Well, here is the new chapter and I've gotten to the second chapter of ARC III and it's...going nothing like my outline suggested it would go. (Sigh) I knew this was going to happen.

Bakura: why do you even bother on doing outlines anyway, you foolish mortal?

To try and avoid plot holes. It...doesn't always work.

Bakura: (snorts)

So, based on how the story's going right now, we won't be reaching the events of the first episode of canon until chapter 32. But that's then and this is now.

Thank you to ewerntondragon, Determined Savior, Demons Anarchy of Pride, DYnoJackal19, PiroWolfxL, harlequin320, Shadow-Shinobi666, Shimmering-Sky, FATH1, squeegywing, and davycrocket100 for reviewing the last chapter.

Also, thank you to Strife666 and emilee-zhang for reviewing the first chapter.

I hope that you enjoy the second to last chapter of this arc. The next chapter will be the end of basic training and then we will be on to ARC II, which I shall give you the name of in the next chapter. As always, reviews are much appreciated.

. . .

Update Note 10/21/2016: Other than fixing the mistake I made in terms of using the wrong (VERY wrong at that)word, I also took out the last two sentences in the scene with Naoto because it was too sudden a change of mind and not, exactly, what I had intended.

. . .

. . .

August 17, 2010

Akishima, Japan

Peering around the corner, Suzaku watched as Britannian soldiers charged past, looking around for any survivors. Knightmares also patrolled the area and debris and bloodstained bodies covered the street. The Britannians didn't seem to care and simply kept moving forward, their eyes searching for survivors.

Suzaku bit his lip as he waited until they were out of sight. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he turned and crept back the way he had come. "They're gone," he whispered.

Lelouch's black-headed form climbed out of the pile of garbage bags the three of them had taken refuge in before turning and gently pulling Nunnally free. Nunnally shivered but Lelouch quietly reassured her that everything was all right.

He looked tired, Suzaku noted. His amethyst eyes were bright with exhaustion and there were bags beneath his eyes. He hadn't been getting much sleep but then neither had Suzaku. Neither of them had been able to sleep since the airstrike leveled the Kururugi Shrine and they were forced to find a place to hide from the attacking Britannians and the vengeful Japanese that were trying to fight back.

"Here, let me take Nunnally," Suzaku suggested when he saw Lelouch tiredly trying to lift Nunnally onto his back. While he was just as tired, Suzaku was also more physically capable, and had more stamina, than Lelouch.

"I'm fine. I can carry her," Lelouch insisted stubbornly.

Suzaku sighed but nodded. "If you get tired, let me know," he said quietly and slowly led the way out of the alley. The three children were covered in dirt, blood, and who knew what else, they were also hungry and thirsty but they kept moving forward, knowing that it wasn't safe there.

They walked in silence, both of them sickened at the number of bodies that they were forced to navigate around. The staggering amount of debris made it treacherous going and Lelouch's exhaustion coupled with him bearing Nunnally's weight was making them move even slower.

"Big Brother? You seem tired," Nunnally said quietly.

"I'm fine, Nunnally," Lelouch assured the seven-year-old girl on his back, stumbling but managing to regain his footing. He sounded out of breath.

"You don't sound fine," Nunnally said with a concerned frown.

"Lelouch, let me carry her for a little while, just until you get your breath back," Suzaku offered again, worriedly studying his friend.

Lelouch opened his mouth and Suzaku could tell that he was about to protest.

"Big brother, please, listen to Suzaku. Don't you trust him?" Nunnally asked innocently.

Lelouch was silent for a moment and then he gently handed Nunnally over to Suzaku. That single act answered Nunnally's question and Suzaku, determined not to betray that trust, gently took Nunnally into his arms. He shifted her onto his back, feeling her wrap her arms around his neck to keep steady, and turned to Lelouch.

"Ready?" he asked.

Lelouch nodded and the two headed out again.

"This country…it used to be beautiful," Lelouch murmured quietly later as they neared the edge of the ruined city of Akishima. Though there was still debris and bodies at this end of the city, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was at the city's heart. Both of them were able to breathe a bit easier, though the scent of garbage and blood still permeated the area.

"Yeah," Suzaku agreed. "It was."

"Japan had become more a home for me and Nunnally than Pendragon ever was and now Britannia has destroyed it," the exiled prince murmured under his breath, though Suzaku heard him. Realizing he wasn't supposed to hear that, he said nothing.

. . .

10

The Ultimate Tests

May 16, 2016

Barracks, Basic Training Camp

It was four in the morning when Suzaku was jolted out of his sleep, the memory of his time with Lelouch and Nunnally traversing the ruined land of Japan during the invasion surged through his mind. He blinked, trying to push them aside. It wasn't as if this was the first time that Suzaku has had nightmares about what happened during the invasion but his nightmares were usually about how the war ended with him murdering his father. He had stopped thinking about what happened during the invasion within the first year after the end of the war.

However, since he had been reunited with Lelouch, the memories of the months they had spent together at the Kururugi Shrine had come back.

He wasn't entirely sure what caused him to start thinking about the invasion and what he, Lelouch, and Nunnally had to go through just to stay alive though. He wondered if it was because of the marksmanship and knightmare stimulation drills that they had been doing for the past week but decided that it didn't matter.

It wasn't as if Suzaku wasn't used to nightmares.

And it wasn't as if this was the first time that Suzaku had been woken up by them. There was a reason why he was usually among the first to be awake and ready for training after all.

Yawning and deciding that it would be pointless to go back to sleep—he had to wake up in an hour anyway—Suzaku climbed off his bunk, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Suzaku?" A soft voice said and Suzaku turned to find Lelouch sitting up on his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Suzaku asked.

Lelouch yawned and shook his head. "No, I was awake," he said as he swung his feet off his bed and stood up, stretching. "Couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"The same," Suzaku said. "Well, we may as well get ready since we're up anyway."

Lelouch nodded and walked over to his footlocker. Suzaku followed suit and gathered his stuff together before making his way over to the bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready. When he got back to his bunk with Lelouch, he noticed that Kay was stirring while Tadashi was still fast asleep.

"Morning, Kay," Suzaku said as Kay sat up, his silvery-blue hair sticking in all directions as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The small boy blinked sleepily at Suzaku and yawned.

"Morning," he mumbled as he dragged himself out of bed and wandered over to his footlocker.

Suzaku sat down on Lelouch's bunk and began lacing up his boots. Both he and Lelouch finished getting ready as Kay came back and Tadashi woke up. Yawning, the burnt-orange haired boy climbed down from his bunk, nearly tripping on the last rung, and stumbled toward his footlocker without a word.

While Tadashi was getting ready, Kay was tidying his area up, accidentally knocking a letter to the ground. Suzaku reached out and picked it up, noting that the return address was from Pendragon and that it hadn't been open yet. "You dropped this," he said, holding out the letter to Kay.

He glanced at it and took it. "Thanks," he said softly, tucking the letter under his pillow and moving over to his footlocker to assure that it was in order.

Rayne walked over to join the group at that moment with Lila behind her. "Morning," she said, flopping down on Kay's bed, much to her twin's irritation.

"Good morning, Rayne," Suzaku replied.

"I'm so looking forward to finally getting the chance to do something more challenging with guns today," Rayne said.

"Same here," Lila said with a small smile. She and Tadashi both had the makings of an excellent sharpshooter, something that Lelouch had pointed out during their drills the week before, and they both felt comfortable handling guns and rifles.

Tadashi joined them, throwing his sleep clothes into his footlocker and starting to organize them.

When it was about five minutes before breakfast was due to begin, Dimitri joined them but, to Rayne's irritation, Vivienne was right behind him.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Vivienne greeted Lelouch brightly, making Rayne roll her eyes and mutter something that Suzaku couldn't catch.

"We should head out if we don't want to be late for breakfast," Kay suggested, glancing at his sister.

Vivienne sniffed. "You don't order us around," she sneered.

"I see your attitude has gotten so much better since the last time we were fortunate enough to be graced with your presence," Rayne drawled, standing up. "He wasn't ordering us to do anything. He was simply pointing out something."

"Did I say you could speak to me? I thought not," Vivienne sneered.

Lila rolled her eyes. "This is not high school, Vivienne. Stop acting like a spoiled little princess and grow up," she said and walked out of the barracks.

"Who are you calling spoiled?" Vivienne demanded but Lila was already gone.

Rayne sighed. "It's too early to be dealing with this crap. I'll be in the mess hall," she said and followed Lila's example, leaving the guys alone with Vivienne.

"Wait for me," Tadashi called and darted out of the barracks behind the two girls. Mutely, Dimitri followed suit.

"Hmph, good riddance, now we only have one pathetic Eleven to deal with," Vivienne sneered with a glare at Suzaku. "Why don't you follow your fellow Eleven's example and leave? We don't need you here."

Suzaku blinked, a bit surprised by the hostility in Vivienne's tone. Sure, he had been treated with hostility at first but that had gradually faded when everyone noticed the friendship between him and Lelouch. While Suzaku didn't want to do anything that could reflect badly on his friend, Lelouch had no such qualms and refused to let Suzaku be harassed by the Britannians at the camp. However, it seemed Vivienne didn't know that, or just didn't care.

"Vivienne, I suggest you leave," Lelouch said coolly.

Vivienne stared at Lelouch. "You're asking me to leave?" she demanded.

"Yes. Like Lila said, this is not the time nor the place to act like a spoiled brat," Lelouch said flatly and, deciding to leave himself instead, headed toward the entrance to the barracks and Kay followed him.

Suzaku glanced at Vivienne, about to apologize on Lelouch's behalf, as that was rather rude of him, but she just glared at him, brushed past him and strode off. He blinked but decided against worrying about Vivienne's attitude and left the barracks as well.

. . .

Training Field, Basic Training Camp

The tasks that the recruits were given as soon as they reached the training field were challenging. One was a sniper challenge in which one had to hit a moving target from a certain height; both Lila and Tadashi excelled at that challenge by hitting the target within their first couple of tries. Rayne got so impatient that she ended up shooting everything but the target but eventually got it. Though she did look about ready to slam her rifle into Vivienne's gut when the pale-purple haired girl started insulting her.

Thankfully, Cloud, who was overseeing the training, got on Vivienne's case for that, giving her a stern reprimand in front of everyone and then ordering her to run twenty laps around the field.

"Not everyone has what it takes to be a sniper. This is not a slight of your ability but rather a fact," Cloud said, clasping his hands behind him. "Your Marksmanship Qualification will take place on Saturday along with your Knightmare Qualification. These are the two significant tests that you must pass for this phase of your training. Should you pass both, you will head on to the final phase of your training. However, if you fail then you will be transferred to another training camp in which you will learn from your mistakes and try again. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir," the recruits declared, saluting and headed toward the cool-off area to get something to drink and relax. They still had drills to complete but that wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes.

"I am so going to pass those tests," Vivienne said smugly.

"So what?" Rayne muttered. "I swear if I get placed at the same post as her after I graduate, I'm going to request a transfer immediately."

"I can't help but agree with you," Lila said with a nod and a disapproving look at the bragging Vivienne who was now claiming that she was sure she was going to be placed with the 11th Division under General Andon.

"No freaking duh," Rayne said scornfully. "Unless she gets transferred out of Area 11, which I really hope happens, she's going to be under General Andon. He's the Commander-in-Chief of Area 11's military forces after all."

So Area 11's military forces are under the command of General Andon. Hmm. "Who is General Andon?" Lelouch asked.

"You don't know who General Andon is?" Rayne echoed.

"I never really paid much attention to the affairs of the military before I rejoined the Royal Family," Lelouch said with a shrug.

"He's a legend," Rayne said. "Not only had he participated in the wars that led to the creation of several areas but he actually won the wars that created Areas 4 and 6."

"He's also the reason why the terrorist threat here in Area 11, while still a growing problem, has not gone completely out of control," Kay added.

"He was also the Knight of Honor for Imperial Consort Flora mel Britannia until she was killed," Dimitri said, sipping at his water.

"I see," Lelouch said, sipping at his own water and musing on the information that he had been given. General Andon sounded like a powerful ally for Britannia and Lelouch recalled that Andon was listed on the list of Schneizel's allies. He kept that in mind as Cloud called for them to begin the drills.

. . .

May 17, 2016

Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

Nina glanced over her shoulder as Nunnally wheeled her way to her side and paused in her typing. "Hello Nunnally," she greeted her softly.

"Hi Nina," Nunnally said with a bright smile and Nina noticed that she was holding an origami crane in her hands that was made out of pink paper. While Nina was terrified of Elevens, she had to admit that some of the types of art that they had created were interesting and easy to do. Origami was the easiest, though Nina hadn't gotten the hang of it, not like Nunnally anyway.

"I made this one for you," Nunnally said, holding out the origami crane. "I was gonna give you one when I first started making them but I kinda forgot." She smiled sheepishly.

"I…It's all right," Nina said, taking the origami crane and placing it next to her computer.

"So what are you doing?" Nunnally asked as Nina turned her attention to her computer screen.

"Just researching the isotopes of Uranium," Nina said. "But what brings you here?"

"I just wanted someone to talk to," Nunnally said. "Sayoko had to go and get some groceries and Milly and the others are busy."

Nina eyed her research but decided that she could spare some time for the kind-hearted princess. She saved her research and put her computer on sleep mode before turning to Nunnally, quietly suggesting that they go and get a snack. She was starting to get hungry anyway and it would give them both something to do.

"Okay. Let's go back to my apartment. We have ice cream," Nunnally suggested.

"O…Okay," Nina said softly. Ice cream did sound good.

She and Nunnally left the meeting room and headed toward the East Wing of the clubhouse where Nunnally has been living with her brother for the past six years.

They entered the apartment and Nunnally wheeled herself into the kitchen, directing Nina to the fridge. Nina pulled out a container of chocolate ice cream and placed it on the table before fetching two bowls, two spoons, and the ice cream scooper. "How much can you have?" Nina asked quietly, knowing that either Lelouch or Sayoko was usually the one who served Nunnally.

"Just two scoops is fine," Nunnally said and Nina scooped out two spoonfuls. She then served herself some and took a seat by Nunnally, placing the princess's spoon in her hand and gently directing her to the bowl.

"So, um, what do you think you're going to go as to Milly's fairy-tale themed ball next week?" Nina asked since Milly had decided to make that ball a costume ball, despite it not being Halloween for several more months.

"I think I'm just gonna go as myself. I'm a princess so it'd work since there're princesses in fairy tales," Nunnally said, swallowing another bite of ice cream. "What about you?"

"Well, um, Milly decided that she, me, Kallen, and Shirley are gonna be fairy godmothers and Rivalz is gonna go as a prince," Nina said. She didn't really care for the costume that the girls would be wearing that Milly had already created but, thankfully, they weren't that bad. At least they weren't as bad as the maid costumes Milly had the girls, except Nunnally, wearing during the bake sale.

It was a good thing Nina had spent most of her time sitting down because she didn't know how she would take getting looked at by all those guys that walked past. She may be terrified of Elevens but she wasn't very comfortable around guys; Rivalz and Lelouch were the only exceptions.

Nunnally giggled. "I bet you Milly would've had Big Brother go as a prince even if our identities hadn't been revealed," she said.

"Probably," Nina said and went back to eating her ice cream.

The door opened and Nina glanced up as Sayoko, carrying two paper bags filled with groceries, kicked the door closed behind her. Nina shivered but said nothing; she may be terrified of Elevens, and Sayoko was no exception, but the maid hadn't done anything and took care of Nunnally so Nina was able to tolerate her, though she still didn't feel all that comfortable being in her presence for too long.

"Sayoko?" Nunnally said.

"I'm here, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko said, placing the paper bags on the table. "How was your day?"

"It was good. I got all my homework done and then invited Nina to come and have some ice cream with me. I hope that's okay," Nunnally said.

"That's fine, Mistress. Just remember not to have too much ice cream or you'll ruin your appetite," Sayoko said as she dug into the paper bag and pulled out the groceries she bought.

"I know. Nina made sure to only give me the same amount that Big Brother usually gives me," Nunnally said and swallowed another bite of ice cream.

"Um, I think I'd best get going," Nina said quietly, finishing her ice cream and getting to her feet.

"You're leaving already?" Nunnally sounded disappointed but then she brightened. "Maybe we can have a sleepover this weekend. Milly, Shirley, and Kallen can come too!"

Nina hesitated. "I…guess I can ask my parents," she said softly.

"Great!" Nunnally said with a big smile.

Nina couldn't help but smile. Nunnally's smiles were contagious. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to attend a sleepover, especially not one with Milly, but that was primarily because she wasn't very social. She had a feeling Milly would convince her to attend, if her parents agreed, simply because Milly had been trying to help Nina become more social since she started high school.

But it did sound like it'd be fun to just hang out with the girls so Nina decided to, at least, consider going.

. . .

May 18, 2016

Training Field, Basic Training Camp

"Wait, we're going to be training in actual knightmares?" Rayne said in shock and Lelouch had to admit he was a bit surprised as well. At the very least, it explained why Sergeant Cloud, who was in charge of this portion of the unit, only had Britannians join him on the training field while the Honorary Britannians were being escorted to the simulation chamber. After all, Honorary Britannians would never be able to pilot an actual knightmare since they would never be made into knights.

There wasn't a law against it but it was Britannian policy and most Britannians adhered to the policy.

All Lelouch could think to that was that it was unfair, especially when he thought about how well Suzaku had done on the simulation to the point that he had actually been complimented by Sergeant Cloud. Granted, there was no guarantee that someone who did well on the simulation would do just as well as in real life but still.

"It looks like it," Lila said.

In front of the group of Britannian recruits was a line of the fifth-generation knightmare frames that was the primary knightmare used by the military. It was called the Sutherland. It was purple and black and stood at over four meters tall. It was equipped with an assault rifle as well as a jousting lance and had Slash Harkens mounted on its chest as well as the factsphere mounted on its forehead.

Their task was simple. Since Sutherlands were geared more toward combat against other knightmares, they would be paired and would fight in their knightmares. They were simply supposed to force their opponent to eject through any means.

Lelouch was paired up with Lila. Kay was with Dimitri. Rayne was with Vivienne.

That isn't going to end well, Lelouch thought, noting that Rayne was glaring at Vivienne.

Lila glanced at Lelouch. "Well, good luck, Lelouch," she said.

"You too," Lelouch replied.

Once Lelouch got into the cockpit of the Sutherland that he would be piloting, he mused that it did feel similar to the simulation, and to his mother's Ganymede. It was more advanced than the Ganymede and the Glasgows, as it was an upgraded version of the Glasgow, though. It didn't take long for him to figure out how to do everything; the simulation training the week before had certainly helped as well.

"Recruit vi Britannia! Recruit Moore! You are free to begin," Cloud's voice called over the frequency.

"Yes, sir," Lelouch said.

"Yes, sir," Lila stated and the two of them launched themselves at each other. Lelouch was quick to take advantage of the landspinners and swiftly glided out of the way to avoid a thrust from Lila's jousting lance. He then fired his rifle at Lila, forcing her to dodge but she retaliated by firing a Slash Harken at him. He used his jousting lance to knock the Slash Harken aside before firing his own back, wrapping it around Lila's knightmare's arm and yanked. Lila was thrown off her feet and, when she got back, she was unable to dodge the thrust from Lelouch's jousting lance. A moment later, her ejection pod was flying away from the knightmare as Lelouch's lance crashed into her knightmare's chest, throwing it off its feet again.

Hmm, using a knightmare in a simulation and in real life are different and yet very similar too, Lelouch mused as he ejected and climbed out of his knightmare once he got it clear of the training field. He walked over to join Lila, whose was nursing her arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked, since he hadn't meant to hurt her.

"I'm fine. This wasn't from the fight. I kinda tripped getting out of the pod and landed wrong," Lila said with a grimace. "It's fine though. Looks like Kay's fight is about to begin."

Lelouch turned to watch Kay and Dimitri go at it. As he watched the fight, he had to admit he was impressed. Kay was just as swift in a knightmare as he was on the ground. Dimitri was a good pilot and fighter but it was clear, in this fight, that Kay was an Ace. There was no denying that he was; he was able to fend off all of Dimitri's attacks and was able to launch his own whenever he saw an opening, successfully keeping Dimitri on his toes and forcing him to use everything he had against Kay. And yet Kay was still able to counter it.

As Lelouch was expecting, Kay was able to make Dimitri eject after fighting for a good fifteen minutes.

Five minutes later and Kay and Dimitri were joining Lelouch and Lila on the sideline to watch the next fight. Lelouch glanced at Kay and inclined his head. "Good job, Kay," he said.

"Thank you, Lelouch," Kay said.

"You did well too, Dimitri," Lelouch added.

"Thank you, Your Highness, but knightmare piloting really isn't my strong suit. I prefer navigating and working behind the scenes to fighting on the frontlines," Dimitri said.

Rayne and Vivienne's fight came next and, just as Lelouch had expected, it did not go well. Rayne had Vivienne ejecting in under three minutes after a swift and decisive attack that cut through the defense Vivienne had set up. That, in itself, wasn't too bad; it was Vivienne's response to being forced to eject as swiftly as she had that caused things to go downhill.

"You little...! I should have won that fight," Vivienne shouted.

"You aren't as great as you think you are and that's why you lost," Rayne shouted back.

"I am better than everyone here."

"And yet I got you to eject in less than three minutes."

"You cheated!"

"Are you seriously that stupid? How the hell can someone cheat in a knightmare fight? And, newsflash, this wasn't even a test!"

The two of them continued to argue while Cloud tried to order them to stop.

"Rayne's going to get herself into trouble," Kay murmured. "At least they haven't come to…"

Smack!

"…never mind," Kay said with a sweatdrop, staring at Vivienne who was on the ground, clutching at her red cheek marking where a furious Rayne had just smacked her.

"You little bitch!" Vivienne shrieked as she scrambled to her feet.

"That's enough," Cloud snapped angrily, stepping in between the two furious girls. "You two, with me, now!"

Vivienne and Rayne reluctantly saluted. "Yes, sir," they said and followed Cloud as he led the way away, dismissing the rest of the recruits.

. . .

Mess Hall, Basic Training Camp

"So Rayne and Vivienne got into a knightmare fight, per Sergeant Cloud's orders, but when Rayne forced Vivienne to eject, Vivienne got pissed and started accusing Rayne of cheating. They started arguing and then Rayne slapped Vivienne? That about sum it up?" Tadashi asked.

"Yes," Lila said.

Suzaku and Tadashi had joined the rest of the group after the training had ended for lunch and, when he noticed that Rayne wasn't with the rest of their friends, Tadashi had asked where she was.

"Damn, ain't she gonna get in trouble for that though?" Tadashi asked. "I mean, this ain't school or nothing like that so she can't just get detention."

"Since it wasn't that serious, she'll probably just get a reprimand," Kay said.

As if on cue, Rayne made her way into the mess hall with Vivienne right behind her. They were both steadfastly ignoring each other and separated as soon as they were in the hall, Vivienne going over to sit by Erin while Rayne made her way over to join Suzaku and the rest of the group.

"What happened?" Lila asked.

"He just reprimanded us and told us that if we stepped out of line again, we'd be discharged," Rayne said, sitting down beside Lila. "Though I gotta say it felt good to slap that bitch again."

"It's a good thing Sergeant Cloud never found out about the first incident," Lila said.

"I'm surprised Vivienne didn't tell him about that," Tadashi admitted.

"She did but, since there was no proof, Cloud didn't do anything about it," Rayne said with a shrug. "Cloud has also decided that we aren't going to be paired together again after that."

"Probably a good thing, considering next time you'll probably knock her teeth out and then get kicked out," Kay said.

Rayne opened her mouth to protest, thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh, you're probably right. But Cloud warned me that I have to start acting more professional and that this was serious and that I should take it seriously. I think I know who you're taking lessons from when you make your 'you must be professional' speeches, Lila," she said.

"Perhaps you should take what he says to heart because if you do something like that again, you will get kicked out," Lila said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know."

. . .

May 19, 2016

Kozuki Resistance Base, Shinjuku Ghetto

Naoto studied the girl standing in front of him with a frown on his face. She looked to be around Kallen's age with shoulder-length aqua-colored hair and dark eyes. It was only her accent that suggested she wasn't from Japan, though she did speak the language, as well as Britannian, very well. She was dressed entirely in black, complete with black gloves on her hands and a black headband around her forehead.

"So you're name's Tara and you want to join my resistance," he said.

"Yup," Tara said with a cheery smile.

"Why?"

"Because you're fighting to free Japan, of course, and I wanna help do that," Tara said.

"Why my resistance though? Why not the Yamato Alliance or the Japan Liberation Front?"

"I prefer smaller groups," Tara said.

"How'd ya even hear about us anyway?" Tamaki asked with a frown, narrowing his eyes at the girl.

"The newspaper, of course," Tara said with a shrug. "Everyone knows that a resistance has formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto and I decided that, since it was small and new, it would be perfect for me to join. Oh and don't worry about anyone finding ya. No one saw me. I made sure of that."

Naoto narrowed his eyes. He didn't like this. Not only was this girl the same age as Kallen, and thus shouldn't be fighting against Britannia like this, but, for some odd reason, Naoto just felt that something was wrong about this girl. It was her eyes, he knew. Her eyes were cold like ice and emotionless, making her cheeriness feel fake. Naoto's instincts were telling him not to trust this girl and he had learned, a long time ago, to trust his instincts.

"We aren't exactly recruiting right now," he said.

"I can help though," Tara insisted. "I'm good at sneaking into places and I don't look Japanese so I can actually go into the settlement itself and no one will say a thing since I kinda look Britannian."

"You know, even with her accent, she does kinda look Britannian," Yoshida said.

"How old are you?" Naoto asked.

"Sixteen but that doesn't matter. I can still help. Please give me a chance," Tara pleaded. "I have nowhere else to go and I wanna do something."

In a way, she reminded Naoto of his sister, except that his sister was much more fiery tempered; however, he didn't know Tara well enough to truly be able to judge her character. Finally, he turned to his second. "What do you say, Ohgi?" he asked.

"I don't like the idea of having a teenager join our ranks," Ohgi admitted. "What we do is dangerous and I don't want a kid getting caught up in this."

"I'm not a kid!" Tara protested.

"In our eyes, ya are," Tamaki retorted. "I gotta agree with Ohgi. It just don't feel right having a kid in our ranks."

"I have to agree," Naoto said with a nod and turned back to Tara. "Sorry, kid, but we can't let you join."

"You have to," Tara retorted, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at them stubbornly.

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cause I know where your base is. I may not like Britannia but I can easily tell them where you are and then go track down another resistance cell to join," Tara said smugly.

"You'd blackmail us just to get us to allow ya to join?" Tamaki exclaimed.

"If it works," Tara said.

Naoto gritted his teeth. He could always move his headquarters after Tara left but if Tara was able to find his current headquarters, when no one outside of his resistance knew where it was—which made him wonder just how she had found them—then it was likely she would be able to find them again. He didn't like this, not when his instincts were yelling at him that this wasn't a good idea but what choice did he have?

"Fine," he said finally. "So long as you follow my orders, or Ohgi's orders, and do not argue with either of us, you can stay."

Tara beamed brightly. "Great," she said happily. "Where can I stay?"

"Inoue, show her to your room," Naoto said, rubbing his head.

Inoue, who was frowning at Tara, nodded. "This way," she said to Tara and led her away.

"This isn't a good idea," Ohgi said.

"I know but what choice do I have? She was able to find us, even though no one outside of our cell knows where we are, and if she could do that then what's to stop her from tracking us down if we leave?"

"You got a point," Ohgi muttered and shook his head. "I know one thing, Kallen is not going to like this."

"Most likely not," Naoto agreed.

True to their words, Kallen was not happy. She had come to the base later that day, rather than the apartment, though that was where she usually went when Naoto wasn't working, and, upon noticing Tara, had been quick to question what she was doing there. When Tara, happily, told her that she was the resistance's newest member, Naoto was sure that everyone heard Kallen's furious "what?!" all the way in the Tokyo Settlement.

She stalked over to Naoto. "I wanna talk to you, alone," she said.

Naoto nodded and got to his feet, leading the way to a side room. The base, really just an abandoned apartment building on the edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto, was small and didn't have very many rooms. Inoue and Tara would be sharing one, as the only girls that were part of the resistance, while the rest of the guys just slept wherever they could find room whenever they stayed the night. Most of the time, they were at their own homes.

Once they were in the side room, Kallen closed the door and turned to Naoto, folding her arms across her chest. "What's that about?" she asked. "That girl doesn't look a day over sixteen and yet you allowed her to join but you won't let me join? I'm your sister!"

"For one, I just want to keep you safe, Kallen. And, for another, she blackmailed us," Naoto said honestly and explained the same reasoning he had given Ohgi earlier.

Kallen's hand clenched. "How dare she?" she muttered and then sighed. "I don't like this but I guess I don't really have a say, do I?"

"I didn't even have a say," Naoto said. "Don't worry, Kallen. I'm having Ohgi and Sugiyama keep an eye on her and make sure that she keeps to her side of the deal. And we won't be sharing anything truly important with her. I don't trust her yet."

"She hasn't done anything to earn your trust and blackmailing you doesn't help with that at all," Kallen mused.

"Exactly," Naoto said.

"What about me? Can I join officially now?" Kallen asked.

"Kallen, it would be best if you stayed at Ashford Academy," Naoto said.

Kallen looked irritated but Naoto, thinking for a minute, decided on giving her a task that would keep her occupied and give her a reason for staying where it was safe. "I have a task for you that you can only accomplish if you stay at Ashford Academy," he said.

"What kind of task?" Kallen asked.

"You said that Prince Lelouch was joining the military but Princess Nunnally was staying at Ashford Academy, right?"

Kallen nodded.

"Then keep an eye on her and on the prince when he visits. Gather more information about them. They may not be a threat now but that could change in the future. Plus, by keeping an eye on Princess Nunnally, you may be able to find information on Prince Clovis as well, since you did say that he visits the princess every now and then," Naoto said, recalling everything that Kallen had told him in the past couple of weeks.

Kallen pressed her lips together but finally nodded. "All right, fine," she said. "I'll go back and see what else I can find out. Maybe during that sleepover this weekend that the princess invited me too. But I don't think I'm gonna like that Tara girl."

. . .

May 20, 2016

East Wing Apartment, Student Council Clubhouse

Kallen, carrying a duffel bag filled with a change of clothes and some other things she would need for the sleepover as well as a sleeping bag, walked into the apartment. She gazed around, noticing that it did have a rather homey feeling to it.

"Hey, Kallen, I didn't think ya'd join us," Milly said brightly as Kallen made her way into the living room where Milly, Shirley, Nina, and Nunnally were already gathered. All of them were already dressed in their pajamas and Milly, Nina, and Shirley had their sleeping bags spread out throughout the room. Milly's pajamas consisted of a blue tank top and shorts. Shirley's was a knee-length green nightgown. Nina's was a dark-blue shirt and sweats. Nunnally's was a pale-pink nightgown that went to her calves. Sayoko was also there, gently helping Nunnally out of her wheelchair and onto the pull-out couch.

"Well, my doctor fell sick so we had to reschedule the appointment and I decided that I might as well," Kallen said, keeping her voice meek as she put the duffel bag and the sleeping bag down. She crouched by the duffel bag and began digging around for her pajamas.

"Awesome," Milly said with a grin. "I already got some things planned! We're gonna have so much fun."

"Just don't stay up too late, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko said.

"I won't, Sayoko, thank you," Nunnally said.

"I will be back with some snacks," Sayoko said and disappeared into the kitchen.

"The bathroom's that way, second door on your right," Milly said, pointing.

Kallen nodded and, once she found her pajamas, headed for the bathroom. She was trying to find information on Princess Nunnally and Prince Lelouch for her brother but she had to wonder just what it was her brother wanted to know, other than whether the prince and princess would be a threat or not. Kallen was sure that they would be, eventually, especially Lelouch since he was going to be part of the military. However, she knew little if nothing else about him.

She changed into a red tank-top and black shorts and left the bathroom, rejoining her friends in the living room. She rolled out her sleeping bag, placing it between Shirley's and Nina's and sat down cross-legged on it.

"Okay," Milly said, clapping her hands together. "Why don't we start this sleepover off with a nice game of Truth or Dare?"

Shirley groaned while Nina seemed to shy away from the very thought.

Kallen was about to ask why they looked so worried, until she saw the look on Milly's face, then she began to worry herself.

"That sounds like fun," Nunnally said.

"Well, since you're our host, what you says goes. Let's play Truth or Dare," Milly said brightly. "Okay, Nunnally, you get to start."

"Um, okay, um,"—Nunnally seemed to think about it for a moment—"Okay, Shirley, Truth or Dare?"

"Um…truth," Shirley said.

Nunnally giggled. "When did you fall in love with my brother?" she asked.

Milly grinned broadly. "Oh, this I gotta know," she said, leaning closer while Shirley went red.

"Ah, I'm not…I mean…I just…I…uh…" she stammered out.

Nunnally giggled again. "You gotta tell the truth, Shirley," she said.

Shirley went even redder and she looked down and mumbled something under her breath.

"We didn't hear that," Milly said in a singsong voice.

"W…Well, I…I'm not really sure w…when, honestly. But, I guess I started to like him when I saw him help that old couple out of a jam by talking the man who hit their car out of pressing charges, since he was clearly at fault. He didn't do it to brag about it, he just did it with that same bored expression of his but he still helped that old couple out. I just…I wanted to get to know him better, find out…what he was really like and…what goes on in his head," Shirley said softly, cheeks red.

"Aww," Milly gushed.

Shirley flushed. "Ah, is it my turn now?" she asked.

Milly nodded.

"Okay, um, Nina, truth or dare?" Shirley asked.

Nina looked up and shifted shyly. "Um, truth," she said.

Shirley titled her head to the side thoughtfully. "Okay, I've got one. What is your second greatest fear?" she said. Everyone knew that Nina's first greatest fear was the Japanese, something that Kallen still frowned at, wondering just why Nina was terrified of the Japanese.

"Snakes," Nina said with a shiver.

"Ah, I can understand that. I don't like 'em myself," Shirley admitted.

"I like 'em," Kallen said and both Shirley and Nina looked at her like she was crazy. "What?"

"Okay, Nina, your turn," Shirley said, turning her gaze to Nina.

"Oh, um, okay, um, Milly, truth or dare?" Nina asked quietly.

Milly thought about it for a moment and then beamed. "Dare," she stated.

"Oh, um, okay then…I, uh, I dare you to, um, hug the next person to walk into this room," Nina said softly.

"Okay," Milly said with a shrug.

Sayoko walked into the room, carrying a tray of cookies and juice that she placed on the coffee table. Milly stood up, walked over to the maid and hugged her.

"Um, thank you, Mistress Milly," Sayoko said confused.

"You're welcome," Milly said brightly and returned to her seat, not even bothering on telling the maid that it had been a dare. "Kallen, truth or dare?"

Kallen eyed Milly warily. If she chose truth, it would most likely be an extremely embarrassing secret that she would have to reveal—Milly was the kind of person who would do that—but if she chose dare, she would probably have to do something that was even more embarrassing.

"Truth," she said.

Milly pouted. "Ah, man, I was hoping you'd pick dare. All right." She pressed her lips together in thought before snapping her fingers. "I got it. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?"

Kallen thought about it and blushed at the memory of a particular incident but knew she couldn't say that one because it pertained to the resistance. So she chose a random one that had nothing to do with her double life. "Well, when I was five, my parents took me and my brother with them to a nobleman's wedding—I don't remember who—and, during the reception, I got bored and stared wandering around. I ended up tripping and falling into the wedding cake. It fell and covered quite a few people who were standing near it in cake."

Milly started laughing. "That is hilarious," she gasped.

Shirley was also chuckling while Nina and Nunnally were giggling and Kallen was flushing in embarrassment, though she did smile a little. Embarrassing though it was, that was a rather funny moment and something her brother hadn't let her live down yet. She smiled a little. I am enjoying myself, more so than I thought I would, she mused silently.

. . .

May 21, 2016

Knightmare Simulation Chamber, Basic Training Camp

The Qualification Tests took place on Saturday. During the morning was the Marksmanship Qualification and Suzaku passed that one with a score that was just above what he needed in order to pass. The same could be said for Lelouch, Dimitri, Kay, and Rayne. Tadashi and Lila, however, blew that qualification out of the water; they got such high scores that they could become snipers if they wanted to be while the rest of them would just keep the position of marksman.

After lunch came the second Qualification and that was the Knightmare Qualification. If one passed this qualification, then it meant that they could go on to the final phase of the training. However, if they scored high enough on this qualification then they would become part of the Knightmare Corps, which meant that they would be among the first to be chosen to join a knightmare squadron.

So long as they were Britannian anyway. An Honorary Britannian would never get the chance to join a knightmare squadron, even if they scored the highest score possible. That was just the way the system worked.

"You will be tested individually," Cloud said calmly as he faced the group. "Your score will be out of 100 but you have to get at last a 70 in order to pass. If you get a 90 or above, you will be given the badge that qualifies you as a member of the Knightmare Corps at graduation, and thus may get the chance to get even more advanced training if you wish. Let's begin."

The order in which the recruits went to complete their Knightmare Qualification seemed to be very random, though the Britannians were given priority. Kay and Rayne were among the first to go and both of them came out with some pretty high scores; Kay got a 98 while Rayne just barely missed the minimum to join her brother in getting the Knightmare Corps badge. She got an 89. Lila went next and came out with a 78 and Dimitri ended up with a 73.

"Recruit vi Britannia!" Cloud called out.

"Good luck," Suzaku said.

Lelouch nodded and made his way into the stimulation. He came out about ten minutes later looking as expressionless as ever.

"What'd you get?" Kay asked.

"96," Lelouch said.

"Guess ya took after your mother, eh?" Rayne said with a grin.

Lelouch shrugged and smiled a little. "I guess so," he said.

Cloud began calling on the Honorary Britannians soon after Lelouch had gone and Tadashi went first. He came back with a broad grin on his face. "I did so much better than I thought I would. I got an 85," he said cheerfully.

"Congrats," Kay said softly.

"Recruit Kururugi!" Cloud called.

"Good luck," Lelouch said.

"Thank you," Suzaku said and headed toward the simulation and slipping into it. Once he settled himself into the cockpit, he familiarized himself with the controls again and studied the instructions that he had been given. Destroy the enemy. Try to avoid as many civilian causalities as possible.

Before him, several enemies appeared in Glasgows and they were quick to charge forward and attack. Suzaku pressed his lips together and thrust the controls forward, pretending that he was fighting on the ground rather than in a giant robot. He just moved as if he was fighting an enemy on the ground and the mecha moved with him with each tilt, tug, and push of the controls.

Before long, the enemy lay defeated before him and Suzaku blinked before glancing at the time it took him to defeat the simulation: eight minutes and twenty seven seconds.

A new record for me, Suzaku mused as he left the simulator. His best time before today had always been just above nine minutes.

Cloud eyed Suzaku as he walked over to join him, looking impressed. "Very impressive for an Honorary Britannian, Recruit Kururugi," he said. "Very few have managed to score a perfect score on this simulation so congrats on joining that list. Shame that you can't actually become a knight but you'll still be part of the Knightmare Corps." He dismissed him after that, though Suzaku barely noticed, his mind reeling.

I got a perfect score?

He joined the rest of his friends, still a bit numb after that revelation.

"So what'd ya get?" Tadashi asked. "And you okay? You look shocked. Don't tell me ya failed it."

Suzaku shook his head, clearing his thoughts as well as answering Tadashi's question.

"So what'd you get?" Kay asked.

"100," Suzaku said.

"Whoa, really?" Rayne said while everyone looked stunned and Lelouch appeared deep in thought, a small smirk on his lips.

Suzaku nodded, briefly wondering what Lelouch was thinking about but decided that it wasn't any of his business.

"Nice job, Suzaku," Kay said with a quiet smile.

"Thank you," Suzaku replied.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: well, while the ending could've been better, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter

Bakura: whatever (hops into Shinkiro and goes to blow up Tokyo)

Blaze: DAMN IT, BAKURA! LEAVE TOKYO ALONE! (Hops into Lancelot Albion and chases after Bakura) Someone end the chapter!

Lelouch: well, I suppose we'll have to end this chapter

Suzaku: we usually do, now that I think about it

Kallen: except for the few times that Blaze ends it

Lelouch: good point. Anyway, chapter 11 will be posted, hopefully, before October begins but Blaze makes no promises and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.