Well here we go again. More of my thoughts on paper... well... pixels. Hope you enjoy =)

STILL OWN NOTHING Sadfaces =( =( =( =(

X.

Facing the Past.

"Blame me."

The words echoed through the darkness, dry and empty. Just like he was. The wounds in his heart bleed to this day. Betrayal after betrayal finally twisting him into a wretched and pitiful thing. During the day he could raise his head and try to be the man the world needed him to be, the man he needed to be. But as the sun drooped ever lower the fleeing light stole his meager protections with it. His cry was but the howl of a lonely man, trying desperately to justify his own self-loathing.

Kallen's words still clung to him, ripped at his psyche with ravening, devouring claws. He did not have much left to give, excuses had run out and he was never the type to blame others. He would shoulder the burdens he perceived as his own. Regardless of if they were or not. One more similarity he shared with his soul brother.

Was it not enough that he had forced him to don the mask? To stand in the bright light of the exultation's of the masses? To, as Kallen said best, take credit that was not his due. He endured, hating himself when no-one else would, simply because he could not comprehend the idea of not being hated. He was always looked down on, by countrymen, by his fellow soldiers, by the students, and eventually by his friends. An individual to be pitied when they weren't watching for him to stab their back, untrustworthy and deceitful.

The look in Lelouch's eyes would never leave, never give him the rest he required. Every night he would stare at the ceiling and see them. The haunted, torn and disillusioned eyes that had cruelly jerked his heart even as the secret service collapsed around him at their supposedly secret meeting. That look haunted him ever since. The trust they had shared was a broken and fragile thing, shown by Lelouch's unspoken acceptance that he must be punished in the only way Suzaku knew to bring justice. Death.

Zero Requiem could have been so much more the Knight of Zero realized. Why did he insist on slaying the only man who could pluck the tiny, infinitely gossamer threads of love, hope and happiness spread through the world. Though his methods could only be seen as evil they were still yet another mask the perfect actor had worn. His spiteful cruelties shrouding the ever so delicate efforts to feed and strengthen the world, keeping the Jackals at bay with fear while the tiny animal learned to walk. A task that would be impossible for a lesser man. And Lelouch was a King among Kings, a champion without equal.

He had killed him, over an event that no doubt haunted him as well. Looking back Suzaku cursed himself a fool over and over. Why had they been unable to comfort each other in their mutual loss? Their strength was boundless together, and by himself Suzaku was less then human. He had been blind to all but his own pain, ignoring the disfiguring wounds the event had left on his comrade as well. And now? Now the eyes would never leave him. Never forgive him. Never grant him the sleep his mind craved. He didn't deserve it anyway.

Rising again Suzaku stumbled over to the armchair in front of the small hearth. Falling into it as he did almost every night the new Zero ran a hand along the fabric. The familiar touch did not dispel his troubles, only gave him a slight reprieve. The chair had been bound for the dump but he had managed to spirit it away on impulse. It use to grace his ladies chambers and was not to the liking of their new owner.

Continuing to rub the texture as if hoping to burn it into his memory as well as his hand Suzaku let the bitter-sweet memories of his Goddess bubble around him. The smell of her pink hair, the acrid taste of her perfume (always flowery, but put on too heavily), the light that glowed from within when she smiled, the tinkling sound of her laughter. The kindess princess Euphemia showed to all her subjects, regardless of ethnicity or station. These he offered up to placate the demons in his mind, to grant him even the slightest lessening of pain in the birth of a new day. As the minutes slowly, grudgingly wound forward his hand slowed as the other rose, inevitably at half-past-two, to rest on the second item he had salvaged.

A crack ran down the mottled marble board, a crack of his own creating years ago. Before he had become this monstrosity. A simple reminder of days long gone when he ran and laughed and chattered with a prince and princess through endless fields and forests. A gate to the days of simple boyhood frustrations and joys. He had thrown the board after losing the match in seven moves, and his partner had not thrown a fit or cried like he secretly hoped they would. Instead the slender dark-haired youth had gathered the chipped pieces and asked for Suzaku's help to piece it together again.

"If we can break it, we can fix it." Lelouch had said simply when Suzaku pointed out the multitude of shards and fragments no longer resembled the third of the board it had originally been.

Fix it they did, piece by piece. Lelouch studying and deciding how they must fit together. Suzaku deftly holding them together while waiting for the glue to dry. The jagged crack that remained Lelouch simply stated would be a simple reminder that "We're not quite adept at repairing things. Yet."

"Could we fix it now?" Suzaku wondered. "Can I do this with only your shade to guide my hand?" the rippled stone held no answers.

He pondered until the light of dawn began to scare the demons away. Then he rose, as always, to don the mask and cloak. To become that which he hated, a fitting punishment for himself. With a slight clicking noise Suzaku disappeared, and only Zero remained. Striding forward the charlatan raised his head, for though he hated himself he would never let that tarnish the only symbol he had left to offer the world, whether or not it was his own.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

Yawning Arthur stretched, as was his nature. The bright airy room his tower had been built in was filled as usual. Students chatted and worked in with quiet efficiency. It was boring. Scooting over to the edge he waited for his chance. Spying it the cat became a grey blur as he lept onto the shoulder of a passing council member, careful not to scratch her (much anyway) he continued to the floor and scampered through the open door as shrieks and playful taunts followed him out the door.

Arthur decided he had stayed here far to long. The dark boy who chased him around the school was gone. The bright blonde who snuck him fish had disappeared. The quiet one who's knees were an excellent place to curl up and nap had left. The red-head who scratched his ears the best had been missing for longer then he cared to remember. Even the gentle one with wheels had vanished. Only the Blue-jay remained, but he was almost never around. Most importantly though, his brunette chew toy had been missing for far too long. Patient he might be, but Arthur had had enough.

Sauntering through the familiar halls of his giant playground the cat amused himself with chasing invisible mice around girls heels, mock pouncing after loose shoe-laces, and basically getting underfoot where ever possible.

He missed them. His personal group of adoring fans. And while he would never turn down a treat or ear-scratch from the new ones they were just... wrong. Childish mind made up Arthur headed for the gate. He had not truly roamed the streets in months, but old instincts were still there. As well as a tiny sense that someone, somewhere, needed him desperately.

/-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"Deploy the men." the weary soldier said, looking at a cut-away of the building his target was holed up in. "I want snipers placed to provide 360 degree cover of the building, yes that means a few along the sewer and water lines. We are taking NO chances with this." grimacing the man raised a worn hand to massage aching temples.

The command center was just a small office a few buildings down from the warehouse the special operatives had identified as their targets hiding place. Some hasty renovations had let them put in a large table with a display for their troops and the terrain immediately outside the area of operation. Several com's units had been moved in and a pair of soldiers relayed last minute instructions and orders as Tohdoh stared at the glittering blue dots on the table, and steadfastly ignored the pair of eyes watching him from across the room.

"Operation starts at 2000 hours people. I want everyone in position yesterday." glancing at the clock Tohdoh mentally checked his time-table. With 45 minutes to set up their net should be perfect.

If it were anyone else he would have held back slightly, kept more in reserve to throw if need. But as it was the demon emperor himself they sought to snare Tohdoh was going all out. Knightmares would surround the building from every intersection. The snipers, armed with .50 caliber rifles would slaughter anything that came out of the building without an escort of at least three of his own guards (who would be required to respond to multiple questions and orders to minimize the chance of escape through Geass.). Finally he had four squads of close-combat troops ready to enter the building from three locations.

The operation was sound and 100% guaranteed success. Against an average individual. Lelouch though, was a walking vortex of probability, odds were always skewed in his favor it seemed. Even now, with 40 men ready to go through the warehouse door, a full lance of knightmares deployed around it, and a squad of snipers covering any conceivable exit Tohdoh was certain Lelouch could turn it around if given even a fingernail's worth of chance. The Black Knights greatest challenge today would be keeping even that much of a slip from happening.

"I'll go over this one more time for you all." He had always believed in talking to the men himself before starting an operation. A display of his faith in their abilities that drove them to meet and exceed any expectations he might have for them.

"Your orders are to subdue or kill all inhabitants of the designated building. All personal inside are deemed hostile until in custody. We will announce our intention twenty seconds before operation start. So if they aren't on the floor waiting to be cuffed you are free to engage." swallowing he continued. "If subject zero is spotted you are to engage with lethal force IMMEDIATELY and request back-up at your location. I don't want any heroes, don't try and make him surrender, don't even let him TALK if you can help it. I want that man dead before he even knows we're in there." he hated that circumstances forced this action, terrorizing civilians had never been his way, but Lelouch was far to much of a wild card to be out and about now.

"After subject zero is terminated you are to inform me and pierce his heart with your combat knife. That knife will stay there until I personally remove it. Expect resistance but try not to terminate anyone but subject zero. I'll be here with you the whole way, make the Knights proud today men." dropping the radio Tohdoh brought his other hand up to massage harder.

A slim pair of fingers replaced his own and began to work the tenseness out of his head and shoulders. Tohdoh almost let himself relax, there was time if he wanted. But he couldn't give himself that small favor. Gripping the soothing appendages in his own blunt and heavy hands he turned his head.

"Thank you Chiba, it is a load off my mind to have you back." the grizzled warrior didn't smile, didn't give her an indication of just how true his words were. Such was not his way.

"I only wish I had been able to finish my duties a few days earlier sir." she replied, the bright spots in her eyes that were only for him eased the tension in him more then anything else.

"It would have been good to have your expertise there as well. You should be suiting up though." he reminded her gently. Fifteen minutes was still plenty for Chiba to get her Knightmare into position.

"I wanted to get a good look at our field of battle one more time." it was a weak excuse but Tohdoh let it slide. "It's really him then." she let the statement stand, all he had to do was nod.

"Then our precautions are well-founded. What are they doing?" her pointed gaze went to the battered pair sitting across the map-table from Tohdoh.

"We are simply catching our breath before hopping over to meet up with squad two." the towering brown-haired individual. Bruises covered his face and arms but he still moved gracefully and with obvious power.

"You are aware Kallen Kozuki has aligned with the subject. I distinctly remember mentioning it, yet nothing was mentioned in that broadcast to your men." the man was ruthless.

"I recall saying all inhabitants were to be considered hostile. Only subject zero is to be terminated without the option of surrender." he forced through his teeth. It hurt to order that his comrade, someone he trusted with his back on many occasions, be treated like a criminal.

"You might want to consider her just as dangerous." the man said. "She is his, completely and utterly. She will do all she can to keep him safe. Even if it means laying down her arms... for now. You might save yourself later headaches by dispatching her here."

"I have given my orders, and if you still expect to take part of this operation you will follow them." it was unnecessary for Tohdoh to add the "or else." as it hung in the air as a heavy threat.

"You may regret that." Reaver finished as he started for the door.

The slender purple-haired girl still seated sneered and finished checking the magazine on her assault rifle. Slapping the cartridge into place she hopped to her feet and followed the giant as he left the room. Pausing at the door she turned her head to look at the two Black Knights.

"You should stop lying to each other already, it stinks." with that cryptic comment she shut the door.

"I don't like them." Chiba didn't even lower her voice, or wait for them to get a sufficient distance that such a comment could be ignored.

"They are what we have to work with. Ohgi's floozies it seems more then anything else." Tohdoh replied. "As long as they don't directly endanger my operation I will tolerate them."

"I should get ready." she mumbled, placing a hand on his shoulder as she turned to leave.

"Be careful." he couldn't help but say it.

"I'll be in a Knightmare, last I checked we only brought anti-personnel weapons and I don't think they have a crate of tank-busters stashed in that warehouse." the woman scoffed on her way to the door.

"Never give in to overconfidence. You should know better, especially considering who is in that building. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead with him. Hell, I think I might even prefer that to what I already know he has." Tohdoh didn't want to berate her, but couldn't help but fear for her safety.

"Should have added a few more tasks to her assignment." he argued with himself. But if he had she would know for a fact he was keeping her from the fighting.

"Why does he make me feel so old?" Tohdoh muttered, not thinking anyone would hear over their own tasks.

"Because he is always moving forward. And by leaps and bounds that we can only comprehend after the fact. Those of us who can't keep up just have to hope the results are something we can live with." and with that she disappeared.

Chuckling slightly at the wisdom of her words. Praise for a man she couldn't decide whether to hate or admire. All the knights who knew of his role faced the the same battle every-day. Was Lelouch vi Brittania the savior or the destroyer. The Emperor or the Mask? Did he win everything or nothing in the end?

Sighing the old Knight tried to focus his mind as he watched the countdown slowly, slowly draw towards the moment of ignition.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

Lelouch pulled away after planting that light kiss on her cheek. There was even a light blush on his cheeks. Kallen couldn't help but flush an even deeper shade of red at the observation. It was mind-blowing that Lelouch would care for her, well, seemed to care for her deeply. She trusted him, but it was the trust of a beaten dog. As she began to affirm that he was not just a figment of her imagination the old doubts began to surface.

She would always come to his request, she could not resist his voices siren call. But she was still scared, expecting him to suddenly vanish, to put on a mask again, or to preform her worst fear, taking one off.

To blindly follow like Jeremiah was impossible for her now, but she couldn't leave him. Not this Lelouch, the one who cared and laughed and smiled. She would fight an army to see even a flicker of his smile. Not the sickening too-wide grin of his Emperor-mask. Not the smirk of his student guise. But for the one that was like a window to his love for her, a smile that filled her with clear and sweet euphoria. Until he hid or revealed himself she was solely his.

The door sliding open brought a frown to her face. The scuff of a shoe and light tap of shoe-laces tapping deepened it. "My Geass isn't on" she thought. Why was everything...

Breathing, emotions started to spill over and she couldn't push them back. Kallen didn't know how to stop her Geass now that it was on, it had never been a problem to come up with an excuse to walk out of her maximum range until now. She felt a whisper of something from Lelouch as he turned and continued his conversation. Left eye glowing slightly she ignored the torrent of calm emotions that flowed from the manager and tried to pick at the tiny rivet that was Lelouch.

It was like trying to pin water. It flowed and caressed her groping fingers, but always moved, just enough to make her try again but ever just out of reach. Frustration started to build as she bent more and more of her will to trying to capture the elusive fragments.

A muffled bang from outside the room suddenly brought a wave of phantom pain, screaming Kallen fell from her chair and curled up around her uninjured left leg. Lelouch was on his feet the instant she moved, hands skillfully running up and down her appendage looking for breaks or tautness that would be a give away for cramps. His worried expression deepened as she continued to cry and clamped tighter on the limp. The manager poked his head out the window and said something about a pallet collapsing on one of his workers before running out the door.

Something was crushing her, very heavy and threatening to break her femur. Tears started pouring down her face and the flush of pain was heightened by the empathetic feelings from the rest of the crew as they hurried to help their co-worker. She couldn't hold onto her own feelings as what started as the manager and injured worker snowballed into fifteen peoples panic and stress.

Who was she? She was pain, coming and going with the beat of her heart as the blood stalled outside compressed veins and arteries, her foot went blessedly numb and she felt hands running along her leg. Her eyes couldn't see through the sheen of tears but she could feel the pressure on her leg ease as the object was lifted away from her.

"TURN IT OFF!" she screamed silently in her head, unable to form words as emotions swirled and tore at her, she was happy it wasn't her, but it was her and she hurt, but thank god they didn't split an artery or break a bone, she still needed to go to the hospital. Was she O.K.? Hell she wasn't ok, she needed the money, how could she get injured when her brothers and sisters were counting on her. She needed to check the training in place on forklifts to avoid this situation again, this girl on the floor of her office was crazy and she needed to call the cops. The person who stacked this pile of engine blocks was an idiot and should be fired. She can't get fired, its not her fault the bottom block wasn't set properly, it was half started before she clocked in. How can I help her? Don't leave me alone again!

It all hit her, a constant stream of emotions, thoughts and feelings. Each emotion becoming her own, placing a mask with her face on.

Rough wood of the pallet melded with smooth metal and the feeling of blood-stained cloth. She was pressing and feeling the pressure applied on her leg as her hot, vital blood leaked around splinters and a nail. She grimaced at the shredded skin that covered her friend, no her leg. Would she keep the leg? Could she bear never being able to walk again?

"Who am I?" a dying light in a torrent of information. She was everyone, a thousand of her, each with her face. Which one was her?

"..LL..EN!" a voice? She heard many voices, some offering words of encouragement, telling her it would all be ok. She heard herself saying it but knew it wasn't a good situation. She was in shock, but not. The 'hers' all gathered round, was she real? Or was she just another fake?

"ST... ME... LEN!" again the voice, closer then the others. Stronger, it pushed them back slightly.

"DON'T... ME... KALL.." who? Who was she? She? What is a she?

Clamping down on the smallest thing she could find Kallen suddenly shut down while holding a tiny thread of feelings.

"Worry." it felt.

"Why worried?" 'she' pushed back.

"Losing, again. Don't want to be lonely." it was tiny, the tiniest voice the 'she' had ever heard.

"Lonely?" the concept was foreign now, the 'she' couldn't be lonely. Not with everyone else around 'her'.

"Scared." it continued.

"Why scared?" questioning.

"You here, not with me." it cried.

"You?" puzzled.

"You are you, but not you. Want you to be you." it was a strong request, one the 'she' could not ignore.

"Be me? Who am I?" frustration.

"I... show?" uncertainty.

"Yes. Show me me." resolve.

It was like rising from the bottom of the ocean. Weight slowly shed off of her in layers as she clung with the little strength she had to the thread that slowly thickened and drew her ever upwards. Clinging to it she let the rest of the river pass her by, she couldn't ignore it, but she could focus on just herself enough to keep from splitting into a thousand tiny fragments.

"You." it was a voice now, not just a sense. Suddenly the rope widened, darkened and finally turned reflective, shaping itself into a large oval. Peering into the surface she saw a brilliant spray of red, not like a spray of blood, but the beauty of a rising sun. She saw steel, firm yet yielding, strong but flexible.

"Don't leave me." the words made sense now. The flickers of its perception of her pushing the tides further and further away, uncovering her from the lake of others. Bringing Kallen out from the clinging nest of the world.

She could feel the air that carried them brush past her ear now. The heat of recently expelled air tickled her. Grasping that sensation she knew it was hers. Belonged to her. Clinging to this new rope Kallen opened her eyes to see Lelouch in tears as he gently shook her.

"Kallen."

"Stay with me Kallen."

"Come back Kallen."

"Don't leave me."

The words cooled her feverish emotions, focusing in on him Kallen managed to string together the words that needed to be said. She had planned for this, she wouldn't be a handicap to him. Never him.

"Pocket... Music." It was all she could manage before the tide swelled up again, a tug of war between a thousand teams with her in the middle.

She tried to focus on the sound of his hands slipping into her pocket. The warmth of him and the sensation of her MP3 player slipping from the cramped confines of her jeans.

"Music." she managed to say it again.

Yes that was good, keep breathing like this. Listen to the little clicks and taps as the boy above her fiddles with the object. Don't focus on the river, it will drag you down if you listen to it, just the boy, just those pale, slender fingers.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"Why! Why won't my hands work!" Lelouch practically screamed at himself as he fumbled with the slick music player. Sweat made it slippery and tears blinded him.

"Not now, just get it on. Click a button, how many Fracking times have you done that. There." not daring to even sigh Lelouch heard the soft thump of music start from the headphones. Suddenly he realized he had no idea what to do next. Kallens vague remarks hadn't given him much indication. The sickly light of Geass was leaking out around her left eye.

"Is she ok?" the manager asked, pushing open the door and staring wide-eyed at the girl curled up on the floor of his office.

Lelouch was normally quite patient. For some reason the question snapped something inside him and he rose to his feet.

"LELOUCH VI BRITTANIA COMMANDS YOU! TURN AROUND AND SHUT UP!"

He regretted the words immediately, both for the dizzy spell it brought on, and that he had given such a pointless command. Not even bothering to watch the effects of his power he turned his undivided attention back to his Ace. She was clenching and un-clenching her jaw, eyes open now and focused on the headphones that dangled from his right hand. Raising them Lelouch saw her eyes follow them with single-minded purpose.

"Headphones." he mumbled. "Put them on?" he lifted them to his ears and saw a slight shake and flash of disapproval that halted the action.

"Mmm...Me." she managed, eyes glazing slightly as she forced the words out.

Without further prompting Lelouch quickly placed the buds gently in Kallen's ears, staring worriedly at her face as he did. Like flipping a switch all of a sudden Kallen was back. Her eyes cleared and stared at him with their usual intensity, the paleness of shock started to give way as color rose back into her cheeks. And her hand slowly lifted and grasped his forearm.

"Leh... Lelouch?" she said hesitantly.

He couldn't take it, couldn't bear to see her hurt and scared like this. Dragging her up from the floor the fallen prince rocked the slip of a girl back and forth and mumbled reassurances past the quiet thumping of music that blocked him from her.

"I'm... better... now." slowly, oh so slowly the words formed and fell. Like she was trying to remember how to talk.

"It's gonna be ok, it will be ok Kallen. I love you. I'm here. I'm here." he should have more to say. Something to say that would make her fear disappear, something he could do to take this pain away from her. He could feel her hands curl weakly around his arms, a faint effort to be strong. Lelouch couldn't hold back the pride that leapt from his breast at the motion.

He didn't know how long they sat there, curled up on the cheap carpet surrounded by simple padded chairs. His Q-1's efforts to rise were barely felt and ignored without qualm. He would protect her in this moment when she had no strength. Just as she always did for him. It was a bond that needed no words, no expressions, no thought. It simply was.

A loud blare sounded from outside the warehouse. He payed no mind. The only thing that mattered right now was curled up in the safety of his arms.

"Attention! All inhabitants of the warehouse AKY-723, you are hereby ordered by Kyoshiro Tohdoh of the Black Knights to cease all activity and prepare to be taken into custody. A terrorist has infiltrated this building and no harm will come to you if you co-operate..."

The dull words managed to draw sparks that kindled life in violet eyes. Tohdoh was here. Kallen wasn't safe anymore. She could never be safe around him. Despair was nothing new to the fallen prince. It was a drink he had taken since his mother died, the first time, the real death. Kallen was his shield from it, the heady brew she forced into his life that covered it in a warm distortion. Nothing could ever be un-salvageable as long as she lived. As long as she lived.

Resolve hardened, crushing the fairy tales he had unconsciously hoped could whisk the two of them away. It was his armor, a hard and unfeeling cover that would contain his burning desires and hopes, keep them safe but forever apart from the world. He was not suppose to have a happy ending. He was evil incarnated, pure sin and guile. A dark and malevolent presence that stained everything he touched.

"YES!" he heard the oily whispers as they praised his acceptance of his role yet again. "Let havoc reign on those foolish enough to challenge your perfect world, let blood spill and fear paralyze these sheep. Show them the power of a King! The power of the white EMPEROR!"

"Stop this at once." a firm and unyielding voice pulled him back, away from the clutching hands of anger, hate, and pain.

Lelouch was snapped back to himself, torn from the black suit of armor in the center of his mind. Arthur held the glistening object at arms length and his lips were frozen in a silent snarl. The royal hall was just as he had left it, days ago after the brief struggle where he overpowered Charles zi Brittania. Glancing at the throne Lelouch stared and tried to pick out the form of the barely visible figure that crouched there.

"Calm yourself and send this monstrosity away." Arthur chastised.

Lelouch pulled his eyes away from the occupied throne and focused on the black armor. It was brutal, thick and heavy plates somehow sculpt to give the impression of human form. It shone like a beetle, practically glittering with foreign intelligence. And malice. Lelouch felt revulsion tug on his belly, and an overwhelming urge to squash the source of discomfort.

"Sooner would be better." The ancient king mentioned as the suit blurred and tried to reach out to Lelouch, held back only by the taunt muscles of its captor.

"How? What is it?" Lelouch forced, trying to divine how he could remove it. A whisper sounded deep in his mind, like a fingers-touch along his brain.

"Its yours, now deal with it!" the struggling Brittanian howled as the suit turned claw-like hands on his arm.

"Mine!" the words had barely left his mouth when the armor shook itself free and cannon-balled into him.

He expected impact, pain and broken bones from the obviously dense object colliding with him. When it simply melted and ran into him through the miniscule cracks of the skin of his arms Lelouch felt violated. Scrapping his finger-nails across the smooth, pale expanses of his flesh drew thin red lines but no indication of the dark liquid.

"Interesting choice." Arthur commented "I would have assumed your Grimoire to be more... offensive in nature."

"Huh? My what?" Lelouch was undoubtedly a brilliant man. The first and only man to throw down and conquer the greatest superpower the world had seen for generations almost single-handedly. But right now he was very emotionally distraught and completely confused.

"Your Grimorie. I'll explain further later, for now it's something you'll have to learn to use to operate in the world of C. That's not necessary right now so stop letting it make your mind up for you." shrugging off the princes continued sputtering Arthur walked up to the throne.

Glaring daggers he dragged the specter from the chair and turned back to the door at the end of the hall.

"Sneaky little bastard." the smoke-like apparition seemed to try and struggle from a moment before accepting its fate and going limp, passively denying what was about to happen.

Yanking his hand-and-a-half sword from the scabbard along his back Arthur Pendragon tossed the sihlouette against the wood frame and calmly ran it through. Twisting the blade with practiced precision a small whoosh of air could be heard before he moved the deflated thing aside. Pulling the door open Arthur calmly kicked it out, closing the door he returned the sword to its scabbard and dusted his hands off.

"Now that its just you and me you'll find you think clearer, less fatalism and 'I must be evil'. I'll do what I can to keep them out but ultimately I can't do much without influencing you as well." content with his brief explanation the King shut the door and leaned against the wall, an air of quiet awareness surrounding him.

"You have more important things to do then bother me Lelouch. Like taking care of your Queen." the statement made Lelouch clip the question off right at his teeth and fix his predecessor with a dead-eyed look.

"You will explain this to me, Arthur. You are the intruder here, the vassal. Don't think dealing with you will be any more difficult then my father for me." his lips pulled back involuntarily into a snarl as the prince stared down the King.

"Of course, I'll have plenty of time to explain it all when your locked up and wired up to the city power-grid to keep you from regenerating. Now get out there and take care of the mess that's about to spill in on your Queen." Lelouch suddenly realized he was crouching, holding Kallen on the floor as Black Knights stormed the building.

"That was just a shade of a previous code-bearer trying to mess with your mind Lelouch. There, now go, protect Kallen." Arthur gave an exasperated sigh and made broad, familiar gestures towards the real world.

Still reeling but feeling slightly better about the whole confusing situation Lelouch pulled himself out of his mind and back to the dilemma facing him there.

And it was facing him. The thin muzzle of the semi-automatic shotgun somehow made a very, very long and quite wide tunnel. The quivering hands holding it didn't lessen the severity of the situation at all from where he was. Kallens weak grasp on his arms only made it worse with the knowledge of what was at stake.

"Best hope you don't see the Light." Arthur commented wittily.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

Even the sucking sound of the sword pulling free was audible. The picture in perfect quality, like Rivalz was standing right there. Watching Lelouch run through and then drop to slide down the giant Brittanain flag to where his sister sat in muted shock. The crowds faces were in complete disbelief, no-one but Zero seemed capable of moving for a full ten seconds, letting Lelouch's death rattle be heard from where the camera was placed on the sidelines.

Studying the film again for the umptenth time since 10pm that night Rivalz finally caught it. The way Zero twisted his wrist to flick the blood onto the ground. He knew that motion, it was half kendo and half knightmare pilot in origin.

"I know I've seen that." he muttered, the sound of his voice solidifying the evidence in his mind. "Only one person I know has that quirk. Now, how does this fit." leaning back the blue-haired teen pounded his brain like a drum, trying to fit the puzzle together with force.

"So now instead of just Lelouch the student and Lelouch the emperor we also have Lelouch the Zero. And if one dead guy with too many persona's wasn't enough we now have Suzaku the honorary Brittanian/student/soldier, Suzaku the Knight of Zero, and Suzaku the bloody Zero." Throwing his hands up Rivalz swore loudly. "What the hell is with these two! Just couldn't be content with one important role, no damn hogs had to have three!"

Slamming his hands on the table he fixed his grey eyes on the frozen frame, three seconds after Lelouch is stabbed. His bloody hand resting on the mask, not pushing the killer away though. His whole body language spoke peace of mind. Zero's one of bitter acceptance. Quite an interesting detail for so many people to miss now that he thought about it.

Glaring at the Emperor's half-lidded eyes Rivalz felt pain. Not the empathetic pain of looking at someone with a sword through their guts. Not the pain of losing a friend. The pain of not being trusted, of knowing that he hadn't been deemed worthy of knowing what was going on between these two.

"Damn you Lelouch. What was my role in all this? Just a stupid pawn to be used and thrown away at the earliest convenience? FRACK YOU! LIKE HELL I'LD TAKE THAT!" throwing the keyboard across the room he dragged the monitor to the edge of the desk, the brightness of it still failing to push back the shadows of the room.

"I could have been useful." staring as the video moved forward one frame at a time Rivalz watched with dull, heart-broken eyes as the last dregs of life fled from his friend.

Watched the slender hands that won them more then any high-school student could dream of go slack. The violet, laughing eyes dim. His skin, always pale, now a sickening shade of grey. Even the luster of his hair seemed to be sucked into some unknown dimension. His lips twitched a few times, then went still.

Twitched?

Re-winding the film Rivalz watched from the beginning, careful to keep his attention on Lelouch's mouth. Piecing the words together over the course of an hour. A grim, soul sucking hour of his friend dying over and over and over in front of him. But in the end he had a few phrases that no doubt would shatter the worlds view of him. Now what to do with them?

Pushing the monitor away Rivalz strode from the computer room and headed for Lelouch's room across the complex. Determination growing with every step as he clamped down tighter and tighter on his idea. He didn't need light to walk the silent halls, he knew the details of every nook and cranny, the twists in the carpet, the worn patches on the windowsills. As he passed that forbidden threshold once again he felt a wave of tiredness. Weariness that must have plagued Lelouch for months hung heavy in the dusty air, draining everything that entered its masters room.

Undeterred Rivalz walked to stand in front of the closet door his premonition had lead him to but a day ago. Grasping the ornate handle he pulled the door open like it weighed a thousand tons. Slowly and painfully forcing it to give up its dark secret. Trembling hands disappeared into the absolute darkness of the maw to grip the objective of his trip.

Drawing the mask into the sparse moonlight that crept through the windows Rivalz stared at dark perfection. Seamless and heavy it lay like a living thing in his hand, not dead, just hibernating. Waiting to spread ragged wings once again. It was crafted from love and hate. A burning passion to weed out corruption and decay so that peace and goodwill could grow in its place.

This mask was a fact. A truth for Rivalz that Lelouch was his friend, the boy who would go riding for hours with him, talking about everything from flowers to business. The man who could be trusted to be there when you needed him, either to save the festival with quick orders/ideas, or to give you that shoulder to lean on when no-one else would. He wouldn't let you thank him, but couldn't hide the happiness the attempt to would bring him. It was all buried under a mask of indifference, and further under one that was fixated on revenge. But neither could obscure him completely.

"I'll help. I don't know how yet. But you left too many clues for me Lelouch. Its obvious you thought I might be needed. I just wish... you could have... told me." cradling the one truth left to him Rivalz sat down on the empty bed and stared out at the rising moon.

Looking at the mask in his hands Rivalz suddenly broke into a grin.

"Nice one buddy!" Laughing he hopped to his feet, slipping a little on the small throw-rug beside the bed.

"Trust you to give me just the excuse I need to see Milly. Death can't slow you down friend." picking himself up the ever-optimistic individual meandered his way to bed. Testing started early tomorrow, and there was still much to be planned.

X.

So there you have chapter 10. The Grimoire will be explained better further on but won't have much to do with the story for a little while.

Suzaku will cheer up eventually, and so will Rivalz. I've noticed just how dark this story is getting so I wanted to let you know it won't stay that way forever.

Kallens Geass finally went crazy, that massive block of garbbled italicised text right after is all happening at once in her mind, and continues to happen as long as she can hear. Distracting to say the least. Thoughts and comments would be very helpful as this was a very... difficult thing to try and portray.

Lelouch, as I've stated several times, can be influenced by the past code-bearers. Most of them are not very nice, and while they can't overpower him or Arthur they can sneak around and try to whisper into his mind.

Also, chapter lengths. Are they short/long or just about right. I've been doing about 7-9k words per chapter but could cut down or increase that. Goes without saying shorter ones I could update a little more often while longer will... well take longer.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and let me know if you have any questions/comments as I'ld love to help clear things up for you =D.

Did a little editing around where Kallen's Geass goes crazy to try and smooth it out (had a few people confused unfortunately, good catch folks.)

~SimplyWaters~