Chapter 11: The Eleven...

AN : So, chapter eleven, a highly symbolic number of the show.

Before this chapter begins, I owe you an explaination for what happened in last chapter. I've killed Guilford in this story for different reasons. First of all, it's a symbolic thing:

Cornelia is vanquished and her Knight falls at the same time. He could've ejected, or be captured, but I felt it wasn't strong enough.

In the first World, Guilord is alive and Euphemia is dead. In my story, this is the contrary.

And secondly, this is for the plot. But the explanation is in the chapter.

To Flevantein : Well, if i sacrificed Darlton instead, this chapter wouldn't have the same quality.

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.

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Still, it's highly tempting to turn Guilford into a zombie-cyborg. xD

Anyway, I wish you a good read for this chapter that I personally adore. :D


In the Administration's bureau of the Tokyo Settlement, the Government of Area 11 was holding an extraordinary session.

The Vice-minister of internal affairs spoke weakly. "The Japan Liberation Front suffered some major losses during the last battle. Now we're hunting the members of the organization, one by one."

General Darlton replied abruptly. "Is it the only thing you had to say, Vice-Minister? Where is Cornelia?" The Princess had only ejected from her Knightmare, it meant that she was being held captive. Darlton knew she was alive, even if Guilford and 3 of his sons died on that day.

"We've found her cockpit but it was burned. There was no trace of blood; surely the Black Knights or the JLF had captured her Highness." Darlton frowned. Maybe it wasn't Zero that captured her; in that case he needed to find Katase before he could leave the country.

"We need to find her as fast as we can." He replied finally.

An official replied with a tone Darlton didn't like. "I understand your concerns, General, but the Government's employees are already doing all their possible to retrieve Cornelia." It was Lord Bornstein, the new minister of Defense who spoke. Darlton knew him; he was a radical, believing word for word what the Emperor said in his speeches. For him, a fallen princess wasn't worth anything. Andreas remembered the time when Cornelia confided to him, seven years ago. She told him about her two siblings that were used as a bargaining chip after their mother, Lady Marianne's death. They were only used as a decoy, in order to lure the Japanese Republic by making them think the Empire wouldn't declare war on them. It was a clever move, but Darlton couldn't accept it because they implied Cornelia's siblings.

Jeremiah Gottwald spoke. "In the meantime, we should decide of the new figure of power in Area 11." That was it. The Pureblood finally revealed his true colors. Darlton was grateful towards Jeremiah for saving Cornelia at Saitama, but also knew that his own motives were elsewhere. He wanted the power for himself, or for his contacts. By the eyes of the law, Euphemia would be the ruler of Area11, but she wasn't suited for these unstable situations. Cornelia's last orders were to protect her sister, and Andreas Darlton would gladly take that order.

He stood up. "I'm taking the command in the Area until a new Viceroy is named or until her Highness Cornelia is liberated." General Darlton declared, to everyone's astonishment.

Lord Bornstein gritted his teeth. "How impudent! Lord Gottwald is the most suited for the post, he is here for a long time and has already ruled the Area." The minister of Defense was revealing his position. As expected, he was a contact of Gottwald.

"We have seen his efficiency during that time, thank you very much!" Darlton retorted. He noticed Princess Euphemia lowering her eyes. Oh, what a pitiful show they were giving to her eyes.

Surprisingly, Jeremiah looked calm and thoughtful. "Alright." He said simply, to everyone's astonishment. "General Darlton will take the power temporarily."

Andreas eyed him suspiciously. 'What games are you playing, Gottwald?'


Lelouch was in the back of a car, with Kallen on the left and a fine Lady in the middle. Said Lady was tied up, drugged and made up so no one could recognize her. Because that Lady was her half-sister, Cornelia li Britannia.

Suddenly, the car stopped. The chauffeur got out, took a wheelchair from the trunk, and then Lelouch and Kallen helped Cornelia to install her in it.

"So this is where you want to hide her." Kallen said referring to the villa in front of her.

"Yes." Lelouch replied while the bodyguards saluted him and opened the door for him. "This is the house of the Duke of Auckland. He's an asocial; he prefers the company of his domestics rather than the other members of the aristocracy. He's perfect for this job. Two weeks ago I've met him and he decided to join our cause."

Kallen snickered. "People tend to gain the love for Justice quite often when they meet your gaze."

"Exactly." Lelouch replied. "He gave us a big donation for our … humanitarian organization." He finished with a chuckle.

The Duke of Auckland bowed to him and said. "Welcome, your Highness."

Lelouch ordered. "You, install that Lady in the medical room and tie her up. To everyone, make sure she doesn't go out. You will ensure that her vital needs are being met, and that she can't make any offensive moves. Still, I don't want her incapacitation to be permanent."

After he gave all the precise instructions to the domestics concerning Cornelia's treatment, Lelouch went out with Kallen and took the car in order to lead them to the Academy.

"Do you think it is better this way?" Kallen asked. "We could have let the BK hide her."

Lelouch shook his head and replied. "No. An imperial Princess like her is a time bomb, and it would draw too much attention. If there is any problem, it will be safer if she's in a noble house rather than in one of our bases. If she escapes, she will testify that she was in Auckland's house, and if such a thing happens, all her jailers will suddenly kill themselves."

"I see." Kallen said. "But what are you trying to do with her? Is she a hostage you take?" She asked.

Lelouch shrugged. "I'm well placed to know that Princes and Princesses have no value as a hostage. Well, maybe to Darlton and Euphemia, but it's not my main intention. What I really want to do is to try to save her life."

Kallen raised an eyebrow. "Her life?"

"Yeah, her life." He replied casually. "You'll understand later. Are you meeting with Ohgi and the rest?" Lelouch asked once they were 1 kilometer away from the Ashford Academy.

"Yes." Kallen replied.

Lelouch kissed her on the lips. "See you later then." And he got out of the car.


Shirley was looking at the envelope with mixed feelings. Her father had been fired from his job a couple of weeks ago, and stayed at the familial home. When the news came out that Narita had been buried by a landslide, her father was so happy to be alive that he bought her a couple of places for an opera. Shirley didn't know if it was a good idea to ask Lelouch to go with her because she feared that he could reject her. If he wouldn't go with her, Shirley would go with her father but still…

"What's got you so worried?" Milly asked. "Are you constipated?"

"What?" Shirley snapped. "No, that's not it."

"Oh, I know." Milly teased. "You're lonely because Lelouch isn't here, right?"

"No." She admitted. "It's because Kallen isn't there, too."

Milly chuckled. "Oh, so carefree. Your only concerns are Lelouch and Kallen while everyone talks about the disappearance of Cornelia…"

Lelouch suddenly entered the student council meeting room.

"Did somebody say Cornelia?" He asked casually.

Shirley babbled. "Lulu?"

"Hey girls!" Lelouch cheered while yawning.

Milly said ambiguously. "Well, you must have spent a troublesome night."

Shirley blushed. "Ah! Don't say that, madam prez."

"But I haven't said anything, I'm just stating." She teased. "Lelouch, you have this work to do."

"Yeah, yeah." Lelouch took the documents on the table, got out of the room and then said suddenly. "Oh, an envelope."

Shirley fell out of her chair from embarrassment. She babbled. "You… me … out."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, putting the pieces together. "How about we talk about this outside?"

They were on the campus; Lelouch gave her the envelope.

"Thanks. Umh, well…" She said weakly.

"You want to invite me somewhere?" Lelouch guessed.

Shirley's eyes widened and blushed. "How did you know?"

Lelouch laughed. "I'm good at foreseeing my interlocutor's dialog."

"Well, your answer is…"

"Yes." He said. "But I may have something to do, so I'm not sure if I can really go with you."

Shirley replied cheerfully. "Yay! It's an opera; my father bought me tickets with the money he got from his firing. It's in a couple of days."


'Where is Cornelia?'

C.C was in Lelouch's bed, listening at Marianne's rant.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't know, don't care."

'Charles couldn't speak with her in the Sword of Akasha; so that means she's still alive.'

"You're perceptive. Does the overprotective father worries about her daughter?" C.C asked sarcastically. Lelouch wanted to know that, even if he guessed the answer.

'Not at all. He just wanted to know why Lelouch hasn't killed her yet.'

"Maybe he can't." She said boringly.

'What? I'm sure it is Lelouch that held Cornelia captive … Oh, wait, I've understood what you implied.'

Lelouch was outsmarting his own mother; it was the exact reaction he wanted her to have. "You're making a film."

'Not at all, my dear C.C, not at all.'


Zero and the core members of the Black Knights were in their HQ.

"Kyoto praised us for using the Guren MK-2 so well." Ohgi said.

"Yeah." Kallen replied. "Even the Lancelot couldn't do much against me."

"The Lancelot?" Ohgi asked. "You know the name of this white machine?"

"It's a prototype built by the Prime Minister's R&D team." Zero said. "Kallen managed to capture his rifle, and I think we can use it with one of our Knightmares."

"You mean one of the Gloucesters." Minami corrected. "May I ask you how you got them?"

"Well." Zero began. "I had a contact in the Government. That's how I got the simulators and the weapons as well."

"You have secret agents?" Tamaki asked while laughing.

Ohgi gave him a paper. "Anyway, there's this for you."

"What's this?" Lelouch asked, even if he knew the answer.

"A love letter." Ohgi replied with a grin.

"I hope it's from a lady." He replied simply.

Tamaki burst out laughing. Kallen rolled her eyes.

"It's a letter from Kyoto." Ohgi explained. "They want a meeting for tomorrow."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. The meeting with Kyoto and his date with Shirley were on the same day last time. Well, he already had changed a lot of things.

"That's great." Zero replied. "They will fund and support us, but what I expect from them is the team that has built machines like the Guren."

"Yeah." Takeshi exclaimed. "It would be cool if we could mass-produce them."

"Exactly. Takeshi, can you come to my office?" He asked.

Lelouch was checking the info in his computer. As expected, the one in charge in Area 11 was Andreas Darlton. The situation was too unstable to let Euphemia rule and Lelouch ordered Jeremiah to stay discreet. The main concern of Darlton would be to retrieve Cornelia, and three groups could hold her captive. The JLF, the Black Knights and Kyoto. To Lelouch, Darlton was his main adversary from now on. 'What will be your first move?' He thought. 'Would you investigate on the NAC first, or would you try to capture Katase before he flies to China?' The last option was highly probable.

"Zero, it's me." Takeshi said behind the door.

"You can come in." Zero replied.

Takeshi entered his boss' office. Zero was sitting on his chair, looking at his computer. Suddenly, he stood up, revealing the screen. There were the names and the faces of 5 Japanese people. One of them was a young girl, Kaguya Sumeragi.

"Do you know them?" Zero asked.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes. "The names are familiar. I think I saw them in the magazines Britannia gave to us sometimes. Kirihara … he runs the Sakuradite extraction, right?"

"Correct." He said. "These persons were appointed by the Empire to administrate the indigene affairs in the Area. They are known as traitors, but what are your opinions towards them?"

Takeshi stayed silent for a moment, probably trying to find a suited answer to his leader, and said finally.

"It's not like the Empire would give them the choice."

"Good answer." Lelouch replied. "They have given them money and power, so the people in the Ghettos could legitimately hate them. But in fact, giving these guys money was a big mistake the Empire made."

Takeshi was confused. "What do you mean?"

Zero finally said. "You'll understand soon enough. I have a mission for you."


Lelouch was returning from the reunion with the Black Knights. Kyoto would organize a meeting, and Kirihara would surely be the one they would send. Lelouch learned a lot from him during his time at the Kururugi's house. Taizo was a master in the political game, and was clever. He probably guessed that Zero wasn't Japanese, at least this time, and would want to confirm his suspicions personally by going to the meeting.

Lelouch entered the student council meeting room in order to make some coffee. He didn't sleep last night; he was busy taking care of Cornelia with Kallen.

He opened the door and noticed Nina's silhouette… pounding the table.

Lelouch turned on the lights.

Nina gasped and fell down.

Lelouch asked casually. "Well, Nina, what has this table done to you?"

Nina replied weakly, blushing hard. "No, wait, don't look."

Lelouch didn't really pay attention. He just needed a god damn coffee.

Then he saw that Nina had her pants down, noticed the magazine with Euphemia's picture, and his brilliant mind made the link.

"Oh, you were masturbating." He stated while taking a cup of coffee.

Nina quickly stood up and put her knickers back. She said weakly. "I know it's shameful."

"No." Lelouch replied while activating the machine. "It's a way to relieve stress."

"I wasn't talking about that." She said, hardly embarrassed.

"You mean, fantasizing about Euphie?" He asked.

"Euphie?" Nina was confused, in her happy place, or both. 'Euphie is such a cute nickname for Princess Euphemia.' She thought blushing.

"Yeah, Euphie." Lelouch sighed. He really needed that coffee. Suddenly Lelouch began to sing, tilting his head. "Lulu and Euphie are on a boat, Lulu falls from the boat. Euphie tries to bring him back but he's heavier than her so they fall together and sink. Moral of the story: Don't help Lulu or learn to swim."

Nina looked at him oddly and said. "And I thought I was the weird one…"

Lelouch took finally a slip of his Holy coffee and replied. "Exactly. You will always find weirder than you. Everyone have a side they prefer to hide, but is it a shame to have it? Is it a shame to try to hide it? Some people tried to resolve these two problems and failed miserably. But I'm digressing." He took another slip of his coffee.

"You don't find this abnormal that I … that I like girls?" She asked finally.

"But what is the definition of normality?" He retorted flashing a Schneizelish smile. "The one Britannia gives to us doesn't satisfy me."

Nina retook her calm. "I never thought you were like this." She admitted. "During all these time you were using a fake personae, hiding your own secret side, is that correct?"

Nina wasn't only a crazy xenophobic lesbian that was creating a nuclear weapon between classes; she was also smart, and perceptive. Lelouch didn't really talk to Nina, because he wanted to hide his insane cleverness to his friends.

Lelouch smiled sadly. "I wasn't always like this, you know. For example, what gave you the fear of the Elevens?"

Nina stiffened suddenly.

"Oh, well." Lelouch said. "You don't have to answer me; it probably was a traumatizing event. Am I right?"

"Y-yeah." She replied weakly.

"Do you remember when I said to the class that I met Suzaku during my vacations in Japan eight years ago?" Lelouch asked.

Nina nodded.

"Everyone assumed that I regained the mainland after that." He continued.

"I've interpreted it that way." Nina admitted.

Lelouch lowered his eyes. "Well, it wasn't the case." He revealed finally.

Nina gasped. "Then, does that mean …?"

"Yes." He said this word in a whisper. "I've seen everything. And for once, I was glad that my sister was blinded. I was walking across the country, seeing what the Empire was doing. The only thing that kept me away from madness was Suzaku and Nunnally's presence. I owe them everything. " Lelouch confessed finally.

Nina watched him with mixed feelings: astonishment, horror, sorrow, and empathy.

"So you see." Lelouch finished sadly. "I won't expect you to get over your fear of Elevens, because even I can't get over my hatred of my own country."


Lelouch was putting his sister to bed. Sayoko told him that she had a fever during the time he was hiding Cornelia. Lelouch put a hand to Nunnally's forehead.

"It looks like your fever's gone." He said finally.

"Yes." She replied sadly. "But you weren't there. You've become a little bit distant lately."

Lelouch widened his eyes, knowing that she was right. "No." He replied quickly. "No, I will always be here for you. It's true that I have a lot of things on my mind but I can't help but think a lot, you know how I am."

Nunnally smiled and replied. "Can I be a little bit more selfish then? Please hold my hand just a little bit longer. If I fall asleep alone, I'm afraid I'll have that dream again."

Lelouch frowned. "What kind of dream?" He asked.

Nunnally replied. "I dream of a blonde little boy."

Lelouch gasped suddenly, his hands were shaking.

"Are you okay big brother?" Nunnally asked, worried about Lelouch's sudden behavior.

Lelouch calmed himself. "I'm alright, I'm alright. So, about that blonde little boy."

"Yes." Nunnally continued, she was calmer than he expected. "It's a boy but he acts like an adult. He has long blond hair and look a bit like me when I was a child. I see him speak with mother, and suddenly he shoots at her. Then, he approaches me and says 'I've come to take you with me'. I don't want him to take me; I want to stay with you!" She shouted.

Lelouch breathed heavily. He replied finally. "Don't worry, I'll ensure that blonde boy won't approach you" 'Again.'


Zero, Kallen, Ohgi and Tamaki were on the Kyoto meeting. They saw the Sakuradite mines from the bay window. The representative from Kyoto made a speech about how this was an ugly sight, and then ordered Zero to reveal his face. Suddenly, four Burais appeared from the shadows.

Ohgi said finally. "I'm sorry Zero, I may trust you, but we need a reason to put our faith in you." He removed slowly his mask, and gasped.

Zero's face was the one of a Japanese man in his mid-twenties.

"Takeshi?" Tamaki exclaimed. "You were Zero the whole time!"

Kallen rolled her eyes. "How you can be so dumb, I'll never know."

The head of Kyoto spoke. "You're just a Black Knight member?"

Takeshi smirked. "Yes."

"I knew it. Zero isn't Japanese." He said finally.

Ohgi narrowed his eyes.

"How dare you insult our leader?" Tamaki snapped.

Takeshi said, still smirking. "I have a message from Zero. 'It wasn't very subtle of you to hold the meeting in the Fuji mines; it was like if you wished to be identified.' Am I right, Taizo Kirihara?"

One second after he said that, one of the Burais used his slash harken and his tonfa to disarm the three other units. The pilot pointed his rifle to Kirihara, and then opened his cockpit, revealing the real Empire's Enemy. In his left hand there was the trigger of the Knightmare's rifle, and in his right hand there was a hypodermic pistol.

"Taizo Kirihara." Zero began. One of the bodyguards was pointing his gun at him, and Zero used his pistol to shot a tranquilizing dart that would put the guy to sleep instantly.

"Head of the collaboration."

Zero shot the other bodyguard, methodically.

"But also main sponsor of the Japanese resistance."

He descended from his Burai, still holding its trigger.

"You're playing a double-game, but in the end, the people don't really know your true allegiance."

He approached him slowly.

"The Japanese cause or your own interests? In my case, the question does not arise, because I'm not Japanese."

Kirihara narrowed his eyes. He was right then, but why was Zero fighting against the Empire?

"So that's why he never showed us his face!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"In my case." Zero continued. "I fight for myself."

Kirihara decided wisely not to offend him. "But why are you fighting?" He asked simply.

Lelouch replied truthfully, loud enough so the others could hear. "I fight … in order to finally live a peaceful life."

Kirihara was confused and decided to wait for Zero to finish.

"But my life and this World's fate are linked." He continued. "I will only find peace if this World is peaceful as well. And for this world, or my life, to be peaceful, Britannia must be destroyed."

Taizo Kirihara finally asked. "But why destroying Britannia especially could make your life peaceful?"

Zero put his right hand on his mask and said. "You're going to understand …"

He finally removed his mask. Kirihara widened his eyes, recognizing the man, no, the boy, instantly.

"You!" He whispered.

The 99th Emperor of Britannia smiled. "My father made a fatal mistake by deciding that I was dead. Don't you agree, Taizo-sama?"


Lelouch and Shirley just went out of the concert. In another World the orchestra had played Mozart's requiem, but this time they played The Marriage of Figaro.

"That was nice." Shirley said finally. In another World it had been raining hard, but this time there were no clouds in the sky.

"But not as nice as your smile." Lelouch replied with an imperceptible tone of sadness. He thought of the Shirley he first knew, probably watching the two of them from the collective unconsciousness.

Shirley blushed hard and buried her face in her hands.

"Do you want an ice cream?" Lelouch asked suddenly.

They went to a commercial area, and saw a familiar vendor.

The Honorary Britannian gulped, recognizing the weird student that saved him from some thugs.

"Good Evening, I would like two vanilla ice creams." He said flashing a Schneizelish smile.

Lelouch and Shirley were on a bench, the same he and Kallen sat a week before.

"You know." Shirley began. "My father told me that the place he used to work was buried by the landslide in Narita. He would have been dead if his boss didn't fire him for any apparent reason. That's what he told me."

Lelouch looked at her. "Maybe someone managed to change fate."

"Do you believe in fate?" She asked.

Lelouch shrugged. "I just believe in the time-traveling hero that tries to prevent some tragedies."

Shirley laughed. "Stop saying stupid things."

"It's not because I'm smart that I shouldn't act immaturely once in a while." He replied simply.

"Hey Lulu, you are smart, but you don't work in order to have good grades. Can you tell me why?" Shirley asked.

Lelouch finished his ice cream and replied. "I've found something more important to yearn for than good grades."

"Are you talking about your gambling sessions with Rivalz?" She exclaimed.

Lelouch laughed. "No. I'm talking about happiness."

Shirley was speechless.

"So." Lelouch switched to another subject. "How's your dad?"

Shirley's face took the cheerful appearance Lelouch missed so much. "Well, he's happy to stay at home, and I can see him every day now."

Lelouch did nothing but stare at Shirley's face absently.

She took a more serious tone. "You've never told us about your family, Lulu." Then Shirley added quickly, a bit embarrassed. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to but…"

Lelouch smiled sadly. "Well, my family… My father and I are not in the best of terms." He admitted. "He wants me to act like him, to think like him, but I don't want to. He's cold, emotionless; he wants the people to understand each other but doesn't even understand his own children. I want him to show some signs of humanity but in the meantime I know it isn't worth it."

Shirley was astonished, she never heard Lelouch confide like that. "But what's his job?" She asked.

Lelouch snickered, retaking a lighter tone. "He's a politician."


Euphemia li Britannia was on her office, filling some paperwork about some random events. She didn't have the mood for this kind of work. Her sister had been captured four days ago, and if she interpreted what Zero said to her in the Kawaguchi hotel, Cornelia would probably die soon. Normally, she would have been the one in charge of Area 11 until the Viceroy's place is refilled, whether by Cornelia or by someone, but Darlton decided to be the one in charge. Now that Euphemia didn't have her sister to protect her, his most trusted collaborator was trying to take this role.

Someone knocked at the door, it was Darlton.

"Come in." She said.

Andreas Darlton entered her office and approached her desk.

"Your Highness, I hope you don't have resentment towards me for taking the power here." He said apologetically. "But everything must be done in order to retrieve Princess Cornelia."

"I understand, General." Euphemia replied sincerely. "Did you want to talk to me about something in particular?"

"Yes." Darlton said. "With Princess Cornelia captured, I fear that the next target is you."

Euphemia replied. "If Zero wanted to kill me he could have done it in the hotel."

"I know, I know." Darlton said quickly. "But still, I think you should have a Knight of Honor."

"A Knight?" Euphemia asked confusingly.

"Yes. It is a bodyguard whose only duty is to protect you. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't do it but I'm recommending you one of my two remaining adoptive sons. In the end, the decision is yours but I have a full trust in them."

Euphemia looked thoughtful for a moment and replied. "I'll think about it. Do you think a knight can protect me from Zero?"

"Well…" Darlton said. "Not only from Zero…" But he was interrupted by an official.

"Your Excellency." The newcomer said hastily. "Lord Jeremiah's intel have found General Katase. He's on a tanker in the Yokosuka port."


C.C had just received her plushy-toy from the loyalty points she earned by commanding the pizzas. She went to Lelouch's bedroom in order to unpack it.

"I never know why you are so attached to that stuffed thing." Lelouch said casually.

C.C stared at him like if he had said the most stupid thing in the world. Suddenly, Lelouch's phone vibrated.

"Ohgi?"

"Zero, the Britannian recruit, Diethard, has some info for us." Ohgi replied.

"Okay, order a meeting in the Warehouse Number four." Zero ordered and hung up the phone.

"So?" C.C asked, eager to learn what Lelouch had planned.

Lelouch sighed. "I've made an agreement with Katase. Todoh and the four Holy swords are hidden at one of the NAC's hideout and Rakshata is going to upgrade the Burai Kais. They'll join us once the Gekkas are finished, it will take some time but they need to stay away from the JLF. Now, for the incoming operation, I've ordered Jeremiah to give out Katase's location."

C.C raised an eyebrow. "I thought you and the JLF were buddies now."

He chuckled. "It's not Katase I want down, it's Darlton."

"Oh, I see." She replied amused, pressing her cheese-kun on her chest.

"Even if he won't keep the power much longer, he'll still stay in the Area and will influence in the Area11's politics." Lelouch continued.

"So you're going to kill him." C.C replied boringly.

"Yeah."

"Just like you killed Guilford."

Lelouch sighed. "Well, I could've captured him, use my Geass on him and all that but, oh well, he died last time too."*

"So." C.C said suddenly, with a coy smile. "Do you want to take a shower?"

Lelouch burst out laughing. "You want me to angst in the shower because I've accidently killed Guilford?"

She rolled her eyes and replied in a tone Lelouch liked a lot. "Correction. If you're not tired, do you want to take a shower with me?"

Lelouch grinned and licked his lips. "Oh, hell yeah."


"My dear Suzaku, unlike me, you are a lucky guy." Lloyd exclaimed. "General Darlton wanted to mobilize you for the next operation but retracted himself once he learned the Lancelot wasn't entirely repaired."

Suzaku lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry to have damaged your prototype."

"Don't worry." Lloyd replied lightly. "It's not your fault." 'Rakshata.' He thought angrily. 'I don't know where you found that pilot but you'll pay dearly for damaging MY Lancelot.'

Suzaku thought internally. 'This Knightmare pilot didn't kill me at Narita; instead he just crippled the Lancelot. Why? Do they know that I'm the one to pilot it and they don't want to kill the prime minister's son?'


The Black Knights were gathered in a warehouse, waiting for their leader to talk.

"So, the Japan Liberation Front is going to be under attack by General Darlton's troops and the Royal Marines. Am I right, Diethard Ried?"

"Yes." The only Britannian in the warehouse replied. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Zero."

"The pleasure is all mine." He replied, and some members snickered.

"Anyway. The thing is, Darlton will probably be subtle in his operation, because he fears that Cornelia is held captive in her tanker." Zero continued.

"Are you serious?" Ohgi asked astonished.

"Andreas Darlton is considering all the possibilities, and since Katase is going to quit the country, Cornelia being there is the most logical choice."

Diethard smirked, knowing that Zero wouldn't give up Cornelia to the JLF. 'Maybe he will blow up the tanker and make Darlton freak out.' He thought amused.

"So, we're going to save Katase, right?" Ohgi asked.

"Yes." Zero replied. "But our main priority is to kill General Darlton."

"Why?" His second of command was confused. "The new Viceroy will be named soon, so he isn't that important."

"Ohgi." Zero interrupted him. "Our group is protecting the weak from the strong. Andreas Darlton took power in Area11; he is the governor De facto. He rules because he is stronger than Princess Euphemia, who is De jure the head of the Government. We, the Black Knights, shall make an example of him!"

Diethard snickered. Zero turned the Britannian's spicy politics into a fight for justice.

"Any objections?" Zero asked. "Then, begin preparations."


Andreas Darlton was in his Gloucester cockpit, his unit already activated. Something terrible just happened before his very eyes. The betrayal from the Marines unit. Instead of going against Katase, they were attacking the Knightmares in the port. Someone with enough influence turned these men against him, and Darlton knew who it was.

Jeremiah Gottwald.

It was only suspicions, but he knew. Princess Cornelia never would've ejected just like that. She had to face something as strong as a betrayal from someone that saved her life. Suddenly he saw a boat going at full speed to his position, triggering some missiles and revealing some Knightmares. There were three Burais, two Gloucesters and this new model that caused the landslide at Narita. Suddenly he understood something: Gottwald worked with the Black Knights.

Darlton avoided the missiles shots from Zero's Sattel Waffen, while Alfred and five Gloucesters pilot were cornering the red Knightmare. Claudio was fighting the other enemy Gloucester. Suddenly, the three Burais cornered him.

Darlton didn't let them the time to shoot. He pierced one Burai with his lance, killing the enemy pilot instantly, while firing his rifle at the other two and forced them to eject. Suddenly, Zero's Gloucester went in contact with him. Their spear clashed violently.

"You seem tougher than Cornelia." Zero said in the open channel.

He finally heard Zero's real voice. It belonged to a young man, who spoke without any sign of accent. While Zero and Darlton were engaged to a fight to death, Andreas tried to think about his suspicions. Gottwald was a pureblood; there was no way he would ally to the Black Knights. So it meant he was allied with Zero. Darlton tried to find a link between Zero and Jeremiah Gottwald. He was so determined he managed to think and fight Zero with an incredible strength. Zero's speeches were on the strong and the weak, it was directly opposing Britannia's ideologies, no, the Emperor's speeches. Zero was someone that suffered the Emperor's speeches, and Jeremiah…

He was a guard under Lady Marianne's orders.

Andreas heard stories of one of Cornelia's half-brother that was outsmarting Prince Clovis, even if he was seven years younger than him. It was Prince Schneizel's protégé, and was promised to be one of the top candidates to the throne. Some of the royal family members even feared that he would be strong enough to kill 16 of his siblings to ascend to the throne. But everything stopped once her mother was being murdered.

Marianne vi Britannia.

The Prince had requested an audience with his father, asking for Justice, but instead was exiled with his sister because they had no more value to the eyes of His Majesty. During all these times, they assumed the two siblings were dead, but no bodies were found.

But he finally knew why.

Andreas Darlton quickly turned on his radio. "Claudio!" He shouted while trying to land a blow on his enemy's Gloucester, without success.

"Listen very carefully!" Darlton shouted. "Zero is the Eleven…"

But Andreas Darlton never finished his sentence. He was so focused on his battle with Zero that he didn't see the red Knightmare coming to his direction, having already vanquished all of her enemies. He realized too late that her deadly arm was crushing his cockpit.

Claudio saw his father's Knightmare exploding and, maybe by fear, decided to eject. Alfred managed to eject too but their father was dead. His last words were 'Zero is the Eleven.' But what did he meant by that?


Lelouch was in the student council meeting room, drinking a coffee alone. It had been two days since the death of Andreas Darlton and the name of the new Viceroy would turn out to be official in a couple of minutes. Suddenly the door opened, revealing a shameful Suzaku.

"Hey Lelouch." He greeted.

"Hey Suzaku." Lelouch replied casually.

"I wanted to ask you something." He began. "Do you consider Cornelia as your sister?"

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. Was Suzaku shameful because he didn't protect Cornelia? That was highly probable.

"Yes." He replied truthfully.

"Then I'm sorry." Suzaku said lowering his eyes.

"For what?"

"I've failed at saving your sister." He confessed.

Lelouch finished his coffee and said. "But you're only a technician. Did you screw up on her machine or what?"

Suzaku gasped and put a hand to his mouth. He should've listened to Kirihara instead of spending all his free time training with Todoh.

"Well, I'm not really a technician." Suzaku said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "In fact, I'm testing a Knightmare prototype."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "You're piloting a Knightmare for the Britannian army?" He asked rhetorically.

"Well, not exactly…" Suzaku replied weakly. "I'm just helping gathering some data by testing the machine, that's my job."

"And they expected you to save my sister, the one that nearly conquered The Middle Eastern Federation by herself." Lelouch sighed. "I thought the Britannian Military was more frightening than that."

Suzaku watched him with an odd look.

"Well, in the case of Cornelia." Lelouch continued. "It would've been pretty bad for her ego to be saved by a Japanese teenager. You don't have to worry about it; I do not hold it against you."

Suzaku smiled. "Thanks, Lelouch."

"No problem." And then Suzaku left the room. Lelouch turned on his computer and activated the decryption key that could reveal all the information about the Government employees. Lelouch smirked at the sight of his screen.

The new Viceroy of Area 11 was Euphemia li Britannia.

The new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11 and head of the military was General Jeremiah Gottwald.

His father reacted exactly like he expected him to. With the cooperation of C.C, the Emperor understood that Lelouch wouldn't lay a finger on Cornelia. And if it was the case with her, it would be the case with Euphemia. Guilford and Darlton were dead, so they needed a figure of power that would balance Euphie's inexperience.

Lelouch said aloud. "And now, finally, Area 11 is mine."


*Lelouch really thinks Guilford died in the FLEIJA explosion. Well unless if you assume that being the Master of the World = Being omniscient. Personnally, I like to write Lelouch as someone that doesn't know absolutly everything.