Now, before I get started, I have news for everyone. Unfortunately, I am suffering from what has been known as the dreaded 'flu', so updates for all my stories are going to be very slow. I am focusing mostly on this one, considering it has gotten so much attention in so short a time, but I am working on another story, in collaboration with brave kid. In addition to having school work, I am completely booked for the whole month.

Also, I have results! Because of recent events, I had to cut the poll a little early, so that means... the results ARE IN! Meistro, drum roll please!

The winner, with C.C. coming up from behind in second, is... KALLEN!

Do keep in mind that, have one more vote been made, this would be a freaking Kallen/C.C. fic. Kaguya had so little votes, Milly was close in third, and was practically tied with Shirley. I wonder why she got so little votes in the beginning though?

Also, to those who asked or have no idea who he is, the character I introduced two chapters ago is the protagonist of a Code Geass game called Lost Colors. He has Geass, like Lelouch, and depending on your choices, he can either join the Black Knights, the Britannian military, or stay a student at Ashford and possibly snag a girlfriend. Speaking of which, a poll is on my page, which will decide Rai's role in the story.

Anyway, that's enough A/N! Now, unto the eighth chapter of R-eset!

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

R-eset

Part 2: The Return of the Black Knights

"I think I understand the man behind that mask of yours a bit more..." –Li Xingke

Stage 07: Calm Before The Storm

"My name is Suzaku Kururugi. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Lelouch immediately felt rising anger burning in his chest when he saw the disgusted and horrified looks on his classmates' faces, especially on Nina's. Up until the events of the Zero Requiem, she had always been so scared of Elevens because of emotional and physical trauma that occurred when she visited the ghettos.

Honestly, how much of a hypocrite could you possibly get?

"What the hell is a damned Eleven doing here?"

"I heard that he was arrested under the suspicion of being Prince Clovis' murderer!"

"Yeah, but wasn't it that Zero guy who did it in the first place?"

"Yeah, they even said that he was made up to be the scapegoat just because his father was the Prime Minister of Area 11 before the war!"

Lelouch felt as if his nails were about to make his palms bleed. 'Not this time...' he thought before he raised his hand. He saw that Suzaku's eyes widened a bit, while everyone focused on him, including the teacher.

"Mr. Faust, if it's alright, Suzaku can sit beside me."

If the class wasn't looking at him, they certainly weren't now. Suzaku had a look of genuine surprise on his face before it turned into a small smile.

"Are you sure, Mr. Lamperouge?"

"Of course. He's a childhood friend of mine, after all."

The faces of everyone in class were priceless. He saw that Nina was completely floored and shocked by the fact that he was childhood friends with an Eleven, Rivalz looked as if he had just been slapped in the face, Shirley stared at him with large eyes, and Milly gave Lelouch that warning look.

"O-oh... is that so? Very well then."

The teacher nodded to Suzaku. The brown-haired Knight of Zero moved past the incredulous stares that were placed all round him before he took his seat next to Lelouch.

"You know, they are going to ask you about your past."

"I know. And I intend on telling them the truth."

Suzaku blinked, looking at his friend before noticing the pensive look on his face.

"I am tired of lying."


"Okay, spill! How the heck do you two know each other?!"

Lelouch sighed as he reclined in his chair while Suzaku quietly took a seat next to him. As he expected, the entire student council, save Kallen and Milly, had cornered him with curious looks on their faces.

"First of all, what I am about to say is not to leave this room."

Milly immediately caught on to what he was saying, and stood up.

"Lelouch-"

"No, Milly."

He cut her off with a stern glare.

"They have a right to know."

Milly looked like she wanted to protest, but she sighed and sat back down, crossing her arms over her chest with a humph. Shirley blinked, looking back and forth between the two before frowning in unison with Rivalz.

"Um, okay...? What's all of this about?"

"Rivalz, do you remember the story of how our parents died?"

His friend winced. The official story about Lelouch and Nunnally's past was that their parents were well versed in politics, their father a scientist, and their mother a businesswoman. They moved to Japan to discuss the growing concerns about Sakuradite, however a month after they arrived, the pacific war began, and their parents perished during the invasion.

"Yeah, you said that they were killed during the first days of the invasion, right?"

Lelouch nodded, and grimaced.

"That was the story made-up by the Ashfords in order to conceal the truth about me and Nunnally. In reality, our mother was murdered while we were still in the homeland."

"Huh? Wait, what? But, I don't get it..."

It was Shirley who said that, growing more and more confused while her eyes were developing into spirals, and steam pouring out of her head.

"Yeah, what Shirley said. I know that Milly's grandfather owed you guys a favor, but..."

"The Ashfords were close friends with my mother right up until her death. It was that incident that stripped them of their noble status. In fact, if it weren't for the Ashfords, our mother would never have become the Knight of Six or Two, for that matter."

As he expected, their eyes widened to the size of softballs. Even Kallen looked surprised, but quickly saw the look of contempt and scorn as he spoke about his mother.

"Whoa, back up! You're mother was a Knight of the Round?!"

"Let me put it to you this way, Rivalz. Lamperouge is mine and Nunnally's mother's maiden name. When she was married, she was renamed Marianne vi Britannia."

It was nothing but silence. Milly closed her eyes, as if understanding Lelouch's decision, Kallen sinking into the background, and Suzaku's hands balling into fists, recalling one of the last words that despicable woman uttered before she was engulfed into the World of C.

Rivalz's jaw was on the floor, Shirley was completely speechless, and Nina was a stuttering mess, unable to form any words whatsoever. Still, Lelouch felt slightly relieved to finally have that off of his chest. Up until he became Emperor, no one, with the exception of Kallen, Suzaku, and Milly learned that Lelouch was, in truth, a prince of Britannia.

"W-w-what... S-so then, you and Nunnally are..."

"Correct. Officially, Lelouch vi Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia both died near the end of the Pacific War. After we were exiled, we were sent under the care of the Kururugi family. That's how me and Suzaku know each other."

Finally, Shirley snapped out of her state and spoke up.

"I-I don't get it! Why were you and Nunnally exiled?! I mean, the two of you are royalty, aren't you?!"

They never expected to hear Lelouch's tone go cold and icy. Nina shivered, feeling as if the air turned several degrees colder.

"Because, Charles zi Britannia doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself, not even his own children. After our mother was killed, I barged into the throne room, and demanded that justice be done. He waved it off, saying that it was the price of being royalty, and that he didn't want to see Nunnally, calling her a weakling. When I heard that, I told him outright and every person in that room that I gave up my claim to the throne. Do you know what he said next, Shirley?

"His exact words were, 'you are dead to me'. He said that he was the one who gave me a roof over my head, clothes for me to wear, and food for me to eat, and yet he spoke to me as if I was but an insignificant ant, telling me that I had no claim, and then told me that the only use me and Nunnally had at that point were nothing but bargaining chips in the civil war for Sakuradite. After that, we were sent off to Japan, where we were placed under the care of the Kururugi family. Suzaku was the first and only real friend I made. If it wasn't for him, my sister and me wouldn't even be alive today, and we would have definitely been killed. That's why I spoke up back there."

By the time he was finished, there were various reactions. Rivalz looked disgusted after hearing what sort of man the Emperor of Britannia truly was, Shirley looked at the boy in pity, and Nina looked down at her hands in shame for having thought of Suzaku as a monster in human skin.

"Lelouch... damn, I... I don't know what to say..."

Lelouch stood up from his chair, giving a small smile.

"It's fine, Rivalz."

He didn't expect his friend to shout back.

"No, it's not! I mean, your dad just practically told you that you didn't mean anything to him! What kind of monster is that?! And calling his daughter weak?! What the hell?!"

Suzaku had never seen Lelouch like this before. He looked completely shocked as both Rivalz and Shirley were both telling him how sorry they were for such a terrible thing happening to both him and his sister while Nina stood up and immediately apologized to him, saying that she had thought of him to be a cruel person, but then stated that she was grateful for meeting the only decent Eleven in the entire world. Milly smiled at the scene, happy that his friends had chosen to still accept him rather than scorn him, and Kallen giggled at the sight.

Sometimes, there were bonds that, if strong enough, they would never break. Now that she thought about it, it was that young boy who taught it to her.

She blinked. Young boy? 'It happened again...' she thought, wincing as her hand moved to her chest. 'Why does it feel like that, whenever I think about him... I get sad?'


"I never thought they would react like that."

"Lelouch, what did you expect?"

"Them to turn me away."

"Obviously, you don't hold your friends in high regard."

"No, he's more like... a pessimist."

"Shut up, Suzaku."

Suzaku chuckled slightly at Lelouch's indignant remark as he turned away, a faint blush on his cheeks. Alongside Kallen, they were walking down the halls of Ashford while discussing events in regards to Zero's appearance and Cornelia's being here.

"The Yamato Alliance is the next target, isn't it?"

Lelouch nodded.

"Last time, they couldn't follow orders any longer because of my blunder. Cornelia is nothing like Clovis; she's a better tactician than he ever was. C.C. was right, I let my own pride blind me, and I lost to her so easily. This time, however..."

And there it was, his signature fiendish grin.

"I plan to win."

"So, are you going to involve the Black Knights as well?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Though, I'll only be needing you for this operation."

Kallen raised a curious eyebrow, wondering what exactly was going through his head right now.

"Ohgi and the others will be focusing on evacuating the citizens. You'll be the only one fighting. If we can do this correctly, we may or may not have the Yamato Alliance at our side."

"Last time, they were completely wiped out."

Suzaku pointed out to him.

"Plus, from what I've heard, they're pretty damn stubborn, a lot more so than the Blood of the Samurai faction."

"Then let's hope they don't have connections with Kusakabe, then."

Kallen cringed when she heard that name. Kusakabe was one of the influential members of the Japan Liberation Front, and possibly the man who made the JLF out to be terrorists because of his stupid stunt to prove that the Japanese weren't dead yet. He used the Sakuradite conference to his advantage, taking every person in the hotel building there, including Euphemia and three members of Student Council hostage.

Even though he was better at hiding his emotions, especially behind the infamous mask, Kallen could tell that Lelouch was livid. And she knew that, once the hotel hijacking happened once again, there was nothing that was going to stop him from becoming something worthy of his moniker when he was the Emperor of Britannia.


After class had ended, Lelouch leaned against the wall behind him, looking lazily over the railing to see Suzaku chatting with Shirley and Rivalz. Ever since Lelouch revealed his true origins, the two had gotten along with him surprisingly well, most likely due to the fact that it was because of Suzaku that he and Nunnally were even still alive after what happened during the war.

"So, the Blood of the Samurai has been completely wiped out?"

"Y-yeah. Listen, Zero, I think we should lay low for a bit. Ever since she arrived in Area 11, Cornelia's been taking down one faction after another. It'll only be a matter of time before-"

"Unfortunately, we do not have that sort of luxury, Ohgi."

Lelouch cut him off.

"I found out about this recently, but Cornelia is about to pull off a massacre within the Saitama ghetto, and it'll be just as bad as what happened in Shinjuku."

"Wait, what?!"

"Apparently, she thinks it'll draw me out of hiding. As I recall, Saitama is the Yamato Alliance's base of operations, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah, Yoshi is the one in charge! This is bad...!"

"Calm down. I have no intention of allowing innocent people to die. Inform everyone to gear up. We'll be leaving for Saitama by tomorrow. Make sure you do repairs on the Glasgow, and restock it's weaponry. I'll need Kallen for what we're about to pull off."

"R-right. What about the others?"

"Tamaki and Inoue will be in charge of evacuating the citizens before Cornelia arrives. Everyone else is to remain on stand-by."

"And Kallen?"

"She'll be fighting. Ohgi, I need you to tell everyone what their roles will be."

"R-right, understood."

"By the way, I wanted to ask something.

"W-what is it?"

'Oh, for Pete's sake, Ohgi.' Lelouch groaned mentally. 'Grow a spine already. I don't ever recall you being this bad.'

"Naoto Kouzuki... He was Kallen's older brother, correct?"

"...Yeah. He and I were good friends, especially before and after the invasion began. He helped with evacuation, so thanks to him, a lot of children were saved during the war. He was actually the one who suggested we fight against Britannia."

"And when he died, you were made the leader."

"W-well, yeah, but..."

"Ohgi, did you really not notice?"

"Huh?"

"Everyone looks up to you, seeks your guidance. I agree with them, you're fit to lead them. I'm sure Naoto Kouzuki would agree with me on this. If not him, then Kallen."

"Yeah, well, those two are so much alike, it was almost scary."

Lelouch chuckled.

"I can only imagine..."


Cornelia li Britannia. She was Euphemia's older sister, and unlike her, she had no problems heading straight forward into violence. In fact, one could say she excelled in it, quickly turning the tide of battle with strength and wit alone. It was only natural that she had been named the Viceroy of Area 11 after news of Clovis' death reached her ears. There were many who had begun to pity the poor bastard who had taken the life of the third prince, as Cornelia had well-earned her moniker as the Witch of Britannia, and there was no one who was going to stand in her way.

It was a few days before she would begin her plan to lure out Zero, but before that, she had things to do. She spoke with Kewell Soresei and Jeremiah Gottwald, the two men, along with various others, who allowed the masked man by the name of Zero to escape. Suffice to say, she was completely livid, but allowed the two to redeem themselves. She recognized Jeremiah immediately, seeing as how that he was Lady Marianne's personal guard, so she was a bit lenient with him, placing him with one of the troops for the Saitama Ghetto purge.

After that, she gave a stern yet gentle scolding to Euphemia after her little stunt, and took the time to meet the man who had defeated a vast majority of the Purist Faction that tried to eliminate Soresei and Gottwald. She had to say, she was surprised when she met the young boy. He was a Number, and Britannia's policy was to discriminate against them. The strong devour the weak, and might makes right. These were the fundamental laws of Britannia. And yet, when she looked into his eyes, she saw not a Number, but a warrior.

No, a warrior didn't even come close. What she saw was a man who had lost everything, and he'd be damned before he would lose it all ever again. His eyes blazed with iron-clad resolve, such that she had never seen before. In short, what she had met that day could only be described as a member of the Knights of the Round.

'A Number becoming a Knight of the Round...' Cornelia thought, amused as she filled out the last of her documents. 'That will be the day. Still, his eyes... Lady Marianne and Schneizel both said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, and what I saw was a boy who was forced to look into the cold hard reality he had denied... It's almost frightening, in a way.'

Her eyes wandered to a small photograph showing the two people who had been forever engraved into her heart. One was a young boy with raven black hair and purple eyes, and the other was a young girl with flowing hair like Euphemia, and bright hope-filled eyes. She grimaced, her fingers gently brushing against the frame as she whispered their names aloud.

"Lelouch... Nunnally..."

Clovis became the Viceroy of Area 11 not for political gain, nor to hog the Sakuradite for himself. Rather, it was because he wanted to find the two siblings who had truly been considered the Emperor's favorite children, seeing as how they were the offsprings to his favorite wife. Cornelia had never known anyone as beautiful and powerful as Marianne Lamperouge, truly worthy of her status as the Knight of Two and the fifth consort.

Regrettably, Clovis was never able to accomplish what he sent out to do, but he often sent letters to his brothers and sisters, feeling as if he were one step closer to finding their brother and sister, who he fervently believed to be still alive. There was one lead he had to look at before he was killed.

"Ashford Academy... founded by the same people who helped Lady Marianne ascend to her status to knighthood, and later into becoming an Empress."

Cornelia looked at the picture one final time before sighing as she stood, sliding the chair back into the desk and making her way toward the door.

"If they are still alive, like Clovis believed... then I will find them."


Lelouch had to say, meeting the Yamato Alliance in person rather than via radio was much different than he had expected. He saw that many of them were tense, yet stared at him in complete awe. Most of them looked to be very young, late teens to mid-twenties, some looking even younger than that. The leader had long hair that came down to his shoulder, wore thin-framed glasses, and looked at Lelouch in respect and admiration.

It appeared that Zero's appearance was more well pronounced than last time.

"I thought Ohgi was joking when he told me you'd be coming to see us over the phone."

The leader of the Yamato Alliance admitted sheepishly, rubbing the base of his neck.

"Still, it's an honor to meet you. My name is Yoshi, I'm leader of the Yamato Alliance."

"A pleasure indeed."

Lelouch shook hands with the man.

"So, you said you had something to discuss with us?"

Lelouch nodded, taking a seat with everyone else.

"I'm sure you've already heard of Cornelia's arrival here in Japan."

Yoshi nodded grimly.

"It would be hard not to, seeing as how she tore down the Blood of the Samurai in a single firefight. She's definitely a worse monster than what we imagined."

"And every monster can be killed. And it is because of her that I am here."

Yoshi and a few other members frowned at Zero's words before he told them that Cornelia would be arriving in Saitama to draw him out by taking the lives of innocent people. Needless to say, there were reactions of fear and disgust.

"T-this information is accurate, then?"

Yoshi asked almost fearfully, swallowing the large lump in his throat. Lelouch nodded grimly.

"I'm afraid so. I have a mole placed within the military, and thankfully, he was transferred into Cornelia's service. By noon tomorrow, Saitama will undergo the same hell that transpired in Shinjuku. It appears me killing Clovis has stirred up the hornet's nest."

"Well, what did you expect? You killed a member of the Imperial Family."

"An action I do not regret. Yoshi, if you would allow me, will you allow the Kouzuki resistance, as well as myself, to defend Saitama alongside you and protect its people?"

The room went deadly silent. Yoshi stared at the man with large eyes, unable to form words until another member of the Yamato Alliance spoke up.

"Wait, you'd really help us?!"

Lelouch smiled underneath his mask. He had them.

"Indeed. I cannot sit back and watch lives be taken, especially when those people had a future ahead of them, a future with dreams. That is why I wish to protect this city, as well as its inhabitants. With your permission, Yoshi, my allies will do everything within their power to evacuate everyone within the ghetto to a safer location."

Yoshi finally snapped out of his stupor.

"I-I can't tell you how much this means to us... Yes, we'll gladly accept your help, Zero!"

"I thank you. As I said earlier, Cornelia will appear at noon tomorrow. A few of our numbers will deal with her main forces while the others will focus on protecting the civilians. The last thing we need is people dying on our hands."

Yoshi nodded with a fierce gaze.

"Couldn't agree more. So, what's the plan?"

Lelouch gave off a fiendish grin, one that even Kallen could see beneath his mask, as he told the group of his plans. The red-head smiled, knowing that this time, Cornelia wasn't about to one-up them this time around.

The Black Knights were back, and they about to change the world once more!

"Then make those lies become the truth." –Suzaku Kururugi

I apologize if the chapter was short, but unfortunately, I had school work when I finished this. By the way, if any of you are interested, please take a look at my other Code Geass fanfic "The Demon of Darkness", featuring Lelouch with a split personality. If any of you are fans of Persona 4 Arena: Ultimax, you'll figure out who I modeled him after. Well, adios!