Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. I do own the plot. All songs used belong to their respective artists.

Even though I want to be loved in my own way, it fills me, but I can't see you.
I just have the feeling that I'll never see you again.
I want to tell you that, but I can't find the right words.
Maybe it's okay if I lie, but I can't even say "Don't go away". – Long Kiss Goodbye by Halcali

Chapter Ten

Lelouch tried to relax, despite the many eyes currently fixated on him. They all seemed rather uncomfortable (although some seemed more like they were trying hard not to laugh). "Uh, Zero," Suzaku said lowly, making sure that no one else could hear them.

"Yes?" He asked softly, hoping that Suzaku was going to tell him why he was getting gawked at.

"Well… It appears that… Uh… How do I put it so you don't get mad? It seems th-" Suzaku began to stumble out shyly, seeming unsure of his own words.

"Hey, Zero, how come you have a cat tail?" Tamaki declared gracelessly suddenly, causing everyone to flinch at his bluntness. The people in the room had all been wondering it (aside for Suzaku, Kallen and Kaguya, of course) and it was especially interesting because the long furry appendage actually moved. They were unsure as to whether it was an electronic attachment he'd gotten out of a personal preference (which they swore, if he had such a fetish, they would not let it alter how they viewed him) or if… Well, if it was quite possible that the thing was real.

"Ah!" Lelouch yelped lightly, glancing back and watching as said appendage fluffed out slightly from fear and surprise. He then cleared his throat lightly. "Well, you see, this is part of what the Britannians did to me when they captured me. They tested a drug on me and… Well, this is what happened." He explained, deciding that the truth was about as plausible as any half-assed lie he could think of on the spot would be.

"How awful! To do test some drug they don't even know about on you like that!" One individual, a young man, declared in sheer shock.

"I don't know… I think it's kind of cute," Another, of the female persuasion, giggled back lightly. She then approached, eyes filled with joy. "Can… Can I pet your tail? Is it as fluffy as it looks?" She asked happily. Before Lelouch could respond, she had grabbed hold of it and began lightly stroking it. "Kyah~! It's so fluffy and soft~!" She squealed eagerly, causing another group of women to flock over and test if what she said was true.

The whole time Lelouch was trying to resist the cat-instinct to hiss at them all and make a break for it.

…

Lelouch was twirling the black king chess piece in his fingers when Suzaku entered Zero's private chambers. They were almost at Hokkaido and Ohgi had asked Suzaku to track Zero down and bring him in (since the other had fled as soon as he chance came, given the incident that occurred earlier) so that he'd be there when they landed and met with their guide. "I tried to convince Cici to play chess with me once," Lelouch commented casually, examining the piece as if he'd never seen it before in his life. Suzaku assumed that this was Lelouch way of both calming down after the episode with the female black knights and another way he was trying to reconnect with Suzaku. Since they would clearly be working together for some time, it was best if they both got a few things off their chest, whether they be important or trivial things.

"Oh?" Suzaku asked politely, walking over to the bed in the corner and picking up the Zero mask. He now realized that the gold symbol on the bottom was actually the Geass symbol, elongated to fit the curves of the mask, and also noticed that Lelouch had wrapped his tail back up against him under the outfit of Zero where no one could see it. A smart decision on the raven haired boy's part, in his personal opinion.

"Yes, she refused to play with me in the end," He said just as calmly as before. He then set the piece back on the board, which was set up perfectly before a game was to start.

"And why was that?" Suzaku asked, walking over and offering him the Zero mask. Lelouch took it calmly, his ears twitching slightly, before looking at the mask himself. He seemed to be checking it over for any scratches or marks.

"Because it wasn't the new Cheese-Kun chess set. She told me that if I got that she'd be more inclined to consider it," He said bluntly, a small smile turning up his lips. Suzaku blinked then let out a small round of chuckles at this.

"Are you serious? I mean, Kallen mentioned she really seemed to like that thing when I was on my way here to get you, but is she really that obsessed?"

"She doesn't like the word obsessed, actually; she prefers the term 'dedicated'," The violet eyed boy laughed lightly in response. He then glanced over toward a door not too far away. "And we should probably keep this conversation quiet; she's right in the other room and I don't think she'd like what we're saying very much."

"She's the one with an obsession, not us," Suzaku snickered back.

"You have no right to criticize me, you stupid ailurophile," Cici suddenly barked in a somewhat annoyed tone of voice from behind the door. Both boys fell silent while Lelouch's ears flattened to his head and he shot a look Suzaku's a way.

"See what I mean? That witch has hearing like a dog; which makes sense, considering she'd such a bitch," He grumbled lowly. He then shrugged calmly and glanced at the door briefly, as if wondering about something himself. "Although, I must give her credit; she hasn't left that thing behind once, despite all the insanity that has occurred, ever since she got that thing." Suzaku blinked then grinned lightly, reaching over and gently scratching behind one of the other's fluffy ears to help relax him. "Ah, a little more to the left… Ah, yes, that feels nice." The other mused, his eyes falling shut and his head tipping back a little more into those warm fingers. Suzaku giggled lightly as this, liking how Lelouch's cat urges and his usual personality seemed to be reaching an equal mixing point. "Remind me to have you do that again later when we have more time to relax."

"Of course; I like it when you're feeling a little more relaxed and cuddly. Well, anyway, we need to get going. We're almost to Hokkaido and Ohgi wants you to be close to the deck when we land," Suzaku explained casually, taking his hand back calmly. Lelouch nodded with a heavy sigh, clearly disappointed in the ending of the contact, before putting the mask back on and heading out. Suzaku paused a few steps behind him, peering over his shoulder and glaring at the door Cici was still settled behind. "And I am not an ailurophile; I'm a Luluphile!" He declared sternly before shutting the door and trotting off.

'You don't even know what an ailurophile is, do you, Kururugi?' Cici laughed to herself as she relaxed on the large, cushy bed with her Cheese-Kun plush clenched to her chest.

…

There was a small, well-hidden bay on one side of Hokkaido, where the Black Knights were currently docking their ships. Lelouch wasn't too surprised by this, really; this was the half of the island that the Japanese rebellion squad was in control of, so they had to make sure to take precautions against the Britannian government. 'I certainly wasn't expecting them to have a hologram project making it seem that there was nothing but a rock bluff here, though. If they have that kind of technology, why do they need our help so badly?' He thought to himself. He then shook his head slightly, watching as the knightmare frames were being removed one by one, the process slow to assure no damage being inflicted upon them.

"You must be Zero," A cheerful male voice said teasingly, causing Lelouch to turn around. He had shaggy hair that was a pale blonde hue, with bright blue eyes, which was bizarre for someone of Japanese descent but he kept it himself. He assumed the boy was probably only half Japanese but had been raised as such, much like Kallen. "Your cape was what gave you away." He said in that same teasing tone. We had clad in all black, including leather gloves, a pair of goggles resting on his forehead, and a sniper rifle strapped to his back.

"And you must be Takashi Higurashi, the leader of this group," Lelouch answered calmly, offering one gloved hand to the other. They shook and then took their hands back, being polite but also remaining concerned on the matter of business. "Do you have roads that will be accessible for the knightmare frames?"

"Our base is underground and it is very large; I'm sure we can find a way to get them inside and back out later without too much of an issue," He said calmly. He then blinked and rubbed the back of his head lightly, a nervous smile on his lips. "My apologies; we don't have too many hi-tech gadgets here. The Britannians don't see us as much of a threat so they normally just send armed Honorary Britannian troops to battle with us. It… It makes things very hard, for some of us." He said softly, voice growing meeker and his attention shifting downward. Lelouch had a sinking suspicion the other had been put through the experience of killing someone once dear to him, but did not push the matter any farther than it was already at. "It's one of the reasons our forces are so small as well; a lot of our troops didn't want to kill fellow Japanese that they knew and, instead, they were killed by the traitors. We were lucky enough to swipe that holograph simulator in a raid a few months back; we made a few duplicates and placed them all over to keep those damn Britannians confused."

"A good plan but we shall remove the Britannian forces completely soon enough," He agreed with a small nod. It was then Suzaku walked over, now clad in of the Black Knights uniforms. Lelouch briefly wondered when there had been time for someone to make one for him, considering Lelouch custom made every uniform himself and didn't particularly remembered making that one. "We have three accomplished pilots with three of the finest knightmare frames on the earth so we should have nothing to fear."

"Kururugi Suzaku?" Takashi asked in slightly surprise. He blinked a few times, taking in Suzaku's attire before shaking his head. "I never would have expected you to be working with Zero."

"Well, that was the plan all along," Suzaku said casually with a small smile on his lips. Silently, the rebellion leader was rather grateful that Suzaku had adjusted so well to the lie. He knew the other hated lies and betrayal but he at least he seemed to realize that this time it was necessary to their survival. After all, if the Black Knights had rejected them they had nowhere else to turn for help in defeating Britannia. "Anyway, are we ready to get going? Some of the others are getting restless."

"Yes, we are. The foot unit will lead the way with Takashi in front and those of use with knightmares will follow behind," He said calmly. Takashi smiled lightly at him.

"Thank you, Zero," He said. Lelouch nodded his head politely before heading off and getting into the Shinkiro with Cici. He waited until the hatched shut to remove his mask and release a small sigh.

"Disappointed in their lack of knightmare frames?" She asked casually, booting the Shinkiro up. She waited a beat and then, with Kallen in front and Suzaku behind, she began to lead the group behind the foot soldiers. "You should be glad; if you can free Hokkaido that'll be a big victory. That's one of the islands that make up this country." There was a pregnant silence in which they traveled through the woods before she spoke again. "But there is something else that is weighing down on your mind, I presume?"

"Euphemia is alive," He said flatly. Cici jolted up and looked over her shoulder at him. His head was tilted downward, ebony locks hiding his eyes, but his fingers were laced together and his lips were turned downward in a frown.

"Are you afraid that Suzaku will leave you for her if he finds out?" She asked softly, turning her attention back to watching where they were going. They'd have to be familiarized with the area if they wanted to assure they would be successful in combat.

"I know he would. And I don't really blame him for that," He said softly, his lips twisting up into a sad little smile. He shook his head, ears flattening to his skull. "I… Have become a monster. I know this, and I accept this, but Suzaku still has a chance. I may have been selected to take over for Britannia but I do not think I will be able to do it. Euphemia… She could do it, if not for what happened."

"So you are implying that you want a way to reverse that event? To erase it from the memories of everyone who would hold it against her?"

"Yes, if such a thing were possible," He agreed silently.

"When the time comes, there will be a chance. Once your Father and V2 are dead, we will need to go to the entrance to the World of C to return the Code V2 currently holds and the Geass power in Charles' eyes. At that time, you will be given one chance to make a final wish that, given the ability of your Father's Geass, may be able to accomplish," She explained calmly. Lelouch blinked and perked up, looking at her in pure confusion.

"Why would Geass do such a thing?"

"Because Geass was once human as well," She said delicately, keeping her bland gaze trapped on the upcoming opening in the ground that would most likely lead them into the underground base. "Geass was once a human, pure of heart and soul and intentions, who wished for a way to better the world around them. God offered this gift to the human Geass was once, but the power became too much and corrupted the human. Geass committed terrible sins and created the first bouts of bloodshed ever seen within humanity. This caused humans to fall prey to the sinful urges Satan had put within them. After realizing what had happened, Geass begged God for a way to repent for what had happened. God told Geass that if Geass could try to find someone who could use Geass to turn the world around and return it to the purity it once held, he would purify Geass of their sins. And now, Geass waits for us, the Immortals, to find someone who can accomplish this task in exchange for their own life. That is why Geass will grant you one final wish once you finally return V2's code and the Geass power your Father has."

"In yet V2 does not want the turmoil of the world to end and wants me to die before I can accomplish this task, despite being an Immortal who is supposed to be trying to bring about a peaceful world once again," Lelouch added on. He received a nod from the green haired woman.

"Because V2 fears experiencing a final death. He wants the world to remain as it is so that he may remain an Immortal. And, because of him, you are needed now to save the world that Geass has created," She finished. They followed the others' into a dimly lit tunnel, darkness shrouding the cockpit and leaving only the light of the control panels to fight the blackness. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, actually. In fact, I think I am feeling much better than I have in a very long time," He whispered softly, his smile seeming honest for once, despite Cici being unable to see it in the darkness. He leaned back in the seat and shut his eyes silently, feeling at peace for the first time since the summer at the Kururugi home. "For once, I have a chance to do something right. I can finally give Suzaku and Nunnally the world they deserve."

Cici remained silent as she followed the other knightmare frames, heading down a different tunnel than the foot soldiers. "Zero, we've been given directions to where we can take the knightmare frames. After that we are to meet with the other members of the rebellion force here and then they'll show us to our chambers; and Takashi said not to worry; all the chambers are free of any bugs to assure your comfortable with your accommodations are not afraid you'll be unmasked," Kallen's voice hashed out over the communicator system. Lelouch calmly picked up his mask and slipped it back on.

"Excellent. Thank you, Kallen," He stated calmly. They entered a large, metal room with a large set of hanging lights all around. It wasn't as well lit as their accommodations on the ship, but it wasn't the worst in the world. They could still see well enough outside of the knightmare frames that they'd be fine getting into them safely. After all the knightmare frames were situated in a line like toy soldiers, the pilots exited and headed down. Takashi stood in the doorway to the massive room, a large smile still on his lips.

"If you'll follow me I'll introduce you to the other members. Or, rather, what's left of them now," He said calmly. His smile fading and a tragic expression crossed his features. He then turned and they headed out, Lelouch leading the pack with Cici, Kallen and Suzaku right behind. A few steps behind them, between them and the other Black Knights, was Gino, who looked around in complete and utter awe at everything around him.

Lelouch certainly hadn't been expecting the numbers Takashi presented him with; other than Takashi, there were only eight other operatives working here. There had apparently once been around two hundred members but they had all left for various reasons; some died in combat, some started families and left the war zone to find a ghetto that wasn't completely destroyed to settle down in, and others had simply gone mad after killing friends and family and disappeared into the woods, never to be seen or heard from again. Lelouch had to admit that he was impressed with what they had going here; especially given their terribly small numbers. 'No wonder they wanted the assistance of the Black Knights,' He thought to himself as he summed each of the new recruits under him up.

The second in command was a young man named Hiroshi. He was about a year younger than Takashi, who was about the same age as Lelouch. He had dark brown hair that was tugged back in a loose ponytail with a piece of white yawn. He had a long scar across his right cheek (a wound from when a grenade blew up a few feet away from him, if Lelouch remembered what he had said correctly) and the skin beneath his pitch black eyes was almost the same color, seeming to make them larger than they actually were. He seemed to be rather bony and malnourished, most likely due to everything he had been through. He was currently on rest since he had been injured recently, but he was normally their best agent when it came to gathering intelligence and delivering messages.

After him was their main medic, an older man by the name of Akira. Akira appeared to be in his late fifties, early sixties. He had thinning white hair that was well hidden under a white barett with a red dot on one side, meant to represent the Japanese flag. He wore a black cotton turtleneck sweater under a white lab coat and a pair of black slacks with that. His face seemed warm and kind, crinkles from smiling at the corners of his faded blue eyes. Apparent Akira was Takashi's grandfather and had been hunted by the Britannians shortly after their takeover of Japan. "I may not seem like it, but I know quite a few things that would help the Britannians take over the world much faster than currently," He had explained happily. Lelouch had been left to wonder if being happy was just a feature of the Higurashi line.

The next was a girl known as Kanon. She had long purple hair that was kept back in a long braid that swayed at her hips. She had a pear-like shape beneath a regular black tee shirt, denim jacket and a pair of black jeans. Her eyes were luminous silver from the looks of it, though Lelouch only got a quick look at them before she pushed a pair of sunglasses higher up on the bridge of her nose. She was their best (and only remaining) sniper, with the ability to land a head shot on an opponent up to seventy feet away. Tamaki had tried to tease the girl into speaking, only to have her shift her gun so that the muzzle rested between his eyes. "Bang," She had said in a flat, monotonous tone before pulling the trigger.

It was luckily empty, resulting in nothing more than a soft click that left Tamaki shaking and the front of his pants rather damp.

After her was a twelve year old boy known as Sora. He was said to be a genius computer hacker and was the leader of the techies in the base. This young boy was a few inches shorter than Lelouch with spiky orange hair. Behind his glasses his eyes were strangely enough black, which, for some reason, caused Lelouch to be reminded of a Jack-O-Lantern by the boy. He was wearing a long sleeved grey sweater that was too big for him and a pair of baggy blue jeans that he had to hold up with one hand. Lelouch was then informed that the final three members of the team, along with Sora, were the techies who had set up the defenses in the wild but had never gone out in combat.

Next was a girl that reminded Lelouch entirely of Nunnally. She had long blonde hair, most likely the same length as his sister, with vivid green eyes. She was about the other's age with an almost completely flat figure, much like his kin. She wore a strapless white dress that hugged just below her collarbone and splayed out to her ankles, fluttering like a freshly bloomed flower. She was very meek and sweet, bowing politely before slipping back to the monitors and watching for any activity from the enemy.

After her were the final two members of the group; a set of twins called Yuki and Hana, both about the same age as Kaguya just by looking at their height. Both had platinum blonde hair, though Hana's was longer since she was the female twin. Yuki, however, had powdery white eyes and his sister had bubbly pink eyes. They both wore a large forest green cargo jacket over a black and red striped shirt; the only difference was that Hana wore a black skirt that reached her knees and Yuki wore black shorts that went down just as far. Yuki was the more reserved while Hana was a social butterfly, happily shaking hands with anyone who would allow her to. Lelouch had a growing suspicion that Kaguya was most likely going to get along with the other girl.

"Thank you for introducing me to everyone and allowing us to stay here. If it not too much trouble, would it be alright if we went to our quarters to retire, though? I want to start planning out an attack strategy given we have the element of surprise with the thicket surrounding here," Lelouch said calmly. Takashi smiled and nodded happily, leading them down another corridor. In all honestly, Lelouch wasn't in the mood to make plans yet; he just really wanted to lie down and fully embrace all the information he had taken in for the day.

Let me light up the sky,
Light it up for you.
Let me tell you why,
I would die for you.
Let me light up the sky. – Light up the Sky by Yellowcard

…

"Hmm?" A small voice asked softly, glancing down at a cell phone in their pocket. It had beeped at him, signifying he had received a message. He pulled it out and checked the sender; it was his contact from Hokkaido.

"Zero and his troops have arrived; I'll send the false report from Area Three in the morning so that your arrival will not be suspicious," It said. He nodded wordlessly, perking up curiously when he saw an old woman watching him through large glasses with a smile on her lips. He flashed her a warm smile in return, knowing that he needed to blend in as well as he could.

"I should arrive in Tokyo in the morning; make sure to set the date up so that when I arrive in two days it'll all make sense," He sent back quickly. He snapped his phone shut and blinked when the old woman walked over, holding something in her hands. "Yes?" He asked politely, a smile returning to his lips.

"Would you like a cookie, dear? I baked some for my grandchildren but you look like you could use one as well," She said in a shaky but jovial tone of voice. He blinked a few times; mulling it over; he hadn't eaten since he had boarded his first flight and it would be rude to refuse such a kind offer.

"What type of cookies are they?" He asked, looking at the little plastic container in her hands. She sat next to her and opened them, pulling one out and holding it out to him. He took it and looked at it curiously.

"Chocolate chip," The old woman informed him before rising again. She smiled and waved, shuffling off happily. He perked up and spotted a group not too far away, consisting of a man, woman and two little girls wearing matching dresses. They rushed over and hugged the older woman's legs eagerly, gushing at her happily.

'Why waste their time getting close to her? She'll wither away and die soon enough; being attached to her will only make it painful for them,' He thought to himself, nibbling gingerly at the edge of the cookie. He blinked a bit, surprised at how tasty the little confection was, before his phone vibrated. He continued nibbling away while pulling it out and reading it.

"I'll make it look like there was an error with the computers and the e-mail arrived late; just make sure you make it look like you ran into a little bit of physical trouble on the way. If it looks like you were attacked by Britannians you'll gain a sympathy vote and they'll be less suspicious of you. You could probably find a gang in Tokyo that would be willing to beat you up if you paid them well enough," It said. He glared at it and made a face. The thought of letting other people land blows on him… He then smirked a bit, deciding that he could always get himself beaten and then just kill them with the assistance of his Geass after all.

"Will do. Just make sure not to mess up on your end then," He sent back before getting up, turning off his phone and heading off. His flight had just been called, after all, and he simply couldn't miss this flight.

On the other end of the conversation, his informant snapped the phone shut and shoved it into his pocket angrily, glaring at the nearby wall. 'Why did I get stuck working with him? He may be the best assassin V2 has to offer but he's still a demoralized monster. Well, I guess that's fine since we need Zero taken out,' He thought with a small sigh. He jolted up when he heard footsteps approaching him.

"Hey, Hiroshi, you want to come and get something to eat?" Takashi asked with a smile. The other glanced up for a second before giving a small, tired smile back. He really didn't hate the other members of this rebellion group but he didn't agree with their cause. What would fighting against Britannia accomplish? After all, if they were polite and simply obeyed they could get places… Or at least rebuild their ghettos to a more tolerable degree the citizens wouldn't mind living in.

But instead the Japanese followed behind their false prophet, Zero, in hopes of winning an impossible battle.

"No thanks, Takashi. I'm actually feeling a little sick so I was going to just lay down and get some rest," He said calmly. The other blinked a few times, his brow wrinkling in concern.

"Did you want to go talk to my grandpa? You might be coming down with something," He fretted gently. It was times like this that Hiroshi almost felt bad about what he was preparing to do; Takashi was a caring leader who only did what he thought was best. It was because of this that Hiroshi wished the other was on the right side; he could be a great leader of the Honorary Britannians in the military if he were to accept it.

He shook his head. "It's less like nauseas and more like cramping. I think lying down will take care of it easily enough. Thank you, though," He smiled before waving and heading off. He slipped into his room, shut the door and let out a low sigh. He shook his head and walked over o his bed, flopping down. "They had their chance and they blew it. If they hadn't accepted Zero's help this wouldn't have to happen." He mumbled against his pillow before falling asleep.

End

Bonus Story: Dreams of Better Times

She smiled lightly at the little figure waddling toward her. "Lelouch~! Lelouch~! My little Lelouch~! Mommy loves her little Lelouch~! Come to Mommy, precious little Lelouch~!" She sang lightly, holding out her hands and scooping him up when he reached her. She gently cradled him to her chest, smiling back down at him.

She was currently lounging in the palace garden with her one and a half year old son. Charles was holding a meeting with the leader of a foreign land who wanted to join the Britannian Empire to try and avoid a hostile takeover; as a result, Empress Marianne had found herself with some free time to spend doting on her precious little boy. "Normally Daddy needs Mommy to help him so poor little Lulu gets stuck spending his time with nannies but not today! Today, Mommy gets to spend time with her little Lu!" She mused, flopping back in the grass and setting her son on her chest so that she could look up at him. He was wearing a black onesy with a hood in the back. The buttons were white and feet of the outfit were white as well. He was supposed to be wearing an extravagant outfit made of silk with the Britannian Empire seal on them, but she simply didn't like those clothes on him. "Babies should wear close that are nice and comfy, not stuffy clothes more suited for a noblemen." She said with a little pout, leaning up and giving him a little Eskimo kiss.

He giggled and twittered happily in response, amethyst spheres twinkling brightly in joy.

"Empress Marianne, what are you doing out here with Prince Lelouch?" A male voice asked worriedly. She glanced up in time to see a very familiar figure rushing toward her.

Jeremiah Gottwald was a new recruit to her personal protection squad, along with a young woman around his age known as Viletta Nu. The two were currently rushing over with concerned expressions. Jeremiah had lightly tanned skin, olive green hair and tangerine tinted eyes. He was well built and looked grand in the elaborate dark blue and gold uniform of her personal guard, even the long cape helping to make his shoulders look slightly broader.

Viletta Nu was a petite woman with mocha tinted skin. She was gifted with a nice figure that Marianne had a hunch would develop into the sort of body most famous models would dream of having. Her hair was long and bright silver, well complimented by her golden eyes, and it was tied up in bun. She sighed lightly and sat up, setting Lelouch in her lap calmly. "Hello, you two. How are you?" She asked cheerfully, flashing them a bright smile.

"Empress Marianne, what do you think you're doing out here with the young prince? His Highness made it clear that Lelouch is to remain inside and… What is he wearing? Where are the imperial robes he is supposed to be wearing?" The young man asked frantically, looking from the small infant and his mother frantically.

"Sir Jeremiah, Lelouch is fine with me out here. Before I was the Empress I was a knight of round and I know how to handle myself. Not only that, but those silly robes make Lelouch look like a little girl. Plus this is much more comfortable for him to walk around in, isn't it, sweetie?" She giggled, leaning down and kissing her infant's head lightly. He giggled lightly and reached up, his chubby little fingers resting on the sides of her face. "Oh, yes, Lelouch likes this better!"

"You really are quite the handful, aren't you?" Jeremiah sighed tiredly, his exhaustion causing him to slip up with his manners. He jolted up suddenly while Marianne laughed loudly, patting the ground near her with one hand.

"Oh, just drop the silly manners and sit down with me! I won't tell anyone as long as you'll just relax for a little while," She said with a small laugh. The two guards looked at one another worriedly for a brief moment before sighing and giving in, slipping down and resting on the grass with her. She smiled and lightly held up Lelouch toward the sky, his little face turned to her. "Isn't this nice, baby? We get to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather!" She beamed happily.

"He is awfully cute, Your Highness," Viletta agreed with a small smile, reaching one hand out lightly toward the little infant. She lightly poked one of his chubby cheeks, receiving a surprised little yelp in surprise. She giggled happily. "So cute~!" She mused lightly.

"Would you like to hold him?" Marianne offered. Her cerulean spheres then lit up and she giggled loudly. "Ah, Viletta, take Lelouch and sit in front of me! I want to do something for you!" She beamed, sitting up on her knees and holding her squirming baby out to the other woman.

The other woman blushed slightly before carefully taking the young prince and cradling her in his arms. She shifted so that she was sitting in front of her Empress, as she'd been told. She felt her hair being teased free of its tight bun. "Um, Your Majesty, what exactly are you planning to do?" She asked nervously.

"When I lived in Japan," Marianne began to explain calmly, "I used to be part of a fantastic group of strong young women. My best friend, a woman known as Rin Sumeragi, used to have this long, curly hair that she could never do anything with. So she used to let me style it for her, doing what I liked with it as long as it was kept out of her eyes so she could fight. Those… Were some of the best memories of my life." She mused delicately, combing through the other's long hair with her fingers. She shifted a long piece and pressed it to the front, then tilted Viletta's head back so that they were looking at one another eye to eye. She then shifted the other's woman's silver hair into a side-swiped part with her bangs in the front, sweeping it to slightly cover said eye. She then smiled and tilted the head back up and combed through the long white locks again. "You really shouldn't be so prim and proper all the time, Viletta; it'll make boys think you're dull and it'll make it harder for you to find your soul mate!" She clucked lightly like a mother hen. The other woman blushed brightly while Jeremiah chuckled lightly.

"I am more interested in climbing the ranks and leaving a good view of my family than finding someone to settle in with; my own journey has just begun," Viletta said softly, looking back down at the infant heir. She smiled fondly at him, reaching down with one hand and gently stroking the feathery soft black locks he was growing. "Although, I must admit, I do have a sore spot for children and do hope to have a few once I'm older."

"Believe me; child labor is well worth it," Marianne agreed as she finished up her task, tying the other's hair up in a long, thin ponytail. She beamed happily at her work. "There! Now your hair is cute, tidy and won't get in the way! Doesn't it look much better like this, Jeremiah?"

Said male blushed a little bit at the two women before looking off to the side. "It… It is a very charming style for you, Viletta," He mumbled softly. Marianne squealed lightly at this.

"Are you embarrassed, Jeremiah? That is absolutely adorable!"

…

Marianne blinked a few times, stirring as she awakened from her blissful dream. 'Ah… That was so long ago,' She thought as she sat up, running her fingers through the pink hair of her host body. She sighed and slipped out of the warmth of the sheets, walking toward the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror for a while.

Though she would never admit it, Marianne missed her own body quite terribly. She missed her long ebony tresses, her bright blue eyes, her pale complexion. She wasn't ungrateful for Anya's body or saying she found the girl unattractive; in all honesty, she found Anya to be terribly cute. With her soft pink air, vivid ruby gaze and milky white skin tone she was certainly a sight to behold, making any sensible man with a taste for woman drool a little. But Anya's body was that of a child, a girl yet to come of full age; Marianne missed her old figure, her hips slightly widened by child birth and her battle scars hidden by extravagant clothes.

"Well, I should just be grateful I have a body, eh?" She asked her reflection before stepping back and allowing Anya Alsteim's consciousness have control for a while so that she may resume her remembrance of before V2 in peace.

End

Bonus Story: Always Churning Shadows

"Big brother, where is Suzaku?" She asked timidly, tilting her head and shifting it toward where she knew the other figure was seated. It had been nearly a month since last Nunnally had spoken to Suzaku about the matter of locating Lelouch. She remembered, vaguely, that there had been a large commotion not too long ago. Whatever happened must have been rather severe, because she heard the knightmares were deployed to handle the situation. Currently she was having afternoon tea with Schneizel as her company.

"Suzaku has been rather busy lately, Nunnally. I'm sorry but he won't be able to talk with you for quite some time. If there was something you needed, however," The other male said in a calm and gentle tone, "I would not mind finding out anything for you." Something about his tone unnerved Nunnally a little bit.

Or perhaps it was just that Schneizel reminded her a lot of Lelouch, only he seemed less trustworthy to her.

"I just wanted to ask him if he had had a chance to look in to something for me, that's all," She said gently, picking up her tea cup and taking a small sip. She had to keep telling herself that no matter how nice he was being, he still hadn't tried to stop their father from tossing she and Lelouch to Japan when their mother died.

"Well, I spoke with Father a few days ago. He thinks there may be a way for you to regain your eye sight," He said with a small smile. She tilted her head upward a little more, to indicate she was interested. "There is a doctor who will be coming in a few days and thinks he may know a way to return your sight. Our next concern will be returning your ability to walk to you as well. Father feels that we should make use of the new developments in technology, after all." He said. She heard the soft clink of glass on glass, signifying that the other had either picked up or set their cup back down. She assumed that it was being lifted, given the slight pause before the other spoke again. "Wouldn't that be wonderful, Nunnally?"

"Yes, it would, big brother," She answered meekly, setting her own cup back down. She swallowed hard before speaking again. "Ah, may I ask one favor of you?"

"Of course, Nunnally, anything," The other said readily. She may have been a child but she knew how things had worked before; whoever pleased Father had the best chance of being selected to take over the Empire; and, for whatever reason, it seemed that Nunnally had now been made the key to pleasing him.

'So I have become a tool, just as Lelouch feared,' She thought sadly. She had asked him once why they had been forced to change their name and slip into hiding at Ashford Academy. He had explained that returning home would only make them into puppets for their siblings to use against one another. She, being as naïve and sweet as she was, had told him that he was being overly cautious and that their family would only love them and be grateful they were alive; clearly she had been wrong in that belief, so very tragically wrong. "Would you be willing to see about getting me a thousand pieces of origami paper?"

"Ah, you like the feel of it, I assume? T is much more delicate than most paper I have been told," He said peacefully. She shook her head and she could almost envision the look of surprise lighting up his features at this. "Why else would you need this paper, Nunnally?"

"I may be trapped in a world of eternal darkness, Schneizel," She began to explain, her voice growing stronger, "but that does not mean that I must adhere to all the stipulations that go along with it. I have been taught through touch how to fold paper into cranes and currently hope to achieve a wish through those cranes."

"And what wish would you like? You can have anything you want now that you are home in Britannia," He responded peacefully. She heard him take a small sip of his tea, a small chuckle rumbling through his chest.

"If I tell you I fear it will not come true," She lied with a smile, tilting her head slightly. She knew it was bad to lie but it was a necessity to survival. Now that she was here, without Lelouch, she had to remain strong until she could be with him again. 'Because that is what you would want for me, right, nii-chan?' She thought, fighting back tears at the thought of her brother's warm hands or delicate voice telling her that it would all be okay.

End

I decided to do two bonus stories this chapter for a few different reasons; I wanted to do something about Marianne's past, I wanted to show what exactly Nunnally's doing without both of her support systems, and to have Jeremiah make a cameo. Why? Because he is filled with orange-y goodness~! Also, this chapter expresses more of what the plan for Lelouch is at the end of this fic… I know I've used him as the human sacrifice character before (Herd and Salvation and, technically, Against All Odds) but I might actually go through with killing him this time. Why? Well… Maybe if you all make sure to review I'll tell you~! Also, there is to be loads of Arthur, Pizza Hut and SuzaLulu fluff in the next chapter so you can all look forward to that~! ;D