Author's note: I'm charging ahead with my writing schedule, mainly because I really want to get these last few chapters out for you guys. From here, there will be only two chapters of Book I remaining. Chapter Eight, and an Epilogue. After that, I plan to take a break before I start Book II.

I would like to thank all of you who have given me ideas, suggestions, or a review. I truly appreciate your feedback, and, believe me. It actually does help me write better.

I'm making my final decision regarding C.C.'s last name, but I will not reveal it until the Epilogue.

It's been fun writing this story, and I hope you'll enjoy these last few chapters as much as you have the previous ones.

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu


Book I

Chapter 7 - Despair

"Zero?" Kallen turned around wildly and focused in on the unit that stood a few meters away. Could it be... Lelouch?

My voice spoke up again, calm and composed despite the environment around me. "All units, prepare for counter-attack! Reinforcement battalions one, three, and four, head out to replace the defense force! Battalion four, escort the defenders back to the main camp and replace their energy fillers and ammunition!"

Kallen thumbed her console and opened a secure channel between her Guren and the Shinkiro. "... Lelouch... is that you?"

There was a brief pause. "Yes. I've come to help Britannia and Japan fight off the terror known as the Pandemonium Knights."

A new voice, very different from the masculine tones of my voice, spoke up. "Onee-sama. Greetings can wait until later. I suggest that you retreat for now and let us handle this."

Kallen's eyes opened wide with shock. "E-Erika? Why are you here? Lelouch, why the hell did you let her come onto the battlefield?"

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I had forgotten how dreadfully irritating arguing with Kallen could be. "I had no choice. She wouldn't allow me to leave her behind. So, I allowed her to use one of the newer-generation Sutherlands. She told me that she could pilot a Sutherland, so I'm not extremely worried... You shouldn't worry about her."

I could feel the hostility that seemed to ooze from my radio and grimaced. There would be hell to pay later, assuming we survived this invasion. "... Understood. I'll retreat for now."

I looked down the cockpit of the modified Shinkiro to the green-haired witch below. "Now then, shall we show them what terrors await those who would defy the Demon Emperor?"

C.C. glanced up at me and smirked. "Still calling yourself that, huh? Looks like you're still just a kid, after all."

I aimed the Shinkiro's heavy Hadron blasters at the nearest concentration of troops and fired. "Perhaps, but I'm also the one who swore to be your warlock."

She turned back to the controls, her face red with embarrassment. "Oh, shut up, Lelouch."

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Flagship - Devastator

"My Lord! My Lord!"

Aeron turned to the soldier who stood there, out of breath and panting heavily. "What is it?"

"My Lord, our units are being destroyed. We've received reports that a new group of enemy Knightmares have appeared, augmenting the old defense force."

"So what? We have more than enough to crush what measly defenses they have left. Honestly, I didn't think that the men I've hired were all cowards like you... To be scared of some advancing units... Bah!"

The soldier looked nervous, and continued hesitantly. "My Lord, there have been sightings of two new units that are very advanced. They say... one of them is the Lancelot."

Aeron's eyes snapped open and he glared at the man with such rage that the soldier nearly fell over from fear. "What? Lancelot was destroyed before Lelouch came to power. It's pilot, Suzaku Kururgi, is dead. Even if they were able to make a new model, only he would be able to pilot it well enough to give them an advantage."

Just then, a huge explosion rocked the bridge of the Devastator. Panicked shouts came from every corner of the room as what looked like a black wall of energy raced toward them. "My Lord! Shields are falling! Blaze Luminous can't take such a large amount of sustained damage!" Fear entered his voice as the soldier looked back at his console. "Generators four to seven have stopped functioning, and the others can't stand against the assault for much longer!"

Such a powerful and sustained Hadron blast... I thought only the Mordred could achieve this... but the power of this blast is many times greater than what the Mordred was capable of... The wave of energy suddenly dissipated, revealing the unit that was responsible for it.

Aeron narrowed his eyes. "Shinkiro... No... there's something different about it. Who could it be?"

He snapped back to reality and grabbed his microphone. "Erika. Can you hear me?"

There was a brief moment of silence before she responded. "Yes, My Lord. What can I do for you?"

"I want you to take out the unit attacking the Devastator from behind. Use the Palomedes' cloaking ability. Don't give him a chance to respond."

"Yes, my Lord."

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

I stared at the flagship in front of me. Despite how it looked, it's defensive power was formidable. Even a sustained Hadron Blast like that only did a moderate amount of damage to it. "We used up too much power on that attack... Looks like using the Hadron Cannon is only good for bursts, not controlled and continuous beams."

Just then, I was jolted in my seat as something hit the Shinkiro from behind. "What? Who could have sneaked up on us from behind? C.C.! Did you see any units around on radar?"

She shook her head wildly as her fingers flew across her console, checking and rechecking the visual data from the radar screen. "There's still nothing on radar! It's as if whatever attacking us is... I don't know, cloaked or something!"

"Damn it! The Absolute Defense System can't take this right now, not with the energy we used up with that Hadron blast..."

I manipulated the keyboard in front of me, shifting all remaining power to the rear of Shinkiro. Suddenly, the jolts stopped as the unknown enemy stopped firing at us. I breathed a deep sigh of relief before I sat back in my chair. "Thank god... I don't know how much longer we could have sustained that shield..."

I heard the worried voice of Suzaku through the radio. "Are you alright, Le- Lord Zero?"

"Yes. I'm fine. However, that unit is going to give us a whole load of trouble. I've never heard of a Knightmare capable of cloaking itself..."

I rubbed my forehead and frowned in concentration. How were we supposed to go against a unit we couldn't see or detect? "I'm sure infrared or thermal imaging won't be any good... Maybe if we target the point at which it's firing from? No... The pilot would be expecting that..."

I felt a reassuring hand on my leg, and I calmed myself down and forced myself to think through the situation carefully. "Maybe Gefjun disturbers can short out it's power supply... Cera. Deploy them. Let's see if they do anything against this unit."

I picked up my radio. "Battalion Three, fire your Gefjun disturber nets. Spread them out over the area in front, no more than thirty-five meters between each disturber."

I sat back as a barrage of missiles headed for the area in front of me. Now then... Let's see if my gamble paid off...

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Erika sat in the cockpit of the Palomedes and stared out the window, bored. The 'attack', if you could even call it that, that she had been ordered to initiate on the Shinkiro, consisted of just one concentrated Hadron Blast. "Aeron-sama... Why didn't you let me finish them off? I had more than enough power for this."

Through her radio, his cold, detached voice came forth. "Now is not the time for that. Don't forget our objective."

"... Yes, your Majesty."

"Don't worry. This is all part of my plan to lure the target out. We must tread carefully from here on out. Any mistake, and all we've worked for will be destroyed in an instant. Once we have secured the target, you're free to do whatever you want."

"Understood."

She cut the link and closed her right eye, allowing the Geass symbol to manifest in her left. Her vision began to distort, until she was staring at both the controls of the Palomedes as well as the controls of what looked to be a Sutherland. Just then, she heard Lelouch's voice over the Sutherland's radio. "- Gefjun disturber nets. Spread them out over the area in front, no more than thirty-five meters between each disturber."

Erika opened her eyes and grinned. This Geass can actually be really useful at times... She expertly manipulated the controls and allowed the Knightmare to sink a few meters. In this designated spot, she sent a mental command with her Geass. Instead of firing where he told you to, change your aim around twenty meters to the left.

An acknowledgment came through the mental link, and she sat back, a satisfied grin on her face.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Shinkiro

"Fire Gefjun net!"

Simultaneously, the battalion of Knightmares launched a barrage of missiles at the area ahead. Now, if my calculations were correct, the cloaked unit had nowhere to run. I stared at the empty sky as the missiles streaked toward their designated areas. Suddenly, a bright green glow lit up the sky as hundreds of Gefjun units activated, rendering that patch of sky an impenetrable death trap for any Knightmare.

However, the cloaked unit we searched for did not appear. As my eyes scanned the area, I realized there was a section of space that was not surrounded by a Gefjun net. Furious, I grabbed my mike. "Erika! I told you to fire and keep a thirty-five meter spread between the units! Why did you miss? You told me that you knew how to pilot a Knightmare!"

There was nothing but static as I let go of the button. "Erika? Erika!"

I heard a crackle before her voice spoke up, apologetic in tone. "My apologies, Lord Zero. The controls of this Sutherland are much more different than I thought."

A small beep caught my attention, and I glanced down at my console display. "... Private channel? Hmmph... So it looks like the leader himself has come to talk with us..."

I pressed the button and initiated the link. The face of man who claimed to be my brother filled the display, and I gazed upon it with contempt. He smiled at my expression and put his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Come now, Zero. Can't we be reasonable? There's no need to turn this into a full-scale conflict."

"Shut the hell up, you bastard. I don't know what your intentions are, but I won't let you achieve your takeover of Britannia."

He laughed. "Oh my... Still so naïve. You've always been that way, haven't you... Lelouch?"

I felt icy tendrils of fear grip my heart. He knew. He knew who I was. But, it was impossible for him to know. At the present moment, only Kallen, Suzaku, and Nunally should know that I was still alive. My expression must have pleased him, for he continued. "Now, I should probably tell you, invasion and conquest isn't my true ambitions."

"Awfully hard for you to convince me of that. You seem to be trying pretty hard for someone who's ambitions aren't 'invasion' and 'conquest'."

He raised his hands again. "Apologies. I truly did not mean for it to end this way. However, since I know you're a reasonable man, I'll let you know why I've invaded Japan." He gestured aimlessly with his hand, affecting a careless manner. "I'm looking for a person. This person has something that I need desperately, and I'm willing to get it by any means possible."

I stared at him in surprise. This was the reason why he had waged a war against the entire world? The idea was laughable, and simply absurd. "Would you tell me who you're looking for? If we were to assist, you'd end your invasion here and now, correct?"

He clapped his hands delightfully. "I knew you could be reasonable if I had explained everything. The person I'm searching for isn't very far from your location." He grinned ferally. "In fact, she's sitting right in front of you in that Knightmare."

"What?"

"You heard me, brother. That woman in front of you has something I require. If you would just hand her over, I swear to leave immediately, without any further fighting."

I gripped the edges of my seat tightly. "What do you need her for? I can't just go and hand her to you without knowing this."

Aeron grinned. "That's a secret, little brother. But, if you let me have her, I'll be glad to show you what I'm planning."

I directed my gaze downward and stared into the eyes of the woman I loved. My mind had already made its decision. I raised my eyes and gazed defiantly at the man who claimed to be my brother. "True, I am curious as to what you're planning." The delighted grin that spread across his face was quickly wiped away by my next words. "However, I do not plan on letting you take the person I care about the most away from me."

His face changed instantly, becoming dark and filled with rage. "You'll regret your decision, Lelouch... No matter what, I will have my way."

"Not this time."

With that, I cut the connection. "Cera... maybe being out here isn't such a good idea for you. If we were to be hit, he could easily get you while your body is unconscious for healing."

She glared at me with her piercing, golden eyes. "What are you implying, Lelouch? You want me to stay out of the fight? To watch as someone fights for me?"

I gently placed my hands on her shoulders. "Yes, my witch. I want you to stay out of the way, safe while the warlock blasts away those who would dare try and harm you."

She stared at me for a long moment, then smiled softly. "In that case, when this is over, I want us to take a trip. Somewhere quiet and peaceful, where we can spend a few decades or even a few centuries in peace."

I laughed and turned the Shinkiro back toward the city. "I'd like that."

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Tokyo Settlement - Britannian/Japanese main defense base

Erika ran up to my Knightmare as it landed in the area which we had been using as a base. "Is there something wrong?"

I climbed out of the cockpit with C.C. and glanced briefly at her before I beckoned Erika over. "The reason this Aeron invaded Japan was to abduct C.C. for reasons I don't want to think about. I'm leaving her here until the battle is finished. If you don't mind, I want you to stay here with an extra group of soldiers to keep her safe."

"Why me? Wouldn't Suzaku be better suited for this?"

I hesitated. "Yes, he would. But I chose you for two reasons. One, I need Suzaku on the front lines. His Lancelot is indispensable in battle. Second, with this, I can keep you out of the battle."

She stared at me in surprise. "W-Why would you want to do that? If it's about my piloting, I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out with enough time."

I walked over to her and gently but firmly laid a hand on her shoulder. "Erika... this is hard for me to explain. But, I don't want to lose anyone I know anymore. Never again."

Her face softened and she nodded. "Understood. And... thank you, Lelouch."

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Thirty Minutes Later

I sat back in my seat, a satisfied smile on my face. With the new reinforcements, the defense force cut a swath through the enemy troops. Slowly, but surely, we had begun to push them back. The attackers had just become the defenders. "Kallen, pull your units back and await my further orders. There should be an ambush up ahead."

"Understood."

I took a look at the flagship, as well as the scores of air support units around it. I switched my radio to a secure and private channel that I had linked to the Lancelot. "Suzaku. Arm your Hadron cannon and fire at the cruiser at the far left."

"I got it."

Moments later, a blinding flash of light lit up my vision as the powerful blast from the Lancelot caused the cruiser to explode violently, shrapnel tearing through the various units around it. "Good work." I switched back to the public channel. "To all units! Advance to point three! We're slowly pushing them back, and its only a matter of time before we route them completely."

"Yes, Lord Zero!"

Excellent. Now, all I need to do after destroying his land forces is to go capture his flagship. Once Aeron is out of play, the rest of them will be finished as well.

Just then, my monitor beeped. "Video channel? … coming to surrender, are we?"

I pressed a button on the console in front of me and allowed the video feed to come through. Aeron's face filled my screen, his face filled with hatred. "Well now... isn't this a surprise? To what do I owe this pleasure, brother? If you're here to offer your surrender, I would be more than happy to accept."

He glared daggers at me for a minute before his expression changed, becoming smug and self-satisfied. "Does it feel good to take things away from others, Lelouch?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"When you murdered our father during the Ragnarok Connection, did it ever occur to you what you had done?"

I rested my head on my hand and smirked at him. "I removed from the world a man who shouldn't have been there in the first place."

"When you killed him... you took away what was most precious to me. My dream, his dream, that the world would be recreated into a better world through the Ragnarok Connection."

"His world had no future. Thus, I could not let it happen, since humanity desires the future and not the past."

Even now, his smug expression still had not left his face, and that act alone sent chills down my spine for a reason unknown to me. Just what does he know that I don't?

"You seemed to take pleasure in taking away what was most precious to you. I wonder how you'd feel if I did the same to you."

The camera's lens moved until it came to rest on a figure on the floor. My breath caught in my throat, and a paralyzing fear and sense of disbelief entered my body. I stared at the girl on the screen, unable to move or think.

Her hands were tied behind her back, and there was a small trickle of blood coming from her mouth. Her lime-green hair moved to uncover her face, and she stared at the camera. Tears ran down her face as she mouthed a few words at me. Help me, Lelouch... please...

I sat there, unable to move as the image came back to Aeron. "It should only be fair that I take what's most precious to you. With her, I can also finally complete what our father wished for. The Ragnarok Connection will happen. And now that I have all the cards in my hand, there is nothing you can do to stop me."

He turned the camera back toward C.C. "Good-bye, Lelouch. It was fun, but now, it's game over."

The screen turned dark, and the connection cut out.


Chapter 7 - Despair