Hey there readers! Ready for the next chapter of The Black Steel Prince? Of course you are, so let's get reading!

To those of you who have been following me as an author and wondering what the hell I have been doing writing Naruto material, I had hit a slump where this story was concerned.

However, I've finally been able to put myself in a writing groove for this one, even if it is many months after the posting of the last chapter. Since it's been so long (and I'm not too sure how to end the chapter otherwise), this chapter will be a bit shorter than usual.

Note: I've decided to also bump Suzaku's age by two years.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Code Geass or any related material. Hell, I don't even own the computer I'm writing this on!

Chapter 7: From Isaac to Zach

October 4th, 2010 A.T.B., Britannian Mainland, District of Louisiana, Southern Bayous.

"Now, this brings back memories," Isaac muttered as the fan-boat, piloted expertly by Howard, sped over the greenish waters.

"Grandfather, wasn't there any… drier ways to get to your barony?" Lelouch asked. It was obvious that he preferred more salubrious surroundings. Jeremiah, who was seated just behind, looked more comfortable with the situation, probably because of where he grew up. There were a lot of swamps in Florida after all. Mathias, who sat beside the knight, for his part just looked at the scenery, his usual passive look on his face.

"No." Isaac said, answering Lelouch's question, "The only other way would have been via helicopter, and a lot of the people around here would have been all too likely to shoot at us if we used one. This is the best way. And besides, we have been on my barony for over an hour."

"Really?" Lelouch said, looking around incredulously. "You mean this is your estate?"

Isaac smirked, "Yup."

When Isaac had been made a baron, shortly before Marianne married Charles, he was given the western half of the bayous in southern Louisiana as his barony. At the time, most of the court thought it funny,, because while his lands rivaled those of most Grand-Dukes in size, it was mostly swamp, so most of Britannia's upper crust thought it was worthless as a land holding. The general consensus had been, and still is, that it suited him. And while it was true he didn't get much out of the lands by traditional, landholding noble's ways, he did get substantial income via other means, such as license fees for alcohol production and alligator hunting, amongst others.

It had been over three years since Isaac had last visited his lands. It's not that he didn't like the place, after all he had grown up both here and in New-Orleans, but he had been busy with one thing and another, even before Marianne's demise. That, and the person he was coming here to see, his younger brother, had picked a fight with him the last time he visited. From what Isaac had heard, it would appear he had mellowed out a bit towards him. He only hoped it was enough to actually go along with what he had planned.

"This looks like it." Isaac said, "We're here."

Indeed, they all spotted a wooden pier with a couple of people on it a short distance in front of them. Howard eased the fan-boat's gas pedal, and they pulled up to the pier.

Both people on the pier were blacks. One had a shaved head and was wearing large, faded suspender coveralls and apparently nothing else, and was standing on the edge of the pier with a coil of rope in hand. The other one, looking a bit younger, had impressive dark brown dreadlocks that reached bellow his shoulders, was wearing camo shorts, a black tank top and sunglasses, and he was sitting on an old crate, a fishing rod in hand, a line in the water, and a cold beer handy. An old, large black portable radio was nearby with reggae music was playing on it.

As they approached, the older man tapped the younger one on the shoulder, and talked to him while pointing at them, though the buzz of the boat's engine prevented them from hearing much of it, but they did manage to hear "-big boss, Jon, so pick up ya hardware!"

"Kay, kay." The younger man said, getting up, but just at that moment, his line went taunt. "Hey, got something, mon!"

As the younger man struggled with his line, the older one shook his head, and brought his attention back to the visitors.

"Been a few years since we last saw ya in dese part, m'lord." He addressed Isaac as the boat pulled up, and he threw the rope to Mathias, who caught it expertly.

"That is has, Remi." Isaac said, pulling himself up on the peer. "Where is the old rascal?"

"De boss just came back from huntin', m'lord." Remi said. "Should be in da big workshop right over dere." He said, pointing to a large shed with a iron-sheeted roof an faded wooden walls.

"I guess he's doing well, then, if he's still able to go hunting." Isaac said as he helped Lelouch up on the pier, "Come on, Lelouch." Isaac said to his grand-son. "While we're here, there is someone else who I want you to meet."

"You mean someone else than your brother?"

"Yes." Isaac nodded, "Might as well meet him, god knows you if you'll get another chance."

"Okay, but who is it?" Lelouch asked as they walked.

"Him." Isaac said as they approached the shed. A rugged looking man, with a wrinkled face, grey hair that was combed back and looking a couple of decades older than Isaac, was coming out of the shed. He had a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder. He had burgundy eyes.

"Hey there, son." The man said with his gravely voice, "You looking well."

"You too, for being eighty years old." Isaac said to the man, then turned to his grand-son, "Lelouch, let me introduce you to Leonard Lamperouge, my father, and thus your grand-grand-father."

Leonard cracked a smile "Hello there, boy." He said, offering a hand to Lelouch, "Or should it be 'Your Highness'?"

Lelouch was a little taken aback. It's not that he believed he didn't have a grand-grand-father, but rather, he hadn't thought about it before. He offered his much smaller hand, and the two shook hands. "L-Lelouch would be fine." He said, answering the man's question.

"I'm sorry we didn't have the chance to meet before, but most of this country's upper crust and I don't see eye to eye, so I prefer to stay clear from the capital. And my late condolences for your mother."

"Thank you." Lelouch said.

"So, dad, he's still around, is he?" Isaac asked.

"He is." Leonard said, spitting to the side. "I can't say you coming here to see him is such a bad thing. He needs something to do, son, something to keep him from despairing about what happened to Sophia. You'd think his children would be enough, but I guess Roxanne's partly to blame on this, offering to take care of them while he got his act together. "

"Well, I came here with a proposition that should just about do the trick." Isaac said, "So, where is Zach?"

"He's in his old room." Leonard said, "He's probably still asleep."

Isaac took a look at his watch. "It's two in the afternoon."

"Well, he got shit-faced drunk last night."

"I see." Isaac nodded. "Lelouch, stay here with your grand-grand-father and the others, I'm going to go have a talk with my brother."

As Isaac made his way towards the large, single storey house, Leonard looked at Lelouch while rubbing his chin. Lelouch stared right back, blinking. "Is there something wrong?" Lelouch asked.

"No." Leonard said, then he eyed his rifle over his shoulder, "Say, Lelouch, have you ever fired a gun before?"

"Errr, no?"

"What about I show you how?"

Before Jeremiah could properly protest, Leonard had Howard set up a few old cans near the shoreline and had put his rifle in an mildly enthusiastic Lelouch's hands.

"Zach, you look like crap."

Groaning, forty seven years old Zachary Lamperouge opened a crusty red eye. The sight of Isaac just made him groan again, and he closed his eye again as a predictable headache hit him.

"Isaac!" He said, "What… what the hell are you doing here?"

"I've come to ask your help with something."

Zachary groaned again, then opened both eyes. "Say that again?"

"I said I'm here to ask you to help me!"

Zachary lifted his muscular frame and sat up in his bed, "So I didn't hear that wrong." He said as he passed a hand in his jet black hair that had a few grey strands. "What does the great Black Baron needs my help with?" He then said as he scratched his long, unkempt beard.

"The Black Baron needs your help in training his grand-son so he can survive on a modern battlefield."

Zachary stared at Isaac, and then started laughing. "Is that all?"

"Yes, pretty much."

"Then I refuse." Zachary said, lying again on his bed, this time with his back towards Isaac, "I'm not about to get involved in that world of cutthroat politics. Not after it pretty much destroyed my late wife in every way possible."

"Not even if it gives you the chance of validating Sophia's work?"

Zachary rose up again, slowly. He turned around to stare at his older brother, eyes thin.

"You're telling me you're ready to back what she fought for now?!"

Isaac sighed, "I'm not getting into this with you again," he said. "Lelouch is hard set to go through a military career, and this would be the perfect opportunity to prove her ideas right."

"So you can produce and sell Knightmares by the thousands, right?"

"So we can keep this monster of country from swallowing us whole." Isaac said. "It did so with Sophia, and then with Marianne. I want to give his boy the best fighting chance possible. And in the process, we might just be able to change this country for the better, and also help change the way wars are fought, if at all, so that we can curtail the meaningless death and destruction brought by conflicts."

Zachary stared at Isaac, and then it was his turn to sigh. "She was such an idealist. And after the mess in Rio, I wanted to believe it too."

"As do I." Isaac said, "Will you at least consider it?"

"Did you bring him with you here?"

"He's outside with dad." Isaac said.

"Let's have a look at what I'd have to work with." Zachary said, getting up.

They both walked into the living room, and looked out it's big window out into the yard, where Leonard was just finishing explaining the workings of a .303 carbine.

"Leave it to dad to want to show how to shoot to a twelve years old prince." Isaac said.

"You know him," Zachary said as he eyed Lelouch, "Damn, he's still so scrawny."

"So were you when you were his age." Isaac said, "And you went from there to the Cover of Men's Health™."

"Pah!" Zachary said, "That was years ago! Wouldn't have happened either if it wasn't for Ashford."

While they were saying is, across the yard, Lelouch pressed the trigger on the carbine. The kickback was too much for the small prince, throwing him back several feet and on his back.

"Jesus, my son can shoot that thing standing, and he's one year younger!" Zach said while they watched Jeremiah fussing over Lelouch. "I can see why you want my help!" he went on, "You're sure about this? I think he'd be better in a government office!"

"He'd be safer there, but in the long run, I think him participating in the military is the route that would yield the best result, for all involved."

Zachary noticed the use of "participating" instead of "joining", but he didn't comment on it.

"Probably," Zachary said, then was silent for a few moments. Then he spoke again, "Tell you what," He said, rubbing the back of his head, "Give me a few days to clear my head and think about it, and I'll give you my answer. Actually, better make it a week."

"Very well." Isaac said, exiting the house, "I'll be waiting."

October 13th 2010 ATB, Britannian Mainland, Pendragon Metropolitan area, city of Phoenix, Lamperouge Manor.

A week went by, and then a couple more days, and still Isaac didn't hear back from his brother. He was starting to think he'd need to whip up a plan B. Then, as Isaac was reading a book in the manor's sun room with Rollo sitting nearby doing the same thing, Mathias came into the room.

"Master Zachary is here to see you, sir. He's waiting in the entry hall.

Isaac blinked, then closed his book with a clap. "About time!" He said while getting up, "And he didn't even call!"

Isaac made it to his house's entry hall, and there was his little brother, standing in the middle of the floor while looking up at his chandelier. He had obviously had an haircut and a shave, his hair being much tidier and pulled back with pomade, and his facial hair trimmed into a neat, full goatee. His clothes, a black jacket, white dress shirt not tucked in, dark blue close fitting jeans and leather boots, were pretty much spotless.

"Seeing you here, and presentable, at that, I assume that means you're answer is a 'Yes'?"

Zachary shrugged, "Sure." He said, "I mean, I got nothing to lose, and who knows? Something good might just come out of this, even if it's just preventing other family members from suffering my niece's fate."

"That'd be a start." Isaac said, then turned around, and yelled up the stairs. "LELOUCH! Get down here and meet your great-uncle! And we got stuff to talk about on your training!"

Chapter 7 DONE!

I hope you liked it!

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The more review I have, the more my motivation to write will hold up, and thus, the next chapter will be up all the earlier!

Until next time, keep it real, people!