Chapter 17: Knight

For a moment no one made any kind of noise, they simply watched in silence the masked man who had just entered.

"Finally!" Tamaki exclaims, breaking the silence as he stands up to slap the masked man on the back a little too hard. "For a moment I thought it would take you hours to return!"

"Sorry for the delay, it was a bit more difficult than I originally thought it would be," Zero fixed his gaze on Nunnally. "Are you done arguing, Your Majesty?"

"Ah?" Nunnally can't help but stare at Zero, she doesn't understand how he could act so calm. "Suzaku, how did you...? Suzaku, please be honest with me this time, please?"

Zero slowly approaches the Empress. "Is something wrong, Your Majesty?"

"N-no," Nunnally replies, forcing herself out of her thoughts. "We just finished arguing, we were just waiting for you."

"I see," Zero sits down next to Nunnally. "Again, I apologize for not being able to be there, but I'm glad to know I didn't keep you waiting for long."

Cecile looks worriedly at Zero. "Are you sure everything ended well in your business, Su... Zero?"

The aforementioned nods. "I appreciate your concern, Miss Croomy, but believe me when I tell you it's all settled."

"I-I see..."

A strange awkward silence pervades the room, causing everyone to simply go quiet for a moment, even when most have no idea where all the awkwardness of the situation is coming from.

Finally, Nunnally, not being able to take it all any longer, approaches Zero to whisper to him, "Is everything alright, Suzaku?"

"I won't die," the masked man answers immediately, also in a whisper, surprising the young woman by the speed of the answer.

"Huh?"

"I won't die," Zero turns his head slightly, so that he can look Nunnally straight in the face, making her flinch for a moment as she manages to feel Suzaku's eyes fix on her, even though his face is still hidden by the mask. "I can't say anything else at the moment, but as soon as I can, I'll tell you everything... And I promise you that I will live, that I will not die for anything in this world, that is something I can promise you, Nunnally."

The young Empress only remains silent as she cannot believe the words of her old friend, but almost unconsciously, a faint smile, but full of hope, appears on her beautiful and youthful face. "It is a promise."

"Yes, a promise," Suzaku for a moment just admires Nunnally's smile. "I still have a lot to do, I still have a lot to pay for. I... No! I already promised myself that, I can't break that promise...! Lelouch, I really don't know what exactly I should do, but I know I can't die now, I must live, for Miss Cecile, for Nunnally, for the Zero Requiem, for... our promise. This is my punishment, for all the evil I did, for all the sins I committed, just as it was your punishment too, Lelouch. I know it will never be enough, but Nunnally is smiling, smiling like she hasn't smiled in so long... I hope that smile is enough for now."

"I-is everything all right?" Ohgi asks, managing to get enough strength to do so.

Zero nods, immediately turning his head to look at the others, who were staring at the duo. "Forgive me, I had to give some private news to Her Majesty about what I had to deal with, but it's already resolved."

Nunnally nods enthusiastically. "Yes, Zero just had to tell me something, but it's all settled now."

Cecile, who had been more worried than anyone else seeing the exchange between the two, can't help but let out a sigh of relief. "It looks like everything is fine, Suzaku must have said something... But, we still have a lot to do."

"Looks like Suzaku was able to figure something out, I'm glad," Tohdoh looks with a small smile at the duo, though his expression quickly changes to one of seriousness. "Now the problem, is to see if Suzaku can ever come to terms with it."

The others in the room are also relaxing as they see how happy Nunnally looked, feeling as if they had managed to dodge some kind of bullet.

Zero, seeing the others calming down, let out a small fake cough. "Well then, we should continue with the next episode."

"Don't you wish we told you what we discussed?" Schneizel looks at Zero with a strange smile. "We were able to figure out quite a few things and it would be hard for everyone if later when we talked about it, you got lost because you didn't have the right information.

For the first time since arriving in the room, Zero shows a reaction beyond simply responding when spoken to, as down the young man's back, a slight, almost imperceptible shudder takes over. "Schneizel, you..."

Guilford, not noticing Zero's flinch, nods at the former prince's words. "It would certainly be a problem if you didn't understand after what we talked about, and I doubt spending a few minutes to summarize what we said would really be a problem."

"But Zero just came in from dealing with an important matter, it wouldn't be good to burden him with too much information," Cecile says trying to create an excuse so that Suzaku doesn't have to listen to what they discussed, knowing that it could end badly. "Suzaku obviously must still have a lot on his mind, I can't let him hear what we talked about now."

"He'll fill his head with more information watching the episode anyway," says Tamaki, waving his hand dismissively as he doesn't notice the scientist's tone. -Better to tell him now than later.

"But..."

Unexpectedly, Zero raises his hand, making Cecile stop to look at him, making the masked man look back at her. "It' s okay, I thank you again for your concern, Ms. Croomy. But Mr. Tamaki is right, it would be best if I heard it now," a small bead of sweat runs down the man's face under the mask. "I must listen to it, I can't keep running, I can't keep running from them, from their gazes."

"Splendid," Schneizel felt his smile grow. "Well, then we should start from the beginning, about why Mr. Kururugi ended up killing his own father."

Suzaku immediately grits his teeth, trying to endure another shudder. "Calm down, I must try to stay calm, I can't let this get to me, not now."

"In itself, we came to the conclusion that Mr. Kururugi's action was due to three main possible factors; the first was obviously the fact that the former Prime Minister was seeking total resistance, something Mr. Kururugi obviously did not approve of," Schneizel says in a kind tone that concealed his true thoughts. "I hope you can give me a good show, Mr. Kururugi."

Zero nods. "Yeah, that was the reason why... I ended my father's life."

"The second factor was the Punch that the Prime Minister gave to Mr. Kururugi, because we think that the adrenaline that Mr. Kururugi must have felt, plus the pain of the blow, could have made him act instinctively, without really thinking the situation through."

"And the third factor?" Zero asks while trying not to think too much about the theory he just heard. "Could I really have...? No, that doesn't matter now."

A small chuckle escapes the blond Britannian man's lips. "The third and final factor was that Mr. Kururugi may have been angry with the Prime Minister from before, for the fact that he at one point planned a political marriage between himself and Her Majesty," Schneizel turns to look at Nunnally, causing Zero to do so as well. "Thanks to Mr. Tohdoh's words, we learned that Mr. Kururugi didn't approve of that decision either, and that he even offered himself to marry her."

"They talk about that?" Suzaku feels a slight discomfort as a modest blush began to cover Nunnally's face. "I really never expected that topic to come up again, and they think it was one of the reasons why I... I killed my father? I really don't know what to say."

"What did you think of the factors we arrived at, Zero?" Schneizel asks. "Do you think there's anything else we should add, or do you disagree with any of the factors?"

Zero shakes his head. "I can't really say I know much about Mr. Kururugi on a personal level, so I'll rely on what you guys think is right, after all many of you knew Mr. Kururugi in a deeper way." Zero lightly bites his lip. "Besides, it's not like I can really say anything, I can't let you guys know too much about what I know, even if... No, I have to forget that for the moment."

"So that's how you plan to treat things. Well, this can be fun too," Schneizel thinks as he nods. "I see. Well, the next and last thing we discussed on the topic was how it all ended up affecting Mr. Kururgi, emotionally and mentally."

And once again, Zero struggles with all his might to keep his whole body from shaking at the blond's words. "I guess I should have expected this from you, Schneizel."

"Well, we did come to the belief that Mr. Kururugi obviously suffered quite a trauma from the situation, getting to the point where he was in denial for quite some time, as if he had somehow forgotten what had happened," the former prince's smile becomes almost mocking. "I wonder, are you still in denial now somehow? Or were you already able to get rid of that denial completely? Ha, this has really gotten fun."

Zero nods. "Yeah, up until that point I really didn't want to acknowledge what had happened to my father, I didn't want to accept that I had ended his life."

"Along with that denial, we also saw that Mr. Kururugi obviously felt guilty about everything, after all he had not only killed his father, but had to witness the ravages of war soon after, even though one of the reasons he killed his father was precisely to prevent the Japanese from dying in the war," Schneizel looks at Zero with interest, making the masked man feel like he's prey. "Finally there would be the fact that we think we know what Mr. Kururgi's reason for joining Britannia is, being that we could see that his ideology about the right way to do things was probably born from the consequences of killing his father, seeing that by using nefarious methods to achieve something, he kept having to witness all the destruction of the war."

"Calm down, calm down, don't get upset," Zero feels sweat break out all over his body, having to remember the ideology he had tried to follow for so long. "That's true, but still I... I..."

"Looks like something is breaking," Schneizel looks amused at Zero, being able to notice the small changes in his behavior. "The second point that explains the reason why Mr. Kururugi decided to join Britannia is his suicidal feelings, since as I said before, Mr. Kururugi suffered a great guilt for what he had caused, so he somehow came to think that death would be the best way to pay for what he had done, and that way he could try to follow the ideology he had invented by saying he was trying to change things from within, all being quite paradoxical actually," a small laugh comes out from Schneizel.

For his part, Zero seemed to be on the verge of completely breaking down listening to Schneizel's words as he feels the gazes of everyone in the room on him, trying with all his might not to show the others what a mess his thoughts were. "I... No... Lelouch... Euphy... No! Calm down, calm down, you already promised it wouldn't be the same! I must keep it, I must keep this promise!"

"Is everything all right, Zero?" Schneizel asks, still smiling. "If you didn't understand something, I'd be happy to tell you again, I'll tell you as many times as you want."

"N-no!" Zero replies more forcefully than he intended to. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about everything you told me, but I think I was able to understand everything."

"It certainly gives quite a bit to think about, especially for you," Schneizel gives a small bow, able to hide his smile of amusement for a moment. "If you say so. Well, that was only what we discussed about Suzaku, there were still several other things we talked about."

"Brother Schneizel, I think it would be best if I told that to Zero," Nunnally says a little nervously. "You've... done enough, so I'd like to be the one to tell Zero the rest, so you can get some rest."

"Well, I appreciate your consideration, Your Majesty," Schneizel says as he quickly relaxes in his seat. "Well, I won't refuse such a show of kindness, I'll gladly let you take care of informing Zero of the rest," he looks at the duo as he smiles, "I guess that's enough fun for now, but I doubt it's the end.

Nunnally nods. "Thank you," the young Empress immediately approaches Suzaku to start whispering to him, "Are you all right, Suzaku?"

Zero barely nods. "I-I'm fine, Your Majesty. Please just tell me what else you discussed, so it would be easier."

Taking the hint, Nunnally begins to tell Zero about the other matters they discussed, using the time to allow the masked man to regain his composure.

"I see," Zero says when Nunnally has finished speaking. "Well, I think I can understand everything in general."

"Are you sure?"

Zero nods. "Yes. It would be best if we started the next episode, Your Majesty."

Nunnally continues to stare at Zero for a moment, but finally looks back at the others in the room. "Thank you for waiting, we can now start the next episode."

The others nod, while Nunnally herself kicks off the episode with the remote control.

"The young Britannian Lelouch is faced with a choice between two divergent paths: One leads to the past, in a quest to find his mother's enemies. The other way takes him to the future, where he will create a world in which his little sister Nunnally can live happily. Only Lelouch can choose which direction he will go. Will he follow the path that ends in destruction of the world, or will he travel the road to building a bright new one?"

Tamaki frowns. "Why are they two different paths?"

"It's really strange, one would expect both goals to be connected, after all, Lelouch must deal with his father if he wants to achieve both," Ohgi says holding his chin.

"I'm also concerned about the paths to destruction and creation," Xingke said, holding Tianzi's hand.

Cornelia nods. "It's really strange, I can understand that maybe she means that Lelouch can become good or evil, depending on the choices he makes, but I feel like something doesn't fit, after all he ended up becoming the Demon Emperor, but he didn't destroy the world."

"But he did, my big brother really did manage to destroy the world, just not in the way you'd expect," Nunnally thinks as she remembers Lelouch's last words. "But then he also created a new one... Big brother, does that mean you somehow walked both ways? But..."

On the screen quickly appears the title of the episode; "Knight".

"Knight? That title doesn't give much information," Anya says.

"It's probably something to do with Suzaku, after all I find it hard to believe that we wouldn't see more of him after the end of the last episode," Xingke says.

Ohgi nods. "It's the safest thing."

"This could be when the Master Tohdoh thing happened?" thinks Zero with a frown. "It happened almost right after Mao's and I don't remember anything else major happening before that."

"Suzaku," Lelouch thinks as he seems to be in a classroom. "I finally understand you. You..."

Lelouch is shown in the chapel looking at the door, only to turn his head and see his friend.

"Suzaku, what Mao said..."

Suzaku doesn't say anything, he just stays on his knees on the ground.

Lelouch, for his part, only looks worried. "Did you kill your own father?"

Finally, Suzaku opens his eyes in horror, then turns to Lelouch in fear.

"Dude, Suzaku really looks completely freaked out," Rivalz commented, feeling uncomfortable with the Japanese man's expression.

"I really was, the thought of Lelouch finding out about that..." a shudder runs through Zero's body, causing him to not even be able to finish his line of thought.

"I see," Lelouch keeps looking at Suzaku. "It's not just your secret, is it?"

"Lelouch, I..." Suzaku looks at the ground again.

"I think the old man's name was Kirihara. He claimed that the Prime Minister of Japan, Genbu Kururugi, committed suicide to stop all those in his administration who demanded total resistance." Lelouch's brow furrows "The story was necessary for both Japan and Britannia."

"Thank you."

Xingke nods with a small smile. "It seems Lelouch can also see that it was necessary to lie in this case."

"It's no surprise, after all, he has proven to be in complete agreement that sometimes a lie is the best way to solve some problems," says Rakshata smoking his pipe.

"That's right, Lelouch has certainly proven that a lie can accomplish much more than a truth," Kaguya smiles wistfully. "After all, even now, we're living a peace thanks to one of his lies."

Lelouch, now in a classroom where other students are drawing him, is still thinking, "Frankly, he's at odds with himself because he used to be different. He never gave any importance to another person. It was hard enough for me to kill my half-brother. If Suzaku killed his father when he was only ten, has he been carrying that burden all these years?" Lelouch moves slightly, managing to see Suzaku, who, along with several other students, seemed to still be drawing.

Lloyd lets out a laugh. "It seems His Majesty was also able to figure out a bit of what was going on with Suzaku."

"It's no surprise, after all, he must know Suzaku well, not to mention his intelligence should be enough to be able to understand him," Villetta says.

Ohgi nods. "Yes, it would be strange if he hadn't."

"Come on, Lelouch, stop moving so much!" Rivalz says wearily.

"A" Lelouch is slightly startled by Rivalz's voice, only to shift back into the position he was originally in, while all the students are shown drawing him. "Sorry."

"No," says Rivalz. "You were looking further down."

Lelouch shifts slightly. "Like this?"

"Too much! Higher!"

"Like this?"

Rivalz lets out a groan of annoyance as he stands up to approach Lelouch. "Now your expression is very different from when we started! This must be it. This is more like this. And then like this."

While Rivalz was still scolding Lelouch, Shirley could be seen looking sadly at her sketchbook, which only showed a very incomplete sketch of Lelouch.

"Why does she look sad?" asks Gino. "I thought she'd lost all her memories."

"We don't really know how His Majesty's Geass could have affected her memories, maybe, instead of erasing them, it made them be repressed somehow in the depths of her mind," said Lloyd clapping his hands. "That would explain her attitude, after all she may still unconsciously feel the emotions those memories give her."

Milly frowns. "But Shirley didn't seem to feel anything when she first saw Lelouch, after he used his Geass on her."

Lloyd shrugs his shoulders. "It may have taken time, after all, His Majesty in this case didn't just give a normal order, and we really don't know exactly how His Majesty's Geass can actually affect a person's memories."

"It's a possibility, but we really don't have enough information at this point to make a conclusion," Tohdoh says, folding his arms.

"Done!" said Rivalz proudly looking at Lelouch, who had a completely different position and expression than he had originally.

Anya looks at Rivalz with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean, done? He's not even in a stance or expression like he was at the beginning."

"Yes, he literally looks completely different," Tamaki chuckles.

Rivalz just rubs his neck a little embarrassed. "Agh. I can't believe even they think like that, if it came out perfect for me."

Students start complaining about how Lelouch looked different or that they liked him better with a scowl on his face, while Rivalz tried to defend himself.

Ignoring the noise, Nina sits down next to Shirley.

"Don't we have math next?" asks Nina.

Shirley smiles in response. "It's art week. Prince Clovis had declared it."

Cornelia lets out a sigh. "I still can't believe Clovis would actually declare something like that."

"Really? Personally I always thought something similar would happen once Clovis got the job," says Schneizel amused.

"Oh, I thought he'd be capable of something like that too, but I was hoping he'd focus on taking down the remaining resistance," Cornelia frowned. "But I was really wrong about that."

"We will open Art Week with the dedication of the Clovis Memorial Art Museum," says a Britannian government agent walking through the museum with other agents, Darlton and Euphemia.

"You, Princess Euphemia, will select the first place winner from among these entries," says the second agent.

Euphemia simply walks along admiring the paintings, but stops when she sees one that catches her eye.

The painting shows a beautiful scenery that highlights a pair of houses of obvious Japanese origin.

"What a beautiful painting," Kallen says, leaning forward. "It really does look like a beautiful place."

Ohgi smiles. "It's certainly beautiful, but..." His smile fades. "What's it doing at an art exhibit? I wouldn't have expected such a painting to be displayed, let alone in an exhibition honoring Prince Clovis."

"Maybe the organizer just liked the painting a lot, after all, not all Britannian people looked down on the culture of Japan, some were interested," Sayoko says with a small bow.

"This painting," Euphemia says, turning to look at one of the agents with a smile. "For some reason I like this one!"

"It's a shame that our research revealed that the artist of that one has a quarter eleven ancestry.

Chiba lets out a grunt. "There's nothing wrong with him having Japanese ancestry."

"Though it does explain why the painter would make such a painting, after all, surely he was able to grow up with a more open mind because of his ancestry," Xingke said with a shake of his head.

Euphemia frowns. "Then wouldn't it be better not to have it on display?"

"We must keep up appearances of fairness," the agent replies, making Euphemia slightly saddened.

"Tch, asshole," Tamaki mutters in annoyance.

"In any case, look at that painting over there," the agent gestured to a different painting for the Princess's attention. "It was painted by Duke Nikolai's son."

The painting shows Charles at a podium, making what appears to be one of his speeches. The painting, although of good quality, does not show anything special or that makes it stand out.

Kaguya frowned. "Did they really choose that painting to be part of the exhibition? It's not bad, but I'd expect something more... professional considering the event."

Xingke nods. "The painting isn't really bad, but it doesn't really look like something that should be in such an important exhibition."

"It really doesn't deserve to be there," Cornelia comments, crossing her arms, her words surprising several people.

"You don't think it deserves to be there?" Ohgi asked, looking at Cornelia and not believing what she had said.

Cornelia nods. "Clovis had always been a complete art fanatic, he would have been insulted to have such a mediocre work displayed in an exhibition in his honor."

"I'm sure it would have annoyed him," Schneizel smiled with amusement. "Clovis never really liked propaganda art, he thought it detracted from the work."

"I guess he was still an artist at heart after all," Anya's words make both Cornelia and Schneizel nod.

"Little octopuses," Ohgi thinks as he opens his lunch box at the Black Knights' base. He smiles. "That girl..."

"Excuse me," Inoue's voice makes Ohgi close the box quickly in surprise.

"No! You know, these are..." Ohgi looks at his friend in panic.

Kaguya can't help but frown as she looks at Ohgi out of the corner of her eye. The young girl was annoyed to see that the Japanese man was still hiding Villetta.

Tamaki let out a whistle as he slapped Ohgi on the back. "Lucky dog, I wish I could get home-cooked food from a beautiful woman. You really hit the jackpot, Ohgi."

Both Ohgi and Villetta blush.

"T-Tamaki! " Ohgi looks at his friend with embarrassment. "I-I don't think you should say something like that."

"Why? I'm just telling the truth," Tamaki says, for which Ohgi can only let out a sigh, feeling embarrassed.

Inoue simply bows slightly while ignoring Ohgi's panic. "We have visitors."

"Huh?"

"They also have a presentation from Kyoto," Inoue turns to show the members of the Holy Swords, with the exception of Tohdoh, standing nearby. The members bow in respect.

Rivalz frowns in confusion. "What were you doing with the Black Knights?"

"We went to ask for their support," Chiba replies, looking at the student. "At that time the General had been captured and we saw that we couldn't rescue him alone."

Nina opened her mouth for a moment as she remembered what had happened. "It was when it was discovered that Suzaku was the one piloting the Lancelot, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I remember that," Milly replies as she can remember the event well.

Ohgi immediately stands up, then bows as well. "You're the… Four Holy Swords?"

"I'll get right to the point," Senba says. "We need your help."

"What do you mean?" Ohgi asked in confusion.

"They captured Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh," Senba's words are accompanied by an image of Tohdoh standing in a cell while wearing a prisoner suit. "He sacrificed himself so we could escape."

Chiba purses her lips. "Could this be why the General never told us what happened with Kururugi? Did he think we weren't trustworthy enough? But we had been together with him for so long," unconsciously the Japanese woman's gaze travels to Tohdoh. "Kyoshiro..."

Back in Ashford, Lelouch reappears talking on the phone by the staircase window.

"I see," says the young revolutionary. "We'll help them."

"Are you sure?" Ohgi asks, also speaking on the phone from the base.

"The Black Knights are the champions of justice. There's nothing strange about that."

Ohgi smiles as he makes a hand gesture, which is seen by the Sacred Swords, who are excited to see that they will indeed help them.

"We'll use the B-13 encounter method," Lelouch reports. "Take the knightmares from the section through course 18. You can let Diethard handle it. Also, alert the members of the encounter plan."

Lelouch finally hangs up the phone, only for C.C. to appear next to him in an Ashford uniform.

"I'm sorry I didn't meet with the Chinese Federation," says C.C.

"Why would she apologize?" Gino asks. "Without her, Mao could have escaped."

Ohgi shrugs. "She probably just said it as some sort of courtesy, though it's odd considering we're talking about C.C."

"How did she even know Mao was still alive?" Anya asks. "C.C. didn't seem to have a way of knowing that and seemed to think he was dead."

"Miss C.C. surely had her ways of learning about that," Sayoko says, smiling kindly. "I'm glad to know that Master Lelouch was able to have someone so reliable by his side."

Jeremiah nods passionately. "His Majesty was no doubt fortunate to have her at his side, though Miss C.C. was no doubt even more fortunate to be at His Majesty's side."

"Where did she get our uniform?" asks Rivalz, unable to help but admire C.C.'s beauty.

"She probably stole it or somehow convinced Lelouch to give her one," Milly replies.

"It's weird to think that Lelouch would have agreed to give her a uniform," Anya says, clasping her hands. "He didn't seem to want her walking around the school."

Kallen snorts. "C.C. would have done it whether or not Lelouch agreed to give her the uniform."

Xingke nods. "It's the safest thing given C.C.'s personality, with the uniform at least she hides better in the crowd."

"Everything was reprogrammed. Don't worry too much about it. Changing your identity for me, will only hurt the plan," Lelouch replies, making C.C. look at him out of the corner of her eye. Lelouch for his part, just looks out the window, managing to see Suzaku washing his clothes. "Also, today two pawns I've been watching for a long time will be meeting. And, if possible, maybe one more."

"Then the Demon Emperor was already planning to recruit Tohdoh and the Holy Swords from that moment on," Guilford said.

Jeremiah smiles proudly as he raises his arm. "Obviously. His Majesty no doubt realized how useful it would be to have them as allies."

"And not just because of their abilities," Sayoko adds. "Having them would make the Black Knights even more prestigious, so even more people might decide to join or support them in some way."

"Though it seems he still wants to recruit Suzaku, too," Villetta says, crossing her arms.

"It's no surprise, after all he's still his friend, not to mention he could see Suzaku manage to dodge a turret's projectiles in a very small space," Xingke grins in amusement. "Every person would want someone with that kind of skill on their side."

At the Palace, both Cornelia and Guilford stand near several Sutherlands.

"Today is the execution of Kyoshiro Tohdoh," Guilford says.

"I won't be there," Cornelia says immediately. "The Japan Liberation Front no longer exists."

"And all because of you and the Demon Emperor," Chiba thinks bitterly. "Though I suppose it was that idiot Kusakabe's fault, too."

"Yes!"

"No, wait," Cornelia turns to look at Guilford with a smile. "Let that man carry out the execution..."

Zero feels a chill run through his body. "So that's when it was decided that I would be the one to execute Master Tohdoh."

Gino looks confused at the former Princess. "That man? Who are you talking about?"

No answer comes out of Cornelia, the warrior just keeps staring at the screen with her lips pressed together. For his part, Gino continues to stare at her in confusion, but seeing that he won't get any response from her, he decides to simply go back to watching TV.

"I see, I was right," Tohdoh thinks as he sees Cornelia's reaction. A feeling of annoyance and hatred fills the General's body, but he quickly suppresses it. "No use getting upset about it now, no matter how cruel it was that she did that, in the end Suzaku didn't have to end my life."

"Viceroy!" shouts Euphemia approaching the duo, making them both look at her.

"I'm sorry I called you so suddenly," Cornelia says when she sees her sister. "Is everything all right at the museum?"

"The inauguration will begin this afternoon. What's important is that the N.A.C. reported that there are riots in Ishikawa..."

"They're probably being supported by the US or the Chinese Federation," says Cornelia. "We've also received confirmed information from Gun-Rus. Still, it's a good chance to control the northern coast."

Euphy looks sadly at her sister.

"I'll leave Darlton here. If anything happens, consult with him." Cornelia holds out her hand for Guilford to pass her a book, then presents it to Euphemia. "Also, in relation to what we talked about earlier..."

Euphemia grabs the book and opens it, only to be surprised to see a list with pictures of various people accompanied by their names and personal information.

"You can choose any one of them as your Knight. They are all excellent soldiers, from respected families."

An unexpected burst of jealousy fills Zero's body, unable to help but frown at the thought that any of those people had become the Knight of Euphemia. "Euphy..."

Oblivious to the masked man's feelings, Tamaki guffaws as he sees the names of several of the possible Knights. "What kind of names are those?! They're fucking ridiculous."

"They're certainly quite... quirky," Ohgi grins in amusement at the strange names, but manages to hold in his laughter.

Many others also looked on or laughed at the outlandishness of the names, even Schneizel seemed to be a bit amused by the situation.

"I can't believe anyone would actually call their children that," Kallen says with a chuckle. "Though none of them are as bad as that Baron Schuten's... I can't even say it right."

"Baron Schutenkin Gordiengo the Third is certainly a unique name," Kaguya said as she covered her mouth with her hand, giggling.

Tianzi nods. "It's very funny."

In Ashford, Lelouch, Suzaku and Nunnally can be seen sitting near the entrance to the siblings' residence.

"Yes, the pond freezes over in winter," says Nunnally happily. "Although my big brother scolded me once when he caught me skating on it."

Tamaki looks at Nunnally in confusion. "How could you skate?"

"I used to do it in my wheelchair," Nunnally replies, smiling at the memory. "Sometimes I managed to convince someone on the Council to let me do it, although my big brother wouldn't let me do it after he saw me."

"He was right, that's very dangerous," says Cornelia, nodding at Lelouch's action. "You could have hurt yourself, a wheelchair is not made for ice skating, not to mention the risk of the ice breaking under the weight of the wheelchair."

Even though she was scolded again, Nunnally couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "That's just what my big brother told me. You really sounded like him for a moment, sister Cornelia."

Cornelia's expression changes to one of horror and embarrassment at Nunnally's implication, but she manages to regain some of her composure, with only a small blush still on her face. "That's what any concerned sibling would say, it's nothing more than a coincidence."

"We had a pond at Kururugi Shrine, too," Suzaku says. "It was small, but I used to catch zarigani... I... I mean, crabs, all the time."

"Even then you were correcting yourself, all to try and fit the mold," Tohdoh thinks annoyed as he looks at Zero stealthily. "I really should have done something better to be able to help you, Suzaku."

"Did you catch crabs?" said Nunnally in confusion as she seemed to be drawing with a toy. "How?"

Suzaku smiles. "It's easy. Just tie a string to the leg of a kaeru."

"Huh?" Nunnally looks confused. "Kaeru? You mean the frogs that croak?"

A small smile appears on the faces of many when they see Nunnally's adorable action.

"Yes, although in Japan they do it that way," Suzaku replies as he raises his head. "Kero-kero."

"Kero-kero?"

"Yes. Kero-kero."

They both laugh as they listen to each other.

"I really loved those times," Nunnally thinks smiling as she remembers when she could have fun with Lelouch and Suzaku by her side. "I really wish everything could go back to the way it used to be, when the three of us were together."

Meanwhile, Lelouch, who was nearby reading a book, looks at Nunnally and Suzaku for a moment. "If everything keeps going according to plan, I won't be able to be with Nunnally anymore."

Immediately Nunnally's happiness and amusement disappears upon hearing Lelouch's thoughts, those feelings being replaced by one of apprehension and sadness. "Big brother..."

"Why couldn't Lelouch be with Nunnally anymore?" Rivalz asks in confusion. "He doesn't seem to be having trouble being Zero and still being in Ashford."

"He might be able to handle the double life for now, but there would undoubtedly come a time when Master Lelouch would have to give up one of the two," Sayoko says, looking worriedly at Nunnally. "Master Lelouch sought to wipe out all of Britannia, not just liberate Japan."

Jeremiah nods. "His Majesty, as time went on, would become busier and busier, not to mention there would be many times when he would have to travel the world in order to gain more allies."

"And it's not like he can just take Nunnally with him everywhere, after all Nunnally doesn't know that Lelouch is Zero," Milly says as she can follow the maid and the cyborg's line of thinking. "And we've already seen that Lelouch has no intention of revealing his true identity to anyone."

The more she listened, the feelings inside Nunnally grew. "Big brother, so you were already planning to leave me from that moment... Why? I just wanted us to always be together."

"It still seems strange to me, Lelouch didn't seem to be able to live without Nunnally by his side," Rivalz said, remembering Lelouch's usual behavior when Nunnally was around.

"I doubt Master Lelouch planned to stay away forever, surely he planned to be near Master Nunnally again when he finished all his plans," Sayoko says.

"But in the end that didn't happen, my big brother didn't come back to my side," Nunnally thinks feeling even worse. "It's my fault, it's my fault my big brother isn't here with me. If I hadn't told him all that, if I hadn't called him a monster, maybe things could have been different... Big brother."

Lelouch continues to think. "That problem with Mao also led me to the conclusion that I need someone to protect Nunnally. Whoever that person is, if Nunnally is the one who gives him a reason to live, then...".

"Is Lelouch playing matchmaker?" Kallen blinks, as if she can't believe her own words.

"I wouldn't exactly say that... I think," Nina says in the same state as Kallen.

Several others also looked equally surprised by Lelouch's thoughts, with the exception of two people.

"I can't believe it, Lelouch," Zero thinks, feeling a bitter laugh climb up his throat quickly. "Some damn way, you managed even that... Ha, what a bad joke."

"Big brother, did you really plan this from the beginning? ", a distraught Nunnally clutches her dress tightly. "I love Suzaku, I love him very much, but... he's not you, big brother."

Rivalz shakes his head quickly. "I can't believe it, I never imagined Lelouch could agree to someone being with Nunnally."

Milly nods slowly. "Yes, whenever I joked about Nunnally getting a boyfriend, he got very upset."

"I suppose it shows all the confidence His Majesty had in Suzaku," Cécile commented a little jealous.

Rakshata laughs. "Although he didn't really know what his friend was doing."

Suzaku notices the look on Lelouch's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Suzaku, the truth is that..."

"Suzaku!" Cecile's voice is heard, making both Lelouch and Suzaku turn to see the blue-haired scientist running towards them. "Lloyd says it's urgent!"

"Who is it?" Lelouch asks suspiciously.

Suzaku stands up. "A soldier."

"Are they friends of yours?" asks Cécile to Suzaku.

"Yes!" replies Suzaku looking at Lelouch for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but I have to steal Suzaku for a moment."

Suzaku worriedly looks at both siblings. "But..."

"It's all right," Lelouch assures him. "That guy's not coming back."

"It would be too much if somehow he'd survived C.C.'s shot," Anya says, playing with her cell phone.

Cornelia nods. "A shot like the one he took would kill anyone, even someone who seemed to have the durability of a cockroach like him."

"I wonder what they've done with the body, seeing as Kururugi doesn't seem to know what C.C. did," Guilford says.

Cornelia shrugs. "I don't really care, but I'm sure he's been dumped somewhere where it would take them a while to find him."

"I don't know, it's weird to think that C.C. would just dump the body," Ohgi says. "Maybe they buried it somewhere specific."

"Maybe, but it doesn't really matter at this point where Mao ended up," Xingke says.

Suzaku nods as he starts to leave. "All right. I'll see you around."

"Come back soon, Suzaku," Nunnally says.

"Of course!"

"Suzaku!" Lelouch's words make Suzaku stop to look at his friend. "There's something I want to talk to you about when you get back. It's important."

"What? Now I'll be nervous" Suzaku makes a goodbye gesture, and then he runs away with Cécile. "See you later, then!"

Suzaku clenches his fist. "I still can't believe that from that moment Lelouch had already planned for me to be together with Nunnally... Could things have been different if what happened in my battle with Master Tohdoh hadn't happened? Could everything have been better? Agh, I really don't know, and I don't think I really want to know, either."

Lelouch just watches as Suzaku walks away, but moves to see Nunnally at the sound of her voice.

"Suzaku is really important to them. I'm glad."

For a moment Lelouch is silent, but finally he says, "Tell me, Nunnally, what do you think of Suzaku?

"I love him," Nunnally says immediately.

"Huh?" Lelouch looks at Nunnally in surprise at how direct she was.

Immediately, Cornelia started coughing in surprise at Nunnally's sudden confession. The others in the room also widened their eyes in surprise, while Nunnally simply felt her whole face turn completely red.

For his part, Zero doesn't make a move, too surprised to say anything. "What?".

"But of course, I love you much more, big brother."

"I see."

"Oh, so you meant family love," Ohgi said, thinking he understood the situation.

The others calm down as well, believing that they had simply confused things for a moment.

Cornelia let out a sigh of relief. "For a moment I really thought you might like Kururugi. God, lucky I was wrong."

Zero also shared Cornelia's relief, as he let out a sigh as well. "So that's what Nunnally was referring to. Agh, it should have been obvious that's what it was all about."

Nunnally just remains silent, her face still completely red. "No, I... I didn't mean that. But, I think I'll keep this to myself for now."

Away from Lelouch and Nunnally, in the women's dormitories, Shirley and her roommate can be seen.

"Shirley, I'll go ahead," Shirley's roomate says as Shirley's sketch is displayed on a table.

"Wait!" Shirley protests as she tries to put on her hairpin, but it falls off, causing her to slip between two pieces of furniture, much to Shirley's annoyance. "Oh, my God."

Shirley tries to reach in to grab her hairpin, but she can see that between the two pieces of furniture there is also a completely crumpled sheet of paper.

"Oh no," says Tamaki, grimacing as she recognizes the leaf.

The others share the redhead's sentiments, several widening their eyes at the implications of Shirley finding the paper sheet.

"S-Shirley got that paper sheet back," Milly said, feeling her worry grow with each passing second. D-does that mean she relearned that Lelouch was Zero?"

"It really depends on several factors," Schneizel said as he watched the orange-haired girl with interest. "A single sheet of information wouldn't normally be enough to make someone believe something so important and surprising, but it seems that Miss Fenette already sensed that something strange was going on."

Guilford nods. "That's right, it all depends on how the Demon Emperor's Geass really affected Miss Fenette," Guilford looks at the Ashford members. "Didn't Miss Fenette act as if she had regained her memories? Or perhaps she acted strangely?"

Everyone shakes their heads at the memory of that time.

"N-no, I don't remember Shirley acting like she remembered everything again," Milly replies, gripping her skirt tightly. "Maybe it did happen and I just didn't notice? But then... Shirley."

Xingke sighs. "In the end we can only wait and see what happened, but it was really unfortunate that Lelouch and C.C. didn't notice that paper was in the room."

"It was a mistake," Guilford seconds.

At the Clovis museum, Euphemia and Darlton hold a press conference.

"Is it true that none of the eleven companies had permission to work on the construction of this art museum?" asks one of the reporters.

"Well, as for that question..." Euphemia looks completely uncomfortable.

Darlton quickly reaches for his own microphone. "We're figuring that out, and we can't answer that right now."

"You idiot!" a reporter looks at her colleague. "What's the point of asking Princess Euphemia about politics?"

"Assholes," Kallen says, annoyed at the condescending attitude of the reporters.

"They were certainly idiots," Cornelia thinks as she is also annoyed.

Another reporter stands up. "Kerima of Insterstate. There are rumors that you are about to choose your Knight."

Euphemia is surprised. "Huh? Huh? A Knight. Yes, well, I think..."

"Hey!" the museum director stands up, drawing attention to himself. "Could you limit your questions to what concerns the museum...?"

Euphemia, still unable to answer the question, could only look at the ground depressed.

In another part of the city, the Black Knights are preparing everything for their next operation, especially Tamaki, Minami and Yoshida can be seen treating the Guren.

"I told you not to pile up the hydraulic lines in one place!" Yoshida says.

"That's why I said it's different from a Burai!" says Minami.

Near them, the Holy Swords simply watched them.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to collaborate with the Black Knights?" Asahina asks.

"Is there any other way to rescue Colonel Tohdoh?" Chiba replies.

"There's also what Kyoto said, that they'll send us the new models," Urabe said.

Asahina smirks. "Even so, their principles seem a bit out of place."

Kaguya frowns at Asahina's words. "It's really sad that he couldn't see why we had chosen that path."

"We're not ethnocentric, but after all, you know that..." Chiba looks at his companion.

"We can worry about those details after we rescue the Colonel," Senba says.

"Understood," Asahina replies. "But no matter where Colonel Tohdoh is, my place is at his side."

Tohdoh lets out a sigh. "You were always one of the most loyal people I've ever known, Asahina. I'm sorry I wasn't a good enough leader for you, along with Urabe and Senba, to be here with us."

"Asahina, you really were a great partner," Chiba thinks as she looks wistfully at her former companions. "I wish things could have been like they were before, with you by our side."

Back in Tamaki's group, you can see how he looks annoyed at his friends.

"Look, just get everything inside and close the lid at once!" shouts the red-haired man. "It's almost time to go!"

"Bring it in more carefully!" The three Japanese turn at the sound of a female voice, only to see Rakshata with two other scientists. "It was a hundred times more delicate than you when I gave birth to it!"

Rakshata smiles at the sight of her counterpart. "Well, it's about time for my real debut, don't you think, Earl of Pudding?" The scientist's gaze travels to her rival. "Now the superiority of my beautiful Guren can be better seen."

"You may say that, but the fact that it took you so long to show up just goes to show how unimportant you and your Guren are compared to me and my Lancelot," Lloyd replies with a smirk.

The Indian scientist laughs. "Oh, Earl of Pudding, don't you know that the best always comes last?"

"Please, Rakshata. No need to make excuses, it's okay to admit that my Lancelot is simply superior."

"Not again," Cecile hides her face in her hands as she has to listen to another argument between Lloyd and Rakshata. "Why does this always end up happening?".

Tamaki looks at the woman in annoyance. "Who the hell are you!"

"I am its mother!"

"You're just in time," says Zero approaching the scene.

Rakshata turns to look at the masked man. -"re you Zero? It's a pleasure. I heard all sorts of things about you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Rakshata," Zero says, shaking the scientist's hand. "I've been reading quite a bit about you online for quite some time."

Rakshata raises an eyebrow curiously. "About me?"

"Articles related to medical cybernetics."

"Big brother..." Nunnally can't help but clutch her chest as he understands why Lelouch was reading those articles. "You were always thinking of me, while I... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, big brother."

"I hate talking about the past," Rakshata holds out a rather busy keychain. "Anyway, here."

Rakshata opens her briefcase, revealing a yellow pilot's suit.

"It's a gift from Kyoto," says the scientist.

Suddenly, Kallen arrives wearing a red version of the suit.

"Will this really improve the connection system?" asks the young Japanese girl.

Gino whistles as he gazes at Kallen. "I don't really know if it improves the system, but it certainly makes easy to appreciate, Kallen."

She blushes slightly, but her face shows only annoyance. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak more than necessary, Gino."

"But I'm just telling the truth. Tell me, you really don't want to go on a date with...?"

"No!"

"Of course not," replies Rakshata.

Kallen looks at her in disbelief. "What?"

"Improve your life expectancy," says Rakshata, smiling with amusement.

At night, you can see the prison where Tohdoh is being held. A soldier walks through the corridors and finally stops in front of the Colonel's cell.

"They changed your executioner," the soldier says with a smirk, while Tohdoh keeps his eyes closed. "Senior Warrant Officer Kururugi Suzaku. You should be glad you're someone you know."

Tohdoh finally opens his eyes when he hears his former student's name.

Milly opens her eyes wide, only to quickly look at Cornelia with disgust. "You made Suzaku be the one to execute him?!" Her eyes widen again in realization. "Wait, did you know what the relationship between them was?"

Cornelia doesn't answer, just grits her teeth, making the answer obvious.

"How can you be so cruel?" Kallen asks, looking at the warrior in anger. "Putting Suzaku as his executioner was useless, he has already shown his loyalty multiple times, he has even saved your life several times."

"I know," Cornelia thinks, completely frustrated. "You think I don't know?"

Tamaki thunders his tongue. "What did you expect? We could all see that bitch had no morals whatsoever, we all saw it when she slaughtered everyone in Saitama."

Guilford slams his seat. "I will not allow you to insult her highness like that!"

"And what are you going to do, have me executed?" Tamaki looks at the soldier with mockery. "You're nobody to tell me what to do, and the fact that you're still defending her even after this shit just shows what an idiot you and that bitch are!"

"Take it back right now!" Guilford looks like he's about to throw himself at Tamaki. "Who are you to criticize Her Highness's decisions! You were nothing but an idiot whose only reason wasn't fired from the Black Knights was because your friend kept protecting you, even though you were doing nothing but foolish things!"

Tamaki gets up furious. "What was that!? You want me to kick your ass!?"

"Stop it!" Suddenly a loud bang makes both Tamaki and Guilford fall silent, only to end up looking at the source of the blow, produced by Zero. "What have I told you about behaving like adults? I've had to tell you to calm down several times already!"

"How can I be calm when this idiot defends anything she does no matter what it is!" Tamaki shouts as he points his finger at Guilford and Cornelia. "He just keeps defending her like a robot!"

Chiba nods. "Yeah, literally no matter what she does, he always says it's okay!"

"That's not true!" says Guilford. "I simply won't tolerate people like you, who don't know what kind of responsibilities Her Highness has, criticizing her!"

Kallen laughs bitterly. "Please, literally no one but you agrees with everything she does. If you want to ask, you'll see that no one, not even people in similar positions like Kaguya, Tianzi, or even Nunnally, will agree, or am I wrong?"

For a moment no one says anything, the three girls Kallen had named just remain silent, making it obvious where they stand on Cornelia's actions.

"It's all right, Guilford. You don't have to say any more," Cornelia says, her eyes lowered.

"But Your Highness.

"I said it's fine!" Cornelia's strong words made Guilford stiffen in a moment, while Cornelia herself only sighed. "It's true what they say, my decision to make Kururugi the executioner was useless on a strategic level, I only did it because of my own feelings and desires... Agh, let's just move on with the episode."

An uncomfortable air fills the room, causing no one to do anything for a moment, but eventually Nunnally resumes the video.

In an office, Lloyd, Cécile and Suzaku are sitting in front of a member of the government. Lloyd signs one paper, but is quickly handed another.

"Should I sign it again?" Lloyd asks, annoyed.

"Princess Cornelia may have ordered this, but the formalities must be followed," explained the government member, while from the side Cécile could be seen looking worriedly at Suzaku, whose face seemed to spasm several times. "Changing executioners is a rather special case."

For a moment the scene changes to show the base of the Kururugi shrine mountain, on which the "Tohdoh Dojo" is built. Inside a young Suzaku falls on his butt, while Tohdoh himself simply watches in front of him.

Both Zero and Tohdoh can't help but smile sadly at the scene, both fondly remembering those times.

"Suzaku," Kaguya for her part can only look on sadly. "I really wish things could have been different."

Suzaku's eyes suddenly widen as he hears a loud noise, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"What the hell?" The confused member of the government looks around as he also hears the noise, only to end up looking out the window at a large cloud of smoke inside the prison. "What...?"

"Looks like we're off the hook for that paperwork hell," Lloyd says, amused by the situation.

In the prison, several Britannia Sutherlands rush towards the wall where the fire is coming from, but several are quickly destroyed by various shots.

Out of the flames, members of the Holy Swords appear, riding the Gekka. The members quickly destroy more Sutherlands, who can barely do anything.

"Colonel, we're here to save you!" Chiba says, mounting his knightmare.

For his part, Asahina managed to destroy two Sutherlands at the same time all by himself, causing a smile to appear on his face. "These Gekka are amazing! They're so much better than the Burais!"

"Yes!" Urabe smiles. "With these..."

At the Black Knights' base, several including Ohgi, Tamaki, Diethard and Rakshata are viewing and analyzing information.

"The sync with the built-in weapon is still imperfect," Inoue says with a sigh.

"No, maybe it's the line," says one of the scientists accompanying Rakshata.

Another scientist looks at the big screen on the base. "I've got spec variance readings of 0.07."

"Those old people in Kyoto have to send us better parts," says Inoue.

Kaguya frowns slightly. "We were already giving you some of our best tools. No other group had gotten better parts and tools than the black knights at that point."

"W-we know," says Ohgi a little nervous that Inoue had indirectly insulted Kyoto. "I-I'm sure Inoue just said that because of the situation, we were all grateful that you were so supportive."

Kaguya's expression relaxes. "I'm glad, we wanted to do everything we could so you guys could fight with all your might."

In front of Tohdoh's cell, a soldier points a gun at him as he waits for the cell door to open.

"The bosses ordered us to kill you before they rescue you," the soldier says. "You want to say something first?"

"It's a life I've given up before," Tohdoh says. "It's worthless."

"In that case I'll take that life!" says Zero, causing Tohdoh to be slightly surprised.

The soldier looks behind his back as he also hears the voice. "What?"

Suddenly the wall behind the soldier is shattered, causing him to be completely buried. Tohdoh can only see through the hole in the wall as Zero's Guren and Burai are noticed.

Tamaki whistles in awe. "He just came at the right time, and in the coolest way possible."

"Yeah, it really seems like Lelouch somehow always manages to look cool when he shows up," Rivalz commented, feeling his eyes sparkle from the coolness of the scene. "I bet, if I did something like that, the President would instantly fall in love with me."

"If he had been a minute late, it might have been the death of you, Mr. Tohdoh," Schneizel says as he looks at the General with a smile.

Tohdoh nods. "Believe me, I know perfectly well."

"It was certainly fortunate," Chiba thinks as she looks at Tohdoh a little worriedly. "I guess at least that demon did something good, though it's still unforgivable what he did to General Katase."

"Zero," Tohdoh says, snapping out of his surprise.

"Tohdoh Kyoshiro, the man who defeated the mighty Britannian forces seven years ago," Zero says.

"You're talking about the Miracle of Itsukushima?" Tohdoh frowns. "You want me to perform a miracle for you, too?"

"That wasn't a miracle. It was a tactical victory, the result of intelligence gathered. That's why I want you to come with me."

"Enough," Tohdoh says. "Now that General Katase, the man I pledged my loyalty to, is dead, I want to die too."

"General, how can you say something like that?" Chiba looks at Tohdoh in complete shock. "What about the Holy Swords? We'd all be devastated if you had died."

Tohdoh looks down. "I apologize for my words, I wasn't really in the best mood at the time. But you're right, I didn't think of you when I said those words, so I apologize for that."

Chiba keeps looking at Tohdoh, but doesn't say anything else.

"Don't be an idiot!" shouts Zero, so Tohdoh lifts his head up completely.

"What?"

"You must take responsibility for the miracle you performed!"

Ohgi stares at the screen in disbelief. "Did he really say that?"

"I can't believe anyone would be so shameless," Chiba looks at Lelouch in infuriation. "That he, of all people, would tell the General that he should take responsibility is an insult."

"Besides, he's contradicting what he said before, that what happened in Itsukushima wasn't a miracle," Gino says, pointing at the screen.

Tohdoh shakes his head. "No, that's not what Lelouch meant."

"Huh?" Tamaki looks confused. -What do you mean, that's not what he meant?"

"You'll see soon enough."

The screen goes black for a moment, but eventually shows Zero again.

"The reason Area 11's resistance is more intense than other areas is because Japan surrendered before exhausting its military might," said Zero. "They want to see the continuation of the dream called the Itsukushima Miracle!"

"Are you saying it was my fault?"

"Right," the masked one replies. "People cling to illusions they call miracles. Isn't that what Refrain spreads so wildly?"

Xingke smiles. "I see, so that's what he meant by the miracle you created."

Tohdoh nods. "Exactly."

Rivalz looks at both men quickly, the student still confused. "I still don't really understand. What did Lelouch mean?"

"The fact that the victory at Itsukushima was what gave the Japanese hope," Kaguya replied, smiling proudly. "Thanks to that victory we could see that Britannia wasn't invincible, that we could win if we had enough resources, and that made many decide not to give up, that's the real miracle Lelouch is talking about."

Schneizel nods. "That's certainly one way of putting it, after all morale has always been a very important point in every war in the history of mankind. Japan itself remained one of the areas least controlled by Britannia thanks to that battle, as it caused many to rise up to defend their honor and reclaim their country."

The others nod, able to understand what they meant.

"That's right, it was because of me that so many kept fighting, so many gave their lives to take back Japan," Tohdoh thinks letting out a groan. "That's why I must go on, go on until my body can't take it anymore, it's the least I can do for all those who kept fighting."

Tohdoh just frowns.

Lelouch's face shows again against the green background. "You must fight to the bitter end beyond all decent, and then you can die! Until the name of the Miraculous Tohdoh is worn and shattered!"

"And again that background appears, I think I may be understanding you a little more, Lelouch," Schneizel lets out a small laugh.

Tohdoh just nods as he listens to Lelouch again. "We were to fight to the end, until we could do nothing more, weren't we, Lelouch? After all, it was what you did."

Tohdoh continues to stare at the masked man. "Are you telling me that the Japanese people cannot accept their defeat until then?"

"It's what people need," Zero puts his hand on his chest. "But then, I'll take it upon myself to make his dream come true."

A smile appears on the Japanese man's face.

Back at the Clovis museum, Euphemia stands on a podium in front of a large crowd.

"And now, Princess Euphemia will choose the grand prize winner," announces one of the museum workers as he hands Euphemia a flower. "The job she puts her flower on will be the winner."

Euphemia, accepting the flower, turns around to look at the paintings with a sad expression, being that the painting in front of her is that of Charles.

In the prison camp, the battle continued, with the Holy Swords managing to destroy any Sutherland that got in their way. Finally, in a moment, through the hole in the wall, a trailer loaded with another knightmare entered, just in time for Zero and Kallen to return to the scene.

The trailer comes to a stop, letting its rear open, you can see a custom black Gekka, with what appears to be red hair sticking out of the sides of his head.

Lelouch's Burai stops just in front of the custom Gekka, far enough away for Tohdoh to open the pilot door and stand on it.

The other Holy Swords approach where their leader is.

"Colonel!" Chiba says.

"Welcome, Mr. Tohdoh," Asahina says.

"Thank you," Tohdoh says, looking at his subordinates. "You certainly went to a lot of trouble for this."

"It was nothing, sir."

Both Tohdoh and Chiba can't help but smile.

"I really miss them so much," Chiba thinks as she grips her seat tightly. "Hopefully someday we can we together again."

"They really were a great team," Tohdoh lowers his gaze slightly.

The cockpit opens, letting Tohdoh enter. "Cooperate with Zero! Eliminate the remaining forces!"

"Received!" say all the Sacred Swords.

Inside his Burai, Lelouch smiles, "Now, all the conditions have been clarified. Nunnally already has Knight. All that's left is..."

A slash harken brings Lelouch out of his thoughts, but the attack is quickly repelled by the Guren. But it can be see that the attack is coming from the Lancelot, which is quickly approaching.

"What is he doing here?" Kallen looks at the knightmare in confusion.

Kallen grunts. "He always showed up in the worst place to cause us trouble."

"It really seemed like Suzaku was taking great pains to show up in the best place to ruin your plans," says Gino while laughing.

"Well, how convenient," Lelouch smirks. "The remaining problem came on its own!"

In the museum, Euphemia is still looking at Charles' painting.

"Your Highness," the museum worker murmurs. "I think it's time for you to decide."

"I know, but..." Euphemia holds the flower close to her chest. "But I..."

Suddenly the sound of a phone ringing is heard, and this is quickly followed by the sound of many other phones, all from members of the press, confusing Euphemia and the others,

A soldier quickly steps up next to Darlton, and whispers something in his ear.

"Did he escape?" Darlton looks at the soldier in confusion.

In the prison, the Lancelot faced the Holy Swords.

"They're used to fighting," Suzaku says when he sees the skill of his opponents.

Chiba snorts. "Obviously. We had been fighting longer than anyone else in that battle."

"My God," Lloyd looks out the window with binoculars. "Aren't those new enemy models incredible? Nevertheless, Miss Cécile."

Cécile looks at her Lloyd with concern. "Yes?"

"In retrospect, it's certainly fortunate that the Lancelot's trailer is our only means of transportation, isn't it?"

"In retrospect, that's because you spent our entire budget on the Lancelot."

Rakshata laughs. "Really, Earl of Pudding? You couldn't even use your budget properly?"

"Please, we all know you would have ended up the same way," Lloyd replies with a sigh, which is quickly replaced by a smile. "Besides, it ended up working in our favor at the time."

"Lloyd, just because it benefited us at the time doesn't mean it was a good thing," Cécile scolds as she points her finger at Lloyd. "You really must learn not to spend your entire budget on the Lancelot alone."

"But that's one of the funniest things," Lloyd replies, still smiling, causing Cécile to sigh.

At the base of the Black Knights, Rakshata sees the Lancelot through the big screen.

"Is that the white knightmare that gave Zero so much trouble?" asks the scientist with pipe in hand.

"Y-yes," Ohgi replies.

"Um," Rakshata watches the screen carefully.

Lloyd looks at his rival with a smirk. "Oooh. Were you interested in my Lancelot?"

Rakshata snorts. "Perhaps in your dreams, Earl of Pudding. I simply wanted to get a good look at the machine that would end up being defeated by my wonderful Guren."

"You...!" Lloyd glares at Rakshata in annoyance, but is stopped by Cecile before he can say anything.

"Lloyd, now is not the time to argue!"

In the museum, everyone managed to watch through a screen the battle occurring between the Lancelot and Zero's forces, causing the reporters to start cheering for the Lancelot. Euphemia just watched with concern.

"I bet they wouldn't be acting like that if they knew it was Suzaku piloting the Lancelot," Kallen thinks, crossing her arms.

"All right, send everyone we've got," Darlton says over a communicator as he watches the screen. "Give Kururugi backup. Tell them to report that we're taking out the terrorists."

In his knightmare, Lelouch receives a call from Tohdoh.

"Zero, do you have any information to give me about that unit?"

"Possibly," Lelouch replies. "However, I want you to do just as I say."

Tohdoh hesitates for a moment, but finally says, "Very well. I'll leave you in charge of this."

"All units, move away from him!" Lelouch orders as he watches the Lancelot engage a member of the Holy Swords. "His speed and maneuverability are undoubtedly incredible. However..." for a moment Lelouch is shown viewing information from the Lancelot in his room, but quickly the prison is shown again.

The Lancelot and the Guren fought skilfully.

"His movements have a predictable pattern!" Lelouch asserts as the two knightmares continue their fight. "His initial attack is direct! He never fakes that first move! Once you dodge that attack, he immediately moves to dodge your offensive! Look at the information I'm sending you! S-5-7!"

Suzaku turns away from Kallen for a moment, but to her surprise Asahina appears from around a corner.

"Hey," Asahina smirks. "He's really doing it."

Ohgi shakes his head. "I still can't believe he was able to do all that at such a young age. I can't imagine how his head must have worked."

"It's certainly an incredible thing to see," Villetta says absently. "It's a pity he only used it to become a dictator in the end."

Oblivious to the conversation between the pair, Zero only focuses on Lelouch. "Am I really that predictable? Maybe I should try to change the way I fight a bit, it would be a problem if someone could recognize me for something like that, even though I doubt there's anyone besides Lelouch who can do it."

"He really is a genius," said Cornelia, unable to help but praise Lelouch's talent in tactics. "In just a few battles he could already see a pattern in Kururugi's behavior."

"Not to mention that I remember he using the anti-radar smoke in this operation, if I'm not mistaken," Schneizel added, remembering when he'd been informed of what had happened. "It's really a shame that talent wasn't used to help us."

Cornelia nods as she sighs. "Yes, it really was a shame."

The Lancelot tries to shoot Asahina, but Asahina quickly swipes at him, sending his weapon flying through the air.

"Good!" says Lelouch. "Now the next move he's going to make is... Back up backwards! The coordinate is X-2-3!" Suzaku's actions follow Lelouch's words to the letter, causing him to be in a position where Tohdoh is about to attack him from behind, making Lelouch smile at the result. "And with that... check!"

Suzaku immediately tries to avoid the attacks of Tohdoh, but one of the blows manages to hit right in the piloting hatch, almost hitting Suzaku too.

"That's..." Suzaku looks at the situation in disbelief.

"Did you anticipate my triple onslaught?" Tohdoh also looks incredulous. "Who are you?"

Tohdoh continues his attack, getting his sword to cut completely through the top of the hatch.

"Damn it!" Lloyd says with concern. "He doesn't have an ejection block!"

"We haven't installed one yet?" Cecile looks fearfully at the scientist.

Kaguya stares at the pair of scientists in disbelief. "Did you really still haven't installed an ejection block on the knightmare? Suzaku had already been in danger several times. How come you still hadn't installed one in all this time?"

A blushing Cecile could only mutter in response, while Lloyd just laughed.

"There were more important things than that, we still had many other things to improve my Lancelot even more."

Kaguya continues to stare in disbelief, but doesn't say anything seeing that there was no use talking.

"He really hasn't changed at all," Suzaku thinks feeling a bead of sweat appear on his face at Lloyd's nonchalant attitude.

Without the roof, everyone can clearly see that Suzaku is the one piloting the Lancelot.

"It can't be..." Lelouch's eyes widen.

"Suzaku, is that you?" Tohdoh also looks just as surprised.

Finally, Kallen also looks at the scene unable to believe her eyes, but unlike the other two, she manages to recover from her surprise. "Zero, instructions! Please give us the following instructions, Zero!"

Even though he hears Kallen's pleas, Lelouch just keeps looking at the screen while trembling slightly. "Was it him all this time? " for a moment several moments appear where the Lancelot had been an obstacle for Lelouch. "Suzaku!"

"It really must have been quite a surprise for him," Ohgi says, feeling strangely uncomfortable.

Sayoko nods. "No doubt Master Lelouch surely never thought that Mr. Suzaku would be the one piloting the Lancelot. After all, a non-Britannian wasn't allowed to drive one, this was a very special case."

"Lelouch..." Zero keeps his gaze fixed on his old friend.

At the museum, the reporters could only express their disbelief at who the person piloting the Lancelot was, while Euphemia could only look from side to side.

Darlton quickly approaches Euphemia. "Stop the video! That's enough..."

"Wait, please!" Euphemia protests, to Darlton's surprise. "I want to see this through to the end!"

"Euphy...," Zero looks at his beloved while squeezing his hands tightly. "You really are someone unique in this world."

Inside the Lancelot, Suzaku tests the controls.

"Well, I can still move!" The Japanese is relieved to see that he can still fight, and then tries to attack Tohdoh's Gekka.

The Gekka fights back, causing them both to stalemate, which Tohdoh takes the opportunity to open his hatch and show his face to Suzaku.

"Stop it, Suzaku!"

"Master Tohdoh!" Suzaku looks at his former master in surprise, his confusion quickly turning to anger. "Do you want to live so badly that you compromised all your principles?"

Chiba grits her teeth, the Japanese woman is furious, "How dare he say something like that? I can't believe someone can be so damn hypocritical!" The Japanese woman slams her seat down hard. "I can't believe there was a moment where I felt bad for him. No matter what he had to go through, I can't stand his attitude."

Tohdoh says nothing at Chiba's outburst, simply folding his arms as he stares at the screen intently. "Suzaku..."

"Did I disappoint you?" Tohdoh smirks. "Then follow your orders and execute me right now!"

"Huh?" Suzaku looks at the Colonel in disbelief.

"Master Tohdoh," Zero slyly looks at Tohdoh. "When I was a kid I really never imagined that our relationship would become such that you could say something like that to me. But well, in the end that that happened was nothing more than the result of all my decisions."

In his Burai, Lelouch still couldn't get over the revelation.

"Why?" Lelouch says to himself. "You can't be there! You must be at Nunnally's side!"

"He really can't believe what's happening," Villetta says, a little surprised by Lelouch's attitude.

"It's not really a surprise, after all Lelouch should never have imagined that everything would turn out just the opposite way he wanted it to," Xingke said, crossing his arms.

"What's wrong?" Tohdoh asks Suzaku. "That's why you came, isn't it? You've become a coward who's afraid to upset the status quo!"

"Denying everything in our society is useless!" Suzaku replies. "Once I make them trust me, I'll have the power to change it!"

"Are you serious?"

"Of course."

Then follow that path!"

Suzaku looks blankly. "Huh?"

Finally, the two knightmares separate from each other, but the fight is far from over.

Tohdoh looks at Suzaku with a frown. "Regardless of whether you win or lose, you won't accomplish anything unless you're willing to sacrifice everything. And that applies to countries as well as people!" Tohdoh's cockpit finally closes.

Hearing Tohdoh's teaching, Suzaku only says, "Yes, sir."

"Honestly, at the time I thought that would be the last lesson you'd teach me, Master Tohdoh," Zero thinks with a sad smile at the memory. "Though even in that I ended up being wrong, though I'm glad I was wrong on that occasion."

Both knightmares circle around each other, looking for the right moment to continue the attack, while Lelouch is still in shock.

"Zero, do we capture him or...?" Lelouch doesn't answer Kallen's question, making Kallen worry. "Zero!?"

Away from the battle between Suzaku and Tohdoh, Senba sees the situation,

"We will destroy the white knightmare!" says the old soldier. "Do you understand?"

"Wait for Zero's orders!" shouts Kallen.

"We can't wait!" Chiba replies. "Captain Senba, absolute rotating power formation!"

Cornelia frowns. "You should always wait for your General's orders, unless you can't communicate with him for some reason, acting without his consent will only end up causing trouble."

"Please, we can all see that the Demon Emperor was in no condition to give us orders, he's not even responding to Kallen," Chiba tries to defend herself, though a small part of her feels a little embarrassed.

Xingke shakes his head. "You can say that now that you see Lelouch's reaction, but at the time you didn't really know what was going on, maybe he was just thinking about how to deal with the whole situation."

"But he wasn't."

"That's not the point," Guilford says in exasperation. "In the end, all you did was disrespect the entire military hierarchy, and it was only because of your pride and impatience."

Chiba looked like she wanted to retort, but is quickly cut off by Tohdoh.

"They're right, Chiba," Tohdoh says, making Chiba shrink slightly. "You should have waited for Lelouch's orders at that point, not acted so eagerly."

"General..." Chiba looks at the ground in embarrassment. "Again I'm scolded by the General... Is this really why he never told me what happened with Kururugi? Was it all my fault? But I..."

"I understand," Senba replies.

Quickly the Gekka of the Sacred Swords move closer to Suzaku.

"Wait!" Kallen's shout finally brings Lelouch out of his thoughts.

"Wait!" Lelouch shouts. "Now, it's..."

Asahina smiles confidently. "Don't worry, it's a four-way synchronized attack, he'll never dodge it!"

Lloyd from the office brings a communicator to his lips.

"Senior Chief Kururugi, release the harken booster! The password is my favorite food!"

A laugh immediately escapes Rakshata's lips. "Really, Earl of Pudding? You chose that as your password?"

"Of course, after all it's easy to remember, besides it's not like anyone else is going to use my Lancelot," Lloyd laughs.

"Professor, I really don't think that was a good idea," Nina raises her hand shyly.

Lloyd approaches the young woman. "Come on, nothing bad happened with that in the end, so we don't have to worry, after all, the episode ended well."

"That's not the problem, Lloyd," Cécile murmurs as she sighs.

Suzaku immediately follows Lloyd's instructions, managing to disarm all the Sacred Swords, including Tohdoh.

"Impossible!" Chiba shouts.

"It can't be," Asahina says.

Suzaku seeing that his enemies had no weapons, throws his own, managing to hit one of the Gekka.

"Are you all right?" Asahina asks, looking at her injured companion.

"He uses a very interesting fighting style!" Senba just smiles, not caring about the attack his knightmare received.

"Asahina, roll him to the left!" Chiba shouts. "This time..."

"Enough!" Lelouch shouts from his Burai.

Kallen stiffens as she listens to her leader. -Zero!

"We've fought enough," Lelouch says, trembling as he looks down. "We've reached our objective. Use escape route 3. Retreat immediately!"

Tohdoh is silent for a moment when he hears this, but he can see several Britannia air units approaching the place, making the Colonel smile. "A battle that cannot be won is not the same as a defeat. You seem to understand that, Zero."

Quickly Tohdoh starts to walk away from Suzaku, to Suzaku's surprise.

"Wait!" shouts Suzaku as he starts chasing Tohdoh, but a bullet in the Lancelot's leg makes him lose control for a moment.

"Release the anti-radar smoke!" Tohdoh orders as he follows his own instruction.

The others obey and begin to flee while releasing smoke, causing the Lancelot to get caught in all the smoke.

Reporters at the museum note that the battle appears to be nearing an end.

"Well done, Suzaku," Euphemia thinks.

"You traitorous bastard!" says a reporter to Euphemia's surprise. "Why doesn't he follow them?"

"Because they're all eleven, like him," another reporter replies.

"Of course!" says another. "I thought one against seven was too much to be real!"

Kallen gnashes her teeth. "As if any of them know what it's like to be on a battlefield! How quickly they changed their attitude as soon as they saw it was Suzaku driving the Lancelot!"

"It's really despicable," Tohdoh says with a frown. "They don't see someone struggling to fight in an unfair situation, they only see a Japanese failing to kill other Japanese."

"Are you all right, Kallen?" Ohgi asks worriedly in a stealthy manner as he approaches Kallen. "I find it odd that you're defending Suzaku, you didn't seem to like him."

Kallen clenches her fist. "I don't like him and I'm not defending him, I just can't stand the attitude of those reporters," the redhead looks at Zero. "Suzaku, I still don't know how to feel about it because of everything that's happened, but I can't stand how those idiots act. Shit, this is all too complicated."

Euphemia, hearing the insults, could only press the flower she was holding to her chest.

"Princess Euphemia?" Darlton looks worriedly at the Princess when he notices her movement.

Euphemia crumples her face for a moment, but ends up lifting it as she shouts, "All of you!" The shout catches the attention of the reporters, who turn curiously to look at the Princess. "I answered the question they asked me earlier! You wanted to know who I chose as my Knight, didn't you?"

The journalists murmur among themselves, all confused by Euphemia's sudden declaration.

"My Knight will be the man in front of you!" Euphemia proclaims as she extends her arm towards the screen, which shows Suzaku standing on top of the Lancelot, making everyone look at her. "Warrant Officer, Kururugi Suzaku!"

Immediately all the reporters express their confusion and disbelief at what Euphemia has just said.

"So that's when Princess Euphemia decided to make Suzaku her Knight," says Xingke, closing his eyes for a moment.

Cornelia nods heavily. "That's right, that's when Euphy decided that Kururugi would become her knight," she frowns. "I really wish she had chosen someone else, anyone would have been better than someone like Kururugi."

"And it was all because she couldn't stand Suzaku being insulted?" says Gino a bit confused.

Villetta shakes her head. "I doubt it was just for that, it was obvious she looked uncomfortable about the whole situation, she probably always wanted Suzaku to be her Knight."

"Yes, hearing the insults probably just gave her enough courage to say what she really wanted to say," Tohdoh added with a small smile.

"Euphy, I really miss you so much," Zero thinks as he feels his eyes filled with tears at the sight of the scene. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you, I'm sorry I wasn't the Knight you deserved, but thank you for being there, thank you for making me for a moment want to live again."

In the prison, Suzaku only sees on the Lancelot that all of Zero's forces had left the place.

"Master Tohdoh, I am... I am your enemy!"

Finally, at the base of the Black Knights, you can see that everything is already put away, with Ohgi walking near the Guren.

"Zero won't come out?" Ohgi says confused as he approaches Kallen.

"No, I called him, but he's not answering," says the redhead.

Suddenly a noise resembling laughter begins to be heard over Kallen's communicator, causing Ohgi to look at her in confusion.

"What's the matter?"

Inside his Burai, Lelouch begins to laugh, first a slightly broken chuckle, finally making it just a psychotic laugh, accompanied by the image of C.C. on top of one of the bridge structures that hides the base, holding a solemn gaze at where Lelouch stands.

No one could help but shudder at Lelouch's psychotic laughter, everyone could feel as if something really important had suddenly broken, something that when broken would end up unleashing a storm that would wipe out everything in its path. Even Schneizel felt a strange discomfort, as if a bad memory suddenly invaded him.

For a moment silence reigned, with no one wanting to make even the slightest movement, feeling that if they did anything, something terrible would happen, but this overwhelming silence was suddenly broken by the sound of whimpering, which came directly from Tianzi, who forcefully grabbed Xingke's hand while looking him in the eyes.

"Xingke, I'm scared."

Another chapter of this translation, not much happened apart from Suzaku's revelation and Euphemia's proclamation, but it was interesting to write it.

You know, I honestly hadn't thought about it when I originally wrote the chapter in Spanish, but with this chapter you can actually draw a parallel between Lelouch and Tohdoh, with both of them giving up on their lives after the death of the person they loved/respected the most, only to have someone remind them that they have a responsibility, that their actions have caused people to struggle, and that they can't just give up or retreat just because a person important to them died. Yes, I'll probably use this by the time we get to R2.

The text below is the original chapter notes (so remember that if the dates don't make sense, it's because I originally wrote these notes for the Spanish version, which came out much earlier).

Here is the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it. And thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, hopefully you will have one too when the date comes.

I saw several comments about whether I would release it today or not, and believe me it was never in doubt that the chapter would be published today, it's just that I was waiting for my beta reader to give me his comments to polish the final details to the chapter. I think a lot of the impatience is due to the different time zones, seeing that surely in several countries it's already Monday, but where I live it's still Sunday, in fact it's seven o'clock in the evening where I live, so it's also quite late here actually. But well, there's also the fact that surely a while ago it seemed as if I had updated the story, but it only appeared that I had removed the notice, that's sadly something that happens, but if in the future I put another notice and you see something like that happens again, it means that day will certainly take out the chapter.

In the previous chapter several people asked where I got the information about Lelouch ending with the possible marriage between Genbu and Nunnally, and although I could answer one of them, from here I will also say that I got that information from the audio dramas, being more exact from the audio dramas 0.521 and 0.533, there the whole situation is shown.

You know, the whole thing about Nunnally seeing Lelouch's memories didn't really happen, they made it clear that Nunnally had simply managed to piece together what had really happened by touching Lelouch's hand and seeing that he was calm even on the verge of death, but I decided to have him see the memories in this story because I wanted to use that for some important points, but I also don't want to over-exploit it. That information is probably the only thing that goes against the creators' word in this story.

Well, the next chapter will be ready in two weeks, but after that I want to see if I can get back to putting out a chapter every week on a regular basis, first I just have to take care of some business and deal with the whole new computer thing.

I look forward to your comments; they always help to improve this story. See you later.