Lelouch wasn't having a great day.

Frankly, he hadn't had a great three days. Since getting his memories back he'd had to deal with the fact that his brother was a lie, his friends were brainwashed, he was under constant surveillance, Nunnally was most likely with his family, Suzaku was nowhere to be found, and his most loyal Black Knights were set for execution.

Tomorrow.

He'd initially planned to alternate between Zero-like actions, and actions utterly out of character for Zero, just in case they had a decent profile on him. But given his resources and the timing of the executions and the fact that Guilford himself was presiding over them… Lelouch couldn't afford to half-ass this rescue. It looked like he'd have to react just as they expected; by doing something none of them expected.

It was especially troubling since Lelouch would much rather have dealt with the other issues of Rolo and those watching him and Nunnally, rather than perform one of Zero's typical miracles. Of course, despite the already huge pressure with the time crunch and lack of options, there was no reason not to deal with several problems at once. After all, he had a whole day before he had to rescue Ougi and the others.

Before he could, he required the freedom to move around. In order to do that, he needed to block or neutralize the surveillance. And in order to do that he needed…

Lelouch's thoughts shifted from planning to action as Rolo raced into the command center at the core of Ashford Academy. Lelouch had managed to escape his tails (including Rolo) temporarily today, but it was time to ensure that he gained the power to do so at will. He'd been lying in wait at the command center since setting an alarm off at the mall, calling in a bomb threat and throwing the entire place into a panic. Rolo had lost the trail, and Lelouch had been almost completely certain that he'd come straight here.

He knew his brother, at least to an extent. While most of 'Rolo' was probably a lie, Lelouch did know that the boy lacked initiative. He'd need orders, and he'd come here to get them.

Unfortunately for Rolo, there was no one present to give him those orders. C.C. was too much of a priority, and everyone had left the useless command centre as soon as they'd lost Lelouch to look for her.

She was safe in the Chinese Consulate with Kallen. Rolo, however, was far from safe.

Lelouch smirked as he held his gun up to Rolo's head. Rolo stood stock still, turning his head only slightly towards where Lelouch was standing behind him. "So. You really have awakened."

"I have," Lelouch agreed. "And, just as I thought, your team's top priority wasn't me, but C.C." Rolo flinched, his eyes widening with the realization that he'd been thoroughly played. "As of this moment, this gilded prison of a school become my fortress of freedom. And as for you, dear brother, I'll make you my pawn to find Nunnally."

Lelouch raised his hand to remove the contact that sealed his permanent geass, only to find Rolo suddenly disappeared and the gun he'd been holding gone.

This time, it was Rolo who was suddenly holding the gun up to Lelouch's head, handling the weapon like he knew what he was doing. "Geass? You stopped time?"

"Lelouch," Rolo said, his voice unnaturally cold compared to its usual sweet tones. "Now you and your demonic eye will die."

Rolo was a killer, Lelouch knew this. He would have expected no less from the boy assigned to pretend to be his brother – a replacement for Nunnally. A fake. He was perfectly able to pull that trigger, perfectly equipped to murder and move on with his life. Lelouch had to bite back a laugh at the thought; if you could call it a life.

He would have been more frightened were it not for the fact that he did know Rolo – both the character he was playing and the person underneath. Lelouch, in hindsight, could practically taste the despair and hopelessness that radiated from him, the surprisingly needy side that used to flinch from Lelouch's gentle touches and then started to lean into them. Rolo was a killer, true, but he had made himself vulnerable.

"Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…"

"What are you doing?" Rolo sounded almost nervous.

"I've been counting the seconds since you ran in here." Lelouch gestured to the clock. "It's about eight seconds off." Rolo was off-guard enough that Lelouch was able to retrieve the remote control to the security cameras and play back the last few minutes. Sure enough, there was the picture of Rolo's geass activating and him disarming Lelouch. "You didn't stop time. You just altered my sense of it."

Rolo recovered quickly. "Even if you figured that out, it changes nothing. You still can't overcome it."

"Perhaps not," Lelouch conceded. "But it's not something that will help you achieve your two goals either."

"…two goals?"

Hook, line, sinker. "The first, of course, is capturing C.C., for which you'll need my help." Rolo shifted, almost as if he was uncomfortable with Lelouch's offer of betrayal. "The second is your life." Lelouch turned dramatically at that.

Rolo didn't look impressed. In fact, he looked rather unimpressed. "My life, huh?"

"Rolo, what is the future?" Lelouch asked gently. Rolo frowned at the question. "The future is hope. And you have no hope beyond your mission. If you capture C.C., what sort of future will it open for you? Things will just go on as they are, and nothing will change."

"Capturing C.C.… killing you… that is my mission."

"If you kill me now, you'll never complete your mission of capturing C.C. If you can wait until tomorrow to make your decision about me, I'll hand her over to you. That will ensure your own future." Lelouch faced Rolo full on, his face softening. "You know I'm not lying, Rolo. You know that. You know me."

Rolo hesitated, his face full of uncertainty and confusion, before nodding and resting the gun as his side. Lelouch smiled gently at him. Just as Lelouch had observed Rolo, Rolo had observed him. And the clueless, ambitionless older brother that Lelouch had been would have actually been telling the truth.

But Lelouch wasn't that person. He was Zero. And his plans were falling into place.

Step one cleared. The day was looking up.

It wasn't until the next morning that Lelouch realized he still had no idea how to stage the rescue while keeping his identity a secret from the information department that was expecting him to maintain the appearance of a normal student. He'd stolen some files related to Rolo and looked through them for something that would neutralize him, but there was nothing. The boy was nothing more than a killing machine until coming to Ashford.

…until coming to Ashford…

Lelouch rewatched Rolo's pre-mission briefing again, smiling when Rolo talked about becoming his brother. This was perfect – the idea of trusting the assassin ran contrary to Lelouch's paranoia and common sense, but it was the only way this could work.

And if it worked perfectly… if Lelouch could pull this off…

Using Rolo sounded so much sweeter than neutralizing him.

The set-up was typical. Lelouch was sparing with his geass, using it only three times – once to get past the lookouts to make his surprise entrance, again to set up the trigger to destroy the ground the Britannian soldiers and the captured Black Knights were standing on and, finally, on a contingency plan.

It was a strategy he'd used before, against Cornelia, and something that would increase the chance of being thought of as the old Zero. It was a little risky, but worth it considering how effective it was.

Almost 75% of the Britannian forces were destroyed instantly as they crashed into the ground and each other. The other 25% were scattered and confused, easy targets for Kallen and other others, hidden in the Chinese Embassy, to pick off one by one as they fell into what was technically Chinese territory. Everything was running smoothly – the prisoners were being freed, the Britannians were falling, and Lelouch had managed to get through everything unscathed with his reputation untarnished.

And then Rolo.

He was in the same Knightmare that had mystified the Black Knights at the casino. The golden version of the Lancelot. And he was heading straight for Lelouch.

Lelouch had no choice but to run. He couldn't match Rolo in combat, not with his geass, and he couldn't let himself be taken. Even without C.C. to turn in, if Rolo reported that Lelouch had his memories back, everything Lelouch had done would be for nothing. Nunnally was at risk here.

The sound of a canon firing drew Lelouch's attention back to Rolo. His contingency plan had worked. Rolo was seconds away from certain death, unable to prevent the inevitable projectile from hitting him, and all Lelouch had to do was…

The impact as the entire right side of Lelouch's Knightmare was hit shook the cockpit severely, as did the impact of the remainder of the frame hitting the ground. Lelouch winced; he'd have bruises tomorrow.

"I don't… why did you…" Rolo seemed to have forgotten that his radio was on. Lelouch switched the frequency to a private one.

"Because you're my brother."

Rolo gasped audibly. Lelouch smirked.

"My memories might have been fake, but this last year… those months we spent together were real, Rolo."

"You're saying they weren't lies?" Rolo sounded truly shocked. Lelouch wasn't even sure he knew he was speaking aloud. "You… you risked your life for this… for me…"

"I made a promise to you, didn't I?" Lelouch said gently. "I promised you a new future. Your future is with me." Lelouch smiled as he twisted the emotional blade he'd stuck in Rolo's side.

The funniest thing was that Rolo didn't even seem to know that he'd been hit. Confused and uncertain, he followed Lelouch's lead, lying to Villetta and the intelligence team, tying himself ever closer to Lelouch's side.

Just as planned.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Hello, everyone. My name is Suzaku Kururugi and I'll be returning to classes here at Ashford Academy starting today. I look forward to studying here."

The whispers and mutters rolled over Suzaku like water. They were about half admiring and impressed, half suspicious and resentful. Which was far better than the consensus of resentment that he'd had to deal with when he first arrived. It had taken Lelouch's support to even slightly dampen that racism, and even then…

Suzaku shook his head. He didn't want to think about that day – the day he learned that Lelouch was Zero. Perhaps if he'd remained ignorant, everything would have been different. Maybe he wouldn't have tried so hard, maybe he wouldn't have been so accepting of Euphemia's desire to include Zero in her plans. Maybe he wouldn't have had to drag Lelouch in front of his father like that…

It didn't matter. This was the reality that Suzaku had to deal with.

"Alright, that's enough." Villetta Nu. Suzaku had read up on her before arriving. She was nominally in charge here, despite the fact that he technically outranked her for military operations. Out of all the operatives, she was the most suspicious of Lelouch, and one of the ones with the most contact with him due to being his teacher. "Why don't you take the seat next to Lelouch, Suzaku?"

Nice. A trap first thing. Suzaku smiled and nodded, trusting Lelouch to see through it.

Lelouch just smiled up at him. "You're coming back to stay this time?"

"Yeah." Suzaku smiled back. "I missed everyone a lot." He nearly collapsed in relief. He couldn't tell from that reaction if Lelouch had his memories back or not. And if he couldn't tell…

A few hours later, Suzaku was not so pleased. He'd spent the entire day with Lelouch and he still had no idea if Lelouch's memories were back. He acted normally, his fake brother acted normally (for him), the other students acted normally… Suzaku was sure that he'd have caught something, some kind of sign from Lelouch if his memories were, indeed, back. But there was nothing. No hand signals, no subtle in-jokes, nothing that would indicate Lelouch was trying to tell him something that he didn't want anyone else to know.

Suzaku was beginning to suspect that, perhaps, Lelouch was still missing his memories. It made figuring out who this Zero was much more complicated, but if Suzaku could get to him… maybe find C.C. himself and ask for her help, offering his protection, maybe she could fix him.

That was what the Emperor suspected, in any case. Suzaku had no idea how that girl could fix anything. He made a mental note to demand full and complete explanations from Lelouch once he got his memories back.

Unless he had his memories back and was faking it. Suzaku glared at the Lamperouge door, endlessly frustrated. He shouldn't be here; it was risky and there was surveillance everywhere. But he needed a moment alone with Lelouch. He knew about the cameras, but if he could get Lelouch off the school grounds and onto something like public transportation or a museum or somewhere he rarely visited, they could speak openly.

Rolo opened the door before Suzaku even knocked. For a moment they stared at each other, adversarial and suspicious, before Lelouch came up beside his brother.

"Suzaku!" He looked as pleased to see him as he ever had without his memories. "What brings you here?"

Suzaku could still feel Rolo's glare on him. "I was kinda hoping to talk to you alone. In private."

Lelouch was already grabbing his keys. "Supper's in the oven, Rolo. If I'm not back in an hour, put in the garlic bread." He ruffled Rolo's hair before sliding past him and out the door, grabbing Suzaku's hand. "I know just the place. I've never been, but I've heard great reviews about the view – open spaces as far as you can see."

Suzaku tightened his grip around Lelouch's hand, his heart pounding in anticipation. Somewhere Lelouch had never been, with no obvious hiding places… it was perfect to hide from the surveillance teams. They chatted about nothing as the bus took them there – an observatory overlooking the forest on one side and the suburbs on the other. It was windy on the upper level, enough to deter anyone else from being there. It truly was ideal.

"Suzaku…" Lelouch seemed at a loss for words. "I… I really wasn't expecting you."

"Sorry." Suzaku fished for something else to say. "So you're really…"

"I have my memories back," Lelouch answered succinctly. "And I'm Zero again. And you?"

"I'm with you," Suzaku said quickly, almost before Lelouch got the question out. "I'm not… after what happened, there's no way I'm making the same mistakes again. Without Euphy, there's nothing in Britannia for me."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "What about Nunnally?"

Oh. Right. Suzaku had almost forgotten about her in the rush of getting Lelouch back. "She's with your family, as you suspected. She's being well treated, she's really worried about you, but… I don't think of her as part of Britannia, just like I don't think of you that way."

Lelouch snorted lightly. "Good answer."

"So, what're you…"

"My plans are vague as of now," Lelouch explained. "The Black Knights need some time to recover and regroup. Fortunately, the Britannian government is similarly at loose ends with the disrupted chain of command since the death of the Viceroy."

Suzaku nodded. "And the other terrorist groups are sure picking up the slack."

Lelouch waved that aside. "Meaningless violence. A distraction at best. If nothing else, it will demonstrate the difference between the Black Knights and the other groups." He tucked his hair behind his ear. "Have you heard anything about the next Viceroy?"

"Nothing." Suzaku shrugged. "Which doesn't mean much. I'm just here to keep an eye on you and take Zero down if there's no chance of him leading us to C.C. It's not like I got a full political briefing before arriving."

"That's unfortunate. But it's a good thing you came when you did, Suzaku. The surveillance team has been ordered to overlook anything regarding you and me and Rolo. If you'd come a day later, the geass might not have included you."

Suzaku barely heard that last bit. "Rolo?"

"Ah…" Lelouch smiled. "My adorable little brother." He shrugged. "He has a geass of his own. It's useful – ah, sorry… he's useful. For a trained assassin, he's surprisingly easy to manipulate."

"Lelouch…" Suzaku reached out for Lelouch's arm, stopping when Lelouch leaned back. "I don't think… you're playing with fire with him. He really is a cold-hearted killer."

Lelouch laughed. "Then he's in good company with us."

Suzaku had been expecting that. "Nah. We're not cold when we kill."

"True…" Lelouch's laugh faded into a self-deprecating smile. "Still, he's confused and easily led. As long as I have something of value to offer him, I can trust in his obedience."

"Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on him."

"As he will keep an eye on you, once I tell him you're to be trusted as well."

Suzaku frowned. "You haven't already?"

"I wanted to talk to you first. It's possible that keeping Rolo in the dark about your alliance would be the better option. I wanted your input."

For some reason, that made Suzaku feel really… happy. "Thanks. I kinda don't want him to know just yet, if that's okay."

Lelouch nodded. "That's fine. Then the first thing we need to do is ensure Nunnally's safety."

"Right. I could return to Pendragon on the intelligence committee's word that you're not Zero and get her out then."

"That sounds reasonable. You should stay a few more days to fully investigate matters, and I'll keep the Black Knights quiet during your stay."

"Is there anywhere specific we should go?"

"I have allies in the Chinese Federation, I'll give you their information and contact them before you leave." Lelouch bit his lip. "It would be far easier to manage if you could somehow get her here, for a visit or something."

The proximity to China alone would make it simpler. "I don't know if I can. Nunnally hasn't left Pendragon, or even the palace grounds since she returned. I doubt they'd let her into Area 11 while they know that you're still here, even without your memories."

"Probably not." Lelouch sighed. "Still, it's you, so you should be able to get her out and safely across half the world."

Lelouch's show of faith meant just as much as the show of respect of asking for Suzaku's input. Suzaku grinned, unable to help himself. "I promise I'll live up to your expectations, Lelouch."

"I should hope so." Lelouch smiled back, then winced as a particularly strong breeze buffeted them. "Come, let's get back home. The school grounds should be safe from surveillance by now, and we're having lasagne for supper."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

It was a huge relief having Suzaku back in the picture, close enough for Lelouch to control him. Lelouch had spent the last few days casually reading up on Britannia's White Reaper, Suzaku's new nickname, to see what he'd been up to since becoming the Knight of Seven.

It turned out that Suzaku had been up to quite a lot. Mostly in the EU, occasionally with other Rounds, Suzaku had become famous for first offering to let his enemies surrender, then leaving no one alive after they refused his offer. The only other knight with a similar record was the Knight of Ten, only he didn't offer the option to surrender first.

The more Lelouch read, the more sick he got. It wasn't Suzaku's fault, exactly. It was the geass, forcing him to kill where Suzaku would have, in the past, aimed to disable. There was no doubt in Lelouch's mind, however, that Suzaku wouldn't see it that way, the same way he likely still blamed himself for Euphemia's death.

They hadn't talked about that. Lelouch didn't want to.

In fact, there was very little about the past that Lelouch wanted to discuss with Suzaku. The mixed feelings of guilt and affection and anger and betrayal made Lelouch wonder if he even still considered Suzaku a friend. Again, none of this was Suzaku's fault – it had been Lelouch's geass that led to Euphemia's death, and Lelouch's plan that had led to Suzaku's 'betrayal' of him. Still, despite knowing this intellectually, Lelouch couldn't change the fact that the image of Suzaku's large hand around Euphemia's slender neck was burned indelibly into Lelouch's mind, nor the fact that Lelouch could still occasionally feel Suzaku's strong grip holding him down as the Emperor's geass tore through him.

The thought of Suzaku touching him was terrifying.

It was fortunate that Suzaku would only be staying a few days. Although it did make the excuse for Milly's festival rather thin. Then again, apart from driving the Knightmare Frame to make that stupid giant pizza, Suzaku didn't actually have much to do with the festival itself.

Oddly enough, everything went off without a hitch, unlike last year. Well, except for C.C. wandering around and Rolo glaring daggers at her. Figurative daggers, at least. And if it hadn't been for the unfortunate malfunction of the fire-retardant system, maybe that giant pizza would have even worked this time. But otherwise, it was a surprisingly calm day. Villetta, Lelouch's last barrier to freedom, was easy to follow, between Rolo and Lelouch and Kallen (hiding in a giant green suit), and they managed to keep her away from C.C. with ease. Still, Lelouch would need to make a more permanent plan for her.

It was Kallen who gave him the keys to that plan. "It's weird. I think I remember seeing her at the festival last year with Ohgi."

"Villetta and… Ougi?" That had implications that Lelouch wasn't comfortable with. Villetta was an officer, and now a noble, with the Britannian army. What would Ougi want with someone like her?

C.C. seemed to read his mind. "You're pretty thick when it comes to things like that, Lelouch."

Lelouch frowned. "What? I just don't like the idea of Ougi keeping secrets from me."

C.C. rolled her eyes. "There are some situations that are none of your business." Lelouch opened his mouth to disagree. "Certain relationships, perhaps." Lelouch still wanted to protest. "Honestly, you're dense. What does it matter to the leader of the Black Knights who his subordinates sleep with?"

Both Kallen and Lelouch turned to her in sync. "Eeeh?"

Once Lelouch got over the shock of the idea that his twenty-seven year old ally had… sex… (ew), he was fully prepared to use it against Villetta. Kallen was still too shocked to function, so Lelouch confronted Villetta on his own, with Rolo.

"So. You're a traitor?" Villetta looked genuinely surprised by Rolo's betrayal.

Lelouch ignored it. She'd have time enough to get over it. "Villetta Nu. You were awarded the rank of baron for ascertaining Zero's real identity. But you are also, secretly, connected to the Black Knights."

"That's a lie and you know–"

"Ougi Kaname." Villetta's reaction to that name was all the proof Lelouch needed that C.C.'s suppositions were correct. "If word of your relationship with him ever got out, you'd have to relinquish that title you worked so hard to earn. Or, you could keep the title and my silence with a simple quid-pro-quo."

Lelouch smirked, giving Villetta a moment to think that over. "Oh, yes." He removed the present he and Shirley had shopped for from its bag. "Shirley gave me this to give to you. So the timing works out nicely. Happy birthday, Coach Villetta." He smiled cheerfully.

And that was the last obstacle in his way. Lelouch headed for the roof for some quiet time. Now he and Suzaku just had to hammer out the details of the plan to free Nunnally, and everything…

"Lelouch!" Suzaku rushed up to him. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Sorry." Lelouch took a small step back, casually leaning on the railing away from Suzaku. "I was just tying up some loose ends. What's the problem?"

"Two things." Suzaku looked stressed. "First thing tomorrow, two other Knights of the Round are coming here. They're not bad people, really, but they're definitely going to interfere."

Lelouch scowled. The last thing he needed, after dealing with Rolo and Villetta and the surveillance team, was a new batch of soldiers. "Fine. We'll deal with that when it comes up. What's the second thing?"

"Nunnally is coming after they get here." Suzaku did not look pleased. "She's going to be Area 11's next Viceroy."

Shit.