching up to push her headband back up.

Ohgi had said that the JLF would call them out when they had secured Cornelia, but that call hadn't come. And, if the JLF wanted to make good on their promise, which was something that Kallen seriously doubted, they would call them back before the Black Knights had been completely destroyed. Still, their little group had lasted an hour, much longer than she thought they would have, especially with that white Knightmare out on the field.

As much as she hated the pilot for what he was doing, she had to admire him for the skills with which he handled the machine. Few pilots she had seen could actually manage the things that the white Knightmare's pilot had pulled off. If there was some way to get the pilot to their side… But that was a foolish hope anyway, they wouldn't allow Japanese to pilot their precious war machines.

She sighed and tapped a button on the controls, waiting for the communication line to connect. "Ohgi?"

"Kallen, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She glanced towards the Guren's damaged arm. "The Guren is in bad shape though."

"How bad?"

"I have a Slash Harken, and that's it." She rubbed a hand over her face, cursing the fact that they had lost India's support so early on in the game. The Chinese Federation had made sure that the emperor could connect nothing to them, shutting down trade completely with Japan and blocking all weapons that weren't on Britannian ships from coming in. A few things still managed to get in, but it wasn't enough to keep their resistance group well supplied, and most of it went to the JLF. The Guren had been needing replacements for its two missing Slash Harkens for months now. "It's that damn white Knightmare."

"White Knightmare?"

"Some new type, because I've only seen it once before, at Shinjuku."

"Ah. Anything we can use."

"Definitely. If you can get the pilot." Kallen laughed. "Ohgi, whoever is piloting that thing is amazing. They managed to match me, on their own."

"Impressive."

"If they weren't Britannian, I'd try and grab them."

"Too bad then."

Kallen nodded, not caring that he couldn't see her. She checked on the battle, watching as the dots that signified the Britannians continued to encircle them. "Ohgi, we've got to pull out."

"But the JLF…"

"We've held as long as we can. The emperor isn't going to look our way again. And they're close to surrounding us."

She heard Ohgi sigh, letting her chin drop to her chest. She had wanted to win this as much as he had, not only to make the Britannians back off, but to restore the pride of the Black Knights, and they had accomplished neither. It would be better to leave before they lost all of their members, there were too many with families still out there. Relocation to the JLF was their best hope now. "Ohgi…"

"I know. I'll transmit the order. You coming?"

"You won't get me out of the Guren until we can call ourselves Japanese again. I promise you that."

"I'll bring you food then."

Kallen stuck her tongue out at him, knowing that he couldn't see it. She shook her head before clearing her throat. "Where are we meeting?"

"Outside of the Tokyo Settlement. I'll contact the JLF there and get the coordinates for their headquarters." Ohgi hesitated for a moment before giving a long sigh. "It's almost over."

"Maybe."

"I'll see you later, Kallen."

She shut off the link, glancing back up at the battle, wincing as another Knightmare Frame exploded close to her. To her, this didn't look like a battle that was almost over, it looked like a slaughter about to start. Unless the JLF had something good planned, Lelouch would continue to push them aside.

Kallen grumbled to herself, sending the Guren out of its hiding spot and into the subway tunnels. She had made sure that she had hidden close to the escape routes, her one Slash Harken didn't make much of a weapon and she wasn't too eager to meet that white Knightmare again. She guided the Guren carefully through the tunnels, scrolling through the channels to see if she could get any information from the rest of the remaining Black Knights, hearing reports and stories of the white Knightmare.

She sighed and switched back to the main channel, listening to Ohgi relaying instructions through to them, sometimes calling out encouragement to the few that were lagging behind. She remained on the line as long as she could before they shut down all communications, trying to keep the Britannians from following them. Kallen frowned as the line went silent, staring at the dark tunnel ahead of them.

Fleeing was almost as bad as losing Japan in the first place, they were just giving up their country again, all because the JLF hadn't managed to get a solid plan into place that they could use. They had just tried to save themselves by keeping out of all the action, even to the point where the Six Houses of Kyoto had fallen to the Britannians. She had watched the execution on television, even of the young girl that had been with him. And the emperor had just stood there. Her hands trembled for a moment before she tightened them on the joysticks. He had just stood there and watched her cry as the six elders had been gunned down, given her the time to realize what was happening before ordering the trigger to be pulled.

She reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes, mumbling curses to herself. As long as she was alive, there would be no more slaughter of her people, they had suffered enough.

Suzaku was far too good to be kept in the Royal Guards. Lelouch raised his gaze from his desk to glance at the young man standing by the door. Suzaku's sync rate alone should have secured him a knighthood if not a spot in the Knights of the Round. That aside, his skills in battle were extraordinary, far better that the first time Lelouch had seen him. It was a pity that he was an Eleven.

Lelouch stopped his lazy twirling of his pen, tapping the end against his desk. That's where he always ran into the problem, he couldn't promote Suzaku, not when he was actively engaged in putting down the resistance forces; it would be a contradiction. He wanted the people to know that they were always lower than the Britannians, Lelouch barely flinching at the thought now. He had almost trained himself to believe it, and that was the important part. As long as he was remembered as a hated tyrant, his job had been done.

But that didn't stop him from doing things in private. Lelouch raised an eyebrow at that thought, tapping the pen against the desk one more time before stopping, watching as Suzaku turned to look at him in the absence of the sound. Jeremiah was already busy making sure that both Nunnally and Euphemia were safe, that's why Lelouch had relied on the Knights of the Round thus far to guard him. Now he had the golden opportunity to have his own personal guard. It would only be fair seeing as Suzaku was in his presence when Lloyd did not demand him. And it would be a fairly simple thing to do, just inform Suzaku and Jeremiah of the change and leave it at that, no Britannians or Elevens had to know. It wasn't like he was knighting the Eleven.

He smiled to himself, standing up and stretching. He had sat here long enough without getting anything done, it was time to see if he could distract himself with something before returning to work. Then again, he had solved the problem of what to do with Suzaku, that was something at least. Lelouch sighed and glanced down at the papers on his desk. He would have to bring Euphemia in here sometime to go over his plans for her, but that could wait for a while. Lelouch shot another glance at Suzaku, tipping his head to the side. Perhaps he could have Suzaku be the one to 'assassinate' him, it would be very fitting.

Lelouch barely stopped himself from chuckling, straightening up as he heard the door to his study slide open, watching as Suzaku moved from his place by the wall. For a moment, Suzaku blocked his view before the guard stepped out of the way. Lelouch stared at Jeremiah before taking a step forward, reaching out to push Suzaku aside a bit further.

Jeremiah bowed to him, not meeting his gaze. Lelouch felt his stomach drop at that, taking a step forward only to wobble. He barely felt Suzaku reach out to steady him by his elbow, staring at Jeremiah. "What happened? Is Nunnally alright?"

"Nunnally?" Jeremiah looked confused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nunnally is fine."

Lelouch let out the breath that he was holding, feeling Suzaku brush against him. He pushed the guard away, stepping forward again. Jeremiah remained kneeling on the ground, another sign that this wasn't good new. "What is it?"

"The attack today was a distraction. An unidentified aircraft managed to get through while our forces were in Saitama."

Lelouch stared at him before cursing, turning around to storm back over to his desk. "Cornelia!"

"It's very likely."

"Then the JLF have her." He leaned over his desk, his hands clutching the edges until his knuckles turned white. "They set up a trap and I fell for it!"

He raised a hand to send the papers scattering on the floor, only to have his hand caught. Lelouch turned to glare at Suzaku, taking a step back and pulling his wrist from the guard's grip. He waited until Suzaku had looked away. Assured that his guard was reminded of his place, Lelouch turned back to his desk, staring at the map of Area 11. They had to be in Area 11 somewhere, he had to find them before Cornelia had time to work out a plan. With everything that the JLF had, she would be able to contact Schneizel and the two of them would work out a plan that could defeat him and shatter him completely.

He would have to get Nunnally and Euphemia out of Area 11, and probably remove half of his forces here to keep them safe, including Jeremiah. Even then they wouldn't be safe, Schneizel could have resources that he didn't know about, simply because Schneizel couldn't be found by any of his spies and the EU wouldn't give him up, not until they decided how they could use him. But he wouldn't risk his sisters by keeping them close, not knowing that Schneizel wouldn't hesitate to use them or kill them.

Once that was done he would have to work out a new strategy around his depleted forces. Maybe he would keep half of the Knights of the Round here, just to keep his advantage. The Knights of the Round and Suzaku. But that advantage meant nothing if he was just scrambling around and trying to cut them off. Lelouch rubbed his forehead, flopping down into his seat and pushing it away from the desk, folding his hands together. He could outthink Cornelia, but never Schneizel. He could attempt to match Schneizel, but never outmaneuver Cornelia. He was well and truly stuck.

"Narita." He jerked his head up to stare at Suzaku, watching the guard step forward to look down at the map. Suzaku reached out to brush a finger over the map, tracing a line from the Tokyo Settlement to one of the mountains.

Lelouch stood up, glancing at Suzaku before looking down at the map, reading the name printed in a small font over the mountain. His stomach turned as he stared at the mountain, his mouth dropping open. Suzaku was pointing straight at Narita, he had pointed unerringly at Narita.

Suzaku tapped the spot once more before looking up at Lelouch. "They're at Narita."

Lelouch managed to swallow, staring at Suzaku. "How?"

"I-I just know."

"How?"

"I can't tell you, your highness."

Lelouch ran out of patience, turning and shoving Suzaku back. The young man only stumbled backwards because he was surprised, Lelouch following him and backing him into the wall. He reached out and wrapped a hand around Suzaku's neck, staring right into the guard's green eyes. "How do you know where they are? Are you one of them?"

Suzaku stared at him for a moment before tilting his head back, exposing more of his neck to Lelouch. He hesitated at the move, staring at Suzaku before tightening his fingers threateningly. He felt Suzaku swallow, the guard continuing to stare at the ceiling instead of looking at him. Lelouch tightened his fingers again when he heard Suzaku laugh. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Lelouch found himself unable to speak for the first time in a long time, trembling as he debated between trying to strangle Suzaku now to allowing Jeremiah to take control of the situation. He was leaning heavily towards the first solution, it would be satisfying to wring the traitorous guard that he had let into his confident, that his body had the gall to find attractive.

Suzaku glanced back at him, meeting his gaze for a spilt second before looking up at the ceiling again. "I would never do anything to harm Princess Nunnally or Princess Euphemia. You have my word."

He laughed, watching Suzaku flinch at the sound. The young man tensed for a moment before relaxing, Lelouch almost letting go in surprise. "I will serve his majesty until my last breath."

Lelouch let go of Suzaku's throat, stepping away from him. His eyes widened in surprise as Suzaku slid into a bow, the motion still clumsy. Lelouch took another step back from the kneeling guard, his eyes narrowing. On the one hand, Suzaku knew where the JLF had their headquarters, that was enough to have him killed. On the other, he had given up the location of his own free will. And there had been plenty of times that Suzaku could have turned on him. He could have been killed in his sleep at least twice now, but he hadn't. That didn't mean that Suzaku wasn't going to betray him in the future. The JLF could be hiding out somewhere other than Narita, although Suzaku's honesty in the matter was leading him to believe that Narita really was where the JLF was hiding.

He glared at the kneeling guard before shaking his head, pointing to the door. "Get out."

"Yes, your highness."

Suzaku stood up carefully from his bow and walked out of the room, Lelouch staring at his back until his view was blocked by the door shutting. Only then did he realize how badly he was trembling. Maybe Euphemia had hit on something when she said that he needed to relax. This wouldn't have happened if he had just ignored his urges, something that he had been doing successfully for a long while.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stop shaking before turning around to glare at Jeremiah. "Have them investigate the area around Narita, make sure it's subtle, I don't want them to figure out that I know about them." Jeremiah bowed, Lelouch feeling a bit nauseous at the gesture. It reminded him too much of Suzaku. He had been threatening the guard and he had still bowed. He cleared his throat, hastily motioning for Jeremiah to stand again. "And I want you to look into who Suzaku Kururugi really is."

"Of course, my lord." Jeremiah walked past him, heading for the door. "I'll have the report on your desk in an hour."

"Hour?"

Jeremiah smiled at him. "Did you expect anything less from me? I look into the backgrounds of all the Royal Guards. I wouldn't have let him close to you if he were dangerous."

The door slid shut behind Jeremiah, Lelouch staring after him before blindly groping for his seat. He sank into the chair, lowering his gaze to the map of Area 11 to try and distract himself. Until he found out if what Suzaku said was the truth, it wouldn't hurt to plan an assault on Narita. Lelouch leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. The only thing would be pinpointing the exact location of the headquarters, they would be wasting their energy otherwise.

He growled to himself, suddenly wishing that he was back in his room with his chessboard. He always through better if he had chess pieces to move about; things always made more sense then. It was simple, a pawn moved to stop an advance, a knight moved to take a king. Of course, real battles didn't work like that, he had learned that early on; but it was easier for him to strategize like this.

Lelouch frowned and reached for his pen, rolling it around in his hand like he would the black king. He could possibly return to his room and get his chess set, but Suzaku would be there. Lelouch clenched his hand around the pen. He had dismissed Suzaku, and his previous orders had Suzaku stationed in his room, unless the Eleven was stupid enough to return to the barracks. Lelouch dropped the pen on the table and leaned forward to rubbed his forehead, trying to push the headache that was forming away.

This was probably proof that he needed the day off, something that he could afford now. All of his resources should be focused on pinning Cornelia and the JLF down, but he was sure that he could spend a few hours with Nunnally. After all, the emperor became useless as soon as all of his forces were employed; he was too precious to be risked. That was another thing that was different from chess, in chess the king could always move forward.

Lelouch glanced down at his pen and pushed it away from the map, returning his gaze to the map. In spite of everything he felt like smiling. He knew exactly where his enemies were, and it was only a matter of time before he was ready to crush them completely.

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