In honor of the one year anniversary of this story (well, okay, a day late. The edits took me past midnight so, yeah, a day late), I have decided to post this chapter. While it's called "The Knighting Ceremony", it doesn't just focus on that (and, frankly, the ceremony only takes up maybe a few pages). Also, for the ceremony, I based it, somewhat, on what is heard from Euphie's knighting of Suzaku in canon as well as online research so it might not sound right but I tried my best.

Also, I plan on making some edits to the previous chapter. None of them are that serious but they will help to make the Frost twins' parents more realistic.

And, also, about Lelouch's reputation. The way people view him is based, entirely, on the media's portrayal of him and Diethard exaggerated for a good story while, at the same time, establishing a reputation for Lelouch that he hasn't earned yet. He will later but, right now, the media has him as a demon because it makes for a good story, and we all know Diethard wants to document a good story.

Bakura: are you done ranting, moron? If people don't like what happened, who the hell gives a damn?

Shut up, Bakura. Anyway, thank you to RandomUserGirl, harlequin320, agarfinkel, OBSERVER01, DYnoJackal19, Scarease, Adamantium-Soldier74, Shadow-Shinobi666, Doommajor, Grimraven.V, TC9078, B-Kira,anand891996, and Shimmering-Sky for reviewing the last chapter.

And, though your entire review was simply suggestions on what to do (none of which are feasible because of the direction my story has taken) and not your actual thoughts on the story, I suppose I should give a shoutout to agarfinkel, since they had been my 400th reviewer.

I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

. . .

October 1, 2016

Parkside Hotel, Akita, Area 11

After arriving in Akita and after being given a few hours of leave, though Lila couldn't stay longer if she wanted to because of the problem that the terrorists had created when they attacked a baseball stadium near the coast on the eastern end of Akita, she was quick to make her way to the hotel where her parents were staying. Arriving and wiping the sweat from her forehead, she walked into the hotel and over to the receptionist.

"Excuse me?" she said.

The blonde receptionist looked up from where she was doodling on a piece of paper and quickly shoved it aside. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I'm looking for Lucy and Caleb Moore's room," Lila said.

"Let's see." The blonde looked through her computer before turning her attention back to Lila. "They're in room 345."

"Thank you," Lila said and headed for the elevator, riding it to the third floor and heading down the hall to her parents' room. Knocking on the door, she stepped back and waited for the door to open.

Lucy opened the door and her eyes went wide. "Lila!" She cried and immediately pulled Lila into a bear hug. "I knew you would see reason soon enough. I knew it."

"I'm not here...because I left...the military, Mother," Lila said, her voice muffled as she gave her mother a quick hug back and stepped back, noticing the disappointed frown on her mother's face. "When you told me that you were in Akita, I decided to come and visit you. Prince Lelouch agreed to let me have a few hours leave before we begin our campaign on the east side of Akita. Is Father here?" she asked.

"I'm here, sweetie," Caleb said as he made his way to his wife's side, his wet hair plastered against his head suggesting that he'd just gotten out of the shower. He drew Lila into a hug and she hugged him back.

"Happy birthday, Father," she said, stepping back and giving him a small smile. "I would have gotten you something but I just didn't have the time so I made you this instead." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded-up card and held it out to her father.

Caleb took it and read it, a small smile on his face. "Thank you," he said. "So what brings you to Akita, sweetie?"

"Work," Lila said simply.

"The terrorist attack that occurred in the east? Mayor Livingston had just ordered everyone to remain indoors while the matter was handled. I'm surprise you were given leave all things considered," Caleb admitted.

"It's because the terrorists have gone to ground so there's really nothing Prince Lelouch can do at the moment," Lila admitted. "But I have to get back soon. He gave me a few hours but I'm a member of his Royal Guard. I should remain with him."

"You're a member of a prince's Royal Guard? Congratulations, Lila," Caleb said with a smile and turned to Lucy. "Don't you think that's a wonderful achievement, dear?"

"It's certainly safer," Lucy said, "and, while I still don't like that you're part of the military, that is a wonderful achievement of yours. Congratulations, dear." She still sounded sad and Lila knew that she still hated that Lila was part of the military.

"It's not that bad, Mother," she said. "Besides, I've actually decided on going to college and medical school as soon as my term in the military is over."

"I thought you didn't want to be a doctor," Caleb said in confusion.

"I don't want to be a doctor in the hospital," Lila said. "I've decided that I want to remain in the military and be a field medic."

"But you're a member of a prince's Royal Guard, are you sure you can do that?" Lucy asked confused.

"I plan on discussing it with Prince Lelouch the closer we get to that time," Lila said. "I'm sorry that I can't stay longer but I really should head back. I'll call you after the battle, okay?"

"All right, Lila," Caleb said and hugged her again. "I love you."

"I love you too, Father," Lila said, hugging her father back and then turning to her mother who drew her into another bear hug.

"Stay safe, Lila," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mother."

. . .

28

The Knighting Ceremony

October 5, 2016

Akita, Area 11

Lila shivered, brushing aside wet strands of blonde hair out of her face before putting the binoculars back to her eyes, scanning the baseball field that lay across from her. Four days had gone by since they'd arrived in Akita and the terrorists had finally made their move, gathering a large score of citizens living around the baseball field they'd attacked and dragging them into the field to use as hostages. They'd already made their demands; they wanted Mayor Livingston to step down and they wanted Lelouch, himself, to turn himself over to them.

Neither of whom were willing to give in to their demands, though Lelouch was less vocal about it. Frankly, Lila wasn't expecting the prince to give in to the terrorists demands. But those decisions had led to Lila's current position on top of the roof of a building across the street from the baseball stadium with Tadashi; there was a squad of the Black Knights' best marksmen in the building she was on the roof of. She and the burnt-orange-haired Honorary Britannian were tasked with scouting out the area and seeing if it would be possible to take out the terrorists from their vantage point.

So far, it was looking like it wouldn't be possible.

"It's cold," Tadashi muttered, lowering the binoculars he was looking through and wiping the rain that was falling into his eyes away.

"It could be worse," Lila said. "It could be snowing."

"Oh God, that would suck big time," Tadashi groaned.

Lila gave a little giggle. She mused that she had really come a long way since basic training. Back then, she wouldn't have even thought about doing anything but follow her orders and would get irritated with anyone who didn't act professional—such as Tadashi when she first met him and Vivienne. She briefly wondered whatever happened to Vivienne anyway—but, now, she didn't do that as often. She supposed she'd gotten comfortable with her friends and had come to understand that she did need to lighten up every now and then.

"I feel sorry for Rayne," she admitted, returning her attention to the baseball park. "She's stuck in the park, acting like a normal citizen."

"A normal citizen, right," Tadashi said in amusement, one hand going to the communicator and his binoculars fixed on the park below where Rayne and Kay were stationed, tasked with drawing the attention of the terrorists. There were Black Knights stationed all over the place but not as many in the park. "Rayne, don't ya think ya should be focused on your part of the mission and not on the pack of dogs that just entered the park?"

"Hey, I can't help it. They're so cute!" Rayne's voice exclaimed over the channel.

Lila rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face. "Well, at least it's distracting her from the rain," she said.

"You're going to smell like wet dog for the rest of the day," Kay said dryly.

"Way to kill the mood, bro, like really," Rayne huffed.

"You two need to focus," Dimitri's voice cut into the channel. "If His Highness is correct then the terrorists are going to try and get more hostages soon. That park..."

"We know, we know. Prince Lelouch has already explained everything to us and so did Jeremiah," Rayne said with a sigh. "Besides, we're supposed to blend in and..." Whatever else she was about to say was cut off by a yelp of surprise followed by a splash and the hysterical laughter of her twin brother. Tadashi had to put down his binoculars to stop himself from accidentally dropping them over the side of the building as he doubled over also in hysterical laughter.

"Stop laughing, you jerk, and get this big dog off me!" Rayne cried.

Lila found herself giggling alongside Tadashi and looked through her binoculars at the park. Her giggling turned into hysterical laughter when she saw Rayne pinned by a giant black and brown dog who was happily giving her a bath even though she was already soaked through since she'd landed in a puddle and because of the rain.

"Oh God! Someone take a picture, please," Tadashi managed to get out before he started laughing again.

Lila was too busy laughing herself to be able to respond. She was able to keep a hold of her binoculars but when she saw Kay suddenly fall to the ground, laughing and clutching at his side, and then saw the reason for that reaction—Rayne getting practically buried by three more medium-sized dogs who all decided to come and help the big dog give Rayne a bath—she lost it again. She dropped her binoculars, howling with laughter and clutching at her side as tears of amusement fell from her eyes.

"Damn you, you jerk! Get. These. Dogs. Off. Me!" Rayne cried as Lila finally managed to control her laughter, somewhat, and picked up her binoculars. She turned them back on the park in time to see Rayne try to escape the mass of fluffy dogs that were happily licking her.

"What's going on?" Lelouch's voice asked over the channel.

Lila's laughter had died down into giggles by this point and she wiped the tears of amusement that were in still in her eyes. Tadashi was gasping, struggling to breath while still snickering himself. Kay was still on the ground, gasping and struggling to stop laughing while Rayne had finally managed to get free from the dogs and was cursing up a storm.

"Sorry Your Highness, we just..." Lila giggled again.

"Something funny happened," Tadashi managed to get out, gasping and snickering.

"It wasn't funny!" Rayne shouted.

"Yes...haha...it was," Kay managed to get out.

"...Jerk," Rayne growled and Lila watched as she stalked over to a bench and sat down with a huff.

The big dog that had pinned her down earlier followed her, jumped onto the bench and proceeded to drape its body over her lap, pinning her to the bench.

"Oh come on!" Rayne exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration as Kay, Tadashi, and Lila burst into another round of laughter. "All of you are jerks!"

"...Will someone please tell me what happened?" Lelouch asked, half-frustrated and half-bewildered.

"I'll show you the pictures I took later, Your Highness," Suzaku's voice sounded across the channel followed by quiet, hoarse giggling. It was obvious Suzaku was still recovering from what happened to him at Hirosaki.

"Awesome! Someone got pictures!" Tadashi said with a grin, his eyes still shining with laughter.

"What?! Suzaku!" Rayne cried.

"I'm sorry, Rayne, but I figured His Highness would like a good laugh," Suzaku said apologetically.

"Where did you even get a camera?" Lila asked, still giggling a little.

"I bought it. I'm supposed to be blending in, you know, and I've actually never been to Akita before so I decided to get a camera and get some pictures of it."

"Dude, I have to have a copy of the ones you got of Rayne," Tadashi said.

"Me too," Kay said.

"I would like a set as well," Lila said.

"And we should probably make a set for Dimitri. I think he'll get a kick out of 'em," Kay said.

"You guys suck!" Rayne whined.

"...Now I am very curious about what happened. Suzaku, make sure I get a copy too," Lelouch said.

"Sure thing," Suzaku said.

"Not you too," Rayne complained and Lila was just able to make out the pout on her lips. She did manage to push that big dog off her lap though and stand up, brushing dog fur off her soaked uniform.

The rain turned into a drizzle and Lila looked up as the clouds started to slowly drift away from the sky, allowing rays of sunlight to stream onto the city. Everyone else seemed to have noticed as well and Kay said, "Look on the bright side, at least it's not raining anymore."

He had to dodge quickly to avoid the large rock that Rayne chugged in his direction.

. . .

Suzaku tucked the camera into the pocket of the jacket that he was wearing and let the hood fall onto his back, a small amused smile still on his lips as he gazed across the street at the park. The dogs from earlier had been picked up by their owner, with said owner apologizing to Rayne for their over-enthusiastic dogs. Kay, Tadashi, and Lila had finally managed to control their laughter, though Suzaku was sure that it would only start up again when they saw the pictures.

When he'd been told that he was supposed to go into the city and pretend to be a regular citizen who was just enjoying the sights, he'd decided to get a camera and get some pictures of the city. It would help with the look, for one, and he wasn't lying when he said he'd never been to Akita before, for another. His parents had wanted to vacation in Akita around the time the invasion started; because of that, they never got the chance,

Thinking about his parents brought to mind what Snows had told him at Hirosaki a few days ago and Suzaku's hand, self-consciously, went to the bruises around his neck. There was no denying that Snows's words had hit him hard because they were all true; he knew the truth, he knew of what had happened to Genbu Kururugi, and had wanted to make Suzaku pay for that.

He'd tried to kill Suzaku and yet that wasn't what haunted Suzaku's nightmares in the days that followed. He did believe that he deserved death for what he did to his father. What really haunted his nightmares were Snows's words.

Your father would be ashamed…

Suzaku gritted his teeth and pushed those thoughts away as he walked back to the store, deciding he may as well drop off the camera so that he could pick the pictures up after the upcoming engagement. The next one wouldn't really involve knightmares, though they were all still on standby just in case. However, if things went as Lelouch thought they would then they wouldn't be needed.

Lloyd was still unhappy about that.

Still, that meant that there was a chance of less violence and less destruction and that meant the chance of less death. Suzaku was hoping that they would be able to get the citizens out of there alive and unharmed.

He slipped into the store and walked over to the desk, causing the nice clerk to look up in surprise. "You used them all up already?" she asked curiously as she took the camera.

"Yeah, I've never been to Akita before," Suzaku admitted.

The clerk nodded. "These should be ready in a few hours. I suggest that you come back around two. They should..." She broke off as the sound of bullets being fired sounded outside followed by screams of panic and shouts.

Suzaku's lips thinned. "Thank you," he said politely and turned around, darting for the door as he turned his earphone back on and peered out of the door, watching as a large group of Britannians, Kay and Rayne among them, were herded toward the baseball field by armed terrorists.

"They've taken the bait, Your Highness," he said softly.

"Good. Jeremiah, move in discreetly. Suzaku, return to base. Jeremiah will handle things from here and if things go wrong, we're going to need the Lancelot," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated firmly.

"I understand, Your Highness," Suzaku replied and darted out the door and down the sidewalk, heading toward the building Mayor Livingston had given the Black Knights as their temporary base for the purpose of the current mission.

. . .

Jeremiah darted as subtly as possible after the large group of terrified citizens and the terrorists that surrounded them, gesturing toward Kewell, Villetta, and the rest of the Purist Faction. The purists' task was to try to sneak into the baseball field while the terrorists were distracted by herding all the new hostages into the field. As it was, there were only two guards on either side of the entrance to the field; they stood aside when the hostages were escorted past them followed by the other terrorists.

"Two enemies, Your Highness," he murmured into the communicator, "at the entrance. The others have disappeared inside. It doesn't look like there are other guards."

"We can't see any more guards from our position either, Your Highness," Lieutenant Moore said.

"Can you get a clear shot at the guards, Lieutenant Moore?" Prince Lelouch asked.

"Hold on a moment. Private Akiyama and I are going to try and get closer." There was the sound of shuffling on the other end and a few minutes passed by before Moore's voice came back. "Okay, it looks like we have a clearer shot here."

"Can you and Private Akiyama make the shots?" Prince Lelouch asked.

"Yes, I'm confident that we can," Moore said.

"Then do so. Jeremiah, you know your orders," Prince Lelouch said firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated firmly and edged closer to the baseball field's entrance as the two guards suddenly stiffened and fell over, bullet wounds straight through their foreheads.

"Nice shooting. I forgot how good of a sniper Lieutenant Moore and Private Akiyama were," Villetta commented quietly.

Jeremiah knew that was only because they've rarely had witnesses to their sniping abilities; the last time that they'd used them had been during the chaos that was the three parts of the Battle of Sapporo.

"They are rather good. C'mon, let's get moving. We've got some terrorists to take out," Jeremiah said, pulling out his gun from its holster and darting through the entrance. Villetta, Kewell, and the rest of the purist faction quickly darted after them.

They were nearing the entrance to the field itself when Jeremiah spotted someone walking down a side hallway, heading toward them. He gestured to Villetta, Kewell, and the other purists and they stopped before pressing against the wall as the enemy neared closer.

Jeremiah glanced over his shoulder and nodded once. Kewell, making sure the silencer was attached to his gun, raised it and fired a single shot that slammed into the head of the enemy. As the enemy slumped forward, Villetta shot forward and caught him before he could hit the ground, preserving the silence.

Lowering the enemy quietly to the ground, she nodded and the purists took off again down the hallway. They neared the entrance to the field and Jeremiah crouched down, pressing his lips together as he gazed at the large group of hostages that were seated around home plate, the Frost twins among them, while the terrorists roamed the area. He quickly counted them and held up his free hand twice to the rest of the purists who nodded: ten enemies.

They were outnumbered but only slightly. However, Jeremiah knew he had to be careful because the terrorists could easily turn their guns on the hostages, and Major Frost and Lieutenant Frost, and Prince Lelouch would not be happy if he not only lost two members of his Royal Guard but also a score of innocent civilians as well.

It still surprised and faintly amused Jeremiah that his prince would gain the moniker of 'Demon Prince' when he knew that Prince Lelouch was not the demon the media painted him as. However, the media only had what happened at Sapporo, and only one perspective of Sapporo at that, to go on when deciding what Prince Lelouch was like. Jeremiah had known him longer.

He pushed the thought out of his mind and focused on the matter at hand. Ducking back a bit, he whispered, "Ready?"

"Yes, sir," Villetta, Kewell, and the rest of the purists said before they followed Jeremiah as he led the way onto the field, using the stands as a barrier to keep the terrorists from seeing them. As they walked toward the field, Jeremiah noted that the terrorists were all gathered on the field but he wasn't sure if there were enemies within the stands themselves.

"There are no enemies in the stands themselves, by the way," Moore's voice said. "We've moved to our secondary position. Just give the command, Your Highness, and we'll provide support."

"Wait until Jeremiah and his men get into position," Prince Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

. . .

Lelouch watched the scene from the confines of the temporary base that Mayor Livingston had given him and the Black Knights for the purposes of the mission. Suzaku was seated cross-legged with his back resting against the wall while Lloyd was pouting nearby as Cecile watched on in exasperation. The only other person in the temporary command center was the mayor himself; the rest of the Black Knights were scattered throughout Akita should the fight move outside of the baseball field, which Lelouch hoped would happen. If that happened then not only would the Black Knights have the element of surprise but Rayne and Kay would be able to get the hostages to safety using whichever route Jeremiah did not use.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Livingston asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

Lelouch was trying hard not to snap back at the mayor. Livingston was a coward, plain and simple, and he was constantly questioning Lelouch's decisions and he was racist to boot. That was clear by the way he kept glaring at Suzaku as if he was a roach that shouldn't be there.

But, while he did want to lash back at the mayor, he held his tongue.

"Yes, I am sure it will work," Lelouch said in a clipped tone, not taking his gaze off the surveillance footage that was focused on and around the baseball field.

"It just seems so unlikely that it will work. Are you sure?" Livingston asked again.

"Yes. I. Am. Sure. It. Will. Work," Lelouch ground out, fighting hard to keep himself calm.

"If you say so," Livingston said dubiously. "I mean, I know you're the Demon Prince who won against the Liberators but you're so young that I just can't see how this plan of yours will work."

"Then simply watch it work," Lelouch said.

Livingston fell silent and Lelouch watched as the conflict began, Jeremiah and the purist faction were locked in various dog fights with the terrorists and the fighting had drifted outside of the stadium. He switched the view over to the other surveillance footage where he knew Rayne and Kay would be leaving with the hostages.

He frowned when he noticed something off though, a blinking light in a room near the northern gate. "Lila, I just noticed something's off. Check the area around the northern gate," he said.

"On it, Your Highness," Lila said.

"Does this mean your plans going to fail?" Livingston asked. "I mean if you saw something..."

Lelouch gritted his teeth together. "We won't know until we know just what it is I spotted. The terrorists may have had a fail-safe installed to ensure that they would win no matter what," he said.

"Then why didn't you do anything about that?" Livingston asked.

"I am not omnipotent, Mayor Livingston. In every battle, one must always be aware that there might be variables that one is not expecting," Lelouch said simply.

"Your Highness, I've found something. It appears to be some sort of detonator and it's set to go off in three minutes and counting," Lila's voice said.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "They wouldn't..." He trailed off as he realized that they might. "Lila, see if you can disarm it. Contact Dimitri. Either he can help or he can connect you to someone who can." Without waiting for Lila to reply, he quickly connected to Kay and Rayne and said, "You need to get those hostages out of the stadium now!"

"Understood, Your Highness," Rayne and Kay said.

"Do you think they'll be able to get all of them out in time?" Suzaku asked.

Livingston glared at Suzaku again. "You were not given permission to speak in front of His Highness, Eleven," he spat.

Lelouch's temper was really in danger of breaking and he forced himself to remain calm. "Mayor Livingston, my men have the right to speak in front of me and ask me questions if they so wish. Warrant Officer Kururugi, I have faith in Major Frost and Lieutenant Frost's abilities," he said.

Suzaku looked relieved.

"He's a filthy Eleven! He shouldn't even be here. He's just an expendable after all," Livingston exclaimed.

Lelouch's eye twitched as Livingston continued to speak, spewing insults toward Suzaku and causing Lelouch's already fragile temper to get even more brittle.

"He shouldn't even be in the 11th Regiment. What did he blackmail you with to get you to agree to let him join?"

"Mayor Livingston..." Lelouch began but Livingston cut him off.

"And he's the late Prime Minister's son! I have no doubt he'd betray you in an instant if given the chance," Livingston ranted.

"I would never..." Suzaku began but Livingston didn't seem to be listening to him.

"Mayor Livingston!" Lelouch shouted and Livingston broke off abruptly and turned to face the amethyst-eyed prince.

"In case you have forgotten, we are in the middle of a campaign and your incessant ranting is distracting me. Please be more professional, Mayor Livingston," Lelouch added before returning his attention to the footage, lips pressing close together, ignoring the sputtering mayor. At the northern gate, Rayne and Kay guided the hostages out of the baseball field. They just barely cleared the gate beneath the stands when the bombs went off, spraying grass and debris in all directions. The bombs had, apparently, been spread out through the stadium because the stands, lobby, restrooms, and concession stands were caught in the explosion. The explosion temporarily halted the fight between the terrorists and the purist faction.

Lelouch keyed on the communicator as the area in which he'd last heard from Lila and Tadashi had also been caught in the blast. "Lila, Tadashi, status report," he said firmly.

"We're okay, Your Highness, somewhat," Tadashi's voice said. "Lila got hit by some falling debris and isn't very coherent at the moment."

"Get clear of that building before it collapses and return to the rendezvous point," Lelouch said.

"Yes, You Highness," Tadashi said and grunted. "Damn, she may be small but Lila ain't that light."

Lelouch's lips quirked. "I advise you to not say that around Lila when she's more coherent," he said.

"No kidding. I ain't got a death wish," Tadashi huffed and fell silent.

Switching over the communications to the Black Knights hidden throughout the city, Lelouch gave them orders to engage the enemy. He then contacted Rayne and Kay. "Rayne, Kay, have you gotten the hostages clear?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Highness. They're safe. What are your orders?" Kay asked softly.

"Lend your support to Jeremiah, though I doubt he's going to be needing much help," Lelouch said as he turned his gaze to the dog fights occurring around the southern gate. With the inclusion of the rest of the regiment, the terrorists were quickly getting overwhelmed and it wasn't long before the few that were still alive were throwing down their arms and surrendering.

"Take them into custody. We can process them when we return to Tokyo," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah said.

"I'm surprised. I would've thought you wouldn't let them live," Livingston said. "Maybe your moniker is a bit misleading since you're obviously too soft."

Lelouch ground his teeth together; the last thing he wanted was for others to see him as soft. An idea came into his mind and he adopted a demonic smirk as he glanced at Livingston. "Why show them mercy by giving them a quick death? By arresting them, we can extract information out of them before having them executed," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh I see. So they're going to be an example to others to not cross you or you'll destroy them?" Livingston said.

Sure, let's go with that. "I thought I made that abundantly clear at Sapporo," Lelouch said simply and returned his gaze back to the footage as the battle came to an end.

. . .

October 12, 2016

One week had gone by since the terrorists were defeated, and the survivors surrendered, and the Black Knights were still stationed in Akita. According to Lelouch, Mayor Livingston wanted him to remain behind for a while longer while the mayor worked on stabilizing the city. Rayne seemed to think that Livingston wanted to use Lelouch's reputation as a way of deterring another terrorist attack for as long as possible.

From what Kay knew about Akita, it was one of the hotspots of terrorist activity since the attack on Sapporo back in January but he only learned that because of the citizens that he'd spoken to. Apparently, Livingston had tried to handle the matter on his own and didn't ask for help from General Andon and, when the terrorists left, he didn't think that they would return, until this incident and, only then, did he ask for help.

"It's actually pretty nice here," Parker commented as he walked alongside Kay. The two of them were walking along a bluff overlooking the Sea of Area 11; Parker had asked Kay to join him for a morning walk and, deciding that he may as well, Kay had agreed.

He and Parker were getting along great and even Rayne was warming up to Parker. While he was still a little upset about what his so-called 'parents' had said about him and Rayne, he was glad that Parker didn't seem to be adhering to their parents' words.

"Yeah," Kay said.

"That's one reason why I'm glad I joined the military. You can visit a lot of different places," Parker commented, his hands tucked into the pockets of his uniform and his head tilted back to gaze at the cloudless blue sky. He then turned to gaze at Kay. "Where's Rayne, by the way?"

"She went to challenge Suzaku to an unarmed fight for some reason in the park."

"Oh?" Parker raised an eyebrow. "So is there someone who can actually beat Rayne in an unarmed fight?"

Kay thought about Suzaku and how skilled he was at fighting. "It's possible," he said.

"Let's go watch. If we're lucky, we can catch the end of it," Parker suggested. "My money's on Rayne winning."

Kay smiled. "Ten bucks says Suzaku wins," he said.

"Deal!"

. . .

Tadashi mused that this was the first time he'd ever seen the two best unarmed fighters that he'd seen in action during basic training go at it against each other. They were doing well keeping the other on their toes; they were both quick and strong, though Suzaku seemed almost graceful when he fought. Tadashi wondered just who'd taught him martial arts; he, himself, had been taught, briefly, by his parents when he was little but never really developed an interest in it. He knew enough to defend himself but that was it.

"What's going on?" Tadashi looked to the side to find Lila standing next to him, watching the fight bewildered. A week had gone by since Tadashi had carried the barely conscious Lila out of the reined stadium building and Lila had thanked him by kissing him on the cheek the following day. He still blushed at the memory, still surprised that the pretty girl had kissed him, even if it was only on the cheek.

"Rayne challenged Suzaku to a fight and he accepted," Tadashi said, managing to fight off the blush that memory had brought up.

"Why?"

"I dunno. To pass the time? She thought it'd be fun? I walked in when they were already starting so I didn't get a chance to ask," Tadashi said.

Lila frowned but Tadashi was distracted by the fight before she could say anything else as Rayne flipped Suzaku over her head, only for him to twist in midair, land a roundhouse kick against her temple and then land lightly on his feet as Rayne was thrown to the ground.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, moving to Rayne's side.

Rayne held her head. "Ow, that hurt," she complained.

Suzaku gave her a sheepish smile and held out a hand. "Sorry," he said.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Rayne said, taking the hand and letting the brunet pull her to her feet. "Nice move though. I guess I'm never gonna get those pictures now."

"Speaking of those pictures," Tadashi said with a grin as Suzaku and Rayne walked over to join him and Lila. "What was Lelouch's reaction to 'em?"

Suzaku smiled. "He laughed for a good five minutes," he said.

Rayne pouted.

"By the way, if you two are here, who's with Lelouch?" Lila asked.

"Dimitri and Jeremiah," Suzaku said. "Lelouch decided that he didn't want the office he'd been given packed so he's only allowing two members of his Royal Guard to remain with him at all times."

"Speaking of that, Kay and I are supposed to replace Jeremiah and Dimitri soon," Rayne commented. "Now where did my annoying little brother go?"

"I'm older than you, Rayne," Kay's voice said and the four of them turned to find Kay walking over to join them with Parker at his side.

"I see the fight's over. Who won?" Parker asked.

"Suzaku," Rayne said.

"Damn it!" Parker pouted as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a ten dollar bill, and hand it to a smirking Kay.

Rayne blinked as realization dawned on her. "You betted against your own sister?!" She exclaimed.

"Well, Parker was so confident that you would win, I decided to go for your opponent," Kay said with a shrug. "At least I'll have enough to buy some ice cream later."

"You're buying me one too," Rayne said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah. By the way, Suzaku, have Lelouch and Dimitri seen those pictures yet?" Kay asked.

"They both have and found them very amusing," Suzaku said.

"It was not funny," Rayne growled, folding her arms across her chest with a huff. She then unfolded her arms, walked over to Kay, and grabbed his arm. "We've gotta get to work. Laters, you guys." Without another word, she dragged her elder, but shorter, twin brother toward the temporary command center of the Black Knights.

"Well, that was entertaining," Tadashi commented, stretching his hands above his head and started walking backwards away from the park, glancing at Lila. "So what do ya say to getting some thing to eat, beautiful?"

Lila looked away, a light blush on her cheeks. "Um, sure, I can eat, but stop calling me that," she said, adding the last part quickly, though there wasn't much heat in her voice.

Tadashi was so startled that he didn't see the bush until he tripped over it and was sent tumbling onto the pavement of the sidewalk that enclosed the park. "Ow!"

Lila bit her lip, clearly trying not to laugh, as she walked over to join him. "That's why you need to watch where you're walking," she chided, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, yeah," Tadashi huffed but took the hand and pulled himself to his feet. "But...you really wanna go out to lunch with me?"

Lila shrugged and looked away. "I guess," she said.

I'll take it. "Then let's go! See ya later, Suzaku," Tadashi said with a grin, slinging his arm around Lila's shoulders and guiding the bewildered Lila away from the park.

. . .

October 25, 2016

Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse

It was Tuesday afternoon in the last week of October and the ballroom of the Student Council Clubhouse was decorated. Pink and purple streamers crisscrossed along the rafters above, pink, purple, blue, and green balloons were taped on the walls or floating randomly on the ground. Two tables were set up at the center of the ballroom, one was covered with foods while the others had chairs around it, except for the place at the head; pink tablecloths were draped over both tables while purple asters and pink carnations were poking out of the vases that dotted the table. Scattered on the table without the food were origami cranes in various different colors.

At the head of the table sat Nunnally. The princess was smiling brightly as Sayoko placed the slice of chocolate cake with raspberry filling and whipped vanilla frosting in front of her. On either side of the plate were wrapped presents and cards. The rest of the Student Council were seated around the table, chatting with each other or Nunnally and taking bites of their own slices of cake.

"Thank you so much for this, Milly," Nunnally said with that contagiously bright smile on her face.

Milly smiled back. "Oh think nothing of it, Nunnally. You only turn fourteen once!" she said.

"Yeah, who made this cake by the way? It's delicious," Kallen said, swallowing a bit of her cake. It really was; she has always been a fan of chocolate but this cake was so good.

"Sayoko did but she used Big Brother's recipe," Nunnally said, swallowing her own bite of cake. "When Big Brother started baking, he would always make me a cake for my birthday from scratch. I always thought it was the most delicious cake I've ever had. I think it's cause Big Brother made it for me and it was made with love."

Kallen smiled sadly, thinking about her own brother. Naoto couldn't cook to save his life, let alone bake, but he would, sometimes, try during holidays or Kallen's birthday. The kitchen in his apartment always ended up being a disaster zone after his attempt but the food didn't taste that terrible.

She glanced around at the Student Council members, minus Tara, who were seated around her and smiled to herself. Over the course of the past several months since she'd started attending Ashford, she'd become friends with the Student Council, except that bitch Tara, and Nunnally. There was no denying that. While she knew that she would still fight back against Britannia in a heartbeat, she now knew that the Britannians weren't all bad.

As she thought about that, her thoughts went to Lelouch, to the Demon Prince of Britannia, and a small frown crossed her lips. He was going to be a dangerous enemy, there was no doubt about that, but it wasn't as if her big brother's resistance could do anything. Naoto's death had shattered and scattered the group and Ohgi didn't yet have the confidence to take over where Naoto had left off. At least, not right now.

But she would worry about that later. Right now, she had a party to enjoy.

"Do you think your brother would be willing to give me the recipe to this cake?" she asked as she chewed on another piece.

"I can ask him," Nunnally said. She smiled sadly and added, "It's really weird. This is the first birthday I've spent without him."

"He's here in spirit, Nunna," Shirley said.

"He hasn't even called me to wish me a happy birthday," Nunnally murmured and then shook her head, adding, "I feel so selfish saying something like that. I mean, I know Big Brother's very busy with his work with the military but it's just..."

"We understand, Nunna," Shirley said.

Just then, a phone rang, causing Rivalz to jump. Kallen snickered as Sayoko pulled her phone out of her pocket, flipping it open. "Yes?" she said into it and nodded once before turning to Nunnally. "Mistress Nunnally, it's your brother."

"Speak of the Devil..." Milly said. "Put it on speaker, Sayoko."

Sayoko nodded and put the phone on the table, turning on the speaker phone as she did so.

"...Tadashi, give me back my phone now! Suzaku, no, you can't sing to save your life. Don't give me that look, you know it's true," Lelouch's voice exclaimed over the phone.

"But it's her birthday! We should sing to her!" the voice that Kallen figured belonged to Tadashi said.

"Even if it is her birthday, I don't want my poor little sister's ears to start bleeding because a certain someone—Suzaku—makes nails on a chalkboard sound great," Lelouch said dryly.

"I am not that bad," Suzaku exclaimed.

"Yes, you are."

"We should do it though. I can duct tape Suzaku's mouth shut if you want," a girl's voice said.

"...You're just trying to get back at me for giving copies of those pictures to everyone, aren't you?" Suzaku said.

"...Maybe."

"Jeremiah, please get my phone back from Tadashi, would you?" Lelouch said impatiently.

"Yes, Your Highness," the voice that Kallen recognized as Jeremiah Gottwald said.

"Noo. I wanna sing to Lelouch's beautiful sister," Tadashi whined.

"Give the phone back to His Highness," Gottwald said firmly.

"Lila, don't you wanna sing happy birthday to the birthday girl?" Tadashi called, not seeming to have heard Gottwald's words, or just ignoring them. Kallen really wasn't sure. She could tell by the looks on the faces of the rest of the Student Council that they were finding this interaction very amusing though.

"I can't sing that great but it is tradition," another girl's voice said.

"See? Lila agrees..." Tadashi's words were cut off by a yelp and a crash.

"I got your phone back, Lelouch," Suzaku said cheerfully.

"Ow! Why did you use that damned spinkick on me?" Tadashi exclaimed.

"Thank you, Suzaku, and it's not like you went through the window, Tadashi," Lelouch said, his voice sounding a little bit louder now that the phone was closer to him.

"Well, it was close!"

"We're on the first floor. At worst, you'd end up in a bush," Lelouch said, sounding faintly amused as he added, "again."

"That was not my fault! Rayne was the one who knocked me down that hill," Tadashi protested. "Speaking of Rayne, you thinking of starting a dog-care business? Dogs love giving you baths after all."

"Grr!"

"Whoa, calm down, Rayne, calm down," a soft voice said. "Put down the paperweight, Rayne. I doubt Mayor Livingston will be happy if you break a window throwing that at Tadashi's head."

"Eep. Um, isn't Nunnally still on the phone? Shouldn't we be wishing her a happy birthday or something?" Tadashi asked nervously as if expecting that girl Rayne to chuck a paperweight at his head.

Kallen mused that if the girl wasn't in the military, they might have gotten along great.

"I've been waiting for you since you're the one who took my phone," Lelouch said dryly.

"Well, let's sing for her!" Tadashi exclaimed.

"I don't think it would hurt if we sing for her," that soft voice said. "If you're really afraid of causing Nunnally's ears to bleed, we'll just go with Rayne's suggestion and duct-tape Suzaku's mouth shut."

"You two really are twins, Kay," Suzaku grumbled.

Lelouch chuckled. "Fine. Lila, go fetch the duct tape," he said.

"That's not necessary! I won't sing!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's get to it!" Tadashi said eagerly.

"...Why are you so insistent…? You know what, I don't even care. You should participate too, Jer," Lelouch said and snickered again and Kallen heard grumbling in the background.

"Very well, Your Highness," Gottwald said.

"Dimitri, you've gotta sing too!" Tadashi shouted.

"Is that really necessary?" Another male voice asked warily.

"Yes! Of course it is because...well, it just is!"

"Real sound reasoning there," Rayne said dryly.

Kallen didn't know what to make of what she was hearing, other than that it was rather amusing, but it sounded almost as if Prince Lelouch had a rather friendly and casual relationship with some of his subordinates. As she thought about it, she realized that she was seeing—or, rather, hearing—a side of the Demon Prince that few got to see, the side that she'd seen a few times such as when she'd met Lelouch for the first time or whenever Milly and the others would speak to him on speaker phone when he called Nunnally.

It made him seem less Demon Prince and more human.

Kallen wasn't sure how she felt about that revelation.

"C'mon, let's get started," Tadashi said eagerly.

"You're impatient to start," Kay mused but it wasn't long before a chorus of voices sounded over the phone.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Nunnally, happy birthday to you!"

Nunnally was smiling, her face bright with happiness. "Thank you, Big Brother," she said.

"You're welcome, Nunnally," Lelouch said.

"What about us? Are we just chopped liver or something?" Tadashi whined.

"Thank you to your friends too, Big Brother," Nunnally added.

"You're welcome, beautiful," Tadashi said happily and then yelped in pain. "Ow! Why did you throw a paperweight at me, Lelouch?!"

"Sorry," Lelouch said, not sounding sorry at all but his next apology was a genuine one. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for your birthday, Nunnally. Things got a bit chaotic where I am and it looks like I'm going to be stuck in Akita for anywhere from another week to another month."

"I understand, Big Brother, but thank you for calling," Nunnally said.

"How has your birthday been so far?" Lelouch asked.

"It's been good, Big Brother," Nunnally said. "Milly threw me a little party and Sayoko made that raspberry-filled chocolate cake with vanilla frosting that I love. She did a pretty good job but I don't think she's figured out your secret yet. By the way, Kallen wants the recipe."

Lelouch hummed in thought. "I'll think about it," he said. "I'll be sure to give you your gift when I get back. I found something here in Akita that I think you'll like."

"Oh thank you," Nunnally said.

"You're welcome, Nunnally. By the way, I have some news. I've been so busy that I haven't had the chance to tell you," Lelouch said.

"What is it?" Nunnally asked.

"I've chosen my Knight of Honor."

"Wow, that's big," Rivalz commented. "I mean, aren't Knights of Honor people that their prince or princess trust with their lives?"

"Yeah. I gotta admit I'm a bit surprised too, considering Lelouch's trust is very hard to come by," Milly said.

"That's great news, Big Brother. Who is it?" Nunnally asked.

"I'm not saying," Lelouch said. "It's going to be a surprise, Nunnally, but I think you'll be happy with my decision."

Nunnally tilted her head to the side curiously. "Can I try and guess?" she asked.

"You may but please don't tell anyone who you think it is," Lelouch said.

Nunnally hummed, her brow furrowed in thought as if considering Lelouch's words before realization dawned on her face and another beaming smile crossed her face. "I think I know who it is! And if it is who I think it is then I can understand why you don't want anyone to know until after the knighting ceremony," she said.

"I have to go now, Nunnally," Lelouch said. "I have some work I need to get done. I love you, Little Sister, and I'll see you in, hopefully, a couple of weeks."

"I love you too, Big Brother," Nunnally said.

"Have a good rest of your birthday, Nunnally," Lelouch said.

"I will, Big Brother," Nunnally said with a smile.

Lelouch repeated his goodbyes to the rest of the Student Council before hanging up.

Sayoko retook the phone and closed it.

Kallen went back to eating her slice of cake as she watched Nunnally happily begin opening the cards from Euphemia, Cornelia, Clovis, and Schneizel, though she had to have Sayoko read the cards to her. Then she went on to her gifts, thanking everyone who'd given them to her; Milly got her a set of braille books that were the next in the series that Nunnally was reading, Shirley got her a set of body sprays, Rivalz got her an origami kit, and Nina got her a couple of audio books. After she finished unwrapping those gifts, she picked up Kallen's gift and gently began to unwrap it. She gently pulled out the carefully crafted music box, running her fingers over it.

"Open it," Kallen said.

Nunnally turned her face to her but opened it, gasping when the piano music of the folk song hana started playing out of the music box. "Oh. It's that hana song. It's so pretty," she said with a smile.

"It took me a while," Kallen admitted, "I had to search quite a few places for it but I remembered that you liked that song and your brother used to sing it to you so I thought you would like it." She felt a tad bit embarrassed but the bright smile that crossed Nunnally's face made that embarrassment go away. She really did like Nunnally.

She could never be her enemy, never.

Kallen had been lying a bit when she told Nunnally that she had to search for it. She'd always had that song. Her father, back when he'd been a good father, had recorded her mother playing that song when she and Naoto were little and Kallen had managed to find the recording and hide it in her room when her bitch of a stepmother came into the picture.

"Thank you, Kallen. I love it," Nunnally said, closing the music box to preserve the battery.

"You're welcome, Nunnally," Kallen replied.

. . .

November 11, 2016

Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement

"Home at last!" Tadashi exclaimed, throwing his hands above his head happily.

Suzaku rolled his eyes at his friend in amusement. He couldn't blame him though. It felt nice to be back in Tokyo after spending the last almost five months abroad and, even if Suzaku didn't really have family to return to, he was glad to be back. After spending almost a month and a half in Akita, everyone was glad for the chance to finally visit their families and, generally, just get a chance to relax.

"Tadashi," Lila scolded. "We're in public. Show some proper decorum."

"Sorry," the burnt-orange-haired Honorary Britannian said sheepishly.

Suzaku and Lelouch's Royal Guard were currently standing in the hangar of the Tokyo Military Base with Jeremiah and Lelouch talking nearby. The rest of the regiment were milling around, talking with their allies, while the injured had already been escorted to the medical ward and the prisoners were taken in to be questioned.

It wasn't long before Lelouch ordered the Black Knights to rest and allowed them to go on leave for the time being. He then walked over to join his Royal Guard and Suzaku with Jeremiah walking behind him.

"Come, we're heading to the Viceroy's Palace. I have to inform Clovis of my new position. After that, we're going to Ashford Academy," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri, Lila, Tadashi, Kay, and Rayne said.

"You're coming with, Suzaku," Lelouch added, casting a sidelong glance at Suzaku who blinked at him. "Nunnally will want to see you anyway."

Suzaku smiled. "You're not going to drag me into the meeting room again, are you?" he asked.

"Only if you act like a stubborn moron," Lelouch said, lips quirking in amusement.

. . .

Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement

The group of eight approached Prince Clovis's office with Lelouch in the lead, relaxed for the first time in a while, even with the weight of his new responsibilities on his shoulders. He couldn't help it; he was finally back in Tokyo and he would be reunited with his little sister soon enough. A lot had happened the past almost five months but, at the very least, it seemed as if Lelouch was succeeding in garnering a reputation and prestige. When he'd arrived at the Viceroy's Palace, quite a few people had given him a wide berth while murmuring under their breath about his new moniker and discussing his victory over the Liberators.

When Lelouch reached the office, he raised a hand and knocked on the door.

There was a moment of silence before "Come in!" sounded.

Lelouch pushed open the door to find Clovis looking toward him with Bartley standing next to him. Clovis stood up. "Lelouch, welcome back," he greeted him warmly, though his eyes were guarded.

"It's good to be back, brother," Lelouch said as he made his way into the room with his Royal Guard and Suzaku just behind him.

"I must say, congratulations on defeating the Liberators," Clovis said with a smile that seemed rather forced and his eyes took on a slight hint of bitterness. "From what I saw and heard during Mr. Ried's commentary, it was an impressive victory."

"Indeed. The Liberators were a formidable enemy but not unbeatable," Lelouch said as he took his seat in front of Clovis's desk and Clovis sat down as well.

"Now then, what brings you here, Lelouch? I would've thought that you would've visited Nunnally first," Clovis said with a knowing smirk on his face.

"I would have," Lelouch conceded, "but Schneizel told me that I was to inform you of my new orders as soon as I got back to Tokyo."

"What new orders?"

"I've been promoted to Brigadier General and am taking over General Andon's duty and focusing on eradicating the terrorist threat here in Area 11. I have also been chosen to be the new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11," Lelouch replied.

Clovis blinked, a brief sense of panic crossed his eyes but it was gone in a split second. Lelouch frowned to himself and kept what he saw in mind. "So it would appear Father wants you to experience the political field now that you've proven yourself more than capable in the military," he commented.

"That is what I believe as well," Lelouch said tonelessly.

"Well, I certainly won't mind having a Sub-Viceroy. There is so much work associated with my position that it will be nice to be able to share it," Clovis added. "Hmm, perhaps I can arrange a party to celebrate this new appointment."

"Ah, that won't be necessary," Lelouch said quickly, grimacing inwardly at the thought of attending another one of his brother's 'parties'. "Besides, I'm going to be busy the next week. I have a Knighting Ceremony to organize as well as work with my new positions to do."

Clovis hummed. "That does sound like a lot to do. Fine. Fine. I won't organize a party for this but you've gotta let me organize the reception party for after your Knight's Knighting Ceremony," he said.

"That won't be necessary either, brother," Lelouch said.

"Nonsense. Choosing a Knight is always a big deal," Clovis said.

Until you find out just who I chose, Lelouch mused, knowing full well that Clovis was going to be shocked and not happy, at best, by his decision. He wasn't planning on changing his mind though; Suzaku deserved it and there was no one else that Lelouch trusted enough to be his Knight. Even Jeremiah didn't have quite the same level of trust that Suzaku did, though he was getting close.

"I won't accept no for an answer," Clovis said firmly.

"Fine but on one condition," Lelouch said finally. "We'll have it at Ashford so Nunnally can attend without getting mobbed by the media"—he knew that the ceremony, itself, would be well protected—"and we can ensure her safety. I do not want thatassassin to be given another shot."

Clovis nodded. "I can understand that. It's a shame that we're still turning up dead-ends in our search for that assassin," he said. "It's almost as if he vanished into thin air."

"If they know that you're actively searching for them then it is very likely that they've gone to ground and also likely won't resurface until they believe that you've given up on looking for them," Lelouch said simply, inwardly seething that there was still no news on just who tried to assassinate his little sister. He decided that he would take over the investigation himself as soon as he started working as Sub-Viceroy; he would find the bastard who tried to kill his little sister and it was very likely that the bastard was not going to survive the encounter.

Lelouch stood up before adding, "Now, if you will excuse me..."

"Of course, of course," Clovis said, waving his hand dismissively and Lelouch turned on his heel before heading for the door to the office.

. . .

Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse

"..."

"So? What do you think?" Tara asked quietly. She had just spent the last ten minutes explaining her brilliant, in her eyes, plan to kill the princess. She had been quiet about the entire matter since the middle of July but now she felt like she could do it.

"I had really thought that I'd gotten through to you but it would appear that I did not," B.B. said with a small sigh.

Tara scoffed. "What about her brother?" she demanded. "Even if the princess isn't a threat, her brother definitely is." She'd seen the birth of the Demon Prince along with the rest of the Student Council.

"Then go after him. Leave the princess alone," B.B. said coolly.

"But I can use her against him! It's obvious that she's his weakness! I can use that against him!" Tara exclaimed. "I can kill her and that'll weaken him!"

"Or make him stronger than ever. Not everyone caves into despair when they lose a loved one, Tara," B.B. said warningly.

"We don't know that he won't," Tara said.

"We also don't know that he will. Your idea relies on the idea that the prince will react as you think he will react. You don't know him well enough to assume just how he would react should something happen to his little sister," B.B. said. "Look, all I'm saying is that it is Prince Lelouch that is the enemy, not Princess Nunnally. As I have already told you, she is but an innocent, disabled girl; Prince Lelouch, on the other hand, is the Demon Prince of Britannia who succeeded in defeating the Liberators, being one of only two to ever accomplish that. He is the enemy, not Nunnally."

Tara growled. "It doesn't matter just what Nunnally is. I can use her against Prince Lelouch and that's what I'm gonna do," she declared.

She was positive she heard a head colliding with a wall or a desk. "Damn it, Tara! Why the hell are you so damn stubborn?! Okay, fine. I'll just take some advice I should've taken a long time ago. You are being a stubborn moron! If you continue along this path, you are going to get killed! I suppose this is my fault. When I told you that the Emperor's children helped govern the country, I should have mentioned that only some of his children help govern the country; there are some that have no part in how the country is run or are not part of the military. And those are the ones that should be left alone! Nunnally is part of that category."

"I don't believe you," Tara shouted. "You said that I should go after his children!"

"My exact words were 'It isn't just the Emperor who governs his country,' Tara. Where in all of that do I say that you should go after the children who are not part of the people who govern the country?" B.B. growled, sounding incredibly frustrated.

"Shut up!" Tara screamed into the phone. "It's clear that you aren't going to help me achieve my goal anymore! I don't care that I have a contract with you. I don't care that I have to fulfill your wish. I'm done! I'm gonna do things my way so leave me the fuck alone!"

There was a long moment of silence. "Very well then. Consider me gone, Tara," B.B. said coolly, though there was a slight sliver of regret and sadness in his voice. "Perhaps if you come to your senses before you make a fatal mistake then you can come find me. For now, I will leave you alone. Goodbye, Tara. Your power is yours to keep. I cannot take it from you but, even though we will still be linked until you die, consider our contract null and voided." There was a click and silence on the other end of the phone.

Tara glared at the phone and threw it into the wall so hard that it shattered, sending pieces of glass and metal to the ground.

"Tara?"

Tara quickly adopted a mask of fake happiness as she turned to find Shirley standing in the doorway, watching her with concern in her eyes. "Oh, hey Shirley," she greeted her with a happy smile.

"Are you okay? Why'd you throw your phone into the wall?" Shirley asked confused.

"It was giving me a hell of a lot of problems and I just lost my temper. Was there something you needed?" Tara asked.

"Oh, right, Milly wants everyone to meet in the ballroom. Lulu's coming by the visit and she wants everyone to be there to greet him. She also wants to introduce you to him," Shirley said.

"Oh, okay," Tara said, that fake smile faltering just slightly but she forced herself to keep it on as she stood up and followed Shirley out of the meeting room.

. . .

Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse

Lelouch walked into the ballroom with Suzaku and his Royal Guard walking in right behind him, at his insistence. Jeremiah took up a position by the door just to be on the safe side while the rest just wandered nearby, looking around. The ballroom was done up with a few decorations as well as tables on which some platters of food were placed.

"Whoa, this place is neat!" Tadashi said. "And it's huge! It's like the size of my entire house."

"It's really nice," Lila commented. "Kinda reminds me of home a little bit."

"I used to live here with Nunnally before I rejoined the Royal Family," Lelouch said.

"Whoa, really? Nice," Rayne said.

The door opened and Milly came jogging into the room, pouting when she spotted him. "Lelouch! What are you doing here? You're early!" she complained, folding her arms across her chest.

"I didn't realize there was a certain time I was supposed to be here," Lelouch said dryly, raising an eyebrow. "Though I can't say that I'm surprised you're throwing a party. I'm honestly surprised you didn't throw an entire festival."

"Didn't have enough time or money for that matter," Milly said with a shrug and turned around. "Rivalz! Nina! Hurry up with those desserts. Our guest of honor is early! And where the hell is Shirley, Kallen, and Tara?"

"We're here," Shirley said, walking into the room with an aqua-haired girl walking just behind her.

Lelouch glanced curiously at the newcomer that he figured was Tara Archer, the newest member of the Student Council, and froze when he caught sight of those dark eyes…

Very familiar dark eyes…

Due to his eidetic memory, Lelouch always remembered details that he saw, including people's face and, even though her hair was different, this girl had the same exact eyes as…

"Lulu! You're back," Shirley exclaimed, rushing forward and tackling Lelouch in a hug, jolting him out of his thoughts and throwing him off his feet with a yelp.

Suzaku burst out laughing and was quickly joined by Rayne and Tadashi while Lila and Kay seemed to be trying hard, and failing, to hide their amused smirks.

"Shirley, it's good to see you too, but really?" Lelouch said, raising an eyebrow at the orange-haired girl that was straddling him, which brought a blush to his cheeks.

A bright flash filled his vision and Milly exclaimed, "Ha! I knew I made the right choice in bringing my camera! Shirley certainly missed ya, huh? Though maybe you two should get a room, eh?" She waggled her eyebrows and there was no missing the implication.

"Milly!"

"Madam President!"

Lelouch and Shirley shouted at the exact same time, Shirley was beet-red while Lelouch was trying, and failing, to hide his own blush.

"Well, considering the position you two are in, I'd say that I gave some good advice," Milly said with a big perverted grin.

Shirley blinked and then yelped and jumped off Lelouch when she realized the rather compromising position they'd been in. "I'm so sorry, Lulu," she cried, the blush on her face deepening.

Lelouch sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "Don't worry about it, Shirley," he assured her and glared at Suzaku, Rayne, and Tadashi. At the very least, they were starting to calm down, though they were still grinning in amusement.

The door opened and Rivalz and Nina came into the ballroom, guiding a serving cart filled with a few more platters of food. Through another door, Nunnally was being wheeled into the room by Kallen, holding a couple of flowers in her hand.

"Thank you for taking me to the school gardens, Kallen," she said.

"You're welcome, Nunnally," Kallen replied meekly.

Lelouch wasted no time going to his little sister's side as Kallen brought the wheelchair to a stop and knelt down beside her, taking the hand that wasn't holding the flowers.

"Big Brother!" Nunnally cried in greeting and, pulling her hand from Lelouch's, she wrapped them around Lelouch's neck. He curled his arm around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head as he held her. "You're back!"

"I'm back, Nunnally," he murmured softly, lifting his head and gazing down with a fond smile at his little sister.

"You're early," Nunnally said as she released him and sat back in her wheelchair. "Milly was gonna throw you a surprise party but you got here too soon."

"No one told me I had to be here at a certain time," Lelouch said simply.

"Is Suzaku with you?" Nunnally asked.

"Yeah, so is Jer," Lelouch said, lips quirking at the nickname as he cast a glance over his shoulder and gestured for Suzaku and Jeremiah, the latter of whom was grumbling again at the nickname, to join him.

"Great," Nunnally said brightly.

"It's good to see you again, Nunnally," Suzaku said, resting his hand on hers and she took it before squeezing it.

"Hello, my princess. You're looking well," Jeremiah said as Suzaku released Nunnally's hand and she stretched it out toward the orange-eyed young man who took it.

"Well, looks like we've got a lot of introductions to go through," Milly commented. "Why don't we sit down and eat and then we can do the introductions?" (1)

"Food sounds good. Ohhh, I see watermelon!" Tadashi said excitedly.

Lelouch rolled his eyes in amusement as he stood up and turned toward the Student Council, lips quirking into a slight frown when he briefly locked eyes with Tara. The girl held his gaze for a long moment before she looked away but not before he caught a glimpse of panic in their dark depths.

Is she really the one from the museum? Lelouch thought.

. . .

November 18, 2016

Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement

The Knighting Ceremony was due to begin at two in the afternoon and Diethard was still unaware of who Prince Lelouch had chosen to be his knight. He'd tried to find out but it would appear that the only one's who knew were the prince, his soon-to-be Knight, and, possibly, his Royal Guard and neither the prince nor the Royal Guard were talking. He didn't know what to make of that; he honestly had no clue as to why Prince Lelouch would keep his Knight of Honor a secret until the actual ceremony.

He suspected that he was missing something but he didn't know what.

At the very least, he was thankful that Prince Lelouch had agreed to let him be in charge of the live broadcast that would be seen all across the world. He was glad that he would be able to stick close to the Demon Prince of Britannia; there was no denying that he was an enigma and intriguing and Diethard was looking forward to documenting him more. He'd already documented that historic victory at Sapporo, which had earned him great praise from various news stations and newspapers and even his rival Quill, and he was looking forward to what else the Demon Prince had to offer.

And it would seem that the Demon Prince's Knight was going to be another surprise that he couldn't wait to report on.

Already, he could see the mass of noblemen and women making their way into the ballroom for the ceremony. All of them looked puzzled and he could hear snatches of their conversations, suggesting that they also didn't know just who Prince Lelouch had chosen as his Knight.

Prince Clovis also showed up along with Princess Nunnally, Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard, and even General Andon but the appearance of Prince Schneizel took Diethard by surprise. He hadn't expected the Prime Minister of Britannia to journey all the way to Area 11 for a simple Knighting Ceremony.

"Brother Schneizel, what are you doing here?" Princess Nunnally asked sweetly when Prince Schneizel moved to her side to greet her.

"I had some business to take care of with Earl Asplund anyway so I decided to attend. Besides, I wish to speak with Lelouch after the ceremony," Prince Schneizel said, taking the princess's hand when she held it out to him.

"Does Lelouch know?" Prince Clovis asked.

"Yes. I called him a few days ago to inform him that I would be visiting today," Prince Schneizel said simply.

Diethard didn't hear anything else that was said between them as more nobles entered the room, forcing him to backtrack out of the way to avoid getting run over by them. By the time they'd all walked past and Diethard was able to get close enough to hear something more, the subject had changed to the question that he was sure was plaguing everyone's mind.

"So does anyone know who Lelouch chose as his Knight?" Prince Clovis asked.

"I do but Big Brother told me not to tell anyone," Princess Nunnally said.

"Why not, Nunnally?" Prince Schneizel asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nunnally smiled. "I think it's because of who it is," she said. "Big Brother probably thinks his Knight will be in danger if people found out who he was before the official ceremony."

Diethard's brow furrowed in puzzlement. Why would he think that? Unless...is it possible? But if that's true then...

Prince Schneizel's light purple eyes filled with deep thought and he hummed to himself but said nothing. Diethard had this odd feeling that the Prime Minister of Britannia had figured out something but wasn't likely to tell anyone what he figured out.

But then Diethard was in the same position. He had a feeling he now knew why Prince Lelouch was keeping who his Knight was a secret until after the ceremony.

. . .

Suzaku paced in his room, his nerves starting to get the better of him. He felt the sudden urge to leave the Viceroy's Palace and never look back but he forced himself not to. He had already agreed to this decision and he couldn't back out of it now; he couldn't just abandon Lelouch like that, not after what his friend was putting on the line just to give Suzaku what he felt he deserved. However, that didn't make him any less nervous.

He hadn't even gotten changed into the new uniform that he'd be wearing as Lelouch's Knight of Honor, though he still had forty-five minute before the ceremony again. He bit his lip as he stopped in his pacing and gazed out the window that overlooked the grounds of the Viceroy's Palace.

This is what I wanted. I wanted to rise in the ranks and Lelouch even told me that I'd earned this position and yet...I don't want it to reflect badly on Lelouch, Suzaku thought soberly. He wanted to think that Lelouch knew what he was doing, since his friend always did, but he couldn't help but worry a little bit.

Don't worry. Lelouch knows what he's doing. He always does, Suzaku told himself firmly and took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. It wasn't helping much.

He glanced at the time, biting his lip when he noticed that only about ten minutes had gone by. Deciding that he'd put it off for long enough, he walked over to the uniform and changed into it before picking up the sword. The sword was excellently crafted with a slender silver blade and a black hilt encrusted with a few emerald gems. It was Britannian-made, naturally, but Suzaku could see some Eleven influence in the design, such as the slight curve to the slender blade.

He sheathed the sword again before attaching it to his belt and turned around to take a look at himself in the mirror.

He really didn't look like himself.

He was dressed in a long-sleeved gold-trimmed white overcoat that went to his waist with white pants; on his shoulders were golden epaulettes and he had a white belt wrapped around his waist attached to which was the sword. A gold trimmed black cloak was resting around his shoulders. (2) All in all, he did not look like a normal Honorary Britannian or, even if the color scheme was similar, the pilot of the Lancelot; he looked like a noble.

And it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

He took a deep breath again as he glanced at the clock and saw that he was starting to run out of time. I'm going to have to head to the ballroom soon, he thought.

And yet his nerves still wouldn't go away.

Focus, Suzaku, this is what you wanted, for one, and Lelouch trusts you, for another. You can't betray that trust, Suzaku told himself firmly and forced himself to adopt a mask of neutrality.

He already knew there as going to be a bad reaction among the nobles when they found out that Lelouch had chosen an Honorary Britannian to be his knight. So he would have to be perfect; he would have to show the Britannian nobles that he was worthy of the honor Lelouch was bestowing upon him.

No matter how hard that was going to be, he would do it.

. . .

It was a few minutes before two when Lelouch finally made his appearance in the ballroom where the Knighting Ceremony would take place, his gold-trimmed black cloak sweeping around his feet as he moved purposely toward the throne at the front of the ballroom. He briefly spotted Schneizel sitting beside Nunnally who was happily chatting with him and his lips twisted just a little bit; with an assassin who'd tried to kill Nunnally still on the loose, Lelouch had been very reluctant to allow Nunnally to attend the ceremony, despite initially believing it would be safe enough. After much convincing from Nunnally, and promises form his Royal Guard that they'd watch out for her, he finally agreed.

It wasn't as if he really could say no to his little sister anyway.

Clovis was also there, naturally, as was General Andon and Diethard was standing at the back of the room, video camera already in position on his shoulder as he prepared to 'document' the Knighting Ceremony.

He even spotted Kallen seated in the audience. He made a mental note to track down Kallen during the reception party; he hadn't had a chance to thank her personally for warning Nunnally about the assassination attempt.

Lloyd and Cecile were also there, the two heads of the A.S.E.E.C. were seated a few rows down from where Schneizel was in the first row.

Reaching the head of the ballroom, he sat down on the throne and waited. The ceremony was due to begin any minute now and Lelouch could hear people talking about who he had chosen to be his Knight of Honor. He had to stop himself from smirking. They are in for a shock, he thought as the ceremony began.

Everyone stood and turned as one when the doors to the ballroom swung open and Suzaku was revealed.

Lelouch resisted the urge to smirk again at the looks of utter shock that dominated the face of everyone presence. The only ones who didn't seem shocked, who didn't already know, were Diethard and Schneizel; Diethard figuring it out was a bit of a surprise but he wasn't at all surprised that Schneizel had, somehow, figured it out. If anything, Nunnally probably told him without realizing she'd told him. Clovis was certainly in shock; his jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide. It was only a quick look from Schneizel that prompted him to close his mouth.

Once the surprise started fading away, Lelouch could hear the whispers between the nobles as Suzaku continued his walk to the head of the ballroom.

"He chose an Eleven?"

"That damn Eleven must have conned him into doing it. There's no way the Demon Prince would, otherwise, chose a worthless Eleven as his Knight."

"Damn monkey should've just remained an expendable rather than tarnishing the Demon Prince's image."

"He's so worthless."

"Or, could it be that the prince actually swings that way?"

"You idiot! Don't say that so loud unless you want the Demon Prince's wrath down on your head."

"Tch, that damned monkey."

To Suzaku's credit, he didn't so much as flinch from the insults that were being thrown his way. Lelouch, on the other hand, was getting more and more irritated with the constant insults but he forced himself to ignore them. He just reminded himself that what the nobility were saying wasn't important and so he didn't have to listen to it.

Suzaku came to a stop at the head of the ballroom and Lelouch stood up, walking over to join the Honorary Britannian as he knelt down, crossing a fist over his heart and meeting Lelouch's gaze with calm, determined emerald-green orbs.

"Suzaku Kururugi, do you swear to uphold the virtues of loyalty, compassion, truthfulness, and generosity?" he began with calm, amethyst eyes and an even voice.

"I do," Suzaku replied evenly.

"Do you swear to protect and defend those who are unable to defend and protect themselves?"

"I do."

As the first part of the ceremony ended, Suzaku grasped the hilt of his sword and withdrew it, holding it out, hilt first, for Lelouch to take, one hand resting under the blade with the tip pointed at his heart.

Lelouch stretched out a hand and grasped the hilt of the sword as he went on with the rest of the ceremony.

"Do you swear to protect and defend me with your life should it be necessary?"

"I do."

"Do you swear your allegiance to me as my Knight of Honor?"

"I do."

There was no hesitation whatsoever in Suzaku's voice as he made the two most important vows of the ceremony and his eyes held resolution in their depths.

Lelouch remained calmly expressionless, though he was hiding the sense of satisfaction within, as he stated in a calm, clear voice, "Then I, Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia, do dub thee,"—he lifted up the blade and gently rested the flat of it on Suzaku's right shoulder and, lifting it over his head, rested on his left shoulder—"Sir Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Honor and vassal of the house of vi Britannia."

There was pure silence from the crowd as Lelouch calmly handed the sword back to Suzaku who took it and swiftly slid it back into its scabbard before, at Lelouch's gesture, he stood up and turned around to face the crowd.

Cheering started almost immediately from a certain, very happy brown-haired princess.

Nunnally was clapping, a wide, happy smile on her beaming face. She was quickly joined by Schneizel who clapped politely, though his gaze was fixed on Lelouch, studying him. Tadashi, Rayne, Lila, Kay, and Dimitri started clapping as well and Jeremiah reluctantly joined in. Lloyd and Cecile also joined in, the latter of whom had a look of motherly pride on her face. Eventually, the rest of the nobles started to join in, though it was clear that they weren't happy about it.

But he honestly didn't care what the nobility thought. If they weren't happy with his decision, so what? It was his decision and everyone knew that once a Knight was chosen and Knighted, it could not be changed. And, while Lelouch knew his reputation was going to take a hit, he didn't care.

. . .

Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse

Later that day, the reception party that Clovis had organized was in full swing. While Clovis, himself, hadn't been happy with Lelouch's choice of knight, he still made good on his promise to organize the reception party. There weren't quite as many people as Schneizel thought there would be though, given that it was a party organized by Clovis. He had a feeling Lelouch had something to do with that.

He watched as Lelouch spoke quietly with the red-haired daughter of Earl Stadtfeld, thanking her for warning Nunnally and saving Nunnally's life.

Schneizel sipped at his wine, also watching as the party continued, even if an aqua-haired girl who was working with the dark-green haired girl didn't seem particularly happy. Schneizel then noticed the way the girl was glaring at Nunnally, rather than Lelouch, and frowned a little to himself, not knowing what to make of that. He kept it in mind, though as he turned his gaze away from that girl and studied his brother's new Knight.

Lelouch walked over to join him, a glass in his own hand as he came to a stop next to the White Prince of Britannia.

"I must admit, I was surprised by your choice, Lelouch," he said, turning his attention away from the new Knight who was talking with Nunnally and a couple of Lelouch's friends from Ashford.

Lelouch hummed but didn't answer.

"Why an Eleven?" Schneizel asked.

"He deserved it," Lelouch said simply.

"Oh? How so?"

"For one, he has saved my life more times than I can count and, for another, I trust him far more than I trust a lot of people," Lelouch said.

Schneizel hummed. He knew that Lelouch rarely ever gave his trust to anyone. He didn't know what Kururugi had done to earn Lelouch's trust but was clear that he had. "The reputation you have managed to gather is going to take a hit with this," he said.

"I know," Lelouch said.

"Fortunately, it will not affect you much. You may not know this but your reputation after defeating the Liberators increased so much that you having an Eleven as your Knight will probably not even dent it," Schneizel added. He knew that was primarily because of the media's spin on the story since he knew, from the report itself, that the victory at Sapporo was not nearly as brutal as the media painted it as. He was sure Lelouch knew that as well but was just letting the media paint that reputation about him, and was likely going to ensure that he actually lived up to that reputation. What better way to prove himself useful to the Emperor after all and, though Schneizel knew of how much his brother loathed the Emperor, he would do anything to prove himself useful to the Emperor to keep Nunnally safe.

And actually living up to the reputation of the Demon Prince as painted by the media would definitely accomplish that.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing.

"Lulu!" Shirley called and Lelouch and Schneizel turned to find the beautiful orange-haired girl jog toward them. She paused when she came to a stop in front of them and, flushing in embarrassment, quickly bowed. "Oh, um, I mean, Your Highness..."

"Relax, Shirley. I've already told you that you don't have to call me that. Was there something you needed?" Lelouch asked.

"Oh, um, well, it's just that...erm..." Shirley stammered out, looking flustered before she finally blurted out, "willyoudancewithme?"

Lelouch blinked. "I didn't quite catch that, Shirley," he said.

"Um...er..." Shirley looked like she was about to bolt.

Schneizel's lips quirked into a slight smile. "I believe the young lady would like you to dance with her, brother," he said.

Shirley's face went red but she neither confirmed nor denied Schneizel's words.

Lelouch smiled a little as he held out a hand. "I'd be honored to dance with you, Shirley," he said.

Shirley's cheeks were still red but she rested her hand in Lelouch's and he guided her onto the dance floor as the song changed from a fast, upbeat song to a slower one.

Schneizel watched impassively as his thoughts drifted to his own plan. Lelouch's Knight wouldn't pose that big of a problem for his plan but Schneizel resolved to keep an eye on him just in case.

. . .

Shirley could still feel the blush heating up her cheeks as she and Lelouch danced across the floor. She was resting against him, her head pillowed on his chest and her arms around his neck while his arms were resting on her lower back as they danced to the soft music that echoed in the background. She could hear Lelouch's heartbeat and his gentle breathing and found it rather relaxing, a soft smile on her face.

She lifted her head off Lelouch's chest. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?" Lelouch asked, looking down at her with puzzled amethyst eyes.

"For agreeing to dance with me, Lulu," the orangette said.

Lelouch gave her a little smile that caused her stomach to fill with butterflies. Why did he have to have such a beautiful smile? "Anytime, Shirley," he said. "By the way, I'm thinking that we can have our date next Friday."

"Uhh, sure, yeah, that sounds great," Shirley said, flushing. Gees, what happened to act like myself? She thought.

The song ended and Shirley stepped back, looking up at Lelouch who was watching her curiously. Before she could realize what she was doing and stop herself, Shirley leaned forward and pressed her lips against Lelouch's.

Lelouch blinked in surprise but, to Shirley's own surprise, he gently kissed her back. She let out a small gasp, which allowed Lelouch to deepen the kiss just a little, and she found her eyes fluttering shut as she leaned into the kiss.

She quickly yanked back, eyes wide and cheeks red as she realized what she just did. "I...I'm sorry," she blurted out, ripping herself from Lelouch's arms and bolting in the opposite direction, leaving a bewildered prince behind.

. . .

Lelouch watched Shirley run off in bewilderment. He wasn't entirely sure why Shirley was apologizing or why she'd just bolted like that.

"You know she likes you, right?"

Lelouch blinked and turned to find Rayne standing at his side, watching the orange-haired girl run off with faint amusement in her eyes. "What?" he said.

Rayne gave him a long look. "She likes you, probably loves you," she said. "I saw the way she looked at you, Lelouch. And the way you looked at her while you were dancing, it's clear that you feel something for her too. Right?"

Lelouch was silent for a long moment as he turned to where Shirley ended up running into Milly who was now teasing her. His mind drifted to that kiss, to the feel of Shirley's soft lips pressed against his own, to the way that kiss made him feel. He couldn't describe it at all and yet he found that he wanted to hold Shirley like that again. Was Rayne right? Did he feel the same way for Shirley as she did for him?

"You love her," Rayne said matter-of-factly.

"I..." Did he?

"You're either just too stubborn or to blind, and I'm willing to bet it's the latter, to see it for yourself. Just go and spend time with her, Lelouch, and I'm sure you'll open your eyes to what you truly feel," Rayne said and shoved him in the direction Shirley had gone.

He stumbled forward and glowered at her but she just gave him a smirk and gestured for him to go, that smirk fading into a look of reassurance.

He frowned but turned toward where Shirley was still being teased by Milly and decided that he might as well.

He certainly didn't know if he really did love Shirley or, perhaps, it was just as Rayne said and he was blind to what he truly felt.

But maybe Rayne was right and maybe if he spent some more time with Shirley, he could finally figure out just what he felt for the beautiful orange-haired girl.

. . .

(1) The Tales of Geass will have a oneshot depicting these introductions in an extended scene. I couldn't fit it in this chapter (it was already getting too long).

(2) I kinda pictured this as, somewhat, like Suzaku's Knight of Zero outfit.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: well, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I added a little bit into Schneizel's thought process close to the end there, as well as in Diethard's POV, to explain Lelouch's sudden reputation and why it was created as soon as it was

Bakura: who cares?

Blaze: you're annoying

Suzaku: wasn't there something else you wanted to say?

Blaze: right. I'm wondering. In light of the fact that I am less than thirteen chapters away from finishing the prewritten chapters of this story...yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I didn't finish it before the end of May. The last few weeks of May were hectic what with getting used to my new job and all that...um, where was I going with this?

Lelouch: your other CG story

Blaze: right. I am going to post a new CG story this Sunday (not tomorrow or Saturday since I'm working long days tomorrow and Saturday) and, right now, Fall Into Dusk is the one that I am furthest in, in terms of prewritten chapters, but it's also my most complicated one, which is why I am hesitant about posting it until I have revised it and smoothed out plot holes. The New Revolution is only five and a half chapters into it but I am working on that as well but it also is not quite that smooth either. In other words, both of them will be in need of edits and revision (similar to how RotBK is being revised as it's being posted).

Luciano: (still falling) get to the freaking point!

Kallen: (peers over the edge of the cliff) I think he's realized that he's never going to stop falling

Suzaku: probably

Blaze: anyway, my point is which story should I post the first chapter of on Sunday? Fall Into Dusk or The New Revolution? I'm undecided so I'd like my reviewer's opinion so let me know please?

Lelouch: nonetheless, Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. She will post the next chapter on Sunday at around the same time that she posts the first chapter of her new CG fic.

Suzaku: so, until then, thank you for reading!