Author's Notes: Here's Chap 10 ^.^

Reviewer Response Time!

Akito89Lelouch: "…Please try to make it lelouchXccXkallen…"

…I wanted Kalulu, but I'm trying not to force it. I don't want to ruin the story by filling it with too much romance or such. I'll probably just going to go along with what I have, and see where it gets me. HOWEVER, I'm considering continuing another CG fanfic idea of mine, which WILL be C.. It's called "Code Geass: Demon or Angel".

AnubisGundam0: "The path your story is taking is very intriguing and is moving at quite a pace but don't be afraid to slow down abit it can't all be non-stop action and sometimes depicting your character at rest before a streak of high intensity chapters can be refreshing especially Lelouch who needs more rest than any other character in code geass."

Well, this is chap is about as non-action as I'll probably get. There will be a lot of build-up, action, repeat. Also, I understand Lelouch needs rest, but I think one important component from the canon is that he never really got rest. Instead, he needed to just keep pushing along. I'm going to do pretty much the same.

"In previous chapters you refered to the Stadtfeld's as 'Mr' & 'Mrs' being nobility shouldn't you have refered to them as 'Lord' & 'Lady'."

…I'll get right on that… except for the fact that I'm a bit lazy about small corrections like that. I figure it should be alright for now, and I wanted to spend my last moments of non-academic free time just writing.

"Also you might want to address the fact(if you haven't already) that because of the similarity between the offical and rebel uniforms of Lelouch's guards it's naturally the first thing the populous will speculate on, you might want to have Lelouch give some kind of explantion about that, if not next chapter perhaps later ones."

…Read this chap… lol

Lycosyncer: "My only complaint is that you didn't have Lelouch call him Orange!"

…&#*! HOW DID I FORGET? *writes furiously in document labeled Mask 10* There, done :).

"I personally hope you don't kill off Euphie because I love her too much and sparing her would do us a sigh of relief."

I like Euphie a lot too, so I'm not going to kill her off, I think. I even have my plot thought out till the beg. of the anime R2, and she hasn't died yet :)

Thanks to KageYami, XT3, Otaku HoLic, Ragez, The Strike Freedom, LelouchVi, nxkris, wedgegeck, MisterSP, codegeass727, and alchino for reviewing!

Check out 'Code Geass: Demon or Angel', the story idea that I might continue alongside this one.

Oh, also, I've been considering NOT giving geass to Lelouch, just cuz I think he's badass enough and can handle not having it. It also might help make things interesting. Review with your opinion. Remember, it's not a definite thing, so don't complain, just give positive support for your preference.

" " for dialogue

Italics for thought (or stress when just a word or two)

"Bold Italics" is speaking in a different language (other than English)

Mask 10: Secrets

Area 11 Administrative Building
One Day After Zero's Debut
1130 hours

"What the hell is she doing here!"

Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of Britannia, had finally settled down in the Viceroy's spacious office. The former, temporary viceroy, Jeremiah Gottwald, and a large number of the Purists in the military had been imprisoned, awaiting trial for 'helping' Zero yesterday. Of course, Lelouch had easily settled into the newly-vacated office.

Just in time to hear sudden news from his hidden communicator.

"You're saying she's here?" Lelouch rubbed his temples. It was way too soon. Out of all the people he had to deal with, why her?

As if to answer his questions, the double doors to the spacious office opened.

"Hello, Lelouch."

Lelouch forced a smile. "Hello, Cornelia."

Out of all the possible candidates, Cornelia had been chosen as Area 11's new viceroy. What the hell is the Emperor planning? It might have been too much to ask for Euphemia or Nunnally, but why not Odysseus or some of my other spoiled siblings? Hell, why not promote some noble or another? Lelouch had assumed the Emperor wouldn't waste any more people with military talent on Area 11, considering that 'the Prince of Masks' was already here.

With Cornelia here, it would be harder for Lelouch, who had less combat experience, to establish his authority over the Area, in comparison with the 'Witch of Britannia', who was also Chief General of the Imperial Army. Cornelia would also be more likely to notice any signs if Lelouch acted the least bit suspicious…

Heedless of Lelouch's musings, Cornelia walked to his desk and spoke, "Judging from your lack of surprise, I guess you've heard the news. I'll be taking control as viceroy of Area 11. This means that all your actions are now under my jurisdiction."

"Yes, Sister." Lelouch sighed as he got up. "Pity, I just got here."

"As I've heard," noted Cornelia, unamused and without pity. She knew her half-brother was planning something, though she couldn't tell what. "What progress have you made concerning the terrorists, Lelouch? And what can you tell me about this 'Zero' figure?"

Lelouch scratched the hair on the back of his head. "I'm afraid, not much. All we can assume is that he has strong connections to the Britannian military. He had subordinates who could get into Purist Sutherlands, and, considering that the Purebloods have the most rigorous application process…"

"We can't guess the extent of his influence." finished Cornelia. She raised her brows. "What interests me is that his subordinates were seen wearing uniforms similar to your guards'…" She had not forgotten that the Guard were really non-Britannians.

"Are you implying that my guards are involved with Zero?" Lelouch looked scandalized. "That's impossible. The terrorists probably did it on purpose to draw confusion and rumors against the man in charge of eradicating people like him."

Cornelia couldn't hear any falsehood in her half-brother's voice, but she kept her suspicions high. She shrugged. "Whatever the case, I simply came to make sure you didn't forget your place. You're here to help me eliminate terrorism."

Lelouch locked eyes with Cornelia, still keeping his voice casual. "Help you? I thought it was the other way around. I'm here to get rid of the terrorists, and you're here…"

"…to govern Area 11." interrupted Cornelia. "And one of a viceroy's primary duties is to protect her people from terrorism and the like. This duty surpasses that of any others within her Area. I did just say that you were under my jurisdiction."

Lelouch shrugged, still acting casual, "Suit yourself." Then he turned to leave.

"By the way, Lelouch." Cornelia said, acting equally calm, as she reorganized some of the paperwork on the desk. Without turning to look at her half-brother, she added, "Euphie's here."

After a moment's pause, she heard her half-brother sigh. "Am I always the last one to be told these things?"

Inwardly, Lelouch's brain was already whirring. Maybe he could find a way to use Euphie against Cornelia…

ASEEC Mobile Transport
1300 hours

"Lloyd?"

"Here!" The scientist called from the second level of the transport. Despite being labeled the ASEEC Mobile Transport, the transport was really a miniature building on wheels.

Cecile went up to find Lloyd playing with some of the data they'd collected from Shinjuku. "Lloyd, remember what we talked about, when His Highness Lelouch returned the Lancelot?"

"About that bug with the data output?" Lloyd sounded like he could barely remember. "What about it?"

Cecile paused, taking a deep breath. "We said it might have been due to remote access, remember?"

"Oh, that?" Lloyd waved a hand as if to dismiss the idea. "Even now, I doubt it. Hacking is supposed to be impossible with knightmare frames." He turned back to his work.

"Lloyd." Cecile's call brought back the head researcher's attention, though he still stared at his computer's monitors. "But it seems Jeremiah said the same thing. He's saying that his Sutherland was hacked."

"Weeellll… Anybody could say they were hacked. It's a convenient way to pin the blame on some unknown source." Lloyd still seemed barely interested, keeping an eye on the monitors in front of him. "Besides, they found records of illegal bribes to the Purists in Jerry's private computer. Under the codename 'Orange', or something, I think. And even if someone supposedly hacked him, who could mimic his voice so perfectly?"

Cecile was quiet for a moment. Indeed, Lloyd's arguments matched those of almost every media outlet in Area 11. But… "The Sutherland received signals similar to the Lancelot."

Now Lloyd actually turned to face his assistant. "Hmmm, are you sure?" Sudden interest flashed in his eyes.

Cecile hesitated. "Well, the Sutherland wasn't equipped like the Lancelot, so we couldn't find all the same signals from before, but we definitely found traces of some, about 40% of the number experienced before."

Lloyd raised his brows. "Oh-hooohh. That sounds promising. If that was true… Does that mean there is someone who can hack knightmares? By the looks of it, whoever's doing it likes Lelouch more than Jerry…"

Lloyd walked back to his own computer terminal. "Looks like His Highness has more tricks up his sleeve than we expected… What fun."

Area 11 Concession
1200 hours
60 Minutes Earlier

"Uh, boss, I think you might wanna see this."

Lelouch and his Guard were resting in the living room. From across a glass table, Emeka passed his liege lord a laptop.

Lelouch glanced at the monitor and chuckled. "They've started already, huh?"

"What?" asked Lei, sounding almost childishly curious. "Let me see!" She got on Lelouch's right side and looked over his shoulder. "…Wait…"

Lelouch summarized, "Our white and black outfits are so alike that people have already started making the connection. Some are going as far as guessing that Zero is one of my 'masks'. I suppose it makes sense, considering I'm called the Prince of Masks."

"Ssssooo," Emeka asked, "What are we going to do about it?"

Lelouch smiled grimly. "You'll see. Start putting on your Guard uniforms."

Area 11 Concession
1330 hours

James Cather used to be a costume designer. Keywords being used to. After growing old, he'd retired and took over his deceased brother's bar. His only employee was a part-timer named Rivalz Cardemonte.

Though the bar wasn't very popular for its drinks, many used it for gambling. After all, it was often easier to gamble with games such as chess when you were away from the bustle of casinos. Many low-ranking nobles rented out the bar for private matches, and Mr. Cather was even sometimes coerced into playing a game or two. Of course, he never won.

That was why he'd been surprised when a black-haired teenager had come to him. Apparently, he was a member of some obscure school's student council. He'd asked if the former costume designer could help him make some custom outfits. Although he'd been suspicious of the strange masks that the boy had requested, Mr. Cather had agreed.

A week later, while watching a press conference, his frail mouth practically dropped to the floor. The boy had been the famous Prince Lelouch! And behind him were his so-called "Masked Soldiers", wearing his costumes. The joy Mr. Cather felt was immeasurable.

Later that day, Mr. Cather let his part-timer head for school. It was only then that he started to wonder, What about the black set… The old man now took pride in what he considered his last masterpiece.

The white and blue set was created to give off a regal, calm aura. In stark contrast, the black and purple set had a sinister, intimidating aura. Personally, Mr. Cather thought that the best of them all had been a unique, black, purple, and red costume he'd created. With a black and red cape, it truly made it look as if the wearer was not human, but rather a demon.

Not long after Lelouch's public debut, Mr. Cather had gotten a call from the prince himself. The message was concise yet confusing. "Do not say anything about the black set you made. If you do, you will truly regret it."

Mr. Cather had had no clue why the prince had given him such an instruction. At least, not until Suzaku Kururugi's trial, where Mr. Cather learned the scary truth.

Is Prince Lelouch… Zero?

It didn't take long for the media to begin wondering the same questions. Even one day later, Prince Lelouch was being accused of helping the terrorist. Mr. Cather was seriously considering disobeying the prince's order.

"Hurry up, it's your move."

The arrogant, authoritative voice woke Mr. Cather from his thoughts. In truth, Mr. Cather never wanted to gamble with the nobleman. He simply didn't have enough money to waste on a chess game. Not that he'd really had a choice. The baron had brought three guards. A flash of metal and the old bartender had gone out back to get the chess set.

Ring-ding. Ring-ding.

"Times up." noted one of the guards emotionlessly, "Now you only have 20 seconds per turn."

The nobleman smiled. "Very well, I'm game. Hurry up and make your move."

The old man was about to do so, but was stopped by the sliding of doors behind him. Mr. Cather froze. There shouldn't be any other guests at this time. Across the chess table, he saw the three guards reach for their hidden handguns. Mr. Cather could guess what they were thinking,

Are they intruders? Hostile?

Three bullets answered the silent question. Mr. Cather could only sit still, shocked, as blood soaked the black suits of the three guards. They fell without uttering a word, and, after a fourth shot, so did their employer.

Mr. Cather didn't dare turn around. There's no way the intruders would kill an unarmed, old man, was there?

The old man heard the rustle of clothes as the intruders walked by. He tried to count the footsteps. It sounded like there were two of them, though one was obviously quieter than the other. The one with quiet footsteps slid into his view, and Mr. Cather gasped.

It was one of the costumes Mr. Cather had made for the prince. Black and purple, it was made to look like the bishop in chess.

Mr. Cather barely found the air to ask, "W-Why?"

Lei felt a bit nauseous. It definitely wasn't because of that nobleman or his guards. After her hometown had been razed to the ground by order of the High Eunuchs, Lei no longer cared for those of the upper classes. The only exception was Lelouch.

No, what made the Chinese teenager nauseous was the unarmed, old man that had gasped, "W-Why?"

Slowly, Lei bent her wrist, triggering her mask's internal communicator. She muttered, hoping she was wrong, "Is this him?"

There was a pause. Then Emeka sighed. "You don't even need photographic memory for this. You saw the photo. It's obviously him… Just let me deactivate the camera first."

Lei bent her wrist again. She knew that, if the African heard what was about to happen, he'd never be able to sleep. This is the one time I'm glad I don't have a photographic memory. Lei didn't even bother trying to don the cheerful smile she'd always worn in front of others.

Not hearing Lei's conversation, the old man's eyes widened as he recognized the man that was with Lei.

Rafael was wearing his black 'Rook' suit. Which they both knew was made by a certain Mr. Cather.

Again the man asked, "W-Why? Why are you two here?"

Lei didn't have the heart to answer. Instead, she just lifted her handgun.

Secrets have to be kept secret.

Bang!

Bang!

Rafael looked away. Despite knowing it had to be done, the Brazilian wished there was some other way.

It was while he was looking away that Rafael noticed something. Behind the dead nobleman, one of the bleeding guards was still alive. More than simply alive, the guard was moving. The man's right arm pointed at Lei's head, and Rafael realized what it held.

Rafael had only a toolkit. His job had not been to kill, but to remove any possible evidence, particularly video footage. Normally, they would have had Emeka do it, but the Guard knew that the African's perfect memory would have come to haunt him about such a cold-blooded event. Knowing that security was lax, Rafael hadn't even brought a single weapon. Instead, he jumped.

Before Lei knew what had happened, Rafael had tackled her out of harm's way.

Bang!

Rafael was knocked aside by the force of a bullet piercing his helmet. Instincts kicking in, Lei emptied her gun into the guard, who died without another sound.

"Rafael!" The Chinese teenager got up onto her knees and turned Rafael on his side. The bullet had pierced the helmet around Rafael's right ear. Lei tried to remove his helmet, but the unlocking mechanism was broken by the bullet. Quickly, Lei reached in and removed the broken-off pieces of mask.

"Rafael!"

Eventually, she could reach inside and break the mask open. A few streaks of blood decorated Rafael's face, drifting from his right ear to his chin. His eyes were closed.

"Rafael! Rafael!"

The Brazilian smiled weakly. "It's R.R., remember?" Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Lei sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, are you ok?"

Rafael licked some blood by his mouth. "Besides the ringing in my ears, I oughta be fine."

Area 11 Administrative Building
1500 hours

The white-clothed guards were resting in a large guestroom. Considering their reputation and status, they could probably have chosen any other room in the building, but the guestrooms were among the few rooms without civilians, the media, or cameras around.

It also served as an alibi for Rafael and Lei. A few hours ago, the entire Guard had entered the room in full view of everyone. Then Rafael and Lei had left via the open window, disguised in civilian clothes.

Now, the entire Guard was idly resting in the room. It was meant to house a large number of people, so it was more than enough space.

Minoru was standing guard by the door, which had been locked from the inside. Emeka was surfing the net, carefully avoiding talk about what they'd done. Hazel was busy on the opposite wall, trying to solve a complicated chess puzzle Lelouch had left her.

Lei was busy looking over her handgun, taking it apart and inspecting each part carefully. She carefully avoided making eye contact with Rafael.

In turn, the orange-haired boy tried not to notice, resisting the urge to press down on his ears. He'd recovered most of his hearing, but every now and then his mind played tricks on him. No one dared speak, so sometimes Rafael couldn't even be sure he wasn't actually deaf. To distract himself, he played with Lei's black helmet. His rust-colored eyes scanned the mask carefully for possible improvements.

Quite frankly, Rafael knew he'd been lucky. He'd been shot with a regular handgun, meaning the bullet hadn't contained as much force as it could have. On top of that, the bullet had hit by his ear, where the individual plates for the mask overlapped. His bleeding had only been caused by broken pieces of his own mask, not really the bullet himself. The bullet itself had been stopped by the mask, not even touching Rafael. He'd been really lucky.

And Rafael knew that luck would run out eventually.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a rap on the door. Quickly, Lei and Minoru pointed their handguns, the others quickly reaching for their own. A number of people knew that the infamous Masked Guards were in the room. Not all who wanted to come in were necessarily friendly.

"It's me, Lelouch."

Carefully, Minoru looked through the door's peephole. He looked at the rest of the Guard, nodding. Then he opened the door.

Lelouch noted that every guard either had a hand on or near a gun. Without entering the room, Lelouch gestured, "Come, it's time to go."

Rafael placed Lei's helmet aside on the table and donned his white one. Then the Guard followed their prince out the door, locking it behind them.

Time passed. In the dark room, through an open window, a very small, dark figure crept in the room.

1510 hours

Lelouch stood silently in the large room. It was the same room from the press conference at his debut. The difference was that no noisy reporters were present.

"Lelouch, what is the meaning of this?"

Cornelia had arrived on Lelouch's left, Guilford and Euphemia both in tow. The viceroy was gesturing at the entire room. Lelouch smirked.

Meanwhile, Cornelia drew within a few feet of Lelouch. Scolding, Cornelia repeated, "What is this?"

Lelouch changed his small smirk into a polite smile. "I'm just clearing my name. You do know what the papers are saying, don't you?"

The purple-haired princess was about to respond, but Lelouch sidestepped to face one of her companions. With open arms, he faced his other half-sister "Euphie,"

Euphemia le Britannia hugged Lelouch. "Hello, Lelouch. It's been a while."

Lelouch nodded as he smoothly stepped out of the embrace. "Indeed. How's Nunnally?"

Euphemia replied, "Just fine, though she wished she could come see you."

Lelouch's smile had dimmed fractionally, but his eyes shone with rare, genuine warmth. "Good. And your studies?"

Euphemia seemed to grow a bit sullen. "Apparently, I'll have to stop soon, as Cornelia wants to make me Sub-Viceroy."

Behind Lelouch, Cornelia added defensively, "It's for your own good, Euphie. Studying with commoners is no way for a princess to get an education."

Euphemia sighed slightly, "I know, Sister."

Lelouch felt a gloved hand tap his shoulder. He turned to see Hazel, who gestured with her masked head to a certain blond Britannian. Lelouch smiled politely, warmth having mostly faded from his eyes. "Diethard! Just the person I wanted to see."

Diethard Reid bowed. "The pleasure's mine, Your Highness. I'm honored that you asked me to interview you."

"Well, you did get recommended by my late brother," Lelouch reminded the man. And I hope this will keep you under my thumb. It will be a good measure of your talents in media manipulation.

Lelouch turned to smile at his sisters. "I apologize, but I've got to go." The prince stepped away from his half-sisters. "Let's get started, shall we, Diethard?"

Before the princesses could ask what was happening, Lelouch and his Guard made their way to a cleared platform. Lelouch sat in a chair, his Guard standing at attention behind him.

Instead of using another location, Lelouch had purposely chosen to use the press conference room as the spot for an interview. The setting would remind the viewers the promise Lelouch had made not long ago.

Less than a year…

Seeing Euphemia's questioning look, he smiled and put a hand to his lips.

Diethard spoke quietly with a cameraman before turning to the prince. "Whenever you're ready…"

"…3,"

"…2,…"

"…1."

"Zero." breathed Lelouch quietly.

Diethard wasted no time asking questions. "Your Highness, there are many who can't help but wonder about the attire of the terrorists seen yesterday. They were wearing clothes and masks strikingly similar to that of your Guard. Some have gone as far as to suspect there to be a hidden connection between the two."

Lelouch visibly sighed. "Indeed. I was quite appalled when I heard the news. Even now, it surprises me that these lowly terrorists have the audacity to dress like my compatriots. I can assure everyone that these terrorists have nothing in common with my noble Guard."

"In fact, I recently called the man who'd made our masks, hoping to get an explanation. Unfortunately, I'd done so too late. I was alerted by the police that the elderly Mr. Cather, as well as Baron Elmsley, had been murdered." Lelouch looked genuinely sorrowful. "I can only assume that Zero's men had something to do with this."

Then he tightened his fist. "I refuse to believe that such cold-blooded murderers have anything to do with me, or any true Britannians, for that matter. In fact…"

Now Lelouch stared directly at one of the cameras. "Zero, I know you're watching this. And know this: In the name of justice, I will hunt you down. And when we meet, I will repay you for my dear brother's death."

Later, Lelouch reflected, At least the last part was true… to some degree.

1545 hours

Lelouch sighed wearily as he walked down the bare hallway. The 'interview' had gone well, even if it was more propaganda than honest statements. Whenever he lied on such a large scale, he felt as if he'd taken another step closer to being like Schneizel. And that was a feeling he loathed.

With all visible obstacles taken care of, Lelouch was free to move further along with his plan. The prince inwardly groaned. Another late night of planning, double-checking, and more planning was awaiting him. Now they'd just pick up whatever they'd left in the guestroom and leave.

Lelouch unlocked the door. Flicking the light switch, something caught his eyes. Something which was sitting on the open windowsill.

It was dark, furry, and had a peculiar object around its head. With a high-pitched cry, he realized what that peculiar object was.

It was Lei's black mask.

"Meow."

Author's Notes: Sorry, that's all for now.

For anybody who's incredulous about Rafael surviving getting shot, remember the end of season 1, where Zero got shot in the forehead, but didn't even flinch.

School's back, and my work hit me harder than Irene did. Needless to say, I'm probably going to have to take that break from writing that I've been mentioning before... -9/10/11

EDIT: Lol, nvm, look at my next chap! - 9/28/11