Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to Code: Geass or Naruto.
Nunnally opened her eyes slowly, seeing the sun shining down on her and the soft ground beneath her. "Wh-where am I?"She was not in the hospital, she was now in a forest but she had no idea how she got here. "How did I get here?" There was a soft gentle breeze that was soothing to Nunnally as she sat up. "The last thing I remember was… the operation!"
The operation that would supposedly give her legs the ability to walk again. Did it work? Can she walk again? She looked down at her feet and tried to move them.
" A nice place isn't it? " A voice whispered in Nunnally's ars.
"Huh? Is there someone here?" Nunnally slowly looked around.
" Behind you. " The voice whispered behind her. Nunnally turned around to see someone dressed in a white robe with a hood that covered the person from head to toe.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Nunnally asked, confused and slightly scared. She wanted to shout out to her brother to come and find her. She wanted him by her side to tell her everything was fine.
" Let's take a walk. " The person held a hand to Nunnally.
"But I… I can't walk." Nunnally stated, looking at her legs.
" Can you? " The person asked, making Nunnally look even more confused. " How can you tell if you don't try? "
It was a small movement but her eyes went wide as she saw her right foot wiggle. She looked over to her left foot and tried it wiggle it and it worked! She could move her feet! She then tried to move her knees and bent them up.
"I… I can… move." Nunnally gasped as she moved her knees experimentally.
The feeling of excitement raced through Nunnally as she tested her legs for a moment before trying the next big thing: standing up. Placing her hands on the ground first Nunnally placed one foot on the ground and slowly pushed herself up. When she was on one knee she put her other foot on the ground and tried to stand up fully. However she became excited and fell onto her back when her feet slipped.
"Whoa!" Nunnally exclaimed as she fell down but it didn't hurt. "I… I must have moved too fast."
" Be careful. " The white robed stranger said as it vanished from Nunnally's sight.
"Wait!" Nunnally tried to reach out to the stranger but they were completely gone. "Who are you?"
" Keep trying to stand. " The person whispered before they vanished, leaving Nunnally to try to relearn how to walk.
It had been over seven years since she had taken a step. She got back on her knees and slowly tried standing again. This time she was lot more slow with her movements as she stood up straight.
"I-I can stand." The smile on Nunnally's face was perhaps the biggest smile she ever had on her face. "I can see… I can stand… I can walk! I have to find everyone! I need to show big brother I can walk!"She started running and fell forward this time. "Ow! Right, I need to get use to it before I start running again."
Nunnally got up a third time, this time it was much easier and slowly started walking around in a circle. She needed to get used to walking again before she went off looking for her brother and friends. She started off slowly, probably around in a circle thirty times before she started taking longer strides and moving slightly faster. Her grin slowly widened as she walked back forth through the small clearing of the forest she had woken up in.
"This is great! I can walk! I can run!" Nunnally laughed enthusiastically as she ran through the forest, this time not falling on the ground. "Brother! Come and see me! I'm all better now! BROTHER!"
Lelouch pushed the door open, gasping for breath as he walked in. "Did I make it?"
"Lulu! Where have you been?!" Shirley stood up with an angry look. "Rivalz and I have been calling you for an hour!"
"Yeah, Lelouch. I thought you'd be here before anyone of us!" Rivalz agreed as he stood up.
"This one's on me, guys." Kallen said as she walked in, wearing her school uniform. "Lelouch came to pick me up but we were running late and didn't have a car. I ran too fast and fell over and Lelouch couldn't leave me alone on the sidewalk."
"Hence why the idiot called us." Naruto came in behind the two with C.C. "Due to our dear sick Kallen being too heavy for the Vice-President to move on his own he called me and Tsunade to help."
Both Kallen and Lelouch glared at Naruto for that crack and Kallen promised in her head she'd get back at Naruto for that.
"Well, I guess we can't punish you all for that." Milly folded her arms. "At least you made it on time."
"So Nunnally's still in surgery?" Lelouch asked, looking at the door to the surgery room.
"Yep. Mrs Senju hasn't come out yet." Milly nodded.
"Then we're not late and Lelouch promised to be by Nunnally's side when she woke up." Naruto stated with his trademark foxy smirk. "All in a day's work."
The door opened and Mito stepped out with a smile. "Everyone, she's ready to see you all."
Lelouch was the first into the room, seeing Nunnally sleeping on the bed, looking very happy for some reason. "Is she…"
"We won't know until she wakes up. The little girl's been through a lot Mr. Lamperouge so I'll have to keep her here over night. I've informed the Principal and he's agreed." Mito answered.
"Can I please stay? I promised to be here when she wakes up." Lelouch stated.
"I know." Mito pointed to the couch that had a pillow and sheets. "I came prepared."
"Thank you." Lelouch smiled as he sat down next to Nunnally's bed.
"I guess Suzaku's not coming." Milly stated with a solemn look on her face.
Lelouch's smile thinned but nodded. "Yeah. I saw the live feed of the battle. To think all this time…"
"Come on, Lelouch. We can talk about Suzaku keeping dirty little secrets later." Naruto said as Mito began pushing everyone out of the room. "Call us when Nunnally wakes up or Madam President will no doubt try to put you in a dress again."
"That's right, Lulu!" Milly smiled deviously. "Be good or you can wear the special costume I picked out for you at the festival!"
"I'll keep that in mind." Lelouch replied with a small smile.
Naruto nodded at Lelouch who returned as they left the room.
"So C.C. is the pilot of the blue Knightmare or the green one." The man mused as he looked over Rolo's report. "It's likely the green one and our agent in Ashford confirms she is disguised as a student there."
"Shall we send a team to apprehend her?" Bartley asked.
"No." The man shook his head. "We don't have enough information on the abilities of the blue Knightmare's pilot or what abilities his Geass may have. Until then the agent will simply observe."
"Understood."
"So how'd it go?" Naruto asked Mito who sat down at her desk with the laptop powering up and showing Rakshata on her red couch to everyone.
"It went perfectly. The operation was a success as you can see here," Mito held up a chart for Naruto and C.C. to see. "As you can see the damage to Nunnally spine was completely healed. I followed Tsunade's procedure of using healing chakra to manipulate Nunnally's body to heal her injuries. Following that I placed her in a Genjutsu that placed her in her own mind where she'd have the time she'd need to get used to walking again. She'll be up and running around in no time."
"That's a relief." Naruto smiled, happy that Lelouch's little sister was getting back everything she had lost.
" Yes. My healing skills have proven to able to give the crippled their ability to walk again and my children once again are victorious. " Rakshata said with a pleased smile on her face. " And the test for Arashikage's systems proved to be a success even though Zero only used it for defense. "
"In the meantime I guess we lie low for a bit. Britannia's bound to be on high alert after we busted Todoh and all those other prisoners out." Naruto said with a smile. "Maybe we went a little overboard again."
"A little?" Mito asked with a rhetoric grin. "You blew up one of the most highly guarded prisons in Japan and released over five hundred prisoners."
"So… medium this time?" Naruto asked.
"Gah!" Mito sighed.
"… ouch? Lelouch?" Lelouch groaned slightly as he was shaken from his dreams. "Rise and shine, Lelouch."
Opening his eyes the first thing he saw were vibrant blue eyes staring at him with a big smile. His vision sharpened itself and he realized that he was looking at the happy face of his little sister.
"Morning, Big Brother." Nunnally said as Lelouch yawned. "Did you spend the night here?"
"Yeah." Lelouch said as he sat up. "I wanted to be here when you woke up. Are you feeling?"
"A lot better when I saw you stayed." Nunnally answered as Lelouch sat up. "Did the others come and visit me?"
"Yeah and they would have stayed but the doctor only allowed me to stay." Lelouch yawned as he rubbed his eyes and heard his stomach growl.
Nunnally giggled. "Hungry?"
"I guess so. I'll get your wheel chair and we'll go get some breakfast." Lelouch chuckled.
"Lelouch, I don't need a wheel chair." Nunnally said strangely.
"What do-" It was then Lelouch realized that the couch was too far from the bed for Nunnally to be right in front of him. "Nunnally are you…"
His eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight before him: his crippled little sister was standing in front of him on both legs without any kind of support!
"Nunnally, you… you…" Lelouch was almost completely speechless.
"Yes, Big Brother." Nunnally's big smile widened itself. "It worked. I can walk again."
"You… can….walk? You can walk!" Lelouch's smile mirrored Nunnally's as he stood up and hugged her which she happily returned. "You can walk again!"
Both siblings hugged each other with tears falling out of their eyes in sheer happiness of Nunnally getting back all that she had lost.
"We have to show the others!" Nunnally said as she grabbed Lelouch's arm and dragged him to the door.
"Nunnally wait!" Lelouch said but couldn't stop her as she opened the door and easily pulled him along. "Your clothes!"
"Hm?" Nunnally stopped and looked down at herself, seeing she was still wearing the hospital gown. "Oh right! Hang on!" She ran back into the room and closed the door.
A few minutes later Nunnally was back out in her school uniform and she was running towards the clubhouse with Lelouch struggling to catch up. "Come on, Lelouch! The others are waiting!"
"Nunnally slow down!" Lelouch said, asking for breath. 'How can she be this good at running again? It's only been one night!'
Milly and the Student Council were the door when they heard Lelouch calling out to his sister. They looked at the source of the voice and were greeted with the shocking surprise of Nunnally running up to the club house.
"Is that Nunnally?" Shirley's eyes went wide.
"She's running!" Rivalz exclaimed.
"Mother does it again." C.C. said with a small smile as Nunnally stopped in front of everyone.
"Nunnally, look at you!" Milly rushed forward and hugged the smaller girl. "Running around on your own two feet and you've even outrun your brother." Lelouch was gasping for breath as he caught up to everyone.
"I know! I just woke up this morning and saw Lelouch on the couch. I would have called someone but before I knew it my legs were moving!" Nunnally laughed excitingly as she twirled around her brother. "I ran out all the way here!"
"That's wonderful!" Shirley said happily.
"I know!" Nunnally even jumped once. "I feel like I can to the other side of the school and back! Come, Big Brother! I got to try!"
"Uh, Nunnally-GAH!" Lelouch soon found he didn't have a choice as Nunnally grabbed his hand again and ran off with Lelouch struggling to keep up.
"She seems happy." The second quietest member of the Council next to Nina, Rai commented with a small smile.
"Yes she is." Milly nodded while laughing at the sound of Lelouch trying to ask Nunnally to slow down. "And it looks like she's going to be running around for a bit."
"Maybe Lelouch will get some exercise now." Naruto commented.
Milly laughed even harder. "Looks like he will if Nunnally drags him all over the place. Look at her go!" Milly looked at C.C. "Just how did your mother do it?"
"You'll have to ask her." C.C. shrugged.
"So what now Madam Pres? With Lelouch getting dragged around by Nunnally he won't be able to help you with the paper work." Rivalz remarked with a grin. "She might outrun the whole school."
That was when a twinkle shined in Milly's eye. "Outrun the school you say?"
"Nunnally slow down for a second!" Lelouch cried out, his legs getting sore.
"Come on, Lelouch! There are so many places I want to see! I want walk all over the place and even go places that I couldn't be at before!" Nunnally stopped and called out to her brother who was gasping for breath. "You've been dodging gym class too much, Big Brother."
"How was I supposed to know you'd be this fast?" Lelouch said as he finally caught up, but was still out of breath and his legs were sore.
Suddenly he was flashing back to his childhood, remembering how Nunnally would run around the garden with Euphemia, the both of them chasing him and easily catching up to him, and how he would try to sit Nunnally down when Clovis was painting a picture but Nunnally couldn't stay still no matter what. Now it was like the times had never changed as Nunnally was basically running all over the place without restraint and either leaving him in the dust or dragging him along so she could share experience the joy of walking the grounds of Ashford Academy with him.
" Attention Ashford Academy! " Lelouch almost froze in terror at the sound of Milly's voice. " As you all know, the little sister of our very own Vice-President of the Student Council went in for an operation to restore her ability to walk and it was a success! As of right Nunnally Lamperouge is running around the school with our Vice-President and that's where you all come in! Today's activity is a game of Tag, you all are it and the targets are our favourite Lamperouge siblings! The reward is the same as last time: anyone who tags them get theirs club budget tripled and a kiss from a Student Council member of your choice! "
"A game of tag? I haven't played that in years!" Nunnally said, becoming even more excited.
'Damn it Milly!' Lelouch said as he heard multiple cheers from all over the school. 'You're not stopping until someone gets kissed are you?'
"MADAM PRESIDENT! How can you make our lips prizes again?!" Shirley cried out as Milly put the microphone down.
"You got to give people motivation." Milly simply said with a smile. "Well, Nunnally might get away but I can't say the same for Lelouch!"
That reply caused Kallen and Shirley to pale as they realized the fate of their lips was left in Lelouch's hands, or rather his feet. 'WE'RE DOOMED!'
"Oh yeah! Come on, Rai!" Rivalz said as he grabbed Rai's hand, earning a cry of surprise as the blue haired teen dragged him out of the room. "We got to catch them!"
"No you don't!" Shirley said as she chased after them.
Naruto was too busy laughing while C.C. was smirking at the look on Lelouch's face on one of the monitors. 'Run while you can, Lulu.'
Kallen quickly followed Shirley, trying to remain looking sick and feeble so no one would point out how fast she was running.
Milly looked at Naruto and C.C. "You know your lips are on the line too right?"
"It's all right. They can try and kiss him all they want." C.C. said as she leaned against Naruto's shoulder. "Just so as long as they share him with me."
' Kit, have I ever told you how proud I am of you? ' Kurama asked inside Naruto's head.
'Many times since meeting her.' Naruto replied as he sighed.
"Well then, perhaps I should tag Lelouch." Milly grinned as she turned back to the monitors, putting extra sway in her hips and made sure that Naruto saw it.
'How come this never happened to me back home?' Naruto couldn't help but wonder.
"Come on!" Nunnally laughed as she grabbed Lelouch's hand and took off running just the first batch of student came chasing after them.
They ran through the gardens, hearing the sound of horses behind them and Lelouch realized that the equestrian club was on to them. "Quick to the left!"
Nunnally turned left and they jumped into a bush of leaves and roses and hid until the horses and students passed them.
"This is just like when Euphie and I chased you in the garden." Nunnally giggled.
Despite his sore legs Lelouch managed to smile. "Yeah. Feels like yesterday."
Once the coast was clear they slowly crept out, Lelouch looking around carefully while Nunnally still had a big smile on her face.
"So where to now?" Nunnally asked, not all minding the game.
"We should go to the Clubhouse and hide out in there." Lelouch suggested.
"Hide out? Come on, Big Brother. It's too much fun to be hiding!" Nunnally complained.
"But Nunnally-" Lelouch was about to protest but was cut off.
"THERE THEY ARE!" Lelouch groaned as he ran off with Nunnally again, gasping for breath as they ran into the courtyard and hid behind a tree.
"Did you see them?"
"I think they want this way."
"Who knew they could run so fast?"
"I know."
Lelouch sighed as he looked around. "If we make it to the stream we can use the secret doors to sneak into the club house."
"Secret doors? Are they the same doors you use to sneak out to go gambling?" Nunnally asked as she followed Lelouch out from behind the tree.
"Yeah. It's easier to sneak out without anyone watching." Lelouch replied.
"Lelouch, Nunnally!" A voice whispered.
They looked over and saw Kallen and Shirley waving them over.
"Kallen! Shirley! Are you going to tag us and kiss my brother?" Nunnally asked with a smile.
Shirley turned bright red while Kallen sputtered. "Wha-I'm just helping you two hide so no one tags you and asks to kiss me!"
"But won't you get the option of kissing someone if you tag us?" Nunnally asked as Lelouch followed after the two red heads and she quickly followed her brother.
"I don't want to kiss anyone." Kallen said, trying to still sick and feeble but failing hard because of how annoyed ( not embarrassed) she was.
"Me neither." Shirley said but looked away from Lelouch.
"It's not a big deal, Kallen. You can just kiss whoever you want on the cheek. Milly didn't say it had to be on the lips." Nunnally pointed out.
'Was she this active before she was crippled or is she just happy?' Kallen wondered.
" Attention everyone! Our favourite Lamperouge siblings are in the company of our own Kallen Stadtfeld and Shirley Fenette, making them the winners! " Milly said over the PA. " So they both get to choose who they want to kiss. "
'Damn it Milly!' Kallen and Lelouch shouted in their heads.
"Here Kallen, Shirley. Give me your hands." Nunnally said with Lelouch understanding what his little sister was doing. The girls did as told and Nunnally kissed Kallen's hand before pulling back and doing the same with a shell shocked Shirley. "There you go! Now you don't have to worry anyone claiming your lips."
"Thanks, Nunnally." Kallen smiled as she stood up. "Now can we get back inside? Your brother looks like he's about to fall over."
Both girls looked at Lelouch and noticed his face was covered in sweat, he was still breathing heavily, and he honestly looked ready to collapse from exhaustion.
"Okay." Nunnally actually pouted. "You need to start exercising some more, Big Brother."
"Don't remind me." Lelouch mumbled as he followed the two girls.
"Rats!" Milly snapped her fingers. "Once again Nunnally outwits my genius plan."
"Guess Lelouch's not the only genius." Naruto commented with an amused smile. "Better be careful Madam President or you'll have dissension in the ranks when little Nunnally tries to take over."
"You're right. I better be prepared. Who knows what those two will scheme up?" Milly said, imagining what Nunnally will be like now that she can use her legs like everyone else. "I got to try and bring her over to my side or she'll try and snatch Lelouch out from my clutches!"
'From the looks of it Nunnally has inherited more of Marianne than I thought. Better be careful, don't want her becoming too much like her mother.' C.C. thought and shuddered at the idea of Nunnally being a clone of her mother.
Lloyd sighed as the four Seventh Generation Knightmares were docked into the hangar and he was left looking over the damage. On the bright side was that none of them suffered any costly damage this time. The Blaze Luminous emitter on the Club's left arm needed repairing, both the Needle Brazers on the Vincent's arms were damaged from the green Knightmare's fans slicing into them, the Lancelot had minor cuts and slashes with the top of the cockpit being cut off while the Frontier was the least damaged of the four. Though it was not designed for Nonnette she piloted it well and brought it back in better condition than the other three.
The downside was that the advanced Knightmares affiliated with the Black Knights suffered almost no damage at all.
The most damaged one was the Guren that was just a tear to the cockpit like the Lancelot's the hatch had remained attached to the cockpit. While not the outcome he wanted it did mean his Knightmares were getting better. Actually it may be the pilots but it's Lloyd who keeps on building and repairing them so he'll just consider the fact that his Knightmares are improving. His biggest quandary was the new Knightmare that protected the red one by blocking with some kind of magnetic shield and even managed to lift and a pull the Club towards its hand with some kind of magnetic beam.
It was both cool and annoying as Lloyd could see the applications and could not figure how the hell Rakshata did it. It was as if she was getting ideas from someone who was just as skilled as making Knightmares as the both of them were-
'Wait a minute!' Lloyd suddenly froze. 'That's it! Getting a few ideas from someone else who designs Knightmares! Rakshata's good at designing Knightmares but she doesn't have access to knowledge of Britannia weaponry. That being said she could have a collaborator here in Area Eleven whose been feeding her information on all the latest weaponry and Knightmare models.'
It could explain all the unexpected advances but it wasn't enough. Rakshata did go the same university as him and Cecile and they had traded notes on possible technologies for Knightmares. Of course it didn't explain anything about the new energy source that the advanced Knightmares had but at the very least it could lead in the right direction.
'Of course there is the matter of just who else aside from Rakshata and myself has the brains to build advanced Knightmares.' Lloyd thought it over with an intrigued smile. 'And I have an idea of where to start.'
Cornelia rubbed her head as she looked over the reports of the battle at the prison complex. Once again her forces had been defeated and though it had not been as big a disaster as the one at Narita it was still enough to give her a splitting headache. Zero had attempted to rescue Todoh as she predicted and she had several groups on standby to stop him but like before he managed to outwit her forces. He broke Todoh out of prison, came with some new advanced Knightmares that outpaced the Gloucesters that made up her forces and even had a new Knightmare that could turn invisible, create some kind of energy barrier to block projectiles, use a weapon that shot lightning, fire, and even some kind of ice beam, and even somehow lift Knightmares off the ground.
Then when all available forces had moved into surround them Zero had set off bombs he somehow planted all around the place, disorganizing the army with the smoke the interfered with their scanners so they could escape. It was even worse that Zero managed break out almost over five hundred prisoners in addition to Todoh and escaped through a large hole in the ground. Even with all that she had taken into account she still lost to Zero, even though she was not there in person.
'It's almost like facing Schneizel.' Cornelia thought, comparing Zero's success to her elder brother whose brilliant strategies were pushing the E.U. back.
At the very least the battle had less casualties this time and Nonnette had managed to battle Zero's Aces with advanced Knightmares created by Earl Asplund and had suffered less causalities this time.
"Your Highness."
Shaken from her thoughts Cornelia looked up to see Guilford standing before her which earned a smile. "Guilford . I trust you've read over the reports?"
"Yes Your Highness." Guilford bowed his head.
"Then you know of the situation. Our influence is beginning to falter as the Black Knights continue to grow stronger. All those prisoners and the remaining resistance cells will flock to Zero as word of his victories spread." Cornelia state grimly.
The good news was that Darlton was keeping things quiet about how bad it really was so no one would question Cornelia's authority for now. However if things got out of hand any further then no doubt the Imperial Court, even the Emperor would get involved which caused a scowl on Cornelia's face.
"Do you have a plan, My Lady?" Guilford asked.
"We'll start with recalling the Glaston Knights. We need their skills and we need them here as fast as possible." Cornelia started.
"Understood. I'll contact them immediately."
"Good. And now there's the matter of who Euphemia chose to be her knight." Cornelia scowled as she had heard of who Euphemia had chosen. "What is being done about that?"
"I'm afraid all attempts to convince Princess Euphemia to change her mind have failed. She's remained convinced of her choice. The nobles are already speaking about Euphemia's decision and since it was done during a live press conference during the prison riot the news couldn't be suppressed." Guilford spoke up.
"I'll speak to her myself. In the meantime we need to set about reorganizing ourselves and work on finding the Black Knights." Cornelia changed the subject. No doubt the less said about Euphie's choice around her sister the better.
"Yes My Lady." Guilford nodded.
With that said he was dismissed, leaving Cornelia to her paper work.
"Always a downer, huh Nelly?"
Cornelia groaned as she looked up at the source of the voice on her computer. "Nonnette, I don't have time for this."
"Still sore about the guy she chose to her knight?" Nonnette asked rhetorically.
"He's not worthy to be her knight. Of all people she could have chosen she chose an Eleven." Cornelia grumbled. "What is she thinking?"
"What's the big deal? Kururugi's been one of the top pilots against Zero and the Black Knights since this whole thing started. Not to mention he's got your brother's favor as the pilot of his top Knightmare and he's remained loyal even after he was set up to take the fall for Prince Clovis's murder." Nonnette sat down on a chair in front of Cornelia's desk and sighed as she let herself relax.
"I haven't spent all these years teaching her to be a proper princess to throw it all away like this." Cornelia scowled. "It's bad enough he's commoner but also an Eleven."
"So? He's not the first commoner to be granted the rank of Knight, remember?" Nonnette pointed out, remembering a certain someone that caused Cornelia's glare to intensify.
"That's different." Cornelia said stiffly. "She earned her titles."
"And she was still born a commoner. She became Empress because the Emperor chose her, not caring if she was commoner or not." Nonnette replied, not at all bothered by Cornelia's glare. "It's that simple, Nelly. There's no way Euphie was going to follow every little order you gave her forever. It's been a matter of time before she decided to make her own decision."
"This could ruin her. What happens when the Imperial Court finds out? They'll use whatever excuse they've got to slander her name." Cornelia banged a fist on her desk.
"And Euphie won't even care. She'll stand by her decision because despite all those lessons she's never once expressed an interest in the throne. She's following her heart, something you don't do a whole lot." Nonnette replied.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Cornelia growled.
"It means that the more you fight with her over her decision the more stubborn she's going to be. So just accept it and let her have her knight." Nonnette shrugged. "To be honest from the way he acts he's probably perfect for her."
"What is the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cornelia narrowed her eyes.
"You mean you haven't noticed?" Nonnette's lips curled up into a grin. "Oh well. I guess it'll have to be a surprise."
Cornelia scowled as she never liked the kind of surprises Nonnette had in store for her and there was usually a good reason why.
"You asked to see me?"
"Ah, Leila, come in." The man looked up with a smile as he gestured for the young woman to come into his officer.
The man was tall and muscular which he showed as he stood up, wearing a blue uniform with red trims, greyish green hair and a small beard and a fierce glare that was intimidating to all but the woman standing before him. She had long blond hair that flowed down her back, wearing the same uniform as the man but wore a black skirt and light purple eyes that matched the fierceness of the man's look with a glare of her own.
"Have you heard of this?" The man gestured to the screen which showed a recording of the latest battle in Area Eleven, the battle in an attempt to liberate the prisoner Kyoshiro Todoh who was a recognized hero of the Japanese which ended in victory for the Black Knights and even saw to the liberation of over five hundred prisoners.
"I have." The woman, Leila answered stoically. "The Black Knights have achieved a great victory against Britannia and they've even showed they are creating more advanced Knightmares."
"It's more than that. There's talk in the council of forming an alliance with Zero and the Black Knights for the mutual benefits of defeating Britannian." The man replied. "I won't even tell you what our intelligence division is hearing from the Chinese Federation but I will tell you that these recent victories are sparking rebellion amongst the areas that still have pockets of resistance."
"Zero is no doubt inspiring them to continue rebelling against the Empire." Leila noted. "And if he has access to advanced Knightmares the council will be more than willing to do anything to get their hands on his resources."
"Provided that Britannia doesn't do everything in its power to stop this rebellion, even burning Area Eleven to the ground." The man replied sourly. "We both know how the Empire, especially the Royal Court deals with failure. Zero may have outwitted Cornelia li Britannia, the Goddess of Victory, but there are other tacticians and soldiers that can take her place."
"Like Schneizel el Britannia." Leila nodded, knowing all too well that the second born prince of Britannia was responsible for the majority of Britannia's victories against the E.U.
"Exactly. Despite the fact that Zero has been striking heavy blows against Britannia it's too soon to consider an alliance with the Black Knights. " The man stated. "In the event the council asks for an alliance we'll have to tread carefully. Zero may stand against Britannia but we do not know his true motives and that makes him perhaps as dangerous as Britannia."
"I understand." Leila nodded as she looked at the screen as the Black Knights escaped the prison, leaving the defeated Britannian forces in their wake. 'Still, why do I get the feeling there's something more to this Zero than simply his advanced Knightmares and his claims of justice?'
Word of Zero's victories had begun to spread to every corner of the world despite Cornelia's efforts to keep the news suppressed. And with news spread gossip amongst people who had begun supporting the Black Knights while others were attracted to the advanced Knightmares he had at his disposal and begun thinking of ways to get their hands on the resources of the Black Knights. It was no different in the Chinese Federation as the High Eunuchs had gathered to discuss ways to get the Black Knights on their side should they succeed in liberating Area Eleven from Britannia's control.
'Zero's clearly living up to his claim as being a man of Justice.' Li Xingke thought as he watched the battle of the prison complex. 'The question is what does he think of the Federation and what his response will be should the Eunuchs push for a so called alliance.'
'We used to have trouble getting a single motorcycle, now we have a submarine.' Inoue mused as she watched the coast with her binoculars from the top of the brand new submarine the Black Knights had gained. 'The Military District of India will be in big trouble if Britannia ever finds out. How'd she do it?'
She was of course referring to Rakshata who was present with all senior members of the Black Knights along Todoh and the Four Holy Swords with Lelouch in front of them, flanked by his two knights.
"Now then, due to the recent reorganization a few changes have been made. Our new Chief of Military Affairs will be Kyoshiro Todoh."
This was met with applause from many former members of the JLF who had joined the Black Knights after the rescue of Todoh.
"Taking charge of all Intelligence, Espionage, and Public Relation matters is Deithard Ried."
Diethard was smiling but it was not shared with the rest.
"This Britannian pretty boy?" Tamaki asked.
"Zero, I'm not a racist but what's your reason for putting one of them in such a sensitive position?" Chiba asked.
"One reason could be that if Diethard is captured he will likely be executed with rest of us for even associating with us." Naruto spoke up. "Though he is Britannian the fact is that he's in as deep as us now and there is no going back."
"Correct. And what of me?" Lelouch spread his cape out, earning a few stares. "I'm not Japanese either. You all know this, what matters is the ability to produce results. Who you are and where you're from is of little consequence."
"All right, all right already." Tamaki grumbled.
"My deputy Command will be Kaname Ohgi." Lelouch looked at Ohgi who looked surprised.
"Who me?" Ohgi asked, drawing stares from everyone.
"You object? You were the previous leader before giving leadership to Zero." C.C. stated.
"Uh… no." Ohgi said hesitantly.
"And for Research and Development, Rakshata." Lelouch continued.
"Who else?" Rakshata asked rhetorically with a smile.
"And Captain of the Zero Squad, Kallen Kozuki." Lelouch now turned his eyes to Kallen.
"The Zero Squad?" Kallen questioned.
"An Elite guard under my direct command. Both Seizan and Shinyroku were my two knights at the beginning but at the same time their talents lie elsewhere. Seizan will be the Commander of the Primary Assault teams while Shinryoku will be in charge of the Stealth and Assassination Squads." Lelouch explained. "That leaves the Zero squad. Think of you as my personal guard."
"Elite guard?" Kallen whispered, wondering if this was related to the deal she made with Lelouch.
Zero then assigned personal squads to all senior members of the Black Knights before ending the meeting.
"Zero, may I add something?" Diethard spoke up, earning everyone's attention. "There is one issue that still needs to be dealt with."
"I assume you are referring to Suzaku Kururugi, am I right?" C.C. spoke rhetorically.
"Princess Euphemia has spared no expense in making it's all known." Naruto mused. "Though it will bring out resentment that an Honorary Britannian. Is that what you are thinking, Diethard?"
Diethard looked at Seizan. "Yes. Britannia will hold him up as an example if we-"
"If you suggest we assassinate him I'm afraid it'll do more harm to our cause then good. The Japanese would be revolted by a cowardly act and it goes against the principles of the Black Knights. There is also the matter of the fact that killing him now would make him a martyr." Naruto cut Diethard off. "Even if he was one of the biggest obstacles if we resort to dirty methods it'll backfire on us."
"He is right. We cannot carry out cowardly methods like this." Todoh agreed.
"Besides there are simpler and easier methods to use then assassination." Seizan said, drawing Lelouch's attention.
'Simpler and easier methods? What are you up to this time, Naruto?' Lelouch thought uneasily.
"Naruto, what did you mean when said there are easier methods?" Lelouch asked once he was alone with Naruto, C.C., and Kallen.
"You're going to try to capture Suzaku and the Lancelot but the problem with that plan is that not only will it fail it'll be because you won't be able to convince him to abandon Britannia without using your Geass on him." Naruto sat down on the couch and C.C. leaned against his shoulder. "If we want to take him down without tarnishing the Black Knights or endangering yourself we should do it in a way that guarantees we won't have to fight our way through an army or risk everyone's lives."
"And that is?" Lelouch questioned.
"By challenging Suzaku in a way that he won't ignore and a way that'll force Britannia to back off." Naruto smirked.
In response to Suzaku's knighting and Nunnally's regained ability to walk Milly had thrown the giant party she had planned as the giant TV in the gym showed the Knighting Ceremony at the Viceroy Palace. Nunnally stood next to Lelouch with a big smile as she watched her brother's best friend walk into the ball room. He was dressed in a pure white suit that her mother had worn when she had been appointed as a Knight of Britannia. He walked past all the nobles that had attended this ceremony, none of them looking happy as he strolled up to the throne where Princess Euphemia was waiting while Andreas Darlton and Nonnette stood with the crowd.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs paying no mind to glares and look of disapproval from the gathered crowd Suzaku Kururugi bowed his head as Euphemia began to recite the ceremonial words.
"Suzaku Kururugi, Wilt thou upon this day pledge thy fealty to Britannia and stand as a knight of the crown?"
"Yes your highness," Suzaku replied quietly with his head still lowered.
"Dost thou wish to abandon thyself and be sword and shield for the sake of justice?"
"Yes your highness," Suzaku said as he drew the ritual sword from the scabbard on his waist and presented it to Euphemia with both hands that accepted the sword and patted both shoulders of the young man before her with the flat side of the blade.
Euphy breathed a sigh of relief. "I, Euphemia li Britannia, take you Suzaku Kururugi to be my knight."
When it was over Suzaku accepted the sword back and sheathed it before rising to turn and face the crowd. Normally people would applaud, but the entire crowd was silent for a few moments until his own superior Lloyd Asplund began clapping. At first no one joined him, but that quickly changed when Andres Darlton, one of Cornelia's personal advisors and knights began clapping. Now with a little hesitation the room applauded. People in the gym cheered for their fellow student, celebrating his newly found status.
However the moment of celebration was not to last as a second later the image on the screen started to frizzle and soon enough the signal was lost.
'Is this your plan, Naruto?' Lelouch wondered as the students around him asked what was going on.
It didn't happen just in the gym of Ashford Academy but it was happening everywhere. They lost the signal while the lights in the ball room flickered on and off. Nobles cried out from the lights going on and off, crying out in confusion and demanding answers.
"Everyone remain calm!" Darlton took control of the situation. "All civilians must be evacuated immediately. Security to the ball room, protect the Princess!"
'What is going on?' Suzaku wondered as the guests were escorted out.
The answer to his question came in the form of the wall behind the throne opening up, revealing a screen that turned on. Euphemia spun around and gasped as the screen showed a man dressed in a black cloak with white and red fox like mask staring down at everyone causing gasps of surprise from those who recognized that mask.
Darlton had started talking into the radio in his ear, trying to gain control of the situation but so far all efforts so far ended in failure and when he saw the masked man he realized who it was that was behind this. 'The Black Knights would dare attack here of all places?!'
"Congratulations, Suzaku Kururugi or should I Sir Suzaku Kururugi?" The man asked rhetorically. "I see your wishes are now starting to come true. Of course, to some you are held up as a shining beacon of hope. To others your either a traitor your kin or to the ingrains that run this so called Area a filthy Number undeserving the honor bestowed upon you." The masked man chuckled. "Oh, where are my manners? To those of you don't know me I am Seizan, member of the Black Knights and Knight of Zero. And for my reason, well firstly my congratulations to the newly appointed knight, even though his efforts to stop us have almost always met with failure, personally by my hands."
Suzaku narrowed his eyes and scowled at the image.
"That being aside I wonder how someone like him can gain the status of Knight when his actions as of late could be considered anything except honorable. I thought Knights were meant to be shining examples of justice or does Britannia's idea of Justice differ from everyone else's?" Seizan said as he held a finger up to his masked face.
"Who are you to say something like that? You and Zero have been spreading chaos and anarchy throughout this Area. You're nothing but terrorists who murder people to get your own way." Suzaku spoke up defense.
"And you haven't done the same?" Seizan replied, his voice no longer jovial but cold and hard. "That being said I wonder if you told Princess Euphemia the truth about the massacre of Shinjuku if you are so righteous."
"The massacre was the work of terrorists who stole poison gas-" Suzaku started.
"WRONG! You're first mistake as a Knight as Knights don't lie or do you believe the girl you found in the poison gas capsule to be a figment of your imagination? If so then perhaps we should track down and ask the Britannian student who saw the girl with you?" Seizan asked, causing Suzaku' eyes to widen in shock. "I'm sure he'd say otherwise or did you did make sure he would stay silent as well."
"Wait! He has nothing to do with this!" Suzaku shouted, unable to control himself.
"So you can speak the truth or at least enough that you won't give away any dirty little secrets. You're right though, he has nothing to do with this. Today is all about the so called White Knight. You believe yourself to be right in your quest to try and change the system from within and grant equality but to some inside and outside the system you're an obstacle in the way." Seizan chuckled. "Though I wonder if anyone will trust you, given that you lied about a great many things and you've even lied to Princess Euphemia as well."
"What do you mean, Seizan? Suzaku has never lied to me!" Euphemia exclaimed.
"So he told you the fates of the siblings you lost in the Second Pacific War?" Seizan asked simply.
This caused Suzaku to go pale and the entire ball room to go silent. The guards looked confused on what the man had said while Darlton was silent but shocked; knowing who the masked man was talking about. Euphemia's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open as she stared in shock at the screen the moment the man mentioned the very siblings she had loved with all of her heart.
"Oh, so he hasn't?" Seizan looked around the room. "Sorry, I thought Knights didn't keep secrets from their Princesses. Yes, Suzaku Kururugi is aware of your siblings and though he was not there to see what happened to them he was the last to see them alive in the Pacific War all those years ago and he knows why no one ever found the bodies."
"You-you know?" Suzaku stuttered, his heart feeling like it was running a million miles.
"I, or more specifically Zero know everything that happened all those years ago. And we know of their ultimate fate." Seizan spoke cryptically.
Euphemia glanced at Suzaku, seeing his eyes widen and skin pale while his mouth hung open.
"Now that I have your undivided attention everyone I believe it's time I get the point. Suzaku has been getting in our way to create a future free of the slavery perpetrated by Britannia and we've decided it's time that something is done about that. However instead of doing something sleazy like assassination I challenge the newly appointed Knight of Princess Euphemia to a duel." Seizan continued, shocking everyone in the room even more. "If he wins he'll defeat one of Zero's aces and I'll explain the fate of the Princess's siblings. However this will be done in a one on one duel with no help from either the Black Knights or Britannia and if someone from your side intervenes the duel is off and the mystery of the missing children will remain a mystery forever." A map appeared on the screen and zoomed in on an island not far from Japan. "To make sure neither side bring overwhelming odds the duel will take place on this island and it will happen at the end of the week. I'll be waiting, Suzaku Kururugi and if you value your own honor as well as the honor of your Princess you'll be there. Until then, ta-ta!"
With that said the screen vanished leaving a silent ball room.
C.C. was smirking as the students left the gym room in an orderly manner, having seen the entire spectacle through Naruto's eyes and she had to admit that even she was cut off guard by Naruto's little scheme.
'Clever, Naruto. You used the Knighting Ceremony as a way to knock Suzaku and Euphemia off balance, throwing his integrity into question while at the same time calling him out in a way that'll keep even Cornelia from trying to interfere with the battle.' C.C.'s smirk widened. 'Cornelia idolized Marianne to the point that she followed her around like a puppy and adored her children so she'll take the chance to find them, by whatever means necessary, even when she finds out Suzaku lied to her.'
Lelouch may be a tactical genius but Naruto had the great Zero beat hands down when it came to psychological warfare. Calling out Suzaku like that was actually a better idea than Lelouch's plan and even if the Lancelot was damaged Naruto would make sure it was still in working condition when it was captured.
'Now we'll just need to explain to Lelouch what happened.' C.C.'s smirk widened. 'Oh this will be fun.'
Following what happened Darlton had contacted Cornelia and explained what had happened, especially challenging Suzaku to a duel and what the knight of Zero would give them if Suzaku won. To be honest no one knew how she did but the second she heard everything she high tailed it back to the palace and called Euphemia and Suzaku to her officer. Suzaku had to fight the urge to squirm under Cornelia's eyes as they both sat down.
"I trust you both know why you're here?" Cornelia asked in a professional tone.
"Yes Viceroy." Euphemia and Suzaku answered immediately.
"Warrant Officer Kururugi, according to Darlton you met the children of Empress Marianne vi Britannia upon arrival into Area Eleven, formerly Japan." Cornelia started.
"Yes Your Highness." Suzaku nodded.
"Tell me what happened." Cornelia ordered.
"They arrived to the Kururugi Shrine since my father was the Prime Minister at the time. At the time they were welcomed as guests instead of hostages but Lelouch usually stuck close to Nunnally. We ended up becoming friends after the first week. Lelouch helped me with my homework and I protected them from a few kids staying nearby that tried to bully him and Nunnally." Suzaku answered.
"What happened to them?" Cornelia asked, trying to quell the rising hope in her voice.
"We were… separated when we escaped my family shrine during the invasion. I do know they left in the direction of Tokyo but I don't know what happened to them." Suzaku said, hoping they wouldn't realize he was lying through his teeth.
"Did you tell anyone of this?" Cornelia asked, frowning.
"I never told anyone. No one else who knew where they were staying at the time have spoken up. I guess they believe them to be dead." Suzaku answered. "Though to be honest I'm sure Lelouch would have gone through a lot of lengths to make sure they weren't found."
"Why is that? And for the record you'll refer to them as Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally." Cornelia said sharply.
"My apologies Your Highness but they both asked me to never call them that when they came to my family home. They or rather Lelouch said they no longer considered themselves members of the Royal Family." Suzaku said respectfully.
Cornelia and Euphemia both flinched, knowing it would be something Lelouch would say. Cornelia herself remembered the look on Lelouch's face when he confronted the Emperor and knew what Suzaku was saying.
"The only person I know of who's still alive and knew that they were staying at my family shrine was Kyoshiro Todoh." Suzaku continued.
Both sisters stiffened upon hearing that the only man in Japan to defeat Britannia had known their siblings had been staying at the Kururugi home.
"However I doubt he has any idea where they are or the Japan Liberation Front would have tried to capture them or…" Suzaku trailed off but they understood what he was saying.
"So no one ever found the bodies?" Euphemia had a hopeful look on her face, desperately wishing to believe that her beloved siblings might still be alive while Cornelia was trying to remain calm but realized that if Zero's knight knew what happened to them that could mean that Zero might know where they are if they were still alive.
"Then it's possible that Zero knows what happened to them." Cornelia spoke, earning surprised looks from Suzaku and Euphemia. "If so then it's imperative we find out." She looked at Suzaku with a very serious look. "Warrant Officer Kururugi, due to the seriousness of this situation I'm ordering you to accept the duel and defeat Zero's knight and find out if he knows what happened to Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia."
"Yes Viceroy." Suzaku bowed his head, not seeing a way out of it without compromising himself or his friends.
"There is one more matter I want to discuss with you. It's what Zero's knight said about a girl in the capsule instead of poison gas." Cornelia was not done yet and Suzaku had to fight the urge to gulp in front of the sisters. "Is it true?"
"Y-Yes ma'am. They said it was poison gas in the briefing but upon my arrival the capsule had opened and there was a girl inside with a civilian present. Prince Clovis's personal guard arrived to remove her but they were ordered to kill all witnesses." Suzaku answered, careful not to reveal that it was Lelouch who was with him. "I can only surmise that it was a special prisoner that Clovis didn't want to be known outside of his inner circle."
"Clovis's guard? Does this mean Clovis lied about it being poison gas?" Euphemia asked, trying to understand why her brother would do such a thing. To say it was poison gas instead of a prisoner was strange, especially when the use of biological weapons was labelled forbidden after the massacre in Area Eight.
"I honestly don't know. The guard shot at me but I survived and woke up in the Camelot Division's mobile lab. I don't know what happened to the girl or the civilian with them but I assume they were killed." Suzaku answered.
Cornelia frowned. "And you didn't mention this before?"
"My apologies Your Highness but I was unable to file a report as soon as I regained consciousness the battle in Shinjuku was taking place and Prince Clovis ordered the Lancelot to be launched. I tried to stop the terrorists but I was defeated." Suzaku flinched at the end of the sentence, remembering the first fight with the two Knightmares piloted by Zero's knights. "When I awoke I was being arrested for Prince Clovis's murder. I had no evidence of the girl's existence so I couldn't prove that there was no poison gas in the capsule and anyone who knew of her was dead."
"That same capsule was used by Zero to rescue you, meaning he must have known there was no poison gas in it." Cornelia commented thoughtfully. "Still I find this story hard to believe."
"Viceroy, you don't believe Sir Kururugi to be lying do you? If Zero really does know about what was in that capsule it's possible the terrorists stole it on his orders." Euphemia pointed out.
"And perhaps it explains Lord Jeremiah's behavior when Zero made his appearance. If it wasn't poison gas but something else that could damage Britannia's image it would explain why he let Warrant Officer Kururugi go. Perhaps this was Orange that Zero spoke of, however…" Cornelia narrowed her eyes. "If that's true then it means someone is trying to cover this up and if Clovis and his advisors knew of it then they lied about what was in that capsule."
Both sisters shared an uneasy look as neither of them could picture their brother participating something like this and it was starting to look like there was more happening in Area Eleven then either believed.
"What about the student? Perhaps he can tell us what happened." Euphemia suggested and wondered why Suzaku quietly gasped. "Did something happen to him?"
"I assumed he was killed after I was knocked out." Suzaku answered honestly.
"There weren't any reports on a student dying in the ghetto so perhaps he survived." Cornelia frowned in thought.
Suzaku was getting more nervous because if he wasn't careful they would figure out that the student is their long lost brother.
"Dismissed. Euphemia stay behind as I want to speak to you." Cornelia said, turning to her younger sister.
Euphemia glanced at Suzaku who made a small smile at her as he left the room.
"This is an unexpected turn of events." Cornelia started when the door closed. "Now that we know they were staying with his family perhaps we can confirm if they are truly alive or not."
"You do not believe Suzaku can win?" Euphemia asked.
"I find it strange that Zero would choose now of all times to present the possible chance of our siblings still being alive. The fact is this Seizan chose to give this information during the Knighting Ceremony and used it so that we couldn't refuse his challenge or his terms." Cornelia scowled, angered at how Zero and his little band managing to get one over her again and doing it in a way that prevented any retaliation. "There has to be an ulterior motive here."
"And what if they are alive? If so then we must do everything we can to find them!" Euphemia cried. "What if they've been captured? What if Zero's holding them hostage?"
"I know, Euphie, I know." Cornelia's face softened as she walked around the table and gave her younger sister a hug. "If Zero is holding them hostage I'll stop at nothing to save them and I'll tear apart anyone who gets in my way."
The two sisters never forgot the children of the late Empress Marianne or the pain when they learned they had been killed in the invasion of Japan. If there was a chance they were alive they would go through hell or high waters to find them or take their bodies home to be buried with their family.
Suzaku didn't know what to expect when he told Lelouch that it was possible Zero knew of him and Nunnally's status and location and from what he had heard they had been so happy that Nunnally had regained her legs just after regaining her sight a few months later. He had hoped the day would be a simple and normal school day but apparently Milly Ashford had different plans. When he got back he found himself in the middle of a gigantic party thrown in his honor of becoming Princess Euphemia's knight.
Suzaku nearly jumped out of his skin as when he opened the doors all of the students on the other side of the doors shouted 'SURPRISE!' and the poor knight almost instinctively reached his weapon, which he realized was back at the base after he had changed back into his school uniform. Rivalz quickly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the clubhouse, towards the table that had a vast array of snacks, dricks, and a line of pizza that C.C. was already snacking into.
"Okay guys, time to raise a glass to Kururugi here!" Rivals held up a glass of orange juice. "Valued member of the Student Council and Knight of the Realm!" He poured the orange juice into Suzaku's glass. "Now let's get this party started huh?"
Everyone held up their drinks and cheered for Suzaku, ironic that a few weeks ago they either hated his guts or feared him for being an Eleven.
"You have Nunnally to thank for all this. She organized this party almost without any help." Milly said, gesturing to the happy girl that could now see and walk.
When Suzaku saw her he fought the urge to break down and cry in happiness about how Lelouch's little sister regained her sight and mobility.
"I'm sure you're tired of the celebration. If you don't mind we want to honor you too." Nunnally replied with a big smile that Sayoko shared.
"Not at all. It's really kind of you." Suzaku stated, just happy to be with his friends.
"Oh what am I going to do?" Nina mumbled sadly, unable to be at the party for… personal reasons.
She was seated at her laptop but instead of focusing on her work she was looking at the magazine on her lap, staring at the picture of Euphemia.
"Princess Euphemia…" The girl whispered.
"Good afternoon." A jolly sounding voice suddenly said, causing her to jump. She looked up to see Lloyd Asplund come in through the window. "Have you seen Major Kururugi? They said I could find him here." Lloyd then looked at the computer, seeing what Nina was working on. "Oh, looks like you're working on some fun stuff."
"You know what it is?" Nina asked as Lloyd walked around her to get a better look.
"Oh I can tell a uranium isotope when I see one." Lloyd pushed his glasses up.
"Wow! You know you're stuff!" Nina smiled as she turned back to her screen. "And if you can get that uranium to absorb active neutrons then it should split into high speed neutrons, anatomically nuclei. The problem is you need to fuel the reaction…" Lloyd took off his glasses as he listened to Nina's experiment.
As this happened they didn't noticed Mito Senju on the other side of the door, listening to Nina's explanation.
"Hey Prez, where's Nina?" Shirley asked as she and Milly carried pizza and drinks around the room.
"I told her to be here." Milly answered, having a good idea why Nina wasn't attending.
Kallen walked into the room, spotting Suzaku as he happily talked with a few students. She grimaced as she walked forward, wondering what she would say or do when she walked to him. Ever since Narita Kallen had the urge to assassinate Suzaku like Diethard tried to suggest but Naruto and Lelouch each managed to stop her for reasons she didn't understand. Even if Suzaku had been Lelouch's best friend he was at the moment one of Zero's worst enemies and Naruto had yet to explain why he didn't want to kill Suzaku aside from the fact that Suzaku's death would make him a martyr.
"Oh hey, Kallen! Can you help me sat up some more pizza?" Shirley called out but Kallen didn't hear her. "Hey! Are you listening?"
'What should I do? Suzaku is a nice guy but at the same time he's an enemy to the people who want to free Japan.' Kallen thought.
A hand on her shoulder stopped her and she turned to see Lelouch behind her. "Hey, I think Shirley wants you to give her a hand."
"Sorry. But I'm kind of in the middle of something." Kallen shrugged Lelouch's shoulder off.
"Really?" Lelouch asked. "What is it? Maybe I can help?"
Suzaku turned and saw Lelouch and Kallen. "Hey!"
"Hey there!" Lelouch waved at Suzaku. "Sorry I'm late. I got held up."
"No problem, I'm just happy you could be here." Suzaku then realized that he needed to tell Lelouch about what happened at the ceremony. "Hey, can we go somewhere private? There's something I need to talk to you about."
"Hm?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Sure."
Lelouch led Suzaku up stairs where they wouldn't be bothered.
"So what's up?" Lelouch asked as he sat down on a couch.
"It's about you and Nunnally. I think you two are in danger." Suzaku answered grimly.
"Danger? From what? Did someone in the military discover us?" Lelouch asked, straightening up slightly.
"Not the military. The Black Knights. I think Zero knows about you two." Suzaku shook his head.
"Zero?" Lelouch questioned, now feeling more confused.
"Well during the ceremony…" Suzaku started.
"NARUTO!"
Naruto looked up from the book he was reading as Lelouch marched into the secret hangar in the Ashford Factory where his along with Kallen, C.C., and Lelouch's Knightmares were stored and looked after back Rakshata. Lelouch was fuming followed by an amused C.C. and a slightly concerned Kallen while Rakshata stood at the console, smoking her pipe.
"Hey, Lelouch. I take it C.C. told you about the upcoming duel." Naruto stated with a smile.
"Actually it was Suzaku who told him, warning him that Zero possibly knows who he and Nunnally are and where they might be hiding." C.C. clarified.
"What the hell are you pulling here? Are you trying to expose me and Nunnally?" Lelouch shouted.
"Relax. I never said you were alive, I said I knew what happened to the two royal siblings lost to the second Pacific War. There's nothing to suggest they'll figure out what that meant." Naruto said reassuringly.
"And you felt the need to mention us because…" Lelouch trailed off, his Geass activating.
"That's not going to work and you know it, Lelouch so cool off. It was so Cornelia wouldn't dare try anything in the duel. The cameras were knocked out so only Euphemia, Suzaku and a few members of their inner circle know what was said by now." Naruto explained.
"I went through a lot of trouble to fake mine and Nunnally's deaths so we wouldn't be shipped back to the homeland and the Emperor. If they suspect we're alive they'll be searching all over Japan for us." Lelouch gritted his teeth but deactivated his Geass.
"You've been hiding for seven years, any trails you might have left are long gone by now. Suzaku won't sell you out and for the way he was ignoring all the wrongs Britannia was doing I was right to call him out like that in front of Euphemia. I wouldn't propose a duel with these kinds of stakes unless I was completely sure I could handle Suzaku on my own. If I win we can capture the Lancelot we can remove one of the biggest obstacles in our way." Naruto explained.
"We're not capturing Suzaku?" Kallen questioned.
"We could but we run the risk of taking out one problem and replacing it with another. We've already got a Knight of the Round here and I found out who the Knight is." Naruto answered.
"Nonnette Enneagram." C.C. spoke up, a smile slowly forming on her face. "The Knight of Nine."
Lelouch froze as his mind flashed back to a woman with greenish blond hair coming to his mother's villa, playing with Nunnally, annoying Cornelia with her antics, and making little Lelouch squirm much like Milly usually tried to do. Of course compared to Milly the Knight of Nine was on a completely different level and had the kind of dirt on Lelouch that Milly would kill to get her hands on.
"You remember her, right Lelouch? The times she spent coming over to see you and Nunnally, embarrassing you and Cornelia without end to the point Cornelia stopped inviting her to the birthday parties thrown for her, Nunnally, Euphemia and you." C.C. leaned forward, her smile widening a bit. "I wonder what she would say if she saw her little Lulu again."
Lelouch closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The Emperor must have sent her in response to the few victories we've had against Cornelia. She's not only a skilled pilot but I remember listening to her on how Cornelia never beat her at anything."
"She's that skilled?" Kallen asked, surprised to hear of a woman more dangerous than Cornelia.
"There's a reason why she's a Knight of the Round." Lelouch said grimly. "With her and Cornelia together the two of them will be a very dangerous team."
"Hence my reason for calling Suzaku out. We need to start focusing on the main soldiers that make up the fighting force here in Japan. We remove the Lancelot we take out one then we can focus on Rai and Rolo before going after Cornelia." Naruto stated.
"This duel, can you win?" Lelouch turned back to Naruto.
"I promise you that I will win." Naruto stated confidently.
"… Fine." Lelouch relented but looked at Naruto with his best glare. "But next time you pull something like this let me know. I don't accept unnecessary risks when they involve my sister."
"Got it." Naruto held up a thumb to Lelouch, imitating the Nice Guy pose.
Emperor Charles zi Britannia watched the golden sun above the shrine with a calm smile, enjoying the peace that was endless within this world. From here he could use the power this place granted him to influence the progress of the world to his liking thanks to the construction of the platform he stood on.
"Construction of the Thought Elevator is proceeding as planned." Charles spoke, even though no one was with him. "Yes, I understand."
"You're Majesty." A voice echoed in the strange world.
"What news do you bring Bismark?" Charles spoke when he sensed a familiar presence behind him.
"You're Majesty, I come with news concerning events in Area Eleven and the Second Prince."
"Hm, Schneizel?" Charles questioned, perking up at the name of his second oldest son. "What is he up to now?"
"Zero's knight has challenged Euphemia's knight to a duel offering the chance to learn of the fate of Lady Marianne's children." Bismark answered immediately. "And Prince Schneizel is on his way to inspect the Lancelot."
"Hm?" Charles raised an eyebrow. "I highly doubt Lelouch would do such a thing just to defeat Schneizel's toy."
"He is on his way to Shikine Island where the duel will take place as we speak." Bismark continued his report.
"I see. Perhaps I should see this duel myself." Charles said with an interested grin.