Author's Note: A little late, but Happy New Year of 2009! With it, I present to you another chapter haha xD

And to LelouchForever- I'm happy you're supportive to my story. However, in the past updates, it's not the actual me who posted the chapters. My friend did. I'm grateful of his activeness though; he posted 2 of the chapters to boost my spirit in creating a new one. He might post codes 8 and 9 after this update.

So that's it. Again thanks to Lola, for lending me her character's last name. =3

Summary: Gian Peter Mauricio and Mikhail Luschia as the new Privates and Devicers of the Black Knights.


Lelouch Lamperouge.

Mikhail Luschia concealed himself in that particular name to conceal himself from MIR Movement's self-proclaimed leader Cerise Butterfly so that he could save his friends, Ricardo Diaz and Patricia Ferrer from the rebel group despite the consequences.

This action was made, and so he stood up as that man who shut himself within the same educational facility... not knowing that his fate was already smiling at him...


Code 7: Kagi (Key)

Her lips that were moist, yet warm; her face that was only a centimeter away from his; her hands leaned to him as a support to herself— there were a lot of things floating inside Mikhail's mind. The action was deadly shocking to his side, and he felt that his reflexes were absent in his body, he couldn't do anything at the moment, even a little push. How come his first kiss came from a complete stranger who called him initially in his fake name?

On the other hand, he had felt one the same kiss from the same witch and it was the third time already.

Their lips parted, and C.C. found herself staring up at the stunned teenager. She felt strange then. "Haven't you... remembered anything yet?" Her eyes seemed asking him as well.

"W-What?"

"Anything... about you... as Lelouch?"

He sighed. "Like I said, it's only my fake name. And..." His cheeks tinted with a blush. "T-This is the first time... I met you..."


With her legs crossed, C.C. sat comfortably at the edge of the bed while watching Mikhail who was busy fixing his things. Her hazel eyes trailed his every move: the way he wrote with his left hand, his eyes that seemed tired due to contacts he was wearing, the way he arranged his clothes on the closet. When it got bored, she started curling her leaf-colored hair with her fingers. What a perplexing silence.

"So... tell me, Lelouch..."

Mikhail looked at her with an exasperated look. "... What?"

"What were you doing after all these years?"

"H-Huh?"

Her eyes narrowed at him, "It has been twenty years, right?"

Mikhail sighed once again but not required himself to look at the girl behind him.. "I'm only 15 years old, Miss. I was born last 2022. There's no way I'd meet up with you." He blinked for a moment. "Wait, you mean... You're older than what I'm thinking?"

She stopped curling her hair. "It's rude to question a lady about her age."

"I was not directly asking for your age."

"You're changing our topic... intentionally, Lelouch."

He no longer answered.

"See... You're guilty."

This time, Mikhail spun around but with his arms crossed, "No, I'm not. We've been arguing about that name for hours now, and when you insist what I refuse, it makes us fools. So I chose not to say anything this time."

C.C. gasped Cheese-kun and fixed him into a pillow, "Smart people are all boring. They always find an escape route when they're cornered. Amazingly absurd, right, Lelouch?"

The boy sighed hard, painfully. "Whatever." He stood up from his seat and walked closer to his bed. He stopped before the witch and just stood there until C.C. noticed him there.

"What are you doing?"

"Would you mind, Miss; it's rest time for me."

"Oh, I see." And C.C. climbed on the bed, crawled on the other side. "There."

The teen was quite surprised with that action. He irked, "Just what are you doing? You can't—"

C.C. shot him a glare. "Yes, I can. I used to sleep in here, like you can do anything about it." She hit the cushions hard with her fist. "Don't tell me that you're a pervert, I'll seriously hurt you."

"Don't threaten me. It is ME who should be alarmed. You must be the pervert; you just ransack my flat. Clearly you trespassed here."

The immortal blew her cheek up, faced the other direction and pretended to sleep. Mikhail let another annoyed sigh and walked out of the room. C.C. never changed; still as teasing as usual. Mikhail couldn't help but to smile a bit. A warning. One by one, people whom he used to be with as Lelouch Lamperouge entered the stage, in his new life as Mikhail Luschia. It was quite alarming. He intended to live far from what he used to be, but why drawing these people closer to him once again? Damn fate; it was one dangerous game and he should play with it carefully. He might get saved by the fact that he was really born into this world but the other fact— that he knew every single memory of this Lelouch— could cause him big trouble.

He shook his head. Enough of dire thinking. All he need now was sleep. He looked back at the bedroom's door and pouted. There's no way he would sleep beside that witch like he used to, or she'd continue teasing him. Worse, she might discover his secret. He shrugged; he'd just stay on the living room.


"GOOD MORNING!"

Everyone early at the student council office was startled with Gian's loud greeting. He even grinned big. Winona complained first, "That is NOT funny, Kozuki-kun!"

Aldred, however, was amused— Naoto caught the attention of Winona who was usually not attentive when she's busy on her audits— and winked at the newly appointed Treasurer. "That's impressive, Kozuki! Let me try that tomorrow morning!"

The boyish Auditor punched Aldred's cheek and caught his collar, "Just try it, I'll discipline you myself, Mr. Discipline Officer!"

Gian scanned the room,"Where's Mikha- I mean, Lelouch hasn't come yet?"

Winona nodded, "Yup. I just wonder if he gets enough sleep every night. He seems active in sleeping all throughout the day. Well, that's no problem anyway, he's quite good in class... By the way, where's Kaye?"

The boy suddenly had a mood change, that both Winona and Aldred noticed. He ignored the question and headed to his table. Just then, the President came in, glared at the sitting Treasurer before greeting the others 'good morning'.

"Good morning, Kaye," Winona greeted her best friend and followed her to her table. "Looks like you woke up on the other side of the bed."

"Quite." Was the only answer Kaye could give, before commenting another one, "My mornings would never be as good as before... I guess..."

Books hardly landed on the other table, they noticed. Gian looked upset, even the newcomer Mikhail who was silently cursing his backache was surprised with what his friend did. Gian's black eyes shot a glare against Kaye's blue ones, and the tension heated up. Their shy Japanese secretary, however, didn't mind the commotion and bowed to greet the Vice President with her cheeks tinted with cute pink blushes, "G-G-Good morning... L-L-L-Lamperouge-kun..."

It was Princess Miraizha's turn to spring into action. She immediately stood up on the table, pulled out her pistol which caused a panic on students and jumped in the air, landing in front of Mikhail, the tip of her gun pointed at the teenager's chin. "You," her voice was deep and mocking, "A stranger who caught my mother's and my uncle's attention and took them away from me! How dare you! You're just a terrorist!"

The rest of the Student Council was frightened. "T-Terrorist?"

Kaye shifted to Gian, "I was right to doubt you. Aren't you Lamperouge's friend? So, you're a terrorist as well..."

Gian raged, "And now you're accusing me as a terrorist! You've got into my nerves, lady!"

"STOP THIS!" Kallen suddenly came in to the office, hands on her waist. "I was right. Something's wrong with you two, Kaye, Naoto." Both names that were called suddenly avoided sights. The scarlet-head continued, "But I am surprised to discover more." She eyed the pistol at Miraizha's hand. "Princess, what is the meaning of this?"

"B-But this man..." Miraizha defended herself, without even hearing the apparent question Kallen would utter. "I'm sure, he is a terrorist! I saw him riding on the enemy frame Uncle Zero arrested and—"

Princess? Mikhail looked up at the girl before him. If she was a Britannian princess, meaning she was Empress Nunnally's daughter? She observed more: her facial features; that tied curly brown hair that sagged down her butt, those familiar strong-willed eyes. Lelouch inside Mikhail quivered with either amusement or shock— he had this funny feeling who fathered the empress's child.

"Your Highness..." and Kallen her soldier look at the Princess. "As the Chief of Staff of the Black Knights Kozuki Kallen Spencer, I order you, Captain Miraizha ai Britannia, to hold your fire."

"B-But..."

"That man... Both of them are in fact... the newest members of the Black Knights."


Gian couldn't bring himself to bite his sandwich while still absorbing what Kallen had revealed. He couldn't believe it- he had just become a soldier within a second. "After accepting our second lives as adopted sons of Japan and Britannia and worked as transfer students, we leveled up as soldiers. What's next? This extraordinary life kills me..."

Mikhail looked at his friend mumbling to himself, and he felt his friend's agony. He himself was surprised as well. "You don't enjoy this now, do you?"

"Is that your idea of consoling my soul? Save your breath..."

"Well, like it can be helped. A princess is in the campus with us. What's more surprising, she's also in the army. Our identities might unveil recklessly just like that." The elite raven-haired sighed. "It looks like we'll have tough times from now on. All we have to do is to ride on the flow." Mikhail changed topic. "By the way, do you have any issues with Kaye Spencer?"

Gian completely lost his appetite. His grip on his sandwich tightened, that it flattened. "That woman... She has been giving me enough trouble, since that day I stepped into their house... I can't believe it. There's actually a siscon[1] female version. Creepy..."

The raven-haired thought that it was serious— just look at what happened to the poor sandwich. "Siscon? You mean she is over-affectionate of her sister?"

"Yeah." He looked at Mikhail. "You know that feeling, right? You had this siscon too when we were younger and—"

The profound genius pinched his friend's cheek so hard. "Yeah right. I did. And I'll always be like that."

Gian tapped Mikhail's hand and the other teen released his cheek. He rubbed his right cheek. "Awwwful. That hurt!"

Mikhail snatched Gian's small thermos and tasted the liquid inside it. He paused for a moment. "Wait, isn't this your Grandma's…"

Kozuki nodded. "Yep, and luckily the recipe is successfully passed down to me. Tastes good?"

The raven-haired returned the thermos back to his friend. "Maybe. You know I don't drink tea."


At the same time, Kaye was confessing her current situation to Winona, and the latter was surprised. "Y-You hate Kozuki-kun... just for a show?" The half-Italian doubted that. "That sounds so stupid, Kaye. Why are you doing that?"

"What?" Kaye leaned on the stone terrace at the Rooftop Garden and looked up at the sky. "Sakura loved him the first time he stepped into our house so I have to test him if he really is not a bad guy."

"But... I think he's been taking it seriously now," Winona crossed her arms across her chest. "Just imagine the wrinkles his forehead made when you accused him as a terrorist!"

The Council President chuckled. "He's been doing that for days now, but he never gets upset. He just… snorted or grunt, but he never complained. Maybe he's really a nice person."

"Oi, you have to stop that before he gets angry for real!"

"I know, I know!"

Winona sighed. "My. You're as jolly as the Principal aren't you?" Winona too, leaned on the terrace. "But to think that both Kozuki-kun and Lamperouge-kun are soldiers. Don't you think that's cool? I never imagined that I'll have soldier classmates. On top of that, Black Knights members!"

"Well, Mom has said it so no doubt. She's a high-ranking soldier after all..."

"And you're proud of her?"

Kaye closed her eyes, "Although she has no enough time to stay at home, yes. She might have no quality time with me and Sakura, at least she's someone this nation can lean on and trust."

Winona hummed. "As a daughter of a news journalist and a plain housewife, I have no idea how tough your life is, Kaye."

"It's not that tough. Just a little… adventurous. By the way, come over to my house tonight. I'll let you taste a very delicious tea that Mom discovered. Believe me, you'll be a raving fan too!"

"Sounds fun. Okay, I'm in."

Both girls smiled at each other and again looked up at the vast cerulean sky.


"WHAT!" Subaru was so surprised with what Kallen had confessed to the Black Knights personnel. The others who were present in the conference room had no intent of commenting anything. The Deputy Commander scratched his head, "Just when Zero and I are still in the middle of a debate—" He just shook his head in disappointment. Oh boy…"

"But we can't do anything about it," Kallen defended herself and shifted to Zero. "The Princess is at the same school with the boys and to completely conceal their identities, we got no choice but to include them in the army, even just for a show."

Lloyd was on Kallen's side. "I do have a proposal to make with one of them, so I think it's the best move to do, for now."

Zero calculated the situation, and it seemed that they had no option left. Besides, he had been planning to include the boys in the army. With their profound gifts, they could become effective soldiers against Cerise Butterfly. At last, his debate with Subaru had ended unexpectedly. "To be an initial member of the Black Knights, they should learn the principles and the regulations of the army. And they should know how to pilot a Knightmare Frame. Kallen, could you have the responsibility?"

Kallen saluted to the Commander. "I have no right to refuse, right, Commander Zero?"

Hirota walked before Subaru and tapped his shoulder. "And that's it. Case closed." Sumeragi sighed.

"By the way, Zero," Kallen looked back at the Commander. "Kaichou wants to inform you that... firearms are strongly prohibited in school's premises. Her Highness... had one... this morning..."


Holding the keys for the Darlton[2] Knightmare Frames, Gian Peter Mauricio and Mikhail Luschia officially entered UFN's military force. Lloyd Asplund was obviously celebrating as he hopped for joy yelling, "YE-HESSS! New Devicers!" around the teenagers. Rakshata puffed a smoke before facing the teenagers. "These 16th Generation Frames aren't that hard to operate for intellects like you, especially the calculations for the Absolute Blaze Barrier[3]. Only that it requires deep concentration and extra care in handling our babies." She suddenly shifted to Mikhail and leaned closer to him to whisper, "My bad if this unit doesn't look like Shinkiro."

Mikhail blinked with wonder.

Cecile noticed the innocence of Mikhail on the Indian lady's comment that she immediately drew a line, "Rakshata-sensei..."

"What? He's not the real Lelouch anyway..."

Rakshata walked a distance as Kallen walked closer to their location clad on her Devicer suit. She took off her necklace which was her Key for Guren. "We'll start your training for today. Be attentive and listen to me carefully. Understood?"

The boys stood up straight and saluted to the Chief of Staff. "Yes Ma'am!"


"OKAERINASAI!"

A ten-year-old twin-tailed girl suddenly clung to Kaye, tackling her in a process as soon as the teen entered the mansion. Kaye was a little hurt on her butt but showed a smile to her sweet sister who was now chuckling with the fall they had. "You're early today, Sakura."

Sakura nodded. "Ne, Onee-chan, let's eat dinner together."

"Okay, okay," the elder Spencer stood up and helped Sakura up as well. "Where's Mom?"

"Mommy just called. She and Onii-chan will be late today. They might come home tomorrow morning. Army stuff, she said."

"Army?" Kaye blinked. So, Kozuki was a really a soldier?

Her olive-colored skirt was tugged. She looked down at her perky sister who exclaimed, "Ne, Onee-chan, Onii-chan is a soldier. Meaning he will be our hero. Our protector!"

Kaye looked down at her sister's genuine innocent smile and she suddenly felt a pain inside her heart. To think that she was already sharing this with that stranger who was now a brother to them by name. She ruffled Sakura's head and grinned. "A knight in shining armor, perhaps..."


She didn't eat enough again, and Ricardo was starting to worry about Patricia. After Cerise had announced the deaths of Gian Mauricio and Mikhail Luschia, she became frequently spaced out and speechless. He decided to broke his silence. "Trish, you have to pull yourself together. Aunt Isabella would lose you in reality if you keep on starving yourself."

She began to sob. "B-But.. Gian and Mikhail... They are... They are..."

Ricardo put his hands above the girl's shoulders. "Listen. We decided to join MIR Movement to avenge their deaths, remember? Zero and his Black Knights killed them hopelessly, as Cerise showed and proved it with the remains of the EMFRAME they piloted. They knew this group's motive is reasonable and true, that's why they died as heroes. We won't let their deaths put into waste, will we? They are my childhood friends, they are our classmates... Let's avenge them.. By piloting the EMFRAMEs Golard and Medussa..."

Patricia tried to convince herself, as she remembered the funny, lively days the four of them had when they were still inside the Manila State University. Her laughs, Ricardo's brotherly advice, Gian's jokes, Mikhail's yawns... It was a tough choice, but...


Mikhail stayed longer at the Frame Garage, looking and examining the displayed Sutherlands at the corner of the laboratory. He even saw a dummy of the Knightmare Frame Shinkiro which used to be Zero's personal machine. It was displayed there for a souvenir. He stared at it, eyes quivering with excitement. It's been twenty years... since I saw and drove this last...

"Lelouch..."

Mikhail was startled and swiftly looked at his side to see Kallen walking closer to him. The lady, however, fumbled. "Uh.. I mean, Mikhail-kun..."

The boy smiled a little. "It's fine. Any name would do while we're in here, Kallen-san."

She stopped inches away from the boy. "Is this the first time you see a Sutherland?"

"I only used to see them in pictures. I never knew that seeing and viewing them in this close range is a lot different."

The scarlet-head looked up at the Frames, "When the 7th Aged Knightmares became the standard Frame of the Black Knights, these Sutherlands were preserved. They served both Britannia and the Order well before, so they deserve this kind of respect."

"That's why these are mentioned constantly in different History books."

Kallen blinked, "H-History?"

The boy nodded. "When I was a little, it was the first book I held, and I got hooked with it. Until now." Mikhail looked at Kallen, "History is interesting. It is the chronicles and records of ancient worlds, early people, first inventions and past events, yet it still aids the present time to carve and shape the future. Preposterous, but I found it true. What do you think, Kallen-san?"

Kallen held a small blush; why did pretty smart people make her heart pumped like this? Well, she wasn't like this when she first met Lelouch Lamperouge twenty years ago. That Lelouch whom she accused as Zero, who was the vice president of the Student Council, whom she labeled a man without integrity, whom she adored more when she discovered that he was the masked man she had admired most after her own brother, whom she shared her first kiss with...

Her daydreaming was cut with Mikhail calling out her name, worried. She flustered as she shook her head. She must had been drifting too much...

They decided to visit the encaged EMFRAME at the other corner of the garage, and with amusement, Kallen looked at the frame. "Whoah," her initial reaction. "This is a custom-made from Cambodia, huh? But it only looked like an upgraded Glasgow to me, only with different features. The entrance to the cockpit is from the top of the Frame. This is amazing."

Mikhail still had the key for the EMFRAME, but doubted that it would work again. He showed it to the lady soldier, "The key is quite different from the keys Lloyd-san has handed us."

Kallen held the key firmly and confirmed what the teenager said. "Yeah, it's smaller compared to a Knightmare Devicer's key."

The raven-haired checked the cockpit. "I have a thought that it's not made exactly made for battle. We tried to drive this again with Lloyd-san's permission, but it didn't work anymore. Like it was only made for transportation..." He paused from talking when he noticed a tiny box under the pilot's seat. He tried to reach it.

Kallen uttered, "But I heard from Count Asplund that it was installed with with a self-destruction device. Is it true?" Mikhail didn't answer back. She called out again, "Mikhail-kun?"

He jumped a little with surprise, "Uh... un..." was the only thing he could reply and he again stared at the thing he grasped inside the box: an empty bottle of medicine.

Meanwhile on the other room...

"W-What? Be your... assistant!"

Lloyd looked serious with what he proposed to Gian and the student was obviously surprised. The scientist walked across the room with his arms on his back. "I just gained interest with your genuine passion toward my creations and just like current head of Research and Development Team of Black Knights Britannia Faction Nina Einstein-Crismark, you'll have the opportunity to show your potentials by entering my laboratory." Gian's eyes held hesitations. The Count continued, "Don't you want your 150 IQ be as magnificent as your friend's?"

"N-No... Of course I do want to prove my love for cybernetics and Frames... but..."

"Well then, would you like to solve some calculations for me for a while? My hand is numb, Rakshata declines to be my secretary, and the Countess is busy so I need assistance right now..."


A troop of EMFRAMEs dispatched early in the morning from the Cambodian borders, following the other fleet that came across the West Coast. It was the perfect timing for MIR Movement to invade the Vietnam territory. Cerise was having breakfast with Margareth Husse, one of the pioneer members of the movement and her dearest friend. Letting her tea cool down, Margareth looked at the lady, "Have you informed that the forces of Black Knights in Vietnam is quite stronger than here in Cambodia?"

"I no longer fear that Order of Damn Knights' power," Cerise bluntly answered. "I'm quite confident with our newest machines my father presented to me. Besides, Cambodia's technology can no longer support our needs in building new EMFRAMEs. Vietnam has sufficient supplies and modern equipments that the Main Order of the Black Knights in Japan has. We have to extend our territory to win this struggle."

"It's not that I don't believe with our ability to change the world... but..."

"Don't worry. I'm no longer affected with Mikhail Luschia's last words. He refused me, so he died. All that matters to me now is for my plans to advance and finally for me to grasp my greatest achievement of all... My victory."


Next Code:

High noon.
In the midst of the raging fires, something will happen.
Ares is in danger.

And so, a decision will be made...


References:

• [1] Sister Complex- Well... let's see... Over-passionate love for a sister? HAHA.

• [2] The 15th and upgraded 16th Generation Knightmare Frames are named after Andreas Darlton, one of Princess Cornelia Li Britannia's subordinates. Killed in battle during Black Rebellion by Zero's Gawain.

• [3] Absolute Blaze Barrier is the upgrade done by Rakshata Chawla in the 15th Aged Frames, thus giving birth to the 16th Generation Knightmares. The effect is almost similar with Shinkiro's Absolute Defence Territory, only a bit stronger and it can still fire Laser Hardrons while activated.