Chapter Twelve

September 23, 2017

"Sir Raleigh." He looked up as the emperor addressed him, quickly getting to his feet.

"Your Majesty. I thought that you had returned to the homeland."

Lelouch smirked and leaned against the doorway, Raleigh stared at the emperor, not used to seeing him in casual clothes. In fact, he was sure that he had never seen the emperor in anything other than the elaborate outfit that he wore on a nearly daily basis. He realized that he was staring and dropped into a bow.

He heard Lelouch laugh and walk over to him, standing only when Lelouch touched his shoulder. "That's what I wanted everyone to think. I merely returned long enough to check on my wayward sister, the same reason you remained behind."

Raleigh frowned at that, standing up and making sure to keep his face turned down. Lelouch was correct in assuming that he had remained behind because of Euphemia, although he had structured his argument as the protection of both princesses. But he had assumed that he would actually see Euphemia since Lelouch had left six days ago. Instead she had been walking around with that upstart Eleven or sequestered in her rooms, probably with that same Eleven.

He was her lover. He was the one that she professed to love. And he was a Britannian, not a lowly number.

It was obscene what Euphemia was doing, and he would have been willing to forgive her if she had been forced. But Euphemia was completely willing, even goading him into giving her kisses and blushing the entire time, like she was a virgin.

Raleigh gritted his teeth, trying to fight back the anger and sadness that had followed him around for six days. It would have been better if she had just talked to him instead of avoiding him. If only she had explained to him, then he might have gotten a chance to speak to her before she made a mistake.

The more angry side of him was just waiting for the day she announced that she was marrying the damn Eleven and that she was carrying his child. And he wished her a thousand horrible deaths for making him entertain that thought alone.

Raleigh had always been ready to lose her, she was a princess of Britannia. Lelouch may have promised her freedom to chose who she would marry, but Raleigh didn't have the same trust in the emperor as she did. Euphemia's trust was colored with the experiences that they had shared in childhood, but Raleigh had seen Lelouch in the field of battle, watching the slaughter and glorying in it. He had seen the real Lelouch that his sister had never seen. If it came to it, Lelouch would sell her off to the highest bidder.

And that had been the true reason for his distance from her, that fear of losing her when he had started to care. It had been the reason that he hadn't allowed himself to care. But now he was paying for it, because he cared now.

"Your sister, my lord, has been staying out of my sight. I'm afraid that I couldn't carry out the task that I assigned myself."

"Out of your sight?"

"That Eleven." Raleigh hissed out the word, looking up at the emperor. "She isn't seen without him. I fear that they even inhabit the same bedroom."

"Is that so, Knight of Five?" It was surprisingly satisfactory to see Lelouch raise his eyebrows in surprise, the emperor turning away the next moment. "Well then, I might have to check up on my dear sister. Where can I find her?"

"At the opening of the Special Administrative Zone. She's meeting with the leaders of the resistance first. And the Eleven is with her."

Lelouch eyes narrowed, the emperor nodding and striding to the door, Raleigh hesitating a moment. If Lelouch was going to talk to Euphemia, then everything might be solved. She would get over whatever strange thoughts were clouding her mind and return to her senses. But there was no guarantee. And the emperor shouldn't be allowed to wander the city by himself.

Raleigh quickly walked forward. "My Lord, allow me to come with you."

"Sir Raleigh?"

"These are the same terrorists that have been trying to kill you since you stepped foot in this God forsaken country. It is my duty as a Knight of the Round to protect you." Raleigh averted his gaze, struggling to keep his expression neutral. "Even with the Knight of Seven there we would be outnumbered. The two of us could probably hold long enough for you and the princess to get away."

He felt Lelouch's gaze lingering on him, Raleigh staring to get uncomfortable under the scrutiny when Lelouch spoke. "Very well. Take the long way and bring your Knightmare."

"Shouldn't I pilot the Gawain?"

"No, it's completely destroyed or so Lloyd says." Raleigh looked up to catch a smile on Lelouch's face, smirking to himself and looking down. "I'll follow with the Shinkiro."

Raleigh bowed again, waiting for Lelouch to leave before straightening. He could seem to push the smile off his face. This was his chance to save Euphemia from herself. If she continued on this path she would betray the empire and Lelouch would have no choice but to kill her. Raleigh winced at the thought. If Euphemia became a danger to the empire then they would have no choice and, as Knight of the Round, it was his duty to protect the emperor from harm.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But he knew Euphemia, she only pretended to be naïve to encourage people to trust her, she was smarter than anyone gave her credit for. If she really focused, she could even begin to give Lelouch trouble. Raleigh was counting on that quality now, that Euphemia would realize that she had gotten in over her head without any support for her and would retreat to rethink her decision. Hopefully just seeing that her brother had come in with Knightmares would be enough to convince her not to be stubborn about this.

Still, there was a chance that Euphemia would cling to this idea to keep the Eleven with her. Raleigh frowned and rubbed his chin, walking out of the Knights of the Round's common room as he thought. It would be easy to find out the name of the captain of the squad of soldiers that Euphemia brought along to protect the Elevens that were coming to the opening ceremony and even easier to contact him on his way over. The surprise would give Lelouch the edge that they needed and they could destroy the JLF completely.


Cornelia inched forward, carefully parting the brush and staring out at the stadium that loomed in the distance. She sighed and shifted so that she could crouch comfortably. From here, she could see the entrance to the stadium and the road up to it, but nothing closer. The latter would be Katase's job, him and the group of seven men that he had brought along with him. Normally, she would criticize him for his confidence, but Katase had placed reinforcements around the area, just out of sight. No Knightmares though, which was where she came in.

She glanced back as the bushes rustled, watching as the Guren's pilot came to crouch by her, watching as the young woman took in the surrounding area with a scowl. The young woman had approached her only yesterday and given her full support to Cornelia's plan, her support and the support of a large number of Elevens who were tired of the JLF's failures. And, just like that, Cornelia had a squad of Knightmares under her control again. Just in time too.

She had spent much of the night before speaking with Schneizel, going over their plan to take the Tokyo Settlement now that Lelouch was gone. Lelouch leaving the country had been a surprising twist, but one that worked in their favor. It would take longer for him to race back to help his sisters, and Cornelia would take the chance to snatch Euphy and Nunnally away. Finding a safe place for them would have to come later. But they would have the capital and two bargaining chips, although Cornelia hated to think of her sisters like that.

It didn't matter though, they would have Lelouch just where they wanted him. They could capture him and force him from the throne or kill him right there. Cornelia was sure that Schneizel would want them to capture Lelouch, he thought that a public execution would be best. But he had never faced Lelouch in battle, her little brother could be hard to pin down. She would kill him if she could.

"I don't like the look of that." The young woman gestured to the row of Britannian soldiers by the road. "Why are they there?"

"Protection for the people. They'll have orders not to shoot." Cornelia narrowed her eyes, watching the Britannian soldiers patrol. They would have orders, but that didn't mean that they would follow them. If they felt threatened in any way, they would open fire, which would cause a problem for Euphy.

Cornelia drummed her fingers against her knee, stopping herself a moment later as she curled her hand into a fist. "Are the others ready?"

The young woman nodded. "A few are still making adjustments to their Knightmares, but it's more of a last minute thing. We'll be ready at the signal."

"Good. And the float systems."

"Not functional." Cornelia tried to hide her wince at that, waiting for the young woman to go on. "None of them are syncing right, or they just don't work in the first place."

"Fine. Land troops will work well enough." Cornelia frowned and stared at the group of soldiers waiting outside the stadium. "Half of our Knightmares will start heading for the Tokyo Settlement."

"And what about energy fillers?"

"If we can take one hangar, we'll be fine." Cornelia glanced towards the city looming in the distance.

Euphy had chosen a good spot for her masterpiece, keeping the area designated close to the Tokyo Settlement so that the Elevens wouldn't feel excluded but far enough away to keep the Britannian nobles happy. Still, it was enough of a distance that their Knightmare Frames would be running low on energy by the time they reached the city if they encountered heavy resistance. But there was a slim chance of that, especially with Lelouch and the majority of the Knights of the Round gone.

Cornelia nodded and rocked back onto her heels, looking towards the end of the road that led to the stadium. General Katase and his escort would be showing up any minute now to start their negotiations. For the sake of her temporary Eleven allies, Cornelia wouldn't force them to attack if everything went right, they wouldn't need the plan for the assault on the city.

She narrowed her eyes as she saw the car pull up, ready to inch forward again to gain a better position when the bushes rustled again. Cornelia turned around as an Eleven stuck in his head into the brush, glancing at her before looking at the young woman. "Kallen, we've got a problem."

"Problem?" The young woman turned around, Cornelia settling back down again.

The man nodded. "Inoue was the first to catch it, a Knightmare Frame coming in fast."

"What?" Kallen darted out of the bushes, Cornelia crawling after her, straightening up only when they were back in the cover of the forest. She spared a moment to brush off her clothes before walking after Kallen and the man, the two of them rushing over to the nearest Knightmare and clambering up it. Cornelia remained on the ground, looking up as the woman in the pilot's seat of the Knightmare began to speak, pointing to one of the screens in the cockpit.

"There." Cornelia saw the woman's arm move as she traced the path of the Knightmare. "I don't recognize the ID and it's moving too fast for it to be on the ground."

"A float system?"

Cornelia frowned, crossing her arms across her chest before tipping her head back. "What the ID?"

The three Elevens looked down at her in shock before Kallen cleared her throat, reading off the number. "KRAG5"

She stared at the ground, trying to remember what Knightmare had always shown up with that ID, cursing a moment later as she realized who it was. All Knights of the Round had the designation KR and their number in their Knightmare's ID. The rest was just the name of the Knightmare that they piloted, unimportant in the end. "Knight of Five."

"What?" Cornelia glared impatiently at Kallen as she spoke, the Eleven huffing and beginning to scramble down the Knightmare Frame. "But I thought that the only one who stayed behind was the Knight of Seven."

"Apparently not." She narrowed her eyes and turned back to the bushes, nearly running as she went back to her observation post. Kallen followed her in, crouching by her side again and scanning the sky. Cornelia had to reach out and pull her arm down when she spotted the Knightmare, staring at the white and red Knightmare Frame. "The Agravain. It really is the Knight of Five."

"But what is he doing here? Why would he stay behind?"

Cornelia shrugged. Sir Raleigh had been a new knight when Lelouch had murdered their father, she hadn't gotten the chance to know him, nor had Guilford or the rest of the Glaston Knights known him. The only explanation that she could think of was that he was here as a guard, and there was only one person that he could be guarding for.

Her string of curses was muffled by the sound of a shout, Cornelia looking up as the group of JLF representatives paused, watching the Agravain land in the stadium. They held a hurried talk for a few moments before setting off at a faster pace, Cornelia watching as a few of the men obviously reached for guns only to come up empty.

She swallowed and shifted in place again. This wasn't good. The leaders were walking into an obvious trap to demand the meaning of the display. And to do that, they would have to walk right past a group of Britannian soldiers while they were being obviously belligerent. With all of this, there was no way that Euphy's Special Administrative Zone would work. It was time for Plan B.

Cornelia sat back, Kallen following her. The Eleven kept peeking out through the bushes, Cornelia ignoring her twitch for the moment. After being hunted down by Lelouch for so long, she was glad that her allies had even considered working with her. She cleared her throat to get Kallen's attention, waiting until the other had glanced at her before beginning to speak. "Have the smaller Knightmares circle around and try to get as close to the stadium as possible. If something happens, they'll be forming the guard for the JLF representatives. The larger Knightmares will remain here."

"And if something happens?"

"Once the representatives are safe then we take care of the Knights of Five and Seven. Four of us will focus on taking them down while the others begin to move on Tokyo. We can't be sure that the emperor is not there, but it's very possible that he hasn't been back long. In the mean time, the plan continues as usual."

"And the Special Administrative Zone fails?"

"And it fails." Cornelia nodded in agreement. "Have that squad of small Knightmares be sure to get Euphemia out of there alive as well. The Zone may fail, but she'll be our ally in this."

"The Emperor will do anything to get her back."

Cornelia hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes he will, which puts us in a position to give demands again. And this time, we'll make the right ones."

Kallen nodded and went to deliver the orders, the two of them freezing at the sound of gunshots from the road. Cornelia turned, her eyes widening as she watched the Britannian soldiers gun down the representatives, coming back to herself a moment later and shoving Kallen in the direction of the Knightmares. "Give the orders. Go!"

The young woman rushed out of the bushes, Cornelia standing up and following her, not bothering to brush the dirt off herself now this time. She dodged through the rushing people, grabbing the tow line to her Burai. She scanned the crowd of people, glancing to the closest Knightmares to her, gesturing to get the pilots' attention. "You two, you're with me and Kallen. We'll be taking down the Knights of the Round."

The two pilots stared at her before nodding, Cornelia dropping into the seat and letting the cockpit slide forward. She hastily typed in the code to activate the Knightmare, smiling as the screens lit up. From there, it was easy to settle into her detached frame of mind, the same calm frame of mind that she entered every time she was approaching battle. In a moment, the adrenalin would kick in and she would forget about all of her fears, things would become simple again.

She gripped the joysticks more tightly, staring at the screen as the Knightmares in front of her moved. She waited a moment longer before sending the Burai darting forward, weaving through the lines and trying to work her way to the outside, she wanted to be ready when the first Knight of the Round took to the air and some part of her really wanted to go after the Knight of Seven. There was a valid strategic reason to take him down, but Cornelia wanted to pull that Eleven out of the place of honor that he had, even it was just to remind herself that Britannia was still strong.

Cornelia found herself grinning as she approached the stadium. They had to just stay there for a moment more and then she would be ready to take them on.

She shifted forward, flicking on the radio with one hand. Immediately the sounds of the squad speaking with each other came on, Cornelia relaxing a fraction as she kept track of her troop with the sound of their voices. And, for a moment, all was calm.

And then… "What's going on?"

Cornelia looked up from her preparations at the surprised shout, barely listening to the further exclamations of shock that came over the radio. She stared at the screen, focusing on the Knightmare Frame code that had appeared, her mouth dropping open in shock.


Lelouch shook his head, hiding in the darkness of one of the archways. Of course Raleigh would decide to make an entrance, he was too focused on protecting Euphemia than realizing the situation. Then again, Raleigh had never been adapt at reading the situation, but his status in the ranks of the nobles didn't allow Lelouch to move him below Knight of Five. There had been enough of an uproar when he had allowed Gino Weinberg had become the Knight of Three. Still, he should at least have paid attention to the line of dots that denoted that the JLF had brought backup.

It was the reason that Lelouch had taken the old subway tunnels out to this point and then circled around from there. It was better to be cautious here than to disturb anything.

At this point, he wasn't sure if he wanted the Special Administrative Zone to succeed or not. With his plans in place, it was guaranteed not to crumble into obscurity, but not become the big success that Euphemia hoped it would become. He could deal with it just existing, but Lelouch wasn't sure what the full effects of the Special Administrative Zone would be. It would probably be best to wait for it to have effect before passing judgment, but even that might take too long.

Lelouch glanced up as Raleigh began to steer his Knightmare into the stadium, lowering his gaze to watching as Euphemia and Suzaku hurried out from the clubhouse to stare at the Knightmare. He sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. Maybe taking Raleigh with him had been a mistake, but he had no choice after he had found the man in the Round's common room. Lelouch had been taking a quick look through the building in search of Euphemia, sure that she had already left and half hoping that he would meet Suzaku.

His gaze lingered on the knight, Lelouch shifting uncomfortably at the feeling of relief at the sight of Suzaku. He had only been gone for six days, but that had been enough for just a glimpse to make that annoying content smile cross his face. Lelouch turned his head away and cleared his throat, struggling to get control of himself.

He didn't like Suzaku, he just lusted after him, there was a difference. Or he had lusted after Suzaku.

Lelouch crossed his arms and ducked his head, closing his eyes. The fact of the matter was he enjoyed Suzaku's company, beyond the fact that he was a competent guard and one that wasn't going to use him to further his station. Suzaku was the closest thing he had from a friend since Daiki, the closest person to him since Nunnally. He frowned, pressing his back against the wall. So that left Suzaku the closest person to him that wasn't part of his family.

And the fact that he had missed him, actively missed him to the point of waking up in the middle of the night and checking to see if Suzaku was asleep on his couch only to realize that he was in his room in the palace at Pendragon. He had been a bit distressed, not moping, through his days because he had missed his sisters and Suzaku.

He groaned and reached up to rub his forehead, opening his eyes and looking back out at the stadium. Raleigh was rushing over to hug Euphemia, Lelouch smiling fondly at the two of them. He froze when Suzaku turned around and looked right at him. For a moment, he was hoping that Suzaku hadn't seen him, it would be easier to sneak back to Pendragon again if Suzaku hadn't seen him. Then again, he could always take Suzaku back with him. Raleigh could watch Euphemia and he could have Suzaku.

Lelouch felt his stomach flip as Suzaku smiled at him, taking a step in his direction before stopping. He wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't supposed to be noticed by then. But it was too late because he was walking forward again, watching as Suzaku walked to meet him, his eyes widening as Suzaku bowed to him. "Your majesty."

"Lelouch!" He looked up from Suzaku as Euphemia turned to look at him. She rushed over to throw her arms around him in a hug, pulling back quickly. He caught a flash of disappointment and sadness before she smiled again. "I thought you were in Pendragon."

"I was. But I found I missed my dear sisters too much to remain for long."

Euphemia actually laughed at that. "But what about your business?"

"It can wait for a day." He gave her a crooked smile, aware that Suzaku was standing up behind him. He slipped his hands into his pockets, tipping his head to the side. "And is there anything wrong with coming to see your triumph."

"B-but…" She blushed and looked away. "I thought that you disapproved."

"That doesn't mean that I can't watch, from the sidelines of course. Officially, I'm in Britannia." Lelouch chuckled and turned to look at Suzaku, still addressing Euphemia. "I won't do anything to get in your way, Euphy. I trusted you enough to make you viceroy, didn't I?"

"Yes."

Lelouch contented himself with that answer, taking a step closer to Suzaku and turning around, bringing the knight into the guard position. He cursed his decision to allow Raleigh along again, he couldn't do anything to Suzaku now. The urge to pull Suzaku close and just cling was rising up again, Lelouch clenching his fists to keep himself from trembling. He had had another one of those moments the first night he was back in Pendragon, a combination of anxiety from having to leave Nunnally behind and excitement that he was finally moving his plans forward, the two combining until he was forced to cling to a pillow to try and keep himself grounded. But the urge to cling to Suzaku now wasn't the same, it hadn't been the same for a while; Lelouch just didn't want to acknowledge the change for too long.

Euphemia gave him a shy glance before looking back at the Knightmare Frame that was still looming over them. "The JLF representatives will be here any minute, you'd better hide. I'll keep Raleigh and Suzaku with me. But we're going to have to remove the Knightmare."

"What?" The Knight of Five stared at her in shock. "My lady, making a deal with these terrorists will do nothing."

"It's better than the endless fighting. Suzaku." She turned and walked back towards the stage that was set up at one end of the stadium, Suzaku following after a moment of hesitation.

Lelouch fought back a shiver as Suzaku purposefully brushed against him, trying not to smile. When this was all over, he was dragging Suzaku back to Pendragon with him. Euphemia wouldn't need him around anymore and Suzaku would just be at loose ends, and probably in danger with Sir Raleigh around.

He frowned and turned to walk back to his hiding place, climbing the steps into the stands. In that same train of thought, perhaps it would be better to keep Raleigh with him. The JLF probably wanted their knight around as a symbol to the Japanese people of what they could do. As much as it annoyed him to leave Suzaku behind, it was a good strategy, one that he would have used, albeit much earlier in the game. Although, the JLF had displayed a stunning ability to delay everything until almost too late. It amazed him that the Japanese people still believed in them, especially after all of their failures. It would have been better if they had thrown their support behind one of the smaller groups, then they could have actually proven difficult to defeat. Fighting a war on two fronts was something that he had shown consistently that he loathed.

Lelouch shrugged, pausing at the entrance that he was standing at, scanning for somewhere to hide. If all else failed, he could retreat to the Shinkiro. Or, Lelouch turned, eyeing the royal box. The JLF representatives would be with Euphemia on the stage, so it would be easy to hide in one of the private boxes, or in the control room for the sound. He smiled to himself, turning to walk along the line of seats, freezing when at the sound of gunshots.

He turned to look back towards the stadium, watching as Euphemia fumbled for a radio that she had at her hip, Suzaku looking worriedly at her. Lelouch shook his head and walked quickly around to where there was an entrance that would look out onto the street that led to the stadium. He slunk through the shadows, peeking out and staring at the road. His mouth fell open as he saw the Britannian soldiers stationed there rolling over the bodies of the dead JLF representatives, one soldier pausing long enough to shoot a man through the head again before taking a step away.

Lelouch cursed and backed away, his mind racing. There were two explanations for what had just happened. Either the soldiers had acted on their own, which was likely since they were hardly just going to allow the Japanese to win, or they had acted on orders. Then came the question of who had issued the orders, because he had left nothing behind that would show that he wanted this, other than his general disdain, but that wasn't enough for them to take that as an order. There had to be someone in the JLF itself, like Cornelia, who would order this. But even this didn't make sense. The Japanese wouldn't trust her enough to lead their resistance movement, just plan out battles.

He jogged down the stairs and into the stadium proper, Euphemia running up to him with a frightened look on her face. "The soldiers shot them."

"I saw."

"I didn't order this."

"I know." Lelouch reached out to touch her shoulder. "I didn't either."

"Then who?"

"I don't know." Lelouch took a deep breath, looking around the stadium before his gaze landed on Suzaku. His hand tightened on Euphemia's shoulder before he took a deep breath. "But we'll have time to worry about that later."

What they had to be worrying about right now was how the remaining JLF forces would react. It would be stupid to just assume that the JLF representatives had come without backup. The first reaction in any situation would be disbelief and then anger, the direct attack on them would be coming soon. Only then would they turn back to their plan, which was probably to turn against the Tokyo Settlement, sure that he was gone and too far away to properly command his troops. In the grand scheme of things, the stadium was something that they could lose, but they had to hold Tokyo if they wanted to remain in power and be able to salvage something from this situation.

Lelouch let go of Euphemia's shoulder, stepping away from her and turning to look back at Suzaku. "I'll take Euphy in the Shinkiro. You two will act as the rear guard."

"Yes, your majesty." The two knights jogged away, Lelouch watching to make sure that they had a good lead to their Knightmares before turning to head back to where he had hidden the Shinkiro, reaching out to grab Euphy's arm, only to have her pull away from him.

When he turned around to demand an explanation, she just glared at him. "Lelouch, what are you planning?"

"Retreat for now."

"And how will that help the truce?"

"The truce is crumbling, Euphy." Lelouch shook his head when she crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't order the soldiers to open fire and I'm not waiting around to wait for the JLF to come in here and find us both. There's a chance that we can salvage this if we go back."

"No, you have to leave." Lelouch stared at her, Euphemia taking another step backwards. "If they find me here alone, then they won't suspect you and I can try to fix this situation."

"Euphy…"

"Lelouch, this is the only way that they'll trust me. I need this support if you want your plan to work!"

"This isn't about my plan."

"Everything is, Lelouch. It's more important than your happiness and more important than Nunnally's feelings." Lelouch flinched at that, Euphemia nodding slowly. "I understand why you're doing this Lelouch and why it's so important to you. This is my way of making sure that everything you've done isn't wasted."

Lelouch stared at her, narrowing his eyes a moment later before reaching out for her, Euphemia stepping away again. "I can get around this, Euphy. I'm not risking you for this."

"Lelouch." She went to push him away, Lelouch taking a step back to avoid her motion. "Stop it. I'm old enough to make my own choices and this is my choice. I want to stop the war without the loss of any more lives."

He glared at her, about to chastise her for talking back when he heard the shouting from outside. Lelouch turned around, staring at the outer edge of the stadium. That was either the soldiers or the JLF members ready to storm in. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the walls before turning back to Euphemia.

Lelouch relaxed a fraction as he saw that Raleigh was moving his Knightmare, Suzaku already positioning the Lancelot for flight. Lelouch gestured toward the front of the stadium, not sure if Suzaku saw him. He trusted the knight to at least draw the attention of the other Knightmares away. That would give him the cover he needed to run back to the Shinkiro. Raleigh could take the offensive from there.

He jumped as one of the Lancelot's Slash Harkens was released, watching the weapon slam into the top of the stadium before Suzaku sent the Lancelot forward, the Knightmare using the momentum from reeling the Slash Harken back in to take to the air. Lelouch smiled and turned back to Euphemia, watching in surprise as Raleigh herded her into one of the hands of the Agravain.

"I'll escort her to the city, your highness."

Lelouch shook his head, glancing up where the Lancelot was waiting. "The Knight of Seven will need your help. The Shinkiro has better defense capabilities. But your eagerness is duly noted."

"Lelouch, would you just listen to me?" Euphemia was leaning against one of the fingers of the Knightmare. "I've worked too hard to have this collapse. If I run, it'll look like I planned this, I'd be allying myself with you. That can't happen, Lelouch."

"Euphemia…"

She turned to glare up at Sir Raleigh, Lelouch taking a step forward. If Raleigh would lower the Agravain's hand, then he could drag Euphemia back to the Shinkiro. He would take the blame for arranging this and bring the nobles' support more firmly to his side. It would be a bit too much of a fall when he did away with the aristocracy, but it would still work. Euphemia would be saved from the fallout and she could try again if she desired. She could still bring the Japanese people over to her side with the legislation that they had ready. The Special Administrative Zone would have been a failure anyway, but it was the fact that Euphemia had been willing to extend this privilege that mattered.

"Sir Raleigh, put me down immediately."

"But the emperor said-"

"I have already told my brother what I intend to do. I don't care if it is treason, it's the right thing to do."

Lelouch stepped forward at that, expecting Raleigh to just lower Euphemia to the ground. Then he could grab her and make a show of shouting at her as he led her away. When they were safe he could explain why he had pulled her away, that there were more reasons than just him preserving his image as a horrible tyrant. If he had the chance to explain, then maybe she would see that he was thinking beyond his plan. This was about not losing what little family he had left.

The hand that he had held out for her dropped back to his side as the Knightmare shifted, Lelouch's mouth dropping open in shock as Raleigh clenched the Agravain's fist over Euphemia's legs. His sister screamed, the sound cut off a moment later as the Agravain's other hand was wrapped around her torso. And then Raleigh pulled…

Euphemia's scream of pain was abruptly cut off as she was torn in half, Lelouch praying that she was dead, not just unconscious. But there was too much blood for her to just be unconscious, her blood falling onto the ground and some of it raining on him as Raleigh pulled the Knightmare up to its full height, ripping Euphemia's limbs off before tossing the segments to the ground, Lelouch swaying in place as he watched the remains of his sister fall to the ground.

"Euphy!" He wasn't aware that he had shouted for her, Lelouch taking a shaky step forward before falling to his knees, panting for breath.

This couldn't be happening, it was just another one of his horrible dreams. He would wake up and reach for Suzaku and the knight would be there. He had to be there, a pillow wouldn't help this time. It had to be just another dream. But there was too much blood.

Lelouch snapped back to the present as he heard something land beside him, turning to watch as the Lancelot raised an arm in front of him. He stared at the green shield before looking up towards the cockpit, the Knightmare crouching low over him. "Your majesty?"

"He killed her." Lelouch wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly aware of the blood splattered on him. "He killed Euphy!" He paused for a moment, taking quick breaths through his nose to stop himself from throwing up. "Kill him!"

There was no response from Suzaku, just the sound of the Lancelot's Landspinners against the lawn. He looked up, watching as Suzaku charged the Knight of Five.

The initial circling that he was so used to seeing in duels between knights never happened, Suzaku going straight to the offensive. One Slash Harken was fired, Raleigh having to dodge around it, which brought him in line for the next Slash Harken, the Lancelot using that to draw close before it ripped off the arm of the Agravain. Suzaku moved away before Raleigh could reach him, nimbly outmaneuvering the larger Knightmare.

Lelouch turned away from the dueling knights, glancing back over at the remains of his sister. He shuddered, losing the control that he had clung to in the first moments of her death. He leaned to the side and vomited, coughing as it burned his throat. Lelouch spat on the ground and shifted away, feeling himself begin to shiver again. He coughed to clear his throat, trying to stand up only to have his legs give out on him, Lelouch tearing his gaze from the macabre image of his sister torn to pieces to look up at the Knightmares.

Both of the Agravain's arms had been torn off, the Lancelot still remaining neatly out of its reach while keeping the Knightmare far away from Lelouch. A leg was the next to go, the MVS sword cutting neatly through the metal. The Lancelot followed the stroke, slamming into the Agravain and sending the Knightmare Frame to the ground. The ejection system never had a chance to activate, one Slash Harken slamming into the back of the cockpit, the MVS sword stabbed down into the cockpit directly where the pilot would be.

Lelouch thought he heard a scream, ignoring it in the next minute for ducking his head and trying to ignore the way his stomach heaved. He didn't care about what was happening to Raleigh, the man deserved it. In fact, he wanted to be able to bring the Knight of Five to life again just to have the satisfaction of watching Suzaku kill him again, perhaps publically this time. Everyone had to know that Raleigh was a traitor to his country. And wouldn't that have just rattled him if Raleigh had been alive?

He found himself laughing at that thought, Lelouch leaning forward and bracing himself on one hand as his body shook. Raleigh had been known for his loyalty to Britannia, even choosing that loyalty over members of his family at times. The nobles had both feared him and held him up as a shinning example of a perfect citizen. And Raleigh had been the one to kill Princess Euphemia.

Lelouch wasn't sure when his crazed laughter had turned into sobs, falling forward until he had to catch himself with his other hand, staring at the ground as he shook. He couldn't tell what he was doing anymore, sometimes managing to stop sobbing only to dissolve into laughter again, starting the whole cycle over. And he was scared that this would be the moment where he finally snapped, finally tumbled over the edge into insanity.

A pair of arms wrapped around him, Lelouch turning to knock them away, only to find himself staring up at Suzaku. He managed to keep himself calm for the moment it took for him to recognize his knight before he threw his arms around Suzaku's neck. He pressed close to the knight as he trembled, eventually having to tuck his head under Suzaku's chin, curling in on himself as he tried to calm down.

"S-Suzaku?"

"He's dead, Lelouch. I made sure of it."

Lelouch nodded slowly, pressing closer to Suzaku. "He killed Euphy."

"I know." He felt a slight pressure on the top of his head from where Suzaku rested his chin. Lelouch tried to wiggle closer, annoyed when he couldn't. He only accepted Suzaku's arms around him then because it made it feel like he was closer to Suzaku. He was surrounded and protected, and it felt nice. Lelouch slumped against Suzaku, still trembling even as he tried to calm down, hating these moments where his mind failed him.

Suzaku gently stroked his back, Lelouch leaning into the touch and closing his eyes. He just had to focus on Suzaku, center himself back on the real world instead of letting himself get caught up in thoughts again.

He gave a shaky sigh and pulled away from Suzaku, a little relieved that the knight didn't release him completely. He wasn't completely recovered from the shock, but there were things that required his attention, and he could think clearly enough to take care of them now. Lelouch took another deep breath, reaching back to pull Suzaku's hands away from his back. "They'll be heading for Tokyo."

Suzaku sat up, staring at him in confusion. "L-Lelouch?"

"Once the JLF see that the soldiers have been killed, they'll head for Tokyo to avenge themselves." He pushed away from Suzaku and stood up, feeling his legs wobble a bit before he caught himself. Lelouch swallowed, turning to look over his shoulder, staring at Euphemia's remains before clamping a hand over his mouth. He shut his eyes, focusing on his breathing until he felt the nausea go away. Only then did he take his hand away, stepping forward gingerly. "The city will have to be defended."

"Lelouch-"

"Send the order to the officers, their emperor commands them to ready the defenses. We'll be returning soon enough." He forced his shoulders back, straightening up. "Don't tell them about Euphy, they'll be demoralized."

"Lelouch…"

"You and I will be leading. The Shinkiro has enough of a defensive capability that I could hold my own. And it'll boost their morale; they're more willing to fight for the emperor and one of the Knights of the Round."

He froze as Suzaku grabbed onto his shoulder, pulling him back. Lelouch struggled against the hold, reaching down to try and pry Suzaku's arms off of him. When the knight didn't let go Lelouch snarled, clawing as Suzaku's hands before finally managing to pull away. Suzaku was immediately reaching for him again, only managing to get a few fingers on Lelouch's shoulder before Lelouch moved away. "Suzaku!"

"Lelouch, your sister just died!"

He tensed, glancing back at where Euphemia was scattered, swallowing back nausea. He didn't realize that he was swaying in place until Suzaku wrapped an arm around his waist. Lelouch reached down to pull the arm off of him, turning around to glare at Suzaku. "I know! I know that, Suzaku! But I can't think about it! I can't think about it or…"

He trailed off, staring at the strewn limbs again, beginning to shake again. Lelouch abruptly turned away, feeling Suzaku wraps his arms around him again, and allowing this time. He leaned back into the knight for a moment, taking deep breaths before pulling away from Suzaku, the knight allowing him this time. "Suzaku, I gave you orders."

"Yes, your majesty."

He looked back over his shoulder for a split second, enough to confirm that Suzaku was walking back to the Lancelot. Lelouch smiled to himself, pushing his hair away from his forehead before continuing to walk shakily towards the exit that would lead him to where he had hidden the Shinkiro. He would worry about how to get Euphemia back after the battle, he had to sort out his priorities.


"Suzaku?"

He jumped at the voice that came through the incom, surprised at the sound of someone talking to him other than Lelouch. He smiled to himself and ran a hand over his face, wiping off the sweat that had gathered there. "Miss. Cecile."

"Oh good. I was worried. They're mobilizing the troops."

"I know. I ordered it."

"S-Suzaku?"

"Emperor's orders." He let out a nervous laugh, staring at the map of Tokyo that was displayed on the screens. "I am nothing if not loyal."

It hurt to think that she would doubt him. But, then again, this Cecile didn't know him. Suzaku reached up to rub his forehead, staring anxiously at the screen. "I wouldn't do anything to harm him."

"I know, Suzaku."

"Then why bother asking?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment. "If the emperor was hurt then you wouldn't be safe anymore." Suzaku's hand slid from where he had wrapped it around the joystick, Suzaku wincing as it knocked against a corner of the panel in front of him. "There are plenty of people who wouldn't mind seeing you dead."

"Because I'm an upstart Eleven?" Cecile muttered something too low for Suzaku to catch, the confirmation making him laugh. "Don't worry, Miss. Cecile, I can take care of myself."

"Suzaku, you're only a teenager."

"The emperor is as old as I am, and this is war, Miss. Cecile. I don't have much of a choice." He tried to smile, even though he knew that she couldn't see him. "This is important to me."

"I know. But it's starting to look bad." Suzaku glanced down at his grid, watching as more enemy dots appeared, swallowing. "It looks like the whole of Area 11 is coming to Tokyo."

"It's not all of them, just the nearest cities." Saying that was supposed to make him feel better, but it didn't, Suzaku just staring at the dots and feeling his hands tremble. He would have to live through this and then deal with all the fall out when the world found out that Princess Euphemia was dead. He was sure that some of the blame would be turned to him, especially since he was the one who had remained behind with her in Area 11 and he had been in every announcement that she had made. No one would believe that the Knight of Five had been the real murderer. His hands tightened on the joysticks. "I'll be fine."

"But…Alright, Suzaku. Just be careful, and get the Lancelot back in one piece."

He managed a laugh. "We wouldn't want to disappoint Lloyd."

"Of course not." The line went silent, Suzaku taking a deep breath and slumping forward. When he let his breath out, it sounded more like a sob, feeling himself shake. This was not the time to be doubting himself. He had managed to get this far on his skills alone, as shaky as they were. It was the fact that he was good and honest that made Lelouch keep him close, and that had gotten him the position in the Knights of the Round. Those skills would be enough to keep him safe this time, or so he hoped.

Suzaku shook his hair out of his eyes, looking around from where he was stationed on the limits of the Tokyo Settlement, staring at the Knightmare next to him. The Shinkiro looked imposing in the midday sun, the two of them standing alone in front of the Britannian forces arrayed behind them.

They had made it just ahead of the initial attack, their forces already falling into position. But then the charge had just stopped, Lelouch deciding to use the time that they had given to work out a plan of attack and they had had precious little time to do that as well. Now the JLF forces were gathering again, their numbers boosted by the civilians from the surrounding cities. The JLF was finally showing the power that they possessed.

"Suzaku." He looked up at the sound of Lelouch's voice, hesitating to respond until realizing that they were speaking on a private channel.

"Lelouch?"

"Everything is ready."

"And Euphemia?"

Suzaku immediately felt bad for brining her up, Lelouch looked away from him. "A team has orders to return her home as soon as the battle starts. We'll broadcast the lowering of the casket, but not the funeral. She deserves a quiet funeral."

"Yes, she does." Suzaku swallowed. "Have you told Nunnally?"

"Not yet. I was too busy getting her somewhere safe, Jeremiah is with her." Lelouch paused, Suzaku looking up to meet his gaze. Lelouch still looked slightly surprised with everything that was happening, still trembling intermittently. Lelouch looked away quickly. "She'll be safe until we get back."

"Good." He watched as Lelouch nodded, very worried about the emperor. Lelouch was going through the motions without understanding what he was doing. It was very likely that he was going to get himself killed because he was still in shock. Suzaku shook his head, attempting to smile at Lelouch. "I'll stay by your side, your highness."

That just got a nod from Lelouch before the communication was shut off. Suzaku nodded to himself and went back to staring at the view of the world through the Lancelot's screens. He hunched his shoulders, closing his eyes.

The first attack on the Tokyo Settlement, one of the most critical battles during the War of Ascension, and he couldn't count on his knowledge of the battle. So far, it looked right, but he wasn't sure that Princess Euphemia had died here. He wasn't even sure where Princess Euphemia had been in his future. He had changed it enough to make her important, to make her a reason for the Japanese to rise up against Lelouch. But they had one advantage, the JLF leaders were dead, a boon since he didn't think that Lelouch could have fought back successfully against the full strength of the JLF. Then he would have been next to useless.

He leaned forward as the enemy forces began to move, frowning as he watched one of the Knightmares break into the lead. "They're moving."

Suzaku ignored the orders that were shouted out as the commanders moved their troops into place, watching the Shinkiro out of the corner of his eye. Despite what Lelouch said, he would stay close. He hadn't been given orders to the contrary, in fact it was his job to protect Lelouch with all the other Knights of the Round out of the country.

The front line of Knightmares surged forward, Suzaku steering the Lancelot closer to the Shinkiro as Lelouch took off. He gritted his teeth, glancing around for something to use to launch the Lancelot into the air. He had to twist the Knightmare through a small gap in the army as squads moved forward, firing a Slash Harken into the ground and using that force to send him into the air.

He fumbled at the controls, activating the float system and following Lelouch. Suzaku was pleasantly surprised to find that the emperor was hanging back. It made his job somewhat easier if Lelouch was content to sit back and lead his army from there. Suzaku shifted in his seat, reaching out to flick through the channels as he watched the battle.

It was odd and strangely disturbing to see the familiar drawing that he had seen in his history texts being used, now multicolored instead of the familiar red of the JLF and the blue of the Britannians. He could see where they were going and he could guess where they would end up, courtesy of listening to many discussions between Rivalz and other boys, the ones that actually liked to talk about war like it was some kind of game.

Suzaku shook his head, refocusing on the patterns of the JLF and trying to remember the bits of conversation that he had allowed himself to overhear. The JLF were outnumbered and had fewer numbers that they had discussed in class, but they were following the same pattern. Still, that was bound to break. With smaller numbers, they would have to alter their plans, especially with Lelouch's forces holding the better ground. He narrowed his eyes as he stared down at the grid, coming up with nothing. This was more of Lelouch's territory than his.

"Suzaku, can you help?" He didn't jump as Lelouch spoke through the incom, another private channel. The emperor wouldn't ask for help, especially from him. "Any more of your amazing knowledge?"

"No. It's gone beyond me."

"Ah, so there goes my secret weapon and my amazing strategist."

"They weren't my best subjects, Lelouch." Suzaku managed a laugh. "They were always yours."

He tensed immediately after saying that, afraid that he had given away too much. He had been doing that all too much, first with Narita, then with the kisses and now with this. Suzaku licked his lips, waiting for the reply from Lelouch.

It was a long time in coming, the emperor probably stopping to relay orders to the others in battle below them. "Another one of those things I'm going to get explained to me?"

"Yes. Sorry, my lord."

"You have your reasons. And I will find them out eventually. Consider yourself lucky that I allow you this."

"Every day." Suzaku smirked. "Every day."

He relaxed a fraction more, turning his full attention back to the battle below them. It was enough that Lelouch was giving him that benefit of the doubt. And he was equally sure that, if Lelouch was pushed far enough, he would be forced to give up everything. Even that might not be enough to save him, or at least allow him his freedom. And then his entire plan would be messed up.

Suzaku jerked in his seat as he saw a group of Knightmares break off from the rest, frowning as he watched them begin to push trough the lines. How they managed to do that and not lose anyone baffled him for a moment until he realized that they were using the subway tunnels. Suzaku reached out trace the path that had taken. They had used the main attack force as a diversion, and the group was too small to do any harm to the main force, just five or six Knightmares. But they were heading into the city.

He folded his fingers back to his palm, his eyes widening as he realized what they were going for. The only reason they would use such a small force would be because they were hoping to go after something that would force Lelouch into submission, which meant the administration building and Nunnally. There weren't enough Knightmares to attack any of their main forces, but just enough to get past the guards that were left there.

Suzaku muttered a curse and turned the Lancelot back towards the administration building. He could probably move faster over ground and find a place to attack them from. But, with the way that the were moving, he was probably cutting it close.

"Suzaku!"

He registered the shout over the incom, ignoring it for the moment, waiting until the Lancelot was aimed for the right place. "They've passed us."

"They've what? Nunnally!"

He could hear the panic in Lelouch's voice, hating the way that he felt compelled to calm Lelouch down. "On it, your majesty."

Suzaku sent the Lancelot into a dive, turning off all communications. It was a stupid move, especially since it would take him a second longer to call for help. But, on the other hand, he didn't want Lelouch shouting at him the entire time.

He bit his lip, pulling the Knightmare Frame up a good distance before he would hit the ground, but not soon enough to avoid knocking against the leading Knightmare. Suzaku was tossed around the cockpit, trying his best to keep the Lancelot from falling over. He somehow managed to avoid wrecking the float system.

The Lancelot came to a stop, Suzaku splayed over the control panel, struggling to push himself back up. He glanced up in time to see the red Knightmare from their other battles lunging at him, the silver hand of the Knightmare reaching out for him. He shoved himself back into the seat, maneuvering out of the way. He saw a flare of light, the building to his right crumbling.

He took a deep breath, feeling his ribs protest the move. He was probably badly bruised from that landing, but at least he had managed to not damage the Lancelot. Suzaku gritted his teeth, reaching for his MVS swords, pulling it out of his sheath. He spun the Lancelot around, slicing through a leg on one of the Knightmares before turning to face the red Knightmare. His VARIS would have been the better weapon to bring into this fight, but he hadn't gotten the Lancelot equipped with either the VARIS rifle or the other MVS sword before going to the stadium. It had been a sign that he trusted the JLF to go into a situation like that, especially knowing that they would have brought backup. But he hadn't taken the time to go back to the A.S.E.E.C hangar to get his other weapons.

Suzaku glanced at the other Knightmares, swallowing before lunging forward, cutting through another limb. He wouldn't be able to actually drive the sword through one of the Knightmares, it would take too long. Suzaku spun the Lancelot around, taking a deep breath before just focusing on the battle.

It was almost too easy to slip into the almost trancelike state that he needed, Suzaku attributing it to the nearly endless tests that Lloyd had him run on the Lancelot. Suzaku just kept his eyes focused on the screens as he ducked one blow, lashing out with the arm that didn't hold the sword before spinning away. One Knightmare was down, but he didn't remember it falling. Another looked like it could keel over at any minute. That just left two more, not counting the red Knightmare, he was doing his best to avoid that one for now.

Suzaku was thrown forward again, turning the Lancelot slightly to see that he had been hit by the red Knightmare, swallowing and backing out of the circle that they were trying to form around him. Suzaku narrowed his eyes, managing to slice through another leg before the red Knightmare slammed into him, the MVS sword skittering over the ground. He let out his breath in a hiss, rubbing his thumbs over the buttons that would release the Slash Harkens, taking a deep breath. Now he was in trouble.

He was forced to retreat towards the subway tunnel, having to move sideways to keep the hole out of his blind spot. At least there were only two Knightmares, and he was hoping that they would lose interest long enough for him to knock the red one over. Then he could grab his sword again and disable it. Hopefully catching the ace of the JLF, as far as he could figure it at least, would cause their attack to stall out. A reversal of their own tactics, that's all Suzaku could hope for.

Another passing jolt send him against the side of the cockpit, his elbow knocking against the communication button. Suzaku muttered a curse, shaking out his arm before focusing on the two Knightmares again.

"Suzaku!" He winced as Lelouch shouted into his ear. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Protecting your sister!" He turned and kicked out, wincing as the red Knightmare caught the Lancelot's foot. There was a short struggle before he was able to pull it away, Suzaku nearly taking a tumble into the subway. "They were going to get her so I acted."

"You idiot! You're outnumbered."

"There's only two that can fight now. And one of them is the ace. We can turn their plan back on them."

"That's not the point."

Suzaku grunted as he blocked another blow, activating the Blaze Luminous system. "What is the point then?"

"The point is that…" Lelouch trailed off for a second, Suzaku wondering if he had actually heard the tremble in Lelouch's voice. "Nunnally safe where she is now."

"Two Knightmares are still functional Lelouch." Suzaku kicked the other Knightmare, watching as it fell to the ground. The ejection system didn't activate, Suzaku watching it carefully as the pilot tried to roll it back upright. He turned his full attention to the red Knightmare, dropping the Lancelot into a crouch. "Nunnally isn't safe. And I'm not going to fail her, not like Euphemia."

There was a gasp from the other end of the line, Suzaku taking a deep breath. "I can't fail you again, Lelouch."

"It wasn't your fault."

The red Knightmare attacked again, Suzaku deflected it with the Blaze Luminous shield before ducking around the red Knightmare. He pushed the Lancelot at full speed across the space, scooping up the MVS sword before turning to face the red Knightmare again, breathing heavily. "I'm not failing again, Lelouch! I'm the only Knight of the Round here! And I can't let you die!"

"Suzaku?"

He brought the sword up to counter a blow, realizing his mistake a moment later when the red Knightmare wrapped the silver hand around the blade. It took a moment before the pilot activated the weapon in that hand, Suzaku watching in horror as the surface of the MVS bubble before it started to fragment. He cursed and dropped the sword, backing away and staring at the red Knightmare.

He was back to having no weapons aside from the Slash Harkens, and those would have to be his last resort, because the red Knightmare could pull him towards that arm. Suzaku swallowed and shifted, trying to think up another plan. He just had to keep Nunnally safe, and that would keep Lelouch alive and Tokyo in Britannian hands. And that's what needed to be done.

Suzaku gritted his teeth, ducking under another blow before landed on of his own. He would have to rely on speed here, keeping himself out of the way long enough for the red Knightmare to get itself trapped or hope that it would get recalled. That or the Britannian military would win the fight against the main force. He took a deep breath before charging back in again, grabbing a hold of the silver arm and forcing it back, smiling when it came loose. It wouldn't be enough to come off, but that section of the Knightmare would be slower to respond.

He backed the Lancelot away again, only to nearly fall over as the red Knightmare charged him again. Suzaku twisted out of the way, finding himself smiling as the red Knightmare followed. He allowed himself to slump forward slightly, rolling his shoulders. "Alright then."

Suzaku met the red Knightmare mid charge, settling into the flow of battle. It was like the martial arts classes during gym, it just took a bit more thought because of the reaction times of the Knightmares. And it was fun, as much he hated to admit it. He liked the challenge of fighting someone on his level. Back home it was different, he had to hold back because he was teaching those who were having trouble, but he never got to push himself like this.

He smiled as he dodged around a kick, throwing one of his own and hitting. The Lancelot nearly overbalanced on its landing, Suzaku panting as he backed away, content to circle for the time being.

A quick look at the energy level showed that he was still good for a while. But the JLF would be it a worse state, they would be down to the last minutes of energy before they shut down. He just had to hold them here until then and everything would be alright.

Suzaku let out an exhausted chuckle, shifting the Lancelot into a crouch again, ready to lunge at the red Knightmare when he saw it straighten, Suzaku wondering what was going on. The Knightmare hesitated for a moment more before ducking back into the tunnel, the other working Knightmare following it.

For a moment, Suzaku was tempted to follow them, but he held himself back. He reached up to adjust the incom in his ear, the device had began to wiggle loose during the fight. "Lelouch, the Knightmare are retreating. Administration building secure."

"Suzaku, you…" Lelouch trailed off, Suzaku smirking as he imagined the emperor rolling his eyes. "Get back here, now."

"But Lelouch-"

"Kewell's squad has been dispatched to cover the area. Get back here, Knight of Seven, that's an order."

"Yes, your majesty." Suzaku sighed and sent the Lancelot forward, gathering enough speed to lift off into the air when he activated the float system.

It was an easy flight over the battle, Suzaku paying close attention to the arrangement of the forces, not surprised to see that the JLF were being pushed back. He couldn't be sure how long the battle had gone on, but they had held out longer than he had thought. Still, they had been defeated, which was all that mattered. And Nunnally was safe, which was equally as important. If Nunnally was safe, then Lelouch was safe.

Suzaku shifted in his seat, carefully flexing his fingers, trying to plan ahead. That just left Euphemia's funeral, and Suzaku wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle that. He guessed that he would just have to stand by Lelouch and wait for the fallout.

He swallowed at that, focusing back on the retreating forces below them. "Lelouch…"

"Not now, Suzaku." There was a long sigh over the line. "Later. Just…wait until later."

Suzaku bit his lip, nodding to himself even though Lelouch couldn't see him. "Alright, Lelouch."


Gino leaned back in the chair with his glass in his hand, glancing over at Anya who was still fiddling with her electronic diary. It had been on the fritz all day which had led Anya to be equally as frazzled. Gino had been sticking around her all day, making sure to supply her with an endless supply of stories about the court and the things that they had done together, keeping her calm until the electronic diary and sorted itself.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, setting the glass down on the nearby table, just restraining himself from putting his feet on the table. Nonette would get on his case. Sometimes it was almost like his governess was still around. Gino laughed at that, tipping his head back further.

Well, at least something was going right, Anya's electronic diary was working again. He sighed and shifted in his seat. That was better than listening to Luciano and Monica argue about what was happening in Area 11. It wasn't much of an argument in the end, it was just Monica shouting at Luciano to shut up about what he wanted to do to the JLF. And they were back in Pendragon. It was good to be home, in a way. Now only if his mother would stop begging him to come home and meet the next perspective wife.

Gino sighed and rubbed his forehead, staring at his drink before deciding to let sit a bit longer. He wasn't desperate enough to have it now. And he had to be reasonably sober in case Anya had more problems with her electronic diary.

He jumped as the door to their common room slammed open, Gino watching as the Knights of One and Two swept into the room, Bismarck walking over to the chairs. He watched as Bismarck leaned on the back of one of the chairs, looking furious.

He raised and eyebrow and lifted his drink from the table, offering it to Bismarck. He was surprised when the Knight of One took the glass and drank the contents of it before slamming it down on the table. Gino chuckled to himself, staring at the empty glass. "Whoa, looks like you might be needing more of that."

"The emperor is gone."

Gino stared at him in shock, shaking his head before laughing. He glanced back at Bismarck, his laughter trailing off as Bismarck glared at him. Gino cleared his throat and sat up. "You're serious."

"I've been looking for him since noon."

"Did you look everywhere?" The glared that Bismarck sent his way had Gino raising his hands in surrender. "Sorry, this place is huge and the emperor grew up here. He knows the places to hide."

"I assure you, Sir Weinberg, I have checked everywhere." Gino slumped in his seat, the stress on his title enough to assure him that he was in trouble. Bismarck seemed satisfied with his chastising and slumped further over the chair. "He didn't even tell us where he was going."

"You know the emperor, he's too wrapped up in…" Gino hesitated for a moment before waving his hand around. "This."

"Well, this is going to get him killed one day." Bismarck took a deep breath, whatever he was going to say next interrupted by the soft ping from the screen. They all turned towards the screen, Gino about to ask who had an incoming call when Bismarck stood up. "That would be the emperor."

"Calling to apologize?" That at least got a smile on Bismarck's face, if only for a moment.

The Knight of One flicked on the television, a news program coming on for a moment, Gino tipping his head to the side. He was sure that the new Knight of Eleven had left it on some cooking channel last night. He distinctly remembered storming out to find the kitchens after an hour of looking at delicious food and being stuck with the peanuts that were in the room.

Gino frowned and settled back into his chair, watching as the reporter nervously shuffled through her papers. "We interrupt this program to bring you news from Area 11. Earlier today the Tokyo Settlement was attacked by JLF troops."

"What?" Bismarck was on his feet in an instant, Gino rolling his eyes and leaning forward to turn up the volume.

"Sources say that the attack was incited by the slaughter of the leaders of the Japanese Resistance Front at the opening of the Special Administrative Zone. While it hasn't been confirmed who first opened fire, the Britannians or the Elevens, the bodies of the JLF officials have been recovered along with the body of a Britannian." Gino tensed and leaned forward, his jaw dropping as he watched the news feed switch to the image of a casket being carried out of the administration building and towards a plane, staring at the red and gold cape that was draped over it. "The Knight of Five, Albert Raleigh, was found in the stadium that would hold the opening ceremonies for the Special Administrative Zone, his Knightmare Frame completely destroyed."

"They got Raleigh!" Gino ignored the shout, leaning forward as the image switched back to the reporter.

"The Tokyo Settlement itself suffered little damage from the attack and the JLF forces were pushed back." The reporter paused, pressing a hand to an ear before she relaxed. "Just in, the emperor, Lelouch vi Britannia, is going to make an announcement."

The screen went blank for a moment, the only sound in the common room the sound of Anya typing. Gino swallowed, tapping his fingers impatiently on his leg, waiting for the announcement. If Area 11 had been attacked, why hadn't the emperor ordered them over there? It would have been easy for the Tristan to get there quickly and some of the lighter Knightmares. They could have avoided the death of a Knight of the Round.

He looked up as Lelouch came on the screen, ready to hear one of the usual speeches about the glory and the might of Britannia. Instead, he was greeting by a visibly paler Lelouch, the emperor standing a bit too close to the Knight of Seven. Gino frowned, shifting slightly so he would be able to run to the Tristan if he was ordered to. If Lelouch was with the Knight of Seven, then he was in Area 11.

"My loyal subjects, Area 11 is secure again." Lelouch swallowed visibly, Gino shifting in his seat. The emperor wasn't doing his usual speech, it was lacking in the almost trademark smirk and wide gestures. He glanced over at Bismarck, watching the Knight of One stand up. Something was definitely wrong.

He turned his attention back to the screen as Lelouch cleared his throat. "But the social experiment that Princess Euphemia had proposed will now be cancelled, every part of it. She…she was willing to overlook the fact that the Numbers are lesser people to try and give them some kind of hope, some kind of kindness in their own countries. She offered them a way out without war, and they showed that they care for nothing but war.

"I was willing to let his social experiment run it course, because it was harmless. And it should have remained so." Lelouch drew himself up, Gino getting a glimpse of a hand moving from Lelouch's arm. "Unfortunately, some people took it upon themselves to make sure that it would fail." Lelouch shivered, staring at the ground for a moment before looking up at the camera. "Princess Euphemia is dead…"

Gino jumped at the shouts of outrage that came from behind him, turning to look at the other Knights of the Round that had wandered into the common room. Bismarck waved for silence as Lelouch struggled to speak again. "She was murdered by…" Lelouch shook his head and gestured off screen, Gino guessing that it was a signal.

The camera cut away, but not before the whole world saw Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia turn around and lean on the Knight of Seven, pulling the Eleven into a hug and pressing his face into the Eleven's neck.


Cornelia stared at the screen, slumped against the wall as she watched the broadcast, not processing half of the information that had been shown. She had stopped listening after Lelouch had said that Euphy was dead, that she had been murdered. Cornelia clawed at the wall, trying to keep herself upright.

This wasn't happening, Euphy was safe. She was safe in the administration building with Nunnally, as safe as they could be at the moment. All they had to do was wait until nightfall and they could sneak back in. General Katase wasn't around to stop them and they could get both Euphy and Nunnally. That would make Lelouch stop, and Euphy would be safe. She wouldn't be dead, couldn't be dead.

Cornelia had already lost her Glaston Knights and Guilford, she couldn't lose anyone else. She couldn't just lose everyone she loved that easily.

She slid down the wall, her circular thoughts finally coming to a stop as she watched the casket carried out of the building, following the same path that the Knight of Five's casket had gone, Cornelia suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

He was sending her back to the homeland. Euphy was going home and she couldn't be there. She would be killed if she even showed up at the funeral. But there was some happiness to be found in the fact that Lelouch couldn't go either, Cornelia watching as her brother followed the casket, the Knight of Seven following him across the runway. Lelouch wouldn't go back, because it would mean leaving Nunnally, and he wouldn't do that, not now.

Even then he would have his sister.

Lelouch got to keep the empire, his place as the emperor and his sister in exchange for nothing. Euphy's life compared to all of that was nothing, and Lelouch probably didn't even care. He had used her to save his life and then had thrown her away when her plans had crossed with his. It was his fault, his and the JLF's that Euphy was dead.

Cornelia clenched her hands into fists, carefully pulling herself up off the floor before storming away. She would get him back for this. She wouldn't even stoop to killing Nunnally in return for her sister, some part of her wouldn't allow herself to do that. She would just be content with destroying Lelouch completely. And the horrible thing was that it wouldn't bring Euphemia back, it would calm her rage but not bring her sister back.

She muttered a curse and pushed open the door to her room, slamming the door shut before sliding down it, staring at the wall. She would have to kill the only brother she had ever tolerated and break Nunnally's heart, just like Lelouch had broken hers. And all she could think of was how it was worth it. Completely and utterly worth it.


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